On this day:
1929: Vatican City becomes an independent state
1975: The first Cricket World Cup begins, hosted by England, won by West Indies
1979: Bhaskara 1, Indian Earth resources/meteorology satellite, launched
Born on this day:
1848: Paul Gauguin, French painter
1974: Mahesh Bhupathi, India, tennis pro
Gone on this day:
1954: Alan Turing, English mathematician
1970: E. M. Forster, English author of Passage to India, dies at 91