Sunday · September 27, 2026
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American history, reported as it happened
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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
1941

Churchill and Roosevelt issue a joint charter for the postwar world

Meeting in secret off Newfoundland, the two leaders lay out eight principles for peace before America has even entered the war.
1945

Emperor's voice reaches the Japanese people for the first time: Japan surrenders

A phonograph record, smuggled past mutinous officers overnight, carries Hirohito's words into homes across the country at noon.
1927

Eight planes race for Honolulu; the fog barely lifts in time

Two aircraft crash before clearing Oakland's runway, and two more vanish over open water before the day is done.
1943

376 bombers split into two forces; 60 do not come home

The plan sent Curtis LeMay's group in first to draw the fighters, leaving Robert Williams to fight his way out alone.
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