EVENTS
- 1908 – The Wright Brothers patent their aircraft.
- 1947 – Congress approved the Truman Doctrine, assuring U.S. support for Greece and Turkey to prevent the spread of Communism.
- 1960 – The strongest earthquake ever recorded (9.5) hits Chile.
- 1967 – The first episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” airs
- 1972 – President Richard Nixon became the first American president to visit Moscow. Four days later, Nixon and Soviet Russia’s leader Leonid Brezhnev signed a pact pledging to freeze nuclear arsenals at current levels.
President Richard Nixon in Moscow - 1980 – The arcade game Pac-Man is released. The game featuring a dot-munching round yellow figure moving through a maze has become one of the best-known video games in history. It was produced by Namco.
- 1992 – Johnny Carson hosts “The Tonight Show” for the last time.
- 2010 – The worst air crash involving a Boeing 737 kills 158. Air India Express Flight 812 overshot the runway on landing at Mangalore International Airport. It fell over a cliff and burst into flames. The 737 is the world’s most widely flown aircraft.
- 2012 – The world’s tallest tower is opened to the public. At 643 meters (2080 feet), the Tokyo Skytree in Japan’s capital city is also the second tallest structure in the world after Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Its prime purpose is relaying TV and radio signals.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1783 – William Sturgeon (Inventor of the electric motor)
- 1813 – Richard Wagner (Composer)
- 1859 – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author of Sherlock Holmes novels)
- 1907 – Hergé (Belgian illustrator)
- 1907 – Sir Laurence Olivier (Actor)
Sir Laurence Olivier - 1930 – Harvey Milk (American lieutenant, politician, activist)
- 1940 – Bernard Shaw (TV Journalist)
- 1959 – Morrissey (English singer-songwriter, pianist)
- 1970 – Naomi Campbell (Model)
- 1982 – Apollo Anton Ohno (Olympic speed skater)
DEATHS
- 337 – Constantine the Great (Roman emperor)
Constantine the Great - 1885 – Victor Hugo (French author, poet, playwright)
- 1967 – Langston Hughes (American poet, author)
- 1992 – Zellig Harris (American linguist)
- 2013 – Henri Dutilleux (French composer)
