Wednesday · November 11, 2026
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American history, reported as it happened
Made for the 250th
19421776 Club

U.S. and Japanese fleets trade blows in the Coral Sea; neither side ever sees the other

Carrier aircraft do all the fighting as Allied forces move to block a Japanese thrust into the South Pacific.

In the heart of the Pacific, a pivotal clash unfolded. The Battle of the Coral Sea, a groundbreaking naval engagement where opposing fleets never sighted each other, marked a turning point in World War II. Stakes were high as the Allies sought to halt Japanese expansion, with the outcome determining the future of the South Pacific…

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More from May 8
1639

Coddington founds Newport; a new settlement opens on Aquidneck Island for those driven out by the Antinomian Controversy

The colony takes shape as Coddington plants a settlement built around the promise of religious freedom in Rhode Island.
1846

Taylor's army beats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande; a war is now underway

American troops hold their ground in the first major engagement of the border dispute, with the armies still in the field and the outcome of the wider conflict far from settled.
1976

Six Flags opens the world's first modern looping coaster; the Great American Revolution launches at Magic Mountain

The ride debuts in the park's Bicentennial summer, sending riders through a complete vertical loop for the first time on a modern steel coaster.
19451776 Club
The remnants of Hitler's military machine lay down arms as Allied commanders accept the unconditional capitulation of all German forces.
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More from The World Wars
1920

Colby signs the paper: women's suffrage is now the law of the land

No ceremony, no witnesses, just a secretary of state's signature at his home in Washington.
1945

Four generals form a council to rule Germany; the German Army ceases to exist

Zhukov, Eisenhower, Montgomery and de Lattre de Tassigny sign in as Berlin's new governing body and outlaw the old uniform on the same day.
1945

MacArthur steps onto the tarmac at Atsugi, alone but for a corncob pipe

The newly named Supreme Commander arrives on an airfield American troops had held for only two days.
1945

Aboard the Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan signs its surrender; the war is over

Foreign Minister Shigemitsu puts his name to the document at dawn; the Japanese delegation is gone within the hour.
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