Today:
1533: Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro arrives in Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire.
1777: The Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.
1806: Lieutenant Zebulon Pike spots a distant mountain peak in Colorado, later named Pikes Peak.
1864: Union General William T. Sherman’s troops begin to burn Atlanta’s industrial district, commencing his March to the Sea.
1881: The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada, which later becomes the American Federation of Labor (AFL), is formed in Pittsburgh.
1889: Brazil is declared a republic after a military coup deposes Emperor Pedro II.
1920: The first General Assembly of the League of Nations convenes in Geneva, Switzerland.
1956: Elvis Presley’s first feature film, “Love Me Tender,” premieres in New York City.
1969: A peaceful demonstration against the Vietnam War draws an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 protesters to Washington, D.C.
1971: Intel releases the 4004, the world’s first commercially available single-chip microprocessor.