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Contents

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

Liturgical feasts

External links

Events

★ 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orléans.

★ 1672 - Franco-Dutch War: Louis XIV of France invades the Netherlands.

★ 1770 - James Cook arrives at and names Botany Bay, Australia.

★ 1854 - The Ashmun Institute is officially chartered, becoming the first college for African American students.

★ 1861 - American Civil War: Maryland's House of Delegates votes not to secede from the Union.

★ 1862 - American Civil War: New Orleans falls to Union forces under Admiral David Farragut.

★ 1864 - The Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

★ 1882 - The "Elektromote" – forerunner of the trolleybus – trialed by Ernst Werner von Siemens in Berlin.

★ 1903 - A 30 million cubic-metre landslide kills 70 in Frank, Alberta, Canada.

★ 1910 - Andrew Fisher becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the second time.

★ 1916 - Easter Rebellion: Martial law in Ireland is lifted and the rebellion is officially over with the surrender of Irish nationalists to British authorities in Dublin.

★ 1945 - World War II: The German Army in Italy unconditionally surrenders to the Allies.

★ 1945 - World War II: Start of Operation Manna.

★ 1945 - Adolf Hitler marries his long-time partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designates Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor.

★ 1945 - The Dachau concentration camp is liberated by United States troops.

★ 1946 - Former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders are indicted for war crimes.

★ 1951 - A Tibetan delegation to the Chinese government was presented with a treaty draft regarding the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

★ 1963 - WWE Championship is created as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Heavyweight Championship.

★ 1965 - Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) successfully launches seventh rocket in their ''Rehber'' series.

★ 1967 - After refusing induction into the United States Army the day before (citing religious reasons), Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title.

★ 1970 - Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to hunt Viet Cong.

★ 1974 - Watergate Scandal: President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings related to the scandal.

★ 1975 - Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The last U.S. citizens begin evacuation from Saigon prior to an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.

★ 1986 - Roger Clemens sets a major league baseball record with 20 strikeouts in nine innings against the Seattle Mariners.

★ 1986 - Fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles Public Library, some 400,000 books and other items damaged or destroyed.

★ 1991 - 1991 Bangladesh cyclone struck the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 mph, killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as 10 million homeless.

★ 1992 - 1992 Los Angeles riots: Riots in Los Angeles, California, follow the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 54 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed.

★ 1992 - The Legion of Net. Heroes, the first Usenet superhero shared universe, is formed.

★ 1997 - The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 enters into force, outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons among its signatories.

★ 1999 - Avala TV Tower near Belgrade destroyed in NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

★ 2002 - The United States is re-elected to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, one year after losing the seat it had held for 50 years.

★ 2004 - Dick Cheney and George W. Bush testify before the 9/11 Commission in a closed, unrecorded hearing in the Oval Office.

★ 2004 - Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production.

★ 2005 - Syria completes withdrawal from Lebanon, ending 29 years of occupation.

★ 2005 - New Zealand's first civil union takes place.

★ 2007 - Republic Protests in Turkey

Births

★ 534 - Taliesin, Welsh poet, according to legend in Mabinogion

★ 1665 - James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish statesman and soldier (d. 1745)

★ 1667 - John Arbuthnot, English physician and satirist (d. 1735)

★ 1686 - Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English statesman (d. 1742)

★ 1727 - Jean-Georges Noverre, French dancer (d. 1810)

★ 1745 - Oliver Ellsworth, 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1807)

★ 1762 - Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, French marshal (d. 1833)

★ 1780 - Charles Nodier, French writer (d. 1844)

★ 1837 - Georges Boulanger, French general and politician (d. 1891)

★ 1842 - Karl Millöcker, Dutch composer (d. 1899)

★ 1854 - Henri Poincaré, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1912)

★ 1863 - William Randolph Hearst, American publisher (d. 1951)

★ 1863 - Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet (d. 1933)

★ 1863 - Maria Theresa Ledochowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic nun (d. 1922)

★ 1872 - Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman (d. 1930)

★ 1875 - Rafael Sabatini, Italian/British writer (d. 1950)

★ 1876 - Zauditu of Ethiopia (d. 1930)

★ 1879 - Thomas Beecham, English conductor (d. 1961)

★ 1882 - Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch artist and printer (d. 1945)

★ 1885 - Egon Erwin Kisch, Czech journalist and author (d. 1948)

★ 1893 - Harold Urey, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)

★ 1895 - Sir Malcolm Sargent, English conductor (d. 1967)

★ 1899 - Duke Ellington, American jazz pianist and bandleader (d. 1974)

★ 1901 - Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (d. 1989)

★ 1907 - Tino Rossi, French singer and actor (d. 1983)

★ 1907 - Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-born American film director (d. 1997)

★ 1909 - Tom Ewell, American actor (d. 1994)

★ 1912 - Richard Carlson, American actor (d. 1977)

★ 1915 - Donald Mills, American singer (Mills Brothers) (d. 1999)

★ 1917 - Celeste Holm, American actress

★ 1918 - George Allen, American football player and coach (d. 1990)

★ 1919 - Gérard Oury, French film actor and director (d. 2006)

★ 1920 - Harold Shapero, American composer

★ 1922 - Helmut Krackowizer, Austrian motorcyclist (d. 2001)

★ 1924 - Al Balding, Canadian golfer (d. 2006)

★ 1924 - Zizi Jeanmaire, French ballet dancer and actress

★ 1925 - Ned Austin, American character actor (d. 2007)

★ 1925 - John Compton, Saint Lucian Prime Minister (d. 2007)

★ 1929 - Ray Baretto, American jazz musician (d. 2006)

★ 1929 - Walter Kempowski, German author

★ 1929 - Mickey McDermott, American baseball player (d. 2003)

★ 1929 - Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer

★ 1930 - Jean Rochefort, French actor

★ 1931 - Frank Auerbach, German-born British painter

★ 1931 - Lonnie Donegan, Scottish musician (d. 2002)

★ 1933 - Mark Eyskens, Prime Minister of Belgium

★ 1933 - Rod McKuen, American poet and composer

★ 1934 - Luis Aparicio, Venezuelan baseball player

★ 1934 - Otis Rush, American musician

★ 1936 - Zubin Mehta, Indian-born conductor

★ 1936 - April Stevens, American singer

★ 1936 - Lane Smith, American actor (d. 2005)

★ 1937 - Jill Paton Walsh, English writer

★ 1938 - Fred Dibnah, English television personality (d. 2004)

★ 1942 - Galina Kulakova, Soviet cross country skier

★ 1942 - Klaus Voormann, German illustrator and musician

★ 1944 - Princess Benedikte of Denmark

★ 1944 - Richard Kline, American actor and director

★ 1945 - Tammi Terrell, American singer (d. 1970)

★ 1946 - John Waters, American film director and writer

★ 1947 - Serge Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player

★ 1947 - Olavo de Carvalho, Brazilian philosopher

★ 1947 - Tommy James, American musician

★ 1947 - Jim Ryun, American athlete and politician

★ 1948 - Bruce Cutler, American attorney

★ 1950 - Debbie Stabenow, American politician

★ 1951 - Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (d. 2001)

★ 1952 - Nora Dunn, American actress

★ 1952 - David Icke, English writer

★ 1952 - Bob McClure, American baseball player

★ 1954 - Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder

★ 1954 - Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian

★ 1955 - Kate Mulgrew, American actress

★ 1955 - Wendee Lee, American voice actress

★ 1955 - Gino Quilico, Canadian opera singer

★ 1956 - Ketil Stokkan, Norwegian singer

★ 1957 - Daniel Day-Lewis, Irish actor

★ 1957 - Mark Kendall, American guitarist

★ 1957 - Timothy Treadwell, American bear enthusiast (d. 2003)

★ 1958 - Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress

★ 1958 - Eve Plumb, American actress

★ 1958 - Gary Cohen, Baseball broadcaster

★ 1960 - Phil King, English bassist

★ 1960 - Robert J. Sawyer, Canadian writer

★ 1961 - Fumihiko Tachiki, Japanese seiyuu

★ 1964 - Federico Castelluccio, Italian-American actor

★ 1966 - Phil Tufnell, English cricketer

★ 1967 - Curtis Joseph, Canadian ice hockey player

★ 1967 - Master P, American rapper

★ 1968 - Carnie Wilson, American singer

★ 1969 - Paul Adelstein, American actor

★ 1970 - Andre Agassi, American tennis player

★ 1970 - Uma Thurman, American actress

★ 1971 - Sam Michael, Australian engineer

★ 1972 - Dustin McDaniel, American politician

★ 1973 - David Belle, French physical educator

★ 1973 - Johan Hegg, Swedish Heavy Metal Vocalist

★ 1974 - Anggun, Indonesian singer

★ 1974 - Pascal Cygan, French footballer

★ 1974 - Julian Knowle, Austrian tennis player

★ 1974 - Jasper Wood, Canadian violinist

★ 1975 - Rafael Betancourt, Venezuelan baseball player

★ 1975 - Eric Koston, Thai-born skateboarder

★ 1976 - Jay Orpin, Swedish composer and producer

★ 1977 - Rocío Carrasco, Spanish TV host and socialite

★ 1977 - Claus Jensen, Danish footballer

★ 1978 - Tony Armas, Jr., Venezuelan baseball player

★ 1978 - Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, American tennis players

★ 1979 - Ryan Sharp, Scottish racing driver

★ 1979 - Jo O'Meara, British singer (S Club 7)

★ 1979 - Lee Dong-Gook, Korean footballer

★ 1980 - Mathieu Biron, Canadian ice hockey player

★ 1980 - Kian Egan, Irish singer (Westlife)

★ 1980 - Kelly Shoppach, American baseball player

★ 1981 - George McCartney, Northern Irish footballer

★ 1981 - Émilie Mondor, Canadian athlete (d. 2006)

★ 1981 - Alex Vincent, American actor

★ 1982 - Kamran Jawaid, Pakistani film critic

★ 1983 - Jay Cutler, American football player

★ 1983 - Yuriko Shiratori, Japanese gravure idol and actress

★ 1984 - Taylor Cole, American Actress

★ 1984 - Phạm Văn Quyến, Vietnamese footballer

★ 1987 - Matthew Doherty, Northern Irish footballer

★ 1988 - Younha, Korean pop singer

★ 2003 - Barbaro, American thoroughbred racehorse (d. 2007)

★ 2003 - Maud Behn, Princess of Norway

★ 2007 - Infanta Sofía of Spain, Princess of Spain

Deaths

★ 926 - Burchard II, Duke of Swabia

★ 1380 - Catherine of Siena, Italian saint (b. 1347)

★ 1594 - Thomas Cooper, English bishop, lexicographer, and writer

★ 1630 - Agrippa d'Aubigné, French poet (b. 1552)

★ 1658 - John Cleveland, English poet (b. 1613)

★ 1676 - Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (b. 1607)

★ 1688 - Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1620)

★ 1698 - Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, First Lord of the British Admiralty (b. 1655)

★ 1707 - George Farquhar, Irish dramatist (b. 1678)

★ 1743 - Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French writer (b. 1658)

★ 1768 - Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and minerologist (b. 1694)

★ 1776 - Edward Wortley Montagu, English traveler and writer (b. 1713)

★ 1782 - Richard Kempenfelt, Royal Navy Admiral (b. 1718)

★ 1793 - Yechezkel Landau, Polish rabbi (b. 1713)

★ 1793 - John Michell, English scientist (b. 1724)

★ 1798 - Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, German entomologist (b. 1723)

★ 1854 - Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general (b. 1768)

★ 1903 - Paul du Chaillu, French explorer (b. 1835)

★ 1916 - Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician (b. 1850)

★ 1920 - William Henry Seward, Jr., Union Brigadier General in the American Civil War (b. 1839)

★ 1933 - Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet (b. 1863)

★ 1937 - William Gillette, American actor (b. 1853)

★ 1944 - Bernardino Machado, President of Portugal (b. 1851)

★ 1951 - Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-born philosopher (b. 1889)

★ 1956 - Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, German field marshal (b. 1876)

★ 1966 - William Eccles, English physicist and radio pioneer (b. 1875)

★ 1967 - Anthony Mann, American actor and director (b. 1906)

★ 1979 - Hardie Gramatky, American author and animator (b. 1907)

★ 1980 - Alfred Hitchcock, English film director (b. 1899)

★ 1988 - James McCracken, American tenor (b. 1926)

★ 1993 - Mick Ronson, English musician (b. 1946)

★ 1993 - Michael Gordon, American film director (b. 1909)

★ 1997 - Mike Royko, American columnist (b. 1932)

★ 1998 - Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1922)

★ 2002 - Lor Tok, Thai comedian and actor (b. 1914)

★ 2004 - Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1925)

★ 2005 - William J. Bell, American television writer and producer (b. 1927)

★ 2005 - Mariana Levy, Mexican actress, singer, and television show host (b. 1966)

★ 2006 - John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian economist (b. 1908)

★ 2007 - Milt Bocek, American baseball player (b. 1912)

★ 2007 - Josh Hancock, American baseball player (b. 1978)

★ 2007 - Ivica Račan, former Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)

★ 2007 - Arve Opsahl, Norwegian actor, known as the leader of Olsenbanden

Holidays and observances

★ International Dance Day.

★ Japan (public holiday since 1927, traditionally the start of the Golden Week holiday period.)

★
★ The Emperor's Birthday (1927-1988. Holiday of Emperor Hirohito's birthday until his death in 1989).

★
★ Greenery Day (1989-2006).

★
★ Shōwa Day (2007 - Day of Showa period, which is reigned by Emperor Hirohito)

★ Roman Empire - second day of the Floralia in honor of Flora.

★ Bahá'í Faith - The ninth day of the Festival of Ridván.

Liturgical feasts

Roman Catholic Calendar of saints:

★ Saint Catherine of Siena

★ Saint Robert (d.1111)

★ Saint Wilfred the Younger

★ Saint Peter of Verona

★ Saint Hugh of Cluny

External links

★ BBC: On This Day

★

★ On This Day in Canada
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