Today In American History

February 5, 1631 - Roger Williams arrives in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He would found Rhode Island after his objections to the confiscation of Native American land and Puritan leadership led him to leave the colony.

February 5, 1778 - The first state, South Carolina, ratifies the Articles of Confederation. These formed the government until the present Constitution was written and ratified in 1789.

February 5, 1783 - The independence of the United States is acknowledged by Sweden.

February 5, 1846 - The Pacific coast region of the U.S. welcomes its first newspaper, the Oregon Spectator.

February 5, 1850 - Du Bois Parmelee receives a patent for the first depressible-key adding machine (named the calculator by its inventor).

February 5, 1901 - Ed Prescot receives a patent for the loop-the-loop centrifugal railroad, thereafter known as the roller coaster.

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February 5, 1917 - President Woodrow Wilson's veto of the Immigration Act is overridden by the U.S. Congress. The act required immigrants to pass a literacy test and refused entry to most Asiastic laborers.

February 5, 1934 - Hank Aaron, professional baseball player, is born.

February 5, 1945 - American troops led by General Douglas MacArthur enter the city of Manila.

February 5, 1952 - Pedestrian injuries and deaths lead New York City to begin the use of "Don't Walk" signs on city streets.

February 5, 1988 - Manuel Noriega, Panamanian dictator, is indicted by the U.S. for drug smuggling and money laundering.

February 5, 1994 - Byron de la Beckwith is found guilty of the shooting of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. The murdered occurred 31 years before the conviction.