| 1854 |
Henry David Thoreau published “Walden,” which described his experiences living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts. |
| 1902 |
Britain’s Edward VII was crowned king following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria. |
| 1936 |
Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay. |
| 1969 |
Actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found murdered in Los Angeles; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime. |
| 1974 |
Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States following the resignation of Richard M. Nixon. |
| 1985 |
A federal judge in Norfolk, Va., found retired Navy officer Arthur J. Walker guilty of seven counts of spying for the Soviet Union. |
| 1995 |
Rock musician Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead died at age 53. |
| 2001 |
President George W. Bush approved federal funding for existing lines of embryonic stem cells. |
| 2002 |
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 600th home run, becoming the fourth major leaguer to reach the mark. |
| 2004 |
Terry Nichols was sentenced to 161 consecutive life sentences on state murder charges in the Oklahoma City bombing. |
| 2010 |
Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, 86, the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, was killed in a plane crash in southwestern Alaska. |
| 1928 |
Bob Cousy, Basketball Hall of Famer, turns 84 |
| 1938 |
Rod Laver, Tennis Hall of Famer, turns 74 |
| 1942 |
David Steinberg, Comedian, turns 70 |
| 1943 |
Ken Norton, Boxing Hall of Famer, turns 69 |
| 1944 |
Sam Elliott, Actor, turns 68 |
| 1957 |
Melanie Griffith, Actress, turns 55 |
| 1958 |
Amanda Bearse, Actress (“Married…With Children”), turns 54 |
| 1959 |
Kurtis Blow, Rapper, turns 53 |
| 1964 |
Brett Hull, Hockey player, turns 48 |
| 1964 |
Hoda Kotb, TV host (“Today”), turns 48 |
| 1968 |
Gillian Anderson, Actress (“The X Files”), turns 44 |
| 1968 |
Eric Bana, Actor, turns 44 |
| 1969 |
Troy Percival, Baseball player, turns 43 |
| 1972 |
Juanes, Rock singer, turns 40 |
| 1972 |
Liz Vassey, Actress (“CSI”), turns 40 |
| 1976 |
Jessica Capshaw, Actress, turns 36 |
| 1989 |
Jason Heyward, Baseball player, turns 23 |
| 90 |
Izaak Walton 8/9/1593 – 12/15/1683
English biographer and author of “The Compleat Angler” |
| 68 |
John Dryden 8/9/1631 (O.S.) – 5/1/1700 (O.S.)
English poet, dramatist, and literary critic |
| 48 |
William Morton 8/9/1819 – 7/15/1868
American dental surgeon who first demonstrated anesthesia |
| 63 |
Gaston Paris 8/9/1839 – 3/6/1903
French philologist, educator, and writer |
| 83 |
Janie Porter Barrett 8/9/1865 – 8/27/1948
American welfare worker and educator |
| 82 |
Leonide Massine 8/9/1896 – 3/15/1979
Russian dancer and choreographer of over 50 ballets |
| 96 |
P. L. Travers 8/9/1899 – 4/23/1996
Australian-born English writer of the “Mary Poppins” books |
| 83 |
William Fowler 8/9/1911 – 3/14/1995
American Nobel Prize-winning physicist (1983) |
| 65 |
Robert Aldrich 8/9/1918 – 12/5/1983
American motion-picture director |
| 51 |
Robert Shaw 8/9/1927 – 8/28/1978
English actor, novelist, and playwright |
Jean Piaget 8/9/1896 – 9/17/1980 Swiss psychologist whose work with children contributed immensely to the growth of developmental psychology.
