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ٹیسٹ نمبر 1.(اردو کی ابتداء، مختلف محققین کے نظریات، ابتدائی نقوش)

Past Papers, Test /

ٹیسٹ نمبر 1.(اردو کی ابتداء، مختلف محققین کے نظریات، ابتدائی نقوش)
کل نمبر: 43 ٹائم:50 منٹ
1۔اردو زبان کی ابتداء کی نشوونما میں سب سے زیادہ حصہ کس قوم کا تھا؟
ا۔مسلمان❤
ب۔ہندو
ج۔عیسائی
د۔یہودی
2.بعض محققین “اردو ” کو فارسی زبان کا لفظ بتلاتے ہیں زیادہ تر کے نزدیک کس کا لفظ ہے؟
ا۔ ترکی❤
ب۔اردو
ج۔ فارسی
د۔عربی
3.”اردو ” کا مطلب کیا ہے؟
ا۔لشکر❤
ب۔دو قو موں کی زبان
ج۔چھاؤنی
د۔سپہ سالار
4. آغاز میں اردو کو ” ہندی” يا ہندوستانی” کس نسبت سے کہا گیا؟
ا۔ ہندوستان❤
ب۔ایران
ج۔پاکستان
د۔مصر
5.ا۔کس شخصیت نے 1781میں ترجمہ قرآن مجید کے بارے میں لکھا تھا کہ یہ ترجمہ (ہندی) میں تھا؟
ا۔شاہ عبد القادر❤
ب۔مولوی نذیر احمد
ج۔شاہ ولی اللہ
د۔ حالی
6. ملا وجہی نے اپنی نثری کتاب “سب رس” 1635 میں لکھی تو اردو کو کس نام سے منسوب کیا؟
ا۔ہندی❤
ب۔ہندوستانی
ج۔ اردو
د۔ریختہ
7.کس مغل بادشاہ نے ہندی کا رسم الخط ” نسخ” سے تبدیل کر کے خط نستعلیق میں تبدیل کروایا؟
ا۔شاہ جہاں❤
ب۔بابر
ج۔ اورنگزیب
د۔ہمایوں
8.انگریزوں نے فورٹ ولیم کالج میں پہلی بار چھاپہ خانے لگایا تو اس میں کونسا رسم الخط اپنایا؟
ا۔نستعلیق❤
ب۔نسخ
ج۔ہندی
د۔ہندکو
9. ریختہ کا سب سے پہلے دیوان کس نے مرتب کیا؟
ا۔امیرخسرو❤
ب۔ ولی دکنی
ج۔قلی قطب شاہ
د .ناسخ
10.امیر خسرو کے زمانہ میں “ریختہ” شاعری کے لیے استعمال ہوتا تھا۔خسرو نے اپنی شاعری کو کیا قرار دیا؟
ا۔ہندوی❤
ب۔ہندوستانی
ج۔اردو
د۔گجراتی
11.لفظ ریختہ کو کس نے متروک قرار دیا؟
ا۔ناسخ❤
ب۔غالب
ج۔مومن
د۔مصحفی
12.اردو کے لیے سب سے پہلے کس نے اُردو معلی کا نام تجویز کیا؟
ا۔شاہجہاں❤
ب۔اورنگ زیب
ج۔ہمایوں
د۔بابر
13.فارغ بُخاری نے اردو کی پیدائش کے کس زبان سے منسوب کیا ہے؟
ا۔ہندکو
ب۔پنجابی
ج۔سرائیکی
د۔قدیم پشتو❤
14.سب سے پہلے ہندی زبان کس مبلغ اسلام صوفی نے استعمال کی؟
ا۔ خواجہ معین الدین چشتی
ب۔ بندہ نواز گیسو دراز❤
ج۔ میراں حسین
د۔ شاہ حسین
15.سر سید احمد خان اردو کی پیدائش کو کس کے عہد سے منسوب کرتے ہیں؟
ا۔عہد اورنگزیب
ب۔عہد شاہ جہاں
ج۔ عہد بابر❤
د۔عہد جہانگیر
16۔میر امن باغ و بہار میں”اردو” کی پیدائش کو کس کے عہد سے منسوب کرتے ہیں؟
ا۔ شاہجہان
ب۔ اکبر بادشاہ❤
ج۔ہمایوں
د۔ جہانگیر
17.وہ کونسا زمانہ تھا جس میں جس میں صوفیائے کرام کی مدد سے اُردو کا ابتدائی خاکہ تیار کیا اور جس میں پورے ہندوستان میں رائج ہو گی؟
ا۔پندرہویں صدی
ب۔سترھویں صدی❤
ج۔اٹھارہویں صدی
د۔انیسویں صدی
18.اردو ادب کے لیے خواجہ فرید الدین مسعود شکر گنج کی کیا خدمات ہیں؟
ا۔سرزمین پنجاب سے شعر کا آغاز کیا۔❤
ب۔سر زمین سرحد سے شعر کا آ غاز کیا۔
ج۔سرزمین سندھ سے شعر کا آ غا ز کیا
د۔سر زمین بلوچستان سے شعر کا آ غا ز کیا۔
19.اردوکے ارتقاء میں ہندی، فارسی،راگوں کو ملا کر ہندوستانی موسیقی اختراع کی گئی۔ اس اختراع کو کس نام سے پُکارا گیا؟
ا۔ریختہ
ب۔ ہندی
ج۔ہندکو❤
د۔ہندوستانی
20. شہنشاہ اکبر کے عہد میں”ریختہ” زبان کے لیئے استعمال ہوا؟ بعدازاں یہ کن معنوں میں استعمال ہوا؟
ا۔شاعری❤
ب۔ناول
ج۔خط
د۔افسانہ
21. خواجہ معین الدین چشتی نے اجمیر کو اپنی تبلیغ کا مرکز بنایا۔اجمیر سے قبل انہوں نے کس شہر میں مقامی بولی میں مہارت حاصل کی؟
ا۔ گجرات
ب۔لاہور
ج۔ملتان ❤
د۔فیصل آباد
22. خواجہ فرید الدین گنج شکر نے اپنی رشد و ہدایت کا مرکز کس شہر کو بنایا؟
ا۔ بہاولپور❤
ب۔ پاکپتن
ج۔ساہیوال
د۔اوکاڑہ
23. صوفیاء کرام کا رجحان کس طرف زیادہ تھا؟
ا۔ طب
ب۔ نجوم
ج۔ موسیقی❤
د۔علم الجراحت
24.پندرہویں سے لے کر سترہویں صدی تک صوفیاء کرام نے کس صنف شاعری کو فروغ دیا؟
ا۔ غزل
ب۔ گیت❤
ج۔دوہا
د۔نظم
25.ہندوستان کی مقامی بولیوں کو عربی رسم الخط میں ڈھالنے کا سہرا کس کے سپرد ہے؟
ا۔ اولیاء کرام
ب۔شعراء کرام
ج۔صوفیا کرام❤
د۔اساتذہ کرام
26. صوفیاء کرام کی شاعری کی ایک بڑی خصوصیت کیا ہے؟
الف۔ گائی جا سکتی ہے(sing) ❤
ب۔سنی جا سکتی ہے
ج۔ لکھی جا سکتی ہے۔

27.دکن میں اردو کی پیدائش کا نظریہ کس نے دیا؟
ا۔نصیر الدین ہاشمی❤
ب حافظ محمود شیرانی
ج۔ شوکت سبزواری
د۔محمدحسین آزاد
28۔حافظ محمود شیرانی نے اردو کا سب سے پہلا شاعر کسے قرار دیا؟
ا۔مسعود سعد سلیمان لاہوری❤
ب۔امیر خسرو
ج۔ولی دکنی
29.پنجاب میں اردو کس محقق کی تحقیق ہے؟
ا۔حافظ محمود شیرانی❤
ب۔ نصیرالدین ہاشمی
ج۔ شوکت سبز واری
د۔آئی آئی قاضی
30۔ سید سلیمان ندوی نے سندھ میں اردو کا نظریہ کس کتاب میں پیش کیا؟
ا۔ پنجاب میں اُردو
ب۔دکن میں اردو
ج۔ نقوش سلیمانی❤
د۔اردو زبان کا ارتقاء
31.ہندوستان کے سمندروں میں مسلمانوں کا پہلا بحری بیڑہ 636 میں کس خلیفہ نے بھجوایا تھا؟
ا۔حضرت عمر فاروق❤
ب۔حضرت علی
ج۔حضرت ابو بکر
د۔حضرت عثمان
32 ۔امیر خسرو نے غیاث الدین اور خسرو خان کی جنگ کے حالات غیاث الدین کو کس زبان میں لکھ کر دیئے جو ابتدا ہی سے اُردو کی خون میں شامل ہیں؟
ا۔پنجاب کی زبان❤
ب۔سندھ کی زبان
ج۔سر حد کی زبان
د۔بلوچستان کی زبان
33۔یہ خیال کس کا ہے کہ ہندوستان پر تیمور کے حملے کے وقت اردو زبان کی بنیاد پڑی؟
ا۔ڈاکٹر گل کرسٹ❤
ب۔ حیدر بخش حیدری
ج۔شیر علی افسوس
د۔آزاد
34۔ اکثر محققین کے نزدیک اردو لفظ Horde سے نکلا ہے Horde کس زبان کا لفظ ہے؟
ا۔انگریزی
ب۔لاطینی❤
ج۔پرتگالی
د۔ مرہٹہ
35. ہندوستان میں سب سے پہلی مطبوعہ کتاب کونسی ہے
ا۔باغ و بہار
ب۔فسانہ عجائب❤
ج۔ کربل کتھا
د۔آب حیات

36. محمد حسین آزاد نے آب حیات میں اردو زبان کا ماخذ کونسی زبان کو قرار دیا؟
ا۔برج بھاشا❤
ب۔ہندی
ج۔مرہٹی
د۔پنجابی
37.who is governor state bank?
A.Doctor❤ Raza baqir.
B.sheikh Rasheed
C.shehr Yar Khan Afridi
D.Azam Khan sawati
38.Name of Railway minister?
A .sheikh❤ Rasheed
B.Farogh Naseem
C.perwaiz khatak
D.Noor -ul haq – Qari
39.science n technology minister name?
A.Faroogh Naseem
B.Fawad chouhdari❤
C.Noor- ul-Qari
D.zubaida halal
40.Governor Sindh name?
A Imran Ismail❤
B.shah Farman
C.Abdul Qadoos
D.Raza jalal
41۔تاج پر مونج کا بخیہ۔ضرب المثل سے کیا مراد ہے؟
ا۔رشتہِ جوڑنا
ب۔بے جوڑ بات❤
ج۔بسرام کرنا
د۔مدد کرنا
42.بنت البحر سے کیا مراد ہے؟
ا۔جل پری❤
ب۔کشتی
ج۔انگور کی بیٹی
د۔ہیرا من
43 اڑان کھائی بتانا محاورے کا مفہوم کیا ہے؟
ا۔کھیتی باڑی کرنا
ب۔دھوکہ دینا❤
ج۔ نفرت کرنا
د۔ ضد کرنا

ٹیسٹ نمبر 1.(اردو کی ابتداء، مختلف محققین کے نظریات، ابتدائی نقوش) Read More »

Past Papers, Test

100 MCQs About Natural Disasters

General Knowledge, MCQs / Q&A /

1. Which disaster are most likely to extinguish the human race? – Volcanoes and extraterrestrial impacts
2. What’s the smallest asteroid or comet that could cause devastating effects for humanity? – 1 kilometer wide – the equivalent of about a 10-minute walk
3. What is the biggest coronal mass ejections (CME) on record to hit Earth? – The arrington Event
4. What is the chance that a Carrington-like storm will hit in the next ten years? – 12 %
5. Which of these events may have been responsible for nearly wiping out the human race? – A supervolcano
6. How far does a supervolcano’s incineration zone extend? – 100 Kilometers
7. Where is the world’s biggest earthquake machine located? – Miki, Japan
8. What, according to some scientists, is the ideal post apocalyptic food? – Mushrooms
9. At No. 1 on the list, _____ are the most common natural disaster. – Floods
10. Landslides, tsunamis and avalanches can all be caused by what other natural disaster? –Earthquakes
11. Which volcanic feature is the deadliest? – The flow of ash, rock and gasses moving down a volcano’s side
12. The deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history was a _____ that hit Galveston, TX in 1900, killing about 7,000 people. – Hurricane
13. What makes a tornado dark colored? – The dirt and debris it sucks up
14. One of America’s worst natural disasters occurred in 1980, when a _____ damaged much
of the southern U.S. – Heat Wave
15. Below average rainfall for a prolonged period of time is called – Drought
16. What is a Tsunami? – A large wave usually formed by undersea earthquakes and landslides.
17. A sudden movement in the earth’s crust caused by movements of tectonic plates is called? – An earthquake
18. What is a natural disaster? – When a natural hazard impacts on the community causing destruction of property and loss of life.
19. The phenomenon of unusually cool ocean currents off the coast of Australia is called – El Nino
20. The social impacts of natural hazards include: – Loss of income to people or damage to an industry, illnesses cause by hazard, no form of communication
21. Natural Hazards can be separated into _________ and ________ categories. – Economic Impacts and Environmental Impacts
22. Indicates the severity of an earthquake in terms of the damage that it inflicts on structures and people – Intensity Scale
23. Boundary where plates are moving towards each other – Convergent
24. A fan shaped deposit of sand and gravel at the mouth of a mountain canyon where the stream gradient flattens at main valley floor – Alluvial Fan
25. A ground depression caused by collapse into an underground cavern – Sinkhole
26. Volcanic dome composed of rhyolite and rhyodacite – Rhyolite Dome
27. Form as sediment is deposited in the slower waters on the inside of the meander bends – Point bar
28. The number peaks per second – Frequency
29. Record local and very strong earthquakes – Strong-motion Seismograph
30. A measure of the total energy expended during an earthquake; depends on its seismic moment determined by: rock shear strength, area of rock, average slip distance offset across the – Moment Magnitude
31. A landslide in which the mass rotates as it slides on a basal slip surface – Rotational Slide
32. Blocky basalt lava with a ragged clinkery surface – Aa Flow
33. Karst-like landscape in permafrost terrain caused by melting of thermofrost under increasing temperatures – Thermokarst
34. Flat-topped volcano formed by an eruption under a glacier – Tuya
35. Molten rock – Magma
36. Record both local and distant earthquakes; but cannot accurately measure strong earthquakes in the direct vicinity – Broadband Seismograph
37. A slurry of rock, sand, water flowing downslope; water usually makes up less than half of the flow volume –Debris Flow
38. Ice that crystallizes in pores between grains of sediment – Interstitial Ice
39. Developed 1953l based on maximum amplitude of earthquake waves recorded on a Wood Anderson Seismograph – Richter Magnitude Scale
40. The total area inundated by the tsunami – Run-out distance
41. The height to which a tsunami wave rushes up onshore – Run-up height
42. Rigid outer rind of Earth approximately 60-100km thick – Lithosphere
43. Maximum angle of which sediment particles can stand without falling (dependent on grain size, grain angularity, moisture content) – Critical Angle of Repose
44. Heavier sediment in a stream that is moved along the stream bed rather than in suspension – Bedload
45. Energy level between Richter Scale Units differs by ______ times – 31.5
46. A flow of mud, rock, and water dominated by clay-sized particles – Mud Flow
47. Rapid movement of land, ranging from cm/hr to m/s of material disappearing almost instantaneously – Collapse
48. Relatively flat lowland that borders a river usually dry but subject to flooding – Floodplain
49. Water saturated sediment jostled by an earthquake rearrange themselves into a closer packing arragement – Liquefaction
50. Where the earthquake actually happens in the earth’s crust, where energy is radiating out from all directions – Focus
51. A circular or oval feature resulting from the dissolution of rock – Doline
52. Natural & Human Created Hazard like floods, droughts, wildland fires, weather phenomena, landslides are called – Hydrometeorological Hazards
53. Type of collision forms continent volcanic arc of stratovolcanoes – Ocean-Continent
54. Basalt lava with a ropy or smooth top – Pahoehoe Flow
55. Magma that flows out onto the ground surface – Lava
56. Fragmental material blown out of a volcano (ex. tephra, cinders, and bombs) – Pyroclastic
57. A particle of volcanic ash between 2mm and 6mm across – Lapilli
58. Type of collision that forms oceanic island arc of basaltic volcanoes – Ocean-Ocean
59. Point where boundaries of 3 plates meet – Triple Junction
60. Natural Hazards like Earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic Eruptions, Asteroid/Comet Impacts, Landslides are called – Geophysical Hazard
61. Rapid discharge of water from an ice-dammed lake, typically resulting from a volcanic eruption – Jokulhlaup
62. Tsunami that strikes area adjacent to its point of origin – Near Field Tsunami
63. A broad expanse of basalt lava that cooled to fill in low-lying areas of the landscape – Flood Basalt
64. An extremely large basalt-lava volcano, gently sloping sides – Shield Volcano
65. Where the earthquake actually appears on the earth’s surface, sometimes there is a rupture at that point – Epicentre
66. Downslope creep driven by sequential freezing and thawing – Gelifluction
67. A huge collapse depression at the Earth’s surface that sank into a near-surface magma chamber during eruption of the magma – Resurgent Caldera
68. The length of a fault broken during an earthquake – Surface Rupture Length
69. Developed in 1902 by Giuseppe Mercalli – Mercalli Intensity Scale
70. Measure earthquakes quantitatively, independent of location and assigns a magnitude value based on energy released – Magnitude Scale
71. Involves the movement of a slab of rock, debris, or cohesive mud as a single unit – Slide
72. The time between seismic waves – Period
73. Extremely rapid downslope movement of large volumes of rock and debris – Sturzstrom
74. Secondary/Shear waves that shake back and forth perpendicular to the direction of wave travel, cannot travel through a liquid (4.5km/s upper mantle, 3.5km/s crust) – S Wave
75. Used to measure earthquakes – Seismograph
76. The potential degree to which an individual or community could be affected by a natural hazard – Sensitivity
77. Records distant earthquakes – Long-period Seismograph
78. A river characterized by multiple, frequency shifting channels – Braided River
79. An ice jam initiated by rpaid change in temperature – Thermal Ice Jam
80. Extremely slow downslope flow of sediment on the surface – Creep
81. Slope of the river channel; typically decreases downstream – Gradient
82. A mudflow associated with volcanic action or involving volcanic materials – Lahar
83. Component of stress perpendicular to the earth’s planar surface (force keeping the boulder/grain from moving) – Normal Stress
84. A flow involving movement of broken rock, with little sand or mud, and particle-particle contact; usually developed in gravel or sand – Grain Flow
85. A mass of cold, solid rock ejected from a volcano – Block
86. Fine materials (dust, ash, and cinders) produced by volcanic action – Tephra
87. An elevation that a stream cannot erode past, controlled by level of the body of water which the stream discharges into – Base Level
88. A landslide that moves along a regular sloping planar surface – Translational Slide
89. Mineral composed of potassium chloride, a salt used in manufacturing fertilizer – Sylvite
90. Mineral or rock composed of sodium chloride; susceptible to dissolution – Halite
91. An event involving a significant number of people and/or significant economic damage – Disaster
92. The deepest parts of the channel along the length of the stream bed – Thalweg
93. Lenses of pure ice developed in permafrost sediment – Segregated Ice
94. An abnormally long wavelength wave produced by sudden displacement of water – Tsunami
95. Topographic line or boundary separating watersheds – Drainage Divide
96. Formed on the ceiling of a cavern when water percolates through fractures in limestone – Stalactite
97. A large steep-sided volcano consisting of layers of ash, fragmental debris and lava – Stratovolcanoes
98. The amount the fault or ridge moves away from its point of origin (aka displacement) – Offset
99. A mass of liquid of partially solidified rock that is ejected from a volcano – Bomb
100. Relatively slow movement of land, typically at rates of cm/yr – Subsidence

 

100 MCQs About Natural Disasters Read More »

General Knowledge, MCQs / Q&A

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

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

Births on July 21

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

Deaths on July 21

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

Holidays and observances on July 21

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

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on July 20

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

Deaths on July 20

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

Holidays and observances on July 20

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

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

On This Day

May 27 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens.At least 600 Jews are killed.
  • 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death.
  • 1153 – Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland.
  • 1199 – John is crowned King of England.
  • 1257 – Richard of Cornwall, and his wife, Sanchia of Provence, are crowned King and Queen of the Germans at Aachen Cathedral.
  • 1644 – Manchu regent Dorgon defeats rebel leader Li Zicheng of the Shun dynasty at the Battle of Shanhai Pass, allowing the Manchus to enter and conquer the capital city of Beijing.
  • 1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founds the city of Saint Petersburg.
  • 1798 – The Battle of Oulart Hill takes place in Wexford, Ireland; Irish rebel leaders defeat and kill a detachment of militia.
  • 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Austrian forces defeat the French at Winterthur, Switzerland.
  • 1813 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George.
  • 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi begins his attack on Palermo, Sicily, as part of the Italian unification.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: First Assault on the Confederate works at the Siege of Port Hudson.
  • 1874 – The first group of Dorsland trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts leaves Pretoria.
  • 1883 – Alexander III is crowned Tsar of Russia.
  • 1896 – The F4-strength St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado hits in St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, killing at least 255 people and causing over $10–million in damage.
  • 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima begins.
  • 1917 – Pope Benedict XV promulgates the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first comprehensive codification of Catholic canon law in the legal history of the Catholic Church.
  • 1919 – The NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon after completing the first transatlantic flight.
  • 1927 – The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacture of the Ford Model T and begins to retool plants to make the Ford Model A.
  • 1930 – The 1,046 feet (319 m) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public.
  • 1933 – New Deal: The U.S. Federal Securities Act is signed into law requiring the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.
  • 1933 – The Walt Disney Company releases the cartoon Three Little Pigs, with its hit song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”
  • 1935 – New Deal: The Supreme Court of the United States declares the National Industrial Recovery Act to be unconstitutional in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, (295 U.S. 495).
  • 1937 – In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic, creating a vital link between San Francisco and Marin County, California.
  • 1940 – World War II: In the Le Paradis massacre, 99 soldiers from a Royal Norfolk Regiment unit are shot after surrendering to German troops; two survive.
  • 1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaims an “unlimited national emergency”.
  • 1941 – World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic killing almost 2,100 men.
  • 1942 – World War II: In Operation Anthropoid, Reinhard Heydrich is fatally wounded in Prague; he dies of his injuries eight days later.
  • 1958 – First flight of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.
  • 1960 – In Turkey, a military coup removes President Celâl Bayar and the rest of the democratic government from office.
  • 1962 – The Centralia mine fire is ignited in the town’s landfill above a coal mine.
  • 1965 – Vietnam War: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation Front targets within South Vietnam.
  • 1967 – Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census.
  • 1967 – The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is launched by Jacqueline Kennedy and her daughter Caroline.
  • 1971 – The Dahlerau train disaster, the worst railway accident in West Germany, kills 46 people and injures 25 near Wuppertal.
  • 1971 – Pakistani forces massacre over 200 civilians, mostly Bengali Hindus, in the Bagbati massacre.
  • 1975 – Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, in North Yorkshire, England, kills 33 – the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom.
  • 1980 – The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more.
  • 1984 – The Danube-Black Sea canal is opened, in a ceremony attended by the Ceaușescus. It had been under construction since the 1950s.
  • 1996 – First Chechen War: the Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire.
  • 1997 – The 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak occurs, spawning multiple tornadoes in Central Texas, including the F5 that killed 27 in Jarrell.
  • 1998 – Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot.
  • 2001 – Members of the Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf seize twenty hostages from an affluent island resort on Palawan in the Philippines; the hostage crisis would not be resolved until June 2002.
  • 2006 – The 6.4 Mw  Yogyakarta earthquake shakes central Java with an MSK intensity of VIII (Damaging), leaving more than 5,700 dead and 37,000 injured.
  • 2016 – Barack Obama is the first president of United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha.
  • 2017 – Andrew Scheer takes over after Rona Ambrose as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
  • 2018 – Maryland Flood Event: A flood occurs throughout the Patapsco Valley causing one death and destroying the entire first floors of buildings on Main Street in Ellicott City and causing cars to overturn.

Births on May 27

  • 742 – Emperor Dezong of Tang (d. 805)
  • 1332 – Ibn Khaldun, Tunisian historian and theologian (d. 1406)
  • 1378 – Zhu Quan, Chinese military commander, historian and playwright (d. 1448)
  • 1519 – Girolamo Mei, Italian historian and theorist (d. 1594)
  • 1537 – Louis IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg (d. 1604)
  • 1576 – Caspar Schoppe, German author and scholar (d. 1649)
  • 1584 – Michael Altenburg, German theologian and composer (d. 1640)
  • 1601 – Antoine Daniel, French-Canadian missionary and saint (d. 1648)
  • 1626 – William II, Prince of Orange (d. 1650)
  • 1627 – Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier (d. 1693)
  • 1651 – Louis Antoine de Noailles, French cardinal (d. 1729)
  • 1652 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine of Germany (d. 1722)
  • 1738 – Nathaniel Gorham, American merchant and politician, 14th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1796)
  • 1756 – Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (d. 1825)
  • 1774 – Francis Beaufort, Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy (d. 1857)
  • 1794 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1877)
  • 1814 – John Rudolph Niernsee, Viennese-born American architect (d.1885)
  • 1815 – Henry Parkes, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1896)
  • 1818 – Amelia Bloomer, American journalist and activist (d. 1894)
  • 1819 – Julia Ward Howe, American poet and songwriter (d. 1910)
  • 1827 – Samuel F. Miller, American lawyer and politician (d. 1892)
  • 1832 – Zenas Ferry Moody, American surveyor and politician, 7th Governor of Oregon (d. 1917)
  • 1836 – Jay Gould, American businessman and financier (d. 1892)
  • 1837 – Wild Bill Hickok, American police officer (d. 1876)
  • 1852 – Billy Barnes, English cricketer (d. 1899)
  • 1857 – Theodor Curtius, German chemist (d. 1928)
  • 1860 – Manuel Teixeira Gomes, Portuguese politician, 7th President of Portugal (d. 1941)
  • 1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (d. 1921)
  • 1867 – Arnold Bennett, English author and playwright (d. 1931)
  • 1868 – Aleksa Šantić, Bosnian poet and author (d. 1924)
  • 1871 – Georges Rouault, French painter and illustrator (d. 1958)
  • 1875 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (d. 1942)
  • 1876 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 1945)
  • 1876 – William Stanier, English engineer (d. 1965)
  • 1878 – Anna Cervin, Swedish artist (d. 1972)
  • 1879 – Karl Bühler, German-American linguist and psychologist (d. 1963)
  • 1879 – Hans Lammers, German judge and politician (d. 1962)
  • 1883 – Jessie Arms Botke, American painter (d. 1971)
  • 1884 – Max Brod, Czech journalist, author, and composer (d. 1968)
  • 1887 – Frank Woolley, English cricketer (d. 1978)
  • 1888 – Louis Durey, French composer (d. 1979)
  • 1891 – Claude Champagne, Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (d. 1965)
  • 1891 – Jaan Kärner, Estonian poet and author (d. 1958)
  • 1894 – Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French physician and author (d. 1961)
  • 1894 – Dashiell Hammett, American detective novelist and screenwriter (d. 1961)
  • 1895 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (d. 1995)
  • 1897 – John Cockcroft, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
  • 1897 – Dink Templeton, American rugby player and coach (d. 1962)
  • 1898 – David Crosthwait, American engineer, inventor and writer (d. 1976)
  • 1899 – Johannes Türn, Estonian chess and draughts player (d. 1993)
  • 1900 – Lotte Toberentz, German overseer of the Nazi Uckermark concentration camp (d. 1964)
  • 1900 – Uładzimir Žyłka, Belarusian poet and translator (d. 1933)
  • 1904 – Chūhei Nambu, Japanese jumper and journalist (d. 1997)
  • 1906 – Buddhadasa, Thai monk and philosopher (d. 1993)
  • 1906 – Harry Hibbs, English footballer (d. 1984)
  • 1906 – Antonio Rosario Mennonna, Italian bishop (d. 2009)
  • 1907 – Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and critic (d. 1988)
  • 1907 – Rachel Carson, American biologist, environmentalist, and author (d. 1964)
  • 1909 – Dolores Hope, American singer and philanthropist (d. 2011)
  • 1911 – Hubert Humphrey, American journalist and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (d. 1978)
  • 1911 – Teddy Kollek, Hungarian-Israeli politician, Mayor of Jerusalem (d. 2007)
  • 1911 – Vincent Price, American actor (d. 1993)
  • 1912 – John Cheever, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1982)
  • 1912 – Sam Snead, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2002)
  • 1912 – Terry Moore, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1995)
  • 1915 – Ester Soré, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1996)
  • 1915 – Herman Wouk, American novelist (d. 2019)
  • 1917 – Harry Webster, English engineer (d. 2007)
  • 1918 – Yasuhiro Nakasone, Japanese commander and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2019)
  • 1921 – Bob Godfrey, Australian-English animator, director, and voice actor (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (d. 2015)
  • 1922 – Christopher Lee, English actor (d. 2015)
  • 1922 – John D. Vanderhoof, American banker and politician, 37th Governor of Colorado (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Henry Kissinger, German-American political scientist and politician, 56th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1923 – Sumner Redstone, American businessman and philanthropist
  • 1924 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (d. 2014)
  • 1924 – John Sumner, English-Australian director, founded the Melbourne Theatre Company (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Tony Hillerman, American journalist and author (d. 2008)
  • 1927 – Jüri Randviir, Estonian chess player and journalist (d. 1996)
  • 1928 – Thea Musgrave, Scottish-American composer and educator
  • 1930 – John Barth, American novelist and short story writer
  • 1930 – William S. Sessions, American civil servant and judge, 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • 1930 – Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2010)
  • 1931 – André Barbeau, French-Canadian neurologist (d. 1986)
  • 1931 – John Chapple, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Gibraltar
  • 1931 – Bernard Fresson, French actor (d. 2002)
  • 1931 – Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress and producer (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Philip Kotler, American author and professor
  • 1933 – Edward Samuel Rogers, Canadian businessman (d. 2008)
  • 1933 – Manfred Sommer, Spanish author and illustrator (d. 2007)
  • 1934 – Ray Daviault, Canadian-American baseball player
  • 1934 – Harlan Ellison, American author and screenwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Daniel Colchico, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1935 – Mal Evans, British road manager of The Beatles (d. 1976)
  • 1935 – Jerry Kindall, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
  • 1935 – Ramsey Lewis, American jazz pianist and composer
  • 1935 – Lee Meriwether, American model and actress, Miss America 1955
  • 1936 – Benjamin Bathurst, English admiral
  • 1936 – Louis Gossett, Jr., American actor and producer
  • 1936 – Marcel Masse, Canadian educator and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2014)
  • 1937 – Allan Carr, American playwright and producer (d. 1999)
  • 1939 – Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns, English courtier and businessman
  • 1939 – Yves Duhaime, Canadian captain and politician
  • 1939 – Sokratis Kokkalis, Greek businessman
  • 1939 – Gerald Ronson, English businessman and philanthropist
  • 1939 – Lionel Sosa, Mexican-American advertising and marketing executive
  • 1939 – Don Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
  • 1940 – Mike Gibson, Australian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2015)
  • 1942 – Lee Baca, American police officer
  • 1942 – Piers Courage, English racing driver (d. 1970)
  • 1942 – Roger Freeman, Baron Freeman, English accountant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
  • 1942 – Robin Widdows, English racing driver
  • 1943 – Cilla Black, English singer and actress (d. 2015)
  • 1943 – Bruce Weitz, American actor
  • 1944 – Chris Dodd, American lawyer and politician
  • 1944 – Ingrid Roscoe, English historian and politician, Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire
  • 1944 – Alain Souchon, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1945 – Bruce Cockburn, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1946 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (d. 2005)
  • 1946 – John Williams, English motorcycle racer (d. 1978)
  • 1947 – Peter DeFazio, American politician
  • 1947 – Marty Kristian, German-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1947 – Branko Oblak, Slovenian footballer and coach
  • 1947 – Riivo Sinijärv, Estonian politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1948 – Wubbo de Boer, Dutch civil servant (d. 2017)
  • 1948 – Pete Sears, English bass player
  • 1948 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1949 – Hugh Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale, English politician
  • 1949 – Christa Vahlensieck, German runner
  • 1950 – Dee Dee Bridgewater, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1950 – Makis Dendrinos, Greek basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1951 – John Conteh, English boxer
  • 1954 – Pauline Hanson, Australian businesswoman, activist, and politician
  • 1954 – Jackie Slater, American football player and coach
  • 1955 – Eric Bischoff, American wrestler, manager, and producer
  • 1955 – Richard Schiff, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1955 – Ian Tracey, English organist and conductor
  • 1956 – Cynthia McFadden, American journalist
  • 1956 – Rosemary Squire, English producer and manager, co-founded Ambassador Theatre Group
  • 1956 – Giuseppe Tornatore, Italian director and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Dag Terje Andersen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Labour
  • 1957 – Nitin Gadkari, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Transport
  • 1957 – Eddie Harsch, Canadian-American keyboard player and bass player (d. 2016)
  • 1957 – Siouxsie Sioux, English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
  • 1958 – Nick Anstee, English accountant and politician, 682nd Lord Mayor of London
  • 1958 – Neil Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1958 – Jesse Robredo, Filipino politician, 23rd Filipino Secretary of the Interior (d. 2012)
  • 1960 – Gaston Therrien, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1961 – José Luíz Barbosa, Brazilian runner and coach
  • 1961 – Peri Gilpin, American actress
  • 1962 – Marcelino Bernal, Mexican footballer
  • 1962 – Ray Borner, Australian basketball player
  • 1962 – Steven Brill, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Anthony A. Hyman, Israeli-English biologist and academic
  • 1962 – David Mundell, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
  • 1962 – Ravi Shastri, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1963 – Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Cuban pianist and composer
  • 1963 – Maria Walliser, Swiss skier
  • 1964 – Adam Carolla, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1965 – Pat Cash, Australian-English tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Heston Blumenthal, English chef and author
  • 1967 – Paul Gascoigne, English international footballer, midfielder, coach, and manager
  • 1967 – Eddie McClintock, American actor
  • 1968 – Jeff Bagwell, American baseball player and coach
  • 1968 – Rebekah Brooks, English journalist
  • 1968 – Harun Erdenay, Turkish basketball player and coach
  • 1968 – Frank Thomas, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Todd Hundley, American baseball player
  • 1969 – Jeremy Mayfield, American race car driver
  • 1969 – Craig Federighi, American computer scientist and engineer
  • 1970 – Michele Bartoli, Italian cyclist
  • 1970 – Tim Farron, English educator and politician
  • 1970 – Joseph Fiennes, English actor
  • 1970 – Alex Archer, American-born Australian musician
  • 1971 – Mathew Batsiua, Nauruan politician
  • 1971 – Paul Bettany, English actor
  • 1971 – Wayne Carey, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1971 – Kaur Kender, Estonian author
  • 1971 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (d. 2002)
  • 1971 – Lee Sharpe, English footballer
  • 1971 – Grant Stafford, South African tennis player
  • 1971 – Sophie Walker, British politician, leader of the Women’s Equality Party
  • 1971 – Petroc Trelawny, British radio and television broadcaster
  • 1972 – Todd Demsey, American golfer
  • 1972 – Antonio Freeman, American football player
  • 1972 – Maxim Sokolov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1973 – Jack McBrayer, American actor and comedian
  • 1973 – Tana Umaga, New Zealand rugby player and coach
  • 1973 – Yorgos Lanthimos, Greek film video, and theatre director, producer and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Skye Edwards, British singer-songwriter
  • 1974 – Denise van Outen, English actress, singer, and television host
  • 1974 – Derek Webb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Danny Wuerffel, American football player
  • 1975 – André 3000, American rapper
  • 1975 – Michael Hussey, Australian cricketer
  • 1975 – Jamie Oliver, English chef and author
  • 1975 – Feryal Özel, Turkish astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
  • 1976 – Marcel Fässler, Swiss racing driver
  • 1977 – Abderrahmane Hammad, Algerian high jumper
  • 1977 – Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1978 – Adin Brown, American soccer player
  • 1979 – Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1979 – Mile Sterjovski, Australian footballer
  • 1980 – Craig Buntin, Canadian figure skater
  • 1981 – Alina Cojocaru, Romanian ballerina
  • 1981 – Johan Elmander, Swedish footballer
  • 1984 – Blake Ahearn, American basketball player
  • 1984 – Miguel González, Mexican baseball pitcher
  • 1985 – Chiang Chien-ming, Taiwanese baseball player
  • 1985 – Roberto Soldado, Spanish footballer
  • 1986 – Conor Cummins, Manx motorcycle racer
  • 1986 – Bamba Fall, Senegalese basketball player
  • 1986 – Lasse Schöne, Danish footballer
  • 1987 – Gervinho, Ivorian footballer
  • 1987 – Bella Heathcote, Australian actress
  • 1987 – Eric Kolelas, French-English actor and director
  • 1987 – Bora Paçun, Turkish basketball player
  • 1987 – Matt Prior, Australian rugby league player
  • 1987 – Martina Sablikova, Czech speed skater and cyclist
  • 1988 – Vontae Davis, American football player
  • 1988 – Irina Davydova, Russian hurdler
  • 1988 – Garrett Richards, American baseball pitcher
  • 1988 – Tyler Sash, American football player (d. 2015)
  • 1989 – Igor Morozov, Estonian footballer
  • 1990 – Yenew Alamirew, Ethiopian runner
  • 1990 – Chris Colfer, American actor and singer
  • 1990 – Marcus Kruger, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1991 – Sebastien Dewaest, Belgian footballer
  • 1991 – Tim Lafai, Samoan rugby league player
  • 1991 – Ksenia Pervak, Russian tennis player
  • 1991 – Eneli Vals, Estonian footballer
  • 1992 – Aaron Brown, Canadian sprinter
  • 1992 – Laurence Vincent-Lapointe, Canadian canoer

Deaths on May 27

  • 366 – Procopius, Roman usurper (b. 325)
  • 398 – Murong Bao, emperor of the Xianbei state Later Yan (b. 355)
  • 475 – Eutropius, bishop of Orange
  • 866 – Ordoño I of Asturias (b. 831)
  • 927 – Simeon I of Bulgaria first Bulgarian Emperor (b. 864)
  • 1039 – Dirk III, Count of Holland (b. 981)
  • 1045 – Bruno of Würzburg, imperial chancellor of Italy (b. c. 1005)
  • 1178 – Godfrey van Rhenen, bishop of Utrecht
  • 1240 – William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey (b. 1166)
  • 1444 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English commander (b. 1404)
  • 1508 – Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1452)
  • 1508 – Lucrezia Crivelli, mistress of Ludovico Sforza (b. 1452)
  • 1525 – Thomas Müntzer, German mystic and theologian (b. 1488)
  • 1541 – Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (b. 1473)
  • 1564 – John Calvin, French pastor and theologian (b. 1509)
  • 1610 – François Ravaillac, French assassin of Henry IV of France (b. 1578)
  • 1624 – Diego Ramírez de Arellano, Spanish sailor and cosmographer (b. c. 1580)
  • 1637 – John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, English politician (b. c. 1566)
  • 1661 – Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, Scottish general and politician (b. 1607)
  • 1675 – Gaspard Dughet, Italian-French painter (b. 1613)
  • 1690 – Giovanni Legrenzi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1626)
  • 1702 – Dominique Bouhours, French priest and critic (b. 1628)
  • 1707 – Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan, French mistress of Louis XIV of France (b. 1640)
  • 1781 – Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1716)
  • 1797 – François-Noël Babeuf, French journalist (b. 1760)
  • 1831 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (b. 1799)
  • 1840 – Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1782)
  • 1867 – Thomas Bulfinch American mythologist (b. 1796)
  • 1896 – Aleksandr Stoletov, Russian physicist, engineer, and academic (b. 1839)
  • 1910 – Robert Koch, German physician and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
  • 1918 – Ōzutsu Man’emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 18th Yokozuna (b. 1869)
  • 1919 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian author and activist (b. 1848)
  • 1933 – Achille Paroche, French target shooter (b. 1868)
  • 1939 – Joseph Roth, Austrian-French journalist and author (b. 1894)
  • 1941 – Ernst Lindemann, German captain (b. 1894)
  • 1941 – Günther Lütjens, German admiral (b. 1889)
  • 1942 – Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, Turkish theologian, logician, and translator (b. 1878)
  • 1943 – Gordon Coates, New Zealand soldier and politician, 21st Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1878)
  • 1945 – Enno Lolling, German physician (b. 1888)
  • 1947 – Ed Konetchy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1885)
  • 1949 – Robert Ripley, American cartoonist, publisher, and businessman, founded Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (b. 1890)
  • 1953 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player and manager (b. 1868)
  • 1960 – James Montgomery Flagg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1877)
  • 1963 – Grigoris Lambrakis, Greek physician and politician (b. 1912)
  • 1964 – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of India (b. 1889)
  • 1967 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (b. 1880)
  • 1967 – Ernst Niekisch, German academic and politician (b. 1889)
  • 1969 – Jeffrey Hunter, American actor and producer (b. 1926)
  • 1971 – Béla Juhos, Hungarian-Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1901)
  • 1971 – Armando Picchi, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1935)
  • 1980 – Gün Sazak, Turkish agronomist and politician (b. 1932)
  • 1984 – Vasilije Mokranjac, Serbian composer (b. 1923)
  • 1986 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
  • 1986 – Ajoy Mukherjee, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (b. 1901)
  • 1986 – Giorgos Tzifos, Greek actor and cinematographer (b. 1918)
  • 1987 – John Howard Northrop, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
  • 1988 – Hjördis Petterson, Swedish actress (b. 1908)
  • 1988 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
  • 1989 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (b. 1907)
  • 1990 – Robert B. Meyner, American lawyer and politician, 44th Governor of New Jersey (b. 1908)
  • 1991 – Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist and theorist (b. 1904)
  • 1992 – Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (b. 1890)
  • 1998 – Minoo Masani, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
  • 2000 – Kazimierz Leski, Polish engineer and pilot (b. 1912)
  • 2000 – Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, Scottish politician and diplomat, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (b. 1917)
  • 2000 – Maurice Richard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1921)
  • 2003 – Luciano Berio, Italian composer and educator (b. 1925)
  • 2006 – Rob Borsellino, American journalist (b. 1949)
  • 2006 – Paul Gleason, American actor (b. 1939)
  • 2006 – Craig Heyward, American football player (b. 1966)
  • 2007 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1967)
  • 2007 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (b. 1932)
  • 2007 – Ed Yost, American inventor, created the hot air balloon (b. 1919)
  • 2008 – Franz Künstler, Hungarian soldier (b. 1900)
  • 2009 – Thomas M. Franck, American lawyer and academic (b. 1931)
  • 2009 – Clive Granger, Welsh-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1934)
  • 2009 – Mona Grey, British nursing administrator; Northern Ireland’s first Chief Nursing Officer
  • 2009 – Abram Hoffer, Canadian biochemist, physician, and psychiatrist (b. 1917)
  • 2009 – Gérard Jean-Juste, Haitian-American priest and theologian (b. 1946)
  • 2009 – Carol Anne O’Marie, American nun and author (b. 1933)
  • 2009 – William Refshauge, Australian soldier and physician (b. 1913)
  • 2009 – Paul Sharratt, English-American television host (b. 1933)
  • 2010 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (b. 1929)
  • 2011 – Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (b. 1950)
  • 2011 – Margo Dydek, Polish-American basketball player (b. 1974)
  • 2011 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1949)
  • 2012 – Simeon Daniel, Nevisian educator and politician, 1st Premier of Nevis (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Friedrich Hirzebruch, German mathematician and academic (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – David Rimoin, Canadian-American geneticist and academic (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Abdoulaye Sékou Sow, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Robert Genn, Canadian painter and author (b. 1936)
  • 2014 – Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Massimo Vignelli, Italian-American graphic designer (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Erik Carlsson, Swedish rally driver (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Nils Christie, Norwegian sociologist, criminologist, and author (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Andy King, English footballer and manager (b. 1956)
  • 2015 – Michael Martin, American philosopher and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2017 – Gregg Allman, American musician, singer and songwriter (b. 1947)
  • 2020 – Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (b. 1935)

Holidays and observances on May 27

  • Armed Forces Day (Nicaragua)
  • Children’s Day (Nigeria)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Augustine of Canterbury
    • Blessed Lojze Grozde
    • Bede (commemoration, Anglican Communion)
    • Bruno of Würzburg
    • Eutropius of Orange
    • Hildebert
    • Julius the Veteran
    • May 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Mother’s Day (Bolivia)
  • Navy Day (Japan)
  • Slavery Abolition Day (Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin)
  • Start of National Reconciliation Week (Australia)

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