On Oct. 17, 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, New York, in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.

Ten years ago

President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing tough interrogation of terror suspects and smoothing the way for trials before military commissions. America’s official population passed the 300 million mark, fueled by a growing number of immigrants and their children. Megan Meier, the 13-year-old victim of a cyberbullying hoax, died a day after hanging herself at home in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri.

Five years ago

Rolling through small Southern towns in a campaign-style bus, President Barack Obama pressed lawmakers back in Washington to start taking up pieces of his rejected jobs bill and mocked the Republicans who had shot it down. Financier Carl Lindner Jr., who used his experience running the family dairy store to build a business empire whose reach included baseball, banks and bananas, died at age 92.

One year ago

Thousands of migrants seeking a better life in Western Europe surged into Slovenia, using a new route after Hungary sealed its border with Croatia. The final US Airways flight landed in Philadelphia, completing the last leg of its round-trip journey. (The US Airways brand disappeared as the result of a merger with American Airlines.)

— By The Associated Press