EVENTS:
- 1831 – Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle, during which he will begin to formulate the theory of evolution.
- 1836 – The worst ever avalanche in England occurs at Lewes, Sussex, killing eight people.
- 1911 – “Jana Gana Mana“, the national anthem of India, is first sung in the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.
- 1939 – Erzincan, Turkey, is hit by an earthquake, killing 30,000.
- 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, ending the first orbital manned mission to the Moon.
- 1978 – Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of fascist dictatorship.
- 2007 – Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a shooting incident.
- 2009 – Iranian election protests: On the Day of Ashura in Tehran, Iran, government security forces fire upon demonstrators.
BIRTHS:
- 1796 – Mirza Ghalib, Indian poet (d. 1869)
- 1927 – Nityanand Swami, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (d. 2012)
- 1947 – Doug Livermore, English footballer and manager
- 1959 – Andre Tippett, American football player and coach
- 1965 – Salman Khan, Indian actor and singer
- 1966 – Bill Goldberg, American football player, wrestler, and actor
- 1970 – Lorenzo Neal, American football player and radio host
- 1978 – Deuce McAllister, American football player
- 1979 – David Dunn, English footballer
- 1979 – Carson Palmer, American football player
- 1980 – Bernard Berrian, American football player
HOLIDAYS and OBSERVANCES:
