Rosenbergs executed for atomic espionage

On June 19, 1953, the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in the electric chair at Sing Sing ended one of the most sensational cases of the McCarthy era. It was the first execution of civilians for espionage in US history.

Learn more about the trial of the Rosenbergs.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Standard Oil incorporated

On January 10, 1870, John Davison Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil. Rockefeller's corporation would grow to achieve a virtual monopoly over oil production in the United States. Standard Oil's dominance lasted until the corporation was split into 34 separate companies in 1911 after the Supreme Court found the company in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. The rise of Standard Oil made Rockefeller America's first billionaire and eventually the richest man in the world. Read the text of Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey vs. United States, 221 U.S. 1 (1910).