Stewart Rhodes, a leader of the American militia group the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison following his conviction on charges of seditious conspiracy related to his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. Pres. Donald Trump commuted Rhodes’s sentence to time served on January 20, 2025. [Learn more about militia movements in the United States.]

George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, setting off massive protests around the country and generating greater support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement; police officer Derek Chauvin was later convicted of his murder. An estimated 15–26 million people participated in protests in the summer of 2020, making BLM the largest protest movement in American history. [Read our list of the largest single-day protests in U.S. history]

The last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired; the long-running TV program had helped make Winfrey one of the richest and most influential women in the United States. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about famous Americans.]

George Lucas’s space opera film Star Wars (later known as Star Wars: Episode IV—New Hope) was released, launching one of the most successful and influential franchises in motion picture history. [How much do you know about the original Star Wars trilogy?]

Midnight Cowboy was released in theaters, and the drama, which starred Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, went on to become the only X-rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture. [Test your knowledge of the Academy Awards.]

In a speech before Congress, U.S. President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade; the goal was achieved with Apollo 11 in 1969. [Take our space exploration quiz.]

ʿAbdullāh I, ruler of Transjordan, proclaimed himself king. [Test your knowledge of kings and emperors.]

American baseball player Babe Ruth hit the 714th and last home run of his career; he retired later that year. [Find out where Babe Ruth ranks on our list of the 10 greatest baseball players of all time.]

American track-and-field standout Jesse Owens set three world records and equaled one other at a meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan. [Take our quiz about track and field.]

Aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky, who successfully developed the helicopter, was born in Kiev, Ukraine, Russian Empire. [How much do you know about aircraft and aviation?]

American entertainer Bill (“Bojangles”) Robinson, best known for his dancing roles with Shirley Temple in films of the 1930s, was born in Richmond, Virginia. [Take our quiz about dance.]

Having severed ties with Spain and the viceregal government, the municipal council of Buenos Aires established an autonomous government. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about South America.]

U.S. Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia