TODAY IN HISTORY

1783

Representatives of the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War.

1939

Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland; in a radio address, Britain’s King George VI said, “With God’s help, we shall prevail.” The same day, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner SS Athenia some 250miles off the Irish coast, killing more than 100 out of the 1,400 or so people on board.

1943

Allied forces invaded Italy during World

War II, the same day Italian officials signed a secret armistice with the Allies.

1976

America’s Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars to take the first close-up, color photographs of the red planet’s surface.

1995

The online auction site eBay was founded in San Jose, California, by Pierre Omidyar under the name “AuctionWeb.”

Birthdays

Actor Pauline Collins is 81. Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 66. Actor Charlie Sheen is 56. Singer Jennifer Paige is 48. Actor Nichole Hiltz is 43. Actor Christine Woods is 38. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White is 35. Hip-hop singer August Alsina is 29.