- 1899The Rise
Duke Ellington born
Edward Kennedy Ellington is born in Washington, D.C. He composes roughly 1,000 works, leads his orchestra for nearly fifty years, and carries American jazz into Carnegie Hall, Westminster Abbey, and the Kennedy Center Honors.
- 1992The Record
Rodney King verdict and Los Angeles uprising
A Simi Valley jury acquits four Los Angeles police officers of the videotaped beating of Rodney Glen King. Six days of unrest across Los Angeles County follow. Sixty-three die, 2,383 are injured, and an estimated $1 billion in property is destroyed. Federal prosecutors later convict two of the officers of civil-rights violations.
Timeline data: 159 events across The Ledger. See the full 400-year timeline →