This Day in History – August 13, 2011

1792 King Louis XVI of France is formally arrested by the National Tribunal  and declared an enemy of the people. 1521 Spanish conquerors captured Mexico City from Aztecs 1642 Christiaan Huygens discovers Martian south polar cap 1831 Nat Turner leads uprising of slaves in Virginia 1907 1st taxicab (NYC) 1918 Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time. Opha Mae Johnson is the first woman to enlist. 1918 Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) established as a public company in Germany. 1919 Man o’War’s only defeat (Upset wins at Saratoga) 1945 35 Jews sacrifice their lives to blow up Nazi rubber plant in Silesia 1961 The German Democratic Republic closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants’ attempts to escape to the West. 1969 The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine to enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York. That evening  at a state dinner in Los Angeles  they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon. 2004 Hurricane Charley  a Category 4 storm  strikes Punta Gorda  Florida and devastates the surrounding area. 2004 156 Congolese Tutsi refugees are massacred at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi. 2004 Opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. 2008 Michael Phelps sets the Olympic record for the most gold medals (8 in Beijing and 6 in Athens) won by an individual in Olympic history with his win in the men’s 200m butterfly.]]]]> ]]>