Monroe's skirt scene shot for The Seven Year Itch (1954), and The United Nations hands Eritrea over to Ethiopia (1952). Born on this day: Agatha Christie, William Howard Taft and Trajan. Died: Gustav VI Adolf, Fernando Botero and Anton Webern.
29 events, 74 births and 43 deaths on this date.
Filming for the comedy The Seven Year Itch produced the skirt scene that became one of the most recognised images of Monroe's career. Her white dress billows up in a gust of air, a moment copied and parodied ever since.
Sam Shaw · Public domainUnder a United Nations plan drawn up in 1950, Eritrea was placed under Ethiopian rule, a step that later fed decades of conflict.
Begin, who had led Israel's first change of government in 1977 and signed the peace treaty with Egypt, stepped down after years of tension over Lebanon and the economy. His departure left the Likud government to be led by Yitzhak Shamir.
The Soviet cargo ship Poltava set off for Cuba carrying military supplies, part of a chain of moves that would push the world toward the Cuban Missile Crisis. Its voyage showed how far Moscow was willing to go to support Havana.
The uncrewed probe flew around the Moon and came back through Earth's atmosphere, the first craft to manage that round trip. It was part of the Cold War contest with the United States to reach the Moon.
Ali became heavyweight champion for a third time, having already held the crown after his 1964 upset of Sonny Liston and his undisputed reign in the mid-1970s. That made him the first boxer to win the heavyweight title three times.
Ira Rosenberg · Public domain
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Agatha Christie wrote 66 detective novels, featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and her books have sold more than two billion copies. Her murder mystery The Mousetrap has been performed in London's West End since 1952, making it the longest-running play in the world.
Joop van Bilsen for Anefo · CC0
Taft was the only person to have served both as US president and as chief justice of the Supreme Court. Born in Cincinnati in 1857, he was remembered for his legal career, rising from judge to governor of the Philippines before winning the presidency.
Pach Brothers, restored by Adam Cuerden · Public domain
Trajan was a Roman emperor and soldier, one of the Five Good Emperors, who extended Rome to its greatest territorial reach. Born in Spain, the Senate gave him the title optimus princeps, meaning the best ruler.
Unknown artist Unknown artist · Public domain
Gustaf VI Adolf was King of Sweden from 1950 until his death. A keen amateur archaeologist, he gave his assent to constitutional changes that removed the monarchy's last political powers.
Unknown photographer / Swedish Air Force Museum · CC0
Colombian painter and sculptor whose signature style of swollen, exaggerated figures, known as Boterismo, could carry political criticism or simple humour. He is remembered for making his art instantly recognisable across the world, from Park Avenue to the Champs-Élysées.
Culturespaces · CC BY 3.0
Webern was an Austrian composer whose short, spare works pushed atonal and twelve-tone techniques further than almost anyone of his time. He was shot dead by an American soldier in occupied Austria in 1945, a death that shocked those who knew his quiet, precise music.
Georg Fayer · Public domain
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