September 7th, 2008

Today in History

1988:
Abdul Ahad Mohmand, the first Afghan in space, returns aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz TM-5 after 9 days on the Mir space station

1963:
The Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio with 17 charter members.

1864:
American Civil War: Atlanta, Georgia, is evacuated on orders of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.

1821:
The Republic of Gran Colombia (a federation covering much of presentday Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador) was established, with Simón Bolívar as the founding President and Francisco de Paula Santander as vice president.

1818:
Carl III of Sweden-Norway is crowned king of Norway, in Trondheim.