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Events
- 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor.
- 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge:
Constantine I defeats Maxentius, becoming the sole
Roman Emperor.
- 1061 - Empress Agnes, acting as Regent for her son,
brings about the election of Bishop Cadalus, the antipope Honorius II
- 1516 - Battle of Yaunis Khan: Turkish forces under the Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha
defeat the Mameluks near Gaza.
- 1520 - Pier Gerlofs Donia, the legendary Frisian
warrior, folk hero and giant freedom fighter, dies aged 40 in Kimswerd, Frisia.
- 1531 - Battle of Amba Sel: Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi again defeats the army of Lebna Dengel, Emperor of Ethiopia. The southern part
of Ethiopia falls under Imam Ahmad's control.
- 1538 - The first university in the New World, the Universidad Santo Tomás de
Aquino, is established.
- 1628 - The Siege of La Rochelle, which had been
ongoing for 14 months, ends with Huguenot surrender
- 1636 - A vote of the Great and General
Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes the first
college in what would become the United States, today
known as Harvard University.
- 1664 - The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot, later to be known as the Royal
Marines, is established.
- 1775 - American Revolutionary War A British
proclamation forbids residents from leaving Boston.
- 1776 - American Revolutionary War:
Battle of White Plains - British Army
forces arrive at White Plains, attack and capture Chatterton Hill from the Americans.
- 1834 - The Battle of Pinjarra occurs in the
Swan River Colony in present-day Pinjarra, Western Australia. Between 14 and 40
Aborigines are killed by British colonists.
- 1848 - The first railroad in Spain - between Barcelona and Mataró - is opened.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Second Battle of Fair Oaks ends - Union Army forces under General
Ulysses S. Grant withdraw from Fair Oaks,
Virginia, after failing to breach the Confederate defenses around
Richmond, Virginia.
- 1868 - Thomas Edison applied for his first
patent, an electrical vote recorder.
- 1886 - In New York Harbor, President Grover Cleveland dedicates the Statue of Liberty.
- 1893 - Tchaikovksy's Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Pathétique, premiered in St. Petersburg, only nine days before the composer's death.
- 1905 - George Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession is first performed in New York;
though it had previously been performed in London, it had been censored, and the American performance was the first on the public
stage.
- 1914 - The single largest one-day percentage decline of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the recorded history of the New York stock market.
- 1918 - World War I: Czechoslovakia is granted its independence from Austria-Hungary.
- 1918 - The German fleet is immobilized when sailors mutiny en masse and disobey an order to leave port five times; 1,000
would ultimately be arrested.
- 1918 - New Polish government in Western Galicia (Central Europe) is
established.
- 1919 - The U.S. Congress passes the
Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto,
paving the way for Prohibition to begin the following January.
- 1922 - March on Rome: Italian fascists led by Benito
Mussolini march on Rome and take over the Italian government.
- 1936 - US President Franklin D. Roosevelt
rededicates the Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary.
- 1940 - World War II: Italy
invades Greece through Albania. This was the selected
anniversary of Greece's entry into World War II. It is celebrated in Greece as Okhi Day
(Όχι=No) Day.
- 1941 - Holocaust in Kaunas, Lithuania: German SS forces arrange the massacre of more than 9,000 Jews of the
Kaunas ghetto. After the victims assembled on the Demokratu square at 6 am to be shot they are buried in gigantic ditches.
- 1942 - The Alaska Highway (Alcan Highway) is completed
through Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska.
- 1942 - Holocaust: 2,000 Jewish children and 6,000 Jewish adults from Cracow are deported by Germans to Belzec death camp.
- 1942 - Holocaust: SS directive orders all
Jewish children's mittens and stockings to be sent from the death camps to the SS
families.
- 1943 - The alleged Philadelphia Experiment
supposedly occurred.
- 1948 - Swiss chemist Paul Müller is awarded the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry for his discovery of the insecticidal properties of DDT.
- 1954 - The modern Kingdom of the
Netherlands is re-founded as a federal monarchy.
- 1956 - The second-generation Tsutenkaku tower in
Osaka is opened to the public.
- 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis: Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that he had
ordered the removal of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.
- 1962 - Y.A. Tittle of the New York Giants
became the third quarterback in NFL history to throw seven touchdown passes in
one game.
- 1964 - Vietnam War: U.S. officials deny any involvement in
bombing North Vietnam.
- 1965 - French foreign minister Couve de
Murville travels to Moscow.
- 1965 - Nostra Aetate, the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church with
Non-Christian Religions" of the Second Vatican Council, is promulgated by
Pope Paul VI; it absolves the Jews of the alleged killing of Jesus, reversing Innocent III's declaration from 760 years ago. In
short, Pope Paul VI announces that the ecumenical
council has decided that Jews are not collectively responsible for the killing of Christ.
- 1965 - In St. Louis, Missouri, the 630-foot-tall parabolic (catenarian)
stainless steel Gateway Arch monument is completed.
- 1970 - The land speed record set by Gary Gabelich in a
rocket-powered automobile called the Blue Flame, fueled with natural gas.
- 1971 - Britain launches its first (and as of 2007,
only) satellite, Prospero, into low Earth orbit atop a Black Arrow carrier rocket.
- 1972 - The first Airbus A300 flies into the skies.
- 1976 - John D. Ehrlichman, former domestic policy
adviser of President Nixon and convicted Watergate felon, arrives at the Swift Trail Camp minimum-security facility in southeastern
Arizona.
- 1985 - Mikhail Gorbachev becomes General Secretary
of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union.
- 1985 - Sandinista Daniel
Ortega becomes president of Nicaragua and makes peace overtures to the United States;
American policy continues to support the Contras in their revolt against the Nicaraguan
government.
- 1986 - The centennial of the Statue of Liberty's
dedication is re-celebrated in New York Harbor.
- 1988 - The French drug manufacturer Roussel Uclaf states that it will resume distribution of the so-called abortion drug RU-486.
- 1997 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average
gains a record 337.17 points to close at 7,498.32.
- 1998 - An Air China (Mainland China) jetliner is hijacked by disgruntled pilot Yuan Bin and flown to Taiwan.
- 2005 - Plame affair: Lewis
Libby, Vice-president Dick Cheney's chief of staff, is indicted in the
Valerie Plame case. Libby resigns later that day.
- 2006 - Voting on a new
constitution that would make Kosovo officially a part of Serbia begins; voter turnout on day one was low. (BBC)
- 2006 - Funeral service for the peace of the executed at Bykivnia forest, outside of
Kiev, Ukraine, with reburial of 817 Ukrainian civilians (out of
some 100,000) executed by Bolsheviks at Bykivnia in 1930s –
early 1940s.
- 2007 - Guitar Hero 3 Released on all major game platforms in
America.
Births
- 1510 - Francis Borgia, Spanish duke and Jesuit priest
(d. 1572)
- 1585 - Cornelius Jansen, Dutch bishop (d.
1638)
- 1667 - Maria Anna of Neuburg, second wife of
Charles II of Spain (d. 1740)
- 1691 - Peder Tordenskjold, Norwegian naval hero (d.
1720)
- 1697 - Canaletto, Italian artist (d. 1768)
- 1703 - Antoine Deparcieux, French mathematician (d.
1768)
- 1718 - Ignacije Szentmartony, Croatian Jesuit
missionary (d. 1793)
- 1793 - Eliphalet Remington, American firearms
manufacturer (d. 1861)
- 1804 - Pierre François Verhulst, Belgian
mathematician (d. 1849)
- 1818 (O.S.) - Ivan Turgenev, Russian writer (d.
1883)
- 1845 - Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski, Polish
physicist (d. 1888)
- 1846 - Georges Auguste Escoffier, French chef (d.
1935)
- 1875 - Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, American
geographer and editor (d. 1966)
- 1877 - Joe Adams, American baseball player (d.
1952)
- 1881 - Bruno Söderström, Swedish athlete (d.
1969)
- 1885 (O.S.) - Velimir Khlebnikov, Russian poet (d.
1922)
- 1891 - Ormer Locklear, American movie stunt pilot (d.
1920)
- 1892 - Dink Johnson, American musician (d.
1954)
- 1896 - Howard Hanson, American composer (d.
1981)
- 1902 - Elsa Lanchester, British-born actress (d.
1986)
- 1903 - Evelyn Waugh, English writer (d. 1966)
- 1907 - Edith Head, American costume designer (d.
1981)
- 1907 - John Harold Hewitt, Northern Irish poet (d. 1987)
- 1908 - Arturo Frondizi, President of Argentina (d. 1995)
- 1909 - Francis Bacon, Anglo-Irish painter (d.
1992)
- 1912 - Richard Doll, English epidemiologist (d.
2005)
- 1914 - Jonas Salk, American medical scientist (d.
1995)
- 1914 - Richard Laurence Millington Synge, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
- 1914 - Glenn Robert Davis, U.S. Congressman (d. 1988)
- 1915 - Paul Jarrico, American screenwriter (d.
1997)
- 1917 - Jack Soo, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1922 - Gershon Kingsley, German composer
- 1922 - Butch van Breda Kolff, American basketball coach (d. 2007)
- 1922 - Simon Muzenda, Zimbabwe politician (d. 2003)
- 1926 - Bowie Kuhn, American Commissioner of Baseball (d.
2007)
- 1927 - Dame Cleo Laine, British singer
- 1928 - Ion Mihai Pacepa, Romanian general
- 1929 - Joan Plowright, British actress
- 1929 - Marcel Bozzuffi, French actor (d. 1988)
- 1929 - John Hollander, American poet
- 1930 - Bernie Ecclestone, English racing
official
- 1932 - Suzy Parker, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1933 - Garrincha, Brazilian footballer (d. 1983)
- 1936 - Charlie Daniels, American musician
- 1936 - Curtis Lee, American singer
- 1936 - Carl Davis, American-born musical conductor and composer
- 1937 - Lenny Wilkens, American basketball player and
coach
- 1938 - David Dimbleby, English television
commentator
- 1938 - Anne Perry, English-born novelist
- 1939 - Jane Alexander, American actress
- 1939 - Miroslav Cerar, Yugoslav gymnast
- 1940 - Susan Harris, American television writer and
producer
- 1941 - John Hallam, Irish actor
- 1941 - Hank Marvin, English guitarist
- 1942 - Kees Verkerk, Dutch speed skater
- 1943 - Conny Froboess, German singer
- 1943 - Charo López, Spanish actress
- 1944 - Dennis Franz, American actor
- 1944 - Anton Schlecker, German billionaire
- 1944 - Coluche, French comedian and actor (d. 1986)
- 1945 - Elton Dean, English musician (Soft Machine) (d. 2006)
- 1946 - Wim Jansen, Dutch footballer and coach
- 1946 - John Hewson, Australian politician
- 1948 - Telma Hopkins, American singer (Tony Orlando and Dawn)
- 1949 - Bruce Jenner, American athlete
- 1949 - Tracy Reed, American actress
- 1950 - Sihem Bensedrine, Tunisian human rights
activist
- 1952 - Annie Potts, American actress
- 1953 - Pierre Boivin, Canadian businessman and hockey
executive
- 1955 - Bill Gates, American software executive
- 1956 - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran
- 1956 - Dave Wyndorf, American singer (Monster
Magnet)
- 1958 - William Reid, Scottish musician
(The Jesus and Mary Chain)
- 1962 - Daphne Zuniga, American actress
- 1962 - Scotty Nguyen, professional poker player
- 1963 - Lauren Holly, American actress
- 1963 - James Miller, the "Fan Man" (d. 2002)
- 1963 - Eros Ramazzotti, Italian singer
- 1965 - Jami Gertz, American actress
- 1965 - Luigi Miraglia, Italian Latinist
- 1966 - Steve Atwater, American football player
- 1967 - Julia Roberts, American actress
- 1967 - John Romero, American video game designer
- 1967 - Sophie, Hereditary Princess of
Liechtenstein
- 1969 - Ben Harper. American musician
- 1969 - Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Puerto Rican screenwriter and producer
- 1972 - Terrell Davis, American football player
- 1972 - Brad Paisley, American musician
- 1973 - Antonio Banks, American professional
wrestler
- 1974 - Joaquin Phoenix, Puerto Rican-born actor
- 1974 - Vicente Moreno, Spanish footballer
- 1974 - Braden Looper, American baseball player
- 1974 - Dejan Stefanović, Serbian footballer
- 1974 - Dayanara Torres, Puerto Rican actress and beauty queen
- 1976 - Karl Tremblay, Canadian singer
(Les Cowboys Fringants)
- 1979 - Aki Hakala, Finnish drummer (The Rasmus)
- 1979 - Martin Škoula, Czech ice hockey player
- 1979 - Beavis, American Cartoon character from Beavis
and Butt-Head (it has been implied this is his birthday)
- 1980 - Alan Smith, English footballer
- 1980 - Christy Hemme, American professional wrestler
- 1980 - Kanzi, Most Literate Non-Human
- 1981 - Milan Baroš, Czech footballer
- 1981 - Solomon Andargachew, Ethiopian footballer
- 1982 - Jeremy Bonderman, American baseball
player
- 1982 - Mai Kuraki, Japanese singer
- 1982 - Anthony Lerew, American baseball player
- 1983 - Jarrett Jack, American basketball player
- 1984 - Obafemi Martins, Nigerian footballer
- 1996 - Naelee Rae, American actress
- 1996 - Jasmine Jessica Anthony, American actress
Deaths
- 312 - Maxentius, Roman emperor (b. c. 278)
- 1225 - Jien, Japanese poet and historian (b. 1155)
- 1312 - Elisabeth of Tirol, German queen
- 1412 - Margaret I of Denmark, wife of
Haakon VI of Norway (b. 1353)
- 1485 - Rodolphus Agricola, Dutch humanist (b.
1443)
- 1520 - Pier Gerlofs Donia, Frisian pirate and
freedom fighter
- 1568 - Ashikaga Yoshihide, Japanese shogun (b.
1539)
- 1627 - Jahangir, Mughal Emperor of India (b. 1569)
- 1639 - Stefano Landi, Italian composer (b.
1587)
- 1646 - William Dobson, English painter (b.
1610)
- 1661 - Agustín Moreto y Cavana, Spanish
playwright (b. 1518)
- 1676 - Jean Desmarets, French writer (b.
1595)
- 1703 - John Wallis, English mathematician (b.
1616)
- 1704 - John Locke, English philosopher (b. 1632)
- 1708 - Prince George of Denmark, Consort of
Queen Anne of England (b. 1653)
- 1716 - Stephen Fox, English politician (b.
1627)
- 1740 - Empress Anna of Russia (b. 1693)
- 1754 - Friedrich von Hagedorn, German poet (b.
1708)
- 1755 - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French
composer (b. 1689)
- 1763 - Heinrich, count von Brühl, German statesman
(b. 1700)
- 1768 - Michel Blavet, French flutist (b.
1700)
- 1792 - Paul Möhring, German physician and scientist (b.
1710)
- 1792 - John Smeaton, English civil engineer (b. 1724)
- 1800 - Artemas Ward, American politician and soldier (b.
1727)
- 1806 - Charlotte Turner Smith, English poet and
novelist (b. 1749)
- 1818 - Abigail Adams, First Lady of the United States (b. 1744)
- 1841 - Johan August Arfwedson, Swedish chemist
(b. 1792)
- 1857 - Louis Eugène Cavaignac, French soldier
and politician (b. 1802)
- 1877 - Robert Swinhoe, British naturalist (b.
1835)
- 1879 - Marie Roch Louis Reybaud, French
writer (b. 1799)
- 1897 - Hercules Robinson, British
colonial administrator (b. 1824)
- 1899 - Ottmar Mergenthaler, German-born inventor
(tuberculosis) (b. 1854)
- 1900 - Max Müller, German-born orientalist (b.
1823)
- 1916 - Cleveland Abbe, American meteorologist (b.
1838)
- 1916 - Oswald Boelcke, German pilot (b. 1891)
- 1917 - Prince Christian of
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (b. 1831)
- 1918 - Ulisse Dini, Italian mathematician (b.
1845)
- 1929 - Bernhard von Bülow, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1849)
- 1939 - Alice Brady, Academy Award-winning American actress (b. 1892)
- 1952 - Billy Hughes, seventh Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1862)
- 1957 - Ernst Gräfenberg, German physician and
scientist (b. 1881)
- 1959 - Camilo Cienfuegos, Cuban revolutionary (b.
1932)
- 1965 - Earl Bostic, American saxophonist (b.
1913)
- 1969 - Constance Dowling, American actress (b.
1920)
- 1973 - Taha Hussein, Egyptian writer (b. 1889)
- 1973 - Sergio Tofano, Italian actor (b. 1883)
- 1975 - Georges Carpentier, French boxer (b.
1894)
- 1975 - Oliver Nelson, American jazz composer and arranger (b. 1932)
- 1986 - John Braine, English novelist (b. 1922)
- 1987 - André Masson, French artist (b. 1896)
- 1992 - Christian Spear, Triple-Threat in Music Industry
- 1998 - Ted Hughes, English poet (b. 1930)
- 2000 - Lída Baarová, Czech actress (b. 1914)
- 2000 - Carlos Guastavino, Argentine composer (b. 1912)
- 2001 - Gerard Hengeveld, Dutch composer (b.
1910)
- 2002 - Margaret Booth, American film editor (b.
1898)
- 2002 - Erling Persson, Swedish entrepreneur (b. 1917)
- 2004 - Jimmy McLarnin, Northern Irish-born boxer (b.
1907)
- 2005 - Eugene K. Bird, German prison director (b.
1926)
- 2005 - Bob Broeg, American sports writer (b. 1918)
- 2005 - Raymond Hains, French artist (b. 1926)
- 2005 - Tony Jackson, American basketball player (b. 1942)
- 2005 - Fernando Quejas, Cape Verdean singer and musician (b. 1922)
- 2005 - Richard Smalley, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1943)
- 2005 - Ljuba Tadić, Serbian actor (b. 1929)
- 2006 - Red Auerbach, American basketball coach and
executive (b. 1917)
- 2006 - Trevor Berbick, Jamaican boxer (b. 1955)
- 2006 - Marijohn Wilkin, American songwriter (b. 1920)
Holidays and observances
External links
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