Today
1664 ÷ The Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British, who renamed it New York.

1998 ÷ Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals broke Roger Maris' 37-year-old record for home runs in a single season, hitting No. 62 off Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel.

Tuesday
1776 ÷ The second Continental Congress made the term "United States" official, replacing "United Colonies."

1850 ÷ California became the 31st state of the union

Wednesday
1608 ÷ John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia.

1963 ÷ Twenty black students entered public schools in Birmingham, Tuskegee and Mobile, Ala., following a standoff between federal authorities and Gov. George C. Wallace, who resisted integration.

1998 ÷ President Clinton met with members of his Cabinet to apologize and ask forgiveness in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Thursday
2001 ÷ Suicide hijackers crashed two airliners into the World Trade Center in New York, causing the 110-story twin towers to collapse. Another hijacked airliner hit the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Some 3,000 people were killed.

1936 ÷ President Roosevelt dedicated Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam) by pressing a key in Washington to signal the startup of the dam's first hydroelectric generator in Nevada.

1962 ÷ The Beatles recorded their first single, Î'Love Me Do,'' and Î'P.S. I Love You,'' at EMI studios in London.

Friday
1609 ÷ English explorer Henry Hudson sailed into the river that now bears his name.

1977 ÷ South African black student leader Steven Biko died while in police custody, triggering an international outcry.