In 1776, a committee of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson suggested the United States adopt "E pluribus unum" -- "Out of many, one" -- as the motto for its Great Seal.
In 1821, Missouri entered the United States as the 24th state and the first entirely west of the Mississippi River.
In 1977, 24-year-old postal employee David Berkowitz was arrested and charged with being the "Son of Sam," the serial killer who terrorized New York City for more than a year, killing six young people and wounding seven others. (Berkowitz was sentenced to life in prison.)
In 1991, China agreed in principle to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the U.S. Supreme Court's 107th justice.
In 1996, Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole selected former congressman, Cabinet secretary and NFL quarterback Jack Kemp as his running mate.
In 2001, about 250 people were killed in a train wreck in Albania caused by a mine set on the tracks by rebels.
In 2003, more than 80 prisoners tunneled their way out of Brazil's Joao Pessoa prison, one of the nation's top security facilities.
In 2008, soul music icon Isaac Hayes, an Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer, composer and producer, died at his home in Shelby County, Tenn. He was 65.
In 2011, in the most volatile week in the history of the Dow Jones industrial average, U.S. stocks took a second big fall in three days. The Dow lost nearly 520 points, more than wiping out the 429 points regained the previous day. It had started the week with a 634-point dive after downgrading of the nation's credit rating.
In 2012, Army Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo was sentenced to two life-in-prison terms for plotting to blow up a Fort Hood, Texas, restaurant crowded with soldiers. In 2013, a series of car bombings across Iraq killed about 70 people during celebrations on the last day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.
A thought for the day: "I push myself to be the best I can be. I don't worry about what other people are doing, and I don't think about things I can't control." -- Annika Sorenstam
