TODAY IN HISTORY

August 3

1492:Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain.

1914:Germany declared war on France.

1923:Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30th president of the United States, following the death of Warren G. Harding.

1949:The National Basketball Association was formed.

1958:The nuclear-powered submarmine Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater.

1981:U.S. air traffic controllers went on strike.

1987:A 22-cent stamp honoring author William Faulkner was issued. Its first-day cancellation was held in Oxford, Miss., where Faulkner had served as postmaster from 1921 until his resignation in 1924 following accusations of negligence.