1779 – During the American Revolution, John Paul Jones defeats two British warships off the eastern coast of England. When his ship is damaged, a British captain asks him to surrender, and Jones replies, “I have not yet begun to fight.”
1846 – The planet Neptune, the eighth planet from the sun, is discovered by German astronomer Gottfried Galle at the Berlin Observatory.
1875 – Billy the Kid is arrested for the first time for stealing a basket of laundry. He later breaks out of jail and roams the American West, earning a reputation as an outlaw and murderer. Sheriff Pat Garrett catches up with the desperado in New Mexico in 1881 and fatally shoots him.
1908 – A controversial call at second base gives the Chicago Cubs the National League pennant against the New York Giants. The call has been disputed ever since. See complicated details HERE.
1944 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt defends his small dog, Fala, in a speech. See details HERE.
1949 – In a low-key and carefully-worded statement, Pres. Harry Truman informs the American people that the Soviet Union has exploded a nuclear bomb.
