On this date in

122 Construction began on Hadrian's Wall.

1759 The British defeated the French on the Plains of Abraham during the French and Indian War.

1814 Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star Spangled Banner."

1851 Physician Walter Reed was born.

1857 Chocolate manufacturer Milton Hershey was born.

1860 World War I commander of American troops John J. Pershing was born.

1876 Author Sherwood Anderson was born.

1903 Actress Claudette Colbert was born.

1911 Singer-songwriter Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass, was born.

1916 English author Roald Dahl was born.

1924 Actor Scott Brady was born.

1925 Singer Mel Torme was born.

1943 Chiang Kai-shek became president of China.

1948 The election of Margaret Chase Smith to the U.S. Senate made her the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

1949 The LPGA was formed.

1956 IBM announced the first commercial computer that used magnetic disk storage.

1990 The television series "Law & Order" premiered.

1993 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat signed an accord at the White House granting limited Palestinian autonomy.

1998 Former Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace died.

2006 Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards died.