1173 - Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury
1782 - US Congress resolves establishment of a US mint
1916 - Battle of Verdun begins with a German offensive, leads to an estimated 1 million casualties, and becomes the longest battle of the entire war (9 months)
1988 - Televangelist Jimmy Swaggert confesses his sins to his congregation
1997 - "Empire Strikes Back, special edition" premieres

More Historical Events »

1929 - Henry Kloss, American audio engineer (acoustic loudspeaker), born in Altoona, Pennsylvania (d. 2002)
1939 - Richard Beymer, American stage actor and singer (West Side Story; Diary of Anne Frank), born in Avoca, Iowa
1950 - Sahle-Work Zewde, Ethiopian diplomat, President of Ethiopia (2018-), born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
1961 - Christopher Atkins, American actor (Peter-Dallas, Blue Lagoon), born in Rye, New York
1969 - Tony Meola, American footballer, born in Belleville, New Jersey

More Famous Birthdays »

1790 - Johann Friedrich Klöffler, German composer, dies at 64
1901 - George Francis FitzGerald, Irish mathematician (b. 1851)
2011 - Bernard Nathanson, American abortionist turned pro-life activist (b. 1926)