- US President George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act. (2001) The act — signed into law in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — increased the power of law enforcement agencies, enabling them to better prevent additional terrorist attacks in America. The law eased restrictions on eavesdropping; detaining and searching suspects; seizing property; and looking through private information such as e-mail, medical records, and telephone records.
- Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty. (1994) The Israel–Jordan Treaty of Peace brought an end to a war between the countries that had lasted 46 years.
- The O.K. Corral gunfight took place. (1881) The infamous gun battle occurred in Tombstone, Arizona, and actually happened six doors away from the O.K. Corral. The battle pitted law enforcement representatives Wyatt Earp, "Doc" Holiday and Earp's two brothers against a bandit gang led by Ike Clanton. Three members of the Clanton group were killed, and Earp's two brothers were injured.
- British King George III told his Parliament that the American colonies were rebelling. (1775) The King then authorized the use of military force to put a stop to the American Revolution, effectively beginning the American Revolutionary War.
- An experimental treatment transplanted a baboon's heart into an infant for the first time. (1984) The baby, later identified at Stephanie Fae Beauclair, or "Baby Fae," had hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The transplant was performed at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California. She lived for 21 days after the transplant and died from a kidney infection.
- Benjamin Franklin set sail for France to gain French military support during the American Revolutionary War. (1776) France had been helping in the American cause "under the table," but didn't want to publicly ally themselves with the US until they were sure the US would win the war. Alliance treaties were signed a year later after American forces won the "Battle of Saratoga."
- The Erie Canal opened. (1825) The canal established a 363-mile (about 584-kilometer) waterway between the Hudson River in New York and Lake Erie.
- Austrian military General Enea Piccolomini burned down the city of Skopje, Macedonia, to prevent a cholera outbreak. (1689) While waging battle to claim power over several regions of the Ottoman Empire, General Piccolomini came across Skopje, which was plagued with cholera. The fire burned for two days, destroyed most of the city and brought the city's population down to about 10,000 from 60,000. General Picolomini died from cholera not long after burning down the city.
- Smog settled into Donora, Pennsylvania, killing 20 people and making another 7,000 ill. (1948) The smog, caused by an air inversion that acts as a kind of containment pressure cap, came from the nearby industrial plants. By the time the smog lifted five days later, 50 more people had died, bringing the death toll to 70. Mortality rates continued to be high in the community for more than 10 years. The event was later described as one of the nation's worst pollution disaster in history.
- Hillary Rodham Clinton was born. (1947) Clinton is an American politician whose roles have included First Lady of the United States, US Senator and US Secretary of State.