Today in History.....August 14

On this day in …

1784, on Kodiak Island, Grigory Shelikhov, a Russian fur trader, founds Three Saints Bay, the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska

1848, the Oregon Territory was established

1893, the world's first automobile license plates were issued in Paris, France. However, plates were not issued in the United States for a few more years, when they were finally instituted as a safety measure. The city of Boston was the first to require its motorists to hold a license and register their vehicle --- the owner would make his own plate with the corresponding registration numbers

1896, the gold rush headed north, as prospectors found the much-coveted metal in the Yukon Territory of Canada. Over 30,000 people stormed to the area to find their bit of fortune

1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, an international force featuring British, Russian, American, Japanese, French, and German troops relieves the Chinese capital of Peking after fighting its way 80 miles from the port of Tientsin

1912, the first double-decker bus appeared on the streets of New York, travelling up and down Broadway. The vehicles eventually added roof seating. Two-story buses can still be seen in the Big Apple, usually carrying a busload of tourists

1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law
1945, President Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II

1947, Pakistan was established as a modern state, independent of British rule

1973, the U.S. bombing of Cambodia came to a halt

1980, workers went on strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, in a job action that resulted in the creation of the Solidarity labor movement

2003, a huge blackout hit the northeastern United States and part of Canada; 50 million people lost power

2005, Israel sealed the Gaza Strip to Israeli civilians, signaling the start of the historic withdrawal from the Gaza Strip