1780-British defeated by American militia near Kings Mountain, S.C.
1868-Cornell University (Ithaca NY) opens
1886-Spain abolishes slavery in Cuba
1908-Crete revolts against Turkey & aligns with Greece
1938-Germany demands all Jewish passports stamped with the letter J
1949-German Dem Rep formed from Russian occupation zone (National Day)
1958-U.S. manned space-flight project renamed Project Mercury
1963-Hurricane Flora hits Haiti & Dominican Republic, kills 7,190
1988-Latvian flag raised in Riga for first time since annexation by USSR
1988-Robin Givens files for divorce after 8-month marriage to Mike Tyson
1990-Israel begins handing out gas masks to its citizens