1803

The U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.

1944

Gen. Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte in World War II, fulfilling a promise he made after being ordered to evacuate the country two years prior by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1947

The House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence and infiltration in the U.S. motion picture industry.

1967

A jury in Meridian, Mississippi, convicted seven men of violating the civil rights of killed civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner; the seven received prison terms ranging from three to 10 years.

1973

In what would become known as the “Saturday Night Massacre,” special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox was dismissed and Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William B. Ruckelshaus resigned.

Birthdays

Japan’s Empress Michiko is 90. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Wanda Jackson is 87. Baseball Hall of Famer Juan Marichal is 87. U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky is 84. Actor Viggo Mortensen is 66. Vice President Kamala Harris is 60. Actor William Zabka is 59. Rapper Snoop Dogg is 53.