This Day in History
1802: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, is founded by Congress.
1926: The first liquid-fuel rocket flight takes place, launched by Robert H. Goddard in Massachusetts.
1945: During World War II , U.S. Marines win control of Iwo Jima after taking heavy casualties.
1968: Some 300 South Vietnamese villagers are massacred at Mylai and Mykhe by U.S. troops under Lt. William L. Calley, Jr.
1985: U.S. journalist Terry Anderson is kidnapped by Islamic militants in Beirut, Lebanon.
1988: After charges that Nicaraguan Sandinistas have crossed the Honduran border in pursuit of contras, Pres. Ronald Reagan orders 3,200 U.S. troops to Honduras.
2001: Wall Street's worst week since 1989 comes to a close with all major stock indexes down by more than 6 percent; the NASDAQ has fallen more than 61% from its March 2000 peak.
Today's Birthdays
1751: James Madison, 4th president of the United States (Port Conway, VA; died 1836)
1822: Rosa Bonheur, painter (Bordeaux, France; died 1899)
1912: Pat Nixon, first lady of the United States (Ely, NV; died 1993)
1920: Leo McKern, actor (New South Wales, Australia; died 2002)
1926: Jerry Lewis, actor/comedian (Newark, NJ)
1927: Daniel Patrick Moynihan, senator/diplomat/author (Tulsa, OK; died 2003)
1941: Bernardo Bertolucci, film director (Parma, Italy)
1942: Chuck Woolery, TV personality (Ashland, KY)
1949: Erik Estrada, actor (New York, NY)
1951: Kate Nelligan, actress (London, Ontario, Canada)
1955: Isabelle Huppert, actress (Paris, France)
