EVENTS
- 1882 – Robert Koch discovers the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis. The German scientist, who is regarded as the father of modern bacteriology, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1905.
Robert Koch - 1896 – Aleksander Popov achieves the world’s first radio transmission. The Russian physicist transmitted the words “Heinrich Hertz” from one building of St. Petersburg University to another.
- 1923 – Greece becomes a republic.
- 1934 – The Philippine Islands in the South Pacific were granted independence by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after nearly 50 years of American control.
- 1965 – Millions watch NASA spacecraft Ranger 9 crash into the Moon. The U.S. space probe broadcast live pictures back to Earth, enabling TV viewers to follow its approach to the Moon and its controlled crash.
- 1968 – The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company is formed.
- 1989 – One of the largest oil spills in U.S. history occurred as the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound off Alaska, resulting in 11 million gallons of oil leaking into the natural habitat over a stretch of 45 miles.
- 1999 – For the first time in its history, NATO attacks a sovereign country. The military alliance bombed Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War – without a UN mandate.
- 2005 – The PlayStation portable is released
BIRTHDAYS
- 1820 – Fanny Crosby (American composer, songwriter)
- 1874 – Harry Houdini (Magician)
- 1884 – Peter Debye (Dutch/American physicist, chemist, Nobel Prize laureate)
- 1897 – Wilhelm Reich (Austrian/American psychotherapist)
- 1901 – Ub Iwerks (Cartoonist who first drew Mickey Mouse)
- 1909 – Clyde Barrow (Bank robber of Bonnie and Clyde)
Clyde Barrow - 1930 – Steve McQueen (Actor)
- 1953 – Louie Anderson (Comedian)
- 1974 – Alyson Hannigan (Actress)
- 1976 – Peyton Manning (Football Player)
- 1982 – Cory Hart (Baseball player)
- 1984 – Chris Bosh (NBA Basketball player)
DEATHS
- 1603 – Elizabeth I of England
- 1882 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (American poet)
- 1905 – Jules Verne (French author)
- 1946 – Alexander Alekhine (Russian chess player)
Alexander Alekhine - 1976 – Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (English army officer)
