On this date in...
1915...The British passenger ship Lusitania sets sail for Liverpool, England, from Pier 54 in Manhattan, during the early months of World War I. Days later, hundreds perish when the ship is sunk by a German torpedo.
1931...Construction is completed on the Empire State Building, but the edifice is soon dubbed the "Empty State Building" when depression-era difficulties cause the structure to remain half-empty for years.