On This Day: 'Son of Sam' serial killer David Berkowitz arrested

Aug. 10 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

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 1920, Francisco "Pancho" Villa surrendered to Mexican authorities -- and drowned his sorrows in a bottle of cognac.

In 1962, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and three other civil rights leaders were found guilty of disorderly conduct charges in Albany, Ga. Judge Adie Durden fined each $200 and sentenced them to 60 days in jail, but immediately suspended the sentences and placed King and his associates on probation.

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 1980, Hurricane Allen made landfall along the Texas coast, killing 24 people there and in Louisiana. The storm killed a 269 people through the Caribbean, Mexico and United States.

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.

File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI

In 1993, three ships collided with one another in Tampa Bay, Fla., spilling 336,000 gallons of fuel oil into the water. No one was killed. The incident marked the first time officials used a computerized trajectory model to track the location of an oil spill.

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 inmates 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.

File Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI

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.

In 2014, Rory McIlroy won the PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. It was the second major victory of the year (fourth overall) and third straight win on tour for the 25-year-old star from Northern Ireland.