1790: Philadelphia becomes the U.S. capital, succeeding New York City. It remains the nation's capital until Washington, D.C., takes on the function in 1800.
1865: The 13th Amendment is ratified, abolishing slavery.
1921: The Irish Free State, comprising four-fifths of Ireland, is declared, ending a five-year Irish struggle for independence from Britain.
1957: America's first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit blows up with the 72-foot Viking rocket on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
1969: Meredith Hunter, 18, is stabbed to death by a member of the Hell's Angels during a free Rolling Stones performance at Altamont Speedway, near San Francisco. The slaying becomes a symbol of the end of the peace-and-love 1960s.
1973: House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford is sworn in as vice president, succeeding Spiro T. Agnew.
1994: Orange County files for bankruptcy, marking the single largest filing by a municipality.
1997: Lee Brown is elected the first black mayor of Houston.
SOURCES: World Almanac, Memory.loc.gov, Union-Tribune archives, History.com, Associated Press.
