Today:
476 – Romulus Augustulus, traditionally regarded as the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, was deposed by the Germanic leader Odoacer. The event is commonly used to mark the end of the Western Roman Empire.
1609 – English explorer Henry Hudson, sailing for the Dutch East India Company, reached the island of Manhattan while searching for a passage to Asia. He soon explored the river that now bears his name.
1781 – Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles. The original settlement consisted of 44 people.
1886 – Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to U.S. General Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona Territory, effectively ending the major armed resistance of the Apache Wars.
1888 – George Eastman received a U.S. patent for his roll-film camera and registered the Kodak trademark. His innovations helped transform photography from a specialist pursuit into something ordinary people could enjoy.
1951 – President Harry S. Truman delivered a speech from the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco that became the first live coast-to-coast television broadcast in the United States.
1957 – Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine Black students from entering Little Rock Central High School. President Dwight D. Eisenhower later sent federal troops to enforce the school’s integration.
1972 – American swimmer Mark Spitz won his seventh gold medal at the Munich Olympics. All seven came with world records, establishing an Olympic record for gold medals at a single Games that stood until Michael Phelps won eight in 2008.
1998 – Google was incorporated as a privately held company by Stanford graduate students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The company grew from their research project into one of the world’s most influential technology companies.
2002 – Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol, defeating Justin Guarini in the finale. Her victory launched a highly successful recording career and helped turn the show into a major force in American popular culture.