1492

Christopher Columbus’ first expedition made landfall on what is now San Salvador Island in the Bahamas.

1960

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev protested remarks at the United Nations by pounding his shoe on his desk.

1968

Mexican track and field athlete Enriqueta Basilio became the first woman to light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremonies of the Mexico City Summer Games.

1973

President Richard Nixon nominated House minority leader Gerald R. Ford of Michigan to succeed Spiro T. Agnew as vice president.

1984

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher escaped an attempt on her life when an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded at a hotel in Brighton, England, killing five people.

2002

Bombs blamed on al-Qaida-linked militants destroyed two nightclubs on the Indonesian island of Bali, killing 202 people, many of whom were foreign tourists.

Birthdays

NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett is 92. Broadcast journalist Chris Wallace is 77. Jazz musician Chris Botti is 62. Actor Hugh Jackman is 56. Country musician Martie Maguire (The Chicks) is 55. Actor Kirk Cameron is 54. Olympic gold medal skier Bode Miller is 47. Actor Josh Hutcherson is 32.