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1650

March 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
  • 238 – Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperors.
  • 871 – Æthelred of Wessex is defeated by a Danish invasion army at the Battle of Marton.
  • 1508 – Ferdinand II of Aragon commissions Amerigo Vespucci chief navigator of the Spanish Empire.
  • 1621 – The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.
  • 1622 – Jamestown massacre: Algonquians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony’s population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.
  • 1630 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables.
  • 1638 – Anne Hutchinson is expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious dissent.
  • 1713 – The Tuscarora War comes to an end with the fall of Fort Neoheroka, effectively opening up the interior of North Carolina to European colonization.
  • 1739 – Nader Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.
  • 1765 – The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act that introduces a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies.
  • 1784 – The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
  • 1829 – In the London Protocol, the three protecting powers (United Kingdom, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece.
  • 1849 – The Austrians defeat the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara.
  • 1871 – In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.
  • 1872 – Illinois becomes the first state to require gender equality in employment.
  • 1873 – The Spanish National Assembly abolishes slavery in Puerto Rico.
  • 1894 – The first playoff game for the Stanley Cup starts.
  • 1906 – The first England vs France rugby union match is played at Parc des Princes in Paris
  • 1920 – Azeri and Turkish army soldiers with participation of Kurdish gangs attacked the Armenian inhabitants of Shushi (Nagorno Karabakh).
  • 1933 – Cullen–Harrison Act: President Franklin Roosevelt signs an amendment to the Volstead Act, legalizing the manufacture and sale of “3.2 beer” (3.2% alcohol by weight, approximately 4% alcohol by volume) and light wines.
  • 1939 – Germany takes Memel from Lithuania.
  • 1942 – World War II: In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy’s Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte.
  • 1943 – World War II: The entire village of Khatyn (in what is the present-day Republic of Belarus) is burnt alive by Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118.
  • 1945 – World War II: The city of Hildesheim, Germany heavily damaged in a British air raid, though it had little military significance and Germany was on the verge of final defeat.
  • 1945 – The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt.
  • 1960 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser.
  • 1972 – The United States Congress sends the Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.
  • 1972 – In Eisenstadt v. Baird, the United States Supreme Court decides that unmarried persons have the right to possess contraceptives.
  • 1975 – A fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, Alabama causes a dangerous reduction in cooling water levels.
  • 1978 – Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope suspended between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • 1982 – NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia is launched from the Kennedy Space Center on its third mission, STS-3.
  • 1992 – USAir Flight 405 crashes shortly after takeoff from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, leading to a number of studies into the effect that ice has on aircraft.
  • 1992 – Fall of communism in Albania: The Democratic Party of Albania wins a decisive majority in the parliamentary election.
  • 1993 – The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips (80586), featuring a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS, and a 64 bit data path.
  • 1995 – Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to earth after setting a record of 438 days in space.
  • 1997 – Tara Lipinski, aged 14 years and nine months, becomes the youngest women’s World Figure Skating Champion.
  • 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, two bodyguards, and nine civilian bystanders are killed in the Gaza Strip when hit by Israeli Air Force Hellfire missiles.
  • 2006 – Three Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages are freed by British forces in Baghdad after 118 days of captivity and the murder of their colleague from the U.S., Tom Fox.
  • 2013 – At least 37 people are killed and 200 are injured after a fire destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees near Ban Mae, Thailand.
  • 2016 – Three suicide bombers kill 32 people and injure 316 in the 2016 Brussels bombings at the airport and at the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.
  • 2017 – A terrorist attack in London near the Houses of Parliament leaves four people dead and at least 20 injured.
  • 2019 – Robert S. Mueller III delivers his report on the Russian government’s influence on the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election.
  • 2019 – Two buses crashes in Kitampo, a town north of Ghana’s capital Accra, killing at least 50 people.
  • 2020 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces the country’s largest ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Births on March 22

  • 841 – Bernard Plantapilosa, Frankish son of Bernard of Septimania (d. 885)
  • 875 – William I, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 918)
  • 1212 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (d. 1235)
  • 1367 – Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (probable; d. 1399)
  • 1394 – Ulugh Beg, Persian astronomer and mathematician (d. 1449)
  • 1459 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1519)
  • 1499 – Johann Carion, German astrologer and chronicler (d. 1537)
  • 1503 – Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian author and educator (d. 1583)
  • 1517 – Gioseffo Zarlino, Italian composer (d. 1590)
  • 1519 – Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, English noblewoman (d. 1580)
  • 1582 – John Williams, Archbishop of York (d. 1650)
  • 1599 – Anthony van Dyck, Flemish-English painter and etcher (d. 1641)
  • 1609 – John II Casimir Vasa, Polish king (d. 1672)
  • 1615 – Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, British scientist (d. 1691)
  • 1663 – August Hermann Francke, German clergyman, philanthropist, and scholar (d. 1727)
  • 1684 – William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, English politician, Secretary at War (d. 1764)
  • 1712 – Edward Moore, English poet and playwright (d. 1757)
  • 1720 – Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect, designed the Yellow Palace and Bernstorff Palace (d. 1799)
  • 1723 – Charles Carroll, American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
  • 1728 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German painter and theorist (d. 1779)
  • 1785 – Adam Sedgwick, English scientist (d. 1873)
  • 1797 – William I, German Emperor (d. 1888)
  • 1808 – Caroline Norton, English feminist, social reformer, and author (d. 1877)
  • 1808 – David Swinson Maynard, American physician and lawyer (d. 1873)
  • 1812 – Stephen Pearl Andrews, American author and activist (d. 1886)
  • 1814 – Thomas Crawford, American sculptor, designed the Statue of Freedom (d. 1857)
  • 1817 – Braxton Bragg, American general (d. 1876)
  • 1818 – John Ainsworth Horrocks, English-Australian explorer, founded Penwortham (d. 1846)
  • 1822 – Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Ottoman sociologist, historian, scholar, statesman and jurist (d. 1895)
  • 1842 – Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1912)
  • 1846 – Randolph Caldecott, English illustrator and painter (d. 1886)
  • 1846 – James Timberlake, American lieutenant, police officer, and farmer (d. 1891)
  • 1852 – Otakar Ševčík, Czech violinist and educator (d. 1934)
  • 1852 – Hector Sévin, French cardinal (d. 1916)
  • 1855 – Dorothy Tennant, British painter (d. 1926)
  • 1857 – Paul Doumer, French mathematician, journalist, and politician, 14th President of France (d. 1932)
  • 1866 – Jack Boyle, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1913)
  • 1868 – Robert Andrews Millikan, American colonel and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1953)
  • 1869 – Tom McInnes, Scottish-English footballer (d. 1939)
  • 1873 – Ernest Lawson, Canadian-American painter (d. 1939)
  • 1880 – Ernest C. Quigley, Canadian-American football player and coach (d. 1960)
  • 1884 – Arthur H. Vandenberg, American journalist and politician (d. 1951)
  • 1884 – Lyda Borelli, Italian actress (d. 1959)
  • 1885 – Aryeh Levin, Polish-Lithuanian rabbi and educator (d. 1969)
  • 1886 – August Rei, Estonian lawyer and politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1963)
  • 1887 – Chico Marx, American actor (d. 1961)
  • 1890 – George Clark, American race car driver (d. 1978)
  • 1892 – Charlie Poole, American country banjo player (d. 1931)
  • 1892 – Johannes Semper, Estonian poet and scholar (d. 1970)
  • 1896 – He Long, Chinese general and politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1969)
  • 1896 – Joseph Schildkraut, Austrian-American actor (d. 1964)
  • 1899 – Ruth Page, American ballerina and choreographer (d. 1991)
  • 1901 – Greta Kempton, Austrian-American painter (d. 1991)
  • 1902 – Johannes Brinkman, Dutch architect, designed the Van Nelle Factory (d. 1949)
  • 1902 – Madeleine Milhaud, French actress and composer (d. 2008)
  • 1903 – Bill Holman, American cartoonist (d. 1987)
  • 1907 – James M. Gavin, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (d. 1990)
  • 1908 – Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (d. 1991)
  • 1908 – Louis L’Amour, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1988)
  • 1909 – Gabrielle Roy, Canadian author and educator (d. 1983)
  • 1910 – Nicholas Monsarrat, English sailor and author (d. 1979)
  • 1912 – Wilfrid Brambell, Irish actor and performer (d. 1985)
  • 1912 – Karl Malden, American actor (d. 2009)
  • 1912 – Agnes Martin, Canadian-American painter and educator (d. 2004)
  • 1912 – Leslie Johnson, English race car driver (d. 1959)
  • 1913 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician, 30th Governor of Oregon (d. 1983)
  • 1913 – Lew Wasserman, American businessman and talent agent (d. 2002)
  • 1913 – James Westerfield, American actor (d. 1971)
  • 1914 – John Stanley, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
  • 1914 – Donald Stokes, Baron Stokes, English businessman (d. 2008)
  • 1917 – Virginia Grey, American actress (d. 2004)
  • 1917 – Irving Kaplansky, Canadian-American mathematician and academic (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – Paul Rogers, English actor (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Cheddi Jagan, Guyanese politician, 4th President of Guyana (d. 1997)
  • 1919 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (d. 1990)
  • 1920 – James Brown, American actor and singer (d. 1992)
  • 1920 – Werner Klemperer, German-American actor (d. 2000)
  • 1920 – Lloyd MacPhail, Canadian businessman and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (d. 1995)
  • 1920 – Fanny Waterman, English pianist and educator, founded the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
  • 1920 – Katsuko Saruhashi, Japanese geochemist (d. 2007)
  • 1920 – Ross Martin, American actor (d. 1981)
  • 1921 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1922 – John J. Gilligan, American lieutenant and politician, 62nd Governor of Ohio (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Marcel Marceau, French mime and actor (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Al Neuharth, American journalist and author, founded USA Today (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Yevgeny Ostashev, Russian test pilot, participant in the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite (d. 1960)
  • 1924 – Osman F. Seden, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
  • 1924 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (d. 1999)
  • 1927 – Marty Blake, American basketball player and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Nicolas Tikhomiroff, Russian photographer (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Carrie Donovan, American journalist (d. 2001)
  • 1928 – E. D. Hirsch, American author, critic, and academic
  • 1928 – Ed Macauley, American basketball player, coach, and priest (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist
  • 1929 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. (d. 1973)
  • 1930 – Derek Bok, American lawyer and academic
  • 1930 – Pat Robertson, American minister and broadcaster, founded the Christian Broadcasting Network
  • 1930 – Stephen Sondheim, American composer and songwriter
  • 1931 – Burton Richter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – William Shatner, Canadian actor
  • 1931 – Leslie Thomas, Welsh journalist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Els Borst, Dutch physician and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Larry Evans, American chess player and journalist (d. 2010)
  • 1933 – Abolhassan Banisadr, Iranian economist and politician, 1st President of Iran
  • 1934 – May Britt, Swedish actress
  • 1934 – Sheila Cameron, English lawyer and judge
  • 1934 – Orrin Hatch, American lawyer and politician
  • 1935 – Lea Pericoli, Italian tennis player and journalist
  • 1935 – Frank Pulli, American baseball player and umpire (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – M. Emmet Walsh, American actor
  • 1936 – Ron Carey, American trade union leader (d. 2008)
  • 1936 – Roger Whittaker, Kenyan-English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1936 – Erol Büyükburç, Turkish singer-songwriter, pop music composer, and actor (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Angelo Badalamenti, American pianist and composer
  • 1937 – Armin Hary, German sprinter
  • 1937 – Jon Hassell, American trumpet player and composer
  • 1938 – Rein Etruk, Estonian chess player (d. 2012)
  • 1940 – Dave Keon, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1940 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (d. 1996)
  • 1940 – George Edward Alcorn, Jr. American physicist and inventor
  • 1941 – Billy Collins, American poet
  • 1941 – Jeremy Clyde, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1941 – Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (d. 2019)
  • 1941 – Cassam Uteem, Mauritian politician, 2nd President of Mauritius
  • 1942 – Jorge Ben Jor, Brazilian singer-songwriter
  • 1942 – Dick Pound, Canadian lawyer and academic
  • 1943 – George Benson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1943 – Nazem Ganjapour, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – Keith Relf, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1976)
  • 1945 – Eric Roth, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1946 – Don Chaney, American basketball player and coach
  • 1946 – Rivka Golani, Israeli viola player and composer
  • 1946 – Rudy Rucker, American mathematician, computer scientist, and author
  • 1946 – Harry Vanda, Dutch-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1947 – George Ferguson, English architect and politician, 1st Mayor of Bristol
  • 1947 – James Patterson, American author and producer
  • 1947 – Maarten van Gent, Dutch basketball player and coach
  • 1948 – Andrew Lloyd Webber, English composer and director
  • 1949 – Fanny Ardant, French actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Brian Hanrahan, English journalist (d. 2010)
  • 1952 – Des Browne, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
  • 1953 – Kenneth Rogoff, American economist and chess grandmaster
  • 1955 – Lena Olin, Swedish actress
  • 1955 – Pete Sessions, American politician
  • 1955 – Valdis Zatlers, Latvian physician and politician, 7th President of Latvia
  • 1956 – Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (born María Teresa Mestre y Batista)
  • 1957 – Jürgen Bucher, German footballer
  • 1957 – Stephanie Mills, American actress and singer
  • 1959 – Matthew Modine, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Tarmo Laht, Estonian architect
  • 1960 – Lauri Vahtre, Estonian historian and politician
  • 1961 – Simon Furman, British comic book writer
  • 1963 – Deborah Bull, English ballerina
  • 1963 – Susan Ann Sulley, English pop singer (The Human League)
  • 1963 – Martin Vizcarra, Peruvian engineer and politician, 67th President of Peru
  • 1964 – David Gillespie, Australian rugby league player
  • 1966 – Pia Cayetano, Filipino lawyer and politician
  • 1966 – Todd Ewen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1966 – Artis Pabriks, Latvian academic and politician, 11th Minister for Defence of Latvia
  • 1966 – António Pinto, Portuguese runner
  • 1966 – Brian Shaw, American basketball player and coach
  • 1967 – Mario Cipollini, Italian cyclist
  • 1967 – Bernie Gallacher, Scottish-English footballer (d. 2011)
  • 1970 – Andreas Johnson, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1970 – Leontien van Moorsel, Dutch cyclist
  • 1970 – Hwang Young-cho, South Korean runner
  • 1971 – Keegan-Michael Key, American actor, comedian, and writer
  • 1972 – Shawn Bradley, German-American basketball player, coach, and actor
  • 1972 – Cory Lidle, American baseball player (d. 2006)
  • 1972 – Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Beverley Knight, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Marcus Camby, American basketball player
  • 1974 – Philippe Clement, Belgian footballer
  • 1974 – Geo Meneses, Mexican producer and singer
  • 1975 – Cole Hauser, American actor and producer
  • 1975 – Jiří Novák, Czech-Monegasque tennis player
  • 1976 – Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player
  • 1976 – Kathryn Jean Lopez, American journalist
  • 1976 – Asako Toki, Japanese singer-songwriter
  • 1976 – Kellie Shanygne Williams, American actress
  • 1976 – Reese Witherspoon, American actress and producer
  • 1977 – Joey Porter, American football player and coach
  • 1977 – Tom Poti, American ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Aaron North, American guitarist
  • 1979 – Juan Uribe, Dominican baseball player
  • 1981 – Arne Gabius, German runner
  • 1982 – Piá, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982 – Enrico Gasparotto, Italian cyclist
  • 1982 – Michael Janyk, Canadian skier
  • 1984 – Piotr Trochowski, German footballer
  • 1985 – Mayola Biboko, Belgian footballer
  • 1985 – Jakob Fuglsang, Danish cyclist
  • 1985 – Mike Jenkins, American football player
  • 1985 – Justin Masterson, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Kelli Waite, Australian swimmer
  • 1986 – David Choi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1986 – Dexter Fowler, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Ike Davis, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (d. 2013)
  • 1987 – Liam Doran, British rally cross driver
  • 1989 – Ruben Popa, Romanian footballer
  • 1989 – J. J. Watt, American football player
  • 1989 – Tyler Oakley, American internet celebrity

Deaths on March 22

  • 880 – Carloman of Bavaria, Frankish king
  • 1144 – William of Norwich, child murder victim
  • 1322 – Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, English politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1278)
  • 1418 – Dietrich of Nieheim, German bishop and historian (b. 1345)
  • 1421 – Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, English soldier and politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1388)
  • 1454 – John Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • 1471 – George of Poděbrady (b. 1420)
  • 1544 – Johannes Magnus, Swedish archbishop and theologian (b. 1488)
  • 1602 – Agostino Carracci, Italian painter and educator (b. 1557)
  • 1685 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (b. 1638)
  • 1687 – Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-French composer and conductor (b. 1632)
  • 1758 – Jonathan Edwards, English minister, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1703)
  • 1772 – John Canton, English physicist and academic (b. 1718)
  • 1820 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (b. 1779)
  • 1832 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German novelist, poet, playwright, and diplomat (b. 1749)
  • 1840 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (b. 1798)
  • 1864 – Konstanty Kalinowski, writer, journalist, lawyer and revolutionary (b. 1838)
  • 1881 – Samuel Courtauld, English businessman (b. 1793)
  • 1896 – Thomas Hughes, English lawyer and politician (b. 1822)
  • 1913 – Song Jiaoren, Chinese educator and politician (b. 1882)
  • 1913 – Ruggero Oddi, Italian physiologist and anatomist (b.1864)
  • 1924 – William Macewen, Scottish surgeon and neuroscientist (b. 1848)
  • 1931 – James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1851)
  • 1942 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (b. 1875)
  • 1942 – William Donne, English captain and cricketer (b. 1875)
  • 1945 – John Hessin Clarke, American lawyer and judge (b. 1857)
  • 1952 – D. S. Senanayake, 1st Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1883)
  • 1955 – Ivan Šubašić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
  • 1958 – Mike Todd, American film producer (b. 1909)
  • 1960 – José Antonio Aguirre, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Basque Country (b. 1904)
  • 1966 – John Harlin, American mountaineer and pilot (b. 1935)
  • 1971 – Johannes Villemson, Estonian-American runner (b. 1893)
  • 1971 – Nella Walker, American actress and vaudevillian (b. 1886)
  • 1974 – Peter Revson, American race car driver (b. 1939)
  • 1974 – Orazio Satta Puliga, Italian automobile designer (b. 1910)
  • 1976 – John Dwyer McLaughlin, American painter (b. 1898)
  • 1977 – A. K. Gopalan, Indian educator and politician (b. 1904)
  • 1978 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (b. 1905)
  • 1979 – Ben Lyon, American actor and studio executive (b. 1901)
  • 1981 – James Elliott, American runner and coach (b. 1915)
  • 1981 – Gil Puyat, Filipino businessman and politician, 13th President of the Senate of the Philippines (b. 1907)
  • 1986 – Olive Deering, American actress (b. 1918)
  • 1986 – Mark Dinning, American singer (b. 1933)
  • 1987 – Odysseas Angelis, Greek general and politician (b. 1912)
  • 1989 – Peta Taylor, English cricketer (b. 1912)
  • 1990 – Gerald Bull, Canadian engineer and academic (b. 1928)
  • 1991 – Léon Balcer, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Solicitor General of Canada (b. 1917)
  • 1991 – Paul Engle, American novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1908)
  • 1991 – Dave Guard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
  • 1991 – Gloria Holden, English-American actress (b. 1908)
  • 1993 – Steve Olin, American baseball player (b. 1965)
  • 1994 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (b. 1950)
  • 1994 – Walter Lantz, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1899)
  • 1996 – Don Murray, American drummer (b. 1945)
  • 1996 – Robert F. Overmyer, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1936)
  • 1996 – Billy Williamson, American guitarist (b. 1925)
  • 1999 – Max Beloff, Baron Beloff, English historian and academic (b. 1913)
  • 1999 – David Strickland, American actor (b. 1969)
  • 2000 – Carlo Parola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1921)
  • 2001 – Stepas Butautas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (b. 1925)
  • 2001 – Sabiha Gökçen, Turkish soldier and pilot (b. 1913)
  • 2001 – William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and voice actor, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (b. 1910)
  • 2001 – Robert Fletcher Shaw, Canadian businessman, academic, and civil servant (b. 1910)
  • 2002 – Rudolf Baumgartner, Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1917)
  • 2003 – Terry Lloyd, English journalist (b. 1952)
  • 2004 – Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1943)
  • 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, Co-founded Hamas (b. 1937)
  • 2004 – V. M. Tarkunde, Indian lawyer and civil rights activist (b. 1909)
  • 2005 – Rod Price, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
  • 2005 – Gemini Ganesan, Indian film actor (b. 1920)
  • 2005 – Kenzō Tange, Japanese architect, designed the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (b. 1913)
  • 2006 – Pierre Clostermann, French soldier, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
  • 2006 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer and author (b. 1917)
  • 2006 – Kurt von Trojan, Austrian-Australian journalist and author (b. 1937)
  • 2007 – U. G. Krishnamurti, Indian-Italian philosopher and educator (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – Cachao López, Cuban-American bassist and composer (b. 1918)
  • 2010 – James Black, Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
  • 2010 – Özhan Canaydın, Turkish basketball player and businessman (b. 1943)
  • 2011 – Artur Agostinho, Portuguese journalist (b. 1920)
  • 2011 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Joe Blanchard, American football player and wrestler (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – John Payton, American lawyer and activist (b. 1946)
  • 2012 – Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Mickey Sullivan, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – David Waltz, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – Neil L. Whitehead, English anthropologist and author (b. 1956)
  • 2013 – Vladimír Čech, Czech actor and politician (b. 1951)
  • 2013 – James Nabrit, American lawyer and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Bebo Valdés, Cuban-Swedish pianist and composer (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Derek Watkins, English trumpet player and composer (b. 1945)
  • 2013 – Ray Williams, American basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
  • 2014 – Yashwant Vithoba Chittal, Indian author (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Mickey Duff, Polish-English boxer and manager (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Thor Listau, Norwegian soldier and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Tasos Mitsopoulos, Cypriot politician, Cypriot Minister of Defence (b. 1965)
  • 2015 – Arkady Arkanov, Ukrainian-Russian actor and playwright (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Horst Buhtz, German footballer and manager (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – George Neel, Jr., American businessman (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Norman Scribner, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
  • 2016 – Phife Dawg, American rapper (b. 1970)
  • 2016 – Rob Ford, Canadian businessman and politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (b. 1969)
  • 2016 – Rita Gam, American actress (b. 1927)
  • 2018 – Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician, academic and author, Yad Vashem recipient (b. 1911)

Holidays and observances on March 22

  • Bihar Day (Bihar, India)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Basil of Ancyra
    • Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen
    • Darerca of Ireland
    • Epaphroditus
    • Jonathan Edwards (Lutheranism)
    • Lea of Rome
    • Nicholas Owen
    • Paul of Narbonne
    • March 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Easter Sunday can fall (last in 1818, will not happen again until 2285), while April 25 is the latest. (Christianity)
  • Emancipation Day or Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud (Puerto Rico)
  • World Water Day (International)

March 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

March 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh.
  • 1126 – Following the death of his mother Urraca, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
  • 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bourgeois militias and the army of the bishop of Strasbourg.
  • 1576 – Spanish explorer Diego García de Palacio first sights the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Copán.
  • 1618 – Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion.
  • 1655 – John Casor becomes the first legally-recognized slave in England’s North American colonies where a crime was not committed.
  • 1658 – Treaty of Roskilde: After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars (1655–1661), Frederick III, the King of Denmark–Norway is forced to give up nearly half his territory to Sweden to save the rest.
  • 1702 – Queen Anne, the younger sister of Mary II, becomes Queen regnant of England, Scotland, and Ireland
  • 1722 – The Safavid Empire of Iran is defeated by an army from Afghanistan at the Battle of Gulnabad, pushing Iran into anarchy.
  • 1736 – Nader Shah, founder of the Afsharid dynasty, is crowned Shah of Iran.
  • 1775 – An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes “African Slavery in America”, the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.
  • 1777 – Regiments from Ansbach and Bayreuth, sent to support Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, mutiny in the town of Ochsenfurt.
  • 1782 – Gnadenhutten massacre: Ninety-six Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, who had converted to Christianity, are killed by Pennsylvania militiamen in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indian tribes.
  • 1801 – War of the Second Coalition: At the Battle of Abukir, a British force under Sir Ralph Abercromby lands in Egypt with the aim of ending the French campaign in Egypt and Syria.
  • 1817 – The New York Stock Exchange is founded.
  • 1844 – King Oscar I ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: The Naval Battle of Hampton Roads begins.
  • 1868 – Sakai incident: Japanese samurai kill 11 French sailors in the port of Sakai, Osaka.
  • 1910 – French aviator Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot’s license.
  • 1914 – First flights (for the Royal Thai Air Force) at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok.
  • 1916 – World War I: A British force unsuccessfully attempts to relieve the siege of Kut (present-day Iraq) in the Battle of Dujaila.
  • 1917 – International Women’s Day protests in St. Petersburg mark the beginning of the February Revolution (February 23rd in the Julian calendar).
  • 1917 – The United States Senate votes to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule.
  • 1920 – The Arab Kingdom of Syria, the first modern Arab state to come into existence, is established.
  • 1921 – Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato Iradier is assassinated while exiting the parliament building in Madrid.
  • 1924 – A mine disaster kills 172 coal miners near Castle Gate, Utah.
  • 1936 – Daytona Beach and Road Course holds its first oval stock car race.
  • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: The Battle of Guadalajara begins.
  • 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces gave an ultimatum to Dutch East Indies Governor General Jonkheer Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer and KNIL Commander in Chief Lieutenant General Hein Ter Poorten, to unconditionally surrender.
  • 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces captured Rangoon, Burma from British.
  • 1947 – Thirteen thousand troops of the Republic of China Army arrive in Taiwan after the February 28 Incident and launch crackdowns which kill thousands of people, including many elites. This turns into a major root of the Taiwan independence movement.
  • 1949 – President of France Vincent Auriol and ex-emperor of Annam Bảo Đại sign the Élysée Accords, giving Vietnam greater independence from France and creating the State of Vietnam to oppose Viet Minh-led Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
  • 1957 – Egypt re-opens the Suez Canal after the Suez Crisis.
  • 1957 – The 1957 Georgia Memorial to Congress, which petitions the U.S. Congress to declare the ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution null and void, is adopted by the U.S. state of Georgia.
  • 1963 – The Ba’ath Party comes to power in Syria in a coup d’état by a clique of quasi-leftist Syrian Army officers calling themselves the National Council of the Revolutionary Command.
  • 1965 – Thirty-five hundred United States Marines are the first American land combat forces committed during the Vietnam War.
  • 1966 – Nelson’s Pillar in Dublin, Ireland, destroyed by a bomb.
  • 1971 – The Fight of the Century between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali commences. Frazier wins in 15 rounds via unanimous decision.
  • 1974 – Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France.
  • 1979 – Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time.
  • 1983 – Cold War: While addressing a convention of Evangelicals, U.S. President Ronald Reagan labels the Soviet Union an “evil empire”.
  • 1985 – A supposed failed assassination attempt on Islamic cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon kills at least 45 and injures 175 others.
  • 2004 – A new constitution is signed by Iraq’s Governing Council.
  • 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying a total of 239 people, disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
  • 2017 – The Azure Window, a natural arch on the Maltese island of Gozo, collapses in stormy weather.

Births on March 8

  • 1286 – John III, Duke of Brittany (d. 1341)
  • 1293 – Beatrice of Castile (d. 1359)
  • 1495 – John of God, Portuguese friar and saint (d. 1550)
  • 1514 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese daimyō (d. 1562)
  • 1518 – Sidonie of Saxony, Duchess of Brunswick-Calenberg (d. 1575)
  • 1550 – William Drury, English politician (d. 1590)
  • 1658 – Thomas Trevor, 1st Baron Trevor, British Baron (d. 1730)
  • 1566 – Carlo Gesualdo, Italian lute player and composer (d. 1613)
  • 1712 – John Fothergill, English physician and botanist (d. 1780)
  • 1714 – Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German pianist and composer (d. 1788)
  • 1726 – Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, English admiral and politician, Treasurer of the Navy (d. 1799)
  • 1746 – André Michaux, French botanist and explorer (d. 1802)
  • 1748 – William V, Prince of Orange (d. 1806)
  • 1761 – Jan Potocki, Polish ethnologist, historian, linguist, and author (d. 1815)
  • 1799 – Simon Cameron, American journalist and politician, 26th United States Secretary of War (d. 1889)
  • 1804 – Alvan Clark, American astronomer and optician (d. 1887)
  • 1822 – Ignacy Łukasiewicz, Polish inventor and businessman, invented the Kerosene lamp (d. 1882)
  • 1826 – Johann Köler, Estonian painter and academic (d. 1899)
  • 1827 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist and anthropologist (d. 1875)
  • 1830 – João de Deus, Portuguese poet and educator (d. 1896)
  • 1839 – Josephine Cochrane, American inventor (d. 1913)
  • 1841 – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., American colonel, lawyer, and jurist (d. 1935)
  • 1848 – LaMarcus Adna Thompson, American engineer and businessman, developed the roller coaster (d. 1917)
  • 1856 – Bramwell Booth, English 2nd General of The Salvation Army (d. 1929)
  • 1856 – Colin Campbell Cooper, American painter and academic (d. 1937)
  • 1859 – Kenneth Grahame, Scottish-English banker and author (d. 1932)
  • 1865 – Frederic Goudy, American type designer, created Copperplate Gothic and Goudy Old Style (d. 1947)
  • 1879 – Otto Hahn, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
  • 1886 – Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
  • 1892 – Juana de Ibarbourou, Uruguayan poet and author (d. 1979)
  • 1896 – Charlotte Whitton, Canadian journalist and politician, 46th Mayor of Ottawa (d. 1975)
  • 1899 – Elmer Keith, American gun designer and author (d. 1984)
  • 1900 – Howard H. Aiken, American physicist and computer scientist, created the Harvard Mark I (d. 1973)
  • 1902 – Louise Beavers, American actress and singer (d. 1962)
  • 1902 – Jennings Randolph, American journalist and politician (d. 1998)
  • 1907 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Greece (d. 1998)
  • 1909 – Beatrice Shilling, English motorcycle racer and engineer (d. 1990)
  • 1909 – Paula Strasberg, American actress and acting coach (d. 1966)
  • 1910 – Claire Trevor, American actress (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – Alan Hovhaness, Armenian-American pianist and composer (d. 2000)
  • 1912 – Preston Smith, American businessman and politician, 40th Governor of Texas (d. 2003)
  • 1912 – Meldrim Thomson, Jr., American publisher and politician, 73rd Governor of New Hampshire (d. 2001)
  • 1914 – Yakov Borisovich Zel’dovich, Belarusian-Russian physicist and astronomer (d. 1987)
  • 1918 – Eileen Herlie, Scottish-American actress (d. 2008)
  • 1920 – Douglass Wallop, American author and playwright (d. 1985)
  • 1921 – Alan Hale, Jr., American actor (d. 1990)
  • 1921 – Sahir Ludhianvi, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 1980)
  • 1922 – Ralph H. Baer, German-American video game designer, created the Magnavox Odyssey (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (d. 2008)
  • 1922 – Carl Furillo, American baseball player (d. 1989)
  • 1922 – Yevgeny Matveyev, Russian actor and director (d. 2003)
  • 1922 – Shigeru Mizuki, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – Anthony Caro, English sculptor and illustrator (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Georges Charpak, Ukrainian-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – Sean McClory, Irish-American actor and director (d. 2003)
  • 1925 – Warren Bennis, American scholar, author, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Francisco Rabal, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1929 – Hebe Camargo, Brazilian actress and singer (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Bob Grim, American baseball player (d. 1996)
  • 1930 – Douglas Hurd, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
  • 1931 – Neil Adcock, South African cricketer (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – John McPhee, American author and educator
  • 1931 – Gerald Potterton, English-Canadian animator, director, and producer
  • 1931 – Neil Postman, American author and critic (d. 2003)
  • 1934 – Marv Breeding, American baseball player and scout (d. 2006)
  • 1935 – George Coleman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader
  • 1936 – Sue Ane Langdon, American actress and singer
  • 1936 – Gábor Szabó, Hungarian guitarist and composer (d. 1982)
  • 1937 – Richard Fariña, American singer-songwriter and author (d. 1966)
  • 1937 – Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan politician, 2nd President of Rwanda (d. 1994)
  • 1938 – Pete Dawkins, American football player, colonel, and politician
  • 1939 – Jim Bouton, American baseball player and journalist (d. 2019)
  • 1939 – Lynn Seymour, Canadian ballerina and choreographer
  • 1939 – Lidiya Skoblikova, Russian speed skater and coach
  • 1939 – Robert Tear, Welsh tenor and conductor (d. 2011)
  • 1941 – Norman Stone, Scottish-English historian, author, and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1942 – Dick Allen, American baseball player and tenor
  • 1942 – Ann Packer, English sprinter, hurdler, and long jumper
  • 1943 – Susan Clark, Canadian actress and producer
  • 1943 – Michael Grade, English businessman
  • 1943 – Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (d. 2010)
  • 1943 – Dionysis Simopoulos, Greek physicist and astronomer
  • 1944 – Sergey Nikitin, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Jim Chapman, American lawyer and politician
  • 1945 – Micky Dolenz, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
  • 1945 – Anselm Kiefer, German painter and sculptor
  • 1945 – Sylvia Wiegand, American mathematician
  • 1946 – Robert Jaworski, Filipino basketball player, coach, and politician
  • 1946 – Randy Meisner, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1947 – Carole Bayer Sager, American singer-songwriter and painter
  • 1947 – Michael S. Hart, American author, founded Project Gutenberg (d. 2011)
  • 1947 – Vladimír Mišík, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Florentino Pérez, Spanish engineer and businessman
  • 1948 – Robert W. Boyd, American physicist and academic
  • 1948 – Gyles Brandreth, German-English actor, screenwriter, and politician
  • 1948 – Mel Galley, English rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
  • 1948 – Sam Lacey, American basketball player (d. 2014)
  • 1948 – Peggy March, American pop singer
  • 1948 – Jonathan Sacks, English rabbi, philosopher, and scholar
  • 1949 – Teofilo Cubillas, Peruvian footballer
  • 1951 – Phil Edmonds, Zambian-English cricketer and businessman
  • 1951 – Dianne Walker, American tap dancer
  • 1952 – George Allen, American lawyer and politician, 67th Governor of Virginia
  • 1953 – Jim Rice, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1954 – Steve James, American documentary filmmaker
  • 1954 – David Wilkie, Sri Lankan-Scottish swimmer
  • 1956 – Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (d. 1989)
  • 1956 – David Malpass, American economist and government official
  • 1957 – Clive Burr, English rock drummer (d. 2013)
  • 1957 – William Edward Childs, American pianist and composer
  • 1957 – Bob Stoddard, American baseball player
  • 1958 – Andy McDonald, English lawyer and politician
  • 1958 – Gary Numan, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1959 – Aidan Quinn, Irish-American actor
  • 1960 – Jeffrey Eugenides, American author and academic
  • 1960 – Irek Mukhamedov, Russian ballet dancer
  • 1960 – Buck Williams, American basketball player and coach
  • 1961 – Camryn Manheim, American actress
  • 1961 – Larry Murphy, Canadian ice hockey player and journalist
  • 1962 – Leon Robinson, American actor and producer
  • 1964 – Kate Betts, American journalist and author
  • 1965 – Kenny Smith, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Greg Barker, Baron Barker of Battle, English politician
  • 1966 – Jaime Levy, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1967 – Joel Johnston, American baseball player
  • 1968 – Michael Bartels, German race car driver
  • 1968 – Shawn Mullins, American singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Juan de Dios Ramírez Perales, Mexican footballer
  • 1970 – Jason Elam, American football player
  • 1971 – Kit Symons, English-Welsh footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Georgios Georgiadis, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Matthew Nable, Australian rugby player and actor
  • 1972 – Lena Sundström, Swedish journalist and author
  • 1973 – Boris Kodjoe, Austrian-born American actor and producer
  • 1973 – Anneke van Giersbergen, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1975 – Mauro Briano, Italian footballer
  • 1976 – Gaz Coombes, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1976 – Juan Encarnación, Dominican baseball player
  • 1976 – Freddie Prinze, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1977 – James Van Der Beek, American actor
  • 1977 – Johann Vogel, Swiss footballer
  • 1978 – Nick Zano, American actor and producer
  • 1979 – Apathy, American rapper and producer
  • 1979 – Tom Chaplin, English singer-songwriter
  • 1979 – Andy Ross, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Stephen Milne, Australian footballer
  • 1981 – Michael Beauchamp, Australian footballer
  • 1981 – Timothy Jordan II, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1981 – Joost Posthuma, Dutch cyclist
  • 1982 – Nicolas Armindo, French racing driver
  • 1982 – Leonidas Kampantais, Greek footballer
  • 1982 – Isak Strand, Norwegian drummer, composer, and producer
  • 1983 – André Santos, Brazilian footballer
  • 1983 – Mark Worrell, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Rafik Djebbour, Algerian footballer
  • 1984 – Ross Taylor, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1984 – Sasha Vujačić, Slovenian basketball player
  • 1987 – Jonathan Wright, Australian rugby league player
  • 1988 – Benny Blanco, American rapper and producer
  • 1990 – Asier Illarramendi, Spanish footballer
  • 1990 – Petra Kvitová, Czech tennis player
  • 1990 – Nico Salva, Filipino basketball player
  • 1990 – Ben Tozer, English footballer
  • 1991 – Miriam Bryant, Swedish-Finnish singer-songwriter
  • 1991 – Tom English, Australian rugby player
  • 1992 – Uki Satake, Japanese singer, actress, and radio host
  • 1994 – Pablo Dyego, Brazilian footballer
  • 1994 – Claire Emslie, Scottish footballer
  • 1994 – Dylan Tombides, Australian footballer (d. 2014)
  • 1996 – Matthew Hammelmann, Australian rules footballer
  • 1998 – Tali Darsigny, Canadian weightlifter

Deaths on March 8

  • 865 – Rudolf of Fulda, German theologian
  • 1126 – Urraca of León and Castile (b. 1079)
  • 1137 – Adela of Normandy, by marriage countess of Blois (b. c. 1067)
  • 1144 – Pope Celestine II
  • 1223 – Wincenty Kadłubek, Polish bishop and historian (b. 1161)
  • 1365 – Queen Noguk of Korea
  • 1403 – Bayezid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1360)
  • 1441 – Margaret of Burgundy, Duchess of Bavaria
  • 1466 – Francesco I Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1401)
  • 1550 – John of God, Portuguese friar and saint (b. 1495)
  • 1619 – Veit Bach, German baker and miller (b. 1550)
  • 1641 – Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer (b. 1587)
  • 1702 – William III of England (b. 1650)
  • 1717 – Abraham Darby I, English blacksmith (b. 1678)
  • 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St. Paul’s Cathedral (b. 1632)
  • 1731 – Ferdinand Brokoff, Czech sculptor (b. 1688)
  • 1771 – Louis August le Clerc, French-Danish sculptor and academic (b. 1688)
  • 1819 – Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1739)
  • 1844 – Charles XIV John of Sweden (b. 1763)
  • 1869 – Hector Berlioz, French composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1803)
  • 1872 – Cornelius Krieghoff, Dutch-Canadian painter (b. 1815)
  • 1874 – Millard Fillmore, American lawyer and politician, 13th President of the United States (b. 1800)
  • 1887 – Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and activist (b. 1813)
  • 1887 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer, designed the Eads Bridge (b. 1820)
  • 1889 – John Ericsson, Swedish-American engineer, designed the USS Monitor (b. 1803)
  • 1917 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and businessman, founded the Zeppelin Company (b. 1838)
  • 1923 – Krišjānis Barons, Latvian linguist and author (b. 1835)
  • 1923 – Johannes Diderik van der Waals, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1837)
  • 1930 – William Howard Taft, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, 27th President of the United States (b. 1857)
  • 1930 – Edward Terry Sanford, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, United States Assistant Attorney General (b. 1865)
  • 1935 – Hachikō, Japanese dog (b. 1923)
  • 1937 – Howie Morenz, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1902)
  • 1941 – Sherwood Anderson, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1876)
  • 1942 – José Raúl Capablanca, Cuban chess player and theoretician (b. 1888)
  • 1944 – Fredy Hirsch, German Jewish athlete who helped thousands of Jewish children in the Holocaust (b. 1916)
  • 1945 – Frederick Bligh Bond, English archaeologist and architect (b. 1864)
  • 1948 – Hulusi Behçet, Turkish dermatologist and scientist (b. 1889)
  • 1957 – Othmar Schoeck, Swiss composer and conductor (b. 1886)
  • 1961 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor and composer (b. 1879)
  • 1971 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1893)
  • 1973 – Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, American keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1945)
  • 1975 – George Stevens, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1904)
  • 1976 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (b. 1908)
  • 1983 – Chabuca Granda, Peruvian-American singer-songwriter (b. 1920)
  • 1983 – Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1904)
  • 1983 – William Walton, English composer (b. 1902)
  • 1985 – Edward Andrews, American actor (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1961)
  • 1988 – Werner Hartmann, German physicist and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1991 – John Bellairs, American author and academic (b. 1938)
  • 1993 – Billy Eckstine, American trumpet player (b. 1914)
  • 1996 – Jack Churchill, British colonel (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Gershon Liebman, French rabbi (b. 1905)
  • 1998 – Ray Nitschke, American football player and actor (b. 1936)
  • 1999 – Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentinian journalist and author (b. 1914)
  • 1999 – Peggy Cass, American actress and comedian (b. 1924)
  • 1999 – Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player and coach (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Edward Winter, American actor (b. 1937)
  • 2003 – Adam Faith, English singer (b. 1940)
  • 2003 – Karen Morley, American actress (b. 1909)
  • 2004 – Muhammad Zaidan, Syrian terrorist, founded the Palestine Liberation Front (b. 1948)
  • 2005 – César Lattes, Brazilian physicist and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen commander and politician, 3rd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (b. 1951)
  • 2007 – John Inman, English actor (b. 1935)
  • 2007 – John Vukovich, American baseball player and coach (b. 1947)
  • 2009 – Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1918)
  • 2009 – Zbigniew Religa, Polish surgeon and politician, Polish Minister of Health (b. 1938)
  • 2011 – Mike Starr, American bass player (b. 1966)
  • 2012 – Simin Daneshvar, Iranian author and academic (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Minoru Mori, Japanese businessman, founded the Mori Art Museum (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Steven Rubenstein, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1962)
  • 2013 – Haseeb Ahsan, Pakistani cricketer and manager (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – John O’Connell, Irish journalist and politician, 17th Irish Minister of Health (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin, German soldier and publisher (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Leo Bretholz, Austrian-American Holocaust survivor and author (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – William Guarnere, American sergeant (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Tjol Lategan, South African rugby player (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Sam Simon, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1955)
  • 2016 – Aldo Ferrer, Argentinian economist and diplomat (b. 1927)
  • 2016 – Ross Hannaford, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
  • 2016 – George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (b. 1926)
  • 2018 – Kate Wilhelm, American author (b. 1928)
  • 2019 – Marshall Brodien, American actor (b. 1934)
  • 2019 – Cedrick Hardman, American football player and actor (b. 1948)
  • 2020 – Max von Sydow, Swedish actor (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances on March 8

  • Christian feast day:
    • Edward King (Church of England)
    • Felix of Burgundy
    • Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy (the Church of England, The Episcopal Church (USA))
    • John of God
    • Philemon the actor
    • March 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Canberra Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in March (Australian Capital Territory)
  • Earliest day on which Commonwealth Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in March (Commonwealth of Nations)
  • Earliest day on which Decoration Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Wednesday in March (Liberia)
  • Earliest day on which Passion Sunday can fall, while April 17 is the latest; observed on the fifth Sunday of Lent (Christianity)
  • International Women’s Day, and its related observances:
    • International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day

March 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy.
  • 1268 – The Battle of Wesenberg is fought between the Livonian Order and Dovmont of Pskov.
  • 1332 – Amda Seyon I, Emperor of Ethiopia begins his campaigns in the southern Muslim provinces.
  • 1478 – George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, is executed in private at the Tower of London.
  • 1637 – Eighty Years’ War: Off the coast of Cornwall, England, a Spanish fleet intercepts an important Anglo-Dutch merchant convoy of 44 vessels escorted by six warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them.
  • 1781 – Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: Captain Thomas Shirley opens his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa (present-day Ghana).
  • 1791 – Congress passes a law admitting the state of Vermont to the Union, effective 4 March, after that state had existed for 14 years as a de facto independent largely unrecognized state.
  • 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Sir Ralph Abercromby and a fleet of 18 British warships invade Trinidad.
  • 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Montereau.
  • 1861 – In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
  • 1861 – With Italian unification almost complete, Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia assumes the title of King of Italy.
  • 1873 – Bulgarian revolutionary leader Vasil Levski is executed by hanging in Sofia by the Ottoman authorities.
  • 1878 – John Tunstall is murdered by outlaw Jesse Evans, sparking the Lincoln County War in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
  • 1885 – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is published in the United States.
  • 1900 – Second Boer War: Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on Bloody Sunday, the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg.
  • 1906 – Édouard de Laveleye forms the Belgian Olympic Committee in Brussels.
  • 1911 – The first official flight with airmail takes place from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now India), when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) away.
  • 1930 – While studying photographs taken in January, Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto.
  • 1930 – Elm Farm Ollie becomes the first cow to fly in a fixed-wing aircraft and also the first cow to be milked in an aircraft.
  • 1932 – The Empire of Japan creates the independent state of Manzhouguo (the obsolete Chinese name for Manchuria) free from the Republic of China and installed former Chinese Emperor Aisin Gioro Puyi as Chief Executive of the State.
  • 1938 – Second Sino-Japanese War: During the Nanking Massacre, the Nanking Safety Zone International Committee is renamed “Nanking International Rescue Committee”, and the safety zone in place for refugees falls apart.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army begins the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Nazis arrest the members of the White Rose movement.
  • 1943 – World War II: Joseph Goebbels delivers his Sportpalast speech.
  • 1946 – Sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in Bombay harbour, from where the action spreads throughout the Provinces of British India, involving 78 ships, twenty shore establishments and 20,000 sailors
  • 1947 – First Indochina War: The French gain complete control of Hanoi after forcing the Viet Minh to withdraw to mountains.
  • 1954 – The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles.
  • 1955 – Operation Teapot: Teapot test shot “Wasp” is successfully detonated at the Nevada Test Site with a yield of 1.2 kilotons. Wasp is the first of fourteen shots in the Teapot series.
  • 1957 – Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.
  • 1957 – Walter James Bolton becomes the last person legally executed in New Zealand.
  • 1965 – The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
  • 1970 – The Chicago Seven are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
  • 1972 – The California Supreme Court in the case of People v. Anderson, (6 Cal.3d 628) invalidates the state’s death penalty and commutes the sentences of all death row inmates to life imprisonment.
  • 1977 – The Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle is carried on its maiden “flight” on top of a Boeing 747.
  • 1979 – Richard Petty wins a then-record sixth Daytona 500 after leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash on the final lap of the first NASCAR race televised live flag-to-flag.
  • 1983 – Thirteen people die and one is seriously injured in the Wah Mee massacre in Seattle. It is said to be the largest robbery-motivated mass-murder in U.S. history.
  • 1991 – The IRA explodes bombs in the early morning at Paddington station and Victoria station in London.
  • 2001 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
  • 2001 – Sampit conflict: Inter-ethnic violence between Dayaks and Madurese breaks out in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, ultimately resulting in more than 500 deaths and 100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes.
  • 2003 – Nearly 200 people die in the Daegu subway fire in South Korea.
  • 2004 – Up to 295 people, including nearly 200 rescue workers, die near Nishapur, Iran, when a runaway freight train carrying sulfur, petrol and fertilizer catches fire and explodes.
  • 2007 – Samjhauta Express bombings occurred around midnight in Diwana near the Indian city of Panipat, 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of New Delhi, India.
  • 2010 – WikiLeaks publishes the first of hundreds of thousands of classified documents disclosed by the soldier now known as Chelsea Manning.
  • 2013 – Armed robbers steal a haul of diamonds worth $50 million during a raid at Brussels Airport in Belgium.
  • 2014 – At least 76 people are killed and hundreds are injured in clashes between riot police and demonstrators in Kiev, Ukraine.

Births on February 18

  • 1201 – Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Persian scientist and writer (d. 1274)
  • 1372 – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (d. 1448)
  • 1486 – Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Indian monk and saint (d. 1534)
  • 1516 – Mary I of England (d. 1558)
  • 1530 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese daimyō (d. 1578)
  • 1543 – Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1608)
  • 1547 – Bahāʾ al-dīn al-ʿĀmilī, founder of Isfahan School of Islamic Philosophy (d. 1621)
  • 1559 – Isaac Casaubon, Swiss philologist and scholar (d. 1614)
  • 1589 – Henry Vane the Elder, English politician (d. 1655)
  • 1589 – Maarten Gerritsz Vries, Dutch explorer (d. 1646)
  • 1602 – Per Brahe the Younger, Swedish soldier and politician, Governor-General of Finland (d. 1680)
  • 1609 – Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, English historian and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1674)
  • 1626 – Francesco Redi, Italian physician (d. 1697)
  • 1632 – Giovanni Battista Vitali, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1692)
  • 1642 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (d. 1698)
  • 1658 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French philosopher and author (d. 1743)
  • 1732 – Johann Christian Kittel, German organist and composer (d. 1809)
  • 1745 – Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist, invented the battery (d. 1827)
  • 1814 – Samuel Fenton Cary, American lawyer and politician (d. 1900)
  • 1817 – Lewis Armistead, American general (d. 1863)
  • 1836 – Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Indian mystic and yogi (d. 1886)
  • 1838 – Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1916)
  • 1846 – Wilson Barrett, English actor, playwright, and manager (d. 1904)
  • 1848 – Louis Comfort Tiffany, American stained glass artist (d. 1933)
  • 1849 – Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author, playwright, and politician (d. 1906)
  • 1850 – George Henschel, German-English singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor (d. 1934)
  • 1855 – Jean Jules Jusserand, French historian, author, and diplomat, French Ambassador to the United States (d. 1932)
  • 1860 – Anders Zorn, Swedish artist (d. 1920)
  • 1862 – Charles M. Schwab, American businessman, co-founded Bethlehem Steel (d. 1939)
  • 1867 – Hedwig Courths-Mahler, German writer (d. 1950)
  • 1870 – William Laurel Harris, American painter and author (d. 1924)
  • 1871 – Harry Brearley, English inventor (d. 1948)
  • 1883 – Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek philosopher, author, and playwright (d. 1957)
  • 1885 – Henri Laurens, French sculptor and illustrator (d. 1954)
  • 1893 – Maksim Haretski, Belarusian prose writer, journalist and activist (d. 1938)
  • 1890 – Edward Arnold, American actor (d. 1956)
  • 1890 – Adolphe Menjou, American actor (d. 1963)
  • 1892 – Wendell Willkie, American captain, lawyer, and politician (d. 1944)
  • 1896 – Li Linsi, Chinese educator and diplomat (d. 1970)
  • 1898 – Enzo Ferrari, Italian race car driver and businessman, founded Ferrari (d. 1988)
  • 1898 – Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican poet and politician, 1st Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (d. 1980)
  • 1899 – Arthur Bryant, English historian and journalist (d. 1985)
  • 1903 – Nikolai Podgorny, Ukrainian engineer and politician (d. 1983)
  • 1905 – Queenie Leonard, English actress (d. 2002)
  • 1906 – Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician and academic (d. 1980)
  • 1909 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1993)
  • 1914 – Pee Wee King, American singer-songwriter and fiddler (d. 2000)
  • 1915 – Phyllis Calvert, English actress (d. 2002)
  • 1916 – Jean Drapeau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1999)
  • 1919 – Jack Palance, American boxer and actor (d. 2006)
  • 1920 – Bill Cullen, American game show panelist and host (d. 1990)
  • 1920 – Rolande Falcinelli, French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue (d. 2006)
  • 1921 – Mary Amdur, American toxicologist and public health researcher (d. 1998)
  • 1921 – Oscar Feltsman, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Eric Gairy, Grenadan politician, 1st Prime Minister of Grenada (d. 1997)
  • 1922 – Helen Gurley Brown, American journalist and author (d. 2012)
  • 1922 – Allan Melvin, American actor (d. 2008)
  • 1925 – George Kennedy, American actor (d. 2016)
  • 1925 – Halit Kıvanç, Turkish journalist and sportscaster
  • 1925 – Ghafar Baba, Malaysian politician (d. 2006)
  • 1926 – Wallace Berman, American painter and illustrator (d. 1976)
  • 1927 – Luis Arroyo, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, manager, and scout (d. 2016)
  • 1927 – Fazal Mahmood, Pakistani cricketer (d. 2005)
  • 1927 – John Warner, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 61st United States Secretary of the Navy
  • 1928 – Rex Mossop, Australian rugby player and sportscaster (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – Len Deighton, English historian and author
  • 1929 – André Mathieu, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 1968)
  • 1931 – Johnny Hart, American cartoonist, co-created The Wizard of Id (d. 2007)
  • 1931 – Toni Morrison, American novelist and editor, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019).
  • 1931 – Swraj Paul, Baron Paul, Indian-English businessman and philanthropist
  • 1931 – John Ryden, Scottish footballer, centre half (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Bob St. Clair, American football player (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – Miloš Forman, Czech-American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – Yoko Ono, Japanese-American multimedia artist and musician
  • 1933 – Bobby Robson, English international footballer, inside forward and international manager (d. 2009)
  • 1933 – Mary Ure, Scottish-English actress (d. 1975)
  • 1934 – Skip Battin, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2003)
  • 1934 – Dave Dunmore, English footballer, centre forward
  • 1934 – Audre Lorde, American poet, essayist, memoirist, and activist (d. 1992)
  • 1934 – Paco Rabanne, Spanish-French fashion designer
  • 1936 – Jean M. Auel, American author
  • 1938 – Manny Mota, Dominican baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1938 – Sadanoyama Shinmatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 50th Yokozuna (d. 2017)
  • 1938 – István Szabó, Hungarian director and screenwriter
  • 1939 – Claude Ake, Nigerian political scientist and academic (d. 1996)
  • 1939 – Bobby Hart, American singer-songwriter
  • 1939 – Marlos Nobre, Brazilian composer
  • 1940 – Fabrizio De André, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
  • 1940 – Prue Leith, English restaurateur and journalist
  • 1941 – Herman Santiago, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
  • 1941 – Irma Thomas, American singer
  • 1943 – Graeme Garden, Scottish comedian, actor, and author
  • 1944 – Pat Bowlen, American businessman (d. 2019)
  • 1945 – Judy Rankin, American golfer and sportscaster
  • 1946 – Michael Buerk, English journalist
  • 1947 – Dennis DeYoung, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1947 – Eliot Engel, American educator and politician
  • 1948 – Sinéad Cusack, Irish actress
  • 1948 – Bruce Francis, Australian cricketer
  • 1948 – Keith Knudsen, American singer-songwriter and drummer (d. 2005)
  • 1949 – Gary Ridgway, American criminal, Green River Killer
  • 1950 – Nana Amba Eyiaba I, Ghanaian queen mother and advocate
  • 1950 – Cristina Ferrare, American model, actress, author, and television host
  • 1950 – John Hughes, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1950 – Cybill Shepherd, American actress and singer
  • 1951 – Queen Komal of Nepal
  • 1951 – Isabel Preysler, Filipino-Spanish journalist
  • 1952 – Randy Crawford, American jazz and R&B singer
  • 1952 – Maurice Lucas, American basketball player and coach (d. 2010)
  • 1952 – Juice Newton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1952 – Bernard Valcourt, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1953 – Robbie Bachman, Canadian rock drummer
  • 1953 – Derek Pellicci, English-Australian drummer
  • 1954 – Charlie Fowler, American mountaineer, author, and photographer (d. 2006)
  • 1954 – Paul Rendall, English rugby player
  • 1954 – John Travolta, American actor and producer
  • 1955 – Cheetah Chrome, American musician
  • 1955 – Miles Tredinnick, English singer-songwriter and playwright
  • 1955 – Lisa See, American writer and novelist
  • 1956 – Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1956 – Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian businessman and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Georgia
  • 1957 – Marita Koch, German sprinter
  • 1957 – Vanna White, American model and game show host
  • 1959 – Jayne Atkinson, English-American actress
  • 1959 – James Metzger, American businessman and philanthropist
  • 1960 – Andy Moog, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1960 – Greta Scacchi, Italian-Australian actress
  • 1963 – Rob Andrew, English rugby player and cricketer
  • 1964 – Matt Dillon, American actor and director
  • 1964 – Paul Hanley, English drummer and songwriter
  • 1965 – Dr. Dre, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1966 – Phillip DeFreitas, Dominican-English cricketer
  • 1967 – Roberto Baggio, Italian footballer
  • 1967 – Colin Jackson, Welsh sprinter and hurdler
  • 1968 – Molly Ringwald, American actress
  • 1969 – Tomaž Humar, Slovenian mountaineer (d. 2009)
  • 1969 – Alexander Mogilny, Russian-American ice hockey player
  • 1970 – Susan Egan, American actress and singer
  • 1970 – James H. Fowler, American political scientist and author
  • 1970 – Raine Maida, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1970 – Massimo Taibi, Italian footballer
  • 1971 – Thomas Bjorn, Danish golfer
  • 1971 – Merritt Gant, American guitarist
  • 1972 – Fabian Picardo, Gibraltarian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Gibraltar
  • 1973 – Shawn Estes, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Claude Makélélé, French footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Carrie Ann Baade, American painter and academic
  • 1974 – Jamey Carroll, American baseball player
  • 1974 – Radek Černý, Czech international footballer, goalkeeper
  • 1974 – Ruby Dhalla, Canadian chiropractor and politician
  • 1974 – Julia Butterfly Hill, American environmentalist and author
  • 1974 – Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russian tennis player
  • 1974 – Jillian Michaels, American fitness trainer and author
  • 1975 – Gary Neville, English footballer and coach
  • 1976 – Leilani Munter, American race car driver and environmentalist
  • 1976 – Chanda Rubin, American tennis player
  • 1976 – Bernadette Sembrano, Filipino journalist
  • 1978 – Josip Šimunić, Croatian footballer
  • 1979 – Tinu Yohannan, Indian cricketer
  • 1980 – Aivar Anniste, Estonian footballer
  • 1980 – Nik Antropov, Kazakhstani-Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Regina Spektor, Russian-American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1981 – Andrei Kirilenko, Russian basketball player
  • 1981 – Alex Ríos, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Ivan Sproule, Northern Irish footballer
  • 1981 – Larry Sweeney, American wrestler and manager (d. 2011)
  • 1982 – Juelz Santana, American rapper and actor
  • 1982 – Christian Tiffert, German footballer
  • 1983 – Jermaine Jenas, English international footballer, midfielder, pundit
  • 1984 – Carlos Kameni, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1985 – Anton Ferdinand, English footballer
  • 1985 – Lee Boyd Malvo, Jamaican-American murderer
  • 1985 – Jos van Emden, Dutch cyclist
  • 1986 – Robert DeLong, American singer-songwriter
  • 1986 – Marc Torrejón, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Cristian Tănase, Romanian footballer
  • 1988 – Changmin, South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
  • 1990 – Didi Gregorius, Dutch baseball player
  • 1990 – Cody Hodgson, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1991 – Sebastian Neumann, German footballer
  • 1991 – Henry Surtees, English race car driver (d. 2009)
  • 1994 – Jake Trbojevic, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – J-Hope, South Korean rapper, dancer, singer-songwriter

Deaths on February 18

  • 675 – Colmán, bishop of Lindisfarne
  • 814 – Angilbert, Frankish monk and diplomat (b. 760)
  • 901 – Thābit ibn Qurra, Arab astronomer and physician (b. 826)
  • 999 – Gregory V, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 972)
  • 1139 – Yaropolk II, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1082)
  • 1218 – Berthold V, duke of Zähringen (b. 1160)
  • 1225 – Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk, Norman nobleman
  • 1294 – Kublai Khan, Mongol emperor (b. 1215)
  • 1379 – Albert II, duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1318)
  • 1397 – Enguerrand VII, French nobleman (b. 1340)
  • 1405 – Timur, Turco-Mongol ruler (b. 1336)
  • 1455 – Fra Angelico, Italian priest and painter (b. 1395)
  • 1478 – George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, English nobleman (b. 1449)
  • 1502 – Hedwig Jagiellon, duchess of Bavaria (b. 1457)
  • 1535 – Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, German magician, astrologer, and theologian (b. 1486)
  • 1546 – Martin Luther, German priest and theologian, leader of the Protestant Reformation (b. 1483)
  • 1564 – Michelangelo, Italian sculptor and painter (b. 1475)
  • 1654 – Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, French author (b. 1594)
  • 1658 – John Villiers, 1st Viscount Purbeck, English courtier (b. c. 1591)
  • 1683 – Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Dutch painter (b. 1620)
  • 1695 – William Phips, governor of Massachusetts (b. 1650)
  • 1712 – Louis, Dauphin of France, (b. 1682)
  • 1743 – Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, Italian noble (b. 1667)
  • 1748 – Otto Ferdinand von Abensberg und Traun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1677)
  • 1772 – Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish politician (b. 1712)
  • 1778 – Joseph Marie Terray, French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1715)
  • 1780 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian pastor and poet (b. 1714)
  • 1788 – John Whitehurst, English geologist and clockmaker (b. 1713)
  • 1803 – Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet and educator (b. 1719)
  • 1851 – Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, German mathematician and academic (b. 1804)
  • 1873 – Vasil Levski, Bulgarian activist, founded the Internal Revolutionary Organization (b. 1837)
  • 1880 – Nikolay Zinin, Russian organic chemist (b. 1812)
  • 1893 – Serranus Clinton Hastings, American lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Justice of California (b. 1814)
  • 1902 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American businessman, founded Tiffany & Co. (b. 1812)
  • 1906 – John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (b. 1830)
  • 1910 – Lucy Stanton, American activist (b. 1831)
  • 1911 – Billy Murdoch, Australian cricketer (b. 1854)
  • 1915 – Frank James, American soldier and criminal (b. 1843)
  • 1923 – Alois Rašín, Czech economist and politician (b. 1867)
  • 1931 – Milan Šufflay, Croatian historian, author, and politician (b. 1879)
  • 1931 – Louis Wolheim, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1880)
  • 1933 – James J. Corbett, American boxer and actor (b. 1866)
  • 1938 – David King Udall, American missionary and politician (b. 1851)
  • 1942 – Albert Payson Terhune, American journalist and author (b. 1872)
  • 1945 – Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Russian general (b. 1906)
  • 1956 – Gustave Charpentier, French composer (b. 1860)
  • 1957 – Dedan Kimathi, Kenyan rebel leader (b. 1920)
  • 1957 – Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer, astrophysicist, and academic (b. 1877)
  • 1960 – Gertrude Vanderbilt, American stage actress (b. c. 1885)
  • 1964 – Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Canadian inventor and businessman, founded Bombardier Inc. (b. 1907)
  • 1966 – Robert Rossen, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 1967 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist and academic (b. 1904)
  • 1969 – Dragiša Cvetković, Serbian lawyer and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1893)
  • 1973 – Frank Costello, Italian-American gangster (b. 1891)
  • 1976 – Wallace Berman, American painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
  • 1977 – Andy Devine, American actor (b. 1905)
  • 1978 – Maggie McNamara, American actress (b. 1928)
  • 1981 – Jack Northrop, American engineer and businessman, founded the Northrop Corporation (b. 1895)
  • 1982 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author (b. 1895)
  • 1989 – Mildred Burke, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1915)
  • 1990 – Richard de Zoysa, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1958)
  • 1993 – Jacqueline Hill, English actress (b. 1929)
  • 1995 – Eddie Gilbert, American wrestler (b. 1961)
  • 1995 – Bob Stinson, American guitarist (b. 1959)
  • 1997 – Emily Hahn, American journalist and author (b. 1905)
  • 1998 – Harry Caray, American sportscaster (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Balthus, Polish-Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1908)
  • 2001 – Dale Earnhardt, American stock car racer and team owner (b. 1951)
  • 2001 – Eddie Mathews, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
  • 2003 – Isser Harel, Belarusian-Israeli intelligence officer (b. 1912)
  • 2006 – Bill Cowsill, American singer and guitarist (b. 1948)
  • 2008 – Alain Robbe-Grillet, French director, screenwriter, and novelist (b. 1922)
  • 2009 – Tayeb Salih, Sudanese journalist and author (b. 1929)
  • 2009 – Miika Tenkula, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1974)
  • 2010 – John Babcock, Canadian soldier (b. 1900)
  • 2012 – George Brizan, Grenadian politician, 9th Prime Minister of Grenada (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Elizabeth Connell, South African-English soprano (b. 1946)
  • 2013 – Kevin Ayers, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
  • 2013 – Jerry Buss, American chemist and businessman (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Mavis Gallant, Canadian-French author and playwright (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Kristof Goddaert, Belgian cyclist (b. 1986)
  • 2014 – Nikhil Baran Sengupta, Indian art director and production designer (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Maria Franziska von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (b. 1914)
  • 2015 – Cass Ballenger, American lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Jerome Kersey, American basketball player and coach (b. 1962)
  • 2016 – Abdul Rashid Khan, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1908)
  • 2016 – Pantelis Pantelidis, Greek singer (b. 1983)
  • 2017 – Ivan Koloff, Canadian wrestler (b. 1942)
  • 2017 – Norma McCorvey, American abortion rights activist; Plaintiff, Roe v. Wade (b. 1947)
  • 2017 – Clyde Stubblefield, American drummer (b. 1943)
  • 2019 – Alessandro Mendini, Italian designer and architect (b.1931)

Holidays and observances on February 18

  • Christian feast day:
    • Bernadette Soubirous (France)
    • Colmán of Lindisfarne
    • Flavian of Constantinople
    • Geltrude Comensoli
    • Simeon of Jerusalem (Western Christianity)
    • February 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Dialect Day (Amami Islands, Japan)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Gambia from the United Kingdom in 1965.
  • Kurdish Students Union Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
  • National Democracy Day, celebrates the 1951 overthrow of the Rana dynasty (Nepal)
  • Wife’s Day (Konudagur) (Iceland)

February 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
  • AD 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming of age clears the way for Nero to become Emperor.
  • 1534 – Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.
  • 1659 – The assault on Copenhagen by Swedish forces is beaten back with heavy losses.
  • 1794 – First session of United States Senate opens to the public.
  • 1808 – Jesse Fell burns anthracite on an open grate as an experiment in heating homes with coal.
  • 1812 – Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry is accused of “gerrymandering” for the first time.
  • 1823 – Carnival tragedy of 1823: About 110 boys are killed during a stampede at the Convent of the Minori Osservanti in Valletta, Malta.
  • 1826 – University College London is founded as University of London.
  • 1840 – Gaetano Donizetti’s opera La fille du régiment receives its first performance in Paris, France.
  • 1843 – Giuseppe Verdi’s opera I Lombardi alla prima crociata receives its first performance in Milan, Italy.
  • 1855 – Kassa Hailu is crowned Tewodros II, Emperor of Ethiopia.
  • 1856 – The Kingdom of Awadh is annexed by the British East India Company and Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh, is deposed.
  • 1858 – Bernadette Soubirous’s first vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: The United States House of Representatives unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.
  • 1873 – King Amadeo I of Spain abdicates.
  • 1889 – Meiji Constitution of Japan is adopted.
  • 1903 – Anton Bruckner’s 9th Symphony receives its first performance in Vienna, Austria.
  • 1906 – Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer Nos.
  • 1919 – Friedrich Ebert (SPD), is elected President of Germany.
  • 1929 – Kingdom of Italy and the Vatican sign the Lateran Treaty.
  • 1937 – The Flint sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the United Auto Workers trade union.
  • 1938 – BBC Television produces the world’s first ever science fiction television programme, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Čapek play R.U.R., that coined the term “robot”.
  • 1942 – World War II: Second day of the Battle of Bukit Timah is fought in Singapore.
  • 1953 – Cold War: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower denies all appeals for clemency for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
  • 1953 – The Soviet Union breaks off diplomatic relations with Israel.
  • 1959 – The Federation of Arab Emirates of the South is created as a protectorate of the United Kingdom.
  • 1970 – Japan launches Ohsumi, becoming the fourth nation to put an object into orbit using its own booster.
  • 1971 – Cold War: the Seabed Arms Control Treaty opened for signature outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor in international waters.
  • 1979 – The Iranian Revolution establishes an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
  • 1990 – Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner.
  • 1990 – Buster Douglas, a 42:1 underdog, knocks out Mike Tyson in ten rounds at Tokyo to win boxing’s world Heavyweight title.
  • 1997 – Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • 1999 – Pluto crosses Neptune’s orbit, ending a nearly 20-year period when it was closer to the Sun than the gas giant; Pluto is not expected to interact with Neptune’s orbit again until 2231.
  • 2001 – A Dutch programmer launched the Anna Kournikova virus infecting millions of emails via a trick photo of the tennis star.
  • 2008 – Rebel East Timorese soldiers seriously wound President José Ramos-Horta. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado is killed in the attack.
  • 2011 – Arab Spring: The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 17 days of protests.
  • 2013 – The Vatican confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI would resign the papacy as a result of his advanced age.
  • 2014 – A military transport plane crashes in a mountainous area of Oum El Bouaghi Province in eastern Algeria, killing 77 people.
  • 2015 – A university student was murdered as she resisted an attempted rape in Turkey, sparking nationwide protests and public outcry against harassment and violence against women.
  • 2016 – A man shoots six people dead at an education center in Jizan Province, Saudi Arabia.
  • 2017 – North Korea test fires a ballistic missile across the Sea of Japan.
  • 2018 – Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashes near Moscow, Russia with 71 deaths and no survivors.

Births on February 11

  • 1380 – Poggio Bracciolini, Italian scholar and translator (d. 1459)
  • 1466 – Elizabeth of York (d. 1503)
  • 1535 – Pope Gregory XIV (d. 1591)
  • 1568 – Honoré d’Urfé, French author and playwright (d. 1625)
  • 1649 – William Carstares, Scottish minister and academic (d. 1715)
  • 1657 – Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, French poet and playwright (d. 1757)
  • 1708 – Egidio Duni, Italian composer (d. 1775)
  • 1764 – Joseph Chénier, French poet and playwright (d. 1811)
  • 1776 – Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greek politician, 1st Governor of Greece (d. 1831)
  • 1800 – Henry Fox Talbot, English photographer and politician, invented the calotype (d. 1877)
  • 1802 – Lydia Maria Child, American journalist, author, and activist (d. 1880)
  • 1805 – Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, Native American-French Canadian explorer (d. 1866)
  • 1812 – Alexander H. Stephens, American lawyer and politician, Vice President of the Confederate States of America (d. 1883)
  • 1813 – Otto Ludwig, German author, playwright, and critic (d. 1865)
  • 1821 – Auguste Mariette, French archaeologist and scholar (d. 1881)
  • 1830 – Hans Bronsart von Schellendorff, Prussian pianist and composer (d. 1913)
  • 1833 – Melville Fuller, American lawyer and jurist, Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1910)
  • 1839 – Josiah Willard Gibbs, American physicist (d. 1903)
  • 1845 – Ahmet Tevfik Pasha, Ottoman soldier and politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1936)
  • 1847 – Thomas Edison, American engineer and businessman, developed the light bulb and phonograph (d. 1931)
  • 1855 – Ellen Day Hale, American painter and author (b. 1855)
  • 1860 – Rachilde, French author and playwright (d. 1953)
  • 1863 – John F. Fitzgerald, American politician; Mayor of Boston (d. 1950)
  • 1864 – Louis Bouveault, French chemist (d. 1909)
  • 1869 – Helene Kröller-Müller, German-Dutch art collector and philanthropist, founded the Kröller-Müller Museum (d. 1939)
  • 1869 – Else Lasker-Schüler, German poet and author (d. 1945)
  • 1874 – Elsa Beskow, Swedish author and illustrator (d. 1953)
  • 1881 – Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (d. 1966)
  • 1897 – Emil Leon Post, Polish-American mathematician and logician (d.1954)
  • 1898 – Leo Szilard, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 1964)
  • 1900 – Ellen Broe, Danish nurse, pioneer in nursing education (d. 1994)
  • 1900 – Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher and scholar (d. 2002)
  • 1900 – Jōsei Toda, Japanese educator and activist (d. 1958)
  • 1902 – Arne Jacobsen, Danish architect, designed Radisson Blu Royal Hotel (d. 1971)
  • 1904 – Keith Holyoake, New Zealand farmer and politician, Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1983)
  • 1904 – Lucile Randon, French Supercentenarian
  • 1908 – Philip Dunne, American screenwriter (d. 1992)
  • 1908 – Vivian Fuchs, English explorer (d. 1999)
  • 1909 – Max Baer, American boxer and actor (d. 1959)
  • 1909 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1912 – Rudolf Firkušný, Czech-American pianist and educator (d. 1994)
  • 1914 – Matt Dennis, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Josh White, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1969)
  • 1915 – Patrick Leigh Fermor, English soldier, author, and scholar (d. 2011)
  • 1915 – Richard Hamming, American mathematician and academic (d. 1998)
  • 1917 – Sidney Sheldon, American author and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1920 – Farouk I, King of Egypt (d. 1965)
  • 1920 – Daniel F. Galouye, American author (d. 1976)
  • 1920 – Billy Halop, American actor (d. 1976)
  • 1920 – Daniel James, Jr., American general and pilot (d. 1978)
  • 1921 – Lloyd Bentsen, American colonel and politician, United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 2006)
  • 1921 – Ottavio Missoni, Italian hurdler and fashion designer, founded Missoni (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Antony Flew, English philosopher and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – Budge Patty, American tennis player
  • 1925 – Virginia E. Johnson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Kim Stanley, American actress (d. 2001)
  • 1926 – Paul Bocuse, French chef (d. 2018)
  • 1926 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-American actor and producer (d. 2010)
  • 1930 – Roy De Forest, American painter and academic (d. 2007).
  • 1932 – Dennis Skinner, English miner and politician
  • 1934 – Mel Carnahan, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, Governor of Missouri (d. 2000)
  • 1934 – Tina Louise, American actress and singer
  • 1934 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and politician, Military leader of Panama (d. 2017)
  • 1934 – Mary Quant, British fashion designer
  • 1934 – David Taylor, English veterinarian and television host (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Gene Vincent, American singer and guitarist (d. 1971)
  • 1936 – Burt Reynolds, American actor and director (d. 2018)
  • 1937 – Ian Gow, British Member of Parliament who was assassinated by the IRA (d. 1990)
  • 1937 – Bill Lawry, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1937 – Eddie Shack, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1937 – Phillip Walker, American singer and guitarist (d. 2010)
  • 1938 – Bevan Congdon, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Gerry Goffin, American songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Mick Staton, American soldier and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1941 – Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian pianist and composer
  • 1942 – Otis Clay, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1943 – Joselito, Spanish singer and actor
  • 1943 – Alan Rubin, American trumpet player (d. 2011)
  • 1944 – Mike Oxley, American lawyer and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1944 – Joy Williams, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist
  • 1946 – Ian Porterfield, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2007)
  • 1947 – Yukio Hatoyama, Japanese engineer and politician and Prime Minister of Japan
  • 1947 – Derek Shulman, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1951 – Mike Leavitt, American politician, 14th Governor of Utah
  • 1953 – Philip Anglim, American actor
  • 1953 – Jeb Bush, American banker, politician and Governor of Florida
  • 1953 – Tom Veryzer, American baseball player (d. 2014)
  • 1954 – Wesley Strick, American director and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Didier Lockwood, French violinist (d. 2018)
  • 1959 – Roberto Moreno, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1960 – Richard Mastracchio, American engineer and astronaut
  • 1962 – Tammy Baldwin, American lawyer and politician
  • 1962 – Sheryl Crow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1964 – Sarah Palin, American journalist, politician and Governor of Alaska
  • 1964 – Ken Shamrock, American martial artist and wrestler
  • 1965 – Vicki Wilson, Australian netball player
  • 1968 – Mo Willems, American author and illustrator
  • 1969 – Jennifer Aniston, American actress and producer
  • 1969 – Andreas Hilfiker, Swiss footballer
  • 1969 – John Salako, Nigerian-English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Damian Lewis, English actor
  • 1972 – Steve McManaman, English footballer
  • 1973 – Varg Vikernes, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter
  • 1974 – Nick Barmby, English international footballer, midfielder and manager
  • 1974 – D’Angelo, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1974 – Jaroslav Špaček, Czech ice hockey player and coach
  • 1975 – Andy Lally, American race car driver
  • 1975 – Callum Thorp, Australian cricketer
  • 1975 – Jacque Vaughn, American basketball player and coach
  • 1976 – Tony Battie, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1979 – Brandy Norwood, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1982 – Ľubomíra Kalinová, Slovak biathlete
  • 1982 – Neil Robertson, Australian snooker player
  • 1983 – Rafael van der Vaart, Dutch international footballer, midfielder
  • 1984 – Maarten Heisen, Dutch sprinter
  • 1984 – Marco Marcato, Italian cyclist
  • 1984 – Maxime Talbot, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Šárka Strachová, Czech skier
  • 1987 – Luca Antonelli, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Juanmi Callejón, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Ellen van Dijk, Dutch cyclist
  • 1987 – Brian Matusz, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Jan Smeekens, Dutch speed skater
  • 1988 – Vlad Moldoveanu, Romanian basketball player
  • 1990 – Javier Aquino, Mexican footballer
  • 1991 – Nikola Mirotic, Spanish basketball player
  • 1992 – Lasse Norman Hansen, Danish track and road cyclist
  • 1993 – Ben McLemore, American basketball player
  • 1994 – Dansby Swanson, American baseball player
  • 1996 – Jonathan Tah, German footballer

Deaths on February 11

  • AD 55 – Britannicus, Roman son of Claudius (b. 41)
  • 244 – Gordian III, Roman emperor (b. 225)
  • 641 – Heraclius, Byzantine emperor (b. 575)
  • 731 – Pope Gregory II (b. 669)
  • 824 – Pope Paschal I
  • 1141 – Hugh of Saint Victor, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1096)
  • 1503 – Elizabeth of York (b. 1466)
  • 1626 – Pietro Cataldi, Italian mathematician and astronomer (b. 1548)
  • 1650 – René Descartes, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1596)
  • 1755 – Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist, playwright, and critic (b. 1675)
  • 1763 – William Shenstone, English poet and gardener (b. 1714)
  • 1795 – Carl Michael Bellman, Swedish poet and composer (b. 1740)
  • 1829 – Alexander Griboyedov, Russian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1795)
  • 1862 – Elizabeth Siddal, English poet and artist’s model (b. 1829)
  • 1868 – Léon Foucault, French physicist and academic (b. 1819)
  • 1898 – Félix María Zuloaga, Mexican general and unconstitutional interim president (1858 and 1860-1862) (b. 1813)
  • 1901 – Milan I of Serbia (b. 1855)
  • 1917 – Oswaldo Cruz, Brazilian physician and epidemiologist (b. 1872)
  • 1918 – Alexey Kaledin, Russian general (b. 1861)
  • 1931 – Charles Algernon Parsons, English-Irish engineer, invented the steam turbine (b. 1854)
  • 1940 – John Buchan, Scottish-Canadian historian and politician, Governor General of Canada (b. 1875)
  • 1940 – Ellen Day Hale, American painter and author (b. 1855)
  • 1942 – Jamnalal Bajaj, Indian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1884)
  • 1947 – Martin Klein, Estonian wrestler and coach (b. 1884)
  • 1948 – Sergei Eisenstein, Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1898)
  • 1949 – Axel Munthe, Swedish doctor (b. 1857)
  • 1958 – Ernest Jones, Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1879)
  • 1963 – John Olof Dahlgren, Swedish-American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1872)
  • 1963 – Sylvia Plath, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1932)
  • 1967 – A. J. Muste, Dutch-American minister and activist (b. 1885)
  • 1968 – Howard Lindsay, American playwright (b. 1889)
  • 1973 – J. Hans D. Jensen, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
  • 1975 – Richard Ratsimandrava, Malagasy colonel and politician, President of Madagascar (b. 1931)
  • 1976 – Lee J. Cobb, American actor (b. 1911)
  • 1976 – Alexander Lippisch, German pilot and engineer (b. 1894)
  • 1977 – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, President of India (b. 1905)
  • 1977 – Louis Beel, Dutch academic and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1902)
  • 1978 – James Bryant Conant, American chemist and academic (b. 1893)
  • 1978 – Harry Martinson, Swedish novelist, essayist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
  • 1982 – Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (b. 1912)
  • 1985 – Henry Hathaway, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1898)
  • 1986 – Frank Herbert, American journalist and author (b. 1920)
  • 1989 – George O’Hanlon, American actor and voice artist (b. 1912)
  • 1993 – Robert W. Holley, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1922)
  • 1994 – Neil Bonnett, American race car driver (b. 1946)
  • 1994 – Sorrell Booke, American lieutenant, actor, and director (b. 1930)
  • 1994 – William Conrad, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1920)
  • 1994 – Paul Feyerabend, Austrian-Swiss philosopher and academic (b. 1924)
  • 1996 – Amelia Rosselli, Italian poet and author (b. 1930)
  • 2000 – Lord Kitchner, Trinidadian singer (b. 1922)
  • 2000 – Roger Vadim, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
  • 2002 – Frankie Crosetti, American baseball player and coach (b. 1910)
  • 2002 – Barry Foster, English actor (b. 1931)
  • 2004 – Shirley Strickland, Australian runner (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – Jack L. Chalker, American author (b. 1944)
  • 2006 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (b. 1940)
  • 2006 – Ken Fletcher, Australian tennis player (b. 1940)
  • 2006 – Jackie Pallo, English wrestler and actor (b. 1926)
  • 2008 – Tom Lantos, American lawyer and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2008 – Frank Piasecki, American engineer (b. 1919)
  • 2009 – Estelle Bennett, American singer (b. 1941)
  • 2009 – Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch-American physician and academic (b. 1911)
  • 2010 – Heward Grafftey, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2010 – Alexander McQueen, English fashion designer, founder of his eponymous brand (b. 1969)
  • 2011 – Chuck Tanner, American baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Siri Bjerke, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of the Environment (b. 1958)
  • 2012 – Aharon Davidi, Israeli general (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Whitney Houston, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (b. 1963)
  • 2013 – Rick Huxley, English bass player (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Tito Canepa, Dominican-American painter (b. 1916)
  • 2014 – Fernando González Pacheco, Colombian journalist and actor (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Roger Hanin, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Bob Simon, American journalist (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2016 – Kevin Randleman, American mixed martial artist and wrestler (b. 1971)
  • 2016 – Zeng Xuelin, Thai-Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1929)
  • 2017 – Fab Melo, Brazilian basketball player (b. 1990)
  • 2017 – Jaap Rijks, Dutch Olympian (b. 1919)
  • 2018 – Vic Damone, American singer, songwriter and actor (b. 1928)
  • 2018 – Asma Jahangir, Pakistani human-rights lawyer and social activist (b. 1952)
  • 2018 – Jan Maxwell, American stage and television actress (b. 1956)
  • 2018 – Qazi Wajid, Pakistani drama actor, writer and artist (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances on February 11

  • Christian feast day:
    • Blaise Eastern Orthodox liturgics
    • Cædmon, first recorded Christian poet in England, circa 680 CE (Anglicanism)
    • Gobnait
    • Gregory II
    • Lazarus of Milan
  • European 112 Day (European Union)
  • Armed Forces Day (Liberia)
  • Evelio Javier Day (Panay Island, the Philippines)
  • Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes (Catholic Church), and its related observance
    • World Day of the Sick (Roman Catholic Church)
  • Inventors’ Day (United States)
  • National Foundation Day (Japan)
  • Youth Day (Cameroon)
  • International Day of Women and Girls in Science (UN Women)

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

On This Day

February 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • AD 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
  • 756 – An Lushan, leader of a revolt against the Tang Dynasty, declares himself emperor and establishes the state of Yan.
  • 789 – Idris I reaches Volubilis and founds the Idrisid dynasty, ceding Morocco from the Abbasid caliphate and founding the first Moroccan state.
  • 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
  • 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society.
  • 1649 – Charles Stuart, the son of King Charles I, is declared King Charles II of England and Scotland by the Scottish Parliament.
  • 1778 – South Carolina becomes the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
  • 1782 – Spanish defeat British forces and capture Menorca.
  • 1783 – In Calabria, a sequence of strong earthquakes begins.
  • 1807 – HMS Blenheim and HMS Java disappear off the coast of Rodrigues.
  • 1810 – Peninsular War: Siege of Cádiz begins.
  • 1818 – Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
  • 1849 – University of Wisconsin–Madison’s first class meets at Madison Female Academy.
  • 1852 – The New Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, opens to the public.
  • 1859 – Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Moldavia, is also elected as the prince of Wallachia, joining the two principalities as a personal union called the United Principalities, an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire, which ushered the birth of the modern Romanian state.
  • 1862 – Moldavia and Wallachia formally unite to create the Romanian United Principalities.
  • 1869 – The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, called the “Welcome Stranger”, is found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia.
  • 1885 – King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo as a personal possession.
  • 1905 – In Mexico, the General Hospital of Mexico is inaugurated, started with four basic specialties.
  • 1907 – Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announces the creation of Bakelite, the world’s first synthetic plastic.
  • 1913 – Greek military aviators, Michael Moutoussis and Aristeidis Moraitinis perform the first naval air mission in history, with a Farman MF.7 hydroplane.
  • 1917 – The current constitution of Mexico is adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
  • 1917 – The Congress of the United States passes the Immigration Act of 1917 over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto.
  • 1918 – Stephen W. Thompson shoots down a German airplane; this is the first aerial victory by the U.S. military.
  • 1918 – SS Tuscania is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland; it is the first ship carrying American troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk.
  • 1919 – Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith launch United Artists.
  • 1924 – The Royal Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal.
  • 1933 – Mutiny on Royal Netherlands Navy warship HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën off the coast of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies.
  • 1939 – Generalísimo Francisco Franco becomes the 68th “Caudillo de España“, or Leader of Spain.
  • 1941 – World War II: Allied forces begin the Battle of Keren to capture Keren, Eritrea.
  • 1945 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila.
  • 1958 – Gamal Abdel Nasser is nominated to be the first president of the United Arab Republic.
  • 1958 – A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb is lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered.
  • 1962 – French President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria to be granted independence.
  • 1963 – The European Court of Justice’s ruling in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen establishes the principle of direct effect, one of the most important, if not the most important, decisions in the development of European Union law.
  • 1971 – Astronauts land on the moon in the Apollo 14 mission.
  • 1975 – Riots break in Lima, Peru after the police forces go on strike the day before. The uprising (locally known as the Limazo) is bloodily suppressed by the military dictatorship.
  • 1985 – Ugo Vetere, then the mayor of Rome, and Chedli Klibi, then the mayor of Carthage meet in Tunis to sign a treaty of friendship officially ending the Third Punic War which lasted 2,131 years.
  • 1988 – Manuel Noriega is indicted on drug smuggling and money laundering charges.
  • 1994 – Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
  • 1994 – Markale massacres, more than 60 people are killed and some 200 wounded as a mortar shell explodes in a downtown marketplace in Sarajevo.
  • 1997 – The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families.
  • 2000 – Russian forces massacre at least 60 civilians in the Novye Aldi suburb of Grozny, Chechnya.
  • 2004 – Rebels from the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front capture the city of Gonaïves, starting the 2004 Haiti rebellion.
  • 2008 – A major tornado outbreak across the Southern United States kills 57.
  • 2020 – United States President Donald Trump is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.

Births on February 5

  • 976 – Sanjō, emperor of Japan (d. 1017)
  • 1321 – John II, marquess of Montferrat (d. 1372)
  • 1438 – Philip II, duke of Savoy (d. 1497)
  • 1505 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss statesman and historian (d. 1572)
  • 1519 – René of Châlon, prince of Orange (d. 1544)
  • 1525 – Juraj Drašković, Croatian Catholic cardinal (d. 1587)
  • 1533 – Andreas Dudith, Croatian-Hungarian nobleman and diplomat (d. 1589)
  • 1534 – Giovanni de’ Bardi, Italian soldier, composer, and critic (d. 1612)
  • 1589 – Esteban Manuel de Villegas, Spanish poet and educator (d. 1669)
  • 1594 – Biagio Marini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1663)
  • 1605 – Bernard of Corleone, Italian saint (d. 1667)
  • 1608 – Gaspar Schott, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1666)
  • 1626 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (d. 1696)
  • 1650 – Anne Jules de Noailles, French general (d. 1708)
  • 1703 – Gilbert Tennent, Irish-American minister (d. 1764)
  • 1723 – John Witherspoon, Scottish-American minister and academic (d. 1794)
  • 1725 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
  • 1748 – Christian Gottlob Neefe, German composer and conductor (d. 1798)
  • 1788 – Robert Peel, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1850)
  • 1795 – Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger, Austrian mineralogist, geologist, and physicist (d. 1871)
  • 1804 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet and hymn-writer (d. 1877)
  • 1808 – Carl Spitzweg, German painter and poet (d. 1885)
  • 1810 – Ole Bull, Norwegian violinist and composer (d. 1880)
  • 1827 – Peter Lalor, Irish-Australian activist and politician (d. 1889)
  • 1837 – Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Church, Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publishers (d. 1899)
  • 1840 – John Boyd Dunlop, Scottish businessman, co-founded Dunlop Rubber (d. 1921)
  • 1840 – Hiram Maxim, American engineer, invented the Maxim gun (d. 1916)
  • 1847 – Eduard Magnus Jakobson, Estonian missionary and engraver (d. 1903)
  • 1848 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (d. 1907)
  • 1848 – Ignacio Carrera Pinto, Chilean lieutenant (d. 1882)
  • 1852 – Terauchi Masatake, Japanese field marshal and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1919)
  • 1866 – Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Irish politician, 3rd and last Governor-General of the Irish Free State (d. 1963)
  • 1870 – Charles Edmund Brock, British painter and book illustrator (d. 1938)
  • 1876 – Ernie McLea, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1931)
  • 1878 – André Citroën, French engineer and businessman, founded Citroën (d. 1935)
  • 1880 – Gabriel Voisin, French pilot and engineer (d. 1973)
  • 1889 – Patsy Hendren, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1962)
  • 1889 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (d. 1962)
  • 1889 – Recep Peker, Turkish officer and politician (d. 1950)
  • 1891 – Renato Petronio, Italian rower (d. 1976)
  • 1892 – Elizabeth Ryan, American tennis player (d. 1979)
  • 1897 – Dirk Stikker, Dutch businessman and politician, 3rd Secretary General of NATO (d. 1979)
  • 1900 – Adlai Stevenson II, American soldier, politician, and diplomat, 5th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1965)
  • 1903 – Koto Matsudaira, Japanese diplomat, ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1994)
  • 1903 – Joan Whitney Payson, American businesswoman and philanthropist (d. 1975)
  • 1906 – John Carradine, American actor (d. 1988)
  • 1907 – Birgit Dalland, Norwegian politician (d. 2007)
  • 1907 – Pierre Pflimlin, French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2000)
  • 1908 – Marie Baron, Dutch swimmer and diver (d. 1948)
  • 1908 – Peg Entwistle, Welsh-American actress (d. 1932)
  • 1908 – Daisy and Violet Hilton, English conjoined twins (d. 1969)
  • 1908 – Eugen Weidmann, German criminal (d. 1939)
  • 1909 – Grażyna Bacewicz, Polish violinist and composer (d. 1969)
  • 1910 – Charles Philippe Leblond, French-Canadian biologist and academic (d. 2007)
  • 1910 – Francisco Varallo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2010)
  • 1911 – Jussi Björling, Swedish tenor (d. 1960)
  • 1914 – William S. Burroughs, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1997)
  • 1914 – Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, English physiologist, biophysicist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
  • 1915 – Robert Hofstadter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
  • 1917 – Edward J. Mortola, American academic and president of Pace University (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Isuzu Yamada, Japanese actress (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Red Buttons, American actor (d. 2006)
  • 1919 – Tim Holt, American actor (d. 1973)
  • 1919 – Andreas Papandreou, Greek economist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1996)
  • 1921 – Ken Adam, German-born English production designer and art director (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – Claude King, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – James E. Bowman, American physician and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1924 – Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, Indian cardinal (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – Robert Allen, American pianist and composer (d. 2000)
  • 1927 – Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Dutch captain and pilot (d. 1977)
  • 1928 – Tage Danielsson, Swedish author, actor, and director (d. 1985)
  • 1928 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – P. J. Vatikiotis, Israeli-American historian and political scientist (d. 1997)
  • 1929 – Hal Blaine, American session drummer (d. 2019)
  • 1929 – Luc Ferrari, French pianist and composer (d. 2005)
  • 1929 – Fred Sinowatz, Austrian politician, 19th Chancellor of Austria (d. 2008)
  • 1932 – Cesare Maldini, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
  • 1933 – Jörn Donner, Finnish director and screenwriter (d. 2020)
  • 1933 – B. S. Johnson, English author, poet, and critic (d. 1973)
  • 1934 – Hank Aaron, American baseball player
  • 1934 – Don Cherry, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1935 – Alex Harvey, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1982)
  • 1935 – Johannes Geldenhuys, South African military commander (d. 2018)
  • 1936 – K. S. Nissar Ahmed, Indian poet and academic
  • 1937 – Stuart Damon, American actor and singer
  • 1937 – Larry Hillman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1937 – Gaston Roelants, Belgian runner
  • 1937 – Alar Toomre, Estonian-American astronomer and mathematician
  • 1937 – Wang Xuan, Chinese computer scientist and academic (d. 2006)
  • 1938 – Rafael Nieto Navia, Colombian lawyer, jurist, and diplomat
  • 1939 – Brian Luckhurst, English cricketer (d. 2005)
  • 1940 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Luke Graham, American wrestler (d. 2006)
  • 1941 – Stephen J. Cannell, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1941 – Henson Cargill, American country music singer (d. 2007)
  • 1941 – David Selby, American actor and playwright
  • 1941 – Barrett Strong, American soul singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1941 – Kaspar Villiger, Swiss engineer and politician, 85th President of the Swiss Confederation
  • 1941 – Cory Wells, American pop-rock singer (d. 2015)
  • 1942 – Roger Staubach, American football player, sportscaster, and businessman
  • 1943 – Nolan Bushnell, American engineer and businessman, founded Atari, Inc.
  • 1943 – Michael Mann, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1943 – Craig Morton, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1943 – Dušan Uhrin, Czech and Slovak footballer and manager
  • 1944 – J. R. Cobb, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1944 – Henfil, Brazilian journalist, author, and illustrator (d. 1988)
  • 1944 – Al Kooper, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1944 – Tamanoumi Masahiro, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 51st Yokozuna (d. 1971)
  • 1945 – Douglas Hogg, English lawyer and politician, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
  • 1946 – Amnon Dankner, Israeli journalist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1946 – Charlotte Rampling, English actress
  • 1947 – Mary L. Cleave, American engineer and astronaut
  • 1947 – Clemente Mastella, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Justice
  • 1947 – Darrell Waltrip, American race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1948 – Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish footballer and manager
  • 1948 – Christopher Guest, American actor and director
  • 1948 – Barbara Hershey, American actress
  • 1948 – Errol Morris, American director and producer
  • 1948 – Tom Wilkinson, English actor
  • 1949 – Kurt Beck, German politician
  • 1949 – Yvon Vallières, Canadian educator and politician
  • 1950 – Jonathan Freeman, American actor and singer
  • 1950 – Rafael Puente, Mexican footballer
  • 1951 – Nikolay Merkushkin, Mordovian engineer and politician, 1st Head of the Republic of Mordovia
  • 1952 – Daniel Balavoine, French singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1986)
  • 1952 – Vladimir Moskovkin, Ukrainian-Russian geographer, economist, and academic
  • 1953 – Freddie Aguilar, Filipino singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – John Beilein, American basketball player and coach
  • 1953 – Gustavo Benítez, Paraguayan footballer and manager
  • 1954 – Cliff Martinez, American drummer and songwriter
  • 1954 – Frank Walker, Australian journalist and author
  • 1955 – Mike Heath, American baseball player and manager
  • 1956 – Vinnie Colaiuta, American drummer
  • 1956 – Héctor Rebaque, Mexican race car driver
  • 1956 – David Wiesner, American author and illustrator
  • 1956 – Mao Daichi, Japanese actress
  • 1957 – Jüri Tamm, Estonian hammer thrower and politician
  • 1959 – Jennifer Granholm, Canadian-American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Michigan
  • 1960 – Aris Christofellis, Greek soprano and musicologist
  • 1960 – Bonnie Crombie, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 6th Mayor of Mississauga
  • 1960 – Micky Hazard, English footballer, central midfielder
  • 1961 – Savvas Kofidis, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Tim Meadows, American actor and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress, screenwriter, producer and director
  • 1963 – Steven Shainberg, American film director and producer
  • 1964 – Laura Linney, American actress
  • 1964 – Ha Seungmoo, Korean Poet, Pastor, Historical theologian
  • 1964 – Duff McKagan, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
  • 1965 – Tarik Benhabiles, Algerian-French tennis player and coach
  • 1965 – Gheorghe Hagi, Romanian footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Keith Moseley, American bass player and songwriter
  • 1965 – Quique Sánchez Flores, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1966 – José María Olazábal, Spanish golfer
  • 1966 – Rok Petrovič, Slovenian skier (d. 1993)
  • 1967 – Chris Parnell, American actor and comedian
  • 1968 – Roberto Alomar, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
  • 1968 – Marcus Grönholm, Finnish race car driver
  • 1969 – Bobby Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
  • 1969 – Michael Sheen, Welsh actor and director
  • 1969 – Derek Stephen Prince, American voice actor
  • 1970 – Jean-Marc Jaumin, Belgian basketball player and coach
  • 1970 – Darren Lehmann, Australian cricketer and coach
  • 1971 – Michel Breistroff, French ice hockey player (d. 1996)
  • 1971 – Sara Evans, American country singer
  • 1972 – Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
  • 1972 – Brad Fittler, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Richard Matvichuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1973 – Trijntje Oosterhuis, Dutch singer-songwriter
  • 1973 – Luke Ricketson, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1974 – Michael Maguire, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1975 – Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1976 – John Aloisi, Australian footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor
  • 1977 – Ben Ainslie, English sailor
  • 1977 – Adam Dykes, Australian rugby league player
  • 1977 – Adam Everett, American baseball player and coach
  • 1978 – Brian Russell, American football player
  • 1978 – Samuel Sánchez, Spanish cyclist
  • 1979 – Nate Holzapfel, American entrepreneur and television personality
  • 1980 – Brad Fitzpatrick, American programmer, created LiveJournal
  • 1980 – Jo Swinson, Scottish politician
  • 1981 – Mia Hansen-Løve, French director and screenwriter
  • 1981 – Loukas Vyntra, Czech-Greek footballer
  • 1982 – Laura del Rio, Spanish footballer
  • 1982 – Kevin Everett, American football player
  • 1982 – Tomáš Kopecký, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Rodrigo Palacio, Argentinian footballer
  • 1983 – Anja Hammerseng-Edin, Norwegian handball player
  • 1984 – Carlos Tevez, Argentinian footballer
  • 1985 – Lloyd Johansson, Australian rugby player
  • 1985 – Laurence Maroney, American football player
  • 1985 – Paul Vandervort, American actor, film producer, and former model
  • 1985 – Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer
  • 1986 – Vedran Ćorluka, Croatian footballer, centre back
  • 1986 – Marcos Díaz, Argentinian footballer
  • 1986 – Kevin Gates, American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur
  • 1986 – Sekope Kepu, Australian rugby player
  • 1986 – Billy Sharp, English footballer
  • 1986 – Reed Sorenson, American race car driver
  • 1986 – Carlos Villanueva, Chilean footballer
  • 1987 – Darren Criss, American actor, singer, and entrepreneur
  • 1987 – Curtis Jerrells, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Alex Kuznetsov, Ukrainian-American tennis player
  • 1987 – Linus Omark, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Donald Sanford, American-Israeli sprinter
  • 1988 – Karin Ontiveros, Mexican model
  • 1989 – Marina Melnikova, Russian tennis player
  • 1990 – Dmitry Andreikin, Russian chess player
  • 1990 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Indian cricketer
  • 1990 – Jordan Rhodes, Scottish footballer
  • 1991 – Nabil Bahoui, Swedish footballer
  • 1991 – Gerald Tusha, Albanian footballer
  • 1992 – Stefan de Vrij, Dutch footballer
  • 1992 – Neymar, Brazilian footballer
  • 1993 – Leilani Latu, Australian rugby league player
  • 1993 – Ty Rattie, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1995 – Adnan Januzaj, Belgian-Albanian footballer
  • 1996 – Stina Blackstenius, Swedish footballer
  • 1997 – Patrick Roberts, English footballer
  • 2016 – Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, Bhutanese prince

Deaths on February 5

  • 523 – Avitus of Vienne, Gallo-Roman bishop
  • 806 – Kanmu, emperor of Japan (b. 736)
  • 994 – William IV, duke of Aquitaine (b. 937)
  • 1015 – Adelaide, German abbess and saint
  • 1036 – Alfred Aetheling, Anglo-Saxon prince
  • 1146 – Zafadola, Arab emir of Zaragoza
  • 1578 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian painter (b. 1520)
  • 1661 – Shunzhi, Chinese emperor of the Qing Dynasty (b. 1638)
  • 1705 – Philipp Spener, German theologian and author (b. 1635)
  • 1751 – Henri François d’Aguesseau, French jurist and politician, Chancellor of France (b. 1668)
  • 1754 – Nicolaas Kruik, Dutch astronomer and cartographer (b. 1678)
  • 1766 – Count Leopold Joseph von Daun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
  • 1775 – Eusebius Amort, German theologian and academic (b. 1692)
  • 1790 – William Cullen, Scottish physician and chemist (b. 1710)
  • 1807 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican commander and politician (b. 1725)
  • 1818 – Charles XIII, king of Sweden (b. 1748)
  • 1881 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher, historian, and academic (b. 1795)
  • 1882 – Adolfo Rivadeneyra, Spanish orientalist and diplomat (b. 1841)
  • 1892 – Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish author (b. 1807)
  • 1915 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1850)
  • 1917 – Jaber II Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1860)
  • 1922 – Christiaan de Wet, South African general and politician, State President of the Orange Free State (b. 1854)
  • 1922 – Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, Croatian engineer, invented the mechanical pencil (b. 1871)
  • 1927 – Inayat Khan, Indian mystic and educator (b. 1882)
  • 1931 – Athanasios Eftaxias, Greek politician, 118th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1849)
  • 1933 – Josiah Thomas, English-Australian miner and politician (b. 1863)
  • 1937 – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Russian-German psychoanalyst and author (b. 1861)
  • 1938 – Hans Litten, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1903)
  • 1941 – Banjo Paterson, Australian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1864)
  • 1941 – Otto Strandman, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1875)
  • 1946 – George Arliss, English actor and playwright (b. 1868)
  • 1948 – Johannes Blaskowitz, German general (b. 1883)
  • 1952 – Adela Verne, English pianist and composer (b. 1877)
  • 1954 – Hossein Sami’i, Iranian politician, diplomat, writer and poet (b. 1876)
  • 1955 – Victor Houteff, Bulgarian religious reformer and author (b. 1885)
  • 1957 – Sami Ibrahim Haddad, Lebanese surgeon and author (b. 1890)
  • 1962 – Jacques Ibert, French-Swiss composer (b. 1890)
  • 1967 – Leon Leonwood Bean, American businessman, founded L.L.Bean (b. 1872)
  • 1969 – Thelma Ritter, American actress (b. 1902)
  • 1970 – Rudy York, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1913)
  • 1971 – Lew “Sneaky Pete” Robinson, drag racer (b. 1933)
  • 1972 – Marianne Moore, American poet, author, critic, and translator (b. 1887)
  • 1976 – Rudy Pompilli, American saxophonist (Bill Haley & His Comets) (b. 1926)
  • 1977 – Oskar Klein, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1894)
  • 1981 – Ella T. Grasso, American politician, 83rd Governor of Connecticut (b. 1919)
  • 1982 – Neil Aggett, Kenyan-South African physician and union leader (b. 1953)
  • 1983 – Margaret Oakley Dayhoff, American chemist and academic (b. 1925)
  • 1987 – William Collier, Jr., American actor and producer (b. 1902)
  • 1989 – Joe Raposo, American pianist and composer (b. 1937)
  • 1991 – Dean Jagger, American actor (b. 1903)
  • 1992 – Miguel Rolando Covian, Argentinian-Brazilian physiologist and academic (b. 1913)
  • 1993 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (b. 1922)
  • 1993 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – William Pène du Bois, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
  • 1995 – Doug McClure, American actor (b. 1935)
  • 1997 – Pamela Harriman, English-American diplomat, 58th United States Ambassador to France (b. 1920)
  • 1997 – René Huyghe, French historian and author (b. 1906)
  • 1998 – Tim Kelly, American guitarist (b. 1963)
  • 1999 – Wassily Leontief, Russian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
  • 2000 – Claude Autant-Lara, French director and screenwriter (b. 1901)
  • 2004 – John Hench, American animator (b. 1908)
  • 2005 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma, Togolese general and politician, President of Togo (b. 1937)
  • 2005 – Michalina Wisłocka, Polish gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1921)
  • 2006 – Norma Candal, Puerto Rican-American actress (b. 1927)
  • 2007 – Leo T. McCarthy, New Zealand-American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 43rd Lieutenant Governor of California (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Alfred Worm, Austrian journalist, author, and academic (b. 1945)
  • 2008 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian guru, founded Transcendental Meditation (b. 1918)
  • 2010 – Brendan Burke, Canadian ice hockey player and activist (b. 1988)
  • 2010 – Harry Schwarz, South African lawyer, anti-apartheid leader, and diplomat, 13th South Africa Ambassador to United States (b. 1924)
  • 2011 – Brian Jacques, English author and radio host (b. 1939)
  • 2011 – Peggy Rea, American actress and casting director (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Sam Coppola, American actor (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – Al De Lory, American keyboard player, conductor, and producer (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – John Turner Sargent, Sr., American publisher (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Jo Zwaan, Dutch sprinter (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Reinaldo Gargano, Uruguayan journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Uruguay (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Egil Hovland, Norwegian composer and conductor (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Tom McGuigan, New Zealand soldier and politician, 23rd New Zealand Minister of Health (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Robert A. Dahl, American political scientist and academic (b. 1915)
  • 2015 – K. N. Choksy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Marisa Del Frate, Italian actress and singer (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Herman Rosenblat, Polish-American author (b. 1929)
  • 2016 – Ciriaco Cañete, Filipino martial artist (b. 1919)
  • 2020 – Kirk Douglas, American actor (b. 1916)

Holidays and observances on February 5

  • Christian feast day:
    • Adelaide of Vilich
    • Agatha of Sicily
    • Avitus of Vienne
    • Bertulf (Bertoul) of Renty
    • Ingenuinus (Jenewein)
    • Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan (in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Anglican Church in Japan)
    • February 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Mexico)
  • Crown Princess Mary’s birthday (Denmark)
  • Kashmir Solidarity Day (Pakistan)
  • Liberation Day (San Marino)
  • Runeberg’s Birthday (Finland)
  • Unity Day (Burundi)

February 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of “Roman law”.
  • 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.
  • 962 – Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
  • 1032 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Burgundy.
  • 1141 – The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.
  • 1207 – Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.
  • 1438 – Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Torda.
  • 1461 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross is fought in Herefordshire, England.
  • 1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • 1645 – Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Inverlochy.
  • 1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
  • 1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe’s adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
  • 1848 – Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.
  • 1850 – Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.
  • 1868 – Pro-Imperial forces captured Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burned it to the ground.
  • 1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
  • 1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
  • 1899 – The Australian Premiers’ Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia’s capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne.
  • 1901 – Funeral of Queen Victoria.
  • 1909 – The Paris Film Congress opens. An attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the MPCC cartel in the United States.
  • 1913 – Grand Central Terminal is opened in New York City.
  • 1920 – The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
  • 1922 – Ulysses by James Joyce is published.
  • 1925 – Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
  • 1934 – The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
  • 1935 – Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts.
  • 1942 – The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.
  • 1959 – Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
  • 1966 – Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
  • 1971 – Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
  • 1971 – The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.
  • 1980 – Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
  • 1982 – Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama.
  • 1987 – After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.
  • 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.
  • 1990 – Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.
  • 2000 – First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.
  • 2002 – Wedding of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti
  • 2004 – Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men’s singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks.
  • 2005 – The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage.
  • 2007 – Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.
  • 2012 – The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146-165 dead.

Births on February 2

  • 1208 – James I of Aragon (d. 1276)
  • 1282 – Maud Chaworth, Countess of Leicester (d. 1322).
  • 1425 (or 1426) – Eleanor of Navarre, Queen regnant of Navarre (d. 1479)
  • 1443 – Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1486)
  • 1455 – John, King of Denmark (d. 1513)
  • 1457 – Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, Italian-Spanish historian and author (d. 1526)
  • 1467 – Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican sister (d. 1501)
  • 1494 – Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (d. 1557)
  • 1502 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher and historian (d. 1574)
  • 1506 – René de Birague, Italian-French cardinal and politician (d. 1583)
  • 1509 – John of Leiden, Dutch Anabaptist leader (d. 1536)
  • 1522 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1565)
  • 1536 – Piotr Skarga, Polish writer (d. 1612)
  • 1551 – Nicolaus Reimers, German astronomer (d. 1600)
  • 1576 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (d. 1622)
  • 1585 – Judith Quiney, William Shakespeare’s youngest daughter (d. 1662)
  • 1585 – Hamnet Shakespeare, William Shakespeare’s only son (baptised; d. 1596)
  • 1588 – Georg II of Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, German nobleman (d. 1644)
  • 1600 – Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)
  • 1611 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (d. 1633)
  • 1613 – Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (d. 1649)
  • 1621 – Johannes Schefferus, Swedish author and hymn-writer (d. 1679)
  • 1650 – Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)
  • 1650 – Nell Gwyn, English actress, mistress of King Charles II of England (d. 1687)
  • 1651 – William Phips, Royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (d. 1695)
  • 1669 – Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (d. 1732)
  • 1677 – Jean-Baptiste Morin, French composer (d. 1745)
  • 1695 – William Borlase, English geologist and archaeologist (d. 1772)
  • 1695 – François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)
  • 1700 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author and critic (d. 1766)
  • 1711 – Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (d. 1794)
  • 1714 – Gottfried August Homilius, German organist and composer (d. 1785)
  • 1717 – Ernst Gideon von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)
  • 1754 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1838)
  • 1782 – Henri de Rigny, French admiral and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1835)
  • 1786 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1856)
  • 1802 – Jean-Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist and academic (d. 1887)
  • 1803 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (d. 1862)
  • 1829 – Alfred Brehm, German zoologist and illustrator (d. 1884)
  • 1829 – William Stanley, English engineer and philanthropist (d. 1909)
  • 1841 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss limnologist and hydrologist (d. 1912)
  • 1842 – Julian Sochocki, Polish-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1927)
  • 1849 – Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet and playwright (d. 1921)
  • 1851 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican illustrator and engraver (d. 1913)
  • 1856 – Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway magnate (d. 1938)
  • 1856 – Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (d. 1905)
  • 1857 – Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (d. 1918)
  • 1860 – Curtis Guild, Jr., American journalist and politician, 43rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1915)
  • 1861 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (d. 1949)
  • 1862 – Émile Coste, French fencer (d. 1927)
  • 1862 – Cornelius McKane, American physician, educator, and hospital founder (d. 1912)
  • 1866 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and academic (d. 1927)
  • 1873 – Leo Fall, Austrian composer (d. 1925)
  • 1873 – Konstantin von Neurath, German politician and diplomat, 13th German Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1956)
  • 1875 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (d. 1962)
  • 1877 – Frank L. Packard, Canadian author (d. 1942)
  • 1878 – Joe Lydon, American boxer (d. 1937)
  • 1880 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)
  • 1881 – Orval Overall, American baseball player and manager (d. 1947)
  • 1882 – Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (d. 1944)
  • 1882 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1941)
  • 1883 – Johnston McCulley, American author and screenwriter, created Zorro (d. 1958)
  • 1883 – Julia Nava de Ruisánchez, Mexican activist and writer (d. 1964)
  • 1886 – William Rose Benét, American poet and author (d. 1950)
  • 1887 – Ernst Hanfstaengl, German businessman (d. 1975)
  • 1889 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (d. 1952)
  • 1890 – Charles Correll, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)
  • 1892 – Tochigiyama Moriya, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 27th Yokozuna (d. 1959)
  • 1893 – Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1974)
  • 1893 – Raoul Riganti, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1970)
  • 1893 – Damdin Sükhbaatar, Mongolian soldier and politician (d. 1924)
  • 1895 – George Halas, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
  • 1895 – Robert Philipp, American painter (d. 1981)
  • 1895 – George Sutcliffe, Australian public servant (d. 1964)
  • 1896 – Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)
  • 1897 – Howard Deering Johnson, American businessman, founded Howard Johnson’s (d. 1972)
  • 1897 – Gertrude Blanch, Russian-American mathematician (d. 1996)
  • 1900 – Anni Frind, German lyric soprano (d. 1987)
  • 1900 – Willie Kamm, American baseball player and manager (d. 1988)
  • 1901 – Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian-born American violinist and educator (d. 1987)
  • 1902 – Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (d. 1966)
  • 1902 – John Tonkin, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1995)
  • 1904 – Bozorg Alavi, Iranian author and activist (d. 1997)
  • 1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American novelist and philosopher (d. 1982)
  • 1908 – Wes Ferrell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
  • 1909 – Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)
  • 1911 – Jack Pizzey, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (d. 1968)
  • 1912 – Millvina Dean, English civil servant and cartographer (d. 2009)
  • 1912 – Burton Lane, American songwriter and composer (d. 1997)
  • 1913 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor and singer (d. 1985)
  • 1914 – Eric Kierans, Canadian economist and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2004)
  • 1915 – Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician and diplomat, 1st Israel Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (d. 2005)
  • 1915 – Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1916 – Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1985)
  • 1917 – Mary Ellis, British World War II ferry pilot (d. 2018)
  • 1917 – Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese politician, 5th Prime Minister of Vietnam (d. 2018)
  • 1918 – Hella Haasse, Indonesian-Dutch author (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – Lisa Della Casa, Swiss soprano and actress (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Georg Gawliczek, German footballer and manager (d. 1999)
  • 1920 – George Hardwick, English footballer and coach (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – John Russell, American Olympic equestrian
  • 1920 – Arthur Willis, English footballer, full-back, player-manager (d. 1987)
  • 1922 – Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey player (d. 1978)
  • 1922 – Robert Chef d’Hôtel, French athlete (d. 2019)
  • 1922 – James L. Usry, American politician, first African-American mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2002)
  • 1922 – Stoyanka Mutafova, Bulgarian actress (d. 2019)
  • 1923 – Jean Babilée, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – James Dickey, American poet and novelist (d. 1997)
  • 1923 – Svetozar Gligorić, Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster (d.2012)
  • 1923 – Bonita Granville, American actress and producer (d. 1988)
  • 1923 – Red Schoendienst, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
  • 1923 – Liz Smith, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
  • 1923 – Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American singer, pianist, producer (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Sonny Stitt, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1982)
  • 1925 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, French academic and politician, 20th President of France
  • 1927 – Stan Getz, American saxophonist (d. 1991)
  • 1927 – Doris Sams, American baseball player (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Ciriaco De Mita, 47th Prime minister of Italy
  • 1928 – Jay Handlan, American basketball player and engineer (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Tommy Harmer, English footballer, inside forward, youth team coach (d. 2007)
  • 1929 – Sheila Matthews Allen, American actress and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – George Band, English engineer and mountaineer (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – John Henry Holland, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Dries van Agt, Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
  • 1931 – Les Dawson, English comedian and author (d. 1993)
  • 1931 – Glynn Edwards, Malaysian-English actor (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – John Paul Harney, Canadian educator and politician
  • 1931 – Judith Viorst, American journalist and author
  • 1932 – Arthur Lyman, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (d. 2002)
  • 1932 – Robert Mandan, American actor (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – M’el Dowd, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Tony Jay, English-American actor (d. 2006)
  • 1933 – Orlando “Cachaíto” López, Cuban bassist and composer (d. 2009)
  • 1933 – Than Shwe, Burmese general and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma
  • 1935 – Pete Brown, American golfer (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – Evgeny Velikhov, Russian physicist and academic
  • 1936 – Duane Jones, American actor (d. 1988)
  • 1936 – Metin Oktay, Turkish footballer and manager (d. 1991)
  • 1937 – Don Buford, American baseball player and coach
  • 1937 – Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian lawyer and politician, President of Panama (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Anthony Haden-Guest, British journalist, poet, and critic
  • 1937 – Remak Ramsay, American actor
  • 1937 – Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and activist
  • 1937 – Alexandra Strelchenko, Russian Singer (d. 2019)
  • 1938 – Norman Fowler, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
  • 1938 – Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1939 – Jackie Burroughs, English-born Canadian actress (d. 2010)
  • 1939 – Mary-Dell Chilton, American chemist and inventor and one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology
  • 1939 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Alan Caddy, English guitarist and producer (d. 2000)
  • 1940 – Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (d. 2008)
  • 1940 – Wayne Fontes, American football player and coach
  • 1940 – David Jason, English actor, director, and producer
  • 1941 – Terry Biddlecombe, English jockey (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Bo Hopkins, American actor
  • 1942 – Graham Nash, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1944 – Andrew Davis, English organist and conductor
  • 1944 – Geoffrey Hughes, English actor (d. 2012)
  • 1944 – Ursula Oppens, American pianist and educator
  • 1945 – John Eatwell, Baron Eatwell, English economist and academic
  • 1946 – John Armitt, English engineer and businessman
  • 1946 – Alpha Oumar Konaré, Malian academic and politician, 3rd President of Mali
  • 1946 – Constantine Papadakis, Greek-American businessman and academic (d. 2009)
  • 1947 – Greg Antonacci, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
  • 1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (d. 2009)
  • 1948 – Ina Garten, American chef and author
  • 1948 – Al McKay, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1948 – Roger Williamson, English race car driver (d. 1973)
  • 1949 – Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
  • 1949 – Yasuko Namba, Japanese mountaineer (d. 1996)
  • 1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor and singer
  • 1949 – Ross Valory, American rock bass player and songwriter
  • 1950 – Osamu Kido, Japanese wrestler
  • 1950 – Libby Purves, British journalist and author
  • 1950 – Barbara Sukowa, German actress
  • 1950 – Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese wrestler
  • 1951 – Vangelis Alexandris, Greek basketball player and coach
  • 1951 – Ken Bruce, Scottish radio host
  • 1952 – John Cornyn, American lawyer and politician, 49th Attorney General of Texas
  • 1952 – Rick Dufay, French-American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1952 – Park Geun-hye, South Korean politician, 11th President of South Korea
  • 1952 – Ralph Merkle, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1952 – Carol Ann Susi, American actress (d. 2014)
  • 1953 – Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter
  • 1953 – Jerry Sisk, Jr., American gemologist, co-founded Jewelry Television (d. 2013)
  • 1954 – Christie Brinkley, American actress, model, and businesswoman
  • 1954 – Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian skier and actor
  • 1954 – Nelson Ne’e, Solomon Islander politician (d. 2013)
  • 1954 – John Tudor, American baseball player
  • 1955 – Leszek Engelking, Polish poet and author
  • 1955 – Bob Schreck, American author
  • 1955 – Michael Talbott, American actor
  • 1955 – Kim Zimmer, American actress
  • 1956 – Adnan Oktar, Turkish theorist and author
  • 1957 – Phil Barney, Algerian-French singer-songwriter
  • 1958 – Michel Marc Bouchard, Canadian playwright
  • 1961 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (d. 2013)
  • 1961 – Lauren Lane, American actress and academic
  • 1962 – Philippe Claudel, French author, director, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Andy Fordham, English darts player
  • 1962 – Paul Kilgus, American baseball player
  • 1962 – Kate Raison, Australian actress
  • 1962 – Michael T. Weiss, American actor
  • 1963 – Eva Cassidy, American singer and guitarist (d. 1996)
  • 1963 – Kjell Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1963 – Andrej Kiska, Slovak entrepreneur and philanthropist, President of Slovakia
  • 1963 – Philip Laats, Belgian martial artist
  • 1963 – Vigleik Storaas, Norwegian pianist
  • 1965 – Carl Airey, English footballer
  • 1965 – Naoki Sano, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
  • 1966 – Andrei Chesnokov, Russian tennis player and coach
  • 1966 – Robert DeLeo, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1966 – Adam Ferrara, American actor and comedian
  • 1966 – Michael Misick, Caicos Islander politician, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
  • 1967 – Artūrs Irbe, Latvian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1967 – Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general
  • 1968 – Sean Elliott, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Scott Erickson, American baseball player and coach
  • 1969 – Dana International, Israeli singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Valeri Karpin, Estonian-Russian footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
  • 1970 – Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress and singer
  • 1971 – Michelle Gayle, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1971 – Arly Jover, Spanish actress
  • 1971 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer and sportscaster (d. 2014)
  • 1971 – Jason Taylor, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1971 – Hwang Seok-jeong, South Korean actress
  • 1972 – Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1972 – Aleksey Naumov, Russian footballer
  • 1973 – Andrei Luzgin, Estonian tennis player and coach
  • 1973 – Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower
  • 1973 – Marissa Jaret Winokur, American actress and singer
  • 1975 – Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Donald Driver, American football player
  • 1975 – Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
  • 1976 – Ryan Farquhar, Northern Irish motorcycle racer
  • 1976 – James Hickman, English swimmer
  • 1976 – Ana Roces, Filipino actress
  • 1977 – Shakira, Colombian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1977 – Libor Sionko, Czech footballer
  • 1978 – Adam Christopher, New Zealand writer
  • 1978 – Eden Espinosa, American actress and singer
  • 1978 – Annabel Ellwood, Australian tennis player
  • 1978 – Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1978 – Rich Sommer, American actor
  • 1978 – Faye White, English footballer
  • 1979 – Urmo Aava, Estonian race car driver
  • 1979 – Fani Chalkia, Greek hurdler and sprinter
  • 1979 – Christine Lampard, Irish television host
  • 1979 – Klaus Mainzer, German rugby player
  • 1979 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
  • 1979 – Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter
  • 1980 – Angela Finger-Erben, German journalist
  • 1980 – Teddy Hart, Canadian wrestler
  • 1980 – Oleguer Presas, Spanish footballer
  • 1981 – Emre Aydın, Turkish singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Michelle Bass, English model and singer
  • 1981 – Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)
  • 1982 – Sergio Castaño Ortega, Spanish footballer
  • 1982 – Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player
  • 1982 – Kan Mi-youn, South Korean singer, model, and host
  • 1983 – Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1983 – Carolina Klüft, Swedish heptathlete and jumper
  • 1983 – Jordin Tootoo, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Vladimir Voskoboinikov, Estonian footballer
  • 1983 – Alex Westaway, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1984 – Brian Cage, American wrestler
  • 1984 – Mao Miyaji, Japanese actress
  • 1984 – Rudi Wulf, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1985 – Masoud Azizi, Afghan sprinter
  • 1985 – Renn Kiriyama, Japanese actor
  • 1985 – Kristo Saage, Estonian basketball player
  • 1985 – Silvestre Varela, Portuguese footballer
  • 1986 – Gemma Arterton, English actress and singer
  • 1986 – Miwa Asao, Japanese volleyball player
  • 1987 – Anthony Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
  • 1987 – Saia Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
  • 1987 – Faydee, Australian singer
  • 1987 – Athena Imperial, Filipino journalist, Miss Earth-Water 2011
  • 1987 – Mimi Page, American singer-songwriter and composer
  • 1987 – Gerard Piqué, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Javon Ringer, American football player
  • 1987 – Jill Scott, English footballer
  • 1987 – Victoria Song, Chinese singer and actress
  • 1987 – Martin Spanjers, American actor and producer
  • 1988 – Zosia Mamet, American actress
  • 1989 – Harrison Smith, American football player
  • 1989 – Southside, American record producer
  • 1991 – Nathan Delfouneso, English footballer
  • 1991 – Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)
  • 1991 – Shohei Nanba, Japanese actor
  • 1992 – Lammtarra, American race horse (d. 2014)
  • 1992 – Joonas Tamm, Estonian footballer
  • 1993 – Ravel Morrison, English footballer
  • 1993 – Bobby Decordova-Reid, English born Jamaican international footballer, forward
  • 1995 – Paul Digby, English footballer
  • 1995 – Aleksander Jagiełło, Polish footballer
  • 1995 – Arfa Karim, Pakstani student and computer prodigy (d. 2012)
  • 1996 – Harry Winks, English international footballer, midfielder

Deaths on February 2

  • 619 – Laurence of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint
  • 880 – Bruno, duke of Saxony
  • 1124 – Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1064)
  • 1218 – Konstantin of Rostov (b. 1186)
  • 1237 – Joan, Lady of Wales
  • 1250 – Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)
  • 1294 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1229)
  • 1347 – Thomas Bek, Bishop of Lincoln, was the bishop of Lincoln (b. 1282)
  • 1348 – Narymunt, Prince of Pinsk
  • 1435 – Joan II of Naples, Queen of Naples (b. 1371)
  • 1446 – Vittorino da Feltre, Italian humanist (b. 1378)
  • 1448 – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1372)
  • 1461 – Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty (b. c. 1400)
  • 1512 – Hatuey, Caribbean tribal chief
  • 1529 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian soldier and diplomat (b. 1478)
  • 1580 – Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1558)
  • 1594 – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer and educator (b. 1525)
  • 1648 – George Abbot, English author and politician (b. 1603)
  • 1660 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans (b. 1608)
  • 1660 – Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)
  • 1661 – Lucas Holstenius, German geographer and historian (b. 1596)
  • 1675 – Ivan Belostenec, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (b. 1594)
  • 1688 – Abraham Duquesne, French admiral (b. 1610)
  • 1704 – Guillaume de l’Hôpital, French mathematician and academic (b. 1661)
  • 1712 – Martin Lister, English physician and geologist (b. 1639)
  • 1714 – John Sharp, English archbishop (b. 1643)
  • 1723 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (b. 1666)
  • 1768 – Robert Smith, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1689)
  • 1769 – Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)
  • 1802 – Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, English politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1713)
  • 1804 – George Walton, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Georgia (b. 1749)
  • 1831 – Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (b. 1768)
  • 1836 – Letizia Ramolino, Italian noblewoman (b. 1750)
  • 1861 – Théophane Vénard, French Catholic missionary (b. 1829)
  • 1881 – Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1808)
  • 1904 – Ernest Cashel, American-Canadian criminal (b. 1882)
  • 1904 – William Collins Whitney, American financier and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1841)
  • 1905 – Henri Germain, French banker and politician, founded Le Crédit Lyonnais (b. 1824)
  • 1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (b. 1834)
  • 1909 – Carlo Acton, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1829)
  • 1913 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer (b. 1845)
  • 1918 – John L. Sullivan, American boxer (b. 1858)
  • 1919 – Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian lieutenant (b. 1894)
  • 1925 – Antti Aarne, Finnish historian and academic (b. 1867)
  • 1925 – Jaap Eden, Dutch speed skater and cyclist (b. 1873)
  • 1926 – Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general and politician (b. 1848)
  • 1932 – Agha Petros, Assyrian general and politician (b. 1880)
  • 1939 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (b. 1879)
  • 1942 – Ado Birk, Estonian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1883)
  • 1942 – Daniil Kharms, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1905)
  • 1942 – Hugh D. McIntosh, Australian businessman (b. 1876)
  • 1945 – Alfred Delp, German priest and philosopher (b. 1907)
  • 1945 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German economist and politician (b. 1884)
  • 1945 – Johannes Popitz, German lawyer and politician (b. 1884)
  • 1948 – Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (b. 1870)
  • 1948 – Bevil Rudd, South African runner and journalist (b. 1894)
  • 1950 – Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician and academic (b. 1873)
  • 1952 – Callistratus of Georgia, Georgian patriarch (b. 1866)
  • 1954 – Hella Wuolijoki, Estonian-Finnish author and politician (b. 1886)
  • 1956 – Charley Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)
  • 1956 – Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower (b. 1878)
  • 1956 – Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)
  • 1957 – Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1890)
  • 1962 – Shlomo Hestrin, Canadian-Israeli biochemist and academic (b. 1914)
  • 1966 – Hacı Ömer Sabancı, Turkish businessman (b. 1906)
  • 1968 – Tullio Serafin, Italian conductor and director (b. 1878)
  • 1969 – Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)
  • 1970 – Lawrence Gray, American actor (b. 1898)
  • 1970 – Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1872)
  • 1972 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1876)
  • 1973 – Hendrik Elias, Belgian academic and politician, 9th Mayor of Ghent (b. 1902)
  • 1974 – Imre Lakatos, Hungarian-English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1922)
  • 1975 – Gustave Lanctot, Canadian historian and academic (b. 1883)
  • 1979 – Jim Burke, Australian cricketer (b. 1930)
  • 1979 – Sid Vicious, English singer and bass player (b. 1957)
  • 1980 – William Howard Stein, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
  • 1982 – Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
  • 1983 – Sam Chatmon, American singer and guitarist (b. 1897)
  • 1986 – Anita Cobby, Australian murder victim (b. 1959)
  • 1986 – Gino Hernandez, American wrestler (b. 1957)
  • 1987 – Carlos José Castilho, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1927)
  • 1987 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 1988 – Marcel Bozzuffi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 1989 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (b. 1951)
  • 1989 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (b. 1901)
  • 1990 – Paul Ariste, Estonian linguist and academic (b. 1905)
  • 1990 – Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (b. 1934)
  • 1992 – Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality; Miss America telecast presenter (b. 1914)
  • 1993 – François Reichenbach, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 1994 – Marija Gimbutas, Lithuanian-American archeologist (b. 1921)
  • 1995 – Thomas Hayward, American tenor and actor (b. 1917)
  • 1995 – Fred Perry, English-Australian tennis player (b. 1909)
  • 1995 – Donald Pleasence, English-French actor (b. 1919)
  • 1996 – Gene Kelly, American actor, singer, dancer, and director (b. 1912)
  • 1997 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (b. 1913)
  • 1997 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and coach (b. 1904)
  • 1998 – Haroun Tazieff, German-French geologist and cinematographer (b. 1914)
  • 1999 – David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
  • 2002 – Paul Baloff, American singer-songwriter (b. 1960)
  • 2002 – Claude Brown, American author (b. 1937)
  • 2003 – Lou Harrison, American composer and educator (b. 1917)
  • 2004 – Bernard McEveety, American director and producer (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Birgitte Federspiel, Danish actress (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)
  • 2007 – Vijay Arora, Indian actor (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Billy Henderson, American singer (b. 1939)
  • 2007 – Joe Hunter, American pianist (b. 1927)
  • 2007 – Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)
  • 2007 – Eric Von Schmidt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
  • 2007 – Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)
  • 2008 – Barry Morse, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – Katoucha Niane, Guinean model and author (b. 1960)
  • 2011 – Edward Amy, Canadian general (b. 1918)
  • 2011 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish actress (b. 1975)
  • 2011 – Margaret John, Welsh actress (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Joyce Barkhouse, Canadian author (b. 1913)
  • 2012 – Frederick William Danker, American lexicographer and scholar (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – George Esper, American journalist and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – Dorothy Gilman, American author (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – James F. Lloyd, American pilot and politician (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (b. 1961)
  • 2013 – John Kerr, American actor and lawyer (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Chris Kyle, American soldier and sniper (b. 1974)
  • 2013 – Lino Oviedo, Paraguayan general and politician (b. 1943)
  • 2013 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Walt Sweeney, American football player (b. 1941)
  • 2013 – Guy F. Tozzoli, American architect (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Gerd Albrecht, German conductor (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Tommy Aquino, American motorcycle racer (b. 1992)
  • 2014 – Nicholas Brooks, English historian (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Eduardo Coutinho, Brazilian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1967)
  • 2014 – Luis Raúl, Puerto Rican comedian and actor (b. 1962)
  • 2014 – Bunny Rugs, Jamaican singer (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Nigel Walker, English footballer (b. 1959)
  • 2015 – Joseph Alfidi, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1949)
  • 2015 – Dave Bergman, American baseball player (b. 1953)
  • 2015 – Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1968)
  • 2015 – Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – The Jacka, American rapper and producer (b. 1977)
  • 2016 – Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances on February 2

  • Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu (Estonia)
  • Christian Feast Day:
    • Adalbard
    • Cornelius the Centurion
    • Martyrs of Ebsdorf
    • February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Philippines)
  • Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)
  • Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances:
    • Bun Day (Iceland)
    • Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)
    • Nickanan Night (Cornwall)
    • Rosenmontag (Germany)
  • Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances:
    • A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas). (Scotland)
    • Celebration of Yemanja or Our Lady of Navigators (Candomblé)
    • Le Jour des Crêpes (France)
    • Our Lady of the Candles (Filipino Catholics)
    • Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)
  • Groundhog Day (United States and Canada), and its related observances:
    • Marmot Day (Alaska)
  • Inventor’s Day (Thailand)
  • Trader’s Day (Poland)
  • Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad (Russia)
  • World Wetlands Day

February 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 904 – Sergius III is consecrated pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.
  • 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu’izz al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Empire. He is succeeded by Al-Muti as caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate.
  • 1258 – First Mongol invasion of Đại Việt: Đại Việt defeats the Mongols at the battle of Đông Bộ Đầu, forcing the Mongols to withdraw from the country.
  • 1814 – War of the Sixth Coalition: France defeats Russia and Prussia in the Battle of Brienne.
  • 1819 – Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore.
  • 1845 – “The Raven” is published in The Evening Mirror in New York, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe.
  • 1850 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress.
  • 1856 – Queen Victoria issues a Warrant under the Royal sign-manual that establishes the Victoria Cross to recognise acts of valour by British military personnel during the Crimean War.
  • 1861 – Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.
  • 1863 – The Bear River Massacre: A detachment of California Volunteers led by Colonel Patrick Edward Connor engage the Shoshone at Bear River, Washington Territory, killing hundreds of men, women and children.
  • 1886 – Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.
  • 1891 – Liliuokalani is proclaimed the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
  • 1907 – Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American U.S. Senator.
  • 1911 – Mexican Revolution: Mexicali is captured by the Mexican Liberal Party, igniting the Magonista rebellion of 1911.
  • 1916 – World War I: Paris is first bombed by German zeppelins.
  • 1918 – Ukrainian–Soviet War: The Bolshevik Red Army, on its way to besiege Kiev, is met by a small group of military students at the Battle of Kruty.
  • 1918 – Ukrainian–Soviet War: An armed uprising organized by the Bolsheviks in anticipation of the encroaching Red Army begins at the Kiev Arsenal, which will be put down six days later.
  • 1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced.
  • 1940 – Three trains on the Nishinari Line; present Sakurajima Line, in Osaka, Japan, collide and explode while approaching Ajikawaguchi Station. One hundred and eighty-one people are killed.
  • 1941 – Alexandros Koryzis becomes Prime Minister of Greece upon the sudden death of his predecessor, dictator Ioannis Metaxas.
  • 1943 – World War II: The first day of the Battle of Rennell Island, USS Chicago (CA-29) is torpedoed and heavily damaged by Japanese bombers.
  • 1944 – World War II: Approximately 38 people are killed and about a dozen injured when the Polish village of Koniuchy (present-day Kaniūkai, Lithuania) is attacked by Soviet partisan units.
  • 1944 – In Bologna, Italy, the Anatomical theatre of the Archiginnasio is completely destroyed in an air-raid, during the Second World War.
  • 1948 – The Pakistan Socialist Party is founded in Karachi.
  • 1959 – The first Melodifestivalen is held in Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden.
  • 1963 – The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced.
  • 1967 – The “ultimate high” of the hippie era, the Mantra-Rock Dance, takes place in San Francisco and features Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and Allen Ginsberg.
  • 1980 – The Rubik’s Cube makes its international debut at the Ideal Toy Corp. in Earl’s Court, London.
  • 1989 – Cold War: Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea, making it the first Eastern Bloc nation to do so.
  • 1991 – Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the war, as well as its deadliest, begins.
  • 1996 – President Jacques Chirac announces a “definitive end” to French nuclear weapons testing.
  • 2001 – Thousands of student protesters in Indonesia storm parliament and demand that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign due to alleged involvement in corruption scandals.
  • 2002 – In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush describes “regimes that sponsor terror” as an Axis of evil, in which he includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
  • 2005 – The first direct commercial flights from mainland China (from Guangzhou) to Taiwan since 1949 arrived in Taipei. Shortly afterwards, a China Airlines flight lands in Beijing.
  • 2009 – The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt rules that people who do not adhere to one of the three government-recognised religions, while not allowed to list any belief outside of those three, are still eligible to receive government identity documents.
  • 2009 – Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is removed from office following his conviction of several corruption charges, including the alleged solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to the United States Senate as a replacement for then-U.S. president-elect Barack Obama.
  • 2013 – SCAT Airlines Flight 760 crashes near the Kazakh city of Almaty, killing 21 people.
  • 2013 – Alabama bunker hostage crisis: After shooting and killing of school bus driver, 66 years old Charles Albert Poland, Jr, by 65 year old Vietnam War era veteran, Jimmy Lee Dykes.
  • 2017 – Quebec City mosque shooting: Alexandre Bissonnette opens fire at mosque in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, killing six and wounding 19 others in a spree shooting.

Births on January 29

  • 919 – Shi Zong, emperor of the Liao Dynasty (d. 951)
  • 1455 – Johann Reuchlin, German-born humanist and scholar (d. 1522)
  • 1475 – Giuliano Bugiardini, Italian painter (d. 1555)
  • 1499 – Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther; formerly a Roman Catholic nun (d. 1552)
  • 1525 – Lelio Sozzini, Italian humanist and reformer (d. 1562)
  • 1584 – Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (d. 1647)
  • 1591 – Franciscus Junius, pioneer of Germanic philology (d. 1677)
  • 1602 – Countess Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg (d. 1651)
  • 1632 – Johann Georg Graevius, German scholar and critic (d. 1703)
  • 1650 – Juan de Galavís, Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop of Santo Domingo and Bogotá (d. 1739)
  • 1688 – Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1772)
  • 1711 – Giuseppe Bonno, Austrian composer (d. 1788)
  • 1715 – Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Austrian organist and composer (d. 1777)
  • 1717 – Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, English field marshal and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (d. 1797)
  • 1718 – Paul Rabaut, French pastor (d. 1794)
  • 1737 – Thomas Paine, prominent for publishing Common Sense (1776), which established him as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States (d. 1809)
  • 1749 – Christian VII of Denmark (d. 1808)
  • 1754 – Moses Cleaveland, American general, lawyer, and politician, founded Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1806)
  • 1756 – Henry Lee III, American general and politician, 9th Governor of Virginia (d. 1818)
  • 1761 – Albert Gallatin, Swiss-American ethnologist, linguist, and politician, 4th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1849)
  • 1782 – Daniel Auber, French composer (d. 1871)
  • 1801 – Johannes Bernardus van Bree, Dutch violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1857)
  • 1810 – Ernst Kummer, Polish-German mathematician and academic (d. 1893)
  • 1810 – Mary Whitwell Hale, American teacher, school founder, and hymnwriter (d. 1862)
  • 1843 – William McKinley, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 25th President of the United States (d. 1901)
  • 1846 – Karol Olszewski, Polish chemist, mathematician, and physicist (d. 1915)
  • 1852 – Frederic Hymen Cowen, Jamaican-English pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1935)
  • 1858 – Henry Ward Ranger, American painter and academic (d. 1916)
  • 1860 – Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer (d. 1904)
  • 1861 – Florida Ruffin Ridley, African-American civil rights activist, teacher, editor, and writer (d. 1943)
  • 1862 – Frederick Delius, English composer (d. 1934)
  • 1866 – Julio Peris Brell, Spanish painter (d. 1944)
  • 1866 – Romain Rolland, French historian, author, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1944)
  • 1867 – Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Spanish journalist and author (d. 1928)
  • 1870 – Süleyman Nazif, Turkish poet and civil servant (d. 1927)
  • 1874 – John D. Rockefeller, Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1960)
  • 1876 – Havergal Brian, English composer (d. 1972)
  • 1877 – Georges Catroux, French general and diplomat (d. 1969)
  • 1880 – W. C. Fields, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (d. 1946)
  • 1881 – Alice Catherine Evans, American microbiologist (d. 1975)
  • 1884 – Juhan Aavik, Estonian-Swedish composer and conductor (d. 1982)
  • 1888 – Sydney Chapman, English mathematician and geophysicist (d. 1970)
  • 1888 – Wellington Koo, Chinese statesman (d. 1985)
  • 1891 – Elizaveta Gerdt, Russian ballerina and educator (d. 1975)
  • 1891 – R. Norris Williams, Swiss-American tennis player and banker (d. 1968)
  • 1892 – Ernst Lubitsch, German American film director, producer, writer, and actor (d. 1947)
  • 1895 – Muna Lee, American poet and author (d. 1965)
  • 1901 – Allen B. DuMont, American engineer and broadcaster, founded the DuMont Television Network (d. 1965)
  • 1901 – E. P. Taylor, Canadian businessman and horse breeder (d. 1989)
  • 1903 – Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Russian-Israeli biochemist and philosopher (d. 1994)
  • 1905 – Barnett Newman, American painter and etcher (d. 1970)
  • 1906 – Joe Primeau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1989)
  • 1913 – Victor Mature, American actor (d. 1999)
  • 1915 – Bill Peet, American author and illustrator (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – John Serry Sr., Italian-American concert accordionist and composer (d.2003)
  • 1917 – John Raitt, American actor and singer (d. 2005)
  • 1918 – John Forsythe, American actor (d. 2010)
  • 1921 – Geraldine Pittman Woods, American science administrator and embryologist (d. 1999)
  • 1923 – Jack Burke Jr., American golfer
  • 1923 – Paddy Chayefsky, American author and screenwriter (d. 1981)
  • 1926 – Abdus Salam, Pakistani-British physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
  • 1926 – Amelita Ramos, 11th First Lady of the Philippines
  • 1927 – Edward Abbey, American environmentalist and author (d. 1989)
  • 1929 – Elio Petri, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
  • 1929 – Joseph Kruskal, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 2010)
  • 1931 – Leslie Bricusse, English playwright and composer
  • 1931 – Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian academic and politician, 2nd President of Hungary (d. 2011)
  • 1932 – Raman Subba Row, English cricketer and referee
  • 1932 – Tommy Taylor, English footballer (d. 1958)
  • 1933 – Sacha Distel, French singer and guitarist (d. 2004)
  • 1934 – Branko Miljković, Serbian poet and academic (d. 1961)
  • 1936 – Veturi Sundararama Murthy, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1937 – Hassan Habibi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 1st Vice President of Iran (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Bobby Scott, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 1990)
  • 1939 – Germaine Greer, Australian journalist and author
  • 1940 – Katharine Ross, American actress and author
  • 1940 – Kunimitsu Takahashi, Japanese motorcycle racer and race car driver
  • 1941 – Robin Morgan, American actress, journalist, and author
  • 1943 – Tony Blackburn, English radio and television host
  • 1943 – Pat Quinn, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Andrew Loog Oldham, English record producer and manager
  • 1944 – Patrick Lipton Robinson, Jamaican lawyer and judge
  • 1944 – Pauline van der Wildt, Dutch swimmer
  • 1945 – Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Malian academic and politician, Prime Minister of Mali
  • 1945 – Jim Nicholson, Northern Irish politician
  • 1945 – Tom Selleck, American actor and businessman
  • 1946 – Bettye LaVette, American singer-songwriter
  • 1947 – Linda B. Buck, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1947 – David Byron, English singer-songwriter (d. 1985)
  • 1947 – Marián Varga, Slovak organist and composer
  • 1948 – Raymond Keene, English chess player and author
  • 1949 – doris davenport, American poet and teacher
  • 1949 – Evgeny Lovchev, Russian footballer and manager
  • 1949 – Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-American drummer and producer (d. 2014)
  • 1950 – Ann Jillian, American actress and singer
  • 1950 – Jody Scheckter, South African race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1951 – Fereydoon Forooghi, Iranian singer-songwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1951 – Andy Roberts, Caribbean cricketer
  • 1953 – Peter Baumann, German keyboard player and songwriter
  • 1953 – Charlie Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1953 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (d. 1995)
  • 1954 – Christian Bjelland IV, Norwegian businessman and art collector
  • 1954 – Terry Kinney, American actor and director
  • 1954 – Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host, actress, and producer, founded Harpo Productions
  • 1956 – Jan Jakub Kolski, Polish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
  • 1957 – Philippe Dintrans, French rugby player
  • 1957 – Ron Franscell, American author and journalist
  • 1957 – Grażyna Miller, Italian journalist and poet
  • 1959 – Mike Foligno, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1960 – Gia Carangi, American supermodel (d. 1986)
  • 1960 – Greg Louganis, American diver and author
  • 1961 – Petra Thümer, German swimmer and photographer
  • 1962 – Nicholas Turturro, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – John Anthony Gallagher, English-New Zealand rugby player
  • 1965 – Dominik Hašek, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1965 – Peter Lundgren, Swedish tennis player and coach
  • 1966 – Romário, Brazilian footballer, manager, and politician
  • 1967 – Stacey King, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Edward Burns, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1968 – Susi Erdmann, German luger and bobsledder
  • 1970 – Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Indian colonel and politician
  • 1970 – Heather Graham, American actress
  • 1970 – Jörg Hoffmann, German swimmer
  • 1970 – Paul Ryan, American economist and politician, 62nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
  • 1970 – Mohammed Yusuf, Nigerian Islamist leader, founded Boko Haram (d. 2009)
  • 1975 – Sara Gilbert, American actress, producer, and talk show host
  • 1980 – Ivan Klasnic, German-Croatian footballer
  • 1982 – Adam Lambert, American singer, songwriter and actor
  • 1984 – Natalie du Toit, South African swimmer
  • 1984 – Nuno Morais, Portuguese footballer
  • 1985 – Marc Gasol, Spanish basketball player
  • 1987 – José Abreu, Cuban baseball player
  • 1988 – Tatyana Chernova, Russian heptathlete
  • 1988 – Shay Logan, English footballer
  • 1988 – Aydın Yılmaz, Turkish footballer
  • 1989 – Kevin Shattenkirk, American ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Japanese singer

Deaths on January 29

  • 661 – Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad (b. 601)
  • 702 – Princess Ōku of Japan (b. 661)
  • 757 – An Lushan, Chinese general (b. 703)
  • 870 – Salih ibn Wasif, Muslim general
  • 1119 – Pope Gelasius II (b. 1060)
  • 1327 – Adolf, Count Palatine of the Rhine (b. 1300)
  • 1465 – Louis, Duke of Savoy (b. 1413)
  • 1597 – Elias Ammerbach, German organist and composer (b. 1530)
  • 1608 – Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg (b. 1557)
  • 1647 – Francis Meres, English priest and author (b. 1565)
  • 1678 – Jerónimo Lobo, Portuguese missionary and author (b. 1593)
  • 1706 – Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet and courtier (b. 1638)
  • 1737 – George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, Scottish-English field marshal and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1666)
  • 1743 – André-Hercule de Fleury, French cardinal (b. 1653)
  • 1763 – Louis Racine, French poet (b. 1692)
  • 1820 – George III of the United Kingdom (b. 1738)
  • 1829 – Paul François Jean Nicolas, vicomte de Barras, French captain and politician (b. 1755)
  • 1829 – István Pauli, Hungarian-Slovenian priest and poet (b. 1760)
  • 1870 – Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1797)
  • 1871 – Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé, Canadian author (b. 1786)
  • 1888 – Edward Lear, English poet and illustrator (b. 1812)
  • 1899 – Alfred Sisley, French-English painter (b. 1839)
  • 1906 – Christian IX of Denmark (b. 1818)
  • 1928 – Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, Scottish field marshal (b. 1861)
  • 1931 – Henri Mathias Berthelot, French general during World War I (b. 1861)
  • 1933 – Sara Teasdale, American poet (b. 1884)
  • 1934 – Fritz Haber, Polish-German chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)
  • 1941 – Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician, 130th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1871)
  • 1944 – William Allen White, American journalist and author (b. 1868)
  • 1946 – Harry Hopkins, American businessman and politician, 8th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1890)
  • 1948 – Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta (b. 1900)
  • 1950 – Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1885)
  • 1951 – Frank Tarrant, Australian cricketer and umpire (b. 1880)
  • 1956 – H. L. Mencken, American journalist and critic (b. 1880)
  • 1959 – Winifred Brunton, South African painter and illustrator (b. 1880)
  • 1962 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (b. 1875)
  • 1963 – Robert Frost, American poet and playwright (b. 1874)
  • 1964 – Alan Ladd, American actor (b. 1913)
  • 1969 – Allen Welsh Dulles, American banker, lawyer, and diplomat, 5th Director of Central Intelligence (b. 1893)
  • 1970 – B. H. Liddell Hart, French-English soldier, historian, and journalist (b. 1895)
  • 1977 – Freddie Prinze, American comedian and actor (b. 1954)
  • 1978 – Frank Nicklin, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Queensland (b. 1895)
  • 1980 – Jimmy Durante, American entertainer (b. 1893)
  • 1991 – Yasushi Inoue, Japanese author and poet (b. 1907)
  • 1992 – Willie Dixon, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1915)
  • 1993 – Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigerian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of Nigeria (b. 1906)
  • 1994 – Ulrike Maier, Austrian skier (b. 1967)
  • 1999 – Lili St. Cyr, American model and dancer (b. 1918)
  • 2002 – Harold Russell, Canadian-American soldier and actor (b. 1914)
  • 2003 – Frank Moss, American lawyer and politician (b. 1911)
  • 2004 – Janet Frame, New Zealand author and poet (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Ephraim Kishon, Israeli author, screenwriter, and director (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Nam June Paik, South Korean-American artist, (b. 1932)
  • 2008 – Bengt Lindström, Swedish painter and sculptor (b. 1925)
  • 2008 – Margaret Truman, American singer and author (b. 1924)
  • 2009 – Hélio Gracie, Brazilian martial artist (b. 1913)
  • 2011 – Milton Babbitt, American composer, educator, and theorist (b. 1916)
  • 2012 – Ranjit Singh Dyal, Indian general and politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Italian lawyer and politician, 9th President of Italy (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Camilla Williams, American soprano and educator (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – François Cavanna, French journalist and author (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Colleen McCullough, Australian neuroscientist, author, and academic (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Alexander Vraciu, American commander and pilot (b. 1918)
  • 2016 – Jean-Marie Doré, Guinean lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Guinea (b. 1938)
  • 2016 – Jacques Rivette, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1928)
  • 2019 – George Fernandes, Indian politician (b. 1930)
  • 2019 – James Ingram, American musician (b. 1952)

Holidays and observances on January 29

  • Christian feast day:
    • Andrei Rublev (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Aquilinus of Milan
    • Constantius of Perugia
    • Dallán Forgaill
    • Gildas
    • Juniper
    • Sabinian of Troyes
    • Sulpitius I of Bourges
    • Valerius of Trèves
    • January 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Fat Thursday can fall, while March 4 is the latest; celebrated on Thursday before Ash Wednesday. (Christianity)
  • Kansas Day (Kansas, United States)

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

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • AD 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
  • 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
  • 1438 – The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV.
  • 1458 – Matthias Corvinus is elected King of Hungary.
  • 1536 – King Henry VIII of England suffers an accident while jousting, leading to a brain injury that historians say may have influenced his later erratic behaviour and possible impotence.
  • 1679 – King Charles II of England dissolves the Cavalier Parliament.
  • 1742 – Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1758 – During the Seven Years’ War the leading burghers of Königsberg submit to Elizabeth of Russia, thus forming Russian Prussia (until 1763).
  • 1817 – Crossing of the Andes: Many soldiers of Juan Gregorio de las Heras are captured during the Action of Picheuta.
  • 1835 – Slaves in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, stage a revolt, which is instrumental in ending slavery there 50 years later.
  • 1848 – California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento.
  • 1857 – The University of Calcutta is formally founded as the first fully fledged university in South Asia.
  • 1859 – The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (later named Romania) is formed as a personal union under the rule of Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
  • 1900 – Second Boer War: Boers stop a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop.
  • 1908 – The first Boy Scout troop is organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.
  • 1915 – World War I: British Grand Fleet battle cruisers under Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty engage Rear-Admiral Franz von Hipper’s battle cruisers in the Battle of Dogger Bank.
  • 1916 – In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
  • 1918 – The Gregorian calendar is introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People’s Commissars effective February 14 (New Style).
  • 1933 – The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, changing the beginning and end of terms for all elected federal offices.
  • 1939 – The deadliest earthquake in Chilean history strikes Chillán, killing approximately 28,000 people.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Allies bombard Bangkok, leading Thailand, then under Japanese control, to declare war against the United States and United Kingdom.
  • 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference in Casablanca.
  • 1946 – The United Nations General Assembly passes its first resolution to establish the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.
  • 1960 – Algerian War: Some units of European volunteers in Algiers stage an insurrection known as the “barricades week”, during which they seize government buildings and clash with local police.
  • 1961 – Goldsboro B-52 crash: A bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. The uranium core of one weapon remains lost.
  • 1968 – Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force launches Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong during wider fighting around Long Bình and Biên Hòa.
  • 1972 – Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
  • 1977 – The Atocha massacre occurs in Madrid during the Spanish transition to democracy.
  • 1978 – Soviet satellite Kosmos 954, with a nuclear reactor on board, burns up in Earth’s atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada’s Northwest Territories. Only 1% is recovered.
  • 1984 – Apple Computer places the Macintosh personal computer on sale in the United States.
  • 1989 – Notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, with over 30 known victims, is executed by the electric chair at the Florida State Prison.
  • 1990 – Japan launches Hiten, the country’s first lunar probe, the first robotic lunar probe since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 in 1976, and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States.
  • 2003 – The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
  • 2009 – Cyclone Klaus makes landfall near Bordeaux, France, causing 26 deaths as well as extensive disruptions to public transport and power supplies.
  • 2011 – At least 35 are killed and 180 injured in a bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport.

Births on January 24

  • AD 76 – Hadrian, Roman emperor (d. 138)
  • 1287 – Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1345)
  • 1444 – Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1476)
  • 1540 – Edmund Campion, English priest and martyr (d. 1581)
  • 1547 – Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Austrian Archduchess (d. 1578)
  • 1602 – Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland, English politician (d. 1666)
  • 1619 – Yamazaki Ansai, Japanese philosopher (d. 1682)
  • 1643 – Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet and politician, Lord Chamberlain of Great Britain (d. 1706)
  • 1664 – John Vanbrugh, English architect and dramatist (d. 1726)
  • 1670 – William Congreve, English playwright and poet (d. 1729)
  • 1672 – Margrave Albert Frederick of Brandenburg-Schwedt, German Lieutenant General (d. 1731)
  • 1674 – Thomas Tanner, English bishop (d. 1735)
  • 1679 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher and academic (d. 1754)
  • 1684 – Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, German noble (d. 1737)
  • 1705 – Farinelli, Italian castrato singer (d. 1782)
  • 1709 – Dom Bédos de Celles, French monk and organist (d. 1779)
  • 1712 – Frederick the Great, Prussian king (d. 1786)
  • 1732 – Pierre Beaumarchais, French playwright and financier (d. 1799)
  • 1739 – Jean Nicolas Houchard, French General of the French Revolution (d. 1793)
  • 1746 – Gustav III of Sweden (d. 1792)
  • 1749 – Charles James Fox, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1806)
  • 1754 – Andrew Ellicott, American soldier and surveyor (d. 1820)
  • 1761 – Louis Klein, French general (d. 1845)
  • 1763 – Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, French-Ukrainian general and politician (d. 1831)
  • 1776 – E. T. A. Hoffmann, German jurist, author, and composer (d. 1822)
  • 1787 – Christian Ludwig Brehm, German pastor and ornithologist (d. 1864)
  • 1804 – Delphine de Girardin, French author (d. 1855)
  • 1814 – Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, French Crown Princess (d. 1858)
  • 1814 – John Colenso, British mathematician (d. 1883)
  • 1816 – Wilhelm Henzen, German philologist and epigraphist (d. 1887)
  • 1828 – Ferdinand Cohn, German biologist (d. 1898)
  • 1829 – Yechiel Michel Epstein, Rabbi and posek (d. 1908)
  • 1836 – Signe Rink, Greenland-born Danish writer and ethnologist (d. 1909)
  • 1843 – Josip Stadler, Croatian archbishop (d. 1918)
  • 1848 – Vasily Surikov, Russian painter (d. 1916)
  • 1850 – Hermann Ebbinghaus, German psychologist (d. 1909)
  • 1853 – Sigbert Josef Maria Ganser, German psychiatrist (d. 1931)
  • 1856 – Friedrich Grünanger, Transylvanian Hungarian-German architect (d. 1929)
  • 1858 – Constance Naden, English poet and philosopher (d. 1889)
  • 1862 – Edith Wharton, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1937)
  • 1863 – August Adler, Czech and Austrian mathematician (d. 1923)
  • 1864 – Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist, and activist (d. 1936)
  • 1864 – Gaetano Giardino, Italian soldier and Marshal of Italy (d. 1935)
  • 1866 – Jaan Poska, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1920)
  • 1870 – Herbert Kilpin, English footballer (d. 1916)
  • 1871 – Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic, Czech poet, writer and literary critic (d. 1951)
  • 1871 – Thomas Jaggar, American volcanologist (d. 1953)
  • 1872 – Yuly Aykhenvald, Russian literary critic (d. 1928)
  • 1872 – Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (d. 1943)
  • 1872 – Morris Travers, English chemist and academic (d. 1961)
  • 1873 – Dmitry Ushakov, Russian philologist and lexicographer (d. 1942)
  • 1882 – Harold D. Babcock, American astronomer (d. 1968)
  • 1882 – Ödön Bodor, Hungarian athlete (d. 1927)
  • 1886 – Henry King, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
  • 1887 – Jean-Henri Humbert, French botanist (d. 1967)
  • 1888 – Vicki Baum, Austrian author and screenwriter (d. 1960)
  • 1888 – Ernst Heinkel, German engineer and businessman, founded the Heinkel Aircraft Manufacturing Company (d. 1958)
  • 1889 – Victor Eftimiu, Romanian poet and playwright (d. 1972)
  • 1889 – Charles Hawes, American historian and author (d. 1923)
  • 1889 – Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, German general of paratroop forces during World War II (d. 1968)
  • 1891 – Walter Model, German field marshal (d. 1945)
  • 1892 – Franz Aigner, Austrian weightlifter (d. 1970)
  • 1895 – Eugen Roth, German poet and songwriter (d. 1976)
  • 1897 – Paul Fejos, Hungarian-born American director (d. 1963)
  • 1899 – Hoyt Vandenberg, U.S. Air Force general (d. 1954)
  • 1900 – René Guillot, French writer (d. 1969)
  • 1901 – Harry Calder, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
  • 1901 – Cassandre, French painter (d. 1968)
  • 1901 – Edward Turner, English engineer (d. 1973)
  • 1905 – J. Howard Marshall, American lawyer and businessman (d. 1995)
  • 1906 – Wilfred Jackson, American animator and composer (d. 1988)
  • 1907 – Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu, fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (d. 1979)
  • 1907 – Maurice Couve de Murville, French soldier and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1999)
  • 1907 – Jean Daetwyler, Swiss composer and musician (d. 1994)
  • 1909 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (d. 2005)
  • 1910 – Doris Haddock, American political activist (d. 2010)
  • 1912 – Frederick Ashworth, American admiral (d. 2005)
  • 1913 – Norman Dello Joio, American organist and composer (d. 2008)
  • 1913 – Ray Stehr, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1983)
  • 1915 – Vítězslava Kaprálová, Czech composer and conductor (d. 1940)
  • 1915 – Robert Motherwell, American painter and academic (d. 1991)
  • 1916 – Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan lawyer and politician, 65th President of Venezuela (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – Gene Mako, Hungarian-American tennis player and actor (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Ernest Borgnine, American actor (d. 2012)
  • 1917 – Wilhelmus Demarteau, Dutch prelate of the Roman Catholic Church (d. 2012)
  • 1918 – Gottfried von Einem, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1996)
  • 1918 – Oral Roberts, American evangelist, founded Oral Roberts University and Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1973)
  • 1919 – Leon Kirchner, American composer and educator (d. 2009)
  • 1920 – Jimmy Forrest, American saxophonist (d. 1980)
  • 1920 – Jerry Maren, American actor (d. 2018)
  • 1922 – Daniel Boulanger, French actor and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Neil Franklin, English footballer (d. 1996)
  • 1923 – Geneviève Asse, French painter
  • 1925 – Gus Mortson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina and actress (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Ruth Asawa, American sculptor (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Georges Lautner, French director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Sir Patrick Macnaghten, 11th Baronet, Scottish lieutenant (d. 2007)
  • 1927 – Paula Hawkins, American politician (d. 2009)
  • 1928 – Desmond Morris, English zoologist, ethologist, and painter
  • 1928 – Michel Serrault, French actor (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – Terence Bayler, New Zealand actor (d. 2016)
  • 1930 – Mahmoud Farshchian, Iranian-Persian painter and academic
  • 1930 – John Romita Sr., American comic book artist
  • 1931 – Lars Hörmander, Swedish mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1931 – Ib Nørholm, Danish composer and organist
  • 1932 – Éliane Radigue, French electronic music composer
  • 1933 – Kamran Baghirov, the 12th First Secretary of Azerbaijan Communist Party (d. 2000)
  • 1933 – Asim Ferhatović, Bosnian footballer (d. 1987)
  • 1934 – Leonard Goldberg, American producer (d. 2019)
  • 1934 – Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet and dramatist (d. 1976)
  • 1935 – Eric Ashton, English rugby player and coach (d. 2008)
  • 1935 – Shivabalayogi, Indian religious leader (d. 1994)
  • 1936 – Doug Kershaw, American fiddle player and singer
  • 1937 – Trevor Edwards, Welsh footballer
  • 1938 – Julius Hemphill, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1995)
  • 1939 – Renate Garisch-Culmberger, German shot putter
  • 1939 – Ray Stevens, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1940 – Vito Acconci, American designer (d. 2017)
  • 1940 – Joachim Gauck, German pastor and politician, 11th President of Germany
  • 1941 – Neil Diamond, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1941 – Aaron Neville, American singer
  • 1941 – Dan Shechtman, Israeli chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1942 – Ingo Friedrich, German Member of the European Parliament
  • 1942 – Gary Hart, American wrestler and manager (d. 2008)
  • 1943 – Peter Struck, German lawyer and politician, 13th German Federal Minister of Defence (d. 2012)
  • 1943 – Barry Mealand, English footballer, right back (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – Sharon Tate, American model and actress (d. 1969)
  • 1943 – Tony Trimmer, English race car driver
  • 1943 – Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (d. 2016)
  • 1944 – David Gerrold, American science fiction screenwriter and author
  • 1944 – Gian-Franco Kasper, Swiss ski official
  • 1945 – John Garamendi, American football player and politician, 1st United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
  • 1945 – Subhash Ghai, Indian director, producer and screenwriter
  • 1945 – Eva Janko, Austrian javelin thrower
  • 1946 – Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor
  • 1947 – Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian footballer (d. 2012)
  • 1947 – Michio Kaku, American physicist and academic
  • 1947 – Masashi Ozaki, Japanese baseball player and golfer
  • 1947 – Warren Zevon, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1948 – Elliott Abrams, American diplomat, lawyer and political scientist
  • 1948 – Michael Des Barres, English singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1949 – John Belushi, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
  • 1949 – Bart Gordon, American lawyer
  • 1949 – Nadezhda Ilyina, Russian athlete and mother of Russian tennis player Nadia Petrova (d. 2013)
  • 1949 – Rihoko Yoshida, Japanese voice actress
  • 1950 – Daniel Auteuil, French actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1951 – Yakov Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American comedian and actor
  • 1953 – Yuri Bashmet, Russian violinist, viola player, and conductor
  • 1953 – Moon Jae-in, 19th President of South Korea
  • 1954 – Jo Gartner, Austrian race car driver (d. 1986)
  • 1955 – Jim Montgomery, American swimmer
  • 1955 – Alan Sokal, American physicist and author
  • 1955 – Lynda Weinman, American businesswoman and author
  • 1956 – Agus Martowardojo, governor of Bank Indonesia
  • 1957 – Mark Eaton, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1957 – Ade Edmondson, English comedian and musician
  • 1958 – Kim Eui-kon, Korean wrestler
  • 1958 – Jools Holland, English singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1958 – Frank Ullrich, German biathlete
  • 1959 – Akira Maeda, Japanese wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor
  • 1959 – Michel Preud’homme, Belgian footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Jorge Barrios, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1961 – Guido Buchwald, German footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Christa Kinshofer, German ski racer
  • 1961 – Nastassja Kinski, German-American actress and producer
  • 1961 – William Van Dijck, Belgian runner
  • 1963 – Arnold Vanderlyde, Dutch boxer
  • 1964 – Annika Dahlman, Swedish cross country skier
  • 1965 – Robin Dutt, German footballer
  • 1965 – Carlos Saldanha, Brazilian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1965 – Margaret Urlich, New Zealand singer-songwriter
  • 1965 – Pagonis Vakalopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Kim Sung-moon, South Korean wrestler
  • 1966 – Julie Dreyfus, French actress
  • 1966 – Karin Viard, French actress
  • 1967 – Michael Kiske, German singer
  • 1967 – Mark Kozelek, American singer and musician
  • 1967 – Phil LaMarr, American actor, singer, and screenwriter
  • 1967 – John Myung, American bass player and songwriter
  • 1968 – Fernando Escartín, Spanish cyclist
  • 1968 – Antony Garrett Lisi, American theoretical physicist
  • 1968 – Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
  • 1968 – Tymerlan Huseynov, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1969 – Yoo Ho-jeong, South Korean actress
  • 1969 – Carlos Rômulo Gonçalves e Silva, bishop of Montenegro
  • 1970 – Roberto Bonano, Argentine footballer
  • 1970 – Neil Johnson, Zimbabwean cricketer
  • 1970 – Matthew Lillard, American actor
  • 1971 – José Carlos Fernandez, Bolivian footballer
  • 1972 – Beth Hart, American blues-rock singer and piano player
  • 1974 – Cyril Despres, French rally racer
  • 1974 – Ed Helms, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Melissa Tkautz, Australian actress and singer
  • 1974 – Rokia Traoré, Malian singer
  • 1975 – Gianluca Basile, Italian former professional basketball player
  • 1975 – Rónald Gómez, Costa Rican footballer and manager
  • 1975 – Reto Hug, Swiss triathlonist
  • 1975 – Henna Raita, Finnish alpine skier
  • 1976 – Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canadian ice dancer, coach, and choreographer
  • 1976 – Cindy Pieters, Belgian cyclist
  • 1977 – Andrija Gerić, Serbian volleyball player
  • 1977 – Michelle Hunziker, Swiss-Dutch actress, model and singer
  • 1978 – Veerle Baetens, Belgian actress and singer
  • 1978 – Mark Hildreth, Canadian actor and musician
  • 1978 – Kristen Schaal, American actress, voice artist, comedian and writer
  • 1979 – Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
  • 1979 – Leandro Desábato, Argentinian footballer
  • 1979 – Busy Signal, Jamaican dancehall reggae artist
  • 1979 – Nik Wallenda, American acrobat
  • 1980 – Jofre Mateu, Spanish footballer
  • 1980 – Suzy, Portuguese singer
  • 1981 – Mario Eggimann, Swiss footballer
  • 1981 – Zaur Hashimov, Azerbaijani footballer and manager
  • 1981 – Elena Kolomina, Kazakhstani cross country skier
  • 1982 – Céline Deville, French footballer
  • 1982 – Daveed Diggs, American actor, rapper and singer
  • 1982 – Claudia Heill, Austrian judoka
  • 1982 – Aitor Hernández, Spanish racing cyclist
  • 1983 – Davide Biondini, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Wyatt Crockett, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1983 – Evgeny Drattsev, Russian swimmer
  • 1983 – Craig Horner, Australian actor and musician
  • 1983 – Shaun Maloney, Scottish footballer
  • 1983 – Scott Speed, American race car driver
  • 1984 – Emerse Faé, French-born Ivorian footballer
  • 1984 – Yotam Halperin, Israeli basketball player
  • 1984 – Jung Jin-sun, South Korean fencer
  • 1984 – Scott Kazmir, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Paulo Sérgio Moreira Gonçalves, Portuguese footballer
  • 1985 – Fabiana Claudino, Brazilian volleyball player
  • 1985 – Trey Gilder, American basketball player
  • 1986 – Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1986 – Mohammad Bagheri Motamed, Iranian taekwondo practitioner
  • 1986 – Mischa Barton, English-American actress
  • 1986 – Vladislav Ivanov, Russian footballer
  • 1986 – Michael Kightly, English footballer
  • 1986 – Ricky Ullman, Israeli-American actor
  • 1987 – Wayne Hennessey, Welsh footballer
  • 1987 – Luis Suárez, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1987 – Davide Valsecchi, Italian racing driver
  • 1987 – Kia Vaughn, American born Czech basketball player
  • 1987 – Guan Xin, Chinese basketball player
  • 1988 – Selina Jörg, German snowboarder
  • 1989 – Serdar Kesimal, Turkish footballer
  • 1989 – Gong Lijiao, Chinese shot putter
  • 1989 – Ki Sung-yueng, South Korean footballer
  • 1990 – Mao Abe, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1991 – Zhan Beleniuk, Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler
  • 1991 – Tatiana Kashirina, Russian weightlifter
  • 1991 – Zé Luís, Cape Verdean footballer
  • 1991 – Li Xuerui, Chinese badminton player
  • 1992 – Becky Downie, English gymnast
  • 1992 – Phiwa Nkambule, South African entrepreneur
  • 1992 – Felitciano Zschusschen, Curaçao footballer
  • 1994 – Tommie Hoban, English footballer
  • 1995 – Dylan Everett, Canadian actor
  • 1997 – Nirei Fukuzumi, Japanese racer
  • 1999 – Vitalie Damașcan, Moldovan footballer
  • 2012 – Princess Athena of Denmark, younger child of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark

Deaths onJanuary 24

  • AD 41 – Caligula, Roman emperor (b. 12)
  • 817 – Pope Stephen IV (b. 770)
  • 901 – Liu Jishu, general of the Tang Dynasty
  • 1046 – Eckard II, Margrave of Meissen (b. c. 985)
  • 1125 – David IV of Georgia (b. 1073)
  • 1336 – Alfonso IV of Aragon (b. 1299)
  • 1376 – Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, English commander (b. 1306)
  • 1473 – Conrad Paumann, German organist and composer (b. 1410)
  • 1525 – Franciabigio, Florentine painter (b. 1482)
  • 1595 – Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria (b. 1529)
  • 1626 – Samuel Argall, English captain and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1572)
  • 1639 – Jörg Jenatsch, Swiss pastor and politician (b. 1596)
  • 1666 – Johann Andreas Herbst, German composer and theorist (b. 1588)
  • 1709 – George Rooke, English admiral and politician (b. 1650)
  • 1877 – Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist and journalist (b. 1796)
  • 1881 – James Collinson, English painter (b. 1825)
  • 1883 – Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
  • 1895 – Lord Randolph Churchill, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1849)
  • 1920 – Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
  • 1939 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician, created Muesli (b. 1867)
  • 1943 – John Burns, English trade union leader and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1858)
  • 1960 – Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1886)
  • 1961 – Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American pole vaulter and businessman, founded the A. C. Gilbert Company (b. 1884)
  • 1962 – André Lhote, French sculptor and painter (b. 1885)
  • 1962 – Stanley Lord, English naval captain (b. 1877)
  • 1962 – Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Turkish author, poet, and scholar (b. 1901)
  • 1965 – Winston Churchill, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
  • 1966 – Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1909)
  • 1970 – Caresse Crosby, American fashion designer and publisher, co-founded the Black Sun Press (b. 1891)
  • 1971 – Bill W., American activist, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (b. 1895)
  • 1973 – J. Carrol Naish, American actor (b. 1896)
  • 1975 – Larry Fine, American comedian (b. 1902)
  • 1982 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian general and politician, 56th President of Bolivia (b. 1918)
  • 1983 – George Cukor, American director and producer (b. 1899)
  • 1986 – L. Ron Hubbard, American religious leader and author, founded the Church of Scientology (b. 1911)
  • 1986 – Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (b. 1921)
  • 1988 – Werner Fenchel, German-Danish mathematician and academic (b. 1905)
  • 1989 – Ted Bundy, American serial killer (b. 1946)
  • 1990 – Madge Bellamy, American actress (b. 1899)
  • 1991 – Jack Schaefer, American journalist and author (b. 1907)
  • 1992 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – Gustav Ernesaks, Estonian composer and conductor (b. 1908)
  • 1993 – Thurgood Marshall, American lawyer and jurist, 32nd United States Solicitor General (b. 1908)
  • 2002 – Elie Hobeika, Lebanese commander and politician (b. 1956)
  • 2003 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (b. 1921)
  • 2004 – Leônidas, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1913)
  • 2006 – Schafik Handal, Salvadoran politician (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Krystyna Feldman, Polish actress (b. 1916)
  • 2007 – İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1940)
  • 2007 – Guadalupe Larriva, Ecuadorian academic and politician (b. 1956)
  • 2007 – Emiliano Mercado del Toro, Puerto Rican-American soldier (b. 1891)
  • 2010 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (b. 1928)
  • 2011 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – Shulamit Aloni, Israeli lawyer and politician, 11th Israeli Minister of Education (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Rafael Pineda Ponce, Honduran academic and politician (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (b. 1922)
  • 2016 – Fredrik Barth, German-Norwegian anthropologist and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2016 – Marvin Minsky, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1927)
  • 2016 – Henry Worsley, English colonel and explorer (b. 1960)
  • 2017 – Butch Trucks, American drummer (b. 1947)
  • 2018 – Mark E. Smith, British singer-songwriter (b. 1957)
  • 2019 – Rosemary Bryant Mariner, American United States Naval Aviator (b. 1953)

Holidays and observances on January 24

  • Christian feast day:
    • Babylas of Antioch
    • Cadoc (Wales)
    • Exuperantius of Cingoli
    • Felician of Foligno
    • Francis de Sales
    • Pratulin Martyrs (Greek Catholic Church)
    • January 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Saturday of Souls can fall, while February 27 (or 28 during Leap Year) is the latest; observed 57 days before Easter. (Eastern Orthodox)
  • Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances:
    • Feria de Alasitas (La Paz)
  • Unification Day (Romania)
  • Uttar Pradesh Day (Uttar Pradesh, India)

January 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 393 – Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor.
  • 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao.
  • 1264 – In the conflict between King Henry III of England and his rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, King Louis IX of France issues the Mise of Amiens, a one-sided decision in favour of Henry that later leads to the Second Barons’ War.
  • 1368 – In a coronation ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang ascends the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor, initiating Ming dynasty rule over China that would last for three centuries.
  • 1546 – Having published nothing for eleven years, François Rabelais publishes the Tiers Livre, his sequel to Gargantua and Pantagruel.
  • 1556 – The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.
  • 1570 – James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent for the infant King James VI of Scotland, is assassinated by firearm, the first recorded instance of such.
  • 1571 – The Royal Exchange opens in London.
  • 1579 – The Union of Utrecht forms a Protestant republic in the Netherlands.
  • 1656 – Blaise Pascal publishes the first of his Lettres provinciales.
  • 1719 – The Principality of Liechtenstein is created within the Holy Roman Empire.
  • 1789 – Georgetown College, the first Catholic university in the United States, is founded in Georgetown, Maryland (now a part of Washington, D.C.).
  • 1793 – Second Partition of Poland.
  • 1795 – After an extraordinary charge across the frozen Zuiderzee, the French cavalry captured 14 Dutch ships and 850 guns, in a rare occurrence of a battle between ships and cavalry.
  • 1846 – Slavery in Tunisia is abolished.
  • 1849 – Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her M.D. by the Geneva Medical College of Geneva, New York, becoming the United States’ first female doctor.
  • 1870 – In Montana, U.S. cavalrymen kill 173 Native Americans, mostly women and children, in what becomes known as the Marias Massacre.
  • 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: the Battle of Rorke’s Drift ends.
  • 1899 – The Malolos Constitution is inaugurated, establishing the First Philippine Republic. Emilio Aguinaldo is sworn in as its first President.
  • 1900 – Second Boer War: The Battle of Spion Kop between the forces of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State and British forces ends in a British defeat.
  • 1904 – Ålesund Fire: the Norwegian coastal town Ålesund is devastated by fire, leaving 10,000 people homeless and one person dead. Kaiser Wilhelm II funds the rebuilding of the town in Jugendstil style.
  • 1909 – RMS Republic, a passenger ship of the White Star Line, becomes the first ship to use the CQD distress signal after colliding with another ship, the SS Florida, off the Massachusetts coastline, an event that kills six people. The Republic sinks the next day.
  • 1912 – The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague.
  • 1920 – The Netherlands refuses to surrender the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to the Allies.
  • 1937 – The trial of the anti-Soviet Trotskyist center sees seventeen mid-level Communists accused of sympathizing with Leon Trotsky and plotting to overthrow Joseph Stalin’s regime.
  • 1941 – Charles Lindbergh testifies before the U.S. Congress and recommends that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Adolf Hitler.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Rabaul commences Japan’s invasion of Australia’s Territory of New Guinea.
  • 1943 – World War II: Troops of the British Eighth Army capture Tripoli in Libya from the German–Italian Panzer Army.
  • 1945 – World War II: German admiral Karl Dönitz launches Operation Hannibal.
  • 1950 – The Knesset resolves that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
  • 1957 – American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later renames it the “Frisbee”.
  • 1958 – After a general uprising and rioting in the streets, President Marcos Pérez Jiménez leaves Venezuela.
  • 1960 – The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) in the Pacific Ocean.
  • 1961 – The Portuguese luxury cruise ship Santa Maria is hijacked by opponents of the Estado Novo regime with the intention of waging war until dictator António de Oliveira Salazar is overthrown.
  • 1963 – The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence officially begins when PAIGC guerrilla fighters attack the Portuguese army stationed in Tite.
  • 1964 – The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.
  • 1967 – Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Ivory Coast are established.
  • 1967 – Milton Keynes (England) is founded as a new town by Order in Council, with a planning brief to become a city of 250,000 people. Its initial designated area enclosed three existing towns and twenty one villages. The area to be developed was largely farmland, with evidence of continuous settlement dating back to the Bronze Age.
  • 1968 – USS Pueblo (AGER-2) is attacked and seized by naval forces of North Korea.
  • 1973 – United States President Richard Nixon announces that a peace accord has been reached in Vietnam.
  • 1986 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
  • 1997 – Madeleine Albright becomes the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State.
  • 1998 – Netscape announced Mozilla, with the intention to release Communicator code as open source.
  • 2001 – Five people attempt to set themselves on fire in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, an act that many people later claim is staged by the Communist Party of China to frame Falun Gong and thus escalate their persecution.
  • 2002 – U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan and subsequently murdered.
  • 2003 – A very weak signal from Pioneer 10 is detected for the last time, but no usable data can be extracted.
  • 2018 – A 7.9 Mw  earthquake occurs in the Gulf of Alaska. It is tied as the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded in the United States, but there are no reports of significant damage or fatalities.
  • 2018 – A double car bombing in Benghazi, Libya, kills at least 33 people and wounds “dozens” of others. The victims include both military personnel and civilians, according to local officials.

Births on January 23

  • 599 – Tai Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 649)
  • 1350 – Vincent Ferrer, Spanish missionary and saint (d. 1419)
  • 1378 – Louis III, Elector Palatine (d. 1436)
  • 1514 – Hai Rui, Chinese politician (d. 1587)
  • 1585 – Mary Ward, English Catholic Religious Sister (d. 1645)
  • 1622 – Abraham Diepraam, Dutch painter (d. 1670)
  • 1719 – John Landen, English mathematician and theorist (d. 1790)
  • 1737 – John Hancock, American general and politician, 1st Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1793)
  • 1745 – William Jessop, English engineer, built the Cromford Canal (d. 1814)
  • 1752 – Muzio Clementi, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1832)
  • 1780 – Georgios Karaiskakis, Greek general (d. 1827)
  • 1783 – Stendhal, French novelist (d. 1842)
  • 1786 – Auguste de Montferrand, French-Russian architect, designed Saint Isaac’s Cathedral and Alexander Column (d. 1858)
  • 1799 – Alois Negrelli, Tyrolean engineer and railroad pioneer active in the Austrian Empire (d. 1858)
  • 1809 – Surendra Sai, Indian activist (d. 1884)
  • 1813 – Camilla Collett, Norwegian novelist and activist (d. 1895)
  • 1828 – Saigō Takamori, Japanese samurai (d. 1877)
  • 1832 – Édouard Manet, French painter (d. 1883)
  • 1833 – Muthu Coomaraswamy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1879)
  • 1838 – Marianne Cope, German-American nun and saint (d. 1918)
  • 1840 – Ernst Abbe, German physicist and engineer (d. 1905)
  • 1846 – Nikolay Umov, Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1915)
  • 1855 – John Browning, American weapons designer, founded the Browning Arms Company (d. 1926)
  • 1857 – Andrija Mohorovičić, Croatian meteorologist and seismologist (d. 1936)
  • 1862 – David Hilbert, Russian-German mathematician and academic (d. 1943)
  • 1862 – Frank Shuman, American inventor and engineer (d. 1918)
  • 1872 – Paul Langevin, French physicist and academic (d. 1946)
  • 1872 – Jože Plečnik, Slovenian architect, designed Plečnik Parliament (d. 1957)
  • 1876 – Otto Diels, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1954)
  • 1878 – Rutland Boughton, English composer (d. 1960)
  • 1880 – Antonio Díaz Soto y Gama, Mexican politician (d. 1967)
  • 1889 – Claribel Kendall, American mathematician (d.1965)
  • 1894 – Jyotirmoyee Devi, Indian author (d. 1988)
  • 1896 – Alf Blair, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1944)
  • 1896 – Alf Hall, English-South African cricketer (d. 1964)
  • 1897 – Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian activist and politician (d. 1945)
  • 1897 – Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Austrian architect (d. 2000)
  • 1897 – Ieva Simonaitytė, Lithuanian author (d. 1978)
  • 1897 – William Stephenson, Canadian captain and spy (d. 1989)
  • 1898 – Georg Kulenkampff, German violinist (d. 1948)
  • 1898 – Randolph Scott, American actor (d. 1987)
  • 1898 – Freda Utley, English scholar and author (d. 1978)
  • 1899 – Glen Kidston, English race car driver and pilot (d. 1931)
  • 1900 – William Ifor Jones, Welsh organist and conductor (d. 1988)
  • 1901 – Arthur Wirtz, American businessman (d. 1983)
  • 1903 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Colombian lawyer and politician, 16th Minister of National Education of Colombia (d. 1948)
  • 1905 – Erich Borchmeyer, German sprinter (d. 2000)
  • 1907 – Dan Duryea, American actor and singer (d. 1968)
  • 1907 – Hideki Yukawa, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
  • 1910 – Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist and composer (d. 1953)
  • 1912 – Boris Pokrovsky, Russian director and manager (d. 2009)
  • 1913 – Jean-Michel Atlan, Algerian-French painter (d. 1960)
  • 1913 – Wally Parks, American businessman, founded the National Hot Rod Association (d. 2007)
  • 1915 – Herma Bauma, Austrian javelin thrower and handball player (d. 2003)
  • 1915 – W. Arthur Lewis, Saint Lucian-Barbadian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
  • 1915 – Potter Stewart, American lawyer and judge (d. 1985)
  • 1916 – David Douglas Duncan, American photographer and journalist (d. 2018)
  • 1916 – Airey Neave, English colonel, lawyer, and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (d. 1979)
  • 1918 – Gertrude B. Elion, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
  • 1918 – Florence Rush, American social worker and theorist (d. 2008)
  • 1919 – Frances Bay, Canadian-American actress (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – Hans Hass, Austrian biologist and diver (d. 2013)
  • 1919 – Ernie Kovacs, American actor and game show host (d. 1962)
  • 1919 – Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager (d. 1996)
  • 1920 – Gottfried Böhm, German architect
  • 1920 – Henry Eriksson, Swedish runner (d. 2000)
  • 1920 – Walter Frederick Morrison, American businessman, invented the Frisbee (d. 2010)
  • 1922 – Leon Golub, American painter and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1922 – Tom Lewis, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of New South Wales (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – Horace Ashenfelter, American runner (d. 2018)
  • 1923 – Cot Deal, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Walter M. Miller, Jr., American soldier and author (d. 1996)
  • 1924 – Frank Lautenberg, American soldier, businessman, and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Marty Paich, American pianist, composer, producer, and conductor (d. 1995)
  • 1926 – Bal Thackeray, Indian journalist, cartoonist, and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1927 – Lars-Eric Lindblad, Swedish-American businessman and explorer (d. 1994)
  • 1927 – Fred Williams, Australian painter (d. 1982)
  • 1928 – Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
  • 1928 – Jeanne Moreau, French actress (d. 2017)
  • 1929 – Myron Cope, American journalist and sportscaster (d. 2008)
  • 1929 – Phillip Knightley, Australian journalist, author, and critic (d. 2016)
  • 1929 – John Polanyi, German-Canadian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1930 – Filaret, Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan
  • 1930 – Mervyn Rose, Australian tennis player (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – Derek Walcott, Saint Lucian poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
  • 1932 – George Allen, English footballer (d. 2016)
  • 1932 – Larri Thomas, American actress and dancer (d. 2013)
  • 1933 – Bill Hayden, Australian politician, 21st Governor General of Australia
  • 1933 – Chita Rivera, American actress, singer, and dancer
  • 1934 – Pierre Bourgault, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2003)
  • 1935 – Mike Agostini, Trinidadian sprinter (d. 2016)
  • 1935 – Tom Reamy, American author (d. 1977)
  • 1935 – Teresa Żylis-Gara, Polish operatic soprano
  • 1936 – Brian Howe, Australian minister and politician, 8th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
  • 1936 – Jerry Kramer, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1936 – Cécile Ousset, French pianist
  • 1938 – Giant Baba, Japanese wrestler and promoter, founded All Japan Pro Wrestling (d. 1999)
  • 1938 – Georg Baselitz, German painter and sculptor
  • 1939 – Ed Roberts, American disability rights activist (d. 1995)
  • 1940 – Alan Cheuse, American writer and critic (d. 2015)
  • 1940 – Joe Dowell, American pop singer (d. 2016)
  • 1941 – Jock R. Anderson, Australian economist and academic
  • 1941 – João Ubaldo Ribeiro, Brazilian journalist, author, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Laurie Mayne, Australian cricketer
  • 1942 – Herman Tjeenk Willink, Dutch judge and politician
  • 1942 – Phil Clarke, New Zealand rugby union player
  • 1943 – Gary Burton, American vibraphone player and composer
  • 1943 – Özhan Canaydın, Turkish basketball player and businessman (d. 2010)
  • 1943 – Gil Gerard, American actor and producer
  • 1944 – Rutger Hauer, Dutch actor, director, and producer (d. 2019)
  • 1945 – Mike Harris, Canadian politician, 22nd Premier of Ontario
  • 1946 – Arnoldo Alemán, Nicaraguan lawyer and politician, President of Nicaragua
  • 1946 – Boris Berezovsky, Russian-English businessman and mathematician (d. 2013)
  • 1946 – Zvonko Bušić, Croatian terrorist, hijacker of TWA Flight 355 (d. 2013)
  • 1946 – Don Whittington, American race car driver
  • 1947 – Tom Carper, American captain and politician, 71st Governor of Delaware
  • 1947 – Megawati Sukarnoputri, Indonesian politician, 5th President of Indonesia
  • 1948 – Anita Pointer, American R&B/soul singer-songwriter
  • 1950 – Richard Dean Anderson, American actor, producer, and composer
  • 1950 – Bill Cunningham, American bass and keyboard player
  • 1950 – Guida Maria, Portuguese actress (d. 2018)
  • 1950 – Suzanne Scotchmer, American economist and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1950 – Luis Alberto Spinetta, Argentinian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and poet (d. 2012)
  • 1951 – Margaret Bailes, American sprinter
  • 1951 – Chesley Sullenberger, American captain and pilot
  • 1952 – Omar Henry, South African cricketer
  • 1953 – John Luther Adams, American composer
  • 1953 – Alister McGrath, Irish priest, historian, and theologian
  • 1953 – Antonio Villaraigosa, American politician, 41st Mayor of Los Angeles
  • 1953 – Robin Zander, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1954 – Trevor Hohns, Australian cricketer
  • 1957 – Caroline, Princess of Hanover
  • 1958 – Sergey Litvinov, Russian hammer thrower (d. 2018)
  • 1959 – Clive Bull, English radio host
  • 1960 – Jean-François Sauvé, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1960 – Greg Ritchie, Australian cricketer
  • 1961 – Neil Henry, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1961 – Yelena Sinchukova, Russian long jumper
  • 1962 – David Arnold, English composer
  • 1962 – Aivar Lillevere, Estonian footballer and coach
  • 1962 – Elvira Lindo, Spanish journalist and author
  • 1964 – Jonatha Brooke, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1964 – Mariska Hargitay, American actress and producer
  • 1964 – Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyanese economist and politician, 7th President of Guyana
  • 1964 – Mario Roberge, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1965 – Louie Clemente, American drummer
  • 1966 – Damien Hardman, Australian surfer
  • 1966 – Haywoode Workman, American basketball player and referee
  • 1967 – Owen Cunningham, Australian rugby league player
  • 1968 – Taro Hakase, Japanese violinist and composer
  • 1968 – Petr Korda, Czech-Monacan tennis player
  • 1969 – Andrei Kanchelskis, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager
  • 1969 – Brendan Shanahan, Canadian ice hockey player and actor
  • 1969 – Susen Tiedtke, German long jumper
  • 1970 – Spyridon Vasdekis, Greek long jumper
  • 1971 – Scott Gibbs, Welsh-South African rugby player and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Kevin Mawae, American football player and coach
  • 1971 – Marc Nelson, American singer-songwriter
  • 1971 – Adam Parore, New Zealand cricketer and mountaineer
  • 1971 – Claire Rankin, Canadian actress
  • 1971 – Lisa Snowdon, English television and radio presenter and fashion model
  • 1972 – Ewen Bremner, Scottish actor
  • 1973 – Tomas Holmström, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1974 – Glen Chapple, English cricketer
  • 1974 – Rebekah Elmaloglou, Australian actress
  • 1974 – Yosvani Pérez, Cuban baseball player
  • 1974 – Richard T. Slone, English painter
  • 1974 – Tiffani Thiessen, American actress
  • 1975 – Nick Harmer, German musician
  • 1975 – Phil Dawson, American football player
  • 1976 – Brandon Duckworth, American baseball player and scout
  • 1976 – Anne Margrethe Hausken, Norwegian orienteering competitor
  • 1976 – Alex Shaffer, American skier
  • 1979 – Larry Hughes, American basketball player
  • 1979 – Dawn O’Porter, Scottish-English fashion designer and journalist
  • 1979 – Juan Rincón, Venezuelan baseball player and coach
  • 1981 – Rob Friend, Canadian soccer player
  • 1982 – Wily Mo Peña, Dominican baseball player
  • 1982 – Oceana Mahlmann, German singer and songwriter
  • 1982 – Andrew Rock, American sprinter
  • 1983 – Irving Saladino, Panamanian long jumper
  • 1984 – Robbie Farah, Australian rugby league player
  • 1984 – Arjen Robben, Dutch footballer
  • 1985 – Dong Fangzhuo, Chinese footballer
  • 1985 – Doutzen Kroes, Dutch model and actress
  • 1985 – Yevgeny Lukyanenko, Russian pole vaulter
  • 1985 – Aselefech Mergia, Ethiopian runner
  • 1985 – Jeff Samardzija, American baseball player
  • 1985 – San E, South Korean rapper
  • 1986 – Gelete Burka, Ethiopian runner
  • 1986 – Marc Laird, Scottish footballer
  • 1986 – José Enrique, Spanish footballer
  • 1986 – Michael Stevens, American YouTuber and educator
  • 1986 – Steven Taylor, English footballer
  • 1986 – Sandro Viletta, Swiss skier
  • 1987 – Leo Komarov, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1990 – Şener Özbayraklı, Turkish footballer
  • 1990 – Alex Silva, Canadian wrestler
  • 1990 – Martyn Waghorn, English footballer
  • 1992 – Reina Triendl, Japanese model and actress
  • 1994 – Addison Russell, American baseball player
  • 1995 – Luke Bateman, Australian rugby league player
  • 1995 – Tuimoala Lolohea, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1998 – XXXTentacion, American rapper (d. 2018)

Deaths on January 23

  • 667 – Ildefonsus, bishop of Toledo
  • 989 – Adalbero, archbishop of Reims
  • 1002 – Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 980)
  • 1199 – Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, Moroccan caliph (b. 1160)
  • 1252 – Isabella, Queen of Armenia
  • 1297 – Florent of Hainaut, Prince of Achaea (b. c. 1255)
  • 1423 – Margaret of Bavaria, Burgundian regent (b. 1363)
  • 1516 – Ferdinand II of Aragon (b. 1452)
  • 1548 – Bernardo Pisano, Italian priest, scholar, and composer (b. 1490)
  • 1549 – Johannes Honter, Romanian-Hungarian cartographer and theologian (b. 1498)
  • 1567 – Jiajing Emperor of China (b. 1507)
  • 1570 – James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, Scottish politician (b. 1531)
  • 1620 – John Croke, English politician and judge (b. 1553)
  • 1622 – William Baffin, English explorer and navigator (b. 1584)
  • 1650 – Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke (b. 1584)
  • 1744 – Giambattista Vico, Italian historian and philosopher (b. 1668)
  • 1785 – Matthew Stewart, Scottish mathematician and academic (b. 1717)
  • 1789 – Frances Brooke, English author and playwright (b. 1724)
  • 1789 – John Cleland, English author (b. 1709)
  • 1800 – Edward Rutledge, American captain and politician, 39th Governor of South Carolina (b. 1749)
  • 1803 – Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer, founded Guinness (b. 1725)
  • 1805 – Claude Chappe, French engineer (b. 1763)
  • 1806 – William Pitt the Younger, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
  • 1810 – Johann Wilhelm Ritter, German chemist and physicist (b. 1776)
  • 1812 – Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician (b. 1764)
  • 1820 – Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (b. 1767)
  • 1833 – Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, English admiral and politician (b. 1757)
  • 1837 – John Field, Irish pianist and composer (b. 1782)
  • 1866 – Thomas Love Peacock, English author and poet (b. 1785)
  • 1875 – Charles Kingsley English priest and author (b. 1819)
  • 1883 – Gustave Doré, French engraver and illustrator (b. 1832)
  • 1893 – Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II, American lawyer and politician, 16th United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1825)
  • 1893 – José Zorrilla, Spanish poet and playwright (b. 1817)
  • 1921 – Mykola Leontovych, Ukrainian composer and conductor (b. 1877)
  • 1922 – René Beeh, Alsatian painter and draughtsman (b. 1886)
  • 1922 – Arthur Nikisch, Hungarian conductor and academic (b. 1855)
  • 1923 – Max Nordau, Austrian physician and author (b. 1849)
  • 1931 – Anna Pavlova, Russian-English ballerina (b. 1881)
  • 1937 – Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist and politician (b. 1876)
  • 1939 – Matthias Sindelar, Austrian footballer and manager (b. 1903)
  • 1943 – Alexander Woollcott, American actor, playwright, and critic (b. 1887)
  • 1944 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter and illustrator (b. 1863)
  • 1947 – Pierre Bonnard, French painter (b. 1867)
  • 1956 – Alexander Korda, Hungarian-English director and producer (b. 1893)
  • 1963 – Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor (b. 1908)
  • 1966 – T. M. Sabaratnam, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1895)
  • 1971 – Fritz Feigl, Austrian-Brazilian chemist and academic (b. 1871)
  • 1973 – Alexander Onassis, American-Greek businessman (b. 1948)
  • 1973 – Kid Ory, American trombonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1886)
  • 1976 – Paul Robeson, American actor, singer, and activist (b. 1898)
  • 1977 – Toots Shor, American businessman, founded Toots Shor’s Restaurant (b. 1903)
  • 1978 – Terry Kath, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1946)
  • 1978 – Jack Oakie, American actor (b. 1903)
  • 1980 – Giovanni Michelotti, Italian engineer (b. 1921)
  • 1981 – Samuel Barber, American pianist and composer (b. 1910)
  • 1983 – Fred Bakewell, English cricketer and coach (b. 1908)
  • 1984 – Muin Bseiso, Palestinian-Egyptian poet and critic (b. 1926)
  • 1985 – James Beard, American chef and cookbook author for whom the James Beard Foundation Awards are named (b.1905)
  • 1986 – Joseph Beuys, German sculptor and painter (b. 1921)
  • 1988 – Charles Glen King, American biochemist and academic (b. 1896)
  • 1989 – Salvador Dalí, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1904)
  • 1989 – Lars-Erik Torph, Swedish race car driver (b. 1961)
  • 1990 – Allen Collins, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1952)
  • 1991 – Northrop Frye, Canadian author and critic (b. 1912)
  • 1992 – Freddie Bartholomew, American actor (b. 1924)
  • 1993 – Keith Laumer, American soldier, author, and diplomat (b. 1925)
  • 1994 – Nikolai Ogarkov, Russian field marshal (b. 1917)
  • 1994 – Brian Redhead, English journalist and author (b. 1929)
  • 1999 – Joe D’Amato, Italian director and cinematographer (b. 1936)
  • 1999 – Jay Pritzker, American businessman, co-founded the Hyatt Corporation (b. 1922)
  • 2002 – Paul Aars, American race car driver (b. 1934)
  • 2002 – Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher (b. 1930)
  • 2002 – Robert Nozick, American philosopher, author, and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2003 – Nell Carter, American actress and singer (b. 1948)
  • 2004 – Bob Keeshan, American television personality and producer (b. 1927)
  • 2004 – Helmut Newton, German-Australian photographer (b. 1920)
  • 2005 – Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare, English lieutenant and politician (b. 1921)
  • 2005 – Johnny Carson, American talk show host, television personality, and producer (b. 1925)
  • 2007 – Syed Hussein Alatas, Malaysian sociologist and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2007 – E. Howard Hunt, American CIA officer (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish journalist and author (b. 1932)
  • 2009 – Robert W. Scott, American farmer and politician, 67th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1929)
  • 2010 – Kermit Tyler, American colonel and pilot (b. 1913)
  • 2010 – Earl Wild, American pianist and composer (b. 1915)
  • 2011 – Jack LaLanne, American fitness instructor, author, and television host (b. 1914)
  • 2012 – Wesley E. Brown, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1907)
  • 2012 – Maurice Meisner, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Bingham Ray, American businessman, co-founded October Films (b. 1954)
  • 2013 – Józef Glemp, Polish cardinal (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Peter van der Merwe, South African cricketer and referee (b. 1937)
  • 2013 – Jean-Félix-Albert-Marie Vilnet, French bishop (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Yuri Izrael, Russian meteorologist and journalist (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Riz Ortolani, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Ernie Banks, American baseball player and coach (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Prosper Ego, Dutch activist, founded the Oud-Strijders Legioen (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (b. 1924)
  • 2016 – Jimmy Bain, Scottish bassist (b. 1947)
  • 2016 – Bobby Wanzer, American basketball player and coach (b. 1921)
  • 2017 – Bobby Freeman, American singer, songwriter and record producer (b. 1940)
  • 2017 – Gorden Kaye, English actor (b. 1941)
  • 2018 – Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, composer and singer (b. 1939)
  • 2018 – Nicanor Parra, Chilean poet (b. 1914)
  • 2018 – Wyatt Tee Walker, American civil rights activist and pastor (b. 1928)

Holidays and observances on January 23

  • Bounty Day (Pitcairn Islands)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Abakuh
    • Marianne of Molokai
    • Emerentiana
    • Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary
    • Ildefonsus of Toledo
    • Phillips Brooks (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • January 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Jayanti (Orissa, Tripura, and West Bengal, India)
  • World Freedom Day (Taiwan and South Korea)

January 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
  • 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhammad and his followers conquer the city, Quraysh surrender.
  • 947 – Emperor Tai Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty invades the Later Jin, resulting in the destruction of the Later Jin.
  • 1055 – Theodora is crowned empress of the Byzantine Empire.
  • 1158 – Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia becomes King of Bohemia.
  • 1569 – First recorded lottery in England.
  • 1571 – Austrian nobility is granted freedom of religion.
  • 1654 – Arauco War: A Spanish army is defeated by local Mapuche-Huilliches as it tries to cross Bueno River in Southern Chile.
  • 1693 – A powerful earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta.
  • 1759 – The first American life insurance company, the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of the Presbyterian Ministers (now part of Unum Group), is incorporated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • 1779 – Ching-Thang Khomba is crowned King of Manipur.
  • 1787 – William Herschel discovers Titania and Oberon, two moons of Uranus.
  • 1805 – The Michigan Territory is created.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Alabama secedes from the United States.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Arkansas Post: General John McClernand and Admiral David Dixon Porter capture the Arkansas River for the Union.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: CSS Alabama encounters and sinks the USS Hatteras off Galveston Lighthouse in Texas.
  • 1879 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins.
  • 1908 – Grand Canyon National Monument is created.
  • 1912 – Immigrant textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, go on strike when wages are reduced in response to a mandated shortening of the work week.
  • 1917 – The Kingsland munitions factory explosion occurs as a result of sabotage.
  • 1922 – First use of insulin to treat diabetes in a human patient.
  • 1923 – Occupation of the Ruhr: Troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area to force Germany to make its World War I reparation payments.
  • 1927 – Louis B. Mayer, head of film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), announces the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at a banquet in Los Angeles, California.
  • 1935 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.
  • 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces capture Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the Federated Malay States.
  • 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces attack Tarakan in Borneo, Netherlands Indies (Battle of Tarakan)
  • 1943 – The Republic of China agrees to the Sino-British New Equal Treaty and the Sino-American New Equal Treaty.
  • 1943 – Italian-American anarchist Carlo Tresca is assassinated in New York City.
  • 1946 – Enver Hoxha, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Albania, declares the People’s Republic of Albania with himself as head of state.
  • 1949 – The first “networked” television broadcasts took place as KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania goes on the air connecting the east coast and mid-west programming.
  • 1957 – The African Convention is founded in Dakar, Senegal.
  • 1961 – Throgs Neck Bridge over the East River, linking New York City’s boroughs of The Bronx and Queens, opens to road traffic.
  • 1962 – Cold War: While tied to its pier in Polyarny, the Soviet submarine B-37 is destroyed when fire breaks out in its torpedo compartment.
  • 1962 – An avalanche on Huascarán in Peru causes around 4,000 deaths.
  • 1964 – Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., publishes the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts.
  • 1972 – East Pakistan renames itself Bangladesh.
  • 1973 – Major League Baseball owners vote in approval of the American League adopting the designated hitter position.
  • 1986 – The Gateway Bridge, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia is officially opened.
  • 1994 – The Irish Government announces the end of a 15-year broadcasting ban on the IRA and its political arm Sinn Féin.
  • 1996 – Space Shuttle program: STS-72 launches from the Kennedy Space Center marking the start of the 74th Space Shuttle mission and the 10th flight of Endeavour.
  • 1998 – Over 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre in Algeria.
  • 2003 – Illinois Governor George Ryan commutes the death sentences of 167 prisoners on Illinois’s death row based on the Jon Burge scandal.
  • 2013 – One French soldier and 17 militants are killed in a failed attempt to free a French hostage in Bulo Marer, Somalia.

Births on January 11

  • 347 – Theodosius I, Roman emperor (d. 395)
  • 889 – Abd-ar-Rahman III, first Caliph of Córdoba (d. 961)
  • 1113 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese religious leader and poet (d. 1170)
  • 1209 – Möngke Khan, Mongolian emperor (d. 1259)
  • 1322 – Emperor Kōmyō of Japan (d. 1380)
  • 1359 – Emperor Go-En’yū of Japan (d. 1393)
  • 1395 – Michele of Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France (d. 1422)
  • 1503 – Parmigianino, Italian artist (d. 1540)
  • 1589 – William Strode, English politician (d. 1666)
  • 1591 – Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire (d. 1646)
  • 1624 – Bastiaan Govertsz van der Leeuw, Dutch painter (d. 1680)
  • 1630 – John Rogers, English-American minister, physician, and academic (d. 1684)
  • 1638 – Nicolas Steno, Danish bishop and anatomist (d. 1686)
  • 1642 – Johann Friedrich Alberti, German organist and composer (d. 1710)
  • 1650 – Diana Glauber, Dutch-German painter (d. 1721)
  • 1671 – François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general and diplomat (d. 1745)
  • 1755 – Alexander Hamilton, Nevisian-American general, economist and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1804)
  • 1757 – Samuel Bentham, English engineer and architect (d. 1831)
  • 1760 – Oliver Wolcott Jr., American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Treasury, 24th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1833)
  • 1777 – Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant and rebel leader (d. 1837)
  • 1786 – Joseph Jackson Lister, English physicist (d. 1869)
  • 1788 – William Thomas Brande, English chemist and academic (d. 1866)
  • 1800 – Ányos Jedlik, Hungarian physicist and engineer (d. 1895)
  • 1807 – Ezra Cornell, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Western Union and Cornell University (d. 1874)
  • 1814 – James Paget, English surgeon and pathologist (d. 1899)
  • 1815 – John A. Macdonald, Scottish-Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1891)
  • 1825 – Bayard Taylor, American poet, author, and critic (d. 1878)
  • 1839 – Eugenio María de Hostos, Puerto Rican lawyer, philosopher, and sociologist (d. 1903)
  • 1842 – William James, American psychologist and philosopher (d. 1910)
  • 1843 – Adolf Eberle, German painter (d. 1914)
  • 1845 – Albert Victor Bäcklund, Swedish mathematician and physicist (d. 1912)
  • 1850 – Joseph Charles Arthur, American pathologist and mycologist (d. 1942)
  • 1852 – Constantin Fehrenbach, German lawyer and politician, 4th Chancellor of Weimar Germany (d. 1926)
  • 1853 – Georgios Jakobides, Greek painter and sculptor (d. 1932)
  • 1856 – Christian Sinding, Norwegian pianist and composer (d. 1941)
  • 1857 – Fred Archer, English jockey (d. 1886)
  • 1858 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (d. 1947)
  • 1859 – George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, English politician, 35th Governor-General of India (d. 1925)
  • 1864 – Thomas Dixon, Jr., American minister, lawyer, and politician (d. 1946)
  • 1867 – Edward B. Titchener, English psychologist and academic (d. 1927)
  • 1868 – Cai Yuanpei, Chinese philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1940)
  • 1870 – Alexander Stirling Calder, American sculptor and educator (d. 1945)
  • 1872 – G. W. Pierce, American physicist and academic (d. 1956)
  • 1873 – John Callan O’Laughlin, American soldier and journalist (d. 1949)
  • 1875 – Reinhold Glière, Russian composer and academic (d. 1956)
  • 1876 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player (d. 1971)
  • 1876 – Thomas Hicks, American runner (d. 1952)
  • 1878 – Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (d. 1952)
  • 1885 – Alice Paul, American activist and suffragist (d. 1977)
  • 1887 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (d. 1948)
  • 1888 – Joseph B. Keenan, American jurist and politician (d. 1954)
  • 1889 – Calvin Bridges, American geneticist and academic (d. 1938)
  • 1890 – Max Carey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
  • 1890 – Oswald de Andrade, Brazilian poet and critic (d. 1954)
  • 1891 – Andrew Sockalexis, American runner (d. 1919)
  • 1893 – Ellinor Aiki, Estonian painter (d. 1969)
  • 1893 – Charles Fraser, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1981)
  • 1893 – Anthony M. Rud, American journalist and author (d. 1942)
  • 1895 – Laurens Hammond, American engineer and businessman, founded the Hammond Clock Company (d. 1973)
  • 1897 – Bernard DeVoto, American historian and author (d. 1955)
  • 1897 – August Heissmeyer, German SS officer (d. 1979)
  • 1899 – Eva Le Gallienne, English-American actress, director, and producer (d. 1991)
  • 1901 – Kwon Ki-ok, Korean pilot (d. 1988)
  • 1902 – Maurice Duruflé, French organist and composer (d. 1986)
  • 1903 – Alan Paton, South African author and activist (d. 1988)
  • 1905 – Clyde Kluckhohn, American anthropologist and theorist (d. 1960)
  • 1906 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and academic, discoverer of LSD (d. 2008)
  • 1907 – Pierre Mendès France, French lawyer and politician, 142nd Prime Minister of France (d. 1982)
  • 1907 – Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, theologian, and philosopher (d. 1972)
  • 1908 – Lionel Stander, American actor and activist (d. 1994)
  • 1910 – Arthur Lambourn, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1999)
  • 1910 – Shane Paltridge, Australian soldier and politician (d. 1966)
  • 1911 – Tommy Duncan, American singer-songwriter (d. 1967)
  • 1911 – Nora Heysen, Australian painter (d. 2003)
  • 1911 – Zenkō Suzuki, Japanese politician, 70th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2004)
  • 1912 – Don “Red” Barry, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1980)
  • 1913 – Karl Stegger, Danish actor (d. 1980)
  • 1915 – Luise Krüger, German javelin thrower (d. 2001)
  • 1915 – Paddy Mayne, British colonel and lawyer (d. 1955)
  • 1916 – Bernard Blier, Argentinian-French actor (d. 1989)
  • 1917 – John Robarts, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of Ontario (d. 1982)
  • 1918 – Robert C. O’Brien, American author and journalist (d. 1973)
  • 1920 – Mick McManus, English wrestler (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Gory Guerrero, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1990)
  • 1921 – Juanita M. Kreps, American economist and politician, 24th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 2010)
  • 1923 – Jerome Bixby, American author and screenwriter (d. 1998)
  • 1923 – Ernst Nolte, German historian and philosopher (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – Carroll Shelby, American race car driver, engineer, and businessman, founded Carroll Shelby International (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Roger Guillemin, French-American physician and endocrinologist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1924 – Sam B. Hall, Jr., American lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1994)
  • 1924 – Slim Harpo, American blues singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1970)
  • 1925 – Grant Tinker, American television producer, co-founded MTM Enterprises (d. 2016)
  • 1926 – Lev Dyomin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1998)
  • 1928 – David L. Wolper, American director and producer (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Dmitri Bruns, Estonian architect and theorist (d. 2020)
  • 1930 – Ron Mulock, Australian lawyer and politician, 10th Deputy Premier of New South Wales (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Betty Churcher, Australian painter, historian, and curator (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Mary Rodgers, American composer and author (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Alfonso Arau, Mexican actor and director
  • 1933 – Goldie Hill, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
  • 1934 – Jean Chrétien, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Canada
  • 1936 – Eva Hesse, German-American sculptor and educator (d. 1970)
  • 1938 – Arthur Scargill, English miner, activist, and politician
  • 1939 – Anne Heggtveit, Canadian alpine skier
  • 1940 – Andres Tarand, Estonian geographer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Estonia
  • 1941 – Gérson, Brazilian footballer
  • 1942 – Bud Acton, American basketball player
  • 1942 – Clarence Clemons, American saxophonist and actor (d. 2011)
  • 1944 – Mohammed Abdul-Hayy, Sudanese poet and academic (d. 1989)
  • 1944 – Shibu Soren, Indian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Jharkhand
  • 1945 – Christine Kaufmann, German actress, author, and businesswoman (d. 2017)
  • 1946 – Naomi Judd, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1946 – Tony Kaye, English progressive rock keyboard player and songwriter (Yes)
  • 1946 – John Piper, American theologian and author
  • 1947 – Hamish Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1948 – Fritz Bohla, German footballer and manager
  • 1948 – Joe Harper, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1948 – Madeline Manning, American runner and coach
  • 1948 – Wajima Hiroshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 54th Yokozuna
  • 1948 – Terry Williams, Welsh drummer
  • 1949 – Daryl Braithwaite, Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1949 – Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 2nd Vice President of Iran
  • 1951 – Charlie Huhn, American rock singer and guitarist
  • 1951 – Willie Maddren, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
  • 1951 – Philip Tartaglia, Scottish archbishop
  • 1952 – Bille Brown, Australian actor and playwright (d. 2013)
  • 1952 – Ben Crenshaw, American golfer and architect
  • 1952 – Michael Forshaw, Australian lawyer and politician
  • 1952 – Diana Gabaldon, American author
  • 1952 – Lee Ritenour, American guitarist, composer, and producer
  • 1953 – Graham Allen, English politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
  • 1953 – Kostas Skandalidis, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Agricultural Development and Food
  • 1954 – Jaak Aaviksoo, Estonian physicist and politician, 26th Estonian Minister of Defence
  • 1954 – Kailash Satyarthi, Indian engineer, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1956 – Big Bank Hank, American rapper (d. 2014)
  • 1957 – Darryl Dawkins, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1957 – Peter Moore, Australian rules footballer and coach
  • 1957 – Bryan Robson, English footballer and manager
  • 1958 – Vicki Peterson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1959 – Brett Bodine, American NASCAR driver
  • 1959 – Rob Ramage, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1961 – Lars-Erik Torph, Swedish racing driver (d. 1989)
  • 1962 – Chris Bryant, Welsh politician, Minister of State for Europe
  • 1962 – Susan Lindauer, American journalist and activist
  • 1962 – Brian Moore, English rugby player
  • 1963 – Tracy Caulkins, American-Australian swimmer
  • 1963 – Petra Schneider, German swimmer
  • 1964 – Ralph Recto, Filipino lawyer and politician
  • 1964 – Albert Dupontel, French actor and director
  • 1965 – Mascarita Sagrada, Mexican wrestler
  • 1965 – Aleksey Zhukov, Russian footballer and coach
  • 1966 – Marc Acito, American author and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Michael Healy-Rae, Irish politician
  • 1968 – Anders Borg, Swedish economist and politician, Swedish Minister for Finance
  • 1968 – Tom Dumont, American guitarist and producer
  • 1969 – Manny Acta, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Manfredi Beninati, Italian painter and sculptor
  • 1970 – Chris Jent, American basketball player and coach
  • 1970 – Malcolm D. Lee, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor
  • 1970 – Ken Ueno, American composer
  • 1971 – Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1971 – Jeff Orford, Australian rugby league player
  • 1971 – Chris Willsher, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
  • 1972 – Christian Jacobs, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1972 – Anthony Lledo, Danish composer
  • 1972 – Amanda Peet, American actress and playwright
  • 1973 – Rockmond Dunbar, American actor
  • 1973 – Rahul Dravid, Indian cricketer and captain
  • 1974 – Roman Görtz, German footballer
  • 1974 – Cody McKay, Canadian baseball player
  • 1974 – Jens Nowotny, German footballer
  • 1975 – Rory Fitzpatrick, American ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Dan Luger, English rugby player and coach
  • 1975 – Matteo Renzi, Italian politician, 56th Prime Minister of Italy
  • 1976 – Efthimios Rentzias, Greek basketball player
  • 1977 – Shamari Buchanan, American football player
  • 1977 – Anni Friesinger-Postma, German speed skater
  • 1977 – Olexiy Lukashevych, Ukrainian long jumper
  • 1978 – Vallo Allingu, Estonian basketball player
  • 1978 – Holly Brisley, Australian actress
  • 1978 – Michael Duff, Irish footballer
  • 1978 – Emile Heskey, English footballer
  • 1979 – Darren Lynn Bousman, American director and screenwriter
  • 1979 – Michael Lorenz, German footballer
  • 1979 – Henry Shefflin, Irish hurler
  • 1980 – Josh Hannay, Australian rugby league player
  • 1980 – Mike Williams, American football player
  • 1982 – Tony Allen, American basketball player
  • 1982 – Blake Heron, American actor (d. 2017)
  • 1982 – Son Ye-jin, South Korean actress
  • 1983 – Turner Battle, American basketball player
  • 1983 – André Myhrer, Swedish skier
  • 1983 – Ted Richards, Australian rules footballer
  • 1983 – Adrian Sutil, German racing driver
  • 1984 – Kevin Boss, American football player
  • 1984 – Dario Krešić, Croatian footballer
  • 1984 – Matt Mullenweg, American web developer and businessman, co-created WordPress
  • 1984 – Stijn Schaars, Dutch footballer
  • 1985 – Newton Faulkner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1985 – Lucy Knisley, American author and illustrator
  • 1987 – Scotty Cranmer, American Professional BMX rider
  • 1987 – Danuta Kozák, Hungarian sprint canoer
  • 1987 – Daniel Semenzato, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Jamie Vardy, English footballer
  • 1987 – Kim Young-kwang, South Korean actor and model
  • 1988 – Rodrigo José Pereira, Brazilian footballer
  • 1989 – Kane Linnett, Australian rugby league player
  • 1990 – Ryan Griffin, American football player
  • 1991 – Andrea Bertolacci, Italian footballer
  • 1992 – Dani Carvajal, Spanish footballer
  • 1992 – Lee Seung-hoon, South Korean rapper and dancer
  • 1993 – Michael Keane, English footballer
  • 1993 – Will Keane, English footballer
  • 1996 – Leroy Sané, German footballer
  • 1997 – Cody Simpson, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor

Deaths on January 11

  • 140 – Pope Hyginus, Bishop of Rome (b. 74)
  • 705 – Pope John VI (b. 655)
  • 782 – Emperor Kōnin of Japan (b. 709)
  • 812 – Staurakios, Byzantine emperor
  • 844 – Michael I Rangabe, Byzantine emperor (b. 770)
  • 887 – Boso of Provence, Frankish nobleman
  • 937 – Cao, empress of Later Tang
  • 937 – Li Chongmei, prince of Later Tang
  • 937 – Li Congke, emperor of Later Tang (b. 885)
  • 937 – Liu, empress of Later Tang
  • 1055 – Constantine IX Monomachos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1000)
  • 1068 – Egbert I, Margrave of Meissen
  • 1083 – Otto of Nordheim (b. 1020)
  • 1266 – Swietopelk II, Duke of Pomerania
  • 1344 – Thomas Charlton, Bishop of Hereford and Lord Chancellor of Ireland
  • 1372 – Eleanor of Lancaster, English noblewoman (b. 1318)
  • 1396 – Isidore Glabas, Metropolitan bishop of Thessalonica (b.c. 1341)
  • 1397 – Skirgaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania
  • 1494 – Domenico Ghirlandaio, Italian painter (b. 1449)
  • 1495 – Pedro González de Mendoza, Spanish cardinal (b. 1428)
  • 1546 – Gaudenzio Ferrari, Italian painter and sculptor (b. c. 1471)
  • 1547 – Pietro Bembo, Italian poet, scholar, and theorist (b. 1470)
  • 1554 – Min Bin, king of Arakan (b. 1493)
  • 1641 – Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, Spanish poet and painter (b. 1583)
  • 1696 – Charles Albanel, French priest, missionary, and explorer (b. 1616)
  • 1703 – Johann Georg Graevius, German scholar and critic (b. 1632)
  • 1713 – Pierre Jurieu, French priest and theologian (b. 1637)
  • 1735 – Danilo I, Metropolitan of Cetinje (b. 1670)
  • 1753 – Hans Sloane, Irish-English physician and academic (b. 1660)
  • 1757 – Louis Bertrand Castel, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1688)
  • 1762 – Louis-François Roubiliac, French-English sculptor (b. 1695)
  • 1763 – Caspar Abel, German poet, historian, and theologian (b. 1676)
  • 1771 – Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens, French philosopher and author (b. 1704)
  • 1788 – François Joseph Paul de Grasse, French admiral (b. 1722)
  • 1791 – William Williams Pantycelyn, Welsh composer and poet (b. 1717)
  • 1798 – Heraclius II of Georgia (b. 1720)
  • 1801 – Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer and educator (b. 1749)
  • 1824 – Thomas Mullins, 1st Baron Ventry, Anglo-Irish politician and peer (b. 1736)
  • 1836 – John Molson, Canadian businessman, founded the Molson Brewing Company (b. 1763)
  • 1843 – Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, author, and songwriter (b. 1779)
  • 1866 – Gustavus Vaughan Brooke, Irish actor (b. 1818)
  • 1866 – John Woolley, English minister and academic (b. 1816)
  • 1867 – Stuart Donaldson, English-Australian businessman and politician, 1st Premier of New South Wales (b. 1812)
  • 1882 – Theodor Schwann, German physiologist and biologist (b. 1810)
  • 1891 – Georges-Eugène Haussmann, French urban planner (b. 1809)
  • 1902 – Johnny Briggs, English cricketer and rugby player (b. 1862)
  • 1904 – William Sawyer, Canadian merchant and politician (b. 1815)
  • 1914 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer and philanthropist (b. 1842)
  • 1920 – Steinar Schjøtt, Norwegian philologist and lexicographer (b. 1844)
  • 1923 – Constantine I of Greece (b. 1868)
  • 1928 – Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet (b. 1840)
  • 1931 – James Milton Carroll, American pastor, historian, and author (b. 1852)
  • 1937 – Nuri Conker, Turkish colonel and politician (b. 1882)
  • 1941 – Emanuel Lasker, German mathematician, philosopher, and chess player (b. 1868)
  • 1944 – Galeazzo Ciano, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1903)
  • 1947 – Eva Tanguay, Canadian singer (b. 1879)
  • 1952 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (b. 1889)
  • 1952 – Aureliano Pertile, Italian tenor and educator (b. 1885)
  • 1953 – Noe Zhordania, Georgian journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Georgia (b. 1868)
  • 1954 – Oscar Straus, Austrian composer (b. 1870)
  • 1957 – Robert Garran, Australian lawyer and politician, Solicitor-General of Australia (b. 1867)
  • 1958 – Alec Rowley, English organist and composer (b. 1892)
  • 1958 – Edna Purviance, American actress (b. 1895)
  • 1961 – Elena Gerhardt, German soprano and actress (b. 1883)
  • 1963 – Arthur Nock, English-American scholar, theologian, and academic (b. 1902)
  • 1965 – Wally Pipp, American baseball player (b. 1893)
  • 1966 – Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter (b. 1901)
  • 1966 – Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian academic and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of India (b. 1904)
  • 1968 – Moshe Zvi Segal, Israeli linguist and scholar (b. 1876)
  • 1969 – Richmal Crompton, English author and educator (b. 1890)
  • 1972 – Padraic Colum, Irish poet and playwright (b. 1881)
  • 1975 – Max Lorenz, German tenor and actor (b. 1901)
  • 1980 – Barbara Pym, English author (b. 1913)
  • 1981 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (b. 1889)
  • 1982 – Paul Lynde, American Actor and comedian (b. 1926)
  • 1985 – Edward Buzzell, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1895)
  • 1985 – William McKell, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1891)
  • 1986 – Sid Chaplin, English author and screenwriter (b. 1916)
  • 1986 – Andrzej Czok, Polish mountaineer (b. 1948)
  • 1987 – Albert Ferber, Swiss-English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1911)
  • 1988 – Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1912)
  • 1988 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, Polish-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
  • 1989 – Ray Moore, English radio host (b. 1942)
  • 1990 – Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (b. 1898)
  • 1991 – Carl David Anderson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
  • 1994 – Helmut Poppendick, German physician (b. 1902)
  • 1995 – Josef Gingold, Belarusian-American violinist and educator (b. 1909)
  • 1995 – Onat Kutlar, Turkish author and poet (b. 1936)
  • 1995 – Lewis Nixon, U.S. Army captain (b. 1918)
  • 1995 – Theodor Wisch, German general (b. 1907)
  • 1996 – Roger Crozier, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1942)
  • 1999 – Fabrizio De André, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
  • 1999 – Naomi Mitchison, Scottish author and poet (b. 1897)
  • 1999 – Brian Moore, Irish-Canadian author and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 2000 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, invented Clearasil (b. 1911)
  • 2000 – Bob Lemon, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920)
  • 2001 – Denys Lasdun, English architect, co-designed the Royal National Theatre (b. 1914)
  • 2002 – Henri Verneuil, French-Armenian director and playwright (b. 1920)
  • 2003 – Jože Pučnik, Slovenian sociologist and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2007 – Solveig Dommartin, French-German actress (b. 1961)
  • 2007 – Robert Anton Wilson, American psychologist, author, poet, and playwright (b. 1932)
  • 2008 – Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer (b. 1919)
  • 2008 – Carl Karcher, American businessman, co-founded Carl’s Jr. (b. 1917)
  • 2010 – Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian (b. 1909)
  • 2010 – Éric Rohmer, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1920)
  • 2011 – David Nelson, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, Iranian physicist and academic (b. 1980)
  • 2012 – Gilles Jacquier, French journalist and photographer (b. 1968)
  • 2012 – Edgar Kaiser, Jr, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Wally Osterkorn, American basketball player (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Steven Rawlings, English astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1961)
  • 2012 – David Whitaker, English composer and conductor (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Aaron Swartz, American programmer (b. 1986)
  • 2013 – Guido Forti, Italian businessman, founded the Forti Racing Team (b. 1940)
  • 2013 – Nguyễn Khánh, Vietnamese general and politician, 3rd President of South Vietnam (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Mariangela Melato, Italian actress (b. 1941)
  • 2013 – Tom Parry Jones, Welsh chemist, invented the breathalyzer (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Alemayehu Shumye, Ethiopian runner (b. 1988)
  • 2014 – Keiko Awaji, Japanese actress (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Indian-Bangladeshi jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Chai Trong-rong, Taiwanese educator and politician (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer and coach (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Anita Ekberg, Swedish-Italian model and actress (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Chashi Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi director and producer (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle, American neuroscientist and academic (b. 1918)
  • 2016 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player (b. 1919)
  • 2016 – David Margulies, American actor (b. 1937)
  • 2017 – Adenan Satem, Malaysian politician and Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia (b. 1944)
  • 2018 – Edgar Ray Killen, American murderer (b.1925)
  • 2019 – Michael Atiyah, British-Lebanese mathematician (b.1929)

Holidays and observances on January 11

  • Children’s Day (Tunisia)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Anastasius of Suppentonia (Roman Catholic)
    • Leucius of Brindisi (Roman Catholic)
    • Mary Slessor (Church of England)
    • Paulinus II of Aquileia
    • Pope Hyginus
    • Theodosius the Cenobiarch
    • Thomas of Cori
    • Vitalis of Gaza (Roman Catholic)
    • January 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Triodion can fall, while February 14 is the latest; celebrated 70 days before Easter. (Eastern Orthodox)
  • Eugenio María de Hostos Day (Puerto Rico)
  • Independence Resistance Day (Morocco)
  • Kagami biraki (Japan)
  • National Human Trafficking Awareness Day (United States)
  • Republic Day (Albania)
  • Carmentalia (January 11th and January 15th), (Rome)

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