American actress, Katharine Hepburn, died at the age of 95. She was one of the legends of 20th century cinema who still holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscar nominations with twelve as well as wins with four.

Italian actor, Vittorio Gassman, died at the age of 77. He is widely acknowledged as one of the best actors of his generation, who achieved worldwide fame even though his participation in international productions was limited.

A department store building collapsed in the Seocho-gu district of Seoul, South Korea. 501 people were killed and almost 1000 injured in the disaster.

American actress, Lana Turner, died at the age of 73. She was one of the great movie diva's of the 1940's and 1950's.

The space shuttle Atlantis docked with the Russian space station Mir, marking the first time spacecraft from the two countries docked together in the history of space exploration.

The island nation of Seychelles became independent from the United Kingdom.

Isabel Peron was sworn in as interim leader of the Argentine Republic (and first ever female head of state) after her husband, Juan Peron, fell ill. She was Peron's third wife.

American actress, Jayne Mansfield, died at the age of 34. She was one of the major sex symbols of the 1950s and died in a car crash.

Italian boxer, Primo Carnera, died at the age of 60.

Portuguese athlete, Rosa Mota, was born in Porto. She was a marathon runner, one of her country's foremost athletes, who won the gold medal for the marathon run in the 1988 Olympics as well as the bronze in the 1984 Games.

Joseph Ratzinger, the current Pope Benedict XVI, was ordained as a priest.

French writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, was born in Lyon. He was a French writer and aviator and is most famous for creating Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince). He disappeared on the night of July 31, 1944 while flying on a mission to collect data on German troop movements.

France annexed Tahiti.

American astronomer, George Ellery Hale, was born in Chicago. He was one of the most prominent astronomers of the late 19th and early 20th century. He invented the spectroheliograph.