1653 – New Amsterdam becomes a city (later renamed New York). 1848 – Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War: US acquires Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona for $15 million. 1901 – Queen Victoria’s Funeral takes place in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, England. 1912 – Frederick Rodman Law performed what was considered the first motion-picture stunt, parachuting from the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. 1922 – James Joyce’s “Ulysses” published in Paris (1,000 copies). 1943 – German 6th Army surrenders after Battle of Stalingrad in a major turning point in Europe during World War II. 1971 – Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and appoints himself President (dictator) of Uganda. 1990 – South African President F.W. de Klerk lifted the 30-year ban on the African National Congress, resulting in the release from prison of Nelson Mandela and marking the beginning of the end of apartheid.
Births & Deaths: 1905 – American writer Ayn Rand, whose commercially successful novels promoting individualism and laissez-faire capitalism became influential among conservatives and libertarians, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. 2014 – American actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who fully inhabited the characters he played and was renowned for his scene-stealing work in supporting roles, died of a heroin overdose in New York City.
Music: 1974 – Barbra Streisand’s 1st #1 hit, “The Way We Were”.
TV & Film: 1893 – 1st movie close-up (of a sneeze), Edison studio, West Orange, New Jersey.
