1915

In what is considered the start of the Armenian genocide, the Ottoman Empire began rounding up Armenian political and cultural leaders in Constantinople.

1967

Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov was killed when his Soyuz 1 spacecraft smashed into the Earth after his parachutes failed to deploy properly during reentry. He was the first human spaceflight fatality.

1980

The United States launched Operation Eagle Claw, an unsuccessful attempt to free 53 American hostages in Iran that resulted in the deaths of eight U.S. service members.

1990

Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope.

1995

The final bomb linked to the Unabomber exploded inside the Sacramento offices of the California Forestry Association, killing chief lobbyist Gilbert B. Murray. (Theodore Kaczynski was later sentenced to four lifetimes in prison for a series of bombings that killed three people and injured 23 others.)

Birthdays

Actor Shirley MacLaine is 91. Actor-singer-filmmaker Barbra Streisand is 83. Fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier is 73. Actor-comedian Cedric the Entertainer is 61. Latin pop singer Alejandro Fernandez is 54. Singer-TV personality Kelly Clarkson is 43. Country singer Carly Pearce is 35.