Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date

1642

Harvard College in Cambridge, Mass., held its first commencement.

1779

During the Revolutionary War, the American warship Bon Homme Richard defeated the HMS Serapis after the American commander, John Paul Jones, is said to have declared: ''I have not yet begun to fight!''

1780

British spy John Andre was captured along with papers revealing Benedict Arnold's plot to surrender West Point to the British.

1806

The Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis from the Pacific Northwest.

1846

The planet Neptune was discovered by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle.

1952

Republican vice-presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon went on television to deliver what came to be known as the "Checkers" speech as he denied allegations of improper campaign financing.

1957

Nine black students who had entered Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas were forced to withdraw because of a white mob outside. Read the original AP story

1973

Former Argentine president Juan Peron was returned to power.

1981

The Reagan administration announced plans for what became known as Radio Marti.

1990

Iraq threatened to destroy Middle East oil fields and attack Israel if other nations tried to force it from Kuwait.

1999

The Mars Climate Observer apparently burned up as it was about to go into orbit around the Red Planet.

1939

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, died in London.

1998

Actress Mary Frann, who played Bob Newhart's wife on TV's ''Newhart,'' died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 55.