1802 – Frenchman Andre-Jacques Garnerin makes the first parachute descent in England, jumping from a balloon over London.
1945 – Birth of Bjarni Valdimar Tryggvason, Icelandic-born Canadian engineer, Royal Canadian Air Force pilot and NRC-CSA astronaut.
1953 – North Korean pilot No Kum-Sok defects, bringing his Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 with him to Seoul and collecting a $100,000 (U.S.) reward.
1967 – First flight of the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne (shown), American single-engine attack helicopter prototype.
1988 – Death of Harold Harington Balfour, British World War I flying ace and politician; he was instrumental in the establishment of London Heathrow Airport.
1994 – The Hongdu JL-8, a two-seat intermediate jet trainer and light attack aircraft designed by China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corp., is introduced into service.