Today in History

• 2001 Wikipedia goes online

  The online encyclopedia has since become the largest reference work on the internet.

• 1992 Croatia and Slovenia are internationally recognized as independent nations

  The Yugoslav federation effectively collapsed as a result.

• 1973 Nixon orders ceasefire in Vietnam

  The fighting continued anyway until the capture of Saigon by the Vietnam People’s Army on April 30, 1975.

• 1892 The rules of Basketball are published

  Canadian James Naismith invented the sport for his gym class at YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts.

• 1759 The British Museum opens

  Its collection comprises 8 million items and it is one of the most comprehensive collections in the world.