September 8th, 2008

Today in History

1999:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book in J.K. Rowling's hugely popular Harry Potter series, is published in the United States.

1943:
World War II: Julius Fucik is executed by Nazis.

1934:
Off the New Jersey coast, a fire aboard the passenger liner SS Morro Castle kills 135 people.

1900:
Galveston Hurricane of 1900: a powerful hurricane hits Galveston, Texas killing about 8,000 people.

1796:
French forces defeat Austrian troops at Bassano.