Austrian-Polish Nazi hunter, Simon Wiesenthal, died at the age of 97. He had dedicated his life to tracking down and gathering information on Nazis who had escaped justice after the end of the Second World War. During the war he had spent almost five years in the German concentration camps of Janowska, Plaszow, and Mauthausen.

The last performance of the musical hit show 'Cats' took place on Broadway. Cats was first performed in London's West End, at New London Theatre, on May 11, 1981.

Hungarian mathematician, Paul Erdos, died at the age of 83. He is considered as one of the most important mathematicians of the century who published over 1500 scientific papers. He was addicted to amphetamines which he continued using until a heart attack claimed his life.

The hit musical, Miss Saigon, made its world premiere in London.

A suicide bomber attacked the US embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, using a car packed with explosives. Twelve people died from the blast.

Colombian formula one driver, Juan Pablo Montoya, was born in Bogota where he was inducted into the world of racing by his father, who taught him the techniques of carting from a very early age.

Greek writer, Giorgos Seferis, died at the age of 71. He was the Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1963 and was the first Greek to ever receive a Nobel Prize, until 1979 when Odysseas Elytis also won the same award. Seferis is credited as being the most influential figure of 20th century Greek language and largely responsible for the rebirth of Greek literature.

Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius, died at the age of 92. Considered by many to be a genius, he was one of the most popular composers of the late 19th and early 20th century.

The first program based on the FORTRAN language run on a computer. FORTRAN was developed as a more efficient alternative to assembly language for the IBM 704 mainframe computer.

The first Cannes Film Festival was held. The idea behind the festival sprang in 1938, when the fascist governments of Germany and Italy directly influenced the selection of films in the Venice Film Festival. The festival was scheduled to premiere in September 1939, but it was postponed when the Second World War began.

Italian actress, Sophia Loren, was born in Rome, Italy. Her birth name was Sofia Villani Scicolone and she is considered the most famous female Italian movie star of all time. She won several awards throughout her career and stared alongside such stars as Peter Sellers, Paul Newman, and Marlon Brando.

The first gasoline powered car made its debut in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.

At the start of the Crimean War, British and French troops defeat Russian troops in the vicinity of the River Alma in the Crimea.

Saladin's army began the Siege of Jerusalem. It ended with the recapture of Jerusalem by Saladin and the almost total destruction of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. It also was the definitive spark of the Third Crusade.