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Made for the 250thOn this day › August 7
What happened on August 7 in American history
August 7 is the 219th day of the year (the 220th in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 7 stories from August 7 spanning 1789 to 1997. Among them: in 1789, Congress hands the new army to a civilian department; Washington signs it into law; and in 1794, Washington proclaims: pay the whiskey tax, or face 13,000 militiamen.
1789
Congress hands the new army to a civilian department; Washington signs it into law
Five employees, one secretary at war, and the whole of the United States Army to run.
1794
Washington proclaims: pay the whiskey tax, or face 13,000 militiamen
Peace commissioners head west with one hand while the President musters an army with the other.
1959
A tumbling satellite over Mexico snaps the first picture of Earth from orbit
One week after launch, a 64-element scanner aboard Explorer 6 built the image one spot at a time.
1964Member story · 1776 Club
Congress hands Johnson the war powers he asked for; only two senators say no
Morse and Gruening warn the chamber is signing off on a war without ever voting to declare one.
1978Member story · 1776 Club
Carter declares a federal emergency over a buried chemical dump under a Niagara Falls neighborhood
Backyards had turned to black trees and burst drums; 800 homes now sit atop 19,800 tonnes of Hooker Chemical's waste.
1990Member story · 1776 Club
American troops touch down in Saudi Arabia; Bush moves to block Saddam
Three days after Iraqi tanks rolled into Kuwait, the first coalition boots hit the desert sand.
1997Member story · 1776 Club
Discovery lifts off on STS-85, a day late on account of fog
Kent Rominger flies to orbit on his 41st birthday, carrying a satellite built to read the sky.
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