This Day In History

535- St Agapitus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope 1110- Crusaders march into Beirut causing a bloodbath 1643- Battle of Grantham: English parliamentary armies beat royalists

1643- Heavy earthquake strikes Santiago Chile; kills 1/3 of population

1648- Construction of the Red Fort at Delhi is completed. 1779- War of Bavarian Succession ends

1830- Republic of Ecuador is founded, with Juan Jose Flores as president

1835- 1st foreign embassy in Hawaii forms

1846- US declares war on Mexico, 2 months after fighting begins

1861- Queen Victoria announces Britain's position of neutrality

1861- The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia. 1865-Battle of Palmito Ranch, near Brownsville, Texas: final engagement of the American Civil War, Private John Jefferson Williams of B Company, 34th Regiment Indiana Infantry is last man killed

1884- Institute for Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) forms in New York

1890- Lord Salisbury offers Helgoland to Germany in exchange for Zanzibar, Uganda & Equatoria

1913- 1st four-engined aircraft built and flown (Igor Sikorsky, Russia)

1915-US Secretary of State Bryan sends a note to Germany demanding that Germany disavow the attacks on the Lusitania and make immediate reparations; however, the note is written only to 'pacify exited public opinion', according to Bryan

1916- 1st observance of Indian (Native American) Day 1918- 1st US airmail stamps issued (24 cents)

1927 "Black Friday" on Berlin Stock Exchange

1934- -Great dustbowl storm sweeps across US prairies 1940 German breakthrough at Grebbelinie 1941-Martin Bormann is named head of Nazi Chancellery in Germany

1942- Helicopter makes its 1st cross-country flight 1943- German & Italian forces in Africa surrender 1943 -German occupiers confiscate all radios 1945-US troops conquer Dakeshi Okinawa

1949- 1st British-produced jet bomber, the Canberra, makes its 1st test flight

1950- Diner's Club issues its 1st credit cards