1836 – Texas became independent of Mexico and was claimed as a Republic. Even though independence was won, political battles raged and in 1845 congress admitted Texas into the US as a state.
1882 – Roderick Maclean attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria at Windsor he was unsuccessful, he was disgruntled because she did not like one of his poems. Two schoolboys bought him to justice with their umbrellas.
1969 – Concorde made its first flight, it entered into service in 1976 as the supersonic transport and flew for 27 years, there had been 20 aircraft built and upon a crash in 2000, the only Concorde had it was retired in 2003.
Birthdays
1931 – Mikhail S Gorbachev was born in Privolnoye USSR. He became the Soviet Secretary-General from 1985 to 1991 and was the last head of state of the Soviet Union.
1942 – John Irving was born Exeter New Hampshire. He became a writer, five of his novels have been adapted to the big screen and he has won an academy award for The Cider House Rules.
1950 – Karen Carpenter was born in New Haven, Connecticut. She became a singer and a drummer, she became famous with her brother for The Carpenters with hits like We’ve Only Just Begun.
1971 – Great Britain replaces the shilling and the penny with the new penny, after 1981 the word new was dropped.
1973 – USSR launches Prognoz 3 to study solar activity, later Prognoz missions turned from solar study to the Big Bang and the Earth’s magnetosphere.
1978 – Leon Spinks beats Muhammad Ali in 15 rounds for the world heavyweight title, however in a re-match Ali claimed victory with a unanimous decision.
Birthdays
1564 – Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy. He became an astronomer and physicist he played a major role in scientific revolution.
1812 – Charles Lewis Tiffany was born in Killingly, Conneticut. He became a jeweller and founded the store, Tiffany & Co in New York.
1929 – Graham Hill was born in London. He became racing car driver and won the Formula One championship twice, he is the only driver to win the The Triple Championship – Le Mans and Indianapolis 500 and F1
1908 - New York to Paris auto race, also known as the Great Race begins in New York. The winner George Schuster arrives in Paris on 30th July 1908 in his car The Flyer.
1961 – USSR launches Venera 1 for a fly-by mission of Venus, it was the first planetary probe by the Soviet Union.
1984 – Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean win the Olympic Gold medal for their ice skating routine “Bolero”, they received perfect scores.
Birthdays
1809 – Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England. He became a naturalist and proposed the scientific theory of evolution and published the Origin of species.
1809 – Abraham Lincoln was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky. He became the 16th President of the United States from 1861 to 1865.
1967 – Stephen Baldwin was born in New York. He became an actor and is known for his role as William Cody in The Young Riders.
1929 – The Vatican City gained independence from Rome. It is the smallest independent state in the world.
1964 – The Beatles first live appearance in the US happened in the Washington DC Coliseum.
1971 – US, UK, USSR, and 84 other countries sign the Seabed Arms Control Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor beyond a 12 mile coastal zone.
Birthdays
1917 – Sidney Sheldon was born in Chicago, Illinois. He became an Academy Award winning writer, with TV works including I Dream of Jeannie and Hart to Hart.
1922 – Leslie Nielsen was born in Regina, Canada. He became a well known actor, during his career he has been in over 100 films and 1500 TV programmes. Famed for Airplane and the Naked Gun series.
1936 - Burt Reynolds was born in Waycross, Georgia. He became an actor and has starred in many films including, Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit and Deliverance.
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