Today:
81: Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire after the death of his brother Titus.
1752: The British Empire adopts the Gregorian calendar, skipping eleven days.
1812: The French Grande Armée, under Napoleon, enters Moscow. The great fire of Moscow begins as Russian troops leave the city.
1814: Francis Scott Key pens the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” which is later set to music and becomes “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
1901: U.S. President William McKinley dies from gunshot wounds sustained eight days earlier. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeds him.
1959: The Soviet Union’s Luna 2 spacecraft becomes the first man-made object to reach the Moon when it crash-lands on the lunar surface.
1960: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is founded in Baghdad, Iraq.
1975: Elizabeth Ann Seton is canonized by Pope Paul VI, becoming the first American-born saint.
1994: The Major League Baseball season is officially canceled due to a players’ strike.
2000: Microsoft releases the Windows ME (Millennium Edition) operating system.