1964 First Vietnam soldier to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor Army Capt. Roger Donlon for heroism in South Vietnam.

1933 21st Amendment ratified, repealing prohibition.

1912 The U.S. acquires rights to the land for the Panama Canal

1854 Topeka Kansas is founded.

1848 California Gold Rush The rush begins after Pres. Polk announces the discovery of gold in California.

1776 First American scholastic fraternity Phi Beta Kappa is founded at the College of William and Mary.

1952 Krystyne Kolorful Canadian stripper. She is tied with Julia Gnuse (American) as the world's most tattooed woman with 95% of her body covered. She has spent an estimated $15,000 on her body art. Source: Guinness Book of World Records

1951 Morgan Brittany (Suzanne Cupito), American actress, TV's Katherine Wentworth of Dallas.

1947 Jim Messina American singer, with Loggins and Messina and Poco.

1932 Little Richard (Richard Penniman), American singer. Music: Tutti Frutti (1955) and Good Golly Miss Molly (1958).

1927 Bhumibol Adulyadej King of Thailand (1946-).

1901 Walt Disney d. 1966 (Walter Elias Disney), American Oscar-winning cartoonist, creator of Mickey Mouse (1928). He won 51 Oscars.

1894 Philip Knight Wrigley d. 1977 U.S. chewing gum executive and owner of the Chicago Cubs.

1890 Fritz Lang d. 1976 Austrian-born film director. Film: Metropolis (1927), M (1931), and Fury (1936).

1839 George Armstrong Custer d. 1876 American general, killed in the "Battle of Little Big Horn."

1782 Martin Van Buren d. 1862 8th U.S. President (1837-41) and 8th U.S. Vice-President (1833-37).

2002 Roone Arledge b. 1931 American sports broadcasting pioneer, winner of 36 Emmys. TV: President of ABC Sports (1968-86) and President of ABC News (1977-98), creator of Monday Night Football, Wide World of Sports, 20/20, Prime Time Live, and Nightline.

1983 Robert Aldrich b. 1918 American film director. Film: Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), The Dirty Dozen (1967), and The Longest Yard (1974).

1973 Sir Robert Watson-Watt b. 1892 British inventor. He is considered the inventor of RADAR (1935), although others had also done research on it. He was the first to create a working system.

1951 Shoeless Joe Jackson b. 1888 (Joseph Jefferson Jackson), American baseball player. He was banished for life from professional baseball for his alleged role in throwing the 1919 World Series. "Say it ain't so, Joe! Say it ain't so!"

1926 Claude Monet b. 1840 French impressionist painter, known of his landscapes using bright unmixed colors. In 1923 his eyesight was surgically restored after having been blind for several years.

1870 Alexandre Dumas b. 1802 (Dumas père), French author. Writings: The Three Musketeers (1844) and The Count of Monte Cristo (1845).

1848 Joseph Mohr b. 1792 Austrian clergyman. He wrote the words to Silent Night, Holy Night (1818). Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church

1791 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart b. 1756 Austrian composer. He created over 600 compositions including The Marriage of Figaro (1786) and The Magic Flute (1791). Very little of his work was published during his lifetime.

1560 Francis II b. 1544 King of France (1559-60). He married Mary, Queen of Scots (1558).

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