1708 – Great Northern war: Charles XII of Sweden stops his march to conquer Moscow outside Smolensk, marking the turning point in the war
1893 – Shaku Soen is 1st Zen teacher to visit the West (Chicago)
1921 – Nahalal, the first moshav in Israel, is settled.
1931 – Salvatore Maranzano is murdered by Charles Luciano’s hitmen.
1946 – 1st mobile long-distance car-to-car telephone conversation
1982 – US Open Women’s Tennis: Chris Evert wins her 6th and final US title, beating Hana Mandlíková 6-3, 6-1
1988 – Sports Aid-jogging to feed the world
1999 – US Open Women’s Tennis: Serena Williams wins her first Grand Slam title; beats World #1 Martina Hingis 6-3, 7-6
2005 – The State of Israel completes its unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
2013 – 12 Alawite sect members are killed by rebel fighters in central Syria