On Sept. 23, 1846, Neptune was identified as a planet by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle.

Ten years ago

Three young children were found dead in an East St. Louis, Illinois, apartment, hours after Tiffany Hall was charged with killing their pregnant mother and her fetus in a grisly attack. (Hall later pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and one count of intentional homicide in the death of the fetus and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.) Barry Bonds hit his 734th career home run in the Giants’ 10-8 loss to the Brewers, breaking Hank Aaron’s NL record.

Five years ago

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas took his people’s quest for independence to the United Nations, seeking the world body’s recognition of Palestine and sidestepping negotiations that had foundered for nearly two decades. Pope Benedict XVI, visiting his native Germany, met with victims of sexual abuse by priests and expressed “deep compassion and regret,” according to the Vatican. After 41 years, the soap opera “All My Children” broadcast its final episode on ABC-TV.

One year ago

In the first canonization on U.S. soil, Pope Francis elevated to sainthood Junipero Serra, an 18th-century missionary who’s brought Catholicism to the American West Coast. Earlier in the day, the pontiff met with President Barack Obama at the White House and was greeted by adoring crowds during an outdoor procession. Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned, days after admitting that the world’s top-selling carmaker had rigged diesel emissions to pass U.S. tests during his tenure; Winterkorn denied any personal wrongdoing.

— By The Associated Press