Events

• 1533 – Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca empire

• 1862 – American Civil War: President Abraham Lincoln approves General Ambrose Burnside's plan to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, leading to the Battle of Fredericksburg.

• 1889 – Pioneering female journalist Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) begins a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days. She completes the trip in seventy-two days.

• 1910 – Aviator Eugene Ely performs the first take off from a ship in Hampton Roads, Virginia. He took off from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in a Curtiss pusher.

• 1918 – Czechoslovakia becomes a republic.

• 1921 – The Communist Party of Spain is founded.

• 1922 – The BBC begins radio service in the United Kingdom.

• 1923 – Kentaro Suzuki completes his ascent of Mount Iizuna.

• 1940 – World War II: In England, the city of Coventry is heavily bombed by German Luftwaffe bombers. Coventry Cathedral is almost completely destroyed.

• 1941 – World War II: The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sinks due to torpedo damage from U-81 sustained on November 13.

• 1952 – The first regular UK singles chart published by the New Musical Express.

• 1957 – The Apalachin Meeting outside Binghamton, New York is raided by law enforcement, and many high level Mafia figures are arrested.

• 1965 – Vietnam War: The Battle of the Ia Drang begins – the first major engagement between regular American and North Vietnamese forces.

• 1967 – The Congress of Colombia, in commemoration of the 150 years of the death of Policarpa Salavarrieta, declares this day as "Day of the Colombian Woman".

• 1969 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of the Moon.

• 1970 – Soviet Union enters ICAO, making Russian the fourth official language of organization.

• 1970 – Southern Airways Flight 932 crashes in the mountains near Huntington, West Virginia, killing 75, including members of the Marshall University football team.

• 1971 – Enthronment of Pope Shenouda III as Pope of Alexandria

• 1973 – In the United Kingdom, Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Phillips, in Westminster Abbey.

• 1975 – Spain abandons Western Sahara.

• 1979 – Iran hostage crisis: US President Jimmy Carter issues Executive order 12170, freezing all Iranian assets in the United States in response to the hostage crisis.

• 1982 – Lech Wałęsa, the leader of Poland's outlawed Solidarity movement, is released after eleven months of internment near the Soviet border.

• 1984 – Zamboanga City mayor Cesar Climaco, a prominent critic of the government of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, is assassinated in his home city.

• 1990 – After German reunification, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland sign a treaty confirming the Oder-Neisse line as the border between Germany and Poland.

• 1991 – American and British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan intelligence officials in connection with the downing of the Pan Am Flight 103.

• 1991 – Cambodian Prince Norodom Sihanouk returns to Phnom Penh after thirteen years of exile.

• 1991 – In Royal Oak, Michigan, a fired United States Postal Service employee goes on a shooting rampage, killing four and wounding five before committing suicide.

• 1995 – A budget standoff between Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress forces the federal government to temporarily close national parks and museums and to run most government offices with skeleton staffs.

• 2001 – War in Afghanistan: Afghan Northern Alliance fighters take over the capital Kabul.

• 2002 – Argentina defaults on an $805 million World Bank payment.

• 2002 – The United States House of Representatives votes not to create an independent commission to investigate the September 11 attacks.

• 2003 – Astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz discover 90377 Sedna, a Trans-Neptunian object.

• 2007 – The last direct-current electrical distribution system in the United States is shut down in New York City by Con Edison.

Births

• 1567 – Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange (d. 1625)

• 1601 – Jean Eudes, French missionary (d. 1680)

• 1650 – King William III of England (d. 1702)

• 1719 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian composer (d. 1787)

• 1740 – Johann van Beethoven, Ludwig van Beethoven's father and first teacher (d. 1792)

• 1746 – Giulio Gabrielli the Younger, Italian Cardinal (d. 1822)

• 1765 – Robert Fulton, American inventor (d. 1815)

• 1771 – Marie François Xavier Bichat, French anatomist and physiologist (d. 1802)

• 1776 – Henri Dutrochet, French physiologist (d. 1847)

• 1777 – Nathaniel Claiborne, U.S. politician (d. 1859)

• 1778 – Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1837)

• 1779 – Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger, Danish poet (d. 1850)

• 1797 – Charles Lyell, British geologist (d. 1875)

• 1803 – Jacob Abbott, American writer (d. 1879)

• 1805 – Fanny Mendelssohn, German composer and pianist (d. 1847)

• 1812 – Aleardo Aleardi, Italian poet (d. 1878)

• 1812 – Maria Christina of Savoy, queen of the Two Sicilies (d. 1836)

• 1828 – James B. McPherson, American Civil War general (d. 1864)

• 1838 – August Senoa, Croatian writer (d. 1881)

• 1840 – Claude Monet, French painter (d. 1926)

• 1863 – Leo Hendrik Baekeland, Flemish-American chemist and inventor of the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite (d. 1944)

• 1875 – Gregorio del Pilar, Filipino general (d. 1899)

• 1875 – Jakob Schaffner, Swiss novelist (d. 1944)

• 1878 – Julie Manet, French painter, daughter of Berthe Morisot (d. 1966)

• 1878 – Leopold Staff, Polish poet (d. 1957)

• 1889 – Jawaharlal Nehru, First Prime Minister of India (d. 1964)

• 1891 – Frederick Banting, Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1941)

• 1895 – Louise Huff, American actress (d. 1973)

• 1895 – Walter Freeman, American physician (d. 1972)

• 1895 – Maggie Renfro, American supercentenarian

• 1896 – Mamie Eisenhower, First Lady of the United States (d. 1979)

• 1898 – Benjamin Fondane, Romanian-French writer and filmmaker (d. 1944)

• 1900 – Aaron Copland, American composer (d. 1990)

• 1904 – Dick Powell, American actor (d. 1963)

• 1904 – Harold Larwood, English cricketer (d. 1995)

• 1905 – John Henry Barbee, American guitarist and singer (d. 1964)

• 1906 – Louise Brooks, American dancer, actress, and movie historian (d. 1985)

• 1907 – Astrid Lindgren, Swedish writer (d. 2002)

• 1907 – Howard W. Hunter, American religious leader (d. 1995)

• 1907 – William Steig, American children's book author (d. 2003)

• 1908 – Joseph McCarthy, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (d. 1957)

• 1910 – Eric Malpass, English novelist (d. 1996)

• 1912 – Barbara Hutton, American socialite (d. 1979)

• 1912 – T. Y. Lin, Chinese-born civil engineer (d. 2003)

• 1915 – Martha Tilton, American singer (d. 2006)

• 1916 – Roger Apéry, Greek-French mathematician (d. 1994)

• 1916 – Sherwood Schwartz, American television writer and producer

• 1919 – Johnny Desmond, American singer (d. 1985)

• 1919 – Lisa Otto, German soprano

• 1919 – Veronica Lake, American actress (d. 1973)

• 1921 – Brian Keith, American actor (d. 1997)

• 1922 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian UN Secretary-General

• 1924 – Leonid Borisovitch Kogan, Russian violinist (d. 1982)

• 1927 – Bart Cummings, Australian race horse trainer

• 1927 – McLean Stevenson, American actor (d. 1996)

• 1927 – Narciso Yepes, Spanish classical guitarist (d. 1997)

• 1929 – Shirley Crabtree, aka Big Daddy, professional wrestler (d. 1997)

• 1929 – Jimmy Piersall, American baseball player

• 1930 – Charles De Sorgher, Belgian bobsledder

• 1930 – Edward White, American astronaut (d. 1967)

• 1930 – Michael Robbins, British actor (d. 1992)

• 1930 – Monique Mercure, French Canadian actress

• 1932 – Gunter Sachs, German mathematician

• 1933 – Fred Haise, American astronaut

• 1934 – Catherine McGuinness, Irish Supreme Court Justice

• 1934 – Kurt Hamrin, Swedish football player

• 1935 – King Hussein of Jordan (d. 1999)

• 1935 – Lefteris Papadopoulos, Greek lyricist and journalist

• 1936 – Cornell Gunter, American singer (The Coasters) (d. 1990)

• 1936 – Freddie Garrity, English singer (Freddie and the Dreamers) (d. 2006)

• 1936 – Carey Bell, American blues musician (d. 2007)

• 1937 – Murray Oliver, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1939 – Wendy Carlos, American composer

• 1943 – Peter Norton, American software engineer

• 1945 – Paul Hirsch, American film editor

• 1945 – Stella Obasanjo, Nigerian First Lady (d. 2005)

• 1947 – Bharathan, Malayalam film director (d. 1998)

• 1947 – P. J. O'Rourke, American writer

• 1948 – Charles, Prince of Wales

• 1949 – Raul Di Blasio Argentine pianist, composer, producer

• 1949 – James Young, American guitarist (Styx)

• 1949 – Gary Grubbs, American actor

• 1951 – Frankie Banali, American rock drummer

• 1951 – Alec John Such, American musician (Bon Jovi)

• 1951 – Stephen Bishop, American musician

• 1951 – Zhang Yimou, Chinese film director

• 1953 – Dominique de Villepin, former Prime Minister of France

• 1953 – Phil Baron, American voice actor

• 1954 – Bernard Hinault, French cyclist

• 1954 – Condoleezza Rice, former United States Secretary of State

• 1954 – Yanni, Greek musician & composer

• 1955 – Jack Sikma, American basketball player

• 1957 – Michael J Fitzgerald, American writer

• 1959 – Paul Attanasio, American screenwriter and producer

• 1959 – Paul McGann, British actor

• 1960 – Tom Judson, American actor and composer

• 1960 – Remi Moses, English footballer

• 1961 – Antonio Flores, Spanish singer and songwriter (d. 1995)

• 1961 – Elizabeth Keifer, American actress

• 1961 – Gordon Jennison Noice, American actor

• 1961 – D. B. Sweeney, American actor

• 1962 – Harland Williams, Canadian-born actor

• 1962 – Laura San Giacomo, American actress

• 1964 – Bill Hemmer, American television news reporter

• 1964 – Patrick Warburton, American actor

• 1964 – Rev Run, American rapper

• 1964 – Rockie Lynne, American musician

• 1966 – Curt Schilling, American baseball player

• 1966 – Petra Roßner, German cyclist

• 1967 – Letitia Dean, British actress

• 1967 – Nina Gordon, American singer

• 1968 – Janine Lindemulder, American porn actress

• 1968 – Serge Postigo, Canadian actor

• 1969 – Butch Walker, recording artist

• 1970 – Brendan Benson, American musician (The Raconteurs)

• 1970 – David Wesley, American basketball player

• 1971 – Adam Gilchrist, Australian cricketer

• 1971 – Marco Leonardi, Italian-Australian actor

• 1972 – Aaron Taylor, American football player

• 1972 – Edyta Górniak, Polish singer

• 1972 – Josh Duhamel, American actor

• 1972 – Martin Pike, Australian rules footballer

• 1972 – Matthew Bloom, American professional wrestler

• 1973 – Dana Snyder, American voice actor

• 1973 – Lawyer Milloy, American football player

• 1973 – Moka Only, Canadian musician

• 1974 – David Moscow, American actor

• 1974 – Matt Cedeño, Cuban-American actor

• 1975 – Nicolai Cleve Broch, Norwegian actor

• 1975 – Faye Tozer, British musician (Steps)

• 1975 – Travis Barker, American musician (Blink-182, +44)

• 1975 – Gary Vaynerchuk, Russian/American wine expert

• 1977 – Obie Trice, American rapper

• 1978 – Chris Shar, American musician (Stiffed (band)), (Man Man), (Santigold)

• 1978 – Bobby Allen, American ice hockey player

• 1978 – Michala Banas, New Zealand actress

• 1978 – Xavier Nady, American baseball player

• 1979 – Mavie Hörbiger, German actress

• 1979 – Olga Kurylenko, Ukrainian model and actress

• 1979 – Miguel Sabah, Mexican footballer

• 1980 – Brock Pierce, American actor

• 1981 – Tom Ferrier, British racing driver

• 1982 – Kyle Orton, American football player

• 1982 – Laura Ramsey, American actress

• 1983 – Lil Boosie, American rapper

• 1984 – Courtney Johns, Australian rules footballer

• 1984 – Lisa De Vanna, Australian footballer

• 1984 – Marija Šerifović, Serbian singer

• 1985 – Thomas Vermaelen, Belgian footballer

• 1989 – Jake Livermore, English footballer

• 1990 – Jessie Jacobs, Australian actress and singer (d. 2008)

Deaths

• 565 – Justinian the Great, Byzantine Emperor (b. 483)

• 1226 – Frederick of Isenberg, German politician (executed) (b. 1193)

• 1263 – Alexander Nevsky, Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir (b. 1220)

• 1359 – Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica (b. 1296)

• 1391 – Nikola Tavelić, First Croatian saint (b. 1340)

• 1522 – Anne of France, Princess and Regent of France (b. 1461)

• 1556 – Giovanni della Casa, Italian poet (b. 1504)

• 1633 – William Ames, English philosopher (b. 1576)

• 1687 – Nell Gwynne, English mistress of Charles II of England (b. 1650)

• 1691 – Tosa Mitsuoki, Japanese painter (b. 1617)

• 1716 – Gottfried Leibniz, German philosopher and mathematician (b. 1646)

• 1734 – Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, French-born mistress of Charles II of England (b. 1649)

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

• 1817 – Policarpa Salavarrieta, Colombian revolutionary (b. 1795)

• 1825 – Jean Paul, German writer (b. 1763)

• 1829 – Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, French pharmacist (b. 1763)

• 1831 – Georg Hegel, German philosopher (b. 1770)

• 1831 – Ignaz Pleyel, Austrian-born French composer, music publisher and piano manufacturer (b. 1757)

• 1832 – Charles Carroll of Carrollton, American statesman (b. 1737)

• 1844 – John Abercrombie, British physician (b. 1780)

• 1866 – King Miguel of Portugal (b. 1802)

• 1872 – Pavel Kiselyov, Russian general and politician (b. 1788)

• 1907 – Andrew Inglis Clark, Australian politician (b. 1848)

• 1908 – The Guangxu Emperor of China, (b. 1871)

• 1914 – Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar, Malayalin journalist (b. 1861)

• 1915 – Booker T. Washington, American educator, lecturer, and African-American activist (b. 1856)

• 1916 – Henry George, Jr., American politician (b. 1862)

• 1916 – Saki, British writer (b. 1870)

• 1937 – Jack O'Connor, American baseball player (b. 1869)

• 1944 – Carl Flesch, Hungarian violinist (b. 1873)

• 1944 – Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, RAF Officer (b. 1892)

• 1946 – Manuel de Falla, Spanish composer (b. 1876)

• 1947 – Joseph Allard, French Canadian fiddler (b. 1873)

• 1950 – Orhan Veli Kanık, Turkish writer, poet (b. 1914)

• 1971 – William Bendeck, Bolivian rally driver (b. 1934)

• 1972 – Martin Dies, Jr., American politician (b. 1900)

• 1974 – Johnny Mack Brown, American actor (b. 1904)

• 1977 – A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of ISKCON (b. 1896)

• 1981 – Robert Bradford, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1941)

• 1984 – Cesar Climaco, Filipino politician (b. 1916)

• 1991 – Tony Richardson, English film director (b. 1928)

• 1992 – Ernst Happel, Austrian football coach (b. 1925)

• 1994 – Tom Villard, American actor (b. 1953)

• 1996 – John A. Cade, American politician (b. 1929)

• 1997 – Eddie Arcaro, American jockey (b. 1916)

• 1997 – Jack Pickersgill, Canadian politician (b. 1905)

• 1999 – Minos Volanakis, Greek theatre director and translator

• 2000 – Robert Trout, American journalist (b. 1908)

• 2001 – Charlotte Coleman, British actress (b. 1968)

• 2001 – Juan Carlos Lorenzo, Argentine footballer (b. 1922)

• 2002 – Eddie Bracken, American film actor (b. 1915)

• 2002 – Elena Nikolaidi, Greek-American opera singer and teacher (b. 1909)

• 2003 – Gene Anthony Ray, American actor (b. 1962)

• 2004 – Michel Colombier, French composer (b. 1939)

Holidays and observances

• Roman festivals – Equorum Probatio (The official cavalry parade of the equites)

• India – Birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru: Children's Day

• National Day of Burma/Myanmar

• United States – begins

• Colombia – "Day of the Colombian Woman"

• Christian feast days

• *St. Josaphat Kuncevyc on the General Roman Calendar as in 1954

• *Barlaam of Kiev

• *Serapion of Algiers

• *Saint Philip, celebrated in Eastern Orthodox Church

• World Diabetes Day

• India - National Metallurgist's Day