1618 – Johannes Kepler confirms his previously rejected discovery of the third law of planetary motion. He had first discovered it on 8 March that year but soon rejected the idea after some initial calculations were made.
1940 – McDonald’s opens its first restaurant in San Bernardino, California by two brothers called Richard and Maurice McDonald.
2010 – Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo. She had departed Sydney, Australia on 18th October 2009 and returned three days before her 17th Birthday.
Birthdays
1953 – Mike Oldfield was born in Reading, UK. He became a musician and composer and is best known for the album Tubular Bells.
1981 – Zara Phillips was born in Paddington ,London. She is the second child of Princess Anne and she is also an accomplished equestrian and has won Eventing World Championship in 2009.
1987 – Andy Murray was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He became a tennis player and is the only person to have reached the semi-finals in one year for all four grand slam titles.
1709 – Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk is rescued by the Duke, a privateering ship. He had been marooned on an uninhabited island, Fernandez Island for 4 years. He survived on catching goats for meat and milk, wild turnip and the fended off rats by staying close to feral cats. His story is the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe.
1814 – Lord Byron’s semi-autobiographical verse, The Corsair, sells 10,000 copies on the day of publication; it was very influential with corsair Conrad’s fight against humanity.
1887 – Harvey Wilcox of Kansas subdivides 120 acres he owned in Southern California & starts selling it off at $1000 per plot, his wife named it Hollywood. Later this became the American movie capital.
Birthdays
1901 – Clark Gable born as William Clark Gable in Cadiz Ohio, he became an actor famed for portraying Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind.
1915 – Sir Stanley Matthews was born in Stoke on Trent, UK. He became a footballer and is considered one of the greatest players of the game. He was the first British football player to be knighted.
1968 – Lisa Marie Presley was born in Memphis Tennessee. She is seen as the Princess of Rock and Roll with her father being the icon of Elvis Presley and her mother the actress Priscilla Presley. She is also a singer and songwriter.
1790 – The first lifeboat was tested at sea, by Henry Francis Greathead, he was a pioneering inventor. Although the first patented lifeboat was made by Lionel Lukin in 1785, Greathead petitioned parliament in his favour and won.
1911 - The first rescue of an air passenger by a ship, occurred near Havana in Cuba.
1989 – Five pharaoh sculptures from 1470 BC found at temple of Luxor, they were discovered under the solar court of Amenhotep III. Since this date there has been 26 discovered in total.
Birthdays
1882 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt also known as FDR was born in New Hyde Park, New York. He became the 32nd President of the USA; he was a central figure during the mid-twentieth century.
1915 – John D Profumo (aka Jack Profumo) was born in Kensington, London. He became a politician with great responsibility but he is also known for the scandal created surrounding a prostitute, this is now known as the Profumo Affair. He resigned and withdrew from politics.
1931 - Gene Hackman was born in San Barnardino in California, be became a famous and awarded actor starring in films such as his earliest Bonnie & Clyde to Under Fire and playing evil genius, Lex Luther in Superman.
1709 - In Europe, a sudden dip in temperature creating extremely cold conditions kills 1000’s of Europeans.
1896 – The German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen, discovers x-rays.
1981 – British police arrest Peter Sutcliffe, a truck driver later convicted of murders of 13 women, the newspapers and tabloid press nicknamed him the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’.
Birthdays
1931 – Robert Duvall – Was born in San Diego, California, he became an actor and had roles in the Great Santini and Taxi Driver.
1946 – Diane Keaton – Was born in Louisiana, she became a well known actress starring in Baby Boom, Father of the Bride and many more.
1969 – Marilyn Manson – Was born and he later became a singer and musician, with an eerie stage persona.
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