1994 – Sinking of MS Estonia
MS Estonia, a passenger and car ferry, sank in the Baltic Sea killing more than 800 passengers. It is considered to be the worst maritime peace-time disaster of the 20th century.
1991 – Coup in Haiti
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed in a military coup. Aristide had been elected in a national election held 8 months before the coup.
1962 – First Canadian Satellite
Canada launched its first ever satellite, Alouette 1, on this day from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United States. A joint venture between NASA and Defence Research and Development Canada, the satellite was sent to study the Earth's ionosphere.
1954 – CERN established
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, popularly known as CERN, was established by 12 European governments.
1941 – Babi Yar massacre
About 33,000 Soviet Jews were killed at the Babi Yar ravine in Kiev by the Nazis in a two-day massacre that started on this day.
1961 – Julia Gillard
Australian politician, 27th Prime Minister of Australia
1951 – Michelle Bachelet
Chilean politician, 34th President of Chile
1936 – Silvio Berlusconi
Italian politician, 50th Prime Minister of Italy
1901 – Enrico Fermi
Italian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1511 – Michael Servetus
Spanish theologian, physician, cartographer
2009 – Pavel Popovich
Soviet astronaut
1997 – Roy Lichtenstein
American painter, sculptor
1981 – Bill Shankly
Scottish footballer, manager
1973 – W. H. Auden
English/American poet
1902 – Émile Zola
French author, critic
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