Adelina Patti(opera singer; namesake of the song You’re the Flower of My Heart Sweet Adeline)–
Engelbert Humperdinck(German composer)–
Donald O'Connor(song and dance man)–
William Safire(political columnist, language maven)–
Maggie Smith(actress)–
Events
Breakthrough in deciphering the Rosetta Stone announced–
SS Arctic and SS Vesta collided in the North Atlantic–
The Tonight Show made its television debut with Steve Allen as host–
The Warren Commission Report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy issued–
Two men, Jeffrey Petkovich and Peter Debernardi, went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. They were the first pair ever to go over the falls and live. They were charged with unlawfully performing the stunt–
Mark McGwire hit his 69th and 70th home runs–
Dawn spacecraft launched, Cape Canaveral, Florida–
Weather
Unripened corn in much of New England was killed by a severe black frost–
Winds gusted to 115 mph on Long Island; 109 mph in Chatham, Massachusetts; and 100 mph in Milton, Massachusetts–
Hurricane Gloria made landfall near Fire Island, New York, and then crossed the Connecticut coastline–
A rare waterspout was seen in Long Island Sound, New York, off Smithtown Bay–
Los Angeles, California, reached a record high temperature of 113 degrees F–
