Today:
1066 – The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place, marking the defeat of the Viking army by English King Harold Godwinson.
1513 – Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean after crossing the Isthmus of Panama.
1789 – The United States Congress passed the Bill of Rights, proposing the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
1804 – The Teton Sioux tribe confronted the Lewis and Clark Expedition during their exploration of the western United States.
1890 – The U.S. Congress established Sequoia National Park in California, one of the nation’s earliest national parks.
1926 – Henry Ford announced the 5-day, 40-hour workweek in his auto plants, influencing labor practices.
1957 – U.S. Army troops were deployed to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce the desegregation of public schools.
1962 – The United States launched its first satellite into polar orbit, Alouette 1, in cooperation with Canada.
1977 – The first Chicago Marathon was held, with about 4,200 runners participating.
1981 – Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.