TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

1982

Groundbreaking ceremonies took place in Washington, D.C., for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

1812

An earthquake devastated Caracas, Venezuela, causing an estimated 26,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

1827

Composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna.

1874

Poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco.

1892

Poet Walt Whitman died in Camden, New Jersey.

1917

The Seattle Metropolitans became the first U.S. team to win the Stanley Cup as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the finals by a score of 9-1.

1945

During World War II, Iwo Jima was fully secured by U.S. forces following a final, desperate attack by Japanese soldiers.

1962

The U.S. Supreme Court, in Baker v. Carr, gave federal courts the power to order reapportionment of states’ legislative districts.

1964

The musical play “Funny Girl,” starring Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice, opened on Broadway.

1979

A peace treaty was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and witnessed by President Jimmy Carter at the White House.

1992

A judge in Indianapolis sentenced former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to six years in prison for raping a Miss Black America contestant.

1997

The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate techno-religious cult who committed suicide were found inside a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California.