1394 – King Charles VI of France orders the expulsion of all Jews from his kingdom, the culmination of a series of anti-Semitic orders from French monarchs. Even today, only a tiny percentage of the French population identifies as Jewish.
1787 – The U.S. Constitution is signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
1862 – The bloodiest single day in American military history occurs at the Battle of Antietam in Maryland in the Civil War. Savage and bloody fighting occurred for eight hours, ending with 23,000 casualties, including more than 3,600 dead.
1939 – The Soviet Union declares that the Polish government has ceased to exist and invades Poland.
1983 – 20-year-old Vanessa Williams becomes the first Black Miss America.
