| 585 BC | Thales of Greece makes the first known prediction of a solar eclipse. | |
| 1085 | Alfonso VI takes Toledo, Spain from the Muslims. | |
| 1787 | The Constitutional convention opens at Philadelphia with George Washington presiding. | |
| 1810 | Argentina declares independence from Napoleonic Spain. | |
| 1851 | Jose Justo de Urquiza of Argentina leads a rebellion against Juan Manuel de Rosas, his former ally. | |
| 1911 | Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico, resigns his office. | |
| 1914 | The British House of Commons passes Irish Home Rule. | |
| 1925 | John Scopes is indicted for teaching Darwinian theory in school. | |
| 1935 | Jesse Owens sets six world records in less than an hour in Ann Arbor, Michigan. | |
| 1946 | Jordan gains independence from Britain. | |
| 1953 | The first atomic cannon is fired in Nevada. | |
| 1938 | Raymond Carver, American writer. | |
| 1949 | Jamaica Kincaid, author (Annie John, Lucy). | |
