- 1776 – Revolutionary War: Nathan Hale volunteers to spy for the Continental Army.
- 1813 – The United States defeats the British Fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
- 1823 – Simon Bolivar was named the president of Peru with dictatorial powers.
- 1846 – Elias Howe is granted a patent for the sewing machine.
- 1963 – Black students entered the white public schools of Birmingham, Tuskegee and Mobile in Alabama after President John F. Kennedy federalized the state’s National Guard.
- 2008 – Scientists in Geneva activated the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest subatomic particle accelerator.
- 2009 – Rep. Joe Wilson shouted, “You lie!” during President Barack Obama’s address on healthcare reform to a joint session of Congress.
