Events in History
- 644 Umar ibn al-Khattab, second Muslim caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina
- 1394 Jews are expelled from France by Charles VI
- 1468 Liège is sacked by Charles I of Burgundy's troops.
Historic Discovery
1493 Christopher Columbus 'discovers' the island of Dominica, which was originally inhabited by the Kalinago
Christopher Columbus
Event of Interest
1534 English parliament passes Act of Supremacy: Henry VIII and subsequent monarchs become Head of Church of England
Henry VIII
- 1620 Great Patent granted to Plymouth Colony
Event of Interest
1629 Prince Frederick Henry festival in The Hague
Frederick Henry
Treaty of Interest
1716 Pacification Treaty of Warsaw: Tsar Peter the Great guarantees Saxon monarch August I's Polish kingdom
Peter the Great
Event of Interest
1783 Washington orders Continental Army disbanded
Nathanael Greene
Event of Interest
1793 French playwright, journalist and feminist Olympe de Gouges is guillotined
Olympe de Gouges
- 1794 French troops conquer Maastricht
Election of Interest
1796 John Adams elected as 2nd president of the United States of America
John Adams
Victory in Battle
1812 Napoleonic armies defeated at Vyazma
Napoléon Bonaparte
- 1813 US troops under General Coffee destroy Indian village at Talladega Ala
- 1820 Cuenca (Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca), Ecuador, declares independence
- 1838 The Times of India, world's largest circulated English language daily broadsheet newspaper founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce
- 1839 First Opium War - 2 British frigates engage several Chinese junks
- 1839 Palace of Gulhane Turkey, freedom of religion proclaimed
- 1848 Johan Thorbeckes revises the Constitution of the Netherlands
- 1856 A British fleet bombards Canton
Event of Interest
1860 Poet and critic Matthew Arnold begins his series of lectures "On Translating Home" as Oxford Professor of Poetry at Oxford University
Matthew Arnold
Event of Interest
1867 Battle at Mentana: French & Papal troops beat Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
- 1868 First black US Congressman elected (John W Menard, Louisiana)
Election of Interest
1868 Ulysses S. Grant (R) wins US presidential election over Horatio Seymour (D)
Ulysses S. Grant
- 1869 Canada's Hamilton Foot Ball Club forms
- 1874 James Theodore Holly, elected bishop of Haiti
- 1883 Race riots in Danville Virginia (4 blacks killed)
- 1883 US Supreme Court decides federal courts have no jurisdiction over Native American tribal Council (Ex parte Crow Dog)
- 1883 American Old West: Self-described "Black Bart the poet" gets away with his last stagecoach robbery, but leaves an incriminating clue that eventually leads to his capture
- 1885 Tacoma vigilantes drive out Chinese, burn their homes & businesses
- 1886 Friars of Tilburg arrives on Curacao
- 1888 Amsterdam: 1st concerto of Concert worker, under Willem Kes
- 1889 Chaplain Ariëns founds first roman catholic workers group
- 1896 J H Hunter patents portable weighing scales
- 1896 Martha Hughes Cannon of Utah elected 1st female state senator in the US
Election of Interest
1896 William McKinley (R) defeats William Jennings Bryan (D) for president
William McKinley
William Jennings Bryan
Event of Interest
1905 Tsar Nicholas II of Russia signs a document of amnesty for the political prisoners
Nicholas II
- 1906 International Radiotelegraph Conference in Berlin selects "SOS" (· · · – – – · · ·) distress signal as the worldwide standard for help
Election of Interest
1908 William Howard Taft (R) elected 27th U.S. President over William Jennings Bryan
William Howard Taft
William Jennings Bryan
Model T
1911 Chevrolet officially enters the automobile market in competition with the Ford Model T
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- 1913 1st modern elastic brassiere is patented by New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob
- 1916 Treaty establishes British suzerainty over Qatar
- 1917 1st class US mail now costs 3 cents per ounce
- 1918 Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolves
- 1918 Poland proclaims independence from Russia after WW I
- 1918 Thousands of revolutionary German sailors with the fleet at Kiel mutiny, seize the city, and set up councils of workers and sailors
- 1922 Greek parliament bans Prince Andreas for life
- 1927 22.3 cm rainfall at Somerset, Vermont (state record)
- 1927 Tropical storm flooding kills 84 in Winooski River Valley, Vermont
- 1928 Turkey switches from Arabic to Roman alphabet
- 1930 First vehicular tunnel to a foreign country (Detroit-Windsor) opens
Event of Interest
1930 Bank of Italy renamed Bank of America
Amadeo Giannini
Coup d'état
1930 Getúlio Dornelles Vargas became Head of the Provisional Government in Brazil after a bloodless coup on October 24.
Getulio Vargas
Election of Interest
1936 President Franklin D. Roosevelt wins a second term in office, defeating Republican candidate Alf Landon in the most lopsided election in American history in terms of electoral vote
Franklin D. Roosevelt
- 1939 Clare Booth's "Margin for Error" premieres in NYC
Attack on Pearl Harbor
1941 Hirohito's accord on Yamamoto's attack plan on Pearl Harbor fails
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- 1942 12th day of battle at El Alamein: Scottish assault
- 1942 William L Dawson elected to Congress from Chicago
- 1943 P-47D Thunderbolt shot down above North Holland
- 1944 Allied commandos land at Westkapelle, on the Dutch island of Walcheren
- 1944 German troops in Vlissingen surrender
- 1944 Pro-German government of Hungary flees
- 1944 US 28th Infantry division occupies Schmidt Hurtgenwald
Event of Interest
1952 Clarence Birdseye markets frozen peas
Clarence Birdseye
Polio
1955 Scientists Carlton E. Schwerdt and Fred L. Schaffer announce they have crystallized the pure polio virus, meaning they can better determine the virus' chemical and biological properties
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- 1955 First virus crystallized (announced)
Event of Interest
1955 Argentine ex-president Juan Perón arrives in Nicaragua
Juan Perón
Space Dog Laika Launched to her Death
1957 Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2 with space dog Laika aboard, a mostly-Siberian husky, the 1st animal in space
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- 1958 USSR performs nuclear test
Election of Interest
1959 David Ben-Gurion's Mapai party wins Israeli parliamentary election
David Ben-Gurion
Election of Interest
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson is elected President of the United States in a landslide, defeating Republican candidate Barry Goldwater
Lyndon B. Johnson
Birthdays in History
- 39 Lucan, Latin poet (Bellum Civile), born in Cordova, Spain
- 1560 Annibale Carracci, Italian painter, born in Bologna, Italy (d. 1609)
- 1604 Osman II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1618-22), born in Topkapi Palace, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (d. 1622)
- 1611 Henry Ireton, English general and parliament leader (Marston Moor), born in Attenborough, Nottinghamshire, England (d. 1651)
- 1618 Aurangzeb, 6th Mughal Emperor (1658-1707), born in Dahod, Mughal Empire (d. 1707)
- 1619 Willem Kalf, Dutch painter (still lifes), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1693)
- 1621 Renatus Rapinus [René Rapin], French Jesuit theologian and poet (Hortorum libri IV), born in Tours, France (d. 1687)
- 1718 John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, British statesman who claimed to have invented the sandwich, born in Chiswick, England (d. 1792)
- 1736 Christiaan Brunings, Dutch hydraulic engineer, born in Mannheim-Neckarau, Germany (d. 1805)
- 1749 Daniel Rutherford, Scottish chemist and physician (isolation of nitrogen in 1772), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1819)
- 1753 August Gottlieb Meißner, German Enlightenment author who helped develop the detective story genre in German literature, born in Bautzen, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1807)
Stephen F. Austin
1793 Stephen F. Austin, Founded and helped colonize the US state of Texas, born in Austinville, Virginia (d. 1836)
Stephen F. Austin
- 1794 William Cullen Bryant, American poet (Thanatopsis), born in Cummington, Massachusetts (d. 1878)
- 1798 Mason James Murray, American senator and Confederate diplomat (Trent Affair), born in Fairfax, Virginia (d. 1871)
- 1799 William Sprague III, American politician (U.S. Senator from Rhode Island 1842-44)), born in Cranston, Rhode Island (d. 1856)
- 1801 Karl Baedeker, German publisher (known for guidebooks for tourists), born in Essen, Germany (d. 1859)
- 1815 John Mitchel, Irish nationalist (Jail Journal), born in Camnish, County Londonderry (d. 1875)
- 1816 Jubal Early, American General (Confederate Army), born in Franklin County, Virginia (d. 1894)
- 1818 Gustavus Adolphus DeRussy, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1891)
- 1826 Jasper Adalmorn Maltby, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Kingsville, Ohio (d. 1867)
- 1830 Jacob Maarten van Bemmelen, Dutch physicist and chemist, born in Almelo, Netherlands (d. 1911)
- 1833 Edward D. Tracy, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Macon, Georgia (d. 1863)
- 1841 Johannes Eugenius Bülow Warming, Danish botanist (plant ecology, environment-organism interactions), born in Mandø, Denmark (d. 1924)
- 1845 Edward Douglass White, American politician and jurist (9th Chief Justice of the United States), born in Thibodaux, Louisiana (d. 1921)
- 1852 Emperor Meiji [Mutsuhito], 122nd emperor of Japan (1867-1912), born in Kyōto, Japan (d. 1912)
- 1854 Jokichi Takamine, Japanese-American biochemist who isolated adrenaline (epinephrine), which causes the body to respond to emergencies, the first pure hormone isolated from natural sources, born in Takaoka, Toyama, Japan (d. 1922)
- 1857 Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev, Imperial Russian general and WW I Chief of Staff, born in Vyazma, Smolensk Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1918) [OS]
- 1861 Johann Peter Kirsch, Luxembourg church historian and archaeologist, born in Dippach, Luxembourg (d. 1941)
- 1870 John Motley Morehead III, American chemist (commercial production of calcium carbide, important for welding), born in Spray, North Carolina (d. 1922)
- 1872 Wilfred Trotter, English surgeon who was a pioneer in neurosurgery, popularized the concept of herd instinct, and was an authority in cancers of the head and neck, born in Coleford, Gloucestershire, England (d. 1939)
- 1876 Stephen Alencastre, Portuguese Roman Catholic prelate, born in Porto Santo, Madeira Islands, Portugal (d. 1940)
- 1877 Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, 19th and 25th President of Chile, born in Chillán, Chile (d. 1960)
- 1879 Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Canadian-American Arctic explorer and ethnologist, born in Arnes, Manitoba (d. 1961)
- 1884 Apie [Adrian P] Prince, Dutch author (Me Own Way)
- 1887 Samuil Marshak, Russian-Soviet writer, translator and children's poem poet, born in Voronezh, Russian Empire (d. 1964)
- 1889 Heinrich Campendonk, German painter and wood carver, born in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (d. 1957)
- 1890 Eustáquio van Lieshout, Dutch priest and missionary in Brazil, born in Aarle-Rixtel, North Brabant, Netherlands (d. 1943)
William George Barker
1894 William George Barker, Canadian flying ace (Victoria Cross recipient), born in Dauphin, Manitoba (d. 1930)
William George Barker
- 1897 Frederick Stratten Russell, English marine biologist (plankton life history and linked their depth in the seas to light availability helping explain long-term changes in the ecosystem), born in Bridport, Dorset, England (d. 1984)
- 1899 Gleb Wataghin, Ukrainian-Italian physicist, born in Birzula, Russian Empire (d. 1986)
André Malraux
1901 André Malraux [Berger], French novelist and art historian (La Condition Humaine), born in Paris, France (d. 1976)
André Malraux
- 1901 Leopold III [Filip von Saksen-Coburg], King of the Belgians (from 1934, abdicated 1951), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 1983)
- 1903 Walker Evans, American photographer (Fortune Magazine), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1975)
- 1905 Lois Mailou Jones, American painter (Peasants on Parade), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1998)
- 1905 William Donald Campbell, diarist/ornithologist
- 1909 James Reston, American journalist (New York Times), born in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, Scotland (d. 1995)
- 1912 Alfredo Stroessner, 42nd President of Paraguay (1954-89), born in Encarnación, Paraguay (d. 2006)
- 1918 Russell B. Long, American politician (Sen-D-LA, 1948-86), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2003)
- 1918 Elizabeth P. Hoisington, American Brigadier General (one of the first two women to attain the rank of brigadier general), born in Newton, Kansas (d. 2007)
- 1919 Jesús Blasco, Spanish comic book author (Cuto), born in Barcelona (d. 1995)
- 1920 Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Australian Aboriginal political activist and writer (We Are Going), born in Minjerribah, Queensland, Australia (d. 1993)
- 1923 Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich, Northern Irish clergyman (d. 1990)
- 1925 Dieter Wellershoff, German author (Minotaur)
- 1926 Valdas Adamkus, President of the Republic of Lithuania
- 1927 Harrison McCain, Canadian businessman (McCain Foods Limited), born in Florenceville, New Brunswick
- 1928 Osamu Tezuka, Japanese manga artist (Kimba the White Lion), born in Toyonaka City, Japan (d. 1989)
- 1930 Philip M Crane, (Rep-R-IL, 1969- )
- 1930 William H Dana, pilot (X-15)
- 1930 D. James Kennedy, American theologian (d. 2007)
- 1931 Yon Hyong-muk, North Korean politician (d. 2005)
- 1932 Thomas J Manton, (Rep-D-NY, 1985- )
- 1933 Louis W Sullivan, US Sec of Health & Human Services (1989- )
- 1933 Michael Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts (1975-79 and 1983-91) and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee, born in Brookline, Massachusetts
Amartya Sen
1933 Amartya Sen, Indian economist and Nobel Prize laureate (welfare economics and social choice theory), born in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India
Amartya Sen
- 1934 Hans Janmaat, Dutch politician (CP, CD)
- 1937 Lynn Woolsey, (Rep-D-California)
- 1938 Pupi Avati, Italian director (Festival, Bix, Impiegati), born in Bologna, Italy
- 1938 Martin Dunwoody, British mathematician
- 1939 Terrence McNally, American playwright (Kiss of the Spider Woman), born in St Petersburg, Florida (d. 2020)
- 1947 Mazie Hirono, American politician
Anna Wintour
1949 Anna Wintour, English-American editor (Editor of US Vogue), born in London, England
Anna Wintour
- 1950 Joe Queenan, American writer
- 1950 Massimo Mongai, Italian writer
- 1950 James Rothman, American Biochemist and Nobel Laureate (2013) for work on vesicle trafficking, born in Haverhill, Massachusetts
- 1951 Ed Murawinski, American cartoonist, New York Daily News
- 1952 Felix R de Rooy, Curacaos poet/sculptor
- 1954 Godzilla, Japanese monster (Godzilla)
- 1954 Kevin P Chilton, American General, test pilot and NASA astronaut (STS 49, 59, 76), born in Los Angeles, California
- 1961 David AC viscount Linley, son of English princess Margaret/mystic
- 1962 Phil Katz, American computer programmer (Zip file format), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2000)
- 1962 Jacqui Smith UK Home Secretary
- 1962 Gaben "Gabe" Newell, American computer programmer, businessman and co-founder of "Valve Corporation", born in Colorado
- 1980 Hans Andersen, Danish speedway rider (captain Denmark Speedway World Cup gold 2006, 08), born in Odense, Denmark
- 1983 Suzane von Richthofen, Brazilian murderess
- 1984 Ryo Nishikido, Japanese Idol (member of NEWS (band) and Kanjani8)
- 1987 Elizabeth A. Smart, American abductee and activist
Weddings in History
Wedding of Interest
1963 Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (26) weds cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev (34) at the Moscow Wedding Palace
Valentina Tereshkova
- 2012 Professional bull rider Luke Snyder (30) weds Jennifer Manna (34) at Big Cedar Lodge outside of Branson, Missouri
Deaths in History
- 361 Constantius II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (337-61), dies at 44
- 753 Pirminius, German saint (b. 753)
- 1254 Johannes III Doukas Vatatzes, Byzantine Emperor (1222-54)/saint, dies
- 1344 Adolf van der Mark, prince-bishop of Liege (1313-44), dies at 56
- 1378 Jan II, ruler of Polanen/Leck/Breda, dies
- 1428 Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury, English military leader (mortally wounded in battle) (b. 1388)
- 1456 Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond and patriarch of the Tudor Dynasty, dies of bubonic plague imprisoned in Carmarthen Castle at 26
- 1580 Jeronimo Zurita y Castro, Spanish historian (b. 1512)
- 1584 Saint Charles Borromeo, Italian cardinal and Archbishop of Milan (1564-84), dies at 46
- 1600 Richard Hooker, English theologian (b. 1554)
- 1639 Martinus de Porres, Peruvian saint (patron of social justice), dies at 69
- 1643 Paul Guldin, Swiss astronomer and mathematician (Guldinus theorem), dies at 66
- 1643 John Bainbridge, English astronomer (b. 1582)
- 1708 Henriette Catharina van Nassau, daughter of Frederick Henry, dies at 71
- 1711 John Ernest Grabe, German-born Anglican theologian, dies at 45
- 1787 Robert Lowth, British Bishop of the Church of England and grammarian (A Short Introduction to English Grammar), dies at 76
Olympe de Gouges
1793 Olympe de Gouges [Marie Gouze], French playwright and revolutionary (Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen), executed by guillotine at 45
Olympe de Gouges
- 1794 François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, French cardinal and statesman, dies at 79
- 1808 Theophilus Lindsey, English theologian and clergyman, dies at 85
- 1845 Johan G Verstolk van Soelen, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, dies at 69
- 1864 Antonio Goncalves Dias, Brazilian national poet, dies at sea
- 1867 Pieter J Jong, Dutch Zouave, dies in battle
- 1869 Andreas Kalvos, Greek poet (b. 1792)
- 1873 Kintpuash, "Captain Jack", chief of Modoc-indians, dies
- 1890 Ulrich Ochsenbein, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1811)
- 1914 Georg Trakl, Austria poet (Totentag, Cocaine Overdose), dies at 27
- 1917 Léon Bloy, French novelist and essayist, dies at 71
- 1918 Aleksandr Lyapunov, Russian mathematician (Lyapunov exponent), dies at 61
Annie Oakley
1926 Annie Oakley [Phoebe Ann Moses], American sharp shooter (Buffalo Bill's Wild West), dies of pernicious anemia at 66
Annie Oakley
Alfred Wegener
1930 Alfred Wegener, German polar researcher and meteorologist (continental shift), dies while on an expedition to Greenland at 50 (date is approximate)
Alfred Wegener
- 1931 Rudolf Wilhelm Canne, Fries playwright (Peaske), dies at 60
- 1933 Emile Roux, French scientist (b. 1853)
- 1937 Winthrop Ames, American theatrical director (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), dies at 66
- 1939 Waldemar Lindgren, Swedish-American Geologist (economic geology, ore classification), dies at 79
- 1942 Carl Sternheim, German playwright (Trousers, Snob), dies at 64
- 1944 Jack Miner, Canadian naturalist and conservationist, dies at 79
- 1949 Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and art collector (Guggenheim Museum New York), dies at 88
Henri Matisse
1954 Henri Matisse, French painter and sculptor (Dance II), dies at 84
Henri Matisse
Harlow Curtice
1962 Harlow Curtice, President of General Motors (1953-8), dies at 69
Harlow Curtice
- 1970 Peter II Karadjordjevic, last King of Yugoslavia (1934-45), dies at 57
- 1977 William Kurelek, Canadian artist and writer (The Maze, Passion of Christ series), dies of cancer at 50
- 1980 Ludwig Hohl, writer, dies
- 1981 Thérèse Casgrain, French Canadian politician and senator, dies at 85
- 1982 E. H. Carr, English historian (History of Soviet Russia), dies at 90
- 1986 E. Cuyler Hammond, American epidemiologist (first to link smoking with lung cancer), dies at 74
- 1988 Henri van Praag, Dutch para-psychologist, dies
- 1992 Jean Daskalides, Belgian chocolate factory, dies at 70
- 1993 Duncan Gibbins, director (Fire With Fire), dies in California fire at 41
- 1993 Aidan Crawley, British journalist and politician (Labour MP 1945-51), dies at 85
- 1994 Richard Krautheimer, US art historian, dies at 97
- 1994 Ralph Wyckoff, American scientist and pioneer of X-ray crystallography, dies at 97
- 1995 Arthur George Bottomley, politician, dies at 88
- 1995 Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and President of the Canadian Medical Association, dies at 108
- 1996 Barry Porter, British lawyer and Conservative Party politician, dies at 57
- 1996 Heather Swift, local councellor, dies at 79
Jean-Bédel Bokassa
1996 Jean-Bédel Bokassa, President (1966-1977) and later Emperor (1977-1979) of the Central African Republic, dies of a heart attack at 75
Jean-Bédel Bokassa
- 1996 Abdullah Çatlı, a Turkish nationalist and neofascist activist (b. 1956)
- 2001 Ernst Gombrich, Austrian art historian (b. 1909)
- 2003 Rasul Gamzatov, Russian poet (b. 1923)
- 2006 Marie Rudisill, American author and "Fruitcake Lady" (b. 1911)
- 2007 Martin Meehan, Irish republican (b. 1945)
- 2009 Francisco Ayala, Spanish novelist (b. 1906)
- 2010 Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian politician (Prime Minister of Russia), dies at 72
- 2015 Ahmed Chalabi, Iraqi politician (supported US 2003 invasion), dies at 71
- 2015 Howard Coble, American politician (Rep-R-NC, 1985-2015), dies at 84
- 2019 Yvette Lundy, French resistance fighter during WWII, dies at 103