Some notable facts about this date, for more, visit http://www.onthisday.com
Facts
1520 Martin Luther publicly burns papal edict demanding he recant
1684 Isaac Newton's derivation of Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper De motu corporum in gyrum, is read to the Royal Society by Edmond Halley
1799 Metric system adopted in France, first country to do so
1898 Spanish-American War formally ended by the Treaty of Paris; US acquires Philippines, Puerto Rico & Guam
1901 First Nobel Peace Prizes awarded to Red Cross founder Jean Henri Dunant and peace activist Frederic Passy
1936 Edward VIII signs Instrument of Abdication, giving up the British throne to marry American divoree Wallis Simpson
1964 Nobel Peace Prize presented to Dr Martin Luther King Jr. in Oslo
Deaths
969 Nicephorus II Phocas, Byzantine co-Emperor (963-69), murdered
1896 Alfred Nobel, Swedish Chemist and founder of the Nobel Prize ceremony on this date, dies at 63
1917 Sir Mackenzie Bowell, fifth Prime Minister of Canada, dies of pneumonia at 93
1946 Walter Johnson, great pitcher (Washington Senators), dies of a brain tumour at 59
1968 Thomas Merton, French/American Catholic writer and Trappist monk (7 Story Mountain), accidentally electrocuted by an electric fan at 53
1979 Ann Dvorak [McKim], American actress (G Men, Life of Her Own, Scarface), dies at 67
1992 Dan Maskell, English tennis commentator (b. 1908)
2005 Richard Pryor, American comedian and actor (Lady Sings the Blues, Stir Crazy), dies aged 65
2006 Augusto Pinochet, Former Chilean dictator (b. 1915)
Born on this day
1960 Kenneth Branagh, Belfast, actor and director (High Season, Dead Again)
1980 Ledley King, English footballer
A Couple of Pics from those no longer with us
Dan Maskell
Richard Pryor