1777

British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution.

1888

Poet T.S. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri.

1960

The first-ever debate between presidential nominees took place as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon faced off before a national TV audience from Chicago.

1986

William H. Rehnquist was sworn in as the 16th chief justice of the United States, while Antonin Scalia joined the Supreme Court as its 103rd member.

1990

The Motion Picture Association of America announced it had created a new rating, NC-17, to replace the X rating.

1991

Four men and four women began a two-year stay inside a sealed-off structure in Oracle, Arizona, called Biosphere 2. They emerged from Biosphere on this date in 1993.

1996

President Clinton signed a bill ensuring two-day hospital stays for new mothers and their babies.

Birthdays

Former baseball All-Star Bobby Shantz is 98. Country singer David Frizzell is 82. Actor Kent McCord is 81. Television host Anne Robinson is 79. Singer Bryan Ferry is 78. Actor Mary Beth Hurt is 77. Tennis player Serena Williams is 42.