In 1664, New Jersey became a British colony as King Charles II granted land in the New World to his brother James, the Duke of York.
In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded an organization in Savannah, Ga., called the Girl Guides, which later became the Girl Scouts of America.
In 1925, Chinese revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen died.
In 1930, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi began a 200-mile march to protest a British tax on salt.
In 1932, the so-called "Swedish Match King," Ivar Kreuger, committed suiide in Paris, leaving behind a financial empire that turned out to be worthless.
In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the first of his "fireside chats," telling Americans in a radio broadcast what was being done to deal with the nation's financial crisis.
In 1938, German troops entered Austria, completing what Adolf Hitler described as his mission to restore his homeland (he had been born in Branau) to the Third Reich.
In 1939, Pope Pius XII was formally crowned in ceremonies at the Vatican.
In 1940, Finland surrendered to the Soviet Union during World War II.
In 1947, President Harry S. Truman established what became known as the "Truman Doctrine" to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism.
