EVENTS
- 1889 – The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, is inaugurated.
Eiffel Tower - 1918 – Daylight Savings Time goes into effect in the USA for the first time.
- 1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps, the CCC, was founded. Unemployed men and youths were organized into quasi-military formations and worked outdoors in national parks and forests.
- 1964 – Following a coup d’etat, a military dictatorship takes charge in Brazil. The regime under Humberto Castelo Branco suppressed the left-wing opposition, leading to widespread social unrest and strike action, especially in 1968.
- 1968 – President Lyndon Johnson made a surprise announcement that he would not seek re-election as a result of the Vietnam conflict.
- 1985 – The first edition of WrestleMania is held in New York. The annual event is the world’s most important wrestling meet. It is the biggest event organized by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
- 1991 – The Soviet Republic of Georgia, birthplace of Josef Stalin, voted to declare its independence from Soviet Russia, after similar votes by Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Following the vote in Georgia, Russian troops were dispatched from Moscow under a state of emergency.
- 1992 – The television news program Dateline NBC premieres.
- 1993 – Actor Brandon Lee is accidentally killed during the filming of The Crow.
- 1999 – The film The Matrix is released. The science fiction story about the adventures of computer programmer, Neo, was not only a commercial success but also left a lasting impression on action film-making through its creative use of slow-motion and spinning cameras.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1596 – Rene Descartes (Philospher)
- 1732 – Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was born in Rohrau, Austria
Franz Joseph Haydn - 1878 – Boxing champion Jack Johnson (1878-1946) was born in Galveston, Texas
- 1927 – Cesar Chavez (American activist)
- 1943 – Christopher Walken (Actor)
- 1945 – Gabe Kaplan (Actor)
- 1948 – Rhea Pearlman (Actress)
- 1948 – Al Gore (US Vice President)
- 1971 – Ewan McGregor (Actor)
- 1976 – Colin Farrell (Actor)
DEATHS
- 1621 – Philip III of Spain
Philip III of Spain - 1850 – John C. Calhoun (American politician, 7th Vice President of the United States)
- 1972 – Meena Kumari (Indian actress)
- 1980 – Jesse Owens (American sprinter)
- 2014 – Charles Keating (American lawyer, businessman)
