On this day in history

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1836: Charles Darwin arrives home in England aboard HMS Beagle following a five-year surveying expedition of the southern Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

1895: Richard Outcault's "Yellow Kid," popularly considered the first ever cartoon comic strip makes its debut in New York newspaper, "The World."

1901: The UK launches the first Royal Naval submarine.

1919: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson suffers a stroke that leaves him partially paralyzed.

1937: Ronald Reagan makes his acting debut in "Love is in the Air."

1947: The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) formally establishes Formula 1 racing in Grand Prix competition for the first time.

1949: The Soviet Union recognizes the People's Republic of China.

1950: Charles M. Schulz's "Peanuts" comic strip is first published in seven U.S. newspapers.

1951: Gordon Sumner (better known as the musician Sting) is born in Newcastle, England.

1962: Johnny Carson hosts "The Tonight Show" on NBC for the first time.

1964: Scientists announce findings that smoking can cause cancer.

1977: Pakistan general Zia ul-Haq bans all opposition.

1990: U.S. President George Bush, trying to muster acceptance for a $500 billion package of tax increases and spending cuts, asks Americans in a televised address to support the plan.

1997: In Brazil thousands turn out to greet Pope John Paul II for the start of his four-day visit.

2002: Iraq says it will not accept any new U.N. resolution to cover the operations of arms inspectors on its soil and vows to hit back hard against any U.S. attack.

2003: North Korea says it is using plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel rods to make atomic weapons.