On this date...

In 1853, 4th National Women's Rights Convention opens in Cleveland, Ohio

In 1857, First American Chess Congress is hosted by the American Chess Association in New York City and is won by Paul Morphy on November 10.

In 1861, Naval engagement at Charleston, South Carolina: USS Flag vs. HMS Alert.

In 1863, Battle of Baxter Springs, Kansas.

In 1866, the brothers John and Simeon Reno stage the first train robbery in American history, making off with $13,000 from an Ohio and Mississippi railroad train in Jackson County, Indiana.

In 1876, American Library Association organizes in Philadelphia.

In 1884, The Naval War College was established in Newport, R.I.

In 1898, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity is founded at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1911, Boston Rustlers' future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young's MLB farewell appearance is a disappointment as he loses 13-3 to the Brooklyn Dodgers in his 906th game.

In 1919, Chicago White Sox catcher Ray Schalk becomes the second man ejected from a Baseball World Series in Game 5 against the Cincinnati Reds, angered when pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Lefty Williams refuse to follow his signals during a 5-0 loss.

In 1926, Yankee slugger Babe Ruth hits a record three homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth game of the World Series.

In 1927, "The Jazz Singer" premieres, ushering out Hollywood's silent era. While hailed as the first feature-length "talkie"—and earning blockbuster sums at the box office—the film had only about two minutes of synchronized dialogue; the rest used titles.

In 1945, US General Eisenhower is welcomed in The Hague on Hitler's train.

In 1949, American-born Iva Toguri D'Aquino, convicted as Japanese wartime broadcaster Tokyo Rose, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In 1949, US President Harry Truman signs the Mutual Defense Assistance Act to strengthen NATO allies especially Greece and Turkey.

In 1956, Scientist Albert Sabin announces that his oral polio vaccine is ready for testing; it soon replaces Jonas Salk's vaccine in many parts of the world.

In 1961, John F. Kennedy advises Americans to build fallout shelters.

In 1973, The surprise attack by Egyptian and Syrian forces on Israel throws the Middle East into turmoil and threatens to bring the United States and the Soviet Union into direct conflict for the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford, in his second presidential debate with Democrat Jimmy Carter, asserted that there was “no Soviet domination of eastern Europe.”

In 1979, Pope John Paul II is first pope to visit White House.

In 1987, The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 9-5 against the nomination of Robert H. Bork to the Supreme Court.

In 1996, Democratic President Bill Clinton faces his Republican challenger, Senator Bob Dole from Kansas, in their first debate of that year’s presidential campaign.

In 2004, The top U.S. arms inspector in Iraq, Charles Duelfer, reported finding no evidence Saddam Hussein's regime had produced weapons of mass destruction after 1991.

In 2008, The Dow Jones industrial average closed below 10,000 for the first time since 2004.

In 2010, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launch the social media app Instagram

In 2010, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay tossed just the second postseason no-hitter in MLB history, blanking the Cincinnati Reds 4-0.

In 2014, the Supreme Court unexpectedly cleared the way for a dramatic expansion of gay marriage in the United States as it rejected appeals from five states seeking to preserve their bans, effectively making such marriages legal in 30 states.

In 2018, in the narrowest Senate confirmation of a Supreme Court justice in nearly a century and a half, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by a 50-48 vote; he was sworn in hours later.

In 2023, American Simone Biles wins all-around gold at the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, becoming the most decorated gymnast with 34 World and Olympic medals.