the day in the history

1776 - Members of the Continental Congress began adding their signatures to the Declaration of Independence.

1782 - George Washington invented the Honorary Badge of Distinction.

1791 - Samuel Briggs and his son Samuel Briggs, Jr. received a joint patent for their nail-making machine. They were the first father-son pair to receive a patent.

1824 - In New York City, Fifth Avenue was opened.

1858 - In Boston and New York City the first mailboxes were installed along streets.

1861 - The United States Congress passed the first income tax. The revenues were intended for the war effort against the South. The tax was never enacted.

1876 - "Wild Bill" Hickok was killed (shot from behind) while playing poker in Deadwood, SD. Jack McCall was later hanged for the shooting.

1887 - Rowell Hodge patented barbed wire.

1892 - Charles A. Wheeler patented the first escalator.

1921 - Eight White Sox players were acquitted of throwing the 1919 World Series.

1922 - Alexander Graham Bell died.

1926 - John Barrymore and Mary Astor starred in the first showing of the Vitaphone System. The system was the combining of picture and sound for movies.

1934 - German President Paul von Hindenburg died. His successor was Adolf Hitler.

1938 - Bright yellow baseballs were used in a major league baseball game between the Dodgers and the Cardinals. It was hoped that the balls would be easier to see.

1939 - Albert Einstein signed a letter to President Roosevelt urging the U.S. to have an atomic weapons research program.

1939 - U.S. President Roosevelt signed the Hatch Act. The act prohibited civil service employees from taking an active part in political campaigns.

1943 - The U.S. Navy patrol torpedo boat, PT-109, sank after being attacked by a Japanese destroyer. The boat was under the command of Lt. John F. Kennedy.

1945 - The Allied conference at Potsdam was concluded.

1964 - The Pentagon reported the first of two North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.

1974 - John Dean was sentenced to 1-4 years in prison for his involvement in the Watergate cover-up.

1980 - A bomb exploded in a train station in Bologna, Italy. 85 people were killed.

1983 - It was designated that the third Monday of January would be a federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

1985 - 137 people were killed when a jumbo jet crashed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The Delta jet was attempting to land at the time of the crash.

1987 - "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was re-released. The film was 50 years old at the time of its re-release.

1988 - U.S. military investigators concluded that "crew errors" were the cause of the shooting down of an Iranian passenger jet on July 3, 1988.

1990 - Iraq invaded the oil-rich country of Kuwait. Iraq claimed that Kuwait had driven down oil prices by exceeding production quotas set by OPEC.

1995 - China ordered the expulsion of two U.S. Air Force officers. The two were said to have been caught spying on military sights.

1999 - In eastern India, at least 278 people were killed when two trains collided at a station.

2001: Car bomb in west London injures seven

A bomb has exploded in a busy west London street, injuring seven people.

Gene Robinson (copyright: AP) 2003: Anglican church approves gay bishop
The Anglican Church in America votes to approve the appointment of an openly gay bishop, angering religious leaders around the world..

Children in park 1990: UK temperatures reach record high
A weather station in Leicestershire has recorded the highest temperature ever known in Britain.

1978: Queen opens Commonwealth Games
The Queen has officially opened the 11th Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada.

Kuala Lumpur 1957: Rahman to lead independent Malaya
Tunku Abdul Rahman, a British-educated Malay prince, is elected as head of state ahead of independence from Britain.

1492 - Christopher Columbus left Spain with three ships. The voyage would lead him to what is now known as the Americas.

1750 - Christopher Dock completed the first book of teaching methods. It was titled "A Simple and Thoroughly Prepared School Management."

1880 - The American Canoe Association was formed at Lake George, NY.

1900 - Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. was founded.

1914 - Germany declared war on France. The next day World War I began when Britain declared war on Germany.

1922 - WGY radio in Schenectady, NY, presented the first full-length melodrama on radio. The work was "The Wolf", written by Eugene Walter.

1923 - Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30th president of the U.S. after the sudden death of President Harding.

1933 - The Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced for the price of $2.75.

1936 - The U.S. State Department advised Americans to leave Spain due to the Spanish Civil War.

1936 - Jesse Owens won the first of his four Olympic gold medals.

1943 - Gen. George S. Patton verbally abused and slapped a private. Later, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered him to apologize for the incident.

1949 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed. The league was formed by the merger between the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League.

1956 - Bedloe's Island had its name changed to Liberty Island.

1958 - The Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater. The mission was known as "Operation Sunshine."

1966 - Lenny Bruce overdosed on morphine at the age of 40.

1979 - "More American Graffiti" was released.

1979 - Johnny Carson, the "Tonight Show" host, was on the cover of the Burbank, CA, telephone directory.

1981 - U.S. traffic controllers with PATCO, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, went on strike. They were fired just as U.S. President Reagan had warned.

1984 - Mary Lou Retton won a gold medal at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

1985 - Mail service returned to a nudist colony in Paradise Lake, FL. Residents promised that they'd wear clothes or stay out of sight when the mailperson came to deliver.

1988 - The Iran-Contra hearings ended. No ties were made between U.S. President Reagan and the Nicaraguan Rebels.

1988 - The Soviet Union released Mathias Rust. He had been taken into custody on May 28, 1987 for landing a plane in Moscow's Red Square.

1989 - Shiite Muslim kidnappers suspended their threat to execute another hostage. It had been reported that the terrorist in Lebanon had hung Lt. Col. William R. Higgins three days before.

1989 - Hashemi Rafsanjani was sworn in as the president of Iran.

1990 - Thousands of Iraqi troops pushed within a few miles of the border of Saudi Arabia. This heightened world concerns that the invasion of Kuwait could spread.

1992 - The U.S. Senate voted to restrict and eventually end the testing of nuclear weapons.

1992 - Russia and Ukraine agreed to put the Black Sea Fleet under joint command. The agreement was to last for three years.

1994 - Arkansas executed three prisoners. It was the first time in 32 years.

1995 - Eyad Ismoil was flown from Jordan to the U.S. to face charges that he had driven the van that blew up in New York's World Trade Center.

2001 - A grand jury indicted Robert Iler on charges that he and two teen-agers robbed two other teen-age boys for $40.

1964: Three civil rights activists found dead

FBI agents uncover the bodies of three missing civil rights workers at a dam near Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Ian Brady 1987: Moors murderer claims more killings
Moors murderer Ian Brady has claimed he was involved in another five killings.

Arthur Bremer arrived in a specially reinforced police van 1972: Would-be assassin jailed for 63 years
The man who tried to assassinate Governor George Wallace has been sentenced to 63 years in jail.

Queen Mother and Royal Family on Buckingham Palace balcony 2000: Queen Mother celebrates centenary
Celebrations have been taking place all over the United Kingdom to mark the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

1735 - Freedom of the press was established with an acquittal of John Peter Zenger. The writer of the New York Weekly Journal had been charged with seditious libel by the royal governor of New York. The jury said that "the truth is not libelous."

1753 - George Washington became a Master Mason.

1790 - The Revenue Cutter Service was formed. This U.S. naval task force was the beginning of the Coast Guard.

1821 - "The Saturday Evening Post" was published for the first time as a weekly.

1830 - The city of Chicago had its plans laid out.

1892 - Andrew and Abby Borden were axed to death in their home in Fall River, MA. Lizzie, Andrew's daughter, was accused of the killings but was later acquitted.

1914 - Britain declared war on Germany in World War I. The U.S. proclaimed its neutrality.

1916 - The U.S. purchased the Danish Virgin Islands. The total purchase price was $25 million.

1921 - The first radio broadcast of a tennis match occurred. It was in Pittsburgh, PA.

1922 - The death of Alexander Graham Bell, two days earlier, was recognized by AT&T and the Bell Systems by shutting down all of its switchboards and switching stations. The shutdown effected 13 million phones.

1934 - Mel Ott became the first major league baseball player to score six runs in a single game.

1944 - Nazi police raided a house in Amsterdam and arrested eight people. Anne Frank, a teenager at the time, was one of the people arrested. Her diary would be published after her death.

1949 - An earthquake in Ecuador destroyed 50 towns and killed more than 6000 people.

1954 - The uranium rush began in Saskatchewan, Canada.

1956 - William Herz became the first person to race a motorcycle over 200 miles per hour. He was clocked at 210 mph.

1957 - Florence Chadwick set a world record by swimming the English Channel in 6 hours and 7 minutes.

1957 - Juan Fangio won his final auto race and captured the world auto driving championship. It was his the fifth consecutive year to win.

1958 - The first potato flake plant was completed in Grand Forks, ND.

1964 - The bodies of Michael H. Schwerner, James E. Chaney, and Andrew Goodman were found in an earthen dam in Mississippi. The three were civil rights workers. They had disappeared on June 21, 1964.

1972 - Arthur Bremer was found guilty of shooting George Wallace, the governor of Alabama. Bremer was sentenced to 63 years in prison.

1977 - U.S. President Carter signed the measure that established the Department of Energy.

1983 - New York Yankee outfielder Dave Winfield threw a baseball during warm-ups and accidentally killed a seagull. After the game, Toronto police arrested him for "causing unnecessary suffering to an animal."

1984 - Carl Lewis won a gold medal in the Los Angeles Olympics.

1984 - Upper Volta, and African republic, changed its name to Burkina Faso.

1985 - Tom Seaver of the Chicago White Sox achieved his 300th victory.

1985 - Rod Carew of the California angels got his 3,000th major league hit.

1986 - The United States Football League called off its 1986 season. This was after winning only token damges in its antitrust lawsuit against the National Football League.

1987 - The Fairness Doctrine was rescinded by the Federal Communications Commission. The doctrine had required that radio and TV stations present controversial issues in a balanced fashion.

1987 - A new 22-cent U.S. stamp honoring noted author William Faulkner, went on sale in Oxford, MS. Faulkner had been fired as postmaster of that same post office in 1924.

1988 - U.S. Rep. Mario Biaggi of New York was sentenced to prison. The conviction included charges of extortion, tax evasion, and acceptance of bribes in relation to the Wedtech scandal. Biaggi was paroled in 1990.

1989 - Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani offered to assist end the hostage crisis in Lebanon.

1990 - The European Community imposed an embargo on oil from Iraq and Kuwait. This was done to protest the Iraqi invasion of the oil-rich Kuwait.

1991 - The Oceanos, a Greek luxury liner, sank off of South Africa's southeast coast. All of the 402 passengers and 179 crewmembers survived.

1992 - Wang Hongwen died of a liver ailment. Hongwen was a member of the radical "Gang of Four". The gang had terrorized China during the Cultural Revolution.

1993 - Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell, Los Angeles police officers were sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for violating Rodney King's civil rights.

1994 - Yugoslavia withdrew its support for Bosnian Serbs. The border between Yugoslavia and Serb-held Bosnia was sealed.

1996 - Josia Thugwane won a gold medal after finishing first in the marathon. He became the first black South African to win a gold medal.

1997 - Teamsters began a 15-day strike against UPS (United Parcel Service). The strikers eventually won an increase in full-time positions and defeated a proposed reorganization of the companies pension plan.

Thok, there are many of your observances with which I can identify, but for starters, I think I'll choose Christopher Columbus, because a couple of night ago, I watched an interesting presentation of who and what he really might be. I was astounded at some of the mysteries that scientists and forensic anthropologists were trying to dispell concerning the man. You might be interested in looking at this prelude:

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/columbus/columbus.html

The inherent theory about his having been a Spanish mercenary was a real shocker.

interesting link, also have scientist found one of his ships a few weeks ago.

it goes ahead:

1962: Marilyn Monroe found dead

Film actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her bed with an empty bottle of sleeping tablets by her side.

1983: IRA members jailed for 4,000 years
Twenty two members of the IRA have been jailed for a total of more than 4,000 years following Northern Ireland's biggest-ever terrorist trial.

Charlotte Hall
1991: Toddler 'poorly' after dog attack
A two-year-old girl is recovering in hospital after being savaged by a Rottweiler dog.

dutch elm tree
1975: Deadly tree disease spreads
Dutch elm disease which has so far attacked more than three million trees in Britain is spreading, according to Forestry Commission officials.

1833 - The village of Chicago was incorporated. The population was approximately 250.

1861 - The U.S. federal government levied its first income tax. The tax was 3% of all incomes over $800. The wartime measure was rescinded in 1872.

1864 - During the U.S. Civil War, Union forces led by Adm. David G. Farragut were led into Mobile Bay, Alabama.

1884 - On Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor, the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid.

1914 - The electric traffic lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio.

1921 - The first play-by-play broadcast of a baseball game was done by Harold Arlin. KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh, PA described the action between the Pirates and Philadelphia.

1921 - The cartoon "On the Road to Moscow", by Rollin Kirby, was published in the "New York World". It was the first cartoon to win a Pulitzer Prize.

1923 - Henry Sullivan became the first American to swim across the English Channel.

1924 - In the New York "Daily News" debuted the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," by Harold Gray.

1944 - Polish insurgents liberated a German labor camp in Warsaw. 348 Jewish prisoners were freed.

1953 - During the Korean conflict prisoners were exchanged at Panmunjom. The exchange was labeled Operation Big Switch.

1960 - For the first time two major league baseball clubs traded managers.

1962 - Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home. The "probable suicide" was caused by an overdose of sleeping pills. Monroe was 36 at the time of her death.

1963 - The Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. The treaty banned nuclear tests in space, underwater, and in the atmosphere.

1964 - U.S. aircraft bombed North Vietnam after North Vietnamese boats attacked U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.

1969 - The Mariner 7, a U.S. space probe, passed by Mars. Photographs and scientific data were sent back to Earth.

1974 - U.S. President Nixon said that he expected to be impeached. Nixon had ordered the investigation into the Watergate break-in to halt.

1974 - "Tank McNamara", the comic strip, premiered in 75 newspapers.

1981 - The U.S. federal government started firing striking air traffic controllers.

1983 - David Crosby was sentenced to eight years in prison. He had been charged with drug and firearm possession. He was paroled in 1986.

1984 - Toronto's Cliff Johnson set a major league baseball record by hitting the 19th pinch-hit home run in his career.

1986 - It was revealed that artist Andrew Wyeth had secretly created 240 drawings and paintings of his neighbor. The works of Helga Testorf had been created over a 15-year period.

1989 - In Honduras, five Central American presidents began meeting to discuss the timetable for the dismantling of the Nicaraguan Contra bases.

1990 - U.S. President Bush angrily denounced the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

1991 - An investigation was formally launched by Democratic congressional leaders to find out if the release of American hostages was delayed until after the Reagan-Bush presidential election.

1991 - Iraq admitted to misleading U.N. inspectors about secret biological weapons.

1992 - Federal civil rights charges were filed against four Los Angeles police officers. The officers had been acquitted on California State charges. Two of the officers were convicted and jailed on violation of civil rights charges.

1998 - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein began not cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors.

1998 - Marie Noe of Philadelphia, PA was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, accused of smothering eight of her children to death between 1949 and 1968. Noe later received 20 years' probation.

1999 - In Malibu, CA, Robert Downey Jr. was sentenced to three years in prison for missing scheduled drug tests.

1999 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) hit his 500th career homerun. He also set a record for the fewest at-bats to hit the 500 homerun mark.

2002 - The U.S. closed its consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. The consulate was closed after local authorities removed large concrete blocks and reopened the road in front of the building to normal traffic.

1945: US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima

The first atomic bomb is dropped by a United States aircraft on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

Gherman Titov 1961: Russian cosmonaut spends day in space
The Soviet Union astonishes the world by launching Major Gherman Titov into orbit for a whole day.

1995: Japan mourns Hiroshima anniversary
Up to 50,000 people have attended a memorial service in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on the 50th anniversary of the first atomic bombing.

1987: David Owen resigns as leader of SDP
SDP leder Dr David Owen has resigned after members of his party voted to merge with the Liberals.

Flotilla escorts Chay Blythe into harbour 1971: Sailor's record 'wrong way' voyage
A British man has become the first to sail the world non-stop in the "wrong" direction - east to west - against the prevailing winds and currents.

1787 - The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia began. The articles of the U.S. Constitution draft were to be debated.

1806 - The Holy Roman Empire went out of existence as Emperor Francis I abdicated.

1825 - Bolivia declared independence from Peru.

1879 - The first Australian rules football game to be played at night took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game was to promote the introduction of electricity to the city of Melbourne.

1890 - The electric chair was used for the first time when Auburn State Prison in New York executed convicted murderer William Kemmler.

1890 - Cy Young achieved his first major league victory. He would accumulate 511 in his career.

1914 - Austria-Hungary declared war against Russia. Serbia declared war against Germany.

1926 - Gertrude Ederle became the first American woman to swim the English Channel. She was 19 years old at the time. The swim took her 14 1/2 hours.

1926 - Warner Brothers premiered its Vitaphone system in New York. The movie was "Don Juan," starring John Barrymore.

1930 - Joseph Force Crater, a New York Supreme Court Justice, mysteriously disappeared. He was declared legally dead in 1939.

1939 - Dinah Shore started her own show on the NBC Blue radio network.

1945 - The American B-29 bomber, known as the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb on an inhabited area. The bomb named "Little Boy" was dropped over the center of Hiroshima, Japan. An estimated 140,000 people were killed.

1949 - Chicago White Sox player Luke Appling played in the 2,154th game of his 19-year, major league career.

1952 - Satchel Paige, at age 46, became the oldest pitcher to complete a major league baseball game.

1960 - Nationalization of U.S. and foreign-owned property in Cuba began.

1962 - Jamaica became an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth.

1965 - The Voting Rights Act was signed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.

1969 - The first fair ball to be hit completely out of Dodger Stadium occurred. Willie "Pops" Stargell, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, hit the ball 506 feet from home plate.

1981 - Fire fighters in Indianapolis, IN, answered a false alarm. When they returned to their station it was ablaze due to a grease fire.

1981 - Lee Trevino was disqualified from the PGA Championship in Duluth, GA when he had his scorecard signed by Tom Weiskopf instead of himself.

1985 - The 40th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing brought tens of thousands of Japanese and foreigners to Hiroshima.

1986 - William J. Schroeder died. He lived 620 days with the Jarvik-7 manmade heart. He was the world's longest surviving recipient of a permanent artificial heart.

1986 - Timothy Dalton became the fourth actor to be named "James Bond."

1989 - Jaime Paz Zamora was inaugurated as the president of Bolivia.

1990 - The U.N. Security Council ordered a worldwide trade embargo with Iraq. The embargo was to punish Iraq for invading Kuwait.

1991 - Harry Reasoner died at the age of 68. He was a newsman for CBS-TV.

1993 - The U.S. Senate confirmed Louis Freeh to be the director of the FBI.

1993 - Morihiro Hosokawa was elected prime minister of Japan.

1994 - Randolph County High School, in Wedowee, AL, was destroyed by fire. The principle's stand against interracial dating had caused much tension in the school.

1995 - Thousands of glowing lanterns were set afloat in rivers in Hiroshima, Japan, on the 50th anniversary of the first atomic bombing.

1996 - NASA announced the discovery of evidence of primitive life on Mars. The evidence came in the form of a meteorite that was found in Antarctica. The meteorite was believed to have come from Mars and contained a fossil.

1997 - Apple Computer and Microsoft agreed to share technology in a deal giving Microsoft a stake in Apple's survival.

1998 - Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky spent 8 1/2 hours testifying before a grand jury about her relationship with U.S. President Clinton.

1998 - The last new episode of Magic Johnson's talk show, "The Magic Hour," aired.

1999 - Mark McGwire (St. Louis Cardinals) got the 500th homerun of his major league career. He also set a record for the fewest at-bats to hit the 500 homerun mark.

1998: US embassies in Africa bombed

At least 200 people are killed and many more injured when US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania are bombed within minutes of each other.

Amrozi bin Nurhasyim (copyright: AP) 2003: Bali bomber smiles at guilty verdict
Amrozi bin Nurhasyim is convicted for the Bali nightclub bombings which killed 190 people in 2002.

Idi Amin, Uganda's president 1972: Asians given 90 days to leave Uganda
The Ugandan leader, Idi Amin, sets a deadline for the expulsion of most of the country's Asians.

Playwright Arthur Miller 1958: Arthur Miller cleared of contempt
The playwright and husband of film star Marilyn Monroe has his conviction for contempt of Congress dismissed.

Lynne Cox 1987: Chilly swim thaws Cold War relations
An American woman has become the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union.

2001: NHS buys private hospital
The government has re-nationalised a private hospital for the first time.

1789 - The U.S. War Department was established by the U.S. Congress.

1782 - George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart.

1888 - Theophilus Van Kannel received a patent for the revolving door.

1914 - Germany invaded France.

1928 - The U.S. Treasure Department issued a new bill that was one third smaller than the previous U.S. bills.

1934 - The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling striking down the government's attempt to ban the controversial James Joyce novel "Ulysses."

1942 - U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.

1947 - The balsa wood raft Kon-Tiki, which had carried a six-man crew 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean, crashed into a reef in a Polynesian archipelago.

1959 - The U.S. launched Explorer 6, which sent back a picture of the Earth.

1960 - The Cuban Catholic Church condemned the rise of communism in Cuba. Fidel Castro then banned all religious TV and radio broadcasts.

1964 - The U.S. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave President Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.

1974 - French stuntman Philippe Petit walked a tightrope strung between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center.

1976 - Scientists in Pasadena, CA, announced that the Viking 1 spacecraft had found strong indications of possible life on Mars.

1981 - After 128 years of publication, "The Washington Star" ceased all operations.

1987 - The presidents of five Central American nations, met in Guatemala City, and signed an 11-point agreement designed to bring peace to their region.

1989 - A small plane carrying U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland, D-TX, and 15 others disappeared during a flight in Ethiopia. The wreckage of the plane was found six days later. There were no survivors.

1990 - U.S. President Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard against a possible invasion by Iraq.

1998 - The U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were bombed killing 224 people and injuring over 5,500. Osama bin Laden was later indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in connection with the attacks.

1999 - Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres got his 3,000th hit of his major league career.

2003 - In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he would run for the office of governor.

2003 - Stephen Geppi bought a 1963 G.I. Joe prototype for $200,000.

1974: President Nixon to resign from office

Richard Nixon announces he is to step down as president of the United States - the first man ever to do so.

Photo of the carriages of the Post Office train at Cheddington station 1963: Train robbers make off with millions
Thieves ambush the Glasgow to Euston mail train and steal thousands of pounds.

1991: Beirut hostage John McCarthy freed
John McCarthy, Britain's longest-held hostage in Lebanon, has been set free after more than five years in captivity.

1988: Prince Andrew becomes a father
The Duke and Duchess of York have announced the birth of their first child.

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in happier times 2001: Hollywood's 'golden couple' divorce
The final decree ending the marriage of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise comes through hours after they attend the premiere of their latest movie, The Others.

1588 - The Spanish Armada was defeated by the English fleet ending an invasion attempt.

1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena. The remainder of his life was spent there in exile.

1844 - After the killing of Joseph Smith, Bringham Young was chosen to lead the Mormons.

1866 - African-American explorer Matthew A. Henson was born. Henson, along with Robert Peary and their Eskimo guide, were the first people to reach the North Pole.

1876 - Thomas Edison received a patent for the mimeograph. The mimeograph was a "method of preparing autographic stencils for printing."

1899 - The refrigerator was patented by A.T. Marshall.

1900 - In Boston, the first Davis Cup series began. The U.S. team defeated Great Britain three matches to zero.

1911 - The number of representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives was established at 435. There was one member of Congress for every 211,877 residents.

1940 - The German Luftwaffe began a series of daylight air raids on Great Britain.

1942 - Six Nazi saboteurs were executed in Washington after conviction. Two others were cooperative and received life in prison.

1945 - The United Nations Charter was signed by U.S. President Truman.

1945 - During World War II, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan.

1953 - The U.S. and South Korea initiated a mutual security pact.

1956 - Japan launched an oil tanker that was 780 feet long and weighed 84,730 tons. It was the largest oil tanker in the world.

1963 - The "Great Train Robbery" took place in Britain. A gang of 15 thieves stole 2.6 million pounds in bank notes.

1966 - Michael DeBakey became the first surgeon to install an artificial heart pump in a patient.

1974 - U.S. President Nixon announced that he would resign the following day.

1978 - The U.S. launched Pioneer Venus II, which carried scientific probes to study the atmosphere of Venus.

1985 - Near Frankfurt, outside the Rhein-Mein U.S. air base, a bomb exploded killing two Americans. The bomb was blamed on the Red Army Faction.

1986 - A car bomb exploded in Beirut, the third in 12 days, killing 17 people.

1988 - It was announced that a cease-fire between Iraq and Iran had begun.

1989 - The space shuttle Columbia took off from Cape Canaveral, FL. The trip was said to be a secret five-day military mission.

1990 - American forces began positioning in Saudia Arabia.

1991 - John McCarthy, a British TV producer was released by his Lebanese kidnappers. He had been held captive for more than five years. A rival group abducted Jerome Leyraud in retaliation and threatened to kill him if any more hostages were released.

1991 - The slain bodies of former Iranian Prime Minister Shahpour Bakhriar and his chief of staff were found.

1991 - The U.N. Security Council approved North and South Korea for membership.

1992 - The "Dream Team" clinched the gold medal at the Barcelona Summer Olympics. The U.S. basketball team beat Croatia 117-85.

1993 - Four U.S. soldiers were killed in Somalia when a land mine detonated underneath their vehicle.

1994 - The first road link between Israel and Jordan opened.

1994 - Representatives from China and Taiwan signed a cooperation agreement.

1995 - Saddam Hussein's two eldest daughters, their husbands, and several senior army officers defected.

1999 - Wade Boggs got his 3,000th hit of his major league baseball career.

2000 - The submarine H.L. Hunley was raised from ocean bottom after 136 years. The sub had been lost during an attack on the U.S.S. Housatonic in 1864. The Hunley was the first submarine in history to sink a warship.

1945: Atom bomb hits Nagasaki

American forces drop an atomic bomb on Nagasaki - the second such attack on Japan in the past three days.

Sharon Tate 1969: Film star stabbed in 'ritualistic' killings
The actress, Sharon Tate, is found brutally murdered in her Los Angeles home, along with four other victims.

Irma Hadzimuratovic 1993: Wounded Bosnian girl flown to UK
A five-year-old girl who was severly injured in the fighting in Bosnia has been flown to Britain for treatment.

Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy 1999: Kennedy wins Lib Dem leadership
Charles Kennedy has won the race to succeed Paddy Ashdown as leader of the Liberal Democrats.

1981: Second killer escapes from Broadmoor
A double murderer has escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane - the second killer to do so in less than three weeks.

1979: Brighton bares all
Brighton has become the first major resort in Britain to officially set aside part of its seafront to nudists.

1678 - American Indians sold the Bronx to Jonas Bronck for 400 beads.

1790 - The Columbia returned to Boston Harbor after a three-year voyage. It was the first ship to carry the American flag around the world.

1831 - The first steam locomotive began its first trip between Schenectady and Albany, NY.

1842 - The U.S. and Canada signed the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, which solved a border dispute.

1848 - Martin Van Buren was nominated for president by the Free-Soil Party in Buffalo, NY.

1854 - "Walden" was published by Henry David Thoreau.

1859 - The escalator was patented by Nathan Ames.

1893 - "Gut Holz" was published. It was America's first bowling magazine.

1902 - After the death of Queen Victoria, Edward VII was crowned king of England.

1910 - A.J. Fisher received a patent for the electric washing machine.

1930 - Betty Boop had her beginning in "Dizzy Dishes" created by Max Fleischer.

1936 - Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics. He was the first American to win four medals in one Olympics.

1942 - Mohandas K. Gandhi was arrested Britain. He was not released until 1944.

1942 - CBS radio debuted "Our Secret Weapon."

1944 - The Forest Service and Wartime Advertising Council created "Smokey the Bear."

1945 - The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The bombing came three days after the bombing of Hiroshima. About 74,000 people were killed. Japan surrendered August 14.

1945 - The first network television broadcast occurred in Washington, DC. The program announced the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan.

1956 - The first statewide, state-supported educational television network went on the air in Alabama.

1965 - Singapore proclaimed its independence from the Malaysian Federation.

1969 - Sharon Tate and four other people were found murdered at Tate's residence in Los Angeles, CA. Charles Manson and several members of his cult were later convicted of the crime.

1973 - The U.S. Senate committee investigating the Watergate affair filed suit against President Richard Nixon.

1974 - U.S. President Richard Nixon formally resigned. Gerald R. Ford took his place, and became the 38th president of the U.S.

1975 - The New Orleans Superdome as officially opened when the Saints played the Houston Oilers in exhibition football. The new Superdome cost $163 million to build.

1981 - Major league baseball teams resumed play at the conclusion of the first mid-season players' strike.

1984 - Daley Thompson, of Britain, won is second successive Olympic decathlon.

1985 - Arthur J. Walker, a retired Navy officer, was found guilty of seven counts of spying for the Soviet Union.

1988 - Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers was traded. The trade was at Gretzky's request. He was sent to the Los Angeles Kings.

1989 - 112 people were killed when a train fell into the San Rafael River in Mexico. The incident was caused by a bridge that collapsed.

1996 - Boris Yeltsin was sworn in as president of Russia for the second time.

1999 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin fired Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin and his entire cabinet for the fourth time in 17 months.

2000 - Former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin was arrested on a Class B misdemeanor of possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana.

2001 - U.S. President Bush announced he would support federal funding for limited medical research on embryonic stem cells.

2001 - In Jerusalem, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated an explosive inside a pizzeria. The lunchtime bombing killed 15 and wounded about 90 others.

Queen Elizabeth inspects a guard of honour 1977: Tight security for Queen's Irish visit
The Queen has visited Northern Ireland for the first time in 11 years as part of her Silver Jubilee tour.

Archbishop Makarios 1964: Guns fall silent in Cyprus
The United Nations brokers another ceasefire in Cyprus, defusing a growing military crisis and heading off the threat of invasion by Turkey.

Seal in The Wash 1988: Mysterious seal disease spreads
Scientists fear a disease which has killed more than 6,000 seals in the North Sea and the Baltic has now reached British waters.

Southend on Sea, Essex (copyright: PA) 2003: Britain swelters in record heat
Britain records its hottest-ever day with temperatures above 100F, jamming roads and packing beaches across the country.

1792 - King Louis XVI was taken into custody by mobs during the French Revolution. He was executed the following January after being put on trial for treason.

1809 - Ecuador began its fight for independence from Spain.

1821 - Missouri became the 24th state to join the Union.

1846 - The Smithsonian Institution was chartered by the U.S. Congress. The "Nation's Attic" was made possible by $500,000 given by scientist Joseph Smithson.

1856 - In Louisiana, a hurricane came ashore and killed about 400 people.

1859 - In Boston, MA, the first milk inspectors were appointed.

1869 - The motion picture projector was patented by O.B. Brown.

1881 - Thomas Edison's exhibit opened the Paris Electrical Exhibition.

1885 - The first electric streetcar, to be used commercially, was operated in Baltimore, MD, by Leo Daft.

1914 - Austria-Hungary invaded Russia.

1921 - Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken with polio.

1944 - U.S. forces defeated the remaining Japanese resistance on Guam.

1945 - The day after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan announced they would surrender. The only condition was that the status of Emperor Hirohito would remain unchanged.

1947 - William Odom completed an around-the-world flight. He set the solo record by completing the flight in 73 hours and 5 minutes.

1948 - On ABC, "Candid Camera" made its TV debut. The original title was "Candid Microphone."

1949 - In the U.S., the National Military Establishment had its name changed to the Department of Defense.

1954 - Construction began on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

1965 - In Austin, TX, a fire burned part of the 20th floor of the 27-story University of Texas main building. A collection that contained items once owned by escape artist Harry Houdini and circus magnate P. T. Barnum were damaged by smoke and water.

1969 - Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered. Members of the Charles Manson cult committed the crimes one day after the killing of Sharon Tate and four other people.

1973 - Arnold Palmer did not make the cut for the final two rounds of the PGA Golf Championship. It was the first time in his career.

1977 - The "Son of Sam," David Berkowitz, was arrested in Yonkers, NY. Berkowitz, a postal employee, had shot and killed six people and wounded seven others.

1981 - Pete Rose hit a single and broke the National League all-time hit record with his 3,630 hit.

1988 - U.S. President Reagan signed a measure that provided $20,000 payments to Japanese-Americans who were interned by the U.S. government during World War II.

1991 - In Phoenix, AZ, nine Buddhists were found slain in their temple. Two teenagers were arrested for the crime.

1993 - A massive deficit-reduction bill was signed into law by U.S. President Bill Clinton.

1994 - In Germany, three men were arrested after being caught smuggling plutonium into the country.

1994 - U.S. President Clinton claimed presidential immunity when he asked a federal judge to dismiss, at least for the time being, a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Paula Corbin Jones.

1995 - Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were charged with 11 counts in the Oklahoma City bombing.

1995 - Michael Fortier plead guilty in a plea-bargain agreement. The agreement required that he testify for the prosecution in the Oklahoma City Federal building bombing trial.

1995 - Norma McCorvey, "Jane Roe" of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, announced that she had joined the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.

1999 - Near an India-Pakistan border area an Indian fighter jet shot down a Pakistani naval aircraft. Sixteen people were killed.

2003 - Ekaterina Dmitriev and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko were married. Malenchenko was about 240 miles above the earth in the international space station. It was the first-ever marriage from space.

1982: Krays let out for mother's funeral

The notorious east End gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray have been allowed out of prison for the funeral of their mother.

1999: Millions marvel at total eclipse
Up to 350 million people in Europe and Asia witness the last total solar eclipse of the century.

Ted Heath 1971: Heath helms Britain to Admiral's Cup triumph
The Prime Minister, Edward Heath, steers the British yachting team to victory in the Admiral's Cup.

Patrick Connors being led away after his conviction 2000: Air rage pair jailed
Two men have been jailed after an incident of "air rage" on board a holiday jet bound for Jamaica.

1860 - The first silver mill in America to be successful began. The mill was in Virginia City, NV.

1874 - A patent for the sprinkler head was given to Harry S. Parmelee.

1877 - The two moons of Mars were discovered by Asaph Hall, an American astronomer. He named them Phobos and Deimos.

1896 - Harvey Hubbell received for the electric light bulb socket with a pull-chain.

1909 - The American ship Arapahoe became the first to ever use the SOS distress signal off the coast of Cape Hatteras, NC.

1924 - Newsreel pictures were taken of U.S. presidential candidates for the first time.

1934 - Alcatraz, in San Francisco Bay, received federal prisoners for the first time.

1941 - The Atlantic Charter was signed by U.S. President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

1942 - During World War II, Pierre Laval publicly announced "the hour of liberation for France is the hour when Germany wins the war."

1945 - The Allies informed Japan that they would determine Emperor Hirohito's future status after the Japan's surrender.

1951 - The first major league baseball game to be televised in color was broadcast. The Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the Boston Braves 8-1.

1954 - Seven years of fighting came to an end in Indochina. A formal peace was in place for the French and the Communist Vietminh.

1956 - Abstract artist Jackson Pollack died in an automobile accident in East Hampton, NY.

1962 - Andrian Nikolayev, of the Soviet Union, was launched on a 94-hour flight. He was the third Russian to go into space.

1965 - Riots and looting took place in the Watts section of Los Angeles, CA. During the week that followed 34 people were killed. In addition, over 1,000 were injured, 3,000 were arrested and over $40 million in damage was done.

1965 - The U.S. conducted a second launch of "Surveyor-SD 2" for a landing on the Moon surface test.

1971 - Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins got his 500th and 501st home runs of his major league baseball career.

1975 - The U.S. vetoed the proposed admission of North and South Vietnam to the United Nations. The Security Counsel had already refused to consider South Korea's application.

1984 - Carl Lewis won his fourth gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics.

1984 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan was preparing for his weekly radio broadcast when, during testing of the microphone, the President said of the Soviet Union, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you that I just signed legislation that would outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

1984 - The Cincinnati Reds honored major league All-Star and Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench by retiring his uniform (#5).

1988 - Dick Thornburgh was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the next attorney general. He succeeded Edwin Meese III.

1990 - Egyptian and Moroccan troops joined U.S. forces in Saudia Arabia to help protect from a possible Iraqi attack.

1991 - Edward Tracey, an American, was released by Shiite Muslim kidnappers. He had been held for nearly five years. Jerome Leyraud was also released. Leyraud, a Frenchman, had been kidnapped three days earlier.

1991 - The space shuttle Atlantis ended its nine-day journey by landing safely.

1992 - In Bloomington, MN, the Mall of America opened. It was the largest shopping mall in the United States.

1994 - The Tenth International Conference on AIDS ended in Japan.

1994 - A U.S. federal jury awarded $286.8 million to about 10,000 commercial fishermen for losses as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

1995 - All U.S. nuclear tests were banned by President Clinton.

1995 - A federal investigation was opened concerning the deadly siege at Ruby Ridge, ID, in 1992. The investigation was to find out whether FBI officials approved a "shoot on sight" order.

1997 - U.S. President Clinton made the first use of the line-item veto approved by Congress, rejecting three items in spending and tax bills.

1998 - British Petroleum became No. 3 among oil companies with the $49 billion purchase of Amoco. It was the largest foreign takeover of a U.S. company.

2002 - US Airways announced that it had filed for bankruptcy.

2002 - Jason Priestly crashed his car during practice for a race in the Infiniti Pro Series. He suffered a spinal fracture, a moderate concussion, a broken nose, facial lacerations and broken bones in both feet.

2003 - Charles Taylor, President of Liberia, flew into exile after ceding power to his vice president, Moses Blah.

2003 - In Kabul, NATO took command of the 5,000-strong peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.