December 2nd, 2008

Today in History

1962:
Vietnam War: After a trip to Vietnam at the request of US President John F. Kennedy, US Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield becomes the first American official to not make an optimistic public comment on the war's progress.

1942:
Manhattan Project: A team led by Enrico Fermi initiate the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.

1939:
La Guardia Airport opens for business in New York City.

1899:
Philippine-American War: The Battle of Tirad Pass, termed "The Filipino Thermopylae", is fought.

1851:
Newly-elected French President Charles Louis Bonaparte violently overthrows the Second Republic.