1776 - British forces evacuated Boston during the Revolutionary War.
1870 - Wellesley Female Seminary (later Wellesley College) received its charter from the Massachusetts legislature.
1942 - Gen. Douglas MacArthur became supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater during World War II.
1963 - Mount Agung on Bali erupted, killing 1,184 people.
1969 - Golda Meir was sworn in as prime minister of Israel.
2003 - President Bush delivered an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein: leave Iraq within 48 hours or face an attack.