EVENTS:
- 1602 – The Dutch East India Company is established.
- 1861 – An earthquake completely destroys Mendoza, Argentina.
- 1915 – Albert Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity.
- 1956 – Tunisia gains independence from France.
- 1987 – The Food and Drug Administration approves the anti-AIDS drug, AZT.
- 1995 – A sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway kills 13 and wounds 1,300 people.
- 2012 – At least 52 people are killed and more than 250 injured in a wave of terror attacks across ten cities in Iraq.
- 2014 – Four suspected Taliban members attack the luxurious Kabul Serena Hotel, killing at least nine people.
- 2015 – A Solar eclipse, equinox, and a Supermoon all occur on the same day.
- 2019 – Nursultan Nazarbayev resigns as the first President of Kazakhstan after a 29-year tenure, appointing Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as interim president.
BIRTHS:
- 1885 – Vernon Ransford, Australian cricketer (d. 1958)
- 1911 – Alfonso García Robles, Mexican lawyer and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
- 1951 – Madan Lal, Indian cricketer and coach
- 1958 – Rickey Jackson, American football player
- 1959 – Nalini Ambady, Indian-American psychologist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1959 – Dave Beasant, English footballer and coach
- 1968 – Paul Merson, English footballer and manager
- 1973 – Nicky Boje, South African cricketer
- 1982 – Terrence Duffin, Zimbabwean cricketer
HOLIDAYS and OBSERVANCES:
- Extraterrestrial Abduction Day
- International Day of Happiness (United Nations)
- National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)
- World Sparrow Day
