A car bomb was detonated outside the UN headquarters in Iraq. 22 UN employees were killed in the blast.

A Russian army helicopter carrying troops was hit by a Chechen missile outside of Grozny. All 118 soldiers on board were killed.

A huge rally took place in the Serb capital, Belgrade, demanding the resignation of President Slobodan Milosevic.

In Hungerford, England, an unemployed labourer, Michael Ryan, went on a killing spree using an assault rifle. He killed 16 people and severely injured 12 more before committing suicide.

A Saudia airlines passenger flight burned up upon making an emergency landing at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All 301 people on board died in the accident.

Hurricane Diane struck the North eastern United States causing severe flooding and claiming the lives of more than 180 people.

American actor and director, Jonathan Frakes, was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. He is best known for the role of Commander William Riker in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

British musician, John Deacon, was born in Leicester. He is most known as the bassist for the rock band Queen.

The Viet Minh led by Ho Chi Minh assumed power in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Spanish author, Federico Garcia Lorca, died at the age of 38. He was one of the most influential Spanish speaking authors of his generation who was killed by Nationalist partisans at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. The Franco regime later placed an all out ban on his work, which was not rescinded until 1953.

American author, Gene Roddenberry, was born in El Paso, Texas. He is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Star Trek, and was one of the first people to be buried in space.

Afghanistan gained its independence from the United Kingdom.

French clothing designer, Coco Chanel, was born in Saumur. She is widely acknowledged as the most significant figure in the history of 20th century fashion.

French mathematician, Blaise Pascal, died at the age of 40. The programming language, Pascal, is named in his honour.