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1814

July 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
  • 1048 – Damasus II is elected pope.
  • 1203 – The Fourth Crusade captures Constantinople by assault. The Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos flees from his capital into exile.
  • 1402 – Zhu Di, better known by his era name as the Yongle Emperor, assumes the throne over the Ming dynasty of China.
  • 1429 – Hundred Years’ War: Charles VII of France is crowned the King of France in the Reims Cathedral after a successful campaign by Joan of Arc.
  • 1453 – Battle of Castillon: The last battle of Hundred Years’ War, the French under Jean Bureau defeat the English under the Earl of Shrewsbury, who is killed in the battle in Gascony.
  • 1717 – King George I of Great Britain sails down the River Thames with a barge of 50 musicians, where George Frideric Handel’s Water Music is premiered.
  • 1762 – Catherine II becomes tsar of Russia upon the murder of Peter III of Russia.
  • 1771 – Bloody Falls massacre: Chipewyan chief Matonabbee, traveling as the guide to Samuel Hearne on his Arctic overland journey, massacres a group of unsuspecting Inuit.
  • 1791 – Members of the French National Guard under the command of General Lafayette open fire on a crowd of radical Jacobins at the Champ de Mars, Paris, during the French Revolution, killing scores of people.
  • 1794 – The 16 Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne are executed ten days prior to the end of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.
  • 1867 – Harvard School of Dental Medicine is established in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the first dental school in the U.S. that is affiliated with a university.
  • 1821: The Kingdom of Spain cedes the territory of Florida to the United States.
  • 1899 – NEC Corporation is organized as the first Japanese joint venture with foreign capital.
  • 1902 – Willis Carrier creates the first air conditioner in Buffalo, New York.
  • 1917 – King George V issues a Proclamation stating that the male line descendants of the British Royal Family will bear the surname Windsor.
  • 1918 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his immediate family and retainers are executed by Bolshevik Chekists at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
  • 1918 – The RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued the 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic, is sunk off Ireland by the German SM U-55; five lives are lost.
  • 1932 – Altona Bloody Sunday: A riot between the Nazi Party paramilitary forces, the SS and SA, and the German Communist Party ensues.
  • 1936 – Spanish Civil War: An Armed Forces rebellion against the recently elected leftist Popular Front government of Spain starts the civil war.
  • 1938 – Douglas Corrigan takes off from Brooklyn to fly the “wrong way” to Ireland and becomes known as “Wrong Way” Corrigan.
  • 1944 – Port Chicago disaster: Near the San Francisco Bay, two ships laden with ammunition for the war explode in Port Chicago, California, killing 320.
  • 1944 – World War II: At Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery. in Normandy Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was strafed by allied aircraft while returning to his headquarters.
  • 1945 – World War II: The main three leaders of the Allied nations, Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin, meet in the German city of Potsdam to decide the future of a defeated Germany.
  • 1953 – The largest number of United States midshipman casualties in a single event results from an aircraft crash in Florida, killing 44.
  • 1955 – Disneyland is dedicated and opened by Walt Disney in Anaheim, California.
  • 1962 – Nuclear weapons testing: The “Small Boy” test shot Little Feller I becomes the last atmospheric test detonation at the Nevada National Security Site.
  • 1968 – Abdul Rahman Arif is overthrown and the Ba’ath Party is installed as the governing power in Iraq with Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr as the new Iraqi President.
  • 1973 – King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, while having surgery in Italy, is deposed by his cousin Mohammed Daoud Khan.
  • 1975 – Apollo–Soyuz Test Project: An American Apollo and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft dock with each other in orbit marking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the two nations.
  • 1976 – East Timor is annexed, and becomes the 27th province of Indonesia.
  • 1976 – The opening of the Summer Olympics in Montreal is marred by 25 African teams boycotting the games because of New Zealand’s participation. Contrary to rulings by other international sports organizations, the IOC had declined to exclude New Zealand because of their participation in South African sporting events during apartheid.
  • 1979 – Nicaraguan dictator General Anastasio Somoza Debayle resigns and flees to Miami, Florida, United States.
  • 1981 – A structural failure leads to the collapse of a walkway at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri, killing 114 people and injuring more than 200.
  • 1984 – The national drinking age in the United States was changed from 18 to 21.
  • 1985 – Founding of the EUREKA Network by former head of states François Mitterrand (France) and Helmut Kohl (Germany).
  • 1989 – First flight of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber.
  • 1989 – Holy See–Poland relations are restored.
  • 1996 – TWA Flight 800: Off the coast of Long Island, New York, a Paris-bound TWA Boeing 747 explodes, killing all 230 on board.
  • 1998 – The 7.0 Mw  Papua New Guinea earthquake triggers a tsunami that destroys ten villages in Papua New Guinea, killing up to 2,700 people, and leaving several thousand injured.
  • 1998 – A diplomatic conference adopts the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, establishing a permanent international court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
  • 2000 – During approach to Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Alliance Air Flight 7412 suddenly crashes into a residential neighborhood in Patna, killing 60 people.
  • 2001 – Concorde is brought back into service nearly a year after the July 2000 crash.
  • 2006 – The 7.7 Mw  Pangandaran tsunami earthquake severely affects the Indonesian island of Java, killing 668 people, and leaving more than 9,000 injured.
  • 2007 – TAM Airlines Flight 3054, an Airbus A320, crashes into a warehouse after landing too fast and missing the end of the São Paulo–Congonhas Airport runway, killing 199 people.
  • 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashes near the border of Ukraine and Russia after being shot down. All 298 people on board are killed.
  • 2014 – A French regional train on the Pau-Bayonne line crashes into a high-speed train near the town of Denguin, resulting in at least 25 injuries.
  • 2015 – At least 120 people are killed and 130 injured by a suicide bombing in Diyala Governorate, Iraq.
  • 2018 – 12 new moons are discovered orbiting. Jupiter

Births on July 17

  • 1487 – Ismail I of Iran (d. 1524)
  • 1499 – Maria Salviati, Italian noblewoman (d. 1543)
  • 1531 – Antoine de Créqui Canaples, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1574)
  • 1674 – Isaac Watts, English hymnwriter and theologian (d. 1748)
  • 1695 – Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim (d. 1766)
  • 1698 – Pierre Louis Maupertuis, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1759)
  • 1708 – Frederick Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (d. 1769)
  • 1714 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher and academic (d. 1762)
  • 1744 – Elbridge Gerry, American merchant and politician, 5th Vice President of the United States (d. 1814)
  • 1763 – John Jacob Astor, German-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1848)
  • 1774 – John Wilbur, American minister and theologian (d. 1856)
  • 1797 – Paul Delaroche, French painter and academic (d. 1856)
  • 1823 – Leander Clark, American businessman, judge, and politician (d. 1910)
  • 1831 – Xianfeng Emperor of China (d. 1861)
  • 1837 – Joseph-Alfred Mousseau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 7th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1886)
  • 1839 – Ephraim Shay, American engineer, invented the Shay locomotive (d. 1916)
  • 1853 – Alexius Meinong, Ukrainian-Austrian philosopher and academic (d. 1920)
  • 1868 – Henri Nathansen, Danish director and playwright (d. 1944)
  • 1870 – Charles Davidson Dunbar, Scottish soldier and bagpipe player (d. 1939)
  • 1871 – Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (d. 1956)
  • 1879 – Jack Laviolette, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1960)
  • 1882 – James Somerville, English admiral and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset (d. 1949)
  • 1888 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Ukrainian-Israeli novelist, short story writer, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
  • 1889 – Erle Stanley Gardner, American lawyer and author (d. 1970)
  • 1894 – Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest, astronomer, and cosmologist (d. 1966)
  • 1896 – Rupert Atkinson, English RAF officer (d. 1919)
  • 1898 – Berenice Abbott, American photographer (d. 1991)
  • 1898 – Osmond Borradaile, Canadian soldier and cinematographer (d. 1999)
  • 1899 – James Cagney, American actor and dancer (d. 1986)
  • 1900 – Marcel Dalio, French actor (d. 1983)
  • 1901 – Luigi Chinetti, Italian-American race car driver (d. 1994)
  • 1901 – Bruno Jasieński, Polish poet and author (d. 1938)
  • 1901 – Patrick Smith, Irish farmer and politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (d. 1982)
  • 1902 – Christina Stead, Australian author and academic (d. 1983)
  • 1905 – William Gargan, American actor (d. 1979)
  • 1910 – James Coyne, Canadian lawyer and banker, 2nd Governor of the Bank of Canada (d. 2012)
  • 1910 – Frank Olson, American chemist and microbiologist (d. 1953)
  • 1911 – Lionel Ferbos, American trumpet player (d. 2014)
  • 1911 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (d. 1999)
  • 1912 – Erwin Bauer, German race car driver (d. 1958)
  • 1912 – Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television host (d. 2010)
  • 1913 – Bertrand Goldberg, American architect, designed the Marina City Building (d. 1997)
  • 1914 – Eleanor Steber, American soprano and educator (d. 1990)
  • 1915 – Bijon Bhattacharya, Indian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1978)
  • 1915 – Arthur Rothstein, American photographer and educator (d. 1985)
  • 1917 – Lou Boudreau, American baseball player and manager (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – Phyllis Diller, American actress, comedian, and voice artist (d. 2012)
  • 1917 – Kenan Evren, Turkish general and politician, 7th President of Turkey (d. 2015)
  • 1917 – Christiane Rochefort, French author (d. 1998)
  • 1918 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan soldier and politician, President of Guatemala (d. 2003)
  • 1918 – Red Sovine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1980)
  • 1920 – Gordon Gould, American physicist and academic, invented the laser (d. 2005)
  • 1920 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, 7th President of the International Olympic Committee (d. 2010)
  • 1921 – George Barnes, American guitarist, producer, and songwriter (d. 1977)
  • 1921 – Louis Lachenal, French mountaineer (d. 1955)
  • 1921 – Mary Osborne, American guitarist (d. 1992)
  • 1921 – Toni Stone, American baseball player (d. 1996)
  • 1921 – František Zvarík, Slovak actor (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Jeanne Block, American psychologist (d. 1981)
  • 1923 – John Cooper, English car designer, co-founded the Cooper Car Company (d. 2000)
  • 1924 – Garde Gardom, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Jimmy Scott, American singer and actor (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Mohammad Hasan Sharq, Afghan politician
  • 1926 – Édouard Carpentier, French-Canadian wrestler (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – Willis Carto, American activist and theorist (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Vince Guaraldi, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1976)
  • 1929 – Sergei K. Godunov, Russian mathematician and academic
  • 1932 – Niccolò Castiglioni, Italian composer (d. 1996)
  • 1932 – Red Kerr, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
  • 1932 – Wojciech Kilar, Polish pianist and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1932 – Karla Kuskin, American author and illustrator (d. 2009)
  • 1932 – Slick Leonard, American basketball player and coach
  • 1932 – Quino, Spanish-Argentinian cartoonist
  • 1932 – Hal Riney, American businessman, founded Publicis & Hal Riney (d. 2008)
  • 1933 – Keiko Awaji, Japanese actress (d. 2014)
  • 1933 – Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Maltese politician, 9th Prime Minister of Malta
  • 1933 – Tony Pithey, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (d. 2006)
  • 1934 – Lucio Tan, Chinese-Filipino billionaire businessman and educator
  • 1935 – Diahann Carroll, American actress and singer (d. 2019)
  • 1935 – Peter Schickele, American composer and educator
  • 1935 – Donald Sutherland, Canadian actor and producer
  • 1938 – Hermann Huppen, Belgian author and illustrator
  • 1939 – Andrée Champagne, Canadian actress and politician
  • 1939 – Spencer Davis, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1939 – Ali Khamenei, Iranian cleric and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of Iran
  • 1940 – Tim Brooke-Taylor, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2020)
  • 1941 – Daryle Lamonica, American football player
  • 1941 – Bob Taylor, English cricketer
  • 1941 – Achim Warmbold, German race car driver and manager
  • 1942 – Don Kessinger, American baseball player and manager
  • 1942 – Gale Garnett, New Zealand–born Canadian singer
  • 1942 – Connie Hawkins, American basketball player (d. 2017)
  • 1942 – Zoot Money, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1943 – LaVyrle Spencer, American author and educator
  • 1944 – Mark Burgess, New Zealand cricketer and footballer
  • 1944 – Catherine Schell, Hungarian-English actress
  • 1944 – Carlos Alberto Torres, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
  • 1945 – Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
  • 1945 – John Patten, Baron Patten, English politician, Secretary of State for Education
  • 1946 – Chris Crutcher, American novelist and short story writer
  • 1946 – Ted Sampley, American POW/MIA activist (d. 2009)
  • 1947 – Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St John’s, English educator and politician
  • 1947 – Robert Begerau, German footballer and manager
  • 1947 – Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
  • 1947 – Wolfgang Flür, German musician (Kraftwerk)
  • 1947 – Mick Tucker, English rock drummer (Sweet) (d. 2002)
  • 1948 – Ron Asheton, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1948 – Luc Bondy, Swiss director and producer (d. 2015)
  • 1949 – Geezer Butler, English bass player and songwriter
  • 1949 – Charley Steiner, American journalist and sportscaster
  • 1950 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
  • 1950 – Tengku Sulaiman Shah, Malaysian corporate figure
  • 1950 – Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Bangladeshi politician
  • 1951 – Lucie Arnaz, American actress and singer
  • 1951 – Mark Bowden, American journalist and author
  • 1951 – Andrew Robathan, English soldier and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
  • 1952 – David Hasselhoff, American actor, singer, and producer
  • 1952 – Nicolette Larson, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1952 – Thé Lau, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
  • 1952 – Robert R. McCammon, American author
  • 1954 – António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal
  • 1954 – Angela Merkel, German chemist and politician, 8th Chancellor of Germany
  • 1954 – Edward Natapei, Vanuatuan politician, 6th Prime Minister of Vanuatu (d. 2015)
  • 1954 – J. Michael Straczynski, American author, screenwriter, and producer
  • 1955 – Sylvie Léonard, Canadian actress and screenwriter
  • 1955 – Paul Stamets, American mycologist and author
  • 1956 – Julie Bishop, Australian lawyer and politician, 38th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • 1956 – Bryan Trottier, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1957 – Bruce Crump, American drummer and songwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1957 – Wendy Freedman, Canadian-American cosmologist and astronomer
  • 1958 – Wong Kar-wai, Chinese director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Suzanne Moore, English journalist
  • 1958 – Susan Silver, American music manager
  • 1958 – Thérèse Rein, Australian businesswoman, founded Ingeus
  • 1959 – Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin, Bangladeshi-English politician
  • 1960 – Kim Barnett, English cricketer and coach
  • 1960 – Mark Burnett, English-American screenwriter and producer
  • 1960 – Nancy Giles, American journalist and actress
  • 1960 – Robin Shou, Hong Kong martial artist and actor
  • 1960 – Dawn Upshaw, American soprano
  • 1960 – Jan Wouters, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1961 – António Costa, Portuguese politician, 119th Prime Minister of Portugal
  • 1961 – Jeremy Hardy, English comedian and actor (d. 2019)
  • 1963 – Regina Belle, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1963 – Letsie III of Lesotho
  • 1963 – Matti Nykänen, Finnish ski jumper and singer (d. 2019)
  • 1965 – Craig Morgan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1965 – Alex Winter, English-American actor, film director and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Lou Barlow, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1966 – Sten Tolgfors, Swedish lawyer and politician, 30th Swedish Minister of Defence
  • 1969 – Scott Johnson, American cartoonist
  • 1969 – Jaan Kirsipuu, Estonian cyclist
  • 1971 – Calbert Cheaney, American basketball player and coach
  • 1971 – Cory Doctorow, Canadian author and activist
  • 1971 – Nico Mattan, Belgian cyclist
  • 1972 – Elizabeth Cook, American singer and guitarist
  • 1972 – Donny Marshall, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Jason Rullo, American drummer
  • 1972 – Jaap Stam, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Eric Williams, American basketball player
  • 1973 – Eric Moulds, American football player
  • 1974 – Claudio López, Argentine footballer
  • 1975 – Andre Adams, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1975 – Elena Anaya, Spanish actress
  • 1975 – Darude, Finnish DJ and producer
  • 1975 – Harlette, Australian-English fashion designer
  • 1975 – Loretta Harrop, Australian triathlete
  • 1976 – Luke Bryan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1976 – Gino D’Acampo, Italian chef and author
  • 1976 – Dagmara Domińczyk, Polish-American actress
  • 1976 – Marcos Senna, Brazilian-Spanish footballer
  • 1976 – Anders Svensson, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
  • 1977 – Andrew Downton, Australian cricketer
  • 1977 – Leif Hoste, Belgian cyclist
  • 1977 – Marc Savard, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Ricardo Arona, Brazilian mixed martial artist
  • 1978 – Panda Bear, American musician and songwriter
  • 1978 – Jason Jennings, American baseball player
  • 1979 – Mike Vogel, American actor
  • 1980 – Javier Camuñas, Spanish footballer
  • 1980 – Ryan Miller, American ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Hely Ollarves, Venezuelan runner
  • 1982 – Omari Banks, Anguillan cricketer
  • 1982 – Natasha Hamilton, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
  • 1983 – Ryan Guettler, Australian motocross racer
  • 1983 – Adam Lind, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Loui Eriksson, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Tom Fletcher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1985 – Neil McGregor, Scottish footballer
  • 1986 – DeAngelo Smith, American football player
  • 1986 – Lacey Von Erich, American wrestler
  • 1987 – Darius Boyd, Australian rugby league player
  • 1987 – Jan Charouz, Czech race car driver
  • 1987 – Jeremih, American singer, songwriter, and record producer
  • 1994 – Benjamin Mendy, French footballer
  • 1994 – Kali Uchis, American singer-songwriter
  • 1998 – Rosana Serrano, Cuban rower

Deaths on July 17

  • 521 – Magnus Felix Ennodius, Gallo-Roman bishop
  • 855 – Leo IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 790)
  • 924 – Edward the Elder, English king (b. 877)
  • 952 – Wu Hanyue, Chinese noblewoman (b. 913)
  • 961 – Du, empress dowager of the Song Dynasty
  • 1070 – Baldwin VI, count of Flanders (b. 1030)
  • 1085 – Robert Guiscard, Norman adventurer
  • 1119 – Baldwin VII, count of Flanders (b. 1093)
  • 1210 – Sverker II, king of Sweden (b. 1210)
  • 1304 – Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer (b. 1251)
  • 1399 – Jadwiga, queen of Poland (b. 1374)
  • 1453 – Dmitry Shemyaka, Grand Prince of Moscow
  • 1453 – John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, English commander and politician (b. 1387)
  • 1531 – Hosokawa Takakuni, Japanese commander (b. 1484)
  • 1571 – Georg Fabricius, German poet and historian (b. 1516)
  • 1588 – Mimar Sinan, Ottoman architect and engineer, designed the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque and Süleymaniye Mosque (b. 1489)
  • 1603 – Mózes Székely, Hungarian noble (b. 1553)
  • 1645 – Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, English-Scottish politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1587)
  • 1704 – Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, French fur trader and explorer (b. 1657)
  • 1709 – Robert Bolling, English planter and merchant (b. 1646)
  • 1725 – Thomas King, English and British soldier, MP for Queenborough, lieutenant-governor of Sheerness (b. before 1660?).
  • 1762 – Peter III of Russia (b. 1728)
  • 1790 – Adam Smith, Scottish economist and philosopher (b. 1723)
  • 1791 – Martin Dobrizhoffer, Austrian missionary and author (b. 1717)
  • 1793 – Charlotte Corday, French murderer (b. 1768)
  • 1794 – John Roebuck, English chemist and businessman (b. 1718)
  • 1845 – Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1764)
  • 1871 – Karl Tausig, Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer (b. 1841)
  • 1878 – Aleardo Aleardi, Italian poet and politician (b. 1812)
  • 1879 – Maurycy Gottlieb, Ukrainian-Polish painter (b. 1856)
  • 1881 – Jim Bridger, American scout and explorer (b. 1804)
  • 1883 – Tự Đức, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1829)
  • 1885 – Jean-Charles Chapais, Canadian farmer and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1811)
  • 1887 – Dorothea Dix, American nurse and activist (b. 1802)
  • 1893 – Frederick A. Johnson, American banker and politician (b. 1833)
  • 1894 – Leconte de Lisle, French poet and translator (b. 1818)
  • 1894 – Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist and biologist (b. 1810)
  • 1900 – Thomas McIlwraith, Scottish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)
  • 1907 – Hector Malot, French author and critic (b. 1830)
  • 1912 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist, and engineer (b. 1854)
  • 1918 – Victims of the Shooting of the Romanov family
    • Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1901)
    • Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1899)
    • Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1895)
    • Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1897)
    • Alexandra Fyodorovna of Russia (b. 1872)
    • Aleksei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia (b. 1904)
    • Nikolai II of Russia (b. 1868)
    • Anna Demidova (b. 1878)
    • Ivan Kharitonov (b. 1872)
    • Alexei Trupp (b. 1858)
    • Yevgeny Botkin (b. 1865)
  • 1925 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (b. 1858)
  • 1928 – Giovanni Giolitti, Italian politician, 13th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1842)
  • 1928 – Álvaro Obregón, Mexican general and politician, 39th President of Mexico (b. 1880)
  • 1932 – Rasmus Rasmussen, Norwegian actor, singer, and director (b. 1862)
  • 1935 – George William Russell, Irish poet and painter (b. 1867)
  • 1942 – Robina Nicol, New Zealand photographer and suffragist (b. 1861)
  • 1944 – William James Sidis, American mathematician and anthropologist (b. 1898)
  • 1945 – Ernst Busch, German field marshal (b. 1885)
  • 1946 – Florence Fuller, South African-born Australian artist (b. 1867)
  • 1946 – Draža Mihailović, Serbian general (b. 1893)
  • 1950 – Evangeline Booth, English 4th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1865)
  • 1950 – Antonie Nedošinská, Czech actress (b. 1885)
  • 1959 – Billie Holiday, American singer (b. 1915)
  • 1959 – Eugene Meyer, American businessman and publisher (b. 1875)
  • 1960 – Maud Menten, Canadian physician and biochemist (b. 1879)
  • 1961 – Ty Cobb, American baseball player and manager (b. 1886)
  • 1961 – Emin Halid Onat, Turkish architect and academic (b. 1908)
  • 1967 – John Coltrane, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1926)
  • 1974 – Dizzy Dean, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1910)
  • 1975 – Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Georgian author (b. 1893)
  • 1980 – Don “Red” Barry, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1912)
  • 1980 – Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1890)
  • 1988 – Bruiser Brody, American football player and wrestler (b. 1946)
  • 1989 – Itubwa Amram, Nauruan pastor and politician (b. 1922)
  • 1991 – John Patrick Spiegel, American psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
  • 1994 – Jean Borotra, French tennis player (b. 1898)
  • 1995 – Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1911)
  • 1996 – Victims of TWA Flight 800
    • Michel Breistroff, French ice hockey player (b. 1971)
    • Marcel Dadi, Tunisian-French guitarist (b. 1951)
    • David Hogan, American composer (b. 1949)
    • Jed Johnson, American interior designer and director (b. 1948)
  • 1996 – Chas Chandler, American bass player and producer (b. 1938)
  • 1998 – Lillian Hoban, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
  • 2001 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (b. 1917)
  • 2002 – Joseph Luns, Dutch politician and Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1911)
  • 2003 – David Kelly, Welsh weapons inspector (b. 1944)
  • 2003 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichord player (b. 1914)
  • 2003 – Walter Zapp, Latvian-Swiss inventor, invented the Minox (b. 1905)
  • 2005 – Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish-American actress (b. 1913)
  • 2005 – Edward Heath, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916)
  • 2005 – Joe Vialls, Australian journalist and theorist (b. 1944)
  • 2006 – Sam Myers, American singer-songwriter (b. 1936)
  • 2006 – Mickey Spillane, American crime novelist (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – Grant Forsberg, American actor and businessman (b. 1959)
  • 2007 – Júlio Redecker, Brazilian politician (b. 1956)
  • 2007 – Paulo Rogério Amoretty Souza, Brazilian lawyer and businessman (b. 1945)
  • 2009 – Walter Cronkite, American journalist and actor (b. 1916)
  • 2009 – Leszek Kołakowski, Polish historian and philosopher (b. 1927)
  • 2010 – Larry Keith, American actor (b. 1931)
  • 2011 – David Ngoombujarra, Australian actor (b. 1967)
  • 2012 – Richard Evatt, English boxer (b. 1973)
  • 2012 – Forrest S. McCartney, American general (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – İlhan Mimaroğlu, Turkish-American composer and producer (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – William Raspberry, American journalist and academic (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – Marsha Singh, Indian-English politician (b. 1954)
  • 2013 – Henri Alleg, English-French journalist and author (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Peter Appleyard, English-Canadian vibraphone player and composer (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Vincenzo Cerami, Italian screenwriter and producer (b. 1940)
  • 2013 – Don Flye, American tennis player (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Ian Gourlay, English general (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – David White, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1933)[18]
  • 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 victims:
    • Liam Davison, Australian author and critic (b. 1957)
    • Shuba Jay, Malaysian actress (b. 1976)
    • Joep Lange, Dutch physician and academic (b. 1954)
    • Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (b. 1952)
  • 2014 – Henry Hartsfield, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Otto Piene, German sculptor and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Bill Arnsparger, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Jules Bianchi, French race car driver (b. 1989)
  • 2015 – Owen Chadwick, English rugby player, historian, and academic (b. 1916)
  • 2015 – Van Miller, American sportscaster (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – John Taylor, English pianist and educator (b. 1942)

Holidays and observances on July 17

  • Christian feast day:
    • Alexius of Rome (Western Church)
    • Andrew Zorard
    • Cynehelm
    • Cynllo
    • Inácio de Azevedo
    • Jadwiga of Poland
    • Magnus Felix Ennodius
    • Marcellina
    • Martyrs of Compiègne
    • Blessed Pavel Peter Gojdič (Greek Catholic Church)
    • Pope Leo IV
    • Romanov sainthood (Russian Orthodox Church)
    • Speratus and companions
    • William White (Episcopal Church))
    • July 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (South Korea)
  • Gion Matsuri (Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto)
  • Independence Day (Slovakia)
  • International Firgun Day (international)
  • King’s Birthday (Lesotho)
  • U Tirot Sing Day (Meghalaya, India)
  • World Day for International Justice (International)
  • World Emoji Day (International)

July 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

July 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 587 BC – Babylon’s siege of Jerusalem ends following the destruction of Solomon’s Temple.
  • 1174 – William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173–74, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England.
  • 1249 – Coronation of Alexander III as King of Scots.
  • 1260 – The Livonian Order suffers its greatest defeat in the 13th century in the Battle of Durbe against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
  • 1558 – Battle of Gravelines: In France, Spanish forces led by Count Lamoral of Egmont defeat the French forces of Marshal Paul de Thermes at Gravelines.
  • 1573 – Eighty Years’ War: The Siege of Haarlem ends after seven months.
  • 1643 – English Civil War: Battle of Roundway Down: In England, Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester, commanding the Royalist forces, heavily defeats the Parliamentarian forces led by Sir William Waller.
  • 1787 – The Continental Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance establishing governing rules for the Northwest Territory. It also establishes procedures for the admission of new states and limits the expansion of slavery.
  • 1793 – Journalist and French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat is assassinated in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday, a member of the opposing political faction.
  • 1794 – The Battle of Trippstadt is fought between French forces and those of Prussia and Austria.
  • 1814 – The Carabinieri, the national gendarmerie of Italy, is established.
  • 1830 – The General Assembly’s Institution, now the Scottish Church College, one of the pioneering institutions that ushered the Bengali Renaissance, is founded by Alexander Duff and Raja Ram Mohan Roy, in Calcutta, India.
  • 1831 – Regulamentul Organic, a quasi-constitutional organic law is adopted in Wallachia, one of the two Danubian Principalities that were to become the basis of Romania.
  • 1854 – In the Battle of Guaymas, Mexico, General José María Yáñez stops the French invasion led by Count Gaston de Raousset-Boulbon.
  • 1863 – New York City draft riots: In New York City, opponents of conscription begin three days of rioting which will be later regarded as the worst in United States history.
  • 1878 – Treaty of Berlin: The European powers redraw the map of the Balkans. Serbia, Montenegro and Romania become completely independent of the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1919 – The British airship R34 lands in Norfolk, England, completing the first airship return journey across the Atlantic in 182 hours of flight.
  • 1941 – World War II: Montenegrins begin a popular uprising against the Axis powers (Trinaestojulski ustanak).
  • 1956 – The Dartmouth workshop is the first conference on artificial intelligence.
  • 1962 – In an unprecedented action, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan dismisses seven members of his Cabinet, marking the effective end of the National Liberals as a distinct force within British politics.
  • 1973 – Watergate scandal: Alexander Butterfield reveals the existence of a secret Oval Office taping system to investigators for the Senate Watergate Committee.
  • 1977 – Somalia declares war on Ethiopia, starting the Ogaden War.
  • 1977 – New York City: Amidst a period of financial and social turmoil experiences an electrical blackout lasting nearly 24 hours that leads to widespread fires and looting.
  • 1985 – The Live Aid benefit concert takes place in London and Philadelphia, as well as other venues such as Moscow and Sydney.
  • 1985 – Vice President George H. W. Bush becomes the Acting President for the day when President Ronald Reagan undergoes surgery to remove polyps from his colon.
  • 2003 – French DGSE personnel abort an operation to rescue Íngrid Betancourt from FARC rebels in Colombia, causing a political scandal when details are leaked to the press.
  • 2008 – Battle of Wanat begins when Taliban and al-Qaeda guerrillas attack US Army and Afghan National Army troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. deaths were, at that time, the most in a single battle since the beginning of operations in 2001.
  • 2011 – Mumbai is rocked by three bomb blasts during the evening rush hour, killing 26 and injuring 130.
  • 2011 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 1999 is adopted, which admits South Sudan to member status of the United Nations.
  • 2013 – Typhoon Soulik kills at least nine people and affects more than 160 million in East China and Taiwan.
  • 2016 – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron resigns, and is succeeded by Theresa May.

Births on July 13

  • 100 BC – Julius Caesar, Roman general and statesman (d. 44 BC)
  • 1426 – Anne Neville, Countess of Warwick (d. 1492)
  • 1478 – Giulio d’Este, illegitimate son of Italian noble (d. 1561)
  • 1470 – Francesco Armellini Pantalassi de’ Medici, Catholic cardinal (d. 1528)
  • 1527 – John Dee, English-Welsh mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer (d. 1609)
  • 1579 – Arthur Dee, English physician and chemist (d. 1651)
  • 1590 – Pope Clement X (d. 1676)
  • 1606 – Roland Fréart de Chambray (d. 1676)
  • 1607 – Wenceslaus Hollar, Czech-English painter and illustrator (d. 1677)
  • 1608 – Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1657)
  • 1745 – Robert Calder, Scottish-English admiral (d. 1818)
  • 1756 – Thomas Rowlandson, English artist and caricaturist (d. 1827)
  • 1760 – István Pauli, Hungarian-Slovene priest and poet (d. 1829)
  • 1770 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (d. 1837)
  • 1793 – John Clare, English poet and author (d. 1864)
  • 1821 – Nathan Bedford Forrest, American general and first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (d. 1877)
  • 1831 – Arthur Böttcher, German pathologist and anatomist (d. 1889)
  • 1841 – Otto Wagner, Austrian architect, designed the Austrian Postal Savings Bank and Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station (d. 1918)
  • 1858 – Stewart Culin, American ethnographer and author (d. 1929)
  • 1859 – Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield, English economist and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1947)
  • 1863 – Margaret Murray, British archaeologist, anthropologist, historian, and folklorist (d. 1963)
  • 1864 – John Jacob Astor IV, American colonel and businessman (d. 1912)
  • 1877 – Robert Henry Mathews, Australian linguist and missionary (d. 1970)
  • 1884 – Yrjö Saarela, Finnish wrestler and coach (d. 1951)
  • 1889 – Emma Asson, Estonian educator and politician (d. 1965)
  • 1889 – Stan Coveleski, American baseball player (d. 1984)
  • 1892 – Léo-Pol Morin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1941)
  • 1892 – Jonni Myyrä, Finnish-American discus and javelin thrower (d. 1955)
  • 1894 – Isaac Babel, Russian short story writer, journalist, and playwright (d. 1940)
  • 1895 – Sidney Blackmer, American actor (d. 1973)
  • 1896 – Mordecai Ardon, Israeli painter and educator (d. 1992)
  • 1898 – Julius Schreck, German commander (d. 1936)
  • 1898 – Ivan Triesault, Estonian-born American actor (d. 1980)
  • 1900 – George Lewis, American clarinet player and songwriter (d. 1969)
  • 1901 – Eric Portman, English actor (d. 1969)
  • 1903 – Kenneth Clark, English historian and author (d. 1983)
  • 1905 – Alfredo M. Santos, Filipino general (d. 1990)
  • 1905 – Eugenio Pagnini, Italian modern pentathlete (d. 1993)
  • 1905 – Magda Foy, American child actress (d. 2000)
  • 1907 – George Weller, American author, playwright, and journalist (d. 2002)
  • 1908 – Dorothy Round, English tennis player (d. 1982)
  • 1908 – Tim Spencer, American country & western singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1974)
  • 1910 – Lien Gisolf, Dutch high jumper (d. 1993)
  • 1910 – Loren Pope, American journalist and author (d. 2008)
  • 1911 – Bob Steele (broadcaster), American radio personality (d. 2002)
  • 1913 – Dave Garroway, American journalist and television personality (d. 1982)
  • 1913 – Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, Danish businessman (d. 2012)
  • 1913 – Kay Linaker, American actress and screenwriter (d. 2008)
  • 1915 – Kaoru Ishikawa, Japanese author and educator (d. 1989)
  • 1918 – Alberto Ascari, Italian race car driver (d. 1955)
  • 1918 – Ronald Bladen, American painter and sculptor (d. 1988)
  • 1918 – Marcia Brown, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1919 – Hau Pei-tsun, 13th Premier of the Republic of China (d. 2020)
  • 1919 – William F. Quinn, American lawyer (d. 2006)
  • 1921 – Ernest Gold, Austrian-American composer and conductor (d. 1999)
  • 1922 – Leslie Brooks, American actress (d. 2011)
  • 1922 – Anker Jørgensen, Danish trade union leader and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 2016)
  • 1922 – Helmy Afify Abd El-Bar, Egyptian military commander (d. 2011)
  • 1922 – Ken Mosdell, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2006)
  • 1923 – Ashley Bryan, American children’s book author and illustrator
  • 1924 – Johnny Gilbert, American game show host and announcer
  • 1925 – Suzanne Zimmerman, American competition swimmer and Olympic medalist
  • 1925 – Huang Zongying, Chinese actress and writer
  • 1926 – Robert H. Justman, American director, producer, and production manager (d. 2008)
  • 1926 – T. Loren Christianson, American politician (d. 2019)
  • 1926 – Thomas Clark, American politician (d. 2020)
  • 1927 – Simone Veil, French lawyer and politician, President of the European Parliament (d. 2017)
  • 1927 – Ian Reed, Australian discus thrower
  • 1928 – Bob Crane, American actor (d. 1978)
  • 1928 – Sven Davidson, Swedish-American tennis player (d. 2008)
  • 1928 – Al Rex, American musician (d. 2020)
  • 1929 – Sofia Muratova, Russian gymnast (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Svein Ellingsen, Norwegian visual artist and hymnist (d. 2020)
  • 1930 – Sam Greenlee, American author and poet (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Naomi Shemer, Israeli singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1931 – Frank Ramsey, American basketball player and coach (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Hubert Reeves, Canadian-French astrophysicist and author
  • 1933 – David Storey, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
  • 1933 – Piero Manzoni, Italian artist (d. 1963)
  • 1934 – Peter Gzowski, Canadian journalist and academic (d. 2002)
  • 1934 – Gordon Lee, English footballer and manager
  • 1934 – Wole Soyinka, Nigerian author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1934 – Aleksei Yeliseyev, Russian engineer and astronaut
  • 1935 – Jack Kemp, American football player and politician, 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (d. 2009)
  • 1935 – Earl Lovelace, Trinidadian journalist, author, and playwright
  • 1935 – Kurt Westergaard, Danish cartoonist
  • 1936 – Albert Ayler, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1970)
  • 1937 – Ghillean Prance, English botanist and ecologist
  • 1939 – Lambert Jackson Woodburne, South African admiral (d. 2013)
  • 1940 – Tom Lichtenberg, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1940 – Paul Prudhomme, American chef and author (d. 2015)
  • 1940 – Patrick Stewart, English actor, director, and producer
  • 1941 – Grahame Corling, Australian cricketer
  • 1941 – Robert Forster, American actor and producer (d. 2019)
  • 1941 – Ehud Manor, Israeli songwriter and translator (d. 2005)
  • 1941 – Jacques Perrin, French actor, director, and producer
  • 1942 – Harrison Ford, American actor and producer
  • 1942 – Roger McGuinn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1943 – Chris Serle, English journalist and actor
  • 1944 – Eric Freeman, Australian cricketer
  • 1944 – Cyril Knowles, English footballer and manager (d. 1991)
  • 1944 – Erno Rubik, Hungarian game designer, architect, and educator, invented the Rubik’s Cube
  • 1945 – Ashley Mallett, Australian cricketer and author
  • 1946 – Bob Kauffman, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1946 – Cheech Marin, American actor and comedian
  • 1948 – Catherine Breillat, French director and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Bryan Murray, Irish actor
  • 1950 – George Nelson, American astronomer and astronaut
  • 1950 – Ma Ying-jeou, Hong Kong-Taiwanese commander and politician, 12th President of the Republic of China
  • 1950 – Jurelang Zedkaia, Marshallese politician, 5th President of the Marshall Islands (d. 2015)
  • 1951 – Rob Bishop, American educator and politician
  • 1951 – Didi Conn, American actress and singer
  • 1953 – David Thompson, American basketball player
  • 1954 – Ray Bright, Australian cricketer
  • 1954 – Louise Mandrell, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1956 – Mark Mendoza, American bass player and songwriter
  • 1956 – Michael Spinks, American boxer
  • 1957 – Thierry Boutsen, Belgian race car driver and businessman
  • 1957 – Cameron Crowe, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1959 – Richard Leman, English field hockey player
  • 1959 – Fuziah Salleh, Malaysian politician
  • 1960 – Robert Abraham, American football player
  • 1960 – Ian Hislop, Welsh-English journalist and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Curtis Rouse, American football player (d. 2013)
  • 1961 – Tahira Asif, Pakistani politician (d. 2014)
  • 1961 – Anders Jarryd, Swedish tennis player
  • 1961 – Khalid Mahmood, Pakistani-English engineer and politician
  • 1961 – Stelios Manolas, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Tim Watson, Australian footballer, coach, and journalist
  • 1962 – Tom Kenny, American voice actor and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Rhonda Vincent, American singer-songwriter and mandolin player
  • 1963 – Neal Foulds, English snooker player and sportscaster
  • 1963 – Kenny Johnson, American actor, producer, and model
  • 1964 – Charlie Hides, American drag queen and comedian
  • 1964 – Paul Thorn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1965 – Eileen Ivers, American fiddler
  • 1965 – Colin van der Voort, Australian rugby league player
  • 1966 – Gerald Levert, American R&B singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2006)
  • 1966 – Natalia Luis-Bassa, Venezuelan-English conductor and educator
  • 1967 – Richard Marles, Australian lawyer and politician, 50th Australian Minister for Trade and Investment
  • 1967 – Mark McGowan, Australian politician, 30th Premier of Western Australia
  • 1969 – Brad Godden, Australian rugby league player
  • 1969 – Ken Jeong, American actor, comedian, and physician
  • 1969 – Oleg Serebrian, Moldovan political scientist and politician
  • 1970 – Andrei Tivontchik, German pole vaulter and trainer
  • 1971 – Mark Neeld, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1972 – Sean Waltman, American professional wrestler
  • 1974 – Deborah Cox, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1974 – Jarno Trulli, Italian race car driver
  • 1975 – Diego Spotorno, Ecuadorian actor
  • 1975 – Mariada Pieridi, Cypriot singer-songwriter
  • 1976 – Sheldon Souray, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1977 – Chris Horn, American football player
  • 1978 – Ryan Ludwick, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Prodromos Nikolaidis, Greek basketball player
  • 1979 – Craig Bellamy, Welsh footballer
  • 1979 – Daniel Díaz, Argentinian footballer
  • 1979 – Libuše Průšová, Czech tennis player
  • 1979 – Lucinda Ruh, Swiss figure skater and coach
  • 1981 – Ágnes Kovács, Hungarian swimmer
  • 1981 – Mirco Lorenzetto, Italian cyclist
  • 1982 – Shin-Soo Choo, South Korean baseball player
  • 1982 – Simon Clist, English footballer
  • 1982 – Dominic Isaacs, South African footballer
  • 1982 – Nick Kenny, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – Yadier Molina, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
  • 1983 – Kristof Beyens, Belgian sprinter
  • 1983 – Marco Pomante, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Liu Xiang, Chinese hurdler
  • 1984 – Ida Maria, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1985 – Trell Kimmons, American sprinter
  • 1985 – Guillermo Ochoa, Mexican footballer
  • 1985 – Charlotte Dujardin, English equestrian
  • 1988 – Marcos Paulo Gelmini Gomes, Brazilian-Italian footballer
  • 1988 – Colton Haynes, American actor, model and singer
  • 1988 – Steven R. McQueen, American actor and model
  • 1988 – Raúl Spank, German high jumper
  • 1988 – Tulisa, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1989 – Leon Bridges, American soul singer, songwriter and record producer
  • 1989 – Charis Giannopoulos, Greek basketball player
  • 1990 – Kieran Foran, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1990 – Eduardo Salvio, Argentinian footballer
  • 1992 – Elise Matthysen, Belgian swimmer
  • 1993 – Daniel Bentley, English footballer
  • 1995 – Cody Bellinger, American baseball player
  • 1995 – Dante Exum, Australian basketball player
  • 2002 – Deborah Medrado, Brazilian rhythmic gymnast
  • 2003 – Wyatt Oleff, American child actor
  • 2005 – Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, Canadian child actor

Deaths on July 13

  • 574 – John III, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 716 – Rui Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 662)
  • 815 – Wu Yuanheng, Chinese poet and politician (b. 758)
  • 884 – Huang Chao, Chinese rebel leader (b. 835)
  • 939 – Leo VII, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 982 – Gunther, margrave of Merseburg
  • 982 – Henry I, bishop of Augsburg
  • 982 – Pandulf II, Lombard prince
  • 982 – Landulf IV, Lombard prince
  • 982 – Abu’l-Qasim, Kalbid emir of Sicily
  • 1024 – Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 973)
  • 1105 – Rashi, French rabbi and commentator (b. 1040)
  • 1205 – Hubert Walter, English archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of The United Kingdom (b. 1160)
  • 1357 – Bartolus de Saxoferrato Italian academic and jurist (b. 1313)
  • 1380 – Bertrand du Guesclin, French nobleman and knight (b. 1320)
  • 1399 – Peter Parler, German architect, designed St. Vitus Cathedral and Charles Bridge (b. 1330)
  • 1399 – Jadwiga, queen of Poland (b. 1399)
  • 1402 – Jianwen, Chinese emperor (b. 1377)
  • 1491 – Afonso, Portuguese prince (b. 1475)
  • 1551 – John Wallop, English soldier and diplomat (b. 1490)
  • 1617 – Adam Wenceslaus, duke of Cieszyn (b. 1574)
  • 1621 – Albert VII, archduke of Austria (b. 1559)
  • 1626 – Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester, English politician (b. 1563)
  • 1628 – Robert Shirley, English soldier and diplomat (b. 1581)
  • 1629 – Caspar Bartholin the Elder, Swedish physician and theologian (b. 1585)
  • 1683 – Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1631)
  • 1755 – Edward Braddock, Scottish general (b. 1695)
  • 1762 – James Bradley, English priest and astronomer (b. 1693)
  • 1789 – Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau, French economist and academic (b. 1715)
  • 1793 – Jean-Paul Marat, French physician and theorist (b. 1743)
  • 1807 – Henry Benedict Stuart, Italian cardinal (b. 1725)
  • 1881 – John C. Pemberton, American general (b. 1814)
  • 1889 – Robert Hamerling, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1830)
  • 1890 – John C. Frémont, American general and politician, 5th Territorial Governor of Arizona (b. 1813)
  • 1890 – Johann Voldemar Jannsen, Estonian journalist and poet (b. 1819)
  • 1893 – Young Man Afraid of His Horses, American tribal chief (b. 1836)
  • 1896 – August Kekulé, German chemist and academic (b. 1829)
  • 1907 – Henrik Sillem, Dutch target shooter and jurist (b. 1866)
  • 1911 – Allan McLean, Scottish-Australian politician, 19th Premier of Victoria (b. 1840)
  • 1921 – Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourger physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)
  • 1922 – Martin Dies, Sr., American journalist and politician (b. 1870)
  • 1927 – Mimar Kemaleddin Bey, Turkish architect and academic, designed the Tayyare Apartments (b. 1870)
  • 1934 – Mary E. Byrd, American astronomer and academic (b. 1849)
  • 1936 – Kojo Tovalou Houénou, Beninese lawyer and politician (b. 1887)
  • 1941 – Ilmar Raud, Estonian chess player (b. 1913)
  • 1945 – Alla Nazimova, Russian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1879)
  • 1946 – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer and curator (b. 1864)
  • 1949 – Walt Kuhn, American painter and academic (b. 1877)
  • 1951 – Arnold Schoenberg, Austrian-American composer and painter (b. 1874)
  • 1954 – Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter and educator (b. 1907)
  • 1960 – Joy Davidman, American-English poet and author (b. 1915)
  • 1965 – Photis Kontoglou, Greek painter and illustrator (b. 1895)
  • 1967 – Tom Simpson, English cyclist (b. 1937)
  • 1970 – Leslie Groves, American general and engineer (b. 1896)
  • 1970 – Sheng Shicai, Chinese warlord (b. 1895)
  • 1973 – Willy Fritsch, German actor and screenwriter (b. 1901)
  • 1974 – Patrick Blackett, Baron Blackett, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
  • 1976 – Frederick Hawksworth, English engineer (b. 1884)
  • 1976 – Joachim Peiper, German SS officer (b. 1915)
  • 1979 – Ludwig Merwart, Austrian painter and illustrator (b. 1913)
  • 1980 – Seretse Khama, Botswana lawyer and politician, 1st President of Botswana (b. 1921)
  • 1983 – Gabrielle Roy, Canadian engineer and author (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – Davey Allison, American race car driver (b. 1961)
  • 1995 – Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman (b. 1920)
  • 1996 – Pandro S. Berman, American director, producer, and production manager (b. 1905)
  • 1997 – Miguel Ángel Blanco, Spanish politician (b. 1968)
  • 1999 – Konstantinos Kollias, Greek general and politician, 168th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1901)
  • 2000 – Jan Karski, Polish-American activist and academic (b. 1914)
  • 2003 – Compay Segundo, Cuban singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1907)
  • 2005 – Robert E. Ogren, American zoologist (b. 1922)
  • 2006 – Red Buttons, American actor (b. 1919)
  • 2007 – Michael Reardon, American mountaineer (b. 1965)
  • 2008 – Bronisław Geremek, Polish historian and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1932)
  • 2010 – Manohari Singh, Indian saxophonist and composer (b. 1931)
  • 2010 – George Steinbrenner, American businessman (b. 1930)
  • 2011 – Allan Jeans, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1933)
  • 2012 – Warren Jabali, American basketball player (b. 1946)
  • 2012 – Jerzy Kulej, Polish boxer and politician (b. 1940)
  • 2012 – Richard D. Zanuck, American film producer (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Leonard Garment, American lawyer and public servant, 14th White House Counsel (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Henri Julien, French race car driver (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Cory Monteith, Canadian actor and singer (b. 1982)
  • 2013 – Ottavio Quattrocchi, Italian businessman (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Vernon B. Romney, American lawyer and politician, 14th Attorney General of Utah (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Marc Simont, French-American author and illustrator (b. 1915)
  • 2014 – Thomas Berger, American author and playwright (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Alfred de Grazia, American political scientist, author, and academic (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Nadine Gordimer, South African novelist, short story writer, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Jeff Leiding, American football player (b. 1961)
  • 2014 – Lorin Maazel, French-American violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Philipp Mißfelder, German historian and politician (b. 1979)
  • 2015 – Martin Litchfield West, English scholar, author, and academic (b. 1927)
  • 2017 – Liu Xiaobo, Chinese literary critic, human rights activist (b. 1955)

Holidays and observances on July 13

  • Christian feast day:
    • Abd-al-Masih
    • Abel of Tacla Haimonot (Coptic Church)
    • Clelia Barbieri
    • Conrad Weiser (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Eugenius of Carthage
    • Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
    • Mildrith of Thanet
    • Rosa Mystica
    • Silas (Catholic Church)
    • Teresa of the Andes
    • July 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Feast of Kalimát, first day of the seventh month of the Bahá’í calendar. (Bahá’í Faith)
  • Statehood Day (Montenegro)
  • The last day of Naadam (Mongolia)
  • Kashmir Martyrs’ Day (Pakistan)

July 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /

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

July 7 in History

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

Births on July 7

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

Deaths on July 7

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

Holidays and observances on July 7

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

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

On This Day

July 5- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 328 – The official opening of Constantine’s Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus (Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius.
  • 1316 – The Burgundian and Majorcan claimants of the Principality of Achaea meet in the Battle of Manolada.
  • 1594 – Portuguese forces under the command of Pedro Lopes de Sousa begin an unsuccessful invasion of the Kingdom of Kandy during the Campaign of Danture in Sri Lanka.
  • 1610 – John Guy sets sail from Bristol with 39 other colonists for Newfoundland.
  • 1687 – Isaac Newton publishes Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.
  • 1770 – The Battle of Chesma between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire begins.
  • 1775 – The Second Continental Congress adopts the Olive Branch Petition.
  • 1803 – The Convention of Artlenburg is signed, leading to the French occupation of the Electorate of Hanover (which had been ruled by the British king).
  • 1807 – In Buenos Aires the local militias repel the British soldiers within the Second English Invasion.
  • 1809 – The largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Wagram is fought between the French and Austrian Empires.
  • 1811 – The Venezuelan Declaration of Independence is adopted by a congress of the provinces.
  • 1813 – War of 1812: Three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock and Plattsburgh, New York commence.
  • 1814 – War of 1812: Battle of Chippawa: American Major General Jacob Brown defeats British General Phineas Riall at Chippawa, Ontario.
  • 1833 – Lê Văn Khôi along with 27 soldiers stage a mutiny taking over the Phiên An citadel, developing into the Lê Văn Khôi revolt against Emperor Minh Mạng.
  • 1833 – Admiral Charles Napier vanquishes the navy of the Portuguese usurper Dom Miguel at the third Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
  • 1841 – Thomas Cook organises the first package excursion, from Leicester to Loughborough.
  • 1884 – Germany takes possession of Cameroon.
  • 1915 – The Liberty Bell leaves Philadelphia by special train on its way to the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. This is the last trip outside Philadelphia that the custodians of the bell intend to permit.
  • 1934 – “Bloody Thursday”: Police open fire on striking longshoremen in San Francisco.
  • 1935 – The National Labor Relations Act, which governs labor relations in the United States, is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • 1937 – Spam, the luncheon meat, is introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation.
  • 1940 – World War II: Foreign relations of Vichy France are severed with the United Kingdom.
  • 1941 – World War II: Operation Barbarossa: German troops reach the Dnieper river.
  • 1943 – World War II: An Allied invasion fleet sails for Sicily (Operation Husky, July 10, 1943).
  • 1943 – World War II: German forces begin a massive offensive against the Soviet Union at the Battle of Kursk, also known as Operation Citadel.
  • 1946 – Micheline Bernardini models the first modern bikini at a swimming pool in Paris.
  • 1948 – National Health Service Acts create the national public health system in the United Kingdom.
  • 1950 – Korean War: Task Force Smith: American and North Korean forces first clash, in the Battle of Osan.
  • 1950 – Zionism: The Knesset passes the Law of Return which grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel.
  • 1954 – The BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin.
  • 1954 – Elvis Presley records his first single, “That’s All Right”, at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee.
  • 1962 – The official independence of Algeria is proclaimed after an 8-year-long war with France.
  • 1971 – The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 years, is formally certified by President Richard Nixon.
  • 1973 – A boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) in Kingman, Arizona, following a fire that broke out as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank, kills eleven firefighters.
  • 1975 – Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win the Wimbledon singles title.
  • 1975 – Cape Verde gains its independence from Portugal.
  • 1977 – Military coup in Pakistan: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, is overthrown.
  • 1980 – Swedish tennis player Björn Borg wins his fifth Wimbledon final and becomes the first male tennis player to win the championships five times in a row (1976–1980).
  • 1987 – Sri Lankan Civil War: The LTTE uses suicide attacks on the Sri Lankan Army for the first time. The Black Tigers are born and, in the following years, will continue to kill with the tactic.
  • 1989 – Iran–Contra affair: Oliver North is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell to a three-year suspended prison term, two years probation, $150,000 in fines and 1,200 hours community service. His convictions are later overturned.
  • 1995 – Armenia adopts its constitution, four years after its independence from the Soviet Union.
  • 1996 – Dolly the sheep becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.
  • 1997 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil MP A. Thangathurai is shot dead at Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies College in Trincomalee.
  • 1999 – U.S. President Bill Clinton imposes trade and economic sanctions against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
  • 2004 – The first direct Indonesian presidential election is held.
  • 2006 – North Korea tests four short-range missiles, one medium-range missile and a long-range Taepodong-2. The long-range Taepodong-2 reportedly fails in mid-air over the Sea of Japan.
  • 2009 – A series of violent riots break out in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China.
  • 2009 – The largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered in England, consisting of more than 1,500 items, is found near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, Staffordshire.
  • 2012 – The Shard in London is inaugurated as the tallest building in Europe, with a height of 310 metres (1,020 ft).
  • 2016 – The Juno space probe arrives at Jupiter and begins a 20-month survey of the planet.

Births on July 5

  • 465 – Ahkal Mo’ Naab’ I, Mayan ruler (d. 524)
  • 980 – Mokjong of Goryeo, Korean king (d. 1009)
  • 1029 – Al-Mustansir Billah, Fatimid caliph (d. 1094)
  • 1057 – Al-Ghazali, Iranian jurist, philosopher, and mystic (d. 1111)
  • 1321 – Joan of the Tower, English consort of David II of Scotland (d. 1362)
  • 1466 – Giovanni Sforza, Italian nobleman (d. 1510)
  • 1547 – Garzia de’ Medici, Tuscan son of Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1562)
  • 1549 – Francesco Maria del Monte, Italian cardinal and art collector (d. 1627)
  • 1554 – Elisabeth of Austria, French queen (d. 1592)
  • 1580 – Carlo Contarini, doge of Venice (d. 1656)
  • 1586 – Thomas Hooker, English-born founder of the Colony of Connecticut (d. 1647)
  • 1593 – Achille d’Étampes de Valençay, French military leader (d. 1646)
  • 1653 – Thomas Pitt, English businessman and politician (d. 1726)
  • 1670 – Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg, countess palatine (d. 1748)
  • 1675 – Mary Walcott, American accuser and witness at the Salem witch trials (d. 1719)
  • 1709 – Étienne de Silhouette, French translator and politician, Controller-General of Finances (d. 1767)
  • 1717 – Peter III, Portuguese king (d. 1786)
  • 1718 – Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1794)
  • 1745 – Carl Arnold Kortum, German physician and poet (d. 1824)
  • 1755 – Sarah Siddons, English actress (d. 1831)
  • 1780 – François Carlo Antommarchi, French physician (d. 1838)
  • 1793 – Pavel Pestel, Russian officer (d. 1826)
  • 1794 – Sylvester Graham, American minister and activist (d. 1851)
  • 1801 – David Farragut, American admiral (d. 1870)
  • 1802 – Pavel Nakhimov, Russian admiral (d. 1855)
  • 1803 – George Borrow, British writer (d. 1881)
  • 1805 – Robert FitzRoy, English captain, meteorologist, and politician, 2nd Governor of New Zealand (d. 1865)
  • 1810 – P. T. Barnum, American businessman, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (d. 1891)
  • 1820 – William John Macquorn Rankine, Scottish physicist, mathematician, and engineer (d. 1872)
  • 1829 – Ignacio Mariscal, Mexican politician and diplomat, Secretary of Foreign Affairs for Mexico (d. 1910)
  • 1832 – Pavel Chistyakov, Russian painter and educator (d. 1919)
  • 1841 – William Collins Whitney, American financier and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1904)
  • 1849 – William Thomas Stead, English journalist (d. 1912)
  • 1853 – Cecil Rhodes, English-South African businessman and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Cape Colony (d. 1902)
  • 1857 – Clara Zetkin, German theorist and activist (d. 1933)
  • 1857 – Julien Tiersot, French musicologist and composer (d. 1936)
  • 1860 – Robert Bacon, American colonel and politician, 39th United States Secretary of State (d. 1919)
  • 1860 – Mathieu Jaboulay, French surgeon (d. 1913)
  • 1862 – George Nuttall, American-British bacteriologist (d. 1937)
  • 1862 – Horatio Caro, English chess master (d. 1920)
  • 1864 – Stephan Krehl, German composer (d. 1924)
  • 1867 – A. E. Douglass, American astronomer (d. 1962)
  • 1872 – Édouard Herriot, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1957)
  • 1874 – Eugen Fischer, German physician and academic (d. 1967)
  • 1879 – Dwight F. Davis, American tennis player and politician, 49th United States Secretary of War (d. 1945)
  • 1879 – Wanda Landowska, Polish-French harpsichord player and educator (d. 1959)
  • 1880 – Jan Kubelík, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1940)
  • 1880 – Constantin Tănase, Romanian actor and playwright (d. 1945)
  • 1882 – Inayat Khan, Indian mystic and educator (d. 1927)
  • 1883 – Gustave Lanctot, Canadian historian, author, and academic (d. 1975)
  • 1884 – Enrico Dante, Italian cardinal (d. 1967)
  • 1885 – Blas Infante, Spanish historian and politician (d. 1936)
  • 1885 – André Lhote, French sculptor and painter (d. 1962)
  • 1886 – Willem Drees, Dutch politician and historian, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1948–1958) (d. 1988)
  • 1886 – Prince John Konstantinovich of Russia (d. 1918)
  • 1888 – Herbert Spencer Gasser, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1963)
  • 1888 – Louise Freeland Jenkins, American astronomer and academic (d. 1970)
  • 1889 – Jean Cocteau, French novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1963)
  • 1890 – Frederick Lewis Allen, American historian and journalist (d. 1954)
  • 1891 – John Howard Northrop, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
  • 1891 – Tin Ujević, Croatian poet and translator (d. 1955)
  • 1893 – Anthony Berkeley Cox, English writer (d. 1971)
  • 1893 – Giuseppe Caselli, Italian painter (d. 1976)
  • 1894 – Ants Lauter, Estonian actor and director (d. 1973)
  • 1896 – Thomas Playford IV, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of South Australia (d. 1981)
  • 1898 – Georgios Grivas, Greek general (d. 1974)
  • 1899 – Marcel Achard, French playwright, screenwriter, and author (d. 1974)
  • 1900 – Yoshimaro Yamashina, Japanese ornithologist, founded the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology (d. 1989)
  • 1900 – Bernardus Johannes Alfrink, Dutch cardinal (d. 1987)
  • 1901 – Julio Libonatti, Italian-Argentinian footballer (d. 1981)
  • 1902 – Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., American colonel and politician, 3rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1985)
  • 1904 – Harold Acton, English scholar and author (d. 1994)
  • 1904 – Ernst Mayr, German-American biologist and ornithologist (d. 2005)
  • 1904 – Milburn Stone, American actor (d. 1980)
  • 1905 – Madeleine Sylvain-Bouchereau, Haitian sociologist and educator (d. 1970)
  • 1908 – Henri of Orléans, (d. 1999)
  • 1908 – Lyman S. Ayres II, American businessman (d. 1996)
  • 1910 – Georges Vedel, French lawyer and academic (d. 2002)
  • 1911 – Endel Aruja, Estonian-Canadian physicist and academic (d. 2008)
  • 1911 – Haydn Bunton, Sr., Australian footballer and coach (d. 1955)
  • 1911 – Giorgio Borġ Olivier, Maltese lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Malta (d. 1980)
  • 1911 – Georges Pompidou, French banker and politician, 19th President of France (d. 1974)
  • 1913 – George Costakis, Russian art collector (d. 1990)
  • 1913 – Smiley Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1966)
  • 1914 – John Thomas Dunlop, American administrator and labor scholar (d. 2003)
  • 1914 – Annie Fischer, Hungarian pianist and composer (d. 1995)
  • 1915 – Babe Paley, American socialite (d. 1978)
  • 1915 – John Woodruff, American runner and commander (d. 2007)
  • 1915 – Al Timothy, Trinidadian musician and songwriter (d. 2000)
  • 1916 – Lívia Rév, Hungarian classical pianist (d. 2018)
  • 1916 – Ivor Powell, Welsh footballer (d. 2012)
  • 1918 – K. Karunakaran, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Kerala (d. 2010)
  • 1918 – Brian James, Australian actor (d. 2009)
  • 1918 – Zakaria Mohieddin, Egyptian general and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (d. 2012)
  • 1918 – George Rochberg, American composer and educator (d. 2005)
  • 1921 – Viktor Kulikov, Russian marshal (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Nanos Valaoritis, Greek author, poet, and playwright (d. 2019)
  • 1923 – George Moore, Australian jockey (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Mitsuye Yamada, Japanese American activist
  • 1924 – János Starker, Hungarian-American cellist and educator (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Edward Cassidy, Australian Roman Catholic cardinal priest
  • 1925 – Fernando de Szyszlo, Peruvian painter and sculptor (d. 2017)
  • 1925 – Jean Raspail, French author and explorer (d. 2020)
  • 1926 – Diana Lynn, American actress (d. 1971)
  • 1928 – Pierre Mauroy, French educator and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Warren Oates, American actor (d. 1982)
  • 1929 – Jimmy Carruthers, Australian boxer (d. 1990)
  • 1929 – Katherine Helmond, American actress and director (d. 2019)
  • 1929 – Tony Lock, English cricketer (d. 1995)
  • 1929 – Jovan Rašković, Serbian psychiatrist, academic, and politician (d. 1992)
  • 1929 – Jiří Reynek, Czech poet and graphic artist (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Chikao Ohtsuka, Japanese voice actor (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Ismail Mahomed, South African lawyer and politician, 17th Chief Justice of South Africa (d. 2000)
  • 1932 – Gyula Horn, Hungarian politician, 37th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 2013)
  • 1933 – Paul-Gilbert Langevin, French musicologist, critic and physicist (d. 1986)
  • 1936 – Shirley Knight, American actress (d. 2020)
  • 1936 – James Mirrlees, Scottish economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
  • 1938 – Ronnie Self, American singer-songwriter (d. 1981)
  • 1940 – Chuck Close, American painter and photographer
  • 1941 – Terry Cashman, American singer-songwriter and record producer
  • 1941 – Epeli Nailatikau, Fijian chief, President of Fiji
  • 1942 – Matthias Bamert, Swiss composer and conductor
  • 1942 – Hannes Löhr, German footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2016)
  • 1943 – Curt Blefary, American baseball player and coach (d. 2001)
  • 1943 – Mark Cox, English tennis player, coach and sportscaster
  • 1943 – Robbie Robertson, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
  • 1943 – Pierre Villepreux, French rugby player and coach
  • 1944 – Leni Björklund, Swedish politician, 28th Swedish Minister of Defence for Sweden
  • 1945 – Michael Blake, American author and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Humberto Benítez Treviño, Mexican lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Mexico
  • 1946 – Pierre-Marc Johnson, Canadian lawyer, physician, and politician, 24th Premier of Quebec
  • 1946 – Paul Smith, English fashion designer
  • 1946 – Gerard ‘t Hooft, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1946 – Vladimir Mikhailovich Zakharov, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 2013)
  • 1947 – Todd Akin, American politician
  • 1949 – Ludwig G. Strauss, German physician and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1950 – Carlos Caszely, Chilean footballer
  • 1950 – Huey Lewis, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1950 – Michael Monarch, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1951 – Goose Gossage, American baseball player
  • 1951 – Roger Wicker, American colonel, lawyer, and politician
  • 1953 – Caryn Navy, American mathematician and computer scientist
  • 1954 – Jimmy Crespo, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1954 – John Wright, New Zealand cricketer and coach
  • 1955 – Tony Hadley, English footballer
  • 1955 – Peter McNamara, Australian tennis player and coach (d. 2019)
  • 1956 – Horacio Cartes, Paraguayan businessman and politician, President of Paraguay
  • 1956 – James Lofton, American football player and coach
  • 1957 – Carlo Thränhardt, German high jumper
  • 1957 – Doug Wilson, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager
  • 1958 – Veronica Guerin, Irish journalist (d. 1996)
  • 1958 – Bill Watterson, American author and illustrator
  • 1959 – Marc Cohn, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1960 – Pruitt Taylor Vince, American actor and director
  • 1962 – Sarina Hülsenbeck, German swimmer
  • 1963 – Edie Falco, American actress
  • 1964 – Ronald D. Moore, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1965 – Kathryn Erbe, American actress
  • 1965 – Eyran Katsenelenbogen, Israeli-American pianist and educator
  • 1966 – Susannah Doyle, English actress, director, and playwright
  • 1966 – Gianfranco Zola, Italian footballer and coach
  • 1968 – Ken Akamatsu, Japanese illustrator
  • 1968 – Kenji Ito, Japanese pianist and composer
  • 1968 – Nardwuar the Human Serviette, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1968 – Hedi Slimane, French fashion designer and photographer
  • 1968 – Alex Zülle, Swiss cyclist
  • 1968 – Susan Wojcicki, Polish-American technology executive, CEO of YouTube
  • 1969 – Jenji Kohan, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1969 – Armin Kõomägi, Estonian author and screenwriter
  • 1969 – John LeClair, American ice hockey player
  • 1969 – RZA, American rapper, producer, actor, and director
  • 1970 – Mac Dre, American rapper and producer, founded Thizz Entertainment (d. 2004)
  • 1970 – Valentí Massana, Spanish race walker
  • 1971 – Derek McInnes, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Matthew Birir, Kenyan runner
  • 1972 – Robert Esmie, Canadian sprinter
  • 1972 – Gary Shteyngart, American writer
  • 1973 – Marcus Allbäck, Swedish footballer and coach
  • 1973 – Bengt Lagerberg, Swedish drummer
  • 1973 – Róisín Murphy, Irish singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Márcio Amoroso, Brazilian footballer
  • 1975 – Hernán Crespo, Argentinian footballer and coach
  • 1975 – Ai Sugiyama, Japanese tennis player
  • 1976 – Bizarre, American rapper
  • 1976 – Nuno Gomes, Portuguese footballer
  • 1977 – Nicolas Kiefer, German tennis player
  • 1977 – Steven Sharp Nelson, American cellist
  • 1978 – Britta Oppelt, German rower
  • 1978 – Allan Simonsen, Danish race car driver (d. 2013)
  • 1978 – İsmail YK, German-Turkish singer-songwriter
  • 1979 – Shane Filan, Irish singer-songwriter
  • 1979 – Amélie Mauresmo, French-Swiss tennis player
  • 1979 – Stiliyan Petrov, Bulgarian footballer and manager
  • 1980 – David Rozehnal, Czech footballer
  • 1980 – Mads Tolling, Danish-American violinist and composer
  • 1980 – Jason Wade, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1982 – Fabrício de Souza, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982 – Alexander Dimitrenko, Ukrainian-German boxer
  • 1982 – Alberto Gilardino, Italian footballer
  • 1982 – Philippe Gilbert, Belgian cyclist
  • 1982 – Kate Gynther, Australian water polo player
  • 1982 – Dave Haywood, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1982 – Paíto, Mozambican footballer
  • 1982 – Javier Paredes, Spanish footballer
  • 1982 – Szabolcs Perenyi, Romanian-Hungarian footballer
  • 1982 – Beno Udrih, Slovenian basketball player
  • 1983 – Marco Estrada, Mexican baseball player
  • 1983 – Jonás Gutiérrez, Argentinian footballer
  • 1983 – Zheng Jie, Chinese tennis player
  • 1983 – Taavi Peetre, Estonian shot putter (d. 2010)
  • 1984 – Danay Garcia, Cuban actress
  • 1984 – Zack Miller, American golfer
  • 1985 – Alexandre R. Picard, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Megan Rapinoe, American soccer player
  • 1986 – Iurii Cheban, Ukrainian canoe sprinter
  • 1986 – Piermario Morosini, Italian footballer (d. 2012)
  • 1986 – Alexander Radulov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Owl City, American singer, songwriter and composer
  • 1987 – Ji Chang-wook, South Korean actor
  • 1987 – Mohd Safiq Rahim, Malaysian footballer
  • 1987 – Andrija Kaluđerović, Serbian footballer
  • 1987 – Alexander Kristoff, Norwegian cyclist
  • 1988 – Martin Liivamägi, Estonian swimmer
  • 1988 – Samir Ujkani, Albanian footballer
  • 1989 – Charlie Austin, English footballer
  • 1989 – Georgios Efrem, Cypriot footballer
  • 1989 – Dwight King, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Abeba Aregawi, Ethiopian-Swedish runner
  • 1992 – Alberto Moreno, Spanish footballer
  • 1992 – Chiara Scholl, American tennis player
  • 1993 – Yaroslav Kosov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1994 – Diana Harkusha, Ukrainian lawyer, dancer, model and beauty queen
  • 1994 – Shohei Ohtani, Japanese baseball player

Deaths on July 5

  • 905 – Cui Yuan, Chinese chancellor
  • 905 – Dugu Sun, Chinese chancellor
  • 905 – Lu Yi, Chinese chancellor (b. 847)
  • 905 – Pei Shu, Chinese chancellor (b. 841)
  • 905 – Wang Pu, Chinese chancellor
  • 936 – Xu Ji, Chinese official and chancellor
  • 967 – Murakami, Japanese emperor (b. 926)
  • 1080 – Ísleifur Gissurarson, Icelandic bishop (b. 1006)
  • 1091 – William of Hirsau, German abbot
  • 1316 – Ferdinand, prince of Majorca (b. 1278)
  • 1375 – Charles III, French nobleman (b. 1337)
  • 1413 – Musa Çelebi, Ottoman prince and co-ruler
  • 1507 – Crinitus, Italian scholar and academic (b. 1475)
  • 1539 – Anthony Maria Zaccaria, Italian saint (b. 1502)
  • 1661 – Sir Hugh Speke, 1st Baronet
  • 1666 – Albert VI, German nobleman (b. 1584)
  • 1676 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish field marshal and politician (b. 1613)
  • 1715 – Charles Ancillon, French jurist and diplomat (b. 1659)
  • 1719 – Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg, German-English general (b. 1641)
  • 1773 – Francisco José Freire, Portuguese historian and philologist (b. 1719)
  • 1819 – William Cornwallis, English admiral and politician (b.1744)
  • 1826 – Stamford Raffles, English politician, founded Singapore (b. 1782)
  • 1833 – Nicéphore Niépce, French inventor, created the first known photograph (b. 1765)
  • 1859 – Charles Cagniard de la Tour, French physicist and engineer (b. 1777)
  • 1862 – Heinrich Georg Bronn, German geologist and paleontologist (b. 1800)
  • 1863 – Lewis Armistead, American general (b. 1817)
  • 1884 – Victor Massé, French composer (b. 1822)
  • 1908 – Jonas Lie, Norwegian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1833)
  • 1920 – Max Klinger, German painter and sculptor (b. 1857)
  • 1927 – Albrecht Kossel, German physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1853)
  • 1929 – Henry Johnson, American sergeant (b. 1897)
  • 1932 – Sasha Chorny, Russian poet and author (b. 1880)
  • 1935 – Bernard de Pourtalès, Swiss captain and sailor (b. 1870)
  • 1937 – Daniel Sawyer, American golfer (b. 1884)
  • 1943 – Kazimierz Junosza-Stępowski, Polish actor (b. 1880)
  • 1943 – Karin Swanström, Swedish actress, director, and producer (b. 1873)
  • 1945 – John Curtin, Australian journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1885)
  • 1948 – Georges Bernanos, French soldier and author (b. 1888)
  • 1948 – Carole Landis, American actress (b. 1919)
  • 1948 – Piet Aalberse, Dutch politician (b. 1871)
  • 1957 – Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar (b. 1887)
  • 1965 – Porfirio Rubirosa, Dominican race car driver, polo player, and diplomat (b. 1909)
  • 1966 – George de Hevesy, Hungarian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885)
  • 1969 – Wilhelm Backhaus, German pianist and educator (b. 1884)
  • 1969 – Walter Gropius, German architect, designed the John F. Kennedy Federal Building and Werkbund Exhibition (b. 1883)
  • 1969 – Tom Mboya, Kenyan politician, 1st Kenyan Minister of Justice (b. 1930)
  • 1969 – Leo McCarey, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1898)
  • 1975 – Gilda dalla Rizza, Italian soprano and actress (b. 1892)
  • 1983 – Harry James, American trumpet player and actor (b. 1916)
  • 1984 – Chic Murray, Canadian politician, 2nd Mayor of Mississauga (b. 1914)
  • 1991 – Howard Nemerov, American poet and essayist (b. 1920)
  • 1995 – Jüri Järvet, Estonian actor and screenwriter (b. 1919)
  • 1997 – A. Thangathurai, Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (b. 1936)
  • 1998 – Sid Luckman, American football player (b. 1916)
  • 2002 – Katy Jurado, Mexican actress (b. 1924)
  • 2002 – Ted Williams, American baseball player and manager (b. 1918)
  • 2004 – Hugh Shearer, Jamaican journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1923)
  • 2004 – Rodger Ward, American race car driver and sportscaster (b. 1921)
  • 2005 – James Stockdale, American admiral (b. 1923)
  • 2006 – Gert Fredriksson, Swedish canoe racer (b. 1919)
  • 2006 – Thirunalloor Karunakaran, Indian poet and scholar (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Kenneth Lay, American businessman (b. 1942)
  • 2006 – Amzie Strickland, American actress (b. 1919)
  • 2007 – Régine Crespin, French soprano (b. 1927)
  • 2007 – George Melly, English singer-songwriter and critic (b. 1926)
  • 2008 – Hasan Doğan, Turkish businessman (b. 1956)
  • 2010 – Bob Probert, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host (b. 1965)
  • 2011 – Cy Twombly, American-Italian painter, sculptor, and photographer (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Rob Goris, Belgian cyclist (b. 1982)
  • 2012 – Gerrit Komrij, Dutch author, poet, and playwright (b. 1944)
  • 2012 – Colin Marshall, Baron Marshall of Knightsbridge, English businessman and politician (b. 1933)
  • 2012 – Ruud van Hemert, Dutch actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Bud Asher, American lawyer and politician (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – David Cargo, American politician, 22nd Governor of New Mexico (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Lambert Jackson Woodburne, South African admiral (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Rosemary Murphy, American actress (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Volodymyr Sabodan, Ukrainian metropolitan (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Hans-Ulrich Wehler, German historian and academic (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Brett Wiesner, American soccer player (b. 1983)
  • 2015 – Archduchess Dorothea of Austria (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Uffe Haagerup, Danish mathematician and academic (b. 1949)
  • 2015 – Yoichiro Nambu, Japanese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1921)

Holidays and observances on July 5

  • Bloody Thursday (International Longshore and Warehouse Union)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Anthony Maria Zaccaria, priest (d. 1539)
    • Cyril and Methodius (a public holiday in Czech Republic and Slovakia)
    • Zoe of Rome (Roman Catholic Church)
    • July 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Armenia)
  • Independence Day (Algeria), celebrating the independence of Algeria from France in 1962.
  • Independence Day (Cape Verde), celebrating the independence of Cape Verde from Portugal in 1975.
  • Independence Day (Venezuela), celebrating the independence of Venezuela from Spain in 1811; also National Armed Forces Day.
  • Tynwald Day, if July 5 is on a weekend, the holiday is the following Monday. (Isle of Man)

July 5- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

July 3 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

July 3 in History

  • 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
  • 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revolution in 1792.
  • 1035 – William the Conqueror becomes the Duke of Normandy, reigns until 1087.
  • 1608 – Québec City is founded by Samuel de Champlain.
  • 1754 – French and Indian War: George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French forces.
  • 1767 – Pitcairn Island is discovered by Midshipman Robert Pitcairn on an expeditionary voyage commanded by Philip Carteret.
  • 1767 – Norway’s oldest newspaper still in print, Adresseavisen, is founded and the first edition is published.
  • 1775 – American Revolutionary War: George Washington takes command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: Iroquois allied to Britain kill 360 people in the Wyoming Valley massacre.
  • 1819 – The Bank for Savings in the City of New-York, the first savings bank in the United States, opens.
  • 1839 – The first state normal school in the United States, the forerunner to today’s Framingham State University, opens in Lexington, Massachusetts with three students.
  • 1844 – The last pair of great auks is killed.
  • 1848 – Governor-General Peter von Scholten emancipates all remaining slaves in the Danish West Indies.
  • 1849 – France invades the Roman Republic and restores the Papal States.
  • 1852 – Congress establishes the United States’ 2nd mint in San Francisco.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: The final day of the Battle of Gettysburg culminates with Pickett’s Charge.
  • 1866 – Austro-Prussian War is decided at the Battle of Königgrätz, resulting in Prussia taking over as the prominent German nation from Austria.
  • 1884 – Dow Jones & Company publishes its first stock average.
  • 1886 – Karl Benz officially unveils the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first purpose-built automobile.
  • 1886 – The New-York Tribune becomes the first newspaper to use a linotype machine, eliminating typesetting by hand.
  • 1890 – Idaho is admitted as the 43rd U.S. state.
  • 1898 – A Spanish squadron, led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, is defeated by an American squadron under William T. Sampson in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.
  • 1913 – Confederate veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913 reenact Pickett’s Charge; upon reaching the high-water mark of the Confederacy they are met by the outstretched hands of friendship from Union survivors.
  • 1938 – World speed record for a steam locomotive is set in England, by the Mallard, which reaches a speed of 125.88 miles per hour (202.58 km/h).
  • 1938 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates the Eternal Light Peace Memorial and lights the eternal flame at Gettysburg Battlefield.
  • 1940 – World War II: The Royal Navy attacks the French naval squadron in Algeria, to ensure that it will not fall under German control. Of the four French battleships present, one is sunk, two are damaged, and one escapes back to France.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Minsk Offensive clears German troops from the city.
  • 1952 – The Constitution of Puerto Rico is approved by the United States Congress.
  • 1952 – The SS United States sets sail on her maiden voyage to Southampton. During the voyage, the ship takes the Blue Riband away from the RMS Queen Mary.
  • 1967 – The Aden Emergency: The Battle of the Crater in which the British Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders retake the Crater district following the Arab Police mutiny.
  • 1969 – Space Race: The biggest explosion in the history of rocketry occurs when the Soviet N-1 rocket explodes and subsequently destroys its launchpad.
  • 1970 – The Troubles: The “Falls Curfew” begins in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
  • 1970 – Dan-Air Flight 1903 crashes into the Les Agudes mountain in the Montseny Massif near the village of Arbúcies in Catalonia, Spain, killing all 112 people aboard.
  • 1979 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul.
  • 1988 – United States Navy warship USS Vincennes shoots down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.
  • 1988 – The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, providing the second connection between the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosphorus.
  • 1996 – British Prime Minister John Major announced the Stone of Scone would be returned to Scotland.
  • 2013 – Egyptian coup d’état: President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi is overthrown by the military after four days of protests all over the country calling for Morsi’s resignation, to which he did not respond. President of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt Adly Mansour is declared acting president.

Births on July 3

  • 321 – Valentinian I, Roman emperor (d. 375)
  • 1423 – Louis XI of France (d. 1483)
  • 1442 – Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1500)
  • 1518 – Li Shizhen, Chinese physician and mineralogist (d. 1593)
  • 1530 – Claude Fauchet, French historian and author (d. 1601)
  • 1534 – Myeongjong of Joseon, Ruler of Korea (d. 1567)
  • 1550 – Jacobus Gallus, Slovenian composer (d. 1591)
  • 1569 – Thomas Richardson, English politician and judge (d. 1635)
  • 1683 – Edward Young, English poet, dramatist and literary critic (Night-Thoughts) (d. 1765)
  • 1685 – Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet, English field marshal and politician (d. 1768)
  • 1728 – Robert Adam, Scottish-English architect, designed Culzean Castle (d. 1792)
  • 1738 – John Singleton Copley, American painter (d. 1815)
  • 1778 – Carl Ludvig Engel, German architect (d. 1840)
  • 1789 – Johann Friedrich Overbeck, German-Italian painter and engraver (d. 1869)
  • 1814 – Ferdinand Didrichsen, Danish botanist and physicist (d. 1887)
  • 1823 – Ahmed Vefik Pasha, Greek-Ottoman statesman, diplomat, playwright, and translator (d. 1891)
  • 1844 – Dankmar Adler, German-born American architect and engineer (d. 1900)
  • 1846 – Achilles Alferaki, Russian composer and politician, Governor of Taganrog (d. 1919)
  • 1851 – Charles Bannerman, English-Australian cricketer and umpire (d. 1930)
  • 1854 – Leoš Janáček, Czech composer and theorist (d. 1928)
  • 1860 – Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American sociologist and author (d. 1935)
  • 1866 – Albert Gottschalk, Danish painter (d. 1906)
  • 1869 – Svend Kornbeck, Danish actor (d. 1933)
  • 1870 – R. B. Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1947)
  • 1871 – William Henry Davies, Welsh poet and writer (d.1940)
  • 1874 – Jean Collas, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (d. 1928)
  • 1875 – Ferdinand Sauerbruch, German surgeon and academic (d. 1951)
  • 1876 – Ralph Barton Perry, American philosopher and academic (d. 1957)
  • 1878 – George M. Cohan, American songwriter, actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1942)
  • 1879 – Alfred Korzybski, Polish-American mathematician, linguist, and philosopher (d. 1950)
  • 1880 – Carl Schuricht, Polish-German conductor (d. 1967)
  • 1883 – Franz Kafka, Czech-Austrian author (d. 1924)
  • 1886 – Raymond A. Spruance, American admiral and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Philippines (d. 1969)
  • 1888 – Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Spanish author and playwright (d. 1963)
  • 1889 – Richard Cramer, American actor (d. 1960)
  • 1893 – Sándor Bortnyik, Hungarian painter and graphic designer (d. 1976)
  • 1896 – Doris Lloyd, English actress (d. 1968)
  • 1897 – Jesse Douglas, American mathematician and academic (d. 1965)
  • 1898 – Stefanos Stefanopoulos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1982)
  • 1900 – Alessandro Blasetti, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
  • 1901 – Ruth Crawford Seeger, American composer (d. 1953)
  • 1903 – Ace Bailey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1992)
  • 1905 – Johnny Gibson, American hurdler and coach (d. 2006)
  • 1906 – George Sanders, Russian-born British actor (d. 1972)
  • 1908 – M. F. K. Fisher, American author (d. 1992)
  • 1908 – Robert B. Meyner, American lawyer and politician, 44th Governor of New Jersey (d. 1990)
  • 1909 – Stavros Niarchos, Greek shipping magnate (d.1996)
  • 1910 – Fritz Kasparek, Austrian mountaineer (d. 1954)
  • 1911 – Joe Hardstaff Jr., English cricketer (d. 1990)
  • 1913 – Dorothy Kilgallen, American journalist, actress, and author (d. 1965)
  • 1916 – John Kundla, American basketball player and coach (d. 2017)
  • 1917 – João Saldanha, Brazilian footballer, manager, and journalist (d. 1990)
  • 1918 – S. V. Ranga Rao, Indian actor, director, and producer (d. 1974)
  • 1918 – Johnny Palmer, American golfer (d. 2006)
  • 1919 – Cecil FitzMaurice, 8th Earl of Orkney (d. 1998)
  • 1919 – Gerald W. Thomas, American soldier and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Eddy Paape, Belgian illustrator (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Paul O’Dea, American baseball player and manager (d. 1978)
  • 1921 – Susan Peters, American actress (d. 1952)
  • 1921 – François Reichenbach, French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1922 – Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo, Belgian painter and sculptor (d. 2010)
  • 1922 – Theo Brokmann Jr., Dutch football player (d. 2003)
  • 1924 – Amalia Aguilar, Cuban-Mexican film actress and dancer
  • 1924 – S. R. Nathan, 6th President of Singapore (d. 2016)
  • 1925 – Terry Moriarty, Australian rules footballer (d. 2011)
  • 1925 – Danny Nardico, American professional boxer (d. 2010)
  • 1925 – Philip Jamison, American artist
  • 1926 – Johnny Coles, American trumpet player (d. 1997)
  • 1926 – Rae Allen, American actress, singer, and director
  • 1926 – Laurence Street, Australian jurist and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales (d. 2018)
  • 1927 – Ken Russell, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1927 – Tim O’Connor, American actor (d. 2018)
  • 1928 – Evelyn Anthony, English author (d. 2018)
  • 1929 – Clément Perron, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1929 – Joanne Herring, American socialite, businesswoman, political activist, philanthropist, diplomat, and television talk show host
  • 1930 – Pete Fountain, American clarinet player (d. 2016)
  • 1930 – Carlos Kleiber, German-Austrian conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1930 – Tommy Tedesco, American guitarist (d. 1997)
  • 1932 – Richard Mellon Scaife, American businessman (d. 2014)
  • 1933 – Edward Brandt, Jr., American physician and mathematician (d. 2007)
  • 1935 – Cheo Feliciano, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1935 – Harrison Schmitt, American geologist, astronaut, and politician
  • 1936 – Anthony Lester, Baron Lester of Herne Hill, English lawyer and politician
  • 1936 – Baard Owe, Norwegian-Danish actor
  • 1937 – Nicholas Maxwell, English philosopher and academic
  • 1937 – Tom Stoppard, Czech-English playwright and screenwriter
  • 1938 – Jean Aitchison, English linguist and academic
  • 1939 – Brigitte Fassbaender, German soprano and director
  • 1939 – László Kovács, Hungarian politician and diplomat, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1939 – Coco Laboy, Puerto Rican baseball player
  • 1940 – Lamar Alexander, American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Education
  • 1940 – Jerzy Buzek, Polish engineer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Poland
  • 1940 – Lance Larson, American swimmer
  • 1940 – César Tovar, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 1994)
  • 1941 – Gloria Allred, American lawyer and activist
  • 1941 – Liamine Zéroual, Algerian politician, 4th President of Algeria
  • 1942 – Eddy Mitchell, French singer-songwriter
  • 1943 – Gary Waldhorn, British actor
  • 1943 – Judith Durham, Australian folk-pop singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1943 – Kurtwood Smith, American actor
  • 1943 – Norman E. Thagard, American astronaut
  • 1945 – Michael Cole, American actor
  • 1945 – Michael Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn, Scottish politician, Speaker of the House of Commons (d. 2018)
  • 1946 – Johnny Lee, American singer and guitarist
  • 1946 – Leszek Miller, Polish political scientist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Poland
  • 1946 – Michael Shea, American author (d. 2014)
  • 1947 – Dave Barry, American journalist and author
  • 1947 – Betty Buckley, American actress and singer
  • 1947 – Mike Burton, American swimmer
  • 1948 – Paul Barrere, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1948 – Tarmo Koivisto, Finnish author and illustrator
  • 1949 – Susan Penhaligon, English actress
  • 1949 – John Verity, English guitarist
  • 1949 – Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American singer (d. 2006)
  • 1949 – Bo Xilai, Chinese politician, Chinese Minister of Commerce
  • 1950 – Ewen Chatfield, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1950 – James Hahn, American judge and politician, 40th Mayor of Los Angeles
  • 1951 – Jean-Claude Duvalier, Haitian politician, 41st President of Haiti (d. 2014)
  • 1951 – Richard Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer and footballer
  • 1952 – Laura Branigan, American singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1952 – Lu Colombo, Italian singer
  • 1952 – Andy Fraser, English singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2015)
  • 1952 – Carla Olson, American singer-songwriter and music producer
  • 1952 – Wasim Raja, Pakistani cricketer (d. 2006)
  • 1952 – Amit Kumar, Indian film playback singer, actor, director, music director and musician
  • 1953 – Lotta Sollander, Swedish alpine skier
  • 1954 – Les Cusworth, English rugby player
  • 1955 – Claude Rajotte, Canadian radio and television host
  • 1956 – Montel Williams, American talk show host and television personality
  • 1957 – Poly Styrene, British musician (d. 2011)
  • 1958 – Matthew Fraser, Canadian-English journalist and academic
  • 1958 – Charlie Higson, English actor, singer, and author
  • 1958 – Siân Lloyd, Welsh meteorologist and journalist
  • 1958 – Didier Mouron, Swiss-Canadian painter
  • 1958 – Aaron Tippin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1959 – Julie Burchill, English journalist and author
  • 1959 – Ian Maxtone-Graham, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1959 – Stephen Pearcy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1959 – David Shore, Canadian screenwriter and producer
  • 1960 – Vince Clarke, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1962 – Scott Borchetta, American record executive and entrepreneur
  • 1962 – Tom Cruise, American actor and producer
  • 1964 – Yeardley Smith, American actress, voice actress, comedian and writer
  • 1965 – Shinya Hashimoto, Japanese wrestler (d. 2005)
  • 1965 – Connie Nielsen, Danish-American actress
  • 1965 – Komsan Pohkong, Thai lawyer and academic
  • 1965 – Christophe Ruer, French pentathlete (d. 2007)
  • 1966 – Moisés Alou, American baseball player
  • 1967 – Katy Clark, Scottish lawyer and politician
  • 1968 – Ramush Haradinaj, Kosovo-Albanian soldier and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Kosovo
  • 1970 – Serhiy Honchar, Ukrainian cyclist
  • 1970 – Audra McDonald, American actress and singer
  • 1970 – Teemu Selänne, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1971 – Julian Assange, Australian journalist, publisher, and activist, founded WikiLeaks
  • 1973 – Paul Rauhihi, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1973 – Ólafur Stefánsson, Icelandic handball player
  • 1973 – Fyodor Tuvin, Russian footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1976 – Wade Belak, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2011)
  • 1976 – Henry Olonga, Zimbabwean cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1976 – Wanderlei Silva, Brazilian-American mixed martial artist
  • 1976 – Bobby Skinstad, Zimbabwean-South African rugby union player
  • 1977 – David Bowens, American football player
  • 1978 – Mizuki Noguchi, Japanese runner
  • 1979 – Jamie Grove, English cricketer
  • 1980 – Mazharul Haque, Bangladeshi cricketer (d. 2013)
  • 1980 – Roland Schoeman, South African swimmer
  • 1980 – Harbhajan Singh, Indian cricketer
  • 1983 – Edinson Vólquez, Dominican baseball player
  • 1984 – Manny Lawson, American football player
  • 1984 – Churandy Martina, Dutch sprinter
  • 1984 – Corey Sevier, Canadian actor and producer
  • 1986 – Marco Antônio de Mattos Filho, Brazilian footballer
  • 1986 – Kisenosato Yutaka, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1987 – Sebastian Vettel, German race car driver
  • 1988 – Winston Reid, New Zealand-Danish footballer
  • 1988 – Vladislav Sesganov, Russian figure skater
  • 1988 – James Troisi, Australian footballer
  • 1989 – Mitchell Dodds, Australian rugby league player
  • 1989 – Elle King, American singer, songwriter, and actress
  • 1990 – Nathan Gardner, Australian rugby league player
  • 1990 – Bobby Hopkinson, English footballer
  • 1990 – Lucas Mendes, Brazilian footballer
  • 1991 – Alison Howie, Scottish field hockey player
  • 1991 – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russian tennis player
  • 1992 – Will Smith, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Ben Winchell, American actor

Deaths on July 3

  • 458 – Anatolius of Constantinople, Byzantine patriarch and saint (b. 449)
  • 710 – Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (b. 656)
  • 896 – Dong Chang, Chinese warlord
  • 964 – Henry I, Frankish nobleman and archbishop
  • 1090 – Egbert II, Margrave of Meissen (b. c. 1060)
  • 1288 – Stephen de Fulbourn, English-born Irish cleric and politician
  • 1503 – Pierre d’Aubusson, Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes (b. 1423)
  • 1570 – Aonio Paleario, Italian academic and reformer (b. 1500)
  • 1642 – Marie de’ Medici, French queen consort and regent (b. 1573)
  • 1672 – Francis Willughby, English ornithologist and ichthyologist (b. 1635)
  • 1749 – William Jones, Welsh-English mathematician and academic (b. 1675)
  • 1790 – Jean-Baptiste L. Romé de l’Isle, French geologist and mineralogist (b. 1736)
  • 1795 – Louis-Georges de Bréquigny, French scholar and author (b. 1714)
  • 1795 – Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general, astronomer, and politician, 1st Colonial Governor of Louisiana (b. 1716)
  • 1809 – Joseph Quesnel, French-Canadian composer and playwright (b. 1746)
  • 1863 – George Hull Ward, American general (b. 1826)
  • 1863 – Little Crow, American tribal leader (b. 1810)
  • 1881 – Hasan Tahsini, Albanian astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (b. 1811)
  • 1887 – Clay Allison, American rancher (b. 1841)
  • 1888 – Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Vietnamese poet and author (b. 1822)
  • 1904 – Édouard Beaupré, Canadian giant and strongman (b. 1881)
  • 1904 – Theodor Herzl, Austrian journalist and playwright (b. 1860)
  • 1908 – Joel Chandler Harris, American journalist and author (b. 1845)
  • 1916 – Hetty Green, American businesswoman and financier (b. 1834)
  • 1918 – Mehmed V, Ottoman sultan (b. 1844)
  • 1921 – James Mitchel, Irish-American weight thrower (b. 1864)
  • 1927 – Gérard de Courcelles, French race car driver
  • 1933 – Hipólito Yrigoyen, Argentinian educator and politician, 19th President of Argentina (b. 1852)
  • 1935 – André Citroën, French engineer and businessman, founded the Citroën Company (b. 1878)
  • 1937 – Jacob Schick, American-Canadian captain and businessman, invented the electric razor (b. 1877)
  • 1940 – Nicolae Bivol, Moldovan businessman and politician, Mayor of Chișinău (b. 1882)
  • 1941 – Friedrich Akel, Estonian physician and politician, Head of State of Estonia (b. 1871)
  • 1954 – Siegfried Handloser, German physician and general (b. 1895)
  • 1954 – Reginald Marsh, French-American painter, illustrator, and academic (b. 1898)
  • 1957 – Dolf Luque, Cuban baseball player and manager (b. 1890)
  • 1957 – Richard Mohaupt, German composer and Kapellmeister (b. 1904)
  • 1958 – Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe, English politician, 4th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1867)
  • 1969 – Brian Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1942)
  • 1971 – Jim Morrison, American singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
  • 1974 – John Crowe Ransom, American poet and critic (b. 1888)
  • 1977 – Alexander Volkov, Russian mathematician and author (b. 1891)
  • 1978 – James Daly, American actor (b. 1918)
  • 1979 – Louis Durey, French pianist and composer (b. 1888)
  • 1981 – Ross Martin, American actor and director (b. 1920)
  • 1985 – Frank J. Selke, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1893)
  • 1986 – Rudy Vallée, American singer, saxophonist, and actor (b. 1901)
  • 1989 – Jim Backus, American actor and voice artist (b. 1913)
  • 1993 – Don Drysdale, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1936)
  • 1994 – Lew Hoad, Australian tennis player and coach (b. 1934)
  • 1995 – Pancho Gonzales, American tennis player (b. 1928)
  • 1995 – Eddie Mazur, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
  • 1998 – Danielle Bunten Berry, American game designer and programmer (b. 1949)
  • 1999 – Mark Sandman, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1952)
  • 1999 – Pelageya Polubarinova-Kochina, Russian mathematician (b. 1899)
  • 1999 – Manoj Kumar Pandey,Param Vir ChakraIndian army personnel
  • 2001 – Mordecai Richler, Canadian author and screenwriter (b. 1931)
  • 2001 – Johnny Russell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
  • 2004 – Andriyan Nikolayev, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1929)
  • 2005 – Alberto Lattuada, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – Gaylord Nelson, American lawyer and politician, 35th Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1916)
  • 2006 – Joseph Goguen, American computer scientist, developed the OBJ programming language (b. 1941)
  • 2007 – Boots Randolph, American saxophonist (b. 1927)
  • 2008 – Clive Hornby, English actor and drummer (b. 1944)
  • 2008 – Oliver Schroer, Canadian fiddler, composer, and producer (b. 1956)
  • 2009 – Alauddin Al-Azad, Bangladeshi author and poet (b.1932)
  • 2009 – John Keel, American journalist and author (b. 1930)
  • 2010 – Abu Daoud, Palestinian terrorist, planned the Munich massacre (b. 1937)
  • 2011 – Ali Bahar, Bahraini singer and guitarist (b. 1960)
  • 2012 – Nguyễn Hữu Có, Vietnamese general and politician (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Andy Griffith, American actor, singer, and producer (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Yvonne B. Miller, American educator and politician (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Sergio Pininfarina, Italian engineer and politician (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Richard Alvin Tonry, American lawyer and politician (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Roman Bengez, Slovenian footballer and manager (b. 1964)
  • 2013 – Francis Ray, American author (b. 1944)
  • 2013 – PJ Torokvei, Canadian actress and screenwriter (b. 1951)
  • 2013 – Radu Vasile, Romanian historian and politician, 57th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Bernard Vitet, French trumpet player and composer (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Snoo Wilson, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Jini Dellaccio, American photographer (b. 1917)
  • 2014 – Tim Flood, Irish hurler and coach (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Volkmar Groß, German footballer (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Ira Ruskin, American politician (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Ukrainian-American rabbi and author (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Diana Douglas, British-American actress (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Boyd K. Packer, American religious leader and educator (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Wayne Townsend, American farmer and politician (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Phil Walsh, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1960)
  • 2020 – Saroj Khan, Indian dance choreographer, known as “The Mother of Dance/Choreography in India”.(b. 1948)

Holidays and observances on July 3

  • Christian feast day:
    • Anatolius of Constantinople
    • Anatolius of Laodicea
    • Dathus
    • Germanus of Man
    • Gurthiern
    • Heliodorus of Altino
    • Mucian
    • Peregrina Mogas Fontcuberta
    • Pope Leo II
    • Thomas the Apostle
    • July 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Emancipation Day (United States Virgin Islands)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the liberation of Minsk from Nazi occupation by Soviet troops in 1944 (Belarus)
  • The start of the Dog Days according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac but not according to established meaning in most European cultures
  • Women’s Day (Myanmar)

July 3 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /

It is the last day of the first half of the year. The end of this day marks the halfway point of a leap year. It also falls on the same day of the week as New Year’s Day in a leap year. The midpoint of the year for southern hemisphere DST countries occurs at 11:00 p.m.

  • AD 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor.
  • 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the Ostrogoth king, Totila, is mortally wounded.
  • 1097 – Battle of Dorylaeum: Crusaders led by prince Bohemond of Taranto defeat a Seljuk army led by sultan Kilij Arslan I.
  • 1431 – The Battle of La Higueruela takes place in Granada, leading to a modest advance of the Kingdom of Castile during the Reconquista.
  • 1520 – Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés fight their way out of Tenochtitlan after nightfall.
  • 1523 – Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos become the first Lutheran martyrs, burned at the stake by Roman Catholic authorities in Brussels.
  • 1569 – Union of Lublin: The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania confirm a real union; the united country is called the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth or the Republic of Both Nations.
  • 1643 – First meeting of the Westminster Assembly, a council of theologians (“divines”) and members of the Parliament of England appointed to restructure the Church of England, at Westminster Abbey in London.
  • 1690 – Glorious Revolution: Battle of the Boyne in Ireland (as reckoned under the Julian calendar).
  • 1766 – François-Jean de la Barre, a young French nobleman, is tortured and beheaded before his body is burnt on a pyre along with a copy of Voltaire’s Dictionnaire philosophique nailed to his torso for the crime of not saluting a Roman Catholic religious procession in Abbeville, France.
  • 1770 – Lexell’s Comet is seen closer to the Earth than any other comet in recorded history, approaching to a distance of 0.0146 astronomical units (2,180,000 km; 1,360,000 mi).
  • 1782 – Raid on Lunenburg: American privateers attack the British settlement of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
  • 1819 – Johann Georg Tralles discovers the Great Comet of 1819, (C/1819 N1). It was the first comet analyzed using polarimetry, by François Arago.
  • 1837 – A system of civil registration of births, marriages and deaths is established in England and Wales.
  • 1855 – Signing of the Quinault Treaty: The Quinault and the Quileute cede their land to the United States.
  • 1858 – Joint reading of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace’s papers on evolution to the Linnean Society of London.
  • 1862 – The Russian State Library is founded as the Library of the Moscow Public Museum.
  • 1862 – Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, second daughter of Queen Victoria, marries Prince Louis of Hesse, the future Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Malvern Hill takes place. It is the last of the Seven Days Battles, part of George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign.
  • 1863 – Keti Koti (Emancipation Day) in Suriname, marking the abolition of slavery by the Netherlands.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Gettysburg begins.
  • 1867 – The British North America Act takes effect as the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia join into confederation to create the modern nation of Canada. Sir John A. Macdonald is sworn in as the first Prime Minister of Canada. This date is commemorated annually in Canada as Canada Day, a national holiday.
  • 1870 – The United States Department of Justice formally comes into existence.
  • 1873 – Prince Edward Island joins into Canadian Confederation.
  • 1874 – The Sholes and Glidden typewriter, the first commercially successful typewriter, goes on sale.
  • 1878 – Canada joins the Universal Postal Union.
  • 1879 – Charles Taze Russell publishes the first edition of the religious magazine The Watchtower.
  • 1881 – The world’s first international telephone call is made between St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, and Calais, Maine, United States.
  • 1881 – General Order 70, the culmination of the Cardwell and Childers reforms of the British Army, comes into effect.
  • 1885 – The United States terminates reciprocity and fishery agreement with Canada.
  • 1885 – The Congo Free State is established by King Leopold II of Belgium.
  • 1890 – Canada and Bermuda are linked by telegraph cable.
  • 1898 – Spanish–American War: The Battle of San Juan Hill is fought in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
  • 1903 – Start of first Tour de France bicycle race.
  • 1908 – SOS is adopted as the international distress signal.
  • 1911 – Germany despatches the gunship SMS Panther to Morocco, sparking the Agadir Crisis.
  • 1915 – Leutnant Kurt Wintgens of the then-named German Deutsches Heer’s Fliegertruppe army air service achieves the first known aerial victory with a synchronized machine-gun armed fighter plane, the Fokker M.5K/MG Eindecker.
  • 1916 – World War I: First day on the Somme: On the first day of the Battle of the Somme 19,000 soldiers of the British Army are killed and 40,000 wounded.
  • 1922 – The Great Railroad Strike of 1922 begins in the United States.
  • 1923 – The Parliament of Canada suspends all Chinese immigration.
  • 1931 – United Airlines begins service (as Boeing Air Transport).
  • 1931 – Wiley Post and Harold Gatty become the first people to circumnavigate the globe in a single-engined monoplane aircraft.
  • 1932 – Australia’s national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, was formed.
  • 1935 – Regina, Saskatchewan police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police ambush strikers participating in the On-to-Ottawa Trek.
  • 1942 – World War II: First Battle of El Alamein.
  • 1942 – The Australian Federal Government becomes the sole collector of income tax in Australia as State Income Tax is abolished.
  • 1943 – The City of Tokyo and the Prefecture of Tokyo are both replaced by the Tokyo Metropolis.
  • 1947 – The Philippine Air Force is established.
  • 1948 – Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Quaid-i-Azam) inaugurates Pakistan’s central bank, the State Bank of Pakistan.
  • 1949 – The merger of two princely states of India, Cochin and Travancore, into the state of Thiru-Kochi (later re-organized as Kerala) in the Indian Union ends more than 1,000 years of princely rule by the Cochin royal family.
  • 1957 – The International Geophysical Year begins.
  • 1958 – The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation links television broadcasting across Canada via microwave.
  • 1958 – Flooding of Canada’s Saint Lawrence Seaway begins.
  • 1959 – Specific values for the international yard, avoirdupois pound and derived units (e.g. inch, mile and ounce) are adopted after agreement between the US, the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries.
  • 1960 – Independence of Somalia.
  • 1960 – Ghana becomes a republic and Kwame Nkrumah becomes its first President as Queen Elizabeth II ceases to be its head of state.
  • 1962 – Independence of Rwanda and Burundi.
  • 1963 – ZIP codes are introduced for United States mail.
  • 1963 – The British Government admits that former diplomat Kim Philby had worked as a Soviet agent.
  • 1966 – The first color television transmission in Canada takes place from Toronto.
  • 1967 – Merger Treaty: The European Community is formally created out of a merger with the Common Market, the European Coal and Steel Community, and the European Atomic Energy Commission.
  • 1968 – The United States Central Intelligence Agency’s Phoenix Program is officially established.
  • 1968 – The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is signed in Washington, D.C., London and Moscow by sixty-two countries.
  • 1968 – Formal separation of the United Auto Workers from the AFL–CIO in the United States.
  • 1972 – The first Gay pride march in England takes place.
  • 1976 – Portugal grants autonomy to Madeira.
  • 1978 – The Northern Territory in Australia is granted self-government.
  • 1979 – Sony introduces the Walkman.
  • 1980 – “O Canada” officially becomes the national anthem of Canada.
  • 1983 – A North Korean Ilyushin Il-62M jet en route to Conakry Airport in Guinea crashes into the Fouta Djallon mountains in Guinea-Bissau, killing all 23 people on board.
  • 1984 – The PG-13 rating is introduced by the MPAA.
  • 1987 – The American radio station WFAN in New York City is launched as the world’s first all-sports radio station.
  • 1990 – German reunification: East Germany accepts the Deutsche Mark as its currency, thus uniting the economies of East and West Germany.
  • 1991 – Cold War: The Warsaw Pact is officially dissolved at a meeting in Prague.
  • 1997 – China resumes sovereignty over the city-state of Hong Kong, ending 156 years of British colonial rule. The handover ceremony is attended by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Charles, Prince of Wales, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
  • 1999 – The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Elizabeth II on the day that legislative powers are officially transferred from the old Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh. In Wales, the powers of the Welsh Secretary are transferred to the National Assembly.
  • 2002 – The International Criminal Court is established to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
  • 2002 – Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937, a Tupolev Tu-154, and DHL Flight 611, a Boeing 757, collide in mid-air over Überlingen, southern Germany, killing all 71 on board both planes.
  • 2003 – Over 500,000 people protest against efforts to pass anti-sedition legislation in Hong Kong.
  • 2004 – Saturn orbit insertion of Cassini–Huygens begins at 01:12 UTC and ends at 02:48 UTC.
  • 2006 – The first operation of Qinghai–Tibet Railway is conducted in China.
  • 2007 – Smoking in England is banned in all public indoor spaces.
  • 2008 – Riots erupt in Mongolia in response to allegations of fraud surrounding the 2008 legislative elections.
  • 2013 – Croatia becomes the 28th member of the European Union.

Births on July 1

  • 1311 – Liu Bowen, Chinese military strategist, statesman and poet (d. 1375)
  • 1464 – Clara Gonzaga, Italian noble (d. 1503)
  • 1481 – Christian II of Denmark (d. 1559)
  • 1506 – Louis II of Hungary (d. 1526)
  • 1534 – Frederick II of Denmark (d. 1588)
  • 1553 – Peter Street, English carpenter and builder (d. 1609)
  • 1574 – Joseph Hall, English bishop and mystic (d. 1656)
  • 1586 – Claudio Saracini, Italian lute player and composer (d. 1630)
  • 1633 – Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Swiss theologian and author (d. 1698)
  • 1646 – Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, German mathematician and philosopher (d. 1716)
  • 1663 – Franz Xaver Murschhauser, German composer and theorist (d. 1738)
  • 1725 – Rhoda Delaval, English painter and aristrocrat (d. 1757)
  • 1725 – Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, French general (d. 1807)
  • 1731 – Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan, Scottish-English admiral (d. 1804)
  • 1742 – Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, German physicist and academic (d. 1799)
  • 1771 – Ferdinando Paer, Italian composer and conductor (d. 1839)
  • 1788 – Jean-Victor Poncelet, French mathematician and engineer (d. 1867)
  • 1804 – Charles Gordon Greene, American journalist and politician (d. 1886)
  • 1804 – George Sand, French author and playwright (d. 1876)
  • 1807 – Thomas Green Clemson, American politician and educator, founded Clemson University (d. 1888)
  • 1808 – Ygnacio del Valle, Mexican-American landowner (d. 1880)
  • 1814 – Robert Torrens, Irish-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of South Australia (d. 1884)
  • 1818 – Ignaz Semmelweis, Hungarian-Austrian physician and obstetrician (d. 1865)
  • 1818 – Karl von Vierordt, German physician, psychologist and academic (d. 1884)
  • 1822 – Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Vietnamese poet and activist (d. 1888)
  • 1834 – Jadwiga Łuszczewska, Polish poet and author (d. 1908)
  • 1850 – Florence Earle Coates, American poet (d. 1927)
  • 1858 – Willard Metcalf, American painter (d. 1925)
  • 1858 – Velma Caldwell Melville, American editor and writer of prose and poetry (d. 1924)
  • 1863 – William Grant Stairs, Canadian-English captain and explorer (d. 1892)
  • 1869 – William Strunk Jr., American author and educator (d. 1946)
  • 1872 – Louis Blériot, French pilot and engineer (d. 1936)
  • 1872 – William Duddell, English physicist and engineer (d. 1917)
  • 1873 – Alice Guy-Blaché, French-American film director, producer and screenwriter (d. 1968)
  • 1873 – Andrass Samuelsen, Faroese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 1954)
  • 1875 – Joseph Weil, American con man (d. 1976)
  • 1876 – T.J. Ryan, Australian politician, 19th Premier of Queensland (d. 1921)
  • 1878 – Jacques Rosenbaum, Estonian-German architect (d. 1944)
  • 1879 – Léon Jouhaux, French union leader, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1954)
  • 1881 – Edward Battersby Bailey, English geologist (d. 1965)
  • 1882 – Bidhan Chandra Roy, Indian physician and politician, 2nd Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 1962)
  • 1883 – Arthur Borton, English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1933)
  • 1885 – Dorothea Mackellar, Australian author and poet (d. 1968)
  • 1887 – Amber Reeves, New Zealand-English author and scholar (d. 1981)
  • 1892 – James M. Cain, American author and journalist (d. 1977)
  • 1892 – László Lajtha, Hungarian composer and conductor (d. 1963)
  • 1899 – Thomas A. Dorsey, American pianist and composer (d. 1993)
  • 1899 – Charles Laughton, English-American actor and director (d. 1962)
  • 1899 – Konstantinos Tsatsos, Greek scholar and politician, President of Greece (d. 1987)
  • 1901 – Irna Phillips, American screenwriter (d. 1973)
  • 1902 – William Wyler, French-American film director, producer and screenwriter (d. 1981)
  • 1903 – Amy Johnson, English pilot (d. 1941)
  • 1903 – Beatrix Lehmann, English actress (d. 1979)
  • 1906 – Jean Dieudonné, French mathematician and academic (d. 1992)
  • 1906 – Estée Lauder, American businesswoman, co-founded the Estée Lauder Companies (d. 2004)
  • 1907 – Norman Pirie, Scottish-English biochemist and virologist (d. 1997)
  • 1909 – Emmett Toppino, American sprinter (d. 1971)
  • 1910 – Glenn Hardin, American hurdler (d. 1975)
  • 1911 – Arnold Alas, Estonian landscape architect and artist (d. 1990)
  • 1911 – Sergey Sokolov, Russian marshal and politician, Soviet Minister of Defence (d. 2012)
  • 1912 – David Brower, American environmentalist, founded Sierra Club Foundation (d. 2000)
  • 1912 – Sally Kirkland, American journalist (d. 1989)
  • 1913 – Frank Barrett, American baseball player (d. 1998)
  • 1913 – Lee Guttero, American basketball player (d. 2004)
  • 1913 – Vasantrao Naik, Indian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 1979)
  • 1914 – Thomas Pearson, British Army officer (d. 2019)
  • 1914 – Christl Cranz, German alpine skier (d. 2004)
  • 1914 – Bernard B. Wolfe, American politician (d. 2016)
  • 1915 – Boots Poffenberger, American baseball player (d. 1999)
  • 1915 – Willie Dixon, American singer-songwriter, bass player, guitarist and producer (d. 1992)
  • 1915 – Joseph Ransohoff, American soldier and neurosurgeon (d. 2001)
  • 1915 – Philip Lever, 3rd Viscount Leverhulme, British peer (d. 2000)
  • 1915 – Nguyễn Văn Linh, Vietnamese politician (d. 1998)
  • 1916 – Olivia de Havilland, British-American actress
  • 1916 – Iosif Shklovsky, Ukrainian astronomer and astrophysicist (d. 1985)
  • 1916 – George C. Stoney, American director and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1917 – Humphry Osmond, English-American lieutenant and psychiatrist (d. 2004)
  • 1917 – Álvaro Domecq y Díez, Spanish aristocrat (d. 2005)
  • 1918 – Ralph Young, American singer and actor (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Ahmed Deedat, South African writer and public speaker (d. 2005)
  • 1918 – Pedro Yap, Filipino lawyer (d. 2003)
  • 1919 – Arnold Meri, Estonian colonel (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Malik Dohan al-Hassan, Iraqi politician
  • 1919 – Gerald E. Miller, American vice admiral (d. 2014)
  • 1920 – Henri Amouroux, French historian and journalist (d. 2007)
  • 1920 – Harold Sakata, Japanese-American wrestler and actor (d. 1982)
  • 1920 – Joseph G. Williams, American musician
  • 1920 – George I. Fujimoto, American-Japanese chemist
  • 1921 – Seretse Khama, Batswana lawyer and politician, 1st President of Botswana (d. 1980)
  • 1921 – Michalina Wisłocka, Polish gynecologist and sexologist (d. 2005)
  • 1921 – Arthur Johnson, Canadian canoeist (d. 2003)
  • 1922 – Toshi Seeger, German-American activist, co-founded the Clearwater Festival (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Mordechai Bibi, Israeli politician
  • 1923 – Scotty Bowers, American Marine, author and pimp (d. 2019)
  • 1924 – Antoni Ramallets, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Florence Stanley, American actress (d. 2003)
  • 1924 – Georges Rivière, French actor
  • 1925 – Farley Granger, American actor (d. 2011)
  • 1925 – Art McNally, American football referee
  • 1926 – Robert Fogel, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Carl Hahn, German businessman
  • 1926 – Mohamed Abshir Muse, Somali general (d. 2017)
  • 1926 – Hans Werner Henze, German composer and educator (d. 2012)
  • 1927 – Alan J. Charig, English paleontologist and author (d. 1997)
  • 1927 – Joseph Martin Sartoris, American bishop
  • 1927 – Chandra Shekhar, 8th Prime Minister of India (d. 2007)[27]
  • 1929 – Gerald Edelman, American biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Moustapha Akkad, Syrian-American director and producer (d. 2005)
  • 1930 – Carol Chomsky, American linguist and academic (d. 2008)
  • 1931 – Leslie Caron, French actress and dancer
  • 1932 – Ze’ev Schiff, French-Israeli journalist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1933 – C. Scott Littleton, American anthropologist and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Claude Berri, French actor, director and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1934 – Jamie Farr, American actor
  • 1934 – Jean Marsh, English actress and screenwriter
  • 1934 – Sydney Pollack, American actor, director and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1935 – James Cotton, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (d. 2017)
  • 1935 – David Prowse, English actor
  • 1936 – Wally Amos, American entrepreneur and founder of Famous Amos
  • 1938 – Craig Anderson, American baseball player and coach
  • 1938 – Hariprasad Chaurasia, Indian flute player and composer
  • 1939 – Karen Black, American actress (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Delaney Bramlett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1940 – Craig Brown, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1940 – Ela Gandhi, South African activist and politician
  • 1940 – Cahit Zarifoğlu, Turkish poet and author (d. 1987)
  • 1941 – Rod Gilbert, Canadian-American ice hockey player
  • 1941 – Alfred G. Gilman, American pharmacologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
  • 1941 – Myron Scholes, Canadian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1941 – Twyla Tharp, American dancer and choreographer
  • 1942 – Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Iraqi field marshal and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1942 – Geneviève Bujold, Canadian actress
  • 1942 – Andraé Crouch, American singer-songwriter, producer and pastor (d. 2015)
  • 1942 – Julia Higgins, English chemist and academic
  • 1943 – Philip Brunelle, American conductor and organist
  • 1943 – Peeter Lepp, Estonian politician, 37th Mayor of Tallinn
  • 1943 – Jeff Wayne, American composer, musician and lyricist
  • 1945 – Mike Burstyn, American actor and singer
  • 1945 – Debbie Harry, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1946 – Mick Aston, English archaeologist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1946 – Erkki Tuomioja, Finnish sergeant and politician, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • 1947 – Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Japanese race car driver
  • 1947 – Malcolm Wicks, English academic and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1948 – John Ford, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1949 – Néjia Ben Mabrouk, Tunisian-Belgian director and screenwriter
  • 1949 – John Farnham, English-Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1949 – David Hogan, American composer and educator (d. 1996)
  • 1949 – Venkaiah Naidu, Indian lawyer and politician
  • 1950 – David Duke, American white supremacist, politician and former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard
  • 1951 – Trevor Eve, English actor and producer
  • 1951 – Anne Feeney, American singer-songwriter and activist
  • 1951 – Julia Goodfellow, English physicist and academic
  • 1951 – Klaus-Peter Justus, German runner
  • 1951 – Tom Kozelko, American basketball player
  • 1951 – Terrence Mann, American actor, singer and dancer
  • 1951 – Fred Schneider, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1951 – Victor Willis, American singer-songwriter, pianist and actor
  • 1952 – Dan Aykroyd, Canadian actor, producer and screenwriter
  • 1952 – David Arkenstone, American composer and performer
  • 1952 – David Lane, English oncologist and academic
  • 1952 – Steve Shutt, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1952 – Timothy J. Tobias, American pianist and composer (d. 2006)
  • 1953 – Lawrence Gonzi, Maltese lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Malta
  • 1953 – Jadranka Kosor, Croatian journalist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Croatia
  • 1954 – Keith Whitley, American singer and guitarist (d. 1989)
  • 1955 – Nikolai Demidenko, Russian pianist and educator
  • 1955 – Li Keqiang, Chinese economist and politician, 7th Premier of the People’s Republic of China
  • 1955 – Lisa Scottoline, American lawyer and author
  • 1957 – Lisa Blount, American actress and producer (d. 2010)
  • 1957 – Hannu Kamppuri, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1957 – Sean O’Driscoll, English footballer and manager
  • 1958 – Jack Dyer Crouch II, American diplomat, United States Deputy National Security Advisor
  • 1960 – Michael Beattie, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1960 – Lynn Jennings, American runner
  • 1960 – Evelyn “Champagne” King, American soul/disco singer
  • 1960 – Kevin Swords, American rugby player
  • 1961 – Malcolm Elliott, English cyclist
  • 1961 – Ivan Kaye, English actor
  • 1961 – Carl Lewis, American long jumper and runner
  • 1961 – Diana, Princess of Wales (d. 1997)
  • 1961 – Michelle Wright, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1962 – Andre Braugher, American actor and producer
  • 1962 – Mokhzani Mahathir, Malaysian businessman
  • 1963 – Roddy Bottum, American singer and keyboard player
  • 1963 – Nick Giannopoulos, Australian actor
  • 1963 – David Wood, American lawyer and environmentalist (d. 2006)
  • 1964 – Bernard Laporte, French rugby player and coach
  • 1965 – Carl Fogarty, English motorcycle racer
  • 1965 – Garry Schofield, English rugby player and coach
  • 1965 – Harald Zwart, Norwegian director and producer
  • 1966 – Enrico Annoni, Italian footballer and coach
  • 1966 – Shawn Burr, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2013)
  • 1967 – Pamela Anderson, Canadian-American model and actress
  • 1969 – Séamus Egan, American-Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1971 – Missy Elliott, American rapper, producer, dancer and actress
  • 1971 – Julianne Nicholson, American actress
  • 1974 – Jefferson Pérez, Ecuadorian race walker
  • 1975 – Sean Colson, American basketball player and coach
  • 1975 – Sufjan Stevens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1976 – Patrick Kluivert, Dutch footballer and coach
  • 1976 – Hannu Tihinen, Finnish footballer
  • 1976 – Albert Torrens, Australian rugby league player
  • 1976 – Ruud van Nistelrooy, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Szymon Ziółkowski, Polish hammer thrower
  • 1977 – Tom Frager, Senegalese-French singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1977 – Keigo Hayashi, Japanese musician
  • 1977 – Jarome Iginla, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Forrest Griffin, American mixed martial artist and actor
  • 1981 – Carlo Del Fava, South African-Italian rugby player
  • 1981 – Tadhg Kennelly, Irish-Australian footballer
  • 1982 – Justin Huber, Australian baseball player
  • 1982 – Joachim Johansson, Swedish tennis player
  • 1982 – Adrian Ward, American football player
  • 1982 – Hilarie Burton, American actress
  • 1984 – Donald Thomas, Bahamian high jumper
  • 1985 – Chris Perez, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Charlie Blackmon, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Andrew Lee, Australian footballer
  • 1986 – Julian Prochnow, German footballer
  • 1987 – Michael Schrader, German decathlete
  • 1988 – Dedé, Brazilian footballer
  • 1988 – Aleksander Lesun, Russian modern pentathlete
  • 1989 – Kent Bazemore, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Daniel Ricciardo, Australian race car driver
  • 1990 – Ben Coker, English footballer
  • 1991 – Michael Wacha, American baseball player
  • 1992 – Aaron Sanchez, American baseball player
  • 1995 – Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo, Belgian footballer
  • 1995 – Savvy Shields, Miss America 2017
  • 1996 – Adelina Sotnikova, Russian figure skater
  • 1998 – Aleksandra Golovkina, Lithuanian figure skater
  • 2000 – Lalu Muhammad Zohri, Indonesian sprinter
  • 2001 – Chosen Jacobs, American entertainer

Deaths on July 1

  • 552 – Totila, Ostrogoth king
  • 992 – Heonjeong, Korean queen (b. 966)
  • 1109 – Alfonso VI, king of León and Castile (b. 1040)
  • 1224 – Hōjō Yoshitoki, regent of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan (b. 1163)
  • 1242 – Chagatai Khan, Mongol ruler (b. 1183)
  • 1277 – Baibars, Egyptian sultan (b. 1223)
  • 1321 – María de Molina, queen of Castile and León
  • 1348 – Joan, English princess
  • 1555 – John Bradford, English reformer, prebendary of St. Paul’s (b. 1510)
  • 1589 – Lady Saigō, Japanese concubine (b. 1552)
  • 1592 – Marc’Antonio Ingegneri, Italian composer and educator (b. 1535)
  • 1614 – Isaac Casaubon, French philologist and scholar (b. 1559)
  • 1622 – William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, English politician (b. 1575)
  • 1681 – Oliver Plunkett, Irish archbishop and saint (b. 1629)
  • 1736 – Ahmed III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1673)
  • 1774 – Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1705)
  • 1782 – Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, English admiral and politician, Prime Minister of Great Britain (b. 1730)
  • 1784 – Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, German organist and composer (b. 1710)
  • 1787 – Charles de Rohan, French marshal (b. 1715)
  • 1819 – the Public Universal Friend, American evangelist (b. 1752)
  • 1839 – Mahmud II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1785)
  • 1860 – Charles Goodyear, American chemist and engineer (b. 1800)
  • 1863 – John F. Reynolds, American general (b. 1820)
  • 1884 – Allan Pinkerton, Scottish-American detective and spy (b. 1819)
  • 1896 – Harriet Beecher Stowe, American author and activist (b. 1811)
  • 1905 – John Hay, American journalist and politician, 37th United States Secretary of State (b. 1838)
  • 1912 – Harriet Quimby, American pilot and screenwriter (b. 1875)
  • 1925 – Erik Satie, French pianist and composer (b. 1866)
  • 1934 – Ernst Röhm, German paramilitary commander (b. 1887)
  • 1942 – Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich, Irish writer (b. 1857)
  • 1943 – Willem Arondeus, Dutch artist, author, and anti-Nazi resistance fighter (b. 1894)
  • 1944 – Carl Mayer, Austrian-English screenwriter (b. 1894)
  • 1944 – Tanya Savicheva, Russian author (b. 1930)
  • 1948 – Achille Varzi, Italian race car driver (b. 1904)
  • 1950 – Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, Swiss composer and educator (b. 1865)
  • 1950 – Eliel Saarinen, Finnish-American architect, co-designed the National Museum of Finland (b. 1873)
  • 1951 – Tadeusz Borowski, Polish poet, novelist and journalist (b. 1922)
  • 1961 – Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French physician and author (b. 1894)
  • 1962 – Purushottam Das Tandon, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1882)
  • 1962 – Bidhan Chandra Roy, Indian physician and politician, 2nd Chief Minister of West Bengal (b. 1882)
  • 1964 – Pierre Monteux, French-American viola player and conductor (b. 1875)
  • 1965 – Wally Hammond, English cricketer (b. 1903)
  • 1965 – Robert Ruark, American journalist and author (b. 1915)
  • 1966 – Frank Verner, American runner (b. 1883)
  • 1967 – Gerhard Ritter, German historian and academic (b. 1888)
  • 1968 – Fritz Bauer, German judge and politician (b. 1903)
  • 1971 – William Lawrence Bragg, Australian-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1890)
  • 1971 – Learie Constantine, Trinidadian-English cricketer, lawyer, and politician (b. 1901)
  • 1974 – Juan Perón, Argentinian general and politician, President of Argentina (b. 1895)
  • 1978 – Kurt Student, German general and pilot (b. 1890)
  • 1981 – Carlos de Oliveira, Portuguese author and poet (b. 1921)
  • 1983 – Buckminster Fuller, American architect, designed the Montreal Biosphère (b. 1895)
  • 1984 – Moshé Feldenkrais, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (b. 1904)
  • 1991 – Michael Landon, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1936)
  • 1992 – Franco Cristaldi, Italian screenwriter and producer (b. 1924)
  • 1994 – Merriam Modell, American author (b. 1908)
  • 1995 – Wolfman Jack, American radio host (b. 1938)
  • 1995 – Ian Parkin, English guitarist (Be-Bop Deluxe) (b. 1950)
  • 1996 – William T. Cahill, American lawyer and politician, 46th Governor of New Jersey (b. 1904)
  • 1996 – Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress (b. 1954)
  • 1996 – Steve Tesich, Serbian-American author and screenwriter (b. 1942)
  • 1997 – Robert Mitchum, American actor (b. 1917)
  • 1997 – Charles Werner, American cartoonist (b. 1909)
  • 1999 – Edward Dmytryk, Canadian-American director and producer (b. 1908)
  • 1999 – Forrest Mars Sr., American businessman, created M&M’s and the Mars bar (b. 1904)
  • 1999 – Sylvia Sidney, American actress (b. 1910)
  • 1999 – Sola Sierra, Chilean human rights activist (b. 1935)
  • 2000 – Walter Matthau, American actor (b. 1920)
  • 2001 – Nikolay Basov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1922)
  • 2001 – Jean-Louis Rosier, French race car driver (b. 1925)
  • 2003 – Herbie Mann, American flute player and saxophonist (b. 1930)
  • 2004 – Peter Barnes, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1931)
  • 2004 – Marlon Brando, American actor and director (b. 1924)
  • 2004 – Todor Skalovski, Macedonian composer and conductor (b. 1909)
  • 2005 – Renaldo Benson, American singer-songwriter (Four Tops) (b. 1936)
  • 2005 – Gus Bodnar, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1923)
  • 2005 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (Change) (b. 1951)
  • 2006 – Ryutaro Hashimoto, Japanese politician, 53rd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1937)
  • 2006 – Robert Lepikson, Estonian race car driver and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior (b. 1952)
  • 2006 – Fred Trueman, English cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1931)
  • 2008 – Mel Galley, English guitarist (b. 1948)
  • 2009 – Karl Malden, American actor (b. 1912)
  • 2009 – Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author (b. 1917)
  • 2009 – Mollie Sugden, English actress (b. 1922)
  • 2010 – Don Coryell, American football player and coach (b. 1924)
  • 2010 – Arnold Friberg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1913)
  • 2010 – Ilene Woods, American actress and singer (b. 1929)
  • 2012 – Peter E. Gillquist, American priest and author (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Ossie Hibbert, Jamaican-American keyboard player and producer (b. 1950)
  • 2012 – Evelyn Lear, American operatic soprano (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Alan G. Poindexter, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1961)
  • 2012 – Jack Richardson, American author and playwright (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Sidney Bryan Berry, American general (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Charles Foley, American game designer, co-created Twister (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – William H. Gray, American minister and politician (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Jean Garon, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Stephen Gaskin, American activist, co-founded The Farm (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Bob Jones, English lawyer and politician (b. 1955)
  • 2014 – Anatoly Kornukov, Ukrainian-Russian general (b. 1942)
  • 2014 – Walter Dean Myers, American author and poet (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Val Doonican, Irish singer and television host (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Czesław Olech, Polish mathematician and academic (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Nicholas Winton, English lieutenant and humanitarian (b. 1909)
  • 2016 – Robin Hardy, English author and film director (b. 1929)
  • 2020 – Georg Ratzinger, German Roman Catholic priest and musician (b. 1924)

Holidays and observances on July 1

  • Christian feast day:
    • Aaron (Syriac Christianity)
    • Blessed Antonio Rosmini-Serbati
    • Felix of Como
    • Junípero Serra
    • Julius and Aaron
    • Leontius of Autun
    • Servanus
    • Veep
    • July 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Feast of the Most Precious Blood (removed from official Roman Catholic calendar since 1969)
  • Earliest day on which Alexanderson Day can fall, celebrated on the Sunday closest to July 2. (Sweden)
  • Earliest day on which CARICOM Day can fall, while July 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in July. (Guyana)
  • Earliest day on which Constitution Day can fall, while July 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in July. (Cayman Islands)
  • Earliest day on which Día del Amigo can fall, celebrated on the first Saturday of July. (Peru)
  • Earliest day on which Fishermen’s Holiday, celebrated on the first Friday of July (Marshall Islands)
  • Earliest day on which Heroes’ Day can fall, while July 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in July. (Zambia)
  • Earliest day on which International Co-operative Day, can fall, celebrated on the first Saturday of July.
  • Earliest day on which International Free Hugs Day, can fall, celebrated on the first Saturday of July.
  • Earliest day on which Navy Day can fall, celebrated on the first Sunday in July. (Ukraine)
  • Earliest day on which Navy Days can fall, celebrated First Saturday and Sunday. (Netherlands)
  • Earliest day on which Youth Day can fall, while July 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in July. (Singapore)
  • Armed Forces Day (Singapore)
  • Canada Day, formerly Dominion Day (Canada)
  • Children’s Day (Pakistan)
  • Communist Party of China Founding Day (China)
  • Day of Officials and Civil Servants (Hungary)
  • Doctors’ Day (India)
  • Emancipation Day (Netherlands Antilles)
  • Engineer’s Day (Bahrain, Mexico)
  • Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day (Hong Kong, China)
  • Independence Day (Burundi), celebrates the independence of Burundi from Belgium in 1962.
  • Independence Day (Rwanda)
  • Independence Day (Somalia)
  • International Tartan Day
  • July Morning (Bulgaria)
  • Keti Koti (Emancipation Day) (Suriname)
  • Madeira Day (Madeira, Portugal)
  • Moving Day (Quebec) (Canada)
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Memorial Day
  • Republic Day (Ghana)
  • Sir Seretse Khama Day (Botswana)
  • Territory Day (British Virgin Islands)
  • The first day of Van Mahotsav, celebrated until July 7. (India)

July 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on June 25

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

Deaths on June 25

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

Holidays and observances on June 25

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

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on June 23

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

Deaths on June 23

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

Holidays and observances on June 23

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

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

On This Day

June 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

This day usually marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, which is the day of the year with the most hours of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere and the fewest hours of daylight in the Southern Hemisphere.

June 21 in History

  • 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date).
  • 1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mongols and Wuzong of the Yuan.
  • 1529 – French forces are driven out of northern Italy by Spain at the Battle of Landriano during the War of the League of Cognac.
  • 1582 – Sengoku period: Oda Nobunaga, the most powerful of the Japanese daimyōs, is forced to commit suicide by his own general Akechi Mitsuhide.
  • 1621 – Execution of 27 Czech noblemen on the Old Town Square in Prague as a consequence of the Battle of White Mountain.
  • 1734 – In Montreal in New France, a slave known by the French name of Marie-Joseph Angélique is put to death, having been convicted of setting the fire that destroyed much of the city.
  • 1749 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, is founded.
  • 1768 – James Otis Jr. offends the King and Parliament in a speech to the Massachusetts General Court.
  • 1788 – New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.
  • 1791 – King Louis XVI of France and his immediate family begin the Flight to Varennes during the French Revolution.
  • 1798 – Irish Rebellion of 1798: The British Army defeats Irish rebels at the Battle of Vinegar Hill.
  • 1813 – Peninsular War: Wellington defeats Joseph Bonaparte at the Battle of Vitoria.
  • 1824 – Greek War of Independence: Egyptian forces capture Psara in the Aegean Sea.
  • 1826 – Maniots defeat Egyptians under Ibrahim Pasha in the Battle of Vergas.
  • 1848 – In the Wallachian Revolution, Ion Heliade Rădulescu and Christian Tell issue the Proclamation of Islaz and create a new republican government.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road begins.
  • 1898 – The United States captures Guam from Spain. The few warning shots fired by the U.S. naval vessels are misinterpreted as salutes by the Spanish garrison, which was unaware that the two nations were at war.
  • 1900 – Boxer Rebellion. China formally declares war on the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan, as an edict issued from the Empress Dowager Cixi.
  • 1915 – The U.S. Supreme Court hands down its decision in Guinn v. United States 238 US 347 1915, striking down Oklahoma grandfather clause legislation which had the effect of denying the right to vote to blacks.
  • 1919 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police fire a volley into a crowd of unemployed war veterans, killing two, during the Winnipeg general strike.
  • 1919 – Admiral Ludwig von Reuter scuttles the German fleet at Scapa Flow, Orkney. The nine sailors killed are the last casualties of World War I.
  • 1929 – An agreement brokered by U.S. Ambassador Dwight Whitney Morrow ends the Cristero War in Mexico.
  • 1930 – One-year conscription comes into force in France.
  • 1940 – World War II: Italy begins an unsuccessful invasion of France.
  • 1942 – World War II: Tobruk falls to Italian and German forces.
  • 1942 – World War II: A Japanese submarine surfaces near the Columbia River in Oregon, firing 17 shells at Fort Stevens in one of only a handful of attacks by Japan against the United States mainland.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Okinawa ends when the organized resistance of Imperial Japanese Army forces collapses in the Mabuni area on the southern tip of the main island.
  • 1952 – The Philippine School of Commerce, through a republic act, is converted to Philippine College of Commerce, later to be the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
  • 1957 – Ellen Fairclough is sworn in as Canada’s first female Cabinet Minister.
  • 1963 – Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini is elected as Pope Paul VI.
  • 1964 – Three civil rights workers, Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner, are murdered in Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States, by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
  • 1970 – Penn Central declares Section 77 bankruptcy in what was the largest U.S. corporate bankruptcy to date.
  • 1973 – In its decision in Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, the Supreme Court of the United States establishes the Miller test for determining whether something is obscene and not protected speech under the U.S. constitution.
  • 1978 – The original production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Evita, based on the life of Eva Perón, opens at the Prince Edward Theatre, London.
  • 1982 – John Hinckley is found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted assassination of U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
  • 1989 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, that American flag-burning is a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment.
  • 2000 – Section 28 (of the Local Government Act 1988), outlawing the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in the United Kingdom, is repealed in Scotland with a 99 to 17 vote.
  • 2001 – A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, indicts 13 Saudis and a Lebanese in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American servicemen.
  • 2004 – SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
  • 2005 – Edgar Ray Killen, who had previously been unsuccessfully tried for the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Mickey Schwerner, is convicted of manslaughter 41 years afterwards (the case had been reopened in 2004).
  • 2006 – Pluto’s newly discovered moons are officially named Nix and Hydra.
  • 2009 – Greenland assumes self-rule.
  • 2012 – A boat carrying more than 200 migrants capsizes in the Indian Ocean between the Indonesian island of Java and Christmas Island, killing 17 people and leaving 70 others missing.

Births on June 21

  • 598 – Pope Martin I (d. 656)
  • 906 – Abu Ja’far Ahmad ibn Muhammad, Saffarid emir (d. 963)
  • 1002 – Pope Leo IX (d. 1054)
  • 1226 – Bolesław V the Chaste of Poland (d. 1279)
  • 1521 – John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev (d. 1580)
  • 1528 – Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (d. 1603)
  • 1535 – Leonhard Rauwolf, German physician and botanist (d. 1596)
  • 1630 – Samuel Oppenheimer, German Jewish banker and diplomat (d. 1703)
  • 1636 – Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d’Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon, French noble (d. 1721)
  • 1639 – Increase Mather, American minister and author (d. 1723)
  • 1676 – Anthony Collins, English philosopher and author (d. 1729)
  • 1706 – John Dollond, English optician and astronomer (d. 1761)
  • 1710 – James Short, Scottish-English mathematician and optician (d. 1768)
  • 1712 – Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen, French admiral (d. 1790)
  • 1730 – Motoori Norinaga, Japanese poet and scholar (d. 1801)
  • 1732 – Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German pianist and composer (d. 1791)
  • 1736 – Enoch Poor, American general (d. 1780)
  • 1741 – Prince Benedetto, Duke of Chablais (d. 1808)
  • 1750 – Pierre-Nicolas Beauvallet, French sculptor and illustrator (d. 1818)
  • 1759 – Alexander J. Dallas, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1817)
  • 1763 – Pierre Paul Royer-Collard, French philosopher and academic (d. 1845)
  • 1764 – Sidney Smith, English admiral and politician (d. 1840)
  • 1774 – Daniel D. Tompkins, American lawyer and politician, 6th Vice President of the United States (d. 1825)
  • 1781 – Siméon Denis Poisson, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1840)
  • 1786 – Charles Edward Horn, English singer-songwriter (d. 1849)
  • 1792 – Ferdinand Christian Baur, German theologian and scholar (d. 1860)
  • 1797 – Wilhelm Küchelbecker, Russian poet and author (d. 1846)
  • 1802 – Karl Zittel, German theologian (d. 1871)
  • 1805 – Karl Friedrich Curschmann, German composer and singer (d. 1841)
  • 1805 – Charles Thomas Jackson, American physician and geologist (d. 1880)
  • 1811 – Carlo Matteucci, Italian physicist and neurophysiologist (d. 1868)
  • 1814 – Anton Nuhn, German anatomist and academic (d. 1889)
  • 1823 – Jean Chacornac, French astronomer (d. 1873)
  • 1825 – Thomas Edward Cliffe Leslie, Irish economist and jurist (d. 1882)
  • 1825 – William Stubbs, English bishop and historian (d. 1901)
  • 1828 – Ferdinand André Fouqué, French geologist and academic (d. 1904)
  • 1828 – Nikolaus Nilles, German Catholic writer and teacher (d. 1907)
  • 1834 – Frans de Cort, Flemish poet and author (d. 1878)
  • 1836 – Luigi Tripepi, Italian theologian (d. 1906)
  • 1839 – Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1908)
  • 1845 – Samuel Griffith, Welsh-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Queensland (d. 1920)
  • 1845 – Arthur Cowper Ranyard, English astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1894)
  • 1846 – Marion Adams-Acton, Scottish-English author and playwright (d. 1928)
  • 1846 – Enrico Coleman, Italian painter (d. 1911)
  • 1850 – Daniel Carter Beard, American author and illustrator, co-founded the Boy Scouts of America (d. 1941)
  • 1858 – Giuseppe De Sanctis, Italian painter (d. 1924)
  • 1858 – Medardo Rosso, Italian sculptor and educator (d. 1928)
  • 1859 – Henry Ossawa Tanner, American-French painter and illustrator (d. 1937)
  • 1862 – Damrong Rajanubhab, Thai historian and author (d. 1943)
  • 1863 – Max Wolf, German astronomer and academic (d. 1932)
  • 1864 – Heinrich Wölfflin, Swiss historian and critic (d. 1945)
  • 1867 – Oscar Florianus Bluemner, German-American painter and illustrator (d. 1938)
  • 1867 – William Brede Kristensen, Norwegian historian of religion (d. 1953)
  • 1868 – Edwin Stephen Goodrich, English zoologist and anatomist (d. 1946)
  • 1870 – Clara Immerwahr, Jewish-German chemist and academic (d. 1915)
  • 1870 – Anthony Michell, English-Australian engineer (d. 1959)
  • 1870 – Julio Ruelas, Mexican painter (d. 1907)
  • 1876 – Swami Kalyan Dev, philosopher  (d. 2004)
  • 1876 – Willem Hendrik Keesom, Dutch physicist and academic (d. 1956)
  • 1880 – Arnold Gesell, American psychologist and pediatrician (d. 1961)
  • 1880 – Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp, English economist and civil servant (d. 1941)
  • 1881 – (O.S.) Natalia Goncharova, Russian painter, costume designer, and illustrator (d. 1962)
  • 1882 – Lluís Companys, Spanish lawyer and politician, 123rd President of Catalonia (d. 1940)
  • 1882 – Adrianus de Jong, Dutch fencer and soldier (d. 1966)
  • 1882 – Rockwell Kent, American painter and illustrator (d. 1971)
  • 1883 – Feodor Gladkov, Russian author and educator (d. 1958)
  • 1884 – Claude Auchinleck, English field marshal (d. 1981)
  • 1887 – Norman L. Bowen, Canadian geologist and petrologist (d. 1956)
  • 1889 – Ralph Craig, American sprinter and sailor (d. 1972)
  • 1891 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian architect and engineer, co-designed the Pirelli Tower and Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption (d. 1979)
  • 1891 – Hermann Scherchen, German-Swiss viola player and conductor (d. 1966)
  • 1892 – Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian and academic (d. 1971)
  • 1893 – Alois Hába, Czech composer and educator (d. 1973)
  • 1894 – Milward Kennedy, English journalist and civil servant (d. 1968)
  • 1896 – Charles Momsen, American admiral, invented the Momsen lung (d. 1967)
  • 1898 – Donald C. Peattie, American botanist and author (d. 1964)
  • 1899 – Pavel Haas, Czech composer (d. 1944)
  • 1903 – Hermann Engelhard, German runner and coach (d. 1984)
  • 1903 – Al Hirschfeld, American caricaturist, painter and illustrator (d. 2003)
  • 1905 – Jacques Goddet, French journalist (d. 2000)
  • 1905 – Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and author (d. 1980)
  • 1908 – William Frankena, American philosopher and academic (d. 1994)
  • 1910 – Aleksandr Tvardovsky, Russian poet and author (d. 1971)
  • 1911 – Irving Fein, American producer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1912 – Kazimierz Leski, Polish pilot and engineer (d. 2000)
  • 1912 – Mary McCarthy, American novelist and critic (d. 1989)
  • 1912 – Vishnu Prabhakar, Indian author and playwright (d. 2009)
  • 1913 – Madihe Pannaseeha Thero, Sri Lankan monk and scholar (d. 2003)
  • 1913 – Luis Taruc, Filipino political activist (d. 2005)
  • 1914 – William Vickrey, Canadian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
  • 1915 – Wilhelm Gliese, German soldier and astronomer (d. 1993)
  • 1916 – Joseph Cyril Bamford, English businessman, founded J. C. Bamford (d. 2001)
  • 1916 – Tchan Fou-li, Chinese photographer (d. 2018)
  • 1916 – Herbert Friedman, American physicist and astronomer (d. 2000)
  • 1916 – Buddy O’Connor, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1977)
  • 1918 – Robert A. Boyd, Canadian engineer (d. 2006)
  • 1918 – James Joll, English historian, author, and academic (d. 1994)
  • 1918 – Eddie Lopat, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1992)
  • 1918 – Dee Molenaar, American mountaineer (d. 2020)
  • 1918 – Robert Roosa, American economist and banker (d. 1993)
  • 1918 – Tibor Szele, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1955)
  • 1918 – Josephine Webb, American engineer
  • 1919 – Antonia Mesina, Italian martyr and saint (d. 1935)
  • 1919 – Gérard Pelletier, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1997)
  • 1919 – Vladimir Simagin, Russian chess player and coach (d. 1968)
  • 1919 – Paolo Soleri, Italian-American architect, designed the Cosanti (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Hans Gerschwiler, Swiss figure skater (d. 2017)
  • 1921 – Judy Holliday, American actress and singer (d. 1965)
  • 1921 – Jane Russell, American actress and singer (d. 2011)
  • 1921 – William Edwin Self, American actor, producer, and production manager (d. 2010)
  • 1922 – Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkinabé historian, politician and writer (d. 2006)
  • 1923 – Jacques Hébert, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Pontus Hultén, Swedish art collector and historian (d. 2006)
  • 1924 – Ezzatolah Entezami, Iranian actor (d. 2018)
  • 1924 – Wally Fawkes, British-Canadian jazz clarinetist and a satirical cartoonist
  • 1924 – Jean Laplanche, French psychoanalyst and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1925 – Larisa Avdeyeva, Russian mezzo-soprano (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Stanley Moss, American poet, publisher, and art dealer
  • 1925 – Giovanni Spadolini, Italian journalist and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1994)
  • 1925 – Maureen Stapleton, American actress (d. 2006)
  • 1926 – Fred Cone, American football player
  • 1926 – Conrad Hall, French-American cinematographer (d. 2003)
  • 1927 – Carl Stokes, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Seychelles (d. 1996)
  • 1928 – Wolfgang Haken, German-American mathematician and academic
  • 1928 – Fiorella Mari, Brazilian-Italian actress
  • 1928 – Margit Bara, Hungarian actress (d. 2016)
  • 1929 – Alexandre Lagoya, Egyptian-Greek guitarist and composer (d. 1999)
  • 1930 – Gerald Kaufman, English journalist and politician, Shadow Foreign Secretary (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – Mike McCormack, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Zlatko Grgić, Croatian-Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1931 – Margaret Heckler, American journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
  • 1931 – David Kushnir, Israeli Olympic long-jumper
  • 1932 – Bernard Ingham, English journalist and civil servant
  • 1932 – Lalo Schifrin, Argentinian pianist, composer, and conductor
  • 1932 – O.C. Smith, American R&B/jazz singer (d. 2001)
  • 1933 – Bernie Kopell, American actor and comedian
  • 1935 – Françoise Sagan, French author and playwright (d. 2004)
  • 1937 – John Edrich, English cricketer and coach
  • 1938 – Don Black, English songwriter
  • 1938 – John W. Dower, American historian and author
  • 1938 – Michael M. Richter, German mathematician and computer scientist
  • 1940 – Mariette Hartley, American actress and television personality
  • 1940 – Michael Ruse, Canadian philosopher and academic
  • 1941 – Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Indian bishop
  • 1941 – Joe Flaherty, American-Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1941 – Lyman Ward, Canadian actor
  • 1942 – Clive Brooke, Baron Brooke of Alverthorpe, English businessman and politician
  • 1942 – Marjorie Margolies, American journalist and politician
  • 1942 – Henry S. Taylor, American author and poet
  • 1942 – Togo D. West, Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • 1943 – Eumir Deodato, Brazilian pianist, composer, and producer
  • 1943 – Diane Marleau, Canadian accountant and politician, Canadian Minister of Health (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – Brian Sternberg, American pole vaulter (d. 2013)
  • 1944 – Ray Davies, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1944 – Tony Scott, English-American director and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1945 – Robert Dewar, English-American computer scientist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Adam Zagajewski, Polish author and poet
  • 1946 – Per Eklund, Swedish race car driver
  • 1946 – Kate Hoey, Northern Irish-British academic and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
  • 1946 – Brenda Holloway, American singer-songwriter
  • 1946 – Trond Kirkvaag, Norwegian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1946 – Malcolm Rifkind, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
  • 1946 – Maurice Saatchi, Baron Saatchi, Iraqi-British businessman, founded M&C Saatchi and Saatchi & Saatchi
  • 1947 – Meredith Baxter, American actress
  • 1947 – Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer, judge, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1947 – Michael Gross, American actor
  • 1947 – Joey Molland, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Wade Phillips, American football coach
  • 1947 – Fernando Savater, Spanish philosopher and author
  • 1948 – Jovan Aćimović, Serbian footballer and manager
  • 1948 – Ian McEwan, British novelist and screenwriter
  • 1948 – Andrzej Sapkowski, Polish author and translator
  • 1948 – Philippe Sarde, French composer and conductor
  • 1949 – John Agard, Guyanese-English author, poet, and playwright
  • 1949 – Derek Emslie, Lord Kingarth, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1950 – Anne Carson, Canadian poet and academic
  • 1950 – Joey Kramer, American rock drummer and songwriter (Aerosmith)
  • 1950 – Enn Reitel, Scottish actor and screenwriter
  • 1950 – Trygve Thue, Norwegian guitarist and record producer
  • 1950 – John Paul Young, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1951 – Jim Douglas, American academic and politician, 80th Governor of Vermont
  • 1951 – Terence Etherton, English lawyer and judge
  • 1951 – Alan Hudson, English footballer
  • 1951 – Nils Lofgren, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – Lenore Manderson, Australian anthropologist and academic
  • 1951 – Mona-Lisa Pursiainen, Finnish sprinter (d. 2000)
  • 1952 – Judith Bingham, English singer-songwriter
  • 1952 – Jeremy Coney, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1952 – Patrick Dunleavy, English political scientist and academic
  • 1952 – Kōichi Mashimo, Japanese director and screenwriter
  • 1953 – Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani financier and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2007)
  • 1954 – Már Guðmundsson, Icelandic economist, former Governor of Central Bank of Iceland
  • 1954 – Mark Kimmitt, American general and politician, 16th Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
  • 1954 – Robert Menasse, Austrian author and academic
  • 1955 – Tim Bray, Canadian software developer and businessman
  • 1955 – Michel Platini, French footballer and manager
  • 1956 – Rick Sutcliffe, American baseball player and broadcaster
  • 1957 – Berkeley Breathed, American author and illustrator
  • 1957 – Luis Antonio Tagle, Filipino cardinal
  • 1958 – Víctor Montoya, Bolivian journalist and author
  • 1958 – Gennady Padalka, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1959 – John Baron, English captain and politician
  • 1959 – Tom Chambers, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1959 – Marcella Detroit, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1959 – Kathy Mattea, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1960 – Kate Brown, American politician, 38th Governor of Oregon
  • 1960 – Karl Erjavec, Slovenian politician
  • 1961 – Manu Chao, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1961 – Sascha Konietzko, German keyboard player and producer
  • 1961 – Joko Widodo, Indonesian businessman and politician, 7th President of Indonesia
  • 1961 – Kip Winger, American rock singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1961 – Iztok Mlakar, Slovenian actor and singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Shōhei Takada, Japanese shogi player and theoretician
  • 1962 – Viktor Tsoi, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1990)
  • 1963 – Dario Marianelli, Italian pianist and composer
  • 1963 – Mike Sherrard, American football player
  • 1964 – David Morrissey, English actor and director
  • 1964 – Dimitris Papaioannou, Greek director and choreographer
  • 1964 – Dean Saunders, Welsh footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Doug Savant, American actor
  • 1965 – David Beerling, English biologist and academic
  • 1965 – Yang Liwei, Chinese general, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1965 – Ewen McKenzie, Australian rugby player and coach
  • 1965 – Lana Wachowski, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Gretchen Carlson, American model and television journalist, Miss America 1989
  • 1967 – Jim Breuer, American comedian, actor, and producer
  • 1967 – Derrick Coleman, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1967 – Pierre Omidyar, French-American businessman, founded eBay
  • 1967 – Carrie Preston, American actress, director, and producer
  • 1967 – Yingluck Shinawatra, Thai businesswoman and politician, 28th Prime Minister of Thailand
  • 1968 – Sonique, English singer-songwriter and DJ
  • 1970 – Eric Reed, American pianist and composer
  • 1971 – Tyronne Drakeford, American football player
  • 1972 – Nobuharu Asahara, Japanese sprinter and long jumper
  • 1972 – Neil Doak, Northern Irish cricketer and rugby player
  • 1972 – Irene van Dyk, South African-New Zealand netball player
  • 1973 – Juliette Lewis, American actress and singer-songwriter
  • 1973 – John Mitchell, English guitarist, vocalist and songwriter
  • 1974 – Rob Kelly, American football player
  • 1974 – Craig Lowndes, Australian race car driver
  • 1974 – Flavio Roma, Italian footballer
  • 1975 – Brian Simmons, American football player
  • 1976 – Shelley Craft, Australian television host
  • 1976 – Mike Einziger, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1976 – Nigel Lappin, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1977 – Michael Gomez, Irish boxer
  • 1977 – Al Wilson, American football player
  • 1978 – Thomas Blondeau, Flemish writer (d. 2013)
  • 1978 – Matt Kuchar, American golfer
  • 1978 – Cristiano Lupatelli, Italian footballer
  • 1978 – Gervase Markham, British software engineer (d. 2018)
  • 1978 – Dejan Ognjanović, Montenegrin footballer
  • 1978 – Rim’K, French rapper
  • 1979 – Kostas Katsouranis, Greek footballer
  • 1979 – Chris Pratt, American actor
  • 1980 – Michael Crocker, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1980 – Łukasz Cyborowski, Polish chess player
  • 1980 – Richard Jefferson, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Sendy Rleal, Dominican baseball player
  • 1981 – Yann Danis, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Garrett Jones, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Brandon Flowers, American singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Brad Walker, American pole vaulter
  • 1982 – Lee Dae-ho, South Korean baseball player
  • 1982 – Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
  • 1982 – Jussie Smollett, American actor and singer
  • 1983 – Edward Snowden, American activist and academic
  • 1985 – Lana Del Rey, American singer-songwriter
  • 1985 – Sentayehu Ejigu, Ethiopian runner
  • 1985 – Byron Schammer, Australian footballer
  • 1986 – Kathleen O’Kelly-Kennedy, Australian wheelchair basketball player
  • 1986 – Hideaki Wakui, Japanese baseball player
  • 1987 – Pablo Barrera, Mexican footballer
  • 1987 – Sebastian Prödl, Austrian footballer
  • 1987 – Dale Thomas, Australian footballer
  • 1988 – Allyssa DeHaan, American basketball and volleyball player
  • 1988 – Paolo Tornaghi, Italian footballer
  • 1988 – Thaddeus Young, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Abubaker Kaki, Sudanese runner
  • 1990 – Ričardas Berankis, Lithuanian tennis player
  • 1990 – Lunar C, English rapper
  • 1990 – François Moubandje, Swiss footballer
  • 1990 – Håvard Nordtveit, Norwegian footballer
  • 1991 – Gaël Kakuta, French footballer
  • 1992 – MAX, American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer and model
  • 1994 – Başak Eraydın, Turkish tennis player
  • 1996 – Tyrone May, Australian rugby league player
  • 1997 – Rebecca Black, American singer-songwriter
  • 1997 – Derrius Guice, American football player
  • 2011 – Lil Bub, American celebrity cat

Deaths on June 21

  • 532 – Emperor Jiemin of Northern Wei, former Northern Wei emperor
  • 866 – Rodulf, Frankish archbishop
  • 868 – Ali al-Hadi, the tenth Imam of Shia Islam (b. 829)
  • 870 – Al-Muhtadi, Muslim caliph
  • 947 – Zhang Li, official of the Liao Dynasty
  • 1040 – Fulk III, Count of Anjou (b. 972)
  • 1171 – Walter de Luci, French-English monk (b. 1103)
  • 1208 – Philip of Swabia (b. 1177)
  • 1305 – Wenceslaus II of Bohemia (b. 1271)
  • 1359 – Erik Magnusson, king of Sweden (b. 1339)
  • 1377 – Edward III of England (b. 1312)
  • 1421 – Jean Le Maingre, French general (b. 1366)
  • 1527 – Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian historian and author (b. 1469)
  • 1529 – John Skelton, English poet and educator (b. 1460)
  • 1547 – Sebastiano del Piombo, Italian painter and educator (b. 1485)
  • 1558 – Piero Strozzi, Italian general (b. 1510)
  • 1582 – Oda Nobunaga, Japanese warlord (b. 1534)
  • 1585 – Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland (b. 1532)
  • 1591 – Aloysius Gonzaga, Italian saint (b. 1568)
  • 1596 – Jean Liebault, French agronomist and physician (b. 1535)
  • 1621 – Louis III, Cardinal of Guise (b. 1575)
  • 1621 – Kryštof Harant, Czech soldier and composer (b. 1564)
  • 1622 – Salomon Schweigger, German theologian (b. 1551)
  • 1631 – John Smith, English admiral and explorer (b. 1580)
  • 1652 – Inigo Jones, English architect, designed the Queen’s House and Wilton House (b. 1573)
  • 1661 – Andrea Sacchi, Italian painter (b. 1599)
  • 1737 – Matthieu Marais, French author, critic, and jurist (b. 1664)
  • 1738 – Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1674)
  • 1796 – Richard Gridley, American soldier and engineer (b. 1710)
  • 1824 – Étienne Aignan, French playwright and translator (b. 1773)
  • 1865 – Frances Adeline Seward, American wife of William H. Seward (b. 1824)
  • 1874 – Anders Jonas Ångström, Swedish physicist and astronomer (b. 1814)
  • 1876 – Antonio López de Santa Anna, Mexican general and politician 8th President of Mexico (b. 1794)
  • 1880 – Theophilus H. Holmes, American general (b. 1804)
  • 1893 – Leland Stanford, American businessman and politician, 8th Governor of California (b. 1824)
  • 1908 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer and educator (b. 1844)
  • 1914 – Bertha von Suttner, Austrian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
  • 1929 – Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse, English sociologist, journalist, and academic (b. 1864)
  • 1934 – Thorne Smith, American author (b. 1892)
  • 1940 – Smedley Butler, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1881)
  • 1940 – Édouard Vuillard, French painter (b. 1868)
  • 1951 – Charles Dillon Perrine, American astronomer (b. 1867)
  • 1951 – Gustave Sandras, French gymnast (b. 1872)
  • 1952 – Wop May, Canadian captain and pilot (b. 1896)
  • 1954 – Gideon Sundback, Swedish-American engineer, developed the zipper (b. 1880)
  • 1957 – Claude Farrère, French captain and author (b. 1876)
  • 1957 – Johannes Stark, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
  • 1964 – James Chaney, American civil rights activist (b. 1943)
  • 1964 – Andrew Goodman, American civil rights activist (b. 1943)
  • 1964 – Michael Schwerner, American civil rights activist (b. 1939)
  • 1967 – Theodore Sizer, American professor of the history of art (b. 1892)
  • 1969 – Maureen Connolly, American tennis player (b. 1934)
  • 1970 – Sukarno, Indonesian engineer and politician, 1st President of Indonesia (b. 1901)
  • 1970 – Piers Courage, English race car driver (b. 1942)
  • 1976 – Margaret Herrick, American librarian (b. 1902)
  • 1980 – Bert Kaempfert, German conductor and composer (b. 1923)
  • 1981 – Don Figlozzi, American illustrator and animator (b. 1909)
  • 1985 – Hector Boyardee, Italian-American chef and businessman, founded Chef Boyardee (b. 1897)
  • 1985 – Tage Erlander, Swedish lieutenant and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Sweden (b. 1901)
  • 1986 – Assi Rahbani, Lebanese singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1923)
  • 1987 – Madman Muntz, American engineer and businessman, founded the Muntz Car Company (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Bobby Dodd, American football coach (b. 1908)
  • 1990 – Cedric Belfrage, English journalist and author, co-founded the National Guardian (b. 1904)
  • 1990 – June Christy, American singer (b. 1925)
  • 1992 – Ben Alexander, Australian rugby league player (b. 1971)
  • 1992 – Arthur Gorrie, Australian hobby shop proprietor (b. 1922)
  • 1992 – Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah, Bangladeshi poet, author, and playwright (b. 1956)
  • 1992 – Li Xiannian, Chinese captain and politician, 3rd President of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1909)
  • 1994 – William Wilson Morgan, American astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Shintaro Katsu, Japanese actor, singer, director, and producer (b. 1931)
  • 1997 – Fidel Velázquez Sánchez, Mexican trade union leader (b. 1900)
  • 1998 – Harry Cranbrook Allen, English historian (b. 1917)
  • 1998 – Anastasio Ballestrero, Italian cardinal (b. 1913)
  • 1998 – Al Campanis, American baseball player and manager (b. 1916)
  • 1999 – Kami, Japanese drummer (b. 1973)
  • 2000 – Alan Hovhaness, Armenian-American pianist and composer (b. 1911)
  • 2001 – John Lee Hooker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1917)
  • 2001 – Soad Hosny, Egyptian actress and singer (b. 1942)
  • 2001 – Carroll O’Connor, American actor and producer (b. 1924)
  • 2002 – Timothy Findley, Canadian author and playwright (b. 1930)
  • 2003 – Roger Neilson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1934)
  • 2003 – Leon Uris, American soldier and author (b. 1924)
  • 2004 – Leonel Brizola, Brazilian engineer and politician, Governor of Rio de Janeiro (b. 1922)
  • 2004 – Ruth Leach Amonette, American businesswoman (b. 1916)
  • 2005 – Jaime Sin, Filipino cardinal (b. 1928)
  • 2006 – Jared C. Monti, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1975)
  • 2007 – Bob Evans, American businessman, founded Bob Evans Restaurants (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – Scott Kalitta, American race car driver (b. 1962)
  • 2010 – Russell Ash, English author (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – Irwin Barker, Canadian actor and screenwriter (b. 1956)
  • 2010 – İlhan Selçuk, Turkish lawyer, journalist, and author (b. 1925)
  • 2011 – Robert Kroetsch, Canadian author and poet (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Richard Adler, American composer and producer (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Abid Hussain, Indian economist and diplomat, Indian Ambassador to the United States (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Sunil Janah, Indian photographer and journalist (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Anna Schwartz, American economist and author (b. 1915)
  • 2013 – James P. Gordon, American physicist and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Elliott Reid, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1920)
  • 2014 – Yozo Ishikawa, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Defense (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Walter Kieber, Austrian-Liechtenstein politician, 7th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Wong Ho Leng, Malaysian lawyer and politician (b. 1959)
  • 2015 – Darryl Hamilton, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1964)
  • 2015 – Veijo Meri, Finnish author and poet (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Remo Remotti, Italian actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski, German soldier and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Gunther Schuller, American horn player, composer, and conductor (b. 1925)
  • 2016 – Pierre Lalonde, Canadian television host and singer (b. 1941)
  • 2018 – Charles Krauthammer, American columnist and conservative political commentator (b.1950)

Holidays and observances on June 21

  • Christian feast day:
    • Alban of Mainz
    • Aloysius Gonzaga
    • Engelmund of Velsen
    • Martin of Tongres
    • Onesimos Nesib (Lutheran)
    • June 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Martyrs (Togo)
  • Father’s Day (Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Uganda, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates)
  • Go Skateboarding Day
  • International Yoga Day (international)
  • National Aboriginal Day (Canada)
  • Solstice-related observances (see also June 20):
    • Day of Private Reflection
    • International Surfing Day
    • National Day (Greenland)
    • We Tripantu, a winter solstice festival in the southern hemisphere. (Mapuche, southern Chile)
    • Willkakuti, an Andean-Amazonic New Year (Aymara)
    • Fête de la Musique
  • World Humanist Day (Humanism)
  • World Hydrography Day (international)

June 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

June 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
  • 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II.
  • 923 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy.
  • 1184 – The naval Battle of Fimreite is won by the Birkebeiner pretender Sverre Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson takes the Norwegian throne and King Magnus V of Norway is killed.
  • 1215 – King John of England puts his seal to Magna Carta.
  • 1219 – Northern Crusades: Danish victory at the Battle of Lindanise (modern-day Tallinn) establishes the Danish Duchy of Estonia.
  • 1246 – With the death of Frederick II, Duke of Austria, the Babenberg dynasty ends in Austria.
  • 1300 – The city of Bilbao is founded.
  • 1312 – At the Battle of Rozgony, King Charles I of Hungary wins a decisive victory over the family of Palatine Amade Aba.
  • 1389 – Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians.
  • 1410 – In a decisive battle at Onon River, the Mongol forces of Oljei Temur were decimated by the Chinese armies of the Yongle Emperor.
  • 1502 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Martinique on his fourth voyage.
  • 1520 – Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther in Exsurge Domine.
  • 1648 – Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
  • 1667 – The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys.
  • 1670 – The first stone of Fort Ricasoli is laid down in Malta.
  • 1752 – Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity (traditional date, the exact date is unknown).
  • 1776 – Delaware Separation Day: Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from Pennsylvania.
  • 1800 – The Provisional Army of the United States is dissolved.
  • 1804 – New Hampshire approves the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratifying the document.
  • 1808 – Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain.
  • 1836 – Arkansas is admitted as the 25th U.S. state.
  • 1844 – Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber.
  • 1846 – The Oregon Treaty extends the border between the United States and British North America, established by the Treaty of 1818, westward to the Pacific Ocean.
  • 1859 – Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the “Northwestern Boundary Dispute” between American and British/Canadian settlers.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Second Battle of Petersburg begins.
  • 1864 – Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.81 km2) of the Arlington estate (formerly owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee) are officially set aside as a military cemetery by U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.
  • 1877 – Henry Ossian Flipper becomes the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy.
  • 1878 – Eadweard Muybridge takes a series of photographs to prove that all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it runs; the study becomes the basis of motion pictures.
  • 1888 – Crown Prince Wilhelm becomes Kaiser Wilhelm II; he will be the last Emperor of the German Empire. Due to the death of his predecessors Wilhelm I and Frederick III, 1888 is the Year of the Three Emperors.
  • 1896 – The deadliest tsunami in Japan’s history kills more than 22,000 people.
  • 1904 – A fire aboard the steamboat SS General Slocum in New York City’s East River kills 1,000.
  • 1916 – United States President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America, making them the only American youth organization with a federal charter.
  • 1919 – John Alcock and Arthur Brown complete the first nonstop transatlantic flight when they reach Clifden, County Galway, Ireland.
  • 1920 – Following the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites, Northern Schleswig is transferred from Germany to Denmark.
  • 1921 – Bessie Coleman earns her pilot’s license, becoming the first female pilot of African-American descent.
  • 1934 – The United States Great Smoky Mountains National Park is founded.
  • 1936 – First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber.
  • 1937 – A German expedition led by Karl Wien loses sixteen members in an avalanche on Nanga Parbat. It is the worst single disaster to occur on an 8000m peak.
  • 1940 – World War II: Operation Ariel begins: Allied troops start to evacuate France, following Germany’s takeover of Paris and most of the nation.
  • 1944 – World War II: The United States invades Saipan, capital of Japan’s South Seas Mandate.
  • 1944 – In the Saskatchewan general election, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government in North America.
  • 1970 – Charles Manson goes on trial for the Sharon Tate murders.
  • 1972 – Red Army Faction co-founder Ulrike Meinhof is captured by police in Langenhagen.
  • 1977 – After the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, the first democratic elections took place in Spain.
  • 1978 – King Hussein of Jordan marries American Lisa Halaby, who takes the name Queen Noor.
  • 1985 – Rembrandt’s painting Danaë is attacked by a man (later judged insane) who throws sulfuric acid on the canvas and cuts it twice with a knife.
  • 1991 – In the Philippines, Mount Pinatubo erupts in the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, killing over 800 people.
  • 1992 – The United States Supreme Court rules in United States v. Álvarez-Machaín that it is permissible for the United States to forcibly extradite suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the United States for trial, without approval from those other countries.
  • 1994 – Israel and Vatican City establish full diplomatic relations.
  • 1996 – The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonates a powerful truck bomb in the middle of Manchester, England, devastating the city centre and injuring 200 people.
  • 2001 – Leaders of the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
  • 2012 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to successfully tightrope walk directly over Niagara Falls.
  • 2013 – A bomb explodes on a bus in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 25 people and wounding 22 others.

Births on June 15

  • 1330 – Edward, the Black Prince of England (d. 1376)
  • 1479 – Lisa del Giocondo, Italian model, subject of the Mona Lisa (d. 1542)
  • 1519 – Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1536)
  • 1542 – Richard Grenville, English captain and explorer (d. 1591)
  • 1549 – Elizabeth Knollys, English noblewoman (d. 1605)
  • 1553 – Archduke Ernest of Austria (d. 1595)
  • 1605 – Thomas Randolph, English poet and playwright (d. 1635)
  • 1618 – François Blondel, French architect (d. 1686)
  • 1623 – Cornelis de Witt, Dutch politician (d. 1672)
  • 1624 – Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist and philologist (d. 1704)
  • 1640 – Bernard Lamy, French mathematician and theologian (d. 1715)
  • 1645 – Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, English politician (d. 1712)
  • 1749 – Georg Joseph Vogler, German organist, composer, and theorist (d. 1814)
  • 1754 – Juan José Elhuyar, Spanish chemist and mineralogist (d. 1796)
  • 1755 – Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy, French chemist and entomologist (d. 1809)
  • 1763 – Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1826)
  • 1763 – Kobayashi Issa, Japanese priest and poet (d. 1827)
  • 1765 – Martin Baum, American businessman and politician, Mayor of Cincinnati (d. 1831)
  • 1765 – Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1831)
  • 1767 – Rachel Jackson, American wife of Andrew Jackson (d. 1828)
  • 1777 – David Daniel Davis, Welsh physician and academic (d. 1841)
  • 1789 – Josiah Henson, American minister, author, and activist (d. 1883)
  • 1792 – Thomas Mitchell, Scottish-Australian colonel and explorer (d. 1855)
  • 1801 – Benjamin Wright Raymond, American merchant and politician, 3rd Mayor of Chicago (d. 1883)
  • 1805 – William B. Ogden, American businessman and politician, 1st Mayor of Chicago (d. 1877)
  • 1809 – François-Xavier Garneau, Canadian poet and historian (d. 1866)
  • 1835 – Adah Isaacs Menken, American actress, painter, and poet (d. 1868)
  • 1843 – Edvard Grieg, Norwegian pianist and composer (d. 1907)
  • 1848 – Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala, Indian bishop and saint (d. 1902)
  • 1872 – Thomas William Burgess, English swimmer and water polo player (d. 1950)
  • 1875 – Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-Canadian skier (d. 1987)
  • 1878 – Margaret Abbott, Indian-American golfer (d. 1955)
  • 1881 – Kesago Nakajima, Japanese lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army (d. 1945)
  • 1884 – Harry Langdon, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1944)
  • 1886 – Frank Clement, British racing driver (d. 1970)
  • 1888 – Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet and author (d. 1921)
  • 1890 – Georg Wüst, German oceanographer and academic (d. 1977)
  • 1894 – Robert Russell Bennett, American composer and conductor (d. 1981)
  • 1894 – Nikolai Chebotaryov, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1947)
  • 1898 – Hubertus Strughold, German-American physiologist and academic (d. 1986)
  • 1900 – Gotthard Günther, German philosopher and academic (d. 1984)
  • 1900 – Otto Luening, German-American composer and conductor (d. 1996)
  • 1901 – Elmar Lohk, Russian-Estonian architect (d. 1963)
  • 1902 – Erik Erikson, German-American psychologist and psychoanalyst (d. 1994)
  • 1906 – Gordon Welchman, English-American mathematician and author (d. 1985)
  • 1906 – Léon Degrelle, Belgian SS officer (d. 1994)
  • 1907 – James Robertson Justice, English actor and educator (d. 1975)
  • 1909 – Elena Nikolaidi, Greek-American soprano and educator (d. 2002)
  • 1910 – David Rose, English-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1990)
  • 1911 – Wilbert Awdry, English author, co-created Thomas the Tank Engine (d. 1997)
  • 1913 – Tom Adair, American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1914 – Yuri Andropov, Russian politician (d. 1984)
  • 1914 – Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American cartoonist (d. 1999)
  • 1914 – Hilda Terry, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
  • 1915 – Nini Theilade, Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, and educator (d. 2018)
  • 1915 – Thomas Huckle Weller, American biologist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
  • 1916 – Olga Erteszek, Polish-American fashion designer (d. 1989)
  • 1916 – Horacio Salgán, Argentinian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2016)
  • 1916 – Herbert A. Simon, American political scientist and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – John Fenn, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
  • 1917 – Michalis Genitsaris, Greek singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1917 – Lash LaRue, American actor and producer (d. 1996)
  • 1918 – François Tombalbaye, Chadian politician, 1st President of Chad (d. 1975)
  • 1920 – Keith Andrews, American race car driver (d. 1957)
  • 1920 – Alla Kazanskaya, Russian actress (d. 2008)
  • 1920 – Sam Sniderman, Canadian businessman, founded Sam the Record Man (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Alberto Sordi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1921 – Erroll Garner, American pianist and composer (d. 1977)
  • 1922 – Jaki Byard, American pianist and composer (d. 1999)
  • 1923 – Erland Josephson, Swedish actor and director (d. 2012)
  • 1923 – Ninian Stephen, English-Australian lieutenant, judge, and politician, 20th Governor-General of Australia (d. 2017)
  • 1924 – Hédi Fried, Swedish author and psychologist
  • 1924 – Ezer Weizman, Israeli general and politician, 7th President of Israel (d. 2005)
  • 1925 – Richard Baker, English journalist and author (d. 2018)
  • 1925 – Attilâ İlhan, Turkish poet, author, and critic (d. 2005)
  • 1926 – Alfred Duraiappah, Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (d. 1975)
  • 1927 – Ross Andru, American illustrator (d. 1993)
  • 1927 – Ibn-e-Insha, Indian-Pakistani poet and author (d. 1978)
  • 1927 – Hugo Pratt, Italian author and illustrator (d. 1995)
  • 1930 – Miguel Méndez, American author and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Joseph Gilbert, English air marshal
  • 1931 – Brian Sewell, English art dealer and critic (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – David Alliance, Baron Alliance, Iranian-English businessman and politician
  • 1932 – Mario Cuomo, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New York (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Indian singer (d. 2013)
  • 1932 – Bernie Faloney, American-Canadian football player and sportscaster (d. 1999)
  • 1933 – Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Iranian politician, 2nd President of Iran (d. 1981)
  • 1933 – Predrag Koraksić Corax, Serbian political caricaturist
  • 1934 – Ruby Nash Garnett, American R&B singer
  • 1936 – William Levada, American cardinal
  • 1937 – Pierre Billon, Swiss-Canadian author and screenwriter
  • 1937 – Waylon Jennings, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
  • 1938 – Billy Williams, American baseball player and coach
  • 1939 – Ward Connerly, American activist and businessman, founded the American Civil Rights Institute
  • 1941 – Neal Adams, American illustrator
  • 1941 – Harry Nilsson, American singer-songwriter (d. 1994)
  • 1942 – Ian Greenberg, Canadian broadcaster, founded Astral Media
  • 1942 – John E. McLaughlin, American diplomat
  • 1942 – Peter Norman, Australian sprinter (d. 2006)
  • 1943 – Johnny Hallyday, French singer and actor (d. 2017)
  • 1943 – Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Danish politician, 38th Prime Minister of Denmark
  • 1944 – Robert D. Keppel, American police officer and academic
  • 1945 – Miriam Defensor Santiago, Filipino judge and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1945 – Robert Sarah, Guinean cardinal
  • 1945 – Lawrence Wilkerson, American colonel
  • 1946 – Noddy Holder, English rock singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
  • 1946 – John Horner, American paleontologist and academic
  • 1946 – Demis Roussos, Egyptian-Greek singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2015)
  • 1947 – John Hoagland, American photographer and journalist (d. 1984)
  • 1948 – Mike Holmgren, American football player and coach
  • 1948 – Alan Huckle, English politician and diplomat, Governor of Anguilla
  • 1948 – Henry McLeish, Scottish footballer, academic, and politician, 2nd First Minister of Scotland
  • 1949 – Dusty Baker, American baseball player and manager
  • 1949 – Simon Callow, English actor and director
  • 1949 – Russell Hitchcock, Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1949 – Jim Varney, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
  • 1950 – Uğur Erdener, Turkish ophthalmologist and professor
  • 1950 – Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Ghanaian nurse and politician
  • 1950 – Deney Terrio, American choreographer and host of the television musical variety series Dance Fever
  • 1950 – Lakshmi Mittal, Indian-English businessman
  • 1951 – Jane Amsterdam, American magazine and newspaper editor (Manhattan, inc., New York Post)
  • 1951 – Vance A. Larson, American painter (d. 2000)
  • 1951 – John Redwood, English politician, Secretary of State for Wales
  • 1951 – Steve Walsh, American rock singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1952 – Satya Pal Jain, Indian lawyer and politician, Additional Solicitor General of India
  • 1953 – Vilma Bardauskienė, Lithuanian long jumper
  • 1953 – Marc Brickman, American lighting and production designer
  • 1953 – Eje Elgh, Swedish racing driver and sportscaster
  • 1953 – Xi Jinping, Chinese engineer and politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China
  • 1953 – Raphael Wallfisch, English cellist and educator
  • 1954 – Jim Belushi, American actor
  • 1954 – Terri Gibbs, American country music singer and keyboard player
  • 1954 – Paul Rusesabagina, Rwandan humanitarian
  • 1954 – Zdeňka Šilhavá, Czech discus thrower and shot putter
  • 1954 – Beverley Whitfield, Australian swimmer (d. 1996)
  • 1955 – Polly Draper, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1955 – Julie Hagerty, American model and actress
  • 1956 – Yevgeny Kiselyov, Russian-Ukrainian journalist
  • 1956 – Lance Parrish, American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1958 – Wade Boggs, American baseball player
  • 1958 – Riccardo Paletti, Italian racing driver (d. 1982)
  • 1959 – Alan Brazil, Scottish footballer and sportscaster
  • 1959 – Eileen Davidson, American model and actress
  • 1960 – Michèle Laroque, French actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Marieke van Doorn, Dutch field hockey player and coach
  • 1961 – Dave McAuley, Irish boxer and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Scott Norton, American wrestler
  • 1962 – Brad Armstrong, American wrestler (d. 2012)
  • 1962 – Chris Morris, English actor, satirist, director, and producer
  • 1962 – Andrea Rost, Hungarian soprano
  • 1963 – Marina Azyabina, Russian hurdler
  • 1963 – Mario Gosselin, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1963 – Helen Hunt, American actress, director, and producer
  • 1964 – Courteney Cox, American actress and producer
  • 1964 – Michael Laudrup, Danish footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Annelies Bredael, Belgian rower
  • 1965 – Karim Massimov, Kazakhstani politician, 7th Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
  • 1965 – Adam Smith, American lawyer and politician
  • 1966 – Raimonds Vējonis, Latvian politician, 9th President of Latvia
  • 1968 – Károly Güttler, Hungarian swimmer
  • 1969 – Jesse Bélanger, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1969 – Ice Cube, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1969 – Idalis DeLeón, American singer and actress
  • 1969 – Nasos Galakteros, Greek basketball player
  • 1969 – Oliver Kahn, German footballer and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Maurice Odumbe, Kenyan cricketer
  • 1969 – Cédric Pioline, French tennis player
  • 1970 – Christian Bauman, American soldier and author
  • 1970 – David Bayssari, Australian rugby league player
  • 1970 – Gaëlle Méchaly, French soprano
  • 1970 – Leah Remini, American actress and producer
  • 1970 – Žan Tabak, Croatian basketball player and coach
  • 1971 – Christos Myriounis, Greek basketball player
  • 1971 – Jake Busey, American actor, musician, and film producer
  • 1972 – Justin Leonard, American golfer
  • 1972 – Andy Pettitte, American baseball player
  • 1973 – Tore Andre Flo, Norwegian footballer and coach
  • 1973 – Neil Patrick Harris, American actor and singer
  • 1973 – Pia Miranda, Australian actress
  • 1976 – Jiří Ryba, Czech decathlete
  • 1977 – Michael Doleac, American basketball player and manager
  • 1978 – Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer
  • 1978 – Zach Day, American baseball player
  • 1979 – Yulia Nestsiarenka, Belarusian sprinter
  • 1979 – Christian Rahn, German footballer
  • 1979 – Charles Zwolsman, Jr., Dutch racing driver
  • 1980 – David Lyons, Australian rugby player
  • 1981 – John Paintsil, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1982 – Mike Delany, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1982 – Abdur Razzak, Bangladeshi cricketer
  • 1983 – Julia Fischer, German violinist and pianist[citation needed]
  • 1983 – Laura Imbruglia, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist[citation needed]
  • 1983 – Josh McGuire, Canadian fencer
  • 1984 – Luke Hodge, Australian footballer
  • 1984 – Eva Hrdinová, Czech tennis player
  • 1984 – Tim Lincecum, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Edison Toloza, Colombian footballer
  • 1985 – Ashley Nicole Black, American comedian, actress, and writer
  • 1986 – James Maloney, Australian rugby league player
  • 1986 – Trevor Plouffe, American baseball player
  • 1989 – Víctor Cabedo, Spanish cyclist (d. 2012)
  • 1989 – Bryan Clauson, American race car driver (d. 2016)
  • 1992 – Michał Kopczyński, Polish footballer
  • 1992 – Mohamed Salah, Egyptian footballer
  • 1992 – Dafne Schippers, Dutch heptathlete and sprinter
  • 1993 – Irfan Hadžić, Bosnian footballer
  • 1994 – Inaki Williams, Basque footballer
  • 1997 – Madison Kocian, American gymnast

Deaths on June 15

  • 923 – Robert I of France (b. 866)
  • 948 – Romanos I Lekapenos, Byzantine Emperor (b. c. 870)
  • 952 – Murong Yanchao, Chinese general
  • 960 – Eadburh of Winchester, English princess and saint
  • 970 – Adalbert, bishop of Passau
  • 991 – Theophanu, Byzantine wife of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 960)
  • 1073 – Emperor Go-Sanjō of Japan (b. 1034)
  • 1184 – Magnus Erlingsson, King of Norway (b. 1156)
  • 1189 – Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Japanese general (b. 1159)
  • 1246 – Frederick II, Duke of Austria (b. 1219)
  • 1337 – Angelo da Clareno, Italian Franciscan and leader of a group of Fraticelli (b. 1247)
  • 1341 – Andronikos III Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1297)
  • 1381 – John Cavendish, English lawyer and judge (b. 1346)
  • 1381 – Wat Tyler, English rebel leader (b. 1341)
  • 1383 – John VI Kantakouzenos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1292)
  • 1383 – Matthew Kantakouzenos, Byzantine emperor
  • 1389 – Lazar of Serbia (b. 1329)
  • 1389 – Murad I, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1319)
  • 1389 – Miloš Obilić, Serbian knight.
  • 1416 – John, Duke of Berry (b. 1340)
  • 1467 – Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1396)
  • 1521 – Tamás Bakócz, Hungarian cardinal (b. 1442)
  • 1614 – Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English courtier and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1540)
  • 1724 – Henry Sacheverell, English minister and politician (b. 1674)
  • 1768 – James Short, Scottish mathematician and optician (b. 1710)
  • 1772 – Louis-Claude Daquin, French organist and composer (b. 1694)
  • 1844 – Thomas Campbell, Scottish poet and academic (b. 1777)
  • 1849 – James K. Polk, American lawyer and politician, 11th President of the United States (b. 1795)
  • 1858 – Ary Scheffer, Dutch-French painter and academic (b. 1795)
  • 1888 – Frederick III, German Emperor (b. 1831)
  • 1889 – Mihai Eminescu, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1850)
  • 1890 – Unryū Kyūkichi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 10th Yokozuna (b. 1822)
  • 1917 – Kristian Birkeland, Norwegian physicist and academic (b. 1867)
  • 1934 – Alfred Bruneau, French cellist and composer (b. 1857)
  • 1938 – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German painter and illustrator (b. 1880)
  • 1941 – Otfrid Foerster, German neurologist and physician (b. 1873)
  • 1941 – Evelyn Underhill, English mystic and author (b. 1875)
  • 1945 – Count Albert von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein, Austrian diplomat
  • 1961 – Giulio Cabianca, Italian racing driver (b. 1923)
  • 1961 – Peyami Safa, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1899)
  • 1962 – Alfred Cortot, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1877)
  • 1967 – Tatu Kolehmainen, Finnish runner (b. 1885)
  • 1968 – Sam Crawford, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (b. 1880)
  • 1968 – Wes Montgomery, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1925)
  • 1971 – Wendell Meredith Stanley, American biochemist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
  • 1976 – Jimmy Dykes, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1896)
  • 1984 – Meredith Willson, American playwright, composer, and conductor (b. 1902)
  • 1985 – Andy Stanfield, American sprinter (b. 1927)
  • 1989 – Maurice Bellemare, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1912)
  • 1989 – Ray McAnally, Irish actor (b. 1926)
  • 1991 – Happy Chandler, American businessman and politician, 49th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1898)
  • 1991 – Arthur Lewis, Saint Lucian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
  • 1992 – Chuck Menville, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
  • 1992 – Brett Whiteley, Australian painter (b. 1939)
  • 1993 – John Connally, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 61st United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1917)
  • 1993 – James Hunt, English racing driver and sportscaster (b. 1947)
  • 1994 – Manos Hatzidakis, Greek composer and theorist (b. 1925)
  • 1995 – John Vincent Atanasoff, American physicist and inventor, invented the Atanasoff–Berry computer (b. 1903)
  • 1996 – Ella Fitzgerald, American singer and actress (b. 1917)
  • 1996 – Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet, Scottish general and politician (b. 1911)
  • 1996 – Dick Murdoch, American wrestler (b. 1946)
  • 1999 – Omer Côté, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1906)
  • 2000 – Jules Roy, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1907)
  • 2001 – Henri Alekan, French cinematographer (b. 1909)
  • 2002 – Choi Hong Hi, South Korean general and martial artist, founded Taekwondo (b. 1918)
  • 2003 – Hume Cronyn, Canadian-American actor (b. 1911)
  • 2004 – Ahmet Piriştina, Turkish politician and mayor of İzmir (b. 1952)
  • 2005 – Suzanne Flon, French actress (b. 1918)
  • 2006 – Raymond Devos, Belgian-French comedian and clown (b. 1922)
  • 2006 – Herb Pearson, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1910)
  • 2008 – Ray Getliffe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1914)
  • 2011 – Bill Haast, American herpetologist and academic (b. 1910)
  • 2012 – Phillip D. Cagan, American economist and author (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Capitola Dickerson, American pianist and educator (b. 1913)
  • 2012 – Barry MacKay, American tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – Israel Nogueda Otero, Mexican economist and politician, 10th Governor of Guerrero (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – Jerry Tubbs, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Heinz Flohe, German footballer and manager (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – José Froilán González, Argentinian racing driver (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Dennis O’Rourke, Australian director and producer (b. 1945)
  • 2013 – Kenneth G. Wilson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1936)
  • 2014 – Jacques Bergerac, French actor and businessman (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Casey Kasem, American radio host, producer, and voice actor, co-created American Top 40 (b. 1932)
  • 2014 – Daniel Keyes, American short story writer and novelist (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Moise Safra, Brazilian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Banco Safra (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman, founded the Tracinda Corporation (b. 1917)
  • 2016 – Lois Duncan, American author (b. 1934)
  • 2018 – Matt “Guitar” Murphy, American Blues guitarist (The Blues Brothers) (b. 1929)
  • 2019 – Franco Zeffirelli, Italian film director (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances on June 15

  • Arbor Day (Costa Rica)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Abraham of Clermont (or of St Cyriacus)
    • Alice (or Adelaide) of Schaerbeek
    • Augustine of Hippo (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Blessed Albertina Berkenbrock
    • Blessed Clement Vismara
    • Edburga of Winchester
    • Evelyn Underhill (Church of England and The Episcopal Church)
    • Germaine Cousin
    • Landelin (of Crespin or of Lobbes)
    • Trillo
    • Vitus (Guy), Modestus and Crescentia
    • June 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of Valdemar and Reunion Day (Flag Day) (Denmark)
  • Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while June 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday in June. (United States, and most other countries.)
  • Engineer’s Day (Italy)
  • Global Wind Day (international)
  • National Beer Day (United Kingdom)
  • National Salvation Day (Azerbaijan)

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