On This Day…

1607 – The first permanent British settlement in North America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia. 

1643 – Four-year-old Louis XIV ascended the throne of France. 

1787 – Delegates gather in Philadelphia to draw up US Constitution 

1796 – English country doctor Edward Jenner administers the first inoculation against smallpox, using cowpox pus, in Berkeley, Gloucestershire 

1804 – Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s expedition commissioned by Thomas Jefferson sets out from St Louis for Pacific Coast 

1948 – Israel declares independence from British administration 

1973 – Skylab, the first U.S. space station, was launched. 

Births & Deaths:
1998 – American singer and actor Frank Sinatra—who, through a long career and a very public personal life, became one of the most sought-after performers in the entertainment industry—died in Los Angeles. 

Sport:
1967 – NY Yankee Mickey Mantle hits career HR #500 off Baltimore Oriole’s Stu Miller 

Music:
1832 – Felix Mendelssohn’s concert overture “Hebrides” premieres in London 

TV & Film:
1998 – Seinfeld’s final 2-part episode “The Finale” airs on NBC to 76.3M viewers (commercials priced at $2M for 30 seconds) 

Via Britannica / On This Day