Important Events

1009 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church’s foundations down to bedrock

1685 French King Louis XIV revokes Edict of Nantes cancelling rights of French Protestants

1867 Alaska Purchase: US takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia, having paid $7.2 million

1931 American gangster Al Capone convicted of tax evasion

1962 James Watson (US), Francis Crick (UK) and Maurice Wilkins (UK) win the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work in determining the structure of DNA

Today In Film & TV

1922 British Broadcasting Company (BBC) founded, later called British Broadcasting Corporation

Today In Music

1946 Aaron Copland’s 3rd Symphony premieres

Today In Sports

1889 1st all NYC World Series NY Giants (NL) play Bkln (AA)

1902 7th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 23-0 in Birmingham

1918 NHL’s Quebec Bulldogs sold to a Toronto businessman P. J. Quinn