Mark David Chapman murders John Lennon in New York City as Lennon tried to enter his apartment building, The Dakota, on the Upper West Side. Lennon had been living in New York during his solo career following the break-up of The Beatles. Chapman, who had delusions that he was Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, was convicted of second-degree murder.
Inventor Eli Whitney is born in Westborough, Massachusetts. Whitney completely revamped the American economy by inventing the cotton gin in 1792, which significantly increased cotton production in the South and helped boost textile output in the Northeast.
President Bill Clinton signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law. President George H.W. Bush had negotiated NAFTA with Canadian and Mexican leaders but lost the 1992 election to Clinton, who endorsed NAFTA's passage. NAFTA created the world's largest free trade zone by combining the three powerful economies.
"Day of Infamy" speech
President Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses a joint session of Congress following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt calls the attack "a day which will live in infamy" and asks Congress for a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan, which is passed with a near unanimous vote.
Please support this magazine of trusted historical writing, now in its 75th year, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to American Heritage.
