1556 - St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuit order of Catholic priests and brothers, died in Rome.

1777 - The Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, was made a major-general in the American Continental Army.

1875 - Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, died in Carter Station, Tenn., at age 66.

1919 - Germany's Weimar Constitution was adopted.

1948 - President Harry S. Truman helped dedicate New York International Airport (later John F. Kennedy International Airport) at Idlewild Field.

1964 - The American space probe Ranger 7 transmitted pictures of the moon's surface.

1997 - New York City police seized five bombs believed bound for terrorist attacks on subways.