1472 - Great comet of 1471 (C/1471 Y1) becomes the closest comet in modern times‚ coming within 10 million kilometers of Earth 1517 - Ottoman forces take Cairo‚ capital of the Mamluk Sultanate 1931 - Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia 1945 - Burma highway reopens 1953 - 1953 NFL Draft: Harry Babcock from University of Georgia first pick by San Francisco 49ers 1969 - Orbiting Solar Observatory 5 launched into earth orbit 1987 - Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a press conference on live national television‚ leading to debates on boundaries in journalism 1994 - 51st Golden Globes: Schlinder's List‚ Tom Hanks‚ and Holly Hunter win 1998 - STS 89 (Endeavour 12) launches into orbit 2018 - Netflix becomes the largest digital media and entertainment company in the world worth $100 billion More Historical Events »