Today:
1087 – William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England, died in Rouen, France. His conquest of England in 1066 profoundly changed English government, culture and language.
1776 – The Continental Congress officially adopted the name “United States of America,” replacing the term “United Colonies” in its official proceedings.
1791 – Washington, D.C., the new federal capital, was officially named in honor of President George Washington. The surrounding federal district was named the Territory of Columbia.
1850 – California was admitted to the Union as the 31st state as part of the Compromise of 1850. California had experienced explosive population growth following the discovery of gold in 1848.
1892 – Edward Emerson Barnard discovered Amalthea, the fifth known moon of Jupiter. It was the first new Jovian moon discovered since Galileo identified the four largest moons in 1610.
1942 – A Japanese aircraft launched from submarine I-25 dropped incendiary bombs near Brookings, Oregon, in an attempt to ignite a forest fire. It was the first aerial bombing of the continental United States by an enemy aircraft.
1956 – Elvis Presley made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. An estimated 60 million Americans watched, helping cement the 21-year-old singer’s status as a national phenomenon.
1965 – Hurricane Betsy made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana. The powerful storm caused extensive flooding in New Orleans and became the first U.S. hurricane to cause more than $1 billion in damage.
1993 – The Palestine Liberation Organization formally recognized Israel’s right to exist, while Israel recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people. The exchange helped clear the way for the signing of the Oslo Accords several days later.
2015 – Queen Elizabeth II surpassed Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning monarch in British history, having been on the throne for 63 years and 216 days.