Today in History.....August 1

On this day in …

1498, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sets foot on the American mainland for the first time, at the Paria Peninsula in present-day Venezuela. Thinking it an island, he christened it Isla Santa and claimed it for Spain

1790, the first United States census was completed, showing a population of nearly 4 million people

1894, the First Sino-Japanese War erupted, the result of a dispute over control of Korea; Japan's army routed the Chinese

1914, Germany declared war on Russia at the onset of World War I

1936, the Olympic games opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler, ym"sh

1941, the Axis powers had begun to score victories in Europe and Northern Africa, intensifying the Allies' need for an all-terrain vehicle. The U.S. Army issued a challenge to automotive companies, requesting a working prototype, fit to army specifications, in just 49 days. Willy's Truck Company was the first to successfully answer the Army's call, and the new little truck was christened "the Jeep." General Dwight D. Eisenhower said that America could not have won World War II without it.

1944, an uprising broke out in Warsaw, Poland, against Nazi, ym"sh, occupation, a revolt that lasted two months before collapsing

1946, President Truman signed the Fulbright Program into law, establishing the scholarships named for Sen. William J. Fulbright. ALSO: The Atomic Energy Commission was established

1957, the United States and Canada reached agreement to create the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD)
1966, 25-year-old Charles Joseph Whitman went on a shooting rampage at the University of Texas clock tower in Austin, killing 14 people with a high-powered rifle. Whitman, who had also murdered his wife and mother hours earlier, was gunned down by police