1961 - Fidel Castro declares he's a Marxist and will lead Cuba to Communism
1973 - Capital Centre (USAir Arena) opens in Landover Maryland; NBA's Washington Bullets beat Seattle SuperSonics, 98-96 in opening game; arena demolished 2002
1984 - Miami quarterback Dan Marino breaks NFL single-season touchdown pass record when he throws his 37th in the Dolphins' 45-34 loss to the Raiders; finishes season with 48 TD passes
2014 - Hong Kong pro-democracy activists clash with police as they try to surround the government's headquarters in some of the worst violence since the protests began
2020 - The UK becomes the first western country to authorize a vaccine for COVID-19, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

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1920 - Robert Moevs, American composer, born in La Crosse, Wisconsin (d. 2007)
1927 - Jim David, American NFL defensive back (Pro Bowl 1954-59; NFL Champion 1952-53, 57; Detroit Lions), born in Florence, South Carolina (d. 2007)
1931 - Masaaki Hatsumi, Japanese founder and head of the Bujinkan Organization, born in Noda, Chiba, Japan
1939 - Harry Reid, American attorney and politician (U.S. Senator from Nevada, 1987-2017; U.S. House of Representatives, 1983-87), born in Searchlight, Nevada (d. 2021)
1947 - Ntare V [Charles Ndizeye], final King of Burundi (1966), born in Gitega, Burundi, Ruanda-Urundi (d. 1972)

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