This Week in History

On Dec. 5, 1872, The Dei Gratia spotted the Mary Celeste sailing Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was in good condition and

Before Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote his most famous novels, he faced awas faced a firing squad. On Nov. 16, 1849, Dostoevsky was convicted for high treason

On Nov. 10, 1903, Mary Anderson was given a 17-year patent for her new invention: a windshield wiper. During a visit to New York City

On Nov. 7, 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to win a seat in the U.S. Congress. After a career in social work, Rankin

On Oct. 25, 1929, Albert B. Fall was found guilty of accepting bribes from oil companies in what became known as the Teapot Dome Scandal.

On Oct. 18, 1867, The United States bought Alaska from Russia for less than two cents per acre. The full purchase was $7.2 billion for

On Oct. 11, 1793, the death toll in Philadelphia resulting from yellow fever reached 100. Yellow fever is a viral disease spread by female mosquitoes

On Oct. 5, 1775, General Washington informed Congress of espionage. Washington received a coded letter that had been intercepted between Dr. Benjamin Church, a surgeon

On Sept. 30, 1630, John Billington became the first pilgrim man to be executed after shooting John Newcomen during a quarrel. He was one of

On Sept. 22, 1692, the Salem witch trials came to an end as the last eight people were hanged. This brought the death toll to

On Sept. 17, 1787, 38 delegates got together at Independence Hall and signed the U.S. Constitution. Even though it was signed by delegates of the

On Sept. 7, 1776, America used submarine warfare for the first time in history. Ezra Lee, the pilot of the submarine christened the Turtle, attempted