8 BC ~ Death of
Horace, poet. Remembered for, among other things, “carpe diem” (seize the day).
1095 ~
Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont.
1895 ~
Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, setting aside his estate to establish the Nobel Prize after he died.
1907 ~ Birthday of L. Sprague de Camp, Science Fiction writer.
1921 ~ Birthday of
Alexander Dubcčk, Czech politician.
1942 ~ Birthday of Jimi Hendrix, musician.
1946 ~
Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru appealed to the U.S. and the USSR to start nuclear disarmament, stating that such an action would "save humanity from the ultimate disaster".
1953 ~ Death of Eugene O'Neill, playwright.
1990 ~
John Major followed Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the UK.
2001 ~ A hydrogen atmosphere was detected on the extrasolar planet Osiris by the HST, the first atmosphere detected on an extrasolar planet.