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1705

Other

Queen Anne of England knighted Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge.

1789

Politics

President-elect George Washington left Mount Vernon, Virginia, for New York for his inauguration.

1862

Politics

A bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia became law.

1869

Sports

Golf’s first recorded hole-in-one was scored by Tom Morris at Prestwick’s 8th hole in Scotland.

1912

Other

American aviator Harriet Quimbly became the first woman to fly across the English Channel, going from Dover, England, to nearby Calais, France, in 59 minutes.

1917

Politics

Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia after years of exile.

1940

Sports

Major League Baseball’s first opening day no-hitter took place as Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians defeated the Chicago White Sox, 1-0, at Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

1945

War

A Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea torpedoed and sank the MV Goya, which Germany was using to transport civilian refugees and wounded soldiers; it’s estimated that up to 7,000 died.

1947

War

Financier Bernard Baruch coined the term “cold war” in a speech in South Carolina.

1963

Civil Rights

Martin Luther King wrote his famous letter from the Birmingham Jail, also known as The Negro is Your Brother. The letter defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism.

1972

War

Facing heavy ground losses, American forces resumed the bombing of North Vietnam.

73

War

Masada, a Jewish fortress, fell to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the Jewish Revolt.

1867

Birthday

Wilbur Wright (Invented the airplane along with his brother Orville)

1889

Birthday

Charlie Chaplin (Actor, director)

1921

Birthday

Peter Ustinov (Actor, Director, Author)

1924

Birthday

Henry Mancini (Composer)

1927

Birthday

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

1928

Birthday

Dick “Night Train” Lane (Football player)

1939

Birthday

Dusty Springfield (Singer)

1944

Birthday

Bob Montgomery (Last Major League Baseball player to bat without a helmet)

1947

Birthday

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Basketball player)

1952

Birthday

Bill Belichick (New England Patriots coach)