EVENTS
- 1773 – Captain James Cook becomes the first explorer to cross the Antarctic Circle.
- 1819 – Simon Bolivar proclaims the Republic of Colombia.
- 1916 – In golf, the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) is formed.
- 1917 – The United States buys the Virgin Islands.
- 1945 – During World War II, Warsaw, Poland, was liberated by Soviet Russian troops.
- 1946 – The UN Security Council holds its first session. The UNSC is the most powerful organ of the United Nations and it is charged with upholding international peace and security.
- 1961 – Patrice Lumumba is murdered with support from western governments. An independent commission concluded that Lumumba, the first democratically elected leader of the Congo, died at the hands of his domestic adversaries with the assistance of the Belgian government and the CIA.
- 1966 – A hydrogen bomb accident occurred over Palomares, Spain, as an American B-52 jet collided with its refueling plane. Eight crewmen were killed and the bomber then released its H-bomb into the Atlantic.
- 1973 – Ferdinand Marcos becomes “President for Life” of the Philippines.
- 1991 – The Gulf War in Iraq begins. “Operation Desert Storm”, launched in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, resulted in about 100,000 civilian deaths.
- 1995 – The Great Hanshin earthquake hits Kobe, Japan. 6,434 people lost their lives during the quake, according to estimates.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1706 – Benjamin Franklin (US Founding father)
- 1863 – David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
- 1820 – Anne Bronte (Author)
- 1899 – Al Capone (Gangster)
- 1927 – Eartha Kitt (American actress, singer)
- 1931 – James Earl Jones (Actor)
- 1942 – Muhammed Ali (Boxer)
- 1949 – Andy Kaufman (Actor and Performer)
- 1962 – Jim Carrey (Actor)
- 1971 – Kid Rock (Singer and Rapper)
- 1983 – Dwayne Wade
- 1957 – Steve Harvey (Comedian)
DEATHS
- 1468 – Skanderbeg (Albanian lord)
- 1893 – Rutherford B. Hayes (American politician, 19th President of the United States)
- 1936 – Mateiu Caragiale (Romanian author)
- 1961 – Patrice Lumumba (Congolese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- 2008 – Bobby Fischer (American chess player)