1909 - Eugene Lefebvre (1878-1909), while test piloting a new French-built Wright biplane, crashes at Juvisy France when his controls jam. Lefebvre dies, becoming the first 'pilot' in the world to lose his life in a powered heavier-than-air craft.
1943 - World War II: The German 17th Army begins its evacuation of the Kuban River (Taman Peninsula) bridgehead in southern Russia and moves across the Strait of Kerch to the Crimea. The move signals the beginning of full retreat of German forces along the Eastern Front.
1999 - A 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocks Athens, rupturing a previously unknown fault, killing 143, injuring more than 500, and leaving 50,000 people homeless.
2004 - Hurricane Ivan, a Category 5 hurricane hitting Grenada, killing 39 and damaging 90% of its buildings.