- First HBCU, Lincoln University, charteredby HISTORY.com Editors on February 15, 2024 at 10:14 am
On April 29, 1854, Lincoln University becomes the nation’s first historically Black degree-granting institution of higher education. Located in Pennsylvania and originally founded as the Ashmun Institute, the university was renamed in 1866 in honor of President Abraham Lincoln, revered among African Americans for his 1863 decree to emancipate the nation’s millions of enslaved people. The post First HBCU, Lincoln University, chartered appeared first on HISTORY.
- Oldsmobile Builds Its Last Car (2004)on April 29, 2025 at 5:00 am
Founded in 1897 by Ransom Olds, Oldsmobile—not Ford—was the first company to mass produce automobiles. After it became part of General Motors in 1908, it shifted to making luxury vehicles. Sales soared in the 1970s and 80s—the Cutlass was the top-selling car in America in 1976—but by the 90s, Oldsmobile had lost its market to other GM divisions. Amid declining profitability, GM discontinued the line in 2004 after 107 years. The first Oldsmobile was the Curved Dash. What was the last? Discuss
- Charles de Gaulle Resigns as President of France (1969)on April 28, 2025 at 5:00 am
A celebrated general and statesman, de Gaulle was elected first president of France's Fifth Republic—a system of government with broad executive powers—in 1959. He helped write the constitution and pushed for direct popular election of the president. The mass civil unrest of May 1968 by students and workers almost toppled his government, and in 1969 de Gaulle was defeated in a referendum on constitutional amendments and resigned. He died just a year later. Whom did he bar from his funeral?
- US President Abraham Lincoln Suspends Habeas Corpus (1861)on April 27, 2025 at 5:00 am
In law, habeas corpus is a writ ordering that a person be brought before a judge, especially to decide whether a prisoner's detention is lawful. Its suspension means that prisoners can be held indefinitely without being charged. During the US Civil War, President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus to arrest and silence Southern dissenters. A legal battle ensued, and Lincoln prevailed. How was habeas corpus treated in the Confederacy at this time?
