1885 – Birth of John Henry Towers, U.S. Navy admiral and pioneer naval aviator.
1931 – First flight of the Tupolev ANT-8, a Soviet experimental flying boat.
1942 – Qantas Short Empire G-AEUH is shot down by seven Japanese fighters and crashes near East Timor; 13 of 18 on board die.
1991 – Royal Navy Westland Lynx helicopters, Royal Air Force SEPECAT Jaguars, and U. S. Navy Grumman A-6E Intruders attack an Iraqi naval convoy made up of a minesweeper, three fast-attack craft, and three landing craft carrying troops and ammuniton, breaking up the second and final seaborne component of Iraqi forces in the Battle of Khafji.
2001 – Death of Johnnie Johnson (shown), a highly decorated British fighter pilot who, during World War II, shot down 38 Luftwaffe aircraft, thus becoming the most successful British ace during the war.
2012 – An Indian Air Force HAL HJT-16 Kiran Mk.II jet trainer explodes in mid-air over South India; the crew of two ejects safely.