Events
- 1840 – Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigates Antarctica, claiming what became known as Wilkes Land for the United States.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in seceding from the United States.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Mill Springs – The Confederacy suffers its first significant defeat in the conflict.
- 1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
- 1920 – The United States Senate votes against joining the League of Nations.
- 1937 – Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles, California to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
- 1946 – General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals.
- 1977 – President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (a.k.a. "Tokyo Rose").
- 1977 – Snow falls in Miami, Florida. This is the only time in the history of the city that snow has fallen. It also fell in the Bahamas.
- 1981 – Iran Hostage Crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity.
- 1983 – The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced.
- 1996 – The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
- 2006 – The New Horizons probe is launched by NASA on the first mission to Pluto.
Births
- 1752 – James Morris III, American army officer (d. 1820)
- 1807 – Robert E. Lee, American Confederate general (d. 1870)
- 1808 – Lysander Spooner, American philosopher (d. 1887)
- 1809 – Edgar Allan Poe, American writer and poet (d. 1849)
- 1887 – Alexander Woollcott, American intellectual (d. 1943)
- 1917 – John Raitt, American singer and actor (d. 2005)
- 1918 – John H. Johnson, American publisher (d. 2005)
- 1921 – ‘Billy Batts’ Devino, American gangster (d. 1970)
- 1921 – Patricia Highsmith, American author (d. 1995)
- 1922 – Guy Madison, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1923 – Jean Stapleton, American actress
- 1924 – Nicholas Colasanto, American actor (d. 1985)
- 1926 – Fritz Weaver, American actor
- 1930 – Tippi Hedren, American actress
- 1933 – George Coyne, American theologian
- 1937 – John Lions, Australian computer scientist (d. 1998)
- 1939 – Phil Everly, American musician
- 1942 – Thom Mayne, American Architect
- 1943 – Janis Joplin, American singer (d. 1970)
- 1944 – Shelley Fabares, American actress
- 1944 – Peter Lynch, American investor
- 1944 – Dan Reeves, American football coach
- 1946 – Dolly Parton, American singer and actress
- 1947 – Ann Compton, American news reporter
- 1947 – Paula Deen, American chef and restaurateur
- 1953 – Desi Arnaz, Jr., American actor
- 1954 – Katey Sagal, American actress
- 1954 – Cindy Sherman, American photographer
- 1956 – Carman Licciardello, American singer
- 1957 – Ottis Anderson, former American football player
- 1959 – Jeff Pilson, American bass guitarist
- 1961 – William Ragsdale, American actor
- 1962 – Jeff Van Gundy, American basketball coach
- 1963 – Michael Adams, American basketball player
- 1968 – Whitfield Crane, American musician (Ugly Kid Joe)
- 1969 – Junior Seau, American football player
- 1971 – Shawn Wayans, American actor
- 1971 – John Wozniak, American singer and songwriter (Marcy Playground)
- 1972 – Ron Killings, American professional wrestler
- 1972 – Drea de Matteo, American actress
- 1972 – Jon Fisher, American entrepreneur
- 1974 – Frank Caliendo, American comedian
- 1975 – Noah Georgeson, American musician
- 1982 – Mike Komisarek, American ice hockey player
- 1982 – Jodie Sweetin, American actress
- 1983 – Hikaru Utada, American/Japanese singer and songwriter
- 1985 – Jake Allen, American football player
- 1985 – Benny Feilhaber, American soccer player
- 1986 – Loren Galler-Rabinowitz, American ice dancer
- 1988 – JaVale McGee, American Basketball Player
- 1991 – Erin Sanders, American actress
- 1992 – Logan Lerman, American actor
- 1992 – Shawn Johnson, American gymnast
- 1992 – Mac Miller, American rapper
Deaths
- 1847 – Charles Bent, New Mexico pioneer (assassinated) (b. 1799)
- 1939 – Cliff Heathcote, American baseball player (b. 1898)
- 1968 – Ray Harroun, American race car driver (b. 1879)
- 1971 – Harry Shields, American musician (b. 1899)
- 1972 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (b. 1936)
- 1975 – Thomas Hart Benton, American painter (b. 1889)
- 1980 – William O. Douglas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1898)
- 1983 – Ham, a chimpanzee, the first hominid launched into outer space (b. 1956)
- 1991 – John Russell, American actor (b. 1921)
- 1996 – Don Simpson, American film producer (b. 1943)
- 1997 – James Dickey, American writer (b. 1923)
- 1997 – Adriana Caselotti, American actress (b. 1916)
- 1998 – Carl Perkins, American guitarist (b. 1932)
- 2004 – Harry E. Claiborne, American judge (suicide) (b. 1917)
- 2006 – Anthony Franciosa, American actor (b. 1928)
- 2006 – Wilson Pickett, American singer (b. 1941)
- 2007 – Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow, American professional wrestler (b. 1961)
- 2008 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (b. 1937)
- 2008 – John Stewart, American musician (The Kingston Trio) (b. 1939)
- 2010 – Jennifer Lyon, American reality television personality (Survivor) (b. 1972)
Holidays and observances