This Day in History.....

1718: New Orleans was founded by French settlers and named after the Duke of Orleans. 1825: Uruguay declared its independence from Brazil. 1875: Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel. It took him 21 hours and 45 minutes. 1916: The Department of the Interior created the National Park Service to manage and preserve national parks and monuments for future generations. 1944: Paris was liberated from Nazi occupation by Allied forces. 1984: Author Truman Capote was found dead in Los Angeles. 2001: Singer and actress Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. 2003: NASA launched the infrared Spitzer Space Telescope.