On this date...

Gazette of the United States

In 1780, 200 Continental soldiers under Major Melanchthon Woolsey successfully defended Middleburgh Fort, New York against a combined force of 1,000 British regulars, Hessians, Mohawks and Loyalist. Among the Loyalist commanders was Sir John Johnson and Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant.

In 1781,  Cornwallis turned all of his guns onto the nearest allied (second allied parallel) position. He then ordered a storming party of 350 British troops, under the command of Colonel Robert Abercromby, to attack the allied lines and spike the American and French cannon.

In 1789, First US presidential tour by George Washington in New England

In 1796, an essay appears in the Gazette of the United States in which a writer, mysteriously named “Phocion,” attacks presidential candidate Thomas Jefferson. Phocion turned out to be former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. The essay typified the nasty, personal nature of political attacks in late 18th-century America.

In 1860, Eleven-year-old Grace Bedell of Westfield, N.Y., wrote a letter to presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln, suggesting he could improve his appearance by growing a beard.

In 1863, the H.L. Hunley, the world’s first successful combat submarine, sinks during a demo run, killing its inventor and seven crew members.

In 1881, "American Angler," the first American fishing magazine, is published.

In 1890, Alabama Penny Savings Bank is organized in Birmingham.

In 1924, US President Calvin Coolidge declares the Statue of Liberty a national monument.

In 1928, Some four days after leaving Germany, the Graf Zeppelin landed in Lakehurst, New Jersey, completing its first transatlantic trip.

In 1940, The comedy classic The Great Dictator premiered in New York City; Charlie Chaplin's biggest box-office success, it satirized Adolf Hitler and Nazism and condemned anti-Semitism.

In 1948, future President Gerald Ford marries Elizabeth Anne (“Betty”) Bloomer.

In 1951, Love Lucy" airs for first time.

In 1951, First synthesis of an oral contraceptive (norethindrone) is achieved by Luis E. Miramontes under the direction of Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkranz at the Mexican drug company Syntex.

In 1952, Children's novel "Charlotte's Web" by E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams is published by Harper & Brothers

In 1954, Hurricane Hazel made landfall on the Carolina coast as a Category 4 storm; Hazel was blamed for about 1,000 deaths in the Caribbean, 95 in the U.S. and 81 in Canada.

In 1959 a final conference on the Antarctic Treaty convened in Washington, D.C., and, after six weeks of negotiations, the treaty was signed by 12 countries, preserving the continent for free scientific study.

In 1966, Black Panther Party is created.

In 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson signs a bill creating the US Department of Transportation.

In 1970, in an effort to curb mob activity in the United States, Congress passes the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The law, also known as the RICO Act, amplifies penalties for people committing crimes as a part of organized criminal enterprises.

In 1976, the first debate of its kind took place between vice-presidential nominees, Democrat Walter F. Mondale and Republican Bob Dole faced off in Houston.

In 1981, Professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson leads what is believed to be the first audience wave in Oakland, California. The world has never been the same....

In 1991, the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court was confirmed by the Senate in a vote of 52 to 48.

In 1997, British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green twice drove a jet-powered car in the Nevada desert faster than the speed of sound, officially shattering the world’s land-speed record.

In 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rules that hearse manufacturers no longer have to install anchors for child-safety seats in their vehicles.

In 2009, A false report that a 6-year-old boy was aboard a runaway balloon in Colorado captivated a global TV audience. (The boy's parents later pleaded guilty to charges they made up the story.)

In 2017, actress and activist Alyssa Milano tweeted that women who had been sexually harassed or assaulted should write “Me too” as a status. Within hours, tens of thousands had taken up the #MeToo hashtag (using a phrase that had been introduced a decade earlier by social activist Tarana Burke).

In 2019, Record 12 Democratic presidential candidates participate in a live TV debate in Westerville, Ohio