Those born on this date include:
- French philosopher Claude Helvetius in 1715
- U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1880
- Author Philip Jose Farmer in 1918 (age 91)
- Actor Paul Newman in 1925
- French film director Roger Vadim, in 1928
- Cartoonist, playwright and author Jules Feiffer in 1929 (age 81)
- Sports personality Bob Uecker in 1935 (age 75)
- Actor Scott Glenn in 1942 (age 68)
- Political activist Angela Davis in 1944 (age 66)
- Film critic Gene Siskel in 1946
- Rock musician Eddie Van Halen in 1955 (age 55)
- Comedian Ellen DeGeneres in 1958 (age 52)
- Former hockey star Wayne Gretzky in 1961 (age 49)

In 1788, the first shipload of British convicts arrived in Australia. The establishment of an Australian prison colony was aimed at relieving overcrowding
in British prisons.

In 1808, the Rum Rebellion took place in Australia.

In 1937, Michigan joins the United States as the 26th state.

In 1961, Louisiana secedes from the United States.

In 1875, the electric dental drill was patented by George Green of Kalamazoo, Mich.

In 1918, to promote food conservation during World War I, the U.S. government called for one meatless day, two wheatless days and two porkless days each
week.

In 1950, India ceased to be a British dominion and became the Republic of India, most populous democracy in the world.

In 1980, six Americans hidden for three months in the Canadian Embassy in Tehran were smuggled out of Iran by Canadian diplomats.

In 1988, “The Phantom of the Opera” opens on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre in New York.

In 1990, hurricane-force winds pounded the British Isles and much of Northern Europe, killing at least 92 people and knocking out power to nearly 1 million
people.

In 1991, Iraq fired Scuds at Israel and Saudi Arabia but most were intercepted by Patriot missiles.

In 1996, the U.S. Senate ratified SALT II. President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin had signed the arms reduction agreement three
years before.

In 1998, in response to allegations that he had an affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, U.S. President Bill Clinton declared, “I did
not have sexual relations with that woman.”

In 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton welcomed Pope John Paul II to St. Louis.

In 2001, more than 20,000 people were killed when an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale rocked western India.

In 2004, South Korea was reported pushing for the development of nuclear submarines to cope with regional security threats.

In 2005, a Marine helicopter crashed in Iraq killing all 31 Americans aboard.

In 2006, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and his Cabinet resigned after their party was defeated by Hamas in the parliamentary election. However,
President Mahmoud Abbas of the defeated Fatah party remained in office.

In 2007, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter apologized for what he called a “stupid” passage in his new book about the Middle East that appeared to endorse
terrorist acts.

In 2008, Kenya sent military forces into the Rift Valley to deal with escalating ethnic violence growing from the disputed Dec. 30 election that has killed
an estimated 650 people and displaced tens of thousands.

In 2009, a 33-year-old single California mom gave birth to eight babies, reported to be only the second set of octuplets ever to be born alive in the United
States. The six boys and two girls were reported healthy, ranging in weight from 1 1/2 pounds to just more than 3 pounds. Nadya Suleman earlier had six
other children, all 14 of them through vitro fertilization.

Those born on this date include:
- Irish natural philosopher Robert Boyle, a founder of modern chemistry, in 1627
- Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1759
- Soap maker and philanthropist William Colgate in 1783
- Novelist W. Somerset Maugham in 1874
- Novelist Virginia Woolf in 1882
- Sports broadcasters Ernie Harwell in 1918 (age 92)
- News commentator Edwin Newman in 1919 (age 91)
- Former Philippine President Corazon Aquino in 1933
- Singer Etta James in 1938 (age 72)
- Singer Alicia Keys in 1981 (29)
- Track star Steve Prefontaine in 1951
- Actor Dean Jones in 1931 (age 79)
- Actress Leigh Taylor-Young in 1945 (age 65)
- Actress Dinah Manoff in 1958 (age 52)

In 1533, Henry VIII of England secretly marries Anne Boleyn, his second wife.

In 1554, the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is established.

In 1858, Mendelssohn’s “The Wedding March” is played at the wedding of Friedrich of Prussia and England’s Princess Victoria, the daughter of Queen Victoria.
It has since become a standard for weddings.

In 1890, Nellie Bly, a young New York reporter, completed a trip around the world in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes.

In 1915, transcontinental phone service was inaugurated in a hookup between New York and San Francisco.

In 1919, the League of Nations is founded. It lasted until 1946 when it was replaced by the United Nations.

In 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.

In 1947, gangster Al “Scarface” Capone died at age 48 after suffering from syphilis.

In 1959, the first scheduled transcontinental flight took place, a non-stop American Airlines flight from California to New York.

In 1961, newly inaugurated U.S. President John Kennedy had the first televised presidential news conference.

In 1971, Idi Amin becomes president of Uganda through a coup.

Also in 1971, Charles Manson and three women were found guilty of killing actress Sharon Tate and six other people in Los Angeles.

In 1981, 52 Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days returned to the United States.

In 1984, Apple’s Macintosh computer went on sale. Price tag: $2,495.

In 1990, the U.S. Senate failed by four votes to override President George H.W. Bush’s veto of a statutory guarantee of asylum for Chinese students in
United States.

Also in 1990, a Colombian jetliner with little fuel left crashed in Long Island, N.Y., after missing its first approach to Kennedy Airport. Seventy-three
people died.

In 1991, a huge Persian Gulf oil slick began to form as Iraqi forces sabotaged Kuwaiti oil terminals.

In 1993, a man with a rifle opened fire near the main CIA gate in Langley, Va., killing two agency employees and wounding three others. He escaped, but
was later captured.

Also in 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton put his wife, Hillary Clinton, in charge of a healthcare task force with a mandate to produce a plan for universal
coverage in 100 days.

In 2004, Opportunity, the second of two NASA robot explorers, landed safely on Mars, joining its twin to explore the planet.

In 2006, the militant Islamic group Hamas, calling for destruction of Israel, scored a stunning victory in the Palestinian parliamentary election.

In 2007, a car and two motorcycles rigged with explosives exploded in three Baghdad sites, killing at least 32 people and injuring at least 80 others.

Also in 2007, Israeli President Moshe Katsav, facing indictment for rape and sexual harassment, was granted a three-month leave of absence.

In 2008, China’s Ministry of Railway said 18 railroad workers were killed and nine injured by a high-speed train that barreled into their work site in
Anqiu.

In 2009, voters in Bolivia approved a new constitution expanding the rights of their indigenous people who make up about 55 percent of the Bolivian population.