On Sept. 19, 1777, American soldiers in the Revolutionary...

September 19, 1998

On Sept. 19, 1777, American soldiers in the Revolutionary War defeated the British at the first Battle of Saratoga in New York.

In 1796 President George Washington's farewell address was published, including his famous advice: "Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all."

In 1870 the French surrendered Versailles to the Germans in the Franco-Prussian War.

In 1881 James Garfield, the 20th president, died of wounds inflicted July 2 by an assassin.

In 1928 Americans were introduced to Mickey Mouse when Walt Disney's cartoon "Steamboat Willie" opened at the Colony Theater in New York City.

In 1930 actress Rosemary Harris was born in Ashby, England.

In 1934 Bruno Hauptmann was arrested in New York and charged with the kidnapping and murder of the baby son of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

In 1945 Nazi propagandist William Joyce, known as "Lord Haw-Haw," was sentenced to death by a British court for his wartime radio broadcasts.

In 1957 the United States conducted its first underground nuclear test in the Nevada desert.

In 1959 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev lost his temper during a visit to Los Angeles after being informed that, for security reasons, he wouldn't be able to visit Disneyland.

In 1974 former President Richard Nixon was subpoenaed by special prosecutor Leon Jaworski to appear at the Watergate cover-up trial.

In 1976 Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met with Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith in Pretoria, South Africa, in an effort to ease racial tensions.

In 1977 prices on Wall Street fell to their lowest level in 20 months after a report that U.S. industrial production had declined in August.

In 1978 Egypt's Cabinet unanimously approved President Anwar Sadat's Camp David agreement to sign a peace treaty with Israel within three months. Also in 1978 Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, running for a second term, was upset by conservative Democrat Edward King in the state's primary. (King would win the governorship in November.)

In 1980 rocket fuel exploded in an underground Titan-2 nuclear missile silo near Damascus, Ark., killing one person and injuring 22.

In 1982 locomotive engineers on non-Conrail trains walked off their jobs in a pay dispute, affecting 100,000 commuters in Chicago.

In 1984 Britain and China announced their agreement to transfer Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

In 1985 the first of two strong earthquakes struck Mexico City. (Together, they collapsed hundreds of buildings and killed 6,000 people.)

In 1993 Polish voters turned left in parliamentary elections, giving the most number of seats to the Democratic Left Alliance.