EVENTS
- 1712 – In New York City, 27 black slaves rebelled, shooting nine whites as they attempted to put out a fire started by the slaves. The state militia was called out to capture the rebels. Twenty one of the slaves were executed and six committed suicide.
- 1724 – Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion is premiered. The sacred oratorio is the oldest extant Passion by the German composer. The highly popular work is a dramatization of the final days of Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of John.
- 1827 – John Walker invents the friction match.
- 1906 – Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.
Mount Vesuvius - 1948 – The World Health Organization is established. The WHO is a United Nations agency concerned with fighting disease and epidemics worldwide, building up national health services, and improving health education in its 194 member states.
- 1969 – The Internet’s symbolic birth date: publication of RFC 1.
- 1990 – An arson attack on the passenger ferry, Scandinavian Star, kills 159. Insurance fraud is today considered the most likely motive for the attack. According to a 2013 report, 9 crew members started the fire and sabotaged the fire crew’s attempts to extinguish the blaze.
- 2001 – Mars Odyssey is launched.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1770 – William Wordsworth (Poet)
- 1860 – Will Kellogg (Founder of the Kellogg cereal company)
- 1915 – Billie Holiday (American singer-songwriter, actress)
- 1920 – Ravi Shankar (Indian/American sitar player, composer)
- 1928 – James Garner (Actor)
- 1939 – Francis Ford Coppola (Movie director)
Francis Ford Coppola - 1954 – Jackie Chan (Actor)
- 1954 – Tony Dorsett (Football player)
- 1964 – Russell Crowe (Actor)
DEATHS
- 1614 – El Greco (Greek painter, sculptor)
- 1782 – Taksin (Thai king)
- 1804 – Toussaint Louverture (Haitian general)
Toussaint Louverture - 1891 – P. T.Barnum (American businessman, founded Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus)
- 1947 – Henry Ford (American businessman, founded the Ford Motor Company)
