1846: Congress chartered the Smithsonian Institution, named for James Smithson, whose $500,000 bequest made it possible.

1977: David Berkowitz was arrested in Yonkers, N.Y., and accused of being "Son of Sam," the gunman responsible for killing six people and wounding seven.

1993: Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Associated Press