Clinton denies sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky on national television (1998), and Virginia is readmitted to the Union after the Civil War (1870). Born on this day: Nicolae Ceaușescu, Paul Newman and Douglas MacArthur. Died: Edward Jenner, Nelson Rockefeller and Théodore Géricault.
32 events, 69 births and 71 deaths on this date.
Speaking at a White House press conference, Bill Clinton insisted he had not had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern. The denial was the start of a scandal that led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives in 1998.
Bob McNeely, The White House [ 1 ] · Public domainVirginia was formally restored to the Union, completing its return after the Civil War and the upheaval of Reconstruction. The readmission ended a period of military rule and let its elected representatives take their seats in Congress again.
Michigan joined the Union as the 26th state, ending its years as a territory. Today, among states east of the Mississippi, it has the greatest total area, with Lansing as its capital.
Louisiana voted to leave the United States, joining the Southern states that broke away before the Civil War. The move gave the Confederacy a Gulf Coast state with the port of New Orleans, one of the country's busiest trading hubs.
Newman went on to become one of the last great movie stars of the twentieth century, known for films such as Cool Hand Luke and The Hustler. He won the Best Actor Oscar for The Color of Money in 1986 after several nominations.
Unknown author Unknown author , dedicated to Bettmann Archive · Public domain
Douglas MacArthur, the American general who later commanded Allied forces in the Pacific and oversaw Japan's occupation, was born on this day. He is best remembered for leading United States and United Nations forces in the Second World War and the Korean War.
Photographer not credited. · Public domain
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Nicolae Ceaușescu went on to lead Communist Romania for nearly a quarter of a century, until he was overthrown and executed in 1989. His repressive rule, enforced by the secret police, left him remembered as one of the harshest leaders in the Eastern Bloc.
Attribution
Paul Newman was an American film actor who also raced cars and later built a food business that gave its profits to charity. He won an Oscar for The Color of Money in 1986, after a long run of nominations for films like Cool Hand Luke and The Verdict.
Unknown author Unknown author , dedicated to Bettmann Archive · Public domain
Douglas MacArthur was an American general who commanded Allied forces in the Pacific during the Second World War. He later oversaw the occupation of Japan and led United Nations forces in the early stages of the Korean War.
Photographer not credited. · Public domain
Edward Jenner was an English physician whose work with cowpox led to the smallpox vaccine, the first vaccine ever made. The words vaccine and vaccination come from the Latin for cowpox, which he gave the name Variolae vaccinae.
Cjc13 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nelson Rockefeller was a Republican who served as governor of New York for fourteen years before becoming vice president under Gerald Ford. He was also a major art collector and a leading voice of the party's moderate wing.
White House · Public domain
Théodore Géricault was a French painter and lithographer who died aged 32. He is best remembered for The Raft of the Medusa, a huge canvas of shipwreck survivors that helped launch the Romantic movement.
Horace Vernet · CC0
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