Events

• 331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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) crippled causing 27 deaths and injuries, by missiles negligently 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.

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 – 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)

• 1912 – Kathleen Ollerenshaw, British mathematician

• 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

• 1928 – Sivaji Ganesan, Indian Tamil actor (d. 2001)

• 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

• 1935 – Petros Fyssoun, Greek actor

• 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 – Dizzee Rascal, English

• 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

• 1997 – Sam Verlinden, Child singer and actor

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)