Buchanan Dies At 77; Bush Signs Treaty To End Production Of Chemical Arms: Today In History

June 1, 2017, is the 152nd day of the year, with 213 days remaining. The moon is in a first quarter phase, with illumination at 50 percent.

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President James Buchanan dies in 1868

James Buchanan was the 15th president of the United States, in office from 1857 to 1861. It was during his tenure that seven southern states seceded from the Union, bringing the nation to the brink of civil war.

Buchanan was a Democrat who opposed to slavery while yet believing that slavery was protected by the U.S. Constitution. Thus, as president, he strove toward keeping the peace between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups within the American government, but tensions only escalated, and Buchanan was seen as sympathetic toward southern interests.

The Chemical Weapons Accord of 1990

In 1990, President George Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed a bilateral agreement to stop producing chemical arms and to begin destroying both nations' reserves of such weapons.
The treaty called for an 80 percent reduction of chemical weapon arsenals as part of an effort to discourage small nations from stockpiling and using these lethal weapons.

The United States, Russia and 150 other nations signed a comprehensive treaty banning chemical weapons in 1993, with the U.S. Senate ratifying the treaty in 1997.

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Photo credit: RIA Novosti archive