1792

Congress passed the Coinage Act, which authorized establishment of the U.S. Mint.

1865

Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, after Union troops broke through Confederate lines in the Third Battle of Petersburg.

1917

President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, “The world must be made safe for democracy.” (Congress declared war four days later.)

1982

Argentine troops seized the disputed Falkland Islands from the United Kingdom, sparking the Falklands War.

2005

John Paul II, the Polish pope born Karol Józef Wojtyla, died in his Vatican apartment at age 84.

2012

A gunman killed seven people at Oikos University, a Christian school in Oakland.

Birthdays

Disc jockey Dr. Demento is 84. Actor Linda Hunt is 80. Musician Emmylou Harris is 78. Actor Christopher Meloni is 64. Tennis Hall of Famer Todd Woodbridge is 54. Actor Pedro Pascal is 50. Actor Adam Rodriguez is 50. Actor Michael Fassbender is 48. Country musician Chris Janson is 39. Actor Jesse Plemons is 37. Country musician Zach Bryan is 29.