September 01 :: Historical Events

Events

• 5509 BC - Epoch of the late Byzantine calendar.


• 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle.


• 1355 - Tvrtko I writes in castro nostro Vizoka vocatum from old town Visoki.


• 1532 - Lady Anne Boleyn is made Marchioness of Pembroke by her fiancé, King Henry VIII of England.


• 1644 - Battle of Tippermuir, Montrose defeats Elcho's Covenanters, reviving Royalist cause.


• 1715 - King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years—the longest of any major European monarch.


• 1752 - The Liberty Bell arrives in Philadelphia.


• 1763 - Catherine II of Russia endorses Ivan Betskoy's plans for a Foundling Home in Moscow


• 1772 - Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa founded in San Luis Obispo, California.


• 1804 - Juno, one of the largest main belt asteroids, was discovered by German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding.


• 1807 - Former US Vice President Aaron Burr is acquitted of treason.


• 1836 - Narcissa Whitman, one of the first white women to settle west of the Rocky Mountains, arrives at Walla Walla, Washington.


• 1859 - A solar superstorm affects electrical telegraph service.


• 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Chantilly - Confederate forces attack retreating Union troops in Chantilly, Virginia.


• 1864 - American Civil War: Confederate General John Bell Hood evacuates Atlanta, Georgia after a four-month siege by General Sherman.


• 1870 - Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Sedan is fought, resulting in a decisive Prussian victory.


• 1873 - Cetshwayo ascends to the throne as king of the Zulu nation following the death of his father Mpande.


• 1875 - A murder conviction effectively forces the violent Irish anti-owner coal miners, the "Molly Maguires", to disband.


• 1894 - Great Hinckley Fire: A forest fire in Hinckley, Minnesota, kills more than 400 people.


• 1897 - The Boston subway opens, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America.


• 1902 - A Trip to the Moon, considered one of the first science fiction films, is released in France.


• 1905 - Alberta and Saskatchewan join the Canadian confederation.


• 1906 - The International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI) is established.


• 1914 - St. Petersburg, Russia changes its name to Petrograd.


• 1914 - The last passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, dies in captivity in the Cincinnati Zoo.


• 1923 - The Great Kantō earthquake devastates Tokyo and Yokohama, killing about 105,000 people.


• 1928 - Ahmet Zogu declares Albania to be a monarchy and proclaims himself king.


• 1934 - SMJK Sam Tet was founded by Father Fourgs from the St. Michael Church, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.


• 1939 - World War II: Nazi Germany attacks Poland, beginning the war. (See Invasion of Poland.)


• 1939 - George C. Marshall becomes Chief of Staff of the United States Army.


• 1939 - The Wound Badge for Wehrmacht, SS, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe soldiers is instituted. The final version of the Iron Cross was also instituted on this date.


• 1939 - Switzerland mobilizes its forces and the Swiss Parliament elects Henri Guisan to head the Swiss Army (an event that can happen only during war or mobilization).


• 1951 - The United States, Australia and New Zealand sign a mutual defense pact, called the ANZUS Treaty.


• 1961 - The Eritrean War of Independence officially begins with the shooting of the Ethiopian police by Hamid Idris Awate


• 1962 - Channel Television launches to 54,000 households in the Channel Islands.


• 1964 - Indian Oil Corporation formed after merging Indian Oil Refineries and Indian Oil Company.


• 1969 - A revolution in Libya brings Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi to power, which was later transferred to the People's Committees.


• 1970 - Attempted assassination of King Hussein of Jordan by Palestinian guerillas, who attacked his motorcade.


• 1972 - In Reykjavík, Iceland, American Bobby Fischer beats Russian Boris Spassky and becomes the world chess champion.


• 1974 - The SR-71 Blackbird sets (and holds) the record for flying from New York to London: 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds.


• 1979 - The American space probe Pioneer 11 becomes the first spacecraft to visit Saturn when it passes the planet at a distance of 21,000 km.


• 1980 - Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope ends in Thunder Bay, Ontario.


• 1980 - Chun Doo-hwan becomes president of South Korea after the resignation of Choi Kyu-ha.


• 1981 - A coup d'état in the Central African Republic overthrows President David Dacko.


• 1982 - Canada adopts a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as part of its Constitution.


• 1982 - The United States Air Force Space Command is founded.


• 1983 - Cold War: Korean Air Flight 007 is shot down by a Soviet Union jet fighter when the commercial aircraft enters Soviet airspace. All 269 on board are killed, including US Congressmen Lawrence McDonald.


• 1985 - A joint American-French expedition locates the wreck of the RMS Titanic.


• 1990 - The Communist Labour Party of Turkey/Leninist is founded, following a split from the Communist Labour Party of Turkey.


• 1991 - Uzbekistan declares independence from the Soviet Union


• 1996 - Daniel Komen breaks the 3000 metres world record in Rieti, Italy


• 2004 - The Beslan school hostage crisis begins when armed terrorists take hundreds of school children and adults hostage in the Russian town of Beslan in North Ossetia.


• 2005 - Seven members and former members of the AFL-CIO form a new trade union organization, the Change to Win Federation.


• 2006 - Luxembourg became the first country to complete the move to all digital television broadcasting.

August 31:: Historical Events

Famous Events

• 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill, dying suddenly a few days later, without children to succeed the throne, ending the Macedonian dynasty.


• 1142 - With the aid of Hiawatha and Deganawidah, The Great Peacemaker, the Iroquois tribes establish the Confederation of the Haudenosaunee.


• 1422 - Henry VI, becomes King of England at the age of 9 months.


• 1803 - Lewis and Clark start their expedition from Pittsburgh at 11 o clock in the morning.


• 1864 - During the American Civil War, Union forces led by General William T. Sherman launch an assault on Atlanta, Georgia.


• 1876 - Ottoman sultan Murat V is deposed and succeeded by his brother Abd-ul-Hamid II.


• 1886 - Earthquake kills 100 in Charleston, South Carolina.


• 1888 - Mary Ann Nichols is murdered. She is the first of Jack the Ripper's known victims.


• 1897 - Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector.


• 1907 - Count Alexander Izvolsky and Sir Arthur Nicolson sign the St. Petersburg Convention, which results in the Triple Entente alliance.


• 1914 - Ecuador becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.


• 1915 - Brazil becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.


• 1920 - Polish-Bolshevik War: A decisive Polish victory in the Battle of Komarów.


• 1920 - First radio news program broadcast by station 8MK in Detroit, Michigan.


• 1939 - Nazi Germany mounts a staged attack on Gleiwitz radio station, giving them an excuse to attack Poland the following day, starting World War II in Europe.


• 1942 - In Ternopil, western Ukraine, at 4.30 am, German SS organise the first deportation of Jews from Ternopil ghetto to death camp in Belzec, about 5,000 Jews were deported to face death in Belzec. When the Germans captured Ternopil, about 18,000 Jews lived in the city.


• 1943 - The USS Harmon, the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for a black person, is commissioned.


• 1945 - The Liberal Party of Australia is founded by Robert Menzies.


• 1948 - Actor Robert Mitchum was arrested in a Hollywood drug raid. He would later be found guilty of criminal conspiracy to possess marijuana and was sentenced to 60 days in prison.


• 1957 - The Federation of Malaya gains its independence from the United Kingdom.


• 1962 - Trinidad and Tobago become independent.


• 1963 - Walter Cronkite began his stint as anchor of the CBS Evening News.


• 1965 - The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy Aircraft makes its first flight.


• 1968 - Garfield Sobers becomes the first cricketer to hit 6 sixes in one over.


• 1978 - William and Emily Harris, founders of the Symbionese Liberation Army, plead guilty to the 1974 kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst.


• 1980 - The Gdańsk Agreement is signed.


• 1986 - Aeroméxico Flight 498 collides with a Piper PA-28 over Cerritos, California, killing 67 in the air and 15 on the ground.


• 1986 - The Soviet passenger liner Admiral Nakhimov sinks in the Black Sea after colliding with the bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev, killing 423.


• 1991 - Kyrgyzstan declares its independence from the Soviet Union.


• 1992 - Pascal Lissouba is inaugurated as the President of the Republic of the Congo .


• 1993 - HMS Mercury closes after 52 years in commission.


• 1994 - The Provisional Irish Republican Army declares a ceasefire.


• 1997 - Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al-Fayed die as a result of a car crash in Paris.


• 1998 - North Korea reportedly launches Kwangmyongsong, its first satellite.


• 1999 - The first of a series of Russian Apartment Bombings in Moscow, killing one person and wounding 40 others.


• 1999 - A LAPA Boeing 737-200 crashes during takeoff from Jorge Newbury Airport in Buenos Aires, killing 65, including 2 on the ground.


• 2002 - Morecambe FC experienced their highest away win in their history, 15-0 against Guisely.


• 2005 - A stampede on Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad kills 1,199 people.


• 2006 - Stolen on August 22, 2004, Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream was recovered from a raid by Norwegian police. The paintings were said to be in a better-than-expected condition.

Famous Births

• 12 - Gaius Caligula, Roman Emperor (d. 41)


• 161 - Commodus, Roman Emperor (d. 192)


• 1569 - Jahangir, Mughal Emperor of India (d. 1627)


• 1602 – Amalia von Solms, countess of Solms-Braunfels (d. 1675)


• 1663 - Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (d. 1705)


• 1721 - George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol, British statesman (d. 1775)


• 1741 - Jean Paul Egide Martini, French composer (d. 1816)


• 1741 - Husein Gradaščević, Bosniak general (d. 1834)


• 1811 - Theophile Gautier, French poet and novelist (d. 1872)


• 1821 - Hermann von Helmholtz, German physician (d. 1894)


• 1822 - Galusha A. Grow, American politician (d. 1907)


• 1834 - Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer (d. 1886)


• 1843 - Georg von Hertling, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1919)


• 1870 - Maria Montessori, Italian educator (d. 1952)


• 1871 - James E. Ferguson, Texan governor (d. 1944)


• 1878 - Frank Jarvis, American athlete (d. 1933)


• 1879 - Alma Mahler, wife of Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel (d. 1964)


• 1880 - Wilhelmina I of the Netherlands (d. 1962)


• 1885 - DuBose Heyward, American playwright (d. 1940)


• 1893 - Lily Laskine, French harpist (d. 1988)


• 1896 - Félix-Antoine Savard, French-Canadian priest and novelist (d. 1982)


• 1897 - Fredric March, American actor (d. 1975)


• 1900 - Gino Lucetti, Italian anarchist (d. 1943)


• 1903 - Arthur Godfrey, American television host (d. 1983)


• 1903 - Vladimir Jankélévitch, French philosopher (d. 1985)


• 1905 - Sanford Meisner, American actor and teacher (d. 1997)


• 1907 - Augustus F. Hawkins, American politician and civil rights lawmaker (d. 2007)


• 1907 - Ramon Magsaysay, Filipino politician (d. 1957)


• 1907 - William Shawn, American editor (d. 1992)


• 1907 - Altiero Spinelli, Italian citizen and advocate of European federalism (d. 1986)


• 1908 - William Saroyan, American novelist (d. 1981)


• 1913 - Sir Bernard Lovell, English radio astronomer


• 1914 - Richard Basehart, American actor (d. 1984)


• 1916 - Daniel Schorr, American journalist


• 1918 - Alan Jay Lerner, American lyricist (d. 1986)


• 1919 - Amrita Preetam, Indian poetess and author (d. 2005)


• 1921 - Raymond Williams, Welsh academic (d. 1988)


• 1924 - Buddy Hackett, American actor and comedian (d. 2003)


• 1927 - Bill Daily, American actor and comedian


• 1928 - James Coburn, American actor (d. 2002)


• 1931 - Noble Willingham, American actor (d. 2004)


• 1931 - Jean Béliveau, Canadian ice hockey player


• 1934 - Nikos Xanthopoulos, Greek actor


• 1935 - Frank Robinson, American baseball player and manager


• 1935 - Eldridge Cleaver, American political activist (d. 1998)


• 1937 - Warren Berlinger, American actor


• 1937 - Bobby Parker, American blues musician/guitarist


• 1938 - Martin Bell, British journalist


• 1938 - Murray Gleeson, Australian Jurist, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia (b. 1938


• 1939 - Jerry Allison, American drummer (The Crickets)


• 1941 - William DeWitt, Jr., American businessman


• 1944 - Roger Dean, British artist


• 1944 - Jos Leduc pro wrestler


• 1945 - Van Morrison, Northern Irish musician


• 1945 - Itzhak Perlman, Israeli violinist


• 1946 - Jerome Corsi, American writer


• 1947 - Mona Marshall, American voice actress


• 1947 - Yumiko Ōshima, Japanese manga artist


• 1947 - Luca di Montezemolo, Italian businessman


• 1948 - Lowell Ganz, American screenwriter


• 1948 - Rudolf Schenker, German guitarist (Scorpions)


• 1948 - Harald Ertl, Austrian racing driver (d. 1982)


• 1948 - Holger Osieck, German footballer and coach


• 1949 - Richard Gere, American actor


• 1949 - H. David Politzer, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate


• 1952 - Herbert Reul, German politician


• 1953 - György Károly, Hungarian author


• 1953 - Miguel Ángel Guerra, Argentine racing driver


• 1953 - Pavel Vinogradov, Russian cosmonaut


• 1954 - Julie Brown, American actress, singer-songwriter and screenwriter


• 1954 - Caroline Cossey, English model


• 1955 - Edwin Moses, American athlete


• 1956 - Masashi Tashiro, Japanese television performer


• 1957 - Gina Schock, American drummer (The Go-Go's)


• 1957 - Glenn Tilbrook, British musician (Squeeze)


• 1958 - Serge Blanco, French rugby footballer


• 1959 - Ralph Krueger, German-Canadian ice hockey coach


• 1960 - Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hizballah


• 1960 - Chris Whitley, American musician (d. 2005)


• 1960 - Vali Ionescu, Rumanian long jumper


• 1962 - Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor


• 1963 - Reb Beach, American guitarist (Winger, Whitesnake)


• 1963 - Todd Carty, Irish actor


• 1963 - Sonny Silooy, Dutch football player


• 1964 - Raymond P. Hammond, American poet and editor


• 1965 - Céline Bonnier, Quebec actress


• 1965 - Daniel Bernhardt, Swiss actor


• 1966 - Jan Einar Thorsen, Norwegian Alpine skier


• 1967 - Anita Moen, Norwegian Cross-country skier


• 1968 - Hideo Nomo, Japanese baseball player


• 1969 - Jonathan LaPaglia, Australian actor


• 1969 - Nathalie Bouvier, French alpine skier


• 1970 - Deborah Gibson, American singer


• 1970 - Queen Rania, Queen of Jordan


• 1970 - Zack Ward, Canadian actor


• 1970 - Arie van Lent, Dutch-German footballer


• 1971 - Pádraig Harrington, Irish professional golfer


• 1972 - Chris Tucker, American actor


• 1973 - Scott Niedermayer, hockey player


• 1974 - Andriy Medvedev, Ukrainian tennis player


• 1975 - Daniel Harding, British conductor


• 1975 - Gabe Kapler, American baseball player and manager


• 1975 - Sara Ramirez, American actress


• 1975 - John Grahame, American-born Canadian hockey player


• 1976 - Radek Martinek, Czechoslovakian ice hockey player


• 1976 - Roque Júnior, Brazilian footballer


• 1976 - Vincent Delerm, French singer-songwriter, pianist and composer


• 1977 - Jeff Hardy, American professional wrestler


• 1977 - Ian Harte, Irish footballer


• 1977 - Craig Nicholls, Australian musician (The Vines)


• 1978 - Phina Oruche, British actress


• 1978 - Philippe Christanval, French footballer


• 1979 - Clay Hensley, professional baseball player


• 1979 - Mickie James, American professional wrestler


• 1979 - Mark Johnston, Canadian swimmer


• 1979 - Simon Neil, Scottish musician (Biffy Clyro)


• 1979 - Ramón Santiago, Dominican baseball player


• 1980 - Joe Budden, American rapper


• 1981 - Joe Swanberg, American filmmaker


• 1981 - 40 Cal, American rapper


• 1981 - Dwayne Peel, Welsh International rugby player


• 1981 - Steve Saviano, American professional hockey player


• 1982 - Ian Crocker, American swimmer


• 1982 - Chris Duhon, American basketball player


• 1982 - Lien Huyghebaert, Belgian athlete


• 1982 - Josh Kroeger, American baseball player


• 1982 - Alexei Mikhnov, Ukrainian-born ice hockey player


• 1982 - Jose Reina, Spanish footballer


• 1982 - Michele Rugolo, Italian racing driver


• 1982 - Patrick Nuo, Swiss singer


• 1982 - G. Willow Wilson, American journalist and comic book writer


• 1983 - Larry Fitzgerald, American football player


• 1984 - Ted Ligety, American alpine skier


• 1984 - Matti Breschel, Danish road bicycle racer


• 1984 - Charl Schwartzel, South African golfer


• 1987 - Petros Kravaritis, Greek footballer

Famous Deaths

• 651 - Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, Irish bishop and missionary


• 683 - Pacal II ruler of the Maya polity of Palenque


• 1056 - Theodora, Byzantine Empress (b. 981)


• 1234 - Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (b. 1212)


• 1372 - Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, English soldier (b. 1301)


• 1422 - King Henry V of England (b. 1387)


• 1645 - Francesco Bracciolini, Italian poet (b. 1566)


• 1654 - Ole Worm, Danish physician (b. 1588)


• 1688 - John Bunyan, English writer (b. 1628)


• 1730 - Gottfried Finger, Czech composer (b. 1660?)


• 1741 - Johann Gottlieb Heineccius, German jurist (b. 1681)


• 1772 - William Borlase, English naturalist (b. 1695)


• 1795 - François-André Danican Philidor, French chess player (b. 1726)


• 1799 - Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect (b. 1720)


• 1814 - Arthur Phillip, British admiral, first Governor of New South Wales (b. 1738)


• 1867 - Charles Baudelaire, French poet (b. 1821)


• 1869 - Mary Ward, Irish scientist, first automobile accident victim (b. 1827)


• 1888 - Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, widely believed to be the first victim of Jack the Ripper (b. 1845)


• 1920 - Wilhelm Wundt, German psychologist (b. 1832)


• 1940 - Georges Gauthier, French Canadian Roman Catholic archbishop of Montreal (b. 1871)


• 1941 - Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet (b. 1892)


• 1948 - Billy Laughlin, American actor (b. 1932)


• 1952 - Henri Bourassa, French Canadian political leader (b. 1868)


• 1963 - Georges Braque, French painter (b. 1882)


• 1967 - Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian writer (b. 1891)


• 1969 - Rocky Marciano, American boxer (b. 1923)


• 1973 - John Ford, American film director (b. 1894)


• 1974 - William Pershing Benedict, American pilot


• 1974 - Norman Kirk, New Zealand prime minister (b. 1923)


• 1978 - John Wrathall, President of Rhodesia (b. 1913)


• 1979 - Sally Rand, American dancer and actress (b. 1904)


• 1985 - Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Australian biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1899)


• 1986 - Henry Moore, English sculptor (b. 1898)


• 1986 - Urho Kekkonen, President of Finland (b. 1900)


• 1997 - Diana, Princess of Wales (b. 1961)


• 1997 - Dodi Al-Fayed, film producer (b. 1955)


• 2000 - Patricia Owens, Canadian actress (b. 1925)


• 2002 - Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player (b. 1908)


• 2002 - George Porter, English chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1920)


• 2004 - Carl Wayne, English singer (b. 1943)


• 2005 - Joseph Rotblat, Polish-British physicist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1908)


• 2005 - Michael Sheard, British actor (b. 1940)


• 2006 - Mohamed Abdelwahab, Egyptian footballer (b. 1983)


• 2006 - Tom Delaney, British racing driver (b. 1911)


• 2007 - Gay Brewer, American golfer (b. 1932)

Famous Holidays and observances

• Roman Catholic Saints - Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, Saint Abundius, Saint Raymond Nonnatus


• Poland, Europe - Day of Solidarity and Freedom, on the anniversary of August Agreement from 1980


• Moldova: Day of Our Language (Limba Noastra).


• Malaysia - Hari Merdeka, a National Day (independence within the Commonwealth, 1957).


• Kyrgyzstan - Independence Day (from USSR, 1991).


• Trinidad and Tobago - Independence Day (from United Kingdom, 1962).

August 30 :: Historical Events

Famous Events

• 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Zhu Yuanzhang—are pitted against each other in what was one of the largest naval battles in history, during the last decade of the ailing, Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty.


• 1574 - Guru Ram Das became the Fourth Sikh Guru/Master.


• 1590 - Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo Castle. (Traditional Japanese date: August 1, 1590)


• 1791 - The HMS Pandora sank after running aground on a reef the previous day.


• 1799 - Capture of the entire Dutch fleet by British forces under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby and Admiral Sir Charles Mitchell during the Second Coalition of the French Revolutionary Wars.


• 1800 - Gabriel Prosser leads a slave rebellion in Richmond, Virginia


• 1813 - Battle of Kulm: French forces defeated by Austrian-Prussian-Russian alliance.


• 1813 - Creek War: Creek Red Sticks carried out the Fort Mims Massacre.


• 1835 - Melbourne, Australia is founded.


• 1836 - The city of Houston is founded by Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen


• 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Richmond: Confederates under Edmund Kirby Smith rout a Union army under General Horatio Wright.


• 1862 - American Civil War: Union forces are defeated in Second Battle of Bull Run.


• 1873 - Austrian explorers Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht discover the archipelago of Franz Joseph Land in the Arctic Sea.


• 1897 - The town of Ambiky is captured by France from Menabe in Madagascar.


• 1896 - Eight provinces in the Philippines were declared under martial law by the Spanish Governor General Ramon Blanco. This included the provinces of Batangas, Rizal, Cavite, Nueva Ecija as well as the nearby areas.


• 1909 - Burgess Shale fossils discovered by Charles Doolittle Walcott.


• 1914 - Battle of Tannenberg.


• 1918 - Fanya Kaplan, an assassin, shoots and seriously injures Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin. This, along with the assassination of Bolshevik senior official Moisei Uritsky days earlier, prompts the decree for Red Terror.


• 1922 - Battle of Dumlupinar, final battle in Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) ("Turkish War of Independence").


• 1941 - World War II: Siege of Leningrad begins.


• 1942 - World War II: Battle of Alam Halfa begins.


• 1945 - Hong Kong is liberated from Japan by British Armed Forces.


• 1945 - Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Douglas MacArthur lands at Atsugi Air Force Base.


• 1956 - Lake Pontchartrain Causeway opens.


• 1962 - Japan conducts a test of the NAMC YS-11, its first aircraft since the war and its only successful commercial aircraft from before or after the war.


• 1963 - Hotline between U.S. and Soviet leaders goes into operation.


• 1967 - Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as the first African American Justice of the United States Supreme Court.


• 1974 - A Belgrade-Dortmund express train derails at the main train station in Zagreb killing 153 passengers.


• 1974 - Powerful bomb explodes at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries headquarters in Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan. 8 killed, 378 injured. Eight left-wing activists are arrested on May 19, 1975 by Japanese authorities.


• 1984 - STS-41-D: The Space Shuttle Discovery takes off on its maiden voyage.


• 1990 - Tatarstan declares independence from the RSFSR.


• 1999 - East Timorese vote for independence in a referendum.

Famous Births

• 1334 - Pedro of Castile (d. 1369)


• 1377 - Shah Rukh, ruler of Persia and Transoxonia (d. 1447)


• 1705 - David Hartley, English philosopher (d. 1757)


• 1720 - Samuel Whitbread, English brewer (d. 1796)


• 1748 - Jacques-Louis David, French painter (d. 1825)


• 1797 - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, English writer (d. 1851)


• 1808 - Princess Ludovika of Bavaria (d. 1892)


• 1813 - Princess Mathilde of Bavaria d. 1862


• 1818 - Alexander H. Rice, 30^th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1895)


• 1821 - Anita Garibaldi, Brazilian warrior; Garibaldi's wife (War of Tatters) (d. 1849)


• 1839 - Gulstan Ropert, French Catholic prelate (d. 1903)


• 1842 - Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna of Russia (d. 1849)


• 1848 - Andrew Onderdonk, Canadian railway contractor (d. 1905)


• 1852 - Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1911)


• 1856 - Carle David Tolmé Runge, German physicist (d. 1927)


• 1860 - Isaac Levitan, Russian artist (d. 1900)


• 1870 - Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia (d. 1891)


• 1871 - Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand-born Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (d. 1937)


• 1884 - Theodor Svedberg, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)


• 1893 - Huey Long, American politician (d. 1935)


• 1896 - Raymond Massey, Canadian actor (d. 1983)


• 1898 - Shirley Booth, American actress (d. 1992)


• 1901 - Roy Wilkins, American civil rights leader (1981)


• 1901 - John Gunther, American writer (d. 1970)


• 1906 - Joan Blondell, American actress (d. 1979)


• 1908 - Fred MacMurray, American actor (d. 1991)


• 1912 - Edward Mills Purcell, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)


• 1912 - Nancy Wake AC GM, New Zealand-born World War II secret agent


• 1913 - Richard Stone, Bank of Sweden Prize winner (d. 1991)


• 1915 - Robert Strassburg, American composer (d. 2003)


• 1918 - Ted Williams, American baseball player (d. 2002)


• 1918 - Billy Johnson, American baseball player (d. 2006)


• 1919 - Kitty Wells, American singer


• 1922 - Lionel Murphy, Australian politician (d. 1986)


• 1922 - Regina Resnik, American mezzo-soprano


• 1923 - Barbara Mary Ansell, UK founder of paediatric rheumatology (d. 2001)


• 1923 - Vic Seixas, American tennis player


• 1924 - Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer (d. 2004)


• 1925 - Laurent de Brunhoff, French writer and illustrator


• 1928 - Lloyd Casner, American racecar driver and owner (d. 1965)


• 1930 - Warren Buffett, American entrepreneur


• 1930 - Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball coach


• 1931 - Jack Swigert, American astronaut (d. 1982)


• 1933 - Don Getty, Canadian politician


• 1935 - John Phillips, American singer (Mamas and the Papas) (d. 2001)


• 1937 - Bruce McLaren, New Zealand car racer and founder of eponymous race team (d. 1970)


• 1939 - John Peel, English radio disc jockey (d. 2004)


• 1939 - Elizabeth Ashley, American actress


• 1941 - Ben Jones, American actor and politician


• 1943 - Robert Crumb, American cartoonist


• 1943 - Jean-Claude Killy, French skier


• 1944 - Molly Ivins, American political humorist (d. 2007)


• 1944 - Tug McGraw, American baseball player (d. 2004)


• 1946 - Peggy Lipton, American actress


• 1946 - Queen Anne-Marie of Greece


• 1947 - Allan Rock, Canadian politician and diplomat


• 1948 - Lewis Black, American comedian


• 1948 - Donnacha O'Dea, Irish poker player and swimmer


• 1949 - Peter Maffay, German musician


• 1949 - Ted Ammon, American financier (d. 2001)


• 1949 - Christopher Collins, American actor and comedian (d. 1994)


• 1949 - Don Boudria, Canadian politician


• 1951 - Timothy Bottoms, American actor


• 1951 - Dana, Irish singer and politician


• 1953 - Robin Harris, American comedian (d. 1990)


• 1953 - Horace Panter, British musician (The Specials and General Public)


• 1953 - Robert Parish, American basketball player


• 1953 - Ron George, American politician


• 1954 - David Paymer, American actor


• 1954 - Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus


• 1958 - Martin Jackson, British drummer (Swing out Sister)


• 1958 - Anna Politkovskaya, Russian journalist (d. 2006)


• 1959 - Mark 'Jacko' Jackson, Australian rules footballer and actor


• 1960 - Chalino Sanchez, Mexican musician (d. 1992)


• 1960 - Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese terrorist group Hizbollah


• 1960 - Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1993)


• 1960 - Guy A. Lepage, Quebec humorist, television host and producer


• 1962 - Alexander Litvinenko, Russian KGB officer (d. 2006)


• 1963 - Michael Chiklis, American actor


• 1963 - Paul Oakenfold, British disc jockey


• 1964 - Gavin Fisher, British engineer


• 1966 - Michael Michele, American actress


• 1968 - Vladimir Malakhov, Russian ice hockey player


• 1969 - Dimitris Sgouros, Greek pianist


• 1970 - Michael Wong Guang Liang, Chinese Malaysian singer


• 1971 - Lars Frederiksen, American guitarist (Rancid and UK Subs)


• 1972 - Cameron Diaz, American actress


• 1972 - Pavel Nedvěd, Czech footballer


• 1973 - Lisa Ling, American journalist


• 1974 - Javier Otxoa, Spanish cyclist


• 1974 - Aaron Barrett, Lead singer/guitarist of Reel Big Fish


• 1975 - Radhi Jaidi, Tunisian footballer


• 1976 - Mike Koplove, American baseball player


• 1977 - Shaun Alexander, American football player


• 1977 - Marlon Byrd, American baseball player


• 1977 - Elden Henson, American actor


• 1977 - Kamil Kosowski, Polish footballer


• 1977 - Jens Ludwig, German guitarist


• 1978 - Swizz Beatz, rapper/producer


• 1978 - Cliff Lee, American baseball player


• 1979 - Juan Ignacio Chela, Argentine tennis player


• 1979 - Leon Lopez, British actor


• 1979 - Niki Chow, Hong Kong actress and singer


• 1979 - Tavia Yeung, Hong Kong actress


• 1982 - Andy Roddick, American tennis player


• 1982 - Will Davison, Australian racing driver


• 1983 - Jun Matsumoto, Japanese singer and actor


• 1983 - Jonne Aaron, Vocalist of the Finnish Band Negative


• 1983 - Gustavo Eberto, Argentine footballer (d. 2007)


• 1984 - Anthony Ireland, Zimbabwean cricketer


• 1985 - Richard Duffy, Welsh footballer


• 1985 - Steven Smith, Scottish footballer


• 1986 - Ryan Ross, American guitarist and lyricist (Panic at the Disco)


• 1988 - Ernests Gulbis, Latvian tennis player


• 1990 - Kyle Swann, American actor

Famous Deaths

• 526 - Theodoric the Great (b. 454)


• 1158 - King Sancho III of Castile (b. 1134)


• 1428 - Emperor Shōkō (b. 1401)


• 1483 - King Louis XI of France (b. 1423)


• 1580 - Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (b. 1528)


• 1617 - Rose of Lima, Peruvian saint (b. 1586)


• 1619 - Shimazu Yoshihiro, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1535)


• 1723 - Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch tradesman and scientist (b. 1632)


• 1751 - Christopher Polhem, Swedish scientist and inventor (b. 1661)


• 1856 - Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English writer (b. 1811)


• 1879 - John Bell Hood, American Confederate general (b. 1831)


• 1886 - Ferris Jacobs, Jr., American politician (b. 1836)


• 1896 - Alexei Lobanov-Rostovsky, Russian statesman (b. 1824)


• 1906 - Hans Auer, Swiss architect (b. 1847)


• 1907 - Richard Mansfield, American actor and manager (b. 1857)


• 1928 - Wilhelm Wien, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)


• 1935 - Henri Barbusse, French novelist and journalist (b. 1873)


• 1938 - Max Factor, make-up artist and cosmetic manufacturer (b. 1877)


• 1940 - J.J. Thomson, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1856)


• 1941 - Peder Oluf Pedersen, Danish engineer and physicist (b. 1874)


• 1943 - Father Eustaquio van Lieshout, Dutch Catholic priest (b. 1890)


• 1946 - Konstantin Rodzaevsky, Russian fascist (executed) (b. 1907)


• 1946 - Grigory Semyonov, Russian counter-revolutionary (executed) (b. 1890)


• 1949 - Arthur Fielder, English cricketer (b. 1877)


• 1961 - Charles Coburn, American actor (b. 1877)


• 1963 - Guy Burgess, English-born Soviet spy (b. 1911)


• 1968 - William Talman, American actor (b. 1915)


• 1970 - Del Moore, American comedian (b. 1916)


• 1971 - Nathan Leopold, American murderer (b. 1904)


• 1981 - Vera-Ellen, American actress (b. 1921)


• 1981 - Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Iranian statesman (b. 1933)


• 1985 - Taylor Caldwell, English-born author (b. 1900)


• 1989 - Seymour Krim, American journalist, essayist, and literary critic (b. 1922)


• 1991 - Jean Tinguely, Swiss painter and sculptor (b. 1925)


• 1993 - Richard Jordan, American actor, (b. 1938)


• 1994 - Lindsay Anderson, English film director (b. 1923)


• 1995 - Fischer Black, American economist (b. 1938)


• 1995 - Sterling Morrison, American guitarist (The Velvet Underground) (b. 1942)


• 1996 - Christine Pascal, French actress and director (b. 1953)


• 1999 - Raymond Poïvet, French comics artist (b. 1910)


• 2001 - Ivor Spencer-Thomas, English farmer, entrepreneur and inventor (b. 1907)


• 2002 - J. Lee Thompson, English film director (b. 1914)


• 2003 - Charles Bronson, American actor (b. 1921)


• 2003 - Donald Davidson, American philosopher (b. 1917)


• 2004 - Fred Lawrence Whipple, American astronomer (b. 1906)


• 2004 - Indian Larry, American motorcycle builder and stuntman (b. 1949)


• 2006 - Glenn Ford, Canadian-born American actor (b. 1916)


• 2006 - Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)


• 2006 - Robin Cooke, Baron Cooke of Thorndon, New Zealand jurist and member of the British House of Lords (b. 1926)


• 2007 - Michael Jackson, British beer and whiskey author/expert. (b. 1942)


• 2007 - Charles Vanik, American politician (b. 1918)

Famous Holidays and observances

• Peru - Saint Rose of Lima's Day.


• Turkey - Victory Day (to commemorate the Battle of Dumlupinar in 1922).


• International Day of the Disappeared


• Feast day of Felix and Adauctus