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American historian

June 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul.
  • 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
  • 1461 – Edward, Earl of March, is crowned King Edward IV of England.
  • 1519 – Charles V is elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
  • 1575 – Sengoku period of Japan: The combined forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu are victorious in the Battle of Nagashino.
  • 1635 – Guadeloupe becomes a French colony.
  • 1651 – The Battle of Berestechko between Poland and Ukraine starts.
  • 1709 – Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava.
  • 1745 – A New England colonial army captures the French fortifications at Louisbourg (New Style).
  • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Sullivan’s Island ends with the American victory, leading to the commemoration of Carolina Day.
  • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Thomas Hickey, Continental Army private and bodyguard to General George Washington, is hanged for mutiny and sedition.
  • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: The American Continentals engage the British in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse resulting in standstill and British withdrawal under cover of darkness.
  • 1797 – French troops disembark in Corfu, beginning the French rule in the Ionian Islands.
  • 1807 – Second British invasion of the Río de la Plata; John Whitelocke lands at Ensenada on an attempt to recapture Buenos Aires and is defeated by the locals.
  • 1838 – Coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
  • 1841 – The Paris Opera Ballet premieres Giselle in the Salle Le Peletier.
  • 1846 – Adolphe Sax patents the saxophone.
  • 1855 – Sigma Chi fraternity is founded in North America.
  • 1859 – The first conformation dog show is held in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
  • 1865 – The Army of the Potomac is disbanded.
  • 1880 – Australian bushranger Ned Kelly is captured at Glenrowan.
  • 1881 – The Austro–Serbian Alliance of 1881 is secretly signed.
  • 1882 – The Anglo-French Convention of 1882 marks the territorial boundaries between Guinea and Sierra Leone.
  • 1894 – Labor Day becomes an official US holiday.
  • 1895 – The United States Court of Private Land Claims rules James Reavis’s claim to Barony of Arizona is “wholly fictitious and fraudulent.”
  • 1896 – An explosion in the Newton Coal Company’s Twin Shaft Mine in Pittston, Pennsylvania results in a massive cave-in that kills 58 miners.
  • 1902 – The U.S. Congress passes the Spooner Act, authorizing President Theodore Roosevelt to acquire rights from Colombia for the Panama Canal.
  • 1904 – The SS Norge runs aground on Hasselwood Rock in the North Atlantic 430 kilometres (270 mi) northwest of Ireland. More than 635 people die during the sinking.
  • 1911 – The Nakhla meteorite, the first one to suggest signs of aqueous processes on Mars, falls to Earth, landing in Egypt.
  • 1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo; this is the casus belli of World War I.
  • 1917 – World War I: Greece joins the Allied powers.
  • 1919 – The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the state of war between Germany and the Allies of World War I.
  • 1921 – Serbian King Alexander I proclaims the new constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, known thereafter as the Vidovdan Constitution.
  • 1922 – The Irish Civil War begins with the shelling of the Four Courts in Dublin by Free State forces.
  • 1926 – Mercedes-Benz is formed by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merging their two companies.
  • 1936 – The Japanese puppet state of Mengjiang is formed in northern China.
  • 1940 – Romania cedes Bessarabia (current-day Moldova) to the Soviet Union after facing an ultimatum.
  • 1942 – World War II: Nazi Germany starts its strategic summer offensive against the Soviet Union, codenamed Case Blue.
  • 1945 – Poland’s Soviet-allied Provisional Government of National Unity is formed over a month after V-E Day.
  • 1948 – Cold War: The Tito–Stalin Split results in the expulsion of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia from the Cominform.
  • 1948 – Boxer Dick Turpin beats Vince Hawkins at Villa Park in Birmingham to become the first black British boxing champion in the modern era.
  • 1950 – Korean War: Suspected communist sympathizers (between 60,000 to 200,000) are executed in the Bodo League massacre.
  • 1950 – Korean War: Packed with its own refugees fleeing Seoul and leaving their 5th Division stranded, South Korean forces blow up the Hangang Bridge in an attempt to slow North Korea’s offensive. The city falls later that day.
  • 1950 – Korean War: North Korean Army conducts the Seoul National University Hospital massacre.
  • 1956 – in Poznań, workers from HCP factory go to the streets, sparking one of the first major protests against communist government both in Poland and Europe.
  • 1964 – Malcolm X forms the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
  • 1969 – Stonewall riots begin in New York City, marking the start of the Gay Rights Movement.
  • 1973 – Elections are held for the Northern Ireland Assembly, which will lead to power-sharing between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland for the first time.
  • 1976 – The Angolan court sentences US and UK mercenaries to death sentences and prison terms in the Luanda Trial.
  • 1978 – The United States Supreme Court, in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke bars quota systems in college admissions.
  • 1981 – A powerful bomb explodes in Tehran, killing 73 officials of the Islamic Republican Party.
  • 1987 – For the first time in military history, a civilian population is targeted for chemical attack when Iraqi warplanes bombed the Iranian town of Sardasht.
  • 1989 – On the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, Slobodan Milošević delivers the Gazimestan speech at the site of the historic battle.
  • 1997 – Holyfield–Tyson II: Mike Tyson is disqualified in the third round for biting a piece off Evander Holyfield’s ear.
  • 2001 – Slobodan Milošević is extradited to the ICTY in The Hague to stand trial.
  • 2004 – Iraq War: Sovereign power is handed to the interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the U.S.-led rule of that nation.
  • 2009 – Honduran president Manuel Zelaya is ousted by a local military coup following a failed request to hold a referendum to rewrite the Honduran Constitution. This was the start of the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis.
  • 2016 – A terrorist attack in Turkey’s Istanbul Atatürk Airport kills 42 people and injures more than 230 others.

Births on June 28

  • 751 – Carloman I, king of the Franks (d. 771)
  • 1243 – Emperor Go-Fukakusa of Japan (d. 1304)
  • 1444 – Charlotte, Queen of Cyprus (d. 1487)
  • 1476 – Pope Paul IV (d. 1559)
  • 1490 – Albert of Brandenburg, German archbishop (d. 1545)
  • 1491 – Henry VIII of England (d. 1547)
  • 1503 – Giovanni della Casa, Italian author and poet (d. 1556)
  • 1547 – Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian organist and composer (d. 1599)
  • 1557 – Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, English nobleman (d. 1595)
  • 1560 – Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (d. 1657)
  • 1573 – Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby, English noble (d. 1644)
  • 1577 – Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish painter and diplomat (d. 1640)
  • 1582 – William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English politician (d. 1662)
  • 1604 – Heinrich Albert, German composer and poet (d. 1651)
  • 1641 – Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d’Arquien, consort to King John III Sobieski (d. 1716)
  • 1653 – Muhammad Azam Shah, Mughal emperor (d. 1707)
  • 1703 – John Wesley, English cleric and theologian (d. 1791)
  • 1712 – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher and polymath (d. 1778)
  • 1719 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1785)
  • 1734 – Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier, French organist and composer (d. 1794)
  • 1742 – William Hooper, American physician, lawyer, and politician (d. 1790)
  • 1824 – Paul Broca, French physician, anatomist, and anthropologist (d. 1880)
  • 1825 – Emil Erlenmeyer, German chemist (d. 1909)
  • 1831 – Joseph Joachim, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1907)
  • 1836 – Emmanuel Rhoides, Greek journalist and author (d. 1904)
  • 1844 – John Boyle O’Reilly, Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer (d. 1890)
  • 1852 – Charles Cruft, English showman, founded Crufts Dog Show (d. 1938)
  • 1867 – Luigi Pirandello, Italian dramatist, novelist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
  • 1873 – Alexis Carrel, French surgeon and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1944)
  • 1875 – Henri Lebesgue, French mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
  • 1879 – Wilhelm Steinkopf, German chemist (d. 1949)
  • 1880 – John Meyers, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1971)
  • 1883 – Pierre Laval, French soldier and politician, 101st Prime Minister of France (d. 1945)
  • 1884 – Lamina Sankoh, Sierra Leonean banker and politician (d. 1964)
  • 1888 – George Challenor, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1947)
  • 1888 – Stefi Geyer, Hungarian violinist and educator (d. 1956)
  • 1891 – Esther Forbes, American historian and author (d. 1968)
  • 1891 – Carl Spaatz, American general (d. 1974)
  • 1892 – Carl Panzram, American serial killer (d. 1930)
  • 1893 – August Zamoyski, Polish-French sculptor (d. 1970)
  • 1894 – Francis Hunter, American tennis player (d. 1981)
  • 1902 – Richard Rodgers, American playwright and composer (d. 1979)
  • 1906 – Maria Goeppert Mayer, Polish-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
  • 1907 – Jimmy Mundy, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1983)
  • 1907 – Yvonne Sylvain, First female Haitian physician (d. 1989)
  • 1909 – Eric Ambler, English author and screenwriter (d. 1998)
  • 1912 – Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, German physicist and philosopher (d. 2007)
  • 1913 – Franz Antel, Austrian director and producer (d. 2007)
  • 1913 – George Lloyd, English soldier and composer (d. 1998)
  • 1913 – Walter Oesau, German colonel and pilot (d. 1944)
  • 1914 – Aribert Heim, Austrian SS physician and Nazi war criminal (d. 1992)
  • 1917 – A. E. Hotchner, American author and playwright (d. 2020)
  • 1918 – William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, Scottish-English politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1999)
  • 1919 – Joseph P. Lordi, American government official (d. 1983)
  • 1920 – Clarissa Eden, Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
  • 1921 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (d. 2004)
  • 1922 – Hans Frauenfelder, American physicist and biophysicist
  • 1923 – Pete Candoli, American trumpet player (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Adolfo Schwelm Cruz, Argentinian racing driver (d. 2012)
  • 1923 – Gaye Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – George Booth, American cartoonist
  • 1926 – Mel Brooks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1926 – Robert Ledley, American academic and inventor (d. 2012)
  • 1927 – Correlli Barnett, English historian and author
  • 1927 – Frank Sherwood Rowland, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Hans Blix, Swedish politician and diplomat, 33rd Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1928 – Patrick Hemingway, American writer
  • 1928 – Harold Evans, English-American historian and journalist
  • 1928 – Peter Heine, South African cricketer (d. 2005)
  • 1928 – Cyril Smith, English politician (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Alfred Miodowicz, Polish politician
  • 1930 – William C. Campbell, Irish-American biologist and parasitologist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1930 – Itamar Franco, Brazilian engineer and politician, 33rd President of Brazil (d. 2011)
  • 1930 – Jack Gold, English director and producer (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Hans Alfredson, Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1931 – Junior Johnson, American race car driver (d. 2019)
  • 1931 – Lucien Victor, Belgian cyclist (d. 1995)
  • 1932 – Pat Morita, American actor (d. 2005)
  • 1933 – Gusty Spence, Northern Irish loyalist and politician (d. 2011)
  • 1934 – Robert Carswell, Baron Carswell, Northern Irish lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
  • 1934 – Roy Gilchrist, Jamaican cricketer (d. 2001)
  • 1934 – Bette Greene, American journalist and author
  • 1934 – Carl Levin, American lawyer and politician
  • 1934 – Georges Wolinski, Tunisian-French journalist and cartoonist (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – John Inman, English actor (d. 2007)
  • 1936 – Chuck Howley, American football player
  • 1937 – George Knudson, Canadian golfer (d. 1989)
  • 1937 – Fernand Labrie, Canadian endocrinologist and academic
  • 1937 – Ron Luciano, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1995)
  • 1938 – John Byner, American actor and comedian
  • 1938 – Leon Panetta, American lawyer and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of Defense
  • 1938 – S. Sivamaharajah, Sri Lankan Tamil newspaper publisher and politician (d. 2006)
  • 1938 – Simon Douglas-Pennant, 7th Baron Penrhyn, British baron
  • 1939 – Klaus Schmiegel, German chemist
  • 1940 – Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshi economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1941 – Al Downing, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1941 – Joseph Goguen, American computer scientist and academic, developed the OBJ language (d. 2006)
  • 1941 – David Johnston, Canadian academic, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor General of Canada
  • 1942 – Chris Hani, South African politician (d. 1993)
  • 1942 – Hans-Joachim Walde, German decathlete (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Frank Zane, American professional bodybuilder and author
  • 1943 – Jens Birkemose, Danish painter
  • 1943 – Donald Johanson, American paleontologist and academic
  • 1943 – Klaus von Klitzing, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1945 – Ken Buchanan, Scottish boxer
  • 1945 – David Knights, English bass player and producer
  • 1945 – Raul Seixas, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1989)
  • 1945 – Türkan Şoray, Turkish actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1946 – Robert Asprin, American soldier and author (d. 2008)
  • 1946 – Bruce Davison, American actor and director
  • 1946 – David Duckham, English rugby player
  • 1946 – Robert Xavier Rodríguez, American classical composer
  • 1946 – Jaime Guzmán, Chilean lawyer and politician (d. 1991)
  • 1946 – Gilda Radner, American actress and comedian (d. 1989)
  • 1947 – Mark Helprin, American novelist and journalist
  • 1947 – Laura Tyson, American economist and academic
  • 1948 – Kathy Bates, American actress
  • 1948 – Sergei Bodrov, Russian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1948 – Deborah Moggach, English author and screenwriter
  • 1948 – Daniel Wegner, Canadian-American psychologist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1949 – Don Baylor, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
  • 1950 – Philip Fowke, English pianist and educator
  • 1950 – Mauricio Rojas, Chilean-Swedish economist and politician
  • 1950 – Chris Speier, American baseball player and coach
  • 1951 – Mick Cronin, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1951 – Mark Shand, English conservationist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1951 – Lalla Ward, English actress and author
  • 1952 – Enis Batur, Turkish poet and author
  • 1952 – Pietro Mennea, Italian sprinter and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1952 – Jean-Christophe Rufin, French physician and author
  • 1954 – A. A. Gill, Scottish author and critic (d. 2016)
  • 1954 – Alice Krige, South African actress
  • 1955 – Shirley Cheriton, British actress
  • 1956 – Amira Hass, Israeli journalist and author
  • 1956 – Noel Mugavin, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1957 – Lance Nethery, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1957 – Georgi Parvanov, Bulgarian historian and politician, 4th President of Bulgaria
  • 1957 – Mike Skinner, American race car driver
  • 1957 – Jim Spanarkel, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1958 – Donna Edwards, American lawyer and politician
  • 1958 – Félix Gray, Tunisian-French singer-songwriter
  • 1959 – Clint Boon, English singer and keyboard player
  • 1959 – John Shelley, British illustrator
  • 1960 – John Elway, American football player and manager
  • 1960 – Roland Melanson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1961 – Jeff Malone, American basketball player and coach
  • 1962 – Anișoara Cușmir-Stanciu, Romanian long jumper
  • 1962 – Artur Hajzer, Polish mountaineer (d. 2013)
  • 1962 – Ann-Louise Skoglund, Swedish hurdler
  • 1963 – Peter Baynham, Welsh actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1963 – Charlie Clouser, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1964 – Christina Ashcroft, Canadian sport shooter
  • 1964 – Mark Grace, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Bernie McCahill, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1964 – Dan Stains, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1964 – Steve Williamson, English saxophonist and composer
  • 1965 – Jessica Hecht, American actress
  • 1965 – Tiaan Strauss, South African rugby player
  • 1966 – Peeter Allik, Estonian painter and illustrator (d. 2019)
  • 1966 – Bobby Bare Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1966 – John Cusack, American actor and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Mary Stuart Masterson, American actress
  • 1967 – Leona Aglukkaq, Canadian politician, 7th Canadian Minister of Health
  • 1967 – Gil Bellows, Canadian actor and producer
  • 1967 – Zhong Huandi, Chinese runner
  • 1967 – Lars Riedel, German discus thrower
  • 1968 – Chayanne, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1969 – Tichina Arnold, American actress and singer
  • 1969 – Stéphane Chapuisat, Swiss footballer
  • 1969 – Fabrizio Mori, Italian hurdler
  • 1970 – Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer and coach
  • 1970 – Tom Merritt, American journalist
  • 1970 – Mike White, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Lorenzo Amoruso, Italian footballer
  • 1971 – Fabien Barthez, French footballer
  • 1971 – Bobby Hurley, American basketball player and coach
  • 1971 – Ron Mahay, American baseball player and scout
  • 1971 – Elon Musk, South African-born American businessman
  • 1971 – Aileen Quinn, American actress and singer
  • 1972 – Ngô Bảo Châu, Vietnamese-French mathematician and academic
  • 1972 – Chris Leslie, English politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • 1972 – Geeta Tripathee, Nepali poet, lyricist and literary critic
  • 1972 – Alessandro Nivola, American actor
  • 1973 – Adrián Annus, Hungarian hammer thrower
  • 1973 – Corey Koskie, Canadian baseball player
  • 1974 – Rob Dyrdek, American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and reality television star
  • 1975 – Jon Nödtveidt, Swedish singer-songwriter, and guitarist (d. 2006)
  • 1976 – Shinobu Asagoe, Japanese tennis player
  • 1976 – Seth Wescott, American snowboarder
  • 1977 – Chris Spurling, American baseball player
  • 1977 – Mark Stoermer, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1977 – Harun Tekin, Turkish singer and guitarist
  • 1978 – Simon Larose, Canadian tennis player
  • 1979 – Randy McMichael, American football player
  • 1979 – Neil Shanahan, Irish racing driver (d. 1999)
  • 1979 – Florian Zeller, French author and playwright
  • 1980 – Jevgeni Novikov, Estonian footballer
  • 1981 – Savage, New Zealand rapper
  • 1981 – Michael Crafter, Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Guillermo Martínez, Cuban javelin thrower
  • 1981 – Brandon Phillips, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Ibrahim Camejo, Cuban long jumper
  • 1985 – Phil Bardsley, English footballer
  • 1985 – Colt Hynes, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Kellie Pickler, American singer-songwriter
  • 1987 – Sonata Tamošaitytė, Lithuanian hurdler
  • 1987 – Terrence Williams, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Jason Clark, Australian rugby league player
  • 1989 – Andrew Fifita, Australian rugby league player
  • 1989 – David Fifita, Australian rugby league player
  • 1989 – Julia Zlobina, Russian-Azerbaijani figure skater
  • 1989 – Markiplier, American internet personality
  • 1989 – Nicole Rottmann, Austrian tennis player
  • 1991 – Seohyun, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress
  • 1991 – Kevin De Bruyne, Belgian footballer
  • 1991 – Kang Min-hyuk, South Korean singer, drummer, and actor
  • 1992 – Oscar Hiljemark, Swedish footballer
  • 1992 – Elaine Thompson, Jamaican sprinter
  • 1993 – Bradley Beal, American basketball player
  • 1994 – Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan
  • 1994 – Emily Blue, American singer-songwriter
  • 1996 – Donna Vekić, Croatian tennis player
  • 1996 – Larissa Werbicki, Canadian rower
  • 1999 – Markéta Vondroušová, Czech tennis player
  • 2002 – Marta Kostyuk, Ukrainian tennis player

Deaths on June 28

  • 202 – Yuan Shao, Chinese warlord
  • 548 – Theodora I, Byzantine empress
  • 572 – Alboin, King of the Lombards
  • 683 – Leo II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 611)
  • 767 – Paul I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 700)
  • 928 – Louis the Blind, Holy Roman emperor (b. 880)
  • 975 – Cyneweard, bishop of Wells
  • 1031 – Taira no Tadatsune, Japanese governor
  • 1061 – Floris I, count of Holland
  • 1175 – Andrey Bogolyubsky, Russian Grand Prince (b. 1111)
  • 1189 – Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony, (b. 1156)
  • 1194 – Xiao Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1127)
  • 1385 – Andronikos IV, Byzantine emperor (b. 1348)
  • 1497 – James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley, English rebel leader (b. c. 1463)
  • 1575 – Yonekura Shigetsugu, Japanese samurai
  • 1586 – Primož Trubar, Slovenian author and reformer (b. 1508)
  • 1598 – Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (b. 1527)
  • 1607 – Domenico Fontana, Italian architect (b. 1543)
  • 1716 – George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (b. 1665)
  • 1757 – Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, queen consort of Frederick William I (b. 1687)
  • 1798 – John Henry Colclough, Irish revolutionary (b. c. 1769)
  • 1813 – Gerhard von Scharnhorst, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (b. 1755)
  • 1834 – Joseph Bové, Russian architect, designed the Triumphal Arch of Moscow (b. 1784)
  • 1836 – James Madison, American academic and politician, 4th President of the United States (b. 1751)
  • 1880 – Texas Jack Omohundro, American soldier and hunter (b. 1846)
  • 1881 – Jules Armand Dufaure, French politician, 33rd Prime Minister of France (b. 1798)
  • 1889 – Maria Mitchell, American astronomer and academic (b. 1818)
  • 1892 – Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet and politician, Greek Foreign Minister (b. 1810)
  • 1913 – Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (b. 1841)
  • 1914 – Sophie, duchess of Hohenberg (b. 1868)
  • 1914 – Franz Ferdinand, archduke of Austria (b. 1863)
  • 1915 – Victor Trumper, Australian cricketer (b. 1877)
  • 1917 – Ștefan Luchian, Romanian painter and educator (b. 1868)
  • 1922 – Velimir Khlebnikov, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1885)
  • 1929 – Edward Carpenter, English poet and philosopher (b. 1844)
  • 1936 – Alexander Berkman, American author and activist (d. 1870)
  • 1939 – Douglas H. Johnston, governor of the Chickasaw Nation (b. 1856)
  • 1940 – Italo Balbo, Italian air marshal and politician (b. 1896)
  • 1944 – Friedrich Dollmann, German general (b. 1882)
  • 1945 – Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu, Turkish journalist (b. 1879)
  • 1947 – Stanislav Kostka Neumann, Czech writer, poet and journalist (b. 1875)
  • 1960 – Jake Swirbul, American businessman, co-founded the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (b. 1898)
  • 1962 – Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player and manager (b. 1903)
  • 1962 – Cy Morgan, American baseball player (b. 1878)
  • 1965 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, bandleader, and composer (b. 1905)
  • 1966 – Mehmet Fuat Köprülü, Turkish historian and politician, 21st Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1890)
  • 1971 – Franz Stangl, Austrian SS officer (b. 1908)
  • 1974 – Vannevar Bush, American engineer and academic (b. 1890)
  • 1975 – Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis, Greek architect (b. 1913)
  • 1975 – Rod Serling, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1924)
  • 1978 – Clifford Dupont, English-Rhodesian lawyer and politician, 1st President of Rhodesia (b. 1905)
  • 1980 – José Iturbi, Spanish pianist and conductor (b. 1895)
  • 1981 – Terry Fox, Canadian runner and activist (b. 1958)
  • 1983 – Alf Francis, German-English motor racing mechanic and racing car constructor (b. 1918)
  • 1984 – Yigael Yadin, Israeli archaeologist, general, and politician (b. 1917)
  • 1985 – Lynd Ward, American author and illustrator (b. 1905)
  • 1989 – Joris Ivens, Dutch journalist, director, and producer (b. 1898)
  • 1992 – Guy Nève, Belgian racing driver (b. 1955)
  • 1992 – Mikhail Tal, Latvian chess player (b. 1936)
  • 1995 – Petri Walli, Finnish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1969)
  • 2000 – Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, Canadian-English publisher and politician (b. 1913)
  • 2000 – Nils Poppe, Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 2001 – Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher and author (b. 1902)
  • 2003 – Joan Lowery Nixon, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
  • 2004 – Anthony Buckeridge, English author (b. 1912)
  • 2005 – Brenda Howard, American activist (b. 1946)
  • 2005 – Michael P. Murphy, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1976)
  • 2006 – Jim Baen, American publisher, founded Baen Books (b. 1943)
  • 2006 – Peter Rawlinson, Baron Rawlinson of Ewell, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1919)
  • 2006 – George Unwin, English pilot and commander (b. 1913)
  • 2007 – Eugene B. Fluckey, American admiral, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1913)
  • 2007 – Kiichi Miyazawa, Japanese lawyer and politician, 78th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1919)
  • 2009 – A. K. Lohithadas, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1955)
  • 2009 – Billy Mays, American TV personality (b. 1958)
  • 2010 – Robert Byrd, American lawyer and politician (b. 1917)
  • 2012 – Richard Isay, American psychiatrist and author (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Leontine T. Kelly, American bishop (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Robert Sabatier, French author and poet (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – Doris Sams, American baseball player (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Ted Hood, American sailor and architect (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Tamás Katona, Hungarian historian and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Kenneth Minogue, New Zealand-Australian political scientist and academic (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – F. D. Reeve, American author and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – David Rubitsky, American sergeant (b. 1917)
  • 2014 – Seymour Barab, American cellist and composer (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Jim Brosnan, American baseball player (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – On Kawara, Japanese painter (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Meshach Taylor, American actor (b. 1947)
  • 2015 – Jack Carter, American actor and comedian (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Jope Seniloli, Fijian politician, Vice-President of Fiji (b. 1939)
  • 2015 – Wally Stanowski, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
  • 2016 – Scotty Moore, American guitarist (b. 1931)
  • 2016 – Pat Summitt, American women’s college basketball head coach (b. 1952)
  • 2016 – Buddy Ryan, American football coach (b. 1931)
  • 2018 – Harlan Ellison, American writer (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances on June 28

  • Christian feast day:
    • Basilides and Potamiana
    • Irenaeus of Lyon (Western Christianity)
    • Heimerad
    • Blessed Maria Pia Mastena
    • Paulus I
    • Vincenza Gerosa
    • June 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Ukraine)
  • Earliest day on which Vardavar can fall, while August 1 is the latest; celebrated on the 14th weeks after Easter (Armenia)
  • Family Day (Vietnam)
  • Poznań Remembrance Day (Poland)
  • Vidovdan, celebrating St. Vitus and an important day in Serbian history. (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Tau Day, a day similar to Pi Day celebrating the number Tau, which is equivalent to 2*Pi.

June 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

  • 1358 – The Republic of Ragusa is founded.
  • 1497 – Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank are executed at Tyburn, London, England.
  • 1556 – The thirteen Stratford Martyrs are burned at the stake near London for their Protestant beliefs.
  • 1743 – In the Battle of Dettingen, George II becomes the last reigning British monarch to participate in a battle.
  • 1760 – Anglo-Cherokee War: Cherokee warriors defeat British forces at the Battle of Echoee near present-day Otto, North Carolina.
  • 1806 – British forces take Buenos Aires during the first of the British invasions of the River Plate.
  • 1844 – Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum Smith, are killed by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate forces defeat Union forces during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain during the Atlanta Campaign.
  • 1869 – The Republic of Ezo on the island of Hokkaido ends after being defeated by Japanese Imperial troops.
  • 1895 – The inaugural run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
  • 1898 – The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia.
  • 1905 – During the Russo-Japanese War, sailors start a mutiny aboard the Russian battleship Potemkin.
  • 1908 – A group of Vietnamese tirailleurs conducts a failed attempt to poison the entire French army’s garrison in the Hanoi Citadel with the aim to make way for Hoàng Hoa Thám’s rebel army to capture Hanoi.
  • 1923 – Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH.4B biplane.
  • 1927 – Prime Minister of Japan Tanaka Giichi convenes an eleven-day conference to discuss Japan’s strategy in China. The Tanaka Memorial, a forged plan for world domination, is later claimed to be a secret report leaked from this conference.
  • 1941 – Romanian authorities launch one of the most violent pogroms in Jewish history in the city of Iași, resulting in the murder of at least 13,266 Jews.
  • 1941 – World War II: German troops capture the city of Białystok during Operation Barbarossa.
  • 1946 – In the Canadian Citizenship Act, the Parliament of Canada establishes the definition of Canadian citizenship.
  • 1950 – The United States decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War.
  • 1954 – The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, the Soviet Union’s first nuclear power station, opens in Obninsk, near Moscow.
  • 1954 – The FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match between Hungary and Brazil, highly anticipated to be exciting, instead turns violent, with three players ejected and further fighting continuing after the game.
  • 1957 – Hurricane Audrey makes landfall near the Texas–Louisiana border, killing over 400 people, mainly in and around Cameron, Louisiana.
  • 1973 – The President of Uruguay Juan María Bordaberry dissolves Parliament and establishes a dictatorship.
  • 1974 – U.S. president Richard Nixon visits the Soviet Union.
  • 1976 – Air France Flight 139 (Tel Aviv-Athens-Paris) is hijacked en route to Paris by the PLO and redirected to Entebbe, Uganda.
  • 1977 – France grants independence to Djibouti.
  • 1980 – The ‘Ustica massacre’: Itavia Flight 870 crashes in the sea while en route from Bologna to Palermo, Italy, killing all 81 on board.
  • 1981 – The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issues its “Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party Since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China”, laying the blame for the Cultural Revolution on Mao Zedong.
  • 1982 – Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the final research and development flight mission, STS-4.
  • 1988 – The Gare de Lyon rail accident in Paris, France, kills 56 people.
  • 1991 – Slovenia, after declaring independence two days before is invaded by Yugoslav troops, tanks, and aircraft starting the Ten-Day War.
  • 1994 – Members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult release sarin gas in Matsumoto, Japan. Seven people are killed, 660 injured.
  • 2007 – Tony Blair resigns as British Prime Minister, a position he had held since 1997. His Chancellor, Gordon Brown succeeds him.
  • 2007 – The Brazilian Military Police invades the favelas of Complexo do Alemão in an episode which is remembered as the Complexo do Alemão massacre.
  • 2008 – In a highly scrutinized election President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe is re-elected in a landslide after his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai had withdrawn a week earlier, citing violence against his party’s supporters.
  • 2013 – NASA launches the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, a space probe to observe the Sun.
  • 2014 – At least fourteen people are killed when a Gas Authority of India Limited pipeline explodes in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India.
  • 2015 – Formosa Fun Coast fire: A dust fire occurs at a recreational water park in Taiwan, killing 15 people and injuring 497 others, 199 critically.
  • 2017 – A series of powerful cyberattacks using the Petya malware target websites of Ukrainian organizations and counterparts with Ukrainian connections around the globe.

Births on June 27

  • 850 – Ibrahim II of Ifriqiya, Aghlabid emir (d. 902)
  • 1350 – Manuel II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1425)
  • 1430 – Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter, Lancastrian leader (d. 1475)
  • 1462 – Louis XII, king of France (d. 1515)
  • 1464 – Ernst II of Saxony, Archbishop of Magdeburg (1476–1513) (d. 1513)
  • 1497 – Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1546)
  • 1550 – Charles IX, king of France (d. 1574)
  • 1596 – Maximilian, Prince of Dietrichstein (d. 1655)
  • 1696 – William Pepperrell, American merchant and soldier (d. 1759)
  • 1717 – Louis-Guillaume Le Monnier, French botanist and physicist (d. 1799)
  • 1767 – Alexis Bouvard, French astronomer and academic (d. 1843)
  • 1805 – Napoléon Coste, French guitarist and composer (d. 1883)
  • 1806 – Augustus De Morgan, English mathematician and logician (d. 1871)
  • 1812 – Anna Cabot Lowell Quincy Waterston, American writer (d. 1899)
  • 1817 – Louise von François, German author (d. 1893)
  • 1828 – Bryan O’Loghlen, Irish-Australian politician, 13th Premier of Victoria (d. 1905)
  • 1838 – Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1894)
  • 1838 – Paul Mauser, German weapon designer, designed the Gewehr 98 (d. 1914)
  • 1846 – Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish politician (d. 1891)
  • 1850 – Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician and academic (d. 1919)
  • 1850 – Lafcadio Hearn, Greek-Japanese historian and author (d. 1904)
  • 1862 – May Irwin, Canadian-American actress and singer (d. 1938)
  • 1865 – John Monash, Australian engineer and general (d. 1931)
  • 1869 – Kate Carew, American illustrator and journalist (d. 1961)
  • 1869 – Emma Goldman, Lithuanian-Canadian philosopher and activist (d. 1940)
  • 1869 – Hans Spemann, German embryologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
  • 1870 – Frank Rattray Lillie, American zoologist and embryologist (d. 1947)
  • 1872 – Heber Doust Curtis, American astronomer (d. 1942)
  • 1872 – Paul Laurence Dunbar, American author, poet, and playwright (d. 1906)
  • 1880 – Helen Keller, American author, academic, and activist (d. 1968)
  • 1882 – Eduard Spranger, German philosopher and academic (d. 1963)
  • 1884 – Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher and poet (d. 1962)
  • 1885 – Pierre Montet, French historian and academic (d. 1966)
  • 1885 – Guilhermina Suggia, Portuguese cellist (d. 1950)
  • 1886 – Charlie Macartney, Australian cricketer and soldier (d. 1958)
  • 1888 – Lewis Bernstein Namier, Polish-English historian and academic (d. 1960)
  • 1888 – Antoinette Perry, American actress and director (d. 1946)
  • 1892 – Paul Colin, French illustrator (d. 1985)
  • 1899 – Juan Trippe, American businessman, founded Pan American World Airways (d. 1981)
  • 1900 – Dixie Brown, British boxer (d. 1957)
  • 1901 – Merle Tuve, American geophysicist and academic (d. 1982)
  • 1905 – Armand Mondou, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1976)
  • 1906 – Catherine Cookson, English author and philanthropist (d. 1998)
  • 1906 – Vernon Watkins, Welsh-American poet and painter (d. 1967)
  • 1907 – John McIntire, American actor (d. 1991)
  • 1908 – João Guimarães Rosa, Brazilian physician and author (d. 1967)
  • 1911 – Marion M. Magruder, American Marine officer, commander of the VMF(N)-533 squadron. (d. 1997)
  • 1912 – E. R. Braithwaite, Guyanese novelist, writer, teacher, and diplomat (d. 2016)
  • 1913 – Elton Britt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
  • 1913 – Philip Guston, American painter and academic (d. 1980)
  • 1913 – Willie Mosconi, American pool player (d. 1993)
  • 1914 – Robert Aickman, English author and activist, co-founded the Inland Waterways Association (d. 1981)
  • 1914 – Helena Benitez, Filipina academic and administrator (d. 2016)
  • 1914 – Margaret Ekpo, Nigerian women’s rights activist, social mobilizer and politician (d. 2006)
  • 1914 – Giorgio Almirante, Italian journalist and politician (d. 1988)
  • 1915 – Grace Lee Boggs, American philosopher, author, and activist (d. 2015)
  • 1915 – Aideu Handique, Indian actress (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – John Alexander Moore, American zoologist and academic (d. 2002)
  • 1916 – Robert Normann, Norwegian guitarist (d. 1998)
  • 1918 – Adolph Kiefer, American swimmer (d. 2017)
  • 1919 – M. Carl Holman, American author, educator, poet, and playwright (d. 1988)
  • 1919 – Amala Shankar, Indian danseuse
  • 1920 – Fernando Riera, Chilean football player and manager (d. 2010)
  • 1921 – Muriel Pavlow, English actress (d. 2019)
  • 1922 – George Walker, American composer (d. 2018)
  • 1923 – Jacques Berthier, French organist and composer (d. 1994)
  • 1923 – Elmo Hope, American pianist and composer (d. 1967)
  • 1924 – Bob Appleyard, English cricketer and businessman (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Leonard Lerman, American geneticist and biologist (d. 2012)
  • 1925 – Doc Pomus, American singer-songwriter (d. 1991)
  • 1925 – Wayne Terwilliger, American second baseman, coach, and manager
  • 1927 – Bob Keeshan, American actor and producer (d. 2004)
  • 1928 – James Lincoln Collier, American journalist and author
  • 1928 – Rudy Perpich, American dentist and politician, 34th Governor of Minnesota (d. 1995)
  • 1929 – Dick the Bruiser, American football player and wrestler (d. 1991)
  • 1929 – Peter Maas, American journalist and author (d. 2001)
  • 1930 – Ross Perot, American businessman and politician (d. 2019)
  • 1931 – Charles Bronfman, Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist
  • 1931 – Martinus J. G. Veltman, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1932 – Eddie Kasko, American baseball player and manager (d. 2020)
  • 1932 – Anna Moffo, American operatic soprano (d. 2006)
  • 1932 – Hugh Wood, English composer
  • 1936 – Lucille Clifton, American author and poet (d. 2010)
  • 1936 – Shirley Anne Field, English actress
  • 1937 – Joseph P. Allen, American physicist and astronaut
  • 1937 – Otto Herrigel, Namibian lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Kirkpatrick Sale, American author and scholar
  • 1938 – Bruce Babbitt, American lawyer and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Interior
  • 1938 – David Hope, Baron Hope of Craighead, Scottish lieutenant and judge
  • 1938 – Konrad Kujau, German illustrator (d. 2000)
  • 1939 – R. D. Burman, Indian singer-songwriter (d. 1994)
  • 1939 – Neil Hawke, Australian cricketer and footballer (d. 2000)
  • 1940 – Ian Lang, Baron Lang of Monkton, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
  • 1941 – Bill Baxley, American lawyer and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
  • 1941 – James P. Hogan, English-Irish author (d. 2010)
  • 1941 – Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
  • 1942 – Bruce Johnston, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1942 – Frank Mills, Canadian pianist and composer
  • 1942 – Danny Schechter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1943 – Ravi Batra, Indian-American economist and academic
  • 1944 – Angela King, English environmentalist and author, co-founded Common Ground
  • 1944 – Patrick Sercu, Belgian cyclist (d. 2019)
  • 1945 – Joey Covington, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1945 – Norma Kamali, American fashion designer
  • 1945 – Ragnar Søderlind, Norwegian composer
  • 1948 – Camile Baudoin, American guitarist
  • 1949 – Vera Wang, American fashion designer
  • 1951 – Ulf Andersson, Swedish chess player
  • 1951 – Julia Duffy, American actress
  • 1951 – Gilson Lavis, English drummer and portrait artist
  • 1951 – Mary McAleese, Irish academic and politician, 8th President of Ireland
  • 1952 – Madan Bhandari, Nepalese politician (d. 1993)
  • 1953 – Igor Gräzin, Estonian academic and politician
  • 1953 – Alice McDermott, American novelist
  • 1954 – Richard Ibbotson, English admiral
  • 1955 – Isabelle Adjani, French actress
  • 1956 – Heiner Dopp, German field hockey player and politician
  • 1957 – Gabriella Dorio, Italian runner
  • 1958 – Lisa Germano, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1958 – Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1996)
  • 1959 – Dan Jurgens, American author and illustrator
  • 1959 – Lorrie Morgan, American singer
  • 1960 – Craig Hodges, American basketball player and coach
  • 1960 – Robert King, English harpsichordist and conductor
  • 1960 – Jeremy Swift, English actor
  • 1962 – Michael Ball, English actor and singer
  • 1962 – Sunanda Pushkar, India-born Canadian businesswoman (d. 2014)
  • 1963 – Wendy Alexander, Scottish politician, Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
  • 1963 – Johnny Benson Jr., American race car driver
  • 1964 – Stephan Brenninkmeijer, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Chuck Person, American basketball player and coach
  • 1965 – Simon Sebag Montefiore, English journalist, historian, and author
  • 1965 – S. Manikavasagam, Malaysian politician and social activist
  • 1965 – Óscar Vega, Spanish boxer
  • 1966 – J.J. Abrams, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Jörg Bergen, German footballer and manager
  • 1966 – Jeff Conine, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Aigars Kalvītis, Latvian politician, businessman, and former Prime Minister of Latvia
  • 1967 – Sylvie Fréchette, Canadian swimmer and coach
  • 1967 – George Hamilton, Northern Irish police officer
  • 1967 – Vasiliy Kaptyukh, Belarusian discus thrower
  • 1967 – Phil Kearns, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Kelly Ayotte, American lawyer and politician, New Hampshire Attorney General
  • 1969 – Viktor Petrenko, Ukrainian figure skater
  • 1970 – Régine Cavagnoud, French skier (d. 2001)
  • 1970 – John Eales, Australian rugby player and businessman
  • 1970 – Jim Edmonds, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Jo Frost, English nanny, television personality, and author
  • 1971 – Serginho, Brazilian footballer
  • 1972 – Dawud Wharnsby, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1973 – Abbath Doom Occulta, Norwegian musician
  • 1973 – Simon Archer, English badminton player
  • 1974 – Christian Kane, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1974 – Christopher O’Neill, English-American businessman
  • 1975 – Ace Darling, American wrestler
  • 1975 – Bianca Del Rio, American drag queen & comedian
  • 1975 – Sarah Evanetz, Canadian swimmer
  • 1975 – Tobey Maguire, American actor
  • 1975 – Daryle Ward, American baseball player
  • 1976 – Johnny Estrada, American baseball player
  • 1976 – Leigh Nash, American singer-songwriter
  • 1977 – Arkadiusz Radomski, Polish footballer
  • 1978 – Apparat, German musician
  • 1980 – Hugo Campagnaro, Argentinian footballer
  • 1980 – Jennifer Goodridge, American keyboard player
  • 1980 – Alexander Peya, Austrian tennis player
  • 1980 – Kevin Pietersen, South African-English cricketer
  • 1980 – Craig Terrill, American football player
  • 1981 – Andrew Embley, Australian footballer
  • 1983 – Jim Johnson, American baseball player
  • 1983 – Dale Steyn, South African cricketer
  • 1983 – Nikola Rakočević, Serbian actor
  • 1984 – Khloé Kardashian, American model, businesswoman, and radio host
  • 1984 – D.J. King, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Jose Holebas, German-Greek footballer
  • 1984 – Gökhan Inler, Swiss footballer
  • 1985 – James Hook, Welsh rugby player
  • 1985 – Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russian tennis player
  • 1985 – Nico Rosberg, German race car driver
  • 1986 – Sam Claflin, British actor
  • 1986 – Drake Bell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1986 – Bryan Fletcher, American skier
  • 1986 – LaShawn Merritt, American sprinter
  • 1987 – India de Beaufort, English actress
  • 1987 – Ed Westwick, English actor
  • 1988 – Stefani Bismpikou, Greek gymnast
  • 1988 – Matthew Spiranovic, Australian footballer
  • 1988 – Kate Ziegler, American swimmer
  • 1989 – Hana Birnerová, Czech tennis player
  • 1989 – Matthew Lewis, English actor
  • 1992 – Ahn So-hee, South Korean singer and actress
  • 1992 – Karthika Nair, Indian film actress
  • 1993 – Johanna Talihärm, Estonian biathlete
  • 1993 – Alberto Campbell-Staines, Australian athlete
  • 1994 – Anita Husarić, Bosnian tennis player
  • 1995 – Monté Morris, American basketball player

Deaths on June 27

  • 992 – Conan I of Rennes, Duke of Brittany
  • 1162 – Odo II, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1118)
  • 1194 – King Sancho VI of Navarre (b. 1132)
  • 1296 – Floris V, Count of Holland (b. 1254)
  • 1458 – Alfonso V of Aragon (b. 1396)
  • 1497 – Michael An Gof, rebel leader
  • 1497 – Thomas Flamank, rebel leader
  • 1574 – Giorgio Vasari, Italian historian, painter, and architect (b. 1511)
  • 1601 – Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys (b. 1525)
  • 1603 – Jan Dymitr Solikowski, Polish archbishop (b. 1539)
  • 1627 – John Hayward, English historian, journalist, and politician (b. 1564)
  • 1636 – Date Masamune, Japanese strongman (b. 1567)
  • 1654 – Johannes Valentinus Andreae, German theologian (b. 1586)
  • 1655 – Eleonora Gonzaga, Holy Roman Empress (b. 1598)
  • 1672 – Roger Twysden, English historian and politician (b. 1597)
  • 1720 – Guillaume Amfrye de Chaulieu, French poet and author (b. 1639)
  • 1794 – Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (b. 1711)
  • 1794 – Philippe de Noailles, French general (b. 1715)
  • 1827 – Johann Gottfried Eichhorn, German theologian and academic (b. 1754)
  • 1829 – James Smithson, English chemist and mineralogist (b. 1765)
  • 1831 – Sophie Germain, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1776)
  • 1839 – Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire (b. 1780)
  • 1844 – Hyrum Smith, American religious leader (b. 1800)
  • 1844 – Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founded the Latter Day Saint movement (b. 1805)
  • 1878 – Sidney Breese, American jurist and politician (b. 1800)
  • 1894 – Giorgio Costantino Schinas, Maltese architect and civil engineer (b. 1834)
  • 1896 – John Berryman, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1825)
  • 1905 – Harold Mahony, Scottish-Irish tennis player (b. 1867)
  • 1907 – Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, American educator, co-founded Radcliffe College (b. 1822)
  • 1911 – Victor Surridge, English motorcycle racer (b. 1882)
  • 1912 – George Bonnor, Australian cricketer (b. 1855)
  • 1917 – Karl Allmenröder, German soldier and pilot (b. 1896)
  • 1919 – Peter Sturholdt, American boxer (b. 1885)
  • 1920 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian lawyer and judge (b. 1839)
  • 1934 – Francesco Buhagiar, Maltese politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1876)
  • 1935 – Eugene Augustin Lauste, French-American inventor (b. 1857)
  • 1944 – Milan Hodža, Czech journalist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (b. 1878)
  • 1946 – Wanda Gág, American author and illustrator (b. 1893)
  • 1949 – Frank Smythe, English botanist and mountaineer (b. 1900)
  • 1950 – Milada Horáková, Czech politician, victim of judicial murder (b. 1901)
  • 1952 – Max Dehn, German-American mathematician and academic (b. 1878)
  • 1957 – Hermann Buhl, Austrian soldier and mountaineer (b. 1924)
  • 1960 – Lottie Dod, English tennis player, golfer, and archer (b. 1871)
  • 1962 – Paul Viiding, Estonian author, poet, and critic (b. 1904)
  • 1967 – Jaan Lattik, Estonian pastor and politician, 9th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (b. 1878)
  • 1970 – Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler and scholar (b. 1902)
  • 1975 – G.I. Taylor, English mathematician and physicist (b. 1886)
  • 1986 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player and referee (b. 1905)
  • 1987 – Billy Snedden, Australian lawyer and politician, 17th Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1926)
  • 1989 – A. J. Ayer, English philosopher and academic (b. 1910)
  • 1991 – Milton Subotsky, American-English screenwriter and producer (b. 1921)
  • 1996 – Albert R. Broccoli, American film producer (b. 1909)
  • 1998 – Gilles Rocheleau, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1935)
  • 1999 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1919)
  • 2000 – Pierre Pflimlin, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1907)
  • 2001 – Tove Jansson, Finnish author, illustrator, and painter (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Jack Lemmon, American actor (b. 1925)
  • 2001 – Joan Sims, English actress (b. 1930)
  • 2002 – John Entwistle, English singer-songwriter, bass guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
  • 2002 – Robert L. J. Long, American admiral (b. 1920)
  • 2003 – David Newman, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
  • 2004 – George Patton IV, American general (b. 1923)
  • 2004 – Darrell Russell, American race car driver (b. 1968)
  • 2005 – Shelby Foote, American historian and author (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Ray Holmes, English lieutenant and pilot (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – John T. Walton, American businessman, co-founded the Children’s Scholarship Fund (b. 1946)
  • 2006 – Ángel Maturino Reséndiz, Mexican serial killer (b. 1959)
  • 2007 – William Hutt, Canadian actor (b. 1920)
  • 2008 – Sam Manekshaw, Indian field marshal (b. 1914)
  • 2009 – Gale Storm, American actress (b. 1922)
  • 2010 – Corey Allen, American film and television actor, writer, director, and producer (b. 1934)
  • 2011 – Mike Doyle, English footballer (b. 1946)
  • 2012 – Stan Cox, English runner (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Rosemary Dobson, Australian poet and illustrator (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Stefano Borgonovo, Italian footballer (b. 1964)
  • 2013 – Ian Scott, English-New Zealand painter (b. 1945)
  • 2014 – Edmond Blanchard, Canadian jurist and politician (b. 1954)
  • 2014 – Allen Grossman, American poet, critic, and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2014 – Leslie Manigat, Haitian educator and politician, 43rd President of Haiti (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Violet Milstead, Canadian World War II aviator and bush pilot (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Rachid Solh, Lebanese politician, 48th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Zvi Elpeleg, Polish-Israeli diplomat, author, and academic (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Knut Helle, Norwegian historian and professor (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Chris Squire, English musician (bass guitarist), singer and songwriter, member of the rock band Yes (b. 1948)
  • 2016 – Bud Spencer, Italian swimmer, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 2017 – Peter L. Berger, Austrian sociologist (b. 1929)
  • 2018 – Joe Jackson, American manager, father of Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson (b. 1928)
  • 2018 – Liz Jackson, Australian journalist and former barrister (b. 1951)
  • 2018 – William McBridge, Australian obstetrician (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances on June 27

  • Christian feast day:
    • Arialdo
    • Crescens, one of the Seventy disciples
    • Cyril of Alexandria (Coptic Church, Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion and Lutheran Church)
    • Ladislaus I of Hungary
    • Our Lady of Perpetual Help
    • Sampson the Hospitable
    • Zoilus
    • June 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Canadian Multiculturalism Day (Canada)
  • Commemoration Day for the Victims of the Communist Regime (Czech Republic)
  • Day of Turkmen Workers of Culture and Art (Turkmenistan)
  • Helen Keller Day (United States)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Djibouti from France in 1977.
  • Mixed Race Day (Brazil)
  • National HIV Testing Day (United States)
  • National PTSD Awareness Day (United States)
  • Seven Sleepers’ Day or Siebenschläfertag (Germany)
  • Unity Day (Tajikistan)

June 27 – 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

  • 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

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

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

Births on June 24

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

Deaths on June 24

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

Holidays and observances on June 24

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

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

On This Day

June 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

This day usually marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, which is the day of the year with the most hours of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere and the fewest hours of daylight in the Southern Hemisphere.

June 21 in History

  • 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date).
  • 1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mongols and Wuzong of the Yuan.
  • 1529 – French forces are driven out of northern Italy by Spain at the Battle of Landriano during the War of the League of Cognac.
  • 1582 – Sengoku period: Oda Nobunaga, the most powerful of the Japanese daimyōs, is forced to commit suicide by his own general Akechi Mitsuhide.
  • 1621 – Execution of 27 Czech noblemen on the Old Town Square in Prague as a consequence of the Battle of White Mountain.
  • 1734 – In Montreal in New France, a slave known by the French name of Marie-Joseph Angélique is put to death, having been convicted of setting the fire that destroyed much of the city.
  • 1749 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, is founded.
  • 1768 – James Otis Jr. offends the King and Parliament in a speech to the Massachusetts General Court.
  • 1788 – New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.
  • 1791 – King Louis XVI of France and his immediate family begin the Flight to Varennes during the French Revolution.
  • 1798 – Irish Rebellion of 1798: The British Army defeats Irish rebels at the Battle of Vinegar Hill.
  • 1813 – Peninsular War: Wellington defeats Joseph Bonaparte at the Battle of Vitoria.
  • 1824 – Greek War of Independence: Egyptian forces capture Psara in the Aegean Sea.
  • 1826 – Maniots defeat Egyptians under Ibrahim Pasha in the Battle of Vergas.
  • 1848 – In the Wallachian Revolution, Ion Heliade Rădulescu and Christian Tell issue the Proclamation of Islaz and create a new republican government.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road begins.
  • 1898 – The United States captures Guam from Spain. The few warning shots fired by the U.S. naval vessels are misinterpreted as salutes by the Spanish garrison, which was unaware that the two nations were at war.
  • 1900 – Boxer Rebellion. China formally declares war on the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan, as an edict issued from the Empress Dowager Cixi.
  • 1915 – The U.S. Supreme Court hands down its decision in Guinn v. United States 238 US 347 1915, striking down Oklahoma grandfather clause legislation which had the effect of denying the right to vote to blacks.
  • 1919 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police fire a volley into a crowd of unemployed war veterans, killing two, during the Winnipeg general strike.
  • 1919 – Admiral Ludwig von Reuter scuttles the German fleet at Scapa Flow, Orkney. The nine sailors killed are the last casualties of World War I.
  • 1929 – An agreement brokered by U.S. Ambassador Dwight Whitney Morrow ends the Cristero War in Mexico.
  • 1930 – One-year conscription comes into force in France.
  • 1940 – World War II: Italy begins an unsuccessful invasion of France.
  • 1942 – World War II: Tobruk falls to Italian and German forces.
  • 1942 – World War II: A Japanese submarine surfaces near the Columbia River in Oregon, firing 17 shells at Fort Stevens in one of only a handful of attacks by Japan against the United States mainland.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Okinawa ends when the organized resistance of Imperial Japanese Army forces collapses in the Mabuni area on the southern tip of the main island.
  • 1952 – The Philippine School of Commerce, through a republic act, is converted to Philippine College of Commerce, later to be the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
  • 1957 – Ellen Fairclough is sworn in as Canada’s first female Cabinet Minister.
  • 1963 – Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini is elected as Pope Paul VI.
  • 1964 – Three civil rights workers, Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner, are murdered in Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States, by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
  • 1970 – Penn Central declares Section 77 bankruptcy in what was the largest U.S. corporate bankruptcy to date.
  • 1973 – In its decision in Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, the Supreme Court of the United States establishes the Miller test for determining whether something is obscene and not protected speech under the U.S. constitution.
  • 1978 – The original production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Evita, based on the life of Eva Perón, opens at the Prince Edward Theatre, London.
  • 1982 – John Hinckley is found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted assassination of U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
  • 1989 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, that American flag-burning is a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment.
  • 2000 – Section 28 (of the Local Government Act 1988), outlawing the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in the United Kingdom, is repealed in Scotland with a 99 to 17 vote.
  • 2001 – A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, indicts 13 Saudis and a Lebanese in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American servicemen.
  • 2004 – SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
  • 2005 – Edgar Ray Killen, who had previously been unsuccessfully tried for the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Mickey Schwerner, is convicted of manslaughter 41 years afterwards (the case had been reopened in 2004).
  • 2006 – Pluto’s newly discovered moons are officially named Nix and Hydra.
  • 2009 – Greenland assumes self-rule.
  • 2012 – A boat carrying more than 200 migrants capsizes in the Indian Ocean between the Indonesian island of Java and Christmas Island, killing 17 people and leaving 70 others missing.

Births on June 21

  • 598 – Pope Martin I (d. 656)
  • 906 – Abu Ja’far Ahmad ibn Muhammad, Saffarid emir (d. 963)
  • 1002 – Pope Leo IX (d. 1054)
  • 1226 – Bolesław V the Chaste of Poland (d. 1279)
  • 1521 – John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev (d. 1580)
  • 1528 – Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (d. 1603)
  • 1535 – Leonhard Rauwolf, German physician and botanist (d. 1596)
  • 1630 – Samuel Oppenheimer, German Jewish banker and diplomat (d. 1703)
  • 1636 – Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d’Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon, French noble (d. 1721)
  • 1639 – Increase Mather, American minister and author (d. 1723)
  • 1676 – Anthony Collins, English philosopher and author (d. 1729)
  • 1706 – John Dollond, English optician and astronomer (d. 1761)
  • 1710 – James Short, Scottish-English mathematician and optician (d. 1768)
  • 1712 – Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen, French admiral (d. 1790)
  • 1730 – Motoori Norinaga, Japanese poet and scholar (d. 1801)
  • 1732 – Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German pianist and composer (d. 1791)
  • 1736 – Enoch Poor, American general (d. 1780)
  • 1741 – Prince Benedetto, Duke of Chablais (d. 1808)
  • 1750 – Pierre-Nicolas Beauvallet, French sculptor and illustrator (d. 1818)
  • 1759 – Alexander J. Dallas, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1817)
  • 1763 – Pierre Paul Royer-Collard, French philosopher and academic (d. 1845)
  • 1764 – Sidney Smith, English admiral and politician (d. 1840)
  • 1774 – Daniel D. Tompkins, American lawyer and politician, 6th Vice President of the United States (d. 1825)
  • 1781 – Siméon Denis Poisson, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1840)
  • 1786 – Charles Edward Horn, English singer-songwriter (d. 1849)
  • 1792 – Ferdinand Christian Baur, German theologian and scholar (d. 1860)
  • 1797 – Wilhelm Küchelbecker, Russian poet and author (d. 1846)
  • 1802 – Karl Zittel, German theologian (d. 1871)
  • 1805 – Karl Friedrich Curschmann, German composer and singer (d. 1841)
  • 1805 – Charles Thomas Jackson, American physician and geologist (d. 1880)
  • 1811 – Carlo Matteucci, Italian physicist and neurophysiologist (d. 1868)
  • 1814 – Anton Nuhn, German anatomist and academic (d. 1889)
  • 1823 – Jean Chacornac, French astronomer (d. 1873)
  • 1825 – Thomas Edward Cliffe Leslie, Irish economist and jurist (d. 1882)
  • 1825 – William Stubbs, English bishop and historian (d. 1901)
  • 1828 – Ferdinand André Fouqué, French geologist and academic (d. 1904)
  • 1828 – Nikolaus Nilles, German Catholic writer and teacher (d. 1907)
  • 1834 – Frans de Cort, Flemish poet and author (d. 1878)
  • 1836 – Luigi Tripepi, Italian theologian (d. 1906)
  • 1839 – Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1908)
  • 1845 – Samuel Griffith, Welsh-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Queensland (d. 1920)
  • 1845 – Arthur Cowper Ranyard, English astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1894)
  • 1846 – Marion Adams-Acton, Scottish-English author and playwright (d. 1928)
  • 1846 – Enrico Coleman, Italian painter (d. 1911)
  • 1850 – Daniel Carter Beard, American author and illustrator, co-founded the Boy Scouts of America (d. 1941)
  • 1858 – Giuseppe De Sanctis, Italian painter (d. 1924)
  • 1858 – Medardo Rosso, Italian sculptor and educator (d. 1928)
  • 1859 – Henry Ossawa Tanner, American-French painter and illustrator (d. 1937)
  • 1862 – Damrong Rajanubhab, Thai historian and author (d. 1943)
  • 1863 – Max Wolf, German astronomer and academic (d. 1932)
  • 1864 – Heinrich Wölfflin, Swiss historian and critic (d. 1945)
  • 1867 – Oscar Florianus Bluemner, German-American painter and illustrator (d. 1938)
  • 1867 – William Brede Kristensen, Norwegian historian of religion (d. 1953)
  • 1868 – Edwin Stephen Goodrich, English zoologist and anatomist (d. 1946)
  • 1870 – Clara Immerwahr, Jewish-German chemist and academic (d. 1915)
  • 1870 – Anthony Michell, English-Australian engineer (d. 1959)
  • 1870 – Julio Ruelas, Mexican painter (d. 1907)
  • 1876 – Swami Kalyan Dev, philosopher  (d. 2004)
  • 1876 – Willem Hendrik Keesom, Dutch physicist and academic (d. 1956)
  • 1880 – Arnold Gesell, American psychologist and pediatrician (d. 1961)
  • 1880 – Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp, English economist and civil servant (d. 1941)
  • 1881 – (O.S.) Natalia Goncharova, Russian painter, costume designer, and illustrator (d. 1962)
  • 1882 – Lluís Companys, Spanish lawyer and politician, 123rd President of Catalonia (d. 1940)
  • 1882 – Adrianus de Jong, Dutch fencer and soldier (d. 1966)
  • 1882 – Rockwell Kent, American painter and illustrator (d. 1971)
  • 1883 – Feodor Gladkov, Russian author and educator (d. 1958)
  • 1884 – Claude Auchinleck, English field marshal (d. 1981)
  • 1887 – Norman L. Bowen, Canadian geologist and petrologist (d. 1956)
  • 1889 – Ralph Craig, American sprinter and sailor (d. 1972)
  • 1891 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian architect and engineer, co-designed the Pirelli Tower and Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption (d. 1979)
  • 1891 – Hermann Scherchen, German-Swiss viola player and conductor (d. 1966)
  • 1892 – Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian and academic (d. 1971)
  • 1893 – Alois Hába, Czech composer and educator (d. 1973)
  • 1894 – Milward Kennedy, English journalist and civil servant (d. 1968)
  • 1896 – Charles Momsen, American admiral, invented the Momsen lung (d. 1967)
  • 1898 – Donald C. Peattie, American botanist and author (d. 1964)
  • 1899 – Pavel Haas, Czech composer (d. 1944)
  • 1903 – Hermann Engelhard, German runner and coach (d. 1984)
  • 1903 – Al Hirschfeld, American caricaturist, painter and illustrator (d. 2003)
  • 1905 – Jacques Goddet, French journalist (d. 2000)
  • 1905 – Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and author (d. 1980)
  • 1908 – William Frankena, American philosopher and academic (d. 1994)
  • 1910 – Aleksandr Tvardovsky, Russian poet and author (d. 1971)
  • 1911 – Irving Fein, American producer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1912 – Kazimierz Leski, Polish pilot and engineer (d. 2000)
  • 1912 – Mary McCarthy, American novelist and critic (d. 1989)
  • 1912 – Vishnu Prabhakar, Indian author and playwright (d. 2009)
  • 1913 – Madihe Pannaseeha Thero, Sri Lankan monk and scholar (d. 2003)
  • 1913 – Luis Taruc, Filipino political activist (d. 2005)
  • 1914 – William Vickrey, Canadian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
  • 1915 – Wilhelm Gliese, German soldier and astronomer (d. 1993)
  • 1916 – Joseph Cyril Bamford, English businessman, founded J. C. Bamford (d. 2001)
  • 1916 – Tchan Fou-li, Chinese photographer (d. 2018)
  • 1916 – Herbert Friedman, American physicist and astronomer (d. 2000)
  • 1916 – Buddy O’Connor, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1977)
  • 1918 – Robert A. Boyd, Canadian engineer (d. 2006)
  • 1918 – James Joll, English historian, author, and academic (d. 1994)
  • 1918 – Eddie Lopat, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1992)
  • 1918 – Dee Molenaar, American mountaineer (d. 2020)
  • 1918 – Robert Roosa, American economist and banker (d. 1993)
  • 1918 – Tibor Szele, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1955)
  • 1918 – Josephine Webb, American engineer
  • 1919 – Antonia Mesina, Italian martyr and saint (d. 1935)
  • 1919 – Gérard Pelletier, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1997)
  • 1919 – Vladimir Simagin, Russian chess player and coach (d. 1968)
  • 1919 – Paolo Soleri, Italian-American architect, designed the Cosanti (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Hans Gerschwiler, Swiss figure skater (d. 2017)
  • 1921 – Judy Holliday, American actress and singer (d. 1965)
  • 1921 – Jane Russell, American actress and singer (d. 2011)
  • 1921 – William Edwin Self, American actor, producer, and production manager (d. 2010)
  • 1922 – Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkinabé historian, politician and writer (d. 2006)
  • 1923 – Jacques Hébert, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Pontus Hultén, Swedish art collector and historian (d. 2006)
  • 1924 – Ezzatolah Entezami, Iranian actor (d. 2018)
  • 1924 – Wally Fawkes, British-Canadian jazz clarinetist and a satirical cartoonist
  • 1924 – Jean Laplanche, French psychoanalyst and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1925 – Larisa Avdeyeva, Russian mezzo-soprano (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Stanley Moss, American poet, publisher, and art dealer
  • 1925 – Giovanni Spadolini, Italian journalist and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1994)
  • 1925 – Maureen Stapleton, American actress (d. 2006)
  • 1926 – Fred Cone, American football player
  • 1926 – Conrad Hall, French-American cinematographer (d. 2003)
  • 1927 – Carl Stokes, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Seychelles (d. 1996)
  • 1928 – Wolfgang Haken, German-American mathematician and academic
  • 1928 – Fiorella Mari, Brazilian-Italian actress
  • 1928 – Margit Bara, Hungarian actress (d. 2016)
  • 1929 – Alexandre Lagoya, Egyptian-Greek guitarist and composer (d. 1999)
  • 1930 – Gerald Kaufman, English journalist and politician, Shadow Foreign Secretary (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – Mike McCormack, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Zlatko Grgić, Croatian-Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1931 – Margaret Heckler, American journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
  • 1931 – David Kushnir, Israeli Olympic long-jumper
  • 1932 – Bernard Ingham, English journalist and civil servant
  • 1932 – Lalo Schifrin, Argentinian pianist, composer, and conductor
  • 1932 – O.C. Smith, American R&B/jazz singer (d. 2001)
  • 1933 – Bernie Kopell, American actor and comedian
  • 1935 – Françoise Sagan, French author and playwright (d. 2004)
  • 1937 – John Edrich, English cricketer and coach
  • 1938 – Don Black, English songwriter
  • 1938 – John W. Dower, American historian and author
  • 1938 – Michael M. Richter, German mathematician and computer scientist
  • 1940 – Mariette Hartley, American actress and television personality
  • 1940 – Michael Ruse, Canadian philosopher and academic
  • 1941 – Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Indian bishop
  • 1941 – Joe Flaherty, American-Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1941 – Lyman Ward, Canadian actor
  • 1942 – Clive Brooke, Baron Brooke of Alverthorpe, English businessman and politician
  • 1942 – Marjorie Margolies, American journalist and politician
  • 1942 – Henry S. Taylor, American author and poet
  • 1942 – Togo D. West, Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • 1943 – Eumir Deodato, Brazilian pianist, composer, and producer
  • 1943 – Diane Marleau, Canadian accountant and politician, Canadian Minister of Health (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – Brian Sternberg, American pole vaulter (d. 2013)
  • 1944 – Ray Davies, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1944 – Tony Scott, English-American director and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1945 – Robert Dewar, English-American computer scientist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Adam Zagajewski, Polish author and poet
  • 1946 – Per Eklund, Swedish race car driver
  • 1946 – Kate Hoey, Northern Irish-British academic and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
  • 1946 – Brenda Holloway, American singer-songwriter
  • 1946 – Trond Kirkvaag, Norwegian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1946 – Malcolm Rifkind, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
  • 1946 – Maurice Saatchi, Baron Saatchi, Iraqi-British businessman, founded M&C Saatchi and Saatchi & Saatchi
  • 1947 – Meredith Baxter, American actress
  • 1947 – Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer, judge, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1947 – Michael Gross, American actor
  • 1947 – Joey Molland, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Wade Phillips, American football coach
  • 1947 – Fernando Savater, Spanish philosopher and author
  • 1948 – Jovan Aćimović, Serbian footballer and manager
  • 1948 – Ian McEwan, British novelist and screenwriter
  • 1948 – Andrzej Sapkowski, Polish author and translator
  • 1948 – Philippe Sarde, French composer and conductor
  • 1949 – John Agard, Guyanese-English author, poet, and playwright
  • 1949 – Derek Emslie, Lord Kingarth, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1950 – Anne Carson, Canadian poet and academic
  • 1950 – Joey Kramer, American rock drummer and songwriter (Aerosmith)
  • 1950 – Enn Reitel, Scottish actor and screenwriter
  • 1950 – Trygve Thue, Norwegian guitarist and record producer
  • 1950 – John Paul Young, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1951 – Jim Douglas, American academic and politician, 80th Governor of Vermont
  • 1951 – Terence Etherton, English lawyer and judge
  • 1951 – Alan Hudson, English footballer
  • 1951 – Nils Lofgren, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1951 – Lenore Manderson, Australian anthropologist and academic
  • 1951 – Mona-Lisa Pursiainen, Finnish sprinter (d. 2000)
  • 1952 – Judith Bingham, English singer-songwriter
  • 1952 – Jeremy Coney, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1952 – Patrick Dunleavy, English political scientist and academic
  • 1952 – Kōichi Mashimo, Japanese director and screenwriter
  • 1953 – Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani financier and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2007)
  • 1954 – Már Guðmundsson, Icelandic economist, former Governor of Central Bank of Iceland
  • 1954 – Mark Kimmitt, American general and politician, 16th Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
  • 1954 – Robert Menasse, Austrian author and academic
  • 1955 – Tim Bray, Canadian software developer and businessman
  • 1955 – Michel Platini, French footballer and manager
  • 1956 – Rick Sutcliffe, American baseball player and broadcaster
  • 1957 – Berkeley Breathed, American author and illustrator
  • 1957 – Luis Antonio Tagle, Filipino cardinal
  • 1958 – Víctor Montoya, Bolivian journalist and author
  • 1958 – Gennady Padalka, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1959 – John Baron, English captain and politician
  • 1959 – Tom Chambers, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1959 – Marcella Detroit, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1959 – Kathy Mattea, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1960 – Kate Brown, American politician, 38th Governor of Oregon
  • 1960 – Karl Erjavec, Slovenian politician
  • 1961 – Manu Chao, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1961 – Sascha Konietzko, German keyboard player and producer
  • 1961 – Joko Widodo, Indonesian businessman and politician, 7th President of Indonesia
  • 1961 – Kip Winger, American rock singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1961 – Iztok Mlakar, Slovenian actor and singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Shōhei Takada, Japanese shogi player and theoretician
  • 1962 – Viktor Tsoi, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1990)
  • 1963 – Dario Marianelli, Italian pianist and composer
  • 1963 – Mike Sherrard, American football player
  • 1964 – David Morrissey, English actor and director
  • 1964 – Dimitris Papaioannou, Greek director and choreographer
  • 1964 – Dean Saunders, Welsh footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Doug Savant, American actor
  • 1965 – David Beerling, English biologist and academic
  • 1965 – Yang Liwei, Chinese general, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1965 – Ewen McKenzie, Australian rugby player and coach
  • 1965 – Lana Wachowski, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Gretchen Carlson, American model and television journalist, Miss America 1989
  • 1967 – Jim Breuer, American comedian, actor, and producer
  • 1967 – Derrick Coleman, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1967 – Pierre Omidyar, French-American businessman, founded eBay
  • 1967 – Carrie Preston, American actress, director, and producer
  • 1967 – Yingluck Shinawatra, Thai businesswoman and politician, 28th Prime Minister of Thailand
  • 1968 – Sonique, English singer-songwriter and DJ
  • 1970 – Eric Reed, American pianist and composer
  • 1971 – Tyronne Drakeford, American football player
  • 1972 – Nobuharu Asahara, Japanese sprinter and long jumper
  • 1972 – Neil Doak, Northern Irish cricketer and rugby player
  • 1972 – Irene van Dyk, South African-New Zealand netball player
  • 1973 – Juliette Lewis, American actress and singer-songwriter
  • 1973 – John Mitchell, English guitarist, vocalist and songwriter
  • 1974 – Rob Kelly, American football player
  • 1974 – Craig Lowndes, Australian race car driver
  • 1974 – Flavio Roma, Italian footballer
  • 1975 – Brian Simmons, American football player
  • 1976 – Shelley Craft, Australian television host
  • 1976 – Mike Einziger, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1976 – Nigel Lappin, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1977 – Michael Gomez, Irish boxer
  • 1977 – Al Wilson, American football player
  • 1978 – Thomas Blondeau, Flemish writer (d. 2013)
  • 1978 – Matt Kuchar, American golfer
  • 1978 – Cristiano Lupatelli, Italian footballer
  • 1978 – Gervase Markham, British software engineer (d. 2018)
  • 1978 – Dejan Ognjanović, Montenegrin footballer
  • 1978 – Rim’K, French rapper
  • 1979 – Kostas Katsouranis, Greek footballer
  • 1979 – Chris Pratt, American actor
  • 1980 – Michael Crocker, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1980 – Łukasz Cyborowski, Polish chess player
  • 1980 – Richard Jefferson, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Sendy Rleal, Dominican baseball player
  • 1981 – Yann Danis, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Garrett Jones, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Brandon Flowers, American singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Brad Walker, American pole vaulter
  • 1982 – Lee Dae-ho, South Korean baseball player
  • 1982 – Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
  • 1982 – Jussie Smollett, American actor and singer
  • 1983 – Edward Snowden, American activist and academic
  • 1985 – Lana Del Rey, American singer-songwriter
  • 1985 – Sentayehu Ejigu, Ethiopian runner
  • 1985 – Byron Schammer, Australian footballer
  • 1986 – Kathleen O’Kelly-Kennedy, Australian wheelchair basketball player
  • 1986 – Hideaki Wakui, Japanese baseball player
  • 1987 – Pablo Barrera, Mexican footballer
  • 1987 – Sebastian Prödl, Austrian footballer
  • 1987 – Dale Thomas, Australian footballer
  • 1988 – Allyssa DeHaan, American basketball and volleyball player
  • 1988 – Paolo Tornaghi, Italian footballer
  • 1988 – Thaddeus Young, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Abubaker Kaki, Sudanese runner
  • 1990 – Ričardas Berankis, Lithuanian tennis player
  • 1990 – Lunar C, English rapper
  • 1990 – François Moubandje, Swiss footballer
  • 1990 – Håvard Nordtveit, Norwegian footballer
  • 1991 – Gaël Kakuta, French footballer
  • 1992 – MAX, American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer and model
  • 1994 – Başak Eraydın, Turkish tennis player
  • 1996 – Tyrone May, Australian rugby league player
  • 1997 – Rebecca Black, American singer-songwriter
  • 1997 – Derrius Guice, American football player
  • 2011 – Lil Bub, American celebrity cat

Deaths on June 21

  • 532 – Emperor Jiemin of Northern Wei, former Northern Wei emperor
  • 866 – Rodulf, Frankish archbishop
  • 868 – Ali al-Hadi, the tenth Imam of Shia Islam (b. 829)
  • 870 – Al-Muhtadi, Muslim caliph
  • 947 – Zhang Li, official of the Liao Dynasty
  • 1040 – Fulk III, Count of Anjou (b. 972)
  • 1171 – Walter de Luci, French-English monk (b. 1103)
  • 1208 – Philip of Swabia (b. 1177)
  • 1305 – Wenceslaus II of Bohemia (b. 1271)
  • 1359 – Erik Magnusson, king of Sweden (b. 1339)
  • 1377 – Edward III of England (b. 1312)
  • 1421 – Jean Le Maingre, French general (b. 1366)
  • 1527 – Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian historian and author (b. 1469)
  • 1529 – John Skelton, English poet and educator (b. 1460)
  • 1547 – Sebastiano del Piombo, Italian painter and educator (b. 1485)
  • 1558 – Piero Strozzi, Italian general (b. 1510)
  • 1582 – Oda Nobunaga, Japanese warlord (b. 1534)
  • 1585 – Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland (b. 1532)
  • 1591 – Aloysius Gonzaga, Italian saint (b. 1568)
  • 1596 – Jean Liebault, French agronomist and physician (b. 1535)
  • 1621 – Louis III, Cardinal of Guise (b. 1575)
  • 1621 – Kryštof Harant, Czech soldier and composer (b. 1564)
  • 1622 – Salomon Schweigger, German theologian (b. 1551)
  • 1631 – John Smith, English admiral and explorer (b. 1580)
  • 1652 – Inigo Jones, English architect, designed the Queen’s House and Wilton House (b. 1573)
  • 1661 – Andrea Sacchi, Italian painter (b. 1599)
  • 1737 – Matthieu Marais, French author, critic, and jurist (b. 1664)
  • 1738 – Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1674)
  • 1796 – Richard Gridley, American soldier and engineer (b. 1710)
  • 1824 – Étienne Aignan, French playwright and translator (b. 1773)
  • 1865 – Frances Adeline Seward, American wife of William H. Seward (b. 1824)
  • 1874 – Anders Jonas Ångström, Swedish physicist and astronomer (b. 1814)
  • 1876 – Antonio López de Santa Anna, Mexican general and politician 8th President of Mexico (b. 1794)
  • 1880 – Theophilus H. Holmes, American general (b. 1804)
  • 1893 – Leland Stanford, American businessman and politician, 8th Governor of California (b. 1824)
  • 1908 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer and educator (b. 1844)
  • 1914 – Bertha von Suttner, Austrian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
  • 1929 – Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse, English sociologist, journalist, and academic (b. 1864)
  • 1934 – Thorne Smith, American author (b. 1892)
  • 1940 – Smedley Butler, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1881)
  • 1940 – Édouard Vuillard, French painter (b. 1868)
  • 1951 – Charles Dillon Perrine, American astronomer (b. 1867)
  • 1951 – Gustave Sandras, French gymnast (b. 1872)
  • 1952 – Wop May, Canadian captain and pilot (b. 1896)
  • 1954 – Gideon Sundback, Swedish-American engineer, developed the zipper (b. 1880)
  • 1957 – Claude Farrère, French captain and author (b. 1876)
  • 1957 – Johannes Stark, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
  • 1964 – James Chaney, American civil rights activist (b. 1943)
  • 1964 – Andrew Goodman, American civil rights activist (b. 1943)
  • 1964 – Michael Schwerner, American civil rights activist (b. 1939)
  • 1967 – Theodore Sizer, American professor of the history of art (b. 1892)
  • 1969 – Maureen Connolly, American tennis player (b. 1934)
  • 1970 – Sukarno, Indonesian engineer and politician, 1st President of Indonesia (b. 1901)
  • 1970 – Piers Courage, English race car driver (b. 1942)
  • 1976 – Margaret Herrick, American librarian (b. 1902)
  • 1980 – Bert Kaempfert, German conductor and composer (b. 1923)
  • 1981 – Don Figlozzi, American illustrator and animator (b. 1909)
  • 1985 – Hector Boyardee, Italian-American chef and businessman, founded Chef Boyardee (b. 1897)
  • 1985 – Tage Erlander, Swedish lieutenant and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Sweden (b. 1901)
  • 1986 – Assi Rahbani, Lebanese singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1923)
  • 1987 – Madman Muntz, American engineer and businessman, founded the Muntz Car Company (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Bobby Dodd, American football coach (b. 1908)
  • 1990 – Cedric Belfrage, English journalist and author, co-founded the National Guardian (b. 1904)
  • 1990 – June Christy, American singer (b. 1925)
  • 1992 – Ben Alexander, Australian rugby league player (b. 1971)
  • 1992 – Arthur Gorrie, Australian hobby shop proprietor (b. 1922)
  • 1992 – Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah, Bangladeshi poet, author, and playwright (b. 1956)
  • 1992 – Li Xiannian, Chinese captain and politician, 3rd President of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1909)
  • 1994 – William Wilson Morgan, American astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Shintaro Katsu, Japanese actor, singer, director, and producer (b. 1931)
  • 1997 – Fidel Velázquez Sánchez, Mexican trade union leader (b. 1900)
  • 1998 – Harry Cranbrook Allen, English historian (b. 1917)
  • 1998 – Anastasio Ballestrero, Italian cardinal (b. 1913)
  • 1998 – Al Campanis, American baseball player and manager (b. 1916)
  • 1999 – Kami, Japanese drummer (b. 1973)
  • 2000 – Alan Hovhaness, Armenian-American pianist and composer (b. 1911)
  • 2001 – John Lee Hooker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1917)
  • 2001 – Soad Hosny, Egyptian actress and singer (b. 1942)
  • 2001 – Carroll O’Connor, American actor and producer (b. 1924)
  • 2002 – Timothy Findley, Canadian author and playwright (b. 1930)
  • 2003 – Roger Neilson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1934)
  • 2003 – Leon Uris, American soldier and author (b. 1924)
  • 2004 – Leonel Brizola, Brazilian engineer and politician, Governor of Rio de Janeiro (b. 1922)
  • 2004 – Ruth Leach Amonette, American businesswoman (b. 1916)
  • 2005 – Jaime Sin, Filipino cardinal (b. 1928)
  • 2006 – Jared C. Monti, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1975)
  • 2007 – Bob Evans, American businessman, founded Bob Evans Restaurants (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – Scott Kalitta, American race car driver (b. 1962)
  • 2010 – Russell Ash, English author (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – Irwin Barker, Canadian actor and screenwriter (b. 1956)
  • 2010 – İlhan Selçuk, Turkish lawyer, journalist, and author (b. 1925)
  • 2011 – Robert Kroetsch, Canadian author and poet (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Richard Adler, American composer and producer (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Abid Hussain, Indian economist and diplomat, Indian Ambassador to the United States (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Sunil Janah, Indian photographer and journalist (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Anna Schwartz, American economist and author (b. 1915)
  • 2013 – James P. Gordon, American physicist and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Elliott Reid, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1920)
  • 2014 – Yozo Ishikawa, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Defense (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Walter Kieber, Austrian-Liechtenstein politician, 7th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Wong Ho Leng, Malaysian lawyer and politician (b. 1959)
  • 2015 – Darryl Hamilton, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1964)
  • 2015 – Veijo Meri, Finnish author and poet (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Remo Remotti, Italian actor, playwright, and poet (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski, German soldier and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Gunther Schuller, American horn player, composer, and conductor (b. 1925)
  • 2016 – Pierre Lalonde, Canadian television host and singer (b. 1941)
  • 2018 – Charles Krauthammer, American columnist and conservative political commentator (b.1950)

Holidays and observances on June 21

  • Christian feast day:
    • Alban of Mainz
    • Aloysius Gonzaga
    • Engelmund of Velsen
    • Martin of Tongres
    • Onesimos Nesib (Lutheran)
    • June 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Martyrs (Togo)
  • Father’s Day (Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Uganda, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates)
  • Go Skateboarding Day
  • International Yoga Day (international)
  • National Aboriginal Day (Canada)
  • Solstice-related observances (see also June 20):
    • Day of Private Reflection
    • International Surfing Day
    • National Day (Greenland)
    • We Tripantu, a winter solstice festival in the southern hemisphere. (Mapuche, southern Chile)
    • Willkakuti, an Andean-Amazonic New Year (Aymara)
    • Fête de la Musique
  • World Humanist Day (Humanism)
  • World Hydrography Day (international)

June 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer solstice sometimes occurs on this date, while the Winter solstice occurs in the Southern Hemisphere.

  • 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius’ battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory.
  • 1180 – First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan.
  • 1620 – The Battle of Höchst takes place during the Thirty Years’ War.
  • 1631 – The Sack of Baltimore: The Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates.
  • 1652 – Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha is appointed Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1685 – Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth declares himself King of England at Bridgwater.
  • 1756 – A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta.
  • 1782 – The U.S. Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States.
  • 1787 – Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the ‘United States’.
  • 1789 – Deputies of the French Third Estate take the Tennis Court Oath.
  • 1819 – The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, United Kingdom. It is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, although most of the journey is made under sail.
  • 1837 – Queen Victoria succeeds to the British throne.
  • 1840 – Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph.
  • 1862 – Barbu Catargiu, the Prime Minister of Romania, is assassinated.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: West Virginia is admitted as the 35th U.S. state.
  • 1877 – Alexander Graham Bell installs the world’s first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
  • 1893 – Lizzie Borden is acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother.
  • 1895 – The Kiel Canal, crossing the base of the Jutland peninsula and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, is officially opened.
  • 1900 – Boxer Rebellion: The Imperial Chinese Army begins a 55-day siege of the Legation Quarter in Beijing, China.
  • 1900 – Baron Eduard Toll, leader of the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900, departs Saint Petersburg in Russia on the explorer ship Zarya, never to return.
  • 1921 – Workers of Buckingham and Carnatic Mills in the city of Chennai, India, begin a four-month strike.
  • 1942 – The Holocaust: Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, steal an SS staff car and escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
  • 1943 – The Detroit race riot breaks out and continues for three more days.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Royal Air Force launches Operation Bellicose, the first shuttle bombing raid of the war. Lancaster bombers damage the V-2 rocket production facilities at the Zeppelin Works while en route to an air base in Algeria.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes with a decisive U.S. naval victory. The lopsided naval air battle is also known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”.
  • 1944 – Continuation War: The Soviet Union demands an unconditional surrender from Finland during the beginning of partially successful Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive. The Finnish government refuses.
  • 1944 – The experimental MW 18014 V-2 rocket reaches an altitude of 176 km, becoming the first man-made object to reach outer space.
  • 1945 – The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip.
  • 1948 – The Deutsche Mark is introduced in Western Allied-occupied Germany. The Soviet Military Administration in Germany responded by imposing the Berlin Blockade four days later.
  • 1956 – A Venezuelan Super-Constellation crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Asbury Park, New Jersey, killing 74 people.
  • 1959 – A rare June hurricane strikes Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence killing 35.
  • 1960 – The Mali Federation gains independence from France (it later splits into Mali and Senegal).
  • 1963 – Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union and the United States sign an agreement to establish the so-called “red telephone” link between Washington and Moscow.
  • 1972 – Watergate scandal: An 18½-minute gap appears in the tape recording of the conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the recent arrests of his operatives while breaking into the Watergate complex.
  • 1973 – Snipers fire upon left-wing Peronists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in what is known as the Ezeiza massacre. At least 13 are killed and more than 300 are injured.
  • 1973 – Aeroméxico Flight 229 crashes on approach to Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, killing all 27 people on board.
  • 1975 – The film Jaws is released in the United States, becoming the highest-grossing film of that time and starting the trend of films known as “summer blockbusters”.
  • 1979 – ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart is shot dead by a Nicaraguan soldier under the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. The murder is caught on tape and sparks an international outcry against the regime.
  • 1982 – The Argentine Corbeta Uruguay base on Southern Thule surrenders to Royal Marine commandos in the final action of the Falklands War.
  • 1990 – Asteroid Eureka is discovered.
  • 1990 – The 7.4 Mw  Manjil–Rudbar earthquake affects northern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 35,000–50,000, and injuring 60,000–105,000.
  • 1991 – German Bundestag votes to move seat of government from the former West German capital of Bonn to the present capital Berlin.
  • 1994 – The 1994 Imam Reza shrine bomb explosion in Iran leaves at least 25 dead and 70 to 300 injured.
  • 2003 – The Wikimedia Foundation is founded in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Births on June 20

  • 1005 – Ali az-Zahir, Fatimid caliph of Egypt (d. 1036)
  • 1389 – John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, English statesman (d. 1435)
  • 1469 – Gian Galeazzo Sforza, duke of Milan (d. 1494)
  • 1566 – Sigismund III Vasa, Polish and Swedish king (d. 1632)
  • 1583 – Jacob De la Gardie, Swedish soldier and politician, Lord High Constable of Sweden (d. 1652)
  • 1634 – Charles Emmanuel II, duke of Savoy (d. 1675)
  • 1642 – George Hickes, English minister and scholar (d. 1715)
  • 1647 – John George III, Elector of Saxony (d. 1691)
  • 1717 – Jacques Saly, French sculptor and painter (d. 1776)
  • 1723 – Adam Ferguson, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1816)
  • 1737 – Tokugawa Ieharu, Japanese shōgun (d. 1786)
  • 1754 – Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, princess of Baden (d. 1832)
  • 1756 – Joseph Martin Kraus, German-Swedish composer and educator (d. 1792)
  • 1761 – Jacob Hübner, German entomologist and author (d. 1826)
  • 1763 – Wolfe Tone, Irish rebel leader (d. 1798)
  • 1770 – Moses Waddel, American minister and academic (d. 1840)
  • 1771 – Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, Scottish philanthropist, and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Kirkcudbright (d. 1820)
  • 1771 – Hermann von Boyen, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (d. 1848)
  • 1777 – Jean-Jacques Lartigue, Canadian bishop (d. 1840)
  • 1778 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac, French politician, 7th Prime Minister of France (d. 1832)
  • 1786 – Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, French poet and author (d. 1859)
  • 1796 – Luigi Amat di San Filippo e Sorso, Italian cardinal (d. 1878)
  • 1808 – Samson Raphael Hirsch, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1888)
  • 1809 – Isaak August Dorner, German theologian and academic (d. 1884)
  • 1813 – Joseph Autran, French poet and author (d. 1877)
  • 1819 – Jacques Offenbach, German-French cellist and composer (d. 1880)
  • 1847 – Gina Krog, Norwegian suffragist and women’s rights activist (d. 1916)
  • 1855 – Richard Lodge, English historian and academic (d. 1936)
  • 1858 – Charles W. Chesnutt, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1932)
  • 1860 – Alexander Winton, Scottish-American race car driver and engineer (d. 1932)
  • 1860 – Jack Worrall, Australian cricketer, footballer, and coach (d. 1937)
  • 1861 – Frederick Gowland Hopkins, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
  • 1865 – George Redmayne Murray, English biologist and physician (d. 1939)
  • 1866 – James Burns, English cricketer (d. 1957)
  • 1869 – Laxmanrao Kirloskar, Indian businessman, founded the Kirloskar Group (d. 1956)
  • 1870 – Georges Dufrénoy, French painter and academic (d. 1943)
  • 1872 – George Carpenter, American 5th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1948)
  • 1875 – Reginald Punnett, English geneticist, statistician, and academic (d. 1967)
  • 1882 – Daniel Sawyer, American golfer (d. 1937)
  • 1884 – Mary R. Calvert, American astronomer and author (d. 1974)
  • 1884 – Johannes Heinrich Schultz, German psychiatrist and psychotherapist (d. 1970)
  • 1885 – Andrzej Gawroński, Polish linguist and academic (d. 1927)
  • 1887 – Kurt Schwitters, German painter and illustrator (d. 1948)
  • 1889 – John S. Paraskevopoulos, Greek-South African astronomer and academic (d. 1951)
  • 1891 – Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, Italian soprano (d. 1951)
  • 1891 – John A. Costello, Irish lawyer and politician, 3rd Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 1976)
  • 1893 – Wilhelm Zaisser, German soldier and politician (d. 1958)
  • 1894 – Lloyd Hall, American chemist and academic (d. 1971)
  • 1896 – Wilfrid Pelletier, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1982)
  • 1897 – Elisabeth Hauptmann, German author and playwright (d. 1973)
  • 1899 – Jean Moulin, French soldier and engineer (d. 1943)
  • 1903 – Sam Rabin, English wrestler, sculptor, and singer (d. 1991)
  • 1905 – Lillian Hellman, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 1984)
  • 1906 – Bob King, American high jumper and obstetrician (d. 1965)
  • 1907 – Jimmy Driftwood, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (d. 1998)
  • 1908 – Billy Werber, American baseball player (d. 2009)
  • 1908 – Gus Schilling, American actor (d. 1957)
  • 1909 – Errol Flynn, Australian-American actor (d. 1959)
  • 1910 – Josephine Johnson, American author and poet (d. 1990)
  • 1911 – Gail Patrick, American actress (d. 1980)
  • 1912 – Anthony Buckeridge, English author (d. 2004)
  • 1912 – Jack Torrance, American shot putter and football player (d. 1969)
  • 1914 – Gordon Juckes, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1994)
  • 1914 – Muazzez İlmiye Çığ, Turkish archaeologist and academic
  • 1915 – Dick Reynolds, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Terence Young, Chinese-English director and screenwriter (d. 1994)
  • 1916 – Jean-Jacques Bertrand, Canadian lawyer and politician, 21st Premier of Quebec (d. 1973)
  • 1916 – T. Texas Tyler, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
  • 1917 – Helena Rasiowa, Austrian-Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1994)
  • 1918 – George Lynch, American race car driver (d. 1997)
  • 1918 – Zoltán Sztáray, Hungarian-American author (d. 2011)
  • 1920 – Geoffrey Baker, English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (d. 1980)
  • 1920 – Danny Cedrone, American guitarist and bandleader (d. 1954)
  • 1920 – Thomas Jefferson, American trumpet player (d. 1986)
  • 1921 – Byron Farwell, American historian and author (d. 1999)
  • 1921 – Pancho Segura, Ecuadorian tennis player (d. 2017)
  • 1923 – Peter Gay, German-American historian, author, and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Jerzy Nowak, Polish actor and educator (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Chet Atkins, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2001)
  • 1924 – Fritz Koenig, German sculptor and academic, designed The Sphere (d. 2017)
  • 1925 – Doris Hart, American tennis player and educator (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Audie Murphy, American lieutenant and actor, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1971)
  • 1926 – Rehavam Ze’evi, Israeli general and politician, 9th Israeli Minister of Tourism (d. 2001)
  • 1927 – Simin Behbahani, Iranian poet and activist (d. 2014)
  • 1928 – Eric Dolphy, American saxophonist, flute player, and composer (d. 1964)
  • 1928 – Martin Landau, American actor and producer (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – Jean-Marie Le Pen, French intelligence officer and politician
  • 1928 – Asrat Woldeyes, Ethiopian surgeon and educator (d. 1999)
  • 1929 – Edgar Bronfman, Sr., Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Anne Weale, English journalist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1929 – Edith Windsor, American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights activist (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – Magdalena Abakanowicz, Polish sculptor and academic (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – John Waine, English bishop
  • 1931 – Olympia Dukakis, American actress
  • 1931 – James Tolkan, American actor and director
  • 1932 – Robert Rozhdestvensky, Russian poet and author (d. 1994)
  • 1933 – Danny Aiello, American actor (d. 2019)
  • 1933 – Claire Tomalin, English journalist and author
  • 1934 – Wendy Craig, English actress
  • 1935 – Jim Barker, American politician (d. 2005)
  • 1935 – Len Dawson, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1935 – Armando Picchi, Italian footballer and coach (d. 1971)
  • 1936 – Billy Guy, American singer (d. 2002)
  • 1936 – Enn Vetemaa, Estonian author and screenwriter (d. 2017)
  • 1937 – Stafford Dean, English actor and singer
  • 1937 – Jerry Keller, American singer-songwriter
  • 1938 – Joan Kirner, Australian educator and politician, 42nd Premier of Victoria (d. 2015)
  • 1938 – Mickie Most, English music producer (d. 2003)
  • 1939 – Ramakant Desai, Indian cricketer (d. 1998)
  • 1939 – Budge Rogers, English rugby player and manager
  • 1940 – Eugen Drewermann, German priest and theologian
  • 1940 – John Mahoney, English actor (d. 2018)
  • 1941 – Stephen Frears, English actor, director, and producer
  • 1941 – Ulf Merbold, German physicist and astronaut
  • 1942 – Neil Trudinger, Australian mathematician and theorist
  • 1942 – Brian Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1945 – Anne Murray, Canadian singer and guitarist
  • 1946 – Xanana Gusmão, Timorese soldier and politician, 1st President of East Timor
  • 1946 – David Kazhdan, Russian-Israeli mathematician and academic
  • 1946 – Bob Vila, American television host
  • 1946 – André Watts, American pianist and educator
  • 1947 – Dolores “LaLa” Brooks, American pop singer (The Crystals)
  • 1948 – Cirilo Flores, American bishop (d. 2014)
  • 1948 – Ludwig Scotty, Nauruan politician, 10th President of Nauru
  • 1949 – Alan Longmuir, Scottish bass player and songwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1949 – Lionel Richie, American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor
  • 1949 – Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 8th president of Sri Lanka
  • 1950 – Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqi politician, 76th Prime Minister of Iraq
  • 1951 – Tress MacNeille, American actress and voice artist
  • 1951 – Sheila McLean, Scottish scholar and academic
  • 1951 – Paul Muldoon, Irish poet and academic
  • 1952 – John Goodman, American actor
  • 1952 – Vikram Seth, Indian author and poet
  • 1953 – Robert Crais, American author and screenwriter
  • 1953 – Raúl Ramírez, Mexican tennis player
  • 1953 – Willy Rampf, German engineer
  • 1954 – Allan Lamb, South African-English cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1954 – Ilan Ramon, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2003)
  • 1955 – E. Lynn Harris, American author (d. 2009)
  • 1956 – Peter Reid, English footballer and manager
  • 1956 – Sohn Suk-hee, South Korean newscaster
  • 1958 – Kelly Johnson, English hard rock guitarist and songwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1960 – Philip M. Parker, American economist and author
  • 1960 – John Taylor, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor
  • 1963 – Kirk Baptiste, American sprinter
  • 1963 – Mark Ovenden, British author and broadcaster
  • 1964 – Pierfrancesco Chili, Italian motorcycle racer
  • 1964 – Silke Möller, German runner
  • 1966 – Boaz Yakin, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Nicole Kidman, American-Australian actress
  • 1967 – Dan Tyminski, American singer-songwriter
  • 1968 – Robert Rodriguez, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1969 – Paulo Bento, Portuguese footballer and manager
  • 1969 – Misha Verbitsky, Russian mathematician and academic
  • 1969 – MaliVai Washington, American tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1970 – Andrea Nahles, German politician, German Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
  • 1970 – Athol Williams, South African poet and social philosopher
  • 1971 – Rodney Rogers, American basketball player and coach
  • 1971 – Jeordie White, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bass player
  • 1972 – Alexis Alexoudis, Greek footballer
  • 1973 – Chino Moreno, American singer-songwriter
  • 1975 – Joan Balcells, Spanish tennis player
  • 1975 – Daniel Zítka, Czech footballer
  • 1976 – Juliano Belletti, Brazilian footballer
  • 1976 – Carlos Lee, Panamanian baseball player
  • 1977 – Gordan Giriček, Croatian basketball player
  • 1977 – Amos Lee, American singer-songwriter
  • 1978 – Frank Lampard, English footballer
  • 1978 – Jan-Paul Saeijs, Dutch footballer
  • 1979 – Charles Howell III, American golfer
  • 1980 – Franco Semioli, Italian footballer
  • 1980 – Tika Sumpter, American actress
  • 1980 – Fabian Wegmann, German cyclist
  • 1981 – Brede Hangeland, Norwegian footballer
  • 1982 – Aleksei Berezutski, Russian footballer
  • 1982 – Vasili Berezutski, Russian footballer
  • 1982 – Example, English singer/rapper
  • 1983 – Josh Childress, American basketball player
  • 1983 – Darren Sproles, American football player
  • 1984 – Hassan Adams, American basketball player
  • 1985 – Saki Aibu, Japanese actress
  • 1985 – Aurélien Chedjou, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1985 – Matt Flynn, American football player
  • 1986 – Dreama Walker, American actress
  • 1987 – A-fu, Taiwanese singer and songwriter
  • 1987 – Carsten Ball, Australian tennis player
  • 1987 – Asmir Begović, Bosnian footballer
  • 1987 – Joseph Ebuya, Kenyan runner
  • 1987 – Kierra Sheard, American gospel singer
  • 1989 – Christopher Mintz-Plasse, American actor
  • 1989 – Javier Pastore, Argentinian footballer
  • 1989 – Terrelle Pryor, American football player
  • 1990 – DeQuan Jones, American basketball player
  • 1991 – Kalidou Koulibaly, Senegalese footballer
  • 1991 – Rick ten Voorde, Dutch footballer
  • 1993 – Sead Kolašinac, Bosnian footballer
  • 1994 – Leonard Williams, American football player
  • 1995 – Caroline Weir, Scottish footballer
  • 1996 – Sam Bennett, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1997 – Bálint Kopasz, Hungarian sprint canoeist

Deaths on June 20

  • 465 – Emperor Wencheng of Northern Wei (b. 440)
  • 656 – Uthman ibn Affan, Rashidun caliph (b. 577)
  • 840 – Louis the Pious, Carolingian emperor (b. 778)
  • 930 – Hucbald, Frankish monk and music theorist
  • 981 – Adalbert, archbishop of Magdeburg
  • 1176 – Mikhail of Vladimir, Russian prince
  • 1351 – Margareta Ebner, German nun and mystic (b. 1291)
  • 1405 – Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, fourth son of King Robert II of Scotland (b. 1343)
  • 1597 – Willem Barentsz, Dutch cartographer and explorer (b. 1550)
  • 1605 – Feodor II of Russia (b. 1589)
  • 1668 – Heinrich Roth, German missionary and scholar (b. 1620)
  • 1776 – Benjamin Huntsman, English businessman (b. 1704)
  • 1787 – Carl Friedrich Abel, German viol player and composer (b. 1723)
  • 1800 – Abraham Gotthelf Kästner, German mathematician and academic (b. 1719)
  • 1810 – Axel von Fersen the Younger, Swedish general and politician (b. 1755)
  • 1815 – Guillaume Philibert Duhesme, French general (b. 1766)
  • 1820 – Manuel Belgrano, Argentinian general, economist, and politician (b. 1770)
  • 1837 – William IV of the United Kingdom (b. 1765)
  • 1840 – Pierre Claude François Daunou, French historian and politician (b. 1761)
  • 1847 – Juan Larrea, Argentinian captain and politician (b. 1782)
  • 1869 – Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese commander (b. 1835)
  • 1870 – Jules de Goncourt, French historian and author (b. 1830)
  • 1872 – Élie Frédéric Forey, French general (b. 1804)
  • 1875 – Joseph Meek, American police officer and politician (b. 1810)
  • 1888 – Johannes Zukertort, Polish-English chess player (b. 1842)
  • 1906 – John Clayton Adams, English painter (b. 1840)
  • 1909 – Friedrich Martens, Estonian-Russian historian, lawyer, and diplomat (b. 1845)
  • 1925 – Josef Breuer, Austrian physician and psychologist (b. 1842)
  • 1929 – Emmanouil Benakis, Greek merchant and politician, 35th Mayor of Athens (b. 1843)
  • 1945 – Bruno Frank, German author, poet, and playwright (b. 1878)
  • 1947 – Bugsy Siegel, American mobster (b. 1906)
  • 1952 – Luigi Fagioli, Italian race car driver (b. 1898)
  • 1958 – Kurt Alder, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
  • 1963 – Raphaël Salem, Greek-French mathematician and academic (b. 1898)
  • 1965 – Bernard Baruch, American financier and politician (b. 1870)
  • 1966 – Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1894)
  • 1974 – Horace Lindrum, Australian snooker player (b. 1912)
  • 1975 – Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Hatian anthropologist (b. 1898)
  • 1978 – Mark Robson, Canadian-American director and producer (b. 1913)
  • 1984 – Estelle Winwood, English actress (b. 1883)
  • 1995 – Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and educator (b. 1911)
  • 1997 – Cahit Külebi, Turkish poet and author (b. 1917)
  • 1999 – Clifton Fadiman, American game show host, author, and critic (b. 1902)
  • 2001 – Gina Cigna, French-Italian soprano (b. 1900)
  • 2002 – Erwin Chargaff, Austrian-American biochemist and academic (b. 1905)
  • 2002 – Tinus Osendarp, Dutch runner (b. 1916)
  • 2004 – Jim Bacon, Australian politician, 41st Premier of Tasmania (b. 1950)
  • 2005 – Larry Collins, American journalist, historian, and author (b. 1929)
  • 2005 – Jack Kilby, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
  • 2010 – Roberto Rosato, Italian footballer (b. 1943)
  • 2010 – Harry B. Whittington, English palaeontologist and academic (b. 1916)
  • 2011 – Ryan Dunn, American television personality (b. 1977)
  • 2012 – Judy Agnew, Second Lady of the United States. (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – LeRoy Neiman, American painter (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Andrew Sarris, American critic (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Ingvar Rydell, Swedish footballer (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Angelo Niculescu, Romanian footballer and manager (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Miriam Schapiro, Canadian-American painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
  • 2017 – Prodigy, American music artist (b. 1974)

Holidays and observances on June 20

  • Christian feast day:
    • Adalbert of Magdeburg
    • Florentina
    • John of Matera
    • Blessed Margareta Ebner
    • Methodius of Olympus
    • Pope Silverius
    • June 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the National Flag (Argentina)
  • The earliest date for the summer solstice in the Northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the Southern hemisphere, and its related observance:
    • Earliest day on which Day of the Finnish Flag can fall, while June 26 is the latest; celebrated on Saturday of Midsummer’s Day (Finland)
    • International Surfing Day (on or near Summer solstice)
    • Litha / Midsummer celebrations in the northern hemisphere, Yule in the southern hemisphere.
  • Gas Sector Day (Azerbaijan)
  • Martyrs’ Day (Eritrea)
  • West Virginia Day (West Virginia)
  • World Refugee Day (International)

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

On This Day

June 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 325 – The original Nicene Creed is adopted at the First Council of Nicaea.
  • 1179 – The Battle of Kalvskinnet takes place outside Nidaros (now Trondheim), Norway. Earl Erling Skakke is killed, and the battle changes the tide of the civil wars.
  • 1306 – The Earl of Pembroke’s army defeats Bruce’s Scottish army at the Battle of Methven.
  • 1586 – English colonists leave Roanoke Island, after failing to establish England’s first permanent settlement in North America.
  • 1770 – New Church Day: Emanuel Swedenborg writes: “The Lord sent forth His twelve disciples, who followed Him in the world into the whole spiritual world to preach the Gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ reign. This took place on the 19th day of June, in the year 1770.”
  • 1800 – War of the Second Coalition Battle of Höchstädt results in a French victory over Austria.
  • 1816 – Battle of Seven Oaks between North West Company and Hudson’s Bay Company, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
  • 1821 – Decisive defeat of the Filiki Eteria by the Ottomans at Drăgășani (in Wallachia).
  • 1846 – The first officially recorded, organized baseball game is played under Alexander Cartwright’s rules on Hoboken, New Jersey’s Elysian Fields with the New York Base Ball Club defeating the Knickerbockers 23–1. Cartwright umpired.
  • 1850 – Princess Louise of the Netherlands marries Crown Prince Karl of Sweden–Norway.
  • 1862 – The U.S. Congress prohibits slavery in United States territories, nullifying Dred Scott v. Sandford.
  • 1865 – Over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves in Galveston, Texas, United States, are finally informed of their freedom. The anniversary is still officially celebrated in Texas and 41 other contiguous states as Juneteenth.
  • 1867 – Maximilian I of the Second Mexican Empire is executed by a firing squad in Querétaro, Querétaro.
  • 1875 – The Herzegovinian rebellion against the Ottoman Empire begins.
  • 1903 – Benito Mussolini, at the time a radical Socialist, is arrested by Bern police for advocating a violent general strike.
  • 1910 – The first Father’s Day is celebrated in Spokane, Washington.
  • 1913 – Natives Land Act, 1913 in South Africa implemented.
  • 1934 – The Communications Act of 1934 establishes the United States’ Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
  • 1943 – The Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL merge for one season due to player shortages caused by World War II.
  • 1953 – Cold War: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed at Sing Sing, in New York.
  • 1960 – The first NASCAR race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • 1961 – Kuwait declares independence from the United Kingdom.
  • 1964 – The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is approved after surviving an 83-day filibuster in the United States Senate.
  • 1965 – Nguyễn Cao Kỳ becomes Prime Minister of South Vietnam at the head of a military junta; General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu becomes the figurehead chief of state.
  • 1985 – Members of the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, dressed as Salvadoran soldiers, attack the Zona Rosa area of San Salvador.
  • 1987 – Basque separatist group ETA commits one of its most violent attacks, in which a bomb is set off in a supermarket, Hipercor, killing 21 and injuring 45.
  • 1988 – Pope John Paul II canonizes 117 Vietnamese Martyrs.
  • 1990 – The current international law defending indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, is ratified for the first time by Norway.
  • 1990 – The Communist Party of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is founded in Moscow.
  • 1991 – The last Soviet army units in Hungary are withdrawn.
  • 2007 – The al-Khilani Mosque bombing in Baghdad leaves 78 people dead and another 218 injured.
  • 2009 – Mass riots involving over 10,000 people and 10,000 police officers break out in Shishou, China, over the dubious circumstances surrounding the death of a local chef.
  • 2009 – War in North-West Pakistan: The Pakistani Armed Forces open Operation Rah-e-Nijat against the Taliban and other Islamist rebels in the South Waziristan area of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
  • 2012 – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange requested asylum in London’s Ecuadorian Embassy for fear of extradition to the US after publication of previously classified documents including footage of civilian killings by the US army.
  • 2018 – The 10,000,000th United States Patent is issued.

Births on June 19

  • 1301 – Prince Morikuni, shōgun of Japan (d. 1333)
  • 1417 – Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, lord of Rimini (d. 1468)
  • 1566 – James VI and I of the United Kingdom (d. 1625)
  • 1590 – Philip Bell, British colonial governor (d. 1678)
  • 1595 – Hargobind, sixth Sikh guru (d. 1644)
  • 1598 – Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1677)
  • 1606 – James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, Scottish soldier and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (d. 1649)
  • 1623 – Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1662)
  • 1633 – Philipp van Limborch, Dutch author and theologian (d. 1712)
  • 1701 – François Rebel, French violinist and composer (d. 1775)
  • 1731 – Joaquim Machado de Castro, Portuguese sculptor (d. 1822)
  • 1764 – José Gervasio Artigas, Uruguayan general and politician (d. 1850)
  • 1771 – Joseph Diaz Gergonne, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1859)
  • 1776 – Francis Johnson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1842)
  • 1783 – Friedrich Sertürner, German chemist and pharmacist (d. 1841)
  • 1793 – Joseph Earl Sheffield, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1882)
  • 1795 – James Braid, Scottish-English surgeon (d. 1860)
  • 1797 – Hamilton Hume, Australian explorer (d. 1873)
  • 1815 – Cornelius Krieghoff, Dutch-Canadian painter (d. 1872)
  • 1816 – William H. Webb, American shipbuilder and philanthropist, founded the Webb Institute (d. 1899)
  • 1833 – Mary Tenney Gray, American editorial writer, club-woman, philanthropist, and suffragette (d. 1904)
  • 1834 – Charles Spurgeon, English pastor and author (d. 1892)
  • 1840 – Georg Karl Maria Seidlitz, German entomologist and academic (d. 1917)
  • 1843 – Mary Sibbet Copley, American philanthropist (d. 1929)
  • 1845 – Cléophas Beausoleil, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1904)
  • 1846 – Antonio Abetti, Italian astronomer and academic (d. 1928)
  • 1850 – David Jayne Hill, American historian and politician, 24th United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1932)
  • 1851 – Billy Midwinter, English-Australian cricketer (d. 1890)
  • 1851 – Silvanus P. Thompson, English physicist, engineer, and academic (d. 1916)
  • 1854 – Alfredo Catalani, Italian composer and academic (d. 1893)
  • 1854 – Hjalmar Mellin, Finnish mathematician and theorist (d. 1933)
  • 1855 – George F. Roesch, American lawyer and politician (d. 1917)
  • 1858 – Sam Walter Foss, American poet and librarian (d. 1911)
  • 1861 – Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, Scottish-English field marshal (d. 1928)
  • 1861 – Émile Haug, French geologist and paleontologist (d. 1927)
  • 1861 – José Rizal, Filipino journalist, author, and poet (d. 1896)
  • 1865 – May Whitty, English actress (d. 1948)
  • 1871 – Alajos Szokolyi, Hungarian hurdler, jumper, and physician (d. 1932)
  • 1872 – Theodore Payne, English-American gardener and botanist (d. 1963)
  • 1874 – Peder Oluf Pedersen, Danish physicist and engineer (d. 1941)
  • 1876 – Nigel Gresley, Scottish-English engineer (d. 1941)
  • 1877 – Charles Coburn, American actor (d. 1961)
  • 1881 – Maginel Wright Enright, American illustrator (d. 1966)
  • 1883 – Gladys Mills Phipps, American horse breeder (d. 1970)
  • 1884 – Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes, French painter and historian (d. 1974)
  • 1886 – Finley Hamilton, American lawyer and politician (d. 1940)
  • 1888 – Arthur Massey Berry, Canadian soldier and pilot (d. 1970)
  • 1891 – John Heartfield, German photographer and activist (d. 1968)
  • 1896 – Rajani Palme Dutt, English journalist and politician (d. 1974)
  • 1896 – Wallis Simpson, American wife of Edward VIII (d. 1986)
  • 1897 – Cyril Norman Hinshelwood, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
  • 1897 – Moe Howard, American comedian (d. 1975)
  • 1902 – Guy Lombardo, Canadian-American violinist and bandleader (d. 1977)
  • 1903 – Mary Callery, American-French sculptor and academic (d. 1977)
  • 1903 – Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (d. 1941)
  • 1903 – Wally Hammond, English cricketer and coach (d. 1965)
  • 1903 – Hans Litten, German lawyer (d. 1938)
  • 1905 – Mildred Natwick, American actress (d. 1994)
  • 1906 – Ernst Boris Chain, German-Irish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
  • 1906 – Knut Kroon, Swedish footballer (d. 1975)
  • 1906 – Walter Rauff, German SS officer (d. 1984)
  • 1907 – Clarence Wiseman, Canadian 10th General of the Salvation Army (d. 1985)
  • 1909 – Osamu Dazai, Japanese author (d. 1948)
  • 1909 – Rūdolfs Jurciņš, Latvian basketball player (d. 1948)
  • 1910 – Sydney Allard, English race car driver, founded the Allard Company (d. 1966)
  • 1910 – Paul Flory, American chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
  • 1910 – Abe Fortas, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1982)
  • 1912 – Don Gutteridge, American baseball player and manager (d. 2008)
  • 1912 – Virginia MacWatters, American soprano and actress (d. 2005)
  • 1913 – Helene Madison, American swimmer (d. 1970)
  • 1914 – Alan Cranston, American journalist and politician (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – Lester Flatt, American bluegrass singer-songwriter, guitarist, and mandolin player (d. 1979)
  • 1915 – Pat Buttram, American actor (d. 1994)
  • 1915 – Julius Schwartz, American publisher and agent (d. 2004)
  • 1917 – Joshua Nkomo, Zimbabwean guerrilla leader and politician, Vice President of Zimbabwe (d. 1999)
  • 1919 – Pauline Kael, American film critic (d. 2001)
  • 1920 – Yves Robert, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Louis Jourdan, French-American actor and singer (d. 2015)
  • 1922 – Aage Bohr, Danish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
  • 1922 – Marilyn P. Johnson, American educator and diplomat, 8th United States Ambassador to Togo
  • 1923 – Bob Hank, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1926 – Erna Schneider Hoover, American mathematician and inventor
  • 1927 – Luciano Benjamín Menéndez, Argentine general and human rights violator (d. 2018)
  • 1928 – Tommy DeVito, American singer and guitarist
  • 1928 – Nancy Marchand, American actress (d. 2000)
  • 1930 – Gena Rowlands, American actress
  • 1932 – Pier Angeli, Italian actress (d. 1971)
  • 1932 – José Sanchis Grau, Spanish author and illustrator (d. 2011)
  • 1932 – Marisa Pavan, Italian actress
  • 1933 – Viktor Patsayev, Kazakh engineer and astronaut (d. 1971)
  • 1934 – Gérard Latortue, Haitian politician, 12th Prime Minister of Haiti
  • 1936 – Marisa Galvany, American soprano and actress
  • 1937 – André Glucksmann, French philosopher and author (d. 2015)
  • 1938 – Wahoo McDaniel, American football player and wrestler (d. 2002)
  • 1939 – Bernd Hoss, German footballer and manager (d. 2016)
  • 1939 – John F. MacArthur, American minister and theologian
  • 1941 – Václav Klaus, Czech economist and politician, 2nd President of the Czech Republic
  • 1942 – Merata Mita, New Zealand director and producer (d. 2010)
  • 1944 – Chico Buarque, Brazilian singer, composer, writer and poet
  • 1945 – Radovan Karadžić, Serbian-Bosnian politician and convicted war criminal, 1st President of Republika Srpska
  • 1945 – Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1945 – Tobias Wolff, American short story writer, memoirist, and novelist
  • 1946 – Jimmy Greenhoff, English footballer and manager
  • 1947 – Salman Rushdie, Indian-English novelist and essayist
  • 1947 – John Ralston Saul, Canadian philosopher and author
  • 1948 – Nick Drake, English singer-songwriter (d. 1974)
  • 1948 – Phylicia Rashad, American actress
  • 1950 – Neil Asher Silberman, American archaeologist and historian
  • 1950 – Ann Wilson, American singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1951 – Ayman al-Zawahiri, Egyptian terrorist
  • 1951 – Francesco Moser, Italian cyclist
  • 1952 – Bob Ainsworth, English politician, Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1954 – Mike O’Brien, English lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for England and Wales
  • 1954 – Lou Pearlman, American music producer and fraudster (d. 2016)
  • 1954 – Kathleen Turner, American actress
  • 1954 – Richard Wilkins, New Zealand-Australian journalist and television presenter
  • 1955 – Mary O’Connor, New Zealand runner
  • 1955 – Mary Schapiro, American lawyer and politician
  • 1957 – Anna Lindh, Swedish politician, 39th Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2003)
  • 1957 – Jean Rabe, American journalist and author
  • 1958 – Sergei Makarov, Russian-American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1959 – Mark DeBarge, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player
  • 1959 – Christian Wulff, German lawyer and politician, 10th President of Germany
  • 1960 – Andrew Dilnot, English economist and academic
  • 1960 – Johnny Gray, American runner and coach
  • 1960 – Luke Morley, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1960 – Patti Rizzo, American golfer
  • 1962 – Paula Abdul, American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress, and presenter
  • 1962 – Jeremy Bates, English tennis player
  • 1962 – Ashish Vidyarthi, Indian actor
  • 1963 – Laura Ingraham, American radio host and author
  • 1963 – Margarita Ponomaryova, Russian hurdler
  • 1963 – Rory Underwood, English rugby player, lieutenant, and pilot
  • 1964 – Brent Goulet, American soccer player and manager
  • 1964 – Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and former Mayor of London
  • 1964 – Brian Vander Ark, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1965 – Sabine Braun, German heptathlete
  • 1965 – Sadie Frost, English actress and producer
  • 1966 – Michalis Romanidis, Greek basketball player
  • 1967 – Bjørn Dæhlie, Norwegian skier and businessman
  • 1968 – Alastair Lynch, Australian footballer and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Timothy Morton, American philosopher and academic
  • 1968 – Kimberly Anne “Kim” Walker, American film and television actress (d. 2001)
  • 1970 – Rahul Gandhi, Indian politician
  • 1970 – Quincy Watts, American sprinter and football player
  • 1970 – Brian Welch, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1971 – José Emilio Amavisca, Spanish footballer
  • 1971 – Chris Armstrong, English footballer
  • 1972 – Jean Dujardin, French actor
  • 1972 – Ilya Markov, Russian race walker
  • 1972 – Brian McBride, American soccer player and coach
  • 1972 – Poppy Montgomery, Australian-American actress
  • 1972 – Robin Tunney, American actress
  • 1973 – Jahine Arnold, American football player
  • 1973 – Yuko Nakazawa, Japanese singer
  • 1973 – Yasuhiko Yabuta, Japanese baseball player
  • 1974 – Doug Mientkiewicz, American baseball player, coach, and manager
  • 1974 – Mustaque Ahmed Ruhi, Bangladeshi member of parliament
  • 1975 – Hugh Dancy, English actor and model
  • 1975 – Anthony Parker, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Anar Baghirov, Azerbaijani lawyer
  • 1976 – Dennis Crowley, American businessman, co-founded Foursquare
  • 1976 – Bryan Hughes, English footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Anita Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1978 – Dirk Nowitzki, German basketball player
  • 1978 – Zoe Saldana, American actress
  • 1978 – Claudio Vargas, Dominican baseball player
  • 1979 – José Kléberson, Brazilian footballer
  • 1980 – Jean Carroll, Irish cricketer
  • 1980 – Dan Ellis, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Robbie Neilson, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1980 – Nuno Santos, Portuguese footballer
  • 1981 – Mohammed Al-Khuwalidi, Saudi Arabian long jumper
  • 1981 – Moss Burmester, New Zealand swimmer
  • 1982 – Alexander Frolov, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Chris Vermuelen, Australian motorcycle racer
  • 1983 – Macklemore, American rapper
  • 1983 – Aidan Turner, Irish actor
  • 1984 – Paul Dano, American actor
  • 1984 – Wieke Dijkstra, Dutch field hockey player
  • 1984 – Andri Eleftheriou, Cypriot sport shooter
  • 1985 – Ai Miyazato, Japanese golfer
  • 1985 – José Ernesto Sosa, Argentinian footballer
  • 1985 – Dire Tune, Ethiopian runner
  • 1986 – Aoiyama Kōsuke, Bulgarian sumo wrestler
  • 1986 – Lázaro Borges, Cuban pole vaulter
  • 1986 – Diego Hypólito, Brazilian gymnast
  • 1986 – Marvin Williams, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Rashard Mendenhall, American football player
  • 1988 – Jacob deGrom, American baseball player
  • 1990 – Moa Hjelmer, Swedish sprinter
  • 1990 – Xavier Rhodes, American football player
  • 1992 – Keaton Jennings, South African-English cricketer
  • 1992 – C. J. Mosley, American football player
  • 1993 – Olajide Olatunji, English YouTuber

Deaths on June 19

  • 404 – Huan Xuan, Jin-dynasty warlord and emperor of Huan Chu (b. 369)
  • 626 – Soga no Umako, Japanese son of Soga no Iname (b. 551)
  • 930 – Xiao Qing, chancellor of Later Liang (b. 862)
  • 1027 – Romuald, Italian mystic and saint (b. 951)
  • 1185 – Taira no Munemori, Japanese soldier (b. 1147)
  • 1282 – Eleanor de Montfort, Welsh princess (b. 1252)
  • 1312 – Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English politician (b. 1284)
  • 1341 – Juliana Falconieri, Italian nun and saint (b. 1270)
  • 1364 – Elisenda of Montcada, queen consort and regent of Aragon (b. 1292)
  • 1504 – Bernhard Walther, German astronomer and humanist (b. 1430)
  • 1542 – Leo Jud, Swiss theologian and reformer (b. 1482)
  • 1545 – Abraomas Kulvietis, Lithuanian-Russian lawyer and jurist (b. 1509)
  • 1567 – Anna of Brandenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg (b. 1507)
  • 1584 – Francis, Duke of Anjou (b. 1555)
  • 1608 – Alberico Gentili, Italian lawyer and jurist (b. 1551)
  • 1650 – Matthäus Merian, Swiss-German engraver and publisher (b. 1593)
  • 1747 – Alessandro Marcello, Italian composer and educator (b. 1669)
  • 1747 – Nader Shah, Persian leader (b. 1688)
  • 1762 – Johann Ernst Eberlin, German organist and composer (b. 1702)
  • 1768 – Benjamin Tasker Sr., American soldier and politician, 10th Colonial Governor of Maryland (b. 1690)
  • 1786 – Nathanael Greene, American general (b. 1742)
  • 1805 – Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French painter and educator (b. 1724)
  • 1820 – Joseph Banks, English botanist and author (b. 1743)
  • 1844 – Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, French zoologist and biologist (b. 1772)
  • 1864 – Richard Heales, English-Australian politician, 4th Premier of Victoria (b. 1822)
  • 1864 – Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, American soldier (b. 1843)
  • 1865 – Evangelos Zappas, Greek-Romanian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1800)
  • 1867 – Miguel Miramón, Unconstitutional president of Mexico, 1859-1860 (b. 1832)
  • 1867 – Maximilian I of Mexico (b. 1832)
  • 1874 – Ferdinand Stoliczka, Moravian palaeontologist and ornithologist (b. 1838)
  • 1884 – Juan Bautista Alberdi, Argentinian-French politician and diplomat (b. 1810)
  • 1903 – Herbert Vaughan, English cardinal (b. 1832)
  • 1918 – Francesco Baracca, Italian fighter pilot (b. 1888)
  • 1921 – Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet and author (b. 1888)
  • 1922 – Hitachiyama Taniemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 19th Yokozuna (b. 1874)
  • 1932 – Sol Plaatje, South African journalist and activist (b. 1876)
  • 1937 – J. M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright (b. 1860)
  • 1939 – Grace Abbott, American social worker and activist (b. 1878)
  • 1940 – Maurice Jaubert, French composer and conductor (b. 1900)
  • 1941 – C. V. Hartman, Swiss botanist and anthropologist (b. 1862)
  • 1941 – Otto Hirsch, German jurist and politician (b. 1885)
  • 1949 – Syed Zafarul Hasan, Indian philosopher and academic (b. 1885)
  • 1951 – Angelos Sikelianos, Greek poet and playwright (b. 1884)
  • 1953 – Ethel Rosenberg, American spy (b. 1915)
  • 1953 – Julius Rosenberg, American spy (b. 1918)
  • 1956 – Thomas J. Watson, American businessman (b. 1874)
  • 1962 – Frank Borzage, American film director and actor (b. 1894)
  • 1966 – Ed Wynn, American actor and comedian (b. 1886)
  • 1968 – James Joseph Sweeney, American bishop (b. 1898)
  • 1975 – Sam Giancana, American mob boss (b. 1908)
  • 1977 – Ali Shariati, Iranian sociologist and philosopher (b. 1933)
  • 1979 – Paul Popenoe, American explorer and scholar, founded Relationship counseling (b. 1888)
  • 1981 – Anya Phillips, Chinese-American band manager and co-founder of the Mudd Club (b. 1955)
  • 1984 – Lee Krasner, American painter and educator (b. 1908)
  • 1986 – Len Bias, American basketball player (b. 1963)
  • 1987 – Margaret Carver Leighton, American author (b. 1896)
  • 1988 – Fernand Seguin, Canadian biochemist and academic (b. 1922)
  • 1988 – Gladys Spellman, American lawyer and politician (b. 1918)
  • 1989 – Betti Alver, Estonian author and poet (b. 1906)
  • 1990 – George Addes, American trade union leader, co-founded United Automobile Workers (b. 1911)
  • 1990 – Isabella Smith Andrews, New Zealand writer (b. 1905)
  • 1991 – Jean Arthur, American actress (b. 1900)
  • 1993 – William Golding, British novelist, playwright, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
  • 1995 – Peter Townsend, Burmese-English captain and pilot (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Stanley Mosk, American lawyer, jurist, and politician (b. 1912)
  • 2001 – John Heyer, Australian director and producer (b. 1916)
  • 2004 – Clayton Kirkpatrick, journalist and newspaper editor (b. 1915)
  • 2007 – Antonio Aguilar, Mexican singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1919)
  • 2007 – Alberto Mijangos, Mexican-American painter and educator (b. 1925)
  • 2007 – Terry Hoeppner, American football player and coach (b. 1947)
  • 2007 – Ze’ev Schiff, Israeli journalist and author (b. 1932)
  • 2008 – Barun Sengupta, Bengali journalist, founded Bartaman (b. 1934)
  • 2009 – Tomoji Tanabe, Japanese engineer and surveyor (b. 1895)
  • 2010 – Manute Bol, Sudanese-American basketball player and activist (b. 1962)
  • 2010 – Anthony Quinton, Baron Quinton, English philosopher and academic (b. 1925)
  • 2010 – Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer, journalist and political activist (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Norbert Tiemann, American soldier and politician, 32nd Governor of Nebraska (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Vince Flynn, American author (b. 1966)
  • 2013 – James Gandolfini, American actor and producer (b. 1961)
  • 2013 – Gyula Horn, Hungarian politician, 37th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Dave Jennings, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1952)
  • 2013 – Filip Topol, Czech singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1965)
  • 2013 – Slim Whitman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Oskar-Hubert Dennhardt, German general (b. 1915)
  • 2014 – Gerry Goffin, American songwriter (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Ibrahim Touré, Ivorian footballer (b. 1985)
  • 2015 – James Salter, American novelist and short-story writer (b. 1925)
  • 2016 – Anton Yelchin, American actor (b. 1989)
  • 2017 – Otto Warmbier, American college student detained in North Korea (b. 1994)
  • 2018 – Koko, western lowland gorilla and user of American Sign Language (b. 1971)
  • 2019 – Etika, American YouTuber and streamer (b. 1990)

Holidays and observances on June 19

  • Christian feast day:
    • Deodatus (or Didier) of Nevers (or of Jointures)
    • Gervasius and Protasius (Catholic Church)
    • Hildegrim of Châlons
    • Juliana Falconieri
    • Romuald
    • Ursicinus of Ravenna
    • Zosimus
    • June 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • New Church feast day
    • New Church Day
  • Day of the Independent Hungary (Hungary)
  • Feast of Forest (Palawan)
  • Juneteenth (United States, especially African Americans)
  • Labour Day (Trinidad and Tobago)
  • Laguna Day (Laguna)
  • Never Again Day (Uruguay)
  • World Sickle Cell Day (International)

June 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

  • 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China.
  • 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
  • 860 – Byzantine–Rus’ War: A fleet of about 200 Rus’ vessels sails into the Bosphorus and starts pillaging the suburbs of the Byzantine capital Constantinople.
  • 1053 – Battle of Civitate: Three thousand horsemen of Norman Count Humphrey rout the troops of Pope Leo IX.
  • 1178 – Five Canterbury monks see what is possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current oscillations of the Moon’s distance from the Earth (on the order of meters) are a result of this collision.
  • 1264 – The Parliament of Ireland meets at Castledermot in County Kildare, the first definitively known meeting of this Irish legislature.
  • 1265 – A draft Byzantine–Venetian treaty is concluded between Venetian envoys and Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, but is not ratified by Doge Reniero Zeno.
  • 1429 – French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay. This turns the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
  • 1633 – Charles I is crowned King of Scots at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh.
  • 1684 – The charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is revoked via a scire facias writ issued by an English court.
  • 1757 – Battle of Kolín between Prussian forces under Frederick the Great and an Austrian army under the command of Field Marshal Count Leopold Joseph von Daun in the Seven Years’ War.
  • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: British troops abandon Philadelphia.
  • 1799 – Action of 18 June 1799: A frigate squadron under Rear-admiral Perrée is captured by the British fleet under Lord Keith.
  • 1812 – The United States declaration of war upon the United Kingdom is signed by President James Madison, beginning the War of 1812.
  • 1815 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher forcing him to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.
  • 1822 – Constantine Kanaris blows up the Ottoman navy’s flagship at Chios, killing the Kapudan Pasha Nasuhzade Ali Pasha.
  • 1858 – Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin’s own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory.
  • 1859 – First ascent of Aletschhorn, second summit of the Bernese Alps.
  • 1873 – Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.
  • 1887 – The Reinsurance Treaty between Germany and Russia is signed.
  • 1900 – Empress Dowager Cixi of China orders all foreigners killed, including foreign diplomats and their families.
  • 1908 – Japanese immigration to Brazil begins when 781 people arrive in Santos aboard the ship Kasato-Maru.
  • 1908 – The University of the Philippines is established.
  • 1923 – Checker Taxi puts its first taxi on the streets.
  • 1928 – Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean (she is a passenger; Wilmer Stultz is the pilot and Lou Gordon the mechanic).
  • 1935 – Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, clash with striking longshoremen, resulting in a total of 60 injuries and 24 arrests.
  • 1940 – Appeal of 18 June by Charles de Gaulle.
  • 1940 – The “Finest Hour” speech is delivered by Winston Churchill.
  • 1945 – William Joyce (“Lord Haw-Haw”) is charged with treason for his pro-German propaganda broadcasting during World War II.
  • 1946 – Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, a Socialist, calls for a Direct Action Day against the Portuguese in Goa.
  • 1948 – Columbia Records introduces the long-playing record album in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
  • 1953 – The Egyptian revolution of 1952 ends with the overthrow of the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the declaration of the Republic of Egypt.
  • 1953 – A United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns near Tachikawa, Japan, killing 129.
  • 1954 – Carlos Castillo Armas leads an invasion force across the Guatemalan border, setting in motion the 1954 Guatemalan coup d’état.
  • 1965 – Vietnam War: The United States uses B-52 bombers to attack National Liberation Front guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam.
  • 1972 – Staines air disaster: One hundred eighteen people are killed when a BEA H.S. Trident crashes two minutes after take off from London’s Heathrow Airport.
  • 1979 – SALT II is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.
  • 1981 – The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational aircraft initially designed around stealth technology, makes its first flight.
  • 1982 – Italian banker Roberto Calvi’s body is discovered hanging beneath Blackfriars Bridge in London, England.
  • 1983 – Space Shuttle program: STS-7, Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.
  • 1983 – Mona Mahmudnizhad, together with nine other Bahá’í women, is sentenced to death and hanged in Shiraz, Iran over her religious beliefs.
  • 1984 – A major clash between about 5,000 police and a similar number of miners takes place at Orgreave, South Yorkshire, during the 1984–85 UK miners’ strike.
  • 1994 – The Troubles: Members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) attack a crowded pub with assault rifles in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland. Six Catholic civilians are killed and five wounded. It was crowded with people watching the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
  • 2006 – The first Kazakh space satellite, KazSat-1 is launched.
  • 2007 – The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire happened in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine firefighters.
  • 2009 – The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a NASA robotic spacecraft is launched.
  • 2018 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 strikes northern Osaka.

Births on June 18

  • 1269 – Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar (d. 1298)
  • 1318 – Eleanor of Woodstock (d. 1355)
  • 1332 – John V Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1391)
  • 1466 – Ottaviano Petrucci, Italian printer (d. 1539)
  • 1511 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor, designed the Ponte Santa Trinita (d. 1592)
  • 1517 – Emperor Ōgimachi of Japan (d. 1593)
  • 1521 – Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu (d. 1577)
  • 1667 – Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshal (d. 1750)
  • 1673 – Antonio de Literes, Spanish composer (d. 1747)
  • 1677 – Antonio Maria Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1726)
  • 1716 – Joseph-Marie Vien, French painter and educator (d. 1809)
  • 1717 – Johann Stamitz, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1757)
  • 1757 – Ignaz Pleyel, Austrian-French pianist and composer (d. 1831)
  • 1757 – Gervasio Antonio de Posadas, Argentinian lawyer and politician 1st Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (d. 1833)
  • 1769 – Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, Irish-English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1822)
  • 1799 – William Lassell, English astronomer and merchant (d. 1880)
  • 1812 – Ivan Goncharov, Russian journalist and author (d. 1891)
  • 1815 – Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (d. 1881)
  • 1816 – Hélène Napoleone Bonaparte, French daughter of Napoleon (d. 1907)
  • 1816 – Jung Bahadur Rana, Nepali ruler (d. 1877)
  • 1833 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and President (1880-1884) (d. 1893)
  • 1834 – Auguste-Théodore-Paul de Broglie, French philosopher and academic (d. 1895)
  • 1839 – William H. Seward Jr., American general and banker (d. 1920)
  • 1845 – Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, French physician and parasitologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1922)
  • 1850 – Richard Heuberger, Austrian composer and critic (d. 1914)
  • 1854 – E. W. Scripps, American publisher, founded the E. W. Scripps Company (d. 1926)
  • 1857 – Henry Clay Folger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Folger Shakespeare Library (d. 1930)
  • 1858 – Andrew Forsyth, Scottish-English mathematician and academic (d. 1942)
  • 1858 – Hector Rason, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1927)
  • 1862 – Carolyn Wells, American novelist and poet (d. 1942)
  • 1863 – George Essex Evans, English-Australian poet and author (d. 1909)
  • 1868 – Miklós Horthy, Hungarian admiral and politician, Regent of Hungary (d. 1957)
  • 1870 – Édouard Le Roy, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1954)
  • 1877 – James Montgomery Flagg, American painter and illustrator (d. 1960)
  • 1881 – Zoltán Halmay, Hungarian swimmer (d. 1956)
  • 1882 – Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian compositor and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Bulgaria (d. 1949)
  • 1884 – Édouard Daladier, French captain and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1970)
  • 1886 – George Mallory, English lieutenant and mountaineer (d. 1924)
  • 1886 – Alexander Wetmore, American ornithologist and paleontologist (d. 1978)
  • 1887 – Tancrède Labbé, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1956)
  • 1896 – Blanche Sweet, American actress (d. 1986)
  • 1897 – Martti Marttelin, Finnish runner (d. 1940)
  • 1900 – Vlasta Vraz, Czech-American relief worker, editor, and fundraiser (d. 1989)
  • 1901 – Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)
  • 1901 – Llewellyn Rees, English actor (d. 1994)
  • 1902 – Louis Alter, American musician (d. 1980)
  • 1902 – Paavo Yrjölä, Finnish decathlete (d. 1980)
  • 1903 – Jeanette MacDonald, American actress and singer (d. 1965)
  • 1903 – Raymond Radiguet, French author and poet (d. 1923)
  • 1904 – Keye Luke, Chinese-American actor (d. 1991)
  • 1904 – Manuel Rosenthal, French conductor and composer (d. 2003)
  • 1905 – Eduard Tubin, Estonian composer and conductor (d. 1982)
  • 1907 – Frithjof Schuon, Swiss-American metaphysicist, philosopher, and author (d. 1998)
  • 1908 – Bud Collyer, American actor and game show host (d. 1969)
  • 1908 – Stanley Knowles, American-Canadian academic and politician (d. 1997)
  • 1908 – Nedra Volz, American actress (d. 2003)
  • 1910 – Dick Foran, American actor and singer (d. 1979)
  • 1910 – Avon Long, American actor and singer (d. 1984)
  • 1910 – Ray McKinley, American singer, drummer, and bandleader (d. 1995)
  • 1912 – Glenn Morris, American decathlete (d. 1974)
  • 1913 – Wilfred Gordon Bigelow, Canadian soldier and surgeon (d. 2005)
  • 1913 – Sammy Cahn, American pianist and composer (d. 1993)
  • 1913 – Sylvia Porter, American economist and journalist (d. 1991)
  • 1913 – Françoise Loranger, Canadian playwright and producer (d. 1995)
  • 1913 – Robert Mondavi, American winemaker and philanthropist (d. 2008)
  • 1913 – Oswald Teichmüller, German mathematician (d. 1943)
  • 1914 – E. G. Marshall, American actor (d. 1998)
  • 1914 – Efraín Huerta, Mexican poet (d.1982)
  • 1915 – Red Adair, American firefighter (d. 2004)
  • 1915 – Robert Kanigher, American author (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Alice T. Schafer, American mathematician (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – Julio César Turbay Ayala, Colombian lawyer and politician, 25th President of Colombia (d. 2005)
  • 1917 – Richard Boone, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1981)
  • 1917 – Jack Karnehm, English snooker player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Erik Ortvad, Danish painter and illustrator (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Alf Francis, West Prussia-born, English motor racing mechanic and race car constructor (d. 1983)
  • 1918 – Jerome Karle, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Franco Modigliani, Italian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)
  • 1919 – Jüri Järvet, Estonian actor and screenwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1920 – Ian Carmichael, English actor and singer (d. 2010)
  • 1920 – Lode Van Den Bergh, Belgian author and academic
  • 1922 – Claude Helffer, French pianist and educator (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – George Mikan, American basketball player and coach (d. 2005)
  • 1925 – Robert Beadell, American composer and educator (d. 1994)
  • 1926 – Philip B. Crosby, American businessman and author (d. 2001)
  • 1926 – Allan Sandage, American astronomer and cosmologist (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – Tom Wicker, American journalist and author (d. 2011)
  • 1927 – Eva Bartok, Hungarian-English actress (d. 1998)
  • 1927 – Paul Eddington, English actor (d. 1995)
  • 1928 – Michael Blakemore, Australian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1928 – David T. Lykken, American geneticist and academic (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Jürgen Habermas, German sociologist and philosopher
  • 1929 – Tibor Rubin, Hungarian-American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Brazilian sociologist, academic, and politician, 34th President of Brazil
  • 1932 – Dudley R. Herschbach, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1932 – Geoffrey Hill, English poet and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1933 – Colin Brumby, Australian composer and conductor (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – Tommy Hunt, American singer
  • 1934 – Brian Kenny, English general (d. 2017)
  • 1934 – Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1936 – Denny Hulme, New Zealand race car driver (d. 1992)
  • 1936 – Barack Obama Sr., Kenyan economist (d. 1982)
  • 1936 – Ronald Venetiaan, Surinamese politician, 6th President of Suriname
  • 1937 – Del Harris, American basketball player and coach
  • 1937 – Jay Rockefeller, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of West Virginia
  • 1937 – Bruce Trigger, Canadian archaeologist, anthropologist and historian (d. 2006)
  • 1937 – Vitaly Zholobov, Ukrainian colonel, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1938 – Kevin Murray, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1939 – Lou Brock, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1939 – Jean-Claude Germain, Canadian historian, author, and journalist
  • 1939 – Brooks Firestone, American businessman and politician
  • 1941 – Roger Lemerre, French footballer and manager
  • 1941 – Paul Mayersberg, English director and screenwriter
  • 1941 – Delia Smith, English chef and author
  • 1942 – John Bellany, Scottish painter and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Roger Ebert, American journalist, critic, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Pat Hutchins, English author and illustrator
  • 1942 – Thabo Mbeki, South African politician, 23rd President of South Africa
  • 1942 – Paul McCartney, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1942 – Richard Perry, American record producer
  • 1942 – Carl Radle, American bass player and producer (d. 1980)
  • 1942 – Nick Tate, Australian actor and director
  • 1942 – Hans Vonk, Dutch conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1943 – Barry Evans, English actor (d. 1997)
  • 1943 – Raffaella Carrà, Italian singer, dancer, and actress
  • 1944 – Bruce DuMont, American broadcaster and political analyst
  • 1944 – Sandy Posey, American pop/country singer
  • 1946 – Russell Ash, English journalist and author (d. 2010)
  • 1946 – Bruiser Brody, American wrestler (d. 1988)
  • 1946 – Fabio Capello, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1946 – Maria Bethânia, Brazilian singer
  • 1947 – Ivonne Coll, Puerto Rican-American model and actress, Miss Puerto Rico 1967
  • 1947 – Bernard Giraudeau, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1947 – Linda Thorson, Canadian actress
  • 1948 – Philip Jackson, English actor
  • 1948 – Éva Marton, Hungarian soprano and actress
  • 1948 – Sherry Turkle, American academic, psychologist, and sociologist
  • 1949 – Chris Van Allsburg, American author and illustrator
  • 1949 – Jarosław Kaczyński, Polish lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Poland
  • 1949 – Lech Kaczyński, Polish lawyer and politician, 4th President of Poland (d. 2010)
  • 1949 – Lincoln Thompson, Jamaican singer-songwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1950 – Rod de’Ath, Welsh drummer and producer (d. 2014)
  • 1950 – Annelie Ehrhardt, German hurdler
  • 1950 – Mike Johanns, American lawyer and politician, 28th United States Secretary of Agriculture
  • 1950 – Jackie Leven, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
  • 1951 – Mohammed Al-Sager, Kuwaiti journalist and politician
  • 1951 – Miriam Flynn, American actress and comedian
  • 1951 – Ian Hargreaves, English-Welsh journalist and academic
  • 1951 – Stephen Hopper, Australian botanist and academic
  • 1951 – Gyula Sax, Hungarian chess player (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – Tiiu Aro, Estonian physician and politician, Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
  • 1952 – Denis Herron, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1952 – Carol Kane, American actress
  • 1952 – Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Lee Soo-man, South Korean singer and businessman, founded S.M. Entertainment
  • 1953 – Peter Donohoe, English pianist and educator
  • 1955 – Ed Fast, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1956 – Brian Benben, American actor and producer
  • 1956 – John Scott, English organist and conductor (d. 2015)
  • 1957 – Miguel Ángel Lotina, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1957 – Richard Powers, American novelist
  • 1958 – Peter Altmaier, German jurist and politician, Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany
  • 1958 – Gary Martin, British voice actor and actor
  • 1959 – Joe Ansolabehere, American animation screenwriter and producer
  • 1960 – Barbara Broccoli, American director and producer
  • 1960 – Steve Murphy, Canadian journalist
  • 1961 – Oz Fox, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1961 – Andrés Galarraga, Venezuelan-American baseball player
  • 1961 – Angela Johnson, American novelist and poet
  • 1961 – Alison Moyet, English singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Lisa Randall, American physicist and academic
  • 1963 – Dizzy Reed, American keyboard player and songwriter
  • 1963 – Bruce Smith, American football player
  • 1964 – Uday Hussein, Iraqi commander (d. 2003)
  • 1964 – Patti Webster, American publicist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1966 – Kurt Browning, Canadian figure skater, choreographer, and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Troy Kemp, Bahamian high jumper
  • 1968 – Frank Müller, German decathlete
  • 1969 – Haki Doku, Albanian cyclist
  • 1969 – Christopher Largen, American journalist and author (d. 2012)
  • 1970 – Katie Derham, English journalist
  • 1970 – Ivan Kozák, Slovak footballer
  • 1970 – Greg Yaitanes, American director and producer
  • 1971 – Kerry Butler, American actress and singer
  • 1971 – Jason McAteer, English-Irish footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Nathan Morris, American soul singer
  • 1972 – Anu Tali, Estonian pianist and conductor
  • 1972 – Wikus du Toit, South African actor, director, and composer
  • 1973 – Julie Depardieu, French actress
  • 1973 – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, American author and music critic
  • 1973 – Ray LaMontagne, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1973 – Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austrian skier
  • 1973 – Matt Parsons, Australian rugby league player
  • 1973 – Gavin Wanganeen Australian footballer and coach
  • 1974 – Vincenzo Montella, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Sergey Sharikov, Russian fencer and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1975 – Marie Gillain, Belgian actress
  • 1975 – Aleksandrs Koļinko, Latvian footballer
  • 1975 – Martin St. Louis, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Blake Shelton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Wang Liqin, Chinese table tennis player
  • 1979 – Yumiko Kobayashi, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1979 – Ivana Wong, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1980 – Antonio Gates, American football player
  • 1980 – Sergey Kirdyapkin, Russian race walker
  • 1980 – Craig Mottram, Australian runner
  • 1980 – Antero Niittymäki, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Tara Platt, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1981 – Clint Newton, American-Australian rugby league player
  • 1981 – Marco Streller, Swiss footballer
  • 1982 – Nadir Belhadj, French-Algerian footballer
  • 1982 – Marco Borriello, Italian footballer
  • 1982 – Nathan Cavaleri, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1983 – Billy Slater, Australian rugby league player
  • 1983 – Cameron Smith, Australian rugby league player
  • 1984 – Nanyak Dala, Canadian rugby player
  • 1985 – Chris Coghlan, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Alex Hirsch, American animator and television producer
  • 1986 – Edgars Eriņš, Latvian decathlete
  • 1986 – Richard Gasquet, French tennis player
  • 1987 – Omar Arellano, Mexican footballer
  • 1987 – Moeen Ali, English cricketer
  • 1988 – Elini Dimoutsos, Greek footballer
  • 1988 – Josh Dun, American musician
  • 1989 – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, French-born Gabonese footballer
  • 1989 – Chris Harris Jr., American football player
  • 1990 – Luke Adam, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Sandra Izbașa, Romanian gymnast
  • 1990 – Derek Stepan, American ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Christian Taylor, American triple jumper
  • 1993 – Dennis Lloyd, Israeli musician, producer, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
  • 1994 – Sean McMahon, Australian rugby player
  • 1994 – Takeoff, American rapper
  • 1995 – Maxim Kovtun, Russian figure skater
  • 1996 – Alen Halilović, Croatian footballer
  • 1996 – Niki Wories, Dutch figure skater
  • 1997 – Katharina Hobgarski, German tennis player
  • 1997 – Latrell Mitchell, Australian rugby league player
  • 1999 – Trippie Redd, American rapper

Deaths on June 18

  • 741 – Leo III the Isaurian, Byzantine emperor (b. 685)
  • 908 – Zhang Hao, general of Yang Wu
  • 1095 – Sophia of Hungary (b. c. 1050)
  • 1164 – Elisabeth of Schönau, German Benedictine visionary (b. c. 1129)
  • 1234 – Emperor Chūkyō of Japan (b. 1218)
  • 1250 – Theresa of Portugal, Queen of León
  • 1291 – Alfonso III of Aragon (b. 1265)
  • 1333 – Henry XV, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1312)
  • 1464 – Rogier van der Weyden, Flemish painter (b. 1400)
  • 1588 – Robert Crowley, English minister and poet (b. 1517)
  • 1629 – Piet Pieterszoon Hein, Dutch admiral (b. 1577)
  • 1650 – Christoph Scheiner, German priest, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1575)
  • 1673 – Jeanne Mance, French-Canadian nurse, founded the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (b. 1606)
  • 1704 – Tom Brown, English author and translator (b. 1662)
  • 1726 – Michel Richard Delalande, French organist and composer (b. 1657)
  • 1742 – John Aislabie, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1670)
  • 1749 – Ambrose Philips, English poet and politician (b. 1674)
  • 1772 – Johann Ulrich von Cramer, German jurist and scholar (b. 1706)
  • 1772 – Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician and reformer (b. 1700)
  • 1788 – Adam Gib, Scottish religious leader (b. 1714)
  • 1794 – François Buzot, French lawyer and politician (b. 1760)
  • 1794 – James Murray, Scottish-English general and politician, 20th Governor of the Province of Quebec (b. 1721)
  • 1815 – Thomas Picton, Welsh-English general and politician (b. 1758)
  • 1833 – Robert Hett Chapman, American minister, missionary, and academic (b. 1771)
  • 1835 – William Cobbett, English farmer and journalist (b. 1763)
  • 1860 – Friedrich Wilhelm von Bismarck, German army officer and writer (b. 1783)
  • 1866 – Prince Sigismund of Prussia (b. 1864)
  • 1902 – Samuel Butler, English novelist, satirist, and critic (b. 1835)
  • 1905 – Carmine Crocco, Italian soldier (b. 1830)
  • 1916 – Max Immelmann, German lieutenant and pilot (b. 1890)
  • 1917 – Titu Maiorescu, Romanian critic and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1840)
  • 1922 – Jacobus Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer and academic (b. 1851)
  • 1928 – Roald Amundsen, Norwegian pilot and explorer (b. 1872)
  • 1936 – Maxim Gorky, Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1868)
  • 1937 – Gaston Doumergue, French politician, 13th President of France (b. 1863)
  • 1942 – Arthur Pryor, American trombonist, bandleader, and politician (b. 1870)
  • 1943 – Elias Degiannis, Greek commander (b. 1912)
  • 1945 – Florence Bascom, American geologist and educator (b. 1862)[10]
  • 1945 – Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., American general (b. 1886)
  • 1947 – Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (b. 1898)
  • 1948 – Edward Brooker, English-Australian politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (b. 1891)
  • 1959 – Ethel Barrymore, American actress (b. 1879)
  • 1963 – Pedro Armendáriz, Mexican-American actor (b. 1912)
  • 1964 – Giorgio Morandi, Italian painter (b. 1890)
  • 1967 – Geki, Italian race car driver (b. 1937)
  • 1967 – Beat Fehr, Swiss race car driver (b. 1942)
  • 1971 – Thomas Gomez, American actor (b. 1905)
  • 1971 – Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
  • 1974 – Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian mathematician and academic (b. 1896)
  • 1974 – Georgy Zhukov, Russian marshal and politician, Minister of Defence for the Soviet Union (b. 1896)
  • 1975 – Hugo Bergmann, German-Israeli philosopher and author (b. 1883)
  • 1978 – Walter C. Alvarez, American physician and author (b. 1884)
  • 1980 – Terence Fisher, English director and screenwriter (b. 1904)
  • 1980 – André Leducq, French cyclist (b. 1904)
  • 1982 – Djuna Barnes, American novelist, journalist, and playwright (b. 1892)
  • 1982 – John Cheever, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1912)
  • 1982 – Curd Jürgens, German-Austrian actor and director (b. 1915)
  • 1984 – Alan Berg, American lawyer and radio host (b. 1934)
  • 1985 – Paul Colin, French illustrator (b. 1892)
  • 1986 – Frances Scott Fitzgerald, American journalist (b. 1921)
  • 1989 – I. F. Stone, American journalist and author (b. 1907)
  • 1992 – Kofoworola Abeni Pratt, the first black Chief Nursing Officer of Nigeria  (b. 1910)
  • 1992 – Peter Allen, Australian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1944)
  • 1992 – Mordecai Ardon, Polish-Israeli painter and educator (b. 1896)
  • 1993 – Craig Rodwell, American activist, founded the Oscar Wilde Bookshop (b. 1940)
  • 1996 – Endel Puusepp, Estonian-Soviet military pilot and politician (b. 1909)
  • 1997 – Lev Kopelev, Ukrainian-German author and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1998 – Felix Knight, American actor and tenor (b. 1908)
  • 2000 – Nancy Marchand, American actress (b. 1928)
  • 2003 – Larry Doby, American baseball player and manager (b. 1923)
  • 2005 – Mushtaq Ali, Indian cricketer (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – Manuel Sadosky, Argentinian mathematician and academic (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Vincent Sherman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1906)
  • 2006 – Joseph Zobel, Martinique-French author (b. 1915)
  • 2007 – Bernard Manning, English comedian and actor (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Hank Medress, American singer and producer (b. 1938)
  • 2007 – Georges Thurston, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
  • 2008 – Jean Delannoy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 2008 – Tasha Tudor, American author and illustrator (b. 1915)
  • 2008 – Hans Steinbrenner, German sculptor (b. 1928)
  • 2010 – Trent Acid, American wrestler (b. 1980)
  • 2010 – José Saramago, Portuguese novelist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1922)
  • 2010 – Okan Demiriş, Turkish composer (b. 1942)
  • 2011 – Yelena Bonner, Russian activist (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Frederick Chiluba, Zambian politician, 2nd President of Zambia (b. 1943)
  • 2011 – Clarence Clemons, American saxophonist (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Horacio Coppola, Argentinian photographer and director (b. 1906)
  • 2012 – Lina Haag, German author and activist (b. 1907)
  • 2012 – Tom Maynard, Welsh cricketer (b. 1989)
  • 2012 – Luis Edgardo Mercado Jarrín, Peruvian general and politician, 109th Prime Minister of Peru (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Alketas Panagoulias, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – William Van Regenmorter, American businessman and politician (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – Brent F. Anderson, American engineer and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Alastair Donaldson, Scottish bass player (b. 1955)
  • 2013 – Garde Gardom, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Michael Hastings, American journalist and author (b. 1980)
  • 2013 – David Wall, English ballet dancer (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Stephanie Kwolek, American chemist and engineer (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Johnny Mann, American singer-songwriter and conductor (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Claire Martin, Canadian author (b. 1914)
  • 2014 – Vladimir Popovkin, Russian general (b. 1957)
  • 2014 – Horace Silver, American pianist and composer (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Phil Austin, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Ralph J. Roberts, American businessman, co-founded Comcast (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Danny Villanueva, American football player and broadcaster, co-founded Univision (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Allen Weinstein, American historian and academic (b. 1937)
  • 2016 – Jeppiaar, Indian educationist, founder and chancellor of Sathyabama University (b. 1931)
  • 2018 – XXXTentacion, American rapper (b. 1998)
  • 2018 – Big Van Vader (also known as Vader) American professional wrestler (b. 1955)
  • 2018 – Jimmy Wopo, American rapper (b. 1997)
  • 2020 – Vera Lynn, English singer who was the “Forces’ Sweetheart” in World War II (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances on June 18

  • Autistic Pride Day (International)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Bernard Mizeki (Anglican and Episcopal Church)
    • Elisabeth of Schönau
    • Gregorio Barbarigo
    • Leontius, Hypatius and Theodulus
    • Marina the Monk (Maronite Church, Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria)
    • Mark and Marcellian
    • June 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Foundation Day (Benguet)
  • Human Rights Day (Azerbaijan)
  • National Day (Seychelles)
  • Queen Mother’s Birthday (Cambodia)
  • Waterloo Day (United Kingdom)

June 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

June 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 653 – Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism.
  • 1242 – Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burnt in Paris.
  • 1397 – The Kalmar Union is formed under the rule of Margaret I of Denmark.
  • 1462 – Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack at Târgovişte), forcing him to retreat from Wallachia.
  • 1497 – Battle of Deptford Bridge: Forces under King Henry VII defeat troops led by Michael An Gof.
  • 1565 – Matsunaga Hisahide assassinates the 13th Ashikaga shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
  • 1579 – Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England.
  • 1596 – The Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz discovers the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen.
  • 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, will spend the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.
  • 1665 – Battle of Montes Claros: Portugal definitively secured independence from Spain in the last battle of the Portuguese Restoration War.
  • 1673 – French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet reach the Mississippi River and become the first Europeans to make a detailed account of its course.
  • 1767 – Samuel Wallis, a British sea captain, sights Tahiti and is considered the first European to reach the island.
  • 1773 – Cúcuta, Colombia, is founded by Juana Rangel de Cuéllar.
  • 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Colonists inflict heavy casualties on British forces while losing the Battle of Bunker Hill.
  • 1789 – In France, the Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly.
  • 1794 – Foundation of Anglo-Corsican Kingdom.
  • 1795 – The burghers of Swellendam expel the Dutch East India Company magistrate and declare a republic.
  • 1839 – In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace are established as a result.
  • 1843 – The Wairau Affray, the first serious clash of arms between Māori and British settlers in the New Zealand Wars, takes place.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Vienna, Virginia.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Aldie in the Gettysburg Campaign.
  • 1876 – American Indian Wars: Battle of the Rosebud: 1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook’s forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory.
  • 1877 – American Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon: The Nez Perce defeat the U.S. Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory.
  • 1885 – The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor.
  • 1898 – The United States Navy Hospital Corps is established.
  • 1900 – Boxer Rebellion: Western Allied and Japanese forces capture the Taku Forts in Tianjin, China.
  • 1901 – The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT.
  • 1910 – Aurel Vlaicu pilots an A. Vlaicu nr. 1 on its first flight.
  • 1922 – Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral complete the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic.
  • 1929 – The town of Murchison, New Zealand Is rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killing 17. At the time it was New Zealand’s worst natural disaster.
  • 1930 – U.S. President Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act into law.
  • 1932 – Bonus Army: Around a thousand World War I veterans amass at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would give them certain benefits.
  • 1933 – Union Station massacre: In Kansas City, Missouri, four FBI agents and captured fugitive Frank Nash are gunned down by gangsters attempting to free Nash.
  • 1939 – Last public guillotining in France: Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, is executed in Versailles outside the Saint-Pierre prison.
  • 1940 – World War II: RMS Lancastria is attacked and sunk by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France. At least 3,000 are killed in Britain’s worst maritime disaster.
  • 1940 – World War II: The British Army’s 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya, Africa from Italian forces.
  • 1940 – The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union.
  • 1944 – Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic.
  • 1948 – United Airlines Flight 624, a Douglas DC-6, crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board.
  • 1952 – Guatemala passes Decree 900, ordering the redistribution of uncultivated land.
  • 1953 – Cold War: East Germany Workers Uprising: In East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin to quell a rebellion.
  • 1958 – The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver (Canada), collapses into the Burrard Inlet killing 18 ironworkers and injuring others.
  • 1960 – The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty.
  • 1963 – The United States Supreme Court rules 8–1 in Abington School District v. Schempp against requiring the reciting of Bible verses and the Lord’s Prayer in public schools.
  • 1963 – A day after South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed.
  • 1967 – Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon.
  • 1972 – Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee during an attempt by members of the administration of President Richard M. Nixon to illegally wiretap the political opposition as part of a broader campaign to subvert the democratic process
  • 1985 – Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist.
  • 1987 – With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct.
  • 1991 – Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth.
  • 1992 – A “joint understanding” agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II).
  • 1994 – Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O. J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
  • 2015 – Nine people are killed in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
  • 2017 – A series of wildfires in central Portugal kill at least 64 people and injure 204 others.

Births on June 17

  • 801 – Drogo of Metz, Frankish bishop (d. 855)
  • 1239 – Edward I, English king (d. 1307)
  • 1530 – François de Montmorency, French nobleman (d. 1579)
  • 1571 – Thomas Mun, English writer on economics (d. 1641)
  • 1603 – Joseph of Cupertino, Italian mystic and saint (d. 1663)
  • 1604 – John Maurice, Dutch nobleman (d. 1679)
  • 1610 – Birgitte Thott, Danish scholar, writer and translator (b. 1662)
  • 1631 – Gauharara Begum, Mughal princess (d. 1706)
  • 1682 – Charles XII, Swedish king (d. 1718)
  • 1691 – Giovanni Paolo Panini, Italian painter and architect (d. 1765)
  • 1693 – Johann Georg Walch, German theologian and author (d. 1775)
  • 1704 – John Kay, English engineer, invented the Flying shuttle (d. 1780)
  • 1714 – César-François Cassini de Thury, French astronomer and cartographer (d. 1784)
  • 1718 – George Howard, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Minorca (d. 1796)
  • 1778 – Gregory Blaxland, English-Australian explorer (d. 1853)
  • 1800 – William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, English-Irish astronomer and politician (d. 1867)
  • 1808 – Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian poet, playwright, and linguist (d. 1845)
  • 1810 – Ferdinand Freiligrath, German poet and translator (d. 1876)
  • 1811 – Jón Sigurðsson, Icelandic scholar and politician (d. 1879)
  • 1818 – Charles Gounod, French composer and academic (d. 1893)
  • 1818 – Sophie of Württemberg, queen of the Netherlands (d. 1877)
  • 1821 – E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (d. 1888)
  • 1832 – William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (d. 1919)
  • 1833 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president (d. 1893)
  • 1858 – Eben Sumner Draper, American businessman and politician, 44th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1914)
  • 1861 – Pete Browning, American baseball player (d. 1905)
  • 1861 – Omar Bundy, American general (d. 1940)
  • 1863 – Charles Michael, duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1934)
  • 1865 – Susan La Flesche Picotte, Native American physician (d. 1915)
  • 1867 – Flora Finch, English-American actress (d. 1940)
  • 1867 – John Robert Gregg, Irish-born American educator, publisher, and humanitarian (d. 1948)
  • 1867 – Henry Lawson, Australian poet and author (d. 1922)
  • 1871 – James Weldon Johnson, American author, journalist, and activist (d. 1938)
  • 1876 – William Carr, American rower (d. 1942)
  • 1876 – Edward Anthony Spitzka, American anatomist and author (d. 1922)
  • 1880 – Carl Van Vechten, American author and photographer (d. 1964)
  • 1881 – Tommy Burns, Canadian boxer and promoter (d. 1955)
  • 1882 – Adolphus Frederick VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1918)
  • 1882 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1971)
  • 1888 – Heinz Guderian, German general (d. 1954)
  • 1897 – Maria Izilda de Castro Ribeiro, Brazilian girl, popular saint (d. 1911)
  • 1898 – M. C. Escher, Dutch illustrator (d. 1972)
  • 1898 – Carl Hermann, German physicist and academic (d. 1961)
  • 1898 – Harry Patch, English soldier and firefighter (d. 2009)
  • 1900 – Martin Bormann, German politician (d. 1945)
  • 1900 – Evelyn Irons, Scottish journalist and war correspondent (d. 2000)
  • 1902 – Sammy Fain, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
  • 1902 – Alec Hurwood, Australian cricketer (d. 1982)
  • 1903 – Ruth Graves Wakefield, American chef, created the chocolate chip cookie (d. 1977)
  • 1904 – Ralph Bellamy, American actor (d. 1991)
  • 1904 – J. Vernon McGee, American pastor and theologian (d. 1988)
  • 1904 – Patrice Tardif, Canadian farmer and politician (d. 1989)
  • 1907 – Maurice Cloche, French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1990)
  • 1909 – Elmer L. Andersen, American businessman and politician, 30th Governor of Minnesota (d. 2004)
  • 1909 – Ralph E. Winters, Canadian-American film editor (d. 2004)
  • 1910 – Red Foley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1968)
  • 1910 – George Hees, Canadian football player and politician (d. 1996)
  • 1914 – John Hersey, American journalist and author (d. 1993)
  • 1915 – David “Stringbean” Akeman, American singer and banjo player (d. 1973)
  • 1915 – Marcel Cadieux, Canadian civil servant and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States (d. 1981)
  • 1916 – Terry Gilkyson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
  • 1917 – Dufferin Roblin, Canadian politician, 14th Premier of Manitoba (d. 2010)
  • 1918 – Ajahn Chah, Thai monk and educator (d. 1992)
  • 1919 – William Kaye Estes, American psychologist and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – John Moffat, Scottish lieutenant and pilot (d. 2016)
  • 1919 – Beryl Reid, English actress (d. 1996)
  • 1920 – Jacob H. Gilbert, American lawyer and politician (d. 1981)
  • 1920 – Setsuko Hara, Japanese actress (d. 2015)
  • 1920 – François Jacob, French biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Peter Le Cheminant, English air marshal and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (d. 2018)
  • 1922 – John Amis, English journalist and critic (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Elroy Hirsch, American football player (d. 2004)
  • 1923 – Arnold S. Relman, American physician and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Dale C. Thomson, Canadian historian and academic (d. 1999)
  • 1925 – Alexander Shulgin, American pharmacologist and chemist (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – Martin Böttcher, German composer and conductor (d. 2019)
  • 1927 – Wally Wood, American author, illustrator, and publisher (d. 1981)
  • 1928 – Juan María Bordaberry, President of Uruguay (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – Bud Collins, American journalist and sportscaster (d. 2016)
  • 1929 – Tigran Petrosian, Armenian chess player (d. 1984)
  • 1930 – Cliff Gallup, American rock & roll guitarist (d. 1988)
  • 1930 – Brian Statham, English cricketer (d. 2000)
  • 1931 – John Baldessari, American painter and illustrator (d. 2020)
  • 1932 – Derek Ibbotson, English runner (d. 2017)
  • 1932 – John Murtha, American colonel and politician (d. 2010)
  • 1933 – Harry Browne, American soldier and politician (d. 2006)
  • 1933 – Christian Ferras, French violinist (d. 1982)
  • 1933 – Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (d. 1970)
  • 1936 – Vern Harper, Canadian tribal leader and activist (d. 2018)
  • 1936 – Ken Loach, English director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1937 – Peter Fitzgerald, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Ted Nelson, American sociologist and philosopher
  • 1937 – Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian fashion designer, television presenter and politician (d. 2009)
  • 1940 – George Akerlof, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1940 – Bobby Bell, American football player
  • 1940 – Chuck Rainey, American bassist
  • 1941 – Nicholas C. Handy, English chemist and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1942 – Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian politician, Vice President of Egypt, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1942 – Doğu Perinçek, Turkish lawyer and politician
  • 1942 – Roger Steffens, American actor and producer
  • 1943 – Newt Gingrich, American historian and politician, 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
  • 1943 – Barry Manilow, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1943 – Chantal Mouffe, Belgian theorist and author
  • 1943 – Burt Rutan, American engineer and pilot
  • 1944 – Randy Johnson, American football player (d. 2009)
  • 1944 – Chris Spedding, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Tommy Franks, American general
  • 1945 – Ken Livingstone, English politician, 1st Mayor of London
  • 1945 – Eddy Merckx, Belgian cyclist and sportscaster
  • 1945 – Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (d. 2018)
  • 1946 – Peter Rosei, Austrian author, poet, and playwright
  • 1947 – Christopher Allport, American actor (d. 2008)
  • 1947 – Timothy Wright, American gospel singer, pastor (d. 2009)
  • 1947 – Linda Chavez, American journalist and author
  • 1947 – George S. Clinton, American composer and songwriter
  • 1947 – Gregg Rolie, American rock singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1947 – Paul Young, English singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
  • 1948 – Dave Concepción, Venezuelan baseball player and manager
  • 1948 – Jacqueline Jones, American historian and academic
  • 1948 – Aurelio López, Mexican baseball player and politician (d. 1992)
  • 1948 – Karol Sikora, English physician and academic
  • 1949 – Snakefinger, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1987)
  • 1949 – John Craven, English economist and academic
  • 1949 – Russell Smith, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
  • 1950 – Lee Tamahori, New Zealand film director
  • 1951 – Starhawk, American author and activist
  • 1951 – John Garrett, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1951 – Joe Piscopo, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Mike Milbury, American ice hockey player, coach, and manager
  • 1952 – Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, English educator and politician, Secretary of State for Education
  • 1953 – Vernon Coaker, English educator and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1953 – Juan Muñoz, Spanish sculptor and storyteller (d. 2001)
  • 1954 – Mark Linn-Baker, American actor and director
  • 1955 – Mati Laur, Estonian historian, author, and academic
  • 1955 – Bob Sauvé, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1955 – Cem Hakko, Turkish fashion designer and businessman
  • 1956 – Iain Milne, Scottish rugby player
  • 1957 – Philip Chevron, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
  • 1957 – Martin Dillon, American tenor and educator (d. 2005)
  • 1957 – Uģis Prauliņš, Latvian composer
  • 1958 – Pierre Berbizier, French rugby player and coach
  • 1958 – Jello Biafra, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1958 – Bobby Farrelly, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Sam Hamad, Syrian-Canadian academic and politician
  • 1958 – Jon Leibowitz, American lawyer and politician
  • 1958 – Daniel McVicar, American actor
  • 1959 – Carol Anderson, American author and historian
  • 1959 – Lawrence Haddad, South African-English economist and academic
  • 1959 – Nikos Stavropoulos, Greek basketball player and coach
  • 1960 – Adrián Campos, Spanish race car driver
  • 1960 – Thomas Haden Church, American actor
  • 1961 – Kōichi Yamadera, Japanese actor and singer
  • 1962 – Michael Monroe, Finnish singer-songwriter and saxophonist
  • 1963 – Greg Kinnear, American actor, television presenter, and producer
  • 1964 – Rinaldo Capello, Italian race car driver
  • 1964 – Michael Gross, German swimmer
  • 1964 – Steve Rhodes, English cricketer and coach
  • 1965 – Dermontti Dawson, American football player and coach
  • 1965 – Dan Jansen, American speed skater and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Dara O’Kearney, Irish runner and poker player
  • 1966 – Mohammed Ghazy Al-Akhras, Iraqi journalist and author
  • 1966 – Tory Burch, American fashion designer and philanthropist
  • 1966 – Ken Clark, American football player (d. 2013)
  • 1966 – Diane Modahl, English runner
  • 1966 – Jason Patric, American actor
  • 1967 – Dorothea Röschmann, German soprano and actress
  • 1967 – Eric Stefani, American keyboard player and composer
  • 1968 – Steve Georgallis, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1968 – Minoru Suzuki, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
  • 1969 – Paul Tergat, Kenyan runner
  • 1969 – Geoff Toovey, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1969 – Ilya Tsymbalar, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1970 – Stéphane Fiset, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1970 – Will Forte, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Jason Hanson, American football player
  • 1970 – Popeye Jones, American basketball player and coach
  • 1970 – Michael Showalter, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Alan Dowson, English football manager and former professional player
  • 1971 – Paulina Rubio, Mexican pop singer
  • 1971 – Mildred Fox, Irish politician
  • 1973 – Leander Paes, Indian tennis player
  • 1974 – Evangelia Psarra, Greek archer
  • 1975 – Joshua Leonard, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1975 – Juan Carlos Valerón, Spanish footballer
  • 1975 – Phiyada Akkraseranee, Thai actress and model
  • 1976 – Scott Adkins, English actor and martial artist
  • 1976 – Sven Nys, Belgian cyclist
  • 1977 – Tjaša Jezernik, Slovenian tennis player
  • 1977 – Mark Tauscher, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1978 – Isabelle Delobel, French ice dancer
  • 1978 – Travis Roche, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Nick Rimando, American soccer player
  • 1979 – Tyson Apostol, American television personality
  • 1979 – Young Maylay, American rapper, producer, and voice actor
  • 1980 – Elisa Rigaudo, Italian race walker
  • 1980 – Jeph Jacques, American author and illustrator
  • 1980 – Venus Williams, American tennis player
  • 1981 – Kyle Boller, American football player
  • 1981 – Shane Watson, Australian cricketer
  • 1982 – Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982 – Marek Svatoš, Slovak ice hockey player (d. 2016)
  • 1982 – Stanislava Hrozenská, Slovak tennis player
  • 1982 – Stefan Hodgetts, English racing driver
  • 1982 – Arthur Darvill, English actor
  • 1982 – Jodie Whittaker, English actress
  • 1983 – Lee Ryan, English singer/actor
  • 1983 – Vlasis Kazakis, Greek footballer
  • 1984 – Michael Mathieu, Bahamian sprinter
  • 1984 – Si Tianfeng, Chinese race walker
  • 1985 – Özge Akın, Turkish sprinter
  • 1985 – Marcos Baghdatis, Cypriot tennis player
  • 1985 – Rafael Sóbis, Brazilian footballer
  • 1986 – Apoula Edel, Armenian footballer
  • 1986 – Helen Glover, English rower
  • 1987 – Kendrick Lamar, American rapper
  • 1987 – Nozomi Tsuji, Japanese singer and actress
  • 1988 – Andrew Ogilvy, Australian basketball player
  • 1988 – Shaun MacDonald, Welsh footballer
  • 1988 – Stephanie Rice, Australian swimmer
  • 1989 – Georgios Tofas, Cypriot footballer
  • 1989 – Simone Battle, American singer and actress (d. 2014)
  • 1990 – Jordan Henderson, English footballer
  • 1990 – Josh Mansour, Australian rugby league player
  • 1991 – Daniel Tupou, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
  • 1994 – Amari Cooper, American football player
  • 1995 – Clément Lenglet, French footballer

Deaths on June 17

  • 656 – Uthman, caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate (b. 579)
  • 676 – Adeodatus, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 811 – Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, Japanese shōgun (b. 758)
  • 850 – Tachibana no Kachiko, Japanese empress (b. 786)
  • 900 – Fulk, French archbishop and chancellor
  • 1025 – Bolesław I the Brave, Polish king (b. 967)
  • 1091 – Dirk V, count of Holland (b. 1052)
  • 1207 – Daoji, Chinese buddhist monk (b. 1130)
  • 1219 – David of Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon
  • 1361 – Ingeborg of Norway, princess consort and regent of Sweden (b. 1301)
  • 1400 – Jan of Jenštejn, archbishop of Prague (b. 1348)
  • 1463 – Catherine of Portugal, Portuguese princess (b. 1436)
  • 1501 – John I Albert, Polish king (b. 1459)
  • 1565 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shōgun (b. 1536)
  • 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal, Mughal princess (b. 1593)
  • 1649 – Injo of Joseon, Korean king (b. 1595)
  • 1674 – Jijabai, Dowager Queen, mother of Shivaji (b. 1598)
  • 1694 – Philip Howard, English cardinal (b. 1629)
  • 1696 – John III Sobieski, Polish king (b. 1629)
  • 1719 – Joseph Addison, English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician (b. 1672)
  • 1734 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Secretary of State for War (b. 1653)
  • 1740 – Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1687)
  • 1762 – Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French poet and playwright (b. 1674)
  • 1771 – Daskalogiannis, Greek rebel leader (b. 1722)
  • 1775 – John Pitcairn, Scottish-English soldier (b. 1722)
  • 1797 – Mohammad Khan Qajar, Persian tribal chief (b. 1742)
  • 1813 – Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, Scottish-English admiral and politician (b. 1726)
  • 1821 – Martín Miguel de Güemes, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1785)
  • 1839 – Lord William Bentinck, English general and politician, 14th Governor-General of India (b. 1774)
  • 1866 – Joseph Méry, French poet and author (b. 1798)
  • 1889 – Lozen, Chiracaua Apache warrior woman (b. ~1840)
  • 1898 – Edward Burne-Jones, English soldier and painter (b. 1833)
  • 1904 – Nikolay Bobrikov, Russian soldier and politician, Governor-General of Finland (b. 1839)
  • 1936 – Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1883)
  • 1939 – Allen Sothoron, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1893)
  • 1939 – Eugen Weidmann, German criminal (b. 1908)
  • 1940 – Arthur Harden, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
  • 1941 – Johan Wagenaar, Dutch organist and composer (b. 1862)
  • 1942 – Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1853)
  • 1952 – Jack Parsons, American chemist and engineer (b. 1914)
  • 1954 – Danny Cedrone, American guitarist and bandleader (b. 1920)
  • 1956 – Percival Perry, 1st Baron Perry, English businessman (b. 1878)
  • 1956 – Paul Rostock, German surgeon and academic (b. 1892)
  • 1956 – Bob Sweikert, American race car driver (b. 1926)
  • 1957 – Dorothy Richardson, English journalist and author (b. 1873)
  • 1957 – J. R. Williams, Canadian-American cartoonist (b. 1888)
  • 1961 – Jeff Chandler, American actor (b. 1918)
  • 1963 – Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician (b. 1882)
  • 1968 – José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer and manager (b. 1901)
  • 1974 – Refik Koraltan, Turkish lawyer and politician, 8th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (b. 1889)
  • 1975 – James Phinney Baxter III, American historian and academic (b. 1893)
  • 1979 – Hubert Ashton, English cricketer and politician (b. 1898)
  • 1979 – Duffy Lewis, American baseball player and manager (b. 1888)
  • 1981 – Richard O’Connor, Indian-English general (b. 1889)
  • 1981 – Zerna Sharp, American author and educator (b. 1889)
  • 1982 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (b. 1920)
  • 1983 – Peter Mennin, American composer and educator (b. 1923)
  • 1985 – John Boulting, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1913)
  • 1986 – Kate Smith, American singer (b. 1907)
  • 1987 – Dick Howser, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1936)
  • 1996 – Thomas Kuhn, American historian and philosopher (b. 1922)
  • 1996 – Curt Swan, American illustrator (b. 1920)
  • 1999 – Basil Hume, English cardinal (b. 1923)
  • 2000 – Ismail Mahomed, South African lawyer and jurist, 17th Chief Justice of South Africa (b. 1931)
  • 2001 – Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1919)
  • 2001 – Thomas Winning, Scottish cardinal (b. 1925)
  • 2002 – Willie Davenport, American sprinter and hurdler (b. 1943)
  • 2002 – Fritz Walter, German footballer (b. 1920)
  • 2004 – Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1926)
  • 2006 – Bussunda, Brazilian comedian (b. 1962)
  • 2007 – Gianfranco Ferré, Italian fashion designer (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Serena Wilson, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1933)
  • 2008 – Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (b. 1922)
  • 2009 – Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (b. 1929)
  • 2009 – Darrell Powers, American sergeant (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Rex Mossop, Australian rugby player and sportscaster (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Stéphane Brosse, French mountaineer (b. 1971)
  • 2012 – Patricia Brown, American baseball player (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Nathan Divinsky, Canadian mathematician and chess player (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (b. 1965)
  • 2012 – Fauzia Wahab, Pakistani actress and politician (b. 1956)
  • 2013 – Michael Baigent, New Zealand-English theorist and author (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – Atiqul Haque Chowdhury, Bangladeshi playwright and producer (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Pierre F. Côté, Canadian lawyer and civil servant (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Bulbs Ehlers, American basketball player (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – James Holshouser, American politician, 68th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1934)
  • 2014 – Patsy Byrne, English actress (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Éric Dewailly, Canadian epidemiologist and academic (b. 1954)
  • 2014 – Stanley Marsh 3, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Arnold S. Relman, American physician and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Larry Zeidel, Canadian-American ice hockey player and sportscaster (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Ron Clarke, Australian runner and politician, Mayor of the Gold Coast (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – John David Crow, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Süleyman Demirel, Turkish engineer and politician, 9th President of Turkey (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Clementa C. Pinckney, American minister and politician (b. 1973)
  • 2017 – Baldwin Lonsdale, president of Vanuatu (b. 1948)

Holidays and observances on June 17

  • Christian feast day:
    • Albert Chmielowski
    • Botolph (England and Scandinavia)
    • Gondulphus of Berry
    • Hervé
    • Hypatius of Bithynia (Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches)
    • Rainerius
    • Samuel and Henrietta Barnett (Church of England)
    • June 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Father’s Day (El Salvador, Guatemala)
  • Icelandic National Day, celebrates the independence of Iceland from Kingdom of Denmark in 1944.
  • Occupation of the Latvian Republic Day (Latvia)
  • Remembrance to East German uprising of 1953, public holiday in West Germany between 1954 and 1990 (today German Unity Day) is the public holiday day)
  • World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (International)
  • Zemla Intifada Day (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)

June 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

June 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 363 – Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal, Roman forces suffer several attacks from the Persians.
  • 632 – Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king (shah) of the Persian Empire. He becomes the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty (modern Iran).
  • 1407 – Ming–Hồ War: Retired King Hồ Quý Ly and his son King Hồ Hán Thương of Hồ dynasty are captured by the Ming armies.
  • 1487 – Battle of Stoke Field: King Henry VII of England defeats the leaders of a Yorkist rebellion in the final engagement of the Wars of the Roses.
  • 1586 – Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of Spain as her heir and successor.
  • 1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: New England colonial troops under the command of William Pepperrell capture the Fortress of Louisbourg in Louisbourg, New France (Old Style date).
  • 1746 – War of the Austrian Succession: Austria and Sardinia defeat a Franco-Spanish army at the Battle of Piacenza.
  • 1755 – French and Indian War: The French surrender Fort Beauséjour to the British, leading to the expulsion of the Acadians.
  • 1779 – Spain declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.
  • 1795 – French Revolutionary Wars: In what became known as Cornwallis’s Retreat, a British Royal Navy squadron led by Vice Admiral William Cornwallis strongly resists a much larger French Navy force and withdraws largely intact, setting up the French Navy defeat at the Battle of Groix six days later.
  • 1811 – Survivors of an attack the previous day by Tla-o-qui-aht on board the Pacific Fur Company’s ship Tonquin, intentionally detonate a powder magazine on the ship, destroying it and killing about 100 attackers.
  • 1815 – Battle of Ligny and Battle of Quatre Bras, two days before the Battle of Waterloo.
  • 1819 – A major earthquake strikes the Kutch district of western India, killing over 1,543 people and raising a 6 m high, 6 km wide, ridge, extending for at least 80 km, that was known as the Allah Bund (“Dam of God”).
  • 1836 – The formation of the London Working Men’s Association gives rise to the Chartist Movement.
  • 1846 – The Papal conclave of 1846 elects Pope Pius IX, beginning the longest reign in the history of the papacy.
  • 1858 – Abraham Lincoln delivers his House Divided speech in Springfield, Illinois.
  • 1871 – The Universities Tests Act 1871 allows students to enter the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham without religious tests (except for those intending to study theology).
  • 1883 – The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England, kills 183 children.
  • 1884 – The first purpose-built roller coaster, LaMarcus Adna Thompson’s “Switchback Railway”, opens in New York’s Coney Island amusement park.
  • 1897 – A treaty annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the United States is signed; the Republic would not be dissolved until a year later.
  • 1903 – The Ford Motor Company is incorporated.
  • 1903 – Roald Amundsen leaves Oslo, Norway, to commence the first east-west navigation of the Northwest Passage.
  • 1904 – Eugen Schauman assassinates Nikolay Bobrikov, Governor-General of Finland.
  • 1904 – Irish author James Joyce begins a relationship with Nora Barnacle and subsequently uses the date to set the actions for his novel Ulysses; this date is now traditionally called “Bloomsday”.
  • 1911 – IBM founded as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, New York.
  • 1922 – General election in the Irish Free State: The pro-Treaty Sinn Féin party wins a large majority.
  • 1925 – The most famous Young Pioneer camp of the Soviet Union, Artek, is established.
  • 1930 – Sovnarkom establishes decree time in the USSR.
  • 1933 – The National Industrial Recovery Act is passed in the United States, allowing businesses to avoid antitrust prosecution if they establish voluntary wage, price, and working condition regulations on an industry-wide basis.
  • 1940 – World War II: Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de l’État Français).
  • 1940 – A Communist government is installed in Lithuania.
  • 1944 – In a gross miscarriage of justice, George Junius Stinney Jr., age 14, becomes the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century after being convicted in a two-hour trial for the rape and murder of two teenage white girls.
  • 1948 – Members of the Malayan Communist Party kill three British plantation managers in Sungai Siput; in response, British Malaya declares a state of emergency.
  • 1955 – In a futile effort to topple Argentine President Juan Perón, rogue aircraft pilots of the Argentine Navy drop several bombs upon an unarmed crowd demonstrating in favor of Perón in Buenos Aires, killing 364 and injuring at least 800. At the same time on the ground, some soldiers attempt to stage a coup but are suppressed by loyal forces.
  • 1958 – Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter and other leaders of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising are executed.
  • 1961 – While on tour with the Kirov Ballet in Paris, Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union.
  • 1963 – Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.
  • 1972 – The largest single-site hydroelectric power project in Canada is inaugurated at Churchill Falls Generating Station.
  • 1976 – Soweto uprising: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa, turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd.
  • 1977 – Oracle Corporation is incorporated in Redwood Shores, California, as Software Development Laboratories (SDL), by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates.
  • 1981 – US President Ronald Reagan awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Ken Taylor, Canada’s former ambassador to Iran, for helping six Americans escape from Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979–81; he is the first foreign citizen bestowed the honor.
  • 1989 – Revolutions of 1989: Imre Nagy, the former Hungarian prime minister, is reburied in Budapest following the collapse of Communism in Hungary.
  • 1997 – Fifty people are killed in the Daïat Labguer (M’sila) massacre in Algeria.
  • 2000 – The Secretary-General of the UN reports that Israel has complied with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 22 years after its issuance, and completely withdrew from Lebanon. The Resolution does not encompass the Shebaa farms, which is claimed by Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
  • 2010 – Bhutan becomes the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco.
  • 2012 – China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts, including the first female Chinese astronaut Liu Yang, to the Tiangong-1 orbital module.
  • 2012 – The United States Air Force’s robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission
  • 2013 – A multi-day cloudburst, centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand, causes devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country’s worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.
  • 2016 – Shanghai Disneyland Park, the first Disney Park in Mainland China, opens to the public.
  • 2019 – Upwards of 2,000,000 people participate in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, the largest in Hong Kong’s history.

Births on June 16

  • 1139 – Emperor Konoe of Japan (d. 1155)
  • 1332 – Isabella de Coucy, English daughter of Edward III of England (d. 1379)
  • 1454 – Joanna of Aragon, Queen of Naples (d. 1517)
  • 1514 – John Cheke, English academic and politician, English Secretary of State (d. 1557)
  • 1516 – Yang Jisheng, Ming dynasty official and Confucian martyr (d. 1555)
  • 1583 – Axel Oxenstierna, Swedish politician, Lord High Chancellor of Sweden (d. 1654)
  • 1591 – Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, Greek-Italian physician, mathematician, and theorist (d. 1655)
  • 1606 – Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, Irish soldier and politician (d. 1675)
  • 1613 – John Cleveland, English poet and educator (d. 1658)
  • 1625 – Samuel Chappuzeau, French scholar (d. 1701)
  • 1633 – Jean de Thévenot, French linguist and botanist (d. 1667)
  • 1644 – Henrietta Anne Stuart, Princess of Scotland, England and Ireland (d. 1670)
  • 1653 – James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon, English nobleman (d. 1699)
  • 1713 – Meshech Weare, American farmer, lawyer, and politician, 1st Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1786)
  • 1723 – Adam Smith, Scottish philosopher and economist (d. 1790)
  • 1738 – Mary Katherine Goddard, American publisher (d. 1816)
  • 1754 – Salawat Yulayev, Russian poet (d. 1800)
  • 1792 – John Linnell, English painter and engraver (d. 1882)
  • 1801 – Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1868)
  • 1806 – Edward Davy, English physician and chemist (d. 1885)
  • 1813 – Otto Jahn, German archaeologist and philologist (d. 1869)
  • 1820 – Athanase Josué Coquerel, Dutch-French preacher and theologian (d. 1875)
  • 1821 – Old Tom Morris, Scottish golfer and architect (d. 1908)
  • 1826 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (d. 1897)
  • 1829 – Geronimo, American tribal leader (d. 1909)
  • 1836 – Wesley Merritt, American general and politician, Military Governor of the Philippines (d. 1910)
  • 1837 – Ernst Laas, German philosopher and academic (d. 1885)
  • 1838 – Frederic Archer, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1901)
  • 1838 – Cushman Kellogg Davis, American lieutenant and politician, 7th Governor of Minnesota (d. 1900)
  • 1840 – Ernst Otto Schlick, German engineer and author (d. 1913)
  • 1850 – Max Delbrück, German chemist and academic (d. 1919)
  • 1857 – Arthur Arz von Straußenburg, Austrian-Hungarian general (d. 1935)
  • 1858 – Gustaf V of Sweden (d. 1950)
  • 1863 – Francisco León de la Barra, Mexican politician and diplomat (d. 1939)
  • 1866 – Germanos Karavangelis, Greek-Austrian metropolitan (d. 1935)
  • 1874 – Arthur Meighen, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1960)
  • 1880 – Otto Eisenschiml, Austrian-American chemist and author (d. 1963)
  • 1882 – Mohammad Mosaddegh, Iranian educator and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Iran (d. 1967)
  • 1885 – Erich Jacoby, Estonian-Polish architect (d. 1941)
  • 1888 – Alexander Friedmann, Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1925)
  • 1888 – Peter Stoner, American mathematician and astronomer (d. 1980)
  • 1890 – Stan Laurel, English actor and comedian (d. 1965)
  • 1896 – Murray Leinster, American author and screenwriter (d. 1976)
  • 1897 – Georg Wittig, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
  • 1899 – Helen Traubel, American operatic soprano (d. 1972)
  • 1902 – Barbara McClintock, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
  • 1902 – George Gaylord Simpson, American paleontologist and author (d. 1984)
  • 1906 – Alan Fairfax, Australian cricketer (d. 1955)
  • 1907 – Jack Albertson, American actor (d. 1981)
  • 1909 – Archie Carr, American ecologist and zoologist (d. 1987)
  • 1910 – Juan Velasco Alvarado, Peruvian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (d. 1977)
  • 1912 – Albert Chartier, Canadian illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1912 – Enoch Powell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health (d. 1998)
  • 1914 – Eleanor Sokoloff, American pianist and teacher
  • 1915 – John Tukey, American mathematician and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1915 – Marga Faulstich, German glass chemist (d. 1998)
  • 1917 – Phaedon Gizikis, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (d. 1999)
  • 1917 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – Aurelio Lampredi, Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer (d. 1989)
  • 1917 – Irving Penn, American photographer (d. 2009)
  • 1920 – Isabelle Holland, Swiss-American author (d. 2002)
  • 1920 – Raymond Lemieux, Canadian chemist and academic (d. 2002)
  • 1920 – José López Portillo, Mexican lawyer and politician, 31st President of Mexico (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Hemanta Mukharjee, Indian singer and music director
  • 1922 – Ilmar Kullam, Estonian basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – Ron Flockhart, Scottish race car driver (d. 1962)
  • 1924 – Faith Domergue, American actress (d. 1999)
  • 1925 – Jean d’Ormesson, French journalist and author (d. 2017)
  • 1925 – Otto Muehl, Austrian-Portuguese painter and director (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Efraín Ríos Montt, Guatemalan general and politician, 26th President of Guatemala (d. 2018)
  • 1927 – Tom Graveney, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2015)
  • 1927 – Herbert Lichtenfeld, German author and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1927 – Ariano Suassuna, Brazilian author and playwright (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait
  • 1930 – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1934 – Eileen Atkins, English actress and screenwriter
  • 1934 – Roger Neilson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2003)
  • 1935 – Jim Dine, American painter and illustrator
  • 1937 – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Bulgarian politician, 48th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
  • 1937 – Erich Segal, American author and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1938 – Thomas Boyd-Carpenter, English general
  • 1938 – Torgny Lindgren, Swedish author and poet (d. 2017)
  • 1938 – Joyce Carol Oates, American novelist, short story writer, critic, and poet
  • 1939 – Billy “Crash” Craddock, American singer-songwriter
  • 1940 – Māris Čaklais, Latvian poet, writer, and journalist (d. 2003)
  • 1940 – Neil Goldschmidt, American lawyer and politician, 33rd Governor of Oregon
  • 1941 – Rosalind Baker, Australian author
  • 1941 – Lamont Dozier, American songwriter and producer
  • 1941 – Tommy Horton, English golfer (d. 2017)
  • 1941 – Mumtaz Hamid Rao, Pakistani journalist (d. 2011)
  • 1942 – Giacomo Agostini, Italian motorcycle racer and manager
  • 1942 – Eddie Levert, American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
  • 1944 – Henri Richelet, French painter and etcher
  • 1945 – Claire Alexander, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1945 – Lucienne Robillard, Canadian social worker and politician, 59th Secretary of State for Canada
  • 1946 – Rick Adelman, American basketball player and coach
  • 1946 – John Astor, 3rd Baron Astor of Hever, English businessman and politician
  • 1946 – Karen Dunnell, English statistician and academic
  • 1946 – Tom Harrell, American trumpet player and composer
  • 1946 – Neil MacGregor, Scottish historian and curator
  • 1946 – Iain Matthews, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1946 – Jodi Rell, American politician, 87th Governor of Connecticut
  • 1946 – Mark Ritts, American actor, puppeteer, and producer (d. 2009)
  • 1946 – Derek Sanderson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1946 – Simon Williams, English actor and playwright
  • 1947 – Tom Malone, American trombonist, composer, and producer
  • 1947 – Buddy Roberts, American wrestler (d. 2012)
  • 1947 – Al Cowlings, American ex-NFL player and close friend of O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson
  • 1947 – Tom Wyner, English-American voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1948 – Ron LeFlore, American baseball player and manager
  • 1949 – Paulo Cézar Caju, Brazilian footballer
  • 1949 – Ralph Mann, American hurdler and author
  • 1950 – Mithun Chakraborty, Indian actor and politician
  • 1950 – Michel Clair, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1950 – Jerry Petrowski, American politician and farmer
  • 1951 – Charlie Dominici, American singer and guitarist
  • 1951 – Roberto Durán, Panamanian boxer
  • 1952 – George Papandreou, Greek sociologist and politician, 182nd Prime Minister of Greece
  • 1952 – Gino Vannelli, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1953 – Valerie Mahaffey, American actress
  • 1953 – Ian Mosley, English drummer
  • 1954 – Matthew Saad Muhammad, American boxer and trainer (d. 2014)
  • 1954 – Garry Roberts, Irish guitarist
  • 1955 – Grete Faremo, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Defence
  • 1955 – Laurie Metcalf, American actress
  • 1955 – Artemy Troitsky, Russian journalist and critic
  • 1957 – Ian Buchanan, Scottish-American actor
  • 1957 – Leeona Dorrian, Lady Dorrian, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1958 – Darrell Griffith, American basketball player
  • 1958 – Ulrike Tauber, German swimmer
  • 1958 – Warren Rodwell, Australian soldier, educator and musician
  • 1959 – The Ultimate Warrior, American wrestler (d. 2014)
  • 1960 – Peter Sterling, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Can Dündar, Turkish journalist and author
  • 1961 – Robbie Kerr, Australian cricketer
  • 1961 – Steve Larmer, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1961 – Margus Metstak, Estonian basketball player and coach
  • 1962 – Wally Joyner, American baseball player and coach
  • 1962 – Arnold Vosloo, South African-American actor
  • 1962 – Anthony Wong, Hong Kong singer
  • 1963 – The Sandman, American wrestler
  • 1964 – Danny Burstein, American actor and singer
  • 1965 – Michael Richard Lynch, Irish computer scientist and entrepreneur; co-founded HP Autonomy
  • 1965 – Richard Madaleno, American politician
  • 1966 – Mark Occhilupo, Australian surfer
  • 1966 – Olivier Roumat, French rugby player
  • 1966 – Phil Vischer, American voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-created VeggieTales
  • 1966 – Jan Železný, Czech javelin thrower and coach
  • 1967 – Charalambos Andreou, Cypriot footballer
  • 1967 – Jürgen Klopp, German footballer and manager
  • 1968 – Adam Schmitt, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
  • 1969 – Shami Chakrabarti, English lawyer and academic
  • 1969 – Mark Crossley, English-Welsh footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Younus AlGohar, Pakistani poet and academic, co-founded Messiah Foundation International
  • 1970 – Clifton Collins Jr., American actor
  • 1970 – Cobi Jones, American soccer player and manager
  • 1970 – Phil Mickelson, American golfer
  • 1971 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper and producer (d. 1996)
  • 1972 – Kiko Loureiro, Brazilian guitarist
  • 1973 – Eddie Cibrian, American actor
  • 1974 – Glenicia James, Saint Lucian cricketer
  • 1975 – Anthony Carter, American basketball player and coach
  • 1977 – Craig Fitzgibbon, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1977 – Duncan Hames, English accountant and politician
  • 1977 – Kerry Wood, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Daniel Brühl, Spanish-German actor
  • 1978 – Dainius Zubrus, Lithuanian ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Fish Leong, Malaysian singer
  • 1980 – Brandon Armstrong, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Phil Christophers, German-English rugby player
  • 1980 – Henry Perenara, New Zealand rugby league player and referee
  • 1980 – Martin Stranzl, Austrian footballer
  • 1980 – Joey Yung, Hong Kong singer
  • 1981 – Benjamin Becker, German tennis player
  • 1981 – Kevin Bieksa, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Alexandre Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Ola Kvernberg, Norwegian violinist
  • 1981 – Miguel Villalta, Peruvian footballer
  • 1982 – May Andersen, Danish model and actress
  • 1982 – Missy Peregrym, Canadian model and actress
  • 1983 – Armend Dallku, Albanian footballer
  • 1984 – Rick Nash, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Dan Ryckert, American writer and entertainer
  • 1984 – Steven Whittaker, Scottish footballer
  • 1986 – Rodrigo Defendi, Brazilian footballer
  • 1986 – Urby Emanuelson, Dutch footballer
  • 1986 – Fernando Muslera, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1987 – Diana DeGarmo, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1987 – Per Ciljan Skjelbred, Norwegian footballer
  • 1987 – Christian Tshimanga Kabeya, Belgian footballer
  • 1988 – Keshia Chante, Canadian singer
  • 1988 – Jermaine Gresham, American football player
  • 1990 – John Newman, English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer
  • 1991 – Joe McElderry, English singer-songwriter
  • 1991 – Siya Kolisi, South African rugby player
  • 1991 – Matt Moylan, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Vladimir Morozov, Russian swimmer
  • 1993 – Park Bo-gum, South Korean actor
  • 1993 – Gnash, American singer, songwriter, rapper, DJ and record producer
  • 1994 – Grete-Lilijane Küppas, Estonian footballer
  • 1994 – Rezar, Albanian professional wrestler
  • 1995 – Euan Aitken, Australian rugby league player
  • 1995 – Joseph Schooling, Singaporean swimmer
  • 1995 – Akira Ioane, New Zealand rugby Union player
  • 2000 – Bianca Andreescu, Canadian tennis player

Deaths on June 16

  • 840 – Rorgon I, Frankish nobleman (or 839)
  • 924 – Li Cunshen, general of Later Tang (b. 862)
  • 956 – Hugh the Great, Frankish nobleman (b. 898)
  • 1185 – Richeza of Poland, queen of León (b. c. 1140)
  • 1286 – Hugh de Balsham, English bishop
  • 1332 – Adam de Brome, founder of Oriel College, Oxford
  • 1361 – Johannes Tauler, German mystic theologian
  • 1397 – Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, French soldier (b. 1358)
  • 1424 – Johannes Ambundii, archbishop of Riga
  • 1468 – Jean Le Fèvre de Saint-Remy, Burgundian historian and author (b. 1395)
  • 1487 – John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln (b. c. 1463)
  • 1540 – Konrad von Thüngen, German nobleman (b. c. 1466)
  • 1622 – Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (b. 1555)
  • 1626 – Christian, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Wolfenbüttel, German Protestant military leader (b. 1599)
  • 1666 – Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st Baronet, English poet and diplomat, English Ambassador to Spain (b. 1608)
  • 1722 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (b. 1650)
  • 1743 – Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, eldest daughter of King Louis XIV of France (b. 1673)
  • 1752 – Joseph Butler, English bishop and philosopher (b. 1692)
  • 1762 – Anne Russell, Countess of Jersey (formerly Duchess of Bedford) (b. c.1705)
  • 1777 – Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset, French poet and playwright (b. 1709)
  • 1779 – Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, English lawyer and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1712)
  • 1804 – Johann Adam Hiller, German composer and conductor (b. 1728)
  • 1824 – Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance, French lawyer and politician (b. 1739)
  • 1849 – Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, German theologian and scholar (b. 1780)
  • 1850 – William Lawson, English-Australian explorer and politician (b. 1774)
  • 1858 – John Snow, English epidemiologist and physician (b. 1813)
  • 1862 – Hidenoyama Raigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 9th Yokozuna (b. 1808)
  • 1869 – Charles Sturt, Indian-English botanist and explorer (b. 1795)
  • 1872 – Norman MacLeod, Scottish minister and author (b. 1812)
  • 1878 – Crawford Long, American surgeon and pharmacist (b. 1815)
  • 1878 – Kikuchi Yōsai, Japanese painter (b. 1781)
  • 1881 – Josiah Mason, English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1795)
  • 1885 – Wilhelm Camphausen, German painter and academic (b. 1818)
  • 1886 – Alexander Stuart, Scottish-Australian politician, 9th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1824)
  • 1902 – Ernst Schröder, German mathematician and academic (b. 1841)
  • 1918 – Bazil Assan, Romanian engineer and explorer (b. 1860)
  • 1925 – Chittaranjan Das, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1870)
  • 1929 – Bramwell Booth, English 2nd General of The Salvation Army (b. 1856)
  • 1929 – Vernon Louis Parrington, American historian and scholar (b. 1871)
  • 1930 – Ezra Fitch, American lawyer and businessman, co-founded Abercrombie & Fitch (b. 1866)
  • 1930 – Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American inventor, co-invented the gyrocompass (b. 1860)
  • 1939 – Chick Webb, American drummer and bandleader (b. 1905)
  • 1940 – DuBose Heyward, American author (b. 1885)
  • 1944 – Marc Bloch, French historian and academic (b. 1886)
  • 1945 – Aris Velouchiotis, Greek general (b. 1905)
  • 1946 – Gordon Brewster, Irish cartoonist (b 1889)
  • 1952 – Andrew Lawson, Scottish-American geologist and academic (b. 1861)
  • 1953 – Margaret Bondfield, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (b. 1873)
  • 1955 – Ozias Leduc, Canadian painter (b. 1864)
  • 1958 – Pál Maléter, Hungarian general and politician, Minister of Defence of Hungary (b. 1917)
  • 1958 – Imre Nagy, Hungarian politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1895)
  • 1959 – George Reeves, American actor and director (b. 1914)
  • 1961 – Marcel Junod, Swiss physician and anesthesiologist (b. 1904)
  • 1967 – Reginald Denny, English actor (b. 1891)
  • 1969 – Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, English field marshal and politician, 17th Governor General of Canada (b. 1891)
  • 1970 – Sydney Chapman, English mathematician and geophysicist (b. 1888)
  • 1970 – Brian Piccolo, American football player (b. 1943)
  • 1971 – John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, Scottish broadcaster, co-founded BBC (b. 1889)
  • 1974 – Amalie Sara Colquhoun, Australian landscape and portrait painter (b. 1894)
  • 1977 – Wernher von Braun, German-American physicist and engineer (b. 1912)
  • 1979 – Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, Ghanaian general and politician, 6th Head of state of Ghana (b. 1931)
  • 1979 – Nicholas Ray, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
  • 1981 – Thomas Playford IV, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of South Australia (b. 1896)
  • 1982 – James Honeyman-Scott, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1956)
  • 1984 – Lew Andreas, American football player and coach (b. 1895)
  • 1984 – Erni Krusten, Estonian author and poet (b. 1900)
  • 1986 – Maurice Duruflé, French organist and composer (b. 1902)
  • 1987 – Marguerite de Angeli, American author and illustrator (b. 1889)
  • 1988 – Miguel Piñero, Puerto Rican-American actor and playwright (b. 1946)
  • 1993 – Lindsay Hassett, Australian cricketer and soldier (b. 1913)
  • 1994 – Kristen Pfaff, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1967)
  • 1996 – Mel Allen, American sportscaster and game show host (b. 1913)
  • 1997 – Dal Stivens, Australian soldier and author (b. 1911)
  • 1998 – Fred Wacker, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1918)
  • 1999 – Screaming Lord Sutch, English singer and activist (b. 1940)
  • 2003 – Pierre Bourgault, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1934)
  • 2003 – Georg Henrik von Wright, Finnish–Swedish philosopher and author (b. 1916)
  • 2004 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Thai field marshal and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1911)
  • 2004 – Jacques Miquelon, Canadian lawyer and judge (b. 1911)
  • 2005 – Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican-American author and critic (b. 1906)
  • 2008 – Mario Rigoni Stern, Italian soldier and author (b. 1921)
  • 2010 – Marc Bazin, Haitian lawyer and politician, 49th President of Haiti (b. 1932)
  • 2010 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian singer and academic (b. 1930)
  • 2010 – Ronald Neame, English director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
  • 2011 – Östen Mäkitalo, Swedish engineer and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Nils Karlsson, Swedish skier (b. 1917)
  • 2012 – Jorge Lankenau, Mexican banker and businessman (b. 1944)
  • 2012 – Sławomir Petelicki, Polish general (b. 1946)
  • 2012 – Susan Tyrrell, American actress (b. 1945)
  • 2013 – Sam Farber, American businessman, co-founded OXO (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Hans Hass, Austrian biologist and diver (b. 1919)
  • 2013 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (b. 1950)
  • 2013 – Norman Ian MacKenzie, English journalist and author (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Ottmar Walter, German footballer (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Tony Gwynn, American baseball player and coach (b. 1960)
  • 2014 – Cándido Muatetema Rivas (b. 1960), Equatoguinean politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea
  • 2015 – Charles Correa, Indian architect and urban planner (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Jean Vautrin, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1933)
  • 2016 – Jo Cox, English political activist and MP (b. 1974)
  • 2017 – Helmut Kohl, German politician, 6th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1930)
  • 2020 – Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. (b. 1935), Filipino businessman and politician

Holidays and observances on June 16

  • Juneteenth (United States)
  • Birthday of Leonard P. Howell (Rastafari)
  • Bloomsday (Dublin, Ireland)
  • Christian feast days:
    • Aurelianus of Arles
    • Aureus of Mainz (and his sister Justina)
    • Benno
    • Cettin of Oran
    • Curig of Llanbadarn
    • Ferreolus and Ferrutio
    • George Berkeley and Joseph Butler (Episcopal Church)
    • Lutgardis
    • Quriaqos and Julietta
    • June 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Engineer’s Day (Argentina)
  • Father’s Day (Seychelles)
  • International Day of the African Child (Organisation of African Unity)
  • Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikhism)
  • Sussex Day (Sussex)
  • Youth Day (South Africa)

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