EVENTS
- 1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned as the first Emperor of France in a thousand years.
- 1805 – Napoleon defeated Russia and Austria in the Battle of Austerlitz.
- 1823 – US President James Monroe presents the Monroe Doctrine establishing American neutrality in future European conflicts.
- 1845 – US President James K. Polk presents his Manifest Destiny that the US expand into the West.
- 1852 – The Second Empire was proclaimed in France with Napoleon III as emperor.
- 1859 – Abolitionist leader John Brown was executed for treason at Charles Town, West Virginia, following his raid on the U.S. Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry.
- 1939 – LaGuardia Airport in New York City opens its doors. The airport was named after New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. American Airlines was the first carrier to regularly provide passenger service.
- 1942 – A team led by Enrico Fermi initiate the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
- 1954 – The U.S. Senate condemned Senator Joseph McCarthy for misconduct following his ruthless investigations of thousands of alleged Communists.
- 1971 – The United Arab Emirates was formed, consisting of seven Arab kingdoms on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula including the former Trucial states Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al Qaiwain and Fujairah. Ras al-Khaimah became a member in 1972. The area has some of the world’s largest reserves of petroleum and natural gas.
- 1979 – Electors in Iran voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new constitution granting absolute power to Ayatollah Khomeini.
- 1982 – The first person receives a permanent artificial heart.
- 1988 – Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister. Benazir Bhutto takes office as Pakistan’s Prime Minister, becoming the first woman PM of Pakistan.
- 2001 – Enron Files for Bankruptcy. The Houston, Texas-based energy company filed for Chapter Eleven bankruptcy after reports of widespread accounting fraud became public. At that time, the company became the largest company in the history of the United States to declare bankruptcy.
- 2005 – Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is launched in Europe.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1760 – John Breckinridge (American politician, 5th United States Attorney General)
- 1825 – Pedro II of Brazil
- 1859 – French painter Georges Seurat (1859-1891) was born in Paris. He was a leader in the neo-impressionist movement of the late 19th Century.
- 1863 – Charles Ringling (Circus Owner)
- 1923 – Maria Callas (Greek soprano)
- 1946 – Gianni Versace (Fashion Designer)
- 1954 – Stone Phillips (TV Journalist)
- 1973 – Monica Seles (Tennis Player)
- 1978 – Nelly Furtado (Canadian singer-songwriter, producer)
- 1981 – Britney Spears (Singer)
- 1983 – Aaron Rogers (NFL Quarterback)
DEATHS
- 1814 – Marquis de Sade (French author, politician)
- 1859 – John Brown (American activist)
- 1985 – Philip Larkin (English poet)
- 1990 – Aaron Copland (American composer)
- 1993 – Pablo Escobar (Colombian drug lord)