2012: Space shuttle Endeavour arrives at its permanent home in Los Angeles. Two days after landing at Los Angeles International Airport on the back of a jumbo jet, the retired orbiter was towed about 12 miles through city streets to the California Science Center. Trees had to be cut down and street signs removed to clear a path, and crowds lined the route for the slow trip.
2007:Keeping Up with the Kardashians premieres. The E! reality series followed Kris Jenner and her children through their daily lives. It turned the family, especially Kim Kardashian, into global celebrities and ran for 20 seasons.
1994: Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz is stabbed in Cairo and survives. The 82-year-old writer, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988, was attacked outside his home by Islamic militants angered by his work. He recovered but suffered lasting nerve damage that limited his ability to write by hand.
1973: Thailand's military prime minister Thanom Kittikachorn resigns. He was forced from power after huge student-led protests demanding a democratic constitution turned deadly in Bangkok. He left the country, and Thailand began a brief period of civilian rule.
1964: Martin Luther King Jr. is named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize honored his nonviolent leadership of the American civil rights movement and his work for social justice. At 35 he was then the youngest person to receive it, and he donated the prize money to the movement.
1947: Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. The Air Force test pilot broke the sound barrier over the Mojave Desert in California flying the rocket-powered Bell X-1, which he had named Glamorous Glennis after his wife. The flight opened the way for supersonic aircraft.
1944: German field marshal Erwin Rommel dies by suicide. After he was linked to the July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Rommel was offered the choice of a trial or taking poison, and he took poison. The Nazi regime announced that the famed “Desert Fox” had died of his wounds and gave him a state funeral.
1943: Prisoners revolt at the Sobibor death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. About 300 Jewish laborers rose up, killing several SS officers and guards, and many escaped through the fences and minefields. Many were killed during the breakout or hunted down afterward, but some survived the war, and the Nazis closed and dismantled the camp soon after.
1936: The first International Brigades volunteers arrive in Spain. About 500 trainees reached Albacete, which became the base for foreign volunteers who came to fight for the Spanish Republic against Francisco Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War.
1926: A.A. Milne publishes Winnie-the-Pooh. The book of stories about Christopher Robin and his toy bear also introduced characters such as Eeyore and Piglet. Illustrated by E.H. Shepard, it became one of the best-loved children's books of all time.
1908: The Chicago Cubs win their second straight World Series. They beat the Detroit Tigers to take the title for the second year in a row. The team would not win another championship until 2016, a drought of 108 years.
1806: Napoleon crushes the Prussian army at the Battle of Jena. French forces defeated the Prussians under Charles William Ferdinand, duke of Brunswick, in a battle fought alongside a second French victory the same day at nearby Auerstedt. Within weeks Napoleon entered Berlin.
1066: William of Normandy defeats King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. Harold was killed in the fighting in southern England, and William, later known as William the Conqueror, was crowned king on Christmas Day. The Norman Conquest brought a new ruling class and transformed the English language and society.
Born on This Day
1999: Quinn Hughes, American hockey player Turns 27. Star defenseman and Norris Trophy winner who joined the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster trade in December 2025.
1994: Jared Goff, American football player Turns 32. Quarterback of the Detroit Lions and former No. 1 overall draft pick.
1993: Charlie Kirk, American political activist and radio host Founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA and host of a popular talk show; he died in 2025.
1987: Jay Pharoah, American comedian and actor Turns 39. Saturday Night Live cast member known for his celebrity impressions.
1980: Ben Whishaw, English actor Turns 46. Played Q in the James Bond films and voices Paddington Bear.
1979: Stacy Keibler, American wrestler and actress WWE star and Dancing with the Stars finalist.
1978: Usher, American R&B singer Turns 48. Hitmaker behind “Yeah!” and “U Got It Bad” who headlined the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show.
1974: Natalie Maines, American singer Lead singer of The Chicks, known for “Wide Open Spaces” and “Not Ready to Make Nice.”
1973: George Floyd, American man whose death sparked nationwide protests His 2020 murder by a Minneapolis police officer set off protests across Minnesota, the nation, and the world.
1967: Stephen A. Smith, American sports commentator Outspoken host of ESPN's First Take.
1964: Joe Girardi, American baseball player and manager Catcher and later manager who led the New York Yankees to the 2009 World Series title.
1963: Lori Petty, American actress Played Kit in A League of Their Own and starred in Point Break and Tank Girl.
1952: Harry Anderson, American actor and magician Played Judge Harry Stone on the sitcom Night Court.
1946: Justin Hayward, English rock singer and guitarist Voice of the Moody Blues who wrote “Nights in White Satin.”
1939: Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer Turns 87. Founder of the Polo Ralph Lauren fashion empire.
1938: John Dean, American lawyer and author White House counsel to Richard Nixon whose testimony was central to the Watergate scandal.
1927: Roger Moore, English actor Played James Bond in seven films, from Live and Let Die to A View to a Kill.
1910: John Wooden, American basketball coach Legendary UCLA coach who won 10 national championships.
1890: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th U.S. president Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II who served two terms as president from 1953 to 1961.
1644: William Penn, English Quaker leader Founder of the colony of Pennsylvania and a champion of religious freedom.
