On this date
In 1565, a Spanish expedition established the first permanent European settlement in North America at present-day St. Augustine, Fla.
In 1664,
the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British, who renamed it New York.
In 1892,
an early version of “The Pledge of Allegiance,” written by Francis Bellamy, appeared in “The Youth’s Companion”: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
In 1900,
Galveston, Texas, was struck by a hurricane that killed an estimated 8,000 people.
In 1935,
Sen. Huey P. Long, a Louisiana Democrat, was shot and mortally wounded inside the Louisiana State Capitol; he died two days later. (The assailant was identified as Carl Weiss, who was gunned down by Long’s bodyguards.)
In 1939,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a “limited national emergency” in response to the outbreak of war in Europe.
In 1951,
a peace treaty with Japan was signed by 49 nations in San Francisco.
Ten years ago:
In a pointed but mostly symbolic expression of displeasure with Moscow, President George W. Bush canceled a oncecelebrated civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Russia.
Five years ago:
The International Olympic Committee voted wrestling back onto the program for the 2020 and 2024 Games.
One year ago:
Hurricane Irma regained Category 5 status, battering Cuba with 160-mph winds and taking aim on the Miami area; the death toll across the Caribbean climbed past 20 after the storm ravaged islands including St. Martin, St. Barts, St. Thomas, Barbuda and Anguilla. In one of the country’s largest evacuations, officials in Florida told more than 5 million people to leave their homes.