Nigerian basketball player, Hakeem Olajuwon, was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He is widely accepted as one of the greatest centres to ever play the game of basketball.

American director, Cecil B. DeMille, died at the age of 78. He was one of the most successful directors of the first part of the 20th century. He directed the very first movie ever made by Paramount Pictures.

American actress, Geena Davis, was born in Massachusetts. She was a very popular actress in the 1980's and early 1990's, in 1995 however she starred in the movie Cutthroat Island, which turned out to be the biggest box office failure in the history of Hollywood, after which she did not recover her previous stardom.

American entrepreneur, Paul Allen, was born in Seattle, Washington. Along with Bill Gates he was one of the founders of Microsoft and is one of the richest men in the World. He is also the owner of the NBA team, Portland Trail Blazers, and the NFL team, Seattle Seahawks.

British writer, George Orwell, died at the age of 47. He was born Eric Arthur Blair and used George Orwell as his pen name. He is considered as one of the best English language writers of the 20th century. His most famous books are Animal Farm and 1984.

Spanish tenor, Placido Domingo, was born in Madrid, Spain. He is regarded as one of the great tenors of the 20th century.

American golfer, Jack Nicklaus, was born in Ohio. He was one of the major golf players in the 1980's and 1990's and is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time.

British comedian, Benny Hill, was born in Southampton, England. He was best known for his television programme, The Benny Hill Show, which has enjoyed viewership that reaches into the billions.

Russian Revolutionary, Vladimir Lenin, died at the age of 54. He was the leader of the Bolshevik party and the first Premier of the Soviet Union.

American actor, Telly Savalas, was born in New York City. His most famous role was that of the detective Kojak in the television series by the same name.

The first Monte Carlo rally took place.

French fashion designer, Christian Dior, was born in Normandy, France.

The Opel Motors company was founded by Adam Opel in Russelsheim, Germany.