Japanese airfield on Guadalcanal seized by Allies
In the Allies‘ first major offensive in the Pacific theatre during World War II, U.S. Marines on this day in 1942 landed on Guadalcanal and captured the airfield from Japan, sparking a battle that lasted some six months. 1942.
Côte d’Ivoire gained independence from France. 1960.
At the Olympics in London, track-and-field athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, who was pregnant with her third child, helped the Dutch team win the 4 × 100 relay, becoming the first woman to capture four gold medals at a single Games. She earlier had won the 100 metres, the 200 metres, and the 80-metre hurdles. 1948.
A group of South American insurgents under Simón Bolívar defeated Spanish forces at the Battle of Boyacá, which freed New Granada (Colombia and Venezuela) from Spanish control. 1819.
Charlize Theron (born August 7, 1975, Benoni, South Africa) is a South African-born actress who was noted for her versatility and earned an Academy Award for best actress for her performance as a real-life serial killer in Monster (2003).
