1787 – The Continental Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance establishing governing rules for the Northwest Territory. It also establishes procedures for the admission of new states and limits the expansion of slavery.
1863 – Opposition to the Federal Conscription Act triggers New York City riots in which at least 120 people died and hundreds were injured.
1923 – The Hollywood Sign is dedicated in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. It originally reads “Hollywoodland,” but the four last letters are dropped after renovation in 1949.
1973 – Alexander Butterfield reveals the existence of the “Nixon tapes” to the special Senate committee investigating the Watergate break-in.
1977 – New York City experiences an electrical blackout lasting nearly 24 hours that leads to widespread looting.
1985 – The Live Aid benefit concert takes place in London and Philadelphia, as well as other venues such as Moscow and Sydney.
1985 – Vice President George H.W. Bush becomes Acting President for the day when President Ronald Reagan undergoes surgery to remove polyps from his colon.
2013 – George Zimmerman was acquitted in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in a gated community in Florida.
2016 – U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron resigns and is succeeded by Theresa May.
