1651 - South Sea dike in Amsterdam breaks after storm
1774 - John Hancock delivers the fourth annual Massacre Day oration, a commemoration of the Boston Massacre, and denounces the presence of British troops in Boston, enhancing Hancock's stature as a leading Patriot
1948 - US rocket flies record 4800 kph to 126km height
1956 - "King Kong" 1st televised
1982 - Gaylord Perry (with 297 wins) signs with Seattle Mariners
1985 - NY Islander Mike Bossy is 1st to score 50 goals in 8 straight seasons
1935 - Billy Tubbs, American college basketball coach (Southwestern Uni, Lamar Uni, Uni of Oklahoma, Texas Christian Uni), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2020)
1948 - Richard Hickox, English musical conductor
1956 - Mark Handley, writer (Nell)
1972 - Luca Turilli, Italian musician (Rhapsody)
1972 - Hernan Gumy, tennis star, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1988 - Bjarni Viðarsson, Icelandic footballer
1576 - Don Luis de Requesens y Zuniga, viceroy of Neth (1573-76), dies at 70
1893 - Richard Samuel Hughes, Welsh composer, dies at 37
1955 - Antanas Merkys, President of Lithuania (b. 1888)
1967 - Georges Vanier, French-Canadian soldier and 19th Governor General of Canada, dies at 78
1998 - Donald Woods, Canadian actor (True Grit, Craig Kennedy; Criminologist), dies at 91
2013 - Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela, dies from respiratory failure at 58