1794 ~ French chemist Antoine Lavoisier was executed by guillotine.

1821 ~ Birthday of Jean Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross and recipient of the 1901 Nobel Peace Prize.

1895 ~ Birthday of Fulton J. Sheen, Bishop, television personality.

1902 ~ In Martinique, Mount Pelee erupted, destroying the town of St. Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a small handful of St. Pierre's residents survived the blast.

1926 ~ Birthday of Sir David Attenborough, pioneering television presenter and producer.

1933 ~ Mahatma Gandhi began a 21 day fast in protest of British oppression in India.

1937 ~ Birthday of Thomas Pynchon, Novelist.

1945 ~ Birthday of Keith Jarrett, Jazz Musician.

1984 ~ The Soviet Union announced that it would boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

1999 ~ Nancy Mace became the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel military college.

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Eudaimonia