2004: Swedish author Stieg Larsson dies at 50. The journalist and anti-extremism activist died of a heart attack in Stockholm. His novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was published the following year as the first book of his Millennium series, which became a worldwide bestseller and was adapted for film.
1996: Evander Holyfield stops Mike Tyson to win the heavyweight title. A heavy underdog, Holyfield won by technical knockout in the 11th round in Las Vegas, taking the WBA belt. The victory made him only the second boxer, after Muhammad Ali, to win the heavyweight championship three times.
1985: Garry Kasparov becomes world chess champion at 22. He defeated fellow Soviet Anatoly Karpov in a match in Moscow, becoming the youngest man ever to hold the title. Kasparov stayed world champion until 2000.
1984: Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street opens in U.S. theaters. The horror film introduced the dream-stalking killer Freddy Krueger and marked Johnny Depp's film debut. Its success helped build New Line Cinema and spawned a long string of sequels.
1953: Welsh poet Dylan Thomas dies in New York at 39. He fell ill while on a reading tour of the United States. He is remembered for poems such as Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night and for the radio play Under Milk Wood.
1953: Cambodia gains independence from France. King Norodom Sihanouk had led the campaign to end French rule, which dated to 1863 when Cambodia became a French protectorate. The country later observed the date as its national Independence Day.
1938: The Kristallnacht pogrom begins across Germany and Austria. Over roughly 48 hours, Nazi-organized mobs burned synagogues and wrecked Jewish homes and businesses, killing at least 91 Jews. About 30,000 Jewish men were sent to concentration camps, and the name, Night of Broken Glass, came from the shattered shop windows.
1923: Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch collapses in Munich. The coup attempt began the night before in a Munich beer hall and ended when police fired on a Nazi march through the city center, killing 16 of the marchers. Hitler was arrested and wrote Mein Kampf while in prison.
1922: Albert Einstein is named winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics. The Nobel committee had held back the 1921 award and announced it a year late. Einstein was honored for explaining the photoelectric effect rather than for his theory of relativity.
1888: Jack the Ripper's killing spree in London ends. Mary Jane Kelly, found dead that day in Whitechapel in London's East End, is considered the last of the killer's five canonical victims. The murderer was never identified.
1799: Napoleon Bonaparte seizes power in the Coup of 18 Brumaire. The two-day coup in Paris overthrew the French government known as the Directory and is generally seen as the end of the French Revolution. Napoleon became First Consul and crowned himself emperor in 1804.
Born on This Day
1988: Nikki Blonsky, American actress and singer Turns 38. Starred as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 movie musical Hairspray.
1984: French Montana, Moroccan-American rapper Turns 42. Known for the multi-platinum hit “Unforgettable.”
1980: Vanessa Lachey, American TV host and actress Turns 46. Co-host of Love Is Blind and star of NCIS: Hawai'i.
1978: Sisqó, American R&B singer Turns 48. Dru Hill singer best known for the solo smash “Thong Song.”
1973: Nick Lachey, American singer and TV host Turns 53. Lead singer of 98 Degrees and co-host of Love Is Blind.
1972: Eric Dane, American actor Played Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on Grey's Anatomy and also starred in Euphoria.
1970: Bill Guerin, American hockey player and executive Minnesota connection: general manager of the Minnesota Wild and a two-time Stanley Cup champion as a player.
1970: Chris Jericho, American-Canadian pro wrestler Turns 56. Multi-time WWE and AEW champion and frontman of the rock band Fozzy.
1970: Susan Tedeschi, American blues singer and guitarist Leads the Grammy-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band with her husband, Derek Trucks.
1969: Sandra “Pepa” Denton, American rapper One half of Salt-N-Pepa, known for “Push It” and “Shoop.”
1965: Ryan Murphy, American TV producer Turns 61. Creator of Glee and American Horror Story.
1951: Lou Ferrigno, American actor and bodybuilder Turns 75. Played the green giant in TV's The Incredible Hulk.
1946: Benny Mardones, American singer-songwriter Best known for the radio favorite “Into the Night.”
1941: Tom Fogerty, American rock guitarist Rhythm guitarist of Creedence Clearwater Revival alongside his brother John.
1936: Mary Travers, American folk singer Member of Peter, Paul and Mary, known for “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “Puff, the Magic Dragon.”
1935: Bob Gibson, American baseball pitcher Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals ace who posted a 1.12 ERA in 1968.
1934: Carl Sagan, American astronomer Brought science to millions as host of the TV series Cosmos.
1931: Whitey Herzog, American baseball manager Hall of Famer who managed the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1982 World Series title.
1922: Dorothy Dandridge, American actress and singer Star of Carmen Jones and the first Black woman nominated for the Best Actress Oscar.
1914: Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-born American actress Hollywood star who also co-invented a radio frequency-hopping system that paved the way for modern wireless tech.
