Today in history

In 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, “Common Sense,” which argued for American independence from British rule.

In 1860, the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts, collapsed and caught fire, killing up to 145 people, mostly female workers from Scotland and Ireland.

In 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the Union.

In 1863, the London Underground had its beginnings as the Metropolitan, the world’s first underground passenger railway, opened to the public with service between Paddington and Farringdon Street.

In 1901, the Spindletop oil field in Beaumont, Texas, produced the Lucas Gusher, heralding the start of the Texas oil boom.

In 1917, legendary Western frontiersman and showman William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody died at his sister’s home in Denver at age 70.

In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.

In 1948, future country music star Loretta Lynn (nee Webb) married Oliver “Mooney” Lynn; she was 15 at the time, he was 21 (Oliver Lynn died in 1996).

In 1984, the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.