Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won the 100-metres at the Rio de Janeiro Games, becoming the first person to win the event in three consecutive Olympics; he later claimed an unprecedented third straight gold medal in the 200-metres. 2016. 

Venezuelan militant Carlos the Jackal, who orchestrated some of the highest-profile terrorist attacks of the 1970s and ’80s, was captured by French agents in Sudan; he was later sentenced to life in prison for his crimes. 1994. 

American basketball player Magic Johnson, who led the National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers to five championships, was born in Lansing, Michigan. 1959. 

Pakistan became a sovereign state, bringing an end to British rule there. 1947. 

China declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary during World War I. 1917. 

Halle Berry (born August 14, 1966, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.) is an American film actress, the first African American to win the Academy Award for best actress. She received the honour for her nuanced portrayal of Leticia Musgrove, a down-on-her-luck character in Monster’s Ball (2001).