Sgt. Major Marion A Ross (born 1832)

In 1832, in the year that Sgt. Major Marion A Ross was born, on November 14th, Charles Carroll - the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence - died at his home in Maryland. He was 95 years old. He signed the Declaration as "Charles Carroll of Carrollton", distinguishing him from several other Charles Carroll's who were living in the area at the time.

In 1865, on April 14th, President Abraham Lincoln was shot while attending a comedy at Ford's Theatre - Our American Cousin - in Washington, D.C. Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth shot him 4 days after Lee had surrendered. The President died the next day. At almost the same time that Lincoln was shot, US Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family were attacked at home by another conspirator and Confederate sympathizer.

In 1959, on August 8th, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States. The US flag was changed to show 50 stars.

In 1969, one hundred countries, along with the United States and the Soviet Union signed the nuclear nonproliferation treaty (NPT). It called for stopping the spread of nuclear weapons, the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and the goal of nuclear disarmament.

In 1997, on July 1st, Hong Kong was returned to China. In 1898, Great Britain was awarded Hong Kong for 99 years. In a subsequent agreement, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to remain capitalist. So the handing over of the area ended British rule but did not change the economic system of Hong Kong.