EVENTS
- 1842 – Anesthesia is used for the first time in an operation.
- 1856 – The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Crimean War.
- 1858 – Hyman Lipman patents a pencil with an attached eraser.
- 1867 – Alaska is purchased for $7.2M (Sewards Folly).
- 1964 – Jeopardy! Game shows airs for the first time on TV
- 1976 – Thousands of Palestinians protest against Israel’s massive land expropriation. In the event, which is annually commemorated on Land Day, 6 protesters were killed and scores injured by Israeli police.
- 1981 – President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John Hinckley, Jr.
- 1993 – In the comic strip Peanuts, Charlie Brown hits his first ever game-winning home run.
BIRTHDAYS
- 1432 – Mehmed II (Ottoman Sultan)
- 1746 – Francisco Goya (Painter)
- 1750 – John Stafford Smith (Composer of the tune to the Star Spangled Banner)
- 1853 – Vincent Van Gogh (Dutch artist)
- 1945 – Eric Clapton (Singer and guitarist)
- 1962 – MC Hammer (Rapper)
- 1968 – Celine Dion (Singer)
- 1979 – Norah Jones (Singer)
DEATHS
- 1912 – Karl May (German author)
- 1925 – Rudolf Steiner (Austrian philosopher, educator)
- 1984 – Karl Rahner (German theologian)
- 1986 – James Cagney (American actor)
- 2002 – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother