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969

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

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

On This Day

July 9- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 491 – Odoacer makes a night assault with his Heruli guardsmen, engaging Theoderic the Great in Ad Pinetam. Both sides suffer heavy losses, but in the end Theodoric forces Odoacer back into Ravenna.
  • 551 – A major earthquake strikes Beirut, triggering a devastating tsunami that affected the coastal towns of Byzantine Phoenicia, causing thousands of deaths.
  • 660 – Korean forces under general Kim Yu-sin of Silla defeat the army of Baekje in the Battle of Hwangsanbeol.
  • 869 – The 8.4–9.0 Mw  Sanriku earthquake strikes the area around Sendai in northern Honshu, Japan. Inundation from the tsunami extended several kilometers inland.
  • 969 – The Fatimid general Jawhar leads the Friday prayer in Fustat in the name of Caliph al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah, thereby symbolically completing the Fatimid conquest of Egypt.
  • 1357 – Emperor Charles IV assists in laying the foundation stone of Charles Bridge in Prague.
  • 1386 – The Old Swiss Confederacy makes great strides in establishing control over its territory by soundly defeating the Archduchy of Austria in the Battle of Sempach.
  • 1401 – Timur attacks the Jalairid Sultanate and destroys Baghdad.
  • 1540 – King Henry VIII of England annuls his marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.
  • 1572 – Nineteen Catholics suffer martyrdom for their beliefs in the Dutch town of Gorkum.
  • 1609 – Bohemia is granted freedom of religion through the Letter of Majesty by the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II.
  • 1701 – A Bourbon force under Nicolas Catinat withdraws from a smaller Habsburg force under Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Battle of Carpi.
  • 1745 – French victory in the Battle of Melle allows them to capture Ghent in the days after.
  • 1755 – The Braddock Expedition is soundly defeated by a smaller French and Native American force in its attempt to capture Fort Duquesne in what is now downtown Pittsburgh.
  • 1762 – Catherine the Great becomes Empress of Russia following the coup against her husband, Peter III.
  • 1776 – George Washington orders the Declaration of Independence to be read out to members of the Continental Army in Manhattan, while thousands of British troops on Staten Island prepare for the Battle of Long Island.
  • 1789 – In Versailles, the National Assembly reconstitutes itself as the National Constituent Assembly and begins preparations for a French constitution.
  • 1790 – The Swedish Navy captures one third of the Russian Baltic fleet.
  • 1793 – The Act Against Slavery in Upper Canada bans the importation of slaves and will free those who are born into slavery after the passage of the Act at 25 years of age.
  • 1807 – The Treaties of Tilsit are signed by Napoleon I of France and Alexander I of Russia.
  • 1810 – Napoleon annexes the Kingdom of Holland as part of the First French Empire.
  • 1811 – Explorer David Thompson posts a sign near what is now Sacajawea State Park in Washington state, claiming the Columbia District for the United Kingdom.
  • 1815 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord becomes the first Prime Minister of France.
  • 1816 – Argentina declares independence from Spain.
  • 1821 – Four hundred and seventy prominent Cypriots including Archbishop Kyprianos are executed in response to Cypriot aid to the Greek War of Independence.
  • 1850 – U.S. President Zachary Taylor dies after eating raw fruit and iced milk; he is succeeded in office by Vice President Millard Fillmore.
  • 1850 – Persian prophet Báb is executed in Tabriz, Persia.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: The Siege of Port Hudson ends, giving the Union complete control of the Mississippi River.
  • 1868 – The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process of law.
  • 1875 – The Herzegovina Uprising against Ottoman rule begins, which would last until 1878 and have far-reaching implications throughout the Balkans.
  • 1877 – The inaugural Wimbledon Championships begins.
  • 1893 – Daniel Hale Williams, American heart surgeon, performs the first successful open-heart surgery in United States without anesthesia.
  • 1896 – William Jennings Bryan delivers his Cross of Gold speech advocating bimetallism at the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
  • 1900 – The Federation of Australia is given royal assent.
  • 1900 – The Governor of Shanxi province in North China orders the execution of 45 foreign Christian missionaries and local church members, including children.
  • 1918 – In Nashville, Tennessee, an inbound local train collides with an outbound express, killing 101 and injuring 171 people, making it the deadliest rail accident in United States history.
  • 1922 – Johnny Weissmuller swims the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds breaking the world swimming record and the ‘minute barrier’.
  • 1932 – The state of São Paulo revolts against the Brazilian Federal Government, starting the Constitutionalist Revolution.
  • 1937 – The silent film archives of Fox Film Corporation are destroyed by the 1937 Fox vault fire.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Allied invasion of Sicily soon causes the downfall of Mussolini and forces Hitler to break off the Battle of Kursk.
  • 1944 – World War II: American forces take Saipan, bringing the Japanese archipelago within range of B-29 raids, and causing the downfall of the Tojo government.
  • 1944 – World War II: Continuation War: Finland wins the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in northern Europe. The Red Army withdraws its troops from Ihantala and digs into a defensive position, thus ending the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive.
  • 1955 – The Russell–Einstein Manifesto calls for a reduction of the risk of nuclear warfare.
  • 1956 – The 7.7 Mw  Amorgos earthquake shakes the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The shaking and the destructive tsunami that followed left fifty-three people dead. A damaging M7.2 aftershock occurred minutes after the mainshock.
  • 1958 – A 7.8 Mw  strike-slip earthquake in Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reached 525 m (1,722 ft) on the rim of Lituya Bay; five people were killed.
  • 1962 – Starfish Prime tests the effects of a nuclear test at orbital altitudes.
  • 1979 – A car bomb destroys a Renault motor car owned by “Nazi hunters” Serge and Beate Klarsfeld outside their home in France in an unsuccessful assassination attempt.
  • 1982 – Pan Am Flight 759 crashes in Kenner, Louisiana, killing all 145 people on board and eight others on the ground.
  • 1986 – The New Zealand Parliament passes the Homosexual Law Reform Act legalising homosexuality in New Zealand.
  • 1993 – The Parliament of Canada passes the Nunavut Act leading to the 1999 creation of Nunavut, dividing the Northwest Territories into arctic (Inuit) and sub-arctic (Dene) lands based on a plebiscite.
  • 1995 – The Navaly church bombing is carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force killing 125 Tamil civilian refugees.
  • 1999 – Days of student protests begin after Iranian police and hardliners attack a student dormitory at the University of Tehran.
  • 2002 – The African Union is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The organization’s first chairman is Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa.
  • 2006 – One hundred and twenty-five people are killed when S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310 passenger jet, veers off the runway while landing in wet conditions at Irkutsk Airport in Siberia.
  • 2011 – South Sudan gains independence and secedes from Sudan.

Births on July 9

  • 1249 – Emperor Kameyama of Japan (d. 1305)
  • 1455 – Frederick IV of Baden, Dutch bishop (d. 1517)
  • 1511 – Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (d. 1571)
  • 1526 – Elizabeth of Austria, Polish noble (d. 1545)
  • 1577 – Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, English-American soldier and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (d. 1618)
  • 1578 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1637)
  • 1654 – Emperor Reigen of Japan (d. 1732)
  • 1686 – Philip Livingston, American merchant and politician (d. 1749)
  • 1689 – Alexis Piron, French epigrammatist and playwright (d. 1773)
  • 1721 – Johann Nikolaus Götz, German poet and author (d. 1781)
  • 1753 – William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, English admiral and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1825)
  • 1764 – Ann Ward, English author and poet (d. 1823)
  • 1775 – Matthew Lewis, English author and playwright (d. 1818)
  • 1800 – Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician, pathologist, and anatomist (d. 1885)
  • 1808 – Alexander William Doniphan, American lawyer and colonel (d. 1887)
  • 1819 – Elias Howe, American inventor, invented the sewing machine (d. 1867)
  • 1825 – A. C. Gibbs, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of Oregon (d. 1886)
  • 1828 – Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano, Italian cardinal (d. 1913)
  • 1834 – Jan Neruda, Czech journalist and poet (d. 1891)
  • 1836 – Camille of Renesse-Breidbach (d. 1904)
  • 1848 – Robert I, Duke of Parma (d. 1907)
  • 1853 – William Turner Dannat, American painter (d. 1929)
  • 1856 – John Verran, English-Australian politician, 26th Premier of South Australia (d. 1932)
  • 1858 – Franz Boas, German-American anthropologist and linguist (d. 1942)
  • 1867 – Georges Lecomte, French author and playwright (d. 1958)
  • 1879 – Carlos Chagas, Brazilian physician and parasitologist (d. 1934)
  • 1879 – Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer and conductor (d. 1936)
  • 1887 – James Ormsbee Chapin, American-Canadian painter and illustrator (d. 1975)
  • 1887 – Saturnino Herrán, Mexican painter (d. 1918)
  • 1887 – Samuel Eliot Morison, American admiral and historian (d. 1976)
  • 1889 – Léo Dandurand, American-Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and referee (d. 1964)
  • 1893 – George Geary, English cricketer and coach (d. 1981)
  • 1901 – Barbara Cartland, prolific English author (d. 2000)
  • 1902 – Peter Acland, English soldier (d. 1993)
  • 1905 – Clarence Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (d. 1984)
  • 1907 – Eddie Dean, American singer-songwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1908 – Allamah Rasheed Turabi, Pakistani philosopher and scholar (d. 1973)
  • 1908 – Minor White, American photographer, critic, and educator (d. 1976)
  • 1909 – Basil Wolverton, American author and illustrator (d. 1978)
  • 1910 – Govan Mbeki, South African anti-apartheid and ANC leader and activist (d. 2001)
  • 1911 – Mervyn Peake, English author and illustrator (d. 1968)
  • 1911 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and author (d. 2008)
  • 1914 – Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of East Germany (d. 1999)
  • 1914 – Mac Wilson, Australian rules footballer (d. 2017)
  • 1915 – David Diamond, American composer and educator (d. 2005)
  • 1915 – Lee Embree, American sergeant and photographer (d. 2008)
  • 1916 – Dean Goffin, New Zealand composer (d. 1984)
  • 1916 – Edward Heath, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 2005)
  • 1917 – Krystyna Dańko, Polish orphan, survivor of Holocaust (d. 2019)
  • 1918 – Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn, Dutch mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1918 – Jarl Wahlström, Finnish 12th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1999)
  • 1921 – David C. Jones, American general (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Angelines Fernández, Spanish-Mexican actress (d. 1994)
  • 1922 – Jim Pollard, American basketball player and coach (d. 1993)
  • 1924 – Pierre Cochereau, French organist and composer (d. 1984)
  • 1925 – Guru Dutt, Indian actor, director, and producer (d. 1964)
  • 1925 – Charles E. Wicks, American engineer, author, and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1925 – Ronald I. Spiers, American ambassador
  • 1926 – Murphy Anderson, American illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1926 – Ben Roy Mottelson, American-Danish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1926 – Pedro Dellacha, Argentine football defender and coach (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – Mathilde Krim, Italian-American medical researcher and health educator (d. 2018)
  • 1927 – Ed Ames, American singer and actor
  • 1927 – Red Kelly, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and politician (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Federico Bahamontes, Spanish cyclist
  • 1928 – Vince Edwards, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1996)
  • 1929 – Lee Hazlewood, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2007)
  • 1929 – Jesse McReynolds, American singer and mandolin player
  • 1929 – Chi Haotian, Chinese general
  • 1929 – Hassan II of Morocco (d. 1999)
  • 1930 – K. Balachander, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Buddy Bregman, American composer and conductor (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – Janice Lourie, American computer scientist and graphic artist
  • 1930 – Elsa Lystad, Norwegian actress
  • 1930 – Roy McLean, South African cricketer and rugby player (d. 2007)
  • 1931 – Haynes Johnson, American journalist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Sylvia Bacon, American judge
  • 1932 – Donald Rumsfeld, American captain and politician, 13th United States Secretary of Defense
  • 1932 – Amitzur Shapira, Israeli sprinter and long jumper (d. 1972)
  • 1933 – Oliver Sacks, English-American neurologist, author, and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1934 – Michael Graves, American architect, designed the Portland Building and the Humana Building (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – Wim Duisenberg, Dutch economist and politician, Dutch Minister of Finance (d. 2005)
  • 1935 – Mercedes Sosa, Argentinian singer and activist (d. 2009)
  • 1935 – Michael Williams, English actor (d. 2001)
  • 1936 – June Jordan, American poet and educator (d. 2002)
  • 1936 – David Zinman, American violinist and conductor
  • 1937 – David Hockney, English painter and photographer
  • 1938 – Brian Dennehy, American actor (d. 2020)
  • 1938 – Sanjeev Kumar, Indian film actor (d. 1985)
  • 1940 – David B. Frohnmayer, American lawyer and politician, 12th Oregon Attorney General (d. 2015)
  • 1940 – Eugene Victor Wolfenstein, American psychoanalyst and theorist (d. 2010)
  • 1941 – Mac MacLeod, English musician
  • 1942 – David Chidgey, Baron Chidgey, English engineer and politician
  • 1942 – Richard Roundtree, American actor
  • 1943 – John Casper, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1944 – Judith M. Brown, Indian-English historian and academic
  • 1944 – John Cunniff, American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2002)
  • 1945 – Dean Koontz, American author and screenwriter
  • 1945 – Root Boy Slim, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1993)
  • 1946 – Bon Scott, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter (d. 1980)
  • 1947 – Haruomi Hosono, Japanese singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
  • 1947 – Mitch Mitchell, English drummer (d. 2008)
  • 1947 – O. J. Simpson, American football player and actor
  • 1947 – Patrick Wormald, English historian (d. 2004)
  • 1948 – Hassan Wirajuda, Indonesian lawyer and politician, 15th Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1949 – Raoul Cédras, Haitian military officer and politician
  • 1950 – Amal ibn Idris al-Alami, Moroccan physician and neurosurgeon
  • 1950 – Adriano Panatta, Italian tennis player and sailor
  • 1950 – Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrainian engineer and politician, 4th President of Ukraine
  • 1951 – Chris Cooper, American actor
  • 1951 – Māris Gailis, Latvian politician, businessman, and former Prime Minister of Latvia
  • 1952 – John Tesh, American pianist, composer, and radio and television host
  • 1953 – Margie Gillis, Canadian dancer and choreographer
  • 1953 – Thomas Ligotti, American author
  • 1954 – Théophile Abega, Cameroonian footballer and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1954 – Kevin O’Leary, Canadian journalist and businessman
  • 1955 – Steve Coppell, English footballer and manager
  • 1955 – Lindsey Graham, American colonel, lawyer, and politician
  • 1955 – Jimmy Smits, American actor and producer
  • 1955 – Willie Wilson, American baseball player and manager
  • 1956 – Tom Hanks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Michael Lederer, American author, poet, and playwright
  • 1957 – Marc Almond, English singer-songwriter
  • 1957 – Tim Kring, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1957 – Kelly McGillis, American actress
  • 1957 – Paul Merton, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Abdul Latiff Ahmad, Malaysian politician
  • 1958 – Jacob Joseph, Malaysian football coach
  • 1959 – Jim Kerr, Scottish singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1959 – Kevin Nash, American wrestler
  • 1959 – Clive Stafford Smith, English lawyer and author
  • 1960 – Yūko Asano, Japanese actress and singer
  • 1960 – Wally Fullerton Smith, Australian rugby league player
  • 1960 – Eduardo Montes-Bradley, Argentinian journalist, photographer, and author
  • 1963 – Klaus Theiss, German footballer
  • 1964 – Courtney Love, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
  • 1964 – Gianluca Vialli, Italian footballer and coach
  • 1965 – Frank Bello, American bass player
  • 1965 – Thomas Jahn, German director and screenwriter
  • 1965 – Jason Rhoades, American sculptor (d. 2006)
  • 1966 – Pamela Adlon, American actress and voice artist
  • 1966 – Zheng Cao, Chinese-American soprano and actress (d. 2013)
  • 1966 – Gary Glasberg, American television writer and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1966 – Marco Pennette, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1967 – Gunnar Axén, Swedish politician
  • 1967 – Yordan Letchkov, Bulgarian footballer
  • 1967 – Mark Stoops, American football player and coach
  • 1968 – Paolo Di Canio, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1968 – Lars Gyllenhaal, Swedish historian and author
  • 1969 – Nicklas Barker, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1969 – Jason Kearton, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1970 – Trent Green, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Masami Tsuda, Japanese author and illustrator
  • 1971 – Marc Andreessen, American software developer, co-founded Netscape
  • 1972 – Ara Babajian, American drummer and songwriter
  • 1973 – Kelly Holcomb, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1974 – Siân Berry, English environmentalist and politician
  • 1974 – Ian Bradshaw, Barbadian cricketer
  • 1974 – Gary Kelly, Irish footballer
  • 1974 – Nikola Šarčević, Swedish singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1975 – Shelton Benjamin, American wrestler
  • 1975 – Isaac Brock, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1975 – Robert Koenig, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1975 – Craig Quinnell, Welsh rugby player
  • 1975 – Jack White, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1976 – Thomas Cichon, Polish-German footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Fred Savage, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1976 – Radike Samo, Fijian-Australian rugby player
  • 1978 – Kara Goucher, American runner
  • 1978 – Nuno Santos, Portuguese footballer
  • 1979 – Gary Chaw, Malaysian Chinese singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Lee Chun-soo, South Korean footballer
  • 1981 – Junauda Petrus, American author and performance artist
  • 1982 – Alecko Eskandarian, American soccer player and manager
  • 1982 – Sakon Yamamoto, Japanese race car driver
  • 1984 – Chris Campoli, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Gianni Fabiano, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Jacob Hoggard, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1984 – Ave Pajo, Estonian footballer
  • 1984 – Piia Suomalainen, Finnish tennis player
  • 1984 – LA Tenorio, Filipino basketball player
  • 1985 – Paweł Korzeniowski, Polish swimmer
  • 1985 – Ashley Young, English footballer
  • 1986 – Sébastien Bassong, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1986 – Simon Dumont, American skier
  • 1986 – Kiely Williams, American singer-songwriter and dancer
  • 1987 – Gert Jõeäär, Estonian cyclist
  • 1987 – Rebecca Sugar, American animator, composer, and screenwriter
  • 1988 – Raul Rusescu, Romanian footballer
  • 1990 – Earl Bamber, New Zealand race car driver
  • 1990 – Fábio, Brazilian footballer
  • 1990 – Rafael, Brazilian footballer
  • 1991 – Mitchel Musso, American actor and singer
  • 1993 – Mitch Larkin, Australian swimmer
  • 1993 – DeAndre Yedlin, American footballer
  • 1999 – Claire Corlett, American voice actress

Deaths on July 9

  • 230 – Empress Dowager Bian, Cao Cao’s wife (b. 159)
  • 518 – Anastasius I Dicorus, Byzantine emperor (b. 430)
  • 715 – Naga, Japanese prince
  • 880 – Ariwara no Narihira, Japanese poet (b. 825)
  • 981 – Ramiro Garcés, king of Viguera
  • 1169 – Guido of Ravenna, Italian cartographer, entomologist and historian
  • 1228 – Stephen Langton, English cardinal and theologian (b. 1150)
  • 1270 – Stephen Báncsa, Hungarian cardinal (b. c. 1205)
  • 1386 – Leopold III, Duke of Austria (b. 1351)
  • 1441 – Jan van Eyck, Dutch painter
  • 1546 – Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell, Scottish statesman (b. c. 1493)
  • 1553 – Maurice, Elector of Saxony (b. 1521)
  • 1654 – Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans (b. 1633)
  • 1706 – Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, Canadian captain and explorer (b. 1661)
  • 1737 – Gian Gastone de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1671)
  • 1742 – John Oldmixon, English historian, poet, and playwright (b. 1673)
  • 1746 – Philip V of Spain (b. 1683)
  • 1747 – Giovanni Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer (b. 1670)
  • 1766 – Jonathan Mayhew, American minister (b. 1720)
  • 1795 – Henry Seymour Conway, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1721)
  • 1797 – Edmund Burke, Irish-English philosopher, academic, and politician (b. 1729)
  • 1828 – Cathinka Buchwieser, German operatic singer and actress (b. 1789)
  • 1850 – Báb, Persian religious leader, founded Bábism (b. 1819)
  • 1850 – Zachary Taylor, American general and politician, 12th President of the United States (b. 1784)
  • 1852 – Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1794)
  • 1856 – Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist and academic (b. 1776)
  • 1856 – James Strang, American religious leader and politician (b. 1813)
  • 1880 – Paul Broca, French physician and anatomist (b. 1824)
  • 1882 – Ignacio Carrera Pinto, Chilean captain (b. 1848)
  • 1903 – Alphonse François Renard, Belgian geologist and photographer (b. 1842)
  • 1927 – John Drew, Jr., American actor (b. 1853)
  • 1932 – King Camp Gillette, American businessman, founded the Gillette Company (b. 1855)
  • 1937 – Oliver Law, American commander (b. 1899)
  • 1938 – Benjamin N. Cardozo, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1870)
  • 1947 – Lucjan Żeligowski, Polish-Lithuanian general and politician (b. 1865)
  • 1949 – Fritz Hart, English-Australian composer and conductor (b. 1874)
  • 1951 – Harry Heilmann, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1894)
  • 1955 – Don Beauman, English race car driver (b. 1928)
  • 1955 – Adolfo de la Huerta, Mexican politician and provisional president, 1920 (b. 1881)
  • 1959 – Ferenc Talányi, Slovene journalist and painter (b. 1883)
  • 1962 – Georges Bataille, French philosopher, novelist, and poet (b. 1897)
  • 1961 – Whittaker Chambers, American spy and witness in Hiss case(b. 1901)
  • 1967 – Eugen Fischer, German physician and academic (b. 1874)
  • 1967 – Fatima Jinnah, Pakistani dentist and politician (b. 1893)
  • 1970 – Sigrid Holmquist, Swedish actress (b. 1899)
  • 1971 – Karl Ast, Estonian author and politician (b. 1886)
  • 1972 – Robert Weede, American opera singer (b. 1903)
  • 1974 – Earl Warren, American jurist and politician, 14th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1891)
  • 1977 – Alice Paul, American activist (b. 1885)
  • 1979 – Cornelia Otis Skinner, American actress and author (b. 1899)
  • 1980 – Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1913)
  • 1984 – Edna Ernestine Kramer, American mathematician (b. 1902)
  • 1985 – Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (b. 1896)
  • 1985 – Jimmy Kinnon, Scottish-American activist, founded Narcotics Anonymous (b. 1911)
  • 1986 – Patriarch Nicholas VI of Alexandria (b. 1915)
  • 1992 – Kelvin Coe, Australian ballet dancer (b. 1946)
  • 1992 – Eric Sevareid, American journalist (b. 1912)
  • 1993 – Metin Altıok, Turkish poet and educator (b. 1940)
  • 1994 – Bill Mosienko, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)
  • 1996 – Melvin Belli, American lawyer (b. 1907)
  • 1999 – Robert de Cotret, Canadian politician, 56th Secretary of State for Canada (b. 1944)
  • 2000 – Doug Fisher, English actor (b. 1941)
  • 2002 – Mayo Kaan, American bodybuilder (b. 1914)
  • 2002 – Rod Steiger, American actor (b. 1925)
  • 2004 – Paul Klebnikov, American journalist and historian (b. 1963)
  • 2004 – Isabel Sanford, American actress (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Chuck Cadman, Canadian engineer and politician (b. 1948)
  • 2005 – Yevgeny Grishin, Russian speed skater (b. 1931)
  • 2005 – Alex Shibicky, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Milan Williams, American keyboard player and producer (b. 1948)
  • 2007 – Charles Lane, American actor (b. 1905)
  • 2008 – Séamus Brennan, Irish accountant and politician, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (b. 1948)
  • 2010 – Jessica Anderson, Australian author and playwright (b. 1916)
  • 2011 – Don Ackerman, American basketball player (b. 1930)
  • 2011 – Facundo Cabral, Argentinian singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
  • 2012 – Shin Jae-chul, South Korean-American martial artist (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Chick King, American baseball player (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – Terepai Maoate, Cook Islander physician and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Eugênio Sales, Brazilian cardinal (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Markus Büchel, Liechtensteiner politician, 9th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein (b. 1959)
  • 2013 – Andrew Nori, Solomon lawyer and politician (b. 1952)
  • 2013 – Kiril of Varna, Bulgarian metropolitan (b. 1954)
  • 2013 – Barbara Robinson, American author and poet (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Toshi Seeger, American activist, co-founded the Clearwater Festival (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Lorenzo Álvarez Florentín, Paraguayan violinist and composer (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – David Azrieli, Polish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Eileen Ford, American businesswoman, co-founded Ford Models (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – John Spinks, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1953)
  • 2015 – Christian Audigier, French fashion designer (b. 1958)
  • 2015 – Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian economist and politician, Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1940)
  • 2019 – William E. Dannemeyer, American politician (b. 1929)
  • 2019 – Ross Perot, American businessman and politician (b. 1930)
  • 2019 – Fernando de la Rúa, 43rd President of Argentina (b. 1937)
  • 2019 – Rip Torn, American actor (b. 1931)
  • 2019 – Freddie Jones, English actor (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances on July 9

  • Arbor Day (Cambodia)
  • Christian Feast Day:
    • Agilulfus of Cologne
    • Amandina of Schakkebroek (one of Martyrs of Southern Hunan)
    • Blessed Marija Petković
    • Everilda
    • Gregorio Grassi (one of Martyrs of Shanxi)
    • Martyr Saints of China
    • Martyrs of Gorkum
    • Our Lady of Itatí
    • Our Lady of Peace, Octave of the Visitation
    • Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá
    • Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus
    • Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (Anglican commemoration)
    • Veronica Giuliani
    • July 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Australia)
  • Constitution Day (Palau)
  • Constitutionalist Revolution Day (São Paulo)
  • Day of the Employees of the Diplomatic Service (Azerbaijan)
  • Earliest day on which Martyrdom of the Báb can fall, while July 10 is the latest; observed on the 17th of Raḥmat (Bahá’í Faith)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the United Provinces of South America by the Congress of Tucumán in 1816. (Argentina)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of South Sudan from Sudan in 2011.
  • Nunavut Day (Nunavut)

July 9- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 4 AD – Augustus adopts Tiberius.
  • 221 – Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar.
  • 363 – Roman emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sasanian Empire.
  • 684 – Pope Benedict II is chosen.
  • 699 – En no Ozuno, a Japanese mystic and apothecary who will later be regarded as the founder of a folk religion Shugendō, is banished to Izu Ōshima.
  • 1243 – Mongols defeat the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Köse Dağ.
  • 1295 – Przemysł II crowned king of Poland, following Ducal period. The white eagle is added to the Polish coat of arms.
  • 1407 – Ulrich von Jungingen becomes Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights.
  • 1409 – Western Schism: The Roman Catholic Church is led into a double schism as Petros Philargos is crowned Pope Alexander V after the Council of Pisa, joining Pope Gregory XII in Rome and Pope Benedict XII in Avignon.
  • 1460 – Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, and Edward, Earl of March, land in England with a rebel army and march on London.
  • 1483 – Richard III becomes King of England.
  • 1522 – Ottomans begin the second Siege of Rhodes.
  • 1541 – Francisco Pizarro is assassinated in Lima by the son of his former companion and later antagonist, Diego de Almagro the younger. Almagro is later caught and executed.
  • 1579 – Livonian campaign of Stephen Báthory begins.
  • 1718 – Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, Peter the Great’s son, mysteriously dies after being sentenced to death by his father for plotting against him.
  • 1723 – After a siege and bombardment by cannon, Baku surrenders to the Russians.
  • 1740 – A combined force of Spanish, free blacks and allied Indians defeat a British garrison at the Siege of Fort Mose near St. Augustine during the War of Jenkins’ Ear.
  • 1794 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Fleurus marked the first successful military use of aircraft.
  • 1830 – William IV becomes king of Britain and Hanover.
  • 1843 – Treaty of Nanking comes into effect, Hong Kong Island is ceded to the British “in perpetuity”.
  • 1848 – End of the June Days Uprising in Paris.
  • 1857 – The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London.
  • 1870 – The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States.
  • 1886 – Henri Moissan isolated elemental Fluorine for the first time.
  • 1889 – Bangui is founded by Albert Dolisie and Alfred Uzac in what was then the upper reaches of the French Congo.
  • 1906 – The first Grand Prix motor race is held at Le Mans.
  • 1909 – The Science Museum in London comes into existence as an independent entity.
  • 1917 – World War I: The American Expeditionary Forces begin to arrive in France. They will first enter combat four months later.
  • 1918 – World War I: Allied forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord defeat Imperial German forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince in the Battle of Belleau Wood.
  • 1924 – The American occupation of the Dominican Republic ends after eight years.
  • 1927 – The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island.
  • 1934 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Federal Credit Union Act, which establishes credit unions.
  • 1936 – Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.
  • 1940 – World War II: Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Romania requiring it to cede Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina.
  • 1941 – World War II: Soviet planes bomb Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia), giving Hungary the impetus to declare war the next day.
  • 1942 – The first flight of the Grumman F6F Hellcat.
  • 1944 – World War II: San Marino, a neutral state, is mistakenly bombed by the RAF based on faulty information, leading to 35 civilian deaths.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Osuchy in Osuchy, Poland, one of the largest battles between Nazi Germany and Polish resistance forces, ends with the defeat of the latter.
  • 1945 – The United Nations Charter is signed by 50 Allied nations in San Francisco, California.
  • 1948 – Cold War: The first supply flights are made in response to the Berlin Blockade.
  • 1948 – William Shockley files the original patent for the grown-junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor.
  • 1948 – Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery is published in The New Yorker magazine.
  • 1952 – The Pan-Malayan Labour Party is founded in Malaya, as a union of statewide labour parties.
  • 1953 – Lavrentiy Beria, head of MVD, is arrested by Nikita Khrushchev and other members of the Politburo.
  • 1955 – The South African Congress Alliance adopts the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People in Kliptown.
  • 1959 – Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson becomes world champion of heavy weight boxing, by defeating American Floyd Patterson on technical knockout after two minutes and three seconds in the third round at Yankee Stadium.
  • 1960 – The former British Protectorate of British Somaliland gains its independence as Somaliland.
  • 1960 – Madagascar gains its independence from France.
  • 1963 – Cold War: U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall.
  • 1967 – Karol Wojtyła (later John Paul II) made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI.
  • 1974 – The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley’s chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
  • 1975 – Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial.
  • 1977 – Elvis Presley held his final concert in Indianapolis, Indiana at Market Square Arena.
  • 1978 – Air Canada Flight 189, flying to Toronto, overruns the runway and crashes into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of the 107 passengers on board perish.
  • 1991 – Yugoslav Wars: The Yugoslav People’s Army begins the Ten-Day War in Slovenia.
  • 1995 – Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani deposes his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, in a bloodless coup d’état.
  • 1997 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  • 2000 – The Human Genome Project announces the completion of a “rough draft” sequence.
  • 2003 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional.
  • 2006 – Mari Alkatiri, the first Prime Minister of East Timor, resigns after weeks of political unrest.
  • 2007 – Pope Benedict XVI reinstates the traditional laws of papal election in which a successful candidate must receive two-thirds of the votes.
  • 2008 – A suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi policeman detonates an explosive vest, killing 25 people.
  • 2012 – The Waldo Canyon fire descends into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood in Colorado Springs burning 347 homes in a matter of hours and killing two people.
  • 2013 – Riots in China’s Xinjiang region kill at least 36 people and injure 21 others.
  • 2013 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5–4, that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  • 2015 – Five different terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia, Somalia, Kuwait, and Syria occurred on what was dubbed Bloody Friday by international media. Upwards of 750 people were either killed or injured in these uncoordinated attacks.
  • 2015 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5–4, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Births on June 26

  • 12 BC – Agrippa Postumus, Roman son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder (d. 14)
  • 1399 – John, Count of Angoulême (d. 1467)
  • 1575 – Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (d. 1612)
  • 1581 – San Pedro Claver, Spanish Jesuit saint (d. 1654)
  • 1600 – Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, Spanish-born bishop and viceroy of New Spain (d. 1659)
  • 1681 – Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (d. 1708)
  • 1689 – Edward Holyoke, American pastor and academic (d. 1769)
  • 1694 – Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (d. 1768)
  • 1699 – Marie Thérèse Rodet Geoffrin, French businesswoman (d. 1777)
  • 1702 – Philip Doddridge, English hymn-writer and educator (d. 1751)
  • 1703 – Thomas Clap, American minister and academic (d. 1767)
  • 1726 – Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia (d. 1796)
  • 1730 – Charles Messier, French astronomer and academic (d. 1817)
  • 1764 – Jan Paweł Łuszczewski, Polish politician (d. 1812)
  • 1796 – Jan Paweł Lelewel, Polish painter and engineer (d. 1847)
  • 1798 – Wolfgang Menzel, German poet and critic (d. 1873)
  • 1817 – Branwell Brontë, English painter and poet (d. 1848)
  • 1819 – Abner Doubleday, American general (d. 1893)
  • 1821 – Bartolomé Mitre, Argentinian soldier, journalist, and politician, 6th President of Argentina (d. 1906)
  • 1824 – William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, Irish-Scottish physicist and engineer (d. 1907)
  • 1835 – Thomas W. Knox, American journalist and author (d. 1896)
  • 1839 – Sam Watkins, American soldier and author (d. 1901)
  • 1852 – Daoud Corm, Lebanese painter (d. 1930)
  • 1854 – Robert Laird Borden, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1937)
  • 1865 – Bernard Berenson, Lithuanian-American historian and author (d. 1959)
  • 1866 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English archaeologist and banker (d. 1923)
  • 1869 – Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish journalist and author (d. 1954)
  • 1878 – Leopold Löwenheim, German mathematician and logician (d. 1957)
  • 1880 – Mitchell Lewis, American actor (d. 1956)
  • 1881 – Ya’akov Cohen, Israeli linguist, poet, and playwright (d. 1960)
  • 1892 – Pearl S. Buck, American novelist, essayist, short story writer Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
  • 1893 – Dorothy Fuldheim, American journalist and news anchor(d. 1989)
  • 1895 – George Hainsworth, Canadian ice hockey player and politician (d. 1950)
  • 1898 – Willy Messerschmitt, German engineer and businessman (d. 1978)
  • 1898 – Chesty Puller, US general (d. 1971)
  • 1899 – Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)
  • 1901 – Stuart Symington, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Air Force (d. 1988)
  • 1902 – Hugues Cuénod, Swiss tenor and educator (d. 2010)
  • 1903 – Big Bill Broonzy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1958)
  • 1904 – Frank Scott Hogg, Canadian astronomer and academic (d. 1951)
  • 1904 – Peter Lorre, Slovak-American actor and singer (d. 1964)
  • 1905 – Lynd Ward, American author and illustrator (d. 1985)
  • 1906 – Alberto Rabagliati, Italian singer (d. 1974)
  • 1906 – Viktor Schreckengost, American sculptor and educator (d. 2008)
  • 1907 – Debs Garms, American baseball player (d. 1984)
  • 1908 – Salvador Allende, Chilean physician and politician, 29th President of Chile (d. 1973)
  • 1909 – Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch-American talent manager (d. 1997)
  • 1909 – Wolfgang Reitherman, German-American animator, director, and producer (d. 1985)
  • 1911 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American golfer and basketball player (d. 1956)
  • 1911 – Bronisław Żurakowski, Polish pilot and engineer (d. 2009)
  • 1913 – Aimé Césaire, French poet, author, and politician (d. 2008)
  • 1913 – Maurice Wilkes, English computer scientist and physicist (d. 2010)
  • 1914 – Laurie Lee, English author and poet (d. 1997)
  • 1914 – Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, European royalty (d. 2001)
  • 1915 – Paul Castellano, American gangster (d. 1985)
  • 1915 – George Haigh, English professional footballer (d. 2019)
  • 1915 – Charlotte Zolotow, American author and poet (d. 2013)
  • 1916 – Virginia Satir, American psychotherapist and author (d. 1988)
  • 1916 – Giuseppe Taddei, Italian actor and singer (d. 2010)
  • 1917 – Idriz Ajeti, Albanian albanologist (d. 2019)
  • 1918 – Leo Rosner, Polish-born Austrian Jewish musician (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Raleigh Rhodes, American combat fighter pilot (d. 2007)
  • 1918 – J. B. Fuqua, American entrepreneur and philanthropist (d. 2006)
  • 1919 – Richard Neustadt, American political scientist and academic (d. 2003)
  • 1919 – Jimmy Newberry, American pitcher (d. 1983)
  • 1919 – George Athan Billias, American historian (d. 2018)
  • 1919 – Donald M. Ashton, English art director (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Jean-Pierre Roy, Canadian-American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Violette Szabo, French-British secret agent (d. 1945)
  • 1921 – Robert Everett, American computer scientist (d. 2018)
  • 1922 – Walter Farley, American author (d. 1989)
  • 1922 – Eleanor Parker, American actress (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Enzo Apicella, English artist, cartoonist, designer, and restaurateur (d. 2018)
  • 1923 – Franz-Paul Decker, German conductor (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Ed Bearss, American veteran of World War II
  • 1924 – Kostas Axelos, Greek-French philosopher and author (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – James W. McCord Jr., CIA officer (d. 2017)
  • 1925 – Pavel Belyayev, Russian soldier, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1970)
  • 1925 – Wolfgang Unzicker, German chess player (d. 2006)
  • 1925 – Jean Frydman, French resistant and businessman
  • 1926 – Kenny Baker, American fiddler (d.2011)
  • 1926 – Mahendra Bhatnagar, Indian poet
  • 1926 – Fernando Mönckeberg Barros, Chilean surgeon
  • 1926 – Dinu Zamfirescu, Romanian politician
  • 1927 – Robert Kroetsch, Canadian author and poet (d. 2011)
  • 1928 – Jacob Druckman, American composer and academic (d. 1996)
  • 1928 – Yoshiro Nakamatsu, Japanese inventor
  • 1928 – Bill Sheffield, American politician; 5th Governor of Alaska
  • 1928 – Samuel Belzberg, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2018)
  • 1929 – June Bronhill, Australian soprano and actress (d. 2005)
  • 1929 – Fred Bruemmer, Latvian-Canadian photographer and author (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Milton Glaser, American illustrator and graphic designer
  • 1930 – Jackie Fargo, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Wolfgang Schwanitz, East German secret police
  • 1931 – Colin Wilson, English philosopher and author (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Robert Colbert, American actor
  • 1932 – Dame Marguerite Pindling, Bahamian politician; Governor-General of the Bahamas
  • 1932 – Don Valentine, American venture capitalist (d. 2019)
  • 1933 – Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor (d. 2014)
  • 1933 – Gene Green, American baseball player (d. 1981)
  • 1933 – David Winnick, English politician
  • 1934 – Dave Grusin, American pianist and composer
  • 1934 – Toru Goto, Japanese swimmer
  • 1935 – Carlo Facetti, Italian race car driver
  • 1935 – Sandro Riminucci, Italian basketball player
  • 1935 – Dwight York, American singer
  • 1936 – Benjamin Adekunle, Nigerian general (d. 2014)
  • 1936 – Hal Greer, American basketball player (d. 2018)
  • 1936 – Robert Maclennan, Baron Maclennan of Rogart, Scottish politician (d. 2020)
  • 1936 – Edith Pearlman, American short story writer
  • 1936 – Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (d. 2015)
  • 1936 – Nancy Willard, American author and poet (d. 2017)
  • 1937 – Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Reggie Workman, American bassist and composer
  • 1938 – Neil Abercrombie, American sociologist and politician, 7th Governor of Hawaii
  • 1938 – Billy Davis Jr., American pop-soul singer
  • 1938 – Gerald North, American climatologist and academic
  • 1939 – Chuck Robb, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 64th Governor of Virginia
  • 1939 – Zainuddin Maidin, Malaysian politician (d. 2018)
  • 1941 – Yves Beauchemin, Canadian author and academic
  • 1942 – J.J. Dillon, American wrestler and manager
  • 1942 – Gilberto Gil, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and politician, Brazilian Minister of Culture
  • 1943 – Georgie Fame, English singer, pianist, and keyboard player
  • 1943 – Warren Farrell, American author and educator
  • 1944 – Gennady Zyuganov, Russian colonel and politician
  • 1946 – Candace Pert, American neuroscientist and pharmacologist (d. 2013)
  • 1949 – Fredric Brandt, American dermatologist and author (d. 2015)
  • 1949 – Adrian Gurvitz, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1949 – Mary Styles Harris, American biologist and geneticist
  • 1951 – Gary Gilmour, Australian cricketer and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – Gordon McQueen, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1952 – Olive Morris, Jamaican-English civil rights activist (d. 1979)
  • 1954 – Luis Arconada, Spanish footballer
  • 1955 – Mick Jones, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1955 – Gedde Watanabe, American actor
  • 1956 – Chris Isaak, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1956 – Catherine Samba-Panza, interim president of the Central African Republic
  • 1956 – Patrick Mercer, English colonel and politician
  • 1957 – Al Hunter Ashton, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1957 – Philippe Couillard, Canadian surgeon and politician, 31st Premier of Quebec
  • 1957 – Patty Smyth, American singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1959 – Mark McKinney, Canadian actor and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Mark Durkan, Irish politician
  • 1961 – Greg LeMond, American cyclist
  • 1961 – Terri Nunn, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1962 – Jerome Kersey, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1963 – Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russian-Swiss businessman and philanthropist
  • 1963 – Mark McClellan, American economist and politician
  • 1963 – Harriet Wheeler, English singer-songwriter
  • 1964 – Tommi Mäkinen, Finnish race car driver
  • 1966 – Dany Boon, French actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Kirk McLean, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1966 – Jürgen Reil, American drummer
  • 1967 – Inha Babakova, Ukrainian high jumper
  • 1967 – Olivier Dahan, French director and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, Icelandic lecturer and politician, 6th President of Iceland
  • 1968 – Paolo Maldini, Italian footballer
  • 1968 – Shannon Sharpe, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Colin Greenwood, English bass player and songwriter
  • 1969 – Ingrid Lempereur, Belgian swimmer
  • 1969 – Geir Moen, Norwegian sprinter
  • 1969 – Mike Myers, American baseball player
  • 1970 – Paul Thomas Anderson, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Paul Bitok, Kenyan runner
  • 1970 – Irv Gotti, American record producer, co-founded Murder Inc Records
  • 1970 – Sean Hayes, American actor
  • 1970 – Adam Ndlovu, Zimbabwean footballer
  • 1970 – Chris O’Donnell, American actor
  • 1970 – Nick Offerman, American actor
  • 1971 – Max Biaggi, Italian motorcycle racer
  • 1972 – Jai Taurima, Australian long jumper and police officer
  • 1973 – Gretchen Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Derek Jeter, American baseball player
  • 1974 – Jason Kendall, American baseball player
  • 1975 – Chris Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Terry Skiverton, English footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Ed Jovanovski, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Pommie Mbangwa, Zimbabwean cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1976 – Chad Pennington, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1976 – Dave Rubin, American political commentator
  • 1977 – Quincy Lewis, American basketball player
  • 1979 – Ryō Fukuda, Japanese race car driver
  • 1979 – Walter Herrmann, Argentinian basketball player
  • 1979 – Ryan Tedder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1980 – Hamílton Hênio Ferreira Calheiros, Togolese footballer
  • 1980 – Michael Jackson, English footballer
  • 1980 – Jason Schwartzman, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
  • 1980 – Chris Shelton, American baseball player
  • 1980 – Michael Vick, American football player
  • 1981 – Natalya Antyukh, Russian sprinter and hurdler
  • 1981 – Paolo Cannavaro, Italian footballer
  • 1981 – Kanako Kondō, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1981 – Takashi Toritani, Japanese baseball player
  • 1982 – Zuzana Kučová, Slovak tennis player
  • 1983 – Vinícius Rodrigues Almeida, Brazilian footballer
  • 1983 – Nick Compton, South African-English cricketer
  • 1983 – Toyonoshima Daiki, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1983 – Felipe Melo, Brazilian footballer
  • 1983 – Antonio Rosati, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Indila, French singer
  • 1984 – José Juan Barea, Puerto Rican-American basketball player
  • 1984 – Yankuba Ceesay, Gambian footballer
  • 1984 – Elijah Dukes, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Raymond Felton, American basketball player
  • 1984 – Priscah Jeptoo, Kenyan runner
  • 1984 – Jūlija Tepliha, Latvian figure skater
  • 1984 – Deron Williams, American basketball player
  • 1984 – Preslava, Bulgarian singer
  • 1985 – Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Tibetan spiritual leader, 17th Karmapa Lama
  • 1986 – Duvier Riascos, Colombian footballer
  • 1987 – Carlos Iaconelli, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1987 – Samir Nasri, French footballer
  • 1988 – Oliver Stang, German footballer
  • 1990 – Belaynesh Oljira, Ethiopian runner
  • 1990 – Igor Subbotin, Estonian footballer
  • 1991 – Houssem Chemali, French footballer
  • 1991 – Diego Falcinelli, Italian footballer
  • 1991 – Dustin Martin, Australian rules footballer
  • 1992 – Joel Campbell, Costa Rican footballer
  • 1992 – Rudy Gobert, French basketball player
  • 1992 – Jennette McCurdy, American actress and singer-songwriter
  • 1993 – Ariana Grande, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
  • 1994 – Hollie Arnold, English javelin thrower
  • 1994 – Leonard Carow, German actor
  • 1997 – Baek Ye-rin, South Korean singer
  • 1997 – Callum Taylor, English cricketer
  • 2002 – Chandler Smith, American racing driver
  • 2009 – Yesha Camile, Filipino child actress

Deaths on June 26

  • 116 BC – Ptolemy VIII, king of Egypt
  • 363 – Julian the Apostate, Roman emperor (b. 332)
  • 405 – Vigilius, bishop of Trent (b. 353)
  • 822 – Saichō, Japanese Buddhist monk (b. 767)
  • 969 – George El Mozahem, Egyptian martyr (b. 940)
  • 985 – Ramiro III, king of León
  • 1090 – Jaromír, bishop of Prague
  • 1095 – Robert, bishop of Hereford
  • 1265 – Anne of Bohemia, duchess of Silesia (b. 1203 or 1204)
  • 1274 – Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Persian scientist and writer (b. 1201)
  • 1487 – John Argyropoulos, Byzantine philosopher and scholar (b. 1415)
  • 1541 – Francisco Pizarro, Spanish explorer and politician, Governor of New Castile (b. c. 1471)
  • 1574 – Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, captain of the Scottish Guard of Henry II of France (b. 1530)
  • 1688 – Ralph Cudworth, English philosopher and academic (b. 1617)
  • 1752 – Giulio Alberoni, Spanish cardinal (b. 1664)
  • 1757 – Maximilian Ulysses Browne, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
  • 1784 – Caesar Rodney, American lawyer and politician, 4th Governor of Delaware (b. 1728)
  • 1793 – James Dickey, Irish revolutionary (b. 1776)
  • 1793 – Gilbert White, English ornithologist and ecologist (b. 1720)
  • 1795 – Johannes Jährig, German linguist and translator (b. 1747)
  • 1808 – Ludwik Tyszkiewicz, Polish poet and politician (b. 1748)
  • 1810 – Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor, co-invented the hot air balloon (b. 1740)
  • 1830 – George IV of the United Kingdom (b. 1762)
  • 1836 – Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, French soldier and composer (b. 1760)
  • 1856 – Max Stirner, German philosopher and author (b. 1806)
  • 1870 – Armand Barbès, French lawyer and politician (b. 1809)
  • 1878 – Mercedes of Orléans (b. 1860)
  • 1879 – Richard H. Anderson, American general (b. 1821)
  • 1883 – Edward Sabine, Irish-English astronomer, geophysicist, and ornithologist (b. 1788)
  • 1918 – Peter Rosegger, Austrian poet and author (b. 1843)
  • 1922 – Albert I, Prince of Monaco (b. 1848)
  • 1927 – Armand Guillaumin, French painter (b. 1841)
  • 1932 – Adelaide Ames, American astronomer and academic (b. 1900)
  • 1932 – William Murray McPherson, Australian politician, 31st Premier of Victoria (b. 1865)
  • 1938 – James Weldon Johnson, American poet, lawyer and politician (b. 1871)
  • 1938 – Daria Pratt, American golfer (b. 1859)
  • 1939 – Ford Madox Ford, English novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1873)
  • 1943 – Karl Landsteiner, Austrian biologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)
  • 1945 – Emil Hácha, Czech lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1872)
  • 1946 – Max Kögel, German SS officer (b. 1895)
  • 1946 – Yōsuke Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1880)
  • 1947 – R. B. Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1870)
  • 1949 – Kim Koo, South Korean educator and politician, 13th President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (b. 1876)
  • 1955 – Engelbert Zaschka, German engineer (b. 1895)
  • 1956 – Clifford Brown, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1930)
  • 1956 – Richie Powell, American pianist (b. 1931)
  • 1957 – Alfred Döblin, Polish-German physician and author (b. 1878)
  • 1957 – Malcolm Lowry, English novelist and poet (b. 1909)
  • 1958 – George Orton, Canadian runner and hurdler (b. 1873)
  • 1958 – Andrija Štampar, Croatian physician and scholar (b. 1888)
  • 1964 – Léo Dandurand, American-Canadian businessman (b. 1889)
  • 1967 – Françoise Dorléac, French actress and singer (b. 1942)
  • 1975 – Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish priest and saint (b. 1902)
  • 1979 – Akwasi Afrifa, Ghanaian soldier and politician, 3rd Head of State of Ghana (b. 1936)
  • 1989 – Howard Charles Green, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Canadian Minister of Public Works (b. 1895)
  • 1990 – Anni Blomqvist, Finnish author (b. 1909)
  • 1992 – Buddy Rogers, American wrestler (b. 1921)
  • 1993 – Roy Campanella, American baseball player and coach (b. 1921)
  • 1993 – William H. Riker, American political scientist and academic (b. 1920)
  • 1994 – Jahanara Imam, Bangladeshi author and activist (b. 1929)
  • 1996 – Veronica Guerin, Irish journalist (b. 1958)
  • 1996 – Necmettin Hacıeminoğlu, Turkish linguist and academic (b. 1932)
  • 1997 – Don Hutson, American football player and coach (b. 1913)
  • 1998 – Hacı Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
  • 2002 – Jay Berwanger, American football player (b. 1914)
  • 2002 – Arnold Brown, English-Canadian 11th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1913)
  • 2003 – Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroon footballer (b. 1975)
  • 2003 – Denis Thatcher, English soldier and businessman (b. 1915)
  • 2003 – Strom Thurmond, American general, lawyer, and politician, 103rd Governor of South Carolina (b. 1902)
  • 2004 – Ott Arder, Estonian poet and translator (b. 1950)
  • 2004 – Yash Johar, Indian film producer, founded Dharma Productions (b. 1929)
  • 2004 – Naomi Shemer, Israeli singer-songwriter (b. 1930)
  • 2005 – Tõnno Lepmets, Estonian basketball player (b. 1938)
  • 2005 – Richard Whiteley, English journalist and game show host (b. 1943)
  • 2006 – Tommy Wonder, Dutch magician (b. 1953)
  • 2007 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne (b. 1929)
  • 2007 – Joey Sadler, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1914)
  • 2010 – Algirdas Brazauskas, Lithuanian engineer and politician, 2nd President of Lithuania (b. 1932)
  • 2010 – Harald Keres, Estonian physicist and academic (b. 1912)
  • 2011 – Edith Fellows, American actress (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Jan van Beveren, Dutch footballer and coach (b. 1948)
  • 2012 – Sverker Åström, Swedish diplomat, Swedish Permanent Representative to the United Nations (b. 1915)
  • 2012 – Pat Cummings, American basketball player (b. 1956)
  • 2012 – Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Mario O’Hara, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
  • 2012 – Doris Singleton, American actress (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Risley C. Triche, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Henrik Otto Donner, Finnish trumpet player and composer (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – Edward Huggins Johnstone, Brazilian-American sergeant and judge (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Byron Looper, American politician (b. 1964)
  • 2013 – Justin Miller, American baseball player (b. 1977)
  • 2013 – Marc Rich, Belgian-American businessman (b. 1934)
  • 2014 – Howard Baker, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 12th White House Chief of Staff (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Bill Frank, American-Canadian football player (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Rollin King, American businessman, co-founded Southwest Airlines (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Bob Mischak, American football player and coach (b. 1932)
  • 2014 – Julius Rudel, Austrian-American conductor (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Mary Rodgers, American composer and author (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Yevgeny Primakov, Ukrainian-Russian journalist and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Chris Thompson, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1952)

Holidays and observances on June 26

  • Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan
  • Christian feast day:
    • Anthelm of Belley
    • David the Dendrite
    • Hermogius
    • Isabel Florence Hapgood (Episcopal Church)
    • Jeremiah (Lutheran)
    • John and Paul
    • José María Robles Hurtado (one of Saints of the Cristero War)
    • Josemaría Escrivá
    • Mar Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)
    • Pelagius of Córdoba
    • Vigilius of Trent
    • June 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Flag Day (Romania)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Madagascar from France in 1960. (Madagascar)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of British Somaliland from the British in 1960. (Somalia)
  • International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (International)
  • International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (International)
  • Ratcatcher’s Day (Hamelin, Germany)
  • Sunthorn Phu Day (Thailand)
  • World Refrigeration Day (International)

June 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 31 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as a successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
  • 1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the throne as King Eric X of Sweden.
  • 1504 – The Treaty of Lyon ends the Italian War, confirming French domination of northern Italy, while Spain receives the Kingdom of Naples.
  • 1578 – Eighty Years’ War and Anglo-Spanish War: The Battle of Gembloux is a victory for Spanish forces led by Don John of Austria over a rebel army of Dutch, Flemish, English, Scottish, German, French and Walloons.
  • 1606 – Gunpowder Plot: Four of the conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, are executed for treason by hanging, drawing and quartering, for plotting against Parliament and King James.
  • 1747 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital.
  • 1814 – Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina).
  • 1846 – After the Milwaukee Bridge War, the United States towns of Juneautown and Kilbourntown unify to create the City of Milwaukee.
  • 1848 – John C. Frémont is court-martialed for mutiny and disobeying orders.
  • 1862 – Alvan Graham Clark discovers the white dwarf star Sirius B, a companion of Sirius, through an 18.5-inch (47 cm) telescope now located at Northwestern University.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: The United States Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery and submits it to the states for ratification.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes general-in-chief.
  • 1891 – History of Portugal: The first attempt at a Portuguese republican revolution breaks out in the northern city of Porto.
  • 1897 – Czechoslav Trade Union Association is founded in Prague.
  • 1900 – Datu Muhammad Salleh is killed in Kampung Teboh, Tambunan, ending the Mat Salleh Rebellion.
  • 1915 – World War I: Germany is the first to make large-scale use of poison gas in warfare in the Battle of Bolimów against Russia.
  • 1917 – World War I: Germany announces that its U-boats will resume unrestricted submarine warfare after a two-year hiatus.
  • 1918 – A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a hundred lives, and damage to another five British warships.
  • 1919 – The Battle of George Square takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, during a campaign for shorter working hours.
  • 1928 – Leon Trotsky is exiled to Alma-Ata.
  • 1930 – 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape.
  • 1942 – World War II: Allied forces are defeated by the Japanese at the Battle of Malaya and retreat to Singapore.
  • 1943 – World War II: German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrenders to the Soviets at Stalingrad, followed 2 days later by the remainder of his Sixth Army, ending one of the war’s fiercest battles.
  • 1944 – World War II: American forces land on Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.
  • 1944 – World War II: During the Anzio campaign, the 1st Ranger Battalion (Darby’s Rangers) is destroyed behind enemy lines in a heavily outnumbered encounter at Battle of Cisterna, Italy.
  • 1945 – US Army private Eddie Slovik is executed for desertion, the first such execution of an American soldier since the Civil War.
  • 1945 – World War II: About 3,000 inmates from the Stutthof concentration camp are forcibly marched into the Baltic Sea at Palmnicken (now Yantarny, Russia) and executed.
  • 1945 – World War II: The end of fighting in the Battle of Hill 170 during the Burma Campaign, in which the British 3 Commando Brigade repulsed a Japanese counterattack on their positions and precipitated a general retirement from the Arakan Peninsula.
  • 1946 – Cold War: Yugoslavia’s new constitution, modeling that of the Soviet Union, establishes six constituent republics (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia).
  • 1946 – The Democratic Republic of Vietnam introduces the đồng to replace the French Indochinese piastre at par.
  • 1949 – These Are My Children, the first television daytime soap opera, is broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago.
  • 1950 – Cold War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman announces a program to develop the hydrogen bomb.
  • 1951 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 90 relating to Korean War is adopted.
  • 1953 – A North Sea flood causes over 1,800 deaths in the Netherlands and over 300 in the United Kingdom.
  • 1957 – Eight people (5 total crew from 2 aircraft and 3 on the ground) in Pacoima, California are killed following the mid-air collision between a Douglas DC-7 airliner and a Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter jet.
  • 1958 – Cold War: Space Race: The first successful American satellite detects the Van Allen radiation belt.
  • 1961 – Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2: Ham the Chimp travels into outer space.
  • 1966 – The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program.
  • 1968 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong guerrillas attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive.
  • 1968 – Nauru gains independence from Australia.
  • 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14: Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.
  • 1971 – The Winter Soldier Investigation, organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize war crimes and atrocities by Americans and allies in Vietnam, begins in Detroit.
  • 1978 – The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) goes on public display after being returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
  • 1996 – An explosives-filled truck rams into the gates of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, killing at least 86 people and injuring 1,400.
  • 2000 – Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash: An MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 aboard.
  • 2001 – In the Netherlands, a Scottish court convicts Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and acquits another Libyan citizen for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
  • 2009 – In Kenya, at least 113 people are killed and over 200 injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, days after a massive fire at a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi killed at least 25 people.
  • 2018 – Both a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse occur.
  • 2019 – Abdullah of Pahang is sworn in as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
  • 2020 – The United Kingdom’s membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50, after 47 years of being a member state.

Births on January 31

  • 1512 – Henry, King of Portugal (d. 1580)
  • 1543 – Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japanese shōgun (d. 1616)
  • 1583 – Peter Bulkley, English and later American Puritan (d. 1659)
  • 1597 – John Francis Regis, French priest and saint (d. 1640)
  • 1607 – James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (d. 1651)
  • 1624 – Arnold Geulincx, Flemish philosopher and academic (d. 1669)
  • 1673 – Louis de Montfort, French priest and saint (d. 1716)
  • 1686 – Hans Egede, Norwegian missionary and explorer (d. 1758)
  • 1752 – Gouverneur Morris, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (d. 1816)
  • 1759 – François Devienne, French flute player and composer (d. 1803)
  • 1769 – André-Jacques Garnerin, French balloonist and the inventor of the frameless parachute (d. 1823)
  • 1785 – Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová, Czech cook book author (d. 1845)
  • 1797 – Franz Schubert, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1828)
  • 1799 – Rodolphe Töpffer, Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist (d. 1846)
  • 1820 – William B. Washburn, American politician, 28th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1887)
  • 1835 – Lunalilo of Hawaii (d. 1874)
  • 1854 – David Emmanuel, Romanian mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
  • 1865 – Henri Desgrange, French cyclist and journalist (d. 1940)
  • 1865 – Shastriji Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader, founded BAPS (d. 1951)
  • 1868 – Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
  • 1872 – Zane Grey, American author (d. 1939)
  • 1881 – Irving Langmuir, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
  • 1884 – Theodor Heuss, German journalist and politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Germany (d. 1963)
  • 1884 – Mammad Amin Rasulzade, Azerbaijani scholar and politician, 1st President of The Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (d. 1955)
  • 1889 – Frank Foster, English cricketer (d. 1958)
  • 1892 – Eddie Cantor, American singer-songwriter, actor, and dancer (d. 1964)
  • 1894 – Isham Jones, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1956)
  • 1896 – Sofya Yanovskaya, Russian mathematician and historian (d. 1966)
  • 1900 – Betty Parsons, American artist, art dealer and collector (d. 1982)
  • 1902 – Nat Bailey, Canadian businessman, founded White Spot (d. 1978)
  • 1902 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (d. 1968)
  • 1902 – Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
  • 1902 – Julian Steward, American anthropologist (d. 1972)
  • 1905 – John O’Hara, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1970)
  • 1909 – Miron Grindea, Romanian-English journalist (d. 1995)
  • 1913 – Don Hutson, American football player and coach (d. 1997)
  • 1914 – Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer and police officer (d. 1994)
  • 1915 – Bobby Hackett, American trumpet player and cornet player (d. 1976)
  • 1915 – Alan Lomax, American historian, author, and scholar (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Thomas Merton, American monk and author (d. 1968)
  • 1915 – Garry Moore, American comedian and game show host (d. 1993)
  • 1916 – Frank Parker, American tennis player (d. 1997)
  • 1917 – Fred Bassetti, American architect and academic, founded Bassetti Architects (d. 2013)
  • 1919 – Jackie Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1972)
  • 1920 – Stewart Udall, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 37th United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 2010)
  • 1920 – Bert Williams, English footballer (d. 2004)
  • 1921 – John Agar, American actor (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Carol Channing, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2019)
  • 1921 – E. Fay Jones, American architect, designed the Thorncrown Chapel (d. 2004)
  • 1921 – Mario Lanza, American tenor and actor (d. 1959)
  • 1922 – Joanne Dru, American actress (d. 1996)
  • 1923 – Norman Mailer, American journalist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1925 – Benjamin Hooks, American minister, lawyer, and activist (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – Tom Alston, American baseball player (d. 1993)
  • 1926 – Chuck Willis, American singer-songwriter (d. 1958)
  • 1927 – Norm Prescott, American animator, producer, and composer, co-founded Filmation Studios (d. 2005)
  • 1928 – Irma Wyman, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – Jean Simmons, English-American actress (d. 2010)
  • 1930 – Joakim Bonnier, Swedish race car driver (d. 1972)
  • 1930 – Al De Lory, American composer, conductor, and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1931 – Ernie Banks, American baseball player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Christopher Chataway, English runner, journalist, and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Miron Babiak, Polish sea captain (d. 2013)
  • 1933 – Camille Henry, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1997)
  • 1933 – Morton Mower, American cardiologist and inventor
  • 1934 – Ernesto Brambilla, Italian motorcycle racer and race car driver
  • 1934 – Gene DeWeese, American author (d. 2012)
  • 1934 – James Franciscus, American actor and producer (d. 1991)
  • 1934 – Bob Turner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2005)
  • 1935 – Kenzaburō Ōe, Japanese author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1936 – Can Bartu, Turkish former basketball and football player
  • 1937 – Regimantas Adomaitis, Lithuanian actor
  • 1937 – Andrée Boucher, Canadian educator and politician, 39th Mayor of Quebec City (d. 2007)
  • 1937 – Philip Glass, American composer
  • 1937 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (d. 2008)
  • 1938 – Beatrix of the Netherlands
  • 1938 – Lynn Carlin, American actress
  • 1938 – James G. Watt, American lawyer and politician, 43rd United States Secretary of the Interior
  • 1940 – Kitch Christie, South African rugby player and coach (d. 1998)
  • 1940 – Stuart Margolin, American actor and director
  • 1941 – Dick Gephardt, American lawyer and politician
  • 1941 – Gerald McDermott, American author and illustrator (d. 2012)
  • 1941 – Jessica Walter, American actress
  • 1942 – Daniela Bianchi, Italian actress
  • 1942 – Derek Jarman, English director, stage designer, and author (d. 1994)
  • 1944 – John Inverarity, Australian cricketer and coach
  • 1945 – Rynn Berry, American historian and author (d. 2014)
  • 1945 – Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, English lawyer, judge, and academic
  • 1945 – Joseph Kosuth, American sculptor and theorist
  • 1946 – Terry Kath, American guitarist and singer-songwriter (Chicago) (d. 1978)
  • 1946 – Medin Zhega, Albanian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1947 – Nolan Ryan, American baseball player
  • 1947 – Matt Minglewood, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Glynn Turman, American actor
  • 1948 – Volkmar Groß, German footballer (d. 2014)
  • 1948 – Muneo Suzuki, Japanese politician
  • 1949 – Johan Derksen, Dutch footballer and journalist
  • 1949 – Norris Church Mailer, American model and educator (d. 2010)
  • 1949 – Ken Wilber, American sociologist, philosopher, and author
  • 1950 – Denise Fleming, American author and illustrator
  • 1950 – Alexander Korzhakov, Russian general and bodyguard
  • 1950 – Janice Rebibo, American-Israeli author and poet (d. 2015)
  • 1951 – Harry Wayne Casey, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1954 – Faoud Bacchus, Guyanese cricketer
  • 1954 – Adrian Vandenberg, Dutch guitarist and songwriter
  • 1955 – Virginia Ruzici, Romanian tennis player and manager
  • 1956 – Guido van Rossum, Dutch programmer, creator of the Python programming language
  • 1956 – John Lydon, English singer-songwriter
  • 1957 – Shirley Babashoff, American swimmer
  • 1958 – Armin Reichel, German footballer and manager
  • 1959 – Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor and producer
  • 1959 – Kelly Lynch, American model and actress
  • 1960 – Akbar Ganji, Iranian journalist and author
  • 1960 – Grant Morrison, Scottish author and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Željko Šturanović, Montenegrin politician, 31st Prime Minister of Montenegro (d. 2014)
  • 1961 – Elizabeth Barker, Baroness Barker, English politician
  • 1961 – Fatou Bensouda, Gambian lawyer and judge
  • 1961 – Lloyd Cole, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1963 – Craig Coleman, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1963 – Gwen Graham, American lawyer and politician
  • 1964 – Martha MacCallum, American journalist
  • 1964 – Dawn Prince-Hughes, American scientist
  • 1965 – Giorgos Gasparis, Greek basketball player and coach
  • 1965 – Ofra Harnoy, Israeli-Canadian cellist
  • 1965 – Peter Sagal, American author and radio host
  • 1966 – Umar Alisha, Indian journalist and philanthropist
  • 1966 – Thant Myint-U, Myanmar historian, diplomat, conservationist, and former presidential advisor.
  • 1966 – Dexter Fletcher, English actor and director
  • 1967 – Fat Mike, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
  • 1968 – John Collins, Scottish footballer, midfielder and manager
  • 1968 – Matt King, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Ulrica Messing, Swedish politician, 2nd Swedish Minister for Infrastructure
  • 1968 – Patrick Stevens, Belgian sprinter
  • 1969 – Dov Charney, Canadian-American fashion designer and businessman, founded American Apparel
  • 1969 – Daniel Moder, American cinematographer
  • 1970 – Minnie Driver, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1970 – Danny Michel, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1971 – Patricia Velásquez, Venezuelan model and actress
  • 1973 – Portia de Rossi, Australian-American actress
  • 1974 – Othella Harrington, American basketball player and coach
  • 1974 – Ariel Pestano, Cuban baseball player
  • 1975 – Fred Coleman, American football player and coach
  • 1975 – Preity Zinta, Indian actress, producer, and television host
  • 1976 – Traianos Dellas, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Buddy Rice, American race car driver
  • 1976 – Paul Scheer, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1977 – Suchitra Singh, Indian cricketer
  • 1977 – Kerry Washington, American actress
  • 1978 – Fabián Caballero, Argentinian footballer and manager
  • 1979 – Daniel Tammet, English author and educator
  • 1980 – James Adomian, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1980 – Gary Doherty, Irish footballer, centre forward
  • 1980 – Shim Yi-young, South Korean actress
  • 1981 – Julio Arca, Argentinian footballer
  • 1981 – Mark Cameron, Australian cricketer
  • 1981 – Justin Timberlake, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
  • 1982 – Maret Ani, Estonian tennis player
  • 1982 – Yuniesky Betancourt, Cuban baseball player
  • 1982 – Andreas Görlitz, German footballer
  • 1982 – Salvatore Masiello, Italian footballer
  • 1982 – Allan McGregor, Scottish footballer
  • 1982 – Jānis Sprukts, Latvian ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Yukimi Nagano, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1982 – Brad Thompson, American baseball player
  • 1983 – James Sutton, English actor
  • 1983 – Fabio Quagliarella, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Vernon Davis, American football player
  • 1984 – Josh Johnson, Canadian-American baseball player
  • 1984 – Jeremy Wariner, American runner
  • 1984 – Alessandro Zanni, Italian rugby player
  • 1985 – Adam Federici, Australian footballer
  • 1985 – Mario Williams, American football player
  • 1986 – Walter Dix, American sprinter
  • 1986 – Megan Ellison, American film producer, founded Annapurna Pictures
  • 1986 – George Elokobi, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1986 – Yves Ma-Kalambay, Belgian footballer
  • 1986 – Pauline Parmentier, French tennis player
  • 1987 – Marcus Mumford, American-English singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Brett Pitman, English footballer
  • 1988 – Taijo Teniste, Estonian footballer
  • 1990 – Jacopo Fortunato, Italian footballer
  • 1990 – Jacob Markström, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Kota Yabu, Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, model, actor

Deaths on January 31

  • 632 – Máedóc of Ferns, Irish bishop and saint (b. 550)
  • 876 – Hemma of Altdorf, Frankish queen
  • 985 – Ryōgen, Japanese monk and abbot (b. 912)
  • 1030 – William V, duke of Aquitaine (b. 969)
  • 1216 – Theodore II, patriarch of Constantinople
  • 1398 – Sukō, emperor of Japan (b. 1334)
  • 1418 – Mircea I, prince of Wallachia (b. 1355)
  • 1435 – Xuande, emperor of China (b. 1398)
  • 1561 – Bairam Khan, Mughalan general (b. 1501)
  • 1561 – Menno Simons, Dutch minister and theologian (b. 1496)
  • 1580 – Henry, king of Portugal (b. 1512)
  • 1606 – Guy Fawkes, English conspirator, leader of the Gunpowder Plot (b. 1570)
  • 1606 – Ambrose Rookwood, English Gunpowder Plot conspirator (b. 1578)
  • 1606 – Thomas Wintour, English Gunpowder Plot conspirator (b. 1571)
  • 1615 – Claudio Acquaviva, Italian priest, 5th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1543)
  • 1632 – Jost Bürgi, Swiss clockmaker and mathematician (b. 1552)
  • 1665 – Johannes Clauberg, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1622)
  • 1686 – Jean Mairet, French playwright (b. 1604)
  • 1720 – Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1654)
  • 1729 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (b. 1659)
  • 1736 – Filippo Juvarra, Italian architect and set designer, designed the Basilica of Superga (b. 1678)
  • 1790 – Thomas Lewis, Irish-born American lawyer and surveyor (b. 1718)
  • 1794 – Mariot Arbuthnot, English admiral and politician, 12th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (b. 1711)
  • 1811 – Manuel Alberti, Argentinian priest and journalist (b. 1763)
  • 1815 – José Félix Ribas, Venezuelan soldier (b. 1775)
  • 1828 – Alexander Ypsilantis, Greek general (b. 1792)
  • 1836 – John Cheyne, English physician and author (b. 1777)
  • 1844 – Henri Gatien Bertrand, French general (b. 1773)
  • 1856 – 11th Dalai Lama (b. 1838)
  • 1870 – Cilibi Moise, Moldavian-Romanian journalist and author (b. 1812)
  • 1888 – John Bosco, Italian priest and educator, founded the Salesian Society (b. 1815)
  • 1892 – Charles Spurgeon, English pastor and author (b. 1834)
  • 1900 – John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, Scottish nobleman (b. 1844)
  • 1907 – Timothy Eaton, Canadian businessman, founded Eaton’s (b. 1834)
  • 1923 – Eligiusz Niewiadomski, Polish painter and critic (b. 1869)
  • 1933 – John Galsworthy, English novelist and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
  • 1942 – Henry Larkin, American baseball player and manager (b. 1860)
  • 1944 – Jean Giraudoux, French author and playwright (b. 1882)
  • 1954 – Edwin Howard Armstrong, American engineer, invented FM radio (b. 1890)
  • 1954 – Vivian Woodward, English captain and footballer (b. 1879)
  • 1955 – John Mott, American activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
  • 1956 – A. A. Milne, English author, poet, and playwright, created Winnie-the-Pooh (b. 1882)
  • 1958 – Karl Selter, Estonian politician, 14th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1898)
  • 1960 – Auguste Herbin, French painter (b. 1882)
  • 1961 – Krishna Singh, Indian politician, 1st Chief Minister of Bihar (b. 1887)
  • 1966 – Arthur Percival, English general (b. 1887)
  • 1967 – Eddie Tolan, American sprinter and educator (b. 1908)
  • 1969 – Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master (b. 1894)
  • 1971 – Viktor Zhirmunsky, Russian historian and linguist (b. 1891)
  • 1973 – Ragnar Frisch, Norwegian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
  • 1974 – Samuel Goldwyn, Polish-American film producer, co-founded Goldwyn Pictures (b. 1882)
  • 1976 – Ernesto Miranda, American criminal (b. 1941)
  • 1976 – Evert Taube, Swedish author and composer (b. 1890)
  • 1985 – Reginald Baker, English-Australian film producer (b. 1896)
  • 1985 – Tatsuzō Ishikawa, Japanese author (b. 1905)
  • 1987 – Yves Allégret, French director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 1989 – William Stephenson, Canadian captain and spy (b. 1896)
  • 1990 – Eveline Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, German zoologist and academic (b. 1901)
  • 1990 – Rashad Khalifa, Egyptian-American biochemist and academic (b. 1935)
  • 1995 – George Abbott, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1887)
  • 1997 – John Joseph Scanlan, Irish-American bishop (b. 1930)
  • 1999 – Giant Baba, Japanese wrestler and trainer, co-founded All Japan Pro Wrestling (b. 1938)
  • 1999 – Norm Zauchin, American baseball player (b. 1929)
  • 2000 – Gil Kane, Latvian-American author and illustrator (b. 1926)
  • 2001 – Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian-American author (b. 1923)
  • 2002 – Gabby Gabreski, American colonel and pilot (b. 1919)
  • 2004 – Eleanor Holm, American swimmer and actress (b. 1913)
  • 2004 – Suraiya, Indian actress and playback singer (b. 1929)
  • 2006 – Moira Shearer, Scottish actress and ballerina (b. 1926)
  • 2007 – Molly Ivins, American journalist and author (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Adelaide Tambo, South African activist and politician (b. 1929)
  • 2008 – František Čapek, Czechoslovakian canoeist (b. 1914)
  • 2011 – Bartolomeu Anania, Romanian bishop and poet (b. 1921)
  • 2011 – Mark Ryan, English guitarist and playwright (b. 1959)
  • 2012 – Mani Ram Bagri, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Anthony Bevilacqua, American cardinal (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – Tristram Potter Coffin, American author, scholar, and academic (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Dorothea Tanning, American painter and sculptor (b. 1910)
  • 2013 – Rubén Bonifaz Nuño, Mexican poet and scholar (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Hassan Habibi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 1st Vice President of Iran (b. 1937)
  • 2014 – Francis M. Fesmire, American cardiologist and physician (b. 1959)
  • 2014 – Anna Gordy Gaye, American songwriter and producer, co-founded Anna Records (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Miklós Jancsó, Hungarian director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Joseph Willcox Jenkins, American composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Christopher Jones, American actor (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Vic Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, coach, and journalist (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Lizabeth Scott, American actress (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Richard von Weizsäcker, German captain and politician, 6th President of Germany (b. 1920)
  • 2016 – Gil Carmichael, American businessman and politician (b. 1927)
  • 2016 – Terry Wogan, Irish-British radio and television host (b. 1938)
  • 2017 – Rob Stewart, Canadian filmmaker (b. 1979)
  • 2018 – Rasual Butler, American professional basketball player (b. 1979)
  • 2018 – Leah LaBelle, American singer (b. 1986)

Holidays and observances on January 31

  • Christian feast day:
    • Domitius (Domice) of Amiens
    • Francis Xavier Bianchi
    • Geminianus
    • John Bosco
    • Julius of Novara
    • Blessed Ludovica
    • Máedóc (Mogue, Aiden)
    • Marcella
    • Samuel Shoemaker (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Tysul
    • Ulphia
    • Wilgils
    • January 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Amartithi (Meherabad, India, followers of Meher Baba)
  • Independence Day (Nauru), celebrates independence from Australia in 1968.
  • Street Children’s Day (Austria)

January 31 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 30 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen.
  • 1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom.
  • 1607 – An estimated 200 square miles (51,800 ha) along the coasts of the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary in England are destroyed by massive flooding, resulting in an estimated 2,000 deaths.
  • 1648 – Eighty Years’ War: The Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück is signed, ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain.
  • 1661 – Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, is ritually executed more than two years after his death, on the 12th anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.
  • 1703 – The Forty-seven rōnin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenge the death of their master, by killing Kira Yoshinaka.
  • 1789 – Tây Sơn forces emerge victorious against Qing armies and liberate the capital Thăng Long.
  • 1806 – The original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened.
  • 1820 – Edward Bransfield sights the Trinity Peninsula and claims the discovery of Antarctica.
  • 1826 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world’s first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales, is opened.
  • 1835 – In the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States, Richard Lawrence attempts to shoot president Andrew Jackson, but fails and is subdued by a crowd, including several congressmen as well as Jackson himself.
  • 1847 – Yerba Buena, California is renamed San Francisco, California.
  • 1858 – The first Hallé concert is given in Manchester, England, marking the official founding of The Hallé orchestra as a full-time, professional orchestra.
  • 1862 – The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor is launched.
  • 1889 – Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in the Mayerling.
  • 1902 – The first Anglo-Japanese Alliance is signed in London.
  • 1908 – Indian pacifist and leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is released from prison by Jan C. Smuts after being tried and sentenced to two months in jail earlier in the month.
  • 1911 – The destroyer USS Terry makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of Douglas McCurdy ten miles from Havana, Cuba.
  • 1925 – The Government of Turkey expels Patriarch Constantine VI from Istanbul.
  • 1930 – The Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the extermination of the Kulaks.
  • 1933 – Adolf Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
  • 1942 – World War II: Battle of Ambon. Japanese forces invade the island of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies. Some 300 captured Allied troops are massacred at Laha airfield. Three-fourths of remaining POWs will not have survived by the end of the war, including 250 men who will be shipped to Hainan Island in South China Sea and never returned.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Cisterna, part of Operation Shingle, begins in central Italy.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with German refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing approximately 9,500 people.
  • 1945 – World War II: Raid at Cabanatuan: One hundred twenty-six American Rangers and Filipino resistance fighters liberate over 500 Allied prisoners from the Japanese-controlled Cabanatuan POW camp.
  • 1948 – British South American Airways’ Tudor IV Star Tiger disappears over the Bermuda Triangle.
  • 1956 – African-American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.’s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
  • 1959 – The forces of the Sultanate of Muscat occupy the last strongholds of the Imamate of Oman, Saiq and Shuraijah, marking the end of Jebel Akhdar War in Oman.
  • 1959 – MS Hans Hedtoft, said to be the safest ship afloat and “unsinkable” like the RMS Titanic, strikes an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sinks, killing all 95 aboard.
  • 1960 – The African National Party is founded in Chad, through the merger of traditionalist parties.
  • 1964 – In a bloodless coup, General Nguyễn Khánh overthrows General Dương Văn Minh’s military junta in South Vietnam.
  • 1968 – Vietnam War: Tet Offensive launch by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army against South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies.
  • 1969 – The Beatles’ last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.
  • 1972 – The Troubles: Bloody Sunday: British paratroopers open fire on anti-internment marchers in Derry, Northern Ireland, killing 13 people; another person later dies of injuries sustained.
  • 1972 – Pakistan leaves the Commonwealth of Nations in protest of its recognition of breakaway Bangladesh.
  • 1975 – The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is established as the first United States National Marine Sanctuary.
  • 1979 – A Varig Boeing 707-323C freighter, flown by the same commander as Flight 820, disappears over the Pacific Ocean 30 minutes after taking off from Tokyo.
  • 1982 – Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called “Elk Cloner”.
  • 1989 – The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan is closed.
  • 1995 – Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.
  • 2000 – Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ivory Coast, killing 169.
  • 2013 – Naro-1 becomes the first carrier rocket launched by South Korea.

Births on January 30

  • 58 BC – Livia, Roman wife of Augustus (d. 29)
  • 133 – Didius Julianus, Roman emperor (probable; d. 193)
  • 1410 – William Calthorpe, English knight (d. 1494)
  • 1520  – William More, English courtier (d. 1600)
  • 1563 – Franciscus Gomarus, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1641)
  • 1573 – Georg Friedrich, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (d. 1638)
  • 1580 – Gundakar, Prince of Liechtenstein, court official in Vienna (d. 1658)
  • 1590 – Lady Anne Clifford, 14th Baroness de Clifford (d. 1676)
  • 1628 – George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English statesman (d. 1687)
  • 1661 – Charles Rollin, French historian and educator (d. 1741)
  • 1697 – Johann Joachim Quantz, German flute player and composer (d. 1773)
  • 1703 – François Bigot, French politician (d. 1778)
  • 1720 – Charles De Geer, Swedish entomologist and archaeologist (d. 1778)
  • 1754 – John Lansing, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1829)
  • 1775 – Walter Savage Landor, English poet and author (d. 1864)
  • 1781 – Adelbert von Chamisso, German botanist and poet (d. 1838)
  • 1816 – Nathaniel P. Banks, American general and politician, 24th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1894)
  • 1822 – Franz Ritter von Hauer, Austrian geologist and curator (d. 1899)
  • 1841 – Félix Faure, French politician, 7th President of France (d. 1899)
  • 1844 – Richard Theodore Greener, American lawyer, academic, and diplomat (d. 1922)
  • 1846 – Angela of the Cross, Spanish nun and saint (d. 1932)
  • 1859 – Tony Mullane, Irish-American baseball player and manager (d. 1944)
  • 1861 – Charles Martin Loeffler, German-American violinist and composer (d. 1935)
  • 1862 – Walter Damrosch, German-American conductor and composer (d. 1950)
  • 1866 – Gelett Burgess, American author, poet, and critic (d. 1951)
  • 1878 – Anton Hansen Tammsaare, Estonian author (d. 1940)
  • 1882 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States (d. 1945)
  • 1889 – Jaishankar Prasad, Indian poet and playwright (d. 1937)
  • 1899 – Max Theiler, South African-American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
  • 1900 – Martita Hunt, Argentine-born British actress (d. 1969)
  • 1901 – Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (d. 1959)
  • 1902 – Nikolaus Pevsner, German-English historian and scholar (d. 1983)
  • 1910 – Chidambaram Subramaniam, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Defence (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – Roy Eldridge, American jazz trumpet player (d. 1989)
  • 1912 – Werner Hartmann, German physicist and academic (d. 1988)
  • 1912 – Francis Schaeffer, American pastor and theologian (d. 1984)
  • 1912 – Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian and author (d. 1989)
  • 1914 – Luc-Marie Bayle, French commander and painter (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – John Ireland, Canadian-American actor and director (d. 1992)
  • 1914 – David Wayne, American actor (d. 1995)
  • 1915 – Joachim Peiper, German SS officer (d. 1976)
  • 1915 – John Profumo, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for War (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – Paul Frère, Belgian race car driver and journalist (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – David Opatoshu, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1996)
  • 1919 – Fred Korematsu, American activist (d. 2005)
  • 1920 – Michael Anderson, English director and producer (d. 2018)
  • 1920 – Patrick Heron, British painter (d. 1999)
  • 1920 – Delbert Mann, American director and producer (d. 2007)
  • 1922 – Dick Martin, American comedian, actor, and director (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Marianne Ferber, Czech-American economist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – S. N. Goenka, Burmese-Indian author and educator (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Lloyd Alexander, American soldier and author (d. 2007)
  • 1925 – Douglas Engelbart, American computer scientist, invented the computer mouse (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Olof Palme, Swedish statesman, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1986)
  • 1928 – Harold Prince, American director and producer (d. 2019)
  • 1929 – Lois Hole, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (d. 2005)
  • 1929 – Hugh Tayfield, South African cricketer (d. 1994)
  • 1929 – Lucille Teasdale-Corti, Canadian-Italian physician and humanitarian (d. 1996)
  • 1930 – Gene Hackman, American actor and author
  • 1930 – Magnus Malan, South African general and politician, South African Minister of Defence (d. 2011)
  • 1931 – John Crosbie, Canadian lawyer and politician, 34th Canadian Minister of Justice (d. 2020)
  • 1931 – Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 2016)
  • 1932 – Knock Yokoyama, Japanese comedian and politician (d. 2007)
  • 1934 – Tammy Grimes, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
  • 1935 – Richard Brautigan, American novelist, poet, and short story writer (d. 1984)
  • 1935 – Tubby Hayes, English saxophonist and composer (d. 1973)
  • 1936 – Horst Jankowski, German pianist and composer (d. 1998)
  • 1937 – Vanessa Redgrave, English actress
  • 1937 – Boris Spassky, Russian chess player and theoretician
  • 1938 – Islam Karimov, Uzbek politician, 1st President of Uzbekistan (d. 2016)
  • 1941 – Gregory Benford, American astrophysicist and author
  • 1941 – Dick Cheney, American businessman and politician, 46th Vice President of the United States, 17th US Secretary of Defense
  • 1941 – Tineke Lagerberg, Dutch swimmer
  • 1942 – Marty Balin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
  • 1943 – Davey Johnson, American baseball player and manager
  • 1944 – Lynn Harrell, American cellist and academic
  • 1944 – Colin Rimer, English lawyer and judge
  • 1945 – Meir Dagan, Israeli military officer and intelligence official, Director of Mossad (2002–11) (d. 2016)
  • 1945 – Michael Dorris, American author and scholar (d. 1997)
  • 1946 – John Bird, Baron Bird, English publisher, founded The Big Issue
  • 1947 – Les Barker, English poet and author
  • 1947 – Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1991)
  • 1948 – Nick Broomfield, English director and producer
  • 1948 – Miles Reid, English mathematician and academic
  • 1949 – Peter Agre, American physician and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1950 – Jack Newton, Australian golfer
  • 1951 – Phil Collins, English drummer, singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1951 – Charles S. Dutton, American actor and director
  • 1951 – Bobby Stokes, English footballer (d. 1995)
  • 1952 – Doug Falconer, Canadian football player and producer
  • 1953 – Fred Hembeck, American author and illustrator
  • 1955 – John Baldacci, American politician, 73rd Governor of Maine
  • 1955 – Tom Izzo, American basketball player and coach
  • 1955 – Curtis Strange, American golfer and sportscaster
  • 1957 – Payne Stewart, American golfer (d. 1999)
  • 1958 – Derek White, Scottish rugby player
  • 1959 – Cynthia Carter, Welsh journalist, author, and academic
  • 1959 – Steve Folkes, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2018)
  • 1959 – Jody Watley, American entertainer
  • 1962 – Abdullah II of Jordan
  • 1964 – Otis Smith, American basketball player, coach, and manager
  • 1965 – Kevin Moore, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1966 – Danielle Goyette, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1968 – Felipe VI of Spain
  • 1969 – Justin Skinner, English footballer, midfielder and manager
  • 1971 – Kimo von Oelhoffen, American football player
  • 1972 – Jill McGill, American golfer
  • 1972 – Chris Simon, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1973 – Jalen Rose, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1974 – Christian Bale, Welsh actor
  • 1974 – Olivia Colman, English actress
  • 1975 – Juninho Pernambucano, Brazilian footballer
  • 1975 – Yumi Yoshimura, Japanese musician and singer
  • 1976 – Andy Milonakis, American entertainer
  • 1977 – Dan Hinote, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1978 – Carmen Küng, Swiss curler
  • 1978 – John Patterson, American baseball player
  • 1979 – Trevor Gillies, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – João Soares de Almeida Neto, Brazilian footballer
  • 1980 – Georgios Vakouftsis, Greek footballer
  • 1980 – Wilmer Valderrama, American actor and producer
  • 1981 – Jonathan Bender, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgarian footballer
  • 1981 – Afonso Alves, Brazilian footballer
  • 1981 – Peter Crouch, English footballer
  • 1981 – Mathias Lauda, Austrian race car driver
  • 1982 – Jorge Cantú, Mexican baseball player
  • 1984 – Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1984 – Arthur Chu, Asian-American columnist and former Jeopardy! contestant
  • 1984 – Kid Cudi, American entertainer
  • 1985 – Gisela Dulko, Argentinian tennis player
  • 1985 – Torrey Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Trae Williams, American football player
  • 1986 – Nick Evans, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Ben Cutting, Australian cricketer
  • 1987 – Lance Franklin, Australian footballer
  • 1987 – Phil Lester, English Internet celebrity
  • 1987 – Becky Lynch, Irish wrestler
  • 1987 – Renato Santos, Brazilian footballer
  • 1987 – Arda Turan, Turkish footballer
  • 1988 – Rob Pinkston, American actor and director
  • 1989 – Tomás Mejías, Spanish footballer
  • 1989 – Girish Kumar, Indian film actor
  • 1990 – Yoon Bo-ra, South Korean singer
  • 1990 – Joe Colborne, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Andrew McCullough, Australian rugby league player
  • 1990 – Nils Miatke, German footballer
  • 1990 – Luca Sbisa, Swiss ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Mitchell Starc, Australian cricketer
  • 1990 – Phillip Supernaw, American football player
  • 1991 – Stefan Elliott, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Katy Marchant, English track cyclist
  • 1995 – Jack Laugher, English diver
  • 1995 – Víctor Sánchez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 2015)

Deaths on January 30

  • 680 – Balthild, Frankish queen (b. 626)
  • 970 – Peter I of Bulgaria
  • 1030 – William V, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 969)
  • 1181 – Emperor Takakura of Japan (b. 1161)
  • 1240 – Pelagio Galvani, Leonese lawyer and cardinal (b. 1165)
  • 1314 – Nicholas III of Saint Omer
  • 1344 – William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury (b. 1301)
  • 1384 – Louis II, Count of Flanders (b. 1330)
  • 1497 – Lê Thánh Tông, King of Vietnam (b. 1442)
  • 1574 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese historian and philosopher (b. 1502)
  • 1606 – Everard Digby, English criminal (b. 1578)
  • 1606 – John Grant, English conspirator (b. 1570)
  • 1606 – Robert Wintour, English conspirator (b. 1565)
  • 1649 – Charles I of England (b. 1600)
  • 1664 – Cornelis de Graeff, Dutch mayor (b. 1599)
  • 1730 – Peter II of Russia (b. 1715)
  • 1770 – Giovanni Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis, Maltese linguist, historian and cleric (b. 1712)
  • 1836 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, said to have designed the American Flag (b. 1752)
  • 1838 – Osceola, American tribal leader (b. 1804)
  • 1858 – Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist and ornithologist (b. 1778)
  • 1867 – Emperor Kōmei of Japan (b. 1831)
  • 1869 – William Carleton, Irish author (b. 1794)
  • 1881 – Arthur O’Shaughnessy, English poet and herpetologist (b. 1844)
  • 1889 – Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, heir apparent to the throne of Austria-Hungary (b. 1858)
  • 1926 – Barbara La Marr, American actress (b. 1896)
  • 1928 – Johannes Fibiger, Danish physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
  • 1929 – La Goulue, French model and dancer (b. 1866)
  • 1934 – Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher, founded the Doubleday Publishing Company (b. 1862)
  • 1947 – Frederick Blackman, English botanist and physiologist (b. 1866)
  • 1948 – Arthur Coningham, Australian air marshal (b. 1895)
  • 1948 – Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule (b. 1869)
  • 1948 – Orville Wright, American pilot and engineer, co-founded the Wright Company (b. 1871)
  • 1951 – Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian-German engineer and businessman, founded Porsche (b. 1875)
  • 1958 – Jean Crotti, Swiss painter (b. 1878)
  • 1958 – Ernst Heinkel, German engineer and businessman; founded the Heinkel Aircraft Company (b. 1888)
  • 1962 – Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician and engineer (b. 1894)
  • 1963 – Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (b. 1899)
  • 1966 – Jaan Hargel, Estonian flute player, conductor, and educator (b. 1912)
  • 1968 – Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Indian poet, playwright, and journalist (b. 1889)
  • 1969 – Dominique Pire, Belgian friar, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
  • 1973 – Elizabeth Baker, American economist and academic (b. 1885)
  • 1974 – Olav Roots, Estonian pianist and composer (b. 1910)
  • 1977 – Paul Marais de Beauchamp, French zoologist (b. 1883)
  • 1980 – Professor Longhair, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1918)
  • 1982 – Lightnin’ Hopkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1912)
  • 1991 – John Bardeen, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
  • 1991 – Clifton C. Edom, American photographer and educator (b. 1907)
  • 1994 – Pierre Boulle, French soldier and author (b. 1912)
  • 1999 – Huntz Hall, American actor (b. 1919)
  • 1999 – Ed Herlihy, American journalist (b. 1909)
  • 2001 – Jean-Pierre Aumont, French soldier and actor (b. 1911)
  • 2001 – Johnnie Johnson, English air marshal and pilot (b. 1915)
  • 2001 – Joseph Ransohoff, American surgeon and educator (b. 1915)
  • 2005 – Martyn Bennett, Canadian-Scottish violinist (b. 1971)
  • 2006 – Coretta Scott King, American author and activist (b. 1927)
  • 2006 – Wendy Wasserstein, American playwright and academic (b. 1950)
  • 2007 – Sidney Sheldon, American author and screenwriter (b. 1917)
  • 2008 – Marcial Maciel, Mexican-American priest, founded the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi (b. 1920)
  • 2009 – H. Guy Hunt, American soldier, pastor, and politician, 49th Governor of Alabama (b. 1933)
  • 2010 – Fadil Ferati, Kosovar accountant and politician (b. 1960)
  • 2011 – John Barry, English composer and conductor (b. 1933)
  • 2012 – Frank Aschenbrenner, American football player and soldier (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Doeschka Meijsing, Dutch author (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Gamal al-Banna, Egyptian author and scholar (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Patty Andrews, American singer (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – George Witt, American baseball player and coach (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Stefan Bałuk, Polish general and photographer (b. 1914)
  • 2014 – The Mighty Hannibal, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – William Motzing, American composer and conductor (b. 1937)
  • 2014 – Arthur Rankin, Jr., American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Carl Djerassi, Austrian-American chemist, author, and playwright (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Ülo Kaevats, Estonian academic, philosopher, and politician (b. 1947)
  • 2015 – Geraldine McEwan, English actress (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Gerrit Voorting, Dutch cyclist (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of Bulgaria (b. 1935)
  • 2016 – Frank Finlay, English actor (b. 1926)
  • 2016 – Francisco Flores Pérez, Salvadorian politician, President of El Salvador (b. 1959)
  • 2016 – Georgia Davis Powers, American activist and politician (b. 1923)
  • 2018 – Mark Salling, American actor and musician (b. 1982)
  • 2019 – Dick Miller, American actor (b. 1928)

Holidays and observances on January 30

  • Christian Feast Day:
    • Adelelmus of Burgos
    • Aldegonde
    • Anthony the Great (Coptic Church)
    • Armentarius of Pavia
    • Balthild
    • Charles, King and Martyr (various provinces of the Anglican Communion)
    • Hippolytus of Rome
    • Hyacintha Mariscotti
    • Martina
    • Matthias of Jerusalem
    • Mutien-Marie Wiaux
    • Savina
    • Three Holy Hierarchs (Eastern Orthodox), and its related observances:
      • Teacher’s Day (Greece)
    • January 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of Azerbaijani customs (Azerbaijan)
  • Day of Saudade (Brazil)
  • Fred Korematsu Day (California, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia)
  • Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, and its related observances:
    • Martyrs’ Day (India)
    • School Day of Non-violence and Peace (Spain)
    • Start of the Season for Nonviolence January 30 – April 4

January 30 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

Constituents and Structure Solved MCQs (Set-I) | General Science & Ability

General Knowledge, MCQs / Q&A /

The universe, Galaxy, Light Year, Solar System, Sun, Earth, Astronomical System of Units

1) The biggest planet in our solar system is (CSS 2013)

(a) Venus
(b) Pluto
(c) Jupiter
(d) None of these
Answer: (c)
In terms of mass, volume, and surface area, Jupiter is the biggest planet in our Solar System by a wide margin.
Size and Mass:
Jupiter’s mass, volume, surface area and mean circumference are 1.8981 x 1027 kg, 1.43128 x 1015 km3, 6.1419 x 1010 km2, and 4.39264 x 105 km respectively. To put that in perspective, Jupiter diameter is roughly 11 times that of Earth, and 2.5 the mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined.

2) The universe is ———-. (CSS 1996)

(a) Stationary
(b) Expanding
(c) Contracting
(d) None of these
Answer: (b)
In June 2016, NASA and ESA scientists reported that the universe was found to be expanding 5% to 9% faster than thought earlier, based on studies using the Hubble Space Telescope

3) The atmosphere of moon consists of: (CSS 2013)

(a) . 90% Hydrogen, 10% Nitrogen
(b) . 80%Nitrogen, 20% Hydrogen
(c) 60% Nitrogen, 40%inert gases
(d) None of these
Answer: (d)
The Moon has no atmosphere. None. That’s why astronauts have to wear their spacesuits when they get outside of their spacecraft on the surface of the Moon.
Atmosphere of the Moon might be electro statically levitated moon dust. These tiny particles are constantly leaping up and down off the surface of the Moon.

4) Who gave the first evidence of the Big- Bang theory?

(a) Edwin Hubble
(b) Albert Einstein
(c) S. Chandrasekhar
(d) Stephen Hawking
Answer: (a)
The Hubble Space Telescope was named after astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble (1889–1953), who made some of the most important discoveries in modern astronomy. Dr. Hubble determined that the farther a galaxy is from Earth, the faster it appears to move away. This notion of an “expanding” universe formed the basis of the Big Bang theory, which states that the universe began with an intense burst of energy at a single moment in time — and has been expanding ever since.

5) Which one of the following planets has largest number of natural satellites or moons?

(a) Jupiter
(b) Mars
(c) Saturn
(d) Venus
Answer: (a)
In the Solar System, there are 179 satellites. A majority of those moons belong to the planet of Jupiter, the second most belonging to Saturn.

6) Which of the following planets rotates clock wise?

(a) Mars
(b) Jupiter
(c) Venus
(d) Mercury
Answer: (c)
Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. Venus (radius 3,760.4 miles) is similar to Earth (radius 3,963.19 miles) in size and structure but spins very slowly; a day on Venus is 243 Earth days long.

7) Which of the following order is given to the planets of solar system on the basis of their sizes?

(a) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
(b) Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Earth
(c) Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn
(d) Earth, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter
Answer: (a)
Jupiter (69,911 km / 43,441 miles) – 1,120% the size of Earth
Saturn (58,232 km / 36,184 miles) – 945% the size of Earth
Uranus (25,362 km / 15,759 miles) –400% the size of Earth
Neptune (24,622 km / 15,299 miles) – 388% the size of Earth
Earth (6,371 km / 3,959 miles)

8) The time taken by the Sun to revolve around the center of our galaxy is

(a) 50 Million years
(b) 100 Million years
(c) 250 Million years
(d) 365 Million years
Answer: (c)
the Sun is dragging us around the galaxy at around 800,000km/h, taking around 250 million years to complete a single orbit.
That means our Solar System has made around 18 complete circuits since it was formed around 4.5 billion years ago.

9): The planet having the largest diameter is

(a) Earth
(b) Jupiter
(c) Venus
(d) Uranus
Answer: (b)
Jupiter is composed primarily of gaseous and liquid matter. It is the largest of the four giant planets in the Solar System and hence its largest planet. It has a diameter of 142,984 km (88,846 mi) at its equator

10) The planet Mercury completes one rotation around the sun is (CSS 2010)

(a) 88 days
(b) 365 days
(c) 98 days
(d) 60 days
(e) None of these
Answer: (a)
A year on Mercury is just 88 days long. One solar day (the time from noon to noon on the planet’s surface) on Mercury lasts the equivalent of 176 Earth days while the sidereal day (the time for 1 rotation in relation to a fixed point) lasts 59 Earth days. Mercury is nearly tidally locked to the Sun and over time this has slowed the rotation of the planet to almost match its orbit around the Sun. Mercury also has the highest orbital eccentricity of all the planets with its distance from the Sun ranging from 46 to 70 million km.

11) The biggest planet in our solar system is (CSS 2013)

(a) Venus
(b) Pluto
(c) Jupiter
(d) None of these
Answer: (c)
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Jupiter has a mean radius of 43,440.7 miles (69,911 kilometers), about a tenth that of the sun. However, its rapid rotation — it spins once every 9.8 hours

12) The atmosphere of moon consists of: (CSS 2013)

(a) 90% Hydrogen, 10% Nitrogen
(b) 80%Nitrogen, 20% Hydrogen
(c) 60% Nitrogen, 40%inert gases
(d) None of these
Answer: (d)
The Apollo 17 mission deployed an instrument called the Lunar Atmospheric Composition Experiment (LACE) on the moon’s surface. It detected small amounts of a number of atoms and molecules including helium, argon, and possibly neon, ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide.

13) Which of the following explains the reason why there is no total eclipse of the sun? (CSS 2009)

(a) Size of the earth in relation to that of moon
(b) Orbit of moon around earth
(c) Direction of rotation of earth around sun
(d) Area of the sun covered by the moon
(e) None of these
Answer: (d)
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon gets between Earth and the sun, and the moon casts a shadow over Earth. A solar eclipse can only take place at the phase of new moon, when the moon passes directly between the sun and Earth and its shadows fall upon Earth’s surface.

14) The sun produces most of its energy by (CSS 2012)

(a) Nuclear fusion which involves converting “H” to “He”
(b) Nuclear fission involving the burning of uranium & plutonium
(c) Nuclear fission involving the combining of uranium and palladium
(d) None of these
Answer: (a)
Sun, like all stars, is able to create energy because it is essentially a massive fusion reaction.
The core of the Sun is the region that extends from the center to about 20–25% of the solar radius. It is here, in the core, where energy is produced by hydrogen atoms (H) being converted into molecules of helium (He) This is possible thanks to the extreme pressure and temperature that exists within the core, which are estimated to be the equivalent of 250 billion atmospheres (25.33 trillion KPa) and 15.7 million kelvin, respectively.

15) Although the mass of a man on moon remains same as on the earth he will (CSS 2012)

(a) Be much happier there
(b) Weigh one sixth as much
(c) Weigh twice as much
(d) None of these
Answer: (b)
The Moon’s gravity is one sixth of the Earth’s gravity. A 120 kg astronaut weighs 1200 N on Earth. On the Moon they would weigh only 200 N. The astronaut’s mass is 120kg wherever they are.

16) The planet of the solar system which has maximum numbers of Moon is: (CSS 2011)

(a) Jupiter
(b) Venus
(c) Saturn
(d) Uranus
(e) None of these
Answer: (a)

17): The earth rotates 011 its axis from_

(a) North to south
(b) South to north
(c) East to west
(d) West to east
Answer: (d)
The Earth rotates from the west towards east. As viewed from North Star or polestar Polaris, the Earth turns counter-clockwise. The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth’s axis of rotation meets its surface.

18): Name two planets which revolve around their axis from east to west

(a) Earth and Venus
(b) Mars and Earth
(c) Venus and Uranus
(d) Mars and Uranus
Answer: (c)
Planets have no light of their own and all of them expect Venus and Uranus, rotate upon their axis from west to east.

19) Our sun is classified as (CSS 2012)

(a) A Blue giant
(b) A Yellow dwarf
(c) Supernova
(d) None of these
Answer: (b)
The sun is classified as a G-type main-sequence star, or G dwarf star, or more imprecisely, a yellow dwarf. Actually, the sun — like other G-type stars — is white, but appears yellow through Earth’s atmosphere. Stars generally get bigger as they grow older

20): Name the planet which revolve approximately 90 degree with its orbital plane_.

(a) Neptune
(b) Venus
(c) Uranus
(d) Jupiter
Answer: (c)
Unlike any other planet, Uranus rotates on its side. That is, the rotation axis is tilted approximately 90 degrees relative to the planet’s orbital plane.

21): The hottest planet of our solar system is
(a) Mercury
(b) Venus
(c) Mars
(d) Earth
Answer: (b)
Venus’s thick atmosphere made up mainly of CO2 makes it the hottest planet in the solar system. Mercury is colder because it’s atmosphere is thin.

22): Which of the following constellation contains Pole Star?

(a) Orion
(b) Ursa Major
(c) Ursa Minor
(d) Scorpio
Answer: (b)

23): All the stars appear to move from

(a) North to south
(b) South to north
(c) East to west
(d) West to east
Answer: (c)
Every day, the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars appear to rise in the east and set in the west. Actually, these celestial objects aren’t moving that fast, but Earth is. It spins on its axis from west to east approximately every 24 hours.
Because we are standing on Earth’s surface, we move along with it. To us, it appears as if everything in the sky is moving from east to west.

24): The body burning like a star and coming towards the earth

(a) Comet
(b) Meteor
(c) Ceres
(d) Satellites
Answer: (b)
Fleeting trails of light are called meteors or shooting stars and they are created by small particles, some no bigger than a grain of rice, as they are completely burned up high in the atmosphere: about 100 km (or 60 miles) above the Earth. They are over literally in the blink of an eye. Space debris is collectively termed meteoroids, those larger fragments that reach the ground are called meteorites. Very big meteoroids are also known as asteroids. If one collides with Earth it would cause a major catastrophe.

25) Which of the following is not true?

(a) Planets rotate on their own axis.
(b) Planets do not emit light.
(c) Some planets are gaseous and some are rocky
(d) Most of the planets have rings around them.
Answer: (d)

26) Which is the brightest planet?

(a) Mars
(b) Jupiter
(c) Venus
(d) Saturn
Answer: (c)
Venus is so bright because its thick clouds reflect most of the sunlight that reaches it (about 70%) back into space, and because it is the closest planet to Earth. Venus can often be seen within a few hours after sunset or before sunrise as the brightest object in the sky (other than the moon)

27) The stars in space are ___.

(a) Uniformly spread out.
(b) Distributed completely at random
(c) Chiefly in the Milky Way
(d) Mostly contained within widely separated galaxies
Answer: (d)

28) “Black holes” refer to: (CSS 2009)

(a) Hole occurring in heavenly bodies
(b) Bright spots on the sun
(c) Collapsing objects of high density
(d) Collapsing of low density
(e) None of these
Answer: (c)

29) The Milky Way is _____.

( a) a gas cloud in the solar system
(b) a gas cloud in the galaxy of which the sun is a member
(c) the galaxy of which the sun is a member
(d) a nearby galaxy
Answer: (c)

30) Relative to the center of our galaxy, ____.

( a) its starts are stationary
(b) its stars move entirely at random
(c) its stars revolve
(d) Population I starts are stationary and Population II star revolve
Answer: (c)

31) Evidence of various kinds suggests that at the center of our galaxy is a ___.

( a) Quasar
(b) Pulsar
(c) Neutron star
(d) Black hole
Answer: (d)
A supermassive black hole (SMBH) is the largest type of black hole, in the order of hundreds of thousands to billions of solar masses (M☉), and is found in the centre of almost all currently known massive galaxies. In the case of the Milky Way, the SMBH corresponds with the location of Sagittarius A*

32) A radio telescope is basically a (an) __.

(a) device for magnifying radio waves
(b) Telescope remotely controlled by radio
(c) Directional antenna connected to a sensitive radio receiver
(d) Optical telescope that uses electronic techniques to produce an image
Answer: (c)
Radio telescope is an astronomical instrument consisting of a radio receiver and an antenna system that is used to detect radio-frequency radiation emitted by extraterrestrial sources. Because radio wavelengths are much longer than those of visible light, radio telescopes must be very large in order to attain the resolution of optical telescopes.
The first radio telescope, built in 1937 by Grote Reber of Wheaton

33) Sun is a: (CSS 2011)

(a) Planet
(b) Comet
(c) Satellite
(d) Aurora
(e) None of these
Answer: (e)
The Sun (or Sol), is the star at the centre of our solar system
The Sun is by far the largest object in the solar system. It contains more than 99.8% of the total mass of the Solar System (Jupiter contains most of the rest).

34) The age of the solar system is (CSS 2011)

(a) 4.5 billion years
(b) 5.5 billion years
(c) 6.5 billion years
(d) 7.5 billion years
(e) None of these
Answer: (e)
By studying several things, mostly meteorites, and using radioactive dating techniques, specifically looking at daughter isotopes, scientists have determined that the Solar System is 4.6 billion years old. Well, give or take a few million years. That age can be extended to most of the objects and material in the Solar System.

35) An eclipse of the sun occurs when (CSS 2011)

(a) The moon is between the sun and the earth
(b) The sun is between the earth and the moon
(c) The earth is between the sun and the moon
(d) The earth casts its shadow on the moon
(e) None of these
Answer: (a)
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon gets between Earth and the sun, and the moon casts a shadow over Earth. A solar eclipse can only take place at the phase of new moon, when the moon passes directly between the sun and Earth and its shadows fall upon Earth’s surface.

36) Founder of modern astronomy was: (CSS 2009)

(a) Archimedes
(b) William Gilbert
(c) Nicolaus Copernicus
(d) Michael Faraday
(e) None of these
Answer: (c)
Considered today to be the father of modern astronomy, Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473 in Torun, Poland.

37) Orbital period of the planet Mercury around the sun is: (CSS 2009)

(a) 88 days
(b) 365 days
(c) 2 years
(d) 98 days
(e) None of these
Answer: (a)
Mercury has an orbital period of 88 days (87.969 to be exact), which means a single year is 88 Earth days – or the equivalent of about 0.241 Earth years. But here’s the thing. Because of Mercury’s slow rotation (once every 58.646 days) and its rapid orbital speed (47.362 km/s), one day on Mercury actually works out to 175.96 Earth days.

38) Primary cosmic rays are composed largely of very fast ___.

( a) Protons
(b) Neutrons
(c) Electrons
(d) Gamma rays
Answer: (a)
Of primary cosmic rays, which originate outside of Earth’s atmosphere, about 99% are the nuclei (stripped of their electron shells) of well-known atoms, and about 1% are solitary electrons (similar to beta particles). Of the nuclei, about 90% are simple protons, i. e. hydrogen nuclei; 9% are alpha particles, identical to helium nuclei, and 1% are the nuclei of heavier elements, called HZE ions

39) Cosmic rays ____.

(a) Circulate freely through space
(b) are trapped in our galaxy by electric fields
(c) are trapped in our galaxy by magnetic fields
(d) are trapped in our galaxy by gravitational fields
Answer: (c)

40) The red shift in the spectral lines of light reaching us from other galaxies implies that these galaxies ______.

( a) are moving closer to one another
(b) are moving farther apart from one another
(c) are in rapid rotation
(d) Consist predominantly of red giant stars
Answer: (b)

41) According to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, the universe _____.

( a) Must be expanding
(b) Must be contracting
(c) Must be either expanding or contracting
(d) May be neither expanding nor contracting
Answer: (c)

42) Supernova explosions have no connection with _______.

( a) The formation of heavy elements
(b) Cosmic rays
(c) Pulsars
(d) Quasars
Answer: (d)

43) Current ideas suggest that what is responsible for the observed properties of a quasar is a massive ____.

(a) Neutron star
(b) Black hole
(c) Spiral galaxy
(d) Star cluster
Answer: (b)

44) The age of the universe is probably in the neighborhood of ______.

( a) 15 million years
(b) 4 ½ billion years
(c) 15 billion years
(d) 30 billion years
Answer: (c)

45) The term big bang refers to ___.

( a) the origin of the universe
(b) the ultimate fate of the universe
(c) a supernova explosion
(d) the formation of a quasar
Answer: (a)

46) The elements heavier than hydrogen and helium of which the planets are composed probably came from the __.
( a) Sun
(b) Debris of supernova explosions that occurred before the solar system came into being
(c) Big bang
(d) Big crunch
Answer: (b)

47) Today the universe apparently contains ____.

( a) Only matter
(b) Only antimatter
(c) Equal amounts of matter and antimatter
(d) Slightly more matter than antimatter
Answer: (a)

48) Radiation from the early history of the universe was Doppler-shifted by the expansion of the universe until today it is in the form of _______.

( a) X-rays
(b) Ultraviolet waves
(c) Infrared waves
(d) Radio waves
Answer: (d)

49) Present evidence suggests that most of the mass of the universe is in the form of ______.

( a) Dark matter
(b) Luminous matter
(c) Cosmic rays
(d) Black holes
Answer: (a)

50) It is likely that the planets, satellites, and other members of the solar system were formed ________.

(a) Together with the sun
(b) Later than the sun from material it ejected
(c) Later than the sun from material it captured from space
(d) Elsewhere and were captured by the sun
Answer: (a)

Constituents and Structure Solved MCQs (Set-I) | General Science & Ability Read More »

General Knowledge, MCQs / Q&A

NTS Pak Current Affairs MCQs With Answers

Current Affairs, History, Islam, MCQs / Q&A, Past Papers, Test, World /

1. Due to which militant group, Iran threatened Pakistan that they would hit bases of Militants inside Pakistan?
A. ISIS
B. Lashkar-e-Taiba
C. Jaish-al-Adl
D. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

Answer: Option C

2. How many members joint investigation team (JIT) formed by Sup¬reme Court?
A. 4 members (JIT) team
B. 6 members (JIT) team
C. 7 members (JIT) team
D. None of these

Answer: Option B

3. Name the Head of Joint investigation team (JIT) to probe Panama case?
A. Wajid Zia (FIA)
B. Brigadier Muhammad Nauman Saeed (ISI)
C. Brigadier Kamran Khurshid (MI).
D. Irfan Naeem Mangi (NAB).

Answer: Option A

4. Who is the current IG of Islamabad Police?
A. Ahmed Khan
B. Muhammad Khalid Khattak
C. Tahir Masood Yasin
D. Sikandar Hayat

Answer: Option B

5. Who is the current IG of Balochistan Police?
A. Mr. Tariq Umar Khittab
B. Mr. Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera
C. Rao Amin Hashim
D. Mr. Ahsan Mehboob

Answer: Option D

6. Who is the Current IG of Punjab Police?
A. Mushtaq Sukhera
B. Usman Khattak
C. Arif Nawaz
D. Ameen Venus

Answer: Option B

7. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Special Forces during raid in Abbottabad on____________?
A. 2nd May 2010
B. 3rd May 2010
C. 2nd May 2011
D. 3rd May 2011

Answer: Option C

8. Name the Pakistani Cricket player who announced his retirement from Test cricket in April-2017?
A. Younas Khan
B. Shahid Khan Afridi
C. Misbah Ul Haq
D. Mohammed Yousaf

Answer: Option C

9. Name the Imam-i-Kaaba who was invited by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) for Centenary celebrations on 6th April 2017?
A. Hassan Al Bukhari
B. Ahmad Mohammad Al al-Abbas
C. Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais
D. Sheikh Saleh bin Muhammad Bin Talib

Answer: Option D

10. Who is the current IG of Sindh police?
A. Allah Dino Khowaja
B. Ghulam Hyder Jamali
C. Nasir Khan Durrani
D. Shahid Nadeem Baloch

Answer: Option A

11. Who is the current IG of KPK police?
A. Ihsan Ghani
B. Salahuddin Mehsud
C. Nasir Khan Durrani
D. Ali Ahmed

Answer: Option B

12. State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will issue a Coin in Recognition of Edhi’s services on March 31 2017, will worth Rs___________?
A. RS 30
B. RS 40
C. RS 50
D. RS 60

Answer: Option C

13. Name the First Woman Chief Executive Officer and President of of a Major Pakistani Bank?
A. JEHAN ARA
B. SALAINA HAROON
C. SABEEN MAHMOOD
D. SIMA KAMIL

Answer: Option D

14. Who is the current Chief Justice of Sindh High Court?
A. Justice Ahmed Ali M. Sheikh
B. Justice Sajjad Ali Shah
C. Justice Faisal Arab
D. Justice Maqbool Baqar

Answer: Option A

15. Sixth population census Started on 15th March 2017, which is being carried out after___________years?
A. 17 Years
B. 18 Years
C. 19 Years
D. 20 Years

Answer: Option C

16. Who won Pakistan Super League 2017?
A. Peshawar Zalmi
B. Quetta Gladiators
C. Karachi Kings
D. Islamabad United

Answer: Option A

17. Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad means ______________?
A. Path to Salvation
B. Elimination of discord
C. Sharp and cutting strike
D. None of these

Answer: Option B

18. Pakistan Army on launched ‘Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad’ across the country on ______________?
A. 13th Jan 2017
B. 2nd Feb 2017
C. 15th Feb 2017
D. 22nd Feb 2017

Answer: Option D

19. Which country boycotts South Asian Speakers’ summit-2017 ?
A. Pakistan
B. Nepal
C. Maldives
D. Sri Lanka

Answer: Option A

20. South Asian Speakers’ Summit-2017 19-20 Feb 2017 will be held in___________?
A. Colombo, Sri Lanka
B. Kathmandu, Nepa
C. Indore, India
D. Male, Maldives

Answer: Option C

21. Who is Newly appointed Ambassador of Pakistan to USA?
A. Jalil Abbas Jilani
B. Tahmina Janjua
C. Aizaz Chaudhary
D. Nafees Zakria

Answer: Option C

22. Who is currently appointed as adviser to the prime minister on aviation PIA?
A. Zafar Iqbal Jahgra
B. Azam Shigal
C. Tariq Fatmi
D. Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan

Answer: Option D

23. The 13th Meeting of the ECO Heads of State/Government on 1st March 2017 will be hosted by__________?
A. Pakistan
B. Turkey
C. Iran
D. China

Answer: Option A

24. Which team has won blind cricket T-20 world cup-on 12 february 2017 in India?
A. Pakistan
B. Australia
C. India
D. West Indies

Answer: Option C

25. How many countries had participated in conducting international naval exercise ‘Aman-17’ in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Karachi on 10 to 14 February-2017?
A. 21
B. 38
C. 27
D. 17

Answer: Option B

26. Bhikki Power Plant, district Sheikhupura has installed capacity of__________?
A. 1180 MW
B. 1320 MW
C. 480 MW
D. 1480 MW

Answer: Option A

27. Which Renowned Pakistani novelist passes away on 4th February -2017 at the age of 88 years?
A. Fatima Surayya Bajia
B. Razia Butt
C. Bano Qudsia
D. Parveen Shakir

Answer: Option C

28. Ex PM Nawaz Shairf has inaugurated 75-km long section of Karachi-Hyderabad motorway(total length would be 136 KM) on 3rd February-2017 it is?
A. M8 Motorway
B. M9 Motorway
C. M12 Motorway
D. M4 Motorway

Answer: Option B

29. Current Deputy Chairman Senate is____________?
A. Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman
B. Marvi Memon
C. Moulana Abdul Gafoor Haidri
D. Faisal Kareem Kundi

Answer: Option C

30. Current Chairman Senate is___________?
A. Ayaz Sadiq
B. Khrsheed Shah
C. Aitzaz Ehsan
D. Raza Rabbani

Answer: Option D

31. Who became the first Pakistani Women bowler from the country in Women ODIs to take 100 wickets in One-day International?
A. Sana Mir
B. Anam Amin
C. Asmavia Iqbal
D. Bismah Maroof

Answer: Option A

32. Current Governor Sindh is _______________?
A. Murad Ali Shah
B. Dr. Ishratul Ebad
C. Justice(R) Saeed U zaman Saddiqi
D. Muhammad Zubair
updated on 31 jan 2017

Answer: Option D

33. Name the Pakistan’s surface-to-surface ballistic missile, which is capable of delivering multiple warheads using Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology?
A. Shaheen-II
B. Ababeel
C. Nasr
D. Ghauri

Answer: Option B

34. Multan Metro Bus Project Inaugurated by ex-PM Nawaz Sharif on 24th January-2017 completed with cost of 28.88 Billions Rs. its route length is?
A. 22.5 KM
B. 27 KM
C. 33.5 KM
D. 18.5 KM

Answer: Option D

35. Pakistan conducted a successful test of the “Ababeel” surface-to-surface ballistic missile on 24 January 2017, its range is___________?
A. 450 KM
B. 750 KM
C. 2200 KM
D. 1400 KM

Answer: Option C

36. After how many Years Pakistan’s win first ODI on Australian soil in jan 2017?
A. 12 Years
B. 10 Years
C. 15 years
D. None of these

Answer: Option A

37. The late Justice(R) Saeed U zaman Saddiqi Governor Sindh had served as the _________Chief Justice of Pakistan?
A. 13th Chief Justice of Pakistan
B. 14th Chief Justice of Pakistan
C. 15th Chief Justice of Pakistan
D. 16th Chief Justice of Pakistan

Answer: Option C

38. The Shortest-Serving Governor in Sindh’s History is?
A. Murad Ali Shah
B. Dr. Ishratul Ebad
C. Justice(R) Saeed U zaman Saddiqi
D. Khursheed Shah

Answer: Option C

39. Pakistan test fired its first submarine launched cruise missile Babur-III on 9 January 2017, has the range of___________ kilometres?
A. 450 kilometres
B. 550 kilometres
C. 650 kilometres
D. 700 kilometres

Answer: Option A

40.
Islamic military coalition formed to combat terrorism is the alliance of ___________ Nations
A. 34 nations
B. 38 Nations
C. 39 Nations
D. 40 Nations

Answer: Option C

41. joint operations center to coordinate and support military operations of Saudi-led Islamic military alliance of 39 Nations against terrorism is located in?
A. Riyadh
B. Jeddah
C. Medina
D. Damma

Answer: Option A

42. Who has been appointed as a Chief of Saudi-led Islamic anti-terror alliance of 39 Nations in January 2017?
A. General (retd) Raheel Sharif
B. General (retd) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
C. General (retd) Pervez Musharraf
D. General Qamar Javed Bajwa

Answer: Option A

43. Who becomes most experienced international umpire in cricket history in January 2017?
A. Aleem Dar
B. Rod Tucker
C. Sundaram Ravi
D. Marais Erasmus

Answer: Option A

44. Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took oath as Chief justice of Pakistan on __________?
A. 25 December 2016
B. 31 December 2016
C. 1 January 2017
D. 15 January 2017

Answer: Option B

45. Who is Current Chief justice of Pakistan?
A. Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali
B. Justice Mian Saqib Nisar
C. Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk
D. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry

Answer: Option B

46. The current Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court is?
A. Justice Mazhar ALam Khan Miankhel
B. Justice Mian Fasih-ul-Mulk
C. Justice Dost Muhammad Khan
D. Justice Yahya Afridi

Answer: Option D

47. Recently inaugurated Chashma- III nuclear power plant can generate___________ megawatts of electricity?
A. 340 megawatts
B. 360 megawatts
C. 400 megawatts
D. 150 megawatt

Answer: Option A

48. Pak-Jordan joint military exercise held in December-2016 near Attock, called?
A. Raadul Baraq
B. Ataturk-IX
C. Friendship-2016
D. Fajr-ul-Sharq 1

Answer: Option D

49. Ex PM Nawaz has inaugurated 340 MW Chashma Nuclear Project-III in Mianwali on 28 December-2016 with the help of?
A. China
B. Turkey
C. Russia
D. Canada

Answer: Option A

50. How many regulatory bodies placed under the administrative control of the respective ministries concerned in December 2016?
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 7

Answer: Option C

51. Who becomes first Pakistani to win ICC Spirit of Cricket Award in December 2016?
A. Shahid Khan Afridi
B. Misbah-ul-Haq
C. Younas khan
D. Azhar Ali

Answer: Option B

52. China Pakistan Economics Corridor (CPEC) total length?
A.2896 KM
B. 7200 KM
C. 2442 KM
C. 4400 KM

Answer: Option C

53. Who is Current DG Rangers Sindh?
A. Major Nadeem
B. Gen Muhammad Saeed
C. Gen Rizwan Akhtar
D. Gen Asim Bajwa

Answer: Option B

54. The 10-rupee coin, recently issued by SBP, contains the picture of _____________?
A. Derawar Fort
B. Gwadar Port
C. Badshahi Mosque
D. Faisal Mosque

Answer: Option D

55. What is the name of the “chaiwala” Who got famous from social media in 2016?
A. Kamal Khan
B. Irshad Khan
C. Rasheed Khan
D. Arshad Khan

Answer: Option D

56. Pakistan will conduct its ____________ Population cencus in 2017?
A. 4th population census
B. 5th population census
C. 6th population census
D. 7th population census

Answer: Option C

57. Pakistan’s sixth population census will be carried out in _____________?
A. February 2017
B. March 2017
C. April 2017
D. May 2017

Answer: Option B

58. Who is newly Appointed DG ISPR of Pakistan Army?
A. Lt General Asim Saleem Bajwa
B. Major General Asif Ghafoor
C. Major General Athar Abbas
D. Major General Waheed Arshad

Answer: Option B

59. USA have signed an agreement to provide Rs 8.5 billion to the WAPDA for the construction of?
A. Dia Mir Bahasha Dam Project
B. Kala Bagh Dam Project
C. Kurram Tangi Dam Project
D. Mirani Dam Project

Answer: Option C

60. Name the special task force, which is established in December 2016 by Pakistan Navy to safeguard and protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as well as Gwadar port?
A. Task Force 21
B. Task Force 44
C. Task Force 88
D. Task Force 2

Answer: Option C

61. Who is the First Pakistani female member of bomb disposal squad (BDU)?
A. Shazadi Gillani
B. Maryyam
C. Rafia Qaseem Baig
D. None of these

Answer: Option C

62. According to a notification by the Ministry of Law and Justice, Who will be the next Chief Justice of Pakistan in 2017?
A. Justice Mian Saqib Nisar
B. Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali
C. Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa
D. Justice Amir Hani Muslim

Answer: Option A

63. Name the University which Department to be rename as “Abdus Salam Center for Physics” Approved by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in December 2016?
A. Punjab University (Lahore)
B. Quaid-e-Azam University (Islamabad)
C. Gomal University (DI Khan)
D. All of Above

Answer: Option B

64. Name the International University which started Benazir Bhutto Leadership Program (BBLP) / international leadership course in December 2016?
A. University of Oxford
B. Harvard University
C. University of Cambridge
D. None of these

Answer: Option B

65. The 2017 Heart of Asia – Istanbul Ministerial Process will be hosted by which country?
A. Pakistan
B. India
C. Bhutan
D. Azerbaijan

Answer: Option D

66. Heart of Asia – Istanbul Ministerial Process on December 3 to December 4, 2016 was hosted by which country?
A. Pakistan
B. India (Amritsar city)
C. Bhutan
D. Iran

Answer: Option B

67. How many Participating Countries are there in Heart of Asia Conference?
A. 12 Participating Countries
B. 14 Participating Countries
C. 16 Participating Countries
D. None of these

Answer: Option B

68. Number of Supporting Countries in Heart of Asia – Istanbul Ministerial Process are?
A. 15 Supporting Countries
B. 17 Supporting Countries
C. 19 Supporting Countries
D. None of these

Answer: Option B

69. Pakistan has started direct train and freight service in December 2016 with which Country?
A. Iran
B. India
C. Afghanistan
D. China

Answer: Option D

70. Till now, How many Chief of Army Staff (COAS), of Pakistan are selected from Baloch Regiment?
A. Two
B. Three
C. Four
D. None of these

Answer: Option C

71. General Qamar Javed Bajwa took oath as Army Chief on __________?
A. 23 November 2016
B. 25 November 2016
C. 27 November 2016
D. 29 November 2016

Answer: Option D

72. General Zubair Hayat is the ___________ Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) of Pakistan?
A. 13th
B. 15th
C. 16th
D. 17th

Answer: Option D

73. Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa is___________ Chief of Amy Staff of Pakistan?
A. 13th
B. 15th
C. 16th
D. None of these

Answer: Option C

74. Newly selected Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa belongs to Regiment___________?
A. 6th FF
B. 16th Baloch Ragiment
C. 5th Punjab
D. 13th Lancers

Answer: Option B

75. Who is the Current Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), Pakistan?
A. General Rashad Mahmood
B. General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani
C. General Zubair Hayat
D. General Raheel Sharif

Answer: Option C

76. Who is the Current Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Pakistan?
A. Gen Raheel Sharif
B. Gen Ashfaq Parvaz kayani
C. Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa
D. Gen Zubair Hayat

Answer: Option C

77. Name the cricket Stadium which is located in Khyber Agency and inaugurated by Gen Raheel Sharif in November 2016?
A. Younas Khan cricket stadium
B. Shahid Afridi cricket stadium
C. Gaddafi Stadium
D. Arbab Niaz Stadium

Answer: Option B

78. Pakistan Army shoots down Indian Quad Copter drone at LOC in November 2016 at which sector?
A) Bhimber Sector
B) Rakhchakri Sector
C) Shahkot sector
D) Jura sector.

Answer: Option B

79. PAKISTAN 9th International Defense Exhibition and Seminar to be held on 22-25 November-2016 in Karachi Expo Center, its name?
A. Defense Production Workshop-2016
B. Army Arms Ideas-2016
C. IDEAS-2016
D. Combat-2016

Answer: Option C

80. Who was the only Pakistani to have climbed six of the world’s tallest mountains of 8000 m passed away on 21-Nov-2016 due to blood Cancer?
A. Ashraf Amman
B. Nazeer Sabar
C. Numera Saleem
D. Hassan Sadpara

Answer: Option D

81. Current Minister of Planning and Development of Pakistan?
A. Nawaz Sharief
B. Khwaja Saad Rafique
C. Ahsan Iqbal
D. Zafar ul Haq

Answer: Option C

82. Ishratul Ebad has longest tenure as a Governor of any province of Pakistan?
A. 12 years (2001-2012)
B. 16 Years ( 2001-2016)
C. 14 Years ( 2002-2016)
D. 10 Years ( 2006-2016)

Answer: Option C

83. First caretaker female chief election commissioner of Pakistan who took oath on 7 November-2016?
A. Justice Majida Rizvi
B. Asima Jhangir
C. Maryam Orangzaib
D. Justice (Retd) Irshad Qaiser

Answer: Option D

84. Current National Assembly of Pakistan is_________?
A. 12th National Assembly
B. 13th National Assembly
C. 14th National Assembly
D. 16th National Assembly

Answer: Option C

85. 22nd Amendment in 1973 Constitution of Pakistan is related to____________?
A. Pak Army Trail Courts
B. Powers of Election Commission Members
C. Related to NRO
D. Not made yet

Answer: Option B

86. Woman Seats in Senat?
A. 12
B. 17
C. 4
D. 10

Answer: Option B

87. Renowned former producer and director of PTV died at the age of 73 years due to lung complications in Lahore on 4-11-2016, name?
A. Sohail Azeem
B. Bushra Adil
C. Yawar Hayat
D. Azeem Bombywalay

Answer: Option C

88. Who received the ‘most resilient journalist award’ by the International Free Press in Hague, Holland on 2nd November-2016
A. Javed Chauhdary
B. Hamid Mir
C. Talat Huusain
D. Kamran Khan

Answer: Option B

89. Terrorists attacked on Police Training Center on 25 October-2016 night which result 61 martyred and 124 injured in?
A. Peshawar
B. Quetta
C. Karachi
D. Rawalpindi

Answer: Option B

90. Pakistan Army won the gold medal at an annual international military patrolling exercise, ‘Exercise Cambrian Patrol’ held in?
A. New South Wales, Australia
B. Moscow, Russia
C. Wales, United Kingdom
D. Istanbul, Turkey

Answer: Option C

91. Which Pakistani footballer died in a road accident in Karachi on October 13, 2016?
A. Shahlyla Baloch
B. Samreen Marvi
C. Iffat Saeed
D. None of Above

Answer: Option A

92. Who have made first century,double century and also triple century in day and night Test Match with pink ball in Oct-2016?
A. Veerat Kohli (IndiA.
B. Brandom Macalum (NuzilanD.
C. Azhar Ali (Pakistan)
D. Hashim Amlaa (South AfricA.

Answer: Option C

93. Pakistan issued $1 billion five-year Sukuk bonds on October 6, 2016 @ the rate of__________?
A. 9.3%
B. 7.5%
C. 5.5%
D. 4.75%

Answer: Option C

94. Which Bank has installed world highest ATM at Pakistan-China border in Khunjerab Pass in October-2016?
A. National Bank of Pakistan (NBP)
B. Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB)
C. United Bank Limited (UBL)
D. Allied Bank Limited. (ABL)
(more…)

Answer: Option A

95. 19th SAARC conference-2016 which was going to held in Islamabad, Pakistan has postponed due to opposite of 3 SAARC Countries?
A. Nepal, India, Bangladesh
B. India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
C. Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India
D. None of Above

Answer: Option C

96. Which country declared as the third largest host for refugees by Amnesty International in October-2016?
A. Jordan
B. Turkey
C. Germany
D. Pakistan

Answer: Option D

97. Joint Military Exercises Started between Pakistan & Russia in September-2016, called_________?
A. Inspired Gambit
B. North Thunder
C. Operation Rajjgal
D. Druzhba 2016 OR (Friendship 2016)

Answer: Option D

98. Seven Years old British Pakistani who became world’s youngest computer programmer in September-2016?
A. Muhammad Usaman
B. Hamza Shahzad
C. Ali Raza
D. Imran Abbas

Answer: Option B

99. Military Exercises held in September-2016 between Pak & USA in South Carolina,called?
A. Thunder Bolt
B. Joint C-2016
C. Inspired Gambit
D. none of Above

Answer: Option C

100. Current Hijri Year is ?
A. 1435 AH
B. 1437 AH
C. 1438 AH
D. 1434 AH

Answer: Option C

101. Which country got first position in Test Ranking in Cricket in its History on 22 Aug-2016?
A. Pakistan
B. India
C. South Africa
D. Sri Lanka

Answer: Option A

102. Member of Sindh Assembly and MQM resigned on 22 Aug-2016 ?
A. Farooq Sattar
B. Kashmala Tariq
C. Waseem Akhtar
D. Iram Farooqi

Answer: Option D

103. Which country won first position by wining 121 medals in Olympics-2016?
A. UK
B. China
C. USA
D. Russia

Answer: Option C

104. Tallest Building of Pakistan?
A. Burj Khalifa
B. Habib Bank Plaza, Karachi
C. Minar-e-Pakistan Lahore
D. Icon Tower, Karachi

Answer: Option D

105. Pakistan Army conducting an operation along the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Agency, called?
A. Operation Zarb-e- Azab
B. Operation Rah-e-Nijaat
C. Operation Rajjgal
D. Operation Zarb-e-Ahaan

Answer: Option C

106. Pakistan has launched its biggest Navy’s Warship Fleet Tanker with the help of ?
A. Turkey
B. China
C. Canada
D. USA

Answer: Option A

107. Who is Chairman NADRA ?
A. Syed Muzzafar
B. Uzma Adil
C. Abid Sher Ali
D. Usman Yousaf Mobeen

Answer: Option D

108. Pakistan has became 6th time world champion on 17 Aug-2016 in?
A. Cricket
B. Junior Squash
C. Hockey
D. Kabadi

Answer: Option B

109. Recently in which country Amnesty International has closed its offices?
A. Afghanistan
B. Pakistan
C. India
D. Syria

Answer: Option C

110. Current President of Azad Kashmir is?
A. Ch. Abdul Majeed
B. Sardar Masood Khan
C. Raja Farooq
D. Sardar Yaqoob

Answer: Option B

111. “Combing operation” Means________________?
A. A searching operation by Forces to find out hidden terrorists.
B. Kidney Operation by qualified Surgeons
C. A bill passed by Pakistani Parliament.
D. None of Above

Answer: Option A

112. Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Plant based in Muzzafarabad will produce electricity?
A. 969 Mwt
B. 4500 Mwt
C. 425 Mgw
D. 3200 Mwt

Answer: Option A

113. Ex Pakistani Cricket Captain Hanif Muhammad died on 11 Aug-2016 at the age of 81 years, got the title?
A. Flying Shaheen
B. Little Master
C. Asian Legend
D. None of Above

Answer: Option B

114. Russia will invest__________ in the construction of North-South gas pipeline.
A. $1 billion
B. $2 billion
C. $3 billion
D. $4 billion

Answer: Option B

115. The North-South gas pipeline will transport LNG from____________?
A. Karachi to Lahore
B. Lahore to Karachi
C. Gwadar to Karachi
D. Gwadar to Sukkur

Answer: Option A

116. The total length of North-South gas pipeline is_____________?
A. 1,000 km
B. 1,100 km
C. 1,200 km
D. 1,300 km

Answer: Option B

117. Around _______billion m3 of gas would be transported from Karachi to Lahore per annum through North-South gas pipeline.
A. 11.0
B. 11.4
C. 12.0
D. 12.4

Answer: Option D

118. The total length of Karachi-Lahore Motorway is___________?
A. 1,000 km
B. 1,100 km
C. 1,200 km
D. 1,300 km

Answer: Option B

119. Pakistan issued 10-year Eurobonds of _____ in the international Eurobond market on 25 September 2015.
A. $5 million
B. $50 million
C. $500 million
D. $5000 million

Answer: Option C

120. The coupon rate of Eurobonds issued on 25 September 2015 is___________%?
A. 7.75%
B. 8.0%
C. 8.25%
D. 8.50%

Answer: Option C

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