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ClaireDPhotography says:

15 October

Events:

533 - Byzantine general Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Vandals.

1552 - Khanate of Kazan is conquered by troops of Ivan Grozny.

1582 - Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15.

1764 - Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

1815 - Napoleon I of France begins his exile on Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.

1863 - American Civil War: The CSS H. L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink a ship, sinks during a test, killing its inventor, Horace L. Hunley.

1864 - American Civil War: The Battle of Glasgow is fought, resulting in the surrender of Glasgow, Missouri, and its Union garrison, to the Confederacy.

1878 - The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation.

1880 - Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists.

1888 - The "From Hell" letter sent by Jack the Ripper is received by the investigators.

1894 - The Dreyfus affair: Alfred Dreyfus is arrested for spying.

1904 - The Russian Baltic Fleet leaves Reval, Estonia for Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War.

1917 - World War I: At Vincennes outside of Paris, Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for the German Empire.

1928 - The airship, the Graf Zeppelin completes its first trans-Atlantic flight, landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States.

1932 - Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight.

1934 - The Soviet Republic of China collapses when Chiang Kai-shek's National Revolutionary Army successfully encircle Ruijin, forcing the fleeing Communists to begin the Long March.

1938 - The District of Columbia formally adopts a design for its flag.

1939 - The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed La Guardia Airport) is dedicated.

1944 - The Arrow Cross Party (very similar to Hitler's NSDAP (Nazi party)) takes over the power in Hungary.

1945 - World War II: The former premier of Vichy France Pierre Laval is shot by a firing squad for treason.

1946 - Nuremberg Trials: Hermann Göring poisons himself the night before his execution.

1951 - Mexican chemist Luis E. Miramontes synthesized the first oral contraceptive.

1953 - British nuclear test Totem 1 detonated at Emu Field, South Australia.

1965 - Vietnam War: The National Coordinating Committee to End the War in Vietnam stages the first public burning of a draft card in the United States to result in arrest under a new law.

1966 - Black Panther Party is created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.

1970 - Thirty-five construction workers are killed when a section of the new West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapses.

1970 - Anwar Sadat becomes president of Egypt.

1971 - The start of the 2500-year celebration of Iran, celebrating the birth of Persia.

1973 - The diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Gabon are established.

1981 - Professional cheerleader Krazy George Henderson leads what is thought to be the first audience wave in Oakland, California.

1987 - The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England.

1989 - Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL.

1990 - Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation.

1997 - The first supersonic land speed record is set by Andy Green in ThrustSSC (United Kingdom).

1997 - The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn.

2001 - NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io.

2003 - China launches Shenzhou 5, its first manned space mission.

2003 - The Staten Island Ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi runs into a pier at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, killing 11 people and injuring 43.

2005 - Iraqi constitution ratification vote.

2005 - A riot in Toledo, Ohio breaks out during a National Socialist/Neo-Nazi protest; over 100 are arrested.

2007 - Seventeen activists in New Zealand are arrested in the country's first post 9/11 anti-terrorism raids.

Births:

70 BC - Virgil, Roman poet (d. 19 BC)

1471 - Konrad Mutian, German humanist (d. 1526)

1542 - Akbar, Jellaladin Mahommed, Mughal Emperor (d. 1605)

1608 - Evangelista Torricelli, Italian physicist (d. 1647)

1686 - Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet (d. 1758)

1701 - Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, first native Canadian canonized (d. 1771)

1711 - Elisabeth Teresa of Lorraine, queen of Sardinia (d. 1741)

1784 - Thomas Robert Bugeaud, Marshal of France and duke of Isly (d. 1849)

1785 - José Miguel Carrera, Chilean general and founding father (d. 1821)

1814 - Mikhail Lermontov, Russian author (d. 1841)

1825 - Queen Marie of Prussia (d. 1889)

1829 - Asaph Hall, American astronomer (d. 1907)

1836 - James Tissot, French artist (d. 1902)

1840 - Honoré Mercier, politician and premier of Quebec (d. 1894)

1844 - Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (d. 1900)

1949 - Laurie McBain, U.S.American novelist.

1858 - John L. Sullivan, American boxer (d. 1918)

1872 - Wilhelm Miklas, Austrian president (d. 1956)

1874 - Prince Alfred of Edinburgh (d. 1899)

1878 - Paul Reynaud, French politician (d. 1966)

1879 - Jane Darwell, Academy Award-winning American actress (d. 1967)

1881 - P. G. Wodehouse, British novelist (d. 1975)

1882 - Charley O'Leary, American baseball player (d. 1941)

1884 - Arch Hoxsey, pioneer aviator (d. 1910)

1893 - King Carol II of Romania (d. 1953)

1894 - Moshe Sharett, second Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1965)

1898 - Boughera El Ouafi, Algerian athlete (d. 1951)

1900 - Mervyn LeRoy, American film director (d. 1987)

1905 - C. P. Snow, British writer (d. 1980)

1906 - Hiram Leong Fong, American politician (d. 2004)

1907 - Varian Fry, American journalist (d. 1967)

1908 - John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian economist (d. 2006)

1909 - Robert Trout, American reporter (d. 2000)

1909 - Jesse Leonard Greenstein, American astronomer (d. 2002)

1915 - Yitzhak Shamir, Israeli politician

1917 - Jan Miner, American actress (d. 2004)

1917 - Arthur Schlesinger Jr., American historian and political commentator (d. 2007)

1919 - Malcolm Ross, American balloonist and atmospheric physicist (d. 1985)

1920 - Mario Puzo, American novelist (d. 1999)

1920 - Henri Verneuil, French film director (d. 2002)

1922 - Agustina Bessa-Luís, Portuguese writer

1923 - Italo Calvino. Italian writer (d. 1985)

1924 - Lee Iacocca, American industrialist

1924 - Mark Lenard, American actor (d. 1996)

1924 - Marguerite Andersen, German writer

1924 - Warren Miller, American director

1925 - Mickey Baker, American guitarist (Mickey & Sylvia)

1926 - Michel Foucault, French philosopher (d. 1984)

1926 - Evan Hunter, American author (d. 2005)

1926 - Jean Peters, American actress (d. 2000)

1926 - Karl Richter, German conductor (d. 1981)

1930 - Fereydun M. Esfandiary, Iranian philosopher (d. 2000)

1931 - Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, Eleventh President of India

1934 - N. Ramani, Indian flutist

1935 - Bobby Joe Morrow, American sprinter

1935 - Barry McGuire, American singer

1935 - Willie O'Ree, Canadian Hockey Player

1938 - Fela Kuti, Nigerian musician (d. 1997)

1938 - Marv Johnson, American singer (d. 1993)

1940 - Tommy Bishop, English rugby league player

1940 - Peter Doherty, Australian immunologist, Nobel laureate

1942 - Penny Marshall, American actress and movie director

1944 - Sali Berisha, President of Albania

1944 - David Trimble, Irish politician, Nobel laureate

1944 - Haim Saban, Egyptian-born American media proprietor

1945 - Jere Burns, American actor

1945 - Jim Palmer, American baseball player

1946 - Richard Carpenter, American musician (The Carpenters)

1946 - Stewart Stevenson, Scottish politician

1948 - Chris de Burgh, Irish singer and songwriter

1949 - Prannoy Roy, Journalist, Psephologist, CEO - NDTV

1953 - Tito Jackson, American musician

1953 - Larry Miller, American actor and comedian

1953 - Betsy Clifford, Canadian alpine skier

1954 - Peter Bakowski, Australian poet

1955 - Kulbir Bhaura, British field hockey player

1955 - Tanya Roberts, American actress

1957 - Mira Nair, Indian director

1957 - Stacy Peralta, American director

1959 - Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York

1959 - Emeril Lagasse, American chef

1959 - Todd Solondz, American film director

1960 - Daniel Mazur, American mountaineer

1961 - John Kenny, Irish sports broadcaster and journalist

1964 - Roberto Vittori, Italian astronaut

1966 - Jorge Campos, Mexican footballer

1968 - Jyrki 69, Finnish musician The 69 Eyes

1968 - Didier Deschamps, French footballer

1969 - Paige Davis, American television personality and Broadway actress

1969 - Vanessa Marcil, American actress

1969 - Dominic West, British actor

1969 - Vítor Baía, Portuguese footballer

1970 - Eric Benét, American singer

1971 - Andy Cole, British footballer

1971 - Jason Arhndt, American wrestler

1972 - Matt Keeslar, American actor

1972 - Sandra Kim, Belgian singer

1973 - Dax Riggs, American musician

1975 - Ginuwine, American singer

1975 - Glen Little, English footballer

1976 - Yoon Son-ha, South Korean actress and singer

1977 - Masato Kawabata, Japanese racing driver

1977 - Erin McKeown, American musician

1977 - David Trezeguet, French football player

1977 - Patricio Urrutia, Ecuadorian footballer

1978 - Devon Gummersall, American actor

1978 - Takeshi Morishima Japanese professional wrestler

1979 - Paul Robinson, English football player

1979 - Māris Verpakovskis, Latvian football player

1979 - Blue Adams, American Football Player

1980 - Tom Boonen, Belgian cyclist

1980 - Siiri Nordin, Finnish singer (Killer)

1981 - Keyshia Cole, American R&B singer

1981 - Elena Dementieva, Russian tennis player

1981 - Guo Jingjing, Chinese diver

1981 - Radoslav Židek, Slovak snowboarder

1982 - Paulini Curuenavuli, Fijian/Australian singer

1982 - Charline Labonté, Canadian ice hockey player

1983 - Stephy Tang, Hong Kong singer and actress

1985 - Walter López, Uruguayan footballer

1985 - Marcos Martínez, Spanish racing driver

1986 - Donghae, Korean singer (Super Junior)

1987 - Jesse Levine, Canadian/American tennis player

1992 - Vincent Martella, American actor

1999 - Bailee Madison, American actress

2005 - Prince Christian of Denmark

Deaths:

412 - Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria

898 - Lambert, Holy Roman Emperor

912 - Abdullah ibn Muhammad, Emir of Córdoba (b. 844)

1002 - Otto-Henry, Duke of Burgundy (b. 946)

1080 - Rudolf of Rheinfeld, Duke of Swabia

1326 - Walter de Stapledon, English bishop (b. 1261)

1389 - Pope Urban VI

1564 - Vesalius, Flemish anatomist (b. 1514)

1715 - Humphry Ditton, English mathematician (b. 1675)

1730 - Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, French explorer (b. 1658)

1788 - Samuel Greig, Scottish-Russian admiral (b. 1735)

1810 - Alfred Moore, American judge (b. 1755)

1811 - Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter (b. 1735)

1817 - Tadeusz Kościuszko, Polish and Lithuanian national hero (b. 1746)

1819 - Sergey Vyazmitinov, Russian general and statesman (b. 1744)

1820 - Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg, Austrian field marshal (b. 1771)

1837 - Ivan Dmitriev, Russian statesman and poet (b. 1760)

1880 - Victorio, Apache leader

1891 - Gilbert Arthur a Beckett, English writer (b. 1837)

1900 - Zdeněk Fibich, Czech composer (b. 1850)

1910 - Stanley Ketchel, boxer (murdered) (b. 1886)

1917 - Mata Hari, Dutch dancer and spy (b. 1876)

1918 - Sai Baba of Shirdi, Indian saint (b. c. 1838)

1930 - Herbert Henry Dow, American chemical industrialist (b. 1866)

1934 - Raymond Poincaré, French statesman (b. 1860)

1945 - Pierre Laval, Prime Minister of Vichy France (executed) (b. 1883)

1946 - Hermann Göring, German air force commander (suicide) (b. 1893)

1948 - Edythe Chapman, American actress (b. 1863)

1959 - Lipót Fejér, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1880)

1960 - Clara Kimball Young, American actress (b. 1890)

1963 - Horton Smith. American golfer (b. 1908)

1964 - Cole Porter, American composer (b. 1891)

1976 - Carlo Gambino, American gangster (b. 1902)

1980 - Mikhail Lavrentyev, Russian physicist and mathematician (b. 1900)

1980 - Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek footballer and volleyball player (b. 1896)

1981 - Philip Fotheringham-Parker, British racing driver (b. 1907)

1987 - Thomas Sankara, African revolutionary and leader of Burkina Faso (assassinated) (b. 1949)

1988 - Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, English composer and pianist (b. 1892)

1994 - Sarah Kofman, French philosopher (b. 1934)

1995 - Marco Campos, Brazilian racing driver (b. 1976)

2000 - Konrad Emil Bloch, German-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1912)

2001 - Zhang Xueliang, Chinese ruler of Manchuria (b. 1901)

2003 - Bertram N. Brockhouse, Canadian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)

2003 - Ben Metcalfe, Canadian environmental activist (b. 1919)

2005 - Jason Collier, American basketball player (b. 1977)

2005 - Matti Wuori, Finnish politician (b. 1945)

2008 - Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca, Turkish poet (b. 1914)

2008 - Edie Adams, American singer and Broadway actress (b. 1927)

2008 - Jack Narz, American game show host (b. 1922)

Holidays and observances:

October 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Roman festivals - the Equirria or October equus: sacrifice of a horse to Mars

R.C. Saints - Saint Teresa of Avila

United States - White Cane Safety Day

French Republican Calendar - Amaryllis (Amaryllis) Day, twenty-fourth day in the Month of Vendémiaire

Teachers' Day in Brazil

Global Handwashing Day for first time in 2008

ages ago

ClaireDPhotography says:

10th June

Events

1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem.

1539 - Council of Trent: Paul III sends out letters to his bishops, delaying the Council due to war and the difficulty bishops had traveling to Venice.

1619 - Thirty Years' War: Battle of Záblatí, a turning point in the Bohemian Revolt.

1692 - Salem witch trials: Bridget Bishop is hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts, for "certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft & Sorceries".

1719 - Jacobite Rising: Battle of Glen Shiel.

1770 - Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef.

1786 - A landslide dam on the Dadu River created by an earthquake ten days earlier collapses, killing 100,000 in the Sichuan province of China.

1793 - The Jardin des Plantes museum opens in Paris. A year later, it becomes the first public zoo.

1793 - French Revolution: Following the arrests of Girondin leaders the Jacobins gain control of the Committee of Public Safety installing the revolutionary dictatorship.

1805 - First Barbary War: Yussif Karamanli signs a treaty ending hostilities with the United States.

1829 - The first Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place.

1838 - Myall Creek Massacre in Australia: 28 Aboriginal Australians are murdered.

1854 - The first class of the United States Naval Academy students graduate.

1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Brice's Crossroads – Confederate troops under Nathan Bedford Forrest defeat a much larger Union force led by General Samuel D. Sturgis in Mississippi.

1871 - Sinmiyangyo: Captain McLane Tilton leads 109 Marines in naval attack on Han River forts on Kanghwa Island, Korea.

1886 - Mount Tarawera in New Zealand erupts, killing 153 people and destroying the famous Pink and White Terraces.

1898 - Spanish-American War: U.S. Marines land on the island of Cuba.

1918 - The Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Szent Istvan sinks after being torpedoed by an Italian MAS motorboat.

1924 - Fascists kidnap and kill Italian socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti in Rome.

1925 - Inaugural service for the United Church of Canada, a union of Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregationalist churches held in Toronto Arena.

1935 - Dr. Robert Smith takes his last drink, and Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in Akron, Ohio, United States, by him and Bill Wilson.

1940 - World War II: Italy declares war on France and the United Kingdom.

1940 - World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt denounces Italy's actions with his "Stab in the Back" speech at the graduation ceremonies of the University of Virginia.

1940 - World War II: German forces, under General Erwin Rommel, reach the English Channel.

1940 - World War II: Canada declares war on Italy.

1940 - World War II: Norway surrenders to German forces.

1942 - World War II: Nazis burn the Czech village of Lidice in reprisal for the killing of Reinhard Heydrich.

1944 - World War II: 642 men, women and children are killed in the Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre in France.

1944 - World War II: In Distomo, Boeotia Prefecture, Greece 218 men, women and children are massacred by German troops.

1944 - In baseball, 15-year old Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds becomes the youngest player ever in a major-league game.

1945 - Australian Imperial Forces land in Brunei Bay to liberate Brunei.

1947 - Saab produces its first automobile.

1965 - Vietnam War: The Battle of Dong Xoai begins.

1967 - Six-Day War ends: Israel and Syria agree to a cease-fire.

1967 - Argentina becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.

1973 - John Paul Getty III, grandson of billionaire J. Paul Getty, is kidnapped in Rome, Italy.

1974 - Brandon Ramirez, noted visionary and graphics designer born in TJ, Mexico. Known as the father of Rambo the next generation.

1977 - James Earl Ray escapes from Brushy Mountain State Prison in Petros, Tennessee, but is recaptured on June 13.

1977 - Apple Computer ships its first Apple II personal computer.

1978 - Costa Rica becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.

1980 - The African National Congress in South Africa publishes a call to fight from their imprisoned leader Nelson Mandela.

1996 - Peace talks begin in Northern Ireland without Sinn Féin.

1997 - Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot orders the killing of his defense chief Son Sen and 11 of Sen's family members before Pol Pot flees his northern stronghold.

1999 - Kosovo War: NATO suspends its air strikes after Slobodan Milošević agrees to withdraw Serbian forces from Kosovo.

2001 - Pope John Paul II canonizes Lebanon's first female saint Saint Rafqa

2002 - The first direct electronic communication experiment between the nervous systems of two humans is carried out by Kevin Warwick in the United Kingdom.

2003 - The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission.

2008 - The Gora Prai airstrike by the United States reportedly kills 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops.

[edit] Births

1213 - Fakhruddin 'Iraqi, Persian philosopher

1632 - Esprit Fléchier, French writer and bishop (d. 1710)

1637 - Jacques Marquette, French Jesuit missionary and explorer (d. 1675)

1657 - James Cragg the Elder, British politician (d. 1721)

1688 - James Francis Edward Stuart (d. 1766)

1706 - John Dollond, English optician (d. 1761)

1710 - James Short, Scottish mathematician (d. 1768)

1753 - William Eustis, 12th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1825)

1803 - Henry Darcy, French scientist (d. 1858)

1804 - Hermann Schlegel, German ornithologist (d. 1884)

1825 - Sondre Norheim, Norwegian skier (d. 1897)

1819 - Gustave Courbet, French painter (d. 1877)

1825 - Princess Hildegard of Bavaria d. 1864

1835 - Rebecca Latimer Felton, U.S. Senator (d. 1930)

1839 - Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg, Council President of Denmark (d. 1912)

1840 - Theodor Philipsen, Danish painter (d. 1920)

1843 - Heinrich von Herzogenberg, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1900)

1861 - Pierre Duhem, French physicist (d. 1916)

1862 - Mrs. Leslie Carter, American actress (d. 1937)

1863 - Louis Couperus, Dutch novelist (d. 1923)

1880 - André Derain, French painter (d. 1954)

1889 - Sessue Hayakawa, Japanese actor (d. 1973)

1891 - Al Dubin, American lyricist (d. 1945)

1895 - Hattie McDaniel, American actress (d. 1952)

1901 - Frederick Loewe, Austrian-born composer (d. 1988)

1907 - Fairfield Porter, American painter (d. 1975)

1908 - Robert Cummings, American actor (d. 1990)

1910 - Howlin' Wolf, American musician (d. 1976)

1910 - Frank Demaree, American baseball player (d. 1958)

1910 - Robert Still, English composer (d. 1971)

1911 - Ralph Kirkpatrick, American musician and musicologist (d. 1984)

1911 - Terence Rattigan, British playwright (d. 1977)

1912 - Jean Lesage, Premier of Quebec (d. 1980)

1913 - Tikhon Khrennikov, Russian composer (d. 2007)

1915 - Saul Bellow, Nobel laureate (d. 2005)

1918 - Barry Morse, British-born Canadian actor (d. 2008)

1919 - Kevin O'Flanagan, Irish athlete and physician (d. 2006)

1919 - Haidar Abdel-Shafi, Palestinian Negotiator and community leader (d. 2007)

1921 - Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

1921 - Jean Robic, French cyclist (d. 1980)

1922 - Judy Garland, American musical actress (d. 1969)

1923 - Robert Maxwell, Slovakian-born newspaperman (d. 1991)

1925 - Nat Hentoff, American historian, novelist, jazz critic, and columnist

1926 - Lionel Jeffries, British actor

1927 - Lin Yang-kang, Chinese politician

1927 - Ladislao Kubala, Hungarian-born footballer (d. 2002)

1928 - Maurice Sendak, American writer

1929 - Harald Juhnke, German actor and comedian (d. 2005)

1929 - Ian McCahon Sinclair, Australian politician

1929 - E. O. Wilson, American biologist

1931 - João Gilberto, Brazilian singer and guitarist

1932 - Branko Lustig, film producer

1933 - Georgi Atanasov, Bulgarian Prime Minister

1933 - F. Lee Bailey, American attorney

1935 - Vic Elford, British racing driver

1940 - Augie Auer, Meteorologist and television presenter (d. 2007)

1940 - John Stevens, British drummer (d. 1994)

1941 - Jürgen Prochnow, German actor

1941 - Mickey Jones, American musician and actor

1941 - Shirley Owens, American singer (Shirelles)

1941 - David Walker, Australian racing driver

1942 - Preston Manning, Canadian politician

1947 - Ken Singleton, American baseball player

1949 - John Sentamu, Archbishop of York

1950 - Elias Sosa, Major League Baseball pitcher

1951 - Dan Fouts, American football player

1953 - John Edwards, American politician and lawyer

1956 - Georg Borwin, Duke of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

1957 - Lindsay Hoyle, British politician

1957 - Hidetsugu Aneha, Japanese architect

1959 - Eliot Spitzer, American politician

1959 - Carlo Ancelotti, A.C. Milan coach

1960 - Balakrishna Nandamuri, Indian actor

1960 - Maxi Priest, American musician

1961 - Kim Deal, American musician (Pixies), (The Breeders)

1961 - Kelley Deal, American musician (The Breeders)

1962 - Gina Gershon, American actress

1962 - Koma Wong Ka-Kui, Hong Kong musician (Beyond) (d. 1993)

1962 - Vincent Perez, Swiss actor

1962 - Akie Abe, former First Lady of Japan

1962 - Brent Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player

1963 - Brad Henry, American politician (current Oklahoma governor)

1963 - Jeanne Tripplehorn, American actress

1964 - Jimmy Chamberlin, American musician (The Smashing Pumpkins)

1964 - Ben Daniels, British actor

1964 - Tony Martin, Australian comedian

1965 - Elizabeth Hurley, English model and actress

1966 - David Platt, English footballer

1967 - Emma Anderson, British guitarist and songwriter (Lush, Sing-Sing)

1968 - Bill Burr, American comedian

1968 - Jimmy Shea, American skeleton racer

1968 - The D.O.C., American rapper

1969 - Ronny Johnsen, Norwegian footballer

1969 - Kate Snow, American TV journalist

1970 - Mike Doughty, American singer

1971 - Bobby Jindal, American politician; Louisiana Congressman, Governor

1971 - Joel Hailey, American singer

1971 - Bruno N'Gotty, French footballer

1971 - Kyle Sandilands, Australian radio host and TV personality

1972 - Steven Fischer, American film producer and director

1972 - Radmila Šekerinska, Macedonian politician

1973 - Faith Evans, American singer

1973 - Pokey Reese, American baseball player

1973 - Flesh-N-Bone, American rapper, (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)

1975 - Henrik Pedersen, Danish footballer

1975 - Risto Jussilainen, Finnish ski jumper

1976 - Freddy García, American baseball player

1976 - Hadi Saei Bonehkohal, Persian taekwondoka

1976 - Stefan Postma, Dutch footballer

1976 - Esther Ouwehand, Dutch politician, parliamentarian for the Party for the Animals

1977 - Takako Matsu, Japanese singer and actress

1977 - Adam Darski, Polish musician most known for being the leader of Behemoth

1977 - Mike Rosenthal, American football player, sports radio talk show host

1978 - Shane West, American actor

1978 - Brian West, American soccer player

1979 - Konstantinos Loumpoutis, Greek footballer

1979 - Jake Tsakalidis, Georgian-Greek basketball player

1980 - Francelino Matuzalem, Brazilian footballer

1980 - Ovie Mughelli, American football player

1980 - Jessica Di Cicco, American actress

1980 - Wang Yuegu, Singaporean Olympic table tennis player

1981 - Burton O'Brien, Scottish footballer

1981 - Hoku, American singer and actress

1981 - Prince Hashim bin Al Hussein, of Jordan

1981 - Jonathan Bennett, actor (Mean Girls)

1982 - Princess Madeleine of Sweden

1982 - Tara Lipinski, American figure skater

1982 - Ana Lucia Souza, Brazilian ballet dancer

1983 - Leelee Sobieski, American actress

1984 - Dirk Van Tichelt, Belgian judoka

1984 - Dean Leacock, English footballer

1985 - Kristina Lundberg, Swedish ice hockey player

1985 - Vasilis Torosidis, Greek footballer

1987 - Amobi Okoye, Nigeria-born American football player

1987 - Martin Harnik, Austrian footballer

1988 - Kelly Vitz, American actress

[edit] Deaths

323 BC - Alexander the Great, Macedonian warlord (b. 356 BC)

1075 - Ernest of Austria (b. 1027)

1190 - Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1122)

1424 - Duke Ernest of Austria (b. 1377)

1552 - Alexander Barclay, English poet

1556 - Martin Agricola, German composer (b. 1486)

1580 - Luís de Camões, Portuguese poet

1607 - John Popham, English politician

1654 - Alessandro Algardi, Italian sculptor (b. 1598)

1680 - Johan Göransson Gyllenstierna, Swedish statesman (b. 1635)

1735 - Thomas Hearne, English antiquarian (b. 1678)

1776 - Leopold Widhalm, Austrian luthier (b. 1722)

1791 - Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte, French admiral (b. 1720)

1831 - Hans Karl von Diebitsch, Russian field marshal (b. 1785)

1836 - André-Marie Ampère, French physicist (b. 1775)

1849 - Thomas Robert Bugeaud, Marshal of France and duke of Isly (b. 1784)

1896 - Amelia Dyer, English murderer (b. 1829)

1898 - Tuone Udaina, last speaker of the Dalmatian language.

1899 - Ernest Chausson, French composer (b. 1855)

1901 - Robert Williams Buchanan, British dramatist (b. 1841)

1902 - Jacint Verdaguer, Catalan poet (b. 1845)

1909 - Edward Everett Hale, American author (b. 1822)

1912 - Anton Aškerc, Slovenian poet (b. 1856)

1918 - Arrigo Boito, Italian composer (b. 1842)

1923 - Pierre Loti, French sailor (b. 1850)

1926 - Antoni Gaudí, Spanish, Catalan architect (b. 1852)

1930 - Adolf Harnack, German theologian (b. 1851)

1934 - Frederick Delius, English composer (b. 1862)

1937 - Robert Borden, eighth Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1854)

1940 - Marcus Garvey, American civil rights activist (b. 1887)

1944 - Willem Jacob van Stockum, Dutch physicist (b. 1910)

1946 - Jack Johnson, American boxer (b. 1878)

1947 - Alexander Bethune, Canadian politician (b. 1852)

1949 - Sigrid Undset, Norwegian writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1882)

1958 - Angelina Weld Grimke, American journalist (b. 1880)

1959 - Zoltán Meskó, Hungarian Nazi (b. 1883)

1967 - Spencer Tracy, American actor (b. 1900)

1971 - Michael Rennie, English actor (b. 1909)

1973 - William Inge, American playwright (b. 1913)

1973 - Erich von Manstein, German military commander (b. 1887)

1974 - Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (b. 1900)

1976 - Adolph Zukor, Hungarian-born producer (b. 1873)

1982 - Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German author (b. 1945)

1982 - Addie "Micki" Harris, American singer (Shirelles) (b. 1940)

1986 - Merle Miller, American biographer (b. 1919)

1987 - Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (b. 1943)

1988 - Louis L'Amour, American author (b. 1908)

1991 - Vercors, French writer (b. 1902)

1992 - Zak Hernández, American soldier (b. 1973)

1992 - Hachidai Nakamura, Japanese songwriter and pianist (b. 1931)

1993 - Les Dawson, English Comedian (b. 1934)

1996 - George Hees, Canadian politician (b. 1910)

1996 - Jo Van Fleet, American actress (b. 1914)

1998 - Hammond Innes, English author (b. 1914)

1998 - Jim Hearn, American baseball player (b. 1921)

2000 - Hafez al-Assad, President of Syria (b. 1930)

2000 - Brian Statham, English cricketer (b. 1930)

2001 - Princess Leila of Iran (b. 1970)

2001 - Mike Mentzer, American bodybuilder (b. 1951)

2002 - John Gotti, American gangster (b. 1940)

2003 - Donald Regan, Chief of Staff and U.S. Treasury Secretary (b. 1918)

2003 - Bernard Williams, English philosopher (b. 1929)

2003 - Dr Phil Williams, Welsh politician and scientist (b. 1939)

2004 - Ray Charles, American musician (b. 1930)

2005 - Curtis Pitts, American aircraft designer (b. 1915)

2007 - Augie Auer, Meteorologist and television presenter (b. 1940)

2008 - Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyzstani-Soviet writer (b. 1928)

[edit] Holidays and observances

Roman Empire – fourth day of the Vestalia in honor of Vesta

Portugal Day – National day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities

Saint Anianus, bishop of Chartres

Blessed Getulius, Amancius and Cerealus, martyrs

Saint Landericus, bishop of Paris (Landry), confessor

Saint Onuphrius, hermit, confessor

Blessed Margaret, queen of Scotland

Saint Olivia

ages ago

ClaireDPhotography says:

17th november

Events

284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers.

473 - The future Zeno I is named associate emperor by Emperor Leo I.

1183 - Battle of Mizushima.

1292 - (O.S.) John Balliol becomes King of Scotland.

1493 - Christopher Columbus lands on Puerto Rico.

1511 - Spain and England ally against France.

1558 - Elizabethan era begins: Queen Mary I of England dies and is succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I of England.

1603 - English explorer, writer and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh goes on trial for treason.

1659 - Peace of the Pyrenees is signed between France and Spain.

1771 - Premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Wolfgang Mozart, age 15.

1777 - Articles of Confederation are submitted to the states for ratification.

1796 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Arcole - French forces defeat the Austrians in Italy.

1800 - The United States Congress holds its first session in Washington, D.C.

1811 - José Miguel Carrera, Chilean founding father, is sworn in as President of the executive Junta of the government of Chile.

1812 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Krasnoi.

1820 - Captain Nathaniel Palmer becomes the first American to see Antarctica (the Palmer Peninsula was later named after him).

1827 - The Delta Phi fraternity, America's oldest continuous social fraternity, is founded at Union College in Schenectady, New York.

1831 - Ecuador and Venezuela are separated from Greater Colombia.

1855 - David Livingstone becomes the first European to see the Victoria Falls in what is now present-day Zambia-Zimbabwe.

1856 - American Old West: On the Sonoita River in present-day southern Arizona, the United States Army establishes Fort Buchanan in order to help control new land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase.

1858 - Modified Julian Day zero.

1863 - American Civil War: Siege of Knoxville begins - Confederate forces led by General James Longstreet place Knoxville, Tennessee under siege.

1869 - In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony.

1871 - The National Rifle Association is granted a charter by the state of New York.

1876 - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's patriotic Slavonic March is given its première performance in Moscow, to a warm reception by the Russian people.

1878 - First assassination attempt against Umberto I of Italy.

1903 - The Russian Social Democratic Labor Party splits into two groups; the Bolsheviks (Russian for "majority") and Mensheviks (Russian for "minority").

1905 - The Eulsa Treaty is signed between Japan and Korea.

1911 - The Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the first African-American fraternity at a historically black college or university, is founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

1919 - King George V of the United Kingdom proclaims Armistice Day (later Remembrance Day). The idea was first suggested by Edward George Honey.

1922 - Former Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI goes into exile in Italy.

1933 - United States recognizes Soviet Union.

1939 - Nine Czech students are executed as a response to anti-Nazi demonstrations prompted by the death of Jan Opletal. In addition, all Czech universities are shut down and over 1200 Czech students sent to concentration camps.

1939 - The Rome-Rio de Janeiro air route is created.

1947 - The U.S. Screen Actors Guild implements an anti-Communist loyalty oath.

1947 - American scientists John Bardeen and Walter Brattain observed the basic principles of the transistor, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th Century.

1950 - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is enthroned as the leader of Tibet at the age of fifteen.

1953 - The remaining human inhabitants of the Blasket Islands, Kerry, Ireland are evacuated to the mainland.

1962 - President John F. Kennedy dedicates Dulles International Airport, serving the Washington, D.C. region.

1967 - Vietnam War: Acting on optimistic reports he was given on November 13, US President Lyndon B. Johnson tells his nation that, while much remained to be done, "We are inflicting greater losses than we're taking...We are making progress."

1968 - Alexandros Panagoulis is condemned to death for attempting to assassinate Greek dictator George Papadopoulos.

1969 - Cold War: Negotiators from the Soviet Union and the United States meet in Helsinki to begin SALT I negotiations aimed at limiting the number of strategic weapons on both sides.

1970 - Vietnam War: Lieutenant William Calley goes on trial for the My Lai massacre.

1970 - Luna program: The Soviet Union lands Lunokhod 1 on Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) on the Moon. This is the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world and was released by the orbiting Luna 17 spacecraft.

1970 - Douglas Engelbart receives the patent for the first computer mouse.

1973 - Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, US President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors "I am not a crook".

1973 - The Athens Polytechnic Uprising against the military regime ends in a bloodshed in the Greek capital.

1974 - Aliança Operário-Camponesa (Worker-Peasant Alliance) founded in Portugal, as a front of PCP(m-l).

1979 - Brisbane Suburban Railway Electrification. The first stage from Ferny Grove to Darra commissioned.

1983 - The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is founded.

1989 - Cold War: Velvet Revolution begins: In Czechoslovakia, a student demonstration in Prague is quelled by riot police. This sparks an uprising aimed at overthrowing the communist government (it succeeds on December 29).

1990 - Fugendake, part of the Mount Unzen volcanic complex, Nagasaki prefecture, Japan becomes active again and erupts.

1997 - In Luxor, Egypt, 62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut, known as Luxor massacre (The police then kill the assailants).

2000 - A catastrophic landslide in Log pod Mangartom, Slovenia, kills 7, and causes millions of SIT of damage. It is one of the worst catastrophes in Slovenia in the past 100 years.

2000 - Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru.

2004 - Kmart Corp. announces it is buying Sears, Roebuck and Co. for $11 billion USD and naming the newly merged company Sears Holdings Corporation.

2005 - Italy's national anthem, Il Canto degli Italiani, becomes official for the first time, almost 60 years after it was provisionally chosen following the birth of the republic.

2006 - Official naming of element 111, Roentgenium (Rg).

[edit] Births

9 - Vespasian, Roman Emperor (d. 79)

1502 - Atahualpa, last emperor of the Inca (d. 1533)

1503 - Agnolo Bronzino, Italian painter (d. 1572)

1576 - Roque Gonzales, Paraguayan missionary (d. 1628)

1587 - Joost van den Vondel, Dutch poet (d. 1679)

1612 - Dorgon, Manchu prince (d. 1650)

1681 - Pierre François le Courayer, French theologian (d. 1776)

1685 - Pierre Gaultier, French-Canadian trader and explorer (d. 1749)

1729 - Maria Antonietta of Spain, queen of Sardinia (d. 1785)

1749 - Nicolas Appert, French inventor (d. 1841)

1755 - Louis XVIII of France (d. 1824)

1765 - Étienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald, French marshal (d. 1840)

1790 - August Ferdinand Möbius, German mathematician (d. 1868)

1793 - Charles Lock Eastlake, British painter (d. 1865)

1799 - Titian Peale, American artist (d. 1885)

1816 - August Wilhelm Ambros, Austrian composer (d. 1876)

1827 - Petko Slavejkov, Bulgarian writer (d. 1895)

1835 - Andrew L. Harris, governor of Ohio (d. 1915)

1854 - Hubert Lyautey, French general (d. 1934)

1857 - Joseph Babiński, Polish-French neurologist (d. 1932)

1866 - Voltairine de Cleyre, American anarchist (d. 1912)

1868 - Korbinian Brodmann, German neurologist (d. 1918)

1877 - Frank Calder, the first NHL President (d. 1943)

1878 - Grace Abbott, American social worker (d. 1939)

1878 - Lise Meitner, Austrian physicist (d. 1968)

1887 - Bernard Montgomery, British World War II commander (d. 1976)

1894 - Richard Nikolaus Graf Coudenhove-Kalergi, Austrian politician (d. 1972)

1895 - Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher (d. 1975)

1895 - Gregorio López y Fuentes, Mexican author (d. 1966)

1896 - Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist (d. 1934)

1897 - Frank Fay, American actor (d. 1961)

1899 - Douglas Shearer, Canadian film sound engineer (d. 1971)

1901 - Walter Hallstein, German politician (d. 1982)

1901 - Lee Strasberg, Austrian director (d. 1982)

1902 - Eugene Wigner, Hungarian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)

1904 - Isamu Noguchi, American sculptor (d. 1988)

1905 - Queen Astrid of the Belgians (d. 1935)

1905 - Mischa Auer, American actor (d. 1967)

1906 - Soichiro Honda, Japanese automobile pioneer (d. 1992)

1906 - Rollie Stiles, American baseball player (d. 2007)

1907 - Israel Regardie, Aleister Crowley's secretary (d. 1985)

1911 - Christian Fouchet, French diplomat (d. 1974)

1916 - Shelby Foote, American historian (d. 2005)

1920 - Camillo Felgen, Luxembourgish singer (d. 2005)

1921 - Albert Bertelsen, Danish painter

1922 - Stanley Cohen, American biochemist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

1923 - Bert Sutcliffe, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2001)

1923 - Hubertus Brandenburg, Roman Catholic Bishop of Stockholm

1923 - Mike Garcia, American baseball player (d. 1986)

1923 - Aristides Pereira, 1st President of Cape Verde

1925 - Rock Hudson, American actor (d. 1985)

1925 - Charles Mackerras, Australian-born conductor

1927 - Robert Brown, American actor

1928 - Rance Howard, American actor

1929 - Norm Zauchin, baseball player (d. 1999)

1930 - Bob Mathias, American decathlete (d. 2006)

1933 - Orlando Peña, Cuban baseball player

1934 - Fenella Fielding, English actress

1934 - James Inhofe, American politician, senior senator from Oklahoma

1935 - Bobby Joe Conrad, American football player

1935 - Toni Sailer, Austrian skier

1936 - Dahlia Ravikovitch, Israeli poet (d. 2005)

1937 - Peter Cook, British comedian (d. 1995)

1938 - Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian singer

1939 - Auberon Waugh, British author (d. 2001)

1940 - Luke Kelly, Irish folk music singer and banjo player (d. 1984)

1942 - Martin Scorsese, American film director

1942 - Khang Khek Leu, Cambodian politician

1943 - Lauren Hutton, American actress

1944 - Jim Boeheim, Hall of Fame Coach

1944 - Danny DeVito, American actor

1944 - Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect

1944 - Lorne Michaels, Canadian producer

1944 - Tom Seaver, Baseball player

1944 - Gene Clark, American singer and songwriter (The Byrds) (d. 1991)

1945 - Elvin Hayes, American basketball player

1945 - Roland Joffé, Anglo-French film director

1946 - Terry E. Branstad, Governor of Iowa

1946 - Martin Barre, English rock musician (Jethro Tull)

1947 - Steven E. de Souza, American scriptwriter

1947 - Inky Mark, Canadian politician

1948 - Howard Dean, American politician

1949 - John Boehner, American politician

1949 - Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, Prime Minister of Vietnam

1950 - Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver and race team owner

1951 - Stephen Root, American actor

1951 - Dean Paul Martin, American singer and actor (d. 1987)

1951 - Butch Davis, American football coach

1952 - Ties Kruize, Dutch field hockey player

1954 - Mark Brandon Read, Australian criminal

1955 - Dennis Maruk, Canadian hockey player

1955 - Yolanda King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. (d. 2007)

1957 - Debbie Thrower, news reader

1958 - Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, American actress

1959 - Terry Fenwick, English footballer

1960 - Jonathan Ross, British TV presenter

1960 - Kirk Fogg, American actor

1960 - RuPaul, American drag entertainer

1960 - Mandy Yachad, former South African cricketer

1961 - Robert Stethem, U.S. Navy Seabee diver murdered by terrorists on TWA Flight 847 (d. 1985)

1962 - Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer (Les Colocs) (d. 2000)

1963 - Randy Black, Canadian drummer (Annihilator)

1964 - Ralph Garman, American actor and radio personality

1964 - Mitch Williams, Baseball player

1965 - Amanda Brown, Australian musician (The Go-Betweens) and composer

1966 - Jeff Buckley, American musician (d. 1997)

1966 - Sophie Marceau, French actress

1966 - Daisy Fuentes, Cuban model and actress

1966 - Kate Ceberano, Australian singer

1966 - Richard Fortus, American guitarist (Guns N' Roses)

1968 - Amber Michaels, German pornographic actress

1968 - Sean Miller, American basketball coach

1969 - Jean-Michel Saive, Belgian table tennis player

1969 - Ryotaro Okiayu, Japanese voice actor

1970 - Paul Allender, British guitarist (Cradle of Filth)

1972 - Leonard Roberts, American actor

1972 - Kimya Dawson, American singer

1973 - Andreas "Vintersorg" Hedlund, Swedish singer (Vintersorg)

1973 - Eli Marrero, American baseball player

1973 - Bernd Schneider, German footballer

1973 - Alexei Urmanov, Russian figure skater

1974 - Leslie Bibb, American actress

1974 - Berto Romero, Spanish humorist

1975 - Lord Infamous, Rapper

1976 - Diane Neal, American actress

1976 - Brandon Call, American actor

1977 - Paul Shepherd, English footballer

1977 - Ryk Neethling, South African swimmer

1978 - Glen Air, Former Rugby League player for London Broncos

1978 - Zoë Bell, New Zealand actress

1978 - Reggie Wayne, American football player

1978 - Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress

1979 - Matthew Spring, English footballer

1980 - Brad Bradley, American professional wrestler

1980 - Isaac Hanson, American musician (Hanson)

1980 - Mercedes Martinez, American professional wrestler

1981 - Sarah Harding, English singer (Girls Aloud)

1982 - Katie Feenstra, American basketball player

1982 - Yusuf Pathan, Indian cricketer

1983 - Yiannis Bourousis, Greek basketball player

1983 - Ryan Braun, American baseball player

1983 - Trevor Crowe, American baseball player

1983 - Scott Moore, American baseball player

1983 - Nick Markakis, American baseball player

1983 - Harry Lloyd, English actor

1983 - Christopher Paolini, American novelist

1984 - Park Han-byul, South Korean actress

1986 - Nani, Portuguese footballer

1987 - Kat DeLuna, American singer

1990 - Shanica Knowles, American actress

1992 - Darian Weiss, American actor

1994 - Raquel Castro, American actress

[edit] Deaths

375 - Valentinian I, Roman Emperor (b. 321)

594 - Gregory of Tours, bishop and historian (b. c. 530s|539)

641 - Emperor Jomei of Japan (b. 593)

680 - Hilda of Whitby (b. 614)

885 - Queen Liutgard

1231 - Elisabeth of Hungary, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary (b. 1207)

1302 - St. Gertrude the Great (b. 1256)

1326 - Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel, English politician (b. 1285)

1494 - Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Italian philosopher (b. 1463)

1558 - Mary I of England (b. 1516)

1558 - Reginald Cardinal Pole, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1500)

1562 - Antoine de Bourbon, father of Henry IV of France (b. 1518)

1592 - John III of Sweden (b. 1537)

1600 - Kuki Yoshitaka, Japanese naval commander (b. 1542)

1632 - Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian field marshal (b. 1594)

1643 - Jean-Baptiste Budes, Comte de Guébriant, Marshal of France (b. 1602)

1648 - Thomas Ford, English composer

1665 - John Earle, English bishop

1668 - Joseph Alleine, English preacher (b. 1634)

1690 - Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier, French soldier (b. 1610)

1708 - Ludolf Backhuysen, Dutch painter (b. 1631)

1713 - Abraham van Riebeeck, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1653)

1720 - Calico Jack, English pirate (b. 1682)

1747 - Alain-René Lesage, French writer (b. 1668)

1768 - Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1693)

1776 - James Ferguson, British astronomer (b. 1710)

1780 - Bernardo Bellotto, Italian painter (b. 1720)

1794 - Jacques François Dugommier, French general (b. 1738)

1796 - Catherine II of Russia, Empress of Russia (b. 1729)

1808 - David Zeisberger, Moravian missionary (b. 1721)

1818 - Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen consort of King George III (b. 1744)

1835 - Antoine Charles Horace Vernet, French painter (b. 1758)

1849 - Prince Alexander of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, German priest and miracle-worker (b. 1794)

1858 - Robert Owen, British father of the cooperative movement (b. 1771)

1865 - James McCune Smith, African-American doctor and abolitionist (b. 1813)

1897 - George Hendric Houghton, American Protestant Episcopal clergyman (b. 1820)

1902 - Hugh Price Hughes, Methodist Social Reformer (b. 1847)

1905 - Adolphe of Luxembourg, (b. 1817)

1910 - Ralph Johnstone, pioneer pilot, 1st 'American' pilot killed in the crash of an airplane, Denver, Colorado (b. 1886)

1917 - Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (b. 1840)

1921 - Pa Chay Vue, Hmong Nationalist

1922 - Robert Comtesse, Swiss Federal Councillor (b. 1847)

1928 - Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian author, politician, & freedom fighter (b. 1865)

1929 - Herman Hollerith, American statistician (b. 1860)

1936 - Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Austrian contralto (b. 1861)

1937 - Jack Worrall, Australian cricketer (b. 1860)

1938 - Ante Trumbić, Croatian politician (b. 1864)

1940 - Eric Gill, British sculptor (b. 1882)

1940 - Raymond Pearl, American biologist (b. 1879)

1942 - Ben Reitman, American anarchist, physician (b. 1879)

1947 - Victor Serge, Russian anarchist, novelist, and historian (b. 1890)

1955 - James P. Johnson, American pianist and composer (b. 1894)

1958 - Mort Cooper, baseball player (b. 1913)

1959 - Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer (b. 1887)

1968 - Mervyn Peake, British writer (b. 1911)

1973 - Mirra Alfassa, "The Mother", Sri Aurobindo Ashram (b. 1878)

1979 - John Glascock, British bassist (Jethro Tull) (b. 1951)

1980 - Jacqueline Hill - last victim of the Yorkshire Ripper in Headingley, Leeds

1982 - Eduard Tubin, Estonian composer (b. 1905)

1982 - Leonid Borisovitch Kogan, Russian violinist (b. 1924)

1986 - Georges Besse, French automobile executive (b. 1927)

1987 - Paul Derringer, baseball player (b. 1906)

1989 - Gus Farace, American gangster (b. 1960)

1990 - Robert Hofstadter, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)

1992 - Audre Lord, Caribbean-American writer, poet, and activist (b. 1934)

1993 - Gérard D. Lévesque, Canadian politician (b. 1926)

1995 - Alan Hull, English Rock Musician (Lindisfarne) (b. 1945)

1998 - Esther Rolle, American actress (b. 1920)

2000 - Louis Eugène Félix Néel, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)

2001 - Michael Karoli, German guitarist (b. 1948)

2002 - Abba Eban, Israeli diplomat (b. 1915)

2003 - Arthur Conley, American singer (b. 1946)

2003 - Don Gibson, American singer (b. 1928)

2004 - Mikael Ljungberg, Swedish wrestler (b. 1970)

2004 - Alexander Ragulin, Russian hockey player (b. 1941)

2005 - Marek Perepeczko, Polish actor (b. 1942)

2006 - Ruth Brown, American blues singer (b. 1928)

2006 - Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian footballer (b. 1927)

2006 - Bo Schembechler, American football coach (b. 1929)

2006 - Flo Sandon's, Italian singer (b. 1924)

2008 - Pete Newell, American basketball coach (b. 1915)

[edit] Holidays and observances

International Students' Day - Commemorates the anniversary of the 1939 Nazi storming of the University of Prague.

Czech Republic and Slovakia - Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day - Commemorates the beginning of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989.

Greece - Polytechneio - Commemorates the 1973 students protests against the junta of the colonels.

Japan - Shogi Day. (More accurately 17th day on Kannazuki; 17th November in modern calendar)

R.C. Saints - Elisabeth of Hungary; Gregory of Tours; Hilda of Whitby; Hugh of Lincoln; Acisclus

ages ago

ClaireDPhotography says:

25 January

Events

41 - After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate.

1327 - Edward III becomes King of England.

1494 - Alfonso II becomes King of Naples.

1533 - Henry VIII of England secretly marries his second wife Anne Boleyn.

1554 - Founding of São Paulo city, Brazil.

1573 - Battle of Mikatagahara, in Japan; Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu.

1755 - Moscow University established on Tatiana Day.

1787 - American Daniel Shays leads rebellion to seize Federal arsenal to protest debtor's prisons.

1791 - The British Parliament passes the Constitutional Act of 1791 and splits the old province of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada.

1792 - The London Corresponding Society is founded.

1858 - The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn becomes a popular wedding recessional after it is played on this day at the marriage of Queen Victoria's daughter, Victoria, and Friedrich of Prussia.

1879 - The Bulgarian National Bank is founded.

1881 - Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.

1890 - Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.

1909 - Richard Strauss' opera Elektra receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera.

1915 - Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.

1918 - The Ukrainian people declare independence from Bolshevik Russia.

1919 - The League of Nations is founded.

1924 - The 1924 Winter Olympics open in Chamonix, France (in the French Alps), inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games.

1937 - The Guiding Light debuts on NBC radio from Chicago. In 1952 it moves to CBS television. Still airing, it's the longest running US broadcast program.

1941 - Pope Pius XII elevates the Apostolic Vicariate of the Hawaiian Islands to the dignity of a diocese. It becomes the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu.

1942 - World War II: Thailand declares war on the United States and United Kingdom.

1945 - World War II: Battle of the Bulge ends.

1946 - The United Mine Workers rejoins the American Federation of Labor.

1949 - At the Hollywood Athletic Club the first Emmy Awards are presented.

1955 - Soviet Union ends state of war with Germany.

1959 - Pope John XXIII proclaims upcoming Second Vatican Council.

1960 - The National Association of Broadcasters reacts to the Payola scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockeys who accepted money for playing particular records.

1961 - In Washington, D.C. John F. Kennedy delivers the first live presidential television news conference.

1971 - Charles Manson and three female "Family" members are found guilty of the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders.

1971 - Idi Amin leads a coup deposing Milton Obote and becomes Uganda's president.

1971 - Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state.

1981 - Jiang Qing, the widow of Mao Zedong, is sentenced to death.

1986 - The National Resistance Movement topple the government of Tito Okello in Uganda.

1990 - The Burns' Day storm hits northwestern Europe.

1990 - Honduras becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.

1990 - Avianca Flight 52 crashes, killing 73 passengers.

1993 - Five people were shot outside CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia resulting in two murders.

1994 - The Clementine space probe launches.

1995 - The Norwegian Rocket Incident: Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant XII, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile.

1998 - During a historic visit to Cuba Pope John Paul II demands the release of political prisoners and political reforms while condemning US attempts to isolate the country.

1998 - Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide attack on Sri Lanka's Temple of the Tooth, killing 8 people injuring 25 others.

1999 - A 6.0 Richter scale earthquake hits western Colombia killing at least 1,000.

2001 - A 50-year-old Douglas DC-3 crashes near Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela killing 24.

2002 - Wikipedia switches to the new version of its software ("Phase II") aka Magnus Manske Day.

2004 - Opportunity rover (MER-B) lands on surface of Mars.

2005 - A stampede at the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi in India kills at least 258.

2006 - Three independent observing campaigns announce the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb through gravitational microlensing, the first cool rocky/icy extrasolar planet around a main-sequence star.

[edit] Births

750 - Leo IV the Khazar, Byzantine Emperor (d. 780)

1477 - Anna, Duchess of Brittany, wife of Charles VIII of France (d. 1514)

1509 - Giovanni Morone, Italian cardinal (d. 1580)

1615 - Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (d. 1660)

1627 - Robert Boyle, Irish chemist (d. 1691)

1634 - Gaspar Fagel, Dutch statesman (d. 1688)

1640 - William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, English soldier and statesman (d. 1707)

1688 - Juraj Jánošík, famous Slovak outlaw (d. 1713)

1736 - Joseph Louis Lagrange, Italian-born mathematician (d. 1813)

1739 - Charles François Dumouriez, French general (d. 1823)

1741 - Benedict Arnold, American general notorious for treason (d. 1801)

1743 - Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, German philosopher (d. 1819)

1759 - Robert Burns, Scottish poet (d. 1796)

1777 - Karoline Jagemann, German actor (d. 1848)

1794 - François-Vincent Raspail, French chemist (d. 1878)

1796 - William MacGillivray, Scottish naturalist and ornithologist (d. 1852)

1822 - Charles Reed Bishop, preeminent businessman and philanthropist in Hawaii (d. 1915)

1825 - George Pickett, American Confederate General (d. 1875)

1841 - Jackie Fisher, British First Sea Lord (d. 1920)

1858 - Kokichi Mikimoto, Japanese pearl farm pioneer (d. 1954)

1860 - Charles Curtis, 31st Vice President of the United States (d. 1936)

1864 - Julije Kempf, Croatian historian and writer (d. 1934)

1868 - Juventino Rosas, Mexican composer (d. 1894)

1874 - W. Somerset Maugham, English writer (d. 1965)

1878 - Ernst Alexanderson, Swedish-born television pioneer (d. 1975)

1882 - Virginia Woolf, English writer (d. 1941)

1885 - Kitahara Hakushū, Japanese poet and children's author (d. 1942)

1886 - Wilhelm Furtwängler, German conductor (d. 1954)

1899 - Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian politician (d. 1972)

1900 - Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ukrainian-American geneticist and biologist (d. 1975)

1900 - Yojiro Ishizaka, Japanese writer (d. 1986)

1901 - Martin De Alzaga, Argentine racing driver (d. 1982)

1902 - Pablo Antonio, Filipino modernist architect (d. 1975)

1905 - Maurice Roy, French Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal, archbishop of Quebec (d. 1985)

1913 - Witold Lutosławski, Polish composer (d. 1994)

1913 - Luis Marden, American photojournalist (d. 2003)

1916 - Frank "Pop" Ivy, American and Canadian football coach (d. 2003)

1917 - Ilya Prigogine, Russian scientist Nobel Laureate (d. 2003)

1917 - Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician (d. 1992)

1918 - Ernie Harwell, American baseball sportscaster

1919 - Edwin Newman, American journalist and writer

1923 - Rusty Draper, American country and pop singer (d. 2003)

1923 - Shirley Mason, American psychiatric patient (aka, "Sybil") (d. 1998)

1924 - Lou Groza, American football player (d. 2000)

1924 - Speedy West, Country Hall of Fame steel guitar player (d. 2003)

1925 - Giorgos Zampetas, Greek musician and songwriter (d. 1992)

1927 - Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian composer (d. 1994)

1928 - Eduard Shevardnadze, President of Georgia

1928 - Jérôme Choquette, Quebec lawyer and politician

1929 - Benny Golson, American jazz musician

1930 - Tanya Savicheva, Russian diarist (d. 1944)

1931 - Dean Jones, American actor

1933 - Corazon Aquino, 11th President of the Philippines

1935 - António Ramalho Eanes, 17th President of Portugal

1936 - Diana Hyland, American actress (d. 1977)

1937 - Ange-Félix Patassé, President of the Central African Republic

1937 - Judith Ann Mayotte, American humanitarian, author.

1938 - Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese manga author (d. 1998)

1938 - Leiji Matsumoto, Japanese creator of anime.

1938 - Etta James, American singer

1938 - Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian poet (d. 1980)

1939 - Gabriel Romanus, Swedish politician

1941 - Buddy Baker, American race car driver

1941 - Gregory Sierra, American actor

1942 - Carl Eller, American football player

1942 - Eusébio, Portuguese footballer

1942 - Shinobu Tsukasa, Japanese kumicho (supreme Godfather) of the largest yakuza organization.

1943 - Tobe Hooper, American film director

1944 - Anita Pallenberg, Italian model

1945 - Leigh Taylor-Young, American actress

1947 - Tostão, Brazilian footballer

1947 - Ángel Nieto, Spanish motorcycle racer

1948 - Gueorgui Chichkine, Russian painter

1948 - Ros Kelly, Australian politician

1949 - John Cooper Clarke, English punk-poet

1949 - Paul Nurse, English biochemist, Nobel Laureate

1951 - Steve Prefontaine, American runner (d. 1975)

1952 - Sara Mandiano, French singer and songwriter

1952 - Timothy White, American journalist (d. 2002)

1953 - The Honky Tonk Man, American professional wrestler

1953 - Mark Weil, Uzbek theatre director (d. 2007)

1954 - Ricardo Bochini, Argentinian footballer

1954 - Kay Cottee, first woman to sail solo and non stop around the world.

1954 - Richard Finch, American bass player (KC and the Sunshine Band)

1954 - Kim Gandy, American feminist

1955 - Terry Chimes, English musician (The Clash)

1956 - Andy Cox, English musician (The Beat, Fine Young Cannibals)

1957 - Jenifer Lewis, American actress

1957 - Eskil Erlandsson, Swedish politician

1957 - Andrew P. Harris, American politician

1958 - Dinah Manoff, American actress

1961 - Vivian Balakrishnan, Singaporean politician

1961 - Willie Revillame, Filipino game show host and comedian

1962 - Chris Chelios, American ice hockey player

1965 - Esa Tikkanen, Finnish ice hockey player

1966 - Chet Culver, American politician, governor of Iowa

1967 - Randy McKay, Canadian ice hockey player

1967 - Mark Bamford, American writer/director

1969 - Kina, American singer

1971 - Luca Badoer, Italian race car driver

1971 - China Kantner, American actress

1971 - Ana Ortiz, American actress and singer

1973 - Geoff Johns, American comic book writer

1973 - Chris Guy, American professional wrestler

1974 - Robert Budreau, Canadian film director

1975 - Mia Kirshner, Canadian actress

1975 - Tim Montgomery, American athlete

1975 - Dat Phan, Vietnamese stand-up comedian

1976 - Mario Haberfeld, Brazilian racing car driver

1978 - Denis Menchov, Russian cyclist

1978 - Jason Roberts, English-born footballer

1978 - Derrick Turnbow, Major League Baseball Player

1979 - Pi Hongyan, French badminton player

1979 - Gabe Jennings, American distance runner

1979 - Rodrigo Ribeiro, Brazilian racing driver

1979 - Christine Lakin, American actress

1980 - Michelle McCool, American professional wrestler

1980 - Xavi, Catalan Spanish footballer

1980 - Efstathios Tavlaridis, Greek footballer

1981 - Tose Proeski, Macedonian Singer (d. 2007)

1981 - Francis Jeffers, English footballer

1981 - Alicia Keys, American singer

1982 - Sho Sakurai, Japanese singer and actor

1982 - The-Dream, singer

1982 - Shawna Waldron, American actress

1983 - Andrée Watters, Canadian singer

1984 - Robinho, Brazilian footballer

1985 - Patrick Willis, American Football Linebacker

1985 - Tina Karol, Ukrainian singer

1985 - Acie Law IV, National Basketball Association player

1986 - Chris O'Grady, English footballer

1986 - Shahriar Nafees, Bangladeshi cricketer

1987 - Maria Kirilenko, Russian tennis player

1988 - Tatiana Golovin, French tennis player

1989 - Sheryfa Luna, French singer

[edit] Deaths

389 - Gregory Nazianzus, theologian and Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 329)

477 - Geiseric, King of the Vandals and Alans

844 - Pope Gregory IV

1067 - Emperor Yingzong of China (b. 1032)

1366 - Henry Suso, German mystic

1431 - Charles II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1364)

1494 - King Ferdinand I of Naples (b. 1423)

1559 - King Christian II of Denmark, Sweden and Norway (b. 1481)

1573 - Hirate Hirohide, Japanese samurai (b. 1553)

1578 - Mihrimah Sultana, Ottoman princess

1586 - Lucas Cranach the Younger, German painter (b. 1515)

1640 - Robert Burton, English scholar (b. 1577)

1670 - Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1612)

1726 - Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (b. 1675)

1733 - Gilbert Heathcote, Mayor of London (b. 1652)

1751 - Paul Dudley, Attorney-General of Massachusetts (b. 1675)

1881 - Konstantin Thon, Russian architect (b. 1794)

1907 - René Pottier, French cyclist (b. 1879)

1908 - Mikhail Chigorin, Russian chess player (b. 1850)

1908 - Ouida, English writer (b. 1839)

1912 - Dmitry Milyutin, Russian Field Marshal (b. 1816)

1925 - Ivan Vucetic, Croatian anthropologist (b. 1858)

1940 - Elias Simojoki, Finnish clergyman and politician (b. 1899)

1947 - Al Capone, American gangster (b. 1899)

1949 - Makino Nobuaki, Japanese statesman (b. 1861)

1954 - Manabendra Nath Roy, Indian marxist (b. 1887)

1957 - Kiyoshi Shiga, Japanese physician and bacteriologist (b. 1871)

1957 - Ichizo Kobayashi, Japanese industrialist and Minister of Commerce and Industry (b. 1873)

1963 - Wilson Kettle, Guinness World Record holder for most living descendants (b. 1860)

1969 - Irene Castle, English dancer (b. 1887)

1970 - Jane Bathori, French mezzo-soprano (b. 1877)

1970 - Eiji Tsuburaya, Japanese television writer and producer (Ultraman) (b. 1901)

1972 - Erhard Milch, German field marshal (b. 1892)

1975 - Charlotte Whitton, Canadian politician, mayor of Ottawa (b. 1896)

1976 - Chris Kenner, American singer and songwriter (b. 1929)

1980 - Queenie Watts, English actress (b. 1926)

1981 - Adele Astaire, American dancer (b. 1897)

1982 - Mikhail Suslov, Soviet politician (b. 1902)

1990 - Ava Gardner, American actress (b. 1922)

1994 - Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician (b. 1909)

1996 - Jonathan Larson, American composer (b. 1960)

1999 - Sarah "Sadie" Delany, American author (b. 1889)

1999 - Ted Mallie, American radio and television announcer (b. 1924)

1999 - Robert Shaw, American conductor (b. 1916)

2003 - Samuel Weems, Arkansas judge (b. 1936)

2004 - Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch athlete (b. 1918)

2004 - Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (b. 1979)

2005 - Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (b. 1923)

2005 - William Augustus Bootle, American judge (b. 1902)

2005 - Philip Johnson, American architect (b. 1906)

2005 - Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean writer and poet (b. 1907)

2005 - Ray Peterson, American singer (b. 1935)

2005 - Nettie Witziers-Timmer, Dutch athlete (b. 1923)

2006 - Anna Malle, adult film star (b. 1967)

2008 - Christopher Allport, American actor (b. 1947)

2008 - Evelyn Barbirolli, English musician (b. 1911)

[edit] Holidays and observances

Burns Night—Burns suppers are held in many parts of the world around this date. (Originated in Scotland)

Christian ecumenism—Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends.

Criminon Day—Commemorates the 1970 founding of Criminon, a program which seeks to rehabilitate prisoners by disseminating free copies of Scientology-related materials such as The Way to Happiness.

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches, which concludes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,

Feast of Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople—Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Church

Roman Empire—second day of the Sementivae in honour of Ceres and Terra

Russia—Tatiana Day, celebrated as the Day of Russian Students since 1755, when Moscow University was founded.

Wales—St. Dwynwen's Day - celebration of love Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen.

ages ago

ClaireDPhotography says:

April 20

1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII.

1453 - The last naval battle in Byzantine history occurs, as three Genoese galleys escorting a Byzantine transport fight their way through the huge Ottoman blockade fleet and into the Golden Horn.

1534 - Jacques Cartier begins his voyage, in which he will discover Canada and Labrador.

1653 - Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament.

1657 - Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

1657 - Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).

1689 - The former King James II of England, now deposed, lays siege to Derry.

1775 - American Revolutionary War: the siege of Boston begins, which followed the first battles at Lexington and Concord.

1792 - France declares war on Austria, the beginning of French Revolutionary Wars.

1810 - The Governors of Caracas declares the national sovereignty from Spain.

1828 - René Caillié is first non-Muslim to enter Timbouctou.

1836 - U.S. Congress passes an act creating the Wisconsin Territory.

1861 - American Civil War: Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia.

1862 - The first pasteurization test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard.

1871 - Civil Rights Act of 1871

1884 - Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical, Humanum Genus.

1902 - Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride.

1908 - Opening day of competition of the New South Wales Rugby League.

1912 - Opening day for baseball stadiums Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, and Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

1914 - Forty-five men, women, and children die in the Ludlow Massacre during a Colorado coal-miner's strike.

1916 - Chicago Cubs played their first game at Weeghman Park (currently Wrigley Field), defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 in 11 innings

1918 - Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims marking his final victories before his death the following day.

1926 - Western Electric and Warner Bros. announce Vitaphone, a process to add sound to film.

1939 - Billie Holiday records the first Civil Rights song "Strange Fruit"

1945 - World War II: US troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.

1945 - World War II: Fuehrerbunker: Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth.

1961 - Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US troops against Cuba.

1964 - BBC Two launches with the power cut because of the fire at Battersea Power Station.

1967 - A Globe Air Bristol Britannia turboprop crashes at Nicosia, Cyprus, killing 126.

1968 - A South African Airways Boeing 707 crashes during takeoff at Windhoek, South-West Africa, killing 122.

1968 - English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial Rivers of Blood speech.

1972 - Apollo 16 lands on the Moon.

1978 - Korean Air Flight 902 shot down by Soviets.

1980 - Climax of Berber Spring in Algeria as hundreds of Berber political activists are arrested.

1985 - ATF raid on The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord compound in northern Arkansas.

1986 - Pianist Vladimir Horowitz performed in his native Russia for the first time in 61 years.

1986 - Professional basketball player Michael Jordan sets all-time record for points in an NBA playoff game with 63 against the Boston Celtics.

1998 - TAME Boeing 727-200 chartered by Air France crashes into Cerro El Cable mountain after takeoff from Bogotá, Colombia, killing 53.

1998 - German terrorist group Red Army Faction announces their dissolution after 28 years.

1999 - Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School located in Jefferson County, Colorado.

2001 - China removes homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.

2004 - In Iraq, 12 mortars are fired on Abu Ghraib Prison by insurgents, killing 22 detainees and wounding 92.

2007 - Johnson Space Center Shooting: A man with a handgun barricades himself in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.

2008 - Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race.

[edit] Births

570 - possible date of Muhammad, Islamic prophet (d. 632)

702 - Jafar Sadiq, Muslim scholar (d. 765)

1494 - Johannes Agricola, German Protestant reformer (d. 1566)

1586 - Saint Rose of Lima, Peruvian saint (d. 1617)

1633 - Emperor Go-Komyo of Japan (d. 1654)

1646 - Charles Plumier, French botanist (d. 1704)

1650 - William Bedloe, English informer (d. 1680)

1668 - Yuri Troubetzkoy, Governor of Belgorod (d. 1739)

1718 - David Brainerd, American missionary (d. 1747)

1723 - Cornelius Harnett, American Continental Congress delegate (d. 1781)

1727 - Comte de Mercy-Argenteau, Belgian-born Austrian diplomat (d. 1794)

1745 - Philippe Pinel, French physician (d. 1826)

1808 - Napoleon III, Emperor of the French (d. 1873)

1818 - Heinrich Göbel, German-born inventor (d. 1893)

1826 - Dinah Craik, English author (d. 1887)

1850 - Daniel Chester French, American sculptor (d. 1931)

1851 - Young Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (d. 1875)

1870 - Maulvi Abdul Haq, Pakistani scholar (d. 1961)

1879 - Paul Poiret, French couturier (d. 1944)

1882 - Holland Smith, U.S. General (d. 1967)

1884 - Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1966)

1889 - Adolf Hitler, Reichskanzler of Germany (d. 1945)

1889 - Albert Jean Amateau, Turkish-born businessman and activist (d. 1996)

1890 - Maurice Duplessis, premier of Québec (d. 1959)

1893 - Harold Lloyd, American actor (d. 1971)

1893 - Edna Parker, American supercentenarian (d. 2008)

1893 - Joan Miró, Spanish painter (d. 1983)

1895 - Emile Christian, American musician (d. 1973)

1896 - Wop May, Canadian aviator (d. 1952)

1896 - Henry de Montherlant, French writer (d. 1972)

1904 - Bruce Cabot, American actor (d. 1972)

1904 - George Stibitz, American scientist (d. 1995)

1908 - Lionel Hampton, American musician (d. 2002)

1914 - Betty Lou Gerson, American actress (d. 1999)

1915 - Joseph Wolpe, South African-born psychotherapist (d. 1997)

1918 - Edward L. Beach, Jr., American naval officer, author (d. 2002)

1918 - Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)

1919 - Richard Hillary, Australian pilot and author (d. 1943)

1920 - John Paul Stevens, American jurist

1920 - Ronald Speirs, WWII Veteran (d. 2007)

1921 - Janine Sutto, French-Canadian actress

1923 - Mother Angelica, American nun and broadcaster

1923 - Tito Puente, American musician (d. 2000)

1924 - Leslie Phillips, English actor

1925 - Ernie Stautner, German-born American football player (d. 2006)

1927 - Phil Hill, American race car driver (d. 2008)

1927 - Karl Alexander Müller, Swiss physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

1928 - Johnny Gavin, Irish footballer (d. 2007)

1928 - Gerald S. Hawkins, English astronomer (d. 2003)

1936 - Pat Roberts, American politician

1937 - George Takei, American actor

1939 - Peter S. Beagle, American author

1939 - Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway

1939 - Johnny Tillotson, American singer

1941 - Ryan O'Neal, American actor

1943 - John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor

1943 - Edie Sedgwick, American actress (d. 1971)

1945 - Michael Brandon, American actor

1945 - Steve Spurrier, American football player and coach

1946 - Julien Poulin, French Canadian actor

1946 - Gordon Smiley, American racecar driver (d. 1982)

1946 - Mel Winkler, American voice actor

1947 - Björn Skifs, Swedish singer (Blue Swede)

1947 - Andrew Tobias, American journalist and author

1947 - David Leland, British actor, director and screenwriter

1948 - Craig Frost, American musician (Grand Funk & Bob Seger)

1948 - Gregory Itzin, American actor

1948 - Rémy Trudel, French Canadian politician

1949 - Massimo D'Alema, Prime Minister of Italy

1949 - Veronica Cartwright, American actress

1949 - Toller Cranston, Canadian figure skater and artist

1949 - Jessica Lange, American actress

1950 - Steve Erickson, American novelist

1950 - Aleksandr Lebed, Russian general and politician (d. 2002)

1950 - Chandra Babu Naidu, Indian politician

1951 - Luther Vandross, American singer (d. 2005)

1952 - Božidar Maljković, Serbian basketball coach

1953 - Sebastian Faulks, British novelist

1954 - Gilles Lupien, French-Canadian ice hockey player

1956 - Beatrice Ask, Swedish politician

1957 - Geraint Wyn Davies, Welsh-born Canadian actor

1958 - Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian ice hockey player

1959 - Clint Howard, American actor

1961 - Don Mattingly, American baseball player

1961 - Konstantin Lavronenko, Russian actor

1961 - Barry Smolin, American radio host, writer, and musician

1963 - Maurício Gugelmin, Brazilian racing driver

1963 - Aubrey de Grey, British biomedical gerontologist

1964 - Crispin Glover, American actor

1964 - Andy Serkis, English actor

1964 - Rosalynn Sumners, American figure skater

1965 - Ralph Cirella, American radio personality

1965 - Kostas Hatzidakis, Greek politician

1965 - Adrian Fernández, Mexican racing driver

1966 - David Chalmers, Australian philosopher

1967 - Raymond van Barneveld, Dutch darts player

1967 - Mike Portnoy, American drummer (Dream Theater)

1967 - Lara Jill Miller, American actress

1968 - J. D. Roth, American game show host and television personality

1969 - Chris Jarvis, English TV personality

1970 - Shemar Moore, American actor

1970 - Adriano Moraes, Brazilian rodeo performer

1971 - Carla Geurts, Dutch swimmer

1971 - Allan Houston, American basketball player

1971 - Tina Cousins, English singer

1972 - Carmen Electra, American actress

1972 - Le Huynh Đuc, Vietnamese footballer

1972 - Stephen Marley, Jamaican musician

1973 - Geoff Lloyd, British radio presenter

1976 - Joey Lawrence, American actor

1976 - Chris Mason, Canadian ice hockey goaltender

1976 - Shay Given, Irish footballer

1977 - Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli, professional wrestler

1978 - Mirei Kuroda, Japanese gravure idol

1980 - Jasmin Wagner, German singer

1981 - Matus Valent, male fitness model

1983 - Terrence J, American television host

1983 - Miranda Kerr, Australian supermodel

1984 - Tyson Griffin, American mixed martial artist

1986 - Cameron Duncan, New Zealand director (d. 2003)

1987 - John Patrick Amedori, American actor

[edit] Deaths

1176 - Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English soldier (b. 1130)

1314 - Pope Clement V (b. 1264)

1521 - Zhengde, Emperor of China (b. 1491)

1534 - Elizabeth Barton, English nun (executed)

1558 - Johannes Bugenhagen, German reformer (b. 1485)

1643 - Christoph Demantius, German composer (b. 1567)

1703 - Lancelot Addison, English royal chaplain (b. 1632)

1765 - Abigail Williams, American accuser in the Salem witch trials (b. 1674)

1769 - Pontiac, Chief of the Ottawa

1831 - John Abernethy, English surgeon (b. 1764)

1873 - William Tite, English architect (b. 1798)

1874 - Alexander H. Bailey, American politician (b. 1817)

1887 - Muhammad Sharif Pasha, Egyptian statesman (b. 1826)

1899 - Joseph Wolf, German artist (b. 1820)

1912 - Bram Stoker, Irish author (b. 1847)

1918 - Karl Ferdinand Braun, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850)

1932 - Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician (b. 1858)

1945 - Erwin Bumke, German jurist (b. 1874)

1947 - King Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)

1951 - Ivanoe Bonomi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)

1964 - Eddie Dyer, baseball player (b. 1899)

1977 - Sepp Herberger, German football coach (b. 1897)

1982 - Archibald MacLeish, American poet and Librarian of Congress (b. 1892)

1984 - Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian mountaineer (b. 1943)

1986 - Sibte Hassan, Pakistani activist, journalist and writer (b. 1916)

1989 - Doru Davidovici, Romanian writer and fighter pilot (b. 1945)

1991 - Steve Marriott, British singer and songwriter (Humble Pie) (b. 1947)

1991 - Don Siegel, American film director (b. 1912)

1993 - Cantinflas, Mexican comedian and actor (b. 1911)

1994 - Jean Carmet, French actor (b. 1920)

1996 - Christopher Robin Milne, son of A.A. Milne (b. 1920)

1999 - Victims and shooters of the Columbine High School massacre

1999 - Rick Rude, American professional wrestler (b. 1958)

1999 - Señor Wences, Spanish ventriloquist and comedian (b. 1896)

2001 - Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1946)

2002 - Alan Dale, American singer (b. 1925)

2003 - Ruth Hale, American playwright and actress (b. 1908)

2003 - Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976)

2003 - Bernard Katz, German-born biophysicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1911)

2005 - Fumio Niwa, Japanese novelist (b. 1904)

2005 - Zygfryd Blaut, Polish football player (b. 1943)

2006 - Anna Svidersky (b. 1988)

2007 - Andrew Hill, American jazz composer and pianist (b. 1931)

2007 - Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (b. 1931).

2008 - VL Mike, American Rapper (b. 1976)

2008 - Monica Lovinescu, Romanian essayist, literary critic and journalist (b. 1923)

[edit] Holidays and observances

Ridván begins at sunset (Bahá'í Faith).

Saint Agnes of Montepulciano

Saint Theotimus (d. 407)

Blessed Oda (d. 1158)

420 (cannabis culture)

Originally posted ages ago.

ClaireDPhotography edited this topic ages ago.

ClaireDPhotography says:

Events

527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.

1293 - Robert Winchelsey leaves England for Rome, to be consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury.

1318 - Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured by the Scottish from the English.

1340 - Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III of Holstein in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark.

1572 - In the Eighty Years' War, the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Spaniards, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic.

1789 - In New York City, the United States House of Representatives holds its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first House Speaker.

1826 - Samuel Morey patents the internal combustion engine.

1854 - Hard Times begins serialisation in Charles Dickens magazine, Household Words.

1857 - Herman Melville publishes The Confidence-Man.

1865 - American Civil War: Battle of Five Forks - In Siege of Petersburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee begins his final offensive.

1867 - Singapore becomes a British crown colony.

1873 - The British steamer SS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547.

1891 - The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.

1912 - The Greek athlete Konstantinos Tsiklitiras breaks the world record -in standing long jump jumping 3.47 meters.

1918 - The Royal Air Force is created by merging the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.

1924 - Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years in jail for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch". However, he spends only nine months in jail, during which he writes the book Mein Kampf.

1924 - First revenue flight for Belgium's Sabena Airlines

1924 - The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed.

1933 - The recently elected Nazis under Julius Streicher organize a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses in Germany, ushering in the series of anti-Semitic acts that will gradually, yet ultimately lead to the Holocaust.

1936 - Orissa Formerly known as Kalinga or Utkal became a state in India.

1937 - Aden becomes a British crown colony.

1939 - Generalísimo Francisco Franco of the Spanish State announces the end of the Spanish Civil War, when the last of the Republican forces surrender.

1941 - The Blockade Runner Badge for German navy is instituted.

1944 - Accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen. The bombers were lost.

1945 - World War II: Operation Iceberg - United States troops land on Okinawa in the last campaign of the war.

1946 - Aleutian Island earthquake: A 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Islands creates a tsunami that strikes the Hawaiian Islands killing 159 (mostly in Hilo, Hawaii).

1946 - Formation of the Malayan Union.

1948 - Cold War: Berlin Airlift - Military forces, under direction of the Soviet-controlled government in East Germany, set-up a land blockade of West Berlin.

1948 - Faroe Islands receive autonomy from Denmark.

1949 - Chinese Civil War: Communist Party of China holds unsuccessful peace talks with the Kuomintang in Beijing, after three years of fighting.

1949 - The twenty-six counties of the Irish Free State become the Republic of Ireland.

1954 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.

1955 - The EOKA rebellion against The British Empire starts in Cyprus, with the goal of obtaining the desired unification ("enosis") with Greece.

1967 - The United States Department of Transportation begins operation.

1969 - The Hawker Siddeley Harrier enters service with the RAF.

1970 - President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, requiring the Surgeon General's warnings on tobacco products and banning cigarette advertisements on television and radio in the United States starting on January 1, 1971.

1973 - Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Corbett National Park, India.

1974 - In the United Kingdom, the Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties come into being.

1976 - Apple Computer is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

1976 - Conrail takes over operations from six bankrupt railroads in the northeastern U.S..

1976 - Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect is first reported by the astronomer Patrick Moore.

1978 - Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, becomes the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

1979 - Iran's government becomes an Islamic Republic by a 98% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.

1980 - New York City's Transit Worker Union 100 begins a strike lasting 11 days.

1981 - Daylight saving time is introduced in the USSR.

1989 - Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly known as the 'poll tax'), is introduced in Scotland.

1996 - The Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia is created.

1997 - Comet Hale-Bopp is seen passing over perihelion.

1999 - Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.

2001 - An EP-3E United States Navy recon plane collides with a Chinese People's Liberation Army Shenyang J-8 fighter jet. The Navy crew makes an emergency landing in Hainan, People's Republic of China and is detained. See Hainan Island incident.

2001 - Former president of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on charges of war crimes.

2001 - Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, which is the first country to allow it.

2002 - The Netherlands legalizes euthanasia, becoming the first nation in the world to do so.

2004 - Google introduces its Gmail product to the public. The launch is met with scepticism on account of the launch date.

2006 - The Serious Organised Crime Agency, dubbed the 'British FBI', is created in the United Kingdom.

[edit] Births

1220 - Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (d. 1272)

1543 - François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières, Constable of France (d. 1626)

1578 - William Harvey, English physician (d. 1657)

1610 - Charles de Saint-Évremond, French soldier (d. 1703)

1640 - Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician (d. 1697)

1647 - John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, English poet (d. 1680)

1697 - Antoine François Prévost, French author and novelist (d. 1763)

1753 - Joseph de Maistre, French diplomat and writer (d. 1821)

1765 - Luigi Schiavonetti, Italian engraver (d. 1810)

1776 - Sophie Germain, French mathematician (d. 1831)

1815 - Otto von Bismarck, 1st Chancellor of Germany (d. 1898)

1815 - Edward Clark, Governor of Texas (d. 1880)

1834 - Big Jim Fisk, American entrepreneur (d. 1872)

1854 - Bill Traylor, American artist (d. 1949)

1856 - Acacio Gabriel Viegas, Indian physician (d. 1933)

1865 - Richard Adolf Zsigmondy, Austrian-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1929)

1866 - Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist and composer (d. 1924)

1868 - Edmond Rostand, French dramatist (d. 1918)

1873 (N.S.) - Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian composer, pianist, and conductor (d. 1943)

1875 - Edgar Wallace, English writer (d. 1932)

1880 - Agha Petros, Assyrian general (d. 1932)

1882 - Paul Anspach, Belgian Olympic champion fencer (d. 1991)

1883 - Lon Chaney, Sr., American actor (d. 1930)

1885 - Wallace Beery, American actor (d. 1949)

1893 - Cicely Courtneidge, English actress and comedian (d. 1980)

1895 - Alberta Hunter, American singer (d. 1984)

1897 - Nita Naldi, American actress (d. 1961)

1898 - William James Sidis, American genius (d. 1944)

1899 - Gustavs Celmins, Latvian politician (d. 1968)

1900 - Robert McDowell, Mayor of Maryborough, Queensland (d. 1988)

1901 - Whittaker Chambers, American writer, editor, and defector (d. 1961)

1902 - Maria Polydouri, Greek poet (d. 1930)

1906 - Aleksandr Yakovlev, Russian engineer and aeroplane designer (d. 1989)

1908 - Abraham Maslow, American psychologist (d. 1970)

1909 - Eddy Duchin, American popular pianist & bandleader (d. 1951)

1914 - Lor Tok, Thai comedian and actor (d. 2002)

1915 - Otto Wilhelm Fischer, Austrian actor (d. 2004)

1917 - Melville Shavelson, American film director, producer and screenwriter (d. 2007)

1919 - Joseph Murray, American surgeon, Nobel laureate

1920 - Toshirō Mifune, Japanese actor (d. 1997)

1921 - Ken Reardon, Canadian ice hockey player

1922 - William Manchester, American historian (d. 2004)

1924 - Brendan Byrne, Governor of New Jersey

1924 - Miodrag Petrović, Serbian actor (d. 2003)

1926 - Charles Bressler, American tenor

1926 - Anne McCaffrey, American author

1927 - Amos Milburn, American pianist (d. 1980)

1928 - George Grizzard, American actor (d. 2007)

1929 - Milan Kundera, Czech-born writer

1929 - Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator

1929 - Jane Powell, American dancer, actress, and singer

1929 - Bo Schembechler, American football coach (d. 2006)

1930 - Grace Lee Whitney, American actress

1931 - Rolf Hochhuth, German writer

1931 - Ita Ever, Estonian actress

1932 - Gordon Jump, American actor (d. 2003)

1932 - Debbie Reynolds, American actress

1933 - Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, French physicist, Nobel laureate

1933 - Dan Flavin, American artist (d. 1996)

1934 - Don Hastings, American actor

1934 - Rod Kanehl, American baseball player (d. 2004)

1934 - Vladimir Posner, Russian journalist

1935 - Larry McDonald, American politician (d. 1983)

1936 - Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, Swiss politician, president of the Confederation in 1989 and 1996 (d. 1998)

1938 - Ali MacGraw, American actress

1938 - John Quade, American actor

1939 - Phil Niekro, American baseball player

1939 - Rudolph Isley, American singer

1940 - Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize

1942 - Samuel R. Delany, American author

1942 - Annie Nightingale, British disc jockey

1944 - Rusty Staub, American baseball player

1945 - John Barbata, American drummer

1946 - Ronnie Lane, English musician (d. 1997)

1946 - Arrigo Sacchi, Italian football coach

1947 - Alain Connes, French mathematician

1947 - M, English singer

1947 - Norm Van Lier, American basketball player

1948 - Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican musician

1949 - Gérard Mestrallet, French businessman

1949 - Sammy Nelson, Northern Irish footballer

1949 - Gil Scott-Heron, American musician and composer

1950 - Samuel Alito, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

1951 - John Philip Abizaid, U.S. Army General, former CENTCOM commander

1952 - Annette O'Toole, American actress

1952 - Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher

1953 - Barry Sonnenfeld, producer and director

1954 - Jeff Porcaro, American drummer (d. 1992)

1955 - Gregg Jarrett, American television anchor

1955 - Humayun Akhtar Khan, Pakistani statesman

1957 - David Gower, English cricketer

1958 - D. Boon, American musician (d. 1985)

1960 - Michael Praed, British actor

1962 - Dave Ulliott, English poker player

1962 - Samboy Lim, Filipino basketball player

1964 - Erik Breukink, Dutch cyclist and manager

1964 - Kevin Duckworth, American basketball player (d. 2008)

1964 - Scott Stevens, Canadian ice hockey player

1965 - Mark Jackson, American basketball player

1965 - Robert Steadman, English composer

1966 - Chris Evans, English disc jockey

1967 - Phil Demmel, American musician

1968 - Andreas Schnaas, German horror film director

1968 - Julia Boutros, Lebanese singer

1969 - Fadl Shaker, Lebanese singer

1969 - Dean Windass, English Football Player

1970 - Sung Hi Lee, Korean-born model

1971 - Method Man, American rapper

1971 - Jessica Collins, American actress

1971 - Lachy Hulme, Australian actor and screenwriter

1971 - Shinji Nakano, Japanese race car driver

1972 - Allen and Albert Hughes, American film directors

1972 - Darren McCarty, Canadian ice hockey player

1972 - Jesse Tobias, American musician

1973 - Christian Finnegan, American comedian

1973 - Stephen Fleming, New Zealand cricketer

1973 - Rachel Maddow, American radio personality and political analyst

1973 - Joe Francis, American adult video producer

1974 - Richard Christy, American drummer

1974 - Hugo Benjamín Ibarra, Argentine footballer

1974 - Sandra Völker, German swimmer

1975 - George Bastl, Swiss tennis player

1975 - John Butler, Australian singer and musician

1976 - David Oyelowo, English-Nigerian actor

1977 - Haimar Zubeldia, Spanish cyclist

1978 - Jean-Pierre Dumont, Canadian ice hockey player

1978 - Miroslava Vavrinec, Swiss tennis player

1979 - Ivano Balić, Croatian handballer

1980 - Randy Orton, American professional wrestler

1980 - Bijou Phillips, American actress

1980 - Yūko Takeuchi, Japanese actress

1981 - Asli Bayram, Turkish German model and actress

1981 - Antonis Fotsis, Greek basketball player

1981 - Hannah Spearritt, British singer

1981 - Pieter Weening, Dutch cyclist

1981 - Aimee Chan, Miss Hong Kong 2006

1981 - Bjoern Einar Romoeren, Norwegian skijumper

1982 - Sam Huntington, American actor

1982 - Gemma Hunt, British children's television presenter

1982 - Taran Killam, American comedian and actor

1983 - Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, Icelandic footballer

1983 - Sean Taylor, American football player (d. 2007)

1983 - Matt Lanter, American actor and model

1984 - Gilberto Macena, Brazilian footballer

1985 - Josh Zuckerman, American actor

1986 - Ireen Wüst, Dutch speed skater

1987 - Ding Junhui, Chinese snooker player

1987 - Li Ting, Chinese diver

1988 - Courtney McCool, American gymnast

1988 - Brook Lopez, American basketball player

1988 - Robin Lopez, American basketball player

1989 - Vietoris Krisztián, German racecar driver

1993 - Keito Okamoto, Japanese Singer

[edit] Deaths

1085 - Emperor Shenzong of China (b. 1048)

1132 - St-Hugues, Bishop of Grenoble (b. 1053)

1204 - Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of Richard I of England and John of England

1205 - King Amalric II of Jerusalem (b. 1145)

1528 - Francisco de Peñalosa, Spanish composer

1580 - Alonso Mudarra, Spanish composer

1621 - Cristofano Allori, Italian painter (b. 1577)

1637 - Niwa Nagashige, Japanese warlord (b. 1571)

1682 - Franz Egon of Fürstenberg, Bavarian Catholic archbishop (b. 1625)

1787 - Floyer Sydenham, English classical scholar (b. 1710)

1791 - Richard Butler American soldier (b. 1743)

1839 - Benjamin Pierce, American politician (b. 1757)

1865 - Giuditta Pasta, Italian soprano (b. 1797)

1872 - Frederick Maurice, English theologian (b. 1805)

1872 - William Frederick Horry, English convicted murderer (b. 1843)

1878 - John Corry Wilson Daly, Canadian politician (b. 1796)

1890 - David Wilber, American politician (b. 1820)

1914 - Rube Waddell, American baseball player (b. 1876)

1917 - Scott Joplin, American musician and composer (b. 1868)

1922 - Emperor Karl I of Austria (b. 1887)

1930 - Cosima Wagner, daughter of Franz Liszt and wife of Richard Wagner (b. 1837)

1946 - Noah Beery, American actor (b. 1882)

1947 - King George II of Greece (b. 1890)

1950 - Charles R. Drew, American physician (b. 1904)

1965 - Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics manufacturer (b. 1870)

1966 - Flann O'Brien, Irish humorist (b. 1911)

1968 - Lev Davidovich Landau, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)

1976 - Max Ernst, German artist (b. 1891)

1979 - Bruno Coquatrix, French music impresario (b. 1910)

1979 - Barbara Luddy, American actress (b. 1908)

1981 - Eua Sunthornsanan, Thai composer and bandleader (b. 1910)

1984 - Marvin Gaye, American singer (b. 1939)

1985 - Douglass Wallop, American novelist and playwright (b. 1920)

1986 - Erik Bruhn, Danish ballet dancer, choreographer (b. 1928)

1988 - Jim Jordan, American actor (Fibber McGee) (b. 1896)

1991 - Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1894)

1991 - Jaime Guzmán, Chilean politician (b. 1946)

1992 - Michael Havers, British barrister and politician (b. 1923)

1992 - Nigel Preston, English drummer (b. 1959)

1993 - Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (b. 1954)

1994 - Robert Doisneau, French photographer (b. 1912)

1995 - Lucy Rie, American potter (b. 1902)

1995 - H. Adams Carter, American Alpine Club President, 10th Mountain Division trainer (b. 1914)

1996 - Florence Buchsbaum, French theater director (b. 1926)

1996 - John McSherry, American baseball umpire (b. 1944)

1997 - Norman Carr, British conservationist (b. 1912)

1998 - Gene Evans, American actor (b. 1922)

1998 - Rozz Williams, American musician (Christian Death) (b. 1963)

1999 - Jesse Stone, American record producer (b. 1901)

2000 - Alexander Mackenzie Stuart, Baron Mackenzie-Stuart, Scottish jurist (b. 1924)

2001 - Olivia Barclay, British astrologer (b. 1919)

2001 - Jo-Jo Moore, American baseball player (b. 1908)

2001 - Trinh Cong Son, Vietnamese composer (b. 1939)

2002 - Simo Hayha, Finnish marksman (b. 1905)

2002 - Gavin Pfuhl, South African cricketer (b. 1947)

2003 - Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong actor and singer (b. 1956)

2004 - Aaron Bank, American OSS officer and founder of the US Army Special Forces (b. 1902)

2004 - Carrie Snodgress, American actress (b. 1946)

2004 - Nilo Soruco, Bolivian songwriter (b. 1927)

2005 - Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist and composer (b. 1915)

2005 - Harald Juhnke, German entertainer (b. 1929)

2005 - Jack Keller, American songwriter (b. 1936)

2005 - Ioannis Kyrastas, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1952)

2005 - Robert Coldwell Wood, American educator (b. 1923)

2006 - In Tam, Cambodian politician (b. 1916)

2007 - Herb Carneal, American sports broadcaster (b. 1923)

[edit] Holidays and observances

April 1 is known as April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day in many countries.

April 1 is celebrated as Utkal Divas or Orissa day by oriya peoples, to commemorate the creation of Orissa, a state in Eastern India, in the year 1935, along with Sindh pradesh in the undivided India.

Last day of the Assyrian New Year Celebration.

Roman Empire - Veneralia celebrated to honor Venus.

Brielle celebrates the victory of 1572 over the Spaniards.

In San Marino, two Captains Regent, elected by Parliament, take office for six months.

Užupis - Residents celebrate their independence on Užupis Day.

Roman Catholic Church calendar:

Saint Hugh of Grenoble

Saint Waleric

ages ago

ClaireDPhotography says:

Events

1499 - Catherine of Aragon, is married by proxy to Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales. Catherine is 13 and Arthur is 12.

1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships, 110 men, and Chief Donnacona's two sons (whom Cartier kidnapped during his first voyage).

1536 - Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, treason, and incest.

1568 - Queen Elizabeth I of England has Mary Queen of Scots arrested.

1643 - Thirty Years' War: French forces under the duc d'Enghien decisively defeat Spanish forces at the Battle of Rocroi, marking the symbolic end of Spain as a dominant land power.

1649 - An Act declaring England a Commonwealth is passed by the Long Parliament. England would be a republic for the next eleven years.

1749 - King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River.

1780 - New England's Dark Day: A combination of thick smoke and heavy cloud cover causes complete darkness to fall on Eastern Canada and the New England area of the United States at 10:30 A.M.

1802 - The Légion d'Honneur is founded by Napoleon Bonaparte.

1828 - U.S. President John Quincy Adams signs the Tariff of 1828 into law, protecting wool manufacturers in the United States.

1848 - Mexican-American War: Mexico ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo thus ending the war and ceding California, Nevada, Utah and parts of five other modern-day U.S. states to the United States for $15 million USD.

1864 - American Civil War: the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House ends.

1897 - Oscar Wilde is released from Reading Gaol.

1919 - Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, initiating what was later termed the Turkish War of Independence. The anniversary of this event is the official date of commemoration of the Pontic Greek Genocide in Greece and Cyprus.

1921 - The U.S. Congress passes the Emergency Quota Act establishing national quotas on immigration.

1922 - The Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union is established.

1943 - World War II: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set Monday, May 1, 1944 as the date for the cross-English Channel landing (D-Day would later be delayed over a month due to bad weather).

1961 - Venera program: Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly-by another planet by passing Venus (the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and did not send back any data).

1962 - A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe's infamous rendition of Happy Birthday.

1971 - Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union.

1991 - Croatian's vote for independence at their independence referendum.

[edit]