2004: Saddam Hussein appears in Iraqi court for the first time, scoffing at charges of war crimes and genocide.
1916: The British army attacks German lines at the start the First Battle of the Somme during World War I, sustaining their heaviest casualties ever in one day: 20,000 dead.
1997: After 156 years as a British colony, Hong Kong awakens to its first day as part of China.
2012: A pro-democracy heckler interrupts a speech by China's President Hu Jintao at the swearing-in of Hong Kong's new leader.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, German philosopher and mathematician (1646-1716); George Sand (Armandine Dudevant), French author (1804-1876); Charles Laughton, British-born actor (1899-1965); James Cagney, US actor (1904-1986); Olivia de Havilland, British actress (1916-); Sydney Pollack, American film director (1934-2008); Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997); Sir Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana (1921-1980); Twyla Tharp, US dancer/choreographer (1941- ); Deborah Harry, US singer (1945- ); Carl Lewis, US Olympic athlete (1961- ); Nick Giannopoulos, Australian comedian (1963- ); Pamela Anderson, US actress (1967- ); Liv Tyler, American actress (1977- )
