Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date

1622

A hurricane overruns a Spanish fleet bound from Havana to Cadiz and sinks the galleon Atocha. Only five men are rescued, but 260 passengers and 200 million pesos are buried with the Atocha under 50 feet of water.

1666

Great Fire of London ends with Ten thousand buildings, including Old St Paul's Cathedral destroyed, but only six people are known to have died.

1698

In an effort to Westernize his nobility, Tsar Peter I of Russia imposes a tax on beards for all men except the clergy and peasantry.

1774

The first Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia

1836

Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas.

1882

The nation's first Labor Day parade was held in New York.

1905

The Treaty of Portsmouth, ending the Russo-Japanese War, was signed in New Hampshire.

1914

The First Battle of the Marne began during World War I.

1939

The United States proclaimed its neutrality in World War II.

1945

Iva Toguri D'Aquino, a Japanese-American suspected of being wartime radio propagandist ''Tokyo Rose,'' was arrested in Yokohama.

1957

''On the Road'' by author Jack Kerouac was first published. Below is the original manuscript, typewritten on a continuous roll of paper.

1958

The novel ''Doctor Zhivago'' by Russian author Boris Pasternak was published in the United States for the first time.

1972

Arab terrorists attacked the Israeli delegation at the Munich Olympic games; 11 Israelis, five guerrillas and a police officer were killed in the siege.

1975

President Ford escaped an attempt on his life by Lynette ''Squeaky'' Fromme, a disciple of Charles Manson, in Sacramento, Calif.

1977

The United States launched the Voyager 1 spacecraft two weeks after launching its twin, Voyager 2.

1991

The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, comes into force.

1996

Hurricane Fran makes landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina as a Category 3 storm with 115 mph sustained winds. Fran caused over $3 billion in damage and killed 27 people.

2005

A Kavatshi Airlines Antonov An-26 crashes near Matari Airport in Isiro, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing all 11 people on board.

2005

Mandala Airlines Flight 091 crashes after takeoff from Polonia International Airport in Medan, Indonesia, killing 149.

2012

An accidental explosion at a Turkish Army ammunition store in Afyon, western Turkey kills 25 soldiers and wounds four others.

2022

Liz Truss is declared the winner of the UK Conservative Party leadership election, beating Rishi Sunak.

2022

At least 93 people die and 25 are missing after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes Sichuan, China.

1929

Bob Newhart passed away at the age of 94. He was an American comedian and actor known for his deadpan and stammering delivery style. Beginning as a stand-up comedian, he transitioned his career to acting in television and won many awards. (d. 2024)

1997

Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa died in Calcutta, India, at age 87.

1997

Conductor Sir Georg Solti died in France at age 84.