1940 - Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky was fatally wounded by a Spanish communist with an ice axe in Mexico City and died the next day. The Soviet government denied responsibility.
1953 - French troops overthrew the Sultan of Morocco, Sidi Mohammed ben Youssef.
1960 - Senegal decided to withdraw from the Mali Federation (now Mali) established in 1959.
1961 - East Germany began erecting a five-foot wall along the border between East and West Berlin to replace the barbed wire that had been put in place on August 13.
1980 - Italian climber Reinhold Messner achieved the first successful solo ascent of Mount Everest.
1989 - Moroccan Saïd Aouita set a world record in the 3000 meters.
1995 - At least 350 people died in India's worst train disaster when two trains heading to Delhi collided in Firozabad, 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the Indian capital.
1999 - Three Japanese banks announced plans for a broad alliance to form the world's first trillion-dollar financial group.
2014 - Landslides swept through residential areas in Hiroshima, Japan.
2016 - Usain Bolt from Jamaica set a new world record in the men's 200-meter race.
