1939 – The submarine HMS Oxley is sunk by mistake by the submarine HMS Triton off the coast of Norway and becomes the Royal Navy's first loss in World War II.
1942 – World War II: The Allies carry out an amphibious landing at Majunga, north-west Madagascar, to re-launch Allied offensive operations in the Madagascar Campaign.
1943 – Tottori, Japan is struck by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, killing 1,190 people.
1961 – Italian Grand Prix: German racing driver Wolfgang von Trips is killed in a crash. Being crushed under his Ferrari, 13 spectators are also killed.
1963 – 20 African-American students enter public schools in the U.S. state of Alabama.
1967 – The people of Gibraltar vote to remain a British dependency rather than becoming part of Spain.
1977 – Last execution by Guillotine takes place in France. Hamida Djandoubi, convicted for torture and murder, is executed at Baumettes Prison in Marseille.
1988 – Steffi Graf wins the Singles Title at the US Open Tennis, managing to win all four Grand Slams in one year. She later wins the Olympic Gold in the same year in order to achieve a historic "Golden Slam".