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Major Events
- 1619 – The first representative assembly in America, the House of Burgesses, convened in Jamestown, Virginia.
- 1863 – President Abraham Lincoln issued the “eye-for-an-eye” order after Confederate forces executed a Black Union soldier.
- 1945 – The USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine; only 316 of the 1,196 crew survived.
- 1965 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law during a ceremony at the Truman Library.
- 1971 – Apollo 15 astronauts became the first to ride in a lunar rover on the Moon’s surface.
- 2003 – The last old-style Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the production line in Mexico, ending a 65-year run.
Famous Birthdays
- Emily Brontë (1818–1848), English novelist and poet, author of Wuthering Heights
- Henry Ford (1863–1947), American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (born 1947), Austrian-American actor, bodybuilder, and former Governor of California
- Hilary Swank (born 1974), American actress and two-time Academy Award winner
- Terry Crews (born 1968), American actor, artist, and former NFL player
- Lisa Kudrow (born 1963), American actress known for her role as Phoebe on Friends
Notable Deaths
- Otto von Bismarck (d. 1898), German statesman and first Chancellor of Germany (b. 1815)
- Joyce Grenfell (d. 1979), British actress, comedian, and singer (b. 1910)
- Ingmar Bergman (d. 2007), Swedish film director and screenwriter (b. 1918)
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (d. 1944), French aviator and author of The Little Prince (b. 1900)
Holidays
- International Day of Friendship – Recognized by the United Nations to promote peace through friendship across cultures.
- National Cheesecake Day (USA) – A lighthearted celebration of one of America’s favorite desserts.
Fun Facts
- Medicare and Medicaid were introduced in 1965 and continue to serve millions of Americans today.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on the same day Henry Ford turned 84.
- The lunar rover used during Apollo 15 cost over $38 million to develop.
- The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the most-produced cars in history, with over 21 million units sold.
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë was her only novel, published under the pen name Ellis Bell.