211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies, leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta. 960 - Coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of the Song, initiating three centuries of Song Dynasty dominance in southern China. 1789 - 1st US electoral college chooses George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice-President. 1859 - One of the oldest known copies of the Bible, “The Codex Sinaiticus” (Sinai Bible), is seen in Egypt by Constantin von Tischendorf who takes the manuscript home with him 1865 - Robert E. Lee is named general-in-chief of Confederate forces. 1948 – Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) gained independence from Great Britain. 1969 - The Palestine National Congress appoints Yasser Arafat chairman of the PLO. 1988 - Panamanian General Manuel Noriega indicted by US federal grand jury for drug trafficking and racketeering. 2003 –Yugoslavia officially changed its name to Serbia and Montenegro. 2004 - Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from his Harvard dormitory room. 2012 – British servicewoman Florence Green, the last surviving veteran of World War I, died at age 110.
Births & Deaths: 1913 – African American civil rights activist Rosa Parks, whose refusal to relinquish her seat on a public bus to a white man played a key role in the civil rights movement, was born.
Film: 1970 -“Patton” directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring George C. Scott premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1971).
Music: 1977 - “Rumours” 11th studio album by Fleetwood Mac is released (Grammy Album of the Year).
