1190 – Third Crusade: Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowns while crossing the Saleph River (modern Turkey) leading an army to Jerusalem
1786 – A landslide dam on the Dadu River caused by earthquake ten days earlier collapses, killing 100,000 in the Sichuan province of China
1865 – Tristan und Isolde, the earliest example of what Richard Wagner called “music drama,” was first performed this day in 1865 in Munich, Germany, and became the greatest German opera of the late 19th century.
1868 – Serbian Prince Michael III was assassinated, derailing the Balkan League’s plans for a coordinated rebellion against the Ottomans and destroying the league.
1898 – US Marines land in Cuba during Spanish-American War
1940 – Italy, under the rule of Benito Mussolini, declared war against France and Great Britain, entering World War II.
1963 – US Equal Pay Act signed into law by President John F. Kennedy
1977 – Apple Computer ships its first Apple II computers
2003 – The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission
Births & Deaths: 1922 – Judy Garland, an American singer and actress best remembered for her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939), was born.
Sport: 1977 – Al Geiberger becomes the 1st player in history to post a score of 59 (−13) in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, during the 2nd round Danny Thomas Memphis Classic at Colonial CC in Cordova, Tennessee
Music: 1865 – Richard Wagner’s opera “Tristan und Isolde” premieres in Munich, Germany
TV & Film: 2007 – “The Sopranos” series finale on HBO (infamous “cut to black” ending)
