Historical Events
1581
Sir Francis Drake completes his circumnavigation of the globe.
1818
The US Congress establishes the flag of the United States with 13 stripes and one star per state.
1949
NATO is founded in Washington DC by 12 Western nations.
1968
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
1973
The World Trade Center opens in New York City.
Famous Birthdays
1802
Dorothea Dix
American activist who championed humane treatment of the mentally ill.
1871
Hamlin Garland
American author and Pulitzer Prize winner for A Son of the Middle Border.
1908
Bette Davis
American actress known for All About Eve and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
1969
Hugo Weaving
Australian actor known for The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings.
1979
Heath Ledger
Australian actor who won a posthumous Academy Award for The Dark Knight.
