1667 – Earliest recorded hurricane in North America (Jamestown, Virginia)
1859 – 1st successful oil well drilled, near Titusville, Penn. by Edwin Drake.
1881 – Hurricane hits Florida & Carolinas; about 700 die.
1894 – Congress passes Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act, which includes a graduated income tax later struck down by the Supreme Court.
1912 – Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes “Tarzan of the Apes”
1918 – Christy Mathewson resigns as Reds manager to accept a commission as a captain in chemical warfare branch of Army.
1921 – J E Clair of Acme Packing Co. of Green Bay granted an NFL franchise.
1927 – Parks College, America’s oldest aviation school, opens.
1945 – US troops land in Japan after Japanese surrender.
1953 – “Roman Holiday”, starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Eddie Albert, is released.
1955 – “Guinness Book of World Records” 1st published.
1961 – Francis the Talking Mule is mystery guest on “What’s My Line”
1965 – The Beatles spend an evening with Elvis Presley.
1972 – US bombs Haiphong, North Vietnam.
1976 – Transsexual Renee Richards barred from competing in US Tennis Open.
1984 – US President Ronald Reagan announces ‘Teacher in Space’ project.
1994 – “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” closes at R Rodgers NYC after 320 performances.
2006 – Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky bound for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. Of the passengers and crew, 49 or 50 are confirmed dead in the hours following the crash.
2008 – Barack Obama becomes the first African-American to be nominated by a major political party for President of the United States.
2014 – Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) calls the international response to Ebola “irresponsible” and “slow and derisory.”