On This Day /

Important events in history
on January 8 th

Events

  1. 2021

    1. Twenty-three people are killed in what is described as a police ″massacre″ in La Vega, Caracas, Venezuela.

      1. 2021 police raid on the gang controlling La Vega Parish, Caracas, Venezuela

        La Vega raid

        The La Vega raid was a police raid that occurred on 8 January 2021 in La Vega Parish, Caracas, Venezuela. The objective of the raid was to take control of La Vega Parish, which was controlled by the El Loco gang. Members of the Venezuelan National Police (PNB), the Special Action Forces (FAES) and the Venezuelan National Guard seized control of the parish, killing a number of people in the neighborhood. According to investigative journalists and human rights organizations, the death toll was 23 people. By 11 January, no member of the Nicolás Maduro administration had made a statement about the events or announced a death toll.

      2. Capital and largest city of Venezuela

        Caracas

        Caracas, officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas. Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern part of the country, within the Caracas Valley of the Venezuelan coastal mountain range. The valley is close to the Caribbean Sea, separated from the coast by a steep 2,200-meter-high (7,200 ft) mountain range, Cerro El Ávila; to the south there are more hills and mountains. The Metropolitan Region of Caracas has an estimated population of almost 5 million inhabitants.

  2. 2020

    1. Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashes immediately after takeoff at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport; all 176 on board are killed. The plane was shot down by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile.

      1. Civilian passenger aircraft shot down by Iran in 2020

        Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752

        Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (PS752/AUI752) was a scheduled international civilian passenger flight from Tehran to Kyiv, operated by Ukraine International Airlines. On 8 January 2020, the Boeing 737-800 flying the route was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after takeoff, killing all 176 passengers and crew aboard.

      2. International airport serving Tehran, Iran

        Imam Khomeini International Airport

        Imam Khomeini International Airport is the primary international airport of Tehran, the capital city of Iran, located 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwest of Tehran, near the localities of Robat Karim and Eslamshahr and spread over an area of 13,500 hectares of land. Along with Mehrabad Airport, it is one of the two international airports serving Tehran. All international flights in Tehran are currently served by this airport, and all domestic flights are served by Mehrabad Airport. IKA ranks third in terms of total passenger traffic in Iran after Tehran Mehrabad Airport and Mashhad Airport. The airport is operated by the Iran Airports Company and is the primary operating base for Iran Air and Mahan Air.

  3. 2016

    1. Joaquín Guzmán, widely regarded as the world's most powerful drug trafficker, is recaptured following his escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico.

      1. Mexican drug lord incarcerated in a US federal prison

        Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán

        Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, commonly known as "El Chapo", is a Mexican former drug lord and a former leader within the Sinaloa Cartel, an international crime syndicate. He is considered to have been one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world.

    2. West Air Sweden Flight 294 crashes near the Swedish reservoir of Akkajaure; both pilots, the only people on board, are killed.

      1. 2016 aviation accident

        West Air Sweden Flight 294

        West Air Sweden Flight 294 was a cargo flight of a Canadair CRJ200 from Oslo to Tromsø, Norway that crashed on 8 January 2016. A malfunction in one of the inertial reference units had produced erroneous attitude indications on one of the instrument displays. The crew's subsequent response resulted in spatial disorientation, leading to the loss of control of the aircraft. Both crew members on board were killed.

      2. Reservoir in Norrbotten County, Sweden

        Akkajaure

        Akkajaure is one of the largest reservoirs in Sweden. It lies at the headwaters of the Lule River in Norrbotten County, in Swedish Lappland, within the Stora Sjöfallet national park. The lake formed after the construction of the first Suorva dam in 1913–1923. The rim of the current dam is at an elevation of 453 m (1,486 ft). When full, the lake's maximum depth is 92 m (302 ft), and its mean depth is about 30 m (98 ft). Because it is used for power generation, the lake depth fluctuates by up to 30 m (98 ft). On 8 January 2016, West Air Sweden Flight 294 crashed near Akkajaure, killing both crew members on board.

  4. 2011

    1. Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a public meeting held by U.S. representative Gabby Giffords in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people and injuring twelve others.

      1. American mass murderer

        Jared Lee Loughner

        Jared Lee Loughner is an American mass murderer who pled guilty to 19 charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with the January 8, 2011, Tucson shooting, in which he shot and severely injured U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, and killed six people, including Chief U.S. District Court Judge John Roll, Gabe Zimmerman, a member of Giffords' staff, and a 9-year-old girl, Christina-Taylor Green. Loughner shot and injured a total of 13 people, including one man who was injured while subduing him.

      2. 2011 mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, United States

        2011 Tucson shooting

        On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people were killed, including federal District Court Chief Judge John Roll; Gabe Zimmerman, one of Giffords's staffers; and a 9-year-old girl, Christina-Taylor Green. Giffords was holding the meeting, called "Congress on Your Corner", in the parking lot of a Safeway store when Jared Lee Loughner drew a pistol and shot her in the head before proceeding to fire on other people. One additional person was injured in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. News reports identified the target of the attack to be Giffords, a Democrat representing Arizona's 8th congressional district. She was shot through the head at point-blank range, and her medical condition was initially described as "critical".

      3. Lower house of the United States Congress

        United States House of Representatives

        The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they comprise the national bicameral legislature of the United States.

      4. American politician and gun control activist

        Gabby Giffords

        Gabrielle Dee Giffords is an American retired politician and gun control advocate who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Arizona's 8th congressional district from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned due to a severe brain injury suffered during an assassination attempt. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

      5. City in Arizona, United States

        Tucson, Arizona

        Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States, and is home to the University of Arizona. It is the second largest city in Arizona behind Phoenix, with a population of 542,629 in the 2020 United States census, while the population of the entire Tucson metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is 1,043,433. The Tucson MSA forms part of the larger Tucson-Nogales combined statistical area (CSA). Both Tucson and Phoenix anchor the Arizona Sun Corridor. The city is 108 miles (174 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 mi (97 km) north of the U.S.–Mexico border. Tucson is the 34th largest city and the 53rd largest metropolitan area in the United States (2014).

    2. Sitting US Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is shot in the head along with 18 others in a mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona. Giffords survived the assassination attempt, but six others died, including John Roll, a federal judge.

      1. American politician and gun control activist

        Gabby Giffords

        Gabrielle Dee Giffords is an American retired politician and gun control advocate who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Arizona's 8th congressional district from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned due to a severe brain injury suffered during an assassination attempt. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress.

      2. 2011 mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, United States

        2011 Tucson shooting

        On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people were killed, including federal District Court Chief Judge John Roll; Gabe Zimmerman, one of Giffords's staffers; and a 9-year-old girl, Christina-Taylor Green. Giffords was holding the meeting, called "Congress on Your Corner", in the parking lot of a Safeway store when Jared Lee Loughner drew a pistol and shot her in the head before proceeding to fire on other people. One additional person was injured in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. News reports identified the target of the attack to be Giffords, a Democrat representing Arizona's 8th congressional district. She was shot through the head at point-blank range, and her medical condition was initially described as "critical".

      3. American judge (1947–2011)

        John Roll

        John McCarthy Roll was a United States district judge who served on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona from 1991 until his murder in 2011, and as chief judge of that court from 2006 to 2011. With degrees from the University of Arizona College of Law and University of Virginia School of Law, Roll began his career as a court bailiff in Arizona and became an assistant city attorney of Tucson, Arizona in 1973. Later that year, Roll became a deputy county attorney for Pima County, Arizona until 1980, when he began serving as an Assistant United States Attorney for seven years. President George H. W. Bush appointed Roll to a federal judge seat in Arizona after Roll served four years as a state judge.

  5. 2010

    1. Gunmen from an offshoot of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attacked the bus transporting the Togo national football team to the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, killing three people.

      1. Angolan guerilla movement for the independence of Cabinda province

        Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda

        The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda is a guerrilla and political movement fighting for the independence of the Angolan province of Cabinda. Formerly under Portuguese administration, with the independence of Angola from Portugal in 1975, the territory became an exclave province of the newly independent Angola. The FLEC fights the Cabinda War in the region occupied by the former kingdoms of Kakongo, Loango and N'Goyo.

      2. 2010 terrorist attack in Cabinda Province, Angola

        Togo national football team attack

        The Togo national football team bus attack was a terrorist attack that occurred on 8 January 2010 as the Togo national football team traveled through the Angolan province of Cabinda on the way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, two days before it began. A little-known offshoot of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC), a group promoting independence for the province of Cabinda, known as the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda – Military Position (FLEC-PM), claimed responsibility for the attack. Bus driver Mário Adjoua, the team's assistant manager Améleté Abalo, and media officer Stanislas Ocloo were killed, with several others injured. Secretary General of the FLEC-PM Rodrigues Mingas, currently exiled in France, claimed the attack was not aimed at the Togolese players but at the Angolan forces at the head of the convoy. Authorities reported two suspects were detained in connection with the attacks.

      3. Team representing Togo in international football

        Togo national football team

        The Togo national football team represents Togo in international football and is controlled by the Togolese Football Federation. The national football team of Togo made their debut in the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Their team bus underwent a fatal attack in Angola prior to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. They withdrew and were subsequently banned from the following two tournaments by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). In 2013 for the first time in history, Togo reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

      4. International football competition

        2010 Africa Cup of Nations

        The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa (CAF). It was held in Angola, where it began on 10 January 2010 and concluded on 31 January.

    2. Gunmen from an offshoot of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attack a bus carrying the Togo national football team on its way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, killing three people and injuring another nine.

      1. Angolan guerilla movement for the independence of Cabinda province

        Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda

        The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda is a guerrilla and political movement fighting for the independence of the Angolan province of Cabinda. Formerly under Portuguese administration, with the independence of Angola from Portugal in 1975, the territory became an exclave province of the newly independent Angola. The FLEC fights the Cabinda War in the region occupied by the former kingdoms of Kakongo, Loango and N'Goyo.

      2. 2010 terrorist attack in Cabinda Province, Angola

        Togo national football team attack

        The Togo national football team bus attack was a terrorist attack that occurred on 8 January 2010 as the Togo national football team traveled through the Angolan province of Cabinda on the way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, two days before it began. A little-known offshoot of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC), a group promoting independence for the province of Cabinda, known as the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda – Military Position (FLEC-PM), claimed responsibility for the attack. Bus driver Mário Adjoua, the team's assistant manager Améleté Abalo, and media officer Stanislas Ocloo were killed, with several others injured. Secretary General of the FLEC-PM Rodrigues Mingas, currently exiled in France, claimed the attack was not aimed at the Togolese players but at the Angolan forces at the head of the convoy. Authorities reported two suspects were detained in connection with the attacks.

      3. Team representing Togo in international football

        Togo national football team

        The Togo national football team represents Togo in international football and is controlled by the Togolese Football Federation. The national football team of Togo made their debut in the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Their team bus underwent a fatal attack in Angola prior to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. They withdrew and were subsequently banned from the following two tournaments by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). In 2013 for the first time in history, Togo reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

      4. International football competition

        2010 Africa Cup of Nations

        The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa (CAF). It was held in Angola, where it began on 10 January 2010 and concluded on 31 January.

  6. 2009

    1. A 6.1-magnitude earthquake in northern Costa Rica kills 15 people and injures 32.

      1. 2009 earthquake in northern Costa Rica

        2009 Cinchona earthquake

        The 2009 Cinchona earthquake occurred at 1:21:35 pm local time on January 8 with an Mwc magnitude of 6.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. The shock took place in northern Costa Rica, 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-northwest of San José and was felt throughout Costa Rica and in southern central Nicaragua.

      2. Country in Central America

        Costa Rica

        Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around five million in a land area of 51,060 km2 (19,710 sq mi). An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area.

  7. 2005

    1. The nuclear sub USS San Francisco collides at full speed with an undersea mountain south of Guam. One man is killed, but the sub surfaces and is repaired.

      1. Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine of the US Navy

        USS San Francisco (SSN-711)

        USS San Francisco (SSN-711) is a Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine, the third ship or boat of the United States Navy to be named for San Francisco, California.

      2. Territory of the United States

        Guam

        Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States ; its capital Hagåtña (144°45'00"E) lies further west than Melbourne, Australia (144°57'47"E). In Oceania, Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the largest island in Micronesia. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, and the most populous village is Dededo.

  8. 2004

    1. RMS Queen Mary 2, at the time the longest, widest and tallest passenger ship ever built, was christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

      1. British 21st-century transatlantic ocean liner

        Queen Mary 2

        RMS Queen Mary 2 is a British transatlantic ocean liner. She has served as the flagship of Cunard Line since succeeding Queen Elizabeth 2 in 2004. As of 2022, Queen Mary 2 is the only ocean liner still in service.

      2. Watercraft intended to carry people onboard

        Passenger ship

        A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is secondary to the carriage of freight. The type does however include many classes of ships designed to transport substantial numbers of passengers as well as freight. Indeed, until recently virtually all ocean liners were able to transport mail, package freight and express, and other cargo in addition to passenger luggage, and were equipped with cargo holds and derricks, kingposts, or other cargo-handling gear for that purpose. Only in more recent ocean liners and in virtually all cruise ships has this cargo capacity been eliminated.

      3. Queen consort of the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936

        Mary of Teck

        Mary of Teck was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 January 1936 as the wife of King-Emperor George V.

      4. Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022

        Elizabeth II

        Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime, and was head of state of 15 realms at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female monarch in history.

    2. The RMS Queen Mary 2, then the largest ocean liner ever built, is christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

      1. British 21st-century transatlantic ocean liner

        Queen Mary 2

        RMS Queen Mary 2 is a British transatlantic ocean liner. She has served as the flagship of Cunard Line since succeeding Queen Elizabeth 2 in 2004. As of 2022, Queen Mary 2 is the only ocean liner still in service.

      2. Ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another

        Ocean liner

        An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes.

      3. Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022

        Elizabeth II

        Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime, and was head of state of 15 realms at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female monarch in history.

  9. 2003

    1. Turkish Airlines Flight 634 crashes near Diyarbakır Airport, Turkey, killing the entire crew and 70 of the 75 passengers.

      1. 2003 aviation accident

        Turkish Airlines Flight 634

        Turkish Airlines Flight 634 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Turkish Airlines' hub at Istanbul Atatürk Airport to Diyarbakır Airport in southeastern Turkey. On 8 January 2003 at 20:19 EET, the aircraft operating the flight, a British Aerospace Avro RJ100, struck the ground on final approach approximately 900 metres (3,000 ft) short of the runway threshold during inclement weather conditions. In the following collision with a slope, a post-crash fire broke out, killing 75 of the 80 occupants, including both pilots.

      2. Military airbase and public airport in Diyarbakır, Turkey

        Diyarbakır Airport

        Diyarbakır Airport is a military airbase and public airport located in Diyarbakır, Turkey.

      3. Country straddling Western Asia and Southeastern Europe

        Turkey

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

    2. Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte-Douglas Airport, in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people on board.

      1. 2003 aviation accident in North Carolina, United States

        Air Midwest Flight 5481

        Air Midwest Flight 5481 was a Beechcraft 1900D on a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, South Carolina. On the morning of January 8, 2003, the Beechcraft stalled while departing Charlotte Douglas International Airport and crashed into an aircraft hangar, killing all 21 passengers and crew aboard and injuring one person on the ground.

      2. Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.

        Charlotte Douglas International Airport

        Charlotte Douglas International Airport, typically referred to as Charlotte Douglas, Douglas Airport, or simply CLT, is an international airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, located roughly six miles west of the city's central business district. Charlotte Douglas is the primary airport for commercial and military use in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Operated by the city of Charlotte's aviation department, the airport covers 5,558 acres of land.

      3. Largest city in North Carolina

        Charlotte, North Carolina

        Charlotte is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 as of the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous city in the U.S., the seventh most populous city in the South, and the second most populous city in the Southeast behind Jacksonville, Florida. The city is the cultural, economic, and transportation center of the Charlotte metropolitan area, whose 2020 population of 2,660,329 ranked 22nd in the U.S. Metrolina is part of a sixteen-county market region or combined statistical area with a 2020 census-estimated population of 2,846,550.

      4. U.S. state

        North Carolina

        North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and South Carolina to the south, and Tennessee to the west. Raleigh is the state's capital and Charlotte is its largest city. The Charlotte metropolitan area, with a population of 2,595,027 in 2020, is the most-populous metropolitan area in North Carolina, the 21st-most populous in the United States, and the largest banking center in the nation after New York City. The Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area is the second-largest metropolitan area in the state and 32nd-most populous in the United States, with a population of 2,043,867 in 2020, and is home to the largest research park in the United States, Research Triangle Park.

  10. 2002

    1. President of the United States George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act.

      1. President of the United States from 2001 to 2009

        George W. Bush

        George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he previously served as the 46th governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

      2. 2002 United States education reform law; repealed 2015

        No Child Left Behind Act

        The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based education reform based on the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals could improve individual outcomes in education. The Act required states to develop assessments in basic skills. To receive federal school funding, states had to give these assessments to all students at select grade levels.

  11. 1996

    1. An Antonov An-32 cargo aircraft crashes into a crowded market in Kinshasa, Zaire, killing up to 223 people on the ground; two of six crew members are also killed.

      1. Airliner and military tactical transport aircraft by Antonov

        Antonov An-32

        The Antonov An-32 is a turboprop twin-engined military transport aircraft.

      2. Airplane crash in Kinshasa, Zaire

        1996 Air Africa crash

        The 1996 Air Africa crash occurred on 8 January when an overloaded Zairese Air Africa's Antonov An-32B aircraft, bound for Kahemba Airport, overshot the runway at N'Dolo Airport in Kinshasa, Zaire after failing to take off and ploughed into Kinshasa's Simbazikita street market. Four of the six crew of the aircraft that had been wet leased from Moscow Airways, managed to survive. However, between 225 and 348 fatalities and around 253 serious injuries occurred on the ground. This crash remains the deadliest in African history, and also one with the most ground fatalities of any air disaster in history, superseded only by the intentional crashes of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 in the September 11 attacks.

      3. Capital and the largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

        Kinshasa

        Kinshasa, formerly Léopoldville, is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of the world's fastest growing megacities.

      4. Country in Central Africa from 1971 to 1997

        Zaire

        Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa, and the 11th-largest country in the world. With a population of over 23 million inhabitants, Zaire was the most-populous officially Francophone country in Africa, as well as one of the most populous in Africa.

  12. 1994

    1. Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on Soyuz TM-18 leaves for Mir. He would stay on the space station until March 22, 1995, for a record 437 days in space.

      1. Person who commands, pilots, or serves as a crew member of a spacecraft

        Astronaut

        An astronaut is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally reserved for professional space travelers, the term is sometimes applied to anyone who travels into space, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and tourists.

      2. Soviet and Russian cosmonaut (1942–2022), record holder for longest single stay in space

        Valeri Polyakov

        Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut. He is the record holder for the longest single stay in space, staying aboard the Mir space station for more than 14 months during one trip. His combined space experience was more than 22 months.

      3. 1994 Russian crewed spaceflight to Mir

        Soyuz TM-18

        Soyuz TM-18 was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome and landed 112 km north of Arkalyk. TM-18 was a two-day solo flight that docked with the Mir space station on January 10, 1994. The three cosmonauts became the 15th resident crew on board Mir. The crew did research work in space flight medicine, primarily by cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov during his long-term flight, and accomplished 25 different experiments.

      4. Soviet/Russian space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001

        Mir

        Mir was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. Mir was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996. It had a greater mass than any previous spacecraft. At the time it was the largest artificial satellite in orbit, succeeded by the International Space Station (ISS) after Mir's orbit decayed. The station served as a microgravity research laboratory in which crews conducted experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and spacecraft systems with a goal of developing technologies required for permanent occupation of space.

      5. Habitat and station in outer space

        Space station

        A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station is an artificial satellite. Stations must have docking ports to allow other spacecraft to dock to transfer crew and supplies. The purpose of maintaining an orbital outpost varies depending on the program. Space stations have most often been launched for scientific purposes, but military launches have also occurred.

  13. 1991

    1. Jeremy Wade Delle committed suicide in his high-school class in Richardson, Texas, inspiring the Pearl Jam song "Jeremy".

      1. City in the Dallas and Collin counties of Texas, United States

        Richardson, Texas

        Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 119,469. Richardson is an inner suburb of the city of Dallas.

      2. American rock band

        Pearl Jam

        Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, as well as Matt Cameron (drums), who joined in 1998. Keyboardist Boom Gaspar has also been a touring/session member with the band since 2002. Drummers Jack Irons, Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain, and Dave Abbruzzese are former members of the band. Pearl Jam outsold many of their contemporaries from the early 1990s, and are considered one of the most influential bands of the decade, being dubbed as "the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s".

      3. 1992 single by Pearl Jam

        Jeremy (song)

        "Jeremy" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, with lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by bassist Jeff Ament. "Jeremy" was released in August 1992 as the third single from Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten (1991). The song was inspired by a newspaper article Vedder read about Jeremy Wade Delle, a high school student who shot himself in front of his English class on January 8, 1991. It reached the number 5 spot on both the Album and Modern Rock Billboard charts. It did not originally chart on the regular Billboard Hot 100 singles chart since it was not released as a commercial single in the US at the time, but a re-release in July 1995 brought it up to number 79.

  14. 1989

    1. Kegworth air disaster: British Midland Flight 92, a Boeing 737-400, crashes into the M1 motorway, killing 47 of the 126 people on board.

      1. British air accident, 1989

        Kegworth air disaster

        The Kegworth air disaster occurred when British Midland Airways Flight 092, a Boeing 737-400, crashed onto the motorway embankment between the M1 motorway and A453 road near Kegworth, Leicestershire, England, while attempting to make an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport on 8 January 1989.

      2. Defunct airline of the United Kingdom (1938—2012)

        British Midland International

        British Midland Airways Limited was an airline with its head office in Donington Hall in Castle Donington, close to East Midlands Airport, in the United Kingdom. The airline flew to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America and Central Asia from its operational base at Heathrow Airport, where at its peak it held about 13% of all takeoff and landing slots and operated over 2,000 flights a week. BMI was a member of Star Alliance from 1 July 2000 until 20 April 2012.

      3. Airliner family by Boeing

        Boeing 737 Classic

        The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in February 1984 and entered service that December. The stretched 737-400 first flew in February 1988 and entered service later that year. The shortest variant, the 737-500, first flew in June 1989 and entered service in 1990.

      4. First major motorway in England

        M1 motorway

        The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which later became part of the M6.

  15. 1982

    1. Breakup of the Bell System: In the United States, AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions.

      1. 1982 U.S. government action to end AT&T Corp's monopoly over telephone services

        Breakup of the Bell System

        The breakup of the Bell System was mandated on January 8, 1982, by an agreed consent decree providing that AT&T Corporation would, as had been initially proposed by AT&T, relinquish control of the Bell Operating Companies, which had provided local telephone service in the United States. This effectively took the monopoly that was the Bell System and split it into entirely separate companies that would continue to provide telephone service. AT&T would continue to be a provider of long-distance service, while the now-independent Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs), nicknamed the "Baby Bells", would provide local service, and would no longer be directly supplied with equipment from AT&T subsidiary Western Electric.

      2. American telecommunications company

        AT&T Corporation

        AT&T Corporation, originally the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is the subsidiary of AT&T Inc. that provides voice, video, data, and Internet telecommunications and professional services to businesses, consumers, and government agencies.

  16. 1981

    1. In Trans-en-Provence, France, a local farmer reported a UFO sighting claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time".

      1. Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

        Trans-en-Provence

        Trans-en-Provence is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

      2. 1981 UFO sighting in France

        Trans-en-Provence case

        The Trans-en-Provence case was an event in which an unidentified flying object is claimed to have left physical evidence, in the form of burnt residue on a field. The event took place on 8 January 1981, outside the town of Trans-en-Provence in the French department of Var. It was described in Popular Mechanics as "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time."

    2. A local farmer reports a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time".

      1. 1981 UFO sighting in France

        Trans-en-Provence case

        The Trans-en-Provence case was an event in which an unidentified flying object is claimed to have left physical evidence, in the form of burnt residue on a field. The event took place on 8 January 1981, outside the town of Trans-en-Provence in the French department of Var. It was described in Popular Mechanics as "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time."

      2. Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

        Trans-en-Provence

        Trans-en-Provence is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

  17. 1978

    1. Harvey Milk took office on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors as the first openly gay man elected into public office in the United States.

      1. American gay rights activist (1930–1978)

        Harvey Milk

        Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in New York where he acknowledged his homosexuality as an adolescent, but chose to pursue sexual relationships with secrecy and discretion well into his adult years. His experience in the counterculture of the 1960s caused him to shed many of his conservative views about individual freedom and the expression of sexuality.

      2. City legislature

        San Francisco Board of Supervisors

        The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco.

      3. Term referring to a homosexual person

        Gay

        Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.

  18. 1977

    1. Three bombs attributed to Armenian nationalists exploded across Moscow, killing 7 people and injuring 37.

      1. 1977 terrorist attack in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union

        1977 Moscow bombings

        The 1977 Moscow bombings were a series of three terrorist bombings in Moscow on 8 January 1977. The attacks killed seven people and seriously injured 37 others. No one claimed responsibility for the bombings, although three members of an Armenian nationalist organization were executed early in 1979 after a KGB investigation and a secret trial. Some Soviet dissidents said that the suspects had an alibi. Soon after the event Andrei Sakharov issued a public appeal, expressing concern that the bombings might "be a new provocation on the part of the organs of repression". According to historian Jay Bergman, "who actually caused the explosion has never been determined conclusively".

      2. Capital and largest city of Russia

        Moscow

        Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million residents within the city limits, over 17 million residents in the urban area, and over 20 million residents in the metropolitan area. The city covers an area of 2,511 square kilometers (970 sq mi), while the urban area covers 5,891 square kilometers (2,275 sq mi), and the metropolitan area covers over 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 sq mi). Moscow is among the world's largest cities; being the most populous city entirely in Europe, the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe, and the largest city by land area on the European continent.

    2. Three bombs explode in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.

      1. 1977 terrorist attack in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union

        1977 Moscow bombings

        The 1977 Moscow bombings were a series of three terrorist bombings in Moscow on 8 January 1977. The attacks killed seven people and seriously injured 37 others. No one claimed responsibility for the bombings, although three members of an Armenian nationalist organization were executed early in 1979 after a KGB investigation and a secret trial. Some Soviet dissidents said that the suspects had an alibi. Soon after the event Andrei Sakharov issued a public appeal, expressing concern that the bombings might "be a new provocation on the part of the organs of repression". According to historian Jay Bergman, "who actually caused the explosion has never been determined conclusively".

      2. Ethnic group native to the Armenian Highlands

        Armenians

        Armenians are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the de facto independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora of around five million people of full or partial Armenian ancestry living outside modern Armenia. The largest Armenian populations today exist in Russia, the United States, France, Georgia, Iran, Germany, Ukraine, Lebanon, Brazil, and Syria. With the exceptions of Iran and the former Soviet states, the present-day Armenian diaspora was formed mainly as a result of the Armenian genocide.

  19. 1975

    1. Ella T. Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first woman to serve as a Governor in the United States other than by succeeding her husband.

      1. American politician; 83rd governor of Connecticut (1975-80)

        Ella Grasso

        Ella Rosa Giovianna Oliva Grasso was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 83rd Governor of Connecticut from January 8, 1975, to December 31, 1980, after rejecting past offers of candidacies for Senate and Governor. She was the first woman elected to this office and the first woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state without having been the spouse or widow of a former governor. She resigned as governor due to her battle with ovarian cancer.

      2. List of governors of Connecticut

        The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticut General Assembly and to convene the legislature. Unusual among U.S. governors, the Governor of Connecticut has no power to pardon. The Governor of Connecticut is automatically a member of the state's Bonding Commission. He is an ex-officio member of the board of trustees of the University of Connecticut and Yale University.

  20. 1973

    1. Soviet space mission Luna 21 is launched.

      1. Country in Eurasia (1922–1991)

        Soviet Union

        The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national republics; in practice, both its government and its economy were highly centralized until its final years. It was a one-party state governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with the city of Moscow serving as its capital as well as that of its largest and most populous republic: the Russian SFSR. Other major cities included Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Tashkent, Alma-Ata, and Novosibirsk. It was the largest country in the world, covering over 22,402,200 square kilometres (8,649,500 sq mi) and spanning eleven time zones.

      2. 1973 Soviet unmanned lunar mission

        Luna 21

        Luna 21 was an unmanned space mission, and its spacecraft, of the Luna program, also called Lunik 21, in 1973. The spacecraft landed on the Moon and deployed the second Soviet lunar rover, Lunokhod 2. The primary objectives of the mission were to collect images of the lunar surface, examine ambient light levels to determine the feasibility of astronomical observations from the Moon, perform laser ranging experiments from Earth, observe solar X-rays, measure local magnetic fields, and study mechanical properties of the lunar surface material.

    2. Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins.

      1. Political scandal in the United States

        Watergate scandal

        The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual attempts to cover up its involvement in the June 17, 1972, break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Washington, D.C., Watergate Office Building.

      2. American political party

        Democratic Party (United States)

        The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled a wide cadre of politicians in every state behind war hero Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party. Its main political rival has been the Republican Party since the 1850s. The party is a big tent, and is less ideologically uniform than the Republican Party due to the broader list of unique voting blocs that compose it, though modern liberalism is the majority ideology in the party.

      3. United States historic place

        Watergate complex

        The Watergate complex is a group of six buildings in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. Covering a total of 10 acres just north of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the buildings include:Watergate West, cooperative apartments. Watergate 600, office building. Watergate Hotel. Watergate East, cooperative apartments. Watergate South, cooperative apartments. Watergate Office Building, the office building where the Watergate burglary happened.

  21. 1972

    1. Following Pakistan's defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto released Bangladeshi politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (pictured) from prison in response to international pressure.

      1. Written agreement of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War

        Pakistani Instrument of Surrender

        The Pakistani Instrument of Surrender was a written agreement between India, Pakistan, and the Provisional Government of Bangladesh that enabled the capitulation of 93,000 West Pakistani troops of the Armed Forces Eastern Command on 16 December 1971, thereby ending the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 with the formal establishment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh in erstwhile East Pakistan. It was the largest surrender in terms of number of personnel since the end of World War II.

      2. 1971 armed conflict that led to the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan

        Bangladesh Liberation War

        The Bangladesh Liberation War was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which resulted in the independence of Bangladesh. The war began when the Pakistani military junta based in West Pakistan—under the orders of Yahya Khan—launched Operation Searchlight against the people of East Pakistan on the night of 25 March 1971, initiating the Bangladesh genocide.

      3. President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973, and Prime Minister from 1973 to 1977

        Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

        Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, also known as Quaid-e-Awam, was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourth President from 1971 to 1973, and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977. Bhutto is an icon of leadership for his efforts to preserve and lead the nation after the Bangladesh Liberation War. His government drafted the Constitution of Pakistan in 1973, which is the current constitution of the country. He was the founder of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and served as its chairman until his execution. Bhutto's execution in 1979, till this day is widely recognised as a judicial murder ordered by then dictator General Zia-ul-Haq. His daughter, Benazir Bhutto later led the PPP and became the 11th and 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan; his grandson, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the current chairman of PPP and is serving as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan.

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

        Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

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

    2. Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh.

      1. Head of state of Pakistan

        President of Pakistan

        The president of Pakistan, officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

      2. President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973, and Prime Minister from 1973 to 1977

        Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

        Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, also known as Quaid-e-Awam, was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourth President from 1971 to 1973, and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977. Bhutto is an icon of leadership for his efforts to preserve and lead the nation after the Bangladesh Liberation War. His government drafted the Constitution of Pakistan in 1973, which is the current constitution of the country. He was the founder of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and served as its chairman until his execution. Bhutto's execution in 1979, till this day is widely recognised as a judicial murder ordered by then dictator General Zia-ul-Haq. His daughter, Benazir Bhutto later led the PPP and became the 11th and 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan; his grandson, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the current chairman of PPP and is serving as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan.

      3. Ethnic group native to Bangladesh and India

        Bengalis

        Bengalis, also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia. The current population is divided between the independent country Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and parts of Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur. Most of them speak Bengali, a language from the Indo-Aryan language family.

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

        Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

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

      5. Country in South Asia

        Bangladesh

        Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of 148,460 square kilometres (57,320 sq mi). Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world, and shares land borders with India to the west, north, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast; to the south it has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal. It is narrowly separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor; and from China by the Indian state of Sikkim in the north. Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's political, financial and cultural centre. Chittagong, the second-largest city, is the busiest port on the Bay of Bengal. The official language is Bengali, one of the easternmost branches of the Indo-European language family.

  22. 1964

    1. During his State of the Union address, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a "war on poverty".

      1. Annual report by the president of the United States

        State of the Union

        The State of the Union Address is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current condition of the nation. The State of the Union Address generally includes reports on the nation's budget, economy, news, agenda, achievements and the president's priorities and legislative proposals.

      2. President of the United States from 1963 to 1969

        Lyndon B. Johnson

        Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963 under President John F. Kennedy, and was sworn in shortly after Kennedy's assassination. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a U.S. representative, U.S. senator and the Senate's majority leader. He holds the distinction of being one of the few presidents who served in all elected offices at the federal level.

      3. 1964 policies of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson

        War on poverty

        The war on poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent. The speech led the United States Congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act, which established the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to administer the local application of federal funds targeted against poverty. The forty programs established by the Act were collectively aimed at eliminating poverty by improving living conditions for residents of low-income neighborhoods and by helping the poor access economic opportunities long denied from them.

    2. President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a "War on Poverty" in the United States.

      1. President of the United States from 1963 to 1969

        Lyndon B. Johnson

        Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963 under President John F. Kennedy, and was sworn in shortly after Kennedy's assassination. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a U.S. representative, U.S. senator and the Senate's majority leader. He holds the distinction of being one of the few presidents who served in all elected offices at the federal level.

      2. 1964 policies of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson

        War on poverty

        The war on poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent. The speech led the United States Congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act, which established the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to administer the local application of federal funds targeted against poverty. The forty programs established by the Act were collectively aimed at eliminating poverty by improving living conditions for residents of low-income neighborhoods and by helping the poor access economic opportunities long denied from them.

  23. 1961

    1. In France a referendum supports Charles de Gaulle's policies in Algeria.

      1. 1961 vote in France and colonial Algeria on Algerian independence

        1961 French referendum on Algerian self-determination

        A referendum on self-determination for Algeria was held in France on 8 January 1961. Self-determination was approved by 75% of voters overall and 70% in Algeria. Voter turnout was 92%. The referendum question was worded as follows:"Do you approve the bill submitted to the French people by the President of the Republic and concerning the self-determination of the populations of Algeria and the organization of the public authorities in Algeria prior to self-determination?"

      2. Country in North Africa

        Algeria

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

  24. 1959

    1. Charles de Gaulle is proclaimed as the first President of the French Fifth Republic.

      1. President of France from 1959 to 1969

        Charles de Gaulle

        Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 in order to restore democracy in France. In 1958, he came out of retirement when appointed President of the Council of Ministers by President René Coty. He rewrote the Constitution of France and founded the Fifth Republic after approval by referendum. He was elected President of France later that year, a position to which he was reelected in 1965 and held until his resignation in 1969.

      2. Current system of government of France (1958–present)

        French Fifth Republic

        The Fifth Republic is France's current republican system of government. It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the Fourth Republic, replacing the former parliamentary republic with a semi-presidential system that split powers between a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government. De Gaulle, who was the first French president elected under the Fifth Republic in December 1958, believed in a strong head of state, which he described as embodying l'esprit de la nation.

  25. 1956

    1. Five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States were killed by the Huaorani in the rainforest of Ecuador shortly after making contact with them.

      1. Protestant Christian movement

        Evangelicalism

        Evangelicalism, also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experiences personal conversion; the authority of the Bible as God's revelation to humanity ; and spreading the Christian message. The word evangelical comes from the Greek (euangelion) word for "good news".

      2. Christian proselytizing attempt in Ecuador (1955–1956)

        Operation Auca

        Operation Auca was an attempt by five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States to bring Christianity to the Waodani or Huaorani people of the rain forest of Ecuador. The Huaorani, also known pejoratively as Aucas, were an isolated tribe known for their violence, against both their own people and outsiders who entered their territory. With the intention of being the first Christians to evangelize the previously uncontacted Huaorani, the missionaries began making regular flights over Huaorani settlements in September 1955, dropping gifts, which were reciprocated. After several months of exchanging gifts, on January 3, 1956, the missionaries established a camp at "Palm Beach", a sandbar along the Curaray River, a few kilometers from Huaorani settlements. Their efforts came to an end on January 8, 1956, when all five—Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian—were attacked and speared by a group of Huaorani warriors. The news of their deaths was broadcast around the world, and Life magazine covered the event with a photo essay.

      3. Indigenous people in Ecuador

        Huaorani people

        The Huaorani, Waorani, or Waodani, also known as the Waos, are an Indigenous people from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate name Auca is a pejorative exonym used by the neighboring Quechua natives, and commonly adopted by Spanish-speakers as well. Auca means "savage".

      4. Rainforest in South America

        Amazon rainforest

        The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or Amazonia is a moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin encompasses 7,000,000 km2 (2,700,000 sq mi), of which 5,500,000 km2 (2,100,000 sq mi) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations and 3,344 formally acknowledged indigenous territories.

    2. Operation Auca: Five U.S. missionaries are killed by the Huaorani of Ecuador shortly after making first contact.

      1. Christian proselytizing attempt in Ecuador (1955–1956)

        Operation Auca

        Operation Auca was an attempt by five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States to bring Christianity to the Waodani or Huaorani people of the rain forest of Ecuador. The Huaorani, also known pejoratively as Aucas, were an isolated tribe known for their violence, against both their own people and outsiders who entered their territory. With the intention of being the first Christians to evangelize the previously uncontacted Huaorani, the missionaries began making regular flights over Huaorani settlements in September 1955, dropping gifts, which were reciprocated. After several months of exchanging gifts, on January 3, 1956, the missionaries established a camp at "Palm Beach", a sandbar along the Curaray River, a few kilometers from Huaorani settlements. Their efforts came to an end on January 8, 1956, when all five—Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian—were attacked and speared by a group of Huaorani warriors. The news of their deaths was broadcast around the world, and Life magazine covered the event with a photo essay.

      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.

      3. Indigenous people in Ecuador

        Huaorani people

        The Huaorani, Waorani, or Waodani, also known as the Waos, are an Indigenous people from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate name Auca is a pejorative exonym used by the neighboring Quechua natives, and commonly adopted by Spanish-speakers as well. Auca means "savage".

      4. Country in South America

        Ecuador

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

  26. 1946

    1. Andrei Zhdanov, Chairman of the Finnish Allied Commission, submitted to the Finnish War Criminal Court an interrogation report by General Erich Buschenhagen, a German prisoner of war, on the contacts between Finnish and German military personnel before the Continuation War and a copy of Hitler's Barbarossa plan.

      1. Soviet politician

        Andrei Zhdanov

        Andrei Aleksandrovich Zhdanov was a Soviet politician and cultural ideologist. After World War II, Zhdanov was thought to be the successor-in-waiting to Joseph Stalin but died before him. He has been described as the "propagandist-in-chief" of the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1948.

      2. 1945-46 trial of Finnish leaders responsible for the Continuation War

        War-responsibility trials in Finland

        The war-responsibility trials in Finland were trials of the Finnish wartime leaders held responsible for "definitely influencing Finland in getting into a war with the Soviet Union and United Kingdom in 1941 or preventing peace" during the Continuation War, the Finnish term for their participation in the Second World War from 1941–1944. Unlike other World War II war-responsibility trials, the Finnish trials were not international. The trials were conducted from November 1945 through February 1946 by a special court consisting of the presidents of the Supreme Court of Finland, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland, a professor from the University of Helsinki and twelve MPs appointed by the Parliament of Finland. The accused were convicted and were imprisoned until they were eventually paroled and then pardoned.

      3. German general (1895–1994)

        Erich Buschenhagen

        Erich Buschenhagen was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany who commanded the LII Corps during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Buschenhagen surrendered to the Soviet forces in August 1944, after the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive and was held in the Soviet Union as a war criminal until October 1955.

      4. 1941–1944 Finnish war against USSR

        Continuation War

        The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II. In Soviet historiography, the war was called the Finnish Front of the Great Patriotic War. Germany regarded its operations in the region as part of its overall war efforts on the Eastern Front and provided Finland with critical material support and military assistance, including economic aid.

      5. Dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945

        Adolf Hitler

        Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then taking the title of Führer und Reichskanzler in 1934. During his dictatorship, he initiated World War II in Europe by invading Poland on 1 September 1939. He was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust: the genocide of about six million Jews and millions of other victims.

      6. 1941–1942 invasion of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by Nazi Germany

        Operation Barbarossa

        Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after Frederick Barbarossa, a 12th-century Holy Roman emperor and German king, put into action Nazi Germany's ideological goal of conquering the western Soviet Union to repopulate it with Germans. The German Generalplan Ost aimed to use some of the conquered people as forced labour for the Axis war effort while acquiring the oil reserves of the Caucasus as well as the agricultural resources of various Soviet territories. Their ultimate goal was to create more Lebensraum for Germany, and the eventual extermination of the indigenous Slavic peoples by mass deportation to Siberia, Germanisation, enslavement, and genocide.

  27. 1945

    1. World War II: Philippine Commonwealth troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units enter the province of Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon and attack invading Japanese Imperial forces.

      1. 1935–1946 republic in Southeast Asia

        Commonwealth of the Philippines

        The Commonwealth of the Philippines was the administrative body that governed the Philippines from 1935 to 1946, aside from a period of exile in the Second World War from 1942 to 1945 when Japan occupied the country. It was established following the Tydings–McDuffie Act to replace the Insular Government, a United States territorial government. The Commonwealth was designed as a transitional administration in preparation for the country's full achievement of independence. Its foreign affairs remained managed by the United States.

      2. Ground-based armed forces of Japan, from 1868 to 1945

        Imperial Japanese Army

        The Imperial Japanese Army was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor of Japan as supreme commander of the army and the Imperial Japanese Navy. Later an Inspectorate General of Aviation became the third agency with oversight of the army. During wartime or national emergencies, the nominal command functions of the emperor would be centralized in an Imperial General Headquarters (IGHQ), an ad hoc body consisting of the chief and vice chief of the Army General Staff, the Minister of the Army, the chief and vice chief of the Naval General Staff, the Inspector General of Aviation, and the Inspector General of Military Training.

  28. 1940

    1. World War II: Britain introduces food rationing.

      1. Global war, 1939–1945

        World War II

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

      2. Government-controlled distribution of scarce goods in the United Kingdom

        Rationing in the United Kingdom

        Rationing was introduced temporarily by the British government several times during the 20th century, during and immediately after a war.

  29. 1936

    1. Reza Shah issued the Kashf-e hijab decree in Iran, ordering police to physically remove hijabs from any women in public.

      1. Shah of Persia/Iran from 1925 to 1941

        Reza Shah

        Reza Shah Pahlavi was an Iranian military officer, politician, and first shah of the House of Pahlavi of the Imperial State of Iran and father of the last shah of Iran. He reigned from 15 December 1925 until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on 16 September 1941. Reza Shah introduced many social, economic, and political reforms during his reign, ultimately laying the foundation of the modern Iranian state. Therefore, he is regarded as the founder of modern Iran.

      2. 1936 decree banning Islamic veils in Iran

        Kashf-e hijab

        On 8 January 1936, Reza Shah of Iran (Persia) issued a decree known as Kashf-e hijab banning all Islamic veils, an edict that was swiftly and forcefully implemented. The government also banned many types of male traditional clothing. Since then, the hijab issue has become controversial in Iranian politics. One of the enduring legacies of Reza Shah has been turning dress into an integral problem of Iranian politics.

      3. A traditional Islamic head covering or veil for women

        Hijab

        In modern usage, hijab generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While such headcoverings can come in many forms, hijab often specifically refers to a cloth wrapped around the head, neck and chest, covering the hair and neck but leaving the face visible.

    2. Kashf-e hijab decree is made and immediately enforced by Reza Shah, Iran's head of state, banning the wearing of Islamic veils in public.

      1. 1936 decree banning Islamic veils in Iran

        Kashf-e hijab

        On 8 January 1936, Reza Shah of Iran (Persia) issued a decree known as Kashf-e hijab banning all Islamic veils, an edict that was swiftly and forcefully implemented. The government also banned many types of male traditional clothing. Since then, the hijab issue has become controversial in Iranian politics. One of the enduring legacies of Reza Shah has been turning dress into an integral problem of Iranian politics.

      2. Shah of Persia/Iran from 1925 to 1941

        Reza Shah

        Reza Shah Pahlavi was an Iranian military officer, politician, and first shah of the House of Pahlavi of the Imperial State of Iran and father of the last shah of Iran. He reigned from 15 December 1925 until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on 16 September 1941. Reza Shah introduced many social, economic, and political reforms during his reign, ultimately laying the foundation of the modern Iranian state. Therefore, he is regarded as the founder of modern Iran.

  30. 1926

    1. Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuỵ is crowned emperor of Vietnam, the country's last monarch.

      1. 13th and final emperor of Nguyễn dynasty Vietnam (r. 1926–45)

        Bảo Đại

        Bảo Đại, born Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy, was the 13th and final Emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. From 1926 to 1945, he was emperor of Annam and de jure monarch of Tonkin, which were then protectorates in French Indochina, covering the present-day central and northern Vietnam. Bảo Đại ascended the throne in 1932.

    2. Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz.

      1. Founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1875–1953)

        Ibn Saud

        Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud, known in the West as Ibn Saud, was an Arab tribal, political, and religious leader who founded Saudi Arabia, the third Saudi state, and reigned as its first king from 23 September 1932 until his death in 1953. He had ruled parts of the kingdom since 1902, having previously been Emir, Sultan, and King of Nejd, and King of Hejaz.

      2. Region of Saudi Arabia

        Hejaz

        The Hejaz is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Province" in Saudi Arabia. It is bordered in the west by the Red Sea, in the north by Jordan, in the east by the Najd, and in the south by the 'Asir Region. Its largest city is Jeddah, with Mecca and Medina being the fourth and fifth largest cities respectively in the country. The Hejaz is the most cosmopolitan region in the Arabian Peninsula.

  31. 1920

    1. The steel strike of 1919 ends in failure for the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers labor union.

      1. 1919–20 nationwide steelworkers' strike in the United States

        Steel strike of 1919

        The Steel Strike of 1919 was an attempt by the American Federation of Labor to organize the leading company, United States Steel, in the American steel industry. The AFL formed a coalition of 24 unions, all of which had grown rapidly during World War I. In the lead role would be the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers (AA) with a five-member steering committee. The strike began on September 22, 1919, and finally collapsed on January 8, 1920. The opposition led by Elbert H. Gary, president of U.S. Steel had triumphed.

      2. Former American steelworkers union (1876–1942)

        Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers

        Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (AA) was an American labor union formed in 1876 to represent iron and steel workers. It partnered with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee of the CIO, in November 1935. Both organizations disbanded May 22, 1942, to form a new organization, the United Steelworkers.

  32. 1918

    1. U.S. president Woodrow Wilson announced his Fourteen Points for a moral cause and for post–World War I peace in Europe.

      1. President of the United States from 1913 to 1921

        Woodrow Wilson

        Thomas Woodrow Wilson was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of Princeton University and as the governor of New Jersey before winning the 1912 presidential election. As president, Wilson changed the nation's economic policies and led the United States into World War I in 1917. He was the leading architect of the League of Nations, and his progressive stance on foreign policy came to be known as Wilsonianism.

      2. Statement of foreign policy goals by Woodrow Wilson for the end of World War I

        Fourteen Points

        The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress by President Woodrow Wilson. However, his main Allied colleagues were skeptical of the applicability of Wilsonian idealism.

      3. Global war, 1914–1918

        World War I

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

    2. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces his "Fourteen Points" for the aftermath of World War I.

      1. President of the United States from 1913 to 1921

        Woodrow Wilson

        Thomas Woodrow Wilson was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of Princeton University and as the governor of New Jersey before winning the 1912 presidential election. As president, Wilson changed the nation's economic policies and led the United States into World War I in 1917. He was the leading architect of the League of Nations, and his progressive stance on foreign policy came to be known as Wilsonianism.

      2. Statement of foreign policy goals by Woodrow Wilson for the end of World War I

        Fourteen Points

        The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress by President Woodrow Wilson. However, his main Allied colleagues were skeptical of the applicability of Wilsonian idealism.

  33. 1912

    1. The African National Congress is founded, under the name South African Native National Congress (SANNC).

      1. Political party in South Africa

        African National Congress

        The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election installed Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa. Cyril Ramaphosa, the incumbent national President, has served as President of the ANC since 18 December 2017.

  34. 1904

    1. Blackstone Library, the first branch of the Chicago Public Library system, was dedicated.

      1. Library and building in the Chicago Public Library system in the United States

        Blackstone Library

        T. B. Blackstone Memorial Library is a building that is part of the Chicago Public Library System and is named after Timothy Blackstone. The building was designed by Chicago architect Solon S. Beman. It is now known as the Chicago Public Library – Blackstone Branch and commonly referred to as Blackstone Library, or Blackstone Branch and sometimes Blackstone for short. The Concord Granite building's two-year construction started in 1902, and it was dedicated on January 8, 1904. Blackstone Library marks the beginning of the Chicago Branch Library System as the first dedicated branch in the system. Blackstone is also the only branch of the 79-branch Chicago Public Library branch system that was constructed using private funding. The Blackstone Library was designated as a Chicago Landmark.

      2. Public library system in Chicago, United States

        Chicago Public Library

        The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the city's 77 Community Areas.

  35. 1900

    1. President William McKinley places Alaska under military rule.

      1. President of the United States from 1897 to 1901

        William McKinley

        William McKinley was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in the industrial states and nationwide until the 1930s. He presided over victory in the Spanish–American War of 1898; gained control of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Cuba; restored prosperity after a deep depression; rejected the inflationary monetary policy of free silver, keeping the nation on the gold standard; and raised protective tariffs to boost American industry and keep wages high.

      2. U.S. state

        Alaska

        Alaska is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., it borders the Canadian province of British Columbia and the Yukon territory to the east; it also shares a maritime border with the Russian Federation's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug to the west, just across the Bering Strait. To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean, while the Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest.

  36. 1889

    1. American statistician Herman Hollerith received a patent for his electromechanical tabulating machine for punched-card data.

      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. Late 19th-century machine for summarizing information stored on punch cards

        Tabulating machine

        The tabulating machine was an electromechanical machine designed to assist in summarizing information stored on punched cards. Invented by Herman Hollerith, the machine was developed to help process data for the 1890 U.S. Census. Later models were widely used for business applications such as accounting and inventory control. It spawned a class of machines, known as unit record equipment, and the data processing industry.

      3. Paper-based recording medium

        Punched card

        A punched card is a piece of stiff paper that holds digital data represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Punched cards were once common in data processing applications or to directly control automated machinery.

    2. Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the 'Art of Applying Statistics' — his punched card calculator.

      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. Type of legal protection for an invention

        Patent

        A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention. In most countries, patent rights fall under private law and the patent holder must sue someone infringing the patent in order to enforce their rights. In some industries patents are an essential form of competitive advantage; in others they are irrelevant.

      3. Paper-based recording medium

        Punched card

        A punched card is a piece of stiff paper that holds digital data represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Punched cards were once common in data processing applications or to directly control automated machinery.

  37. 1877

    1. Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle against the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory.

      1. Lakota war leader (c. 1840 – 1877)

        Crazy Horse

        Crazy Horse was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by white American settlers on Native American territory and to preserve the traditional way of life of the Lakota people. His participation in several famous battles of the Black Hills War on the northern Great Plains, among them the Fetterman Fight in 1866, in which he acted as a decoy, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, in which he led a war party to victory, earned him great respect from both his enemies and his own people.

      2. Former U.S. Army division (1775–1950)

        United States Cavalry

        The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861. This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one regiment of mounted riflemen, and two regiments of cavalry into one branch of service. The cavalry branch transitioned to the Armored Forces with tanks in 1940, but the term "cavalry", e.g. "armored cavalry", remains in use in the U.S. Army for mounted reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) units based on their parent Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) regiment. Cavalry is also used in the name of the 1st Cavalry Division for heraldic/lineage/historical purposes. Some combined arms battalions are designated as armor formations, while others are designated as infantry organizations. These "branch" designations are again, heraldic/lineage/historical titles derived from the CARS regiments to which the battalions are assigned.

      3. 1877 battle of the American Indian Wars

        Battle of Wolf Mountain

        The Battle of Wolf Mountain was a battle fought on January 8, 1877, by soldiers of the United States Army against Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors during the Great Sioux War of 1876. The battle was fought in southern Montana Territory, about four miles southwest of modern-day Birney, Montana, along the Tongue River.

      4. Organized incorporated territory of the United States from 1864 to 1889

        Montana Territory

        The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana.

  38. 1867

    1. The United States Congress passes the bill to allow African American men the right to vote in Washington, D.C.

      1. 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.

  39. 1863

    1. American Civil War: Second Battle of Springfield.

      1. 1861–1865 conflict in the United States

        American Civil War

        The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union and the Confederacy, the latter formed by states that had seceded. The central cause of the war was the dispute over whether slavery would be permitted to expand into the western territories, leading to more slave states, or be prevented from doing so, which was widely believed would place slavery on a course of ultimate extinction.

      2. January 8, 1863, battle in the American Civil War

        Second Battle of Springfield

        The Second Battle of Springfield was a battle in the American Civil War fought January 8, 1863, in Springfield, Missouri. It is sometimes known as The Battle of Springfield. Fighting was urban and house-to-house, which was rare in the war.

  40. 1835

    1. US President Andrew Jackson announces a celebratory dinner after having reduced the United States national debt to zero for the only time.

      1. President of the United States from 1829 to 1837

        Andrew Jackson

        Andrew Jackson was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as a general in the United States Army and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Although often praised as an advocate for ordinary Americans and for his work in preserving the union of states, Jackson has also been criticized for his racial policies, particularly his treatment of Native Americans.

      2. Cumulative face value of all outstanding U.S. Treasury securities

        National debt of the United States

        The national debt of the United States is the total national debt owed by the federal government of the United States to Treasury security holders. The national debt at any point in time is the face value of the then-outstanding Treasury securities that have been issued by the Treasury and other federal agencies. The terms "national deficit" and "national surplus" usually refer to the federal government budget balance from year to year, not the cumulative amount of debt. In a deficit year the national debt increases as the government needs to borrow funds to finance the deficit, while in a surplus year the debt decreases as more money is received than spent, enabling the government to reduce the debt by buying back some Treasury securities. In general, government debt increases as a result of government spending and decreases from tax or other receipts, both of which fluctuate during the course of a fiscal year. There are two components of gross national debt:"Debt held by the public" – such as Treasury securities held by investors outside the federal government, including those held by individuals, corporations, the Federal Reserve, and foreign, state and local governments. "Debt held by government accounts" or "intragovernmental debt" – is non-marketable Treasury securities held in accounts of programs administered by the federal government, such as the Social Security Trust Fund. Debt held by government accounts represents the cumulative surpluses, including interest earnings, of various government programs that have been invested in Treasury securities.

  41. 1828

    1. The Democratic Party of the United States is organized.

      1. American political party

        Democratic Party (United States)

        The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled a wide cadre of politicians in every state behind war hero Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party. Its main political rival has been the Republican Party since the 1850s. The party is a big tent, and is less ideologically uniform than the Republican Party due to the broader list of unique voting blocs that compose it, though modern liberalism is the majority ideology in the party.

  42. 1815

    1. War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British.

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

        War of 1812

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

      2. Battle of the War of 1812

        Battle of New Orleans

        The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French Quarter of New Orleans, in the current suburb of Chalmette, Louisiana.

      3. President of the United States from 1829 to 1837

        Andrew Jackson

        Andrew Jackson was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as a general in the United States Army and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Although often praised as an advocate for ordinary Americans and for his work in preserving the union of states, Jackson has also been criticized for his racial policies, particularly his treatment of Native Americans.

  43. 1811

    1. Charles Deslondes leads an unsuccessful slave revolt in the North American settlements of St. Charles and St. James, Louisiana.

      1. Slave leader in the 1811 German Coast Uprising

        Charles Deslondes

        Charles Deslondes was an African-American revolutionary who was one of the leaders in the 1811 German Coast Uprising, a slave revolt that began on January 8, 1811, in the Territory of Orleans. He led more than 200 rebels against the plantations along the Mississippi River toward New Orleans. White planters formed militias and ended up hunting down the rebels.

      2. 1811 slave rebellion in the Territory of Orleans (present-day Louisiana), United States

        1811 German Coast uprising

        The 1811 German Coast uprising was a revolt of slaves in parts of the Territory of Orleans on January 8–10, 1811. The uprising occurred on the east bank of the Mississippi River in what is now St. John the Baptist, St. Charles and Jefferson Parishes, Louisiana. The slave insurgency was the largest in US history, but the rebels killed only two white men. Confrontations with militia, combined with post-trial executions, resulted in the deaths of 95 slaves.

      3. Parish in Louisiana, United States

        St. Charles Parish, Louisiana

        St. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, its population was 52,549. The parish seat is Hahnville and the most populous community is Luling.

      4. Parish in Louisiana, United States

        St. James Parish, Louisiana

        St. James Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Convent. The parish was created in 1807. St. James Parish is a part of the New Orleans–Metairie, Louisiana metropolitan statistical area, sitting between New Orleans and Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River. According to the 2020 United States census, the population was 20,192.

  44. 1806

    1. The Dutch Cape Colony in southern Africa becomes the British Cape Colony as a result of the Battle of Blaauwberg.

      1. Former Dutch colony in Southern Africa

        Dutch Cape Colony

        The Cape Colony was a Dutch United East India Company (VOC) colony in Southern Africa, centered on the Cape of Good Hope, from where it derived its name. The original colony and its successive states that the colony was incorporated into occupied much of modern South Africa. Between 1652 and 1691 it was a Commandment, and between 1691 and 1795 a Governorate of the United East India Company (VOC). Jan van Riebeeck established the colony as a re-supply and layover port for vessels of the VOC trading with Asia. The Cape came under VOC rule from 1652 to 1795 and from 1803 to 1806 was ruled by the Batavian Republic. Much to the dismay of the shareholders of the VOC, who focused primarily on making profits from the Asian trade, the colony rapidly expanded into a settler colony in the years after its founding.

      2. British colony from 1806 to 1910

        Cape Colony

        The Cape Colony, also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa.

      3. 1806 battle between British and Dutch forces over control of colonial South Africa

        Battle of Blaauwberg

        The Battle of Blaauwberg, also known as the Battle of Cape Town, fought near Cape Town on Wednesday 8 January 1806, was a small but significant military engagement. After a British victory, peace was made under the Treaty Tree in Woodstock. It established British rule over the Dutch Cape Colony, which was to have many ramifications for the region during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A bi-centennial commemoration was held in January 2006.

  45. 1790

    1. George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address in New York City, then the provisional capital of the United States.

      1. President of the United States from 1789 to 1797

        George Washington

        George Washington was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of the Continental Army, Washington led the Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War and served as the president of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which created the Constitution of the United States and the American federal government. Washington has been called the "Father of his Country" for his manifold leadership in the formative days of the country.

      2. Annual report by the president of the United States

        State of the Union

        The State of the Union Address is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current condition of the nation. The State of the Union Address generally includes reports on the nation's budget, economy, news, agenda, achievements and the president's priorities and legislative proposals.

    2. George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address in New York City.

      1. President of the United States from 1789 to 1797

        George Washington

        George Washington was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of the Continental Army, Washington led the Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War and served as the president of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which created the Constitution of the United States and the American federal government. Washington has been called the "Father of his Country" for his manifold leadership in the formative days of the country.

      2. Annual report by the president of the United States

        State of the Union

        The State of the Union Address is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current condition of the nation. The State of the Union Address generally includes reports on the nation's budget, economy, news, agenda, achievements and the president's priorities and legislative proposals.

  46. 1746

    1. Second Jacobite rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Stirling.

      1. Attempt by the House of Stuart to regain the British throne

        Jacobite rising of 1745

        The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45, was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of the British Army was fighting in mainland Europe, and proved to be the last in a series of revolts that began in 1689, with major outbreaks in 1708, 1715 and 1719.

      2. Pretender to the English throne (1720–1788)

        Charles Edward Stuart

        Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1766 as Charles III. During his lifetime, he was also known as "the Young Pretender" and "the Young Chevalier"; in popular memory, he is known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.

      3. Administrative centre and city in United Kingdom, Scotland

        Stirling

        Stirling is a city in central Scotland, 26 miles (42 km) northeast of Glasgow and 37 miles (60 km) north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its merchants and tradesmen, the Old Bridge and the port. Located on the River Forth, Stirling is the administrative centre for the Stirling council area, and is traditionally the county town of Stirlingshire. Proverbially it is the strategically important "Gateway to the Highlands".

  47. 1735

    1. George Frideric Handel's opera Ariodante premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre in London.

      1. German-British Baroque composer (1685–1759)

        George Frideric Handel

        George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of his career and became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel's music forms one of the peaks of the "high baroque" style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. He is consistently recognized as one of the greatest composers of his age.

      2. 1735 opera by Georg Friedrich Händel

        Ariodante

        Ariodante is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The anonymous Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi, which in turn was adapted from Canti 4, 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Each act contains opportunities for dance, originally composed for dancer Marie Sallé and her company.

      3. Performing arts venue in London, England

        Royal Opera House

        The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The first theatre on the site, the Theatre Royal (1732), served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented. A year later, the first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel, began. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there.

    2. The premiere of George Frideric Handel's Ariodante takes place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

      1. German-British Baroque composer (1685–1759)

        George Frideric Handel

        George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of his career and became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel's music forms one of the peaks of the "high baroque" style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. He is consistently recognized as one of the greatest composers of his age.

      2. 1735 opera by Georg Friedrich Händel

        Ariodante

        Ariodante is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The anonymous Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi, which in turn was adapted from Canti 4, 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Each act contains opportunities for dance, originally composed for dancer Marie Sallé and her company.

      3. Performing arts venue in London, England

        Royal Opera House

        The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The first theatre on the site, the Theatre Royal (1732), served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented. A year later, the first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel, began. Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there.

      4. District in London, England

        Covent Garden

        Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and with the Royal Opera House, itself known as "Covent Garden". The district is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre, north of which is given over to independent shops centred on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers and most of the historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

  48. 1697

    1. Scottish student Thomas Aikenhead became the last person in Great Britain to be executed for blasphemy.

      1. Scottish student, last person in Britain executed for blasphemy

        Thomas Aikenhead

        Thomas Aikenhead was a Scottish student from Edinburgh, who was prosecuted and executed at the age of 20 on a charge of blasphemy under the Act against Blasphemy 1661 and Act against Blasphemy 1695. He was the last person in Great Britain to be executed for blasphemy. His execution occurred 85 years after the death of Edward Wightman (1612), the last person to be burned at the stake for heresy in England.

      2. Act of insulting of religion

        Blasphemy

        Blasphemy, as defined in some religions or religion-based laws, is an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable.

  49. 1547

    1. The first Lithuanian-language book, the Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas, is published in Königsberg.

      1. Baltic language, official in Lithuania and the European Union

        Lithuanian language

        Lithuanian [lʲeˈtʊvʲuː ˈkɐɫbɐ] is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.8 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 200,000 speakers elsewhere.

      2. 1547 book by Martynas Mažvydas

        Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas

        The Simple Words of Catechism by Martynas Mažvydas is the first printed book in the Lithuanian language. It was printed on 8 January 1547 by Hans Weinreich in Königsberg. The 79-page book followed the teachings of Martin Luther but reflects both religious and secular needs. The book included the first Lithuanian-language poem, primer with alphabet, basic catechism, and 11 religious hymns with sheet music. The book was written in the Samogitian dialect and printed in Gothic (schwabacher) font; Latin dedication and preface are printed in Latin font (antiqua).

      3. Historic Prussian name of Kaliningrad, Russia

        Königsberg

        Königsberg was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement Twangste by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named in honour of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. A Baltic port city, it successively became the capital of the Królewiec Voivodeship, the State of the Teutonic Order, the Duchy of Prussia and the provinces of East Prussia and Prussia. Königsberg remained the coronation city of the Prussian monarchy, though the capital was moved to Berlin in 1701.

  50. 1499

    1. Louis XII of France marries Anne of Brittany in accordance with a law set by his predecessor, Charles VIII.

      1. King of France (r. 1498-1515); King of Naples (r. 1501-04)

        Louis XII

        Louis XII was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the time, Charles VIII, who died without direct heirs in 1498.

      2. Duchess of Brittany and twice Queen of France (1477-1514)

        Anne of Brittany

        Anne of Brittany was reigning Duchess of Brittany from 1488 until her death, and Queen of France from 1491 to 1498 and from 1499 to her death. She is the only woman to have been queen consort of France twice. During the Italian Wars, Anne also became Queen of Naples, from 1501 to 1504, and Duchess of Milan, in 1499–1500 and from 1500 to 1512.

      3. King of France from 1483 to 1498

        Charles VIII of France

        Charles VIII, called the Affable, was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon until 1491 when the young king turned 21 years of age. During Anne's regency, the great lords rebelled against royal centralisation efforts in a conflict known as the Mad War (1485–1488), which resulted in a victory for the royal government.

  51. 1454

    1. The papal bull Romanus Pontifex awards the Kingdom of Portugal exclusive trade and colonization rights to all of Africa south of Cape Bojador.

      1. Type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church

        Papal bull

        A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by a pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden seal (bulla) that was traditionally appended to the end in order to authenticate it.

      2. Papal bulls supporting Portugal in enslaving people from other confessions, issued in 1436 and 1455

        Romanus Pontifex

        Romanus Pontifex are papal bulls issued in 1436 by Pope Eugenius IV and in 1455 by Pope Nicholas V praising catholic King Afonso V of Portugal for his battles against the Muslims, endorsing his military expeditions into Western Africa and instructing him to capture and subdue all Saracens Turks and other non-Christians to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery. The church leaders argued that slavery served as a natural deterrent and Christianizing influence to “barbarous” behavior among pagans. As a follow-up to the bull Dum Diversas, the church leaders now took positiona aside the Crown of Portugal that it was entitled to dominion over all lands south of Cape Bojador in Africa. The bull's primary purpose was to forbid other Christian kings from infringing the King of Portugal's practice of trade and colonisation in these regions, particularly amid the Portuguese and Castilian competition for ascendancy over new lands discovered.

      3. Kingdom in Southwestern Europe (1139–1910)

        Kingdom of Portugal

        The Kingdom of Portugal was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves after 1415, and as the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves between 1815 and 1822. The name is also often applied to the Portuguese Empire, the realm's overseas colonies.

      4. Place in Western Sahara

        Cape Bojador

        Cape Bojador is a headland on the west coast of Western Sahara, at 26° 07' 37"N, 14° 29' 57"W, as well as the name of the large nearby town with a population of 42,651. The name of the surrounding province also derives its name from the cape.

  52. 1297

    1. François Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, leads his men to capture the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco, establishing his family as the rulers of Monaco.

      1. 1309 Genoese nobleman; leader of the Guelphs

        François Grimaldi

        Francesco Grimaldi, called il Malizia, was the Genoese leader of the Guelphs who captured the Rock of Monaco on the night of 8 January 1297. He was the son of Guglielmo Grimaldi by his wife Giacobina or Giacoba, a Genoese noble.

      2. Rock and old town district in Monaco

        Rock of Monaco

        The Rock of Monaco is a 62-metre (203 ft) tall monolith on the Mediterranean coast of the Principality of Monaco. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and the Port Hercules.

      3. Associated with the history of the Republic of Genoa, Italy and of the Principality of Monaco

        House of Grimaldi

        The House of Grimaldi is the current reigning house of the Principality of Monaco. The house was founded in 1160 by Grimaldo Canella in Genoa and became the ruling house of Monaco when Francesco Grimaldi captured Monaco in 1297. The House of Grimaldi has produced every Prince of Monaco. During much of the Ancien Régime, the family resided in the French court, where from 1642 to 1715 they used the title of Duke of Valentinois.

      4. City-state and microstate on the French Riviera

        Monaco

        Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by France to the north, east and west. The principality is home to 38,682 residents, of whom 9,486 are Monégasque nationals; it is widely recognised as one of the most expensive and wealthiest places in the world. The official language of the principality is French. In addition, Monégasque, Italian and English are spoken and understood by many residents.

  53. 1198

    1. Lotario de Conti was elected as Pope Innocent III; he later worked to restore papal power in Rome.

      1. 1198 election of the Catholic pope

        1198 papal election

        The 1198 papal election was convoked after the death of Pope Celestine III; it ended with the election of Cardinal Lotario dei Conti di Segni, who took the name Innocent III. In this election for the first time the new pope was elected per scrutinium.

      2. Head of the Catholic Church from 1198 to 1216

        Pope Innocent III

        Pope Innocent III, born Lotario dei Conti di Segni, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 July 1216.

  54. 871

    1. Æthelred I and Alfred the Great lead a West Saxon army to repel an invasion by Danelaw Vikings.

      1. King of Wessex from 865 to 871

        Æthelred I of Wessex

        Æthelred I was King of Wessex from 865 until his death in 871. He was the fourth of five sons of King Æthelwulf of Wessex, four of whom in turn became king. Æthelred succeeded his elder brother Æthelberht and was followed by his youngest brother, Alfred the Great. Æthelred had two sons, Æthelhelm and Æthelwold, who were passed over for the kingship on their father's death because they were still infants. Alfred was succeeded by his son, Edward the Elder, and Æthelwold unsuccessfully disputed the throne with him.

      2. King of Wessex (871 – c. 886); King of the Anglo-Saxons (c. 886 – 899)

        Alfred the Great

        Alfred the Great was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfred was young. Three of Alfred's brothers, Æthelbald, Æthelberht and Æthelred, reigned in turn before him. Under Alfred's rule, considerable administrative and military reforms were introduced, prompting lasting change in England.

      3. Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of Great Britain

        Wessex

        Kingdom of Wessex was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of Great Britain, from 519 until England was unified by Æthelstan in 927.

      4. Battle between West Saxon and Danish Vikings in 871

        Battle of Ashdown

        The Battle of Ashdown, was a West Saxon victory over a Danish Viking army on about 8 January 871. The location of Ashdown is not known, but may be Kingstanding Hill in Berkshire. Other writers place the battle near Starveall, a short distance north of the village of Aldworth and south east of Lowbury Hill.

      5. Historical name given to part of England ruled by the Danes (865–954)

        Danelaw

        The Danelaw was the part of England in which the laws of the Danes held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. The Danelaw contrasts with the West Saxon law and the Mercian law. The term is first recorded in the early 11th century as Dena lage. The areas that constituted the Danelaw lie in northern and eastern England, long occupied by Danes and other Norsemen.

      6. Norse explorers, raiders, merchants, and pirates

        Vikings

        Vikings is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia, who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and settled throughout parts of Europe. They also voyaged as far as the Mediterranean, North Africa, Volga Bulgaria, the Middle East, and North America. In some of the countries they raided and settled in, this period is popularly known as the Viking Age, and the term "Viking" also commonly includes the inhabitants of the Scandinavian homelands as a collective whole. The Vikings had a profound impact on the early medieval history of Scandinavia, the British Isles, France, Estonia, and Kievan Rus'.

  55. 307

    1. Jin Huaidi becomes emperor of China in succession to his father, Jin Huidi, despite a challenge from his uncle, Sima Ying.

      1. Emperor of Jin China from 307 to 313

        Emperor Huai of Jin

        Emperor Huai of Jin, personal name Sima Chi (司馬熾), courtesy name Fengdu (豐度), was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty (266–420).

      2. Emperor of the Jin Dynasty from 290 to 307

        Emperor Hui of Jin

        Emperor Hui of Jin, personal name Sima Zhong (司馬衷), courtesy name Zhengdu (正度), was the second emperor of the Jin dynasty (266–420). Emperor Hui was a developmentally disabled ruler, and throughout his reign, there was constant internecine fighting between regents, imperial princes, and his wife Empress Jia Nanfeng for the right to control him, causing great suffering for the people and greatly undermining the stability of the Western Jin dynasty, eventually leading to rebellions of the Five Barbarians that led to Jin's loss of northern and central China and the establishment of the competing Sixteen Kingdoms. He was briefly deposed by his granduncle Sima Lun, who usurped the throne himself, in 301, but later that year was restored to the throne and continued to be the emperor until 307, when he was poisoned, likely by the regent Sima Yue.

      3. Crown Prince of the Jin dynasty

        Sima Ying

        Sima Ying (司馬穎), courtesy name Zhangdu (章度), was a Jin Dynasty (266–420) imperial prince who served briefly as his brother Emperor Hui's regent and crown prince. He was the sixth of eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes. His title was the Prince of Chengdu (成都王), but he did not receive any posthumous names.

Births & Deaths

  1. 2022

    1. Michael Lang, American concert promoter and producer (b. 1944) deaths

      1. American concert promoter and record producer (1944–2022)

        Michael Lang (producer)

        Michael Scott Lang was an American concert promoter, producer, and artistic manager who was best known as a co-creator of the Woodstock Music & Art Festival in 1969. Lang served as the organizer of the event, as well as the organizer for its follow-up events, Woodstock '94 and the ill-fated Woodstock '99. He later became a producer of records, films, and other concerts, as well as a manager for performing artists, a critically acclaimed author, and a sculptor.

  2. 2021

    1. Iancu Țucărman, Romanian Holocaust survivor (b. 1922) deaths

      1. Romanian Jewish Holocaust and Iași pogrom survivor

        Iancu Țucărman

        Iancu Țucărman was a Romanian Jewish agricultural engineer and survivor of the Holocaust and the Iași pogrom. He was the penultimate survivor of the "Train of the Dead" that was used to deport Jews from the Iași railway station after Leonard Zăicescu. Țucărman was buried at the Giurgiului Jewish Cemetery of Bucharest on 11 January 2021.

  3. 2020

    1. Pat Dalton, Australian footballer (b. 1942) deaths

      1. Australian rules footballer (1942–2020)

        Pat Dalton

        Patrick James Dalton was an Australian rules footballer who played 217 games for Perth in the WANFL from 1960-71. He was named on the interchange bench in Perth's official "Team of the Century". A regular for Perth during the 1960s, Dalton was almost always used as a centreman. He was a member of three consecutive premiership teams at Perth, in 1966, 1967 and 1968.

    2. Buck Henry, American actor, screenwriter, and director (b. 1930) deaths

      1. American actor (1930–2020)

        Buck Henry

        Buck Henry was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's The Graduate (1967) for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also appeared in Nichols' Catch-22 (1970), Herbert Ross' The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), and Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc? (1972). In 1978, he co-directed Heaven Can Wait (1978) with Warren Beatty receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director. He later appeared in Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life (1991), and the Robert Altman films The Player (1992) and Short Cuts (1993).

  4. 2017

    1. Nicolai Gedda, Swedish operatic tenor (b. 1925) deaths

      1. Swedish operatic tenor

        Nicolai Gedda

        Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, known professionally as Nicolai Gedda, was a Swedish operatic tenor. Debuting in 1951, Gedda had a long and successful career in opera until the age of 77 in June 2003, when he made his final operatic recording. Skilled at languages, he performed operas in French, Russian, German, Italian, English, Czech and Swedish, as well as one in Latin. In January 1958, he created the part of Anatol in the world premiere of the American opera Vanessa at the Metropolitan Opera. Having made some two hundred recordings, Gedda is one of the most widely recorded opera singers in history. His singing is best known for its beauty of tone, vocal control, and musical perception.

    2. James Mancham, Seychellois politician, President 1976-77 (b. 1939) deaths

      1. President of Seychelles

        James Mancham

        Sir James Richard Marie Mancham KBE was a Seychellois politician who founded the Seychelles Democratic Party and was the first President of Seychelles from 1976 to 1977.

    3. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iranian politician (b. 1934) deaths

      1. Fourth president of Iran from 1989 to 1997

        Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

        Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic who was the fourth president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. He was the head of the Assembly of Experts from 2007 until 2011 when he decided not to nominate himself for the post. He was also the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council.

    4. Peter Sarstedt, Indian-British singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941) deaths

      1. British singer-songwriter (1941–2017)

        Peter Sarstedt

        Peter Eardley Sarstedt was a British singer-songwriter and instrumentalist. He was the brother of singers Eden Kane, a teenage pop idol and Clive Sarstedt, with both of whom he also recorded and performed as The Sarstedt Brothers.

  5. 2016

    1. Maria Teresa de Filippis, Italian racing driver (b. 1926) deaths

      1. Italian racing driver (1926–2016)

        Maria Teresa de Filippis

        Maria Teresa de Filippis was an Italian racing driver, and the first woman to race in Formula One. She participated in five World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1958, but scored no championship points. Though her Formula One racing career was brief, she won races in other series and is remembered as a pioneer in the sport.

    2. German Moreno, Filipino television host, actor, comedian and talent manager (b. 1933) deaths

      1. Filipino television host, actor, comedian, and talent manager

        German Moreno

        German Molina Moreno, also known as Kuya Germs and "The Master Showman", was a Filipino television host, presenter, actor, comedian, talent manager, producer, writer, and director.

  6. 2015

    1. Andraé Crouch, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor (b. 1942) deaths

      1. American musician

        Andraé Crouch

        Andraé Edward Crouch was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as "the father of modern gospel music" by contemporary Christian and gospel music professionals, Crouch was known for his compositions "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power", "My Tribute " and "Soon and Very Soon". He collaborated on some of his recordings with famous and popular artists such as Stevie Wonder, El DeBarge, Philip Bailey, Chaka Khan, and Sheila E., as well as the vocal group Take 6, and many popular artists covered his material, including Bob Dylan, Barbara Mandrell, Paul Simon, Elvis Presley and Little Richard. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was known as the "go-to" producer for superstars who sought a gospel choir sound in their recordings; he appeared on a number of recordings, including Michael Jackson's "Man In the Mirror", Madonna's "Like a Prayer", and "The Power", a duet between Elton John and Little Richard. Crouch was noted for his talent of incorporating contemporary secular music styles into the gospel music he grew up with. His efforts in this area helped pave the way for early American contemporary Christian music during the 1960s and 1970s.

    2. Kep Enderby, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician, 23rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1926) deaths

      1. Australian politician (1926–2015)

        Kep Enderby

        Keppel Earl Enderby was an Australian politician and judge. Enderby was a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Australian Labor Party between 1970 and 1975 and became a senior cabinet minister in the Gough Whitlam government. After politics, he was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

      2. First law officer of the Crown and chief law officer of the Commonwealth of Australia

        Attorney-General of Australia

        The Attorney-General for Australia is the First Law Officer of the Crown in right of the Commonwealth of Australia, chief law officer of the Commonwealth of Australia and a minister of state. The attorney-general is usually a member of the Federal Cabinet, but need not be. Under the Constitution, they are appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister, and serve at the Governor-General's pleasure. In practice, the attorney-general is a party politician and their tenure is determined by political factors. By convention, but not constitutional requirement, the attorney-general is a lawyer by training.

    3. Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (b. 1921) deaths

      1. American actress and singer

        Patsy Garrett

        Virginia "Patsy" Garrett was an American actress and singer. Beginning her career as a radio performer at the age of seven, Garrett is best known for her seven years on Fred Waring's Pleasure Time radio show during the 1940s, as well as for her recurring television and film roles; as nosy neighbor Mrs. Florence Fowler on Nanny and the Professor (1970–1971), school secretary Miss Hogarth on Room 222 (1972–1973), as Mary Gruber in the Benji series of motion pictures beginning in 1974, and as a commercial spokesperson for Purina Cat Chow cat food.

  7. 2014

    1. Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher, Dutch-Australian swimmer (b. 1925) deaths

      1. Dutch swimmer

        Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher

        Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher was a freestyle swimmer from the Netherlands who won two medals at the Summer Olympics. After having claimed the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay in London (1948), she won the silver medal four years later in Helsinki, Finland, in the same event. Individually, she was sixth in the 100 m freestyle at both games. She also won two gold and two silver medals at the 1947 and 1950 European Championships.

    2. Antonino P. Roman, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1939) deaths

      1. Filipino politician (1939–2014)

        Antonino Roman

        Antonino Pascual Roman was a Filipino politician from Bataan. A member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, he represented the 1st District of Bataan from 1998 until 2007, when his wife, Herminia Roman, took over the seat. Roman was an assemblyman from 1978 to 1986. He was also a Finance Deputy Minister under Finance Minister Cesar Virata, and Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Secretary from 2010 to 2012 under President Benigno Aquino III.

  8. 2013

    1. Kenojuak Ashevak, Canadian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1927) deaths

      1. Inuit artist

        Kenojuak Ashevak

        Kenojuak Ashevak,, is celebrated as a leading figure of modern Inuit art.

    2. Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (b. 1920) deaths

      1. American schoolteacher and activist

        Jeanne Manford

        Jeanne Sobelson Manford was an American schoolteacher and activist. She co-founded the support group organization, PFLAG, for which she was awarded the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal.

      2. Non-profit organisation in the USA

        PFLAG

        PFLAG is the United States' first and largest organization uniting parents, families, and allies with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+). PFLAG National is the national organization, which provides support to the PFLAG network of local chapters. PFLAG has over 400 chapters across the United States, with more than 200,000 members and supporters.

    3. Alasdair Milne, Indian-English director and producer (b. 1930) deaths

      1. British television producer and executive

        Alasdair Milne

        Alasdair David Gordon Milne was a British television producer and executive. He had a long career at the BBC, where he was eventually promoted to Director-General, and was described by The Independent as "one of the most original and talented programme-makers to emerge during television's formative years".

  9. 2012

    1. Dave Alexander, American singer and pianist (b. 1938) deaths

      1. American Texas blues singer and pianist

        Dave Alexander (blues musician)

        Dave Alexander, also known as Omar Sharriff, Omar Shariff, Omar Hakim Khayam was an American West Coast blues singer and pianist.

    2. T. J. Hamblin, English haematologist and academic (b. 1943) deaths

      1. British academic (1943–2012)

        T. J. Hamblin

        Terence John Hamblin was a British academic and scientist who was professor of Immunohaematology at the University of Southampton from 1987 until his death.

    3. Alexis Weissenberg, Bulgarian-French pianist and educator (b. 1929) deaths

      1. Bulgarian-born French pianist

        Alexis Weissenberg

        Alexis Sigismund Weissenberg was a Bulgarian-born French pianist.

  10. 2011

    1. Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician (b. 1937) deaths

      1. Jiří Dienstbier

        Jiří Dienstbier was a Czech politician and journalist. Born in Kladno, he was one of Czechoslovakia's most respected foreign correspondents before being fired after the Prague Spring. Unable to have a livelihood as a journalist, he worked as a janitor for the next two decades. During this time, he secretly revived the suppressed Lidové noviny newspaper.

    2. Thorbjørn Svenssen, Norwegian footballer (b. 1924) deaths

      1. Norwegian footballer

        Thorbjørn Svenssen

        Ole Thorbjørn Svenssen was a Norwegian footballer, who played a then record 104 international games for Norway, and captained the side 93 times. He was one of the first footballers who played 100 international games for their country. He was also part of Norway's squad at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

  11. 2010

    1. Art Clokey, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921) deaths

      1. American animator

        Art Clokey

        Arthur "Art" Clokey was an American pioneer in the popularization of stop-motion clay animation, best known as the creator of the character Gumby and the original voice of Gumby's sidekick, Pokey. Clokey's career began in 1953 with a film experiment called Gumbasia, which was influenced by his professor, Slavko Vorkapich, at the University of Southern California. Clokey and his wife Ruth subsequently came up with the clay character Gumby and his horse Pokey, who first appeared in the Howdy Doody Show and later got their own series The Adventures of Gumby, from which they became a familiar presence on American television. The characters enjoyed a renewal of interest in the 1980s when American actor and comedian Eddie Murphy parodied Gumby in a skit on Saturday Night Live.

  12. 2009

    1. Lasantha Wickrematunge, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1958) deaths

      1. Sri Lankan journalist (1958–2009)

        Lasantha Wickrematunge

        Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge was a high-profile Sri Lankan journalist, politician, broadcaster and human rights activist who was assassinated in January 2009.

  13. 2008

    1. George Moore, Australian jockey and trainer (b. 1923) deaths

      1. George Moore (jockey)

        George Thomas Donald Moore OBE was an Australian jockey and Thoroughbred horse trainer. He began his career in racing in 1939 in Brisbane where he quickly became one of the top apprentice jockeys and where in 1943 he won the Senior Jockeys' Premiership. He then relocated to Sydney and in 1949 went to work for trainer Tommy J. Smith with whom he would have considerable success.

  14. 2007

    1. Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (b. 1908) deaths

      1. American judge (1908–2007)

        Jane Bolin

        Jane Matilda Bolin was an American attorney and judge. She was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, the first to join the New York City Bar Association and the first to join the New York City Law Department. Bolin became the first black woman to serve as a judge in the United States when she was sworn into the bench of the New York City Domestic Relations Court in 1939.

    2. Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1916) deaths

      1. British politician

        Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield

        Francis Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, PC, was by turns a civil servant, a company director, a Conservative Party politician, and a European Commissioner. He served as Minister of State at the Treasury from 1979 to 1982, as Secretary of State for Trade from 1982 until 1983, as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1983 until 1984, and a member of the European Commission from 1984 to 1988. He is known as 'The Father of the Single Market'.

      2. United Kingdom government cabinet minister

        Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

        The secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, tenth in the ministerial ranking.

    3. Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1922) deaths

      1. Canadian-born American actress, dancer and singer (1922–2007)

        Yvonne De Carlo

        Margaret Yvonne Middleton, known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 50s, made several recordings, and later acted on television and stage.

    4. David Ervine, Northern Irish politician and activist (b. 1953) deaths

      1. Northern Irish Unionist politician

        David Ervine

        David Ervine was a Northern Irish Ulster Loyalist politician who served as leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) from 2002 to 2007, and was also a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast East from 1998 to 2007. During his youth Ervine was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was imprisoned for possessing bomb-making equipment. Whilst in jail he became convinced of the benefits of a more political approach for Ulster loyalism and became involved with the PUP. As a leading PUP figure, Ervine helped to deliver the loyalist ceasefire of 1994.

    5. Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1925) deaths

      1. American animator and director

        Iwao Takamoto

        Iwao Takamoto was a Japanese-American animator, television producer, and film director. He began his career as a production and character designer for Walt Disney Animation Studios films such as Cinderella (1950), Lady and the Tramp (1955), and Sleeping Beauty (1959). Later, he moved to Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he designed a great majority of the characters, including Scooby-Doo and Astro, and eventually became a director and producer.

  15. 2006

    1. Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish broadcaster and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (b. 1943) deaths

      1. British politician and life peer

        Tony Banks, Baron Stratford

        Anthony Louis Banks, Baron Stratford was a British politician who served as Minister for Sport from 1997 to 1999. A member of the Labour Party, he was a member of Parliament from 1983 to 2005 and subsequently as a member of the House of Lords. He was well known in the House of Commons for his acid tongue.

      2. Minister for Sport and Civil Society

        The Minister for Sport and Civil Society was a junior minister in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for sport and Civil Society in England. In 2020, the role merged with that of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism to become Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society.

  16. 2003

    1. Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (b. 1925) deaths

      1. English composer and conductor

        Ron Goodwin

        Ronald Alfred Goodwin was an English composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years. His most famous works included Where Eagles Dare, Battle of Britain, 633 Squadron, Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple films, and Frenzy.

  17. 2002

    1. Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916) deaths

      1. Australian-born Soviet-Russian physicist

        Alexander Prokhorov

        Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov was an Australian-born Soviet-Russian physicist known for his pioneering research on lasers and masers in the Soviet Union for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964 with Charles Hard Townes and Nikolay Basov.

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

        Nobel Prize in Physics

        The Nobel Prize in Physics is a yearly award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions for humankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901, the others being the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Physics is traditionally the first award presented in the Nobel Prize ceremony.

    2. Dave Thomas, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Wendy's (b. 1932) deaths

      1. American businessman and founder of Wendy's

        Dave Thomas (businessman)

        Rex David Thomas was an American businessman, philanthropist, and fast-food tycoon. Thomas was the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers. He is also known for appearing in more than 800 commercial advertisements for the chain from 1989 to 2002, more than any other company founder in television history.

      2. American international fast food chain

        Wendy's

        Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was the world's third-largest hamburger fast-food chain with 6,711 locations, following Burger King and McDonald's. On April 24, 2008, the company announced a merger with Triarc Companies Inc., a publicly traded company and the parent company of Arby's. Wendy's headquarters remained in Dublin. Following the merger, Triarc became known as Wendy's/Arby's Group, and later as the Wendy's Company.

  18. 2000

    1. Noah Cyrus, American singer, songwriter, and actress births

      1. American singer and actress

        Noah Cyrus

        Noah Lindsey Cyrus is an American singer and actress. As a child actress she voiced the titular character in the English dub of the film Ponyo (2008), as well as having minor roles on shows like Hannah Montana and Doc. In 2016 she made her debut as a singer with the single "Make Me (Cry)" featuring Labrinth, which peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100. She has released three extended plays: Good Cry (2018), The End of Everything (2020), People Don't Change (2021). Her debut studio album The Hardest Part was released on September 16, 2022. She was nominated for Best New Artist at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

  19. 1999

    1. Damiano David, Italian singer-songwriter births

      1. Italian singer

        Damiano David

        Damiano David is an Italian singer. He is the frontman of the rock band Måneskin, which won the Sanremo Music Festival 2021 and subsequently the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 representing Italy with the song "Zitti e buoni".

  20. 1998

    1. Michael Tippett, English composer and conductor (b. 1905) deaths

      1. English composer (1905–1998)

        Michael Tippett

        Sir Michael Kemp Tippett was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten as one of the leading British composers of the 20th century. Among his best-known works are the oratorio A Child of Our Time, the orchestral Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli, and the opera The Midsummer Marriage.

  21. 1997

    1. Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911) deaths

      1. American biochemist

        Melvin Calvin

        Melvin Ellis Calvin was an American biochemist known for discovering the Calvin cycle along with Andrew Benson and James Bassham, for which he was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He spent most of his five-decade career at the University of California, Berkeley.

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

        Nobel Prize in Chemistry

        The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature, peace, and physiology or medicine. This award is administered by the Nobel Foundation, and awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on proposal of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry which consists of five members elected by the Academy. The award is presented in Stockholm at an annual ceremony on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel's death.

  22. 1996

    1. Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist (b. 1968) deaths

      1. Metin Göktepe

        Metin Göktepe was a Kurdish photojournalist who was tortured and brutally murdered in police custody in Istanbul on January 8, 1996.

    2. François Mitterrand, French sergeant and politician, 21st President of France (b. 1916) deaths

      1. 21st President of the French Republic from 1981 to 1995

        François Mitterrand

        François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he was the first left-wing politician to assume the presidency under the Fifth Republic.

      2. Head of state of France

        President of France

        The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic, is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the position is the highest office in France. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, in addition to their relation with the prime minister and Government of France, have over time differed with the various constitutional documents since the Second Republic.

  23. 1994

    1. Pat Buttram, American actor and comedian (b. 1915) deaths

      1. American character actor (1915–1994)

        Pat Buttram

        Maxwell Emmett Buttram, professionally known as Pat Buttram, was an American character actor. He was known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the television series Green Acres. He had a distinctive voice that, in his own words, "never quite made it through puberty."

    2. Harvey Haddix, American baseball player and coach (b. 1925) deaths

      1. American baseball player

        Harvey Haddix

        Harvey Haddix, Jr. was an American professional baseball left-handed pitcher and pitching coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1952–1956), Philadelphia Phillies (1956–57), Cincinnati Redlegs (1958), Pittsburgh Pirates (1959–1963), and Baltimore Orioles (1964–65).

  24. 1993

    1. Sophie Pascoe, New Zealand swimmer births

      1. New Zealand Paralympic swimmer

        Sophie Pascoe

        Dame Sophie Frances Pascoe is a New Zealand para-swimmer. She has represented New Zealand at four Summer Paralympic Games from 2008, winning a total of eleven gold medals, seven silver medals and one bronze medal, making her New Zealand's most successful Paralympian. She has also represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games.

  25. 1992

    1. Stefanie Dolson, American basketball player births

      1. American professional basketball player

        Stefanie Dolson

        Stefanie Dolson is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted sixth overall in the 2014 WNBA draft. Dolson played center for the UConn women's basketball team and won back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014. She won a gold medal in Women's 3x3 basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

    2. Koke, Spanish footballer births

      1. Spanish footballer

        Koke (footballer, born 1992)

        Jorge Resurrección Merodio, known as Koke, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Atlético Madrid, whom he captains, and for the Spain national team.

  26. 1991

    1. Josh Hazlewood, Australian cricketer births

      1. Australian cricketer

        Josh Hazlewood

        Josh Reginald Hazlewood is an Australian international cricketer. He is a tall pace bowler known for his accuracy and has been compared to former Australian paceman Glenn McGrath. Hazlewood currently ranks no.2 in ODI, no.1 in T20I and no.12 in test in the ICC Men's Player Rankings.

    2. Stefan Johansen, Norwegian footballer births

      1. Norwegian footballer

        Stefan Johansen

        Stefan Marius Johansen is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder and captains EFL Championship club Queens Park Rangers. In 2021 he announced that he had retired from international duty with Norway.

    3. Stefan Savić, Montenegrin footballer births

      1. Montenegrin footballer (born 1991)

        Stefan Savić

        Stefan Savić is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Montenegro national team as a central defender.

    4. Steve Clark, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1960) deaths

      1. English musician

        Steve Clark

        Stephen Maynard Clark was an English musician. He was a songwriter and guitarist for the English hard rock band Def Leppard until 1991, when he died from alcohol poisoning. In 2007, Clark was ranked No. 11 on Classic Rock Magazine's "100 Wildest Guitar Heroes". In 2019, Clark was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Def Leppard.

  27. 1990

    1. Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (b. 1919) deaths

      1. 20th-century American comics artist

        Bernard Krigstein

        Bernard Krigstein, was an American illustrator and gallery artist who received acclaim for his innovative and influential approach to comic book art, notably in EC Comics. His artwork usually displayed the signature B. Krigstein. His best-known work in comic books is the eight-page story "Master Race", originally published in the debut issue of EC Comics' Impact.

    2. Terry-Thomas, English actor and comedian (b. 1911) deaths

      1. English actor and comedian (1911–1990)

        Terry-Thomas

        Terry-Thomas was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads, toffs and bounders, using his distinctive voice; his costume and props tended to include a monocle, waistcoat and cigarette holder. His striking dress sense was set off by a 1⁄3-inch (8.5 mm) gap between his two upper front teeth.

  28. 1989

    1. Aaron Cruden, New Zealand rugby player births

      1. New Zealand rugby union player

        Aaron Cruden

        Aaron Wiremu Cruden is a New Zealand rugby union player, who plays for Chiefs and formerly Montpellier, Manawatu and New Zealand internationally. Cruden's usual position is first five-eighth.

  29. 1988

    1. Adrián López, Spanish footballer births

      1. Spanish footballer

        Adrián López

        Adrián López Álvarez, known simply as Adrián, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward.

    2. Michael Mancienne, English footballer births

      1. Seychellois footballer

        Michael Mancienne

        Michael Ian Mancienne is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Burton Albion. Born in England, he represents the Seychelles national team.

    3. Alex Tyus, American-Israeli basketball player births

      1. Alex Tyus

        Alexander Trent Tyus is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for ASVEL Basket of the LNB Pro A. He was the 2018 Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP. Having been naturalized as an Israeli citizen, he also represented the senior Israeli national basketball team. Standing at 2.03 meters tall, he is an athletic frontcourt player and good rebounder.

  30. 1986

    1. Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (b. 1906) deaths

      1. French cellist

        Pierre Fournier

        Pierre Léon Marie Fournier was a French cellist who was called the "aristocrat of cellists" on account of his elegant musicianship and majestic sound.

  31. 1983

    1. Gerhard Barkhorn, German general and pilot (b. 1919) deaths

      1. German general and fighter pilot during World War II

        Gerhard Barkhorn

        Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn was a German military aviator and wing commander in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was the second most successful fighter pilot of all time after fellow pilot Erich Hartmann. Other than Hartmann, Barkhorn is the only fighter ace to ever exceed 300 claimed victories. Following World War II, he became a high-ranking officer in the German Air Force of the Federal Republic of Germany.

  32. 1982

    1. Gaby Hoffmann, American actress births

      1. American actress

        Gaby Hoffmann

        Gabrielle Mary Antonia Hoffmann is an American actress. She initially found success as a child actress, appearing in Field of Dreams, Uncle Buck, and Sleepless in Seattle, and then later as a teenager with Now and Then, Volcano, All I Wanna Do, and 200 Cigarettes.

    2. Kim Jong-un, North Korean soldier and politician, 3rd Supreme Leader of North Korea (probable) births

      1. Leader of North Korea since 2011

        Kim Jong-un

        Kim Jong-un is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's second supreme leader from 1994 to 2011, and Ko Yong-hui. He is a grandson of Kim Il-sung, who was the founder and first supreme leader of North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. Kim Jong-un is the first leader of North Korea to have been born in the country after its founding in 1948.

      2. Supreme Leader (North Korean title)

        The supreme leader of North Korea is the de facto paramount leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, the state and the Korean People's Army. The title has not been written into the national constitution as a separate office, but it currently states that the president of the State Affairs Commission is the supreme leader of North Korea. Likewise, according to the WPK Charter, the general secretary of the WPK is the supreme leader of the Workers' Party. Formerly, under Kim Jong-il, this title was bestowed on the office of Chairman of the National Defence Commission, who was also the WPK general secretary. The first leader of the state prior to the existence of North Korea was Terenty Shtykov who served as the head of the Soviet Civil Administration, the governing authority controlled by the Soviet Union that ruled the northern half of Korea from 1945 to 1948.

    3. Grégoire Aslan, Swiss-English actor and screenwriter (b. 1908) deaths

      1. Swiss-Armenian actor

        Grégoire Aslan

        Grégoire Aslan was a Swiss-Armenian actor and musician.

  33. 1981

    1. Jeff Francis, Canadian baseball player births

      1. Canadian baseball player (born 1981)

        Jeff Francis

        Jeffrey William Francis is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays. He is an inductee of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

  34. 1980

    1. John Mauchly, American physicist and academic (b. 1907) deaths

      1. American physicist and computer scientist (1907–1980)

        John Mauchly

        John William Mauchly was an American physicist who, along with J. Presper Eckert, designed ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic digital computer, as well as EDVAC, BINAC and UNIVAC I, the first commercial computer made in the United States.

  35. 1979

    1. Seol Ki-hyeon, South Korean footballer and manager births

      1. South Korean footballer (born 1979)

        Seol Ki-hyeon

        Seol Ki-hyeon is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a winger, and who currently is the manager of Gyeongnam FC. He is also the first South Korean footballer to score in the history of the UEFA Champions League, during his time at Anderlecht.

    2. Adrian Mutu, Romanian footballer births

      1. Romanian association football manager and former player

        Adrian Mutu

        Adrian Mutu is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is in charge of Liga I club Rapid București. During his playing career, he was deployed as a forward or an attacking midfielder.

    3. Stipe Pletikosa, Croatian footballer births

      1. Croatian footballer (born 1979)

        Stipe Pletikosa

        Stipe Pletikosa is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. As of 29 July 2021, he works at the Croatian Football Federation as the technical director of the national senior and under-21 teams.

  36. 1978

    1. Marco Fu, Hong Kongese snooker player births

      1. Hong Kongese professional snooker player

        Marco Fu

        Marco Fu Ka-chun, MH, JP is a Hong Kong professional snooker player. He is a three-time ranking event winner, having won the 2007 Grand Prix, the 2013 Australian Goldfields Open and the 2016 Scottish Open. He has been a runner-up at two Triple Crown events, at the 2008 UK Championship and the 2011 Masters. In addition, Fu has reached the semi-finals of the World Championship twice—in 2006 and in 2016.

  37. 1977

    1. Amber Benson, American actress, writer, director, and producer births

      1. American actress, writer, director, and producer

        Amber Benson

        Amber Nicole Benson is an American actress, singer, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and has also directed, produced and starred in her own films Chance (2002) and Lovers, Liars & Lunatics (2006). She also starred in the movie Kiss the Bride (2007). She co-directed the film Drones with fellow Buffy cast member Adam Busch. Benson also starred as a waitress in the horror movie The Killing Jar.

  38. 1976

    1. Zhou Enlai, Chinese soldier and politician, 1st Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1898) deaths

      1. 1st Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to 1976

        Zhou Enlai

        Zhou Enlai was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Mao Zedong and helped the Communist Party rise to power, later helping consolidate its control, form its foreign policy, and develop the Chinese economy.

      2. Head of the Chinese Government

        Premier of the People's Republic of China

        The premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the premier of China and sometimes also referred to as the prime minister, is the head of government of China and leader of the State Council. The premier is nominally the second most powerful position in China's political system, under the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, and holds the highest rank in the civil service of the central government.

  39. 1975

    1. Richard Tucker, American operatic tenor (b. 1913) deaths

      1. American opera singer (1913–1975)

        Richard Tucker

        Richard Tucker was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States.

  40. 1973

    1. Mike Cameron, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player

        Mike Cameron

        Michael Terrance Cameron is an American former professional Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Florida Marlins over a 16 year career and is currently the Special Assignment Coach for the Seattle Mariners.

  41. 1972

    1. Paul Clement, English footballer, coach, and manager births

      1. English association football player and manager (born 1972)

        Paul Clement (football manager)

        Paul Clement is an English professional football manager and coach, who is currently a first-team coach at Everton. He has been assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti several times – at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. Clement has managed Derby County, Swansea City and Reading and has previously held coaching roles at Fulham, Blackburn Rovers, and the England under-21 and Republic of Ireland under-21 teams.

  42. 1971

    1. Jason Giambi, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player (born 1971)

        Jason Giambi

        Jason Gilbert Giambi is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter. In his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, which began in 1995, Giambi played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, and Cleveland Indians. He is the older brother of the late MLB player Jeremy Giambi.

    2. Pascal Zuberbühler, Swiss footballer and coach births

      1. Swiss footballer

        Pascal Zuberbühler

        Pascal Zuberbühler is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

  43. 1967

    1. R. Kelly, American singer-songwriter, record producer, and former professional basketball player births

      1. American sex offender, R&B singer and songwriter (born 1967)

        R. Kelly

        Robert Sylvester Kelly is an American former singer, songwriter, record producer and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses.

    2. Tom Watson, English politician births

      1. Former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, UK Music Chair

        Tom Watson, Baron Watson of Wyre Forest

        Thomas Anthony Watson, Baron Watson of Wyre Forest is a British former politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2019 and Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2016 to 2019. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich East from 2001 to 2019. Since 2022 he has been a member of the House of Lords.

  44. 1966

    1. Willie Anderson, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player

        Willie Anderson (basketball)

        Willie Lloyd Anderson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player.

    2. Igor Vyazmikin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2009) births

      1. Ice hockey player

        Igor Vyazmikin

        Igor Viktorovich Vyazmikin was a professional ice hockey forward, who played for CSKA. He was the final player selected in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, going in the twelfth round, 252nd overall, to the Edmonton Oilers, and went on to play four NHL games with that team. Additionally, Vyazmikin played extensively in Europe and North American minor leagues.

    3. Andrew Wood, American singer-songwriter (d. 1990) births

      1. American rock musician and singer (1966–1990)

        Andrew Wood (singer)

        Andrew Patrick Wood was an American musician. He was the lead singer and lyricist for the alternative rock bands Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. Wood formed Malfunkshun in 1980 with his older brother Kevin Wood on guitar and Regan Hagar on drums. The band used alter ego personas onstage, with Wood using the name Landrew the Love Child. Though the band only had two songs released, "With Yo' Heart " and "Stars-n-You", on the Deep Six compilation album, they are often cited as being among the "founding fathers" of the Seattle grunge movement. During his time in Malfunkshun, Wood started relying heavily on drugs, entering rehab in 1985.

  45. 1964

    1. Ron Sexsmith, Canadian singer-songwriter births

      1. Canadian musician

        Ron Sexsmith

        Ronald Eldon Sexsmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has since recorded seventeen albums. He was the subject of a 2010 documentary called Love Shines.

  46. 1963

    1. Kay Sage, American painter (b. 1898) deaths

      1. American Surrealist artist, poet (1898–1963)

        Kay Sage

        Katherine Linn Sage, usually known as Kay Sage, was an American Surrealist artist and poet active between 1936 and 1963. A member of the Golden Age and Post-War periods of Surrealism, she is mostly recognized for her artistic works, which typically contain themes of an architectural nature.

  47. 1961

    1. Calvin Smith, American sprinter births

      1. American sprinter

        Calvin Smith

        Calvin Smith is a former sprint track and field athlete from the United States. He is a former world record holder in the 100-meter sprint with 9.93 seconds in 1983 and was twice world champion over 200 metres, in 1983 and 1987. He also won an Olympic gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay in 1984. He was born in Bolton, Mississippi.

    2. Schoolboy Rowe, American baseball player and coach (b. 1910) deaths

      1. American baseball player

        Schoolboy Rowe

        Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Detroit Tigers (1932–42) and Philadelphia Phillies. He was a three-time All-Star, and a member of three Tigers' World Series teams.

  48. 1960

    1. Dave Weckl, American drummer births

      1. American drummer

        Dave Weckl

        Dave Weckl is an American jazz fusion drummer and the leader of the Dave Weckl Band. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2000.

  49. 1959

    1. Paul Hester, Australian drummer (d. 2005) births

      1. Australian musician (1959–2005)

        Paul Hester

        Paul Newell Hester was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for a short time in 1984, and co-founding member and drummer of the rock group Crowded House.

  50. 1958

    1. Betsy DeVos, American businesswoman and politician, 11th Secretary of Education births

      1. 11th United States Secretary of Education

        Betsy DeVos

        Elisabeth Dee DeVos is an American politician, philanthropist, and former government official who served as the 11th United States secretary of education from 2017 to 2021. DeVos is known for her support for school choice, school voucher programs, and charter schools. She was Republican national committeewoman for Michigan from 1992 to 1997 and served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 1996 to 2000, with reelection to the post in 2003. She has advocated for the Detroit charter school system and she is a former member of the board of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. She has served as chair of the board of the Alliance for School Choice and the Acton Institute and headed the All Children Matter PAC.

    2. Rey Misterio, Mexican wrestler, trainer, and actor births

      1. Mexican professional wrestler and trainer

        Rey Misterio

        Miguel Ángel López Díaz is a Mexican retired professional wrestler and trainer, better known by his ring name, Rey Misterio. He is also referred to as Rey Misterio Sr. to distinguish him from his nephew.

    3. Mary Colter, American architect, designed the Desert View Watchtower (b. 1869) deaths

      1. American architect (1869–1958)

        Mary Colter

        Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was an American architect and designer. She was one of the very few female American architects in her day. She was the designer of many landmark buildings and spaces for the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad, notably in Grand Canyon National Park. Her work had enormous influence as she helped to create a style, blending Spanish Colonial Revival and Mission Revival architecture with Native American motifs and Rustic elements, that became popular throughout the Southwest. Colter was a perfectionist, who spent a lifetime advocating and defending her aesthetic vision in a largely male-dominated field.

      2. United States historic place

        Desert View Watchtower

        Desert View Watchtower, also known as the Indian Watchtower at Desert View, is a 70-foot (21 m)-high stone building located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon within Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, United States. The tower is located at Desert View, more than 20 miles (32 km) to the east of the main developed area at Grand Canyon Village, toward the east entrance to the park. The four-story structure, completed in 1932, was designed by American architect Mary Colter, an employee of the Fred Harvey Company who also created and designed many other buildings in the Grand Canyon vicinity including Hermit's Rest and the Lookout Studio. The interior contains murals by Fred Kabotie.

  51. 1957

    1. Nacho Duato, Spanish dancer and choreographer births

      1. Spanish ballet dancer and choreographer

        Nacho Duato

        Juan Ignacio Duato Bárcia, also known as Nacho Duato is a Spanish modern ballet dancer and choreographer. Since 2014, Duato is artistic director of the Berlin State Ballet.

  52. 1955

    1. Mike Reno, Canadian singer and drummer births

      1. Musical artist

        Mike Reno

        Mike Reno is a Canadian musician, singer and the lead singer of the rock band Loverboy. He is reported to have taught himself how to play guitar. He fronted other bands, including Moxy, before helping form Loverboy. Reno also sang for the Canadian band Hammersmith in 1976.

  53. 1954

    1. Eduard Wiiralt, Estonian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1898) deaths

      1. Estonian artist

        Eduard Wiiralt

        Eduard Wiiralt was a well-known Estonian graphic artist. In art history, Wiiralt is considered as the most remarkable master of Estonian graphic art in the first half of his century; the most well-known of his works include "Inferno", "Hell", "Cabaret", "Heads of Negroes", "Sleeping Tiger", and "Head of a Camel".

  54. 1953

    1. Bruce Sutter, American baseball pitcher (d. 2022) births

      1. American baseball player (1953–2022)

        Bruce Sutter

        Howard Bruce Sutter was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1976 and 1988. He was one of the sport's dominant relievers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, making effective use of the split-finger fastball. A six-time All-Star and 1982 World Series champion, Sutter recorded a 2.83 career earned run average and 300 saves, the third-most in MLB history at the time of his retirement. Sutter won the National League's (NL) Cy Young Award in 1979 as its top pitcher, and won the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award four times. He became the only pitcher to lead the NL in saves five times.

    2. Hugh Binney, English admiral and politician, 16th Governor of Tasmania (b. 1883) deaths

      1. Hugh Binney

        Admiral Sir Thomas Hugh Binney, was a senior officer in the Royal Navy and the 16th Governor of Tasmania from 1945 to 1951.

      2. Vice-regal representative of the Australian monarch in Tasmania

        Governor of Tasmania

        The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the governor is Government House located at the Queens Domain in Hobart. As the sovereign predominantly lives outside Tasmania, the governor's primary task is to perform the sovereign's constitutional duties on their behalf.

  55. 1952

    1. Vladimir Feltsman, Russian-American pianist and educator births

      1. Musical artist

        Vladimir Feltsman

        Vladimir Oskarovich Feltsman (Russian: Владимир Оскарович Фельцман, Vladimir Oskarovič Feltsman is a Russian-American classical pianist of Lithuanian Jewish descent particularly noted for his devotion to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

    2. Peter McCullagh, Irish mathematician and academic births

      1. Irish statistician and John D (born 1952)

        Peter McCullagh

        Peter McCullagh is an Northern Irish-born American statistician and John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Chicago.

    3. Antonia Maury, American astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1866) deaths

      1. American astronomer

        Antonia Maury

        Antonia Caetana de Paiva Pereira Maury was an American astronomer who was the first to detect and calculate the orbit of a spectroscopic binary. She published an important early catalog of stellar spectra using her own system of stellar classification, which was later adopted by the International Astronomical Union. She also spent many years studying the binary star Beta Lyrae. Maury was part of the Harvard Computers, a group of female astronomers and human computers at the Harvard College Observatory.

  56. 1951

    1. Kenny Anthony, Saint Lucian politician, 5th Prime Minister of Saint Lucia births

      1. Saint Lucian politician

        Kenny Anthony

        Kenny Davis Anthony is a Saint Lucian politician who was Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from 1997 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2016. As leader of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, he was Leader of the Opposition from 2006 to 2011 and returned to office as Prime Minister on 30 November 2011 following the 2011 election. He left office after the SLP's defeat in the 2016 election and announced his resignation as party leader.

      2. List of prime ministers of Saint Lucia

        The prime minister of St Lucia is the head of government of St Lucia. The prime minister heads the executive branch and chairs the cabinet. This article contains a list of prime ministers of Saint Lucia.

  57. 1950

    1. Joseph Schumpeter, Czech-American economist and academic (b. 1883) deaths

      1. Austrian-born political economist (1883–1950)

        Joseph Schumpeter

        Joseph Alois Schumpeter was an Austrian-born political economist. He served briefly as Finance Minister of German-Austria in 1919. In 1932, he emigrated to the United States to become a professor at Harvard University, where he remained until the end of his career, and in 1939 obtained American citizenship.

  58. 1949

    1. Lawrence Rowe, Jamaican cricketer births

      1. Jamaican cricketer

        Lawrence Rowe

        Lawrence George Rowe is a former West Indian cricketer. A stylish top order batsman, he also played for Jamaica and Derbyshire in his cricketing career. Rowe was later named as one of Jamaica's top five cricketers of the 20th century.

  59. 1948

    1. Gillies MacKinnon, Scottish director and screenwriter births

      1. Gillies MacKinnon

        Gillies MacKinnon is a Scottish film director, writer and painter. He attended the Glasgow School of Art where he studied mural painting. Following this he became an art teacher and cartoonist, and about this time he traveled with a nomadic tribe in the Sahara for six months.

    2. Kurt Schwitters, German painter and graphic designer (b. 1887) deaths

      1. German artist (1887-1948)

        Kurt Schwitters

        Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters was a German artist who was born in Hanover, Germany.

  60. 1947

    1. David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2016) births

      1. English singer-songwriter and actor (1947–2016)

        David Bowie

        David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music.

    2. Antti Kalliomäki, Finnish pole vaulter and politician births

      1. Finnish athlete, politician

        Antti Kalliomäki

        Antti Kalliomäki is a Finnish politician and former athlete. Kalliomäki is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) and was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1983 until 2011. He retired from politics in 2011.

  61. 1946

    1. Robby Krieger, American guitarist and songwriter births

      1. American guitarist

        Robby Krieger

        Robert Alan Krieger is an American guitarist. He was the guitarist of rock band the Doors; as such he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me", and "Love Her Madly". When the Doors disbanded due to death of lead singer Jim Morrison, Krieger continued his performing and recording career with other musicians including former Doors bandmates John Densmore and Ray Manzarek. He was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

    2. Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, Mexican drug lord births

      1. Mexican drug Kingpin

        Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo

        Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, commonly referred to by his aliases El Jefe de Jefes and El Padrino, is a convicted Mexican drug lord Kingpin. He was one of the founders of the Guadalajara Cartel in the 1970s. Throughout the 1980s, the cartel controlled much of the drug trafficking in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico–United States border.

  62. 1945

    1. Nancy Bond, American author and academic births

      1. American author of children's literature

        Nancy Bond

        Nancy Barbara Bond is an American author of children's literature. In 1977 her first book, A String in the Harp, was fantasy novel with an element of folklore, set in West Wales. It received a Newbery honor and the Welsh Tir na n-Og Award, and remains in print.

    2. Phil Beal, English footballer births

      1. English footballer

        Phil Beal

        Phil Beal is an English former footballer who played as a central defender.

    3. Karl Ernst Krafft, Swiss astrologer and author (b. 1900) deaths

      1. Swiss astrologer

        Karl Ernst Krafft

        Karl Ernst Krafft was a Swiss astrologer, born in Basel. He worked on the fields of astrology and graphology.

  63. 1944

    1. Terry Brooks, American lawyer and author births

      1. American writer of fantasy fiction

        Terry Brooks

        Terence Dean Brooks is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two film novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has sold over 25 million copies of his books in print. He is one of the biggest-selling living fantasy writers.

    2. William Kissam Vanderbilt II, American lieutenant and sailor (b. 1878) deaths

      1. American heir and racing driver (1878–1944)

        William Kissam Vanderbilt II

        William Kissam Vanderbilt II was an American motor racing enthusiast and yachtsman, and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family.

  64. 1943

    1. Andres Larka, Estonian general and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of War (b. 1879) deaths

      1. Estonian politician (1879–1943)

        Andres Larka

        Andres Larka VR I/1 was an Estonian military commander during the Estonian War of Independence and a politician.

      2. Estonian cabinet position

        Minister of Defence (Estonia)

        The Minister of Defence is the senior minister at the Ministry of Defence (Kaitseministeerium) in the Estonian Government. The minister is one of the most important members of the Estonian government, with responsibility for coordinating the governments policies on national defence and the military forces. The defence minister is chosen by the prime minister as a part of the government.

  65. 1942

    1. Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author (d. 2018) births

      1. English theoretical physicist (1942–2018)

        Stephen Hawking

        Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who, at the time of his death, was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, widely viewed as one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.

    2. Junichirō Koizumi, Japanese politician, 56th Prime Minister of Japan births

      1. Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006

        Junichiro Koizumi

        Junichiro Koizumi is a former Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2009. He is the sixth-longest serving Prime Minister in Japanese history.

      2. Head of government of Japan

        Prime Minister of Japan

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

    3. Yvette Mimieux, American actress (d. 2022) births

      1. American actress (1942–2022)

        Yvette Mimieux

        Yvette Carmen Mimieux was an American film and television actress. Her breakout role was in The Time Machine (1960). She was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards during her acting career.

    4. Joseph Franklin Rutherford, American lawyer and religious leader (b. 1869) deaths

      1. Second president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

        Joseph Franklin Rutherford

        Joseph Franklin Rutherford, also known as Judge Rutherford, was the second president of the incorporated Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. He played a primary role in the organization and doctrinal development of Jehovah's Witnesses, which emerged from the Bible Student movement established by Charles Taze Russell.

  66. 1941

    1. Graham Chapman, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1989) births

      1. English actor, comedian and writer (1941–1989)

        Graham Chapman

        Graham Chapman was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two Python films, Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979).

    2. Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English general and founder of the Scout movement (b. 1857) deaths

      1. British Army officer and Scout Movement founder (1857–1941)

        Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell

        Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the world-wide Scout Movement, and founder, with his sister Agnes, of the world-wide Girl Guide / Girl Scout Movement. Baden-Powell authored the first editions of the seminal work Scouting for Boys, which was an inspiration for the Scout Movement.

      2. World-wide youth movement

        Scouting

        Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking, and sports. Another widely recognized movement characteristic is the Scout uniform, by intent hiding all differences of social standing in a country and encouraging equality, with neckerchief and campaign hat or comparable headwear. Distinctive uniform insignia include the fleur-de-lis and the trefoil, as well as merit badges and other patches.

  67. 1940

    1. Cristy Lane, American country and gospel singer births

      1. Musical artist

        Cristy Lane

        Cristy Lane is an American Christian and country music singer. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she had a series of hits on the North American country charts with songs like "Let Me Down Easy", "I Just Can't Stay Married to You" and the number one hit "One Day at a Time". The latter recording inspired a book of the same name, which was sold on cable television and brought renewed interest to Lane's career.

  68. 1939

    1. Carolina Herrera, Venezuelan-American fashion designer births

      1. Venezuelan fashion designer

        Carolina Herrera

        Carolina Herrera is a Venezuelan fashion designer known for her personal style, and for dressing various First Ladies, including Jacqueline Onassis, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, and Melania Trump.

  69. 1938

    1. Bob Eubanks, American game show host and producer births

      1. American television and radio personality

        Bob Eubanks

        Robert Leland Eubanks is an American disc jockey, television personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off since 1966. He also hosted the successful revamp version of Card Sharks from 1986 to 1989. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his radio DJ work in 2000. It is in front of Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, where he worked during the first years of his broadcasting career. In 2005, he received a lifetime achievement Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

    2. Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (b. 1880) deaths

      1. 20th-century American cartoonist

        Johnny Gruelle

        John Barton Gruelle was an American artist, political cartoonist, children's book and comics author, illustrator, and storyteller. He is best known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls and as the author/illustrator of dozens of books. He also created the Beloved Belindy doll. Gruelle also contributed cartoons and illustrations to at least ten newspapers, four major news syndicates, and more than a dozen national magazines. He was the son of Hoosier Group painter Richard Gruelle.

  70. 1937

    1. Shirley Bassey, Welsh singer births

      1. Welsh singer (born 1937)

        Shirley Bassey

        Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists in Britain.

  71. 1936

    1. Robert May, Baron May of Oxford, Australian-English zoologist, ecologist, and academic (d. 2020) births

      1. Australian scientist, president of the Royal Society (1936–2020)

        Robert May, Baron May of Oxford

        Robert McCredie May, Baron May of Oxford, HonFAIB was an Australian scientist who was Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, President of the Royal Society, and a professor at the University of Sydney and Princeton University. He held joint professorships at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London. He was also a crossbench member of the House of Lords from 2001 until his retirement in 2017.

  72. 1935

    1. Elvis Presley, American singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 1977) births

      1. American singer and actor (1935–1977)

        Elvis Presley

        Elvis Aaron Presley, or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to both great success and initial controversy.

  73. 1934

    1. Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist (d. 1987) births

      1. French cyclist

        Jacques Anquetil

        Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964.

    2. Roy Kinnear, British actor (d. 1988) births

      1. British actor (1934–1988)

        Roy Kinnear

        Roy Mitchell Kinnear was a British character actor. He was known for his roles in films such as The Beatles' Help! (1965), Clapper in How I Won the War (1967) and Planchet in The Three Musketeers (1973). He reprised the role of Planchet in the 1974 and 1989 sequels, and died following an accident during filming of the latter. He played Private Monty Bartlett in The Hill (1965), Henry Salt in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and cruise director Curtain in Juggernaut (1974), The Dick Emery Show (1979–1981), and in the sitcoms Man About the House (1974–1975), George and Mildred (1976–1979) and Cowboys (1980–1981).

    3. Andrei Bely, Russian novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1880) deaths

      1. Russian poet, writer and critic

        Andrei Bely

        Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev, better known by the pen name Andrei Bely or Biely, was a Russian novelist, Symbolist poet, theorist and literary critic. He was a committed anthroposophist and follower of Rudolf Steiner. His novel Petersburg (1913/1922) was regarded by Vladimir Nabokov as the third-greatest masterpiece of modernist literature. The Andrei Bely Prize, one of the most important prizes in Russian literature, was named after him. His poems were set to music and performed by Russian singer-songwriters.

    4. Alexandre Stavisky, Ukrainian-French financier (b. 1886) deaths

      1. Alexandre Stavisky

        Serge Alexandre Stavisky was a French financier and embezzler whose actions created a political scandal that became known as the Stavisky Affair.

  74. 1933

    1. Charles Osgood, American soldier and journalist births

      1. American television news anchor

        Charles Osgood

        Charles Osgood Wood III, known professionally as Charles Osgood, is an American radio and television commentator, writer and musician. Osgood is best known for being the host of CBS News Sunday Morning, a role he held for over 22 years from April 10, 1994, until September 25, 2016. Osgood also hosted The Osgood File, a series of daily radio commentaries, from 1971 until December 29, 2017.

    2. Jean-Marie Straub, French director and screenwriter births

      1. Duo of French filmmakers active 1963–2006

        Straub–Huillet

        Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet were a duo of French filmmakers who made two dozen films between 1963 and 2006. Their films are noted for their rigorous, intellectually stimulating style and radical, communist politics. While both were French, they worked mostly in Germany and Italy. From the Clouds to the Resistance (1979) and Sicilia! (1999) are among the duo's best regarded works.

  75. 1931

    1. Bill Graham, German-American businessman (d. 1991) births

      1. German-born Jewish-American impresario and rock concert promoter

        Bill Graham (promoter)

        Bill Graham was a German-American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death in 1991 in a helicopter crash. On July 4, 1939, he was sent from Germany to France due to political uncertainty in his home country. At age 10, he settled into a foster home in the Bronx, New York. Graham graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School and subsequently from City College with a business degree.

    2. Clarence Benjamin Jones, American lawyer and scholar births

      1. American lawyer

        Clarence B. Jones

        Clarence Benjamin Jones is the former personal counsel, advisor, draft speech writer and close friend of Martin Luther King Jr. He is a Scholar in Residence at the Martin Luther King Jr. Institute at Stanford University. He is the author of What Would Martin Say? and Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation. His next book, Last of the Lions is scheduled for release in Spring of 2023.

  76. 1929

    1. Saeed Jaffrey, Indian-British actor (d. 2015) births

      1. British-Indian actor

        Saeed Jaffrey

        Saeed Jaffrey was a British-Indian actor. His career covered film, radio, stage and television roles over six decades and more than 150 British, American, and Indian movies. During the 1980s and 1990s he was considered to be Britain's highest-profile Asian actor, thanks to his leading roles in the movie My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) and television series The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Tandoori Nights (1985–1987) and Little Napoleons (1994). He played an instrumental part in bringing together film makers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant and acted in several of their Merchant Ivory Productions films such as The Guru (1969), Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978), The Courtesans of Bombay (1983) and The Deceivers (1988).

  77. 1928

    1. Slade Gorton, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 14th Attorney General of Washington (d. 2020) births

      1. American politician (1928–2020)

        Slade Gorton

        Thomas Slade Gorton III was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Washington from 1981 to 1987 and again from 1989 until 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he held both of the state's U.S. Senate seats in his career and was narrowly defeated for reelection twice, first in 1986 by Brock Adams and again in 2000 by Maria Cantwell following a recount.

      2. Attorney general for the U.S. state of Washington

        Attorney General of Washington

        The Attorney General of Washington is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of Washington and head of the Washington State Office of the Attorney General. The attorney general represents clients of the state and defends the public interest in accordance to state law. The office of the attorney general is an executive office elected by the citizens of Washington, and the officeholder serves a four-year term.

  78. 1927

    1. Charles Tomlinson, English poet and academic (d. 2015) births

      1. English poet, translator, and illustrator (1927–2015)

        Charles Tomlinson

        Alfred Charles Tomlinson, CBE was an English poet, translator, academic, and illustrator. He was born in Penkhull, and grew up in Basford, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

  79. 1926

    1. Evelyn Lear, American operatic soprano (d. 2012) births

      1. American operatic soprano

        Evelyn Lear

        Evelyn Shulman Lear was an American operatic soprano. Between 1959 and 1992, she appeared in more than forty operatic roles, appeared with every major opera company in the United States and won a Grammy Award in 1966. She was well known for her musical versatility, having sung all three main female roles in Der Rosenkavalier. Lear was also known for her work on 20th century pieces by Robert Ward, Alban Berg, Marvin David Levy, Rudolf Kelterborn and Giselher Klebe. She was married to the American bass-baritone Thomas Stewart until his death in 2006.

    2. Kerwin Mathews, American actor (d. 2007) births

      1. American actor (1926–2007)

        Kerwin Mathews

        Kerwin Mathews was an American actor best known for playing the titular heroes in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960) and Jack the Giant Killer (1962).

    3. Kelucharan Mohapatra, Indian dancer and choreographer (d. 2004) births

      1. Indian classical dancer (1926–2004)

        Kelucharan Mohapatra

        Kelucharan Mohapatra was a legendary Indian classical dancer, guru, and exponent of Odissi dance, who is credited with the revival and popularizing of this classical dance form in the 20th century. He is the first person to receive the Padma Vibhushan from Odisha.

    4. Hanae Mori, Japanese fashion designer (d. 2022) births

      1. Japanese fashion designer (1926–2022)

        Hanae Mori

        Hanae Mori was a Japanese fashion designer. She was one of only two Japanese women to have presented her collections on the runways of Paris and New York, and the first Asian woman to be admitted as an official haute couture design house by the Fédération française de la couture in France. Her fashion house, opened in Japan in 1951, grew to become a $500 million international business by the 1990s.

    5. Soupy Sales, American comedian and actor (d. 2009) births

      1. American comedian, actor (1926–2009)

        Soupy Sales

        Milton Supman, known professionally as Soupy Sales, was an American comedian, actor, radio-television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television series, Lunch with Soupy Sales (1953–1966), a series of comedy sketches frequently ending with Sales receiving a pie in the face, which became his trademark. From 1968 to 1975, he was a regular panelist on the syndicated revival of What's My Line? and appeared on several other TV game shows. During the 1980s, he hosted his own show on WNBC in New York City.

  80. 1925

    1. Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (d. 1972) births

      1. Mohan Rakesh

        Mohan Rakesh was one of the pioneers of the Nai Kahani literary movement of the Hindi literature in India in the 1950s. He wrote the first modern Hindi play, Ashadh Ka Ek Din (1958), which won a competition organised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. He made significant contributions to the novel, the short story, travelogue, criticism, memoir and drama.

    2. George Bellows, American painter (b.1882) deaths

      1. American painter

        George Bellows

        George Wesley Bellows was an American realist painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City. He became, according to the Columbus Museum of Art, "the most acclaimed American artist of his generation".

  81. 1924

    1. Benjamin Lees, Chinese-American soldier and composer (d. 2010) births

      1. American classical composer

        Benjamin Lees

        Benjamin Lees was an American composer of classical music.

    2. Ron Moody, English actor and singer (d. 2015) births

      1. English actor, composer, singer and writer

        Ron Moody

        Ron Moody was an English actor, composer, singer and writer. He was best known for his portrayal of Fagin in Oliver! (1968) and its 1983 Broadway revival. Moody earned a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for the film, as well as a Tony Award nomination for the stage production. Other notable projects include The Mouse on the Moon (1963), Mel Brooks' The Twelve Chairs (1970) and Flight of the Doves (1971), in which Moody shared the screen with Oliver! co-star Jack Wild.

  82. 1923

    1. Larry Storch, American actor and comedian(d. 2022) births

      1. American actor (1923–2022)

        Larry Storch

        Lawrence Samuel Storch was an American actor and comedian best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for cartoon shows such as Mr. Whoopee on Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales and his live-action role of the bumbling Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop which won a nomination for Emmy Award in 1967.

    2. Giorgio Tozzi, American opera singer and actor (d. 2011) births

      1. American opera singer

        Giorgio Tozzi

        Giorgio Tozzi was an American operatic bass. He was a mainstay for many years with the Metropolitan Opera, and sang principal bass roles in nearly every major opera house worldwide.

    3. Johnny Wardle, English cricketer (d. 1985) births

      1. Johnny Wardle

        Johnny Wardle was an English spin bowling cricketer whose Test Match career lasted between 1948 and 1957. His Test bowling average of 20.39 is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler since the First World War.

    4. Joseph Weizenbaum, German-American computer scientist and author (d. 2008) births

      1. German American computer scientist

        Joseph Weizenbaum

        Joseph Weizenbaum was a German American computer scientist and a professor at MIT. The Weizenbaum Award is named after him. He is considered one of the fathers of modern artificial intelligence.

  83. 1922

    1. Dale D. Myers, American engineer (d. 2015) births

      1. Dale D. Myers

        Dale Dehaven Myers was an American aerospace engineer who was Deputy Administrator of NASA, serving between October 6, 1986 and May 13, 1989. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1943.

  84. 1920

    1. Josef Josephi, Polish-born singer and actor (b.1852) deaths

      1. Josef Josephi

        Josef Ichhäuser(1852–1920), known by the stage name Josef Josephi (also spelled Joseffy), was a Polish-born singer (tenor-baritone) and actor.

  85. 1918

    1. Ellis H. Roberts, American journalist and politician, 20th Treasurer of the United States (b. 1827) deaths

      1. American politician (1827–1918)

        Ellis H. Roberts

        Ellis Henry Roberts was an American politician who served as a Representative from New York and 20th Treasurer of the United States.

      2. Official in the United States Department of the Treasury

        Treasurer of the United States

        The treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage production functions. The current treasurer is Marilynn Malerba, who is the first Native American to hold the post.

  86. 1917

    1. Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1994) births

      1. American writer

        Peter Taylor (writer)

        Matthew Hillsman Taylor, Jr., known professionally as Peter Taylor, was an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. Born and raised in Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, he wrote frequently about the urban South in his stories and novels.

  87. 1916

    1. Rembrandt Bugatti, Italian sculptor (b. 1884) deaths

      1. Italian sculptor

        Rembrandt Bugatti

        Rembrandt Bugatti was an Italian sculptor, known primarily for his bronze sculptures of wildlife subjects. During World War I, he volunteered for paramedical work at a military hospital in Antwerp, an experience that triggered in Bugatti the onset of depression, aggravated by financial problems, which eventually caused him to commit suicide on 8 January 1916 in Paris, France when he was 31 years old.

    2. Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (b. 1860) deaths

      1. 19th/20th-century American actress

        Ada Rehan

        Ada Rehan was an American actress and comedian who typified the "personality" style of acting in the nineteenth century.

  88. 1915

    1. Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991) births

      1. American baseball player and manager

        Walker Cooper

        William Walker Cooper was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1940 to 1957, most notably as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals with whom he won two World Series championships. An eight-time All-Star, Cooper was known as one of the top catchers in baseball during the 1940s and early 1950s. His elder brother Mort Cooper, also played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher.

  89. 1914

    1. Simon Bolivar Buckner, American general and 30th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1823) deaths

      1. Confederate Army general and American politician (1823–1914)

        Simon Bolivar Buckner

        Simon Bolivar Buckner was an American soldier, Confederate combatant, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he served as the 30th governor of Kentucky.

      2. Head of state and of government of the U.S. commonwealth of Kentucky

        Governor of Kentucky

        The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once before becoming ineligible for four years. Throughout the state's history, four men have served two non-consecutive terms as governor, and two others have served two consecutive terms. Kentucky is one of only five U.S. states that hold gubernatorial elections in odd-numbered years. The current governor is Andy Beshear, who was first elected in 2019.

  90. 1912

    1. José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor and director (d. 1992) births

      1. Puerto Rican actor and director (1912–1992)

        José Ferrer

        José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, with a career spanning nearly 60 years between 1935 and 1992. He achieved prominence for his portrayal of Cyrano de Bergerac in the play of the same name, which earned him the inaugural Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1947. He reprised the role in a 1950 film version and won an Academy Award, making him the first Hispanic actor and the first Puerto Rican-born to win an Oscar.

    2. Lawrence Walsh, Canadian-American lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th United States Deputy Attorney General (d. 2014) births

      1. American judge (1912–2014)

        Lawrence Walsh

        Lawrence Edward Walsh was an American lawyer, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and United States Deputy Attorney General who was appointed Independent Counsel in December 1986 to investigate the Iran–Contra affair during the Reagan Administration.

      2. Position in the United States Department of Justice

        United States Deputy Attorney General

        The United States deputy attorney general is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice and oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department. The deputy attorney general acts as attorney general during the absence of the attorney general. Lisa Monaco has served in this role since April 21, 2021.

  91. 1911

    1. Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, dancer, and author (d. 1970) births

      1. American burlesque performer, actress and author (1911–1970)

        Gypsy Rose Lee

        Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer, stripper and vedette famous for her striptease act. Also an actress, author, and playwright, her 1957 memoir was adapted into the 1959 stage musical Gypsy.

  92. 1910

    1. Galina Ulanova, Russian actress and ballerina (d. 1998) births

      1. Russian ballet dancer

        Galina Ulanova

        Galina Sergeyevna Ulanova was a Russian ballet dancer. She is frequently cited as being one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century.

  93. 1909

    1. Ashapoorna Devi, Indian author and poet (d. 1995) births

      1. Indian writer

        Ashapurna Devi

        Ashapurna Devi, also Ashapoorna Devi or Ashapurna Debi, was a prominent Indian novelist and poet in Bengali. In 1976, she was awarded the Jnanpith Award and Padma Shri by the Government of India, D.Litt. by the Universities of Jabalpur, Rabindra Bharati, Burdwan and Jadavpur. Vishwa Bharati University honoured her with Deshikottam in 1989. For her contribution as a novelist and short story writer, the Sahitya Akademi conferred its highest honour, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, in 1994.

    2. Bruce Mitchell, South African cricketer (d. 1995) births

      1. South African cricketer

        Bruce Mitchell (cricketer)

        Bruce Mitchell was a South African cricketer who played in 42 Test matches from 1929 to 1949. He was a right-handed opening batsman and played in every Test South Africa played in that period.

    3. Evelyn Wood, American author and educator (d. 1995) births

      1. American educator and businesswoman

        Evelyn Wood (teacher)

        Evelyn Nielsen Wood was an American educator and businessperson, widely known for popularizing speed reading, although she preferred the phrase "dynamic reading". She created and marketed a system said to increase a reader's speed by a factor of three to ten times or more, while preserving and even improving comprehension. The system was taught in rented offices dubbed "institutes" as Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics, a business Wood co-founded with her husband, Doug Wood. It eventually had 150 outlets in the US, 30 in Canada, and others worldwide.

  94. 1908

    1. Fearless Nadia, Australian-Indian actress and stuntwoman (d. 1996) births

      1. Australian-born Indian actress (1908–1996)

        Fearless Nadia

        Mary Ann Evans, also known by her stage name Fearless Nadia, was an Australian-born Indian actress and stuntwoman, who worked in Indian cinema. She is most remembered as the masked, cloaked adventurer in Hunterwali, released in 1935, which was one of the earliest female-lead Indian films. She is often referred to as a sex symbol.

    2. William Hartnell, English actor (d. 1975) births

      1. English actor (1908–1975)

        William Hartnell

        William Henry Hartnell was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the first incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966. In film, Hartnell notably appeared in Brighton Rock (1949), The Mouse That Roared (1959) and This Sporting Life (1963). He was associated with military roles, playing Company Sergeant Major Percy Bullimore in the ITV sitcom The Army Game and Sergeant Grimshaw, the title character in the first Carry On film Carry On Sergeant (1958).

  95. 1905

    1. Carl Gustav Hempel, German philosopher from the Vienna and the Berlin Circle (d. 1997) births

      1. German writer and philosopher

        Carl Gustav Hempel

        Carl Gustav "Peter" Hempel was a German writer, philosopher, logician, and epistemologist. He was a major figure in logical empiricism, a 20th-century movement in the philosophy of science. He is especially well known for his articulation of the deductive-nomological model of scientific explanation, which was considered the "standard model" of scientific explanation during the 1950s and 1960s. He is also known for the raven paradox.

  96. 1904

    1. Karl Brandt, German physician and SS officer (d. 1948) births

      1. German physician, Nazi criminal, SS-Gruppenführer

        Karl Brandt

        Karl Brandt was a German physician and Schutzstaffel (SS) officer in Nazi Germany. Trained in surgery, Brandt joined the Nazi Party in 1932 and became Adolf Hitler's escort doctor in August 1934. A member of Hitler's inner circle at the Berghof, he was selected by Philipp Bouhler, the head of Hitler's Chancellery, to administer the Aktion T4 euthanasia program. Brandt was later appointed the Reich Commissioner of Sanitation and Health. Accused of involvement in human experimentation and other war crimes, Brandt was indicted in late 1946 and faced trial before a U.S. military tribunal along with 22 others in United States of America v. Karl Brandt, et al. He was convicted, sentenced to death, and hanged on 2 June 1948.

      2. Nazi paramilitary organization

        Schutzstaffel

        The Schutzstaffel was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II.

  97. 1902

    1. Carl Rogers, American psychologist and academic (d. 1987) births

      1. American psychologist

        Carl Rogers

        Carl Ransom Rogers was an American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach in psychology. Rogers is widely considered one of the founding fathers of psychotherapy research and was honored for his pioneering research with the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1956.

  98. 1900

    1. Dorothy Adams, American character actress (d. 1988) births

      1. American actress (1900–1988)

        Dorothy Adams

        Dorothy Adams was an American character actress of stage, film, and television.

    2. Serge Poliakoff, Russian-French painter (d. 1969) births

      1. French painter (1900–1969)

        Serge Poliakoff

        Serge Poliakoff was a Russian-born French modernist painter belonging to the 'New' Ecole de Paris (Tachisme).

  99. 1899

    1. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (d. 1959) births

      1. 4th Prime Minister of the Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from 1956-59

        S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike

        Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, often referred to by his initials as S. W. R. D. or S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and known by the Sri Lankan people as "The Silver Bell of Asia", was the fourth Prime Minister of the Dominion of Ceylon, serving from 1956 until his assassination in 1959. The founder of the left-wing and Sinhalese nationalist Sri Lanka Freedom Party, his tenure saw the country's first left-wing reforms.

      2. Head of the cabinet of ministers of Sri Lanka

        Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

        The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president, who is the constitutional chief executive. The Cabinet is collectively held accountable to parliament for their policies and actions.

  100. 1897

    1. Dennis Wheatley, English soldier and author (d. 1977) births

      1. British writer

        Dennis Wheatley

        Dennis Yeats Wheatley was a British writer whose prolific output of thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors from the 1930s through the 1960s. His Gregory Sallust series was one of the main inspirations for Ian Fleming's James Bond stories.

  101. 1896

    1. Jaromír Weinberger, Czech-American composer and academic (d. 1967) births

      1. Czechoslovak-American composer

        Jaromír Weinberger

        Jaromír Weinberger was a Bohemian born Jewish subject of the Austrian Empire, who became a naturalized American composer.

    2. William Rainey Marshall, American banker and politician, 5th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1825) deaths

      1. American politician

        William Rainey Marshall

        Willian Rainey Marshall was an American politician. He was the fifth Governor of Minnesota from January 8, 1866 to January 9, 1870 and was a member of the Republican party. He served as an officer in the 7th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War (1861–1865).

      2. Head of state and of the government of the U.S. state of Minnesota

        Governor of Minnesota

        The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial governor, also served as state governor several years later. State governors are elected to office by popular vote, but territorial governors were appointed to the office by the United States president. The current governor of Minnesota is Tim Walz of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).

    3. Paul Verlaine, French poet and writer (b. 1844) deaths

      1. French poet (1844–1896)

        Paul Verlaine

        Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.

  102. 1891

    1. Walther Bothe, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957) births

      1. German nuclear physicist and Nobel Prize shared with Max Born

        Walther Bothe

        Walther Wilhelm Georg Bothe was a German nuclear physicist, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 with Max Born.

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

        Nobel Prize in Physics

        The Nobel Prize in Physics is a yearly award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions for humankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901, the others being the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Physics is traditionally the first award presented in the Nobel Prize ceremony.

    2. Storm Jameson, English journalist and author (d. 1986) births

      1. Storm Jameson

        Margaret Ethel Storm Jameson was an English journalist and author, known for her novels and reviews and for her work as President of English PEN between 1938 and 1944.

    3. Bronislava Nijinska, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1972) births

      1. Russian ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer

        Bronislava Nijinska

        Bronislava Nijinska was a Polish ballet dancer, and an innovative choreographer. She came of age in a family of traveling, professional dancers.

  103. 1888

    1. Richard Courant, German-American mathematician and academic (d. 1972) births

      1. German American mathematician

        Richard Courant

        Richard Courant was a German American mathematician. He is best known by the general public for the book What is Mathematics?, co-written with Herbert Robbins. His research focused on the areas of real analysis, mathematical physics, the calculus of variations and partial differential equations. He wrote textbooks widely used by generations of students of physics and mathematics. He is also known for founding the institute now bearing his name.

  104. 1885

    1. John Curtin, Australian journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1945) births

      1. Prime Minister of Australia from 1941 to 1945

        John Curtin

        John Curtin was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He led the country for the majority of World War II, including all but the last few weeks of the war in the Pacific. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1935 to 1945, and its longest serving leader until Gough Whitlam. Curtin's leadership skills and personal character were acclaimed by his political contemporaries. He is frequently ranked as one of Australia's greatest prime ministers.

      2. Head of Government of Australia

        Prime Minister of Australia

        The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the principles of responsible government. The current prime minister is Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party, who became prime minister on 23 May 2022.

    2. Mór Kóczán, Hungarian javelin thrower and pastor (d. 1972) births

      1. Athlete and Calvinist pastor (1895–1972)

        Mór Kóczán

        Móric "Mór" Kóczán was a Hungarian athlete and Calvinist pastor. Specialized for the throwing events, his best results came in the javelin throw, having won five Hungarian championship titles between 1911 and 1918. Kóczán also competed for Hungary at the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He produced his best performance in 1912 by winning the bronze medal in the javelin throw event.

    3. A. J. Muste, Dutch-American pastor and activist (d. 1967) births

      1. Christian pacifist and civil rights activist

        A. J. Muste

        Abraham Johannes Muste was a Dutch-born American clergyman and political activist. He is best remembered for his work in the labor movement, pacifist movement, antiwar movement, and civil rights movement.

  105. 1883

    1. Pavel Filonov, Russian painter and poet (d. 1941) births

      1. Russian painter

        Pavel Filonov

        Pavel Nikolayevich Filonov was a Russian avant-garde painter, art theorist, and poet.

    2. Patrick J. Hurley, American general, politician, and diplomat, 51st United States Secretary of War (d. 1963) births

      1. American diplomat and politician

        Patrick J. Hurley

        Patrick Jay Hurley was an American politician and diplomat. He was the United States Secretary of War from 1929 to 1933, but is best remembered for being Ambassador to China in 1945, during which he was instrumental in getting Joseph Stilwell recalled from China and replaced with the more diplomatic General Albert Coady Wedemeyer. A man of humble origins, Hurley's lack of what was considered to be a proper ambassadorial demeanor and mode of social interaction made professional diplomats scornful of him. He came to share pre-eminent army strategist Wedemeyer's view that the Chinese Communists could be defeated and America ought to commit to doing so even if it meant backing the Kuomintang and Chiang Kai-shek to the hilt. Frustrated, Hurley resigned as Ambassador to China in 1945, publicised his concerns about high-ranking members of the State Department, and alleged they believed that the Chinese Communists were not totalitarians and that America's priority was to avoid allying with a losing side in the civil war.

      2. Position in the United States Cabinet from 1789 to 1947

        United States Secretary of War

        The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation between 1781 and 1789. Benjamin Lincoln and later Henry Knox held the position. When Washington was inaugurated as the first President under the Constitution, he appointed Knox to continue serving as Secretary of War.

    3. Miska Magyarics, Slovene-Hungarian poet (b. 1825) deaths

      1. Miska Magyarics

        Miska Magyarics, official name Mihály Magyarics, was a Hungarian Slovene poet.

  106. 1881

    1. Henrik Shipstead, American dentist and politician (d. 1960) births

      1. American politician (1881–1960)

        Henrik Shipstead

        Henrik Shipstead was an American politician. He served in the United States Senate from 1923 to 1947, from the state of Minnesota. He served first as a member of the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party from 1923 to 1941 and then as a Republican from 1941 to 1947.

    2. Linnie Marsh Wolfe, American librarian and author (d. 1945) births

      1. American librarian

        Linnie Marsh Wolfe

        Linnie Marsh Wolfe was an American librarian. She won the 1946 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for her 1945 biography of John Muir titled Son of the Wilderness: The Life of John Muir.

  107. 1880

    1. Emperor Norton, English-American businessman (b. 1811) deaths

      1. Self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States

        Emperor Norton

        Joshua Abraham Norton, known as Emperor Norton, was a resident of San Francisco, California who, in 1859, proclaimed himself "Norton I., Emperor of the United States". In 1863, after Napoleon III invaded Mexico, he took the secondary title of "Protector of Mexico".

  108. 1878

    1. Nikolay Nekrasov, Russian poet and critic (b. 1821) deaths

      1. Russian poet, critic, publisher (1821–1878)

        Nikolay Nekrasov

        Nikolay Alexeyevich Nekrasov was a Russian poet, writer, critic and publisher, whose deeply compassionate poems about the Russian peasantry made him a hero of liberal and radical circles in the Russian intelligentsia of the mid-nineteenth century, particularly as represented by Vissarion Belinsky and Nikolay Chernyshevsky. He is credited with introducing into Russian poetry ternary meters and the technique of dramatic monologue. As the editor of several literary journals, notably Sovremennik, Nekrasov was also singularly successful and influential.

  109. 1874

    1. Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French historian and archaeologist (b. 1814) deaths

      1. Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg

        Abbé Charles-Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg was a noted French writer, ethnographer, historian, archaeologist, and Catholic priest. He became a specialist in Mesoamerican studies, travelling extensively in the region. His writings, publications, and recovery of historical documents contributed much to knowledge of the region's languages, writing, history and culture, particularly those of the Maya and Aztec civilizations. However, his speculations concerning relationships between the ancient Maya and the lost continent of Atlantis inspired Ignatius L. Donnelly and encouraged the pseudo-science of Mayanism.

  110. 1873

    1. Iuliu Maniu, Romanian lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1953) births

      1. Romanian politician

        Iuliu Maniu

        Iuliu Maniu was an Austro-Hungarian-born lawyer and Romanian politician. He was a leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, playing an important role in the Union of Transylvania with Romania.

      2. Head of the Government of Romania

        Prime Minister of Romania

        The prime minister of Romania, officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania, is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled President of the Council of Ministers, when the term "Government" included more than the Cabinet, and the Cabinet was called the Council of Ministers. The title was officially changed to Prime Minister by the 1965 Constitution of Romania during the communist regime.

  111. 1871

    1. James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, Irish captain and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 1940) births

      1. Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1940

        James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon

        James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon PC PC (NI) DL, was a leading Irish unionist and a key architect of Northern Ireland as a devolved region within the United Kingdom. During the Home Rule Crisis of 1912–14, he defied the British government in preparing an armed resistance in Ulster to an all-Ireland parliament. He accepted partition as a final settlement, securing the opt out of six Ulster counties from the dominion statehood accorded Ireland under the terms of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty. From then until his death in 1940, he led the Ulster Unionist Party and served Northern Ireland as its first Prime Minister. He publicly characterised his administration as a "Protestant" counterpart to the "Catholic state" nationalists had established in the south. Craig was created a baronet in 1918 and raised to the Peerage in 1927.

      2. Executive of the British country from 1921-73

        Prime Minister of Northern Ireland

        The prime minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920; however, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as with governors-general in other Westminster Systems such as in Canada, chose to appoint someone to head the executive even though no such post existed in statute law. The office-holder assumed the title prime minister to draw parallels with the prime minister of the United Kingdom. On the advice of the new prime minister, the lord lieutenant then created the Department of the Prime Minister. The office of Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was suspended in 1972 and then abolished in 1973, along with the contemporary government, when direct rule of Northern Ireland was transferred to London.

  112. 1870

    1. Miguel Primo de Rivera, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1930) births

      1. Spanish dictator from 1923 to 1930

        Miguel Primo de Rivera

        Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquess of Estella, was a dictator, aristocrat, and military officer who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during Spain's Restoration era. He deeply believed that it was the politicians who had ruined Spain and that by governing without them, he could restore the nation. His slogan was "Country, Religion, Monarchy."

      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.

  113. 1867

    1. Emily Greene Balch, American economist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961) births

      1. American economist, academic, and Nobel Laureate

        Emily Greene Balch

        Emily Greene Balch was an American economist, sociologist and pacifist. Balch combined an academic career at Wellesley College with a long-standing interest in social issues such as poverty, child labor, and immigration, as well as settlement work to uplift poor immigrants and reduce juvenile delinquency.

      2. One of five Nobel Prizes established by Alfred Nobel

        Nobel Peace Prize

        The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine and Literature. Since March 1901, it has been awarded annually to those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

  114. 1866

    1. William G. Conley, American educator and politician, 18th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1940) births

      1. American politician

        William G. Conley

        William Gustavus Conley was an American lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of West Virginia (1908-1913) and 18th Governor of West Virginia as a Republican.

      2. List of governors of West Virginia

        The governor of West Virginia is the head of government of West Virginia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the West Virginia Legislature, to convene the legislature at any time, and, except when prosecution has been carried out by the House of Delegates, to grant pardons and reprieves.

  115. 1865

    1. Winnaretta Singer, American philanthropist (d. 1943) births

      1. Winnaretta Singer

        Winnaretta Singer, Princesse Edmond de Polignac was an American-born heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune. She used this to fund a wide range of causes, notably a musical salon where her protégés included Debussy and Ravel, and numerous public health projects in Paris, where she lived most of her life. Singer entered into two marriages that were unconsummated, and openly enjoyed many high-profile relationships with women.

    2. Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (b. 1779) deaths

      1. Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre

        Aimé-Marie-Gaspard, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre was a French general and statesman.

      2. Minister of the Armed Forces (France)

        The Minister of the Armed Forces is the leader and most senior official of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, tasked with running the French Armed Forces. The minister is the third highest civilian having authority over France's military, behind only the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister. Based on the governments, they may be assisted by a minister or state secretary for veterans' affairs.

  116. 1864

    1. Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (d. 1892) births

      1. British prince

        Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale

        Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales and grandson of the reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria. From the time of his birth, he was second in the line of succession to the British throne, but did not become king or Prince of Wales because he died before both his grandmother and his father.

  117. 1862

    1. Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher, founded the Doubleday Publishing Company (d. 1934) births

      1. American publisher (1862–1934)

        Frank Nelson Doubleday

        Frank Nelson Doubleday, known to friends and family as “Effendi”, founded the Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897, which later operated under other names. Starting work at the age of 14 after his father's business failed, Doubleday began with Charles Scribner's Sons in New York.

      2. American publishing company

        Doubleday (publisher)

        Doubleday is an American publishing company. It was founded as the Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897 and was the largest in the United States by 1947. It published the work of mostly U.S. authors under a number of imprints and distributed them through its own stores. In 2009 Doubleday merged with Knopf Publishing Group to form the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, which is now part of Penguin Random House. In 2019, the official website presents Doubleday as an imprint, not a publisher.

  118. 1860

    1. Emma Booth-Tucker, English author (d. 1903) births

      1. British Salvation Army officer

        Emma Booth-Tucker

        Emma Moss Booth-Tucker known as 'The Consul', was the fourth child and second daughter of William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army.

  119. 1859

    1. Fanny Bullock Workman, American mountaineer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1925) births

      1. American geographer, cartographer, explorer, travel writer, and mountaineer

        Fanny Bullock Workman

        Fanny Bullock Workman was an American geographer, cartographer, explorer, travel writer, and mountaineer, notably in the Himalayas. She was one of the first female professional mountaineers; she not only explored but also wrote about her adventures. She set several women's altitude records, published eight travel books with her husband, and championed women's rights and women's suffrage.

  120. 1854

    1. William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, English field marshal and politician, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance (b. 1768) deaths

      1. Anglo-portuguese General

        William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford

        General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician. A general in the British Army and a Marshal in the Portuguese Army, he fought alongside The Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War and held the office of Master-General of the Ordnance in 1828 in Wellington's first ministry. He led the 1806 failed British invasion of Buenos Aires.

      2. Former senior British Army appointment

        Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance

        The Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance was a member of the British Board of Ordnance and the deputy of the Master-General of the Ordnance. The office was established in 1545, and the holder was appointed by the crown under letters patent. It was abolished in 1855 when the Board of Ordnance was subsumed into the War Office.

  121. 1852

    1. James Milton Carroll, American pastor and author (d. 1931) births

      1. James Milton Carroll

        James Milton Carroll was an American Baptist pastor, leader, historian, author, and educator.

  122. 1843

    1. Frederick Abberline, English police officer (d. 1929) births

      1. Frederick Abberline

        Frederick George Abberline was a British chief inspector for the London Metropolitan Police. He is best known for being a prominent police figure in the investigation into the Jack the Ripper serial killer murders of 1888.

  123. 1836

    1. Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Dutch-English painter and academic (d. 1912) births

      1. Dutch-born British painter (1836–1912)

        Lawrence Alma-Tadema

        Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom and became a denizen there. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, and trained at the Royal Academy of Antwerp, Belgium, he settled in London, England in 1870 and spent the rest of his life there. A classical-subject painter, he became famous for his depictions of the luxury and decadence of the Roman Empire, with languorous figures set in fabulous marbled interiors or against a backdrop of dazzling blue Mediterranean Sea and sky. Alma-Tadema was considered one of the most popular Victorian painters. Though admired during his lifetime for his draftsmanship and depictions of Classical antiquity, his work fell into disrepute after his death, and only since the 1960s has it been re-evaluated for its importance within nineteenth-century British art.

  124. 1830

    1. Hans von Bülow, German pianist and composer (d. 1894) births

      1. German conductor and pianist.

        Hans von Bülow

        Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for establishing the successes of several major composers of the time, especially Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms. Alongside Carl Tausig, Bülow was perhaps the most prominent of the early students of the Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist and conductor Franz Liszt; he gave the first public performance of Liszt's Sonata in B minor in 1857. He became acquainted with, fell in love with and eventually married Liszt's daughter Cosima, who later left him for Wagner. Noted for his interpretation of the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, he was one of the earliest European musicians to tour the United States.

  125. 1825

    1. Eli Whitney, American engineer and theorist, invented the cotton gin (b. 1765) deaths

      1. American inventor (1765–1825)

        Eli Whitney

        Eli Whitney Jr. was an American inventor, widely known for inventing the cotton gin, one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution that shaped the economy of the Antebellum South.

      2. Machine that separates cotton from seeds

        Cotton gin

        A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation. The fibers are then processed into various cotton goods such as calico, while any undamaged cotton is used largely for textiles like clothing. The separated seeds may be used to grow more cotton or to produce cottonseed oil.

  126. 1824

    1. Wilkie Collins, English novelist, playwright, and short story writer (d. 1889) births

      1. English novelist and playwright (1824–1889)

        Wilkie Collins

        William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright known especially for The Woman in White (1859), a mystery novel and early "sensation novel", and for The Moonstone (1868), which has been proposed as the first modern English detective novel.

    2. Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (d. 1861) births

      1. Francisco González Bocanegra

        Francisco González Bocanegra was a Mexican poet who wrote the lyrics of the Mexican National Anthem in 1853.

  127. 1823

    1. Alfred Russel Wallace, Welsh geographer, biologist, and explorer (d. 1913) births

      1. British naturalist (1823–1913)

        Alfred Russel Wallace

        Alfred Russel Wallace was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He is best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural selection. His 1858 paper on the subject was published that year alongside extracts from Charles Darwin's earlier writings on the topic. It spurred Darwin to set aside the "big species book" he was drafting, and quickly write an abstract of it, published in 1859 as On the Origin of Species.

  128. 1821

    1. James Longstreet, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Turkey (d. 1904) births

      1. Confederate Army general (1821–1904)

        James Longstreet

        James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps commander for most of the battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the Eastern Theater, and briefly with Braxton Bragg in the Army of Tennessee in the Western Theater.

      2. List of ambassadors of the United States to Turkey

        The United States has maintained many high level contacts with Turkey since the 19th century.

  129. 1817

    1. Theophilus Shepstone, English-South African politician (d. 1893) births

      1. Theophilus Shepstone

        Sir Theophilus Shepstone was a British South African statesman who was responsible for the annexation of the Transvaal to Britain in 1877.

  130. 1815

    1. Edward Pakenham, Anglo-Irish general and politician (b. 1778) deaths

      1. British army officer

        Edward Pakenham

        Major General Sir Edward Michael Pakenham,, was a British Army officer and politician. He was the son of the Baron Longford and the brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he served in the Peninsular War. During the War of 1812, he was commander of British forces in North America (1814–15). On 8 January 1815, Pakenham was killed in action while leading his men at the Battle of New Orleans.

  131. 1812

    1. Sigismond Thalberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1871) births

      1. Austrian composer and pianist (1812–1871)

        Sigismond Thalberg

        Sigismond Thalberg was an Austrian composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century.

  132. 1805

    1. John Bigler, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 3rd Governor of California (d. 1871) births

      1. American politician

        John Bigler

        John Bigler was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Democrat, he served as the third governor of California from 1852 to 1856 and was the first California governor to complete an entire term in office, as well as the first to win re-election. His younger brother, William Bigler, was elected governor of Pennsylvania during the same period. Bigler was also appointed by President James Buchanan as the U.S. Minister to Chile from 1857 to 1861.

      2. Head of government of California

        Governor of California

        The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard.

    2. Orson Hyde, American religious leader, 3rd President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (d. 1878) births

      1. American religious leader

        Orson Hyde

        Orson Hyde was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a member of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 to 1875 and was a missionary of the LDS Church in the United States, Europe, and the Ottoman Empire.

      2. President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)

        President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Normally, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve is the most senior apostle in the church, aside from the President of the Church. When the President of the Church dies, it is the President of the Quorum of the Twelve who becomes the new church president. The calling of President of the Twelve has been held by 27 men, 16 of whom have gone on to become President of the Church. The current President of the Quorum of the Twelve is Dallin H. Oaks. Since Oaks is a counselor in the First Presidency, M. Russell Ballard is currently serving as acting president.

  133. 1794

    1. Justus Möser, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1720) deaths

      1. Justus Möser

        Justus Möser was a German jurist and social theorist, best known for his innovative history of Osnabrück which stressed social and cultural themes.

  134. 1792

    1. Lowell Mason, American composer and educator (d. 1872) births

      1. American composer; leading figure in American church music

        Lowell Mason

        Lowell Mason was an American music director and banker who was a leading figure in 19th-century American church music. Lowell composed over 1600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His best-known work includes an arrangement of Joy to the World and the tune Bethany, which sets the hymn text Nearer, My God, to Thee. Mason also set music to Mary Had A Little Lamb. He is largely credited with introducing music into American public schools, and is considered the first important U.S. music educator. He has also been criticized for helping to largely eliminate the robust tradition of participatory sacred music that flourished in America before his time.

  135. 1788

    1. Rudolf of Austria, Austrian archduke and archbishop (d. 1831) births

      1. Archduke Rudolf of Austria

        Rudolph Johann Joseph Rainier, Archduke of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Cardinal-Archbishop of Olomouc, was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and an Austrian clergyman and noble. He was consecrated as Archbishop of Olomouc (Olmütz) in 1819 and became cardinal in the same year. Rudolph is known for his patronage of the arts, most notably as sponsor of Ludwig van Beethoven, who dedicated several of his works to him.

  136. 1786

    1. Nicholas Biddle, American banker and financier (d. 1844) births

      1. American financier and banker

        Nicholas Biddle

        Nicholas Biddle was an American financier who served as the third and last president of the Second Bank of the United States. Throughout his life Biddle worked as an editor, diplomat, author, and politician who served in both houses of the Pennsylvania state legislature. He is best known as the chief opponent of Andrew Jackson in the Bank War.

  137. 1775

    1. John Baskerville, English printer and type designer (b. 1706) deaths

      1. John Baskerville

        John Baskerville was an English businessman, in areas including japanning and papier-mâché, but he is best remembered as a printer and type designer. He was also responsible for inventing "wove paper", which was considerably smoother than "laid paper", allowing for sharper printing results.

  138. 1763

    1. Edmond-Charles Genêt, French-American translator and diplomat (d. 1834) births

      1. French diplomat

        Edmond-Charles Genêt

        Edmond-Charles Genêt, also known as Citizen Genêt, was the French envoy to the United States appointed by the Girondins during the French Revolution. His actions on arriving in the United States led to a major political and international incident, which was termed the Citizen Genêt affair. Because of his actions, President George Washington asked the French government to recall him. The Mountain, having risen to power at the same time, replaced Genêt and issued a warrant for his arrest. Fearing for his life, Genêt asked for asylum in America, which was granted by Washington. Genêt stayed in the United States until his death. Historian Carol Berkin argues that the Genêt affair bolstered popular respect for the president and strengthened his role in dealing with foreign affairs.

  139. 1735

    1. John Carroll, American archbishop, founder of Georgetown University (d. 1815) births

      1. First Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States

        John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore)

        John Carroll was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the first bishop and archbishop in the United States. He served as the ordinary of the first diocese and later Archdiocese of Baltimore, in Maryland, which at first encompassed all of the United States and later after division as the eastern half of the new nation.

      2. Private university in Washington, D.C., United States

        Georgetown University

        Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise eleven undergraduate and graduate schools, including the Walsh School of Foreign Service, McDonough School of Business, Medical School, Law School, and a campus in Qatar. The school's main campus, on a hill above the Potomac River, is identifiable by its flagship Healy Hall, a National Historic Landmark. The school was founded by and is affiliated with the Society of Jesus, and is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States, though the majority of students presently are not Catholic.

  140. 1713

    1. Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1653) deaths

      1. Italian violinist and composer (1653–1713)

        Arcangelo Corelli

        Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence of the violin, and as the first coalescing of modern tonality and functional harmony.

  141. 1707

    1. John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair, Scottish soldier and politician, Scottish Secretary of State (b. 1648) deaths

      1. Scottish politician and lawyer (1648–1707)

        John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair

        John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair PC was a Scottish politician and lawyer. As Joint Secretary of State in Scotland 1691–1695, he played a key role in suppressing the 1689-1692 Jacobite Rising and was forced to resign in 1695 for his part in the Massacre of Glencoe. Restored to favour under Queen Anne in 1702 and made Earl of Stair in 1703, he was closely involved in negotiations over the 1707 Acts of Union that created the Kingdom of Great Britain but died on 8 January 1707, several months before the Act became law.

      2. Secretary of State (Kingdom of Scotland)

        The Secretary of Scotland or Lord Secretary was a senior post in the government of the Kingdom of Scotland.

  142. 1642

    1. Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1564) deaths

      1. Italian polymath (1564–1642)

        Galileo Galilei

        Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced. He was born in the city of Pisa, then part of the Duchy of Florence. Galileo has been called the "father" of observational astronomy, modern physics, the scientific method, and modern science.

  143. 1638

    1. Elisabetta Sirani, Italian painter (d. 1665) births

      1. Italian artist (1638–1665)

        Elisabetta Sirani

        Elisabetta Sirani was an Italian Baroque painter and printmaker who died in unexplained circumstances at the age of 27. She was a pioneering female artist in early modern Bologna, who established an academy for other women artists.

  144. 1635

    1. Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero, Spanish cardinal (d. 1709) births

      1. Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero

        Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero y de Guzmán, was a Spanish prelate, who was cardinal archbishop of Toledo. Uncle of Luis Antonio Tomás de Portocarrero y Moscoso, 5th Count, who became a Grandee of Spain, 2nd class, since 1707 by King Felipe V of Spain.

  145. 1632

    1. Samuel von Pufendorf, German economist and jurist (d. 1694) births

      1. German philosopher

        Samuel von Pufendorf

        Samuel Freiherr von Pufendorf was a German jurist, political philosopher, economist and historian. He was born Samuel Pufendorf and ennobled in 1694; he was made a baron by Charles XI of Sweden a few months before his death at age 62. Among his achievements are his commentaries and revisions of the natural law theories of Thomas Hobbes and Hugo Grotius.

  146. 1628

    1. François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (d. 1695) births

      1. French general (1628–1695)

        François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg

        François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, Duke of Piney-Luxembourg, commonly known as Luxembourg, and nicknamed "The Upholsterer of Notre-Dame", was a French general and Marshal of France. A comrade and successor of the Great Condé, he was one of the most accomplished military commanders of the early modern period and is particularly noted for his exploits in the Franco-Dutch War and War of the Grand Alliance. Not imposing physically, as he was a slight man and hunchbacked, Luxembourg was nonetheless one of France's greatest generals. He never lost a battle in which he held command.

  147. 1601

    1. Baltasar Gracián, Spanish priest and author (d. 1658) births

      1. Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher

        Baltasar Gracián

        Baltasar Gracián y Morales, S.J., better known as Baltasar Gracián, was a Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher. He was born in Belmonte, near Calatayud (Aragón). His writings were lauded by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.

  148. 1598

    1. John George, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1525) deaths

      1. Elector of Brandenburg

        John George, Elector of Brandenburg

        John George of Brandenburg was a prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1571–1598).

  149. 1589

    1. Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet and playwright (d. 1638) births

      1. Poet from Ragusa, in modern Croatia (1589–1638)

        Ivan Gundulić

        Dživo Franov Gundulić, better known today as Ivan Gundulić, was the most prominent Baroque poet from the Republic of Ragusa. He is regarded as the Croatian national poet. His work embodies central characteristics of Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation: religious fervor, insistence on "vanity of this world" and zeal in opposition to "infidels". Gundulić's major works—the epic poem Osman, the pastoral play Dubravka, and the religious poem Tears of the Prodigal Son are examples of Baroque stylistic richness and, frequently, rhetorical excess.

  150. 1587

    1. Johannes Fabricius, German astronomer and academic (d. 1616) births

      1. German astronomer

        Johannes Fabricius

        Johann Goldsmid, better known by his Latinized name Johann(es) Fabricius, eldest son of David Fabricius (1564–1617), was a Frisian/German astronomer and a discoverer of sunspots, independently of Galileo Galilei.

    2. Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1629) births

      1. Dutch colonial administrator

        Jan Pieterszoon Coen

        Jan Pieterszoon Coen was an officer of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the early 17th century, holding two terms as governor-general of the Dutch East Indies. He was the founder of Batavia, capital of the Dutch East Indies. Renowned for providing the impulse that set the VOC on the path to dominance in the Dutch East Indies, he was long considered a national hero in the Netherlands. Since the 19th century, his legacy has become controversial due to the violence he employed, especially during the last stage of the Dutch conquest of the Banda Islands, in order to secure a trade monopoly on nutmeg, mace and clove.

  151. 1583

    1. Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1643) births

      1. Simon Episcopius

        Simon Episcopius was a Dutch theologian and Remonstrant who played a significant role at the Synod of Dort in 1618. His name is the Latinized form of his Dutch name Simon Bisschop.

  152. 1570

    1. Philibert de l'Orme, French sculptor and architect, designed the Château d'Anet (b. 1510) deaths

      1. French architect and writer

        Philibert de l'Orme

        Philibert de l'Orme was a French architect and writer, and one of the great masters of French Renaissance architecture. His surname is also written De l'Orme, de L'Orme, or Delorme.

      2. Château d'Anet

        The Château d'Anet is a château near Dreux, in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France, built by Philibert de l'Orme from 1547 to 1552 for Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II of France. It was built on the former château at the center of the domains of Diane's deceased husband, Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet, Marshal of Normandy and Master of the Hunt.

  153. 1557

    1. Albert Alcibiades, margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (b. 1522) deaths

      1. Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach

        Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach

        Albert II was the Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (Brandenburg-Bayreuth) from 1527 to 1553. He was a member of the Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. Because of his bellicose nature, Albert was given the cognomen Bellator during his lifetime. Posthumously, he became known as Alcibiades.

  154. 1538

    1. Beatrice of Portugal, duchess of Savoy (b. 1504) deaths

      1. Duchess consort of Savoy

        Beatrice of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy

        Infanta Beatrice of Portugal was a Portuguese princess by birth and Duchess of Savoy by marriage to Charles III, Duke of Savoy. She was the ruling countess of Asti from 1531 to 1538.

  155. 1529

    1. John Frederick II, duke of Saxony (d. 1595) births

      1. Duke of Saxony

        John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony

        John Frederick II of Saxony, was Duke of Saxony (1554–1566).

  156. 1456

    1. Lawrence Giustiniani, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1381) deaths

      1. Italian Roman Catholic saint

        Lawrence Justinian

        Lawrence Justinian was a Venetian Catholic priest and bishop who became the first Patriarch of Venice. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.

  157. 1424

    1. Stephen Zaccaria, archbishop of Patras deaths

      1. Stephen Zaccaria

        Stephen Zaccaria was the youngest brother of the last Prince of Achaea, Centurione II Zaccaria, and Latin Archbishop of Patras from 1404 until his death in 1424.

  158. 1354

    1. Charles de la Cerda, French nobleman (b. 1327) deaths

      1. Count of Angoulême

        Charles de la Cerda

        Charles de la Cerda, commonly known as Charles of Spain, was a Franco-Castilian nobleman and soldier, the son of Alfonso de la Cerda of Spain and Isabelle d'Antoing, and grandson of Alfonso de la Cerda the disinherited (1270–1333). He was a distant cousin of John II of France.

  159. 1345

    1. Kadi Burhan al-Din, poet, kadi, and ruler of Sivas (d. 1398) births

      1. Turkic poet and statesman

        Kadi Burhan al-Din

        Qāżi Aḥmad Borhān al-Din was an Oghuz Turkic vizier to the Eretnid rulers of Anatolia. In 1381 he took over Eretnid lands and claimed the title of sultan for himself. He is most often referred to by the title Qadi, a name for Islamic judges, which was his first occupation.

      2. Appointed judge in Islamic jurisprudence

        Qadi

        A qāḍī is the magistrate or judge of a sharīʿa court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works.

      3. Municipality in Turkey

        Sivas

        Sivas is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province.

  160. 1337

    1. Giotto, Italian painter and architect, designed Scrovegni Chapel and Giotto's Campanile (b. 1266) deaths

      1. Italian painter and architect (c. 1267–1337)

        Giotto

        Giotto di Bondone, known mononymously as Giotto and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/Proto-Renaissance period. Giotto's contemporary, the banker and chronicler Giovanni Villani, wrote that Giotto was "the most sovereign master of painting in his time, who drew all his figures and their postures according to nature" and of his publicly recognized "talent and excellence". Giorgio Vasari described Giotto as making a decisive break with the prevalent Byzantine style and as initiating "the great art of painting as we know it today, introducing the technique of drawing accurately from life, which had been neglected for more than two hundred years".

      2. Scrovegni Chapel, Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles

        Scrovegni Chapel

        The Scrovegni Chapel, also known as the Arena Chapel, is a small church, adjacent to the Augustinian monastery, the Monastero degli Eremitani in Padua, region of Veneto, Italy. The chapel and monastery are now part of the complex of the Museo Civico of Padua.

      3. Bell tower in Florence

        Giotto's Campanile

        Giotto's Campanile is a free-standing campanile that is part of the complex of buildings that make up Florence Cathedral on the Piazza del Duomo in Florence, Italy.

  161. 1198

    1. Celestine III, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1106) deaths

      1. Head of the Catholic Church from 1191 to 1198

        Pope Celestine III

        Pope Celestine III, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 March or 10 April 1191 to his death in 1198. He had a tense relationship with several monarchs, including Emperor Henry VI, King Tancred of Sicily, and King Alfonso IX of León.

  162. 1107

    1. Edgar, King of Scotland (b. 1074) deaths

      1. King of Scotland 1097–1107

        Edgar, King of Scotland

        Edgar or Étgar mac Maíl Choluim, nicknamed Probus, "the Valiant", was King of Scotland from 1097 to 1107. He was the fourth son of Malcolm III and Margaret of Wessex but the first to be considered eligible for the throne after the death of his father.

  163. 1079

    1. Adèle of France, countess of Flanders (b. 1009) deaths

      1. Countess of Flanders

        Adela of France

        Adela of France, known also as Adela the Holy or Adela of Messines;, was, by marriage, Duchess of Normandy, and Countess of Flanders (1035–1067).

  164. 1037

    1. Su Dongpo, Chinese calligrapher and poet (d. 1101) births

      1. Chinese writer and politician (1037–1101)

        Su Shi

        Su Shi, courtesy name Zizhan, art name Dongpo, was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of the Song era, at times holding high-level political positions, Su Shi was also an important figure in Song Dynasty politics, aligning himself with Sima Guang and others, against the New Policy party led by Wang Anshi, gaining some level of popular support through his actions, and also sometimes experiencing politically motivated reversals to his government career.

  165. 926

    1. Athelm, archbishop of Canterbury deaths

      1. 9th and 10th-century Archbishop of Canterbury and saint

        Athelm

        Athelm was an English churchman, who was the first Bishop of Wells, and later Archbishop of Canterbury. His translation, or moving from one bishopric to another, was a precedent for later translations of ecclesiastics, because prior to this time period such movements were considered illegal. While archbishop, Athelm crowned King Æthelstan, and perhaps wrote the coronation service for the event. An older relative of Dunstan, a later Archbishop of Canterbury, Athelm helped promote Dunstan's early career. After Athelm's death, he was considered a saint.

  166. 871

    1. Bagsecg, Viking warrior and leader deaths

      1. Viking king and leader of the Great Army

        Bagsecg

        Bagsecg, also known as Bacgsecg, was a viking and a leader of the Great Army, which invaded England. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Bagsecg and Healfdene were joint commanders of the Great Army that invaded the Kingdom of Wessex during the northern winter of 870/71.

  167. 482

    1. Severinus of Noricum, Italian apostle and saint deaths

      1. Italian Roman Catholic saint

        Severinus of Noricum

        Severinus of Noricum is a saint, known as the "Apostle to Noricum". It has been speculated that he was born in either Southern Italy or in the Roman province of Africa. Severinus himself refused to discuss his personal history before his appearance along the Danube in Noricum, after the death of Attila in 453. However, he did mention experiences with eastern desert monasticism, and his vita draws connections between Severinus and Saint Anthony of Egypt.

  168. 307

    1. Hui of Jin, Chinese emperor (b. 259) deaths

      1. Emperor of the Jin Dynasty from 290 to 307

        Emperor Hui of Jin

        Emperor Hui of Jin, personal name Sima Zhong (司馬衷), courtesy name Zhengdu (正度), was the second emperor of the Jin dynasty (266–420). Emperor Hui was a developmentally disabled ruler, and throughout his reign, there was constant internecine fighting between regents, imperial princes, and his wife Empress Jia Nanfeng for the right to control him, causing great suffering for the people and greatly undermining the stability of the Western Jin dynasty, eventually leading to rebellions of the Five Barbarians that led to Jin's loss of northern and central China and the establishment of the competing Sixteen Kingdoms. He was briefly deposed by his granduncle Sima Lun, who usurped the throne himself, in 301, but later that year was restored to the throne and continued to be the emperor until 307, when he was poisoned, likely by the regent Sima Yue.

Holidays

  1. Babinden (Belarus, Russia)

    1. Traditional Bulgarian feast

      Babinden

      Babinden is a traditional Bulgarian feast, celebrated on 8 January, in honour of the women practicing midwifery. The traditional word for midwife in Bulgarian is baba, same as grandmother. The holiday has pagan origins and is part of the traditional family rituals.

    2. Country in Eastern Europe

      Belarus

      Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Covering an area of 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) and with a population of 9.4 million, Belarus is the 13th-largest and the 20th-most populous country in Europe. The country has a hemiboreal climate and is administratively divided into seven regions. Minsk is the capital and largest city.

    3. Country spanning Europe and Asia

      Russia

      Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, covering over 17,098,246 square kilometres (6,601,670 sq mi), and encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and shares land boundaries with fourteen countries, more than any other country but China. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country, with a population of 146 million people. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow, the largest city entirely within Europe. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan.

  2. Christian feast day: Abo of Tiflis

    1. Christian martyr

      Abo of Tiflis

      Abo of Tiflis was an early Christian martyr of Arab origin, who went on to practice his faith in what is now Tbilisi, the capital of present-day Georgia.

  3. Christian feast day: Apollinaris Claudius

    1. 2nd century Christian writer and bishop

      Apollinaris Claudius

      Saint Apollinaris Claudius, otherwise Apollinaris of Hierapolis or Apollinaris the Apologist, was a Christian leader and writer of the 2nd century.

  4. Christian feast day: Blessed Eurosia Fabris

    1. Recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into heaven

      Beatification

      Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. Beati is the plural form, referring to those who have undergone the process of beatification; they possess the title of "Blessed" before their names and are often referred to in English as "a Blessed" or, plurally, "Blesseds".

    2. Eurosia Fabris

      Eurosia Fabris, also known as "Mamma Rosa", was a Roman Catholic laywoman who has been beatfied in 2005. She is regarded as a model of holiness in the daily life of a Catholic family. Besides her nine own children she had two adopted ones.

  5. Christian feast day: Gauchito Gil (Folk Catholicism)

    1. Gauchito Gil

      The Gauchito Gil is a folk religious figure of Argentina's popular culture. Allegedly born in the area of Pay Ubre, nowadays Mercedes, Corrientes, possibly in the 1840s, and died on 8 January 1878. He is regarded as the most prominent folk hero in Argentina, with smaller areas of veneration reported in Paraguay, Chile and Brazil.

    2. Variety of regional or ethnic expressions of Catholicism

      Folk Catholicism

      Folk Catholicism can be broadly described as various ethnic expressions and practices of Catholicism intermingled with aspects of folk religion. Practices have varied from place to place, and may at times contradict the official doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church as well as overall Christianity.

  6. Christian feast day: Gudula

    1. 7th and 8th-century medieval saint from Brabant

      Gudula

      Saint Gudula was born in the pagus of Brabant. According to her 11th-century biography, written by a monk of the abbey of Hautmont between 1048 and 1051, she was the daughter of a duke of Lotharingia called Witger and Amalberga of Maubeuge. She died between 680 and 714.

  7. Christian feast day: Harriet Bedell (Episcopal Church (USA))

    1. Harriet Bedell

      Harriet Bedell was an Episcopal deaconess and missionary to the Cheyenne in Oklahoma, Alaska Natives, and the Seminole of Florida. She is remembered on the calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on January 8.

    2. Anglican denomination in the United States

      Episcopal Church (United States)

      The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church is Michael Bruce Curry, the first African-American bishop to serve in that position.

  8. Christian feast day: Lawrence Giustiniani

    1. Italian Roman Catholic saint

      Lawrence Justinian

      Lawrence Justinian was a Venetian Catholic priest and bishop who became the first Patriarch of Venice. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.

  9. Christian feast day: Lucian of Beauvais

    1. Lucien of Beauvais

      Saint Lucien of Beauvais is a Christian martyr of the Catholic Church, called the "Apostle of Beauvais." He was killed in the 3rd century during the Diocletian persecution, although later traditions make him a martyr of the 1st century instead. This was because the church of Beauvais attempted to claim apostolic origins for itself. Odo, bishop of Beauvais during the 9th century, was actually the first writer to designate Lucien as the first bishop of Beauvais.

  10. Christian feast day: Maximus of Pavia

    1. Italian Roman Catholic saint

      Maximus of Pavia

      Maximus was Bishop of Pavia. He was in attendance at councils of Rome convened under Pope Symmachus.

  11. Christian feast day: Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Roman Catholic Church)

    1. Title of the Blessed Virgin Mary

      Our Lady of Prompt Succor

      Our Lady of Prompt Succor is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a wooden devotional image of the Madonna and Child enshrined in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America. The image is closely associated with Mother Saint Michel, the Superior of the New Orleans Ursulines.

    2. Largest Christian church, led by the pope

      Catholic Church

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

  12. Christian feast day: Pega (Anglican and Roman Catholic churches)

    1. 8th-century Anglo-Saxon anchoress and saint

      Pega

      Pega is a Christian saint who was an anchoress in the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, and the sister of St Guthlac.

    2. Christian denominational tradition

      Anglicanism

      Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the largest branches of Christianity, with around 110 million adherents worldwide as of 2001.

    3. Largest Christian church, led by the pope

      Catholic Church

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

  13. Christian feast day: Severinus of Noricum

    1. Italian Roman Catholic saint

      Severinus of Noricum

      Severinus of Noricum is a saint, known as the "Apostle to Noricum". It has been speculated that he was born in either Southern Italy or in the Roman province of Africa. Severinus himself refused to discuss his personal history before his appearance along the Danube in Noricum, after the death of Attila in 453. However, he did mention experiences with eastern desert monasticism, and his vita draws connections between Severinus and Saint Anthony of Egypt.

  14. Christian feast day: Thorfinn of Hamar

    1. Thorfinn of Hamar

      Thorfinn of Hamar was the Bishop of the Ancient Diocese of Hamar in medieval Norway.

  15. Christian feast day: January 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

    1. January 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

      January 7 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - January 9

  16. Commonwealth Day (Northern Mariana Islands)

    1. Territory of the United States

      Northern Mariana Islands

      The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States consisting of 14 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The CNMI includes the 14 northernmost islands in the Mariana Archipelago; the southernmost island, Guam, is a separate U.S. territory.

  17. Earliest day on which Children's Day can fall, while January 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday in January. (Thailand)

    1. Public holidays in Thailand

      Public holidays in Thailand are regulated by the government, and most are observed by both the public and private sectors. There are usually nineteen public holidays in a year, but more may be declared by the cabinet. Other observances, both official and non-official, local and international, are observed to varying degrees throughout the country.

    2. Country in Southeast Asia

      Thailand

      Thailand, historically known as Siam and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning 513,120 square kilometres (198,120 sq mi), with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the extremity of Myanmar. Thailand also shares maritime borders with Vietnam to the southeast, and Indonesia and India to the southwest. Bangkok is the nation's capital and largest city.

  18. Typing Day (International observance)

    1. Typing Day

      Typing Day is an annual event that falls on 8 January in Malaysia. It is co-organized by the STC Team from JCI Mines and Team TAC to promote speed, accuracy and efficiency in written communication among the public.

    2. Lists of holidays

      Lists of holidays by various categorizations.