1927

Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party.

1936

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in Washington, D.C., and gave the green light to traffic.

1954

Ellis Island officially closed as an immigration station and detention center. More than 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States via Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954.

2001

American Airlines Flight 587, en route to the Dominican Republic, crashed after takeoff from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.

2019

Venice saw its worst flooding in more than 50 years, with the water reaching 6.14 feet above average sea level; damage was estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Birthdays

Actor-playwright Wallace Shawn is 81. Rock musician Booker T. Jones is 80. Sportscaster Al Michaels is 80. Singer-songwriter Neil Young is 79. Actor Megan Mullally is 66. Olympic gold medal gymnast Nadia Comaneci is 63. Olympic gold medal swimmer Jason Lezak is 49. Actor Ryan Gosling is 44. Actor Anne Hathaway is 42.