In 1781, Germanborn astronomer William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus.
In 1865, the Confederacy approved the use of slave troops against Union armies.
In 1991, the U.S. Justice Dept. announced that Exxon had agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle all claims resulting from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
In 2013, Pope Francis was elected the 266th pope of the Catholic Church.