1776 – American Revolutionary patriot Thomas Paine published his famous pamphlet – Common Sense – which advocated the colonies breaking away from British rule.

1840 – The system of having a delivery service deliver mail for a standard rate paid for by the sender began on this day in Britain.

1901 – Spindletop, an oil field located in Beaumont, TX, became the first oil

gusher in the state. Soon after it “struck oil,” it was producing more than 100,000 barrels per day.

1920 – The League of Nations, whose main mission for existing was to maintain peace throughout the world, held its first meeting in Geneva on this date.

1920 – The Treaty of Versailles, which effectively ended WWI, went into effect on this day.

1929 – The Adventures of Tintin, which became a popular series of comic books in Europe and later in the United States, was first published on this date in Belgium.

1957 – Harold MacMillan takes the place of Anthony Eden following his resignation as British Prime Minister.

1971 – The premiere of Masterpiece Theatre occurred on this day on PBS. It was hosted by Alistair Cooke and it began with a series entitled “The First Churchills.”

1997 – Music icon James Brown get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2003 – Country music singer George Strait attains his place in the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame on this date in Forth Worth, TX.

1903 – Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor (Mother and Child, Ball Plane and Hole)
1939 – William Levy, Dutch author (Playing Tennis with Kafka, Confessions of a Failed Dealer)
1939 – David Horowitz, American activist and author founded the David Horowitz Freedom Center
1940 – K. J. Yesudas, Indian singer-songwriter
1943 – Jim Croce, American singer-songwriter (Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, Time in a Bottle)
1945 – Rod Stewart, English-Scottish singer-songwriter (Maggie May, Reason to Believe, This Old Heart of Mine)
1945 – John Fahey, Australian politician, 38th Premier of New South Wales
1949 – George Foreman, American boxer, former two-time World Heavyweight Champion, Olympic gold medalist
1956 – Antonio Muñoz Molina, Spanish author (Las otras vidas, Pura alegría, Días de diario)
1974 – Hrithik Roshan, Indian actor (Fiza, Mission Kashmir, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham)