| On this date in: |
| 1736 |
James Watt, inventor of the steam engine, was born in Scotland. |
| 1807 |
Robert E. Lee, the commander-in-chief of the Confederate armies, was born in Stratford, Va. |
| 1809 |
Author Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston. |
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| AP Photo |
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| 1861 |
Georgia seceded from the Union. |
| 1943 |
Rock singer Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas. |
| 1944 |
The federal government relinquished control of the nation’s railroads after settling a wage dispute. |
| 1955 |
A presidential news conference was filmed for TV for the first time, with the permission of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| 1979 |
Former Attorney General John Mitchell was released on parole after serving 19 months in federal prison for Watergate-related crimes. |
| 1981 |
The United States and Iran signed an agreement paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months. |
| 2001 |
In a deal sparing himself possible indictment, President Bill Clinton acknowledged for the first time making false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky; he also surrendered his law license for five years. |
| 2006 |
An unmanned NASA spacecraft blasted off on a 3 billion-mile journey to Pluto. |
| 2010 |
In a major upset, Republican Scott Brown captured the U.S. Senate seat held by liberal champion Edward Kennedy for nearly half a century as he defeated Democrat Martha Coakley in a special election. |
