- 1857 – Mountain Meadows massacre: Mormon settlers kill most of the members of an emigrant wagon train heading West.
- 1864 – Civil War: Atlanta is evacuated on orders of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.
- 1940 – Nazi Germany launched the London blitz, bombings that Adolf Hitler believed would pave the way for an invasion of Britain.
- 1963 – The Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in Canton, Ohio.
- 1977 – President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos signed a treaty agreeing to transfer control of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama at the end of the 20th century.
- 2008 – The U.S. government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
