Jonas Salk announces successful polio vaccine trial (1953), and Taiwanese protest Chinese Anti-Secession Law in Taipei (2005). Born on this day: Richard Dawkins, Keira Knightley and Larry Page. Died: Ludwig van Beethoven, Sarah Bernhardt and Walt Whitman.
30 events, 69 births and 72 deaths on this date.
Salk revealed that his experimental polio vaccine had worked when tested on a handful of volunteers, both grown-ups and youngsters. The result pointed the way toward protecting children across America and beyond from a disease that had crippled thousands each year.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines · Public domainBetween 200,000 and 300,000 people marched in Taipei against China's Anti-Secession Law, which set out legal grounds for military action should Taiwan move toward formal independence. The rally showed how strongly many Taiwanese opposed Beijing's claim over the island.
Saladin took office as vizier of Fatimid Egypt after his uncle Shirkuh died and his rival Shawar had been killed. The post gave him the power that he later used to end the Fatimid Caliphate and bring Egypt under Sunni rule.
Muslims marked the first Eid al-Fitr, the festival that closes the month of fasting from dawn to dusk during Ramadan. Today it brings communal prayer, family visits, gifts and shared meals, earning it the nickname Sweet Eid.
Joseph Smith's text, which he said he translated from golden plates he had found, first appeared in print this day. It became the central scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement, though historians generally place its origins in the nineteenth century rather than in ancient America.
Parisians voted for members of the Commune, the radical council that had taken control of the city after the French army's defeat. The election gave the rebels a democratic mandate, though the council soon faced fierce opposition from the national government at Versailles.
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He is a British evolutionary biologist and science communicator, best known for The Selfish Gene, which argued that evolution is best seen from the viewpoint of genes. He is also a prominent atheist and one of the Four Horsemen of New Atheism.
David Shankbone · CC BY 3.0
British actress known for period dramas and blockbusters, including Pride & Prejudice, The Imitation Game and the Pirates of the Caribbean films. She has received Academy Award nominations for two of her performances.
Andrea Raffin · CC BY-SA 3.0
The American entrepreneur and engineer helped found Google alongside Sergey Brin, and his PageRank algorithm became the basis of its search ranking. He later led the company as chief executive and still sits on the board of its parent, Alphabet.
Marcin Mycielski, European Parliament ( Stansfield ) · CC BY-SA 4.0
The German composer who bridged the Classical and Romantic eras, reshaping the symphony, piano sonata and string quartet. He died in Vienna in 1827, and his works are still among the most played anywhere.
Joseph Karl Stieler · Public domain
The French stage star who played Hamlet and Hugo's Ruy Blas, and who also painted and sculpted, died in Paris. Her rival-free fame across Europe and America made her one of the first actresses to become a global celebrity.
Napoleon Sarony · Public domain
Walt Whitman died in Camden, New Jersey, aged 72. He is remembered for Leaves of Grass, a poetry collection he kept revising for decades, which broke with traditional verse forms and was once condemned as obscene.
George Collins Cox / Adam Cuerden · Public domain
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