Events in History
- 337 St Julius I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1189 Riots in Lynn, Norfolk (England) spread to Norwich
- 1508 Maximilian I proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor, 1st Emperor in centuries not to be crowned by the Pope
- 1577 King Henri de Bourbon of Navarra becomes leader of the Huguenots
- 1626 Huguenot rebels & French sign Peace of La Rochelle
- 1651 -7] Cardinal Mazarin flees Paris
- 1685 Duke of York becomes King James II of England and VII of Scotland upon the death of his brother Charles II
- 1716 Britain & Netherlands renew alliance
- 1778 Britain declares war on France
- 1778 France recognizes USA, signs Treaty of Alliance in Paris, 1st US treaty
- 1788 Massachusetts becomes 6th state to ratify constitution
- 1815 New Jersey issues 1st US railroad charter (John Stevens)
Event of Interest
1819 Stamford Raffles founds Singapore as a British trading port
Stamford Raffles
- 1820 1st organized emigration of blacks back to Africa (NY to Sierra Leone)
- 1820 US population announced at 9,638,453, African Americans 1,771,656 (18.4%)
- 1820 First 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society start a settlement in present-day Liberia
- 1832 1st appearance of cholera in Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1832 US ship destroys Sumatran village in retaliation for piracy
Event of Interest
1836 HMS Beagle and Charles Darwin arrive in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)
Charles Darwin
Treaty of Waitangi
1840 The Treaty of Waitangi is signed between 40 Māori Chiefs (later signed by 500) and representatives of the British crown in Waitangi, New Zealand. The treaty was designed to share sovereignty between the two groups.
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- 1843 The first minstrel show in the United States The Virginia Minstrels opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).
Event of Interest
1855 British government of Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston forms
Henry John Temple
Victory in Battle
1862 General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Henry in Tennessee
Ulysses S. Grant
- 1862 American Civil War: Naval engagement on Tennessee River, USS Conestago vs CSS Appleton Belle
- 1862 Ulysses S. Grant begins military campaign in Mississippi
- 1864 -7] Skirmish at Barnett's Ford Virginia
- 1865 2nd day of battle at Dabney's Mills (Hatcher's Run)
- 1867 Peabody Fund forms to promote Black education in southern USA
- 1869 Harper's Weekly publishes 1st picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers
- 1882 The society of the Knights of Columbus forms in New Haven, Connecticut
- 1891 1st great train robbery by Dalton Gang (Southern Pacific #17)
- 1894 Bottle opener patented by William Painter
Spain Declares War Against the United States
1899 Spanish–American War ends, peace treaty ratified by Senate
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- 1900 The Battle of Vaal Krantz, South Africa (Boers vs British army)
- 1902 Young Women's Hebrew Association organizes in NYC
- 1904 Japan notifies Russia that in view of Russia's delaying tactics and provocative military action, Japan is ending negotiations and recalling its members from Moscow
- 1911 1st old-age home opened in Prescott, Arizona
- 1911 Great fire destroys downtown Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey)
- 1918 Great Britain grants women (30 & over) the vote
- 1919 1st day of 5-day Seattle general strike
- 1919 The first day of the Weimar Republic which, because of its support of the Treaty of Versailles, does not receive proper allegiance from the German nation
- 1920 Saarland administrated by League of Nations
- 1922 US, UK, France, Italy & Japan sign Washington naval arms limitation
- 1928 A woman dubbed Anna Anderson [possibly Franziska Schanzkowska] arrives in NYC, using the alias "Anastasia Tschaikovsky" claims to be Grand Duchess Anastasia, daughter of Tsar Nicholas II
- 1929 Rudy Vallee records single "Deep Night"
- 1932 Fascist coup in the Memel territory
- 1933 -90°F (-68°C), Oymyakon, USSR (Asian record)
- 1933 Highest recorded sea wave (not tsunami), 34 m, in North Pacific hurricane by USS Ramapo
Event of Interest
1933 German President Paul von Hindenburg and Franz von Papen end the Prussian parliament
Paul von Hindenburg
Franz von Papen
- 1934 Reds purchase 43-year-old Dazzy Vance from the Cards for $7,500
- 1934 Far right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France
- 1935 "Monopoly" board game goes on sale for 1st time
- 1935 1st election to allow women to vote in Turkey
- 1937 K Elizabeth Ohi becomes 1st Japanese-US female lawyer
- 1939 Spanish government flees to France
- 1941 Auke Adema wins 6th official Dutch 11 Cities Skating Race (9:19)
- 1941 Battle of Beda Fomm: Italian 10th army destroyed
- 1941 British troops conquer Bengazi, Libya
- 1943 1st Spitfire in action above Darwin, Australia, Mu Ki-46 shot down
- 1945 US 8th Air Force bombs Magdeburg/Chemnitz
- 1945 Russian Red Army crosses the river Oder
Event of Interest
1947 Magnum Photos founded in Paris by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David Seymour
Robert Capa
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Event of Interest
1951 Radio commentator Paul Harvey arrested for trying to sneak into Argonne National Laboratory, a nuclear test site located 20 miles (32 km) west of Chicago
Paul Harvey
- 1951 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site Argonne Atomic Lab (Ill), to demonstrate lax in security
Event of Interest
1952 Queen Elizabeth II succeeds King George VI to the British throne and proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms including Canada, Australia and New Zealand
Elizabeth II
George VI
- 1953 US controls on wages & some consumer goods lifted
- 1956 Chicago's Daily Defender, begins publishing
- 1956 French Prime Minister Guy Mollet pelted with tomatoes in Algiers
- 1956 University of Alabama suspends African-American student Autherine Lucy claiming that it can no longer provide for her safety
- 1959 1st successful test-fire of Titan ICBM
Event of Interest
1959 Fidel Castro is interviewed by Edward R Murrow
Fidel Castro
Latest Wonder of the World
1964 France & Great-Britain sign accord over building channel tunnel
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Event of Interest
1968 Former President Dwight Eisenhower shot a hole-in-one
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Event of Interest
1969 The New Ulster Movement forms, promoting moderate and non-sectarian policies and to assist those candidates who support Northern Ireland Prime MinisterTerence O'Neill
Terence O'Neill
- 1970 Graeme Pollock completes 274 v Australia at Durban
- 1971 The Irish Republican Army shoots and kills Gunner Robert Curtis, the first British soldier to die during the 'Troubles'
- 1971 Bernard Watt (28), a Catholic civilian, is shot and killed by the British Army (BA) during street disturbances in Ardoyne, Belfast
- 1971 James Saunders (22), a member of the IRA, is shot and killed by the British Army during a gun battle near the Oldpark Road, Belfast
- 1972 A Civil Rights march held in Newry, County Down; very large turn-out with many people attending to protest at the killings in Derry the previous Sunday
- 1973 40,000 civil servants demonstrate against higher pension contribution
- 1973 6th ABA All-Star Game: West 123 beats East 111 at Utah
- 1974 Dutch speed limit set at 100km due to oil crisis
Event of Interest
1974 US House of Reps begins determining grounds for impeachment of President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Event of Interest
1978 Muriel, wife of late Hubert Humphrey (Sen-D-Minn) takes his office
Hubert Humphrey
Murder of Interest
1980 John Wayne Gacy goes on trial for the murder of 33 young men in Cook County, Illinois
John Wayne Gacy
Birthdays in History
- 1461 Džore Držić, Croatian poet and playwright who is considered one of the fathers of Croatian literature, born in Dubrovnik, Croatia (d. 1501)
- 1577 Beatrice Cenci, Italian noblewoman executed for fratricide, born in Rome, Italy (d. 1599)
- 1608 Antonio Vieira, Portuguese diplomat & preacher, born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1697)
Anne Stuart
1665 Anne Stuart, Queen of Great Britain (1702-14), born in St James's Palace, London (d. 1714)
Anne Stuart
- 1695 Nicolaus II Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician, born in Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1726)
- 1732 Charles Lee, General in the American Revolution, born in Darnhall, United Kingdom (d. 1782)
- 1744 Pierre-Joseph Desault, French anatomist & surgeon, born in Vouhenans, France (d. 1795)
- 1748 Adam Weishaupt, German philosopher & founder of the Order of the Illuminati, born in Ingolstadt, Germany (d. 1811)
- 1753 Évariste de Parny, French poet, born in Saint-Paul, France (d. 1814)
Aaron Burr
1756 Aaron Burr, 3rd US Vice President (D-R: 1801-05) who killed Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1836)
Aaron Burr
- 1757 Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Polish scholar & statesman, born in Skoki, Poland (d. 1841)
- 1778 Ugo Foscolo, Italian poet (Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis), born in Zakynthos Island, Greece (d. 1827)
- 1797 Joseph Maria von Radowitz, German diplomat, born in Frankfurt, Germany (d. 1912)
- 1804 Regnerus Livius van Andringa de Kempenaer, Dutch politician, born in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (d. 1813)
- 1811 Henry George Liddell, English lexicographer & father of the Alice in Alice in Wonderland, born in Bishop Auckland, United Kingdom (d. 1898)
- 1818 William Maxwell Evarts, American lawyer & statesman (Union), born in Charlestown, Massachusetts (d. 1901)
Doc Durant
1820 Doc Durant [Thomas C. Durant], American financier and railroad promoter (Transcontinental Railroad-Union Pacific), born in Lee, Massachusetts (d. 1885)
Doc Durant
J.E.B. Stuart
1833 J. E. B. Stuart [James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart], Confederate General in the American Civil War, born in Patrick County, Virginia (d. 1864)
J.E.B. Stuart
- 1833 José María de Pereda, Spanish novelist, born in Polanco, Spain (d. 1906)
- 1834 William Dorsey Pender, Major General (Confederate Army), born in Edgecombe County, North Carolina (d. 1863)
- 1834 Edwin Klebs, German physician & bacteriologist (bacterial theory of infection, diphtheria bacillus), born in Königsberg, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1913)
- 1838 Yisrael Meir Kagan [Chofetz Chayim], Belarusian rabbi, born in Dzyatlava, Belarus (d. 1933)
- 1853 Ignacij Klemenčič, Slovenian physicist, born in Trebnje, Slovenia (d. 1901)
- 1860 Eliza Johannes Meester, Dutch journalist & writer (Geertje), born in Harderwijk, Netherlands (d. 1931)
- 1864 John Henry Mackay, Scottish-born German writer (Anarchists), born in Greenock, United Kingdom (d. 1933)
- 1866 Karl Sapper, German traveller & natural historian (d. 1945)
- 1872 Alfred Mombert, German poet, born in Karlsruhe, Germany (d. 1942)
- 1874 Milton Bennett Medary, American architect (Washington Chapel), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1929)
- 1875 Leonid Gobyato, Russian general & inventor (man-portable mortar), born in Taganrog, Russia (d. 1915)
- 1876 Wilhelm August Schmidtbonn, German writer (Der Sprechende Eros), born in Bonn, Germany (d. 1952)
- 1879 Carl Ramsauer, German physicist (Ramsauer-Townsend effect), born in Oldenburg, Germany (d. 1879)
- 1887 Josef Frings, German Archbishop of Cologne, born in Neuss, Germany (d. 1978)
- 1888 Ljudmil Stojanow, Bulgarian poet (Metsh i Slowo, Cholera), born in Kovachevitsa, Bulgaria (d. 1973)
- 1889 Karel Wellens, Flemish painter, born in Lummen, Belgium (d. 1958)
- 1889 Siegfried Kracauer, German writer, born in Frankfurt, Germany (d. 1966)
- 1892 William Parry Murphy, American physician & Nobel laureate, born in Wisconsin (d. 1987)
- 1893 Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, President of UN General Assembly (1962-63), born in Sialkot, Pakistan (d. 1985)
- 1894 Eric Partridge, New Zealand lexicographer, born in Waimata Valley, New Zealand (d. 1979)
- 1897 Alberto [de Almeida] Cavalcanti, Brazilian director (Nicholas Nickleby), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (d. 1982)
Louis Buchalter
1897 Louis Buchalter, Jewish-American mobster (Murder, Inc.), born in NYC, New York (d. 1944)
Louis Buchalter
- 1902 Louis Nizer, Jewish-American lawyer (defended blacklisted stars in '50s, Catspaw), born in London, United Kingdom (d. 1994)
- 1903 Pieter G Buckinx, Flemish writer (Temptation of Poverty), born in Kortessem, Belgium (d. 1987)
- 1905 Władysław Gomułka, Polish communist politician, born in Krosno, Poland (d. 1982)
- 1908 Amintore Fanfani, Italian politician (Prime Minister), born in Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy (d. 1999)
- 1908 Edward Lansdale, United States Air Force Officer, born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1987)
- 1910 Irmgard Keun, German author, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1982)
- 1910 Carlos Marcello, Tunisian-born gangster, born in Tunis, Tunisia (d. 1993)
- 1912 Eva Braun, German mistress and wife of Adolf Hitler, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1945)
Mary Leakey
1913 Mary Leakey, British paleoanthropologist, discovered earliest human footprints ((3.6 million years old), born in London (d. 1996)
Mary Leakey
- 1915 Derk Roemers, Dutch politician (Soc-Dem), born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1983)
- 1916 John Crank, British mathematician, born in Hindley, United Kingdom (d. 2006)
- 1918 Lothar-Günther Buchheim, German author, born in Weimar, Germany (d. 2007)
- 1919 Louis Heren, English foreign correspondent & writer (China's Three Thousand Years), born in London, United Kingdom (d. 1995)
- 1920 James H. Scheuer, American politician (Rep-D-NY, 1965-73, 75- 93), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2005)
- 1924 Paolo Volponi, Italian communist & author (Road to Rome), born in Urbino, Italy (d. 1994)
- 1924 Jin Yong [Louis Cha Leung-yung], Chinese Wuxia novelist, born in Haining, China (d. 2018)
- 1929 Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta, Venezuelan writer, born in Boconó, Venezuela (d. 2011)
- 1932 Francois Truffaut, French director (Jules & Jim, Fahrenheit 451), born in Paris, France (d. 1984)
- 1932 Camilo Cienfuegos, Cuban revolutionary, born in Havana, Cuba (d. 1959)
- 1933 Walter E Fauntroy, American pastor & politician (Rep-D-DC, 1971- ), born in Washington, D.C.
- 1934 Vernon "Vern" Ehlers, American politician (Michigan House of Representatives), born in Pipestone, Minnesota (d. 2017)
- 1936 J. Howard Marshall III, American businessman, born in San Francisco, California
- 1942 Sarah Brady, American gun-control activist, born in Kirksville, Missouri
- 1942 James Loewen, American sociologist & historian, born in Decatur, Illinois
- 1944 Christine Boutin, French politician, born in Levroux, France
- 1946 Jim Turner, American politician, born in Fort Lewis, Washington
- 1951 Maria Christina, Belgian princess & daughter of Leopold III, born in Brussels, Belgium
- 1952 Ricardo Lavolpe, Argentine football coach, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 1960 Akinwumi Adesina, Nigerian politician (African Development Bank President 2015-), born in Ogun State, Nigeria
- 1961 Yuri Ivanovich Onufriyenko, Russian cosmonaut (Mir, Soyuz TM-23), born in Ryasne, Ukraine
- 1963 Kevin Trudeau, American entrepreneur, born in Lynn, Massachusetts
- 1975 Svend-Allan Sørensen, Danish artist, born in Kjellerup, Denmark
- 1980 Luke Ravenstahl, American politician, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 1983 Myron Wolf Child, Canadian politician, born in Cardston, Alberta (d. 2007)
- 1986 Tony Johnson Jr., American mixed martial artist (KOTC heavyweight champion 2010), born in Killeen, Texas
- 2004 Princess Louise of Belgium, born in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium
Weddings in History
Wedding of Interest
1843 Frontiersman Kit Carson (33) weds Josefa Jaramillo (14) at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Kit Carson
Wedding of Interest
1949 Diplomat Henry Kissinger (25) weds Ann Fleisher (23) in Washington Heights, Manhattan
Henry Kissinger
Wedding of Interest
1993 US Senator Mitch McConnell (51) weds economist Elaine Chao
Mitch McConnell
Deaths in History
- 743 Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik, 10th Umayyad caliph (724-43), dies at about 52
- 891 Photius, Byzantine saint, theologist and Patriarch of Constantinople, dies
- 1140 Thurstan, archbishop of York, dies
- 1378 Jeanne de Bourbon, wife of Charles V of France (b. 1338)
- 1515 Aldus Manutius, Italian printer
- 1585 Edmund Plowden, English legal scholar (b. 1518)
- 1593 Emperor Ōgimachi, 106th Emperor of Japan, dies at 75
- 1612 Christopher Clavius, calendar reformer, dies (birth date unknown)
- 1617 Prosper Alpinus/Prospero Alpini, Italian physician/botanist, dies at 63
Charles II
1685 Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1660-85), dies at 54
Charles II
- 1695 Ahmed II, 21st Sultan of Turkey (1691-95), dies at 51
- 1699 Jozef Ferdinand of Bavaria, heir of Spanish king Carlos II, dies
- 1740 Clement XII [Lorenzo Corsini], Italian Pope (1730-40) who despite ill health and total blindness (1732) unsuccessfully stemmed decline of papal influence, dies at 87
- 1775 William Dowdeswell, English politician (b. 1721)
- 1783 Lancelot "Capability" Brown, English landscape architect who designed over 170 parks, dies at about 67
- 1785 Iman Willem Falck, Dutch governor of Ceylon (1765-83), dies at 48
- 1793 Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright and librettist (Belisario, Servant of Two Masters), dies at 85
Joseph Priestley
1804 Joseph Priestley, English chemist, theologian and author who discovered oxygen and carbonated water, dies at 70
Joseph Priestley
- 1816 Maria Ludwika Rzewuska, Polish szlachcianka (b. 1744)
- 1825 William Eustis, 12th Governor of Massachusetts (1823-25), dies at 71
- 1833 Pierre André Latreille, French entomologist (first detailed classification of crustaceans and insects), dies at 70
- 1834 Richard Lemon Lander, British explorer, dies from his injuries sustained by a musket ball at 29
- 1855 Josef Munzinger, Swiss Federal Councilor, dies at 63
- 1865 John Pegram, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in battle at 33
- 1881 Pieter Mijer, Gov-Gen of Neth Indies (1866-72), dies at 68
- 1896 Abraham Czn van Stolk, Dutch art collector, dies at 82
- 1897 Ebenezer C Brewer, British writer (Dictionary of Phrase & Fable), dies
- 1899 Georg Leo earl von Caprivi, German chancellor, dies at 67
- 1899 Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, dies at 24 in mysterious circumstances
- 1910 Alfonso Maria Fusco. Beatified Italian Roman Catholic priest and founder (b.1839)
- 1914 Albert Neuhuys, Dutch painter of peasant families (Laren School), dies at 69
- 1916 Anne C A I van Diest, Belgian physician/feminist, dies at 73
- 1916 Rubén Darío, Nicaraguan writer (b. 1867)
- 1917 Édouard Drumont, French anti-semite journalist, dies at 72
- 1918 Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter/cartoonist, dies at 55
- 1919 Friedrich Wilhelm Mengelberg, German-Dutch sculptor and architect of church interiors, dies at 81
- 1923 E. E. [Edward Emerson] Barnard, American astronomer (5th moon Jupiter), dies at 65
- 1930 Eva Strittmatter, German writer (Tinko), dies at 17
- 1938 Marianne Von Werefkin, Russian-German-Swiss Expressionist painter, dies at 77
- 1941 Maximilien Luce, French painter, dies at 82
- 1942 Wobbe de Vries, Dutch linguist, dies at 78
- 1943 HA Seyffardt, Dutch lt-gen/NSB "minister", dies at 71
- 1945 Jan Bos, Dutch resistance fighter, executed
- 1945 Paul Bos, Dutch resistance fighter, executed
- 1948 Robert Brasillach, French author/nazi collaborator, dies at 38
- 1950 Georges Imbert, Alsatian chemist (b. 1884)
- 1950 Frank Speck, American anthropologist (Algonquin Tribes and Eastern Woodland Native Americans) dies at 68
Emilio Aguinaldo
1964 Emilio Aguinaldo, 1st President of the Philippines (1899-1901), dies of coronary thrombosis at 94
Emilio Aguinaldo
- 1972 Julian H Steward, US anthropologist (South American), dies at 70
- 1973 Ira S Bowen, US physicist/astronomer (Mt Wilson/Palomar), dies at 74
- 1979 Alain Teister, Dutch sculptor/writer, dies at 47
- 1979 Arthur van Schendel, Dutch art historian, dies at 68
- 1981 Frederica of Hanover, Queen Consort of Greece, dies at 63
- 1982 Ben Nicholson, English painter & sculptor (Circle), dies at 87
- 1985 James Hadley Chase, English writer (b. 1906)
- 1986 Frederick Coutts, Scottish 8th Salvation Army General, dies at 86
- 1986 Minoru Yamasaki, American architect (b. 1912)
- 1988 Marghanita Laski, English journalist and author (Victorian chaise-lounge), dies at 72
- 1989 Barbara Tuchman, historian (Guns of August-Pulitzer), dies at 77
- 1989 Chris Gueffroy, East German attempted defector (b. 1968)
- 1991 Marten Levendig, Dutch TV correspondent to Moscow, dies
- 1991 Salvador Luria, Italian-American microbiologist (Nobel Prize 1969), dies at 78
Jack Kirby
1994 Jack Kirby, American cartoonist (X-Men; Spider-Man; Hulk; Captain America), dies at 76
Jack Kirby
- 1995 James Ingram Merrill, American poet (Braving the Elements), dies at 68
- 1996 Rosemary Tsay, drama critic/SOE operator, dies at 76
- 1998 Nazim al-Kudsi, Syrian PM (1949, 1950-51)/pres (1961-63), dies
- 1998 Haroun Tazieff, French vulcanologist and geologist (b. 1914)
- 2001 Filemon Lagman, Filipino Communist revolutionary (b. 1953)
- 2001 Fulgence Charpentier, French-Canadian journalist, dies at 103
- 2001 Jack Hyles, Independent Baptist pastor (First Baptist Church of Hammond 1959-2001), dies at 74
- 2002 Max Perutz, Austrian molecular biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1914)
- 2005 Karl Haas, American radio presenter (b. 1913)
- 2007 Lee Hoffman, American author (The Valdez Horses), dies at 74
- 2007 Len Hopkins, Canadian politician (b. 1930)
- 2008 John McWethy, American journalist (b. 1947)
- 2008 Dieter Noll, German writer (Die Abenteuer des Werner Holt), dies at 80
- 2012 Janice Voss, American astronaut (shuttle radar topography mission), dies from breast cancer at 55
- 2012 Antoni Tapies, Spanish painter, sculptor and theorist (Dau al Set) dies at 88
- 2012 Norma Merrick Sklarek, 1st African-American woman architect in NY & California, dies at 85
- 2015 André Brink, South African writer (Kennis van die Aand - 1st Afrikaans book banned), dies at 79
- 2019 Rosamunde Pilcher, English novelist (The Shell Seekers), dies at 94
- 2021 George P. Schultz, American economist, and statesman (Secretary of State, 1982-89; Secretary of the Treasury, 1972-74), dies at 100