1819

Jacques Offenbach, German composer, is born as Jakob Eberst. He is best known for his light operettas, including Orphee aux Enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld) and one grand opera Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Tales of Hoffmann).

1836

Death of Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes, French revolutionary leader; he played a major part in the 1799 coup d'etat that brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power.

1921

The French governor of Indochina decides to establish commerce services in Ha Noi, Sai Gon and Phnom Penh.

1960

Mali gains independence from France as part of the Federation of Mali.

1973

Juan Peron returns to Argentina after an 18-year exile.

2000

A French court dismisses criminal charges against former German doctor Hans Muench at the Auschwitz death camp, ruling that at age 89, he is too old for a trial on inciting racial hatred.

2005

Record-high floods rush through the industrial heart of southern China, putting factories and railway lines in the path of torrents that had already killed at least 536 people nationwide.

2007

Three former Sierra Leonean military leaders are found guilty of war crimes by a UN-backed court, the first verdicts from the country's civil war and the first convictions in an international court for using child soldiers.

2010

Israel pledges it will immediately allow all goods into Gaza except weapons and items deemed to have a military use under its decision to ease its three-year-old blockade of the Palestinian territory.

2011

Tunisia's former ruler and his wife are convicted in absentia on embezzlement and other charges after US$27 million in jewels and public funds were found in one of his palaces. — AP/REUTERS