TODAY IN history

In 1896, the discovery that led to the Klondike gold rush was made. George Washington Carmack and two Indian companions, Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie, found gold at Rabbit Creek, a tributary of the Yukon’s Klondike River. After news of the strike reached the outside world, thousands of miners poured into the territory. It’s estimated more than $100 million in gold was recovered in the region during the next eight years.

In 1904, Ford of Canada began building cars in a converted wagon works in Walkerville, near Windsor, Ont. The 17 workers assembled a total of 114 cars in the first year.

In 1951, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company inaugurated its microwave radio relay system for transmitting telephone calls and television programs between New York City and San Francisco.

In 1996, TWA Flight 800 exploded shortly after leaving New York City for Paris, killing all 230 people on board.

In 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton gave historic testimony to a criminal grand jury about his sexual affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. He was the first American president to be questioned by a criminal grand jury.

In 2008, American swimmer Michael Phelps became the first person to win eight gold medals at a single Olympic games, teaming with three others to win the 4x100 medley relay at the Beijing Games. He beat the previous record of seven held by Mark Spitz.