Events in History
New Settlement
1508 Spaniard Juan Ponce de León founds Caparra the first European settlement in Puerto Rico
Juan Ponce de León
- 1509 Emperor Krishnadeva Raya is crowned, marking the beginning of the regeneration of the Vijayanagara Empire in Southern India
- 1549 Henry II of France declares war on England and orders the siege of Boulogne
- 1567 Duke of Alva's army enters Brussels, Belgium
- 1570 Peace of Saint-Germain-and-Laye, more freedom for Huguenots
Event of Interest
1576 Cornerstone laid for Tycho Brahe's observatory in Uraniborg, Denmark, at the time world's most advanced research institution
Tycho Brahe
Event of Interest
1609 Venetian senate examines Galileo Galilei's telescope
Galileo Galilei
- 1619 Duke Maximilian I & Emperor Ferdinand II signs Treaty of Munchen
- 1647 The Irish Confederate Wars and Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Dungans Hill - English Parliamentary forces defeat Irish forces.
- 1673 Dutch battle fleet of 23 ships demands surrender of NYC
- 1700 Denmark & Sweden sign peace treaty
- 1709 1st known ascent in hot-air balloon, Bartolomeu de Gusmao (indoors)
- 1758 British troops occupy & plunder Cherbourg
- 1786 US Congress unanimously chooses the dollar as the monetary unit for the United States of America
- 1786 Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard are 1st to climb to top of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe
- 1793 The insurrection of Lyon occurs during the French Revolution.
- 1794 Joseph Whidbey and George Vancouver lead an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage near Juneau, Alaska
- 1796 Boston African Society establishes with 44 members
- 1809 70 disciples of Gaon of Vilnius, arrive in Palestine
- 1814 Peace negotiations begin in Ghent, Belgium
- 1816 Bavaria joins Holy Alliance
- 1829 French government of De Polignac forms
- 1831 Battle of Hasselt - Dutch army drives out Belgians
- 1839 Beta Theta Pi is founded in Oxford, Ohio.
- 1843 Natal (in South Africa) is made a British colony
Event of Interest
1844 Brigham Young chosen as head of Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) following the death of Joseph Smith
Brigham Young
- 1853 Russian fleet appears at Nagasaki, Japan
- 1854 Smith & Wesson patents metal bullet cartridges
- 1860 Queen of Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) arrives in NYC
- 1863 American Civil War: Tennessee's "military" Governor Andrew Johnson frees his personal slaves. Celebrated as a holiday by Tennessee African Americans (early 20th century)
- 1864 Comet C/1864 N1 (Tempel) approaches within 0.0964 AUs of Earth
- 1864 Union troops/fleet occupy Fort Gaines, Alabama
- 1868 Earthquake destroys the city of Arica, Chile
- 1870 The Republic of Ploieşti, a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania.
- 1876 Dan O'Leacy completes 500 mile walk in 139h32m
Historic Invention
1876 Thomas Edison is granted the patent for Autographic Printing (US Patent 180,857)
Thomas Edison
- 1882 Snow falls on Lake Michigan
- 1898 Will Kellogg invents Corn Flakes
- 1903 In 11th an old black ball is put into play against Cleve, Tigers' Nap Lajoie protests ignored, he hurls ball out of park & forfeits game
- 1910 The US Army installs the first tricycle landing gear on the Army's Wright Flyer.
- 1911 The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire.
- 1911 Public Law 62-5 sets the number of representatives in the United States House of Representatives at 435. The law would come into effect in 1913.
- 1913 Richard Corfields "Camel Corps" opens "Mad Mullah" in Burao Somalia
Historic Expedition
1914 3rd pole expedition Ernest Shackleton "Endurance"
Ernest Shackleton
- 1914 French troops under Gen Bonneau occupy Mulhouse at Elzas
- 1914 Montenegro declares war on Germany
- 1916 A's set AL record with 19th consecutive loss on road
- 1918 World War I: The Allies launch the Hundred Days Offensive, beginning with the Battle of Amiens where 500 tanks and 10 Allied divisions attacked German lines
- 1919 Treaty of Rawalpindi, British recognise Afghanistan's independence
- 1924 British-Russian trade agreement signed
- 1925 1st national march of Ku Klux Klan (between 25,000 and 40,000 marchers) in Washington, D.C.
Hindenburg Disaster Ends the Age of Zeppelins
1929 German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight
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- 1929 Salem Oregon airport dedicated
- 1930 St Louis Cards are 12 games back in NL, & go on to win pennant
- 1937 Bonneville Dam on Columbia River begins producing power
- 1938 Great Trek Centenary Celebrations commence; the Great Trek was a migration involving Boers leaving the Cape Colony and settling in the interior of South Africa
- 1940 31 German aircraft shot down over England
Event of Interest
1940 The "Aufbau Ost" directive is signed by Wilhelm Keitel.
Wilhelm Keitel
- 1941 20 divisions of Soviet 6th/12th Army surrender at Oeman
- 1942 "Monty" appointed commander of British 8th Army at Alamein
- 1942 6 convicted Nazi saboteurs who landed in US executed in Washington, D.C.
- 1942 British Flower class corvette HMS Dianthus sinks U-379
- 1942 Soviet anti-offensive of Voronezh under Marshal Timosjenko
- 1943 Common Chiefs of staff meet in Quebec
- 1943 US amphibians land at St Agata on North coast of Sicily
- 1943 Vegetables & fruit rationed in Holland
- 1944 Canada/Polish troops occupy Cramesnil/Secqueville/Cintheaux/St-Aignan
- 1944 US 15th Army corps occupies Le Mans
- 1945 England & Australian Services draw 4th Victory Test
United Nations Charter
1945 President Harry Truman signs the United Nations Charter
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Nuremberg Trials
1945 US, USSR, Britain and France sign Treaty of London which sets down procedures for the Nuremberg war trials of Nazi leaders
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Event of Interest
1950 Florence Chadwick swims English Channel (13:23)
Florence Chadwick
- 1952 Syngman Ree re-elected president of South Korea
Georgy Malenkov
- 1953 US & South Korea initial a mutual security pact
Event of Interest
1955 Fidel Castro forms the "26th of July Movement", a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization
Fidel Castro
- 1955 Geneva conference held to discuss peaceful uses of atomic energy
- 1956 Fire & explosion kill 263 miners at Marcinelle, Belgium
- 1957 USSR offers Syria economic/military aid
- 1960 Ivory Coast declares independence
- 1960 South Kasai secedes from the Congo.
- 1960 Charges against 53 of the 76 Africans detained after the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa are dropped
- 1961 Verne Gagne beats Gene Kiniski in Minneapolis, to become NWA champ
- 1963 Great Train Robbery in England, £2.6 million ($7.3 million)
- 1963 Verne Gagne beats Fritz Von Erich in Amarillo, to become NWA champ
Birthdays in History
- 1079 Emperor Horikawa of Japan (d. 1107)
- 1518 Conrad Lycosthenes, French-born German humanist and encyclopedist (d. 1561)
- 1586 Adolf, earl of Nassau-Siegen
- 1605 Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, British colonial Governor of Maryland (d. 1675)
- 1617 Adriaan W "Joris" van Geel, Flemish missionary (Bantu Dictionary)
- 1646 Godfrey Kneller, German-born painter (d. 1723)
- 1653 Jacques Basnage, French/Neth historian/vicar
- 1673 John Ker, Scottish spy (d. 1726)
- 1694 Francis Hutcheson, Irish philosopher (d. 1746)
- 1705 Gustaaf Imhoff, gov of Ceylon (1736-40)/gov of Neth-Indies (1743-50)
- 1720 Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish politician (d. 1796)
- 1732 Johann C Adelung, German linguist/librarian
- 1746 Hieronymus van Alphen, Dutch attorney/poet (church songs)
- 1763 Charles Bulfinch, 1st US pro architect (Mass State House), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- 1805 Antoon Jurgens, Dutch margarine manufacturer
- 1807 Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish novelist (d. 1892)
- 1812 John Rodgers II, Commander (Union Navy), (d. 1882)
- 1814 Esther Morris [Esther Hobart McQuigg], American suffragist, anti-slavery activist, and 1st female justice of the peace in the US, born in Tioga County, New York (d. 1902)
- 1819 Charles Anderson Dana, Asst Secy War, (Union) (d. 1897)
- 1820 Winfield Scott "Old Swet" Featherston, Army Brigadier General (Confederate)
- 1823 Theodule Augustin Ribot, painter
- 1824 Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse), Tsarina of Russia (d. 1880)
- 1835 James William Forsyth, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Maumee, Ohio (d. 1906)
- 1839 Nelson Appleton Miles, American Major General (Union Army), born in Westminster, Massachusetts (d. 1925)
- 1857 Henry Osborn, Conn, paleontologist/author (52 Years of Research)
- 1861 William Bateson, English biologist (originator of term "genetics")
- 1866 Matthew A Henson, 1st African American to reach North Pole (Jun 4 1909)
- 1875 Artur da Silva Bernardes, President of Brazil (d. 1955)
- 1879 Emiliano Zapata, Mexican revolutionary, peasant leader
- 1879 "Dr. Bob" Smith, American physician and co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont (d. 1950)
- 1880 Earle Page, Australian politician (d. 1961)
- 1881 Paul L E von Kleist, German general-fieldmarshal (Eastern Front)
- 1884 Sara Teasdale, American poet (1st Pulitzer Prize-1918-"Love Songs")
- 1887 J C Heldring, Dutch businessman
- 1896 Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, writer (Yearling), born in Washington, D.C.
- 1898 Paul Belmondo, French sculptor (Bathing Woman, Orleans)
- 1900 Josephine Holt Bay, 1st woman to head a firm on NY stock exchange
- 1901 Ernest Lawrence, American nuclear scientist and inventor (Cyclotron - Nobel 1939), born in Canton, South Dakota (d. 1958)
Paul Dirac
1902 Paul Dirac, English physicist (quantum electrodynamics, Nobel 1933), born in Bristol, England (d. 1984)
Paul Dirac
- 1903 August Cool, Belgian union leader/minister of state
- 1905 Wachtang Ananjan, writer
- 1906 Andre Demedts, Flemish writer (Rainfall of the Days)
- 1908 Arthur J Goldberg, Ill, UN ambassador/Supreme Court justice (1962-65)
- 1908 Chivu Stoica, premier of Romania (1955-61)
- 1910 Francisco Brochado Da Rocha, Prime Minister of Brazil (1962)
- 1912 Daniel Mann, director (Willard, Butterfield 8), born in Brooklyn, New York
- 1913 Daan Wildschut, painter/glazenier/author
- 1913 Robert Stafford, American politician (Sen-R-VT, 1971-88), born in Rutland, Vermont (d. 2006)
- 1914 Arthur Holt, politician
- 1914 Unity Mitford, English fascist sympathizer and one of the Mitford sisters, born in London (d. 1948)
- 1915 Jumbo Elliott, American track coach (d. 1981)
- 1919 Dino De Laurentiis, producer (King Kong), born in Torre Annunziata, Italy
- 1920 Don Cook, foreign Correspondent
- 1921 John Herbert Chapman, British physicist (d. 1979)
- 1921 Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, Indian medical scientist (d. 2001)
- 1922 Michael Parkin, journalist
- 1922 Rudi Gernreich, designer (1st women's topless swimsuit, miniskirt)
- 1922 Gertrude Himmelfarb, American historian
- 1924 Gene Deitch, American illustrator (Tom Terrific, Nudnik) born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2020)
- 1925 Jack Stoddart, designer/socialist
- 1925 Alija Izetbegović, Bosniak politician (d. 2003)
- 1927 Elis Juliana, Antillian writer/poet (Lady of the Night: A flower)
- 1927 Jim Weaver, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon), born in Brookings, South Dakota
- 1927 Yuri Kasakow, Russian writer, born in Moscow (d. 1982)
- 1928 Ken Scowcroft, English insurance magnate/multi-millionaire
- 1929 Ronnie Biggs, English criminal (Great Train Robbery of 1963), born in Stockwell
- 1929 Larisa Bogoraz, Soviet dissident (d. 2004)
- 1929 Gudrun Burwitz [Himmler], German daughter of SS leader Heinrich Himmler, born in Munich, Weimar Republic (d. 2018)
- 1930 Joan Mondale, wife of US vice-president Walter Mondale (1977-81)
- 1930 Terry Nation, writer (Dr Who, Blake 7)
- 1932 Luis García Meza Tejada, Bolivian dictator
- 1934 Julian Dixon, American politician (Rep-D-California, 1979-2000), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2000)
- 1935 Ron Marlenee, American politician (Rep-R-MT, 1977-93), born in Scobey, Montana
- 1935 Sandy Horn, lesbian activist
- 1935 John Laws, Australia radio personality
- 1939 Alexander Watson, American ambassador and diplomat
- 1944 Dapper Dan [Daniel Day], American fashion designer, born in Harlem, New York
- 1946 Robin M Tallon, (Rep-D-SC, 1983- )
- 1946 James W. Lewis, American convicted extortionist
- 1948 Svetlana Y Savitskaya, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz T-7, T-12, T-15A)
- 1949 Bela Magyari, Hungarian cosmonaut
- 1951 Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (d. 1994)
- 1951 Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian politician, President of Egypt (2012-13), leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, born in El Adwah, Egypt (d. 2019)
- 1952 Jostein Gaarder, Norwegian author
- 1958 Deborah Norville, news anchor (Today Show, Inside Edition)
- 1960 Ulrich Maly, German politician
- 1963 Kyoko Chan Cox, American daughter of Yoko Ono and Anthony Cox, born in Tokyo, Japan
- 1963 Jon Turteltaub, American director
- 1964 Anastasia Ashman, American writer and digital strategist (GlobalNiche), born in Berkeley, California
- 1964 Giuseppe Conte, Italian jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Italy (2018-), born in Volturara Appula, Italy
- 1965 Kate Langbroek, Australian media personality
- 1967 Lee Unkrich, American director and film editor
- 1972 Axel Merckx, Belgian cyclist
- 1975 Jeremy Scott, American fashion designer (Moschino), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- 1979 Paris Latsis, Greek shipping heir
- 1980 Pat Noonan, American footballer
- 1982 David Florence, British canoeist
- 1984 Devon McTavish, American footballer
- 1988 Beatrice, Princes of York, British daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, born in London
Weddings in History
- 1502 Jacobus IV of Scotland marries Margaretha Tudor
Wedding of Interest
1778 Naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (34) weds Marie Anne Rosalie Delaporte
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
- 1810 Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib marries Maaroof, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Baksh, and moves to Delhi.
Wedding of Interest
1867 Engineer George Westinghouse (20) weds Marguerite Erskine Walker in Brooklyn, New York
George Westinghouse
Wedding of Interest
1925 China's Premier Zhou Enlai (27) weds Deng Yingchao (21) in Guangzhou
Zhou Enlai
Wedding of Interest
1942 Journalist Ben Bradlee (20) weds Jean Saltonstall
Ben Bradlee
Divorces in History
Divorce of Interest
1946 Esta Krakower divorces mobster Bugsy Siegel (40) after 17 years of marriage
Bugsy Siegel
Deaths in History
- 869 Lothair II of Lotharingia (855-869) dies at about 34
- 1506 Sesshu Toyo, Zen monk/painter, dies in Yamaguchi Japan at 86
- 1553 Girolamo Fracastoro, Italian physician (b. 1478)
- 1555 Oronce Finé, French mathematician (b. 1494)
- 1588 Alonso Sánchez Coello, Spanish painter
- 1604 Horio Tadauji, Japanese warlord (b. 1578)
- 1616 Cornelis Ketel, Dutch portrait painter/poet, buried at 68
- 1631 Konstantinas Sirvydas, Lithuanian lexicographer (b. 1579)
- 1684 George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer (b. 1622)
- 1685 Sassoferrato, [Giovanni B Salvi], Italian painter (Madonna), dies at 75
- 1694 Antoine Arnauld [le grand Arnauld], French lawyer/theology, dies at 82
- 1705 Willem Roukens, mayor (Nimegen ort Nimeguen), beheaded
- 1719 Christoph Ludwig Agricola, German landscape painter, dies at 51
- 1747 Madeleine de Verchères, New France heroine (b. 1678)
- 1788 Louis FAD Duke the Richelieu, French marshal, dies at 92
George Canning
1827 George Canning, British Prime Minister (Tory: 1827) and Foreign Secretary, dies in office at 57
George Canning
- 1828 Carl Peter Thunberg, Swedish naturalist, dies at 84
- 1863 Angus MacAskill known as 'Giant MacAskill', circus performer (b.1825)
- 1879 Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher, dies at 83
- 1887 Alexander William Doniphan, American lawyer and soldier, dies at 79
- 1897 Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss cultural historian, dies at 79
- 1898 Eugène Boudin, French painter (beach scenes), dies at 74
- 1902 James Tissot, French painter and illustrator, dies at 65
- 1908 Joseph [Maria] Olbrich, architect (Wiener Sezession), dies at 40
- 1909 William Miller, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 89
- 1911 William P. Frye, American politician (b. 1830)
- 1921 Juhani Aho, Finnish journalist and writer (Panu, Tuomio), dies at 59
- 1928 Stjepan Radic, founder/leader (Croatian Boer party), dies
- 1944 Erwin von Witzleben, German fieldmarshal (July 20th plot), hanged at 62
- 1944 Michael Wittman, German soldier and tank ace, dies at 30
- 1947 Anton Ivanovich Denikin, Russian general (b. 1872)
- 1950 Ernest Douwes Dekker, Indo-Dutch nationalist and founder of National-India Party, dies at 70
- 1950 Fergus McMaster, Australian businessman and aviation pioneer (Qantas), dies at 71
- 1960 Danton Walker, American columnist (Broadway Spotlight), dies at 61
- 1961 Franc N D Buchman, US theology (Moral Rearms), dies at 83
Shirley Jackson
1965 Shirley Jackson, American author (Road Through the Wall), dies at 45
Shirley Jackson
- 1965 Olga Fastrová, Czech writer and editor (National Policy), dies at 89
- 1968 Orovida Camille Pissarro, British painter and etcher, dies at 74
- 1969 Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, German human biologist and Nazi physician, dies at 73
- 1973 Vilhelm Moberg, Swedish author (The Emigrants) and historian, dies at 74
- 1974 Baldur von Schirach, German author/nazi politician, dies at 67
- 1976 John Roselli, hired by CIA to kill Castro, found murdered
- 1979 Nicholas Monsarrat, British novelist (b. 1910)
- 1980 Aga Yahya Khan, Pakistan military/politician, dies at 63
- 1980 Jacqueline Cochran, US pilot and 1st woman to break sound barrier, dies at 74
- 1980 Paul Triquet, Canadian military officer, dies at 70
- 1982 Hermine Heijermans, author (Snikken en Smartlapjes), dies at 80
- 1982 Valeer van Kerkhove, Flemish writer (De Weerlozen), dies at 63
- 1984 Ellen Raskin, American author (b.1928)
- 1987 Danilo Blanuša, Croatian mathematician, dies at 83
- 1991 James B Irwin, Col USAF/astronaut (Apollo 15), dies at 61
- 1991 John Brasser, Zaans resistance fighter (White Ko), dies
- 1991 Magdalena G Schenk, historical (Vorstenhuizen of our time), dies
- 1992 Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, Iranian influential Shia Islamic scholar, dies at 92
- 1992 Alison L Gertz, US aids-activist, Esquire women of year, dies of aids at 26
- 1992 Eitan Berglas, Israeli banker and advisor, dies at 58
- 1992 Thomas J. McIntyre, American senator and writer (Fear Brokers), dies at 77
- 1993 Lou van Raised, impresario, dies at 77
- 1993 Lou van Rees, Dutch impresario, dies at 77
- 1994 Henriette Santer, Dutch-English clinical psychologist, dies at 62
- 1994 Leonid Leonov, Russian writer and playwright (Russky Lesson), dies at 95
- 1994 Robin Cavendish, English campaigner for the disabled, dies at 64
- 1996 George Richard Samways, children's writer, dies at 101
- 1996 Herbert Huncke, American writer and poet, dies at 80
- 1996 Julian Stryjkowski, Polish journalist and writer known for his radical leftist leanings, dies at 91
- 1996 Nevill Francis Mott, British physicist (1977 Nobel Prize for Physics for work on amorphous semiconductors), dies at 90
- 1998 Mahmoud Saremi, Iranian journalist
- 2005 Ahmed Deedat, Islamic scholar (b. 1918)
- 2005 John H. Johnson, African-American publisher (b. 1918)
- 2005 Monica Sjöö, Swedish artist (b. 1938)
- 2007 Joybubbles, A notable phone phreak. (b. 1949)
- 2007 Ma Lik, Chinese politician (b. 1952)
- 2014 Charles Keating, English actor, dies from lung cancer at 72
- 2016 Edward Daly, Irish Bishop "Bloody Sunday" priest, dies at 82
- 2016 Doris Bohrer [Sharrar], American WWII spy, dies at 93