On this date:
In 1751, James Madison, fourth president of the United States, was born in Port Conway, Virginia.
In 1802, Congress authorized the establishment of the US Military Academy at West Point, New York.
In 1836, the Republic of Texas approved a constitution.
In 1894, the opera "Thais", composed by Jules Massenet, premiered in Paris.
In 1915, the Federal Trade Commission was organized.
In 1935, Adolf Hitler scrapped the Treaty of Versailles.
In 1945, during World War Two, Iwo Jima was declared secured by the Allies.
In 1968, during the Vietnam War, the My Lai Massacre was carried out by US troops under the command of Lieutenant William L. Calley Junior.
In 1978, Italian politician Aldo Moro was kidnapped by left-wing urban guerrillas, who later murdered him.
In 1985, Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, was abducted in Beirut; he was released in December 1991.
Ten years ago: South African President F.W. de Klerk announced that exiled African National Congress leaders would be allowed to return home for talks with the white-led government.
Five years ago: House Republicans pushed through $17 billion in spending cuts, prompting a veto threat by the White House. NASA astronaut Norman Thagard was welcomed aboard the Russian space station "Mir" space station as the first American to visit the orbiting outpost.
One year ago: The Dow Jones industrial average briefly topped the ten-thousand level, reaching a high of 10,001.78 before retreating. The entire 20-member European Commission resigned following publication of a critical report on sloppy management and cronyism. The Nebraska Cornhuskers beat Chicago State 50-to-3 in an NCAA baseball game.
"No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true."
-- From "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, American author (1804-1864).