This Day in History
In Alaska
• In 1909, Robert Stroud, later known as the Birdman of Alcatraz, shot and killed J.K.F. von Dahmer in Juneau.
• In 1959, long distance calls were made faster, permitting operators to dial direct to and from Alaska without going through Seattle.
• In 1979, Gov. Hammond presented the first $1 billion budget in the state's history.
• In 1979, the motion picture "Bear Island," starring Lloyd Bridges and Barbara Parkins, was filmed in Glacier Bay.
• In 1979, the Eklutna Village Corp. fought to keep newly claimed Alaska Railroad lands.
In the nation
• In 1943, a wartime ban on the sale of pre-sliced bread in the U.S. - aimed at reducing bakeries' demand for metal replacement parts - went into effect.
• In 1967, Albert DeSalvo, who claimed to be the "Boston Strangler," was convicted in Cambridge, Mass., of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses. Sentenced to life, DeSalvo was killed by a fellow inmate in 1973.
• In 1990, a jury in Los Angeles acquitted former preschool operators Raymond Buckey and his mother, Peggy McMartin Buckey, of 52 child molestation charges.
• In 1995, Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson filed for divorce from Michael Jackson.
• In 2000, President Clinton, in a farewell from the Oval Office, told the nation that "America has done well" during his presidency, with record-breaking prosperity and a cleaner environment. Electricity-strapped California saw a second day of rolling blackouts. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson revealed an extramarital affair that resulted in the birth of a daughter.
• In 2004, Secretary of State nominee Condoleezza Rice, at her Senate confirmation hearing, insisted the United States was fully prepared for the Iraq war and its aftermath and refused to give a timetable for U.S. troops to come home.