Today:
1110: The Crusaders capture the city of Sidon (in modern-day Lebanon) after a siege.
1619: Thirty-eight colonists arrive at Berkeley Hundred in Virginia, and their charter proclaims the day “be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.”
1783: US General George Washington bids farewell to his officers of the Continental Army at Fraunces Tavern in New York City.
1791: The first edition of The Observer, which is now the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, is published in Britain.
1829: British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation banning the practice of sati (widow burning) in India, despite fierce local opposition.
1867: The Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, commonly known as the Grange, is founded by Oliver Hudson Kelley to promote the social and economic needs of farmers in the United States.
1918: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sets sail for France to attend the Versailles Peace Conference, becoming the first sitting chief executive to travel to Europe.
1943: During World War II, the Second Cairo Conference is held, attended by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Turkish President İsmet İnönü.
1965: NASA launches the Gemini 7 mission with astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell on board for a nearly 14-day flight, testing the effects of a long-duration space mission.
1991: American journalist Terry Anderson is released after being held hostage in Lebanon for nearly seven years; he was the last American hostage held there.