British politician, John Profumo, died at the age of 90. He is most remembered as having been the central person in the scandalous Profumo Affair in 1963 which was one of the worst political scandals in 20th century Britain.

American photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe, died at hte age of 42.

A major strike forced the already financially troubled, Eastern Air Lines, to declare bankruptcy. The company had been operating in the United States since 1926.

The rock band U2 released their Joshua Tree album.

Josef Stalin's daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, defected to the United States.

French actress, Juliette Binoche, was born in Paris. She got her big break in movies when she was cast in Philip Kaufman's film The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

Production of the first Ford Mustang was completed by the Ford Motor Company. Still in production (2006), it is one of the company's best selling models of all time.

American actress, Linda Fiorentino, was born in Philadelphia.

The first Barbie doll was introduced at the American International Toy Fair.

The United States air force conducted an extensive bombing campaign over the Japanese capital of Tokyo. The American bomber planes dropped a large number of incendiary bombs which sparked a massive firestorm that claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people.

British musician, John Cale, was born in Garnant, Wales. He is most known for having been one of the founding members of the Velvet Underground band, one of the most prolific and influential rock music groups in history.

Puerto Rican actor, Raul Julia, was born in San Juan. He was one of the most popular Puerto Riccan actors of all time and was hailed as one of the most diverse and entertaining actors of his generation. Although he had a highly acclaimed career in both theatre and cinema, he is most of all remembered for his performances in the blockbuster films, The Adams Family.

American writer, Mickey Spillane, was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was the author of several popular crime novels and is most remembered for his creation of the fictitious detective character, Mike Hammer.

The world famous Italian football club, Inter Milan, was founded.

American computer engineer, Howard Aiken, was born in New Jersey. He was one of the pioneers in the design of computer systems in the early 20th century who had worked closely with the IBM company during the early years of the computer age.

Soviet politician, Vyacheslav Molotov, was born in Kukarka. He was a member of the 'Military Revolutionary Committee' which planned the October Revolution and was a close ally of Joseph Stalin. The term 'Molotov cocktail' was coined by the people of Finland when the USSR invaded their country and Molotov made a statement that the Soviet armies were not dropping bombs on them, but rather were delivering food and drinks. As a response the Finish people greeted the Soviet armies with what they came to call 'Molotov Cocktails'.

Napoleon Bonaparte married his first wife, Josephine de Beauharnais.