EVENTS
- 1774 – The First Continental Congress gathers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 1836 – The Republic of Texas elects Sam Houston as president.
- 1906 – The first legal forward pass is thrown in an American football game.
- 1944 – Benelux is Formed. The political and economic union consists of 3 countries – Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name comes from joining the first 2 letters, 3 in the case of Luxembourg of the member countries.
- 1957 – “On the Road” hits the bookshelves for the first time. The iconic book was written by American author Jack Kerouac and was based on his and his friends’ travels across America. The book is considered to be a prime example of the Beat Generation – a group of authors and artists who examined and studied American culture after the Second World War.
- 1960 – Muhammad Ali wins the Olympic gold medal in boxing
- 1972 – Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic Team were killed during an attack on the Olympic Village in Munich by members of the Black September faction of the Palestinian Liberation Army. Israeli jets then bombed Palestinian positions in Lebanon and Syria in retaliation on September 8, 1972.
- 1975 – The first of two September assassination attempts on President Gerald Ford occurred as a woman pointed a gun at the President in Sacramento, California. Two weeks later, a second attempt occurred as another woman fired a shot at Ford in San Francisco. Ford was not harmed in either incident.
- 1977 – Voyager 1 probe is launched. NASA launched the Voyager 1 probe from Florida. It is currently the farthest man-made object in Space.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1638 – Louis XIV of France
- 1847 – Jesse James (Outlaw)
- 1902 – Film producer Darryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979) was born in Wahoo, Nebraska. He co-founded 20th Century Studios, which later merged with Fox. His films included the first sound picture The Jazz Singer, and also The Snake Pit and The Grapes of Wrath.
- 1929 – Bob Newhart (Comedian)
- 1940 – Raquel Welch (Actress)
- 1942 – Werner Herzog (German director
- 1946 – Freddy Mercury (Singer for Queen)
- 1951 – Michael Keaton (Actor)
- 1973 – Rose McGowan (Actress)
- 1986 – Colt McCoy (NFL Football player)
DEATHS
- 1877 – Crazy Horse (Native American war leader)
- 1945 – Clem Hill (Australian cricketer)
- 1982 – Douglas Bader (English pilot)
- 1997 – Georg Solti (Hungarian conductor)
- 1997 – Mother Teresa (Macedonian/Indian missionary, Nobel Prize laureate)
