Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul Day of solemnity, commemorating the martyrdoms of Peter by execution and Paul by beheading.

1979 James Bond Moonraker premiers in the U.S., 11th in the James Bond series, it starred Roger Moore as 007.

1973 Federal Energy Office is established. It was created in response to the Arab oil embargo.

1972 Death penalty The U.S. Supreme Court bans the death penalty, declaring it cruel and unusual punishment and therefore in violation of the 8th Amendment. This was overruled in 1976.

1966 Vietnam War The U.S. begins bombing the North Vietnam cities of Hanoi and Haiphong for the first time.

1965 Vietnam War First major U.S. ground offensive of the war begins when 3,000 troops attack 20 miles northeast of Saigon.

1962 First U.S. pay TV program Sunrise at Campobello, starring Ralph Bellamy, is broadcast.

1961 First nuclear powered satellite The U.S. launches Transit IV-A. It used a 4.7-pound plutonium-238 power source.

1956 Marilyn Monroe marries American playwright Arthur Miller.

1956 Highway Act signed, authorizing $33 billion for the construction of the U.S. interstate highway system.

1949 U.S. withdraws its last troops from Korea They had been there since World War II.

1833 First patent for a revolver is issued, to David Colburn of New York, although the first revolver had been built by John Gill of North Carolina in 1829.

1767 Townshend Revenue Act is passed by the English Parliament, taxing tea and other imports.

1973 George Hincapie (George Hincapié Garcés), American bicycle racer.  U.S. National Road Race Champion (1998, 2006, 2009).  He assisted Lance Armstrong in all seven of his Tour de France (TDF) victories and was a teammate of Alberto Contador for his 2007 TDF victory, making him one of only two riders to have raced on eight TDF-winning teams.

1948 Fred Grandy American actor, politician. TV: The Love Boat (Gopher), U.S. Congressman (Iowa, 1987-95), and President and CEO of Goodwill Industries (1995-2000).

1944 Gary Busey American actor. Film: The Buddy Holly Story (1978) and Carny (1980).

1924 Dr. Roy Walford d. 2004 American physician.  He pioneered the calorie-restricted diet for increasing lifespan.  He discovered that when mice were fed a nutrient-rich calorie-restricted diet, they doubled their lifespan.  He believed that if this were applied to humans they could live to be 120 years old.  He also lived in Biosphere 2 (1991-93), where he served as the crew's physician.  He died of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) at age 79.  Writings: Beyond the 120-year Diet.

1919 Slim Pickens d. 1983 (Louis Burton Lindley, Jr.), American actor, Hall of Fame rodeo clown.  Film: Dr. Strangelove (1964, B-52 pilot who rides the bomb to doom), Blazing Saddles (1974), and The Howling (1981).

1915 Ruth Warrick d. 2005 American Emmy-winning actress.  She declined a lifetime achievement award from the South Carolina Arts Commission because she was offended by the legislators' decision to fly the Confederate flag on the state Capitol grounds.  Film: Citizen Kane (1941, Kane's first wife). TV: All My Children (Phoebe Tyler).

1912 Émile Peynaud d. 2004 French winemaker, called "the forefather of modern winemaking." While controversial and anti-traditional, his methods generally produced superior wines.

1865 Shigechiyo Izumi d. 1986 Japanese centenarian.  At the time of his death he was the world's oldest person, 120 years 237 days. Source: Guinness Book of World Records

1861 William James Mayo d. 1939 American surgeon. He and his brother, Charles Horace Mayo, co-founded the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (1915).

1858 George Washington Goethals d. 1928 American engineer. He built the Panama Canal (1914) and was the first governor of the Canal Zone (1914-16).

1844 Peter I d. 1921 King of Serbia (1903-21).

1397 John II d. 1479 King of Aragon (1458-79) and Navarre (1425-79).

2003 Katharine Hepburn b. 1907 American Oscar-Emmy-winning actress. Film: Morning Glory (1933, Oscar), Bringing Up Baby (1938), The African Queen (1951), and On Golden Pond (1981, Oscar). She teamed with Spencer Tracy for numerous films.

2002 Rosemary Clooney b. 1928 American singer, actress. The 1978 TV movie Escape From Madness dramatized her confinement in a California mental hospital.

1995 Lana Turner b. 1920 (Julia Turner), American actress. Film: The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and Peyton Place (1957).  In 1958, her gangster boyfriend was fatally stabbed by Turner's daughter.

1993 Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno b. circa 1914 Italian-born American mob boss. In 1977, while he was head of the Los Angeles crime family, he became a government witness against the mob. His testimony contributed to the conviction of 26 mob members. He was the subject of the books The Last Mafioso and Vengeance is Mine.

1990 Irving Wallace b. 1916 American novelist. His books have sold over 120,000,000 copies.

1978 Bob Crane b. 1928 American actor. TV: Hogan's Heroes (Col. Robert Hogan).

1967 Jayne Mansfield b. 1933 (Vera Jayne Palmer), American actress, sex-symbol. Film: Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter (1955).

1941 Ignacy Paderewski b. 1860 Polish pianist, composer, statesman. He was the first prime minister (1919-20) of the newly independent Poland, although he resigned after ten months to resume his concert career.

1933 Fatty Arbuckle b. 1887 (Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle), American actor, director.  He was involved in what is considered the First Hollywood Celebrity Scandal.  During a three-day party, a young starlet became ill and died a few days later.  Arbuckle was tried for manslaughter, and although eventually acquitted, he and his films were blacklisted.  See Scandal.

1882 Joseph Aloysius Hansom b. 1803 English inventor. His taxi cab (1834) featured a suspended axle and seated the driver above and behind the passengers. It quickly became a favorite in England.

1861 Elizabeth Barrett Browning b. 1806 English poet.  She's famous for the line, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

1852 Henry Clay b. 1777 American statesman, "The Great Compromiser."

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