1804 – Louisiana Purchase: In St. Louis, Missouri, a formal ceremony is conducted to transfer ownership of the Louisiana Territory from France to the United States.
1831 – The French Foreign Legion is established by King Louis Philippe to support his war in Algeria.
1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican–American War.
1876 – Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call by saying “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.”
1922 – Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for an appendicitis operation.
1945 – The U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting conflagration kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.
1952 – Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba and appoints himself as the “provisional president”.
1959 – Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, 300,000 Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama’s palace to prevent his remval.
1969 – In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempts to retract his plea.
1975 – Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Campaign – North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột, South Vietnam, on their way to capturing Saigon on the final push for victory over South Vietnam.
1977 – Rings of Uranus: Astronomers discover rings around Uranus.
2006 – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.
Today’s Birthdays: Happy Birthday Chuck Norris, 75, Sharon Stone, 57, Carrie Underwood 32.
