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Major Events
- 1545 – The Mary Rose, flagship of King Henry VIII’s fleet, sank off Portsmouth, England, during battle.
- 1848 – The first women’s rights convention began in Seneca Falls, New York, launching the organized women’s rights movement in the U.S.
- 1870 – France declared war on Prussia, beginning the Franco-Prussian War.
- 1900 – The first line of the Paris Métro officially opened to the public.
- 1980 – The Moscow Summer Olympics opened, marked by a large U.S.-led boycott.
- 2007 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 14,000 for the first time.
Famous Birthdays
- Edgar Degas (1834–1917), French Impressionist painter known for his works of dancers
- Lizzie Borden (1860–1927), American woman famously tried and acquitted for the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother
- Herbert Marcuse (1898–1979), German-American philosopher and sociologist
- Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (1921–2011), American medical physicist and Nobel Laureate
- Brian May (born 1947), British musician and lead guitarist of the rock band Queen
- Benedict Cumberbatch (born 1976), British actor known for Sherlock, Doctor Strange, and other roles
Notable Deaths
- Joseph Fielding Smith (d. 1972), American religious leader and 10th President of the LDS Church (b. 1876)
- Jack Davis (d. 2016), American cartoonist known for MAD Magazine (b. 1924)
- Tom Carvel (d. 1990), Greek-American businessman and inventor of soft-serve ice cream (b. 1906)
Holidays
- Sandinista Day (Nicaragua) – Commemorates the triumph of the Sandinista Revolution in 1979.
Fun Facts
- The Paris Métro’s first line was built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle.
- The Mary Rose was raised from the sea in 1982 after 437 years underwater.
- The Seneca Falls Convention was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott.
- Brian May earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics decades after beginning his music career.
- Lizzie Borden became a lasting figure in American folklore despite her acquittal.