1693 – Italy’s Mount Etna erupts for the second time in 25 years. It is located on the coast of Sicily and it is the tallest active volcano in all of Europe.

1787 – German-born astronomer William Herschel discovered two moons that orbit the planet Uranus. He named them Oberon and Titania after the king and queen of the fairies respectively from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

1927 – The plans to develop an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is announced by the head of MGM – Louis B. Mayer – on this date at a banquet in Los Angeles.

1935 – Famed aviator and exploration pioneer Amelia Earhart flies solo from Hawaii to California over the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first person to achieve that feat.

1949 – KDKA-TV out of Pittsburgh broadcasts the first networked programming which connected the East Coast, West Coast, and the Midwest regions of the US.

1960 – Henry Lee Lucas, one of the nation’s most prolific serial killers, committed the first murder that is attributed to him on this day.

1963 – The Whiskey-a-Go-Go, a popular and iconic nightclub in the heart of Los Angeles, CA, became the first disco club in the United States.

1967 – Iconic rock guitarist and musician Jimi Hendrix recorded his well-known hit Purple Haze, which came to be known as one of his most popular songs.

1977 – Abu Daoud, a Palestinian national, was released from a French prison after he was cleared of any involvement in the 1972 Munich Olympics incident in which several Israeli athletes were massacred.

2002 – Camp X-Ray, which was one of Guantanamo Bay’s temporary detention facilities, received its first 20 captives. The camp closed less than four months later and the detainees were transferred elsewhere.

c. 1756 – Alexander Hamilton, Nevisian-American economist, politician, philosopher, and first United States Secretary of the Treasury
1815 – John A. Macdonald, Canadian politician and first Prime Minister of Canada
1842 – William James, American psychologist and philosopher (Principles of Psychology, The Varieties of Religious Experience)
1885 – Alice Paul, American activist and suffragist
1938 – Arthur Scargill, English politician, former president of the National Union of Mineworkers
1952 – Diana Gabaldon, American author (Outlander series, Lord John series)
1971 – Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter and producer (What’s the 411?, Real Love, Missing You)
1972 – Amanda Peet, American actress (The Whole Nine Yards, Identity, Syriana)
1982 – Son Ye-jin, South Korean actress (The Classic, A Moment to Remember, April Snow)
1986 – Rachel Riley, English television host (Countdown, The Gadget Show)