1782 - The man-of-warship America is given to France to replace the French ship, Magnifique, which ran aground and was destroyed Aug. 11 while attempting to enter Boston harbor. The ship symbolizes the appreciation for France's service to America and her sacrifices during the American Revolution.
1783 - The Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the American Revolution. The United States is acknowledged as a sovereign and independent nation.
1925 - The rigid airship, USS Shenandoah (ZR 1), crashes near Byesville, Ohio. There were fourteen casualties including the Commanding Officer, Lt. Zachary Lansdowne. Twenty-nine crew members survive.
1944 - A PB4Y-1 Liberator plane launches to attack German submarine pens on Helgoland Island. The pilot, Lt. Ralph Spading, sets the radio controls and parachutes out of the Liberator, which is then controlled as a drone by Ensign J.M. Simpson in a PV-1.
1945 - The surrender of the Bonin Islands takes place on board USS Dunlap (DD 384) off Chichi Jima. Lt. Gen. Yoshio Tachibana, the local commander, signs the surrender documents. He is later convicted and executed for a particularly gruesome series of war crimes perpetuated against U.S. aviators who had been captured in the area during 1944-45.
