MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2020: American basketball player Kobe Bryant—who was considered one of the sport's greatest players, winning five NBAchampionships with the Los Angeles Lakers—died in a helicopter crash at the age of 41. [ Read our list of the 10 greatest basketball players of all time.]

2001: A massive earthquake struck near Bhuj, Gujarat, India, killing more than 20,000 people and causing extensive damage. [Take our natural disasters quiz.]

1988: Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, a musical version of Gaston Leroux's melodramatic novel, opened in New York City and went on to become the longest-running show in Broadway history. [ How much do you know about the theatre?]

1962: Lucky Luciano, who was the most powerful chief of American organized crime in the early 1930s and was deported to his native Italy in 1946, died at the age of 65. [Test your knowledge of mobster names.]

1958: American comedian and television host Ellen DeGeneres, who was known for her quirky observational humour, was born. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about pop culture.]

1925: American actor Paul Newman , whose good looks and charisma helped make him an enduring screen presence in the second half of the 20th century, was born. [How much do you know about Paul Newman?]