On this date in

1580 Francis Drake completed his voyage around the world.

1789 Thomas Jefferson was appointed the country's first Secretary of State and John Jay was appointed its first Chief Justice.

1872 The first Shriners temple eas established.

1914 The Federal Trade Commission was established.

1934 The ocean liner Queen Mary was launched.

1957 The musical "West Side Story" had its Broadway premiere.

1960 The first televised Presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

1969 The Beatles album "Abbey Road" was released.

1973 The Concorde makes its first non-stop Atlantic crossing.

1981 Nolan Ryan sets a baseball record by throwing his fifth no-hitter.

1996 Richard Allen Davis was sentenced to death in California.

Born on this date:
Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)
Johnny Appleseed (1774-1847)
Actor Edmund Gwenn (1875-1959)
Texas writer J. Frank Dobie (1888-1964)
Poet T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)
Actor George Raft (1895-1980)
Composer George Gershwin (1898-1937)
Gangster Albert Anastasia (1902-1957)
Actor Marcello Mastroianni (1924-1996)
Singer Marty Robbins (1925-1982)
Singer Julie London (1926-2000)