1626 – Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders worth of goods, believed to have been Canarsee Indians of the Lenape
1840 – World’s first adhesive postage stamp, the “Penny Black”, is first used in Great Britain
1889 – Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch
1937 – German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and 1 on the ground
1941 – Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, replacing his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov
1942 – The American garrison on Corregidor Island, under the command of General Jonathan M. Wainwright, surrendered to Japanese invaders after a 27-day standoff during World War II.
1954 – Roger Bannister of the UK becomes the 1st person to run a 4 minute mile, recording 3:59:4 at Iffley Road, Oxford
Births & Deaths: 1953 – Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, known for The Good Friday Agreement and Devolution, was born.
Sport: 1954 – Roger Bannister of Britain became the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes.
Music: 1966 – The Rolling Stones release “Paint it Black” in the US
TV & Film: 2004 – TV sitcom “Friends” airs season finale in 10th and final season in US (52.5 million viewers)
