In a televised rescue, 115 Chinese coal miners were freed after spending eight days trapped in a flooded mine, surviving an accident that had killed 38.
The world's largest suspension bridge opens to traffic. The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge in Japan features the world's longest central span, measuring 1991 meters (6532 feet).
A bomb kills 3 people at the La Belle in West Berlin. The attack on the nightclub, which was frequented by U.S. soldiers, was later blamed on the Libyan secret service. In retaliatory strikes, at least 15 people were killed in Libya.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the highest-scoring player in NBA history with 31,421 career points. (He still holds the career record with with 38,387 points.).
Winston Churchill resigns as U.K. Prime Minister. Churchill was instrumental in initiating the alliance between the U.K., the U.S., and the Soviet Union against NaziGermany. His political career spanned half a century.
In the Battle of Maipú, Chile's independence movement - led by Bernardo O'Higgins and José de San Martín - win a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead.