On this day in 1969 in Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King, Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempted to retract his plea.
On this day in 1980, the Irish Army Ranger Wing was formed.
On this day in 2000, the Nasdaq Composite stock market index peaked at 5,132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom.
On this day in 2006 , the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrived at Mars.