Night of the Long Knives

On this date in 1934 occurred the “Night of the Long Knives,” in which German dictator Adolf Hitler had his elite SS guards summarily execute many leading officials of the SA, a Nazi paramilitary group. 1934. 

American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most-decorated Olympic athlete with 28 medals, was born. 1985.

Zaire, formerly Belgian Congo and now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, declared its independence from Belgium. 1960.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded with the mission of promoting equal rights for women; Betty Friedan served as its first president. 1966.

American author Margaret Mitchell published Gone with the Wind, a sweeping romance set during the Civil War; the novel later won a Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a hugely successful film. 1936. 

Jean-François Gravelet, known as Blondin, crossed the Niagara Falls on a tightrope that was 335 metres (1,100 feet) long and 49 metres (160 feet) above the water. 1859. 

Mike Tyson (born June 30, 1966, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) is an American boxer who, at age 20, became the youngest heavyweight champion in history.