Today in History - April 6th

1199 - English King Richard I was killed by an arrow at the siege of the castle of Chaluz in France.

1789 - The first U.S. Congress began regular sessions at the Federal Hall in New York City.

1814 - Granted sovereignty in the island of Elba and a pension from the French government, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicates at Fountainebleau. He was allowed to keep the title of emperor.

1830 - Joseph Smith and five others organized the Mormon Church in Seneca, NY.

1830 - Relations between the Texans and Mexico reached a new low when Mexico would not allow further emigration into Texas by settlers from the U.S.

1862 - The American Civil War Battle of Shiloh began in Tennessee.

1865 - At the Battle of Sayler's Creek, a third of Lee's army was cut off by Union troops pursuing him to Appomattox.

1875 - Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for the multiple telegraph, which sent two signals at the same time.

1896 - The first modern Olympic Games began in Athens, Greece.

1903 - French Army Nationalists were revealed for forging documents to guarantee a conviction for Alfred Dryfus.

1909 - Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson claimed to be the first men to reach the North Pole.

1916 - Charlie Chaplin became the highest-paid film star in the world when he signed a contract with Mutual Film Corporation for $675,000 a year. He was 26 years old.

1917 - The U.S. Congress approved a declaration of war on Germany and entered World War I on the Allied side.

1924 - Four planes leave Seattle on the first successful flight around the world.

1927 - William P. MacCracken, Jr. earned license number ‘1’ when the Department of Commerce issued the first aviator’s license.

1931 - "Little Orphan Annie" debuted on the NBC Blue network.

1938 - The United States recognized the German conquest of Austria.

1941 - German forces invaded Greece and Yugoslavia.

1945 - "This is Your FBI" debuted on ABC radio.

1953 - Iranian Premier Mossadegh demanded that the shah's power be reduced.

1957 - Trolley cars in New York City completed their final runs.

1959 - Hal Holbrook opened in the off-Broadway presentation of "Mark Twain Tonight."

1965 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized the use of ground troops in combat operations in Vietnam.

1967 - In South Vietnam, 1,500 Viet Cong attacked Quangtri and freed 200 prisoners.

1985 - William J. Schroeder became the first artificial heart recipient to be discharged from the hospital.

1987 - Dennis Levine began a two-year jail term for insider trading.

1987 - Sugar Ray Leonard took the middleweight title from Marvin Hagler.

1988 - Mathew Henson was awarded honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Henson had discovered the North Pole with Robert Peary.

1997 - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) announced that he would retire from the National Hockey League (NHL) following the playoffs of the current season.

1998 - Citicorp and Travelers Group announced that they would be merging. The new creation was the largest financial-services conglomerate in the world. The name would become Citigroup.

1998 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 9,000 points for the first time.

1998 - Federal researchers in the U.S. announced that daily tamoxifen pills could cut breast cancer risk among high-risk women.

1998 - Pakistan successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of attacking neighboring India.

1999 - Carmen Electra filed for a divorce from Dennis Rodman. They had only been married six months.