Historical Events
1942 – Launch of 1st A-4/V-2 rocket to altitude of 53 miles (85 km)
1952 – 1st British nuclear test during Operation Hurricane at Monte Bello Island, Australia, UK becomes the world’s third nuclear nation
1980 – 4 die in attack on a synagogue in Paris
1986 – Baltimore loses 6-3 to Detroit Tigers, assuring Orioles of club’s first ever last-place finish in AL East standings
1988 – Lebanese kidnappers release Mithileshwar Singh (held for 30 months)
1989 – Panamanian Defense Force attempted coup of Manuel Noriega fails
Famous Birthdays
1797 – Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, born in Florence (d. 1870)
1914 – Nel Rose, Dutch dance teacher (d. 1970)
1929 – Bert Stern, American photographer, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2013)
1947 – Ben Cauley, American musician (The Bar-Kays) and plane crash survivor, born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2015)
1951 – Jack Grondin, rock drummer (.38 Special)
1981 – Zlatan Ibrahimović, Swedish soccer striker (116 caps, Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, PSG, Man Utd, LA Galaxy), born in Malmö, Sweden
Famous Deaths
1959 – William Bishop, American actor (Black Eagle, Adventures in Silverado, It’s a Great Life), dies of cancer at 42
1993 – Sgt. First Class Randy Shughart, American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 35
1994 – Harriet Nelson, American actress (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), dies at 80
1994 – Heinz Rühmann, German actor and director (Der Hauptmann von Köpenick), dies at 92
1999 – Akio Morita, Japanese businessman (b. 1921)
2004 – John Cerutti, American baseball pitcher and broadcaster (Toronto Blue Jays, Rogers Sportsnet), dies of ventricular arrhythmia at 44