31
Major Events
- 1483 – Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, is born in Eisleben, Germany.
- 1775 – The United States Marine Corps is founded in Philadelphia.
- 1801 – The state of Tennessee outlaws dueling.
- 1871 – Journalist Henry Morton Stanley meets explorer David Livingstone in Ujiji, Africa, reportedly saying, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”
- 1928 – Hirohito is formally crowned Emperor of Japan.
- 1951 – Direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the United States.
- 1969 – Sesame Street premieres on PBS television.
- 1983 – Microsoft introduces Windows 1.0.
- 1990 – Chandra Shekhar becomes India’s Prime Minister.
- 2019 – Disney+ launches, entering the global streaming market.
Famous Birthdays
- Martin Luther (1483–1546) – German priest and leader of the Protestant Reformation.
- Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) – German playwright and poet.
- Claude Rains (1889–1967) – English actor, The Invisible Man.
- Richard Burton (1925–1984) – Welsh actor.
- Roy Scheider (1932–2008) – American actor, Jaws.
- Sinéad Cusack (born 1948) – Irish actress.
- Mackenzie Foy (born 2000) – American actress, Interstellar.
- Josh Peck (born 1986) – American actor and comedian.
Notable Deaths
- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) – Founder and first President of Turkey.
- Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) – American illustrator.
- Ken Kesey (1935–2001) – American novelist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
- Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982) – Soviet leader.
- Mary Travers (1936–2009) – American folk singer, Peter, Paul and Mary.
Holidays
- Marine Corps Birthday (USA) – Celebrates the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps in 1775.
- World Science Day for Peace and Development (UN)
- Area Code Day (USA)
- Heroes Day (Indonesia)
Fun Facts
- “Sesame Street” premiered in 1969, changing educational television forever.
- Windows 1.0 introduced the first graphical interface for Microsoft.
- The U.S. Marine Corps celebrates its birthday with the same ceremonial cake-cutting tradition each year.
- Atatürk’s death anniversary is still marked with a moment of silence across Turkey.
