Historical Events
1616
William Shakespeare's longtime collaborator and fellow actor Richard Burbage dies.
1845
An explosion and fire on the steamboat Sultana kills about 1,800 people.
1921
West Virginia becomes the first US state to impose a state sales tax.
1979
Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1994
Nelson Mandela and the ANC win South Africa's first fully democratic election.
Famous Birthdays
1469
Niccolò Machiavelli
Italian Renaissance philosopher who wrote The Prince, a guide to political power.
1898
Golda Meir
Israeli stateswoman who served as the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
1902
Alfred Kastler
French physicist who invented optical pumping and won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
1933
Christopher Cross
American musician known for Sailing and Ride Like the Wind.
1975
Dule Hill
American actor known for The West Wing and Psych.
