Life was more interesting before you

Yesterday

1939 - Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin sign a non-aggression pact, stunning the world, given their diametrically opposed ideologies.

1989 - Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein openly declared his intention of annexing Kuwait, prompting President George Bush to deride the invasion as an act of "naked aggression." Fears of war and escalating prices were written all over the markets: during the week of the 23rd, the Dow lost 6 percent of its total value.

Today

1814 - The British set fire to the main Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., before heading across the street to take a meal at the Rhodes Tavern.

1938 - Clark Gable reluctantly agrees to play Rhett Butler in David O. Selznick's "Gone with the Wind."

1967 - Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, dies from an overdose of sleeping pills at age 32. Epstein, who had managed the group since early 1962, helped orchestrate their phenomenal rise to fame.

Tomorrow

1875 - Matther Webb, a 27-year-old merchant navy captain, becomes the first known person to successfully swim the English Channel, doing so in 21 hours and 45 minutes.

1944 - After more than four years of Nazi occupation, Paris is liberated by the French 2nd Armored Division and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division. General Dietrich von Choltitz, commander of the German garrison, defied an order by Adolph Hitler to blow up Paris' landmarks and burn the city to the ground before its liberation.

Thursday

1920 - The 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, is formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution by proclamation of the Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

1980 - Workers at Harvey's Resort and Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nev., discover a 1,000-pound bomb disguised as a copy machine in an executive suite. A ransom note demanded $3 million to be paid in return for instruction on how to diffuse the bomb.

Friday

1883 - The most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history occurs on Krakatau, a small, uninhabited island located west of Sumatra in Indonesia.

1952 - The "Red Scare" - the widespread belief that international communism was operating in the United States - came to dominate much of the debate between Democrats and Republicans during the presidential race of 1952.

1953 - "Roman Holiday," introducing Audrey Hepburn in her first film role, opens. She won an Oscar for best actress.