Today In History...

In 1694 The Bank of England, the central bank of Great Britain, receives a royal charter as a commercial institution.

In 1789 Congress establishes the Department of Foreign Affairs, the forerunner of the State Department.

In 1794 French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre is overthrown and placed under arrest; he was executed the following day.

In 1861 Union General George B. McClellan is placed in command of the Army of the Potomac.

In 1866 Atlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed (1,686 miles).

In 1909 Orville Wright tests the U.S. Army's first airplane, flying himself and a passenger for one hour and 12 minutes.

In 1940 The cartoon character Bugs Bunny makes his official debut in the Warner Brothers animated short "A Wild Hare."

In 1953 The Korean War armistice is signed at Panmunjom, ending 3 years of fighting.

In 1955 Austria regains full independence after a 4-power occupation.

In 1960 Vice President Richard M. Nixon is nominated for president by the Republican National Convention in Chicago.

In 1962 Mariner II is launched to Venus for a flyby mission.

In 1967 In the wake of urban rioting, President Johnson appoints the Kerner Commission, charged with assessing the causes of the violence.

In 1967 Black militant H. Rap Brown held a news conference in Washington, DC, in which he said, "Violence is necessary. It is as American as cherry pie."

In 1969 Pioneer X is launched.

In 1974 The House Judiciary Committee votes, 27-11, to recommend President Richard Nixon's impeachment on charges of obstructing justice in the Watergate case.

In 1976 Air Force Veteran Ray Brennan becomes the first person to die of so-called Legionnaire's Disease.

In 1980 On day 267 of the Iranian hostage crisis, the deposed Shah of Iran dies at a military hospital outside Cairo, Egypt, at age 60.

In 1984 Actor James Mason dies in Lausanne, Switzerland, at age 75.

In 1985 British runner Steve Cram breaks the world record for the mile run.

In 1986 Greg Lemond wins his first Tour de France title.

In 1987 A nationwide general strike begins in Panama when strongman General Manuel Noriega shuts down 3 newspapers.

In 1989 Eighty people are killed when a Korean Air DC-10 crashed in Libya.

In 1989 Workers at the Nissan assembly plant in Smyrna, TN, vote against representation by the United Auto Workers.

In 1990 Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer vetos a tough abortion bill passed by his state's legislature.

In 1993 Bombs explode in Rome and Milan, killing at least five people.

In 1993 Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis dies after collapsing on a Brandeis University basketball court during practice; he was 27.

In 1994 Bosnian Serbs reimpose their blockade of Sarajevo and fire on a UN convoy, killing one British soldier and wounding another.

In 1995 The Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington by President Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam.

In 1996 At the Atlanta Olympics, a pipe bomb explodes at the public Centennial Olympic Park, killing one and injuring more than 100.

In 1998 President Clinton holds a town meeting in Albuquerque, NM, on the future of Social Security.

In 1999 The House approves President Clinton's 1-year extension of normal trade with China.

In 1999 A flash flood in Switzerland kills 21 people, 18 of them tourists.

In 2002 A Ukrainian fighter jet crashes during an air show in Lviv, killing 77 people.

In 2003 Comedian/actor Bob Hope dies of pneumonia, only 2 months after his 100th birthday.

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