- 1676 – Jamestown is burned to the ground by the forces of Nathaniel Bacon during Bacon’s Rebellion.
- 1777 – American soldiers won the first Battle of Saratoga in the Revolutionary War.
- 1778 – The Continental Congress passes the first federal budget.
- 1796 – George Washington’s Farewell Address is printed across America as an open letter to the public.
- 1881 – President James A. Garfield dies of wounds suffered in a July 2 shooting. Vice President Chester A. Arthur becomes president upon Garfield’s death.
- 1893 – With the signing of the Electoral Bill by Gov. David Boyle, New Zealand became the first country to grant national voting rights to women.
- 1985 – Tipper Gore and other political wives form the Parents Music Resource Center as Frank Zappa and other musicians testify at Congressional hearings on obscenity in rock music.
- 1995 – The Washington Post and The New York Times publish the Unabomber’s manifesto.
