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Contents

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

External links

Events

★ 1724 - ''Toruń Blood tribunal ()'', execution of Protestants citizens of Toruń (Thorn) by Polish authorities

★ 1732 - The Royal Opera House opens at Covent Garden, London.

★ 1776 - Marquis de Lafayette attempts to enter the American military as a major general.

★ 1787 - Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the US Constitution.

★ 1815 - Michel Ney, Marshal of France, is executed by firing squad after having been convicted of treason for his support of Napoleon I.

★ 1826 - Malacca High School (SMK Tinggi Melaka) is established in Melaka (Malacca), Malaysia.

★ 1889 - The Gondoliers one of the most popular of the comic operas created by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan opens in London

★ 1917 - World War I: The US declares war on Austria-Hungary.

★ 1941 - World War II: Canada declares war on Finland, Hungary, Romania, and Japan.

★ 1941 - World War II: Attack on Pearl Harbor - The Imperial Japanese Navy attacks the US Pacific Fleet and its defending Army Air Forces and Marine air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

★ 1946 - A fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia kills 119 people.

★ 1949 - Chinese Civil War : The government of Republic of China moves from Nanking to Taipei.

★ 1962 - Prince Rainier III of Monaco revises the principality's constitution, devolving some of his power to advisory and legislative councils.

★ 1965 - Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras simultaneously lift mutual excommunications that had been in place since 1054.

★ 1966 - A fire at an army barracks in Erzurum, Turkey kills 68 people.

★ 1970 - The first ever general election on the basis of direct adult franchise are held in Pakistan for 313 National Assembly seats.

★ 1971 - Pakistan President Yahya Khan announces formation of a Coalition Government at Centre with Nurul Amin as Prime Minister and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto as Vice-Prime Minister.

★ 1972 - Apollo 17, the last Apollo moon mission, is launched. The crew take the photograph known as "The Blue Marble" as they leave the Earth.

★ 1975 - Indonesia invades East Timor.

★ 1982 - In Texas, Charles Brooks, Jr. becomes the first person to be executed by lethal injection in the US.

★ 1983 - An Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 collides with an Aviaco DC-9 in intense fog while the two airliners are taxiing down the runway at Madrid Barajas International Airport, killing 93 people.

★ 1987 - Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 crashes near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 on board, after a disgruntled passenger shoots his ex-boss traveling on the flight, then shoots both pilots and himself.

★ 1988 - Spitak Earthquake: In Armenia an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale kills nearly 25,000, injures 15,000 and leaves 400,000 homeless.

★ 1988 - Yasser Arafat recognizes the right of Israel to exist.

★ 1989 - In their third and final fight, Sugar Ray Leonard retains the WBC Super Middleweight Championship of the World, defeating Roberto Duran.

★ 1993 - The Long Island Rail Road massacre: Passenger Colin Ferguson murders six people and injures 19 others on the LIRR in Nassau County, New York.

★ 1995 - The Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter, a little more than six years after it was launched by Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' during Mission STS-34.

★ 1998 - Yachtsman Jesse Martin departs from Melbourne on his circumnavigation journey around the world.

★ 2001 - John P. Walters is sworn in as the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

★ 2003 - The Conservative Party of Canada is officially recognized after the merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

★ 2004 - Hamid Karzai is inaugurated as President of Afghanistan.

★ 2004 - John Kufuor is re-elected as President of Ghana.

★ 2005 - Rigoberto Alpizar, a passenger on American Airlines Flight 924 who allegedly claimed to have a bomb, is shot and killed by a team of US federal air marshals at Miami International Airport.

★ 2006 - A tornado struck Kensal Green, North West London, seriously damaging around 150 properties.

Births

★ 521 - Saint Columba, Irish Christian missionary to Scotland (d. 597)

★ 1545 - Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, consort of Mary I of Scotland (d. 1567)

★ 1561 - Kikkawa Hiroie, Japanese politician (d. 1625)

★ 1598 - Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Italian artist (d. 1680)

★ 1637 - Bernardo Pasquini, Italian composer (d. 1710)

★ 1670 - John Aislabie, English director of the South Sea Company (d. 1742)

★ 1764 - Claude Victor-Perrin, duc de Belluno, French marshal (d. 1841)

★ 1784 - Allan Cunningham, British poet (d. 1842)

★ 1801 - Johann Nestroy, Austrian dramatist and actor (d. 1862)

★ 1803 - Maria Josepha of Saxony, queen consort of Spain (d. 1829)

★ 1810 - Theodor Schwann, German physiologist (d. 1882)

★ 1810 - Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist (d. 1894)

★ 1823 - Leopold Kronecker, German mathematician (d. 1891)

★ 1847 - George Grossmith, British actor and writer (d. 1912)

★ 1860 - Joseph Cook, 6th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1947)

★ 1863 - Pietro Mascagni, Italian composer (d. 1945)

★ 1863 - Richard Sears, American department store founder (d. 1914)

★ 1873 - Willa Cather, American novelist (d. 1947)

★ 1879 - Rudolf Friml, American composer (d. 1972)

★ 1887 - Ernst Toch, Austrian composer (d. 1964)

★ 1888 - Joyce Cary, Irish author (d. 1957)

★ 1888 - Hamilton Fish III, American politician (d. 1991)

★ 1903 - Danilo Blanuša, Croatian mathematician (d. 1987)

★ 1904 - Konstantin Sokolsky, Russian singer (d. 1991)

★ 1905 - Gerard Kuiper, Dutch-born American astronomer (d. 1973)

★ 1907 - Fred Rose, Canadian communist politician (d. 1983)

★ 1910 - Louis Prima, American musician (d. 1978)

★ 1912 - Daniel Jones, British composer (d. 1993)

★ 1915 - Eli Wallach, American actor

★ 1916 - Jean Carignan, French Canadian fiddler (d. 1988)

★ 1920 - Fiorenzo Magni, Italian cylist

★ 1921 - Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader

★ 1924 - Mário Soares, President of Portugal

★ 1924 - Bent Fabric, Danish pop pianist and composer

★ 1925 - Hernando da Silva Ramos, Brazilian racing driver

★ 1927 - Helen Watts, British contralto

★ 1928 - Noam Chomsky, American linguist and political writer

★ 1930 - Hal Smith, American baseball player

★ 1932 - Ellen Burstyn, American actress

★ 1940 - Stan Boardman, English comedian

★ 1940 - Gerry Cheevers, Canadian ice hockey player

★ 1942 - Harry Chapin, American singer and songwriter (d. 1981)

★ 1942 - Alex Johnson, American baseball player

★ 1942 - Peter Tomarken, American game show host (d. 2006)

★ 1943 - Bernard C. Parks, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department

★ 1943 - Göran Lennmarker, Swedish politician

★ 1944 - Daniel Chorzempa, American organist

★ 1944 - Jamiel Chagra, American drug trafficker

★ 1945 - Marion Rung, Finnish singer

★ 1947 - Johnny Bench, American baseball player

★ 1947 - Garry Unger, Canadian ice hockey player

★ 1947 - Tony Thomas, American TV and film producer

★ 1948 - Gary Morris, American singer and actor

★ 1948 - Mads Vinding, Danish bassist

★ 1949 - Tom Waits, American singer, composer, and actor

★ 1952 - Georges Corraface, Greek actor, president of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival

★ 1954 - Mark Hofmann, American forger and bomber

★ 1954 - Mike Nolan, Irish singer (Bucks Fizz)

★ 1955 - Priscilla Barnes, American actress

★ 1956 - Larry Bird, American basketball player

★ 1957 - Tom Winsor, British lawyer and economic regulator

★ 1958 - Tim Butler, English musician (Psychedelic Furs)

★ 1958 - Rick Rude, American professional wrestler (d. 1999)

★ 1964 - Roberta Close, Brazilian model

★ 1965 - Jeffrey Wright, American actor

★ 1965 - Colin Hendry, former Scottish professional footballer

★ 1966 - C. Thomas Howell, American actor

★ 1967 - Tino Martinez, American baseball player

★ 1968 - Mark Geyer, Australian rugby league footballer

★ 1970 - Carmen Campuzano, Mexican actress and fashion model

★ 1971 - Vladimir Akopian, Armenian chess player

★ 1971 - Chasey Lain, American pornographic actress

★ 1972 - Hermann Maier, Austrian skier

★ 1972 - Tammy Lynn Sytch, American professional wrestler

★ 1973 - Damien Rice, Irish musician

★ 1973 - Terrell Owens, American football player

★ 1973 - Fabien Pelous, French international rugby player

★ 1974 - Nicole Appleton, Canadian-born singer

★ 1975 - Jamie Clapham, English footballer

★ 1976 - Alan Faneca, American football player

★ 1976 - Brent Johnson, Canadian football player

★ 1976 - Georges Laraque, Canadian ice hockey player

★ 1976 - Vanessa Lorenzo, Spanish fashion model

★ 1977 - Dominic Howard, English drummer (Muse)

★ 1978 - Shiri Appleby, American actress

★ 1978 - Frankie J, Mexican-born American singer

★ 1979 - Ayako Fujitani, Japanese actress

★ 1979 - Lampros Choutos, Greek footballer

★ 1979 - Jennifer Carpenter, American actress

★ 1980 - John Terry, English footballer

★ 1983 - Fausto Carmona, Dominican baseball player

★ 1984 - Robert Kubica, the first Polish Formula One racing driver

★ 1984 - Aaron Gray, American basketball player

★ 1986 - Megan Kanka, American rape and murder victim, basis of Megan's Law (d. 1994)

★ 1987 - Aaron Carter, American singer and actor

★ 1988 - Emily Browning, Australian actress

★ 1989 - Nicholas Hoult, English actor

★ 2003 - Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands

Deaths

★ 43 BC - Cicero, Roman politician and author (b. 106 BC)

★ 283 - Pope Eutychian

★ 983 - Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor

★ 1254 - Pope Innocent IV

★ 1279 - King Boleslaus V of Poland (b. 1226)

★ 1295 - Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Hertford, English politician (b. 1243)

★ 1498 - Alexander Hegius von Heek, German humanist

★ 1562 - Adrian Willaert, Flemish composer

★ 1649 - Charles Garnier, French Jesuit missionary (b. 1606)

★ 1672 - Richard Bellingham, English-born Massachusetts colonial magistrate (b. 1592)

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

★ 1683 - Algernon Sydney, English politician (b. 1623)

★ 1723 - Jan Santini Aichel, Bohemian architect (b. 1677)

★ 1725 - Florent Carton Dancourt, French dramatist and actor (b. 1661)

★ 1775 - Charles Saunders, British admiral

★ 1793 - Joseph Bara, French revolutionary (b. 1780)

★ 1815 - Michel Ney, French marshall (executed) (b. 1769)

★ 1817 - William Bligh, British naval officer (b. 1745)

★ 1842 - Thomas Hamilton, Scottish writer (b. 1789)

★ 1874 - Constantin von Tischendorf, German biblical scholar (b. 1815)

★ 1894 - Ferdinand de Lesseps, French diplomat and entrepreneur (Suez Canal) (b. 1805)

★ 1902 - Thomas Nast, German-born American cartoonist (b. 1840)

★ 1906 - Élie Ducommun, Swiss journalist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1833)

★ 1913 - Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano, Italian Catholic churchman and last surviving cardinal of Pius IX (b. 1828)

★ 1917 - Léon Minkus, German/Czech Composer and violinist (b. March 23, 1826)

★ 1941 - Casualties of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
:
★ Mervyn S. Bennion, United States Navy Captain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1887)
:
★ Herbert C. Jones, United States Navy, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1918)
:
★ Isaac C. Kidd, United States Navy Rear Admiral, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1884)
:
★ Thomas J. Reeves, United States Navy, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1895)
:
★ Franklin Van Valkenburgh, United States Navy, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1888)

★ 1947 - Nicholas M. Butler, American university president, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1862)

★ 1947 - Tristan Bernard, French playwright and novelist (b. 1866)

★ 1956 - Huntley Gordon, Canadian actor (b. 1887)

★ 1960 - Clara Haskil, Swiss pianist (b. 1895)

★ 1969 - Lefty O'Doul, American baseball player (b. 1897)

★ 1969 - Eric Portman, English actor (b. 1903)

★ 1970 - Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (b. 1883)

★ 1975 - Thornton Wilder, American playwright (b. 1897)

★ 1977 - Peter Carl Goldmark, Hungarian-born American engineer (b. 1906)

★ 1978 - Alexander Wetmore, American ornithologist (b. 1886)

★ 1980 - Darby Crash, American punk-rock lengend (b. 1958)

★ 1983 - Fanny Cano, Mexican actress (b. 1944)

★ 1985 - Robert Graves, British author (b. 1895)

★ 1985 - Potter Stewart, US Supreme Court Justice (b. 1915)

★ 1989 - William Calhoun, professional wrestler (b. 1934)

★ 1990 - Joan Bennett, American actress (b. 1910)

★ 1990 - Jean Duceppe, Quebec stage, television and film actor (b. 1923)

★ 1990 - Jean Paul Lemieux, Quebec painter (b. 1904)

★ 1993 - Félix Houphouët-Boigny, President of Côte d'Ivoire (b. 1905)

★ 1993 - Wolfgang Paul, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)

★ 1994 - J.C. Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1939)

★ 1997 - Billy Bremner, Scottish former footballer (b. 1942)

★ 1998 - Martin Rodbell, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1925)

★ 1998 - John Addison, British composer (b. 1920)

★ 2000 - Vladimir Gotovac, Croatian poet and politician (b. 1930)

★ 2001 - Charles McClendon, LSU Tigers head football coach (b. 1923)

★ 2003 - Carl F. H. Henry American theologian and publisher (b. 1913)

★ 2003 - Azie Taylor Morton, Treasurer of the United States (b. 1936)

★ 2004 - Frederick Fennell, American conductor (b. 1914)

★ 2004 - Jerry Scoggins, American singer (b. 1913)

★ 2005 - Bud Carson, American football player and coach (b. 1931)

★ 2006 - Jeane Kirkpatrick, American ambassador (b. 1926)

★ 2006 - Jay McShann, American musician (b. ca. 1910)

Holidays and observances

★ R.C. Saints - Saint Ambrose: Memorial

★ US - Pearl Harbor Day (observance)

★ Colombia - Día de las Velitas (Day of the Candles): Festivity

External links

★ BBC: On This Day

★

★ On This Day in Canada
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