In 1789, during the French Revolution, citizens of Paris stormed the Bastille prison and released the seven prisoners inside.

In 1798, Congress passed the Sedition Act, making it a federal crime to publish false, scandalous or malicious writing about the U.S. government.

In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry relayed to Japanese officials a letter from President Millard Fillmore, requesting trade relations. (Fillmore’s term of office had already expired by the time the letter was delivered.)

In 1881, outlaw William H. Bonney Jr., alias “Billy the Kid,” was shot an...

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