- 1793 – Queen Marie Antoinette of France is tried and convicted, and condemned to death the following day.
- 1815 – Napoleon I begins his exile on Saint Helena.
- 1878 – The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation.
- 1894 – Alfred Dreyfus was arrested for treason. He was accused of passing sensitive information regarding new advances in military technology to the Germans.
- 1917 – Dutch dancer Gertrude Zeller, better known as Mata Hari, is executed by firing squad for spying for the Germans.
- 1939 – The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed LaGuardia Airport) is dedicated.
- 1951 – The first episode of I Love Lucy airs on CBS.
- 1966 – The Black Panther Party is created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
- 1991 – The Senate confirmed Clarence Thomas as an associate justice of the Supreme Court by a vote of 52-48.
- 1993 – The Pentagon censured three Navy admirals who organized the 1991 Tailhook Association convention during which many women were subjected to abuse and indignities by junior officers.
- 2017 – Actor Alyssa Milano launched the #MeToo social media campaign in the wake of accusations against Harvey Weinstein.
