Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date

1777

British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, N.Y., in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.

1888

The first issue of "National Geographic Magazine" was released at news stands.

1919

The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was formed as a publicly-held company General Electric who owned a controlling interest. The Army and the Navy granted to RCA the former American Marconi radio terminals that had been confiscated during the War.

1931

Mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released in 1939.

1933

Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.

1933

"News-Week" appeared for the first time at newsstands. The name was later changed to "Newsweek."

1945

Col. Juan Peron staged a coup, becoming absolute ruler of Argentina.

1957

French author Albert Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

1973

Arab oil-producing nations announced they would begin cutting back on oil exports to Western nations and Japan; the result was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974.

1977

West German commandos stormed a hijacked Lufthansa jetliner that was on the ground in Mogadishu, Somalia, freeing all 86 hostages and killing three of the four hijackers.

1978

President Carter signed a bill restoring U.S. citizenship to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

1979

Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her years of work on behalf of the destitute in Calcutta.

1987

First lady Nancy Reagan underwent a modified radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.

1989

An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck northern California, killing 67 people and causing $7 billion worth of damage.

1994

The Angolan government and rebels agreed to a peace treaty that ended their 19 years of civil war.

1997

The remains of revolutionary Ernesto ''Che'' Guevara were laid to rest in his adopted Cuba, 30 years after his execution in Bolivia.

2000

Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) achieved his 448th victory as a goalie in the NHL. Roy passed Terry Sawchuck to become the record holder for career victories.

2000

In New York City, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum opened to the public. The 42nd Street location joined Tussaud's other exhibitions already in London, Hong Kong, Amsterdam and Las Vegas.

2001

Italian priest Giuseppe "Beppe" Pierantoni was kidnapped by the terrorist group the "Pentagon." He was released on April 8, 2002.

2001

The U.S. Capitol building was closed because of an outside threat. The Capitol building and all House office buildings were closed for inspection following the discovery of anthrax in a Senate office building.

2001

Pakistan placed its armed forces on high alert because of troop movements by India in the disputed territory of Kashmir. India said that the movements were part of a normal troop rotation.

2001

Israel's tourism minister was killed. A radical Palestinian faction claimed that it had carried out the assassination to avenge the killing of its leader by Israel 2 months earlier

2003

In Taipei, Taiwan, construction crews finished 1,676-foot-tall-building called Taipei 101. The building was planned to open for business in 2004.

2003

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration approved a drug, known as memantine, to help people with Alzheimer's symptoms

1880

Founder of the Kraft Food Company, Charles Kraft was born.