The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, was evacuated as hurricane Katrina moved closer to the state of Louisiana.

Britain's Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, were divorced after 15 years of marriage.

Three aircraft of the Frecce Tricolori demonstration team collided and crashed into the crowd during an air show at the US Air Base in Ramstein, West Germany. 69 people died in what has been the worlds worst ever air show disaster.

During the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, American swimmer, Mark Spitz, won his first gold medal. He went on to win a total of seven gold medals as well as set a new world record in every single one of the events he participated in.

Colombian footballer, Rene Higuita, was born in Medellin. He was the goalkeeper of the national team of Colombia, who was famous worldwide for his eccentric play style.

Rock musician, Bob Dylan, was booed off the stage of Forest Hills Stadium (New York) for playing an electric guitar.

Canadian singer, Shania Twain, was born in Windsor, Ontario. Her album, Come on Over, is the biggest-selling album of all time by a female musician.

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous 'I have a dream' speech in front of 200000 people who were attending a civil rights rally in at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, USA.

Toyota Motors became an independent company. It had previously been the automobile division of the of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works company.

Russian engineer, Vladimir Shukhov, was born in Graivoron. He was one of the most important engineers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The first issue of Scientific American magazine was published. Still published today, it is the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.

Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, was born in Yasnaya Polyana. He is widely considered as one of the greatest novelists of all time. He wrote such classics as War and Peace and Anna Karenina.