1666: Firebreaks finally bring the Great Fire of London under control, leaving 13,200 houses destroyed and eight dead

1774: Twelve of the thirteen American colonies adopt a trade embargo against Great Britain at the First Continental Congress in Carpenters’ Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1781: A French fleet of 24 ships under Comte de Grasse defeats British forces under Admiral Thomas Graves and Samuel Hood at the Battle of the Chesapeake (Battle of the Virginia Capes) and traps General Lord Charles Cornwallis during the American Revolutionary War

1839: First Opium War begins between the British Empire and the Qing dynasty of China

1958: First color video recording on magnetic tape is presented in Charlotte, North Carolina

2017: Hurricane Irma becomes one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin region with winds of 185 mph (280 km/h)

Source: Onthisday.com