EVENTS
- 1492 – Christopher Columbus’s expedition makes landfall in the Caribbean.
- 1811 – Paraguay declared its independence from Spain and Argentina.
- 1822 – Brazil became independent of Portugal.
- 1892 – The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited by students in US public schools.
- 1901 – The Executive Mansion is officially renamed the White House.
- 1960 – During a debate over colonialism in the United Nations, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev took off his shoe and pounded his desk repeatedly.
- 1964 – First Multi Person Space Flight. Soviet spacecraft Voskhod 1 carried 3 cosmonauts for the first time to space. It was also the first time the crew did not wear any space suits for the duration of the flight.
- 1968 – Equatorial Guinea Gains Independence. The African republic was part of the Spanish Empire since the late 1700s. Known as Spanish Guinea, the country became independent and changed its name to Equatorial Guinea under the leadership of President Francisco Macías Nguema. In 1972, Nguema proclaimed himself president for life.
- 1979 – Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Hits the Bookstores. The first in a “trilogy of five”, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, or H2G2, is a popular comedy science fiction novel that was first created as a radio show in 1978 for BBC Radio 4. The show and the book follow the intergalactic adventures of Arthur Dent, who escapes the Earth’s destruction. He is accompanied by several other characters including an alien called Ford Prefect, Marvin the depressed robot, and the Vogons who are responsible for destroying the Earth.
- 1999 – The world population hits 6 billion.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1537 – Edward VI of England.
- 1798 – Pedro I of Brazil.
- 1866 – Ramsay MacDonald (Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1872 – British composer and conductor Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was born in Down Ampney, Gloucestershire, England (He combined modern composition techniques with traditional English folk and Tudor music to create a uniquely British style (His major compositions include; Mass in G Minor, Fantasia on a Theme of Tallis and the opera The Pilgrim’s Progress (He also composed nine symphonies, church and choral music, film and stage music and several operas.
- 1875 – Aleister Crowley (English magician, author
- 1935 – Luciano Pavarotti (Opera Singer)
- 1968 – Hugh Jackman (Actor – X-Men’s Wolverine)
- 1970 – Kirk Cameron (Actor – TV’s Growing Pains)
- 1975 – Marion Jones (Track Athlete)
- 1977 – Bode Miller (Olympic Skier)
DEATHS
- 1870 – Robert E (Lee (American general)
- 1946 – Joseph Stilwell (American general)
- 1971 – Dean Acheson (American lawyer, politician, 51st United States Secretary of State)
- 1997 – John Denver (American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor)
- 1999 – Wilt Chamberlain (American basketball player)