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Major Events
- 1543 – King Henry VIII of England married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr.
- 1862 – The Medal of Honor was authorized by the U.S. Congress as the highest military decoration.
- 1962 – The Rolling Stones performed their first concert at the Marquee Club in London.
- 1993 – A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Hokkaido, Japan, triggering a tsunami and causing extensive damage.
- 2006 – Hezbollah launched a rocket attack and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, igniting the 2006 Lebanon War.
Famous Birthdays
- Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), American author and philosopher known for Walden
- George Eastman (1854–1932), American entrepreneur and founder of Kodak
- Pablo Neruda (1904–1973), Chilean poet and Nobel Prize laureate
- Bill Cosby (born 1937), American comedian and actor
- Cheryl Ladd (born 1951), American actress best known for Charlie’s Angels
- Topher Grace (born 1978), American actor known for That ’70s Show
Notable Deaths
- Alexander Hamilton (d. 1804), U.S. Founding Father and first Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1755 or 1757)
- Glyn Houston (d. 2019), Welsh actor known for numerous British TV series (b. 1925)
- Alfonso López Michelsen (d. 2007), Colombian president and lawyer (b. 1913)
Holidays
- Orangemen’s Day (Northern Ireland) – Commemorating the Battle of the Boyne and Protestant victory.
- Malala Day – Named in honor of Malala Yousafzai’s birthday and her global advocacy for girls’ education.
Fun Facts
- The Medal of Honor has been awarded over 3,500 times since its creation in 1862.
- Henry David Thoreau’s philosophies on simple living continue to influence environmentalists and thinkers.
- Malala Day was declared by the United Nations in 2013, the day Malala gave her first public speech at the UN.
- The Rolling Stones’ first performance marked the start of one of the most iconic careers in rock history.
- Orangemen’s Day remains a significant cultural and political observance in parts of the UK and Ireland.