1839 – The First Opium War begins in China
1927 – Red Sox beat Yankees 12-11 in 18 innings
1939 – FDR declares US neutrality at start of WW II in Europe
1960 – A. J. Foyt wins the first of 67 Indy car victories at Du Quoin, Illinois. State Fairgrounds
1976 – “Rex” closes at Lunt-Fontaine Theater NYC after 48 performances
1980 – World’s longest road tunnel, St Gotthard in Swiss Alps, opens
1994 – Kirgizia government resigns
2017 – Hurricane Irma becomes the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin region with winds of 185mph (280km/h)
2019 – New theory the Loss Ness monster may be a giant eel after DNA study reveals no plesiosaur or sturgeon DNA found
2019 – South African women march on parliament to protest violence against women after month where 30 killed by their spouses