2017: Rock and roll pioneer Fats Domino dies at 89. The New Orleans pianist and singer was one of early rock's biggest stars, scoring hits such as “Blueberry Hill” and “Ain't That a Shame” with his rolling piano style. He was part of the first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
2005: Civil rights icon Rosa Parks dies at 92. Her 1955 refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and helped launch the modern civil rights movement. After her death she became the first woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
2003: British Airways flies its final Concorde flight. The last scheduled trip, from New York to London, brought supersonic passenger travel to an end. Air France had already retired its Concorde fleet that May, citing high costs and falling demand.
1992: The Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series. Toronto beat the Atlanta Braves in six games, clinching the title with an extra-inning win in Atlanta. It made the Blue Jays the first team based outside the United States to win the championship, and they repeated the following year.
1970: Salvador Allende is confirmed as president of Chile. After no candidate won a majority, Chile's Congress confirmed Allende, making him the country's first Marxist president. His government was overthrown in a military coup in 1973.
1962:The Manchurian Candidate opens in U.S. theaters. The Cold War political thriller, directed by John Frankenheimer, starred Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey. Angela Lansbury earned an Oscar nomination for her chilling turn as a scheming mother.
1945: The United Nations is officially established. The UN Charter, signed in San Francisco that June, took effect once enough member nations had ratified it. Created after World War II to keep international peace, the organization marks the date each year as United Nations Day.
1940: The 40-hour workweek takes effect in the United States. The limit came under the Fair Labor Standards Act, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938, which phased down the standard workweek and required overtime pay beyond it. The law also set the first federal minimum wage.
1929: Panic selling hits Wall Street on “Black Thursday.” Nearly 12.9 million shares changed hands in record trading, marking the first day of real panic in the Crash of 1929. Leading bankers tried to steady the market, but prices collapsed again the following week, ushering in the Great Depression.
1922: Benito Mussolini lays plans for the March on Rome. At a Fascist gathering in Naples, he helped organize the march that began four days later. Under that pressure, King Victor Emmanuel III named Mussolini prime minister, setting him on the path to dictatorship.
1917: The Battle of Caporetto begins in World War I. An Austro-German offensive broke through Italian lines, and more than 600,000 Italian soldiers surrendered or retreated. The Italian army fell back to the Piave River, where it finally held.
1901: Annie Edson Taylor goes over Niagara Falls in a barrel. The 63-year-old former dance teacher became the first person to survive the plunge, hoping the stunt would make her rich. It never did, and she died in poverty in 1921.
1861: The first transcontinental telegram is sent across the United States. The new line linking the East and West coasts carried messages in minutes rather than days. It made the Pony Express obsolete, and the mail service shut down within days.
1648: The Peace of Westphalia is signed. The treaties ended the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic and the German phase of the Thirty Years' War. They are often cited as the foundation of the modern system of sovereign states in Europe.
Born on This Day
1999: Amon-Ra St. Brown, American football player Turns 27. Star wide receiver for the Detroit Lions.
1998: Daya, American pop singer Turns 28. Won a Grammy singing on the Chainsmokers hit “Don't Let Me Down.”
1997: Raye, British singer-songwriter Turns 29. Known for “Escapism” and a record-setting six Brit Awards in one night.
1996: Jaylen Brown, American basketball player Turns 30. Boston Celtics star and 2024 NBA Finals MVP.
1996: Rafael Devers, Dominican baseball player Slugging third baseman who starred for the Boston Red Sox before a 2025 trade to San Francisco.
1994: Jalen Ramsey, American football player All-Pro cornerback who won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.
1994: Sean O'Malley, American mixed martial artist Turns 32. Former UFC bantamweight champion known as “Sugar.”
1986: Drake, Canadian rapper and actor Turns 40. Chart-topping star behind “God's Plan,” “Hotline Bling,” and “One Dance.”
1985: Wayne Rooney, English soccer player Turns 41. Manchester United's all-time leading scorer and longtime England captain.
1983: Adrienne Bailon, American singer and TV host Turns 43. Member of 3LW and The Cheetah Girls and longtime co-host of The Real.
1980: Monica, American R&B singer Best known for the chart-topping duet “The Boy Is Mine” with Brandy.
1960: BD Wong, American actor Turns 66. Dr. Huang on Law & Order: SVU, Dr. Wu in Jurassic Park, and a Tony winner for M. Butterfly.
1957: Ron Gardenhire, American baseball manager Minnesota connection: managed the Twins from 2002 to 2014, winning six division titles and 2010 AL Manager of the Year.
1947: Kevin Kline, American actor Turns 79. Won an Oscar for A Fish Called Wanda.
1939: F. Murray Abraham, American actor Turns 87. Won an Oscar playing Salieri in Amadeus.
1937: Santo Farina, American guitarist Half of Santo & Johnny, famous for the 1959 steel guitar instrumental “Sleep Walk.”
1936: Bill Wyman, English rock bassist Played bass for the Rolling Stones for three decades, from 1962 to 1993.
1936: David Nelson, American actor and director The elder son on the classic sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
1932: Stephen Covey, American author Wrote the bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
1930: The Big Bopper, American singer-songwriter Sang “Chantilly Lace” and died in the 1959 plane crash with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens; Minnesota connection: they were flying toward their next Winter Dance Party show in Moorhead.
