Historical Events
1879 – Russian Chemist Constantin Fahlberg discovers saccharin (artificial sweetener)
1964 – The government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.
1983 – Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland set indoor mile record of 3:49.78
2003 – Rowan Williams is enthroned as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.
2013 – 17 Afghan militia are killed by Taliban insurgents in an attack in the Andar District
2019 – First gun control legislation for 25 years passed by US House of Representatives, with new federal background checks
Famous Birthdays
1878 – Alvan T. Fuller, 50th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
1912 – Kusumagraj, Indian writer (d. 1999)
1934 – Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer, born in Paris, France (d. 1992)
1951 – Stathis Psaltis, Greek actor, born in Velo, Greece (d. 2017)
1960 – Andres Gomez, Ecuadorian tennis player (Madrid Grand Prix-1990), born in Guayaquil, Ecuador
1966 – Pete Smith, American baseball player (Atlanta Braves, NY Mets), born in Abington, Massachusetts
Famous Deaths
1666 – Luisa de Guzmán, Queen of Portugal (1640-56), dies at 52
1964 – Orry-Kelly, Australian costume designer (b. 1897)
1994 – Roosevelt Holts, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 89
2008 – William F. Buckley Jr, American conservative author and commentator (National Review, Firing Line), dies of a heart attack at 82
2015 – Boris Nemtsov, Russian politician, dies at 55, shot four times in Moscow
2019 – Nathaniel Taylor, American actor (Rollo-Sanford and Sons), dies at 80