On this day in 1917 Congress declared war on Germany in what was known at the time as the “Great War“. It was later decided that there was nothing “great” about war, so the name was changed.
The earliest event that Wiki list for today is “46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) in the battle of Thapsus” & the latest is “2010 – Maoist rebels kill 76 CRPF officers in Dantewada district, India.”
Other events that took place on this date include:
1712 – First slave revolt on US soil takes place in New York City. Nine white people were killed and six injured. This resulted in 75 black men (slave and free) arrested, 21 of them convicted and sentenced to death.
1896 – First modern Olympic Games opens in Athens.
1909 – Peary reaches the North Pole. (Maybe)
2009 – Over 300 people are killed after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes L’Aquila, Italy.
Happy birthday go to Sterling Sharpe, Warren Haynes, John Ratzenberger, Billy Dee Williams & Merle Haggard.