On this date:

In 1541, Jean-francois de la Rocque Roberval obtained authorization from France to take criminals to Canada to found a colony.

In 1796, French general Napoleon Bonaparte married Josephine de Beauharnais (nee Tascher de la Pagerie). They divorced in 1809.

The War of 1812 was triggered when the letters of British spy John Henry were read to the U.S. Congress.

In 1858, Gustavus Dows opened the first soda fountain in Lowell, Mass.

In 1858, Albert Potts of Philadelphia patented the street mailbox.

In 1918, the Russian capital was moved from Petrograd, now St. Petersburg, to Moscow.

In 1928, the first telephone call between Vancouver and London, England, was made.

In 1929, Alberta premier J. E. Brownlee refused to introduce a law for an eight-hour day, saying it was unfair to farmers.

In 1932, China’s last emperor, Henry Pu Yi, was installed by Japanese occupation forces as the ruler of Manchuria.

In 1959, Mattel’s Barbie doll, created by Ruth Handler, made its public debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

In 1961, the Soviet Union sent the first dog into space aboard “Sputnik.”

In 1999, Health Canada approved Pfizer’s anti-impotence drug Viagra after a two-year safety review.