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On This Day: House expels Rep. James Traficant

In 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives expelled Rep. James Traficant, an Ohio Democrat, by a vote of 420-1.

By UPI Staff
Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, speaks to a House Ethics subcommittee July 18, 2002, after the panel found him guilty of violating congressional ethics rules by taking kickbacks and bribes and evading taxes. The committee weighed the fate of convicted Rep.Traficant, considering whether to recommend that the House make the flamboyant Ohio Democrat the second congressman expelled since the Civil War. File Photo by Chris Corder/UPI
1 of 4 | Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, speaks to a House Ethics subcommittee July 18, 2002, after the panel found him guilty of violating congressional ethics rules by taking kickbacks and bribes and evading taxes. The committee weighed the fate of convicted Rep.Traficant, considering whether to recommend that the House make the flamboyant Ohio Democrat the second congressman expelled since the Civil War. File Photo by Chris Corder/UPI | License Photo

July 24 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1679, New Hampshire became a royal colony of the British crown.

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In 1847, after 17 months and many miles of travel, Brigham Young led 148 Mormon pioneers into Utah's Valley of the Great Salt Lake.

In 1956, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed together for the last time.

In 1969, Apollo 11 returned to Earth, ending its historic moon-landing mission. After the spacecraft's splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were flown by helicopter to the recovery ship USS Hornet.

In 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Richard Nixon should surrender White House tapes for the criminal trials of his former associates.

In 1983, George Brett of the Kansas City Royals had a home run nullified in the "Pine Tar Incident" after New York Yankees Manager Billy Martin had Brett's bat examined by umpires. The home run was later reinstated.

Newly elected Baseball Hall of Fame inductees pitcher Nolan Ryan and outfielder George Brett pose with their respective baseball cards January 6, 1999. File Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI
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In 1998, a gunman opened fire at the Capitol in Washington, killing two police officers and wounding a tourist. Police shot the gunman, Russell Eugene Weston Jr., who survived. He was later charged with murder and has been confined to a psychiatric institution.

In 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives expelled Rep. James Traficant, an Ohio Democrat, by a vote of 420-1. Traficant, who had been convicted of racketeering, bribery and corruption, served seven years in prison.

In 2005, Lance Armstrong won a record seventh consecutive Tour de France. All seven wins were voided in 2012 after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency concluded he had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career.

File Photo by David Silpa/UPI

In 2009, an increase in the federal minimum wage, from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour, went into effect. Representatives of small businesses said the increase would threaten their survival.

In 2011, hundreds of gay couples in formal suits and gowns, and T-shirts recited vows after New York became the sixth and largest state to recognize same-sex weddings.

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In 2013, a high-speed passenger train derailed and broke apart on a curve in northwest Spain, killing 78 people and injuring injuring scores of others.

In 2014, an Air Algerie plane carrying 118 people dropped from radar en route to Algiers from Ouagadougou, the capital of the West African country of Burkina Faso, and crashed in Mali. There were no survivors.

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