Historical Events
1853 – First passenger railway opens in India from Bori Bunder (Bombay) to Thane (34 km)
1986 – To dispel rumors he’s dead, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appears on TV
1987 – August Wilson’s “Fences” wins 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
2014 – South Korean ferry MV Sewol sinks on route Incheon to Jeju, 304 drown, mostly students. National controversy erupts over rescue efforts and actions of crew and owner.
2017 – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wins referendum on 18-article constitutional reform package
Famous Birthdays
1820 – Georg Curtius, German classical linguist, born in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck (d. 1885)
1897 – Milton Cross, American radio announcer (Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, 1931-75), born in New York City (d. 1975)
1947 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar [Lew Alcindor], American Basketball Hall of Fame center (6 x NBA champion; NBA Finals MVP 1971, 1985; 6 × NBA MVP; 19 × NBA All-Star), born in New York City
1954 – John Bowe, Australian racing driver, born in Devonport, Tasmania
1963 – Nick Berry, British actor (EastEnders, Heartbeat), born in Woodford, England
Famous Deaths
1904 – Maximilian Kronberger, German poet, dies at 16
1985 – Scott Brady [Gerald Tierney], American actor (Shotgun Slade, China Syndrome, Gremlins, Johnny Guitar), dies of pulmonary fibrosis at 60
2007 – Kevin Granata, American professor of Engineering (b. 1961)
2007 – Gaetan Duchesne, Canadian hockey player (b. 1962)
2010 – Rasim Delic, Bosnian military chief of staff and war criminal (b. 1949)