1789 – William Wilberforce makes his first major speech on abolition in the UK House of Commons, reasoning the slave trade morally reprehensible and an issue of natural justice
1940 – Nazi blitzkrieg and conquest of France begins with the crossing of the Muese River
1943 – Axis forces in North Africa surrender
1961 – Russian Mikhail Botvinnik wins world chess championship for 3rd time
1984 – South African prisoner Nelson Mandela sees his wife for 1st time in 22 years
1989 – Last graffiti covered NYC subway car retired
1999 – Sir David Steel becomes the first Presiding Officer (speaker) of the modern Scottish Parliament.
2002 – Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro becoming first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.
2008 – Wenchuan earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 87,000, injuring 374,643 and leaving homeless between 4.8 million and 11 million people
2013 – Pope Francis canonizes the 813 martyrs of Otranto as Saints
2019 – Gunman kill five people and a priest in a Catholic church in Dablo, Burkina Faso, before setting fire to and looting nearby buildings
2020 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces a $260 million economic rescue package, worth 10% of GDP
Film & TV:
1994 – “Pulp Fiction”, directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson premieres at the Cannes Film Festival (Palme d’Or 1994)
Music:
1967 – “Are You Experienced” album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience first released – one of the most influential debut albums ever
1972 – Paul McCartney & Wings release “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Sport:
1875 – 1st recorded shutout in pro baseball, Chicago 1, St Louis 0
