- 1790 – George Washington delivers the nation’s first State of the Union address.
- 1835 – The U.S. national debt reaches $0 for the first and only time.
- 1859 – Fanny Bullock Workman is born. An explorer, she spent most of her career climbing the Himalayas. One of her most noted achievements includes being the first woman to exceed 23,300 feet when she climbed Pinnacle Peak.
- 1867 – Congress overrides Andrew Johnson’s veto of a bill granting Black men the right to vote in Washington, D.C.
- 1867 – Emily Greene Balch is born. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946.
- 1877 – Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse fights his last battle.
- 1911 – Thelma Butterfly McQeen is born. She later played Prissy in “Gone with the Wind.”
- 1918 – President Woodrow Wilson delivers his “Fourteen Points” speech, outlining his vision for a stable, long-lasting peace.
- 1935 – Elvis Presley is born.
- 1942 – Stephen Hawking is born.
- 1947 – David Bowie is born.
- 2002 – George W. Bush signs No Child Left Behind into law
- 2011 – Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is shot in the head during an outdoor meeting with constituents. She is critically injured but survives.
