1788 – The U.S. Constitution went into effect as New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.
1898 – The United States captures Guam from Spain.
1900 – Boxer Rebellion. China formally declares war on the United States, Britain, Germany, France, and Japan, as an edict issued by the Empress Dowager Cixi.
1915 – The Supreme Court hands down its decision in Guinn v. United States, striking down Oklahoma grandfather clause legislation which had the effect of denying the right to vote to blacks.
1945 – Japanese troops on Okinawa surrendered to U.S. forces.
1964 – Three civil rights workers disappeared in Philadelphia, Miss. Their bodies were found buried in an earthen dam six weeks later.
1973 – The Supreme Court ruled that states may ban materials found to be obscene according to local standards.
1982 – John Hinckley Jr. was found innocent by reason of insanity in the shootings of President Ronald Reagan and three others.
1989 – The Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag as a form of political protest is protected by the First Amendment.
