1630 – The first legislation to prohibit gambling was enacted in Boston, Massachusetts.
1765 – The British government passed the Stamp Act in an effort to pay off debts incurred during the Seven Years’ War with France.
1859 – A powerful earthquake in Quito, Ecuador killed 5,000 people and destroyed some of the most famous buildings in South America at the time.
Landscape in Ecuador (1859) by Louis Rémy Mignot
1911 – Hermann Jadlowker became the first opera singer to perform two major roles in the same day at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1933 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Beer and Wine Revenue Act, which levied a federal tax on all alcoholic beverages.
1945 – The Arab League is formed when representative from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen met in Cairo.
1948 – The Voice of Firestone was the first commercial radio program to be carried simultaneously on both AM and FM radio stations.
1972 – The U.S. Senate passed the Equal Rights Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification.
1981 – RCA put its Selectavision laser disc players on the market. The units cost $500 and the video discs cost about $15 each, but the product failed in the consumer market.
1990 – Microsoft released Windows version 3.0. The program offered dramatic performance increases for Windows applications, plus advanced ease of use and aesthetic appeal.
Chief Writing Wolf 