This Day in History
1282: In the Massacre of the Sicilian Vespers, Sicilians rise up against their French king, Charles I, and his soldiers and officials.
1492: During the Spanish Inquisition, the Jews are expelled from Spain.
1842: Dr. Crawford W. Long becomes the first physician to use ether during surgery.
1856: The Treaty of Paris ends the Crimean War, a conflict between Turkey--supported by Great Britain, France, and Sardinia--and Russia.
1867: The United States buys Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.
1972: North Vietnamese forces launch their biggest attacks in 4 years across the demilitarized zone.
1981: Pres. Ronald Reagan is shot and seriously wounded--as are Press Sec. James Brady, a Secret Service agent and a policeman--by John W. Hinckley Jr.
1999: Two balloonists, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, complete the first nonstop balloon circumnavigation of the globe.
Today's Birthdays
1135: Moses Maimonides, rabbi/philosopher (Spain; died 1204)
1746: Francisco de Goya, painter (Aragon, Spain; died 1828)
1853: Vincent van Gogh, painter (Groot Zundert, Netherlands; died 1890)
1880: Sean O'Casey, playwright (Dublin, Ireland; died 1964)
1913: Frankie Laine, singer (Chicago, IL)
1919: McGeorge Bundy, statesman, educator (Boston, MA; died 1996)
1929: Richard Dysart, actor (Augusta, ME)
1930: John Astin, actor (Baltimore, MD)
1937: Warren Beatty, actor/director (Richmond, VA)
1945: Eric Clapton, musician/singer/songwriter (Surrey, England)
1957: Paul Reiser, actor (New York, NY)
1964: Tracy Chapman, singer/songwriter (Cleveland, OH)
1968: Celine Dion, singer (Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada)
1979: Norah Jones, singer/songwriter (New York, NY)
