1785

Thomas Jefferson was appointed America’s minister to France, succeeding Benjamin Franklin.

1965

Neil Simon’s play “The Odd Couple,” starring Walter Matthau and Art Carney, opened on Broadway.

1985

Konstantin U. Chernenko, who was the Soviet Union’s leader for 13 months, died at age 73; he was succeeded by Mikhail Gorbachev.

2021

The House gave final congressional approval to a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill against the opposition of Republicans, while the Senate confirmed Merrick Garland to be U.S. attorney general with a strong bipartisan vote.