Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date

1659

William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson became the first Quakers to be executed in America.

1787

The first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the U.S. Constitution, was published in a New York newspaper.

1795

The United States and Spain signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo (also known as Pinckney's Treaty), which provided for free navigation of the Mississippi River.

1858

Roland Macy opened Macy's Department Store in New York City. It was Macy's eighth business adventure, the other seven failed.

1878

The Manhattan Savings Bank in New York City was robbed of over $3,000,000. The robbery was credited to George "Western" Leslie even though there was not enough evidence to convict him, only two of his associates were convicted.

1880

Theodore Roosevelt married Alice Lee.

1904

The first rapid transit subway, the IRT, opened in New York City.

1925

Fred Waller received a patent for water skis.

1927

The first newsreel featuring sound was released in New York.

1938

Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: nylon.

1947

"You Bet Your Life," starring Groucho Marx, premiered on ABC Radio.

1954

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were divorced. They had been married on January 14, 1954.

1967

Expo '67 closed in Montreal.

1971

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed Zaire.

1978

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.

1979

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gains its independence from the United Kingdom.

1981

The Soviet submarine <i>S-363</i> runs aground on the east coast of Sweden.

1986

The British government suddenly deregulates financial markets, leading to a total restructuring of the way in which they operate in the country, in an event now referred to as the Big Bang.

1988

Ronald Reagan suspends construction of the new U.S. Embassy in Moscow due to Soviet listening devices in the building structure.

1991

Turkmenistan achieves independence from the Soviet Union.

1992

United States Navy radioman Allen R. Schindler, Jr. is murdered by shipmate Terry M. Helvey for being gay, precipitating debate about gays in the military that results in the United States' "Don't ask, don't tell" military policy.

1994

The U.S. Justice Department announced that the U.S. prison population had exceeded one million for the first time in American history.

1994

Gliese 229B is the first Substellar Mass Object to be unquestionably identified.

1995

Former Prime Minister of Italy Bettino Craxi is convicted <i>in absentia</i> of corruption.

1997

The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 554.26 points, forcing the stock market to shut down for the first time since the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan.

1998

Two boats hit head-on in India. One of the boats suffered no damage. The other sank and 60 people were missing.

1998

A car bomb exploded in the car of a Palestinian leader Mahmoud Majzoub. Majzoub, his wife, and his nine-month-old son, and a passerby were injured in the blast.

1999

The U.S. federal budget surplus was put at $123 billion in 1998, marking the first back-to-back surpluses since the 1950s.

1999

Armenia's Prime Minister and seven other government officials were killed during a parliamentary session. It was the believed that the gunmen were staging a coup.

2002

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected president of Brazil in a runoff. He was the country's first elected leftist leader.

2002

Emmitt Smith (Dallas Cowboys) became the all-time leading rusher in the NFL when he extended his career yardage to 16,743. He achieved the record in his 193rd game. He also scored his 150th career touchdown.

2002

The Anaheim Angels won their first World Series. They beat the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the series.

2003

Bank of America Corp. announced it had agreed to buy FleetBoston Financial Corp. The deal created the second largest banking company in the U.S.

2014

Britain withdraws from Afghanistan at the end of Operation Herrick, after 12 years four months and seven days.

2017

Catalonia declares independence from Spain.

2018

A gunman opens fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue killing 11 and injuring six, including four police officers.

2018

Leicester City F.C. owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha dies in a helicopter crash along with four others after a Premier League match against West Ham United at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England.

2019

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant founder and leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi kills himself and three children by detonating a suicide vest during the U.S. military Barisha raid in northwestern Syria.

1858

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was born in New York City.

1914

Author-poet Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales.