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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Today In History

In 1804: Lt. Stephen Decatur led a successful raid into Tripoli Harbor on the Mediterranean to burn the U.S. Navy frigate Philadelphia, which had fallen into the hands of pirates.

In 1948: NBC-TV began airing its first nightly newscast, “The Camel Newsreel Theatre,” which consisted of Fox Movietone newsreels.

In 1959: Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.

In 1968: the nation’s first 911 emergency telephone system was inaugurated in Haleyville, Ala.