1812 – War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.
1841 – President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members rioted outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in history.
1858 – President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria.
1896 – Gold is discovered in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.
1954 – The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.
1962 – Pete Best is fired as the drummer for The Beatles. He was replaced two days later by Ringo Starr.
1966 – The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.
1977 – Elvis Presley died of heart failure at his home in Memphis at age 42.
