In 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Palace church, marking the start of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
In 1864, Nevada became the 36th state.
In 1926, magician Harry Houdini died in Detroit of gangrene and peritonitis.
In 1956, Navy Rear Adm. George J. Dufek became the first person to land an airplane at the South Pole.
In 1968, President Johnson ordered a halt to all U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, saying he hoped for fruitful peace negotiations.
In 1996, in Pontiac, Mich., Dr. Jack Kevorkian was charged with assisting three suicides since June 1996 (he was later acquitted).
In 2005, President Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.
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