1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Harlem Heights is fought.
1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Franco-American Siege of Savannah begins.
1810 – With the Grito de Dolores, Father Miguel Hidalgo begins Mexico’s fight for independence from Spain.
1919 – The American Legion is incorporated.
1920 – The Wall Street bombing: A bomb in a horse wagon explodes in front of the J. P. Morgan building in New York City killing 38 and injuring 400.
1940 – World War II: Italian troops conquer Sidi Barrani.
1943 – World War II: The German Tenth Army reports that it can no longer contain the Allied bridgehead around Salerno.
1945 – World War II: The surrender of the Japanese troops in Hong Kong is accepted by Royal Navy Admiral Sir Cecil Harcourt.
1955 – The military coup to unseat President Juan Perón of Argentina is launched at midnight.
1955 – A Soviet Navy Zulu-class submarine becomes the first to launch a ballistic missile.
1956 – TCN-9 Sydney is the first Australian television station to commence regular broadcasts.
1959 – The first successful photocopier, the Xerox 914, is introduced in a demonstration on live television from New York City.
1961 – Pakistan establishes its Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission with Abdus Salam as its head.
1963 – Malaysia is formed from the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak. However, Singapore soon leaves this new country.
1966 – The Metropolitan Opera House opens at Lincoln Center in New York City with the world premiere of Samuel Barber’s opera Antony and Cleopatra.
1970 – King Hussein of Jordan declares military rule following the hijacking of four civilian airliners by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). This results in the formation of the Black September Palestinian paramilitary unit.
1975 – Papua New Guinea gains independence from Australia.
1975 – Cape Verde, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe join the United Nations.
1975 – The first prototype of the Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor makes its maiden flight.
1980 – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines join the United Nations.
1982 – Lebanon War: The Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon takes place.
1987 – The Montreal Protocol is signed to protect the ozone layer from depletion.
1990 – The railroad between the People’s Republic of China and Kazakhstan is completed at Dostyk, adding a sizable link to the concept of the Eurasian Land Bridge.
1994 – The British government lifts the broadcasting ban imposed against members of Sinn Féin and Irish paramilitary groups in 1988.
2007 – One-Two-GO Airlines Flight 269 carrying 128 crew and passengers crashes in Thailand killing 89 people.
2013 – A gunman kills twelve people at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.
2014 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant launches its Kobani offensive against Syrian–Kurdish forces.