Today in History ...

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3340 BC – Earliest believed record of an eclipse. 1707 – The second Siege of Pensacola comes to end with the failure of the British to capture Pensacola, Florida. 1718 – King Charles XII of Sweden dies during a siege of the fortress of Fredriksten in Norway. 1864 – The Confederate Army of Tennessee led by General John Bell Hood mounts a dramatically unsuccessful frontal assault on Union positions commanded by John McAllister Schofield around Franklin, Tennessee, with Hood losing six generals and almost a third of his troops. 1868 – A statue of King Charles XII of Sweden is inaugurated in Stockholm's Kungsträdgården. 1908 – A mine explosion in Marianna, Pennsylvania, kills 154. 1916 – Costa Rica signs the Buenos Aires Convention, a copyright treaty. 1934 – The LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman becomes the first steam locomotive to be authenticated as reaching 100 mph. 1954 – In Sylacauga, Alabama, United States, the Hodges meteorite crashes through a roof and hits a woman taking an afternoon nap. This is the only documented case in the Western Hemisphere of a human being hit by a rock from space. 1982 – Michael Jackson's second solo album, Thriller is released worldwide. It will become the best-selling record album in history. 1993 – U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (the Brady Bill) into law. 1999 – In Seattle, United States, demonstrations against a World Trade Organization meeting by anti-globalization protesters catch police unprepared and force the cancellation of opening ceremonies. 2001 – In Renton, Washington, United States, Gary Ridgway (aka The Green River Killer) is arrested. 2004 – Longtime Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings of Salt Lake City, finally loses, leaving him with US$2,520,700, television's biggest game show winnings.