| (1867) Seward’s Folly nets the US vast Russian territory
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Secretary of State William Seward purchases 586,412 square miles of land in the far northwest of Russian America. Many say “Seward’s icebox” isn’t worth $7.2 million, but the future state of Alaska will turn out to be a bargain. . |
| (1870) African-American men get the vote
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| Following a difficult ratification, the US Constitution’s 15th Amendment is adopted, formally granting all adult black men, regardless of “previous condition of servitude,” the right to vote. By the late 1870’s, Southern states will nevertheless take various steps to disenfranchise black voters.. |
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| (1912) Morocco becomes a French protectorate
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The North African kingdom of Morocco, with its vast coastline in close proximity to Europe, has long been considered a colonial prize, and the Treaty of Fez now gives France dominion over the land and its people. . |
| (1981) Gunman opens fire on President Reagan
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| As he’s leaving a Washington, DC, hotel, President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. Doctors will later reveal that the bullet missed the president’s heart by just an inch.. |
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