1922 - The first President of the Irish Republic and founder of Sinn Féin, Arthur Griffith, passed away.
1955 - The German novelist Thomas Mann, known for "Death in Venice" and "The Magic Mountain," died.
1964 - Ian Fleming, the English author and creator of the James Bond character, passed away.
1982 - American actor Henry Fonda died at the age of 77. He appeared in "Young Mr. Lincoln," "Mister Roberts," and "12 Angry Men," and received a late Oscar for his final film, "On Golden Pond."
1998 - Titan 4A rocket carrying a secret American spy satellite exploded shortly after launch at Cape Canaveral.
2000 - The Russian Navy's nuclear submarine "Kursk" sank in the Barents Sea after an explosion, resulting in the loss of its 118-member crew.
2000 - The first Iraqi train arrived in Syria after 19 years, reaching the northern city of Aleppo to resume train services after two decades of tension.
2003 - The Argentine Chamber of Deputies annulled the amnesty decisions for army officers who tortured and killed leftists during the "Dirty War" from 1976 to 1983.
2004 - American television cooking show host and global culinary star Julia Child passed away at the age of 91.
2005 - Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was killed in an attack blamed by the government on Tamil Tiger rebels.
