- 1493: Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico on his second
voyage.
- 1620: The Mayflower reaches Cape Cod and explores the coast.
- 1644: The first protestant ministry society in New England forms.
- 1703: The "Man in the Iron Mask," a prisoner in the Bastille prison
in Paris, died. His true identity was the cause of much intrigue
and is celebrated in the literary works of Francois Voltaire and
Alexandre Dumas.
- 1831: James Garfield, 20th U.S. president, was born.
- 1861: Julia Ward Howe committed "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
to paper.
- 1863: President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address,
calling for "government of the people, by the people and for the
people."
- 1893: The first newspaper color supplement was published in the
Sunday paper New York World.
- 1895: Frederick E. Blaisdell patented the pencil.
- 1911: New York receives first Marconi wireless transmission from
Italy.
- 1917: Indian prime minister and stateswoman Indira Gandhi was born.
- 1928: Time magazine presented its cover portrait for the first
time, with Japanese Emperor Hirohito the first subject.
- 1949: Prince Rainier was sworn in as 30th ruling Prince of Monaco.
- 1959: "Rocky And His Friends" debuted on ABC.
- 1959: Ford Motor Co. announced it was halting production of the
unpopular Edsel.
- 1965: Kellogg's Pop Tarts pastries were created.
- 1969: The U.S. Apollo 12 lunar module landed on the moon, carrying
astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean.
- 1970: Golden Gate Park Conservatory becomes a California State
Historical Landmark.
- 1976: Patty Hearst is freed on $1.5 million bail.
- 1977: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to
visit Israel.
- 1980: CBS-TV bans Calvin Kleins jean ad featuring Brooke Shields.
- 1984: Dwight Gooden, 20, of the New York Mets, became the
youngest major-league pitcher to be named Rookie of the Year in the
National League. The Mets pitcher led the majors with 276
strikeouts.
- 1985: President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev met
for the first time as they held morning and afternoon sessions at
their superpower summit in Geneva.
- 1995: A suicide bomber blasted his way into the Egyptian embassy in
Islamabad, setting off a powerful explosion that killed 16 people
and wounded more than 60.
- 1997: A 29-year-old woman in Des Moines, Iowa, gave birth to four
boys and three girls - believed to be the world's first surviving
set of septuplets.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Terry Farrell, 35, actress, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
- Jodie Foster, 36, actress/director, "Silence of the Lambs"
- Meg Ryan, 37, actress, "Sleepless in Seattle"
- Kathleen Quinlan, 44, actress, "Apollo 13"
- Ahmad Rashad, 49, sportscaster, former NFL great
- Calvin Klein, 56, fashion designer
- Ted Turner, 60, media mogul, sports team owner
- Dick Cavett, 62, talk show host
- Larry King, 65, radio talk show host
- Kerri Strug, 21 , Olympic gold medal gymnast
- Robert Beltran, 41, actor, "Star Trek: Voyager"
- Gail Devers, 32, Olympic track and field gold medalist
- Savion Glover, 25, dancer/choreographer, "Bring in 'da Noise, Bring
in 'da Funk"
- Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, 72, former U.N. ambassador
- Alan Young, 78, comedian