Letters Patent are a centuries-old form of royal document used by monarchs to grant or remove appointments, offices, honors, or titles.
November 06, 2025
high
institutional
Describes a long-standing royal instrument in constitutional and administrative practice.
Tactical nuclear weapons deployed in South Korea by the United States were withdrawn in the 1990s.
November 04, 2025
high
temporal
Historical disposition of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula
China seized control of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012.
November 02, 2025
high
historical
Scarborough Shoal is a disputed feature in the South China Sea whose control shifted in 2012.
Brad Sigmon was executed by firing squad in March 2025, representing the first execution by firing squad in the United States since 2010.
March 01, 2025
high
temporal
Notable return of the firing squad as an execution method in the U.S.
In January 2019, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidance stated that limited contingency funding was available that could be used to provide SNAP benefits for February during a government funding lapse.
January 01, 2019
high
policy_history
Past USDA guidance on use of contingency funds during a government shutdown.
In the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, the Democratic Party gained 40 seats in the House of Representatives.
November 06, 2018
high
historical
Outcome of the 2018 United States midterm elections.
Prior to South Carolina's 2025 firing squad executions, only three prisoners in the United States had been executed by firing squad since 1977; all of those executions occurred in Utah, and the most recent of them was Ronnie Gardner in 2010.
January 01, 2010
high
temporal
Historical frequency and geography of firing-squad executions in the U.S. since 1977.
Naval Station Roosevelt Roads was a major U.S. naval facility that was closed in 2004.
January 01, 2004
high
temporal
Status change of a U.S. naval installation
The Darfur conflict erupted in 2003 when rebels from the territory's ethnic central and sub-Saharan African communities launched an insurgency complaining of oppression by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum.
January 01, 2003
high
historical
Background on the origins of the Darfur conflict
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are descended from the Janjaweed militias, and the Janjaweed militias were accused of committing genocide in Darfur in the early 2000s.
January 01, 2003
medium
temporal
Organizational origin of the RSF and historical accusations against predecessor militias.
House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was one of 126 House Democrats who voted against the 2002 congressional resolution authorizing the Iraq War.
January 01, 2002
high
temporal
Congressional voting record on the 2002 Iraq War authorization
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) emerged from the Janjaweed militia that operated in Darfur in the early 2000s, and the Janjaweed were accused of committing genocide.
January 01, 2000
high
temporal
Origins of the RSF and historical accusations against the Janjaweed during the Darfur conflict.
The United States conducted its last nuclear weapons test in Nevada in 1992.
January 01, 1992
high
temporal
Historical baseline for U.S. nuclear testing.
President George H.W. Bush imposed a moratorium on U.S. nuclear weapons testing in 1992 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
January 01, 1992
high
temporal
Policy change that ended U.S. nuclear testing in the early 1990s.
Russia (including tests carried out by the then-Soviet Union) has not conducted a nuclear weapons test since 1990.
January 01, 1990
high
temporal
Historical baseline for Russian/Soviet nuclear testing activity.
Democrats had not won a U.S. Senate election in Maine since George Mitchell's 1988 reelection.
January 01, 1988
high
temporal
Historical pattern of U.S. Senate election outcomes in Maine.
Since 1977, only three prisoners in the United States, all in Utah, have been executed by firing squad.
January 01, 1977
high
historical
Summarizes the historical incidence of firing-squad executions in the U.S. since 1977.
New York enacted the 'Son of Sam' law in 1977 to prevent criminals from profiting by detailing their offenses or selling rights to their crime stories.
January 01, 1977
high
legal
Historic state law intended to block financial gain by offenders from publicity about their crimes.
The U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976.
January 01, 1976
high
temporal
Historical legal milestone restoring capital punishment at the federal level.
Florida reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
January 01, 1976
high
temporal
Background on the legal history of capital punishment in Florida.
The West Bank and the Gaza Strip were captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.
January 01, 1967
high
temporal
Territorial changes resulting from the 1967 Arab-Israeli war are a key element in subsequent Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and international law discussions.
The Monongah coal mine explosion in West Virginia in 1907 killed 362 men and boys and is an example of a historically deadly workplace accident in the United States.
January 01, 1907
high
historical
Historical example cited to illustrate the U.S. history of deadly workplace accidents.
Competing territorial claims between Thailand and Cambodia largely stem from a 1907 map produced when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, a map that Thailand has argued is inaccurate.
January 01, 1907
high
temporal
Colonial-era cartography is a root cause of modern border disputes between the two countries.
The Federalist Papers were written in 1787-1788 to support ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
January 01, 1788
high
historical
A collection of essays authored to advocate for adoption of the U.S. Constitution.
The Federalist Papers are a collection of essays written in 1787â1788 to support ratification of the United States Constitution.
high
historical
Provides the historical purpose and timeframe of the Federalist Papers.
John Gotti served as a boss of the Gambino crime family, a New York-based organized crime family.
high
historical
Identifies leadership of a historically significant organized crime family in New York.
Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity dating back centuries, rooted in periods when both were competing regional empires.
high
temporal
Longstanding historical rivalry between the two Southeast Asian states provides background to contemporary bilateral tensions.