On This Day In History 1493 - Christopher Columbus leaves the New World and sails for Spain 1547 - Ivan IV the Terrible crowns himself the first tsar of Moscow. 1605 - âDon Quixoteâ by Miguel de Cervantes, is published. It is considered by many to be the first modern novel. 1843 - Sarah Rosetta Wakeman is born. During the American Civil War, Sarah disguised herself as a man to earn more money. Using either the name Lyons or Edwin Wakeman to find work, she eventually enlisted in the Union Army under the name Lyons. She served until 1864 when she died of dysentery. Only Wakemanâs letters home revealed her true identity. 1883 - President Chester Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, creating the U.S. civil service system. The act established a merit basis for federal jobs and promotions and made it illegal to fire or demote government employees for political reasons. 1919 - Prohibition is ratified by the states. 1932 - Dian Fossey is born. She was a primatologist and researcher who lived among the gorillas for Rwanda for 18 years. She was murdered by machete in 1985. The last entry in her diary read: âWhen you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.â 1945 - Hitler descends into his bunker where he stays for 105 days until dying by suicide. 1951 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that âclear and present dangerâ of incitement to riot is not protected speech and can be cause for arrest. 1979 - The Shah flees Iran. Fourteen days later, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni returns. 1991 - The Persian Gulf War begins with Operation Desert Storm. 1997 - Ennis Cosby, the 27-year-old son of Bill Cosby, is killed after he stops to fix a flat on I-405. 2006 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberiaâs new president, becoming Africaâs first female elected head of state. 2013 - Pauline Phillips, the original âDear Abbyâ dies at age 94. Wise Words âHere is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemyâs point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.â âDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On the Punny Side Did you know that french fries werenât first cooked in France?
Theyâre actually cooked in Greece. | 