Beginning of Mata Hari’s trial
Dutch-born dancer and courtesan Mata Hari, whose name became a synonym for the seductive female spy, went on trial this day in 1917, accused of spying for Germany, and was subsequently found guilty and shot by a firing squad. 1917.
American sex researcher and therapist Virginia E. Johnson—who, with William H. Masters, formed Masters and Johnson, a pioneering research team noted for their studies on human sexuality—died at age 88. 2013.
American cyclist Lance Armstrong became the first rider to win the Tour de France seven times; however, he was later stripped of all his titles after an investigation revealed that he was the key figure in a wide-ranging doping conspiracy while he compiled his Tour victories. 2005.
The World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, was released, and it became a critical and commercial success, earning five Academy Awards, including best director for Steven Spielberg. 1998.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Richard M. Nixon had to provide transcripts of Watergate tapes to special prosecutor Leon Jaworski. 1974.
American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez—who was one of the highest-paid Latina actresses in the history of Hollywood and later found crossover success in the music industry with a series of pop albums—was born. 1969.
The Treaty of Lausanne, the final treaty concluding World War I, was signed at Lausanne, Switzerland. 1923.
Led by a local resident, Hiram Bingham reached Machu Picchu in a remote part of the Peruvian Andes. 1911.
Amelia Earhart, one of the world’s most-celebrated aviators and the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, was born in Atchison, Kansas. 1897.
