Today in history

In 1690,

one of the earliest American newspapers, Publick Occurrences, published its first — and last — edition in Boston.

In 1775,

American Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen was captured by the British as he led an attack on Montreal. (Allen was released by the British in 1778.)

In 1789,

the first United States Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. (Ten of the amendments became the Bill of Rights.)

In 1890,

President Benjamin Harrison signed a measure establishing Sequoia National Park.

In 1956,

the first trans-Atlantic telephone cable officially went into service with a three-way ceremonial call between New York, Ottawa and London.

In 1962,

Sonny Liston knocked out Floyd Patterson in round one to win the world heavyweight title at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

In 1981,

Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first female justice on the Supreme Court.

In 1992,

NASA’s Mars Observer blasted off on a $980 million mission to the red planet (the probe disappeared just before entering Martian orbit in August 1993).