1825: Rensselaer School (now RPI), in Troy, New York, opened it doors as the country's first engineering college. 1870: Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge began. 1892: English writer J. R. R. Tolkien, author of "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings," was born. 1898: American aviator Claude Ryan, designer of the Spirit of St. Louis and founder of Ryan Aircraft, was born. 1952: "Dragnet" was first aired on NBC TV. 1957: The Hamilton Watch Company announced the world's first electric watch for sale, the Ventura. 1959: President Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Alaska to the Union as the 49th state. 1977: Apple Computer was incorporated. 2000: The last new daily "Peanuts" strip by Charles Schulz ran in 2,600 newspapers - he died 5 weeks later.