1789-The first American novel, William Hill Brown's "The Power of Sympathy" is published by Isaiah Thomas
1793-Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine in Paris, following his conviction for "high treason" by the newly created French Parliament (Convention nationale), during the French Revolution
1921-British crime writer Agatha Christie publishes her first novel "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" introducing the character Hercule Poirot
1952-Jawaharlal Nehru's Congress party wins general election in India
1968-U.S. B-52 bomber with nuclear bomb on board crashes in Greenland
1977-U.S. President Jimmy Carter pardons almost all Vietnam War draft evaders
1982-"Shaolin Temple" martial arts film released, first Hong Kong feature filmed in China, directed by Chang Hsin Yen and starring Jet Li in his debut role
2008-Fears of a possible US recession cause a Black Monday for global stock markets, European stocks suffer their worst result since 9/11, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15 percent