Today:
1356 – The Battle of Poitiers: English forces under Edward the Black Prince defeat the French army and capture King John II of France during the Hundred Years’ War.
1676 – Jamestown, Virginia, is burned by rebels during Bacon’s Rebellion.
1777 – The Battle of Saratoga begins during the American Revolutionary War.
1796 – George Washington delivers his farewell address, outlining his vision for the United States.
1870 – The Siege of Paris begins during the Franco-Prussian War.
1881 – U.S. President James A. Garfield dies after being shot by an assassin two months earlier.
1893 – New Zealand becomes the first country to grant women the right to vote.
1952 – The U.S. bans the Communist Party under the McCarran Internal Security Act.
1982 – The first documented emoticons, “:-)” and “:-(” are used by computer scientist Scott Fahlman.
1995 – The Washington Post and The New York Times publish the Unabomber’s manifesto, leading to his identification and arrest.