Today In History...

In 1656 In Patuxent, MD, the first all-female jury hears the case of a woman accused of murdering her child. The jury votes to acquit.
In 1776 During the Revolutionary War, Captain Nathan Hale is hanged as a spy by the British after uttering, "I regret I only have one life to lose for my country."
In 1789 Congress authorizes the office of the Postmaster-General.
In 1792 The French Republic is proclaimed.
In 1862 President Lincoln issues the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states should be free as of January 1, 1863.
In 1903 Italo Marchiony is granted a patent for the ice cream cone.
In 1927 Gene Tunney successfully defends his heavyweight boxing title against Jack Dempsey in the famous "long-count" fight in Chicago.
In 1949 The Soviet Union explodes its first atomic bomb.
In 1950 Omar Bradley is promoted to the rank of 5-star general, joining an elite group that included Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur.
In 1950 The first non-stop transatlantic flight by jet is completed.
In 1958 Sherman Adams, assistant to President Eisenhower, resigns amid charges of improperly using his influence to help an industrialist.
In 1964 "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." premieres on NBC-TV.
In 1969 Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hits his 600th career home run, during a game against San Diego.
In 1975 Sara Jane Moore attempts to shoot President Ford outside a San Francisco hotel, but misses when a civilian bystander grabs her arm and deflects the shot.
In 1980 The 10-year-war between Iran and Iraq begins.
In 1982 San Francisco's famous cable cars make a final run before shutting down for a 20-month $60 million renovation.
In 1986 A Federal Judge rules computer chips are covered by copyright laws.
In 1986 In an address to the UN General Assembly, President Reagan criticized the Soviet Union for arresting U.S. journalist Nicholas Daniloff.
In 1987 The Dow Jones Industrial Average rises 75.23 points. (At the time, the largest one-day gain ever recorded.)
In 1987 The second regular-season NFL player strike begins.
In 1988 The government of Canada apologizes for the World War II internment of Japanese-Canadians, and promised compensation.
In 1991 The London newspaper The Mail publishes an interview with former intelligence agent John Cairncross, who admitted being the "fifth man" in the Soviet Union's notorious British spy ring.
In 1992 President Bush vetos a family and medical leave bill.
In 1992 The UN General Assembly votes to expel Yugoslavia.
In 1992 Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger denounces as a "flat-out lie" an allegation that he and other officials had known American servicemen were left behind when the war in Southeast Asia ended.
In 1993 Forty-seven people are killed when an Amtrak passenger train derailed and crashed into Bayou Canot near Mobile, Alabama.
In 1994 Pope John Paul cancels a trip to the U.S. to allow more time to recover from hip-replacement surgery.
In 1995 An AWACS plane carrying U.S. and Canadian military personnel crashes on takeoff from Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska, killing all 24 people aboard.
In 1995 Lawyers in the O.J. Simpson trial rest their case.
In 1995 Time Warner strikes a $7.5 billion deal to buy Turner Broadcasting.
In 1995 Publishing tycoon Steve Forbes announces a latecomer bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
In 1996 VMI's Board of Visitors votes, 9-8, to end its 157-year-old male-only admission policy.
In 1996 Actress Dorothy Lamour dies at her North Hollywood home at age 81.
In 1997 Sportscaster Marv Albert goes on trial in Arlington, VA, on charges of sodomy and assault.
In 1998 The Pentagon approves $5 billion in warplanes for Israel.
In 1998 The U.S. and Russia agree to help Russia privatize its nuclear program and stop the export of scientists and plutonium.
In 2000 Kraft Foods recalls taco shells, confirming they contained genetically engineered corn not approved for human consumption.
In 2001 Miss Oregon Katie Harman is crowned Miss America 2002 in a patriotic telecast from Atlantic City, NJ.
In 2002 Thousands of Palestinians march to protest Israel's siege of Yasser Arafat's headquarters.
In 2003 Actor Gordon Jump (Mr. Carlson-"WKRP in Cincinnati") dies at age 71.
In 2004 In Haiti, the death toll from Tropical Storm Jeanne tops 1,000.

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