Today in History

1431   Henry VI of England is crowned King of France.  
1653   Oliver Cromwell takes on dictatorial powers with the title of "Lord Protector."  
1773   To protest the tax on tea from England, a group of young Americans, disguised as Indians, throw chests of tea from British ships in Boston Harbor.
1835   A fire in New York City destroys property estimated to be worth $20,000,000. It lasts two days, ravages 17 blocks, and destroys 674 buildings including the Stock Exchange, Merchants' Exchange, Post Office, and the South Dutch cult building.  
1863   Confederate General Joseph Johnston takes command of the Army of Tennessee.  
1864   Union forces under General George H. Thomas win the battle at Nashville, smashing an entire Confederate army.  
1930   In Spain, a general strike is called in support of the revolution.  
1939   The National Women's Party urges immediate congressional action on equal rights.  
1940   British troops carry out an air raid on Italian Somalia.  
1944   Germany mounts a major offensive in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. As the center of the Allied line falls back, it creates a bulge, leading to the name–the Battle of the Bulge.  
1949   Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung is received at the Kremlin in Moscow.  
1950   President Harry Truman declares a state of National Emergency as Chinese communists invade deeper into South Korea.  
1976   President Jimmy Carter appoints Andrew Young as Ambassador to the United Nations.
 1978   Cleveland becomes the first U.S. city to default since the depression.  
1998   The United States launches a missile attack on Iraq for failing to comply with United Nations weapons inspectors.  
2003   The shrub signs the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, which establishes the United States' first national standards regarding email and gives the Federal Trade Commission authority to enforce the act.