1789 – US War Department establishes a regular army.
1880 – 1st pro baseball game at Polo Grounds, NY Metropolitans beat Washington Nationals 4-2 in 5 innings.
1907 – Construction begins on Washington National Cathedral.
1913 – MLB Washington Senator Walter Johnson wins his 36th game.
1916 – American oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller becomes the world’s first billionaire.
1927 – Telephone service begins between US & Mexico.
1930 – NYC College offers 1st course in radio advertising.
1940 – Musical film “Strike Up the Band” starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland opens.
1949 – “Inside USA with Chevrolet” debuts on CBS-TV.
1954 – Willie Mays famous over-the-shoulder catch of Vic Wertz ‘400’ drive during Game one of the World Series.
1962 – “Alley Cat” by Bent Fabric & His Piano peaks at #7.
1969 – Jackie DeShannon gets Gold Record for “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”
1977 – James Brown’s band walks out claiming they were underpaid and overworked.
1982 – Cyanide laced Tylenol capsules kills 7 in Chicago.
1988 – US men’s basketball team beats Australia 78-49 to take the bronze medal at the Seoul Olympics, last time US represented by a team that doesn’t feature NBA players.
1990 – Washington National Cathedral construction is completed after 83 years.
1991 – Ryder Cup Golf, Kiahwa Island GR: US beats Europe 14 1/2 – 13 1/2; Bernhard Langer misses 6-foot par putt which would have clinched 14-all tie and retained Cup for Europe.
1996 – Nintendo 64 video game system debuts in USA (3 months after Japan)
2002 – Seattle running back Shaun Alexander sets NFL record for most touchdowns in a half with 5 in 1st half of 48-23 win v Minnesota Vikings at Seahawks Stadium, runs for 4 plus 80 yard reception.
2008 – Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 777.68 points, its largest single-day point loss, following the bankruptcies of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual.
2020 – First debate between US Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden held, widely criticized as chaotic and ill-tempered.