1942 - Bell P-59 Airacomet fighter, 1st US jet, makes maiden flight
1944 - Newspaper editor Alejandro Córdova assassinated in Guatemala
1951 - 1st treaty signed by woman ambassador-Eugenie Anderson (US ambassador to Denmark)
1953 - KYTV TV channel 3 in Springfield, MO (NBC) begins broadcasting
1999 - In a blockbuster NBA trade, the Houston Rockets move All Star forward Scottie Pippen to Portland Trail Blazers for Kelvin Cato, Stacey Augmon, Walt Williams, Carlos Rogers, Ed Gray and Brian Shaw
2000 - United States wins the most medals (97), and the most gold medals (40) in Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia

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Famous Birthdays

1577 - Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Swiss friar, martyr, and saint, born in Sigmaringen, Germany (d. 1622)
1934 - Neil Castles, American auto racer (NASCAR Grand National East Series Champion 1972; NASCAR Cup Series 51 x top 5, 178 x top 10 finishes), born in Charlotte, North Carolina (d. 2022)
1950 - Mihai Romilă, Romanian soccer midfielder (19 caps; Politehnica Iași 367 games), born in Huși, Romania (d. 2020)
1957 - Stelios Mainas, Greek actor
1967 - Geraldine Heaney, Canadian ice hockey defense (Olympics gold 1998), born in Lurgan, Northern Ireland
1967 - Scott Young, US Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (1,181 NHL games; Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche), born in Clinton, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

1770 - Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, French composer and violinist, dies at 64
1878 - Mindon, King of Burma (1853-1878) penultimate ruler of the Konbaung dynasty and founder of Mandalay, dies at 70
1943 - Johan van Mierlo, resistance fighter, executed at 35
1975 - Al Jackson Jr., American session drummer, known as "The Human Time Keeper" (Stax; Booker T. and MGs - "McLemore Avenue"), murdered by an intruder in his home at 39
1990 - Curtis LeMay, American air force general (WWII) and VP candidate, dies at 83
2007 - Ronnie Hazlehurst, English conductor and TV theme song composer (Are You Being Served?), dies at 79