1265 Birth of Dante Alighieri, Italy's national poet and author of the Divine Comedy, one of the greatest works in the history of world literature.
1495 The first recorded production of Scotch whisky, by the monk John Cor.
1845 A carrier pigeon completes an 11,000-kilometre journey from Namibia to London in 55 days.
1926 Birth of Marilyn Monroe, American actress and one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century.
1933 A Greek-Turkish trade agreement enters into force, aimed at balancing commercial relations between the two countries.
1937 Birth of Morgan Freeman, American actor.
1938 The first Superman comic is published.
1940 Birth of Katerina Gogou, Greek actress and poet.
1941 Allied forces withdraw from Crete with heavy losses after the Battle of Crete. Around 3,000 Australians lose their lives during the evacuation.
1942 Mexico declares war on the Axis powers.
1945 During the Second World War, Japanese forces abandon the island of Okinawa after 82 days of fighting with American troops.
1947 Birth of Ronnie Wood, guitarist of the Rolling Stones.
1967 The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, widely regarded as one of the greatest albums in the history of popular music.
1968 Death of Helen Keller, American humanitarian who, despite being deaf and blind from the age of 19 months, became a celebrated author and activist.
1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono record Give Peace a Chance during their second Bed-In for Peace.
1970 A devastating earthquake in Peru kills more than 3,000 people.
1973 The Greek military junta abolishes the monarchy, declaring Greece a republic.
1973 Birth of Heidi Klum, German model and television personality.
1979 White minority rule comes to an end in Zimbabwe.
1980 CNN launches, becoming the world's first 24-hour television news network.
1992 Environmentalists, diplomats and indigenous peoples from around the world converge on Rio de Janeiro for the Earth Summit, held under the auspices of the United Nations.
2001 A suicide bomber detonates explosives inside a discotheque in Tel Aviv, killing 21 people.
2008 Death of Yves Saint Laurent, legendary French fashion designer.
2009 Air France Flight 447 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil, killing all 228 people on board.
2009 General Motors files for bankruptcy, in what becomes the fourth largest corporate bankruptcy in United States history.
