This Day in History

• 1978 Ali defeats Spinks to win world heavyweight championship

• American Revolution

• 1779 French capture British ships

• Automotive

• 1969 The Italian Job is released in Sweden

• Civil War

• 1862 Confederates capture Harpers Ferry

• Cold War

• 1959 Khrushchev arrives in Washington

• Crime

• 1990 A Bible school instructor abducts a teenage girl

• Disaster

• 1958 Train plunges off bridge

• General Interest

• 1916 Tanks introduced into warfare at the Somme
• 1940 Tide turns in the Battle of Britain
• 1950 U.S. forces land at Inchon
• 1963 Four black schoolgirls killed in Birmingham

• Hollywood

• 1954 Famous Marilyn Monroe “skirt” scene filmed

• Literary

• 1890 Agatha Christie is born

• Music

• 1962 The Four Seasons earn their first #1 hit with “Sherry”

• Old West

• 1858 The first transcontinental mail service to San Francisco begins

• Presidential

• 1794 James Madison marries Dolley Payne Todd
• 1857 Future President William Taft born

• Sports

• 1931 Athletics clinch pennant

• Vietnam War

• 1964 NLF calls for general military offensive
• 1972 South Vietnamese forces retake Quang Tri City

• World War I

• 1914 First trenches are dug on the Western Front

• World War II

• 1935 Nuremberg race laws imposed