The documented history of Arizona began when Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan, explored the area in 1539. Coronado's expedition entered the area in 1540?42 during its search for Cibola. All of present-day Arizona became part of Mexico's northwest frontier upon the Mexican assertion of independence from Spain in 1810. The United States took possession of most of Arizona at the end of the Mexican War in 1848. In 1853, the land below the Gila River was acquired from Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase. Arizona was administered as part of the Territory of New Mexico until it was organized into a separate Arizona Territory on February 24, 1863. With the encouragement of Brigham Young, Mormons went from Utah in the mid-to-late 1800s to the Phoenix Valley (or Valley of the Sun), Mesa, Tempe, Prescott, Snowflake, Heber, and many other Arizona towns to settle there. Arizona was admitted into the Union?officially becoming a U.S. state?on February 14, 1912.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Arizona

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1825: Locomotion No. 1 hauled the first train on opening day of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the first railway to use steam locomotives and carry passengers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockton_and_Darlington_Railway)

1905: Albert Einstein published the article "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?", introducing the equation E=mc². (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E%3Dmc%C2%B2)

1940: World War II: The Tripartite Pact was signed in Berlin by the major Axis Powers ? Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Empire of Japan. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripartite_Pact)

1988: Led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy was founded in Burma (now known as Myanmar). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi)

1996: The Taliban drove President Burhanuddin Rabbani of Afghanistan out of Kabul, executed former President Mohammad Najibullah, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

Could you see the storm rising? Could you see the guy who was driving? Could you climb higher and higher? Could you climb right over the top? -- Kate Bush (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush)