| On this date in: |
| 1854 |
Henry David Thoreau published “Walden,” which described his experiences living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts. |
| 1902 |
Britain’s Edward VII was crowned king following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria. |
| 1936 |
Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay. |
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| AP Photo |
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| 1969 |
Actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found murdered in Los Angeles; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime. |
| 1974 |
Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States following the resignation of Richard M. Nixon. |
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| AP Photo/Chick Harrity |
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| 1985 |
A federal judge in Norfolk, Va., found retired Navy officer Arthur J. Walker guilty of seven counts of spying for the Soviet Union. |
| 1995 |
Rock musician Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead died at age 53. |
| 2001 |
President George W. Bush approved federal funding for existing lines of embryonic stem cells. |
| 2002 |
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 600th home run, becoming the fourth major leaguer to reach the mark. |
| 2004 |
Terry Nichols was sentenced to 161 consecutive life sentences on state murder charges in the Oklahoma City bombing. |
| 2010 |
Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, 86, the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, was killed in a plane crash in southwestern Alaska. |
