Today In History

55 B.C.: Roman forces under Julius Caesar invaded Britain.

1847: Liberia was proclaimed an independent republic.

1883: The island volcano Krakatoa began erupting with increasingly large explosions.

1920: The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing American women the right to vote, was declared in effect.

1957: The Soviet Union announced it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.

1961: The official International Hockey Hall of Fame opened in Toronto.

1964: President Lyndon Johnson was nominated for a term of office in his own right at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J.

1972: The summer Olympic games opened in Munich, West Germany.

1978: Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice was elected the 264th pope of the Roman Catholic Church following the death of Paul VI. The new pontiff took the name Pope John Paul I.

1985: 13-year-old AIDS patient Ryan White began “attending” classes at Western Middle School in Kokomo, Ind., via a telephone hook-up at his home - school officials had barred Ryan from attending classes in person.