TODAY IN HISTORY

1777

The Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation.

1806

Explorer Zebulon Pike sighted the mountaintop now known as Pikes Peak in present-day Colorado.

1864

During the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman began their “March to the Sea” from Atlanta; the campaign ended with the capture of Savannah on Dec. 21.

1937

At the U.S. Capitol, members of the House and Senate met in air-conditioned chambers for the first time.

1942

The naval Battle of Guadalcanal ended during World War II with a decisive U.S. victory over Japanese forces.

1939

President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.

1959

Four members of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kan., were found murdered in their home.