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Events
- 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months; Celestine hoped to return to
his previous life as an ascetic hermit.
- 1545 - Council of Trent begins.
- 1577 - Sir Francis Drake sets out from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage.
- 1636 - The Massachusetts Bay Colony organizes
three militia regiments to defend the colony against the Pequot
Indians. This organization is recognized today as the founding of
the United States National Guard.
- 1642 - Abel Janszoon Tasman reaches New Zealand.
- 1643 - English Civil War: The Battle of Alton takes place in Hampshire.
- 1769 - Dartmouth College founded by the
Rev. Eleazar Wheelock, with a Royal Charter from King George III, on land donated by Royal Governor John
Wentworth.
- 1862 - American Civil War: At the Battle of Fredericksburg, Confederate
General Robert E. Lee defeats the Union Major General
Ambrose E. Burnside.
- 1884 - first performance of any of Richard Strauss's
compositions in the United States (Symphony in f, New York Philharmonic)
- 1895 - Premiere of Gustav
Mahler's Resurrection Symphony in Berlin.
- 1937 - Second Sino-Japanese War:
Battle of Nanjing - Nanjing, defended by the
National Revolutionary Army under the command of General Tang Shengzhi, falls to the Japanese.
- 1937 - Nanjing Massacre. Japanese troops begin carrying out several weeks of raping
and killing of civilians and suspected Chinese resistance after the fall of Nanjing.
- 1938 - The Holocaust: 100 deportees from
Sachsenhausen build the Neuengamme
concentration camp near Hamburg.
- 1939 - World War II: Battle of the River Plate - Captain Hans Langsdorff
of the German Deutschland class cruiser
(pocket battleship) Admiral Graf Spee engages with
Royal Navy cruisers HMS Exeter,
HMS Ajax and HMNZS
Achilles.
- 1941 - World War II: Hungary and Romania declare war on the United
States.
- 1943 - World War II: 710 Bombers of U.S. 8th Air Force attack Kiel, Germany.
- 1949 - The Knesset votes to move the capital of
Israel to Jerusalem.
- 1959 - Archbishop Makarios becomes the first President of
Cyprus.
- 1972 - Apollo program: Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt begin the sixth and final
Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or "Moonwalk" of Apollo 17. This was the last manned mission to the moon of the 20th century.
- 1973 - Rael, leader of the Raelian
Movement claims to meet an ET he says is named Yahweh, during an alleged UFO encounter in Puy de Lassolas, France.
- 1974 - Malta becomes a republic.
- 1977 - A DC-3 aircraft chartered from the Indianapolis-based National Jet crashes near
Evansville Regional Airport, killing 29, including the University of Evansville basketball team, support staff and boosters of the team.
- 1978 - The first Susan B. Anthony dollar
enters circulation.
- 1979 - The Canadian Government of Prime Minister
Joe Clark is defeated in the House of
Commons, prompting the 1980 Canadian election.
- 1981 - General Wojciech Jaruzelski declares
martial law in Poland to prevent dismantling of the communist system by
Solidarity.
- 1983 - The Denver Nuggets and the Detroit Pistons play in the highest scoring NBA
game in history, with the Pistons winning 186-184 in triple overtime. In addition to most
points in a game, this game also set the record for most field goals made (136),
and most assists (93).
- 1989 - The last issue of Gnistan (The Spark), the organ of the Solidaritetspartiet, is published in Sweden.
- 1996 - Kofi Annan is elected as Secretary-General of the United Nations.
- 2000 - The "Texas 7" escape from the John Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas and go on a robbery
spree, during which police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot and killed.
- 2000 - American Vice President Al
Gore delivers his concession speech ending his hopes of becoming the 43rd President of the United States.
- 2001 - the Indian Parliament Sansad is
attacked by terrorists, killing 15 people, including all the
terrorists.
- 2002 - Enlargement of the European
Union: The European Union announces that Cyprus,
the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia will become members from May 1, 2004.
- 2003 - Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is captured near his home town of Tikrit (see
Operation Red Dawn).
- 2003 - In the most-attended basketball game in history, 78,129 watch Michigan State University lose 79-74 to the University of Kentucky at Ford Field.
- 2004 - Former Chilean dictator, General Augusto Pinochet is put under house arrest, after
being sued under accusations over 9 kidnapping actions and manslaughter. The house arrest is lifted the same day on appeal.
- 2006 - The Baiji, or Chinese River Dolphin, announced as
extinct.
Births
- 1521 - Pope Sixtus V (d. 1590)
- 1533 - King Eric XIV of Sweden (d. 1577)
- 1553 - King Henry IV of France (d. 1610)
- 1585 - William Drummond of
Hawthornden, Scottish poet (d. 1649)
- 1640 - Robert Plot, English naturalist (d.
1696)
- 1662 - Francesco Bianchini, Italian philosopher
and scientist (d. 1729)
- 1678 - Yongzheng Emperor of China (d.
1735)
- 1720 - Carlo Gozzi, Italian dramatist (d. 1804)
- 1724 - Franz Aepinus, German scientist (d.
1802)
- 1784 - Archduke Louis of Austria (d.
1864)
- 1797 - Heinrich Heine, German poet (d. 1856)
- 1804 - Joseph Howe, Canadian politician (d.
1873)
- 1816 - Ernst Werner von Siemens, German
engineer, inventor, and industrialist (d. 1892)
- 1818 - Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady of the United States (d. 1882)
- 1836 - Franz von Lenbach, German painter (d.
1904)
- 1854 - Thomas A. Watson, American assistant to
Alexander Graham Bell (d. 1934)
- 1856 - Svetozar Boroević, Austro-Hungarian field
marshal (d. 1920)
- 1860 - Lucien Guitry, French actor (d. 1925)
- 1864 - Emil Seidel, Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d.
1947)
- 1867 - Kristian Birkeland, Norwegian explorer and
scientist (d. 1917)
- 1870 - Edward LeSaint, American actor and director (d.
1940)
- 1871 - Emily Carr, Canadian artist (d. 1945)
- 1874 - Josef Lhévinne, Russian-born pianist (d.
1944)
- 1883 - Belle da Costa Greene, American
librarian, bibliographer and archivist (d. 1950)
- 1887 - George Polya, Hungarian-born mathematician (d.
1985)
- 1887 - Alvin York, American soldier & Medal of
Honor recipient (d. 1964)
- 1897 - Drew Pearson, American journalist (d.
1969)
- 1903 - Carlos Montoya, Spanish guitarist (d.
1993)
- 1906 - Princess Marina, Duchess of
Kent (d. 1968)
- 1906 - Sir Laurens van der Post, South African author (d. 1996)
- 1910 - Van Heflin, American actor (d. 1971)
- 1911 - Trygve Haavelmo, Norwegian economist and
Bank of Sweden Prize winner (d. 1999)
- 1911 - Kenneth Patchen, American poet and painter (d. 1972)
- 1913 - Archie Moore, American boxer and World
Light-Heavyweight Champion (d. 1998)
- 1913 - Arnold Brown, the 11th General of
The Salvation Army (d. 2002)
- 1915 - Curd Jürgens, German actor (d. 1982)
- 1915 - Ross Macdonald, American-born author (d. 1983)
- 1915 - B.J. Vorster, Prime Minister
of South Africa 1966-1978 (d. 1983)
- 1917 - John Hart, American actor
- 1919 - Hans-Joachim Marseille, German
flying ace of World War II (d. 1942)
- 1920 - George Shultz, United States Secretary of State 1982-1989
- 1923 - Philip Warren Anderson, American
physicist and Nobel Prize laureate
- 1923 - Larry Doby, American baseball player (d. 2003)
- 1925 - Dick Van Dyke, American actor and comedian
- 1926 - George Rhoden, Jamaican athlete and Olympic gold
medalist
- 1929 - Christopher Plummer, Canadian actor
- 1930 - Robert Prosky, American actor
- 1934 - Richard D. Zanuck, American film
producer
- 1935 - Joe Christopher, American baseball player
- 1935 - Adélia Prado, Brazilian writer
- 1935 - Ken Hall, American football player, known as the “Sugar Land
Express”
- 1935 - Lindy McDaniel, American baseball player
- 1936 - His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan (Aga Khan IV),
Imam (leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims
- 1936 - J.C. Martin American baseball player
- 1939 - Eric Flynn, British actor and singer (d.
2002)
- 1941 - John Davidson, American actor and
game show host
- 1942 - Anna Eshoo, American politician
- 1943 - Ferguson Jenkins, Canadian baseball
player
- 1943 - Gösta Winbergh, Swedish tenor (d. 2002)
- 1944 - Hwang Jang Lee, Korean martial artist and film
actor
- 1945 - Brian McGuire, Australian racing driver (d.
1977)
- 1947 - Darlene Cates, American actress
- 1947 - Dave Hamilton, American baseball player
- 1948 - Ted Nugent, American guitarist
- 1948 - Jeff Baxter, American guitarist (Steely Dan,
The Doobie Brothers)
- 1948 - Lillian Board, English athlete (d. 1970)
- 1948 - Brian Wilson, Scottish politician
- 1949 - Tom Verlaine, American singer/guitarist of
Television
- 1950 - Wendie Malick, American actress
- 1950 - Tom Vilsack, Governor of Iowa
- 1952 - Sylvester Ritter, American professional wrestler
better known as "Junkyard Dog" (d. 1998)
- 1953 - Ben Bernanke, American economist and current
United States Chairman of the Federal Reserve
- 1953 - Bill Castro, Dominican baseball player
- 1953 - Bob Gainey, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1954 - John Anderson, American country
musician
- 1954 - Tamora Pierce, author
- 1956 - Dale Berra, American baseball player
- 1957 - Steve Buscemi, American actor
- 1957 - Morris Day, American singer (The
Time)
- 1957 - Jean-Marie Messier, French businessman
- 1958 - Lynn-Holly Johnson, American figure skater
and actress
- 1959 - Jim Barrell, American professional wrestler
- 1959 - Johnny Whitaker, American actor
- 1960 - Daggubati Venkatesh, Indian actor
- 1961 - Harry Gregson-Williams, English
composer
- 1961 - Irene Saez, Miss Universe 1981 and
Venezuelan Politician
- 1963 - Jake White, South African rugby union coach
- 1964 - Hideto Matsumoto, Japanese musician
(X Japan) (d. 1998)
- 1965 - Marko Mäetamm, Estonian artist
- 1966 - Ross Burden, New Zealand celebrity chef
- 1966 - Don Roff, American writer and filmmaker
- 1967 - Jamie Foxx, American actor
- 1969 - Murat Nasyrov, Russian singer (d.
2007)
- 1969 - Sergei Fedorov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Mauricio Solís, Costa Rican footballer
- 1973 - Christie Clark, American actress
- 1974 - Nicholas McCarthy, British guitarist
(Franz Ferdinand)
- 1974 - Sara Cox, TV and radio presenter
- 1975 - Tom DeLonge, American guitarist (blink-182, Angels and Airwaves)
- 1975 - Matthew LeCroy, American baseball player
- 1976 - Josh Fogg, American baseball player
- 1976 - Radosław Sobolewski, Polish footballer
- 1977 - Peter Stringer, Irish Rugby International
- 1978 - Ryo Kawakita, Japanese guitarist (Maximum the Hormone)
- 1979 - Jon Elliott, American radio talkshow host
- 1981 - Amy Lee, American singer/songwriter (Evanescence)
- 1982 - Ricky Nolasco, American baseball player
- 1982 - Freddie Weinke, American football player
- 1982 - Tuka Rocha, Brazilian racing driver
- 1982 - Dominik Werling, German footballer
- 1983 - Matt Deis, American bassist
- 1983 - Otylia Jędrzejczak, Polish Olympic swimmer
- 1989 - Taylor Swift, American singer/songwriter
- 1991 - Jay Greenberg, American composer
- 2005 - Prince Nicolas of Belgium
- 2005 - Prince Aymeric of Belgium
Deaths
- 1048 - Al-Biruni, Persian mathematician (b.
973)
- 1124 - Pope Callixtus II
- 1126 - Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria
- 1204 - Maimonides, Spanish rabbi and philosopher (b.
1135)
- 1250 - Frederick II, Holy Roman
Emperor (b. 1194)
- 1404 - Albert, Count of Holland (b.
1336)
- 1466 - Donatello, Florentine artist and sculptor (b.
1386)
- 1516 - Johannes Trithemius, German cryptographer
(b. 1462)
- 1521 - Manuel I of Portugal (b. 1469)
- 1557 - Niccolo Fontana Tartaglia, Italian
mathematician
- 1565 - Conrad Gessner, Swiss naturalist (b.
1516)
- 1603 - François Viète, French mathematician (b.
1540)
- 1621 - Katarina Stenbock, Queen of Gustav I of Sweden (b. 1535)
- 1716 - Charles de La Fosse, French painter (b.
1640)
- 1721 - Alexander Selkirk, Scottish sailor and
castaway (b. 1676)
- 1729 - Anthony Collins, English philosopher (b.
1676)
- 1754 - Mahmud I, Ottoman
Sultan (b. 1696)
- 1769 - Christian Fürchtegott Gellert,
German poet (b. 1715)
- 1783 - Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin, Swedish
astronomer (b. 1717)
- 1784 - Samuel Johnson, British writer and lexicographer
(b. 1709)
- 1814 - Charles Joseph, Prince de
Ligne, Belgian-born Austrian field marshal (b. 1735)
- 1835 - John Storm, American Revolutionary soldier (b. 1760)
- 1837 - Herman of Alaska, Russian Orthodox hermit (b. 1756)
- 1863 - Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German
writer (b. 1813)
- 1868 - Carl Friedrich Philipp von
Martius, German botanist (b. 1794)
- 1881 - August Senoa, Croatian writer (b. 1838)
- 1883 - Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (b.
1812)
- 1895 - Anyos Jedlik, Hungarian physicist (b.
1800)
- 1919 - Woldemar Voigt, German physicist (b.
1850)
- 1922 - Hannes Hafstein, Icelandic politician and poet
(b. 1861)
- 1924 - Samuel Gompers, American labor and political
leader, founder of American Federation of Labor (b. 1850)
- 1930 - Fritz Pregl, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869)
- 1931 - Gustave le Bon, French psychologist (b.
1840)
- 1932 - Georgios Jakobides, Greek painter (b.
1853)
- 1935 - Victor Grignard, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1871)
- 1940 - Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval, French
physicist (b. 1851)
- 1942 - Wlodimir Ledochowski, Polish-Austrian
director of the Society of Jesus (b. 1866)
- 1944 - Wassily Kandinsky, Russian-born French artist
(b. 1866)
- 1944 - Lupe Vélez, Mexican actress (b. 1908)
- 1945 - Irma Grese, Nazi war criminal (b. 1923)
- 1945 - Elisabeth Volkenrath, supervisor at concentration camps (b.
1919)
- 1945 - Josef Kramer, commandant of Bergen Belsen concentration camp (b.
1906)
- 1947 - Nicholas Roerich, Russian-born painter (b.
1874)
- 1950 - Abraham Wald, Hungarian mathematician (b.
1902)
- 1954 - John Raymond Hubbell, American writer (b.
1879)
- 1955 - Egas Moniz, Portuguese psychiatrist,
neurosurgeon, and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
- 1958 - Tim Moore, American actor (b.
1887)
- 1961 - Grandma Moses, American painter (b.
1860)
- 1969 - Raymond A. Spruance, American admiral (b.
1886)
- 1969 - Spencer Williams, Jr., American actor (b. 1893)
- 1973 - Henry Green, English author (b. 1905)
- 1979 - Jon Hall, American actor (b. 1915)
- 1981 - Pigmeat Markham, American entertainer (b.
1904)
- 1983 - Alexander Schmemann, Orthodox Christian
priest and theologian (b. 1921)
- 1983 - Nichita Stanescu, Romanian poet (b. 1933)
- 1992 - Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney,
American businessman and heir (b. 1899)
- 1992 - K.C. Irving, Canadian industrialist (b. 1899)
- 1993 - Vanessa Duriès, French novelist (b.
1972)
- 1994 - Norman Beaton, English actor, First black teacher
of Liverpool
- 2001 - Chuck Schuldiner, American musician
(Death) (b. 1967)
- 2002 - Zal Yanovsky, American musician (The Lovin' Spoonful) (b. 1945)
- 2003 - William V. Roth, Jr., U.S. Senator (b.
1921)
- 2004 - Andre Rodgers, Bahamian baseball player (b.
1934)
- 2004 - David Wheeler, British computer scientist (b.
1927)
- 2005 - Stanley Tookie Williams, co-founder of the
Crips (b. 1953)
- 2005 - Timothy Jordan II, American musician (The All American Rejects, Jonezetta) (b. 1981)
- 2006 - Lamar Hunt, American sports executive (b.
1932)
Holidays and observances
External links
