Greece abdicates his throne in favor of his eldest son, George II. 1928 – The Republic of China is recognized by the United States. 1930 – Bobby Jones wins the (pre-Masters) Grand Slam of golf. 1938 – The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth is launched in Glasgow. 1940 – World War II: The Tripartite Pact is signed in Berlin by Germany, Japan and Italy. 1941 – The Greek National Liberation Front is established with Georgios Siantos as acting leader. 1941 – The is launched, becoming the first of more than 2,700 Liberty ships. 1942 – Last day of the Matanikau action on Guadalcanal as United States Marines barely escape after being surrounded by Japanese forces. 1944 – The Kassel Mission results in the largest loss by a USAAF group on any mission in World War II. 1949 – Zeng Liansong's design is chosen as the flag of the People's Republic of China. 1956 – USAF Captain Milburn G. Apt becomes the first person to exceed Mach 3. Shortly thereafter, the Bell X-2 goes out of control and Captain Apt is killed. 1959 – Typhoon Vera kills nearly 5,000 people in Japan. 1962 – The Yemen Arab Republic is established. 1962 – Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring is published, inspiring an environmental movement and the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1964 – The British TSR-2 aircraft XR219 makes its maiden flight. 1975 – The last use of capital punishment in Spain sparks worldwide protests. 1977 – Japan Airlines Flight 715 crashes on approach to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Malaysia, killing 34 of the 79 people on board. 1988 – The National League for Democracy is formed by Aung San Suu Kyi and others to fight dictatorship in Myanmar. 1993 – The Sukhumi massacre takes place in Abkhazia. 1996 – The Battle of Kabul ends in a Taliban victory; an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is established. 1996 – Confusion on a tanker ship results in the Julie N. oil spill in Portland, Maine. 1998 – The Google internet search engine retroactively claims this date as its birthday. 2001 – In Switzerland, a gunman shoots 18 citizens, killing 14 and then himself. 2003 – The SMART-1 satellite is launched. 2007 – NASA launches the Dawn probe to the asteroid belt. 2008 – CNSA astronaut Zhai Zhigang becomes the first Chinese person to perform a spacewalk. 2012 – In Minneapolis,