- 1668: Holland, Britain and Sweden signed the Alliance of the Hague,
                        known as the Triple Alliance, under which they agreed to aid one
                        another if attacked.
                      - 1719: The Principality of Liechtenstein was formed by the
                        amalgamation of Vaduz and Schellenberg.
                      - 1789: Georgetown University was established at the future site of
                        the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
                      - 1845: A uniform election day for presidential elections was
                        established by an act of Congress, which decided all national
                        elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday
                        in November.
                      - 1849: English-born Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in
                        America to receive a Doctor of Medicine degree, from the Medical
                        Institution of Geneva, N.Y.
                      - 1898: Russian film director Sergei Eisenstein ("The Battleship
                        Potemkin") was born.
                      - 1907: The first American Indian senator, Charles Curtis of Kansas,
                        began his term of office.
                      - 1933: The 20th Amendment was ratified to change the date of
                        presidential inaugurations to Jan. 20.
                      - 1948: John Huston's "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" starring
                        Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston, opened at the Strand.
                      - 1950: The Israeli Knesset approved a resolution proclaiming
                        Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
                      - 1960: Crew in the bathyscaphe Trieste reached the bottom of the
                        Mariana Trench, 35,802-ft. under water.
                      - 1961: The Supreme Court ruled that cities and states had a right to
                        censor films before they were released to the public.
                      - 1964: The 24th Amendment to the Constitution, eliminating the poll
                        tax in federal elections, was ratified.
                      - 1968: North Korea seized the U.S. Navy ship "Pueblo," charging it
                        had intruded into the communist nation's territorial waters on a
                        spying mission. The crew was released 11 months later.
                      - 1973: President Richard Nixon announced an agreement with Hanoi
                        intended to bring an end to the Vietnam War.
                      - 1977: The TV mini-series "Roots," based on the Alex Haley novel,
                        began airing on ABC and became the most watched TV program in
                        history.
                      - 1983: Bjorn Borg announced his retirement from tennis.
                      - 1986: The first annual induction ceremony for the Rock 'n' Roll Hall
                        of Fame was held in New York. Among those inducted were Chuck Berry,
                        James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy
                        Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
                      - 1988: The experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and
                        Jeana Yeager, completed the first nonstop, round-the-world flight
                        without refueling as it landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in
                        California.
                      - 1991: The world's largest oil spill, caused by embattled Iraqi
                        forces in Kuwait, began flowing into the Persian Gulf. Also:
                        "Seinfeld" made its series debut on NBC.

                      *Happy Birthday*
                      ----------------
                      - Richard Dean Anderson, 49, actor, "MacGyver"
                      - Gil Gerard, 56, actor, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century"
                      - Rutger Hauer, 55 actor, "Blade Runner"
                      - Eric Metcalf, 31, NFL running back/kick returner
                      - Jeanne Moreau, 71, actress
                      - Gail O'Grady, 36, actress, "NYPD Blue"
                      - Princess Caroline Grimaldi of Monaco, 42
                      - Chita Rivera, 66, actress/dancer, "West Side Story"
                      - Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, 25, actress, "Beverly Hills 90210"