741-St. Zachary begins his reign as Catholic Pope succeeding Gregory III
1586-Sir Thomas Herriot introduces potatoes to England, from Colombia
1818-Illinois admitted as 21st U.S. state
1866-Paid fire department replaces volunteer companies
1922-First successful technicolor movie (Tall of the Sea), shown in New York NY
1930-Air-borne chemicals combined with fog kill 60 (Meuse Valley Belgium)
1932-General Kurt von Schleicher becomes chancellor of Germany
1941-Hitler views Poltava Ukraine
1958-Indonesian parliament accepts nationalization of Dutch businesses
1961-Anton Geesink becomes first not-Japanese judo world champion
1979-Christie's auctions a thimble for a record $18,400
1984-2,000 die from Union Carbide poison gas emission in Bhopal, India