1774 – The 1st Continental Congress, a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies that later became the United States, convenes at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia.
1885 – First gasoline pump is delivered to a gasoline dealer in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
1905 – Treaty of Portsmouth is signed concluding the Russo-Japanese War. President Theodore Roosevelt receives the Nobel Peace Prize for his role as mediator.
1914 – President Woodrow Wilson orders the Navy to make its wireless stations accessible for any transatlantic communications – even to German diplomats sending coded messages. The order leads to interception of the Zimmermann telegram, helping bring the United States into World War I.
1922 – 17th Davis Cup: United States beats Australia in New York 4-1.
1939 – President Franklin Roosevelt declares United States neutrality at the start of World War II in Europe.
1942 – Britain and the United States bomb Le Havre, France and Bremen, Germany.
1950 – A state-record 38.7 inches rainfall over several days at Yankeetown, Florida.
1958 – “Doctor Zhivago” novel by Boris Pasternak published in the United States.
1960 – A.J. Foyt won the first of 67 IndyCar victories at Du Quoin, Illinois, State Fairgrounds.
1971 – Houston Astros pitcher J.R. Richard debuted, striking out 15 San Francisco Giants in a 5-3 win.
1976 – Jim Henson’s “The Muppet Show” premieres on television with Mia Farrow as the guest star.
1983 – 8th NASA Space Shuttle Mission: Challenger 3 lands at Edwards Air Force Base.
1989 – Deborah Norville becomes the news anchor of Today Show.
1993 – Musical “Will Rogers Follies” closes at Palace Theater in New York City after 933 performances with six Tony Awards.
1995 – Cal Ripken Jr. ties Lou Gehrig’s record of playing in 2,130 straight games.
2007 – Three terrorists suspected to be a part of al-Qaeda are arrested in Germany after allegedly planning attacks on both the Frankfurt International Airport and United States military installations.
2015 – United States health officials confirm a salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers from Mexico is responsible for one death and for making hundreds sick.
2017 – Hurricane Irma becomes the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin region with winds of 185 mph.
2018 – Anonymous senior White House official’s opinion piece “I am part of the resistance inside the Trump administration” published by the New York Times.