| Event | U.S. President |
| Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act | |
| Louisiana Purchase | |
| Anglo-Zulu War | |
| The Republic of China established | |
| Comedy Central launched | |
| Ottoman Empire ends | |
| Japanese American internment | |
| Malcolm X assassinated | |
| Marie Antoinette executed | |
| Y2K concerns | |
| Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game | |
| Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is first published | |
| The New York Times is founded | |
| Marshall Plan | |
| American Red Cross established | |
| Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state | |
| The Star-Spangled Banner was written | |
| Michael Jordan plays for the Washington Wizards | |
| Over 230,000 die in Haiti earthquake | |
| Wheel of Fortune premieres on NBC | |
| Spanish-American War | |
| George Washington dies | |