2011: Hurricane Irene strikes the United States east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.
2009: Internal conflict in Myanmar: The Burmese military junta and ethnic armies begin three days of violent clashes in the Kokang Special Region.
2006: Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, bound for Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. Of the passengers and crew, 49 of 50 are confirmed dead in the hours following the crash.
2003: Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing 34,646,418 miles (55,758,005 km) distant.
2003: The first six-party talks, involving South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, convene to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.
1992: Aeroflot Flight 2808 crashes on approach to Ivanovo Yuzhny Airport, killing all 84 aboard.
1991: The European Community recognizes the independence of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
1991: Moldova declares independence from the USSR.
1985: Major General Muhammadu Buhari, Chairman of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria, is ousted from power in a coup d’état led by Major General Ibrahim Babangida.
1985: Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-51-I to deploy three communication satellites and repair a fourth malfunctioning one.
1982: Turkish military diplomat Colonel Atilla Altıkat is shot and killed in Ottawa. Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide claim to be avenging the massacre of 1+1⁄2 million Armenians in the 1915 Armenian genocide.
1980: South Korean presidential election: After successfully staging the Coup d’état of May Seventeenth, General Chun Doo-hwan, running unopposed, has the National Conference for Unification elect him President of the Fourth Republic of Korea.
1979: The Troubles: Eighteen British soldiers are killed at the Warrenpoint ambush by the Provisional Irish Republican Army near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, in the deadliest attack on British forces during Operation Banner. An IRA bomb also kills British royal family member Lord Mountbatten and three others on his boat at Mullaghmore, Republic of Ireland.
1975: The Governor of Portuguese Timor abandons its capital, Dili, and flees to Atauro Island, leaving control to a rebel group.
1971: An attempted coup d’état fails in the African nation of Chad. The Government of Chad accuses Egypt of playing a role in the attempt and breaks off diplomatic relations.
Famous Births 👶
2007: Ariana Greenblatt, American actress
2006: Kang Ju-hyeok, South Korean footballer
2001: Franz Wagner, German basketball player
1998: Kevin Huerter, American basketball player
1998: Matheus Nunes, Portuguese footballer
1998: Rod Wave, American rapper, singer, and songwriter
1997: Lucas Paquetá, Brazilian footballer
1995: Jessie Mei Li, English actress
1995: Sergey Sirotkin, Russian race car driver
1994: Ellar Coltrane, American actor
1994: Breanna Stewart, American basketball player
1993: Sarah Hecken, German figure skater
1993: Olivier Le Gac, French cyclist
1992: Blake Jenner, American actor and singer
1992: Stephen Morris, American football player
Notable Deaths 🕊️
2024: Bob Carr, American politician (born 1943)
2024: Juan Izquierdo, Uruguayan footballer (born 1997)
2024: Charlotte Kretschmann, German supercentenarian (born 1909)
2024: Leonard Riggio, American businessman (born 1941)
2016: Cookie, Australian Major Mitchell’s cockatoo, oldest recorded parrot (born 1933)
2015: Kazi Zafar Ahmed, Bangladeshi politician, 8th Prime Minister of Bangladesh (born 1939)
2015: Pascal Chaumeil, French director and screenwriter (born 1961)
2015: Darryl Dawkins, American basketball player and coach (born 1957)
2014: Jacques Friedel, French physicist and academic (born 1921)
2014: Valeri Petrov, Bulgarian poet, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1920)
2014: Benno Pludra, German author (born 1925)
2013: Chen Liting, Chinese director and playwright (born 1910)
2013: Bill Peach, Australian journalist (born 1935)
2013: Dave Thomas, Welsh golfer and architect (born 1934)
2012: Neville Alexander, South African linguist and activist (born 1936)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
Christian feast day:
Baculus of Sorrento
Christian feast day:
Caesarius of Arles
Christian feast day:
David Lewis
Christian feast day:
Decuman
Christian feast day:
Gebhard of Constance
Christian feast day:
Euthalia
Christian feast day:
John of Pavia
Christian feast day:
Lycerius (or: Glycerius, Lizier)
Christian feast day:
Máel Ruba (or Rufus) (Scotland)
Christian feast day:
Margaret the Barefooted
Christian feast day:
Monica of Hippo, mother of Augustine of Hippo
