On this date...

General John Burgoyne

In 1775, one day after restating their fidelity to King George III and wishing him “a long and prosperous reign” in the Olive Branch Petition, Congress sets “forth the causes and necessity of their taking up arms” against British authority in the American colonies. The declaration also proclaimed their preference “to die free men rather than live as slaves.”

In 1777, British General John Burgoyne captured Fort Ticonderoga from the Americans during the American Revolution.

In 1854, the first official meeting of the Republican Party took place.

In 1785, the Continental Congress establishes the dollar as the official currency of the newly established United States, paving the way for a national monetary system.

In 1900, Warren Earp, the youngest of the famous clan of gun fighting brothers, is murdered in an Arizona saloon.

In 1921, Sargeant Stubby, a bull terrier mutt, receives a gold medal from America's WWI commanding general John Pershing for “heroism of highest caliber” in 17 battles. Among his heroic deeds: catching a German spy by biting his legs.

In 1928, The first full-length all-talking motion picture, Lights of New York, premiered in New York City.

In 1933, Major League Baseball’s first All-Star Game took place at Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

In 1944, In Hartford, Connecticut, a fire breaks out under the big top of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus, killing 167 people and injuring 682. Two-thirds of those who perished were children. The cause of the fire was unknown, but it spread at incredible speed, racing up the canvas of the circus tent.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order establishing the Medal of Freedom.

In 1946, FBI agents arrest George “Bugs” Moran, along with fellow crooks Virgil Summers and Albert Fouts, in Kentucky. Once one of the biggest organized crime figures in America, Moran had been reduced to small bank robberies by this time. He died in prison 11 years later.

In 1957, With her defeat of Darlene Hard, American Althea Gibson became the first Black tennis player to win the Wimbledon singles championship.

In 1976, In Annapolis, Maryland, the United States Naval Academy admits women for the first time in its history with the induction of 81 female midshipmen.