What happened on January 20 - Interesting US History

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A Website Devoted to Interesting Events in U.S. History

ON THIS DAY IN UNITED STATES HISTORY

January 20, 1986

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is First Observed
as a Federal Holiday

On this day in 1986, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was first celebrated as a national holiday due to a bill signed by President Ronald Reagan at the White House Rose Garden on November 2, 1983. It was not offically observed in all 50 U.S. states until January 17, 2000

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African American Babtist minister and a leader of the American civil rights movement. He is considered one of the greatest orators in American history and is especially known for his "I Have a Dream" speech. He is also the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

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Interesting History Facts

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The Star Spangled Banner

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The Mayflower Beer Run

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Women in the Civil War

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The Gettysburg Address

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The First Submarine

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New York Dixie

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Interesting Civil War Facts

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Our Founding Fathers

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The War of 1812

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Sherrod Bryant

Interesting History Myths

◦	Myth: George Washington was the First President of the United States
◦	Myth: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone
◦	Myth: Daniel Boone wore a coonskin cap
◦	Myth: Betsy Ross designed the first American flag
◦	Myth: Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin
◦	Myth: Christopher Columbus discovered the earth is round
◦	Myth: Abraham Lincoln's childhood log cabin is on display in Hodgenville, Kentucky
◦	Myth: The Civil War was all about slavery
◦	Myth: In April of 1775, Paul Revere rode through the streets from Boston to Lexington yelling "The British Are Coming"
◦	Myth: The Pilgrims lived in log cabins
◦	Myth: During the Civil War, Lincoln once said about Grant's drinking: "If I knew what brand he used, I'd send every general a barrel"
◦	Myth: Charles Lindbergh was the first man to fly nonstop across the Atlantic
◦	Myth: George Washington fathered several children by his slaves
◦	Myth: The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on Bunker Hill
◦	Myth: When Confederate president, Jefferson Davis was arrested after the Civil War, he was wearing his wife's clothes
◦	Myth: The Liberty Bell rang on July 4, 1776 in celebration of American independence
◦	Myth: The reason Germany got off to such a fast start in World War II was because of its pre-war preparations

Presidential Facts / Trivia

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◦	Herbert Hoover
◦	Andrew Jackson
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◦	Thomas Jefferson
◦	Andrew Johnson
◦	Lyndon Johnson
◦	John F. Kennedy
◦	Abraham Lincoln
◦	James Madison
◦	William McKinley
◦	James Monroe
◦	Richard Nixon
◦	Barack Obama
◦	Franklin Pierce
◦	James Polk
◦	Ronald Reagan
◦	Franklin D. Roosevelt
◦	Theodore Roosevelt
◦	William H. Taft
◦	Zachary Taylor
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◦	Martin Van Buren
◦	George Washington
◦	Woodrow Wilson

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◦	Lincoln's Pocket Watch
◦	George Washington: The Man (part 1)
◦	George Washington: The Man (part 2)
◦	The True Story of Bass Reeves
◦	The True Story of Sam Wilson
◦	The Incredible Story of Sam Whittemore
◦	Julia and Hiram
◦	The Boston Massacre Lawyer
◦	Women in the American Civil War
◦	Beyond the Medal
◦	Jackson and Benton
◦	Arnold
◦	King and Colvin
◦	Stand Watie
◦	Carbine Williams
◦	George Read
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January 20, 1986

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is First Observed as a Federal Holiday

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is First Observed
as a Federal Holiday