Historical Events
1642 – Abel Tasman’s ships, Heemskerck and Zeehaen, depart from Batavia to search for Terra Australis, becoming the first Europeans to reach Tasmania and New Zealand
1782 – Suriname forbids selling enslaved mothers without their babies
1962 – A US mail truck in Plymouth, Massachusetts, is robbed of more than $1.5 million
1997 – Revival of Sherman Edwards’ historical musical “1776,” featuring Brent Spiner, opens at the Criterion Theatre, NYC, and runs for 333 performances
2010 – First Summer Youth Olympic Games open in Singapore
Famous Birthdays
1727 – Louise Élisabeth of France, twin daughter of king Louis XV, born in Palace of Versailles, France (d. 1759)
1938 – Niara Sudarkasa [Gloria Albertha Marshall], American educator and anthropologist (Lincoln College), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (d. 2019)
1946 – Alexander Curly [Harm Breemer], Dutch artist, born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 2012)
1969 – DJ Uncle Al, American hip-hop DJ, born in Miami, Florida (d. 2001)
1978 – Anastasios Kyriakos, Greek footballer, born in Giannouli, Greece
Famous Deaths
1794 – George Colman the Elder, English playwright, dies at 62
1863 – Colin Campbell, British officer (Cawnpore), dies at 70
1888 – Charles Crocker, American business tycoon and railroad executive (Central Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Railroad), dies at 65
1955 – Herbert Putnam, American Librarian of Congress, dies at 93
1994 – Elias Canetti, Bulgarian-British author (Crowds and Power) and winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize for Literature, dies at 89