In 1547, Henry VIII died and 9-year-old Edward VI became king of England.

In 1782, the U.S. Congress authorized creation of the Great Seal of the United States.

In 1813, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was published.

In 1878, the first commercial telephone switchboard began operation in New Haven, Conn.

In 1958, The Lego Group received a patent for its toy building blocks.

In 1965, Canadian Parliament accepted a new national flag design which included a red maple leaf in its center.

In 1974, Israel lifted its siege of Suez City and turned over 300,000 square miles of Egyptian territory to the United Nations, ending the occupation that had begun during the October, 1973 war.

In 1982, kidnapped U.S. Army Brig. Gen. James Dozier was rescued in Padua, Italy, after 42 days in the hands of Italian Red Brigades militants.

In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 72 seconds after blastoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crewmembers, including civilian teacher Christa McAuliffe.

In 1993, a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled that the U.S. military's policy against homosexuals was unconstitutional because it was based on cultural myths and false stereotypes.

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