988 The city of Dublin, Ireland is founded.
1778, France entered the Revolutionary War on the side of the American colonials, declaring war against England.
1790, the House Of Representatives voted to locate the planned national capital — the future Washington, D.C. — on a 10-square-mile site along the Potomac River.
1890, Wyoming was admitted to the Union as the 44th state, the first state with female suffrage.
1914, the Boston Red Sox purchased Babe Ruth from the Baltimore Orioles.
1925, the official news agency of the former Soviet Union, TASS, was established.
1926 Actor Fred Gwynne (The Munsters, Pet Sematary, My Cousin Vinny) is born. He dies in 1993.
1940, the 114-day Battle Of Britain began during World War II as Nazi forces began attacking southern England by air. By late October, Britain managed to repel the Luftwaffe, which suffered heavy losses.
1943, Hall of Fame tennis player Arthur Ashe, the first black man to win a major tournament, was born. He died Feb. 6, 1993 at 49, after contracting the AIDS virus from a blood transfusion during open heart surgery.
1965, the Rolling Stones got their first Number One hit with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
1965, Beatles VI by the Beatles hits Number One on the album chart, where it stays for six weeks.
1968, Eric Clapton announces that Cream will break up after a final tour.
1971, Aqualung by Jethro Tull peaks at Number Seven on the album chart, where it stays for two weeks.
1976, Rock ‘N’ Roll Music by the Beatles peaks at Number Two on the album chart, where it stays for two weeks.
1982, Toto IV by Toto peaks at Number Four on the album chart, where it stays for four weeks.
1982, Still Life (American Concert 1981) by the Rolling Stones peaks at Number Five on the album chart, where it stays for four weeks.
1984, At the age of 19, Dwight “Doc” Gooden of the New York Mets becomes the youngest player to appear in an All-Star Game as a pitcher. He leads the National League to a 3-1 win at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
1985, after a lukewarm reception for the New Coke and pressured by its customers, the Coca-Cola Company resumed selling old formula Coke, but announced they would continue to sell New Coke and call the original Classic Coke.
1989 Actor-cartoon voice legend Mel Blanc — the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester The Cat, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, and Pepe Le Pew, among others — dies at age 81.
1991, Boris N. Yeltsin took the oath of office as the first elected president of the Russian republic.
1992, a federal judge in Miami sentenced former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, convicted of drug and racketeering charges, to 40 years in prison.
1995, in a letter, Pope John Paul II apologized to the world’s women for the Catholic Church’s role in blocking their advancement, denounced sexual violence and job discrimination, and, in a reversal, praised the women’s liberation movement.
1999, the U.S. women’s soccer team won the World Cup, beating China 5-4 on penalty kicks after 120 minutes of scoreless play at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
2002, A private funeral service for Who bassist John Entwistle is held in England. Bandmates Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey attend, as well as onetime Who drummer Kenney Jones.