Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams, had its world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
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At 2 PM EST, there was a 10 minute moment of silence in memory of John Lennon.
The capital city of the Roman Empire, Constantinople, was severely damaged by an earthquake.
Philadelphia premiered in Century City, California. It was one of the first mainstream films about AIDS, directed by Jonathan Demme.
Northern Germany and the Netherlands were struck by St. Lucia's flood, killing more than 50,000 people.
The Mariner 2 space probe completed the first-ever flyby of Venus.