Major Events

• 1542 – Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of King Henry VIII, is executed at the Tower of London on charges of treason.
• 1633 – Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome to face trial before the Roman Inquisition for supporting the heliocentric theory.
• 1692 – The Massacre of Glencoe occurs in Scotland, where members of Clan Campbell kill members of Clan MacDonald, shocking the nation.
• 1776 – The American colonial ship Providence captures its first British vessel during the Revolutionary War.
• 1866 – Jesse James commits his first confirmed bank robbery in Liberty, Missouri, beginning his outlaw legend.
• 1914 – The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) is founded to protect music creators’ rights.
• 1945 – Allied bombing of Dresden begins during World War II, causing extensive destruction and loss of life.
• 1960 – France successfully detonates its first atomic bomb in the Sahara Desert, becoming a nuclear power.
• 2000 – The final original Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz is published one day after his death.
• 2017 – North Korea conducts a test launch of a ballistic missile, increasing global tensions.

Famous Birthdays

• Chuck Yeager – American test pilot, first to break the sound barrier (1923–2020)
• Jerry Springer – American television host and politician (1944–2023)
• Peter Gabriel – English musician and songwriter (1950)
• Robbie Williams – English singer-songwriter (1974)
• Neal McDonough – American actor (1966)
• Kelly Hu – American actress and model (1968)
• Randy Moss – American football player (1977)
• Stockard Channing – American actress (1944)
• Mena Suvari – American actress (1979)

Notable Deaths

• Catherine Howard – Queen of England (1542, born c. 1521)
• Richard Wagner – German composer (1883, born 1813)
• Elizabeth Short – American murder victim, known as the Black Dahlia (1947, born 1924)
• Charles M. Schulz – American cartoonist, creator of Peanuts (2000, born 1922)
• Harrison Ford Sr. – American actor’s father and businessman (1957, born 1894)
• André Breton – French writer and founder of Surrealism (1966, born 1896)
• Roger Vadim – French film director (2000, born 1928)
• Henrik Ibsen – Norwegian playwright (1906, born 1828)
• Mary McCarthy – American novelist and critic (1989, born 1912)

Holidays

• World Radio Day – International observance
• Tandil Day – Argentina (regional observance)
• National Women’s Day – Observed in parts of Asia

Fun Facts

• World Radio Day highlights the importance of radio as a tool for communication and education worldwide.
• Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947 without a college education.
• The Peanuts comic strip ran for nearly 50 years.
• The Dresden bombing remains one of the most controversial air raids in history.
• Galileo’s trial marked a defining conflict between science and religious authority.
• ASCAP was founded to ensure musicians were paid for public performances of their work.