EVENTS
- 1184 BC – The city of Troy is burned in the Trojan war.
Ancient City of Troy - 1770 – Captain James Cook discovers Australia.
- 1817 – The first predecessor of the bicycle is demonstrated. Using his revolutionary Laufmaschine, also known as Draisine, a two-wheeler without pedals, German inventor Karl Drais completed a 14 km test run in less than an hour, presenting a viable alternative to transportation by horse.
- 1935 – The first public demonstration of and FM radio broadcast.
- 1938 – China launches the 1938 Yellow River flood. In what Steven Dutch, a Professor at the University of Wisconsin, called “the world’s largest act of environmental warfare in history”, the Chinese government created the flood to halt invading Japanese forces.
- 1955 – More than 80 people die in the Le Mans car race disaster. In one of history’s worst car racing accidents, Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes crashed into a crowd of spectators and burst into flames.
- 1959 – Christopher Cockerell first presents the hovercraft. The amphibious air-cushion vehicle first crossed the English Channel just weeks after Cockerell first demonstrated his prototype, the SR.N1. The scheduled “flights” between Dover (U.K.) and Calais (France) were discontinued in 2000.
- 1977 – Seattle Slew wins Racing’s Triple Crown.
- 1991 – Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted, spewing ash into the air, visible over 60 miles. The surrounding areas were covered with ash and mud created by rainstorms. Nearby U.S. military bases were also damaged.
- 1994 – After 49 years, the Soviet military occupation of East Germany ended. At one time there had been 337,800 Soviet troops stationed in Germany. Over 300,000 Russians died during World War II in the Battle for Berlin.
- 2010 – Africa hosts the FIFA World Cup for the first time. The 19th association football world cup was opened in Johannesburg, South Africa. The winner of this historic edition was Spain.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1572 – Ben Jonson (English writer)
- 1864 – German composer Georg Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was born in Munich
- 1880 – American feminist and politician Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973) was born in Missoula, Montana
- 1910 – Jacques Cousteau (Oceanographer)
Jacques Cousteau - 1913 – Vince Lombardi (Football coach)
- 1933 – Gene Wilder (Actor)
- 1956 – Joe Montanna (Football Player)
- 1959 – Hugh Laurie (Actor from House)
- 1986 – Shia LaBeouf (Actor)
- 1989 – Maya Moore (Basketball player)
DEATHS
- 1859 – Klemens von Metternich (German/Austrian politician, 1st State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire)
- 1934 – Lev Vygotsky (Russian psychologist)
- 1936 – Robert E. Howard (American author)
Robert E. Howard - 1974 – Julius Evola (Italian philosopher)
- 1979 – John Wayne (American actor, singer, director, producer)
