1776 – Captain James Cook begins his third voyage.
1862 – The Medal of Honor is authorized by the United States Congress.
1943 – German and Soviet forces engage in one of the largest armored engagements of all time.
1962 – The Rolling Stones perform their first concert, at the Marquee Club in London.
Births
1730 – Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood Company
1817 – Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher and author (d. 1862)
1884 – Louis B. Mayer, Belarusian-American film producer, co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (d. 1957)
1941 – Benny Parsons, American race car driver and sportscaster (d. 2007)
1997 – Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani-English activist, Nobel Prize laureate
Malala is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.
Malala Yousafzai
In the face of overwhelming threats from the local Taliban group in Pakistan, whose group prohibited young girls and women from attending schools, often through violent means, she persevered and continued her movement, even after she was attacked and shot three times by a gunman on her bus ride to school.
This assassination attempt sparked international support for her cause, with petitions signed by millions to assure all Pakistani children the right to education ranging to a series of protests in several Pakistani cities and abroad.
Malala continues to advocate for women’s rights and universal education, speaking at United Nations conferences, colleges and on various news outlets.
Additionally, she co-wrote the memoir I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban with British journalist Christina Lamb to tell her story and further emphasize the importance of her movement.
Envisioning a confrontation with the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai said, “I think of it often and imagine the scene clearly. Even if they come to kill me, I will tell them what they are trying to do is wrong, that education is our basic right.”
Deaths
1929 – Robert Henri, American painter, and educator (b. 1865)
1944 – Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., eldest son of Teddy. American general, Governor of Puerto Rico (b. 1887)
1949 – Douglas Hyde, Irish scholar and politician, first President of Ireland (b. 1860)