In 1775, the American colony of Massachusetts declared in rebellion by the British Parliament.

In 1825, after no presidential candidate won the necessary majority, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams the sixth president of the United States.

In 1900, the solid silver trophy known as the Davis Cup was first put up for competition when American collegian Dwight Filley Davis challenged British tennis players to compete against his Harvard team.

In 1943, in a major World War II strategic victory, the Allies retook Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands from the Japanese.

In 1950, U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., charged the U.S. State Department was infested with communists, touching off the infamous McCarthy era.

In 1964, the Beatles appear on television's The Ed Sullivan Show. An estimated 73 million people watched.

In 1971, an earthquake shook Los Angeles and killed 64 people.

Also in 1971, Satchel Paige became the first Negro League player voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1984, Soviet President Yuri Andropov, in power 15 months, died at age 69.

In 1987, Robert McFarlane, former Reagan administration national security adviser, was hospitalized for an overdose of Valium just hours before he was to testify to a presidential commission about the Iran-Contra scandal.

...continued

Copyright 2013 by United Press International