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First public art exhibition (Palais-Royale, Paris)
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House of Representives first meeting
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African Methodist Episcopal Church organizes
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Confederate General Lee surrenders
Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders his army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. -
Alaska Purchase
Passing by a single vote, the United States Senate ratifies a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska. -
17th Amendment ratified
Required direct election of senators -
Tornado reduces Oklahoma town to rubble
The town of Woodward, Oklahoma, is nearly wiped off the map by a powerful tornado on this day in 1947. More than 100 people died in Woodward, and 80 more lost their lives elsewhere in the series of twisters that hit the U.S that day. -
First astronauts introduced
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduces America's first astronauts to the press: Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr. Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr. Alan Shepard Jr., and Donald Slayton. -
George Shultz condemns Soviet spying
Days before he is to travel to Moscow for talks on arms control and other issues, U.S Secretary of State George Shultz states that he is "damned angry" about possible Soviet spy activity in the American embassy in the Soviet Union. -
Honda wins World Green Car award
The Honda FCX Clarity, a four-door sedan billed as the planet's first hydrogen power fuel-cell vehicle intended for mass production, wins the World Green Car award at the New York Auto Show.
