Today In History...

In 1630 The fork is introduced to American dining by Governor Winthrop.

In 1788 Virginia becomes the 10th U.S. state.

In 1868 Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina are re-admitted to the Union.

In 1876 Lt. Colonel George Custer and the 7th Cavalry are wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana.

In 1888 The Republican National Convention in Chicago nominates Benjamin Harrison for president. (Harrison went on to win the election defeating Grover Cleveland.)

In 1906 A love triangle comes to a violent end atop New York's Madison Square Garden as architect Standford White, the building's designer, is shot to death by Harry Thaw, the husband of Evelyn Nesbit.

In 1927 The first film with sound effects, "Old San Francisco," debuts.

In 1929 President Hoover authorizes the building of the Boulder Dam, now known as the Hoover Dam.

In 1938 The federal minimum wage law guarantees workers 40 cents per hour.

In 1942 The British air force stages a thousand-bomber raid on Bremen, Germany, during World War II.

In 1950 The Korean Conflict begins when North Korea invades South Korea with more than 250 tanks south of the 38th parallel.

In 1951 The first commercial color telecast takes place as CBS transmits a one-hour special from New York to four other cities.

In 1962 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the use of an unofficial, non-denominational prayer in New York State public schools is unconstitutional.

In 1973 Former White House Counsel John Dean begins testimony before the Senate Watergate Committee.

In 1975 The People's Republic of Mozambique comes into being, ending nearly five centuries of Portuguese rule.

In 1977 Roy C. Sullivan of Virginia is struck by lightning for 7th time.

In 1979 Gen. Alexander Haig Jr., supreme commander of NATO forces, escapes an attempt on his life in Casteau, Belgium, when a remote controlbomb explodes under a bridge as Haig's limousine passes over.

In 1981 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that male-only draft registration is constitutional.

In 1982 In a surprise move, President Reagan announces the resignation of Secretary of State Alexander Haig Jr. and the nomination of George Shultz to succeed him.

In 1982 "Blade Runner," starring Harrison Ford, opens in U.S. theaters.

In 1983 Hundreds of masked youths in Krefeld, West Germany, battle riot police and hurl debris at Vice President Bush's motorcade during ceremonies saluting German-American friendship.

In 1985 The first killer bees in America are sighted near Lost Hills, CA.

In 1985 Twenty-one people are killed in an explosion at a fireworks plant in Hallett, OK.

In 1986 The U.S. House of Representatives votes, 221-209, to approve aid to the Nicaraguan contras.

In 1987 A boomerang stays up a world record of 2 minutes and 59 seconds.

In 1987 Pope John Paul II receives Austrian President Kurt Waldheim at the Vatican, a controversial meeting because of allegations that Waldheim had hidden a Nazi past.

In 1988 American-born Mildred Gillars, better known during World War II as "Axis Sally" for her Nazi propaganda broadcasts, dies at age 87. Gillars had served 12 years in prison for treason.

In 1990 The U.S. Supreme Court, in its first "right-to-die" decision, rules family members can not pull the plug on comatose relatives who havenot made their wishes known conclusively.

In 1990 African National Congress leader Nelson Mandella meets withPresident Bush at the White House.

In 1991 Following months of unsuccessful talks among Yugoslavia's six republics about the future of the federation, the western republics of Croatia and Slovenia declare their independence.

In 1992 Both houses of Congress rush to pass a back-to-work order ending anational rail strike.

In 1993 David Letterman tapes his last "Late Night With David Letterman"show for NBC-TV before moving to CBS-TV on August 30.

In 1993 Kim Campbell is sworn in as Canada's 19th prime minister, the first woman to hold the post.

In 1993 Vice President Gore casts the tie-breaking vote as the U.S. Senate approved a record deficit-reduction plan.

In 1994 Japanese Prime Minister Tsutoma Hata resigns after being in officefor only two months.

In 1995 Warren E. Burger, the 15th chief justice of the United States, dies of congestive heart failure at age 87.

In 1995 Haiti holds its first free election in five years.

In 1995 In an attempt to provide a more humanized view of their client, attorneys for Oklahoma City bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh released photos and videotape showing McVeigh smiling and relaxed.

In 1996 A truck bomb kills 19 Americans and injures hundreds of others in Saudi Arabia.

In 1997 An unmanned cargo ship crashes into Russia's Mir space station, knocking out half of the station's power and rupturing a pressurized laboratory.

In 1997 The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, designed to limit government's ability to regulate religious practices.

In 1998 The U.S. Supreme Court rejects line-item veto, striking down presidential power to cancel specific items in legislation.

In 1998 President Clinton begins 9-day trip to China.

In 1997 Oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau dies in Paris at age 87.

In 1999 The San Antonio Spurs win their first NBA title as they defeated the New York Knicks, 78-77, in game five of the championship.

In 2000 Philip Morris buys Nabisco for $14.9 billion.

In 2000 Juli Inkster becomes the first player in 16 years to successfully defend the LPGA Championship.

In 2001 The UN opens its first global gathering on HIV/AIDS with pleas for help from African leaders.

In 2002 President Bush surveys a huge wildfire in Arizona by air and declared the region a disaster area.

In 2009 Farrah Fawcett, who helped redefine sex appeal in the 1970s as one of TV's "Charlie's Angels," dies after battling cancer. She was 62.

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