1874: Harry Houdini is born
1919: Lawrence Ferlinghetti is born
1972: Great Britain imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland
1974: Alyson Hannigan is born
1989: The Exxon Valdez spills over eleven million gallons of oil in Prince William Sound
1999: WORST ROUX EVER … A truck carrying flour and margarine catches on fire in the seven-mile Mont Blanc Tunnel in France; the fire rages for two days, killing 39 people