1787-Delegates gather in Philadelphia to draw up the Constitution of the United States
1796-English country doctor Edward Jenner administers his revolutionary cowpox-based vaccine for smallpox, in Berkeley, Gloucestershire
1804-Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's expedition sets out from St. Louis for the Pacific Coast, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson
1853-Land surveyor, newspaper publisher and inventor Gail Borden patents his process for condensed milk
1948-David Ben-Gurion declares Israel independent from British administration, Golda Meir one of the signatories
1955-Warsaw Pact is signed by the Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania
1986-Netherlands Institute for War Documentation publishes Anne Frank's complete diary
2004-The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturns the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun
2012-1,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons agree to end mass hunger strike