On this date in history:

In 1863, opposition to the Federal Conscription Act led to riots in New York City. More than 1,000 people were killed.

In 1898, Guglielmo Marconi was awarded a patent for wireless telegraphy, the radio.

In 1960, Democrats nominated Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts for president against GOP Vice President Richard Nixon.

In 1977, a state of emergency was declared in New York City during a 25-hour power blackout.

In 1992, Yitzhak Rabin became Israel's new prime minister, ending the hard-line Likud Party's 15-year reign.

In 1998, Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto resigned, a victim of the country's economic woes.

In 2002, the George W. Bush administration said that fiscal 2002 would have a deficit of $165 billion despite the $127 billion surplus recorded for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2001.

In 2005, a judge in New York sentenced former WorldCom Chief Executive Officer Bernard Ebbers to 25 years in prison for his part in what was described as the largest fraud in U.S. corporate history.

In 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department announced a plan to save two major government-backed mortgage companies known as Fannie Mac and Freddie Mac, with billions of dollars in investments and loans.

In 2013, neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was acquitted in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in a gated community in Florida. The case provoked a national debate on stand your ground laws and racial profiling.

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