Feast Day of Saint Felix of Valois French Monk, helped found (c1197) the Trinitarians.

1993 NAFTA The North American Free Trade Agreement is passed by Congress, creating the world's largest free trade zone among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

1993 Gun Control The Brady Bill is passed by Congress. It imposed a five-working-day wait when purchasing a handgun.

1992 Windsor Castle The home of the British royal family for 850 years catches fire causing extensive damage.

1983 The Day After The ABC movie depicting the aftermath of a nuclear attack airs to 100 million viewers.

1975 Donald Rumsfeld Rumsfeld becomes the youngest Secretary of Defense in American history. In 2001, he would later become the oldest Secretary of Defense in American history.

1969 Alcatraz A group of Native Americans claim ownership and begin occupying the recently-closed prison.  Citing the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), they claimed abandoned or out-of-use federal land should be returned to the Native people from whom it was acquired.  They were forcibly removed in 1971.

1952 UFOs George Adamski, often referred to as the first abductee, has another of his many encounters with UFOs.  This time he is he makes contact with a Venusian named Orthon.

1945 Nuremberg trials Prosecution begins against 24 former Nazi leaders for war crimes; 12 of which were sentenced to death.

1930 Major General Douglas MacArthur becomes Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

1888 Timecard clock American inventor William Bundy patents his device which allows an employee to insert a numbered key and receive a paper stamped with the time and his number.

1789 Bill of Rights New Jersey becomes the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.

1959 Sean Young American actress. Film: Blade Runner (1982, Blonde android) and No Way Out (1987).

1956 Bo Derek (Cathleen Collins), American actress. Film: "10" (1979), Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981) and Bolero (1984).

1947 Joe Walsh American singer, with The Eagles. Music: Hotel California (1976, #1) and Smuggler's Blues (1985).

1946 Duane Allman d. 1971 American guitarist, with the Allman Brothers. He also duetted with Eric Clapton for Layla (1970).

1943 Veronica Hamel American actress. TV: Hill Street Blues (Joyce Davenport).

1938 Dick Smothers American comedian, one of the Smothers Brothers.

1932 Richard Dawson English actor. TV: Hogan's Heroes (Corporal Newkirk) and Family Feud (host).

1927 Estelle Parsons American actress. Film: Bonnie and Clyde (1967, Oscar, as Blanche Barrow), Rachel, Rachel (1968, as the lesbian religious fanatic), Dick Tracy (1990, Tess Truehart).

1926 Kaye Ballard (Catherine Gloria Balotta), American actress.

1925 Robert Francis Kennedy d. 1968 American politician, U.S. Senator and brother of John F. Kennedy. He was assassinated by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan.

1921 Jim Garrison d. 1992 (Earling Carothers Garrison), American lawyer, New Orleans district attorney. His investigation of Pres. Kennedy's assassination was the basis of Oliver Stone's film JFK (1991).

1920 Gene Tierney American actress. Film: Laura (1944, title role), Leave Her to Heaven (1945), The Razor's Edge (1946), and The Left Hand of God (1955).

1908 Alistair Cooke d. 2004 (Alfred Alistair), English-born journalist, Emmy-winning host of TV's Masterpiece Theatre.  His bones were reportedly stolen by body snatchers working for a tissue recovery firm.

1907 Fran Allison d. 1989 American actress. TV: Kukla, Fran, & Ollie (1947-57).

1900 Chester Gould d. 1985 American cartoonist, creator of  Dick Tracy (1931).

1889 Edwin Powell Hubble d. 1953 American astronomer, noted for his investigations of nebulae and for creating and developing the concepts of an expanding universe.

1874 James Michael Curley d. 1958 American politician, "last of the big city political bosses," four-time mayor of Boston, governor of Massachusetts (1935-37). He served two prison terms (1904, 1947) while mayor. The movie The Last Hurrah (1958) was modeled after his career.

1866 Kenesaw Mountain Landis d. 1944 American federal judge. He served as the first baseball commissioner (1921-44), during which he barred eight Chicago players from baseball in the famous "Black Sox Scandal."

1858 Selma Lagerlof d. 1940 Swedish author, first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for literature (1909).

1841 Sir Wilfred Laurier d. 1919 Canadian statesman, premier of Canada (1896-1911).

1761 Pius VIII d. 1830 Italian religious leader, 253rd Pope (1829-30).

1726 Oliver Wolcott d. 1797 American statesman, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and governor of Connecticut (1796-97).

1620 Peregrine White d. 1704 the first child born of English parents in New England. He was born aboard the Mayflower just off of Cape Cod.

1975 Generalissimo Francisco Franco Bahamonde b. 1892 Spanish dictator (1939-75).  "This just in, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!"  (Chevy Chase on SNL).

1888 Nathaniel Currier b. 1813 American lithographer, co-founded (1857) Currier & Ives, which recorded American history in their prints from the mid 1800s to the turn of the century.

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