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The Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition begins. It is a celebration of the United States of America's 100th anniversary and at this event, several new technological innovations were showcased, including Thomas Edison's phonograph and Alexander Graham Bell's telephone.
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The Battle of Little Big Horn occurs, in which Lt. Colonel George Custer and the United States Army's 7th Cavalry Division are wiped out by their indian adversaries.
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President James A. Garfield dies from a gunshot wound inflicted during an assassination attempt by Charles J. Guiteau in the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, D.C.
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Future President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt is born in Hyde Park, New York.
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Jesse James, infamous western outlaw is shot and killed by a member of his gang: Robert Ford. Ford sought the $5,000 bounty on James head.
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The Washington Monument is dedicated in a ceremony by President Chester A. Arthur. Construction on the monument had begun in 1848 financed by private concerns before eventually becoming a federal project.
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The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York as a gift from the government of France to their ally and friend the United States.
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Pharmacist Dr. John Pemberton invents the famous soft drink Coca-Cola. The drink would become an enormous financial and commercial success, becoming a symbol of America in the coming years.
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President Grover Cleveland marries Francis Folsom in the White House's Blue Room. This is the sole marriage of a president within the White House.
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The Statue of Liberty is dedicated in a ceremony by President Grover Cleveland. The statue had been given to the United States as a gift from the French government.
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The now famous Wall Street Journal is first published on this day.
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The General Electric Company is founded in a merger between the Edison General Electric Company and the Thomson-Houston Company.
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The Pledge Of Allegiance, soon to become a staple of the modern school system is first recited at public schools around the United States.
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Frederick Douglass, the famous ex-slave turned prominent civil rights leader dies at his home in Washington D.C.
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The first underground transportation system opens in Boston Massachusetts, revolutionizing public transportation and easing the burden on roads and other transportation methods.
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The United States declares war on Spain, sparking the Spanish American War, leading to Spain's eventual defeat and the United States acquisition of territories.
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The Spanish American War ends when a peace treaty is signed in Paris. The United States is the victor, and is given several portions of territory from Spain including Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam.
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The Open Door Policy with China is declared by Secretary of State John Hay in order to open international markets and support the integrity of the Chinese nation.