- US President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill into law. (1993) The bill was named after President Ronald Reagan's press secretary James Brady. In 1981, John Hinckley, Jr. shot Brady in the head while attempting to assassinate President Reagan. The bill, also called the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, requires a five-day waiting period and a background check of all potential handgun buyers.
- The Green River Killer was arrested. (2001) Serial murderer, Gary Ridgway, who is believed to have killed about 50 women in Washington state during the 1980s and 1990s, avoided the death penalty because he agreed to provide locations of yet unknown bodies. He was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
- The preliminary Treaty of Paris was signed, effectively ending the American Revolutionary War. (1782) The peace treaty, which was signed by Britain and the US, was formalized nearly a year later and called the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
- Operation Desert Storm officially ended. (1995) Operation Desert Storm was a military action during the Gulf War, in which the United Kingdom and the US led a 34-nation coalition force against Iraq. The Gulf War ended in February 1991, but Operation Desert Storm didn't officially end until 1995.
- The World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Seattle, Washington was disrupted by 40,000 protesters. (1999) The police detail assigned to the meeting was not prepared for the mass of protesters who had come out to protest globalization. The ensuing chaos forced meeting organizers to cancel the opening ceremonies.
- A steam locomotive traveled at 100 miles per hour (about 160 kilometers per hour) for the first time. (1934) The Flying Scotsman locomotive in London was officially clocked at that speed and set the railed vehicle land speed record.
- The first city-state abolished the death penalty. (1786) The Grand Duke of Tuscany, Peter Leopold Joseph, banned the death penalty in Tuscany, and it was never restored. Other areas of Italy continued to employ capital punishment until 1948. Countries had abolished the death penalty at times prior to 1786, but the punishment was later reinstated.
- The first person in modern history was hit by a meteorite. (1954) In Ancient times, there were tales of people being hit by such objects, but Alabama resident Elizabeth Hodges was the first person recorded to be hit in modern day. The meteorite came through her living room roof, bounced around a couple of times and hit her hip while she was napping on the sofa. At the time of impact, the meteorite was 7 inches (about 17.8 cm) long and 8.5 pounds (roughly 3.8 kg). She was bruised, but not seriously injured.
- English rock band Pink Floyd released its album The Wall. (1979) The album ultimately became one of the best-selling records of all time.
- Ken Jennings ended his record run on the US TV game show Jeopardy!. (2004) Jennings, a software engineer, won a record of 74 games and raked in $2.5 million US Dollars (USD), setting a record for game show winnings in the US.