This Day in History
1778: British Capt. James Cook discovers the Hawaiian Islands , which he calls the Sandwich Islands.
1871: William I of Prussia is proclaimed emperor of Germany at a ceremony held in the palace of Versailles, France , occupied by the German army during the Franco-Prussian War.
1912: The expedition of England's Robert F. Scott reaches the South Pole, then discovers that Roald Amundsen got there first.
1919: The Peace Conference to end World War I opens in Versailles, France under Georges Clemenceau.
1969: Expanded 4-party peace talks on Vietnam begin.
1997: Norwegian Borge Ousland completes a 1,675-mile trek across Antarctica , the first time anyone has crossed the continent alone.
Today's Birthdays
1782: Daniel Webster, statesman and orator (Salisbury, NH; died 1852)
1850: Seth Low, American politician, educator, and merchant (Brooklyn, NY; died 1916)
1882: A. A. Milne, children's author (London, England; died 1956)
1892: Oliver Hardy, comedian in the duo Laurel & Hardy (Atlanta, GA; died 1957)
1904: Cary Grant, actor (Bristol, England; died 1986)
1910: Kenneth Boulding, economist, philosopher and poet (Liverpool, England; died 1993)
1913: Danny Kaye, comedian/actor and UN goodwill ambassador (Brooklyn, NY; died 1987)
1931: Chun Doo Hwan, South Korean president (Naechonri, Korea)
1933: John Boorman, director (Shepperton, England). Ray Dolby, inventor of the Dolby Sound System (Portland, OR):
1938: Curt Flood, baseball player who pioneered the idea of free agency (Houston, TX; died 1997)
1941: David Ruffin, singer (Meridian, MS; died 1991)
1955: Kevin Costner, actor/director (Compton, CA)
1961: Mark Messier, hockey player (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
