March 1, 1781. The Articles of Confederation were ratified by Congress. Under the Articles, Congress was the sole governing body of the new American national government, which consisted of the 13 original states. They remained in effect throughout  the Revolutionary War, until the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1789.

March 1, 1974.  Seven former high-ranking officials of the Nixon White House  - including former chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, top aide John Ehrichman, and former attorney general, John Mitchell - were indicted for conspiring to obstruct the investigation into the Watergate break-in.

Spanning five centuries, details the lives of sixteen women who've made significant contributions to the fields of science and medicine.

The history of blacks in the South as seen through the eyes of a 110-year-old former slave. Based on the novel by Ernest J. Gaines.

Director Spike Lee fashions a bold, flavorful picture of family life in a crowded but cozy Brooklyn neighborhood nicknamed "Crooklyn" by the Carmichaels, who experience one very special summer in their hometown under difficult but often wonderful circumstances.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. embarks on a deeply personal journey through the last fifty years of African American history. Joined by leading scholars, celebrities, and a dynamic cast of people who shaped these years, Gates travels from the victories of the civil rights movement up to today, asking profound questions about the state of black America, and our nation as a whole.

February 1, 1960. In Greensboro, North Carolina, four African American students sat down and ordered coffee at a lunch counter inside a Woolworth's store. After being refused service they did not leave, but instead, remained sitting at the counter all day. This nonviolent "sit-in" was repeated in other southern states over the next few days, resulting in the eventual arrest of over 1,600 persons.and  leading  to the Woolworth department store chain removing its policy of racial segregation in the South.

February 2, 1848. The war between Mexico and the United States ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In exchange for $15 million, the U.S. acquired the land comprising parts or all of present day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas.