30 BC – Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, commits suicide, allegedly by means of an asp bite.
1323 – Signature of the Treaty of Nöteborg between Sweden and Novgorod (Russia), that regulates the border between the two countries for the first time.
1624 – The president of Louis XIII of France’s royal council is arrested, leaving Cardinal Richelieu in the role of the King’s principal minister.
1676 – Praying Indian John Alderman shoots and kills Metacomet, the Wampanoag war chief, ending King Philip’s War.
1757 - ALF, alien life form (ALF) Born?
1762 – George IV of the United Kingdom (d. 1830) was birthed.
1827 – William Blake, English poet/painter, dies at 69
1851 – Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his sewing machine.
1856 – Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1917) was born.
1860 – Klara Hitler, Austrian mother of Adolf Hitler (d. 1907) was born.
1861 – Eliphalet Remington, American inventor and businessman, founded Remington Arms (b. 1793) died.
1883 – The last quagga dies at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
1898 – The Hawaiian flag is lowered from ʻIolani Palace in an elaborate annexation ceremony and replaced with the flag of the United States to signify the transfer of sovereignty from the Republic of Hawaii to the United States.
1914 – World War I: The United Kingdom declares war on Austria-Hungary; the countries of the British Empire follow suit.
1914 – World War I: The United Kingdom declares war on Austria-Hungary; the countries of the British Empire follow suit.
1929 – Buck Owens, [Alvis Edgar], Sherman Texas, country singer (Hee Haw) Born
1930 – George Soros, Hungarian-American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Soros Fund Management Birthed
1930 – In Chicago, Al Capone’s liquor business and headquarters was to be stormed by police on orders from Judge H. Lyle. Also, one of Capone’s king pins, Jack Zuta was gunned down by the law in Wisconsin at a summer resort.
1944 – Waffen-SS troops massacre 560 people in Sant’Anna di Stazzema.
1944 – Nazi German troops end the week-long Wola massacre, during which time at least 40,000 people were killed indiscriminately or in mass executions.
1944 – Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., brother of President John F. Kennedy (b. 1915)Dies in WW2
1949 – Mark Knopfler, Scottish-English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Dire Straits and The Notting Hillbillies) was born.
1950 – Korean War: Bloody Gulch massacre—American POWs are massacred by North Korean Army.
1952 – The Night of the Murdered Poets: Thirteen prominent Jewish intellectuals are murdered in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union.
1953 – Nuclear weapons testing: The Soviet atomic bomb project continues with the detonation of Joe 4, the first Soviet thermonuclear weapon.
1954 – Pat Metheny, jazz guitarist (As Wichita Falls)Born
1955 – Thomas Mann, German writer (Dr Faustus, Nobel 1929), dies at 80
1955 – The minimum hourly wage is raised in the United States from 75 cents per hour to $1.00 per hour ( for a 40 hr week this would provide about $2,000 PER YEAR )
1958 – Art Kane photographs 57 notable jazz musicians in the black and white group portrait “A Great Day in Harlem” in front of a Brownstone in New York City.
1960 – Echo 1A, NASA’s first successful communications satellite, is launched.
1961 – Roy Hay, English guitarist, keyboard player, and composer (Culture Club) was born.
1963 – Sir Mix-a-Lot, American rapper, producer, and actor was born.
1964 – South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games due to the country’s racist policies.
1964 – Ian L Fleming, British journalist/writer (James Bond), dies at 56
1964 – Charlie Wilson, one of the Great Train Robbers, escapes from Winson Green Prison in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom.
1969 – Violence erupts after the Apprentice Boys of Derry march in Derry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom resulting in a three-day communal riot known as the Battle of the Bogside.
1973 – Richard Reid, English terrorist, attempted the 2001 shoe bomb plot was born.
1975 – Casey Affleck, American actor Born
1976 – Antoine Walker, NBA forward (Boston Celtics) Born
1976 – Mikko Lindström, Finnish guitarist (HIM and WhoCares) was born.
1976 – Between 1,000 and 3,500 Palestinians are killed in the Tel al-Zaatar massacre, one of the bloodiest events of the Lebanese Civil War
1976 – Four young people were looking to turn a profit at the Republican National Convention in Kansas city. They spent $1,904 for 1,500 cans of “political hot air”. The cans were patriotic red, white, and blue, with a picture of Washington on them. The labels read, “Hold hot air six inches away from scandal and spray for two seconds. Hot air will immediately begin a cover-up and will also mask any unpleasant stink. If an irritation develops, discontinue use and consult your lawyer.” The joke cans were selling for $2.00 each.
1977 – The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise.
1978 – The Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and the People’s Republic of China is signed.
1980 – Dominique Swain, American actress Born
1981 – IBM released its first PC, or personal computer, the IBM 5150 which sold for around $1,600 as a basic config but to get a fully working PC with with 64 kb of RAM and a single 5 1/4 inch floppy drive and monitor cost $3,005.
1982 – Mexico announces it is unable to pay its enormous external debt, marking the beginning of a debt crisis that spreads to all of Latin America and the Third World. (Globalization!)
1982 – Henry Fonda, actor (On Golden Pond), dies of heart disease at 77
1982 – Joe Tex, rocker, dies at 49
1992 – Canada, Mexico and the United States announce completion of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
1992 – John Cage, avante-garde composer, dies of a stroke at 79
2000 – The Oscar class submarine K-141 Kursk of the Russian Navy explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise.
2007 – Merv Griffin, American actor, singer, and producer, created Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune (b. 1925) died.
2009 – Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss) American musician and inventor Dies at age 94
2010 – Richie Hayward, American musician (Little Feat) (b. 1946)Dies