Today:
1609 – English explorer Henry Hudson sailed into what is now New York Harbor and began exploring the river that would later bear his name.
1777 – British forces under General William Howe defeated George Washington’s Continental Army at the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania. The defeat allowed the British to capture Philadelphia later that month.
1789 – Alexander Hamilton was appointed the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury by President George Washington. Hamilton became one of the principal architects of the nation’s early financial system.
1814 – American forces defeated a British invasion force at the Battle of Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain during the War of 1812. The victory strengthened the American negotiating position in peace talks with Britain.
1857 – The Mountain Meadows Massacre culminated in Utah Territory when members of a Mormon militia, aided by some Native American participants, killed roughly 120 members of a wagon train traveling to California.
1941 – Construction began on the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Exactly 60 years later, the building would become one of the targets of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
1962 – The Beatles completed their first recording session for their debut single, “Love Me Do,” at EMI Studios in London with producer George Martin. The record was released in Britain the following month.
1972 – The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system, better known as BART, began passenger service, initially operating between Oakland and Fremont.
2001 – Terrorists from al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airliners in coordinated attacks on the United States. Two planes struck the World Trade Center towers in New York City, another struck the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.
2012 – The U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked by militants. U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed.