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  • July 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    “Mordad 5th”—day 129th in the Iranian official calendar (236 days – 237 days in leap years – till the end of the year)

    July 26 in History

    • 657 – First Fitna: In the Battle of Siffin, troops led by Ali ibn Abu Talib clash with those led by Muawiyah I.
    • 811 – Battle of Pliska: Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I is killed and his heir Staurakios is seriously wounded.
    • 920 – Rout of an alliance of Christian troops from Navarre and Léon against the Muslims at the Battle of Valdejunquera.
    • 1309 – Henry VII is recognized King of the Romans by Pope Clement V.
    • 1469 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Edgecote Moor, pitting the forces of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick against those of Edward IV of England, takes place.
    • 1509 – The Emperor Krishnadevaraya ascends to the throne, marking the beginning of the regeneration of the Vijayanagara Empire.
    • 1529 – Francisco Pizarro González, Spanish conquistador, is appointed governor of Peru.
    • 1581 – Plakkaat van Verlatinghe (Act of Abjuration): The northern Low Countries declare their independence from the Spanish king, Philip II.
    • 1703 – During the Bavarian Rummel the rural population of Tyrol drove the Bavarian Prince-Elector Maximilian II Emanuel out of North Tyrol with a victory at the Pontlatzer Bridge and thus prevented the Bavarian Army, which was allied with France, from marching as planned on Vienna during the War of the Spanish Succession.
    • 1745 – The first recorded women’s cricket match takes place near Guildford, England.
    • 1758 – French and Indian War: The Siege of Louisbourg ends with British forces defeating the French and taking control of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
    • 1775 – The office that would later become the United States Post Office Department is established by the Second Continental Congress. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania takes office as Postmaster General.
    • 1788 – New York ratifies the United States Constitution and becomes the 11th state of the United States.
    • 1803 – The Surrey Iron Railway, arguably the world’s first public railway, opens in south London, United Kingdom.
    • 1814 – The Swedish–Norwegian War begins.
    • 1822 – José de San Martín arrives in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to meet with Simón Bolívar.
    • 1822 – First day of the three-day Battle of Dervenakia, between the Ottoman Empire force led by Mahmud Dramali Pasha and the Greek Revolutionary force led by Theodoros Kolokotronis.
    • 1847 – Liberia declares its independence.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: George B. McClellan assumes command of the Army of the Potomac following a disastrous Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Morgan’s Raid ends; At Salineville, Ohio, Confederate cavalry leader John Hunt Morgan and 360 of his volunteers are captured by Union forces.
    • 1882 – Premiere of Richard Wagner’s opera Parsifal at Bayreuth.
    • 1882 – The Republic of Stellaland is founded in Southern Africa.
    • 1887 – Publication of the Unua Libro, founding the Esperanto movement.
    • 1890 – In Buenos Aires, Argentina the Revolución del Parque takes place, forcing President Miguel Ángel Juárez Celman’s resignation.
    • 1891 – France annexes Tahiti.
    • 1892 – Dadabhai Naoroji is elected as the first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain.
    • 1897 – Anglo-Afghan War: The Pashtun fakir Saidullah leads an army of more than 10,000 to begin a siege of the British garrison in the Malakand Agency of the North West Frontier Province of India.
    • 1899 – Ulises Heureaux, the 27th President of the Dominican Republic, is assassinated.
    • 1908 – United States Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte issues an order to immediately staff the Office of the Chief Examiner (later renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation).
    • 1918 – Emmy Noether’s paper, which became known as Noether’s theorem was presented at Göttingen, Germany, from which conservation laws are deduced for symmetries of angular momentum, linear momentum, and energy.
    • 1936 – Spanish Civil War: Germany and Italy decide to intervene in the war in support for Francisco Franco and the Nationalist faction.
    • 1936 – King Edward VIII, in one of his few official duties before he abdicates the throne, officially unveils the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.
    • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: End of the Battle of Brunete with the Nationalist victory.
    • 1941 – World War II: In response to the Japanese occupation of French Indochina, the United States, Britain and the Netherlands freeze all Japanese assets and cut off oil shipments.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Red Army enters Lviv, a major city in western Ukraine, capturing it from the Nazis. Only 300 Jews survive out of 160,000 living in Lviv prior to occupation.
    • 1945 – The Labour Party wins the United Kingdom general election of July 5 by a landslide, removing Winston Churchill from power.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Potsdam Declaration is signed in Potsdam, Germany.
    • 1945 – World War II: HMS Vestal is the last British Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the war.
    • 1945 – World War II: The USS Indianapolis arrives at Tinian with components and enriched uranium for the Little Boy nuclear bomb.
    • 1946 – Aloha Airlines begins service from Honolulu International Airport.
    • 1947 – Cold War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs the National Security Act of 1947 into United States law creating the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Department of Defense, United States Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the United States National Security Council.
    • 1948 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981, desegregating the military of the United States.
    • 1951 – Walt Disney’s 13th animated film, Alice in Wonderland, premieres in London, England, United Kingdom.
    • 1952 – King Farouk of Egypt abdicates in favor of his son Fuad.
    • 1953 – Cold War: Fidel Castro leads an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks, thus beginning the Cuban Revolution. The movement took the name of the date: 26th of July Movement
    • 1953 – Arizona Governor John Howard Pyle orders an anti-polygamy law enforcement crackdown on residents of Short Creek, Arizona, which becomes known as the Short Creek raid.
    • 1953 – Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment repel a number of Chinese assaults against a key position known as The Hook during the Battle of the Samichon River, just hours before the Armistice Agreement is signed, ending the Korean War.
    • 1956 – Following the World Bank’s refusal to fund building the Aswan Dam, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal, sparking international condemnation.
    • 1957 – Carlos Castillo Armas, dictator of Guatemala, is assassinated.
    • 1958 – Explorer program: Explorer 4 is launched.
    • 1963 – Syncom 2, the world’s first geosynchronous satellite, is launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta B booster.
    • 1963 – An earthquake in Skopje, Yugoslavia (present-day North Macedonia) leaves 1,100 dead.
    • 1963 – The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development votes to admit Japan.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: South Vietnamese opposition leader Trương Đình Dzu is sentenced to five years hard labor for advocating the formation of a coalition government as a way to move toward an end to the war.
    • 1971 – Apollo program: Launch of Apollo 15 on the first Apollo “J-Mission”, and first use of a Lunar Roving Vehicle.
    • 1974 – Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis forms the country’s first civil government after seven years of military rule.
    • 1977 – The National Assembly of Quebec imposes the use of French as the official language of the provincial government.
    • 1979 (1358 SH) – Holding the first Friday Prayer in Iran led by Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani
    • 1986 (1365 SH) – Aerial bombardment of citizens of Arak by Ba’athist Iraq regime at 9:13 a.m. (local time):
    • 1988 (1367 SH) – Mersad Operation part of Iran-Iraq war
    • 1989 – A federal grand jury indicts Cornell University student Robert T. Morris, Jr. for releasing the Morris worm, thus becoming the first person to be prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
    • 1990 – The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is signed into law by President George H.W. Bush.
    • 1993 – Asiana Airlines Flight 733 crashes into a ridge on Mt. Ungeo on its third attempt to land at Mokpo Airport, South Korea. Sixty-eight of the 116 people onboard are killed.
    • 1999 – Celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas. Kargil conflict officially comes to an end. The Indian Army announces the complete eviction of Pakistani intruders.
    • 2005 – Space Shuttle program: STS-114 Mission: Launch of Discovery, NASA’s first scheduled flight mission after the Columbia Disaster in 2003.
    • 2005 – Mumbai, India receives 99.5cm of rain (39.17 inches) within 24 hours, resulting in floods killing over 5,000 people.
    • 2008 – Fifty-six people are killed and over 200 people are injured, in the Ahmedabad bombings in India.
    • 2009 – The militant Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram attacks a police station in Bauchi, leading to reprisals by the Nigeria Police Force and four days of violence across multiple cities.
    • 2016 – The Sagamihara stabbings occur in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. Nineteen people are killed.
    • 2016 – Hillary Clinton becomes the first female nominee for President of the United States by a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
    • 2016 – Solar Impulse 2 becomes the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth.

    Births on July 26

    • 1030 – Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Polish bishop and saint (d. 1079)
    • 1400 – Isabel le Despenser, Countess of Worcester, English noble (d. 1439)
    • 1502 – Christian Egenolff, German printer (d. 1555)
    • 1612 – Murad IV, Ottoman sultan (d. 1640)
    • 1678 – Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1711)
    • 1711 – Lorenz Christoph Mizler, German physician, mathematician, and historian (d. 1778)
    • 1739 – George Clinton, American general and politician, 4th Vice President of the United States (d. 1812)
    • 1782 – John Field, Irish pianist and composer (d. 1837)
    • 1791 – Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1844)
    • 1796 – George Catlin, American painter, author, and traveler (d. 1872)
    • 1802 – Mariano Arista, Mexican general and politician, 42nd President of Mexico (d. 1855)
    • 1819 – Justin Holland, American guitarist and educator (d. 1887)
    • 1829 – Auguste Beernaert, Belgian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Belgium, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1912)
    • 1841 – Carl Robert Jakobson, Estonian journalist and politician (d. 1882)
    • 1842 – Alfred Marshall, English economist and academic (d. 1924)
    • 1844 – Stefan Drzewiecki, Ukrainian-Polish engineer and journalist (d. 1938)
    • 1854 – Philippe Gaucher, French dermatologist and academic (d. 1918)
    • 1855 – Ferdinand Tönnies, German sociologist and philosopher (d. 1936)
    • 1856 – George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
    • 1858 – Tom Garrett, Australian cricketer and lawyer (d. 1943)
    • 1863 – Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer (d. 1948)
    • 1865 – Philipp Scheidemann, German journalist and politician, 10th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1939)
    • 1865 – Rajanikanta Sen, Indian poet and composer (d. 1910)
    • 1874 – Serge Koussevitzky, Russian-American bassist, composer, and conductor (d. 1951)
    • 1875 – Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist (d. 1961)
    • 1875 – Antonio Machado, Spanish poet and academic (d. 1939)
    • 1877 – Jesse Lauriston Livermore, American investor and security analyst, “Great Bear of Wall Street” (d. 1940)
    • 1878 – Ernst Hoppenberg, German swimmer and water polo player (d. 1937)
    • 1879 – Shunroku Hata, Japanese field marshal and politician, 48th Japanese Minister of War (d. 1962)
    • 1880 – Volodymyr Vynnychenko, Ukrainian playwright and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Ukrainian People’s Republic (d. 1951)
    • 1882 – Albert Dunstan, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of Victoria (d. 1950)
    • 1885 – Roy Castleton, Major League Baseball player (d.1967)
    • 1885 – André Maurois, French soldier and author (d. 1967)
    • 1886 – Lars Hanson, Swedish actor (d. 1965)
    • 1888 – Reginald Hands, South African cricketer and rugby player (d. 1918)
    • 1890 – Daniel J. Callaghan, American admiral, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1942)
    • 1892 – Sad Sam Jones, American baseball player and manager (d. 1966)
    • 1893 – George Grosz, German painter and illustrator (d. 1959)
    • 1894 – Aldous Huxley, English novelist and philosopher (d. 1963)
    • 1895 – Gracie Allen, American actress and comedian (d. 1964)
    • 1896 – Tim Birkin, English soldier and race car driver (d. 1933)
    • 1897 – Harold D. Cooley, American lawyer and politician (d. 1974)
    • 1897 – Paul Gallico, American journalist and author (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Sarah Kafrit, Israeli politician and teacher (d. 1983)
    • 1903 – Estes Kefauver, American lawyer and politician (d. 1963)
    • 1904 – Edwin Albert Link, American industrialist and entrepreneur, invented the flight simulator (d. 1981)
    • 1906 – Irena Iłłakowicz, German-Polish lieutenant (d. 1943)
    • 1908 – Lucien Wercollier, Luxembourger sculptor (d. 2002)
    • 1909 – Peter Thorneycroft, Baron Thorneycroft, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Vivian Vance, American actress and singer (d. 1979)
    • 1913 – Kan Yuet-keung, Hong Kong banker, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1914 – C. Farris Bryant, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 34th Governor of Florida (d. 2002)
    • 1914 – Erskine Hawkins, American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Ellis Kinder, American baseball player (d. 1968)
    • 1916 – Dean Brooks, American physician and actor (d. 2013)
    • 1916 – Jaime Luiz Coelho, Brazilian archbishop (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Marjorie Lord, American actress (d. 2015)
    • 1919 – Virginia Gilmore, American actress (d. 1986)
    • 1919 – James Lovelock, English biologist and chemist
    • 1920 – Bob Waterfield, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
    • 1921 – Tom Saffell, American baseball player and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Jean Shepherd, American radio host, actor, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
    • 1922 – Blake Edwards, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Jim Foglesong, American record producer (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Jason Robards, American actor (d. 2000)
    • 1923 – Jan Berenstain, American author and illustrator (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Hoyt Wilhelm, American baseball player and coach (d. 2002)
    • 1925 – Jerzy Einhorn, Polish-Swedish physician and politician (d. 2000)
    • 1925 – Joseph Engelberger, American physicist and engineer (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Gene Gutowski, Polish-American producer (d. 2016)
    • 1925 – Ana María Matute, Spanish author and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – James Best, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1926 (1305 SH) – Sadeq Khalkhali, Shia cleric and a religious ruler in the Islamic Republic of Iran (d. 2003)
    • 1926 – Dorothy E. Smith, Canadian sociologist
    • 1927 – Gulabrai Ramchand, Indian cricketer (d. 2003)
    • 1928 – Don Beauman, English race car driver (d. 1955)
    • 1928 – Francesco Cossiga, Italian academic and politician, 8th President of Italy (d. 2010)
    • 1928 – Elliott Erwitt, French-American photographer and director
    • 1928 – Ibn-e-Safi, Indian-Pakistani author and poet (d. 1980)
    • 1928 – Joe Jackson, American talent manager, father of Michael Jackson (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Stanley Kubrick, American director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer (d. 1999)
    • 1928 – Peter Lougheed, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Premier of Alberta (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Sally Oppenheim-Barnes, Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes, Irish-born English politician
    • 1928 – Bernice Rubens, Welsh author (d. 2004)
    • 1929 – Marc Lalonde, Canadian lawyer and politician, 34th Canadian Minister of Justice
    • 1929 – Alexis Weissenberg, Bulgarian-French pianist and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Plínio de Arruda Sampaio, Brazilian lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Barbara Jefford, English actress
    • 1931 – Telê Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2006)
    • 1934 – Tommy McDonald, American football player (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – Tsutomu Koyama, Japanese volleyball player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1936 – Lawrie McMenemy, English footballer and manager
    • 1938 – Bobby Hebb, American singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Keith Peters, Welsh physician and academic
    • 1939 – Jun Henmi, Japanese author and poet (d. 2011)
    • 1939 – John Howard, Australian lawyer and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Australia
    • 1939 – Bob Lilly, American football player and photographer
    • 1939 – Richard Marlow, English organist and conductor (d. 2013)
    • 1940 – Dobie Gray, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – Brian Mawhinney, Baron Mawhinney, Northern Irish-British academic and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
    • 1940 – Bobby Rousseau, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1941 – Jean Baubérot, French historian and sociologist
    • 1941 – Darlene Love, American singer and actress
    • 1941 – Brenton Wood, American R&B singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1942 – Vladimír Mečiar, Slovak politician, 1st Prime Minister of Slovakia
    • 1942 (1321 SH) – Bahman Mofid, Iranian actor
    • 1942 – Teddy Pilette, Belgian race car driver
    • 1943 – Peter Hyams, American director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
    • 1943 – Mick Jagger, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1944 (1323 SH) – Dariush Arjmand, Iranian actor
    • 1945 – Betty Davis, American singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Helen Mirren, English actress
    • 1946 – Emilio de Villota, Spanish race car driver
    • 1948 – Luboš Andršt, Czech guitarist and songwriter
    • 1948 – Herbert Wiesinger, German figure skater
    • 1949 – Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai businessman and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Thailand
    • 1949 – Roger Taylor, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer
    • 1950 – Nelinho, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1950 – Nicholas Evans, English journalist, screenwriter, and producer
    • 1950 – Susan George, English actress and producer
    • 1950 – Anne Rafferty, English lawyer and judge
    • 1950 – Rich Vogler, American race car driver (d. 1990)
    • 1951 – Rick Martin, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2011)
    • 1952 – Glynis Breakwell, English psychologist and academic
    • 1953 – Felix Magath, German footballer and manager
    • 1953 – Robert Phillips, American guitarist
    • 1953 – Henk Bleker, Dutch politician
    • 1953 – Earl Tatum, American professional basketball player
    • 1954 – Vitas Gerulaitis, American tennis player and coach (d. 1994)
    • 1955 – Aleksandrs Starkovs, Latvian footballer and coach
    • 1955 – Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistani businessman and politician, 11th President of Pakistan
    • 1956 – Peter Fincham, English screenwriter and producer
    • 1956 – Dorothy Hamill, American figure skater
    • 1956 – Tommy Rich, American wrestler
    • 1956 – Tim Tremlett, English cricketer and coach
    • 1957 – Norman Baker, Scottish politician
    • 1957 – Nana Visitor, American actress
    • 1958 – Monti Davis, American basketball player (d. 2013)
    • 1958 – Angela Hewitt, Canadian-English pianist
    • 1959 – Rick Bragg, American author and journalist
    • 1959 – Kevin Spacey, American actor and director
    • 1960 (1339 SH) – Mohsen Vezvaei, Iranian commander killed in Iran-Iraq war
    • 1961 – Gary Cherone, American singer-songwriter
    • 1961 – Andy Connell, English keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1961 – Felix Dexter, Caribbean-English comedian and actor (d. 2013)
    • 1963 – Jeff Stoughton, Canadian curler
    • 1964 – Sandra Bullock, American actress and producer
    • 1964 – Ralf Metzenmacher, German painter and designer
    • 1964 – Anne Provoost, Belgian author
    • 1965 – Jeremy Piven, American actor and producer
    • 1965 – Jim Lindberg, American singer and guitarist
    • 1966 – Angelo di Livio, Italian footballer
    • 1967 – Martin Baker, English organist and conductor
    • 1967 – Tim Schafer, American video game designer, founded Double Fine Productions
    • 1967 – Jason Statham, English actor
    • 1968 – Frédéric Diefenthal, French actor and director
    • 1968 – Jim Naismith, Scottish biologist and academic
    • 1968 – Olivia Williams, English actress
    • 1969 – Greg Colbrunn, American baseball player and coach
    • 1969 – Tanni Grey-Thompson, Welsh baroness and wheelchair racer
    • 1971 – Khaled Mahmud, Bangladeshi cricketer and coach
    • 1971 – Chris Harrison, America television personality
    • 1972 – Nathan Buckley, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1973 – Kate Beckinsale, English actress
    • 1973 – Mariano Raffo, Argentinian director and producer
    • 1974 – Iron & Wine, American singer-songwriter
    • 1974 – Kees Meeuws, New Zealand rugby player and coach
    • 1974 – Dean Sturridge, English footballer and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Ingo Schultz, German sprinter
    • 1975 – Joe Smith, American basketball player
    • 1975 – Elizabeth Truss, English accountant and politician, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
    • 1976 – Elena Kustarova, Russian ice dancer and coach
    • 1976 – Darius Labanauskas, Lithuanian darts player
    • 1977 – Joaquín Benoit, Dominican baseball player
    • 1977 – Martin Laursen, Danish footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Tanja Szewczenko, German figure skater
    • 1979 – Friedrich Michau, German rugby player
    • 1979 – Derek Paravicini, English pianist
    • 1979 – Peter Sarno, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Erik Westrum, American ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Juliet Rylance, English actress
    • 1980 – Jacinda Ardern, 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1980 – Dave Baksh, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1980 – Robert Gallery, American football player
    • 1981 – Abe Forsythe, Australian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1981 (1360 SH) Mehdi Seyed-Salehi, Iranian soccer player
    • 1981 – Maicon Sisenando, Brazilian footballer
    • 1982 – Gilad Hochman, Israeli composer
    • 1982 – Christopher Kane, Scottish fashion designer
    • 1983 – Kelly Clark, American snowboarder
    • 1983 – Stephen Makinwa, Nigerian footballer
    • 1983 – Roderick Strong, American wrestler
    • 1983 – Naomi van As, Dutch field hockey player
    • 1983 – Ken Wallace, Australian kayaker
    • 1983 – Delonte West, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Kyriakos Ioannou, Cypriot high jumper
    • 1984 – Benjamin Kayser, French rugby player
    • 1984 – Sabri Sarıoğlu, Turkish footballer
    • 1985 – Marcus Benard, American football player
    • 1985 – Gaël Clichy, French footballer
    • 1985 – Audrey De Montigny, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1985 – Mat Gamel, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Leonardo Ulloa, Argentinian footballer
    • 1986 – John White, English footballer
    • 1987 – Panagiotis Kone, Greek footballer
    • 1987 – Jordie Benn, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Fredy Montero, Colombian footballer
    • 1988 – Yurie Omi, Japanese female announcer
    • 1988 – Sayaka Akimoto, Filipino–Japanese actress and singer
    • 1991 – Tyson Barrie, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Marika Koroibete, Fijian rugby player
    • 1993 – Raymond Faitala-Mariner, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1994 – Ella Leivo, Finnish tennis player
    • 1996 – Olivia Breen, British sprinter

    Deaths on July 26

    • 342 – Cheng of Jin, emperor of the Jin Dynasty (b. 321)
    • 432 – Celestine I, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 811 – Nikephoros I, Byzantine emperor
    • 899 – Li Hanzhi, Chinese warlord (b. 842)
    • 943 – Motoyoshi, Japanese nobleman and poet (b. 890)
    • 990 – Fujiwara no Kaneie, Japanese statesman (b. 929)
    • 1380 – Kōmyō, emperor of Japan (b. 1322)
    • 1450 – Cecily Neville, duchess of Warwick (b. 1424)
    • 1471 – Paul II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1417)
    • 1533 – Atahualpa, Inca emperor abducted and murdered by Francisco Pizarro (b. ca. 1500)
    • 1592 – Armand de Gontant, French marshal (b. 1524)
    • 1605 – Miguel de Benavides, Spanish archbishop and sinologist (b. 1552)
    • 1611 – Horio Yoshiharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1542)
    • 1630 – Charles Emmanual I, duke of Savoy (b. 1562)
    • 1659 – Mary Frith, English female criminal (b. 1584)
    • 1680 – John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, English poet and courtier (b. 1647)
    • 1684 – Elena Cornaro Piscopia, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1646)
    • 1693 – Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, queen of Sweden (b. 1656)
    • 1712 – Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1631)
    • 1723 – Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1660)
    • 1801 – Maximilian Francis, archduke of Austria (b. 1756)
    • 1863 – Sam Houston, American general and politician, 7th Governor of Texas (b. 1793)
    • 1867 – Otto, king of Greece (b. 1815)
    • 1899 – Ulises Heureaux, 22nd, 26th, and 27th President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1845)
    • 1915 – James Murray, Scottish lexicographer and philologist (b. 1837)
    • 1919 – Edward Poynter, English painter and illustrator (b. 1836)
    • 1921 – Howard Vernon, Australian actor (b. 1848)
    • 1925 – Antonio Ascari, Italian race car driver (b. 1888)
    • 1925 – Gottlob Frege, German mathematician and philosopher (b. 1848)
    • 1925 – William Jennings Bryan, American lawyer and politician, 41st United States Secretary of State (b. 1860)
    • 1926 – Robert Todd Lincoln, American lawyer and politician, 35th United States Secretary of War, son of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1843)
    • 1930 – Pavlos Karolidis, Greek historian and academic (b. 1849)
    • 1932 – Fred Duesenberg, German-American businessman, co-founded the Duesenberg Company (b. 1876)
    • 1934 – Winsor McCay, American cartoonist, animator, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1871)
    • 1941 – Henri Lebesgue, French mathematician and academic (b. 1875)
    • 1942 – Roberto Arlt, Argentinian author and playwright (b. 1900)
    • 1951 – James Mitchell, Australian politician, 13th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1866)
    • 1952 – Eva Perón, Argentinian politician, 25th First Lady of Argentina (b. 1919)
    • 1953 – Nikolaos Plastiras, Greek general and politician, 135th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1883)
    • 1957 – Carlos Castillo Armas, Authoritarian ruler of Guatemala (1954-1957)
    • 1960 – Cedric Gibbons, British art director and production designer (b. 1893)
    • 1964 – Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, English race car driver and politician (b. 1884)
    • 1968 – Cemal Tollu, Turkish lieutenant and painter (b. 1899)
    • 1970 – Robert Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and jurist, 11th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1896)
    • 1971 – Diane Arbus, American photographer and academic (b. 1923)
    • 1980 (1359 SH) – Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the second shah (king) of Pahlavi dynasty
    • 1984 – George Gallup, American mathematician and statistician, founded the Gallup Company (b. 1901)
    • 1984 – Ed Gein, American serial killer (b. 1906)
    • 1986 – W. Averell Harriman, American politician and diplomat, 11th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1891)
    • 1988 – Fazlur Rahman Malik, Pakistani philosopher, scholar, and academic (b. 1919)
    • 1992 – Mary Wells, American singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
    • 1993 – Matthew Ridgway, American general (b. 1895)
    • 1994 – James Luther Adams, American theologian and academic (b. 1901)
    • 1995 – Laurindo Almeida, Brazilian-American guitarist and composer (b. 1917)
    • 1995 – Raymond Mailloux, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1918)
    • 1995 – George W. Romney, American businessman and politician, 43rd Governor of Michigan (b. 1907)
    • 1996 – Max Winter, American businessman and sports executive (b. 1903)
    • 1999 – Walter Jackson Bate, American author and critic (b. 1918)
    • 1999 – Phaedon Gizikis, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – John Tukey, American mathematician and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2001 – Rex T. Barber, American colonel and pilot (b. 1917)
    • 2001 – Peter von Zahn, German journalist and author (b. 1913)
    • 2004 – William A. Mitchell, American chemist, created Pop Rocks and Cool Whip (b. 1911)
    • 2005 – Alexander Golitzen, Russian-born American production designer and art director (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Jack Hirshleifer, American economist and academic (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – Gilles Marotte, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1945)
    • 2007 – Lars Forssell, Swedish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1928)
    • 2007 – Skip Prosser, American basketball player and coach (b. 1950)
    • 2009 – Merce Cunningham, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1919)
    • 2010 – Sivakant Tiwari, Indian-Singaporean politician (b. 1945)
    • 2011 – Joe Arroyo, Colombian singer-songwriter and composer (b. 1955)
    • 2011 – Richard Harris, American-Canadian football player and coach (b. 1948)
    • 2011 – Sakyo Komatsu, Japanese author and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Margaret Olley, Australian painter and philanthropist (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Don Bagley, American bassist and composer (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Karl Benjamin, American painter and educator (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Miriam Ben-Porat, Russian-Israeli lawyer and jurist (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Lupe Ontiveros, American actress (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – James D. Watkins, American admiral and politician, 6th United States Secretary of Energy (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Luther F. Cole, American lawyer and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Harley Flanders, American mathematician and academic (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Sung Jae-gi, South Korean philosopher and activist (b. 1967)
    • 2013 – George P. Mitchell, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Oleh Babayev, Ukrainian businessman and politician (b. 1965)
    • 2014 – Charles R. Larson, American admiral (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Richard MacCormac, English architect, founded MJP Architects (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Sergei O. Prokofieff, Russian anthropologist and author (b. 1954)
    • 2014 – Roland Verhavert, Belgian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Bijoy Krishna Handique, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Mines (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Flora MacDonald, Canadian banker and politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Communications (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Leo Reise, Jr., Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Ann Rule, American police officer and author (b. 1931)
    • 2017 – June Foray, American voice actress (b. 1917)
    • 2017 – Patti Deutsch, American voice artist and comedic actress (b. 1943)
    • 2017 – Ronald Phillips, American criminal (b. 1973)
    • 2018 – Adem Demaci, Kosovo Albanian politician and writer (b. 1936)
    • 2018 – John Kline, American basketball player (b. 1931)

    Holidays and observances on July 26

    • Christian feast day:
      • Andrew of Phú Yên
      • Anne (Western Christianity)
      • Bartolomea Capitanio
      • Blessed Maria Pierina
      • Joachim (Western Christianity)
      • Paraskevi of Rome (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Venera
      • July 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of National Significance (Barbados)
    • Day of the National Rebellion (Cuba)
    • Esperanto Day
    • Independence Day (Liberia), celebrates the independence of Liberia from the American Colonization Society in 1847.
    • Independence Day (Maldives), celebrates the independence of Maldives from the United Kingdom in 1965.
    • Kargil Victory Day or Kargil Vijay Diwas (India)

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

    July 11 in History

    • 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter’s Basilica and put to death.
    • 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abdicates in favor of his general Leo the Armenian, and becomes a monk (under the name Athanasius).
    • 911 – Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy.
    • 1174 – Baldwin IV, 13, becomes King of Jerusalem, with Raymond III, Count of Tripoli as regent and William of Tyre as chancellor.
    • 1302 – Battle of the Golden Spurs (Guldensporenslag in Dutch): A coalition around the Flemish cities defeats the king of France’s royal army.
    • 1346 – Charles IV, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, is elected King of the Romans.
    • 1405 – Ming admiral Zheng He sets sail to explore the world for the first time.
    • 1476 – Giuliano della Rovere is appointed bishop of Coutances.
    • 1576 – Martin Frobisher sights Greenland.
    • 1616 – Samuel de Champlain returns to Quebec.
    • 1735 – Mathematical calculations suggest that it is on this day that dwarf planet Pluto moved inside the orbit of Neptune for the last time before 1979.
    • 1789 – Jacques Necker is dismissed as France’s Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille.
    • 1796 – The United States takes possession of Detroit from Great Britain under terms of the Jay Treaty.
    • 1798 – The United States Marine Corps is re-established; they had been disbanded after the American Revolutionary War.
    • 1801 – French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons makes his first comet discovery. In the next 27 years he discovers another 36 comets, more than any other person in history.
    • 1804 – A duel occurs in which the Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr mortally wounds former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton.
    • 1833 – Noongar Australian aboriginal warrior Yagan, wanted for the murder of white colonists in Western Australia, is killed.
    • 1848 – Waterloo railway station in London opens.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Fort Stevens; Confederate forces attempt to invade Washington, D.C.
    • 1882 – The British Mediterranean Fleet begins the Bombardment of Alexandria in Egypt as part of the Anglo-Egyptian War.
    • 1889 – Tijuana, Mexico, is founded.
    • 1893 – The first cultured pearl is obtained by Kōkichi Mikimoto.
    • 1893 – A revolution led by the liberal general and politician José Santos Zelaya takes over state power in Nicaragua.
    • 1895 – Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière demonstrate movie film technology to scientists.
    • 1897 – Salomon August Andrée leaves Spitsbergen to attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon. He later crashes and dies.
    • 1899 – Fiat founded by Giovanni Agnelli in Turin, Italy.
    • 1906 – Murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in the United States, inspiration for Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy.
    • 1914 – Babe Ruth makes his debut in Major League Baseball.
    • 1914 – USS Nevada (BB-36) is launched.
    • 1919 – The eight-hour day and free Sunday become law for workers in the Netherlands.
    • 1920 – In the East Prussian plebiscite the local populace decides to remain with Weimar Germany.
    • 1921 – A truce in the Irish War of Independence comes into effect.
    • 1921 – The Red Army captures Mongolia from the White Army and establishes the Mongolian People’s Republic.
    • 1921 – Former president of the United States William Howard Taft is sworn in as 10th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the only person ever to hold both offices.
    • 1922 – The Hollywood Bowl opens.
    • 1924 – Eric Liddell won the gold medal in 400m at the 1924 Paris Olympics, after refusing to run in the heats for 100m, his favoured distance, on the Sunday.
    • 1934 – Engelbert Zaschka of Germany flies his large human-powered aircraft, the Zaschka Human-Power Aircraft, about 20 meters at Berlin Tempelhof Airport without assisted take-off.
    • 1936 – The Triborough Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic.
    • 1940 – World War II: Vichy France regime is formally established. Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of the French State.
    • 1941 – The Northern Rhodesian Labour Party holds its first congress in Nkana.
    • 1943 – Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army within the Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Volhynia) peak.
    • 1943 – World War II: Allied invasion of Sicily: German and Italian troops launch a counter-attack on Allied forces in Sicily.
    • 1947 – The Exodus 1947 heads to Palestine from France.
    • 1950 – Pakistan joins the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank.
    • 1957 – Prince Karim Husseini Aga Khan IV inherits the office of Imamat as the 49th Imam of Shia Imami Ismai’li worldwide, after the death of Sir Sultan Mahommed Shah Aga Khan III.
    • 1960 – France legislates for the independence of Dahomey (later Benin), Upper Volta (later Burkina) and Niger.
    • 1960 – Congo Crisis: The State of Katanga breaks away from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
    • 1960 – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, in the United States.
    • 1962 – First transatlantic satellite television transmission.
    • 1962 – Project Apollo: At a press conference, NASA announces lunar orbit rendezvous as the means to land astronauts on the Moon, and return them to Earth.
    • 1971 – Copper mines in Chile are nationalized.
    • 1972 – The first game of the World Chess Championship 1972 between challenger Bobby Fischer and defending champion Boris Spassky starts.
    • 1973 – Varig Flight 820 crashes near Paris, France on approach to Orly Airport, killing 123 of the 134 on board. In response, the FAA bans smoking in airplane lavatories.
    • 1977 – Martin Luther King, Jr. is posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
    • 1978 – Los Alfaques disaster: A truck carrying liquid gas crashes and explodes at a coastal campsite in Tarragona, Spain killing 216 tourists.
    • 1979 – America’s first space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.
    • 1983 – A TAME airline Boeing 737-200 crashes near Cuenca, Ecuador, killing all 119 passengers and crew on board.
    • 1990 – Oka Crisis: First Nations land dispute in Quebec, Canada begins.
    • 1991 – Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 crashes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia killing all 261 passengers and crew on board.
    • 1995 – Yugoslav Wars: Srebrenica massacre begins; lasts until 22 July.
    • 2006 – Mumbai train bombings: Two hundred nine people are killed in a series of bomb attacks in Mumbai, India.
    • 2010 – The Islamist militia group Al-Shabaab carried out multiple suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, killing 74 people and injuring 85 others.
    • 2011 – Ninety-eight containers of explosives self-detonate killing 13 people in Zygi, Cyprus.

    Births on July 11

    • 154 – Bardaisan, Syrian astrologer, scholar, and philosopher (d. 222)
    • 1274 – Robert the Bruce, Scottish king (d. 1329)
    • 1406 – William, Margrave of Hachberg-Sausenberg (d. 1482)
    • 1459 – Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, German nobleman (d. 1527)
    • 1558 – Robert Greene, English author and playwright (d. 1592)
    • 1561 – Luis de Góngora, Spanish cleric and poet (d. 1627)
    • 1603 – Kenelm Digby, English astrologer, courtier, and diplomat (d. 1665)
    • 1628 – Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Japanese daimyō (d. 1701)
    • 1653 – Sarah Good, American woman accused of witchcraft (d. 1692)
    • 1657 – Frederick I of Prussia (d. 1713)
    • 1662 – Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1726)
    • 1709 – Johan Gottschalk Wallerius, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (d. 1785)
    • 1723 – Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and author (d. 1799)
    • 1751 – Caroline Matilda, British princess, queen consort of Denmark (d. 1775)
    • 1754 – Thomas Bowdler, English physician and philanthropist (d. 1825)
    • 1760 – Peggy Shippen, American wife of Benedict Arnold and American Revolutionary War spy (d. 1804)
    • 1767 – John Quincy Adams, American lawyer and politician, 6th President of the United States (d. 1848)
    • 1826 – Alexander Afanasyev, Russian ethnographer and author (d. 1871)
    • 1832 – Charilaos Trikoupis, Greek lawyer and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1896)
    • 1834 – James Abbott McNeill Whistler, American-English painter and illustrator (d. 1903)
    • 1836 – Antônio Carlos Gomes, Brazilian composer (d. 1896)
    • 1846 – Léon Bloy, French author and poet (d. 1917)
    • 1849 – N. E. Brown, English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents (d. 1934)
    • 1850 – Annie Armstrong, American missionary (d. 1938)
    • 1866 – Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1953)
    • 1875 – H. M. Brock, British painter and illustrator (d. 1960)
    • 1880 – Friedrich Lahrs, German architect and academic (d. 1964)
    • 1881 – Isabel Martin Lewis, American astronomer and author (d. 1966)
    • 1882 – James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (d. 1946)
    • 1886 – Boris Grigoriev, Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1939)
    • 1888 – Carl Schmitt, German philosopher and jurist (d. 1985)
    • 1892 – Thomas Mitchell, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1962)
    • 1894 – Erna Mohr, German zoologist (d. 1968)
    • 1895 – Dorothy Wilde, English author and poet (d. 1941)
    • 1897 – Bull Connor, American police officer (d. 1973)
    • 1899 – Wilfrid Israel, German businessman and philanthropist (d. 1943)
    • 1899 – E. B. White, American essayist and journalist (d. 1985)
    • 1901 – Gwendolyn Lizarraga, Belizean businesswoman, activist, and politician (d. 1975)
    • 1903 – Rudolf Abel, English-Russian colonel (d. 1971)
    • 1903 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (d. 1976)
    • 1904 – Niño Ricardo, Spanish guitarist and composer (d. 1972)
    • 1905 – Betty Allan, Australian statistician and biometrician (d. 1952)
    • 1906 – Harry von Zell, American actor and announcer (d. 1981)
    • 1906 – Herbert Wehner, German politician, Minister of Intra-German Relations (d. 1990)
    • 1909 – Irene Hervey, American actress (d. 1998)
    • 1909 – Jacques Clemens, Dutch catholic priest (d. 2018)
    • 1910 – Sally Blane, American actress (d. 1997)
    • 1911 – Erna Flegel, German Third Reich nurse (d. 2006)
    • 1912 – Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1912 – Peta Taylor, English cricketer (d. 1989)
    • 1912 – William F. Walsh, American captain and politician, 48th Mayor of Syracuse (d. 2011)
    • 1913 – Paul Gibb, English cricketer (d. 1977)
    • 1913 – Cordwainer Smith, American sinologist, author, and academic (d. 1966)
    • 1916 – Mortimer Caplin, American tax attorney, educator, and IRS Commissioner (d. 2019)
    • 1916 – Hans Maier, Dutch water polo player (d. 2018)
    • 1916 – Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Reg Varney, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2008)
    • 1916 – Gough Whitlam, Australian lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2014)
    • 1918 – Venetia Burney, English educator, who named Pluto (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Yul Brynner, Russian actor and dancer (d. 1985)
    • 1920 – Zecharia Sitchin, Russian-American author (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Gene Evans, American actor (d. 1998)
    • 1922 – Fritz Riess, German-Swiss racing driver (d. 1991)
    • 1923 – Richard Pipes, Polish-American historian and academic (d. 2018)
    • 1923 – Tun Tun, Indian actress and comedian (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – César Lattes, Brazilian physicist and academic (d. 2005)
    • 1924 – Brett Somers, Canadian-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Charlie Tully, Northern Irish footballer and manager (d. 1971)
    • 1924 – Oscar Wyatt, American businessman
    • 1925 – Charles Chaynes, French composer (d. 2016)
    • 1925 – Nicolai Gedda, Swedish operatic tenor (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Peter Kyros, American lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2004)
    • 1926 – Frederick Buechner, American minister, theologian, and author
    • 1927 – Theodore Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Chris Leonard, English footballer
    • 1928 – Greville Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone, Welsh-English lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Bobo Olson, American boxer (d. 2002)
    • 1928 – Andrea Veneracion, Filipina choirmaster (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Danny Flores, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (d. 2006)
    • 1929 – David Kelly, Irish actor (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Jack Alabaster, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1930 – Harold Bloom, American literary critic (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Trevor Storer, English businessman, founded Pukka Pies (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Dick Gray, American baseball player (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Thurston Harris, American doo-wop singer (d. 1990)
    • 1931 – Tab Hunter, American actor and singer (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – Tullio Regge, Italian physicist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Alex Hassilev, French-born American folk singer and musician
    • 1932 – Jean-Guy Talbot, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1933 – Jim Carlen, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Frank Kelso, American admiral and politician, United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – Giorgio Armani, Italian fashion designer, founded the Armani Company
    • 1935 – Frederick Hemke, American saxophonist and educator
    • 1935 – Oliver Napier, Northern Irish lawyer and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1937 – Pai Hsien-yung, Chinese-Taiwanese author
    • 1941 – Bill Boggs, American journalist and producer
    • 1941 – Henry Lowther, English trumpet player
    • 1943 – Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (d. 2006)
    • 1943 – Howard Gardner, American psychologist and academic
    • 1943 – Tom Holland, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Peter Jensen, Australian metropolitan
    • 1943 – Robert Malval, Haitian businessman and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Haiti
    • 1943 – Rolf Stommelen, German racing driver (d. 1983)
    • 1944 – Lou Hudson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Michael Levy, Baron Levy, English philanthropist
    • 1944 – Patricia Polacco, American author and illustrator
    • 1946 – Martin Wong, American painter (d. 1999)
    • 1947 – Jeff Hanna, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer
    • 1947 – Norman Lebrecht, English author and critic
    • 1947 – Bo Lundgren, Swedish politician
    • 1950 – Pervez Hoodbhoy, Pakistani physicist and academic
    • 1950 – J. R. Morgan, Welsh author and academic
    • 1950 – Bonnie Pointer, American singer (d. 2020)
    • 1951 – Ed Ott, American baseball player and coach
    • 1952 – Bill Barber, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1952 – Stephen Lang, American actor and playwright
    • 1953 – Piyasvasti Amranand, Thai businessman and politician, Thai Minister of Energy
    • 1953 – Angélica Aragón, Mexican film, television, and stage actress and singer
    • 1953 – Peter Brown, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1953 – Suresh Prabhu, Indian accountant and politician, Indian Minister of Railways
    • 1953 – Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Mexican actress, director, and producer
    • 1953 – Leon Spinks, American boxer
    • 1953 – Mindy Sterling, American actress
    • 1953 – Ivan Toms, South African physician and activist (d. 2008)
    • 1953 – Bramwell Tovey, English-Canadian conductor and composer
    • 1953 – Paul Weiland, English director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Julia King, English engineer and academic
    • 1955 – Balaji Sadasivan, Singaporean neurosurgeon and politician, Singaporean Minister of Health (d. 2010)
    • 1956 – Amitav Ghosh, Indian-American author and academic
    • 1956 – Robin Renucci, French actor and director
    • 1956 – Sela Ward, American actress
    • 1957 – Johann Lamont, Scottish educator and politician
    • 1957 – Peter Murphy, English singer-songwriter
    • 1957 – Michael Rose, Jamaican singer-songwriter
    • 1958 – Mark Lester, English actor
    • 1958 – Hugo Sánchez, Mexican footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1959 – Richie Sambora, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1959 – Suzanne Vega, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1960 – David Baerwald, American singer-songwriter, composer, and musician
    • 1960 – Caroline Quentin, English actress
    • 1961 – Antony Jenkins, English banker and businessman
    • 1962 – Gaétan Duchesne, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
    • 1962 – Pauline McLynn, Irish actress and author
    • 1962 – Fumiya Fujii, Japanese music artist
    • 1963 – Al MacInnis, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1963 – Dean Richards, English rugby player and coach
    • 1963 – Lisa Rinna, American actress and talk show host
    • 1965 – Tony Cottee, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1965 – Ernesto Hoost, Dutch kick-boxer and sportscaster
    • 1965 – Scott Shriner, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1966 – Nadeem Aslam, Pakistani-English author
    • 1966 – Kentaro Miura, Japanese author and illustrator
    • 1966 – Rod Strickland, American basketball player and coach
    • 1966 – Ricky Warwick, Northern Irish musician
    • 1967 – Andy Ashby, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Jhumpa Lahiri, Indian American novelist and short story writer
    • 1968 – Michael Geist, Canadian journalist and academic
    • 1968 – Daniel MacMaster, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
    • 1968 – Esera Tuaolo, American football player
    • 1969 – Ned Boulting, British sports journalist and television presenter
    • 1970 – Justin Chambers, American actor
    • 1970 – Sajjad Karim, English lawyer and politician
    • 1970 – Eric Owens, American opera singer
    • 1971 – Leisha Hailey, Japanese-American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1972 – Cormac Battle, English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1973 – Konstantinos Kenteris, Greek runner
    • 1974 – Alanas Chošnau, Lithuanian singer-songwriter
    • 1974 – Hermann Hreiðarsson, Icelandic footballer and manager
    • 1974 – André Ooijer, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Willie Anderson, American football player
    • 1975 – Rubén Baraja, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Lil’ Kim, American rapper and producer
    • 1976 – Eduardo Nájera, Mexican-American basketball player and coach
    • 1977 – Brandon Short, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1978 – Kathleen Edwards, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Massimiliano Rosolino, Italian swimmer
    • 1979 – Raio Piiroja, Estonian footballer
    • 1980 – Tyson Kidd, Canadian wrestler
    • 1980 – Kevin Powers, American soldier and author
    • 1981 – Andre Johnson, American football player
    • 1982 – Chris Cooley, American football player
    • 1983 – Engin Baytar, German-Turkish footballer
    • 1983 – Peter Cincotti, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1983 – Marie Serneholt, Swedish singer and dancer
    • 1984 – Yorman Bazardo, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1984 – Tanith Belbin, Canadian-American ice dancer
    • 1984 – Jacoby Jones, American football player
    • 1984 – Joe Pavelski, American ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Morné Steyn, South African rugby player
    • 1985 – Robert Adamson, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1985 – Orestis Karnezis, Greek footballer
    • 1986 – Raúl García, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Yoann Gourcuff, French footballer
    • 1986 – Ryan Jarvis, English footballer
    • 1987 – Shigeaki Kato, Japanese singer
    • 1988 – Étienne Capoue, French footballer
    • 1988 – Natalie La Rose, Dutch singer, songwriter and dancer
    • 1989 – Tobias Sana, Swedish footballer
    • 1989 – Travis Waddell, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Mona Barthel, German tennis player
    • 1990 – Connor Paolo, American actor
    • 1990 – Adam Jezierski, Polish-Spanish actor and singer
    • 1990 – Patrick Peterson, American football player
    • 1990 – Caroline Wozniacki, Danish tennis player
    • 1993 – Rebecca Bross, American gymnast
    • 1993 – Heini Salonen, Finnish tennis player
    • 1994 – Bartłomiej Kalinkowski, Polish footballer
    • 1994 – Anthony Milford, Australian rugby league player
    • 1994 – Nina Nesbitt, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1994 – Lucas Ocampos, Argentinian footballer
    • 1995 – Joey Bosa, American football player
    • 1995 – Tyler Medeiros, Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1996 – Alessia Cara, Canadian singer-songwriter

    Deaths on July 11

    • 472 – Anthemius, Roman emperor (b. 420)
    • 937 – Rudolph II of Burgundy (b. 880)
    • 969 – Olga of Kiev (b. 890)
    • 1174 – Amalric I of Jerusalem (b. 1136)
    • 1183 – Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1117)
    • 1302 – Robert II, Count of Artois (b. 1250)
    • 1302 – Pierre Flotte, French politician and lawyer
    • 1344 – Ulrich III, Count of Württemberg (b. c. 1286)
    • 1362 – Anna von Schweidnitz, empress of Charles IV (b. 1339)
    • 1382 – Nicole Oresme, French philosopher (b. 1325)
    • 1451 – Barbara of Cilli, Slovenian noblewoman
    • 1484 – Mino da Fiesole, Italian sculptor (b. c. 1429)
    • 1535 – Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1484)
    • 1581 – Peder Skram, Danish admiral and politician (b. 1503)
    • 1593 – Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Italian painter (b. 1527)
    • 1599 – Chōsokabe Motochika, Japanese daimyō (b.1539)
    • 1688 – Narai, Thai king (b. 1629)
    • 1774 – Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet, Irish-English general (b. 1715)
    • 1775 – Simon Boerum, American farmer and politician (b. 1724)
    • 1797 – Ienăchiță Văcărescu, Romanian historian and philologist (b. 1740)
    • 1806 – James Smith, Irish-American lawyer and politician (b. 1719)
    • 1825 – Thomas P. Grosvenor, American soldier and politician (b. 1744)
    • 1844 – Yevgeny Baratynsky, Russian philosopher and poet (b. 1800)
    • 1897 – Patrick Jennings, Irish-Australian politician, 11th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1831)
    • 1905 – Muhammad Abduh, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1849)
    • 1908 – Friedrich Traun, German sprinter and tennis player (b. 1876)
    • 1909 – Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (b. 1835)
    • 1929 – Billy Mosforth, English footballer and engraver (b. 1857)
    • 1937 – George Gershwin, American pianist, songwriter, and composer (b. 1898)
    • 1959 – Charlie Parker, English cricketer, coach, and umpire (b. 1882)
    • 1966 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet and short story writer (b. 1913)
    • 1967 – Guy Favreau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 28th Canadian Minister of Justice (b. 1917)
    • 1971 – John W. Campbell, American journalist and author (b. 1910)
    • 1971 – Pedro Rodríguez, Mexican racing driver (b. 1940)
    • 1974 – Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish novelist, playwright, and poet Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
    • 1976 – León de Greiff, Colombian poet and educator (b. 1895)
    • 1979 – Claude Wagner, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1925)
    • 1983 – Ross Macdonald, American-Canadian author (b. 1915)
    • 1987 – Avi Ran, Israeli footballer (b. 1963)
    • 1987 – Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, American rabbi and scholar (b. 1901)
    • 1989 – Laurence Olivier, English actor, director, and producer (b. 1907)
    • 1991 – Mokhtar Dahari, Malaysian footballer and coach (b. 1953)
    • 1994 – Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research (b. 1942)
    • 1998 – Panagiotis Kondylis, Greek philosopher and author (b. 1943)
    • 1999 – Helen Forrest, American singer (b. 1917)
    • 1999 – Jan Sloot, Dutch computer scientist and electronics technician (b. 1945)
    • 2000 – Pedro Mir, Dominican lawyer, author, and poet (b. 1913)
    • 2000 – Robert Runcie, English archbishop (b. 1921)
    • 2001 – Herman Brood, Dutch musician and painter (b. 1946)
    • 2003 – Zahra Kazemi, Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer (b. 1948)
    • 2004 – Laurance Rockefeller, American financier and philanthropist (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – Renée Saint-Cyr, French actress and producer (b. 1904)
    • 2005 – Gretchen Franklin, English actress and dancer (b. 1911)
    • 2005 – Jesús Iglesias, Argentinian racing driver (b. 1922)
    • 2005 – Frances Langford, American actress and singer (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Barnard Hughes, American actor (b. 1915)
    • 2006 – Bronwyn Oliver, Australian sculptor (b. 1959)
    • 2006 – John Spencer, English snooker player and sportscaster (b. 1935)
    • 2007 – Glenda Adams, Australian author and academic (b. 1939)
    • 2007 – Lady Bird Johnson, American beautification activist; 43rd First Lady of the United States (b. 1912)
    • 2007 – Alfonso López Michelsen, Colombian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Colombia (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Ed Mirvish, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded Honest Ed’s (b. 1914)
    • 2008 – Michael E. DeBakey, American surgeon and educator (b. 1908)
    • 2009 – Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1936)
    • 2009 – Arturo Gatti, Italian-Canadian boxer (b. 1972)
    • 2009 – Ji Xianlin, Chinese linguist and paleographer (b. 1911)
    • 2010 – Walter Hawkins, American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and pastor (b. 1949)
    • 2011 – Rob Grill, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Art Ceccarelli, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Marion Cunningham, American author (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Richard Scudder, American journalist and publisher, co-founded MediaNews Group (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Donald J. Sobol, American soldier and author (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Marvin Traub, American businessman and author (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Emik Avakian, Iranian-American inventor (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Egbert Brieskorn, German mathematician and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Eugene P. Wilkinson, American admiral (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Charlie Haden, American bassist and composer (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Carin Mannheimer, Swedish author and screenwriter (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Bill McGill, American basketball player (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-American drummer and producer (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – John Seigenthaler, American journalist and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Randall Stout, American architect, designed the Taubman Museum of Art (b. 1958)
    • 2015 – Giacomo Biffi, Italian cardinal (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – James U. Cross, American general (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Satoru Iwata, Japanese game programmer and businessman (b. 1959)
    • 2015 – Lawrence K. Karlton, American lawyer and judge (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – André Leysen, Belgian businessman (b. 1927)

    Holidays and observances on July 11

    • Christian Feast Day:
      • Benedict of Nursia
      • Olga of Kiev
      • Pope Pius I
      • July 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • China National Maritime Day (China)
    • Day of the Bandoneón (Argentina)
    • Day of the Flemish Community (Flemish Community of Belgium)
    • Eleventh Night (Northern Ireland)
    • Free Slurpee Day (Participating stores of the 7-Eleven chain in North America)
    • National Day of Remembrance of Victims of Genocide by Ukrainian Nationalists on Citizens of the Second Republic of Poland (Poland)
    • Gospel Day (Kiribati)
    • Imamat Day (Isma’ilism)
    • National Day of Commemoration, held on the nearest Sunday to this date (Ireland)
    • The first day of Naadam (July 11–15) (Mongolia)
    • World Population Day (International)

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

    • 1309 – Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
    • 1329 – Pope John XXII issues his In Agro Dominico condemning some writings of Meister Eckhart as heretical.
    • 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León reaches the northern end of The Bahamas on his first voyage to Florida.
    • 1625 – Charles I becomes King of England, Scotland and Ireland as well as claiming the title King of France.
    • 1782 – Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
    • 1794 – The United States Government establishes a permanent navy and authorizes the building of six frigates.
    • 1809 – Peninsular War: A combined Franco-Polish force defeats the Spanish in the Battle of Ciudad Real.
    • 1814 – War of 1812: In central Alabama, U.S. forces under General Andrew Jackson defeat the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.
    • 1836 – Texas Revolution: On the orders of General Antonio López de Santa Anna, the Mexican army massacres 342 Texas POWs at Goliad, Texas.
    • 1866 – President of the United States of America Andrew Johnson vetoes the Civil Rights Act of 1866. His veto is overridden by Congress and the bill passes into law on April 9.
    • 1871 – The first international rugby football match, when Scotland defeats England in Edinburgh at Raeburn Place.
    • 1884 – A mob in Cincinnati, Ohio, attacks members of a jury which had returned a verdict of manslaughter in what was seen as a clear case of murder; over the next few days the mob would riot and eventually destroy the courthouse.
    • 1886 – Geronimo, Apache warrior, surrenders to the U.S. Army, ending the main phase of the Apache Wars.
    • 1899 – Emilio Aguinaldo leads Filipino forces for the only time during the Philippine–American War at the Battle of Marilao River.
    • 1915 – Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the United States is put in quarantine for the second time, where she would remain for the rest of her life.
    • 1918 – The National Council of Bessarabia proclaims union with the Kingdom of Romania.
    • 1938 – Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Taierzhuang begins, resulting several weeks later in the war’s first major Chinese victory over Japan.
    • 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav Air Force officers topple the pro-Axis government in a bloodless coup.
    • 1943 – World War II: Battle of the Komandorski Islands: In the Aleutian Islands the battle begins when United States Navy forces intercept Japanese attempting to reinforce a garrison at Kiska.
    • 1945 – World War II: Operation Starvation, the aerial mining of Japan’s ports and waterways begins. Argentina declares war on the Axis Powers.
    • 1958 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union.
    • 1964 – The Good Friday earthquake, the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history at a magnitude of 9.2 strikes Southcentral Alaska, killing 125 people and inflicting massive damage to the city of Anchorage.
    • 1975 – Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins.
    • 1977 – Tenerife airport disaster: Two Boeing 747 airliners collide on a foggy runway on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583 (all 248 on KLM and 335 on Pan Am). Sixty-one survived on the Pan Am flight. This is the deadliest aviation accident in history.
    • 1980 – The Norwegian oil platform Alexander L. Kielland collapses in the North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212.
    • 1980 – Silver Thursday: A steep fall in silver prices, resulting from the Hunt Brothers attempting to corner the market in silver, leads to panic on commodity and futures exchanges.
    • 1981 – The Solidarity movement in Poland stages a warning strike, in which at least 12 million Poles walk off their jobs for four hours.
    • 1986 – A car bomb explodes outside Russell Street Police HQ in Melbourne, Australia, killing one police officer and injuring 21 people.
    • 1990 – The United States begins broadcasting anti-Castro propaganda to Cuba on TV Martí.
    • 1993 – Jiang Zemin is appointed President of the People’s Republic of China.
    • 1993 – Italian former minister and Christian Democracy leader Giulio Andreotti is accused of mafia allegiance by the tribunal of Palermo.
    • 1998 – The Food and Drug Administration approves Viagra for use as a treatment for male impotence, the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States.
    • 1999 – Kosovo War: An American Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk is shot down by a Yugoslav SAM, the first and only Nighthawk to be lost in combat.
    • 2000 – A Phillips Petroleum plant explosion in Pasadena, Texas kills one person and injures 71 others.
    • 2002 – Passover massacre: A Palestinian suicide bomber kills 29 people at a Passover seder in Netanya, Israel.
    • 2002 – Nanterre massacre: In Nanterre, France, a gunman opens fire at the end of a town council meeting, resulting in the deaths of eight councilors; 19 other people are injured.
    • 2004 – HMS Scylla, a decommissioned Leander-class frigate, is sunk as an artificial reef off Cornwall, the first of its kind in Europe.
    • 2009 – The dam forming Situ Gintung, an artificial lake in Indonesia, fails, killing at least 99 people.
    • 2014 – Philippines signs a peace accord with the largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, ending decades of conflict.
    • 2015 – Al-Shabab militants attack and temporarily occupy a Mogadishu hotel leaving at least 20 people dead.
    • 2016 – A suicide blast in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, Lahore claims over 70 lives and leaves almost 300 others injured. The target of the bombing are Christians celebrating Easter.
    • 2020 – North Macedonia becomes the 30th member of NATO.

    Births on March 27

    • 972 – Robert II, king of France (d. 1031)
    • 1401 – Albert III, duke of Bavaria (d. 1460)
    • 1416 – Francis of Paola, Italian friar and saint, founded Order of the Minims (d. 1507)
    • 1546 – Johannes Piscator, German theologian (d. 1625)
    • 1627 – Stephen Fox, English politician (d. 1716)
    • 1676 – Francis II Rákóczi, Hungarian prince (b. 1676)
    • 1679 – Domenico Lalli, Italian poet and librettist (d. 1741)
    • 1681 – Joaquín Fernández de Portocarrero, Spanish-Italian cardinal (d. 1760)
    • 1702 – Johann Ernst Eberlin, German organist and composer (d. 1762)
    • 1710 – Joseph Abaco, Belgian cellist and composer (d. 1805)
    • 1712 – Claude Bourgelat, French surgeon and author (d. 1779)
    • 1714 – Francesco Antonio Zaccaria, Italian historian and theologian (d. 1795)
    • 1724 – Jane Colden, American botanist and author (d. 1766)
    • 1745 – Lindley Murray, American-English Quaker and grammarian (d. 1826)
    • 1746 – Michael Bruce, Scottish poet and composer (d. 1767)
    • 1746 – Carlo Buonaparte, Corsican-French lawyer and politician (d. 1785)
    • 1765 – Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologian (d. 1841)
    • 1781 – Alexander Vostokov, Estonian-Russian philologist and academic (d. 1864)
    • 1784 – Sándor Kőrösi Csoma, Hungarian philologist, orientalist, and author (d. 1842)
    • 1785 – Louis XVII of France (d. 1795)
    • 1797 – Alfred de Vigny, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1863)
    • 1801 – Alexander Barrow, American lawyer and politician (d. 1846)
    • 1802 – Charles-Mathias Simons, German-Luxembourger jurist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1874)
    • 1809 – Georges-Eugène Haussmann, French engineer, urban planner, and politician (d. 1891)
    • 1811 – Edward William Cooke, English painter and illustrator (d. 1880)
    • 1814 – Charles Mackay, Scottish journalist, anthologist, and author (d. 1889)
    • 1820 – Edward Augustus Inglefield, English admiral and explorer (d. 1894)
    • 1822 – Henri Murger, French novelist and poet (d. 1861)
    • 1824 – Virginia Minor, American women’s suffrage activist (d. 1894)
    • 1839 – John Ballance, Irish-New Zealand journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1893)
    • 1843 – George Frederick Leycester Marshall, English colonel and entomologist (d. 1934)
    • 1844 – Adolphus Greely, American general and explorer, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1935)
    • 1845 – Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1923)
    • 1845 – Jakob Sverdrup, Norwegian bishop and politician, Norwegian Minister of Education and Church Affairs (d. 1899)
    • 1847 – Otto Wallach, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)
    • 1851 – Ruperto Chapí, Spanish composer, co-founded Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (d. 1909)
    • 1851 – Vincent d’Indy, French composer and educator (d. 1931)
    • 1852 – Jan van Beers, Belgian painter and illustrator (d. 1927)
    • 1854 – Giovanni Battista Grassi, Italian physician, zoologist, and entomologist (d. 1925)
    • 1855 – William Libbey, American target shooter, colonel, mountaineer, geographer, geologist, and archaeologist (d. 1927)
    • 1857 – Karl Pearson, English mathematician, eugenicist, and academic (d. 1936)
    • 1859 – George Giffen, Australian cricketer and footballer (d. 1927)
    • 1860 – Frank Frost Abbott, American-Swiss scholar and academic (d. 1924)
    • 1862 – Jelena Dimitrijević, Serbian short story writer, novelist, poet, traveller, social worker, feminist and polyglot (d. 1945)
    • 1862 – Arturo Berutti, Argentinian composer (d. 1938)
    • 1863 – Henry Royce, English engineer and businessman, founded Rolls-Royce Limited (d. 1933)
    • 1866 – John Allan, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Victoria (d. 1936)
    • 1868 – Patty Hill, American songwriter and educator (d. 1946)
    • 1869 – James McNeill, Irish politician, 2nd Governor-General of the Irish Free State (d. 1938)
    • 1869 – J. R. Clynes, English trade unionist and politician, Home Secretary (d. 1949)
    • 1871 – Heinrich Mann, German author and poet (d. 1950)
    • 1871 – Joseph G. Morrison, American captain and Nazarene minister (d. 1939)
    • 1871 – Piet Aalberse, Dutch politician, Minister of Labour (d. 1948)
    • 1875 – Albert Marquet, French painter (d. 1947)
    • 1877 – Oscar Grégoire, Belgian water polo player and swimmer (d. 1947)
    • 1878 – Kathleen Scott, British sculptor (d. 1947)
    • 1879 – Sándor Garbai, Hungarian politician, 19th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1947)
    • 1879 – Miller Huggins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1929)
    • 1879 – Edward Steichen, Luxembourger-American painter and photographer (d. 1973)
    • 1881 – Arkady Averchenko, Russian playwright and satirist (d. 1925)
    • 1882 – Thomas Graham Brown, Scottish mountaineer and physiologist (d. 1965)
    • 1883 – Marie Under, Estonian author and poet (d. 1980)
    • 1884 – Gordon Thomson, English rower and lieutenant (d. 1953)
    • 1885 – Julio Lozano Díaz, Honduran accountant and politician, 40th President of Honduras (d. 1957)
    • 1885 – Reginald Fletcher, 1st Baron Winster, English navy officer and politician, Secretary of State for Transport (d. 1961)
    • 1886 – Sergey Kirov, Russian politician (d. 1934)
    • 1886 – Wladimir Burliuk, Ukrainian painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
    • 1886 – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German-American architect, designed IBM Plaza and Seagram Building (d. 1969)
    • 1887 – Väinö Siikaniemi, Finnish javelin thrower, poet, and translator (d. 1932)
    • 1888 – George Alfred Lawrence Hearne, English-South African cricketer (d. 1978)
    • 1889 – Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu, Egyptian-Turkish journalist, author, and politician (d. 1974)
    • 1889 – Leonard Mociulschi, Romanian general (d. 1979)
    • 1890 – Harald Julin, Swedish swimmer and water polo player (d. 1967)
    • 1890 – Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton, Scottish admiral (d. 1974)
    • 1891 – Lajos Zilahy, Hungarian novelist and playwright (d. 1974)
    • 1891 – Klawdziy Duzh-Dushewski, Belarusian-Lithuanian architect, journalist, and diplomat, created the Flag of Belarus (d. 1959)
    • 1892 – Ferde Grofé, American pianist and composer (d. 1972)
    • 1892 – Thorne Smith, American author (d. 1934)
    • 1893 – Karl Mannheim, Hungarian-English sociologist and academic (d. 1947)
    • 1893 – G. Lloyd Spencer, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1893 – George Beranger, Australian-American actor and director (d. 1973)
    • 1894 – René Fonck, French colonel and pilot (d. 1953)
    • 1895 – Roland Leighton, English soldier and poet (d. 1915)
    • 1897 – Douglas Hartree, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1958)
    • 1897 – Fred Keating, American magician, stage and film actor (d. 1961)
    • 1899 – Francis Ponge, French poet and author (d. 1988)
    • 1899 – Herbert Arthur Stuart, German-Swiss physicist and academic (d. 1974)
    • 1899 – Gloria Swanson, American actress and producer (d. 1983)
    • 1901 – Carl Barks, American illustrator and screenwriter (d. 2000)
    • 1901 – Erich Ollenhauer, German politician (d. 1963)
    • 1901 – Eisaku Satō, Japanese politician, 61st Prime Minister of Japan, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
    • 1901 – Kenneth Slessor, Australian journalist and poet (d. 1971)
    • 1902 – Sidney Buchman, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1975)
    • 1902 – Charles Lang, American cinematographer (d. 1998)
    • 1903 – Xavier Villaurrutia, Mexican poet and playwright (d. 1950)
    • 1905 – Leroy Carr, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1935)
    • 1905 – Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff, German general (d. 1980)
    • 1905 – Elsie MacGill, Canadian-American author and engineer (d. 1980)
    • 1906 – Pee Wee Russell, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 1969)
    • 1909 – Golo Mann, German historian and author (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Ben Webster, American saxophonist (d. 1973)
    • 1909 – Valery Marakou, Belarusian poet and translator (d. 1937)
    • 1910 – Ai Qing, Chinese poet and author (d. 1996)
    • 1911 – Veronika Tushnova, Russian poet and physician (d. 1965)
    • 1912 – James Callaghan, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Theodor Dannecker, German SS officer (d. 1945)
    • 1914 – Richard Denning, American actor (d. 1998)
    • 1914 – Budd Schulberg, American author, screenwriter, and producer (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Robert Lockwood, Jr., American guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Cyrus Vance, American lawyer and politician, 57th United States Secretary of State (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – Colin Rowe, English-American architect, theorist and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Phil Chess, Czech-American record producer, co-founded Chess Records (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Moacir Barbosa Nascimento, Brazilian footballer and coach (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Harold Nicholas, American actor and dancer (d. 2000)
    • 1922 – Dick King-Smith, English author (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Stefan Wul, French author and surgeon (d. 2003)
    • 1922 – Jules Olitski, Ukrainian-American painter, printmaker, and sculptor (d. 2007)
    • 1923 – Shūsaku Endō, Japanese author (d. 1996)
    • 1923 – Louis Simpson, Jamaican-American poet, translator, and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Sarah Vaughan, American singer (d. 1990)
    • 1924 – Ian Black, Scottish international footballer, goalkeeper and lawn bowls player (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Margaret K. Butler, American mathematician and computer programmer (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Frank O’Hara, American writer (d. 1966)
    • 1927 – Sylvia Anderson, English voice actress, screenwriter, and producer (d. 2016)
    • 1927 – Anthony Lewis, American journalist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian cellist and conductor (d. 2007)
    • 1928 – Jean Dotto, French cyclist (d. 2000)
    • 1929 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (d. 1988)
    • 1929 – Reg Evans, Australian actor (d. 2009)
    • 1930 – Daniel Spoerri, Romanian-Swiss photographer, writer and artist
    • 1931 – David Janssen, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1980)
    • 1932 – Junior Parker, American singer and harmonica player (d. 1971)
    • 1932 – Bailey Olter, Micronesian politician, 3rd President of the Federated States of Micronesia (d. 1999)
    • 1933 – Lê Văn Hưng, South Vietnamese Brigadier general (d. 1975)
    • 1934 – István Csurka, Hungarian journalist, author, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1935 – Stanley Rother, American Roman Catholic priest and missionary (d. 1981)
    • 1935 – Julian Glover, English actor
    • 1936 – Malcolm Goldstein, American violinist and composer
    • 1937 – Alan Hawkshaw, English keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1939 – Jay Kim, South Korean-American engineer and politician
    • 1939 – Cale Yarborough, American race car driver and businessman
    • 1940 – Sandro Munari, Italian race car driver
    • 1940 – Austin Pendleton, American actor, director, and playwright
    • 1941 – Ivan Gašparovič, Slovak lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Slovakia
    • 1941 – Liese Prokop, Austrian pentathlete and politician, Austrian Minister of the Interior (d. 2006)
    • 1942 – Michael Jackson, English journalist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1942 – John Sulston, English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
    • 1942 – Michael York, English actor
    • 1943 – Mike Curtis, American football player and coach (d. 2020)
    • 1944 – Jesse Brown, American marine and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (d. 2002)
    • 1944 – Bryan Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1946 – Michael Aris, Cuban-English author and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1947 – Oliver Friggieri, Maltese author, critic, poet and philosopher
    • 1947 – Brian Jones, English balloonist and pilot
    • 1947 – Walt Mossberg, American journalist
    • 1948 – Jens-Peter Bonde, Danish lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Tony Banks, English keyboardist and songwriter
    • 1950 – Petros Efthymiou, Greek academic and politician, Greek Minister of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs
    • 1950 – Maria Ewing, African-American soprano
    • 1950 – Chris Stewart, English musician and author
    • 1950 – Terry Yorath, Welsh international footballer, Midfielder and international manager
    • 1951 – Andrei Kozyrev, Belgian-Russian politician and diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Russia
    • 1952 – Annemarie Moser-Pröll, Austrian skier
    • 1952 – Maria Schneider, French actress (d. 2011)
    • 1953 – Herman Ponsteen, Dutch cyclist
    • 1954 – Gerard Batten, English lawyer and politician
    • 1955 – Patrick McCabe, Irish writer
    • 1955 – Mariano Rajoy, Spanish lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Spain
    • 1955 – Susan Neiman, Jewish American-German philosopher and author
    • 1956 – Leung Kwok-hung, Hong Kong activist and politician
    • 1956 – Thomas Wassberg, Swedish cross country skier
    • 1957 – Kostas Vasilakakis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1957 – Stephen Dillane, English actor
    • 1958 – Didier de Radiguès, Belgian race car driver and motorcycle racer
    • 1959 – Andrew Farriss, Australian rock musician and multi-instrumentalist
    • 1960 – Hans Pflügler, German footballer
    • 1960 – Renato Russo, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1996)
    • 1961 – Ellery Hanley, English rugby league player and coach
    • 1961 – Tony Rominger, Swiss professional cyclist
    • 1962 – Jann Arden, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1962 – Brett French, Australian rugby league player
    • 1962 – Rob Hollink, Dutch poker player
    • 1962 – John O’Farrell, English journalist and author
    • 1962 – Brad Wright, American-Spanish basketball player
    • 1962 – Kevin J. Anderson, American science fiction writer
    • 1963 – Cory Blackwell, American basketball player
    • 1963 – Randall Cunningham, American football player, coach, and pastor
    • 1963 – Filippos Sachinidis, Greek-Canadian economist and politician
    • 1963 – Gary Stevens, English-Australian footballer and physiotherapist
    • 1963 – Quentin Tarantino, American director, producer, screenwriter and actor
    • 1963 – Xuxa, Brazilian actress, singer, businesswoman and television presenter
    • 1965 – Gregor Foitek, Swiss race car driver
    • 1966 – Žarko Paspalj, Serbian basketball player
    • 1967 – Talisa Soto, American actress
    • 1968 – Irina Belova, Russian heptathlete
    • 1969 – Gianluigi Lentini, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Pauley Perrette, American actress
    • 1970 – Leila Pahlavi, Princess of Iran (d. 2001)
    • 1970 – Derek Aucoin, Canadian baseball player
    • 1970 – Mariah Carey, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1970 – Brent Fitz, Canadian-American multi-instrumentalist and recording artist
    • 1970 – Jarrod McCracken, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1970 – Elizabeth Mitchell, American actress
    • 1970 – Uwe Rosenberg, German game designer, created Bohnanza
    • 1971 – David Coulthard, Scottish race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Nathan Fillion, Canadian actor
    • 1972 – Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Surinamese-Dutch footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1972 – Charlie Haas, American professional wrestler
    • 1973 – Roger Telemachus, South African cricketer
    • 1974 – Marek Citko, Polish footballer and manager
    • 1974 – George Koumantarakis, Greek-South African footballer
    • 1974 – Gaizka Mendieta, Spanish footballer
    • 1975 – Andrew Blowers, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1975 – Kim Felton, Australian golfer
    • 1975 – Jeff Palmer, American gay porn actor and singer-songwriter
    • 1975 – Fergie, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1975 – Christian Fiedler, German footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Roberta Anastase, Romanian politician, 57th President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania
    • 1976 – Danny Fortson, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Adrian Anca, Romanian footballer
    • 1977 – Vítor Meira, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1978 – Gabriel Paraschiv, Romanian footballer
    • 1978 – Marius Bakken, Norwegian runner
    • 1978 – Amélie Cocheteux, French tennis player
    • 1979 – Tom Palmer, English rugby union player
    • 1979 – Mohsen Moeini, Iranian author and director
    • 1979 – Imran Tahir, Pakistani-South African cricketer
    • 1979 – Jennifer Wilson, Zimbabwean-South African field hockey player
    • 1980 – Sean Ryan, American football player
    • 1980 – Michaela Paštiková, Czech tennis player
    • 1980 – Maksim Shevchenko, Kazakhstani footballer
    • 1981 – Terry McFlynn, Irish footballer
    • 1981 – Akhil Kumar, Indian boxer
    • 1981 – Jukka Keskisalo, Finnish runner
    • 1981 – Hilda Kibet, Kenyan runner
    • 1982 – Shawn Beveney, Guyanese footballer
    • 1983 – Yuliya Golubchikova, Russian pole vaulter
    • 1983 – Vasily Koshechkin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Román Martínez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1984 – Adam Ashley-Cooper, Australian rugby player
    • 1984 – Ben Franks, Australian-born New Zealand rugby player
    • 1984 – Brett Holman, Australian footballer
    • 1985 – Dustin Byfuglien, American ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Danny Vukovic, Australian footballer
    • 1986 – Manuel Neuer, German footballer
    • 1987 – Jefferson Bernárdez, Honduran footballer
    • 1987 – Samuel Francis, Nigerian-Qatari sprinter
    • 1987 – Polina Gagarina, Russian singer-songwriter
    • 1987 – Buster Posey, American baseball player
    • 1988 – Jessie J, English singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Atsuto Uchida, Japanese footballer
    • 1988 – Brenda Song, American actress
    • 1988 – Mauro Goicoechea, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1988 – Holliday Grainger, English actress
    • 1989 – Matt Harvey, American baseball player
    • 1989 – Camilla Lees, New Zealand netball player
    • 1990 – Erdin Demir, Swedish-Turkish footballer
    • 1990 – Ben Hunt, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Nicolas Nkoulou, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1990 – Luca Zuffi, Swiss footballer
    • 1990 – Kimbra, New Zealand musician
    • 1990 – Brodha V, Indian Rapper and Music Producer
    • 1992 – Marc Muniesa, Spanish footballer
    • 1995 – Bill Tuiloma, New Zealand footballer

    Deaths on March 27

    • 710 – Rupert of Salzburg, Austrian bishop and saint (b. 660)
    • 853 – Haymo of Halberstadt, German bishop and author (b. 778)
    • 913 – Du Xiao, chancellor of Later Liang
    • 913 – Zhang empress of Later Liang
    • 916 – Alduin I, Frankish nobleman
    • 965 – Arnulf I, Count of Flanders (born c. 890)
    • 973 – Hermann Billung, Frankish lieutenant (b. 900)
    • 1045 – Ali ibn Ahmad al-Jarjara’i, Fatimid vizier
    • 1184 – Giorgi III, King of Georgia
    • 1248 – Maud Marshal, English countess (b. 1192)
    • 1350 – Alfonso XI of Castile (b. 1312)
    • 1378 – Pope Gregory XI (b. 1336)
    • 1462 – Vasily II of Moscow (b. 1415)
    • 1472 – Janus Pannonius, Hungarian bishop and poet (b. 1434)
    • 1482 – Mary of Burgundy, Sovereign Duchess regnant of Burgundy, married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1457)
    • 1564 – Lütfi Pasha, Turkish historian and politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1488)
    • 1572 – Girolamo Maggi, Italian polymath (b. c. 1523)
    • 1598 – Theodor de Bry, Belgian-German engraver, goldsmith, and publisher (b. 1528)
    • 1613 – Sigismund Báthory (b. 1573)
    • 1615 – Margaret of Valois (b. 1553)
    • 1621 – Benedetto Giustiniani, Italian cardinal (b. 1554)
    • 1624 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (b. 1578)
    • 1625 – James VI and I of the United Kingdom (b. 1566)
    • 1635 – Robert Naunton, English politician (b. 1563)
    • 1676 – Bernardino de Rebolledo, Spanish poet, soldier, and diplomat (b. 1597)
    • 1679 – Abraham Mignon, Dutch painter (b. 1640)
    • 1697 – Simon Bradstreet, English businessman and politician, 20th Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (b. 1603)
    • 1729 – Leopold, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1679)
    • 1757 – Johann Stamitz, Czech violinist and composer (b. 1717)
    • 1770 – Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Italian painter (b. 1696)
    • 1848 – Gabriel Bibron, French zoologist and herpetologist (b. 1805)
    • 1849 – Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford, Irish-Canadian politician, 35th Governor General of Canada (b. 1776)
    • 1850 – Wilhelm Beer, Prussian astronomer and banker (b. 1797)
    • 1864 – Jean-Jacques Ampère, French philologist and academic (b. 1800)
    • 1869 – James Harper, American publisher and politician, 65th Mayor of New York City (b. 1795)
    • 1875 – Juan Crisóstomo Torrico, Peruvian soldier and politician, President of Peru (b. 1808)
    • 1875 – Edgar Quinet, French historian and academic (b. 1803)
    • 1878 – George Gilbert Scott, English architect, designed the Albert Memorial and St Mary’s Cathedral (b. 1811)
    • 1886 – Henry Taylor, English poet and playwright (b. 1800)
    • 1889 – John Bright, English politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1811)
    • 1890 – Carl Jacob Löwig, German chemist and academic (b. 1803)
    • 1898 – Syed Ahmad Khan, Indian philosopher and activist (b. 1817)
    • 1900 – Joseph A. Campbell, American businessman, founded the Campbell Soup Company (b. 1817)
    • 1910 – Alexander Emanuel Agassiz, Swiss-American ichthyologist, zoologist, and engineer (b. 1835)
    • 1913 – Richard Montgomery Gano, American minister, physician, and general (b. 1830)
    • 1918 – Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and author (b. 1838)
    • 1918 – Martin Sheridan, Irish-American discus thrower and jumper (b. 1881)
    • 1921 – Harry Barron, English general and politician, 16th Governor of Western Australia (b. 1847)
    • 1922 – Nikolay Sokolov, Russian composer and educator (b. 1859)
    • 1923 – James Dewar, Scottish chemist and physicist (b. 1842)
    • 1925 – Carl Neumann, German mathematician and academic (b. 1832)
    • 1926 – Kick Kelly, American baseball player, manager, and umpire (b. 1856)
    • 1926 – Georges Vézina, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1887)
    • 1927 – Joe Start, American baseball player and manager (b. 1842)
    • 1927 – Klaus Berntsen, Danish politician, Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1844)
    • 1928 – Leslie Stuart, English organist and composer (b. 1863)
    • 1931 – Arnold Bennett, English author and playwright (b. 1867)
    • 1934 – Francis William Reitz, South African lawyer and politician, 5th State President of the Orange Free State (b. 1844)
    • 1938 – William Stern, German-American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1871)
    • 1940 – Michael Joseph Savage, Australian-New Zealand politician, 23rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1872)
    • 1942 – Julio González, Catalan sculptor and painter (b. 1876)
    • 1943 – George Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount Galway, English politician, 5th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1882)
    • 1945 – Vincent Hugo Bendix, American engineer and businessman, founded Bendix Corporation (b. 1881)
    • 1945 – Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil, Turkish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1866)
    • 1946 – Karl Groos, German psychologist and philosopher (b. 1861)
    • 1949 – Elisheva Bikhovski, Israeli-Russian poet (b. 1888)
    • 1952 – Kiichiro Toyoda, Japanese businessman, founded Toyota (b. 1894)
    • 1956 – Évariste Lévi-Provençal, French orientalist and historian (b. 1894)
    • 1958 – Leon C. Phillips, American lawyer and politician, 11th Governor of Oklahoma (b. 1890)
    • 1960 – Gregorio Marañón, Spanish physician, philosopher, and author (b. 1887)
    • 1967 – Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1890)
    • 1968 – Yuri Gagarin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1934)
    • 1968 – Vladimir Seryogin, Russian soldier and pilot (b. 1922)
    • 1973 – Mikhail Kalatozov, Georgian-Russian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer (b. 1903)
    • 1974 – Eduardo Santos, Colombian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th President of Colombia (b. 1888)
    • 1975 – Arthur Bliss, English conductor and composer (b. 1891)
    • 1976 – Georg August Zinn, German lawyer and politician, Minister President of Hesse (b. 1901)
    • 1977 – Shirley Graham Du Bois, American author, playwright, and composer (b. 1896)
    • 1977 – Diana Hyland, American actress (b. 1936)
    • 1977 – Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Dutch airline pilot (b. 1927)
    • 1978 – Nat Bailey, Canadian businessman, founded the White Spot (b. 1902)
    • 1978 – Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey (b. 1922)
    • 1978 – Sverre Farstad, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1920)
    • 1980 – Steve Fisher, American author and screenwriter (b. 1912)
    • 1981 – Jakob Ackeret, Swiss engineer and academic (b. 1898)
    • 1982 – Fazlur Khan, Bangladeshi-American engineer and architect, designed the John Hancock Center and Willis Tower (b. 1929)
    • 1987 – William Bowers, American journalist and screenwriter (b. 1916)
    • 1988 – Charles Willeford, American author, poet, and critic (b. 1919)
    • 1989 – May Allison, American actress (b. 1890)
    • 1989 – Malcolm Cowley, American novelist, poet, and literary critic (b. 1898)
    • 1990 – Percy Beard, American hurdler and coach (b. 1908)
    • 1991 – Aldo Ray, American actor (b. 1926)
    • 1992 – Colin Gibson, English footballer (b. 1923)
    • 1992 – Lang Hancock, Australian businessman (b. 1909)
    • 1992 – James E. Webb, American colonel and politician, 16th Under Secretary of State (b. 1906)
    • 1993 – Kamal Hassan Ali, Egyptian general and politician, Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1921)
    • 1993 – Paul László, Hungarian-American architect and interior designer (b. 1900)
    • 1994 – Elisabeth Schmid, German archaeologist and osteologist (b. 1912)
    • 1994 – Lawrence Wetherby, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1908)
    • 1995 – René Allio, French director and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 1997 – Lane Dwinell, American businessman and politician, 69th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1906)
    • 1997 – Ella Maillart, Swiss skier, sailor, field hockey player, and photographer (b. 1903)
    • 1998 – David McClelland, American psychologist and academic (b. 1917)
    • 1999 – Michael Aris, Cuban-English author and academic (b. 1946)
    • 2000 – George Allen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1914)
    • 2000 – Ian Dury, English singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1942)
    • 2002 – Milton Berle, American comedian and actor (b. 1908)
    • 2002 – Dudley Moore, English actor (b. 1935)
    • 2002 – Billy Wilder, Austrian-born American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1906)
    • 2003 – Edwin Carr, New Zealand composer and educator (b. 1926)
    • 2004 – Robert Merle, French author (b. 1909)
    • 2005 – Wilfred Gordon Bigelow, Canadian soldier and surgeon (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Dan Curtis, American director and producer (b. 1928)
    • 2006 – Stanisław Lem, Ukrainian-Polish author (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Rudolf Vrba, Czech Holocaust survivor and educator (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Neil Williams, English cricketer (b. 1962)
    • 2007 – Nancy Adams, New Zealand botanist and illustrator (b. 1926)
    • 2007 – Paul Lauterbur, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1929)
    • 2008 – Jean-Marie Balestre, French businessman (b. 1921)
    • 2009 – Irving R. Levine, American journalist and author (b. 1922)
    • 2010 – Dick Giordano, American illustrator (b. 1932)
    • 2011 – Clement Arrindell, Nevisian judge and politician, 1st Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Farley Granger, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Adrienne Rich, American poet, essayist and feminist (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Yvonne Brill, Canadian-American scientist and engineer (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Fay Kanin, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Richard N. Frye, American scholar and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense and first United States Secretary of Energy (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Johnny Helms, American trumpet player, bandleader, and educator (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – T. Sailo, Indian soldier and politician, 2nd Chief Minister of Mizoram (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Mother Angelica, American Roman Catholic religious leader and media personality (b. 1923)

    Holidays and observances on March 27

    • Christian feast day:
      • Alexander, a Pannonian soldier, martyred in 3rd century.
      • Amador of Portugal
      • Augusta of Treviso
      • Charles Henry Brent (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Gelasius, Archbishop of Armagh
      • John of Egypt
      • Philetus
      • Romulus of Nîmes, a Benedictine abbot, martyred c. 730.
      • Rupert of Salzburg
      • Zanitas and Lazarus of Persia
      • March 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Armed Forces Day (Myanmar)
    • International whisk(e)y day
    • World Theatre Day (International)

  • February 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1429 – English forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orléans in the Battle of the Herrings.
    • 1502 – Isabella I issues an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity.
    • 1541 – Santiago, Chile is founded by Pedro de Valdivia.
    • 1593 – Japanese invasion of Korea: Approximately 3,000 Joseon defenders led by general Kwon Yul successfully repel more than 30,000 Japanese forces in the Siege of Haengju.
    • 1689 – The Convention Parliament declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication.
    • 1733 – Georgia Day: Englishman James Oglethorpe founds Georgia, the 13th colony of the Thirteen Colonies, by settling at Savannah.
    • 1771 – Gustav III becomes the King of Sweden.
    • 1817 – An Argentine/Chilean patriotic army, after crossing the Andes, defeats Spanish troops at the Battle of Chacabuco.
    • 1818 – Bernardo O’Higgins formally approves the Chilean Declaration of Independence near Concepción, Chile.
    • 1825 – The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west.
    • 1832 – Ecuador annexes the Galápagos Islands.
    • 1855 – Michigan State University is established.
    • 1894 – Anarchist Émile Henry hurls a bomb into the Cafe Terminus in Paris, killing one person and wounding 20.
    • 1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.
    • 1909 – New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster of the 20th century happens when the SS Penguin, an inter-island ferry, sinks and explodes at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
    • 1912 – The Xuantong Emperor, the last Emperor of China, abdicates.
    • 1915 – In Washington, D.C., the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place.
    • 1921 – Bolsheviks launch a revolt in Georgia as a preliminary to the Red Army invasion of Georgia.
    • 1924 – George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue received its premiere in a concert titled “An Experiment in Modern Music”, in Aeolian Hall, New York, by Paul Whiteman and his band, with Gershwin playing the piano.
    • 1935 – USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sinks.
    • 1946 – World War II: Operation Deadlight ends after scuttling 121 of 154 captured U-boats.
    • 1946 – African American United States Army veteran Isaac Woodard is severely beaten by a South Carolina police officer to the point where he loses his vision in both eyes. The incident later galvanizes the civil rights movement and partially inspires Orson Welles’ film Touch of Evil.
    • 1947 – The largest observed iron meteorite until that time creates an impact crater in Sikhote-Alin, in the Soviet Union.
    • 1947 – Christian Dior unveils a “New Look”, helping Paris regain its position as the capital of the fashion world.
    • 1961 – The Soviet Union launches Venera 1 towards Venus.
    • 1963 – Construction begins on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
    • 1965 – Malcolm X visits Smethwick in Birmingham following the racially-charged 1964 United Kingdom general election.
    • 1968 – Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre.
    • 1974 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union.
    • 1983 – One hundred women protest in Lahore, Pakistan against military dictator Zia-ul-Haq’s proposed Law of Evidence. The women were tear-gassed, baton-charged and thrown into lock-up. The women were successful in repealing the law.
    • 1988 – Cold War: The 1988 Black Sea bumping incident: The U.S. missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG-48) is intentionally rammed by the Soviet frigate Bezzavetnyy in the Soviet territorial waters, while Yorktown claims innocent passage.
    • 1990 – Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia.
    • 1992 – The current Constitution of Mongolia comes into effect.
    • 1993 – Two-year-old James Bulger is abducted from New Strand Shopping Centre by two ten-year-old boys, who later torture and murder him.
    • 1994 – Four thieves break into the National Gallery of Norway and steal Edvard Munch’s iconic painting The Scream.
    • 1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.
    • 2001 – NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the “saddle” region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
    • 2002 – The trial of Slobodan Milošević, the former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, begins at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. He dies four years later before its conclusion.
    • 2002 – An Iran Airtour Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in the mountains outside Khorramabad, Iran while descending for a landing at Khorramabad Airport, killing 119.
    • 2004 – The city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.
    • 2009 – Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes into a house in Clarence Center, New York while on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all on board and one on the ground.
    • 2016 – Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill sign an Ecumenical Declaration in the first such meeting between leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches since their split in 1054.
    • 2019 – The country known as the Republic of Macedonia renames itself the Republic of North Macedonia in accordance with the Prespa agreement, settling a long-standing naming dispute with Greece.

    Births on February 12

    • AD 41 – Britannicus, Roman son of Claudius (d. 55)
    • 528 – Daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei, nominal empress regnant of Northern Wei
    • 661 – Princess Ōku of Japan (d. 702)
    • 1074 – Conrad II of Italy (d. 1101)
    • 1218 – Kujo Yoritsune, Japanese shōgun (d. 1256)
    • 1322 – John Henry, Margrave of Moravia (d. 1375)
    • 1443 – Giovanni II Bentivoglio, Italian noble (d. 1508)
    • 1480 – Frederick II of Legnica, Duke of Legnica (d. 1547)
    • 1540 – Won Gyun, Korean general and admiral (d. 1597)
    • 1567 – Thomas Campion, English composer, poet, and physician (d. 1620)
    • 1584 – Caspar Barlaeus, Dutch historian, poet, and theologian (d. 1648)
    • 1602 – Michelangelo Cerquozzi, Italian painter (d. 1660)
    • 1606 – John Winthrop the Younger, English-American lawyer and politician, Governor of Connecticut (d. 1676)
    • 1608 – Daniello Bartoli, Italian Jesuit priest (d. 1685)
    • 1637 – Jan Swammerdam, Dutch biologist and zoologist (d. 1680)
    • 1663 – Cotton Mather, English-American minister and author (d. 1728)
    • 1665 – Rudolf Jakob Camerarius, German botanist and physician (d. 1721)
    • 1704 – Charles Pinot Duclos, French author (d. 1772)
    • 1706 – Johann Joseph Christian, German Baroque sculptor and woodcarver (d. 1777)
    • 1728 – Étienne-Louis Boullée, French architect (d. 1799)
    • 1753 – François-Paul Brueys d’Aigalliers, French admiral (d. 1798)
    • 1761 – Jan Ladislav Dussek, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1812)
    • 1768 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1835)
    • 1775 – Louisa Adams, English-American wife of John Quincy Adams, 6th First Lady of the United States (d. 1852)
    • 1777 – Bernard Courtois, French chemist and academic (d. 1838)
    • 1777 – Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, German author and poet (d. 1843)
    • 1785 – Pierre Louis Dulong, French physicist and chemist (d. 1838)
    • 1787 – Norbert Provencher, Canadian bishop and missionary (d. 1853)
    • 1788 – Carl Reichenbach, German chemist and philosopher (d. 1869)
    • 1791 – Peter Cooper, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Cooper Union (d. 1883)
    • 1794 – Alexander Petrov, Russian chess player and composer (d. 1867)
    • 1794 – Valentín Canalizo, Mexican general and politician. 14th President (1843-1844) (d. 1850)
    • 1804 – Heinrich Lenz, German-Italian physicist and academic (d. 1865)
    • 1809 – Charles Darwin, English geologist and theorist (d. 1882)
    • 1809 – Abraham Lincoln, American lawyer and politician, 16th President of the United States (d. 1865)
    • 1819 – William Wetmore Story, American sculptor, architect, poet and editor
    • 1824 – Dayananda Saraswati, Indian monk and philosopher, founded Arya Samaj (d. 1883)
    • 1828 – George Meredith, English novelist and poet (d. 1909)
    • 1837 – Thomas Moran, British-American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School (d. 1926)
    • 1857 – Eugène Atget, French photographer (d. 1927)
    • 1857 – Bobby Peel, English cricketer and coach (d. 1943)
    • 1861 – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Russian-German psychoanalyst and author (d. 1937)
    • 1866 – Lev Shestov, Russian philosopher (d. 1938)
    • 1869 – Kiến Phúc, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1884)
    • 1870 – Marie Lloyd, English actress and singer (d. 1922)
    • 1876 – 13th Dalai Lama (d. 1933)
    • 1877 – Louis Renault, French engineer and businessman, co-founded Renault (d. 1944)
    • 1880 – George Preca, Maltese priest and saint (d. 1962)
    • 1880 – John L. Lewis, American miner and union leader (d. 1969)
    • 1881 – Anna Pavlova, Russian-English ballerina and actress (d. 1931)
    • 1882 – Walter Nash, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1968)
    • 1884 – Max Beckmann, German painter and sculptor (d. 1950)
    • 1884 – Johan Laidoner, Estonian-Russian general (d. 1953)
    • 1884 – Alice Roosevelt Longworth, American author (d. 1980)
    • 1884 – Marie Vassilieff, Russian-French painter (d. 1957)
    • 1885 – Julius Streicher, German publisher, founded Der Stürmer (d. 1946)
    • 1889 – Bhante Dharmawara, Cambodian monk, lawyer, and judge (d. 1999)
    • 1893 – Omar Bradley, American general (d. 1981)
    • 1895 – Kristian Djurhuus, Faroese lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 1984)
    • 1897 – Charles Groves Wright Anderson, South African-Australian colonel and politician (d. 1988)
    • 1897 – Lincoln LaPaz, American astronomer and academic (d. 1985)
    • 1898 – Wallace Ford, English-American actor and singer (d. 1966)
    • 1900 – Roger J. Traynor, American lawyer and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of California (d. 1983)
    • 1902 – William Collier, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1903 – Jorge Basadre, Peruvian historian (d. 1980)
    • 1903 – Chick Hafey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1973)
    • 1904 – Ted Mack, American radio and television host (d. 1976)
    • 1907 – Joseph Kearns, American actor (d. 1962)
    • 1908 – Jean Effel, French painter, caricaturist, illustrator and journalist (d. 1982)
    • 1908 – Jacques Herbrand, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1931)
    • 1909 – Zoran Mušič, Slovene painter and illustrator (d. 2005)
    • 1909 – Sigmund Rascher, German physician (d. 1945)
    • 1911 – Charles Mathiesen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – R. F. Delderfield, English author and playwright (d. 1972)
    • 1914 – Tex Beneke, American singer, saxophonist, and bandleader (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Johanna von Caemmerer, German mathematician (d. 1971)
    • 1915 – Lorne Greene, Canadian-American actor (d. 1987)
    • 1915 – Olivia Hooker, African-American sailor (d. 2018)
    • 1916 – Joseph Alioto, American lawyer and politician, 36th Mayor of San Francisco (d. 1998)
    • 1917 – Al Cervi, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1917 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (d. 2009)
    • 1918 – Norman Farberow, American psychologist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1918 – Julian Schwinger, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
    • 1919 – Forrest Tucker, American actor (d. 1986)
    • 1920 – Raymond Mhlaba, South African anti-apartheid and ANC activist (d. 2005)
    • 1922 – Hussein Onn, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Malaysia (d. 1990)
    • 1923 – Franco Zeffirelli, Italian director, producer, and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Sir Anthony Berry, British Conservative politician (d. 1984)
    • 1925 – Joan Mitchell, American-French painter (d. 1992)
    • 1926 – Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Joe Garagiola, Sr., American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Charles Van Doren, American academic (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – John Doyle, Irish hurler and politician (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – Arlen Specter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Janwillem van de Wetering, Dutch-American author and translator (d. 2008)
    • 1932 – Axel Jensen, Norwegian author and poet (d. 2003)
    • 1932 – Julian Simon, American economist, author, and academic (d. 1998)
    • 1933 – Costa-Gavras, Greek-French director and producer
    • 1933 – Brian Carlson, Australian rugby league player (d. 1987)
    • 1934 – Annette Crosbie, Scottish actress
    • 1934 – Anne Osborn Krueger, American economist and academic
    • 1934 – Bill Russell, American basketball player and coach
    • 1935 – Gene McDaniels, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1936 – Alan Ebringer, Australian immunologist, professor at King’s College in the University of London
    • 1938 – Judy Blume, Jewish-American author and educator
    • 1939 – Leon Kass, American physician, scientist, and educator
    • 1939 – Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Hubert Marcoux, Canadian solo sailor and author (d. 2009)
    • 1941 – Dominguinhos, Brazilian singer-songwriter and accordion player (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Naomi Uemura, Japanese mountaineer and explorer (d. 1984)
    • 1942 – Ehud Barak, Israeli general and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Israel
    • 1942 – Pat Dobson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2006)
    • 1945 – Maud Adams, Swedish model and actress
    • 1945 – David D. Friedman, American economist, physicist, and scholar
    • 1946 – Jean Eyeghé Ndong, Gabonese politician, Prime Minister of Gabon
    • 1946 – Ajda Pekkan, Turkish singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1948 – Ray Kurzweil, American computer scientist and engineer
    • 1948 – Nicholas Soames, English politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
    • 1950 – Angelo Branduardi, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1950 – Steve Hackett, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1950 – Michael Ironside, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Simon MacCorkindale, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1952 – Michael McDonald, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1953 – Joanna Kerns, American actress and director
    • 1954 – Joseph Jordania, Georgian-Australian musicologist and academic
    • 1954 – Tzimis Panousis, Greek comedian, singer, and author (d. 2018)
    • 1954 – Phil Zimmermann, American cryptographer and programmer
    • 1955 – Bill Laswell, American bass player and producer
    • 1955 – Chet Lemon, American baseball player and coach
    • 1956 – Arsenio Hall, American actor and talk show host
    • 1956 – Ad Melkert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment
    • 1956 – Brian Robertson, Scottish rock guitarist and songwriter
    • 1958 – Outback Jack, Australian-American wrestler
    • 1961 – Jim Harris, Canadian environmentalist and politician
    • 1961 – Michel Martelly, Haitian singer and politician, 56th President of Haiti
    • 1961 – Di Farmer, Queensland Member of Parliament
    • 1964 – Omar Hakim, American drummer, producer, arranger, and composer
    • 1965 – Rubén Amaro, Jr., American baseball player and manager
    • 1965 – Christine Elise, American actress and producer
    • 1965 – David Westlake, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1966 – Paul Crook, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1968 – Josh Brolin, American actor
    • 1968 – Chynna Phillips, American singer and actress
    • 1969 – Darren Aronofsky, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Alemayehu Atomsa, Ethiopian educator and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1969 – Steve Backley, English javelin thrower
    • 1969 – Anneli Drecker, Norwegian singer and actress
    • 1969 – Hong Myung-bo, South Korean footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Jim Creeggan, Canadian singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1970 – Bryan Roy, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Judd Winick, American author and illustrator
    • 1971 – Scott Menville, American voice actor, singer, actor and musician
    • 1973 – Gianni Romme, Dutch speed skater
    • 1973 – Tara Strong, Canadian voice actress and singer
    • 1974 – Naseem Hamed, English boxer
    • 1976 – Christian Cullen, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1977 – Jimmy Conrad, American soccer player and manager
    • 1978 – Paul Anderson, English actor
    • 1978 – Brett Hodgson, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1979 – Antonio Chatman, American football player
    • 1979 – Jesse Spencer, Australian actor and violinist
    • 1980 – Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish tennis player
    • 1980 – Sarah Lancaster, American actress
    • 1980 – Christina Ricci, American actress and producer
    • 1980 – Gucci Mane, American rapper
    • 1981 – Wade McKinnon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Jonas Hiller, Swiss ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Louis Tsatoumas, Greek long jumper
    • 1982 – Anthony Tuitavake, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1983 – Carlton Brewster, American football player and coach
    • 1984 – Brad Keselowski, American race car driver
    • 1984 – Andrei Sidorenkov, Estonian footballer
    • 1984 – Peter Vanderkaay, American swimmer
    • 1988 – DeMarco Murray, American football player
    • 1988 – Nicolás Otamendi, Argentine footballer
    • 1988 – Mike Posner, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1990 – Robert Griffin III, American football player
    • 1991 – Patrick Herrmann, German footballer
    • 1994 – Arman Hall, American sprinter
    • 1999 – Maggie Coles-Lyster, Canadian cyclist
    • 2000 – Kim Ji-min, South Korean actress

    Deaths on February 12

    • 821 – Benedict of Aniane, French monk and saint (b. 747)
    • 890 – Henjō, Japanese priest and poet (b. 816)
    • 981 – Ælfstan, bishop of Ramsbury
    • 901 – Antony II, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 914 – Li, empress of Yan
    • 941 – Wulfhelm, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1247 – Ermesinde, Countess of Luxembourg, ruler (b. 1185)
    • 1266 – Amadeus of the Amidei, Italian saint
    • 1517 – Catherine of Navarre (b. 1468)
    • 1538 – Albrecht Altdorfer, German painter, engraver, and architect (b. 1480)
    • 1554 – Lord Guildford Dudley, English son of Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland (b. 1536; executed)
    • 1554 – Lady Jane Grey, de facto monarch of England and Ireland for nine days (b. 1537; executed)
    • 1571 – Nicholas Throckmorton, English politician and diplomat (b. 1515)
    • 1590 – François Hotman, French lawyer and author (b. 1524)
    • 1600 – Edward Denny, Knight Banneret of Bishop’s Stortford, English soldier, privateer and adventurer (b. 1547)
    • 1612 – Jodocus Hondius, Flemish cartographer (b. 1563)
    • 1624 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist, founded George Heriot’s School (b. 1563)
    • 1713 – Jahandar Shah, Mughal emperor (b. 1664)
    • 1728 – Agostino Steffani, Italian priest and composer (b. 1653)
    • 1763 – Pierre de Marivaux, French author and playwright (b. 1688)
    • 1771 – Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden (b. 1710)
    • 1789 – Ethan Allen, American farmer, general, and politician (b. 1738)
    • 1799 – Lazzaro Spallanzani, Italian biologist and physiologist (b. 1729)
    • 1804 – Immanuel Kant, German anthropologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1724)
    • 1834 – Friedrich Schleiermacher, German philosopher and scholar (b. 1768)
    • 1886 – Randolph Caldecott, English-American painter and illustrator (b. 1846)
    • 1894 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1830)
    • 1896 – Ambroise Thomas, French composer and academic (b. 1811)
    • 1912 – Gerhard Armauer Hansen, Norwegian physician (b. 1841)
    • 1915 – Émile Waldteufel, French pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1837)
    • 1916 – Richard Dedekind, German mathematician, philosopher, and academic (b. 1831)
    • 1929 – Lillie Langtry, English singer and actress (b. 1853)
    • 1931 – Samad bey Mehmandarov, Azerbaijani-Russian general and politician, 3rd Azerbaijani Minister of Defense (b. 1855)
    • 1935 – Auguste Escoffier, French chef and author (b. 1846)
    • 1942 – Eugene Esmonde, Irish-English lieutenant and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1909)
    • 1942 – Avraham Stern, Polish-Israeli militant leader (b. 1907)
    • 1942 – Grant Wood, American painter and academic (b. 1891)
    • 1947 – Moses Gomberg, Ukrainian-American chemist and academic (b. 1866)
    • 1949 – Hassan al-Banna, Egyptian educator, founded the Muslim Brotherhood (b. 1906)
    • 1954 – Dziga Vertov, Polish-Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
    • 1958 – Douglas Hartree, English mathematician and physicist (b. 1897)
    • 1960 – Oskar Anderson, Bulgarian-German mathematician and academic (b. 1887)
    • 1970 – Clare Turlay Newberry, American author and illustrator (b. 1903)
    • 1971 – James Cash Penney, American businessman and philanthropist, founded J. C. Penney (b. 1875)
    • 1975 – Carl Lutz, Swiss vice-consul to Hungary during WWII, credited with saving over 62,000 Jews (b. 1895)
    • 1976 – Sal Mineo, American actor (b. 1939)
    • 1977 – Herman Dooyeweerd, Dutch philosopher and scholar (b. 1894)
    • 1979 – Jean Renoir, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1894)
    • 1980 – Muriel Rukeyser, American poet and activist (b. 1913)
    • 1982 – Victor Jory, Canadian-American actor (b. 1902)
    • 1983 – Eubie Blake, American pianist and composer (b. 1887)
    • 1984 – Anna Anderson, Polish-American woman, who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1896)
    • 1984 – Julio Cortázar, Belgian-Argentinian author and poet (b. 1914)
    • 1985 – Nicholas Colasanto, American actor and director (b. 1924)
    • 1989 – Thomas Bernhard, Austrian playwright and author (b. 1931)
    • 1991 – Roger Patterson, American bass player (b. 1968)
    • 1992 – Bep van Klaveren, Dutch boxer (b. 1907)
    • 1994 – Donald Judd, American painter and sculptor (b. 1928)
    • 1995 – Philip Taylor Kramer, American bass player (b. 1952)
    • 1998 – Gardner Ackley, American economist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (b. 1915)
    • 2000 – Tom Landry, American football player and coach (b. 1924)
    • 2000 – Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist, created Peanuts (b. 1922)
    • 2001 – Kristina Söderbaum, Swedish-German actress and producer (b. 1912)
    • 2002 – John Eriksen, Danish footballer (b. 1957)
    • 2005 – Dorothy Stang, American-Brazilian nun and missionary (b. 1931)
    • 2007 – Ann Barzel, American writer and dance critic (b. 1905)
    • 2007 – Peggy Gilbert, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1905)
    • 2008 – David Groh, American actor (b. 1939)
    • 2009 – victims of Colgan Air Flight 3407:
      • Alison Des Forges, American historian and activist (b. 1942)
      • Beverly Eckert, American activist (b. 1951)
      • Mat Mathews, Dutch accordion player (b. 1924)
      • Coleman Mellett, American guitarist (b. 1974)
      • Gerry Niewood, American saxophonist (b. 1943)
    • 2010 – Nodar Kumaritashvili, Georgian luger (b. 1988)
    • 2011 – Peter Alexander, Austrian singer and actor (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Betty Garrett, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1919)
    • 2011 – Kenneth Mars, American actor and comedian (b. 1935)
    • 2012 – Zina Bethune, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1945)
    • 2012 – Denis Flannery, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – David Kelly, Irish actor (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – John Severin, American illustrator (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1941)
    • 2013 – Reginald Turnill, English journalist and author (b. 1915)
    • 2013 – Hennadiy Udovenko, Ukrainian politician and diplomat, 2nd Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ukraine (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Sid Caesar, American actor and comedian (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – John Pickstone, English historian and author (b. 1944)
    • 2015 – Movita Castaneda, American actress and singer (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Malaysian cleric and politician, 12th Menteri Besar of Kelantan (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Gary Owens, American radio host and voice actor (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Steve Strange, Welsh singer (b. 1959)
    • 2016 – Dominique D’Onofrio, Italian-Belgian footballer and coach (b. 1953)
    • 2016 – Yannis Kalaitzis, Greek cartoonist (b. 1945)
    • 2016 – Yan Su, Chinese general and composer (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Al Jarreau, American singer (b. 1940)
    • 2017 – Anna Marguerite McCann, first female American underwater archaeologist (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Ren Xinmin, Chinese rocket scientist (b. 1915)
    • 2019 – Gordon Banks, English footballer (b. 1937)
    • 2019 – Lyndon LaRouche, American political activist (b. 1922)
    • 2019 – Pedro Morales, Puerto Rican professional wrestler and commentator (b. 1942)
    • 2020 – Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (b. 1951)

    Holidays and observances on February 12

    • Christian feast day:
      • Benedict of Aniane
      • Damian of Alexandria
      • Julian the Hospitaller
      • Martyrs of Abitinae
      • February 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Darwin Day (International)
    • Georgia Day (Georgia (U.S. state))
    • Lincoln’s Birthday (United States)
    • National Freedom to Marry Day (United States)
    • Red Hand Day (United Nations)
    • Union Day (Myanmar)
    • Youth Day (Venezuela)