890 – The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was organized.
1899 – The South African (Boer) War began between Great Britain and the two Boer (Afrikaner) republics—the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State.
1138 – Earthquake in Aleppo, Syria, kills an estimated 230,000
1634 – Burchardi flood – “the second Grote Mandrenke” kills about 15,000 in North Friesland, Denmark and Germany
1737 – Earthquake kills 300,000 and destroys half of Calcutta, India
1797 – Battle of Camperdown (Kamperduin): British navy defeats Dutch fleet
1945 – Chinese civil war begins between Kuomintang government led by Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong’s Communist Party
1962 – Second Vatican Council (21st ecumenical) convened by Pope John XXIII
1969 – Blues artist Muddy Waters involved in a car crash that kills 3
1974 – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was established by President Gerald R. Ford to oversee the civilian use of nuclear materials in the United States.
1984 – American astronaut Kathryn Sullivan became the first woman to walk in space.
1986 – Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev open talks at a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland
2000 – In a ceremony in London, the International Women of the Year Association awarded the title Greatest Woman Achiever of the Century to Russian cosmonaut Valentina V. Tereshkova, the first woman in space.
2016 – South Korean firm Samsung announces it will permanently stop production of Note 7 phones after complaints devices caught fire
2018 – Russian Soyuz spacecraft makes emergency landing when rocket fails two minutes after liftoff, with American astronaut and Russian cosmonaut aboard
2019 – Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed for peace deal with Eritrea
Film & TV:
1944 – The film noir classic Laura, starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews, premiered in New York City.
1975 – “Saturday Night Live” created by Lorne Michaels premieres on NBC with George Carlin as host
Music:
1983 – “Can’t Slow Down” 2nd studio album by Lionel Richie is released
Sport:
2000 – South African Cricket Board issues former captain Hansie Cronje with a life ban as a result of match-fixing allegations
