This Day in History | July 7th

On July 7, 1846, U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison.

In 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C. for conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, including Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the federal government.

In 1898, the United States annexed Hawaii.

In 1919, the first U.S. Army convoy of motorized vehicles to cross the United States departed Washington, D.C.

In 1948, the first six women were sworn in to the regular Navy.

In 1954, Elvis Presley made his radio debut as station WHBQ played “That’s All Right.”

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.