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On this date: 

In 1756, in India, a group of British soldiers was imprisoned in a suffocating cell that gained notoriety as the “Black Hole of Calcutta”; most died. 

In 1837, Queen Victoria ascended the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV. 

In 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state. 

In 1893, a jury in New Bedford, Mass., found Lizzie Borden innocent of the ax murders of her father and stepmother. 

In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, the U.S. cruiser Charleston captured the Spanish-ruled island of Guam. 

In 1943, race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in two days later to quell the violence that resulted in more than 30 deaths. 

In 1947, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, apparently at the order of mob associates. 

In 1963, the United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a “hot line” between the two superpowers. 

In 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. Ali’s conviction was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court. 

In 1979, ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart was shot to death in Managua, Nicaragua, by a member of President Anastasio Somoza’s national guard. 

Ten years ago: An enraged mob forced South African President F.W. de Klerk to cut short a visit to the black township of Boipatong, the scene of a massacre three days earlier. 

Five years ago: The tobacco industry agreed to a massive settlement in exchange for major relief from mounting lawsuits and legal bills. The summit of industrialized nations opened in Denver, with Russia taking its place as the new eighth partner. 

One year ago: Houston resident Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the family bathtub, then called police. Yates was later sentenced to life in prison. American Lori Berenson was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Peruvian court for collaborating with leftist guerrillas. Billy Collins was named the 11th U.S. poet laureate. 

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Olympia Dukakis is 71. Actor James Tolkan is 71. Actor Danny Aiello is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Billy Guy is 66. Actor John Mahoney is 62. Movie director Stephen Frears is 61. Singer-songwriter Brian Wilson is 60. Actor John McCook is 57. Singer Anne Murray is 57. TV personality Bob Vila is 56. Musician Andre Watts is 56. Actress Candy Clark is 55. Tina Sinatra is 54. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lionel Richie is 53. Actor John Goodman is 50. Singer Cyndi Lauper is 49. Rock musician Michael Anthony (Van Halen) is 47. Rock musician John Taylor is 42. Rock musician Mark DeGliantoni (Soul Coughing) is 40. Rock musician Murphy Karges (Sugar Ray) is 35. Actress Nicole Kidman is 35.