On this date in...
1836...Prostitute Helen Jewett is hacked to death in her bed on Thomas Street. Wealthy client Richard Robinson is charged with murdering her after she threatened to tell his fiance about their relationship. The case is a sensation, and is credited by some as the birth of American tabloid news. Robinson is later acquitted, with the jury noting that "No man should hang for the murder of a whore."
1841...The New York Daily Tribune is born, with Horace Greely as its first editor.
1866...The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh. New York State charters the ASPCA to enforce the nation's first humane laws, and today the society treats and cares for thousands of animals each year.
1912...The ocean liner Titanic sets off on its maiden voyage from England to New York. Five days later, hundreds perish when the luxury liner strikes an iceberg and sinks.