Today in History: September 18th

Highlights of this day in history: Congress passes the Fugitive Slave Act; Anthrax tainted letters sent to NBC and the New York Post. Patricia Hearst is arrested after her kidnapping. U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in a plane crash. Greta Garbo born. Jimi Hendrix dies.

Other notable September 18th events include:

324 – Constantine the Great decisively defeats Licinius in the Battle of Chrysopolis, establishing Constantine's sole control over the Roman Empire.

1502 – Christopher Colombus lands at Costa Rica on his fourth, and final, voyage.

1679 – New Hampshire becomes a county of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

1793 – The first cornerstone of the Capitol building is laid by George Washington.

1809 – The Royal Opera House in London opens.

1851 – First publication of The New-York Daily Times, which would become The New York Times.

1873 – The Panic of 1873 begins.

1882 – The Pacific Stock Exchange opens.

1895 – Booker T. Washington delivers the "Atlanta Compromise" address.

1927 – The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) goes on the air.

1947 – The United States Air Force becomes an independent service.

1948 – Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the US Senate without completing another senator's term when she defeats Democratic opponent Adrian Scolten.

1960 – Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations.

1984 – Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic.

1998 – ICANN is formed.