Truman Capote (Streckfus Persons) 1924 - Writer (In Cold Blood, Other Voices, Breakfast at Tiffany's), actor
- 1846 - Dr. William Morton performed a painless tooth extraction after administering ether to a patient.
- 1882 - In Appleton, WI, the world's first hydroelectric power plant began operating.
- 1927 - George Herman "Babe" Ruth hit his 60th homerun of the season. He broke his own record with the homerun. The record stood until 1961 when Roger Maris broke the record.
- 1938 - The Munich Conference ended with a decision to appease Adolf Hitler. Britain, and France allowed Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland to be annexed by the Nazis.
- 1947 - The World Series was televised for the first time. The sponsors only paid $65,000 for the entire series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
- 1954 - The U.S. Navy commissioned the Nautilus submarine at Groton, CT. It was the first atomic-powered vessel. The submarine had been launched on January 21, 1954.
- 1962 - James Meredith succeeded in registering at the University of Mississippi. It was his fourth attempt to register.
