EVENTS
- 1783 – The first sustained flight occurred as a hot-air balloon was launched at Annonay, France, by brothers Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier. Their 33-foot-diameter globe aerostatique ascended about 6,000 feet. In September, they repeated the experiment for King Louis XVI, using a sheep, rooster and duck as the balloon’s passengers.
Montgolfier brothers - 1883 – The first Orient Express leaves Paris. The legendary train journey from Paris to Istanbul featured in many works of popular culture, including Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.“
- 1956 – Elvis Presley first performs “Hound Dog” live on TV. Presley’s suggestive hip movements during this performance earned him his nickname, “Elvis the Pelvis.” “Hound Dog” became his best-selling song with about 10 million sold copies.
- 1967 – Six-Day War begins between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.
- 1968 – U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot.
- 1977 – The Apple II, one of the first useful PCs, goes on sale.
- 1981 – The first cases of AIDS are reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described five cases of a rare form of pneumonia, a deadly immune deficiency disease which later became known as AIDS. In 2000, more than 40 million people worldwide were affected by it.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1660 – Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
- 1723 – Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland
- 1771 – Ernest I (King of Hanover)
- 1878 – Pancho Villa (Mexican general)
Pancho Villa - 1883 – British economist John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) was born in Cambridge, England
- 1898 – Federico García Lorca (Spanish poet, playwright, director)
- 1919 – Richard Scarry (Author of kid’s books)
- 1949 – Ken Follet (Author)
- 1956 – Kenny G (Jazz musician)
- 1964 – Rick Riordan (Author of Percy Jackson series)
- 1971 – Mark Wahlberg (Actor)
- 1976 – Ross Noble (English comedian, actor)
DEATHS
- 1900 – Stephen Crane (American journalist, author, poet)
Stephen Crane - 1916 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (English field marshal)
- 1975 – Paul Keres (Estonian chess player)
- 2004 – Ronald Reagan (American actor, politician, 40th President of the United States)
- 2012 – Ray Bradbury (American author)
