1184 BC – Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned, according to calculations by Eratosthenes
631 – Emperor Taizong of Tang of China, sends envoys to the Xueyantuo bearing gold and silk for the release of Chinese prisoners captured during transition from Sui to Tang from northern frontier; succeeds in freeing 80,000
1776 – Continental Congress creates committee to draft a Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston as members
1963 – US President JFK says segregation is morally wrong and that it is “time to act”
1987 – Margaret Thatcher is 1st British Prime Minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term
1990 – UN appoints Olivia Newton-John environmental ambassador
2004 – Ronald Reagan’s funeral is held at Washington National Cathedral.
2014 – Islamic State of Iraq forces seize control of government offices and other important buildings in the northern city of Mosul
2019 – Comedian Jon Stewart delivers angry rebuke to Congress for the lack of funds for 9/11 victims
2019 – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces plan to ban single-use plastics by 2021
2020 – Pan-American Health Organisation warns pandemic spreading “exponentially” in many areas of the region, home to nearly half of all cases worldwide
Film & TV:
1993 – “Jurassic Park”, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum opens, sets box office weekend record of $502 million
2002 – “American Idol” created by Simon Fuller with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson premieres on Fox
Music:
2019 – “The New York Times” reveals an estimated 500,000 song titles, including masters of Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, lost in 2008 warehouse fire on Universal backlot in Los Angeles
Sport:
2017 – French Open Men’s Tennis: Spaniard Rafael Nadal beats Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 6–2, 6–3, 6–1; becomes first man to win French title 10 times
Via Britannica / On This Day
