Today-History

Today in History for Aug. 30:

On this date:

In 30 B.C., Cleopatra, the celebrated queen of Egypt, committed suicide.

In 1463, King Louis XI died after ruling France for 22 years. He was known for his diplomatic skills -- he was nicknamed the "Spider King" for his web of machinations -- and considered one of France's most successful kings in terms of uniting the country. Because of his fears of assassination, he spent his last years in virtual self-imprisonment near Tours.

In 1780, American revolutionary general Benedict Arnold made a secret pact with the British to surrender the American fort at West Point, N.Y. The plot failed, but Arnold escaped to fight for the British.

In 1797, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, wife of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and the author of "Frankenstein," was