US President Bush announced the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Nevada legalized gambling in 1931, becoming the state’s primary source of revenue. The Academy Awards first aired on NBC in 1953. The first air combat mission in US history took place in 1916. The US Congress established time zones and daylight saving time in 1918. East Germany established a new constitution in 1949, leading to the division of Germany. Pluto was photographed for the first time in 1915. The Tuskegee Airmen began operations in 1941. The United States rejected the Treaty of Versailles for the second time in 1920. C-SPAN began broadcasting in 1979.
Operation Iraqi Freedom begins. (2003) US President Bush announced the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a military mission to liberate Iraq from Saddam Hussein. The war was internationally unpopular from the start and lost much popularity in America after Bush’s claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction proved baseless.
Nevada has legalized gambling. (1931) Although unregulated gambling had taken place in mining towns throughout Nevada, gambling was outlawed in the early 20th century as part of a national campaign against corruption. The state re-legalized it on this day in the 20th and it became the state’s primary source of revenue.
The Academy Awards first aired on NBC. (1953) Although the winners had been announced several months earlier, the program still received a lot of attention. The show was hosted by Bob Hope and Conrad Nagel, and Cecil DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth won Best Picture.
The first air combat mission in US history took place. (1916) Eight planes took off to support 7,000 US troops searching for Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. Despite help from the plane, Villa was never found by U.S. forces, who were eventually forced out of Mexico in 1917.
The US Congress established time zones and daylight saving time. (1918) Although the idea had been around since the time of Benjamin Franklin, the United States did not participate in daylight savings or time zones until the early 20th century. The country was actually a latecomer to the game: Germany, Russia, Great Britain and several other European countries had started using it several years earlier.
East Germany established a new constitution. (1949) This was considered the first step towards a divided Germany, as the new constitution was made largely in response to American support for West Germany. The country officially split that same year and remained two separate countries until 1990.
Pluto was photographed for the first time. (1915) Amateur astronomer Percival Lowell took the first images of Pluto on this day, but they were so faint that he mistook the dwarf planet for a star. The planet was officially “discovered” in 1930.
The Tuskegee Airmen began operations. (1941) The Tuskegee Airmen were an elite, all African American unit that fought in numerous battles in World War II. Before the aviators, there had never been an African American military pilot in the United States.
The United States rejected the Treaty of Versailles for the second time. (1920) The United States Senate, heavily influenced by Henry Cabot Lodge, rejected the treaty for the second time, as many thought it too lenient on Germany. The United States created a second treaty to end hostilities between itself and the Central Powers, which went into effect in 1921.
C-SPAN has begun broadcasting. (1979) Known for its fairly dry but impartial coverage, C-SPAN began by broadcasting a speech by then-Senator Al Gore. Since then, the company has created three spin-off channels, a radio station and a sizable archive of political material.
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