On July 13, 1787, Congress enacted legislation governing the Northwest Territory.
In 1793, French revolutionary Jean Paul Marat was murdered in his bath by Charlotte Corday.
In 1822, the Greeks defeated the Turks at Greece`s Thermopylae Pass.
In 1863, rioting against the Civil War military draft erupted in New York, resulting in the deaths of about 1,000 people over the next three days. In 1878, the Russo-Turkish War ended with the Conference of Berlin Treaty.
In 1919, the first dirigible to cross the Atlantic Ocean, Britain`s R-34, completed its round trip.
In 1972, Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern chose Sen. Thomas Eagleton as his running mate.
In 1973, the Congress of Argentina accepted the resignation of Hector Campora`s 49-day-old government, clearing the way for the return of Juan Peron to the presidency he lost in a coup in 1955.
In 1977, a power blackout virtually paralyzed New York City and resulted in outbreaks of looting. More than 3,700 people were arrested for looting and rioting during and after the blackout.
In 1979, the Federal Aviation Administration allowed DC-10s back into the air, demanding design changes and frequent inspections to prevent another crash such as the one near Chicago that killed 275 people.
Also in 1979, four Palestinian guerrillas killed two Turkish security guards and seized 19 hostages at the Egyptian Embassy in Turkey, demanding freedom for jailed comrades in Egypt. The guerrillas surrendered and released their hostages two days later.
