On Feb. 15, 1879, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed a law allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1898, the battleship USS Maine mysteriously exploded in Havana Harbor, killing more than 260 crew members and bringing the United States closer to war with Spain.

In 1961, 73 people, including all 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team en route to the World Championships in Czechoslovakia, were killed in the crash of a Sabena Airlines Boeing 707 in Belgium.

In 1978, boxer Leon Spinks scored a massive upset as he defeated Muhammad Ali to become the world heavyweight champion.

In 2022, the families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting agreed to a $73 million settlement against Remington Arms, the maker of the rifle used to kill 20 first graders and six educators in 2012.