On this day in 1846, the Smithsonian Institute was established in Washington, with a bequest from English scientist James Smithson, as a center for scientific research.
On this day in 1944, American forces recaptured Guam from the Japanese after three weeks of fighting. Only 500 of the 18,000 defending Japanese troops survived and surrendered.
On this day in 1993, Chinese airplane passenger Shi Yuepo hijacked a mainland Chinese Boeing 767 passenger jet to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan.
On this day in 2001, after being on death row for almost 10 years, Mainland Chinese hijackers Zhuo Changren and Jiang Hongjun were executed at the Taipei Prison for kidnap and murder.
And on this day in 2001, the US Space Shuttle “Discovery” was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with seven astronauts and a number of precision devices on board, scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station on August 12.