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Contents

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

Liturgical feasts

External links

Events

★ 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt.

★ 378 - Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople - A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens is defeated by the Visigoths in present-day Turkey. Valens is killed along with over half of his army.

★ 681 - Bulgaria is founded as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube, after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV south of the Danube delta.

★ 1048 - Pope Damasus II dies in Rome, after reigning for only 23 days.

★ 1173 - Construction of the Tower of Pisa begins, and it takes two centuries to complete.

★ 1483 - Opening of the Sistine Chapel

★ 1666 - Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 150 merchant ships in the Vlie estuary, and pillaging the town of West-Terschelling, an act later knkown as "Holmes's Bonfire".

★ 1810 - Napoleon annexes Westphalia as part of the First French Empire.

★ 1842 - Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States-Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains.

★ 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Cedar Mountain - At Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeats Union forces under General John Pope.

★ 1877 - Indian Wars: Battle of Big Hole - A small band of Nez Percé Indians clash with the United States Army.

★ 1892 - Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph.

★ 1902 - Edward VII is crowned king of the United Kingdom.

★ 1907 - The first Boy Scout encampment concludes at Brownsea Island in Southern England.

★ 1930 - Betty Boop premieres in her first cartoon, ''Dizzy Dishes''.

★ 1936 - Summer Olympic Games: Games of the XI Olympiad: Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal at the games becoming the first American to win four medals in one Olympiad.

★ 1942 - Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement.

★ 1942 - World War II: Battle of Savo Island - Allied naval forces protecting their amphibious forces during the initial stages of the Battle of Guadalcanal are surprised and defeated by an Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser force.

★ 1944 - The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time.

★ 1945 - World War II: Nagasaki is devastated when an atomic bomb, "Fat Man", is dropped by the United States B-29 ''Bockscar''. 70,000 people are killed instantly.

★ 1965 - Singapore seceded from Malaysia and gained independence.

★ 1965 - A fire at a Titan missile base near Little Rock, Arkansas kills 53 construction workers.

★ 1969 - Members of a cult led by Charles Manson brutally murder pregnant actress Sharon Tate (wife of Roman Polanski), coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Polish actor Wojciech Frykowski, men's hairstylist Jay Sebring, and recent high-school graduate Steven Parent at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles, California.

★ 1974 - As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office. His Vice President, Gerald Ford, becomes president.

★ 1983 - Peter Jennings hosts his first broadcast of ABC's World News Tonight as sole anchor.

★ 1986 - The Headington Shark is erected in Oxford.

★ 1986 - Knebworth Park, Stevenage, United Kingdom sees the final live performance of rock band Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury.

★ 1987 - 9 people are shot dead and 17 more injured as 19-year old Julian Knight opens fire at random in the Hoddle Street Massacre in the Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill, in Australia.

★ 1988 - Baseball's all-day-game era officially came to an end when the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 6-4 in Wrigley Field's first night game.

★ 1988 - The hockey world is shocked when Wayne Gretzky is traded to the Los Angeles Kings.

★ 1993 - The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership.

★ 1993 - King Albert II of Belgium is sworn into office.

★ 1995 - Cultural icon and frontman of the rock band The Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia passes away.

★ 1999 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin fires his Prime Minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet.

★ 1999 - The Diet of Japan enacts a law establishing the Hinomaru and Kimi Ga Yo as the official national flag and national anthem.

★ 2001 - US President George W. Bush announces his support for federal funding of limited research on embryonic stem cells.

★ 2001 - In Jerusalem, 15 people die and 130 are wounded in the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing.

★ 2005 - A chemical plant explosion happened at the EQ Recovery Plant in Romulus, Michigan, forcing residents within 1 to 1⅓ mile radius from the plant to evacuate.

Births

★ 1201 - Arnold Fitz Thedmar, English chronicler (d. 1274)

★ 1593 - Izaak Walton, English angler (d. 1683)

★ 1631 - John Dryden, English Poet Laureate (d. 1700)

★ 1648 - Johann Michael Bach, German composer (d. 1694)

★ 1653 - John Oldham, English poet (d. 1683)

★ 1674 - František Maxmilián Kaňka, Czech architect (d. 1766)

★ 1722 - Augustus William, Prince of Prussia (d. 1758)

★ 1726 - Francesco Cetti, Italian Jesuit scientist (d. 1778)

★ 1757 - Thomas Telford, Scottish civil engineer (d. 1834)

★ 1776 - Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist (d. 1856)

★ 1797 - Charles Robert Malden, British. naval officer (d. 1855)

★ 1805 - Joseph Locke, English railway and civil engineer (d. 1860)

★ 1809 - William Barret Travis, commander at Battle of the Alamo

★ 1845 - André Bessette, Canadian religious figure (d. 1937)

★ 1847 - Maria Victoria al Pozzo della Cisterna, queen consort of Spain (d. 1876)

★ 1871 - Leonid Andreyev, Russian writer (d. 1919)

★ 1872 - Archduke Joseph August of Austria, Austrian field marshal (d. 1962)

★ 1874 - Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan composer and conductor (d. 1947)

★ 1875 - Albert Ketèlbey, English pianist, conductor and composer (b. 1959)

★ 1896 - Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist (d. 1980)

★ 1896 - Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist (d. 1934)

★ 1896 - Erich Hückel, German physicist (d. 1980)

★ 1899 - P. L. Travers, Australian author (d. 1996)

★ 1901 - Charles Farrell, American actor (d. 1990)

★ 1902 - Zino Francescatti, French violinist (d. 1991)

★ 1909 - Adam von Trott zu Solz, German diplomat opposing the Nazi regime (executed) (d. 1944)

★ 1911 - William Alfred Fowler, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1996)

★ 1911 - Eddie Futch, American boxing trainer (d. 2001)

★ 1914 - Tove Jansson, Finnish author, the creator of the Moomins (d. 2001)

★ 1914 - Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian conductor (d. 1963)

★ 1914 - Joe Mercer, English footballer (d. 1990)

★ 1919 - Joop den Uyl, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1987)

★ 1919 - Ralph Houk, American baseball player and manager

★ 1920 - Enzo Biagi, Italian journalist and writer

★ 1921 - J. James Exon, American politician, (d. 2005)

★ 1921 - Ernest Angley, televangelist

★ 1922 - Philip Larkin, English poet (d. 1985)

★ 1925 - David A. Huffman, creator of Huffman coding (d. 1999)

★ 1927 - Daniel Keyes, American author

★ 1927 - Robert Shaw, English actor (d. 1978)

★ 1928 - Bob Cousy, American. basketball player

★ 1930 - Jacques Parizeau, Quebec economist and politician

★ 1931 - Mário Zagallo, Brazilian football coach and player

★ 1931 - Chuck Essegian, American baseball player

★ 1932 - John Gomery, Canadian jurist

★ 1933 - Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Japanese television personality and children's author

★ 1936 - Julián Javier, American baseball player

★ 1936 - Patrick Tse Yin, Hong Kong film director

★ 1938 - Leonid Kuchma, Ukrainian politician

★ 1938 - Rod Laver, Australian tennis player

★ 1939 - Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy, former President of the European Commission

★ 1939 - Brito, Brazilian footballer

★ 1940 - Beverlee McKinsey, American actress

★ 1942 - Tommie Agee, American baseball player (d. 2001)

★ 1942 - David Steinberg, Canadian comedian

★ 1943 - Ken Norton, American boxer

★ 1944 - Sam Elliott, American actor

★ 1945 - Posy Simmonds, English cartoonist

★ 1946 - Jim Kiick, American football player

★ 1947 - Barbara Mason, American soul singer

★ 1948 - Bill Campbell, baseball player

★ 1949 - Jonathan Kellerman, American writer

★ 1952 - Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thai politician

★ 1957 - Melanie Griffith, American actress

★ 1959 - Kurtis Blow, American rapper

★ 1959 - Stuart Hughes, Canadian actor

★ 1961 - Brad Gilbert, American tennis player

★ 1961 - John Key, Leader of the New Zealand National Party

★ 1961 - Amy Stiller, American actress

★ 1962 - Kevin Mack, American football player

★ 1962 - Louis Lipps, American football player

★ 1963 - Whitney Houston, American diva and actress

★ 1964 - Brett Hull, Canadian-born hockey player

★ 1967 - Deion Sanders, American football player

★ 1968 - Gillian Anderson, American actress

★ 1968 - Eric Bana, Australian actor

★ 1968 - Karyn Parsons, American actress

★ 1968 - Sam Fogarino,drummer for New York City-based band Interpol

★ 1969 - Divine Brown, American celebrity

★ 1969 - Troy Percival, baseball player

★ 1970 - Rod Brind'Amour, hockey player

★ 1970 - Chris Cuomo, American TV journalist

★ 1970 - Thomas Lennon, American actor

★ 1970 - Arion Salazar, American musician (Third Eye Blind)

★ 1971 - Davide Rebellin, Italian cyclist

★ 1971 - Mack 10, American rapper

★ 1971 - James Kim, technology reporter (d. 2006)

★ 1972 - Juanes, Colombian singer

★ 1972 - A-Mei, Taiwanese singer

★ 1973 - Kevin McKidd, Scottish actor

★ 1973 - Filippo Inzaghi, Italian footballer

★ 1974 - Mahesh Babu, Indian film actor

★ 1974 - Matt Morris, baseball player

★ 1974 - Derek Fisher, American basketball player

★ 1975 - Robbie Middleby, Australian soccer player

★ 1976 - Jessica Capshaw, American actress

★ 1976 - Rhona Mitra, English actress

★ 1977 - Chamique Holdsclaw, American basketball player

★ 1977 - Mikael Silvestre, French footballer

★ 1977 - Adewale Ogunleye, American football player

★ 1977 - Jason Frasor, American baseball player

★ 1978 - Audrey Tautou, French actress

★ 1978 - Michael Scofield, Fox River Eight Fugitive

★ 1980 - Ryu Seung-beom, South Korean actor

★ 1982 - Tyson Gay, American sprinter

★ 1982 - Danieal Manning, American football player

★ 1983 - Ashley Johnson, American actress

★ 1984 - Paul Gallagher, Scottish footballer

★ 1985 - Hayley Peirsol, American swimmer

★ 1985 - Luca Filippi, Italian racing driver

★ 1985 - JaMarcus Russell, American football player

★ 1986 - Vanessa Morley, American actress

★ 1989 - Stefano Okaka Chuka, Italian footballer

★ 1990 - Adelaide Kane, Australian actress

Deaths

★ 117 - Trajan, Roman Emperor (b. 53)

★ 378 - Valens, Roman Emperor (killed in battle) (b. 328)

★ 803 - Byzantine Empress Irene

★ 1107 - Emperor Horikawa of Japan (b. 1079)

★ 1173 - Najm ad-Din Ayyub, father of Saladin

★ 1250 - King Eric IV of Denmark (b. 1216)

★ 1534 - Cardinal Cajetan, Italian theologian (b. 1470)

★ 1601 - Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia (b. 1558)

★ 1634 - William Noy, English jurist (b. 1577)

★ 1720 - Simon Ockley, English orientalist (b. 1678)

★ 1744 - James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, English patron of the arts (b. 1673)

★ 1816 - Johann August Apel, German jurist and writer (b. 1771)

★ 1837 - Xavier Sigalon, French painter (b. 1787)

★ 1886 - Samuel Ferguson, Northern Irish poet and artist (b. 1810)

★ 1919 - Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (b. 1857)

★ 1942 - Edith Stein, (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) (executed) (b. 1891)

★ 1945 - Harry Hillman, American athlete (b. 1881)

★ 1945 - Robert Hampton Gray, last Canadian Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1917)

★ 1957 - Carl Clauberg, Nazi doctor (b. 1898)

★ 1962 - Hermann Hesse, German-born writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1877)

★ 1967 - Joe Orton, English writer (b. 1933)

★ 1969 - Abigail Folger, American heiress (murdered) (b. 1943)

★ 1969 - Wojciech Frykowski, Polish writer (murdered) (b. 1936)

★ 1969 - Cecil Frank Powell, British physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1903)

★ 1969 - Jay Sebring, American hair stylist (murdered) (b. 1933)

★ 1969 - Sharon Tate, American actress (murdered) (b. 1943)

★ 1969 - Steven Parent, American student (murdered) (b. 1951)

★ 1974 - Bill Chase, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1934)

★ 1975 - Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer (b. 1906)

★ 1979 - Walter O'Malley, baseball executive (b. 1903)

★ 1985 - Clive Churchill, Australian rugby league player (b. 1927)

★ 1988 - Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer (b. 1905)

★ 1990 - Joe Mercer, English footballer (b. 1914)

★ 1995 - Jerry Garcia, American musician (Grateful Dead) (b. 1942)

★ 1996 - Sir Frank Whittle, invented the jet engine (b. 1907)

★ 1999 - Fouad Serageddin, Egyptian politician (b. 1910)

★ 2000 - John Harsanyi, Hungarian-born economist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1920)

★ 2000 - Nicholas Markowitz-kidnapped and murder by Jesse James Hollywood (b. 1984)

★ 2002 - Paul Samson, British guitarist (Samson) (b. 1953)

★ 2002 - Peter Neville, anarchist, sociologist, and peace activist

★ 2003 - Ray Harford, English footballer and manager (b. 1945)

★ 2003 - Gregory Hines, American actor and dancer (b. 1946)

★ 2003 - Jacques Deray, French film director (b. 1929)

★ 2004 - Tony Mottola, American guitarist (b. 1918)

★ 2004 - David Raksin, American film director (b. 1912)

★ 2005 - Matthew McGrory, American actor (b. 1973)

★ 2005 - Judith Rossner, American novelist (b. 1935)

★ 2006 - James van Allen, American physicist (b. 1914)

★ 2006 - Philip E. High, science fiction author (b. 1914)

★ 2007 - Joe O'Donnell, American documentary photographer, photojournalist (b. 1922)

Holidays and observances

★ Singapore: National Day

★ National Women's Day in South Africa

★ International Day of the World's Indigenous People

★ Baltimore, Maryland: Official "Frank Zappa Day" in honor of the Baltimore-born composer and musician (born 1940, died 1993).

Liturgical feasts

★ Feast day of the great martyr Saint Panteleimon in Russian Orthodox Church
Roman Catholicism

★ Saint Auctor, bishop of Metz [Metz]

★ Saint Domitian,bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne), confessor [Châlons-sur-Marne]

★ Saint Fedlimin/Felimy, bishop of Kilmore

★ Saint Firmus and Saint Rusticus

★ Saint Herneus, abbot, confessor [Le Mans]

★ Saint Jean Vianney

★ Saint Lawrence (Vigil) [common]

★ Saint Maurilius

★ Saint Nathy (David), bishop of Achonry

★ Saint Romanus, martyr [common] (Romanus Ostiarius, died 258)

★ Saint Secundianus and companions, martyrs [Meaux]

★ Blessed Ceferino Jimenez Malla

★ St. Edith Stein, died 1942

External links

★ BBC: On This Day

★

★ On This Day in Canada
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