August 19, 1848: The discovery of gold in California, a territory of Mexico at the time (occupied by the U.S. in the Mexican-American War and ceded to the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadlupe Hidalgo two weeks after the initial discovery), is reported by the New York Herald, the first major newspaper on the East Coast to do so. President James Polk announced the discovery to Congress on December 5, and the way was paved for the California Gold Rush.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 04:51:12 +0000
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