FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2025

1666-Firebreaks finally being the Great Fire of London under control, leaving 13,200 houses destroyed and eight dead

1774-Twelve of the thirteen American colonies adopt a trade embargo against Great Britain at the First Continental Congress at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1781-American Revolutionary War: French fleet of 24 ships under Comte de Grasse defeat British forces under Admiral Thomas Graves and Samuel Hood at the Battle of the Chesapeake [Battle of the Virginia Capes] and trap General Lord Charles Cornwallis

1839-First Opium War begins between the British Empire and the Qing dynasty of China

1939-New Zealand Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage declares New Zealand's support for Britain in the war with Germany; Savage famously told the nation 'where she goes, we go. Where she stands, we stand'

1958-First color video recording on magnetic tape, is presented in Charlotte, North Carolina

2017-Hurricane Irma becomes the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin region with winds of 185mph (280km/h)