- **1937** - Scottish playwright and novelist J.M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, passed away.
- **1953** - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in the electric chair for espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union, becoming the first married couple to be executed in the United States.
- **1997** - The musical group "Cats" made Broadway history by completing the longest-running show ever in New York.
- **2000** - Dutch police uncovered a warehouse used for smuggling dozens of illegal Chinese immigrants who were found inside a truck at the English port of Dover.
- **2001** - Syria completed the withdrawal of its forces from Beirut and surrounding areas, ending its controversial military presence in six days.
- **2005** - History enthusiasts reenacted the Battle of Waterloo fought by Napoleon to celebrate its 190th anniversary.
- **2007** - A suspected al-Qaeda bomber killed 78 people in Baghdad when he rammed a truck into a Shia mosque.
- **2008** - European Union countries agreed to lift sanctions imposed on Cuba in a move aimed at encouraging democratic reforms on the communist island.
- **2012** - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sought political asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
- **2014** - A cave explorer was rescued in Germany after 12 days.
- **2014** - An early model of the Texas Instruments Inc. microchip was auctioned in New York.
