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  • July 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple.
    • 238 – The Praetorian Guard storm the palace and capture Pupienus and Balbinus. They are dragged through the streets of Rome and executed. On the same day, Gordian III, age 13, is proclaimed emperor.
    • 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12.
    • 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo of Tripoli sack Thessaloniki, the Byzantine Empire’s second-largest city, after a short siege, and plunder it for a week.
    • 923 – Battle of Firenzuola: Lombard forces under King Rudolph II and Adalbert I, margrave of Ivrea, defeat the dethroned Emperor Berengar I of Italy at Firenzuola (Tuscany).
    • 1014 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, and his subsequent treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of a heart attack less than three months later, on October 6.
    • 1018 – Count Dirk III defeats an army sent by Emperor Henry II in the Battle of Vlaardingen.
    • 1030 – Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad: King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes.
    • 1148 – The Siege of Damascus ends in a decisive crusader defeat and leads to the disintegration of the Second Crusade.
    • 1565 – The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany, at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland.
    • 1567 – James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling.
    • 1588 – Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines: English naval forces under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France.
    • 1693 – War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen: France wins a Pyrrhic victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands.
    • 1775 – Founding of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps: General George Washington appoints William Tudor as Judge Advocate of the Continental Army.
    • 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel submits his prizewinning “Memoir on the Diffraction of Light”, precisely accounting for the limited extent to which light spreads into shadows, and thereby demolishing the oldest objection to the wave theory of light.
    • 1836 – Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.
    • 1848 – Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt: In County Tipperary, Ireland, then in the United Kingdom, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police.
    • 1851 – Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia.
    • 1858 – United States and Japan sign the Harris Treaty.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C.
    • 1871 – The Connecticut Valley Railroad opens between Old Saybrook, Connecticut and Hartford, Connecticut in the United States.
    • 1899 – The First Hague Convention is signed.
    • 1900 – In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the anarchist Gaetano Bresci.
    • 1907 – Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9, 1907, and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement.
    • 1914 – The Cape Cod Canal opened.
    • 1920 – Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project.
    • 1921 – Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party.
    • 1932 – Great Depression: In Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the “Bonus Army” of World War I veterans.
    • 1937 – Tōngzhōu Incident: In Tōngzhōu, China, the East Hopei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians.
    • 1945 – The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music.
    • 1948 – Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad: After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, open in London.
    • 1950 – Korean War: After four days, the No Gun Ri Massacre ends when the US Army 7th Cavalry Regiment is withdrawn.
    • 1957 – The International Atomic Energy Agency is established.
    • 1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
    • 1959 – First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union.
    • 1965 – Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay.
    • 1967 – Vietnam War: Off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134.
    • 1967 – During the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela is shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead.
    • 1973 – Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi.
    • 1973 – During the Dutch Grand Prix driver Roger Williamson was killed in the race, after a suspected tire failure caused the car to pitch into the barriers at high speed.
    • 1976 – In New York City, David Berkowitz (a.k.a. the “Son of Sam”) kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks.
    • 1980 – Iran adopts a new “holy” flag after the Islamic Revolution.
    • 1981 – A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
    • 1981 – After impeachment on June 21, Abolhassan Banisadr flees with Massoud Rajavi to Paris, in an Iranian Air Force Boeing 707, piloted by Colonel Behzad Moezzi, to form the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
    • 1987 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel).
    • 1987 – Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues.
    • 1993 – The Supreme Court of Israel acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free.
    • 1996 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad.
    • 2005 – Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris.
    • 2010 – An overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in at least 80 deaths.
    • 2013 – Two passenger trains collide in the Swiss municipality of Granges-près-Marnand near Lausanne injuring 25 people.
    • 2019 – Prison riot between rival gangs broke out in Brazil, at least 57 people have been killed.

    Births on July 29 

    • 869 – Muhammad al-Mahdi, Iraqi 12th Imam (d. 941)
    • 996 – Fujiwara no Norimichi, Japanese nobleman (d. 1075)
    • 1166 – Henry II, French nobleman and king of Jerusalem (d. 1197)
    • 1356 – Martin the Elder, king of Aragon, Valencia and Majorca (d. 1410)
    • 1537 – Pedro Téllez-Girón, Spanish nobleman (d. 1590)
    • 1573 – Philip II, duke of Pomerania-Stettin (d. 1618)
    • 1580 – Francesco Mochi, Italian sculptor (d. 1654)
    • 1605 – Simon Dach, German poet and hymn-writer (d. 1659)
    • 1646 – Johann Theile, German organist and composer (d. 1724)
    • 1744 – Giulio Maria della Somaglia, Italian cardinal (d. 1830)
    • 1763 – Philip Charles Durham, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1845)
    • 1797 – Daniel Drew, American businessman and financier (d. 1879)
    • 1801 – George Bradshaw, English cartographer and publisher (d. 1853)
    • 1805 – Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and philosopher (d. 1859)
    • 1806 – Horace Abbott, American businessman and banker (d. 1887)
    • 1817 – Ivan Aivazovsky, Armenian-Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1900)
    • 1817 – Martin Körber, Baltic German pastor, composer, and conductor (d. 1893)
    • 1841 – Gerhard Armauer Hansen, Norwegian physician (d. 1912)
    • 1843 – Johannes Schmidt, German linguist and academic (d. 1901)
    • 1846 – Sophie Menter, German pianist and composer (d. 1918)
    • 1846 – Isabel, Brazilian princess (d. 1921)
    • 1849 – Max Nordau, Hungarian physician, author, and critic, co-founded the World Zionist Organization (d. 1923)
    • 1860 – Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, English politician, 8th Governor of Queensland (d. 1940)
    • 1867 – Berthold Oppenheim, Moravian rabbi (d. 1942)
    • 1869 – Booth Tarkington, American novelist and dramatist (d. 1946)
    • 1871 – Jakob Mändmets, Estonian writer and journalist (d. 1930)
    • 1872 – Eric Alfred Knudsen, American author, lawyer, and politician (d. 1957)
    • 1874 – J. S. Woodsworth, Canadian minister and politician (d. 1942)
    • 1876 – Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-American actress and acting teacher (d. 1949)
    • 1878 – Don Marquis, American author, poet, and playwright (d. 1937)
    • 1883 – Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and author (d. 1942)
    • 1883 – Benito Mussolini, Italian fascist revolutionary and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1945)
    • 1884 – Ralph Austin Bard, American financier and politician, 2nd Under Secretary of the Navy (d. 1975)
    • 1885 – Theda Bara, American actress (d. 1955)
    • 1887 – Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian-American pianist and composer (d. 1951)
    • 1888 – Vladimir K. Zworykin, Russian-American engineer, invented the Iconoscope (d. 1982)
    • 1891 – Bernhard Zondek, German-Israeli gynecologist and academic (d. 1966)
    • 1892 – William Powell, American actor and singer (d. 1984)
    • 1896 – Maria L. de Hernández, Mexican-American rights activist (d. 1986)
    • 1897 – Neil Ritchie, Guyanese-English general (d. 1983)
    • 1898 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1988)
    • 1899 – Walter Beall, American baseball player (d. 1959)
    • 1900 – Mary V. Austin, Australian community worker and political activist (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Eyvind Johnson, Swedish novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Teresa Noce, Italian labor leader, activist, and journalist (d. 1980)
    • 1900 – Don Redman, American composer, and bandleader (d. 1964)
    • 1904 – Mahasi Sayadaw, Burmese monk and philosopher (d. 1982)
    • 1904 – J. R. D. Tata, French-Indian pilot and businessman, founded Tata Motors and Tata Global Beverages (d. 1993)
    • 1905 – Clara Bow, American actress (d. 1965)
    • 1905 – Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish economist and diplomat, 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1961)
    • 1905 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet and translator (d. 2006)
    • 1906 – Thelma Todd, American actress and singer (d. 1935)
    • 1907 – Melvin Belli, American lawyer (d. 1996)
    • 1909 – Samm Sinclair Baker, American author (d. 1997)
    • 1909 – Chester Himes, American-Spanish author (d. 1984)
    • 1910 – Gale Page, American actress (d. 1983)
    • 1911 – Foster Furcolo, American lawyer and politician, 60th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1995)
    • 1911 – Archbishop Iakovos of America (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Erich Priebke, German war criminal, leader of the 1944 Ardeatine massacre (d. 2013)
    • 1914 – Irwin Corey, American actor and activist (d. 2017)
    • 1915 – Bruce R. McConkie, American colonel and religious leader (d. 1985)
    • 1915 – Francis W. Sargent, American soldier and politician, 64th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1998)
    • 1916 – Budd Boetticher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – Charlie Christian, American guitarist (d. 1942)
    • 1916 – Rupert Hamer, Australian politician, 39th Premier of Victoria (d. 2004)
    • 1917 – Rochus Misch, German SS officer (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Don Ingalls, American writer and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1918 – Edwin O’Connor, American journalist and author (d. 1968)
    • 1918 – Mary Lee Settle, American novelist, essayist, and memoirist (d. 2005)
    • 1920 – Neville Jeffress, Australian businessman (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – Richard Egan, American actor (d. 1987)
    • 1921 – Chris Marker, French photographer and journalist (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – George Burditt, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Edgar Cortright, American scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Jim Marshall, English businessman, founded Marshall Amplification (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Gordon Mitchell, American bodybuilder and actor (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Lloyd Bochner, Canadian-American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1924 – Robert Horton, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1925 – Harold W. Kuhn, American mathematician and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Ted Lindsay, Canadian ice hockey player, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer
    • 1926 – Robert Kilpatrick, Baron Kilpatrick of Kincraig, Scottish physician, academic, and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Harry Mulisch, Dutch author, poet, and playwright (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – Paul Taylor, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – Kjell Karlsen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2020)
    • 1932 – Leslie Fielding, English diplomat
    • 1932 – Nancy Kassebaum, American businesswoman and politician
    • 1933 – Lou Albano, Italian-American wrestler, manager, and actor (d. 2009)
    • 1933 – Colin Davis, English race car driver (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Robert Fuller, American actor and rancher
    • 1933 – Randy Sparks, American folk singer-songwriter and musician (The New Christy Minstrels)
    • 1935 – Peter Schreier, German tenor and conductor (d. 2019)
    • 1936 – Elizabeth Dole, American lawyer and politician, 20th United States Secretary of Labor
    • 1937 – Daniel McFadden, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate
    • 1938 – Peter Jennings, Canadian-American journalist and author (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – Jean Rochon, Canadian physician and politician
    • 1940 – Betty Harris, American chemist
    • 1940 – Winnie Monsod, Filipina economist and political commentator
    • 1941 – Jennifer Dunn, American engineer and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1941 – Goenawan Mohamad, Indonesian poet and playwright
    • 1941 – David Warner, English actor
    • 1942 – Doug Ashdown, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1943 – David Taylor, English snooker player and sportscaster
    • 1944 – Jim Bridwell, American rock climber and mountaineer
    • 1945 – Sharon Creech, American author and educator
    • 1945 – Mircea Lucescu, Romanian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1946 – Ximena Armas, Chilean painter
    • 1946 – Stig Blomqvist, Swedish race car driver
    • 1946 – Neal Doughty, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1946 – Alessandro Gogna, Italian mountaineer and adventurer
    • 1946 – Diane Keen, English actress
    • 1946 – Aleksei Tammiste, Estonian basketball player
    • 1947 – Dick Harmon, American golfer and coach (d. 2006)
    • 1948 – John Clarke, New Zealand-Australian comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
    • 1949 – Leslie Easterbrook, American actress
    • 1949 – Jamil Mahuad, Ecuadorian lawyer and politician, 51st President of Ecuador
    • 1950 – Jenny Holzer, American painter, author, and dancer
    • 1951 – Susan Blackmore, English psychologist and theorist
    • 1951 – Dan Driessen, American baseball player and coach
    • 1951 – Dean Pitchford, American actor, director, screenwriter, and composer
    • 1952 – Norman Blackwell, Baron Blackwell, English businessman and politician
    • 1952 – Joe Johnson, English snooker player and sportscaster
    • 1952 – Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, Greek politician
    • 1953 – Ken Burns, American director and producer
    • 1953 – Geddy Lee, Canadian musician
    • 1953 – Frank McGuinness, Irish poet and playwright
    • 1953 – Tim Gunn, American television host and actor
    • 1954 – Patti Scialfa, American musician
    • 1955 – Jean-Hugues Anglade, French actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Dave Stevens, American illustrator (d. 2008)
    • 1955 – Stephen Timms, English politician, Minister of State for Competitiveness
    • 1956 – Teddy Atlas, American boxer, trainer, and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Ronnie Musgrove, American lawyer and politician, 62nd Governor of Mississippi
    • 1956 – Faustino Rupérez, Spanish cyclist
    • 1957 – Liam Davison, Australian author and educator (d. 2014)
    • 1957 – Viktor Gavrikov, Lithuanian-Swiss chess player (d. 2016)
    • 1957 – Nellie Kim, Russian gymnast and coach
    • 1958 – Gail Dines, English-American author, activist, and academic
    • 1958 – Simon Nye, English screenwriter and producer
    • 1958 – Cynthia Rowley, American fashion designer
    • 1959 – Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor, singer, and producer
    • 1959 – Ruud Janssen, Dutch blogger and illustrator
    • 1959 – Dave LaPoint, American baseball player and manager
    • 1959 – John Sykes, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Didier Van Cauwelaert, French author
    • 1962 – Carl Cox, English DJ and producer
    • 1962 – Frank Neubarth, German footballer and manager
    • 1962 – Scott Steiner, American wrestler
    • 1962 – Vincent Rousseau, Belgian runner
    • 1963 – Hans-Holger Albrecht, Belgian-German businessman
    • 1963 – Jim Beglin, Irish footballer and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Julie Elliott, English politician
    • 1963 – Azeem Hafeez, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1963 – Alexandra Paul, American actress and producer
    • 1963 – Graham Poll, English footballer, referee, and journalist
    • 1964 – Jaanus Veensalu, Estonian footballer
    • 1965 – Luis Alicea, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
    • 1965 – Dean Haglund, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Adam Holloway, English captain and politician
    • 1965 – Stan Koziol, American soccer player (d. 2014)
    • 1965 – Chang-Rae Lee, South Korean-American author and academic
    • 1965 – Xavier Waterkeyn, Australian author
    • 1965 – Woody Weatherman, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1966 – Sally Gunnell, English hurdler and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Stuart Lampitt, English cricketer
    • 1966 – Martina McBride, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1968 – Gideon Henderson, English geologist and academic
    • 1968 – Paavo Lötjönen, Finnish cellist and educator
    • 1970 – Adele Griffin, American author
    • 1970 – Andi Peters, English journalist, actor, and producer
    • 1970 – John Rennie, Zimbabwean cricketer
    • 1971 – Andrea Philipp, German sprinter
    • 1972 – Wil Wheaton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Stephen Dorff, American actor and producer
    • 1973 – Denis Urubko, Kazakh mountaineer
    • 1975 – Yoshihiro Akiyama, Japanese mixed martial artist
    • 1975 – Lanka de Silva, Sri Lankan cricketer
    • 1975 – Corrado Grabbi, Italian footballer
    • 1975 – Jaanus Sirel, Estonian footballer
    • 1978 – Mike Adams, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Marina Lazarovska, Macedonian tennis player
    • 1979 – Karim Essediri, Tunisian footballer
    • 1979 – Ronald Murray, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Juris Umbraško, Latvian basketball player
    • 1980 – Ryan Braun, Canadian-American baseball player
    • 1980 – Fernando González, Chilean tennis player
    • 1980 – Ben Koller, American drummer
    • 1980 – John Morris, Australian rugby league player
    • 1981 – Fernando Alonso, Spanish race car driver
    • 1981 – Andrés Madrid, Argentinian footballer
    • 1981 – Troy Perkins, American soccer player
    • 1982 – Janez Aljančič, Slovenian footballer
    • 1982 – Jônatas Domingos, Brazilian footballer
    • 1982 – Allison Mack, American actress and criminal
    • 1983 – Jason Belmonte, Australian bowler
    • 1983 – Inés Gómez Mont, Mexican journalist and actress
    • 1983 – Alexei Kaigorodov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Jerious Norwood, American football player
    • 1983 – Elise Testone, American singer-songwriter
    • 1984 – Oh Beom-seok, South Korean footballer
    • 1984 – Chad Billingsley, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Wilson Palacios, Honduran footballer
    • 1985 – Besart Berisha, Albanian footballer
    • 1985 – Okinoumi Ayumi, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1985 – Simon Santoso, Indonesian badminton player
    • 1988 – Tarjei Bø, Norwegian biathlete
    • 1989 – Grit Šadeiko, Estonian heptathlete
    • 1991 – Dale Copley, Australian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Irakli Logua, Russian footballer
    • 1992 – Karen Torrez, Bolivian swimmer
    • 1993 – Nicole Melichar, American tennis player
    • 1994 – Liam O’Brien, Canadian ice hockey player

    Deaths on July 29

    • 238 – Balbinus, Roman emperor (b. 165)
    • 238 – Pupienus, Roman emperor (b. 178)
    • 451 – Tuoba Huang, prince of Northern Wei (b. 428)
    • 796 – Offa of Mercia (b. 730)
    • 846 – Li Shen, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
    • 1030 – Olaf II of Norway (b. 995)
    • 1095 – Ladislaus I of Hungary (b. 1040)
    • 1099 – Pope Urban II (b. 1042)
    • 1108 – Philip I of France (b. 1052)
    • 1236 – Ingeborg of Denmark, Queen of France (b. 1175)
    • 1326 – Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster (b. 1259)
    • 1504 – Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby (b. 1435)
    • 1507 – Martin Behaim, German-Bohemian geographer and astronomer (b. 1459)
    • 1573 – John Caius, English physician and academic (b. 1510)
    • 1612 – Jacques Bongars, French scholar and diplomat (b. 1554)
    • 1644 – Pope Urban VIII (b. 1568)
    • 1752 – Peter Warren, Irish admiral and politician (b. 1703)
    • 1781 – Johann Kies, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1713)
    • 1792 – René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French lawyer and politician, Chancellor of France (b. 1714)
    • 1813 – Jean-Andoche Junot, French general (b. 1771)
    • 1833 – William Wilberforce, English philanthropist and politician (b. 1759)
    • 1839 – Gaspard de Prony, French mathematician and engineer (b. 1755)
    • 1844 – Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1791)
    • 1856 – Robert Schumann, German composer and critic (b. 1810)
    • 1857 – Thomas Dick, Scottish minister, astronomer, and author (b. 1774)
    • 1887 – Agostino Depretis, Italian politician, 9th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1813)
    • 1890 – Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1853)
    • 1895 – Floriano Peixoto, Brazilian general and politician, 2nd President of Brazil (b. 1839)
    • 1900 – Umberto I of Italy (b. 1844)
    • 1908 – Marie Adam-Doerrer (b. 1838)
    • 1913 – Tobias Asser, Dutch lawyer and jurist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1838)
    • 1918 – Ernest William Christmas, Australian-American painter (b. 1863)
    • 1924 – Sotirios Krokidas, Greek educator and politician, 110th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1852)
    • 1934 – Didier Pitre, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1883)
    • 1938 – Nikolai Krylenko, Russian lawyer, jurist, and politician, Prosecutor General of the Russian SFSR (b. 1885)
    • 1950 – Joe Fry, English race car driver (b. 1915)
    • 1951 – Ali Sami Yen, Turkish footballer and manager, founded Galatasaray S.K. (b. 1886)
    • 1954 – Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (b. 1879)
    • 1960 – Hasan Saka, Turkish politician, 7th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1885)
    • 1962 – Ronald Fisher, English biologist and statistician (b. 1890)
    • 1962 – Leonardo De Lorenzo, Italian-American flute player and educator (b. 1875)
    • 1964 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (b. 1885)
    • 1966 – Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigerian general and politician, 2nd Head of State of Nigeria (b. 1924)
    • 1966 – Adekunle Fajuyi, Nigerian colonel (b. 1926)
    • 1970 – John Barbirolli, English cellist and conductor (b. 1899)
    • 1973 – Norm Smith, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1915)
    • 1973 – Roger Williamson, English race car driver (b. 1948)
    • 1974 – Cass Elliot, American singer (b. 1941)
    • 1974 – Erich Kästner, German author and poet (b. 1899)
    • 1976 – Mickey Cohen, American gangster (b. 1913)
    • 1978 – Andrzej Bogucki, Polish actor, operetta singer, and songwriter (b. 1904)
    • 1979 – Herbert Marcuse, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1898)
    • 1979 – Bill Todman, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1916)
    • 1981 – Robert Moses, American urban planner, designed the Northern State Parkway and Southern State Parkway (b. 1888)
    • 1982 – Harold Sakata, American wrestler and actor (b. 1920)
    • 1982 – Vladimir K. Zworykin, Russian-American engineer, invented the Iconoscope (b. 1889)
    • 1983 – Luis Buñuel, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1900)
    • 1983 – Raymond Massey, Canadian-American actor and screenwriter (b. 1896)
    • 1983 – David Niven, English military officer and actor (b. 1910)
    • 1984 – Fred Waring, American television host and bandleader (b. 1900)
    • 1987 – Bibhutibhushan Mukhopadhyay, Indian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1894)
    • 1990 – Bruno Kreisky, Austrian academic and politician, 22nd Chancellor of Austria (b. 1911)
    • 1992 – Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1952)
    • 1994 – John Britton, American physician (b. 1925)
    • 1994 – Dorothy Hodgkin, Egyptian-English biochemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
    • 1995 – Les Elgart, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1917)
    • 1996 – Ric Nordman, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1919)
    • 1996 – Marcel-Paul Schützenberger, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1920)
    • 1996 – Jason Thirsk, American singer and bass player (b. 1967)
    • 1998 – Jerome Robbins, American director, producer, and choreographer (b. 1918)
    • 2001 – Edward Gierek, Polish soldier and politician (b. 1913)
    • 2001 – Wau Holland, German computer scientist, co-founded Chaos Computer Club (b. 1951)
    • 2003 – Foday Sankoh, Sierra Leonean soldier, founded the Revolutionary United Front (b. 1937)
    • 2004 – Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress and singer (b. 1923)
    • 2007 – Mike Reid, English comedian, actor, and author (b. 1940)
    • 2007 – Michel Serrault, French actor (b. 1928)
    • 2007 – Tom Snyder, American journalist and talk show host (b. 1936)
    • 2007 – Marvin Zindler, American journalist (b. 1921)
    • 2008 – Bruce Edward Ivins, American scientist and bio-defense researcher (b. 1946)
    • 2010 – Charles E. Wicks, American chemist and academic (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Tatiana Egorova, Russian footballer and manager (b. 1970)
    • 2012 – August Kowalczyk, Polish actor and director (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Chris Marker, French photographer and journalist (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – James Mellaart, English archaeologist and author (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – John Stampe, Danish footballer and coach (b. 1957)
    • 2013 – Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian footballer (b. 1986)
    • 2013 – Peter Flanigan, American banker and civil servant (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Tony Gaze, Australian soldier, pilot, and race car driver (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Munir Hussain, Indian cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – M. Caldwell Butler, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Jon R. Cavaiani, English-American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Giorgio Gaslini, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – María Antonia Iglesias, Spanish journalist and author (b. 1945)
    • 2014 – Péter Kiss, Hungarian engineer and politician (b. 1959)
    • 2014 – Idris Muhammad, American drummer and composer (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Thomas R. St. George, American soldier and author (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – Antony Holland, English-Canadian actor, director, and playwright (b. 1920)
    • 2015 – Peter O’Sullevan, Anglo-Irish sportscaster (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – Mike Pyle, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Franklin H. Westervelt, American computer scientist, engineer, and academic (b. 1930)
    • 2018 – Oliver Dragojević, a Croatian recording artist (b. 1947)
    • 2018 – Josip Peruzovic, Yugoslav-born American professional wrestler (b. 1947)

    Holidays and observances on July 29

    • Christian feast day:
      • Lupus of Troyes
      • Martha of Bethany (Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran Church)
      • Mary of Bethany
      • Olaf II of Norway
      • Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix
      • July 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Somer’s Day can fall, while August 4 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before the first Monday in August. (Bermuda)
    • International Tiger Day
    • Mohun Bagan Day (India)
    • National Anthem Day (Romania)
    • National Thai Language Day (Thailand)
    • Ólavsøka or Olsok, opening of the Løgting session. (Faroe Islands and the Nordic countries)

  • July 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • AD 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, storms the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army is drawn into street fights with the Zealots.
    • 792 – Kardam of Bulgaria defeats Byzantine Emperor Constantine VI at the Battle of Marcellae.
    • 911 – Rollo lays siege to Chartres.
    • 1189 – Richard I of England officially invested as Duke of Normandy.
    • 1225 – Treaty of San Germano is signed at San Germano between Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX. A Dominican named Guala is responsible for the negotiations.
    • 1398 – The Battle of Kellistown was fought on this day between the forces of the English led by Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March against the O’Byrnes and O’Tooles under the command of Art Óg mac Murchadha Caomhánach, the most powerful Chieftain in Leinster.
    • 1402 – Ottoman-Timurid Wars: Battle of Ankara: Timur, ruler of Timurid Empire, defeats forces of the Ottoman Empire sultan Bayezid I.
    • 1592 – During the first Japanese invasion of Korea, Japanese forces led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi captured Pyongyang, although they were ultimately unable to hold it.
    • 1715 – Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War: The Ottoman Empire captures Nauplia, the capital of the Republic of Venice’s “Kingdom of the Morea”, thereby opening the way to the swift Ottoman reconquest of the Morea.
    • 1738 – Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye reaches the western shore of Lake Michigan.
    • 1799 – Tekle Giyorgis I begins his first of six reigns as Emperor of Ethiopia.
    • 1807 – Nicéphore Niépce is awarded a patent by Napoleon for the Pyréolophore, the world’s first internal combustion engine, after it successfully powered a boat upstream on the river Saône in France.
    • 1810 – Citizens of Bogotá, New Granada declare independence from Spain.
    • 1831 – Seneca and Shawnee people agree to relinquish their land in western Ohio for 60,000 acres west of the Mississippi River.
    • 1848 – The first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, a two-day event, concludes.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek: Near Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate forces led by General John Bell Hood unsuccessfully attack Union troops under General William T. Sherman.
    • 1866 – Austro-Prussian War: Battle of Lissa: The Austrian Navy, led by Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, defeats the Italian Navy near the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea.
    • 1871 – British Columbia joins the confederation of Canada.
    • 1885 – The Football Association legalizes professionalism in association football under pressure from the British Football Association.
    • 1903 – The Ford Motor Company ships its first automobile.
    • 1917 – World War I: The Corfu Declaration, which leads to the creation of the post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is signed by the Yugoslav Committee and Kingdom of Serbia.
    • 1920 – The Greek Army takes control of Silivri after Greece is awarded the city by the Paris Peace Conference; by 1923 Greece effectively lost control to the Turks.
    • 1922 – The League of Nations awards mandates of Togoland to France and Tanganyika to the United Kingdom.
    • 1932 – In the Preußenschlag (“Prussian coup”), German President Paul von Hindenburg dissolves the government of Prussia
    • 1934 – Labor unrest in the U.S.: Police in Minneapolis fire upon striking truck drivers, during the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, killing two and wounding sixty-seven.
    • 1934 – West Coast waterfront strike: In Seattle, police fire tear gas on and club 2,000 striking longshoremen. The governor of Oregon calls out the National Guard to break a strike on the Portland docks.
    • 1935 – Switzerland: A Royal Dutch Airlines plane en route from Milan to Frankfurt crashes into a Swiss mountain, killing thirteen.
    • 1936 – The Montreux Convention is signed in Switzerland, authorizing Turkey to fortify the Dardanelles and Bosphorus but guaranteeing free passage to ships of all nations in peacetime.
    • 1938 – The United States Department of Justice files suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system. The case would eventually result in a break-up of the industry in 1948.
    • 1940 – Denmark leaves the League of Nations.
    • 1940 – California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
    • 1941 – Soviet leader Joseph Stalin consolidates the Commissariats of Home Affairs and National Security to form the NKVD and names Lavrentiy Beria its chief.
    • 1944 – World War II: Adolf Hitler survives an assassination attempt led by German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.
    • 1949 – Israel and Syria sign a truce to end their nineteen-month war.
    • 1950 – Cold War: In Philadelphia, Harry Gold pleads guilty to spying for the Soviet Union by passing secrets from atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs.
    • 1951 – King Abdullah I of Jordan is assassinated by a Palestinian while attending Friday prayers in Jerusalem.
    • 1954 – Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany’s secret service, defects to East Germany.
    • 1960 – Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) elects Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, the world’s first elected female head of government.
    • 1960 – The Polaris missile is successfully launched from a submarine, the USS George Washington, for the first time.
    • 1961 – French military forces break the Tunisian siege of Bizerte.
    • 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong forces attack the capital of Định Tường Province, Cái Bè, killing 11 South Vietnamese military personnel and 40 civilians (30 of whom are children).
    • 1968 – The first International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, with about 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities.
    • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 11’s crew successfully makes the first manned landing on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon six and a half hours later.
    • 1969 – A cease fire is announced between Honduras and El Salvador, six days after the beginning of the “Football War”.
    • 1974 – Turkish invasion of Cyprus: Forces from Turkey invade Cyprus after a coup d’état, organised by the dictator of Greece, against president Makarios.
    • 1976 – The American Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars.
    • 1977 – The Central Intelligence Agency releases documents under the Freedom of Information Act revealing it had engaged in mind-control experiments.
    • 1977 – The Johnstown flood of 1977 kills 84 people and causes millions of dollars in damages.
    • 1982 – Hyde Park and Regent’s Park bombings: The Provisional IRA detonates two bombs in Hyde Park and Regent’s Park in central London, killing eight soldiers, wounding forty-seven people, and leading to the deaths of seven horses.
    • 1985 – The government of Aruba passes legislation to secede from the Netherlands Antilles.
    • 1989 – Burma’s ruling junta puts opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.
    • 1992 – Václav Havel resigns as president of Czechoslovakia.
    • 1997 – The fully restored USS Constitution (a.k.a. Old Ironsides) celebrates its 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
    • 1999 – The Chinese Communist Party begins a persecution campaign against Falun Gong, arresting thousands nationwide.
    • 2005 – The Civil Marriage Act legalizes same-sex marriage in Canada.
    • 2012 – James Holmes opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and injuring 70 others.
    • 2013 – Seventeen government soldiers are killed in an attack by FARC revolutionaries in the Colombian department of Arauca.
    • 2015 – A huge explosion in the mostly Kurdish border town of Suruç, Turkey, targeting the Socialist Youth Associations Federation, kills at least 31 people and injures over 100.
    • 2015 – The United States and Cuba resume full diplomatic relations after five decades.
    • 2017 – O. J. Simpson is granted parole to be released from prison after serving nine years of a 33-year sentence after being convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas.

    Births on July 20

    • 356 BC – Alexander the Great, Macedonian king (d. 323 BC)
    • 647 – Yazid I, Arabian caliph (d. 683)
    • 682 – Taichō, Japanese monk and scholar (d. 767)
    • 1304 – Petrarch, Italian poet and scholar (d. 1374)
    • 1313 – John Tiptoft, 2nd Baron Tibetot (d. 1367)
    • 1346 – Margaret, Countess of Pembroke, daughter of King Edward III of England (d. 1361)
    • 1470 – John Bourchier, 1st Earl of Bath, English noble (d. 1539)
    • 1519 – Pope Innocent IX (d. 1591)
    • 1537 – Arnaud d’Ossat, French cardinal (d. 1604)
    • 1583 – Alban Roe, English Benedictine martyr (d. 1642)
    • 1591 – Anne Hutchinson, English Puritan preacher (d. 1643)
    • 1592 – Johan Björnsson Printz, governor of New Sweden (d. 1663)
    • 1601 – Robert Wallop, English politician (d. 1667)
    • 1620 – Nikolaes Heinsius the Elder, Dutch poet and scholar (d. 1681)
    • 1649 – William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (d. 1709)
    • 1754 – Antoine Destutt de Tracy, French philosopher and academic (d. 1836)
    • 1757 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian politician and diplomat (d. 1811)
    • 1762 – Jakob Haibel, Austrian tenor and composer (d. 1826)
    • 1774 – Auguste de Marmont, French general (d. 1852)
    • 1789 – Mahmud II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1839)
    • 1804 – Richard Owen, English biologist, anatomist, and paleontologist (d. 1892)
    • 1822 – Gregor Mendel, Austro-German monk, geneticist and botanist (d. 1884)
    • 1838 – Augustin Daly, American playwright and manager (d. 1899)
    • 1838 – William Paine Lord, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Oregon (d. 1911)
    • 1838 – Sir George Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet, English civil servant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 1928)
    • 1847 – Max Liebermann, German painter and academic (d. 1935)
    • 1849 – Robert Anderson Van Wyck, American lawyer and politician, 91st Mayor of New York City (d. 1918)
    • 1852 – Theo Heemskerk, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1932)
    • 1854 – Philomène Belliveau, Canadian artist (d. 1940)
    • 1864 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)
    • 1864 – Ruggero Oddi, Italian physiologist and anatomist (d. 1913)
    • 1868 – Miron Cristea, Romanian cleric and politician, 38th Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1939)
    • 1873 – Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian pilot (d. 1932)
    • 1876 – Otto Blumenthal, German mathematician and academic (d. 1944)
    • 1877 – Tom Crean, Irish sailor and explorer (d. 1938)
    • 1882 – Olga Hahn-Neurath, Austrian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1937)
    • 1889 – John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, Scottish broadcaster, co-founded BBC (d. 1971)
    • 1890 – Verna Felton, American actress (d. 1966)
    • 1890 – Julie Vinter Hansen, Danish-Swiss astronomer and academic (d. 1960)
    • 1890 – Giorgio Morandi, Italian painter (d. 1964)
    • 1893 – George Llewelyn Davies, English soldier (d. 1915)
    • 1895 – László Moholy-Nagy, Hungarian painter, photographer, and sculptor (d. 1946)
    • 1897 – Tadeusz Reichstein, Polish-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
    • 1900 – Maurice Leyland, English cricketer and coach (d. 1967)
    • 1901 – Vehbi Koç, Turkish businessman and philanthropist, founded Koç Holding (d. 1996)
    • 1901 – Eugenio Lopez Sr., Filipino businessman and founder of the Lopez Group of Companies (d. 1975)
    • 1901 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player and manager (d. 1971)
    • 1902 – Leonidas Berry, American gastroenterologist (d. 1995)
    • 1905 – Joseph Levis, American foil fencer (d. 2005)
    • 1909 – Eric Rowan, South African cricketer (d. 1993)
    • 1910 – Vilém Tauský, Czech-English conductor and composer (d. 2004)
    • 1911 – Baqa Jilani, Indian cricketer (d. 1941)
    • 1911 – José Zabala-Santos, Filipino author and illustrator (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – George Johnston, Australian journalist and author (d. 1970)
    • 1914 – Dobri Dobrev, Bulgarian philanthropist (d. 2018)
    • 1914 – Charilaos Florakis, Greek politician (d. 2005)
    • 1914 – Ersilio Tonini, Italian cardinal (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Cindy Walker, American singer-songwriter and dancer (d. 2006)
    • 1919 – Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer (d. 2008)
    • 1919 – Jacquemine Charrott Lodwidge, English writer (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Elliot Richardson, American lieutenant and politician, 11th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Henri Alleg, English-French journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Alan Stephenson Boyd, American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Transportation
    • 1923 – Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (d. 2005)
    • 1924 – Lola Albright, American actress and singer (d. 2017)
    • 1924 – Thomas Berger, American author and playwright (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Mort Garson, Canadian-American songwriter and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1925 – Jacques Delors, French economist and politician, 8th President of the European Commission
    • 1925 – Frantz Fanon, French–Algerian psychiatrist and philosopher (d. 1961)
    • 1927 – Barbara Bergmann, American economist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Heather Chasen, English actress (d. 2020)
    • 1927 – Michael Gielen, Austrian conductor and composer (d. 2019)
    • 1927 – Ian P. Howard, English-Canadian psychologist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Belaid Abdessalam, Prime Minister of Algeria
    • 1929 – Hazel Hawke, Australian social worker and pianist, 23rd Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Mike Ilitch, American businessman, co-founded Little Caesars (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Rajendra Kumar, Pakistani-Indian actor and producer (d. 1999)
    • 1929 – David Tonkin, Australian politician, 38th Premier of South Australia (d. 2000)
    • 1930 – Giannis Agouris, Greek journalist and author (d. 2006)
    • 1930 – Chuck Daly, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1930 – William H. Goetzmann, American historian and author (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – Sally Ann Howes, English-American singer and actress
    • 1931 – Tony Marsh, English race car driver (d. 2009)
    • 1932 – Nam June Paik, American artist (d. 2006)
    • 1932 – Otto Schily, German lawyer and politician, German Minister of the Interior
    • 1933 – Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
    • 1933 – Cormac McCarthy, American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
    • 1933 – Rex Williams, English snooker player
    • 1935 – Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo, English businessman and art collector
    • 1935 – Sleepy LaBeef, American rockabilly singer and musician (d. 2019)
    • 1936 – Alistair MacLeod, Canadian novelist and short story writer (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Barbara Mikulski, American social worker and politician
    • 1938 – Deniz Baykal, Turkish lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1938 – Roger Hunt, English footballer
    • 1938 – Tony Oliva, Cuban-American baseball player and coach
    • 1938 – Diana Rigg, English actress
    • 1938 – Natalie Wood, American actress (d. 1981)
    • 1939 – Judy Chicago, American painter and sculptor
    • 1941 – Don Chuy, American football player (d. 2014)
    • 1941 – Periklis Korovesis, Greek author and journalist
    • 1941 – Kurt Raab, German actor, screenwriter, and production designer (d. 1988)
    • 1942 – Pete Hamilton, American race car driver
    • 1943 – Chris Amon, New Zealand race car driver (d. 2016)
    • 1943 – Bob McNab, English footballer
    • 1943 – Adrian Păunescu, Romanian poet, journalist, and politician (d. 2010)
    • 1943 – Wendy Richard, English actress (d. 2009)
    • 1944 – Mel Daniels, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1944 – W. Cary Edwards, American politician (d. 2010)
    • 1944 – Olivier de Kersauson, French sailor
    • 1944 – T. G. Sheppard, American country music singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Kim Carnes, American singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Larry Craig, American soldier and politician
    • 1945 – John Lodge, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1945 – Bo Rein, American football player and coach (d. 1980)
    • 1946 – Randal Kleiser, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1947 – Gerd Binnig, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1947 – Carlos Santana, Mexican-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1948 – Muse Watson, American actor and producer
    • 1950 – Edward Leigh, English lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Lucille Lemay, Canadian archer
    • 1951 – Jeff Rawle, English actor and screenwriter
    • 1953 – Dave Evans, Welsh-Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1953 – Thomas Friedman, American journalist and author
    • 1953 – Marcia Hines, American-Australian singer and actress
    • 1954 – Moira Harris, American actress
    • 1954 – Jay Jay French, American guitarist and producer
    • 1955 – Desmond Douglas, Jamaican-English table tennis player
    • 1955 – René-Daniel Dubois, Canadian actor and playwright
    • 1955 – Jem Finer, English banjo player and songwriter
    • 1956 – Paul Cook, English drummer
    • 1956 – Thomas N’Kono, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1956 – Jim Prentice, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Alberta (d. 2016)
    • 1958 – Mick MacNeil, Scottish keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1959 – Radney Foster, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1960 – Claudio Langes, Italian race car driver
    • 1960 – Prvoslav Vujčić, Serbian-Canadian poet and philosopher
    • 1960 – Sudesh Berry, Indian actor
    • 1961 – Óscar Elías Biscet, Cuban physician and activist, founded the Lawton Foundation
    • 1962 – Carlos Alazraqui, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Giovanna Amati, Italian race car driver
    • 1962 – Julie Bindel, English journalist, author, and academic
    • 1963 – Frank Whaley, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Chris Cornell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
    • 1964 – Terri Irwin, American-Australian zoologist and author
    • 1964 – Sebastiano Rossi, Italian footballer
    • 1964 – Bernd Schneider, German race car driver
    • 1965 – Jess Walter, American journalist and author
    • 1966 – Stone Gossard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1966 – Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexican lawyer and politician, 57th President of Mexico
    • 1967 – Courtney Taylor-Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1968 – Jimmy Carson, American ice hockey player
    • 1968 – Hami Mandıralı, Turkish footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Kool G Rap, American hip-hop artist
    • 1969 – Josh Holloway, American actor
    • 1969 – Kreso Kovacec, Croatian-German footballer
    • 1969 – Giovanni Lombardi, Italian cyclist
    • 1969 – Joon Park, South Korean-American singer
    • 1969 – Tobi Vail, American singer and guitarist
    • 1971 – Charles Johnson, American baseball player
    • 1971 – Sandra Oh, Canadian actress
    • 1972 – Jamie Ainscough, Australian rugby league player
    • 1972 – Jozef Stümpel, Slovak ice hockey player
    • 1972 – Erik Ullenhag, Swedish jurist and politician
    • 1972 – Vitamin C, American singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – Omar Epps, American actor
    • 1973 – Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
    • 1973 – Peter Forsberg, Swedish ice hockey player and manager
    • 1973 – Nixon McLean, Caribbean cricketer
    • 1973 – Roberto Orci, Mexican-American screenwriter and producer
    • 1973 – Claudio Reyna, American soccer player
    • 1975 – Ray Allen, American basketball player and actor
    • 1975 – Judy Greer, American actress and producer
    • 1975 – Erik Hagen, Norwegian footballer
    • 1975 – Birgitta Ohlsson, Swedish journalist and politician, 5th Swedish Minister for European Union Affairs
    • 1975 – Jason Raize, American singer and actor
    • 1975 – Yusuf Şimşek, Turkish footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Erica Hill, American journalist
    • 1976 – Debashish Mohanty, Indian cricketer and coach
    • 1976 – Andrew Stockdale, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Alex Yoong, Malaysian race car driver
    • 1977 – Kiki Musampa, Congolese footballer
    • 1977 – Yves Niaré, French shot putter (d. 2012)
    • 1977 – Alessandro Santos, Brazilian-Japanese footballer
    • 1978 – Pavel Datsyuk, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Will Solomon, American basketball player
    • 1978 – Elliott Yamin, American singer-songwriter
    • 1978 – Ieva Zunda, Latvian runner and hurdler
    • 1979 – Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (d. 2004)
    • 1979 – Charlotte Hatherley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – David Ortega, Spanish swimmer
    • 1980 – Tesfaye Bramble, English-Montserratian footballer
    • 1980 – Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian model, fashionista, and businesswoman
    • 1981 – Viktoria Ladõnskaja, Estonian journalist and politician
    • 1982 – Antoine Vermette, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Alexi Casilla, Dominican baseball player
    • 1984 – Matt Gilroy, American ice hockey player
    • 1985 – John Francis Daley, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1985 – Harley Morenstein, Canadian actor and YouTube personality
    • 1985 – David Mundy, Australian footballer
    • 1986 – Osric Chau, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1987 – Nicola Benedetti, Scottish violinist
    • 1987 – Niall McGinn, Irish footballer
    • 1988 – Julianne Hough, American singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer
    • 1988 – Stephen Strasburg, American baseball player
    • 1988 – Shahram Mahmoudi, Iranian volleyball player
    • 1989 – Javier Cortés, Mexican footballer
    • 1989 – Cristian Pasquato, Italian footballer
    • 1990 – Lars Unnerstall, German footballer
    • 1991 – Chiyoshōma Fujio, Mongolian sumo wrestler
    • 1991 – Ryan James, Australian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Kira Kazantsev, Miss America 2015
    • 1991 – Philipp Reiter, German mountaineer and runner
    • 1993 – Steven Adams, New Zealand basketball player
    • 1995 – Moses Leota, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1996 – Ben Simmons, Australian basketball player

    Deaths on July 20

    • 518 – Amantius, Byzantine grand chamberlain and Monophysite martyr
    • 833 – Ansegisus, Frankish abbot and saint
    • 985 – Boniface VII, antipope of Rome
    • 1031 – Robert II, king of France (b. 972)
    • 1156 – Toba, emperor of Japan (b. 1103)
    • 1320 – Oshin, king of Armenia (b. 1282)
    • 1332 – Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland
    • 1387 – Robert IV, French nobleman (b. 1356)
    • 1398 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, Welsh nobleman (b. 1374)
    • 1453 – Enguerrand de Monstrelet, French historian and author (b. 1400)
    • 1454 – John II, king of Castile and León (b. 1405)
    • 1514 – György Dózsa, Transylvanian peasant revolt leader (b. 1470)
    • 1524 – Claude, queen consort of France (b. 1499)
    • 1526 – García Jofre de Loaísa, Spanish explorer (b. 1490)
    • 1600 – William More, English courtier (b. 1520)
    • 1616 – Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, Irish nobleman and rebel soldier (b. 1550)
    • 1704 – Peregrine White, English-American farmer and soldier (b. 1620)
    • 1752 – Johann Christoph Pepusch, German-English composer and theorist (b. 1667)
    • 1816 – Gavrila Derzhavin, Russian poet and politician (b. 1743)
    • 1866 – Bernhard Riemann, German mathematician and academic (b. 1826)
    • 1897 – Jean Ingelow, English poet and author (b. 1820)
    • 1901 – William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (b. 1840)
    • 1903 – Leo XIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1810)
    • 1908 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and author (b. 1835)
    • 1908 – Karl Bernhard Zoeppritz, German geophysicist and seismologist (b. 1881)
    • 1910 – Anderson Dawson, Australian politician, 14th Premier of Queensland (b. 1863)
    • 1922 – Andrey Markov, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1856)
    • 1923 – Pancho Villa, Mexican general and politician, Governor of Chihuahua (b. 1878)
    • 1926 – Felix Dzerzhinsky, Russian educator and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1927 – Ferdinand I, king of Romania (b. 1865)
    • 1928 – Kostas Karyotakis, Greek poet and author (b. 1896)
    • 1932 – René Bazin, French author and academic (b. 1853)
    • 1937 – Olga Hahn-Neurath, Austrian mathematician and philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1882)
    • 1937 – Guglielmo Marconi, Italian physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
    • 1941 – Lew Fields, American actor and producer (b. 1867)
    • 1944 – Ludwig Beck, German general (b. 1880)
    • 1945 – Paul Valéry, French author and poet (b. 1871)
    • 1951 – Abdullah I, king of Jordan (b. 1882)
    • 1953 – Dumarsais Estimé, Haitian lawyer and politician, 33rd President of Haiti (b. 1900)
    • 1953 – Jan Struther, English author and hymn-writer (b. 1901)
    • 1955 – Calouste Gulbenkian, Armenian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1869)
    • 1956 – James Alexander Calder, Canadian educator and politician, Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence (b. 1868)
    • 1959 – William D. Leahy, American admiral and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (b. 1875)
    • 1965 – Batukeshwar Dutt, Indian activist (b. 1910)
    • 1968 – Bray Hammond, American historian and author (b. 1886)
    • 1970 – Iain Macleod, English journalist and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1913)
    • 1972 – Geeta Dutt, Indian singer and actress (b. 1930)
    • 1973 – Bruce Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1940)
    • 1973 – Robert Smithson, American photographer and sculptor (b. 1938)
    • 1974 – Allen Jenkins, American actor and singer (b. 1900)
    • 1974 – Kamal Dasgupta, Bengali music director, composer and folk artist. (b. 1912)
    • 1976 – Joseph Rochefort, American captain and cryptanalyst (b. 1900)
    • 1977 – Gary Kellgren, American record producer, co-founded Record Plant (b. 1939)
    • 1980 – Maria Martinez, San Ildefonso Pueblo (Native American) potter (b. 1887)
    • 1981 – Kostas Choumis, Greek-Romanian footballer (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Frank Reynolds, American soldier and journalist (b. 1923)
    • 1987 – Richard Egan, American soldier and actor (b. 1921)
    • 1989 – Forrest H. Anderson, American judge and politician, 17th Governor of Montana (b. 1913)
    • 1990 – Herbert Turner Jenkins, American police officer (b. 1907)
    • 1993 – Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (b. 1945)
    • 1994 – Paul Delvaux, Belgian painter (b. 1897)
    • 1997 – M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1939)
    • 1998 – June Byers, American wrestler (b. 1922)
    • 1999 – Sandra Gould, American actress (b. 1916)
    • 2002 – Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek footballer (b. 1946)
    • 2003 – Nicolas Freeling, English author (b. 1927)
    • 2004 – Lala Mara, Fijian politician (b. 1931)
    • 2004 – Valdemaras Martinkėnas, Lithuanian footballer and coach (b. 1965)
    • 2005 – James Doohan, Canadian-American actor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Finn Gustavsen, Norwegian journalist and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Kayo Hatta, American director and cinematographer (b. 1958)
    • 2006 – Ted Grant, South African-English theorist and activist (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Gérard Oury, French actor, director, and producer (b. 1919)
    • 2007 – Tammy Faye Messner, American Christian evangelist and talk show host (b. 1942)
    • 2008 – Artie Traum, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1943)
    • 2008 – Dinko Šakić, Croatian concentration camp commander (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Vedat Okyar, Turkish footballer (b. 1945)
    • 2009 – Mark Rosenzweig, American psychologist and academic (b. 1922)
    • 2011 – Lucian Freud, German-English painter and illustrator (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Alastair Burnet, English journalist (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Jack Davis, American hurdler (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – José Hermano Saraiva, Portuguese historian, jurist, and politician, Portuguese Minister of Education (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Pierre Fabre, French pharmacist and businessman, founded Laboratoires Pierre Fabre (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Khurshed Alam Khan, Indian politician, 2nd Governor of Goa (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Augustus Rowe, Canadian physician and politician (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Helen Thomas, American journalist and author (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Victor G. Atiyeh, American businessman and politician, 32nd Governor of Oregon (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Constantin Lucaci, Romanian sculptor and educator (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Bob McNamara, American football player (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Klaus Schmidt, German archaeologist and academic (b. 1953)
    • 2015 – Wayne Carson, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1943)
    • 2015 – Fred Else, English footballer and manager (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Dieter Moebius, Swiss-German keyboard player and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2016 – Radu Beligan, Romanian actor, director, and essayist (b. 1918)
    • 2017 – Chester Bennington, American singer (b. 1976)

    Holidays and observances on July 20

    • Birthday of Crown Prince Haakon Magnus (Norway)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Ansegisus
      • Apollinaris of Ravenna
      • Aurelius
      • Ealhswith (or Elswith)
      • Elijah
      • Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • John Baptist Yi (one of The Korean Martyrs)
      • Margaret the Virgin
      • Thorlac (relic translation)
      • Wilgefortis (cult suppressed)
      • July 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Día del Amigo (Argentina, Brazil)
    • Engineer’s Day (Costa Rica)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence declaration of Colombia from Spain in 1810.
    • International Chess Day
    • Lempira Day (Honduras)
    • Tree Planting Day (Central African Republic)

  • June 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
    • 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
    • 1280 – The Spanish Reconquista: In the Battle of Moclín the Emirate of Granada ambush a superior pursuing force, killing most of them in a military disaster for the Kingdom of Castile.
    • 1305 – A peace treaty between the Flemish and the French is signed at Athis-sur-Orge.
    • 1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn (south of Stirling) begins.
    • 1532 – Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France sign the “Treaty of Closer Amity With France” (also known as the Pommeraye treaty), pledging mutual aid against Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1565 – Dragut, commander of the Ottoman navy, dies during the Great Siege of Malta.
    • 1594 – The Action of Faial, Azores. The Portuguese carrack Cinco Chagas, loaded with slaves and treasure, is attacked and sunk by English ships with only 13 survivors out of over 700 on board.
    • 1611 – The mutinous crew of Henry Hudson’s fourth voyage sets Henry, his son and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in what is now Hudson Bay; they are never heard from again.
    • 1683 – William Penn signs a friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape Indians in Pennsylvania.
    • 1713 – The French residents of Acadia are given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia, Canada.
    • 1757 – Battle of Plassey: Three thousand British troops under Robert Clive defeat a 50,000-strong Indian army under Siraj ud-Daulah at Plassey.
    • 1758 – Seven Years’ War: Battle of Krefeld: British, Hanoverian, and Prussian forces defeat French troops at Krefeld in Germany.
    • 1760 – Seven Years’ War: Battle of Landeshut: Austria defeats Prussia.
    • 1780 – American Revolution: Battle of Springfield fought in and around Springfield, New Jersey (including Short Hills, formerly of Springfield, now of Millburn Township).
    • 1794 – Empress Catherine II of Russia grants Jews permission to settle in Kiev.
    • 1810 – John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company.
    • 1812 – War of 1812: Great Britain revokes the restrictions on American commerce, thus eliminating one of the chief reasons for going to war.
    • 1860 – The United States Congress establishes the Government Printing Office.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: At Fort Towson in the Oklahoma Territory, Confederate Brigadier General Stand Watie surrenders the last significant Confederate army.
    • 1868 – Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the “Type-Writer”.
    • 1887 – The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada creating the nation’s first national park, Banff National Park.
    • 1894 – The International Olympic Committee is founded at the Sorbonne in Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
    • 1913 – Second Balkan War: The Greeks defeat the Bulgarians in the Battle of Doiran.
    • 1914 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa takes Zacatecas from Victoriano Huerta.
    • 1917 – In a game against the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox pitcher Ernie Shore retires 26 batters in a row after replacing Babe Ruth, who had been ejected for punching the umpire.
    • 1919 – Estonian War of Independence: The decisive defeat of the Baltische Landeswehr in the Battle of Cēsis; this date is celebrated as Victory Day in Estonia.
    • 1926 – The College Board administers the first SAT exam.
    • 1931 – Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine plane.
    • 1938 – The Civil Aeronautics Act is signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States.
    • 1940 – Adolf Hitler goes on a three-hour tour of the architecture of Paris with architect Albert Speer and sculptor Arno Breker in his only visit to the city.
    • 1940 – Henry Larsen begins the first successful west-to-east navigation of Northwest Passage from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
    • 1941 – The Lithuanian Activist Front declares independence from the Soviet Union and forms the Provisional Government of Lithuania; it lasts only briefly as the Nazis will occupy Lithuania a few weeks later.
    • 1942 – World War II: Germany’s latest fighter aircraft, a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, is captured intact when it mistakenly lands at RAF Pembrey in Wales.
    • 1946 – The 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake strikes Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
    • 1947 – The United States Senate follows the United States House of Representatives in overriding U.S. President Harry S. Truman’s veto of the Taft–Hartley Act.
    • 1951 – The ocean liner SS United States is christened and launched.
    • 1956 – The French National Assembly takes the first step in creating the French Community by passing the Loi Cadre, transferring a number of powers from Paris to elected territorial governments in French West Africa.
    • 1959 – Convicted Manhattan Project spy Klaus Fuchs is released after only nine years in prison and allowed to emigrate to Dresden, East Germany where he resumes a scientific career.
    • 1960 – The United States Food and Drug Administration declares Enovid to be the first officially approved combined oral contraceptive pill in the world.
    • 1961 – The Antarctic Treaty System, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and limits military activity on the continent, its islands and ice shelves, comes into force.
    • 1967 – Cold War: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin in Glassboro, New Jersey for the three-day Glassboro Summit Conference.
    • 1969 – Warren E. Burger is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court by retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren.
    • 1969 – IBM announces that effective January 1970 it will price its software and services separately from hardware thus creating the modern software industry.
    • 1972 – Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon and White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman are taped talking about using the Central Intelligence Agency to obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into the Watergate break-ins.
    • 1972 – Title IX of the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 is amended to prohibit sexual discrimination to any educational program receiving federal funds.
    • 1973 – A fire at a house in Hull, England, which kills a six-year-old boy is passed off as an accident; it later emerges as the first of 26 deaths by fire caused over the next seven years by serial arsonist Peter Dinsdale.
    • 1985 – A terrorist bomb explodes at Narita International Airport near Tokyo. An hour later, the same group detonates a second bomb aboard Air India Flight 182, bringing the Boeing 747 down off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 aboard.
    • 1994 – NASA’s Space Station Processing Facility, a new state-of-the-art manufacturing building for the International Space Station, officially opens at Kennedy Space Center.
    • 2001 – The 8.4 Mw  southern Peru earthquake shakes coastal Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami followed, leaving at least 74 people dead, and 2,687 injured.
    • 2012 – Ashton Eaton breaks the decathlon world record at the United States Olympic Trials.
    • 2013 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first man to successfully walk across the Grand Canyon on a tight rope.
    • 2013 – Militants stormed a high-altitude mountaineering base camp near Nanga Parbat in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan killing ten climbers, and a local guide.
    • 2014 – The last of Syria’s declared chemical weapons are shipped out for destruction.
    • 2016 – The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to leave the European Union, by 52% to 48%.
    • 2017 – A series of terrorist attacks took place in Pakistan resulting in 96 deaths and wounded 200 others.

    Births on June 23

    • 47 BC – Caesarion, Egyptian king (d. 30 BC)
    • 1385 – Stefan, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken (d. 1459)
    • 1433 – Francis II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1488)
    • 1456 – Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland (d. 1486)
    • 1489 – Charles II, Duke of Savoy, Italian nobleman (d. 1496)
    • 1534 – Oda Nobunaga, Japanese warlord (d. 1582)
    • 1596 – Johan Banér, Swedish field marshal (d. 1641)
    • 1616 – Shah Shuja, Mughal prince (d. 1661)
    • 1625 – John Fell, English churchman and influential academic (d. 1686)
    • 1668 – Giambattista Vico, Italian jurist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1744)
    • 1683 – Étienne Fourmont, French orientalist and sinologist (d. 1745)
    • 1711 – Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Italian instrument maker (d. 1786)
    • 1716 – Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for England and Wales (d. 1789)
    • 1750 – Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, French geologist and academic (d. 1801)
    • 1763 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, French wife of Napoleon I (d. 1814)
    • 1799 – John Milton Bernhisel, American physician and politician (d. 1881)
    • 1800 – Karol Marcinkowski, Polish physician and activist (d. 1846)
    • 1824 – Carl Reinecke, German pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1910)
    • 1843 – Paul Heinrich von Groth, German scientist (d. 1927)
    • 1860 – Albert Giraud, Belgian poet and librarian (d. 1929)
    • 1863 – Sándor Bródy, Hungarian author and journalist (d. 1924)
    • 1877 – Norman Pritchard, Indian-English hurdler and actor (d. 1929)
    • 1879 – Huda Sha’arawi, Egyptian feminist and journalist (d. 1947)
    • 1884 – Cyclone Taylor, Canadian ice hockey player and politician (d. 1979)
    • 1888 – Bronson M. Cutting, American publisher and politician (d. 1935)
    • 1889 – Anna Akhmatova, Ukrainian-Russian poet and author (d. 1966)
    • 1889 – Verena Holmes, English engineer (d. 1964)
    • 1894 – Harold Barrowclough, New Zealand military leader, lawyer and Chief Justice (d. 1972)
    • 1894 – Alfred Kinsey, American entomologist and sexologist (d. 1956)
    • 1894 – Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom (d. 1972)
    • 1899 – Amédée Gordini, Italian-born French race car driver and sports car manufacturer (d. 1979)
    • 1900 – Blanche Noyes, American aviator, winner of the 1936 Bendix Trophy Race (d. 1981)
    • 1901 – Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Turkish author, poet, and scholar (d. 1962)
    • 1903 – Paul Martin Sr., Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1904 – Quintin McMillan, South African cricketer (d. 1938)
    • 1905 – Jack Pickersgill, Canadian civil servant and politician, 35th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1997)
    • 1906 – Tribhuvan of Nepal (d. 1955)
    • 1907 – Dercy Gonçalves, Brazilian actress and singer (d. 2008)
    • 1907 – James Meade, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
    • 1909 – David Lewis, Russian-Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1909 – Georges Rouquier, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
    • 1910 – Jean Anouilh, French playwright and screenwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1910 – Gordon B. Hinckley, American religious leader, 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 2008)
    • 1910 – Milt Hinton, American bassist and photographer (d. 2000)
    • 1910 – Bill King, English commander and author (d. 2012)
    • 1910 – Lawson Little, American golfer (d. 1968)
    • 1912 – Alan Turing, English mathematician and computer scientist (d. 1954)
    • 1913 – William P. Rogers, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 55th United States Secretary of State (d. 2001)
    • 1915 – Frances Gabe, American artist and inventor (d. 2016)
    • 1916 – Len Hutton, English cricketer and soldier (d. 1990)
    • 1916 – Irene Worth, American actress (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Al G. Wright, American bandleader and conductor
    • 1919 – Mohamed Boudiaf, Algerian politician, President of Algeria (d. 1992)
    • 1920 – Saleh Ajeery, Kuwaiti astronomer
    • 1921 – Paul Findley, American politician (d. 2019)
    • 1922 – Morris R. Jeppson, American lieutenant and physicist (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1998)
    • 1923 – Peter Corr, Irish-English footballer and manager (d. 2001)
    • 1923 – Elroy Schwartz, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Doris Johnson, American politician
    • 1923 – Jerry Rullo, American professional basketball player (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Giuseppina Tuissi, Italian communist and Partisan (d. 1945)
    • 1924 – Frank Bolle, American comic-strip artist, comic-book artist, and illustrator (d. 2020)
    • 1925 – Miriam Karlin, English actress (d. 2011)
    • 1925 – Art Modell, American businessman (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Anna Chennault, Chinese widow of Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Lawson Soulsby, Baron Soulsby of Swaffham Prior, English microbiologist and parasitologist (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – Magda Herzberger, Romanian author, poet and composer, a survivor of the Holocaust
    • 1926 – Annette Mbaye d’Erneville, Senegalese writer
    • 1926 – Arnaldo Pomodoro, Italian sculptor
    • 1927 – Bob Fosse, American actor, dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 1987)
    • 1927 – John Habgood, Baron Habgood, English archbishop (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Jean Cione, American baseball player (d. 2010)
    • 1928 – Klaus von Dohnányi, German politician
    • 1928 – Michael Shaara, American author and academic (d. 1988)
    • 1929 – June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress (d. 2003)
    • 1929 – Mario Ghella, Italian racing cyclist
    • 1930 – Donn F. Eisele, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1987)
    • 1930 – John Elliott, English historian and academic
    • 1930 – Francis Newall, 2nd Baron Newall, English businessman and politician
    • 1930 – Anthony Thwaite, English poet, critic, and academic
    • 1930 – Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny, former First Lady of Ivory Coast
    • 1931 – Gunnar Uusi, Estonian chess player (d. 1981)
    • 1931 – Ola Ullsten, Swedish politician and diplomat (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – Peter Millett, Baron Millett, English lawyer and judge
    • 1934 – Keith Sutton, English bishop (d. 2017)
    • 1934 – Bill Torrey, Canadian businessman (d. 2018)
    • 1934 – Virbhadra Singh, Indian politician
    • 1935 – Maurice Ferré, Puerto Rican-American politician, 32nd Mayor of Miami
    • 1935 – Keith Burkinshaw, English footballer and manager
    • 1936 – Richard Bach, American novelist and essayist
    • 1936 – Costas Simitis, Greek economist, lawyer, and politician, 180th Prime Minister of Greece
    • 1937 – Martti Ahtisaari, Finnish captain and politician, 10th President of Finland, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1937 – Alan Haselhurst, English academic and politician
    • 1937 – Niki Sullivan, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1939 – Scott Burton, American sculptor (d. 1989)
    • 1940 – Adam Faith, English singer (d. 2003)
    • 1940 – George Feigley, American sex cult leader and two-time prison escapee (d. 2009)
    • 1940 – Derry Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
    • 1940 – Wilma Rudolph, American runner (d. 1994)
    • 1940 – Mike Shrimpton, New Zealand cricketer and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Stuart Sutcliffe, Scottish painter and musician (d. 1962)
    • 1940 – Diana Trask, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1941 – Robert Hunter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
    • 1941 – Roger McDonald, Australian author and screenwriter
    • 1941 – Keith Newton, English footballer (d. 1998)
    • 1942 – Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, English cosmologist and astrophysicist
    • 1943 – Patrick Bokanowski, French filmmaker
    • 1943 – Ellyn Kaschak, American psychologist and academic
    • 1943 – James Levine, American pianist and conductor
    • 1945 – Kjell Albin Abrahamson, Swedish journalist and author
    • 1945 – John Garang, Sudanese colonel and politician, President of Southern Sudan (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – Julian Hipwood, English polo player and coach
    • 1946 – Ted Shackelford, American actor
    • 1947 – Bryan Brown, Australian actor and producer
    • 1948 – Clarence Thomas, American lawyer and judge, United States Supreme Court Justice
    • 1949 – Gordon Bray, Australian journalist and sportscaster
    • 1949 – Sheila Noakes, Baroness Noakes, English accountant and politician
    • 1951 – Angelo Falcón, Puerto Rican-American political scientist, activist, and academic, founded the National Institute for Latino Policy
    • 1951 – Michèle Mouton, French race car driver and manager
    • 1951 – Raj Babbar, Indian actor and politician
    • 1953 – Armen Sarkissian, Armenian physicist, politician and current President of Armenia
    • 1955 – Pierre Corbeil, Canadian dentist and politician
    • 1955 – Glenn Danzig, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1955 – Jean Tigana, French footballer and manager
    • 1956 – Daniel J. Drucker, Canadian academic and educator
    • 1956 – Tony Hill, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Randy Jackson, American bass player and producer
    • 1957 – Dave Houghton, Zimbabwean cricketer and coach
    • 1957 – Frances McDormand, American actress, winner of the Triple Crown of Acting
    • 1958 – John Hayes, English politician, Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change
    • 1960 – Donald Harrison, American saxophonist, composer, and producer
    • 1960 – Tatsuya Uemura, Japanese composer and programmer
    • 1961 – Richard Arnold, English lawyer and judge
    • 1961 – Zoran Janjetov, Serbian singer and illustrator
    • 1961 – LaSalle Thompson, American basketball player, coach, and manager
    • 1962 – Chuck Billy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1963 – Colin Montgomerie, Scottish golfer
    • 1964 – Nicolas Marceau, Canadian economist and politician
    • 1964 – Tara Morice, Australian actress and singer
    • 1964 – Joss Whedon, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Lou Yun, Chinese gymnast
    • 1965 – Paul Arthurs, English guitarist
    • 1965 – Sylvia Mathews Burwell, American government and non-profit executive
    • 1965 – Peter O’Malley, Australian golfer
    • 1966 – Chico DeBarge, American singer and pianist
    • 1969 – Martin Klebba, American actor, producer, and stuntman
    • 1970 – Robert Brooks, American football player
    • 1970 – Martin Deschamps, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1970 – Yann Tiersen, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1971 – Fred Ewanuick, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1971 – Félix Potvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1972 – Selma Blair, American actress
    • 1972 – Louis Van Amstel, Dutch dancer and choreographer
    • 1972 – Zinedine Zidane, French footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Joel Edgerton, Australian actor
    • 1974 – Mark Hendrickson, American basketball and baseball player
    • 1975 – Kevin Dyson, American football player and coach
    • 1975 – David Howell, English golfer
    • 1975 – Mike James, American basketball player
    • 1975 – KT Tunstall, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1976 – Wade Barrett, American soccer player and manager
    • 1976 – Joe Becker, American guitarist and composer
    • 1976 – Savvas Poursaitidis, Greek-Cypriot footballer and scout
    • 1976 – Brandon Stokley, American football player
    • 1976 – Paola Suárez, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1976 – Emmanuelle Vaugier, Canadian actress and singer
    • 1976 – Patrick Vieira, French footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Miguel Ángel Angulo, Spanish footballer
    • 1977 – Hayden Foxe, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Jaan Jüris, Estonian ski jumper
    • 1977 – Jason Mraz, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Shaun O’Hara, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1978 – Memphis Bleek, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1978 – Frederic Leclercq, French heavy metal musician
    • 1978 – Matt Light, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1979 – LaDainian Tomlinson, American football player
    • 1980 – Becky Cloonan, American author and illustrator
    • 1980 – Melissa Rauch, American actress
    • 1980 – Ramnaresh Sarwan, Guyanese cricketer
    • 1980 – Francesca Schiavone, Italian tennis player
    • 1981 – Antony Costa, English singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Rolf Wacha, German rugby player
    • 1982 – Derek Boogaard, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2011)
    • 1983 – Brooks Laich, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – José Manuel Rojas, Chilean footballer
    • 1984 – Duffy, Welsh singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1984 – Takeshi Matsuda, Japanese swimmer
    • 1984 – Levern Spencer, Saint Lucian high jumper
    • 1985 – Marcel Reece, American football player
    • 1986 – Christy Altomare, American actress and singer songwriter
    • 1987 – Alessia Filippi, Italian swimmer
    • 1988 – Chet Faker, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Chellsie Memmel, American gymnast
    • 1989 – Lisa Carrington, New Zealand flatwater canoeist
    • 1989 – Jordan Nolan, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Clevid Dikamona, French footballer
    • 1990 – Vasek Pospisil, Canadian tennis player
    • 1990 – Laura Ràfols, Spanish footballer
    • 1991 – Katie Armiger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1992 – Luiza Galiulina, Uzbekistani gymnast
    • 1992 – Nampalys Mendy, French footballer
    • 1993 – Tim Anderson, American baseball player
    • 1993 – Marvin Grumann, German footballer
    • 2004 – Alexandra Trusova, Russian figure skater

    Deaths on June 23

    • AD 79 – Vespasian, Roman emperor (b. AD 9)
    • 679 – Æthelthryth, English saint (b. 636)
    • 947 – Li Congyi, prince of Later Tang (b. 931)
    • 947 – Wang, imperial consort of Later Tang
    • 960 – Feng Yanji, chancellor of Southern Tang (b. 903)
    • 994 – Lothair Udo I, count of Stade (b. 950)
    • 1018 – Henry I, margrave of Austria
    • 1137 – Adalbert of Mainz, German archbishop
    • 1222 – Constance of Aragon, Hungarian queen (b. 1179)
    • 1290 – Henryk IV Probus, duke of Wrocław and high duke of Kraków (b. c. 1258)
    • 1314 – Henry de Bohun, English knight
    • 1324 – Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (b. 1270)
    • 1343 – Giacomo Gaetani Stefaneschi, Italian cardinal (b. c. 1270)
    • 1356 – Margaret II, Holy Roman Empress (b. 1311)
    • 1537 – Pedro de Mendoza, Spanish conquistador (b. 1487)
    • 1565 – Dragut, Ottoman admiral (b. 1485)
    • 1582 – Shimizu Muneharu, Japanese commander (b. 1537)
    • 1615 – Mashita Nagamori, Japanese daimyō (b. 1545)
    • 1677 – William Louis, duke of Württemberg (b. 1647)
    • 1686 – William Coventry, English politician (b. 1628)
    • 1707 – John Mill, English theologian and author (b. 1645)
    • 1733 – Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, Swiss paleontologist and scholar (b. 1672)
    • 1770 – Mark Akenside, English poet and physician (b. 1721)
    • 1775 – Karl Ludwig von Pöllnitz, German adventurer and author (b. 1692)
    • 1779 – Mikael Sehul, Ethiopian warlord (b. 1691)
    • 1806 – Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and philosopher (b. 1723)
    • 1811 – Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida, Portuguese poet and author (b. 1740)
    • 1832 – Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, Scottish geologist and geophysicist (b. 1761)
    • 1836 – James Mill, Scottish economist, historian, and philosopher (b. 1773)
    • 1848 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este, Electress of Bavaria (b. 1776)
    • 1856 – Ivan Kireyevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (b. 1806)
    • 1881 – Matthias Jakob Schleiden, German botanist and academic (b. 1804)
    • 1891 – Wilhelm Eduard Weber, German physicist and academic (b. 1804)
    • 1891 – Samuel Newitt Wood, American lawyer and politician (b. 1825)
    • 1893 – William Fox, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1812)
    • 1893 – Theophilus Shepstone, English-South African politician (b. 1817)
    • 1914 – Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Indian guru and philosopher (b. 1838)
    • 1945 – Giuseppina Tuissi, Italian journalist and activist (b. 1923)
    • 1953 – Albert Gleizes, French painter (b. 1881)
    • 1954 – Salih Omurtak, Turkish general (b. 1889)
    • 1956 – Reinhold Glière, Russian composer and educator (b. 1875)
    • 1959 – Boris Vian, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1920)
    • 1959 – Hidir Lutfi, Iraqi poet. (b. 1880)
    • 1969 – Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish runner (b. 1907)
    • 1970 – Roscoe Turner, American soldier and pilot (b. 1895)
    • 1973 – Gerry Birrell, Scottish race car driver (b. 1944)
    • 1980 – Sanjay Gandhi, Indian engineer and politician (b. 1946)
    • 1980 – Clyfford Still, American painter and academic (b. 1904)
    • 1989 – Werner Best, German police officer and jurist (b. 1903)
    • 1990 – Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Indian poet, actor, and politician (b. 1898)
    • 1992 – Eric Andolsek, American football player (b. 1966)
    • 1995 – Roger Grimsby, American journalist (b. 1928)
    • 1995 – Jonas Salk, American biologist and physician (b. 1914)
    • 1995 – Anatoli Tarasov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1918)
    • 1996 – Andreas Papandreou, Greek economist and politician, 174th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1919)
    • 1996 – Ray Lindwall, Australian cricketer and rugby player (b. 1921)
    • 1997 – Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist (b. 1936)
    • 1998 – Maureen O’Sullivan, Irish-American actress (b. 1911)
    • 2000 – Peter Dubovský, Slovak footballer (b. 1972)
    • 2002 – Pedro Alcázar, Panamanian boxer (b. 1975)
    • 2005 – Shana Alexander, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Manolis Anagnostakis, Greek poet and critic (b. 1925)
    • 2006 – Aaron Spelling, American actor, producer, and screenwriter, founded Spelling Television (b. 1923)
    • 2007 – Rod Beck, American baseball player (b. 1968)
    • 2008 – Claudio Capone, Italian-Scottish actor (b. 1952)
    • 2008 – Arthur Chung, Guyanese surveyor and politician, 1st President of Guyana (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Marian Glinka, Polish actor and bodybuilder (b. 1943)
    • 2009 – Raymond Berthiaume, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1931)
    • 2009 – Ed McMahon, American game show host and announcer (b. 1923)
    • 2009 – Jerri Nielsen, American physician and explorer (b. 1952)
    • 2010 – John Burton, Australian public servant and diplomat (b. 1915)
    • 2011 – Peter Falk, American actor (b. 1927)
    • 2011 – Dennis Marshall, Costa Rican footballer (b. 1985)
    • 2011 – Fred Steiner, American composer and conductor (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – James Durbin, English economist and statistician (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Brigitte Engerer, French pianist and educator (b. 1952)
    • 2012 – Alan McDonald, Northern Ireland footballer and manager (b. 1963)
    • 2012 – Frank Chee Willeto, American soldier and politician, 4th Vice President of the Navajo Nation (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Walter J. Zable, American football player and businessman, founded the Cubic Corporation (b. 1915)
    • 2013 – Bobby Bland, American singer-songwriter (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Gary David Goldberg, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2013 – Frank Kelso, American admiral and politician, United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Kurt Leichtweiss, German mathematician and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Richard Matheson, American author and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Darryl Read, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor (b. 1951)
    • 2013 – Sharon Stouder, American swimmer (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Nancy Garden, American author (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Euros Lewis, Welsh cricketer (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Paula Kent Meehan, American businesswoman, co-founded Redken (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Miguel Facussé Barjum, Honduran businessman (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Nirmala Joshi, Indian nun, lawyer, and social worker (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Dick Van Patten, American actor (b. 1928)
    • 2016 – Ralph Stanley, American singer and banjo player (b. 1927)

    Holidays and observances on June 23

    • Christian feast day:
      • Æthelthryth
      • Marie of Oignies
      • Joseph Cafasso
      • June 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Feast of Raḥmat can fall, while June 24 is the latest. (Bahá’í Faith)
    • Father’s Day (Nicaragua, Poland)
    • Grand Duke’s Official Birthday (Luxembourg)
    • International Widows Day (international)
    • National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism (Canada)
    • Okinawa Memorial Day (Okinawa Prefecture)
    • St John’s Eve and the first day of the Midsummer celebrations [although this is not the real summer solstice; see June 20] (Roman Catholic Church, Europe):
      • Bonfires of Saint John (Spain)
      • First night of Festa de São João do Porto (Porto)
      • First day of Golowan Festival (Cornwall)
      • Jaaniõhtu (Estonia)
      • Jāņi (Latvia)
      • Kupala Night (Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine)
      • Last day of Drăgaica fair (Buzău, Romania)
    • United Nations Public Service Day (International)
    • Victory Day (Estonia)
  • |

    May 31- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
    • 1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus’ and Cumans.
    • 1293 – Mongol invasion of Java was a punitive expedition against King Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to the Yuan and maimed one of its ministers. However, it ended with failure for the Mongols. Regarded as establish City of Surabaya
    • 1578 – King Henry III lays the first stone of the Pont Neuf (New Bridge), the oldest bridge of Paris, France.
    • 1669 – Citing poor eyesight as a reason, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary.
    • 1775 – American Revolution: The Mecklenburg Resolves are adopted in the Province of North Carolina.
    • 1790 – Manuel Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
    • 1790 – The United States enacts its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790.
    • 1795 – French Revolution: The Revolutionary Tribunal is suppressed.
    • 1805 – French and Spanish forces begin the assault against British forces occupying Diamond Rock.
    • 1813 – In Australia, William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth reach Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains.
    • 1859 – The clock tower at the Houses of Parliament, which houses Big Ben, starts keeping time.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Peninsula Campaign: Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engage Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Virginia.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: The Army of Northern Virginia engages the Army of the Potomac.
    • 1879 – Gilmore’s Garden in New York City is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
    • 1884 – The arrival at Plymouth of Tāwhiao, King of Maoris, to claim the protection of Queen Victoria.
    • 1889 – Johnstown Flood: Over 2,200 people die after a dam fails and sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
    • 1902 – Second Boer War: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the war and ensures British control of South Africa.
    • 1909 – The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convenes for the first time.
    • 1910 – The South Africa Act comes into force, establishing the Union of South Africa.
    • 1911 – The RMS Titanic is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
    • 1911 – The President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz flees the country during the Mexican Revolution.
    • 1916 – World War I: Battle of Jutland: The British Grand Fleet engages the High Seas Fleet in the largest naval battle of the war, which proves indecisive.
    • 1921 – The Tulsa race massacre kills at least 39, but other estimates of black fatalities vary from 55 to about 300.
    • 1935 – A 7.7 Mw  earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan killing 40,000.
    • 1941 – Anglo-Iraqi War: The United Kingdom completes the re-occupation of Iraq and returns ‘Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II.
    • 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy midget submarines begin a series of attacks on Sydney, Australia.
    • 1947 – Ferenc Nagy, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, resigns from office after blackmail from the Hungarian Communist Party accusing him of being part of a plot against the state. This grants the Communists effective control of the Hungarian government.
    • 1961 – The South African Constitution of 1961 becomes effective, thus creating the Republic of South Africa, which remains outside the Commonwealth of Nations until 1 June 1994, when South Africa is returned to Commonwealth membership.
    • 1961 – In Moscow City Court, the Rokotov–Faibishenko show trial begins, despite the Khrushchev Thaw to reverse Stalinist elements in Soviet society.
    • 1962 – The West Indies Federation dissolves.
    • 1970 – The 7.9 Mw  Ancash earthquake shakes Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) and a landslide buries the town of Yungay, Peru. Between 66,794–70,000 were killed and 50,000 were injured.
    • 1971 – In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.
    • 1973 – The United States Senate votes to cut off funding for the bombing of Khmer Rouge targets within Cambodia, hastening the end of the Cambodian Civil War.
    • 1977 – The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System is completed.
    • 1985 – United States–Canada tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.
    • 1991 – Bicesse Accords in Angola lay out a transition to multi-party democracy under the supervision of the United Nations’ UNAVEM II mission.
    • 2005 – Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was “Deep Throat”.
    • 2008 – Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7 m/s) 9.72 seconds
    • 2010 – Israeli Shayetet 13 commandos boarded the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while still in international waters trying to break the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed in the ensuing violent affray.
    • 2013 – The asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon make their closest approach to Earth for the next two centuries.
    • 2013 – A record breaking 2.6 mile wide tornado strikes El Reno, Oklahoma, United States, causing eight fatalities and over 150 injuries.
    • 2017 – A car bomb explodes in a crowded intersection in Kabul near the German embassy during rush hour, killing over 90 and injuring 463.
    • 2017 – U.S. President Donald Trump tweets the word “covfefe” and quickly becomes a worldwide viral phenomenon.
    • 2019 – A shooting occurs inside a municipal building at Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving 13 people dead, including the shooter, and four others injured.

    Births on May 31

    • 1443 (or 1441) – Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (d. 1509)
    • 1462 – Philipp II, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (d. 1504)
    • 1469 – Manuel I of Portugal (d. 1521)
    • 1535 – Alessandro Allori, Italian painter (d. 1607)
    • 1556 – Jerzy Radziwiłł, Catholic cardinal (d. 1600)
    • 1577 – Nur Jahan, Empress consort of the Mughal Empire (d. 1645)
    • 1613 – John George II, Elector of Saxony (d. 1680)
    • 1640 – Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland (d. 1673)
    • 1641 – Patriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalem (d. 1707)
    • 1725 – Ahilyabai Holkar, Queen of the Malwa Kingdom under the Maratha Empire (d. 1795)
    • 1732 – Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Austrian archbishop (d. 1812)
    • 1753 – Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, French lawyer and politician (d. 1793)
    • 1754 – Andrea Appiani, Italian painter and educator (d. 1817)
    • 1773 – Ludwig Tieck, German poet, author, and critic (d. 1853)
    • 1801 – Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist and scholar (d. 1887)
    • 1815 – Adye Douglas, English-Australian cricketer and politician, 15th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1906)
    • 1818 – John Albion Andrew, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1867)
    • 1819 – Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (d. 1892)
    • 1827 – Kusumoto Ine, first Japanese female doctor of Western medicine (d. 1903)
    • 1835 – Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese commander (d. 1869)
    • 1838 – Henry Sidgwick, English economist and philosopher (d. 1900)
    • 1842 – John Cox Bray, Australian politician, 15th Premier of South Australia (d. 1894)
    • 1847 – William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, Canadian-Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast (d. 1924)
    • 1852 – Francisco Moreno, Argentinian explorer and academic (d. 1919)
    • 1852 – Julius Richard Petri, German microbiologist, invented the Petri dish (d. 1921)
    • 1857 – Pope Pius XI (d. 1939)
    • 1858 – Graham Wallas, English socialist, social psychologist, and educationalist (d. 1932)
    • 1860 – Walter Sickert, English painter (d. 1942)
    • 1863 – Francis Younghusband, Indian-English captain and explorer (d. 1942)
    • 1866 – John Ringling, American entrepreneur; one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus (d. 1936)
    • 1875 – Rosa May Billinghurst, British suffragette and women’s rights activist (d.1953)
    • 1879 – Frances Alda, New Zealand-Australian soprano (d. 1952)
    • 1882 – Sándor Festetics, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of War (d. 1956)
    • 1883 – Lauri Kristian Relander, Finnish politician, 2nd President of Finland (d. 1942)
    • 1885 – Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (d. 1967)
    • 1887 – Saint-John Perse, French poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
    • 1892 – Michel Kikoine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1968)
    • 1892 – Erich Neumann, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1951)
    • 1892 – Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian poet and author (d. 1968)
    • 1892 – Gregor Strasser, German lieutenant and politician (d. 1934)
    • 1894 – Fred Allen, American comedian, radio host, game show panelist, and author (d. 1956)
    • 1898 – Norman Vincent Peale, American minister and author (d. 1993)
    • 1900 – Lucile Godbold, American Olympic athlete (d. 1981)
    • 1901 – Alfredo Antonini, Italian-American conductor and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1908 – Don Ameche, American actor (d. 1993)
    • 1909 – Art Coulter, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2000)
    • 1911 – Maurice Allais, French economist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
    • 1912 – Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American experimental physicist (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer and educator (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1918 – Robert Osterloh, American actor (d. 2001)
    • 1918 – Lloyd Quarterman, African American chemist (d. 1982)
    • 1919 – Robie Macauley, American editor, novelist and critic (d. 1995)
    • 1921 – Edna Doré, English actress (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Andrew Grima, Anglo-Italian jewellery designer (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – Howard Reig, American radio and television announcer (d. 2008)
    • 1921 – Alida Valli, Austrian-Italian actress and singer (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Denholm Elliott, English-Spanish actor (d. 1992)
    • 1923 – Ellsworth Kelly, American painter and sculptor (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (d. 2005)
    • 1925 – Julian Beck, American actor and director (d. 1986)
    • 1927 – James Eberle, English admiral (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – Michael Sandberg, Baron Sandberg, English lieutenant and banker (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Pankaj Roy, Indian cricketer (d. 2001)
    • 1929 – Menahem Golan, Israeli director and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Clint Eastwood, American actor, director, musician, and producer
    • 1931 – John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Shirley Verrett, American soprano and actress (d. 2010)
    • 1932 – Ed Lincoln, Brazilian pianist, bassist, and composer (d. 2012)
    • 1932 – Jay Miner, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 1994)
    • 1933 – Henry B. Eyring, American religious leader, educator, and author
    • 1934 – Jim Hutton, American actor (d. 1979)
    • 1935 – Jim Bolger, New Zealand businessman and politician, 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1938 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
    • 1938 – John Prescott, British sailor and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
    • 1938 – Peter Yarrow, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1939 – Terry Waite, English humanitarian and author
    • 1940 – Anatoliy Bondarchuk, Ukrainian hammer thrower and coach
    • 1940 – Augie Meyers, American musician and singer-songwriter
    • 1940 – Gilbert Shelton, American illustrator
    • 1941 – June Clark, Welsh nurse and educator
    • 1941 – Louis Ignarro, American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – William Nordhaus, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1943 – Sharon Gless, American actress
    • 1943 – Joe Namath, American football player, sportscaster, and actor
    • 1945 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1945 – Laurent Gbagbo, Ivorian academic and politician, 4th President of Côte d’Ivoire
    • 1945 – Bernard Goldberg, American journalist and author
    • 1946 – Ted Baehr, American publisher and critic
    • 1946 – Steve Bucknor, Jamaican cricketer and umpire
    • 1946 – Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat (d. 2009)
    • 1946 – Debbie Moore, English model and businesswoman
    • 1947 – Junior Campbell, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – Gabriele Hinzmann, German discus thrower
    • 1948 – Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1948 – John Bonham, English musician, songwriter and drummer (d. 1980)
    • 1948 – Martin Hannett, English bass player, guitarist, and record producer (d. 1991)
    • 1948 – Duncan Hunter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician
    • 1949 – Tom Berenger, American actor, film producer and television writer
    • 1950 – Jean Chalopin, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded DIC Entertainment
    • 1950 – Gregory Harrison, American actor
    • 1950 – Edgar Savisaar, Estonian politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior
    • 1951 – Karl-Hans Riehm, German hammer thrower
    • 1952 – Karl Bartos, German singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1953 – Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Finnish actor and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Thomas Mavros, Greek footballer
    • 1954 – Vicki Sue Robinson, American actress and singer (d. 2000)
    • 1955 – Tommy Emmanuel, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Susie Essman, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
    • 1956 – Fritz Hilpert, German drummer and composer
    • 1956 – John Young, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1957 – Jim Craig, American ice hockey player
    • 1959 – Andrea de Cesaris, Italian racing driver (d. 2014)
    • 1959 – Phil Wilson, English politician
    • 1960 – Greg Adams, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman
    • 1960 – Chris Elliott, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Peter Winterbottom, English rugby player
    • 1961 – Ray Cote, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1961 – Justin Madden, Australian footballer and politician
    • 1961 – Lea Thompson, American actress, director, and producer
    • 1962 – Corey Hart, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1963 – David Leigh, holder of the Sir Samuel Hall Chair of Chemistry at the University of Manchester
    • 1963 – Viktor Orbán, Hungarian politician, 38th Prime Minister of Hungary
    • 1963 – Wesley Willis, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (d. 2003)
    • 1964 – Leonard Asper, Canadian lawyer and businessman
    • 1964 – Stéphane Caristan, French hurdler and coach
    • 1964 – Yukio Edano, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
    • 1964 – Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, American rapper and producer
    • 1965 – Brooke Shields, American model, actress, and producer
    • 1966 – Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lankan cricketer and referee
    • 1967 – Phil Keoghan, New Zealand television host and producer
    • 1967 – Kenny Lofton, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Arun Luthra, Indo-Anglo-American saxophonist, konnakol artist, composer, and arranger
    • 1972 – Christian McBride, American bassist and record producer
    • 1972 – Archie Panjabi, Indo-British actress
    • 1972 – Frode Estil, Norwegian skier
    • 1972 – Antti Niemi, Finnish international footballer, goalkeeper and coach
    • 1972 – Dave Roberts, American baseball player and coach
    • 1974 – Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Japanese comedian and singer
    • 1974 – Chad Campbell, American golfer
    • 1975 – Mac Suzuki, Japanese baseball player
    • 1976 – Colin Farrell, Irish actor
    • 1976 – Matt Harpring, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Theodoros Baev, Bulgarian-Greek volleyball player
    • 1977 – Domenico Fioravanti, Italian swimmer
    • 1977 – Eric Christian Olsen, American actor
    • 1977 – Moses Sichone, Zambian footballer
    • 1977 – Petr Tenkrát, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Jean-François Gillet, Belgian footballer
    • 1981 – Mikael Antonsson, Swedish footballer
    • 1981 – Daniele Bonera, Italian footballer
    • 1981 – Jake Peavy, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Marlies Schild, Austrian skier
    • 1984 – Andrew Bailey, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Milorad Čavić, Serbian swimmer
    • 1984 – Nate Robinson, American basketball player
    • 1985 – Jordy Nelson, American football player
    • 1986 – Robert Gesink, Dutch cyclist
    • 1989 – Marco Reus, German footballer
    • 1990 – Erik Karlsson, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Michaël Bournival, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Laura Ikauniece, Latvian heptathlete
    • 1996 – Normani Korde, American singer
    • 1998 – Santino Ferrucci, American race car driver

    Deaths on May 31

    • 455 – Petronius Maximus, Roman emperor (b. 396)
    • 930 – Liu Hua, princess of Southern Han (b. 896)
    • 960 – Fujiwara no Morosuke, Japanese statesman (b. 909)
    • 1076 – Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, English politician (b. 1050)
    • 1089 – Sigwin von Are, archbishop of Cologne
    • 1162 – Géza II, king of Hungary (b. 1130)
    • 1321 – Birger, king of Sweden (b. 1280)
    • 1326 – Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (b. 1271)
    • 1329 – Albertino Mussato, Italian statesman and writer (b. 1261)
    • 1349 – Thomas Wake, English politician (b. 1297)
    • 1370 – Vitalis of Assisi, Italian hermit and monk (b. 1295)
    • 1408 – Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1358)
    • 1410 – Martin of Aragon, Spanish king (b. 1356)
    • 1504 – Engelbert II of Nassau (b. 1451)
    • 1558 – Philip Hoby, English general and diplomat (b. 1505)
    • 1567 – Guido de Bres, Belgian pastor and theologian (b. 1522)
    • 1594 – Tintoretto, Italian painter and educator (b. 1518)
    • 1601 – Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne (b. 1547)
    • 1640 – Zeynab Begum, Safavid princess (date of birth unknown)
    • 1665 – Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, Dutch painter (b. 1597)
    • 1680 – Joachim Neander, German theologian and educator (b. 1650)
    • 1740 – Frederick William I of Prussia (b. 1688)
    • 1747 – Andrey Osterman, German-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1686)
    • 1809 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1732)
    • 1809 – Jean Lannes, French general (b. 1769)
    • 1831 – Samuel Bentham, English architect and engineer (b. 1757)
    • 1832 – Évariste Galois, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1811)
    • 1837 – Joseph Grimaldi, English actor, comedian and dancer, (b. 1779)
    • 1846 – Philip Marheineke, German pastor and philosopher (b. 1780)
    • 1847 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister and economist (b. 1780)
    • 1848 – Eugénie de Guérin, French author (b. 1805)
    • 1899 – Stefanos Koumanoudis, Greek archaeologist, teacher and writer (b. 1818)
    • 1908 – Louis-Honoré Fréchette, Canadian author, poet, and politician (b. 1839)
    • 1909 – Thomas Price, Welsh-Australian politician, 24th Premier of South Australia (b. 1852)
    • 1910 – Elizabeth Blackwell, English-American physician and educator (b. 1821)
    • 1931 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, Canadian cardinal (b. 1866)
    • 1931 – Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (b. 1864)
    • 1945 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (b. 1904)
    • 1954 – Antonis Benakis, Greek art collector and philanthropist, founded the Benaki Museum (b. 1873)
    • 1957 – Stefanos Sarafis, Greek general and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1957 – Leopold Staff, Polish poet and academic (b. 1878)
    • 1960 – Willem Elsschot, Flemish author and poet (b. 1882)
    • 1960 – Walther Funk, German economist, journalist, and politician, German Minister of Economics (b. 1890)
    • 1962 – Henry F. Ashurst, American lawyer and politician (b. 1874)
    • 1967 – Billy Strayhorn, American pianist and composer (b. 1915)
    • 1970 – Terry Sawchuk, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1929)
    • 1976 – Jacques Monod, French biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
    • 1977 – William Castle, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1914)
    • 1978 – József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1925)
    • 1981 – Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, English economist and journalist (b. 1914)
    • 1982 – Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer and explorer (b. 1930)
    • 1983 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer and lieutenant (b. 1895)
    • 1985 – Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (b. 1921)
    • 1986 – Jane Frank, American painter and sculptor (b. 1918)
    • 1986 – James Rainwater, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
    • 1987 – John Abraham, Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1937)
    • 1989 – Owen Lattimore, American author and academic (b. 1900)
    • 1989 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and historian (b. 1901)
    • 1993 – Honey Tree Evil Eye, or, Spud Mackenzie, a Bull Terrier, dies of kidney failure.
    • 1994 – Uzay Heparı, Turkish actor, producer, and composer (b. 1969)
    • 1994 – Herva Nelli, Italian-American soprano (b. 1909)
    • 1995 – Stanley Elkin, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1930)
    • 1996 – Timothy Leary, American psychologist and author (b. 1920)
    • 1998 – Charles Van Acker, Belgian-American race car driver (b. 1912)
    • 2000 – Petar Mladenov, Bulgarian diplomat, 1st President of Bulgaria (b. 1936)
    • 2000 – Tito Puente, American jazz musician (b. 1923)
    • 2000 – A. Jeyaratnam Wilson, Sri Lankan historian, author, and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2001 – Arlene Francis, American actress, talk show host, game show panelist, and television personality (b. 1907)
    • 2002 – Subhash Gupte, Indian cricketer (b. 1929)
    • 2004 – Aiyathurai Nadesan, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1954)
    • 2004 – Robert Quine, American guitarist (b. 1941)
    • 2004 – Étienne Roda-Gil, French screenwriter and composer (b. 1941)
    • 2006 – Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Spanish sculptor (b. 1933)
    • 2006 – Raymond Davis, Jr., American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
    • 2009 – Danny La Rue, Irish-British drag queen performer and singer (b. 1927)
    • 2009 – George Tiller, American physician (b. 1941)
    • 2010 – Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor and painter (b. 1911)
    • 2010 – Brian Duffy, English photographer and producer (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – William A. Fraker, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1923)
    • 2010 – Rubén Juárez, Argentinian singer-songwriter and bandoneón player (b. 1947)
    • 2010 – Merata Mita, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
    • 2011 – Pauline Betz, American tennis player (b. 1919)
    • 2011 – Jonas Bevacqua, American fashion designer, co-founded the Lifted Research Group (b. 1977)
    • 2011 – Derek Hodge, Virgin Islander lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (b. 1941)
    • 2011 – Hans Keilson, German-Dutch psychoanalyst and author (b. 1909)
    • 2011 – John Martin, English admiral and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (b. 1918)
    • 2011 – Andy Robustelli, American football player and manager (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Christopher Challis, English cinematographer (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Randall B. Kester, American lawyer and judge (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Paul Pietsch, German racing driver and publisher (b. 1911)
    • 2012 – Orlando Woolridge, American basketball player and coach (b. 1959)
    • 2013 – Gerald E. Brown, American physicist and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Frederic Lindsay, Scottish author and educator (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Miguel Méndez, American author and poet (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Tim Samaras, American engineer and storm chaser (b. 1957)
    • 2013 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (b. 1987)
    • 2013 – Jean Stapleton, American actress (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Marilyn Beck, American journalist (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer and coach (b. 1952)
    • 2014 – Hoss Ellington, American race car driver (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Martha Hyer, American actress (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Lewis Katz, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Mary Soames, Baroness Soames, English author (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Gladys Taylor, Canadian author and publisher (b. 1917)
    • 2016 – Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–2016) (b. 1947)
    • 2016 – Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (b. 1938)
    • 2016 – Carla Lane, English television writer (b. 1928)
    • 2016 – Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (b. 1939)

    Holidays and observances on May 31

    • Anniversary of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Brunei)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Camilla Battista da Varano
      • Hermias
      • Petronella
      • Visitation of Mary (Western Christianity)
      • May 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • The beginning of Gawai Dayak (Dayaks in Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia)
    • World No Tobacco Day (International)

  • January 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
    • 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
    • 1265 – The first English parliament to include not only Lords but also representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now commonly known as the “Houses of Parliament”.
    • 1320 – Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes king of Poland.
    • 1356 – Edward Balliol surrenders his claim to the Scottish throne to Edward III in exchange for an English pension.
    • 1523 – Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway.
    • 1567 – Battle of Rio de Janeiro: Portuguese forces under the command of Estácio de Sá definitively drive the French out of Rio de Janeiro.
    • 1576 – The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almanza.
    • 1649 – The High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I begins its proceedings.
    • 1783 – The Kingdom of Great Britain signed preliminary articles of peace with France, setting the stage to the official end of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War later that year.
    • 1785 – Invading Siamese forces attempt to exploit the political chaos in Vietnam, but are ambushed and annihilated at the Mekong river by the Tây Sơn in the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút.
    • 1788 – The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony.
    • 1839 – In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats an alliance between Peru and Bolivia.
    • 1841 – Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British.
    • 1877 – The last day of the Constantinople Conference results in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans.
    • 1887 – The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.
    • 1921 – The British K-class submarine HMS K5 sinks in the English Channel; all 56 on board die.
    • 1921 – The first Constitution of Turkey is adopted, making fundamental changes in the source and exercise of sovereignty by consecrating the principle of national sovereignty.
    • 1929 – The first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors, In Old Arizona, is released.
    • 1936 – King George V of the United Kingdom dies. His eldest son succeeds to the throne, becoming Edward VIII. The title Prince of Wales is not used for another 22 years.
    • 1937 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner are sworn in for their second terms as U.S. President and U.S. Vice President; it is the first time a Presidential Inauguration takes place on January 20 since the 20th Amendment changed the dates of presidential terms.
    • 1941 – A German officer is killed in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers.
    • 1942 – World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the “Final Solution to the Jewish question”.
    • 1945 – World War II: The provisional government of Béla Miklós in Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies.
    • 1945 – World War II: Germany begins the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months.
    • 1949 – Point Four Program a program for economic aid to poor countries announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address for a full term as President.
    • 1953 – Dwight D. Eisenhower is inaugurated as the 34th President of the United States of America.
    • 1954 – In the United States, the National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations.
    • 1961 – John F. Kennedy is inaugurated the 35th President of the United States of America, becoming the second youngest man to take the office, and the first Catholic.
    • 1969 – Richard Nixon is inaugurated the 37th President of the United States of America.
    • 1972 – Pakistan launched its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
    • 1977 – Jimmy Carter is inaugurated the 39th President of the United States of America.
    • 1981 – Ronald Reagan is inaugurated the 40th President of the United States of America. Twenty minutes later, Iran releases 52 American hostages.
    • 1986 – In the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
    • 1989 – George H. W. Bush is inaugurated the 41st President of the United States of America.
    • 1990 – Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.
    • 1991 – Sudan’s government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country’s Muslim north and Christian south.
    • 1992 – Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320-111, crashes into a mountain near Strasbourg, France killing 87 of the 96 people on board.
    • 1993 – Bill Clinton is inaugurated the 42nd President of the United States of America.
    • 2001 – George W. Bush is inaugurated the 43rd President of the United States of America.
    • 2001 – President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent 4-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
    • 2009 – Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, becoming the first African-American President of the United States.
    • 2009 – A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start.
    • 2017 – Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America, becoming the oldest person to assume the office.
    • 2018 – A group of four or five gunmen attack The Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle. The attack kills 40 people and injures many others.

    Births on January 20

    • 225 – Gordian III, Roman emperor (d. 244)
    • 1029 – Alp Arslan, Seljuk sultan (probable; d. 1072)
    • 1292 – Elizabeth of Bohemia, queen consort of Bohemia (d. 1330)
    • 1436 – Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Japanese shōgun (d. 1490)
    • 1488 – John George, Marquess of Montferrat, Italian noble (d. 1533)
    • 1488 – Sebastian Münster, German scholar, cartographer, and cosmographer (d. 1552)
    • 1499 – Sebastian Franck, German humanist (probable; d. 1543)
    • 1502 – Sebastian de Aparicio, Spanish-Mexican rancher and missionary (d. 1600)
    • 1526 – Rafael Bombelli, Italian mathematician (d. 1572)
    • 1554 – Sebastian of Portugal (d. 1578)
    • 1569 – Heribert Rosweyde, Jesuit hagiographer (d. 1629)
    • 1573 – Simon Marius, German astronomer and academic (d. 1624)
    • 1586 – Johann Hermann Schein, German composer (d. 1630)
    • 1664 – Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian lawyer and jurist (d. 1718)
    • 1703 – Joseph-Hector Fiocco, Flemish violinist and composer (d. 1741)
    • 1716 – Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French archaeologist and numismatist (d. 1795)
    • 1716 – Charles III of Spain (d. 1788)
    • 1732 – Richard Henry Lee, American lawyer and politician, President of the Continental Congress (d. 1794)
    • 1741 – Carl Linnaeus the Younger, Swedish botanist and author (d. 1783)
    • 1755 – Sir Albemarle Bertie, 1st Baronet, English admiral (d. 1824)
    • 1762 – Jérôme-Joseph de Momigny, Belgian-French composer and theorist (d. 1842)
    • 1775 – André-Marie Ampère, French physicist and mathematician (d. 1836)
    • 1781 – Joseph Hormayr, Baron zu Hortenburg, Austrian-German historian and politician (d. 1848)
    • 1783 – Friedrich Dotzauer, German cellist and composer (d. 1860)
    • 1799 – Anson Jones, American physician and politician, 5th President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1858)
    • 1804 – Eugène Sue, French author and politician (d. 1857)
    • 1812 – Thomas Meik, Scottish engineer (d. 1896)
    • 1814 – David Wilmot, American politician, sponsor of Wilmot Proviso (d. 1868)
    • 1834 – George D. Robinson, American lawyer and politician, 34th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
    • 1855 – Ernest Chausson, French composer (d. 1899)
    • 1856 – Harriot Stanton Blatch, U.S. suffragist and organizer (d. 1940)
    • 1865 – Yvette Guilbert, French singer and actress (d. 1944)
    • 1870 – Guillaume Lekeu, Belgian pianist and composer (d. 1894)
    • 1873 – Johannes V. Jensen, Danish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
    • 1874 – Steve Bloomer, English footballer and coach (d. 1938)
    • 1876 – Josef Hofmann, Polish-American pianist and composer (d. 1957)
    • 1878 – Finlay Currie, Scottish-English actor (d. 1968)
    • 1879 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and educator (d. 1968)
    • 1880 – Walter W. Bacon, American accountant and politician, 60th Governor of Delaware (d. 1962)
    • 1882 – Johnny Torrio, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1957)
    • 1883 – Enoch L. Johnson, American mob boss (d. 1968)
    • 1883 – Forrest Wilson, American journalist and author (d. 1942)
    • 1888 – Lead Belly, American folk/blues musician and songwriter (d. 1949)
    • 1889 – Allan Haines Loughead, American engineer and businessman, founded the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company (d. 1969)
    • 1891 – Mischa Elman, Ukrainian-American violinist (d. 1967)
    • 1893 – Georg Åberg, Swedish triple jumper (d. 1946)
    • 1894 – Harold Gray, American cartoonist, created Little Orphan Annie (d. 1968)
    • 1894 – Walter Piston, American composer, theorist, and academic (d. 1976)
    • 1895 – Gábor Szegő, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1985)
    • 1896 – George Burns, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1996)
    • 1898 – U Razak, Burmese educator and politician (d. 1947)
    • 1899 – Clarice Cliff, English potter (d. 1972)
    • 1899 – Kenjiro Takayanagi, Japanese engineer (d. 1990)
    • 1900 – Dorothy Annan, English painter, potter, and muralist (d. 1983)
    • 1900 – Colin Clive, English actor (d. 1937)
    • 1902 – Leon Ames, American actor (d. 1993)
    • 1902 – Kevin Barry, Irish Republican Army volunteer (d. 1920)
    • 1906 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate (d. 1975)
    • 1907 – Paula Wessely, Austrian actress and producer (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Fleur Cowles, American author and illustrator (d. 2009)
    • 1909 – Gōgen Yamaguchi, Japanese martial artist (d. 1989)
    • 1910 – Joy Adamson, Austria-born Kenyan painter and author (d. 1980)
    • 1913 – W. Cleon Skousen, American author and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1915 – Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Pakistani businessman and politician, 7th President of Pakistan (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Juan García Esquivel, Mexican pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – Nevin Scrimshaw, American scientist (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Federico Fellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1920 – DeForest Kelley, American actor (d. 1999)
    • 1920 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper and author (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Telmo Zarra, Spanish footballer (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Ray Anthony, American trumpet player, composer, bandleader, and actor
    • 1922 – Don Mankiewicz, American author and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Slim Whitman, American country and western singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Yvonne Loriod, French pianist and composer (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Jamiluddin Aali, Pakistani poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Ernesto Cardenal, Nicaraguan priest, poet, and politician (d. 2020)
    • 1926 – Patricia Neal, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – David Tudor, American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1927 – Qurratulain Hyder, Indian-Pakistani journalist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1928 – Antonio de Almeida, French conductor and musicologist (d. 1997)
    • 1929 – Arte Johnson, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Masaharu Kawakatsu, Japanese biologist
    • 1929 – Fireball Roberts, American race car driver (d. 1964)
    • 1930 – Buzz Aldrin, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1931 – David Lee, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1931 – Hachidai Nakamura, Japanese pianist and composer (d. 1992)
    • 1932 – Lou Fontinato, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2016)
    • 1934 – Hennie Aucamp, South African poet, author, and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Tom Baker, English actor
    • 1935 – Dorothy Provine, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2010)
    • 1937 – Bailey Howell, American basketball player
    • 1938 – Derek Dougan, Irish-English footballer and journalist (d. 2007)
    • 1939 – Paul Coverdell, American captain and politician (d. 2000)
    • 1939 – Chandra Wickramasinghe, Sri Lankan-English mathematician, astronomer, and biologist
    • 1940 – Carol Heiss, American figure skater and actress
    • 1940 – Krishnam Raju, Indian actor and politician
    • 1940 – Mandé Sidibé, Malian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Mali (d. 2009)
    • 1942 – Linda Moulton Howe, American journalist and producer
    • 1944 – José Luis Garci, Spanish director and producer
    • 1944 – Farhad Mehrad, Iranian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
    • 1944 – Pat Parker, African American poet
    • 1945 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist and sportscaster (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Eric Stewart, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1946 – David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1946 – Vladimír Merta, Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and journalist
    • 1947 – Cyrille Guimard, French cyclist and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Nancy Kress, American author and academic
    • 1948 – Natan Sharansky, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
    • 1949 – Göran Persson, Swedish lawyer and politician, 31st Prime Minister of Sweden
    • 1950 – Daniel Benzali, Brazilian-American actor
    • 1950 – William Mgimwa, Tanzanian banker and politician, 13th Tanzanian Minister of Finance (d. 2014)
    • 1950 – Mahamane Ousmane, Nigerien politician, President of Niger
    • 1951 – Iván Fischer, Hungarian conductor and composer
    • 1952 – Nikos Sideris, Greek psychiatrist and poet
    • 1952 – Paul Stanley, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1952 – John Witherow, South African-English journalist and author
    • 1953 – Jeffrey Epstein, American financier and convicted sex offender (d. 2019)
    • 1954 – Alison Seabeck, English lawyer and politician
    • 1955 – McKeeva Bush, Caymanian politician, Premier of the Cayman Islands
    • 1956 – Maria Larsson, Swedish educator and politician, Swedish Minister of Health and Social Affairs
    • 1956 – Bill Maher, American comedian, political commentator, media critic, television host, and producer
    • 1956 – John Naber, American swimmer
    • 1957 – Andy Sheppard, English saxophonist and composer
    • 1958 – Lorenzo Lamas, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1959 – Tami Hoag, American author
    • 1959 – R. A. Salvatore, American author
    • 1960 – Apa Sherpa, Nepalese-American mountaineer
    • 1960 – Scott Thunes, American bass player
    • 1960 – Will Wright, American video game designer, co-founded Maxis
    • 1963 – James Denton, American actor
    • 1963 – Mark Ryden, American painter and illustrator
    • 1964 – Ozzie Guillén, Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager
    • 1964 – Ron Harper, American basketball player and coach
    • 1964 – Jack Lewis, American soldier and author
    • 1964 – Kazushige Nojima, Japanese screenwriter and songwriter
    • 1964 – Aquilino Pimentel III, Filipino lawyer and politician
    • 1964 – Fareed Zakaria, Indian-American journalist and author
    • 1965 – Colin Calderwood, Scottish footballer defender and manager
    • 1965 – Sophie, Countess of Wessex
    • 1965 – Warren Joyce, English footballer and manager
    • 1965 – John Michael Montgomery, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1965 – Anton Weissenbacher, Romanian footballer
    • 1966 – Rainn Wilson, American actor
    • 1967 – Stacey Dash, American actress and television journalist
    • 1967 – Kellyanne Conway, American political strategist and pundit
    • 1968 – Nick Anderson, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Junior Murray, Grenadian cricketer
    • 1969 – Patrick K. Kroupa, American computer hacker and activist, co-founded MindVox
    • 1969 – Nicky Wire, Welsh singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1970 – Edwin McCain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1970 – Skeet Ulrich, American actor
    • 1971 – Derrick Green, American singer
    • 1971 – Gary Barlow, English singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
    • 1971 – Ger McDonnell, Irish mountaineer and engineer (d. 2008)
    • 1971 – Jung Woong-in, South Korean actor
    • 1971 – Questlove, American drummer, DJ, and producer
    • 1971 – Wakanohana Masaru, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 66th Yokozuna
    • 1972 – Nikki Haley, American accountant and politician, 116th Governor of South Carolina
    • 1973 – Stephen Crabb, Scottish-Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1973 – Queen Mathilde of Belgium
    • 1974 – David Dei, Italian footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Norberto Fontana, Argentinian racing driver
    • 1975 – Zac Goldsmith, English journalist and politician
    • 1976 – Kirsty Gallacher, Scottish journalist and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Michael Myers, American football player
    • 1976 – Gretha Smit, Dutch speed skater
    • 1977 – Paul Adams, South African cricketer and coach
    • 1978 – Salvatore Aronica, Italian footballer
    • 1978 – Sonja Kesselschläger, German heptathlete
    • 1978 – Allan Søgaard, Danish footballer
    • 1979 – Choo Ja-hyun, South Korean actress
    • 1979 – Will Young, English singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1980 – Karl Anderson, American wrestler
    • 1980 – Philippe Cousteau, Jr., American-French oceanographer and journalist
    • 1980 – Philippe Gagnon, Canadian swimmer
    • 1980 – Kim Jeong-hoon, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1980 – Petra Rampre, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1980 – Matthew Tuck, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1981 – Freddy Guzmán, Dominican baseball player
    • 1981 – Owen Hargreaves, English footballer
    • 1981 – Jason Richardson, American basketball player
    • 1982 – Ruchi Sanghvi, Indian computer engineer
    • 1982 – Fredrik Strømstad, Norwegian footballer
    • 1983 – Geovany Soto, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
    • 1983 – Mari Yaguchi, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1984 – Malek Jaziri, Tunisian tennis player
    • 1985 – Marina Inoue, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1985 – Tanel Sokk, Estonian basketball player
    • 1987 – Janin Lindenberg, German sprinter
    • 1987 – Marco Simoncelli, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2011)
    • 1988 – Uwa Elderson Echiéjilé, Nigerian footballer
    • 1988 – Jeffrén Suárez, Spanish footballer
    • 1989 – Nick Foles, American football player
    • 1989 – Washington Santana da Silva, Brazilian footballer
    • 1989 – Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1990 – Ray Thompson, Australian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Ciara Hanna, American actress and model
    • 1991 – Tom Cairney, Scottish footballer, midfielder
    • 1991 – Polona Hercog, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1991 – Jolyon Palmer, English racing driver
    • 1992 – Jorge Zárate, Mexican footballer
    • 1993 – Lorenzo Crisetig, Italian footballer
    • 1994 – Seán Kavanagh, Irish footballer, defender
    • 1994 – Lucas Piazon, Brazilian footballer
    • 1995 – Joey Badass, American rapper and actor
    • 1995 – Calum Chambers, English footballer, defender

    Deaths on January 20

    • 820 – Al-Shafi‘i, Arab scholar and jurist (b. 767)
    • 842 – Theophilos, Byzantine emperor (b. 813)
    • 882 – Louis the Younger, king of the East Frankish Kingdom
    • 924 – Li Jitao, Chinese general of Later Tang
    • 928 – Zhao Guangfeng, Chinese official and chancellor
    • 1029 – Heonae, Korean queen and regent (b. 964)
    • 1095 – Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester
    • 1156 – Henry, English bishop and saint
    • 1189 – Shi Zong, Chinese emperor of Jin (b. 1123)
    • 1191 – Frederick VI, duke of Swabia (b. 1167)
    • 1191 – Theobald V, count of Blois (b. 1130)
    • 1265 – John Maunsell, English Lord Chancellor
    • 1336 – John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (b. 1306)
    • 1343 – Robert, king of Naples (b. 1275)
    • 1479 – John II, king of Sicily (b. 1398)
    • 1568 – Myles Coverdale, English bishop and translator (b. 1488)
    • 1612 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1552)
    • 1663 – Isaac Ambrose, English minister and author (b. 1604)
    • 1666 – Anne of Austria, Queen and regent of France (b. 1601)
    • 1707 – Humphrey Hody, English scholar and theologian (b. 1659)
    • 1709 – François de la Chaise, French priest (b. 1624)
    • 1751 – John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol, English politician (b. 1665)
    • 1770 – Charles Yorke, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1722)
    • 1779 – David Garrick, English actor, producer, playwright, and manager (b. 1717)
    • 1810 – Benjamin Chew, American lawyer and judge (b. 1721)
    • 1819 – Charles IV, Spanish king (b. 1748)
    • 1837 – John Soane, English architect, designed the Bank of England (b. 1753)
    • 1841 – Jørgen Jørgensen, Danish explorer (b. 1780)
    • 1841 – Minh Mạng, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1791)
    • 1848 – Christian VIII, Danish king (b. 1786)
    • 1850 – Adam Oehlenschläger, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1779)
    • 1852 – Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 6th Yokozuna (b. 1794)
    • 1873 – Basil Moreau, French priest, founded the Congregation of Holy Cross (b. 1799)
    • 1875 – Jean-François Millet, French painter and educator (b. 1814)
    • 1891 – Kalākaua, king of Hawaii (b. 1836)
    • 1900 – John Ruskin, English painter and critic (b. 1819)
    • 1901 – Zénobe Gramme, Belgian engineer, invented the Gramme machine (b. 1826)
    • 1907 – Agnes Mary Clerke, Irish astronomer and author (b. 1842)
    • 1908 – John Ordronaux, American surgeon and academic (b. 1830)
    • 1913 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican engraver and illustrator (b. 1852)
    • 1915 – Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, Irish businessman, philanthropist, and politician (b. 1840)
    • 1920 – Georg Lurich, Estonian-Russian wrestler and strongman (b. 1876)
    • 1921 – Mary Watson Whitney, American astronomer and academic (b. 1847)
    • 1924 – Henry “Ivo” Crapp, Australian footballer and umpire (b. 1872)
    • 1936 – George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1865)
    • 1940 – Omar Bundy, American general (b. 1861)
    • 1944 – James McKeen Cattell, American psychologist and academic (b. 1860)
    • 1947 – Josh Gibson, American baseball player (b. 1911)
    • 1947 – Andrew Volstead, American member of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1860)
    • 1954 – Warren Bardsley, Australian cricketer (b. 1882)
    • 1954 – Fred Root, English cricketer and umpire (b. 1890)
    • 1955 – Robert P. T. Coffin, American author and poet (b. 1892)
    • 1962 – Robinson Jeffers, American poet and philosopher (b. 1887)
    • 1965 – Alan Freed, American radio host (b. 1922)
    • 1971 – Broncho Billy Anderson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1880)
    • 1971 – Minanogawa Tōzō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 34th Yokozuna (b. 1903)
    • 1973 – Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician and surgeon (b. 1885)
    • 1973 – Amílcar Cabral, Guinea Bissauan-Cape Verdian engineer and politician (b. 1924)
    • 1977 – Dimitrios Kiousopoulos, Greek jurist and politician, 151st Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1892)
    • 1980 – William Roberts, English soldier and painter (b. 1895)
    • 1983 – Garrincha, Brazilian footballer (b. 1933)
    • 1984 – Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer and actor (b. 1904)
    • 1988 – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Pakistani activist and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1988 – Dora Stratou, Greek dancer and choreographer (b. 1903)
    • 1989 – Alamgir Kabir, Bangladeshi director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
    • 1990 – Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (b. 1907)
    • 1993 – Audrey Hepburn, British actress and humanitarian activist (b. 1929)
    • 1994 – Matt Busby, Scottish footballer and coach (b. 1909)
    • 1994 – Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, first Kenyan Vice-President (b. 1911)
    • 1996 – Gerry Mulligan, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1927)
    • 2002 – Carrie Hamilton, American actress and singer (b. 1963)
    • 2003 – Al Hirschfeld, American painter and illustrator (b. 1903)
    • 2003 – Nedra Volz, American actress (b. 1908)
    • 2004 – Alan Brown, English racing driver (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan lawyer and academic (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Per Borten, Norwegian lawyer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Polish journalist and politician (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Miriam Rothschild, English zoologist, entomologist, and author (b. 1908)
    • 2009 – Stéphanos II Ghattas, Egyptian patriarch (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Etta James, American singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – John Levy, American bassist and manager (b. 1912)
    • 2012 – Ioannis Kefalogiannis, Greek politician, Greek Minister of the Interior (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Alejandro Rodriguez, Venezuelan-American pediatrician and psychiatrist (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Pavlos Matesis, Greek author and playwright (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Toyo Shibata, Japanese poet and author (b. 1911)
    • 2014 – Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Otis G. Pike, American judge and politician (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Jonas Trinkūnas, Lithuanian ethnologist and academic (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Edgar Froese, Russian-German keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1944)
    • 2016 – Mykolas Burokevičius, Lithuanian carpenter and politician (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (b. 1920)
    • 2018 – Paul Bocuse, French chef (b. 1926)
    • 2018 – Naomi Parker Fraley, American naval machiner (b. 1921)
    • 2020 – Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (b. 1947)
    • 2020 – Tom Fisher Railsback, American politician, member of the Illinois and U.S. House of Representatives

    Holidays and observances on January 20

    • Armed Forces Day (Mali)
    • Army Day (Laos)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Abadios
      • Blessed Basil Moreau
      • Eustochia Smeralda Calafato
      • Euthymius the Great
      • Fabian
      • Manchán of Lemanaghan
      • Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception Brando
      • Richard Rolle (Church of England)
      • Sebastian
      • Stephen Min Kuk-ka (one of The Korean Martyrs)
      • January 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Heroes’ Day (Cape Verde)
    • Inauguration Day, held every four years in odd-numbered years immediately following years divisible by 4, except for the public ceremony when January 20 falls on Sunday (the public ceremony is held the following day; however, the terms of offices still begin on the 20th) (United States of America, not a federal holiday for all government employees but only for those working in the Capital region)
    • Martyrs’ Day (Azerbaijan)