On This Day: Gen. Eisenhower named commander in North Africa

Feb. 06 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1819, Singapore was founded with the establishment of a British East India Co. trading post.

In 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee was appointed commander in chief of the armies of the Confederacy.

In 1943, U.S. Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was named commander of Allied expeditionary forces in North Africa.

In 1952, Princess Elizabeth became sovereign of Great Britain upon the death of her father, King George VI. She was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953.

File Photo by Michael Jacobs/UPI

In 1987, broad no-smoking rules took effect for 890,000 employees in 6,800 U.S. federal buildings nationwide.

In 1992, a military transport plane crashed into a restaurant and hotel in Evansville, Ind., killing 16 people.

In 2001, Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel.

In 2004, a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a suitcase on a Moscow subway car, killing 39 people and injuring about 200.

In 2006, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told Congress that President George W. Bush was within his legal rights when he authorized warrantless surveillance of people in the United States by the National Security Agency.

File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI

In 2014, Jay Leno ended his 22-year stint as host of The Tonight Show. Jimmy Fallon took over hosting duties, moving the talk show from Burbank, Calif., to New York City.

In 2016, a magnitude-6.4 earthquake rocked Taiwan, leaving at least 117 dead and 550 people injured when several buildings collapsed.

In 2017, Qatar Airways completed the longest regularly scheduled airline flight at 17 hours and 7 minutes. The Boeing 777 traveled from Auckland, New Zealand, to Doha, Qatar.