This Day in History
1916: U.S. Marines occupy the Dominican Republic.
1929: Richard E. Byrd and Brent Balchen pilot the first flight over the South Pole.
1945: The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia is declared by the Communist-dominated constituent assembly, abolishing the monarchy.
1947: The partition of Palestine is approved by the United Nations.
1963: Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson establishes the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy and the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald.
1989: Communist rule ends in Czechoslovakia when parliament votes unanimously to end the Communist Party's guaranteed leading role.
Today's Birthdays
1797: Gaetano Donizetti, opera composer (Italy; died 1848)
1811: Wendell Phillips, abolitionist leader and political reformer (Boston, MA; died 1884)
1832: Louisa May Alcott, author (Philadelphia, PA; died 1888)
1898: C. S. Lewis, scholar/author (Belfast, Northern Ireland; died 1963)
1918: Madeleine L'Engle, children's author (New York, NY; died 2007)
1927: Vin Scully, sportscaster (New York, NY)
1932: Jacques Chirac, former president of France (Paris, France)
1940: Chuck Mangione, musician/composer (Rochester, NY)
1949: Garry Shandling, comedian/actor (Chicago, IL)
1954: Joel Coen, producer/screenwriter (St. Louis Park, MN)
1955: Howie Mandel, comedian/actor (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
1961: Rebecca DeMornay, actress (Santa Rosa, CA)
1962: Andrew McCarthy, actor (Westfield, NJ)
1964: Kim Delaney, actress (Philadelphia, PA)
