EVENTS
- 1718 – The world’s first machine gun is patented. British lawyer, James Puckle, invented the 25.4 mm caliber “Puckle Gun” for the use on ships. It was designed for two bullet types: round bullets for Christians and (more damaging) square bullets for Turks.
- 1756 – England declares war on France starting the Seven Years’ War.
Seven Years’ War - 1928 – The first appearances of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
- 1930 – The first airline stewardess goes on duty. Ellen Church and her team served snacks on a United Airlines flight from Oakland to Chicago. The flight attendants were also responsible for refueling the aircraft, handling luggage, and checking tickets.
- 1940 – The first McDonald’s opened in San Bernardino, California.
- 1941 – Baseball player Joe DiMaggio starts his record-breaking 56-game hitting streak.
- 1948 – Egypt, Syria, Transjordan and Iraq invade Israel. The First Arab-Israeli War was initiated by Israel’s proclamation of independence on the day before the invasion. It lasted nearly 10 months and caused thousands of casualties on both sides.
- 1970 – The Beatles’ last LP, “Let It Be”, is released.
- 1972 – George Wallace was shot while campaigning for the presidency in Laurel, Maryland. As a result, Wallace was permanently paralyzed from the waist down.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1773 – Klemens von Metternich (German/Austrian politician, 1st State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire)
- 1856 – L. Frank Baum (American author)
- 1948 – Brian Eno (English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, producer)
- 1953 – George Brett (Baseball player)
- 1967 – John Smoltz (Baseball Player)
- 1969 – Emmitt Smith (Football Player)
- 1975 – Ray Lewis (Football Player)
Ray Lewis - 1978 – Amy Chow (Gymnast)
- 1981 – Patrice Evra (French footballer)
- 1987 – Andy Murray (Scottish tennis player)
DEATHS
- 1886 – Emily Dickinson (American poet)
Emily Dickinson - 1956 – Austin Osman Spare (English painter, magician)
- 1967 – Edward Hopper (American painter)
- 1978 – Robert Menzies (Australian politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia)
- 2012 – Carlos Fuentes (Mexican author)
