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  • August 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic.
    • AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under the leadership of Gaius Julius Civilis.
    • 527 – Justinian I becomes the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 607 – Ono no Imoko is dispatched as envoy to the Sui court in China (Traditional Japanese date: July 3, 607).
    • 902 – Taormina, the last Byzantine stronghold in Sicily, is captured by the Aghlabids army, concluding the Muslim conquest of Sicily.
    • 1203 – Isaac II Angelos, restored Eastern Roman Emperor, declares his son Alexios IV Angelos co-emperor after pressure from the forces of the Fourth Crusade.
    • 1291 – The Old Swiss Confederacy is formed with the signature of the Federal Charter.
    • 1469 – Louis XI of France founds the chivalric order called the Order of Saint Michael in Amboise.
    • 1498 – Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to visit what is now Venezuela.
    • 1571 – The Ottoman conquest of Cyprus is concluded, by the surrender of Famagusta.
    • 1620 – Speedwell leaves Delfshaven to bring pilgrims to America by way of England.
    • 1664 – Ottoman forces are defeated in the battle of Saint Gotthard by an Austrian army led by Raimondo Montecuccoli, resulting in the Peace of Vasvár.
    • 1714 – George, Elector of Hanover, becomes King George I of Great Britain, marking the beginning of the Georgian era of British history.
    • 1759 – Seven Years’ War: The Battle of Minden, an allied Anglo-German army victory over the French. In Britain this was one of a number of events that constituted the Annus Mirabilis of 1759 and is celebrated as Minden Day by certain British Army regiments.
    • 1774 – British scientist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen gas, corroborating the prior discovery of this element by German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.
    • 1798 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of the Nile (Battle of Aboukir Bay): Battle begins when a British fleet engages the French Revolutionary Navy fleet in an unusual night action.
    • 1800 – The Acts of Union 1800 are passed which merge the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
    • 1801 – First Barbary War: The American schooner USS Enterprise captures the Tripolitan polacca Tripoli in a single-ship action off the coast of modern-day Libya.
    • 1834 – Slavery is abolished in the British Empire as the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 comes into force, although it remains legal in the possessions of the East India Company until the passage of the Indian Slavery Act, 1843.
    • 1842 – The Lombard Street riot erupts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
    • 1849 – Joven Daniel wrecks at the coast of Araucanía, Chile, leading to allegations that local Mapuche tribes murdered survivors and kidnapped Elisa Bravo.
    • 1855 – The first ascent of Monte Rosa, the second highest summit in the Alps.
    • 1876 – Colorado is admitted as the 38th U.S. state.
    • 1893 – Henry Perky patents shredded wheat.
    • 1894 – The First Sino-Japanese War erupts between Japan and China over Korea.
    • 1907 – The start of the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island, the origin of the worldwide Scouting movement.
    • 1911 – Harriet Quimby takes her pilot’s test and becomes the first U.S. woman to earn an Aero Club of America aviator’s certificate.
    • 1914 – The German Empire declares war on the Russian Empire at the opening of World War I. The Swiss Army mobilizes because of World War I.
    • 1927 – The Nanchang Uprising marks the first significant battle in the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party. This day is commemorated as the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.
    • 1933 – Anti-Fascist activists Bruno Tesch, Walter Möller, Karl Wolff, and August Lütgens are executed by the Nazi regime in Altona.
    • 1936 – The Olympics opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler.
    • 1937 – Josip Broz Tito reads the resolution “Manifesto of constitutional congress of KPH” to the constitutive congress of KPH (Croatian Communist Party) in woods near Samobor.
    • 1943 – World War II: Operation Tidal Wave also known as “Black Sunday”, was a failed American attempt to destroy Romanian oil fields.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi German occupation breaks out in Warsaw, Poland.
    • 1946 – Leaders of the Russian Liberation Army, a force of Russian prisoners of war that collaborated with Nazi Germany, are executed in Moscow, Soviet Union for treason.
    • 1950 – Guam is organized as a United States commonwealth as President Harry S. Truman signs the Guam Organic Act.
    • 1957 – The United States and Canada form the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
    • 1960 – Dahomey (later renamed Benin) declares independence from France.
    • 1960 – Islamabad is declared the federal capital of the Government of Pakistan.
    • 1961 – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara orders the creation of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the nation’s first centralized military espionage organization.
    • 1964 – The former Belgian Congo is renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
    • 1965 – Frank Herbert’s novel, Dune was published for the first time. It was named as the world’s best-selling science fiction novel in 2003.
    • 1966 – Charles Whitman kills 16 people at the University of Texas at Austin before being killed by the police.
    • 1966 – Purges of intellectuals and imperialists becomes official China policy at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
    • 1968 – The coronation is held of Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei.
    • 1971 – The Concert for Bangladesh, organized by former Beatle George Harrison, is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
    • 1974 – Cyprus dispute: The United Nations Security Council authorizes the UNFICYP to create the “Green Line”, dividing Cyprus into two zones.
    • 1980 – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is elected President of Iceland and becomes the world’s first democratically elected female head of state.
    • 1980 – A train crash kills 18 people in County Cork, Ireland.
    • 1981 – MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.
    • 1984 – Commercial peat-cutters discover the preserved bog body of a man, called Lindow Man, at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, England.
    • 1988 – A British soldier was killed in the Inglis Barracks bombing in London, England.
    • 1993 – The Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993 comes to a peak.
    • 1998 – The establishment of Muslim Medics, one of the largest student-led societies in Imperial College London that provides both academic and wellbeing support to medical students of all backgrounds.
    • 2004 – A supermarket fire kills 396 people and injures 500 others in Asunción, Paraguay.
    • 2007 – The I-35W Mississippi River bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapses during the evening rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring 145.
    • 2008 – The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway begins operation as the fastest commuter rail system in the world.
    • 2008 – Eleven mountaineers from international expeditions died on K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth in the worst single accident in the history of K2 mountaineering.
    • 2017 – A suicide attack on a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan kills 20 people.

    Births on August 1

    • 10 BC – Claudius, Roman emperor (d. 54)
    • 126 – Pertinax, Roman emperor (d. 193)
    • 845 – Sugawara no Michizane, Japanese scholar and politician (d. 903)
    • 992 – Hyeonjong, Korean king (d. 1031)
    • 1068 – Taizu, Chinese emperor (d. 1123)
    • 1313 – Kōgon, Japanese emperor (d. 1364)
    • 1377 – Go-Komatsu, Japanese emperor (d. 1433)
    • 1385 – John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel (d. 1421)
    • 1410 – Jan IV, count of Nassau-Dillenburg (d. 1475)
    • 1492 – Wolfgang, German prince (d. 1566)
    • 1520 – Sigismund II, Polish king (d. 1572)
    • 1545 – Andrew Melville, Scottish theologian and scholar (d. 1622)
    • 1555 – Edward Kelley, English spirit medium (d. 1597)
    • 1579 – Luis Vélez de Guevara, Spanish author and playwright (d. 1644)
    • 1626 – Sabbatai Zevi, Montenegrin rabbi and theorist (d. 1676)
    • 1630 – Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1673)
    • 1659 – Sebastiano Ricci, Italian painter (d. 1734)
    • 1713 – Charles I, German duke and prince (d. 1780)
    • 1714 – Richard Wilson, Welsh painter and academic (d. 1782)
    • 1738 – Jacques François Dugommier, French general (d. 1794)
    • 1744 – Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, French soldier, biologist, and academic (d. 1829)
    • 1770 – William Clark, American soldier, explorer, and politician, 4th Governor of Missouri Territory (d. 1838)
    • 1778 – Mary Jefferson Eppes, daughter of Thomas Jefferson who died in childbirth (d. 1804)
    • 1779 – Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, author, and poet (d. 1843)
    • 1779 – Lorenz Oken, German-Swiss botanist, biologist, and ornithologist (d. 1851)
    • 1809 – William B. Travis, American colonel and lawyer (d. 1836)
    • 1815 – Richard Henry Dana, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1882)
    • 1818 – Maria Mitchell, American astronomer and academic (d. 1889)
    • 1819 – Herman Melville, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1891)
    • 1831 – Antonio Cotogni, Italian opera singer and educator (d. 1918)
    • 1843 – Robert Todd Lincoln, American lawyer and politician, 35th United States Secretary of War (d. 1926)
    • 1856 – George Coulthard, Australian footballer and cricketer (d. 1883)
    • 1858 – Gaston Doumergue, French lawyer and politician, 13th President of France (d. 1937)
    • 1858 – Hans Rott, Austrian organist and composer (d. 1884)
    • 1860 – Bazil Assan, Romanian engineer and explorer (d. 1918)
    • 1861 – Sammy Jones, Australian cricketer (d. 1951)
    • 1865 – Isobel Lilian Gloag, English painter (d. 1917)
    • 1871 – John Lester, American cricketer and soccer player (d. 1969)
    • 1877 – George Hackenschmidt, Estonian-English wrestler and strongman (d. 1968)
    • 1878 – Konstantinos Logothetopoulos, Greek physician and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1961)
    • 1881 – Otto Toeplitz, German mathematician and academic (d. 1940)
    • 1885 – George de Hevesy, Hungarian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1966)
    • 1889 – Walter Gerlach, German physicist and academic (d. 1979)
    • 1891 – Karl Kobelt, Swiss lawyer and politician, 52nd President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1968)
    • 1893 – Alexander of Greece (d. 1920)
    • 1894 – Ottavio Bottecchia, Italian cyclist (d. 1927)
    • 1898 – Morris Stoloff, American composer and musical director (d. 1980)
    • 1899 – Raymond Mays, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1980)
    • 1900 – Otto Nothling, Australian cricketer and rugby player (d. 1965)
    • 1901 – Francisco Guilledo, Filipino boxer (d. 1925)
    • 1903 – Paul Horgan, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1995)
    • 1905 – Helen Sawyer Hogg, American-Canadian astronomer and academic (d. 1993)
    • 1907 – Eric Shipton, Sri Lankan-English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1977)
    • 1910 – James Henry Govier, English painter and illustrator (d. 1974)
    • 1910 – Walter Scharf, American pianist and composer (d. 2003)
    • 1910 – Gerda Taro, German war photographer (d. 1937)
    • 1911 – Jackie Ormes, American journalist and cartoonist (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – David Brand, Australian politician, 19th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Gego, German-Venezuelan sculptor and academic (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – Henry Jones, American actor (d. 1999)
    • 1914 – Jack Delano, American photographer and composer (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Alan Moore, Australian painter and educator (d. 2015)
    • 1914 – J. Lee Thompson, English-Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Fiorenzo Angelini, Italian cardinal (d. 2014)
    • 1916 – Anne Hébert, Canadian author and poet (d. 2000)
    • 1918 – T. J. Jemison, American minister and activist (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Stanley Middleton, English author (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Raul Renter, Estonian economist and chess player (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Jack Kramer, American tennis player, sailor, and sportscaster (d. 2009)
    • 1921 – Pat McDonald, Australian actress (d. 1990)
    • 1922 – Arthur Hill, Canadian-American actor (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Val Bettin, American actor
    • 1924 – Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Frank Havens, American canoeist (d. 2018)
    • 1924 – Marcia Mae Jones, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Frank Worrell, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1967)
    • 1925 – Ernst Jandl, Austrian poet and author (d. 2000)
    • 1926 – George Hauptfuhrer, American basketball player and lawyer (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Hannah Hauxwell, English TV personality (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – María Teresa López Boegeholz, Chilean oceanographer (d. 2006)
    • 1927 – Anthony G. Bosco, American bishop (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Jack Shea, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Hafizullah Amin, Afghan educator and politician, Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1979)
    • 1929 – Ann Calvello, American roller derby racer (d. 2006)
    • 1929 – Leila Abashidze, Georgian actress (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – Lionel Bart, English composer (d. 1999)
    • 1930 – Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher (d. 2002)
    • 1930 – Julie Bovasso, American actress and writer (d. 1991)
    • 1930 – Lawrence Eagleburger, American lieutenant and politician, 62nd United States Secretary of State (d. 2011)
    • 1930 – Károly Grósz, Hungarian politician, 51st Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1996)
    • 1930 – Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian-American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1931 – Trevor Goddard, South African cricketer (d. 2016)
    • 1932 – Meir Kahane, American-Israeli rabbi and activist, founded the Jewish Defense League (d. 1990)
    • 1932 – Meena Kumari, Indian actress (d. 1972)
    • 1933 – Dom DeLuise, American actor, singer, director, and producer (d. 2009)
    • 1933 – Masaichi Kaneda, Japanese baseball player and manager (d. 2019)
    • 1933 – Teri Shields, American actress, producer, and agent (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Dušan Třeštík, Czech historian and author (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – John Beck, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2000)
    • 1934 – Derek Birdsall, English graphic designer
    • 1935 – Geoff Pullar, English cricketer (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – W. D. Hamilton, Egyptian born British biologist, psychologist, and academic (d. 2000)
    • 1936 – Yves Saint Laurent, Algerian-French fashion designer, co-founded Yves Saint Laurent (d. 2008)
    • 1936 – Laurie Taylor, English sociologist, radio host, and academic
    • 1937 – Al D’Amato, American lawyer and politician
    • 1939 – Bob Frankford, English-Canadian physician and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1939 – Terry Kiser, American actor
    • 1939 – Stephen Sykes, English bishop and theologian (d. 2014)
    • 1939 – Robert James Waller, American author and photographer (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Mervyn Kitchen, English cricketer and umpire
    • 1940 – Henry Silverman, American businessman, founded Cendant
    • 1940 – Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, Iranian writer and actor
    • 1941 – Ron Brown, American captain and politician, 30th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 1996)
    • 1941 – Étienne Roda-Gil, French songwriter and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1942 – Jerry Garcia, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995)
    • 1942 – Giancarlo Giannini, Italian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1944 – Dmitry Nikolayevich Filippov, Russian banker and politician (d. 1998)
    • 1945 – Douglas Osheroff, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1946 – Boz Burrell, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1946 – Rick Coonce, American drummer (d. 2011)
    • 1946 – Richard O. Covey, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1946 – Fiona Stanley, Australian epidemiologist and academic
    • 1947 – Lorna Goodison, Jamaican poet and author
    • 1947 – Chantal Montellier, French comics creator and artist
    • 1948 – Avi Arad, Israeli-American screenwriter and producer, founded Marvel Studios
    • 1948 – Cliff Branch, American football player
    • 1948 – David Gemmell, English journalist and author (d. 2006)
    • 1949 – Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Kyrgyzstani politician, 2nd President of Kyrgyzstan
    • 1949 – Jim Carroll, American poet, author, and musician (d. 2009)
    • 1949 – Ray Nettles, American football player (d. 2009)
    • 1950 – Roy Williams, American basketball player and coach
    • 1951 – Tim Bachman, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Tommy Bolin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1976)
    • 1951 – Pete Mackanin, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1952 – Zoran Đinđić, Serbian philosopher and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Serbia (d. 2003)
    • 1953 – Robert Cray, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – Howard Kurtz, American journalist and author
    • 1954 – Trevor Berbick, Jamaican-Canadian boxer (d. 2006)
    • 1954 – James Gleick, American journalist and author
    • 1954 – Benno Möhlmann, German footballer and manager
    • 1957 – Taylor Negron, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1958 – Rob Buck, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2000)
    • 1958 – Michael Penn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1958 – Kiki Vandeweghe, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Joe Elliott, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1960 – Chuck D, American rapper and songwriter
    • 1960 – Suzi Gardner, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – Jacob Matlala, South African boxer (d. 2013)
    • 1963 – Demián Bichir, Mexican-American actor and producer
    • 1963 – Coolio, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1963 – John Carroll Lynch, American actor
    • 1963 – Koichi Wakata, Japanese astronaut and engineer
    • 1963 – Dean Wareham, New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1964 – Adam Duritz, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1964 – Fiona Hyslop, Scottish businesswoman and politician
    • 1964 – Augusta Read Thomas, American composer, conductor and educator
    • 1965 – Brandt Jobe, American golfer
    • 1965 – Sam Mendes, English director and producer
    • 1966 – James St. James, American club promoter and author
    • 1967 – Gregg Jefferies, American baseball player and coach
    • 1967 – José Padilha, Brazilian director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Stacey Augmon, American basketball player and coach
    • 1968 – Dan Donegan, American heavy metal guitarist and songwriter
    • 1968 – Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Japanese baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Andrei Borissov, Estonian footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Kevin Jarvis, American baseball player and scout
    • 1969 – Graham Thorpe, English cricketer and journalist
    • 1970 – Quentin Coryatt, American football player
    • 1970 – David James, English footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Eugenie van Leeuwen, Dutch cricketer
    • 1972 – Nicke Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1972 – Christer Basma, Norwegian footballer and coach
    • 1972 – Todd Bouman, American football player and coach
    • 1972 – Thomas Woods, American historian, economist, and academic
    • 1973 – Gregg Berhalter, American soccer player and coach
    • 1973 – Veerle Dejaeghere, Belgian runner
    • 1973 – Edurne Pasaban, Spanish mountaineer
    • 1974 – Cher Calvin, American journalist
    • 1974 – Marek Galiński, Polish cyclist (d. 2014)
    • 1974 – Tyron Henderson, South African cricketer
    • 1974 – Dennis Lawrence, Trinidadian footballer and coach
    • 1974 – Beckie Scott, Canadian skier
    • 1975 – Vhrsti, Czech author and illustrator
    • 1976 – Don Hertzfeldt, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor
    • 1976 – Søren Jochumsen, Danish footballer
    • 1976 – Nwankwo Kanu, Nigerian footballer
    • 1976 – David Nemirovsky, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1976 – Hasan Şaş, Turkish footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Cristian Stoica, Romanian-Italian rugby player
    • 1977 – Marc Denis, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Haspop, French-Moroccan dancer, choreographer, and actor
    • 1977 – Darnerien McCants, American-Canadian football player
    • 1977 – Damien Saez, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Yoshi Tatsu, Japanese wrestler and boxer
    • 1978 – Andy Blignaut, Zimbabwean cricketer
    • 1978 – Björn Ferry, Swedish biathlete
    • 1978 – Dhani Harrison, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Chris Iwelumo, Scottish footballer
    • 1978 – Edgerrin James, American football player
    • 1979 – Junior Agogo, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1979 – Nathan Fien, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1979 – Jason Momoa, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1980 – Mancini, Brazilian footballer
    • 1980 – Romain Barras, French decathlete
    • 1980 – Esteban Paredes, Chilean footballer
    • 1981 – Dean Cox, Australian footballer
    • 1981 – Pia Haraldsen, Norwegian journalist and author
    • 1981 – Christofer Heimeroth, German footballer
    • 1981 – Stephen Hunt, Irish footballer
    • 1981 – Jamie Jones-Buchanan, English rugby player
    • 1982 – Basem Fathi, Jordanian footballer
    • 1982 – Montserrat Lombard, English actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1983 – Bobby Carpenter, American football player
    • 1983 – Craig Clarke, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1983 – Julien Faubert, French footballer
    • 1983 – David Gervasi, Swiss decathlete
    • 1984 – Steve Feak, American game designer
    • 1984 – Francesco Gavazzi, Italian cyclist
    • 1984 – Brandon Kintzler, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Bastian Schweinsteiger, German footballer
    • 1985 – Stuart Holden, Scottish-American soccer player
    • 1985 – Adam Jones, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Cole Kimball, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Tendai Mtawarira, South African rugby player
    • 1985 – Kris Stadsgaard, Danish footballer
    • 1985 – Dušan Švento, Slovak footballer
    • 1986 – Damien Allen, English footballer
    • 1986 – Anton Strålman, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Andrew Taylor, English footballer
    • 1986 – Elena Vesnina, Russian tennis player
    • 1986 – Mike Wallace, American football player
    • 1987 – Iago Aspas, Spanish footballer
    • 1987 – Karen Carney, English women’s football winger
    • 1987 – Sébastien Pocognoli, Belgian footballer
    • 1987 – Lee Wallace, Scottish footballer
    • 1988 – Mustafa Abdellaoue, Norwegian footballer
    • 1988 – Patryk Małecki, Polish footballer
    • 1988 – Bodene Thompson, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1989 – Madison Bumgarner, American baseball player
    • 1989 – Tiffany Hwang, Korean American singer, songwriter, and actress
    • 1990 – Aledmys Díaz, Cuban baseball player
    • 1990 – Jean Hugues Gregoire, Mauritian swimmer
    • 1990 – Elton Jantjies, South African rugby player
    • 1991 – Piotr Malarczyk, Polish footballer
    • 1991 – Marco Puntoriere, Italian footballer
    • 1992 – Austin Rivers, American basketball player
    • 1992 – Mrunal Thakur, Indian actress
    • 1993 – Álex Abrines, Spanish basketball player
    • 1993 – Leon Thomas III, American actor and singer
    • 1994 – Sergeal Petersen, South African rugby player
    • 1994 – Ayaka Wada, Japanese singer
    • 1996 – Katie Boulter, English tennis player
    • 2001 – Park Si-eun, South Korean actress

    Deaths on August 1

    • 30 BC – Mark Antony, Roman general and politician (b. 83 BC)
    • 371 – Eusebius of Vercelli, Italian bishop and saint (b. 283)
    • 527 – Justin I, Byzantine emperor (b. 450)
    • 873 – Thachulf, duke of Thuringia
    • 946 – Ali ibn Isa al-Jarrah, Abbasid vizier (b. 859)
    • 946 – Lady Xu Xinyue, Chinese queen (b. 902)
    • 953 – Yingtian, Chinese Khitan empress (b. 879)
    • 984 – Æthelwold, bishop of Winchester
    • 1098 – Adhemar of Le Puy, French papal legate
    • 1137 – Louis VI, king of France (b. 1081)
    • 1146 – Vsevolod II of Kiev, Russian prince
    • 1227 – Shimazu Tadahisa, Japanese warlord (b. 1179)
    • 1252 – Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, Italian archbishop and explorer (b. 1180)
    • 1299 – Conrad de Lichtenberg, Bishop of Strasbourg (b. 1240)
    • 1402 – Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1341)
    • 1457 – Lorenzo Valla, Italian author and educator (b. 1406)
    • 1464 – Cosimo de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1386)
    • 1494 – Giovanni Santi, artist and father of Raphael (b. c. 1435)
    • 1541 – Simon Grynaeus, German theologian and scholar (b. 1493)
    • 1543 – Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1488)
    • 1546 – Peter Faber, French Jesuit theologian (b. 1506)
    • 1557 – Olaus Magnus, Swedish archbishop, historian, and cartographer (b. 1490)
    • 1580 – Albrecht Giese, Polish-German politician and diplomat (b. 1524)
    • 1589 – Jacques Clément, French assassin of Henry III of France (b. 1567)
    • 1603 – Matthew Browne, English politician (b. 1563)
    • 1714 – Anne, Queen of Great Britain (b. 1665)
    • 1787 – Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1696)
    • 1795 – Clas Bjerkander, Swedish meteorologist, botanist, and entomologist (b. 1735)
    • 1796 – Sir Robert Pigot, 2nd Baronet, English colonel and politician (b. 1720)
    • 1798 – François-Paul Brueys d’Aigalliers, French admiral (b. 1753)
    • 1807 – John Boorman, English cricketer (b. c. 1754)
    • 1807 – John Walker, English actor, philologist, and lexicographer (b. 1732)
    • 1808 – Lady Diana Beauclerk, English painter and illustrator (b. 1734)
    • 1812 – Yakov Kulnev, Russian general (b. 1763)
    • 1851 – William Joseph Behr, German publicist and academic (b. 1775)
    • 1863 – Jind Kaur Majarani (Regent) of the Sikh Empire (b. 1817)
    • 1866 – John Ross, American tribal chief (b. 1790)
    • 1869 – Peter Julian Eymard, French Priest and Founder Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (b. 1811)
    • 1869 – Richard Dry, Australian politician, 7th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1815)
    • 1903 – Calamity Jane, American frontierswoman and scout (b. 1853)
    • 1911 – Edwin Austin Abbey, American painter and illustrator (b. 1852)
    • 1911 – Samuel Arza Davenport, American lawyer and politician (b. 1843)
    • 1918 – John Riley Banister, American cowboy and police officer (b. 1854)
    • 1920 – Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Indian lawyer and journalist (b. 1856)
    • 1921 – T.J. Ryan, Australian politician, 19th Premier of Queensland (b. 1876)
    • 1922 – Donát Bánki, Hungarian engineer (b. 1856)
    • 1929 – Syd Gregory, Australian cricketer (b. 1870)
    • 1938 – Edmund C. Tarbell, American painter and academic (b. 1862)
    • 1943 – Lydia Litvyak, Russian lieutenant and pilot (b. 1921)
    • 1944 – Manuel L. Quezon, Filipino soldier, lawyer, and politician, 2nd President of the Philippines (b. 1878)
    • 1959 – Jean Behra, French race car driver (b. 1921)
    • 1963 – Theodore Roethke, American poet (b. 1908)
    • 1966 – Charles Whitman, American murderer (b. 1941)
    • 1967 – Richard Kuhn, Austrian-German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1900)
    • 1970 – Frances Farmer, American actress (b. 1913)
    • 1970 – Doris Fleeson, American journalist (b. 1901)
    • 1970 – Otto Heinrich Warburg, German physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1883)
    • 1973 – Gian Francesco Malipiero, Italian composer and educator (b. 1882)
    • 1973 – Walter Ulbricht, German soldier and politician (b. 1893)
    • 1974 – Ildebrando Antoniutti, Italian cardinal (b. 1898)
    • 1977 – Francis Gary Powers, American captain and pilot (b. 1929)
    • 1980 – Patrick Depailler, French race car driver (b. 1944)
    • 1980 – Strother Martin, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 1981 – Paddy Chayefsky, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
    • 1982 – T. Thirunavukarasu, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (b. 1933)
    • 1989 – John Ogdon, English pianist and composer (b. 1937)
    • 1990 – Norbert Elias, German-Dutch sociologist, author, and academic (b. 1897)
    • 1996 – Tadeusz Reichstein, Polish-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
    • 1996 – Lucille Teasdale-Corti, Canadian physician and surgeon (b. 1929)
    • 1998 – Eva Bartok, Hungarian-British actress (b. 1927)
    • 2001 – Korey Stringer, American football player (b. 1974)
    • 2003 – Guy Thys, Belgian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2003 – Marie Trintignant, French actress and screenwriter (b. 1962)
    • 2004 – Philip Abelson, American physicist and author (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Al Aronowitz, American journalist (b. 1928)
    • 2005 – Wim Boost, Dutch cartoonist and educator (b. 1918)
    • 2005 – Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter and sculptor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Fahd of Saudi Arabia (b. 1923)
    • 2006 – Bob Thaves, American illustrator (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Iris Marion Young, American political scientist and activist (b. 1949)
    • 2007 – Tommy Makem, Irish singer-songwriter and banjo player (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – Gertan Klauber, Czech-English actor (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1916)
    • 2009 – Corazon Aquino, Filipino politician, 11th President of the Philippines (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – Lolita Lebrón, Puerto Rican-American activist (b. 1919)
    • 2010 – Eric Tindill, New Zealand rugby player and cricketer (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – Aldo Maldera, Italian footballer and agent (b. 1953)
    • 2012 – Douglas Townsend, American composer and musicologist (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Barry Trapnell, English cricketer and academic (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – John Amis, English journalist and critic (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Gail Kobe, American actress and producer (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Babe Martin, American baseball player (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Toby Saks, American cellist and educator (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Wilford White, American football player (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Valyantsin Byalkevich, Belarusian footballer and manager (b. 1973)
    • 2014 – Jan Roar Leikvoll, Norwegian author (b. 1974)
    • 2014 – Charles T. Payne, American soldier (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Mike Smith, English radio and television host (b. 1955)
    • 2015 – Stephan Beckenbauer, German footballer and manager (b. 1968)
    • 2015 – Cilla Black, English singer and actress (b. 1943)
    • 2015 – Bernard d’Espagnat, French physicist, philosopher, and author (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – Bob Frankford, English-Canadian physician and politician (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Hong Yuanshuo, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1948)
    • 2016 – Queen Anne of Romania (b. 1923)

    Holidays and observances on August 1

    • Armed Forces Day (Lebanon)
    • Armed Forces Day (China) or Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Liberation Army (People’s Republic of China)
    • Azerbaijani Language and Alphabet Day (Azerbaijan)
    • Celebration of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 which ended the slavery in the British Empire, generally celebrated as a part of Carnival, as the Caribbean Carnival takes place at this time (British West Indies):
      • Earliest day on which Caribana celebration can fall, celebrated on the first Weekend of August. (Toronto)
      • Earliest day on which Emancipation Day can fall, celebrated on the first Monday of August. (Anguilla, the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands)
      • Emancipation Day (Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Abgar V of Edessa (Syrian Church)
      • Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori
      • Æthelwold of Winchester
      • Bernard Võ Văn Duệ (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)
      • Blessed Gerhard Hirschfelder
      • Eusebius of Vercelli
      • Exuperius of Bayeux
      • Felix of Girona
      • Peter Apostle in Chains
      • Procession of the Cross and the beginning of Dormition Fast (Eastern Orthodoxy)
      • The Holy Maccabees
      • August 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which August Bank Holiday (Ireland) can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August.
    • Earliest day on which Civic Holiday can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August. (Canada)
    • Earliest day on which Commerce Day, or Frídagur verslunarmanna, can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August. (Iceland)
    • Earliest day on which Constitution Day (Cook Islands) can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August.
    • Earliest day on which Farmers’ Day can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August. (Zambia)
    • Earliest day on which International Beer Day can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Friday of August.
    • Earliest day on which Friendship Day can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday of August. (United States)
    • Earliest day on which Kadooment Day can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August (Barbados)
    • Earliest day on which Labor Day (Samoa) can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August (Samoa)
    • Minden Day (United Kingdom)
    • National Day, celebrates the independence of Benin from France in 1960.
    • National Day, commemorates Switzerland becoming a single unit in 1291.
    • Official Birthday and Coronation Day of the King of Tonga (Tonga)
    • Parents’ Day (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
    • Statehood Day (Colorado)
    • Swiss National Day (Switzerland)
    • The beginning of autumn observances in the Northern hemisphere and spring observances in the Southern hemisphere (Neopagan Wheel of the Year):
      • Lughnasadh in the Northern hemisphere, Imbolc in the Southern hemisphere; traditionally begins on the eve of August 1. (Gaels, Ireland, Scotland, Neopagans)
      • Lammas (England, Scotland, Neopagans)
      • Pachamama Raymi (Quechuan in Ecuador and Peru)
    • The first day of Carnaval del Pueblo (Burgess Park, London, England)
    • Victory Day (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam)
    • World Scout Scarf Day
    • Yorkshire Day (Yorkshire, England)

  • July 9- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 491 – Odoacer makes a night assault with his Heruli guardsmen, engaging Theoderic the Great in Ad Pinetam. Both sides suffer heavy losses, but in the end Theodoric forces Odoacer back into Ravenna.
    • 551 – A major earthquake strikes Beirut, triggering a devastating tsunami that affected the coastal towns of Byzantine Phoenicia, causing thousands of deaths.
    • 660 – Korean forces under general Kim Yu-sin of Silla defeat the army of Baekje in the Battle of Hwangsanbeol.
    • 869 – The 8.4–9.0 Mw  Sanriku earthquake strikes the area around Sendai in northern Honshu, Japan. Inundation from the tsunami extended several kilometers inland.
    • 969 – The Fatimid general Jawhar leads the Friday prayer in Fustat in the name of Caliph al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah, thereby symbolically completing the Fatimid conquest of Egypt.
    • 1357 – Emperor Charles IV assists in laying the foundation stone of Charles Bridge in Prague.
    • 1386 – The Old Swiss Confederacy makes great strides in establishing control over its territory by soundly defeating the Archduchy of Austria in the Battle of Sempach.
    • 1401 – Timur attacks the Jalairid Sultanate and destroys Baghdad.
    • 1540 – King Henry VIII of England annuls his marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.
    • 1572 – Nineteen Catholics suffer martyrdom for their beliefs in the Dutch town of Gorkum.
    • 1609 – Bohemia is granted freedom of religion through the Letter of Majesty by the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II.
    • 1701 – A Bourbon force under Nicolas Catinat withdraws from a smaller Habsburg force under Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Battle of Carpi.
    • 1745 – French victory in the Battle of Melle allows them to capture Ghent in the days after.
    • 1755 – The Braddock Expedition is soundly defeated by a smaller French and Native American force in its attempt to capture Fort Duquesne in what is now downtown Pittsburgh.
    • 1762 – Catherine the Great becomes Empress of Russia following the coup against her husband, Peter III.
    • 1776 – George Washington orders the Declaration of Independence to be read out to members of the Continental Army in Manhattan, while thousands of British troops on Staten Island prepare for the Battle of Long Island.
    • 1789 – In Versailles, the National Assembly reconstitutes itself as the National Constituent Assembly and begins preparations for a French constitution.
    • 1790 – The Swedish Navy captures one third of the Russian Baltic fleet.
    • 1793 – The Act Against Slavery in Upper Canada bans the importation of slaves and will free those who are born into slavery after the passage of the Act at 25 years of age.
    • 1807 – The Treaties of Tilsit are signed by Napoleon I of France and Alexander I of Russia.
    • 1810 – Napoleon annexes the Kingdom of Holland as part of the First French Empire.
    • 1811 – Explorer David Thompson posts a sign near what is now Sacajawea State Park in Washington state, claiming the Columbia District for the United Kingdom.
    • 1815 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord becomes the first Prime Minister of France.
    • 1816 – Argentina declares independence from Spain.
    • 1821 – Four hundred and seventy prominent Cypriots including Archbishop Kyprianos are executed in response to Cypriot aid to the Greek War of Independence.
    • 1850 – U.S. President Zachary Taylor dies after eating raw fruit and iced milk; he is succeeded in office by Vice President Millard Fillmore.
    • 1850 – Persian prophet Báb is executed in Tabriz, Persia.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Siege of Port Hudson ends, giving the Union complete control of the Mississippi River.
    • 1868 – The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process of law.
    • 1875 – The Herzegovina Uprising against Ottoman rule begins, which would last until 1878 and have far-reaching implications throughout the Balkans.
    • 1877 – The inaugural Wimbledon Championships begins.
    • 1893 – Daniel Hale Williams, American heart surgeon, performs the first successful open-heart surgery in United States without anesthesia.
    • 1896 – William Jennings Bryan delivers his Cross of Gold speech advocating bimetallism at the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
    • 1900 – The Federation of Australia is given royal assent.
    • 1900 – The Governor of Shanxi province in North China orders the execution of 45 foreign Christian missionaries and local church members, including children.
    • 1918 – In Nashville, Tennessee, an inbound local train collides with an outbound express, killing 101 and injuring 171 people, making it the deadliest rail accident in United States history.
    • 1922 – Johnny Weissmuller swims the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds breaking the world swimming record and the ‘minute barrier’.
    • 1932 – The state of São Paulo revolts against the Brazilian Federal Government, starting the Constitutionalist Revolution.
    • 1937 – The silent film archives of Fox Film Corporation are destroyed by the 1937 Fox vault fire.
    • 1943 – World War II: The Allied invasion of Sicily soon causes the downfall of Mussolini and forces Hitler to break off the Battle of Kursk.
    • 1944 – World War II: American forces take Saipan, bringing the Japanese archipelago within range of B-29 raids, and causing the downfall of the Tojo government.
    • 1944 – World War II: Continuation War: Finland wins the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in northern Europe. The Red Army withdraws its troops from Ihantala and digs into a defensive position, thus ending the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive.
    • 1955 – The Russell–Einstein Manifesto calls for a reduction of the risk of nuclear warfare.
    • 1956 – The 7.7 Mw  Amorgos earthquake shakes the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The shaking and the destructive tsunami that followed left fifty-three people dead. A damaging M7.2 aftershock occurred minutes after the mainshock.
    • 1958 – A 7.8 Mw  strike-slip earthquake in Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reached 525 m (1,722 ft) on the rim of Lituya Bay; five people were killed.
    • 1962 – Starfish Prime tests the effects of a nuclear test at orbital altitudes.
    • 1979 – A car bomb destroys a Renault motor car owned by “Nazi hunters” Serge and Beate Klarsfeld outside their home in France in an unsuccessful assassination attempt.
    • 1982 – Pan Am Flight 759 crashes in Kenner, Louisiana, killing all 145 people on board and eight others on the ground.
    • 1986 – The New Zealand Parliament passes the Homosexual Law Reform Act legalising homosexuality in New Zealand.
    • 1993 – The Parliament of Canada passes the Nunavut Act leading to the 1999 creation of Nunavut, dividing the Northwest Territories into arctic (Inuit) and sub-arctic (Dene) lands based on a plebiscite.
    • 1995 – The Navaly church bombing is carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force killing 125 Tamil civilian refugees.
    • 1999 – Days of student protests begin after Iranian police and hardliners attack a student dormitory at the University of Tehran.
    • 2002 – The African Union is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The organization’s first chairman is Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa.
    • 2006 – One hundred and twenty-five people are killed when S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310 passenger jet, veers off the runway while landing in wet conditions at Irkutsk Airport in Siberia.
    • 2011 – South Sudan gains independence and secedes from Sudan.

    Births on July 9

    • 1249 – Emperor Kameyama of Japan (d. 1305)
    • 1455 – Frederick IV of Baden, Dutch bishop (d. 1517)
    • 1511 – Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (d. 1571)
    • 1526 – Elizabeth of Austria, Polish noble (d. 1545)
    • 1577 – Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, English-American soldier and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (d. 1618)
    • 1578 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1637)
    • 1654 – Emperor Reigen of Japan (d. 1732)
    • 1686 – Philip Livingston, American merchant and politician (d. 1749)
    • 1689 – Alexis Piron, French epigrammatist and playwright (d. 1773)
    • 1721 – Johann Nikolaus Götz, German poet and author (d. 1781)
    • 1753 – William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, English admiral and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1825)
    • 1764 – Ann Ward, English author and poet (d. 1823)
    • 1775 – Matthew Lewis, English author and playwright (d. 1818)
    • 1800 – Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician, pathologist, and anatomist (d. 1885)
    • 1808 – Alexander William Doniphan, American lawyer and colonel (d. 1887)
    • 1819 – Elias Howe, American inventor, invented the sewing machine (d. 1867)
    • 1825 – A. C. Gibbs, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of Oregon (d. 1886)
    • 1828 – Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano, Italian cardinal (d. 1913)
    • 1834 – Jan Neruda, Czech journalist and poet (d. 1891)
    • 1836 – Camille of Renesse-Breidbach (d. 1904)
    • 1848 – Robert I, Duke of Parma (d. 1907)
    • 1853 – William Turner Dannat, American painter (d. 1929)
    • 1856 – John Verran, English-Australian politician, 26th Premier of South Australia (d. 1932)
    • 1858 – Franz Boas, German-American anthropologist and linguist (d. 1942)
    • 1867 – Georges Lecomte, French author and playwright (d. 1958)
    • 1879 – Carlos Chagas, Brazilian physician and parasitologist (d. 1934)
    • 1879 – Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer and conductor (d. 1936)
    • 1887 – James Ormsbee Chapin, American-Canadian painter and illustrator (d. 1975)
    • 1887 – Saturnino Herrán, Mexican painter (d. 1918)
    • 1887 – Samuel Eliot Morison, American admiral and historian (d. 1976)
    • 1889 – Léo Dandurand, American-Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and referee (d. 1964)
    • 1893 – George Geary, English cricketer and coach (d. 1981)
    • 1901 – Barbara Cartland, prolific English author (d. 2000)
    • 1902 – Peter Acland, English soldier (d. 1993)
    • 1905 – Clarence Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (d. 1984)
    • 1907 – Eddie Dean, American singer-songwriter (d. 1999)
    • 1908 – Allamah Rasheed Turabi, Pakistani philosopher and scholar (d. 1973)
    • 1908 – Minor White, American photographer, critic, and educator (d. 1976)
    • 1909 – Basil Wolverton, American author and illustrator (d. 1978)
    • 1910 – Govan Mbeki, South African anti-apartheid and ANC leader and activist (d. 2001)
    • 1911 – Mervyn Peake, English author and illustrator (d. 1968)
    • 1911 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and author (d. 2008)
    • 1914 – Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of East Germany (d. 1999)
    • 1914 – Mac Wilson, Australian rules footballer (d. 2017)
    • 1915 – David Diamond, American composer and educator (d. 2005)
    • 1915 – Lee Embree, American sergeant and photographer (d. 2008)
    • 1916 – Dean Goffin, New Zealand composer (d. 1984)
    • 1916 – Edward Heath, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 2005)
    • 1917 – Krystyna Dańko, Polish orphan, survivor of Holocaust (d. 2019)
    • 1918 – Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn, Dutch mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – Jarl Wahlström, Finnish 12th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – David C. Jones, American general (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Angelines Fernández, Spanish-Mexican actress (d. 1994)
    • 1922 – Jim Pollard, American basketball player and coach (d. 1993)
    • 1924 – Pierre Cochereau, French organist and composer (d. 1984)
    • 1925 – Guru Dutt, Indian actor, director, and producer (d. 1964)
    • 1925 – Charles E. Wicks, American engineer, author, and academic (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Ronald I. Spiers, American ambassador
    • 1926 – Murphy Anderson, American illustrator (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Ben Roy Mottelson, American-Danish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1926 – Pedro Dellacha, Argentine football defender and coach (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – Mathilde Krim, Italian-American medical researcher and health educator (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – Ed Ames, American singer and actor
    • 1927 – Red Kelly, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Federico Bahamontes, Spanish cyclist
    • 1928 – Vince Edwards, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1996)
    • 1929 – Lee Hazlewood, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1929 – Jesse McReynolds, American singer and mandolin player
    • 1929 – Chi Haotian, Chinese general
    • 1929 – Hassan II of Morocco (d. 1999)
    • 1930 – K. Balachander, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Buddy Bregman, American composer and conductor (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Janice Lourie, American computer scientist and graphic artist
    • 1930 – Elsa Lystad, Norwegian actress
    • 1930 – Roy McLean, South African cricketer and rugby player (d. 2007)
    • 1931 – Haynes Johnson, American journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Sylvia Bacon, American judge
    • 1932 – Donald Rumsfeld, American captain and politician, 13th United States Secretary of Defense
    • 1932 – Amitzur Shapira, Israeli sprinter and long jumper (d. 1972)
    • 1933 – Oliver Sacks, English-American neurologist, author, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1934 – Michael Graves, American architect, designed the Portland Building and the Humana Building (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Wim Duisenberg, Dutch economist and politician, Dutch Minister of Finance (d. 2005)
    • 1935 – Mercedes Sosa, Argentinian singer and activist (d. 2009)
    • 1935 – Michael Williams, English actor (d. 2001)
    • 1936 – June Jordan, American poet and educator (d. 2002)
    • 1936 – David Zinman, American violinist and conductor
    • 1937 – David Hockney, English painter and photographer
    • 1938 – Brian Dennehy, American actor (d. 2020)
    • 1938 – Sanjeev Kumar, Indian film actor (d. 1985)
    • 1940 – David B. Frohnmayer, American lawyer and politician, 12th Oregon Attorney General (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Eugene Victor Wolfenstein, American psychoanalyst and theorist (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – Mac MacLeod, English musician
    • 1942 – David Chidgey, Baron Chidgey, English engineer and politician
    • 1942 – Richard Roundtree, American actor
    • 1943 – John Casper, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1944 – Judith M. Brown, Indian-English historian and academic
    • 1944 – John Cunniff, American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2002)
    • 1945 – Dean Koontz, American author and screenwriter
    • 1945 – Root Boy Slim, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1993)
    • 1946 – Bon Scott, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter (d. 1980)
    • 1947 – Haruomi Hosono, Japanese singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1947 – Mitch Mitchell, English drummer (d. 2008)
    • 1947 – O. J. Simpson, American football player and actor
    • 1947 – Patrick Wormald, English historian (d. 2004)
    • 1948 – Hassan Wirajuda, Indonesian lawyer and politician, 15th Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1949 – Raoul Cédras, Haitian military officer and politician
    • 1950 – Amal ibn Idris al-Alami, Moroccan physician and neurosurgeon
    • 1950 – Adriano Panatta, Italian tennis player and sailor
    • 1950 – Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrainian engineer and politician, 4th President of Ukraine
    • 1951 – Chris Cooper, American actor
    • 1951 – Māris Gailis, Latvian politician, businessman, and former Prime Minister of Latvia
    • 1952 – John Tesh, American pianist, composer, and radio and television host
    • 1953 – Margie Gillis, Canadian dancer and choreographer
    • 1953 – Thomas Ligotti, American author
    • 1954 – Théophile Abega, Cameroonian footballer and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Kevin O’Leary, Canadian journalist and businessman
    • 1955 – Steve Coppell, English footballer and manager
    • 1955 – Lindsey Graham, American colonel, lawyer, and politician
    • 1955 – Jimmy Smits, American actor and producer
    • 1955 – Willie Wilson, American baseball player and manager
    • 1956 – Tom Hanks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1956 – Michael Lederer, American author, poet, and playwright
    • 1957 – Marc Almond, English singer-songwriter
    • 1957 – Tim Kring, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1957 – Kelly McGillis, American actress
    • 1957 – Paul Merton, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Abdul Latiff Ahmad, Malaysian politician
    • 1958 – Jacob Joseph, Malaysian football coach
    • 1959 – Jim Kerr, Scottish singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1959 – Kevin Nash, American wrestler
    • 1959 – Clive Stafford Smith, English lawyer and author
    • 1960 – Yūko Asano, Japanese actress and singer
    • 1960 – Wally Fullerton Smith, Australian rugby league player
    • 1960 – Eduardo Montes-Bradley, Argentinian journalist, photographer, and author
    • 1963 – Klaus Theiss, German footballer
    • 1964 – Courtney Love, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
    • 1964 – Gianluca Vialli, Italian footballer and coach
    • 1965 – Frank Bello, American bass player
    • 1965 – Thomas Jahn, German director and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Jason Rhoades, American sculptor (d. 2006)
    • 1966 – Pamela Adlon, American actress and voice artist
    • 1966 – Zheng Cao, Chinese-American soprano and actress (d. 2013)
    • 1966 – Gary Glasberg, American television writer and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1966 – Marco Pennette, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1967 – Gunnar Axén, Swedish politician
    • 1967 – Yordan Letchkov, Bulgarian footballer
    • 1967 – Mark Stoops, American football player and coach
    • 1968 – Paolo Di Canio, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Lars Gyllenhaal, Swedish historian and author
    • 1969 – Nicklas Barker, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1969 – Jason Kearton, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1970 – Trent Green, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Masami Tsuda, Japanese author and illustrator
    • 1971 – Marc Andreessen, American software developer, co-founded Netscape
    • 1972 – Ara Babajian, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1973 – Kelly Holcomb, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Siân Berry, English environmentalist and politician
    • 1974 – Ian Bradshaw, Barbadian cricketer
    • 1974 – Gary Kelly, Irish footballer
    • 1974 – Nikola Šarčević, Swedish singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1975 – Shelton Benjamin, American wrestler
    • 1975 – Isaac Brock, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1975 – Robert Koenig, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1975 – Craig Quinnell, Welsh rugby player
    • 1975 – Jack White, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1976 – Thomas Cichon, Polish-German footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Fred Savage, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1976 – Radike Samo, Fijian-Australian rugby player
    • 1978 – Kara Goucher, American runner
    • 1978 – Nuno Santos, Portuguese footballer
    • 1979 – Gary Chaw, Malaysian Chinese singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Lee Chun-soo, South Korean footballer
    • 1981 – Junauda Petrus, American author and performance artist
    • 1982 – Alecko Eskandarian, American soccer player and manager
    • 1982 – Sakon Yamamoto, Japanese race car driver
    • 1984 – Chris Campoli, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Gianni Fabiano, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Jacob Hoggard, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1984 – Ave Pajo, Estonian footballer
    • 1984 – Piia Suomalainen, Finnish tennis player
    • 1984 – LA Tenorio, Filipino basketball player
    • 1985 – Paweł Korzeniowski, Polish swimmer
    • 1985 – Ashley Young, English footballer
    • 1986 – Sébastien Bassong, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1986 – Simon Dumont, American skier
    • 1986 – Kiely Williams, American singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1987 – Gert Jõeäär, Estonian cyclist
    • 1987 – Rebecca Sugar, American animator, composer, and screenwriter
    • 1988 – Raul Rusescu, Romanian footballer
    • 1990 – Earl Bamber, New Zealand race car driver
    • 1990 – Fábio, Brazilian footballer
    • 1990 – Rafael, Brazilian footballer
    • 1991 – Mitchel Musso, American actor and singer
    • 1993 – Mitch Larkin, Australian swimmer
    • 1993 – DeAndre Yedlin, American footballer
    • 1999 – Claire Corlett, American voice actress

    Deaths on July 9

    • 230 – Empress Dowager Bian, Cao Cao’s wife (b. 159)
    • 518 – Anastasius I Dicorus, Byzantine emperor (b. 430)
    • 715 – Naga, Japanese prince
    • 880 – Ariwara no Narihira, Japanese poet (b. 825)
    • 981 – Ramiro Garcés, king of Viguera
    • 1169 – Guido of Ravenna, Italian cartographer, entomologist and historian
    • 1228 – Stephen Langton, English cardinal and theologian (b. 1150)
    • 1270 – Stephen Báncsa, Hungarian cardinal (b. c. 1205)
    • 1386 – Leopold III, Duke of Austria (b. 1351)
    • 1441 – Jan van Eyck, Dutch painter
    • 1546 – Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell, Scottish statesman (b. c. 1493)
    • 1553 – Maurice, Elector of Saxony (b. 1521)
    • 1654 – Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans (b. 1633)
    • 1706 – Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, Canadian captain and explorer (b. 1661)
    • 1737 – Gian Gastone de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1671)
    • 1742 – John Oldmixon, English historian, poet, and playwright (b. 1673)
    • 1746 – Philip V of Spain (b. 1683)
    • 1747 – Giovanni Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer (b. 1670)
    • 1766 – Jonathan Mayhew, American minister (b. 1720)
    • 1795 – Henry Seymour Conway, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1721)
    • 1797 – Edmund Burke, Irish-English philosopher, academic, and politician (b. 1729)
    • 1828 – Cathinka Buchwieser, German operatic singer and actress (b. 1789)
    • 1850 – Báb, Persian religious leader, founded Bábism (b. 1819)
    • 1850 – Zachary Taylor, American general and politician, 12th President of the United States (b. 1784)
    • 1852 – Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1794)
    • 1856 – Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist and academic (b. 1776)
    • 1856 – James Strang, American religious leader and politician (b. 1813)
    • 1880 – Paul Broca, French physician and anatomist (b. 1824)
    • 1882 – Ignacio Carrera Pinto, Chilean captain (b. 1848)
    • 1903 – Alphonse François Renard, Belgian geologist and photographer (b. 1842)
    • 1927 – John Drew, Jr., American actor (b. 1853)
    • 1932 – King Camp Gillette, American businessman, founded the Gillette Company (b. 1855)
    • 1937 – Oliver Law, American commander (b. 1899)
    • 1938 – Benjamin N. Cardozo, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1870)
    • 1947 – Lucjan Żeligowski, Polish-Lithuanian general and politician (b. 1865)
    • 1949 – Fritz Hart, English-Australian composer and conductor (b. 1874)
    • 1951 – Harry Heilmann, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1894)
    • 1955 – Don Beauman, English race car driver (b. 1928)
    • 1955 – Adolfo de la Huerta, Mexican politician and provisional president, 1920 (b. 1881)
    • 1959 – Ferenc Talányi, Slovene journalist and painter (b. 1883)
    • 1962 – Georges Bataille, French philosopher, novelist, and poet (b. 1897)
    • 1961 – Whittaker Chambers, American spy and witness in Hiss case(b. 1901)
    • 1967 – Eugen Fischer, German physician and academic (b. 1874)
    • 1967 – Fatima Jinnah, Pakistani dentist and politician (b. 1893)
    • 1970 – Sigrid Holmquist, Swedish actress (b. 1899)
    • 1971 – Karl Ast, Estonian author and politician (b. 1886)
    • 1972 – Robert Weede, American opera singer (b. 1903)
    • 1974 – Earl Warren, American jurist and politician, 14th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1891)
    • 1977 – Alice Paul, American activist (b. 1885)
    • 1979 – Cornelia Otis Skinner, American actress and author (b. 1899)
    • 1980 – Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1913)
    • 1984 – Edna Ernestine Kramer, American mathematician (b. 1902)
    • 1985 – Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (b. 1896)
    • 1985 – Jimmy Kinnon, Scottish-American activist, founded Narcotics Anonymous (b. 1911)
    • 1986 – Patriarch Nicholas VI of Alexandria (b. 1915)
    • 1992 – Kelvin Coe, Australian ballet dancer (b. 1946)
    • 1992 – Eric Sevareid, American journalist (b. 1912)
    • 1993 – Metin Altıok, Turkish poet and educator (b. 1940)
    • 1994 – Bill Mosienko, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)
    • 1996 – Melvin Belli, American lawyer (b. 1907)
    • 1999 – Robert de Cotret, Canadian politician, 56th Secretary of State for Canada (b. 1944)
    • 2000 – Doug Fisher, English actor (b. 1941)
    • 2002 – Mayo Kaan, American bodybuilder (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Rod Steiger, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2004 – Paul Klebnikov, American journalist and historian (b. 1963)
    • 2004 – Isabel Sanford, American actress (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Chuck Cadman, Canadian engineer and politician (b. 1948)
    • 2005 – Yevgeny Grishin, Russian speed skater (b. 1931)
    • 2005 – Alex Shibicky, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1914)
    • 2006 – Milan Williams, American keyboard player and producer (b. 1948)
    • 2007 – Charles Lane, American actor (b. 1905)
    • 2008 – Séamus Brennan, Irish accountant and politician, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (b. 1948)
    • 2010 – Jessica Anderson, Australian author and playwright (b. 1916)
    • 2011 – Don Ackerman, American basketball player (b. 1930)
    • 2011 – Facundo Cabral, Argentinian singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
    • 2012 – Shin Jae-chul, South Korean-American martial artist (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Chick King, American baseball player (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Terepai Maoate, Cook Islander physician and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Eugênio Sales, Brazilian cardinal (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Markus Büchel, Liechtensteiner politician, 9th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein (b. 1959)
    • 2013 – Andrew Nori, Solomon lawyer and politician (b. 1952)
    • 2013 – Kiril of Varna, Bulgarian metropolitan (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – Barbara Robinson, American author and poet (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Toshi Seeger, American activist, co-founded the Clearwater Festival (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Lorenzo Álvarez Florentín, Paraguayan violinist and composer (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – David Azrieli, Polish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Eileen Ford, American businesswoman, co-founded Ford Models (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – John Spinks, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1953)
    • 2015 – Christian Audigier, French fashion designer (b. 1958)
    • 2015 – Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian economist and politician, Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1940)
    • 2019 – William E. Dannemeyer, American politician (b. 1929)
    • 2019 – Ross Perot, American businessman and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2019 – Fernando de la Rúa, 43rd President of Argentina (b. 1937)
    • 2019 – Rip Torn, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 2019 – Freddie Jones, English actor (b. 1927)

    Holidays and observances on July 9

    • Arbor Day (Cambodia)
    • Christian Feast Day:
      • Agilulfus of Cologne
      • Amandina of Schakkebroek (one of Martyrs of Southern Hunan)
      • Blessed Marija Petković
      • Everilda
      • Gregorio Grassi (one of Martyrs of Shanxi)
      • Martyr Saints of China
      • Martyrs of Gorkum
      • Our Lady of Itatí
      • Our Lady of Peace, Octave of the Visitation
      • Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá
      • Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus
      • Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (Anglican commemoration)
      • Veronica Giuliani
      • July 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Australia)
    • Constitution Day (Palau)
    • Constitutionalist Revolution Day (São Paulo)
    • Day of the Employees of the Diplomatic Service (Azerbaijan)
    • Earliest day on which Martyrdom of the Báb can fall, while July 10 is the latest; observed on the 17th of Raḥmat (Bahá’í Faith)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the United Provinces of South America by the Congress of Tucumán in 1816. (Argentina)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of South Sudan from Sudan in 2011.
    • Nunavut Day (Nunavut)

  • July 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    The Aphelion, the point in the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, occurs around this date.

    July 4 in History

    • 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans.
    • 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaimed herself empress (Augusta) of the Eastern Roman Empire.
    • 836 – Pactum Sicardi, a peace treaty between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples, is signed.
    • 993 – Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized as a saint.
    • 1054 – A supernova, called SN 1054, is seen by Chinese Song dynasty, Arab, and possibly Amerindian observers near the star Zeta Tauri. For several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day. Its remnants form the Crab Nebula.
    • 1120 – Jordan II of Capua is anointed as prince after his infant nephew’s death.
    • 1187 – The Crusades: Battle of Hattin: Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem.
    • 1253 – Battle of West-Capelle: John I of Avesnes defeats Guy of Dampierre.
    • 1359 – Francesco II Ordelaffi of Forlì surrenders to the Papal commander Gil de Albornoz.
    • 1456 – Ottoman–Hungarian wars: The Siege of Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) begins.
    • 1534 – Christian III is elected King of Denmark and Norway in the town of Rye.
    • 1584 – Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe arrive at Roanoke Island
    • 1610 – The Battle of Klushino is fought between forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia during the Polish–Muscovite War.
    • 1634 – The city of Trois-Rivières is founded in New France (now Quebec, Canada).
    • 1744 – The Treaty of Lancaster, in which the Iroquois cede lands between the Allegheny Mountains and the Ohio River to the British colonies, was signed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
    • 1774 – Orangetown Resolutions are adopted in the Province of New York, one of many protests against the British Parliament’s Coercive Acts.
    • 1776 – American Revolution: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress.
    • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: U.S. forces under George Clark capture Kaskaskia during the Illinois campaign.
    • 1802 – At West Point, New York, the United States Military Academy opens.
    • 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
    • 1817 – In Rome, New York, construction on the Erie Canal begins.
    • 1826 – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, respectively the second and third presidents of the United States, die the same day, on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence. Adams’ last words were, “Thomas Jefferson survives.”
    • 1827 – Slavery is abolished in the State of New York.
    • 1831 – Samuel Francis Smith writes “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” for the Boston, Massachusetts July 4 festivities.
    • 1837 – Grand Junction Railway, the world’s first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
    • 1838 – The Iowa Territory is organized.
    • 1845 – Henry David Thoreau moves into a small cabin on Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau’s account of his two years there, Walden, will become a touchstone of the environmental movement.
    • 1855 – The first edition of Walt Whitman’s book of poems, Leaves of Grass, is published In Brooklyn.
    • 1862 – Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Siege of Vicksburg: Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to U.S. forces under Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege. One hundred fifty miles up the Mississippi River, a Confederate army is repulsed at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Army of Northern Virginia withdraws from the battlefield after losing the Battle of Gettysburg, signalling an end to the Confederate invasion of U.S. territory.
    • 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: The Zululand capital of Ulundi is captured by British troops and burned to the ground, ending the war and forcing King Cetshwayo to flee.
    • 1881 – In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.
    • 1886 – The Canadian Pacific Railway’s first scheduled train from Montreal arrives in Port Moody on the Pacific coast, after six days of travel.
    • 1887 – The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, joins Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi.
    • 1892 – Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, causing Monday (July 4) to occur twice, resulting in a year with 367 days.
    • 1894 – The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.
    • 1898 – En route from New York to Le Havre, the SS La Bourgogne collides with another ship and sinks off the coast of Sable Island, with the loss of 549 lives.
    • 1901 – William Howard Taft becomes American governor of the Philippines.
    • 1903 – The Philippine–American War is officially concluded.
    • 1910 – The Johnson–Jeffries riots occur after African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in the 15th round. Between 11 and 26 people are killed and hundreds more injured.
    • 1911 – A massive heat wave strikes the northeastern United States, killing 380 people in eleven days and breaking temperature records in several cities.
    • 1913 – President Woodrow Wilson addresses American Civil War veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913.
    • 1914 – The funeral of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie takes place in Vienna, six days after their assassinations in Sarajevo.
    • 1918 – Mehmed V died at the age of 73 and Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne.
    • 1918 – World War I: The Battle of Hamel, a successful attack by the Australian Corps against German positions near the town of Le Hamel on the Western Front.
    • 1918 – Bolsheviks kill Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family (Julian calendar date).
    • 1927 – First flight of the Lockheed Vega.
    • 1939 – Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, informs a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself “The luckiest man on the face of the earth”, then announces his retirement from major league baseball.
    • 1941 – Nazi crimes against the Polish nation: Nazi troops massacre Polish scientists and writers in the captured Ukrainian city of Lviv.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Burning of the Riga synagogues: The Great Choral Synagogue in German occupied Riga is burnt with 300 Jews locked in the basement.
    • 1942 – World War II: The 250-day Siege of Sevastopol in the Crimea ends when the city falls to Axis forces.
    • 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Kursk, the largest full-scale battle in history and the world’s largest tank battle, begins in the village of Prokhorovka.
    • 1943 – World War II: In Gibraltar, a Royal Air Force B-24 Liberator bomber crashes into the sea in an apparent accident moments after takeoff, killing sixteen passengers on board, including general Władysław Sikorski, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and the Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile; only the pilot survives.
    • 1946 – The Kielce pogrom against Jewish Holocaust survivors in Poland.
    • 1946 – After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attains full independence from the United States.
    • 1947 – The “Indian Independence Bill” is presented before the British House of Commons, proposing the independence of the Provinces of British India into two sovereign countries: India and Pakistan.
    • 1950 – Cold War: Radio Free Europe first broadcasts.
    • 1951 – Cold War: A court in Czechoslovakia sentences American journalist William N. Oatis to ten years in prison on charges of espionage.
    • 1951 – William Shockley announces the invention of the junction transistor.
    • 1954 – Rationing ends in the United Kingdom.
    • 1960 – Due to the post-Independence Day admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, almost ten and a half months later (see Flag Acts (United States)).
    • 1961 – On its maiden voyage, the Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-19 suffers a complete loss of coolant to its reactor. The crew are able to effect repairs, but 22 of them die of radiation poisoning over the following two years.
    • 1966 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into United States law. The act went into effect the next year.
    • 1976 – Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.
    • 1976 – The U.S. celebrates its Bicentennial.
    • 1977 – The George Jackson Brigade plants a bomb at the main power substation for the Washington state capitol in Olympia, in solidarity with a prison strike at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary Intensive Security Unit.
    • 1982 – Three Iranian diplomats and a journalist are kidnapped in Lebanon by Phalange forces, and their fate remains unknown.
    • 1987 – In France, former Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie (a.k.a. the “Butcher of Lyon”) is convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment.
    • 1994 – Rwandan genocide: Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is captured by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, ending the genocide in the city.
    • 1997 – NASA’s Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
    • 1998 – Japan launches the Nozomi probe to Mars, joining the United States and Russia as a space exploring nation.
    • 2001 – Vladivostock Air Flight 352 crashes on approach to Irkutsk Airport killing all 145 people on board.
    • 2004 – The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the World Trade Center site in New York City.
    • 2004 – Greece beats Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2004 Final and becomes European Champion for first time in its history.
    • 2005 – The Deep Impact collider hits the comet Tempel 1.
    • 2006 – Space Shuttle program: Discovery launches STS-121 to the International Space Station. The event gained wide media attention as it was the only shuttle launch in the program’s history to occur on the United States’ Independence Day.
    • 2009 – The Statue of Liberty’s crown reopens to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks.
    • 2009 – The first of four days of bombings begins on the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao.
    • 2012 – The discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider is announced at CERN.
    • 2015 – Chile claims its first title in international soccer by defeating Argentina in the 2015 Copa América Final.

    Births on July 4

    • AD 68 – Salonina Matidia, Roman daughter of Ulpia Marciana (d. 119)
    • 1095 – Usama ibn Munqidh, Muslim poet, author and faris (Knight) (d. 1188)
    • 1330 – Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shōgun (d. 1367)
    • 1477 – Johannes Aventinus, Bavarian historian and philologist (d. 1534)
    • 1546 – Murad III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1595)
    • 1656 – John Leake, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1720)
    • 1694 – Louis-Claude Daquin, French organist and composer (d. 1772)
    • 1715 – Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet and academic (d. 1769)
    • 1719 – Michel-Jean Sedaine, French playwright (d. 1797)
    • 1729 – George Leonard, American lawyer, jurist and politician (d. 1819)
    • 1753 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French inventor, best known as a pioneer in balloon flight (d. 1809)
    • 1790 – George Everest, Welsh geographer and surveyor (d. 1866)
    • 1799 – Oscar I of Sweden (d. 1859)
    • 1804 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1864)
    • 1807 – Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and politician (d. 1882)
    • 1816 – Hiram Walker, American businessman, founded Canadian Club whisky (d. 1899)
    • 1826 – Stephen Foster, American songwriter and composer (d. 1864)
    • 1842 – Hermann Cohen, German philosopher (d. 1918)
    • 1845 – Thomas John Barnardo, Irish philanthropist and humanitarian (d. 1905)
    • 1847 – James Anthony Bailey, American circus ringmaster, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (d. 1906)
    • 1854 – Victor Babeș, Romanian physician and biologist (d. 1926)
    • 1868 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (d. 1921)
    • 1871 – Hubert Cecil Booth, English engineer (d. 1955)
    • 1872 – Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933)
    • 1874 – John McPhee, Australian journalist and politician, 27th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1952)
    • 1880 – Victor Kraft, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1975)
    • 1881 – Ulysses S. Grant III, American general (d. 1968)
    • 1883 – Rube Goldberg, American sculptor, cartoonist, and engineer (d. 1970)
    • 1887 – Pio Pion, Italian engineer and businessman (d. 1965)
    • 1888 – Henry Armetta, Italian-American actor and singer (d. 1945)
    • 1895 – Irving Caesar, American songwriter and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1896 – Mao Dun, Chinese journalist, author, and critic (d. 1981)
    • 1897 – Alluri Sitarama Raju, Indian activist (d. 1924)
    • 1898 – Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican-American historian and activist (d. 1997)
    • 1898 – Gertrude Lawrence, British actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1952)
    • 1898 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian politician (d. 1998)
    • 1898 – Gertrude Weaver, American supercentenarian (d. 2015)
    • 1900 – Belinda Dann, Indigenous Australian who was one of the Stolen Generation, reunited with family aged 107 (d. 2007)
    • 1900 – Nellie Mae Rowe, American folk artist (d. 1982)
    • 1902 – Meyer Lansky, American gangster (d. 1983)
    • 1902 – George Murphy, American actor and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1903 – Flor Peeters, Belgian organist, composer, and educator (d. 1986)
    • 1904 – Angela Baddeley, English actress (d. 1976)
    • 1905 – Irving Johnson, American sailor and author (d. 1991)
    • 1905 – Robert Hankey, 2nd Baron Hankey, British diplomat and public servant (d. 1996)
    • 1905 – Lionel Trilling, American critic, essayist, short story writer, and educator (d. 1975)
    • 1906 – Vincent Schaefer, American chemist and meteorologist (d. 1993)
    • 1907 – John Anderson, American discus thrower (d. 1948)
    • 1907 – Howard Taubman, American author and critic (d. 1996)
    • 1909 – Alec Templeton, Welsh composer, pianist and satirist (d. 1963)
    • 1910 – Robert K. Merton, American sociologist and scholar (d. 2003)
    • 1910 – Gloria Stuart, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1911 – Bruce Hamilton, Australian public servant (d. 1989)
    • 1911 – Mitch Miller, American singer and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1914 – Nuccio Bertone, Italian automobile designer (d. 1997)
    • 1915 – Timmie Rogers, American actor and singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Iva Toguri D’Aquino, American typist and broadcaster (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Eppie Lederer, American journalist and radio host (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – Johnnie Parsons, American race car driver (d. 1984)
    • 1918 – King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV of Tonga, (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Alec Bedser, English cricketer (d. 2010)
    • 1918 – Eric Bedser, English cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Pauline Phillips, American journalist and radio host, created Dear Abby (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Norm Drucker, American basketball player and referee (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – Leona Helmsley, American businesswoman (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Fritz Wilde, German footballer and manager (d. 1977)
    • 1920 – Paul Bannai, American politician (d. 2019)
    • 1921 – Gérard Debreu, French economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
    • 1921 – Nasser Sharifi, Iranian sports shooter
    • 1921 – Metropolitan Mikhail of Asyut (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Philip Rose, American actor, playwright, and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1921 – Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist and conductor (d. 2003)
    • 1922 – R. James Harvey, American politician (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Eva Marie Saint, American actress
    • 1924 – Delia Fiallo, Cuban author and screenwriter
    • 1925 – Ciril Zlobec, Slovene poet, writer, translator, journalist and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Dorothy Head Knode, American tennis player (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentinian-Spanish footballer and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Lake Underwood, American race car driver and businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress and photographer
    • 1927 – Neil Simon, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Giampiero Boniperti, Italian footballer and politician
    • 1928 – Teofisto Guingona Jr., Filipino politician; 11th Vice President of the Philippines
    • 1928 – Jassem Alwan, Syrian Army Officer (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Shan Ratnam, Sri Lankan physician and academic (d. 2001)
    • 1928 – Chuck Tanner, American baseball player and manager (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Ron Casey, Australian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2018)
    • 1929 – Al Davis, American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (d. 1998)
    • 1930 – George Steinbrenner, American businessman (d. 2010)
    • 1931 – Stephen Boyd, Northern Ireland-born American actor (d. 1977)
    • 1931 – Rick Casares, American football player and soldier (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Sébastien Japrisot, French author, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1931 – Peter Richardson, English cricketer (d. 2017)
    • 1932 – Aurèle Vandendriessche, Belgian runner
    • 1934 – Yvonne B. Miller, American academic and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1934 – Colin Welland, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Paul Scoon, Grenadian politician, 2nd Governor-General of Grenada (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Zdzisława Donat, Polish soprano and actress
    • 1937 – Thomas Nagel, American philosopher and academic
    • 1937 – Queen Sonja of Norway
    • 1937 – Richard Rhodes, American journalist and historian
    • 1937 – Eric Walters, Australian journalist (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Steven Rose, English biologist and academic
    • 1938 – Bill Withers, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2020)
    • 1940 – Pat Stapleton, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2020)
    • 1941 – Sam Farr, American politician
    • 1941 – Tomaž Šalamun, Croatian-Slovenian poet and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1941 – Pavel Sedláček, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1941 – Brian Willson, American soldier, lawyer, and activist
    • 1942 – Hal Lanier, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1942 – Floyd Little, American football player and coach
    • 1942 – Stefan Meller, French-Polish academic and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2008)
    • 1942 – Prince Michael of Kent
    • 1942 – Peter Rowan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Conny Bauer, German trombonist
    • 1943 – Emerson Boozer, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1943 – Adam Hart-Davis, English historian, author, and photographer
    • 1943 – Geraldo Rivera, American lawyer, journalist, and author
    • 1943 – Fred Wesley, American jazz and funk trombonist
    • 1943 – Alan Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1970)
    • 1945 – Andre Spitzer, Romanian-Israeli fencer and coach (d. 1972)
    • 1946 – Ron Kovic, American author and activist
    • 1946 – Michael Milken, American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1947 – Lembit Ulfsak, Estonian actor and director (d. 2017)
    • 1948 – René Arnoux, French race car driver
    • 1948 – Tommy Körberg, Swedish singer and actor
    • 1948 – Jeremy Spencer, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1950 – Philip Craven, English basketball player and swimmer
    • 1950 – David Jensen, Canadian-English radio and television host
    • 1951 – John Alexander, Australian tennis player and politician
    • 1951 – Ralph Johnson, American R&B drummer and percussionist
    • 1951 – Vladimir Tismăneanu, Romanian-American political scientist, sociologist, and academic
    • 1951 – Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American lawyer and politician, 6th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
    • 1952 – Álvaro Uribe, Colombian lawyer and politician, 39th President of Colombia
    • 1952 – Carol MacReady, English actress
    • 1952 – John Waite, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1952 – Paul Rogat Loeb, American author and activist
    • 1953 – Francis Maude, English lawyer and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office
    • 1954 – Jim Beattie, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1954 – Morganna, American model, actress, and dancer
    • 1954 – Devendra Kumar Joshi, 21st Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy
    • 1955 – Kevin Nichols, Australian cyclist
    • 1956 – Robert Sinclair MacKay, British academic and educator
    • 1957 – Rein Lang, Estonian politician and diplomat, 25th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1958 – Vera Leth, Greenlandic Ombudsman
    • 1958 – Kirk Pengilly, Australian guitarist, saxophonist, and songwriter
    • 1958 – Carl Valentine, English-Canadian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1959 – Victoria Abril, Spanish actress and singer
    • 1960 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (d. 1994)
    • 1961 – Richard Garriott, English-American video game designer, created the Ultima series
    • 1962 – Pam Shriver, American tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Henri Leconte, French tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Laureano Márquez, Spanish-Venezuelan political scientist and journalist
    • 1963 – José Oquendo, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
    • 1963 – Sonia Pierre, Hatian-Dominican human rights activist (d. 2011)
    • 1964 – Cle Kooiman, American soccer player and manager
    • 1964 – Elie Saab, Lebanese fashion designer
    • 1964 – Edi Rama, Albanian politician
    • 1964 – Mark Slaughter, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1964 – Mark Whiting, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Harvey Grant, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Horace Grant, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Kiriakos Karataidis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Gérard Watkins, English actor and playwright
    • 1966 – Ronni Ancona, Scottish actress and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Minas Hantzidis, German-Greek footballer
    • 1966 – Lee Reherman, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1967 – Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player and manager
    • 1967 – Sébastien Deleigne, French athlete
    • 1969 – Al Golden, American football player and coach
    • 1969 – Todd Marinovich, American football player and coach
    • 1969 – Wilfred Mugeyi, Zimbabwean footballer and coach
    • 1972 – Stephen Giles, Canadian canoe racer and engineer
    • 1972 – Mike Knuble, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1973 – Keiko Ihara, Japanese race car driver
    • 1973 – Gackt, Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor
    • 1973 – Michael Johnson, English-Jamaican footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Anjelika Krylova, Russian ice dancer and coach
    • 1973 – Jan Magnussen, Danish race car driver
    • 1973 – Tony Popovic, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Jill Craybas, American tennis player
    • 1974 – La’Roi Glover, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Adrian Griffin, American basketball player and coach
    • 1976 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003)
    • 1976 – Yevgeniya Medvedeva, Russian skier
    • 1978 – Marcos Daniel, Brazilian tennis player
    • 1978 – Émile Mpenza, Belgian footballer
    • 1979 – Siim Kabrits, Estonian politician
    • 1979 – Josh McCown, American football player
    • 1979 – Renny Vega, Venezuelan footballer
    • 1980 – Kwame Steede, Bermudan footballer
    • 1981 – Dedé, Angolan footballer
    • 1981 – Brock Berlin, American football player
    • 1981 – Christoph Preuß, German footballer
    • 1981 – Francisco Cruceta, Dominican baseball player
    • 1981 – Will Smith, American football player (d. 2016)
    • 1982 – Vladimir Boisa, Georgian basketball player
    • 1982 – Vladimir Gusev, Russian cyclist
    • 1982 – Jeff Lima, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1982 – Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino, American model, author and television personality
    • 1983 – Melanie Fiona, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1983 – Amantle Montsho, Botswanan sprinter
    • 1983 – Miguel Pinto, Chilean footballer
    • 1983 – Amol Rajan, Indian-English journalist
    • 1983 – Mattia Serafini, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Jin Akanishi, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1984 – Miguel Santos Soares, Timorese footballer
    • 1985 – Kane Tenace, Australian footballer
    • 1985 – Dimitrios Mavroeidis, Greek basketball player
    • 1985 – Wason Rentería, Colombian footballer
    • 1986 – Ömer Aşık, Turkish basketball player
    • 1986 – Nguyen Ngoc Duy, Vietnamese footballer
    • 1986 – Rafael Arévalo, Salvadoran tennis player
    • 1986 – Willem Janssen, Dutch footballer
    • 1986 – Terrance Knighton, American football player
    • 1986 – Marte Elden, Norwegian skier
    • 1987 – Wude Ayalew, Ethiopian runner
    • 1987 – Guram Kashia, Georgian footballer
    • 1988 – Angelique Boyer, French-Mexican actress
    • 1989 – Benjamin Büchel, Liechtensteiner footballer
    • 1990 – Jake Gardiner, American ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Richard Mpong, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1990 – Naoki Yamada, Japanese footballer
    • 1990 – Ihar Yasinski, Belarusian footballer
    • 1992 – Ángel Romero, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1992 – Óscar Romero, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1993 – Tom Barkhuizen, English footballer
    • 1995 – Post Malone, American singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer
    • 1999 – Moa Kikuchi, Japanese musician
    • 2003 – Polina Bogusevich, Russian singer

    Deaths on July 4

    • 673 – Ecgberht, king of Kent
    • 907 – Luitpold, margrave of Bavaria
    • 907 – Dietmar I, archbishop of Salzburg
    • 910 – Luo Shaowei, Chinese warlord (b. 877)
    • 940 – Wang Jianli, Chinese general (b. 871)
    • 943 – Taejo of Goryeo, Korean king (b. 877)
    • 945 – Zhuo Yanming, Chinese Buddhist monk and emperor
    • 965 – Benedict V, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 973 – Ulrich of Augsburg, German bishop and saint (b. 890)
    • 975 – Gwangjong of Goryeo, Korean king (b. 925)
    • 1187 – Raynald of Châtillon, French knight (b. 1125)
    • 1307 – Rudolf I of Bohemia (b. 1281)
    • 1336 – Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (b. 1271)
    • 1429 – Carlo I Tocco, ruler of Epirus (b. 1372)
    • 1533 – John Frith, English priest, writer, and martyr (b. 1503)
    • 1541 – Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish general and explorer (b. 1495)
    • 1546 – Hayreddin Barbarossa, Ottoman admiral (b. 1478)
    • 1551 – Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, English politician (b. 1514)
    • 1603 – Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer and educator (b. 1521)
    • 1623 – William Byrd, English composer (b. c. 1540)
    • 1644 – Brian Twyne, English academic, antiquarian and archivist (b. 1581)
    • 1648 – Antoine Daniel, French missionary and saint, one of the eight Canadian Martyrs (b. 1601)
    • 1742 – Luigi Guido Grandi, Italian monk, mathematician, and engineer (b. 1671)
    • 1754 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French playwright and author (b. 1680)
    • 1761 – Samuel Richardson, English author and painter (b. 1689)
    • 1780 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (b. 1712)
    • 1787 – Charles, Prince of Soubise, Marshal of France (b. 1715)
    • 1821 – Richard Cosway, English painter and academic (b. 1742)
    • 1826 – John Adams, American lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the United States (b. 1735)
    • 1826 – Thomas Jefferson, American architect, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of the United States (b. 1743)
    • 1831 – James Monroe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th President of the United States (b. 1758)
    • 1848 – François-René de Chateaubriand, French historian and politician (b. 1768)
    • 1850 – William Kirby, English entomologist and author (b. 1759)
    • 1854 – Karl Friedrich Eichhorn, German academic and jurist (b. 1781)
    • 1857 – William L. Marcy, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (b. 1786)
    • 1881 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish philosopher and politician (b. 1806)
    • 1882 – Joseph Brackett, American composer and author (b. 1797)
    • 1886 – Poundmaker, Canadian tribal chief (b. 1797)
    • 1891 – Hannibal Hamlin, American lawyer and politician, 15th Vice President of the United States (b. 1809)
    • 1901 – Johannes Schmidt, German linguist and academic (b. 1843)
    • 1902 – Vivekananda, Indian monk and saint (b. 1863)
    • 1905 – Élisée Reclus, French geographer and author (b. 1830)
    • 1910 – Melville Fuller, American lawyer and jurist, Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1833)
    • 1910 – Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer and historian (b. 1835)
    • 1916 – Alan Seeger, American soldier and poet (b. 1888)
    • 1922 – Lothar von Richthofen, German lieutenant and pilot (b. 1894)
    • 1926 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian activist and saint (b. 1901)
    • 1934 – Marie Curie, French-Polish physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
    • 1938 – Otto Bauer, Austrian philosopher and politician, Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1881)
    • 1938 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (b. 1899)
    • 1941 – Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician and academic (b. 1881)
    • 1943 – Władysław Sikorski, Polish general and politician, 9th Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Poland (b. 1881)
    • 1946 – Taffy O’Callaghan, Welsh footballer and coach (b. 1906)
    • 1948 – Monteiro Lobato, Brazilian journalist and author (b. 1882)
    • 1949 – François Brandt, Dutch rower and engineer (b. 1874)
    • 1963 – Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, New Zealand general and politician, 7th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1889)
    • 1963 – Clyde Kennard, American activist and martyr (b. 1927)
    • 1963 – Pingali Venkayya, Indian activist, designed the Flag of India (b. 1876)
    • 1964 – Gaby Morlay, French actress and singer (b. 1893)
    • 1969 – Henri Decoin, French director and screenwriter (b. 1890)
    • 1970 – Barnett Newman, American painter and illustrator (b. 1905)
    • 1970 – Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, American sailor and businessman (b. 1884)
    • 1971 – August Derleth, American anthologist and author (b. 1909)
    • 1971 – Thomas C. Hart, American admiral and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1974 – Georgette Heyer, English author (b. 1902)
    • 1974 – André Randall, French actor (b. 1892)
    • 1976 – Yonatan Netanyahu, Israeli colonel (b. 1946)
    • 1976 – Antoni Słonimski, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1895)
    • 1977 – Gersh Budker, Ukrainian physicist and academic (b. 1918)
    • 1979 – Lee Wai Tong, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1905)
    • 1980 – Maurice Grevisse, Belgian linguist and author (b. 1895)
    • 1984 – Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
    • 1986 – Paul-Gilbert Langevin, French musicologist, critique musical and physicist (b. 1933)
    • 1986 – Flor Peeters, Belgian organist and composer (b. 1903)
    • 1986 – Oscar Zariski, Belarusian-American mathematician and academic (b. 1899)
    • 1988 – Adrian Adonis, American wrestler (b. 1954)
    • 1990 – Olive Ann Burns, American journalist and author (b. 1924)
    • 1991 – Victor Chang, Chinese-Australian surgeon and physician (b. 1936)
    • 1991 – Art Sansom, American cartoonist (b. 1920)
    • 1992 – Astor Piazzolla, Argentinian bandoneon player and composer (b. 1921)
    • 1993 – Bona Arsenault, Canadian historian, genealogist, and politician (b. 1903)
    • 1994 – Joey Marella, American wrestling referee (b. 1964)
    • 1995 – Eva Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and singer (b. 1919)
    • 1995 – Bob Ross, American painter and television host (b. 1942)
    • 1997 – Charles Kuralt, American journalist (b. 1934)
    • 1997 – John Zachary Young, English zoologist and neurophysiologist (b. 1907)
    • 1999 – Leo Garel, American illustrator and educator (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, Polish journalist and author (b. 1919)
    • 2002 – Gerald Bales, Canadian organist and composer (b. 1919)
    • 2002 – Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., American general (b. 1912)
    • 2003 – Larry Burkett, American author and radio host (b. 1939)
    • 2003 – André Claveau, French singer (b. 1915)
    • 2003 – Barry White, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2004 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Cliff Goupille, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Hank Stram, American football player and coach (b. 1923)
    • 2007 – Bill Pinkney, American singer (b. 1925)
    • 2008 – Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (b. 1940)
    • 2008 – Jesse Helms, American politician (b. 1921)
    • 2008 – Evelyn Keyes, American actress (b. 1916)
    • 2008 – Terrence Kiel, American football player (b. 1980)
    • 2008 – Charles Wheeler, German-English soldier and journalist (b. 1923)
    • 2009 – Brenda Joyce, American actress (b. 1917)
    • 2009 – Allen Klein, American businessman and talent agent, founded ABKCO Records (b. 1931)
    • 2009 – Drake Levin, American guitarist (b. 1946)
    • 2009 – Steve McNair, American football player (b. 1973)
    • 2009 – Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author and actor (b. 1935)
    • 2009 – Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, Congolese poet and politician (b. 1938)
    • 2010 – Robert Neil Butler, American physician and author (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Hiren Bhattacharyya, Indian poet and author (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Jimmy Bivins, American boxer (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Jeong Min-hyeong, South Korean footballer (b. 1987)
    • 2012 – Eric Sykes, English actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Onllwyn Brace, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Jack Crompton, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – James Fulton, American dermatologist and academic (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Charles A. Hines, American general (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Bernie Nolan, Irish singer (b. 1960)
    • 2014 – Giorgio Faletti, Italian author, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1950)
    • 2014 – C. J. Henderson, American author and critic (b. 1951)
    • 2014 – Earl Robinson, American baseball player (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Richard Mellon Scaife, American businessman (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Nedelcho Beronov, Bulgarian judge and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – William Conrad Gibbons, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, and photographer (b. 1940)
    • 2017 – John Blackwell, American R&B, funk, and jazz drummer (b. 1973)
    • 2017 – Daniil Granin, Soviet and Russian author (b. 1919)
    • 2018 – Henri Dirickx, Belgian footballer (b. 1927)
    • 2018 – Robby Müller, Dutch cinematographer (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on July 4

    • Christian feast day:
      • Andrew of Crete
      • Bertha of Artois
      • Blessed Catherine Jarrige
      • Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
      • Elizabeth of Aragon (or of Portugal)
      • Oda of Canterbury
      • Ulrich of Augsburg
      • July 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Birthday of Queen Sonja (Norway)
    • The first evening of Dree Festival, celebrated until July 7 (Apatani people, Arunachal Pradesh, India)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the Declaration of Independence of the United States from Great Britain in 1776. (United States and its dependencies)
    • Liberation Day (Northern Mariana Islands)
    • Liberation Day (Rwanda)
    • Republic Day (Philippines)

  • April 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I.
    • 1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi.
    • 1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: French forces led by Gaston de Foix win the Battle of Ravenna.
    • 1544 – Italian War of 1542–46: A French army defeats Habsburg forces at the Battle of Ceresole, but fails to exploit its victory.
    • 1689 – William III and Mary II are crowned as joint sovereigns of Great Britain.
    • 1713 – War of the Spanish Succession (Queen Anne’s War): Treaty of Utrecht.
    • 1727 – Premiere of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion BWV 244b at the St. Thomas Church, Leipzig
    • 1809 – An incomplete British victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Basque Roads results in the court-martial of James, Lord Gambier.
    • 1814 – The Treaty of Fontainebleau ends the War of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon Bonaparte, and forces him to abdicate unconditionally for the first time.
    • 1856 – Second Battle of Rivas: Juan Santamaría burns down the hostel where William Walker’s filibusters are holed up.
    • 1868 – Former shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu surrenders Edo Castle to Imperial forces, marking the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
    • 1876 – The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized.
    • 1881 – Spelman College is founded in Atlanta, Georgia as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, an institute of higher education for African-American women.
    • 1908 – SMS Blücher, the last armored cruiser to be built by the Imperial German Navy, is launched.
    • 1909 – The city of Tel Aviv is founded.
    • 1921 – Emir Abdullah establishes the first centralised government in the newly created British protectorate of Transjordan.
    • 1945 – World War II: American forces liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp.
    • 1951 – Korean War: President Harry Truman relieves General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of overall command in Korea.
    • 1951 – The Stone of Scone, the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned, is found on the site of the altar of Arbroath Abbey. It had been taken by Scottish nationalist students from its place in Westminster Abbey.
    • 1955 – The Air India Kashmir Princess is bombed and crashes in a failed assassination attempt on Zhou Enlai by the Kuomintang.
    • 1957 – United Kingdom agrees to Singaporean self-rule.
    • 1961 – The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem.
    • 1963 – Pope John XXIII issues Pacem in terris, the first encyclical addressed to all Christians instead of only Catholics, and which described the conditions for world peace in human terms.
    • 1964 – Brazilian Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco is elected President by the National Congress.
    • 1965 – The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965: Fifty-one tornadoes hit in six Midwestern states, killing 256 people.
    • 1968 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
    • 1968 – Assassination attempt on Rudi Dutschke, leader of the German student movement.
    • 1970 – Apollo 13 is launched.
    • 1976 – The Apple I is created.
    • 1977 – London Transport’s Silver Jubilee AEC Routemaster buses are launched.
    • 1979 – Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed.
    • 1981 – A massive riot in Brixton, south London results in almost 300 police injuries and 65 serious civilian injuries.
    • 1986 – FBI Miami Shootout: A gun battle in broad daylight in Dade County, Florida between two bank/armored car robbers and pursuing FBI agents. During the firefight, FBI agents Jerry L. Dove and Benjamin P. Grogan were killed, while five other agents were wounded. As a result, the popular .40 S&W cartridge was developed.
    • 1987 – The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan.
    • 1990 – Customs officers in Middlesbrough, England, seize what they believe to be the barrel of a massive gun on a ship bound for Iraq.
    • 1993 – Four hundred fifty prisoners rioted at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio, and continued to do so for ten days, citing grievances related to prison conditions, as well as the forced vaccination of Nation of Islam prisoners (for tuberculosis) against their religious beliefs.
    • 2001 – The detained crew of a United States EP-3E aircraft that landed in Hainan, China after a collision with a J-8 fighter, is released.
    • 2002 – The Ghriba synagogue bombing by al-Qaeda kills 21 in Tunisia.
    • 2002 – Over two hundred thousand people march in Caracas towards the Presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chávez. Nineteen protesters are killed.
    • 2006 – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces Iran’s claim to have successfully enriched uranium.
    • 2007 – Algiers bombings: Two bombings in Algiers kill 33 people and wound a further 222 others.
    • 2011 – An explosion in the Minsk Metro, Belarus kills 15 people and injures 204 others.
    • 2012 – A pair of great earthquakes occur in the Wharton Basin west of Sumatra in Indonesia. The maximum Mercalli intensity of this strike-slip doublet earthquake was VII (Very strong). Ten were killed, twelve were injured, and a non-destructive tsunami was observed on the island of Nias.
    • 2018 – An Ilyushin Il-76 which was owned and operated by the Algerian Air Force crashes near Boufarik, Algeria, killing 257.

    Births on April 11

    • 145 – Septimius Severus, Roman emperor (probable; d. 211)
    • 1184 – William of Winchester, Lord of Lüneburg (d. 1213)
    • 1348 – Andronikos IV Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1385)
    • 1357 – John I of Portugal (d. 1433)
    • 1370 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (d. 1428)
    • 1374 – Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, heir to the throne of England (d. 1398)
    • 1493 – George I, Duke of Pomerania (d. 1531)
    • 1591 – Bartholomeus Strobel, Silezian painter (d. 1650)
    • 1592 – John Eliot, English lawyer and politician (d. 1632)
    • 1644 – Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours, Duchess of Savoy (d. 1724)
    • 1658 – James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish peer (d. 1712)
    • 1683 – Jean-Joseph Mouret, French composer and conductor (d. 1738)
    • 1715 – John Alcock, English organist and composer (d. 1806)
    • 1721 – David Zeisberger, Czech-American clergyman and missionary (d. 1808)
    • 1722 – Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, and poet (d. 1771)
    • 1749 – Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, French miniaturist and portrait painter (d. 1803)
    • 1755 – James Parkinson, English surgeon, geologist, and paleontologist (d. 1824)
    • 1770 – George Canning, Irish-English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1827)
    • 1794 – Edward Everett, English-American educator and politician, 15th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1865)
    • 1798 – Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist and academic (d. 1854)
    • 1819 – Charles Hallé, German-English pianist and conductor (d. 1895)
    • 1825 – Ferdinand Lassalle, German philosopher and jurist (d. 1864)
    • 1827 – Jyotirao Phule, Indian scholar, philosopher, and activist (d. 1890)
    • 1854 – Hugh Massie, Australian cricketer (d. 1938)
    • 1856 – Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer and rugby player (d. 1903)
    • 1859 – Stefanos Thomopoulos, Greek historian and author (d. 1939)
    • 1862 – William Wallace Campbell, American astronomer and academic (d. 1938)
    • 1862 – Charles Evans Hughes, American lawyer and politician, 44th United States Secretary of State (d. 1948)
    • 1864 – Johanna Elberskirchen, German author and activist (d. 1943)
    • 1866 – Bernard O’Dowd, Australian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1953)
    • 1867 – Mark Keppel, American educator (d. 1928)
    • 1869 – Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor, designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal (d. 1943)
    • 1871 – Gyula Kellner, Hungarian runner (d. 1940)
    • 1873 – Edward Lawson, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1955)
    • 1876 – Paul Henry, Irish painter (d. 1958)
    • 1876 – Ivane Javakhishvili, Georgian historian and academic (d. 1940)
    • 1879 – Bernhard Schmidt, Estonian-German astronomer and optician (d. 1935)
    • 1887 – Jamini Roy, Indian painter (d. 1972)
    • 1893 – Dean Acheson, American lawyer and politician, 51st United States Secretary of State (d. 1971)
    • 1896 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1967)
    • 1899 – Percy Lavon Julian, African-American chemist and academic (d. 1975)
    • 1900 – Sándor Márai, Hungarian journalist and author (d. 1989)
    • 1903 – Misuzu Kaneko, Japanese poet (d. 1930)
    • 1904 – K. L. Saigal, Indian singer and actor (d. 1947)
    • 1905 – Attila József, Hungarian poet and educator (d. 1937)
    • 1906 – Dale Messick, American author and illustrator (d. 2005)
    • 1907 – Paul Douglas, American actor (d. 1959)
    • 1908 – Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (d. 2007)
    • 1908 – Masaru Ibuka, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Dan Maskell, English tennis player and sportscaster (d. 1992)
    • 1908 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (d. 1997)
    • 1910 – António de Spínola, Portuguese general and politician, 14th President of Portugal (d. 1996)
    • 1912 – John Levy, American bassist and businessman (d. 2012)
    • 1913 – Oleg Cassini, French-American fashion designer (d. 2006)
    • 1914 – Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian animator, director, and producer (d. 1987)
    • 1914 – Robert Stanfield, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician, 17th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2003)
    • 1914 – Dorothy Lewis Bernstein, American mathematician (d. 1988)
    • 1916 – Alberto Ginastera, Argentinian-Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1916 – Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (d. 2001)
    • 1917 – David Westheimer, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 2005)
    • 1918 – Richard Wainwright, English soldier and politician (d. 2003)
    • 1919 – Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – Emilio Colombo, Italian lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – William Royer, American soldier and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1921 – Jim Hearn, American baseball player (d. 1998)
    • 1921 – Jack Rayner, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1922 – Arved Viirlaid, Estonian-Canadian soldier and author (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – George J. Maloof, Sr., American businessman (d. 1980)
    • 1924 – Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Yuriy Lituyev, Russian hurdler and commander (d. 2000)
    • 1925 – Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (d. 1965)
    • 1925 – Viktor Masing, Estonian botanist and ecologist (d. 2001)
    • 1925 – Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (d. 1997)
    • 1926 – David Manker Abshire, American commander and diplomat, United States Permanent Representative to NATO (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2011)
    • 1926 – Karl Rebane, Estonian physicist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Lokesh Chandra, Indian historian
    • 1928 – Ethel Kennedy, American philanthropist
    • 1928 – Edwin Pope, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Nicholas F. Brady, American businessman and politician, 68th United States Secretary of the Treasury
    • 1930 – Walter Krüger, German javelin thrower (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – Anton LaVey, American occultist, founded the Church of Satan (d. 1997)
    • 1931 – Lewis Jones, Welsh rugby player and coach
    • 1932 – Joel Grey, American actor, singer, and dancer
    • 1933 – Tony Brown, American journalist and academic
    • 1934 – Mark Strand, Canadian-born American poet, essayist, and translator (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Ron Pember, English actor, director and playwright
    • 1935 – Richard Berry, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1936 – Brian Noble, English bishop (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Jill Gascoine, English actress and author
    • 1938 – Gerry Baker, American soccer player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Michael Deaver, American politician, Deputy White House Chief of Staff (d. 2007)
    • 1938 – Reatha King, American chemist and businesswoman
    • 1939 – Luther Johnson, American singer and guitarist
    • 1939 – Louise Lasser, American actress
    • 1940 – Col Firmin, Australian politician (d. 2013)
    • 1940 – Thomas Harris, American author and screenwriter
    • 1940 – Władysław Komar, Polish shot putter and actor (d. 1998)
    • 1941 – Ellen Goodman, American journalist and author
    • 1941 – Shirley Stelfox, English actress (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Anatoly Berezovoy, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Hattie Gossett, American writer
    • 1942 – James Underwood, English pathologist and academic
    • 1943 – John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, English businessman and politician
    • 1943 – Harley Race, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2019)
    • 1944 – Peter Barfuß, German footballer
    • 1944 – John Milius, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1945 – John Krebs, Baron Krebs, English zoologist and academic
    • 1946 – Chris Burden, American sculptor, illustrator, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1946 – Bob Harris, English journalist and radio host
    • 1947 – Lev Bulat, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1947 – Uli Edel, German director and screenwriter
    • 1947 – Frank Mantooth, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
    • 1947 – Peter Riegert, American actor, screenwriter and film director
    • 1947 – Michael T. Wright, English engineer and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1950 – Bill Irwin, American actor and clown
    • 1951 – Paul Fox, English singer and guitarist (d. 2007)
    • 1952 – Nancy Honeytree, American singer and guitarist
    • 1952 – Indira Samarasekera, Sri Lankan engineer and academic
    • 1952 – Peter Windsor, English-Australian journalist and sportscaster
    • 1953 – Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium
    • 1953 – Andrew Wiles, English mathematician and academic
    • 1954 – Abdullah Atalar, Turkish engineer and academic
    • 1954 – Aleksandr Averin, Azerbaijani cyclist and coach
    • 1954 – Francis Lickerish, English guitarist and composer
    • 1954 – David Perrett, Scottish psychologist and academic
    • 1954 – Ian Redmond, English biologist and conservationist
    • 1954 – Willie Royster, American baseball player (d. 2015)
    • 1955 – Kevin Brady, American lawyer and politician
    • 1955 – Michael Callen, American singer-songwriter and AIDS activist (d. 1993)
    • 1955 – Micheal Ray Richardson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1958 – Stuart Adamson, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
    • 1958 – Lyudmila Kondratyeva, Russian sprinter
    • 1959 – Pierre Lacroix, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1959 – Ana María Polo, Cuban-American lawyer and judge
    • 1959 – Zahid Maleque, Bangladeshi politician
    • 1960 – Jeremy Clarkson, English journalist and television presenter
    • 1961 – Vincent Gallo, American actor, director, producer, and musician
    • 1961 – Doug Hopkins, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1961 – Nobuaki Kakuda, Japanese martial artist
    • 1962 – Franck Ducheix, French fencer
    • 1962 – Mark Lawson, English journalist and author
    • 1963 – Billy Bowden, New Zealand cricketer and umpire
    • 1963 – Waldemar Fornalik, Polish footballer and manager
    • 1963 – Elizabeth Smylie, Australian tennis player
    • 1964 – Steve Azar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1964 – John Cryer, English journalist and politician
    • 1964 – Johann Sebastian Paetsch, American cellist
    • 1964 – Bret Saberhagen, American baseball player and coach
    • 1964 – Patrick Sang, Kenyan runner
    • 1966 – Steve Scarsone, American baseball player and manager
    • 1966 – Shin Seung-hun, South Korean singer-songwriter
    • 1966 – Lisa Stansfield, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1968 – Sergei Lukyanenko, Kazakh-Russian journalist and author
    • 1969 – Cerys Matthews, Welsh singer-songwriter
    • 1969 – Michael von Grünigen, Swiss skier
    • 1970 – Trevor Linden, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1970 – Delroy Pearson, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1971 – John Leech, English politician
    • 1971 – Oliver Riedel, German bass player
    • 1972 – Balls Mahoney, American wrestler (d. 2016)
    • 1972 – Allan Théo, French singer
    • 1972 – Jason Varitek, American baseball player and manager
    • 1973 – Jennifer Esposito, American actress
    • 1973 – Olivier Magne, French rugby player
    • 1974 – Àlex Corretja, Spanish tennis player and coach
    • 1974 – Ashot Danielyan, Armenian weightlifter
    • 1974 – David Jassy, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1974 – Zöe Lucker, English actress
    • 1974 – Tom Thacker, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1974 – Trot Nixon, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Olga Hostáková, Czech tennis player
    • 1975 – Walid Soliman, Tunisian author and translator
    • 1976 – Kelvim Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1977 – Ivonne Teichmann, German runner
    • 1978 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (d. 2007)
    • 1979 – Malcolm Christie, English footballer
    • 1979 – Sebastien Grainger, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – Michel Riesen, Swiss ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Josh Server, American actor
    • 1980 – Keiji Tamada, Japanese footballer
    • 1980 – Mark Teixeira, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Alessandra Ambrosio, Brazilian model
    • 1981 – Alexandre Burrows, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Veronica Pyke, Australian cricketer
    • 1982 – Ian Bell, English cricketer
    • 1982 – Peeter Kümmel, Estonian skier
    • 1983 – Jennifer Heil, Canadian skier
    • 1983 – Rubén Palazuelos, Spanish footballer
    • 1983 – Nicky Pastorelli, Dutch race car driver
    • 1984 – Kelli Garner, American actress
    • 1984 – Nikola Karabatić, French handball player
    • 1985 – Pablo Hernández Domínguez, Spanish footballer
    • 1985 – Will Minson, Australian footballer
    • 1986 – Sarodj Bertin, Haitian model and human rights lawyer
    • 1986 – Dai Greene, Welsh hurdler
    • 1986 – Lena Schöneborn, German pentathlete
    • 1987 – Joss Stone, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1987 – Lights, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Leland Irving, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Torrin Lawrence, American sprinter (d. 2014)
    • 1989 – Zola Jesus, American singer
    • 1990 – Dimitrios Anastasopoulos, Greek footballer
    • 1990 – Thulani Serero, South African footballer
    • 1991 – Thiago Alcântara, Spanish footballer
    • 1991 – Brennan Poole, American racing driver
    • 1996 – Dele Alli, English international footballer
    • 1997 – Georgia Bohl, Australian swimmer
    • 1997 – Miriam Kolodziejová, a Czech tennis player

    Deaths on April 11

    • 618 – Yang Guang, Chinese emperor of the Sui Dynasty (b. 569)
    • 678 – Donus, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 610)
    • 924 – Herman I, chancellor and archbishop of Cologne
    • 1034 – Romanos III Argyros, Byzantine emperor (b. 968)
    • 1077 – Anawrahta, king of Burma and founder of the Pagan Empire (b. 1014)
    • 1079 – Stanislaus of Szczepanów, bishop of Kraków (b. 1030)
    • 1165 – Stephen IV, king of Hungary and Croatia
    • 1240 – Llywelyn the Great, Welsh prince (b. 1172)
    • 1447 – Henry Beaufort, Cardinal, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1377)
    • 1512 – Gaston de Foix, French military commander (b. 1489)
    • 1554 – Thomas Wyatt the Younger, English rebel leader (b. 1521)
    • 1587 – Thomas Bromley, English lord chancellor (b. 1530)
    • 1609 – John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, English noble (b. 1533)
    • 1612 – Emanuel van Meteren, Flemish historian and author (b. 1535)
    • 1612 – Edward Wightman, English minister and martyr (b. 1566)
    • 1626 – Marino Ghetaldi, Ragusan mathematician and physicist (b. 1568)
    • 1712 – Richard Simon, French priest and critic (b. 1638)
    • 1723 – John Robinson, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1650)
    • 1783 – Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Polish-Russian politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1718)
    • 1798 – Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet and academic (b. 1725)
    • 1856 – Juan Santamaría, Costa Rican soldier (b. 1831)
    • 1861 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (b. 1824)
    • 1873 – Edward Canby, American general (b. 1817)
    • 1890 – David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (b. 1808)
    • 1890 – Joseph Merrick, English man with severe deformities (b. 1862)
    • 1894 – Constantin Lipsius, German architect and theorist (b. 1832)
    • 1895 – Julius Lothar Meyer, German chemist (b. 1830)
    • 1902 – Wade Hampton III, American general and politician, 77th Governor of South Carolina (b. 1818)
    • 1903 – Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (b. 1878)
    • 1906 – James Anthony Bailey, American businessman, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1847)
    • 1906 – Francis Pharcellus Church, American journalist and publisher, co-founded Armed Forces Journal and The Galaxy Magazine (b. 1839)
    • 1908 – Henry Bird, English chess player and author (b. 1829)
    • 1916 – Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (b. 1864)
    • 1918 – Otto Wagner, Austrian architect and urban planner (b. 1841)
    • 1926 – Luther Burbank, American botanist and academic (b. 1849)
    • 1939 – Kurtdereli Mehmet, Turkish wrestler (b. 1864)
    • 1953 – Kid Nichols, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
    • 1954 – Paul Specht, American violinist and bandleader (b. 1895)
    • 1958 – Konstantin Yuon, Russian painter and educator (b. 1875)
    • 1960 – Rosa Grünberg, Swedish actress (b. 1878)
    • 1962 – Ukichiro Nakaya, Japanese physicist and academic (b. 1900)
    • 1962 – George Poage, American hurdler and educator (b. 1880)
    • 1967 – Thomas Farrell, American general (b. 1891)
    • 1967 – Donald Sangster, Jamaican lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1911)
    • 1970 – Cathy O’Donnell, American actress (b. 1923)
    • 1970 – John O’Hara, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1905)
    • 1974 – Ernst Ziegler, German actor (b. 1894)
    • 1977 – Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter (b. 1900)
    • 1977 – Phanishwar Nath ‘Renu’, Indian author and activist (b. 1921)
    • 1980 – Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Turkish journalist and producer (b. 1935)
    • 1981 – Caroline Gordon, American author and critic (b. 1895)
    • 1983 – Dolores del Río, Mexican actress (b. 1904)
    • 1984 – Edgar V. Saks, Estonian historian and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (b. 1910)
    • 1985 – Bunny Ahearne, Irish-born English businessman (b. 1900)
    • 1985 – John Gilroy, English artist and illustrator (b. 1898)
    • 1985 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian educator and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Albania (b. 1908)
    • 1987 – Erskine Caldwell, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1903)
    • 1987 – Primo Levi, Italian chemist and author (b. 1919)
    • 1990 – Harold Ballard, Canadian businessman (b. 1903)
    • 1991 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (b. 1915)
    • 1991 – Bruno Hoffmann. German glass harp player (b. 1913)
    • 1992 – James Brown, American actor and singer (b. 1920)
    • 1992 – Eve Merriam, American author and poet (b. 1916)
    • 1992 – Alejandro Obregón, Colombian painter, sculptor, and engraver (b. 1920)
    • 1996 – Jessica Dubroff, American pilot (b. 1988)
    • 1997 – Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (b. 1899)
    • 1997 – Wang Xiaobo, contemporary Chinese novelist and essayist (b. 1952)
    • 1999 – William H. Armstrong, American author and educator (b. 1911)
    • 2000 – Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (b. 1945)
    • 2001 – Harry Secombe, Welsh-English actor (b. 1921)
    • 2003 – Cecil Howard Green, English-American geophysicist and businessman, founded Texas Instruments (b. 1900)
    • 2005 – André François, Romanian-French cartoonist, painter, and sculptor (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Lucien Laurent, French footballer and coach (b. 1907)
    • 2006 – June Pointer, American singer (b. 1953)
    • 2006 – DeShaun Holton, American rapper and actor (b. 1973)
    • 2007 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (b. 1922)
    • 2007 – Loïc Leferme, French diver (b. 1970)
    • 2007 – Janet McDonald, American lawyer and author (b. 1954)
    • 2007 – Ronald Speirs, Scottish-American colonel (b. 1920)
    • 2007 – Kurt Vonnegut, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1922)
    • 2008 – Merlin German, American sergeant (b. 1985)
    • 2009 – Gerda Gilboe, Danish actress and singer (b. 1914)
    • 2009 – Vishnu Prabhakar, Indian author and playwright (b. 1912)
    • 2009 – Corín Tellado, Spanish author (b. 1927)
    • 2010 – Julia Tsenova, Bulgarian pianist and composer (b. 1948)
    • 2011 – Larry Sweeney, American wrestler and manager (b. 1981)
    • 2012 – Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Roger Caron, Canadian criminal and author (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – Tippy Dye, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Hal McKusick, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and flute player (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Agustin Roman, American bishop (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Don Blackman, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1953)
    • 2013 – Grady Hatton, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Thomas Hemsley, English actor and singer (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Hilary Koprowski, Polish-American virologist and immunologist (b. 1916)
    • 2013 – Gilles Marchal, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
    • 2013 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Clorindo Testa, Italian-Argentinian architect (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Jonathan Winters, American comedian, actor and screenwriter (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Edna Doré, English actress (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Bill Henry, American baseball player (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Lou Hudson, American basketball player and sportscaster (b. 1944)
    • 2014 – Myer S. Kripke, American rabbi and scholar (b. 1914)
    • 2014 – Sergey Nepobedimy, Russian engineer (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2015 – Jimmy Gunn, American football player (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (b. 1952)
    • 2015 – François Maspero, French journalist and author (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Hanut Singh, Indian general (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Tekena Tamuno, Nigerian historian and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2017 – J. Geils, American singer and guitarist (b. 1946)
    • 2017 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (b. 1945)
    • 2020 – John Horton Conway, English mathematician (b. 1937)

    Holidays and observances on April 11

    • Christian feast day:
      • Antipas of Pergamum (Greek Orthodox Church)
      • Gemma Galgani
      • Godeberta
      • Guthlac of Crowland
      • George Selwyn (Anglicanism)
      • Stanislaus of Szczepanów
      • April 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Juan Santamaría Day, anniversary of his death in the Second Battle of Rivas. (Costa Rica)
    • International Louie Louie Day
    • World Parkinson’s Day

  • February 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    This day marks the approximate midpoint of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and of summer in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the December solstice).

    February 4 in History 

    • 211 – Following the death of Rome’s Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarreling sons, Caracalla and Geta, whom he had instructed to make peace.
    • 960 – The coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the Song dynasty period of China that would last more than three centuries.
    • 1169 – A strong earthquake struck the Ionian coast of Sicily, causing tens of thousands of injuries and deaths, especially in Catania.
    • 1454 – In the Thirteen Years’ War, the Secret Council of the Prussian Confederation sends a formal act of disobedience to the Grand Master.
    • 1555 – John Rogers is burned at the stake, becoming the first English Protestant martyr under Mary I of England.
    • 1703 – In Edo (now Tokyo), all but one of the Forty-seven Ronin commit seppuku (ritual suicide) as recompense for avenging their master’s death.
    • 1758 – The city of Macapá in Brazil is founded by Sebastião Veiga Cabral.
    • 1789 – George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College.
    • 1794 – The French legislature abolishes slavery throughout all territories of the French First Republic. It would be reestablished in the French West Indies in 1802.
    • 1797 – The Riobamba earthquake strikes Ecuador, causing up to 40,000 casualties.
    • 1801 – John Marshall is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States.
    • 1810 – Napoleonic Wars: Britain seizes Guadeloupe.
    • 1820 – The Chilean Navy under the command of Lord Cochrane completes the two-day long Capture of Valdivia with just 300 men and two ships.
    • 1825 – The Ohio Legislature authorizes the construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the Miami and Erie Canal.
    • 1846 – The first Mormon pioneers make their exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, westward towards Salt Lake Valley.
    • 1859 – The Codex Sinaiticus is discovered in Egypt.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from six break-away U.S. states meet and form the Confederate States of America.
    • 1899 – The Philippine–American War begins with the Battle of Manila.
    • 1932 – Second Sino-Japanese War: Harbin, Manchuria, falls to Japan.
    • 1938 – Adolf Hitler appoints himself as head of the Armed Forces High Command.
    • 1941 – The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops.
    • 1945 – World War II: Santo Tomas Internment Camp is liberated from Japanese authority.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Yalta Conference between the “Big Three” (Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin) opens at the Livadia Palace in the Crimea.
    • 1945 – World War II: The British Indian Army and Imperial Japanese Army begin a series of battles known as the Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations.
    • 1948 – Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) becomes independent within the British Commonwealth.
    • 1961 – The Angolan War of Independence and the greater Portuguese Colonial War begin.
    • 1966 – All Nippon Airways Flight 60 plunges into Tokyo Bay, killing 133.
    • 1967 – Lunar Orbiter program: Lunar Orbiter 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 13 on its mission to identify possible landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo spacecraft.
    • 1969 – Yasser Arafat takes over as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
    • 1974 – The Symbionese Liberation Army kidnaps Patty Hearst in Berkeley, California.
    • 1974 – M62 coach bombing: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) explodes a bomb on a bus carrying off-duty British Armed Forces personnel in Yorkshire, England. Nine soldiers and three civilians are killed.
    • 1975 – Haicheng earthquake (magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale) occurs in Haicheng, Liaoning, China.
    • 1976 – In Guatemala and Honduras an earthquake kills more than 22,000.
    • 1977 – A Chicago Transit Authority elevated train rear-ends another and derails, killing 11 and injuring 180, the worst accident in the agency’s history.
    • 1992 – A coup d’état is led by Hugo Chávez against Venezuelan President Carlos Andrés Pérez.
    • 1997 – En route to Lebanon, two Israeli Sikorsky CH-53 troop-transport helicopters collide in mid-air over northern Galilee, Israel killing 73.
    • 1998 – The 5.9 Mw  Afghanistan earthquake shakes the Takhar Province with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). With 2,323 killed, and 818 injured, damage is considered extreme.
    • 1999 – Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot 41 times by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race relations in the city.
    • 2000 – The World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium, Charter of Paris is signed by the President of France, Jacques Chirac and the Director General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, initiating World Cancer Day which is held on February 4 every year.
    • 2003 – The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia adopts a new constitution, becoming a loose confederacy between Montenegro and Serbia.
    • 2004 – Facebook, a mainstream online social networking site, is founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin.
    • 2015 – TransAsia Airways Flight 235 with 58 people on board, en route from the Taiwanese capital Taipei to Kinmen, crashes into the Keelung River just after take-off, killing 43 people.
    • 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic causes all casinos in Macau to be closed down for 15 days.

    Births on February 4

    • 1447 – Lodovico Lazzarelli, Italian poet (d. 1500)
    • 1495 – Francesco II Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1535)
    • 1495 – Jean Parisot de Valette, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (d. 1568)
    • 1505 – Mikołaj Rej, Polish poet and author (d. 1580)
    • 1575 – Pierre de Bérulle, French cardinal and theologian, founded the French school of spirituality (d. 1629)
    • 1646 – Hans Erasmus Aßmann, German poet and politician (d. 1699)
    • 1676 – Giacomo Facco, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1753)
    • 1677 – Johann Ludwig Bach, German violinist and composer (d. 1731)
    • 1688 – Pierre de Marivaux, French author and playwright (d. 1763)
    • 1725 – Dru Drury, English entomologist and author (d. 1804)
    • 1740 – Carl Michael Bellman, Swedish poet and composer (d. 1795)
    • 1778 – Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, Swiss botanist, mycologist, and academic (d. 1841)
    • 1799 – Almeida Garrett, Portuguese journalist and author (d. 1854)
    • 1818 – Emperor Norton, San Francisco eccentric and visionary (d. 1880)citation needed
    • 1831 – Oliver Ames, American financier and politician, 35th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1895)
    • 1848 – Jean Aicard, French poet, author, and playwright (d. 1921)
    • 1849 – Jean Richepin, French poet, author, and playwright (d. 1926)
    • 1862 – Édouard Estaunié, French novelist (d. 1942)
    • 1865 – Abe Isoo, Japanese minister and politician (d. 1949)
    • 1868 – Constance Markievicz, Irish revolutionary and first woman elected to the UK House of Commons (d. 1927)
    • 1871 – Friedrich Ebert, German lawyer and politician, 1st President of Germany (d. 1925)
    • 1872 – Gotse Delchev, Bulgarian and Macedonian revolutionary activist (d. 1903)
    • 1873 – Étienne Desmarteau, Canadian shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1905)
    • 1875 – Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist and engineer (d. 1953)
    • 1877 – Eddie Cochems, American football player and coach (d. 1953)
    • 1881 – Eulalio Gutiérrez, Mexican general and politician, President of Mexico (d. 1939)
    • 1881 – Fernand Léger, French painter and sculptor (d. 1955)
    • 1883 – Reinhold Rudenberg, German-American inventor and a pioneer of electron microscopy (d. 1961)
    • 1891 – M. A. Ayyangar, Indian lawyer and politician, 2nd Speaker of the Lok Sabha (d. 1978)
    • 1892 – E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet and academic (d. 1964)
    • 1895 – Nigel Bruce, English actor (d. 1953)
    • 1896 – Friedrich Glauser, Austrian-Swiss author (d. 1938)
    • 1896 – Friedrich Hund, German physicist and academic (d. 1997)
    • 1897 – Ludwig Erhard, German soldier and politician, 2nd Chancellor of West Germany (d. 1977)
    • 1899 – Virginia M. Alexander, American physician and founder of the Aspiranto Health Home (d. 1949)
    • 1900 – Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1902 – Charles Lindbergh, American pilot and explorer (d. 1974)
    • 1902 – Hartley Shawcross, Baron Shawcross, German-English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 2003)
    • 1903 – Alexander Imich, Polish-American chemist, parapsychologist, and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1904 – MacKinlay Kantor, American author and screenwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1905 – Hylda Baker, English comedian, actress and music hall performer (d. 1986)
    • 1906 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor and theologian (d. 1945)
    • 1906 – Letitia Dunbar-Harrison, Irish librarian (d. 1994)
    • 1906 – Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer and academic, discovered Pluto (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Julian Bell, English poet and academic (d. 1937)
    • 1912 – Ola Skjåk Bræk, Norwegian banker and politician, Norwegian Minister of Industry (d. 1999)
    • 1912 – Erich Leinsdorf, Austrian-American conductor (d. 1993)
    • 1912 – Byron Nelson, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2006)
    • 1913 – Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist (d. 2005)
    • 1914 – Alfred Andersch, German-Swiss author and publisher (d. 1980)
    • 1915 – William Talman, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1968)
    • 1915 – Norman Wisdom, English singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2010)
    • 1917 – Yahya Khan, Pakistan general and politician, 3rd President of Pakistan (d. 1980)
    • 1918 – Ida Lupino, English-American actress and director (d. 1995)
    • 1918 – Luigi Pareyson, Italian philosopher and author (d. 1991)
    • 1920 – Janet Waldo, American actress and voice artist (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Betty Friedan, American author and feminist (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Lotfi Zadeh, Iranian-American mathematician and computer scientist and founder of fuzzy logic (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Conrad Bain, Canadian-American actor (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Russell Hoban, American author and illustrator (d. 2011)
    • 1925 – Stanley Karnow, American journalist and historian (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Christopher Zeeman, English mathematician and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Gyula Grosics, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Dave Sands, Australian boxer (d. 1952)
    • 1927 – Rolf Landauer, German-American physicist and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1928 – Oscar Cabalén, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1967)
    • 1928 – Osmo Antero Wiio, Finnish journalist, academic, and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Paul Burlison, American rockabilly guitarist (d. 2003)
    • 1929 – Neil Johnston, American basketball player (d. 1978)
    • 1930 – Tibor Antalpéter, Hungarian volleyball player and diplomat, Hungarian Ambassador to the United Kingdom (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Arthur E. Chase, American businessman and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1930 – Jim Loscutoff, American basketball player (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Isabel Martínez de Perón, Argentinian dancer and politician, 41st President of Argentina
    • 1935 – Wallis Mathias, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1994)
    • 1935 – Martti Talvela, Finnish opera singer (d. 1989)
    • 1935 – Collin Wilcox, American actress (d. 2009)
    • 1936 – David Brenner, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Claude Nobs, Swiss businessman, founded the Montreux Jazz Festival (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – David Newman, American director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1938 – Frank J. Dodd, American businessman and politician, president of the New Jersey Senate (d. 2010)
    • 1939 – Stan Lundine, American lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New York
    • 1940 – George A. Romero, American director and producer (d. 2017)
    • 1941 – Russell Cooper, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of Queensland
    • 1941 – Ron Rangi, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1988)
    • 1941 – Jiří Raška, Czech skier and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1943 – Alberto João Jardim, Portuguese journalist and politician, 2nd President of the Regional Government of Madeira
    • 1943 – Wanda Rutkiewicz, Lithuanian-Polish mountaineer (d. 1992)
    • 1943 – Ken Thompson, American computer scientist and programmer, co-developed the B programming language
    • 1944 – Florence LaRue, American singer and actress
    • 1947 – Dennis C. Blair, American admiral and politician, 3rd Director of National Intelligence
    • 1947 – Dan Quayle, American sergeant, lawyer, and politician, 44th Vice President of the United States
    • 1948 – Alice Cooper, American singer-songwriter
    • 1948 – Rod Grams, American journalist and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1948 – Mienoumi Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1949 – Michael Beck, American actor
    • 1949 – Rasim Delić, Bosnian general (d. 2010)
    • 1951 – Patrick Bergin, Irish actor
    • 1951 – Phil Ehart, American rock drummer and songwriter
    • 1952 – Jenny Shipley, New Zealand educator and politician, 36th Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1952 – Thomas Silverstein, American prisoner, founder and former leader of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang (d. 2019)
    • 1955 – Mikuláš Dzurinda, Slovak politician, Prime Minister of Slovakia
    • 1957 – Don Davis, American composer and conductor
    • 1958 – Tomasz Pacyński, Polish journalist and author (d. 2005)
    • 1959 – Christian Schreier, German footballer and manager
    • 1959 – Lawrence Taylor, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Siobhan Dowd, English author and activist (d. 2007)
    • 1960 – Adrienne King, American actress, dancer, and painter
    • 1960 – Jonathan Larson, American composer and playwright (d. 1996)
    • 1961 – Stewart O’Nan, American novelist
    • 1961 – Denis Savard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1962 – Clint Black, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1962 – Stephen Hammond, English banker and politician
    • 1963 – Pirmin Zurbriggen, Swiss skier
    • 1964 – Elke Philipp, German Paralympic equestrian
    • 1965 – Jerome Brown, American football player (d. 1992)
    • 1966 – Tony Butterfield, Australian rugby league player
    • 1966 – Viatcheslav Ekimov, Russian cyclist
    • 1967 – Sergei Grinkov, Russian figure skater (d. 1995)
    • 1970 – Gabrielle Anwar, English actress
    • 1971 – Rob Corddry, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Eric Garcetti, American lieutenant and politician, 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles
    • 1972 – Dara Ó Briain, Irish comedian and television host
    • 1972 – Giovanni Silva de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Oscar De La Hoya, American boxer
    • 1973 – James Hird, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1973 – Manny Legace, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Natalie Imbruglia, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1977 – Gavin DeGraw, American singer-songwriter
    • 1979 – Giorgio Pantano, Italian race car driver
    • 1980 – Raimonds Vaikulis, Latvian basketball player
    • 1981 – Jason Kapono, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Johan Vansummeren, Belgian cyclist
    • 1982 – Chris Sabin, American wrestler
    • 1982 – Ivars Timermanis, Latvian basketball player
    • 1982 – Tomas Vaitkus, Lithuanian cyclist
    • 1983 – Lee Stempniak, American ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Rebecca White, Australian politician
    • 1984 – Sandeep Acharya, Indian singer (d. 2013)
    • 1984 – Mauricio Pinilla, Chilean footballer
    • 1986 – Maximilian Götz, German race car driver
    • 1986 – Mahmudullah Riyad, Bangladeshi cricketer
    • 1987 – Darren O’Dea, Irish footballer
    • 1987 – Lucie Šafářová, Czech tennis player
    • 1988 – Carly Patterson, American gymnast and singer
    • 1993 – Bae Noo-ri, South Korean actress
    • 1998 – Maximilian Wöber, Austrian footballer

    Deaths on February 4

    • 211 – Septimius Severus, Roman emperor (b. 145)
    • 708 – Pope Sisinnius (b. 650)
    • 856 – Rabanus Maurus, Frankish archbishop and theologian (b. 780)
    • 870 – Ceolnoth, archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1169 – John of Ajello, Bishop of Catania
    • 1498 – Antonio del Pollaiolo, Italian artist (b. 1429/1433)
    • 1505 – Jeanne de Valois, daughter of Louis XI of France (b. 1464)
    • 1508 – Conrad Celtes, German poet and scholar (b. 1459)
    • 1555 – John Rogers, English clergyman and translator (b. 1505)
    • 1590 – Gioseffo Zarlino, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1517)
    • 1615 – Giambattista della Porta, Italian playwright and scholar (b. 1535)
    • 1617 – Lodewijk Elzevir, Dutch publisher, co-founded the House of Elzevir (b. 1546)
    • 1713 – Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English philosopher and politician (b. 1671)
    • 1774 – Charles Marie de La Condamine, French mathematician and geographer (b. 1701)
    • 1781 – Josef Mysliveček, Czech composer (b. 1737)
    • 1799 – Étienne-Louis Boullée, French architect and educator (b. 1728)
    • 1843 – Theodoros Kolokotronis, Greek general (b. 1770)
    • 1891 – Pelagio Antonio de Labastida y Dávalos, Roman Catholic archbishop and Mexican politician who served as regent during the Second Mexican Empire (1863-1864) (b. 1816)
    • 1905 – Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (b. 1841)
    • 1926 – İskilipli Âtıf Hodja, Turkish author and scholar (b. 1875)
    • 1928 – Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1853)
    • 1933 – Archibald Sayce, English linguist and educator (b. 1846)
    • 1940 – Nikolai Yezhov, Russian police officer and politician (b. 1895)
    • 1943 – Frank Calder, English-Canadian ice hockey player and journalist (b. 1877)
    • 1944 – Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian author and translator (b. 1872)
    • 1956 – Savielly Tartakower, Russian-French chess player, journalist, and author (b. 1887)
    • 1958 – Henry Kuttner, American author and screenwriter (b. 1915)
    • 1959 – Una O’Connor, Irish-American actress (b. 1880)
    • 1968 – Neal Cassady, American novelist and poet (b. 1926)
    • 1970 – Louise Bogan, American poet and critic (b. 1897)
    • 1974 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian physicist, mathematician, and academic (b. 1894)
    • 1975 – Louis Jordan, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (b. 1908)
    • 1982 – Alex Harvey, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1935)
    • 1982 – Georg Konrad Morgen, German lawyer and judge (b. 1909)
    • 1983 – Karen Carpenter, American singer (b. 1950)
    • 1987 – Liberace, American singer-songwriter and pianist, (b. 1919)
    • 1987 – Meena Keshwar Kamal, Afghan activist, founded the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (b. 1956)
    • 1987 – Carl Rogers, American psychologist and academic (b. 1902)
    • 1990 – Whipper Billy Watson, Canadian-American wrestler and trainer (b. 1915)
    • 1992 – John Dehner, American actor (b. 1915)
    • 1995 – Patricia Highsmith, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1921)
    • 2000 – Carl Albert, American lawyer and politician, 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1908)
    • 2002 – Count Sigvard Bernadotte of Wisborg (b. 1907)
    • 2003 – Benyoucef Benkhedda, Algerian pharmacist and politician (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Ossie Davis, American actor, director, and playwright (b. 1917)
    • 2006 – Betty Friedan, American author and activist (b. 1921)
    • 2007 – José Carlos Bauer, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Ilya Kormiltsev, Russian-English poet and translator (b. 1959)
    • 2007 – Barbara McNair, American singer and actress (b. 1934)
    • 2007 – Jules Olitski, Ukrainian-American painter and sculptor (b. 1922)
    • 2008 – Augusta Dabney, American actress (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Stefan Meller, Polish academic and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland (b. 1942)
    • 2010 – Kostas Axelos, Greek-French philosopher and author (b. 1924)
    • 2010 – Helen Tobias-Duesberg, Estonian-American composer (b. 1919)
    • 2011 – Martial Célestin, Haitian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Haiti (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – István Csurka, Hungarian journalist and politician (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Florence Green, English soldier (b. 1901)
    • 2012 – Robert Daniel, American farmer, soldier, and politician (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Mike deGruy, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1951)
    • 2013 – Donald Byrd, American trumpet player (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Reg Presley, English singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
    • 2014 – Keith Allen, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Eugenio Corti, Italian soldier, author, and playwright (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Dennis Lota, Zambian footballer (b. 1973)
    • 2015 – Wes Cooley, American soldier and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Fitzhugh L. Fulton, American colonel and pilot (b. 1925)
    • 2016 – Edgar Mitchell, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Steve Lang, Canadian bass player (b. 1949)
    • 2017 – Bano Qudsia, Pakistani writer (b. 1928)
    • 2018 – John Mahoney, English-American actor, voice artist, and comedian (b. 1940)
    • 2019 – Matti Nykänen, Finnish Olympic-winning ski jumper and singer (b. 1963)

    Holidays and observances on February 4

    • Christian feast day:
      • Andrew Corsini
      • Gilbert of Sempringham
      • John de Brito
      • Blessed Rabanus Maurus
      • Rimbert
      • Veronica
      • February 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of the Armed Struggle (Angola)
    • Earliest day on which Ash Wednesday can fall, while March 10 is the latest; celebrated on the first day of Lent (Christianity)
    • Independence Day (Sri Lanka)
    • Rosa Parks Day (California and Missouri, United States)
    • World Cancer Day
  • |

    General Science & Ability | Constituents and Structure Solved MCQs (Set-III)

    Click HERE for Q.No.1-50
    Click HERE for Q.No.51-100

    101) Which type of star is maintained by the pressure of an electron gas?
    (a) Main Sequence Star
    (b) White Dwarf
    (c) Neutron Star
    (d) Black Hole
    Answer: (b)
    White dwarfs are stars supported by pressure of degenerate electron gas. i.e. in their interiors thermal energy kT is much smaller then Fermi energy Ep. We shall derive the equations of structure of white dwarfs, sometimes called degenerate dwarfs, in the limiting case when their thermal pressure may be neglected, but the degenerate electron gas may be either non-relativistic. somewhat relativistic. or ultra-relativistic.

    102) Which of the following first hypothesized that the Earth orbited the sun?
    (a) Alexander the Great
    (b) Copernicus
    (c) Socrates
    (d) Tycho Brahe
    Answer: (b)
    Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe.

    103) The LAST manned moon flight was made in what year?
    (a) 1971 (b) 1972
    (c) 1973 (d) 1974
    Answer: (b)
    The last manned landing Apollo 17 on the Moon to date, which took place on December 11, 1972, was made by Commander Eugene Cernan and lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt who was also the first scientist on the Moon.

    104) A planet is said to be at aphelion when it is:
    (a) closest to the sun
    (b) farthest from the sun
    (c) at it’s highest point above the ecliptic
    (d) at it’s lowest point below the ecliptic
    Answer: (b)

    105) The word Albedo refers to which of the following?
    (a) The wobbling motion of a planet
    (b) The amount of light a planet reflects
    (c) The phase changes of a planet
    (d) The brightness of a star
    Answer: (b)
    Albedo is a measure of the reflectivity of a surface. The albedo effect when applied to the Earth is a measure of how much of the Sun’s energy is reflected back into space. Overall, the Earth’s albedo has a cooling effect. (The term ‘albedo’ is derived from the Latin for ‘whiteness’).

    106) A pulsar is actually a:
    (a) black hole
    (b) white dwarf
    (c) red giant
    (d) neutron star
    Answer: (d)

    107) Astronomers use Cepheid’s principally as measures of what? Is it:
    (a) size
    (b) speed
    (c) chemical composition
    (d) distance
    Answer: (d)

    108) Where are most asteroids located? Is it between:
    (a) Jupiter and Saturn
    (b) Mars and Venus
    (c) Earth and Mars
    (d) Mars and Jupiter
    Answer: (d)

    109) The precession of the Earth refers to the:
    (a) change from night to day.
    (b) Earth’s motion around the sun.
    (c) change in orientation of the Earth’s axis.
    (d) effect of the moon on the Earth’s orbit.
    Answer: (c)
    Precession is the change in orientation of the Earth’s rotational axis. The precession cycle takes about 19,000 – 23,000 years. Precession is caused by two factors: a wobble of the Earth’s axis and a turning around of the elliptical orbit of the Earth itself (Thomas, 2002). Obliquity affected the tilt of the Earth’s axis, precession affects the direction of the Earth’s axis. The change in the axis location changes the dates of perihelion (closest distance from sun) and aphelion (farthest distance from sun), and this increases the seasonal contrast in one hemisphere while decreasing it in the other hemisphere ( Kaufman, 2002). currently, the Earth is closest to the sun in the northern hemisphere winter, which makes the winters there less severe (Thomas, 2002). Another consequence of precession is a shift in the celestial poles. 5000 years ago the North Star was Thuban in the constellation Draco. Currently the North Star is Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor.

    110) The Magellanic cloud is a:
    (a) nebula
    (b) galaxy
    (c) super nova remnant
    (d) star cluster
    Answer: (b)

    111) The comet known as Halley’s Comet has an average period of:
    (a) 56 years
    (b) 66 years
    (c) 76 years
    (d) 86 years
    Answer: (c)
    Halley’s Comet orbits the Sun every 76.0 years and has an orbital eccentricity of 0.97. Comet Halley was visible in 1910 and again in 1986. Its next perihelion passage will be in early 2062.

    112) Which one of the following planets has no moons?
    (a) Mars
    (b) Neptune
    (c) Venus
    (d) Jupiter
    Answer: (c)

    113) The rocks that enter the earth’s atmosphere and blaze a trail all the way to the ground and do not burn up completely are known as:
    (a) meteorites
    (b) meteors
    (c) asteroids
    (d) none of these
    Answer: (a)
    A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and impact with the Earth’s surface

    114) 95% of the Martian atmosphere is composed of what substance?
    (a) Carbon dioxide
    (b) Nitrogen
    (c) Argon
    (d) Carbon monoxide
    Answer: (a)
    The atmosphere of Mars is about 100 times thinner than Earth’s, and it is 95 percent carbon dioxide.

    115) What is the motion called when a planet seems to be moving westward in the sky?
    (a) Retrograde
    (b) Parallax
    (c) Opcentric
    (d) Reverse parallax
    Answer: (a)
    Retrograde motion, in astronomy, describes the orbit of a celestial body that runs counter to the direction of the spin of that body which it orbits. Apparent retrograde motion, in astronomy, is the apparent motion of planets as observed from a particular vantage point.

    116) In what year did Galileo first use an optical telescope to study the moon?
    (a) 1492 (b) 1611
    (c) 1212 (d) 1743
    Answer: (b)

    117) Geocentric means around:
    (a) Jupiter (b) the Earth
    (c) the Moon (d) the Sun
    Answer: (b)

    118) The Pythagoreans appear to have been the first to have taught that the Earth is:
    (a) at the center of the Universe.
    (b) spherical in shape.
    (c) orbits around the sun.
    (d) flat with sharp edges.
    Answer: (b)

    119) A device which would not work on the Moon is:
    (a) thermometer
    (b) siphon
    (c) spectrometer
    (d) spring balance
    Answer: (b)
    Siphons will not work in the International Space Station where there is air but no gravity, but neither will they work on the Moon where there is gravity but no air

    120) Of the following colors, which is bent least in passing through aprism?
    (a) orange (b) violet
    (c) green (d) red
    Answer: (d)

    121) In a reflecting telescope where in the tube is the objective mirror placed?
    (a) the top to the tube
    (b) the middle of the tube
    (c) the bottom of the tube
    (d) the side of the tube
    Answer: (c)

    122) What does it mean when someone says that comets have eccentric orbits? Does it mean
    (a) they have open orbits
    (b) they have nearly circular orbits
    (c) their orbits are unpredictable
    (d) the sun is far from the foci of their orbits
    Answer: (d)

    123) What causes the gas tail of a comet to always point away from the sun?
    (a) solar wind
    (b) air pressure
    (c) centrifugal force
    (d) gravity
    Answer: (a)

    124) What are Saturn’s rings composed of?
    (a) completely connected solid masses
    (b) billions of tiny solid particles
    (c) mixtures of gases
    (d) highly reflective cosmic clouds
    Answer: (b)

    125) Of the following, which is the only planet which CANNOT be seen with the unaided eye?
    (a) Jupiter
    (b) Mars
    (c) Neptune
    (d) Saturn
    Answer: (c)
    The ice giant Neptune was the first planet located through mathematical predictions rather than through regular observations of the sky. Nearly 4.5 billion kilometers (2.8 billion miles) from the Sun, Neptune orbits the Sun once every 165 years. It is invisible to the naked eye because of its extreme distance from Earth. In 2011 Neptune completed its first orbit since its discovery in 1846.

    126) Accretion is:
    (a) the gradual accumulation of matter in one location usually due to gravity.
    (b) the process of moon formation for planets.
    (c) the process of matter accumulation due to centripetal force.
    (d) the disintegration of matter.
    Answer: (b)

    127) A blue shift means a Doppler shift of light from a(an)
    (a) receding star.
    (b) blue star.
    (c) approaching star.
    (d) fixed star.
    Answer: (c)
    In the Doppler effect for visible light, the frequency is shifted toward the blue end of the spectrum when the light source (such as a star) is approaching.

    128) The first and largest asteroid discovered was:
    (a) Pallas.
    (b) Juno.
    (c) Ceres.
    (d) Trojan.
    Answer: (c)

    129) The Crab Nebula consists of the remnants of a supernova which was observed by:
    (a) Brahe in 1572.
    (b) Kepler and Galileo in 1604.
    (c) the Chinese in 1054 A.D.
    (d) several ancient civilizations in 236 B.C.
    Answer: (c)
    The Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova noted by Earth-bound chroniclers in 1054 A.D., is filled with mysterious filaments that are are not only tremendously complex, but appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and a higher speed than expected from a free explosion. The Crab Nebula spans about 10 light-years. In the nebula’s very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town. The Crab Pulsar rotates about 30 times each second.

    130) The atmosphere of Venus contains mostly
    (a) oxygen
    (b) carbon dioxide
    (c) nitrogen
    (d) water
    Answer: (b)
    The atmosphere of Venus is composed of about 96% carbon dioxide, with most … various other corrosive compounds, and the atmosphere contains little water.

    131) On the celestial sphere, the annual path of the Sun is called
    (a) the eclipse path.
    (b) ecliptic.
    (c) diurnal.
    (d) solstice.
    Answer: (b)
    The ecliptic is an imaginary line on the sky that marks the annual path of the sun. It is the projection of Earth’s orbit onto the celestial sphere.

    132) The angular distance between a planet and the Sun, as viewed from the Earth, is called
    (a) angle of inclination.
    (b) elongation.
    (c) latitude.
    (d) opposition.
    Answer: (b)
    Elongation is the angular distance between the sun, and another object such a moon or a planet as seen from earth. There are several special names for these angular distances. The different names of these angles depend on the status, inferior or superior, of the planet. The planets closer to the sun than the earth are called inferior planets. The planets farther away from the sun than earth are called superior planets.
    Elongation is measured from earth as the angle between the sun and the planet. Sometimes the apparent relative position of a planet in relation to the sun is called the aspect, or configuration, of a planet.

    133) Which of the following has the highest density?
    (a) Earth
    (b) Venus
    (c) Mars
    (d) Jupiter
    Answer: (a)
    Earth has the highest density of any planet in the Solar System, at 5.514 g/cm3. This is considered the standard by which other planet’s densities are measured. In addition, the combination of Earth’s size, mass and density also results in a surface gravity of 9.8 m/s². This is also used as a the standard (one g) when measuring the surface gravity of other planets.

    134) Which of the following planets is NOT a terrestrial planet?
    (a) Earth
    (b) Jupiter
    (c) Mars
    (d) Mercury
    Answer: (b)
    The term terrestrial planet is derived from the Latin “Terra” (i.e. Earth). Terrestrial planets are therefore those that are “Earth-like”, meaning they are similar in structure and composition to planet Earth. All those planets found within the Inner Solar System – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars – are examples of terrestrial planets. Each are composed primarily of silicate rock and metal, which is differentiated between a dense, metallic core and a silicate mantle.

    135) Why do we see lunar eclipses much more often than solar eclipses?
    (a) Lunar eclipses occur more often than solar eclipses.
    (b) Lunar eclipses last longer than solar eclipses.
    (c) The lunar eclipse is visible to much more of the Earth than a solar eclipse.
    (d) The moon is closer to the Earth than the sun.
    Answer: (c)
    Lunar and solar eclipses occur with about equal frequency. Lunar eclipses are more widely visible because Earth casts a much larger shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse than the Moon casts on Earth during a solar eclipse. As a result, we are more likely to see a lunar eclipse than a solar eclipse.

    136) A star like object with a very large red shift is a
    (a) Neutron star.
    (b) Nova.
    (c) Quasar.
    (d) Supernova.
    Answer: (c)
    Quasars: In the 1930’s, Edwin Hubble discovered that all galaxies have a positive redshift. In other words, all galaxies were receding from the Milky Way.

    137) The apparent magnitude of an object in the sky describes its
    (a) Size
    (b) Magnification
    (c) Brightness
    (d) Distance
    Answer: (c)

    138) The Van Allen belts are:
    (a) caused by the refraction of sunlight like rainbows.
    (b) charged particles trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field.
    (c) caused by the reflection of polar snow.
    (d) caused by precession.
    Answer: (b)
    The Van Allen belts are a collection of charged particles, gathered in place by Earth’s magnetic field. They can wax and wane in response to incoming energy from the sun, sometimes swelling up enough to expose satellites in low-Earth orbit to damaging radiation.

    139) A coordinate system based on the ecliptic system is especially useful for the studies of
    (a) Planets
    (b) Stars
    (c) The Milky Way
    (d) Galaxies
    Answer: (a)

    140) The mean distance of the earth from the sun in astronomical units is:
    (a) 3.7 (b) 10
    (c) 1 (d) 101
    Answer: (c)
    In astronomy, an astronomical unit is defined as the average distance from the Sun to the Earth, or about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles). You can abbreviate astronomical unit as AU.
    Since the distances in astronomy are so vast, astronomers use this measurement to bring the size of numbers down.
    For example, Earth is 1 au from the Sun, and Mars is 1.523 AU. That’s much easier than saying that Mars is 227,939,000 km away from the Sun.

    141) What process produces a star’s energy?
    (a) hydrogen and oxygen combustion
    (b) nuclear fusion
    (c) neutron beta decay
    (d) nuclear fission
    Answer: (b)
    The enormous luminous energy of the stars comes from nuclear fusion processes in their centers. Depending upon the age and mass of a star, the energy may come from proton-proton fusion, helium fusion, or the carbon cycle.

    142) What is the most distant object in the sky that the human eye can see without optical instruments?
    (a) The Horsehead Nebula
    (b) The Andromeda Galaxy
    (c) The Sagittarius Constellation
    (d) The Aurora Borealis
    Answer: (b)
    The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the closest large galaxy to the Milky Way and is one of a few galaxies that can be seen unaided from the Earth. In approximately 4.5 billion years the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way are expected to collide and the result will be a giant elliptical galaxy. Andromeda is accompanied by 14 dwarf galaxies, including M32, M110, and possibly M33 (The Triangulum Galaxy).

    143) Which civilization developed and implemented the first solar calendar?
    (a) Babylonian
    (b) Greek
    (c) Egyptian
    (d) Aztec
    Answer: (c)
    A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the sun and is based on the seasonal year of approximately 365 1/4 days, the time it takes the Earth to revolve once around the Sun. The Egyptians appear to have been the first to develop a solar calendar, using as a fixed point the annual sunrise reappearance of the Dog Star — Sirius, or Sothis — in the eastern sky, which coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile River. They constructed a calendar of 365 days, consisting of 12 months of 30 days each, with 5 days added at the year’s end. The Egyptians’ failure to account for the extra fraction of a day, however, caused their calendar to drift gradually into error.

    144) What is the HOTTEST region of the sun?
    (a) The core
    (b) The photosphere
    (c) The chromospheres
    (d) The corona
    Answer: (d)
    The corona is the outermost layer of the Sun, starting at about 1300 miles (2100 km) above the solar surface (the photosphere) The temperature in the corona is 500,000 K (900,000 degrees F, 500,000 degrees C) or more, up to a few million K. The corona cannot be seen with the naked eye except during a total solar eclipse, or with the use of a coronagraph. The corona does not have an upper limit.
    A study published in 2012 in Nature Communications by researchers at Northumbria University found a possible mechanism that causes some stars to have a corona that is almost 200 times hotter than their photosphere (the star’s surface).

    145) The same side of the moon always faces the Earth because:
    (a) the moon is not rotating about its axis.
    (b) the moon’s motion was fixed at its creation by the laws of inertia.
    (c) tidal forces keep the moon’s rotation and orbiting motion in sync with each other.
    (d) the moon’s magnetic poles keep aligned with the Earth’s magnetic field.
    Answer: (b)

    146) The resolving power of a telescope depends on the:
    (a) focal ratio
    (b) diameter of the objective
    (c) magnification
    (d) focal length
    Answer: (b)
    The resolving power of a telescope depends on the diameter of the telescope’s light-gathering apparatus, or objective. In a refracting telescope, the objective lens is the first lens the light passes through. In a reflecting telescope, the objective is the telescope’s primary mirror. In a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, the objective is also the primary mirror. As the diameter of the telescope’s objective increases, the resolving power increases.

    147) On a clear, dark, moonless night, approximately how many stars can be seen with the naked eye?
    (a) 300 (b) 1,000
    (c) 3,000 (d) 10,000
    Answer: (c)
    On any clear dark moonless night a person can see about 3000 stars of our galaxy without the aid of a telescope

    148) The study of the origin and evolution of the universe is known as:
    (a) Tomography
    (b) cystoscopy
    (c) cryology
    (d) cosmology
    Answer: (d)
    Cosmology is the branch of astronomy involving the origin and evolution of the universe, from the Big Bang to today and on into the future. According to NASA, the definition of cosmology is “the scientific study of the large scale properties of the universe as a whole.”

    149) According to Kepler’s Laws, all orbits of the planets are:
    (a) ellipses
    (b) parabolas
    (c) hyperbolas
    (d) square
    Answer: (a)
    Johannes Kepler, working with data painstakingly collected by Tycho Brahe without the aid of a telescope, developed three laws which described the motion of the planets across the sky.
    1. The Law of Orbits: All planets move in elliptical orbits, with the sun at one focus.
    2. The Law of Areas: A line that connects a planet to the sun sweeps out equal areas in equal times.
    3. The Law of Periods: The square of the period of any planet is proportional to the cube of the semimajor axis of its orbit.
    Kepler’s laws were derived for orbits around the sun, but they apply to satellite orbits as well.