Today In History

In 1789: The U.S. House of Representatives held its first full meeting in New York City. Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first House Speaker.

In 1853: Cincinnati, Ohio, became the first U.S. city to pay its firefighters a regular salary.

In 1873: Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff was born in Novgorod Province, Russia.

In 1933: Nazi Germany began persecuting Jews with a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses.

In 1945: American forces invaded Okinawa during World War II.

In 1946: Tidal waves struck the Hawaiian Islands, resulting in more than 170 deaths.

In 1960: The first weather satellite, TIROS-1, was launched from Cape Canaveral.

In 1970: President Nixon signed a measure banning cigarette advertising on radio and television, to take effect after Jan. 1, 1971.