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

  • 1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa.
  • 217 BC – The Romans, led by Gaius Flaminius, are ambushed and defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene.
  • 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Rome.
  • 474 – Julius Nepos forces Roman usurper Glycerius to abdicate the throne and proclaims himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
  • 637 – The Battle of Moira is fought between the High King of Ireland and the Kings of Ulster and Dál Riata. It is claimed to be the largest battle in the history of Ireland.
  • 972 – Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place.
  • 1128 – Battle of São Mamede, near Guimarães: Forces led by Afonso I defeat forces led by his mother Teresa of León and her lover Fernando Pérez de Traba.
  • 1230 – The Siege of Jaén begins, in the context of the Spanish Reconquista.
  • 1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce.
  • 1340 – Hundred Years’ War: Battle of Sluys: The French fleet is almost completely destroyed by the English fleet commanded in person by King Edward III.
  • 1374 – A sudden outbreak of St. John’s Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.
  • 1497 – John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.
  • 1509 – Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England.
  • 1535 – The Dominion of Münster, a radical communal Anabaptist state in the independent German city of Münster, is conquered by Franz von Waldeck, the Catholic Prince-Bishopric of Münster in a night attack.
  • 1571 – Miguel López de Legazpi founds Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
  • 1604 – Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present-day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
  • 1622 – Battle of Macau: The Dutch make a failed attempt to capture Macau.
  • 1663 – The Spanish garrison of Évora capitulates, following the Portuguese victory at the Battle of Ameixial.
  • 1717 – The Premier Grand Lodge of England is founded in London, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England).
  • 1762 – Battle of Wilhelmsthal: The British-Hanoverian army of Ferdinand of Brunswick defeats French forces in Westphalia.
  • 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.
  • 1793 – The French Constitution of 1793 is formally adopted, although it is effectively suspended by the Committee of Public Safety.
  • 1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon’s Grande Armée crosses the Neman river beginning the invasion of Russia.
  • 1813 – Battle of Beaver Dams: A British and Indian combined force defeats the United States Army.
  • 1821 – The Battle of Carabobo takes place. It is the decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain.
  • 1859 – Battle of Solferino (Battle of the Three Sovereigns): Sardinia and France defeat Austria in Solferino, northern Italy.
  • 1866 – Battle of Custoza: An Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War.
  • 1880 – First performance of O Canada at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français. The song would later become the national anthem of Canada.
  • 1894 – Marie François Sadi Carnot is assassinated by Sante Geronimo Caserio.
  • 1902 – King Edward VII of the United Kingdom develops appendicitis, delaying his coronation.
  • 1913 – Greece and Serbia annul their alliance with Bulgaria.
  • 1916 – Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract.
  • 1918 – First airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto.
  • 1922 – The American Professional Football Association is renamed the National Football League.
  • 1932 – A bloodless revolution instigated by the People’s Party ends the absolute power of King Prajadhipok of Siam (now Thailand).
  • 1938 – Pieces of a meteorite land near Chicora, Pennsylvania. The meteorite is estimated to have weighed 450 metric tons when it hit the Earth’s atmosphere and exploded.
  • 1939 – Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country’s third prime minister.
  • 1940 – World War II: Operation Collar, the first British Commando raid on occupied France, by No 11 Independent Company.
  • 1943 – US military police attempt to arrest a black soldier in Bamber Bridge, England, sparking the Battle of Bamber Bridge mutiny that leaves one dead and seven wounded.
  • 1947 – Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington, leading to the coining of the phrase “flying saucer”.
  • 1948 – Cold War: Start of the Berlin Blockade: The Soviet Union makes overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible.
  • 1949 – The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd, is aired on NBC.
  • 1950 – Apartheid: In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed, formally segregating races.
  • 1954 – First Indochina War: Battle of Mang Yang Pass: Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment ambush G.M. 100 of France in An Khê.
  • 1957 – In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment.
  • 1963 – The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government.
  • 1973 – The UpStairs Lounge, a gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, is attacked by an arsonist during a church service, and 32 people die from smoke inhalation or fire.
  • 1975 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 encounters severe wind shear and crashes on final approach to New York’s JFK Airport killing 113 of the 124 passengers on board, making it the deadliest U.S. plane crash at the time. This accident led to decades of research into downburst and microburst phenomena and their effects on aircraft.
  • 1981 – The Humber Bridge opens to traffic, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It remained the world’s longest bridge span for 17 years.
  • 1982 – British Airways Flight 9 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines.
  • 1989 – Jiang Zemin succeeds Zhao Ziyang to become the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
  • 1995 – Rugby World Cup: South Africa defeats New Zealand and Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup in an iconic post-apartheid moment.
  • 2002 – The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history.
  • 2004 – In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional.
  • 2010 – At Wimbledon, John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France, in the longest match in professional tennis history.
  • 2010 – Julia Gillard assumes office as the first female Prime Minister of Australia.
  • 2012 – Death of Lonesome George, the last known individual of Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise.
  • 2013 – Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is found guilty of abusing his power and engaging in sex with an underage prostitute, and is sentenced to seven years in prison.

Births on June 24

  • 1210 – Count Floris IV of Holland (d. 1234)
  • 1244 – Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1308)
  • 1254 – Floris V, Count of Holland (d. 1296)
  • 1257 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (probable; d. 1331)
  • 1314 – Philippa of Hainault Queen of England (d. 1369)
  • 1322 – Joanna, Duchess of Brabant (d. 1406)
  • 1343 – Joan of Valois, Queen of Navarre (d. 1373)
  • 1360 – Nuno Álvares Pereira, Portuguese general
  • 1386 – John of Capistrano, Italian priest and saint (d. 1456)
  • 1465 – Isabella del Balzo, Queen Consort of Naples (d. 1533)
  • 1485 – Johannes Bugenhagen, Polish-German priest and reformer (d. 1558)
  • 1485 – Elizabeth of Denmark, Electress of Brandenburg (d. 1555)
  • 1499 – Johannes Brenz, German theologian and the Protestant Reformer (d. 1570)
  • 1519 – Theodore Beza, French theologian and scholar (d. 1605)
  • 1532 – Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, English politician (d. 1588)
  • 1532 – William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1573)
  • 1535 – Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal (d. 1573)
  • 1546 – Robert Persons, English Jesuit priest, insurrectionist, and author (d. 1610)
  • 1587 – William Arnold, English-American settler (d. 1675)
  • 1591 – Mustafa I, Ottoman sultan (d. 1639)
  • 1614 – John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse
  • 1616 – Ferdinand Bol, Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman, student of Rembrandt (d. 1680)
  • 1661 – Hachisuka Tsunanori, Japanese daimyō (d. 1730)
  • 1663 – Jean Baptiste Massillon, French bishop (d. 1742)
  • 1687 – Johann Albrecht Bengel, German-Lutheran clergyman and scholar (d. 1757)
  • 1694 – Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, Swiss author and theorist (d. 1748)
  • 1704 – Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens, French philosopher and author (d. 1771)
  • 1753 – William Hull, American general and politician, 1st Governor of Michigan Territory (d. 1825)
  • 1755 – Anacharsis Cloots, Prussian-French activist (d. 1794)
  • 1767 – Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès, French geographer and author (d. 1846)
  • 1771 – Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, French chemist and businessman, founded DuPont (d. 1834)
  • 1774 – Antonio González de Balcarce, Argentinian commander and politician, 5th Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (d. 1819)
  • 1774 – François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo, French general and engineer (d. 1838)
  • 1777 – John Ross, Scottish commander and explorer (d. 1856)
  • 1782 – Juan Larrea, Argentinian captain and politician (d. 1847)
  • 1783 – Johann Heinrich von Thünen, German economist and geographer (d. 1850)
  • 1784 – Juan Antonio Lavalleja, Uruguayan general and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 1853)
  • 1788 – Thomas Blanchard, American inventor (d. 1864)
  • 1795 – Ernst Heinrich Weber, German physician and psychologist (d. 1878)
  • 1797 – John Hughes, Irish-American archbishop (d. 1864)
  • 1797 – Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, Polish geologist and explorer (d. 1873)
  • 1804 – Stephan Endlicher, Austrian botanist, numismatist, and sinologist (d. 1849)
  • 1804 – Willard Richards, American religious leader (d. 1854)
  • 1811 – John Archibald Campbell, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1889)
  • 1813 – Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and reformer (d. 1887)
  • 1813 – Francis Boott, American composer (d. 1904)
  • 1821 – Guillermo Rawson, Argentinian physician and politician (d. 1890)
  • 1826 – George Goyder, English-Australian surveyor (d. 1898)
  • 1835 – Johannes Wislicenus, German chemist and academic (d. 1902)
  • 1838 – Jan Matejko, Polish painter (d. 1893)
  • 1839 – Gustavus Franklin Swift, American businessman (d. 1903)
  • 1842 – Ambrose Bierce, American short story writer, essayist, and journalist (d. 1914)
  • 1846 – Samuel Johnson, Nigerian priest and historian (d. 1901)
  • 1850 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Irish field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Sudan (d. 1916)
  • 1852 – Friedrich Loeffler, German bacteriologist and academic (d. 1915)
  • 1854 – Eleanor Norcross, American painter (d. 1923)
  • 1856 – Henry Chapman Mercer, American archaeologist and author (d. 1930)
  • 1858 – Hastings Rashdall, English historian, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1924)
  • 1865 – Robert Henri, American painter and educator (d. 1929)
  • 1867 – Ruth Randall Edström, American educator and activist (d. 1944)
  • 1869 – Prince George of Greece and Denmark (d. 1957)
  • 1872 – Frank Crowninshield, American journalist and art and theatre critic (d. 1947)
  • 1875 – Forrest Reid, Irish novelist, literary critic and translator (d. 1947)
  • 1880 – Oswald Veblen, American mathematician and academic (g. 1960)
  • 1880 – João Cândido Felisberto, Brazilian revolutionary and sailor (d. 1969)
  • 1881 – George Shiels, Irish-Canadian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1949)
  • 1882 – Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1953)
  • 1882 – Carl Diem, German businessman (d. 1962)
  • 1883 – Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
  • 1883 – Fritz Löhner-Beda, Jewish Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (d.1942)
  • 1883 – Jean Metzinger, French artist (d. 1956)
  • 1883 – Arthur L. Newton, American runner (d. 1956)
  • 1883 – Frank Verner, American runner (d. 1966)
  • 1884 – Frank Waller, American runner (d. 1941)
  • 1885 – Olaf Holtedahl, Norwegian geologist (d. 1975)
  • 1888 – Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect, designed the Rietveld Schröder House (d. 1964)
  • 1893 – Roy O. Disney, American businessman, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (d. 1971)
  • 1895 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer and soldier (d. 1983)
  • 1898 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (d. 1983)
  • 1898 – Karl Selter, Estonian politician, 14th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (d. 1958)
  • 1900 – Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and engineer (d. 1945)
  • 1901 – Marcel Mule, French saxophonist (d. 2001)
  • 1901 – Harry Partch, American composer and theorist (d. 1974)
  • 1901 – Chuck Taylor, American basketball player and salesman (d. 1969)
  • 1904 – Phil Harris, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1995)
  • 1905 – Fred Alderman, American sprinter (d. 1998)
  • 1906 – Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (d. 1986)
  • 1906 – Willard Maas, American poet and educator (d. 1971)
  • 1907 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (d. 1989)
  • 1908 – Hugo Distler, German organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1942)
  • 1908 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (d. 1976)
  • 1909 – Jean Deslauriers, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1978)
  • 1909 – William Penney, Baron Penney, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1991)
  • 1909 – Betty Cavanna, American author (d. 2001)
  • 1911 – Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1995)
  • 1911 – Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1911 – Portia White, Canadian opera singer (d. 1968)
  • 1912 – Brian Johnston, English sportscaster and author (d. 1994)
  • 1912 – Mary Wesley, English author (d. 2002)
  • 1913 – Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist and soldier (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Jan Karski, Polish-American activist and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – Pearl Witherington, French secret agent (d. 2008)
  • 1915 – Fred Hoyle, English astronomer and author (d. 2001)
  • 1916 – William B. Saxbe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 70th United States Attorney General (d. 2010)
  • 1916 – Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese painter and sculptor (d. 2017)
  • 1917 – David Easton, Canadian-American political scientist and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1917 – Lucy Jarvis, American television producer (d. 2020)
  • 1917 – Ramblin’ Tommy Scott, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Joan Clarke, English cryptanalyst and numismatist (d. 1996)
  • 1918 – Mildred Ladner Thompson, American journalist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Yong Nyuk Lin, Singaporean businessman and politician, Singaporean Minister for Education (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Al Molinaro, American actor (d. 2015)
  • 1921 – Gerhard Sommer, German soldier
  • 1922 – Jack Carter, American actor and comedian (d. 2015)
  • 1922 – John Postgate, English microbiologist, author, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Richard Timberlake, American economist
  • 1923 – Margaret Olley, Australian painter and philanthropist (d. 2011)
  • 1924 – Kurt Furgler, Swiss politician, 70th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 2008)
  • 1924 – Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Yoshito Takamine, American politician (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Ogden Reid, American politician (d. 2019)
  • 1927 – Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (d. 1997)
  • 1927 – James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Carolyn S. Shoemaker, American astronomer
  • 1930 – Claude Chabrol, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1930 – Donald Gordon, South African businessman and philanthropist (d. 2019)
  • 1930 – William Bernard Ziff, Jr., American publisher (d. 2006)
  • 1931 – Billy Casper, American golfer and architect (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – David McTaggart, Canadian-Italian environmentalist (d. 2001)
  • 1933 – Sam Jones, American basketball player and coach
  • 1933 – Ngina Kenyatta, 1st First Lady of Kenya
  • 1934 – Ferdinand Biwersi, German footballer and referee (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Jean-Pierre Ferland, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1934 – Gloria Christian, Italian singer
  • 1935 – Terry Riley, American composer and educator
  • 1935 – Jean Milesi, French racing cyclist
  • 1935 – Charlie Dees, American baseball player
  • 1937 – Anita Desai, Indian-American author and academic
  • 1938 – Lawrence Block, American author
  • 1938 – Abulfaz Elchibey, 1st democratically elected Azerbaijani president (d. 2000)
  • 1938 – Ken Gray, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1992)
  • 1939 – Brigitte Fontaine, French singer
  • 1940 – Ian Ross, Australian newsreader (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Vittorio Storaro, Italian cinematographer
  • 1941 – Erkin Koray, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1941 – Julia Kristeva, Bulgarian-French psychoanalyst and author
  • 1941 – Graham McKenzie, Australian cricketer
  • 1942 – Arthur Brown, English rock singer-songwriter
  • 1942 – Michele Lee, American actress and singer
  • 1942 – Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Chilean engineer and politician, 32nd President of Chile
  • 1942 – Colin Groves, Australian academician and educator
  • 1943 – Birgit Grodal, Danish economist and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1944 – Jeff Beck, English guitarist and songwriter
  • 1944 – Kathryn Lasky, American author
  • 1944 – Chris Wood, English saxophonist (d. 1983)
  • 1945 – Colin Blunstone, English singer-songwriter
  • 1945 – Wayne Cashman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1945 – George Pataki, American lawyer and politician, 53rd Governor of New York
  • 1945 – Betty Stöve, Dutch tennis player
  • 1946 – David Collenette, Canadian civil servant and politician, 32nd Canadian Minister of National Defence
  • 1946 – Ellison Onizuka, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1986)
  • 1946 – Robert Reich, American economist and politician, 22nd United States Secretary of Labor
  • 1947 – Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (d. 2014)
  • 1947 – Peter Weller, American actor and director
  • 1948 – Patrick Moraz, Swiss keyboard player and songwriter
  • 1949 – John Illsley, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
  • 1949 – Betty Jackson, English fashion designer
  • 1950 – Nancy Allen, American actress
  • 1950 – Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish-born English photographer (d. 2006)
  • 1950 – Jan Kulczyk, Polish businessman (d. 2015)
  • 1950 – Mercedes Lackey, American author
  • 1951 – Raelene Boyle, Australian sprinter
  • 1951 – Charles Sturridge, English director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Dianna Melrose, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to Tanzania
  • 1952 – Bob Neill, English lawyer and politician
  • 1953 – William E. Moerner, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1953 – Michael Tuck, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1955 – Chris Higgins, English geneticist and academic
  • 1955 – Edmund Malura, German footballer and manager
  • 1955 – Loren Roberts, American golfer
  • 1956 – Owen Paterson, English politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
  • 1957 – Mark Parkinson, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Kansas
  • 1958 – Jean Charest, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
  • 1958 – Silvio Mondinelli, Italian mountaineer
  • 1958 – John Tortorella, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1959 – Andy McCluskey, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
  • 1960 – Elish Angiolini, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland
  • 1960 – Siedah Garrett, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1960 – Karin Pilsäter, Swedish accountant and politician
  • 1960 – Erik Poppe, Norwegian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
  • 1961 – Dennis Danell, American singer and guitarist (d. 2000)
  • 1961 – Iain Glen, Scottish actor
  • 1961 – Bernie Nicholls, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1961 – Ralph E. Reed, Jr., American journalist and activist
  • 1961 – Curt Smith, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1963 – Yuri Kasparyan, Russian guitarist
  • 1963 – Preki, Serbian-American soccer player and coach
  • 1963 – Mike Wieringo, American author and illustrator (d. 2007)
  • 1964 – Jean-Luc Delarue, French television host and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1964 – Kathryn Parminter, Baroness Parminter, English politician
  • 1964 – Gary Suter, American ice hockey player and scout
  • 1965 – Claude Bourbonnais, Canadian race car driver
  • 1965 – Uwe Krupp, German ice hockey player and coach
  • 1965 – Richard Lumsden, English actor, writer, composer and musician
  • 1966 – Hope Sandoval, American singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1966 – Adrienne Shelly, American actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1967 – Janez Lapajne, Slovenian director and producer
  • 1967 – John Limniatis, Greek-Canadian footballer and manager
  • 1968 – Alaa Abdelnaby, Egyptian-American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Glenn Medeiros, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1970 – Bernardo Sassetti, Portuguese pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2012)
  • 1972 – Robbie McEwen, Australian cyclist
  • 1972 – Denis Žvegelj, Slovenian rower
  • 1973 – Alexis Gauthier, French chef
  • 1973 – Jere Lehtinen, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1974 – Dan Byles, English sailor, rower, and politician
  • 1974 – Chris Guccione, American baseball player and umpire
  • 1975 – Marek Malík, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Federico Pucciariello, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
  • 1976 – Brock Olivo, American football player and coach
  • 1977 – Dimos Dikoudis, Greek basketball player and manager
  • 1977 – Jeff Farmer, Australian footballer
  • 1978 – Luis García, Spanish footballer
  • 1978 – Pantelis Kafes, Greek footballer
  • 1978 – Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese footballer
  • 1978 – Ariel Pink, American singer-songwriter
  • 1978 – Juan Román Riquelme, Argentinian footballer
  • 1978 – Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish guitarist and songwriter
  • 1979 – Mindy Kaling, American actress and producer
  • 1979 – Petra Němcová, Czech model and philanthropist
  • 1980 – Cicinho, Brazilian footballer
  • 1980 – Nina Dübbers, German tennis player
  • 1980 – Andrew Jones, Australian race car driver
  • 1980 – Minka Kelly, American actress
  • 1982 – Kevin Nolan, English footballer
  • 1982 – Jarret Stoll, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Rebecca Cooke, English swimmer
  • 1983 – Gianni Munari, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Gard Nilssen, Norwegian drummer
  • 1983 – David Shillington, Australian rugby league player
  • 1984 – Andrea Raggi, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – J.J. Redick, American basketball player
  • 1984 – Johanna Welin, Swedish-born German wheelchair basketball player
  • 1985 – Diego Alves Carreira, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Tom Kennedy, English footballer
  • 1985 – Ethan Klein, American YouTuber
  • 1985 – Nate Myles, Australian rugby league player
  • 1985 – Vernon Philander, South African cricketer
  • 1985 – Yukina Shirakawa, Japanese model
  • 1986 – Stuart Broad, English cricketer
  • 1986 – Phil Hughes, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Solange Knowles, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1987 – Simona Dobrá, Czech tennis player
  • 1987 – Lionel Messi, Argentinian footballer
  • 1987 – Pierre Vaultier, French snowboarder
  • 1988 – Micah Richards, English footballer
  • 1989 – Teklemariam Medhin, Eritrean runner
  • 1990 – Michael Del Zotto, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Richard Sukuta-Pasu, German footballer
  • 1991 – Yasmin Paige, English actress
  • 1991 – Aidan Sezer, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – David Alaba, Austrian footballer
  • 1996 – Duki, Argentinian rapper

Deaths on June 24

  • 994 – Abu Isa al-Warraq, Arab scholar (b. 889)
  • 1046 – Jeongjong II, Korean ruler (b. 1018)
  • 1088 – William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Norman nobleman
  • 1314 – Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, English commander (b. 1291)
  • 1314 – Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Marches (b. 1274)
  • 1398 – Hongwu, Chinese emperor (b. 1328)
  • 1439 – Frederick IV, duke of Austria (b. 1382)
  • 1503 – Reginald Bray, English architect and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1440)
  • 1519 – Lucrezia Borgia, Italian wife of Alfonso I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara (b. 1480)
  • 1520 – Hosokawa Sumimoto, Japanese commander (b. 1489)
  • 1604 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier, Lord Great Chamberlain (b. 1550)
  • 1637 – Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, French astronomer and historian (b. 1580)
  • 1643 – John Hampden, English politician (b. 1595)
  • 1766 – Adrien Maurice de Noailles, French soldier and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1678)
  • 1778 – Pieter Burman the Younger, Dutch philologist and academic (b. 1714)
  • 1803 – Matthew Thornton, Irish-American judge and politician (b. 1714)
  • 1817 – Thomas McKean, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1734)
  • 1835 – Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (b. 1769)
  • 1902 – George Leake, Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (b. 1856)
  • 1908 – Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (b. 1837)
  • 1909 – Sarah Orne Jewett, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1849)
  • 1922 – Walther Rathenau, German businessman and politician, 7th German Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1867)
  • 1931 – Otto Mears, Russian-American businessman (b. 1840)
  • 1931 – Xiang Zhongfa, Chinese politician, 2nd General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (b. 1880)
  • 1932 – Ernst Põdder, Estonian general (b. 1879)
  • 1943 – Camille Roy, Canadian priest and critic (b. 1870)
  • 1946 – Louise Whitfield Carnegie, American philanthropist (b. 1857)
  • 1947 – Emil Seidel, American politician, Mayor of Milwaukee (b. 1864)
  • 1962 – Volfgangs Dārziņš, Latvian composer, pianist and music critic (b. 1906)
  • 1964 – Stuart Davis, American painter and academic (b. 1892)
  • 1968 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
  • 1969 – Frank King, American cartoonist (b. 1883)
  • 1969 – Willy Ley, German-American historian and author (b. 1906)
  • 1976 – Minor White, American photographer, critic, and academic (b. 1908)
  • 1978 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (b. 1909)
  • 1980 – V. V. Giri, Indian lawyer and politician, 4th President of India (b. 1894)
  • 1984 – Clarence Campbell, Canadian businessman (b. 1905)
  • 1987 – Jackie Gleason, American actor, comedian, and producer (b. 1916)
  • 1988 – Csaba Kesjár, Hungarian race car driver (b. 1962)
  • 1991 – Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-American author and playwright (b. 1917)
  • 1991 – Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter and illustrator (b. 1899)
  • 1994 – Jean Vallerand, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1915)
  • 1995 – Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney Morissette v. United States (b. 1903)
  • 1997 – Brian Keith, American actor (b. 1921)
  • 2000 – Vera Atkins, British intelligence officer (b. 1908)
  • 2000 – David Tomlinson, English actor and comedian (b. 1917)
  • 2000 – Rodrigo Bueno, Argentine cuarteto singer (b. 1973)
  • 2002 – Pierre Werner, Luxembourgian banker and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Luxembourg (b. 1913)
  • 2004 – Ifigeneia Giannopoulou, Greek songwriter and author (b. 1957)
  • 2005 – Paul Winchell, American actor, voice artist, and ventriloquist (b. 1922)
  • 2007 – Natasja Saad, Danish rapper and reggae singer (b. 1974)
  • 2007 – Chris Benoit, Canadian wrestler (b. 1967)
  • 2007 – Derek Dougan, Northern Irish footballer and manager (b. 1938)
  • 2008 – Gerhard Ringel, Austrian mathematician and academic (b. 1919)
  • 2009 – Roméo LeBlanc, Canadian journalist and politician, 25th Governor General of Canada (b. 1927)
  • 2010 – Fred Anderson, American jazz tenor saxophonist (b. 1929)
  • 2011 – Tomislav Ivić, Croatian football coach and manager (b. 1933)
  • 2012 – Darrel Akerfelds, American baseball player and coach (b. 1962)
  • 2012 – Gad Beck, German author and educator (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – Gu Chaohao, Chinese mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Miki Roqué, Spanish footballer (b. 1988)
  • 2012 – Ann C. Scales, American lawyer, educator, and activist (b. 1952)
  • 2013 – Mick Aston, English archaeologist and academic (b. 1946)
  • 2013 – Emilio Colombo, Italian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Joannes Gijsen, Dutch bishop (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – William Hathaway, American lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – James Martin, English-Bermudian computer scientist and author (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Alan Myers, American drummer (b. 1955)
  • 2014 – John Clement, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Olga Kotelko, Canadian runner and softball player (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Ramón José Velásquez, Venezuelan journalist, lawyer, and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1916)
  • 2014 – Eli Wallach, American actor (b. 1915)
  • 2015 – Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1986)
  • 2015 – Mario Biaggi, American police officer, politician and criminal (b. 1917)
  • 2015 – Marva Collins, American author and educator (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Susan Ahn Cuddy, American lieutenant (b. 1915)
  • 2019 – Billy Drago, American actor (b. 1945)

Holidays and observances on June 24

  • Army Day or Battle of Carabobo Day (Venezuela)
  • Bannockburn Day (Scotland)
  • Christian feast day:
    • María Guadalupe García Zavala
    • Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
    • June 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Caboclo (Amazonas, Brazil)
  • Discovery Day, observed on the nearest Monday to June 24 (Newfoundland and Labrador)
  • Earliest day on which Armed Forces Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday in June. (United Kingdom)
  • Earliest day on which Inventors’ and Rationalizers’ Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday in June. (Russia)
  • Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in June. (Kenya)
  • Earliest day on which Youth Day can fall, while Jun 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in June. (Ukraine, Belarus)
  • Inti Raymi, a winter solstice festival and a New Year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere (Sacsayhuamán)
  • St John’s Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances:
    • Enyovden (Bulgaria)
    • Jaanipäev (Estonia)
    • Jāņi (Latvia)
    • Jónsmessa (Iceland)
    • Midsummer Day (England)
    • Saint Jonas’ Festival or Joninės (Lithuania)
    • Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec)
    • Sânziene (western Carpathian Mountains of Romania)
    • Wattah Wattah Festival (Philippines)
  • Fors Fortuna, ancient Roman festival to Fortuna

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

On This Day

March 15- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

In the Roman calendar, March 15 was known as the Ides of March.

March 15 in History

  • 474 BC – Roman consul Gnaeus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years’ truce.
  • 44 BC – Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger and his fellow conspirators, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus, and several other Roman senators, march to the Capitol following the assassination of Julius Caesar, but there is no response to their appeals to the population, who have left the streets in fear. Caesar’s body remains in its place
  • 351 – Constantius II elevates his cousin Gallus to Caesar, and puts him in charge of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire.
  • 493 – Odoacer, the first barbarian King of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, is slain by Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, while the two kings were feasting together.
  • 856 – Michael III, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, overthrows the regency of his mother, empress Theodora (wife of Theophilos) with support of the Byzantine nobility.
  • 933 – After a ten-year truce, German King Henry the Fowler defeats a Hungarian army at the Battle of Riade near the Unstrut river.
  • 1147 – Conquest of Santarém: The forces of Afonso I of Portugal capture Santarém.
  • 1311 – Battle of Halmyros: The Catalan Company defeats Walter V, Count of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece.
  • 1493 – Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first trip to the Americas.
  • 1564 – Mughal Emperor Akbar abolishes “jizya” (per capita tax).
  • 1672 – Charles II of England issues the Royal Declaration of Indulgence.
  • 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Guilford Court House: Near present-day Greensboro, North Carolina, 1,900 British troops under General Charles Cornwallis defeat a mixed American force numbering 4,400 in a Pyrrhic victory.
  • 1783 – In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy. The plea is successful and the threatened coup d’état never takes place.
  • 1819 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel is adjudged the winner of the Grand Prix of the Académie des Sciences for his “Memoir on the Diffraction of Light”, which verifies the Fresnel integrals, accounts for the limited extent to which light spreads into shadows, and thereby demolishes Newton’s initial objection to the wave theory of light.
  • 1820 – Maine becomes the 23rd U.S. state.
  • 1827 – University of Toronto is founded.
  • 1848 – A revolution breaks out in Hungary. The Habsburg rulers are compelled to meet the demands of the Reform party.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Red River Campaign: U.S. Navy fleet arrives at Alexandria, Louisiana.
  • 1874 – France and Vietnam sign the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina.
  • 1875 – Archbishop of New York John McCloskey is named the first cardinal in the United States.
  • 1877 – First ever official cricket test match is played: Australia vs England at the MCG Stadium, in Melbourne, Australia.
  • 1878 – Restoration of the Scottish Catholic hierarchy, broken off back in 1603.
  • 1888 – Start of the Anglo-Tibetan War of 1888.
  • 1895 – Heian Shrine is founded.
  • 1906 – Rolls-Royce Limited is incorporated.
  • 1916 – United States President Woodrow Wilson sends 4,800 United States troops over the U.S.–Mexico border to pursue Pancho Villa.
  • 1917 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the Russian throne ending the 304-year Romanov dynasty.
  • 1921 – Talaat Pasha, former Grand Vizir of the Ottoman Empire and chief architect of the Armenian Genocide is assassinated in Berlin by a 23-year-old Armenian, Soghomon Tehlirian.
  • 1922 – After Egypt gains nominal independence from the United Kingdom, Fuad I becomes King of Egypt.
  • 1926 – The dictator Theodoros Pangalos is elected President of Greece without opposition.
  • 1927 – The first Women’s Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place on The Isis in Oxford.
  • 1931 – SS Viking explodes off Newfoundland, killing 27 of the 147 onboard.
  • 1933 – Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss keeps members of the National Council from convening, starting the Austrofascist dictatorship.
  • 1939 – Germany occupies Czechoslovakia.
  • 1939 – Carpatho-Ukraine declares itself an independent republic, but is annexed by Hungary the next day.
  • 1941 – Philippine Airlines, the flag carrier of the Philippines takes its first flight between Manila (from Nielson Field) to Baguio City with a Beechcraft Model 18 making the airline the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name.
  • 1943 – World War II: Third Battle of Kharkov: The Germans retake the city of Kharkov from the Soviet armies in bitter street fighting.
  • 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces begin an offensive to push Germans from Upper Silesia.
  • 1951 – the Iranian oil industry is nationalized.
  • 1952 – In Cilaos, Réunion, 1870 mm (73 inches) of rain falls in a 24-hour period, setting a new world record (March 15 through March 16).
  • 1961 – At the 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference, South Africa announces that it will withdraw from the Commonwealth when the South African Constitution of 1961 comes into effect.
  • 1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to the Selma crisis, tells U.S. Congress “We shall overcome” while advocating the Voting Rights Act.
  • 1978 – Somalia and Ethiopia signed a truce to end the Ethio-Somali War.
  • 1986 – Collapse of Hotel New World: Thirty-three people die when the Hotel New World in Singapore collapses.
  • 1990 – Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first President of the Soviet Union.
  • 1991 – Cold War: The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany comes into effect, granting full sovereignty to the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • 2008 – Stockpiles of obsolete ammunition explode at an ex-military ammunition depot in the village of Gërdec, Albania, killing 26 people.
  • 2011 – Beginning of the Syrian Civil War.
  • 2019 – Fifty-one people are killed in the Christchurch mosque shootings.
  • 2019 – Beginning of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.
  • 2019 – Approximately 1.4 million young people in 123 countries go on strike to protest climate change.

Births on March 15

  • 270 – Saint Nicholas, Greek bishop and saint (d. 343)
  • 1097 – Fujiwara no Tadamichi, Japanese noble (d. 1164)
  • 1275 – Margaret of England, Duchess of Brabant (d. 1333)
  • 1407 – Jacob, Margrave of Baden-Baden (d. 1453)
  • 1444 – Francesco Gonzaga, Catholic cardinal (d. 1483)
  • 1493 – Anne de Montmorency, French captain and diplomat (d. 1567)
  • 1513 – Hedwig Jagiellon, Electress of Brandenburg (d. 1573)
  • 1516 – Alqas Mirza, Safavid prince (d. 1550)
  • 1582 – Daniel Featley, English theologian and controversialist (d. 1645)
  • 1584 – Philip, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (d. 1663)
  • 1591 – Alexandre de Rhodes, French missionary and lexicographer (d. 1660)
  • 1611 – Jan Fyt, Flemish painter (d. 1661)
  • 1638 – Shunzhi Emperor of China (d. 1661)
  • 1666 – George Bähr, German architect, designed the Dresden Frauenkirche (d. 1738)
  • 1754 – Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (d. 1842)
  • 1767 – Andrew Jackson, American general, judge, and politician, 7th President of the United States (d. 1845)
  • 1779 – William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1848)
  • 1790 – Ludwig Immanuel Magnus, German mathematician and academic (d. 1861)
  • 1791 – Charles Knight, English author and publisher (d. 1873)
  • 1809 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts, American-Liberian historian and politician, 1st President of Liberia (d. 1876)
  • 1809 – Karl Josef von Hefele, German bishop and theologian (d. 1893)
  • 1813 – John Snow, English physician and epidemiologist (d. 1858)
  • 1818 – Mariano Álvarez, Filipino general and politician (d. 1924)
  • 1821 – Johann Josef Loschmidt, Austrian physicist and chemist (d. 1895)
  • 1821 – William Milligan, Scottish theologian, author, and educator (d. 1892)
  • 1824 – Jules Chevalier, French priest, founded the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (d. 1907)
  • 1830 – Paul Heyse, German author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
  • 1830 – Élisée Reclus, French geographer and academic (d. 1905)
  • 1831 – Saint Daniele Comboni, Italian missionary and saint (d. 1881)
  • 1835 – John Henry Kagi, American lawyer and activist (d. 1859)
  • 1835 – Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1916)
  • 1838 – Karl Davydov, Russian cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1889)
  • 1851 – John Sebastian Little, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Arkansas (d. 1916)
  • 1851 – William Mitchell Ramsay, Scottish archaeologist and scholar (d. 1939)
  • 1852 – Augusta, Lady Gregory, Anglo-Irish landowner, playwright, and translator (d. 1932)
  • 1854 – Emil von Behring, German physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
  • 1857 – Christian Michelsen, Norwegian businessman and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Norway (d. 1925)
  • 1858 – Liberty Hyde Bailey, American botanist and academic, co-founded the American Society for Horticultural Science (d. 1954)
  • 1860 – Waldemar Haffkine, Russian-Swiss bacteriologist and microbiologist (d. 1930)
  • 1864 – Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor (Oslo Philharmonic) (d. 1935)
  • 1865 – Manuk Abeghian, Armenian author and scholar (d. 1944)
  • 1866 – Matthew Charlton, Australian miner and politician (d. 1948)
  • 1866 – Johan Vaaler, Norwegian inventor, often erroneously identified as the inventor of the Paper clip (d. 1910)
  • 1868 – Grace Chisholm Young, English mathematician (d. 1944)
  • 1869 – Stanisław Wojciechowski, Polish scholar and politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Poland (d. 1953)
  • 1874 – Eugène Fiset, Canadian physician, general, and politician, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 1951)
  • 1874 – Harold L. Ickes, American journalist and politician, 32nd United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1952)
  • 1878 – Reza Shah, Iranian king (d. 1944)
  • 1886 – Wladimir Burliuk, Ukrainian-Greek painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
  • 1887 – Marjorie Merriweather Post, American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded General Foods (d. 1973)
  • 1887 – Lütfi Kırdar, Turkish physician and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (d. 1961)
  • 1879 – Benjamin R. Jacobs, American biochemist (d. 1963)
  • 1890 – Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician and mountaineer (d. 1980)
  • 1892 – James Basevi Ord, Mexican-American colonel (d. 1938)
  • 1897 – Jackson Scholz, American runner (d. 1986)
  • 1900 – Gilberto Freyre, Brazilian sociologist, anthropologist, historian and writer (d. 1987)
  • 1904 – George Brent, Irish-American actor (d. 1979)
  • 1904 – J. Pat O’Malley, English-American actor (d. 1985)
  • 1905 – Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, German lawyer and judge (d. 1944)
  • 1907 – Zarah Leander, Swedish actress and singer (d. 1981)
  • 1909 – Jaroslava Muchová Syllabová, Czech painter (d. 1986)
  • 1912 – Lightnin’ Hopkins, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1982)
  • 1912 – Louis Paul Boon, Flemish journalist and author (d. 1979)
  • 1913 – Macdonald Carey, American actor (d. 1994)
  • 1913 – Jack Fairman, English race car driver (d. 2002)
  • 1916 – Frank Coghlan, Jr., American actor and pilot (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – Fadil Hoxha, Kosovar commander and politician, 2nd President of Kosovo (d. 2001)
  • 1916 – Harry James, American trumpet player, bandleader, and actor (d. 1983)
  • 1918 – Richard Ellmann, American author and critic (d. 1987)
  • 1918 – Punch Imlach, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1987)
  • 1919 – Lawrence Tierney, American actor (d. 2002)
  • 1920 – E. Donnall Thomas, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
  • 1921 – Madelyn Pugh, American television writer and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1922 – Eddie Calvert, English trumpeter (d. 1978)
  • 1926 – Ben Johnston, American composer and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1926 – Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
  • 1927 – Christian Marquand, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
  • 1927 – Carl Smith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
  • 1928 – Bob Wilber, American clarinetist and saxophonist (d. 2019)
  • 1930 – Zhores Alferov, Belarusian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
  • 1932 – Alan Bean, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Arif Mardin, Turkish-American record producer (d. 2006)
  • 1933 – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, American lawyer and judge
  • 1933 – Philippe de Broca, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1934 – Richard Layard, Baron Layard, English economist and academic
  • 1934 – Kanshi Ram, Indian politician (d. 2006)
  • 1935 – David Andrews, Irish politician, 21st Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ireland
  • 1935 – Judd Hirsch, American actor
  • 1935 – Jimmy Swaggart, American pastor and television host
  • 1935 – Leonid Yengibarov, Russian-Armenian clown and boxer (d. 1972)
  • 1936 – Howard Greenfield, American songwriter (d. 1986)
  • 1937 – Marcus Raichle, American neurologist and physiologist
  • 1937 – Valentin Rasputin, Russian environmentalist and author (d. 2015)
  • 1938 – Charles Lloyd, American saxophonist and flute player
  • 1939 – Ted Kaufman, American engineer and politician
  • 1939 – Robert Nye, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 2016)
  • 1939 – Julie Tullis, English mountaineer (d. 1986)
  • 1940 – Frank Dobson, English politician, Secretary of State for Health (d. 2019)
  • 1940 – Phil Lesh, American bassist
  • 1941 – Mike Love, American singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1941 – Carolyn Hansson, Canadian materials engineer
  • 1943 – David Cronenberg, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1943 – Lynda La Plante, English actress, screenwriter, and author
  • 1943 – Michael Scott-Joynt, English bishop (d. 2014)
  • 1943 – Sly Stone, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
  • 1943 – The Iron Sheik, Iranian-American wrestler and actor
  • 1944 – Chi Cheng, Taiwanese runner and politician
  • 1944 – Jacques Doillon, French director and screenwriter
  • 1944 – Francis Mankiewicz, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1944 – A. K. Faezul Huq, Bangladeshi lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
  • 1945 – Mark J. Green, American lawyer and politician
  • 1946 – Bobby Bonds, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)
  • 1946 – John Dempsey, English born Irish international footballer, centre-back and manager
  • 1947 – Ry Cooder, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1947 – Gino Ferrin, German footballer and manager
  • 1947 – Juraj Kukura, Slovak-German actor
  • 1948 – Kate Bornstein, American author and activist
  • 1948 – Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (d. 2003)
  • 1950 – Jørgen Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter
  • 1950 – Kurt Koch, Swiss cardinal
  • 1951 – David Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool, English educator and politician
  • 1952 – Howard Devoto, English singer-songwriter
  • 1952 – Philip Green, English businessman
  • 1952 – Howard Koh, American physician and politician, 14th United States Assistant Secretary for Health
  • 1953 – Richard Bruton, Irish economist and politician, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
  • 1953 – Heather Graham Pozzessere, American author
  • 1953 – Kumba Ialá, Bissau-Guinean educator and politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (d. 2014)
  • 1954 – Massimo Bubola, Italian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1954 – Isobel Buchanan, Scottish soprano and actress
  • 1954 – Bob Budiansky, American author and illustrator
  • 1954 – Henry Marsh, American runner and businessman, co-founded MonaVie
  • 1954 – Craig Wasson, American actor
  • 1955 – Mohsin Khan, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1955 – Dee Snider, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1956 – Clay Matthews, Jr., American football player and coach
  • 1957 – Joaquim de Almeida, Portuguese-American actor
  • 1957 – Víctor Muñoz, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1957 – David Silverman, American animator, director, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Anne Davies, English television presenter and newsreader
  • 1959 – Harold Baines, American baseball player and coach
  • 1959 – Renny Harlin, Finnish director and producer
  • 1959 – Lisa Holton, American journalist and author
  • 1959 – Ben Okri, Nigerian poet and author
  • 1960 – Mike Pagliarulo, American baseball player and coach
  • 1960 – Phil Walsh, Australian rules footballer and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1961 – Terry Cummings, American basketball player and singer
  • 1961 – Craig Ludwig, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1962 – Terence Trent D’Arby, American singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Jimmy Baio, American actor
  • 1963 – Bret Michaels, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1964 – Davide Pinato, Italian footballer
  • 1964 – Rockwell, American singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1965 – Sunetra Gupta, Indian epidemiologist, author, and academic
  • 1965 – Robyn Malcolm, New Zealand actress
  • 1967 – Naoko Takeuchi, Japanese manga artist, creator of Sailor Moon
  • 1968 – Kahimi Karie, Japanese singer
  • 1968 – Mark McGrath, American singer-songwriter and television host
  • 1968 – Terje Riis-Johansen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy
  • 1968 – Sabrina Salerno, Italian singer-songwriter, actress, and producer
  • 1969 – Rona Ambrose, Canadian journalist and politician, former Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
  • 1969 – Gianluca Festa, Italian footballer and coach
  • 1969 – Yutaka Take, Japanese jockey
  • 1970 – Christine Anu, Australian singer
  • 1970 – Naka Drotske, South African rugby player
  • 1970 – Derek Parra, American speed skater and coach
  • 1971 – Penny Lancaster, English model and photographer
  • 1971 – Joanne Wise, English long jumper
  • 1972 – Mark Hoppus, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
  • 1972 – Holger Stromberg, German chef
  • 1972 – Mike Tomlin, American football player and coach
  • 1973 – Robin Hunicke, American video game designer and producer
  • 1973 – Masayuki Naruse, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
  • 1974 – Robert Fick, American baseball player
  • 1975 – Eva Longoria, American actress and producer
  • 1975 – Veselin Topalov, Bulgarian chess player
  • 1975 – Darcy Tucker, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1975 – will.i.am, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1976 – Katherine Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1976 – Abhay Deol, Indian actor
  • 1976 – Cara Pifko, Canadian actress
  • 1977 – Joe Hahn, American DJ, producer, and director
  • 1977 – Brian Tee, Japanese-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1978 – Takeru Kobayashi, Japanese competitive eater
  • 1979 – Kyle Mills, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1979 – Kevin Youkilis, American baseball player and scout
  • 1980 – Freddie Bynum, American baseball player
  • 1980 – Eric Grothe, Jr. Australian rugby league player and guitarist
  • 1980 – Claudiney Ramos, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1981 – Young Buck, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1981 – Mikael Forssell, German-Finnish footballer
  • 1981 – Veronica Maggio, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Jens Salumäe, Estonian skier
  • 1982 – Tom Budge, Australian actor
  • 1982 – Emily Dunn, American actress and dancer
  • 1982 – Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich, Kenyan runner
  • 1983 – Sean Biggerstaff, Scottish actor
  • 1983 – Umut Bulut, Turkish footballer
  • 1983 – Ben Hilfenhaus, Australian cricketer
  • 1983 – Kostas Kaimakoglou, Greek basketball player
  • 1983 – Golda Marcus, Salvadoran swimmer
  • 1983 – Daryl Murphy, Irish footballer
  • 1983 – Heiko Niidas, Estonian basketball player
  • 1983 – Ricky Sekhon, English actor
  • 1983 – Yo Yo Honey Singh, Indian music producer
  • 1984 – Badradine Belloumou, French-Algerian footballer
  • 1984 – Malin Buska, Swedish actress
  • 1984 – Olivier Jean, Canadian speed skater
  • 1984 – Kostas Vasileiadis, Greek basketball player
  • 1984 – Wilson Aparecido Xavier Júnior, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – Eric Decker, American football player
  • 1988 – Éver Guzmán, Mexican footballer
  • 1988 – James Reimer, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Jolo Revilla, Filipino actor and politician
  • 1988 – Alexander Sims, English race car driver
  • 1989 – Sam Baldock, English footballer
  • 1989 – Bryce Gibbs, Australian footballer
  • 1989 – Sandro, Brazilian international footballer, midfielder
  • 1989 – Gil Roberts, American sprinter
  • 1989 – Adrien Silva, Portuguese footballer
  • 1989 – Caitlin Wachs, American actress
  • 1990 – Siobhan Magnus, American singer-songwriter
  • 1991 – Tavon Austin, American footballer
  • 1991 – Kurt Baptiste, Australian rugby league player
  • 1991 – Xavier Henry, American basketball player
  • 1996 – Seonaid McIntosh, Scottish sports shooter
  • 2000 – Kristian Kostov, Russian-Bulgarian singer-songwriter

Deaths on March 15

  • 44 BC – Julius Caesar, Roman general and statesman (b. 100 BC)
  • 220 – Cao Cao, Chinese general, warlord and statesman (b. 155)
  • 493 – Odoacer, the first king of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire (b. 433)
  • 752 – Pope Zachary
  • 963 – Romanos II, Byzantine emperor (b. 938)
  • 990 – Siegfried I (the Older), German nobleman
  • 1086 – Richilde, Countess of Hainaut, Flemish consort and regent (b. c. 1018)
  • 1124 – Ernulf, Bishop of Rochester (b. c. 1040)
  • 1190 – Isabella of Hainault, queen of Philip II of France (b. 1170)
  • 1311 – Walter V, Count of Brienne (b. 1275)
  • 1311 – Thomas III d’Autremencourt, Lord of Salona, Marshal of Achaea
  • 1311 – Albert Pallavicini, Margrave of Bodonitza
  • 1311 – George I Ghisi, Triarch of Euboea, Baron of Chalandritsa, Lord of Tinos, Mykonos, Serifos and Keos
  • 1327 – Albert of Schwarzburg, grand preceptor of the Knights Hospitaller
  • 1346 – Shah Jalal, Sufi saint of Bengal (b. 1271).
  • 1536 – Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, Ottoman politician, 35th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1493)
  • 1575 – Annibale Padovano, Italian organist and composer (b. 1527)
  • 1644 – Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau (b. 1576)
  • 1657 – David Pardo, Dutch rabbi and scholar (b. 1591)
  • 1673 – Salvator Rosa, Italian painter and poet (b. 1615)
  • 1711 – Eusebio Kino, Italian priest and missionary (b. 1645)
  • 1820 – Clement Mary Hofbauer, Austrian priest and saint (b. 1751)
  • 1832 – Otto Wilhelm Masing, Estonian linguist and clergyman (b. 1763)
  • 1842 – Luigi Cherubini, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1760)
  • 1849 – Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti, Italian cardinal and linguist (b. 1774)
  • 1891 – Joseph Bazalgette, English engineer and academic (b. 1819)
  • 1897 – James Joseph Sylvester, English mathematician and academic (b. 1814)
  • 1898 – Henry Bessemer, English engineer and businessman (b. 1813)
  • 1921 – Talaat Pasha, Ottoman politician, 281st Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1874)
  • 1927 – Hector Rason, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1858)
  • 1933 – Gustavo Jiménez, Peruvian colonel and politician, 73rd President of Peru (b. 1886)
  • 1937 – H. P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, and novelist (b. 1890)
  • 1938 – Nikolai Bukharin, Russian journalist, and politician (b. 1888)
  • 1939 – Luis Barceló, Spanish colonel (b. 1896)
  • 1941 – Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian-German painter (b. 1864)
  • 1944 – Otto von Below, Prussian general (b. 1857)
  • 1951 – John S. Paraskevopoulos, Greek-South African astronomer and academic (b. 1889)
  • 1957 – Ernst Nobs, Swiss politician (b. 1886)
  • 1959 – Lester Young, American saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1909)
  • 1962 – Charles Bartliff, American soccer player (b. 1886)
  • 1962 – Arthur Compton, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
  • 1966 – Abe Saperstein, American basketball player and coach (b. 1902)
  • 1969 – Miles Malleson, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1888)
  • 1969 – Musashiyama Takeshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 33rd Yokozuna (b. 1909)
  • 1970 – Tarjei Vesaas, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1897)
  • 1971 – Jean-Pierre Monseré, Belgian cyclist (b. 1948)
  • 1972 – Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov, Russian painter and educator (b. 1910)
  • 1975 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek-Argentinian businessman (b. 1906)
  • 1977 – Hubert Aquin, Canadian author and activist (b. 1929)
  • 1977 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler and referee (b. 1921)
  • 1981 – René Clair, French director and screenwriter (b. 1898)
  • 1983 – Coloman Braun-Bogdan, Romanian footballer and manager (b. 1905)
  • 1983 – Rebecca West, English author and critic (b. 1892)
  • 1985 – Radha Krishna Choudhary, Indian historian and author (b. 1921)
  • 1986 – Alexandru Giugaru, Romanian actor (b. 1897)
  • 1987 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of National Defence (b. 1899)
  • 1988 – Dmitri Polyakov, Ukrainian general and spy (b. 1926)
  • 1989 – Muhammad Jameel Didi, Maldivian poet and politician (b. 1915)
  • 1990 – Farzad Bazoft, Iranian-English journalist (b. 1958)
  • 1990 – Tom Harmon, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1919)
  • 1991 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1906)
  • 1992 – Rahi Masoom Raza, Indian Urdu poet (b.1927)
  • 1997 – Gail Davis, American actress (b. 1925)
  • 1997 – Victor Vasarely, Hungarian-French painter (b. 1906)
  • 1998 – Tim Maia, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
  • 1998 – Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and author (b. 1903)
  • 1999 – Guy D’Artois, Canadian soldier (b. 1917)
  • 2001 – Gaetano Cozzi, Italian historian and academic (b. 1922)
  • 2001 – Ann Sothern, American actress and singer (b. 1909)
  • 2003 – Thora Hird, English actress (b. 1911)
  • 2003 – Paul Stojanovich, American television producer, created World’s Wildest Police Videos (b. 1956)
  • 2004 – Philippe Lemaire, French actor (b. 1927)
  • 2004 – Bill Pickering, New Zealand-American scientist and engineer (b. 1910)
  • 2004 – John Pople, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – Bob Bellear, Australian engineer and judge (b. 1944)
  • 2005 – Otar Korkia, Georgian basketball player and coach (b. 1923)
  • 2005 – Shoji Nishio, Japanese martial artist (b. 1927)
  • 2006 – Georgios Rallis, Greek lieutenant and politician, 173rd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1918)
  • 2006 – Red Storey, Canadian football player and referee (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – Charles Harrelson, American murderer (b. 1938)
  • 2007 – Bowie Kuhn, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1926)
  • 2007 – Stuart Rosenberg, American director and producer (b. 1927)
  • 2008 – Mikey Dread, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1954)
  • 2008 – Vytautas Kernagis, Lithuanian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1951)
  • 2008 – G. David Low, American astronaut and engineer (b. 1956)
  • 2008 – Ken Reardon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)
  • 2008 – Sarla Thakral, First Indian woman to earn a pilot’s license. (b. 1914)
  • 2009 – Ron Silver, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1946)
  • 2011 – Nate Dogg, American rapper (b. 1969)
  • 2011 – Smiley Culture, English singer and DJ (b. 1963)
  • 2012 – Mervyn Davies, Welsh rugby player (b. 1946)
  • 2012 – Eb Gaines, American businessman and diplomat (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Luis Gonzales, Filipino actor (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Bernardino González Ruíz, Panamanian physician and politician, President of Panama (b. 1911)
  • 2012 – Fran Matera, American illustrator (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Dave Philley, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – James Bonk, American chemist and academic (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Booth Gardner, American businessman and politician, 19th Governor of Washington (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Hardrock Gunter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – Shannon Larratt, Canadian publisher, founded BMEzine (b. 1973)
  • 2013 – Terry Lightfoot, English clarinet player (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Leverne McDonnell, Australian actress (b. 1963).
  • 2013 – Masamichi Noro, Japanese-French martial artist, founded Kinomichi (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Kallam Anji Reddy, Indian engineer and businessman, founded Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (b. 1940)
  • 2013 – Peter Worsley, English sociologist (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Felipe Zetter, Mexican footballer (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Scott Asheton, American drummer (b. 1949).
  • 2014 – David Brenner, American comedian, actor, and author (b. 1936)
  • 2014 – Bo Callaway, American soldier and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (b. 1947)
  • 2014 – Everett L. Fullam, American priest and scholar (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Cees Veerman, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1943)
  • 2015 – Collins Chabane, South African politician (b. 1960)
  • 2015 – Robert Clatworthy, English sculptor and educator (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Narayan Desai, Indian author and activist (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Curtis Gans, American political scientist and author (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Mike Porcaro, American bass player (b. 1955)
  • 2016 – Sylvia Anderson, English voice actress and television and film producer (b. 1927)
  • 2016 – Asa Briggs, English historian and academic (b. 1921)
  • 2016 – Daryl Coley, American singer and pastor (b. 1955)
  • 2016 – Seru Rabeni, Fijian rugby player (b. 1978)
  • 2019 – Larry DiTillio, American film and TV series writer (b. 1948)
  • 2020 – Vittorio Gregotti, Italian architect (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances on March 15

  • Christian feast day:
    • Aristobulus of Britannia
    • Clemens Maria Hofbauer
    • Leocritia
    • Longinus
    • Louise de Marillac
    • Raymond of Fitero
    • March 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Belarus)
  • Earliest day on which Birth of Benito Juárez can fall, while March 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of March. (Mexico)
  • Earliest day on which Palm Sunday can fall, while April 18 is the latest; celebrated on the sixth Sunday of Lent. (Christianity)
  • Hōnen Matsuri (Japan)
  • International Day Against Police Brutality (International)
  • J. J. Roberts’ Birthday (Liberia)
  • National Day, celebrating the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 (Hungary)
  • World Consumer Rights Day (International)
  • World Contact Day
  • World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film (International)
  • World Speech Day
  • Youth Day (Palau)

March 15- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 9 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

February 9 in History

  • 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
  • 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
  • 1555 – Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake.
  • 1621 – Gregory XV becomes Pope, the last Pope elected by acclamation.
  • 1654 – The Capture of Fort Rocher takes place during the Anglo-Spanish War.
  • 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
  • 1778 – Rhode Island becomes the fourth US state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
  • 1788 – The Habsburg Empire joins the Russo-Turkish War in the Russian camp.
  • 1825 – After no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes in the US presidential election of 1824, the United States House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams as President of the United States.
  • 1849 – The new Roman Republic is declared.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention at Montgomery, Alabama.
  • 1870 – US president Ulysses S. Grant signs a joint resolution of Congress establishing the U.S. Weather Bureau.
  • 1889 – US president Grover Cleveland signs a bill elevating the United States Department of Agriculture to a Cabinet-level agency.
  • 1895 – William G. Morgan creates a game called Mintonette, which soon comes to be referred to as volleyball.
  • 1900 – The Davis Cup competition is established.
  • 1904 – Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Port Arthur concludes.
  • 1907 – The Mud March is the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
  • 1913 – A group of meteors is visible across much of the eastern seaboard of North and South America, leading astronomers to conclude the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth.
  • 1920 – Under the terms of the Svalbard Treaty, international diplomacy recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Arctic archipelago Svalbard, and designates it as demilitarized.
  • 1922 – Brazil becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
  • 1934 – The Balkan Entente is formed.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Genoa, Italy, is struck by a bomb which fails to detonate.
  • 1942 – World War II: Top United States military leaders hold their first formal meeting to discuss American military strategy in the war.
  • 1942 – Year-round Daylight saving time (aka War Time) is re-instated in the United States as a wartime measure to help conserve energy resources.
  • 1943 – World War II: Allied authorities declare Guadalcanal secure after Imperial Japan evacuates its remaining forces from the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal.
  • 1945 – World War II: Battle of the Atlantic: HMS Venturer sinks U-864 off the coast of Fedje, Norway, in a rare instance of submarine-to-submarine combat.
  • 1945 – World War II: A force of Allied aircraft unsuccessfully attacked a German destroyer in Førdefjorden, Norway.
  • 1950 – Second Red Scare: US Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States Department of State of being filled with Communists.
  • 1951 – Korean War: The two-day Geochang massacre begins as a battalion of the 11th Division of the South Korean Army kills 719 unarmed citizens in Geochang, in the South Gyeongsang district of South Korea
  • 1959 – The R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile, becomes operational at Plesetsk, USSR.
  • 1964 – The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a “record-busting” audience of 73 million viewers across the USA.
  • 1965 – The United States Marine Corps sends a MIM-23 Hawk missile battalion to South Vietnam, the first American troops in-country without an official advisory or training mission.
  • 1971 – The 6.5–6.7 Mw  Sylmar earthquake hits the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 64 and injuring 2,000.
  • 1971 – Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to be voted into the USA’s Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned Moon landing.
  • 1975 – The Soyuz 17 Soviet spacecraft returns to Earth.
  • 1976 – Aeroflot Flight 3739, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashes during takeoff from Irkutsk Airport, killing 24.
  • 1978 – The Budd Company unveils its first SPV-2000 self-propelled railcar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • 1986 – Halley’s Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System.
  • 1991 – Voters in Lithuania vote for independence.
  • 1996 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army declares the end to its 18-month ceasefire and explodes a large bomb in London’s Canary Wharf, killing two people.
  • 1996 – Copernicium is discovered, by Sigurd Hofmann, Victor Ninov et al.
  • 2016 – Two passenger trains collided in the German town of Bad Aibling in the state of Bavaria. Twelve people died, and 85 others were injured.
  • 2018 – Winter Olympics: Opening ceremony is performed in Pyeongchang County in South Korea.

Births on February 9

  • 1060 – Honorius II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1130)
  • 1274 – Louis of Toulouse, French bishop (d. 1297)
  • 1313 – Maria of Portugal, Queen of Castile, Portuguese infanta (d. 1357)
  • 1344 – Meinhard III, count of Tyrol (d. 1363)
  • 1441 – Ali-Shir Nava’i, Turkic poet, linguist, and painter (d. 1501)
  • 1533 – Shimazu Yoshihisa, Japanese daimyō (d. 1611)
  • 1579 – Johannes Meursius, Dutch classical scholar (d. 1639)
  • 1651 – Procopio Cutò, French entrepreneur (d. 1727)
  • 1666 – George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, Scottish field marshal (d. 1737)
  • 1711 – Luis Vicente de Velasco e Isla, Spanish sailor and commander (d. 1762)
  • 1737 – Thomas Paine, English-American philosopher, author, and activist (d. 1809)
  • 1741 – Henri-Joseph Rigel, German-French composer (d. 1799)
  • 1748 – Sir John Duckworth, 1st Baronet, English admiral and politician, Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1817)
  • 1763 – Louis I, Grand Duke of Baden (d. 1830)
  • 1769 – George W. Campbell, Scottish-American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1848)
  • 1773 – William Henry Harrison, American general and politician, 9th President of the United States (d. 1841)
  • 1775 – Farkas Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1856)
  • 1781 – Johann Baptist von Spix, German biologist and explorer (d. 1826)
  • 1783 – Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet and translator (d. 1852)
  • 1789 – Franz Xaver Gabelsberger, German engineer, invented Gabelsberger shorthand (d. 1849)
  • 1800 – Hyrum Smith, American religious leader (d. 1844)
  • 1814 – Samuel J. Tilden, American lawyer and politician, 28th Governor of New York (d. 1886)
  • 1815 – Federico de Madrazo, Spanish painter (d.1894)
  • 1834 – Felix Dahn, German lawyer, historian, and author (d. 1912)
  • 1826 – Keʻelikōlani, Hawaiian royal and governor (d. 1883)
  • 1837 – José Burgos, Filipino priest and revolutionary (d. 1872)
  • 1839 – Silas Adams, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (d. 1896)
  • 1846 – Wilhelm Maybach, German engineer and businessman, founded Maybach (d. 1929)
  • 1846 – Whitaker Wright, English businessman and financier (d. 1904)
  • 1847 – Hugh Price Hughes, Welsh-English clergyman and theologian (d. 1902)
  • 1854 – Aletta Jacobs, Dutch physician and suffrage activist (d. 1929)
  • 1856 – Hara Takashi, Japanese politician, 10th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1921)
  • 1859 – Akiyama Yoshifuru, Japanese general (d. 1930)
  • 1863 – Anthony Hope, English author and playwright (d. 1933)
  • 1864 – Miina Härma, Estonian organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1941)
  • 1865 – Mrs. Patrick Campbell, English-French actress (d. 1940)
  • 1865 – Erich von Drygalski, German geographer and geophysicist (d. 1949)
  • 1867 – Natsume Sōseki, Japanese author and poet (d. 1916)
  • 1871 – Howard Taylor Ricketts, American pathologist and physician (d. 1910)
  • 1874 – Amy Lowell, American poet, critic, and educator (d. 1925)
  • 1876 – Arthur Edward Moore, New Zealand-Australian politician, 23rd Premier of Queensland (d. 1963)
  • 1878 – Jack Kirwan, Irish international footballer (d. 1959)
  • 1880 – Lipót Fejér, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1959)
  • 1883 – Jules Berry, French actor and director (d. 1951)
  • 1885 – Alban Berg, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1935)
  • 1885 – Clarence H. Haring, American historian and author (d. 1960)
  • 1889 – Larry Semon, American actor, producer, director and screenwriter (d. 1928)
  • 1891 – Ronald Colman, English-American actor (d. 1958)
  • 1892 – Peggy Wood, American actress (d. 1978)
  • 1893 – Georgios Athanasiadis-Novas, Greek lawyer and politician, 163rd Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1987)
  • 1895 – Hermann Brill, German lawyer and politician, 8th Minister-President of Thuringia (d. 1959)
  • 1896 – Alberto Vargas, Peruvian-American painter and illustrator (d. 1982)
  • 1897 – Charles Kingsford Smith, Australian captain and pilot (d. 1935)
  • 1898 – Jūkichi Yagi, Japanese poet and educator (d. 1927)
  • 1901 – Brian Donlevy, American actor (d. 1972)
  • 1901 – James Murray, American actor (d. 1936)
  • 1905 – David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter, English hurdler and politician (d. 1981)
  • 1906 – André Kostolany, Hungarian-French economist and journalist (d. 1999)
  • 1907 – Trường Chinh, Vietnamese politician, 4th President of Vietnam (d. 1988)
  • 1907 – Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (d. 2003)
  • 1909 – Heather Angel, English-American actress (d. 1986)
  • 1909 – Carmen Miranda, Portuguese-Brazilian actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1955)
  • 1909 – Dean Rusk, American colonel and politician, 54th United States Secretary of State (d. 1994)
  • 1910 – Jacques Monod, French biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1976)
  • 1911 – William Orlando Darby, American general (d. 1945)
  • 1912 – Futabayama Sadaji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 35th Yokozuna (d. 1968)
  • 1912 – Ginette Leclerc, French actress (d. 1992)
  • 1914 – Ernest Tubb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1984)
  • 1916 – Tex Hughson, American baseball player (d. 1993)
  • 1918 – Lloyd Noel Ferguson, African American chemist (d. 2011)
  • 1920 – Fred Allen, New Zealand rugby player and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1922 – Kathryn Grayson, American actress and soprano (d. 2010)
  • 1922 – Jim Laker, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1986)
  • 1922 – C. P. Krishnan Nair, Indian businessman, founded The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Robert E. Ogren, American zoologist (d. 2005)
  • 1923 – Brendan Behan, Irish rebel, poet, and playwright (d. 1964)
  • 1923 – Tonie Nathan, American radio host, producer, and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – John B. Cobb, American philosopher and theologian
  • 1925 – Burkhard Heim, German physicist and academic (d. 2001)
  • 1926 – Garret FitzGerald, Irish lawyer and politician, 7th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 2011)
  • 1927 – Richard A. Long, American historian and author (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Frank Frazetta, American painter and illustrator (d. 2010)
  • 1928 – Rinus Michels, Dutch footballer and coach (d. 2005)
  • 1928 – Roger Mudd, American journalist
  • 1929 – A. R. Antulay, Indian social worker and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Clement Meadmore, Australian-American sculptor (d. 2005)
  • 1930 – Garner Ted Armstrong, American evangelist and author (d. 2003)
  • 1931 – Thomas Bernhard, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1989)
  • 1931 – Josef Masopust, Czech footballer and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Robert Morris, American sculptor and painter (d. 2018)
  • 1932 – Tatsuro Hirooka, Japanese baseball player and manager
  • 1932 – Gerhard Richter, German painter and photographer
  • 1935 – Lionel Fanthorpe, English-Welsh priest, journalist, and author
  • 1936 – Clive Swift, English actor and singer-songwriter (d. 2019)
  • 1937 – Clete Boyer, American baseball player and manager (d. 2007)
  • 1938 – Ron Logan, Disney theatrical producer and professor
  • 1939 – Mahala Andrews, British vertebrae palaeontologist (d. 1997)
  • 1939 – Barry Mann, American pianist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1939 – Janet Suzman, South African-British actress and director
  • 1940 – Brian Bennett, English drummer and songwriter
  • 1940 – J. M. Coetzee, South African-Australian novelist, essayist, and linguist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1941 – Kermit Gosnell, American abortionist and serial killer
  • 1941 – Sheila Kuehl, American actress, lawyer, gay rights activist, and politician
  • 1942 – Carole King, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1943 – Barbara Lewis, American soul/R&B singer-songwriter
  • 1943 – Joe Pesci, American actor
  • 1943 – Joseph Stiglitz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1944 – Derryn Hinch, New Zealand-Australian radio and television host and politician
  • 1944 – Alice Walker, American novelist, short story writer, and poet
  • 1945 – Mia Farrow, American actress, activist, and former fashion model
  • 1945 – Yoshinori Ohsumi, Japanese cell biologist, 2016 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine
  • 1945 – Carol Wood, American mathematician and academic
  • 1946 – Bob Eastwood, American golfer
  • 1946 – Vince Papale, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1946 – Jim Webb, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of the Navy
  • 1947 – Carla Del Ponte, Swiss lawyer and diplomat
  • 1947 – Joe Ely, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Major Harris, American R&B singer (d. 2012)
  • 1947 – Alexis Smirnoff, Canadian-American wrestler and actor (d. 2019)
  • 1948 – Guy Standing, English economist and academic
  • 1949 – Bernard Gallacher, Scottish golfer and journalist
  • 1949 – Judith Light, American actress
  • 1950 – Richard F. Colburn, American sergeant and politician
  • 1951 – David Pomeranz, American singer, musician, and composer
  • 1952 – Danny White, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1953 – Ciarán Hinds, Irish actor
  • 1953 – Ezechiele Ramin, Italian missionary, priest, and martyr (d. 1985)
  • 1953 – Gabriel Rotello, American journalist and author, founded OutWeek
  • 1954 – Jo Duffy, American author
  • 1954 – Chris Gardner, American businessman and philanthropist
  • 1954 – Kevin Warwick, English cybernetics scientist
  • 1955 – Jerry Beck, American historian and author
  • 1955 – Jimmy Pursey, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1955 – Charles Shaughnessy, English actor
  • 1956 – Mookie Wilson, American baseball player and coach
  • 1957 – Terry McAuliffe, American businessman and politician, 72nd Governor of Virginia
  • 1957 – Gordon Strachan, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1958 – Sandy Lyle, Scottish golfer
  • 1958 – Chris Nilan, American ice hockey player, coach, and radio host
  • 1960 – Holly Johnson, English singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1960 – David Simon, American journalist, author, screenwriter, and television producer
  • 1960 – Peggy Whitson, American biochemist and astronaut
  • 1961 – John Kruk, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1962 – Anik Bissonnette, Canadian ballerina
  • 1963 – Brian Greene, American physicist
  • 1963 – Peter Rowsthorn, Australian comedian and actor
  • 1963 – Travis Tritt, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1964 – Debrah Miceli, Italian-American wrestler and manager
  • 1964 – Dewi Morris, English rugby player
  • 1964 – Ernesto Valverde, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Alejandro Ávila, Mexican telenovela actor
  • 1964 – Ernesto Valverde, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Dieter Baumann, German runner
  • 1966 – Harald Eia, Norwegian comedian, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Todd Pratt, American baseball player and coach
  • 1967 – Dan Shulman, Canadian sportscaster
  • 1967 – Gaston Browne, Antiguan and Barbudan Prime Minister
  • 1968 – Alejandra Guzmán, Mexican singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1968 – Derek Strong, American basketball player and race car driver
  • 1968 – Gloria Trevi, Mexican singer and actress
  • 1969 – Jimmy Smith, American football player
  • 1970 – Glenn McGrath, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Matt Gogel, American golfer
  • 1971 – Johan Mjällby, Swedish footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Darren Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1973 – Svetlana Boginskaya, Belarusian gymnast
  • 1973 – Colin Egglesfield, American actor
  • 1973 – Makoto Shinkai, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Jordi Cruyff, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Brad Maynard, American football player
  • 1974 – Amber Valletta, American model
  • 1974 – John Wallace, American basketball player and coach
  • 1975 – Kurt Asle Arvesen, Norwegian cyclist and coach
  • 1975 – Clinton Grybas, Australian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2008)
  • 1975 – Vladimir Guerrero, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1976 – Charlie Day, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1978 – A. J. Buckley, Irish-Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1979 – Akinori Iwamura, Japanese baseball player
  • 1979 – Irina Slutskaya, Russian figure skater
  • 1980 – Angelos Charisteas, Greek footballer
  • 1980 – Margarita Levieva, Russian-American actress
  • 1980 – Manu Raju, American journalist
  • 1981 – Tom Hiddleston, English actor, producer, and musical performer
  • 1981 – Daisuke Sekimoto, Japanese wrestler
  • 1982 – Domingo Cisma, Spanish footballer
  • 1982 – Jameer Nelson, American basketball player
  • 1982 – Ami Suzuki, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1982 – Chris Weale, English footballer and manager
  • 1983 – Mikel Arruabarrena, Spanish footballer
  • 1984 – Maurice Ager, American basketball player, singer, and producer
  • 1984 – Shōhōzan Yūya, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1985 – David Gallagher, American actor
  • 1987 – Sam Coulson, English guitarist
  • 1987 – Michael B. Jordan, American actor
  • 1987 – Davide Lanzafame, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Magdalena Neuner, German biathlete
  • 1988 – Lotte Friis, Danish swimmer
  • 1989 – Maxime Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier
  • 1990 – Tariq Sims, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
  • 1991 – Logan Ryan, American football player
  • 1992 – Kyle Feldt, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Mitchell Frei, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Avan Jogia, Canadian actor
  • 1993 – Niclas Füllkrug, German footballer
  • 1995 – André Burakovsky, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1995 – Mario Pašalić, Croatian footballer
  • 1997 – Saquon Barkley, American football player

Deaths on February 9

  • 966 – Ono no Michikaze, Japanese calligrapher (b. 894)
  • 967 – Sayf al-Dawla, emir of Aleppo (b. 916)
  • 978 – Luitgarde, duchess consort of Normandy
  • 1011 – Bernard I, Duke of Saxony
  • 1014 – Yang Yanzhao, Chinese general
  • 1135 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1075)
  • 1199 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shōgun (b. 1147)
  • 1251 – Matthias II, duke of Lorraine
  • 1407 – William I, margrave of Meissen (b. 1343)
  • 1450 – Agnès Sorel, French mistress of Charles VII of France (b. 1421)
  • 1555 – John Hooper, English bishop and martyr (b. 1495)
  • 1555 – Rowland Taylor, English priest and martyr (b. 1510)
  • 1588 – Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral (b. 1526)
  • 1600 – John Frederick, Duke of Pomerania (b. 1542)
  • 1619 – Lucilio Vanini, Italian physician and philosopher (b. 1585)
  • 1640 – Murad IV, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1612)
  • 1670 – Frederick III of Denmark (b. 1609)
  • 1675 – Gerrit Dou, Dutch painter (b. 1613)
  • 1709 – François Louis, Prince of Conti (b. 1664)
  • 1777 – Seth Pomeroy, American general and gunsmith (b. 1706)
  • 1803 – Jean François de Saint-Lambert, French soldier, poet, and philosopher (b. 1716)
  • 1857 – Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet and translator (b. 1798)
  • 1874 – Jules Michelet, French historian, philosopher, and academic (b. 1798)
  • 1881 – Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and philosopher (b. 1821)
  • 1891 – Johan Jongkind, Dutch painter (b. 1819)
  • 1903 – Charles Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Victoria (b. 1816)
  • 1906 – Paul Laurence Dunbar, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1872)
  • 1928 – William Gillies, Australian politician, 21st Premier of Queensland (b. 1868)
  • 1930 – Richard With, Norwegian captain and businessman, founded Hurtigruten (b. 1846)
  • 1932 – Junnosuke Inoue, Japanese businessman and banker (b. 1869)
  • 1932 – A.K. Golam Jilani, Bangladeshi soldier and activist (b. 1904)
  • 1945 – Ella D. Barrier, American educator (b. 1852)
  • 1950 – Ted Theodore, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Queensland (b. 1884)
  • 1951 – Eddy Duchin, American pianist, bandleader, and actor (b. 1910)
  • 1957 – Miklós Horthy, Hungarian admiral and politician, Regent of Hungary (b. 1868)
  • 1960 – Alexandre Benois, Russian painter and critic (b. 1870)
  • 1960 – Ernő Dohnányi, Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1877)
  • 1965 – Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah, Bangladeshi theologian and educator (b. 1874)
  • 1966 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer (b. 1884)
  • 1969 – George “Gabby” Hayes, American actor and singer (b. 1885)
  • 1976 – Percy Faith, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1908)
  • 1977 – Sergey Ilyushin, Russian engineer and businessman, founded the Ilyushin Design Company (b. 1894)
  • 1978 – Costante Girardengo, Italian cyclist and coach (b. 1893)
  • 1979 – Allen Tate, American poet and academic (b. 1899)
  • 1980 – Tom Macdonald, Welsh journalist and author (b. 1900)
  • 1981 – M. C. Chagla, Indian jurist and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (b. 1900)
  • 1981 – Bill Haley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1925)
  • 1984 – Yuri Andropov, Russian lawyer and politician (b. 1914)
  • 1989 – Osamu Tezuka, Japanese illustrator, animator, and producer (b. 1928)
  • 1994 – Howard Martin Temin, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1934)
  • 1995 – J. William Fulbright, American lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
  • 1995 – David Wayne, American actor (b. 1914)
  • 1998 – Maurice Schumann, French journalist and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1911)
  • 2001 – Herbert A. Simon, American political scientist, economist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
  • 2002 – Isabelle Holland, Swiss-American author (b. 1920)
  • 2002 – Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (b. 1930)
  • 2003 – Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
  • 2004 – Claude Ryan, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – Robert Kearns, American engineer, invented the windscreen wiper (b. 1927)
  • 2006 – Freddie Laker, English pilot and businessman, founded Laker Airways (b. 1922)
  • 2007 – Hank Bauer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1922)
  • 2007 – Ian Richardson, Scottish actor (b. 1934)
  • 2008 – Christopher Hyatt, American occultist and author (b. 1943)
  • 2008 – Jazeh Tabatabai, Iranian painter, poet, and sculptor (b. 1931)
  • 2009 – Orlando “Cachaíto” López, Cuban bassist and composer (b. 1933)
  • 2010 – Walter Frederick Morrison, American businessman, invented the Frisbee (b. 1920)
  • 2011 – Miltiadis Evert, Greek lawyer and politician, 69th Mayor of Athens (b. 1939)
  • 2012 – O. P. Dutta, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – John Hick, English philosopher and academic (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Joe Moretti, Scottish-South African guitarist and songwriter (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Richard Artschwager, American painter, illustrator, and sculptor (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-American martial artist and trainer (b. 1913)
  • 2013 – Jimmy Smyth, Irish hurler (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Gabriel Axel, Danish actor, director, and producer (b. 1918)
  • 2014 – Hal Herring, American football player and coach (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Logan Scott-Bowden, English general (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Liu Han, Chinese businessman and philanthropist (b. 1965)
  • 2015 – Ed Sabol, American film producer, co-founded NFL Films (b. 1916)
  • 2016 – Sushil Koirala, Nepalese politician, 37th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1939)
  • 2016 – Zdravko Tolimir, Bosnian Serb military commander (b. 1948)
  • 2017 – André Salvat, French Army colonel (b. 1920)
  • 2018 – Reg E. Cathey, American actor of stage, film, and television (b. 1958)
  • 2018 – Nebojša Glogovac, Serbian actor (b. 1969)
  • 2018 – Jóhann Jóhannsson, Icelandic composer (b. 1969)
  • 2018 – John Gavin, American actor and United States ambassador to Mexico (b. 1931)
  • 2020 – Sergiy Vilkomir, Ukrainian-born computer scientist (b. 1956)

Holidays and observances on February 9

  • Christian feast day:
    • Alto of Altomünster
    • Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
    • Ansbert of Rouen
    • Apollonia
    • Bracchio
    • Blessed Leopold of Alpandeire
    • Maron (Maronite Church)
    • Miguel Febres Cordero
    • Nebridius
    • Sabinus of Canosa
    • Teilo (Wales)
    • February 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Clean Monday can fall, while March 15 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of Great Lent. (Eastern Christianity)
  • Earliest day on which People’s Sunday can fall, while March 15 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent. (Malta)
  • St. Maroun’s Day (public holiday in Lebanon)

February 9 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

  • 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later.
  • 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail.
  • 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong.
  • 1486 – King Henry VII of England marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV uniting the House of Lancaster and the House of York.
  • 1562 – Pope Pius IV reopens the Council of Trent for its third and final session.
  • 1591 – King Naresuan of Siam kills Crown Prince Mingyi Swa of Burma in single combat, for which this date is now observed as Royal Thai Armed Forces day.
  • 1670 – Henry Morgan captures Panama.
  • 1701 – Frederick I crowns himself King of Prussia in Königsberg.
  • 1778 – James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the “Sandwich Islands”.
  • 1788 – The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from Great Britain to Australia arrive at Botany Bay.
  • 1806 – Jan Willem Janssens surrenders the Dutch Cape Colony to the British.
  • 1866 – Wesley College is established in Melbourne, Australia.
  • 1871 – Wilhelm I of Germany is proclaimed Kaiser Wilhelm in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles (France) towards the end of the Franco-Prussian War. Wilhelm already had the title of German Emperor since the constitution of 1 January 1871, but he had hesitated to accept the title.
  • 1886 – Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England.
  • 1896 – An X-ray generating machine is exhibited for the first time by H. L. Smith.
  • 1911 – Eugene B. Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay, the first time an aircraft landed on a ship.
  • 1913 – First Balkan War: A Greek flotilla defeats the Ottoman Navy in the Naval Battle of Lemnos, securing the islands of the Northern Aegean Sea for Greece.
  • 1915 – Japan issues the “Twenty-One Demands” to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia.
  • 1919 – World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in Versailles, France.
  • 1919 – Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes Prime Minister of the newly independent Poland.
  • 1941 – World War II: British troops launch a general counter-offensive against Italian East Africa.
  • 1943 – Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: The first uprising of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.
  • 1945 – World War II: Liberation of Kraków, Poland by the Red Army.
  • 1958 – Willie O’Ree, the first Black Canadian National Hockey League player, makes his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins.
  • 1960 – Capital Airlines Flight 20 crashes into a farm in Charles City County, Virginia, killing all 50 aboard, the third fatal Capital Airlines crash in as many years.
  • 1967 – Albert DeSalvo, the “Boston Strangler”, is convicted of numerous crimes and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
  • 1969 – United Airlines Flight 266 crashes into Santa Monica Bay killing all 32 passengers and six crew members.
  • 1974 – A Disengagement of Forces agreement is signed between the Israeli and Egyptian governments, ending conflict on the Egyptian front of the Yom Kippur War.
  • 1976 – Lebanese Christian militias kill at least 1,000 in Karantina, Beirut.
  • 1977 – Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires’ disease.
  • 1977 – Australia’s worst rail disaster occurs at Granville, Sydney killing 83.
  • 1977 – SFR Yugoslavia’s Prime minister, Džemal Bijedić, his wife and six others are killed in a plane crash in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • 1978 – The European Court of Human Rights finds the United Kingdom’s government guilty of mistreating prisoners in Northern Ireland, but not guilty of torture.
  • 1981 – Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield parachute off a Houston skyscraper, becoming the first two people to BASE jump from objects in all four categories: buildings, antennae, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs).
  • 1983 – The International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe’s Olympic medals to his family.
  • 1990 – Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.
  • 1993 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is officially observed for the first time in all 50 US states.
  • 2002 – The Sierra Leone Civil War is declared over.
  • 2003 – A bushfire kills four people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia.
  • 2005 – The Airbus A380, the world’s largest commercial jet, is unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France
  • 2007 – The strongest storm in the United Kingdom in 17 years kills 14 people and Germany sees the worst storm since 1999 with 13 deaths. Cyclone Kyrill causes at least 44 deaths across 20 countries in Western Europe.
  • 2008 – The Euphronios Krater is unveiled in Rome after being returned to Italy by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  • 2018 – A bus catches fire on the Samara–Shymkent road in Yrgyz District, Aktobe, Kazakhstan. The fire kills 52 passengers, with three passengers and two drivers escaping.

Births on January 18

  • 1404 – Sir Philip Courtenay, British noble (d. 1463)
  • 1457 – Antonio Trivulzio, seniore, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1508)
  • 1519 – Isabella Jagiellon, Queen of Hungary (d. 1559)
  • 1540 – Catherine, Duchess of Braganza (d. 1614)
  • 1641 – François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, French politician, Secretary of State for War (d. 1691)
  • 1659 – Damaris Cudworth Masham, English philosopher and theologian (d. 1708)
  • 1672 – Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French author (d. 1731)
  • 1688 – Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1765)
  • 1689 – Montesquieu, French lawyer and philosopher (d. 1755)
  • 1701 – Johann Jakob Moser, German jurist (d. 1785)
  • 1743 – Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, French mystic and philosopher (d. 1803)
  • 1751 – Ferdinand Kauer, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1831)
  • 1752 – John Nash, English architect (d. 1835)
  • 1764 – Samuel Whitbread, English politician (d. 1815)
  • 1779 – Peter Mark Roget, English physician, lexicographer, and theologian (d. 1869)
  • 1782 – Daniel Webster, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Secretary of State (d. 1852)
  • 1793 – Pratap Singh Bhosle, Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire (d. 1847)
  • 1815 – Constantin von Tischendorf, German theologian and scholar (d. 1874)
  • 1835 – César Cui, Russian general, composer, and critic (d. 1918)
  • 1840 – Henry Austin Dobson, English poet and author (d. 1921)
  • 1841 – Emmanuel Chabrier, French pianist and composer (d. 1894)
  • 1842 – A. A. Ames, American physician and politician, Mayor of Minneapolis (d. 1911)
  • 1848 – Ioan Slavici, Romanian journalist and author (d. 1925)
  • 1849 – Edmund Barton, Australian judge and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1920)
  • 1850 – Seth Low, American academic and politician, 92nd Mayor of New York City (d. 1916)
  • 1853 – Marthinus Nikolaas Ras, South African farmer, soldier, and gun-maker (d. 1900)
  • 1854 – Thomas A. Watson, American assistant to Alexander Graham Bell (d. 1934)
  • 1856 – Daniel Hale Williams, American surgeon and cardiologist (d. 1931)
  • 1867 – Rubén Darío, Nicaraguan poet, journalist, and diplomat (d. 1916)
  • 1868 – Kantarō Suzuki, Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)
  • 1877 – Sam Zemurray, Russian-American businessman, founded the Cuyamel Fruit Company (d. 1961)
  • 1879 – Henri Giraud, French general and politician (d. 1949)
  • 1880 – Paul Ehrenfest, Austrian-Dutch physicist and academic (d. 1933)
  • 1880 – Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, Italian cardinal (d. 1954)
  • 1881 – Gaston Gallimard, French publisher, founded Éditions Gallimard (d. 1975)
  • 1882 – A. A. Milne, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1956)
  • 1886 – Clara Nordström, Swedish-German author and translator (d. 1962)
  • 1888 – Thomas Sopwith, English ice hockey player, sailor, and pilot (d. 1989)
  • 1892 – Oliver Hardy, American actor and comedian (d. 1957)
  • 1892 – Bill Meanix, American hurdler and coach (d. 1957)
  • 1892 – Paul Rostock, German surgeon and academic (d. 1956)
  • 1893 – Jorge Guillén, Spanish poet, critic, and academic (d. 1984)
  • 1894 – Toots Mondt, American wrestler and promoter (d. 1976)
  • 1896 – C. M. Eddy Jr., American author (d. 1967)
  • 1896 – Ville Ritola, Finnish-American runner (d. 1982)
  • 1898 – Albert Kivikas, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1978)
  • 1901 – Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1973)
  • 1903 – Berthold Goldschmidt, German pianist and composer (d. 1996)
  • 1904 – Anthony Galla-Rini, American accordion player and composer (d. 2006)
  • 1904 – Cary Grant, English-American actor (d. 1986)
  • 1905 – Joseph Bonanno, Italian-American mob boss (d. 2002)
  • 1907 – János Ferencsik, Hungarian conductor (d. 1984)
  • 1908 – Jacob Bronowski, Polish-English mathematician, historian, and television host (d. 1974)
  • 1910 – Kenneth E. Boulding, English economist and academic (d. 1993)
  • 1911 – José María Arguedas, Peruvian anthropologist, author, and poet (d. 1969)
  • 1911 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1987)
  • 1913 – Carroll Cloar, American artist (d. 1993)
  • 1913 – Giannis Papaioannou, Greek composer (d. 1972)
  • 1914 – Arno Schmidt, German author and translator (d. 1979)
  • 1914 – Vitomil Zupan, Slovene author, poet, and playwright (d. 1987)
  • 1915 – Syl Apps, Canadian pole vaulter, ice hockey player, and politician (d. 1998)
  • 1915 – Santiago Carrillo, Spanish soldier and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1915 – Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (d. 1984)
  • 1917 – Nicholas Oresko, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Wang Yung-ching, Taiwanese-American businessman (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Gustave Gingras, Canadian-English physician and educator (d. 1996)
  • 1919 – Toni Turek, German footballer (d. 1984)
  • 1921 – Yoichiro Nambu, Japanese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – John Graham, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Wales (d. 2012)
  • 1923 – Gerrit Voorting, Dutch cyclist (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Gilles Deleuze, French metaphysician and philosopher (d. 1995)
  • 1925 – John V. Evans, American soldier and politician, 27th Governor of Idaho (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Sol Yurick, American soldier and author (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Randolph Bromery, American geologist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Sundaram Balachander, Indian actor, singer, and veena player (d. 1990)
  • 1928 – Alexander Gomelsky, Soviet and Russian professional basketball coach (d. 2005)
  • 1931 – Chun Doo-hwan, South Korean general and politician, 5th President of South Korea
  • 1932 – Robert Anton Wilson, American psychologist, author, poet, and playwright (d. 2007)
  • 1933 – Emeka Anyaoku, Nigerian politician, 8th Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1933 – David Bellamy, English botanist, author and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1933 – John Boorman, English director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1933 – Ray Dolby, American engineer and businessman, founded Dolby Laboratories (d. 2013)
  • 1933 – William Goodhart, Baron Goodhart, English lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1933 – Frank McMullen, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2004)
  • 1933 – Jean Vuarnet, French ski racer (d. 2017)
  • 1934 – Raymond Briggs, English author and illustrator
  • 1935 – Albert Millaire, Canadian actor and director (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Jon Stallworthy, English poet, critic, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1935 – Gad Yaacobi, Israeli academic and diplomat, 10th Israel Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2007)
  • 1936 – David Howell, Baron Howell of Guildford, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
  • 1937 – John Hume, Northern Irish educator and politician, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1938 – Curt Flood, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1997)
  • 1938 – Anthony Giddens, English sociologist and academic
  • 1938 – Werner Olk, German footballer and manager
  • 1938 – Hargus “Pig” Robbins, American Country Music Hall of Fame session keyboard and piano player
  • 1940 – Pedro Rodriguez, Mexican race car driver (d. 1971)
  • 1941 – Denise Bombardier, Canadian journalist and author
  • 1941 – Bobby Goldsboro, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1941 – David Ruffin, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1991)
  • 1943 – Paul Freeman, English actor
  • 1943 – Kay Granger, American educator and politician
  • 1943 – Dave Greenslade, English keyboard player and composer
  • 1943 – Charlie Wilson, American businessman and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1944 – Paul Keating, Australian economist and politician, 24th Prime Minister of Australia
  • 1944 – Carl Morton, American baseball player (d. 1983)
  • 1944 – Kei Ogura, Japanese singer-songwriter and composer
  • 1944 – Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria
  • 1945 – Rocco Forte, English businessman and philanthropist
  • 1946 – Perro Aguayo, Mexican wrestler (d. 2019)
  • 1946 – Joseph Deiss, Swiss economist and politician, 156th President of the Swiss Confederation
  • 1946 – Henrique Rosa, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (d. 2013)
  • 1947 – Sachio Kinugasa, Japanese baseball player and journalist (d. 2018)
  • 1947 – Takeshi Kitano, Japanese actor and director
  • 1949 – Bill Keller, American journalist
  • 1949 – Philippe Starck, French interior designer
  • 1950 – Gianfranco Brancatelli, Italian race car driver
  • 1950 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (d. 1982)
  • 1951 – Bram Behr, Surinamese journalist and activist (d. 1982)
  • 1951 – Bob Latchford, English footballer
  • 1952 – Michael Behe, American biochemist, author, and academic
  • 1952 – R. Stevie Moore, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – Brett Hudson, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1953 – Peter Moon, Australian comedian and actor
  • 1955 – Kevin Costner, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1956 – Paul Deighton, Baron Deighton, English banker and politician
  • 1960 – Mark Rylance, English actor, director, and playwright
  • 1961 – Peter Beardsley, English footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Bob Hansen, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Mark Messier, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Jeff Yagher, American actor and sculptor
  • 1962 – Alison Arngrim, Canadian-American actress
  • 1963 – Maxime Bernier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada
  • 1963 – Ian Crook, English footballer, central midfielder and manager
  • 1963 – Carl McCoy, English singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Martin O’Malley, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 61st Governor of Maryland
  • 1964 – Brady Anderson, American baseball player
  • 1964 – Richard Dunwoody, Northern Irish jockey and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Virgil Hill, American boxer
  • 1964 – Jane Horrocks, English actress and singer
  • 1966 – Alexander Khalifman, Russian chess player and author
  • 1966 – Kazufumi Miyazawa, Japanese singer
  • 1966 – André Ribeiro, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1967 – Dean Bailey, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1967 – Iván Zamorano, Chilean footballer
  • 1969 – Dave Bautista, American wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor
  • 1969 – Jesse L. Martin, American actor and singer
  • 1969 – Jim O’Rourke, American guitarist and producer
  • 1970 – Peter Van Petegem, Belgian cyclist
  • 1971 – Amy Barger, American astronomer
  • 1971 – Jonathan Davis, American singer-songwriter
  • 1971 – Christian Fittipaldi, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1971 – Pep Guardiola, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan writer (d. 2019)
  • 1972 – Vinod Kambli, Indian cricketer, sportscaster, and actor
  • 1972 – Mike Lieberthal, American baseball player
  • 1972 – Kjersti Plätzer, Norwegian race walker
  • 1973 – Burnie Burns, American actor, director, and producer, co-founded Rooster Teeth Productions
  • 1973 – Luke Goodwin, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1973 – Benjamin Jealous, American civic leader and activist
  • 1973 – Anthony Koutoufides, Australian footballer
  • 1973 – Crispian Mills, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and director
  • 1973 – Rolando Schiavi, Argentinian footballer and coach
  • 1974 – Christian Burns, English singer-songwriter
  • 1975 – Leslie Knope, Protagonist of Parks and Recreation (fictional)
  • 1976 – Laurence Courtois, Belgian tennis player
  • 1976 – Marcelo Gallardo, Argentinian footballer and coach
  • 1976 – Damien Leith, Irish-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1977 – Richard Archer, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Brian Falkenborg, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Thor Hushovd, Norwegian cyclist
  • 1978 – Bogdan Lobonț, Romanian footballer
  • 1979 – Ruslan Fedotenko, Ukrainian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Paulo Ferreira, Portuguese footballer
  • 1979 – Brian Gionta, American ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Kenyatta Jones, American football player (d. 2018)
  • 1980 – Estelle, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1980 – Robert Green, English footballer
  • 1980 – Kert Haavistu, Estonian footballer and manager
  • 1980 – Julius Peppers, American football player
  • 1980 – Jason Segel, American actor and screenwriter
  • 1981 – Otgonbayar Ershuu, Mongolian painter and illustrator
  • 1981 – Olivier Rochus, Belgian tennis player
  • 1981 – Khari Stephenson, Jamaican footballer
  • 1981 – Kang Dong-won, South Korean actor
  • 1982 – Quinn Allman, American guitarist and producer
  • 1982 – Mary Jepkosgei Keitany, Kenyan runner
  • 1983 – Amir Blumenfeld, Israeli-American comedian, actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1983 – Samantha Mumba, Irish singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1984 – Kristy Lee Cook, American singer-songwriter
  • 1984 – Ioannis Drymonakos, Greek swimmer
  • 1984 – Makoto Hasebe, Japanese footballer
  • 1984 – Michael Kearney, American biochemist and academic
  • 1984 – Seung-Hui Cho, South Korean student who perpetrated the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech (d. 2007)
  • 1984 – Benji Schwimmer, American dancer and choreographer
  • 1984 – Viktoria Shklover, Estonian figure skater
  • 1985 – Dale Begg-Smith, Canadian-Australian skier
  • 1985 – Mark Briscoe, American wrestler
  • 1985 – Riccardo Montolivo, Italian footballer
  • 1985 – Hyun Woo, South Korean actor
  • 1986 – Marya Roxx, Estonian-American singer-songwriter
  • 1986 – Ikusaburo Yamazaki, Japanese actor and singer
  • 1987 – Johan Djourou, Swiss footballer
  • 1987 – Christopher Liebig, German rugby player
  • 1987 – Grigoris Makos, Greek footballer
  • 1988 – Ronnie Day, American singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Angelique Kerber, German tennis player
  • 1988 – Anastasios Kissas, Greek footballer
  • 1988 – Boy van Poppel, Dutch cyclist
  • 1989 – Rubén Miño, Spanish footballer
  • 1990 – Nacho, Spanish footballer
  • 1990 – Hayle Ibrahimov, Ethiopian-Azerbaijani runner
  • 1990 – Gift Ngoepe, South African baseball player
  • 1991 – Diego Simões, Brazilian footballer
  • 1992 – Francesco Bardi, Italian footballer
  • 1993 – Sean Keenan, Australian actor
  • 1994 – Kang Ji-young, South Korean singer
  • 1994 – Ilona Kremen, Belarusian tennis player
  • 1995 – Bryce Alford, American basketball player
  • 1998 – Aitana Bonmatí, Spanish footballer

Deaths on January 18

  • 52 BC – Publius Clodius Pulcher, Roman politician (b. 93 BC)
  • 474 – Leo I, Byzantine emperor (b. 401)
  • 748 – Odilo, duke of Bavaria
  • 896 – Khumarawayh ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun, ruler of the Tulunids, murdered (b. 864)
  • 1213 – Tamar of Georgia (b. 1160)
  • 1253 – King Henry I of Cyprus (b. 1217)
  • 1271 – Saint Margaret of Hungary (b. 1242)
  • 1326 – Robert FitzWalter, 1st Baron FitzWalter, English baron (b. 1247)
  • 1357 – Maria of Portugal, infanta (b. 1313)
  • 1367 – Peter I of Portugal (b. 1320)
  • 1411 – Jobst of Moravia, ruler of Moravia, King of the Romans
  • 1425 – Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, English politician (b. 1391)
  • 1471 – Emperor Go-Hanazono of Japan (b. 1419)
  • 1479 – Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1417)
  • 1547 – Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal and scholar (b. 1470)
  • 1586 – Margaret of Parma (b. 1522)
  • 1589 – Magnus Heinason, Faroese naval hero (b. 1545)
  • 1677 – Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch politician, founded Cape Town (b. 1619)
  • 1756 – Francis George of Schönborn-Buchheim, Archbishop-Elector of Trier (b. 1682)
  • 1783 – Jeanne Quinault, French actress and playwright (b. 1699)
  • 1803 – Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet and academic (b. 1743)
  • 1849 – Panoutsos Notaras, Greek politician (b. 1752)
  • 1862 – John Tyler, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 10th President of the United States (b. 1790)
  • 1873 – Edward Bulwer-Lytton, English author, poet, playwright, and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1803)
  • 1878 – Antoine César Becquerel, French physicist and academic (b. 1788)
  • 1886 – Baldassare Verazzi, Italian painter (b. 1819)
  • 1892 – Anton Anderledy, Swiss religious leader, 23rd Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1819)
  • 1896 – Charles Floquet, French lawyer and politician, 55th Prime Minister of France (b. 1828)
  • 1923 – Wallace Reid, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1891)
  • 1936 – Hermanus Brockmann, Dutch rower (b. 1871)
  • 1936 – Rudyard Kipling, English author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
  • 1940 – Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Polish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1865)
  • 1951 – Amy Carmichael, Irish missionary and humanitarian (b. 1867)
  • 1952 – Curly Howard, American actor (b. 1903)
  • 1954 – Sydney Greenstreet, English-American actor (b. 1879)
  • 1955 – Saadat Hasan Manto, Pakistani author and screenwriter (b. 1912)
  • 1956 – Makbule Atadan, Turkish lawyer and politician (b. 1885)
  • 1956 – Konstantin Päts, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 1st President of Estonia (b. 1874)
  • 1963 – Hugh Gaitskell, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1906)
  • 1966 – Kathleen Norris, American journalist and author (b. 1880)
  • 1967 – Goose Tatum, American basketball player and soldier (b. 1921)
  • 1969 – Hans Freyer, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1887)
  • 1970 – David O. McKay, American religious leader, 9th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1873)
  • 1971 – Virgil Finlay, American illustrator (b. 1914)
  • 1973 – Irina Nikolaevna Levchenko, Russian tank commander (b. 1924)
  • 1975 – Gertrude Olmstead, American actress (b. 1897)
  • 1978 – Hasan Askari, Pakistani philosopher and author (b. 1919)
  • 1980 – Cecil Beaton, English fashion designer and photographer (b. 1904)
  • 1984 – Panteleimon Ponomarenko, Belarusian general and politician (b. 1902)
  • 1984 – Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (b. 1915)
  • 1989 – Bruce Chatwin, English-French author (b. 1940)
  • 1990 – Melanie Appleby, English singer (b. 1966)
  • 1990 – Rusty Hamer, American actor (b. 1947)
  • 1993 – Dionysios Zakythinos, Greek historian, academic, and politician (b. 1905)
  • 1995 – Adolf Butenandt, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
  • 1995 – Ron Luciano, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1937)
  • 1996 – N. T. Rama Rao, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician, 10th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (b. 1923)
  • 1997 – Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician (b. 1941)
  • 1998 – Dan Georgiadis, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1922)
  • 2000 – Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Austrian architect (b. 1897)
  • 2003 – Ed Farhat, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1924)
  • 2003 – Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Indian poet and author (b. 1907)
  • 2005 – Lamont Bentley, American actor and rapper (b. 1973)
  • 2006 – Jan Twardowski, Polish priest and poet (b. 1915)
  • 2007 – Brent Liles, American bass player (b. 1963)
  • 2008 – Georgia Frontiere, American businesswoman and philanthropist (b. 1927)
  • 2008 – Frank Lewin, American composer and theorist (b. 1925)
  • 2008 – Lois Nettleton, American actress (b. 1927)
  • 2008 – John Stroger, American politician (b. 1929)
  • 2009 – Tony Hart, English painter and television host (b. 1925)
  • 2009 – Nora Kovach, Hungarian-American ballerina (b. 1931)
  • 2009 – Danai Stratigopoulou, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1913)
  • 2009 – Grigore Vieru, Romanian poet and author (b. 1935)
  • 2010 – Kate McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – Robert B. Parker, American author and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2011 – Sargent Shriver, American politician and diplomat, 21st United States Ambassador to France (b. 1915)
  • 2012 – Anthony Gonsalves, Indian composer and educator (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Georg Lassen, German captain (b. 1915)
  • 2012 – Yuri Rasovsky, American playwright and producer, founded The National Radio Theater of Chicago (b. 1944)
  • 2013 – Sean Fallon, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Jim Horning, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Jon Mannah, Australian rugby league player (b. 1989)
  • 2013 – Lewis Marnell, Australian skateboarder (b. 1982)
  • 2013 – Ron Nachman, Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1942)
  • 2014 – Kathryn Abbe, American photographer and author (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Michael Botmang, Nigerian politician, 17th Governor of Plateau State (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Dennis Frederiksen, American singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
  • 2014 – Andy Graver, English footballer (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Sarah Marshall, English actress (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Eugenio Cruz Vargas, Chilean poet and painter (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Alberto Nisman, Argentinian lawyer and prosecutor (b. 1963)
  • 2015 – Christine Valmy, Romanian cosmetologist and author (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Piet van der Sanden, Dutch journalist and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Tony Verna, American director and producer, invented instant replay (b. 1933)
  • 2016 – Johnny Bach, American basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
  • 2016 – Glenn Frey, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1948)
  • 2016 – T. S. Sinnathuray, Judge of the High Court of Singapore (b. 1930)
  • 2016 – Michel Tournier, French journalist and author (b. 1924)
  • 2017 – Peter Abrahams, South African-Jamaican writer (b. 1919)
  • 2017 – David P. Buckson, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Delaware (b. 1920)
  • 2017 – Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe Flint, English cricketer, businesswoman and philanthropist (b. 1939)
  • 2017 – Roberta Peters, American coloratura soprano (b. 1930)
  • 2019 – John Coughlin, American figure skater (b. 1985)

Holidays and observances on January 18

  • Christian feast day:
    • Amy Carmichael (Church of England)
    • Athanasius of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Confession of Peter (Eastern Orthodox, some Anglican and Lutheran Churches)
    • Cyril of Alexandria
    • Deicolus
    • Margaret of Hungary
    • Prisca
    • Volusianus of Tours
    • January 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Royal Thai Armed Forces Day (Thailand)
  • Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18–25) (Christianity)

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