Today in History

1199		English King Richard I is killed by an arrow at the Siege of the Castle of Chalus in France.
1789		The First U.S. Congress begins regular sessions at Federal Hall in New York City.
1814		Granted sovereignty in the island of Elba and a pension from the French government, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicates at Fontainebleau. He is allowed to keep the title of emperor.
1830		Joseph Smith and five others organize the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Seneca, New York.
1862		Confederate forces attack General Ulysses S. Grant at Shiloh, Tennessee.
1865		At the Battle of Sailer’s Creek, a third of Lee‘s army is cut off by Union troops pursuing him to Appomattox.
1896		The Modern Olympics begin in Athens with eight nations participating.
1903		French Army Nationalists are revealed to have forged documents to guarantee a conviction for Alfred Dreyfus.
1909		Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first men to reach the North Pole.
1917		The United States declares war on Germany and enters World War I on Allied side.
1924		Four planes leave Seattle on the first successful flight around the world.
1938		The United States recognizes Nazi Germany’s conquest of Austria.
1941		German forces invade Greece and Yugoslavia.
1965		President Lyndon B. Johnson authorizes the use of ground troops in combat operations.