Today:
1692: five people convicted of witchcraft are hanged in Salem, Massachusetts, during the infamous Salem Witch Trials.
1812: the American frigate USS Constitution defeats the British frigate HMS Guerrière during the War of 1812. The USS Constitution earns its famous nickname, “Old Ironsides,” when British cannonballs are seen bouncing off its wooden hull.
1919: Afghanistan gains full independence from the United Kingdom following the Third Anglo-Afghan War.
1934: German voters overwhelmingly approve a plebiscite that combines the offices of President and Chancellor, making Adolf Hitler the sole leader (Führer) of Germany.
1942: Allied forces, primarily Canadian troops, launch the Dieppe Raid on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France during World War II. The raid is largely a failure, resulting in heavy casualties.
1953: the United States and the United Kingdom orchestrate a coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, restoring Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to power.
1960: the Soviet Union launches Sputnik 5, a satellite carrying two dogs, Belka and Strelka, along with other animals and plants. They become the first living beings to orbit the Earth and return safely.
1981: during the Gulf of Sidra incident, two US Navy F-14 Tomcat fighters shoot down two Libyan Su-22 fighter jets over the Gulf of Sidra, which Libya claims as its territorial waters.
1991: an attempted coup by communist hardliners in the Soviet Union begins, placing President Mikhail Gorbachev under house arrest. The coup fails within three days, accelerating the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
2004: the search engine company Google Inc. holds its initial public offering (IPO), with shares sold at $85 each on the NASDAQ stock exchange.