On this date in

1499 Switzerland became an independent state.

1515 Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry VIII, was born.

1761 George III was coronated King of England.

1776 Nathan Hale was hanged for spying.

1789 The position of United States Postmaster General was established.

1862 President Abraham Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

1885 Actor Erich von Stroheim was born.

1888 The first issue of National Geographic Magazine was published.

1895 Actor Paul Muni was born.

1896 Queen Victoria surpassed her grandfather, King George III (see 1761 above) as the longest reigning monarch in British history.

1902 Actor-producer John Houseman was born.

1903 Crime figure Joseph Valachi was born.

1912 Actress Martha Scott was born.

1920 Hall of Fame baseball player Bob Lemon was born.

1927 Gene Tunney retained his heavyweight boxing championship by defeating Jack Dempsey in a bout made famous by a long count during a knockdown.

1951 NBC televized the first live sporting event seen from coast-to-coast, a college football game between Duke and Pittsburgh.

1964 "Fiddler on the Roof" opened on Broadway.

1975 Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate President Ford.

1989 Songwriter Irving Berlin died.

1991 The Dead Sea Scrolls were made available to the public for the first time.

1999 Actor George C. Scott died.

2001 Violinist Isaac Stern died.

2007 Mime Marcel Marceau died.