On Sept. 7, 1822, Brazil declared its independence from Portugal.
In 1892 James Corbett knocked out John Sullivan to win the world heavyweight crown in New Orleans in the first major prize fight conducted under the Marquis of Queensberry rules.
In 1901 the Peace of Beijing ended the Boxer Rebellion in China.
In 1927 American television pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth, 21, succeeded in transmitting the image of a line through purely electronic means with a device called an “image dissector.”
In 1940 Nazi Germany began its blitz on London.
In 1963 the National Professional Football Hall of Fame was dedicated in Canton, Ohio.
In 1977 convicted Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy was released from prison after more than four years.
In 1979 the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, or ESPN, made its debut.
In 1996 rapper Tupac Shakur was shot on the Las Vegas Strip; he died six days later.
In 1998 St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire equaled Roger Maris’ single-season home run record as he hit No. 61 during a game against the Cubs.
In 2001 Venus Williams and Serena Williams reached the finals of the U.S. Open, becoming the first sisters to play for a Grand Slam championship in more than 100 years.
