1993 First black American to win the Nobel Prize in literature Toni Morrison, author of Beloved (1987, Pulitzer) and Jazz (1992), wins the prize.

1985 Achille Lauro The Italian cruise ship is hijacked by the Palestine Liberation Front, who kill wheelchair-bound Leon Klinghoffer.

1983 James Bond Never Say Never Again premiers in the U.S., 14th in the James Bond series, it starred Sean Connery as 007.

1959 First pictures of the far side of the Moon The Soviet Lunik 3 takes the pictures, which are transmitted back to Earth 11 days later.

1954 Climax The TV show debuts on CBS. Their 1954 live broadcast of Casino Royale was the first James Bond movie. It starred Barry Nelson as 007.

1949 Tokyo Rose Mrs. Iva Toguri D'Aquino is sentenced to 7-10 years for treason. She was pardoned by Pres. Ford in 1977.

1928 Prohibition Twenty-one people die in New York City from impure illegal liquor. Estimates say death from alcohol rose 600% during prohibition.

1903 Attempted flight of a plane capable of carrying a person, Prof. Langley attempts to fly his Aerodrome. It sank in the Potomac River.

1955 Yo-Yo Ma French-born Chinese-American Grammy-winning cellist.

1953 Tico Torres American drummer, with Bon Jovi. Music: Livin' on a Prayer (1986, #1) and Bad Medicine (1988, #1).

1953 Christopher Norris American actress. TV: Trapper John, M.D. (Nurse Ripples) and Santa Barbara (Laura Asher).

1951 John Cougar Mellencamp American singer. Music: Hurts So Good (1982), Jack and Diane (1982, #1), and Scarecrow (1985).

1943 Oliver North American marine and National Security Council aide. He was convicted in the Iran-Contra scandal.

1931 Desmond Tutu South African archbishop, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize.

1927 Al Martino d. 2009 (Alfred Cini), American singer, actor.  Music: Here in My Heart (1952, #1 U.S. and was also #1 on the first U.K. Singles Chart), Spanish Eyes (1965), and Volare (1975).  Film: The Godfather (1972, singer Johnny Fontane, on whose behalf the Godfather makes someone an offer they can't refuse).  He was also wounded at the WWII Battle of Iwo Jima where he witnessed the famous flag raising.

1917 June Allyson d. 2006 (Ella Geisman), American actress, typically portraying "the girl next door." Film: Best Foot Forward (1943), Two Girls and a Sailor, and The Glenn Miller Story.

1912 Vaughn Monroe d. 1973 (Wilton Monroe), American singer, bandleader. Music: Racing With the Moon and Ghost Riders in the Sky (1949).

1888 Henry Agard Wallace d. 1965 33rd U.S. Vice-President (1941-45).

1885 Niels Bohr d. 1962 Danish Nobel-winning physicist, "The father of atomic energy," developed the quantum theory of atomic structure (1913).

1849 James Whitcomb Riley d. 1916 American author, The Hoosier Poet, wrote the poem Little Orphan Annie.

1832 Charles Crozat Converse d. 1918 American lawyer, composer. He composed tune and words to God For Us and the tune to What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church

1748 Charles XIII d. 1818 King of Sweden (1809-18) and Norway (1814-18).

1728 Caesar Rodney d. 1784 American patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

1993 Cyril Cusack b. 1910 Irish actor. Film: The Day of the Jackal, The Taming of the Shrew, and My Left Foot. He was considered Ireland's finest actor.

1993 Agnes De Mille b. 1905 American Tony-winning choreographer, Oklahoma! (1943), Brigadoon (1947, Tony), and Kwamina (1962, Tony).

1992 Ed Blackwell b. 1929 American jazz drummer.

1956 Clarence Frank Birdseye b. 1886 American inventor. He created a way of deep-freezing foods, and co-founded General Foods Corp.

1931 Daniel Chester French b. 1850 American artist. He built the statue of Abraham Lincoln which is in the Lincoln Memorial Building and the famous statue of The Minute Man (1794).

1849 Edgar Allen Poe b. 1809 American poet, horror story writer. He created the literary genre of the detective story with The Murders of the Rue Morgue (1841). Writings: The Raven (1845).

1787 Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg b. 1711 American religious leader, founder of the U.S. Lutheran Church (1748). Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church

336 Saint Marcus b. ???? Italian religious leader, 34th Pope (336).

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