1853 - First passenger railway opens in India from Bori Bunder (Bombay) to Thane (34 km)
1986 - To dispel rumors he's dead, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appears on TV
1987 - August Wilson's "Fences" wins 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
2014 - South Korean ferry MV Sewol sinks on route Incheon to Jeju, 304 drown, mostly students. National controversy erupts over rescue efforts and actions of crew and owner.
2017 - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wins referendum on 18-article constitutional reform package

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1820 - Georg Curtius, German classical linguist, born in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck (d. 1885)
1897 - Milton Cross, American radio announcer (Metropolitan Opera's Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, 1931-75), born in New York City (d. 1975)
1947 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar [Lew Alcindor], American Basketball Hall of Fame center (6 x NBA champion; NBA Finals MVP 1971, 1985; 6 × NBA MVP; 19 × NBA All-Star), born in New York City
1954 - John Bowe, Australian racing driver, born in Devonport, Tasmania
1963 - Nick Berry, British actor (EastEnders, Heartbeat), born in Woodford, England

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1904 - Maximilian Kronberger, German poet, dies at 16
1985 - Scott Brady [Gerald Tierney], American actor (Shotgun Slade, ...