EVENTS
- 1855 – Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.
- 1899 – Mount Rainier National Park is established.
- 1933 – The movie King Kong premieres in New York City.
The movie King Kong - 1943 – During World War II in the Pacific, a Japanese convoy was attacked by 137 American bombers as the Battle of Bismarck Sea began. The convoy included eight destroyers and eight transports carrying 7,000 Japanese soldiers heading toward New Guinea. Four destroyers and all eight transports were sunk, resulting in 3,500 Japanese drowned, ending Japanese efforts to send reinforcements to New Guinea.
- 1946 – Ho Chi Minh is elected the President of North Vietnam.
- 1949 – First non-stop around the world airplane flight.
- 1959 – Miles Davis records Kind of Blue. It is considered the best-selling jazz album in history and one of the most influential works of jazz music ever produced.
- 1962 – Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points in a basketball game.
- 1969 – Concorde takes off on its maiden flight. The supersonic airliner was retired in 2003, after Air France Flight 4590 crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on July 25, 2000.
- 1970 – Rhodesia declares itself an independent republic. By severing the country’s ties with the United Kingdom, white Prime Minister Ian Smith attempted to prevent the institution of black majority rule.
- 1995 – The top quark is discovered. The existence of this elementary particle, the bottom quark’s counterpart, had been presumed since the 1970’s.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1793 – Sam Houston (Politician)
- 1316 – Robert II (King of Scotland)
- 1900 – Kurt Weill (German/American composer)
- 1904 – Dr. Seuss or Theodor Geisel (Author)
- 1917 – Desi Arnaz (Singer and actor)
- 1931 – Mikhail Gorbachev (Russian Leader)
Mikhail Gorbachev - 1950 – Karen Carpenter (Singer)
- 1982 – Ben Roethlisberger (NFL Quarterback)
- 1962 – John Bon Jovi (Singer)
- 1968 – Daniel Craig (English actor)
- 1985 – Reggie Bush (Football player)
DEATHS
- 1619 – Anne of Denmark (German/American composer)
- 1930 – D. H. Lawrence (English novelist)
D. H. Lawrence - 1982 – Philip K. Dick (American author)
- 1991 – Serge Gainsbourg (French singer-songwriter, actor, director)
- 1999 – Dusty Springfield (English singer, producer)
