Wednesday · November 11, 2026

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Bush signs the Patriot Act; federal surveillance power expands overnight

Forty-five days after the towers fell, Congress hands the FBI tools it had wanted for decades.

Forty-five days after hijackers killed nearly 3,000 Americans, Congress moved fast. On October 26, 2001, President George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act into law, a sweeping measure giving federal law enforcement new surveillance powers, easier interagency sharing of terrorism intelligence, and tougher penalties for terrorism-related crimes. The House had passed it two days earlier, 357 to 66; the Senate followed with a 98 to 1 vote. Only one senator, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, voted no…

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More from October 26

The Congress breaks up; the colonies now have a boycott and a date to reconvene

Fifty-six delegates close seven weeks at Carpenters' Hall with a trade embargo, a petition to the king, and the promise to meet again come spring.

Four days of battle end: Japan's navy leaves Leyte Gulf broken

The largest naval battle in history closes with the Imperial Japanese Navy no longer able to fight as a fleet.

Pan Am's jet lands at Le Bourget; New York to Paris in six hours of air time

A refueling stop in Gander was the only thing slowing the Clipper America down.

Exiled from Memphis five months earlier, she answers with a pamphlet instead of a retreat.

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More from Modern America

American bombs fall on Afghanistan; Bush says "time is running out"

Air strikes hit Taliban defenses and al-Qaeda camps as U.S. special forces move in to back the Northern Alliance.

A small boat pulls alongside the USS Cole; the blast kills 17 sailors in line for lunch

Two suicide bombers detonate explosives against the destroyer's hull while it refuels in Aden harbor.

A Titan IVB rises from Cape Canaveral, carrying Cassini toward Saturn

The seven-year voyage begins with 72 pounds of plutonium and a DVD of 616,400 signatures tucked aboard.

Apple shows a white box the size of a deck of cards: 1,000 songs in your pocket

Steve Jobs introduces a 6.5-ounce music player built around a 5 GB hard drive hidden inside a Cupertino auditorium.

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