This Day in History
In Alaska
• In 1894, the Juneau Ferry & Navigation Co. began carrying passengers between Juneau and Douglas Island. The operation continued until the completion of the Douglas Bridge in 1935.
• In 1917, all saloons in the Territory of Alaska closed their doors at midnight under a new Alaska law.
• In 1947, the merger of Skinner & Eddy Corp. and the Alaska Steamship Co. was announced.
In the nation
• In 1862, President Lincoln signed an act admitting West Virginia to the Union.
• In 1877, President and Mrs. Hayes celebrated their silver anniversary (technically, a day late) by re-enacting their wedding ceremony in the White House.
• In 1879, Thomas Edison first publicly demonstrated his electric incandescent light in Menlo Park, N.J.
• In 1946, President Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.
• In 1978, Taiwanese diplomats struck their colors for the final time from the embassy flagpole in Washington, marking the end of diplomatic relations with the United States.
In the world
• In 1775, the British repulsed an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at Quebec; Montgomery was killed.
• In 1857, Britain's Queen Victoria decided to make Ottawa the capital of Canada.
• In 1986, 97 people died in a fire in the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.