Today In History

In 1647: The English army seized King Charles I as a hostage.

In 1939: During what became known as the “Voyage of the Damned,” the SS St. Louis, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees from Germany, was turned away from the Florida coast. Also denied permission to dock in Cuba, the ship eventually returned to Europe; many of the refugees later died in Nazi concentration camps.

In 1942: the Battle of Midway began during World War II.

In 1947: The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Taft-Hartley Act.

In 1954: French Premier Joseph Laniel and Vietnamese Premier Buu Loc initialed treaties in Paris, according “complete independence” to Vietnam.