Today in History

• 2007 Israel Conducts Operation Orchard

  The military operation was conducted by the Israeli air force to destroy a suspected nuclear reactor in the Deir el-Zor region of Syria.

• 1999 Suai Church Massacre

  More than 200 people who had found refuge in a church in Suai, East Timor were killed by pro-Indonesia militia after the results of an independence referendum came out.

• 1968 Swaziland Gains Independence From the British

  The Southern African state became a British protectorate in 1902 after the Anglo-Boer war. King Sobhuza became the head of the nation in and reigned even after independence until 1982. He was succeeded by Mswati III, his son, who currently rules the country.

• 1870 A Woman casts her Vote in the US for the first time

  Louisa Ann Swain voted during state elections in the state of Wyoming. Although women weren’t extended the right to vote in the US until 1920, the governor of Wyoming, John A. Campbell, had signed a bill that gave women the right to vote on December 13, 1869. This meant that women could vote in local and state elections, but not country-wide elections.

• 1522 Victoria Becomes the First Ship to Circumnavigate the World

  The Spanish ship, which was commanded by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, set sail from Spain September 20, 1519, to find a better route to Indonesia. The expedition began with 5 ships including Victoria and 260 crew members. Magellan himself died during the voyage, and only Victoria with 18 crew members returned to Seville, Spain, after circumnavigating the world.