Events

• 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands – The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.

• 1606 – Susenyos defeats the combined armies of Yaqob and Abuna Petros II at the Battle of Gol in Gojjam, which makes him Emperor of Ethiopia.

• 1735 – An agreement between Nadir Shah and Russia is signed near Ganja and Russian troops are withdrawn from Baku.

• 1762 – French Huguenot Jean Calas, who was wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.

• 1804 – Louisiana Purchase: In St. Louis, Missouri, a formal ceremony is conducted to transfer ownership of the Louisiana Territory from France to the United States.

• 1814 – Napoleon I of France is defeated at the Battle of Laon in France.

• 1830 – The KNIL also known as the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army is created.

• 1831 – The French Foreign Legion is established by King Louis-Philippe to support his war in Algeria.

• 1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican-American War.

• 1861 – El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Segou, destroying the Bambara Empire of Mali.

• 1864 – American Civil War: The Red River Campaign begins as Union troops reach Alexandria, Louisiana.

• 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call by saying "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."

• 1891 – Almon Strowger, an undertaker in Topeka, Kansas, patents the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.

• 1905 – Eleftherios Venizelos calls for Crete's union with Greece, and begins what is to be known as the Theriso revolt.

• 1906 – The Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst ever, kills 1099 miners in Northern France.

• 1912 – Yuan Shikai is sworn in as the second Provisional President of the Republic of China.

• 1917 – Batangas is formally founded as one of the Philippines's earliest encomiendas.

• 1922 – Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for an appendicitis operation.

• 1925 – Olympiacos F.C. was created.

• 1933 – An earthquake in Long Beach, California kills 115 people and causes an estimated $40 million dollars in damage.

• 1945 – The Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting firestorm kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.

• 1948 – The Indian Union Muslim League is founded by remnants of the old Muslim League.

• 1952 – Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba and appoints himself as the "provisional president".

• 1959 – Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, 300,000 Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama's palace to prevent his removal.

• 1969 – In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He would later retract his guilty plea.

• 1970 – Vietnam War: Captain Ernest Medina is charged with My Lai war crimes.

• 1975 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Me Thuot, South Vietnam, on their way to capturing Saigon.

• 1977 – Rings of Uranus: Astronomers discover rings around Uranus.

• 1980 – Madeira School headmistress Jean Harris shoots and kills Scarsdale diet doctor Herman Tarnower

• 1980 – Formation of the Irish Army Ranger Wing

• 1990 – In Haiti, Prosper Avril is ousted 18 months after seizing power in a coup.

• 2000 – The NASDAQ Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom.

• 2006 – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.

Births

• 1415 – Vasili II of Russia (d. 1462)

• 1452 – Ferdinand II of Aragon (d. 1516)

• 1503 – Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1564)

• 1536 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, English politician (d. 1572)

• 1628 – Marcello Malpighi, Italian physician (d. 1694)

• 1709 – Georg Steller, German naturalist (d. 1746)

• 1745 – John Gunby, American soldier (d. 1807)

• 1749 – Lorenzo da Ponte, Italian librettist (d. 1838)

• 1769 – Joseph Williamson, English philanthropist (d. 1840)

• 1772 – Friedrich von Schlegel, German aesthetician (d. 1829)

• 1776 – Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen consort of Prussia (d. 1810)

• 1787 – William Etty, English painter (d. 1849)

• 1787 – Francisco de Paula Martinez de la Rosa, Spanish statesman and dramatist (d. 1862)

• 1788 – Joseph von Eichendorff, German writer (d. 1857)

• 1810 – Samuel Ferguson, Irish poet (d. 1886)

• 1842 – Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian composer (d. 1912)

• 1844 – Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist (d. 1908)

• 1845 – Alexander III of Russia (d. 1894)

• 1846 – Edward Baker Lincoln, son of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (d. 1850)

• 1847 – Kate Sheppard, New Zealand suffragist (d. 1934)

• 1850 – Spencer Gore, British tennis player and cricketer (d. 1906)

• 1880 – Broncho Billy Anderson, American actor (d. 1971)

• 1881 – Thomas Quinlan, musical impresario (d. 1951)

• 1887 – Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Grandmaster of Ninjutsu (d. 1972)

• 1888 – Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (d. 1961)

• 1892 – Arthur Honegger, French-born Swiss composer (d. 1955)

• 1892 – Gregory La Cava, American director (d. 1952)

• 1899 – Robert Meier, German WW1 veteran (d. 2007)

• 1903 – Bix Beiderbecke, American musician (d. 1931)

• 1905 – Betty Amann, German-American actress. (d. 1990)

• 1905 – Richard Haydn, English actor (d. 1985)

• 1915 – Harry Bertoia, Italian artist (d. 1978)

• 1915 – Sir Charles Groves, English conductor (d. 1992)

• 1917 – Frank Perconte, American sergeant.

• 1918 – Günther Rall, German ace fighter pilot (d. 2009)

• 1919 – Marion Hutton, American singer (d. 1987)

• 1920 – Alfred Peet, Dutch-American entrepreneur (d. 2007)

• 1920 – Boris Vian, French writer and musician (d. 1959)

• 1923 – Val Logsdon Fitch, Nobel laureate

• 1925 – Manolis Anagnostakis, Greek poet (d. 2005)

• 1928 – James Earl Ray, American assassin (d. 1998)

• 1928 – Sara Montiel, Spanish actress and singer

• 1931 – Georges Dor, Québécois author, playwright, singer and songwriter (d. 2001)

• 1935 – Graham Farmer, Australian rules footballer

• 1936 – Sepp Blatter, Swiss FIFA President

• 1936 – Alfredo Zitarrosa, Uruguayan Vocals and journalist (d. 1989)

• 1937 – Joe Viterelli, American actor (d. 2004)

• 1938 – Marina Vlady, French actress

• 1940 – Chuck Norris, American actor and martial artist

• 1940 – Dean Torrence, American singer (Jan and Dean)

• 1945 – Birgitta Sellén, Swedish politician

• 1946 – Hiroshi Fushida, Japanese racing driver

• 1946 – Mike Hollands, Australian animator

• 1946 – Jim Valvano, American basketball coach (d. 1993)

• 1947 – Kim Campbell, 19th Prime Minister of Canada

• 1947 – Paul Condon, Baron Condon, former police commissioner

• 1947 – Bob Greene, American journalist

• 1947 – Tom Scholz, American songwriter and guitarist (Boston)

• 1948 – Austin Carr, American basketball player

• 1948 – Richard Park (broadcaster), British median consultant and broadcaster

• 1952 – Mike O'Donnell, American Composer

• 1952 – Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe

• 1953 – Paul Haggis, Canadian film director

• 1955 – Toshio Suzuki, Japanese racing driver

• 1955 – Youssra, Egyptian actress and singer

• 1956 – Mitchell Lichtenstein, American actor, son of Roy Lichtenstein

• 1956 – Robert Llewellyn, Writer, Actor, Presenter

• 1957 – Osama bin Laden, Islamic militant, leader of al-Qaida

• 1957 – Matt Knudsen, American actor

• 1957 – Shannon Tweed, Canadian actress and model

• 1957 – Jim White, American folk singer-songwriter

• 1958 – Steve Howe, American baseball player (d. 2006)

• 1958 – Sharon Stone, American actress

• 1960 – Anne MacKenzie, journalist and broadcaster

• 1961 – Laurel Clark, physician and astronaut (d. 2003)

• 1961 – Mitch Gaylord, American gymnast

• 1961 – Pam Oliver, American sportscaster

• 1961 – Bobby Petrino, American football coach

• 1962 – Seiko Matsuda, Japanese pop singer

• 1963 – Jeff Ament, American musician (Pearl Jam)

• 1963 – Rick Rubin, American record producer

• 1964 – Neneh Cherry, Swedish musician

• 1964 – Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex

• 1964 – David Faber, American television reporter

• 1964 – Jasmine Guy, American actress

• 1965 – Rod Woodson, American football player

• 1966 – Edie Brickell, American singer

• 1966 – Gráinne Mulvey, Irish composer

• 1966 – Mike Timlin, American baseball player

• 1968 – Felice Arena, Australian children's author

• 1968 – Shoichi Funaki, Japanese professional wrestler

• 1968 – Thio Li-ann, Singaporean law professor and NMP

• 1969 – Paget Brewster, American actress

• 1970 – Matt Barlow, American singer (Iced Earth)

• 1970 – Michel van der Aa, Dutch composer

• 1971 – Steve Arnold, British racing driver

• 1971 – Jon Hamm, American actor

• 1971 – Timbaland, American rapper

• 1972 – Takashi Fujii, Japanese television performer

• 1972 – Matt Kenseth, American race car driver

• 1972 – Paraskevi Tsiamita, Greek athlete

• 1973 – Eva Herzigova, Czech model

• 1973 – John LeCompt, American guitarist

• 1973 – Chris Sutton, English footballer

• 1973 – Mauricio Taricco, Argentine footballer

• 1974 – Cristián de la Fuente, Chilean model and actor

• 1975 – Lyne Bessette, Canadian bicycle racer

• 1975 – Jerry Horton, American guitarist (Papa Roach)

• 1976 – Kisaki, Japanese musician

• 1976 – Haifa Wehbe, Lebanese actress, model and singer

• 1977 – Peter Enckelman, Finnish footballer

• 1977 – Shannon Miller, American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist

• 1977 – Colin Murray, British radio DJ

• 1977 – Bree Turner, American dancer and actress

• 1977 – Rita Simons, English actress

• 1977 – Robin Thicke, American singer

• 1978 – Ben Burnley, American musician (Breaking Benjamin)

• 1981 – Samuel Eto'o, Cameroonian footballer

• 1981 – Steven Reid, English-born footballer

• 1982 – Kwame Brown, American basketball player

• 1982 – Timo Glock, German racing driver

• 1982 – Katharine Isabelle, Canadian actress

• 1983 – Che'Nelle, Malaysian Australian Singer

• 1983 – Rafe Spall, English Actor

• 1983 – Carrie Underwood, American country singer

• 1983 – Reena Virk, Canadian murder victim (d. 1997)

• 1984 – Ben May, English footballer

• 1984 – Olivia Wilde, American actress

• 1985 – Lassana Diarra, French footballer

• 1985 – Casey Dienel, American singer-songwriter

• 1986 – JC de Vera, Filipino Actor

• 1987 – Martellus Bennett, American football player

• 1988 – Ivan Rakitić, Croatian Footballer

• 1992 – Emily Osment, American actress and singer

• 1993 – Chris McIntosh, American actor

Deaths

• 1291 – Arghun, Persian ruler

• 1391 – Tvrtko I, first king of Bosnia (b. 1338)

• 1510 – Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg, Swiss-born preacher (b. 1445)

• 1513 – John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, English commander (b. 1443)

• 1549 – Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, English politician and diplomat

• 1584 – Thomas Norton, English politician and writer (b. 1532)

• 1585 – Rembert Dodoens, Flemish physician and botanist (b. 1517)

• 1588 – Theodor Zwinger, Swiss scholar (b. 1533)

• 1669 – John Denham, English poet (b. 1615)

• 1670 – Johann Rudolf Glauber, German chemist (b. 1604)

• 1776 – Élie Catherine Fréron, French critic (b. 1719)

• 1776 – Niclas Sahlgren, Swedish merchant and philanthropist (b. 1701)

• 1792 – John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1713)

• 1832 – Muzio Clementi, Italian composer (b. 1752)

• 1861 – Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet (b. 1814)

• 1864 – Jack Slade, American frontier figure (b. 1831)

• 1872 – Giuseppe Mazzini, Italian politician (b. 1805)

• 1895 – Charles Frederick Worth, English-born couturier (b. 1826)

• 1910 – Karl Lueger, mayor of Vienna (b. 1844)

• 1910 – Carl Reinecke, German pianist, conductor and composer (b. 1824)

• 1913 – Harriet Tubman, American abolitionist (b. 1820)

• 1937 – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian writer (b. 1884)

• 1940 – Mikhaïl Boulgakov, Russian writer (b. 1891)

• 1942 – William Henry Bragg, English physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1862)

• 1948 – Zelda Fitzgerald, American novelist, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald (b. 1900)

• 1948 – Jan Masaryk, Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia (b. 1886)

• 1949 – James Rector, American athlete (b. 1884)

• 1950 – Marguerite De La Motte, American actress (b. 1902)

• 1951 – Kijūrō Shidehara, Prime minister of Japan (b. 1872)

• 1966 – Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1888)

• 1967 – Yiorgos Batis, Greek composer and musician (b. 1885)

• 1970 – Vasilis Avlonitis, Greek actor (b. 1904)

• 1973 – Eugene 'Bull' Connor, American segregationist (b. 1897)

• 1977 – E. Power Biggs, English-born organist (b. 1906)

• 1982 – Minoru Shirota, inventor of Yakult(b. 1899)

• 1984 – June Marlowe, American actress (b. 1903)

• 1985 – Konstantin Chernenko, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (b. 1911)

• 1985 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player (b. 1927)

• 1986 – Ray Milland, British actor (b. 1905)

• 1988 – Andy Gibb, English-born singer (b. 1958)

• 1992 – Giorgos Zampetas, Greek composer and musician (b. 1925)

• 1994 – Abdelkader Alloula, Algerian playwright (b. 1929)

• 1996 – Ross Hunter, American film producer (b. 1920)

• 1997 – La Vern Baker, American singer (b. 1929)

• 1998 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (b. 1913)

• 1999 – Oswaldo Guayasamin, Ecuadorian painter and sculptor (b. 1919)

• 1999 – Valentino Mazzia, American forensic anesthesiologist (b. 1922)

• 2001 – Massimo Morsello, Italian musician and activist (b. 1958)

• 2003 – Barry Sheene, British motorcycle racer (b. 1950)

• 2004 – Dave Blood (David Schulthise), American musician (b. 1956)

• 2005 – Dave Allen, Irish comedian (b. 1936)

• 2005 – Danny Joe Brown, American singer (Molly Hatchet) (b. 1951)

• 2006 – Anna Moffo, American soprano (b. 1932)

• 2007 – Richard Jeni, American comedian (b. 1957)

• 2007 – Ernie Ladd, American football player and wrestler (b. 1938)

• 2008 – Richard Fran Biegenwald, American serial killer (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances

• Mawlid

• Saint Himelin

• Saint John Ogilvie

• Saint Macharius

• Saint Anastasia

• Tibetan Uprising Day