EVENTS:
- 1829 – South African College is founded in Cape Town, South Africa; it will later separate into the University of Cape Town and the South African College Schools.
- 1880 – First electric lamp factory is opened by Thomas Edison.
- 1890 – Yosemite National Park is established by the U.S. Congress.
- 1891 – In California, Stanford University opens its doors.
- 1898 – The Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration is founded under the name k.u.k. Exportakademie.
- 1928 – The Soviet Union introduces its First five-year plan.
- 1949 – The People’s Republic of China is established and declared by Mao Zedong.
- 1960 – Nigeria gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1971 – The first brain-scan using x-ray computed tomography (CT or CAT scan) is performed at Atkinson Morley Hospital in Wimbledon, London.
- 1978 – Tuvalu gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1982 – Sony launches the first consumer compact disc player (model CDP-101).
- 1994 – Palau gains independence from the United Nations (trusteeship administered by the United States of America).
- 2015 – Heavy rains triggered a major landslide in the village of El Cambray Dos within Santa Catarina Pinula, killing 280 people.
- 2016 – The Western Bulldogs first Australian Rules Football grand final win in 62 years.
- 2017 – An independence referendum, declared illegal by the Constitutional Court of Spain, takes place in Catalonia, Spain.
- 2017 – Fifty-eight people are killed and 546 others injured in a mass shooting on a country music festival at the Las Vegas Strip; the gunman, Stephen Paddock, later commits suicide.
- 2018 – The International Court of Justice rules that Chile is not obliged to negotiate access to the Pacific Ocean with Bolivia.
- 2019 – Kuopio school stabbing: One dies and ten are injured when Joel Marin, armed with a sabre, attacks a school class at Savo Vocational College in Kuopio, Finland.
- 2021 – The 2020 World Expo in Dubai begins. Its opening was originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2022 – One hundred and thirty-five are killed in a human crush following a football match at Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java, Indonesia.
BIRTHS:
- 1842 – S. Subramania Iyer, Indian lawyer and jurist (d. 1924)
- 1900 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (d. 1966)
- 1904 – A. K. Gopalan, Indian politician (d. 1977)
- 1919 – Majrooh Sultanpuri, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 2000)
- 1928 – Sivaji Ganesan, Indian actor (d. 2001)
- 1947 – Dalveer Bhandari, Indian lawyer and judge
- 1961 – Gary Ablett, Sr., Australian footballer
- 1961 – Corrie van Zyl, South African cricketer and coach
- 1979 – Rudi Johnson, American football player
- 1984 – Daniel Guillén Ruiz, Spanish footballer
- 1985 – Nazimuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1986 – Justin Westhoff, Australian footballer
- 2001 – Mason Greenwood, English footballer
HOLIDAYS and OBSERVANCES:
