TODAY IN HISTORY

September 16

1630:The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changed its name to Boston.

1810:Mexico began its revolt against Spanish rule.

1908:General Motors was founded by William C. Durant.

1919:The American Legion was incorporated by an act of Congress.

1940:The United States first adopted peacetime conscription when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act into law.

1974:President Ford announced conditional amnesty for Vietnam War deserters and draft evaders.

1975:Papua New Guinea became independent.

1982:Lebanese Christians massacred hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Beirut.

1987:The Montreal Protocol was signed by 25 nations, limiting production on substances that harm the ozone layer. To date, 168 nations have joined the protocol.