History Today

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 18th. It’s one of the most intriguing mysteries in American history--what happened to the Roanoke colony? On this day in 1590, John White, the colony’s governor returned from a supply trip to England to find the colony, located in present-day North Carolina, deserted. White and his men found no trace of the 100 or so colonists they had left behind, and there was no sign of violence.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 17th. In an era of self-driving cars testing the highways, it’s hard to imagine using a hand crank to start the engine. But that’s what would-be drivers were forced to do before this day in 1915, when American inventor Charles Kettering invented the electric ignition.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 16th. It was the 19th-century version of the Powerball jackpot: On this day in 1896, George Carmack stumbled upon a gold deposit with two Indian fishermen while salmon fishing in the Yukon. The discovery sparked the last, great western gold rush and attracted more than 50,000 prospectors seeking their fortune in gold.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History brought to you by AARP. Take on today and every day with AARP. Here’s what happened on August 15th. Coachella. Burning Man. Bonnaroo. There’s a festival for every walk of life these days, and many of them owe their inspiration to the mother of all events—the Woodstock Music Festival—which opened on a small New York farm 50 years ago today.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 14th. Looking forward to retirement? For the past 83 years, Americans have been contributing a portion of their paychecks toward Social Security—a federal program enacted on this day in 1935.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 13th. Fifty eight years ago today, people across eastern Berlin awoke to find themselves cut off from family, friends and neighbors in the western part of their city. Overnight, East German soldiers had begun laying down barbed wire and bricks as a barrier between Soviet-controlled East Berlin and the democratic western section of the city.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 12th. On the heels of the discovery of a new species of dinosaur--a small but deadly cousin of the T. Rex, in southern Brazil, we look back 28 years to an earth-shattering discovery much closer to home. On this day in 1990, fossil hunter Susan Hendrickson discovered three huge bones jutting out of a cliff near Faith, South Dakota.

On this day in History: Alcatraz opened for business, Watts riots began, and American Graffiti debuted.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 10th. Anyone living or working near New York City 42 years ago remembers the story: On this day in 1977, a 24-year-old postal employee named David Berkowitz was arrested for a spree of shootings that left six young people dead and seven others injured. Calling himself “Son of Sam,” Berkowitz terrorized the city for more than a year, shooting young people at night, often while they were seated in parked cars.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 9th. He was the only U.S. president to assume the office despite not having been elected to either the presidency or the vice-presidency--Gerald Ford was sworn as the 37th U.S. president on this day in 1974. His predecessor, Richard Nixon, had appointed Ford to the vice presidency under the auspices of the 25th Amendment after his original vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigned.