836

  • July 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    The Aphelion, the point in the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, occurs around this date.

    July 4 in History

    • 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans.
    • 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaimed herself empress (Augusta) of the Eastern Roman Empire.
    • 836 – Pactum Sicardi, a peace treaty between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples, is signed.
    • 993 – Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized as a saint.
    • 1054 – A supernova, called SN 1054, is seen by Chinese Song dynasty, Arab, and possibly Amerindian observers near the star Zeta Tauri. For several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day. Its remnants form the Crab Nebula.
    • 1120 – Jordan II of Capua is anointed as prince after his infant nephew’s death.
    • 1187 – The Crusades: Battle of Hattin: Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem.
    • 1253 – Battle of West-Capelle: John I of Avesnes defeats Guy of Dampierre.
    • 1359 – Francesco II Ordelaffi of Forlì surrenders to the Papal commander Gil de Albornoz.
    • 1456 – Ottoman–Hungarian wars: The Siege of Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) begins.
    • 1534 – Christian III is elected King of Denmark and Norway in the town of Rye.
    • 1584 – Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe arrive at Roanoke Island
    • 1610 – The Battle of Klushino is fought between forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia during the Polish–Muscovite War.
    • 1634 – The city of Trois-Rivières is founded in New France (now Quebec, Canada).
    • 1744 – The Treaty of Lancaster, in which the Iroquois cede lands between the Allegheny Mountains and the Ohio River to the British colonies, was signed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
    • 1774 – Orangetown Resolutions are adopted in the Province of New York, one of many protests against the British Parliament’s Coercive Acts.
    • 1776 – American Revolution: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress.
    • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: U.S. forces under George Clark capture Kaskaskia during the Illinois campaign.
    • 1802 – At West Point, New York, the United States Military Academy opens.
    • 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
    • 1817 – In Rome, New York, construction on the Erie Canal begins.
    • 1826 – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, respectively the second and third presidents of the United States, die the same day, on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence. Adams’ last words were, “Thomas Jefferson survives.”
    • 1827 – Slavery is abolished in the State of New York.
    • 1831 – Samuel Francis Smith writes “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” for the Boston, Massachusetts July 4 festivities.
    • 1837 – Grand Junction Railway, the world’s first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
    • 1838 – The Iowa Territory is organized.
    • 1845 – Henry David Thoreau moves into a small cabin on Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau’s account of his two years there, Walden, will become a touchstone of the environmental movement.
    • 1855 – The first edition of Walt Whitman’s book of poems, Leaves of Grass, is published In Brooklyn.
    • 1862 – Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Siege of Vicksburg: Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to U.S. forces under Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege. One hundred fifty miles up the Mississippi River, a Confederate army is repulsed at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Army of Northern Virginia withdraws from the battlefield after losing the Battle of Gettysburg, signalling an end to the Confederate invasion of U.S. territory.
    • 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: The Zululand capital of Ulundi is captured by British troops and burned to the ground, ending the war and forcing King Cetshwayo to flee.
    • 1881 – In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.
    • 1886 – The Canadian Pacific Railway’s first scheduled train from Montreal arrives in Port Moody on the Pacific coast, after six days of travel.
    • 1887 – The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, joins Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi.
    • 1892 – Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, causing Monday (July 4) to occur twice, resulting in a year with 367 days.
    • 1894 – The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.
    • 1898 – En route from New York to Le Havre, the SS La Bourgogne collides with another ship and sinks off the coast of Sable Island, with the loss of 549 lives.
    • 1901 – William Howard Taft becomes American governor of the Philippines.
    • 1903 – The Philippine–American War is officially concluded.
    • 1910 – The Johnson–Jeffries riots occur after African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in the 15th round. Between 11 and 26 people are killed and hundreds more injured.
    • 1911 – A massive heat wave strikes the northeastern United States, killing 380 people in eleven days and breaking temperature records in several cities.
    • 1913 – President Woodrow Wilson addresses American Civil War veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913.
    • 1914 – The funeral of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie takes place in Vienna, six days after their assassinations in Sarajevo.
    • 1918 – Mehmed V died at the age of 73 and Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne.
    • 1918 – World War I: The Battle of Hamel, a successful attack by the Australian Corps against German positions near the town of Le Hamel on the Western Front.
    • 1918 – Bolsheviks kill Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family (Julian calendar date).
    • 1927 – First flight of the Lockheed Vega.
    • 1939 – Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, informs a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself “The luckiest man on the face of the earth”, then announces his retirement from major league baseball.
    • 1941 – Nazi crimes against the Polish nation: Nazi troops massacre Polish scientists and writers in the captured Ukrainian city of Lviv.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Burning of the Riga synagogues: The Great Choral Synagogue in German occupied Riga is burnt with 300 Jews locked in the basement.
    • 1942 – World War II: The 250-day Siege of Sevastopol in the Crimea ends when the city falls to Axis forces.
    • 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Kursk, the largest full-scale battle in history and the world’s largest tank battle, begins in the village of Prokhorovka.
    • 1943 – World War II: In Gibraltar, a Royal Air Force B-24 Liberator bomber crashes into the sea in an apparent accident moments after takeoff, killing sixteen passengers on board, including general Władysław Sikorski, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and the Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile; only the pilot survives.
    • 1946 – The Kielce pogrom against Jewish Holocaust survivors in Poland.
    • 1946 – After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attains full independence from the United States.
    • 1947 – The “Indian Independence Bill” is presented before the British House of Commons, proposing the independence of the Provinces of British India into two sovereign countries: India and Pakistan.
    • 1950 – Cold War: Radio Free Europe first broadcasts.
    • 1951 – Cold War: A court in Czechoslovakia sentences American journalist William N. Oatis to ten years in prison on charges of espionage.
    • 1951 – William Shockley announces the invention of the junction transistor.
    • 1954 – Rationing ends in the United Kingdom.
    • 1960 – Due to the post-Independence Day admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, almost ten and a half months later (see Flag Acts (United States)).
    • 1961 – On its maiden voyage, the Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-19 suffers a complete loss of coolant to its reactor. The crew are able to effect repairs, but 22 of them die of radiation poisoning over the following two years.
    • 1966 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into United States law. The act went into effect the next year.
    • 1976 – Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.
    • 1976 – The U.S. celebrates its Bicentennial.
    • 1977 – The George Jackson Brigade plants a bomb at the main power substation for the Washington state capitol in Olympia, in solidarity with a prison strike at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary Intensive Security Unit.
    • 1982 – Three Iranian diplomats and a journalist are kidnapped in Lebanon by Phalange forces, and their fate remains unknown.
    • 1987 – In France, former Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie (a.k.a. the “Butcher of Lyon”) is convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment.
    • 1994 – Rwandan genocide: Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is captured by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, ending the genocide in the city.
    • 1997 – NASA’s Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
    • 1998 – Japan launches the Nozomi probe to Mars, joining the United States and Russia as a space exploring nation.
    • 2001 – Vladivostock Air Flight 352 crashes on approach to Irkutsk Airport killing all 145 people on board.
    • 2004 – The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the World Trade Center site in New York City.
    • 2004 – Greece beats Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2004 Final and becomes European Champion for first time in its history.
    • 2005 – The Deep Impact collider hits the comet Tempel 1.
    • 2006 – Space Shuttle program: Discovery launches STS-121 to the International Space Station. The event gained wide media attention as it was the only shuttle launch in the program’s history to occur on the United States’ Independence Day.
    • 2009 – The Statue of Liberty’s crown reopens to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks.
    • 2009 – The first of four days of bombings begins on the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao.
    • 2012 – The discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider is announced at CERN.
    • 2015 – Chile claims its first title in international soccer by defeating Argentina in the 2015 Copa América Final.

    Births on July 4

    • AD 68 – Salonina Matidia, Roman daughter of Ulpia Marciana (d. 119)
    • 1095 – Usama ibn Munqidh, Muslim poet, author and faris (Knight) (d. 1188)
    • 1330 – Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shōgun (d. 1367)
    • 1477 – Johannes Aventinus, Bavarian historian and philologist (d. 1534)
    • 1546 – Murad III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1595)
    • 1656 – John Leake, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1720)
    • 1694 – Louis-Claude Daquin, French organist and composer (d. 1772)
    • 1715 – Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet and academic (d. 1769)
    • 1719 – Michel-Jean Sedaine, French playwright (d. 1797)
    • 1729 – George Leonard, American lawyer, jurist and politician (d. 1819)
    • 1753 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French inventor, best known as a pioneer in balloon flight (d. 1809)
    • 1790 – George Everest, Welsh geographer and surveyor (d. 1866)
    • 1799 – Oscar I of Sweden (d. 1859)
    • 1804 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1864)
    • 1807 – Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and politician (d. 1882)
    • 1816 – Hiram Walker, American businessman, founded Canadian Club whisky (d. 1899)
    • 1826 – Stephen Foster, American songwriter and composer (d. 1864)
    • 1842 – Hermann Cohen, German philosopher (d. 1918)
    • 1845 – Thomas John Barnardo, Irish philanthropist and humanitarian (d. 1905)
    • 1847 – James Anthony Bailey, American circus ringmaster, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (d. 1906)
    • 1854 – Victor Babeș, Romanian physician and biologist (d. 1926)
    • 1868 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (d. 1921)
    • 1871 – Hubert Cecil Booth, English engineer (d. 1955)
    • 1872 – Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933)
    • 1874 – John McPhee, Australian journalist and politician, 27th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1952)
    • 1880 – Victor Kraft, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1975)
    • 1881 – Ulysses S. Grant III, American general (d. 1968)
    • 1883 – Rube Goldberg, American sculptor, cartoonist, and engineer (d. 1970)
    • 1887 – Pio Pion, Italian engineer and businessman (d. 1965)
    • 1888 – Henry Armetta, Italian-American actor and singer (d. 1945)
    • 1895 – Irving Caesar, American songwriter and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1896 – Mao Dun, Chinese journalist, author, and critic (d. 1981)
    • 1897 – Alluri Sitarama Raju, Indian activist (d. 1924)
    • 1898 – Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican-American historian and activist (d. 1997)
    • 1898 – Gertrude Lawrence, British actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1952)
    • 1898 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian politician (d. 1998)
    • 1898 – Gertrude Weaver, American supercentenarian (d. 2015)
    • 1900 – Belinda Dann, Indigenous Australian who was one of the Stolen Generation, reunited with family aged 107 (d. 2007)
    • 1900 – Nellie Mae Rowe, American folk artist (d. 1982)
    • 1902 – Meyer Lansky, American gangster (d. 1983)
    • 1902 – George Murphy, American actor and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1903 – Flor Peeters, Belgian organist, composer, and educator (d. 1986)
    • 1904 – Angela Baddeley, English actress (d. 1976)
    • 1905 – Irving Johnson, American sailor and author (d. 1991)
    • 1905 – Robert Hankey, 2nd Baron Hankey, British diplomat and public servant (d. 1996)
    • 1905 – Lionel Trilling, American critic, essayist, short story writer, and educator (d. 1975)
    • 1906 – Vincent Schaefer, American chemist and meteorologist (d. 1993)
    • 1907 – John Anderson, American discus thrower (d. 1948)
    • 1907 – Howard Taubman, American author and critic (d. 1996)
    • 1909 – Alec Templeton, Welsh composer, pianist and satirist (d. 1963)
    • 1910 – Robert K. Merton, American sociologist and scholar (d. 2003)
    • 1910 – Gloria Stuart, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1911 – Bruce Hamilton, Australian public servant (d. 1989)
    • 1911 – Mitch Miller, American singer and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1914 – Nuccio Bertone, Italian automobile designer (d. 1997)
    • 1915 – Timmie Rogers, American actor and singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Iva Toguri D’Aquino, American typist and broadcaster (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Eppie Lederer, American journalist and radio host (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – Johnnie Parsons, American race car driver (d. 1984)
    • 1918 – King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV of Tonga, (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Alec Bedser, English cricketer (d. 2010)
    • 1918 – Eric Bedser, English cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Pauline Phillips, American journalist and radio host, created Dear Abby (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Norm Drucker, American basketball player and referee (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – Leona Helmsley, American businesswoman (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Fritz Wilde, German footballer and manager (d. 1977)
    • 1920 – Paul Bannai, American politician (d. 2019)
    • 1921 – Gérard Debreu, French economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
    • 1921 – Nasser Sharifi, Iranian sports shooter
    • 1921 – Metropolitan Mikhail of Asyut (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Philip Rose, American actor, playwright, and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1921 – Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist and conductor (d. 2003)
    • 1922 – R. James Harvey, American politician (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Eva Marie Saint, American actress
    • 1924 – Delia Fiallo, Cuban author and screenwriter
    • 1925 – Ciril Zlobec, Slovene poet, writer, translator, journalist and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Dorothy Head Knode, American tennis player (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentinian-Spanish footballer and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Lake Underwood, American race car driver and businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress and photographer
    • 1927 – Neil Simon, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Giampiero Boniperti, Italian footballer and politician
    • 1928 – Teofisto Guingona Jr., Filipino politician; 11th Vice President of the Philippines
    • 1928 – Jassem Alwan, Syrian Army Officer (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Shan Ratnam, Sri Lankan physician and academic (d. 2001)
    • 1928 – Chuck Tanner, American baseball player and manager (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Ron Casey, Australian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2018)
    • 1929 – Al Davis, American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (d. 1998)
    • 1930 – George Steinbrenner, American businessman (d. 2010)
    • 1931 – Stephen Boyd, Northern Ireland-born American actor (d. 1977)
    • 1931 – Rick Casares, American football player and soldier (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Sébastien Japrisot, French author, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1931 – Peter Richardson, English cricketer (d. 2017)
    • 1932 – Aurèle Vandendriessche, Belgian runner
    • 1934 – Yvonne B. Miller, American academic and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1934 – Colin Welland, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Paul Scoon, Grenadian politician, 2nd Governor-General of Grenada (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Zdzisława Donat, Polish soprano and actress
    • 1937 – Thomas Nagel, American philosopher and academic
    • 1937 – Queen Sonja of Norway
    • 1937 – Richard Rhodes, American journalist and historian
    • 1937 – Eric Walters, Australian journalist (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Steven Rose, English biologist and academic
    • 1938 – Bill Withers, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2020)
    • 1940 – Pat Stapleton, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2020)
    • 1941 – Sam Farr, American politician
    • 1941 – Tomaž Šalamun, Croatian-Slovenian poet and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1941 – Pavel Sedláček, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1941 – Brian Willson, American soldier, lawyer, and activist
    • 1942 – Hal Lanier, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1942 – Floyd Little, American football player and coach
    • 1942 – Stefan Meller, French-Polish academic and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2008)
    • 1942 – Prince Michael of Kent
    • 1942 – Peter Rowan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Conny Bauer, German trombonist
    • 1943 – Emerson Boozer, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1943 – Adam Hart-Davis, English historian, author, and photographer
    • 1943 – Geraldo Rivera, American lawyer, journalist, and author
    • 1943 – Fred Wesley, American jazz and funk trombonist
    • 1943 – Alan Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1970)
    • 1945 – Andre Spitzer, Romanian-Israeli fencer and coach (d. 1972)
    • 1946 – Ron Kovic, American author and activist
    • 1946 – Michael Milken, American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1947 – Lembit Ulfsak, Estonian actor and director (d. 2017)
    • 1948 – René Arnoux, French race car driver
    • 1948 – Tommy Körberg, Swedish singer and actor
    • 1948 – Jeremy Spencer, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1950 – Philip Craven, English basketball player and swimmer
    • 1950 – David Jensen, Canadian-English radio and television host
    • 1951 – John Alexander, Australian tennis player and politician
    • 1951 – Ralph Johnson, American R&B drummer and percussionist
    • 1951 – Vladimir Tismăneanu, Romanian-American political scientist, sociologist, and academic
    • 1951 – Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American lawyer and politician, 6th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
    • 1952 – Álvaro Uribe, Colombian lawyer and politician, 39th President of Colombia
    • 1952 – Carol MacReady, English actress
    • 1952 – John Waite, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1952 – Paul Rogat Loeb, American author and activist
    • 1953 – Francis Maude, English lawyer and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office
    • 1954 – Jim Beattie, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1954 – Morganna, American model, actress, and dancer
    • 1954 – Devendra Kumar Joshi, 21st Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy
    • 1955 – Kevin Nichols, Australian cyclist
    • 1956 – Robert Sinclair MacKay, British academic and educator
    • 1957 – Rein Lang, Estonian politician and diplomat, 25th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1958 – Vera Leth, Greenlandic Ombudsman
    • 1958 – Kirk Pengilly, Australian guitarist, saxophonist, and songwriter
    • 1958 – Carl Valentine, English-Canadian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1959 – Victoria Abril, Spanish actress and singer
    • 1960 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (d. 1994)
    • 1961 – Richard Garriott, English-American video game designer, created the Ultima series
    • 1962 – Pam Shriver, American tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Henri Leconte, French tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Laureano Márquez, Spanish-Venezuelan political scientist and journalist
    • 1963 – José Oquendo, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
    • 1963 – Sonia Pierre, Hatian-Dominican human rights activist (d. 2011)
    • 1964 – Cle Kooiman, American soccer player and manager
    • 1964 – Elie Saab, Lebanese fashion designer
    • 1964 – Edi Rama, Albanian politician
    • 1964 – Mark Slaughter, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1964 – Mark Whiting, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Harvey Grant, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Horace Grant, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Kiriakos Karataidis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Gérard Watkins, English actor and playwright
    • 1966 – Ronni Ancona, Scottish actress and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Minas Hantzidis, German-Greek footballer
    • 1966 – Lee Reherman, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1967 – Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player and manager
    • 1967 – Sébastien Deleigne, French athlete
    • 1969 – Al Golden, American football player and coach
    • 1969 – Todd Marinovich, American football player and coach
    • 1969 – Wilfred Mugeyi, Zimbabwean footballer and coach
    • 1972 – Stephen Giles, Canadian canoe racer and engineer
    • 1972 – Mike Knuble, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1973 – Keiko Ihara, Japanese race car driver
    • 1973 – Gackt, Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor
    • 1973 – Michael Johnson, English-Jamaican footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Anjelika Krylova, Russian ice dancer and coach
    • 1973 – Jan Magnussen, Danish race car driver
    • 1973 – Tony Popovic, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Jill Craybas, American tennis player
    • 1974 – La’Roi Glover, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Adrian Griffin, American basketball player and coach
    • 1976 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003)
    • 1976 – Yevgeniya Medvedeva, Russian skier
    • 1978 – Marcos Daniel, Brazilian tennis player
    • 1978 – Émile Mpenza, Belgian footballer
    • 1979 – Siim Kabrits, Estonian politician
    • 1979 – Josh McCown, American football player
    • 1979 – Renny Vega, Venezuelan footballer
    • 1980 – Kwame Steede, Bermudan footballer
    • 1981 – Dedé, Angolan footballer
    • 1981 – Brock Berlin, American football player
    • 1981 – Christoph Preuß, German footballer
    • 1981 – Francisco Cruceta, Dominican baseball player
    • 1981 – Will Smith, American football player (d. 2016)
    • 1982 – Vladimir Boisa, Georgian basketball player
    • 1982 – Vladimir Gusev, Russian cyclist
    • 1982 – Jeff Lima, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1982 – Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino, American model, author and television personality
    • 1983 – Melanie Fiona, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1983 – Amantle Montsho, Botswanan sprinter
    • 1983 – Miguel Pinto, Chilean footballer
    • 1983 – Amol Rajan, Indian-English journalist
    • 1983 – Mattia Serafini, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Jin Akanishi, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1984 – Miguel Santos Soares, Timorese footballer
    • 1985 – Kane Tenace, Australian footballer
    • 1985 – Dimitrios Mavroeidis, Greek basketball player
    • 1985 – Wason Rentería, Colombian footballer
    • 1986 – Ömer Aşık, Turkish basketball player
    • 1986 – Nguyen Ngoc Duy, Vietnamese footballer
    • 1986 – Rafael Arévalo, Salvadoran tennis player
    • 1986 – Willem Janssen, Dutch footballer
    • 1986 – Terrance Knighton, American football player
    • 1986 – Marte Elden, Norwegian skier
    • 1987 – Wude Ayalew, Ethiopian runner
    • 1987 – Guram Kashia, Georgian footballer
    • 1988 – Angelique Boyer, French-Mexican actress
    • 1989 – Benjamin Büchel, Liechtensteiner footballer
    • 1990 – Jake Gardiner, American ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Richard Mpong, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1990 – Naoki Yamada, Japanese footballer
    • 1990 – Ihar Yasinski, Belarusian footballer
    • 1992 – Ángel Romero, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1992 – Óscar Romero, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1993 – Tom Barkhuizen, English footballer
    • 1995 – Post Malone, American singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer
    • 1999 – Moa Kikuchi, Japanese musician
    • 2003 – Polina Bogusevich, Russian singer

    Deaths on July 4

    • 673 – Ecgberht, king of Kent
    • 907 – Luitpold, margrave of Bavaria
    • 907 – Dietmar I, archbishop of Salzburg
    • 910 – Luo Shaowei, Chinese warlord (b. 877)
    • 940 – Wang Jianli, Chinese general (b. 871)
    • 943 – Taejo of Goryeo, Korean king (b. 877)
    • 945 – Zhuo Yanming, Chinese Buddhist monk and emperor
    • 965 – Benedict V, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 973 – Ulrich of Augsburg, German bishop and saint (b. 890)
    • 975 – Gwangjong of Goryeo, Korean king (b. 925)
    • 1187 – Raynald of Châtillon, French knight (b. 1125)
    • 1307 – Rudolf I of Bohemia (b. 1281)
    • 1336 – Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (b. 1271)
    • 1429 – Carlo I Tocco, ruler of Epirus (b. 1372)
    • 1533 – John Frith, English priest, writer, and martyr (b. 1503)
    • 1541 – Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish general and explorer (b. 1495)
    • 1546 – Hayreddin Barbarossa, Ottoman admiral (b. 1478)
    • 1551 – Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, English politician (b. 1514)
    • 1603 – Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer and educator (b. 1521)
    • 1623 – William Byrd, English composer (b. c. 1540)
    • 1644 – Brian Twyne, English academic, antiquarian and archivist (b. 1581)
    • 1648 – Antoine Daniel, French missionary and saint, one of the eight Canadian Martyrs (b. 1601)
    • 1742 – Luigi Guido Grandi, Italian monk, mathematician, and engineer (b. 1671)
    • 1754 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French playwright and author (b. 1680)
    • 1761 – Samuel Richardson, English author and painter (b. 1689)
    • 1780 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (b. 1712)
    • 1787 – Charles, Prince of Soubise, Marshal of France (b. 1715)
    • 1821 – Richard Cosway, English painter and academic (b. 1742)
    • 1826 – John Adams, American lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the United States (b. 1735)
    • 1826 – Thomas Jefferson, American architect, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of the United States (b. 1743)
    • 1831 – James Monroe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th President of the United States (b. 1758)
    • 1848 – François-René de Chateaubriand, French historian and politician (b. 1768)
    • 1850 – William Kirby, English entomologist and author (b. 1759)
    • 1854 – Karl Friedrich Eichhorn, German academic and jurist (b. 1781)
    • 1857 – William L. Marcy, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (b. 1786)
    • 1881 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish philosopher and politician (b. 1806)
    • 1882 – Joseph Brackett, American composer and author (b. 1797)
    • 1886 – Poundmaker, Canadian tribal chief (b. 1797)
    • 1891 – Hannibal Hamlin, American lawyer and politician, 15th Vice President of the United States (b. 1809)
    • 1901 – Johannes Schmidt, German linguist and academic (b. 1843)
    • 1902 – Vivekananda, Indian monk and saint (b. 1863)
    • 1905 – Élisée Reclus, French geographer and author (b. 1830)
    • 1910 – Melville Fuller, American lawyer and jurist, Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1833)
    • 1910 – Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer and historian (b. 1835)
    • 1916 – Alan Seeger, American soldier and poet (b. 1888)
    • 1922 – Lothar von Richthofen, German lieutenant and pilot (b. 1894)
    • 1926 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian activist and saint (b. 1901)
    • 1934 – Marie Curie, French-Polish physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
    • 1938 – Otto Bauer, Austrian philosopher and politician, Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1881)
    • 1938 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (b. 1899)
    • 1941 – Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician and academic (b. 1881)
    • 1943 – Władysław Sikorski, Polish general and politician, 9th Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Poland (b. 1881)
    • 1946 – Taffy O’Callaghan, Welsh footballer and coach (b. 1906)
    • 1948 – Monteiro Lobato, Brazilian journalist and author (b. 1882)
    • 1949 – François Brandt, Dutch rower and engineer (b. 1874)
    • 1963 – Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, New Zealand general and politician, 7th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1889)
    • 1963 – Clyde Kennard, American activist and martyr (b. 1927)
    • 1963 – Pingali Venkayya, Indian activist, designed the Flag of India (b. 1876)
    • 1964 – Gaby Morlay, French actress and singer (b. 1893)
    • 1969 – Henri Decoin, French director and screenwriter (b. 1890)
    • 1970 – Barnett Newman, American painter and illustrator (b. 1905)
    • 1970 – Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, American sailor and businessman (b. 1884)
    • 1971 – August Derleth, American anthologist and author (b. 1909)
    • 1971 – Thomas C. Hart, American admiral and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1974 – Georgette Heyer, English author (b. 1902)
    • 1974 – André Randall, French actor (b. 1892)
    • 1976 – Yonatan Netanyahu, Israeli colonel (b. 1946)
    • 1976 – Antoni Słonimski, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1895)
    • 1977 – Gersh Budker, Ukrainian physicist and academic (b. 1918)
    • 1979 – Lee Wai Tong, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1905)
    • 1980 – Maurice Grevisse, Belgian linguist and author (b. 1895)
    • 1984 – Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
    • 1986 – Paul-Gilbert Langevin, French musicologist, critique musical and physicist (b. 1933)
    • 1986 – Flor Peeters, Belgian organist and composer (b. 1903)
    • 1986 – Oscar Zariski, Belarusian-American mathematician and academic (b. 1899)
    • 1988 – Adrian Adonis, American wrestler (b. 1954)
    • 1990 – Olive Ann Burns, American journalist and author (b. 1924)
    • 1991 – Victor Chang, Chinese-Australian surgeon and physician (b. 1936)
    • 1991 – Art Sansom, American cartoonist (b. 1920)
    • 1992 – Astor Piazzolla, Argentinian bandoneon player and composer (b. 1921)
    • 1993 – Bona Arsenault, Canadian historian, genealogist, and politician (b. 1903)
    • 1994 – Joey Marella, American wrestling referee (b. 1964)
    • 1995 – Eva Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and singer (b. 1919)
    • 1995 – Bob Ross, American painter and television host (b. 1942)
    • 1997 – Charles Kuralt, American journalist (b. 1934)
    • 1997 – John Zachary Young, English zoologist and neurophysiologist (b. 1907)
    • 1999 – Leo Garel, American illustrator and educator (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, Polish journalist and author (b. 1919)
    • 2002 – Gerald Bales, Canadian organist and composer (b. 1919)
    • 2002 – Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., American general (b. 1912)
    • 2003 – Larry Burkett, American author and radio host (b. 1939)
    • 2003 – André Claveau, French singer (b. 1915)
    • 2003 – Barry White, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2004 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Cliff Goupille, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Hank Stram, American football player and coach (b. 1923)
    • 2007 – Bill Pinkney, American singer (b. 1925)
    • 2008 – Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (b. 1940)
    • 2008 – Jesse Helms, American politician (b. 1921)
    • 2008 – Evelyn Keyes, American actress (b. 1916)
    • 2008 – Terrence Kiel, American football player (b. 1980)
    • 2008 – Charles Wheeler, German-English soldier and journalist (b. 1923)
    • 2009 – Brenda Joyce, American actress (b. 1917)
    • 2009 – Allen Klein, American businessman and talent agent, founded ABKCO Records (b. 1931)
    • 2009 – Drake Levin, American guitarist (b. 1946)
    • 2009 – Steve McNair, American football player (b. 1973)
    • 2009 – Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish author and actor (b. 1935)
    • 2009 – Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, Congolese poet and politician (b. 1938)
    • 2010 – Robert Neil Butler, American physician and author (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Hiren Bhattacharyya, Indian poet and author (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Jimmy Bivins, American boxer (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Jeong Min-hyeong, South Korean footballer (b. 1987)
    • 2012 – Eric Sykes, English actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Onllwyn Brace, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Jack Crompton, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – James Fulton, American dermatologist and academic (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Charles A. Hines, American general (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Bernie Nolan, Irish singer (b. 1960)
    • 2014 – Giorgio Faletti, Italian author, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1950)
    • 2014 – C. J. Henderson, American author and critic (b. 1951)
    • 2014 – Earl Robinson, American baseball player (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Richard Mellon Scaife, American businessman (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Nedelcho Beronov, Bulgarian judge and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – William Conrad Gibbons, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, and photographer (b. 1940)
    • 2017 – John Blackwell, American R&B, funk, and jazz drummer (b. 1973)
    • 2017 – Daniil Granin, Soviet and Russian author (b. 1919)
    • 2018 – Henri Dirickx, Belgian footballer (b. 1927)
    • 2018 – Robby Müller, Dutch cinematographer (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on July 4

    • Christian feast day:
      • Andrew of Crete
      • Bertha of Artois
      • Blessed Catherine Jarrige
      • Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
      • Elizabeth of Aragon (or of Portugal)
      • Oda of Canterbury
      • Ulrich of Augsburg
      • July 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Birthday of Queen Sonja (Norway)
    • The first evening of Dree Festival, celebrated until July 7 (Apatani people, Arunachal Pradesh, India)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the Declaration of Independence of the United States from Great Britain in 1776. (United States and its dependencies)
    • Liberation Day (Northern Mariana Islands)
    • Liberation Day (Rwanda)
    • Republic Day (Philippines)

  • March 17- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
    • 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eighteen, following the death of his father, Marcus Aurelius.
    • 455 – Petronius Maximus becomes, with support of the Roman Senate, emperor of the Western Roman Empire; he forces Licinia Eudoxia, the widow of his predecessor, Valentinian III, to marry him.
    • 1001 – The Raja of Butuan in what is now the Philippines sends a tributary mission to the Song dynasty.
    • 1337 – Edward, the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy in England.
    • 1452 – The Battle of Los Alporchones is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the Emirate of Granada and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Castile and Murcia resulting in a Christian victory.
    • 1560 – Fort Coligny on Villegagnon Island in Rio de Janeiro is attacked and destroyed during the Portuguese campaign against France Antarctique.
    • 1677 – The Siege of Valenciennes, during the Franco-Dutch War, ends with France’s taking of the city.
    • 1776 – American Revolution: The British Army evacuates Boston, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.
    • 1780 – American Revolution: George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday “as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence”.
    • 1805 – The Italian Republic, with Napoleon as president, becomes the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon as King of Italy.
    • 1824 – The Anglo-Dutch Treaty is signed in London, dividing the Malay archipelago. As a result, the Malay Peninsula is dominated by the British, while Sumatra and Java and surrounding areas are dominated by the Dutch.
    • 1842 – The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is formed.
    • 1852 – Annibale De Gasparis discovers in Naples the asteroid Psyche from the north dome of the Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte
    • 1860 – The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase of the New Zealand Wars.
    • 1861 – The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed.
    • 1891 – SS Utopia collides with HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar and sinks, killing 562 of the 880 passengers on board.
    • 1921 – The Second Polish Republic adopts the March Constitution.
    • 1939 – Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanchang between the Kuomintang and Japan begins.
    • 1941 – In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • 1942 – Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lvov Ghetto are gassed at the Belzec death camp in what is today eastern Poland.
    • 1945 – The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, ten days after its capture.
    • 1947 – First flight of the B-45 Tornado strategic bomber.
    • 1948 – Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO.
    • 1950 – Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name “californium”.
    • 1957 – A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
    • 1958 – The United States launches the first solar-powered satellite.
    • 1960 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
    • 1963 – Mount Agung erupted on Bali killing more than 1,100 people.
    • 1966 – Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.
    • 1968 – As a result of nerve gas testing by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps in Skull Valley, Utah, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.
    • 1969 – Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
    • 1973 – The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
    • 1979 – The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers.
    • 1985 – Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the “Night Stalker”, commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.
    • 1988 – A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.
    • 1988 – Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.
    • 1992 – Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires: Car bomb attack kills 29 and injures 242.
    • 1992 – A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.
    • 2000 – Five hundred and thirty members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult. Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead.
    • 2003 – Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
    • 2004 – Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed.

    Births on March 17

    • 763 – Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (d. 809)
    • 1231 – Emperor Shijō of Japan (d. 1242)
    • 1473 – James IV of Scotland (d. 1513)
    • 1523 – Giovanni Francesco Commendone, Catholic cardinal (d. 1584)
    • 1537 – Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japanese daimyō (d. 1598)
    • 1611 – Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge, Swedish field marshal (d. 1662)
    • 1665 – Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, French harpsichord player and composer (d. 1729)
    • 1676 – Thomas Boston, Scottish philosopher and theologian (d. 1732)
    • 1686 – Jean-Baptiste Oudry, French painter and engraver (d. 1755)
    • 1725 – Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-American general and politician (d. 1806)
    • 1777 – Patrick Brontë, Irish-English priest and author (d. 1861)
    • 1777 – Roger B. Taney, American politician and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1864)
    • 1780 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister, economist, and educator (d. 1847)
    • 1781 – Ebenezer Elliott, English poet and educator (d. 1849)
    • 1804 – Jim Bridger, American fur trader and explorer (d. 1881)
    • 1806 – Norbert Rillieux, African American inventor and chemical engineer (d. 1894)
    • 1820 – Jean Ingelow, English poet and author (d. 1897)
    • 1834 – Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and businessman, co-founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (d. 1900)
    • 1839 – Josef Rheinberger, Liechtensteiner-German organist and composer (d. 1901)
    • 1846 – Kate Greenaway, English author and illustrator (d. 1901)
    • 1849 – Charles F. Brush, American businessman and philanthropist, co-invented the Arc lamp (d. 1929)
    • 1849 – Cornelia Clapp, American marine biologist (d. 1934)
    • 1856 – Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d. 1910)
    • 1862 – Silvio Gesell, Belgian merchant and economist (d. 1930)
    • 1864 – Joseph Baptista, Indian engineer, lawyer, and politician (d. 1930)
    • 1866 – Pierce Butler, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1939)
    • 1867 – Patrice Contamine de Latour, Spanish poet (d. 1926)
    • 1877 – Edith New, British militant suffragette (d. 1951)
    • 1877 – Otto Gross, Austrian-German psychoanalyst and philosopher (d. 1920)
    • 1880 – Patrick Hastings, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1952)
    • 1880 – Lawrence Oates, English lieutenant and explorer (d. 1912)
    • 1881 – Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
    • 1884 – Alcide Nunez, American clarinet player (d. 1934)
    • 1885 – Ralph Rose, American track and field athlete (d. 1913)
    • 1886 – Princess Patricia of Connaught (d. 1974)
    • 1888 – Paul Ramadier, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1961)
    • 1889 – Harry Clarke, Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator (d. 1931)
    • 1891 – Ross McLarty, Australian politician, 17th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1962)
    • 1892 – Sayed Darwish, Egyptian singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1923)
    • 1894 – Paul Green, American playwright and academic (d. 1981)
    • 1895 – Lloyd Rees, Australian painter (d. 1988)
    • 1901 – Alfred Newman, American composer and conductor (d. 1970)
    • 1902 – Bobby Jones, American golfer and lawyer (d. 1971)
    • 1904 – Chaim Gross, Austrian-American sculptor and educator (d. 1991)
    • 1906 – Brigitte Helm, German-Swiss actress (d. 1996)
    • 1907 – Jean Van Houtte, Belgian academic and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1991)
    • 1907 – Takeo Miki, Japanese politician, 41st Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1988)
    • 1910 – Sonny Werblin, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1991)
    • 1912 – Bayard Rustin, American activist (d. 1987)
    • 1914 – Sammy Baugh, American football player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1915 – Robert S. Arbib Jr., American ornithologist, writer and conservationist (d. 1987)
    • 1915 – Ray Ellington, English drummer and bandleader (d. 1985)
    • 1915 – Bill Roycroft, Australian equestrian rider (d. 2011)
    • 1919 – Nat King Cole, American singer, pianist, and television host (d. 1965)
    • 1920 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (d. 1975)
    • 1921 – Meir Amit, Israeli general and politician, 12th Israeli Minister of Communications (d. 2009)
    • 1922 – Patrick Suppes, American psychologist and philosopher (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian actor (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Siegfried Lenz, Polish-German author and playwright (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Betty Allen, American soprano and educator (d. 2009)
    • 1928 – William John McKeag, Canadian businessman and politician, 17th Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Paul Horn, American-Canadian flute player and saxophonist (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – James Irwin, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1991)
    • 1931 – Patricia Breslin, American actress (d. 2011)
    • 1931 – David Peakall, English-American chemist and toxicologist (d. 2001)
    • 1933 – Myrlie Evers-Williams, American journalist and activist
    • 1933 – Penelope Lively, English author
    • 1935 – Fred T. Mackenzie, American biologist and academic
    • 1935 – Adam Wade, American singer, drummer, and actor
    • 1936 – Ida Kleijnen, Dutch chef (d. 2019)
    • 1936 – Ladislav Kupkovič, Slovakian composer and conductor (d. 2016)
    • 1936 – Ken Mattingly, American admiral, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1937 – Galina Samsova, Russian ballerina
    • 1938 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-French dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)
    • 1938 – Keith O’Brien, Northern Ireland-born Scottish cleric, theologian, and cardinal (d. 2018)
    • 1938 – Zola Taylor, American singer (d. 2007)
    • 1939 – Jim Gary, American sculptor (d. 2006)
    • 1939 – Bill Graham, Canadian academic and politician, 4th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1939 – Robin Knox-Johnston, English sailor and first person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe
    • 1939 – Giovanni Trapattoni, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1940 – Mark White, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Texas (d. 2017)
    • 1941 – Wang Jin-pyng, Taiwanese soldier and politician
    • 1941 – Paul Kantner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
    • 1941 – Max Stafford-Clark, English director and academic
    • 1942 – John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer and rapist (d. 1994)
    • 1943 – Jeff Banks, Welsh fashion designer
    • 1943 – Andrew Brook, Canadian philosopher, author, and academic
    • 1944 – Pattie Boyd, English model, author, and photographer
    • 1944 – Cito Gaston, American baseball player and manager
    • 1944 – John Sebastian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1945 – Michael Hayden, American general, 20th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
    • 1947 – Dennis Bond, English footballer, midfielder
    • 1947 – Yury Chernavsky, Russian-American songwriter and producer
    • 1948 – William Gibson, American-Canadian author and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Alex MacDonald, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1949 – Patrick Duffy, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1949 – Pat Rice, Irish footballer and coach
    • 1949 – Stuart Rose, English businessman
    • 1951 – Scott Gorham, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Craig Ramsay, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1951 – Kurt Russell, American actor and producer
    • 1952 – Barry Horne, English activist (d. 2001)
    • 1953 – Filemon Lagman, Filipino activist (d. 2001)
    • 1953 – Chuck Muncie, American football player (d. 2013)
    • 1954 – Lesley-Anne Down, English actress
    • 1955 – Cynthia McKinney, American activist and politician
    • 1955 – Paul Overstreet, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Gary Sinise, American actor, director, and bass player
    • 1956 – Patrick McDonnell, American author and illustrator
    • 1956 – Rory McGrath, British comedian, television personality, and writer
    • 1957 – Michael Kelly, American journalist and author (d. 2003)
    • 1958 – Christian Clemenson, American actor
    • 1959 – Danny Ainge, American baseball and basketball player
    • 1959 – Paul Black, American singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1960 – Arye Gross, American actor
    • 1960 – Vicki Lewis, American actress and singer
    • 1961 – Sam Bowie, American basketball player
    • 1961 – Dana Reeve, American actress, singer, and activist (d. 2006)
    • 1961 – Casey Siemaszko, American actor
    • 1962 – Carsten Almqvist, Swedish business executive
    • 1962 – Ank Bijleveld, Dutch politician
    • 1962 – Janet Gardner, American singer and guitarist
    • 1962 – Clare Grogan, Scottish singer and actress
    • 1962 – Rob Sitch, Australian actor, director, and producer
    • 1963 – Roger Harper, Guyanese cricketer and coach
    • 1964 – Stefano Borgonovo, Italian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1964 – Lee Dixon, English footballer and journalist
    • 1964 – Rob Lowe, American actor and producer
    • 1964 – Jacques Songo’o, Cameroonian footballer and coach
    • 1965 – Andrew Hudson, South African cricketer
    • 1966 – Andrew Rosindell, English journalist and politician
    • 1967 – Jason Alchin, Australian rugby league player
    • 1967 – Billy Corgan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and producer
    • 1967 – Barry Minkow, American pastor and businessman
    • 1968 – Eri Nitta, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1968 – Mathew St. Patrick, American actor and producer
    • 1969 – Edgar Grospiron, French skier
    • 1969 – Alexander McQueen, English fashion designer, founded own eponymous brand (d. 2010)
    • 1970 – Patrick Lebeau, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1970 – Gene Ween, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1971 – Bill Mueller, American baseball player and coach
    • 1972 – Melissa Auf der Maur, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1972 – Torquil Campbell, English-Canadian singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1972 – Mia Hamm, American soccer player
    • 1973 – Rico Blanco, Filipino singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
    • 1973 – Caroline Corr, Irish singer and drummer
    • 1973 – Vance Wilson, American baseball player and manager
    • 1974 – Mark Dolan, English comedian and television host
    • 1975 – Justin Hawkins, English singer-songwriter
    • 1975 – Puneeth Rajkumar, Indian actor, singer, and producer
    • 1975 – Test, Canadian-American wrestler (d. 2009)
    • 1975 – Natalie Zea, American actress
    • 1976 – Scott Downs, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Stephen Gately, Irish singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2009)
    • 1976 – Álvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1977 – Tamar Braxton, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1978 – Zachery Kouwe, American journalist
    • 1979 – Stormy Daniels, born Stephanie Gregory, American adult film actress
    • 1979 – Andrew Ference, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Stephen Kramer Glickman, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and fashion designer
    • 1979 – Samoa Joe, American professional wrestler
    • 1980 – Danny Califf, American soccer player
    • 1980 – Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, Pakistani tennis player
    • 1981 – Aaron Baddeley, American-Australian golfer
    • 1981 – Servet Çetin, Turkish footballer
    • 1981 – Kyle Korver, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Nicky Jam, American-Puerto-Rican singer and songwriter
    • 1982 – Steven Pienaar, South African footballer
    • 1983 – James Heath, English golfer
    • 1983 – Raul Meireles, Portuguese footballer
    • 1983 – Attila Vajda, Hungarian sprint canoeist
    • 1984 – Ryan Rottman, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1985 – Tuğba Karademir, Turkish-Canadian figure skater
    • 1986 – Chris Davis, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Edin Džeko, Bosnian footballer
    • 1986 – Miles Kane, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1986 – Silke Spiegelburg, German pole vaulter
    • 1987 – Federico Fazio, Argentinian international footballer, centre backland rugby league player
    • 1987 – Ryan Parent, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Bobby Ryan, American ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Emmanuel Sanders, American football player
    • 1988 – Rasmus Elm, Swedish footballer
    • 1988 – Fraser Forster, English footballer
    • 1988 – Grimes, Canadian artist, musician and music video director
    • 1988 – Ryan White, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Shinji Kagawa, Japanese footballer
    • 1990 – Hozier, Irish singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1990 – Saina Nehwal, Indian badminton player
    • 1991 – Jack De Belin, Australian rugby league player
    • 1992 – Patrick Cantlay, American golfer
    • 1992 – John Boyega, English actor
    • 1993 – Matteo Bianchetti, Italian footballer
    • 1994 – Dean Britt, Australian rugby league player
    • 1995 – Ashley Taylor, Australian rugby league player
    • 1997 – Katie Ledecky, American swimmer

    Deaths on March 17

    • 45 BC – Titus Labienus, Roman general (b. 100 BC)
    • 45 BC – Publius Attius Varus, Roman governor of Africa
    • 180 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (b. 121)
    • 624 – Amr ibn Hishām, Arab polytheist
    • 659 – Gertrude of Nivelles, Frankish abbess
    • 836 – Haito, bishop of Basel
    • 905 – Li Yu, Prince of De, prince and emperor of the Tang Dynasty
    • 1008 – Kazan, emperor of Japan (b. 968)
    • 1040 – Harold Harefoot, king of England
    • 1058 – Lulach, king of Scotland
    • 1199 – Jocelin of Glasgow, Scottish monk and bishop (b. 1130)
    • 1267 – Pierre de Montreuil, French architect
    • 1270 – Philip of Montfort, French knight and nobleman
    • 1272 – Go-Saga, emperor of Japan (b. 1220)
    • 1361 – An-Nasir Hasan, Mamluk sultan of Egypt
    • 1394 – Louis of Enghien, French nobleman
    • 1406 – Ibn Khaldun, Tunisian sociologist, historian, and scholar (b. 1332)
    • 1425 – Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1407)
    • 1516 – Giuliano de’ Medici, Italian nobleman (b. 1479)
    • 1527 – Rana Sanga, Indian ruler (b. 1482)
    • 1565 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian and academic (b. 1500)
    • 1611 – Sophia of Sweden, duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1547)
    • 1620 – John Sarkander, Polish-Moravian priest and saint (b. 1576)
    • 1640 – Philip Massinger, English playwright (b. 1583)
    • 1649 – Gabriel Lalemant, French missionary and saint (b. 1610)
    • 1663 – Jerome Weston, 2nd Earl of Portland, English diplomat (b. 1605)
    • 1680 – François de La Rochefoucauld, French author (b. 1613)
    • 1704 – Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch soldier and engineer (b. 1641)
    • 1715 – Gilbert Burnet, Scottish bishop and historian (b. 1643)
    • 1741 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet and playwright (b. 1671)
    • 1764 – George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, English astronomer and politician (b. 1695)
    • 1782 – Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-Swiss mathematician and physicist (b. 1700)
    • 1828 – James Edward Smith, English botanist and entomologist (b. 1759)
    • 1829 – Sophia Albertina, princess-abbess of Quedlinburg (b. 1753)
    • 1830 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician (b. 1764)
    • 1846 – Friedrich Bessel, German astronomer, mathematician, and physicist (b. 1784)
    • 1849 – William II, Dutch sovereign prince and king (b. 1792)
    • 1853 – Christian Doppler, Austrian physicist and mathematician (b. 1803)
    • 1871 – Robert Chambers, Scottish geologist and publisher, co-founded Chambers Harrap (b. 1802)
    • 1875 – Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist and composer (b. 1832)
    • 1893 – Jules Ferry, French lawyer and politician, 44th Prime Minister of France (b. 1832)
    • 1917 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1838)
    • 1926 – Aleksei Brusilov, Georgian-Russian general (b. 1853)
    • 1937 – Austen Chamberlain, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1863)
    • 1940 – Philomène Belliveau, Canadian artist (b. 1854)
    • 1946 – Dai Li, Chinese general (b. 1897)
    • 1949 – Aleksandra Ekster, Russian-French painter and set designer (b. 1882)
    • 1956 – Fred Allen, American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and author (b. 1894)
    • 1956 – Irène Joliot-Curie, French physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
    • 1957 – Ramon Magsaysay, Filipino captain and politician, 7th President of the Philippines (b. 1907)
    • 1958 – John Pius Boland, Irish tennis player and politician (b. 1870)
    • 1958 – Bertha De Vriese, Belgian physician (b. 1877)
    • 1961 – Susanna M. Salter, American activist and politician (b. 1860)
    • 1965 – Amos Alonzo Stagg, American football player and coach (b. 1862)
    • 1974 – Louis Kahn, American architect and academic, designed Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban (b. 1901)
    • 1976 – Luchino Visconti, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1906)
    • 1981 – Paul Dean, American baseball player (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1983 – Louisa E. Rhine, American botanist and parapsychologist (b. 1891)
    • 1986 – Clarence D. Lester, African-American fighter pilot (b.1923)
    • 1990 – Capucine, French model and actress (b. 1928)
    • 1992 – Grace Stafford, American actress (b. 1903)
    • 1993 – Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)
    • 1994 – Mai Zetterling, Swedish-English actress and director (b. 1925)
    • 1996 – René Clément, French director and screenwriter (b. 1913)
    • 1996 – Terry Stafford, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
    • 1997 – Jermaine Stewart, American singer-songwriter and dancer (b. 1957)
    • 1999 – Ernest Gold, Austrian-American composer (b. 1921)
    • 1999 – Jean Pierre-Bloch, French activist (b. 1905)
    • 2002 – Rosetta LeNoire, American actress and producer (b. 1911)
    • 2002 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, American television broadcaster and producer (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Royce Frith, Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat, Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (b. 1923)
    • 2005 – George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (b. 1904)
    • 2005 – Andre Norton, American author (b. 1912)
    • 2006 – Oleg Cassini, French-American fashion designer (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Ray Meyer, American basketball player and coach (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – İstemihan Taviloğlu, Turkish composer and educator (b. 1945)
    • 2007 – John Backus, American mathematician and computer scientist, designed Fortran (b. 1924)
    • 2007 – Roger Bennett, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1959)
    • 2008 – Roland Arnall, French-American businessman and diplomat, 63rd United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (b. 1939)
    • 2009 – Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian television host and politician (b. 1937)
    • 2010 – Alex Chilton, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1950)
    • 2010 – Sid Fleischman, American author and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Michael Gough, English actor (b. 1916)
    • 2011 – Ferlin Husky, American country music singer (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Shenouda III, pope of Alexandria (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Margaret Whitlam, Australian swimmer and author (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – William B. Caldwell III, American general (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Lawrence Fuchs, American scholar and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – A.B.C. Whipple, American journalist and historian (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Marek Galiński, Polish cyclist (b. 1974)
    • 2014 – Joseph Kerman, American musicologist and critic (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Rachel Lambert Mellon, American gardener, philanthropist, art collector and political patron (b. 1910)
    • 2015 – Frank Perris, Canadian motorcycle racer (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Meir Dagan, Israeli general (b. 1945)
    • 2016 – Zoltán Kamondi, Hungarian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1960)
    • 2018 – Mike MacDonald, Canadian comedian (b. 1954)
    • 2018 – Phan Văn Khải, the fifth Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1933)

    Holidays and observances on March 17

    • Children’s Day (Bangladesh)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Alexius of Rome (Eastern Church)
      • Gertrude of Nivelles
      • John Sarkander
      • Joseph of Arimathea (Western Church)
      • Patrick of Ireland
      • March 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, Massachusetts)
    • Saint Patrick’s Day, a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, widely celebrated in the English-speaking world and to a lesser degree in other parts of the world.

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

    • 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor
    • 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II
    • 1336 – Four thousand defenders of Pilenai commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights.
    • 1797 – Colonel William Tate and his force of 1000–1500 soldiers surrender after the Last invasion of Britain.
    • 1831 – Battle of Olszynka Grochowska, part of Polish November Uprising against Russian Empire.
    • 1836 – Samuel Colt is granted a United States patent for the Colt revolver.
    • 1843 – Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain in the Paulet Affair (1843).
    • 1848 – Provisional government in revolutionary France, by Louis Blanc’s motion, guarantees workers’ rights.
    • 1856 – A Peace conference opens in Paris after the Crimean War.
    • 1866 – Miners in Calaveras County, California, discover what is now called the Calaveras Skull – human remains that supposedly indicated that man, mastodons, and elephants had co-existed.
    • 1870 – Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress.
    • 1875 – Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi’s regency.
    • 1901 – J. P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation.
    • 1912 – Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
    • 1916 – World War I: The Germans capture Fort Douaumont during the Battle of Verdun.
    • 1918 – German occupation of Estonia during World War I: Pernau, Reval, and Pskov are captured.
    • 1919 – Oregon places a one cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.
    • 1921 – Tbilisi, capital of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, is occupied by Bolshevist Russia.
    • 1928 – Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. becomes the first holder of a broadcast license for television from the Federal Radio Commission.
    • 1932 – Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, which allows him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspräsident.
    • 1933 – The USS Ranger is launched. It is the first US Navy ship to be designed from the start of construction as an aircraft carrier.
    • 1939 – The first of 2​1⁄2 million Anderson air raid shelters appeared in North London.
    • 1941 – February strike: In the occupied Amsterdam, a general strike is declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis.
    • 1947 – The formal abolition of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council. The Prussian government had already been abolished by the Preußenschlag of 1932.
    • 1948 – Cold War: The Communist Party takes control of government in Czechoslovakia and the period of the Third Republic ends.
    • 1951 – The first Pan American Games were officially opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina by President Juan Perón.
    • 1954 – Gamal Abdel Nasser is made premier of Egypt.
    • 1956 – Cold War: In his speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union denounces the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin.
    • 1964 – North Korean Prime Minister Kim Il-sung calls for the removal of feudalistic land ownership aimed at turning all cooperative farms into state-run ones.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: One hundred thirty-five unarmed citizens of Hà My village in South Vietnam’s Qu?ng Nam Province are killed and buried en masse by South Korean troops in what would come to be known as the Hà My massacre.
    • 1980 – The government of Suriname is overthrown by a military coup led by Dési Bouterse.
    • 1986 – People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines’ first woman president.
    • 1987 – Southern Methodist University’s football program is the first college football program to be banned from competition by the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.
    • 1991 – Gulf War: An Iraqi scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 U.S. Army Reservists from Pennsylvania.
    • 1991 – Cold War: The Warsaw Pact is abolished.
    • 1992 – Khojaly massacre: About 613 civilians are killed by Armenian armed forces during the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
    • 1994 – Mosque of Abraham massacre: In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Baruch Goldstein opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 more before being subdued and beaten to death by survivors.
    • 1997 – Yi Han-yong, a North Korean defector, was murdered by unidentified assailants in Bundang, South Korea.
    • 2009 – Soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny at their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths, including 57 army officials.
    • 2009 – Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crashed during landing at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, primarily due to a faulty radio altimeter, resulting in the death of nine passengers and crew including all three pilots.
    • 2015 – At least 310 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.
    • 2016 – Three people are killed and fourteen others injured in a series of shootings in the small Kansas cities of Newton and Hesston.

    Births on February 25

    • 1259 – Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal and Urraca of Castile (d. 1321)
    • 1337 – Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1383)
    • 1475 – Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, last male member of the House of York (d. 1499)
    • 1540 – Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English aristocrat and courtier (d. 1614)
    • 1543 – Sharaf Khan Bidlisi, Emir of Bitlis (d. 1603)
    • 1591 – Friedrich Spee, German poet and author (d. 1635)
    • 1643 – Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1695)
    • 1663 – Peter Anthony Motteux, French-English author, playwright and translator (d. 1718)
    • 1670 – Maria Margarethe Kirch, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1720)
    • 1682 – Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist (d. 1771)
    • 1707 – Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright and composer (d. 1793)
    • 1714 – René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of France (d. 1792)
    • 1728 – John Wood, the Younger, English architect, designed the Royal Crescent (d. 1782)
    • 1752 – John Graves Simcoe, English-Canadian general and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (d. 1806)
    • 1755 – François René Mallarmé, French lawyer and politician (d. 1835)
    • 1778 – José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (d. 1850)
    • 1806 – Emma Catherine Embury, American author and poet (d. 1863)
    • 1809 – John Hart, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of South Australia (d. 1873)
    • 1812 – Carl Christian Hall, Danish lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1888)
    • 1816 – Giovanni Morelli, Italian historian and critic (d. 1891)
    • 1833 – John St. John, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Kansas (d. 1916)
    • 1841 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (d. 1919)
    • 1842 – Karl May, German author, poet, and playwright (d. 1912)
    • 1845 – George Reid, Scottish-Australian lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1918)
    • 1855 – Cesário Verde, Portuguese poet and author (d. 1886)
    • 1856 – Karl Gotthard Lamprecht, German historian and academic (d. 1915)
    • 1856 – Mathias Zdarsky, Czech-Austrian skier, painter, and sculptor (d. 1940)
    • 1857 – Robert Bond, Canadian politician; first Prime Minister of Newfoundland (d. 1927)
    • 1860 – William Ashley, English historian and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1865 – Andranik, Armenian general (d. 1927)
    • 1866 – Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher and politician (d. 1952)
    • 1869 – Phoebus Levene, Russian-American biochemist and physician (d. 1940)
    • 1873 – Enrico Caruso, Italian-American tenor; the most popular operatic tenor of the early 20th century and the first great recording star. (d. 1921)
    • 1877 – Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist and scholar (d. 1935)
    • 1881 – William Z. Foster, American union leader and politician (d. 1961)
    • 1881 – Alexei Rykov, Russian politician, Premier of Russia (d. 1938)
    • 1883 – Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (d. 1981)
    • 1885 – Princess Alice of Battenberg, mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (d. 1969)
    • 1888 – John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (d. 1959)
    • 1890 – Myra Hess, English pianist and educator (d. 1965)
    • 1894 – Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master (d. 1969)
    • 1898 – William Astbury, physicist and molecular biologist (d. 1961)
    • 1901 – Vince Gair, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Queensland (d. 1980)
    • 1901 – Zeppo Marx, American comedian (the youngest of the Marx Brothers) and theatrical agent (d. 1979)
    • 1903 – King Clancy, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and coach; rated one of the 100 greatest NHL players (d. 1986)
    • 1905 – Perry Miller, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1963)
    • 1906 – Mary Coyle Chase, American journalist and playwright; author of Harvey (d. 1981)
    • 1907 – Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (d. 1948)
    • 1908 – Mary Locke Petermann, cellular biochemist (d. 1975)
    • 1908 – Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author (d. 2001)
    • 1910 – Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1913 – Jim Backus, American actor and screenwriter; the voice of Mr. Magoo (d. 1989)
    • 1913 – Gert Fröbe, German actor; title role in Goldfinger (d. 1988)
    • 1917 – Anthony Burgess, English author, playwright, and critic (d. 1993)
    • 1918 – Bobby Riggs, American tennis player; winner of three major titles, 1939–1941 (d. 1995)
    • 1919 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player and executive (d. 2016)
    • 1920 – Philip Habib, American academic and diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1970)
    • 1921 – Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Molly Reilly, Canadian aviator (d. 1980)
    • 1924 – Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Shehu Shagari, former President of Nigeria (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Lisa Kirk, American actress and singer (d. 1990)
    • 1926 – Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic; noted for contributions to algebraic number theory (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – Ralph Stanley, American bluegrass singer and banjo player; member of International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Paul Elvstrøm, Danish yachtsman; winner of four Olympic gold medals, 1948–1960 (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., prominent African-American civil rights advocate, author, and federal court judge (d. 1998)
    • 1928 – Larry Gelbart, American author and screenwriter; creator and producer of M*A*S*H TV series (d. 2009)
    • 1928 – Richard G. Stern, American author and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Tony Brooks, English racing driver; six Formula One victories, second in 1959 World Championship
    • 1932 – Faron Young, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist; member of Country Music Hall of Fame (d. 1996)
    • 1934 – Tony Lema, American golfer; winner of the 1964 Open Championship (d. 1966)
    • 1935 – Oktay Sinanoglu, Turkish physical chemist and molecular biophysicist; two-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Tom Courtenay, award-winning English actor
    • 1937 – Bob Schieffer, American political author, journalist and TV interviewer
    • 1938 – Herb Elliott, Australian 1500 metres runner; 1960 Olympic champion and world record holder
    • 1938 – Farokh Engineer, Indian international cricketer; successful as batsman and wicketkeeper
    • 1940 – Ron Santo, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – David Puttnam, English film producer and academic
    • 1943 – George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and film producer; lead guitarist of The Beatles (d. 2001)
    • 1944 – François Cevert, French racing driver (d. 1973)
    • 1946 – Jean Todt, French racing driver and team manager; FIA President, 2009–2021
    • 1947 – Lee Evans, American sprinter and athletics coach; two gold medals and world 400m record at 1968 Olympics
    • 1949 – Amin Maalouf, Lebanese-French journalist and author
    • 1950 – Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish skier; 1972 Olympic slalom champion (d. 2006)
    • 1950 – Neil Jordan, Irish film director, screenwriter and author
    • 1950 – Néstor Kirchner, Argentinian politician; 51st President of Argentina, 2003–2007 (d. 2010)
    • 1951 – Don Quarrie, Jamaican sprinter and coach; four Olympic medals and two world records
    • 1952 – Joey Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcycle road racing champion; holds record for most wins (26) at the Isle of Man TT (d. 2000)
    • 1953 – José María Aznar, Spanish politician; Prime Minister of Spain, 1996–2004
    • 1958 – Kurt Rambis, American basketball player and coach; four-time NBA Finals champion
    • 1962 – Birgit Fischer, German kayaker; winner of eight Olympic gold medals
    • 1963 – Paul O’Neill, American baseball player and sportscaster; five-time World Series champion
    • 1967 – Ed Balls, British politician; Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
    • 1968 – Oumou Sangaré, Grammy Award-winning Malian Wassoulou musician
    • 1971 – Sean Astin, American actor, director and producer
    • 1974 – Dominic Raab, British politician; First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
    • 1981 – Park Ji-sung, South Korean footballer; the most successful Asian player with 19 career trophies
    • 1982 – Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player; winner of the 2015 US Open
    • 1988 – Tom Marshall, British photo colouriser and artist
    • 1999 – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italian international footballer; youngest goalkeeper to play for Italy

    Deaths on February 25

    • 806 – Tarasios, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 891 – Fujiwara no Mototsune, Japanese regent (b. 836)
    • 944 – Lin Ding, Chinese official and chancellor
    • 1246 – Dafydd ap Llywelyn, Welsh king (b. 1212)
    • 1321 – Beatrice d’Avesnes, consort of Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg
    • 1495 – Sultan Cem, Ottoman politician (b. 1459)
    • 1522 – William Lily, English scholar and educator (b. 1468)
    • 1536 – Berchtold Haller, German-Swiss theologian and reformer (b. 1492)
    • 1536 – Jacob Hutter, founder of the Hutterites
    • 1547 – Vittoria Colonna, marchioness of Pescara (b. 1490)
    • 1558 – Eleanor of Austria (b. 1498)
    • 1600 – Sebastian de Aparicio, Spanish colonial industrialist and saint (b. 1502)
    • 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1566)
    • 1634 – Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general and politician (b. 1583)
    • 1655 – Daniel Heinsius, Flemish poet and scholar (b. 1580)
    • 1682 – Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (b. 1639)
    • 1710 – Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, French soldier and explorer (b. 1639)
    • 1713 – Frederick I of Prussia (b. 1657)
    • 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St Paul’s Cathedral (b. 1632)
    • 1756 – Eliza Haywood, English actress and poet (b. 1693)
    • 1796 – Samuel Seabury, American bishop (b. 1729)
    • 1798 – Louis Jules Mancini Mazarini, French poet and diplomat (b. 1716)
    • 1805 – Thomas Pownall, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1722)
    • 1819 – Francisco Manoel de Nascimento, Portuguese-French poet and educator (b. 1734)
    • 1822 – William Pinkney, American politician and diplomat, 7th United States Attorney General (b. 1764)
    • 1831 – Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German author and playwright (b. 1752)
    • 1841 – Philip Pendleton Barbour, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1783)
    • 1850 – Daoguang Emperor of China (b. 1782)
    • 1852 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet and lyricist (b. 1779)
    • 1865 – Otto Ludwig, German author, playwright, and critic (b. 1813)
    • 1870 – Henrik Hertz, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1797)
    • 1875 – Thomas Reynolds, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of South Australia (b. 1818)
    • 1877 – Jung Bahadur Rana, Nepalese ruler (b. 1816)
    • 1878 – Townsend Harris, American merchant, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Japan (b. 1804)
    • 1888 – Josif Pancic, Serbian botanist and academic (b. 1814)
    • 1899 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist and businessman, founded Reuters (b. 1816)
    • 1906 – Anton Arensky, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1861)
    • 1910 – Worthington Whittredge, American painter and educator (b. 1820)
    • 1911 – Friedrich Spielhagen, German author, theorist, and translator (b. 1829)
    • 1912 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1852)
    • 1914 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (b. 1820)
    • 1915 – Charles Edwin Bessey, American botanist, author, and academic (b. 1845)
    • 1916 – David Bowman, Australian politician (b. 1860)
    • 1920 – Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, French archaeologist and engineer (b. 1844)
    • 1922 – Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (b. 1869)
    • 1928 – William O’Brien, Irish journalist and politician (b. 1852)
    • 1934 – Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, American botanist and academic (b. 1857)
    • 1934 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (b. 1873)
    • 1945 – Mário de Andrade, Brazilian author, poet, and photographer (b. 1893)
    • 1950 – George Minot, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885)
    • 1953 – Sergei Winogradsky, Ukrainian-Russian microbiologist and ecologist (b. 1856)
    • 1957 – Mark Aldanov, Russian author and critic (b. 1888)
    • 1957 – Bugs Moran, American mob boss (b. 1893)
    • 1963 – Melville J. Herskovits, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1895)
    • 1964 – Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1887)
    • 1964 – Hinrich Lohse, German politician (b. 1896)
    • 1964 – Grace Metalious, American author (b. 1924)
    • 1970 – Mark Rothko, Latvian-American painter and academic (b. 1903)
    • 1971 – Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
    • 1972 – Gottfried Fuchs, German-Canadian Olympic soccer player (b. 1889)
    • 1975 – Elijah Muhammad, American religious leader (b. 1897)
    • 1978 – Daniel James, Jr., American general and pilot (b. 1920)
    • 1980 – Robert Hayden, American poet and academic (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Tennessee Williams, American playwright, and poet (b. 1911)
    • 1996 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (b. 1940)
    • 1997 – Andrei Sinyavsky, Russian journalist and publisher (b. 1925)
    • 1998 – W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author and playwright (b. 1914)
    • 1999 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
    • 2001 – A. R. Ammons, American poet and critic (b. 1926)
    • 2001 – Donald Bradman, Australian international cricketer; holder of world record batting average (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Peter Benenson, English lawyer, founded Amnesty International (b. 1921)
    • 2010 – Ihsan Dogramaci, Turkish pediatrician and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Louisiana Red, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic; noted ichthyologist (b. 1922)
    • 2020 – Dmitry Yazov, last Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1924)

    Holidays and observance on February 25

    Christian feast day

    Further information: February 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Æthelberht of Kent
    • Blessed Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás
    • Gerland of Agrigento
    • John Roberts, writer and missionary
    • Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani
    • Saint Walpurga (she was canonised on 1 May and Walpurgis Night is celebrated 30 April)