Today In History

The Tarzan of the Tetons, as he was called, was a famed "mountain man," who lived off the land in the Tetons.

The Tarzan of the Tetons, as he was called, was a famed "mountain man," who lived off the land in the Tetons.

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1580 – Sir Francis Drake finishes his circumnavigation of the globe (More info) 1789 – Thomas Jefferson is appointed the first United States Secretary of State (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1789 – The office of United States Postmaster General is established (More info) 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln issues the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which proposes to free all slaves of rebel states as of January 1, 1863 (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1780 – American General Benedict Arnold commits treason by giving the British the plans to West Point (More info) 1792 – The National Convention declares France a republic and abolishes the monarchy (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1940 – Ancient cave paintings are discovered in Lascaux, France (More info) 1953 – Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy of Massachusetts marries Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1929 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio (More info) 1934 – The first civilian prisoners arrive at the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1892 – The parents of Lizzie Borden are found murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home (More info) 1944 – A tip from a Dutch informer leads Nazis to a sealed-off area in an Amsterdam warehouse where they find and arrest Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and four others (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1492 – Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain (More info) 1900 – The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company is founded (More info) 1949 – The National Basketball Association is formed (More info) 1972 – The United States Senate ratifies the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (More info) 1981 – US air

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1776 – The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence takes place (More info) 1790 – The first US census is completed and shows a population of 3,929,214 people (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1775 – Congress establishes the United States Post Office and names Benjamin Franklin the first US Postmaster General (More info) 1908 – The Office of the Chief Examiner, which later becomes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is created (More info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1863 – The Battle of Gettysburg begins (More info) 1943 – Income tax withholding begins in the United States (More info)