1989 A Soviet nuclear powered submarine carrying nuclear torpedoes catches fire and sinks about 150 miles north of Norway. Forty-two crew members were killed.

1980 Iranian Hostage Crisis The U.S. breaks off diplomatic relations and imposes an embargo on exports to Iran in retaliation for the 63 Americans hostages taken from the U.S. Embassy in Teheran the previous November.

1959 Game-show contestant hospitalized A contestant is burned after a stunt backfires on the TV show County Fair, hosted by Bert Parks.

1927 First U.S. demonstration of television Bell Laboratories broadcasts a picture from Washington D.C. to New York.

1838 Telegraph Samuel F.B. Morse files telegraph patent.

1827 Matches The first matches go on sale, invented by English chemist John Walker.

1951 Janis Ian (Janis Fink), American Grammy-winning singer. Music: Society's Child (1967) and At Seventeen (1975, Grammy).

1948 John Oats singer.

1943 Mick Abrahams British guitarist, with Jethro Tull. Music: Aqualung (1971) and Thick as a Brick (1972).

1939 Francis Ford Coppola American director. Film: The Godfather (1972), Apocalypse Now (1979), and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986).

1939 David Frost English author, TV personality.

1933 Wayne Rogers American actor. TV: M*A*S*H (Trapper John).

1928 James Garner (James Baumgarner), American actor. TV: Maverick (Bret Maverick) and The Rockford Files (Jimbo).

1918 Ronald Howard English actor. TV: Sherlock Holmes (title role).

1915 Billie Holiday d. 1959 (Eleanora Fagan McKay), American blues singer, performed with Benny Goodman and Count Basie.

1905 Mickey Goldmill d. 1981 character in the Rocky movies (Rocky Balboa's manager, as played by Burgess Meredith).

1897 Walter Winchell d. 1972 American journalist. He coined the phrase "America, Love it or leave it" (1940), and narrated the TV series The Untouchables.

1860 Will Keith Kellogg d. 1951 American breakfast-cereal manufacturer, philanthropist, founded the W.K. Kellogg Company (1906) to sell toasted corn flakes.

1847 Bret Maverick character on the TV series Maverick, played by James Garner.

1786 William Rufus King d. 1853 13th U.S. Vice-President (1853).  He took oath of office in Cuba.

1652 Clement XII d. 1740 Italian religious leader, 246th Pope (1730-40). Condemned the Freemasons (1738).

2007 Johnny Hart b. 1931 (John Lewis Hart), American cartoonist, creator of B.C. (1958) and The Wizard of Id (1963).

2002 John Agar b. 1921 American actor, first husband of Shirley Temple. Film: Sands of Iwo Jima, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.  B Movies: The Mole People and The Brain from Planet Arous.

1947 Henry Ford b. 1863 American auto maker. He introduced the assembly line and the $5-a-day wage to automobile production.

1891 Phineas Taylor Barnum b. 1810 "The Great American Showman," of Barnum and Bailey's Circus.

1498 Charles VIII b. 1470 King of France (1483-98).

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