On this date in history:

In 1780, American Gen. Benedict Arnold gave plans to the British for the surrender of West Point, N.Y. (Arnold's name was forever after associated with the word traitor.)

In 1792, the Legislative Assembly of revolutionary France voted to abolish the monarchy and establish the First Republic, stripping King Louis XVI of most of his power.

In 1893, the first successful American-made, gasoline-operated motorcar appeared on the streets of Springfield, Mass. It was designed and built by Charles and Frank Duryea.

In 1921, following a sex scandal caused by the arrest of comedian Fatty Arbuckle, Universal announced it would require its actors to sign a morality clause in their contracts.

In 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit.

In 1938, an estimated 600 people were killed by a hurricane that battered the coast of New England.

In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor received a unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate to become the first female member of the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1991, Armenia became the 12th Soviet republic to declare independence.

In 1998, Hurricane Georges began a deadly rampage through the Caribbean, killing more than 600 people.

In 1999, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan, killing at least 2,300 people, injuring thousands and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

In 2001, a telecast by top movie stars and musicians raised more than $500 million for survivors of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In 2003, the spacecraft Galileo approached the fringes of Jupiter's atmosphere and then was directed to destroy itself in a high-speed plunge.

In 2008, Thabo Mbecki, South Africa's president since 1999, stepped down after losing a power struggle with rival Jacob Zuma.

In 2009, the United States and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McCrystal, said in a confidential report he needed more troops within a year or the conflict likely would end in failure.

In 2011, American hikers Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal, imprisoned on espionage charges in Iran for more than two years after wandering across the border, were released.

In 2012, officials in Washington said the last of so-called surge forces had been withdrawn from Afghanistan, leaving 68,000 U.S. troops in the country.

In 2013, Islamic terrorists ambushed a crowded, upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, took hostages and clashed with police. (The death toll in the four-day siege was at least 67, with more than 170 people wounded. The al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.

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