1993 Family and Medical Leave Act The law providing workers with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for certain family and medical emergencies goes into effect.

1974 Watergate Pres. Nixon releases transcripts of conversations showing his involvement in the Watergate break-in cover-up activities.

1957 American Bandstand with host Dick Clark debuts on ABC TV.  It was previously a local show in Philadelphia.

1936 Jesse Owens The black American track star upsets Hitler's theory of Aryan superiority by winning his third gold medal, for the 200-meter race. He went on to win a total of four.

1933 National Labor Board Established to mediate disputes regarding Pres. Roosevelt's Reemployment Agreement.

1924 Little Orphan Annie comic strip debuts, by Harold Gray.

1921 First baseball game broadcast over radio KDKA of Pittsburgh broadcasts the Pittsburgh Pirates beating the Philadelphia Phillies (8-5).

1914 First U.S. electric traffic light Cleveland, Ohio installs a light at the intersection of Euclid Ave. and East 105th St.

1864 Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead Union Admiral David Farragut makes his famous proclamation during the Civil War battle of Mobile Bay.

1861 First U.S. income tax Pres. Lincoln signs into law a 3% tax on incomes over $800, effective January 1, 1861. It was rescinded in 1872.

1858 First transatlantic telegraph cable American financier Cyrus West Field completes the laying of the cable connecting Ireland and Newfoundland. It failed September 1st.

1583 First English Colony in North America While on a search for a Northwest Passage to the Far East, English explorer Sir Humphrey Gilbert lands and establishes a colony at St. Johns, Newfoundland.

1962 Patrick Ewing Jamaican-born basketball player, 1986 NBA Rookie of the Year, led the U.S. Olympic basketball team to gold medals in 1984 and 1992.

1946 Erika Slezak American actress. TV: One Life to Live (Victoria Lord).

1945 Loni Anderson American actress. TV: WKRP in Cincinnati (Jennifer Marlowe).

1943 Sammi Smith American country singer. Music: Help Me Make It Through The Night (1971, #1, Grammy).

1935 John Saxon American actor. TV: The Bold Ones (Dr. Ted Stuart) and Falcon Crest (Tony Cumson).

1930 Neil Alden Armstrong American astronaut, first man to walk on the moon.

1914 Anita Colby d. 1992 (Anita Couniham), one of America's first super-models, known as "The Face." She was the first model to earn $100 per hour. She turned down marriage proposals from Clark Gable and James Stewart.

1906 John Huston d. 1987 American Oscar-winning, director, writer, The Maltese Falcon (1941) and African Queen (1952).

1862 John Merrick d. 1890 (Joseph Carey Merrick), The Elephant Man. In 2003, DNA testing showed that he actually suffered from Proteus Syndrome.

1850 Guy de Maupassant d. 1893 French short-story writer, novelist. Writings: Boule de suif (1880) and Pierre et Jean (1888).

1815 Edward John Eyre d. 1901 British colonial governor, explorer, governor of St. Vincent (1854-60), Antigua (1860-62), and Jamaica (1864-66), and for whom Lake Eyre in South Australia is named.

1749 Thomas Lynch d. 1779 American politician, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

1540 Joseph Justus Scaliger d. 1609 French scholar, founder of modern chronology. He created the Julian Period calendar - it starts on January 1, 4713 B.C.

2000 Sir Alec Guinness b. 1914 English Oscar-winning actor. Film: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, Oscar), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Star Wars (1977, Obi-Wan Kenobi).

1992 Jeff Porcaro b. 1954 American drummer, with the group Toto. Music: Rosanna (1982) and Africa (1982, #1). He died of an allergic reaction to pesticide after spraying his yard.

1991 Soichiro Honda b. 1906 Japanese motorcycle and automobile maker.

1984 Richard Burton b. 1925 (Richard Jenkins, Jr.), British Tony-winning actor. Film: Cleopatra (1963, Mark Antony), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). TV: Wuthering Heights (Heathcliff).

1962 Marilyn Monroe b. 1926 (Norma Jean Mortenson Baker), American actress. Film: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How To Marry a Millionaire (1953), and Some Like it Hot (1959).

1955 Carmen Miranda b. 1909 (Maria do Carmo Miranda Da Cunha), Portuguese-born Brazilian dancer, actress, the "Brazilian Bombshell," known for her fruit-bearing headgear. She was the highest-paid performer of the 40s. She also experienced a famous wardrobe malfunction that exposed her pubic area.

1929 Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett b. 1847 English feminist, leader of English women's movement.

1888 Anna Swan b. 1846 Canadian giant, 7' 5½" tall. She and her husband, Martin Van Buren Bates at 7' 4", were billed as the "The Giants of Seville."

642 Saint Oswald b. circa 604 King of Northumbria (c635-642), killed in battle against the pagan Penda.

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