1864 First successful warship attack by a submarine during the American Civil War

1880 The Russian tsar survives an attempted bomb assassination

1883 Vacant/Engaged toilet door sign patented

1913 New York Armory Show introduces Picasso, Matisse, Duchamp to American public. The show is considered "shocking" and calls to close it are made

1933 US Senate accepts Blaine Act, ending prohibition

1972 The Volkswagen 'Beetle' becomes the most successful production model, selling over 15 million vehicles

1972 President Nixon leaves Washington DC for communist China

1972 The House of Commons votes in favour of Britain joining the Common Market

1766 The birth of Thomas Malthus, English economist

1924 The birth of Margaret Truman, American writer.

1929 The birth of Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader and Nobel Prize winner

1934 The birth of Alan Bates, English actor

1934 The birth of Barry Humphries, Australian actor

1954 The birth of Rene Russo, American actress.

2005 Death of Nariman Sadeq, Queen of Egypt (b. 1934)

2006 As many as 1,800 people die when a mudslide occurs on Leyte Island in the Philippines.