This Day in History

1788 – Massachusetts ratified the U.S. Constitution, becoming the sixth state to join the Union. 1804 – Joseph Priestley, British chemist, died. His work on the isolation of gases led him to discover oxygen in 1774. 1899 – The Spanish-American War ended when a peace treaty between Spain and the United States was signed. 1933 – The 20th Amendment to the Constitution, which set the date for the president’s inauguration on Jan. 20, was adopted. 1935 – The popular board game Monopoly® went on sale for the first time. 1952 – Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. 1971 – Astronaut Alan B. Shepard hit a golf ball and Edgar Mitchell threw a “javelin” on the moon. They landed in the same crater and remain on the Moon today. 2001 – Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel.]]]]> ]]>