On This Day in History

Running barefoot in the marathon event at the Rome Olympics, Abebe Bikila became the first athlete from sub-Saharan Africa to win an Olympic gold medal.

At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, German driver Wolfgang von Trips's car collided with another, causing it to become airborne and crash into a side barrier, killing him and 15 spectators.

After centuries of Portuguese rule, the country of Guinea-Bissau was formally recognized as independent.

Typhoon Ellen dissipated after destroying hundreds of homes across Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Pope John Paul II consecrated the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, one of the largest churches in the world, in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.

British forces freed soldiers and civilians who had been held captive by the militant group the West Side Boys, contributing to the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War.

Members of the Atlanta Police Department conducted a raid on a gay bar, with patrons later alleging that their constitutional rights had been violated and the city agreeing to pay over $1 million in settlements.

American political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University.