A Swissair passenger jet crashed in Nova Scotia. All 229 people on board were killed.

British writer, J. R. R. Tolkien, died at the age of 81. He is best remembered as the author of the immensely popular books, The Hobbit, and its sequel The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the rings is one of the most widely read books in human history.

The microstate Principality of Sealand declared its independence. Although not recognised by any nation, the Principality of Sealand is a micro nation which claims as its territory the artificial island of Roughs Tower, a Sea Fort, located off the coast of Suffolk, England.

Mexican actress, Salma Hayek, was born in Veracruz, Mexico.

Canadian-British boxer, Lennox Lewis, was born in London, England. He was the heavyweight champion of the world and along with Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield, he has won the Heavyweight Championship on three separate occasions

American actor, Keanu Reeves, was born in Beirut, Lebanon.

American tennis player, Jimmy Connors, was born in St. Louis, Illinois. He was the worlds No. 1 ranked player for 5 consecutive years. He won eight Grand Slam singles titles and two Grand Slam doubles titles. During his career, Connors won a record 109 men's singles titles. His professional career run from 1972 till 1991 for an unparalleled 19 years.

American actor, Mark Harmon, was born in Burbank, California.

The 2nd World War officially ended with the surrender of Japan aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Vietnam declared its independence from the rule of France, forming the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

French, Pierre de Coubertin, died at the age of 74. He is credited with the modern day revival of the Olympic Games.

British and Egyptian troops defeated Sudanese tribesmen in the Battle of Omdurman, resulting in the establishment of British rule in Sudan.

During the course of the Franco-Prussian War, Prussian forces took French Emperor Napoleon III as well as over 100000 French soldiers prisoner after the Battle of Sedan.

The British Royal Navy bombarded the city of Copenhagen in an effort to prevent Denmark from surrendering its naval fleet to Napoleon.

During the period of the French Revolution, rampaging mobs kill three Roman Catholic Church bishops and more than two hundred priests in what has been known in history as the September Massacres.

The United Kingdom adopted the Gregorian calendar. It was still using the Julian calendar for almost two centuries longer than most of the nations of Western Europe.

A huge fire, now known as 'The Great Fire of London', broke out and burned for over three days. Over 10,000 buildings were destroyed by the fire.

The Battle of Actium took place off The western coast of Greece. The army of Octavian defeated The army of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.