Those born on this date are under the sign of Taurus. They include Russian ruler Catherine II -- "Catherine the Great" -- in 1729; German educator Friedrich Froebel, who established the concept of the kindergarten, in 1782; English novelist Charlotte Bronte in 1816; James Starley, English inventor of the geared bicycle, in 1830; naturalist and author John Muir in 1838; German sociologist Max Weber in 1864; baseball Hall of Fame Manager Joe McCarthy in 1887; actor Anthony Quinn in 1915; British barrister and writer John Mortimer in 1923; Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 1926 (age 88); comedian, actor and director Elaine May in 1932 (age 82); actor/director Charles Grodin in 1935 (age 79); anti-death penalty advocate Sister Helen Prejean in 1939 (age 75); singer Iggy Pop in 1947 (age 67); actor/singer Patti LuPone in 1949 (age 65); actors Tony Danza in 1951 (age 63), Andie MacDowell in 1958 (age 56) and James McAvoy in 1979 (age 35); Irish singer/songwriter Glen Hansard in 1970 (age 44); and pro football quarterback Tony Romo in 1980 (age 34).
On this date in history:
In 735 B.C., Roman historian Varro listed this date as Romulus founding the city of Rome.
In 1509, Henry VIII became king of England after his father, Henry VII, died.
In 1836, with the battle cry "Remember the Alamo!" Texas forces under Sam Houston defeated the army of Mexican Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at San Jacinto, Texas, opening the path to Texas independence.
In 1918, Manfred von Richthofen, German World War I flying ace known as "The Red Baron," was killed by Allied fire over Vaux-sur-Somme, France.
In 1954, U.S. Air Force planes began flying French troops to Indochina to reinforce Dien Bien Phu. (The city later fell to communist Viet Minh forces.)
In 1960, Brasilia was inaugurated as Brazil's capital, moving the seat of government from Rio de Janeiro.
In 1967, a Greek army coup in Athens sent King Constantine into exile in Italy.
In 1975, Nguyen Van Thieu resigned as president of South Vietnam after denouncing the United States as untrustworthy. (His replacement, Tran Van Huong, prepared for peace talks with North Vietnam as communist forces advanced on Saigon.)
In 1987, the bombing of a bus terminal in Colombo, Sri Lanka, killed 127 people and wounded 288.
In 1992, gas explosions ripped through the historic center of Guadalajara, Mexico, killing more than 200 people and injuring hundreds of others.
In 1995, Timothy McVeigh, 27, was arrested 90 minutes after an Oklahoma City federal building explosion because he was driving without license plates. (He was subsequently executed for the bombing that killed168 people.)
In 2005, the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of John Negroponte to be the nation's first national intelligence director.
In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a link had been found between contaminated drug thinners from China and 81 deaths in the United States.
In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, increasing the number of AmeriCorps community service volunteers from 75,000 to 275,000 by 2017.
In 2011, John Ensign, R-Nev., resigned his U.S. Senate seat amid a budding ethics scandal. Ensign admitted an affair with his former campaign treasurer earlier and had been under Republican pressure to step down.
In 2012, author, evangelical leader and Prison Fellowship founder Charles "Chuck" Colson, who had been involved in the Watergate scandal and served time in prison, died in Virginia three weeks after brain surgery. He was 80.
In 2013, a Chinese government report said Americans are being squeezed out of the political process by wealthy special interests. The report was in response to a U.S. critique on human rights in China and other countries.
A thought for the day: On her website, Steffi Graf said, "For me, the focus and energy level that I get from physically challenging myself on a daily basis -- not to mention the obvious health benefits -- is irreplaceable."
