Events

• 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Mayans, begins.

• 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation.

• 480 BC – Greco-Persian Wars: Battle of Artemisium – the Persians achieve a naval victory over the Greeks in an engagement fought near Artemisium, a promontory on the north coast of Euboea.

• 355 – Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II.

• 1510 – Margaret Palaeologina, Duchess of Mantua is born.

• 1755 – Charles Lawrence gives expulsion orders to remove the Acadians from Nova Scotia beginning the Great Upheaval.

• 1786 – Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia

• 1804 – Francis II assumes the title of first Emperor of Austria.

• 1858 – First ascent of the Eiger.

• 1898 – Spanish-American War: American troops enter the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

• 1918 – World War I – Battle of Amiens ends.

• 1919 – Constitution of Weimar Republic adopted.

• 1920 – The Latvia-Bolshevist Russia peace treaty, which relinquished Russia's authority and pretenses to Latvia, is signed.

• 1929 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio.

• 1934 – First civilian prisoners arrive at Federal prison on Alcatraz Island.

• 1952 – Hussein proclaimed king of Jordan.

• 1960 – Chad declares independence.

• 1965 – Race riots (the Watts riots) begin in Watts area of Los Angeles, California.

• 1972 – Vietnam War: the last United States ground combat unit departs South Vietnam.

• 1975 – East Timor: Governor Mário Lemos Pires of Portuguese Timor abandons the capital Dili, following a coup by the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) and the outbreak of civil war between UDT and Fretilin.

• 1988 – Al-Qaeda is formed.

• 1999 – The Salt Lake City Tornado tears through the downtown district of the city, killing one.

• 2003 – NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.

• 2003 – Jemaah Islamiyah leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, is arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.

• 2003 – A heat wave in Paris results in temperatures rising to 112°F (44° C), leaving about 144 people dead.

Births

• 1467 – Mary of York, English princess (d. 1482)

• 1648 – Jeremiah Shepard, American minister (d. 1720)

• 1667 – Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, last of the Medicis (d. 1743)

• 1673 – Richard Mead, English physician (d. 1754)

• 1718 – Sir Frederick Haldimand, Swiss-born British colonial governor (d. 1791)

• 1722 – Richard Brocklesby, English physician (d. 1797)

• 1778 – Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, German (Prussian) gymnastics educator and nationalist (d. 1852)

• 1794 – James Barton Longacre, American engraver (d. 1869)

• 1807 – David Rice Atchison, American politician (d. 1886)

• 1808 – William W. Chapman, American politician (d. 1892)

• 1833 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and soldier (d. 1899)

• 1833 – Kido Takayoshi, Japanese politician (d. 1877)

• 1836 – Warren Brown, American politician (d. 1919)

• 1837 – Marie François Sadi Carnot, French statesman (d. 1894)

• 1855 – John Hodges, Australian cricketer (d. 1933)

• 1858 – Christiaan Eijkman, Dutch physician, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1930)

• 1863 – Gaston Doumergue, President of the French Third Republic (d. 1937)

• 1870 – Tom Richardson, English cricketer (d. 1912)

• 1870 – Walter Bowman, Canadian soccer player (d. ?)

• 1872 – Shidehara Kijuro, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1951)

• 1877 – Adolph M. Christianson, justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court (d. 1954)

• 1878 – Oliver W F Lodge, English poet and author (d. 1955)

• 1892 – Eiji Yoshikawa, Japanese novelist (d. 1962)

• 1892 – Hugh MacDiarmid, Scottish poet (d. 1978)

• 1892 – Archie Wiles, West Indian cricketer (d. 1957)

• 1897 – Louise Bogan, American poet (d. 1970)

• 1897 – Enid Blyton, English author (d. 1968)

• 1900 – Philip Phillips, American archaeologist (d. 1994)

• 1902 – Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (d. 1986)

• 1902 – Lloyd Nolan, American actor (d. 1985)

• 1905 – Erwin Chargaff, Austrian biochemist (d. 2002)

• 1907 – Ted a'Beckett, Australian cricketer (d. 1989)

• 1909 – Yuji Koseki, Japanese composer (d. 1989)

• 1912 – Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (d. 1954)

• 1912 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Prime Minister of Thailand (d. 2004)

• 1913 – Angus Wilson, British novelist (d. 1991)

• 1913 – Paul Dupuis, French Canadian actor (d. 1976)

• 1913 – Bob Scheffing, American professional baseball player and manager (d. 1985)

• 1914 – José Silva, American parapsychologist (d. 1999)

• 1916 – Johnny Claes, Belgian racing driver (d. 1956)

• 1919 – Ginette Neveu, French violinist (d. 1949)

• 1919 – Luis Olmo, Puerto Rican baseball player

• 1920 – Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2002)

• 1921 – Alex Haley, American historian (d. 1992)

• 1923 – Stan Chambers, American television reporter

• 1925 – Mike Douglas, American entertainer (d. 2006)

• 1925 – Floyd Curry, National Hockey League player (d. 2006)

• 1926 – Aaron Klug, Lithuanian-born chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate

• 1926 – Claus von Bülow, Danish-born British socialite

• 1927 – Raymond Leppard, English conductor

• 1928 – Arlene Dahl, American actress

• 1932 – Fernando Arrabal, Spanish writer

• 1932 – Peter Eisenman, American architect

• 1932 – Israel Asper, Canadian tax lawyer (d. 2003)

• 1932 – John Gorrie, English director

• 1933 – Jerry Falwell, American preacher (d. 2007)

• 1933 – Jerzy Grotowski, Polish theatre director (d. 1999)

• 1936 – Andre Dubus, American short-story writer (d. 1999)

• 1938 – Branko Stanovnik, Slovenian chemist

• 1939 – Ronnie Dawson, American rockabilly performer (d. 2003)

• 1940 – Lennie Pond, American NASCAR driver

• 1942 – Mike Hugg, British musician (Manfred Mann)

• 1943 – Abigail Folger, American heiress and Manson murder victim (d. 1969)

• 1943 – Stefania Toczyska, Polish mezzo-soprano

• 1943 – Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani politician

• 1944 – Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor

• 1944 – Frederick W. Smith, American entrepreneur

• 1946 – Marilyn vos Savant, American newspaper columnist

• 1946 – John Conlee, American country music singer

• 1947 – Georgios Karatzaferis, Greek politician

• 1948 – Jan Palach, Czechoslovakian student protester (d. 1969)

• 1949 – Eric Carmen, American musician

• 1949 – Tim Hutchinson, American politician

• 1950 – Erik Brann, American musician (Iron Butterfly) (d. 2003)

• 1950 – Gennidy Nikonov, Russian weapons inventor (d. 2003)

• 1950 – Steve Wozniak, American computer pioneer

• 1951 – Vincent Bilodeau, Canadian actor and comedian

• 1952 – Bob Mothersbaugh AKA Bob 1, American musician (Devo)

• 1953 – Hulk Hogan, American professional wrestler

• 1953 – Amy Holland, American Pop Rock singer

• 1954 – Joe Jackson, English singer

• 1954 – Juan Maria Solare, Argentine composer

• 1954 – Yashpal Sharma, Indian cricketer

• 1954 – M. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian cricketer

• 1955 – Sylvia Hermon, British politician

• 1955 – Marc Bureau, Canadian politician

• 1956 – Pierre-Louis Lions, French mathematician

• 1957 – Ian Stuart Donaldson, British singer (Skrewdriver) (d. 1993)

• 1959 – Gustavo Cerati, Argentinian musician (Soda Stereo)

• 1959 – Yoshiaki Murakami, Japanese investor

• 1961 – Craig Ehlo, American basketball player

• 1962 – Shaul Karnain, Sri Lankan cricketer

• 1962 – Ennis Whatley, American basketball player

• 1963 – Hiromi Makihara, Japanese baseball player

• 1964 – Jim Lee, Korean comic book artist

• 1964 – Nikki Randall, American pornographic actress

• 1964 – Miguel A. Núñez, Jr., American actor

• 1965 – Marc Bergevin, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1965 – Shinji Mikami, Japanese video game designer (Resident Evil)

• 1965 – Viola Davis, American actress

• 1965 – Embeth Davidtz, American actress

• 1965 – Duane Martin, American actor

• 1966 – Nigel Martyn, English footballer

• 1967 – Enrique Bunbury, Spanish singer

• 1967 – Eric Maleson, Brazilian bobsledder

• 1967 – Collin Chou, Taiwanese actor

• 1967 – Joe Rogan, American television host, comedian, commentator,and, actor

• 1968 – Noordin Mohammad Top, Malaysian Islamist terrorist (d. 2009)

• 1969 – Ashley Jensen, British actress

• 1971 – Tommy Mooney, English football player

• 1971 – Alejandra Barros, Mexican actress

• 1971 – Julie Clarke, glamor model

• 1972 – Jonathon Prandi, American model

• 1973 – Nigel Harman, British actor

• 1973 – Carolyn Murphy, American model

• 1974 – Audrey Mestre, French diver (d. 2002)

• 1974 – Hadiqa Kiyani, Pakistani singer

• 1974 – Marie-France Dubreuil, Canadian figure skater

• 1974 – Anju Jain, Indian cricketer

• 1975 – Davey von Bohlen, American musician (The Promise Ring, Maritime)

• 1976 – Iván Córdoba, Colombian footballer

• 1976 – Bubba Crosby, American baseball player

• 1976 – Will Friedle, American actor

• 1976 – Ben Gibbard, American musician (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service)

• 1976 – Erick Lindgren, American poker player

• 1976 – Ľubomír Višňovský, Slovak ice hockey player

• 1977 – Gemma Hayes, Irish singer

• 1978 – Amber Mariano, American reality television personality

• 1978 – Jermain Taylor, American boxer

• 1980 – Lee Suggs, American football player

• 1981 – Fiona Sit, Hong Kong singer and actress

• 1981 – Sandi Thom, Scottish singer

• 1982 – Alan Halsall, British actor

• 1983 – Chris Hemsworth, Australian actor

• 1984 – Melky Cabrera, Dominican baseball player

• 1984 – Lucas Di Grassi, Brazilian racing driver

• 1984 – Katie Rees, American beauty pageant contestant

• 1985 – Asher Roth, American rapper

• 1986 – Kaori Fukuhara, Japanese voice actress

• 1986 – Pablo Sandoval, Venezuelan baseball player

• 1993 – Alyson Stoner, American actress, model, singer and dancer

Deaths

• 480 BC – Leonidas, King of Sparta during the Battle of Thermopylae (b. c. 540 BC)

• 353 – Magnentius, Roman usurper (b. 303)

• 449 – Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople

• 897 – Wilfred the Hairy, Count of Barcelona

• 1204 – King Guttorm of Norway (b. 1199)

• 1253 – Clare of Assisi, Italian follower of Francis of Assisi (b. 1194)

• 1259 – Möngke Khan, Great Khan of the Mongol Empire

• 1456 – John Hunyadi, regent of Hungary (b. 1387)

• 1464 – Nicholas of Cusa, German philosopher and mathematician (b. 1401)

• 1494 – Hans Memling, Flemish painter (b. c. 1430)

• 1519 – Johann Tetzel, German opponent of the Reformation (b. 1465)

• 1563 – Bartolomé de Escobedo, Spanish composer (b. c. 1500)

• 1578 – Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician (b. 1502)

• 1596 – Hamnet Shakespeare, son of William Shakespeare (b. 1585)

• 1614 – Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter (b. 1552)

• 1656 – Prince Octavio Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi, Austrian field marshal (b. 1599)

• 1774 – Tiphaigne de la Roche, French writer (b. 1722)

• 1813 – Henry James Pye, English poet (b. 1745)

• 1851 – Lorenz Oken, German naturalist (b. 1779)

• 1854 – Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist (b. 1798)

• 1886 – Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet (b. 1843)

• 1890 – John Henry Cardinal Newman, English Catholic cardinal (b. 1801)

• 1892 – Enrico Betti, Italian mathematician (b. 1813)

• 1903 – Eugenio Maria de Hostos, Puerto Rican educator and nationalist (b. 1839)

• 1908 – Khudiram Bose, Indian freedom fighter (b. 1889)

• 1919 – Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-born industrialist and philanthropist (b. 1835)

• 1936 – Blas Infante, Spanish writer and politician (b. 1885)

• 1937 – Edith Wharton, American author (b. 1862)

• 1939 – Jean Bugatti, Italian automobile designer (b. 1909)

• 1953 – Tazio Nuvolari, Italian race car driver (b. 1892)

• 1954 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Sicilian-born American mobster (b. 1886)

• 1956 – Jackson Pollock, American artist (b. 1912)

• 1961 – Antanas Škėma, Lithuanian writer actor and director (b. 1910)

• 1965 – Bill Woodfull, Australian cricketer (b. 1897)

• 1972 – Max Theiler, South African virologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1899)

• 1974 – Vicente Emilio Sojo, Venezuelan musician. (b. 1887)

• 1974 – Jan Tschichold, German typographer (b. 1902)

• 1980 – Paul Robert, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1910)

• 1982 – Tom Drake, American actor (b. 1918)

• 1984 – Alfred A. Knopf, American publisher (b. 1892)

• 1984 – Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian–German chess player (b. 1916)

• 1988 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (b. 1929)

• 1991 – J. D. McDuffie, American NASCAR driver (b. 1938)

• 1994 – Peter Cushing, British actor (b. 1913)

• 1995 – Phil Harris, American singer and comedian (b. 1904)

• 1996 – Rafael Kubelík, Czech-born conductor and composer (b. 1914)

• 1996 – Mel Taylor, American drummer (The Ventures) (b. 1933)

• 1996 – Baba Vanga, Bulgarian prophet, mystic, clairvoyant and herbalist (b. 1911)

• 2000 – Jean Papineau-Couture, Canadian composer (b. 1916)

• 2001 – Percy Stallard, English racing cyclist (b. 1909)

• 2002 – Galen Rowell, American photographer and mountain climber (b. 1940)

• 2003 – Armand Borel, Swiss mathematician (b. 1923)

• 2003 – Herb Brooks, American ice hockey coach (b. 1937)

• 2005 – James Booth, English actor (b. 1927)

• 2006 – Mike Douglas, American singer and talk show host (b. 1925)

• 2009 – Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics, sister of John F. Kennedy (b. 1921)

Holidays and observances

• Chad: Independence Day

• Roman Catholicism

• *Saint Attracta

• *Saint Fiacre

• *Gaugericus (Géry), bishop of Cambrai, confessor (sometimes martyr) [Cambrai, Liège, Magdeburg, Paderborn, Winchester]

• *Saint Taurinus, bishop of Evreux, confessor [northern France, England]

• *Saints Tiburtius and Chromatius, martyrs [common]

• *Saint Susanna, virgin, martyr in 295 [common]

• *Saint Clare of Assisi, virgin and religious foundress

• *Saint Philomena, virgin and martyr