1935 - French army officer, Alfred Dreyfus (Jewish), accused of treason in 1894, died. His case became a center of controversy, leading to a division in French society for decades.
1937 - American composer George Gershwin died. He was famous for his song "Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris," and he wrote many popular songs, in addition to the opera "Porgy and Bess."
1940 - Marshal Henri Pétain was announced as the head of the Vichy French state, following the resignation of President Albert Lebrun.
1989 - British actor Laurence Olivier died at the age of 82. His films include "Henry V" and "Hamlet," for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor.
1995 - Bosnian Serb forces invaded Srebrenica, which the United Nations had declared a "safe area," leading to the flight of tens of thousands of Muslims to save their lives. The Serbs killed around 8,000 men.
1996 - The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague issued international arrest warrants for Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić on charges of genocide and war crimes.
2001 - Cambodian lawmakers approved legislation paving the way for the trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders, blamed for the deaths of about 1.7 million people during their rule from 1975 to 1979.
2003 - India and Pakistan reopened a bus route across the border between Lahore and New Delhi, renewing hopes of ending decades of enmity.
2006 - Bombs exploded on crowded trains and passenger stations in Mumbai, India’s financial center, resulting in the deaths of 186 people. Islamic militants based in Pakistan were blamed for the attacks.
2009 - Swimmer Aaron Peirsol set a new world record in the 200-meter backstroke for men.
2011 - An explosion occurred at a military base in southern Cyprus.
