1998
Death of Tammy Wynette, American country singer .
United States
1998
Death of Wendy O. Williams, American punk rock singer (‘The Plasmatics’).
United States
1994
A plane carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down by extremists. This event marked the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide, and civil war broke out the following day
Rwanda
1978
US President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that extended the mandatory retirement age for most workers from 65 to 70.
United States
1944
PAYE income tax begins
Great Britain
1938
Teflon (also known as PTFE or Polytetrafluoroethylene) was invented by Dr Roy Plunkett at DuPont research laboratories, New Jersey, USA.
United States
1909
Birth of Hermann Lang, German racing driver
Germany
1909
American explorers Robert Peary and Matthew Henson became the first men to reach the North Pole
United States
1907
Death of Thomas Beecham. Marketer of patent medicine, selling pills under the slogan 'Worth a guinea a box'. Grandfather of SAir Thoimas Beecham, the conductor.
Great Britain
1896
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
Greece
1857
Death of Francis Richeux, guillotined in Paris. The event was witnessed by Leo Tolstoy and had a profound effect on him.
France
1814
Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba
France
1808
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor .
United States
1609
English explorer Henry Hudson set off from Amsterdam in search of the North-West Passage
Great Britain
1580
Dover Straits earthquake, largest in the recorded history of England, mentioned by Shakespeare – dozens of ships sunk and a tsunami hit Calais
Great Britain
1199
Richard I dies having spent most of his reign abroad – succeeded by his brother John (to 1216)
Great Britain