Ranasinghe Premadasa, Sri Lankan president, killed, 1993
Empire State Building dedicated, 1931
Sergio Franchi, singer (“O’ Solo Mio”), died, 1990
Knoxville World’s Fair opened, 1982
Alvin Karpis, “Public Enemy Number One,” was captured, 1936
“Batman” comic book debuted, 1939
Literacy qualification for voters enacted in Massachusetts, 1857
Russia shot down a U-2 spy plane, 1960
Rickey Henderson became the all-time stolen base leader (939), 1991
Kate Smith began her radio career, 1931
Nolan Ryan pitched his seventh career no-hitter (vs. Toronto), 1991
First BASIC program ran (Dartmouth), 1964
Henri Landru, the “French Bluebeard,” took out his first ad, 1915
US routed the Spanish fleet at Manila, 1898
Aram (Ilich) Khachaturian, Armenian musician and composer, died, 1978
Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu, 1967
First black player played major league baseball (Fleetwood Walker), 1884
David Livingstone, African explorer, died, 1873
Mother (Mary Harris) Jones, labor organizer, gave her final speech, 1930
John Dryden, English poet and critic, died, 1700
First US trade union (Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers) organized, 1794
RMS Lusitania left New York on her final voyage, 1915
Apollo Computer, Inc. officially opened offices in Lexington, Massachusetts, 1980
World’s Colombian Exposition opened in Chicago, 1893
Paul Josef Goebbels, Nazi minister of propaganda, killed himself and his family, 1945
First mayor of Boston inaugurated (John Phillips), 1822