532 – The Nika riots were a series of week-long riots that began on this date in Constantinople. It resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the burning of half of the city, including much of its major infrastructure, and more destruction.

1822 – The First National Assembly at Epidaurus officially adopts the new design for the Greek flag which is comprised of blue and white stripes and a white cross in one corner.

1910 – The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City sends a live performance of Cavalleria Rusticana over the radiowaves. It is the first public radio broadcast to ever take place.

1913 – The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was officially formed after 22 undergraduates at Howard University decided to change their sorority into a more activist and public service-oriented organization than the previous Alpha Kappa Alpha had been.

1966 – The first African-American to hold a Cabinet position takes office on this date. Robert C. Weaver served as the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1966 to 1968.

1968 – Johnny Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison in northern California. He recorded the shows and produced a live album, combining parts from each show. The album soon went to #1 on the country charts.

1982 – Air Florida Flight 90, destined to land in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Washington, D.C., crashed into the 14th Street Bridge shortly after takeoff and fell into the Potomac River. The accident killed 78 people, including four motorists.

1990 – Douglas Wilder took office as the first African-American governor of Virginia ever and the first African-American governor of any state since Reconstruction. He served as Virginia’s governor from 1990 to 1994.

2001 – A massive 7.8 earthquake hits El Salvador, resulting in more than 9,000 deaths, nearly 6,000 injuries, and more than 150,000 buildings damaged. Another earthquake struck the same area 30 days later.

2012 – The Costa Concordia disaster occurs along the coast of Italy. The ship was under the command of Captain Francesco Schettino and its sinking resulted in 32 deaths, including passengers and crew members.

1919 – Robert Stack, American actor (The Untouchables, Unsolved Mysteries)
1949 – Rakesh Sharma, Indian pilot and astronaut, first Indian to go into space
1961 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress and producer (Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Veep)
1962 – Trace Adkins, American singer-songwriter, actor, and guitarist (One Hot Mama, Every Light in the House)
1972 – Nicole Eggert, American actress (Baywatch, Charles in Charge)
1977 – Orlando Bloom, English actor (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings)
1978 – Nate Silver, American journalist and statistician who developed PECOTA
1978 – Ashmit Patel, Indian actor (Banaras: A Mystic Love Story, Silsilay, Inteha)
1987 – Lee Seung-gi, South Korean singer, MC, and actor (1 Night 2 Days, Strong Heart)
1990 – Liam Hemsworth, Australian-American actor (The Last Song, The Hunger Games)