Today in History

1498   Christopher Columbus leaves on his third voyage of exploration.  
1546   The Peace of Ardes ends the war between France and England.  
1654   Louis XIV is crowned king of France.  
1712   The Pennsylvania Assembly bans the importation of slaves.  
1767   Daniel Boone sights present-day Kentucky.  
1775   The United Colonies change their name to the United States.  
1863   Mexico City is captured by French troops.  
1900   The Boxer rebels cut the rail links between Peking and Tientsin in China.  
1903   Professor Pierre Curie reveals the discovery of Polonium.  
1914   The first vessel passes through the Panama Canal.  
1932   Over 7,000 war veterans march on Washington, D.C., demanding their bonus pay for service in World War I.  
1942   The Japanese invade Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands.  
1968   In Operation Swift Saber, U.S. Marines sweep an area 10 miles northwest of Danang in South Vietnam.  
1981   Israeli F-16 fighter-bombers destroy Iraq's only nuclear reactor.  
1994  The Organization of African Unity formally admits South Africa as its fifty-third member.