MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2005: American actor Bob Denver, who was perhaps best known for portraying the title character in the hit TV series Gilligan's Island(1964–67), died in North Carolina. [Test your knowledge of pop culture.]

1998: Swissair flight 111 crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, killing all 229 on board; it was later determined that faulty wires had caused the plane's flammable insulation to catch fire.

1973: English writer J.R.R. Tolkien, who was best known for the inventive fantasies The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings(1954–55), died. [Take our quiz about the life and works of English authors.]

1948: American teacher Christa Corrigan McAuliffe , who was chosen to be the first private citizen in space, was born; she and six other crew members died when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff in 1986. [Test your knowledge of famous astronauts and cosmonauts.]

1928: American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Horace Silver, who was an exemplary performer of what came to be called the hard bop style of the 1950s and '60s, was born. [Take our music quiz.]

1901: American politician Theodore Roosevelt, who was then the Republican vice presidential candidate, gave the first public speech in which he said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” The Big Stick policy later became a central feature of his presidency. [How much do you know about U.S. presidents?]