This Day in History
In Alaska
• In 1931, Mount Fairweather - west of Glacier Bay - was scaled for the first time.
• In 1959, the drive to raise $750,000 to build a new Providence Hospital in Anchorage kicked off.
In the nation
• In 1845, Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States, died in Nashville, Tenn.
• In 1861, Tennessee seceded from the Union.
• In 1915, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan resigned in a disagreement over U.S. handling of the sinking of the Lusitania.
• In 1953, the Supreme Court ruled that restaurants in the District of Columbia could not refuse to serve blacks.
• In 1978, a jury in Clark County, Nevada, ruled the so-called "Mormon will," purportedly written by the late billionaire Howard Hughes, was a forgery.
• In 1982, President Reagan became the first American chief executive to address a joint session of the British Parliament.
• In 1999, President Clinton announced new restrictions aimed at making it tougher for teens to sneak into R-rated movies.
• In 2003, frustrated and angry over delays, a coalition of the nation's mayors meeting in Denver asked federal officials to bypass state governments and give them the money they needed to beef up homeland security. Annika Sorenstam won the LPGA Championship for her fifth major title. George Foreman was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The Broadway show "Hairspray" won eight Tony Awards, including best musical. "Take Me Out," Richard Greenberg's play about a gay baseball player, was chosen best play.
In the world
• In A.D. 632, the prophet Mohammed died.