- 1992 – Vaclav Havel, the playwright who led the Velvet Revolution against communism, stepped down as president of Czechoslovakia.
- 1998 – Russia won a $11.2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to help avert the devaluation of its currency.
- 2003 – In India, elephants used for commercial work began wearing reflectors to avoid being hit by cars during night work.
- 2005 – The Civil Marriage Act legalizes same-sex marriage in Canada.
- 2012 – James Holmes opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and injuring 70 others.
- 2013 – Seventeen government soldiers are killed in an attack by FARC revolutionaries in the Colombian department of Arauca.
- 2015 – A huge explosion in the mostly Kurdish border town of Suruç, Turkey, targeting the Socialist Youth Associations Federation, kills at least 31 people and injures over 100.
- 2015 – The United States and Cuba resume full diplomatic relations after five decades.
- 2017 – O. J. Simpson is granted parole to be released from prison after serving nine years of a 33-year sentence after being convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas.
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Viktoria Ladõnskaja, Estonian journalist and politician
- 1982 – Antoine Vermette, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Alexi Casilla, Dominican baseball player
- 1984 – Matt Gilroy, American ice hockey player
- 1985 – John Francis Daley, American actor and screenwriter
- 1985 – Harley Morenstein, Canadian actor and YouTube personality[
- 1985 – David Mundy, Australian footballer
- 1986 – Osric Chau, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1987 – Nicola Benedetti, Scottish violinist[
- 1987 – Niall McGinn, Irish footballer
- 1988 – Julianne Hough, American singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer
- 1988 – Stephen Strasburg, American baseball player
- 1988 – Shahram Mahmoudi, Iranian volleyball player
- 1989 – Javier Cortés, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Cristian Pasquato, Italian footballer
- 1990 – Lars Unnerstall, German footballer
- 1991 – Chiyoshōma Fujio, Mongolian sumo wrestler
- 1991 – Ryan James, Australian rugby league player
- 1991 – Kira Kazantsev, Miss America 2015
- 1991 – Philipp Reiter, German mountaineer and runner
- 1993 – Steven Adams, New Zealand basketball player
- 1995 – Moses Leota, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1996 – Ben Simmons, Australian basketball player[