Today:
1780: Benedict Arnold, a major general in the Continental Army, met with British Major John André to discuss handing over West Point to the British in exchange for money and a command in the British army.
1792: The National Convention in France voted to abolish the monarchy, establishing the First French Republic.
1897: The New York Sun newspaper published the famous editorial “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” in response to a letter from eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon.
1937: J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy novel, “The Hobbit,” was first published.
1949: In Beijing, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
1964: Malta gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
1972: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, beginning a period of authoritarian rule.
1981: Sandra Day O’Connor was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the first female Supreme Court justice.
1991: Armenia declared its independence from the Soviet Union.
2003: After a 14-year mission studying Jupiter and its moons, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft was intentionally sent into Jupiter’s atmosphere to be destroyed.