- 1674: The Dutch gave New Amsterdam to the British, who renamed it
New York.
- 1775: The Continental Congress organized the Marine Corps.
- 1871: Explorer Henry Stanley found Scottish missionary David
Livingstone in Africa, greeting him with the famous, "Dr.
Livingstone, I presume?"
- 1885: Gottlieb Daimler's motorcycle, the world's first, was
unveiled.
- 1908: The first Gideon Bible was put in a hotel room.
- 1911: The Carnegie Corp. was established for scholarly and
charitable works.
- 1917: The new Russian government suspended freedom of the press.
- 1919: The American Legion held its first convention.
- 1928: Hirohito ascended the throne as Emperor of Japan.
- 1951: Telephone service began that included direct-dial and
coast-to-coast calling.
- 1954: The Iwo Jima Memorial was dedicated.
- 1975: The U.N. General Assembly approved a measure that said
Zionism was equivalent to racism.
- 1982: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was opened.
- 1983: The federal government shut down.
- 1989: One day after East Germany opened its border, workers began
demolishing the Berlin Wall.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Vanessa Angel, 35, actress, "Baywatch"
- Gene Conley, 68, MLB player, NBA player, played for World Series
and NBA champions
- Billy May, 82, bandleader/composer/arranger, "Batman"
- Mackenzie Phillips, 39, actress
- Mike Powell, 35, long jumper, broke Bob Beamon's 23-year record by
2 inches, Olympic silver medals '88, '92
- Tim Rice, 54, lyricist/librettist, Andrew Lloyd Webber's partner,
"One Night In Bangkok"
- Sinbad, 42, actor