0882 France's Louis III dies at St Denis August 5 at age 19, and his brother Carloman becomes sole king

1583 Gilbert claims Newfoundland (1st English colony in North America)

1689 A band of 1,500 Iroquois surround the village of Lachine, Quebec during a violent thunderstorm and set fire to the houses; they then massacre 24 inhabitants and kidnap 90; 42 of the 90 are never seen again; they also kill about 200 more settlers and capture 100 in raids in the vicinity.

1772 Poland loses one-third of her territory and half her population as she is partitioned among Russia, Austria, and Prussia.

1775 First Spanish ship, San Carlos, enters Sab Francisco Bay

1845 In Australia's worst shipping disaster, 407 die when the Cataraqui is wrecked off King Island.

1850 Australia Government Act grants representative governments to South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, which is separated from New South Wales.

1858 First transatlantic telegraph cable laid

1861 US Army abolishes flogging

1861 US levies its first Income Tax (3% of incomes over $800)

1864 Spectrum of a comet observed for first time, by Giovanni Donati

1879 First game of night football at Melbourne Cricket Ground, under gas-lights.

1882 Authorizing of first steel warships, beginning of the modern Navy in US

1884 Cornerstone for Statue of Liberty laid on Bedloe's Island (NYC)

1901 Peter O'Connor of Ireland, sets then long jump record at 24' 11 3/4"

1909 Canadian Pacific completes the Kicking Horse grade relocation on the main line between Hector and Field, B.C. by substituting two spiral tunnels and lengthened line on a grade of 2.2% compensated, for the old "Big Hill" straight grade of 4.5%.

1914 First German vessel captured in Australian waters in Port Phillip Bay

1914 First traffic light installed in Cleveland Ohio

1914 US, Nicaragua sign treaty granting canal rights to US

1921 First radio baseball broadcast

1923 First American to swim the English Channel (Henry Sullivan)

1924 Comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," first shown

1926 Houdini stays in a coffin under water for over 1 hour

1936 At Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens wins his 3rd Olympic medal

1944 Mass break out of Japanese prisoners of war from Cowra Camp, NSW

1944 More than 1,000 Japanese prisoners of war unsuccessfully attempt to escape from Camp in Cowra, New South Wales 234 are killed, 108 wounded.

1953 Operation Big Switch begins - exchange of prisoners of war of Korean Conflict

1957 "American Bandstand," goes on network TV (ABC)

1961 Ice Harbor Dam, Washington reaches 118 degrees F (state record)

1962 First quasar located by radio

1962 Nelson Mandela arrested for incitement & illigally leaving South Africa

1963 Britain, US & Russia sign nuclear test ban treaty

1963 World auto speed record set at 407.45 MPH

1964 US begins bombing North Vietnam

1965 Cook Islands in South Pacific granted internal self-government by New Zealand

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