This Day in History

1759: In the French and Indian War, the British capture Quebec.
1793: Pres. George Washington lays the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol.
1810: The town council of Santiago, Chile deposes the colonial governor of Chile, thus establishing Chilean independence from Spain .
1830: The Tom Thumb, the first U.S.-built locomotive, loses a celebrated race with a horse when its boiler springs a leak.
1931: The Japanese extend their military control over all of Manchuria.
1947: The National Military Establishment, precursor to the Department of Defense, is created. The U.S. Air Force officially becomes a separate military service.
1994: An agreement is reached with Haitian military leaders to restore deposed Pres. Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power, averting a U.S. military invasion.
1998: The Senate sustains Pres. Bill Clinton's veto of a ban on partial-birth abortions.
2001: U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announces new rules allowing the detention of immigrants suspected of terrorism for up to 48 hours, or longer in extraordinary circumstances, without charging them.