1814
Birth of an anthem
Francis Scott Key composed the lyrics to The Star Spangled Banner.
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1867
Karl Marx published his most famous book, Capital (Das Kapital).
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1901
President McKinley died of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.
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1927
Modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice, France.
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1940
Congress passed the Selective Service Act, providing for the first peacetime draft in U.S. history.
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1959
The Soviet space probe Luna 2 became the first man-made object to reach the Moon when it crashed onto the lunar surface.
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1982
Princess Grace of Monaco died from injuries sustained in a car crash the previous day.
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1994
Acting commissioner Bud Selig announced the cancellation of the 1994 baseball season on the 34th day of a strike by players.
