1497 – Italian explorer John Cabot returns to Bristol from North America (Newfoundland) – first European to do so since the Vikings
1774 – Founder of the Shaker Movement, Mother Ann Lee, arrives in NY
1870 – White conservatives capture the Tennessee legislature by suppressing the black vote
1890 – At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the 1st person to be executed by electric chair
1896 – France annexes Madagascar
1960 – Chubby Checker performs his version of “The Twist” on “The Dick Clark Show” starting a worldwide dance craze
1966 – Muhammad Ali knocks out English boxer Brian London in round 3 at Earl’s Court in London to retain his undisputed world heavyweight title
1996 – US President Bill Clinton signs a new bill imposing sanctions on non-US companies which invest over $40 million a year in the energy sectors of Iran or Libya
1996 – NASA announces that life may have existed on Mars after examining meteorite ALH84001, thought to be from Mars
2006 – British Open Women’s Golf, Royal Lytham and St. Annes: American Sherri Steinhauer wins second of 2 majors (du Maurier Classic 1992) by 3 from Cristie Kerr and Sophie Gustafson