Today:
1587: Mary, Queen of Scots, is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England for her involvement in a plot to assassinate her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
1693: The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, receives its royal charter from King William III and Queen Mary II, becoming the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
1879: Sandford Fleming first proposes the adoption of Universal Standard Time (time zones) during a meeting at the Royal Canadian Institute.
1887: The Dawes Act is signed into law by U.S. President Grover Cleveland, authorizing the government to divide Native American tribal land into individual allotments.
1904: The Russo-Japanese War begins with a surprise Japanese torpedo boat attack on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur, China.
1910: The Boy Scouts of America is officially incorporated by William D. Boyce.
1915: D.W. Griffith’s controversial and technically groundbreaking silent film, The Birth of a Nation, premieres in Los Angeles.
1924: The first execution by lethal gas in the United States takes place at the Nevada State Prison, where Gee Jon is put to death.
1960: Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, beginning the permanent installation of the famous stars on Hollywood Boulevard.
1971: The NASDAQ stock market index makes its debut as the world’s first electronic stock market.