EVENTS
- 1609 – The island of Manhattan was discovered by navigator Henry Hudson.
- 1781 – Los Angeles, California, is founded by a group of Spanish settlers.
- 1870 – Napoleon III ousted as Emperor of France. The first elected president of France, Napoleon took over the title of Emperor in 1852. The ouster came in response to Napoleon’s capitulation during the Franco-Prussian War. After being removed from power, he was exiled to England, where he died on January 9, 1873.
- 1886 – The last major U.S.-Indian war came to an end as Geronimo was captured. He died of natural causes in 1909 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
- 1888 – George Eastman receives a patent for a roll film camera.
George Eastman - 1950 – The Beetle Bailey comic strip is first published.
- 1950 – The first Southern 500 is ran at Darlington Raceway. This is the first 500-mile NASCAR race.
- 1967 – Gilligan’s Island airs its final episode.
- 1972 – Mark Spitz wins his seventh swimming gold medal. He is the first Olympian to win seven gold medals.
- 1998 – Who wants to be a Millionaire? Makes its debut on British television. The popular quiz game show that gave out cash prizes to contests for answering increasingly difficult questions was developed by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill, and Steven Knight, and was aired for the first time on ITC. Chris Tarrant hosted the British version of the show until 2014. The popularity of the show in the UK prompted TV channels from other countries to adapt it for their audiences.
- 1998 – Google is founded. The Internet company, now synonymous with the act of finding information on the world wide web was created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It started as a research project when Page and Brin were doctoral students at Stanford University.
- 2002 – Kelly Clarkson becomes the first American Idol. The singer, songwriter, and Grammy Awards winner made her first appearance in the second episode of the reality TV show, which co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman and was judged by Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson. The popular show was broadcast on Fox television network and has been on television for 14 seasons.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1563 – Wanli (Emperor of China during Ming dynasty)
- 1824 – Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) was born in Ansfelden, Austria. Best known for his monumental ten symphonies.
- 1949 – Tom Watson (Golfer)
- 1960 – Damon Wayons (Actor)
- 1963 – John Vanbiesbrouck (American ice hockey player)
- 1968 – Mike Piazza (Baseball Player)
- 1977 – Kia Stevens (American wrestler)
- 1981 – Beyonce Knowles (Singer)
DEATHS
- 1588 – Robert Dudley (1st Earl of Leicester)
- 1965 – Albert Schweitzer (Alsatian physician, Nobel Prize laureate)
- 1986 – Hank Greenberg (American baseball player)
- 2006 – Steve Irwin (Australian zoologist, television host)
- 2014 – Joan Rivers (American comedian, actress, author)