280165http://www.feedburner.com Henry David Thoreau took up abode in a small cabin he built himself near Walden Pond, where he spent two years in simple living (1845) http://www.answers.com/topic/walden afflicted by ALS, the baseball player bid farewell to fans at Yankee Stadium, calling himself that day "the luckiest man on the face of the Earth" (1939) http://www.answers.com/topic/lou-gehrig gained independence from the US (1946) http://www.answers.com/topic/philippines hostages taken by pro-Palestinian hijackers were rescued by Israeli commandos in Uganda (1976) http://www.answers.com/topic/operation-entebbe 1440 Answers.com: This Day in History fills you in on the historical significance of each day. http://today.answers.com en-us Copyright 2007 Answers Corp.