...1752... It is believed that this was the day Benjamin Franklin narrowly missed electrocution while flying a kite during a thunderstorm to determine if lightning is related to electricity.

...1938... 14 people were killed and 40 were injured when an F5 tornado tore through Clyde, Texas

...1957... The low temperature fell to 43 degrees at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 44 degrees set in 1955.  A dust devil at North Yarmouth ME lifted a 600 to 1000 pound chicken shelter into the air and carried it 25 feet. It landed upright with only slight damage. It is unknown whether any eggs were scrambled.

...1959... At Newport, Rhode Island the temperature rose to 91 degrees, breaking the record of 87 degrees set in 1934.

...1958... A woman was sucked through the window of her home in El Dorado KS by a powerful tornado, and was carried sixty feet away. Beside her was found a broken phonograph record entitled "Stormy Weather".

...1987... Thunderstorms produced 2 to 4 inch rains in southern Texas. Two and a half inches of rain at Juno TX caused flooding and closed a nearby highway. Flooding on the northwest side of San Antonio claimed one life as a boy was swept into a culvert. Thunderstorms in the north central U.S. produced an inch and a half of small hail at Monida Pass MT.

...1971... The low humidity dipped to 24% at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 26% set in 1957.

...1977... At Newport, Rhode Island 3.05 inches of rain fell, breaking the record of 1.10 inches that was set in 1956 and the wind gusted to 45 miles per hour, breaking that record of 42 miles per hour that was set back in 1926.

...1981... A low barometric reading of 29.33 inches was recorded at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 29.47 inches set in 1964.

...1984... It was a hot day at Newport, Rhode Island on this day. The dew point peaked at 75 degrees, breaking the record of 69 degrees set in 1974 and the heat index was a hot 103 degrees, breaking the record of 94 degrees set back in 1959.

...1988... Three dozen cities, mostly in the eastern U.S., reported record low temperatures for the date, including Elkins WV with a reading of 33 degrees. Unseasonably hot weather continued in the Northern High Plains Region. The record high of 105 degrees at Williston ND was their seventh in eight days.

...1989... Thunderstorms produced severe weather through the day and night across much of the southern half of the Great Plains Region. Thunderstorms spawned 14 tornadoes, and there were 142 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Hail three inches in diameter caused three millions dollars damage at Carlsbad NM. Hail four inches in diameter was reported at Estelline TX and Stinnett TX. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 80 mph at Odessa TX.