- 1845 – In Annapolis, Maryland, the Naval School (later the United States Naval Academy) opens with 50 students.
- 1913 – President Woodrow Wilson triggers the explosion of the Gamboa Dike, ending construction on the Panama Canal.
- 1973 – Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns after being charged with evasion of federal income tax.
- 1997 – Major tobacco companies agreed to a settlement in a class-action lawsuit by 60,000 flight attendants who said second-hand smoke made them ill.
