Today in History

334 BC The Macedonian army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus

1570 1st atlas ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ (Theatre of the World), published by Abraham Ortelius in Antwerp with 70 maps

1799 Napoleon makes statement in support of re-establishing Jerusalem for Jews

1803 1st US public library opens in Connecticut

1807 Former US Vice President Aaron Burr is tried for treason in Richmond, Virginia (acquitted)

1843 1st wagon train with 700 - 1000 migrants, departs Independence, Missouri for Oregon

1849 Abraham Lincoln receives a patent (only US President to do so) for a device to lift a boat over shoals and obstructions

1863 General Ulysses S. Grant begins siege on Vicksburg

1902 US President Theodore Roosevelt signs a treaty with Mexico under which both countries agree to submit a long-standing dispute over interest payments to the Court of Arbitration at The Hague

1906 Wright Brothers are granted a patent for their “flying machine,” having applied for one 3 years earlier (patent no. 821,393)

1919 A. E. Douglass establishes the relative dates of two archaeological sites using ancient wood samples, marking a major step forward in the dating of archaeological sites

1931 Canned rattlesnake meat 1st goes on sale in Florida

1933 First modern sighting of the Loch Ness Monster by Aldie and John Mackay saw “something resembling a whale”

1939 Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini sign “Pact of Steel” in Berlin, Germany

1940 UK Premier Winston Churchill flies to Paris to decide with General Maxime Weygand a strategy to save the city

1942 The Steel Workers Organizing Committee disbands, and a new trade union, the United Steelworkers, is formed

1946 First US rocket (WAC Corporal) to reach edge of space fired from White Sands Missile Range New Mexico

1953 US President Eisenhower signs Offshore Oil Bill

1956 “Bob Hope Show” last airs on NBC-TV

1961 1st revolving restaurant (Top Of The Needle in Seattle) opens

1964 LBJ presents “Great Society”

1973 President Nixon confesses his role in Watergate cover-up

1977 Final European scheduled run of the Orient Express (after 94 years)

1998 Lewinsky scandal: a federal judge rules that United States Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the scandal, involving President Bill Clinton

2011 An EF5 Tornado strikes the US city of Joplin, Missouri killing at least 158 people, the single deadliest US tornado since modern record keeping began in 1950

2014 Royal Thai Armed Forces, led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha stage a coup in Thailand, suspending the kingdom’s constitution and taking control of the government, the 12th since the country’s first coup in 1932

Movies & TV

1985 “A View to a Kill”, 14th James Bond film, last to star Roger Moore, also starring Grace Jones and Christopher Walken, premieres in San Francisco

1992 Johnny Carson’s final appearance as host of “The Tonight Show”

1996 Emmy 23rd Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci loses for 16th time

2001 Actress and former fitness guru Jane Fonda (63) divorces CNN founder Ted Turner (62) due to irretrievably broken marriage 10 years after getting married

Sports

1930 Yankee “Bronx Bombers” hit 14 HRs in a game

1962 Roger Maris walks 5 times (record 4 intentionally) in a 9 inning game

1963 Mickey Mantle hits a ball off Yankee Stadium’s facade

1985 Pete Rose 2,108th run passes Hank Aaron as NL run scoring leader

1990 Andre Dawson receives a record 5 intentional walks in a game

1990 Deion Sanders becomes involved in a dispute with Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, one of the most infamous incidents of Sanders’ baseball career

2003 In Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman to play the PGA Tour in 58 years.

Music

1926 “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue” by Gene Austin hits #1

1965 “Super-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-docious” hits #66

1965 Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride” single goes #1

2017 Suicide bombing at Manchester Arena, England, after Ariana Grande concert kills 22 and injures 59