November 21st, 2008

Today in History

1970:
A joint Air Force and Army team raids the Son Tay prison camp in an attempt to free American POWs thought to be held there (there were zero Americans killed, but the prisoners had already moved to another camp; All US POWs were moved to a handful of central prison complexes as a result of this raid).

1962:
The Chinese People's Liberation Army declared a unilateral cease-fire in the Sino-Indian War.

1922:
Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first woman United States Senator.

1877:
Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record sound (this is considered to be Edison's first great invention).

1791:
Colonel Napoléon Bonaparte is promoted to full general and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the French Republic.