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1867–Architect, interior designer, writer and educator, Frank Lloyd Wright, is born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Wright practiced his philosophy of organic architecture, and would go on to become a leader of the Prairie School movement of architecture. He went on to design over 1,000 buildings of many types, including churches, schools, skyscrapers, offices, museums, and hotels. Wright often designed numerous interior design aspects of his buildings, such as stained glass and furniture. He was the author of 20 books and lectured throughout America and Europe. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects named Wright "the greatest American architect of all time."


65–Jews revolt against Rome, Italy, capturing the fortress of Antonia in Jerusalem.

68–The Roman Senate proclaims Galba as Emperor.

218–Opellius Macrinus, Emperor of Rome (217-218), dies in an execution at Cappadocia, at age 53.

452–Italy is invaded by Attila the Hun.

536–Pope St. Silverius begins his reign.

632–Muhammad, Islamic prophet, dies in Medina and is succeeded by Abu Bakr, who becomes the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.

793–Vikings raid the abbey at Lindisfarne in Northumbria, commonly accepted as the beginning of the Scandinavian invasion of England.

862–Emperor Xizong of Tang is born in China.

979–Louis V de Luie is crowned King of France.

1042–Edward the Confessor becomes King of England, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England.

1191–Richard I arrives in Acre (Palestine), beginning his crusade.

1374–The father of English poetry, Geoffrey Chaucer, is appointed Comptroller for Wools. Chaucer spent most of his adult life as a civil servant in the courts of the Plantagenet kings.

1376–Edward, Prince of Wales (1343-1376), dies at the Palace of Westminster in London, England, at age 45. Edward died one year before his father, King Edward III, becoming the first English Prince of Wales not to become King of England.

1405–Richard le Scrope, the Archbishop of York, and Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Norfolk, are executed in York on the order of Henry IV.

1505–Emperor Hongzhi of China dies in Beijing, China, at age 34.

1624–An earthquake hits Peru.

1671–Composer, Tomaso (Giovanni) Albinoni, is born in Venice, Republic of Venice. Most of his operatic works have been lost, having not been published during his lifetime. However, nine collections of instrumental works were published, meeting with considerable success and consequent reprints. So it is as a composer of instrumental music (99 sonatas, 59 concertos and nine sinfonias) that he is remembered. He is best known for his Adagio in G minor.

1690–Yadi Sakat, a Siddi general, razes the Mazagon Fort in Mumbai.

1783–The volcano Laki, in Iceland, begins an eight-month eruption which kills over 9,000 people and starts a seven-year famine.

1784–French chef and pioneer of haute cuisine, Marie-Antoine Carême, is born in Paris, France. Abandoned by his parents in 1794, at the height of the French Revolution, he worked as a kitchen boy at a cheap Parisian chophouse in exchange for room and board. Carême gained fame for his pièces montées, elaborate constructions used as centerpieces, which were sometimes several feet high, made entirely out of foodstuffs such as sugar, marzipan, and pastry. Carême's impact on culinary matters ranged from trivial to theoretical. He is credited with creating the standard chef's hat (the toque), he designed new sauces and dishes, and he published a classification of all sauces into groups, based on four mother sauces.

1786–The first commercially-made ice cream is sold in New York.

1789–James Madison introduces a proposed Bill of Rights in the U.S. House of Representatives.

1794–Robespierre inaugurates the French Revolution's new state religion, the Cult of the Supreme Being, with large organized festivals all across France.

1795–Louis XVII Charles, King of France (1793-1795), dies of a scrofulous infection in Paris Temple, France, at age 10.

1809–Political journalist, Thomas Paine, dies in obscurity in Greenwich Village, New York, at age 72. Only six mourners came to his funeral. Paine emigrated to the British American colonies in 1774, with the help of Benjamin Franklin, arriving just in time to participate in the American Revolution. A founding father of American independence, he is best known for his influential works The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason, both published in the 1790s.

1810–Composer, Robert Schumann, is born in Zwickau, in the Kingdom of Saxony. He was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann's published compositions were written exclusively for the piano until 1840, but he later composed works for piano and orchestra. Schumann suffered from a lifelong mental disorder, first manifesting itself in 1833, as a severe melancholic depressive episode, which recurred several times alternating with phases of “exaltation” and increasingly also delusional ideas. After a suicide attempt in 1854, Schumann was admitted to a mental asylum, at his own request, in Endenich, near Bonn. Diagnosed with “psychotic melancholia,” Schumann died two years later, without having recovered from his mental illness.

1824–The washing machine is patented by Noah Cushing of Quebec, Canada.

1831–Actress, Sarah Siddons, dies in London, England, at age 75. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character, Lady Macbeth, a character she made her own.

1845–Andrew Jackson, the seventh U.S. President, dies of chronic tuberculosis, dropsy, and heart failure in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 78.

1848–Agricultural scientist, Franklin Hiram King, is born in Whitewater, Wisconsin. He invented the cylindrical tower silo.

1856–A group of 194 Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the mutineers of HMS Bounty, arrive at Norfolk Island, near Australia, commencing the Third Settlement of the Island.

1861–Tennessee secedes from the Union and joins the Confederacy.

1865–English architect, gardener, and Member of Parliament, Sir Joseph Paxton, dies at his home in Rockhills, Sydenham, England, at age 61. He is best known for designing The Crystal Palace.

1867–The coronation of Franz Joseph as King of Hungary takes place, following the Austro-Hungarian compromise.

1867–American satirist, Mark Twain, embarks on the world tour that will later be depicted in his book Innocents Abroad.

1867–Architect, interior designer, writer and educator, Frank Lloyd Wright, is born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Wright practiced his philosophy of organic architecture, and would go on to become a leader of the Prairie School movement of architecture. He went on to design over 1,000 buildings of many types, including churches, schools, skyscrapers, offices, museums, and hotels. Wright often designed numerous interior design aspects of his buildings, such as stained glass and furniture. He was the author of 20 books and lectured throughout America and Europe. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects named Wright "the greatest American architect of all time."

1871–Kiowa Indian Chief, Satank, is shot to death by a U.S. Army Guard on the way to stand trial for murder at Jacksboro, Texas. Satank's body lay unburied in the road, with his people afraid to claim it for fear of the Army. Eventually, he was buried by the Army at Chief's Knoll, in the cemetery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was a prestigious Kiowa warrior and medicine man. He led many raids against the Cheyennes, the Sacs, and the Foxes. His name, Satank, means “Sitting Bear.”

1874–Apache leader, Cochise, dies of natural causes in Chiricahua country (under American occupation), ata ge 70. He was leader of the Chihuicahui local group of the Chokonen and principal chief of the Chokonen band of the Chiricahua Apache. He led an uprising against the Mexican government that began in 1861. Cochise County, Arizona is named after him. Cochise's descendants are said to currently reside at the Mescalero Apache Reservation, near Ruidoso, New Mexico.

1876–Novelist, George Sand, dies in Nohant, France, at age 71. She took the male nom de plume to be able to write, as it was considered scandalous for women to have professions. She was the author of many novels including Consuelo, The Master Bellringers, Indiana, and Valentine. She was also known for her “scandalous” lifestyle, divorcing her husband and choosing a career as a writer, as well as her long affair with composer, Frédéric Chopin.

1887–Herman Hollerith applies for a U.S. patent for the “Art of Compiling Statistics,” which was his punch card calculator.

1889–Cable cars begin service in Los Angeles, California.

1901–Super-centenarian, Salustiano Sanchez, is born in El Tejado de Bejar, Spain. He will live to the at age of 112 (and 97 days).

1902–Charles (Phillip) Ingalls, father of Laura Ingalls Wilder, dies of heart disease in De Smet, South Dakota, at age 66. His daughter would write the popular “Little House” books. In the 1970s, the books will be turned into a long-running TV series Little House on the Prairie, with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert playing the roles of Charles and Laura.

1906–Theodore Roosevelt signs the Antiquities Act into law, authorizing the President to restrict the use of certain parcels of public land with historical or conservation value.

1912–Carl Laemmle incorporates Universal Pictures.

1916–Molecular biologist, Francis Crick, is born Francis Harry Compton Crick in Weston Favell, Northamptonshire, England. In 1953, he co-discovered the structure of human DNA with James Watson. Crick was an important theoretical molecular biologist and played a crucial role in research related to revealing the genetic code. His later research centered on theoretical neurobiology and attempts to advance the scientific study of human consciousness.

1918–A solar eclipse is observed at Baker City, Oregon, by scientists and an artist hired by the United States Navy.

1918–Actor, Robert Preston, is born Robert Preston Meservey in Newton, Massachusetts. He appeared in the films Beau Geste, Typhoon, The Lady from Cheyenne, The Night of January 16th, Reap the Wild Wind, This Gun for Hire, Whispering Smith, Tulsa, The Sundowners, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, The Music Man, How the West Was Won, Junior Bonner, Mame, Semi-Tough, S.O.B., Victor Victoria, The Last Starfighter, and Finnegan Begin Again.

1918–Journalist, Lillian Ross, is born Lillian Rosovsky in Syracuse, New York. She was a staff writer at The New Yorker from 1945 until her retirement.

1921–Actress, Alexis Smith, is born Margaret Alexis Fitzsimmons Smith in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. She appeared in the films Steel Against the Sky, Dive Bomber, Gentleman Jim, The Constant Nymph, The Horn Blows at Midnight, Rhapsody in Blue, Night and Day, Of Human Bondgae, The Two Mrs. Carolls, Any Number Can Play, This Happy Feeling, The Young Philadelphians, Once Is Not Enough, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, and The Age of Innocence. She was married to actor, Craig Stevens.

1924–Comedian, George Kirby, is born in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of the first African-American comedians to begin to appeal to white, as well as black, audiences during the height of the Civil Rights era. Between 1963 and 1972 he appeared on Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

1924–Mountain climber, George Mallory, dies on the North Face of Mount Everest in Tibet, at age 37. He was a mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s. Mallory's ultimate fate was unknown for 75 years, until his body was discovered on May 1, 1999, by an expedition that had set out to search for the climbers' remains. When asked, “Why climb a mountain?” he answered, “Because it is there.”

1925–Barbara Bush, U.S. First Lady (1989-1993), is born Barbara Pierce in Queens, New York. She married the 41st U.S. President, George H.W. Bush. Her sons are the 43rd U.S. President, George W. Bush, and the 43rd Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush. Her father was Marvin Pierce, President of McCall Corporation, publisher of the magazines Redbook and McCall's.

1927–Comedian, Jerry Stiller, is born Gerald Isaac Stiller in Brooklyn, New York. As part of the comedy team, Stiller and Meara, which was successful in the 1960s and 1970s, he made numerous appearances on TV variety programs, especially The Ed Sullivan Show. He appeared in the films Lovers and Other Strangers, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Aiport 1976, Seize the Day, Nadine, Hairspray, The Pickle, The Surburbans, and Zoolander. He was married to comedienne, Anne Meara, and they are the parents of actor, Ben Stiller, and actress, Amy Stiller.

1928–The National Revolutionary Army captures Peking, China, whose name is changed to Beijing ("Northern Capital").

1929–Margaret Bondfield is appointed Minister of Labour. She is the first woman appointed to the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

1930–Actress, Dana Wynter, is born Dagmar Winter in Berlin, Germany. She appeared in film and television for over 40 years, beginning in the 1950s. She is best known for her role in the classic sci-fi film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. She appeared in the films The View from Pompey's Head, In Love and War, Shake Hands with the Devil, Sink the Bismark!, The List of Adrian Messenger, Airport, and Santee.

1933–Comedienne, Joan Rivers, is born Joan Alexandra Molinsky in Brooklyn, New York. In 1965, Rivers came to prominence as a guest on The Tonight Show. Host and mentor, Johnny Carson, had a big role in establishing Rivers' comedic style: and often controversial comedic persona, where she was alternately self-deprecating or sharply acerbic, especially toward celebrities and politicians. By her bravura, she broke through long-standing taboos in humor, which paved the way for other female comics, including Roseanne Barr, Ellen DeGeneres, and Rosie O'Donnell. She was married to Edgar Rosenberg, and their daughter is TV personality, Melissa Rivers.

1936–Singer and actor, James Darren, is born James William Ercolani in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Darren began his career as a teen idol, and he is best known for the role of Moon Doggie in the film Gidget. He also co-starred in the TV shows The Time Tunnel and T.J. Hooker. His hit songs include Because They’re Young, Goodbye Cruel World, and Her Royal Majesty. He appeared in the films Rumble on the Docks, Operation Mad Ball, The Gene Krupa Story, Because They’re Young, All the Young Men, Gidget Goes Hawaiian, The Funs of Navarone, Diamond Head, Gidget Goes to Rome, The Lively Set, and For Those Who Think Young. His son is CNN newscaster, Jim Moret.

1940–Singer, Nancy Sinatra, is born Nancy Sandra Sinatra in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her hits include These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ and How Does That Grab You, Baby? She appeared in the films For Those Who Think Young, Get Yourself a College Girl, Marriage on the Rocks, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, The Last of the Secret Agents?, The Oscar, The Wild Angels, and Speedway. She is the daughter of singer-actor, Frank Sinatra. Her brother is singer, Frank Sinatra, Jr., and her sister is Tina Sinatra. She was married to singer, Tommy Sands.

1941–In World War II, the Allies commence the Syria-Lebanon Campaign against the possessions of Vichy France in the Levant.

1942–The Japanese imperial submarines I-21 and I-24 shell the Australian cities of Sydney and Newcastle.

1942–Chuck Negron, vocalist with Three Dog Night, is born Charles Negron in Manhattan, New York. He joined with Cory Wells and Danny Hutton to form Three Dog Night in 1968. The seven-man band was one of the most successful and popular rock groups in music history. He sang lead on the big hits One, Easy to be Hard, and Joy to the World. The rock and roll lifestyle took its toll on Negron, and by the time Three Dog Night disbanded in 1976, he had a serious heroin addiction which had begun in the early 1970s. He overcame his addiction in September 1991, and embarked on a solo career. His cousin was actor, Taylor Negron.

1943–In Auschwitz, Professor Clauberg reports a sterilization rate of 1,000 women a day, mostly Jewish women from Greece.

1944–Actor, Don Grady, is born Don Louis Agrati in San Diego, California. He is best known for the role of Robbie Douglas in the TV sitcom My Three Sons. He also appeared in the TV shows The Ann Sothern Show, Zane Grey Theater, Death Valley Days, The Rifleman, Wagon Train, Have Gun Will Travel, The Lucy Show, and Love American Style. He appeared in the films Cash McCall, Ma Barker’s Killer Brood, and The Crowded Sky.

1944–Singer-songwriter, Boz Scaggs, is born William Royce Scaggs in Canton, Ohio. He gained fame in the 1960s as a guitarist and occasional lead singer with the Steve Miller Band, and in the 1970s with several solo “Top 20” hit singles, including Lowdown and Lido Shuffle from the critically acclaimed album Silk Degrees.

1947–The series, Lassie, makes its debut on the ABC radio network.

1947–Mick Box, of Uriah Heep, is born in Walthamstow, England.

1947–Rock singer, Julie Driscoll, is born in London, England. She is best known as a member of the group Brian Auger & The Trinity. She married jazz musician, Keith Tippett.

1948–Milton Berle hosts the debut of Texaco Star Theater.

1949–Siam changes its name to Thailand.

1949–Celebrities Helen Keller, Dorothy Parker, Danny Kaye, Fredric March, John Garfield, Paul Muni, and Edward G. Robinson are named in an FBI report as Communist Party members.

1949–1984, by George Orwell, is published.

1949–Actor, Burgess Meredith, divorces actress, Paulette Goddard, after five years of marriage.

1950–Actress, Kathy Baker, is born Katherine Whitton Baker in Midland, Texas. She appeared in the films The Right Stuff, Street Smart, Permanent Record, Clean and Sober, Dad, Jacknife, Edward Scissorhands, Article 99, Jennifer Eight, Mad Dog and Glory, Lush Life, Inventing the Abbotts, The Cider House Rules, Assassination Tango, Cold Mountain, The Jane Austen Book Club, Saving Mr. Banks, and The Age of Adaline.

1950–Actress, Sônia Braga, is born Sônia Maria Campos Braga in Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. She appeared in the films Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, I Love You, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Milagro Beanfield War, Moon Over Parador, The Rookie, Empire, and Bordertown.

1951–Singer, Bonnie Tyler, is born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, West Glamorgan, Wales. Tyler is known for her distinctive husky voice, resulting from an operation to remove vocal nodules in the mid-1970s. She had big hits with It’s a Hearthache and Total Eclipse of the Heart.

1953–The Supreme Court rules that restaurants in the District of Columbia cannot refuse to serve blacks.

1953–A cluster of six tornadoes touch down in Flint, Michigan, killing 116 people, injuring 844 others, and destroying 340 homes.

1955–Tim Berners-Lee, the computer engineer credited with having envisioned the World Wide Web, is born in London, England. He made a proposal for an information management system in March 1989, and he implemented the first successful communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client and server via the Internet sometime around mid-November of that same year. Berners-Lee is the director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which oversees the Web's continued development. His parents, Mary Lee Woods and Conway Berners-Lee, worked on the first commercially-built computer, the Ferranti Mark 1.

1955–Actor, (Thomas) Griffin Dunne, is born in New York, New York. He appeared in the films The Other Side of the Mountain, Head Over Heels, An American Werewolf in London, The Fan, Cold Feet, Johnny Dangerously, After Hours, Who's That Girl?, Secret Weapon, My Girl, Once Around, Naked in New York, The Pickle, Quiz Show, Stuck on You, and Dallas Buyers Club. He is the son of writer, Dominick Dunne. His aunt is writer, Joan Didion.

1958–Comedian, Keenen Ivory Wayans, is born in New York, New York. He is an actor, producer, director, and writer, and a member of the Wayans Family of entertainers. He first came to prominence as the host and co-creator of the 1990-1994 Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color. He appeared in the films Star 80, Hollywood Shuffle, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, A Low Down Dirty Shame, Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, The Glimmer Man, Most Wanted, and Scary Movie.

1959–The USS Barbero and U.S. Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail. The rocket (or missile) would land by deploying an internal parachute upon arrival. It has been attempted by various organizations in many different countries, with varying levels of success. It has never been viewed as being a viable option for delivering mail, due to the cost of the schemes and numerous failures.

1960–Singer, Mick Hucknall, of Simply Red, is born Michael James Hucknall in Manchester, England. He is recognisable for his smooth, distinctive voice and wide vocal range, as well as his red curly hair. His biggest hit was Holding Back the Years.

1962–Nick Rhodes, of Duran Duran, is born Nicholas James Bates in Moseley, Birmingham, West Midlands, England.

1963–The American Heart Association is the first agency to campaign against cigarettes.

1965–Robert Pilatus, of Milli Vanilli, is born in Munich, Germany.

1966–An F-104 Starfighter collides with XB-70 Valkyrie prototype no. 2, destroying both planes during a photo shoot near Edwards Air Force Base. Joseph A. Walker, a NASA pilot, and Carl Cross, a U.S. Air Force test pilot, are both killed.

1966–Topeka, Kansas, is devastated by a tornado, causing $100 million in damages. Sixteen people are killed, hundreds more are injured, and thousands of homes are damaged or destroyed.

1966–Actress, Julianna (Luisa) Margulies, is born in Spring Valley, New York. She is best known for the role of Nurse Carol Hathaway on the long-running TV medical drama ER. She appeared in the films Paradise Road, A Price Above Rubies, The Man from Elysian Fields, and Snakes on a Plane.

1967–In the Six-Day War, the Israeli army enters Hebron and the Cave of the Patriarchs.

1967–A chart topper: A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum.

1967–Actor, Dan Futterman, is born Daniel Paul Futterman in Silver Springs, Maryland. He appeared in the films The Fisher King, Passed Away, The Bird Cage, Breathing Room, 1999, Urbania, and A Mighty Heart. He wrote the adapted screenplay for Capote, which garnered him an Oscar nomination.

1968–The funeral for Robert F. Kennedy's takes place at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

1968–Authorities in London, England, announce the capture of James Earl Ray, the suspected assassin of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.

1969–Jim Morrison’s film, Feast of Friends, is presented as part of the Eleventh Vancouver International Film Festival, at Queen Elizabeth Theater, Vancouver, British Columbia.

1969–Brian Jones leaves The Rolling Stones, to be replaced by Mick Taylor.

1969–The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour airs for the last time on CBS-TV.

1969–The 21st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards announces its winners. Best Dramatic Series: NET Playhouse; Best Comedy Series: Get Smart; Best Musical or Variety Series: Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In; Best Actor: Carl Betz; Best Actress: Barbara Bain; Best Comedy Actor: Don Adams; Best Comedy Actress: Hope Lange. The ceremonies are held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. The hosts are Bill Cosby and Merv Griffin.

1969–Actor, Robert Taylor, dies of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California, at age 57. He appeared in the films Magnificent Obsession, The Gorgeous Hussy, Canille, A Yank at Oxford, Waterloo Bridge, Billy the Kid, Johnny Eager, The Fighting Lady, Quo Vadis, Westward the Woman, Ivanhoe, I Love Melvin, Knights of the Round Table, Many Rivers to Cross, Saddle the Wind, Party Girl, Cattle King, and Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows.

1974–A chart topper: Band on the Run by Wings.

1977–Rapper, Kanye (Omari) West, is born in Atlanta, Georgia. West is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 21 million albums and 66 million digital downloads. He first gained prominence as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, with recognition for his work on rapper Jay-Z's The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. He is married to Kim Kardashian.

1978–The 51st National Spelling Bee: Peg McCarthy wins, spelling deification.

1979–The Source, the first computer public information service, goes online.

1981–Yoko Ono’s first album since John Lennon’s death (and her first solo LP since 1974) is released in the U.S. Season of Glass features a controversial cover, which pictures Lennon’s broken, blood stained glasses in the window of the couple’s Dakota apartment. Yoko took the photograph herself.

1982–During the Falklands War, 56 British servicemen are killed by an Argentine air attack on two landing ships, RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Sir Tristram.

1982–The 36th NBA Championship: The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 4 games to 2.

1982–Baseball pitcher, Satchel Paige, dies of a heart attack in Kansas City, Missouri, at age 75. He was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball (MLB) made him a legend in his own lifetime. As a member of the Cleveland Indians, Paige became the oldest rookie in Major League Baseball, and attracted record crowds wherever he pitched. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.

1984–Homosexuality is declared legal in the Australian state of New South Wales.

1986–The 40th NBA Championship: The Boston Celtics beat the Houston Rockets, 4 games to 2.

1987–New Zealand's Labour government establishes a national nuclear-free zone under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act.

1988–Nippon Airways announces that painting eyeballs on jet airplanes cut bird collisions by 20%.

1992–The first World Ocean Day is celebrated, coinciding with the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1995–Downed U.S. Air Force pilot, Captain Scott O'Grady, is rescued by U.S. Marines in Bosnia.

1995–Rasmus Lerdorf launches version 1.0 of the popular scripting language PHP.

1996–China conducts a nuclear test at Lop Nor.

1998–Surviving Beatles Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, along with Sting, Pete Townshend, and Sir Elton John, are among the mourners at a private service for McCartney's late wife, Linda, at St. Martins-in-the-Fields Church in London, England. The crowd sings a version of McCartney's Beatle-era classic Let It Be, and The Brodsky Quartet performs songs that McCartney penned for his wife, including The Lovely Linda and Calico Skies.

2001–Mamoru Takuma kills eight people and injures 15 others in a mass stabbing at an elementary school in the Osaka Prefecture of Japan.

2004–The first Venus transit in modern history takes place. The event received significant attention, since it was the first Venus transit after the invention of broadcast media. No human alive at the time had witnessed a previous Venus transit since that one occurred on December 6, 1882. The entire transit was visible from Europe, most of Asia, and almost all of Africa. The beginning was visible before sunset from eastern-most Asia and Australia. The end was visible after sunrise from the western-most fringe of Africa, eastern North America, and much of South America. The transit was not visible at all from western North America, southern South America, Hawaii, or New Zealand.

2006–Actor, Robert Donner, dies of cardiac arrhythmia in Sherman Oaks, California, at age 75. As a respected character actor, Donner remained actively employed in television and film his entire life, completing his last feature film shortly before his death. His TV appearances include Rawhide, I Spy, Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, Adam-12, Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Mod Squad, Columbo, Kung Fu, McCloud, Charlie’s Angels, Mork & Mindy, The Incredible Hulk, Matlock, MacGyver, and Murder, She Wrote. He appeared in the films The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Cool Hand Luke, Chisum, Rio Lobo, Mrs. Pollifax–Spy, Vanishing Point, Pickup on 101, High Plains Drifter, Bite the Bullet, The Last Hard Men, and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold.

2007–The worst storms and flooding in 30 years hit Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, resulting in the death of nine people and the grounding of a trade ship, the MV Pasha Bulker.

2008–At least 37 miners are missing after an explosion in an Ukrainian coal mine causes it to collapse.

2008–At least seven people are killed and 10 others are injured in a stabbing spree in Tokyo, Japan.

2009–Two American journalists are found guilty of illegally entering North Korea and are sentenced to 12 years of prison labor.

2010–Singer-songwriter, Crispian St. Peters, dies after a long illness at age 71. He had a big hit with The Pied Piper.

2012–Character actor, Frank Cady, dies at his home in Wilsonville, Oregon, at age 96. He is best known for the role of Sam Drucker on the sitcoms Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and The Beverly Hillbillies, becoming the only actor to play a recurring character on three shows simultaneously. He also was seen in 61 episodes The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. He appeared in the films He Walked By Night, Flamingo Road, The Asphalt Jungle, D.O.A., The Great Rupert, When Worlds Collide, The Atomic City, Rear Window, Trial, The Bad Seed, Zandy’s Bride, and Hearts of the West.

2013–Actor, Angus MacKay, dies in London, England, at age 86. He appeared in the films Darling, Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, Secret Ceremony, Revenge, The Mirror Crack’d, National Lampoon's European Vacation, and Prick Up Your Ears.

2014–At least 28 people are killed in an attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan.

2014–Yoshihito, Prince Katsura of Japan, dies of a massive heart attack at University of Tokyo Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, at age 66. About 560 dignitaries including the members of Imperial Family attended his funeral.

2015–Bankrate.com announces its list of the best U.S. cities for retirement. The are (from one to ten) Phoenix, Arizona; Arlington/Alexandria, Virginia; Prescott, Arizona; Tucson, Arizona; Des Moines, Iowa; Denver, Colorado; Austin, Texas; Cape Coral, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Franklin, Tennessee. The five worst locations are New York, New York; Little Rock, Arkansas; New Haven, Connecticut; Buffalo, New York; and Newark, New Jersey.

2015–NASA launches a giant balloon carrying a “flying saucer” that will test technologies for landing on Mars. It was the second test of the saucer-like device, called the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator. With the goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s, the space agency is now testing a more advanced, new generation of parachute technology, known as the Supersonic Ringsail Parachute.

2016–A United Nations commission of inquiry says that Eritrea should be referred to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity committed in the country, including the enslavement of between 300,000 and 400,000 people through military conscription.

2016–Governor John Kasich signs a bill legalizing medical marijuana, making Ohio the 25th state in America to approve its use.

2016–The International Tennis Federation suspends Russian star, Maria Sharapova, for two years, for failing a drug test for meldonium at the Australian Open.

2016–A truck driver rams his vehicle into a group of cyclists in Cooper Township, Michigan, killing five people. The driver is arrested shortly after while attempting to flee from the scene.

2017–At a United Nations-Oceans summit, delegates from China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, four of the top polluters of plastic into the oceans, pledge to reduce their levels of oceanic plastic pollution.

2017–Singer, Phil Collins, cancels a pair of shows at Royal Albert Hall in London, England, after slipping in a hotel bathroom and sustaining a serious head injury. The singer is hospitalized.

2017–A supermarket employee shoots and kills three fellow employees and then killed himself in a closed Weis Markets store in Eaton Township, Northeastern Pennsylvania.

2017–Actress, Glenne Headly, dies from complications from a pulmonary embolism in Santa Monica, California, at age 62. She appeared in the films Four Friends, Doctor Detroit, Fandango, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Eleni, Making Mr. Right, Nadine, Stars and Bars, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dick Tracy, Mortal Thoughts, Mr. Holland’s Opus, 2 Days in the Valley, The Joneses, and The Circle.

2018–Leaders from the Group of Seven meet in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, to discuss issues facing their countries, including trade between the United States and the European Union.

2018–The 10-megawatt IBM Summit supercomputer is unveiled at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in east Tennessee. With a reported 200 petaflops of processing power, it is expected to top the list of the world's most powerful computers at the International Supercomputing Conference.

2018–Celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain, dies of suicide by hanging in Kaysersberg-Vignoble, Haut-Rhin, France, at age 61. He was an author, travel documentarian, and television personality who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture and cuisine.

2018–Actress, Eunice Gayson, dies at age 90. She was one of the first Bond Girls, appearing the films Dr. No and From Russia with Love.

2018–Danny Kirwan, of Fleetwood Mac, dies in London, England, at age 68. During the late 1970s, Kirwan's mental health deteriorated significantly and since that time he played no further part in the music industry. During the 1980s and 1990s, he endured a period of homelessness in London.


PHOTOS TOP TO BOTTOM: Opellius Macrinus, Emperor of Rome; Edward the Confessor; Tomaso Albinoni; Louis XVII Charles, King of France; Andrew Jackson; Frank Lloyd Wright; George Sand; Robert Preston; Barbara Bush; Dana Wynter; Nancy Sinatra; Don Grady; Kathy Baker; Tim Berners-Lee; Mick Hucknall; A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procal Harum; Brian Jones; Band on the Run by Paul McCartney & Wings; Satchel Paige; World Ocean Day; the Venus transit of 2004; and The Pied Piper by Crispian St. Peters.
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