1856: Architect and writer Louis Henri Sullivan was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Sullivan spent much of his youth on his grandparents' small farm. At age 16, he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, to study architecture. A pioneer in the design of skyscrapers, Sullivan not only contributed to Chicago's role as a center of architectural innovation, but inspired generations of architects with his core philosophy that "form ever follows function." Among them was Prairie School icon Frank Lloyd Wright, for whom Sullivan served as a mentor. (Source: Library of Congress)

1783: The Treaty of Paris was signed ending the American Revolution. For the United States, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams signed the document in Paris.