1813

The mortally wounded commander of the USS Chesapeake, Capt. James Lawrence, gave the order, “Don’t give up the ship,” during a losing battle with the British frigate HMS Shannon during the War of 1812.

1957

Don Bowden, a student at the University of California at Berkeley, became the first American to break the four-minute mile during a meet in Stockton, California, with a time of 3:58.7.

1962

Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was executed after being found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his actions during World War II.

1990

U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed an agreement to stop producing and reduce existing stockpiles of chemical weapons held by the two Cold War superpowers.

2008

A fire at Universal Studios Hollywood destroyed 3 acres of the studio’s property, including a vault that held as many as 175,000 irreplaceable master audio recordings from hundreds of musicians.

Birthdays

Singer Pat Boone is 91. Actor Morgan Freeman is 88. Actor Brian Cox is 79. Actor Jonathan Pryce is 78. Rock musician Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones) is 78. Actor Lisa Hartman Black is 69. Actor Teri Polo is 56. Model-TV personality Heidi Klum is 52.