Today in History

240

240 BC: Eratosthenes, a Greek astronomer and mathematician, estimated the circumference of the earth.

1566

Birth of James VI of Scotland. Upon the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, he also ascended the English throne as James I. He is best remembered for authorizing the publication known today as the 'King James Version' (KJV) of the Bible.

1586

English colonists sailed from Roanoke Island, North Carolina, after failing to establish England's first permanent settlement in America.

1623

Mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal was born at Clermont, France.

1862

Slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories.

1903

Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig was born in New York City.

1910

Father's Day was celebrated for the first time, in Spokane, Washington.

1917

During World War I, King George V ordered the British royal family to dispense with its German-sounding surname, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The family took the name Windsor.

1941

"Cheerios" whole grain oat cereal (originally named "Cheerie Oats") was invented to provide a more convenient and better tasting alternative to cooked oatmeal.

1961

The Supreme Court struck down a provision in Maryland's constitution requiring state officeholders to profess a belief in God.

1964

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved after surviving an 83-day Senate filibuster

1977

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline began carrying oil from the Arctic Ocean to Prince William Sound.

1987

The Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law requiring any public school teaching the theory of evolution to teach creationism as well.

1999

Britain's Prince Edward married commoner Sophie Rhys-Jones in Windsor, England.

2000

The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, barred officials from letting students lead stadium crowds in prayer before football games.