Author: mindgames

This Day in History: 1979

rocker Tom Petty declared bankruptcy in an effort to free himself from his contract with Shelter Records.

This Day in History: 1802

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, widow of President George Washington, died of a "severe fever" at her Mount Vernon home at the age of 70. Though she was a devoted wife, she did not entirely enjoy her role as "Lady Washington" and once confessed that she felt "more like a state prisoner than anything else."

This Day in History: 1758

10-year-old Mary Campbell was abducted from her home in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, by members of the Lenape tribe and ended up becoming an icon of the French and Indian War. At age 16, she was returned to a European settlement in the captive release orchestrated by Colonel Henry Bouquet at the conclusion of Pontiac's War.

This Day in History: 1992

in an attempt to end the blight of graffiti vandalism, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance banning the retail sale of spray paint and large markers within city limits, describing them as "weapons of terror."

This Day in History: 1536

Anne Boleyn, the unfortunate second wife of England's King Henry VIII, was beheaded at the Tower of London on charges including adultery, incest and conspiracy against the king, after just three years of marriage.

This Day in History: 2012

Facebook held its initial public offering (IPO) and raised $16 billion. It was the largest technology IPO in American history at the time and third-largest IPO in the United States, after those of Visa and General Motors. When it went public, the social network was valued at $104 billion and boasted some 900 million registered users around the world.

This Day in History: 2000

the final episode of "Beverly Hills, 90210" aired after 10 seasons.

This Day in History: 1975

Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to summit Mount Everest. She later gained further fame as the first woman to scale all Seven Summits, the tallest mountains on each continent.