1793 – Following her conviction for treason, French Queen Marie Antoinette was beheaded.
1859 – Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on a federal armory at Harpers Ferry in present-day West Virginia.
1875 – Brigham Young University was founded.
1962 – President John F. Kennedy was informed that reconnaissance photographs revealed the presence of missile bases in Cuba.
2002 – President George W. Bush signed a congressional resolution authorizing war against Iraq.
2013 – The U.S. House and Senate approved legislation ending a partial government shutdown that lasted 16 days.
