1789 – Benjamin Franklin writes “Nothing . . . certain but death & taxes”
1918 – Egyptian patriot Saad Zaghloul formed Al-Wafd al-Miṣrī (Arabic: “Egyptian Delegation”), the nationalist political party that was instrumental in gaining Egyptian independence from Britain.
1933 – 1st modern sit-down strike by Hormel meat packers in Austin, Minnesota
1956 – US Supreme court rules race separation on buses in Alabama unconstitutional
1980 – US spacecraft Voyager 1 sends back 1st close-up pictures of Saturn
1982 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial opens in Washington, D.C., featuring the names of over 58,000 US soldiers killed or missing in the Vietnam War
1985 – Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupts in Colombia, killing 25,000 in the town of Armero
1994 – Sweden agrees to join European Union
2001 – On the heels of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan prompted by the deadly terrorist attacks of September 11, the army of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance captured the capital city of Kabul.
2007 – An explosion hits the south wing of the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Quezon City, killing four people, including Congressman Wahab Akbar, and wounding six
2015 – terrorists staged coordinated attacks in Paris and its environs, the deadliest occurring at the Bataclan theatre and concert hall; in all, at least 130 people were killed and more than 350 were wounded.
2018 – Trial of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán begins in New York
2019 – Rediscovered painting “Lucretia” by female baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi sells for $4.1 million at auction in Paris
2019 – First day of public testimony in Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry held in Washington, D.C.
2019 – Venice hit by the worst floods in 50 years, due to a very high tide with waves in St Mark’s square, killing one resident
2020 – Singer Harry Styles becomes the first-ever solo male cover star for US Vogue
Film & TV:
1940 – “Fantasia” animated film by Walt Disney, starring Leopold Stokowski and Deems Taylor, is released
1999 – “Toy Story 2”, directed by John Lasseter, starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, premieres in the US
Music:
2000 – The Beatles release their compilation album “1” (2001 Billboard Album of the Year)
2002 – Eminem releases single ‘Lose Yourself’ from soundtrack of “8 Mile”, 1st rap song to win Academy Award Best Original Song
Sport:
1982 – WBA lightweight champion Ray Mancini beats South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim by TKO in 14th round in Las Vegas; Kim collapses, falls into a coma and dies 4 days later; as a result, WBC shortens title bouts to 12 rounds; WBA & WBO follow in 1988, and IBF in 1989
Via Britannica / On This Day
