This Day in History
1794: Maximillien Robespierre is declared president of France's National Convention, during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution.
1878: Great Britain and Turkey sign an agreement under which Britain receives complete control of Cyprus for a rental of about $500,000 yearly, and Turkey retains nominal title.
1944: Rome is liberated by the U.S. 5th Army under Gen. Mark Clark.
1951: Puerto Rican voters approve in a referendum a U.S. law that grants them the right to draft their own constitution, which leads the next year to the commonwealth status.
1972: Black activist Angela Davis is acquitted of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy in the 1970 murder of a judge.
1989: Chinese troops crush pro-democracy student demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, killing hundreds.
2003: Media and home furnishings mogul Martha Stewart is indicted in a New York City U.S. district court for securities fraud and several other charges.
Today's Birthdays
1694: François Quesnay, economist, the principal founder of the Physiocratic school (near Paris, France; died 1774)
1738: King George III, English king during the American Revolution (London, England; died 1820)
1910: Sir Christopher Cockerell, engineer and inventor of the hovercraft (Britain; died 1999)
1916: Gaylord Anton Nelson, Wisconsin governor and U.S. senator who was one of the leading environmentalists of his era (Clear Lake, Wisconsin; died 2005)
1919: Robert Merrill, singer (Brooklyn, NY; died 2004)
1924: Dennis Weaver, actor (Joplin, MO; died 2006)
1927: Geoffrey Palmer, actor (London, England)
1936: Bruce Dern, actor (Chicago, IL)
1937: Mortimer Zuckerman, journalist, publisher (Montreal, Quebec)
1944: Michelle Phillips, actress/singer and member of the Mamas and the Papas (Long Beach, CA)
1952: Parker Stevenson, actor (Philadelphia, PA)
1965: Andrea Jaeger, tennis champion (Chicago, IL)
1966: Cecilia Bartoli, opera singer (Rome, Italy)
1968: Scott Wolf, actor (Boston, MA)
1971: Noah Wyle, actor (Hollywood, CA)
1972: Derian Hatcher, hockey player (Sterling Heights, MI)
1975: Angelina Jolie, actress (Los Angeles, CA)
