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 Da Nang 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.