On This Day /

Important events in history
on February 29 th

Events

  1. 2020

    1. Joe Biden wins the South Carolina primary election.

      1. President of the United States since 2021

        Joe Biden

        Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is an American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 under President Barack Obama, and represented Delaware in the United States Senate from 1973 to 2009.

      2. 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.

      3. Selection of the Democratic Party nominee

        2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

        Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 3,979 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention held on August 17–20 to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2020 United States presidential election. The elections took place in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and Democrats Abroad, and occurred between February 3 and August 11.

    2. South Korea reports a record total of 3,150 confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

      1. Contagious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2

        COVID-19

        Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.

      2. Ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019

        COVID-19 pandemic

        The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified from an outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Attempts to contain failed, allowing the virus to spread to other areas of Asia and later worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020 and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As of 1 December 2022, the pandemic had caused more than 643 million cases and 6.63 million confirmed deaths, making it one of the deadliest in history.

    3. During a demonstration, pro-government colectivos shoot at disputed President and Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, leaving five injured.

      1. Colectivo (Venezuela)

        Colectivos are far-left Venezuelan groups that support Nicolás Maduro, the Bolivarian government, the Great Patriotic Pole (GPP) political alliance and the ruling party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Colectivo has become an umbrella term for armed paramilitary groups that operate in poverty-stricken areas and attack individuals, engaging in "extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking and murder". They commit extrajudicial killings and terrorize those who disagree with them with impunity.

      2. 2020 attack in Venezuela

        2020 Barquisimeto shooting

        The 2020 Barquisimeto shooting occurred on 29 February 2020, when pro-government colectivos shot at the Speaker of the National Assembly of Venezuela Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Lara state during a demonstration, leaving ten injured.

      3. Parliament of Venezuela

        National Assembly (Venezuela)

        The National Assembly is the legislature for Venezuela that was first elected in 2000. It is a unicameral body made up of a variable number of members, who were elected by a "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vote partly by direct election in state-based voting districts, and partly on a state-based party-list proportional representation system. The number of seats is constant, each state and the Capital district elected three representatives plus the result of dividing the state population by 1.1% of the total population of the country. Three seats are reserved for representatives of Venezuela's indigenous peoples and elected separately by all citizens, not just those with indigenous backgrounds. For the 2010 to 2015 the number of seats was 165. All deputies serve five-year terms. The National Assembly meets in the Federal Legislative Palace in Venezuela's capital, Caracas.

      4. Venezuelan politician and engineer

        Juan Guaidó

        Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez is a Venezuelan politician, a former member of the social-democratic Popular Will party, and federal deputy to the National Assembly representing the state of Vargas. On 23 January 2019, Guaidó and the National Assembly declared he was acting president of Venezuela, starting the Venezuelan presidential crisis by challenging Nicolás Maduro's presidency.

      5. Place in Lara, Venezuela

        Barquisimeto

        Barquisimeto is a city in Venezuela. It is the capital of the state of Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial and transportation center of the country, recognized as the fourth-largest city by population and area in Venezuela after Caracas, Maracaibo and Valencia.

      6. Country in South America

        Venezuela

        Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It has a territorial extension of 916,445 km2 (353,841 sq mi), and its population was estimated at 29 million in 2022. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of Caracas.

    4. The United States and the Taliban sign the Doha Agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan.

      1. Country in North America

        United States

        The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or informally America, is a country in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. It is the third-largest country by both land and total area. The United States shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south. It has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 331 million, it is the third most populous country in the world. The national capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city and financial center is New York City.

      2. 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.

      3. Peace agreement between the US and the Taliban

        US–Taliban deal

        The Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan, commonly known as the US–Taliban deal or the Doha Agreement, was a peace agreement signed by the United States and the Taliban on February 29, 2020 in Doha, Qatar, to bring an end to the 2001–2021 war in Afghanistan. Negotiated by Zalmay Khalilzad, the agreement did not involve the then Afghan government. The deal, which also had secret annexes, was one of the critical events that caused the collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces. Adhering to the conditions of the deal, the US dramatically reduced the number of US air raids, leaving the ANDSF without a key advantage in keeping the Taliban at bay. This resulted in 'a sense of abandonment within the ANDSF and the Afghan population'. ANDSF was ill-prepared to sustain security following a US withdrawal, which allowed for the Taliban insurgency, ultimately leading to the Taliban takeover of Kabul on 15 August 2021.

      4. 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. 2016

    1. At least 40 people are killed and 58 others wounded following a suicide bombing by ISIL at a Shi'ite funeral in the city of Miqdadiyah, Diyala.

      1. Violent attack in which the attacker accepts their own death

        Suicide attack

        A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout history, often as part of a military campaign, and more recently as part of terrorist campaigns.

      2. Salafi jihadist militant Islamist group

        Islamic State

        The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and by its Arabic acronym Daesh, is a militant Islamist group and former unrecognized quasi-state that follows the Salafi jihadist branch of Sunni Islam. It was founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 1999 and gained global prominence in 2014, when it drove Iraqi security forces out of key cities during the Anbar campaign, which was followed by its capture of Mosul and the Sinjar massacre.

      3. Second-most populous Islamic denomination

        Shia Islam

        Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (khalīfa) and the Imam after him, most notably at the event of Ghadir Khumm, but was prevented from succeeding Muhammad as the leader of the Muslims as a result of the choice made by some of Muhammad's other companions (ṣaḥāba) at Saqifah. This view primarily contrasts with that of Sunnī Islam, whose adherents believe that Muhammad did not appoint a successor before his death and consider Abū Bakr, who was appointed caliph by a group of senior Muslims at Saqifah, to be the first rightful (rāshidūn) caliph after Muhammad. Adherents of Shīʿa Islam are called Shīʿa Muslims, Shīʿītes, or simply Shīʿa or Shia.

      4. Place in Diyala, Iraq

        Miqdadiyah

        Miqdadiyah is a city in the Diyala Governorate of Iraq. Its population is a mix of Arabs, Turkmens and Kurds. The city is located about 80 km northeast of Baghdad and 30 km northeast of Baquba.

      5. Governorate of Iraq

        Diyala Governorate

        Diyala Governorate or Diyala Province is a governorate in central-eastern Iraq.

  3. 2012

    1. Construction of Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest tower and second-tallest structure, was completed.

      1. Broadcasting and observation tower in Tokyo, Japan

        Tokyo Skytree

        Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634 meters (2,080 ft) in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world, displacing the Canton Tower, and the third tallest structure in the world after the Merdeka 118 and the Burj Khalifa. It is also the tallest freestanding structure in the OECD, the G20 and G7 countries.

      2. List of tallest structures

        The tallest structure in the world is the Burj Khalifa skyscraper at 829.8 m (2,722 ft). Listed are guyed masts, self-supporting towers, skyscrapers, oil platforms, electricity transmission towers, and bridge support towers. This list is organized by absolute height. See List of tallest buildings and structures, List of tallest freestanding structures and List of tallest buildings and List of tallest towers for additional information about these types of structures.

    2. North Korea agrees to suspend uranium enrichment and nuclear and long-range missile tests in return for US food aid.

      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. Uranium in which isotope separation has been used to increase its proportion of uranium-235

        Enriched uranium

        Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238, uranium-235, and uranium-234. 235U is the only nuclide existing in nature that is fissile with thermal neutrons.

  4. 2008

    1. Belgian author Misha Defonseca admitted that her bestselling memoir about surviving the Holocaust was in fact a literary forgery.

      1. Author of a fraudulent Holocaust memoir

        Misha Defonseca

        Misha Defonseca is a Belgian-born impostor and the author of a fraudulent Holocaust memoir titled Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, first published in 1997 and at that time professed to be a true memoir. It became an instant success in Europe and was translated into 18 languages. The French version of the book was a derivative work based on the original with the title Survivre avec les loups that was published in 1997 by the Éditions Robert Laffont; this second version was adapted into the French film of the same name.

      2. Literary hoax

        Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years

        Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years is a literary hoax by Misha Defonseca, first published in 1997. The book was fraudulently published as a memoir telling the supposed true story of how the author survived the Holocaust as a young Jewish girl, wandering Europe searching for her deported parents. The book sold well in several countries and was made into a film, Survivre avec les loups, named after the claim that Misha was adopted by a pack of wolves during her journey who protected her.

      3. Literary work which is either deliberately misattributed to a historical or invented author

        Literary forgery

        Literary forgery is writing, such as a manuscript or a literary work, which is either deliberately misattributed to a historical or invented author, or is a purported memoir or other presumably nonfictional writing deceptively presented as true when, in fact, it presents untrue or imaginary information or content.

    2. The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence withdraws Prince Harry from a tour of Afghanistan after news of his deployment is leaked to foreign media.

      1. UK Government department responsible for defence

        Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

        The Ministry of Defence is the department responsible for implementing the defence policy set by His Majesty's Government, and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces.

      2. Member of the British royal family (born 1984)

        Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

        Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succession to the British throne.

      3. British operations in Afghanistan 2002–2014

        Operation Herrick

        Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and support to the American-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), within the central Asian country.

    3. Misha Defonseca admits to fabricating her memoir, Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, in which she claims to have lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during the Holocaust.

      1. Author of a fraudulent Holocaust memoir

        Misha Defonseca

        Misha Defonseca is a Belgian-born impostor and the author of a fraudulent Holocaust memoir titled Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, first published in 1997 and at that time professed to be a true memoir. It became an instant success in Europe and was translated into 18 languages. The French version of the book was a derivative work based on the original with the title Survivre avec les loups that was published in 1997 by the Éditions Robert Laffont; this second version was adapted into the French film of the same name.

      2. Literary hoax

        Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years

        Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years is a literary hoax by Misha Defonseca, first published in 1997. The book was fraudulently published as a memoir telling the supposed true story of how the author survived the Holocaust as a young Jewish girl, wandering Europe searching for her deported parents. The book sold well in several countries and was made into a film, Survivre avec les loups, named after the claim that Misha was adopted by a pack of wolves during her journey who protected her.

      3. Genocide of European Jews by Nazi Germany

        The Holocaust

        The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. The murders were carried out in pogroms and mass shootings; by a policy of extermination through labor in concentration camps; and in gas chambers and gas vans in German extermination camps, chiefly Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bełżec, Chełmno, Majdanek, Sobibór, and Treblinka in occupied Poland.

  5. 2004

    1. Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was overthrown following popular rebel uprising.

      1. Haitian priest and politician; President of Haiti (1991, 1994–96, 2001–04)

        Jean-Bertrand Aristide

        Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies to become a priest. He became a focal point for the pro-democracy movement first under Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and then under the military transition regime which followed. He won the 1990–91 Haitian general election, with 67% of the vote. As a priest, he taught liberation theology and, as a president, he attempted to normalize Afro-Creole culture, including Vodou religion, in Haiti.

      2. Political event in Haiti

        2004 Haitian coup d'état

        A coup d'état in Haiti on 29 February 2004, following several weeks of conflict, resulted in the removal of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office. On 5 February 2004, a rebel group, called the National Revolutionary Front for the Liberation and Reconstruction of Haiti, took control of Haiti's fourth-largest city, Gonaïves. By 22 February, the rebels had captured Haiti's second-largest city, Cap-Haïtien and were besieging the capital, Port-au-Prince by the end of February. On the morning of 29 February, Aristide resigned under controversial circumstances and was flown from Haiti by U.S. military/security personnel. He went into exile, being flown directly to the Central African Republic, before eventually settling in South Africa.

    2. Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as president of Haiti following a coup.

      1. Haitian priest and politician; President of Haiti (1991, 1994–96, 2001–04)

        Jean-Bertrand Aristide

        Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies to become a priest. He became a focal point for the pro-democracy movement first under Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and then under the military transition regime which followed. He won the 1990–91 Haitian general election, with 67% of the vote. As a priest, he taught liberation theology and, as a president, he attempted to normalize Afro-Creole culture, including Vodou religion, in Haiti.

      2. Country in the Caribbean

        Haiti

        Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island which it shares with the Dominican Republic. To its south-west lies the small Navassa Island, which is claimed by Haiti but is disputed as a United States territory under federal administration. Haiti is 27,750 km2 (10,714 sq mi) in size, the third largest country in the Caribbean by area, and has an estimated population of 11.4 million, making it the most populous country in the Caribbean. The capital is Port-au-Prince.

      3. Political event in Haiti

        2004 Haitian coup d'état

        A coup d'état in Haiti on 29 February 2004, following several weeks of conflict, resulted in the removal of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office. On 5 February 2004, a rebel group, called the National Revolutionary Front for the Liberation and Reconstruction of Haiti, took control of Haiti's fourth-largest city, Gonaïves. By 22 February, the rebels had captured Haiti's second-largest city, Cap-Haïtien and were besieging the capital, Port-au-Prince by the end of February. On the morning of 29 February, Aristide resigned under controversial circumstances and was flown from Haiti by U.S. military/security personnel. He went into exile, being flown directly to the Central African Republic, before eventually settling in South Africa.

  6. 2000

    1. Chechens attack a guard post near Ulus Kert, eventually killing 84 Russian paratroopers during the Second Chechen War.

      1. 1999–2000 conflict in Chechnya and the North Caucasus

        Second Chechen War

        The Second Chechen War took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 to April 2009. In August 1999, Islamist fighters from Chechnya infiltrated Russia's Dagestan region, declaring it an independent state and calling for holy war. During the initial campaign, Russian military and pro-Russian Chechen paramilitary forces faced Chechen separatists in open combat and seized the Chechen capital Grozny after a winter siege that lasted from December 1999 until February 2000. Russia established direct rule over Chechnya in May 2000 although Chechen militant resistance throughout the North Caucasus region continued to inflict heavy Russian casualties and challenge Russian political control over Chechnya for several years. Both sides carried out attacks against civilians. These attacks drew international condemnation.

  7. 1996

    1. In the deadliest aviation accident in Peruvian history, Faucett Flight 251 crashed on approach to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport, killing all 123 people aboard.

      1. 1996 aviation accident

        Faucett Perú Flight 251

        Faucett Perú Flight 251 refers to a Boeing 737-200 that was operating a domestic scheduled Lima–Arequipa–Tacna passenger service and crashed on 29 February 1996, while completing the first leg, on approach to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport. All 123 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft lost their lives in the accident. It is the deadliest aviation accident that occurred on Peruvian soil.

      2. Airport in Peru

        Rodríguez Ballón International Airport

        Rodríguez Ballón International Airport is an airport serving Arequipa, the capital of Arequipa Region and Peru's second largest city. This airport and Cusco's Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport are the main air hubs in southern Peru. It is named for early Peruvian aviator Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón (es).

    2. Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes; all 123 passengers and crew are killed.

      1. 1996 aviation accident

        Faucett Perú Flight 251

        Faucett Perú Flight 251 refers to a Boeing 737-200 that was operating a domestic scheduled Lima–Arequipa–Tacna passenger service and crashed on 29 February 1996, while completing the first leg, on approach to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport. All 123 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft lost their lives in the accident. It is the deadliest aviation accident that occurred on Peruvian soil.

    3. The Siege of Sarajevo officially ends.

      1. Battle of the Bosnian War (1992–1996)

        Siege of Sarajevo

        The Siege of Sarajevo was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav People's Army, the city was then besieged by the Army of Republika Srpska from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996. It lasted three times longer than the Battle of Stalingrad, more than a year longer than the siege of Leningrad, a few months longer than the siege of Madrid and the Siege of Deir ez-Zor, and was the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.

  8. 1992

    1. First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum.

      1. 1992 Bosnian independence referendum

        An independence referendum was held in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 29 February and 1 March 1992, following the first free elections of 1990 and the rise of ethnic tensions that eventually led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. Independence was strongly favored by Bosniak and Bosnian Croat voters while Bosnian Serbs boycotted the referendum or were prevented from participating by Bosnian Serb authorities.

  9. 1988

    1. South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 other clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.

      1. South African bishop and anti-apartheid activist (1931–2021)

        Desmond Tutu

        Desmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from black theology with African theology.

      2. South African system of racial separation

        Apartheid

        Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was characterised by an authoritarian political culture based on baasskap, which ensured that South Africa was dominated politically, socially, and economically by the nation's minority white population. According to this system of social stratification, white citizens had the highest status, followed by Indians and Coloureds, then black Africans. The economic legacy and social effects of apartheid continue to the present day.

      3. Legislative capital of South Africa

        Cape Town

        Cape Town is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest. Colloquially named the Mother City, it is the largest city of the Western Cape province, and is managed by the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The other two capitals are Pretoria, the executive capital, located in Gauteng, where the Presidency is based, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital in the Free State, where the Supreme Court of Appeal is located.

    2. Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the House of Commons of Canada to come out as gay.

      1. Canadian politician

        Svend Robinson

        Svend Robinson is a Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 2004, who represented suburban Vancouver-area constituencies of Burnaby for the New Democratic Party (NDP). He is noted as the first member of Parliament in Canadian history to come out as gay while in office. In 2004, he pled guilty to stealing an expensive ring and decided not to run in the June 2004 election. At the time, he was one of the longest-serving members in the House of Commons, having been elected and re-elected for seven consecutive terms. In the 2019 Canadian federal election, Robinson was the NDP candidate for the riding of Burnaby North-Seymour, but lost to the Liberal incumbent Terry Beech by 1,560 votes.

      2. Lower house of the Canadian Parliament

        House of Commons of Canada

        The House of Commons of Canada is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.

      3. Process of revealing one's sexual orientation or other attributes

        Coming out

        Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation or their gender identity.

  10. 1984

    1. Pierre Trudeau announces his retirement as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Canada.

      1. Prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and 1980 to 1984

        Pierre Trudeau

        Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. He also briefly served as the leader of the Opposition from 1979 to 1980. He served as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1968 to 1984.

      2. Centre to centre-left political party in Canada

        Liberal Party of Canada

        The Liberal Party of Canada is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism, and generally sits at the centre to centre-left of the Canadian political spectrum, with their rival, the Conservative Party, positioned to their right and the New Democratic Party, who at times aligned itself with the Liberals during minority governments, positioned to their left. The party is described as "big tent", practising "brokerage politics", attracting support from a broad spectrum of voters. The Liberal Party is the longest-serving and oldest active federal political party in the country, and has dominated federal politics of Canada for much of its history, holding power for almost 70 years of the 20th century. As a result, it has sometimes been referred to as Canada's "natural governing party".

      3. Head of government of Canada

        Prime Minister of Canada

        The prime minister of Canada is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as such, the prime minister typically sits as a member of Parliament (MP) and leads the largest party or a coalition of parties. As first minister, the prime minister selects ministers to form the Cabinet, and serves as its chair. Constitutionally, the Crown exercises executive power on the advice of the Cabinet, which is collectively responsible to the House of Commons.

  11. 1980

    1. La Bougie du Sapeur, a humorous French newspaper that is published only on leap days, printed its first issue.

      1. French satirical newspaper published only on Leap Day

        La Bougie du Sapeur

        La Bougie du Sapeur is a French satirical newspaper launched in 1980 that is published only on Leap Day, making it the world's least frequently published newspaper.

    2. Gordie Howe of the Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.

      1. Canadian ice hockey player (1928–2016)

        Gordie Howe

        Gordon Howe was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seasons were spent with the Detroit Red Wings. Nicknamed "Mr. Hockey", Howe is often considered the most complete player to ever play the game and one of the greatest of all time. At his retirement, his 801 goals, 1049 assists, and 1850 total points were all NHL records that stood until they were broken by Wayne Gretzky, who himself has been a major champion of Howe's legacy. A 23-time NHL All-Star, he still holds the NHL record for seasons played, and his all-time NHL games played record of 1,767 was only surpassed in 2021 by Patrick Marleau. In 2017, Howe was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players".

      2. American professional ice hockey team

        Hartford Whalers

        The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1997. Originally based in Boston, the team joined the WHA in the league's inaugural season, and was known as the New England Whalers throughout its time in the WHA. The Whalers moved to Hartford in 1974 and joined the NHL in the NHL–WHA merger of 1979.

      3. North American professional ice hockey league

        National Hockey League

        The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ice hockey league in the world, and is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The NHL is the fifth-wealthiest professional sport league in the world by revenue, after the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the English Premier League (EPL).

  12. 1972

    1. South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam as part of Nixon's Vietnamization policy in the Vietnam War.

      1. Country in Southeast Asia

        Vietnam

        Vietnam or Viet Nam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of 311,699 square kilometres (120,348 sq mi) and population of 96 million, making it the world's fifteenth-most populous country. Vietnam borders China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west. It shares maritime borders with Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand, and the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia through the South China Sea. Its capital is Hanoi and largest city Ho Chi Minh City

      2. 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.

      3. Policy of American withdrawal from South Vietnam near the end of the Vietnam War

        Vietnamization

        Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard Nixon administration to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnamese forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops". Brought on by the Viet Cong's Tet Offensive, the policy referred to U.S. combat troops specifically in the ground combat role, but did not reject combat by the U.S. Air Force, as well as the support to South Vietnam, consistent with the policies of U.S. foreign military assistance organizations. U.S. citizens' mistrust of their government that had begun after the offensive worsened with the release of news about U.S. soldiers massacring civilians at My Lai (1968), the invasion of Cambodia (1970), and the leaking of the Pentagon Papers (1971).

      4. 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.

  13. 1960

    1. The deadliest earthquake in Moroccan history struck the city of Agadir, killing at least 12,000 people.

      1. Earthquake in Morocco

        1960 Agadir earthquake

        The 1960 Agadir earthquake occurred 29 February at 23:40 Western European Time near the city of Agadir, located in western Morocco on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the earthquake's moderate Mw scale magnitude of 5.8, its relatively shallow depth (15.0 km) resulted in strong surface shaking, with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Between 12,000 and 15,000 people were killed and another 12,000 injured with at least 35,000 people left homeless, making it the most destructive and deadliest earthquake in Moroccan history. Particularly hard hit were Founty, the Kasbah, Yachech/Ihchach and the Talborjt area. The earthquake's shallow focus, close proximity to the port city of Agadir, and unsatisfactory construction methods were all reasons declared by earthquake engineers and seismologists as to why it was so destructive.

      2. City in Souss-Massa, Morocco

        Agadir

        Agadir is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and 509 kilometres (316 mi) south of Casablanca. Agadir is the capital of the Agadir Ida-U-Tanan Prefecture and of the Souss-Massa economic region. The majority of its inhabitants speak Berber, one of Morocco's two official languages.

    2. The 5.7 Mw  Agadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.

      1. Earthquake in Morocco

        1960 Agadir earthquake

        The 1960 Agadir earthquake occurred 29 February at 23:40 Western European Time near the city of Agadir, located in western Morocco on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the earthquake's moderate Mw scale magnitude of 5.8, its relatively shallow depth (15.0 km) resulted in strong surface shaking, with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Between 12,000 and 15,000 people were killed and another 12,000 injured with at least 35,000 people left homeless, making it the most destructive and deadliest earthquake in Moroccan history. Particularly hard hit were Founty, the Kasbah, Yachech/Ihchach and the Talborjt area. The earthquake's shallow focus, close proximity to the port city of Agadir, and unsatisfactory construction methods were all reasons declared by earthquake engineers and seismologists as to why it was so destructive.

      2. 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. 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 vibrant mix of Berber, Arab, and European cultures. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca.

      3. Seismic intensity scale used to quantify the degree of shaking during earthquakes

        Modified Mercalli intensity scale

        The Modified Mercalli intensity scale, developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location, distinguished from the earthquake's inherent force or strength as measured by seismic magnitude scales. While shaking is caused by the seismic energy released by an earthquake, earthquakes differ in how much of their energy is radiated as seismic waves. Deeper earthquakes also have less interaction with the surface, and their energy is spread out across a larger volume. Shaking intensity is localized, generally diminishing with distance from the earthquake's epicenter, but can be amplified in sedimentary basins and certain kinds of unconsolidated soils.

  14. 1944

    1. The Admiralty Islands campaign during the Pacific War of World War II began when American forces assaulted Los Negros Island, the third largest of the Admiralty Islands.

      1. Series of WWII battles

        Admiralty Islands campaign

        The Admiralty Islands campaign was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which the United States Army's 1st Cavalry Division took the Japanese-held Admiralty Islands.

      2. Theater of World War II fought in the Pacific and Asia

        Pacific War

        The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast Pacific Ocean theater, the South West Pacific theater, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the Soviet–Japanese War.

      3. 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.

      4. Island in Papua New Guinea

        Los Negros Island

        Los Negros Island is the third largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is significant because it contains the main airport of Manus Province on its eastern coastline, at Momote. It is connected to Lorengau, the capital of the province, on Manus Island via a highway and bridge across the Lonui Passage, which separates Los Negros from the larger Manus Island.

      5. Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean

        Admiralty Islands

        The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island.

    2. The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer, led by American general Douglas MacArthur, in World War II.

      1. Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean

        Admiralty Islands

        The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island.

      2. Series of WWII battles

        Admiralty Islands campaign

        The Admiralty Islands campaign was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which the United States Army's 1st Cavalry Division took the Japanese-held Admiralty Islands.

      3. American military leader (1880–1964)

        Douglas MacArthur

        Douglas MacArthur was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s, and he played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. MacArthur was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times, and received it for his service in the Philippines campaign. This made him along with his father Arthur MacArthur Jr. the first father and son to be awarded the medal. He was one of only five men to rise to the rank of General of the Army in the U.S. Army, and the only one conferred the rank of field marshal in the Philippine Army.

  15. 1940

    1. For her performance as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.

      1. 1939 film by Victor Fleming

        Gone with the Wind (film)

        Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American epic historical romance film adapted from the 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell. The film was produced by David O. Selznick of Selznick International Pictures and directed by Victor Fleming. Set in the American South against the backdrop of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction era, the film tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, the strong-willed daughter of a Georgia plantation owner, following her romantic pursuit of Ashley Wilkes, who is married to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton, and her subsequent marriage to Rhett Butler.

      2. African-American actress (1893–1952)

        Hattie McDaniel

        Hattie McDaniel was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first African American to win an Oscar. She has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1975, and in 2006 she became the first Black Oscar winner honored with a U.S. postage stamp. In 2010, she was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. In addition to acting, McDaniel recorded 16 blues sides between 1926 and 1929 and was a radio performer and television personality; she was the first Black woman to sing on radio in the United States. Although she appeared in more than 300 films, she received on-screen credits for only 83. Her best known other major films are Alice Adams, In This Our Life and Since You Went Away.

      3. Ethnic group in the United States

        African Americans

        African Americans are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslaved Africans who are from the United States. While some Black immigrants or their children may also come to identify as African-American, the majority of first generation immigrants do not, preferring to identify with their nation of origin.

      4. Award ceremony for films of 1939

        12th Academy Awards

        The 12th Academy Awards ceremony, held on February 29, 1940 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best in film for 1939 at a banquet in the Coconut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It was hosted by Bob Hope, in his first of nineteen turns as host.

      5. Annual awards for cinematic achievements

        Academy Awards

        The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment industry worldwide. Given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the awards are an international recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements, as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a golden statuette as a trophy, officially called the "Academy Award of Merit", although more commonly referred to by its nickname, the "Oscar". The statuette, depicting a knight rendered in the Art Deco style, was originally sculpted by Los Angeles artist George Stanley from a design sketch by art director Cedric Gibbons.

    2. Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations.

      1. 1939–1940 war between the Soviet Union and Finland

        Winter War

        The Winter War, also known as the First Soviet-Finnish War, was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. The war began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. Despite superior military strength, especially in tanks and aircraft, the Soviet Union suffered severe losses and initially made little headway. The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from the organisation.

    3. In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden's consul general in San Francisco.

      1. City in California, United States

        Berkeley, California

        Berkeley is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emeryville to the south and the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington to the north. Its eastern border with Contra Costa County generally follows the ridge of the Berkeley Hills. The 2020 census recorded a population of 124,321.

      2. American nuclear physicist (1901–1958)

        Ernest Lawrence

        Ernest Orlando Lawrence was an American nuclear physicist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939 for his invention of the cyclotron. He is known for his work on uranium-isotope separation for the Manhattan Project, as well as for founding the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

      3. 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.

      4. Diplomatic rank

        Consul (representative)

        A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people of the two countries.

      5. Consolidated city and county in California, United States

        San Francisco

        San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th most populous in the United States, with 815,201 residents as of 2021. It covers a land area of 46.9 square miles, at the end of the San Francisco Peninsula, making it the second most densely populated large U.S. city after New York City, and the fifth most densely populated U.S. county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs. Among the 331 U.S. cities proper with more than 100,000 residents, San Francisco was ranked first by per capita income and fifth by aggregate income as of 2019. Colloquial nicknames for San Francisco include SF, San Fran, The City, Frisco, and Baghdad by the Bay.

  16. 1936

    1. The February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.

      1. Failed 1936 coup d'état in Japan

        February 26 incident

        The February 26 Incident was an attempted coup d'état in the Empire of Japan on 26 February 1936. It was organized by a group of young Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) officers with the goal of purging the government and military leadership of their factional rivals and ideological opponents.

  17. 1920

    1. The Czechoslovak National Assembly adopts the Constitution.

      1. 1918–1938 republic in Central/Eastern Europe

        First Czechoslovak Republic

        The First Czechoslovak Republic, often colloquially referred to as the First Republic, was the first Czechoslovak state that existed from 1918 to 1938, a union of ethnic Czechs and Slovaks. The country was commonly called Czechoslovakia, a compound of Czech and Slovak; which gradually became the most widely used name for its successor states. It was composed of former territories of Austria-Hungary, inheriting different systems of administration from the formerly Austrian and Hungarian territories.

      2. Fundamental law of Czechoslovakia from 1920 to 1948

        Czechoslovak Constitution of 1920

        After World War I, Czechoslovakia established itself and as a republic and democracy with the establishment of the Constitution of 1920. The constitution was adopted by the National Assembly on 29 February 1920 and replaced the provisional constitution adopted on 13 November 1918.

  18. 1916

    1. Tokelau is annexed by the United Kingdom.

      1. Dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean

        Tokelau

        Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. They have a combined land area of 10 km2 (4 sq mi). The capital rotates yearly among the three atolls. In addition to these three, Swains Island, which forms part of the same archipelago, is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute; it is currently administered by the United States as part of American Samoa. Tokelau lies north of the Samoan Islands, east of Tuvalu, south of the Phoenix Islands, southwest of the more distant Line Islands, and northwest of the Cook Islands.

    2. In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from 12 to 14 years old.

      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. Stage of human physiological and financial development

        Working age

        Working age is the range of ages at which people are typically engaged in either paid or unpaid work. It typically sits between the ages of adolescence and retirement.

      3. Exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood

        Child labour

        Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation worldwide, although these laws do not consider all work by children as child labour; exceptions include work by child artists, family duties, supervised training, and some forms of work undertaken by Amish children, as well as by indigenous children in the Americas.

  19. 1912

    1. The Piedra Movediza (Moving Stone) of Tandil falls and breaks.

      1. Piedra Movediza

        La Piedra Movediza was a balancing rock located in Tandil, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Its weight was about 300 tons. It attracted attention and tourists because of the way it was balanced on the edge of a hill. The stone fell and broke on 29 February 1912. Some sources say it fell due to vandalism or vibrations caused by explosions in a nearby quarry.

      2. City in Buenos Aires, Argentina

        Tandil

        Tandil is the main city of the homonymous partido (department), located in Argentina, in the southeast of Buenos Aires Province, just north-northwest of Tandilia hills. The city was founded in 1823 and its name originates from the Piedra Movediza which fell in 1912. The city is the birthplace of many notable sports personalities, as well as former president of Argentina Mauricio Macri.

  20. 1892

    1. St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.

      1. City in Pinellas County, Florida, United States

        St. Petersburg, Florida

        St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the largest city in the state that is not a county seat. Along with Clearwater, these cities are part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area, the second-largest in Florida with a population of around 2.8 million. St. Petersburg is on the Pinellas peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and is connected to mainland Florida to the north.

  21. 1796

    1. The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.

      1. 1794 treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain to relieve post-war tension

        Jay Treaty

        The Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, commonly known as the Jay Treaty, and also as Jay's Treaty, was a 1794 treaty between the United States and Great Britain that averted war, resolved issues remaining since the Treaty of Paris of 1783, and facilitated ten years of peaceful trade between the United States and Britain in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars, which began in 1792. The Treaty was designed by Alexander Hamilton and supported by President George Washington. It angered France and bitterly divided Americans. It inflamed the new growth of two opposing parties in every state, the pro-Treaty Federalists and the anti-Treaty Jeffersonian Republicans.

  22. 1768

    1. A group of Polish nobles established the Bar Confederation to defend the internal and external independence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth against Russian influence and King Stanisław II Augustus (portrait shown).

      1. Legally privileged noble class in the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

        Szlachta

        The szlachta were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the state, exercising extensive political rights and power. Szlachta as a class differed significantly from the feudal nobility of Western Europe. The estate was officially abolished in 1921 by the March Constitution.

      2. Historical confederation

        Bar Confederation

        The Bar Confederation was an association of Polish nobles (szlachta) formed at the fortress of Bar in Podolia in 1768 to defend the internal and external independence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth against Russian influence and against King Stanislaus II Augustus with Polish reformers, who were attempting to limit the power of the Commonwealth's wealthy magnates. The founders of the Bar Confederation included the magnates Adam Stanisław Krasiński, Bishop of Kamieniec, Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł, Casimir Pulaski, his father and brothers and Michał Krasiński. Its creation led to a civil war and contributed to the First Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Maurice Benyovszky was the best known European Bar Confederation volunteer, supported by Roman Catholic France and Austria. Some historians consider the Bar Confederation the first Polish uprising.

      3. 1569–1795 bi-confederate monarchy in Europe

        Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

        The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch in real union, who was both King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. It was one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th- to 17th-century Europe. At its largest territorial extent, in the early 17th century, the Commonwealth covered almost 1,000,000 km2 (400,000 sq mi) and as of 1618 sustained a multi-ethnic population of almost 12 million. Polish and Latin were the two co-official languages.

      4. Last monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (r. 1764–95)

        Stanisław August Poniatowski

        Stanisław II August, known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

    2. Polish nobles form the Bar Confederation.

      1. Historical confederation

        Bar Confederation

        The Bar Confederation was an association of Polish nobles (szlachta) formed at the fortress of Bar in Podolia in 1768 to defend the internal and external independence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth against Russian influence and against King Stanislaus II Augustus with Polish reformers, who were attempting to limit the power of the Commonwealth's wealthy magnates. The founders of the Bar Confederation included the magnates Adam Stanisław Krasiński, Bishop of Kamieniec, Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł, Casimir Pulaski, his father and brothers and Michał Krasiński. Its creation led to a civil war and contributed to the First Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Maurice Benyovszky was the best known European Bar Confederation volunteer, supported by Roman Catholic France and Austria. Some historians consider the Bar Confederation the first Polish uprising.

  23. 1720

    1. Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on March 24.

      1. Queen of Sweden (1718-20); consort of King Frederick I (1720-41)

        Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden

        Ulrika Eleonora or Ulrica Eleanor, known as Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, was Queen of Sweden, reigning in her own right from 5 December 1718 until her abdication on 29 February 1720 in favour of her husband King Frederick, and then as his consort until her death.

      2. King of Sweden from 1720-51

        Frederick I of Sweden

        Frederick I was prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and King of Sweden from 1720 until his death and also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730. He ascended the throne following the death of his brother-in-law absolutist Charles XII in the Great Northern War, and the abdication of his wife, Charles's sister and successor Ulrika Eleonora, after she had to relinquish most powers to the Riksdag of the Estates and thus chose to abdicate. His powerless reign and lack of legitimate heirs of his own saw his family's elimination from the line of succession after the parliamentary government dominated by pro-revanchist Hat Party politicians ventured into a war with Russia, which ended in defeat and the Russian tsarina Elizabeth getting Adolf Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp instated following the death of the king.

  24. 1712

    1. February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Julian calendar.

      1. Description of non-standard dates used in calendars for various reasons

        List of non-standard dates

        Several non-standard dates are used in calendars. Some are used sarcastically, some for scientific or mathematical purposes, and some for exceptional or fictional calendars.

      2. Calendar in use in Sweden from 1700 to 1712

        Swedish calendar

        The Swedish calendar or Swedish style was a calendar in use in Sweden and its possessions from 1 March 1700 until 30 February 1712. It was one day ahead of the Julian calendar and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Easter was calculated astronomically, with a minor exception, from 1740 to 1844.

      3. Calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC

        Julian calendar

        The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on 1 January 45 BC, by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandria.

  25. 1704

    1. Queen Anne's War: French and Native American forces raided the English settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing more than 50 colonists.

      1. North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13)

        Queen Anne's War

        Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In Europe, it is generally viewed as the American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession; in the Americas, it is more commonly viewed as a standalone conflict. It is also known as the Third Indian War. In France it was known as the Second Intercolonial War.

      2. 1704 raid

        Raid on Deerfield

        The 1704 Raid on Deerfield occurred during Queen Anne's War on February 29 when French and Native American forces under the command of Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville attacked the English frontier settlement at Deerfield, Massachusetts, just before dawn. They burned part of the town and killed 47 villagers. The raiders left with 112 settlers as captives, whom they took overland the nearly 300 miles to Montreal. Some died or were killed along the way because they couldn't keep up. Some 60 persons were later ransomed by family and community. Others were adopted by Mohawk families at Kahnawake and became assimilated into the tribe. In this period, the English and their Indian allies were involved in similar raids against French villages along the northern area between the spheres of influence.

      3. Town in Massachusetts, United States

        Deerfield, Massachusetts

        Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Settled near the Connecticut River in the 17th century during the colonial era, the population was 5,090 as of the 2020 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area in western Massachusetts, lying 30 miles (48 km) north of the city of Springfield.

    2. In Queen Anne's War, French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.

      1. North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13)

        Queen Anne's War

        Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In Europe, it is generally viewed as the American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession; in the Americas, it is more commonly viewed as a standalone conflict. It is also known as the Third Indian War. In France it was known as the Second Intercolonial War.

      2. Indigenous peoples of the United States

        Native Americans in the United States

        Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States.. There are 574 federally recognized tribes living within the US, about half of which are associated with Indian reservations. As defined by the United States Census, "Native Americans" are Indigenous tribes that are originally from the contiguous United States, along with Alaska Natives. Indigenous peoples of the United States who are not listed as American Indian or Alaska Native include Native Hawaiians, Samoan Americans, and the Chamorro people. The US Census groups these peoples as "Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders".

      3. 1704 raid

        Raid on Deerfield

        The 1704 Raid on Deerfield occurred during Queen Anne's War on February 29 when French and Native American forces under the command of Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville attacked the English frontier settlement at Deerfield, Massachusetts, just before dawn. They burned part of the town and killed 47 villagers. The raiders left with 112 settlers as captives, whom they took overland the nearly 300 miles to Montreal. Some died or were killed along the way because they couldn't keep up. Some 60 persons were later ransomed by family and community. Others were adopted by Mohawk families at Kahnawake and became assimilated into the tribe. In this period, the English and their Indian allies were involved in similar raids against French villages along the northern area between the spheres of influence.

  26. 1644

    1. Abel Tasman's second Pacific voyage begins as he leaves Batavia in command of three ships.

      1. Dutch seafarer, explorer and merchant

        Abel Tasman

        Abel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New Zealand and the islands of Fiji and Van Diemen's Land.

      2. Capital of the Dutch East Indies

        Batavia, Dutch East Indies

        Batavia was the capital of the Dutch East Indies. The area corresponds to present-day Jakarta, Indonesia. Batavia can refer to the city proper or its suburbs and hinterland, the Ommelanden, which included the much-larger area of the Residency of Batavia in the present-day Indonesian provinces of Jakarta, Banten and West Java.

  27. 1504

    1. Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Jamaican natives to provide him with supplies.

      1. Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer (1451–1506)

        Christopher Columbus

        Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas. His expeditions were the first known European contact with the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

      2. Total lunar eclipse of March 1504

        March 1504 lunar eclipse

        A total lunar eclipse occurred on 1 March 1504, visible at sunset for the Americas, and later over night over Europe and Africa, and near sunrise over Asia.

Births & Deaths

  1. 2020

    1. Dieter Laser, German actor (b. 1942) deaths

      1. German actor (1942–2020)

        Dieter Laser

        Klaus Dieter Laser was a German actor. Laser's career spanned over five decades, appearing in both German and English-language productions. He achieved recognition for his lead role in the 2009 film The Human Centipede and also starred in the third entry in 2015. On television, he had a recurring role on Lexx from 1998 to 2000.

    2. Éva Székely, Hungarian Hall of Fame swimmer and 1952 Olympic champion (b. 1927) deaths

      1. Hungarian swimmer (1927–2020)

        Éva Székely

        Éva Székely was a Hungarian swimmer. She won the gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki and the silver medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics, set six world records, and won 44 national titles. She held the first world record in the 400 m individual medley in 1953.

      2. Hall of fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

        International Swimming Hall of Fame

        The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around the world. Exhibits include ancient art and both reproductions and original art depicting famous moments in swimming history, swimwear, and civil rights, as well as memorabilia and artifacts belonging to persons who have promoted or excelled in aquatics. It is recognized by FINA as the official hall for the aquatics sports.

      3. Swimming at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metre breaststroke

        The women's 200 metre breaststroke event, included in the swimming competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics, took place on 26–29 July, at the Helsinki Swimming Stadium. In this event, swimmers covered four lengths of the 50-metre (160 ft) Olympic-sized pool employing the breaststroke. It was the sixth appearance of the event, which first appeared at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. A total of 33 competitors from 19 nations participated in the event.

  2. 2016

    1. Wenn V. Deramas, Filipino director and screenwriter (b. 1966) deaths

      1. Filipino director and scriptwriter

        Wenn V. Deramas

        Edwin Villanes Deramas, more commonly known as Direk Wenn or Wenn V. Deramas, was a film and TV director and writer from the Philippines.

    2. Gil Hill, American police officer, actor and politician (b. 1931) deaths

      1. American politician, police detective, and actor

        Gil Hill

        Gilbert Roland Hill was an American politician, police officer, and actor, who was the President of the Detroit City Council. He gained recognition for his role as Inspector Todd in the Beverly Hills Cop film series. He was the runner-up in the 2001 Detroit mayoral election, losing to Kwame Kilpatrick.

    3. Josefin Nilsson, Swedish singer (b. 1969) deaths

      1. Musical artist

        Josefin Nilsson

        Monica Emma Josefin Nilsson, registered as Monica Emma Josefina Nilsson was a Swedish singer and actress.

    4. Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistani assassin (b. 1985) deaths

      1. Mumtaz Qadri

        Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, better known as Mumtaz Qadri, was the assassin of Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab. Qadri was a commando of the Elite Police and, at the time of the assassination, a member of the squad of personal bodyguards assigned to protect Salmaan Taseer. A follower of the Barelvi version of Sunni Islam, he assassinated Taseer on 4 January 2011. He claimed to have killed the Governor because Taseer spoke in defense of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death. Qadri was convicted by the Islamabad High Court, sentenced to death and hanged in February 2016.

    5. Louise Rennison, English author (b. 1951) deaths

      1. English author and comedian

        Louise Rennison

        Louise Rennison was an English author and comedian who wrote the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series for teenage girls. The series records the exploits of a teenage girl, Georgia Nicolson, and her best friends, the Ace Gang. Her first and second novels, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers were portrayed in a film adaptation called Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. She also wrote a series of books about Georgia's younger cousin, The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey.

  3. 2012

    1. Davy Jones, English singer, guitarist and actor (b. 1945) deaths

      1. English actor and singer (1945–2012)

        Davy Jones (musician)

        David Thomas Jones was an English actor and singer. Best known as a member of the band the Monkees and a co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968), Jones was considered a teen idol.

    2. Sheldon Moldoff, American illustrator (b. 1920) deaths

      1. American cartoonist

        Sheldon Moldoff

        Sheldon Moldoff was an American comics artist best known for his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" on the superhero Batman. He co-created the Batman supervillains Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, the second Clayface, and Bat-Mite, as well as the original heroes Bat-Girl, Batwoman, and Ace the Bat-Hound. Moldoff is the sole creator of the Black Pirate. Moldoff is not to be confused with fellow Golden Age comics professional Sheldon Mayer.

    3. P. K. Narayana Panicker, Indian social leader (b. 1930) deaths

      1. P. K. Narayana Panicker

        P. K. Narayana Panicker was the President and General Secretary of the Nair Service Society (NSS), the social service organization established in 1914. He is the second-longest-serving general secretary of the organization, who has served 28 years in the post. He was an advocate by profession, who came to the front row of the organization in 1977 as its treasurer and later became General secretary in 1984.

  4. 2008

    1. Janet Kagan, American author (b. 1946) deaths

      1. American novelist

        Janet Kagan

        Janet Kagan was an American author. Her works include two science fiction novels and two science fiction collections, plus numerous science fiction and fantasy short stories that appeared in publications such as Analog Science Fiction and Fact and Asimov's Science Fiction. Her story "The Nutcracker Coup" was nominated for both the Hugo Award for Best Novelette and the Nebula Award for Best Novelette, winning the Hugo.

    2. Erik Ortvad, Danish painter and illustrator (b. 1917) deaths

      1. Danish artist (1917–2008)

        Erik Ortvad

        Erik Ortvad was a painter and a creator of many drawings. He debuted as a painter in 1935. He is mostly known for colorful surrealistic paintings.. He also created several hundred satiric drawings about the modern way of life under the pseudonym Enrico.

    3. Akira Yamada, Japanese scholar and philosopher (b. 1922) deaths

      1. Japanese philosopher

        Akira Yamada

        Akira Yamada was a Japanese scholar and philosopher of the West European Medieval philosophy. Member of the Japan Academy since 1998.

  5. 2004

    1. Lydia Jacoby, American swimmer births

      1. American swimmer

        Lydia Jacoby

        Lydia Alice Jacoby is an American competitive swimmer specializing in breaststroke and individual medley events. When she was 17 years old, she won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke and the silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics, her first Olympic Games. She was the first swimmer from Alaska to qualify for an Olympic Games, qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 100-meter breaststroke when she was 17 years old. Her gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2020 Summer Olympics was the first Olympic medal won by a swimmer from the state of Alaska in the history of swimming at the Olympic Games.

    2. Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (b. 1923) deaths

      1. Japanese sumo wrestler

        Kagamisato Kiyoji

        Kagamisato Kiyoji was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Aomori Prefecture. He was the sport's 42nd yokozuna.

      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.

    3. Jerome Lawrence, American playwright and author (b. 1915) deaths

      1. American dramatist

        Jerome Lawrence

        Jerome Lawrence was an American playwright and author. After graduating from the Ohio State University in 1937 and the University of California, Los Angeles in 1939, Lawrence partnered with Robert Edwin Lee to help create Armed Forces Radio. The two built a partnership over their lifetimes, and continued to collaborate on screenplays and musicals until Lee's death in 1994.

    4. Harold Bernard St. John, Barbadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Barbados (b. 1931) deaths

      1. Barbadian politician and prime minister

        Harold Bernard St. John

        Sir Harold Bernard St. John, KA was a Barbadian politician who served as the third prime minister of Barbados from 1985 to 1986. To date, he is the shortest serving Barbadian prime minister. He was leader of the Barbados Labour Party from 1970 to 1971 and again from 1985 to 1987. He was widely known as Bree.

      2. Head of government of Barbados

        Prime Minister of Barbados

        The prime minister of Barbados is the head of government of Barbados. The prime minister is appointed by the president under the terms of the Constitution. As the nominal holder of executive authority, the president holds responsibility for conducting parliamentary elections and for proclaiming one of the candidates as prime minister.

    5. Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (b. 1943) deaths

      1. South African cricketer

        Lorrie Wilmot

        Anthony Lorraine "Lorrie" Wilmot was a South African first-class cricketer from Cape Province who played from 1960–61 to 1988–89.

  6. 2000

    1. Tyrese Haliburton, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player (born 2000)

        Tyrese Haliburton

        Tyrese J. Haliburton is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones and was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the 2020 NBA draft. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 185 pounds (84 kg), he plays the point guard position.

    2. Ferran Torres, Spanish footballer births

      1. Spanish footballer (born 2000)

        Ferran Torres

        Ferran Torres García is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.

    3. Dennis Danell, American guitarist (b. 1961) deaths

      1. American musician

        Dennis Danell

        Dennis Eric Danell (June 24, 1961 – February 29, 2000) was an American musician, guitarist and co-founding member of the Southern California punk rock band Social Distortion.

  7. 1996

    1. Nelson Asofa-Solomona, New Zealand rugby league player births

      1. New Zealand international rugby league footballer

        Nelson Asofa-Solomona

        Nelson Asofa-Solomona is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL and New Zealand at international level.

    2. Reece Prescod, British sprinter births

      1. British sprinter

        Reece Prescod

        Reece Prescod is a British sprinter. He won the silver medal in the 100 metres at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in a time of 9.96 seconds. He was born in London.

    3. Claudia Williams, New Zealand tennis player births

      1. New Zealand tennis player

        Claudia Williams (tennis)

        Claudia Williams is a New Zealand tennis player.

    4. Wes Farrell, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1939) deaths

      1. American musician, songwriter, and record producer (1939–1996)

        Wes Farrell

        Wes Farrell was an American musician, songwriter and record producer, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s.

    5. Ralph Rowe, American baseball player, coach and manager (b. 1924) deaths

      1. Ralph Rowe

        Ralph Emanuel Rowe was an American outfielder and manager in minor league baseball, and a coach at the Major League level. A native of Newberry, South Carolina, Rowe threw right-handed, batted left-handed, stood 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).

  8. 1992

    1. Sean Abbott, Australian cricketer births

      1. Australian cricketer

        Sean Abbott

        Sean Anthony Abbott is an Australian professional cricketer originally from Windsor in New South Wales who has represented his country internationally. After playing in junior cricket for Baulkham Hills Cricket Club, he progressed to play grade cricket for Parramatta District. Abbott completed his schooling at Gilroy College, Castle Hill. He is an all-rounder who bats right-handed.

    2. Eric Kendricks, American football player births

      1. American football player (born 1992)

        Eric Kendricks

        Eric-Nathan Marvin Kendricks is an American football middle linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. As a senior in 2014, he won the Butkus Award as the nation's top collegiate linebacker and received All-American honors. He was drafted by the Vikings in the second round, 45th overall of the 2015 NFL Draft.

    3. Jessica Long, American paralympic swimmer births

      1. Russian-American Paralympic swimmer

        Jessica Long

        Jessica Tatiana Long is a Russian-American Paralympic swimmer from Baltimore, Maryland, who competes in the S8, SB7 and SM8 category events. She has held many world records and competed at five Paralympic Games, winning 29 medals. She has also won over 50 world championship medals.

      2. Sport of swimming for athletes with disabilities

        Para swimming

        Para swimming is an adaptation of the sport of swimming for athletes with disabilities. Para swimmers compete at the Summer Paralympic Games and at other sports competitions throughout the world. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee. Both men and women compete in para swimming, racing against competitors of their own gender. Swimming has been a part of the Paralympic program since the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.

    4. Jessie T. Usher, American actor births

      1. American actor

        Jessie T. Usher

        Jessie T. Usher Jr. is an American actor. Known for playing Lyle on the Cartoon Network series Level Up, Cam Calloway on the Starz television series Survivor's Remorse, and Reggie Franklin / A-Train in the Amazon Prime Video series The Boys. His film appearances include When the Game Stands Tall (2014), Teenage (2014), Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), Shaft (2019), and Smile (2022).

    5. Ruth Pitter, English poet and author (b. 1897) deaths

      1. English poet (1897–1992)

        Ruth Pitter

        Emma Thomas "Ruth" Pitter, CBE, FRSL was a British poet.

  9. 1988

    1. Lena Gercke, German model and television host births

      1. German fashion model and television host

        Lena Gercke

        Lena Johanna Gercke is a German fashion model and television host. She won the first season of Germany's Next Topmodel and was the host of Austria's Next Topmodel.

    2. Benedikt Höwedes, German footballer births

      1. German association football player

        Benedikt Höwedes

        Benedikt Höwedes is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. He spent the majority of his playing career for Schalke 04, which he captained for six seasons, and represented the Germany national football team from 2011 to 2017. At international level, Höwedes won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, and was one of only three players to play every single minute of the tournament. Höwedes described himself as a 'multi-functional player' in the defence, who can play in the centre or as both a left or right-sided full back.

    3. Brent Macaffer, Australian Rules footballer births

      1. Australian rules footballer

        Brent Macaffer

        Brent Macaffer is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited in the 2006 AFL draft.

    4. Hannah Mills, Welsh sports sailor births

      1. British sailor

        Hannah Mills

        Hannah Louise Mills, is a British competitive sailor and two-time world champion in the Women's 470 class, having won in 2012 and 2019. Mills won a silver medal for Team GB with her crew Saskia Clark in the 2012 Olympics, she followed this up with a gold in the same event at both the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and, partnered by Eilidh McIntyre, the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

  10. 1984

    1. Darren Ambrose, English footballer births

      1. English footballer

        Darren Ambrose

        Darren Paul Francis Ambrose is an English retired footballer who played as a midfielder.

    2. Rica Imai, Japanese model and actress births

      1. Japanese model, entertainer, and actress (born 1984)

        Rica Imai

        Rica Imai is a Japanese model, entertainer, and actress.

    3. Cullen Jones, American swimmer births

      1. American swimmer

        Cullen Jones

        Cullen Andrew Jones is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist who specializes in freestyle sprint events. As part of the American team, he holds the world record in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won silver medals in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay and the 50-meter freestyle, as well as the gold in the 4 x 100-metre medley.

    4. Nuria Martínez, Spanish basketball player births

      1. Spanish basketball player

        Nuria Martínez

        Nuria Martínez Prat is a Spanish professional basketball player for Spar CityLift Girona.

    5. Lena Raine, American video game composer and producer births

      1. American composer (born 1984)

        Lena Raine

        Lena "Kuraine" Raine, also known as Lena Chappelle, is an American-Canadian composer, producer, and video game developer. Raine is best known for her work on the soundtracks of Celeste, Minecraft and Guild Wars 2. She has composed music for various other video games, including Deltarune and Chicory: A Colorful Tale.

    6. Rakhee Thakrar, English actress births

      1. English actress (b. 1984)

        Rakhee Thakrar

        Rakhee Thakrar is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Shabnam Masood in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders (2014–2016) and Emily Sands in the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education (2019–2021). She also voices the Eighth Doctor's companion Bliss in Big Finish's Doctor Who: The Time War audio dramas.

    7. Cam Ward, Canadian ice hockey player births

      1. Ice hockey player

        Cam Ward

        Cameron Kenneth Ward is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played the majority of his fifteen-year professional career for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Blackhawks during his final season before signing a one-day contract to officially retire as a Hurricane in 2019.

    8. Mark Foster, American singer, songwriter and musician births

      1. American songwriter

        Mark Foster (musician)

        Mark Derek Foster is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Foster the People. After struggling to create a successful band in his early 20s, Foster finally had his big break as one of the co-founders of Foster the People in 2009, which he formed alongside his two friends Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink. The band has since released three studio albums: Torches in 2011, Supermodel in 2014, and Sacred Hearts Club in 2017.

    9. Ludwik Starski, Polish screenwriter and songwriter (b. 1903) deaths

      1. Polish Jewish writer and sound engineer

        Ludwik Starski

        Ludwik Starski was a Polish Jewish lyricist, sound engineer and screenwriter of the twentieth century. He was the father of the set designer Allan Starski, who often worked with movie director Andrzej Wajda and received the Academy Award for "Best Set Design" for Schindler's List in 1994. Ludwik worked with Eugeniusz Bodo, Władysław Szpilman and with Tadeusz Sygietyński.

  11. 1980

    1. Çağdaş Atan, Turkish footballer and coach births

      1. Turkish footballer

        Çağdaş Atan

        Çağdaş Atan is a Turkish football manager and a former player who played as a central defender. He is the manager of Kayserispor of the Turkish Super League.

    2. Simon Gagné, Canadian ice hockey player births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Simon Gagné

        Simon Gagné is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent the first ten seasons of his NHL career with the Flyers (1999–2010), followed by one season with Tampa Bay (2010–11) and two with Los Angeles (2011–13), winning the Stanley Cup in 2012, before returning to Philadelphia via trade for the end of the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season. After not playing in 2013–14, Gagné signed with Boston, briefly playing for them before retiring in 2015.

    3. Rubén Plaza, Spanish cyclist births

      1. Spanish professional road bicycle racer

        Rubén Plaza

        Rubén Plaza Molina is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2019 for the Comunidad Valenciana–Kelme, S.L. Benfica, Liberty Seguros, Movistar Team, Lampre–Merida, Orica–Scott and Israel Cycling Academy teams. During his career, he recorded a top 5 overall placing in the 2005 Vuelta a España, and won three Grand Tour stages.

    4. Clinton Toopi, New Zealand rugby league player births

      1. Former NZ & Maori dual-code rugby international footballer

        Clinton Toopi

        Clinton James Te-Whata Toopi is a New Zealand former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New Zealand international representative centre, he played his club football in the National Rugby League for the New Zealand Warriors and the Gold Coast Titans, and in the Super League for the Leeds Rhinos. Clinton began coaching the Helensvale Hornets in 2021 and guided them to victory in the 2022 Gold Coast A Grade Competition.

    5. Taylor Twellman, American soccer player and sportscaster births

      1. American soccer player

        Taylor Twellman

        Taylor Timothy Twellman is an American former soccer player who played professionally from 1999 to 2010. He now works in the media as a soccer television commentator.

    6. Peter Scanavino, American actor, who is well-known for his role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit births

      1. American actor

        Peter Scanavino

        Peter Muller Scanavino is an American actor. He currently stars as ADA Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr. in the long-running NBC crime/legal drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

      2. 1999 American police procedural crime drama television series

        Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

        Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American crime drama television series created by Dick Wolf's own production company, Wolf Entertainment, for NBC. The first spin-off of Law & Order, it starred Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler until Meloni left the series in 2011 after 12 seasons, and Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, now the commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit after originally having been Stabler's partner in a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department. Meloni reprised his role as Stabler in 2021 in the spin-off series Law & Order: Organized Crime. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit follows the style of the original Law & Order in that some episodes are loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention.

    7. Yigal Allon, Israeli general and politician, Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1918) deaths

      1. Israeli politician, general, acting prime minister of Israel (1918-1980)

        Yigal Allon

        Yigal Allon was an Israeli politician, commander of the Palmach, and general in the IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Israeli Labor party, and briefly as acting Prime Minister of Israel in 1969 - the first native born prime minister. He was a Knesset member and government minister from the third Knesset to the ninth inclusive. Allon died unexpectedly in 1980 after he suffered a cardiac arrest.

      2. Head of government of Israel

        Prime Minister of Israel

        The prime minister of Israel is the head of government and chief executive of the State of Israel.

    8. Gil Elvgren, American painter and illustrator (b. 1914) deaths

      1. American painter and illustrator

        Gil Elvgren

        Gillette Elvgren was an American painter of pin-up girls, advertising and illustration. Best known for his pin-up paintings for Brown & Bigelow, Elvgren studied at the American Academy of Art. He was strongly influenced by the early "pretty girl" illustrators, such as Charles Dana Gibson, Andrew Loomis, and Howard Chandler Christy. Other influences included the Brandywine School founded by Howard Pyle.

  12. 1976

    1. Vonteego Cummings, American basketball player births

      1. American professional basketball player

        Vonteego Cummings

        Vonteego Marfeek Cummings is an American professional basketball player who last played for Atenienses de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) in Puerto Rico. A 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) combo guard, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and also had a successful career in Europe, where he played in several countries.

    2. Katalin Kovács, Hungarian sprint kayaker births

      1. Hungarian sprint canoer (born 1976)

        Katalin Kovács

        Katalin Kovács is a Hungarian sprint canoer. She competed in the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics and won eight medals, with three golds and five silvers.

    3. Terrence Long, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player

        Terrence Long

        Terrence Deon Long is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1999 to 2006 for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, and New York Yankees.

    4. Ja Rule, American rapper and actor births

      1. American rapper and actor (born 1976)

        Ja Rule

        Jeffrey Bruce Atkins, better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its lead single "Holla Holla". During the 2000s, Ja Rule was signed to Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, formerly known as The Inc. From 1999 to 2005, Ja Rule had multiple hits that made the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, including "Between Me and You", "I'm Real " and "Ain't It Funny" —which both topped the Hot 100—the number 1 hit "Always on Time", "Mesmerize", and "Wonderful".

    5. Florence P. Dwyer, American politician (b. 1902) deaths

      1. American politician (1902–1976)

        Florence P. Dwyer

        Florence Price Dwyer was an American Republican Party politician who represented much of Essex County, New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1957 to 1973. From 1967 to 1973, she also represented parts of Union County, New Jersey.

  13. 1972

    1. Sylvie Lubamba, Italian showgirl births

      1. Italian model, showgirl and TV presenter (born 1972)

        Sylvie Lubamba

        Sylvie Lubamba is an Italian model, showgirl and TV presenter.

    2. Mike Pollitt, English footballer and coach births

      1. English footballer

        Mike Pollitt

        Michael Francis Pollitt is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

    3. Antonio Sabàto Jr., Italian-American model and actor births

      1. American actor and model

        Antonio Sabàto Jr.

        Antonio Sabàto Jr. is an Italian-born American model and actor. Sabàto first found fame in the 1990s as an underwear model for Calvin Klein and playing Jagger Cates on the soap opera General Hospital from 1992 to 1995. By the early 2000s, most of his acting credits were guest appearances, reality television, and budget films. Sabàto ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress against incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Julia Brownley for California's 26th district in the 2018 elections.

    4. Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain births

      1. Prime Minister of Spain since 2018

        Pedro Sánchez

        Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón is a Spanish politician who has been Prime Minister of Spain since June 2018. He has also been Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since June 2017, having previously held that office from 2014 to 2016.

      2. Head of government of Spain

        Prime Minister of Spain

        The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government, is the head of government of Spain. The office was established in its current form by the Constitution of 1978 and it was first regulated in 1823 as a chairmanship of the extant Council of Ministers, although it is not possible to determine when it actually originated.

    5. Dave Williams, American singer (d. 2002) births

      1. American singer (1972–2002)

        Dave Williams (singer)

        David Wayne Williams was an American vocalist best known as the original lead singer for the rock band Drowning Pool.

    6. Saul Williams, American singer-songwriter births

      1. American singer, musician, poet, writer, and actor

        Saul Williams

        Saul Stacey Williams is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film Slam and the 2013 jukebox musical Holler If Ya Hear Me.

    7. Pedro Zamora, Cuban-American activist and educator (d. 1994) births

      1. Cuban-American AIDS activist and television personality

        Pedro Zamora

        Pedro Pablo Zamora was a Cuban-American AIDS educator and television personality. As one of the first openly gay men with AIDS to be portrayed in popular media, Zamora brought international attention to HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ issues and prejudices through his appearance on MTV's reality television series, The Real World: San Francisco.

    8. Tom Davies, American football player and coach (b. 1896) deaths

      1. American football player and coach (1896–1972)

        Tom Davies (American football)

        Thomas J. Davies was an American football player and coach. He played as a halfback at the University of Pittsburgh and was a consensus All-American in 1918 and 1920. After retiring as a player, Davies worked as a football coach for the next 26 years, including stints at the University of Pennsylvania, Geneva College, Allegheny College, the University of Rochester, the Carnegie Institute of Technology, the University of Scranton, and Western Reserve University. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970.

  14. 1968

    1. Chucky Brown, American basketball player and coach births

      1. American basketball player (born 1968)

        Chucky Brown

        Clarence "Chucky" Brown Jr. is an American former professional basketball player.

    2. Gareth Farr, New Zealand composer and percussionist births

      1. New Zealand composer, performer and percussionist

        Gareth Farr

        Gareth Vincent Farr is a New Zealand composer and percussionist. He has released a number of classical CDs and composed a number of works performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) and Royal New Zealand Ballet. He has also performed in drag under the name Lilith LaCroix in a show called Drumdrag and has also released a CD under that name.

    3. Pete Fenson, American curler births

      1. American male curler and coach

        Pete Fenson

        Peter Fenson is an American curler. He was the skip of the men's rink that represented the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they won the bronze medal, the first Olympic medal for the United States in curling. He has won eight national championships, the most recent in Philadelphia in March 2014, and six as skip.

    4. Bryce Paup, American football player and coach births

      1. American football player and coach (born 1968)

        Bryce Paup

        Bryce Eric Paup is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Minnesota Vikings.

    5. Howard Tayler, American author and illustrator births

      1. American cartoonist

        Howard Tayler

        Howard V. Tayler is the creator of the webcomic Schlock Mercenary. He worked as a volunteer missionary for the LDS Church, then graduated from Brigham Young University. Using his degree in music composition, he started an independent record label.

    6. Eugene Volokh, Ukrainian-American lawyer and educator births

      1. Ukrainian-American legal scholar (born 1968)

        Eugene Volokh

        Eugene Volokh is a Ukrainian-American legal scholar known for his scholarship in American constitutional law and libertarianism as well as his prominent legal blog The Volokh Conspiracy. Volokh is regarded as an expert on the First Amendment. He is the Gary T. Schwartz Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law and is an academic affiliate at the law firm Mayer Brown.

    7. Frank Woodley, Australian actor, producer, and screenwriter births

      1. Australian comedian

        Frank Woodley

        Frank Woodley is an Australian comedian, author, and musician who is best known for his work alongside Colin Lane as part of the comedic duo, Lano and Woodley. The two performed together for almost 20 years in live shows, a television series and an album of comedic songs, before deciding to pursue individual careers in 2006. They announced their reformation in November 2017.

    8. Tore Ørjasæter, Norwegian poet and educator (b. 1886) deaths

      1. Norwegian educator and poet

        Tore Ørjasæter

        Tore Ørjasæter was a Norwegian educator and poet.

  15. 1964

    1. Dave Brailsford, English cyclist and coach births

      1. British cycling coach

        Dave Brailsford

        Sir David John Brailsford is a British cycling coach. He was formerly performance director of British Cycling and is currently general manager of UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers.

    2. Lyndon Byers, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host births

      1. Ice hockey player

        Lyndon Byers

        Lyndon Svi Byers is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Byers played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for parts of ten seasons with the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks, earning a reputation as one of the league's toughest enforcers. He is the cousin of Dane Byers.

    3. Mervyn Warren, American tenor, composer, and producer births

      1. American songwriter

        Mervyn Warren

        Mervyn Edwin Warren is an American film composer, record producer, conductor, arranger, lyricist, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist. Warren is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a 10-time Grammy Award nominee. Warren has written the underscore and songs for many feature and television films and has written countless arrangements in a variety of musical styles for producers Quincy Jones, David Foster, Arif Mardin, and dozens of popular recording artists, including extensive work on Jones' Back on the Block, Q's Jook Joint, and Q: Soul Bossa Nostra.

    4. Frank Albertson, American actor and singer (b. 1909) deaths

      1. American actor (1909–64)

        Frank Albertson

        Francis Healey Albertson was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Psycho (1960).

  16. 1960

    1. Khaled, Algerian singer-songwriter births

      1. Algerian raï musician

        Khaled (musician)

        Khaled Hadj Ibrahim, better known by his mononym Khaled, is an Algerian raï singer, musician and songwriter born in Oran. He began recording in his early teens under the name Cheb Khaled.

    2. Richard Ramirez, American serial killer (d. 2013) births

      1. American serial killer and rapist (1960–2013)

        Richard Ramirez

        Ricardo "Richard" Leyva Muñoz Ramirez, dubbed Night Stalker, Valley Intruder, and Walk-in Killer was an American serial killer whose crime spree took place in California between June 1984 and August 1985. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1989. He died in 2013 while awaiting execution.

    3. Melvin Purvis, American police officer and FBI agent (b. 1903) deaths

      1. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent

        Melvin Purvis

        Melvin Horace Purvis II was an American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent. Given the nickname "Little Mel" because of his short, 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) frame, Purvis became noted for leading the manhunts that captured or killed bank robbers such as Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, and Pretty Boy Floyd, but his high public profile was resented by local law enforcement. Purvis asserted he had killed Floyd single-handed, others variously claimed that Floyd had been already wounded, or even that Purvis had ordered Floyd summarily shot dead for refusing to provide information.

      2. Governmental agency in the US Department of Justice, since 1908

        Federal Bureau of Investigation

        The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. A leading U.S. counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes.

    4. Walter Yust, American journalist and author (b. 1894) deaths

      1. American journalist and writer

        Walter Yust

        Walter M. Yust was an American journalist and writer. Yust was the American editor-in-chief of the Encyclopædia Britannica from 1938 to 1960.

  17. 1956

    1. Jonathan Coleman, English-Australian radio and television host (d. 2021) births

      1. Australian broadcaster (1956–2021)

        Jonathan Coleman (presenter)

        Jonathan "Jono" Harry Coleman, was an English-born television presenter, radio announcer, writer, comedian, and advertorial spokesperson. He was known for his career in his native country and Australia.

    2. Bob Speller, Canadian businessman and politician, 30th Canadian Minister of Agriculture births

      1. Canadian politician (1956–2021)

        Bob Speller

        Robert Speller, was a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Speller was elected to the House of Commons of Canada four times from 1988 to 2000. He was defeated in 2004 by a 20,938 to 19,277 margin.

      2. Minister in the Cabinet of Canada

        Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

        The minister of agriculture and agri-food is a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Dairy Commission, Farm Credit Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the National Farm Products Council and the Canadian Grain Commission.

    3. Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer (d. 2002) births

      1. American serial killer (1956–2002)

        Aileen Wuornos

        Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer. In 1989–1990, while engaging in street prostitution along highways in Florida, she shot dead and robbed seven of her male clients. Wuornos claimed that her clients had either raped or attempted to rape her, and that all of the homicides were committed in self-defense. Wuornos was sentenced to death for six of the murders and on October 9, 2002, after 12 years on Florida's death row, was executed by lethal injection.

    4. Elpidio Quirino, Filipino lawyer and politician, 6th President of the Philippines (b. 1890) deaths

      1. President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953

        Elpidio Quirino

        Elpidio Rivera Quirino was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the sixth president of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953.

      2. Head of state and head of government of the Philippines

        President of the Philippines

        The president of the Philippines is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

  18. 1952

    1. Tim Powers, American author and educator births

      1. American science fiction and fantasy author (born 1952)

        Tim Powers

        Timothy Thomas Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare. His 1987 novel On Stranger Tides served as inspiration for the Monkey Island franchise of video games and was optioned for adaptation into the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film.

    2. Raisa Smetanina, Russian cross-country skier births

      1. Russian cross-country skier (born 1952)

        Raisa Smetanina

        Raisa Petrovna Smetanina is a Soviet and Russian cross-country skiing champion. She is the first woman in history to win ten Winter Olympic medals.

    3. Bart Stupak, American police officer and politician births

      1. American politician

        Bart Stupak

        Bartholomew Thomas Stupak is an American politician and lobbyist. A member of the Democratic Party, Stupak served as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 1st congressional district from 1993 to 2011.

    4. Sarah Ann Jenyns, Australian entrepreneur (b. 1865) deaths

      1. Sarah Ann Jenyns

        Sarah Ann Jenyns (1865–1952) founded the Jenyns Patent Corset Pty Co with her husband Ebenezer Randolphus Jenyns (1865–1958) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1909. The business manufactured surgical instruments and pioneered surgical and aesthetic corsets for women, becoming one of the leading undergarment companies in the country and survived for more than 50 years.

  19. 1948

    1. Hermione Lee, English author, critic, and academic births

      1. British academic and writer

        Hermione Lee

        Dame Hermione Lee is a British biographer, literary critic and academic. She is a former President of Wolfson College, Oxford, and a former Goldsmiths' Professor of English Literature in the University of Oxford and professorial fellow of New College. She is a fellow of the British Academy and of the Royal Society of Literature.

    2. Manoel Maria, Brazilian footballer births

      1. Brazilian footballer

        Manoel Maria

        Manoel Maria Evangelista Barbosa dos Santos, known as Manoel Maria, is a Brazilian retired footballer and football manager. He played mainly as a right winger, and competed in the men's tournament at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

    3. Patricia A. McKillip, American author births

      1. American fantasy and science fiction author (1948–2022)

        Patricia A. McKillip

        Patricia Anne McKillip was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. She has been called "one of the most accomplished prose stylists in the fantasy genre", and wrote predominantly standalone fantasy novels. Her work won numerous awards, including the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008.

    4. Robert Barrington-Ward, English lawyer and journalist (b. 1891) deaths

      1. English barrister and journalist

        Robert Barrington-Ward

        Robert McGowan Barrington-Ward was an English barrister and journalist who was editor of The Times from 1941 until 1948.

  20. 1944

    1. Dennis Farina, American police officer and actor (d. 2013) births

      1. American actor (1944–2013)

        Dennis Farina

        Donaldo Gugliermo "Dennis" Farina was an American actor. Often typecast as a mobster or police officer, he is known for roles such as FBI Agent Jack Crawford in Manhunter, mobster Jimmy Serrano in the comedy Midnight Run, Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty, Cousin Avi in Snatch, and Walt Miller in New Girl. He starred on television as Lieutenant Mike Torello on Crime Story and as NYPD Detective Joe Fontana on Law & Order. From 2008 to 2010, he hosted and narrated the television program Unsolved Mysteries on Spike TV. His last major television role was in HBO's Luck, which premiered on January 29, 2012.

    2. Nicholas Frayling, English priest and academic births

      1. 21st-century English Anglican Dean of Chichester

        Nicholas Frayling

        Nicholas Arthur Frayling KStJ is a British Church of England priest. From September 2002 to February 2014, he served as the Dean of Chichester.

    3. Phyllis Frelich, American actress (d. 2014) births

      1. American actress

        Phyllis Frelich

        Phyllis Annetta Frelich was a Tony Award-winning deaf American actress. She was the first deaf actor or actress to win a Tony Award.

    4. Steve Mingori, American baseball player (d. 2008) births

      1. American professional baseball pitcher

        Steve Mingori

        Steven Bernard Mingori was an American left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians (1970–1973) and Kansas City Royals (1973–1979).

    5. Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri, Italian author and illustrator births

      1. Italian comic book writer and illustrator

        Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri

        Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri is an Italian comic book writer and illustrator, noted for his works of highly detailed renderings of the human form, particularly erotic images of women. He is best known for his work on the Druuna erotic science fiction series.

    6. Lennart Svedberg, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1972). births

      1. Swedish ice hockey player

        Lennart Svedberg

        Jan Lennart "Lill-Strimma" Svedberg was a Swedish ice hockey defenceman. He played for Timrå IK and Brynäs IF. He also played on the Swedish national team during six IIHF World Championships and the 1968 Winter Olympics. Svedberg was named best defenceman at the 1970 World Championships.

    7. Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Finnish lawyer, judge and politician, 3rd President of Finland (b. 1861) deaths

      1. President of Finland from 1931 to 1937

        Pehr Evind Svinhufvud

        Pehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad was the third president of Finland from 1931 to 1937. Serving as a lawyer, judge, and politician in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland, he played a major role in the movement for Finnish independence, he was one who presented the Declaration of Independence to the Parliament. In 1917–1918, Svinhufvud was the first Head of State of independent Finland, first as Chairman of the Senate and subsequently as Protector of State or Regent. He also served as Prime Minister from 1930 to 1931.

      2. Head of state of Finland

        President of Finland

        The president of the Republic of Finland is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the president, with the latter possessing only residual powers. The president is directly elected by universal suffrage for a term of six years. Since 1994, no president may be elected for more than two consecutive terms. The president must be a natural-born Finnish citizen. The presidential office was established in the Constitution Act of 1919. The incumbent president is Sauli Niinistö. He was elected for the first time in 2012 and was re-elected in 2018.

  21. 1940

    1. Sonja Barend, Dutch talk show host births

      1. Dutch television personality

        Sonja Barend

        Sonja Maria Barend is a Dutch television personality and former talk show host. Her talk show Sonja, which she presented since the 1970s, was noted for breaking taboos and allowing ordinary people a voice in public dialog. She retired from television in 2006, after four decades of television making.

    2. E. F. Benson, English archaeologist and author (b. 1867) deaths

      1. English novelist and writer (1867–1940)

        E. F. Benson

        Edward Frederic Benson was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, archaeologist and short story writer.

  22. 1936

    1. Nh. Dini, Indonesian writer (d. 2018) births

      1. Indonesian novelist and feminist (1936–2018)

        Nh. Dini

        Nurhayati Srihardini Siti Nukatin Coffin, better known by her pen name Nh. Dini, was an Indonesian novelist and feminist. She was the youngest of five children of Saljowidjojo and Kusaminah. One branch of the family can be traced back to the Bugis of South Sulawesi.

    2. Jack R. Lousma, American colonel, astronaut, and politician births

      1. American astronaut and politician

        Jack R. Lousma

        Jack Robert Lousma is an American astronaut, aeronautical engineer, retired United States Marine Corps officer, former naval aviator, NASA astronaut, and politician. He was a member of the second crew, Skylab-3, on the Skylab space station in 1973. In 1982, he commanded STS-3, the third Space Shuttle mission. Lousma was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997. He is the last living crew member of both of his spaceflights.

    3. Henri Richard, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2020) births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player (1936–2020)

        Henri Richard

        Joseph Henri Richard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played centre with the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1955 to 1975. He was nicknamed "Pocket Rocket" after his older brother, Canadiens' legend and fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Henri won the Stanley Cup 11 times as a player, the most in NHL history. Richard and Bill Russell of the National Basketball Association are tied for the record of the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. In 2017, Richard was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

    4. Alex Rocco, American actor (d. 2015) births

      1. American actor (1936-2015)

        Alex Rocco

        Alex Rocco was an American actor. Known for his distinctive, gravelly voice, he was often cast as villains, including Moe Greene in The Godfather (1972) and his Primetime Emmy Award-winning role in The Famous Teddy Z. Rocco did a significant amount of voice-over work later in his career.

  23. 1932

    1. Gene H. Golub, American mathematician and academic (d. 2007) births

      1. American mathematician

        Gene H. Golub

        Gene Howard Golub, was an American numerical analyst who taught at Stanford University as Fletcher Jones Professor of Computer Science and held a courtesy appointment in electrical engineering.

    2. Masten Gregory, American race car driver (d. 1985) births

      1. American racing driver

        Masten Gregory

        Masten Gregory was an American racing driver. He raced in Formula One between 1957 and 1965, participating in 43 World Championship races, and numerous non-Championship races. He was also a successful sports car racer, winning the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    3. Reri Grist, American soprano and actress births

      1. American opera singer

        Reri Grist

        Reri Grist is an American coloratura soprano, one of the pioneer African-American singers to enjoy a major international career in opera.

    4. Jaguar, Brazilian cartoonist births

      1. Jaguar (cartoonist)

        Sérgio Jaguaribe, known as Jaguar, is a Brazilian cartoonist and comics artist. He was born in Rio de Janeiro.

    5. Gavin Stevens, Australian cricketer births

      1. Australian cricketer

        Gavin Stevens

        Gavin Byron Stevens is a former Australian cricketer who played in four Tests in the 1959–60 season.

    6. Arthur Mills Lea, Australian entomologist (b. 1868) deaths

      1. Australian entomologist (1868–1932)

        Arthur Mills Lea

        Arthur Mills Lea was an Australian entomologist.

    7. Giuseppe Vitali, Italian mathematician (b. 1875) deaths

      1. Italian mathematician

        Giuseppe Vitali

        Giuseppe Vitali was an Italian mathematician who worked in several branches of mathematical analysis. He gives his name to several entities in mathematics, most notably the Vitali set with which he was the first to give an example of a non-measurable subset of real numbers.

  24. 1928

    1. Joss Ackland, English actor births

      1. British actor (born 1928)

        Joss Ackland

        Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE is an English retired actor who has appeared in more than 130 film and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Jock Delves Broughton in White Mischief (1987).

    2. Jean Adamson, British writer and illustrator births

      1. British writer and illustrator

        Jean Adamson

        Jean Adamson, is a British writer and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for the Topsy and Tim books, the first of which was published in 1960 and which were relaunched in 2003.

    3. Vance Haynes, American archaeologist, geologist, and author births

      1. American archaeologist

        Vance Haynes

        Caleb Vance Haynes Jr., known as Vance Haynes or C. Vance Haynes Jr., is an archaeologist, geologist and author who specializes in the archaeology of the American Southwest. Haynes "revolutionized the fields of geoarchaeology and archaeological geology." He is known for unearthing and studying artifacts of Paleo-Indians including ones from Sandia Cave in the 1960s, work which helped to establish the timeline of human migration through North America. Haynes coined the term "black mat" for a layer of 10,000-year-old swamp soil seen in many North American archaeological studies.

    4. Seymour Papert, South African mathematician and computer scientist, co-creator of the Logo programming language (d. 2016) births

      1. MIT mathematician, computer scientist, and educator

        Seymour Papert

        Seymour Aubrey Papert was a South African-born American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at MIT. He was one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence, and of the constructionist movement in education. He was co-inventor, with Wally Feurzeig and Cynthia Solomon, of the Logo programming language.

      2. Computer programming language

        Logo (programming language)

        Logo is an educational programming language, designed in 1967 by Wally Feurzeig, Seymour Papert, and Cynthia Solomon. Logo is not an acronym: the name was coined by Feurzeig while he was at Bolt, Beranek and Newman, and derives from the Greek logos, meaning word or thought.

    5. Adolphe Appia, Swiss architect and theorist (b. 1862) deaths

      1. Adolphe Appia

        Adolphe Appia, son of Red Cross co-founder Louis Appia, was a Swiss architect and theorist of stage lighting and décor.

    6. Ina Coolbrith, American poet and librarian (b. 1841) deaths

      1. American poet laureate, writer, and librarian (1841–1928)

        Ina Coolbrith

        Ina Donna Coolbrith was an American poet, writer, librarian, and a prominent figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary community. Called the "Sweet Singer of California", she was the first California Poet Laureate and the first poet laureate of any American state.

  25. 1924

    1. David Beattie, New Zealand judge and politician, 14th Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 2001) births

      1. Governor-General of New Zealand from 1980 to 1985

        David Beattie

        Sir David Stuart Beattie, was an Australian-born New Zealand judge who served as the 14th Governor-General of New Zealand, from 1980 to 1985. During the 1984 constitutional crisis, Beattie was nearly forced to dismiss the sitting prime minister, Robert Muldoon.

      2. Representative of the monarch of New Zealand

        Governor-General of New Zealand

        The governor-general of New Zealand is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and lives in the United Kingdom, he, on the advice of his New Zealand prime minister, appoints a governor-general to carry out his constitutional and ceremonial duties within the Realm of New Zealand.

    2. Carlos Humberto Romero, Salvadoran politician, President of El Salvador (d. 2017) births

      1. President of El Salvador (1977 to 1979)

        Carlos Humberto Romero

        General Carlos Humberto Romero Mena was a Salvadoran army general politician who served as President of El Salvador from 1 July 1977, until his overthrow in a coup d'état on 15 October 1979.

      2. President of El Salvador

        The president of El Salvador, officially known as the President of the Republic of El Salvador, is the head of state and head of government of El Salvador. He is also, by Constitutional Law, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of El Salvador. The office was created in the Constitution of 1841. From 1821 until 1841, the head of state of El Salvador was styled simply as Head of State.

    3. Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (d. 2015) births

      1. American baseball player (1924-2015)

        Al Rosen

        Albert Leonard Rosen, nicknamed "Flip" and "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American baseball third baseman and right-handed slugger for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball for ten seasons in the 1940s and 1950s.

    4. Frederic Chapple, Australian educator (b. 1845) deaths

      1. Frederic Chapple

        Frederic Chapple was the influential headmaster of Prince Alfred College in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1876 to 1914.

  26. 1920

    1. Fyodor Abramov, Russian author and critic (d. 1983) births

      1. Soviet writer

        Fyodor Abramov

        Fyodor Aleksandrovich Abramov was a Russian novelist and literary critic. His work focused on the difficult lives of the Russian peasant class. He was frequently reprimanded for deviations from Soviet policy on writing.

    2. Arthur Franz, American actor (d. 2006) births

      1. American actor of the 20th century

        Arthur Franz

        Arthur Sofield Franz was an American actor whose most notable feature film role was as Lieutenant, Junior Grade, H. Paynter Jr. in The Caine Mutiny (1954).

    3. James Mitchell, American actor and dancer (d. 2010) births

      1. American dancer and actor (1920–2010)

        James Mitchell (actor)

        James Mitchell was an American actor and dancer. Although he is best known to television audiences as Palmer Cortlandt on the soap opera All My Children (1979–2010), theatre and dance historians remember him as one of Agnes de Mille's leading dancers. Mitchell's skill at combining dance and acting was considered something of a novelty; in 1959, the critic Olga Maynard singled him out as "an important example of the new dancer-actor-singer in American ballet", pointing to his interpretive abilities and "masculine" technique.

    4. Michèle Morgan, French-American actress and singer (d. 2016) births

      1. French actress

        Michèle Morgan

        Michèle Morgan was a French film actress, who was a leading lady for three decades in both French cinema and Hollywood features. She is considered to have been one of the great French actresses of the 20th century. Morgan was the inaugural winner of the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1992, she was given an honorary César Award for her contributions to French cinema.

    5. Rolland W. Redlin, American lawyer and politician (d. 2011) births

      1. American politician

        Rolland W. Redlin

        Rolland William Redlin was a U.S. Representative from North Dakota, who served between 1965 and 1967. He also served in the North Dakota Senate from 1959 to 1963 and later returned to serve again from 1973 until his retirement in 2000, as Senate President Pro Tempore 1987–9, and Minority Leadership later during his final 27 years' service. A member of the Democratic-NPL, he lived near Minot, North Dakota until 2009, when he moved to Rapid City, SD, to be closer to family members.

    6. Ernie Courtney, American baseball player (b. 1875) deaths

      1. American baseball player (1875-1920)

        Ernie Courtney

        Edward Ernest (Ernie) Courtney was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Beaneaters (1902), Baltimore Orioles (1902), New York Highlanders (1903), Detroit Tigers (1903) and Philadelphia Phillies (1905-1908). Courtney batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

  27. 1916

    1. James B. Donovan, American lawyer (d. 1970) births

      1. American lawyer and US Navy officer

        James B. Donovan

        James Britt Donovan was an American lawyer and United States Navy officer in the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the Office of Strategic Services, ultimately becoming general counsel of the OSS, and an international diplomatic negotiator.

    2. Leonard Shoen, founder of U-Haul Corp. (d. 1999) births

      1. American entrepreneur

        Leonard Shoen

        Leonard Samuel Shoen was an American entrepreneur who founded the U-Haul truck and trailer organization in Ridgefield, Washington. After growing up in the farm belt during the Great Depression, he envisioned the market for rental vehicles for families who wished to avoid the expense of professional transfer and storage companies and move around the country.

      2. American logistics and rental company

        U-Haul

        U-Haul is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen in Ridgefield, Washington, who began it in the garage owned by his wife's family, and expanded it through franchising with gas stations.

    3. John Nanson, English-Australian journalist and politician (b. 1863) deaths

      1. Australian politician

        John Nanson

        John Leighton Nanson was a journalist and politician in Western Australia. A former writer and sub-editor with The West Australian, he served in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1901 to 1905 and again from 1908 to 1914. Nanson was a minister in the governments of Alf Morgans, Walter James, Newton Moore, and Frank Wilson, including as attorney-general from 1909 to 1911.

  28. 1908

    1. Balthus, French-Swiss painter and illustrator (d. 2001) births

      1. French painter

        Balthus

        Balthasar Klossowski de Rola, known as Balthus, was a Polish-French modern artist. He is known for his erotically charged images of pubescent girls, but also for the refined, dreamlike quality of his imagery.

    2. Dee Brown, American historian and author (d. 2002) births

      1. American novelist

        Dee Brown (writer)

        Dorris Alexander "Dee" Brown was an American novelist, historian, and librarian. His most famous work, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970), details the history of the United States' westward colonization of the continent between 1830 and 1890 from the point of view of Native Americans.

    3. Alf Gover, English cricketer and coach (d. 2001) births

      1. English cricketer

        Alf Gover

        Alfred Richard Gover was an English Test cricketer. He was the mainstay of the Surrey bowling attack during the 1930s and played four Tests before and after the Second World War. He also founded and ran a cricket school in Wandsworth that coached many notable players.

    4. Louie Myfanwy Thomas, Welsh writer (d. 1968) births

      1. Welsh writer

        Louie Myfanwy Thomas

        Louie Myfanwy Thomas was a Welsh author best known for her work under the pseudonym Jane Ann Jones.

    5. Pat Garrett, American sheriff (b. 1850) deaths

      1. American lawman (1850–1908)

        Pat Garrett

        Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender and customs agent known for killing Billy the Kid. He was the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, as well as Doña Ana County, New Mexico.

    6. John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish-Australian politician, 1st Governor-General of Australia (b. 1860) deaths

      1. Scottish peer and 1st Governor-General of Australia

        John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun

        John Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow, 7th Earl of Hopetoun, was a British aristocrat and statesman who served as the first governor-general of Australia, in office from 1901 to 1902. He was previously Governor of Victoria from 1889 to 1895.

      2. Representative of the monarch of Australia

        Governor-General of Australia

        The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of government ministers. The governor-general has formal presidency over the Federal Executive Council and is commander-in-chief of the Australian Defence Force. The functions of the governor-general include appointing ministers, judges, and ambassadors; giving royal assent to legislation passed by parliament; issuing writs for election; and bestowing Australian honours.

  29. 1904

    1. Jimmy Dorsey, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1957) births

      1. American jazz musician and band leader (1904–1957)

        Jimmy Dorsey

        James Francis Dorsey was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards "I'm Glad There Is You " and "It's The Dreamer In Me". His other major recordings were "Tailspin", "John Silver", "So Many Times", "Amapola", "Brazil ", "Pennies from Heaven" with Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and Frances Langford, "Grand Central Getaway", and "So Rare". He played clarinet on the seminal jazz standards "Singin' the Blues" in 1927 and the original 1930 recording of "Georgia on My Mind", which were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

    2. Pepper Martin, American baseball player and manager (d. 1965) births

      1. American baseball player

        Pepper Martin

        Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was known as the "Wild Horse of the Osage" because of his daring, aggressive baserunning abilities. Martin played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman and an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1930s and early 1940s. He was best known for his heroics during the 1931 World Series, in which he was the catalyst in a Cardinals' upset victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.

    3. Patrick O'Sullivan, Irish-Australian politician (b. 1818) deaths

      1. Australian politician

        Patrick O'Sullivan (Queensland politician)

        Patrick O'Sullivan was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.

    4. Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin, French astronomer (b. 1845) deaths

      1. French astronomer

        Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin

        Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin was a French astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets. Some sources give his middle name as Athanase.

  30. 1896

    1. Morarji Desai, Indian civil servant and politician, fourth Prime Minister of India (d. 1995) births

      1. Prime Minister of India from 1977 to 1979

        Morarji Desai

        Morarji Ranchhodji Desai was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of India between 1977 to 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his long career in politics, he held many important posts in government such as Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister and 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of 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. William A. Wellman, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1975) births

      1. American director, actor

        William A. Wellman

        William Augustus Wellman was an American film director known for his work in crime, adventure, and action genre films, often focusing on aviation themes, a particular passion. He also directed several well-regarded satirical comedies. Beginning his film career as an actor, he went on to direct over 80 films, at times co-credited as producer and consultant. In 1927, Wellman directed Wings, which became the first film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture at the 1st Academy Awards ceremony.

  31. 1892

    1. Augusta Savage, American sculptor (d. 1962) births

      1. American sculptor and teacher (1892–1962)

        Augusta Savage

        Augusta Savage was an American sculptor associated with the Harlem Renaissance. She was also a teacher whose studio was important to the careers of a generation of artists who would become nationally known. She worked for equal rights for African Americans in the arts.

  32. 1884

    1. Richard S. Aldrich, American lawyer and politician (d. 1941) births

      1. American politician (1884–1941)

        Richard S. Aldrich

        Richard Steere Aldrich was an American politician. He was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and served in the Rhode Island State Senate and the Rhode Island House of Representatives.

  33. 1880

    1. James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of Tasmania (b. February 29, 1812) deaths

      1. Australian politician

        James Milne Wilson

        Sir James Milne Wilson, served as Premier of Tasmania from 1869 to 1872.

      2. Head of government for the state of Tasmania, Australia

        Premier of Tasmania

        The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of Tasmania to be premier and principal adviser.

  34. 1868

    1. Ludwig I of Bavaria (b. 1786) deaths

      1. King of Bavaria from 1825 to 1848

        Ludwig I of Bavaria

        Ludwig I or Louis I was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As king, he encouraged Bavaria's industrialization, initiating the Ludwig Canal between the rivers Main and the Danube. In 1835, the first German railway was constructed in his domain, between the cities of Fürth and Nuremberg, with his Bavaria joining the Zollverein economic union in 1834. After the July Revolution of 1830 in France, Ludwig's previous liberal policy became increasingly repressive, in 1844, Ludwig was confronted during the Beer riots in Bavaria. During the revolutions of 1848 the king faced increasing protests and demonstrations by students and the middle classes. On 20 March 1848, he abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Maximilian.

  35. 1860

    1. Herman Hollerith, American statistician and businessman, co-founded the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (d. 1929) births

      1. American statistician and inventor

        Herman Hollerith

        Herman Hollerith was a German-American statistician, inventor, and businessman who developed an electromechanical tabulating machine for punched cards to assist in summarizing information and, later, in accounting. His invention of the punched card tabulating machine, patented in 1884, marks the beginning of the era of mechanized binary code and semiautomatic data processing systems, and his concept dominated that landscape for nearly a century.

      2. American business machines company

        Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company

        The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) was a holding company of manufacturers of record-keeping and measuring systems subsequently known as IBM.

  36. 1856

    1. Auguste Chapdelaine, French Christian missionary (b. 1814) deaths

      1. Auguste Chapdelaine

        Auguste Chapdelaine, Chinese name Mǎ Lài was a French Christian missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. France used his death–– Chapdelaine was executed by Chinese officials–– as a casus belli for its participation in the Second Opium War.

      2. Member of a religious group sent into an area to promote their faith

        Missionary

        A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.

  37. 1852

    1. Frank Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian lawyer and judge, fourth Chief Justice of Australia (d. 1936) births

      1. Australian judge

        Frank Gavan Duffy

        Sir Frank Gavan Duffy, KCMG, KC was an Australian judge who served as the fourth Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1931 to 1935. His total service on the High Court of Australia was from 1913 to 1935. Prior to his judicial career, he was one of Victoria's most prominent barristers.

      2. Presiding justice of the High Court of Australia

        Chief Justice of Australia

        The Chief Justice of Australia is the presiding Justice of the High Court of Australia and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Commonwealth of Australia. The incumbent is Susan Kiefel, who is the first woman to hold the position.

    2. Prince George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg (d. 1912) births

      1. Prince Romanovsky

        George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg

        Prince George Maximilianovich Romanowsky, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg, also known as Prince Georgii Romanovsky or Georges de Beauharnais, was the youngest son of Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia.

  38. 1848

    1. Louis-François Lejeune, French general, painter and lithographer (b. 1775) deaths

      1. French painter

        Louis-François Lejeune

        Louis-François, Baron Lejeune was a French general, painter, and lithographer. His memoirs have frequently been republished and his name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe.

  39. 1836

    1. Dickey Pearce, American baseball player and manager (d. 1908) births

      1. American baseball player (1836–1908)

        Dickey Pearce

        Richard J. Pearce known as Dickey Pearce was an American professional baseball player and one of the sport's most famous early figures. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and began playing with the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1857. He continued his career in the National Association and the early years of Major League Baseball. It is possible Pearce was one of the first baseball players to earn money for playing the game professionally. Pearce is given credit for pioneering the shortstop position. Pearce introduced his "tricky hit" to baseball, known today as the bunt. For much of his career, the rules permitted the ball to roll foul and still be a hit.

  40. 1828

    1. Emmeline B. Wells, American journalist, poet, and activist (d. 1921) births

      1. American journalist, editor, poet, women's rights advocate, and diarist

        Emmeline B. Wells

        Emmeline Blanche Woodward Harris Whitney Wells was an American journalist, editor, poet, women's rights advocate, and diarist. She served as the fifth Relief Society General President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1910 until her death. She represented the state of Utah at both the National and American Women's Suffrage conventions and was president of the Utah Woman's Suffrage Association. She was the editor of the Woman's Exponent for 37 years. She was a plural wife to Newel K. Whitney, then Daniel H. Wells.

  41. 1820

    1. Johann Joachim Eschenburg, German historian and critic (b. 1743) deaths

      1. German critic and literary historian

        Johann Joachim Eschenburg

        Johann Joachim Eschenburg was a German critic and literary historian.

  42. 1812

    1. James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, eighth Premier of Tasmania (d. February 29, 1880) births

      1. Australian politician

        James Milne Wilson

        Sir James Milne Wilson, served as Premier of Tasmania from 1869 to 1872.

      2. Head of government for the state of Tasmania, Australia

        Premier of Tasmania

        The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of Tasmania to be premier and principal adviser.

  43. 1792

    1. Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer (d. 1868) births

      1. Italian opera composer (1792–1868)

        Gioachino Rossini

        Gioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity.

    2. Johann Andreas Stein, German piano builder (b. 1728) deaths

      1. German maker of keyboard instruments

        Johann Andreas Stein

        Johann (Georg) Andreas Stein was an outstanding German maker of keyboard instruments, a central figure in the history of the piano. He was primarily responsible for the design of the so-called German hammer action. Pianos with this hammer action, or its more developed form known as the Viennese action, may be said to be appropriate for the performance of the piano music of Haydn, Mozart, and the early Beethoven.

  44. 1744

    1. John Theophilus Desaguliers, French-English physicist and philosopher (b. 1683) deaths

      1. British philosopher

        John Theophilus Desaguliers

        John Theophilus Desaguliers FRS was a British natural philosopher, clergyman, engineer and freemason who was elected to the Royal Society in 1714 as experimental assistant to Isaac Newton. He had studied at Oxford and later popularized Newtonian theories and their practical applications in public lectures. Desaguliers's most important patron was James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. As a Freemason, Desaguliers was instrumental in the success of the first Grand Lodge in London in the early 1720s and served as its third Grand Master.

  45. 1736

    1. Ann Lee, English-American religious leader, founded the Shakers (d. 1784) births

      1. Founder of the Shakers (1736–1784)

        Ann Lee

        Ann Lee, commonly known as Mother Ann Lee, was the founding leader of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, or the Shakers.

      2. Christian monastic denomination

        Shakers

        The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, are a millenarian restorationist Christian sect founded c. 1747 in England and then organized in the United States in the 1780s. They were initially known as "Shaking Quakers" because of their ecstatic behavior during worship services. Espousing egalitarian ideals, women took on spiritual leadership roles alongside men, including founding leaders such as Jane Wardley, Ann Lee, and Lucy Wright. The Shakers emigrated from England and settled in Revolutionary colonial America, with an initial settlement at Watervliet, New York, in 1774. They practice a celibate and communal utopian lifestyle, pacifism, uniform charismatic worship, and their model of equality of the sexes, which they institutionalized in their society in the 1780s. They are also known for their simple living, architecture, technological innovation, music, and furniture.

  46. 1724

    1. Eva Marie Veigel, Austrian-English dancer (d. 1822) births

      1. Eva Marie Veigel

        Eva Marie Veigel was a dancer and the wife of actor David Garrick.

  47. 1712

    1. Johann Conrad Peyer, Swiss anatomist (b. 1653) deaths

      1. Swiss anatomist

        Johann Conrad Peyer

        Johann Conrad Peyer was a Swiss anatomist who was a native of Schaffhausen.

  48. 1692

    1. John Byrom, English poet and educator (d. 1763) births

      1. English poet

        John Byrom

        John Byrom or John Byrom of Kersal or John Byrom of Manchester FRS was an English poet, the inventor of a revolutionary system of shorthand and later a significant landowner. He is most remembered as the writer of the lyrics of Anglican hymn "Christians, awake, salute the happy morn", which was supposedly a Christmas gift for his daughter.

  49. 1640

    1. Benjamin Keach, Particular Baptist preacher and author whose name was given to Keach's Catechism (d. 1704) births

      1. Benjamin Keach

        Benjamin Keach was a Particular Baptist preacher and author in London whose name was given to Keach's Catechism.

      2. Baptists who hold to a Calvinist soteriology

        Reformed Baptists

        Reformed Baptists are Baptists that hold to a Calvinist soteriology (salvation). The first Calvinist Baptist church was formed in the 1630s. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith was written along Calvinist Baptist lines. The name “Reformed Baptist” dates from the latter part of the 20th Century to denote Baptists who have adopted elements of Reformed theology, but retained Baptist ecclesiology.

      3. Particular Baptist catechism

        Keach's Catechism

        Keach's Catechism is a Reformed Baptist catechism consisting of a set of 118 basic questions and answers from scripture teaching readers the basics of the Reformed Baptist faith.

  50. 1604

    1. John Whitgift, English archbishop and academic (b. 1530) deaths

      1. Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to 1604

        John Whitgift

        John Whitgift was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 800 horses. Whitgift's theological views were often controversial.

  51. 1600

    1. Caspar Hennenberger, German pastor, historian and cartographer (b. 1529) deaths

      1. Caspar Hennenberger

        Caspar Hennenberger was a German Lutheran pastor, historian and cartographer.

  52. 1592

    1. Alessandro Striggio, Italian composer and diplomat (b. 1536/1537) deaths

      1. Italian composer (c1536/1537–1592)

        Alessandro Striggio

        Alessandro Striggio was an Italian composer, instrumentalist and diplomat of the Renaissance. He composed numerous madrigals as well as dramatic music, and by combining the two, became the inventor of madrigal comedy. His son, also named Alessandro Striggio, wrote the libretto for Monteverdi's Orfeo.

  53. 1576

    1. Antonio Neri, Florentine priest and glassmaker (d. 1614) births

      1. Italian chemist (1576–1614)

        Antonio Neri

        Antonio Neri was a Florentine priest who published the book L’Arte Vetraria or The Art of Glass in 1612. This book was the first general treatise on the systematics of glassmaking.

  54. 1572

    1. Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon (d. 1638) births

      1. English military commander

        Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon

        Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon was an English military commander and a politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1624.

  55. 1528

    1. Albert V, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1579) births

      1. Duke of Bavaria

        Albert V, Duke of Bavaria

        Albert V was Duke of Bavaria from 1550 until his death. He was born in Munich to William IV and Maria Jacobäa of Baden.

    2. Domingo Báñez, Spanish theologian (d. 1604) births

      1. Spanish theologian

        Domingo Báñez

        Domingo Báñez was a Spanish Dominican and Scholastic theologian. The qualifying Mondragonensis sometimes attached to his name seems to refer to the birthplace of his father, Juan Báñez, at Mondragón in Guipúzcoa.

    3. Patrick Hamilton, Scottish Protestant reformer and martyr (b. 1504) deaths

      1. Scottish clergyman

        Patrick Hamilton (martyr)

        Patrick Hamilton was a Scottish churchman and an early Protestant Reformer in Scotland. He travelled to Europe, where he met several of the leading reformed thinkers, before returning to Scotland to preach. He was tried as a heretic by Archbishop James Beaton, found guilty and handed over to secular authorities to be burnt at the stake in St Andrews as Scotland's first martyr of the Reformation.

  56. 1468

    1. Pope Paul III (d. 1549) births

      1. Head of the Catholic Church from 1534 to 1549

        Pope Paul III

        Pope Paul III, born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549.

  57. 1460

    1. Albert III, Duke of Bavaria-Munich (b. 1401) deaths

      1. Albert III, Duke of Bavaria

        Albert III the Pious of Bavaria-Munich, since 1438 Duke of Bavaria-Munich. He was born in Wolfratshausen to Ernest, Duke of Bavaria and Elisabetta Visconti, daughter of Bernabò Visconti.

  58. 992

    1. Oswald of Worcester, Anglo-Saxon archbishop and saint (b. 925) deaths

      1. Archbishop of York (died 992)

        Oswald of Worcester

        Oswald of Worcester was Archbishop of York from 972 to his death in 992. He was of Danish ancestry, but brought up by his uncle, Oda, who sent him to France to the abbey of Fleury to become a monk. After a number of years at Fleury, Oswald returned to England at the request of his uncle, who died before Oswald returned. With his uncle's death, Oswald needed a patron and turned to another kinsman, Oskytel, who had recently become Archbishop of York. His activity for Oskytel attracted the notice of Archbishop Dunstan who had Oswald consecrated as Bishop of Worcester in 961. In 972, Oswald was promoted to the see of York, although he continued to hold Worcester also.

  59. 468

    1. Pope Hilarius deaths

      1. Head of the Catholic Church from 461 to 468

        Pope Hilarius

        Pope Hilarius was the bishop of Rome from 19 November 461 to his death on 29 February 468.

Holidays

  1. As a Christian feast day: Saint John Cassian

    1. Christian monk and theologian

      John Cassian

      John Cassian, also known as John the Ascetic and John Cassian the Roman, was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern churches for his mystical writings. Cassian is noted for his role in bringing the ideas and practices of early Christian monasticism to the medieval West.

  2. As a Christian feast day: February 29 in the Orthodox church

    1. February 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

      February 28 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - March 1 (On non-leap years, the commemorations below are celebrated on February 28.)

  3. Rare Disease Day (in leap years; celebrated in common years on February 28)

    1. Rare Disease Day

      Rare Disease Day is an observance held on the last day of February to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases and their families. The European Organisation for Rare Diseases established the day in 2008 to raise awareness for unknown or overlooked illnesses. According to that organization, treatment for many rare diseases is insufficient, as are the social networks to support individuals with rare diseases and their families; furthermore, while there were already numerous days dedicated to individuals with specific diseases, there had previously not been a day for representing those affected by rare diseases. In 2009, Rare Disease Day went global as the National Organization for Rare Disorders mobilized 200 rare disease patient advocacy organizations in the United States while organizations in China, Australia, Taiwan, and Latin America also lead efforts in their respective countries to coordinate activities and promote the day.

  4. Bachelor's Day (Ireland, United Kingdom)

    1. Tradition associated with February 29

      Bachelor's Day (tradition)

      Bachelor's Day, sometimes known as Ladies' Privilege, is an Irish tradition by which women are allowed to propose to men on Leap Day, 29 February, based on a legend of Saint Bridget and Saint Patrick. It once had legal basis in Scotland and England.

    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.

    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.