On this date in history:

In 1631, British clergyman Roger Williams, who founded the colony of Rhode Island, arrived in Salem, Mass., seeking religious freedom.

In 1918, a German U-boat torpedoed the SS Tuscania, sinking the liner as it transported thousands of U.S. troops to Europe. More than 200 died, the rest were rescued by other ships in the convoy.

In 1919, screen legends Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith formed United Artists.

In 1945, American troops led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur returned to Manila, liberating the Philippine capital from Japanese authority.

In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edward Mitchell were on the moon for 4 hours. They were the fifth and sixth astronauts to walk on the moon since Apollo 11 in 1969.

In 1988, a Miami grand jury indicted Panamanian Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega on charges of accepting millions in bribes to help Colombia's notorious Medellin cartel smuggle cocaine into the United States.

In 1989, the last Soviet troops left Kabul, ending a nearly decadelong involvement in a war between Afghanistan's communist government and Muslim rebels. All troops left the country by within weeks of the vacating the capital.

In 1994, white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of the 1963 killing of Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

In 2003, making a case for U.N.-endorsed military action in Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell accused the Saddam Hussein regime of deceiving U.N. weapons inspectors and having ties with the al-Qaida terrorist network.

In 2007, U.S. astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak, a naval officer, was arrested on several charges, including attempted kidnapping, after she drove from Houston to Orlando, Fla., to confront another officer she viewed as a romantic rival for a fellow astronaut. Nowak eventually pleaded guilty to lesser charges, avoided prison and was forced to leave the Navy.

In 2010, the president of Toyota Motor Corp., Akio Toyoda, apologized for quality-control problems, including sticking gas pedals, that led to massive vehicle recalls.

In 2012, Sauli Niinisto scored a resounding victory over Pekka Haavisto to become Finland's 12th president.

In 2017, the New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 to win Super Bowl LI in Houston.

Copyright 2018 by United Press International