First meeting of the United States Supreme Court, Feb. 1790.

The Judiciary Act of 1789 is passed by Congress and signed by President
George Washington, establishing the Supreme Court of the United States
as a tribunal made up of six justices who were to serve on the court until
death or retirement. That day, President Washington nominated John Jay
to preside as chief justice, and John Rutledge, William Cushing, John Blair,
Robert Harrison, and James Wilson to be associate justices. On September
26, all six appointments were confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

John Jay (December 23, 1745 – May 17, 1829)

FIRST Chief Justice of the United States
In office September 26, 1789 – June 29, 1795

   
    
    
    
    
   
The Old Royal Exchange, in New York City, where the first
meeting of the Court was held in February 1790, though
with no cases to hear.

Washington laying the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in a photo reproduction of a painting.

On September 18, 1793, George Washington lays the cornerstone to the
United States Capitol building, the home of the legislative branch of
American government. The building would take nearly a century to
complete, as architects came and went, the British set fire to it and
it was called into use during the Civil War. Today, the Capitol building,
with its famous cast-iron dome and important collection of American
art, is part of the Capitol Complex, which includes six Congressional
office buildings and three Library of Congress buildings, all developed
in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Although President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the
U.S. Capitol in 1793, construction of current dome did not begin
until 1856. The dome, which replaced an earlier one made of
copper.

The U.S. Capitol under construction, 1860.

1860 – 1861

The U.S. Capitol as it looks today in Washington, D.C.

The signing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA.

The Constitution of the United States of America was signed by 38 of 41
delegates present at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Supporters of the document waged a hard-won battle to
win ratification by the necessary nine out of 13 U.S. states.

The signature on the Constitution.

Independence Hall Today.

The Assembly Room of Independence Hal as it looks today.

The Syng Inkstand – Believed to have been used to sign The Declaration of Independence.

TIM MAGUIRE

William Oliver Stone is 73 years old  today.

 1991

JFK was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including
Best Picture, Best Director for Stone and Best Supporting
Actor for Jones and won two for Best Cinematography and 
Best Film Editing. It was the most successful of three films 
Stone made about American presidents, followed by Nixon
(1995) with Anthony Hopkins in the title role and W. (2008)
with Josh Brolin as George W. Bush.

Sights and sounds of this day in 2001, when America suffered the worst terrorist attack on its soil.