EVENTS:
- 1858 – Cyrus West Field and others complete the first transatlantic telegraph cable after several unsuccessful attempts. It will operate for less than a month.
- 1884 – The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe’s Island (now Liberty Island) in New York Harbor.
- 1901 – Peter O’Connor sets the first IAAF recognised long jump world record of 24 ft 11.75 in (7.6137 m) The record will stand for 20 years.
- 1914 – In Cleveland, Ohio, the first electric traffic light is installed.
- 1949 – In Ecuador, an earthquake destroys 50 towns and kills more than 6,000.
- 1960 – Burkina Faso, then known as Upper Volta, becomes independent from France.
- 1969 – Mariner program: Mariner 7 makes its closest fly-by of Mars (3,524 kilometers).
- 2003 – A car bomb explodes in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta outside the Marriott Hotel killing 12 and injuring 150.
- 2012 – The Oak Creek shooting took place at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six people; the perpetrator was shot dead by police.
- 2015 – The Environmental Protection Agency at Gold King Mine waste water spill releases 3 million gallons of heavy metal toxin tailings and waste water into the Animas River in Colorado.
- 2019 – The revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (state) occurred and the state was bifurcated into two union territories (Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) and Ladakh).
- 2021 – Australia‘s second most populous state Victoria enters its sixth COVID-19 lockdown, enacting stage four restrictions statewide in reaction to six new COVID-19 cases recorded that morning.
- 2024 – Following the Non-cooperation movement against the government of Bangladesh, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigns and flees the country, ending her rule of 15 consecutive years and a total of almost two decades.
BIRTHS:
- 1866 – Harry Trott, Australian cricketer (d. 1917)
- 1906 – Wassily Leontief, Russian economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
- 1946 – Bruce Coslet, American football player and coach
- 1948 – Ray Clemence, English footballer and manager
- 1950 – Mahendra Karma, Indian politician (d. 2013)
- 1961 – Athula Samarasekera, Sri Lankan cricketer and coach
- 1962 – Richard de Groen, New Zealand cricketer
- 1969 – Venkatesh Prasad, Indian cricketer and coach
- 1972 – Aaqib Javed, Pakistani cricketer and coach
- 1973 – Sanwar Hossain, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1974 – Alvin Ceccoli, Australian footballer
- 1975 – Kajol, Indian actress
- 1977 – Michael Walsh, English footballer
- 1980 – Vatsal Sheth, Indian actor
- 1981 – Alester Maregwede, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1987 – Genelia D’Souza, Indian actress
HOLIDAYS AND OBSERVANCES:
