This Month in History, United States history, historical dates, events

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY

February 2008

February 1, 1788
Steamboat Patented
On February 1, 1788 the first patent for a steamboat was granted to two American inventors.
Using lakes and rivers as watery highways, 19th-century steamboats contributed to America’s
growth by transporting cotton, sugar, passengers, and farm and factory supplies. By the 1870s,
railroads had replaced steamboats as America’s major means of transportation.

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SATURDAY

1

1788 Steamboat patented.

2

1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo signed.

3

1870 15th Amendment ratified.

4

1887 Interstate Commerce Act passed.

5

1935 FDR's "court packing" bill sent to Congress.

6

1778 Treaty of Alliance signed with France.

7

1876 Trial of Orville Babcock began in Whiskey Ring scandal.

8

1887 Dawes Act passed.

9

1825 John Quincy Adams selected president by U.S. House of Representatives.

10

1763 Treaty of Paris ended French and Indian War.

11

1945 Yalta Agreement signed.

12

1909 NAACP founded.

13

1866 First James-Younger Gang robbery.

14

1989 Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie.
Valentine's Day

15

1898 U.S.S. Maine exploded.

16

1833 Barron v. Baltimore decided.

17

1936 Brown v. Mississippi decided.

18

1885 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn first published.
Presidents' Day

19

1942 FDR issued order authorizing Japanese internment.

20

1962 John Glenn orbited Earth.

21

1953 Structure of DNA discovered.

22

1841 Supreme Court heard arguments in the Amistad case.

23

1945 Americans raise flag on Iwo Jima.

24

1803 Marbury v. Madison decided.

25

1793 First U.S. Cabinet meeting held.

26

1919 Grand Canyon National Park established.

27

1951 22nd Amendment ratified.

28

1854 Republican Party founded.

29

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