On this date

In 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with Col. Benedict Arnold, captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y.

In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured by Union forces in Irwinville, Ga.

In 1869, a golden spike was driven in Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

In 1933, the Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.

In 1994, the state of Illinois executed serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys.