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1616

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

  • 61 BC – Pompey the Great celebrates his third triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday.
  • 1011 – Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, archbishop of Canterbury, as a prisoner.
  • 1227 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, is excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX for his failure to participate in the Crusades.
  • 1267 – The Treaty of Montgomery recognises Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as Prince of Wales, but only as a vassal of King Henry III.
  • 1364 – English forces defeat the French in Brittany, ending the War of the Breton Succession.
  • 1578 – Tegucigalpa, capital city of Honduras, is claimed by the Spaniards.
  • 1637 – 42-year-old Lorenzo Ruiz dies.
  • 1717 – An earthquake strikes Antigua Guatemala, destroying much of the city’s architecture.
  • 1789 – The United States Department of War first establishes a regular army with a strength of several hundred men.
  • 1789 – The 1st United States Congress adjourns.
  • 1829 – The Metropolitan Police of London, later also known as the Met, is founded.
  • 1848 – The Battle of Pákozd is a stalemate between Hungarian and Croatian forces, and is the first battle of the Hungarian Revolution.
  • 1850 – The papal bull Universalis Ecclesiae restores the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales.
  • 1855 – The Philippine port of Iloilo is opened to world trade by the Spanish administration.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chaffin’s Farm is fought.
  • 1864 – The Treaty of Lisbon defines the boundaries between Spain and Portugal and abolishes the Couto Misto microstate.
  • 1885 – The first practical public electric tramway in the world is opened in Blackpool, England.
  • 1907 – The cornerstone is laid at the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (better known as Washington National Cathedral) in Washington, D.C.
  • 1911 – Italy declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1918 – World War I: Bulgaria signs the Armistice of Salonica.
  • 1918 – The Hindenburg Line is broken by an Allied attack.
  • 1918 – Germany’s Supreme Army Command tells the Kaiser and the Chancellor to open negotiations for an armistice.
  • 1923 – The British Mandate for Palestine takes effect, creating Mandatory Palestine.
  • 1923 – The French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon takes effect.
  • 1923 – The First American Track & Field championships for women are held.
  • 1932 – Chaco War: Last day of the Battle of Boquerón between Paraguay and Bolivia.
  • 1940 – Two Avro Ansons collide in mid-air over New South Wales, Australia, remain locked together, then land safely.
  • 1941 – World War II: German forces, with the aid of local Ukrainian collaborators, begin the two-day Babi Yar massacre.
  • 1949 – The Communist Party of China writes the Common Programme for the future People’s Republic of China.
  • 1954 – The convention establishing CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is signed.
  • 1957 – The Kyshtym disaster is the third-worst nuclear accident ever recorded.
  • 1971 – Oman joins the Arab League.
  • 1972 – China–Japan relations: Japan establishes diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China after breaking official ties with the Republic of China.
  • 1975 – WGPR becomes the first black-owned-and-operated television station in the US.
  • 1979 – The dictator Francisco Macias of Equatorial Guinea is shot by soldiers from Western Sahara.
  • 1988 – NASA launches STS-26, the first mission since the Challenger disaster.
  • 1990 – Construction of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (better known as Washington National Cathedral) is completed in Washington, D.C.
  • 1990 – The YF-22, which would later become the F-22 Raptor, flies for the first time.
  • 1991 – A Haitian coup d’état occurs.
  • 1992 – Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello is impeached.
  • 2004 – The asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within four lunar distances of Earth.
  • 2004 – Burt Rutan’s Ansari SpaceShipOne performs a successful spaceflight, the first of two required to win the Ansari X Prize.
  • 2006 – A Boeing 737 and an Embraer 600 collide in mid-air, killing 154 people and triggering a Brazilian aviation crisis.
  • 2007 – Calder Hall, the world’s first commercial nuclear power station, is demolished in a controlled explosion.
  • 2009 – The 8.1 Mw  Samoa earthquake results in a tsunami that kills 189 and injures hundreds.
  • 2011 – The special court in India convicted all 269 accused officials for atrocity on Dalits and 17 for rape in the Vachathi case.
  • 2013 – Over 42 people are killed by members of Boko Haram at the College of Agriculture in Nigeria.
  • 2016 – Eleven days after the Uri attack, the Indian Army conducts “surgical strikes” against suspected militants in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
  • 2019 – Violence and low turnout mar the 2019 Afghan presidential election.
  • 2019 – At least 59 people are reported dead due to monsoon rains in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India. 350 people have died this year due to rain in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Births on September 29

  • 106 BC – Pompey, Roman general and politician (d. 48 BC)
  • 929 – Qian Chu, Chinese king (Ten Kingdoms) (d. 988)
  • 1240 – Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scots (d. 1275)
  • 1276 – Christopher II of Denmark (d. 1332)
  • 1373 – Margaret of Bohemia, Burgravine of Nuremberg (d. 1410)
  • 1402 – Fernando, the Saint Prince, of Portugal (d. 1443)
  • 1403 – Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brzeg-Legnica and Cieszyn, German princess (d. 1449)
  • 1460 – Louis II de la Trémoille, French military leader (d. 1525)
  • 1463 – Louis I, Count of Löwenstein, founder of the House of Löwenstein-Wertheim (d. 1523)
  • 1511 – Michael Servetus, Spanish physician, cartographer, and theologian (d. 1553)
  • 1527 – John Lesley, Scottish bishop (d. 1596)
  • 1538 – Joan Terès i Borrull, Spanish archbishop and academic (d. 1603)
  • 1547 – Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1616)
  • 1548 – William V, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1626)
  • 1561 – Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish priest and mathematician (d. 1615)
  • 1574 – Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox, Scottish nobleman and politician (d. 1624)
  • 1602 – Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland, English military leader (d. 1668)
  • 1636 – Thomas Tenison, English archbishop (d. 1715)
  • 1639 – William Russell, Lord Russell, English politician (d. 1683)
  • 1640 – Antoine Coysevox, French sculptor and educator (d. 1720)
  • 1674 – Jacques-Martin Hotteterre, French flute player and composer (d. 1763)
  • 1678 – Adrien Maurice de Noailles, French soldier and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1766)
  • 1691 – Richard Challoner, English bishop (d. 1781)
  • 1703 – François Boucher, French painter and set designer (d. 1770)
  • 1718 – Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Russian soldier and politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1783)
  • 1725 – Robert Clive, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire (d. 1774)
  • 1758 – Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, English admiral (d. 1805)
  • 1766 – Charlotte, Princess Royal of England (d. 1828)
  • 1786 – Guadalupe Victoria, Mexican general, lawyer, and politician, 1st President of Mexico (d. 1843)
  • 1803 – Mercator Cooper, American captain and explorer (d. 1872)
  • 1803 – Jacques Charles François Sturm, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1850)
  • 1808 – Henry Bennett, American lawyer and politician (d. 1868)
  • 1810 – Elizabeth Gaskell, English author (d. 1865)
  • 1816 – Paul Féval, père, French author and playwright (d. 1887)
  • 1832 – Joachim Oppenheim, rabbi and author (d. 1891)
  • 1832 – Miguel Miramón, Unconstitutional president of Mexico, 1859-1860 (d. 1867)
  • 1843 – Mikhail Skobelev, Russian general (d. 1882)
  • 1844 – Miguel Ángel Juárez Celman, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 10th President of Argentina (d. 1909)
  • 1853 – Luther D. Bradley, American cartoonist (d. 1917)
  • 1863 – Hugo Haase, German lawyer, jurist, and politician (d. 1919)
  • 1864 – Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish philosopher and author (d. 1936)
  • 1866 – Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, Ukrainian historian, academic, and politician (d. 1934)
  • 1876 – Charlie Llewellyn, South African cricketer (d. 1964)
  • 1880 – Liberato Pinto, Portuguese colonel and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1949)
  • 1881 – Ludwig von Mises, Austrian-American economist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1973)
  • 1882 – Lilias Armstrong, English phonetician (d. 1937)
  • 1885 – George Scott, English footballer (d. 1916)
  • 1891 – Ian Fairweather, Scottish-Australian painter (d. 1974)
  • 1895 – Clarence Ashley, American singer, guitarist, and banjo player (d. 1967)
  • 1895 – Joseph Banks Rhine, American botanist and parapsychologist (d. 1980)
  • 1895 – Roscoe Turner, American pilot (d. 1970)
  • 1897 – Herbert Agar, American journalist and historian (d. 1980)
  • 1898 – Trofim Lysenko, Ukrainian-Russian biologist and agronomist (d. 1976)
  • 1899 – László Bíró, Hungarian-Argentinian journalist and inventor, invented the ballpoint pen (d. 1985)
  • 1899 – Billy Butlin, South African-English businessman, founded Butlins (d. 1980)
  • 1901 – Lanza del Vasto, Italian poet, philosopher, and activist (d. 1981)
  • 1901 – Enrico Fermi, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1954)
  • 1903 – Miguel Alemán Valdés, Mexican lawyer and civilian politician, 46th President of Mexico (1946-1952) (d. 1983)
  • 1903 – Diana Vreeland, American journalist (d. 1989)
  • 1904 – Greer Garson, English-American actress (d. 1996)
  • 1907 – Gene Autry, American singer, actor, and businessman (d. 1998)
  • 1907 – George W. Jenkins, American businessman, founded Publix (d. 1996)
  • 1908 – Eddie Tolan, American sprinter and educator (d. 1967)
  • 1910 – Bill Boyd, American singer and guitarist (d. 1977)
  • 1910 – Virginia Bruce, American actress (d. 1982)
  • 1911 – Charles Court, English-Australian politician, 21st Premier of Western Australia (d. 2007)
  • 1912 – Michelangelo Antonioni, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1913 – Trevor Howard, English actor (d. 1988)
  • 1913 – Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (d. 2001)
  • 1915 – Vincent DeDomenico, American businessman, founded the Napa Valley Wine Train (d. 2007)
  • 1915 – Oscar Handlin, American historian and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1915 – Brenda Marshall, American actress (d. 1992)
  • 1916 – Carl Giles, English cartoonist (d. 1995)
  • 1919 – Kira Zvorykina, Belarusian chess player (d. 2014)
  • 1920 – Peter D. Mitchell, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
  • 1920 – Václav Neumann, Czech violinist and conductor (d. 1995)
  • 1921 – John Ritchie, New Zealand composer and educator (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Albie Roles, English footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1922 – Lizabeth Scott, American actress (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Stan Berenstain, American author and illustrator (d. 2005)
  • 1923 – Bum Phillips, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Steve Forrest, American actor (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Paul MacCready, American engineer, founded AeroVironment (d. 2007)
  • 1926 – Chuck Cooper, American basketball player (d. 1984)
  • 1926 – Pete Elliott, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Adhemar da Silva, Brazilian triple jumper and actor (d. 2001)
  • 1927 – Sherwood Johnston, American race car driver (d. 2000)
  • 1927 – Pete McCloskey, American colonel and politician
  • 1927 – Barbara Mertz, American historian and author (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Brajesh Mishra, Indian politician and diplomat, 1st Indian National Security Advisor (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Nathan Shamuyarira, Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Richard Bonynge, Australian pianist and conductor
  • 1930 – Colin Dexter, English author and educator (d. 2017)
  • 1931 – James Cronin, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
  • 1931 – Anita Ekberg, Swedish-Italian model and actress (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Paul Oestreicher, German-English priest and theologian
  • 1932 – Robert Benton, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1932 – Paul Giel, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
  • 1933 – Samora Machel, Mozambican commander and politician, 1st President of Mozambique (d. 1986)
  • 1934 – Skandor Akbar, American wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Hungarian-American psychologist and academic
  • 1934 – Lance Gibbs, Guyanese cricketer and manager
  • 1934 – Stuart M. Kaminsky, American author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1934 – Lindsay Kline, Australian cricketer (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – Jerry Lee Lewis, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1936 – Silvio Berlusconi, Italian businessman and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Italy
  • 1936 – James Fogle, American author (d. 2012)
  • 1936 – Hal Trosky, Jr., American baseball player (d. 2012)
  • 1938 – Dave Harper, English footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1938 – Wim Kok, Dutch union leader and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Fikret Abdić, Bosnian economist and politician
  • 1939 – Jim Baxter, Scottish footballer (d. 2001)
  • 1939 – Larry Linville, American actor (d. 2000)
  • 1939 – Rhodri Morgan, Welsh politician, 2nd First Minister of Wales (d. 2017)
  • 1940 – Brute Force, American singer-songwriter
  • 1940 – Carlos Morales Troncoso, Dominican politician, 34th Vice President of the Dominican Republic (d. 2014)
  • 1941 – David Steele, English cricketer
  • 1942 – Felice Gimondi, Italian cyclist
  • 1942 – Madeline Kahn, American actress and singer (d. 1999)
  • 1942 – Ian McShane, English actor
  • 1942 – Bill Nelson, American captain and politician
  • 1942 – Jean-Luc Ponty, French violinist and composer
  • 1942 – Janet Powell, Australian educator and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Steve Tesich, Serbian-American screenwriter and playwright (d. 1996)
  • 1943 – Wolfgang Overath, German footballer
  • 1943 – Lech Wałęsa, Polish electrician and politician, 2nd President of Poland, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1944 – Mike Post, American composer and producer
  • 1945 – Kyriakos Sfetsas, Greek composer and poet
  • 1945 – Nadezhda Chizhova, Russian shot putter
  • 1946 – Patricia Hodge, English actress
  • 1947 – Ülo Kaevats, Estonian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1947 – S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (d. 2016)
  • 1947 – Gary Wetzel, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient
  • 1948 – Mark Farner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1948 – Bryant Gumbel, American journalist and sportscaster
  • 1948 – Theo Jörgensmann, German clarinet player and composer
  • 1948 – Mike Pinera, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1949 – George Dalaras, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1950 – Ken Macha, American baseball player and manager
  • 1951 – Michelle Bachelet, Chilean physician and politician, 34th President of Chile
  • 1951 – Pier Luigi Bersani, Italian educator and politician, 6th President of Emilia-Romagna
  • 1951 – Andrés Caicedo, Colombian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1977)
  • 1951 – Maureen Caird, Australian-New Zealand hurdler
  • 1951 – Mike Enriquez, Filipino journalist and radio commentator
  • 1952 – Roy Campbell, Jr., American trumpet player (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – Gábor Csupó, Hungarian-American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Klasky Csupo
  • 1952 – Richard Hodges, English archaeologist and academic
  • 1952 – Max Sandlin, American lawyer, judge, and politician
  • 1952 – Takanosato Toshihide, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 59th Yokozuna (d. 2011)
  • 1953 – Warren Cromartie, American baseball player, coach, and radio host
  • 1953 – Jean-Claude Lauzon, Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1953 – Lawrence Reed, American economist and author
  • 1954 – Uwe Jahn, German footballer and manager
  • 1954 – Mark Mitchell, Australian actor
  • 1955 – Ann Bancroft, American explorer and author
  • 1955 – Gareth Davies, Welsh rugby player and academic
  • 1955 – Joe Donnelly, American politician and lawyer
  • 1955 – Benoît Ferreux, French actor and director
  • 1955 – Gwen Ifill, American journalist (d. 2016)
  • 1956 – Sebastian Coe, English sprinter and politician
  • 1956 – Jenny Morris, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1956 – Suzzy Roche, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1957 – Chris Broad, English cricketer and referee
  • 1957 – Sokratis Malamas, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1957 – Mark Nicholas, English cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Julian Armour, American-Canadian cellist and educator
  • 1960 – Kenneth Hansen, Swedish race car driver
  • 1960 – Alan McGee, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1960 – Hubert Neuper, Austrian ski jumper
  • 1960 – John Paxson, American basketball player and coach
  • 1960 – David Sammartino, American wrestler and trainer
  • 1960 – Andy Slaughter, English politician
  • 1960 – Carol Welsman, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1961 – Julia Gillard, Welsh-Australian lawyer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Australia
  • 1961 – Stephanie Miller, American comedian and radio host
  • 1962 – Roger Bart, American actor
  • 1963 – Dave Andreychuk, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1963 – Les Claypool, American bass player, singer, songwriter, and producer
  • 1964 – Brad Lohaus, American basketball player
  • 1966 – Hersey Hawkins, American basketball player and coach
  • 1966 – Ben Miles, English actor
  • 1967 – Brett Anderson, English singer-songwriter
  • 1967 – Sara Sankey, English badminton player
  • 1968 – Patrick Burns, American paranormal investigator
  • 1968 – Luke Goss, English actor
  • 1968 – Matt Goss, English singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Erika Eleniak, American model and actress
  • 1969 – DeVante Swing, American singer-songwriter, and producer
  • 1969 – Aleks Syntek, Mexican singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1970 – Russell Peters, Canadian comedian, actor, and producer
  • 1970 – Yoshihiro Tajiri, Japanese wrestler and trainer
  • 1970 – Natasha Gregson Wagner, American actress
  • 1970 – Kushboo, South Indian actress and producer
  • 1971 – Yitzhak Yedid, Israeli-Australian composer & pianist
  • 1971 – Tanoka Beard, American basketball player
  • 1971 – Mackenzie Crook, English actor and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Theodore Shapiro, American composer
  • 1972 – Oliver Gavin, English race car driver
  • 1973 – Foivos Delivorias, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1973 – Shannon Larratt, Canadian publisher, founded BMEzine (d. 2013)
  • 1973 – Scout Niblett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Brian Ash, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Matt Hullum, American actor, director, and producer, co-founded Rooster Teeth
  • 1974 – James Lance, British actor
  • 1975 – Albert Celades, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Darren Byfield, English-Jamaican footballer
  • 1976 – Kelvin Davis, English footballer
  • 1976 – Óscar Sevilla, Spanish cyclist
  • 1976 – Andriy Shevchenko, Ukrainian footballer and politician
  • 1977 – Eric Barton, American football player
  • 1977 – Wade Brookbank, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
  • 1977 – Debelah Morgan, American singer-songwriter
  • 1977 – Jake Westbrook, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Mohini Bhardwaj, American gymnast and coach
  • 1978 – Gunner McGrath, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Karen Putzer, Italian skier
  • 1978 – Kurt Nilsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Orhan Ak, Turkish footballer
  • 1979 – Takumi Beppu, Japanese cyclist and manager
  • 1979 – Artika Sari Devi, Indonesian model and actress
  • 1979 – Shelley Duncan, American baseball player and manager
  • 1979 – Jaime Lozano, Mexican footballer
  • 1980 – Patrick Agyemang, English footballer
  • 1980 – Dallas Green, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Zachary Levi, American actor and singer
  • 1981 – Aris Galanopoulos, Greek footballer
  • 1981 – Shane Smeltz, German-New Zealand footballer
  • 1982 – Matt Giteau, Australian rugby player
  • 1982 – Amy Williams, English skeleton racer
  • 1983 – Lisette Oropesa, American soprano and actress
  • 1984 – Per Mertesacker, German footballer
  • 1985 – Calvin Johnson, American football player
  • 1985 – Niklas Moisander, Finnish footballer
  • 1985 – Dani Pedrosa, Spanish motorcycle racer
  • 1985 – Magnus Gangstad Jørgensen, Norwegian music producer
  • 1986 – Lisa Foiles, American actress and journalist
  • 1986 – Mark Fraser, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Matt Lashoff, American ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Isaac Makwala, Botswanan sprinter
  • 1986 – Benoît Pouliot, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – David Del Rio, American actor and director
  • 1988 – Kevin Durant, American basketball player
  • 1988 – Justin Nozuka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1989 – Theo Adams, English photographer and director
  • 1989 – Adore Delano, American drag queen and singer
  • 1989 – Yevhen Konoplyanka, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1989 – Aaron Martin, English footballer
  • 1989 – Andrea Poli, Italian footballer
  • 1989 – Fatima Lodhi, Pakistani social activist
  • 1990 – Doug Brochu, American voice actor
  • 1990 – Gerphil Flores, Filipina classical crossover singer and Asia’s Got Talent finalist
  • 1990 – Lena Wermelt, German footballer
  • 1991 – Adem Ljajić, Serbian footballer
  • 1991 – Martin Jensen, Danish musician
  • 1993 – Lee Hong-bin, South Korean singer
  • 1993 – Viktor Romanenkov, Estonian figure skater
  • 1993 – Oleg Vernyayev, Ukrainian artistic gymnast
  • 1998 – Vera Lapko, Belarusian tennis player
  • 1999 – Choi Ye-na, South Korean singer and dancer

Deaths on September 29

  • 722 – Leudwinus, Frankish archbishop and saint (b. 660)
  • 855 – Lothair I, Roman emperor (b. 795)
  • 1186 – William of Tyre, Archbishop of Tyre (b. c. 1130)
  • 1225 – Arnaud Amalric, Papal legate who allegedly promoted mass murder
  • 1298 – Guido I da Montefeltro, Italian military strategist (b. 1223)
  • 1304 – John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, English general (b. 1231)
  • 1360 – Joanna I of Auvergne, queen consort of France (b. 1326)
  • 1364 – Charles I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1319)
  • 1382 – ‘Izz al-Din ibn Rukn al-Din Mahmud, malik of Sistan
  • 1501 – Andrew Stewart, Scottish bishop (b. 1442)
  • 1560 – Gustav I of Sweden (b. 1496)
  • 1622 – Conrad Vorstius, German-Dutch Remonstrant theologian (b. 1569)
  • 1634 – Henry Hyde, English politician and lawyer (b.c. 1563)
  • 1637 – Lorenzo Ruiz, Filipino martyr and saint (b. 1600)
  • 1642 – René Goupil, French missionary and saint (b. 1608)
  • 1642 – William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire (b. 1561)
  • 1703 – Charles de Saint-Évremond, French-English soldier, author, and critic (b. 1610)
  • 1800 – Michael Denis, Austrian poet and author (b. 1729)
  • 1804 – Michael Hillegas, American politician, 1st Treasurer of the United States (b. 1728)
  • 1833 – Ferdinand VII of Spain (b. 1784)
  • 1862 – William “Bull” Nelson, American general (b. 1824)
  • 1887 – Bernhard von Langenbeck, German surgeon and academic (b. 1810)
  • 1889 – Louis Faidherbe, French general and politician (b. 1818)
  • 1900 – Samuel Fenton Cary, American lawyer and politician (b. 1814)
  • 1902 – William McGonagall, Scottish poet and actor (b. 1825)
  • 1902 – Émile Zola, French journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1840)
  • 1908 – Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1839)
  • 1910 – Winslow Homer, American painter, illustrator, and engraver (b. 1836)
  • 1913 – Rudolf Diesel, German engineer, invented the diesel engine (b. 1858)
  • 1918 – Lawrence Weathers, decorated WWI Australian soldier (b. 1890).
  • 1925 – Léon Bourgeois, French police officer and politician, 64th Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1851)
  • 1927 – Arthur Achleitner, German journalist and author (b. 1858)
  • 1927 – Willem Einthoven, Indonesian-Dutch physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
  • 1928 – John Devoy, Irish-American Fenian rebel leader (b. 1842)
  • 1930 – Ilya Repin, Ukrainian-Russian painter and illustrator (b. 1844)
  • 1937 – Marie Zdeňka Baborová-Čiháková, Czech botanist and zoologist (b. 1877)
  • 1937 – Ray Ewry, American triple jumper (b. 1873)
  • 1937 – Ernst Hoppenberg, German swimmer and water polo player (b. 1878)
  • 1951 – Thomas Cahill, American soccer player and coach (b. 1864)
  • 1952 – John Cobb, English race car driver and pilot (b. 1899)
  • 1967 – Carson McCullers, American novelist, playwright, essayist, and poet (b. 1917)
  • 1970 – Edward Everett Horton, American actor (b. 1886)
  • 1973 – W. H. Auden, English-American poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1907)
  • 1975 – Casey Stengel, American baseball player and manager (b. 1890)
  • 1981 – Bill Shankly, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1913)
  • 1982 – Monty Stratton, American baseball player and coach (b. 1912)
  • 1986 – Prince George Valdemar of Denmark (b. 1920)
  • 1987 – Henry Ford II, American businessman (b. 1917)
  • 1988 – Charles Addams, American cartoonist (b. 1912)
  • 1989 – Gussie Busch, American businessman (b. 1899)
  • 1989 – Georges Ulmer, Danish-French singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1919)
  • 1993 – Gordon Douglas, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 1997 – Roy Lichtenstein, American painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
  • 1998 – Tom Bradley, American lieutenant and politician, 38th Mayor of Los Angeles (b. 1917)
  • 1999 – Jean-Louis Millette, Canadian actor (b. 1935)
  • 2000 – John Grant, English journalist and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2001 – Mabel Fairbanks, American figure skater and coach (b. 1915)
  • 2001 – Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, Vietnamese general and politician, 5th President of South Vietnam (b. 1923)
  • 2004 – Richard Sainct, French motorcycle racer (b. 1970)
  • 2004 – Patrick Wormald, English historian (b. 1947)
  • 2005 – Patrick Caulfield, English painter and academic (b. 1936)
  • 2005 – Austin Leslie, American chef and author (b. 1934)
  • 2006 – Walter Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer and manager (b. 1915)
  • 2006 – Michael A. Monsoor, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1981)
  • 2006 – Louis-Albert Vachon, Canadian cardinal (b. 1912)
  • 2007 – Lois Maxwell, Canadian actress (b. 1927)
  • 2007 – Yıldırım Aktuna, Turkish psychiatrist and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (b. 1930)
  • 2008 – Hayden Carruth, American poet and critic (b. 1921)
  • 2009 – Pavel Popovich, Ukrainian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930)
  • 2010 – Tony Curtis, American actor (b. 1925)
  • 2010 – Greg Giraldo, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1965)
  • 2011 – Sylvia Robinson, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Neil Smith, Scottish geographer and academic (b. 1954)
  • 2012 – Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, American publisher (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Malcolm Wicks, English academic and politician (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Harold Agnew, American physicist and engineer (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Anton Benning, German lieutenant (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Pete T. Cenarrusa, American soldier, pilot, and politician, Secretary of State of Idaho (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – Carl Joachim Classen, German scholar and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – L. C. Greenwood, American football player (b. 1946)
  • 2013 – Bob Kurland, American basketball player and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Miguel Boyer, Spanish economist and politician (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Andreas Fransson, Swedish skier (b. 1983)
  • 2014 – Stan Monteith, American surgeon and author (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Luis Nishizawa, Mexican painter and educator (b. 1918)
  • 2014 – John Ritchie, New Zealand composer and educator (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – George Shuba, American baseball player (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Hellmuth Karasek, Czech-German journalist, author, and critic (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – William Kerslake, American wrestler and engineer (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Jean Ter-Merguerian, French-Armenian violinist (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Phil Woods, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1931)
  • 2016 – Miriam Defensor Santiago, Filipina politician (b. 1945)
  • 2017 – Tom Alter, Indian actor (b. 1950)
  • 2018 – Otis Rush, American blues guitarist and singer (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances on September 29

  • Christian feast day:
    • Rhipsime
    • September 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. One of the four quarter days in the Irish calendar. (England and Ireland). Called Michaelmas in some western liturgical traditions
  • Day of Machine-Building Industry Workers (Russia)
  • Inventors’ Day (Argentina)
  • Victory of Boquerón Day (Paraguay)
  • World Heart Day

September 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day, Uncategorized

July 31 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 30 BC – Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian’s forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide.
  • 781 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji (Traditional Japanese date: 6th day of the 7th month of the 1st year of the Ten’o (天応) era).
  • 1009 – Pope Sergius IV becomes the 142nd pope, succeeding Pope John XVIII.
  • 1201 – Attempted usurpation by John Komnenos the Fat for the throne of Alexios III Angelos.
  • 1423 – Hundred Years’ War: Battle of Cravant: The French army is defeated by the English at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne.
  • 1451 – Jacques Cœur is arrested by order of Charles VII of France.
  • 1492 – The Jews are expelled from Spain when the Alhambra Decree takes effect.
  • 1498 – On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad.
  • 1588 – The Spanish Armada is spotted off the coast of England.
  • 1618 – Maurice, Prince of Orange disbands the waardgelders militia in Utrecht, a pivotal event in the Remonstrant/Counter-Remonstrant tensions.
  • 1655 – Russo-Polish War (1654–67): The Russian army enters the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, which it holds for six years.
  • 1658 – Aurangzeb is proclaimed Mughal emperor of India.
  • 1703 – Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers.
  • 1712 – Action of 31 July 1712 (Great Northern War): Danish and Swedish ships clash in the Baltic Sea; the result is inconclusive.
  • 1715 – Seven days after a Spanish treasure fleet of 12 ships left Havana, Cuba for Spain, 11 of them sink in a storm off the coast of Florida. A few centuries later, treasure is salvaged from these wrecks.
  • 1741 – Charles Albert of Bavaria invades Upper Austria and Bohemia.
  • 1763 – Odawa Chief Pontiac’s forces defeat British troops at the Battle of Bloody Run during Pontiac’s War.
  • 1777 – The U.S. Second Continental Congress passes a resolution that the services of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette “be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States.”
  • 1790 – The first U.S. patent is issued, to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process.
  • 1856 – Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city.
  • 1865 – The first narrow-gauge mainline railway in the world opens at Grandchester, Queensland, Australia.
  • 1874 – Dr. Patrick Francis Healy became the first African-American inaugurated as president of a predominantly white university, Georgetown University.
  • 1904 – Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Hsimucheng: Units of the Imperial Japanese Army defeat units of the Imperial Russian Army in a strategic confrontation.
  • 1913 – The Balkan States sign an armistice in Bucharest.
  • 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Passchendaele begins near Ypres in West Flanders, Belgium.
  • 1919 – German national assembly adopts the Weimar Constitution, which comes into force on August 14.
  • 1932 – The NSDAP (Nazi Party) wins more than 38% of the vote in German elections.
  • 1938 – Bulgaria signs a non-aggression pact with Greece and other states of Balkan Antanti (Turkey, Romania, Yugoslavia).
  • 1938 – Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius the Great in Persepolis.
  • 1941 – The Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Nazi official Hermann Göring, orders SS General Reinhard Heydrich to “submit to me as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative material and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired Final Solution of the Jewish question.”
  • 1941 – World War II: The Battle of Smolensk concludes with Germany capturing about 300,000 Soviet Red Army prisoners.
  • 1945 – Pierre Laval, the fugitive former leader of Vichy France, surrenders to Allied soldiers in Austria.
  • 1948 – At Idlewild Field in New York, New York International Airport (later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport) is dedicated.
  • 1948 – USS Nevada is sunk by an aerial torpedo after surviving hits from two atomic bombs (as part of post-war tests) and being used for target practice by three other ships.
  • 1964 – Ranger program: Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photographs of the moon, with images 1,000 times clearer than anything ever seen from earth-bound telescopes.
  • 1970 – Black Tot Day: The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy.
  • 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover.
  • 1972 – The Troubles: In Operation Motorman, the British Army re-takes the urban no-go areas of Northern Ireland. It is the biggest British military operation since the Suez Crisis of 1956, and the biggest in Ireland since the Irish War of Independence. Later that day, nine civilians are killed by car bombs in the village of Claudy.
  • 1973 – A Delta Air Lines jetliner, flight DL 723 crashes while landing in fog at Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts killing 89.
  • 1975 – The Troubles: three members of a popular cabaret band and two gunmen are killed during a botched paramilitary attack in Northern Ireland.
  • 1987 – A tornado occurs in Edmonton, Canada.
  • 1988 – Thirty-two people are killed and 1,674 injured when a bridge at the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal collapses in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia.
  • 1991 – The United States and Soviet Union both sign the START I Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the first to reduce (with verification) both countries’ stockpiles.
  • 1992 – The nation of Georgia joins the United Nations.
  • 1992 – Thai Airways International Flight 311 crashes into a mountain north of Kathmandu, Nepal killing all 113 people on board.
  • 1999 – Discovery Program: Lunar Prospector: NASA intentionally crashes the spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the Moon’s surface.
  • 2006 – Fidel Castro hands over power to his brother, Raúl.
  • 2007 – Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end.
  • 2012 – Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the most medals won at the Olympics.
  • 2014 – Gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung kill at least 20 people and injure more than 270.

Births on July 31

  • 1143 – Emperor Nijō of Japan (d. 1165)
  • 1396 – Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1467)
  • 1526 – Augustus, Elector of Saxony (d. 1586)
  • 1527 – Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1576)
  • 1595 – Philipp Wolfgang, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (d. 1641)
  • 1598 – Alessandro Algardi, Italian sculptor (d. 1654)
  • 1686 – Charles of France, Duke of Berry (d. 1714)
  • 1702 – Jean Denis Attiret, French missionary and painter (d. 1768)
  • 1704 – Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (d. 1752)
  • 1718 – John Canton, English physicist and academic (d. 1772)
  • 1724 – Noël François de Wailly, French lexicographer and author (d. 1801)
  • 1759 – Ignaz Anton von Indermauer, Austrian nobleman and government official (d. 1796)
  • 1777 – Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros, Argentinian priest and politician (d. 1849)
  • 1796 – Jean-Gaspard Deburau, Czech-French actor and mime (d. 1846)
  • 1800 – Friedrich Wöhler, German chemist and academic (d. 1882)
  • 1803 – John Ericsson, Swedish-American engineer, co-designed the USS Princeton and the Novelty Locomotive (d. 1889)
  • 1816 – George Henry Thomas, American general (d. 1870)
  • 1826 – William S. Clark, American colonel and politician (d. 1886)
  • 1835 – Henri Brisson, French lawyer and politician, 50th Prime Minister of France (d. 1912)
  • 1835 – Paul Du Chaillu, French-American anthropologist and explorer (d. 1903)
  • 1836 – Vasily Sleptsov, Russian author and activist (d. 1878)
  • 1837 – William Quantrill, American captain (d. 1865)
  • 1839 – Ignacio Andrade, Venezuelan general and politician, 25th President of Venezuela (d. 1925)
  • 1843 – Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet and author (d. 1918)
  • 1847 – Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban pianist and composer (d. 1905)
  • 1854 – José Canalejas, Spanish academic and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1912)
  • 1858 – Richard Dixon Oldham, English seismologist and geologist (d. 1936)
  • 1858 – Marion Talbot, influential American educator (d. 1948)
  • 1860 – Mary Vaux Walcott, American painter and illustrator (d. 1940)
  • 1867 – S. S. Kresge, American businessman, founded Kmart (d. 1966)
  • 1875 – Jacques Villon, French painter (d. 1963)
  • 1877 – Louisa Bolus, South African botanist and taxonomist (d. 1970)
  • 1880 – Premchand, Indian author and playwright (d. 1936)
  • 1883 – Ramón Fonst, Cuban fencer (d. 1959)
  • 1884 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, Polish-German economist and politician (d. 1945)
  • 1886 – Salvatore Maranzano, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1931)
  • 1886 – Fred Quimby, American animation producer (d. 1965)
  • 1887 – Hans Freyer, German sociologist and philosopher (d. 1969)
  • 1892 – Herbert W. Armstrong, American evangelist and publisher, founded Worldwide Church of God (d. 1986)
  • 1892 – Joseph Charbonneau, Canadian archbishop (d. 1959)
  • 1894 – Fred Keenor, Welsh footballer (d. 1972)
  • 1901 – Jean Dubuffet, French painter and sculptor (d. 1985)
  • 1902 – Gubby Allen, Australian-English cricketer and soldier (d. 1989)
  • 1904 – Brett Halliday, American engineer, surveyor, and author (d. 1977)
  • 1909 – Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Austrian theorist and author (d. 1999)
  • 1911 – George Liberace, American violinist (d. 1983)
  • 1912 – Bill Brown, Australian cricketer (d. 2008)
  • 1912 – Milton Friedman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2006)
  • 1912 – Irv Kupcinet, American football player and journalist (d. 2003)
  • 1913 – Bryan Hextall, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1984)
  • 1914 – Paul J. Christiansen, American conductor and composer (d. 1997)
  • 1914 – Louis de Funès, French actor and screenwriter (d. 1983)
  • 1916 – Sibte Hassan, Pakistani journalist, scholar, and activist (d. 1986)
  • 1916 – Billy Hitchcock, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2006)
  • 1916 – Bill Todman, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1979)
  • 1918 – Paul D. Boyer, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
  • 1918 – Hank Jones, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2010)
  • 1918 – Frank Renouf, New Zealand businessman and financier (d. 1998)
  • 1919 – Hemu Adhikari, Indian cricketer (d. 2003)
  • 1919 – Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster and actor (d. 2006)
  • 1919 – Primo Levi, Italian chemist and author (d. 1987)
  • 1920 – James E. Faust, American religious leader, lawyer, and politician (d. 2007)
  • 1921 – Peter Benenson, English lawyer and activist, founded Amnesty International (d. 2005)
  • 1921 – Donald Malarkey, American sergeant and author (d. 2017)
  • 1921 – Whitney Young, American activist (d. 1971)
  • 1922 – Hank Bauer, American baseball player and manager (d. 2007)
  • 1923 – Ahmet Ertegun, Turkish-American songwriter and producer, founded Atlantic Records (d. 2006)
  • 1923 – Stephanie Kwolek, American chemist and engineer, invented Kevlar (d. 2014)
  • 1924 – Jimmy Evert, American tennis player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Carmel Quinn, Irish singer, actress and writer
  • 1925 – John Swainson, Canadian-American jurist and politician, 42nd Governor of Michigan (d. 1994)
  • 1926 – Bernard Nathanson, American physician and activist (d. 2011)
  • 1926 – Hilary Putnam, American mathematician, computer scientist, and philosopher (d. 2016)
  • 1927 – Peter Nichols, English author and playwright (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Bill Frenzel, American lieutenant and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Lynne Reid Banks, English author
  • 1929 – Gilles Carle, Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1929 – Don Murray, American actor
  • 1929 – José Santamaría, Uruguayan footballer and manager
  • 1931 – Nick Bollettieri, American tennis player and coach
  • 1931 – Kenny Burrell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1932 – Ted Cassidy, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1979)
  • 1932 – John Searle, American philosopher and academic
  • 1933 – Cees Nooteboom, Dutch journalist, author, and poet
  • 1935 – Yvon Deschamps, Canadian comedian, actor, and producer
  • 1935 – Geoffrey Lewis, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1939 – Steuart Bedford, English pianist and conductor
  • 1939 – Susan Flannery, American actress
  • 1939 – France Nuyen, Vietnamese-French actress
  • 1941 – Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat (d. 2004)
  • 1943 – William Bennett, American journalist and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Education
  • 1943 – Lobo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1944 – Geraldine Chaplin, American actress and screenwriter
  • 1944 – Jonathan Dimbleby, English journalist and author
  • 1944 – Sherry Lansing, American film producer
  • 1944 – Robert C. Merton, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1944 – David Norris, Irish scholar and politician
  • 1945 – William Weld, American lawyer and politician, 68th Governor of Massachusetts
  • 1946 – Gary Lewis, American pop-rock musician
  • 1947 – Karl Green, English bass player and songwriter (Herman’s Hermits)
  • 1947 – Richard Griffiths, English actor (d. 2013)
  • 1947 – Mumtaz, Indian actress
  • 1947 – Hubert Védrine, French politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1947 – Ian Beck, English children’s illustrator and author
  • 1948 – Russell Morris, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1949 – Mike Jackson, American basketball player
  • 1949 – Alan Meale, English journalist and politician
  • 1950 – Richard Berry, French actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1951 – Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Australian tennis player
  • 1952 – Chris Ahrens, American ice hockey player
  • 1952 – Alan Autry, American football player, actor, and politician, 23rd Mayor of Fresno, California
  • 1952 – Helmuts Balderis, Latvian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1952 – João Barreiros, Portuguese author and critic
  • 1952 – Faye Kellerman, American author
  • 1953 – Ted Baillieu, Australian architect and politician, 46th Premier of Victoria
  • 1953 – Jimmy Cook, South African cricketer and coach
  • 1953 – Hugh McDowell, English cellist
  • 1954 – Derek Smith, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1956 – Michael Biehn, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Bill Callahan, American football player and coach
  • 1956 – Ron Kuby, American lawyer and radio host
  • 1956 – Deval Patrick, American lawyer and politician, 71st Governor of Massachusetts
  • 1956 – Lynne Rae Perkins, American author and illustrator
  • 1957 – Daniel Ash, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1957 – Mark Thompson, English business executive
  • 1958 – Bill Berry, American drummer and songwriter
  • 1958 – Mark Cuban, American businessman and television personality
  • 1958 – Suzanne Giraud, French music editor and composer
  • 1959 – Stanley Jordan, American guitarist, pianist, and songwriter
  • 1959 – Andrew Marr, Scottish journalist and author
  • 1959 – Kim Newman, English journalist and author
  • 1960 – Dale Hunter, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1960 – Malcolm Ross, Scottish guitarist and songwriter
  • 1961 – Frank Gardner, English captain and journalist
  • 1961 – Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Nigerian banker, royal
  • 1962 – John Chiang, American lawyer and politician, 31st California State Controller
  • 1962 – Kevin Greene, American football player and coach
  • 1962 – Wesley Snipes, American actor and producer
  • 1963 – Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), English DJ and musician
  • 1963 – Fergus Henderson, English chef and author
  • 1963 – Brian Skrudland, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1964 – Jim Corr, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1964 – Urmas Hepner, Estonian footballer and coach
  • 1965 – Scott Brooks, American basketball player and coach
  • 1965 – John Laurinaitis, American wrestler and producer
  • 1965 – Ian Roberts, English-Australian rugby league player and actor
  • 1965 – J. K. Rowling, English author and film producer
  • 1966 – Dean Cain, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Tony Massenburg, American basketball player
  • 1967 – Tim Wright, Welsh composer
  • 1968 – Saeed-Al-Saffar, Emirati cricketer
  • 1968 – Julian Richards, Welsh director and producer
  • 1969 – Antonio Conte, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1969 – Loren Dean, American actor
  • 1969 – Kenneth D. Schisler, American lawyer and politician
  • 1970 – Ahmad Akbarpour, Iranian author and poet
  • 1970 – Ben Chaplin, English actor
  • 1970 – Andrzej Kobylański, Polish footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Giorgos Sigalas, Greek basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Gus Frerotte, American football player and coach
  • 1973 – Nathan Brown, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1974 – Emilia Fox, English actress
  • 1974 – Leona Naess, American-English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Jonathan Ogden, American football player
  • 1975 – Randy Flores, American baseball player and coach
  • 1975 – Andrew Hall, South African cricketer
  • 1975 – Gabe Kapler, American baseball player and manager
  • 1976 – Joshua Cain, American guitarist and producer
  • 1976 – Paulo Wanchope, Costa Rican footballer and manager
  • 1978 – Zac Brown, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Nick Sorensen, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1978 – Justin Wilson, English race car driver (d. 2015)
  • 1979 – Jaco Erasmus, South African-Italian rugby player
  • 1979 – J.J. Furmaniak, American baseball player
  • 1979 – Per Krøldrup, Danish footballer
  • 1979 – Carlos Marchena, Spanish footballer
  • 1979 – B.J. Novak, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1980 – Mikko Hirvonen, Finnish race car driver
  • 1980 – Mils Muliaina, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1981 – Titus Bramble, English footballer
  • 1981 – Vernon Carey, American football player
  • 1981 – Paul Whatuira, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1981 – M. Shadows, American musician, lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold
  • 1982 – Anabel Medina Garrigues, Spanish tennis player
  • 1982 – DeMarcus Ware, American football player
  • 1985 – Daniel Ciofani, Italian footballer
  • 1985 – Rémy Di Gregorio, French cyclist
  • 1986 – Evgeni Malkin, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Brian Orakpo, American football player
  • 1987 – Michael Bradley, American soccer player
  • 1988 – Alex Glenn, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1989 – Victoria Azarenka, Belorussian tennis player
  • 1991 – Réka Luca Jani, Hungarian tennis player
  • 1992 – José Fernández, Cuban baseball player (d. 2016)
  • 1992 – Ryan Johansen, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Kyle Larson, American race car driver
  • 1994 – Lil Uzi Vert, American hip hop artist

Deaths on July 31

  • 54 BC – Aurelia Cotta, Roman mother of Gaius Julius Caesar (b. 120 BC)
  • 450 – Peter Chrysologus, Italian bishop and saint (b. 380)
  • 910 – Feng Xingxi, Chinese warlord
  • 975 – Fu Yanqing, Chinese general (b. 898)
  • 1098 – Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
  • 1358 – Étienne Marcel, French rebel leader (b. 1302)
  • 1396 – William Courtenay, English archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom (b. 1342)
  • 1508 – Na’od, Ethiopian emperor
  • 1556 – Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish priest and theologian, founded the Society of Jesus (b. 1491)
  • 1616 – Roger Wilbraham, Solicitor-General for Ireland (b. 1553)
  • 1638 – Sibylla Schwarz, German poet (b. 1621)
  • 1653 – Thomas Dudley, English soldier and politician, 3rd Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony (b. 1576)
  • 1693 – Willem Kalf, Dutch still life painter (b. 1619)
  • 1726 – Nicolaus II Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and theorist (b. 1695)
  • 1750 – John V, king of Portugal (b. 1689)
  • 1762 – Luis Vicente de Velasco e Isla, Spanish sailor and commander (b. 1711)
  • 1781 – John Bligh, 3rd Earl of Darnley, British parliamentarian (b. 1719)
  • 1784 – Denis Diderot, French philosopher and critic (b. 1713)
  • 1805 – Dheeran Chinnamalai, Indian soldier (b. 1756)
  • 1864 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (b. 1800)
  • 1875 – Andrew Johnson, American general and politician, 17th President of the United States (b. 1808)
  • 1884 – Kiến Phúc, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1869)
  • 1886 – Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1811)
  • 1891 – Jean-Baptiste Capronnier, Belgian stained glass painter (b. 1814)
  • 1913 – John Milne, British geologist and mining engineer. (b. 1850)
  • 1914 – Jean Jaurès, French journalist and politician (b. 1859)
  • 1917 – Hedd Wyn, Welsh language poet (b. 1887)
  • 1917 – Francis Ledwidge, Irish soldier and poet (b. 1881)
  • 1920 – Ion Dragoumis, Greek philosopher and diplomat (b. 1878)
  • 1940 – Udham Singh, Indian activist (b. 1899)
  • 1943 – Hedley Verity, English cricketer and soldier (b. 1905)
  • 1942 – Francis Younghusband, British Army Officer, explorer and spiritual writer (b.1863)
  • 1944 – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French pilot and poet (b. 1900)
  • 1953 – Robert A. Taft, American soldier and politician (b. 1889)
  • 1954 – Onofre Marimón, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1923)
  • 1958 – Eino Kaila, Finnish philosopher and psychologist, attendant of the Vienna circle (b. 1890)
  • 1964 – Jim Reeves, American singer-songwriter (b. 1923)
  • 1966 – Bud Powell, American pianist (b. 1924)
  • 1968 – Jack Pizzey, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (b. 1911)
  • 1971 – Walter P. Carter, American soldier and activist (b. 1923)
  • 1972 – Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1899)
  • 1973 – Azumafuji Kin’ichi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 40th Yokozuna (b. 1921)
  • 1979 – Beatrix Lehmann, English actress and director (b. 1903)
  • 1980 – Pascual Jordan, German physicist, author, and academic (b. 1902)
  • 1980 – Mohammed Rafi, Indian playback singer (b. 1924)
  • 1981 – Omar Torrijos, Panamanian general and politician, Military Leader of Panama (b. 1929)
  • 1985 – Eugene Carson Blake, American religious leader (b. 1906)
  • 1986 – Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat (b. 1900)
  • 1987 – Joseph E. Levine, American film producer (b, 1905)
  • 1990 – Albert Leduc, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1902)
  • 1992 – Leonard Cheshire, English captain and pilot (b. 1917)
  • 1992 – Md. Abdul Wajed Chowdhury, Bangladeshi politician.
  • 1993 – Baudouin, King of Belgium (b. 1930)
  • 2000 – William Keepers Maxwell Jr., American editor, novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1908)
  • 2001 – Francisco da Costa Gomes, Portuguese general and politician, 15th President of Portugal (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (b. 1910)
  • 2003 – Guido Crepax, Italian author and illustrator (b. 1933)
  • 2004 – Virginia Grey, American actress (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Wim Duisenberg, Dutch economist and politician, 1st President of the European Central Bank (b. 1935)
  • 2009 – Bobby Robson, English footballer and manager (b. 1933)
  • 2009 – Harry Alan Towers, English-Canadian screenwriter and producer (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Mollie Hunter, Scottish author and playwright (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Alfredo Ramos, Brazilian footballer and coach (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Gore Vidal, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Tony Sly, American musician, singer-songwriter (b. 1970)
  • 2013 – Michael Ansara, Syrian-American actor (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Michel Donnet, English-Belgian general and pilot (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – John Graves, American captain and author (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Trevor Storer, English businessman, founded Pukka Pies (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Warren Bennis, American scholar, author, and academic (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Nabarun Bhattacharya, Indian journalist and author (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Jeff Bourne, English footballer (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Wilfred Feinberg, American lawyer and judge (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Alan Cheuse, American writer and critic (b. 1940)
  • 2015 – Howard W. Jones, American surgeon and academic (b. 1910)
  • 2015 – Billy Pierce, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Roddy Piper, Canadian wrestler and actor (b. 1954)
  • 2015 – Richard Schweiker, American soldier and politician, 14th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (b. 1926)
  • 2016 – Chiyonofuji Mitsugu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 58th Yokozuna (b. 1955)
  • 2016 – Seymour Papert, South African mathematician (b. 1928)
  • 2017 – Jeanne Moreau, French actress (b. 1928)
  • 2018 – Tony Bullimore, British sailor & businessman (b. 1939)
  • 2019 – Harold Prince, noted Broadway producer and director, who received more Tony awards than anyone else in history (b. 1928)

Holidays and observances on July 31

  • Christian feast day:
    • Abanoub
    • Germanus of Auxerre
    • Ignatius of Loyola
    • Neot
    • July 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which the Feast of Kamál (Perfection) can fall, while August 1 is the latest; observed on the first day of the eighth month of the Bahá’í calendar. (Bahá’í Faith)
  • End of the Trinity term (sitting of the High Court of Justice of England)
  • Ka Hae Hawaiʻi Day (Hawaii, United States), and its related observance:
    • Sovereignty Restoration Day (Hawaiian sovereignty movement)
  • Martyrdom Day of Shahid Udham Singh (Haryana and Punjab, India)
  • Treasury Day (Poland)
  • Warriors’ Day (Malaysia)

July 31 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

July 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops.
  • 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I’s victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge.
  • 677 – Climax of the Siege of Thessalonica by the Slavs in a three-day assault on the city walls.
  • 864 – The Edict of Pistres of Charles the Bald orders defensive measures against the Vikings.
  • 1137 – Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Prince Louis, later King Louis VII of France, at the Cathedral of Saint-André in Bordeaux.
  • 1139 – Battle of Ourique: The Almoravids, led by Ali ibn Yusuf, are defeated by Prince Afonso Henriques who is proclaimed King of Portugal.
  • 1261 – The city of Constantinople is recaptured by Nicaean forces under the command of Alexios Strategopoulos, re-establishing the Byzantine Empire.
  • 1278 – The naval Battle of Algeciras takes place in the context of the Spanish Reconquista resulting in a victory for the Emirate of Granada and the Maranid Dynasty over the Kingdom of Castile.
  • 1467 – The Battle of Molinella: The first battle in Italy in which firearms are used extensively.
  • 1536 – Sebastián de Belalcázar on his search of El Dorado founds the city of Santiago de Cali.
  • 1538 – The city of Guayaquil is founded by the Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana and given the name Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil.
  • 1547 – Henry II of France is crowned.
  • 1554 – Mary I marries Philip II of Spain at Winchester Cathedral.
  • 1567 – Don Diego de Losada founds the city of Santiago de Leon de Caracas, modern-day Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela.
  • 1593 – Henry IV of France publicly converts from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism.
  • 1603 – James VI of Scotland is crowned king of England (James I of England), bringing the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into personal union. Political union would occur in 1707.
  • 1609 – The English ship Sea Venture, en route to Virginia, is deliberately driven ashore during a storm at Bermuda to prevent its sinking; the survivors go on to found a new colony there.
  • 1693 – Ignacio de Maya founds the Real Santiago de las Sabinas, now known as Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Mexico.
  • 1722 – Dummer’s War begins along the Maine-Massachusetts border.
  • 1755 – British governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council order the deportation of the Acadians.
  • 1759 – French and Indian War: In Western New York, British forces capture Fort Niagara from the French, who subsequently abandon Fort Rouillé.
  • 1783 – American Revolutionary War: The war’s last action, the Siege of Cuddalore, is ended by a preliminary peace agreement.
  • 1788 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completes his Symphony No. 40 in G minor (K550).
  • 1792 – The Brunswick Manifesto is issued to the population of Paris promising vengeance if the French royal family is harmed.
  • 1797 – Horatio Nelson loses more than 300 men and his right arm during the failed conquest attempt of Tenerife (Spain).
  • 1799 – At Abu Qir in Egypt, Napoleon I of France defeats 10,000 Ottomans under Mustafa Pasha.
  • 1814 – War of 1812: An American attack on Canada is repulsed.
  • 1824 – Costa Rica annexes Guanacaste from Nicaragua.
  • 1837 – The first commercial use of an electrical telegraph is successfully demonstrated in London by William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone.
  • 1853 – Joaquin Murrieta, the famous Californio bandit known as the “Robin Hood of El Dorado”, is killed.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: The United States Congress passes the Crittenden–Johnson Resolution, stating that the war is being fought to preserve the Union and not to end slavery.
  • 1866 – The United States Congress passes legislation authorizing the rank of General of the Army. Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant becomes the first to be promoted to this rank.
  • 1868 – The Wyoming Territory is established.
  • 1869 – The Japanese daimyōs begin returning their land holdings to the emperor as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms. (Traditional Japanese Date: June 17, 1869).
  • 1894 – The First Sino-Japanese War begins when the Japanese fire upon a Chinese warship.
  • 1898 – In the Puerto Rican Campaign, the United States seizes Puerto Rico from Spain.
  • 1908 – Ajinomoto is founded. Kikunae Ikeda of the Tokyo Imperial University discovers that a key ingredient in kombu soup stock is monosodium glutamate (MSG), and patents a process for manufacturing it.
  • 1909 – Louis Blériot makes the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air machine from Calais to Dover, England, United Kingdom in 37 minutes.
  • 1915 – RFC Captain Lanoe Hawker becomes the first British pursuit aviator to earn the Victoria Cross.
  • 1917 – Sir Robert Borden introduces the first income tax in Canada as a “temporary” measure (lowest bracket is 4% and highest is 25%).
  • 1925 – Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) is established.
  • 1934 – The Nazis assassinate Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss in a failed coup attempt.
  • 1940 – General Henri Guisan orders the Swiss Army to resist German invasion and makes surrender illegal.
  • 1942 – The Norwegian Manifesto calls for nonviolent resistance to the German occupation.
  • 1943 – World War II: Benito Mussolini is forced out of office by the Grand Council of Fascism and is replaced by Pietro Badoglio.
  • 1944 – World War II: Operation Spring is one of the bloodiest days for the First Canadian Army during the war.
  • 1946 – Nuclear weapons testing: Operation Crossroads: An atomic bomb is detonated underwater in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll.
  • 1956 – Forty-five miles south of Nantucket Island, the Italian ocean liner SS Andrea Doria collides with the MS Stockholm in heavy fog and sinks the next day, killing 51.
  • 1957 – The Republic of Tunisia is proclaimed, under President Habib Bourguiba.
  • 1958 – The African Regroupment Party (PRA) holds its first congress in Cotonou.
  • 1961 – Cold War: In a speech John F. Kennedy emphasizes that any attack on Berlin is an attack on NATO.
  • 1965 – Bob Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival, signaling a major change in folk and rock music.
  • 1969 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon declares the Nixon Doctrine, stating that the United States now expects its Asian allies to take care of their own military defense. This is the start of the “Vietnamization” of the war.
  • 1973 – Soviet Mars 5 space probe is launched.
  • 1976 – Viking program: Viking 1 takes the famous Face on Mars photo.
  • 1978 – Puerto Rican police shoot two nationalists in the Cerro Maravilla murders.
  • 1978 – Birth of Louise Joy Brown, the first human to have been born after conception by in vitro fertilisation, or IVF.
  • 1979 – Another section of the Sinai Peninsula is peacefully returned by Israel to Egypt.
  • 1983 – Black July: Thirty-seven Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by the fellow Sinhalese prisoners.
  • 1984 – Salyut 7 cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to perform a space walk.
  • 1993 – Israel launches a massive attack against Lebanon in what the Israelis call Operation Accountability, and the Lebanese call the Seven-Day War.
  • 1993 – The Saint James Church massacre occurs in Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • 1994 – Israel and Jordan sign the Washington Declaration, that formally ends the state of war that had existed between the nations since 1948.
  • 1995 – A gas bottle explodes in Saint Michel station of line B of the RER (Paris regional train network). Eight are killed and 80 wounded.
  • 1996 – In a military coup in Burundi, Pierre Buyoya deposes Sylvestre Ntibantunganya.
  • 2000 – Concorde Air France Flight 4590 crashes at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, killing 113 people.
  • 2007 – Pratibha Patil is sworn in as India’s first female president.
  • 2010 – WikiLeaks publishes classified documents about the War in Afghanistan, one of the largest leaks in U.S. military history.
  • 2018 – As-Suwayda attacks: Coordinated attacks occur in Syria.
  • 2019 – National extreme heat records set this day in the UK, Belgium and Germany during the July 2019 European heatwave.

Births on July 25

  • 975 – Thietmar, bishop of Merseburg (d. 1018)
  • 1016 – Casimir I the Restorer, duke of Poland (d. 1058)
  • 1109 – Afonso I, king of Portugal (d. 1185)
  • 1165 – Ibn Arabi, Andalusian Sufi mystic, poet, and philosopher (d. 1240)
  • 1261 – Arthur II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1312)
  • 1291 – Hawys Gadarn, Welsh noblewoman (d. 1353)
  • 1336 – Albert I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1404)
  • 1394 – James I, king of Scotland (d. 1437)
  • 1404 – Philip I, Duke of Brabant (d. 1430)
  • 1421 – Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, English politician (d. 1461)
  • 1450 – Jakob Wimpfeling, Renaissance humanist (d. 1528)
  • 1486 – Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1547)
  • 1498 – Hernando de Aragón, Archbishop of Zaragoza (d. 1575)
  • 1532 – Alphonsus Rodriguez, Jesuit lay brother and saint (d. 1617)
  • 1556 – George Peele, English translator, poet, and dramatist (d. 1596)
  • 1562 – Katō Kiyomasa, Japanese warlord (d. 1611)
  • 1573 – Christoph Scheiner, German astronomer and Jesuit (d. 1650)
  • 1581 – Brian Twyne, English archivist (d. 1644)
  • 1605 – Theodore Haak, German scholar (d. 1690)
  • 1633 – Joseph Williamson, English politician (d. 1701)
  • 1654 – Agostino Steffani, Italian composer and diplomat (d. 1728)
  • 1657 – Philipp Heinrich Erlebach, German composer (d. 1714)
  • 1658 – Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll, Scottish general (d. 1703)
  • 1683 – Pieter Langendijk, Dutch playwright and poet (d. 1756)
  • 1750 – Henry Knox, American general and politician, 1st United States Secretary of War (d. 1806)
  • 1753 – Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires, French-Spanish captain and politician, 10th Viceroy of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (d. 1810)
  • 1797 – Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1889)
  • 1806 – Maria Weston Chapman, American abolitionist (d. 1885)
  • 1839 – Francis Garnier, French captain and explorer (d. 1873)
  • 1844 – Thomas Eakins, American painter, sculptor, and photographer (d. 1916)
  • 1847 – Paul Langerhans, German pathologist, physiologist and biologist (d. 1888)
  • 1848 – Arthur Balfour, Scottish-English lieutenant and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1930)
  • 1857 – Frank J. Sprague, American naval officer and inventor (d. 1934)
  • 1865 – Jac. P. Thijsse, Dutch botanist and conservationist (d. 1945)
  • 1866 – Frederick Blackman, English physiologist and academic (d. 1947)
  • 1867 – Max Dauthendey, German author and painter (d. 1918)
  • 1867 – Alexander Rummler, American painter (d. 1959)
  • 1869 – Platon, Estonian bishop and saint (d. 1919)
  • 1870 – Maxfield Parrish, American painter and illustrator (d. 1966)
  • 1875 – Jim Corbett, Indian hunter, environmentalist, and author (d. 1955)
  • 1878 – Masaharu Anesaki, Japanese philosopher and scholar (d. 1949)
  • 1882 – George S. Rentz, American commander (d. 1942)
  • 1883 – Alfredo Casella, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1947)
  • 1886 – Edward Cummins, American golfer (d. 1926)
  • 1894 – Walter Brennan, American actor (d. 1974)
  • 1894 – Gavrilo Princip, Bosnian Serb revolutionary (d. 1918)
  • 1895 – Ingeborg Spangsfeldt, Danish actress (d. 1968)
  • 1896 – Jack Perrin, American actor and stuntman (d. 1967)
  • 1896 – Josephine Tey, Scottish author and playwright (d. 1952)
  • 1901 – Ruth Krauss, American author and poet (d. 1993)
  • 1901 – Mohammed Helmy, Egyptian physician and Righteous Among the Nations (d.1982)
  • 1901 – Lila Lee, American actress and singer (d. 1973)
  • 1902 – Eric Hoffer, American philosopher and author (d. 1983)
  • 1905 – Elias Canetti, Bulgarian-Swiss novelist, playwright, and memoirist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
  • 1905 – Georges Grignard, French race car driver (d. 1977)
  • 1905 – Denys Watkins-Pitchford, English author and illustrator (d. 1990)
  • 1906 – Johnny Hodges, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1970)
  • 1908 – Bill Bowes, English cricketer (d. 1987)
  • 1908 – Ambroise-Marie Carré, French priest and author (d. 2004)
  • 1908 – Jack Gilford, American actor (d. 1990)
  • 1914 – Woody Strode, American football player and actor (d. 1994)
  • 1915 – S. U. Ethirmanasingham, Sri Lankan businessman and politician
  • 1915 – Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., American lieutenant and pilot (d. 1944)
  • 1916 – Lucien Saulnier, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1989)
  • 1917 – Fritz Honegger, Swiss lawyer and politician (d. 1999)
  • 1918 – Jane Frank, American painter and sculptor (d. 1986)
  • 1920 – Rosalind Franklin, English biophysicist, chemist, and academic (d. 1958)
  • 1921 – Adolph Herseth, American soldier and trumpet player (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Lionel Terray, French mountaineer (d. 1965)
  • 1923 – Estelle Getty, American actress (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Edgar Gilbert, American mathematician and theorist (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Maria Gripe, Swedish journalist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Frank Church, American lawyer and politician (d. 1984)
  • 1924 – Scotch Taylor, South African cricketer and hockey player (d. 2004)
  • 1925 – Benny Benjamin, American R&B drummer (The Funk Brothers) (d. 1969)
  • 1925 – Jerry Paris, American actor and director (d. 1986)
  • 1925 – Dick Passwater, American race car driver
  • 1925 – Jutta Zilliacus, Finnish journalist and politician
  • 1926 – Whitey Lockman, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2009)
  • 1926 – Bernard Thompson, British television producer and director (d. 1998)
  • 1926 – Beatriz Segall, Brazilian actress (d. 2018)
  • 1927 – Daniel Ceccaldi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1927 – Midge Decter, American journalist and author
  • 1927 – Sadiq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani politician, 10th Governor of Punjab (d. 2000)
  • 1927 – Jean-Marie Seroney, Kenyan activist and politician (d. 1982)
  • 1928 – Dolphy, Filipino actor, singer, and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Mario Montenegro, Filipino actor (d. 1988)
  • 1928 – Nils Taube, Estonian-English businessman (d. 2008)
  • 1929 – Judd Buchanan, Canadian businessman and politician, 36th Canadian Minister of Public Works
  • 1929 – Somnath Chatterjee, Indian lawyer and politician, 14th Speaker of the Lok Sabha (d. 2018)
  • 1929 – Eddie Mazur, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1995)
  • 1930 – Murray Chapple, New Zealand cricketer and manager (d. 1985)
  • 1930 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian actress and singer (d. 2010)
  • 1930 – Alice Parizeau, Polish-Canadian journalist and criminologist (d. 1990)
  • 1930 – Herbert Scarf, American economist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Annie Ross, Scottish-American singer and actress
  • 1931 – James Butler, English sculptor and educator
  • 1932 – Paul J. Weitz, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2017)
  • 1934 – Don Ellis, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1978)
  • 1934 – Claude Zidi, French director and screenwriter
  • 1935 – Barbara Harris, American actress and singer (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Adnan Khashoggi, Saudi Arabian businessman (d. 2017)
  • 1935 – Gilbert Parent, Canadian educator and politician, 33rd Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (d. 2009)
  • 1935 – John Robinson, American football player and coach
  • 1935 – Larry Sherry, American baseball player and coach (d. 2006)
  • 1935 – Lars Werner, Swedish lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1936 – Gerry Ashmore, English race car driver
  • 1936 – Glenn Murcutt, English-Australian architect and academic
  • 1937 – Colin Renfrew, Baron Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, English archaeologist and academic
  • 1940 – Richard Ballantine, American-English journalist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1941 – Manny Charlton, Spanish-born Scottish rock musician and songwriter
  • 1941 – Nate Thurmond, American basketball player (d. 2016)
  • 1941 – Emmett Till, American lynching victim (d. 1955)
  • 1942 – Bruce Woodley, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1943 – Jim McCarty, English singer and drummer
  • 1943 – Erika Steinbach, Polish-German politician
  • 1944 – Sally Beauman, English journalist and author (d. 2016)
  • 1946 – José Areas, Nicaraguan drummer
  • 1946 – Nicole Farhi, French fashion designer and sculptor
  • 1946 – John Gibson, American radio host
  • 1946 – Rita Marley, Cuban-Jamaican singer
  • 1946 – P. Selvarasa, Sri Lankan politician
  • 1946 – Ljupka Dimitrovska, Macedonian-Croatian pop singer (d. 2016)
  • 1948 – Steve Goodman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1984)
  • 1950 – Mark Clarke, English singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1951 – Jack Thompson, American lawyer and activist
  • 1951 – Verdine White, American bass player and producer
  • 1952 – Eduardo Souto de Moura, Portuguese architect, designed the Estádio Municipal de Braga
  • 1953 – Joseph A. Tunzi, Chicago based author, foremost expert on Elvis Presley
  • 1953 – Robert Zoellick, American banker and politician, 14th United States Deputy Secretary of State
  • 1954 – Ken Greer, Canadian guitarist, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1954 – Sheena McDonald, Scottish journalist
  • 1954 – Walter Payton, American football player and race car driver (d. 1999)
  • 1954 – Jochem Ziegert, German footballer and manager
  • 1955 – Iman, Somalian-English model and actress
  • 1955 – Randall Bewley, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1956 – Andy Goldsworthy, English-Scottish sculptor and photographer
  • 1956 – Frances Arnold, American scientist and engineer
  • 1957 – Mark Hunter, English politician
  • 1957 – Steve Podborski, Canadian skier
  • 1958 – Alexei Filippenko, American astrophysicist and academic
  • 1958 – Thurston Moore, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1959 – Fyodor Cherenkov, Russian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1959 – Geoffrey Zakarian, American chef and author
  • 1960 – Alain Robidoux, Canadian snooker player
  • 1960 – Justice Howard, American photographer
  • 1960 – Māris Martinsons, Latvian film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor
  • 1962 – Carin Bakkum, Dutch tennis player
  • 1962 – Doug Drabek, American baseball player and coach
  • 1963 – Denis Coderre, Canadian politician, 44th Mayor of Montreal
  • 1963 – Julian Hodgson, Welsh chess player
  • 1964 – Anne Applebaum, American journalist and author
  • 1964 – Tony Granato, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1964 – Breuk Iversen, American designer and journalist
  • 1965 – Marty Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1965 – Illeana Douglas, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1965 – Dale Shearer, Australian rugby league player
  • 1966 – Daryl Halligan, New Zealand rugby player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Maureen Herman, American bass player
  • 1966 – Diana Johnson, English politician
  • 1967 – Matt LeBlanc, American actor and producer
  • 1967 – Ruth Peetoom, Dutch minister and politician
  • 1967 – Tommy Skjerven, Norwegian footballer and referee
  • 1968 – Rudi Bryson, South African cricketer
  • 1968 – Shi Tao, Chinese journalist and poet
  • 1969 – Jon Barry, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Annastacia Palaszczuk, Australian politician, 39th Premier of Queensland
  • 1971 – Roger Creager, American singer-songwriter
  • 1971 – Tracy Murray, American basketball player
  • 1971 – Billy Wagner, American baseball player and coach
  • 1972 – David Penna, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1973 – Dani Filth, English singer-songwriter
  • 1973 – Kevin Phillips, English footballer
  • 1973 – Igli Tare, Albanian footballer
  • 1974 – Lauren Faust, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Julia Laffranque, Estonian lawyer and judge
  • 1974 – Kenzo Suzuki, Japanese rugby player and wrestler
  • 1975 – Jody Craddock, English footballer and coach
  • 1975 – Jean-Claude Darcheville, Guianan-French footballer
  • 1975 – El Zorro, Mexican wrestler
  • 1975 – Brian Gibson, American bass player
  • 1975 – Evgeni Nabokov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Marcos Assunção, Brazilian footballer
  • 1976 – Jovica Tasevski-Eternijan, Macedonian poet and critic
  • 1976 – Javier Vázquez, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
  • 1977 – Kenny Thomas, American basketball player
  • 1978 – Gerard Warren, American football player
  • 1978 – Louise Brown, first human to be born via IVF
  • 1979 – Ali Carter, English snooker player
  • 1979 – Tom Lungley, English cricketer and umpire
  • 1980 – Shawn Riggans, American baseball player
  • 1980 – Toni Vilander, Finnish race car driver
  • 1980 – David Wachs, American actor and producer
  • 1980 – Scott Waldrom, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1981 – Conor Casey, American soccer player
  • 1981 – Constantinos Charalambidis, Cypriot footballer
  • 1981 – Yūichi Komano, Japanese footballer
  • 1981 – Mac Lethal, American rapper and producer
  • 1981 – Jani Rita, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Brad Renfro, American actor and musician (d. 2008)
  • 1982 – Jason Dundas, Australian TV host
  • 1983 – Nenad Krstić, Serbian basketball player
  • 1984 – Loukas Mavrokefalidis, Greek basketball player
  • 1985 – James Lafferty, American actor and athlete
  • 1985 – Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazilian race car driver
  • 1985 – Hugo Rodallega, Colombian footballer
  • 1986 – Abraham Gneki Guié, Ivorian footballer
  • 1986 – Hulk, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – Richard Bachman, American ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Mitchell Burgzorg, Dutch footballer and rapper
  • 1987 – Fernando, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – Jax Jones, English DJ, singer and songwriter
  • 1987 – Eran Zahavi, Israeli footballer
  • 1988 – John Goossens, Dutch footballer
  • 1988 – Tom Hiariej, Dutch footballer
  • 1988 – Stacey Kemp, English skater
  • 1988 – Paulinho, Brazilian footballer
  • 1988 – Anthony Stokes, Irish footballer
  • 1989 – Natalia Vieru, Russian basketball player
  • 1990 – Thodoris Karapetsas, Greek footballer
  • 1991 – Toni Duggan, English footballer
  • 1992 – Sergei Simonov, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2016)
  • 1997 – Nat Butcher, Australian rugby league player

Deaths on July 25

  • 306 – Constantius Chlorus, Roman emperor (b. 250)
  • 885 – Ragenold, margrave of Neustria
  • 1011 – Ichijō, emperor of Japan (b. 980)
  • 1190 – Sibylla, queen of Jerusalem
  • 1409 – Martin I, king of Sicily (b. 1376)
  • 1471 – Thomas à Kempis, German priest and mystic
  • 1472 – Charles of Artois, French nobleman (b. 1394)
  • 1492 – Innocent VIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1432)
  • 1564 – Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1503)
  • 1572 – Isaac Luria, Ottoman rabbi and mystic (b. 1534)
  • 1608 – Pomponio Nenna, Italian composer (b. 1556)
  • 1616 – Andreas Libavius, German physician and chemist (b. 1550)
  • 1643 – Robert Pierrepont, 1st Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull, English general and politician (b. 1584)
  • 1681 – Urian Oakes, English-American minister and educator (b. 1631)
  • 1790 – Johann Bernhard Basedow, German educator and reformer (b. 1723)
  • 1790 – William Livingston, American soldier and politician, 1st Governor of New Jersey (b. 1723)
  • 1791 – Isaac Low, American merchant and politician (b. 1735)
  • 1794 – André Chénier, Greek-French poet and author (b. 1762)
  • 1794 – Jean-Antoine Roucher, French poet and author (b. 1745)
  • 1794 – Friedrich von der Trenck, Prussian adventurer and author (b. 1726)
  • 1826 – Kondraty Ryleyev, Russian poet and publisher (b. 1795)
  • 1831 – Maria Szymanowska, Polish composer and pianist (b. 1789)
  • 1834 – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English philosopher, poet, and critic (b. 1772)
  • 1842 – Dominique Jean Larrey, French physician and surgeon (b. 1766)
  • 1843 – Charles Macintosh, Scottish chemist and engineer (b. 1766)
  • 1861 – Jonas Furrer, Swiss lawyer and politician, President of the Swiss Confederation (b. 1805)
  • 1865 – James Barry, English soldier and surgeon (b. 1799)
  • 1887 – John Taylor, American religious leader, 3rd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1808)
  • 1934 – François Coty, French businessman, founded Coty, Inc. (b. 1874)
  • 1934 – Engelbert Dollfuss, Austrian politician, 14th Chancellor of Austria (b. 1892)
  • 1942 – Fred Englehardt, American triple jumper (b. 1879)
  • 1952 – Herbert Murrill, English organist and composer (b. 1909)
  • 1958 – Otto Lasanen, Finnish wrestler (b. 1891)
  • 1959 – Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, Polish-born Irish rabbi and author (b. 1888)
  • 1962 – Thibaudeau Rinfret, Canadian lawyer and jurist, 9th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1879)
  • 1963 – Ugo Cerletti, Italian neurologist and academic (b. 1877)
  • 1966 – Frank O’Hara, American poet and critic (b. 1926)
  • 1967 – Konstantinos Parthenis, Egyptian-Greek painter (b. 1878)
  • 1971 – John Meyers, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1880)
  • 1971 – Leroy Robertson, American composer and educator (b. 1896)
  • 1973 – Amy Jacques Garvey, Jamaican-American journalist and activist (b. 1895)
  • 1973 – Louis St. Laurent, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1882)
  • 1980 – Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1938)
  • 1981 – Rosa A. González, Puerto Rican nurse, author, feminist, and activist (b. 1889)
  • 1982 – Hal Foster, Canadian-American author and illustrator (b. 1892)
  • 1984 – Bryan Hextall, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1913)
  • 1984 – Big Mama Thornton, American singer-songwriter (b. 1926)
  • 1986 – Vincente Minnelli, American director and screenwriter (b. 1903)
  • 1988 – Judith Barsi, American child actress (b. 1978)
  • 1989 – Steve Rubell, American businessman, co-owner of Studio 54 (b. 1943)
  • 1991 – Lazar Kaganovich, Soviet politician (b. 1893)
  • 1992 – Alfred Drake, American actor and singer (b. 1914)
  • 1995 – Charlie Rich, American singer-songwriter (b. 1932)
  • 1997 – Ben Hogan, American golfer (b. 1912)
  • 1998 – Evangelos Papastratos, Greek businessman, co-founded Papastratos (b. 1910)
  • 2000 – Rudi Faßnacht, German footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1934)
  • 2002 – Abdel Rahman Badawi, Egyptian philosopher and poet (b. 1917)
  • 2003 – Ludwig Bölkow, German engineer (b. 1912)
  • 2003 – John Schlesinger, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2004 – John Passmore, Australian philosopher and academic (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – Albert Mangelsdorff, German trombonist (b. 1928)
  • 2006 – Ezra Fleischer, Romanian-Israeli poet and philologist (b. 1928)
  • 2007 – Bernd Jakubowski, German footballer and manager (b. 1952)
  • 2008 – Jeff Fehring, Australian footballer (b. 1955)
  • 2008 – Tracy Hall, American chemist and academic (b. 1919)
  • 2008 – Randy Pausch, American computer scientist and educator (b. 1960)
  • 2009 – Vernon Forrest, American boxer (b. 1971)
  • 2009 – Stanley Middleton, English author (b. 1919)
  • 2009 – Harry Patch, English soldier (b. 1898)
  • 2011 – Michael Cacoyannis, Cypriot-Greek director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – B. R. Ishara, Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Barry Langford, English director and producer (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Greg Mohns, American-Canadian football player and coach (b. 1950)
  • 2012 – Franz West, Austrian painter and sculptor (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Walter De Maria, American sculptor, illustrator, and composer (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – William J. Guste, American lawyer and politician (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Bel Kaufman, German-American author and academic (b. 1911)
  • 2014 – Richard Larter, Australian painter and illustrator (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Jacques Andreani, French diplomat, French ambassador to the United States (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – R. S. Gavai, Indian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor of Kerala (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Bob Kauffman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1946)
  • 2017 – Michael Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
  • 2018 – Sergio Marchionne, Italian-Canadian businessman(b. 1952)
  • 2019 – Beji Caid Essebsi , 4th President and 9th Prime Minister of Tunisia (b. 1926)

Holidays and observances on July 25

  • Christian feast day:
    • Anne (Eastern Christianity)
    • Christopher (Western Christianity)
    • Cucuphas
    • Glodesind
    • James the Great (Western Christianity)
    • John I Agnus
    • Julian of Le Mans (translation)
    • Magnerich of Trier
    • July 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while July 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Sunday in July. (Dominican Republic)
  • Earliest day on which National Tree Planting Day can fall, while July 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Sunday in July. (Australia)
  • Earliest day on which Navy Day can fall, while July 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Sunday in July. (Russia)
  • Guanacaste Day (Costa Rica)
  • National Baha’i Day (Jamaica)
  • National Day of Galicia (Galicia)
  • Puerto Rico Constitution Day (Puerto Rico)
  • Republic Day (Tunisia)

July 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

July 21- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson.
  • 230 – Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope.
  • 285 – Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar and co-ruler.
  • 365 – The 365 Crete earthquake affects the Greek island of Crete with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing a destructive tsunami that affects the coasts of Libya and Egypt, especially Alexandria. Many thousands were killed.
  • 905 – King Berengar I of Italy and a hired Hungarian army defeats the Frankish forces at Verona. King Louis III is captured and blinded for breaking his oath (see 902).
  • 1242 – Battle of Taillebourg: Louis IX of France puts an end to the revolt of his vassals Henry III of England and Hugh X of Lusignan.
  • 1403 – Battle of Shrewsbury: King Henry IV of England defeats rebels to the north of the county town of Shropshire, England.
  • 1545 – The first landing of French troops on the coast of the Isle of Wight during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight.
  • 1568 – Eighty Years’ War: Battle of Jemmingen: Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau.
  • 1645 – Qing dynasty regent Dorgon issues an edict ordering all Han Chinese men to shave their forehead and braid the rest of their hair into a queue identical to those of the Manchus.
  • 1656 – The Raid on Málaga takes place during the Anglo-Spanish War.
  • 1718 – The Treaty of Passarowitz between the Ottoman Empire, Austria and the Republic of Venice is signed.
  • 1774 – Russo-Turkish War (1768–74): Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ending the war.
  • 1798 – French campaign in Egypt and Syria: Napoleon’s forces defeat an Ottoman-Mamluk army near Cairo in the Battle of the Pyramids.
  • 1831 – Inauguration of Leopold I of Belgium, first king of the Belgians.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: First Battle of Bull Run: At Manassas Junction, Virginia, the first major battle of the war begins and ends in a victory for the Confederate army.
  • 1865 – In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first western showdown.
  • 1873 – At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James–Younger Gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American Old West.
  • 1877 – After rioting by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, stage a sympathy strike that is met with an assault by the state militia.
  • 1904 – Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the 100 mph (161 km/h) barrier on land. He drove a 15-liter Gobron-Brillié in Ostend, Belgium.
  • 1907 – The passenger steamer SS Columbia sinks after colliding with the steam schooner San Pedro off Shelter Cove, California, killing 88 people.
  • 1919 – The dirigible Wingfoot Air Express crashes into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, killing 12 people.
  • 1925 – Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100.
  • 1925 – Malcolm Campbell becomes the first man to exceed 150 mph (241 km/h) on land. At Pendine Sands in Wales, he drives Sunbeam 350HP built by Sunbeam at a two-way average speed of 150.33 mph (242 km/h).
  • 1944 – World War II: Battle of Guam: American troops land on Guam, starting a battle that will end on August 10.
  • 1944 – World War II: Claus von Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators are tortured and executed in Berlin, Germany, for the July 20 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
  • 1949 – The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
  • 1952 – The 7.3 Mw  Kern County earthquake strikes Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 12 and injuring hundreds.
  • 1954 – First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
  • 1959 – NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship, is launched as a showcase for Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” initiative.
  • 1959 – Elijah Jerry “Pumpsie” Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
  • 1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike is elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, becoming the world’s first female head of government
  • 1961 – Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission: Gus Grissom piloting Liberty Bell 7 becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission).
  • 1969 – Apollo program: At 02:56 UTC, astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon.
  • 1970 – After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.
  • 1972 – The Troubles: Bloody Friday: The Provisional IRA detonate 22 bombs in central Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom in the space of 80 minutes, killing nine and injuring 130.
  • 1973 – In Lillehammer, Norway, Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre.
  • 1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs, the British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, is assassinated by the Provisional IRA.
  • 1977 – The start of the four-day-long Libyan–Egyptian War.
  • 1979 – Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk actor, becomes the first Native American to have a star commemorated in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  • 1983 – The world’s lowest temperature in an inhabited location is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).
  • 1990 – Taiwan’s military police forces mainland Chinese illegal immigrants into sealed holds of a fishing boat Min Ping Yu No. 5540 for repatriation to Fujian, causing 25 people to die from suffocation.
  • 1995 – Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People’s Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan.
  • 2001 – At the conclusion of a fireworks display on Okura Beach in Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan, 11 people are killed and more than 120 are injured when a pedestrian footbridge connecting the beach to JR Asagiri Station becomes overcrowded and people leaving the event fall down in a domino effect.
  • 2005 – July 2005 London bombings occur.
  • 2008 – Ram Baran Yadav is declared the first president of Nepal.
  • 2011 – NASA’s Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
  • 2012 – Erden Eruç completes the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world.

Births on July 21

  • 541 – Emperor Wen of Sui, emperor of the Sui Dynasty (d. 604)
  • 1030 – Kyansittha, King of Burma (d. 1112)
  • 1414 – Pope Sixtus IV (d. 1484)
  • 1462 – Queen Jeonghyeon, Korean royal consort (d. 1530)
  • 1476 – Alfonso I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara (d. 1534)
  • 1476 – Anna Sforza, Italian noble (d. 1497)
  • 1515 – Philip Neri, Italian Roman Catholic saint (d. 1595)
  • 1535 – García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete, Royal Governor of Chile (d. 1609)
  • 1616 – Anna de’ Medici, Archduchess of Austria (d. 1676)
  • 1620 – Jean Picard, French astronomer (d. 1682)
  • 1648 – John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee, Scottish general (d. 1689)
  • 1654 – Pedro Calungsod, Filipino catechist and sacristan; later canonized (d. 1672)
  • 1664 – Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (d. 1721)
  • 1693 – Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1768)
  • 1710 – Paul Möhring, German physician, botanist, and zoologist (d. 1792)
  • 1783 – Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon, French general (d. 1853)
  • 1808 – Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian historian, academic, and politician (d. 1864)
  • 1810 – Henri Victor Regnault, French chemist and physicist (d. 1878)
  • 1811 – Robert Mackenzie, Scottish-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of Queensland (d. 1873)
  • 1816 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist, founded Reuters (d. 1899)
  • 1858 – Maria Christina of Austria (d. 1929)
  • 1858 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (d. 1925)
  • 1858 – Alfred Henry O’Keeffe, New Zealand painter and educator (d. 1941)
  • 1863 – C. Aubrey Smith, English-American cricketer and actor (d. 1948)
  • 1866 – Carlos Schwabe, Swiss Symbolist painter and printmaker (d. 1926)
  • 1870 – Emil Orlík, Czech painter, etcher, and lithographer (d. 1932)
  • 1875 – Charles Gondouin, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (d. 1947)
  • 1880 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak astronomer, general, and politician (d. 1919)
  • 1882 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (d. 1967)
  • 1885 – Jacques Feyder, Belgian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1948)
  • 1891 – Julius Saaristo, Finnish javelin thrower and soldier (d. 1969)
  • 1893 – Hans Fallada, German author (d. 1947)
  • 1896 – Sophie Bledsoe Aberle, Native American anthropologist, physician and nutritionist (d. 1996)
  • 1898 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter (d. 1979)
  • 1899 – Hart Crane, American poet (d. 1932)
  • 1899 – Ernest Hemingway, American novelist, short story writer, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
  • 1900 – Isadora Bennett, American theatre manager and modern dance publicity agent (d. 1980)
  • 1903 – Russell Lee, American photographer and journalist (d. 1986)
  • 1903 – Roy Neuberger, American businessman and financier, co-founded Neuberger Berman (d. 2010)
  • 1908 – Jug McSpaden, American golfer and architect (d. 1996)
  • 1911 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian author and theorist (d. 1980)
  • 1911 – Umashankar Joshi, Indian author, poet, and scholar (d. 1988)
  • 1914 – Aleksander Kreek, Estonian shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1977)
  • 1917 – Alan B. Gold, Canadian lawyer and jurist (d. 2005)
  • 1920 – Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2005)
  • 1920 – Isaac Stern, Polish violinist and conductor (d. 2001)
  • 1920 – Jean Daniel, Algerian-French-Jewish journalist and author (d. 2020)
  • 1921 – James Cooke Brown, American sociologist and author (d. 2000)
  • 1921 – John Horsley, English actor (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, Zulu sangoma (d. 2020)
  • 1922 – Kay Starr, American singer (d. 2016)
  • 1922 – Mollie Sugden, English actress (d. 2009)
  • 1923 – Rudolph A. Marcus, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1923 – Queenie Watts, English actress and singer (d. 1980)
  • 1924 – Rahimuddin Khan, Pakistani general and politician, 7th Governor of Balochistan
  • 1924 – Don Knotts, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1926 – Paul Burke, American actor (d. 2009)
  • 1925 – Johnny Peirson, Canadian hockey player
  • 1926 – Norman Jewison, Canadian actor, director, and producer
  • 1926 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Karel Reisz, Czech-English director and producer (d. 2002)
  • 1928 – Sky Low Low, Canadian wrestler (d. 1998)
  • 1929 – Bob Orton, American wrestler (d. 2006)
  • 1930 – Anand Bakshi, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 2002)
  • 1930 – Helen Merrill, American singer
  • 1931 – Sonny Clark, American pianist and composer (d. 1963)
  • 1931 – Plas Johnson, American saxophonist
  • 1931 – Leon Schidlowsky, Chilean-Israeli painter and composer
  • 1932 – Kaye Stevens, American singer and actress (d. 2011)
  • 1933 – John Gardner, American novelist, essayist, and critic (d. 1982)
  • 1934 – Chandu Borde, Indian cricketer and manager
  • 1934 – Jonathan Miller, English actor, director, and author (d. 2019)
  • 1935 – Norbert Blüm, German businessman and politician
  • 1935 – Moe Drabowsky, Polish-American baseball player and coach (d. 2006)
  • 1937 – Eduard Streltsov, Soviet footballer (d. 1990)
  • 1938 – Les Aspin, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1995)
  • 1938 – Anton Kuerti, Austrian-Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor
  • 1938 – Janet Reno, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General (d. 2016)
  • 1939 – Jamey Aebersold, American saxophonist and educator
  • 1939 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (d. 2015)
  • 1939 – John Negroponte, English-American diplomat, 23rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations
  • 1943 – Fritz Glatz, Austrian race car driver (d. 2002)
  • 1943 – Edward Herrmann, American actor (d. 2014)
  • 1943 – Henry McCullough, Northern Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1944 – John Atta Mills, Ghanaian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Ghana (d. 2012)
  • 1944 – Buchi Emecheta, Nigerian author and academic (d. 2017)
  • 1944 – Paul Wellstone, American academic and politician (d. 2002)
  • 1945 – Wendy Cope, English poet, critic, and educator
  • 1945 – Geoff Dymock, Australian cricketer
  • 1945 – Barry Richards, South African cricketer
  • 1946 – Ken Starr, American lawyer and judge, 39th Solicitor General of the United States
  • 1946 – Timothy Harris, American author, screenwriter and producer
  • 1947 – Chetan Chauhan, Indian cricketer and politician
  • 1948 – Art Hindle, Canadian actor and director
  • 1948 – Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1948 – Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist
  • 1949 – Christina Hart, American playwright and actress
  • 1949 – Hirini Melbourne, New Zealand singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2003)
  • 1950 – Ubaldo Fillol, Argentinian footballer and coach
  • 1950 – Susan Kramer, Baroness Kramer, English politician, Minister of State for Transport
  • 1951 – Richard Gozney, English politician and diplomat, 30th Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, 139th Governor of Bermuda
  • 1951 – Robin Williams, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – John Barrasso, American physician and politician
  • 1952 – Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Malaysian economist
  • 1953 – Eric Bazilian, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer (The Hooters)
  • 1953 – Jeff Fatt, Australian keyboard player and actor
  • 1953 – Bernie Fraser, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1953 – Brian Talbot, English footballer and manager
  • 1955 – Howie Epstein, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (d. 2003)
  • 1955 – Dannel Malloy, American lawyer and politician, 88th Governor of Connecticut
  • 1955 – Henry Priestman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1955 – Taco, Indonesian-born Dutch singer and entertainer
  • 1955 – Béla Tarr, Hungarian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Michael Connelly, American author
  • 1957 – Stefan Löfven, Swedish trade union leader and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Sweden
  • 1957 – Jon Lovitz, American comedian, actor, and producer
  • 1958 – Dave Henderson, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
  • 1959 – Gene Miles, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1959 – Reha Muhtar, Turkish journalist
  • 1959 – Paul Vautin, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Indian singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1960 – Veselin Matić, Serbian basketball player and coach
  • 1960 – Fritz Walter, German footballer
  • 1961 – Morris Iemma, Australian politician, 40th Premier of New South Wales
  • 1961 – Jim Martin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1962 – Victor Adebowale, Baron Adebowale, English businessman
  • 1963 – Kevin Poole, English footballer and manager
  • 1963 – Giant Silva, Brazilian basketball player, mixed martial artist, and wrestler
  • 1964 – Steve Collins, Irish boxer and actor
  • 1964 – Ross Kemp, English actor and producer
  • 1964 – Jens Weißflog, German ski jumper and journalist
  • 1965 – Guðni Bergsson, Icelandic footballer and lawyer
  • 1965 – Mike Bordick, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Arija Bareikis, American actress
  • 1966 – Sarah Waters, Welsh author and academic
  • 1968 – Brandi Chastain, American soccer player and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Aditya Srivastava, Indian actor
  • 1968 – Lyle Odelein, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1969 – Godfrey, American comedian and actor
  • 1969 – Klaus Graf, German race car driver
  • 1969 – Emerson Hart, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1969 – Isabell Werth, German equestrian
  • 1970 – Michael Fitzpatrick, American singer-songwriter
  • 1971 – Emmanuel Bangué, French long jumper
  • 1971 – Charlotte Gainsbourg, English-French actress and singer
  • 1971 – Nitzan Shirazi, Israeli footballer and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1972 – Korey Cooper, American singer and guitarist
  • 1972 – Catherine Ndereba, Kenyan marathon runner
  • 1974 – Geoff Jenkins, American baseball player and coach
  • 1974 – René Reinumägi, Estonian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1975 – Christopher Barzak, American author and educator
  • 1975 – Cara Dillon, Irish singer-songwriter
  • 1975 – Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1975 – Mike Sellers, American football player
  • 1976 – Jaime Murray, English actress
  • 1977 – Paul Casey, English golfer
  • 1978 – Justin Bartha, American actor
  • 1978 – Anderson da Silva Gibin, Brazilian footballer
  • 1978 – Josh Hartnett, American actor
  • 1978 – Julian Huppert, English academic and politician
  • 1978 – Damian Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1978 – Gary Teale, Scottish footballer
  • 1979 – David Carr, American football player
  • 1979 – Tamika Catchings, American basketball player
  • 1979 – Luis Ernesto Michel, Mexican footballer
  • 1979 – Andriy Voronin, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1980 – Justin Griffith, American football player
  • 1980 – Sandra Laoura, French skier
  • 1980 – CC Sabathia, American baseball player
  • 1980 – Yvonne Sampson, Australian journalist and sportscaster
  • 1981 – Paloma Faith, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1981 – Anabelle Langlois, Canadian figure skater
  • 1981 – Joaquín, Spanish footballer
  • 1981 – Romeo Santos, American singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Stefan Schumacher, German cyclist
  • 1982 – Jason Cram, Australian swimmer
  • 1982 – Mao Kobayashi, Japanese newscaster and actress (d. 2017)
  • 1984 – Jurrick Juliana, Dutch footballer
  • 1984 – Liam Ridgewell, English footballer
  • 1985 – Mati Lember, Estonian footballer
  • 1985 – Von Wafer, American basketball player
  • 1986 – Anthony Annan, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1986 – Rebecca Ferguson, American-English singer-songwriter
  • 1986 – Jason Thompson, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Bilel Mohsni, French footballer
  • 1987 – Jesús Zavala, Mexican footballer
  • 1988 – KB, American rapper
  • 1988 – DeAndre Jordan, American basketball player
  • 1988 – Chris Mitchell, Scottish footballer (d. 2016)
  • 1989 – Marco Fabián, Mexican footballer
  • 1989 – Juno Temple, English actress
  • 1990 – Chris Martin, English footballer
  • 1990 – Jason Roy, English cricketer
  • 1990 – Erislandy Savón, Cuban amateur heavyweight boxer
  • 1990 – Franck Elemba, Congolese athlete
  • 1991 – Sara Sampaio, Portuguese model
  • 1992 – Rachael Flatt, American figure skater
  • 1996 – Mikael Ingebrigtsen, Norwegian footballer
  • 1998 – Thomas Preining, Austrian racing driver

Deaths on July 21

  • 658 – K’an II, Mayan ruler (b. 588)
  • 710 – Li Guo’er, princess of the Tang dynasty
  • 710 – Wei, empress of the Tang Dynasty
  • 710 – Shangguan Wan’er, Chinese poet (b. 664)
  • 987 – Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou
  • 1259 – Gojong of Goryeo
  • 1403 – Henry Percy, English soldier (b. 1364)
  • 1403 – Sir Walter Blount, English soldier, standard-bearer of Henry IV
  • 1403 – Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford, English soldier
  • 1425 – Manuel II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1350)
  • 1552 – Antonio de Mendoza, Spanish politician, 1st Viceroy of New Spain (b. 1495)
  • 1688 – James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1610)
  • 1793 – Antoine Bruni d’Entrecasteaux, French admiral, explorer, and politician (b. 1739)
  • 1796 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet and songwriter (b. 1759)
  • 1798 – François Sébastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt, Austrian field marshal (b. 1733)
  • 1798 – Anthony Perry, Irish rebel leader (b. ca. 1760)
  • 1868 – William Bland, Australian surgeon and politician (b. 1789)
  • 1878 – Sam Bass, American outlaw (b. 1851)
  • 1880 – Hiram Walden, American general and politician (b. 1800)
  • 1889 – Nelson Dewey, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1813)
  • 1899 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1833)
  • 1920 – Fiammetta Wilson, English astronomer and educator (b. 1864)
  • 1932 – Bill Gleason, American baseball player (b. 1858)
  • 1934 – Hubert Lyautey, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (b. 1854)
  • 1938 – Owen Wister, American lawyer and author (b. 1860)
  • 1941 – Bohdan Lepky, Ukrainian poet and scholar (b. 1872)
  • 1943 – Charley Paddock, American runner and actor (b. 1900)
  • 1943 – Louis Vauxcelles, French Jewish art critic (b. 1870)
  • 1944 – Claus von Stauffenberg, German soldier (b. 1907)
  • 1946 – Gualberto Villarroel, Bolivian soldier and politician, 45th President of Bolivia (b. 1908)
  • 1948 – Arshile Gorky, Armenian-American painter and illustrator (b. 1904)
  • 1952 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. (b. 1856)
  • 1966 – Philipp Frank, Austrian-American physicist, mathematician, and philosopher, Vienna Circle member (b. 1884)
  • 1967 – Jimmie Foxx, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1907)
  • 1967 – Albert Lutuli, South African academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
  • 1967 – Basil Rathbone, South African-American actor and singer (b. 1892)
  • 1968 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1878)
  • 1970 – Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gerasimov, Russian anthropologist and sculptor (b. 1907)
  • 1970 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (b. 1945)
  • 1972 – Ralph Craig, American sprinter and sailor (b. 1889)
  • 1972 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Bhutanese king (b. 1928)
  • 1977 – Lee Miller, American model and photographer (b. 1907)
  • 1982 – Dave Garroway, American journalist and actor (b. 1913)
  • 1991 – Paul Warwick, English race car driver (b. 1969)
  • 1994 – Marijac, French author and illustrator (b. 1908)
  • 1997 – Olaf Kopvillem, Estonian-Canadian conductor and composer (b. 1926)
  • 1998 – Alan Shepard, American admiral, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1923)
  • 1998 – Robert Young, American actor and singer (b. 1907)
  • 2000 – Marc Reisner, American environmentalist and author (b. 1948)
  • 2002 – Esphyr Slobodkina, Russian-American author and illustrator (b. 1908)
  • 2003 – John Davies, English-New Zealand runner and coach (b. 1938)
  • 2004 – Jerry Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (b. 1929)
  • 2004 – Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
  • 2005 – Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer and actor (b. 1941)
  • 2005 – Lord Alfred Hayes, English-American wrestler and manager (b. 1928)
  • 2006 – Mako Iwamatsu, Japanese-American actor and singer (b. 1933)
  • 2006 – Ta Mok, Cambodian soldier and monk (b. 1926)
  • 2007 – Dubravko Škiljan, Croatian linguist and academic (b. 1949)
  • 2008 – Donald Stokes, English businessman (b. 1914)
  • 2010 – Luis Corvalán, Chilean educator and politician (b. 1916)
  • 2010 – Ralph Houk, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1919)
  • 2010 – John E. Irving, Canadian businessman (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – Alexander Cockburn, Scottish-American journalist and author (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Marie Kruckel, American baseball player (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Ali Podrimja, Albanian poet and author (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – James D. Ramage, American admiral and pilot (b. 1916)
  • 2012 – Angharad Rees, English-born Welsh actress (b. 1944)
  • 2012 – Don Wilson, English cricketer and coach (b. 1937)
  • 2013 – Andrea Antonelli, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1988)
  • 2013 – Lourembam Brojeshori Devi, Indian martial artist (b. 1981)
  • 2013 – Det de Beus, Dutch field hockey player (b. 1958)
  • 2013 – Luis Fernando Rizo-Salom, Colombian-French composer and educator (b. 1971)
  • 2013 – Fred Taylor, American football player and coach (b. 1920)
  • 2014 – Louise Abeita, Isleta Pueblo (Native American) writer, poet, and educator (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Dan Borislow, American businessman, invented the magicJack (b. 1961)
  • 2014 – Lettice Curtis, English engineer and pilot (b. 1915)
  • 2014 – Hans-Peter Kaul, German lawyer and judge (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Rilwanu Lukman, Nigerian engineer and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Kevin Skinner, New Zealand rugby player and boxer (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Robert Broberg, Swedish singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
  • 2015 – E. L. Doctorow, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Nicholas Gonzalez, American physician (b. 1947)
  • 2015 – Czesław Marchaj, Polish-English sailor and academic (b. 1918)
  • 2015 – Dick Nanninga, Dutch footballer (b. 1949)
  • 2016 – Dennis Green, American football player and coach (b. 1949)
  • 2017 – John Heard, American film and television actor (b. 1946)
  • 2018 – Alene Duerk, U.S. Navy first female admiral (b. 1920)

Holidays and observances on July 21

  • Christian feast day:
    • Albert John Luthuli (Episcopal Church)
    • Arbogast
    • Barhadbesciabas
    • Carlos of Brazil (Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church)
    • Daniel (Catholic Church)
    • Lawrence of Brindisi
    • Praxedes
    • Victor of Marseilles
    • July 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Liberation Day in 1944 (Guam)
  • Belgian National Day (Belgium)
  • Racial Harmony Day (Singapore)
  • Summer Kazanskaya (Russia)

July 21- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on July 20

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

Deaths on July 20

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

Holidays and observances on July 20

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

July 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

July 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 622 – The beginning of the Islamic calendar.
  • 997 – Battle of Spercheios: Bulgarian forces of Tsar Samuel are defeated by a Byzantine army under general Nikephoros Ouranos at the Spercheios River in Greece.
  • 1054 – Three Roman legates break relations between Western and Eastern Christian Churches through the act of placing an invalidly-issued Papal bull of Excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia during Saturday afternoon divine liturgy. Historians frequently describe the event as the start of the East–West Schism.
  • 1212 – Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa: After Pope Innocent III calls European knights to a crusade, forces of Kings Alfonso VIII of Castile, Sancho VII of Navarre, Peter II of Aragon and Afonso II of Portugal defeat those of the Berber Muslim leader Almohad, thus marking a significant turning point in the Reconquista and in the medieval history of Spain.
  • 1232 – The Spanish town of Arjona declares independence and names its native Muhammad ibn Yusuf as ruler. This marks Muhammad’s first rise to prominence; he would later establish the Nasrid Emirate of Granada, the last independent Muslim state in Spain.
  • 1251 – Celebrated by the Carmelite Order – but doubted by modern historians – as the day when Saint Simon Stock had a vision of the Virgin Mary
  • 1377 – King Richard II of England is crowned.
  • 1661 – The first banknotes in Europe are issued by the Swedish bank Stockholms Banco.
  • 1683 – Manchu Qing dynasty naval forces under traitorous commander Shi Lang defeat the Kingdom of Tungning in the Battle of Penghu near the Pescadores Islands.
  • 1769 – Father Junípero Serra founds California’s first mission, Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Over the following decades, it evolves into the city of San Diego, California.
  • 1779 – American Revolutionary War: Light infantry of the Continental Army seize a fortified British Army position in a midnight bayonet attack at the Battle of Stony Point.
  • 1790 – The District of Columbia is established as the capital of the United States after signature of the Residence Act.
  • 1809 – The city of La Paz, in what is today Bolivia, declares its independence from the Spanish Crown during the La Paz revolution and forms the Junta Tuitiva, the first independent government in Spanish America, led by Pedro Domingo Murillo.
  • 1849 – Antonio María Claret y Clará founds the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, popularly known as the Claretians in Vic, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: At the order of President Abraham Lincoln, Union troops begin a 25-mile march into Virginia for what will become the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the war.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: David Farragut is promoted to rear admiral, becoming the first officer in United States Navy to hold an admiral rank.
  • 1909 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar is forced out as Shah of Persia and is replaced by his son Ahmad Shah Qajar.
  • 1910 – John Robertson Duigan makes the first flight of the Duigan pusher biplane, the first aircraft built in Australia.
  • 1915 – Henry James becomes a British citizen to highlight his commitment to Britain during the first World War.
  • 1915 – At Treasure Island on the Delaware River in the United States, the First Order of the Arrow ceremony takes place and the Order of the Arrow is founded to honor American Boy Scouts who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law.
  • 1927 – Augusto César Sandino leads a raid on U.S. Marines and Nicaraguan Guardia Nacional that had been sent to apprehend him in the village of Ocotal, but is repulsed by one of the first dive-bombing attacks in history.
  • 1931 – Emperor Haile Selassie signs the first constitution of Ethiopia.
  • 1935 – The world’s first parking meter is installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
  • 1941 – Joe DiMaggio hits safely for the 56th consecutive game, a streak that still stands as an MLB record.
  • 1942 – Holocaust: Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup (Rafle du Vel’ d’Hiv): The government of Vichy France orders the mass arrest of 13,152 Jews who are held at the Vélodrome d’Hiver in Paris before deportation to Auschwitz.
  • 1945 – World War II: The heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis leaves San Francisco with parts for the atomic bomb “Little Boy” bound for Tinian Island.
  • 1945 – Manhattan Project: The Atomic Age begins when the United States successfully detonates a plutonium-based test nuclear weapon near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
  • 1948 – Following token resistance, the city of Nazareth, revered by Christians as the hometown of Jesus, capitulates to Israeli troops during Operation Dekel in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
  • 1948 – The storming of the cockpit of the Miss Macao passenger seaplane, operated by a subsidiary of the Cathay Pacific Airways, marks the first aircraft hijacking of a commercial plane.
  • 1950 – Chaplain–Medic massacre: American POWs are massacred by North Korean Army.
  • 1951 – King Leopold III of Belgium abdicates in favor of his son, Baudouin I of Belgium.
  • 1956 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closes its last “Big Tent” show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; due to changing economics, all subsequent circus shows will be held in arenas.
  • 1965 – The Mont Blanc Tunnel linking France and Italy opens.
  • 1965 – South Vietnamese Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo, a formerly undetected communist spy and double agent, is hunted down and killed by unknown individuals after being sentenced to death in absentia for a February 1965 coup attempt against Nguyễn Khánh.
  • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 11, the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Kennedy, Florida.
  • 1979 – Iraqi President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr resigns and is replaced by Saddam Hussein.
  • 1983 – Sikorsky S-61 disaster: A helicopter crashes off the Isles of Scilly, causing 20 fatalities.
  • 1990 – The Luzon earthquake strikes the Philippines with an intensity of 7.7, affecting Benguet, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, La Union, Aurora, Bataan, Zambales and Tarlac.
  • 1990 – The Parliament of the Ukrainian SSR declares state sovereignty over the territory of the Ukrainian SSR.
  • 1999 – John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, died when the Piper Saratoga PA-32R aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
  • 2004 – Millennium Park, considered Chicago’s first and most ambitious early 21st-century architectural project, is opened to the public by Mayor Richard M. Daley.
  • 2007 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 and 6.6 aftershock occurs off the Niigata coast of Japan killing eight people, injuring at least 800 and damaging a nuclear power plant.
  • 2013 – As many as 27 children die and 25 others are hospitalized after eating lunch served at their school in eastern India.
  • 2015 – Four U.S. Marines and one gunman die in a shooting spree targeting military installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
  • 2019 – 100 years old building in Mumbai, India, collapsed, killing at least 10 people and many remaining trapped.

Births on July 16

  • 1194 – Clare of Assisi, an Italian nun and saint (d. 1253)
  • 1486 – Andrea del Sarto, Italian painter (d. 1530)
  • 1517 – Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, English duchess (d. 1559)
  • 1529 – Petrus Peckius the Elder, Dutch jurist, writer on international maritime law (d. 1589)
  • 1611 – Cecilia Renata of Austria (d. 1644)
  • 1661 – Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, Canadian captain, explorer, and politician (d. 1706)
  • 1714 – Marc René, marquis de Montalembert, French engineer and author (d. 1800)
  • 1722 – Joseph Wilton, English sculptor and academic (d. 1803)
  • 1723 – Joshua Reynolds, English painter and academic (d. 1792)
  • 1731 – Samuel Huntington, American jurist and politician, 18th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1796)
  • 1749 – Cyrus Griffin, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 16th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1810)
  • 1796 – Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French painter and etcher (d. 1875)
  • 1821 – Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader and author, founded Christian Science (d. 1910)
  • 1841 – Nikolai von Glehn, Estonian-German architect and activist (d. 1923)
  • 1858 – Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1931)
  • 1862 – Ida B. Wells, American journalist and activist (d. 1931)
  • 1863 – Anderson Dawson, Australian politician, 14th Premier of Queensland (d. 1910)
  • 1870 – Lambert McKenna, Irish priest, lexicographer, and scholar (d. 1956)
  • 1871 – John Maxwell, American golfer (d. 1906)
  • 1872 – Roald Amundsen, Norwegian pilot and explorer (d. 1928)
  • 1872 – Frank Cooper, Australian politician, 25th Premier of Queensland (d. 1949)
  • 1880 – Kathleen Norris, American journalist and author (d. 1966)
  • 1882 – Violette Neatley Anderson, American judge (d. 1937)
  • 1883 – Charles Sheeler, American photographer and painter (d. 1965)
  • 1884 – Anna Vyrubova, Russian author (d. 1964)
  • 1887 – Shoeless Joe Jackson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)
  • 1888 – Percy Kilbride, American actor (d. 1964)
  • 1888 – Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1966)
  • 1889 – Arthur Bowie Chrisman, American author (d. 1953)
  • 1895 – Wilfrid Hamel, Canadian businessman and politician, 35th Mayor of Quebec City (d. 1968)
  • 1896 – Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, German biologist and eugenicist (d. 1969)
  • 1896 – Trygve Lie, Norwegian trade union leader and politician, 1st Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 1968)
  • 1902 – Alexander Luria, Russian psychologist and physician (d. 1977)
  • 1902 – Mary Philbin, American actress (d. 1993)
  • 1903 – Fritz Bauer, German lawyer and judge (d. 1968)
  • 1903 – Carmen Lombardo, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1971)
  • 1903 – Irmgard Flügge-Lotz, German mathematician and engineer (d. 1974)
  • 1904 – Goffredo Petrassi, Italian composer and conductor (d. 2003)
  • 1906 – Vincent Sherman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1907 – Frances Horwich, American educator and television host (d. 2001)
  • 1907 – Orville Redenbacher, American farmer and businessman, founded Orville Redenbacher’s (d. 1995)
  • 1907 – Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (d. 1990)
  • 1910 – Stan McCabe, Australian cricketer (d. 1968)
  • 1910 – Gordon Prange, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1980)
  • 1911 – Ginger Rogers, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1995)
  • 1911 – Sonny Tufts, American actor (d. 1970)
  • 1912 – Milt Bocek, American baseball player (d. 2007)
  • 1912 – Amy Patterson, Argentine composer, singer, poet, and teacher (d. 2019)
  • 1915 – Barnard Hughes, American actor (d. 2006)
  • 1915 – Elaine Barrie, American actress (d. 2003)
  • 1918 – Denis Edward Arnold, English soldier (d. 2015)
  • 1918 – Paul Farnes, famed World War II Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot and one of “The Few” surviving pilots of the Battle of Britain (d. 2020)
  • 1918 – Samuel Victor Perry, English biochemist and rugby player (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Hermine Braunsteiner, Austrian SS officer (d. 1999)
  • 1919 – Choi Kyu-hah, South Korean politician, 4th President of South Korea (d. 2006)
  • 1920 – Anatole Broyard, American critic and editor (d. 1990)
  • 1923 – Chris Argyris, American psychologist, theorist, and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Bola Sete, Brazilian guitarist (d. 1987)
  • 1924 – James L. Greenfield, American journalist and politician
  • 1924 – Bess Myerson, American model, actress, game show panelist, and politician, Miss America 1945 (d. 2014)
  • 1924 – Rupert Deese, Northern Mariana Islander ceramic artist (d. 2010)
  • 1925 – Frank Jobe, American sergeant and surgeon (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Rosita Quintana, Argentine actress
  • 1925 – Cal Tjader, American jazz musician (d. 1982)
  • 1926 – Ivica Horvat, Croatian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1926 – Irwin Rose, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
  • 1927 – Pierre F. Côté, Canadian lawyer and civil servant (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Shirley Hughes, English author and illustrator
  • 1927 – Derek Hawksworth, English footballer
  • 1928 – Anita Brookner, English novelist and art historian (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Bella Davidovich, Soviet-American pianist
  • 1928 – Robert Sheckley, American author and screenwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1928 – Jim Rathmann, American race car driver (d. 2011)
  • 1928 – Dave Treen, American lawyer and politician, 51st Governor of Louisiana (d. 2009)
  • 1928 – Andrzej Zawada, Polish mountaineer and author (d. 2000)
  • 1929 – Charles Ray Hatcher, American serial killer (d. 1984)
  • 1929 – Sheri S. Tepper, American author and poet (d. 2016)
  • 1929 – Gaby Tanguy, French swimmer
  • 1930 – Guy Béart, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Michael Bilirakis, American lawyer and politician
  • 1930 – Bert Rechichar, American football defensive back and kicker (d. 2019)
  • 1931 – Fergus Gordon Kerr, Scottish Roman Catholic priest of the English Dominican Province
  • 1931 – Norm Sherry, American former catcher, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball
  • 1932 – John Chilton, English trumpet player and composer (d. 2016)
  • 1932 – Max McGee, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2007)
  • 1932 – Dick Thornburgh, American lawyer and politician, 76th United States Attorney General
  • 1933 – Julian A. Brodsky, American businessman
  • 1934 – Tomás Eloy Martínez, Argentine journalist (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Katherine D. Ortega, 38th Treasurer of the United States
  • 1934 – Donald M. Payne, American educator and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1935 – Carl Epting Mundy Jr., American general (d. 2014)
  • 1935 – Lynn Wyatt, American socialite and philanthropist
  • 1936 – Yasuo Fukuda, Japanese politician, 91st Prime Minister of Japan
  • 1936 – Buddy Merrill, American guitarist
  • 1936 – Jerry Norman, American sinologist and linguist (d. 2012)
  • 1936 – Venkataraman Subramanya, Indian-Australian cricketer
  • 1937 – Richard Bryan, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Nevada
  • 1937 – John Daly, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
  • 1938 – Cynthia Enloe, American author and academic
  • 1938 – Tony Jackson, English singer and bass player (d. 2003)
  • 1939 – William Bell, American singer-songwriter
  • 1939 – Lido Vieri, Italian football manager and football player
  • 1939 – Denise LaSalle, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Ruth Perry, president of Liberia (d. 2017)
  • 1939 – Shringar Nagaraj, Indian actor and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Corin Redgrave, English actor and activist (d. 2010)
  • 1939 – Mariele Ventre, Italian singer and conductor (d. 1995)
  • 1941 – Desmond Dekker, Jamaican singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1941 – Dag Solstad, Norwegian author and playwright
  • 1941 – Hans Wiegel, Dutch journalist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
  • 1941 – Sir George Young, 6th Baronet, English banker and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
  • 1942 – Margaret Court, Australian tennis player and minister
  • 1943 – Reinaldo Arenas, Cuban-American author, poet, and playwright (d. 1990)
  • 1943 – Vernon Bogdanor, English political scientist and academic
  • 1943 – Jimmy Johnson, American football player and coach
  • 1944 – Angharad Rees, English-Welsh actress and jewellery designer (d. 2012)
  • 1946 – Louise Fréchette, Canadian civil servant and diplomat, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
  • 1946 – Barbara Lee, American politician
  • 1946 – Ron Yary, American football player
  • 1947 – Don Burke, Australian television host and producer
  • 1947 – Alexis Herman, American businesswoman and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of Labor
  • 1947 – Assata Shakur, American-Cuban criminal and activist
  • 1948 – Rubén Blades, Panamanian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1948 – Lars Lagerbäck, Swedish footballer and manager
  • 1948 – Kevin McKenzie, South African cricketer
  • 1948 – Pinchas Zukerman, Israeli violinist and conductor
  • 1949 – Alan Fitzgerald, American guitarist and keyboardist
  • 1950 – Pierre Paradis, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1950 – Dennis Priestley, English darts player
  • 1950 – Frances Spalding, English historian and academic
  • 1950 – Tom Terrell, American journalist and photographer (d. 2007)
  • 1951 – Jean-Luc Mongrain, Canadian journalist
  • 1951 – Che Rosli, Malaysian politician
  • 1952 – Stewart Copeland, American drummer and songwriter
  • 1952 – Richard Egielski, American author and illustrator
  • 1952 – Marc Esposito, French director and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Ken McEwan, South African cricketer
  • 1953 – Douglas J. Feith, American lawyer and politician, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
  • 1954 – Jeanette Mott Oxford, American politician
  • 1955 – Susan Wheeler, American poet and academic
  • 1955 – Saw Swee Leong, Malaysian badminton player
  • 1956 – Tony Kushner, American playwright and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Faye Grant, American actress
  • 1957 – Alexandra Marinina, Ukrainian-Russian colonel and author
  • 1958 – Mick Cornett, American politician, and former mayor of Oklahoma City.
  • 1958 – Michael Flatley, American-Irish dancer and choreographer
  • 1958 – Mike Rogers, American politician
  • 1959 – Gary Anderson, South African-American football player
  • 1959 – James MacMillan, Scottish composer and conductor
  • 1959 – Zoran Jolevski, Macedonian economist, politician, and diplomat, Macedonian Ambassador to the United States
  • 1959 – Jürgen Ligi, Estonian economist and politician, 25th Estonian Minister of Defence
  • 1960 – Terry Pendleton, American baseball player and coach
  • 1962 – Grigory Leps, Russian singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Phoebe Cates, American actress
  • 1963 – Srečko Katanec, Slovenian footballer and coach
  • 1963 – Mikael Pernfors, Swedish tennis player
  • 1964 – Phil Hellmuth, American poker player
  • 1964 – Miguel Induráin, Spanish cyclist
  • 1965 – Michel Desjoyeaux, French sailor
  • 1965 – Claude Lemieux, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1965 – Sherri Stoner, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Jyrki Lumme, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1967 – Will Ferrell, American actor, comedian, and producer
  • 1968 – Dhanraj Pillay, Indian field hockey player and manager
  • 1968 – Barry Sanders, American football player
  • 1968 – Larry Sanger, American philosopher and businessman, co-founded Wikipedia and Citizendium
  • 1968 – Michael Searle, Australian rugby league player and businessman
  • 1968 – Robert Sherman, American songwriter and businessman
  • 1968 – Olga Souza, Brazilian singer and dancer
  • 1969 – Jules De Martino, English singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1969 – Kathryn Harby-Williams, Australian netball player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Raimonds Miglinieks, Latvian basketball player and coach
  • 1970 – Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Corey Feldman, American actor
  • 1971 – Ed Kowalczyk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Live)
  • 1972 – Ben Cahoon, American-Canadian football player and coach
  • 1972 – François Drolet, Canadian speed skater
  • 1973 – Shaun Pollock, South African cricketer
  • 1973 – Graham Robertson, American director and producer
  • 1973 – Tim Ryan, American politician
  • 1974 – Jeremy Enigk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Maret Maripuu, Estonian politician, Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
  • 1974 – Ryan McCombs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Wendell Sailor, Australian rugby player
  • 1975 – Bas Leinders, Belgian race car driver
  • 1976 – Tomasz Kuchar, Polish race car driver
  • 1976 – Carlos Humberto Paredes, Paraguayan footballer
  • 1976 – Anna Smashnova, Belarusian-Israeli tennis player
  • 1977 – Bryan Budd, Northern Ireland-born English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2006)
  • 1979 – Chris Mihm, American basketball player
  • 1979 – Mai Nakamura, Japanese swimmer
  • 1979 – Kim Rhode, American sport shooter
  • 1979 – Nathan Rogers, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Konstantin Skrylnikov, Russian footballer
  • 1980 – Adam Scott, Australian golfer
  • 1981 – Giuseppe Di Masi, Italian footballer
  • 1981 – Robert Kranjec, Slovenian ski jumper
  • 1981 – Zach Randolph, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Vicente Rodríguez, Spanish footballer
  • 1982 – André Greipel, German cyclist
  • 1982 – Carli Lloyd, American soccer player
  • 1982 – Michael Umaña, Costa Rican footballer
  • 1983 – Duncan Keith, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Hayanari Shimoda, Japanese race car driver
  • 1984 – Attila Szabó, Hungarian decathlete
  • 1985 – Mārtiņš Kravčenko, Latvian basketball player
  • 1986 – Dustin Boyd, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Misako Uno, Japanese actress, singer, and fashion designer
  • 1987 – Mousa Dembélé, Belgian footballer
  • 1987 – AnnaLynne McCord, American actress and producer
  • 1987 – Knowshon Moreno, American football player
  • 1988 – Sergio Busquets, Spanish footballer
  • 1989 – Gareth Bale, Welsh footballer
  • 1990 – Bureta Faraimo, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1990 – Wizkid, Nigerian singer and songwriter
  • 1990 – Johann Zarco, French motorcycle racer
  • 1991 – Nate Schmidt, American ice hockey player
  • 1991 – Andros Townsend, English footballer
  • 1996 – Daniel Pearson, English actor and presenter

Deaths on July 16

  • 784 – Fulrad, Frankish diplomat and saint (b. 710)
  • 866 – Irmgard, Frankish abbess
  • 1212 – William de Brus, 3rd Lord of Annandale
  • 1216 – Pope Innocent III (b. 1160)
  • 1324 – Emperor Go-Uda of Japan (b. 1267)
  • 1342 – Charles I of Hungary (b. 1288)
  • 1344 – An-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt (b. 1316)
  • 1509 – João da Nova, Portuguese explorer (b. 1460)
  • 1546 – Anne Askew, English author and poet (b. 1520)
  • 1557 – Anne of Cleves (b. 1515)
  • 1576 – Isabella de’ Medici, Italian noble (b. 1542)
  • 1647 – Masaniello, Italian rebel (b. 1622)
  • 1664 – Andreas Gryphius, German poet and playwright (b. 1616)
  • 1686 – John Pearson, English bishop and scholar (b. 1612)
  • 1691 – François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, French politician, French Secretary of State for War (b. 1641)
  • 1729 – Johann David Heinichen, German composer and theorist (b. 1683)
  • 1747 – Giuseppe Crespi, Italian painter (b. 1665)
  • 1770 – Francis Cotes, English painter and academic (b. 1726)
  • 1796 – George Howard, English field marshal and politician (b. 1718)
  • 1831 – Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, French-Russian general (b. 1763)
  • 1849 – Sarah Allen, African-American missionary for the African Methodist Episcopal Church (b. 1764)
  • 1868 – Dmitry Pisarev, Russian author and critic (b. 1840)
  • 1879 – Edward Deas Thomson, Scottish-Australian politician, 3rd Chief Secretary of New South Wales (b. 1800)
  • 1882 – Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady of the United States 1861-1865 (b. 1818)
  • 1886 – Ned Buntline, American journalist and author (b. 1823)
  • 1896 – Edmond de Goncourt, French critic and publisher, founded Académie Goncourt (b. 1822)
  • 1915 – Ellen G. White, American theologian and author (b. 1827)
  • 1917 – Philipp Scharwenka, German composer and educator (b. 1847)
  • 1939 – Bartholomeus Roodenburch, Dutch swimmer (b. 1866)
  • 1949 – Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1866)
  • 1953 – Hilaire Belloc, French-born British writer and historian (b. 1870)
  • 1954 – Herms Niel, German soldier, trombonist, and composer (b. 1888)
  • 1960 – Albert Kesselring, German field marshal (b. 1881)
  • 1960 – John P. Marquand, American author (b. 1893)
  • 1964 – Rauf Orbay, Turkish colonel and politician, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1881)
  • 1965 – Boris Artzybasheff, Ukrainian-American illustrator (b.1899)
  • 1969 – James Scott Douglas, English-born Scottish race car driver and 6th Baronet Douglas (b. 1930)
  • 1981 – Harry Chapin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
  • 1982 – Charles Robberts Swart, South African lawyer and politician, 1st State President of South Africa (b. 1894)
  • 1985 – Heinrich Böll, German novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
  • 1985 – Wayne King, American saxophonist, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1901)
  • 1989 – Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor and manager (b. 1908)
  • 1990 – Robert Blackburn, Irish educator (b. 1927)
  • 1990 – Miguel Muñoz, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1922)
  • 1991 – Meindert DeJong, Dutch-American soldier and author (b. 1906)
  • 1991 – Robert Motherwell, American painter and academic (b. 1915)
  • 1991 – Frank Rizzo, American police officer and politician, 93rd Mayor of Philadelphia (b. 1920)
  • 1992 – Buck Buchanan, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
  • 1994 – Julian Schwinger, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
  • 1995 – May Sarton, American playwright and novelist (b. 1912)
  • 1995 – Stephen Spender, English author and poet (b. 1909)
  • 1996 – Adolf von Thadden, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1921)
  • 1998 – John Henrik Clarke, American historian and scholar (b. 1915)
  • 1999 – John F. Kennedy Jr., American lawyer and publisher (b. 1960)
  • 1999 – Alan Macnaughton, Canadian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons (b. 1903)
  • 2001 – Morris, Belgian cartoonist (b. 1923)
  • 2002 – John Cocke, American computer scientist and engineer (b. 1925)
  • 2003 – Celia Cruz, Cuban-American singer and actress (b. 1925)
  • 2003 – Carol Shields, American-Canadian novelist and short story writer (b. 1935)
  • 2004 – George Busbee, American lawyer and politician, 77th Governor of Georgia (b. 1927)
  • 2004 – Charles Sweeney, American general and pilot (b. 1919)
  • 2005 – Pietro Consagra, Italian sculptor (b. 1920)
  • 2005 – Camillo Felgen, Luxembourgian singer-songwriter and radio host (b. 1920)
  • 2006 – Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 13th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas (b. 1948)
  • 2007 – Caterina Bueno, Italian singer and historian (b. 1943)
  • 2008 – Jo Stafford, American singer (b. 1917)
  • 2008 – Lindsay Thompson, Australian politician, 40th Premier of Victoria (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Forrest Blue, American football player (b. 1944)
  • 2012 – William Asher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Stephen Covey, American businessman and author (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – Gilbert Esau, American businessman and politician (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Ed Lincoln, Brazilian bassist, pianist, and composer (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – Masaharu Matsushita, Japanese businessman (b. 1913)
  • 2012 – Kitty Wells, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1919)
  • 2013 – Alex Colville, Canadian painter and academic (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Marv Rotblatt, American baseball player (1927)
  • 2014 – Karl Albrecht, German businessman, co-founded Aldi (b. 1920)
  • 2014 – Mary Ellen Otremba, American educator and politician (b. 1950)
  • 2014 – Johnny Winter, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
  • 2014 – Heinz Zemanek, Austrian computer scientist and academic (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Denis Avey, English soldier, engineer, and author (b. 1919)
  • 2015 – Evelyn Ebsworth, English chemist and academic (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Alcides Ghiggia, Uruguayan footballer and manager (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Jack Goody, English anthropologist, author, and academic (b. 1919)
  • 2017 – George Romero, American filmmaker (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances on July 16

  • Christian feast day:
    • Gondulphus of Tongeren
    • Helier
    • Our Lady of Mount Carmel
      • Fiesta de La Tirana (Tarapacá Region, Chile)
    • Reineldis
    • July 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Engineer’s Day (Honduras)
  • Holocaust Memorial Day (France)

July 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

July 11 in History

  • 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter’s Basilica and put to death.
  • 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abdicates in favor of his general Leo the Armenian, and becomes a monk (under the name Athanasius).
  • 911 – Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy.
  • 1174 – Baldwin IV, 13, becomes King of Jerusalem, with Raymond III, Count of Tripoli as regent and William of Tyre as chancellor.
  • 1302 – Battle of the Golden Spurs (Guldensporenslag in Dutch): A coalition around the Flemish cities defeats the king of France’s royal army.
  • 1346 – Charles IV, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, is elected King of the Romans.
  • 1405 – Ming admiral Zheng He sets sail to explore the world for the first time.
  • 1476 – Giuliano della Rovere is appointed bishop of Coutances.
  • 1576 – Martin Frobisher sights Greenland.
  • 1616 – Samuel de Champlain returns to Quebec.
  • 1735 – Mathematical calculations suggest that it is on this day that dwarf planet Pluto moved inside the orbit of Neptune for the last time before 1979.
  • 1789 – Jacques Necker is dismissed as France’s Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille.
  • 1796 – The United States takes possession of Detroit from Great Britain under terms of the Jay Treaty.
  • 1798 – The United States Marine Corps is re-established; they had been disbanded after the American Revolutionary War.
  • 1801 – French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons makes his first comet discovery. In the next 27 years he discovers another 36 comets, more than any other person in history.
  • 1804 – A duel occurs in which the Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr mortally wounds former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton.
  • 1833 – Noongar Australian aboriginal warrior Yagan, wanted for the murder of white colonists in Western Australia, is killed.
  • 1848 – Waterloo railway station in London opens.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Fort Stevens; Confederate forces attempt to invade Washington, D.C.
  • 1882 – The British Mediterranean Fleet begins the Bombardment of Alexandria in Egypt as part of the Anglo-Egyptian War.
  • 1889 – Tijuana, Mexico, is founded.
  • 1893 – The first cultured pearl is obtained by Kōkichi Mikimoto.
  • 1893 – A revolution led by the liberal general and politician José Santos Zelaya takes over state power in Nicaragua.
  • 1895 – Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière demonstrate movie film technology to scientists.
  • 1897 – Salomon August Andrée leaves Spitsbergen to attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon. He later crashes and dies.
  • 1899 – Fiat founded by Giovanni Agnelli in Turin, Italy.
  • 1906 – Murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in the United States, inspiration for Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy.
  • 1914 – Babe Ruth makes his debut in Major League Baseball.
  • 1914 – USS Nevada (BB-36) is launched.
  • 1919 – The eight-hour day and free Sunday become law for workers in the Netherlands.
  • 1920 – In the East Prussian plebiscite the local populace decides to remain with Weimar Germany.
  • 1921 – A truce in the Irish War of Independence comes into effect.
  • 1921 – The Red Army captures Mongolia from the White Army and establishes the Mongolian People’s Republic.
  • 1921 – Former president of the United States William Howard Taft is sworn in as 10th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the only person ever to hold both offices.
  • 1922 – The Hollywood Bowl opens.
  • 1924 – Eric Liddell won the gold medal in 400m at the 1924 Paris Olympics, after refusing to run in the heats for 100m, his favoured distance, on the Sunday.
  • 1934 – Engelbert Zaschka of Germany flies his large human-powered aircraft, the Zaschka Human-Power Aircraft, about 20 meters at Berlin Tempelhof Airport without assisted take-off.
  • 1936 – The Triborough Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic.
  • 1940 – World War II: Vichy France regime is formally established. Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of the French State.
  • 1941 – The Northern Rhodesian Labour Party holds its first congress in Nkana.
  • 1943 – Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army within the Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Volhynia) peak.
  • 1943 – World War II: Allied invasion of Sicily: German and Italian troops launch a counter-attack on Allied forces in Sicily.
  • 1947 – The Exodus 1947 heads to Palestine from France.
  • 1950 – Pakistan joins the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank.
  • 1957 – Prince Karim Husseini Aga Khan IV inherits the office of Imamat as the 49th Imam of Shia Imami Ismai’li worldwide, after the death of Sir Sultan Mahommed Shah Aga Khan III.
  • 1960 – France legislates for the independence of Dahomey (later Benin), Upper Volta (later Burkina) and Niger.
  • 1960 – Congo Crisis: The State of Katanga breaks away from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • 1960 – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, in the United States.
  • 1962 – First transatlantic satellite television transmission.
  • 1962 – Project Apollo: At a press conference, NASA announces lunar orbit rendezvous as the means to land astronauts on the Moon, and return them to Earth.
  • 1971 – Copper mines in Chile are nationalized.
  • 1972 – The first game of the World Chess Championship 1972 between challenger Bobby Fischer and defending champion Boris Spassky starts.
  • 1973 – Varig Flight 820 crashes near Paris, France on approach to Orly Airport, killing 123 of the 134 on board. In response, the FAA bans smoking in airplane lavatories.
  • 1977 – Martin Luther King, Jr. is posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  • 1978 – Los Alfaques disaster: A truck carrying liquid gas crashes and explodes at a coastal campsite in Tarragona, Spain killing 216 tourists.
  • 1979 – America’s first space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.
  • 1983 – A TAME airline Boeing 737-200 crashes near Cuenca, Ecuador, killing all 119 passengers and crew on board.
  • 1990 – Oka Crisis: First Nations land dispute in Quebec, Canada begins.
  • 1991 – Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 crashes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia killing all 261 passengers and crew on board.
  • 1995 – Yugoslav Wars: Srebrenica massacre begins; lasts until 22 July.
  • 2006 – Mumbai train bombings: Two hundred nine people are killed in a series of bomb attacks in Mumbai, India.
  • 2010 – The Islamist militia group Al-Shabaab carried out multiple suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, killing 74 people and injuring 85 others.
  • 2011 – Ninety-eight containers of explosives self-detonate killing 13 people in Zygi, Cyprus.

Births on July 11

  • 154 – Bardaisan, Syrian astrologer, scholar, and philosopher (d. 222)
  • 1274 – Robert the Bruce, Scottish king (d. 1329)
  • 1406 – William, Margrave of Hachberg-Sausenberg (d. 1482)
  • 1459 – Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, German nobleman (d. 1527)
  • 1558 – Robert Greene, English author and playwright (d. 1592)
  • 1561 – Luis de Góngora, Spanish cleric and poet (d. 1627)
  • 1603 – Kenelm Digby, English astrologer, courtier, and diplomat (d. 1665)
  • 1628 – Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Japanese daimyō (d. 1701)
  • 1653 – Sarah Good, American woman accused of witchcraft (d. 1692)
  • 1657 – Frederick I of Prussia (d. 1713)
  • 1662 – Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1726)
  • 1709 – Johan Gottschalk Wallerius, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (d. 1785)
  • 1723 – Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and author (d. 1799)
  • 1751 – Caroline Matilda, British princess, queen consort of Denmark (d. 1775)
  • 1754 – Thomas Bowdler, English physician and philanthropist (d. 1825)
  • 1760 – Peggy Shippen, American wife of Benedict Arnold and American Revolutionary War spy (d. 1804)
  • 1767 – John Quincy Adams, American lawyer and politician, 6th President of the United States (d. 1848)
  • 1826 – Alexander Afanasyev, Russian ethnographer and author (d. 1871)
  • 1832 – Charilaos Trikoupis, Greek lawyer and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1896)
  • 1834 – James Abbott McNeill Whistler, American-English painter and illustrator (d. 1903)
  • 1836 – Antônio Carlos Gomes, Brazilian composer (d. 1896)
  • 1846 – Léon Bloy, French author and poet (d. 1917)
  • 1849 – N. E. Brown, English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents (d. 1934)
  • 1850 – Annie Armstrong, American missionary (d. 1938)
  • 1866 – Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1953)
  • 1875 – H. M. Brock, British painter and illustrator (d. 1960)
  • 1880 – Friedrich Lahrs, German architect and academic (d. 1964)
  • 1881 – Isabel Martin Lewis, American astronomer and author (d. 1966)
  • 1882 – James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (d. 1946)
  • 1886 – Boris Grigoriev, Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1939)
  • 1888 – Carl Schmitt, German philosopher and jurist (d. 1985)
  • 1892 – Thomas Mitchell, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1962)
  • 1894 – Erna Mohr, German zoologist (d. 1968)
  • 1895 – Dorothy Wilde, English author and poet (d. 1941)
  • 1897 – Bull Connor, American police officer (d. 1973)
  • 1899 – Wilfrid Israel, German businessman and philanthropist (d. 1943)
  • 1899 – E. B. White, American essayist and journalist (d. 1985)
  • 1901 – Gwendolyn Lizarraga, Belizean businesswoman, activist, and politician (d. 1975)
  • 1903 – Rudolf Abel, English-Russian colonel (d. 1971)
  • 1903 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (d. 1976)
  • 1904 – Niño Ricardo, Spanish guitarist and composer (d. 1972)
  • 1905 – Betty Allan, Australian statistician and biometrician (d. 1952)
  • 1906 – Harry von Zell, American actor and announcer (d. 1981)
  • 1906 – Herbert Wehner, German politician, Minister of Intra-German Relations (d. 1990)
  • 1909 – Irene Hervey, American actress (d. 1998)
  • 1909 – Jacques Clemens, Dutch catholic priest (d. 2018)
  • 1910 – Sally Blane, American actress (d. 1997)
  • 1911 – Erna Flegel, German Third Reich nurse (d. 2006)
  • 1912 – Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor and composer (d. 1996)
  • 1912 – Peta Taylor, English cricketer (d. 1989)
  • 1912 – William F. Walsh, American captain and politician, 48th Mayor of Syracuse (d. 2011)
  • 1913 – Paul Gibb, English cricketer (d. 1977)
  • 1913 – Cordwainer Smith, American sinologist, author, and academic (d. 1966)
  • 1916 – Mortimer Caplin, American tax attorney, educator, and IRS Commissioner (d. 2019)
  • 1916 – Hans Maier, Dutch water polo player (d. 2018)
  • 1916 – Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
  • 1916 – Reg Varney, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2008)
  • 1916 – Gough Whitlam, Australian lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2014)
  • 1918 – Venetia Burney, English educator, who named Pluto (d. 2009)
  • 1920 – Yul Brynner, Russian actor and dancer (d. 1985)
  • 1920 – Zecharia Sitchin, Russian-American author (d. 2010)
  • 1922 – Gene Evans, American actor (d. 1998)
  • 1922 – Fritz Riess, German-Swiss racing driver (d. 1991)
  • 1923 – Richard Pipes, Polish-American historian and academic (d. 2018)
  • 1923 – Tun Tun, Indian actress and comedian (d. 2003)
  • 1924 – César Lattes, Brazilian physicist and academic (d. 2005)
  • 1924 – Brett Somers, Canadian-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Charlie Tully, Northern Irish footballer and manager (d. 1971)
  • 1924 – Oscar Wyatt, American businessman
  • 1925 – Charles Chaynes, French composer (d. 2016)
  • 1925 – Nicolai Gedda, Swedish operatic tenor (d. 2017)
  • 1925 – Peter Kyros, American lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1925 – Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2004)
  • 1926 – Frederick Buechner, American minister, theologian, and author
  • 1927 – Theodore Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer (d. 2007)
  • 1927 – Chris Leonard, English footballer
  • 1928 – Greville Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone, Welsh-English lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Bobo Olson, American boxer (d. 2002)
  • 1928 – Andrea Veneracion, Filipina choirmaster (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Danny Flores, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – David Kelly, Irish actor (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Jack Alabaster, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1930 – Harold Bloom, American literary critic (d. 2019)
  • 1930 – Trevor Storer, English businessman, founded Pukka Pies (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Dick Gray, American baseball player (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Thurston Harris, American doo-wop singer (d. 1990)
  • 1931 – Tab Hunter, American actor and singer (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – Tullio Regge, Italian physicist and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Alex Hassilev, French-born American folk singer and musician
  • 1932 – Jean-Guy Talbot, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1933 – Jim Carlen, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Frank Kelso, American admiral and politician, United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Giorgio Armani, Italian fashion designer, founded the Armani Company
  • 1935 – Frederick Hemke, American saxophonist and educator
  • 1935 – Oliver Napier, Northern Irish lawyer and politician (d. 2011)
  • 1937 – Pai Hsien-yung, Chinese-Taiwanese author
  • 1941 – Bill Boggs, American journalist and producer
  • 1941 – Henry Lowther, English trumpet player
  • 1943 – Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (d. 2006)
  • 1943 – Howard Gardner, American psychologist and academic
  • 1943 – Tom Holland, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1943 – Peter Jensen, Australian metropolitan
  • 1943 – Robert Malval, Haitian businessman and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Haiti
  • 1943 – Rolf Stommelen, German racing driver (d. 1983)
  • 1944 – Lou Hudson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Michael Levy, Baron Levy, English philanthropist
  • 1944 – Patricia Polacco, American author and illustrator
  • 1946 – Martin Wong, American painter (d. 1999)
  • 1947 – Jeff Hanna, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer
  • 1947 – Norman Lebrecht, English author and critic
  • 1947 – Bo Lundgren, Swedish politician
  • 1950 – Pervez Hoodbhoy, Pakistani physicist and academic
  • 1950 – J. R. Morgan, Welsh author and academic
  • 1950 – Bonnie Pointer, American singer (d. 2020)
  • 1951 – Ed Ott, American baseball player and coach
  • 1952 – Bill Barber, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1952 – Stephen Lang, American actor and playwright
  • 1953 – Piyasvasti Amranand, Thai businessman and politician, Thai Minister of Energy
  • 1953 – Angélica Aragón, Mexican film, television, and stage actress and singer
  • 1953 – Peter Brown, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1953 – Suresh Prabhu, Indian accountant and politician, Indian Minister of Railways
  • 1953 – Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Mexican actress, director, and producer
  • 1953 – Leon Spinks, American boxer
  • 1953 – Mindy Sterling, American actress
  • 1953 – Ivan Toms, South African physician and activist (d. 2008)
  • 1953 – Bramwell Tovey, English-Canadian conductor and composer
  • 1953 – Paul Weiland, English director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1954 – Julia King, English engineer and academic
  • 1955 – Balaji Sadasivan, Singaporean neurosurgeon and politician, Singaporean Minister of Health (d. 2010)
  • 1956 – Amitav Ghosh, Indian-American author and academic
  • 1956 – Robin Renucci, French actor and director
  • 1956 – Sela Ward, American actress
  • 1957 – Johann Lamont, Scottish educator and politician
  • 1957 – Peter Murphy, English singer-songwriter
  • 1957 – Michael Rose, Jamaican singer-songwriter
  • 1958 – Mark Lester, English actor
  • 1958 – Hugo Sánchez, Mexican footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1959 – Richie Sambora, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1959 – Suzanne Vega, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1960 – David Baerwald, American singer-songwriter, composer, and musician
  • 1960 – Caroline Quentin, English actress
  • 1961 – Antony Jenkins, English banker and businessman
  • 1962 – Gaétan Duchesne, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
  • 1962 – Pauline McLynn, Irish actress and author
  • 1962 – Fumiya Fujii, Japanese music artist
  • 1963 – Al MacInnis, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1963 – Dean Richards, English rugby player and coach
  • 1963 – Lisa Rinna, American actress and talk show host
  • 1965 – Tony Cottee, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Ernesto Hoost, Dutch kick-boxer and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Scott Shriner, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1966 – Nadeem Aslam, Pakistani-English author
  • 1966 – Kentaro Miura, Japanese author and illustrator
  • 1966 – Rod Strickland, American basketball player and coach
  • 1966 – Ricky Warwick, Northern Irish musician
  • 1967 – Andy Ashby, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1967 – Jhumpa Lahiri, Indian American novelist and short story writer
  • 1968 – Michael Geist, Canadian journalist and academic
  • 1968 – Daniel MacMaster, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
  • 1968 – Esera Tuaolo, American football player
  • 1969 – Ned Boulting, British sports journalist and television presenter
  • 1970 – Justin Chambers, American actor
  • 1970 – Sajjad Karim, English lawyer and politician
  • 1970 – Eric Owens, American opera singer
  • 1971 – Leisha Hailey, Japanese-American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1972 – Cormac Battle, English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1973 – Konstantinos Kenteris, Greek runner
  • 1974 – Alanas Chošnau, Lithuanian singer-songwriter
  • 1974 – Hermann Hreiðarsson, Icelandic footballer and manager
  • 1974 – André Ooijer, Dutch footballer and coach
  • 1975 – Willie Anderson, American football player
  • 1975 – Rubén Baraja, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1975 – Lil’ Kim, American rapper and producer
  • 1976 – Eduardo Nájera, Mexican-American basketball player and coach
  • 1977 – Brandon Short, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1978 – Kathleen Edwards, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Massimiliano Rosolino, Italian swimmer
  • 1979 – Raio Piiroja, Estonian footballer
  • 1980 – Tyson Kidd, Canadian wrestler
  • 1980 – Kevin Powers, American soldier and author
  • 1981 – Andre Johnson, American football player
  • 1982 – Chris Cooley, American football player
  • 1983 – Engin Baytar, German-Turkish footballer
  • 1983 – Peter Cincotti, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1983 – Marie Serneholt, Swedish singer and dancer
  • 1984 – Yorman Bazardo, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1984 – Tanith Belbin, Canadian-American ice dancer
  • 1984 – Jacoby Jones, American football player
  • 1984 – Joe Pavelski, American ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Morné Steyn, South African rugby player
  • 1985 – Robert Adamson, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1985 – Orestis Karnezis, Greek footballer
  • 1986 – Raúl García, Spanish footballer
  • 1986 – Yoann Gourcuff, French footballer
  • 1986 – Ryan Jarvis, English footballer
  • 1987 – Shigeaki Kato, Japanese singer
  • 1988 – Étienne Capoue, French footballer
  • 1988 – Natalie La Rose, Dutch singer, songwriter and dancer
  • 1989 – Tobias Sana, Swedish footballer
  • 1989 – Travis Waddell, Australian rugby league player
  • 1990 – Mona Barthel, German tennis player
  • 1990 – Connor Paolo, American actor
  • 1990 – Adam Jezierski, Polish-Spanish actor and singer
  • 1990 – Patrick Peterson, American football player
  • 1990 – Caroline Wozniacki, Danish tennis player
  • 1993 – Rebecca Bross, American gymnast
  • 1993 – Heini Salonen, Finnish tennis player
  • 1994 – Bartłomiej Kalinkowski, Polish footballer
  • 1994 – Anthony Milford, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Nina Nesbitt, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1994 – Lucas Ocampos, Argentinian footballer
  • 1995 – Joey Bosa, American football player
  • 1995 – Tyler Medeiros, Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer
  • 1996 – Alessia Cara, Canadian singer-songwriter

Deaths on July 11

  • 472 – Anthemius, Roman emperor (b. 420)
  • 937 – Rudolph II of Burgundy (b. 880)
  • 969 – Olga of Kiev (b. 890)
  • 1174 – Amalric I of Jerusalem (b. 1136)
  • 1183 – Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1117)
  • 1302 – Robert II, Count of Artois (b. 1250)
  • 1302 – Pierre Flotte, French politician and lawyer
  • 1344 – Ulrich III, Count of Württemberg (b. c. 1286)
  • 1362 – Anna von Schweidnitz, empress of Charles IV (b. 1339)
  • 1382 – Nicole Oresme, French philosopher (b. 1325)
  • 1451 – Barbara of Cilli, Slovenian noblewoman
  • 1484 – Mino da Fiesole, Italian sculptor (b. c. 1429)
  • 1535 – Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1484)
  • 1581 – Peder Skram, Danish admiral and politician (b. 1503)
  • 1593 – Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Italian painter (b. 1527)
  • 1599 – Chōsokabe Motochika, Japanese daimyō (b.1539)
  • 1688 – Narai, Thai king (b. 1629)
  • 1774 – Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet, Irish-English general (b. 1715)
  • 1775 – Simon Boerum, American farmer and politician (b. 1724)
  • 1797 – Ienăchiță Văcărescu, Romanian historian and philologist (b. 1740)
  • 1806 – James Smith, Irish-American lawyer and politician (b. 1719)
  • 1825 – Thomas P. Grosvenor, American soldier and politician (b. 1744)
  • 1844 – Yevgeny Baratynsky, Russian philosopher and poet (b. 1800)
  • 1897 – Patrick Jennings, Irish-Australian politician, 11th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1831)
  • 1905 – Muhammad Abduh, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1849)
  • 1908 – Friedrich Traun, German sprinter and tennis player (b. 1876)
  • 1909 – Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (b. 1835)
  • 1929 – Billy Mosforth, English footballer and engraver (b. 1857)
  • 1937 – George Gershwin, American pianist, songwriter, and composer (b. 1898)
  • 1959 – Charlie Parker, English cricketer, coach, and umpire (b. 1882)
  • 1966 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet and short story writer (b. 1913)
  • 1967 – Guy Favreau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 28th Canadian Minister of Justice (b. 1917)
  • 1971 – John W. Campbell, American journalist and author (b. 1910)
  • 1971 – Pedro Rodríguez, Mexican racing driver (b. 1940)
  • 1974 – Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish novelist, playwright, and poet Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
  • 1976 – León de Greiff, Colombian poet and educator (b. 1895)
  • 1979 – Claude Wagner, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1925)
  • 1983 – Ross Macdonald, American-Canadian author (b. 1915)
  • 1987 – Avi Ran, Israeli footballer (b. 1963)
  • 1987 – Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, American rabbi and scholar (b. 1901)
  • 1989 – Laurence Olivier, English actor, director, and producer (b. 1907)
  • 1991 – Mokhtar Dahari, Malaysian footballer and coach (b. 1953)
  • 1994 – Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research (b. 1942)
  • 1998 – Panagiotis Kondylis, Greek philosopher and author (b. 1943)
  • 1999 – Helen Forrest, American singer (b. 1917)
  • 1999 – Jan Sloot, Dutch computer scientist and electronics technician (b. 1945)
  • 2000 – Pedro Mir, Dominican lawyer, author, and poet (b. 1913)
  • 2000 – Robert Runcie, English archbishop (b. 1921)
  • 2001 – Herman Brood, Dutch musician and painter (b. 1946)
  • 2003 – Zahra Kazemi, Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer (b. 1948)
  • 2004 – Laurance Rockefeller, American financier and philanthropist (b. 1910)
  • 2004 – Renée Saint-Cyr, French actress and producer (b. 1904)
  • 2005 – Gretchen Franklin, English actress and dancer (b. 1911)
  • 2005 – Jesús Iglesias, Argentinian racing driver (b. 1922)
  • 2005 – Frances Langford, American actress and singer (b. 1913)
  • 2006 – Barnard Hughes, American actor (b. 1915)
  • 2006 – Bronwyn Oliver, Australian sculptor (b. 1959)
  • 2006 – John Spencer, English snooker player and sportscaster (b. 1935)
  • 2007 – Glenda Adams, Australian author and academic (b. 1939)
  • 2007 – Lady Bird Johnson, American beautification activist; 43rd First Lady of the United States (b. 1912)
  • 2007 – Alfonso López Michelsen, Colombian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Colombia (b. 1913)
  • 2007 – Ed Mirvish, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded Honest Ed’s (b. 1914)
  • 2008 – Michael E. DeBakey, American surgeon and educator (b. 1908)
  • 2009 – Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1936)
  • 2009 – Arturo Gatti, Italian-Canadian boxer (b. 1972)
  • 2009 – Ji Xianlin, Chinese linguist and paleographer (b. 1911)
  • 2010 – Walter Hawkins, American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and pastor (b. 1949)
  • 2011 – Rob Grill, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – Art Ceccarelli, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – Marion Cunningham, American author (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Richard Scudder, American journalist and publisher, co-founded MediaNews Group (b. 1913)
  • 2012 – Donald J. Sobol, American soldier and author (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Marvin Traub, American businessman and author (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – Emik Avakian, Iranian-American inventor (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Egbert Brieskorn, German mathematician and academic (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Eugene P. Wilkinson, American admiral (b. 1918)
  • 2014 – Charlie Haden, American bassist and composer (b. 1937)
  • 2014 – Carin Mannheimer, Swedish author and screenwriter (b. 1934)
  • 2014 – Bill McGill, American basketball player (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-American drummer and producer (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – John Seigenthaler, American journalist and academic (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Randall Stout, American architect, designed the Taubman Museum of Art (b. 1958)
  • 2015 – Giacomo Biffi, Italian cardinal (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – James U. Cross, American general (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Satoru Iwata, Japanese game programmer and businessman (b. 1959)
  • 2015 – Lawrence K. Karlton, American lawyer and judge (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – André Leysen, Belgian businessman (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances on July 11

  • Christian Feast Day:
    • Benedict of Nursia
    • Olga of Kiev
    • Pope Pius I
    • July 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • China National Maritime Day (China)
  • Day of the Bandoneón (Argentina)
  • Day of the Flemish Community (Flemish Community of Belgium)
  • Eleventh Night (Northern Ireland)
  • Free Slurpee Day (Participating stores of the 7-Eleven chain in North America)
  • National Day of Remembrance of Victims of Genocide by Ukrainian Nationalists on Citizens of the Second Republic of Poland (Poland)
  • Gospel Day (Kiribati)
  • Imamat Day (Isma’ilism)
  • National Day of Commemoration, held on the nearest Sunday to this date (Ireland)
  • The first day of Naadam (July 11–15) (Mongolia)
  • World Population Day (International)

July 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

July 7 in History

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

Births on July 7

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

Deaths on July 7

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

Holidays and observances on July 7

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

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

On This Day

June 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 524 – The Franks are defeated by the Burgundians in the Battle of Vézeronce.
  • 841 – In the Battle of Fontenay-en-Puisaye, forces led by Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat the armies of Lothair I of Italy and Pepin II of Aquitaine.
  • 1258 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Acre, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet sailing to relieve Acre.
  • 1530 – At the Diet of Augsburg the Augsburg Confession is presented to the Holy Roman Emperor by the Lutheran princes and Electors of Germany.
  • 1658 – Spanish forces fail to retake Jamaica at the Battle of Rio Nuevo during the Anglo-Spanish War.
  • 1678 – Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia is the first woman awarded a doctorate of philosophy when she graduates from the University of Padua.
  • 1741 – Maria Theresa is crowned Queen of Hungary.
  • 1786 – Gavriil Pribylov discovers St. George Island of the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea.
  • 1788 – Virginia becomes the tenth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
  • 1848 – A photograph of the June Days uprising becomes the first known instance of photojournalism.
  • 1876 – Battle of the Little Bighorn and the death of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer.
  • 1900 – The Taoist monk Wang Yuanlu discovers the Dunhuang manuscripts, a cache of ancient texts that are of great historical and religious significance, in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China.
  • 1906 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania millionaire Harry Thaw shoots and kills prominent architect Stanford White.
  • 1910 – The United States Congress passes the Mann Act, which prohibits interstate transport of women or girls for “immoral purposes”; the ambiguous language would be used to selectively prosecute people for years to come.
  • 1910 – Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird is premiered in Paris, bringing him to prominence as a composer.
  • 1913 – American Civil War veterans begin arriving at the Great Reunion of 1913.
  • 1935 – Colombia–Soviet Union relations are established.
  • 1938 – Dr. Douglas Hyde is inaugurated as the first President of Ireland.
  • 1940 – World War II: The French armistice with Germany comes into effect.
  • 1943 – The Holocaust: Jews in the Częstochowa Ghetto in Poland stage an uprising against the Nazis.
  • 1943 – The left-wing German Jewish exile Arthur Goldstein is murdered in Auschwitz.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Tali-Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in the Nordic countries, begins.
  • 1944 – World War II: United States Navy and British Royal Navy ships bombard Cherbourg to support United States Army units engaged in the Battle of Cherbourg.
  • 1944 – The final page of the comic Krazy Kat is published, exactly two months after its author George Herriman died.
  • 1947 – The Diary of a Young Girl (better known as The Diary of Anne Frank) is published.
  • 1950 – The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea.
  • 1960 – Cold War: Two cryptographers working for the United States National Security Agency left for vacation to Mexico, and from there defected to the Soviet Union.
  • 1975 – Mozambique achieves independence from Portugal.
  • 1975 – Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declares a state of internal emergency in India.
  • 1976 – Missouri Governor Kit Bond issues an executive order rescinding the Extermination Order, formally apologizing on behalf of the state of Missouri for the suffering it had caused to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  • 1978 – The rainbow flag representing gay pride is flown for the first time during the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.
  • 1981 – Microsoft is restructured to become an incorporated business in its home state of Washington.
  • 1991 – Slovenia and Croatia declare their independence by referendum from Yugoslavia.
  • 1993 – Kim Campbell is sworn in as the first female Prime Minister of Canada.
  • 1996 – The Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia kills 19 U.S. servicemen.
  • 1997 – An unmanned Progress spacecraft collides with the Russian space station Mir.
  • 1997 – The National Hockey League approved expansion franchises for Nashville (1998), Atlanta (1999), Columbus (2000), and Minneapolis-Saint Paul (2000).
  • 1998 – In Clinton v. City of New York, the United States Supreme Court decides that the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 is unconstitutional.
  • 2017 – The World Health Organization estimates that Yemen has over 200,000 cases of cholera.

Births on June 25

  • 1242 – Beatrice of England (d. 1275)
  • 1328 – William de Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, English commander (d. 1397)
  • 1371 – Joanna II of Naples (d. 1435)
  • 1484 – Bartholomeus V. Welser, German banker (d. 1561)
  • 1526 – Elisabeth Parr, Marchioness of Northampton (d. 1565)
  • 1560 – Wilhelm Fabry, German surgeon (d. 1634)
  • 1568 – Gunilla Bielke, Queen of Sweden (d. 1597)
  • 1612 – John Albert Vasa, Polish cardinal (d. 1634)
  • 1709 – Francesco Araja, Italian composer (d. 1762)
  • 1715 – Joseph Foullon de Doué, French soldier and politician, Controller-General of Finances (d. 1789)
  • 1755 – Natalia Alexeievna of Russia (d. 1776)
  • 1799 – David Douglas, Scottish-English botanist and explorer (d. 1834)
  • 1814 – Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist and engineer (d. 1896)
  • 1825 – James Farnell, Australian politician, 8th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1888)
  • 1852 – Antoni Gaudí, Spanish architect, designed the Park Güell (d. 1926)
  • 1858 – Georges Courteline, French author and playwright (d. 1929)
  • 1860 – Gustave Charpentier, French composer and conductor (d. 1956)
  • 1863 – Émile Francqui, Belgian soldier and diplomat (d. 1935)
  • 1864 – Walther Nernst, German chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
  • 1866 – Eloísa Díaz, Chilean doctor and Chile’s first female physician (d. 1950)
  • 1874 – Rose O’Neill, American cartoonist, illustrator, artist, and writer (d. 1944)
  • 1884 – Géza Gyóni, Hungarian soldier and poet (d. 1917)
  • 1884 – Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, German-French art collector and historian (d. 1979)
  • 1886 – Henry H. Arnold, American general (d. 1950)
  • 1887 – George Abbott, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1887 – Frigyes Karinthy, Hungarian author, poet, and journalist (d. 1938)
  • 1892 – Shirō Ishii, Japanese microbiologist and general (d. 1959)
  • 1894 – Hermann Oberth, Romanian-German physicist and engineer (d. 1989)
  • 1898 – Kay Sage, American painter and poet (d. 1963)
  • 1900 – Marta Abba, Italian actress (d. 1988)
  • 1900 – Zinaida Aksentyeva, Ukrainian/Soviet astronomer (d. 1969)
  • 1900 – Georgia Hale, American silent film actress and real estate investor (d. 1985)
  • 1900 – Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, English admiral and politician, 44th Governor-General of India (d. 1979)
  • 1901 – Harold Roe Bartle, American businessman and politician, 47th Mayor of Kansas City (d. 1974)
  • 1902 – Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu of Japan (d. 1953)
  • 1903 – George Orwell, British novelist, essayist, and critic (d. 1950)
  • 1903 – Anne Revere, American actress (d. 1990)
  • 1905 – Rupert Wildt, German-American astronomer and academic (d. 1976)
  • 1907 – J. Hans D. Jensen, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
  • 1908 – Willard Van Orman Quine, American philosopher and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – William Howard Stein, American chemist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1980)
  • 1912 – William T. Cahill, American lawyer and politician, 46th Governor of New Jersey (d. 1996)
  • 1913 – Cyril Fletcher, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1915 – Whipper Billy Watson, Canadian-American wrestler and trainer (d. 1990)
  • 1917 – Nils Karlsson, Swedish skier (d. 2012)
  • 1917 – Claude Seignolle, French author (d. 2018)
  • 1918 – P. H. Newby, English soldier and author (d. 1997)
  • 1920 – Lassie Lou Ahern, American actress (d. 2018)
  • 1921 – Celia Franca, English-Canadian ballerina and choreographer, founded the National Ballet of Canada (d. 2007)
  • 1922 – Johnny Smith, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Sam Francis, American soldier and painter (d. 1994)
  • 1923 – Dorothy Gilman, American author (d. 2012)
  • 1923 – Jamshid Amouzegar, 43rd Prime Minister of Iran (d. 2016)
  • 1924 – Sidney Lumet, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2011)
  • 1924 – Dimitar Isakov, Bulgarian football player
  • 1924 – Madan Mohan, Iraqi-Indian composer and director (d. 1975)
  • 1924 – William J. Castagna, American lawyer and judge
  • 1925 – Clifton Chenier, American singer-songwriter and accordion player (d. 1987)
  • 1925 – June Lockhart, American actress
  • 1925 – Clay Evans, American Baptist pastor (d. 2019)
  • 1925 – Robert Venturi, American architect and academic (d. 2018)
  • 1925 – Virginia Patton, American actress and businesswoman
  • 1926 – Margaret Anstee, English diplomat (d. 2016)
  • 1926 – Ingeborg Bachmann, Austrian author and poet (d. 1973)
  • 1926 – Kep Enderby, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician, 23rd Attorney-General for Australia (d. 2015)
  • 1926 – Stig Sollander, Swedish Alpine skier (d. 2019)
  • 1927 – Antal Róka, Hungarian runner (d. 1970)
  • 1927 – Chuck Smith, American pastor, founded the Calvary Chapel (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Arnold Wolfendale, English astronomer and academic
  • 1928 – Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov, Russian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – John A. Wickham Jr., United States Army general
  • 1928 – Michel Brault, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Peyo, Belgian author and illustrator, created The Smurfs (d. 1992)
  • 1928 – Bill Russo, American pianist and composer (d. 2003)
  • 1928 – Alex Toth, American animator and screenwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Eric Carle, American author and illustrator
  • 1929 – Francesco Marchisano, Italian cardinal (d. 2014)
  • 1931 – V. P. Singh, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of India (d. 2008)
  • 1932 – Peter Blake, English painter and illustrator
  • 1932 – Tim Parnell, English race car driver (d. 2017)
  • 1932 – George Sluizer, French-Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1933 – Álvaro Siza Vieira, Portuguese architect, designed the Porto School of Architecture
  • 1934 – Jean Geissinger, American baseball player (d. 2014)
  • 1934 – Jack W. Hayford, American minister and author
  • 1934 – Beatriz Sheridan, Mexican actress and director (d. 2006)
  • 1935 – Ray Butt, English television producer and director (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Salihu Ibrahim, Nigerian Army Officer (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Taufiq Ismail, Indonesian poet and activist
  • 1935 – Larry Kramer, American author, playwright, and activist, co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis (d. 2020)
  • 1935 – Don Demeter, American professional baseball player
  • 1935 – Tony Lanfranchi, English race car driver (d. 2004)
  • 1935 – Judy Howe, American artistic gymnast
  • 1935 – Charles Sheffield, English-American mathematician, physicist, and author (d. 2002)
  • 1936 – B. J. Habibie, Indonesian engineer and politician, 3rd President of Indonesia (d. 2019)
  • 1936 – Bert Hölldobler, German biologist and entomologist
  • 1937 – Eddie Floyd, American R&B/soul singer-songwriter
  • 1937 – Derek Foster, Baron Foster of Bishop Auckland, English politician (d. 2019)
  • 1937 – Doreen Wells, English ballerina and actress
  • 1939 – Allen Fox, American tennis player and coach
  • 1940 – Judy Amoore, Australian runner
  • 1940 – Mary Beth Peil, American actress and singer
  • 1940 – A. J. Quinnell, English-Maltese author (d. 2005)
  • 1940 – Clint Warwick, English bass player (d. 2004)
  • 1941 – Denys Arcand, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1941 – John Albert Raven, Scottish academic and ecologist
  • 1942 – Nikiforos Diamandouros, Greek academic and politician
  • 1942 – Willis Reed, American basketball player, coach, and manager
  • 1942 – Michel Tremblay, Canadian author and playwright
  • 1944 – Robert Charlebois, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1944 – Gary David Goldberg, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1945 – Carly Simon, American singer-songwriter
  • 1945 – Baba Gana Kingibe, Nigerian politician
  • 1945 – Harry Womack, American singer (d. 1974)
  • 1946 – Roméo Dallaire, Dutch-Canadian general and politician
  • 1946 – Allen Lanier, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1946 – Ian McDonald, English guitarist and saxophonist
  • 1947 – John Hilton, English table tennis player
  • 1947 – John Powell, American discus thrower
  • 1947 – Jimmie Walker, American actor and comedian
  • 1949 – Richard Clarke, Irish archbishop
  • 1949 – Patrick Tambay, French race car driver
  • 1949 – Yoon Joo-sang, South Korean actor
  • 1950 – Marcello Toninelli, Italian author and screenwriter
  • 1951 – Eva Bayer-Fluckiger, Swiss mathematician and academic
  • 1952 – Péter Erdő, Hungarian cardinal
  • 1952 – Tim Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter
  • 1952 – Martin Gerschwitz, German singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1952 – Alan Green, Northern Irish sportscaster
  • 1952 – Kristina Abelli Elander, Swedish artist
  • 1953 – Olivier Ameisen, French-American cardiologist and educator (d. 2013)
  • 1953 – Ian Davis, Australian cricketer
  • 1954 – Mario Lessard, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1954 – David Paich, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1954 – Lina Romay, Spanish actress (d. 2012)
  • 1954 – Daryush Shokof, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1954 – Sonia Sotomayor, American lawyer and judge
  • 1955 – Vic Marks, English cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1956 – Anthony Bourdain, American chef and author (d. 2018)
  • 1956 – Frank Paschek, German long jumper
  • 1956 – Boris Trajkovski, Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (d. 2004)
  • 1956 – Craig Young, Australian rugby player and coach
  • 1957 – Greg Millen, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1958 – George Becali, Romanian businessman, politician
  • 1959 – Lutz Dombrowski, German long jumper and educator
  • 1959 – Jari Puikkonen, Finnish ski jumper
  • 1959 – Bobbie Vaile, Australian astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1996)
  • 1960 – Alastair Bruce of Crionaich, English-Scottish journalist and author
  • 1960 – Brian Hayward, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Craig Johnston, South African-Australian footballer and photographer
  • 1960 – Laurent Rodriguez, French rugby player
  • 1961 – Timur Bekmambetov, Kazakh director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1961 – Ricky Gervais, English comedian, actor, director, producer and singer
  • 1963 – John Benjamin Hickey, American actor
  • 1963 – Yann Martel, Spanish-Canadian author
  • 1963 – Doug Gilmour, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
  • 1963 – George Michael, English singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1963 – Mike Stanley, American baseball player
  • 1964 – Dell Curry, American basketball player and coach
  • 1964 – Phil Emery, Australian cricketer
  • 1964 – Johnny Herbert, English race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1964 – John McCrea, American singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1964 – Greg Raymer, American poker player and lawyer
  • 1965 – Napole Polutele, French politician
  • 1965 – Kerri Pottharst, Australian beach volleyball player
  • 1965 – Joseph Hii Teck Kwong, Malaysian bishop
  • 1966 – Dikembe Mutombo, Congolese-American basketball player
  • 1967 – Tracey Spicer, Australian journalist
  • 1968 – Adrian Garvey, Zimbabwean-South African rugby player
  • 1968 – Vaios Karagiannis, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1969 – Hunter Foster, American actor and singer
  • 1969 – Zim Zum, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1970 – Ariel Gore, American journalist and author
  • 1970 – Roope Latvala, Finnish guitarist
  • 1970 – Erki Nool, Estonian decathlete and politician
  • 1970 – Aaron Sele, American baseball player and scout
  • 1971 – Karen Darke, English cyclist and author
  • 1971 – Jason Gallian, Australian-English cricketer and educator
  • 1971 – Rod Kafer, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Neil Lennon, Northern Irish-Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Michael Tucker, American baseball player
  • 1972 – Carlos Delgado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
  • 1972 – Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Libyan engineer and politician
  • 1973 – René Corbet, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1973 – Milan Hnilička, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1973 – Jamie Redknapp, English footballer and coach
  • 1974 – Nisha Ganatra, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Glen Metropolit, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Kiur Aarma, Estonian journalist and producer
  • 1975 – Linda Cardellini, American actress
  • 1975 – Albert Costa, Spanish tennis player and coach
  • 1975 – Vladimir Kramnik, Russian chess player
  • 1975 – Michele Merkin, American model and television host
  • 1976 – José Cancela, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1976 – Iestyn Harris, Welsh rugby player and coach
  • 1976 – Carlos Nieto, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
  • 1976 – Neil Walker, American swimmer
  • 1978 – Aramis Ramírez, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1978 – Luke Scott, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Marcus Stroud, American football player
  • 1979 – Marko Albert, Estonian swimmer and triathlete
  • 1979 – Richard Hughes, Scottish footballer
  • 1979 – Busy Philipps, American actress
  • 1981 – Simon Ammann, Swiss ski jumper
  • 1982 – Rain, South Korean singer and actor
  • 1982 – Mikhail Youzhny, Russian tennis player
  • 1983 – Todd Cooper, English swimmer
  • 1983 – Marc Janko, Austrian footballer
  • 1984 – Lauren Bush, American model and fashion designer
  • 1985 – Karim Matmour, Algerian footballer
  • 1986 – Aya Matsuura, Japanese singer and actress
  • 1986 – Seda Tokatlıoğlu, Turkish volleyball player
  • 1988 – Jhonas Enroth, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Miguel Layún, Mexican footballer
  • 1988 – Therese Johaug, Norwegian cross-country skier
  • 1989 – Jack Cork, English footballer
  • 1989 – Edgar Morais, Portuguese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1989 – Rafael Morais, Portuguese actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1990 – Andi Eigenmann, Filipino actress
  • 1991 – Liisi Rist, Estonian cyclist
  • 1991 – Anna Zaja, German tennis player
  • 1996 – Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazilian-American race car driver
  • 1996 – Sione Mata’utia, Australian rugby league player
  • 1996 – Lele Pons, Latina-American Internet personality
  • 1998 – Kyle Chalmers, Australian swimmer
  • 2006 – Mckenna Grace, American actress

Deaths on June 25

  • 635 – Gao Zu, Chinese emperor (b. 566)
  • 841 – Gerard of Auvergne, Frankish nobleman
  • 841 – Ricwin of Nantes, Frankish nobleman
  • 891 – Sunderolt, German archbishop
  • 931 – An Chonghui, Chinese general
  • 1014 – Æthelstan Ætheling, son of Æthelred the Unready
  • 1031 – Sheng Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 972)
  • 1134 – Niels, king of Denmark (b. 1065)
  • 1218 – Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester, French politician, Lord High Steward (b. 1160)
  • 1291 – Eleanor of Provence, queen of England (b. 1223)
  • 1337 – Frederick III, king of Sicily (b. 1272)
  • 1394 – Dorothea of Montau, German hermitess (b. 1347)
  • 1483 – Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, English courtier and translator (b. 1440)
  • 1483 – Richard Grey, half brother of Edward V of England (b. 1458)
  • 1522 – Franchinus Gaffurius, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1451)
  • 1533 – Mary Tudor, queen of France (b. 1496)
  • 1579 – Hatano Hideharu, Japanese warlord (b. 1541)
  • 1593 – Michele Mercati, Italian physician and archaeologist (b. 1541)
  • 1634 – John Marston, English poet and playwright (b. 1576)
  • 1638 – Juan Pérez de Montalbán, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1602)
  • 1665 – Sigismund Francis, archduke of Austria (b. 1630)
  • 1669 – François de Vendôme, duke of Beaufort (b. 1616)
  • 1671 – Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (b. 1598)
  • 1673 – Charles de Batz-Castelmore d’Artagnan, French captain (b. 1611)
  • 1686 – Simon Ushakov, Russian painter and educator (b. 1626)
  • 1715 – Jean-Baptiste du Casse, French admiral and politician (b. 1646)
  • 1767 – Georg Philipp Telemann, German composer and theorist (b. 1681)
  • 1798 – Thomas Sandby, English cartographer, painter, and architect (b. 1721)
  • 1822 – E. T. A. Hoffmann, German composer, critic, and jurist (b. 1776)
  • 1835 – Ebenezer Pemberton, American educator (b. 1746)
  • 1838 – François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo, French general and engineer (b. 1774)
  • 1861 – Abdülmecid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1823)
  • 1866 – Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish biologist and paleontologist (b. 1803)
  • 1868 – Carlo Matteucci, Italian physicist and neurophysiologist (b. 1811)
  • 1870 – David Heaton, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
  • 1875 – Antoine-Louis Barye, French sculptor (b. 1796)
  • 1876 – James Calhoun, American lieutenant (b. 1845)
  • 1876 – Boston Custer, American civilian army contractor (b. 1848)
  • 1876 – George Armstrong Custer, American general (b. 1839)
  • 1876 – Thomas Custer, American officer, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1845)
  • 1876 – Myles Keogh, Irish-American officer (b. 1840)
  • 1882 – François Jouffroy, French sculptor (b. 1806)
  • 1884 – Hans Rott, Austrian organist and composer (b. 1858)
  • 1886 – Jean-Louis Beaudry, Canadian businessman and politician, 11th Mayor of Montreal (b. 1809)
  • 1894 – Marie François Sadi Carnot, French engineer and politician, 5th President of France (b. 1837)
  • 1906 – Stanford White, American architect, designed the Washington Square Arch (b. 1853)
  • 1912 – Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Dutch-British painter (b. 1836)
  • 1916 – Thomas Eakins, American painter, photographer, and sculptor (b. 1844)
  • 1917 – Géza Gyóni, Hungarian soldier and poet (b. 1884)
  • 1918 – Jake Beckley, American baseball player and coach (b. 1867)
  • 1922 – Satyendranath Dutta, Indian poet and author (b. 1882)
  • 1937 – Colin Clive, British actor (b. 1900)
  • 1939 – Richard Seaman, English race car driver (b. 1913)
  • 1943 – Arthur Goldstein, German Jewish left-wing activist (c. 1887)
  • 1944 – Dénes Berinkey, Hungarian jurist and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1871)
  • 1944 – Lucha Reyes, Mexican singer and actress (b. 1906)
  • 1947 – Jimmy Doyle, American boxer (b. 1924)
  • 1948 – William C. Lee, American general (b. 1895)
  • 1949 – Buck Freeman, American baseball player (b. 1871)
  • 1949 – James Steen, American water polo player (b. 1876)
  • 1950 – Maurice O’Sullivan, Irish police officer and author (b. 1904)
  • 1958 – Alfred Noyes, English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1880)
  • 1959 – Charles Starkweather, American spree killer (b. 1938)
  • 1960 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
  • 1968 – Tony Hancock, English comedian and actor (b. 1924)
  • 1971 – John Boyd Orr, 1st Baron Boyd-Orr, Scottish physician, biologist, and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1880)
  • 1972 – Jan Matulka, Czech-American painter and illustrator (b. 1890)
  • 1974 – Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (b. 1893)
  • 1976 – Johnny Mercer, American singer-songwriter, co-founded Capitol Records (b. 1909)
  • 1977 – Olave Baden-Powell, British Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting leader (b. 1889)
  • 1977 – Endre Szervánszky, Hungarian pianist and composer (b. 1911)
  • 1979 – Dave Fleischer, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1894)
  • 1979 – Philippe Halsman, Latvian-American photographer (b. 1906)
  • 1981 – Felipe Cossío del Pomar, Peruvian painter and political activist (b. 1888)
  • 1983 – Alberto Ginastera, Argentinian pianist and composer (b. 1916)
  • 1984 – Michel Foucault, French historian and philosopher (b. 1926)
  • 1988 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli-American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1962)
  • 1990 – Ronald Gene Simmons, American sergeant and murderer (b. 1940)
  • 1992 – Jerome Brown, American football player (b. 1965)
  • 1995 – Warren E. Burger, Fifteenth Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1907)
  • 1995 – Ernest Walton, Irish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
  • 1996 – Arthur Snelling, English civil servant and diplomat, British Ambassador to South Africa (b. 1914)
  • 1997 – Jacques Cousteau, French oceanographer and explorer (b. 1910)
  • 2002 – Jean Corbeil, Canadian politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Labour (b. 1934)
  • 2003 – Lester Maddox, American businessman and politician, 75th Governor of Georgia (b. 1915)
  • 2004 – Morton Coutts, New Zealand inventor (b. 1904)
  • 2005 – John Fiedler, American actor and voice artist (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – Kâzım Koyuncu, Turkish singer-songwriter and activist (b. 1971)
  • 2006 – Jaap Penraat, Dutch-American humanitarian (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – J. Fred Duckett, American journalist and educator (b. 1933)
  • 2007 – Jeeva, Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (b. 1963)
  • 2008 – Lyall Watson, South African anthropologist and ethologist (b. 1939)
  • 2009 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (b. 1947)
  • 2009 – Michael Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actor (b. 1958)
  • 2009 – Sky Saxon, American singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
  • 2010 – Alan Plater, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1935)
  • 2010 – Richard B. Sellars, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1915)
  • 2011 – Annie Easley, American computer scientist and mathematician (b. 1933)
  • 2011 – Goff Richards, English composer and conductor (b. 1944)
  • 2011 – Margaret Tyzack, English actress (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Shigemitsu Dandō, Japanese academic and jurist (b. 1913)
  • 2012 – Campbell Gillies, Scottish jockey (b. 1990)
  • 2012 – George Randolph Hearst, Jr., American businessman (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Lucella MacLean, American baseball player (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Edgar Ross, American boxer (b. 1949)
  • 2013 – George Burditt, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Catherine Gibson, Scottish swimmer (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Robert E. Gilka, American photographer and journalist (b. 1916)
  • 2013 – Harry Parker, American rower and coach (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Mildred Ladner Thompson, American journalist (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Green Wix Unthank, American soldier and judge (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Nigel Calder, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Ana María Matute, Spanish author and academic (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Ivan Plyushch, Ukrainian agronomist and politician (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Patrick Macnee, English actor (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Egyptian-Armenian patriarch (b. 1940)
  • 2016 – Adam Small, South African writer of apartheid-period (b. 1936)
  • 2018 – Richard Benjamin Harrison, American businessman and reality television personality (b. 1941)
  • 2018 – David Goldblatt, South African photographer of apartheid-period (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances on June 25

  • Arbor Day (Philippines)
  • Christian feast day:
    • David of Munktorp
    • Eurosia
    • Maximus (Massimo) of Turin
    • Philipp Melanchthon (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
    • Presentation of the Augsburg Confession (Lutheran)
    • Prosper of Aquitaine
    • Prosper of Reggio
    • William of Montevergine
    • June 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Mozambique from Portugal in 1975.
  • National Catfish Day (United States)
  • Statehood Day (Slovenia)
  • Statehood Day (Virginia)
  • Teacher’s Day (Guatemala)
  • World Vitiligo Day

June 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

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