On this date:

In 1888, Mary Ann Nichols, the apparent first victim of “Jack the Ripper,” was found slain in London’s East End.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act prohibiting the export of U.S. arms to belligerents.

In 1941, the radio program “The Great Gildersleeve” debuted on NBC.

In 1969, boxer Rocky Marciano died in a light airplane crash in Iowa, a day before his 46th birthday.

In 1980, Poland’s Solidarity labor movement was born with an agreement signed in Gdansk that ended a 17-day strike.

In 1986, The Soviet passenger ship Admiral Nakhimov collided with a merchant vessel in the Black Sea, causing both to sink; up to 448 people reportedly died.