TODAY IN HISTORY

1775

Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with Col. Benedict Arnold, captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y.

1818

American patriot Paul Revere, 83, died in Boston.

1865

Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured by Union forces in Irwinville, Ga.

1869

A golden spike was driven in Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in

the United States.

1924

J. Edgar Hoover was named acting director of the Bureau of Investigation.

1933

The Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.

1940

During World War II, German forces began invading the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and France. The same day, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.