On Feb. 17, 1621, Miles Standish was named military captain of the Pilgrim colony in Plymouth, Mass.
In 1801 the House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr and elected Jefferson president. Burr became vice president.
In 1947 Voice of America began broadcasting to the Soviet Union.
In 1964 the Supreme Court issued its ``one-man, one-vote`` ruling, declaring that congressional districts in each state must be relatively equal in population.
In 1972 President Richard Nixon left for Beijing on a trip that would result in establishment of diplomatic relations between Washington and the communist government of China.
In 1973 U.S. envoy Henry Kissinger and China`s Mao Tse-tung met for nearly two hours in Beijing.
In 1974 the Treasury Department announced that Secret Service protection for former Vice President Spiro Agnew had been terminated on orders from Treasury Secretary George Shultz.
In 1976 President Gerald Ford announced a major reorganization and reform of the nation`s intelligence agencies, and named George Bush director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
In 1979 Chinese troops struck against Vietnam along much of the two countries` 480-mile border.