This Day in History
In Alaska, in the Nation and the World
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In Alaska
• In 1913, the First Territorial Bank of Alaska opened in Douglas.
• In 1959, Wrangell sought state help in finding a doctor for the town after their only doctor fell ill and could not practice.
In the nation
• In 1776, the second Continental Congress made the term "United States" official, replacing "United Colonies."
• In 1830, Charles Durant flew a balloon from New York City across the Hudson River to Perth Amboy, N.J.
• In 1850, California became the 31st state of the union.
• In 1893, Frances Cleveland, wife of President Grover Cleveland, gave birth to a daughter, Esther, in the White House; it was the first time a president's child was born in the executive mansion.
• In 1926, the National Broadcasting Company was incorporated by the Radio Corporation of America.
• In 1956, Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
• In 1957, President Eisenhower signed into law the first civil rights bill to pass Congress since Reconstruction.
• In 1967, "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" aired as a one-time special on NBC; its success led to a regular series beginning in January 1968.
• In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, N.Y., beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives.
• In 2006, third-seeded Maria Sharapova beat Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4 to win the U.S. Open. The Detroit Shock won their second WNBA championship in four years, beating the defending champion Sacramento Monarchs 80-75 in Game 5.
In the world
• In 1948, the People's Democratic Republic of Korea was created.
• In 1997, Sinn Fein, the IRA's political ally, formally renounced violence as it took its place in talks on Northern Ireland's future.
• In 2002, Iraq challenged the United States to produce "one piece of evidence" that it was producing weapons of mass destruction. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Security Council must be allowed to have its say on a possible attack against Iraq. An express train traveling from Calcutta to New Delhi, India, derailed, killing at least 118 people.
• In 2006, after two frustrating weeks of delays, space shuttle Atlantis and its six astronauts blasted off on a 12-day mission to install a big new piece of the international space station. The Chinese movie "Still Life" won the top award at the Venice Film Festival.