Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, representing the U.S.
government, sailed into Tokyo Bay, Japan, with a squadron
of four vessels on this day in 1853. For a time, Japanese
officials refused to speak with Perry, but under threat of
attack by the superior American ships they accepted letters
from President Millard Fillmore, making the United States
the first Western nation to establish relations with Japan
since it had been declared closed to foreigners two
centuries before.

Millard Fillmore
(January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874)