GMT

Today in History

1617
The Treaty of Stolbovo ends the occupation of Northern Russia by Swedish troops.
1734
The Russians take Danzig (Gdansk) in Poland.
1788
Connecticut becomes the 5th state.
1796
Napoleon Bonaparte marries Josephine de Beauharnais in Paris, France.
1812
Swedish Pomerania is seized by Napoleon.
1820
Congress passes the Land Act, paving the way for westward expansion.
1839
The French Academy of Science announces the Daguerreotype photo process.
1841
The rebel slaves who seized a Spanish slave ship, the Amistad, in 1839 are freed by the Supreme Court despite Spanish demands for extradition.
1862
The first and last battle between the ironclads U.S.S. Monitor and C.S.S. Virginia ends in a draw.
1864
General Ulysses Grant is appointed commander-in-chief of the Union forces.
1911
The funding for five new battleships is added to the British military defense budget.
1915
The Germans take Grodno on the Eastern Front.
1916
Mexican bandit Pancho Villa leads 1,500 horsemen on a raid of Columbus, N.M. killing 17 U.S. soldiers and citizens.
1932
Eamon De Valera is elected president of the Irish Free State and pledges to abolish all loyalty to the British Crown.
1936
The German press warns that all Jews who vote in the upcoming elections will be arrested.

1939
Czech President Emil Hacha ousts pro-German Joseph Tiso as the Premier of Slovakia in order to preserve Czech unity.
1940
Britain frees captured Italian coal ships on the eve of German Foreign Minister, Ribbentrop's visit to Rome.
1956
British authorities arrest and deport Archbishop Makarios from Cyprus. He is accused of supporting terrorists.
1957
Egyptian leader Nasser bars U.N. plans to share the tolls for the use of the Suez Canal.
1959
The Barbie doll is unveiled at a toy fair in New York City.

1964
The first Ford Mustang rolls off the Ford assembly line.
1967
Svetlana Alliluyeva, Josef Stalin's daughter defects to the United States.
1968
General William Westmoreland asks for 206,000 more troops in Vietnam.
1975
Iraq launches an offensive against the rebellious Kurds.
1986
Navy divers find the crew compartment of the space shuttle Challenger along with the remains of the astronauts.



Joke of the Day

Little Sally came home from school with a smile on her face, and told her mother, "Frankie Brown showed me his weenie today at the playground!"

Before the mother could raise a concern, Sally went on to say, "It reminded me of a peanut."

Relaxing with a hidden smile, Sally's mom asked, "Really small, was it?"
Sally replied, "No, salty."
Mom fainted.