Today In History

In 1587: Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born on American soil, on what is now Roanoke Island, N.C.

In 1846: U.S. forces led by Gen. Stephen W. Kearney captured Santa Fe, N.M.

In 1914: President Wilson issued his “Proclamation of Neutrality,” aimed at keeping the United States out of World War I.

In 1920: Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed the right of all American women to vote.

In 1963: James Meredith became the first black graduate of the University of Mississippi.

In 1991: Soviet hard-liners launched a coup to topple President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who was vacationing in the Crimea. The coup collapsed three days later.