Dominica gains independence
The Caribbean Island nation gained its independence from the British after being colonized in 1805.
NASA launches Mariner 10
The last of the Mariner Program, Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to flyby two planets – Venus and Mercury. The probe flew by Venus on February 5, 1974, and did 3 flybys of Mercury on March 29, 1974, September 21, 1974, and on March 16, 1975, after which communications with the probe were terminated.
Godzilla released
The Japanese science fiction starring a mutated monster of the same name became an instant hit.
John Willis Menard elected to U.S. House of Representatives
He became the first African-American to be elected to the house.
The Times of India founded
The world’s largest English-language daily was launched as a bi-weekly as the Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce in Bombay, India.
- 1957 Dolph Lundgren
Swedish actor - 1949 Anna Wintour
English/American journalist, editor - 1933 Amartya Sen
Indian economist, Nobel Prize laureate - 1918 Bob Feller
American baseball player - 1815 John Mitchel
Irish journalist, activist
- 1996 Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Central African politician, 2nd President of the Central African Republic - 1957 Wilhelm Reich
Austrian/American psychotherapist - 1954 Henri Matisse
French painter - 1926 Annie Oakley
American target shooter - 361 Constantius II
Roman Emperor
