1865

Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman decreed that 400,000 acres of land in the South would be divided into 40-acre lots and given to former slaves. (The order, later revoked by President Andrew Johnson, inspired the expression, “40 acres and a mule.”)

1970

St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood filed a $1 million antitrust lawsuit against Major League Baseball and MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, arguing for the right to free agency.

1991

In a televised address to the nation, U.S. President George H.W. Bush announced the start of Operation Desert Storm, an Allied combat operation to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

1996

Wayne Newton performed his 25,000th Las Vegas show. Newton had performed more shows as a headliner in Las Vegas than any other entertainer.

2006

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first elected female head of state in Africa when she was sworn in as president of Liberia.

Birthdays

Hall of Fame auto racer A.J. Foyt is 90. Country musician Ronnie Milsap is 82. Filmmaker John Carpenter is 77. Actor-dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen is 75. Singer Sade is 66. Boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. is 56. Model Kate Moss is 51. Producer-songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda is 45.