1635 – 1st recorded north American hurricane hits the Plymouth Colony
1939 – “The Wizard of Oz”, American musical fantasy film directed by Victor Fleming and King Vidor, premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, starring Judy Garland (Dorothy), Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Man), Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion), Frank Morgan (Wizard), Billie Burke (Glinda), and Margaret Hamilton (Wicked Witch)
1944 – German field marshal Günther von Kluge vanishes for one day; he killed himself on the 19th in the aftermath of the attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler
1955 – WXEX TV channel 8 in Richmond-Petersburg, VA (ABC) begins
1957 – USAF Capt Joe B Jordan reaches 31,513 m in F-104 jet fighter
1960 – Congo (formerly Congo/Brazzaville) declares Independence from France
1962 – Netherlands and Indonesia sign accord over New Guinea
1974 – Hurricane/floods ravage Bangladesh, 4,000 killed
1989 – Giorgio Lamberti swims world record 200m free style (1:46.69)
2019 – Whistleblower releases damaging report on General Electric titled “General Electric, a Bigger Fraud Than Enron” claiming $38 billion accountancy fraud