TODAY IN HISTORY

1774

The first Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia.

1864

Voters in Louisiana approved a new state constitution abolishing slavery.

1939

Four days after war had broken out in Europe, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation declaring U.S. neutrality in the conflict.

1957

The novel “On the Road,” by Jack Kerouac, was first published by Viking Press.

1972

The Palestinian group Black September attacked the Israeli Olympic delegation at the Munich Games, killing 11 Israelis and a police officer. German forces killed five of the gunmen.

1975

President Gerald R. Ford escaped an attempt on his life by Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a disciple of Charles Manson, in Sacramento, Calif.