On Jan. 13, 1794, President George Washington approved a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the union. (The number of stripes was later reduced to the original 13.)
In 1966 Robert Weaver became the first black Cabinet member after he was confirmed as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
In 1976 Sarah Caldwell became the first woman to conduct at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House.
In 1982 an Air Florida 737 crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, killing 78 people.
In 1990 L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia became the nation’s first elected African-American governor.
In 1997 seven black soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II valor; the lone survivor of the group, former Lt. Vernon Baker, received his medal from President Bill Clinton at the White House.
In 1999 Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan announced his retirement from basketball.
In 2003 the FAO Schwarz toy store chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
