03.08

1492: Christopher Columbus left Palos de la Frontera, Spain, on his first voyage to the Americas, commanding the Santa María, Niña, and Pinta.
1811: Elisha Otis, the inventor of the safety elevator that revolutionized skyscraper architecture, was born.
1914: Germany declared war on France and invaded Belgium during the buildup to World War I.
1920: The American Professional Football Conference (which later became the NFL) was founded in Canton, Ohio.
1958: The nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus completed the first submerged transit under the North Pole.