This Day in History
1776: Juan Bautista de Anza and 247 colonists found future city of San Francisco , CA, then located in Spanish territory.
1854: In the Crimean War, Britain declares war on France and Russia.
1881: The "Greatest Show on Earth" is formed when P.T. Barnum and James A. Bailey agree to merge their circuses.
1939: The Spanish Civil War ends with the republic's surrender to the rebel forces of Francisco Franco.
1979: Radioactive material is released when a partial meltdown occurs on Three Mile Island near Middletown, PA.
1982: In El Salvador, voters turn out in large numbers to give right-wing parties a majority in their new Constituent Assembly.
Today's Birthdays
1868: Maxim Gorky, writer (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; died 1936)
1921: Dirk Bogarde, actor (London, England; died 1999)
1924: Freddie Bartholomew, actor (Britain; died 1992)
1928: Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor (Poland)
1936: Mario Vargas Llosa, novelist (Arequipa, Peru)
1943: Conchata Ferrell, actress (Charleston, WV)
1944: Rick Barry, basketball player (Elizabeth, NJ). Ken Howard, actor (El Centro, CA):
1948: Dianne Wiest, actress (Kansas City, MO)
1955: Reba McEntire, country singer/actress (McAlester, OK)
1968: Lucy Lawless, actress (Mount Albert, New Zealand)
1970: Vince Vaughn, actor (Minneapolis, MN)
1981: Julia Stiles, actress (New York, NY)
