On this date in

1642 The first commencement exercises were held at Harvard College.

1845 The New York Knickerbockers baseball team was formed.

1846 German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle became the first person to observe Neptune and recognize it as a planet.

1889 The Nintendo company was founded; journalist Walter Lippmann was born.

1932 Hejaz and Nejd merged and became the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

1939 Sigmund Freud died.

1952 Richard Nixon made his "Checkers" speech.

1962 The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts opened in New York City.

1969 The trial of the Chicago Eight began in Chicago.

1972 Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared matial law.

1973 Juan Peron returned to power in Argentina.

1987 Director-choreographer Bob Fosse died.

Born on this date
480 BCE Greek playwright Euripides
63 BCE Roman emperor Augustus Caesar
1215 Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler who founded the Yuan Dynasty
1869 Mary Mallon (Typhoid Mary)
1897 Actor Walter Pidgeon.
1926 Saxaphonist John Coltrane
1930 Musician Ray Charles
1938 Actress Romy Schneider
1939 Guitarist Roy Buchanan.