1854 – Great Britain and France declare war on Russia, expanding the Crimean War
1927 – Majestic Theater opens at 245 W 44th St, NYC; designed with a modern Spanish exterior and French revival style interior by architect Herbert J. Krapp, it is largest of 3 theater and hotel development cuilt by Irving Chanin
1949 – English astronomer Fred Hoyle coins the term “Big Bang” in a BBC radio talk while actually arguing for the alternative “steady-state” theory
1953 – 107th Grand National: Bryan Marshall wins aboard Irish 8-year old Early Mist; first of 3 consecutive GN victories for trainer Vincent O’Brien
1959 – 11 days after Tibet uprising, China dissolves Tibet’s government and installs Panchen Lama
1977 – 39th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Marquette beats North Carolina, 67-59; Warriors’ first title; coach Al McGuire retires
1985 – STS 51-D vehicle moves to launch pad
1990 – US President George H. W. Bush posthumously awards Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal
2007 – Sri Lankan cricket fast bowler Lasith Malinga produces unprecedented sequence of 4 wickets in 4 balls, as South Africa scrambles to a 1-wicket Super 8’s ICC World Cup win in Guyana
2019 – European parliament bans single-use plastics, including cutlery and straws by 2021