September 5th, 2008

Today in History

1666:
Great Fire of London ends: A large fire in London burns out after three days. 10,000 buildings including St. Paul's Cathedral are destroyed, but only 16 people are known to have died.

1960:
Muhammad Ali wins the gold medal in boxing at the Rome Olympic Games.

1877:
Indian Wars: Oglala Sioux chief Crazy Horse is bayoneted by a United States soldier after resisting confinement in a guardhouse at Fort Robinson in Nebraska.

1949:
A former sharpshooter in World War II, Howard Unruh kills 13 neighbors in Camden, New Jersey, with a souvenir Luger to become the first U.S. single-episode mass murderer.

1975:
In Sacramento, California, a follower of incarcerated cult leader Charles Manson named Lynette Fromme attempts to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford, but is thwarted by a Secret Service agent.