Today in History, June 26th

Every day is flush with history. June 26^th is certainly no exception.

1284 - 130 children of Hamelin lured away by Pied Piper

1483 - Richard III seizes, by force, the English throne

1498 - Toothbrush invented

1794 - France under Jourdan beats Austrian army in the Battle of Colors

1843 - Hong Kong proclaimed a British Crown Colony

1848 - The first pure food law is enacted in United States

1870 - In Munich, Wagner's opera "Valkyrie" premieres

1894 - United States patent for gasoline-driven auto is received by Karl Benz of Germany

1896 - Ten cents for admission to the first movie theater to open in the United States

1900 - Dr. Walter Reed begins his research that beats Yellow Fever

1909 - The opening of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London

1919 - The New York Daily News begins publishing

1924 - On Broadway, the Ziegfeld Follies open

1934 - W. E. B. Du Bois resigns position at NAACP, and Poland signs with Germany the no attacks treaty. On this day, Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Federal Credit Union Act, that which establishes Credit Unions

1941 - In Kovno, Lithuanian fascist massacre of 2,300 Jews; Finland enters WWII fighting against Russia

1946 - Jack Benny is the guest on Fred Allen's last radio show

1948 - The United States denounces the Soviet blockade of Berlin

1952 - South Africa curfew disobeyed by Nelson Mandela and 51 others

1955 - Freedom Charter signed in South-Africa

1960 - Independence from Britain gained by British Somaliland (now Somalia)

1964 - Racial segregation riots between Blacks and Whites in St. Augustine

1972 - IRA proclaims resistance in North-Ireland

1973 - The premier of the London production of "Grease"

1974 - Liz Taylor's 5th divorce (Richard Burton)

1975 - Cher divorces Sony Bono

1977 - The last performance for Elvis takes place in Indiana

1982 - Marie Osmond marries Steve Craig

1989 - Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson marry for the second time

1997 - Supreme Court upholds doctor-assisted suicide ban, then strikes down the internet indecency law

Sources:

Sources: http://www.brainyhistory.com/days/june_26.html

http://www.440.com/twtd/today.html

www.on-this-day.com