1838: Morse demonstrates telegraph

Samuel Morse’s telegraph system is demonstrated for the first time at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey. The telegraph, a device which used electric impulses to transmit encoded messages over a wire, would eventually revolutionize long-distance communication, reaching the height of its popularity in the 1920s and 1930s.

Samuel Morse died wealthy and famous in New York City on April 2, 1872, at age 80.

Also on this date

Presidential

1919: Theodore Roosevelt dies

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, dies at Sagamore Hill, his estate overlooking New York’s Long Island Sound.

1759: Two future presidents marry respective sweethearts

This day in history is a wedding anniversary for two presidents: George Washington and George H.W. Bush.

Disaster

1996: Blizzard of 1996 begins

Snow begins falling in Washington, D.C., and up the Eastern seaboard, beginning a blizzard that kills 154 people and causes more than $1 billion in damages before it ends

Crime

1994: Skater Nancy Kerrigan attacked

Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan is attacked at a Detroit ice rink following a practice session two days before the Olympic trials. A man hit Kerrigan with a club on the back of her knee, causing the figure skater to cry out in pain and bewilderment.

American Revolution

1777: George Washington sets up winter quarters in Morristown, NJ

After two significant victories over the British in Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey, General George Washington marches north to Morristown, New Jersey, where he set up winter headquarters for himself and the men of the Continental Army.

World War II

1942: FDR commits to biggest arms buildup in U.S. history

President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces to Congress that he is authorizing the largest armaments production in the history of the United States.

Art, Literature, and Film History

1975: Two thousand Led Zeppelin fans trash the Boston Garden

A crowd of 2,000-plus lines up outside Boston Garden to buy tickets to the rock band Led Zeppelin. Some in the crowd then entered into to the near-empty arena and caused thousands of dollars in damage.

1975: "Wheel of Fortune" premieres

Middle Ages

1912: New Mexico joins the Union

New Mexico is admitted into the United States as the 47th state. Spanish explorers passed through the area that would become New Mexico in the early 16th century, encountering the well-preserved remains of a 13th-century Pueblo civilization.

Westward Expansion

1798: Mountain man Jedediah Smith is born

Jedediah Strong Smith, one of America’s greatest trapper-explorers, is born in Bainbridge, New York. Smith explored a stunningly large area of the Far West during his short life.

Great Britain