On this date in...

1776...General George Washington's bodyguard, Thomas Hickey, is hanged on the corner of Grand and Chrystie Streets after being convicted of mutiny and sedition.

1969...A pre-dawn riot breaks out when cops raid the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street. The "Stonewall Riots" become the touchstone for the gay rights movement.

Today's New York birthdays include funnyman Mel Brooks, born in Brooklyn in 1926.