On this date:

In 1727, Sir Isaac Newton, the English mathematician and philosopher who discovered the law of gravity, died at age 84.

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte returned to Paris after escaping his exile on Elba, beginning his “Hundred Days” rule.

In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s influential novel about slavery, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” was first published in book form after being serialized.

In 1899, Martha M. Place of Brooklyn, N.Y., became the first woman to be executed in the electric chair. She was put to death at Sing Sing for the murder of her stepdaughter.

In 1939, Prime Minister Mackenzie King told Parliament that Canada would consider any attack on Britain an attack on the Commonwealth.

In 1939, Brian Mulroney, prime minister from 1984 to 1993, was born in Baie-comeau, Que.

In 1948, Bobby Orr was born in Parry Sound, Ont. Considered by many to be the greatest hockey player ever, he was only 18 when he joined the Boston Bruins in 1966 and was named the NHL’S Rookie of the Year. In 1969-70, he became the first defenceman to lead the league in scoring, and his overtime goal against St. Louis gave the Bruins their first Stanley Cup in 29 years.

In 1995, toxic fumes were released on Tokyo’s crowded subway system, killing 12 commuters and sickening more than 5,500. Members of the doomsday religious cult Aum Shinrikyo were convicted of the crime.