In 1775, the United States Navy had its origins as the Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet.
In 1792, the cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, was laid.
In 1843, the Jewish organization B’nai B’rith was founded in New York City.
In 1943, Italy declared war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner.
In 2001, Ukraine’s defense minister and air defense chief offered to resign, conceding that the military was involved in the explosion of a Russian airliner over the Black Sea on Oct. 4 that killed 78 people.
In 2005, scores of Islamic militants launch simultaneous attacks on police and government buildings in Nalchik, a city in Russia’s turbulent Caucasus region, leaving 139 people dead.