1824: The House of Representatives convened to decide the presidential election because no candidate had received an Electoral College majority. John Quincy Adams was eventually named President; other contenders were Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay.

1955: On this evening, Rosa Parks was arrested in Alabama for disobeying the legal requirement that black passengers relinquish seats to white passengers whenever a bus was full. Her arrest led to the 1956 Supreme Court decision that ban public transportation system segregation. More from the LOC.

1969: Due to the war in Vietnam, the US holds the first draft lottery since World War II.

1998: Argued before Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals: Koenick v. Felton
Court would rule that creating a school holiday that occurred the same time as the Christian holy day of Good Friday was not an impermissible establishment of religion.

1999: An international team of scientists announced it had sequenced the first human chromosome.

1999: Argued before the Supreme Court: Mitchell v. Helms
Court decision (6-3) allows educational materials and equipment purchased with government money to be given to religious schools so long as the decision to provide aid is based upon neutral and secular criteria; there is a legitimate secular purpose; and the decision process is the same for non-religious groups.

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