Today in History

1631

Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, arrived with his wife in Boston from England.

1736

The English Wesley brothers, John (32) and Charles (28) first arrived in America at Savannah, GA. They had been invited by Georgia governor James Oglethorpe as missionaries to the American Indians.

1824

"The Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts" was founded in Philadelphia to honor Ben Franklin and advance the usefulness of his inventions.

1840

Birth of John Boyd Dunlop, developer of the pneumatic (air-filled inner tube) tire, in Scotland. His tire concept was inspired when his 9-yr-old son complained of the rough ride he experienced on his tricycle over the cobbled streets of Belfast.

1881

Phoenix, Ariz., was incorporated.

1887

Formation of the Chicago Evangelization Society, which later was renamed the Moody Bible Institute.

1887

Verdi's opera "Otello" premiered at La Scala in Milan, Italy.

1897

The Indiana House of Representatives unanimously passed a measure redefining the area of a circle and the value of pi (giving 3.2 exactly as the value of pi. Pi is, in fact, an irrational number, approx. 3.141592). The bill died in the state Senate.

1988

Panamanian military leader Gen. Manuel Noriega was indicted on bribery and drug trafficking charges in Florida.

2001

Four followers of Osama bin Laden went on trial in New York for the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. The four were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

2002

A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, indicted John Walker Lindh on ten charges. They alleged he was trained by Osama bin Laden's network and then conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans.

2006

The Pittsburgh Steelers won a record-tying fifth Super Bowl with a 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks.