1794

Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin, an invention that revolutionized the American cotton industry.

1879

Albert Einstein, who would revolutionize physics and the human understanding of the universe, was born in Ulm, Germany.

1964

A jury in Dallas found Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, and sentenced Ruby to death. (Both the conviction and death sentence were overturned, but Ruby died before he could be retried.)

1973

Future U.S. senator and presidential candidate John McCain was released from North Vietnamese captivity after being held as a prisoner of war for over five years.

1980

A LOT Polish Airlines jet crashed while attempting to land in Warsaw, killing all 87 people aboard, including 22 athletes and staff members of the U.S. boxing team.

Birthdays

Actor Michael Caine is 92. Country musician Michael Martin Murphey is 80. Actor-comedian Billy Crystal is 77. Country singer Kristian Bush is 55. Actor Grace Park is 51. Actor Corey Stoll is 49. Actor Chris Klein is 46. NBA star Stephen Curry is 37. Actor Ansel Elgort is 31. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Simone Biles is 28.