TODAY IN HISTORY

1854 - Australia’s first steam train makes its maiden voyage in Melbourne.

1873 - The first practical typewriter was sold to customers.

1892 - Ambulance services commence in Queensland, the first such service anywhere in the world.

1914 - The first battle of Marne ended when the allied forces stopped the German offensive in France.

1938 - In a speech, Adolf Hitler demanded self-determination for the Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia.

1940 - The Lascaux paintings were discovered in France. The cave paintings were 17,000 years old and were some of the best examples of art from the Paleolithic period.

1943 - During World War II, Benito Mussolini was taken by German paratroopers from the Italian government that was holding him.

1953 - Senator John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier.

1954 - “Lassie” made its television debut on CBS. The last show aired on September 12, 1971.

1974 - Emperor Haile Selassie was taken out of power by Ethiopia’s military after ruling for 58 years.

1977 - South African anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko died at the age of 30. The student leader died while in police custody which triggered an international outcry.

1983 - Arnold Schwarzenegger became a U.S. citizen. He had emigrated from Austria 14 years earlier.

1991 - The space shuttle Discovery took off on a mission to deploy an observatory that was to study the Earth’s ozone layer.

1992 - Police in Peru captured Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman.