Today In History

In 1790: Congress passed the first national copyright law. Pushing the bill was Noah Webster who was worried that his forthcoming dictionary would be stolen by other publishers. The book sold 15 million copies during his lifetime.

In 1884: Dr. John Harvey Kellogg of Battle Creek, Mich., applied for a patent for “flaked cereal and process of preparing same.”

In 1889: More than 2,000 people perished when a dam break sent water rushing through Johnstown, Pa.

In 1962: Adolf Eichmann was hanged in Israel for his role in the Nazi Holocaust.

In 1989: House Speaker Jim Wright announced he would resign over ethics issues.

In 1994: The United States announced it was no longer aiming long-range nuclear missiles at targets in the former Soviet Union.