Today in History

1322 Jews are expelled from France for 3rd time

1374 Sudden outbreak of St. John’s Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion 1497 John Cabot claims Eastern Canada for England (believes he has found Asia in Nova Scotia)

1509 Henry VIII is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey

1793 1st republican constitution in France adopted

1812 Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces invade Russia crossing the Neman River

1540 English King Henry VIII commands his 4th wife, Anne of Cleves, to leave the court

1664 The colony of New Jersey is founded

1853 US President Franklin Pierce signs the Gadsden Purchase, buying 29,670 square-miles (76,800 square km) from Mexico for $10 million (now southern Arizona and New Mexico)

1884 John Lynch is 1st black elected chairman of Republican convention

1901 1st exhibition by Pablo Picasso, 19, opens in Paris

1930 1st radar detection of planes, Anacostia, Washington, D.C.

1948 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia nominates Governor of NY Thomas E. Dewey

1957 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment in Roth v. United States

1982 Equal Rights Amendment goes down to defeat

1992 Mafia boss John Gotti begins life sentence in jail for murder and other crimes

2004 Capital punishment is declared unconstitutional in New York

2018 Britain’s Prince William begins a five-day tour of the Middle East visiting Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories

Movies & TV

1916 Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to get a million dollar contract

1949 “Hopalong Cassidy” becomes 1st network western (NBC)

1956 “Steve Allen Show” returns on NBC-TV

1976 1975 movie “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” released in Germany

1981 “For Your Eyes Only”, 12th James Bond, starring Roger Moore and 1st drected by John Glen premieres in London

2006 “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”, directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, premieres at Disneyland - becomes fastest film to gross over 1 billion

2010 “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”, based on the book by Stephenie Meyer, directed by David Slade, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, premieres in Los Angeles

Sports

1922 American Professional Football Association renamed the National Football League

1922 US football team Chicago Staleys become Chicago Bears

1947 Jackie Robinson steels home for 1st of 19 times in his career

1992 NBA Draft: LSU center Shaquille O’Neal first pick by Orlando Magic

1997 Mark McGwire hits a 538 foot home run

2012 Female athletes will be allowed to compete for Saudi Arabia at the Olympics for the first time

Music

1880 First performance of “O Canada,” the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français

1992 Billy Joel gets an honorary diploma from Hicksville High School at 43