July 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 1132 – Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily.
  • 1148 – Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade.
  • 1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle: King Edward I of England takes the stronghold using the War Wolf.
  • 1411 – Battle of Harlaw, one of the bloodiest battles in Scotland, takes place.
  • 1412 – Behnam Hadloyo becomes Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Mardin.
  • 1487 – Citizens of Leeuwarden, Netherlands, strike against a ban on foreign beer.
  • 1534 – French explorer Jacques Cartier plants a cross on the Gaspé Peninsula and takes possession of the territory in the name of Francis I of France.
  • 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, is forced to abdicate and replaced by her 1-year-old son James VI.
  • 1701 – Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founds the trading post at Fort Pontchartrain, which later becomes the city of Detroit.
  • 1783 – The Kingdom of Georgia and the Russian Empire sign the Treaty of Georgievsk.
  • 1814 – War of 1812: General Phineas Riall advances toward the Niagara River to halt Jacob Brown’s American invaders.
  • 1823 – Afro-Chileans are emancipated.
  • 1823 – In Maracaibo, Venezuela, the naval Battle of Lake Maracaibo takes place, where Admiral José Prudencio Padilla defeats the Spanish Navy, thus culminating the independence for the Gran Colombia.
  • 1847 – After 17 months of travel, Brigham Young leads 148 Mormon pioneers into Salt Lake Valley, resulting in the establishment of Salt Lake City.
  • 1847 – Richard March Hoe, American inventor, patented the rotary-type printing press.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Kernstown: Confederate General Jubal Early defeats Union troops led by General George Crook in an effort to keep them out of the Shenandoah Valley.
  • 1866 – Reconstruction: Tennessee becomes the first U.S. state to be readmitted to the Union following the American Civil War.
  • 1901 – O. Henry is released from prison in Columbus, Ohio, after serving three years for embezzlement from a bank.
  • 1910 – The Ottoman Empire captures the city of Shkodër, putting down the Albanian Revolt of 1910.
  • 1911 – Hiram Bingham III re-discovers Machu Picchu, “the Lost City of the Incas”.
  • 1915 – The passenger ship SS Eastland capsizes while tied to a dock in the Chicago River. A total of 844 passengers and crew are killed in the largest loss of life disaster from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes.
  • 1922 – The draft of the British Mandate of Palestine was formally confirmed by the Council of the League of Nations; it came into effect on 26 September 1923.
  • 1923 – The Treaty of Lausanne, settling the boundaries of modern Turkey, is signed in Switzerland by Greece, Bulgaria and other countries that fought in World War I.
  • 1924 – Themistoklis Sofoulis becomes Prime Minister of Greece.
  • 1927 – The Menin Gate war memorial is unveiled at Ypres.
  • 1929 – The Kellogg–Briand Pact, renouncing war as an instrument of foreign policy, goes into effect (it is first signed in Paris on August 27, 1928, by most leading world powers).
  • 1935 – The Dust Bowl heat wave reaches its peak, sending temperatures to 109 °F (43 °C) in Chicago and 104 °F (40 °C) in Milwaukee.
  • 1937 – Alabama drops rape charges against the “Scottsboro Boys”.
  • 1943 – World War II: Operation Gomorrah begins: British and Canadian aeroplanes bomb Hamburg by night, and American planes bomb the city by day. By the end of the operation in November, 9,000 tons of explosives will have killed more than 30,000 people and destroyed 280,000 buildings.
  • 1950 – Cape Canaveral Air Force Station begins operations with the launch of a Bumper rocket.
  • 1959 – At the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev have a “Kitchen Debate”.
  • 1963 – The ship Bluenose II was launched in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The schooner is a major Canadian symbol.
  • 1966 – Michael Pelkey makes the first BASE jump from El Capitan along with Brian Schubert. Both came out with broken bones. BASE jumping has now been banned from El Cap.
  • 1967 – During an official state visit to Canada, French President Charles de Gaulle declares to a crowd of over 100,000 in Montreal: Vive le Québec libre! (“Long live free Quebec!”); the statement angered the Canadian government and many Anglophone Canadians.
  • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 11 splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean.
  • 1974 – Watergate scandal: The United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Richard Nixon did not have the authority to withhold subpoenaed White House tapes and they order him to surrender the tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.
  • 1977 – End of a four-day-long Libyan–Egyptian War.
  • 1980 – The Quietly Confident Quartet of Australia wins the men’s 4 x 100 metre medley relay at the Moscow Olympics, the only time the United States has not won the event at Olympic level.
  • 1982 – Heavy rain causes a mudslide that destroys a bridge at Nagasaki, Japan, killing 299.
  • 1983 – The Black July anti-Tamil riots begin in Sri Lanka, killing between 400 and 3,000. Black July is generally regarded as the beginning of the Sri Lankan Civil War.
  • 1983 – George Brett batting for the Kansas City Royals against the New York Yankees, has a game-winning home run nullified in the “Pine Tar Incident”.
  • 1987 – US supertanker SS Bridgeton collides with mines laid by IRGC causing a 43-square-meter dent in the body of the oil tanker.
  • 1987 – Hulda Crooks, at 91 years of age, climbed Mt. Fuji. Crooks became the oldest person to climb Japan’s highest peak.
  • 1998 – Russell Eugene Weston Jr. bursts into the United States Capitol and opens fire killing two police officers. He is later ruled to be incompetent to stand trial.
  • 2001 – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a child, is sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, becoming the first monarch in history to regain political power through democratic election to a different office.
  • 2001 – The Bandaranaike Airport attack is carried out by 14 Tamil Tiger commandos. Eleven civilian and military aircraft are destroyed and 15 are damaged. All 14 commandos are shot dead, while seven soldiers from the Sri Lanka Air Force are killed. In addition, three civilians and an engineer die. This incident slowed the Sri Lankan economy.
  • 2013 – A high-speed train derails in Spain rounding a curve with an 80 km/h (50 mph) speed limit at 190 km/h (120 mph), killing 78 passengers.
  • 2014 – Air Algérie Flight 5017 loses contact with air traffic controllers 50 minutes after takeoff. It was travelling between Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and Algiers. The wreckage is later found in Mali. All 116 people onboard are killed.

Births on July 24

  • 1242 – Christina von Stommeln, German Roman Catholic mystic, ecstatic, and stigmatic (d. 1312)
  • 1468 – Catherine of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria (d. 1524)
  • 1529 – Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (d. 1577)
  • 1561 – Maria of the Palatinate-Simmern (d. 1589)
  • 1574 – Thomas Platter the Younger, Swiss physician and author (d. 1628)
  • 1660 – Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1718)
  • 1689 – Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, son of Queen Anne of Great Britain and Prince George of Denmark (d. 1700)
  • 1725 – John Newton, English sailor and priest (d. 1807)
  • 1757 – Vladimir Borovikovsky, Ukrainian-Russian painter (d. 1825)
  • 1783 – Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan commander and politician, 2nd President of Venezuela (d. 1830)
  • 1786 – Joseph Nicollet, French mathematician and explorer (d. 1843)
  • 1794 – Johan Georg Forchhammer, Danish mineralogist and geologist (d. 1865)
  • 1802 – Alexandre Dumas, French novelist and playwright (d. 1870)
  • 1803 – Adolphe Adam, French composer and critic (d. 1856)
  • 1803 – Alexander J. Davis, American architect (d. 1892)
  • 1821 – William Poole, American boxer and gangster (d. 1855)
  • 1826 – Jan Gotlib Bloch, Polish theorist and activist (d. 1902)
  • 1851 – Friedrich Schottky, Polish-German mathematician and theorist (d. 1935)
  • 1856 – Émile Picard, French mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
  • 1857 – Henrik Pontoppidan, Danish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1943)
  • 1857 – Juan Vicente Gómez, Venezuelan general and politician, 27th President of Venezuela (d. 1935)
  • 1860 – Princess Charlotte of Prussia (d. 1919)
  • 1860 – Alphonse Mucha, Czech painter and illustrator (d. 1939)
  • 1864 – Frank Wedekind, German actor and playwright (d. 1918)
  • 1867 – Vicente Acosta, Salvadoran journalist and poet (d. 1908)
  • 1867 – E. F. Benson, English archaeologist and author (d. 1940)
  • 1867 – Fred Tate, English cricketer and coach (d. 1943)
  • 1874 – Oswald Chambers, Scottish minister and author (d. 1917)
  • 1877 – Calogero Vizzini, Italian mob boss (d. 1954)
  • 1878 – Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, Irish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1957)
  • 1880 – Ernest Bloch, Swiss-American composer and educator (d. 1959)
  • 1884 – Maria Caserini, Italian actress (d. 1969)
  • 1886 – Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, Japanese author (d. 1965)
  • 1888 – Arthur Richardson, Australian cricketer and coach (d. 1973)
  • 1889 – Agnes Meyer Driscoll, American cryptanalyst (d. 1971)
  • 1895 – Robert Graves, English poet, novelist, critic (d. 1985)
  • 1897 – Amelia Earhart, American pilot and author (d. 1937)
  • 1899 – Chief Dan George, Canadian actor (d. 1981)
  • 1900 – Zelda Fitzgerald, American author and poet (d. 1948)
  • 1904 – Leo Arnaud, French-American trombonist, composer, and conductor (d. 1991)
  • 1904 – Richard B. Morris, American historian and academic (d. 1989)
  • 1904 – Delmer Daves, American screenwriter, director and producer (d. 1977)
  • 1909 – John William Finn, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2010)
  • 1910 – Harry Horner, American director and production designer (d. 1994)
  • 1912 – Essie Summers, New Zealand author (d. 1998)
  • 1913 – Britton Chance, American biologist and sailor (d. 2010)
  • 1914 – Frances Oldham Kelsey, Canadian pharmacologist and physician (d. 2015)
  • 1914 – Ed Mirvish, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2007)
  • 1914 – Alan Waddell, Australian walker (d. 2008)
  • 1915 – Enrique Fernando, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 13th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (d. 2004)
  • 1916 – John D. MacDonald, American colonel and author (d. 1986)
  • 1917 – Robert Farnon, Canadian trumpet player, composer, and conductor (d. 2005)
  • 1917 – Jack Moroney, Australian cricketer (d. 1999)
  • 1918 – Ruggiero Ricci, American violinist and educator (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Robert Marsden Hope, Australian lawyer and judge (d. 1999)
  • 1919 – Kenneth S. Kleinknecht, NASA manager (d. 2007)
  • 1919 – John Winkin, American baseball player, coach, and journalist (d. 2014)
  • 1920 – Bella Abzug, American lawyer and politician (d. 1998)
  • 1920 – Constance Dowling, American model and actress (d. 1969)
  • 1921 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, Italian tenor and actor (d. 2008)
  • 1921 – Billy Taylor, American pianist and composer (d. 2010)
  • 1922 – Madeleine Ferron, Canadian radio host and author (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – Wilfred Josephs, English composer (d. 1997)
  • 1924 – Aris Poulianos, Greek anthropologist and archaeologist
  • 1927 – Alex Katz, American painter and sculptor
  • 1927 – Zara Mints, Russian-Estonian philologist and academic (d. 1990)
  • 1930 – Alfred Balk, American journalist and author (d. 2010)
  • 1930 – Keshubhai Patel, Indian politician, 10th Chief Minister of Gujarat
  • 1931 – Ermanno Olmi, Italian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – Éric Tabarly, French commander (d. 1998)
  • 1932 – Gustav Andreas Tammann, German astronomer and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1933 – Doug Sanders, American golfer (d. 2020)
  • 1934 – P. S. Soosaithasan, Sri Lankan accountant and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1935 – Aaron Elkins, American author and academic
  • 1935 – Pat Oliphant, Australian cartoonist
  • 1935 – Mel Ramos, American painter, illustrator, and academic (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Les Reed, English pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2019)
  • 1935 – Derek Varnals, South African cricketer
  • 1936 – Ruth Buzzi, American actress and comedian
  • 1936 – Mark Goddard, American actor
  • 1937 – Manoj Kumar, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1937 – Quinlan Terry, English architect, designed the Brentwood Cathedral
  • 1938 – Alexis Jacquemin, Belgian economist and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1938 – Eugene J. Martin, American painter (d. 2005)
  • 1938 – John Sparling, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1939 – Walt Bellamy, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – David Simon, Baron Simon of Highbury, English businessman and politician
  • 1940 – Dan Hedaya, American actor
  • 1941 – John Bond, English banker and businessman
  • 1942 – Heinz, German-English singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2000)
  • 1942 – David Miner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1942 – Chris Sarandon, American actor
  • 1944 – Jim Armstrong, Northern Irish guitarist
  • 1945 – Frank Close, English physicist and academic
  • 1945 – Azim Premji, Indian businessman and philanthropist
  • 1945 – Hugh Ross, Canadian-American astrophysicist and astronomer
  • 1945 – Anthony Watts, English geologist, geophysicist, and academic
  • 1946 – Gallagher, American comedian and actor
  • 1946 – Friedhelm Haebermann, German footballer and manager
  • 1946 – Hervé Vilard, French singer-songwriter
  • 1947 – Zaheer Abbas, Pakistani cricketer and manager
  • 1947 – Geoff McQueen, English screenwriter and producer (d. 1994)
  • 1947 – Peter Serkin, American pianist and educator
  • 1949 – Michael Richards, American actor and comedian
  • 1950 – Jadranka Stojaković, Yugoslav singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1951 – Lynda Carter, American actress
  • 1951 – Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury, English politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
  • 1952 – Ian Cairns, Australian surfer
  • 1952 – Gus Van Sant, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1953 – Julian Brazier, English captain and politician
  • 1953 – Jon Faddis, American trumpet player, composer, and conductor
  • 1953 – Tadashi Kawamata, Japanese contemporary artist
  • 1953 – Claire McCaskill, American lawyer and politician
  • 1953 – James Newcome, English bishop
  • 1954 – Erdoğan Arıca, Turkish footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1954 – Jorge Jesus, Portuguese footballer and manager
  • 1955 – Brad Watson, American author and academic
  • 1956 – Charlie Crist, American lawyer and politician, 44th Governor of Florida
  • 1957 – Pam Tillis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
  • 1958 – Jim Leighton, Scottish footballer and coach
  • 1960 – Catherine Destivelle, French rock climber and mountaineer
  • 1961 – Kerry Dixon, English footballer and manager
  • 1962 – Johnny O’Connell, American race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1963 – Louis Armary, French rugby player
  • 1963 – Karl Malone, American basketball player and coach
  • 1964 – Barry Bonds, American baseball player
  • 1964 – Pedro Passos Coelho, Portuguese economist and politician, 118th Prime Minister of Portugal
  • 1964 – Urmas Kaljend, Estonian footballer
  • 1964 – John Rosengren, American journalist and author
  • 1965 – Andrew Gaze, Australian basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Kadeem Hardison, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1965 – Doug Liman, American director and producer
  • 1966 – Mo-Do, Italian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1966 – Aminatou Haidar, Sahrawi human rights activist
  • 1966 – Martin Keown, English footballer and coach
  • 1968 – Kristin Chenoweth, American actress and singer
  • 1968 – Colleen Doran, American author and illustrator
  • 1968 – Malcolm Ingram, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Laura Leighton, American actress
  • 1969 – Rick Fox, Bahamian basketball player
  • 1969 – Jennifer Lopez, American actress, singer, and dancer
  • 1971 – Dino Baggio, Italian footballer
  • 1971 – Patty Jenkins, American film director and screenwriter
  • 1972 – Kaiō Hiroyuki, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1973 – Russell Bawden, Australian rugby league player
  • 1973 – Ana Cristina Oliveira, Portuguese model and actress
  • 1973 – Amanda Stretton, English race car driver and journalist
  • 1974 – Andy Gomarsall, English rugby player
  • 1975 – Tracey Crouch, English politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
  • 1975 – Jamie Langenbrunner, American ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Torrie Wilson, American model, fitness competitor, actress and professional wrestler
  • 1975 – Eric Szmanda, American actor
  • 1976 – Rafer Alston, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Tiago Monteiro, Portuguese race car driver and manager
  • 1978 – Andy Irons, American surfer (d. 2010)
  • 1979 – Rose Byrne, Australian actress
  • 1979 – Jerrod Niemann, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Valerio Scassellati, Italian race car driver
  • 1979 – Anne-Gaëlle Sidot, French tennis player
  • 1979 – Mark Andrew Smith, American author
  • 1979 – Ryan Speier, American baseball player
  • 1980 – Joel Stroetzel, American guitarist
  • 1981 – Doug Bollinger, Australian cricketer
  • 1981 – Summer Glau, American actress
  • 1981 – Mark Robinson, English footballer
  • 1982 – Trevor Matthews, Canadian actor and producer, founded Brookstreet Pictures
  • 1982 – Thiago Medeiros, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1982 – Mewelde Moore, American football player
  • 1982 – Elisabeth Moss, American actress
  • 1982 – Anna Paquin, Canadian-New Zealand actress
  • 1982 – Michael Poppmeier, South African-German rugby player
  • 1983 – Daniele De Rossi, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Asami Mizukawa, Japanese actress
  • 1984 – Patrick Harvey, Australian actor
  • 1984 – Tyler Kyte, Canadian singer and drummer
  • 1985 – Patrice Bergeron, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Aries Merritt, American hurdler
  • 1985 – Lukáš Rosol, Czech tennis player
  • 1985 – Eric Wright, American football player
  • 1986 – Natalie Tran, Australian actress, online producer
  • 1987 – Filipe Francisco dos Santos, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – Nathan Gerbe, American ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Zack Sabre Jr., English wrestler
  • 1988 – Han Seung-yeon, South Korean singer and dancer
  • 1988 – Nichkhun, Thai-American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1988 – Ricky Petterd, Australian footballer
  • 1989 – Maurkice Pouncey, American football player
  • 1989 – Kim Tae-hwan, South Korean footballer
  • 1990 – Daveigh Chase, American actress
  • 1990 – Travis Mahoney, Australian swimmer
  • 1991 – Manuel Fischnaller, Italian footballer
  • 1991 – Emily Bett Rickards, Canadian actress
  • 1992 – Mikaël Kingsbury, Canadian skier
  • 1992 – Mitch Grassi, American singer and songwriter
  • 1994 – Alejandra Álvarez, Ecuadorian tennis player
  • 1994 – Phillip Lindsay, American football player
  • 1995 – Valentine Holmes, Australian rugby league player
  • 1995 – Kyle Kuzma, American basketball player
  • 1995 – Meisei Chikara, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1997 – Emre Mor, Turkish football player
  • 2002 – Nicole Pircio, Brazilian rhythmic gymnast

Deaths on July 24

  • 759 – Oswulf, king of Northumbria
  • 811 – Gao Ying, Chinese politician (b. 740)
  • 946 – Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, Egyptian ruler (b. 882)
  • 1115 – Matilda of Tuscany (b. 1046)
  • 1129 – Emperor Shirakawa of Japan (b. 1053)
  • 1198 – Berthold of Hanover, Bishop of Livonia
  • 1345 – Jacob van Artevelde, Flemish statesman (b. 1290)
  • 1568 – Carlos, Prince of Asturias (b. 1545)
  • 1594 – John Boste, English martyr and saint (b. 1544)
  • 1601 – Joris Hoefnagel, Flemish painter (b. 1542)
  • 1612 – John Salusbury, Welsh politician and poet (b. 1567)
  • 1739 – Benedetto Marcello, Italian composer and educator (b. 1686)
  • 1768 – Nathaniel Lardner, English theologian and author (b. 1684)
  • 1862 – Martin Van Buren, American lawyer and politician, 8th President of the United States (b. 1782)
  • 1891 – Hermann Raster, German-American journalist and politician (b. 1827)
  • 1908 – Vicente Acosta, Salvadoran journalist and poet (b. 1867)
  • 1910 – Arkhip Kuindzhi, Ukrainian-Russian painter (b. 1841)
  • 1927 – Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Japanese author (b. 1892)
  • 1957 – Sacha Guitry, French actor and director (b. 1885)
  • 1962 – Wilfrid Noyce, English mountaineer and author (b. 1917)
  • 1965 – Constance Bennett, American actress and producer (b. 1904)
  • 1966 – Tony Lema, American golfer (b. 1934)
  • 1969 – Witold Gombrowicz, Polish author and playwright (b. 1904)
  • 1970 – Peter de Noronha, Indian businessman, philanthropist, and civil servant (b. 1897)
  • 1974 – James Chadwick, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
  • 1980 – Peter Sellers, English actor and comedian (b. 1925)
  • 1985 – Ezechiele Ramin, Italian missionary and martyr (b. 1953)
  • 1986 – Fritz Albert Lipmann, German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
  • 1986 – Qudrat Ullah Shahab, Pakistani civil servant and author (b. 1917)
  • 1991 – Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
  • 1992 – Arletty, French actress and singer (b. 1898)
  • 1992 – Sam Berger, Canadian lawyer and businessman (b. 1900)
  • 1994 – Helen Cordero, Cochiti Pueblo (Native American) Pueblo potter (b. 1915)
  • 1995 – George Rodger, English photographer and journalist (b. 1908)
  • 1996 – Alphonso Theodore Roberts, Vincentian cricketer and activist (b. 1937)
  • 1997 – William J. Brennan Jr., American colonel and jurist (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Saw Maung, Burmese general and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1928)
  • 2000 – Ahmad Shamloo, Iranian poet and journalist (b. 1925)
  • 2001 – Georges Dor, Canadian author, playwright, and composer (b. 1931)
  • 2005 – Richard Doll, English physiologist and epidemiologist (b. 1912)
  • 2007 – Albert Ellis, American psychologist and author (b. 1913)
  • 2007 – Nicola Zaccaria, Greek opera singer (b. 1923)
  • 2008 – Norman Dello Joio, American pianist and composer (b. 1913)
  • 2011 – Frank Dietrich, German politician (b. 1966)
  • 2011 – Dan Peek, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
  • 2011 – Harald Johnsen, Norwegian bassist and composer (b. 1970)
  • 2011 – David Servan-Schreiber, French physician, neuroscientist, and author (b. 1961)
  • 2011 – Skip Thomas, American football player (b. 1950)
  • 2012 – Chad Everett, American actor and director (b. 1937)
  • 2012 – Sherman Hemsley, American actor and singer (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Larry Hoppen, American singer and guitarist (b. 1951)
  • 2012 – Robert Ledley, American physiologist and physicist, invented the CT scanner (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Themo Lobos, Chilean author and illustrator (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – John Atta Mills, Ghanaian lawyer and politician, a President of Ghana (b. 1944)
  • 2012 – Gregorio Peces-Barba, Spanish jurist and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Garry Davis, American pilot and activist, created the World Passport (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Fred Dretske, American philosopher and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Virginia E. Johnson, American psychologist and sexologist (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – Pius Langa, South African lawyer and jurist, 19th Chief Justice of South Africa (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Ik-Hwan Bae, Korean-American violinist and educator (b. 1956)
  • 2014 – Dale Schlueter, American basketball player (b. 1945)
  • 2014 – Hans-Hermann Sprado, German journalist and author (b. 1956)
  • 2015 – Peg Lynch, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1916)
  • 2015 – Ingrid Sischy, South African-American journalist and critic (b. 1952)
  • 2016 – Marni Nixon, American actress and singer (b. 1930)
  • 2017 – Harshida Raval, Indian Gujarati playback singer

Holidays and observances on July 24

  • Carnival of Awussu (Tunisia)
  • Children’s Day (Vanuatu)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Charbel (Maronite Church/Catholic Church)
    • Christina the Astonishing
    • Christina of Bolsena
    • Declán of Ardmore
    • John Boste
    • Kinga (or Cunegunda) of Poland
    • Martyrs of Daimiel
    • Menefrida of Cornwall
    • Sigolena of Albi
    • July 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Pioneer Day (Utah)
  • Police Day (Poland)
  • Simón Bolívar Day (Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, and Bolivia)
    • Navy Day (Venezuela)

July 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

The terms 7th JulyJuly 7th, and 7/7 (pronounced “Seven-seven“) have been widely used in the Western media as a shorthand for the 7 July 2005 bombings on London’s transport system. In the Chinese language, this term is used to denote the Battle of Lugou Bridge started on July 7, 1937, marking the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

July 7 in History

  • 1124 – The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks.
  • 1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death.
  • 1520 – Spanish conquistadores defeat a larger Aztec army at the Battle of Otumba.
  • 1534 – Jacques Cartier makes his first contact with aboriginal peoples in what is now Canada.
  • 1575 – The Raid of the Redeswire is the last major battle between England and Scotland.
  • 1585 – The Treaty of Nemours abolishes tolerance to Protestants in France.
  • 1770 – The Battle of Larga between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire takes place.
  • 1777 – American forces retreating from Fort Ticonderoga are defeated in the Battle of Hubbardton.
  • 1798 – As a result of the XYZ Affair, the US Congress rescinds the Treaty of Alliance with France sparking the “Quasi-War”.
  • 1807 – The Peace of Tilsit between France, Prussia and Russia ends the War of the Fourth Coalition.
  • 1834 – In New York City, four nights of rioting against abolitionists began.
  • 1846 – US troops occupy Monterey and Yerba Buena, thus beginning the US conquest of California.
  • 1863 – The United States begins its first military draft; exemptions cost $300.
  • 1865 – Four conspirators in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln are hanged.
  • 1892 – The Katipunan is established, the discovery of which by Spanish authorities initiated the Philippine Revolution.
  • 1898 – US President William McKinley signs the Newlands Resolution annexing Hawaii as a territory of the United States.
  • 1907 – Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. staged his first Follies on the roof of the New York Theater in New York City.
  • 1911 – The United States, UK, Japan, and Russia sign the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 banning open-water seal hunting, the first international treaty to address wildlife preservation issues.
  • 1915 – The First Battle of the Isonzo comes to an end.
  • 1915 – Colombo Town Guard officer Henry Pedris is executed in British Ceylon for allegedly inciting persecution of Muslims.
  • 1916 – The New Zealand Labour Party was founded in Wellington.
  • 1928 – Sliced bread is sold for the first time (on the inventor’s 48th birthday) by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri.
  • 1930 – Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser begins construction of Boulder Dam (now known as Hoover Dam).
  • 1937 – The Marco Polo Bridge Incident provides the Imperial Japanese Army with a pretext for starting the Second Sino-Japanese War.
  • 1937 – The Peel Commission Report recommends the partition of Palestine, which was the first formal recommendation for partition in the history of Palestine.
  • 1941 – The US occupation of Iceland replaces the UK’s occupation.
  • 1944 – World War II: Largest Banzai charge of the Pacific War at the Battle of Saipan.
  • 1946 – Mother Francesca S. Cabrini becomes the first American to be canonized.
  • 1946 – Howard Hughes nearly dies when his XF-11 reconnaissance aircraft prototype crashes in a Beverly Hills neighborhood.
  • 1952 – The ocean liner SS United States passes Bishop Rock on her maiden voyage, breaking the transatlantic speed record to become the fastest passenger ship in the world.
  • 1953 – Ernesto “Che” Guevara sets out on a trip through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador.
  • 1954 – Elvis Presley makes his radio debut when WHBQ Memphis played his first recording for Sun Records, “That’s All Right”.
  • 1958 – US President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Alaska Statehood Act into law.
  • 1959 – Venus occults the star Regulus. This rare event is used to determine the diameter of Venus and the structure of the Venusian atmosphere.
  • 1963 – Buddhist crisis: The police of Ngô Đình Nhu, brother and chief political adviser of President Ngo Dinh Diem, attacked a group of American journalists who were covering a protest.
  • 1978 – The Solomon Islands becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
  • 1980 – Institution of sharia law in Iran.
  • 1980 – During the Lebanese Civil War, 83 Tiger militants are killed during what will be known as the Safra massacre.
  • 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan appoints Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States.
  • 1983 – Cold War: Samantha Smith, a US schoolgirl, flies to the Soviet Union at the invitation of Secretary General Yuri Andropov.
  • 1985 – Boris Becker becomes the youngest player ever to win Wimbledon at age 17.
  • 1991 – Yugoslav Wars: The Brioni Agreement ends the ten-day independence war in Slovenia against the rest of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
  • 1992 – The New York Court of Appeals rules that women have the same right as men to go topless in public.
  • 1997 – The Turkish Armed Forces withdraw from northern Iraq after assisting the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War.
  • 2003 – NASA Opportunity rover, MER-B or Mars Exploration Rover–B, was launched into space aboard a Delta II rocket.
  • 2005 – A series of four explosions occurs on London’s transport system, killing 56 people, including four suicide bombers, and injuring over 700 others.
  • 2007 – The first Live Earth benefit concert was held in 11 locations around the world.
  • 2012 – At least 172 people are killed in a flash flood in the Krasnodar Krai region of Russia.
  • 2013 – A De Havilland Otter air taxi crashes in Soldotna, Alaska, killing ten people.
  • 2016 – Ex-US Army soldier Micah Xavier Johnson shoots fourteen policemen during an anti-police protest in downtown Dallas, Texas, killing five of them. He is subsequently killed by a robot-delivered bomb.

Births on July 7

  • 611 – Eudoxia Epiphania, daughter of Byzantine emperor Heraclius
  • 1053 – Emperor Shirakawa of Japan (d. 1129)
  • 1119 – Emperor Sutoku of Japan (d. 1164)
  • 1207 – Elizabeth of Hungary (d. 1231)
  • 1482 – Andrzej Krzycki, Polish archbishop (d. 1537)
  • 1528 – Archduchess Anna of Austria (d. 1590)
  • 1540 – John Sigismund Zápolya, King of Hungary (d. 1571)
  • 1586 – Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, English courtier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland (d. 1646)
  • 1616 – John Leverett, Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony (d. 1679)
  • 1752 – Joseph Marie Jacquard, French merchant, invented the Jacquard loom (d. 1834)
  • 1766 – Guillaume Philibert Duhesme, French general (d. 1815)
  • 1831 – Jane Elizabeth Conklin, American poet and religious writer (d. 1914)
  • 1833 – Félicien Rops, Belgian painter and illustrator (d. 1898)
  • 1843 – Camillo Golgi, Italian physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1926)
  • 1846 – Heinrich Rosenthal, Estonian physician and author (d. 1916)
  • 1848 – Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, Brazilian politician, 5th President of Brazil (d. 1919)
  • 1851 – Charles Albert Tindley, American minister and composer (d. 1933)
  • 1855 – Ludwig Ganghofer, German author and playwright (d. 1920)
  • 1859 – Rettamalai Srinivasan, Indian politician (d. 1911)
  • 1860 – Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1911)
  • 1861 – Nettie Stevens, American geneticist (d. 1912)
  • 1869 – Rachel Caroline Eaton, American academic (d. 1938)
  • 1869 – Fernande Sadler (d.1949), French painter and mayor
  • 1874 – Erwin Bumke, German lawyer and jurist (d. 1945)
  • 1880 – Otto Frederick Rohwedder, American engineer, invented sliced bread (d. 1960)
  • 1882 – Yanka Kupala, Belarusian poet and writer (d. 1941)
  • 1884 – Toivo Kuula, Finnish conductor and composer (d. 1918)
  • 1884 – Lion Feuchtwanger, German author and playwright (d. 1958)
  • 1891 – Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Japanese general and poet (d. 1945)
  • 1891 – Virginia Rappe, American model and actress (d. 1921)
  • 1893 – Herbert Feis, American historian and author (d. 1972)
  • 1893 – Miroslav Krleža, Croatian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1981)
  • 1898 – Arnold Horween, American football player and coach (d. 1985)
  • 1899 – George Cukor, American director and producer (d. 1983)
  • 1900 – Maria Bard, German stage and silent film actress (d. 1944)
  • 1900 – Earle E. Partridge, American general (d. 1990)
  • 1901 – Vittorio De Sica, Italian actor and director (d. 1974)
  • 1901 – Sam Katzman, American director and producer (d. 1973)
  • 1901 – Eiji Tsuburaya, Japanese cinematographer and producer (d. 1970)
  • 1902 – Ted Radcliffe, American baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
  • 1904 – Simone Beck, French chef and author (d. 1991)
  • 1905 – Marie-Louise Dubreil-Jacotin, French mathematician (d. 1972)
  • 1906 – William Feller, Croatian-American mathematician and academic (d. 1970)
  • 1906 – Anton Karas, Austrian zither player and composer (d. 1985)
  • 1906 – Satchel Paige, American baseball player and coach (d. 1982)
  • 1907 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1908 – Revilo P. Oliver, American author and academic (d. 1994)
  • 1909 – Gottfried von Cramm, German tennis player (d. 1976)
  • 1910 – Doris McCarthy, Canadian painter and author (d. 2010)
  • 1911 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-American composer (d. 2007)
  • 1913 – Pinetop Perkins, American singer and pianist (d. 2011)
  • 1915 – Margaret Walker, American novelist and poet (d. 1998)
  • 1917 – Fidel Sánchez Hernández, Salvadoran general and politician, President of El Salvador (d. 2003)
  • 1917 – Iva Withers, Canadian-American actress and singer (d. 2014)
  • 1918 – Bob Vanatta, American head basketball coach (d. 2016)
  • 1918 – Jing Shuping, Chinese businessman (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Jon Pertwee, English actor (d. 1996)
  • 1921 – Ezzard Charles, American boxer (d. 1975)
  • 1921 – Adolf von Thadden, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1996)
  • 1922 – Alan Armer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1922 – James D. Hughes, American Air Force lieutenant general
  • 1923 – Liviu Ciulei, Romanian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – Whitney North Seymour Jr., American politician (d. 2019)
  • 1923 – Eduardo Falú, Argentinian guitarist and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Natalia Bekhtereva, Russian neuroscientist and psychologist (d. 2008)
  • 1924 – Karim Olowu, Nigerian sprinter and long jumper (d. 2019)
  • 1924 – Mary Ford, American singer and guitarist (d. 1977)
  • 1924 – Eddie Romero, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Wally Phillips, American radio host (d. 2008)
  • 1926 – Nuon Chea, Cambodian politician (d. 2019)
  • 1926 – Anand Mohan Zutshi Gulzar Dehlvi, Urdu poet (d. 2020)
  • 1927 – Alan J. Dixon, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 34th Illinois Secretary of State (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – Charlie Louvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
  • 1927 – Doc Severinsen, American trumpet player and conductor
  • 1928 – Patricia Hitchcock, English actress
  • 1928 – Kapelwa Sikota Zambian nurse and health official (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Hasan Abidi, Pakistani journalist and poet (d. 2005)
  • 1929 – Sergio Romano, Italian writer, journalist, and historian
  • 1930 – Biljana Plavšić, 2nd President of Republika Srpska
  • 1930 – Hamish MacInnes, Scottish mountaineer and author
  • 1930 – Theodore Edgar McCarrick, American cardinal
  • 1930 – Hank Mobley, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1986)
  • 1931 – David Eddings, American author and academic (d. 2009)
  • 1932 – T. J. Bass, American physician and author (d. 2011)
  • 1932 – Joe Zawinul, Austrian jazz keyboardist and composer (d. 2007)
  • 1933 – David McCullough, American historian and author
  • 1934 – Robert McNeill Alexander, British zoologist (d. 2016)
  • 1935 – Gian Carlo Michelini, Italian-Taiwanese Roman Catholic priest
  • 1936 – Egbert Brieskorn, German mathematician and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1936 – Jo Siffert, Swiss race car driver (d. 1971)
  • 1936 – Nikos Xilouris, Greek singer-songwriter (d. 1980)
  • 1937 – Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong businessman and politician, 1st Chief Executive of Hong Kong
  • 1938 – James Montgomery Boice, American pastor and theologian (d. 2000)
  • 1939 – Elena Obraztsova, Russian soprano and actress (d. 2015)
  • 1940 – Ringo Starr, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
  • 1941 – Marco Bollesan, Italian rugby player and coach
  • 1941 – John Fru Ndi, Cameroonian politician
  • 1941 – Michael Howard, Welsh lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for the Environment
  • 1941 – Bill Oddie, English comedian, actor, and singer
  • 1941 – Jim Rodford, English bass player (d. 2018)
  • 1942 – Carmen Duncan, Australian actress (d. 2019)
  • 1943 – Joel Siegel, American journalist and critic (d. 2007)
  • 1944 – Feleti Sevele, Tongan politician; Prime Minister of Tonga
  • 1944 – Tony Jacklin, English golfer and sportscaster
  • 1944 – Glenys Kinnock, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, English educator and politician, Minister of State for Europe
  • 1944 – Emanuel Steward, American boxer and trainer (d. 2012)
  • 1944 – Ian Wilmut, English-Scottish embryologist and academic
  • 1945 – Michael Ancram, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1945 – Adele Goldberg, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1945 – Helô Pinheiro, inspiration for the song “The Girl from Ipanema”
  • 1947 – Gyanendra, King of Nepal
  • 1947 – Howard Rheingold, American author and critic
  • 1949 – Shelley Duvall, American actress, writer, and producer
  • 1954 – Simon Anderson, Australian surfer
  • 1955 – Len Barker, American baseball player and coach
  • 1957 – Jonathan Dayton, American director and producer
  • 1957 – Berry Sakharof, Turkish-Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1958 – Alexander Svinin, Russian figure skater and coach
  • 1959 – Billy Campbell, American actor
  • 1960 – Kevin A. Ford, American colonel and astronaut
  • 1960 – Ralph Sampson, American basketball player and coach
  • 1963 – Vonda Shepard, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1964 – Dominik Henzel, Czech-Swedish actor and comedian
  • 1965 – Mo Collins, American actress, comedian and screenwriter
  • 1965 – Jeremy Kyle, English talk show host
  • 1966 – Jim Gaffigan, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Tom Kristensen, Danish race car driver
  • 1968 – Jorja Fox, American actress
  • 1969 – Sylke Otto, German luger
  • 1969 – Joe Sakic, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1969 – Cree Summer, American-Canadian actress
  • 1970 – Wayne McCullough, Northern Irish boxer
  • 1970 – Min Patel, Indian-English cricketer
  • 1970 – Erik Zabel, German cyclist and coach
  • 1971 – Christian Camargo, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1972 – Lisa Leslie, American basketball player and actress
  • 1972 – Manfred Stohl, Austrian race car driver
  • 1972 – Kirsten Vangsness, American actress and writer
  • 1973 – José Jiménez, Dominican baseball player
  • 1973 – Kārlis Skrastiņš, Latvian ice hockey player (d. 2011)
  • 1974 – Patrick Lalime, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1975 – Tony Benshoof, American luger
  • 1975 – Louis Koen, South African rugby player
  • 1975 – Adam Nelson, American shot putter
  • 1976 – Bérénice Bejo, Argentinian-French actress
  • 1976 – Dominic Foley, Irish footballer
  • 1976 – Vasily Petrenko, Russian conductor
  • 1976 – Ercüment Olgundeniz, Turkish discus thrower and shot putter
  • 1978 – Chris Andersen, American basketball player
  • 1978 – Davor Kraljević, Croatian footballer
  • 1979 – Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad Arbaysh, Saudi Arabian terrorist (d. 2015)
  • 1979 – Anastasios Gousis, Greek sprinter
  • 1979 – Douglas Hondo, Zimbabwean cricketer
  • 1980 – John Buck, American baseball player
  • 1980 – Serdar Kulbilge, Turkish footballer
  • 1980 – Michelle Kwan, American figure skater
  • 1981 – Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Indian cricketer
  • 1982 – Jan Laštůvka, Czech footballer
  • 1982 – George Owu, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1983 – Justin Davies, Australian footballer
  • 1984 – Minas Alozidis, Greek hurdler
  • 1984 – Alberto Aquilani, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladeshi cricketer
  • 1985 – Marc Stein, German footballer
  • 1986 – Ana Kasparian, American journalist and producer
  • 1986 – Udo Schwarz, German rugby player
  • 1986 – Sevyn Streeter, American singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Kaci Brown, American singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Lukas Rosenthal, German rugby player
  • 1989 – Landon Cassill, American race car driver
  • 1989 – Miina Kallas, Estonian footballer
  • 1989 – Karl-August Tiirmaa, Estonian skier
  • 1990 – Lee Addy, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1990 – Pascal Stöger, Austrian footballer
  • 1991 – Alesso, Swedish DJ, record producer and musician
  • 1992 – Ellina Anissimova, Estonian hammer thrower
  • 1992 – Dominik Furman, Polish footballer
  • 1994 – Timothy Cathcart, Northern Irish race car driver (d. 2014)

Deaths on July 7

  • 984 – Crescentius the Elder, Italian politician and aristocrat
  • 1021 – Fujiwara no Akimitsu, Japanese bureaucrat (b. 944)
  • 1162 – Haakon II Sigurdsson, king of Norway (b. 1147)
  • 1285 – Tile Kolup, German impostor claiming to be Frederick II
  • 1304 – Benedict XI, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1240)
  • 1307 – Edward I, king of England (b. 1239)
  • 1345 – Momchil, Bulgarian brigand and ruler
  • 1531 – Tilman Riemenschneider, German sculptor (b. 1460)
  • 1568 – William Turner, British ornithologist and botanist (b. 1508)
  • 1572 – Sigismund II Augustus, Polish king (b. 1520)
  • 1573 – Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, Italian architect, designed the Church of the Gesù and Villa Farnese (b. 1507)
  • 1593 – Mohammed Bagayogo, Malian scholar and academic (b. 1523)
  • 1600 – Thomas Lucy, English politician (b. 1532)
  • 1607 – Penelope Blount, Countess of Devonshire, English noblewoman (b. 1563)
  • 1647 – Thomas Hooker, English minister, founded the Colony of Connecticut (b. 1586)
  • 1701 – William Stoughton, American judge and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1631)
  • 1713 – Henry Compton, English bishop (b. 1632)
  • 1718 – Alexei Petrovich, Russian tsar (b. 1690)
  • 1730 – Olivier Levasseur, French pirate (b. 1690)
  • 1758 – Marthanda Varma, Rani of Attingal (b. 1706)
  • 1764 – William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, English politician, Secretary at War (b. 1683)
  • 1776 – Jeremiah Markland, English scholar and academic (b. 1693)
  • 1790 – François Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher and author (b. 1721)
  • 1816 – Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Irish playwright and poet (b. 1751)
  • 1863 – William Mulready, Irish genre painter (b. 1786)
  • 1865 – George Atzerodt (b. 1833)
  • 1865 – David Herold (b. 1842)
  • 1865 – Lewis Payne (b. 1844)
  • 1865 – Mary Surratt (b. 1823)
  • 1890 – Henri Nestlé, German businessman, founded Nestlé (b. 1814)
  • 1901 – Johanna Spyri, Swiss author (b. 1827)
  • 1913 – Edward Burd Grubb Jr., American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Spain (b. 1841)
  • 1922 – Cathal Brugha, Irish revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence; first Ceann Comhairle and first President of Dáil Éireann (b. 1874)
  • 1925 – Clarence Hudson White, American photographer and educator (b. 1871)
  • 1927 – Gösta Mittag-Leffler, Swedish mathematician and academic (b. 1846)
  • 1930 – Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer (b. 1859)
  • 1932 – Alexander Grin, Russian author (b. 1880)
  • 1932 – Henry Eyster Jacobs, American theologian and educator (b. 1844)
  • 1939 – Deacon White, American baseball player and manager (b. 1847)
  • 1950 – Fats Navarro, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1923)
  • 1955 – Ali Naci Karacan, Turkish journalist and publisher (b. 1896)
  • 1956 – Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (b. 1886)
  • 1960 – Francis Browne, Irish priest and photographer (b. 1880)
  • 1964 – Lillian Copeland, American discus thrower and shot putter (b. 1904)
  • 1965 – Moshe Sharett, Ukrainian-Israeli lieutenant and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1894)
  • 1968 – Jo Schlesser, French race car driver (b. 1928)
  • 1971 – Claude Gauvreau, Canadian poet and playwright (b. 1925)
  • 1972 – Athenagoras I of Constantinople (b. 1886)
  • 1973 – Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (b. 1895)
  • 1973 – Veronica Lake, American actress (b. 1922)
  • 1976 – Walter Giesler, American soccer player and referee (b. 1910)
  • 1978 – Francisco Mendes, Guinea-Bissau lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1933)
  • 1980 – Dore Schary, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1905)
  • 1982 – Bon Maharaja, Indian guru and religious writer (b. 1901)
  • 1984 – George Oppen, American poet and author (b. 1908)
  • 1987 – Germaine Thyssens-Valentin, Dutch-French pianist (b. 1902)
  • 1990 – Bill Cullen, American television panelist and game show host (b. 1920)
  • 1990 – Cazuza, Brazilian singer and songwriter (b. 1958)
  • 1993 – Rıfat Ilgaz, Turkish author, poet, and educator (b. 1911)
  • 1994 – Carlo Chiti, Italian engineer (b. 1924)
  • 1994 – Cameron Mitchell, American actor (b. 1918)
  • 1994 – Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte, German general (b. 1907)
  • 1998 – Moshood Abiola, Nigerian businessman and politician (b. 1937)
  • 1999 – Julie Campbell Tatham, American author (b. 1908)
  • 1999 – Vikram Batra, Param Vir Chakra, Indian Army personnel (b. 1974)
  • 2000 – Kenny Irwin Jr., American race car driver (b. 1969)
  • 2001 – Fred Neil, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
  • 2003 – Izhak Graziani, Bulgarian trumpet player and conductor (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Syd Barrett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1946)
  • 2006 – Juan de Ávalos, Spanish sculptor (b. 1911)
  • 2006 – John Money, New Zealand-American psychologist and author (b. 1921)
  • 2008 – Bruce Conner, American sculptor, painter, and photographer (b. 1933)
  • 2008 – Dorian Leigh, American model (b. 1917)
  • 2011 – Allan W. Eckert, American historian and author (b. 1931)
  • 2011 – Dick Williams, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
  • 2012 – Ronaldo Cunha Lima, Brazilian poet and politician (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Dennis Flemion, American drummer (b. 1955)
  • 2012 – Doris Neal, American baseball player (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Jerry Norman, American sinologist and linguist (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Leon Schlumpf, Swiss politician (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Artur Hajzer, Polish mountaineer (b. 1962)
  • 2013 – Robert Hamerton-Kelly, South African-American pastor, theologian, and author (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Donald J. Irwin, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Ben Pucci, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentinian-Spanish footballer and coach (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Eduard Shevardnadze, Georgian general and politician, 2nd President of Georgia (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Peter Underwood, Australian lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of Tasmania (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Maria Barroso, Portuguese actress and politician (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Bob MacKinnon, American basketball player and coach (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances on July 7

  • Christian feast day:
    • Æthelburh of Faremoutiers
    • Felix of Nantes
    • Illidius
    • The job of Manyava (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)
    • Willibald (Catholic Church)
    • July 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Solomon Islands from the United Kingdom in 1978.
  • Ivan Kupala Day (Belarus, Poland, Russia, Ukraine)
  • Saba Saba Day (Tanzania)
  • Tanabata (Japan)
  • World Chocolate Day

June 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China.
  • 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
  • 860 – Byzantine–Rus’ War: A fleet of about 200 Rus’ vessels sails into the Bosphorus and starts pillaging the suburbs of the Byzantine capital Constantinople.
  • 1053 – Battle of Civitate: Three thousand horsemen of Norman Count Humphrey rout the troops of Pope Leo IX.
  • 1178 – Five Canterbury monks see what is possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current oscillations of the Moon’s distance from the Earth (on the order of meters) are a result of this collision.
  • 1264 – The Parliament of Ireland meets at Castledermot in County Kildare, the first definitively known meeting of this Irish legislature.
  • 1265 – A draft Byzantine–Venetian treaty is concluded between Venetian envoys and Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, but is not ratified by Doge Reniero Zeno.
  • 1429 – French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay. This turns the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
  • 1633 – Charles I is crowned King of Scots at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh.
  • 1684 – The charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is revoked via a scire facias writ issued by an English court.
  • 1757 – Battle of Kolín between Prussian forces under Frederick the Great and an Austrian army under the command of Field Marshal Count Leopold Joseph von Daun in the Seven Years’ War.
  • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: British troops abandon Philadelphia.
  • 1799 – Action of 18 June 1799: A frigate squadron under Rear-admiral Perrée is captured by the British fleet under Lord Keith.
  • 1812 – The United States declaration of war upon the United Kingdom is signed by President James Madison, beginning the War of 1812.
  • 1815 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher forcing him to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.
  • 1822 – Constantine Kanaris blows up the Ottoman navy’s flagship at Chios, killing the Kapudan Pasha Nasuhzade Ali Pasha.
  • 1858 – Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin’s own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory.
  • 1859 – First ascent of Aletschhorn, second summit of the Bernese Alps.
  • 1873 – Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.
  • 1887 – The Reinsurance Treaty between Germany and Russia is signed.
  • 1900 – Empress Dowager Cixi of China orders all foreigners killed, including foreign diplomats and their families.
  • 1908 – Japanese immigration to Brazil begins when 781 people arrive in Santos aboard the ship Kasato-Maru.
  • 1908 – The University of the Philippines is established.
  • 1923 – Checker Taxi puts its first taxi on the streets.
  • 1928 – Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean (she is a passenger; Wilmer Stultz is the pilot and Lou Gordon the mechanic).
  • 1935 – Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, clash with striking longshoremen, resulting in a total of 60 injuries and 24 arrests.
  • 1940 – Appeal of 18 June by Charles de Gaulle.
  • 1940 – The “Finest Hour” speech is delivered by Winston Churchill.
  • 1945 – William Joyce (“Lord Haw-Haw”) is charged with treason for his pro-German propaganda broadcasting during World War II.
  • 1946 – Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, a Socialist, calls for a Direct Action Day against the Portuguese in Goa.
  • 1948 – Columbia Records introduces the long-playing record album in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
  • 1953 – The Egyptian revolution of 1952 ends with the overthrow of the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the declaration of the Republic of Egypt.
  • 1953 – A United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns near Tachikawa, Japan, killing 129.
  • 1954 – Carlos Castillo Armas leads an invasion force across the Guatemalan border, setting in motion the 1954 Guatemalan coup d’état.
  • 1965 – Vietnam War: The United States uses B-52 bombers to attack National Liberation Front guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam.
  • 1972 – Staines air disaster: One hundred eighteen people are killed when a BEA H.S. Trident crashes two minutes after take off from London’s Heathrow Airport.
  • 1979 – SALT II is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.
  • 1981 – The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational aircraft initially designed around stealth technology, makes its first flight.
  • 1982 – Italian banker Roberto Calvi’s body is discovered hanging beneath Blackfriars Bridge in London, England.
  • 1983 – Space Shuttle program: STS-7, Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.
  • 1983 – Mona Mahmudnizhad, together with nine other Bahá’í women, is sentenced to death and hanged in Shiraz, Iran over her religious beliefs.
  • 1984 – A major clash between about 5,000 police and a similar number of miners takes place at Orgreave, South Yorkshire, during the 1984–85 UK miners’ strike.
  • 1994 – The Troubles: Members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) attack a crowded pub with assault rifles in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland. Six Catholic civilians are killed and five wounded. It was crowded with people watching the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
  • 2006 – The first Kazakh space satellite, KazSat-1 is launched.
  • 2007 – The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire happened in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine firefighters.
  • 2009 – The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a NASA robotic spacecraft is launched.
  • 2018 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 strikes northern Osaka.

Births on June 18

  • 1269 – Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar (d. 1298)
  • 1318 – Eleanor of Woodstock (d. 1355)
  • 1332 – John V Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1391)
  • 1466 – Ottaviano Petrucci, Italian printer (d. 1539)
  • 1511 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor, designed the Ponte Santa Trinita (d. 1592)
  • 1517 – Emperor Ōgimachi of Japan (d. 1593)
  • 1521 – Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu (d. 1577)
  • 1667 – Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshal (d. 1750)
  • 1673 – Antonio de Literes, Spanish composer (d. 1747)
  • 1677 – Antonio Maria Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1726)
  • 1716 – Joseph-Marie Vien, French painter and educator (d. 1809)
  • 1717 – Johann Stamitz, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1757)
  • 1757 – Ignaz Pleyel, Austrian-French pianist and composer (d. 1831)
  • 1757 – Gervasio Antonio de Posadas, Argentinian lawyer and politician 1st Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (d. 1833)
  • 1769 – Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, Irish-English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1822)
  • 1799 – William Lassell, English astronomer and merchant (d. 1880)
  • 1812 – Ivan Goncharov, Russian journalist and author (d. 1891)
  • 1815 – Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (d. 1881)
  • 1816 – Hélène Napoleone Bonaparte, French daughter of Napoleon (d. 1907)
  • 1816 – Jung Bahadur Rana, Nepali ruler (d. 1877)
  • 1833 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and President (1880-1884) (d. 1893)
  • 1834 – Auguste-Théodore-Paul de Broglie, French philosopher and academic (d. 1895)
  • 1839 – William H. Seward Jr., American general and banker (d. 1920)
  • 1845 – Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, French physician and parasitologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1922)
  • 1850 – Richard Heuberger, Austrian composer and critic (d. 1914)
  • 1854 – E. W. Scripps, American publisher, founded the E. W. Scripps Company (d. 1926)
  • 1857 – Henry Clay Folger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Folger Shakespeare Library (d. 1930)
  • 1858 – Andrew Forsyth, Scottish-English mathematician and academic (d. 1942)
  • 1858 – Hector Rason, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1927)
  • 1862 – Carolyn Wells, American novelist and poet (d. 1942)
  • 1863 – George Essex Evans, English-Australian poet and author (d. 1909)
  • 1868 – Miklós Horthy, Hungarian admiral and politician, Regent of Hungary (d. 1957)
  • 1870 – Édouard Le Roy, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1954)
  • 1877 – James Montgomery Flagg, American painter and illustrator (d. 1960)
  • 1881 – Zoltán Halmay, Hungarian swimmer (d. 1956)
  • 1882 – Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian compositor and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Bulgaria (d. 1949)
  • 1884 – Édouard Daladier, French captain and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1970)
  • 1886 – George Mallory, English lieutenant and mountaineer (d. 1924)
  • 1886 – Alexander Wetmore, American ornithologist and paleontologist (d. 1978)
  • 1887 – Tancrède Labbé, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1956)
  • 1896 – Blanche Sweet, American actress (d. 1986)
  • 1897 – Martti Marttelin, Finnish runner (d. 1940)
  • 1900 – Vlasta Vraz, Czech-American relief worker, editor, and fundraiser (d. 1989)
  • 1901 – Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)
  • 1901 – Llewellyn Rees, English actor (d. 1994)
  • 1902 – Louis Alter, American musician (d. 1980)
  • 1902 – Paavo Yrjölä, Finnish decathlete (d. 1980)
  • 1903 – Jeanette MacDonald, American actress and singer (d. 1965)
  • 1903 – Raymond Radiguet, French author and poet (d. 1923)
  • 1904 – Keye Luke, Chinese-American actor (d. 1991)
  • 1904 – Manuel Rosenthal, French conductor and composer (d. 2003)
  • 1905 – Eduard Tubin, Estonian composer and conductor (d. 1982)
  • 1907 – Frithjof Schuon, Swiss-American metaphysicist, philosopher, and author (d. 1998)
  • 1908 – Bud Collyer, American actor and game show host (d. 1969)
  • 1908 – Stanley Knowles, American-Canadian academic and politician (d. 1997)
  • 1908 – Nedra Volz, American actress (d. 2003)
  • 1910 – Dick Foran, American actor and singer (d. 1979)
  • 1910 – Avon Long, American actor and singer (d. 1984)
  • 1910 – Ray McKinley, American singer, drummer, and bandleader (d. 1995)
  • 1912 – Glenn Morris, American decathlete (d. 1974)
  • 1913 – Wilfred Gordon Bigelow, Canadian soldier and surgeon (d. 2005)
  • 1913 – Sammy Cahn, American pianist and composer (d. 1993)
  • 1913 – Sylvia Porter, American economist and journalist (d. 1991)
  • 1913 – Françoise Loranger, Canadian playwright and producer (d. 1995)
  • 1913 – Robert Mondavi, American winemaker and philanthropist (d. 2008)
  • 1913 – Oswald Teichmüller, German mathematician (d. 1943)
  • 1914 – E. G. Marshall, American actor (d. 1998)
  • 1914 – Efraín Huerta, Mexican poet (d.1982)
  • 1915 – Red Adair, American firefighter (d. 2004)
  • 1915 – Robert Kanigher, American author (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Alice T. Schafer, American mathematician (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – Julio César Turbay Ayala, Colombian lawyer and politician, 25th President of Colombia (d. 2005)
  • 1917 – Richard Boone, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1981)
  • 1917 – Jack Karnehm, English snooker player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Erik Ortvad, Danish painter and illustrator (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Alf Francis, West Prussia-born, English motor racing mechanic and race car constructor (d. 1983)
  • 1918 – Jerome Karle, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Franco Modigliani, Italian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)
  • 1919 – Jüri Järvet, Estonian actor and screenwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1920 – Ian Carmichael, English actor and singer (d. 2010)
  • 1920 – Lode Van Den Bergh, Belgian author and academic
  • 1922 – Claude Helffer, French pianist and educator (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – George Mikan, American basketball player and coach (d. 2005)
  • 1925 – Robert Beadell, American composer and educator (d. 1994)
  • 1926 – Philip B. Crosby, American businessman and author (d. 2001)
  • 1926 – Allan Sandage, American astronomer and cosmologist (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – Tom Wicker, American journalist and author (d. 2011)
  • 1927 – Eva Bartok, Hungarian-English actress (d. 1998)
  • 1927 – Paul Eddington, English actor (d. 1995)
  • 1928 – Michael Blakemore, Australian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1928 – David T. Lykken, American geneticist and academic (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Jürgen Habermas, German sociologist and philosopher
  • 1929 – Tibor Rubin, Hungarian-American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Brazilian sociologist, academic, and politician, 34th President of Brazil
  • 1932 – Dudley R. Herschbach, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1932 – Geoffrey Hill, English poet and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1933 – Colin Brumby, Australian composer and conductor (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – Tommy Hunt, American singer
  • 1934 – Brian Kenny, English general (d. 2017)
  • 1934 – Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1936 – Denny Hulme, New Zealand race car driver (d. 1992)
  • 1936 – Barack Obama Sr., Kenyan economist (d. 1982)
  • 1936 – Ronald Venetiaan, Surinamese politician, 6th President of Suriname
  • 1937 – Del Harris, American basketball player and coach
  • 1937 – Jay Rockefeller, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of West Virginia
  • 1937 – Bruce Trigger, Canadian archaeologist, anthropologist and historian (d. 2006)
  • 1937 – Vitaly Zholobov, Ukrainian colonel, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1938 – Kevin Murray, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1939 – Lou Brock, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1939 – Jean-Claude Germain, Canadian historian, author, and journalist
  • 1939 – Brooks Firestone, American businessman and politician
  • 1941 – Roger Lemerre, French footballer and manager
  • 1941 – Paul Mayersberg, English director and screenwriter
  • 1941 – Delia Smith, English chef and author
  • 1942 – John Bellany, Scottish painter and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Roger Ebert, American journalist, critic, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Pat Hutchins, English author and illustrator
  • 1942 – Thabo Mbeki, South African politician, 23rd President of South Africa
  • 1942 – Paul McCartney, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1942 – Richard Perry, American record producer
  • 1942 – Carl Radle, American bass player and producer (d. 1980)
  • 1942 – Nick Tate, Australian actor and director
  • 1942 – Hans Vonk, Dutch conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1943 – Barry Evans, English actor (d. 1997)
  • 1943 – Raffaella Carrà, Italian singer, dancer, and actress
  • 1944 – Bruce DuMont, American broadcaster and political analyst
  • 1944 – Sandy Posey, American pop/country singer
  • 1946 – Russell Ash, English journalist and author (d. 2010)
  • 1946 – Bruiser Brody, American wrestler (d. 1988)
  • 1946 – Fabio Capello, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1946 – Maria Bethânia, Brazilian singer
  • 1947 – Ivonne Coll, Puerto Rican-American model and actress, Miss Puerto Rico 1967
  • 1947 – Bernard Giraudeau, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1947 – Linda Thorson, Canadian actress
  • 1948 – Philip Jackson, English actor
  • 1948 – Éva Marton, Hungarian soprano and actress
  • 1948 – Sherry Turkle, American academic, psychologist, and sociologist
  • 1949 – Chris Van Allsburg, American author and illustrator
  • 1949 – Jarosław Kaczyński, Polish lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Poland
  • 1949 – Lech Kaczyński, Polish lawyer and politician, 4th President of Poland (d. 2010)
  • 1949 – Lincoln Thompson, Jamaican singer-songwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1950 – Rod de’Ath, Welsh drummer and producer (d. 2014)
  • 1950 – Annelie Ehrhardt, German hurdler
  • 1950 – Mike Johanns, American lawyer and politician, 28th United States Secretary of Agriculture
  • 1950 – Jackie Leven, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
  • 1951 – Mohammed Al-Sager, Kuwaiti journalist and politician
  • 1951 – Miriam Flynn, American actress and comedian
  • 1951 – Ian Hargreaves, English-Welsh journalist and academic
  • 1951 – Stephen Hopper, Australian botanist and academic
  • 1951 – Gyula Sax, Hungarian chess player (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – Tiiu Aro, Estonian physician and politician, Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
  • 1952 – Denis Herron, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1952 – Carol Kane, American actress
  • 1952 – Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Lee Soo-man, South Korean singer and businessman, founded S.M. Entertainment
  • 1953 – Peter Donohoe, English pianist and educator
  • 1955 – Ed Fast, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1956 – Brian Benben, American actor and producer
  • 1956 – John Scott, English organist and conductor (d. 2015)
  • 1957 – Miguel Ángel Lotina, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1957 – Richard Powers, American novelist
  • 1958 – Peter Altmaier, German jurist and politician, Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany
  • 1958 – Gary Martin, British voice actor and actor
  • 1959 – Joe Ansolabehere, American animation screenwriter and producer
  • 1960 – Barbara Broccoli, American director and producer
  • 1960 – Steve Murphy, Canadian journalist
  • 1961 – Oz Fox, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1961 – Andrés Galarraga, Venezuelan-American baseball player
  • 1961 – Angela Johnson, American novelist and poet
  • 1961 – Alison Moyet, English singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Lisa Randall, American physicist and academic
  • 1963 – Dizzy Reed, American keyboard player and songwriter
  • 1963 – Bruce Smith, American football player
  • 1964 – Uday Hussein, Iraqi commander (d. 2003)
  • 1964 – Patti Webster, American publicist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1966 – Kurt Browning, Canadian figure skater, choreographer, and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Troy Kemp, Bahamian high jumper
  • 1968 – Frank Müller, German decathlete
  • 1969 – Haki Doku, Albanian cyclist
  • 1969 – Christopher Largen, American journalist and author (d. 2012)
  • 1970 – Katie Derham, English journalist
  • 1970 – Ivan Kozák, Slovak footballer
  • 1970 – Greg Yaitanes, American director and producer
  • 1971 – Kerry Butler, American actress and singer
  • 1971 – Jason McAteer, English-Irish footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Nathan Morris, American soul singer
  • 1972 – Anu Tali, Estonian pianist and conductor
  • 1972 – Wikus du Toit, South African actor, director, and composer
  • 1973 – Julie Depardieu, French actress
  • 1973 – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, American author and music critic
  • 1973 – Ray LaMontagne, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1973 – Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austrian skier
  • 1973 – Matt Parsons, Australian rugby league player
  • 1973 – Gavin Wanganeen Australian footballer and coach
  • 1974 – Vincenzo Montella, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Sergey Sharikov, Russian fencer and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1975 – Marie Gillain, Belgian actress
  • 1975 – Aleksandrs Koļinko, Latvian footballer
  • 1975 – Martin St. Louis, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Blake Shelton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Wang Liqin, Chinese table tennis player
  • 1979 – Yumiko Kobayashi, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1979 – Ivana Wong, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1980 – Antonio Gates, American football player
  • 1980 – Sergey Kirdyapkin, Russian race walker
  • 1980 – Craig Mottram, Australian runner
  • 1980 – Antero Niittymäki, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Tara Platt, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1981 – Clint Newton, American-Australian rugby league player
  • 1981 – Marco Streller, Swiss footballer
  • 1982 – Nadir Belhadj, French-Algerian footballer
  • 1982 – Marco Borriello, Italian footballer
  • 1982 – Nathan Cavaleri, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1983 – Billy Slater, Australian rugby league player
  • 1983 – Cameron Smith, Australian rugby league player
  • 1984 – Nanyak Dala, Canadian rugby player
  • 1985 – Chris Coghlan, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Alex Hirsch, American animator and television producer
  • 1986 – Edgars Eriņš, Latvian decathlete
  • 1986 – Richard Gasquet, French tennis player
  • 1987 – Omar Arellano, Mexican footballer
  • 1987 – Moeen Ali, English cricketer
  • 1988 – Elini Dimoutsos, Greek footballer
  • 1988 – Josh Dun, American musician
  • 1989 – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, French-born Gabonese footballer
  • 1989 – Chris Harris Jr., American football player
  • 1990 – Luke Adam, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Sandra Izbașa, Romanian gymnast
  • 1990 – Derek Stepan, American ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Christian Taylor, American triple jumper
  • 1993 – Dennis Lloyd, Israeli musician, producer, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
  • 1994 – Sean McMahon, Australian rugby player
  • 1994 – Takeoff, American rapper
  • 1995 – Maxim Kovtun, Russian figure skater
  • 1996 – Alen Halilović, Croatian footballer
  • 1996 – Niki Wories, Dutch figure skater
  • 1997 – Katharina Hobgarski, German tennis player
  • 1997 – Latrell Mitchell, Australian rugby league player
  • 1999 – Trippie Redd, American rapper

Deaths on June 18

  • 741 – Leo III the Isaurian, Byzantine emperor (b. 685)
  • 908 – Zhang Hao, general of Yang Wu
  • 1095 – Sophia of Hungary (b. c. 1050)
  • 1164 – Elisabeth of Schönau, German Benedictine visionary (b. c. 1129)
  • 1234 – Emperor Chūkyō of Japan (b. 1218)
  • 1250 – Theresa of Portugal, Queen of León
  • 1291 – Alfonso III of Aragon (b. 1265)
  • 1333 – Henry XV, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1312)
  • 1464 – Rogier van der Weyden, Flemish painter (b. 1400)
  • 1588 – Robert Crowley, English minister and poet (b. 1517)
  • 1629 – Piet Pieterszoon Hein, Dutch admiral (b. 1577)
  • 1650 – Christoph Scheiner, German priest, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1575)
  • 1673 – Jeanne Mance, French-Canadian nurse, founded the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (b. 1606)
  • 1704 – Tom Brown, English author and translator (b. 1662)
  • 1726 – Michel Richard Delalande, French organist and composer (b. 1657)
  • 1742 – John Aislabie, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1670)
  • 1749 – Ambrose Philips, English poet and politician (b. 1674)
  • 1772 – Johann Ulrich von Cramer, German jurist and scholar (b. 1706)
  • 1772 – Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician and reformer (b. 1700)
  • 1788 – Adam Gib, Scottish religious leader (b. 1714)
  • 1794 – François Buzot, French lawyer and politician (b. 1760)
  • 1794 – James Murray, Scottish-English general and politician, 20th Governor of the Province of Quebec (b. 1721)
  • 1815 – Thomas Picton, Welsh-English general and politician (b. 1758)
  • 1833 – Robert Hett Chapman, American minister, missionary, and academic (b. 1771)
  • 1835 – William Cobbett, English farmer and journalist (b. 1763)
  • 1860 – Friedrich Wilhelm von Bismarck, German army officer and writer (b. 1783)
  • 1866 – Prince Sigismund of Prussia (b. 1864)
  • 1902 – Samuel Butler, English novelist, satirist, and critic (b. 1835)
  • 1905 – Carmine Crocco, Italian soldier (b. 1830)
  • 1916 – Max Immelmann, German lieutenant and pilot (b. 1890)
  • 1917 – Titu Maiorescu, Romanian critic and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1840)
  • 1922 – Jacobus Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer and academic (b. 1851)
  • 1928 – Roald Amundsen, Norwegian pilot and explorer (b. 1872)
  • 1936 – Maxim Gorky, Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1868)
  • 1937 – Gaston Doumergue, French politician, 13th President of France (b. 1863)
  • 1942 – Arthur Pryor, American trombonist, bandleader, and politician (b. 1870)
  • 1943 – Elias Degiannis, Greek commander (b. 1912)
  • 1945 – Florence Bascom, American geologist and educator (b. 1862)[10]
  • 1945 – Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., American general (b. 1886)
  • 1947 – Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (b. 1898)
  • 1948 – Edward Brooker, English-Australian politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (b. 1891)
  • 1959 – Ethel Barrymore, American actress (b. 1879)
  • 1963 – Pedro Armendáriz, Mexican-American actor (b. 1912)
  • 1964 – Giorgio Morandi, Italian painter (b. 1890)
  • 1967 – Geki, Italian race car driver (b. 1937)
  • 1967 – Beat Fehr, Swiss race car driver (b. 1942)
  • 1971 – Thomas Gomez, American actor (b. 1905)
  • 1971 – Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
  • 1974 – Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian mathematician and academic (b. 1896)
  • 1974 – Georgy Zhukov, Russian marshal and politician, Minister of Defence for the Soviet Union (b. 1896)
  • 1975 – Hugo Bergmann, German-Israeli philosopher and author (b. 1883)
  • 1978 – Walter C. Alvarez, American physician and author (b. 1884)
  • 1980 – Terence Fisher, English director and screenwriter (b. 1904)
  • 1980 – André Leducq, French cyclist (b. 1904)
  • 1982 – Djuna Barnes, American novelist, journalist, and playwright (b. 1892)
  • 1982 – John Cheever, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1912)
  • 1982 – Curd Jürgens, German-Austrian actor and director (b. 1915)
  • 1984 – Alan Berg, American lawyer and radio host (b. 1934)
  • 1985 – Paul Colin, French illustrator (b. 1892)
  • 1986 – Frances Scott Fitzgerald, American journalist (b. 1921)
  • 1989 – I. F. Stone, American journalist and author (b. 1907)
  • 1992 – Kofoworola Abeni Pratt, the first black Chief Nursing Officer of Nigeria  (b. 1910)
  • 1992 – Peter Allen, Australian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1944)
  • 1992 – Mordecai Ardon, Polish-Israeli painter and educator (b. 1896)
  • 1993 – Craig Rodwell, American activist, founded the Oscar Wilde Bookshop (b. 1940)
  • 1996 – Endel Puusepp, Estonian-Soviet military pilot and politician (b. 1909)
  • 1997 – Lev Kopelev, Ukrainian-German author and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1998 – Felix Knight, American actor and tenor (b. 1908)
  • 2000 – Nancy Marchand, American actress (b. 1928)
  • 2003 – Larry Doby, American baseball player and manager (b. 1923)
  • 2005 – Mushtaq Ali, Indian cricketer (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – Manuel Sadosky, Argentinian mathematician and academic (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Vincent Sherman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1906)
  • 2006 – Joseph Zobel, Martinique-French author (b. 1915)
  • 2007 – Bernard Manning, English comedian and actor (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Hank Medress, American singer and producer (b. 1938)
  • 2007 – Georges Thurston, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
  • 2008 – Jean Delannoy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 2008 – Tasha Tudor, American author and illustrator (b. 1915)
  • 2008 – Hans Steinbrenner, German sculptor (b. 1928)
  • 2010 – Trent Acid, American wrestler (b. 1980)
  • 2010 – José Saramago, Portuguese novelist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1922)
  • 2010 – Okan Demiriş, Turkish composer (b. 1942)
  • 2011 – Yelena Bonner, Russian activist (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Frederick Chiluba, Zambian politician, 2nd President of Zambia (b. 1943)
  • 2011 – Clarence Clemons, American saxophonist (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Horacio Coppola, Argentinian photographer and director (b. 1906)
  • 2012 – Lina Haag, German author and activist (b. 1907)
  • 2012 – Tom Maynard, Welsh cricketer (b. 1989)
  • 2012 – Luis Edgardo Mercado Jarrín, Peruvian general and politician, 109th Prime Minister of Peru (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Alketas Panagoulias, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – William Van Regenmorter, American businessman and politician (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – Brent F. Anderson, American engineer and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Alastair Donaldson, Scottish bass player (b. 1955)
  • 2013 – Garde Gardom, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Michael Hastings, American journalist and author (b. 1980)
  • 2013 – David Wall, English ballet dancer (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Stephanie Kwolek, American chemist and engineer (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Johnny Mann, American singer-songwriter and conductor (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Claire Martin, Canadian author (b. 1914)
  • 2014 – Vladimir Popovkin, Russian general (b. 1957)
  • 2014 – Horace Silver, American pianist and composer (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Phil Austin, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Ralph J. Roberts, American businessman, co-founded Comcast (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Danny Villanueva, American football player and broadcaster, co-founded Univision (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Allen Weinstein, American historian and academic (b. 1937)
  • 2016 – Jeppiaar, Indian educationist, founder and chancellor of Sathyabama University (b. 1931)
  • 2018 – XXXTentacion, American rapper (b. 1998)
  • 2018 – Big Van Vader (also known as Vader) American professional wrestler (b. 1955)
  • 2018 – Jimmy Wopo, American rapper (b. 1997)
  • 2020 – Vera Lynn, English singer who was the “Forces’ Sweetheart” in World War II (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances on June 18

  • Autistic Pride Day (International)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Bernard Mizeki (Anglican and Episcopal Church)
    • Elisabeth of Schönau
    • Gregorio Barbarigo
    • Leontius, Hypatius and Theodulus
    • Marina the Monk (Maronite Church, Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria)
    • Mark and Marcellian
    • June 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Foundation Day (Benguet)
  • Human Rights Day (Azerbaijan)
  • National Day (Seychelles)
  • Queen Mother’s Birthday (Cambodia)
  • Waterloo Day (United Kingdom)