1915 - In World War I, the Second Battle of Ypres ended with approximately 105,000 casualties, marking the first use of poisonous gas by the Germans.
1935 - American athlete Jesse Owens set six world records in 45 minutes at the United States Championships for the Big Ten in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
1946 - Abdullah bin Hussein declared himself the first king of Jordan just two months after the end of the British mandate.
1969 - The Sudanese government was overthrown in a military coup led by Colonel Jaafar Nimeiri.
1991 - Approximately 15,000 members of the "Falasha," or Ethiopian Jews, were airlifted from Addis Ababa to Israel as rebel forces approached the Ethiopian capital.
2000 - Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon and dismantled the South Lebanon Army.
2003 - Brazilian basketball star Oscar Schmidt announced his retirement.
2004 - At least 1,950 people were killed in floods in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
2005 - Indian filmmaker Ismail Merchant, known for his collaboration with fellow director James Ivory on films such as "A Room With A View," "Howards End," and "The Remains of the Day," passed away at the age of 68.
2006 - A jury found Enron Corp executives Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling guilty of lying about the company’s financial troubles. Lay died of a heart attack in July 2006 before he could be sentenced, while Skilling is serving a 24-year prison sentence.
2009 - In North Korea, Pyongyang conducted an underground nuclear test, escalating tensions with the regional economic powers in East Asia. U.S. President Barack Obama strongly condemned the act and called for a strong international response.
2013 - Professional climber Reinhard Kleindl set a world record for walking on the highest urban high line at an elevation of 185 meters.
