1834 – Sandpaper patented by Isaac Fischer, Jr., Springfield, Vermont.
1881 – Player piano patented by John McTammany, Jr. (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
1916 – Democratic Convention convenes in St. Louis; Woodrow Wilson campaigns on the slogan “he kept us out of the war.”
1923 – Recording of 1st country music hit (Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane)
1928 – Republican National Convention, meeting in Kansas City, nominates Herbert Hoover for President.
1941 – Ground broken for Boeing Plant II (ex-AFLC Plant 13) in Wichita, Kansas.
1946 – Nat King Cole records “The Christmas Song” for the first time.
1951 – 1st commercial computer, UNIVAC 1, enters service at Census Bureau.
1954 – President Eisenhower signs order adding words “Under God” to the Pledge.
1965 – Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jim Maloney no-hits New York Mets but loses in 11 innings, 1-0.
1967 – California Governor Ronald Reagan signs the Therapeutic Abortion Act, legalizing abortions in the state under certain circumstances, the second state after Colorado to do so.
1973 – US President Richard Nixon administration imposes 60-day economy wide price freeze, superseding Special Rule No. 1 for oil companies.
1976 – “Gong Show” premieres on TV (syndication)
1981 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Jack Nicklaus GC: Donna Caponi Young sinks 15 foot birdie putt on 18th to beat Jerilyn Britz and Pat Meyers by 1 stroke.
1984 – Southern Baptist convention decide on no women clergy members.
1992 – NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls beat Portland Trail Blazers, 97-93 in Game 6 for back-to-back titles; MVP: Michael Jordan for second straight year.
1998 – “Comic Relief” benefit comedy show.
2013 – The US government charges NSA leaker Edward Snowden with violating the Espionage Act and theft of governmental property.
2017 – US Senate approves new sanctions against Russia as punishment for meddling in the 2016 election.
2018 – US government confirms 1500 boys being held separated from their patents in Casa Padre, shelter facility for illegal immigrants in a former Walmart in Brownsville, Texas.