Today in History.....August 18

On this day in …

1587, Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born on American soil, on what is now Roanoke Island, N.C. (However, the colony Virginia was born into ended up mysteriously disappearing.)

1846, U.S. forces led by General Stephen W. Kearny captured Santa Fe, N.M.

1894, Congress established the Bureau of Immigration

1914, President Wilson issued his "Proclamation of Neutrality," aimed at keeping the United States out of World War I

1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed the right of all American women to vote

1938, President Roosevelt dedicated the Thousand Islands Bridge connecting the United States and Canada

1965, Marines launch Operation Starlite, the first major U.S. ground battle of the Vietnam War, after a deserter from the First Vietcong Regiment revealed that an attack was imminent against the U.S. base at Chu Lai. 5,500 Marines destroyed a Viet Cong stronghold, scoring a resounding victory. During the operation, which lasted six days, ground forces, artillery from Chu Lai, close air support, and naval gunfire combined to kill nearly 700 Vietcong soldiers

1976, two U.S. Army officers were killed in Korea's demilitarized zone as a group of North Korean soldiers wielding axes and metal pikes attacked U.S. and South Korean soldiers

1982, for the first time, volume on the New York Stock exchange topped the 100 million level as 132.69 million shares were traded


1991, hard-line elements of the Soviet government and military begin a coup attempt against President Mikhail Gorbachev. The coup attempt signified a decline in Gorbachev's power and influence, while one of his most ardent opponents, Boris Yeltsin, came out of the event with more power than ever

2005, a judge in Wichita, Kan., sentenced BTK serial killer Dennis Rader to 10 consecutive life terms, the maximum the law would allow