1742 – Continental Army Gen. Nathanael Greene was born in the Township of Warwick, R.I. He became one of
George Washington’s most trusted generals and a Revolutionary War hero.
1782 – George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to honor soldiers wounded in battle.
1789 – Congress established the War Department.
1942 – The first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II began with the landing of U.S. and Allied forces at Guadalcanal.
1944 – FBI Director Robert Mueller was born in New York City.
1959 – U.S. pennies with the Lincoln Memorial design went into circulation.
1973 – NBC broadcast the last day of the Watergate hearings on daytime television.
2007 – Baseball player Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run, breaking Hank Aaron’s record, in the fifth inning of a game against the Washington Nationals. The Nationals won, 8-6.
