1961 - Gary Cooper, the Oscar-winning actor known for his roles in "Sergeant York" and "High Noon," passed away at the age of 60.
1965 - Israel and West Germany agreed to establish diplomatic relations, following which several Arab countries cut their ties with West Germany.
1968 - Talks began between North Vietnamese and American negotiators in Paris aimed at ending the Vietnam War.
1981 - Pope John Paul II was shot while driving through a crowd of 20,000 people in St. Peter's Square in Rome, and the shooter (Mehmet Ali Ağca) was arrested.
1992 - Three astronauts walked simultaneously in space for the first time, repairing the "Intelsat-6" satellite from the American shuttle Endeavour, in a spacewalk that lasted eight hours and 29 minutes.
1999 - Gene Sarazen, one of only four golfers to win all four major championships, passed away at the age of 97.
2002 - U.S. President George Bush announced an agreement with Russia concerning a treaty to sharply reduce both countries' nuclear arsenals to 1,700-2,200, down from approximately 6,000 to 7,000.
2005 - Pope Benedict announced that he had decided to place his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, on the fast track to sainthood.
2009 - The European Commission imposed a record fine of €1.06 billion ($1.45 billion) on Intel Corporation for chipmaking practices.
2014 - More than 150 workers were killed in an explosion at a coal mine in Turkey.
