1860 – The 1860 Oxford evolution debate at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History took place.
1908 – The Tunguska event occured in Siberia.
1936 - Gone with the Wind was published.
1934 – The Night of the Long Knives, Adolf Hitler's violent purge of his political rivals in Germany, took place.
1953 – The first Chevrolet Corvette rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan, USA. (I wonder if it was a little red one.)
1960 – Congo gained independence from Belgium.
1963 – A car bomb, intended for Mafia boss Salvatore Greco, killed seven police and military officers near Palermo.
1969 – Nigeria banned Red Cross aid to Biafra, leaving over 4 million people to face starvation.
1971 - Three Russian cosmonauts were found dead in their Soyuz 11 space capsule after it made what looked like a perfect landing in Kazakhstan.
1985 - 39 Americans being held captive by the Shia Muslim Amal militia in Lebanon were released, after almost three weeks in captivity.
1990 – East Germany and West Germany merged their economies.
1992 – Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher joined the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven.
1997 – The United Kingdom transfered sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China.
2007 – Ingmar Bergman died.
2007 – A terrorist attack was attempted when a car crashed into Glasgow International Airport in Scotland.