Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date

1759

The French formally surrendered Quebec to the British.

1793

George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capital building. The construction took more than a century to complete due to changes in architects, a fire set by the British, and its use as a hospital during the Civil War.

1810

Chile declared its independence from Spain.

1812

The 1812 Fire of Moscow dies down after five days, destroying more than three-quarters of the city. Russian soldiers set the blaze to keep the city from falling to Napoleon's Army.

1850

Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which allowed slaveowners to reclaim slaves who had escaped to other states.

1851

First publication of <i>The New-York Daily Times</i>, which later becomes <i>The New York Times</i>.

1927

The Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System (later CBS) debuted with a network of 16 radio stations.

1940

''You Can't Go Home Again'' by Thomas Wolfe was published by Harper and Bros.

1947

The National Security Act, which unified the Army, Navy and newly formed Air Force into a National Military Establishment, went into effect.

1951

A Streetcar Named Desire, a film based on Tennessee William's play of the same name, was released in theaters.

1958

Bank of America mailed out 100,000 "BankAmericards" the first credit cards. The name was later changed to Visa.

1975

Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was captured by the FBI in San Francisco, 19 months after being kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

1994

Tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis, 40, was found dead in the guest cottage of a friend's home in Southampton, N.Y., of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

1997

Media mogul Ted Turner pledged $1 billion to the United Nations.

1998

The House Judiciary Committee voted to release a videotape of President Clinton's Aug. 17 grand jury testimony.

1999

Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the first player in major league baseball history to hit 60 homer runs in a season twice.

1961

United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold was killed in a plane crash in northern Rhodesia.

1970

Rock musician Jimi Hendrix died in London at age 27.