On This Day /

Important events in history
on August 15 th

Events

  1. 2021

    1. Kabul falls into the hands of the Taliban as Ashraf Ghani flees Afghanistan along with local residents and foreign nationals, effectively reestablishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

      1. Capital and the largest city of Afghanistan

        Kabul

        Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. According to late 2022 estimates, the population of Kabul was 13.5 million people. In contemporary times, the city has served as Afghanistan's political, cultural, and economical centre, and rapid urbanisation has made Kabul the 75th-largest city in the world and the country's primate city.

      2. Taliban capture of the capital of Afghanistan

        Fall of Kabul (2021)

        On 15 August 2021, Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul was captured by the Taliban after a major insurgent offensive that began in May 2021. This led to the overthrowing of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under President Ashraf Ghani and the reinstatement of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban.

      3. Islamist organization in Afghanistan (founded 1994)

        Taliban

        The Taliban, which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pashtun nationalist political movement in Afghanistan. It ruled approximately three-quarters of the country from 1996 to 2001, before being overthrown following the United States invasion. It recaptured Kabul on 15 August 2021 after nearly 20 years of insurgency, and currently controls all of the country, although its government has not yet been recognized by any country. The Taliban government has been criticized for restricting human rights in Afghanistan, including the right of women and girls to work and to have an education.

      4. President of Afghanistan from 2014 to 2021 (born 1949)

        Ashraf Ghani

        Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is an Afghan politician, academic, and economist who served as the fifth president of Afghanistan and the second and final president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was overthrown by the Taliban.

      5. Country in Central and South Asia

        Afghanistan

        Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. As of 2021, its population is 40.2 million, composed mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks. Kabul is the country's largest city and serves as its capital.

  2. 2020

    1. Russia begins production on the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.

      1. Vaccine against COVID-19

        Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

        Sputnik V or Gam-COVID-Vac is an adenovirus viral vector vaccine for COVID-19 developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia. It is the world's first registered combination vector vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19, having been registered on 11 August 2020 by the Russian Ministry of Health.

  3. 2015

    1. North Korea moves its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time, 8.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}1⁄2 hours ahead of UTC.

      1. Country in East Asia

        North Korea

        North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and Tumen rivers, and South Korea to the south at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. North Korea's border with South Korea is a disputed border as both countries claim the entirety of the Korean Peninsula. The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. North Korea, like its southern counterpart, claims to be the legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. Pyongyang is the capital and largest city.

      2. Time in North Korea

        Time in North Korea, called Pyongyang Time or Standard Time of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is since May 2018 equal to Korea Standard Time: 9 hours ahead of UTC (UTC+09:00). Like South Korea, North Korea does not currently observe daylight saving time. Time keeping in North Korea is under the State Commission for Science and Technology.

      3. Primary time standard

        Coordinated Universal Time

        Coordinated Universal Time or UTC is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is within about one second of mean solar time at 0° longitude and is not adjusted for daylight saving time. It is effectively a successor to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

  4. 2013

    1. At least 27 people are killed and 226 injured in an explosion in southern Beirut near a complex used by Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. A previously unknown Syrian Sunni group claims responsibility in an online video.

      1. 2013 Islamist terror attack in Beirut, Lebanon

        August 2013 Beirut bombing

        On 15 August 2013, a car bomb exploded in Beirut, Lebanon killing 27 people and injuring over 200 people. The car bomb was intended for the stronghold of Hezbollah. It was reportedly the "worst explosion in south Beirut" since a 1985 truck bomb assassination attempt targeting top Shiite cleric Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. The Islamist group Aisha Umm-al Mouemeneen, also known as Brigades of Aisha, were responsible for the explosion. In their statement the group accused Hezbollah of being Iranian agents and threatened more attacks. "This is the second time that we decide the time and place of the battle ... And you will see more, God willing," However Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and other politicians blamed Israel for the attack.

      2. Capital and largest city of Lebanon

        Beirut

        Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2014, Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, and was one of Phoenicia's most prominent city states, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 14th century BC.

      3. Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group

        Hezbollah

        Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament.

      4. Country in Western Asia

        Syria

        Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a Western Asian country located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It is a unitary republic that consists of 14 governorates (subdivisions), and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. Cyprus lies to the west across the Mediterranean Sea. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including the majority Syrian Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Armenians, Circassians, Albanians, and Greeks. Religious groups include Muslims, Christians, Alawites, Druze, and Yazidis. The capital and largest city of Syria is Damascus. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, and Muslims are the largest religious group.

      5. Most populous Islamic denomination

        Sunni Islam

        Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word Sunnah, referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagreement over the succession to Muhammad and subsequently acquired broader political significance, as well as theological and juridical dimensions. According to Sunni traditions, Muhammad left no successor and the participants of the Saqifah event appointed Abu Bakr as the next-in-line. This contrasts with the Shia view, which holds that Muhammad appointed his son-in-law and cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor.

    2. The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito, the first new carnivorous species found in the Americas in 35 years.

      1. US group of museums and research centers

        Smithsonian Institution

        The Smithsonian Institution, or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson. It was originally organized as the United States National Museum, but that name ceased to exist administratively in 1967.

      2. Genus of carnivores

        Olinguito

        The olinguito is a mammal of the raccoon family Procyonidae that lives in montane forests in the Andes of western Colombia and Ecuador. It was classified as belonging to a new species in 2013. The specific name neblina is Spanish for fog or mist, referring to the cloud forest habitat of the olinguito.

  5. 2007

    1. An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090.

      1. 2007 earthquake and tsunami centered off the coast of Ica Department, Peru

        2007 Peru earthquake

        The 2007 Peru earthquake, which measured 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale, hit the central coast of Peru on August 15 at 23:40:57 UTC and lasted two minutes. The epicenter was located 150 km (93 mi) south-southeast of Lima at a depth of 39 km (24 mi). The United States Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center reported that it was a Very strong earthquake. The Peruvian government stated that 519 people were killed by the quake.

      2. First-level administrative division on the southwestern coast of Peru

        Department of Ica

        Ica is a department and region of Peru. It borders the Pacific Ocean on the west; the Lima Region on the north; the Huancavelica and Ayacucho regions on the east; and the Arequipa Region on the south. Its capital is the city of Ica.

      3. Country in South America

        Peru

        Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pacific Ocean. Peru is a megadiverse country with habitats ranging from the arid plains of the Pacific coastal region in the west to the peaks of the Andes mountains extending from the north to the southeast of the country to the tropical Amazon basin rainforest in the east with the Amazon River. Peru has a population of 32 million, and its capital and largest city is Lima. At 1.28 million km2, Peru is the 19th largest country in the world, and the third largest in South America.

  6. 2005

    1. The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending more than 28 years of fighting.

      1. 1976–2005 Acehnese separatist group in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia

        Free Aceh Movement

        The Free Aceh Movement was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra, Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh insurgency from 1976 to 2005, during which over 15,000 lives are believed to have been lost.

      2. National government of Indonesia

        Government of Indonesia

        The term Government of Indonesia can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government – the executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. The term is also used colloquially to mean the executive and legislature together, as these are the branches of government responsible for day-to-day governance of the nation and lawmaking. At its narrowest, the term is used to refer to the executive branch in form of the Cabinet of Indonesia as this is the branch of government responsible for day-to-day governance.

      3. 1976–2005 conflict in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia

        Insurgency in Aceh

        The insurgency in Aceh, officially designated the Rebellion in Aceh by the Indonesian government, was a conflict fought by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) between 1976 and 2005, with the goal of making the province of Aceh independent from Indonesia. The aftermath of a strong military offensive in 2003 and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake brought a peace agreement and an end to the insurgency.

    2. Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank begins.

      1. 2005 withdrawal of Israeli personnel

        Israeli disengagement from Gaza

        The Israeli disengagement from Gaza was the unilateral dismantling in 2005 of the 21 Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of Israeli settlers and army from inside the Gaza Strip.

      2. Citizens and nationals of Israel

        Israelis

        Israelis are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Jews and Arabs, who respectively account for 75 percent and 20 percent of the national figure; followed by other ethnic and religious minorities, who account for 5 percent.

      3. Self-governing Palestinian territory next to Egypt and Israel

        Gaza Strip

        The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a Palestinian exclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The smaller of the two Palestinian territories, it borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km (32 mi) border. Together, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank make up the State of Palestine, while being under Israeli military occupation since 1967.

      4. Jewish civilian communities built on lands occupied by Israel

        Israeli settlement

        Israeli settlements, or Israeli colonies, are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, overwhelmingly of Jewish ethnicity, built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

      5. Territory in West Asia

        West Bank

        The West Bank is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediterranean in Western Asia that forms the main bulk of the Palestinian territories. It is bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea to the east and by Israel to the south, west, and north. Under an Israeli military occupation since 1967, its area is split into 165 Palestinian "islands" that are under total or partial civil administration by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), and 230 Israeli settlements into which Israeli law is "pipelined". The West Bank includes East Jerusalem.

    3. The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending almost three decades of fighting.

      1. 1976–2005 Acehnese separatist group in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia

        Free Aceh Movement

        The Free Aceh Movement was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra, Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh insurgency from 1976 to 2005, during which over 15,000 lives are believed to have been lost.

      2. National government of Indonesia

        Government of Indonesia

        The term Government of Indonesia can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government – the executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. The term is also used colloquially to mean the executive and legislature together, as these are the branches of government responsible for day-to-day governance of the nation and lawmaking. At its narrowest, the term is used to refer to the executive branch in form of the Cabinet of Indonesia as this is the branch of government responsible for day-to-day governance.

      3. 1976–2005 conflict in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia

        Insurgency in Aceh

        The insurgency in Aceh, officially designated the Rebellion in Aceh by the Indonesian government, was a conflict fought by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) between 1976 and 2005, with the goal of making the province of Aceh independent from Indonesia. The aftermath of a strong military offensive in 2003 and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake brought a peace agreement and an end to the insurgency.

  7. 1999

    1. Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria: Some 29 people are killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions with Morocco.

      1. Commune and town in Béchar Province, Algeria

        Béni Ounif

        Béni Ounif is a town and commune in Béchar Province, Algeria, coextensive with the district of Béni Ounif. It has a population of 10,732 as of the 2008 census, up from 8,199 in 1998, and had an annual growth rate of 2.8%, the second highest in the province. The commune covers an area of 16,600 square kilometres (6,400 sq mi).

      2. Country in North Africa

        Algeria

        Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in North Africa. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia; to the east by Libya; to the southeast by Niger; to the southwest by Mali, Mauritania, and Western Sahara; to the west by Morocco; and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea. It is considered part of the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has a semi-arid geography, with most of the population living in the fertile north and the Sahara dominating the geography of the south. Algeria covers an area of 2,381,741 square kilometres (919,595 sq mi), making it the world's tenth largest nation by area, and the largest nation in Africa, being more than 200 times as large as the smallest country in the continent, The Gambia. With a population of 44 million, Algeria is the ninth-most populous country in Africa, and the 32nd-most populous country in the world. The capital and largest city is Algiers, located in the far north on the Mediterranean coast.

      3. Country in North Africa

        Morocco

        Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east, and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south. Mauritania lies to the south of Western Sahara. Morocco also claims the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, and several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast. It spans an area of 446,300 km2 (172,300 sq mi) or 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi), with a population of roughly 37 million. Its official and predominant religion is Islam, and the official languages are Arabic and Berber; the Moroccan dialect of Arabic and French are also widely spoken. Moroccan identity and culture is a mix of Arab, Berber, and European cultures. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca.

  8. 1998

    1. The Troubles: A car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army killed 29 people and injured approximately 220 others in Omagh, Northern Ireland.

      1. 1960s–1990s conflict in Northern Ireland

        The Troubles

        The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "irregular war" or "low-level war". The conflict began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles mostly took place in Northern Ireland, at times violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England and mainland Europe.

      2. 1998 car bombing in Northern Ireland by the Real IRA

        Omagh bombing

        The Omagh bombing was a car bombing on 15 August 1998 in the town of Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army, a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) splinter group who opposed the IRA's ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement, signed earlier in the year. The bombing killed 29 people and injured about 220 others, making it the deadliest single incident of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Telephoned warnings which did not specify the actual location had been sent almost forty minutes beforehand but police inadvertently moved people toward the bomb.

      3. Irish republican paramilitary group split from the Provisional IRA in 1997

        Real Irish Republican Army

        The Real Irish Republican Army, or Real IRA (RIRA), is a dissident Irish republican paramilitary group that aims to bring about a United Ireland. It formed in 1997 following a split in the Provisional IRA by dissident members, who rejected the IRA's ceasefire that year. Like the Provisional IRA before it, the Real IRA sees itself as the only rightful successor to the original Irish Republican Army and styles itself as simply "the Irish Republican Army" in English or Óglaigh na hÉireann in Irish. It is an illegal organisation in the Republic of Ireland and designated as a proscribed terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom and the United States.

      4. County town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland

        Omagh

        Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. Northern Ireland's capital city Belfast is 68 miles (109.5 km) to the east of Omagh, and Derry is 34 miles (55 km) to the north.

    2. Northern Ireland: Omagh bombing takes place; 29 people (including a woman pregnant with twins) killed and some 220 others injured.

      1. Part of the United Kingdom on the island of Ireland

        Northern Ireland

        Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2021, its population was 1,903,100, making up about 27% of Ireland's population and about 3% of the UK's population. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. Northern Ireland cooperates with the Republic of Ireland in several areas.

      2. 1998 car bombing in Northern Ireland by the Real IRA

        Omagh bombing

        The Omagh bombing was a car bombing on 15 August 1998 in the town of Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army, a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) splinter group who opposed the IRA's ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement, signed earlier in the year. The bombing killed 29 people and injured about 220 others, making it the deadliest single incident of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Telephoned warnings which did not specify the actual location had been sent almost forty minutes beforehand but police inadvertently moved people toward the bomb.

    3. Apple introduces the iMac computer.

      1. American multinational technology company

        Apple Inc.

        Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company by market capitalization, the fourth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales and second-largest mobile phone manufacturer. It is one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft.

      2. Line of all-in-one desktop computers by Apple Inc.

        IMac

        iMac is a family of all-in-one Mac desktop computers designed and built by Apple Inc. It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its debut in August 1998, and has evolved through seven distinct forms.

  9. 1995

    1. In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later).

      1. U.S. state

        South Carolina

        South Carolina is a state in the coastal Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered to the north by North Carolina, to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the southwest by Georgia across the Savannah River. South Carolina is the 40th most extensive and 23rd most populous U.S. state with a recorded population of 5,124,712 according to the 2020 census. In 2019, its GDP was $213.45 billion. South Carolina is composed of 46 counties. The capital is Columbia with a population of 137,300 in 2020; while its largest city is Charleston with a 2020 population of 150,277. The Greenville–Spartanburg-Anderson metropolitan area is the most populous in the state, with a 2020 population estimate of 1,455,892.

      2. American educator, first female Citadel recruit (who dropped out after 3 days)

        Shannon Faulkner

        Shannon Faulkner is an American teacher, best known for being the first female student to attend The Citadel in 1994, following a lawsuit. She currently teaches English in Greenville, South Carolina.

      3. Trainee or candidate to become a military officer

        Cadet

        A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in voluntary youth organisations.

      4. U.S. military college in Charleston, South Carolina

        The Citadel

        The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. It has 18 academic departments divided into five schools offering 31 majors and 57 minors. The military program is made up of cadets pursuing bachelor's degrees who live on campus. The non-military programs offer 12 undergraduate degrees, 26 graduate degrees, as well as evening and online programs with seven online graduate degrees, three online undergraduate degrees, and three certificate programs.

    2. Tomiichi Murayama, Prime Minister of Japan, releases the Murayama Statement, which formally expresses remorse for Japanese war crimes committed during World War II.

      1. Prime Minister of Japan from 1994 to 1996

        Tomiichi Murayama

        Tomiichi Murayama is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1994 to 1996. He led the Japanese Socialist Party, and was responsible for changing its name to the Social Democratic Party of Japan in 1996. Upon becoming Prime Minister, he was Japan's first socialist leader in nearly fifty years. He is most remembered today for his speech "On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the War's end", in which he publicly apologised for Imperial Japanese atrocities committed during World War II. Of the ten living former prime ministers of Japan, he is currently the oldest living prime minister, following the death of Yasuhiro Nakasone on 29 November 2019. Murayama is also the only living former Japanese prime minister who was born in the Taishō era.

      2. Murayama Statement

        The Murayama Statement was a political statement released by former Prime Minister of Japan Tomiichi Murayama on August 15, 1995, officially titled "On the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the War's End".

      3. War crimes of the Empire of Japan

        Japanese war crimes

        The Empire of Japan committed war crimes in many Asian-Pacific countries during the period of Japanese imperialism, primarily during the Second Sino-Japanese and Pacific Wars. These incidents have been described as an "Asian Holocaust". Some war crimes were committed by Japanese military personnel during the late 19th century, but most were committed during the first part of the Shōwa era, the name given to the reign of Emperor Hirohito.

      4. Global war, 1939–1945

        World War II

        World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries.

  10. 1985

    1. Signing of the Assam Accord, an agreement between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement to end the movement.

      1. 1985 agreement between the Indian government and the Assam Movement

        Assam Accord

        The Assam Accord was a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement. It was signed in the presence of the then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in New Delhi on 15 August 1985. Later, the Citizenship Act was amended for the first time the following year, in 1986. It followed a six-year agitation that started in 1979. Led by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), the protestors demanded the identification and deportation of all illegal foreigners – predominantly Bangladeshi immigrants. They feared that past and continuing large scale migration was overwhelming the native population, impacting their political rights, culture, language and land rights. The Assam Movement caused the estimated death of over 855 people. The movement ended with the signing of the Assam Accord.

      2. Legislative, executive and judiciary authority of India

        Government of India

        The Government of India, known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national administrative authority of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, consisting of 28 union states and eight union territories. Under the Constitution, there are three primary branches of government: the legislative, the executive and the judiciary, whose powers are vested in a bicameral Parliament, President, aided by the Council of Ministers, and the Supreme Court respectively. Through judicial evolution, the Parliament has lost its sovereignty as its amendments to the Constitution are subject to judicial intervention. Judicial appointments in India are unique in that the executive or legislature have negligle say.

      3. World's first longest student movement

        Assam Movement

        The Assam Movement (1979–1985) was a popular uprising in Assam, India, that demanded the Government of India to detect, disenfranchise and deport illegal aliens. Led by All Assam Students Union (AASU) and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP) the movement defined a six-year period of sustained civil disobedience campaigns, political instability and widespread ethnic violence. The movement ended in 1985 with the Assam Accord.

  11. 1984

    1. The Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey starts a campaign of armed attacks upon the Turkish Armed Forces with an attack on police and gendarmerie bases in Şemdinli and Eruh.

      1. Kurdish armed organization

        Kurdistan Workers' Party

        The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq. Since 1984, the PKK has utilized asymmetric warfare in the Kurdish–Turkish conflict. Although the PKK once sought an independent Kurdish state, in the 1990s its aims shifted toward autonomy and increased rights for Kurds within Turkey.

      2. Country straddling Western Asia and Southeastern Europe

        Turkey

        Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. It shares borders with the Black Sea to the north; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq to the southeast; Syria and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. Cyprus is located off the south coast. Turks form the vast majority of the nation's population and Kurds are the largest minority. Ankara is Turkey's capital, while Istanbul is its largest city and financial centre.

      3. Combined military forces of Turkey

        Turkish Armed Forces

        The Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chief of the General staff is General Yaşar Güler. The Chief of the General Staff is the Commander of the Armed Forces. In wartime, the Chief of the General Staff acts as the Commander-in-Chief on behalf of the President, who represents the Supreme Military Command of the TAF on behalf of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Coordinating the military relations of the TAF with other NATO member states and friendly states is the responsibility of the General Staff.

      4. 1984 battle during the Turkish-Kurdish conflicts

        1984 PKK attacks

        The 15 August 1984 PKK attacks, which were led by Mahsum Korkmaz, marked the start of the last phase of Kurdish–Turkish conflict.

  12. 1977

    1. The Big Ear radio telescope in Ohio received a strong, apparently extraterrestrial radio signal, which became known as the "Wow! signal" (printout pictured).

      1. Kraus-type radio telescope at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, USA from 1963-98

        Ohio State University Radio Observatory

        The Ohio State University Radio Observatory was a Kraus-type radio telescope located on the grounds of the Perkins Observatory at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio from 1963 to 1998. Known as Big Ear, the observatory was part of Ohio State University's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project. The telescope was designed by John D. Kraus. Construction of the Big Ear began in 1956 and was completed in 1961, and it was finally turned on for the first time in 1963.

      2. Type of electromagnetic radiation

        Radio wave

        Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies of 300 gigahertz (GHz) and below. At 300 GHz, the corresponding wavelength is 1 mm ; at 30 Hz the corresponding wavelength is 10,000 kilometers. Like all electromagnetic waves, radio waves in a vacuum travel at the speed of light, and in the Earth's atmosphere at a close, but slightly lower speed. Radio waves are generated by charged particles undergoing acceleration, such as time-varying electric currents. Naturally occurring radio waves are emitted by lightning and astronomical objects, and are part of the blackbody radiation emitted by all warm objects.

      3. 1977 narrowband radio signal from SETI

        Wow! signal

        The Wow! signal was a strong narrowband radio signal detected on August 15, 1977, by Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope in the United States, then used to support the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The signal appeared to come from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius and bore the expected hallmarks of extraterrestrial origin.

    2. The Big Ear, a radio telescope operated by Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space; the event is named the "Wow! signal" from the notation made by a volunteer on the project.

      1. Kraus-type radio telescope at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, USA from 1963-98

        Ohio State University Radio Observatory

        The Ohio State University Radio Observatory was a Kraus-type radio telescope located on the grounds of the Perkins Observatory at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio from 1963 to 1998. Known as Big Ear, the observatory was part of Ohio State University's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project. The telescope was designed by John D. Kraus. Construction of the Big Ear began in 1956 and was completed in 1961, and it was finally turned on for the first time in 1963.

      2. Directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy

        Radio telescope

        A radio telescope is a specialized antenna and radio receiver used to detect radio waves from astronomical radio sources in the sky. Radio telescopes are the main observing instrument used in radio astronomy, which studies the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum emitted by astronomical objects, just as optical telescopes are the main observing instrument used in traditional optical astronomy which studies the light wave portion of the spectrum coming from astronomical objects. Unlike optical telescopes, radio telescopes can be used in the daytime as well as at night.

      3. Public university in Columbus, Ohio, United States

        Ohio State University

        The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public universities in the United States. Founded in 1870 as the state's land-grant university and the ninth university in Ohio with the Morrill Act of 1862, Ohio State was originally known as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College and focused on various agricultural and mechanical disciplines, but it developed into a comprehensive university under the direction of then-Governor and later U.S. president Rutherford B. Hayes, and in 1878, the Ohio General Assembly passed a law changing the name to "the Ohio State University" and broadening the scope of the university. Admission standards tightened and became greatly more selective throughout the 2000s and 2010s.

      4. Effort to find civilizations not from Earth

        Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

        The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life, for example, monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other planets.

      5. 1977 narrowband radio signal from SETI

        Wow! signal

        The Wow! signal was a strong narrowband radio signal detected on August 15, 1977, by Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope in the United States, then used to support the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The signal appeared to come from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius and bore the expected hallmarks of extraterrestrial origin.

  13. 1976

    1. SAETA Flight 232 crashes into the Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador, killing all 59 people on board; the wreckage is not discovered until 2002.

      1. 1976 aviation accident

        SAETA Flight 232

        On 15 August 1976, SAETA Flight 232 en route from Quito, Ecuador, to Cuenca was reported missing while in flight. The SAETA-operated Vickers Viscount 785D carried 55 passengers and 4 crew members. The route is considered a dangerous stretch due to the snow-capped mountain Chimborazo, a natural obstacle that is found 6,319 meters above sea level and 150 kilometers from the capital.

      2. Volcano and highest mountain in Ecuador

        Chimborazo

        Chimborazo is a currently inactive stratovolcano in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes. Its last known eruption is believed to have occurred around 550 A.D.

      3. Country in South America

        Ecuador

        Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometers (621 mi) west of the mainland. The country's capital and largest city is Quito.

  14. 1975

    1. Mid-ranking army officers overthrew Bangladesh's founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (pictured), killing him and most of his family.

      1. First military coup in Bangladesh

        15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état

        The 15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état was a military coup launched by mid ranking army officers in Bangladesh on 15 August 1975. The officers were part of a conspiracy to assassinate Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founding Father of Bangladesh, who led the independence struggle during the Bangladesh Liberation War and later served as the first and fourth President and later in between his two presidential terms served as the second Prime Minister of Bangladesh from April 1971 until his assassination in August 1975. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were killed during the coup, with the exception of his two daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana.

      2. Founder and First President of Bangladesh (1920–1975)

        Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

        Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu, was a Bengali politician, parliamentarian, diarist, and the founding leader of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. He first served as the titular President of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh between April 1971 and January 1972. He then served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh from the Awami League between January 1972 and January 1975. He finally served as President again during BAKSAL from January 1975 till his assassination in August 1975. In 2011, the 15th constitutional amendment in Bangladesh referred to Sheikh Mujib as the Father of the Nation who declared independence; these references were enshrined in the fifth, sixth, and seventh schedules of the constitution.

      3. 1975 murder in Dhaka, Bangladesh

        Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

        The first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and most of his family were killed during the early hours of 15 August 1975 by a group of young Bangladesh Army personnel who invaded his Dhanmondi 32 residence as part of a coup d'état. Minister of Commerce Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad immediately took control of the government and proclaimed himself president. The assassination marked the first direct military intervention in Bangladesh's civilian administration-centric politics. 15 August is National Mourning Day, an official national holiday.

    2. Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup.

      1. Citizens of the country of Bangladesh

        Bangladeshis

        Bangladeshis are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay.

      2. Founder and First President of Bangladesh (1920–1975)

        Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

        Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu, was a Bengali politician, parliamentarian, diarist, and the founding leader of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. He first served as the titular President of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh between April 1971 and January 1972. He then served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh from the Awami League between January 1972 and January 1975. He finally served as President again during BAKSAL from January 1975 till his assassination in August 1975. In 2011, the 15th constitutional amendment in Bangladesh referred to Sheikh Mujib as the Father of the Nation who declared independence; these references were enshrined in the fifth, sixth, and seventh schedules of the constitution.

    3. Takeo Miki makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by an incumbent prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II.

      1. Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 to 1976

        Takeo Miki

        Takeo Miki was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 until 1976.

      2. Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan

        Yasukuni Shrine

        Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, 1894–1895 and 1937–1945 respectively, and the First Indochina War of 1946–1954, including war criminals. The shrine's purpose has been expanded over the years to include those who died in the wars involving Japan spanning from the entire Meiji and Taishō periods, and the earlier part of the Shōwa period.

      3. Head of government of Japan

        Prime Minister of Japan

        The prime minister of Japan is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of State. The prime minister also serves as the civilian commander-in-chief of the Japan Self Defence Forces and as a sitting member of the House of Representatives. The individual is appointed by the emperor of Japan after being nominated by the National Diet and must retain the nomination of the lower house and answer to parliament to remain in office.

  15. 1974

    1. Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea, is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President Park Chung-hee.

      1. First Lady of South Korea from 1962 until assassinated in 1974

        Yuk Young-soo

        Yuk Young-soo was the wife of the 3rd South Korean president Park Chung-hee and the mother of the 11th South Korean president Park Geun-hye. She was killed in 1974 during an attempted assassination of her husband, Park Chung-hee.

      2. Honorary title of the wife of a president or head of state

        First lady

        First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the top of her profession or art.

      3. Head of state and of government of the Republic of Korea

        President of South Korea

        The president of the Republic of Korea, also known as the president of South Korea, is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is the chief of the executive branch of the national government as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.

      4. Leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979

        Park Chung-hee

        Park Chung-hee was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 to 1963, then as the third President of South Korea from 1963 to 1979.

  16. 1973

    1. Vietnam War: The USAF bombing of Cambodia ends.

      1. Cold War conflict in Southeast Asia from 1955 to 1975

        Vietnam War

        The Vietnam War was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The north was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist states, while the south was supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies. The war is widely considered to be a Cold War-era proxy war. It lasted almost 20 years, with direct U.S. involvement ending in 1973. The conflict also spilled over into neighboring states, exacerbating the Laotian Civil War and the Cambodian Civil War, which ended with all three countries becoming communist states by 1975.

      2. 1970-73 U.S. Air Force offensive in Cambodia during the Vietnam War

        Operation Freedom Deal

        Operation Freedom Deal was a United States Seventh Air Force interdiction and close air support campaign waged in Cambodia between 19 May 1970 and 15 August 1973, as an expansion of the Vietnam War, as well as the Cambodian Civil War. Launched by Richard Nixon as a follow-up to the earlier ground invasion during the Cambodian Campaign, the initial targets of the operation were the base areas and border sanctuaries of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong (VC).

  17. 1971

    1. President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.

      1. President of the United States from 1969 to 1974

        Richard Nixon

        Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was the 36th vice president from 1953 to 1961 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His five years in the White House saw reduction of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, détente with the Soviet Union and China, the first manned Moon landings, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Nixon's second term ended early, when he became the only president to resign from office, as a result of the Watergate scandal.

      2. Monetary system based on the value of gold

        Gold standard

        A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from the late 1920s to 1932 as well as from 1944 until 1971 when the United States unilaterally terminated convertibility of the US dollar to gold, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system. Many states nonetheless hold substantial gold reserves.

      3. 1971 decoupling of the US dollar from gold

        Nixon shock

        The Nixon shock was a series of economic measures undertaken by United States President Richard Nixon in 1971, in response to increasing inflation, the most significant of which were wage and price freezes, surcharges on imports, and the unilateral cancellation of the direct international convertibility of the United States dollar to gold.

      4. Official currency of the United States

        United States dollar

        The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it into 100 cents, and authorized the minting of coins denominated in dollars and cents. U.S. banknotes are issued in the form of Federal Reserve Notes, popularly called greenbacks due to their predominantly green color.

    2. Bahrain gains independence from the United Kingdom.

      1. Country in the Persian Gulf

        Bahrain

        Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. According to the 2020 census, the country's population numbers 1,501,635, of which 712,362 are Bahraini nationals. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi), and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.

      2. Public holiday in Bahrain commemorating independence from Britain (15 August 1971)

        Independence Day (Bahrain)

        Independence Day is a holiday in Bahrain commemorating the declaration of independence from the British Empire, which occurred on 15 August 1971.

  18. 1970

    1. Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman to play professionally in an American football game.

      1. American football player

        Patricia Palinkas

        Patricia Palinkas is credited as the first woman to play American football professionally in a league made predominantly of men. She was a holder for her husband Stephen Palinkas for the Orlando Panthers of the minor league Atlantic Coast Football League. Palinkas was the only woman to attain this distinction until Katie Hnida signed with the Fort Wayne Firehawks in 2010.

      2. Team field sport

        American football

        American football, also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with possession of the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or passing it, while the defense, the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive. Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins.

  19. 1969

    1. The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era.

      1. 1969 music festival in Bethel, New York, US

        Woodstock

        Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, 40 miles (65 km) southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music" and alternatively referred to as the Woodstock Rock Festival, it attracted an audience of more than 400,000 attendees. Thirty-two acts performed outdoors despite sporadic rain. It was one of the largest music festivals held in history.

      2. Town in New York, United States

        Bethel, New York

        Bethel is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was estimated at 4,255 in 2010. The town received worldwide attention after it served as the location of Woodstock in 1969, which was originally planned for Wallkill, New York, but was relocated to Bethel after Wallkill withdrew.

  20. 1965

    1. The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City, an event later regarded as the birth of stadium rock.

      1. English rock band (1960–1970)

        The Beatles

        The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music's recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band also explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements.

      2. 1965 concert tour by the Beatles

        The Beatles' 1965 US tour

        The Beatles staged their second concert tour of the United States in the late summer of 1965. At the peak of American Beatlemania, they played a mixture of outdoor stadiums and indoor arenas, with historic concerts at Shea Stadium in New York and the Hollywood Bowl. Typically of the era, the tour was a "package" presentation, with several artists on the bill. The Beatles played for just 30 minutes at each show, following sets by support acts such as Brenda Holloway and the King Curtis Band, Cannibal & the Headhunters, and Sounds Incorporated.

      3. Genre of rock music designed for large audiences

        Arena rock

        Arena rock is a style of rock music that originated in the mid-1970s. As hard rock bands and those playing a softer yet strident kind of pop rock became increasingly popular, groups began creating material inherently designed for large audiences, and arena rock developed from their use of more commercially oriented and radio-friendly sounds. The often highly produced music, including both upbeat, dramatic songs and slower power ballads, features strong emphasis on melody and frequently employs anthemic choruses. Other major characteristics include prominent guitar effects and the use of keyboard instruments.

  21. 1963

    1. President Fulbert Youlou was overthrown in the Republic of Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.

      1. 1st President of Congo-Brazzaville from 1960 to 1963

        Fulbert Youlou

        Abbé Fulbert Youlou was a laicized Brazzaville-Congolese Roman Catholic priest, nationalist leader and politician, who became the first President of the Republic of the Congo on its independence.

      2. 1963 uprising in the Republic of the Congo against Pres. Fulbert Youlou

        Trois Glorieuses (1963)

        The Trois Glorieuses was an uprising in Congo-Brazzaville which occurred from August 13 to 15, 1963. The uprising ended the rule of the first Congolese President, Fulbert Youlou, as the opposition trade union movement and Congolese Youth Union struck an alliance with the army.

    2. Execution of Henry John Burnett, the last man to be hanged in Scotland.

      1. Scottish convicted murderer; last person to be executed by hanging in Scotland (1963)

        Henry John Burnett

        Henry John Burnett was the last man to be hanged in Scotland, and the first in Aberdeen since 1891. He was tried at the high court in Aberdeen from 23 to 25 July 1963 for the murder of merchant seaman Thomas Guyan. His execution, at HM Prison, Craiginches, Aberdeen, was performed by hangman Harry Allen.

      2. Country in northwestern Europe; part of the United Kingdom

        Scotland

        Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a 96-mile (154-kilometre) border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and east, and the Irish Sea to the south. It also contains more than 790 islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. Most of the population, including the capital Edinburgh, is concentrated in the Central Belt—the plain between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands—in the Scottish Lowlands.

    3. President Fulbert Youlou is overthrown in the Republic of the Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.

      1. 1st President of Congo-Brazzaville from 1960 to 1963

        Fulbert Youlou

        Abbé Fulbert Youlou was a laicized Brazzaville-Congolese Roman Catholic priest, nationalist leader and politician, who became the first President of the Republic of the Congo on its independence.

      2. Country in Central Africa

        Republic of the Congo

        The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the west of the Congo river. It is bordered to the west by Gabon, to its northwest by Cameroon and its northeast by the Central African Republic, to the southeast by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to its south by the Angolan exclave of Cabinda and to its southwest by the Atlantic Ocean.

      3. 1963 uprising in the Republic of the Congo against Pres. Fulbert Youlou

        Trois Glorieuses (1963)

        The Trois Glorieuses was an uprising in Congo-Brazzaville which occurred from August 13 to 15, 1963. The uprising ended the rule of the first Congolese President, Fulbert Youlou, as the opposition trade union movement and Congolese Youth Union struck an alliance with the army.

  22. 1962

    1. James Joseph Dresnok defects to North Korea after running across the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Dresnok died in 2016.

      1. American defector to North Korea

        James Joseph Dresnok

        James Joseph Dresnok was an American defector to North Korea, one of six U.S. soldiers to defect after the Korean War.

      2. Country in East Asia

        North Korea

        North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and Tumen rivers, and South Korea to the south at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. North Korea's border with South Korea is a disputed border as both countries claim the entirety of the Korean Peninsula. The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. North Korea, like its southern counterpart, claims to be the legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. Pyongyang is the capital and largest city.

      3. Demilitarized zone running across the Korean Peninsula

        Korean Demilitarized Zone

        The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It was established to serve as a buffer zone between the countries of North Korea and South Korea under the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, an agreement between North Korea, China, and the United Nations Command.

  23. 1961

    1. Border guard Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.

      1. East German soldier and defector (1942–1998)

        Konrad Schumann

        Hans Konrad Schumann was an East German border guard who escaped to West Germany during the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.

      2. Country in Central Europe (1949–1990)

        East Germany

        East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic, was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state was a part of the Eastern Bloc in the Cold War. Commonly described as a communist state, it described itself as a socialist "workers' and peasants' state". Its territory was administered and occupied by Soviet forces following the end of World War II—the Soviet occupation zone of the Potsdam Agreement, bounded on the east by the Oder–Neisse line. The Soviet zone surrounded West Berlin but did not include it and West Berlin remained outside the jurisdiction of the GDR.

      3. Barrier that once enclosed West Berlin

        Berlin Wall

        The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It encircled West Berlin, separating it from East German territory. Construction of the wall was commenced by the German Democratic Republic on 13 August 1961. The Wall cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany, including East Berlin. It included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, beds of nails and other defenses.

  24. 1960

    1. Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France.

      1. Country in Central Africa

        Republic of the Congo

        The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the west of the Congo river. It is bordered to the west by Gabon, to its northwest by Cameroon and its northeast by the Central African Republic, to the southeast by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to its south by the Angolan exclave of Cabinda and to its southwest by the Atlantic Ocean.

      2. Capital and the largest city of the Republic of the Congo

        Brazzaville

        Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Constituting the financial and administrative centre of the country, it is located on the north side of the Congo River, opposite Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

      3. 1946–1958 government of France

        French Fourth Republic

        The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France from 27 October 1946 to 4 October 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic that was in place from 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War to 1940 during World War II, and suffered many of the same problems. France adopted the constitution of the Fourth Republic on 13 October 1946.

  25. 1959

    1. American Airlines Flight 514, a Boeing 707, crashes near the Calverton Executive Airpark in Calverton, New York, killing all five people on board.

      1. 1959 aviation accident

        American Airlines Flight 514

        American Airlines Flight 514 was a training flight from Idlewild International Airport, to the Grumman Aircraft Corp. airfield. On the afternoon of August 15, 1959, the Boeing 707 operating the flight crashed near the Calverton airport, killing all five crew members aboard. This was the first accident to involve a Boeing 707, which had only gone into service in October of the previous year.

      2. Narrow-body jet airliner family

        Boeing 707

        The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial 707-120 first flew on December 20, 1957. Pan American World Airways began regular 707 service on October 26, 1958. With versions produced until 1979, the 707 was a swept wing, quadjet with podded engines. Its larger fuselage cross-section allowed six-abreast economy seating, retained in the later 720, 727, 737, and 757 models.

      3. Airport in Calverton, New York

        Calverton Executive Airpark

        Calverton Executive Airpark also known as Peconic River Airport and Enterprise Park at Calverton (EPCAL) is a public-owned private-use airport located three miles (5 km) west of the central business district of the Calverton hamlet, in the Town of Riverhead, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is owned by the Town of Riverhead.

      4. Hamlet and census-designated place in New York, United States

        Calverton, New York

        Calverton is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on eastern Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 6,510 at the 2010 census.

  26. 1954

    1. Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay.

      1. Military dictator of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989

        Alfredo Stroessner

        Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda was a Paraguayan army officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989.

      2. Country in South America

        Paraguay

        Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It has a population of seven million, nearly three million of whom live in the capital and largest city of Asunción, and its surrounding metro. Although one of only two landlocked countries in South America, Paraguay has ports on the Paraguay and Paraná rivers that give exit to the Atlantic Ocean, through the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway.

  27. 1952

    1. A flash flood drenches the town of Lynmouth, England, killing 34 people.

      1. 1952 natural disaster in the county of Devon, England

        Lynmouth Flood

        The Lynmouth Flood occurred on the night of the 15–16 August 1952, principally affecting the village of Lynmouth, in north Devon. A storm with heavy rainfall, combined with already saturated soil and flood debris, led to the flooding of the village and a total loss of 34 lives.

      2. Village in Devon, England

        Lynmouth

        Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the northern edge of Exmoor. The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge 700 feet (210 m) below Lynton, which was the only place to expand to once Lynmouth became as built-up as possible. The villages are connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, which works two cable-connected cars by gravity, using water tanks.

  28. 1950

    1. Measuring .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}Mw 8.6, the largest earthquake on land occurs in the Assam-Tibet-Myanmar border, killing 4,800.

      1. Magnitude of an earthquake

        Seismic magnitude scales

        Seismic magnitude scales are used to describe the overall strength or "size" of an earthquake. These are distinguished from seismic intensity scales that categorize the intensity or severity of ground shaking (quaking) caused by an earthquake at a given location. Magnitudes are usually determined from measurements of an earthquake's seismic waves as recorded on a seismogram. Magnitude scales vary on what aspect of the seismic waves are measured and how they are measured. Different magnitude scales are necessary because of differences in earthquakes, the information available, and the purposes for which the magnitudes are used.

      2. 1950 earthquake centered on border between Tibet, China and Assam, India

        1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake

        The 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake, also known as the Assam earthquake, occurred on 15 August and had a moment magnitude of 8.6. The epicentre was located in the Mishmi Hills in India, known in Chinese as the Qilinggong Mountains (祁灵公山), south of the Kangri Karpo and just east of the Himalayas in the North-East Frontier Agency part of Assam, India. This area, south of the McMahon Line and now known as Arunachal Pradesh, is today disputed between China and India. It is the strongest earthquake ever recorded on land.

      3. International border

        India–Myanmar border

        The India–Myanmar border is the international border between India and Myanmar. The border is 1,643 kilometres (1,021 mi) in length and runs from the tripoint with China in the north to the tripoint with Bangladesh in the south.

  29. 1948

    1. The Republic of Korea was established with Syngman Rhee as its first president.

      1. Account of past events in the nation of South Korea

        History of South Korea

        The history of South Korea formally begins with the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945. Noting that, South Korea and North Korea are entirely different countries, despite still being the same people and on the same peninsula.

      2. President of South Korea from 1948 to 1960

        Syngman Rhee

        Syngman Rhee was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960.

    2. The First Republic of Korea (South Korea) is established in the southern half of the peninsula.

      1. Government of South Korea from 1948 to 1960

        First Republic of Korea

        The first Republic of Korea was the government of South Korea from August 1948 to April 1960. The first republic was founded on 15 August 1948 after the transfer from the United States Army Military Government that governed South Korea since the end of Japanese rule in 1945, becoming the first independent republican government in Korea. Syngman Rhee became the first president of South Korea following the May 1948 general election, and the National Assembly in Seoul promulgated South Korea's first constitution in July, establishing a presidential system of government.

  30. 1947

    1. Jawaharlal Nehru (pictured) took office as the first prime minister of India, a post he held for 16 years.

      1. Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964

        Jawaharlal Nehru

        Jawaharlal Nehru was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a principal leader of the Indian nationalist movement in the 1930s and 1940s. Upon India's independence in 1947, he served as the country's prime minister for 16 years. Nehru promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the 1950s, powerfully influencing India's arc as a modern nation. In international affairs, he steered India clear of the two blocs of the Cold War. A well-regarded author, his books written in prison, such as Letters from a Father to His Daughter (1929), An Autobiography (1936) and The Discovery of India (1946), have been read around the world. During his lifetime, the honorific Pandit was commonly applied before his name in India.

      2. Leader of the Executive Branch of the Government of India

        Prime Minister of India

        The prime minister of India is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the executive. The prime minister is often the leader of the party or the coalition with a majority in the lower house of the Parliament of India, the Lok Sabha, which is the main legislative body in the Republic of India. The prime minister and their cabinet are at all times responsible to the Lok Sabha.

    2. India gains independence from British rule after near 190 years of British company and crown rule and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.

      1. Country in South Asia

        India

        India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

      2. 1857–1947 movement to end British rule over India

        Indian independence movement

        The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.

      3. 1858–1947 British colonial rule on the Indian subcontinent

        British Raj

        The British Raj was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; it is also called Crown rule in India, or Direct rule in India, and lasted from 1858 to 1947. The region under British control was commonly called India in contemporaneous usage and included areas directly administered by the United Kingdom, which were collectively called British India, and areas ruled by indigenous rulers, but under British paramountcy, called the princely states. The region was sometimes called the Indian Empire, though not officially.

      4. Rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent (1757–1858)

        Company rule in India

        Company rule in India refers to the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, when the Nawab of Bengal was defeated and replaced with another individual who had the support of the East India Company; or in 1765, when the Company was granted the diwani, or the right to collect revenue, in Bengal and Bihar; or in 1773, when the Company abolished local rule (Nizamat) and established a capital in Calcutta, appointed its first Governor-General, Warren Hastings, and became directly involved in governance. The rule lasted until 1858, when, after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and consequently of the Government of India Act 1858, the British government assumed the task of directly administering India in the new British Raj.

      5. Political association of mostly former British Empire territories

        Commonwealth of Nations

        The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-governmental relations amongst member states. Numerous organisations are associated with and operate within the Commonwealth.

    3. Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor-General of Pakistan in Karachi.

      1. Founder and 1st Governor-General of Pakistan (1876–1948)

        Muhammad Ali Jinnah

        Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pakistan on 14 August 1947, and then as the Dominion of Pakistan's first governor-general until his death.

      2. Representative of the Pakistani monarch in the Dominion of Pakistan (1947–1956)

        Governor-General of Pakistan

        The governor-general of Pakistan was the representative of the Pakistani monarch in the Dominion of Pakistan, established by the Indian Independence Act 1947. The office of governor-general was abolished when Pakistan became an Islamic republic in 1956.

      3. Capital city of Sindh, Pakistan

        Karachi

        Karachi is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former capital of Pakistan and capital of the province of Sindh. Ranked as a beta-global city, it is Pakistan's premier industrial and financial centre, with an estimated GDP of over $200 billion (PPP) as of 2021. Karachi paid $9billion as tax during fiscal year July 2021 to May 2022 according to FBR report. Karachi is Pakistan's most cosmopolitan city, linguistically, ethnically, and religiously diverse, as well as one of Pakistan's most secular and socially liberal cities. Karachi serves as a transport hub, and contains Pakistan’s two largest seaports, the Port of Karachi and Port Qasim, as well as Pakistan's busiest airport, Jinnah International Airport. Karachi is also a media center, home to news channels, film and fashion industry of Pakistan. Most of Pakistan's multinational companies and banks have their headquarters in Karachi. Karachi is also a tourism hub due to its scenic beaches, historic buildings and shopping malls.

  31. 1945

    1. Emperor Hirohito broadcasts his declaration of surrender following the effective surrender of Japan in World War II; Korea gains independence from the Empire of Japan.

      1. Emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989

        Hirohito

        Emperor Shōwa , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name Hirohito (裕仁), was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was succeeded by his fifth child and eldest son, Akihito. By 1979, Hirohito was the only monarch in the world with the title "emperor". He was the longest-reigning historical Japanese emperor and one of the longest-reigning monarchs in the world.

      2. World War II radio broadcast of surrender by Japanese Emperor Hirohito

        Hirohito surrender broadcast

        The Hirohito surrender broadcast was a radio broadcast of surrender given by Japanese Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa) on August 15, 1945. It announced to the Japanese people that the Japanese Government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration demanding the unconditional surrender of the Japanese military at the end of World War II. Following the Hiroshima bombing on August 6, the Soviet declaration of war and the Nagasaki bombing on August 9, the Emperor's speech was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, 1945, and referred to the atomic bombs as a reason for the surrender.

      3. End of World War II, 2 September 1945

        Surrender of Japan

        The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) had become incapable of conducting major operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent. Together with the United Kingdom and China, the United States called for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces in the Potsdam Declaration on 26 July 1945—the alternative being "prompt and utter destruction". While publicly stating their intent to fight on to the bitter end, Japan's leaders were privately making entreaties to the publicly neutral Soviet Union to mediate peace on terms more favorable to the Japanese. While maintaining a sufficient level of diplomatic engagement with the Japanese to give them the impression they might be willing to mediate, the Soviets were covertly preparing to attack Japanese forces in Manchuria and Korea in fulfillment of promises they had secretly made to the United States and the United Kingdom at the Tehran and Yalta Conferences.

      4. Global war, 1939–1945

        World War II

        World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries.

      5. Japanese colonial period in Chōsen (Korea), 1910–1945

        Korea under Japanese rule

        Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business officials began a process of integrating Korea's politics and economy with Japan. The Korean Empire, proclaimed in 1897, became a protectorate of Japan with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905; thereafter Japan ruled the country indirectly through the Japanese Resident-General of Korea. Japan formally annexed the Korean Empire with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, without the consent of the former Korean Emperor Gojong, the regent of the Emperor Sunjong. Upon its annexation, Japan declared that Korea would henceforth be officially named Chōsen. This name was recognized internationally until the end of Japanese colonial rule. The territory was administered by the Governor-General of Chōsen based in Keijō (Seoul).

      6. National holiday in Korea

        National Liberation Day of Korea

        The National Liberation Day of Korea is a holiday celebrated annually on 15 August in both South and North Korea. It commemorates Victory over Japan Day, when the United States and the Soviet Union liberated Korea from 35 years of Japanese rule.

      7. Empire in the Asia-Pacific region from 1868 to 1947

        Empire of Japan

        The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent formation of modern Japan. It encompassed the Japanese archipelago and several colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories.

  32. 1944

    1. World War II: Allied forces began their invasion of southern France.

      1. Global war, 1939–1945

        World War II

        World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries.

      2. Grouping of the victorious countries of the war

        Allies of World War II

        The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy. Its principal members by 1941 were the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and China.

      3. 1944 Allied invasion of Southern France

        Operation Dragoon

        Operation Dragoon was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence on 15 August 1944. The operation was initially planned to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, the Allied landing in Normandy, but the lack of available resources led to a cancellation of the second landing. By July 1944 the landing was reconsidered, as the clogged-up ports in Normandy did not have the capacity to adequately supply the Allied forces. Concurrently, the French High Command pushed for a revival of the operation that would include large numbers of French troops. As a result, the operation was finally approved in July to be executed in August.

    2. World War II: Operation Dragoon: Allied forces land in southern France.

      1. 1944 Allied invasion of Southern France

        Operation Dragoon

        Operation Dragoon was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence on 15 August 1944. The operation was initially planned to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, the Allied landing in Normandy, but the lack of available resources led to a cancellation of the second landing. By July 1944 the landing was reconsidered, as the clogged-up ports in Normandy did not have the capacity to adequately supply the Allied forces. Concurrently, the French High Command pushed for a revival of the operation that would include large numbers of French troops. As a result, the operation was finally approved in July to be executed in August.

      2. Region of France

        Southern France

        Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French as le Midi, is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin, Spain, the Mediterranean Sea and Italy. It includes southern Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the west, Occitanie in the centre, the southern parts of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the northeast, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in the southeast, as well as the island of Corsica in the southeast. Southern France is generally included into Southern Europe because of its association with the Mediterranean Sea.

  33. 1943

    1. World War II: Battle of Trahili: Superior German forces surround Cretan partisans, who manage to escape against all odds.

      1. 1943 battle during the German occupation of Crete in World War II

        Battle of Trahili

        The Battle of Trahili was fought on 15 August 1943 between Cretan partisans and German occupying forces during World War II. It took place near the village of Vorizia in south-central Crete, when German forces attempted to surround a small group of partisans led by the local chieftain Petrakogiorgis. Most of the partisans managed to escape, despite being heavily outnumbered.

  34. 1942

    1. World War II: The tanker SS Ohio reached Malta as part of an operation to deliver much-needed supplies during the siege of Malta.

      1. Global war, 1939–1945

        World War II

        World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries.

      2. American oil tanker launched in 1940; used by the UK to resupply Malta during WWII

        SS Ohio (1940)

        SS Ohio was an oil tanker built for The Texas Company. The ship was launched on 20 April 1940 at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Chester, Pennsylvania. The United Kingdom requisitioned her to re-supply the island fortress of Malta during the Second World War.

      3. Battle in the Mediterranean Sea in 1942 during WWII

        Operation Pedestal

        Operation Pedestal, known in Malta as Il-Konvoj ta' Santa Marija, was a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was a base from which British ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys to Libya, during the North African Campaign (1940–1943). From 1940 to 1942, the Axis conducted the Siege of Malta, with air and naval forces. Despite many losses, enough supplies were delivered by the British for the population and military forces on Malta to resist, although it ceased to be an offensive base for much of 1942. The most crucial supply item in Operation Pedestal was fuel, carried by SS Ohio, an American tanker with a British crew. The convoy sailed from Britain on 3 August 1942 and passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean on the night of 9/10 August.

      4. Military campaign in the Mediterranean Theatre of the Second World War

        Siege of Malta (World War II)

        The siege of Malta in World War II was a military campaign in the Mediterranean Theatre. From June 1940 to November 1942, the fight for the control of the strategically important island of the British Crown Colony of Malta pitted the air and naval forces of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany against the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy.

    2. World War II: Operation Pedestal: The oil tanker SS Ohio reaches the island of Malta barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island's defenses.

      1. Global war, 1939–1945

        World War II

        World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries.

      2. Battle in the Mediterranean Sea in 1942 during WWII

        Operation Pedestal

        Operation Pedestal, known in Malta as Il-Konvoj ta' Santa Marija, was a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was a base from which British ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys to Libya, during the North African Campaign (1940–1943). From 1940 to 1942, the Axis conducted the Siege of Malta, with air and naval forces. Despite many losses, enough supplies were delivered by the British for the population and military forces on Malta to resist, although it ceased to be an offensive base for much of 1942. The most crucial supply item in Operation Pedestal was fuel, carried by SS Ohio, an American tanker with a British crew. The convoy sailed from Britain on 3 August 1942 and passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean on the night of 9/10 August.

      3. American oil tanker launched in 1940; used by the UK to resupply Malta during WWII

        SS Ohio (1940)

        SS Ohio was an oil tanker built for The Texas Company. The ship was launched on 20 April 1940 at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Chester, Pennsylvania. The United Kingdom requisitioned her to re-supply the island fortress of Malta during the Second World War.

      4. Island country in the central Mediterranean

        Malta

        Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily (Italy), 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The official languages are Maltese and English, and 66% of the current Maltese population is at least conversational in the Italian language.

  35. 1941

    1. Josef Jakobs became the last person executed at the Tower of London, having been convicted of espionage.

      1. German spy

        Josef Jakobs

        Josef Jakobs was a German spy and the last person to be executed at the Tower of London. He was captured shortly after parachuting into the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Convicted of espionage under the Treachery Act 1940, Jakobs was sentenced to death and subsequently shot by a military firing squad. He was not hanged since he was captured as an enemy combatant.

      2. Castle in central London, England

        Tower of London

        The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new Norman ruling class. The castle was also used as a prison from 1100 until 1952, although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under kings Richard I, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.

      3. Clandestine acquisition of confidential information

        Espionage

        Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangible benefit. A person who commits espionage is called an espionage agent or spy. Any individual or spy ring, in the service of a government, company, criminal organization, or independent operation, can commit espionage. The practice is clandestine, as it is by definition unwelcome. In some circumstances, it may be a legal tool of law enforcement and in others, it may be illegal and punishable by law.

    2. Corporal Josef Jakobs is executed by firing squad at the Tower of London at 07:12, making him the last person to be executed at the Tower for espionage.

      1. German spy

        Josef Jakobs

        Josef Jakobs was a German spy and the last person to be executed at the Tower of London. He was captured shortly after parachuting into the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Convicted of espionage under the Treachery Act 1940, Jakobs was sentenced to death and subsequently shot by a military firing squad. He was not hanged since he was captured as an enemy combatant.

      2. Castle in central London, England

        Tower of London

        The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new Norman ruling class. The castle was also used as a prison from 1100 until 1952, although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under kings Richard I, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.

      3. Clandestine acquisition of confidential information

        Espionage

        Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangible benefit. A person who commits espionage is called an espionage agent or spy. Any individual or spy ring, in the service of a government, company, criminal organization, or independent operation, can commit espionage. The practice is clandestine, as it is by definition unwelcome. In some circumstances, it may be a legal tool of law enforcement and in others, it may be illegal and punishable by law.

  36. 1940

    1. An Italian submarine torpedoes and sinks the Greek cruiser Elli at Tinos harbor during peacetime, marking the most serious Italian provocation prior to the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October.

      1. Kingdom in Southern Europe from 1861 to 1946

        Kingdom of Italy

        The Kingdom of Italy was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and form the modern Italian Republic. The state resulted from a decades-long process, the Risorgimento, of consolidating the different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single state. That process was influenced by the Savoy-led Kingdom of Sardinia, which can be considered Italy's legal predecessor state.

      2. Greek protected cruiser in service from 1914 until sunk in 1940

        Greek cruiser Elli (1912)

        Elli was a 2,600 ton Greek protected cruiser named for a naval battle of the First Balkan War in which Greece was victorious. She was completed in 1913 and commissioned in 1914. Elli saw action during World War I and in the disastrous Asia Minor Expedition. An Italian submarine sank her before the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War on 15 August 1940 while she sat at anchor.

      3. Regional unit and Municipality in South Aegean, Greece

        Tinos

        Tinos is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It is located in the Cyclades archipelago. The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos. It has a land area of 194.464 square kilometres (75.083 sq mi) and a 2011 census population of 8,636 inhabitants.

      4. 1940–1941 conflict

        Greco-Italian War

        The Greco-Italian War, also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdoms of Italy and Greece from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. This local war began the Balkans Campaign of World War II between the Axis powers and the Allies and eventually turned into the Battle of Greece with British and German involvement. On 10 June 1940, Italy declared war on France and the United Kingdom. By September 1940, the Italians had invaded France, British Somaliland and Egypt. This was followed by a hostile press campaign in Italy against Greece, accused of being a British ally. A number of provocations culminated in the sinking of the Greek light cruiser Elli by the Italians on 15 August. On 28 October, Mussolini issued an ultimatum to Greece demanding the cession of Greek territory, which the Prime Minister of Greece, Ioannis Metaxas, rejected.

  37. 1939

    1. Twenty-six Junkers Ju 87 bombers commanded by Walter Sigel meet unexpected ground fog during a dive-bombing demonstration for Luftwaffe generals at Neuhammer. Thirteen of them crash and burn.

      1. 1935 dive bomber aircraft family by Junkers

        Junkers Ju 87

        The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 and served the Axis in World War II from beginning to end (1939–1945).

      2. German officer and Knight's Cross recipient

        Walter Sigel

        Walter Sigel was a German air officer during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. He led the German bombers during the bombing of Wieluń, the first aerial bombing of the war. Sigel died on 8 May 1944 after crashing his aircraft into Trondheim Fjord.

      3. Village in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland

        Świętoszów

        Świętoszów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Osiecznica, within Bolesławiec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland in the Lower Silesian Wilderness, on the river Kwisa.

    2. The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California.

      1. 1939 film based on the book by L. Frank Baum

        The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)

        The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). An adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, and stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but others made uncredited contributions. The music was composed by Harold Arlen and adapted by Herbert Stothart, with the lyrics written by Edgar "Yip" Harburg.

      2. Largest city in California, United States

        Los Angeles

        Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City. Los Angeles is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With a population of roughly 3.9 million as of 2020, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic and cultural diversity, Hollywood film industry, and sprawling metropolitan area. The city of Los Angeles lies in a basin in Southern California adjacent to the Pacific Ocean extending through the Santa Monica Mountains and into the San Fernando Valley. It covers about 469 square miles (1,210 km2), and is the seat of Los Angeles County, which is the most populous county in the United States with an estimated 9.86 million as of 2022.

  38. 1935

    1. Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.

      1. American humorist and entertainer (1879–1935)

        Will Rogers

        William Penn Adair Rogers was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory, and is known as "Oklahoma's Favorite Son". As an entertainer and humorist, he traveled around the world three times, made 71 films, and wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns. By the mid-1930s, Rogers was hugely popular in the United States for his leading political wit and was the highest paid of Hollywood film stars. He died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post when their small airplane crashed in northern Alaska.

      2. 20th-century American aviator

        Wiley Post

        Wiley Hardeman Post was a famed Native American aviator of Cherokee descent during the interwar period and the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high-altitude flying, Post helped develop one of the first pressure suits and discovered the jet stream. On August 15, 1935, Post and American humorist Will Rogers were killed when Post's aircraft crashed on takeoff from a lagoon near Point Barrow in the Territory of Alaska.

      3. City in Alaska, United States

        Utqiagvik, Alaska

        Utqiagvik ) is the borough seat and largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located north of the Arctic Circle, it is one of the northernmost cities and towns in the world and the northernmost in the United States, with nearby Point Barrow, the country's northernmost land.

  39. 1920

    1. Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, so-called Miracle at the Vistula.

      1. 20th-century conflict between Poland and Soviet Russia

        Polish–Soviet War

        The Polish–Soviet War was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in the aftermath of World War I, on territories formerly held by the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

      2. Battle of the Polish–Soviet War

        Battle of Warsaw (1920)

        The Battle of Warsaw (Polish: Bitwa Warszawska, Russian: Варшавская битва, transcription: Varshavskaya bitva, also known as the Miracle on the Vistula, was a series of battles that resulted in a decisive Polish victory in 1920 during the Polish–Soviet War. Poland, on the verge of total defeat, repulsed and defeated the Red Army.

  40. 1915

    1. A story in New York World newspaper reveals that the Imperial German government had purchased excess phenol from Thomas Edison that could be used to make explosives for the war effort and diverted it to Bayer for aspirin production.

      1. Newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931

        New York World

        The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Joseph Pulitzer, it was a pioneer in yellow journalism, capturing readers' attention with sensation, sports, sex and scandal and pushing its daily circulation to the one-million mark. It was sold in 1930 and merged into the New York World-Telegram.

      2. 1871–1918 empire in Central Europe

        German Empire

        The German Empire, also referred to as Imperial Germany, the Second Reich, as well as simply Germany, was the period of the German Reich from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the November Revolution in 1918, when the German Reich changed its form of government from a monarchy to a republic.

      3. Organic compound (C6H5OH)

        Phenol

        Phenol is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group bonded to a hydroxy group. Mildly acidic, it requires careful handling because it can cause chemical burns.

      4. American inventor and businessman (1847–1931)

        Thomas Edison

        Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory.

      5. Secret Imperial German plan to divert American-made phenol away from the British war effort

        Great Phenol Plot

        The Great Phenol Plot was a clandestine effort by the German Government during the early years of World War I to divert American-produced phenol away from the manufacture of high explosives that supported the British war effort. It was used by the German-owned Bayer company, who could no longer import phenol from Britain, to produce aspirin.

      6. German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company

        Bayer

        Bayer AG is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of business include pharmaceuticals; consumer healthcare products, agricultural chemicals, seeds and biotechnology products. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

      7. Medication

        Aspirin

        Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and/or inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat include Kawasaki disease, pericarditis, and rheumatic fever.

  41. 1914

    1. A servant of American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, sets fire to the living quarters of Wright's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, and murders seven people there.

      1. Person who designs buildings and oversees construction

        Architect

        An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that have human occupancy or use as their principal purpose. Etymologically, the term architect derives from the Latin architectus, which derives from the Greek, i.e., chief builder.

      2. American architect (1867–1959)

        Frank Lloyd Wright

        Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements of the twentieth century, influencing architects worldwide through his works and hundreds of apprentices in his Taliesin Fellowship. Wright believed in designing in harmony with humanity and the environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture. This philosophy was exemplified in Fallingwater (1935), which has been called "the best all-time work of American architecture".

      3. U.S. state

        Wisconsin

        Wisconsin is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north.

      4. Studio and home of Frank Lloyd Wright in Spring Green, Wisconsin, USA

        Taliesin (studio)

        Taliesin, sometimes known as Taliesin East, Taliesin Spring Green, or Taliesin North after 1937, was the estate of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. An extended exemplar of the Prairie School of architecture, it is located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of the village of Spring Green, Wisconsin, United States. The 600-acre (240 ha) property was developed on land that originally belonged to Wright's maternal family.

    2. The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon.

      1. Waterway in Central America connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

        Panama Canal

        The Panama Canal is an artificial 82 km (51 mi) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduces the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan and the even less popular route through the Arctic Archipelago and the Bering Strait.

      2. American cargo and passenger ship; first to officially transit the Panama Canal (1914)

        SS Ancon (1901)

        SS Ancon was an American cargo and passenger ship that became the first ship to officially transit the Panama Canal in 1914 although the French crane boat Alexandre La Valley completed the first trip in stages during construction prior to the official opening. The ship was built as Shawmut for the Boston Steamship Company by the Maryland Steel Company, Sparrows Point, Maryland and put into Pacific service operating out of Puget Sound ports for Japan, China and the Philippine Islands. Shawmut and sister ship Tremont were two of the largest United States commercial ships in service at the time and the company eventually found them too expensive to operate.

    3. World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia.

      1. Global war, 1914–1918

        World War I

        World War I or the First World War, often abbreviated as WWI or WW1, and referred to by some Anglophone authors as the "Great War" or the "War to End All Wars", was a global conflict which lasted from 1914 to 1918, and is considered one of the deadliest conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighting occurring throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. An estimated 9 million soldiers were killed in combat, plus another 23 million wounded, while 5 million civilians died as a result of military action, hunger, and disease. Millions more died in genocides within the Ottoman Empire and in the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war.

      2. Division of the Imperial Russian Army from 1914 to 1918

        1st Army (Russian Empire)

        The 1st Army was an army-level command of the Russian Imperial Army created during World War I. The First Army, commanded by General Paul von Rennenkampf, invaded East Prussia at the outbreak of war in 1914 along with the Second Army commanded by General Alexander Samsonov. After declaring war on the German Empire, the Russian Empire had been able to mobilize very quickly. All Russian forces were put under the command of Grand Duke Nikolai and his Quartermaster General Yuri Danilov.

      3. 19/20th-century Baltic German nobleman, statesman and general of the Imperial Russian Army

        Paul von Rennenkampf

        Paul Georg Edler von Rennenkampf was a Baltic German nobleman, statesman and general of the Imperial Russian Army who commanded the 1st Army in the invasion of East Prussia during the initial stage of the Eastern front of World War I. He also served as the last commander of the Vilna Military District.

      4. Historic province of Germany

        East Prussia

        East Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 ; following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's Free State of Prussia, until 1945. Its capital city was Königsberg. East Prussia was the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast.

    4. World War I: Beginning of the Battle of Cer, the first Allied victory of World War I.

      1. Battle fought between Austria-Hungary and Serbia in August 1914

        Battle of Cer

        The Battle of Cer was a military campaign fought between Austria-Hungary and Serbia in August 1914, starting three weeks into the Serbian Campaign, the initial military action of the First World War. It took place around Cer Mountain and several surrounding villages, as well as the town of Šabac.

      2. Countries that fought against the Central Powers

        Allies of World War I

        The Allies of World War I, Entente Powers, or Allied Powers were a coalition of countries led by France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States against the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, and their colonies during the First World War (1914–1918).

  42. 1909

    1. A military coup against the government of Dimitrios Rallis began in the neighbourhood of Goudi in Athens, Greece.

      1. 1909 coup d'état in Greece

        Goudi coup

        The Goudi coup was a military coup d'état that took place in Greece on the night of 28 August [O.S. 15 August] 1909, starting at the barracks in Goudi, a neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Athens. The coup was a pivotal event in modern Greek history, as it led to the arrival of Eleftherios Venizelos in Greece and his eventual appointment as Prime Minister. At one stroke, this put an end to the old political system, and ushered in a new period. Henceforth and for several decades, Greek political life would be dominated by two opposing forces: liberal, republican Venizelism and conservative, monarchist anti-Venizelism.

      2. Greek politician

        Dimitrios Rallis

        Dimitrios Rallis was a Greek politician.

      3. Neighborhood in Athens, Attica, Greece

        Goudi

        Goudi is a residential neighbourhood of Athens, Greece, on the eastern part of town and on the foothills of Mount Hymettus.

      4. Capital and largest city of Greece

        Athens

        Athens is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates and is the capital of the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence beginning somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennia BC.

  43. 1907

    1. Ordination in Constantinople of Fr. Raphael Morgan, the first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies.

      1. 19/20th-century Jamaican-American priest

        Raphael Morgan

        Robert Josias "Raphael" Morgan was a Jamaican-American who is believed to be the first Black Eastern Orthodox priest in the United States. After being active in other denominations, including the AME Church, Church of England, and the Episcopal Church, Morgan converted to Orthodoxy. He was ordained as an Orthodox priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He was designated as "Missionary to America and the West Indies." He claimed to have founded the "Order of Golgotha", but the Orthodox Church is not organized into orders.

      2. Second-largest Christian church

        Eastern Orthodox Church

        The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods. The church has no central doctrinal or governmental authority analogous to the head of the Roman Catholic Church—the Pope—but the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognized by them as primus inter pares, which may be explained as a representative of the church. As one of the oldest surviving religious institutions in the world, the Eastern Orthodox Church has played a prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The Eastern Orthodox Church officially calls itself the Orthodox Catholic Church.

  44. 1899

    1. Fratton Park football ground in Portsmouth, England is officially first opened.

      1. Association football ground in Portsmouth, England

        Fratton Park

        Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, England, which is the home of Portsmouth F.C. Fratton Park remains as the only home football ground in Portsmouth FC's entire history.

      2. City and unitary authority area in England

        Portsmouth

        Portsmouth is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.

      3. Country in north-west Europe; part of the United Kingdom

        England

        England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

  45. 1893

    1. Ibadan area becomes a British Protectorate after a treaty signed by Fijabi, the Baale of Ibadan with the British acting Governor of Lagos, George C. Denton.

      1. Capital city of Oyo State, Nigeria

        Ibadan

        Ibadan is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its metropolitan area. It is the country's largest city by geographical area. At the time of Nigeria's independence in 1960, Ibadan was the largest and most populous city in the country, and the second most populous in Africa behind Cairo. Ibadan is ranked the second fastest growing city on the African continent according to the UN Human settlements research program (2022), It is also ranked third in West Africa in the tech startups index. Ibadan joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016.

      2. Concept in international relations

        Protectorate

        A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its internal affairs, while still recognizing the suzerainty of a more powerful sovereign state without being a possession. In exchange, the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations depending on the terms of their arrangement. Usually protectorates are established de jure by a treaty. Under certain conditions—as with Egypt under British rule (1882–1914)—a state can also be labelled as a de facto protectorate or a veiled protectorate.

      3. Royal title in Ibadan

        Olubadan

        Olubadan is the royal title of the king of Ibadanland in Nigeria. Ibadan was founded in the 16th century, but the present Yoruba people only took control around 1820. By 1850 they had established their unusual succession principle, which is quite different compared with other traditional Yoruba rulers in that it alternates between two lines. It usually takes decades to groom an Olubadan for the stool through stages of chieftaincy promotion, thus meaning that just about any male born title-holder of the metropolitan centre is a potential king.

      4. British protecterate from 1862 to 1906

        Lagos Colony

        Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centred on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 under the threat of force by Commander Beddingfield of HMS Prometheus who was accompanied by the Acting British Consul, William McCoskry. Oba Dosunmu of Lagos resisted the cession for 11 days while facing the threat of violence on Lagos and its people, but capitulated and signed the Lagos Treaty of Cession. Lagos was declared a colony on 5 March 1862. By 1872, Lagos was a cosmopolitan trading center with a population over 60,000. In the aftermath of prolonged wars between the mainland Yoruba states, the colony established a protectorate over most of Yorubaland between 1890 and 1897. The protectorate was incorporated into the new Southern Nigeria Protectorate in February 1906, and Lagos became the capital of the Protectorate of Nigeria in January 1914. Since then, Lagos has grown to become the largest city in West Africa, with an estimated metropolitan population of over 9,000,000 as of 2011.

  46. 1863

    1. The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863).

      1. 1863 conflict between Britain and the Satsuma Domain of Japan following the Namamugi Incident

        Bombardment of Kagoshima

        The Bombardment of Kagoshima, also known as the Anglo-Satsuma War , was a military engagement fought between Britain and the Satsuma Domain in Kagoshima from 15 to 17 August 1863. The British were attempting to extract compensation and legal justice from daimyo Shimazu Tadayoshi for the 1862 Namamugi Incident, when a Royal Navy fleet commanded by Sir Augustus Leopold Kuper was fired on from Satsuma coastal batteries near Kagoshima. The British responded by bombarding the city in retaliation, but were unable to gain a conclusive victory and retreated two days later. The Satsuma declared victory and after negotiations fulfilled some British demands for the Namamugi Incident.

      2. Japanese historical feudal estate

        Satsuma Domain

        The Satsuma Domain , briefly known as the Kagoshima Domain , was a domain (han) of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871.

      3. Calendars used in Japan past and present

        Japanese calendar

        Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with the year, then the month and finally the day, coinciding with the ISO 8601 standard. For example, February 16, 2003 can be written as either 2003年2月16日 or 平成15年2月16日. 年 reads nen and means "year", 月 reads gatsu or 「がつ」and means "month" and finally 日 (usually) reads nichi and means "day".

  47. 1843

    1. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. Now the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, it is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.

      1. Historic church in Hawaii, United States

        Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace

        The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is the mother church of the Diocese of Honolulu and houses the cathedra of the Bishop of Honolulu in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is located at the north end of Fort Street Mall in downtown Honolulu. Another cathedra was installed in the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, also serving the diocese.

      2. Capital and the largest city of Hawaii

        Honolulu

        Honolulu is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island of Oʻahu, and is the westernmost and southernmost major U.S. city. Honolulu is Hawaii's main gateway to the world. It is also a major hub for business, finance, hospitality, and military defense in both the state and Oceania. The city is characterized by a mix of various Asian, Western, and Pacific cultures, reflected in its diverse demography, cuisine, and traditions.

      3. Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Hawai'i

        Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu

        The Catholic Diocese of Honolulu is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that comprises the entire state of Hawaiʻi and the unincorporated Hawaiian Islands.

      4. Largest Christian church, led by the pope

        Catholic Church

        The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2019. As the world's oldest and largest continuously functioning international institution, it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies located around the world. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The bishopric of Rome, known as the Holy See, is the central governing authority of the church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia, has its principal offices in Vatican City, a small enclave of the Italian city of Rome, of which the pope is head of state.

      5. Christian church that is the seat of a bishop

        Cathedral

        A cathedral is a church that contains the cathedra of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches. Church buildings embodying the functions of a cathedral first appeared in Italy, Gaul, Spain, and North Africa in the 4th century, but cathedrals did not become universal within the Western Catholic Church until the 12th century, by which time they had developed architectural forms, institutional structures, and legal identities distinct from parish churches, monastic churches, and episcopal residences. The cathedral is more important in the hierarchy than the church because it is from the cathedral that the bishop governs the area under his or her administrative authority.

    2. Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

      1. Amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark

        Tivoli Gardens

        Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli, is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klampenborg, also in Denmark, and Wurstelprater in Vienna, Austria.

      2. Park with rides and attractions

        Amusement park

        An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often featuring multiple areas with different themes. Unlike temporary and mobile funfairs and carnivals, amusement parks are stationary and built for long-lasting operation. They are more elaborate than city parks and playgrounds, usually providing attractions that cater to a variety of age groups. While amusement parks often contain themed areas, theme parks place a heavier focus with more intricately-designed themes that revolve around a particular subject or group of subjects.

      3. Capital and largest city of Denmark

        Copenhagen

        Copenhagen is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.3m. and the Copenhagen metropolitan area 2,057,142. Copenhagen is on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the Øresund strait. The Øresund Bridge connects the two cities by rail and road.

  48. 1824

    1. The Marquis de Lafayette, the last surviving French general of the American Revolutionary War, arrives in New York and begins a tour of 24 states.

      1. French general and politician (1757–1834)

        Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette

        Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, known in the United States as Lafayette, was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles, including the siege of Yorktown. After returning to France, he was a key figure in the French Revolution of 1789 and the July Revolution of 1830. He has been considered a national hero in both countries.

      2. 1775–1783 war of independence

        American Revolutionary War

        The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of the United States, fighting began on April 19, 1775, followed by the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776, and the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The American Patriots were supported by the Kingdom of France and, to a lesser extent, the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Empire, in a conflict taking place in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean.

      3. 1824-25 tour of the U.S. by the last surviving Continental army general in the Revolutionary War

        Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States

        From July 1824 to September 1825, the French Marquis de Lafayette, the last surviving major general of the American Revolutionary War, made a tour of the 24 states in the United States. He was received by the populace with a hero's welcome at many stops, and many honors and monuments were presented to commemorate and memorialize the visit.

  49. 1812

    1. War of 1812: Potawatomi warriors destroyed the United States Army's Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, and captured the survivors.

      1. Conflict between the United States and the British Empire from 1812 to 1815

        War of 1812

        The War of 1812 was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It began when the United States declared war on 18 June 1812 and, although peace terms were agreed upon in the December 1814 Treaty of Ghent, did not officially end until the peace treaty was ratified by Congress on 17 February 1815.

      2. Native American people of the Great Plains

        Potawatomi

        The Potawatomi, also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie, are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquin family. The Potawatomi call themselves Neshnabé, a cognate of the word Anishinaabe. The Potawatomi are part of a long-term alliance, called the Council of Three Fires, with the Ojibway and Odawa (Ottawa). In the Council of Three Fires, the Potawatomi are considered the "youngest brother" and are referred to in this context as Bodwéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and refers to the council fire of three peoples.

      3. Battle of Fort Dearborn

        The Battle of Fort Dearborn was an engagement between United States troops and Potawatomi Native Americans that occurred on August 15, 1812, near Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois. The battle, which occurred during the War of 1812, followed the evacuation of the fort as ordered by the commander of the United States Army of the Northwest, William Hull. The battle lasted about 15 minutes and resulted in a complete victory for the Native Americans. After the battle, Fort Dearborn was burned down. Some of the soldiers and settlers who had been taken captive were later ransomed.

      4. Largest city in Illinois, U.S.

        Chicago

        Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the third-most populous in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. With a population of 2,746,388 in the 2020 census, it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. As the seat of Cook County, the city is the center of the Chicago metropolitan area, one of the largest in the world.

  50. 1760

    1. Seven Years' War: Battle of Liegnitz: Frederick the Great's victory over the Austrians under Ernst Gideon von Laudon.

      1. Global conflict between Great Britain and France (1756–1763)

        Seven Years' War

        The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the Carnatic Wars and the Anglo-Spanish War (1762–1763). The opposing alliances were led by Great Britain and France respectively, both seeking to establish global pre-eminence at the expense of the other. Along with Spain, France fought Britain both in Europe and overseas with land-based armies and naval forces, while Britain's ally Prussia sought territorial expansion in Europe and consolidation of its power. Long-standing colonial rivalries pitting Britain against France and Spain in North America and the West Indies were fought on a grand scale with consequential results. Prussia sought greater influence in the German states, while Austria wanted to regain Silesia, captured by Prussia in the previous war, and to contain Prussian influence.

      2. 1760 battle of the Third Silesian War

        Battle of Liegnitz (1760)

        The Battle of Liegnitz on 15 August 1760 saw Frederick the Great's Prussian Army defeat the Austrian army under Ernst von Laudon during the Third Silesian War.

      3. King of Prussia (r. 1740–1786)

        Frederick the Great

        Frederick II was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Silesian wars, his re-organisation of the Prussian Army, the First Partition of Poland, and his patronage of the arts and the Enlightenment. Frederick was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled King in Prussia, declaring himself King of Prussia after annexing Polish Prussia from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772. Prussia greatly increased its territories and became a major military power in Europe under his rule. He became known as Frederick the Great and was nicknamed "Old Fritz".

      4. People of Austria

        Austrians

        Austrians are the citizens and nationals of Austria. The English term Austrians was applied to the population of Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, it referred to the citizens of the Empire of Austria (1804–1867), and from 1867 until 1918 to the citizens of Cisleithania. In the closest sense, the term Austria originally referred to the historical March of Austria, corresponding roughly to the Vienna Basin in what is today Lower Austria.

      5. 18th-century military officer of the Holy Roman Empire

        Ernst Gideon von Laudon

        Ernst Gideon von Laudon, since 1759 Freiherr von Laudon, was a Baltic German-born Austrian generalisimo and one of the most successful opponents of the Prussian king Frederick the Great. He served the position of military governorship of Habsburg Serbia from his capture of Belgrade in 1789 until his death while cooperating with the resistance fighters of Koča Anđelković.

  51. 1695

    1. French forces end the bombardment of Brussels.

      1. 1695 battle of the Nine Years' War

        Bombardment of Brussels

        The bombardment of Brussels by troops of Louis XIV of France on August 13, 14 and 15, 1695, and the resulting fire were together the most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels. Brussels was mostly untouched by most other conflicts. It did not suffer significant damage during World War I, and bombing during World War II was not nearly as extensive as that of 1695. The Grand-Place was destroyed, along with a third of the buildings in the city. The reconstruction of the city centre, effected during subsequent years, profoundly changed the appearance of the city and left numerous traces still visible today.

  52. 1599

    1. Nine Years' War: Battle of Curlew Pass: Irish forces led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell successfully ambush English forces, led by Sir Conyers Clifford, sent to relieve Collooney Castle.

      1. 1593–1603 Irish war against Tudor conquest

        Nine Years' War (Ireland)

        The Nine Years' War, sometimes called Tyrone's Rebellion, took place in Ireland from 1593 to 1603. It was fought between an Irish alliance—led mainly by Hugh O'Neill of Tyrone and Hugh Roe O'Donnell of Tyrconnell—against English rule in Ireland, and was a response to the ongoing Tudor conquest of Ireland. The war was fought in all parts of the country, but mainly in the northern province of Ulster. The Irish alliance won some important early victories, such as the Battle of Clontibret (1595) and the Battle of the Yellow Ford (1598), but the English won a victory against the alliance and their Spanish allies in the siege of Kinsale (1601–02). The war ended with the Treaty of Mellifont (1603). Many of the defeated northern lords left Ireland to seek support for a new uprising in the Flight of the Earls (1607), never to return. This marked the end of Gaelic Ireland and led to the Plantation of Ulster.

      2. 1599 battle of the Nine Years' War

        Battle of Curlew Pass

        The Battle of Curlew Pass was fought on 15 August 1599 during the campaign of the Earl of Essex in the Nine Years' War, between an English force under Sir Conyers Clifford and a rebel Irish force led by Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill. The English were ambushed and routed while marching through a pass in the Curlew Mountains, near the town of Boyle, in the west of Ireland. The English forces suffered heavy casualties. Losses by allied Irish forces were not recorded but were probably minimal.

      3. Irish nobleman of the sixteenth century

        Hugh Roe O'Donnell

        Hugh Roe O'Donnell, also known as Red Hugh O'Donnell, was a sixteenth-century leader of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. He became Chief of the Name of Clan O'Donnell and Lord of Tyrconnell in 1593, following a lengthy succession dispute within the derbhfine of the O'Donnell dynasty, and after escaping a five-year imprisonment without trial in Dublin Castle. Along with his father-in-law Hugh O'Neill of Tyrone, he led an alliance of Irish clans in the Nine Years' War against the English government in Ireland. Hugh Roe led an Irish army to victory in the Battle of Curlew Pass. After defeat in the Siege of Kinsale, he travelled to Spain to seek support from King Philip III. Unsuccessful, he died in Spain and was succeeded by his younger brother Rory O'Donnell. He is sometimes also known as Aodh Ruadh II or Red Hugh II, especially in his native County Donegal.

      4. 16th-century English politician and military officer

        Conyers Clifford

        Sir Conyers Clifford was an English politician and military commander.

  53. 1592

    1. Imjin War: At the Battle of Hansan Island, the Korean Navy, led by Yi Sun-sin, Yi Eok-gi, and Won Gyun, decisively defeats the Japanese Navy, led by Wakisaka Yasuharu.

      1. Two invasions of the Joseon dynasty

        Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)

        The Japanese invasions of Korea of 1592–1598 involved two separate yet linked invasions: an initial invasion in 1592, a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597. The conflict ended in 1598 with the withdrawal of Japanese forces from the Korean Peninsula after a military stalemate in Korea's southern provinces.

      2. 1592 naval battle between Joseon Korea and Japan

        Battle of Hansan Island

        The Battle of Hansan Island and following engagement at Angolpo took place from 8 July 1592. In two naval encounters, Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin's fleet managed to destroy roughly 100 Japanese ships and halted Japanese naval operations along the southern coast.

      3. 16th-century Korean naval commander

        Yi Sun-sin

        Admiral Yi Sun-sin was a Korean admiral and military general famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. Over the course of his career, Admiral Yi fought in at least 23 recorded naval engagements, all against the Japanese. In most of these battles, he was outnumbered and lacked necessary supplies. He nonetheless won battle after battle. His most famous victory occurred at the Battle of Myeongnyang, where despite being outnumbered 333 to 13, he managed to disable or destroy 31 Japanese warships without losing a single ship of his own. Yi died from a gunshot wound at the Battle of Noryang on 16 December 1598, the closing battle of the Imjin War.

      4. 16th-century Korean naval commander

        Yi Eokgi

        Yi Eok-gi was the commander of the Eastern Jeolla Fleet and later came to be the commander of the Western Jeolla Fleet. At age 32, despite being 15 years younger than Supreme Naval Commander Yi Sun-sin, Yi Eok-gi became his most trusted commander and companion during the Seven Year War. Yi Eok-gi was eventually killed in the devastating Battle of Chilcheollyang Strait while assisting Won Gyun, the Naval Commander of the entire Korean navy at that time.

      5. 16th-century Korean naval commander

        Won Gyun

        Won Gyun was a Korean general and admiral during the Joseon Dynasty. He is best known for his campaigns against the Japanese during Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea. Won was a member of Wonju Won family, which was well known for its members' military accomplishments. He was born in 1540 near Pyeongtaek and demonstrated his skill as warrior at a young age. He was qualified as a military officer and was first assigned to the northern border to defend against the Jurchens, who frequently raided Korean villages. Won led many successful campaigns with Yi Il and Yi Sun-sin against the Jurchens. After considerable accomplishments on the northern frontier, he was promoted to admiral in 1592 and sent to the southern coast of Gyeongsang Province to command the province's Western Fleet, along with Yi Sun-sin, who became admiral before Won and took command of Jeolla Province's Eastern Fleet. At the time, Won and Yi were cavalry leaders who had no experience with naval warfare.

      6. 16/17th-century Japanese warlord (daimyō) of Awaji Island

        Wakisaka Yasuharu

        Wakisaka Yasuharu , sometimes referred to as Wakizaka Yasuharu, was a daimyō of Awaji Island who fought under a number of warlords over the course of Japan's Sengoku period. Wakisaka originally served under Akechi Mitsuhide, a vassal of Oda Nobunaga.

  54. 1549

    1. Jesuit priest Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: 22 July 1549).

      1. Male religious congregation of the Catholic Church

        Jesuits

        The Society of Jesus abbreviated SJ, also known as the Jesuits, is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola and six companions, with the approval of Pope Paul III. The society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations. Jesuits work in education, research, and cultural pursuits. Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, sponsor direct social and humanitarian ministries, and promote ecumenical dialogue.

      2. Spanish Catholic saint and missionary (1506–1552)

        Francis Xavier

        Francis Xavier, venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Spanish Catholic missionary and saint who was a co-founder of the Society of Jesus.

      3. Core city in Kyushu, Japan

        Kagoshima

        Kagoshima City , abbreviated to Kagoshima , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern world" for its bay location, hot climate, and emblematic stratovolcano, Sakurajima. The city was officially founded on April 1, 1889. It merged with Taniyama City on April 29, 1967 and with Yoshida Town, Sakurajima Town, Kiire Town, Matsumoto Town and Kōriyama Town on November 1, 2004.

      4. Calendars used in Japan past and present

        Japanese calendar

        Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with the year, then the month and finally the day, coinciding with the ISO 8601 standard. For example, February 16, 2003 can be written as either 2003年2月16日 or 平成15年2月16日. 年 reads nen and means "year", 月 reads gatsu or 「がつ」and means "month" and finally 日 (usually) reads nichi and means "day".

  55. 1540

    1. Arequipa, Peru is founded.

      1. First-level administrative division in southwestern Peru

        Department of Arequipa

        Arequipa is a department and region in southwestern Peru. It is the sixth largest department in Peru, after Puno, Cuzco, Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto, its sixth most populous department, and its eleventh least densely populated department. It is bordered by the departments of Ica, Ayacucho, Apurímac and Cusco in the north, the Department of Puno in the east, the Department of Moquegua in the south, and the Pacific Ocean in the west. Its capital, also called Arequipa, is Peru's second-largest city.

  56. 1537

    1. Asunción, Paraguay is founded.

      1. Capital and chief port of Paraguay

        Asunción

        Asunción is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.

  57. 1534

    1. Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September 1540.

      1. Spanish Catholic priest and theologian (1491–1556)

        Ignatius of Loyola

        Ignatius of Loyola, S.J., venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, who, with Peter Faber and Francis Xavier, founded the religious order of the Society of Jesus, and became its first Superior General, in Paris in 1541. He envisioned the purpose of the Society of Jesus to be missionary work and teaching. In addition to the vows of chastity, obedience and poverty of other religious orders in the church, Loyola instituted a fourth vow for Jesuits of obedience to the Pope, to engage in projects ordained by the pontiff. Jesuits were instrumental in leading the Counter-Reformation.

      2. Male religious congregation of the Catholic Church

        Jesuits

        The Society of Jesus abbreviated SJ, also known as the Jesuits, is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola and six companions, with the approval of Pope Paul III. The society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations. Jesuits work in education, research, and cultural pursuits. Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, sponsor direct social and humanitarian ministries, and promote ecumenical dialogue.

  58. 1519

    1. Panama City, Panama is founded.

      1. Capital and the largest city of Panama

        Panama City

        Panama City, also simply known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of Panama. The city is the political and administrative center of the country, as well as a hub for banking and commerce.

  59. 1517

    1. Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.

      1. Vehicles that are intended for locomotion on or in the water

        Watercraft

        Any vehicle used in or on water as well as underwater, including boats, ships, hovercraft and submarines, is a watercraft, also known as a water vessel or waterborne vessel. A watercraft usually has a propulsive capability and hence is distinct from a stationary device, such as a pontoon, that merely floats.

      2. Portuguese merchant, pharmacist and diplomat (d. 1552)

        Fernão Pires de Andrade

        Captain Fernão Pires de Andrade was a Portuguese merchant, pharmacist, and official diplomat under the explorer and Portuguese Malacca governor Afonso de Albuquerque. His encounter with Ming China in 1517—after initial contacts by Jorge Álvares and Rafael Perestrello in 1513 and 1516, respectively—marked the resumption of direct European commercial and diplomatic contact with China. Although de Andrade's mission was initially a success that allowed a Portuguese embassy to proceed all the way to Beijing, relations were soon spoiled by culminating events that led to an extremely negative impression of the Portuguese in China. This included acts of his brother Simão that enraged the Chinese, false reports of the Portuguese being cannibals of kidnapped Chinese children and true reports of their conquest of Malacca, a loyal Ming tributary state. Normalized trade and relations between Portugal and the Ming dynasty would not resume until the late 1540s and the 1557 establishment of Portuguese rule over Macau.

      3. Megalopolis in South China

        Pearl River Delta

        The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. It is one of the most densely urbanized regions in the world, and is often considered a megacity. It is now the wealthiest region in South China and one of the wealthiest in the whole of China along with the Yangtze River Delta in East China and Jingjinji in North China. The region's economy is referred to as Pearl River Delta Economic Zone. It is also part of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area.

  60. 1511

    1. Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Malacca Sultanate.

      1. Portuguese commander (1453–1515)

        Afonso de Albuquerque

        Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean and built a reputation as a fierce and skilled military commander.

      2. Portuguese military conquest

        Capture of Malacca (1511)

        The Capture of Malacca in 1511 occurred when the governor of Portuguese India Afonso de Albuquerque conquered the city of Malacca in 1511.

      3. State of Malaysia

        Malacca

        Malacca is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.

      4. 1400–1511 state on the Malay Peninsula

        Malacca Sultanate

        The Malacca Sultanate was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks c. 1400 as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Parameswara, also known as Iskandar Shah, although earlier dates for its founding have been proposed. At the height of the sultanate's power in the 15th century, its capital grew into one of the most important transshipment ports of its time, with territory covering much of the Malay Peninsula, the Riau Islands and a significant portion of the northern coast of Sumatra in present-day Indonesia.

  61. 1483

    1. Pope Sixtus IV consecrates the Sistine Chapel.

      1. Head of the Catholic Church from 1471 to 1484

        Pope Sixtus IV

        Pope Sixtus IV, born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope included the construction of the Sistine Chapel and the creation of the Vatican Library. A patron of the arts, he brought together the group of artists who ushered the Early Renaissance into Rome with the first masterpieces of the city's new artistic age.

      2. Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City

        Sistine Chapel

        The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, in Vatican City and the official residence of the pope. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, the chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and 1481. Since that time, the chapel has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. Today, it is the site of the papal conclave, the process by which a new pope is selected. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescoes that decorate the interior, most particularly the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment, both by Michelangelo.

  62. 1461

    1. Byzantine–Ottoman wars: The Empire of Trebizond, the longest-surviving Byzantine successor state, was conquered by Ottoman forces following a month-long siege.

      1. Conflict between the Byzantine and Ottoman empires

        Byzantine–Ottoman wars

        The Byzantine–Ottoman wars were a series of decisive conflicts between the Ottoman Turks and Byzantines that led to the final destruction of the Byzantine Empire and the rise of the Ottoman Empire. In 1204 the Byzantine capital of Constantinople was sacked and occupied by the Fourth Crusaders, an important moment of the Christian East–West Schism. The Byzantine Empire, already weakened by misrule, was left divided and in chaos.

      2. Byzantine Greek state on Black Sea coast

        Empire of Trebizond

        The Empire of Trebizond, or Trapezuntine Empire, was a monarchy and one of three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Despotate of the Morea and the Principality of Theodoro, that flourished during the 13th through to the 15th century, consisting of the far northeastern corner of Anatolia and the southern Crimea. The empire was formed in 1204 with the help of the Georgian queen Tamar after the Georgian expedition in Chaldia and Paphlagonia, commanded by Alexios Komnenos a few weeks before the sack of Constantinople. Alexios later declared himself Emperor and established himself in Trebizond. Alexios and David Komnenos, grandsons and last male descendants of deposed Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos, pressed their claims as "Roman emperors" against Byzantine Emperor Alexios V Doukas. The later Byzantine emperors, as well as Byzantine authors, such as George Pachymeres, Nicephorus Gregoras and to some extent Trapezuntines such as John Lazaropoulos and Basilios Bessarion, regarded the emperors of Trebizond as the "princes of the Lazes", while the possession of these "princes" was also called Lazica. Thus from the point of view of the Byzantine writers connected with the Laskaris and later with the Palaiologos dynasties, the rulers of Trebizond were not emperors.

      3. Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages

        Byzantine Empire

        The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople. It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire remained the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The terms "Byzantine Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" were coined after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their empire as the Roman Empire, and to themselves as Romans—a term which Greeks continued to use for themselves into Ottoman times. Although the Roman state continued and its traditions were maintained, modern historians distinguish Byzantium from its earlier incarnation because it was centered on Constantinople and not Rome, oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Eastern Orthodox Christianity, instead of Roman Catholicism or Paganism.

      4. Empire existing from 1299 to 1922

        Ottoman Empire

        The Ottoman Empire, also known as the Turkish Empire, was an empire that controlled much of Southeast Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa between the 14th and early 20th centuries. It was founded at the end of the 13th century in northwestern Anatolia in the town of Söğüt by the Turkoman tribal leader Osman I. After 1354, the Ottomans crossed into Europe and, with the conquest of the Balkans, the Ottoman beylik was transformed into a transcontinental empire. The Ottomans ended the Byzantine Empire with the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Mehmed the Conqueror.

      5. Ottoman siege and conquest of Trebizond

        Siege of Trebizond (1461)

        The siege of Trebizond was the successful siege of the city of Trebizond, capital of the Empire of Trebizond, by the Ottomans under sultan Mehmed II, which ended on 15 August 1461. The siege was the culmination of a lengthy campaign on the Ottoman side, which involved co-ordinated but independent manoeuvres by a large army and navy. The Trapezuntine defenders had relied on a network of alliances that would provide them with support and manpower when the Ottomans began their siege, but failed at the moment Emperor David Megas Komnenos most needed it.

    2. The Empire of Trebizond surrenders to the forces of Sultan Mehmed II. This is regarded by some historians as the real end of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor David is exiled and later murdered.

      1. Byzantine Greek state on Black Sea coast

        Empire of Trebizond

        The Empire of Trebizond, or Trapezuntine Empire, was a monarchy and one of three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Despotate of the Morea and the Principality of Theodoro, that flourished during the 13th through to the 15th century, consisting of the far northeastern corner of Anatolia and the southern Crimea. The empire was formed in 1204 with the help of the Georgian queen Tamar after the Georgian expedition in Chaldia and Paphlagonia, commanded by Alexios Komnenos a few weeks before the sack of Constantinople. Alexios later declared himself Emperor and established himself in Trebizond. Alexios and David Komnenos, grandsons and last male descendants of deposed Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos, pressed their claims as "Roman emperors" against Byzantine Emperor Alexios V Doukas. The later Byzantine emperors, as well as Byzantine authors, such as George Pachymeres, Nicephorus Gregoras and to some extent Trapezuntines such as John Lazaropoulos and Basilios Bessarion, regarded the emperors of Trebizond as the "princes of the Lazes", while the possession of these "princes" was also called Lazica. Thus from the point of view of the Byzantine writers connected with the Laskaris and later with the Palaiologos dynasties, the rulers of Trebizond were not emperors.

      2. 7th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1444–1446, 1451–1481)

        Mehmed II

        Mehmed II, commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror, was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from August 1444 to September 1446, and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, he defeated the crusade led by John Hunyadi after the Hungarian incursions into his country broke the conditions of the truce Peace of Szeged. When Mehmed II ascended the throne again in 1451, he strengthened the Ottoman navy and made preparations to attack Constantinople. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire.

      3. Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages

        Byzantine Empire

        The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople. It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire remained the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The terms "Byzantine Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" were coined after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their empire as the Roman Empire, and to themselves as Romans—a term which Greeks continued to use for themselves into Ottoman times. Although the Roman state continued and its traditions were maintained, modern historians distinguish Byzantium from its earlier incarnation because it was centered on Constantinople and not Rome, oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Eastern Orthodox Christianity, instead of Roman Catholicism or Paganism.

      4. Final Emperor of Trebizond (r. 1460-61)

        David of Trebizond

        David Megas Komnenos was the last Emperor of Trebizond from 1460 to 1461. He was the third son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene. Following the fall of Trebizond to the Ottoman Empire, he was taken captive with his family to the Ottoman capital, Constantinople, where he and his sons and nephew were executed in 1463.

  63. 1430

    1. Francesco Sforza, lord of Milan, conquers Lucca.

      1. Italian condottiero, founder of the Sforza dynasty

        Francesco I Sforza

        Francesco I Sforza was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L'Aquila and in the 1430s fought for the Papal States and Milan against Venice. Once war between Milan and Venice ended in 1441 under mediation by Sforza, he successfully invaded southern Italy alongside René of Anjou, pretender to the throne of Naples, and after that returned to Milan. He was instrumental in the Treaty of Lodi (1454) which ensured peace in the Italian realms for a time by ensuring a strategic balance of power. He died in 1466 and was succeeded as duke by his son, Galeazzo Maria Sforza. While Sforza was recognized as duke of Milan, his son Ludovico would be the first to have formal investiture under the Holy Roman Empire by Maximilian I in 1494.

      2. Second-largest city in Italy

        Milan

        Milan is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has 3.26 million inhabitants. Its continuously built-up urban area is the fourth largest in the EU with 5.27 million inhabitants. According to national sources, the population within the wider Milan metropolitan area, is estimated between 8.2 million and 12.5 million making it by far the largest metropolitan area in Italy and one of the largest in the EU.

      3. City and comune in Tuscany, Italy

        Lucca

        Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957.

  64. 1310

    1. The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. John, completing their conquest of Rhodes. The knights establish their headquarters on the island and rename themselves the Knights of Rhodes.

      1. Place in Greece

        Rhodes (city)

        Rhodes is the principal city and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It has a population of approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Rhodes has been famous since antiquity as the site of Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The citadel of Rhodes, built by the Hospitalliers, is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, which in 1988 was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

      2. Medieval and early-modern Catholic military order

        Knights Hospitaller

        The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller, was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headquartered in the Kingdom of Jerusalem until 1291, on the island of Rhodes from 1310 until 1522, in Malta from 1530 until 1798 and at Saint Petersburg from 1799 until 1801. Today several organizations continue the Hospitaller tradition, specifically the mutually recognized orders of St. John, which are the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John, the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of Saint John, the Order of Saint John in the Netherlands, and the Order of Saint John in Sweden.

      3. 1306-10 conflict between the Knights Hospitaller and the Byzantine Empire

        Hospitaller conquest of Rhodes

        The Hospitaller conquest of Rhodes took place in 1306–1310. The Knights Hospitaller, led by Grand Master Foulques de Villaret, landed on the island in summer 1306 and quickly conquered most of it except for the city of Rhodes, which remained in Byzantine hands. Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos sent reinforcements, which allowed the city to repel the initial Hospitaller attacks, and persevere until it was captured on 15 August 1310. The Hospitallers transferred their base to the island, which became the centre of their activities until it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1522.

  65. 1281

    1. Mongol invasion of Japan: The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan.

      1. Late 13th-century failed invasion of Kyushu

        Mongol invasions of Japan

        Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attempts are of macro-historical importance because they set a limit on Mongol expansion and rank as nation-defining events in the history of Japan. The invasions are referred to in many works of fiction and are the earliest events for which the word kamikaze is widely used, originating in reference to the two typhoons faced by the Yuan fleets.

      2. 13th- and 14th-century empire originating in Mongolia

        Mongol Empire

        The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, extending northward into parts of the Arctic; eastward and southward into parts of the Indian subcontinent, attempted invasions of Southeast Asia and conquered the Iranian Plateau; and westward as far as the Levant and the Carpathian Mountains.

      3. Founding emperor of the Yuan dynasty of China

        Kublai Khan

        Kublai, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294, although after the division of the empire this was a nominal position. He proclaimed the empire's dynastic name "Great Yuan" in 1271, and ruled Yuan China until his death in 1294.

      4. Windstorms said to have saved Japan from Mongol invasions (1274, 1281)

        Kamikaze (typhoon)

        The kamikaze were two winds or storms that are said to have saved Japan from two Mongol fleets under Kublai Khan. These fleets attacked Japan in 1274 and again in 1281. Due to the growth of Zen Buddhism among Samurai at the time, these were the first events where the typhoons were described as "divine wind" as much by their timing as by their force. Since Man'yōshū, the word kamikaze has been used as a Makurakotoba of waka introducing Ise Grand Shrine.

      5. 1281 failed attempt by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China to invade Japan

        Battle of Kōan

        The Battle of Kōan , also known as the Second Battle of Hakata Bay, was the second attempt by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China to invade Japan after their failed attempt seven years earlier at the Battle of Bun'ei. In the summer of 1281, the Yuan invaded with two large armies. The Japanese defenders were aided by a major storm which sank a sizeable portion of the Yuan fleets. The invaders who reached the shore were repulsed shortly after landing. The Japanese called the opportune storm kamikaze, a name later used in the Second World War for pilots who carried out aerial suicide attacks.

  66. 1261

    1. Michael VIII Palaiologos was crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople.

      1. Byzantine emperor from 1261 to 1282

        Michael VIII Palaiologos

        Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea from 1259 to 1261, and as Byzantine emperor from 1261 until his death in 1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. He recovered Constantinople from the Latin Empire in 1261 and transformed the Empire of Nicaea into a restored Byzantine Empire. His reign saw considerable recovery of Byzantine power, including the enlargement of the Byzantine army and navy. It would also include the reconstruction of the city of Constantinople, and the increase of its population. Additionally, he re-established the University of Constantinople, which led to what is regarded as the Palaiologan Renaissance between the 13th and 15th centuries.

      2. List of Byzantine emperors

        This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised sovereign authority are included, to the exclusion of junior co-emperors (symbasileis) who never attained the status of sole or senior ruler, as well as of the various usurpers or rebels who claimed the imperial title.

      3. Capital city of the Eastern Roman Empire and later the Ottoman Empire

        Constantinople

        Constantinople was the capital of the Roman Empire, and later, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922). Following the Turkish War of Independence, the Turkish capital then moved to Ankara. Officially renamed Istanbul in 1930, the city is today the largest city and financial centre of the Republic of Turkey (1923–present). It is also the largest city in Europe.

    2. Michael VIII Palaiologos is crowned as the first Byzantine emperor in fifty-seven years.

      1. Byzantine emperor from 1261 to 1282

        Michael VIII Palaiologos

        Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea from 1259 to 1261, and as Byzantine emperor from 1261 until his death in 1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. He recovered Constantinople from the Latin Empire in 1261 and transformed the Empire of Nicaea into a restored Byzantine Empire. His reign saw considerable recovery of Byzantine power, including the enlargement of the Byzantine army and navy. It would also include the reconstruction of the city of Constantinople, and the increase of its population. Additionally, he re-established the University of Constantinople, which led to what is regarded as the Palaiologan Renaissance between the 13th and 15th centuries.

      2. List of Byzantine emperors

        This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised sovereign authority are included, to the exclusion of junior co-emperors (symbasileis) who never attained the status of sole or senior ruler, as well as of the various usurpers or rebels who claimed the imperial title.

  67. 1248

    1. The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, is laid. (Construction is eventually completed in 1880.)

      1. First stone set in construction of a masonry foundation

        Cornerstone

        The cornerstone is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.

      2. Church in Cologne, Germany

        Cologne Cathedral

        Cologne Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. It is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day. At 157 m (515 ft), the cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world, the second tallest church in Europe after Ulm Minster, and the third tallest church of any kind in the world. It is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires. The towers for its two huge spires give the cathedral the largest façade of any church in the world. The choir has the largest height-to-width ratio, 3.6:1, of any medieval church.

      3. Reliquary traditionally believed to contain the bones of the Biblical Magi

        Shrine of the Three Kings

        The Shrine of the Three Kings, Tomb of the Three Kings, or Tomb of the Three Magi is a reliquary traditionally believed to contain the bones of the Biblical Magi, also known as the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men. The shrine is a large gilded and decorated triple sarcophagus placed above and behind the high altar of Cologne Cathedral in western Germany. Built approximately from 1180 to 1225, it is considered the high point of Mosan art and the largest reliquary in the Western world.

      4. Group of distinguished foreigners who visited Jesus after his birth

        Biblical Magi

        The biblical Magi, also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the Gospel of Matthew and Christian tradition. They are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They are regular figures in traditional accounts of the nativity celebrations of Christmas and are an important part of Christian tradition.

      5. Calendar year

        1880

        1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar and a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar, the 1880th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 880th year of the 2nd millennium, the 80th year of the 19th century, and the 1st year of the 1880s decade. As of the start of 1880, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.

  68. 1237

    1. Spanish Reconquista: The Battle of the Puig between the Moorish forces of Taifa of Valencia against the Kingdom of Aragon culminates in an Aragonese victory.

      1. Medieval Christian military campaign

        Reconquista

        The Reconquista is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada in 1492, in which the Christian kingdoms expanded through war and conquered al-Andalus; the territories of Iberia ruled by Muslims. The concept of a Reconquista emerged in Western and especially in Spanish historiography in the 19th century, and was a fundamental component of Spanish nationalism.

      2. 1237 battle of the Reconquista

        Battle of the Puig

        The Battle of the Puig of 1237, also known as the Battle of the Puig de Santa Maria, the Battle of the Puig de Enesa, or the Battle of the Puig de Cepolla was a battle of the Iberian Reconquista and of the Aragonese Conquest of Valencia.

      3. Territories of the Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule between 711 and 1492

        Al-Andalus

        Al-Andalus was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The term is used by modern historians for the former Islamic states in modern Spain and Portugal. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most of the peninsula and a part of present-day southern France, Septimania. For nearly a hundred years, from the 9th century to the 10th, al-Andalus extended its presence from Fraxinetum into the Alps with a series of organized raids and chronic banditry. The name describes the different Arab and Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. These boundaries changed constantly as the Christian Reconquista progressed, eventually shrinking to the south and finally to the Emirate of Granada.

      4. Moorish (i.e. medieval muslim) state in eastern Iberia from 1010 to 1238

        Taifa of Valencia

        The Taifa of Valencia was a medieval Moorish taifa kingdom which existed, in and around Valencia, Spain during four distinct periods: from 1010 to 1065, from 1075 to 1099, from 1145 to 1147 and last from 1229 to 1238 when it was finally conquered by the Aragon.

      5. Medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula

        Kingdom of Aragon

        The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain. It should not be confused with the larger Crown of Aragon, which also included other territories — the Principality of Catalonia, the Kingdom of Valencia, the Kingdom of Majorca, and other possessions that are now part of France, Italy, and Greece — that were also under the rule of the King of Aragon, but were administered separately from the Kingdom of Aragon.

  69. 1185

    1. The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia.

      1. Cave monastery in southern Georgia

        Vardzia

        Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River, thirty kilometres from Aspindza. The main period of construction was the second half of the twelfth century. The caves stretch along the cliff for some five hundred meters and in up to nineteen tiers. The monastery was an important cultural center, a place of significant literary and artistic work.

      2. Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213

        Tamar of Georgia

        Tamar the Great reigned as the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the Georgian Golden Age. A member of the Bagrationi dynasty, her position as the first woman to rule Georgia in her own right was emphasized by the title mepe ("king"), afforded to Tamar in the medieval Georgian sources.

  70. 1096

    1. Starting date of the First Crusade as set by Pope Urban II.

      1. 1096–1099 Christian conquest of the Holy Land

        First Crusade

        The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic rule. While Jerusalem had been under Muslim rule for hundreds of years, by the 11th century the Seljuk takeover of the region threatened local Christian populations, pilgrimages from the West, and the Byzantine Empire itself. The earliest initiative for the First Crusade began in 1095 when Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos requested military support from the Council of Piacenza in the empire's conflict with the Seljuk-led Turks. This was followed later in the year by the Council of Clermont, during which Pope Urban II supported the Byzantine request for military assistance and also urged faithful Christians to undertake an armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

      2. Head of the Catholic Church from 1088 to 1099

        Pope Urban II

        Pope Urban II, otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermont which served as the catalyst for the Crusades.

  71. 1070

    1. The Pavian-born Benedictine Lanfranc is appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury in England.

      1. Comune in Lombardy, Italy

        Pavia

        Pavia is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, 35 kilometres south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom from 540 to 553, of the Kingdom of the Lombards from 572 to 774, of the Kingdom of Italy from 774 to 1024 and seat of the Visconti court from 1365 to 1413.

      2. Roman Catholic monastic order

        Benedictines

        The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict, are a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church following the Rule of Saint Benedict. They are also sometimes called the Black Monks, in reference to the colour of their religious habits. They were founded by Benedict of Nursia, a 6th-century monk who laid the foundations of Benedictine monasticism through the formulation of his Rule of Saint Benedict.

      3. 11th-century Archbishop of Canterbury, jurist and theologian

        Lanfranc

        Lanfranc, OSB was a celebrated Italian jurist who renounced his career to become a Benedictine monk at Bec in Normandy. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Stephen in Normandy and then as Archbishop of Canterbury in England, following its Conquest by William the Conqueror. He is also variously known as Lanfranc of Pavia, Lanfranc of Bec, and Lanfranc of Canterbury.

      4. Senior bishop of the Church of England

        Archbishop of Canterbury

        The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justin Welby, who was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013. Welby is the 105th in a line which goes back more than 1400 years to Augustine of Canterbury, the "Apostle to the English", sent from Rome in the year 597. Welby succeeded Rowan Williams.

  72. 1057

    1. King Macbeth is killed at the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada.

      1. King of Scotland from 1040 to 1057

        Macbeth, King of Scotland

        Macbeth c. 1005 – 15 August 1057) was King of Scots from 1040 until his death. He ruled over the Kingdom of Alba, which covered only a portion of present-day Scotland.

      2. 1057 battle between Macbeth and Malcolm III of Scotland

        Battle of Lumphanan

        The Battle of Lumphanan was fought on 15 August 1057, between Macbeth, King of Scots, and the future King Malcolm III. Macbeth would die from wounds sustained in the battle, which came after his defeat at the battle of Dunsinane in 1054. According to tradition, the battle took place at Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire. Macbeth's Stone, a large boulder at the site, is said to mark the spot where Macbeth was mortally wounded. Following the battle Lulach, Macbeth's stepson was crowned King, before being killed by Malcolm who then took the throne.

      3. King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093

        Malcolm III of Scotland

        Malcolm III was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore". Malcolm's long reign of 35 years preceded the beginning of the Scoto-Norman age. Henry I of England and Eustace III of Boulogne were his sons-in-law, making him the maternal grandfather of Empress Matilda, William Adelin and Matilda of Boulogne. All three of them were prominent in English politics during the 12th century.

  73. 1038

    1. Upon the death of his uncle Stephen I, Peter became the second king of Hungary.

      1. King of Hungary from 1000/1001 to 1038; Catholic saint

        Stephen I of Hungary

        Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen, was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first King of Hungary from 1000 or 1001, until his death in 1038. The year of his birth is uncertain, but many details of his life suggest that he was born in, or after, 975, in Esztergom. He was given the pagan name Vajk at birth, but the date of his baptism is unknown. He was the only son of Grand Prince Géza and his wife, Sarolt, who was descended from a prominent family of gyulas. Although both of his parents were baptized, Stephen was the first member of his family to become a devout Christian. He married Gisela of Bavaria, a scion of the imperial Ottonian dynasty.

      2. King of Hungary from 1038 to 1041

        Peter, King of Hungary

        Peter Orseolo, or Peter the Venetian, was the King of Hungary twice. He first succeeded his uncle, King Stephen I, in 1038. His favoritism towards his foreign courtiers caused an uprising which ended with his 1041 deposition. Peter was restored in 1044 by Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. He accepted the Emperor's suzerainty during his second reign, which ended in 1046 after a pagan uprising. Hungarian chronicles are unanimous that Peter was executed by order of his successor, Andrew I, but the chronicler Cosmas of Prague's reference to his alleged marriage around 1055 suggests that he may also have survived his second deposition.

      3. Ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Hungary (1000-1918)

        King of Hungary

        The King of Hungary was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all Monarchs of Hungary.

    2. King Stephen I, the first king of Hungary, dies; his nephew, Peter Orseolo, succeeds him.

      1. King of Hungary from 1000/1001 to 1038; Catholic saint

        Stephen I of Hungary

        Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen, was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first King of Hungary from 1000 or 1001, until his death in 1038. The year of his birth is uncertain, but many details of his life suggest that he was born in, or after, 975, in Esztergom. He was given the pagan name Vajk at birth, but the date of his baptism is unknown. He was the only son of Grand Prince Géza and his wife, Sarolt, who was descended from a prominent family of gyulas. Although both of his parents were baptized, Stephen was the first member of his family to become a devout Christian. He married Gisela of Bavaria, a scion of the imperial Ottonian dynasty.

      2. King of Hungary from 1038 to 1041

        Peter, King of Hungary

        Peter Orseolo, or Peter the Venetian, was the King of Hungary twice. He first succeeded his uncle, King Stephen I, in 1038. His favoritism towards his foreign courtiers caused an uprising which ended with his 1041 deposition. Peter was restored in 1044 by Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. He accepted the Emperor's suzerainty during his second reign, which ended in 1046 after a pagan uprising. Hungarian chronicles are unanimous that Peter was executed by order of his successor, Andrew I, but the chronicler Cosmas of Prague's reference to his alleged marriage around 1055 suggests that he may also have survived his second deposition.

  74. 1018

    1. Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles captured and blinded Ibatzes of Bulgaria by means of a ruse, ending the last resistance against Emperor Basil II's conquest of Bulgaria.

      1. Byzantine general and governor

        Eustathios Daphnomeles

        Eustathios Daphnomeles was a Byzantine strategos and patrician who distinguished himself in the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria. He ranks as one of the most prominent and successful generals in the thirty-year war between Emperor Basil II and Samuel of Bulgaria, helping to end the long conflict by blinding and capturing the last Bulgarian leader, Ibatzes, in 1018.

      2. 10/11th-century Bulgarian noble and military commander

        Ivats

        Ivats or Ibatzes was a Bulgarian noble and military commander in the late 10th and early 11th century. He served three Bulgarian Emperors - Samuil (997-1014); Gavril Radomir (1014–1015) and Ivan Vladislav (1015–1018).

      3. Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025

        Basil II

        Basil II Porphyrogenitus, nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer, was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but they were too young to rule. The throne thus went to two generals, Nikephoros Phokas and John Tzimiskes, before Basil became senior emperor, though his influential great-uncle Basil Lekapenos remained as the de facto ruler until 985. His reign of 49 years and 11 months was the longest of any Roman emperor.

      4. Invasion of the First Bulgarian Empire by the Byzantine Empire (968-1018)

        Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria

        From ca. 970 until 1018, a series of conflicts between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire led to the gradual reconquest of Bulgaria by the Byzantines, who thus re-established their control over the entire Balkan peninsula for the first time since the 7th-century Slavic invasions. The struggle began with the incorporation of eastern Bulgaria after the Russo-Byzantine War (970–971). Bulgarian resistance was led by the Cometopuli brothers, who – based in the unconquered western regions of the Bulgarian Empire – led it until its fall under Byzantine rule in 1018.

    2. Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles blinds and captures Ibatzes of Bulgaria by a ruse, thereby ending Bulgarian resistance against Emperor Basil II's conquest of Bulgaria.

      1. Byzantine general and governor

        Eustathios Daphnomeles

        Eustathios Daphnomeles was a Byzantine strategos and patrician who distinguished himself in the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria. He ranks as one of the most prominent and successful generals in the thirty-year war between Emperor Basil II and Samuel of Bulgaria, helping to end the long conflict by blinding and capturing the last Bulgarian leader, Ibatzes, in 1018.

      2. 10/11th-century Bulgarian noble and military commander

        Ivats

        Ivats or Ibatzes was a Bulgarian noble and military commander in the late 10th and early 11th century. He served three Bulgarian Emperors - Samuil (997-1014); Gavril Radomir (1014–1015) and Ivan Vladislav (1015–1018).

      3. Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025

        Basil II

        Basil II Porphyrogenitus, nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer, was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but they were too young to rule. The throne thus went to two generals, Nikephoros Phokas and John Tzimiskes, before Basil became senior emperor, though his influential great-uncle Basil Lekapenos remained as the de facto ruler until 985. His reign of 49 years and 11 months was the longest of any Roman emperor.

      4. Invasion of the First Bulgarian Empire by the Byzantine Empire (968-1018)

        Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria

        From ca. 970 until 1018, a series of conflicts between the Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire led to the gradual reconquest of Bulgaria by the Byzantines, who thus re-established their control over the entire Balkan peninsula for the first time since the 7th-century Slavic invasions. The struggle began with the incorporation of eastern Bulgaria after the Russo-Byzantine War (970–971). Bulgarian resistance was led by the Cometopuli brothers, who – based in the unconquered western regions of the Bulgarian Empire – led it until its fall under Byzantine rule in 1018.

  75. 982

    1. Holy Roman Emperor Otto II is defeated by the Saracens in the Battle of Capo Colonna, in Calabria.

      1. Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

        Holy Roman Emperor

        The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans during the Middle Ages, and also known as the German-Roman Emperor since the early modern period, was the ruler and head of state of the Holy Roman Empire. The title was held in conjunction with the title of king of Italy from the 8th to the 16th century, and, almost without interruption, with the title of king of Germany throughout the 12th to 18th centuries.

      2. Holy Roman Emperor from 973 to 983

        Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor

        Otto II, called the Red, was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy.

      3. Archaic term for various Arab peoples

        Saracen

        Saracen was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Petraea and Arabia Deserta. The term's meaning evolved during its history of usage. During the Early Middle Ages, the term came to be associated with the tribes of Arabia. The oldest known source mentioning "Saracens" in relation to Islam dates back to the 7th century, in the Greek-language Christian tract Doctrina Jacobi. Among other major events, the tract discusses the Muslim conquest of the Levant, which occurred after the rise of the Rashidun Caliphate following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Roman-Catholic church and European Christian leaders used the term during the Middle Ages to refer to Muslims—usually Arabs, Turks, and Iranians.

      4. 982 battle between the Holy Roman Empire and the Emirate of Sicily

        Battle of Stilo

        The Battle of Stilo was fought on 13 or 14 July 982 near Crotone in Calabria between the forces of Holy Roman Emperor Otto II and his Italo-Lombard allies and those of the Kalbid emir of Sicily, Abu'l-Qasim. Some sources claim that the Muslims received support from the Byzantines, in retaliation for Otto's invasion of their province of Apulia, but this is unconfirmed.

      5. Region of Italy

        Calabria

        Calabria, is a region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. With almost 2 million residents across a total area of approximately 15,222 square kilometres (5,877 sq mi), it is the tenth most populous and the tenth largest Italian region by area. Catanzaro is the region's capital, while Reggio Calabria is the most populous city in the region.

  76. 927

    1. The Saracens conquer and destroy Taranto.

      1. Archaic term for various Arab peoples

        Saracen

        Saracen was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Petraea and Arabia Deserta. The term's meaning evolved during its history of usage. During the Early Middle Ages, the term came to be associated with the tribes of Arabia. The oldest known source mentioning "Saracens" in relation to Islam dates back to the 7th century, in the Greek-language Christian tract Doctrina Jacobi. Among other major events, the tract discusses the Muslim conquest of the Levant, which occurred after the rise of the Rashidun Caliphate following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Roman-Catholic church and European Christian leaders used the term during the Middle Ages to refer to Muslims—usually Arabs, Turks, and Iranians.

      2. Comune in Apulia, Italy

        Taranto

        Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base.

  77. 805

    1. Noble Erchana of Dahauua grants the Bavarian town of Dachau to the Diocese of Freising

      1. State in Germany

        Bavaria

        Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of 70,550.19 km2 (27,239.58 sq mi), Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total land area of Germany. With over 13 million inhabitants, it is second in population only to North Rhine-Westphalia, but due to its large size its population density is below the German average. Bavaria's main cities are Munich, Nuremberg, and Augsburg.

      2. Town in Bavaria, Germany

        Dachau, Bavaria

        Dachau is a town in the Upper Bavaria district of Bavaria, a state in the southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 kilometres north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich, with roughly 45,000 inhabitants. The historic centre of town with its 18th-century castle is situated on an elevation and visible over a great distance.

      3. Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany

        Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising

        The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany. It is governed by the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, who administers the see from the co-cathedral in Munich, the Frauenkirche, which is never called in German Munich Cathedral. The other, much older co-cathedral is Freising Cathedral.

  78. 778

    1. The Battle of Roncevaux Pass takes place between the army of Charlemagne and a Basque army.

      1. 8th-century battle in France

        Battle of Roncevaux Pass

        The Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 saw a large force of Basques ambush a part of Charlemagne's army in Roncevaux Pass, a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees on the present border between France and Spain, after his invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.

      2. King of Franks, first Holy Roman Emperor

        Charlemagne

        Charlemagne or Charles the Great, a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Emperor of the Romans from 800. Charlemagne succeeded in uniting the majority of western and central Europe and was the first recognized emperor to rule from western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire around three centuries earlier. The expanded Frankish state that Charlemagne founded was the Carolingian Empire. He was canonized by Antipope Paschal III—an act later treated as invalid—and he is now regarded by some as beatified in the Catholic Church.

  79. 747

    1. Carloman, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, renounces his position as majordomo and retires to a monastery near Rome. His brother, Pepin the Short, becomes the sole ruler (de facto) of the Frankish Kingdom.

      1. Calendar year

        AD 747

        Year 747 (DCCXLVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 747 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

      2. 8th-century Frankish royal official

        Carloman (mayor of the palace)

        Carloman was the eldest son of Charles Martel, majordomo or mayor of the palace and duke of the Franks, and his wife Chrotrud of Treves. On Charles's death (741), Carloman and his brother Pepin the Short succeeded to their father's legal positions, Carloman in Austrasia, and Pepin in Neustria. He was a member of the family later called the Carolingians and it can be argued that he was instrumental in consolidating their power at the expense of the ruling Merovingian kings of the Franks. He withdrew from public life in 747 to take up the monastic habit, "the first of a new type of saintly king," according to Norman Cantor, "more interested in religious devotion than royal power, who frequently appeared in the following three centuries and who was an indication of the growing impact of Christian piety on Germanic society".

      3. Medieval European territory

        Austrasia

        Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the Franks, including both the so-called Salians and Rhineland Franks, which Clovis I conquered after first taking control of the bordering part of Roman Gaul, now northern France, which is sometimes described in this period as Neustria.

      4. Head servant

        Majordomo

        A majordomo is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (major) person of a household staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a large or significant residence.

      5. Complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplace(s) of monks or nuns

        Monastery

        A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may be a chapel, church, or temple, and may also serve as an oratory, or in the case of communities anything from a single building housing only one senior and two or three junior monks or nuns, to vast complexes and estates housing tens or hundreds. A monastery complex typically comprises a number of buildings which include a church, dormitory, cloister, refectory, library, balneary and infirmary, and outlying granges. Depending on the location, the monastic order and the occupation of its inhabitants, the complex may also include a wide range of buildings that facilitate self-sufficiency and service to the community. These may include a hospice, a school, and a range of agricultural and manufacturing buildings such as a barn, a forge, or a brewery.

      6. King of the Franks from 751 to 768; first king of the Carolingian Dynasty

        Pepin the Short

        Pepin the Short, also called the Younger, was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king.

      7. Practical rather than theoretical reality

        De facto

        De facto describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with de jure, which refers to things that happen according to official law, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality.

      8. Frankish Kingdom from 481 to 843

        Francia

        Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks, Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire, was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks during late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. After the Treaty of Verdun in 843, West Francia became the predecessor of France, and East Francia became that of Germany. Francia was among the last surviving Germanic kingdoms from the Migration Period era before its partition in 843.

  80. 718

    1. Forces of the Umayyad Caliphate abandoned their year-long siege of Constantinople, ending the Umayyad goal of conquering the Byzantine Empire.

      1. Second Islamic caliphate (661–750 CE)

        Umayyad Caliphate

        The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a member of the clan. The family established dynastic, hereditary rule with Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, long-time governor of Greater Syria, who became the sixth caliph after the end of the First Fitna in 661. After Mu'awiyah's death in 680, conflicts over the succession resulted in the Second Fitna, and power eventually fell into the hands of Marwan I from another branch of the clan. Greater Syria remained the Umayyads' main power base thereafter, with Damascus serving as their capital.

      2. Failed invasion of the Byzantine capital by the Umayyad Caliphate (717-718)

        Siege of Constantinople (717–718)

        The second Arab siege of Constantinople in 717–718 was a combined land and sea offensive by the Muslim Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate against the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. The campaign marked the culmination of twenty years of attacks and progressive Arab occupation of the Byzantine borderlands, while Byzantine strength was sapped by prolonged internal turmoil. In 716, after years of preparations, the Arabs, led by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, invaded Byzantine Asia Minor. The Arabs initially hoped to exploit Byzantine civil strife and made common cause with the general Leo III the Isaurian, who had risen up against Emperor Theodosius III. Leo, however, tricked them and secured the Byzantine throne for himself.

      3. Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages

        Byzantine Empire

        The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople. It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire remained the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The terms "Byzantine Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" were coined after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their empire as the Roman Empire, and to themselves as Romans—a term which Greeks continued to use for themselves into Ottoman times. Although the Roman state continued and its traditions were maintained, modern historians distinguish Byzantium from its earlier incarnation because it was centered on Constantinople and not Rome, oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Eastern Orthodox Christianity, instead of Roman Catholicism or Paganism.

    2. Arab–Byzantine wars: Raising of the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople.

      1. Failed invasion of the Byzantine capital by the Umayyad Caliphate (717-718)

        Siege of Constantinople (717–718)

        The second Arab siege of Constantinople in 717–718 was a combined land and sea offensive by the Muslim Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate against the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. The campaign marked the culmination of twenty years of attacks and progressive Arab occupation of the Byzantine borderlands, while Byzantine strength was sapped by prolonged internal turmoil. In 716, after years of preparations, the Arabs, led by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, invaded Byzantine Asia Minor. The Arabs initially hoped to exploit Byzantine civil strife and made common cause with the general Leo III the Isaurian, who had risen up against Emperor Theodosius III. Leo, however, tricked them and secured the Byzantine throne for himself.

  81. 717

    1. Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, which will last for nearly a year.

      1. 8th century Umayyad prince and military leader

        Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik

        Maslama ibn ʿAbd al-Malik was an Umayyad prince and one of the most prominent Arab generals of the early decades of the 8th century, leading several campaigns against the Byzantine Empire and the Khazar Khaganate. He achieved great fame especially for leading the second and last Arab siege of the Byzantine capital Constantinople.

      2. Failed invasion of the Byzantine capital by the Umayyad Caliphate (717-718)

        Siege of Constantinople (717–718)

        The second Arab siege of Constantinople in 717–718 was a combined land and sea offensive by the Muslim Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate against the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. The campaign marked the culmination of twenty years of attacks and progressive Arab occupation of the Byzantine borderlands, while Byzantine strength was sapped by prolonged internal turmoil. In 716, after years of preparations, the Arabs, led by Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, invaded Byzantine Asia Minor. The Arabs initially hoped to exploit Byzantine civil strife and made common cause with the general Leo III the Isaurian, who had risen up against Emperor Theodosius III. Leo, however, tricked them and secured the Byzantine throne for himself.

  82. 636

    1. Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins.

      1. Series of wars between the 7th and 11th centuries

        Arab–Byzantine wars

        The Arab–Byzantine wars were a series of wars between a number of Muslim Arab dynasties and the Byzantine Empire between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. Conflict started during the initial Muslim conquests, under the expansionist Rashidun and Umayyad caliphs, in the 7th century and continued by their successors until the mid-11th century.

      2. Part of the Arab–Byzantine wars (636 AD)

        Battle of the Yarmuk

        The Battle of the Yarmuk was a major battle between the army of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate. The battle consisted of a series of engagements that lasted for six days in August 636, near the Yarmouk River, along what are now the borders of Syria–Jordan and Syria-Israel, southeast of the Sea of Galilee. The result of the battle was a complete Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in Syria. The Battle of the Yarmuk is regarded as one of the most decisive battles in military history, and it marked the first great wave of early Muslim conquests after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, heralding the rapid advance of Islam into the then-Christian Levant.

      3. Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages

        Byzantine Empire

        The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople. It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire remained the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The terms "Byzantine Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" were coined after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their empire as the Roman Empire, and to themselves as Romans—a term which Greeks continued to use for themselves into Ottoman times. Although the Roman state continued and its traditions were maintained, modern historians distinguish Byzantium from its earlier incarnation because it was centered on Constantinople and not Rome, oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Eastern Orthodox Christianity, instead of Roman Catholicism or Paganism.

      4. First Islamic Caliphate (632–661 CE)

        Rashidun Caliphate

        The Rashidun Caliphate was the first caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was ruled by the first four successive caliphs of Muhammad after his death in 632 CE. During its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in West Asia.

Births & Deaths

  1. 2021

    1. Gerd Müller, German footballer (b. 1945) deaths

      1. German footballer (1945–2021)

        Gerd Müller

        Gerhard "Gerd" Müller was a German professional footballer. A striker renowned for his clinical finishing, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the sport.

  2. 2020

    1. Robert Trump, American real-estate developer, business executive (b. 1948) deaths

      1. American businessman (1948–2020)

        Robert Trump

        Robert Stewart Trump was an American businessman and investor. He was the younger brother of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

  3. 2017

    1. Gunnar Birkerts, Latvian-American architect (b. 1925) deaths

      1. American architect

        Gunnar Birkerts

        Gunnar Birkerts was a Latvian American architect who, for most of his career, was based in the metropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan.

  4. 2015

    1. Julian Bond, American academic, leader of the civil rights movement, and politician (b. 1940) deaths

      1. American social activist

        Julian Bond

        Horace Julian Bond was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the early 1960s, he helped establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). In 1971, he co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, and served as its first president for nearly a decade.

    2. Hamid Gul, Pakistani general (b. 1936) deaths

      1. Pakistani general (1936–2015)

        Hamid Gul

        Lieutenant General Hamid Gul HI(M) SI(M) SBt was a three-star rank army general in the Pakistan Army and defence analyst. Gul was notable for serving as the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, between 1987 and 1989. During his tenure, Gul played an instrumental role in directing ISI support to Afghan resistance groups against Soviet forces in return for funds and weapons from the US, during the Soviet–Afghan War, in co-operation with the CIA.

  5. 2014

    1. Licia Albanese, Italian-American soprano and actress (b. 1909) deaths

      1. Italian-born American operatic soprano

        Licia Albanese

        Licia Albanese was an Italian-born American operatic soprano. Noted especially for her portrayals of the lyric heroines of Verdi and Puccini, Albanese was a leading artist with the Metropolitan Opera from 1940 to 1966. She also made many recordings and was chairwoman of The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, which is dedicated to assisting young artists and singers.

  6. 2013

    1. Rosalía Mera, Spanish businesswoman, co-founded Inditex and Zara (b. 1944) deaths

      1. Spanish businesswoman

        Rosalía Mera

        Rosalía Mera Goyenechea was a Spanish businesswoman and entrepreneur. At the time of her death, she was the richest woman in Spain and the world's richest self-made woman. In 1975, she co-founded the Zara retail chain with her then-husband Amancio Ortega Gaona. The company grew to become the world's largest fashion retailer.

      2. Spanish multinational clothing company

        Inditex

        Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. is a Spanish multinational clothing company headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia, in Spain. Inditex, the biggest fast fashion group in the world, operates over 7,200 stores in 93 markets worldwide. The company's flagship store is Zara, but it also owns a number of other brands such as Zara Home, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Uterqüe and Lefties. The majority of its stores are corporate-owned, while franchises are mainly conceded in countries where corporate properties cannot be foreign-owned.

      3. Spanish multi-national clothing retailer

        Zara (retailer)

        ZARA is a Spanish multi-national retail clothing chain. It specialises in fast fashion, and sells clothing, accessories, shoes, beauty products and perfumes. The head office is in Arteixo, in A Coruña in Galicia. It is the largest constituent company of the Inditex group. In 2020 it was launching over twenty new product lines per year.

    2. Sławomir Mrożek, Polish-French author and playwright (b. 1930) deaths

      1. Polish dramatist, writer and cartoonist

        Sławomir Mrożek

        Sławomir Mrożek was a Polish dramatist, writer and cartoonist.

    3. Marich Man Singh Shrestha, Nepali politician, 28th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1942) deaths

      1. Nepali politician

        Marich Man Singh Shrestha

        Marich Man Singh Shrestha was a Nepali politician and former Prime Minister of Nepal. He was born in 1942 in Khalanga Bazar, Salyan, Nepal. He served as the Prime Minister of Nepal from 15 June 1986 to 6 April 1990, and is remembered as the last Prime Minister of the Panchayat period and the Prime Minister during the 1989 Indian economic blockade on Nepal. Prior to that, he was the speaker of the Rastriya Panchayat from 1981 to 1985. He is one of the only two non-Khas Prime Ministers of Nepal, both the exceptions having been Newar Shresthas. He is the first Newar to have assumed the full title of the Prime Minister of Nepal, second if we count Gehendra Bahadur Rajbhandari who was acknowledged as an Acting Prime Minister.

      2. Head of government of Nepal

        Prime Minister of Nepal

        The Prime Minister of Nepal is the head of government of Nepal. The Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers of Nepal and the chief adviser to the President of Nepal.

    4. August Schellenberg, Canadian actor (b. 1936) deaths

      1. Canadian actor (1936–2013)

        August Schellenberg

        August Werner Schellenberg was a Canadian actor. He played Randolph in the first three installments of the Free Willy film series (1993–1997) as well as characters in Black Robe (1991), The New World (2005), and dozens of other films and television shows.

  7. 2012

    1. Bob Birch, American bass player and saxophonist (b. 1956) deaths

      1. American musician

        Bob Birch

        Robert Wayne "Bob" Birch was an American musician. He was primarily a session musician and sideman to a variety of notable artists.

    2. Altamiro Carrilho, Brazilian flute player and composer (b. 1924) deaths

      1. Musical artist

        Altamiro Carrilho

        Altamiro Carrilho was a Brazilian musician and composer. He is widely regarded as a master flutist and a major representative of the choro genre.

    3. Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (b. 1925) deaths

      1. American science fiction author (1925–2012)

        Harry Harrison (writer)

        Harry Max Harrison was an American science fiction author, known mostly for his character The Stainless Steel Rat and for his novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966). The latter was the rough basis for the motion picture Soylent Green (1973). Long resident in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, Harrison was involved in the foundation of the Irish Science Fiction Association, and was, with Brian Aldiss, co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group.

  8. 2011

    1. Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1984) deaths

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Rick Rypien

        Richard Joseph Rypien was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who spent parts of six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks. After a major junior career of four years with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL), he was signed to a professional contract by the minor league Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2005. The following season, he signed with the Canucks. He spent six years with the organization, splitting time between the Canucks and Moose, their AHL affiliate. A fourth-line player in the NHL, he was known for his hitting and fighting abilities, though his size was not typical of an enforcer.

  9. 2008

    1. Vic Toweel, South African-Australian boxer (b. 1929) deaths

      1. South African boxer

        Vic Toweel

        Victor "Vic" Anthony Toweel was a South African boxer and former undisputed World bantamweight champion. He was the first South African to hold a world title.

    2. Jerry Wexler, American journalist and producer (b. 1917) deaths

      1. American music journalist and producer

        Jerry Wexler

        Gerald Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integral in signing and/or producing many of the biggest acts of the time, including Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers, Chris Connor, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Wilson Pickett, Dire Straits, Dusty Springfield and Bob Dylan. Wexler was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and in 2017 to the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

  10. 2007

    1. Richard Bradshaw, English conductor and director (b. 1944) deaths

      1. Musical artist

        Richard Bradshaw (conductor)

        Richard James Bradshaw was a British opera conductor and the General Director of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) in Toronto.

    2. John Gofman, American biologist, chemist, and physicist (b. 1918) deaths

      1. American scientist

        John Gofman

        John William Gofman was an American scientist and advocate. He was Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley.

    3. Geoffrey Orbell, New Zealand physician (b. 1908) deaths

      1. New Zealand doctor and naturalist

        Geoffrey Orbell

        Geoffrey Buckland Orbell was a New Zealand doctor and keen tramper who was responsible for the rediscovery of the takahē in 1948.

    4. Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (b. 1925) deaths

      1. Canadian sports executive

        Sam Pollock

        Samuel Patterson Smyth Pollock, OC, CQ was a Canadian sports executive who was general manager of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens for 14 years during which they won 9 Stanley Cups. Pollock also served as chairman and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club.

  11. 2006

    1. Te Atairangikaahu, New Zealand queen (b. 1931) deaths

      1. Queen of the Kingitanga

        Te Atairangikaahu

        Dame Te Atairangikaahu was the Māori queen for 40 years, the longest reign of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Her title Te Arikinui and name Te Atairangikaahu were bestowed when she became monarch; previously she was known as Princess Piki Mahuta and, after marriage, Princess Piki Paki.

    2. Rick Bourke, Australian rugby league player (b. 1955) deaths

      1. Australian rugby league footballer

        Rick Bourke

        Richard (Rick) Bourke was an Australian rugby league footballer. He played for Cronulla-Sutherland and South Sydney in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition.

    3. Coenraad Bron, Dutch computer scientist and academic (b. 1937) deaths

      1. Dutch computer scientist (1937–2006)

        Coenraad Bron

        Coenraad Bron was a Dutch computer scientist. He worked with Edsger W. Dijkstra on the THE multiprogramming system. Together with Joep Kerbosch he invented the Bron–Kerbosch algorithm for the clique problem.

    4. Faas Wilkes, Dutch footballer and manager (b. 1923) deaths

      1. Dutch footballer (1923-2006)

        Faas Wilkes

        Servaas "Faas" Wilkes was a Dutch football forward, who earned a total of 38 caps for the Dutch national team, in which he scored 35 goals. However, for a prolonged period of his career, June 1949 through till March 1955, he was banned from the national team since the KNVB did not allow professional players to participate. He also played for the Netherlands at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

  12. 2005

    1. Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist and academic (b. 1927) deaths

      1. Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana

        Dr. Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana was an Indian dermatologist who was known as 'the doyen of dermatology' in Andhra Pradesh, India.

  13. 2004

    1. Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916) deaths

      1. Swedish biochemist (1916–2004)

        Sune Bergström

        Karl Sune Detlof Bergström was a Swedish biochemist. In 1975, he was appointed to the Nobel Foundation Board of Directors in Sweden, and was awarded the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University, together with Bengt I. Samuelsson. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Bengt I. Samuelsson and John R. Vane in 1982, for discoveries concerning prostaglandins and related substances.

      2. One of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Alfred Nobel

        Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

        The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's 1895 will, are awarded "to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind". Nobel Prizes are awarded in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace.

    2. Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat (b. 1941) deaths

      1. Indian politician

        Amarsinh Chaudhary

        Amarsinh Bhilabhai Chaudhary was an Indian politician. He became the first adivasi to serve as the Chief Minister of Gujarat when he took office in 1985.

      2. List of chief ministers of Gujarat

        The chief minister of Gujarat is the chief executive of the government of the Indian state of Gujarat. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. The chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no term limits, given that he has the confidence of the assembly.

  14. 2001

    1. Yavuz Çetin, Turkish singer-songwriter (b. 1970) deaths

      1. Turkish musician

        Yavuz Çetin

        Yavuz Hilmi Çetin was a Turkish musician, singer, and songwriter in the blues and psychedelic music genres. He gained renown in his native country for the skill and sensitivity of his guitar performances. Following his suicide at the age of 30, before the release of his highly praised album, Satılık [For Sale], Çetin achieved a near-iconic posthumous status as a talent lost on the brink of great achievement. Also, he is one of the most known Anatolian blues singers.

    2. Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (b. 1972) deaths

      1. Kenyan long-distance runner

        Richard Chelimo

        Richard Chelimo was a Kenyan long-distance runner, and a world record holder over 10,000 metres. However, he is best known as the silver medallist in the controversial 10,000m at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He was also a world junior record holder in the 10,000m.

    3. Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (b. 1919) deaths

      1. Ukrainian Soviet and Ukrainian computer scientist

        Kateryna Yushchenko (scientist)

        Kateryna Lohvynivna Yushchenko was a Ukrainian computer and information research scientist, corresponding member of USSR Academy of Sciences (1976), and member of The International Academy of Computer Science. She developed one of the world's first high-level languages with indirect address in programming, called the Address programming language. Over the period of her academic career, Yushchenko supervised 45 Ph.D. students. Further professional achievements include Yushchenko being awarded two USSR State Prizes, The USSR Council of Ministers Prize, The Academician Glushkov Prize, and The Order of Princess Olga. Yushchenko was the first woman in the USSR to become a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences in programming.

  15. 2000

    1. Lancelot Ware, English barrister and biochemist, co-founder of Mensa (b. 1915) deaths

      1. American lawyer

        Lancelot Ware

        Lancelot Lionel Ware OBE was an English barrister and biochemist. He co-founded Mensa, the international society for intellectually gifted people, with the Australian barrister Roland Berrill in 1946. It was originally called the "High IQ Club".

  16. 1999

    1. Paola Reis, BMX rider births

      1. Brazilian BMX rider

        Paola Reis

        Paola Reis is a Brazilian BMX rider.

    2. Hugh Casson, English architect and interior designer (b. 1910) deaths

      1. British architect (1910-1999)

        Hugh Casson

        Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson was a British architect. He was also active as an interior designer, as an artist, and as a writer and broadcaster on twentieth-century design. He was the director of architecture for the Festival of Britain on the South Bank in 1951. From 1976 to 1984, he was president of the Royal Academy.

  17. 1997

    1. Ida Gerhardt, Dutch poet and educator (b. 1905) deaths

      1. Ida Gerhardt

        Ida Gerhardt was a classicist and Dutch poet of a post-symbolist tradition.

  18. 1995

    1. Chief Keef, American rapper births

      1. American rapper (born 1995)

        Chief Keef

        Keith Farrelle Cozart, better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school students from Chicago's South Side. In 2012, his popular local single "I Don't Like" was remixed by American rapper Kanye West and reached the Billboard Rap Top 20, further raising Cozart's profile. A bidding war between major labels resulted in Keef signing with Interscope. His debut album Finally Rich was released in December 2012, and featured the singles "I Don't Like" and "Love Sosa", which would popularize the Chicago rap subgenre drill.

    2. John Cameron Swayze, American journalist and actor (b. 1906) deaths

      1. US news commentator and game show panelist

        John Cameron Swayze

        John Cameron Swayze was an American news commentator and game show panelist during the 1940s and 1950s who later became best known as a product spokesman.

  19. 1994

    1. Lasse Vigen Christensen, Danish footballer births

      1. Danish professional footballer

        Lasse Vigen Christensen

        Lasse Vigen Christensen is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian First Division A club Zulte Waregem.

    2. Kosuke Hagino, Japanese swimmer births

      1. Japanese swimmer

        Kosuke Hagino

        Kosuke Hagino is a Japanese former competitive swimmer who specialized in the individual medley and 200 m freestyle. He is a four-time Olympic medalist, most notably winning gold in the 400 m individual medley at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

    3. Wout Wagtmans, Dutch cyclist (b. 1929) deaths

      1. Dutch cyclist

        Wout Wagtmans

        Wouter "Wout" Wagtmans was a Dutch road bicycle racer.

  20. 1993

    1. Rieah Holder, Barbadian netball player births

      1. Barbadian netball player

        Rieah Holder

        Rieah Holder is a Barbadian netball player who represents Barbados internationally and plays in the positions of wing attack and centre. She made her maiden World Cup appearance representing Barbados at the 2019 Netball World Cup. She also represented Barbados at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which also marked her maiden Commonwealth Games appearance.

    2. Clinton N'Jie, Cameroonian footballer births

      1. Cameroonian footballer

        Clinton N'Jie

        Clinton Mua N'Jie is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Süper Lig club Sivasspor and the Cameroon national team. He is known for his pace and dribbling skills.

    3. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, English footballer births

      1. English footballer (born 1993)

        Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

        Alexander Mark David Oxlade-Chamberlain is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool.

  21. 1992

    1. Baskaran Adhiban, Indian chess player births

      1. Indian chess Grandmaster

        Adhiban Baskaran

        Adhiban Baskaran is an Indian chess Grandmaster (GM). He was the 2008 World Under-16 Champion and the 2009 Indian champion. He is currently the seventh highest rated player in India. He is widely known as the Beast due to his hyper-aggressive style of play.

    2. Linda Laubenstein, American physician and academic (b. 1947) deaths

      1. American medical researcher

        Linda Laubenstein

        Linda Jane Laubenstein was an American physician and early HIV/AIDS researcher. She was among the first doctors in the United States to recognize the AIDS epidemic of the early 1980s; she co-authored the first article linking AIDS with Kaposi's sarcoma.

  22. 1991

    1. Petja Piiroinen, Finnish snowboarder births

      1. Finnish snowboarder

        Petja Piiroinen

        Petja Piiroinen is a snowboarder from Finland. He won the gold medal at the 2011 FIS Snowboarding World Championships in the big air event. He is the younger brother of fellow snowboarder Peetu Piiroinen.

  23. 1990

    1. Jennifer Lawrence, American actress births

      1. American actress (born 1990)

        Jennifer Lawrence

        Jennifer Shrader Lawrence is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in Time's 100 most influential people in the world list in 2013 and the Forbes Celebrity 100 list from 2013 to 2016.

    2. Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician and actor (b. 1962) deaths

      1. Soviet musician and actor

        Viktor Tsoi

        Viktor Robertovich Tsoi was a Soviet singer and songwriter who co-founded Kino, one of the most popular and musically influential bands in the history of Russian-language music.

  24. 1989

    1. Joe Jonas, American singer-songwriter births

      1. American singer and actor

        Joe Jonas

        Joseph Adam Jonas is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin and Nick. The group released their debut studio album It's About Time through the Columbia label in 2006, which failed to achieve commercial success. After signing with Hollywood Records, the group released their self-titled second studio album in 2007, which became their breakthrough record. The band became prominent figures on the Disney Channel during this time, gaining a large following through the network: they appeared in the widely successful musical television film Camp Rock (2008) and its sequel Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010) as well as two of their own series, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream (2008–2010) and Jonas (2009–2010).

    2. Ryan McGowan, Australian footballer births

      1. Australian association football player

        Ryan McGowan

        Ryan James McGowan is an Australian footballer who plays as a defender for St Johnstone.

    3. Carlos PenaVega, American actor and singer births

      1. American actor, singer (b. 1989)

        Carlos PenaVega

        Carlos Roberto PenaVega is an American actor and singer. He starred on the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush as Carlos García, and is a member of the group Big Time Rush. He was also the host of the network's game show Webheads. He currently voices Bobby Santiago in The Loud House.

    4. Jordan Rapana, New Zealand rugby league player births

      1. NZ, Maori & Cook Islands international rugby league footballer

        Jordan Rapana

        Jordan Rapana is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He has played for the New Zealand Māori, New Zealand and the Cook Islands at international level.

    5. Minoru Genda, Japanese general, pilot, and politician (b. 1904) deaths

      1. Japanese aviator (1904–1989)

        Minoru Genda

        Minoru Genda was a Japanese military aviator and politician. He is best known for helping to plan the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was also the third Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

    6. Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek general and diplomat (b. 1897) deaths

      1. Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos

        Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos was a distinguished Hellenic Army Lieutenant General who served in World War I, the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, World War II and the Greek Civil War, rising to become Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff. He also served as Greece's Ambassador to Yugoslavia.

  25. 1988

    1. Oussama Assaidi, Moroccan footballer births

      1. Moroccan footballer

        Oussama Assaidi

        Oussama Assaidi is a retired Moroccan footballer who played as a winger.

  26. 1987

    1. Ryan D'Imperio, American football player births

      1. American football player (born 1987)

        Ryan D'Imperio

        Ryan D'Imperio is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 237th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers University. He finished his career playing 12 NFL Games with 2 receptions and 7 total yards gained.

    2. Michel Kreder, Dutch cyclist births

      1. Dutch road cyclist

        Michel Kreder

        Michel Kreder is a Dutch former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2019.

    3. Sean McAllister, English footballer births

      1. English footballer

        Sean McAllister

        Sean Brian McAllister is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

  27. 1985

    1. Nipsey Hussle, American rapper (d. 2019) births

      1. American rapper (1985–2019)

        Nipsey Hussle

        Airmiess Joseph Asghedom, known professionally as Nipsey Hussle, was an American rapper. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid-2000s, Hussle independently released his debut mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1, to moderate local success, which led to him being signed to Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records.

    2. Emily Kinney, American actress, singer, and songwriter births

      1. American actress, singer, and songwriter

        Emily Kinney

        Emily Rebecca Kinney is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her role as Beth Greene on AMC's horror drama television series The Walking Dead. Kinney has also appeared on several other television series, including Showtime's critically acclaimed Masters of Sex and The CW's The Flash and Arrow. In 2016, she co-starred in the ABC series Conviction, alongside Hayley Atwell.

  28. 1983

    1. Siobhan Chamberlain, English association football goalkeeper births

      1. English footballer, sports pundit, and commentator

        Siobhan Chamberlain

        Siobhan Rebecca Chamberlain is an English sports pundit, commentator, and former professional footballer who last played as a goalkeeper.

  29. 1982

    1. Casey Burgener, American weightlifter births

      1. American weightlifter

        Casey Burgener

        Casey Burgener is a weightlifter for the United States. His coaches are Mike Burgener and Paul Fleschler. He was born to Leslie Burgener, who lives in the San Diego area.

    2. Germán Caffa, Argentine footballer births

      1. Argentine footballer

        Germán Caffa

        Germán Martín Caffa is an Argentine footballer that currently plays as goalkeeper for Cortuluá.

    3. David Harrison, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player

        David Harrison (basketball)

        David Joshua Harrison is an American former professional basketball player. A former National Basketball Association (NBA) player for the Indiana Pacers, he was a member of the Beijing Ducks for the 2008–09 season and played with the Guangdong Southern Tigers for the next two years. He also played for the Tianjin Ronggang. At Brentwood Academy, Harrison received TSSAA Division 2 Mr. Basketball in 2000 and 2001. He was drafted by the Indiana Pacers out of the University of Colorado at Boulder with the 29th pick of the 2004 NBA Draft.

    4. Ernie Bushmiller, American cartoonist (b. 1905) deaths

      1. American cartoonist (1905–1982)

        Ernie Bushmiller

        Ernest Paul Bushmiller Jr. was an American cartoonist, best known for creating the daily comic strip Nancy, which premiered in 1938 and features the title character who has remained in print for over 85 years. His work is noted for its simple graphic style. In 1976, he received the Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society for his work on Nancy.

    5. Jock Taylor, Scottish motorcycle sidecar racer (b. 1954) deaths

      1. British sidecar racer

        Jock Taylor

        Jock Taylor was a Scottish World Champion motorcycle sidecar racer.

    6. Hugo Theorell, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903) deaths

      1. Hugo Theorell

        Axel Hugo Theodor Theorell was a Swedish scientist and Nobel Prize laureate in medicine.

      2. One of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Alfred Nobel

        Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

        The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's 1895 will, are awarded "to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind". Nobel Prizes are awarded in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace.

  30. 1981

    1. Brendan Hansen, American swimmer births

      1. American swimmer

        Brendan Hansen

        Brendan Joseph Hansen is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in breaststroke events. Hansen is a six-time Olympic medalist, and is also a former world record-holder in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events.

    2. Óliver Pérez, American baseball player births

      1. Mexican baseball player (born 1981)

        Óliver Pérez

        Óliver Pérez Martínez is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals, and Cleveland Indians. He has competed for the Mexico national baseball team in the 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2017 World Baseball Classics.

    3. Carol Ryrie Brink, American author (b. 1895) deaths

      1. American novelist (1895-1981)

        Carol Ryrie Brink

        Carol Ryrie Brink was an American writer of over thirty juvenile and adult books. Her novel Caddie Woodlawn won the 1936 Newbery Medal and a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958.

    4. Jørgen Løvset, Norwegian gynaecologist and academic (b. 1896) deaths

      1. Norwegian gynaecologist (1986–1981)

        Jørgen Løvset

        Jørgen Løvset was a Norwegian professor of medicine, gynecology and obstetrics. He was the son of a farmer Arnt Løvset (1873–1938) and Helle Hove (1870–1911), married Selma Margaret Nilsen (1894–1986) in 1924, divorced 1950, and married again in 1951 with the nurse Aslaug Tordis Gil (1921–1976).

  31. 1980

    1. Fiann Paul, Icelandic explorer births

      1. Icelandic explorer, athlete and artist

        Fiann Paul

        Fiann Paul is an Icelandic explorer, athlete, artist, speaker and Jungian psychoanalyst. He is the world's most record-breaking explorer, and holds the world's highest number of performance-based Guinness World Records ever achieved within a single athletic discipline, ranking above Roger Federer and Michael Phelps as of 2020.

  32. 1979

    1. Carl Edwards, American race car driver births

      1. American racing driver (born 1979)

        Carl Edwards

        Carl Michael Edwards II is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. 99 Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. He won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship and nearly won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title, but lost by a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart. Edwards is well known for doing a backflip off his car to celebrate his victories.

  33. 1978

    1. Waleed Aly, Australian journalist and television host births

      1. Australian radio and television presenter

        Waleed Aly

        Waleed Aly is an Australian journalist, academic, and lawyer.

    2. Lilia Podkopayeva, Ukrainian gymnast births

      1. Ukrainian gymnast

        Lilia Podkopayeva

        Lilia Oleksandrivna Podkopayeva is a Ukrainian former artistic gymnast. She is the 1995 world all-around champion, and the 1996 Olympic all-around and floor exercise champion. Often thought of as a complete athlete, Podkopayeva was known for combining power, style, and balletic grace.

    3. Stavros Tziortziopoulos, Greek footballer births

      1. Greek footballer and manager

        Stavros Tziortziopoulos

        Stavros Tziortziopoulos is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is the current manager of AEK Athens U12 team.

    4. Kerri Walsh Jennings, American volleyball player births

      1. American professional beach volleyball player

        Kerri Walsh Jennings

        Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings is an American professional beach volleyball player, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a one-time Olympic bronze medalist. She is the beach volleyball leader in career victories as of 2016 having won 135 international and domestic tournaments.

  34. 1977

    1. Martin Biron, Canadian ice hockey player births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Martin Biron

        Martin Gaston Biron is a Canadian American former professional ice hockey goaltender.

    2. Anthony Rocca, Australian footballer and coach births

      1. Australian rules footballer, born 1977

        Anthony Rocca

        Anthony Rocca is a former Australian rules footballer who has played with the Sydney Swans and Collingwood in the Australian Football League. Rocca is currently serving as North Melbourne's development coach.

  35. 1976

    1. Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch footballer and manager births

      1. Dutch former footballer (born 1976)

        Boudewijn Zenden

        Boudewijn Zenden also known by his nickname "Bolo", is a Dutch former footballer who played as a left winger or as an attacking midfielder.

  36. 1975

    1. Bertrand Berry, American football player and radio host births

      1. American gridiron football player (born 1975)

        Bertrand Berry

        Bertrand Demond Berry is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League.

    2. Vijay Bharadwaj, Indian cricketer and coach births

      1. Vijay Bharadwaj

        Raghvendrarao Vijay Bharadwaj is a former Indian cricketer & cricket coach. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm offbreak bowler. He won the Man of the Series award on his debut one day international series against South Africa in the LG Cup in Kenya in the 1999–2000 season.

    3. Brendan Morrison, Canadian ice hockey player births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player (born 1975)

        Brendan Morrison

        Brendan Morrison is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks.

    4. Kara Wolters, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player (born 1975)

        Kara Wolters

        Kara Elizabeth Wolters is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player and a current sports broadcaster. Standing at six feet seven inches (2.01 m) and nicknamed "Big Girl," she is the tallest player in University of Connecticut women's basketball history and one of the tallest women to ever play in the WNBA.. During her playing career, she was an NCAA national champion (1995), FIBA world champion (1998), WNBA champion (1999), and Olympic champion (2000) becoming one of 11 women with those accolades. She also won AP College Player of the Year in 1997

    5. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bengali politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (b. 1920) deaths

      1. Founder and First President of Bangladesh (1920–1975)

        Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

        Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu, was a Bengali politician, parliamentarian, diarist, and the founding leader of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. He first served as the titular President of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh between April 1971 and January 1972. He then served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh from the Awami League between January 1972 and January 1975. He finally served as President again during BAKSAL from January 1975 till his assassination in August 1975. In 2011, the 15th constitutional amendment in Bangladesh referred to Sheikh Mujib as the Father of the Nation who declared independence; these references were enshrined in the fifth, sixth, and seventh schedules of the constitution.

      2. Ceremonial Head of State of Bangladesh

        President of Bangladesh

        The president of Bangladesh officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is the head of state of Bangladesh and commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces.

    6. Clay Shaw, American businessman (b. 1913) deaths

      1. American businessman (1913–1974)

        Clay Shaw

        Clay LaVergne Shaw was an American businessman and military officer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Shaw is best known for being the only person brought to trial for involvement in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Shaw was acquitted in 1969 after less than one hour of jury deliberation, but some conspiracy theorists continue to speculate on his possible involvement.

    7. Harun Karadeniz, Turkish political activist and author (b. 1942) deaths

      1. Harun Karadeniz

        Harun Karadeniz was a Turkish political activist and author. He was the student leader of the late 1960s generation in Turkey and the chair of the Student Union of Istanbul Technical University. Together with other prominent student leaders such as Deniz Gezmiş, he was one of the student leaders who organized the famous 1968 protest against the American Navy's Sixth Fleet arriving at the Port of Istanbul, although he was initially against protesting at the docks themselves.

  37. 1974

    1. Natasha Henstridge, Canadian model and actress births

      1. Canadian actress and model (born 1974)

        Natasha Henstridge

        Natasha Tonya Henstridge is a Canadian actress and model. In 1995, she came to prominence with her debut role in the science-fiction thriller Species, followed by performances in Species II and Species III. She has since starred in a string of films and television series, including Maximum Risk (1996), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), The Whole Ten Yards (2004), Ghosts of Mars (2001), She Spies (2002–2004), Eli Stone (2008–2009), and Would Be Kings (2008). For the latter, she won the Gemini Award for Best Actress. Since 2019, she has been starring in the CBC Television series Diggstown.

    2. Tomasz Suwary, Polish footballer births

      1. Polish footballer

        Tomasz Suwary

        Tomasz Suwary is a former professional Polish footballer.

  38. 1972

    1. Ben Affleck, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter births

      1. American actor and filmmaker (born 1972)

        Ben Affleck

        Benjamin Géza Affleck is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.

    2. Jennifer Alexander, Canadian ballerina (d. 2007) births

      1. Canadian ballerina

        Jennifer Alexander

        Jennifer Carrie Alexander was a Canadian ballet dancer.

    3. Mikey Graham, Irish singer births

      1. Irish singer

        Michael Graham (singer)

        Michael Christopher Charles "Mikey" Graham is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor and record producer, best known as a member of boy band Boyzone.

  39. 1971

    1. Adnan Sami, Indian singer, musician, music composer, pianist and actor births

      1. Indian musician

        Adnan Sami

        Adnan Sami Khan is an Indian singer, musician, music composer and pianist. He performs Indian and Western music, including for Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil movies. He has been awarded with Padma Shri for his remarkable contribution in music. His most notable instrument is the piano. He has been credited as "the first musician to have played the santoor and Indian classical music on the piano". A review in the US-based Keyboard magazine described him as the fastest keyboard player in the world and called him the keyboard discovery of the nineties.

    2. Paul Lukas, Hungarian-American actor (b. 1887) deaths

      1. Hungarian-American actor (1894–1971)

        Paul Lukas

        Paul Lukas was a Hungarian actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his performance in the film Watch on the Rhine (1943), reprising the role he created on the Broadway stage.

  40. 1970

    1. Anthony Anderson, American comedian, actor, and producer births

      1. American actor and comedian (born 1970)

        Anthony Anderson

        Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on K-Ville, and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama Law & Order and comedy sitcom television series Guys with Kids as well as leading roles in comedy series such as Andre 'Dre' Johnson on Black-ish. He had major roles in feature films such as Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Kangaroo Jack (2003), Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004), The Departed (2006), Transformers (2007), and Scream 4 (2011).

    2. Ben Silverman, American actor, producer, and screenwriter, founded Electus Studios births

      1. American media executive (born 1970)

        Ben Silverman

        Benjamin Noah Silverman is an American media executive. He is the co-CEO and chairman of the entertainment production company Propagate.

      2. Television production company

        Electus

        Electus was a production company founded by Ben Silverman in 2009. It was financed by IAC.

  41. 1969

    1. Bernard Fanning, Australian singer-songwriter births

      1. Australian singer-songwriter (born 1969)

        Bernard Fanning

        Bernard Fanning is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989.

    2. Carlos Roa, Argentine footballer births

      1. Argentine footballer

        Carlos Roa

        Carlos Ángel Roa is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the current goalkeeper coach of Greek Super League club AEK Athens.

  42. 1968

    1. Debra Messing, American actress births

      1. American actress

        Debra Messing

        Debra Lynn Messing is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as Ned and Stacey on Fox (1995–1997) and Prey on ABC (1998). She achieved her breakthrough role as Grace Adler, an interior designer, on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which she received seven Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning once, in 2003.

  43. 1967

    1. Tony Hand, Scottish ice hockey player and coach births

      1. Ice hockey player

        Tony Hand

        Anthony Hand MBE is a Scottish former ice hockey player and coach. He was the first British player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986.

    2. Peter Hermann, American actor births

      1. American actor

        Peter Hermann (actor)

        Peter Hermann is an American actor, producer and writer. He is the husband of Mariska Hargitay, with whom he has three children. He is best known for his roles as Charles Brooks in Younger and Trevor Langan in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

    3. René Magritte, Belgian painter (b. 1898) deaths

      1. Belgian painter (1898–1967)

        René Magritte

        René François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist, who became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art.

  44. 1966

    1. Scott Brosius, American baseball player and coach births

      1. American baseball player

        Scott Brosius

        Scott David Brosius is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Oakland Athletics (1991–1997) and the New York Yankees (1998–2001).

    2. Dimitris Papadopoulos, Greek basketball player and coach births

      1. Greek basketball player

        Dimitris Papadopoulos (basketball)

        Dimitris Papadopoulos, also known by his nickname, "The Doctor", is a retired Greek professional basketball player.

  45. 1965

    1. Rob Thomas, American author, screenwriter, and producer births

      1. Young adult novel author, television program writer

        Rob Thomas (writer)

        Robert James "Rob" Thomas is an American author, producer, director and screenwriter. He created the television series Veronica Mars, co-developed 90210 (2008–2013), and co-created Party Down, and iZombie (2015–2019).

  46. 1964

    1. Jane Ellison, English lawyer and politician births

      1. British Conservative Party politician

        Jane Ellison

        Jane Elizabeth Ellison is a British Conservative Party politician, who was first elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Battersea. On 7 May 2015, she was re-elected with an increased margin of 3.4%. She lost the seat to Marsha de Cordova of the Labour Party at the 2017 snap general election. From 2020 to 2022, she served as Executive Director for External Relations and Governance at the World Health Organization.

    2. Melinda Gates, American businesswoman and philanthropist, co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation births

      1. Co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation

        Melinda French Gates

        Melinda French Gates is an American philanthropist and former computer scientist and general manager at Microsoft. French Gates has consistently been ranked as one of the world's most powerful women by Forbes.

      2. Private foundation founded by Bill and Melinda Gates

        Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

        The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported as of 2020 to be the second largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $49.8 billion in assets. On his 43rd birthday, Bill Gates gave the foundation $1 billion. The primary stated goals of the foundation are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology in the U.S. Key individuals of the foundation include Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, Warren Buffett, chief executive officer Mark Suzman, and Michael Larson.

  47. 1963

    1. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican director, producer, and screenwriter births

      1. Mexican filmmaker

        Alejandro González Iñárritu

        Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican filmmaker and screenwriter. He is primarily known for making modern psychological drama films about the human condition. His projects have garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades including four Academy Awards with a Special Achievement Award, three Golden Globe Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, two American Film Institute Awards, two Directors Guild of America Awards and a Producers Guild of America Award. His most notable films include Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006), Biutiful (2010), Birdman (2014), and The Revenant (2015).

    2. Simon Hart, Welsh soldier and politician births

      1. British Conservative politician

        Simon Hart

        Simon Anthony Hart is a British politician serving as the Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury since October 2022. He previously served as Secretary of State for Wales between 2019 and 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected in the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, defeating the previous Labour MP Nick Ainger who had represented the constituency and its predecessor since 1992. He was reelected in 2015, 2017 and 2019 general elections.

    3. Jack Russell, England cricketer and coach births

      1. English cricketer

        Jack Russell (cricketer, born 1963)

        Robert Charles "Jack" Russell is an English retired international cricketer, now known for his abilities as an artist, as a cricket wicketkeeping coach, and a football goalkeeping coach.

  48. 1962

    1. Tom Colicchio, American chef and author births

      1. American celebrity chef

        Tom Colicchio

        Thomas Patrick Colicchio is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is also the founder of Crafted Hospitality, which includes Craft, Riverpark (NYC), Temple Court (NYC), Craftsteak, Heritage Steak and Small Batch restaurants. Colicchio is the recipient of five James Beard Foundation Awards for cooking accomplishments.

    2. Rıdvan Dilmen, Turkish footballer and manager births

      1. Rıdvan Dilmen

        Rıdvan Dilmen is a former Turkish footballer who most notably played for Fenerbahçe and Turkey national football team. During his career Rıdvan established himself as one of the most skilled players of the Turkish Super League. He was either an attacking midfielder or an out and out striker. Although he stated on numerous occasions his dislike for it, he was given the nickname "Şeytan Rıdvan" mostly for his wits, immense speed with the ball and stupendous fakes. Since retiring as a player, Rıdvan coached several teams before becoming a color commentator, analyst and sportswriter.

    3. Inês Pedrosa, Portuguese writer births

      1. Inês Pedrosa

        Inês Pedrosa is a Portuguese journalist, novelist, short story writer, children's writer and playwright. She was director of the Casa Fernando Pessoa. Her novels have also been published in Brazil, Croatia, Ukraine, Germany, Italy and Spain.

    4. Vilja Savisaar-Toomast, Estonian lawyer and politician births

      1. Estonian politician

        Vilja Toomast

        Vilja Toomast is an Estonian politician, a former Member of the European Parliament. She previously belonged to the Estonian Centre Party which she decided to leave on 9 April 2012.

    5. Lei Feng, Chinese soldier (b. 1940) deaths

      1. Chinese soldier and propaganda icon (1940–1962)

        Lei Feng

        Lei Feng was allegedly a soldier in the People's Liberation Army who was the object of several major propaganda campaigns in China. The most well-known of these campaigns in 1963 promoted the slogan, "Follow the examples of Comrade Lei Feng." Lei was portrayed as a model citizen, and the masses were encouraged to emulate his selflessness, modesty, and devotion to Mao Zedong. After Mao's death, state media continued to promote Lei Feng as a model of earnestness and service, and his image still appears in popular forms such as on T-shirts and memorabilia.

  49. 1961

    1. Ed Gillespie, American political strategist births

      1. American political strategist

        Ed Gillespie

        Edward Walter Gillespie is an American politician, strategist, and lobbyist who served as the 61st Chair of the Republican National Committee from 2003 to 2005 and was counselor to the President from 2007 to 2009 during the Presidency of George W. Bush. In 2012 Gillespie was a senior member of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign.

    2. Matt Johnson, English singer-songwriter and musician births

      1. British singer/songwriter (born 1961)

        Matt Johnson (singer)

        Matt Johnson is an English singer-songwriter best known as the vocalist and only constant member of his band The The. He is also a film soundtrack composer (Cineola), publisher, broadcaster, and conservationist/local activist.

    3. Gary Kubiak, American football player and coach births

      1. American football player and coach (born 1961)

        Gary Kubiak

        Gary Wayne Kubiak is a former American football coach and quarterback. He served as head coach for the NFL's Houston Texans from 2006 to 2013 and the Denver Broncos from 2015 to 2016 before stepping down from the position on January 1, 2017, citing health reasons. Earlier in his coaching career, he served as an assistant coach for the Broncos, Texas A&M University and San Francisco 49ers. He was also the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens in 2014. He last served as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2020.

    4. Suhasini Maniratnam, Indian actress and screenwriter births

      1. Indian actress and director

        Suhasini Maniratnam

        Suhasini Maniratnam known mononymously as Suhasini, is an Indian actress, director, producer and writer in the Tamil film industry. She has worked as an actress in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She made her cinematic debut with the 1980, Tamil film. Nenjathai Killathe. Suhasini then won National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Sindhu Bhairavi (1985). Suhasini has won 4 Filmfare Awards, 2 Kerala State Awards, 2 Tamilnadu State Awards and 2 Nandi Awards.

  50. 1959

    1. Scott Altman, American captain, pilot, and astronaut births

      1. Scott Altman

        Scott Douglas "Scooter" Altman is a retired United States Navy Captain and naval aviator, engineer, test pilot and former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. His fourth mission on STS-125 was the last servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. As of November 2022, he is the president of the Space operating group for ASRC Federal.

  51. 1958

    1. Simon Baron-Cohen, English-Canadian psychiatrist and author births

      1. British psychologist and author

        Simon Baron-Cohen

        Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen is a British clinical psychologist and professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge. He is the director of the university's Autism Research Centre and a Fellow of Trinity College. In 1985, Baron-Cohen formulated the mind-blindness theory of autism, the evidence for which he collated and published in 1995. In 1997, he formulated the foetal sex steroid theory of autism, the key test of which was published in 2015.

    2. Craig MacTavish, Canadian ice hockey player and coach births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player and executive

        Craig MacTavish

        Craig MacTavish is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player, currently in an assistant coaching position with the St. Louis Blues. He played centre for 17 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues, winning the Stanley Cup four times. He was the last NHL player not to wear a helmet during games.

    3. Simple Kapadia, Indian actress and costume designer (d. 2009) births

      1. Indian actress and costume designer

        Simple Kapadia

        Simple Kapadia was a Hindi film actress and costume designer, who was active in her professional career from 1987 until her death in 2009.

    4. Victor Shenderovich, Russian journalist and radio host births

      1. Viktor Shenderovich

        Viktor Anatolyevich Shenderovich is a Russian satirist, writer, scriptwriter and radio host.

  52. 1957

    1. Željko Ivanek, Slovenian-American actor births

      1. American actor of Slovenian-Croatian origin (born 1957)

        Željko Ivanek

        Željko Ivanek is a Slovenian-American actor known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award. Ivanek is also known for his role of Ed Danvers on Homicide: Life on the Street and Homicide: The Movie, J.J. Percy Walker on Big Love, Governor James Devlin on Oz, Andre Drazen on 24, Blake Sterling on the short-lived series The Event, and Emile "The Hunter" Danko in Heroes. From 2014 until 2019, he starred as Russell Jackson in the drama Madam Secretary. He also had a recurring role as FBI Special Agent Jim Racine in the series Banshee.

  53. 1956

    1. Lorraine Desmarais, Canadian pianist and composer births

      1. Jazz pianist and composer

        Lorraine Desmarais

        Lorraine Desmarais C.M. is a French-Canadian jazz pianist and composer.

    2. Freedom Neruda, Ivorian journalist births

      1. Ivorian journalist

        Freedom Neruda

        Freedom Neruda is an Ivorian journalist. In 1996, he was imprisoned for seditious libel after writing a satirical article about Ivorian President Henri Konan Bédié. The following year, he won an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists, and in 2000, he was named one of the International Press Institute's 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the past 50 years.

    3. Robert Syms, English businessman and politician births

      1. British Conservative politician

        Robert Syms

        Sir Robert Andrew Raymond Syms is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Poole in Dorset since 1997. He was granted a knighthood in 2017.

  54. 1954

    1. Stieg Larsson, Swedish journalist and author (d. 2004) births

      1. Swedish writer, journalist, and activist (1954-2004)

        Stieg Larsson

        Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson was a Swedish writer, journalist, and activist. He is best known for writing the Millennium trilogy of crime novels, which were published posthumously, starting in 2005, after he died of a sudden heart attack. The trilogy was adapted as three motion pictures in Sweden, and one in the U.S.. The publisher commissioned David Lagercrantz to expand the trilogy into a longer series, which has six novels as of September 2019. For much of his life, Larsson lived and worked in Stockholm. His journalistic work covered socialist politics and he acted as an independent researcher of right-wing extremism.

  55. 1953

    1. Carol Thatcher, English journalist and author births

      1. English journalist

        Carol Thatcher

        Carol Jane Thatcher is an English journalist, author and media personality. She is the daughter of Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister from 1979 to 1990, and Denis Thatcher.

    2. Mark Thatcher, English businessman births

      1. British baronet, businessman and son of Margaret Thatcher

        Mark Thatcher

        Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet is an English businessman. He is the son of Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, and Sir Denis Thatcher; as is his sister, Carol Thatcher.

    3. Wolfgang Hohlbein, German author births

      1. German writer

        Wolfgang Hohlbein

        Wolfgang Hohlbein is a German writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction who lives near Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia. His wife, Heike Hohlbein, is also a writer and often works with her husband. With more than 200 published books and more than 43 million sold copies he is considered among the most successful German writers in the fantasy genre.

    4. Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist and engineer (b. 1875) deaths

      1. German physicist (1875–1953)

        Ludwig Prandtl

        Ludwig Prandtl was a German fluid dynamicist, physicist and aerospace scientist. He was a pioneer in the development of rigorous systematic mathematical analyses which he used for underlying the science of aerodynamics, which have come to form the basis of the applied science of aeronautical engineering. In the 1920s he developed the mathematical basis for the fundamental principles of subsonic aerodynamics in particular; and in general up to and including transonic velocities. His studies identified the boundary layer, thin-airfoils, and lifting-line theories. The Prandtl number was named after him.

  56. 1952

    1. Chuck Burgi, American drummer births

      1. American drummer

        Chuck Burgi

        Charles Arnold Burgi III is an American drummer. He has performed with many rock bands and musicians, ranging from local New Jersey/New York-area artists to international groups, throughout his prolific career. He is the current drummer for The Billy Joel Band.

  57. 1951

    1. Ann Biderman, American screenwriter and producer births

      1. American film and television writer

        Ann Biderman

        Ann Biderman is an American film and television writer. She is the creator and executive producer of the NBC/TNT series Southland (2009–2013), and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Drama Series for an episode of NYPD Blue. She created, wrote, and produced the Showtime drama Ray Donovan.

    2. Bobby Caldwell, American singer-songwriter births

      1. American singer and songwriter

        Bobby Caldwell

        Robert Hunter Caldwell is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell released the hit single and his signature song "What You Won't Do for Love" from his double platinum debut album Bobby Caldwell in 1978. After several R&B and smooth jazz albums, Caldwell turned to singing standards from the Great American Songbook. He wrote many songs for other artists, including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single "The Next Time I Fall" for Amy Grant and Peter Cetera. Caldwell's music is frequently sampled by hip hop and R&B artists.

    3. John Childs, English cricketer births

      1. English cricketer

        John Childs (cricketer)

        John Henry Childs is a former cricketer who played in two Test matches for England in 1988. At the age of 36 years 320 days, Childs became the oldest player since Dick Howorth in 1947 to make his England debut. He was a left-arm spin bowler, and played his domestic cricket for Gloucestershire and Essex.

    4. Artur Schnabel, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1882) deaths

      1. Austrian pianist

        Artur Schnabel

        Artur Schnabel was an Austrian-American classical pianist, composer and pedagogue. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura. Among the 20th century's most respected and important pianists, his playing displayed marked vitality, profundity and spirituality in the Austro-German classics, particularly the works of Beethoven and Schubert.

  58. 1950

    1. Tommy Aldridge, American drummer births

      1. American drummer

        Tommy Aldridge

        Tommy Aldridge is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Ted Nugent, Thin Lizzy, Vinnie Moore and Yngwie Malmsteen.

    2. Tom Kelly, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player

        Tom Kelly (baseball)

        Jay Thomas Kelly is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. As the manager of the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball over 16 seasons from mid-September 1986 through 2001, he won two World Series championships. Currently, he serves as a special assistant to the general manager for the Twins.

    3. Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom births

      1. Daughter of Elizabeth II (born 1950)

        Anne, Princess Royal

        Anne, Princess Royal, is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King Charles III. Anne is 16th in the line of succession to the British throne and has been Princess Royal since 1987.

  59. 1948

    1. Patsy Gallant, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress births

      1. Musical artist

        Patsy Gallant

        Patricia Gallant is a Canadian pop singer and musical theatre actress. Of Acadian ancestry, she has recorded and performed in both English and French.

    2. Tom Johnston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. American musician (born 1948)

        Tom Johnston (musician)

        Charles Thomas Johnston is an American musician. He is a guitarist and vocalist, known principally as a founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter for the rock group the Doobie Brothers, as well as for his own solo career. He has played off and on with the Doobie Brothers for 50 years, in several styles. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers in 2020.

  60. 1947

    1. Rakhee Gulzar, Indian film actress births

      1. Indian actress, born 1947

        Rakhee Gulzar

        Raakhee Gulzar is an Indian actress who has appeared in many Hindi films and Bengali films as well. In four decades of acting, she has won three Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award, apart from many other awards. At Filmfare, Raakhee has been nominated 16 times in all .She debuted in the Bengali film Bodhu Boron in 1967 with Geeta Dutta in the lead role. Her first Hindi film was Jeevan Mrityu in 1970.

  61. 1946

    1. Jimmy Webb, American singer-songwriter and pianist births

      1. American songwriter, composer, and singer

        Jimmy Webb

        Jimmy Layne Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst That Could Happen", "Galveston" and "All I Know". He had successful collaborations with Glen Campbell, Michael Feinstein, Linda Ronstadt, the 5th Dimension, the Supremes, Art Garfunkel and Richard Harris.

  62. 1945

    1. Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh births

      1. Former prime minister of Bangladesh, chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP

        Khaleda Zia

        Khaleda Zia is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh. She was the wife of former President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman. She is the current chairperson and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) which was founded by Rahman in 1978.

      2. Head of Government of Bangladesh

        Prime Minister of Bangladesh

        The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, officially Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is the chief executive of the government of Bangladesh. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. The Prime Minister is ceremonially appointed by the President of Bangladesh.

    2. Korechika Anami, Japanese general and politician, 54th Japanese Minister of the Army (b. 1887) deaths

      1. Japanese general (1887–1945)

        Korechika Anami

        Korechika Anami was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II who was War Minister during the surrender of Japan.

      2. Former Japanese government ministry (1872–1945)

        Ministry of the Army

        The Army Ministry , also known as the Ministry of War, was the cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). It existed from 1872 to 1945.

    3. Fred Hockley, English lieutenant and pilot (b. 1923) deaths

      1. Royal Navy officer

        Fred Hockley

        Sub-Lieutenant Frederick (Fred) Hockley RNVR (1923–1945) was an English Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot who was shot down over Japan while taking part in the last combat mission flown by British aircraft in the Second World War.

  63. 1944

    1. Dimitris Sioufas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Health (d. 2019) births

      1. Greek lawyer and politician (1944–2019)

        Dimitris Sioufas

        Dimitris Sioufas was a Greek lawyer and New Democracy politician.

      2. Greek ministry responsible for managing health system

        Ministry of Health (Greece)

        The Ministry of Health, is the government department responsible for managing the health system of Greece. The incumbent minister is Thanos Plevris of New Democracy. The Alternate Minister for Health Services is Mina Gaga, and the Deputy Minister for Mental Health is Zoi Rapti.

  64. 1943

    1. Eileen Bell, Northern Irish civil servant and politician, 2nd Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly births

      1. Eileen Bell

        Eileen Bell CBE is an Alliance Party politician from Dromara, Northern Ireland. She was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Down from 1998 to 2007, and is a former deputy leader of the Alliance Party.

      2. Presiding officer of the Northern Ireland Assembly

        Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly

        The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly is the presiding officer of the Northern Ireland Assembly, elected on a cross-community vote by the Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. A Principal Deputy Speaker and two deputy speakers are elected to help fulfil the role. The office of Speaker is currently held by the former MLA for Belfast West Alex Maskey of Sinn Féin.

  65. 1942

    1. Pete York, English rock drummer births

      1. British rock drummer (born 1942)

        Pete York

        Peter York is a British rock drummer who has been performing since the 1960s.

    2. Mahadev Desai, Indian activist and author (b. 1892) deaths

      1. Personal secretary of Mahatma Gandhi

        Mahadev Desai

        Mahadev Haribhai Desai was an Indian independence activist, scholar and writer best remembered as Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary. He has variously been described as "Gandhi's Boswell, a Plato to Gandhi's Socrates, as well as an Ānanda to Gandhi's Buddha".

  66. 1941

    1. Jim Brothers, American sculptor (d. 2013) births

      1. American sculptor

        Jim Brothers

        Jim Brothers was an American figurative sculptor from the U.S. state of Kansas. He died at the age of 72 at his home in Lawrence, Kansas, where he had received hospice care for cancer. His wife Kathy said he completed his final piece, a tribute to William Inge, "literally days before he died."

    2. Don Rich, American country musician (d. 1974) births

      1. American country musician (1941–1974)

        Don Rich

        Donald Eugene Ulrich, best known by the stage name Don Rich, was an American country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. He was a noted guitarist and fiddler, and a member of The Buckaroos, the backing band of Don's best friend, country singer Buck Owens. Rich was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1974 at the age of 32.

  67. 1940

    1. Gudrun Ensslin, German militant leader, founded Red Army Faction (d. 1977) births

      1. Founder member of the Red Army Faction (RAF), Germany.

        Gudrun Ensslin

        Gudrun Ensslin was a German far-left terrorist and founder of the West German far-left militant group Red Army Faction.

      2. Left wing militant organization from West Germany

        Red Army Faction

        The Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang, was a West German far-left Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group founded in 1970.

  68. 1938

    1. Stephen Breyer, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States births

      1. US Supreme Court justice from 1994 to 2022

        Stephen Breyer

        Stephen Gerald Breyer is a retired American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1994 until his retirement in 2022. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton, and replaced retiring justice Harry Blackmun. Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, was his designated successor. Breyer was generally associated with the liberal wing of the Court. He is now the Byrne Professor of Administrative Law and Process at Harvard Law School.

      2. Member of the U.S. Supreme Court other than the chief justice

        Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

        An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869.

    2. Stix Hooper, American jazz drummer births

      1. American drummer

        Stix Hooper

        Nesbert "Stix" Hooper is an American drummer and founding member of The Crusaders.

    3. Pran Kumar Sharma, Indian cartoonist (d. 2014) births

      1. Indian cartoonist

        Pran Kumar Sharma

        Pran Kumar Sharma, better known as Pran, was an Indian cartoonist best known as the creator of Chacha Chaudhary (1971). He also created other characters like Shrimatiji, Pinki, Billoo, Raman, and Channi Chachi.

    4. Maxine Waters, American educator and politician births

      1. American politician

        Maxine Waters

        Maxine Moore Waters is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 43rd congressional district since 1991. The district, numbered as the 29th district from 1991 to 1993 and as the 35th district from 1993 to 2013, includes much of southern Los Angeles, as well as portions of Gardena, Inglewood and Torrance.

    5. Janusz Zajdel, Polish engineer and author (d. 1985) births

      1. Polish writer

        Janusz Zajdel

        Janusz Andrzej Zajdel was a Polish science fiction author, second in popularity in Poland to Stanisław Lem. His major genres were social science fiction and dystopia. His main recurring theme involved the gloomy prospects for a space environment into which mankind carried totalitarian ideas and habits: Red Space Republics, or Space Labor Camps, or both. His heroes desperately try to find meaning in the world around them.

  69. 1936

    1. Rita Shane, American soprano and educator (d. 2014) births

      1. American soprano

        Rita Shane

        Rita Shane was an American coloratura soprano.

    2. Grazia Deledda, Italian novelist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1871) deaths

      1. Italian writer (1871-1936)

        Grazia Deledda

        Grazia Maria Cosima Damiana Deledda, also known in Sardinian language as Gràssia or Gràtzia Deledda, was an Italian writer who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926 "for her idealistically inspired writings which with plastic clarity picture the life on her native island [i.e. Sardinia] and with depth and sympathy deal with human problems in general". She was the first Italian woman to receive the prize, and only the second woman in general after Selma Lagerlöf was awarded hers in 1909.

      2. One of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Alfred Nobel

        Nobel Prize in Literature

        The Nobel Prize in Literature is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in the field of literature, produced the most outstanding work in an idealistic direction". Though individual works are sometimes cited as being particularly noteworthy, the award is based on an author's body of work as a whole. The Swedish Academy decides who, if anyone, will receive the prize. The academy announces the name of the laureate in early October. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895. Literature is traditionally the final award presented at the Nobel Prize ceremony. On some occasions the award has been postponed to the following year, most recently in 2018 as of May 2022.

  70. 1935

    1. Jim Dale, English actor, narrator, singer, director, and composer births

      1. British actor, singer, songwriter

        Jim Dale

        Jim Dale is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In British film, he became one of the regulars in the Carry On films, along with Leslie Phillips, Valerie Leon, Kenneth Cope, Julian Holloway, Hugh Futcher, Anita Harris, Amanda Barrie, Jacki Piper, Angela Douglas and Patricia Franklin.

    2. Régine Deforges, French author, playwright, and director (d. 2014) births

      1. French film director and writer

        Régine Deforges

        Régine Deforges was a French author, editor, director, and playwright. Her book La Bicyclette bleue was the most popular book in France in 2000 and it was known by some to be offensive and to others for its plagiarism, neither of which was proved.

    3. Wiley Post, American pilot (b. 1898) deaths

      1. 20th-century American aviator

        Wiley Post

        Wiley Hardeman Post was a famed Native American aviator of Cherokee descent during the interwar period and the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high-altitude flying, Post helped develop one of the first pressure suits and discovered the jet stream. On August 15, 1935, Post and American humorist Will Rogers were killed when Post's aircraft crashed on takeoff from a lagoon near Point Barrow in the Territory of Alaska.

    4. Will Rogers, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1879) deaths

      1. American humorist and entertainer (1879–1935)

        Will Rogers

        William Penn Adair Rogers was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory, and is known as "Oklahoma's Favorite Son". As an entertainer and humorist, he traveled around the world three times, made 71 films, and wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns. By the mid-1930s, Rogers was hugely popular in the United States for his leading political wit and was the highest paid of Hollywood film stars. He died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post when their small airplane crashed in northern Alaska.

    5. Paul Signac, French painter and author (b. 1863) deaths

      1. French painter (1863–1935)

        Paul Signac

        Paul Victor Jules Signac was a French Neo-Impressionist painter who, working with Georges Seurat, helped develop the Pointillist style.

  71. 1934

    1. Bobby Byrd, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2007) births

      1. American singer, songwriter and producer (1934–2007)

        Bobby Byrd

        Bobby Howard Byrd was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader and talent scout, who played an integral and important part in the development of soul and funk music in association with James Brown.

    2. Reginald Scarlett, Jamaican cricketer and coach (d. 2019) births

      1. Jamaican cricketer (1934–2019)

        Reginald Scarlett

        Reginald Osmond Scarlett was a West Indian cricketer who played in three Tests in 1960.

  72. 1933

    1. Bobby Helms, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1997) births

      1. American country music singer

        Bobby Helms

        Robert Lee Helms was an American country singer, who is best remembered for his 1957 Christmas hit "Jingle Bell Rock". Additionally, he had two other hit records from that year: "Fraulein" and "My Special Angel".

    2. Stanley Milgram, American social psychologist (d. 1984) births

      1. American social psychologist

        Stanley Milgram

        Stanley Milgram was an American social psychologist, best known for his controversial experiments on obedience conducted in the 1960s during his professorship at Yale.

    3. Mike Seeger, American folk musician and folklorist (d. 2009) births

      1. American folk musician and folklorist

        Mike Seeger

        Mike Seeger was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary recordings, and performed in more than 40 other recordings. He desired to make known the caretakers of culture that inspired and taught him.

  73. 1932

    1. Abby Dalton, American actress (d. 2020) births

      1. American actress (1932–2020)

        Abby Dalton

        Gladys Marlene Wasden, known professionally as Abby Dalton, was an American actress, known for her television roles on the sitcoms Hennesey (1959–1962) and The Joey Bishop Show (1962–1965), and the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–1986).

    2. Robert L. Forward, American physicist and engineer (d. 2002) births

      1. American physicist and science fiction writer (1932–2002)

        Robert L. Forward

        Robert Lull Forward was an American physicist and science fiction writer. His literary work was noted for its scientific credibility and use of ideas developed from his career as an aerospace engineer. He also made important contributions to gravitational wave detection research.

    3. Jim Lange, American game show host and DJ (d. 2014) births

      1. American game show host and DJ (1932–2014)

        Jim Lange

        James John Lange was an American game show host and disc jockey. He was known to listeners in the San Francisco and Los Angeles radio markets with stints at several stations in both markets, racking up over 45 years on the air. Lange was also known to television viewers as the host of several game shows, including The Dating Game.

    4. Johan Steyn, Baron Steyn, South African-English lawyer and judge (d. 2017) births

      1. Johan Steyn, Baron Steyn

        Johan van Zyl Steyn, Baron Steyn, PC was a South African-British judge, until September 2005 a Law Lord. He sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher.

  74. 1931

    1. Ernest C. Brace, American captain and pilot (d. 2014) births

      1. Ernest C. Brace

        Ernest Cary Brace was the longest-held civilian prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. A decorated Marine Corps fighter pilot and mustang, Brace was court-martialed in 1961 for attempting to fake his own death. He flew as a civilian contract pilot before being captured in Laos in 1965 while flying supplies for USAID. He spent almost eight years as a POW and upon his release received a Presidential pardon in light of his good conduct.

    2. Richard F. Heck, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015) births

      1. American chemist (1931–2015)

        Richard F. Heck

        Richard Frederick Heck was an American chemist noted for the discovery and development of the Heck reaction, which uses palladium to catalyze organic chemical reactions that couple aryl halides with alkenes. The analgesic naproxen is an example of a compound that is prepared industrially using the Heck reaction.

      2. One of the five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Alfred Nobel

        Nobel Prize in Chemistry

        The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature, peace, and physiology or medicine. This award is administered by the Nobel Foundation, and awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on proposal of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry which consists of five members elected by the Academy. The award is presented in Stockholm at an annual ceremony on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel's death.

  75. 1928

    1. Carl Joachim Classen, German scholar and academic (d. 2013) births

      1. Carl Joachim Classen

        Carl Joachim Classen was a German classical scholar.

    2. Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (d. 2014) births

      1. Glazers owner (1928–2014)

        Malcolm Glazer

        Malcolm Irving Glazer was an American businessman and sports team owner. He was the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, and owned both Manchester United of the Premier League and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League.

    3. Nicolas Roeg, English director and cinematographer (d. 2018) births

      1. English film director and cinematographer

        Nicolas Roeg

        Nicolas Jack Roeg was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing Performance (1970), Walkabout (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Bad Timing (1980), and The Witches (1990).

    4. Anatole von Hügel, Italian ethnologist and academic, co-founded St Edmund's College, Cambridge (b. 1854) deaths

      1. Austrian anthropologist (1854–1928)

        Anatole von Hügel

        Anatole von Hügel was the second son of the Austrian nobleman Charles von Hügel and his Scottish wife Elizabeth Farquharson. His elder brother was Friedrich von Hügel and his sister was Pauline von Hügel.

      2. College of the University of Cambridge

        St Edmund's College, Cambridge

        St Edmund's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. Founded in 1896, it is the second-oldest of the four Cambridge colleges oriented to mature students, which accept only students reading for postgraduate degrees or for undergraduate degrees if aged 21 years or older.

  76. 1927

    1. Eddie Leadbeater, English cricketer (d. 2011) births

      1. English cricketer

        Eddie Leadbeater

        Edric "Eddie" Leadbeater was an English cricketer who played in two Tests in 1951. He was born in Lockwood, Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, and died in Huddersfield.

    2. Oliver Popplewell, English cricketer and judge births

      1. Oliver Popplewell

        Sir Oliver Bury Popplewell is a British former judge and cricket player. He chaired the inquiry into the Bradford City stadium fire, presided over the libel case brought by Jonathan Aitken MP against The Guardian newspaper which eventually led to Aitken's imprisonment for perjury, and was widely reported for asking "What is Linford's lunchbox?" during a case over which he was presiding, brought by Linford Christie. He played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and was president of the Marylebone Cricket Club from 1994–96. He wrote a book about his legal career.

  77. 1926

    1. Julius Katchen, American pianist and composer (d. 1969) births

      1. American concert pianist

        Julius Katchen

        Julius Katchen was an American concert pianist, possibly best known for his recordings of Johannes Brahms's solo piano works.

    2. Eddie Little Sky, American actor (d. 1997) births

      1. American film and television actor (1926–1997)

        Eddie Little Sky

        Eddie Little Sky, also known as Edward Little, was an indigenous North American actor of the Oglala Lakota tribe. He had parts in 36 feature films and over 60 television shows, mainly westerns in the role of a Native American. He was one of the first Native American actors to play Native American roles such as his performance in the 1970 film A Man Called Horse.

    3. Sami Michael, Iraqi-Israeli author and playwright births

      1. Author, novelist, the President of ACRI – The Association for Civil Rights in Israel

        Sami Michael

        Sami Michael is an Israeli author, having migrated from Iraq to Israel at the age of 23. Since 2001, Michael has been the President of The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).

    4. John Silber, American philosopher and academic (d. 2012) births

      1. President of Boston University

        John Silber

        John Robert Silber was an American academician and candidate for public office. From 1971 to 1996, he was President of Boston University (BU) and, from 1996 to 2002, Chancellor. From 2002 to 2003, he again served as President ; and, from 2003 until his death, he held the title of President Emeritus.

    5. Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician, 6th President of Greece (d. 2016) births

      1. Greek politician

        Konstantinos Stephanopoulos

        Konstantinos "Kostis" Stephanopoulos was a Greek conservative politician who served two consecutive terms as the president of Greece from 1995 to 2005.

      2. Head of state of Greece

        President of Greece

        The president of Greece, officially the President of the Hellenic Republic, commonly referred to in Greek as the President of the Republic, is the head of state of Greece. The president is elected by the Hellenic Parliament; the role has been mainly ceremonial since the 1986 constitutional reform. The office was formally established by the Constitution of Greece in 1975, but has antecedents in the Second Hellenic Republic of 1924–1935 and the Greek junta in 1973–1974 which predated the transition to the current Third Hellenic Republic. The incumbent, since 13 March 2020, is Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

  78. 1925

    1. Mike Connors, American actor and producer (d. 2017) births

      1. American actor (1925–2017)

        Mike Connors

        Krekor Ohanian, known professionally as Mike Connors, was an American actor best known for playing private detective Joe Mannix in the CBS television series Mannix from 1967 to 1975, a role which earned him a Golden Globe Award in 1970, the first of six straight nominations, as well as four consecutive Emmy nominations from 1970 to 1973. He starred in the short-lived series Tightrope! (1959–1960) and Today's FBI (1981–1982). Connors' acting career spanned six decades. In addition to his work on television, he appeared in numerous films, including Sudden Fear (1952), Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious (1965), Stagecoach (1966), Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966), and Too Scared to Scream (1985), which he also produced.

    2. Rose Maddox, American singer-songwriter and fiddle player (d. 1998) births

      1. American singer-songwriter

        Rose Maddox

        Roselea Arbana "Rose" Maddox was an American country singer-songwriter and fiddle player, who was the lead singer with the Maddox Brothers and Rose before a successful solo career. Her musical styles blended hillbilly music, rockabilly and gospel. She was noted for her "reputation as a lusty firebrand", and her "colorful Western costumes"; she was one of the earliest clients of Hollywood tailor, Nathan Turk.

    3. Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2007) births

      1. Canadian jazz pianist (1925–2007)

        Oscar Peterson

        Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, and received numerous other awards and honours. He played thousands of concerts worldwide in a career lasting more than 60 years. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, simply "O.P." by his friends, and informally in the jazz community as "the King of inside swing".

    4. Bill Pinkney, American singer (d. 2007) births

      1. Musical artist

        Bill Pinkney

        Willie “Bill” Pinkney was an American performer and singer. Pinkney was often said to be the last surviving original member of The Drifters, who achieved international fame with numerous hit records. He was chiefly responsible for its early sounds. The Drifters have had a strong influence on soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll music. As an original group member, Bill Pinkney was a 1988 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Drifters.

    5. Erik Schmidt, Swedish-Estonian painter and author (d. 2014) births

      1. Estonian painter and writer

        Erik Schmidt (painter)

        Erik Schmidt was a painter and writer.

    6. Konrad Mägi, Estonian painter and educator (b. 1878) deaths

      1. Estonian painter

        Konrad Mägi

        Konrad Vilhelm Mägi was an Estonian painter, primarily known for his landscape work. He was one of the most colour-sensitive Estonian painters of the first decades of the 20th century, and Mägi's works on motifs of the island of Saaremaa are the first modern Estonian nature paintings.

  79. 1924

    1. Robert Bolt, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1995) births

      1. English playwright (1924–1995)

        Robert Bolt

        Robert Oxton Bolt was an English playwright and a two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter, known for writing the screenplays for Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Man for All Seasons, the latter two of which won him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

    2. Hedy Epstein, German-American Holocaust survivor and activist (d. 2016) births

      1. Hedy Epstein

        Hedy Epstein was a German-born Jewish-American political activist and Holocaust survivor known for her support of the Palestinian cause through the International Solidarity Movement.

    3. Yoshirō Muraki, Japanese production designer, art director, and fashion designer (d. 2009) births

      1. Yoshirō Muraki

        Yoshirō Muraki was a Japanese production designer, art director, and costume designer. Muraki joined Toho Film studio in 1944. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for his work in the films Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Kagemusha (1980), and Ran (1985). He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for his work in Yojimbo (1961). He is most well known for his collaborations with director Akira Kurosawa, having done work on all of Kurosawa's films from Record of a Living Being (1955) onward, with the exception of Dersu Uzala (1975). He was married to Shinobu Muraki.

    4. Phyllis Schlafly, American lawyer, writer, and political activist (d. 2016) births

      1. American activist (1924–2016)

        Phyllis Schlafly

        Phyllis Stewart Schlafly was an American attorney, conservative activist, author, and anti-feminist spokesperson for the national conservative movement. She held paleoconservative social and political views, opposed feminism, gay rights and abortion, and successfully campaigned against ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

  80. 1923

    1. Rose Marie, American actress and singer (d. 2017) births

      1. American actress, singer, and comedian (1923–2017)

        Rose Marie

        Rose Marie was an American actress, singer, comedian, and vaudeville performer with a career ultimately spanning nine decades, which included film, radio, records, theater, night clubs and television. As a child performer during the years just after the silent film era, she had a successful singing career under the stage name Baby Rose Marie.

  81. 1922

    1. Leonard Baskin, American sculptor and illustrator (d. 2000) births

      1. American artist (1922–2000)

        Leonard Baskin

        Leonard Baskin was an American sculptor, draughtsman and graphic artist, as well as founder of the Gehenna Press (1942–2000). One of America's first fine arts presses, it went on to become "one of the most important and comprehensive art presses of the world", often featuring the work of celebrated poets, such as Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Anthony Hecht, and James Baldwin side by side with Baskin's bold, stark, energetic and often dramatic black-and-white prints. Called a "Sculptor of Stark Memorials" by the New York Times, Baskin is also known for his wood, limestone, bronze, and large-scale woodblock prints, which ranged from naturalistic to fanciful, and were frequently grotesque, featuring bloated figures or humans merging with animals. "His monumental bronze sculpture, The Funeral Cortege, graces the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C."

    2. Giorgos Mouzakis, Greek trumpet player and composer (d. 2005) births

      1. Greek virtuoso trumpeter and music composer

        Giorgos Mouzakis

        Giorgos Muzakis was a prominent Greek virtuoso trumpeter and music composer.

    3. Sabino Barinaga, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1988) births

      1. Spanish footballer and manager

        Sabino Barinaga

        Sabino Barinaga Alberdi was a Spanish football forward and manager.

  82. 1921

    1. August Kowalczyk, Polish actor and director (d. 2012) births

      1. August Kowalczyk

        August Marian Kowalczyk was a Polish actor, theatre, television and film director who was the last survivor of a breakout of prisoners from Auschwitz Concentration Camp on 10 June 1942.

  83. 1920

    1. Judy Cassab, Austrian-Australian painter (d. 2008) births

      1. Australian artist (1920–2015)

        Judy Cassab

        Judy Cassab, born Judit Kaszab, was an Australian painter.

  84. 1919

    1. Huntz Hall, American actor (d. 1999) births

      1. American actor (1920–1999)

        Huntz Hall

        Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular "Dead End Kids" movies, including Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), and in the later "Bowery Boys" movies, during the late 1930s to the late 1950s.

    2. Benedict Kiely, Irish journalist and author (d. 2007) births

      1. Benedict Kiely

        Benedict "Ben" Kiely was an Irish writer and broadcaster from Omagh, County Tyrone.

  85. 1917

    1. Jack Lynch, Irish footballer and politician, 5th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 1999) births

      1. 5th Taoiseach from 1966 to 1973, and from 1977 to 1979

        Jack Lynch

        John Mary Lynch was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1966 to 1979, Leader of the Opposition from 1973 to 1977, Minister for Finance from 1965 to 1966, Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1959 to 1965, Minister for Education 1957 to 1959, Minister for the Gaeltacht from March 1957 to June 1957, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Lands and Parliamentary Secretary to the Government from 1951 to 1954. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1948 to 1981.

      2. Head of government of Ireland

        Taoiseach

        The Taoiseach is the head of government of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann and the office-holder must retain the support of a majority in the Dáil to remain in office.

    2. Óscar Romero, Salvadoran archbishop (d. 1980) births

      1. Archbishop of San Salvador (1917–1980)

        Óscar Romero

        Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a prelate of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Salvador, the Titular Bishop of Tambeae, as Bishop of Santiago de María, and finally as the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador. As archbishop, Romero spoke out against social injustice and violence amid the escalating conflict between the military government and left-wing insurgents that led to the Salvadoran Civil War. In 1980, Romero was shot by an assassin while celebrating Mass. Though no one was ever convicted for the crime, investigations by the UN-created Truth Commission for El Salvador concluded that Major Roberto D'Aubuisson, a death squad leader and later founder of the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) political party, had ordered the killing.

    3. Thomas J. Higgins, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1831) deaths

      1. Thomas J. Higgins

        Thomas J. Higgins was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War who was a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Vicksburg.

      2. Highest award in the United States Armed Forces

        Medal of Honor

        The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. The medal is normally awarded by the president of the United States, but as it is presented "in the name of the United States Congress", it is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Congressional Medal of Honor".

  86. 1916

    1. Aleks Çaçi, Albanian journalist and author (d. 1989) births

      1. Aleks Çaçi

        Aleks Çaçi was an Albanian author of the socialist realism time.

  87. 1915

    1. Signe Hasso, Swedish-American actress (d. 2002) births

      1. Swedish actress

        Signe Hasso

        Signe Eleonora Cecilia Hasso was a Swedish actress, writer, and composer.

  88. 1914

    1. Paul Rand, American graphic designer and art director (d. 1996) births

      1. American graphic designer

        Paul Rand

        Paul Rand was an American art director and graphic designer, best known for his corporate logo designs, including the logos for IBM, UPS, Enron, Morningstar, Inc., Westinghouse, ABC, and NeXT. He was one of the first American commercial artists to embrace and practice the Swiss Style of graphic design.

  89. 1912

    1. Julia Child, American chef and author (d. 2004) births

      1. American cooking personality (1912–2004)

        Julia Child

        Julia Carolyn Child was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.

    2. Wendy Hiller, English actress (d. 2003) births

      1. English stage and film actress (1912–2003)

        Wendy Hiller

        Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation Rating the Movie Stars, described her as "a no-nonsense actress who literally took command of the screen whenever she appeared on film". Despite many notable film performances, Hiller chose to remain primarily a stage actress.

  90. 1909

    1. Hugo Winterhalter, American composer and bandleader (d. 1973) births

      1. Hugo Winterhalter

        Hugo Winterhalter was an American easy listening arranger and composer, best known for his arrangements and recordings for RCA Victor.

    2. Euclides da Cunha, Brazilian sociologist and journalist (b. 1866) deaths

      1. Euclides da Cunha

        Euclides da Cunha was a Brazilian journalist, sociologist and engineer. His most important work is Os Sertões, a non-fictional account of the military expeditions promoted by the Brazilian government against the rebellious village of Canudos, known as the War of Canudos.

  91. 1907

    1. Joseph Joachim, Hungarian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1831) deaths

      1. Hungarian violinist, composer, and teacher

        Joseph Joachim

        Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.

  92. 1904

    1. George Klein, Canadian inventor, invented the motorized wheelchair (d. 1992) births

      1. Canadian inventor

        George Klein (inventor)

        George Johann Klein, was a Hamilton, Ontario-born Canadian inventor who is often called the most productive inventor in Canada in the 20th century. Although he struggled as a high school student, he eventually graduated from the University of Toronto in Mechanical Engineering. His inventions include key contributions to the first electric wheelchairs for quadriplegics, the first microsurgical staple gun, the ZEEP nuclear reactor which was the precursor to the CANDU reactor, the international system for classifying ground-cover snow, aircraft skis, the Weasel all-terrain vehicle, the STEM antenna for the space program, and the Canadarm.

      2. Motorized wheelchair

        A motorized wheelchair, powerchair, electric wheelchair or electric-powered wheelchair (EPW) is a wheelchair that is propelled by means of an electric motor rather than manual power. Motorized wheelchairs are useful for those unable to propel a manual wheelchair or who may need to use a wheelchair for distances or over terrain which would be fatiguing in a manual wheelchair. They may also be used not just by people with 'traditional' mobility impairments, but also by people with cardiovascular and fatigue-based conditions.

  93. 1902

    1. Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (d. 1943) births

      1. Jan Campert

        Jan Remco Theodoor Campert was a Dutch journalist, theater critic and writer who lived in Amsterdam. During the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II Campert was arrested for aiding Jews. He was held in the Neuengamme concentration camp, where he died.

  94. 1901

    1. Arnulfo Arias Madrid, 21st president of the republic of Panamá (d. 1988) births

      1. President of Panama from 1940 to 1941, 1949 to 1951 and in 1968

        Arnulfo Arias

        Arnulfo Arias Madrid was a Panamanian politician, medical doctor, and writer who served as the President of Panama from 1940 to 1941, again from 1949 to 1951, and finally for 11 days in October 1968.

    2. Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1975) births

      1. Soviet mathematician (1901–1975)

        Pyotr Novikov

        Pyotr Sergeyevich Novikov was a Soviet mathematician.

  95. 1900

    1. Estelle Brody, American silent film actress (d. 1995) births

      1. American actress (1900–1995)

        Estelle Brody

        Estelle Brody was an American actress who became one of the biggest female stars of British silent film in the latter half of the 1920s. Her career was then derailed by a series of ill-advised decisions and she disappeared from sight for many years before re-emerging between the late 1940s and the 1960s in smaller supporting film and television roles.

    2. Jack Tworkov, Polish-American painter and educator (d. 1982) births

      1. Polish-American painter

        Jack Tworkov

        Jack Tworkov was an American abstract expressionist painter.

  96. 1898

    1. Jan Brzechwa, Polish author and poet (d. 1966) births

      1. Polish poet and author (1898–1966)

        Jan Brzechwa

        Jan Brzechwa, was a Polish poet, author and lawyer, known mostly for his contribution to children's literature. He was born Jan Wiktor Lesman to a Polish family of Jewish descent.

  97. 1896

    1. Gerty Cori, Czech-American biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957) births

      1. American biochemist (1896–1957)

        Gerty Cori

        Gerty Theresa Cori was an Austro-Hungarian and American biochemist who in 1947 was the third woman to win a Nobel Prize in science, and the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for her significant role in the "discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen".

      2. One of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Alfred Nobel

        Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

        The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's 1895 will, are awarded "to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind". Nobel Prizes are awarded in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace.

    2. Catherine Doherty, Russian-Canadian activist, founded the Madonna House Apostolate (d. 1985) births

      1. Catherine Doherty

        Ekaterina Fyodorovna Kolyschkine de Hueck Doherty was a Russian-Canadian Catholic baroness, social worker, racial justice activist, and founder of Friendship House and Madonna House Apostolate.

      2. Madonna House Apostolate

        The Madonna House Apostolate is a Catholic Christian community of lay men, women, and priests dedicated to loving and serving Jesus Christ in all aspects of everyday life. It was founded in 1947 by Catherine Doherty in Combermere, Ontario, and has established missionary field houses worldwide.

    3. Paul Outerbridge, American photographer and educator (d. 1958) births

      1. American photographer (1896–1958)

        Paul Outerbridge

        Paul Outerbridge, Jr. was an American photographer prominent for his early use and experiments in color photography.

  98. 1893

    1. Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and academic (d. 1950) births

      1. New Zealand astronomer

        Leslie Comrie

        Leslie John Comrie FRS was an astronomer and a pioneer in mechanical computation.

  99. 1892

    1. Louis de Broglie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987) births

      1. French physicist and aristocrat

        Louis de Broglie

        Louis Victor Pierre Raymond, 7th Duc de Broglie was a French physicist and aristocrat who made groundbreaking contributions to quantum theory. In his 1924 PhD thesis, he postulated the wave nature of electrons and suggested that all matter has wave properties. This concept is known as the de Broglie hypothesis, an example of wave–particle duality, and forms a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics.

      2. One of the five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Alfred Nobel

        Nobel Prize in Physics

        The Nobel Prize in Physics is a yearly award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions for humankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901, the others being the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Physics is traditionally the first award presented in the Nobel Prize ceremony.

    2. Abraham Wachner, New Zealand politician, 35th Mayor of Invercargill (d. 1950) births

      1. Abraham Wachner

        Abraham (Abie) Wachner was the 35th Mayor of Invercargill from 1942 to 1950. He was awarded the OBE in 1946.

      2. Mayor of Invercargill

        The Mayor of Invercargill is the head of the municipal government of Invercargill, New Zealand, and leads the Invercargill City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system every three years. The current mayor is Nobby Clark. Invercargill also has a deputy mayor that is chosen from the council. There have been 44 mayors so far.

  100. 1890

    1. Jacques Ibert, French composer and educator (d. 1962) births

      1. French composer (1890–1962)

        Jacques Ibert

        Jacques François Antoine Marie Ibert was a French composer of classical music. Having studied music from an early age, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won its top prize, the Prix de Rome at his first attempt, despite studies interrupted by his service in World War I.

  101. 1886

    1. Bill Whitty, Australian cricketer (d. 1974) births

      1. Australian cricketer

        Bill Whitty

        William James Whitty was an Australian cricketer who played 14 Test matches between 1909 and 1912.

  102. 1885

    1. Edna Ferber, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1968) births

      1. American novelist and playwright (1885–1968)

        Edna Ferber

        Edna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat, Cimarron, Giant and Ice Palace (1958), which also received a film adaptation in 1960.

  103. 1883

    1. Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect (d. 1962) births

      1. Croatian sculptor and architect

        Ivan Meštrović

        Ivan Meštrović was a Croatian sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pavle Bilinić's Stone Workshop in Split and at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where he was formed under the influence of the Secession. He traveled throughout Europe and studied the works of ancient and Renaissance masters, especially Michelangelo, and French sculptors Auguste Rodin, Antoine Bourdelle and Aristide Maillol. He was the initiator of the national-romantic group Medulić. During the First World War, he lived in emigration. After the war, he returned to Croatia and began a long and fruitful period of sculpture and pedagogical work. In 1942 he emigrated to Italy, in 1943 to Switzerland and in 1947 to the United States. He was a professor of sculpture at the Syracuse University and from 1955 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

  104. 1882

    1. Marion Bauer, American composer and critic (d. 1955) births

      1. American classical composer

        Marion Bauer

        Marion Eugénie Bauer was an American composer, teacher, writer, and music critic. She played an active role in shaping American musical identity in the early half of the twentieth century.

    2. Gisela Richter, English archaeologist and art historian (d. 1972) births

      1. British-American art historian and archaeologist

        Gisela Richter

        Gisela Marie Augusta Richter was a classical archaeologist and art historian. She was a prominent figure and an authority in her field.

  105. 1881

    1. Alfred Wagenknecht, German-American activist and politician (d. 1956) births

      1. Alfred Wagenknecht

        Alfred Wagenknecht was an American Marxist activist and political functionary. He is best remembered for having played a critical role in the establishment of the American Communist Party in 1919 as a leader of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party. Wagenknecht served as executive secretary of the Communist Labor Party of America and the United Communist Party of America in 1919 and 1920, respectively.

  106. 1879

    1. Ethel Barrymore, American actress (d. 1959) births

      1. American actress (1879–1959)

        Ethel Barrymore

        Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarded as "The First Lady of the American Theatre". She received four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, winning for None but the Lonely Heart (1944).

  107. 1877

    1. Tachiyama Mineemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 22nd Yokozuna (d. 1941) births

      1. Japanese sumo wrestler

        Tachiyama Mineemon

        Tachiyama Mineemon was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture. He was the sport's 22nd yokozuna. He was well known for his extreme strength and skill. He won 99 out of 100 matches from 1909 to 1916, and also won eleven top division tournament championships.

      2. Highest-ranking of the six divisions of professional sumo

        Makuuchi

        Makuuchi (幕内), or makunouchi (幕の内), is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (rikishi), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.

  108. 1876

    1. Stylianos Gonatas, Greek colonel and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1966) births

      1. Stylianos Gonatas

        Stylianos Gonatas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, Venizelist politician, and Prime Minister of Greece from 1922 and 1924.

      2. Head of government of Greece

        Prime Minister of Greece

        The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic, colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece, is the head of government of the Hellenic Republic and the leader of the Greek Cabinet. The incumbent prime minister is Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who took office on 8 July 2019 from Alexis Tsipras.

  109. 1875

    1. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 1912) births

      1. English composer and conductor (1875–1912)

        Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

        Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a British composer and conductor.

  110. 1873

    1. Ramaprasad Chanda, Indian archaeologist and historian (d. 1942) births

      1. Ramaprasad Chanda

        Ramaprasad Chanda was an Indian anthropologist, historian and archaeologist from Bengal. A pioneer in his field in South Asia, Chanda's lasting legacy is the Varendra Research Museum, he established in Rajshahi, a leading institute for research on the history of Bengal.He was the first head of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Calcutta from 1920- 1921.He was also a professional archaeologist and worked in the Archaeological Survey of India. Chanda was one of the founders the Indian Anthropological Institute and was its president during 1938–1942. He represented India in the first International Congress of Anthropology held in London in 1934.He had done original research on the somatic characters of Indian populations by using ancient Indian literature and challenged H.H.Risley's theory on Indian races.

  111. 1872

    1. Sri Aurobindo, Indian guru, poet, and philosopher (d. 1950) births

      1. Indian Nationalist, Philosopher, Poet, Mahayogi, Maharishi

        Sri Aurobindo

        Sri Aurobindo was an Indian philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet, and Indian nationalist. He was also a journalist, editing newspapers such as Vande Mataram. He joined the Indian movement for independence from British colonial rule, until 1910 was one of its influential leaders, and then became a spiritual reformer, introducing his visions on human progress and spiritual evolution.

  112. 1866

    1. Italo Santelli, Italian fencer (d. 1945) births

      1. Italian fencer

        Italo Santelli

        Italo Santelli was an Italian fencer who is considered to be the "father of modern sabre fencing".

  113. 1865

    1. Mikao Usui, Japanese spiritual leader, founded Reiki (d. 1926) births

      1. Developer of Reiki (1865–1926)

        Mikao Usui

        Mikao Usui was the father of a form of spiritual practice known as Reiki, used as an alternative therapy for the treatment of physical, emotional, and mental diseases. According to the inscription on his memorial stone, Usui taught Reiki to over 2,000 people during his lifetime. Eleven of these students continued their training to reach the Shinpiden level, a level equivalent to the Western third degree, or Master level.

      2. Pseudoscientific healing technique

        Reiki

        Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine. Reiki practitioners use a technique called palm healing or hands-on healing through which a "universal energy" is said to be transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient in order to encourage emotional or physical healing.

  114. 1863

    1. Aleksey Krylov, Russian mathematician and engineer (d. 1945) births

      1. Russian mathematician

        Aleksey Krylov

        Aleksey Nikolaevich Krylov was a Russian naval engineer, applied mathematician and memoirist.

  115. 1860

    1. Florence Harding, American publisher, 31st First Lady of the United States (d. 1924) births

      1. First Lady of the United States (1921-1923)

        Florence Harding

        Florence Mabel Harding was the first lady of the United States from 1921 until her husband's death in 1923 as the wife of President Warren G. Harding.

      2. Hostess of the White House, usually the president's wife

        First Lady of the United States

        The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the United States. Since the early 20th century, the first lady has been assisted by official staff, now known as the Office of the First Lady and headquartered in the East Wing of the White House.

  116. 1859

    1. Charles Comiskey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1931) births

      1. American baseball player, manager, team owner (1859–1931)

        Charles Comiskey

        Charles Albert Comiskey, nicknamed "Commy" or "The Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, and was also founding owner of the Chicago White Sox. Comiskey Park, the White Sox's storied baseball stadium, was built under his guidance and named for him.

    2. Nathaniel Claiborne, American farmer and politician (b. 1777) deaths

      1. American politician

        Nathaniel Claiborne

        Nathaniel Herbert Claiborne was a nineteenth-century Virginia lawyer and planter, as well as an American politician who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly and in the United States House of Representatives (1825-1837).

  117. 1858

    1. E. Nesbit, English author and poet (d. 1924) births

      1. English author and poet (1858–1924)

        E. Nesbit

        Edith Nesbit was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist and co-founder of the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party.

  118. 1857

    1. Albert Ballin, German businessman (d. 1918) births

      1. German businessman

        Albert Ballin

        Albert Ballin was a German shipping magnate. He was the general director of the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG) or Hamburg-America Line, which for a time was the world's largest shipping company. Being the inventor of the concept of the cruise ship, he is known as the father of modern cruise ship travel.

  119. 1856

    1. Keir Hardie, Scottish politician and trade unionist (d. 1915) births

      1. Scottish socialist and founder of the British Labour Party

        Keir Hardie

        James Keir Hardie was a Scottish trade unionist and politician. He was a founder of the Labour Party, and served as its first parliamentary leader from 1906 to 1908.

  120. 1852

    1. Johan Gadolin, Finnish chemist, physicist, and mineralogist (b. 1760) deaths

      1. Finnish chemist, physicist and mineralogist (1760–1852)

        Johan Gadolin

        Johan Gadolin was a Finnish chemist, physicist and mineralogist. Gadolin discovered a "new earth" containing the first rare-earth compound yttrium, which was later determined to be a chemical element. He is also considered the founder of Finnish chemistry research, as the second holder of the Chair of Chemistry at the Royal Academy of Turku. Gadolin was ennobled for his achievements and awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir and the Order of Saint Anna.

  121. 1845

    1. Walter Crane, English artist and book illustrator (d. 1915) births

      1. British artist and book illustrator (1845–1915)

        Walter Crane

        Walter Crane was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most influential, and among the most prolific, children's book creators of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway, one of the strongest contributors to the child's nursery motif that the genre of English children's illustrated literature would exhibit in its developmental stages in the later 19th century.

  122. 1844

    1. Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1908) births

      1. Canadian politician

        Thomas-Alfred Bernier

        Thomas-Alfred Bernier was a Canadian journalist, lawyer, and senator.

    2. José María Coppinger, governor of Spanish East Florida (b. 1733) deaths

      1. José María Coppinger

        José María Coppinger was a Spanish soldier who served in the infantry of the Royal Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra) and governed East Florida (1816–1821) and several areas in Cuba including Pinar Del Rio, Bayamo, the Cuatro Villas and Trinidad at various times between 1801 and 1834. He was also a member of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand and San Hermenegildo.

      2. Colony of Great Britain and a province of Spanish Florida

        East Florida

        East Florida was a colony of Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of Spanish Florida from 1783 to 1821. Great Britain gained control of the long-established Spanish colony of La Florida in 1763 as part of the treaty ending the French and Indian War. Deciding that the territory was too large to administer as a single unit, Britain divided Florida into two colonies separated by the Apalachicola River: East Florida with its capital in St. Augustine and West Florida with its capital in Pensacola. East Florida was much larger and comprised the bulk of the former Spanish territory of Florida and most of the current state of Florida. It had also been the most populated region of Spanish Florida, but before control was transferred to Britain, most residents – including virtually everyone in St. Augustine – left the territory, with most migrating to Cuba.

  123. 1839

    1. Antonín Petrof, Czech piano maker (d. 1915) births

      1. Antonín Petrof

        Antonín Petrof was a Bohemian piano maker.

  124. 1824

    1. John Chisum, American businessman (d. 1884) births

      1. American businessman, rancher (1824–1884)

        John Chisum

        John Simpson Chisum was a wealthy cattle baron in the American West in the mid-to-late 19th century. He was born in Hardeman County, Tennessee, and moved with his family to the Republic of Texas in 1837, later finding work as a building contractor. He also served as county clerk in Lamar County. He was of Scottish, English, and Welsh descent.

  125. 1810

    1. Louise Colet, French poet (d. 1876) births

      1. French poet and writer

        Louise Colet

        Louise Colet, born Louise Revoil de Servannes, was a French poet and writer.

  126. 1807

    1. Jules Grévy, French lawyer and politician, 4th President of the French Republic (d. 1891) births

      1. President of France from 1879 to 1887

        Jules Grévy

        François Judith Paul Grévy, known as Jules Grévy, was a French lawyer and politician who served as President of France from 1879 to 1887. He was a leader of the Moderate Republicans, and given that his predecessors were monarchists who tried without success to restore the French monarchy, Grévy is considered the first real republican president of France.

      2. Head of state of France

        President of France

        The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic, is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the position is the highest office in France. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, in addition to their relation with the prime minister and Government of France, have over time differed with the various constitutional documents since the Second Republic.

  127. 1799

    1. Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet and author (b. 1729) deaths

      1. Italian poet

        Giuseppe Parini

        Giuseppe Parini was an Italian enlightenment satirist and poet of the neoclassic period.

  128. 1798

    1. Sangolli Rayanna, Indian warrior (d. 1831) births

      1. Freedom Fighter also known as KranthiVeera

        Sangolli Rayanna

        Sangolli Rayanna was born on 15 August 1798 was a nineteenth century Indian revolutionary, military chief (Shetsanadi) and warrior in the Kittur princely state in the present day Indian state of Karnataka. He was the Shetsanadi of the Kingdom of Kittur ruled at the time by Rani Channamma and fought the British East India Company till his death. He died on 26 January 1831, at the age of 33. He belonged to the Kuruba Gowda community. His life was the subject of the 2012 Kannada film Sangolli Rayanna.

  129. 1787

    1. Eliza Lee Cabot Follen, American writer, editor, abolitionist (d. 1860) births

      1. American writer, editor, and abolitionist

        Eliza Lee Cabot Follen

        Eliza Lee Cabot Follen was an American writer, editor, and abolitionist. In her early life, she contributed various pieces of prose and poetry to papers and magazines. In 1828, she married Prof. Charles Follen, who died on board the Lexington in 1840. During her married life, she published a variety of popular and useful books, all of which were characterized by her Christian piety. Among the works she gave to the press are, Selections from Fénelon, The Well-spent Hour, Words of Truth, The Sceptic, Married Life, Little Songs, Poems, Life of Charles Follen, Twilight Stories, Second Series of Little Songs, as well as a compilation of Home Dramas, and German Fairy Tales. Holding an interest in the religious instruction of the young, she edited, in 1829, the Christian Teacher's Manual, and, from 1843 to 1850, the Child's Friend. She died in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1860.

  130. 1785

    1. Thomas De Quincey, English journalist and author (d. 1859) births

      1. English essayist, translator and political economist 1785-1859

        Thomas De Quincey

        Thomas Penson De Quincey was an English writer, essayist, and literary critic, best known for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821). Many scholars suggest that in publishing this work De Quincey inaugurated the tradition of addiction literature in the West.

  131. 1771

    1. Walter Scott, Scottish novelist, playwright, and poet (d. 1832) births

      1. Scottish novelist, poet and playwright (1771–1832)

        Walter Scott

        Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet, was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, Waverley, Old Mortality, The Heart of Mid-Lothian and The Bride of Lammermoor, and the narrative poems The Lady of the Lake and Marmion. He had a major impact on European and American literature.

  132. 1769

    1. Napoleon Bonaparte, French general and emperor (d. 1821) births

      1. Military leader and emperor of France

        Napoleon

        Napoleon Bonaparte, later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He was the de facto leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804, then Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814 and again in 1815. Napoleon's political and cultural legacy endures to this day, as a highly celebrated and controversial leader. He initiated many liberal reforms that have persisted in society, and is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history, but between three and six million civilians and soldiers perished in what became known as the Napoleonic Wars.

  133. 1758

    1. Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (b. 1698) deaths

      1. 18th-century French mathematician, geophysicist, geodesist, naval architect and astronomer

        Pierre Bouguer

        Pierre Bouguer was a French mathematician, geophysicist, geodesist, and astronomer. He is also known as "the father of naval architecture".

  134. 1740

    1. Matthias Claudius, German poet and author (d. 1815) births

      1. German poet and journalist (1740-1815)

        Matthias Claudius

        Matthias Claudius was a German poet and journalist, otherwise known by the pen name of “Asmus”.

  135. 1736

    1. Johann Christoph Kellner, German organist and composer (d. 1803) births

      1. Johann Christoph Kellner

        Johann Christoph Kellner was a German organist and composer. He was the son of Johann Peter Kellner.

  136. 1728

    1. Marin Marais, French viol player and composer (b. 1656) deaths

      1. French composer and viol player (1656–1728)

        Marin Marais

        Marin Marais was a French composer and viol player. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully, often conducting his operas, and with master of the bass viol Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for six months. In 1676 he was hired as a musician to the royal court of Versailles and was moderately successful there, being appointed in 1679 as ordinaire de la chambre du roy pour la viole, a title he kept until 1725.

  137. 1717

    1. Blind Jack, English engineer (d. 1810) births

      1. English civil engineer and road builder

        John Metcalf (civil engineer)

        John Metcalf, known as Blind Jack of Knaresborough or Blind Jack Metcalf, was the first professional road builder to emerge during the Industrial Revolution. Blind from the age of six, Metcalf had an eventful life, which was documented by his own account just before his death. He was an accomplished diver, swimmer, card player and fiddler, but was better known for the period between 1765 and 1792 when he built about 180 miles (290 km) of turnpike road, mainly in the north of England and as such, he became known as one of the fathers of the modern road.

  138. 1714

    1. Constantin Brâncoveanu, Romanian prince (b. 1654) deaths

      1. Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714

        Constantin Brâncoveanu

        Constantin Brâncoveanu was Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714.

  139. 1702

    1. Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian painter and Royal Academician (d. 1788) births

      1. Italian painter (1702–1788)

        Francesco Zuccarelli

        Giacomo Francesco Zuccarelli RA, was an Italian artist of the late Baroque or Rococo period. He is considered to be the most important landscape painter to have emerged from his adopted city of Venice during the mid-eighteenth century, and his Arcadian views became popular throughout Europe and especially in England where he resided for two extended periods. His patronage extended to the nobility, and he often collaborated with other artists such as Antonio Visentini and Bernardo Bellotto. In 1768, Zuccarelli became a founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts, and upon his final return to Italy, he was elected president of the Venetian Academy. In addition to his rural landscapes which frequently incorporated religious and classical themes, Zuccarelli created devotional pieces and on occasion did portraiture. Beside paintings, his varied output included etchings, drawings, and designs for tapestries as well as a set of Old Testament playing cards.

  140. 1666

    1. Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary and astronomer (b. 1591) deaths

      1. German 17th century Jesuit astronomer active in China

        Johann Adam Schall von Bell

        Johann Adam Schall von Bell was a German Jesuit, astronomer and instrument-maker. He spent most of his life as a missionary in China and became an adviser to the Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing dynasty.

  141. 1652

    1. John Grubb, American politician (d. 1708) births

      1. John Grubb

        John Grubb (1652–1708) was a two-term member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and was one of the original settlers in a portion of Brandywine Hundred that became Claymont, Delaware. He founded a large tannery that continued in operation for over 100 years at what became known as Grubb's Landing. He was also one of the 150 signers of the Concessions and Agreements for Province of West Jersey.

  142. 1621

    1. John Barclay, Scottish poet and author (b. 1582) deaths

      1. Scottish writer

        John Barclay (poet)

        John Barclay was a Scottish writer, satirist and neo-Latin poet.

  143. 1615

    1. Marie de Lorraine, duchess of Guise (d. 1688) births

      1. Duchess of Guise

        Marie de Lorraine, Duchess of Guise

        Marie de Lorraine was the daughter of Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Guise and Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse and the last member of the House of Guise, a branch of the House of Lorraine.

  144. 1613

    1. Gilles Ménage, French lawyer, philologist, and scholar (d. 1692) births

      1. French scholar (1613–1692)

        Gilles Ménage

        Gilles Ménage was a French scholar.

  145. 1608

    1. Henry Howard, 22nd Earl of Arundel, English politician (d. 1652) births

      1. Henry Howard, 15th Earl of Arundel

        Henry Frederick Howard, 15th Earl of Arundel PC, styled Lord Maltravers until 1640, and Baron Mowbray from 1640 until 1652, was an English nobleman, chiefly remembered for his role in the development of the rule against perpetuities.

  146. 1607

    1. Herman IV, landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg (d. 1658) births

      1. Herman IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg

        Landgrave Hermann IV of Hesse-Rotenburg, was the first Landgrave of the semi-independent Landgraviate of Hesse-Rotenburg. He was the fourth son of the Landgrave Maurice of Hesse-Kassel and his second wife Juliane of Nassau-Siegen.

  147. 1594

    1. Thomas Kyd, English playwright (b. 1558) deaths

      1. 16th-century English dramatist

        Thomas Kyd

        Thomas Kyd was an English playwright, the author of The Spanish Tragedy, and one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama.

  148. 1589

    1. Gabriel Báthory, Prince of Transylvania (d. 1613) births

      1. Prince of Transylvania

        Gabriel Báthory

        Gabriel Báthory was Prince of Transylvania from 1608 to 1613. Born to the Roman Catholic branch of the Báthory family, he was closely related to four rulers of the Principality of Transylvania. His father, Stephen Báthory, held estates in the principality, but never ruled it. Being a minor when his father died in 1601, Gabriel became the ward of the childless Stephen Báthory, from the Protestant branch of the family, who converted him to Calvinism. After inheriting most of his guardian's estates in 1605, Gabriel became one of the wealthiest landowners in Transylvania and Royal Hungary.

  149. 1575

    1. Bartol Kašić, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (d. 1650) births

      1. Bartol Kašić

        Bartol Kašić was a Jesuit clergyman and grammarian during the Counter-Reformation, who wrote the first Illyrian grammar and translated the Bible and the Roman Rite into Illyrian.

  150. 1552

    1. Hermann of Wied, German archbishop (b. 1477) deaths

      1. Hermann of Wied

        Hermann of Wied was the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne from 1515 to 1546.

  151. 1528

    1. Odet of Foix, Viscount of Lautrec, French general (b. 1485) deaths

      1. French military leader

        Odet of Foix, Viscount of Lautrec

        Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec was a French military leader. As Marshal of France, he commanded the campaign to conquer Naples, but died from the bubonic plague in 1528.

  152. 1507

    1. George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, German prince (d. 1553) births

      1. Prince of Anhalt-Dessau

        George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau

        George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau, and also a Protestant Reformer. After 1544 he became the first ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Plötzkau.

    2. John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1439) deaths

      1. Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg

        John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg

        John V of Saxe-Lauenburg was the eldest son of Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg and Adelheid of Pomerania-Stolp, daughter of Duke Bogislaus VIII of Pomerania-Stolp. He succeeded his father in 1463 as duke of Saxe-Lauenburg.

  153. 1506

    1. Alexander Agricola, Flemish composer (b. c. 1445) deaths

      1. Netherlandish composer (1457/8–1506)

        Alexander Agricola

        Alexander Agricola was a Netherlandish composer of the Renaissance writing in the Franco-Flemish style. A prominent member of the Grande chapelle, the Habsburg musical establishment, he was a renowned composer in the years around 1500, and his music was widely distributed throughout Europe. He composed music in all of the important sacred and secular styles of the time.

  154. 1496

    1. Infanta Isabella of Portugal, Queen of Castile and León (b. 1428) deaths

      1. Queen consort of Castile and León

        Isabella of Portugal, Queen of Castile

        Isabella of Portugal was Queen consort of Castile and León as the second wife of King John II of Castile. She was the mother of Queen Isabella I "the Catholic".

  155. 1455

    1. George, duke of Bavaria (d. 1503) births

      1. George, Duke of Bavaria

        George of Bavaria referred to as the Rich, was the last Duke of Bavaria-Landshut. He was a son of Louis IX the Rich and Amalia of Saxony.

  156. 1432

    1. Luigi Pulci, Italian poet (d. 1484) births

      1. Italian diplomat and poet

        Luigi Pulci

        Luigi Pulci was an Italian diplomat and poet best known for his Morgante, an epic and parodistic poem about a giant who is converted to Christianity by Orlando and follows the knight in many adventures.

  157. 1399

    1. Ide Pedersdatter Falk, Danish noblewoman (b. 1358) deaths

      1. Ide Pedersdatter Falk

        Ide Pedersdatter Falk, was a powerful Danish noble landholder and the founder of a convent.

  158. 1388

    1. Adalbertus Ranconis de Ericinio, Bohemian theologian and rector of the University of Paris (b. circa 1320) deaths

      1. Adalbertus Ranconis de Ericinio

        Adalbertus Ranconis de Ericinio was a Czech theologian and philosopher. In 1355 he was appointed a rector of the University of Paris. He wrote the Tractatus de communione, a treatise on confession and the offering of the eucharist by laymen. He is also known for introducing the ideas of John Wycliff to Bohemia.

      2. Monarchy in Central Europe (1198-1918), predecessor of modern Czechia

        Kingdom of Bohemia

        The Kingdom of Bohemia, sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czech Republic. It was an Imperial State in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Bohemian king was a prince-elector of the empire. The kings of Bohemia, besides the region of Bohemia proper itself, also ruled other lands belonging to the Bohemian Crown, which at various times included Moravia, Silesia, Lusatia, and parts of Saxony, Brandenburg, and Bavaria.

      3. Former university in Paris, France

        University of Paris

        The University of Paris, metonymically known as the Sorbonne, was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated with the cathedral school of Notre Dame de Paris, it was considered the second-oldest university in Europe.

  159. 1385

    1. Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, English commander (d. 1417) births

      1. Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford

        Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford KG was the son and heir of Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford. He took part in the trial of Richard, Earl of Cambridge, and Lord Scrope for their part in the Southampton Plot, and was one of the commanders at Agincourt in 1415.

  160. 1369

    1. Philippa of Hainault, Queen consort of Edward III of England (b. 1314) deaths

      1. 14th-century noblewoman and queen of England

        Philippa of Hainault

        Philippa of Hainault was Queen of England as the wife and political adviser of King Edward III. She acted as regent in 1346, when her husband was away for the Hundred Years' War.

  161. 1328

    1. Yesün Temür, emperor of the Yuan Dynasty (b. 1293) deaths

      1. 10th Khagan of the Mongol Empire

        Yesün Temür (Yuan dynasty)

        Yesün Temür was a great-grandson of Kublai Khan and an emperor of the Yuan dynasty of China from 1323 to 1328. Apart from Emperor of China, he is regarded as the 10th Khagan of the Mongol Empire, although it was only nominal due to the division of the empire. In Chinese historiography, Yesün Temür, who was very fond of the traditional ways of the Mongols, is commonly known as the Taiding Emperor of Yuan based on his first era name. His name means "nine iron Khan" in the Mongolian language.

      2. Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China (1271–1368)

        Yuan dynasty

        The Yuan dynasty, officially the Great Yuan, was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire from the Borjigin clan, and lasted from 1271 to 1368. In orthodox Chinese historiography, the Yuan dynasty followed the Song dynasty and preceded the Ming dynasty.

  162. 1275

    1. Lorenzo Tiepolo, Doge of Venice deaths

      1. Lorenzo Tiepolo

        Lorenzo Tiepolo was Doge of Venice from 1268 until his death.

  163. 1274

    1. Robert de Sorbon, French theologian and educator, founded the College of Sorbonne (b. 1201) deaths

      1. Robert de Sorbon

        Robert de Sorbon was a French theologian, the chaplain of Louis IX of France, and founder of the Sorbonne college in Paris.

      2. Former theological college of the University of Paris

        College of Sorbonne

        The College of Sorbonne was a theological college of the University of Paris, founded in 1253 by Robert de Sorbon (1201–1274), after whom it was named.

  164. 1257

    1. Saint Hyacinth of Poland deaths

      1. Polish Dominican priest and missionary

        Hyacinth of Poland

        Hyacinth was a Polish Dominican priest and missionary who worked to reform women's monasteries in his native Poland. He was a Doctor of Sacred Studies, educated in Paris and Bologna.

  165. 1224

    1. Marie of France, Duchess of Brabant (b. 1198) deaths

      1. Duchess consort of Brabant

        Marie of France, Duchess of Brabant

        Marie of France was a daughter of Philip II of France and his disputed third wife Agnes of Merania. She was a member of the House of Capet.

  166. 1196

    1. Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1173) deaths

      1. German nobleman (1172–1196)

        Conrad II, Duke of Swabia

        Conrad II, was Duke of Rothenburg (1188–1191) and Swabia from 1191 until his death. He was the fifth son of Frederick I Barbarossa and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy.

  167. 1195

    1. Anthony of Padua, Portuguese priest and saint (d. 1231) births

      1. Franciscan friar and Doctor of the Church (1195–1231)

        Anthony of Padua

        Anthony of Padua or Anthony of Lisbon was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was born and raised by a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, and died in Padua, Italy. Noted by his contemporaries for his powerful preaching, expert knowledge of scripture, and undying love and devotion to the poor and the sick, he was one of the most quickly canonized saints in church history, being canonized less than a year after his death. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII on 16 January 1946.

  168. 1171

    1. Alfonso IX, king of León and Galicia (d. 1230) births

      1. King of León and Galicia from 1188 to 1230

        Alfonso IX of León

        Alfonso IX was King of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death.

  169. 1118

    1. Alexios I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1048) deaths

      1. Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118

        Alexios I Komnenos

        Alexios I Komnenos was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power and initiated a hereditary succession to the throne. Inheriting a collapsing empire and faced with constant warfare during his reign against both the Seljuq Turks in Asia Minor and the Normans in the western Balkans, Alexios was able to curb the Byzantine decline and begin the military, financial, and territorial recovery known as the Komnenian restoration. His appeals to Western Europe for help against the Turks were also the catalyst that contributed to the convoking of the Crusades.

  170. 1057

    1. Macbeth, King of Scotland deaths

      1. King of Scotland from 1040 to 1057

        Macbeth, King of Scotland

        Macbeth c. 1005 – 15 August 1057) was King of Scots from 1040 until his death. He ruled over the Kingdom of Alba, which covered only a portion of present-day Scotland.

  171. 1038

    1. Stephen I, Hungarian king (b. 975) deaths

      1. King of Hungary from 1000/1001 to 1038; Catholic saint

        Stephen I of Hungary

        Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen, was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first King of Hungary from 1000 or 1001, until his death in 1038. The year of his birth is uncertain, but many details of his life suggest that he was born in, or after, 975, in Esztergom. He was given the pagan name Vajk at birth, but the date of his baptism is unknown. He was the only son of Grand Prince Géza and his wife, Sarolt, who was descended from a prominent family of gyulas. Although both of his parents were baptized, Stephen was the first member of his family to become a devout Christian. He married Gisela of Bavaria, a scion of the imperial Ottonian dynasty.

  172. 1022

    1. Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos, Byzantine rebel deaths

      1. Byzantine aristocrat and magnate

        Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos

        Nikephoros Phokas, surnamed Barytrachelos, was a Byzantine aristocrat and magnate, the last major member of the Phokas family to try to claim the imperial throne. He was a son of the general Bardas Phokas the Younger and great-nephew of Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, and played an active role in his father's failed rebellion against Basil II in 987–989. After the death of his father, he sought and received Basil's pardon. Nothing further is known of him until 1022 when, along with the general Nikephoros Xiphias, he launched another rebellion. The revolt gathered widespread support, but mistrust between the two leaders led to Phokas' assassination by Xiphias on 15 August 1022. The rebellion collapsed quickly after that.

  173. 1013

    1. Teishi, empress of Japan (d. 1094) births

      1. Empress consort of Japan

        Princess Teishi

        Princess Teishi , also known as Yōmeimon-in (陽明門院), was an empress consort of Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan. She was the second cousin of her husband.

  174. 986

    1. Minnborinus, Irish missionary and abbot deaths

      1. Minnborinus of Cologne

        Minnborinus of Cologne was an Irish abbot and saint active in Germany.

  175. 978

    1. Li Yu, ruler ('king') of Southern Tang deaths

      1. "Last Ruler" of Southern Tang

        Li Yu (Southern Tang)

        Li Yu, before 961 known as Li Congjia (李從嘉), also known as Li Houzhu, was the third ruler of the Southern Tang state during imperial China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He reigned from 961 until 976, when he was captured by the invading Song dynasty armies which annexed his kingdom. He died by poison on orders of Emperor Taizong of Song after 2 years as an exiled prisoner.

      2. State in Southern China (937–976)

        Southern Tang

        Southern Tang was a state in Southern China that existed during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which proclaimed itself to be the successor of the former Tang dynasty. The capital was located at Nanjing in present-day Jiangsu Province. At its territorial peak in 951, the Southern Tang controlled the whole of modern Jiangxi, and portions of Anhui, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangsu provinces.

  176. 932

    1. Ma Xisheng, Chinese governor and king (b. 899) deaths

      1. Jiedushi of Wu'an & Jingjiang Circuit

        Ma Xisheng

        Ma Xisheng, courtesy name Ruona (若訥), formally the Prince of Hengyang (衡陽王), was the second ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Chu, ruling briefly from his father's death in 930 to his own death in 932.

  177. 912

    1. Han Jian, Chinese warlord (b. 855) deaths

      1. Han Jian (Zhenguo warlord)

        Han Jian (韓建), courtesy name Zuoshi (佐時), was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who eventually became a subject of the succeeding Later Liang. He is most well known for having had Emperor Zhaozong of Tang under his control at his power base at Hua Prefecture from 896 to 898 and slaughtering the imperial princes while Emperor Zhaozong was there.

  178. 874

    1. Altfrid, bishop of Hildesheim deaths

      1. Altfrid

        Saint Altfrid was a leading figure in Germany in the ninth century. A Benedictine monk, he became Bishop of Hildesheim, and founded Essen Abbey. He was also a close royal adviser to the East Frankish King Louis the German.

      2. Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Germany

        Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim

        The Diocese of Hildesheim is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop.

  179. 873

    1. Yi Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 833) deaths

      1. Emperor of Tang China from 859 to 873 AD

        Emperor Yizong of Tang

        Emperor Yizong of Tang, né Li Wen, later changed to Li Cui, was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 859 to 873. Yizong was the eldest son of Emperor Xuanzong. After Emperor Xuanzong's death in 859, Emperor Yizong was placed on the throne by the eunuch Wang Zongshi (王宗實), who killed other eunuchs supporting another son of Emperor Xuanzong, Li Zi the Prince of Kui.

  180. 778

    1. Roland, Frankish military leader deaths

      1. Frankish military leader under Charlemagne

        Roland

        Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was military governor of the Breton March, responsible for defending Francia's frontier against the Bretons. His only historical attestation is in Einhard's Vita Karoli Magni, which notes he was part of the Frankish rearguard killed in retribution by the Basques in Iberia at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass.

  181. 767

    1. Abu Hanifa, Iraqi scholar and educator (b. 699) deaths

      1. Calendar year

        AD 767

        Year 767 (DCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar, the 767th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 767th year of the 1st millennium, the 67th year of the 8th century, and the 8th year of the 760s decade. The denomination 767 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

      2. 8th-century Persian Sunni theologian and jurist

        Abu Hanifa

        Nuʿmān ibn Thābit ibn Zūṭā ibn Marzubān, commonly known by his kunya Abū Ḥanīfa, or reverently as Imam Abū Ḥanīfa by Sunni Muslims, was a Persian Sunni Muslim theologian and jurist who became the eponymous founder of the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence, which has remained the most widely practiced law school in the Sunni tradition, predominates in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran, Balkans, Russia, Chechnya, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Muslims in India, Turkey, and some parts of the Arab world.

  182. 465

    1. Libius Severus, Roman emperor (b. 420) deaths

      1. Western Roman emperor from 461 to 465

        Libius Severus

        Libius Severus, sometimes enumerated as Severus III, was emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 461 to his death in 465. A native of Lucania, Severus was the fourth of the so-called Shadow Emperors who followed the deposition of the Valentinianic dynasty in 455. He ruled for just under four years, attaining the throne after his predecessor, Majorian, was overthrown by his magister militum, Ricimer. Severus was the first of a series of emperors who were highly dependent on the general, and it is often presumed that Ricimer held most of the de facto power during Severus' reign

  183. 423

    1. Honorius, Roman emperor (b. 384) deaths

      1. Roman emperor from 393 to 423

        Honorius (emperor)

        Honorius was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. After the death of Theodosius, Honorius ruled the western half of the empire while his brother Arcadius ruled the eastern half. In 410, during Honorius's reign over the Western Roman Empire, Rome was sacked for the first time in almost 800 years.

  184. 398

    1. Lan Han, official of the Xianbei state Later Yan deaths

      1. Emperor of Later Yan

        Lan Han

        Lan Han was an official and a consort kin of the Xianbei-led Chinese Later Yan dynasty, who killed the emperor Murong Bao in 398 and briefly took over the regime before being killed by Murong Bao's son Murong Sheng.

      2. Para-Mongolic ancient people of Manchuria and Mongolia

        Xianbei

        The Xianbei were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into the Wuhuan and Xianbei when they were defeated by the Xiongnu at the end of the third century BC. The Xianbei were largely subordinate to larger nomadic powers and the Han dynasty until they gained prominence in 87 AD by killing the Xiongnu chanyu Youliu. However unlike the Xiongnu, the Xianbei political structure lacked the organization to pose a concerted challenge to the Chinese for most of their time as a nomadic people.

      3. Dynastic state in Northeast China (384-409 CE)

        Later Yan

        Yan, known in historiography as the Later Yan was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Xianbei people, located in modern-day northeast China, during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms.

Holidays

  1. Armed Forces Day (Poland)

    1. Armed Forces Day (Poland)

      Armed Forces Day, known also as the Feast of the Polish Armed Forces, is a national holiday celebrated annually on 15 August in Poland, commemorating the anniversary of the 1920 victory over Soviet Russia at the Battle of Warsaw during the Polish–Soviet War. Armed Forces Day is held in conjunction with the Day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, itself a separate public holiday. The event is marked by military parades, equipment reviews, showcases and remembrances by all branches of the Polish Armed Forces across the country. One of the most prominent events of the day is in the capital Warsaw, which hosts a large military parade through the city's center. Originally celebrated during the Second Republic, the holiday was barred by authorities during the communist era beginning in 1947, only to be revived again in 1992.

  2. Christian feast day: Altfrid

    1. Altfrid

      Saint Altfrid was a leading figure in Germany in the ninth century. A Benedictine monk, he became Bishop of Hildesheim, and founded Essen Abbey. He was also a close royal adviser to the East Frankish King Louis the German.

  3. Christian feast day: Alypius of Thagaste

    1. Alypius of Thagaste

      Alypius of Thagaste was bishop of the see of Tagaste in 394. He was a lifelong friend of Augustine of Hippo and joined him in his conversion and life in Christianity. He is credited with helping establish Augustine's monastery in Africa. Most of what is known about him comes from Augustine's autobiographical Confessions.

  4. Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches)

    1. Great Feast in various Christian churches

      Dormition of the Mother of God

      The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the Theotokos, and her being taken up into heaven. It is celebrated on 15 August as the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Dormition not on a fixed date, but on the Sunday nearest 15 August. In Western Churches the corresponding feast is known as the Assumption of Mary, with the exception of the Scottish Episcopal Church, which has traditionally celebrated the Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 15 August.

    2. Second-largest Christian church

      Eastern Orthodox Church

      The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods. The church has no central doctrinal or governmental authority analogous to the head of the Roman Catholic Church—the Pope—but the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognized by them as primus inter pares, which may be explained as a representative of the church. As one of the oldest surviving religious institutions in the world, the Eastern Orthodox Church has played a prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The Eastern Orthodox Church officially calls itself the Orthodox Catholic Church.

    3. Branch of Eastern Christianity

      Oriental Orthodox Churches

      The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent one of its oldest branches.

    4. 23 Eastern Christian churches in full communion with Rome

      Eastern Catholic Churches

      The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous particular churches of the Catholic Church, in full communion with the Pope in Rome. Although they are distinct theologically, liturgically, and historically from the Latin Church, they are all in full communion with it and with each other. Eastern Catholics are a distinct minority within the Catholic Church; of the 1.3 billion Catholics in communion with the Pope, approximately 18 million are members of the eastern churches.

  5. Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Ferragosto (Italy)

    1. Public holiday in Italy

      Ferragosto

      Ferragosto is a public holiday celebrated on August 15th in all of Italy. It originates from Feriae Augusti, the festival of emperor Augustus, who made the 1st of August a day of rest after weeks of hard work on the agricultural sector. It became a custom for the workers to wish their employers "buon ferragosto" and receive a monetary bonus in return. This became law during the Renaissance throughout the papal states. As the festivity was created for political reasons, the Catholic Church decided to move the festivity to the 15th of August which is the Assumption of Mary allowing them to include this in the festivity. This festivity was also used by Mussolini to give the lower classes the possibility to visit cultural cities or go to the seaside for one to three days, from the 14th of August to the 16th, by creating "holiday trains" with extremely low cost tickets, for this holiday period. Food and board was not included, which is why even today Italians associate packed lunches and barbecues with this day. By metonymy, it is also the summer vacation period around mid-August, which may be a long weekend or most of August. Until 2010, 90% of companies, shops and industries closed; however, because closing an entire country's economy for an entire month would result in serious financial impacts and workplace backlogs, most companies now close for about two weeks and require all workers to take mandatory vacation, similar to the practice of workplaces closing between the 25th of December and the first of January.

    2. Country in Southern Europe

      Italy

      Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, in Southern Europe; its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region. Italy is also considered part of Western Europe. A unitary parliamentary republic with Rome as its capital and largest city, the country covers a total area of 301,230 km2 (116,310 sq mi) and shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. Italy has a territorial exclave in Switzerland, Campione. With over 60 million inhabitants, Italy is the third-most populous member state of the European Union.

  6. Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Lady's Day (Ireland)

    1. Feast of the Annunciation, usually 25 March

      Lady Day

      In the Western liturgical year, Lady Day is the traditional name in some English-speaking countries of the Feast of the Annunciation, which is celebrated on 25 March, and commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

    2. Country in north-western Europe

      Republic of Ireland

      Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. Around 2.1 million of the country's population of 5.13 million people resides in the Greater Dublin Area. The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a lower house, Dáil Éireann; an upper house, Seanad Éireann; and an elected President who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state, but with some important powers and duties. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers.

  7. Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Māras (Latvia)

    1. Māras

      Māras or Māra Day was a Latvian festival, devoted to Māra, an ancient deity, and was celebrated on 15 August. According to solar calendar, Māras marks the midpoint between Jāņi, which is summer solstice, and Miķeļi, that represents the end of the harvest season. The actual date, likely, is the result of Christian influence, identifying Māra with Virgin Mary, whose devoted holiday is observed on 15 August. 1% svin šos svētkus.

    2. Country in Northern Europe

      Latvia

      Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the Baltic states; and is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts; and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population.

  8. Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Mother's Day (Antwerp and Costa Rica)

    1. Celebration honouring mothers

      Mother's Day

      Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations, largely pushed by commercial interests, honoring family members, such as Father's Day, Siblings Day, and Grandparents' Day.

    2. Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

      Antwerp

      Antwerp is the largest city in Belgium by area at 204.51 square kilometres (78.96 sq mi) and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, it is the most populous municipality in Belgium, and with a metropolitan population of around 1,200,000 people, it is the second-largest metropolitan region in Belgium, after only Brussels.

    3. Country in Central America

      Costa Rica

      Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around five million in a land area of 51,060 km2 (19,710 sq mi). An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area.

  9. Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: National Acadian Day (Acadians)

    1. National Acadian Day

      The National Acadian Day is observed in parts of Canada each year on August 15, to celebrate Acadian culture. It was during the first National Convention of the Acadians held at Memramcook, New Brunswick, in 1881 that the Acadian leaders received the mandate to set the date of this celebration, which is also the feast of the Assumption of Mary.

    2. Descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia

      Acadians

      The Acadians are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the descendants of a few Acadians who escaped the Expulsion of the Acadians re-settled. Most Acadians in Canada continue to live in majority French-speaking communities, notably those in New Brunswick where Acadians and Francophones are granted autonomy in areas such as education and health.

  10. Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Navy Day (Romania)

    1. Day to celebrate the naval forces in some countries

      Navy Day

      Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy.

    2. Country in Southeast Europe

      Romania

      Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeast Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and the Black Sea to the southeast. It has a predominantly temperate-continental climate, and an area of 238,397 km2 (92,046 sq mi), with a population of around 19 million. Romania is the twelfth-largest country in Europe and the sixth-most populous member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, followed by Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Constanța, Craiova, Brașov, and Galați.

  11. Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. (Tenerife, Spain)

    1. Marian apparition

      Virgin of Candelaria

      The Virgin of Candelaria or Our Lady of Candle, popularly called La Morenita, celebrates the Virgin Mary on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands (Spain). The center of worship is located in the city of Candelaria in Tenerife. She is depicted as a Black Madonna. The "Royal Basilica Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria" is considered the main church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Canary Islands and she is the patron saint of the Canary Islands. Her feast is celebrated on February 2 and August 15, the patronal feast of the Canary Islands.

    2. Spanish archipelago and region in the Atlantic Ocean

      Canary Islands

      The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres west of Morocco. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain. The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and they are the most populous special territory of the European Union.

    3. Largest, most populous Canary Island

      Tenerife

      Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of 2,034 square kilometres (785 sq mi) and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of January 2022, it is also the most populous island of Spain and of Macaronesia.

    4. Country in southwestern Europe

      Spain

      Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country primarily located in southwestern Europe with parts of territory in the Atlantic Ocean and across the Mediterranean Sea. The largest part of Spain is situated on the Iberian Peninsula; its territory also includes the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla in Africa. The country's mainland is bordered to the south by Gibraltar; to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea; to the north by France, Andorra and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. With an area of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi), Spain is the second-largest country in the European Union (EU) and, with a population exceeding 47.4 million, the fourth-most populous EU member state. Spain's capital and largest city is Madrid; other major urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Málaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Bilbao.

  12. Christian feast day: San La Muerte (Paraguayan Folk Catholicism)

    1. Folk saint and personification of Death in South America

      San La Muerte

      San La Muerte folk saint and the personification of death, it is represented as a skeletal idol wearing a hooded cloak in South America. Paraguay, northeast Argentina and southern Brazil are the main centres of the cult of San La Muerta. As the result of internal migration in Argentina since the 1960s the veneration of San La Muerte has been extended to Greater Buenos Aires and the national prison system as well.

    2. Country in South America

      Paraguay

      Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It has a population of seven million, nearly three million of whom live in the capital and largest city of Asunción, and its surrounding metro. Although one of only two landlocked countries in South America, Paraguay has ports on the Paraguay and Paraná rivers that give exit to the Atlantic Ocean, through the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway.

    3. Variety of regional or ethnic expressions of Catholicism

      Folk Catholicism

      Folk Catholicism can be broadly described as various ethnic expressions and practices of Catholicism intermingled with aspects of folk religion. Practices have varied from place to place, and may at times contradict the official doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church as well as overall Christianity.

  13. Christian feast day: Santa Muerte (Mexican Folk Catholicism)

    1. Mexican cult image, female deity, and folk saint

      Santa Muerte

      Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte, often shortened to Santa Muerte, is a cult image, female deity, and folk saint in folk Catholicism and Mexican Neopaganism. A personification of death, she is associated with healing, protection, and safe delivery to the afterlife by her devotees. Despite condemnation by leaders of the Catholic Church, and more recently evangelical movements, her following has become increasingly prominent since the turn of the 21st century.

    2. Variety of regional or ethnic expressions of Catholicism

      Folk Catholicism

      Folk Catholicism can be broadly described as various ethnic expressions and practices of Catholicism intermingled with aspects of folk religion. Practices have varied from place to place, and may at times contradict the official doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church as well as overall Christianity.

  14. Christian feast day: Tarcisius

    1. Tarcisius

      Tarsicius or Tarcisius was a martyr of the early Christian church who lived in the 3rd century. The little that is known about him comes from a metrical inscription by Pope Damasus I, who was pope in the second half of the 4th century.

  15. Christian feast day: August 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

    1. August 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

      August 14 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - August 16

  16. Constitution Day (Equatorial Guinea)

    1. Public holidays in Equatorial Guinea

  17. Founding of Asunción (Paraguay)

    1. Public holidays in Paraguay

      The following are national holidays in Paraguay

    2. Country in South America

      Paraguay

      Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It has a population of seven million, nearly three million of whom live in the capital and largest city of Asunción, and its surrounding metro. Although one of only two landlocked countries in South America, Paraguay has ports on the Paraguay and Paraná rivers that give exit to the Atlantic Ocean, through the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway.

  18. Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945: Gwangbokjeol, "Independence Day" (South Korea)

    1. National holiday in Korea

      National Liberation Day of Korea

      The National Liberation Day of Korea is a holiday celebrated annually on 15 August in both South and North Korea. It commemorates Victory over Japan Day, when the United States and the Soviet Union liberated Korea from 35 years of Japanese rule.

    2. Country in East Asia

      South Korea

      South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), Korea Republic, is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of 51.75 million, of which roughly half live in the Seoul Capital Area, the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the world. Other major cities include Incheon, Busan, and Daegu.

  19. Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945: Jogukhaebangui nal, "Fatherland Liberation Day" (North Korea)

    1. National holiday in Korea

      National Liberation Day of Korea

      The National Liberation Day of Korea is a holiday celebrated annually on 15 August in both South and North Korea. It commemorates Victory over Japan Day, when the United States and the Soviet Union liberated Korea from 35 years of Japanese rule.

    2. Country in East Asia

      North Korea

      North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and Tumen rivers, and South Korea to the south at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. North Korea's border with South Korea is a disputed border as both countries claim the entirety of the Korean Peninsula. The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. North Korea, like its southern counterpart, claims to be the legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. Pyongyang is the capital and largest city.

  20. Independence Day, celebrates the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947.

    1. Public holiday celebrated on 15 August

      Independence Day (India)

      Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, which transferred legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly, came into effect. India retained King George VI as head of state until its transition to a republic, when the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950 and replaced the dominion prefix, Dominion of India, with the enactment of the sovereign law Constitution of India. India attained independence following the independence movement noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience.

    2. Country in South Asia

      India

      India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

    3. Country in north-west Europe

      United Kingdom

      The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is 242,495 square kilometres (93,628 sq mi), with an estimated 2020 population of more than 67 million people.

  21. Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960.

    1. Public holidays in the Republic of the Congo

      This is a list of public holidays in the Republic of Congo.

    2. Country in Central Africa

      Republic of the Congo

      The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the west of the Congo river. It is bordered to the west by Gabon, to its northwest by Cameroon and its northeast by the Central African Republic, to the southeast by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to its south by the Angolan exclave of Cabinda and to its southwest by the Atlantic Ocean.

  22. National Day (Liechtenstein)

    1. Public holidays in Liechtenstein

      This is a list of public holidays in Liechtenstein.

    2. Microstate in the Alps

      Liechtenstein

      Liechtenstein, officially the Principality of Liechtenstein, is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy headed by the Prince of Liechtenstein.

  23. National Mourning Day, observed on Srabon 31 (Bangladesh)

    1. National mourning day of Bangladesh

      National Mourning Day of Bangladesh is celebrated as a national day in Bangladesh. On 15th August of every year, the day is observed with mourning. The black flag is hoisted as well as the national flag is kept at half-mast.

    2. Srabon

      Srabon or Shaon is the fourth month of the Bengali calendar and one of the two months that make up the wet season, locally called "Barsha". Artisans start making idols for Durga Puja, Kali Puja, etc. in this month.

    3. Country in South Asia

      Bangladesh

      Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of 148,460 square kilometres (57,320 sq mi). Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world, and shares land borders with India to the west, north, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast; to the south it has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal. It is narrowly separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor; and from China by the Indian state of Sikkim in the north. Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's political, financial and cultural centre. Chittagong, the second-largest city, is the busiest port on the Bay of Bengal. The official language is Bengali, one of the easternmost branches of the Indo-European language family.

  24. The first day of Flooding of the Nile, or Wafaa El-Nil (Egypt and Coptic Church)

    1. Natural phenomenon in Egypt since ancient times

      Flooding of the Nile

      The flooding of the Nile has been an important natural cycle in Egypt since ancient times. It is celebrated by Egyptians as an annual holiday for two weeks starting August 15, known as Wafaa El-Nil. It is also celebrated in the Coptic Church by ceremonially throwing a martyr's relic into the river, hence the name, The Martyr's Finger. The flooding of the Nile was poetically described in myth as Isis's tears of sorrow for Osiris when killed by their brother Set.

    2. Country in Northeast Africa and Southwest Asia

      Egypt

      Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip of Palestine and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt, while Alexandria, the second-largest city, is an important industrial and tourist hub at the Mediterranean coast. At approximately 100 million inhabitants, Egypt is the 14th-most populated country in the world.

    3. Oriental Orthodox Christian church

      Coptic Orthodox Church

      The Coptic Orthodox Church, also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt, servicing Africa and the Middle East. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the Pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark, who also carries the title of Father of fathers, Shepherd of Shepherds, Ecumenical Judge and the thirteenth among the Apostles. The See of Alexandria is titular, and today, the Coptic Pope presides from Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in the Abbassia District in Cairo. The church follows the Coptic Rite for its liturgy, prayer and devotional patrimony. The church has approximately 25 million members worldwide and is Egypt's largest Christian denomination.

  25. The main day of Bon Festival (Japan), and its related observances: Awa Dance Festival (Tokushima Prefecture)

    1. Obon festival in Tokushima, Japan

      Awa Dance Festival

      The Awa Dance Festival is held from 12 to 15 August as part of the Obon festival in Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku in Japan. Awa Odori is the largest dance festival in Japan, attracting over 1.3 million tourists every year.

    2. Prefecture of Japan

      Tokushima Prefecture

      Tokushima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2. Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, Ehime Prefecture to the west, and Kōchi Prefecture to the southwest.

  26. Victory over Japan Day (United Kingdom), and its related observances: End-of-war Memorial Day, when the National Memorial Service for War Dead is held (Japan)

    1. National Memorial Service for War Dead

      The National Memorial Service for War Dead is an official, secular ceremony conducted annually on August 15, by the Japanese government at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. The ceremony is held to commemorate the victims of World War II. The first memorial ceremony was held on May 2, 1952.

    2. Island country in East Asia

      Japan

      Japan is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 6852 islands covering 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq mi); the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.