On This Day
What Happened on January 6 in History
8 events that happened on January 6, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.
Colonial America and the Revolution
1759
George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a young widow, in New Kent County, Virginia.
Martha brought two young children from her first marriage into the household. The couple made their home at Mount Vernon, and she later became the nation's first First Lady.
Source: history.com; nps.gov
The Young Republic and the Civil War Era
1842
British and Indian forces began a disastrous winter retreat from Kabul during the First Anglo-Afghan War.
After an uprising in Kabul, the British agreed to withdraw toward Jalalabad with thousands of soldiers and civilians. Afghan fighters attacked the column in the snowbound mountain passes, and almost none of those who set out survived the march.
Source: history.com
The Early 1900s and the World Wars
1912
New Mexico was admitted to the Union as the 47th state.
Spanish explorers crossed the region in the early 16th century and found the remains of a 13th-century Pueblo civilization. Rumors of hidden riches drew the first full-scale Spanish expedition there.
Source: history.com; history.com
1919
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, died at his Sagamore Hill home in Oyster Bay, New York.
He was 60. A reform Republican and energetic leader, Roosevelt is credited with shaping the modern presidency.
Source: history.com; archive.nytimes.com
1941
Franklin D. Roosevelt described the Four Freedoms in his State of the Union address.
Speaking as Nazi Germany overran Europe, Roosevelt urged Americans to move away from neutrality. He named freedom of speech and of worship, and freedom from want and from fear, as goals for the world.
Source: millercenter.org; history.com
1942
Franklin D. Roosevelt set huge wartime production goals for planes and tanks in his State of the Union address.
Speaking a month after Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt called for 60,000 planes and 45,000 tanks in 1942, with even higher targets for 1943. The goals signaled a massive conversion of American industry to war production.
Source: history.com; presidency.ucsb.edu
The Modern Era
1994
Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the knee after a practice in Detroit.
The attack came two days before the Olympic trials. It was later tied to the ex-husband of her rival Tonya Harding.
Source: history.com
2001
Congress certified George W. Bush as winner of the disputed 2000 presidential election.
Vice President Al Gore, who had lost the race, presided over the joint session. Bush had been declared the winner more than five weeks after Election Day because of the contested Florida ballots.
Source: history.com; history.house.gov