This Week in History

June 26- 1917: The first US troops arrive in France after the country enters World War I. 1945: The United Nations charter is signed by representatives of 50 nations in

June 19- 1829: Sir Robert Peel introduces the Metropolitan Police Act in Parliament. It will establish England’s first modern police force (“Bobbies.”) 1865: Newly-appointed Texas Governor Andrew Hamilton declares the

June 12- 1942: Anne Frank receives a diary for her 13th birthday. 1964: Nelson Mandela is taken to prison to begin serving his life sentence for a conviction on sabotage

June 5- 1947: US Secretary of State George Marshall outlines his plan for rebuilding Western Europe after World War II. 1968: Senator Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan

May 29- 1790: Rhode Island is the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the US Constitution. 1886: Pharmacist John Pemberton begins advertising his newly created “medicine”: Coca-Cola! 1942:

May 22- 1843: The first wagon train of settlers bound for Oregon sets out from Independence, MO. 1939: Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler sign the “Pact of Steel” agreement, formalizing

May 15- 1841: The first wagon train of settlers that will reach California begins the 1,730 mile voyage from Independence, MO. 1869: The National Women’s Suffrage Association is formed in

May 8- 1541: Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto becomes the first European to discover the Mississippi River. 1884: Harry S. Truman, who would be elected vice president in 1944 and

May 1- 1753: Botanist Carl Linnaeus publishes his Species Plantarum, establishing a precise and workable two-word system for naming plants, forming the basis of modern plant taxonomy. 1886: Major labor

Apr. 24- 1184 BCE: Greek soldiers enter the fortified city of Troy by hiding inside the “Trojan Horse” (traditional date). 1898: Spain declared war against the US, marking the beginning