1757: British Admiral Sir John Byng is executed by firing squad aboard HMS Monarch for breach of the Articles of War. He had failed to hold Fort St Philip on the island of Minorca, at the time a British possession, against the French, at the beginning of the Seven Years' War.
1995: Astronaut Norman Thagard becomes the first American astronaut to ride to space on board a Russian launch vehicle when he blasts off aboard a Soyuz spacecraft heading for the Russian Mir space station.
1983: Jon Bon Jovi (John Francis Bongiovi, Jr), Richie Sambora, Alec John Such and Tico Torres form the band Bon Jovi. They would achieve widespread global recognition with their third album, Slippery When Wet, which to date has sold over 28 million copies worldwide.
1991: American songwriter Doc Pomus (Jerome Solon Felder) dies aged 65. With Mort Shuman he wrote many early 60's hits including, ‘A Teenager in Love’, ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’, ‘Sweets For My Sweet’ and ‘Little Sister’ as well as songs for by Elvis Presley like '(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame', ‘Suspicion’, ‘Surrender’ and ‘Viva Las Vegas’.