1609 ― Galileo demonstrates his 1st telescope to Venetian lawmakers
1814 ― British capture Washington, D.C.
1825 ― Uruguay declares independence from Brazil (National Day)
1886 ― First int'l polo meet (U.S. vs England)
1912 ― First time an aircraft recovers from a spin
1916 ― National Park Service established in the Dept. of the Interior
1919 ― First scheduled passenger service by airplane (Paris-London)
1921 ― U.S. signs peace treaty with Germany
1940 ― First parachute wedding
1944 ― Paris liberated from Nazi occupation
1960 ― AFL begins placing players' names on back of their jerseys
1981 ― Mark Chapman, John Lennon's murderer, is sentenced to 20 years
1990 ― U.N. Security Council authorizes military action against Iraq