Today In History
In 1872: Britain introduced the concept of voting by secret ballot.
In 1936: The Spanish Civil War began as Gen. Francisco Franco led an uprising of army troops based in Spanish North Africa.
In 1947: President Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act, which placed the speaker of the House and the Senate president pro tempore next in the line of succession after the vice president.
In 1969: a car driven by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., plunged off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island near Martha’s Vineyard. His passenger, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, died.