In 1987, following the failure of two Supreme Court nominations, President Ronald Reagan announced his choice of Judge Anthony M. Kennedy, who went on to win confirmation.
In 1992, the Church of England voted to ordain women as priests.
In 1998, President Clinton ordered warships, planes and troops to the Persian Gulf as he laid out his case for a possible attack on Iraq. Iraq, meanwhile, showed no sign of backing down from its refusal to deal with U.N. weapons inspectors.
Ten years ago: A disabled Carnival Splendor cruise liner inched into San Diego Bay after three nightmarish days adrift on the Pacific, bringing cheers from passengers who described trying to pass the time with limited food, backed-up toilets and dark cabins. A dispute between the U.S. and China over currency values overshadowed a meeting of Group of 20 nations in Seoul, South Korea. Marie Osborne Yeats, a silent film child star who was known as Baby Marie Osborne, died in San Clemente, California, six days after turning 99.
Five years ago: The world's two biggest beer makers, AB InBev and SABMiller, announced they would join forces in a $107 billion merger to create a company that would produce almost a third of the world's beer. Phil Taylor, 61, a former drummer with the heavy metal band Motorhead nicknamed "Philthy Animal," died in London.
One year ago: A day after stepping down amid election fraud allegations, former Bolivian President Evo Morales said he was headed for Mexico; his supporters and foes clashed on the streets of the Bolivian capital following his resignation. (Morales would settle in Argentina; he said after his party's victory in October elections that he planned to return to Bolivia.) SpaceX launched 60 mini satellites from a Falcon rocket; they joined 60 others that had been launched in May. Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, declared a state of emergency because of unprecedented wildfire danger.