1989 The most violent quasar outburst ever observed, in two minutes its energy output increased by an amount equal to the total energy released by the Sun in 340,000 years.

1986 Iran-Contra Affair Pres. Reagan confirms that arms had been shipped to Iran. He defended his administration's actions by claiming that less than a planeload had been shipped.

1974 Silkwood Karen Silkwood dies in a suspicious car crash.  She had been investigating irregularities at her employer's Kerr-McGee nuclear fuels plant. Many suspect foul play and that a folder containing her evidence was removed from the crash.  The film Silkwood is based on her experiences.

1974 Amityville Horror 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo murders his parents, two brothers, and two sisters in their home at 112 Ocean Avenue.  George and Kathleen Lutz purchased the house the following year.  Their paranormal experiences in the house were the basis for The Amityville Horror.

1971 First man-made object to orbit another planet Mariner 9 orbits Mars.

1967 First black mayor of a major U.S. city Carl Stokes is sworn in as mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.

1967 Hair The musical opens at the Public Theater in New York.

1956 Civil Rights Segregation on interstate buses is ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

1946 First successful seeding of clouds to make snow Dry-ice pellets are dropped from a plane at 14,000 feet over Massachusetts. The snow fell about 3,000 feet before evaporating.

1943 USS William D. Porter   The USS Iowa, with Pres. Roosevelt aboard, believes they are under attack when the Porter accidentally drops a depth charge near the Iowa.  The following day, the Iowa narrowly avoids a torpedo accidentally launched by the Porter.

1942 World War II - Battle of Guadalcanal The first U.S. offensive during the war. It marked the turning point in the war for the U.S. forces.

1938 First American Saint Mother Frances Xavier Cabrina (1850-1917), founder of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, is beatified by the Roman Catholic Church. She became a Saint in 1946 and was named the Patron Saint of Emigrants.

1927 First U.S. underground automobile tunnel The Holland Tunnel opens, connecting New York and New Jersey.

1907 First helicopter flight A French aviator achieves a height of six feet for 20 seconds.

1897 First successful all-metal dirigible flight Its Hungarian inventor David Schwarz takes off from Berlin. Using a 16-hp engine, he managed to travel several miles before a gas leak caused it to crash.

1875 First football game with uniforms Yale, wearing dark pants, blue shirts, and yellows hats beats Harvard who wore crimson shirts, pants, and stockings (4-0).

1749 First American University William Penn Academy in Philadelphia is established. It also housed the first American medical school (1765) and became the University of Pennsylvania (1779).

1959 Tracy Scoggins American actress. TV: The Colbys (Monica Colby) and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (gossip columnist "Cat" Grant).

1955 Whoopi Goldberg American Oscar-winning actress. Film: The Color Purple (1985) and Ghost (1990).

1947 Joe Mantegna American actor. Broadway: Glengarry Glen Ross (Tony). Film: House of Games (1987).

1947 Greg Evans American cartoonist, creator of Luann (1985).

1941 Dack Rambo d. 1994 (Norman Rambeau), American actor. TV: All My Children (Steve Jacobi) and Dallas (Jack Ewing).

1934 Gary Marshall American director, producer, writer. TV: Dick Van Dyke Show, Happy Days, and Laverne & Shirley.

1932 Richard Mulligan American actor. TV: Soap (Bert Campbell) and Empty Nest (Dr. Weston).

1922 Madeleine Sherwood (Madeleine Thornton), Canadian actress. TV: The Flying Nun (Mother Superior).

1916 Emmett Littleton Ashford d. 1980 American baseball umpire. He was the first black major-league umpire (1965, American League). Source: Famous First Facts

1906 Hermione Baddeley d. 1986 British actress. Film: Room at the Top (1959) and Mary Poppins (1964, the housekeeper). TV: Maude (Mrs. Naugatuck) and Upstairs Downstairs (Mrs. Bridges the cook).

1856 Louis Dembitz Brandeis d. 1941 American jurist. He was the first Jewish U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1916-39).

1850 Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson d. 1894 British author. Writings: New Arabian Nights (1882), Treasure Island (1883) and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886).

1848 Albert I d. 1922 Prince of Monaco, oceanographer.

1833 Edwin Thomas Booth d. 1893 American Shakespearean actor, and older brother of Pres. Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth.

1814 "Fighting Joe" Hooker d. 1879 American Civil War general (Union). His proclivity for overnight female "guests" caused his name to be entered into the English language.

1312 Edward III d. 1377 King of England (1327-77). His reign was marked by numerous successful military ventures.

354 Saint Augustine d. 430 North African Christian philosopher, bishop of Hippo (396-430).

1974 Karen Silkwood b. 1946 American labor union activist. She died in a car crash while investigating irregularities at her employer's Kerr-McGee nuclear fuels plant. Many suspect foul play and that a folder containing her evidence was removed from the crash.  Her estate was awarded $10.5 million in a negligence suit against Kerr-McGee Corp. for radiation contamination.  They eventually settled for $1.38 million.  The film Silkwood is based on her experiences.

1973 Elsa Schiaparelli b. 1890 Italian-born French fashion designer. She was the first major designer to include zippers in their creations (1931) and was the inventor of "shocking pink."

1953 Herbert Eugene Ives b. 1882 American inventor of long-distance television transmission (1927). He transmitted live images of Commerce Secretary Hoover from Washington D.C. to New York over long distance wires.

1883 James Marion Sims b. 1813 American physician, gynecologist. He invented the silver suture.

1868 Gioacchino Antonio Rossini b. 1792 Italian operatic composer. Opera: The Barber of Seville (1816) and William Tell (1829).

1687 Nell Gwynn b. 1650 English actress, mistress of King Charles II, by whom she had two children.

867 Saint Nicholas I b. ???? Italian religious leader, 105th Pope (858-867).

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