Events
- 331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.
- 911 – During a siege in Constantinople, the Theotokos appeared at the church in Blachernae holding her veil over the praying faithful, among them St. Andrew of Constantinople.
- 959 – Edgar the Peaceable becomes king of all England.
- 1189 – Gerard de Ridefort, grandmaster of the Knights Templar since 1184, is killed in the Siege of Acre.
- 1787 – Russians under Alexander Suvorov defeat the Turks at Kinburn.
- 1791 – First session of the French Legislative Assembly.
- 1795 – Belgium is conquered by France.
- 1800 – Spain cedes Louisiana to France via the Treaty of San Ildefonso.
- 1811 – The first steamboat to sail the Mississippi River arrives in New Orléans, Louisiana.
- 1814 – Opening of the Congress of Vienna, intended to redraw the Europe's political map after the defeat of Napoléon the previous spring.
- 1827 – The Russian army under Ivan Paskevich storms Yerevan, ending a millennium of Muslim domination in Armenia.
- 1829 – South African College is founded in Cape Town, South Africa; it will later separate into the University of Cape Town and the South African College Schools.
- 1843 – The News of the World tabloid began publication in London.
- 1847 – German inventor and industrialist Werner von Siemens founds Siemens AG & Halske.
- 1854 – The watch company founded in 1850 in Roxbury by Aaron Lufkin Dennison relocates to Waltham, Massachusetts, to become the Waltham Watch Company, a pioneer in the American System of Watch Manufacturing.
- 1869 – Austria issues the world's first postcards.
- 1880 – John Philip Sousa becomes leader of the United States Marine Band.
- 1880 – First electric lamp factory opened by Thomas Edison.
- 1887 – Balochistan conquered by the British Empire.
- 1890 – The Yosemite National Park and the Yellowstone National Park are established by the U.S. Congress.
- 1891 – In the U.S. state of California, Stanford University opens its doors.
- 1894 – First meeting of The Owl Club of Cape Town.
- 1898 – Czar Nikolay II expels Jews from major Russian cities.
- 1898 – The Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration is founded under the name k.u.k. Exportakademie.
- 1903 – Baseball: The Boston Americans play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of the modern World Series.
- 1905 – František Pavlík is killed in a demonstration in Prague, inspiring Leoš Janáček to the piano composition 1. X. 1905.
- 1908 – Ford puts the Model T car on the market at a price of US$825.
- 1910 – Los Angeles Times bombing: A large bomb destroys the Los Angeles Times building in downtown Los Angeles, California, killing 21.
- 1918 – World War I: Arab forces under T. E. Lawrence (a/k/a "Lawrence of Arabia") capture Damascus.
- 1920 – Sir Percy Cox landed in Basra to assume his responsibilities as high commissioner in Iraq.
- 1926 – An oil field accident cost aviator Wiley Post his left eye, but he used the settlement money to buy his first aircraft.
- 1928 – The Soviet Union introduces its First Five-Year Plan.
- 1931 – The George Washington Bridge linking New Jersey and New York opens.
- 1936 – Francisco Franco is named head of the Nationalist government of Spain.
- 1937 – The Japanese city Handa is founded in Aichi Prefecture.
- 1938 – Germany annexes the Sudetenland.
- 1939 – After a one-month Siege of Warsaw, hostile forces entered the city.
- 1940 – The Pennsylvania Turnpike, often considered the first superhighway in the United States, opens to traffic.
- 1942 – USS Grouper torpedoes Lisbon Maru not knowing she is carrying British PoWs from Hong Kong
- 1942 – First flight of the Bell XP-59 "Aircomet".
- 1943 – World War II: Naples falls to Allied soldiers.
- 1946 – Nazi leaders sentenced at Nuremberg Trials.
- 1946 – Mensa International is founded in the United Kingdom.
- 1947 – The F-86 Sabre flies for the first time.
- 1949 – The People's Republic of China is declared by Mao Zedong.
- 1957 – First appearance of "In God We Trust" on U.S. paper currency.
- 1958 – NASA created to replace NACA.
- 1960 – Nigeria gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1961 – East and West Cameroon merge as Federal Republic of Cameroon.
- 1961 – Baseball: Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees engage in an epic battle to break Babe Ruth's single season home run record of 60 in 1927. Maris ends up hitting his 61st against the Boston Red Sox, passing Ruth
- 1962 – First broadcast of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
- 1964 – The Free Speech Movement is launched on the campus of University of California, Berkeley.
- 1964 – Japanese Shinkansen ("bullet trains") begin high-speed rail service from Tokyo to Osaka.
- 1965 – Apostasia of 1965, a political move in Greece designed to overthrow the Prime Minister, George Papandreou.
- 1965 – General Suharto crushes an attempted coup in Indonesia.
- 1966 – West Coast Airlines Flight 956 crashes with eighteen fatal injuries and no survivors 5.5 miles south of Wemme, Oregon. This accident marks the first loss of a DC-9.
- 1968 – The Guyanese government takes over the British Guiana Broadcasting Service (BGBS).
- 1969 – The Concorde supersonic transport plane breaks the sound barrier for the first time.
- 1971 – Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida, United States.
- 1975 – The Seychelles gain internal self-government. The Ellice Islands split from Gilbert Islands and take the name Tuvalu.
- 1975 – Thrilla in Manila: Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines.
- 1978 – Tuvalu gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1978 – The Voltaic Revolutionary Communist Party is founded.
- 1979 – The United States returns sovereignty of the Panama canal to Panama.
- 1982 – Helmut Kohl replaces Helmut Schmidt as Chancellor of Germany through a Constructive Vote of No Confidence.
- 1982 – EPCOT Center opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States.
- 1982 – Sony launches the first consumer compact disc player (model CDP-101).
- 1985 – The Israeli air force bombs PLO Headquarters in Tunis.
- 1987 – The Whittier Narrows earthquake shook the San Gabriel Valley, registering as a magnitude 5.9.
- 1989 – Denmark: World's first legal modern same-sex civil union called "registered partnership"
- 1991 – New Zealand's Resource Management Act 1991 commences.
- 1992 – Turkish destroyer TCG Muavenet (DM-357) damaged by two Sea Sparrow missiles mistakenly launched by U.S. aircraft carrier USS Saratoga.
- 1994 – Palau gains independence from the United Nations (trusteeship administered by the United States of America).
- 1998 – Vladimir Putin became a permanent member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
- 2004 – Baseball: Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki gets his 258th hit of the season, breaking George Sisler's 84-year-old single-season record.
- 2005 – Bombing kills 19 people in Bali.
Births
- 1207 – King Henry III of England (d. 1272)
- 1507 – Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, Italian architect (d. 1573)
- 1540 – Johann Jakob Grynaeus, Swiss Protestant clergyman (d. 1617)
- 1577 – Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Swiss friar, martyr, and saint (d. 1622)
- 1620 – Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Dutch painter (d. 1683)
- 1644 – Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (d. 1682)
- 1671 – Guido Grandi, Italian mathematician (d. 1742)
- 1685 – Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1740)
- 1691 – Arthur Onslow, English politician (d. 1768)
- 1730 – Richard Stockton, American attorney, signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1781)
- 1760 – William Thomas Beckford, English writer and politician (d. 1844)
- 1771 – Pierre Baillot, French violinist and composer (d. 1842)
- 1791 – Sergei Aksakov, Russian writer (d. 1859)
- 1800 – Lars Levi Laestadius, Swedish-born botanist and founder of Laestadianism (d. 1861)
- 1835 – Ádám Politzer, Austrian physician (d. 1920)
- 1842 – Charles Cros, French poet and inventor (d. 1888)
- 1865 – Paul Dukas, French composer (d. 1935)
- 1870 – Josiah Edward Spurr, American Geologist (d. 1950)
- 1878 – Othmar Spann, Austrian philosopher and economist (d. 1950)
- 1881 – William Boeing, American engineer (d. 1956)
- 1885 – Louis Untermeyer, American author (d. 1977)
- 1890 – Stanley Holloway, British actor (d. 1982)
- 1893 – Cliff Friend, American songwriter (d. 1974)
- 1893 – Yip Man, Martial Arts Master (d. 1972)
- 1896 – Liaquat Ali Khan, first Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 1951)
- 1896 – Ted Healy, American actor and comedian (d. 1937)
- 1899 – Ernest Haycox, American writer (d. 1950)
- 1900 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (d. 1966)
- 1903 – Vladimir Horowitz, Ukrainian-American pianist (d. 1989)
- 1904 – Otto Robert Frisch, Austrian-born physicist (d. 1979)
- 1904 – A.K. Gopalan, Indian communist leader (d. 1977)
- 1909 – Maurice Bardèche, French fascist, (d. 1998)
- 1909 – Sam Yorty, Mayor of Los Angeles (d. 1998)
- 1910 – Bonnie Parker, American Outlaw Bonnie and Clyde (d. 1934)
- 1910 – Fritz Köberle, Austrian-born physician (d. 1983)
- 1910 – José Enrique Moyal, Australian mathematical physicist (d. 1998)
- 1913 – Helio Gracie, Martial Arts Master (d. 2009)
- 1914 – Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian, writer, and Librarian of Congress (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Cahal Cardinal Daly, Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Armagh
- 1920 – Walter Matthau, American actor (d. 2000)
- 1921 – James Whitmore, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1922 – Kim Ki-young, South Korean film director (d. 1998)
- 1924 – Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- 1924 – William Rehnquist, 16th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 2005)
- 1925 – Bob Boyd, American baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1926 – Roger Williams, American pianist
- 1927 – Tom Bosley, American actor
- 1927 – Sandy Gall, Malaysian-born British journalist and newscaster
- 1928 – Laurence Harvey, Lithuanian-born actor (d. 1973)
- 1928 – George Peppard, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1928 – Willy Mairesse, Belgian racing driver (d. 1969)
- 1928 – Zhu Rongji, Chinese politician
- 1929 – Ken Arthurson, Australian rugby league identity
- 1930 – Frank Gardner, Australian racing driver
- 1930 – Richard Harris, Irish actor (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Naimatullah Khan, Pakistani politician
- 1930 – Philippe Noiret, French actor (d. 2006)
- 1931 – Sylvano Bussotti, Italian composer
- 1932 – Albert Collins, American guitarist (d. 1993)
- 1935 – Julie Andrews, British actress and singer
- 1936 – Duncan Edwards, English footballer (d. 1958)
- 1936 – Stella Stevens, American actress
- 1939 – George Archer, American golfer (d. 2005)
- 1939 – Geoffrey Whitehead, English actor
- 1942 – Jean-Pierre Jabouille, French race car driver
- 1943 – Jean-Jacques Annaud, French film director
- 1943 – Angèle Arsenault, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1943 – Jerry Martini, American saxophonist (Sly & the Family Stone)
- 1945 – Rod Carew, Panamanian-born baseball player
- 1945 – Donny Hathaway, American soul musician and composer (d. 1979)
- 1945 – Ellen McIlwaine, American singer/songwriter
- 1945 – Spider Sabich, American skier (d. 1976)
- 1946 – Tim O'Brien, American writer
- 1947 – Aaron Ciechanover, Israeli biologist
- 1947 – Stephen Collins, American actor
- 1947 – Adriano Tilgher, Italian politician
- 1947 – Mariska Veres, Dutch singer (Shocking Blue) (d. 2006)
- 1948 – Cub Koda, American singer (Brownsville Station) (d. 2000)
- 1949 – Isaac Bonewits, American author
- 1950 – Randy Quaid, American actor
- 1950 – Jeane Manson, American singer and actress
- 1950 – Elpida, Greek singer and Eurovision contestant (Sokrati, Tora Zo)
- 1952 – Jacques Martin, Canadian ice hockey coach and executive
- 1953 – John Hegley, British poet
- 1953 – Pete Falcone, American baseball player
- 1953 – Grete Waitz, Norwegian athlete
- 1954 – Martin Strel, Slovenian swimmer
- 1955 – Howard Hewett, R & B Singer
- 1956 – Theresa May, British politician
- 1957 – Stelios Mainas, Greek actor
- 1958 – Masato Nakamura, Japanese musician
- 1959 – Youssou N'Dour, Senegalese singer
- 1961 – Gary Ablett, Australian rules footballer
- 1961 – Robert Rey, Brazilian-American plastic surgeon and television personality
- 1961 – Rico Constantino, American professional wrestler
- 1961 – Corrie van Zyl, former South African cricketer
- 1962 – Esai Morales, American actor
- 1962 – Paul Walsh, English footballer
- 1963 – Jean-Denis Délétraz, Swiss race car driver
- 1963 – Mark McGwire, American baseball player
- 1964 – Harry Hill, British comedian
- 1964 – Max Matsuura, Japanese record producer
- 1964 – Jonathan Sarfati, Australian-born chess player, scientist, and author
- 1965 – Andreas Keller, German field hockey player
- 1965 – Cindy Margolis, American model and spokesmodel
- 1965 – Cliff Ronning, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 – Ted King, American actor
- 1965 – Chris Reason, Australian journalist
- 1966 – Christopher Titus, American actor/comedian
- 1966 – George Weah, Liberian politician and footballer
- 1966 – Cuco Ziganda, Spanish footballer
- 1967 – Scott Young, American ice hockey player
- 1967 – Mike Pringle, American football player
- 1968 – Jon Guenther, American author
- 1968 – Rob Collard, British racing driver
- 1969 – Igor Ulanov, Russian hockey player
- 1969 – Ori Kaplan, Israeli jazz musician
- 1969 – Marcus Stephen, Nauruan weightlifter and politician, current President of Nauru
- 1970 – Gam Wu-seong, South Korean actor
- 1970 – Jung Joon-ho, South Korean actor and singer
- 1970 – Simon Davey, Barnsley football manager
- 1970 – Alexei Zhamnov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1971 – Andrew O'Keefe, Australian television personality
- 1971 – Song Il Gook, Korean actor
- 1971 – Gigi Lai, Hong Kong actress
- 1972 – Jean Paulo Fernandes, Brazilian footballer
- 1972 – Ronen Altman Kaydar, Israeli Author
- 1973 – Jana Henke, German swimmer
- 1973 – Rachid Chékhémani, French runner
- 1973 – John Thomson, American baseball player
- 1974 – Mats Lindgren, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1974 – Keith Duffy, Irish singer (Boyzone) and actor
- 1974 – Christian Borle, American actor
- 1975 – Chulpan Khamatova, Russian actress
- 1975 – Zoltán Sebescen, German footballer
- 1975 – Kim Suna, Korean actress
- 1976 – Antonio Roybal, American painter and sculptor
- 1976 – Denis Gauthier, Canadian hockey player
- 1976 – Dora Venter, Hungarian pornographic film actress
- 1976 – Ümit Karan, Turkish footballer
- 1977 – Jeffrey van Hooydonk, Belgian race car driver
- 1978 – Andrew JC Jackson, Australian surf lifesaver
- 1978 – Leticia Cline, American model and TV Personality
- 1979 – Cameron Bruce, Australian rules footballer
- 1979 – Rudi Johnson, American football player
- 1979 – Gilberto Martínez, Costa Rican footballer
- 1979 – Marko Stanojevic, English-born Italian rugby union footballer
- 1980 – Antonio Narciso, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Júlio Baptista, Brazilian footballer
- 1981 – Rupert Friend, British actor
- 1981 – Johnny Oduya, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1981 – Arnau Riera, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Haruna Babangida, Nigerian footballer
- 1982 – Sandra Oxenryd, Swedish singer
- 1983 – Mirko Vučinić, Montenegrin footballer
- 1983 – Ashley Green, Yorkshire Author/Comic
- 1984 – Matt Cain, American baseball player
- 1984 – Daniel Guillén, Spanish footballer
- 1985 – Ryo Miyamori, Japanese singer
- 1985 – Nazimuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1985 – Revazi Zintiridis, Greek judoka
- 1985 – Tim Deasy, English footballer
- 1986 – Justin Westhoff, Australian rules footballer
- 1986 – Jurnee Smollett, American actress
- 1986 – Sayaka, Japanese singer
- 1986 – Ricardo Vaz Tê, Portuguese footballer
- 1987 – Hiroki Aiba, Japanese actor, singer
- 1987 – Lionel Ainsworth, English footballer
- 1988 – Cariba Heine, Australian actress
- 1988 – Jorge Núñez, Puerto Rican singer
- 1990 – Charlie Mcdonnell, English videoblogger
Deaths
- 959 – King Edwy of England
- 1040 – Alan III, Duke of Brittany (poisoned) (b. 997)
- 1189 – Gerard de Ridefort, grandmaster of the Knights Templar
- 1310 – Beatrice of Burgundy, Lady of Bourbon (b. 1257)
- 1404 – Pope Boniface IX (b. 1356)
- 1499 – Marsilio Ficino, Italian philosopher (b. 1433)
- 1500 – John Alcock, English Catholic bishop
- 1567 – Pietro Carnesecchi, Italian humanist (b. 1508)
- 1570 – Frans Floris, Flemish painter (b. 1520)
- 1574 – Marten Jacobszoon Heemskerk van Veen, Dutch painter (b. 1498)
- 1578 – Don John of Austria, military leader (b. 1547)
- 1588 – Blessed Edward James, Catholic martyr
- 1602 – Hernando de Cabezón, Spanish composer (b. 1541)
- 1609 – Gianmatteo Asola, Italian composer
- 1684 – Pierre Corneille, French author (b. 1606)
- 1693 – Pedro Abarca, Spanish theologian (b. 1619)
- 1708 – John Blow, British composer (b. 1649)
- 1768 – Robert Simson, Scottish mathematician (b. 1687)
- 1837 – Robert Clark, American politician (b. 1777)
- 1838 – Charles Tennant, Scottish chemist and industrialist (b. 1768)
- 1864 – Rose Greenhow, American Confederate spy (b. 1817)
- 1876 – James Lick, California land baron (b. 1796)
- 1885 – John Light Atlee, American physician and surgeon (b. 1799)
- 1901 – Abdur Rahman Khan, Afghan amir
- 1913 – Eugene O'Keefe, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1827)
- 1919 – Princess Charlotte of Prussia (b. 1860)
- 1929 – Antoine Bourdelle, French sculptor (b. 1861)
- 1942 – Ants Piip, Estonian Prime Minister (b. 1884)
- 1955 – Charles Christie, American film studio owner (b. 1880)
- 1958 – Robert Falk, Russian painter (b. 1886)
- 1959 – Enrico de Nicola, 1st President of the Italian Republic (b. 1877)
- 1970 – Raoul Riganti, Argentine racing driver (b. 1893)
- 1974 – Spyridon Marinatos, Greek archaeologist (b. 1901)
- 1975 – Al Jackson, Jr., American drummer (Booker T. & the M.G.'s) (b. 1935)
- 1984 – Walter Alston, American baseball player and manager (b. 1911)
- 1985 – E. B. White, American author (b. 1899)
- 1988 – Sacheverell Sitwell, English writer (b. 1897)
- 1990 – Curtis LeMay, American Air Force general (b. 1906)
- 1992 – Petra Kelly, German politician (b. 1947)
- 1994 – Paul Lorenzen, German philosopher (b. 1915)
- 1996 – Pat McGeown, Provisional Irish Republican Army member (b. 1956)
- 1997 – Jerome H. Lemelson, American inventor (b. 1923)
- 1998 – Pauline Julien, French Canadian singer (b. 1928)
- 1999 – Lena Zavaroni, Scottish singer and Child star (b. 1963)
- 2000 – Robert Allen, American pianist and songwriter (b. 1928)
- 2000 – Reginald Kray, British gangster (b. 1933)
- 2001 – Guy Beaulne, French-Canadian actor and theatre director (b. 1921)
- 2001 – Kathleen Ankers, American scenic designer (b. 1919)
- 2002 – Walter Annenberg, American publisher and philanthropist (b. 1908)
- 2004 – Richard Avedon, American photographer (b. 1923)
- 2004 – Bruce Palmer, Canadian musician (Buffalo Springfield) (b. 1946)
- 2006 – Jerald Tanner, American religious activist (b. 1938)
- 2006 – André Viger, French Canadian wheelchair marathoner (b. 1952)
- 2007 – Chris Mainwaring, Australian rules footballer (b. 1965)
- 2007 – Harry Lee, Sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana (b. 1932)
- 2007 – Al Oerter, American track and field athlete (b. 1936)
- 2007 – Ned Sherrin, English broadcaster, author and stage director (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Ronnie Hazlehurst, English conductor and theme song composer (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances
- National Day of the People's Republic of China (1949)
- Republic of Cyprus – Independence Day (from Britain, 1960)
- Nigeria – Independence Day (from Britain, 1960)
- Tuvalu – Independence Day (from Gilbert Islands (Kiribati), 1975)
- Singapore – Children's Day
- Abai (martyr) in the Syrian Church
- International Day of Older Persons
- World Vegetarian Day (from North American Vegetarian Society, 1977)
- World Day of Music by the proposal of Yehudi Menuhin (1975)
