Today in History

1687
The French explorer La Salle is murdered in by his own men while searching for the mouth of the Mississippi, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
1702
On the death of William III of Orange, Anne Stuart, sister of Mary, succeeds to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland.
1822
Boston is incorporated as a city.
1879
Jim Currie opens fire on the actors Maurice Barrymore and Ben Porter near Marshall, Texas. His shots wound Barrymore and kill Porter.
1903
The U.S. Senate ratifies the Cuban treaty, gaining naval bases in Guantanamo and Bahia Honda.
1916
The First Aero Squadron takes off from Columbus, NM to join Gen. John J. Pershing and his Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa in Mexico.
1917
The Adamson Act, eight hour day for railroad workers, is ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
1918
Congress authorizes Daylight Savings Time.
1920
The U.S. Senate rejects the Versailles Treaty for the second time.
1924
U.S. troops are rushed to Tegucigalpa as rebel forces take the Honduran capital.
1931
The state of Nevada legalizes gambling.
1935
The British fire on 20,000 Muslims in India, killing 23.
1936
The Soviet Union signs a pact of assistance with Mongolia against Japan.
1944
The German 352nd Infantry Division deploys along the coast of France.
1945 
Adolf Hitler orders a scorched-earth policy for his retreating German armies in the west and east.
1947 
Chiang Kai-Shek's government forces take control of Yenan, the former headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party.
1949
The Soviet People's Council signs the constitution of the German Democratic Republic, and declares that the North Atlantic Treaty is merely a war weapon.
1963
In Costa Rica, President John F. Kennedy and six Latin American presidents pledge to fight Communism.
1977
Congo President Marien Ngouabi is killed by a suicide commando.
1981
One technician is killed and two others are injured during a routine test on space shuttle Columbia.