On This Day /

Important events in history
on March 15 th

Events

  1. 2022

    1. The 2022 Sri Lankan protests begins amidst Sri Lanka's economic collapse.

      1. Series of civilian protests against the Sri Lankan government in 2022

        2022 Sri Lankan protests

        The 2022 Sri Lankan protests, are mass protests which began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government has been criticized for mismanaging the Sri Lankan economy, which led to a subsequent economic crisis involving severe inflation, daily blackouts, a shortage of fuel, domestic gas, and other essential goods. The main demand of the protesters has been the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and key officials from the Rajapaksa family. Despite the involvement of several opposition parties, most protesters have considered themselves to be apolitical, and some have expressed discontent with the parliamentary opposition. During the protests, protesters have chanted slogans such as "go home Gota" and "go home Rajapaksas". The protests have been mainly caused by the general public, with youths playing a major part by carrying out protests at Galle Face Green.

      2. Ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka

        2019–present Sri Lankan economic crisis

        The Sri Lankan economic crisis is an ongoing crisis in the island-state of Sri Lanka that started in 2019. It is the country's worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. It has led to unprecedented levels of inflation, near-depletion of foreign exchange reserves, shortages of medical supplies, and an increase in prices of basic commodities. The crisis is said to have begun due to multiple compounding factors like tax cuts, money creation, a nationwide policy to shift to organic or biological farming, the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. The subsequent economic hardships resulted in the 2022 Sri Lankan protests.

  2. 2019

    1. A lone gunman carried out two consecutive mass shootings during Friday prayers at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, resulting in 51 deaths.

      1. 2019 terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand

        Christchurch mosque shootings

        On 15 March 2019, two consecutive mass shootings occurred in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attacks, carried out by a lone gunman who entered both mosques during Friday prayer, began at the Al Noor Mosque in the suburb of Riccarton at 1:40 pm and continued at the Linwood Islamic Centre at 1:52 pm. 51 people were killed and 40 were injured.

      2. Replacement prayer for Dhuhr on Fridays when performed in a mosque in congregation

        Friday prayer

        In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer is a prayer (ṣalāt) that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according to the sun's sky path regardless of time zones. Jumu’ah means Friday in the Arabic language. In many Muslim countries, the weekend is inclusive of Fridays, while in others, Fridays are half-days for schools and some workplaces.

    2. Fifty-one people are killed in the Christchurch mosque shootings.

      1. 2019 terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand

        Christchurch mosque shootings

        On 15 March 2019, two consecutive mass shootings occurred in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attacks, carried out by a lone gunman who entered both mosques during Friday prayer, began at the Al Noor Mosque in the suburb of Riccarton at 1:40 pm and continued at the Linwood Islamic Centre at 1:52 pm. 51 people were killed and 40 were injured.

    3. Beginning of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.

      1. Pro-democracy demonstrations and other civil disobediences

        2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

        The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, also known as the 2019 Hong Kong protests, or the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, were a series of demonstrations from 15 March 2019 in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill on extradition. It is one of the largest series of demonstrations in the history of Hong Kong, with thousands arrested in violent scenes. By mid-2020, the Hong Kong government had declared the restoration of peace and stability with the imposition of the national security law.

    4. Approximately 1.4 million young people in 123 countries go on strike to protest climate change.

      1. International youth movement for climate action

        School Strike for Climate

        School Strike for Climate, also known variously as Fridays for Future (FFF), Youth for Climate, Climate Strike or Youth Strike for Climate, is an international movement of school students who skip Friday classes to participate in demonstrations to demand action from political leaders to prevent climate change and for the fossil fuel industry to transition to renewable energy.

  3. 2011

    1. Beginning of the Syrian Civil War.

      1. Ongoing multi-sided civil war in Syria since 2011

        Syrian civil war

        The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided civil war in Syria fought between the Syrian Arab Republic led by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and various domestic and foreign forces that oppose both the Syrian government and each other, in varying combinations.

  4. 2008

    1. Stockpiles of obsolete ammunition explode at an ex-military ammunition depot in the village of Gërdec, Albania, killing 26 people.

      1. 2008 munitions depot explosion in western Albania

        2008 Gërdec explosions

        At approximately 12 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 15th, 2008, an ex-military ammunition depot in the village of Gërdec in the Vorë Municipality of Albania, U.S and Albanian munitions experts were preparing to destroy stockpiles of obsolete ammunition. The methodical destruction of the old ammunition was supposed to occur with a series of small, controlled explosions. However, a chain of events led to the entire stockpile detonating simultaneously. Hundreds of houses were demolished within a few kilometres of the depot, while car windows on the Tirana-Durres highway were shattered by the main explosion, which involved more than 400 tonnes of propellant in containers. A large fire caused a series of smaller but powerful explosions that continued until 2 a.m. on Sunday. The explosions could be heard as far away as the Macedonian capital of Skopje, 170 km (110 mi) away.

      2. Village in Tirana, Albania

        Gërdec

        Gërdec is a village in Albania, 11 kilometers north-west of the capital Tirana. It is part of the municipality Vorë. It was the site of the explosions at a military base on 15 March 2008, causing the deaths of 26 people and injuring over 100. The event was featured on the Discovery Channel series Destroyed In Seconds.

  5. 1991

    1. Cold War: The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany comes into effect, granting full sovereignty to the Federal Republic of Germany.

      1. 1947–1991 tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies

        Cold War

        The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. Historians do not fully agree on its starting and ending points, but the period is generally considered to span from the announcement of the Truman Doctrine on 12 March 1947 to the dissolution of the Soviet Union on 26 December 1991. The term cold war is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two superpowers, but they each supported major regional conflicts known as proxy wars. The conflict was based around the ideological and geopolitical struggle for global influence by these two superpowers, following their temporary alliance and victory against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 1945. Aside from the nuclear arsenal development and conventional military deployment, the struggle for dominance was expressed via indirect means such as psychological warfare, propaganda campaigns, espionage, far-reaching embargoes, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race.

      2. 1990 treaty returning full sovereignty to Germany

        Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany

        The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany , or the Two Plus Four Agreement , is an international agreement that allowed the reunification of Germany in the early 1990s. It was negotiated in 1990 between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, and the Four Powers which had occupied Germany at the end of World War II in Europe: France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States; it also replaced the 1945 Potsdam Agreement before. In the treaty, the Four Powers renounced all rights they held in Germany, allowing a reunited Germany to become fully sovereign the following year. At the same time, the two German states agreed to confirm their acceptance of the existing border with Poland, and accepted that the borders of Germany after unification would correspond only to the territories then administered by West and East Germany, with the exclusion and renunciation of any other territorial claims.

      3. Country in Central Europe

        Germany

        Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south; it covers an area of 357,022 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi), with a population of almost 84 million within its 16 constituent states. Germany borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west. The nation's capital and most populous city is Berlin and its financial centre is Frankfurt; the largest urban area is the Ruhr.

  6. 1990

    1. Iraqi authorities hanged Iranian freelance reporter Farzad Bazoft on charges of spying for Israel.

      1. Iranian journalist

        Farzad Bazoft

        Farzad Bazoft was an Iranian journalist who settled in the United Kingdom in the mid-1970s. He worked as a freelance reporter for The Observer. He was arrested by Iraqi authorities and executed in 1990 after being convicted of spying for Israel while working in Iraq.

    2. Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first President of the Soviet Union.

      1. Leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991

        Mikhail Gorbachev

        Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was a Soviet politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 and additionally as head of state beginning in 1988, as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 1988 to 1989, Chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 1989 to 1990 and the only President of the Soviet Union from 1990 to 1991. Ideologically, Gorbachev initially adhered to Marxism–Leninism but moved towards social democracy by the early 1990s.

      2. Head of state of the USSR in 1990-91; only held by Mikhail Gorbachev

        President of the Soviet Union

        The president of the Soviet Union, officially the president of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, abbreviated as president of the USSR, was the head of state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 15 March 1990 to 25 December 1991.

  7. 1986

    1. Collapse of Hotel New World: Thirty-three people die when the Hotel New World in Singapore collapses.

      1. 1986 construction disaster in Singapore

        Collapse of Hotel New World

        The collapse of the Hotel New World was a civil disaster that occurred in Singapore on 15 March 1986. The Hotel New World was a six-storey building situated at the junction of Serangoon Road and Owen Road in the Rochor district when it suddenly collapsed, trapping 50 people beneath the rubble. Seventeen people were rescued and 33 people died.

  8. 1978

    1. Somalia and Ethiopia signed a truce to end the Ethio-Somali War.

      1. Country in the Horn of Africa

        Somalia

        Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a country in the Horn of Africa. The country is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa's mainland. Its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands. Hot conditions prevail year-round, with periodic monsoon winds and irregular rainfall. Somalia has an estimated population of around 17.1 million, of which over 2 million live in the capital and largest city Mogadishu, and has been described as Africa's most culturally homogeneous country. Around 85% of its residents are ethnic Somalis, who have historically inhabited the country's north. Ethnic minorities are largely concentrated in the south. The official languages of Somalia are Somali and Arabic. Most people in the country are Muslims, the majority of them Sunni.

      2. Country in the Horn of Africa

        Ethiopia

        Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east and northeast, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west, and Sudan to the northwest. Ethiopia has a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres. As of 2022, it is home to around 113.5 million inhabitants, making it the 12th-most populous country in the world and the 2nd-most populous in Africa after Nigeria. The national capital and largest city, Addis Ababa, lies several kilometres west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the African and Somali tectonic plates.

      3. 1977–1978 war between Ethiopia and Somalia over Ogaden region

        Ogaden War

        The Ogaden War, or the Ethio-Somali War, was a military conflict fought between Somalia and Ethiopia from July 1977 to March 1978 over the Ethiopian region of Ogaden. Somalia's invasion of the region, precursor to the wider war, met with the Soviet Union's disapproval, leading the superpower to end its support of Somalia and support Ethiopia instead.

  9. 1974

    1. Fifteen people are killed when Sterling Airways Flight 901, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, catches fire following a landing gear collapse at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran.

      1. 1974 plane crash and fire in Tehran, Iran

        Sterling Airways Flight 901

        On 15 March 1974, Sterling Airways Flight 901, a Sud Aviation Caravelle operated by Sterling Airways, experienced a landing gear failure as it was taxiing for take-off. The right main landing gear collapsed, which caused the right wing to contact the runway, rupturing a fuel tank and igniting the spilt fuel. The fire killed 15 passengers and injured 37 passengers and crew. The aircraft had been chartered by tour company Tjæreborg to take tourists around Asia, and was on the way back to Copenhagen when the accident happened. The accident came only two years after the crash of Sterling Airways Flight 296.

      2. French twin-jet narrow-body airliner produced 1958–1972

        Sud Aviation Caravelle

        The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation. It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s and made its maiden flight on 27 May 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for the de Havilland Comet. SNCASE merged into the larger Sud Aviation conglomerate before the aircraft entered revenue service on 26 April 1959 with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS); 282 were built until production ended in 1972. It was ordered by airlines on every continent and operated until its retirement in 2005.

      3. Aircraft component for takeoff and landing and which supports the aircraft while not in the air

        Landing gear

        Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called alighting gear by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin Company. For aircraft, Stinton makes the terminology distinction undercarriage (British) = landing gear (US).

      4. Airport in Tehran, Iran

        Mehrabad International Airport

        Mehrabad International Airport, is an international airport serving Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Prior to the construction of the larger Imam Khomeini International Airport in 2007, Mehrabad was Tehran's primary airport in both international and domestic traffic, but now serves only domestic flights. Despite this, in 2016 Mehrabad Airport was the busiest airport in Iran in terms of passengers, handling 16,678,351 passengers in total. The airport is also used by the Government of Iran and is one of the bases of the Iranian Air Force.

      5. Capital city of Iran

        Tehran

        Tehran is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and 15 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and Western Asia, and has the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East, after Cairo. It is ranked 24th in the world by metropolitan area population.

      6. Country in Western Asia

        Iran

        Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan to the north, by Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, and by the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. It covers an area of 1.64 million square kilometres, making it the 17th-largest country. Iran has a population of 86 million, making it the 17th-most populous country in the world, and the second-largest in the Middle East. Its largest cities, in descending order, are the capital Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Karaj, Shiraz, and Tabriz.

  10. 1972

    1. The Godfather, a gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo, was released.

      1. 1972 American crime film by Francis Ford Coppola

        The Godfather

        The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955. It focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.

      2. Film genre

        Gangster film

        A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime. It is a subgenre of crime film, that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform a certain illegal act. The genre is differentiated from Westerns and the gangs of that genre.

      3. American filmmaker

        Francis Ford Coppola

        Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Palmes d'Or, and a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA).

      4. 1969 novel by Mario Puzo

        The Godfather (novel)

        The Godfather is a crime novel by American author Mario Puzo. Originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons, the novel details the story of a fictional Mafia family in New York City, headed by Vito Corleone, the Godfather. The novel covers the years 1945 to 1955 and includes the back story of Vito Corleone from early childhood to adulthood.

      5. Italian American author, screenwriter, and journalist

        Mario Puzo

        Mario Francis Puzo was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably The Godfather (1969), which he later co-adapted into a film trilogy directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the first film in 1972 and for Part II in 1974. Puzo also wrote the original screenplay for the 1978 Superman film and its 1980 sequel. His final novel, The Family, was released posthumously in 2001.

  11. 1965

    1. President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to the Selma crisis, tells U.S. Congress "We shall overcome" while advocating the Voting Rights Act.

      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. City in Alabama, United States

        Selma, Alabama

        Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About 80% of the population is African-American.

      3. Branch of the United States federal government

        United States Congress

        The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Senators and representatives are chosen through direct election, though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a governor's appointment. Congress has 535 voting members: 100 senators and 435 representatives. The vice president of the United States has a vote in the Senate only when senators are evenly divided. The House of Representatives has six non-voting members.

      4. US federal legislation that prohibits racial discrimination in voting

        Voting Rights Act of 1965

        The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and Congress later amended the Act five times to expand its protections. Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the Act sought to secure the right to vote for racial minorities throughout the country, especially in the South. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Act is considered to be the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted in the country. It is also "one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history."

  12. 1961

    1. At the 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, South Africa announces that it will withdraw from the Commonwealth when the South African Constitution of 1961 comes into effect.

      1. 11th meeting of the Commonwealth of Nations' heads of government

        1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference

        The 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the 11th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in March 1961, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan.

      2. Fundamental law of South Africa from 1961 to 1986

        South African Constitution of 1961

        The Constitution of 1961 was the fundamental law of South Africa for two decades. Under the terms of the constitution South Africa left the Commonwealth and became a republic.

  13. 1960

    1. Students from Atlanta University Center, inspired by similar actions in Greensboro, North Carolina, began occupying lunch counters in Atlanta, Georgia.

      1. Educational consortium of HBCUs in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

        Atlanta University Center

        The Atlanta University Center Consortium is the oldest and largest contiguous consortium of African-American higher education institutions in the United States. The center consists of four historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in southwest Atlanta, Georgia: Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine. The consortium structure allows for students to cross-register at the other institutions in order to attain a broader collegiate experience. They also share the Robert W. Woodruff Library, a dual degree engineering program, and career planning and placement services.

      2. 1960 non-violent protests in the United States

        Greensboro sit-ins

        The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests in February to July 1960, primarily in the Woolworth store—now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum—in Greensboro, North Carolina, which led to the F. W. Woolworth Company department store chain removing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States. While not the first sit-in of the civil rights movement, the Greensboro sit-ins were an instrumental action, and also the best-known sit-ins of the civil rights movement. They are considered a catalyst to the subsequent sit-in movement, in which 70,000 people participated. This sit-in was a contributing factor in the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

      3. Series of protests against racial segregation in Atlanta, Georgia

        Atlanta sit-ins

        The Atlanta sit-ins were a series of sit-ins that took place in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Occurring during the sit-in movement of the larger civil rights movement, the sit-ins were organized by the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights, which consisted of students from the Atlanta University Center. The sit-ins were inspired by the Greensboro sit-ins, which had started a month earlier in Greensboro, North Carolina with the goal of desegregating the lunch counters in the city. The Atlanta protests lasted for almost a year before an agreement was made to desegregate the lunch counters in the city.

      4. Capital city of Georgia, United States

        Atlanta

        Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 living within the city limits, it is the eighth most populous city in the Southeast and 38th most populous city in the United States according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the core of the much larger Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to more than 6.1 million people, making it the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Situated among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at an elevation of just over 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, it features unique topography that includes rolling hills, lush greenery, and the most dense urban tree coverage of any major city in the United States.

  14. 1956

    1. The musical My Fair Lady, based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, debuted at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway in New York City.

      1. 1956 musical based on Shaw's "Pygmalion"

        My Fair Lady

        My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion, with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician, so that she may pass as a lady. Despite his cynical nature and difficulty understanding women, Higgins grows attached to her.

      2. Irish playwright, critic, and polemicist (1856–1950)

        George Bernard Shaw

        George Bernard Shaw, known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

      3. 1913 play by George Bernard Shaw

        Pygmalion (play)

        Pygmalion is a play by George Bernard Shaw, named after the Greek mythological figure. It premiered at the Hofburg Theatre in Vienna on 16 October 1913 and was first presented in German on stage to the public in 1913. Its English-language premiere took place at Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End in April 1914 and starred Herbert Beerbohm Tree as phonetics professor Henry Higgins and Mrs Patrick Campbell as Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle.

      4. Former theater in Manhattan, New York

        Mark Hellinger Theatre

        The Mark Hellinger Theatre is a church building at 237 West 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which formerly served as a cinema and a Broadway theater. Opened in 1930, the Hellinger Theatre is named after journalist Mark Hellinger and was developed by Warner Bros. as a movie palace. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb with a modern facade and a Baroque interior. It has 1,605 seats across two levels and has been a house of worship for the Times Square Church since 1989. Both the exterior and interior of the theater are New York City landmarks.

      5. Type of theatre in New York City

        Broadway theatre

        Broadway theatre, or Broadway, are the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats, located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world.

  15. 1951

    1. The Iranian oil industry was nationalized in a movement led by Mohammad Mosaddegh.

      1. Nationalization of oil companies in Iran in 1951

        Nationalization of the Iranian oil industry

        The nationalization of the Iranian oil industry resulted from a movement in the Iranian parliament (Majlis) to seize control of Iran's oil industry, which had been run by private companies, largely controlled by foreign interests. The legislation was passed on March 15, 1951, and was verified by the Majlis on March 17, 1951. The legislation led to the nationalization of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (AIOC). The movement was led by Mohammad Mosaddegh, a member of the Majlis for the National Front and future prime minister of Iran. The movement to nationalize the oil industry was the reaction to the following concessions made by Iran to foreign powers: the Reuter concession of 1872, proceeding letter,D'Arcy Concession?] the 1933 agreement between the Iranian government and AIOC, and the Gas-golshaian[?] contract. According to the political scientist Mark J. Gasiorowski, the oil nationalization movement had two major results: the establishment of a democratic government and the pursuit of Iranian national sovereignty.

      2. Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953

        Mohammad Mosaddegh

        Mohammad Mosaddegh was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 35th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, after appointment by the 16th Majlis. He was a member of the Iranian parliament from 1923, and served through a contentious 1952 election into the 17th Iranian Majlis, until his government was overthrown in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état aided by the intelligence agencies of the United Kingdom (MI6) and the United States (CIA), led by Kermit Roosevelt Jr. His National Front was suppressed from the 1954 election.

    2. Iranian oil industry is nationalized.

      1. Nationalization of oil companies in Iran in 1951

        Nationalization of the Iranian oil industry

        The nationalization of the Iranian oil industry resulted from a movement in the Iranian parliament (Majlis) to seize control of Iran's oil industry, which had been run by private companies, largely controlled by foreign interests. The legislation was passed on March 15, 1951, and was verified by the Majlis on March 17, 1951. The legislation led to the nationalization of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (AIOC). The movement was led by Mohammad Mosaddegh, a member of the Majlis for the National Front and future prime minister of Iran. The movement to nationalize the oil industry was the reaction to the following concessions made by Iran to foreign powers: the Reuter concession of 1872, proceeding letter,D'Arcy Concession?] the 1933 agreement between the Iranian government and AIOC, and the Gas-golshaian[?] contract. According to the political scientist Mark J. Gasiorowski, the oil nationalization movement had two major results: the establishment of a democratic government and the pursuit of Iranian national sovereignty.

  16. 1943

    1. Deportation of 50,000 Jews from the Greek city of Thessaloniki begins.

      1. Systematic dispossession, deportation, and murder of Jews in Greece

        The Holocaust in Greece

        The Holocaust in Greece was the mass murder of Greek Jews, mostly as a result of their deportation to Auschwitz concentration camp, during World War II. By 1945, between 83 and 87 percent of Greek Jews had been murdered, one of the highest proportions in Europe.

      2. City in Macedonia, Greece

        Thessaloniki

        Thessaloniki, also known as Thessalonica, Saloniki or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of Macedonia, the administrative region of Central Macedonia and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace. It is also known in Greek as η Συμπρωτεύουσα, literally "the co-capital", a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλεύουσα or "co-reigning" city of the Byzantine Empire alongside Constantinople.

    2. World War II: German forces recaptured Kharkov after four days of house-to-house fighting against Soviet troops, ending the month-long Third Battle of Kharkov.

      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. City in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine

        Kharkiv

        Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine. Located in the northeast of the country, it is the largest city of the historic Slobozhanshchyna region. Kharkiv is the administrative centre of Kharkiv Oblast and of the surrounding Kharkiv Raion. The latest population is 1,433,886.

      3. 1943 series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II

        Third Battle of Kharkov

        The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by Army Group South of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February and 15 March 1943. Known to the German side as the Donets Campaign, and in the Soviet Union as the Donbas and Kharkov operations, the German counterstrike led to the recapture of the cities of Kharkov and Belgorod.

    3. World War II: Third Battle of Kharkiv: The Germans retake the city of Kharkiv from the Soviet armies.

      1. 1943 series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II

        Third Battle of Kharkov

        The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by Army Group South of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February and 15 March 1943. Known to the German side as the Donets Campaign, and in the Soviet Union as the Donbas and Kharkov operations, the German counterstrike led to the recapture of the cities of Kharkov and Belgorod.

      2. City in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine

        Kharkiv

        Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine. Located in the northeast of the country, it is the largest city of the historic Slobozhanshchyna region. Kharkiv is the administrative centre of Kharkiv Oblast and of the surrounding Kharkiv Raion. The latest population is 1,433,886.

  17. 1939

    1. Germany occupies Czechoslovakia.

      1. Period of Czechoslovak history from 1938 to 1945

        Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945)

        The military occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany began with the German annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938, continued with the creation of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and by the end of 1944 extended to all parts of Czechoslovakia.

    2. Carpatho-Ukraine declares itself an independent republic, but is annexed by Hungary the next day.

      1. Short-lived autonomous region and unrecognized state

        Carpatho-Ukraine

        Carpatho-Ukraine or Carpathian Ukraine was an autonomous region within the Second Czechoslovak Republic, created in December 1938 by renaming Subcarpathian Rus' whose full administrative and political autonomy was confirmed by the Constitutional law of 22 November 1938. After the breakup of the Second Czechoslovak Republic, it was proclaimed an independent republic on 15 March 1939, headed by president Avgustyn Voloshyn, who appealed to Hitler for recognition and support. Nazi Germany did not reply, and the short-lived state was returned to the Kingdom of Hungary, crushing all local resistance by 18 March 1939.

  18. 1927

    1. In rowing, Oxford defeated Cambridge in the inaugural edition of the Women's Boat Race.

      1. Collegiate university in Oxford, England

        University of Oxford

        The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation. It grew rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled north-east to Cambridge where they established what became the University of Cambridge. The two English ancient universities share many common features and are jointly referred to as Oxbridge. Both are ranked among the most prestigious universities in the world.

      2. Public collegiate university in Cambridge, England

        University of Cambridge

        The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most prestigious, currently ranked second best in the world and the best in Europe by QS World University Rankings. Among the university's most notable alumni are 11 Fields Medalists, seven Turing Award winners, 47 heads of state, 14 British prime ministers, 194 Olympic medal-winning athletes, and some of world history's most transformational and iconic figures across disciplines, including Francis Bacon, Lord Byron, Oliver Cromwell, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, John Maynard Keynes, John Milton, Vladimir Nabokov, Jawaharlal Nehru, Isaac Newton, Bertrand Russell, Manmohan Singh, Alan Turing, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and others. Cambridge alumni and faculty have won 121 Nobel Prizes, the most of any university in the world.

      3. Rowing competition between Oxford University and Cambridge University in 1927

        Women's Boat Race 1927

        The inaugural Women's Boat Race took place on 15 March 1927. The contest was between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and held on The Isis in Oxford.

      4. Boat race on the River Thames

        Women's Boat Race

        The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing race between Cambridge University Women's Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the 2015 race it has been rowed on the same day and course as the men's Boat Race on the River Thames in London, taking place around Easter, and since 2018 the name "The Boat Race" has been applied to the combined event. The race is rowed in eights and the cox can be of any gender.

    2. The first Women's Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place on The Isis in Oxford.

      1. Boat race on the River Thames

        Women's Boat Race

        The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing race between Cambridge University Women's Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the 2015 race it has been rowed on the same day and course as the men's Boat Race on the River Thames in London, taking place around Easter, and since 2018 the name "The Boat Race" has been applied to the combined event. The race is rowed in eights and the cox can be of any gender.

      2. Collegiate university in Oxford, England

        University of Oxford

        The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation. It grew rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled north-east to Cambridge where they established what became the University of Cambridge. The two English ancient universities share many common features and are jointly referred to as Oxbridge. Both are ranked among the most prestigious universities in the world.

      3. Public collegiate university in Cambridge, England

        University of Cambridge

        The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most prestigious, currently ranked second best in the world and the best in Europe by QS World University Rankings. Among the university's most notable alumni are 11 Fields Medalists, seven Turing Award winners, 47 heads of state, 14 British prime ministers, 194 Olympic medal-winning athletes, and some of world history's most transformational and iconic figures across disciplines, including Francis Bacon, Lord Byron, Oliver Cromwell, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, John Maynard Keynes, John Milton, Vladimir Nabokov, Jawaharlal Nehru, Isaac Newton, Bertrand Russell, Manmohan Singh, Alan Turing, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and others. Cambridge alumni and faculty have won 121 Nobel Prizes, the most of any university in the world.

      4. Name for the River Thames in Oxfordshire, UK

        The Isis

        "The Isis" is an alternative name for the River Thames, used from its source in the Cotswolds until it is joined by the Thame at Dorchester in Oxfordshire. It derives from the ancient name for the Thames, Tamesis, which in the Middle Ages was believed to be a combination of "Thame" and "Isis". Notably, the Isis flows through the city of Oxford.

      5. City in Oxfordshire, England

        Oxford

        Oxford is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is 56 miles (90 km) north-west of London, 64 miles (103 km) south-east of Birmingham and 61 miles (98 km) north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world; it has buildings in every style of English architecture since late Anglo-Saxon. Oxford's industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing, information technology and science.

  19. 1922

    1. After Egypt gains nominal independence from the United Kingdom, Fuad I becomes King of Egypt.

      1. Country in Northeast Africa and Southwest Asia

        Egypt

        Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip of Palestine and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt, while Alexandria, the second-largest city, is an important industrial and tourist hub at the Mediterranean coast. At approximately 100 million inhabitants, Egypt is the 14th-most populated country in the world.

      2. King of Egypt and the Sudan (1868–1936)

        Fuad I of Egypt

        Fuad I was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sultan in 1917, succeeding his elder brother Hussein Kamel. He replaced the title of Sultan with King when the United Kingdom unilaterally declared Egyptian independence in 1922.

      3. Title of the ruling monarch of Egypt from 1922 to 1951

        King of Egypt

        King of Egypt was the title used by the ruler of Egypt between 1922 and 1951. When the United Kingdom issued the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence on 28 February 1922, thereby ending its protectorate over Egypt, Egypt's Sultan Fouad I issued a decree on 15 March 1922 whereby he adopted the title of King of Egypt. It has been reported that the title change was due not only to Egypt's newly independent status, but also to Fouad I's desire to be accorded the same title as the newly installed rulers of the newly created kingdoms of Hejaz, Syria and Iraq. The only other monarch to be styled King of Egypt was Fouad I's son Farouk I, whose title was changed to King of Egypt and the Sudan in October 1951 following the Wafdist government's unilateral abrogation of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936. The monarchy was abolished on 18 June 1953 following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 and the establishment of a republic. The then-king, the infant Fuad II of Egypt, went into exile in Italy.

  20. 1921

    1. Talaat Pasha, former Grand Vizir of the Ottoman Empire and chief architect of the Armenian genocide is assassinated in Berlin by a 23-year-old Armenian, Soghomon Tehlirian.

      1. Turkish Ottoman politician and war criminal (1874–1921)

        Talaat Pasha

        Mehmed Talaat, commonly known as Talaat Pasha or Talat Pasha, was a Turkish Ottoman politician and convicted war criminal of the late Ottoman Empire who served as its de facto leader from 1913 to 1918. Talaat Pasha was chairman of the Union and Progress Party, which operated a one-party dictatorship in the Ottoman Empire, and later on became Grand Vizier during World War I. He was one of the perpetrators of the Armenian genocide and other ethnic cleansings during his time as Minister of Interior Affairs.

      2. Empire existing from 1299 to 1922

        Ottoman Empire

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

      3. 1915–1917 mass murder in the Ottoman Empire

        Armenian genocide

        The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through the mass murder of around one million Armenians during death marches to the Syrian Desert and the forced Islamization of Armenian women and children.

      4. 1921 assassination in Berlin, Germany

        Assassination of Talaat Pasha

        On 15 March 1921, Armenian student Soghomon Tehlirian assassinated Talaat Pasha—former grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire and the main architect of the Armenian genocide—in Berlin. At his trial, Tehlirian argued, "I have killed a man, but I am not a murderer"; the jury acquitted him.

      5. Armenian revolutionary and assassin (1896–1960)

        Soghomon Tehlirian

        Soghomon Tehlirian was an Armenian revolutionary and soldier who assassinated Talaat Pasha, the former Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, in Berlin on March 15, 1921. He was entrusted to carry out the assassination after having earlier killed Harutian Mgrditichian, who had worked for the Ottoman secret police and helped compile the list of Armenian intellectuals who were deported on April 24, 1915.

  21. 1918

    1. Finnish Civil War: The battle of Tampere begins.

      1. 1918 civil war in Finland

        Finnish Civil War

        The Finnish Civil War was a civil war in Finland in 1918 fought for the leadership and control of the country between White Finland and the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic during the country's transition from a grand duchy of the Russian Empire to an independent state. The clashes took place in the context of the national, political, and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The war was fought between the "Reds", led by a section of the Social Democratic Party, and the "Whites", conducted by the conservative-based senate and the German Imperial Army. The paramilitary Red Guards, which were composed of industrial and agrarian workers, controlled the cities and industrial centers of southern Finland. The paramilitary White Guards, which consisted of land owners and those in the middle- and upper-classes, controlled rural central and northern Finland, and were led by General C. G. E. Mannerheim.

      2. Major battle of the Finnish Civil War

        Battle of Tampere

        The Battle of Tampere was a 1918 Finnish Civil War battle, fought in Tampere, Finland from 15 March to 6 April between the Whites and the Reds. It is the most famous and the heaviest of all the Finnish Civil War battles. Today it is particularly remembered for its bloody aftermath as the Whites executed hundreds of capitulated Reds and took 11,000 prisoners placed in the Kalevankangas camp.

  22. 1917

    1. Russian Revolution: Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate in the February Revolution, ending three centuries of Romanov rule.

      1. 1917–1923 events in Russia that abolished the monarchy and created the Soviet Union

        Russian Revolution

        The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government following two successive revolutions and a bloody civil war. The Russian Revolution can also be seen as the precursor for the other European revolutions that occurred during or in the aftermath of WWI, such as the German Revolution of 1918.

      2. Tsar of the Russian Empire from 1894 to 1917

        Nicholas II of Russia

        Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov, known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer, was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland, ruling from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. During his reign, Nicholas gave support to the economic and political reforms promoted by his prime ministers, Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin. He advocated modernization based on foreign loans and close ties with France, but resisted giving the new parliament major roles. Ultimately, progress was undermined by Nicholas's commitment to autocratic rule, strong aristocratic opposition and defeats sustained by the Russian military in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. By March 1917, public support for Nicholas had collapsed and he was forced to abdicate the throne, thereby ending the Romanov dynasty's 304-year rule of Russia (1613–1917).

      3. First of two 1917 revolutions in Russia

        February Revolution

        The February Revolution, known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution, was the first of two revolutions which took place in Russia in 1917.

      4. Imperial dynasty of Russia (1613–1917)

        House of Romanov

        The House of Romanov was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to the First Tsar of Russia, Ivan the Terrible.

    2. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the Russian throne, ending the 304-year Romanov dynasty.

      1. Monarchial in some Slavic countries

        Tsar

        Tsar, also spelled czar, tzar, or csar, is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word caesar, which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the term—a ruler with the same rank as a Roman emperor, holding it by the approval of another emperor or a supreme ecclesiastical official —but was usually considered by western Europeans to be equivalent to "king". It lends its name to a system of government, tsarist autocracy or tsarism.

      2. Tsar of the Russian Empire from 1894 to 1917

        Nicholas II of Russia

        Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov, known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer, was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland, ruling from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. During his reign, Nicholas gave support to the economic and political reforms promoted by his prime ministers, Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin. He advocated modernization based on foreign loans and close ties with France, but resisted giving the new parliament major roles. Ultimately, progress was undermined by Nicholas's commitment to autocratic rule, strong aristocratic opposition and defeats sustained by the Russian military in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. By March 1917, public support for Nicholas had collapsed and he was forced to abdicate the throne, thereby ending the Romanov dynasty's 304-year rule of Russia (1613–1917).

  23. 1916

    1. Six days after Pancho Villa and his cross-border raiders attacked Columbus, New Mexico, U.S. General John J. Pershing led a punitive expedition into Mexico to pursue Villa.

      1. Mexican revolutionary general and politician (1878–1923)

        Pancho Villa

        Francisco "Pancho" Villa was a general in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced out President Porfirio Díaz and brought Francisco I. Madero to power in 1911. When Madero was ousted by a coup led by General Victoriano Huerta in February 1913, he led anti-Huerta forces in the Constitutionalist Army 1913–14. The commander of the coalition was civilian governor of Coahuila Venustiano Carranza. After the defeat and exile of Huerta in July 1914, Villa broke with Carranza. Villa dominated the meeting of revolutionary generals that excluded Carranza and helped create a coalition government. Emiliano Zapata and Villa became formal allies in this period, but it was only in principle. Like Zapata, Villa was strongly in favor of land reform, but his plans were not implemented when he had power. At the height of his power and popularity in late 1914 and early 1915, the U.S. considered recognizing him as Mexico's legitimate authority. Civil war broke out when Carranza challenged Villa. Villa was decisively defeated by Constitutionalist General Álvaro Obregón in summer 1915, and the U.S. aided Carranza directly against Villa in the Second Battle of Agua Prieta in November 1915. Much of Villa's army left after Villa's defeat on the battlefield and for his lack of resources to buy arms and pay soldiers' salaries. Angered at the U.S. aid to Carranza, Villa conducted a raid on the border town of Columbus, New Mexico to goad the U.S. to invade Mexico in 1916–17. Despite a major contingent of soldiers and the latest military technology, the U.S. failed to capture Villa. When President Carranza was ousted from power in 1920, Villa negotiated an amnesty with interim President Adolfo de la Huerta and was given a landed estate, on the condition he retire from politics. He was assassinated in 1923. Although his faction did not prevail in the Revolution, he is one of its most charismatic and prominent figures.

      2. Village in New Mexico, United States

        Columbus, New Mexico

        Columbus is a village in Luna County, New Mexico, United States, about 3 miles (5 km) north of the Mexican border. It is considered a place of historical interest, as the scene of a 1916 attack by Mexican revolutionary leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa that caused America to send 10,000 troops there in the Mexican Expedition. Columbus's population was 1,664 at the 2010 census.

      3. Commanding general of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I

        John J. Pershing

        General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing, nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front during World War I, from 1917 to 1918. In addition to leading the AEF to victory in World War I, Pershing notably served as a mentor to many in the generation of generals who led the United States Army during World War II, including George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Lesley J. McNair, George S. Patton and Douglas MacArthur.

      4. 1916 U.S. military operation against revolutionary forces in northern Mexico

        Pancho Villa Expedition

        The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the paramilitary forces of Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa from March 14, 1916, to February 7, 1917, during the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920.

  24. 1907

    1. The first parliamentary elections of Finland (at the time the Grand Duchy of Finland) are held.

      1. 1907 Finnish parliamentary election

        Parliamentary elections were held in the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland on 15 and 16 March 1907. They were the first parliamentary election in which members were elected to the new Parliament of Finland by universal suffrage and the first in the world in which female members were elected.

      2. Country in Northern Europe

        Finland

        Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of 338,455 square kilometres (130,678 sq mi) with a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city, forming a larger metropolitan area with the neighbouring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen, and Vantaa. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. Finnish, alongside Swedish, are the official languages. Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to the boreal in the north. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

      3. Predecessor state of modern Finland (1809–1917)

        Grand Duchy of Finland

        The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed between 1809 and 1917 as an autonomous part of the Russian Empire.

  25. 1888

    1. Start of the Anglo-Tibetan War of 1888.

      1. 1888 British military operation to expel Tibetan forces from Sikkim, northeast India

        Sikkim expedition

        The Sikkim expedition was an 1888 British military expedition to expel Tibetan forces from Sikkim in present-day northeast India. The roots of the conflict lay in British-Tibetan competition for suzerainty over Sikkim.

  26. 1877

    1. First ever official cricket test match is played: Australia vs England at the MCG Stadium, in Melbourne, Australia.

      1. English cricket tour of Australia and New Zealand

        English cricket team in Australia and New Zealand in 1876–77

        The 1876–77 tour of Australia and New Zealand was at the time considered to be another professional first-class cricket tour of the colonies, as similar tours had occurred previously, but retrospectively it became classified as the first Test cricket tour of Australia by the English cricket team. The English team is sometimes referred to as James Lillywhite's XI. In all, they played 23 matches but only three including the two Tests are recognised as first-class. The first match started at the Adelaide Oval on 16 November 1876 and the last at the same venue on 14 April 1877. There were fifteen matches in Australia and, between January and March, eight in New Zealand.

      2. Sports stadium

        Melbourne Cricket Ground

        The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the 11th largest globally, and the second largest cricket ground by capacity. The MCG is within walking distance of the city centre and is served by Richmond and Jolimont railway stations, as well as the route 70, route 75, and route 48 trams. It is adjacent to Melbourne Park and is part of the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct.

      3. Capital city of Victoria, Australia

        Melbourne

        Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a 9,993 km2 (3,858 sq mi) metropolitan area known as Greater Melbourne, comprising an urban agglomeration of 31 local municipalities, although the name is also used specifically for the local municipality of City of Melbourne based around its central business area. The metropolis occupies much of the northern and eastern coastlines of Port Phillip Bay and spreads into the Mornington Peninsula, West Gippsland, as well as the hinterlands towards the Yarra Valley, the Dandenong and Macedon Ranges. It has a population over 5 million, mostly residing to the east side of the city centre, and its inhabitants are commonly referred to as "Melburnians".

  27. 1875

    1. John McCloskey, Archbishop of New York, was created the first cardinal from the United States.

      1. 19th-century American Catholic prelate

        John McCloskey

        John McCloskey was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first American born Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his death in 1885, having previously served as Bishop of Albany (1847–64). In 1875, McCloskey became the first American cardinal. He served as the first president of St. John's College, now Fordham University, beginning in 1841.

      2. Archdiocese of the Catholic Church

        Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

        The Archdiocese of New York is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York City and the counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester. The Archdiocese of New York is the second-largest diocese in the United States by population, encompassing 296 parishes that serve around 2.8 million Catholics, in addition to hundreds of Catholic schools, hospitals and charities. The archdiocese also operates the well-known St. Joseph's Seminary, commonly referred to as Dunwoodie. The Archdiocese of New York is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of New York which includes the suffragan dioceses of Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Centre and Syracuse.

      3. Senior official of the Catholic Church

        Cardinal (Catholic Church)

        A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Collectively, they constitute the College of Cardinals.

    2. Archbishop of New York John McCloskey is named the first cardinal in the United States.

      1. Archbishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

        List of Roman Catholic archbishops of New York

        The Archbishop of New York is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encompassing nearly all of the state of New York, the Archbishop of New York also administers the bishops who head the suffragan dioceses of Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Centre and Syracuse. The current archbishop is Timothy M. Dolan.

      2. 19th-century American Catholic prelate

        John McCloskey

        John McCloskey was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first American born Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his death in 1885, having previously served as Bishop of Albany (1847–64). In 1875, McCloskey became the first American cardinal. He served as the first president of St. John's College, now Fordham University, beginning in 1841.

      3. Senior official of the Catholic Church

        Cardinal (Catholic Church)

        A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Collectively, they constitute the College of Cardinals.

  28. 1874

    1. France and Vietnam sign the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina.

      1. Nation of France from 1870 to 1940

        French Third Republic

        The French Third Republic was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France during World War II led to the formation of the Vichy government.

      2. Imperial dynasty in Vietnam from 1802 to 1945

        Nguyễn dynasty

        The Nguyễn dynasty was the last Vietnamese dynasty, which ruled the unified Vietnamese state largely independently from 1802 to 1883. During its existence, the empire expanded into modern-day southern Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos through a continuation of the centuries-long Nam tiến and Siamese–Vietnamese wars. After 1883, the Nguyễn emperors ruled nominally as heads of state of the French protectorates of Annam and Tonkin until the final months of WWII; they later nominally ruled over the Empire of Vietnam until the August Revolution.

      3. 1874 treaty between France and Vietnam

        Treaty of Saigon (1874)

        The Treaty of Saigon was signed on 15 March 1874 by the Third French Republic and the Nguyễn dynasty of Vietnam. Vietnam made economic and territorial concessions to France, while France waived a previous war indemnity and promised military protection against China. The treaty effectively made Vietnam a protectorate of France.

      4. Historical name for various regions of Vietnam from the 17th to 20th centuries

        Cochinchina

        Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; Vietnamese: Đàng Trong is a historical exonym for part of Vietnam, depending on the contexts. Sometimes it referred to the whole of Vietnam, but it was commonly used to refer to the region south of the Gianh River.

  29. 1848

    1. A revolution breaks out in Hungary, and the Habsburg rulers are compelled to meet the demands of the reform party.

      1. European Revolution of 1848

        Hungarian Revolution of 1848

        The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 or fully Hungarian Civic Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 was one of many European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. Although the revolution failed, it is one of the most significant events in Hungary's modern history, forming the cornerstone of modern Hungarian national identity.

      2. European dynastic family

        House of Habsburg

        The House of Habsburg, alternatively spelled Hapsburg in English and also known as the House of Austria is one of the most prominent and important dynasties in European history.

  30. 1823

    1. Sailor Benjamin Morrell erroneously reported the existence of the island of New South Greenland near Antarctica.

      1. American explorer

        Benjamin Morrell

        Benjamin Morrell was an American sea captain, explorer and trader who made a number of voyages, mainly to the Atlantic, the Southern Ocean and the Pacific Islands. In a ghost-written memoir, A Narrative of Four Voyages, which describes his sea-going life between 1823 and 1832, Morrell included numerous claims of discovery and achievement, many of which have been disputed by geographers and historians, and in some cases have been proved false. He ended his career as a fugitive, having wrecked his ship and misappropriated parts of the salvaged cargo.

      2. Island recorded on maps but later proven nonexistent

        Phantom island

        A phantom island is a purported island which was included on maps for a period of time, but was later found not to exist. They usually originate from the reports of early sailors exploring new regions, and are commonly the result of navigational errors, mistaken observations, unverified misinformation, or deliberate fabrication. Some have remained on maps for centuries before being "un-discovered."

      3. Antarctic island previously believed to exist

        New South Greenland

        New South Greenland, sometimes known as Morrell's Land, was an appearance of land recorded by the American captain Benjamin Morrell of the schooner Wasp in March 1823, during a sealing and exploration voyage in the Weddell Sea area of Antarctica. Morrell provided precise coordinates and a description of a coastline which he claimed to have sailed along for more than 300 miles (480 km). Because the Weddell Sea area was so little visited and hard to navigate due to ice conditions, the alleged land was never properly investigated before its existence was emphatically disproved during Antarctic expeditions in the early 20th century.

      4. Continent

        Antarctica

        Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14,200,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi). Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km (1.2 mi).

    2. Sailor Benjamin Morrell erroneously reported the existence of the island of New South Greenland near Antarctica.

      1. American explorer

        Benjamin Morrell

        Benjamin Morrell was an American sea captain, explorer and trader who made a number of voyages, mainly to the Atlantic, the Southern Ocean and the Pacific Islands. In a ghost-written memoir, A Narrative of Four Voyages, which describes his sea-going life between 1823 and 1832, Morrell included numerous claims of discovery and achievement, many of which have been disputed by geographers and historians, and in some cases have been proved false. He ended his career as a fugitive, having wrecked his ship and misappropriated parts of the salvaged cargo.

      2. Island recorded on maps but later proven nonexistent

        Phantom island

        A phantom island is a purported island which was included on maps for a period of time, but was later found not to exist. They usually originate from the reports of early sailors exploring new regions, and are commonly the result of navigational errors, mistaken observations, unverified misinformation, or deliberate fabrication. Some have remained on maps for centuries before being "un-discovered."

      3. Antarctic island previously believed to exist

        New South Greenland

        New South Greenland, sometimes known as Morrell's Land, was an appearance of land recorded by the American captain Benjamin Morrell of the schooner Wasp in March 1823, during a sealing and exploration voyage in the Weddell Sea area of Antarctica. Morrell provided precise coordinates and a description of a coastline which he claimed to have sailed along for more than 300 miles (480 km). Because the Weddell Sea area was so little visited and hard to navigate due to ice conditions, the alleged land was never properly investigated before its existence was emphatically disproved during Antarctic expeditions in the early 20th century.

      4. Continent

        Antarctica

        Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14,200,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi). Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km (1.2 mi).

  31. 1820

    1. Maine is admitted as the twenty-third U.S. state.

      1. U.S. state

        Maine

        Maine is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and northwest, respectively. The largest state by total area in New England, Maine is the 12th-smallest by area, the 9th-least populous, the 13th-least densely populated, and the most rural of the 50 U.S. states. It is also the northeasternmost among the contiguous United States, the northernmost state east of the Great Lakes, the only state whose name consists of a single syllable, and the only state to border exactly one other U.S. state. Approximately half the area of Maine lies on each side of the 45th parallel north in latitude. The most populous city in Maine is Portland, while its capital is Augusta.

      2. Constituent political entity of the United States

        U.S. state

        In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders.

  32. 1783

    1. George Washington delivered a speech to Continental Army officers in Newburgh, New York, asking them to support the supremacy of the Congress of the Confederation, defusing a potential coup.

      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. Colonial army during the American Revolutionary War

        Continental Army

        The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was established by a resolution of Congress on June 14, 1775. The Continental Army was created to coordinate military efforts of the Colonies in their war for independence against the British, who sought to keep their American lands under control. General George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the army throughout the war.

      3. City on west side of Hudson River in U.S. state of New York

        Newburgh, New York

        Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City, and 90 miles (140 km) south of Albany on the Hudson River within the Hudson Valley Area, the city of Newburgh is located near Stewart International Airport, one of the primary airports for Downstate New York.

      4. Governing body of the United States from 1781 to 1789

        Congress of the Confederation

        The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – March 4, 1789. A unicameral body with legislative and executive function, it was composed of delegates appointed by the legislatures of the several states. Each state delegation had one vote. It was preceded by the Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) and was created by the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union in 1781.

      5. Planned military coup in 1783 in the US

        Newburgh Conspiracy

        The Newburgh Conspiracy was a failed apparent threat by leaders of the Continental Army in March 1783, at the end of the American Revolutionary War. The Army's commander, George Washington, successfully calmed the soldiers and helped secure back pay. The conspiracy may have been instigated by members in the Congress of the Confederation, who circulated an anonymous letter in the army camp at Newburgh, New York, on March 10, 1783. Soldiers were unhappy that they had not been paid for some time and that pensions that had been promised remained unfunded. The letter suggested that they should take unspecified action against Congress to resolve the issue. The letter was said to have been written by Major John Armstrong, aide to General Horatio Gates, although the authorship and underlying ideas are subjects of historical debate. Commander-in-Chief George Washington stopped any serious talk of rebellion when he made an emotional address to his officers asking them to support the supremacy of Congress. Not long afterward, Congress approved a compromise agreement that it had previously rejected: it funded some of the pay arrears, and granted soldiers five years of full pay instead of a lifetime pension of half pay.

    2. In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy. The plea is successful and the threatened coup d'état never takes place.

      1. City on west side of Hudson River in U.S. state of New York

        Newburgh, New York

        Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City, and 90 miles (140 km) south of Albany on the Hudson River within the Hudson Valley Area, the city of Newburgh is located near Stewart International Airport, one of the primary airports for Downstate New York.

      2. 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.

      3. Planned military coup in 1783 in the US

        Newburgh Conspiracy

        The Newburgh Conspiracy was a failed apparent threat by leaders of the Continental Army in March 1783, at the end of the American Revolutionary War. The Army's commander, George Washington, successfully calmed the soldiers and helped secure back pay. The conspiracy may have been instigated by members in the Congress of the Confederation, who circulated an anonymous letter in the army camp at Newburgh, New York, on March 10, 1783. Soldiers were unhappy that they had not been paid for some time and that pensions that had been promised remained unfunded. The letter suggested that they should take unspecified action against Congress to resolve the issue. The letter was said to have been written by Major John Armstrong, aide to General Horatio Gates, although the authorship and underlying ideas are subjects of historical debate. Commander-in-Chief George Washington stopped any serious talk of rebellion when he made an emotional address to his officers asking them to support the supremacy of Congress. Not long afterward, Congress approved a compromise agreement that it had previously rejected: it funded some of the pay arrears, and granted soldiers five years of full pay instead of a lifetime pension of half pay.

      4. Deposition of a government

        Coup d'état

        A coup d'état, also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, military, or a dictator. Many scholars consider a coup successful when the usurpers seize and hold power for at least seven days.

  33. 1672

    1. King Charles II of England issues the Royal Declaration of Indulgence, granting limited religious freedom to all Christians.

      1. 1672 controversial decree by King Charles II of England granting liberty to all Christians

        Royal Declaration of Indulgence

        The Royal Declaration of Indulgence was Charles II of England's attempt to extend religious liberty to Protestant nonconformists and Roman Catholics in his realms, by suspending the execution of the Penal Laws that punished recusants from the Church of England. Charles issued the Declaration on 15 March 1672.

  34. 1564

    1. Mughal Emperor Akbar abolishes the jizya tax on non-Muslim subjects.

      1. 3rd Mughal Emperor from 1556 to 1605

        Akbar

        Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, popularly known as Akbar the Great, and also as Akbar I, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in India.

      2. Islamic tax on non-Muslims

        Jizya

        Jizya is a per capita yearly taxation historically levied in the form of financial charge on dhimmis, that is, permanent non-Muslim subjects of a state governed by Islamic law. The Quran and hadiths mention jizya without specifying its rate or amount, and the application of jizya varied in the course of Islamic history. However, scholars largely agree that early Muslim rulers adapted existing systems of taxation and tribute that were established under previous rulers of the conquered lands, such as those of the Byzantine and Sasanian empires. Initially, Jizyah was only applied onto the Jews and Christians while pagans were not covered under the dhimmi system. As Islam spread to the Indian subcontinent, jizya was applied onto the Hindus as well.

      3. Historical term for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state with legal protection

        Dhimmi

        Dhimmī or muʿāhid (معاهد) is a historical term for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state with legal protection. The word literally means "protected person", referring to the state's obligation under sharia to protect the individual's life, property, as well as freedom of religion, in exchange for loyalty to the state and payment of the jizya tax, in contrast to the zakat, or obligatory alms, paid by the Muslim subjects. Dhimmi were exempt from certain duties assigned specifically to Muslims if they paid the poll tax (jizya) but were otherwise equal under the laws of property, contract, and obligation.

  35. 1311

    1. In the Battle of Halmyros, the Catalan Company defeated the forces of Walter V, Count of Brienne, taking control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in present-day Greece.

      1. 1311 battle in present-day Greece

        Battle of Halmyros

        The Battle of Halmyros, known by earlier scholars as the Battle of the Cephissus or Battle of Orchomenos, was fought on 15 March 1311, between the forces of the Frankish Duchy of Athens and its vassals under Walter of Brienne against the mercenaries of the Catalan Company, resulting in a decisive victory for the mercenaries.

      2. 14th century mercenary company

        Catalan Company

        The Catalan Company or the Great Catalan Company was a company of mercenaries led by Roger de Flor in the early 14th century and hired by the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos to combat the increasing power of the Anatolian beyliks. It was formed by almogavar veterans of the War of the Sicilian Vespers, who had remained unemployed after the signing in 1302 of the Peace of Caltabellotta between the Crown of Aragon and the French dynasty of the Angevins.

      3. Duke of Athens

        Walter V, Count of Brienne

        Walter V of Brienne was Duke of Athens from 1308 until his death. Being the only son of Hugh of Brienne and Isabella de la Roche, Walter was the heir to large estates in France, the Kingdom of Naples, and the Peloponnese. He was held in custody in the Sicilian castle of Augusta between 1287 and 1296 or 1297 to secure the payment of his father's ransom to the Aragonese admiral Roger of Lauria. When his father died fighting against Lauria in 1296, Walter inherited the County of Brienne in France, and the counties of Lecce and Conversano in southern Italy. He was released, but he was captured during a Neapolitan invasion of Sicily in 1299. His second captivity lasted until the Treaty of Caltabellotta in 1302.

      4. State in southern Greece (1205–1458)

        Duchy of Athens

        The Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader states set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade as part of the process known as Frankokratia, encompassing the regions of Attica and Boeotia, and surviving until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century.

      5. Christian states in the Levant, 1098–1291

        Crusader states

        The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political intrigue. The four states were the County of Edessa (1098–1150), the Principality of Antioch (1098–1287), the County of Tripoli (1102–1289), and the Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099–1291). The Kingdom of Jerusalem covered what is now Israel and Palestine, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and adjacent areas. The other northern states covered what are now Syria, south-eastern Turkey, and Lebanon. The description "Crusader states" can be misleading, as from 1130 very few of the Frankish population were crusaders. The term Outremer, used by medieval and modern writers as a synonym, is derived from the French for overseas.

    2. Battle of Halmyros: The Catalan Company defeats Walter V, Count of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece.

      1. 1311 battle in present-day Greece

        Battle of Halmyros

        The Battle of Halmyros, known by earlier scholars as the Battle of the Cephissus or Battle of Orchomenos, was fought on 15 March 1311, between the forces of the Frankish Duchy of Athens and its vassals under Walter of Brienne against the mercenaries of the Catalan Company, resulting in a decisive victory for the mercenaries.

      2. 14th century mercenary company

        Catalan Company

        The Catalan Company or the Great Catalan Company was a company of mercenaries led by Roger de Flor in the early 14th century and hired by the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos to combat the increasing power of the Anatolian beyliks. It was formed by almogavar veterans of the War of the Sicilian Vespers, who had remained unemployed after the signing in 1302 of the Peace of Caltabellotta between the Crown of Aragon and the French dynasty of the Angevins.

      3. Duke of Athens

        Walter V, Count of Brienne

        Walter V of Brienne was Duke of Athens from 1308 until his death. Being the only son of Hugh of Brienne and Isabella de la Roche, Walter was the heir to large estates in France, the Kingdom of Naples, and the Peloponnese. He was held in custody in the Sicilian castle of Augusta between 1287 and 1296 or 1297 to secure the payment of his father's ransom to the Aragonese admiral Roger of Lauria. When his father died fighting against Lauria in 1296, Walter inherited the County of Brienne in France, and the counties of Lecce and Conversano in southern Italy. He was released, but he was captured during a Neapolitan invasion of Sicily in 1299. His second captivity lasted until the Treaty of Caltabellotta in 1302.

      4. State in southern Greece (1205–1458)

        Duchy of Athens

        The Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader states set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade as part of the process known as Frankokratia, encompassing the regions of Attica and Boeotia, and surviving until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century.

      5. Christian states in the Levant, 1098–1291

        Crusader states

        The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political intrigue. The four states were the County of Edessa (1098–1150), the Principality of Antioch (1098–1287), the County of Tripoli (1102–1289), and the Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099–1291). The Kingdom of Jerusalem covered what is now Israel and Palestine, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and adjacent areas. The other northern states covered what are now Syria, south-eastern Turkey, and Lebanon. The description "Crusader states" can be misleading, as from 1130 very few of the Frankish population were crusaders. The term Outremer, used by medieval and modern writers as a synonym, is derived from the French for overseas.

  36. 1147

    1. Reconquista: Portuguese troops under King Afonso I captured the city of Santarém from the Almoravids.

      1. Medieval Christian military campaign

        Reconquista

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

      2. 12th-century King of Portugal

        Afonso I of Portugal

        Afonso I of Portugal, also called Afonso Henriques, nicknamed the Conqueror by the Portuguese, and El-Bortukali and Ibn-Arrink or Ibn Arrinq by the Moors whom he fought, was the first king of Portugal. He achieved the independence of the County of Portugal, establishing a new kingdom and doubling its area with the Reconquistacode: spa promoted to code: es , an objective that he pursued until his death.

      3. Battle in 1147 in the Iberian peninsula

        Conquest of Santarém

        The conquest of Santarém took place on 15 March 1147, when the troops of the Kingdom of Portugal under the leadership of Afonso I of Portugal captured the Almoravid city of Santarém.

      4. Municipality in Lisbon, Portugal

        Santarém, Portugal

        Santarém is a city and municipality located in the district of Santarém in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 58 671, in an area of 552.54 km2. The population of the city proper was 29,929 in 2012.

      5. 1040–1147 Berber dynasty in west Africa and Iberia

        Almoravid dynasty

        The Almoravid dynasty was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almohads in 1147. The Almoravid capital was Marrakesh, a city founded by the Almoravid leader Abu Bakr ibn Umar circa 1070. The dynasty emerged from a coalition of the Lamtuna, Gudala, and Massufa, nomadic Berber tribes living in what is now Mauritania and the Western Sahara, traversing the territory between the Draa, the Niger, and the Senegal rivers.

  37. 933

    1. After a ten-year truce, German King Henry the Fowler defeats a Hungarian army at the Battle of Riade near the Unstrut river.

      1. King of East Francia (919-936); Duke of Saxony (912-936)

        Henry the Fowler

        Henry the Fowler was the Duke of Saxony from 912 and the King of East Francia from 919 until his death in 936. As the first non-Frankish king of East Francia, he established the Ottonian dynasty of kings and emperors, and he is generally considered to be the founder of the medieval German state, known until then as East Francia. An avid hunter, he obtained the epithet "the Fowler" because he was allegedly fixing his birding nets when messengers arrived to inform him that he was to be king.

      2. 933 battle between East Francia and invading Magyar (Hungarian) forces

        Battle of Riade

        The Battle of Riade or Battle of Merseburg was fought between the troops of East Francia under King Henry I and the Magyars at an unidentified location in northern Thuringia along the river Unstrut on 15 March 933. The battle was precipitated by the decision of the Synod of Erfurt to stop paying an annual tribute to the Magyars in 932.

      3. River in Germany

        Unstrut

        The Unstrut is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale.

  38. 897

    1. Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya enters Sa'dah and founds the Zaydi Imamate of Yemen.

      1. 10th-century Arab religious leader; founder of the Zaydi Imamate in Yemen

        Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya

        Abūʾl-Ḥusayn Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Qāsim ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ḥasanī, better known by his honorific title of al-Hādī ilāʾl-Ḥaqq, was a religious and political leader in the Arabian Peninsula. He was the first Zaydi imam who ruled portions of Yemen from 897 to 911. He is also the ancestor of the Rassid Dynasty which ruled Yemen intermittently until the North Yemen Civil War in 1962.

      2. City in Yemen

        Saada

        Saada, a city and ancient capital in the northwest of Yemen, is the capital and largest city of the province of the same name, and the county seat of the county of the same name. The city is located in the mountains of Serat (Sarawat) at an altitude of about 1,800 meters and had an estimated population of 51,870 in 2004, when it was the tenth largest city in Yemen.

      3. Branch of Shia Islam

        Zaydism

        Zaydism is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, also called Fivers, consider Zayd to be the fifth imam and successor to Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, instead of his half-brother Muhammad al-Baqir.

      4. Religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam

        Imams of Yemen

        The Imams of Yemen and later also the Kings of Yemen were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and political rule in parts of Yemen from 897. Their imamate endured under varying circumstances until the republican revolution in 1962. Zaidiyyah theology differed from Isma'ilism or Twelver Shi’ism by stressing the presence of an active and visible imam as leader. The imam was expected to be knowledgeable in religious scholarship, and to prove himself a worthy headman of the community, even in battle if this was necessary. A claimant of the imamate would proclaim a "call" (dawah), and there were not infrequently more than one claimant.

  39. 856

    1. Byzantine emperor Michael III (pictured) overthrew his mother Theodora's regency to assume power for himself.

      1. Byzantine emperor from 842 to 867

        Michael III

        Michael III, also known as Michael the Drunkard, was Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Amorian dynasty. He was given the disparaging epithet the Drunkard by the hostile historians of the succeeding Macedonian dynasty, but modern historical research has rehabilitated his reputation to some extent, demonstrating the vital role his reign played in the resurgence of Byzantine power in the 9th century. He was also the youngest person to bear the imperial title, as well as the youngest to succeed as senior emperor.

      2. Topics referred to by the same term

        Theodora

        Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift".

    2. Michael III, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, overthrows the regency of his mother, empress Theodora (wife of Theophilos) with support of the Byzantine nobility.

      1. Byzantine emperor from 842 to 867

        Michael III

        Michael III, also known as Michael the Drunkard, was Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Amorian dynasty. He was given the disparaging epithet the Drunkard by the hostile historians of the succeeding Macedonian dynasty, but modern historical research has rehabilitated his reputation to some extent, demonstrating the vital role his reign played in the resurgence of Byzantine power in the 9th century. He was also the youngest person to bear the imperial title, as well as the youngest to succeed as senior emperor.

      2. Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages

        Byzantine Empire

        The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople. It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire remained the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The terms "Byzantine Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" were coined after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their empire as the Roman Empire, and to themselves as Romans—a term which Greeks continued to use for themselves into Ottoman times. Although the Roman state continued and its traditions were maintained, modern historians distinguish Byzantium from its earlier incarnation because it was centered on Constantinople, oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

      3. Byzantine empress

        Theodora (wife of Theophilos)

        Theodora, sometimes called Theodora the Armenian or Theodora the Blessed, was Byzantine empress as the wife of Byzantine emperor Theophilos from 830 to 842 and regent for the couple's young son Michael III, after the death of Theophilos, from 842 to 856. She is sometimes counted as an empress regnant, who actually ruled in her own right, rather than just a regent. Theodora is most famous for bringing an end to the second Byzantine Iconoclasm (814–843), an act for which she is recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Though her reign saw the loss of most of Sicily and failure to retake Crete, Theodora's foreign policy was otherwise highly successful; by 856, the Byzantine Empire had gained the upper hand over both Bulgaria and the Abbasid Caliphate, and the Slavic tribes in the Peloponnese had been forced to pay tribute, all without decreasing the imperial gold reserve.

      4. Official privileged social class

        Nobility

        Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristics associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles or simply formal functions, and vary by country and by era. Membership in the nobility, including rights and responsibilities, is typically hereditary and patrilineal.

  40. 493

    1. Odoacer, the first barbarian King of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, is slain by Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, while the two kings were feasting together.

      1. Germanic king of Italy (r. 476–493) and usurper of the Western Roman Empire

        Odoacer

        Flavius Odoacer, also spelled Odovacer or Odovacar, was a soldier and statesman of barbarian background, who deposed the child emperor Romulus Augustulus and became Rex/Dux (476–493). Odoacer's overthrow of Romulus Augustulus is traditionally seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire as well as Ancient Rome.

      2. Ruler who ruled part or all of the Apennine Peninsula after the fall of the Western Roman Empire

        King of Italy

        King of Italy was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader, in the late 5th century, followed by the Ostrogothic kings up to the mid-6th century. With the Frankish conquest of Italy in the 8th century, the Carolingians assumed the title, which was maintained by subsequent Holy Roman Emperors throughout the Middle Ages. The last Emperor to claim the title was Charles V in the 16th century. During this period, the holders of the title were crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy.

      3. Independently administered western provinces of the Roman Empire

        Western Roman Empire

        The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period from 395 to 476, where there were separate coequal courts dividing the governance of the empire in the Western and the Eastern provinces, with a distinct imperial succession in the separate courts. The terms Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire were coined in modern times to describe political entities that were de facto independent; contemporary Romans did not consider the Empire to have been split into two empires but viewed it as a single polity governed by two imperial courts as an administrative expediency. The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476, and the Western imperial court in Ravenna was formally dissolved by Justinian in 554. The Eastern imperial court survived until 1453.

      4. King of the Ostrogoths (r. 471–526) & Visigoths (r. 511–526); King of Italy (r. 493–526)

        Theodoric the Great

        Theodoric the Great, also called Theodoric the Amal, was king of the Ostrogoths (471–526), and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy between 493 and 526, regent of the Visigoths (511–526), and a patrician of the Eastern Roman Empire. As ruler of the combined Gothic realms, Theodoric controlled an empire stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Adriatic Sea. Though Theodoric himself only used the title 'king' (rex), some scholars characterize him as a Western Roman Emperor in all but name, since he ruled large parts of the former Western Roman Empire, had received the former Western imperial regalia from Constantinople in 497, and was referred to by the title augustus by some of his subjects.

      5. 5th–6th-century Germanic ethnic group in the Balkans

        Ostrogoths

        The Ostrogoths were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who had settled in the Balkans in the 4th century, having crossed the Lower Danube. While the Visigoths had formed under the leadership of Alaric I, the new Ostrogothic political entity which came to rule Italy was formed in the Balkans under the influence of the Amal dynasty, the family of Theodoric the Great.

  41. -44

    1. Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman Republic, was stabbed to death by a group of senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus.

      1. Roman general and dictator (100–44 BC)

        Julius Caesar

        Gaius Julius Caesar, was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and subsequently became dictator from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.

      2. Extraordinary magistrate of the Roman Republic

        Roman dictator

        A Roman dictator was an extraordinary magistrate in the Roman Republic endowed with full authority to resolve some specific problem to which he had been assigned. He received the full powers of the state, subordinating the other magistrates, consuls included, for the specific purpose of resolving that issue, and that issue only, and then dispensing with those powers forthwith.

      3. Period of ancient Roman civilization (c. 509–27 BC)

        Roman Republic

        The Roman Republic was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom and ending in 27 BC with the establishment of the Roman Empire, Rome's control rapidly expanded during this period—from the city's immediate surroundings to hegemony over the entire Mediterranean world.

      4. 44 BCE assassination of the Roman dictator

        Assassination of Julius Caesar

        Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March of 44 BC during a meeting of the Senate at the Curia of Pompey of the Theatre of Pompey in Rome where the senators stabbed Caesar 23 times. They claimed to be acting over fears that Caesar's unprecedented concentration of power during his dictatorship was undermining the Roman Republic. At least 60 senators were party to the conspiracy, led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. Despite the death of Caesar, the conspirators were unable to restore the institutions of the Republic. The ramifications of the assassination led to the Liberators' civil war and ultimately to the Principate period of the Roman Empire.

      5. Political institution in ancient Rome

        Roman Senate

        The Roman Senate was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome. It survived the overthrow of the Roman monarchy in 509 BC; the fall of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC; the division of the Roman Empire in AD 395; and the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476; Justinian's attempted reconquest of the west in the 6th century, and lasted well into the Eastern Roman Empire's history.

      6. Roman politician and assassin of Caesar

        Marcus Junius Brutus

        Marcus Junius Brutus, often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was retained as his legal name.

    2. The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.

      1. 44 BCE assassination of the Roman dictator

        Assassination of Julius Caesar

        Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March of 44 BC during a meeting of the Senate at the Curia of Pompey of the Theatre of Pompey in Rome where the senators stabbed Caesar 23 times. They claimed to be acting over fears that Caesar's unprecedented concentration of power during his dictatorship was undermining the Roman Republic. At least 60 senators were party to the conspiracy, led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. Despite the death of Caesar, the conspirators were unable to restore the institutions of the Republic. The ramifications of the assassination led to the Liberators' civil war and ultimately to the Principate period of the Roman Empire.

  42. -474

    1. Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.

      1. Political office in ancient Rome

        Roman consul

        A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic, and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the cursus honorum after that of the censor. Each year, the Centuriate Assembly elected two consuls to serve jointly for a one-year term. The consuls alternated in holding fasces – taking turns leading – each month when both were in Rome and a consul's imperium extended over Rome and all its provinces.

      2. 5th-century BC Roman politician

        Aulus Manlius Vulso (decemvir)

        Aulus Manlius Vulso was a Roman politician in the 5th century BC, and was a member of the first college of the decemviri in 451 BC. In 474 BC, he may have been elected consul with Lucius Furius Medullinus. Whether or not the decemvir is the same man as the consul of 474 BC remains unknown.

      3. Type of Roman celebration of military victory

        Ovation

        The ovation was a form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted when war was not declared between enemies on the level of nations or states; when an enemy was considered basely inferior ; or when the general conflict was resolved with little or no danger to the army itself. The Ovation could also be given rather than a triumph when there were extenuating circumstances, such as when Marcus Marcellus was given an ovation in lieu of a triumph as his army remained in Sicily and therefore was unable to cross the pomerium.

      4. Conflicts between the Romans and Etruscans – 8th to 3rd centuries BCE

        Roman–Etruscan Wars

        The Roman–Etruscan Wars were a series of wars fought between ancient Rome and the Etruscans. Information about many of the wars is limited, particularly those in the early parts of Rome's history, and in large part is known from ancient texts alone. The conquest of Etruria was completed in 265–264 BC.

      5. Ancient Etruscan city in Isola Farnese, Italy

        Veii

        Veii was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and 16 km (9.9 mi) north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the city-state of Veii are in Formello, immediately to the north. Formello is named after the drainage channels that were first created by the Veians.

Births & Deaths

  1. 2022

    1. Barbara Maier Gustern, American vocal coach and singer (b. 1935) deaths

      1. American vocal coach (1935–2022)

        Barbara Maier Gustern

        Barbara Joan Gustern was an American vocal coach and singer. She had many noted students, including Blondie singer Debbie Harry, Taylor Mac, Justin Vivian Bond, Diamanda Galas, and Kathleen Hanna.

  2. 2020

    1. Vittorio Gregotti, Italian architect (b. 1927) deaths

      1. Italian architect (1927–2020)

        Vittorio Gregotti

        Vittorio Gregotti was an Italian architect, born in Novara. He was seen as both a member of the Neo-Avant Garde and a key figure in 1970s Postmodernism.

  3. 2019

    1. Larry DiTillio, American film and TV series writer (b. 1948) deaths

      1. American writer and game designer

        Larry DiTillio

        Lawrence G. DiTillio was an American film, TV series, and tabletop role-playing game writer. His creations include He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword and the award-winning Masks of Nyarlathotep.

  4. 2016

    1. Sylvia Anderson, English voice actress and television and film producer (b. 1927) deaths

      1. British producer

        Sylvia Anderson

        Sylvia Beatrice Anderson was an English television and film producer, writer, voice actress and costume designer, best known for her collaborations with Gerry Anderson, her husband between 1960 and 1981. In addition to serving as co-creator and co-writer on their TV series during the 1960s and early 1970s, Anderson's primary contribution was character development and costume design. She regularly directed the fortnightly voice recording sessions, and provided the voices of many female and child characters. She also helped develop the shows and characters, in particular creating the iconic characters of Lady Penelope and Parker in Thunderbirds.

    2. Asa Briggs, English historian and academic (b. 1921) deaths

      1. English historian (1921–2016)

        Asa Briggs

        Asa Briggs, Baron Briggs was an English historian. He was a leading specialist on the Victorian era, and the foremost historian of broadcasting in Britain. Briggs achieved international recognition during his long and prolific career for examining various aspects of modern British history. He became a life peer in 1976.

    3. Seru Rabeni, Fijian rugby player (b. 1978) deaths

      1. Rugby player

        Seru Rabeni

        Ratu Seru Rabeni was a Fijian rugby union player. He played as a centre or wing. At both club and international level, his physicality and heavy tackles earned him the nickname "Rambo".

  5. 2015

    1. Collins Chabane, South African politician (b. 1960) deaths

      1. South African politician (1960–2015)

        Collins Chabane

        Ohm Collins Chabane was a South African Minister of Public Service and Administration. At the age of 17, he went into exile and joined the African National Congress (ANC) underground military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). Chabane also went to Angola for military training in 1980, and began work underground in 1981.

    2. Robert Clatworthy, English sculptor and educator (b. 1928) deaths

      1. Robert Clatworthy (sculptor)

        Robert Ernest Clatworthy RA was a British sculptor and teacher of art. He was head of the fine art department at the Central School of Art and Design in London from 1971 to 1975, and was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1973.

    3. Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (b. 1928) deaths

      1. American actress (1928–2013)

        Sally Forrest

        Sally Forrest, was an American film, stage and TV actress of the 1940s and 1950s. She studied dance from a young age and shortly out of high school was signed to a contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

    4. Curtis Gans, American political scientist and author (b. 1937) deaths

      1. Curtis Gans

        Curtis Bernard Gans was an American activist, writer, and expert on American voting patterns.

    5. Mike Porcaro, American bass player (b. 1955) deaths

      1. American bassist (1955–2015)

        Mike Porcaro

        Michael Joseph Porcaro was an American bass player known for his work with the rock band Toto. He retired from touring in 2007 as a result of being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

  6. 2014

    1. Scott Asheton, American drummer (b. 1949) deaths

      1. American drummer

        Scott Asheton

        Scott Randolph Asheton was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band the Stooges.

    2. David Brenner, American comedian, actor, and author (b. 1936) deaths

      1. American comedian and actor (1936–2014)

        David Brenner

        David Norris Brenner was an American stand-up comedian, actor and author. The most frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1970s and 1980s, Brenner "was a pioneer of observational comedy." His friend, comedian Richard Lewis, described Brenner as "the king of hip, observational comedy."

    3. Bo Callaway, American soldier and politician, United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1927) deaths

      1. American businessman and politician

        Bo Callaway

        Howard Hollis Callaway was an American businessman and politician. He served as a Republican member for the 3rd district of Georgia of the United States House of Representatives. He also served as the 11th United States Secretary of the Army.

      2. Civilian official who oversees the Army

        United States Secretary of the Army

        The secretary of the Army is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition, communications and financial management.

    4. Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (b. 1947) deaths

      1. English celebrity cook, television personality, writer, businesswoman, and barrister

        Clarissa Dickson Wright

        Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Dickson Wright was an English celebrity cook, television personality, writer, businesswoman, and former barrister. She was best known as one of the Two Fat Ladies, with Jennifer Paterson, in the television cooking programme. She was an accredited cricket umpire and one of only two women to become a Guild Butcher.

  7. 2013

    1. Booth Gardner, American businessman and politician, Governor of Washington (b. 1936) deaths

      1. 19th governor of Washington

        Booth Gardner

        William Booth Gardner was an American politician who served as the 19th governor of Washington from 1985 to 1993. He also served as the ambassador of the GATT. A member of the Democratic Party, Gardner previously served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 26th district from 1971 to 1973 and served as the Pierce County Executive prior to his tenure as governor. His service was notable for advancing standards-based education and environmental protection.

      2. List of governors of Washington

        The governor of Washington is the head of government of Washington and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Washington Legislature and line-item veto power to cancel specific provisions in spending bills. The Washington governor may also convene the legislature on "extraordinary occasions".

    2. Terry Lightfoot, English clarinet player (b. 1935) deaths

      1. British jazz clarinettist and bandleader

        Terry Lightfoot

        Terence Lightfoot was a British jazz clarinettist and bandleader, and together with Chris Barber, Acker Bilk and Kenny Ball was one of the leading members of the trad jazz generation of British jazzmen.

    3. Leverne McDonnell, Australian actress (b. 1963) deaths

      1. Australian actress

        Leverne McDonnell

        Leverne Ann McDonnell was an Australian actress.

    4. Peter Worsley, English sociologist (b. 1924) deaths

      1. British sociologist and anthropologist (1924–2013)

        Peter Worsley

        Peter Maurice Worsley was a noted British sociologist and social anthropologist. He was a major figure in both anthropology and sociology, and is noted for introducing the term Third World into English. He not only made theoretical and ethnographic contributions, but also was regarded as a key founding member of the New Left.

  8. 2012

    1. Mervyn Davies, Welsh rugby player (b. 1946) deaths

      1. Rugby player

        Mervyn Davies

        Thomas Mervyn Davies, often known as "Merv the Swerve", was a Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8.

    2. Dave Philley, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920) deaths

      1. American baseball player (1920-2012)

        Dave Philley

        David Earl Philley was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball. A switch hitter who threw right-handed, he debuted on September 6, 1941 and played his final game on August 6, 1962. He was born in Paris, Texas.

  9. 2011

    1. Nate Dogg, American rapper (b. 1969) deaths

      1. American singer and rapper (1969–2011)

        Nate Dogg

        Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer and rapper. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals for a multitude of hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning the nickname "King of Hooks".

    2. Smiley Culture, English singer and DJ (b. 1963) deaths

      1. Musical artist

        Smiley Culture

        David Victor Emmanuel, better known as Smiley Culture, was a British reggae singer and DJ known for his "fast chat" style. During a relatively brief period of fame and success, he produced two of the most critically acclaimed reggae singles of the 1980s. He died on 15 March 2011, aged 48, during a police raid on his home. An inquest found that his death was a suicide.

  10. 2010

    1. Kazim al-Samawi, Iraqi poet (b. 1925) deaths

      1. Iraqi poet and journalist (1925–2010)

        Kazim al-Samawi

        Kazim Jasir Faraj, better known as Kazim al-Samawi, was an Iraqi poet and journalist known for his humanist worldview. From the 1950s, he spent more than half of his life in exile as a political refuge and was known by title "The Elder of the Iraqi exiles" or "The Shaykh of Exiles". He moved between many countries, such as Lebanon, Hungary, Germany, China, Syria and Cyprus until he finally settled in Sweden. Al-Samawi published his first poetry collection in 1950 and was as a result was persecuted by the Nuri al-Said government. Later, he and his family faced persecution in Ba'athist Iraq, and he experienced the death of almost all his family members, often in quick succession. Through his poetry in various forms, genres and metres, he was very involved in general human affairs. His family name is derived from his hometown demonym, Samawah. He studied in Baghdad and graduated from the Rural Teachers’ House in 1940, continued his higher studies in Hungary and graduated from the Faculty of Arts in 1956. He worked for a while in journalism in Baghdad with a progressive tendency, founded The Humanity in 1956, a twice-weekly leftist newspaper. He left about seven poetry collections that have been translated into several languages. Al-Samawi died at the age of 85 in Stockholm and was buried in Sulaymaniyah.

  11. 2009

    1. Ron Silver, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1946) deaths

      1. Actor and activist (1946–2009)

        Ron Silver

        Ronald Arthur Silver was an American actor/activist, director, producer, and radio host. As an actor, he portrayed Henry Kissinger, Alan Dershowitz and Angelo Dundee. He was awarded a Tony in 1988 for Best Actor for Speed-the-Plow, a satirical dissection of the American movie business.

  12. 2008

    1. Mikey Dread, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1954) deaths

      1. Jamaican musician (1954–2008)

        Mikey Dread

        Michael George Campbell, better known as Mikey Dread, was a Jamaican singer, producer, and broadcaster. He was one of the most influential performers and innovators in reggae music.

    2. G. David Low, American astronaut and engineer (b. 1956) deaths

      1. American astronaut

        G. David Low

        George David Low was an American aerospace executive and a NASA astronaut. He was born in 1956 to George M. Low, the Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office and, later, the 14th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. With undergraduate degrees in physics and mechanical engineering and a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics, he worked in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology in the early 80's, before being picked as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1984. In addition to holding some technical assignments, he logged more than 700 hours in space, before he left NASA in 1996 to pursue a career in the private sector.

    3. Sarla Thakral, First Indian woman to earn a pilot's license. (b. 1914) deaths

      1. Pioneer Indian woman pilot (1914–2008)

        Sarla Thukral

        Sarla Thukral was among the first Indian women to fly aircraft.

  13. 2007

    1. Charles Harrelson, American murderer (b. 1938) deaths

      1. American murderer and hitman (1938–2007)

        Charles Harrelson

        Charles Voyde Harrelson was an American hitman and organized crime figure who was convicted of assassinating federal judge John H. Wood Jr., the first federal judge to be assassinated in the 20th century. Charles Harrelson was the father of actors Brett and Woody Harrelson.

    2. Stuart Rosenberg, American director and producer (b. 1927) deaths

      1. American film director

        Stuart Rosenberg

        Stuart Rosenberg was an American film and television director whose motion pictures include Cool Hand Luke (1967), Voyage of the Damned (1976), The Amityville Horror (1979), and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984). He was noted for his work with actor Paul Newman.

  14. 2006

    1. Georgios Rallis, Greek lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1918) deaths

      1. Greek politician

        Georgios Rallis

        Georgios Ioannou Rallis, anglicised to George Rallis, was a Greek conservative politician and the 2nd Prime Minister of Greece from 1980 to 1981.

      2. Head of government of Greece

        Prime Minister of Greece

        The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic, colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece, is the head of government of the Hellenic Republic and the leader of the Greek Cabinet. The incumbent prime minister is Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who took office on 8 July 2019 from Alexis Tsipras.

    2. Red Storey, Canadian football player and referee (b. 1918) deaths

      1. Canadian athlete, referee, broadcaster (1918–2006)

        Red Storey

        Roy Alvin "Red" Storey, was a Canadian athlete, referee and broadcaster. He played football, lacrosse and ice hockey. While active as an athlete, he turned to officiating in all three sports and continued as an official after the end of his playing career. He is best known for being a referee for the National Hockey League professional ice hockey league. While he was a member of the Toronto Argonauts, the team won the Grey Cup Canadian championship twice. He later became a radio and television commentator for Canadian television.

  15. 2005

    1. Otar Korkia, Georgian basketball player (b. 1923) deaths

      1. Georgian basketball player and coach

        Otar Korkia

        Otar Korkia was a Georgian professional basketball player and coach. He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players, in 1991. He was also named the Best Georgian Basketball Player of the 20th Century, and the Best Georgian Sportsman of the 20th Century. He was born in Kutaisi.

  16. 2004

    1. Philippe Lemaire, French actor (b. 1927) deaths

      1. French actor

        Philippe Lemaire

        Philippe Lemaire was a French actor. He appeared in more than ninety films between 1946 and 2004.

    2. Bill Pickering, New Zealand-American scientist and engineer (b. 1910) deaths

      1. Bill Pickering (rocket scientist)

        William Hayward Pickering was a New Zealand-born aerospace engineer who headed Pasadena, California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for 22 years, retiring in 1976. He was a senior NASA luminary and pioneered the exploration of space. Pickering was also a founding member of the United States National Academy of Engineering.

    3. John Pople, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925) deaths

      1. British theoretical chemist (1925–2004)

        John Pople

        Sir John Anthony Pople was a British theoretical chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Walter Kohn in 1998 for his development of computational methods in quantum chemistry.

      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.

  17. 2003

    1. Thora Hird, English actress (b. 1911) deaths

      1. English actress, comedian, presenter and writer

        Thora Hird

        Dame Thora Hird was an English actress and comedian, presenter and writer. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 film and television roles, becoming a household name and a British institution.

    2. Paul Stojanovich, American television producer, created World's Wildest Police Videos (b. 1955) deaths

      1. American television producer (1956-2003)

        Paul Stojanovich

        Paul John Stojanovich was an American television producer who created reality television police shows. His notable creations include Cops 1989 - 2009, American Detective (1991–1993) and World's Wildest Police Videos (1998–2001).

      2. American TV reality series featuring police videos

        World's Wildest Police Videos

        World's Wildest Police Videos is an American reality TV series that ran on Fox from 1998 to 2001. In 2012, Spike announced that it had commissioned 13 new episodes with the revival of the original name and John Bunnell returning as host, which premiered on May 7, 2012, and ended on August 13, 2012. The series deals with police videos from across the world. Video footage of car chases, subsequent arrests, robberies, riots and other crimes appear on the show.

  18. 2001

    1. Ann Sothern, American actress and singer (b. 1909) deaths

      1. American actress (1909–2001)

        Ann Sothern

        Ann Sothern was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920s in bit parts in films. In 1930, she made her Broadway stage debut and soon worked her way up to starring roles. In 1939, MGM cast her as Maisie Ravier, a brash yet lovable Brooklyn showgirl. The character, based on the Maisie short stories by Nell Martin, proved to be popular and spawned a successful film series and a network radio series.

  19. 2000

    1. Kristian Kostov, Russian-Bulgarian singer-songwriter births

      1. Musical artist

        Kristian Kostov

        Kristian Konstantinov Kostov is a Bulgarian-Russian singer. He was a finalist in season one of The Voice Kids Russia and a runner-up in the fourth season of X Factor Bulgaria. He represented Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Beautiful Mess", finishing in second place. In January 2018, Kostov won the EBBA Public Choice award. In January 2019, he was one of seven singers who performed in the seventh season of Singer.

  20. 1998

    1. Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and author (b. 1903) deaths

      1. American pediatrician and writer (1903–1998)

        Benjamin Spock

        Benjamin McLane Spock was an American pediatrician and left-wing political activist whose book Baby and Child Care (1946) is one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century, selling 500,000 copies in the six months after its initial publication in 1946 and 50 million by the time of Spock's death in 1998. The book's premise to mothers was that they "know more than you think you do." Spock's parenting advice and recommendations revolutionized parental upbringing in the United States, and he is considered to be amongst the most famous and influential Americans of the 20th century.

  21. 1997

    1. Gail Davis, American actress (b. 1925) deaths

      1. American actress and horseback rider

        Gail Davis

        Gail Davis was an American actress and singer, best known for her starring role as Annie Oakley in the 1950s television series Annie Oakley.

    2. Victor Vasarely, Hungarian-French painter (b. 1906) deaths

      1. Hungarian-French artist

        Victor Vasarely

        Victor Vasarely was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a "grandfather" and leader of the Op art movement.

  22. 1996

    1. Seonaid McIntosh, Scottish sports shooter births

      1. British sport shooter

        Seonaid McIntosh

        Seonaid McIntosh is a British sports shooter who became the World Champion at the 2018 ISSF World Shooting Championships in the 50m Prone Rifle event. In 2019 she became Britain's most successful female Rifle Shooter of all time, winning three World Cup medals, becoming the first British Woman to rank World #1 for the 50m Rifle Three Position event and becoming European Champion in the 300m Rifle Prone event with an equal World Record score. McIntosh is the daughter of four-times Commonwealth Games medalist Shirley McIntosh and Donald McIntosh, and younger sister of British Olympic Shooter Jennifer McIntosh. In 2017 she won the Women's 3x20 Rifle event at the 2017 European Shooting Championships in Baku, becoming European Champion. Sister Jennifer had also won the Women's 50m Prone Rifle earlier in the week, becoming European Champion in that event.

  23. 1993

    1. Alia Bhatt, British actress births

      1. British actress (born 1993)

        Alia Bhatt

        Alia Bhatt is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. She has received several accolades including four Filmfare Awards. One of India's highest-paid actresses, she has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2014 and was awarded the TIME100 Impact Award in 2022.

    2. Aleksandra Krunić, Serbian tennis player births

      1. Serbian tennis player

        Aleksandra Krunić

        Aleksandra Krunić is a Serbian professional tennis player. She has won one singles title and six doubles titles on the WTA Tour along with one singles title on WTA 125 tournaments. In June 2018, she reached her best singles rankings of world No. 39. On 30 September 2019, she peaked at No. 35 in the doubles rankings. She is the current Serbian No. 1 female player.

    3. Paul Pogba, French footballer births

      1. French footballer (born 1993)

        Paul Pogba

        Paul Labile Pogba is a French professional footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus and the France national team. He operates primarily as a central midfielder, but can be deployed as a left winger, attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder and deep-lying playmaker.

  24. 1991

    1. Kurt Baptiste, Australian rugby league player births

      1. PNG international rugby league footballer

        Kurt Baptiste

        Kurt Baptiste is a Papua New Guinea international rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Cup.

    2. Xavier Henry, American basketball player births

      1. American professional basketball player (born 1991)

        Xavier Henry

        Xavier Henry is an American former professional basketball player. He played one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks before he was drafted in the 2010 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.

    3. Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1906) deaths

      1. American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer

        Bud Freeman

        Lawrence "Bud" Freeman was an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing tenor saxophone, but also the clarinet.

  25. 1990

    1. Farzad Bazoft, Iranian-English journalist (b. 1958) deaths

      1. Iranian journalist

        Farzad Bazoft

        Farzad Bazoft was an Iranian journalist who settled in the United Kingdom in the mid-1970s. He worked as a freelance reporter for The Observer. He was arrested by Iraqi authorities and executed in 1990 after being convicted of spying for Israel while working in Iraq.

    2. Tom Harmon, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1919) deaths

      1. American football player and sportscaster (1919–1990)

        Tom Harmon

        Thomas Dudley Harmon, known as Tom Harmon, as well as by the nickname "Old 98", was an American football player, military pilot, actor, and sports broadcaster.

  26. 1989

    1. Sam Baldock, English footballer births

      1. English footballer

        Sam Baldock

        Samuel Edward Thomas Baldock is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Oxford United.

    2. Sandro, Brazilian international footballer births

      1. Brazilian footballer

        Sandro (footballer, born 1989)

        Sandro Raniere Guimarães Cordeiro, or simply Sandro, is a Brazilian footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Portuguese Primeira Liga club Belenenses.

    3. Gil Roberts, American sprinter births

      1. American sprinter

        Gil Roberts

        Gil Roberts is an American athlete who specializes in the 200 m and 400 m. He competed for Texas Tech under coach Wes Kittley at the NCAA level. He was a member of the USA team that won the gold medal in the Men's 4×400 metres relay at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Roberts won the 2014 US Outdoor championship in 44.53 on June 28 in Sacramento, California.

    4. Adrien Silva, Portuguese footballer births

      1. Portuguese footballer

        Adrien Silva

        Adrien Sébastien Perruchet da Silva is a professional footballer who plays for UAE Pro League club Al Wahda. A central midfielder, he is known for his dribbling and passing skills.

  27. 1988

    1. Éver Guzmán, Mexican footballer births

      1. Mexican footballer

        Éver Guzmán

        Éver Arsenio Guzmán Zavala is a Mexican former footballer who last played as a forward for Guatemalan team Antigua.

    2. James Reimer, Canadian ice hockey player births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        James Reimer

        James Reimer is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Reimer has also played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes. He was selected by the Maple Leafs in the fourth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He started playing minor hockey in his hometown when he was 12. He played junior hockey with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL), after being selected in the fifth round of the 2003 WHL Bantam Draft.

    3. Dmitri Polyakov, Ukrainian general and spy (b. 1921) deaths

      1. Soviet Major General, high-ranking GRU officer, and prominent Cold War spy

        Dmitri Polyakov

        Dmitri Fyodorovich Polyakov was a Soviet Major General, a ranking GRU officer, and a prominent Cold War spy who revealed Soviet secrets to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency. In the CIA, he was known by code names BOURBON and ROAM, while the FBI knew him as TOPHAT.

  28. 1984

    1. Badradine Belloumou, French-Algerian footballer births

      1. French-Algerian football player

        Badradine Belloumou

        Badradine Belloumou is a French-Algerian football player who is currently playing as a defender for US Marignane in the Championnat de France amateur. He has previously played for FC Martigues, CS Sedan, US Roye and SO Cassis Carnoux. He also had a spell in Algeria with ASO Chlef.

    2. Olivier Jean, Canadian speed skater births

      1. Canadian short track speed skater

        Olivier Jean

        Olivier Jean is a three time Olympian who represented Canada in both short and long track speed skating. Olivier Jean is a gold medalist from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games in the men's 5000m relay. He is a canadian short track speed skater, racing internationally from 2002 to 2015 and switched to long track speed skating, competing internationally from 2015 to 2018. Olivier competed at his second Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 in short track speed skating, and for his third game appearance, switched to long track speed skating, competing in the mass start at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games. His appearance is well-known for his dreadlocks and for listening to reggae, which he says makes him skate faster.

    3. Kostas Vasileiadis, Greek basketball player births

      1. Greek basketball player

        Kostas Vasileiadis

        Konstantinos "Kostas" Vasileiadis is a Greek professional basketball player who plays for Marinos de Anzoátegui of the Venezuelan Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto (SPB). He is a 2.01 m tall swingman.

  29. 1983

    1. Umut Bulut, Turkish footballer births

      1. Turkish footballer (born 1983)

        Umut Bulut

        Umut Bulut is a Turkish professional footballer who plays for Eyüpspor. Between 2007 and 2018, he made 39 appearances and scored ten goals for the Turkey national team.

    2. Ben Hilfenhaus, Australian cricketer births

      1. Australian cricketer

        Ben Hilfenhaus

        Benjamin William Hilfenhaus is an Australian former professional cricketer who played for Tasmania in Australian domestic cricket and for the Australia national cricket team. He is right-arm fast-medium bowler known for his ability to swing the ball. Hilfenhaus plays club cricket for Tasmania University Cricket Club. He made his first-class cricket debut in the 2005/06 season and his haul of 39 wickets was a record for someone playing their first season for Tasmania. Before he was given a full-time contract for 2006/07, he worked as a bricklayer as well as playing cricket. He has best bowling figures of 7/58 in first-class cricket, achieved in his first season for Tasmania.

    3. Kostas Kaimakoglou, Greek basketball player births

      1. Greek basketball player

        Kostas Kaimakoglou

        Konstantinos "Kostas" Kaimakoglou is a Greek former professional basketball player who last played for UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League and the EuroCup. He is 2.05 m (6'9") tall, and his main position is power forward, but he can also play as a small ball center if needed.

    4. Golda Marcus, Salvadoran swimmer births

      1. Salvadoran swimmer

        Golda Marcus

        Golda Lee Marcus is a two-time Olympic swimmer from El Salvador. She swam at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. As of June 2009, she holds the Salvadoran records in the 400, 800, and 1500 meter freestyles.

    5. Daryl Murphy, Irish footballer births

      1. Irish footballer

        Daryl Murphy

        Daryl Michael Murphy is an Irish former professional footballer.

    6. Rebecca West, English author and critic (b. 1892) deaths

      1. British feminist and author

        Rebecca West

        Dame Cicily Isabel Fairfield, known as Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, was a British author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. An author who wrote in many genres, West reviewed books for The Times, the New York Herald Tribune, The Sunday Telegraph and The New Republic, and she was a correspondent for The Bookman. Her major works include Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (1941), on the history and culture of Yugoslavia; A Train of Powder (1955), her coverage of the Nuremberg trials, published originally in The New Yorker; The Meaning of Treason, later The New Meaning of Treason (1964), a study of the trial of the British fascist William Joyce and others; The Return of the Soldier (1918), a modernist World War I novel; and the "Aubrey trilogy" of autobiographical novels, The Fountain Overflows (1956), This Real Night, and Cousin Rosamund (1985). Time called her "indisputably the world's number one woman writer" in 1947. She was made CBE in 1949, and DBE in 1959; in each case, the citation reads: "writer and literary critic". She took the pseudonym "Rebecca West" from the rebellious young heroine in Rosmersholm by Henrik Ibsen. She was a recipient of the Benson Medal.

  30. 1982

    1. Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich, Kenyan runner births

      1. Kenyan long-distance runner

        Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich

        Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich is a Kenyan professional athlete who specialises in long-distance running, competing in events ranging from 10 km to the marathon. He was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is the former world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:03:23, which he set at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. He has run under 2 hours 4 minutes for the marathon on four occasions.

  31. 1981

    1. Young Buck, American rapper births

      1. American rapper from Tennessee

        Young Buck

        David Darnell Brown, best known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He heads his own record label, Cashville, and was a member of the former hip hop group G-Unit.

    2. Mikael Forssell, German-Finnish footballer births

      1. Finnish footballer

        Mikael Forssell

        Mikael Kaj Forssell is a Finnish former football striker.

    3. Jens Salumäe, Estonian skier births

      1. Estonian Nordic combined skier and ski jumper

        Jens Salumäe

        Jens Salumäe is an Estonian former ski jumper and nordic combined skier who has been competing since 2002. He finished 23rd in the individual large hill event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

    4. René Clair, French director and screenwriter (b. 1898) deaths

      1. French filmmaker and writer

        René Clair

        René Clair, born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He went on to make some of the most innovative early sound films in France, before going abroad to work in the UK and USA for more than a decade. Returning to France after World War II, he continued to make films that were characterised by their elegance and wit, often presenting a nostalgic view of French life in earlier years. He was elected to the Académie française in 1960. Clair's best known films include Un chapeau de paille d'Italie, Sous les toits de Paris, Le Million (1931), À nous la liberté (1931), I Married a Witch (1942), and And Then There Were None (1945).

  32. 1980

    1. Freddie Bynum, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player

        Freddie Bynum

        Freddie Lee Bynum Jr. is an American former professional baseball shortstop and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and Baltimore Orioles. Bynum also played in Nippon Professional Baseball for Orix Buffaloes.

  33. 1979

    1. Kyle Mills, New Zealand cricketer births

      1. New Zealand cricketer

        Kyle Mills

        Kyle David Mills is a New Zealand cricket coach and former international cricketer who is the former bowling coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was also a former captain of the New Zealand cricket team in limited-overs matches. Mills played top-class cricket between 1998 and 2015 as a bowler. He featured in three World Cup tournaments for New Zealand in 2003, 2011 and 2015. He was a member of New Zealand's first ever T20I team. He also topped the ICC ODI bowling rankings in 2009 and also occupied in the top ten bowling rankings among bowlers in ODI cricket for a considerable period of time.

    2. Kevin Youkilis, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player (born 1979)

        Kevin Youkilis

        Kevin Edmund Youkilis, nicknamed "Youk", is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman, who primarily played for the Boston Red Sox. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he was drafted by the Red Sox in 2001, after playing college baseball at the University of Cincinnati. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Red Sox, the Chicago White Sox, and the New York Yankees. He later served as a special assistant to the Chicago Cubs and former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein.

  34. 1977

    1. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, AC, Indian military officer births

      1. Indian army officer (1977–2008)

        Sandeep Unnikrishnan

        Sandeep Unnikrishnan, AC was an Indian Army officer, who was serving in the 51 Special Action Group of the National Security Guards on deputation. He was killed in action during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. He was consequently awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, on 26 January 2009.

      2. India's highest peacetime military decoration

        Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)

        The Ashoka Chakra is India's highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" other than in the face of the enemy. The decoration may be awarded either to military or civilian personnel.

    2. Hubert Aquin, Canadian author and activist (b. 1929) deaths

      1. Canadian writer

        Hubert Aquin

        Hubert Aquin was a Quebec novelist, political activist, essayist, filmmaker and editor.

    3. Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler and referee (b. 1921) deaths

      1. Italian professional wrestler

        Antonino Rocca

        Antonino Rocca was an Italian Argentine professional wrestler. He tag teamed with partner Miguel Pérez. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 1995 and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996.

  35. 1976

    1. Cara Pifko, Canadian actress births

      1. Canadian actress

        Cara Pifko

        Cara Pifko is a Canadian actress known primarily for her work on television shows produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

  36. 1975

    1. Eva Longoria, American actress births

      1. American actress and producer (born 1975)

        Eva Longoria

        Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón is an American actress, producer, and director. After a number of guest roles on several television series, she was recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, on which she starred from 2001 to 2003. She is most known for her role as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives, which ran from 2004 to 2012, and for which she received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. She has also appeared in The Sentinel (2006), Over Her Dead Body (2008), For Greater Glory (2012), Frontera (2014), Lowriders (2016), and Overboard (2018). From 2015 to 2016, she starred as Ana Sofia Calderón on the short-lived NBC sitcom Telenovela, and was an executive producer for the Lifetime television series Devious Maids. She has also been an executive producer of social issue documentaries, including Food Chains and The Harvest.

    2. Darcy Tucker, Canadian ice hockey player births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Darcy Tucker

        Darcy Tucker is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played most of his National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A sixth round draft choice, Tucker began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens. Throughout his NHL career he also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche. Tucker was born in Castor, Alberta, but grew up in Endiang, Alberta. Tucker is of Métis descent.

    3. will.i.am, American rapper, producer, and actor births

      1. American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer

        Will.i.am

        William James Adams Jr., known professionally as will.i.am, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.

    4. Aristotle Onassis, Greek-Argentinian businessman (b. 1906) deaths

      1. Greek shipping tycoon (1906–1975)

        Aristotle Onassis

        Aristotle Socrates Onassis, was a Greek shipping magnate who amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and was one of the world's richest and most famous men. He was married to Athina Mary Livanos, had a long-standing affair with opera singer Maria Callas and was married to Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of US President John F. Kennedy.

  37. 1974

    1. Robert Fick, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player (born 1974)

        Robert Fick

        Robert Charles Fick is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. In 2002, he was named to the American League All-Star Team.

  38. 1972

    1. Holger Stromberg, German chef births

      1. German chef

        Holger Stromberg

        Holger Stromberg, is a German celebrity chef. At the age of 23 in 1994, he gained his first Michelin star whilst head chef at the restaurant Goldschmieding in Castrop-Rauxel, making him Germany's youngest Michelin starred chef. He is owner and chef patron of Restaurant G in Munich, and the chef of the Germany national football team.

    2. Mike Tomlin, American football player and coach births

      1. American football coach (born 1972)

        Mike Tomlin

        Michael Pettaway Tomlin is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led the team to ten playoff runs, seven division titles, three AFC Championship Games, two Super Bowl appearances, and a title in Super Bowl XLIII. At age 36, Tomlin became the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl, a record which was later beaten by Sean McVay in Super Bowl LVI. Tomlin has never had a losing record during his 15 seasons as a head coach, which is the longest ever streak in the NFL.

  39. 1971

    1. Joanne Wise, English long jumper births

      1. British long jumper

        Joanne Wise

        Joanne Wise is a female former British track and field athlete who competed in the long jump. In 1998, she won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Kuala Lumpur. She also competed at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 and the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.

  40. 1970

    1. Derek Parra, American speed skater births

      1. American speed skater

        Derek Parra

        Derek Parra is an American inline skater and speed skater from San Bernardino, California, who graduated from Eisenhower High School in Rialto, California, in 1988. Parra won two medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics, held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

    2. Tarjei Vesaas, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1897) deaths

      1. Norwegian writer (1897–1970)

        Tarjei Vesaas

        Tarjei Vesaas was a Norwegian poet and novelist. Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway's greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since World War II.

  41. 1969

    1. Gianluca Festa, Italian footballer births

      1. Italian former football player

        Gianluca Festa

        Gianluca Festa is an Italian professional football manager and former player. Festa played as a defender for clubs such as Internazionale and Roma, and is best known playing for Middlesbrough and Cagliari.

    2. Yutaka Take, Japanese jockey births

      1. Japanese jockey (born 1969)

        Yutaka Take

        Yutaka Take is a Japanese jockey. A legend in Japan, Yutaka Take made his riding debut in 1987 and currently holds seven all-time records in his native country. Born in 1969, Take followed in his father's footsteps, as Kunihiko Take was also a famed jockey. In 1987, the younger Take notched his first career victory at Hanshin Racecourse aboard a horse named Dyna Bishop. He ended the season as the champion apprentice with 69 winners. Two years later, he was the overall champion jockey, and Take held that title continuously until 1999, with the exception of 1991. As of 27 December 2017, the Japan Racing Association credits him with 3,945 wins, of which 323 came in graded stakes, while 75 have come in Grade 1. Take has won at least one Grade 1 for 23 straight years and a graded stakes race for 31 consecutive years. He also has the most victories in a year: 212. Although Take has ridden a number of champions, he is most associated with legendary racehorse and champion sire Deep Impact. The pair won a total of seven Grade 1 races, including the 2005 Japanese Triple Crown, and Deep Impact has gone to be the premier sire in Japan. Currently, Take is known for riding Kitasan Black, the reigning Japanese Horse of the Year. Take has also shown his abilities abroad. He has 114 wins to his credit in eight countries, including Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. A sampling of his international victories includes Group 1 wins in the Prix d'Ispahan (France) and Hong Kong Cup, two races timed by Longines, the July Cup (England) and Dubai Duty Free Stakes (UAE).

    3. Miles Malleson, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1888) deaths

      1. English actor

        Miles Malleson

        William Miles Malleson was an English actor and dramatist, particularly remembered for his appearances in British comedy films of the 1930s to 1960s. Towards the end of his career he also appeared in cameo roles in several Hammer horror films, with a fairly large role in The Brides of Dracula as the hypochondriac and fee-hungry local doctor. Malleson was also a writer on many films, including some of those in which he had small parts, such as Nell Gwyn (1934) and The Thief of Bagdad (1940). He also translated and adapted several of Molière's plays.

  42. 1968

    1. Kahimi Karie, Japanese singer births

      1. Musical artist

        Kahimi Karie

        Mari Hiki , better known by her stage name Kahimi Karie , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and photographer. Her music is closely associated with the Shibuya-kei aesthetic. Karie sings in English, French and Japanese, among other languages.

    2. Mark McGrath, American singer-songwriter births

      1. American singer and television host

        Mark McGrath

        Mark Sayers McGrath is an American singer who is the lead vocalist of the rock band Sugar Ray. McGrath is also known for his work as a co-host of Extra, and he was the host of Don't Forget the Lyrics! in 2010. McGrath hosted the second season of the TV show Killer Karaoke, taking the place of Jackass star Steve-O.

    3. Sabrina Salerno, Italian singer-songwriter births

      1. Italian singer

        Sabrina Salerno

        Sabrina Debora Salerno, known mononymously as Sabrina, is an Italian singer, songwriter, record producer, model, actress and television presenter.

  43. 1966

    1. Abe Saperstein, American basketball player and coach (b. 1902) deaths

      1. Harlem Globetrotters founder and first coach (1902-1966)

        Abe Saperstein

        Abraham Michael Saperstein was the founder, owner and earliest coach of the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein was a leading figure in black basketball and baseball from the 1920s through the 1950s, primarily before those sports were racially integrated.

  44. 1965

    1. Sunetra Gupta, Indian epidemiologist, author, and academic births

      1. British novelist and epidemiologist

        Sunetra Gupta

        Sunetra Gupta is an Indian-born British infectious disease epidemiologist and a professor of theoretical epidemiology at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford. She has performed research on the transmission dynamics of various infectious diseases, including malaria, influenza and COVID-19, and has received the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society of London and the Rosalind Franklin Award of the Royal Society. She is a member of the scientific advisory board of Collateral Global, an organisation which examines the global impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

  45. 1964

    1. Rockwell, American singer-songwriter and musician births

      1. American singer

        Rockwell (musician)

        Kennedy William Gordy, better known by his stage name Rockwell, is an American singer. He is most well known for his hit 1984 single "Somebody's Watching Me" which features Michael Jackson on the chorus vocals. He is the son of Motown founder Berry Gordy. Other relatives include singers Redfoo, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, and Sky Blu; they are his half-siblings and half-nephew, respectively.

  46. 1963

    1. Bret Michaels, American musician births

      1. American musician

        Bret Michaels

        Bret Michael Sychak, professionally known as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He gained fame as the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted 10 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including six Top 10 singles and a number-one single, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn".

  47. 1962

    1. Arthur Compton, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892) deaths

      1. American physicist (1892–1962)

        Arthur Compton

        Arthur Holly Compton was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927 for his 1923 discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radiation. It was a sensational discovery at the time: the wave nature of light had been well-demonstrated, but the idea that light had both wave and particle properties was not easily accepted. He is also known for his leadership over the Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago during the Manhattan Project, and served as chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1945 to 1953.

      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.

  48. 1961

    1. Terry Cummings, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player

        Terry Cummings

        Robert Terrell "Terry" Cummings is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two time All-Star, and was a lead player on several postseason teams while in Milwaukee and San Antonio.

  49. 1960

    1. Mike Pagliarulo, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player

        Mike Pagliarulo

        Michael Timothy Pagliarulo, a.k.a. "Pags", is an American former professional baseball third baseman and later the hitting coach of the Miami Marlins. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Texas Rangers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Seibu Lions.

  50. 1959

    1. Harold Baines, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player and coach (born 1959)

        Harold Baines

        Harold Douglas Baines is an American former right fielder and designated hitter (DH) in Major League Baseball who played for five American League (AL) teams from 1980 to 2001, and is best known for his three stints with the Chicago White Sox. A Maryland native, he also played seven years with his hometown team, the Baltimore Orioles, over three separate periods. The first overall selection in the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft and a six-time All-Star, Baines led the AL in slugging percentage in 1984. He held the White Sox team record for career home runs from 1987 until Carlton Fisk passed him in 1990; his eventual total of 221 remains the club record for left-handed hitters, as do his 981 runs batted in (RBI) and 585 extra base hits with the team. His 1,688 hits and 1,643 games as a DH stood as major league records until David Ortiz broke them in 2013 and 2014. He also held the mark for career home runs as a DH (236) until Edgar Martínez passed him in 2004.

    2. Renny Harlin, Finnish director and producer births

      1. Finnish film director and film producer

        Renny Harlin

        Renny Harlin is a Finnish film director, producer, and screenwriter who has made his career in Hollywood and China. His best-known films include A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Deep Blue Sea.

    3. Ben Okri, Nigerian poet and author births

      1. Nigerian writer

        Ben Okri

        Ben Okri is a Nigerian-British poet and novelist. Okri is considered one of the foremost African authors in the post-modern and post-colonial traditions, and has been compared favourably to authors such as Salman Rushdie and Gabriel García Márquez. In 1991, Okri won the Booker Prize with his novel The Famished Road.

    4. Eliot Teltscher, American tennis player births

      1. American tennis player

        Eliot Teltscher

        Eliot Teltscher is a retired professional American tennis player. He won the 1983 French Open Mixed Doubles. His highest ranking in singles was #6 in the world and in doubles was #38 in the world.

    5. Lester Young, American saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1909) deaths

      1. American jazz saxophonist (1909–1959)

        Lester Young

        Lester Willis Young, nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist.

  51. 1955

    1. Mohsin Khan, Pakistani cricketer births

      1. Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer

        Mohsin Khan (cricketer)

        Mohsin Hasan Khan is a Pakistani cricket coach, actor and former cricketer who played in 48 Test matches and 75 One Day Internationals between 1977 and 1986 mainly as an opening batsman.

    2. Dee Snider, American singer-songwriter births

      1. American singer

        Dee Snider

        Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer, songwriter, radio personality, and actor. He was the lead singer and songwriter of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. He was ranked 83 in the Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time.

  52. 1954

    1. Isobel Buchanan, Scottish soprano and actress births

      1. Scottish operatic soprano (born 1954)

        Isobel Buchanan

        Isobel Buchanan is a Scottish operatic soprano.

    2. Henry Marsh, American runner and businessman births

      1. American track athlete

        Henry Marsh (runner)

        Henry Dinwoodey Marsh is a retired runner from the United States, who made four U.S. Olympic teams and represented his native country in the men's 3,000 meter Steeplechase in three Summer Olympics, from 1976 through 1988.

    3. Craig Wasson, American actor births

      1. American actor (born 1954)

        Craig Wasson

        Craig Wasson is an American actor. He made his film debut in Rollercoaster (1977). He is best known for his roles as Jake Scully in Brian DePalma's Body Double (1984), and Neil Gordon in Chuck Russell's A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). For his role as Danilo Prozor in Arthur Penn's Four Friends (1981), he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

  53. 1951

    1. David Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool, English politician births

      1. British politician

        David Alton

        David Patrick Paul Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool, is a British politician.

  54. 1948

    1. Kate Bornstein, American author and activist births

      1. American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist

        Kate Bornstein

        Katherine Vandam Bornstein is an American author, playwright, performance artist, actor, and gender theorist. In 1986, Bornstein started identifiying as gender non-conforming and has stated "I don't call myself a woman, and I know I'm not a man" after having been assigned male at birth and receiving sex reassignment surgery. Bornstein now identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them and she/her. Bornstein has also written about having anorexia, being a survivor of PTSD and being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

    2. Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (d. 2003) births

      1. Brazilian UN diplomat and humanitarian aid officer (1948–2003)

        Sérgio Vieira de Mello

        Sérgio Vieira de Mello was a Brazilian United Nations diplomat who worked on several UN humanitarian and political programs for over 34 years. The Government of Brazil posthumously awarded the Sergio Vieira de Mello Medal to honor his legacy in promoting sustainable peace, international security and better living conditions for individuals in situations of armed conflict, challenges to which Sérgio Vieira de Mello had dedicated his life and career.

    3. Imanuel Lauster, German engineer (b. 1873) deaths

      1. German engineer

        Imanuel Lauster

        Imanuel Lauster was a German engineer and businessman, who designed the first Diesel engine for Rudolf Diesel, and served as the head of M.A.N.'s board of directors from 1932 to 1934.

  55. 1947

    1. Ry Cooder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. American musician

        Ry Cooder

        Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.

    2. Juraj Kukura, Slovak-German actor births

      1. Slovak actor

        Juraj Kukura

        Juraj Kukura is a Slovak actor.

  56. 1946

    1. Bobby Bonds, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003) births

      1. American baseball player (1946-2003)

        Bobby Bonds

        Bobby Lee Bonds was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1981, primarily with the San Francisco Giants. Noted for his outstanding combination of power hitting and speed, he was the first player to have more than two seasons of 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, doing so a record five times, and was the first to accomplish the feat in both major leagues; he became the second player to hit 300 career home runs and steal 300 bases, joining Willie Mays. Together with Barry, he is part of baseball's most accomplished father-son combination, holding the record for combined home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases. A prolific leadoff hitter, he also set major league records for most times leading off a game with a home run in a career (35) and a season ; both records have since been broken.

    2. John Dempsey, English born Irish international footballer and manager births

      1. Irish footballer and manager

        John Dempsey (footballer, born 1946)

        John Dempsey is a former footballer who played from the 1960s to the 1980s as a defender.

  57. 1944

    1. Chi Cheng, Taiwanese runner births

      1. Taiwanese track and field athlete and Republic of China politician

        Chi Cheng (athlete)

        Chi Cheng is a Taiwanese track and field athlete. She was an Olympic medalist in 1968 and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year for 1970. She was a former pentathlete turned sprinter.

    2. Jacques Doillon, French director and screenwriter births

      1. French film director

        Jacques Doillon

        Jacques Doillon is a French film director. He has a habit of giving lead roles to inexperienced young actresses in his films on family life and women. Some actresses to break through are Fanny Bastien, Sandrine Bonnaire, Judith Godrèche, Marianne Denicourt, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Juliette Binoche.

    3. Francis Mankiewicz, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993) births

      1. Francis Mankiewicz

        Francis Mankiewicz was a Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. In 1945, his family moved to Montreal, where Francis spent all his childhood. His father was a second cousin to the famous Hollywood brothers, Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Herman J. Mankiewicz.

  58. 1943

    1. David Cronenberg, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter births

      1. Canadian filmmaker and film director (born 1943)

        David Cronenberg

        David Paul Cronenberg is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation, infectious diseases, and the intertwining of the psychological, the physical and the technological. Cronenberg is best known for exploring these themes through sci-fi horror films such as Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983) and The Fly (1986), though he has also directed dramas, psychological thrillers and gangster films.

    2. Lynda La Plante, English actress, screenwriter, and author births

      1. English writer and actress

        Lynda La Plante

        Lynda La Plante, CBE is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series.

    3. Michael Scott-Joynt, English bishop (d. 2014) births

      1. English bishop

        Michael Scott-Joynt

        Michael Charles Scott-Joynt was an English bishop and a Prelate of the Order of the Garter. He was appointed Bishop of Winchester, one of the five senior bishoprics in the Church of England, in 1995. He had previously served as Bishop of Stafford in the Diocese of Lichfield from 1987 and before that as a canon residentiary at St Albans Cathedral. On 10 October 2010, it was announced that Scott-Joynt intended to retire, which he did in May 2011.

    4. The Iron Sheik, Iranian-American wrestler and actor births

      1. Iranian professional wrestler and actor

        The Iron Sheik

        Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, better known by his ring name the Iron Sheik, is an Iranian retired professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and actor. He is the only Iranian champion in WWE history, having won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1983. His villainous character peaked during the 1980s WWF wrestling boom and his rivalry with Hulk Hogan turned Hogan into one of the greatest television heroes of the decade. He later formed a tag team with Nikolai Volkoff, which won the WWF Tag Team Championship at the inaugural WrestleMania event. In 2005, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

  59. 1942

    1. Rachel Field, American author and poet (b. 1894) deaths

      1. American novelist and poet (1894–1942)

        Rachel Field

        Rachel Lyman Field was an American novelist, poet, and children's fiction writer. She is best known for the Newbery Award–winning Hitty, Her First Hundred Years. Field also won a National Book Award, Newbery Honor award and two of her books are on the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list.

  60. 1941

    1. Mike Love, American singer-songwriter and musician births

      1. American singer and songwriter

        Mike Love

        Michael Edward Love is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bass-baritone singing, Love has been one of the band's vocalists and lyricists for their entire career, contributing to each of their studio albums and serving as their frontman for live performances. During the mid-1960s, he was one of Brian's main collaborators, co-writing hit records such as "Fun, Fun, Fun" (1964), "I Get Around" (1964), "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965), "California Girls" (1965), and "Good Vibrations" (1966).

    2. Carolyn Hansson, Canadian materials engineer births

      1. British academic

        Carolyn Hansson

        Carolyn M. Hansson is a Canadian materials engineer. She was the first female student to attend the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College, London, and the first woman to graduate with a PhD in metallurgy from there. Hansson was honoured for pioneering a monitoring system for evaluating the integrity of concrete structures.

    3. Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian-German painter (b. 1864) deaths

      1. German painter

        Alexej von Jawlensky

        Alexej Georgewitsch von Jawlensky, surname also spelt as Yavlensky, was a Russian expressionist painter active in Germany. He was a key member of the New Munich Artist's Association, Der Blaue Reiter group and later the Die Blaue Vier.

  61. 1940

    1. Frank Dobson, English politician, Secretary of State for Health (d. 2019) births

      1. British Labour Party politician, 1940–2019

        Frank Dobson

        Frank Gordon Dobson was a British Labour Party politician. As Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St. Pancras from 1979 to 2015, he served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health from 1997 to 1999, and was official Labour Party candidate for Mayor of London in 2000, though finishing third in the election behind Conservative Steven Norris and the winner, Labour-turned-Independent Ken Livingstone. Dobson stood down at the 2015 general election.

      2. UK government cabinet minister

        Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

        The secretary of state for health and social care, also referred to as the health secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department of Health and Social Care. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, eighth in the ministerial ranking.

    2. Phil Lesh, American bassist births

      1. American musician

        Phil Lesh

        Philip Chapman Lesh is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career.

  62. 1939

    1. Ted Kaufman, American politician births

      1. American politician and businessman

        Ted Kaufman

        Edward Emmett Kaufman is a retired American politician and businessman who served as a United States senator from Delaware from 2009 to 2010. He chaired the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Oversight of the Troubled Asset Relief Program; he was the second and final person to hold the position, succeeding Elizabeth Warren. Kaufman is a member of the Democratic Party.

    2. Robert Nye, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 2016) births

      1. English poet and author

        Robert Nye

        Robert Nye FRSL was an English poet and author. His bestselling novel Falstaff, published in 1976, was described by Michael Ratcliffe as "one of the most ambitious and seductive novels of the decade", and went on to win both The Hawthornden Prize and Guardian Fiction Prize. The novel was also included in Anthony Burgess's 99 Novels: The Best in English Since 1939 (1984).

    3. Julie Tullis, English mountaineer (d. 1986) births

      1. Julie Tullis

        Julie Tullis was a British climber and filmmaker who died while descending from K2's summit during a storm, along with four other climbers from several expeditions, during the "Black Summer" of 1986.

  63. 1937

    1. Valentin Rasputin, Russian environmentalist and author (d. 2015) births

      1. Russian writer

        Valentin Rasputin

        Valentin Grigoriyevich Rasputin was a Russian writer. He was born and lived much of his life in the Irkutsk Oblast in Eastern Siberia. Rasputin's works depict rootless urban characters and the fight for survival of centuries-old traditional rural ways of life, addressing complex questions of ethics and spiritual revival.

    2. H. P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, and novelist (b. 1890) deaths

      1. American author (1890–1937)

        H. P. Lovecraft

        Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an American writer of weird, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos.

  64. 1936

    1. Howard Greenfield, American songwriter (d. 1986) births

      1. American lyricist and songwriter

        Howard Greenfield

        Howard Greenfield was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building. He is best known for his successful songwriting collaborations, including one with Neil Sedaka from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, and near-simultaneous songwriting partnerships with Jack Keller and Helen Miller throughout most of the 1960s.

  65. 1935

    1. Judd Hirsch, American actor births

      1. American actor

        Judd Hirsch

        Judd Seymore Hirsch is an American actor. He is known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs (2005–2010). He is also well known for his career in theatre and for his roles in films such as Ordinary People (1980), Running on Empty (1988), Independence Day (1996), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), Uncut Gems (2019) and The Fabelmans (2022).

    2. Jimmy Swaggart, American pastor and television host births

      1. American TV evangelist

        Jimmy Swaggart

        Jimmy Lee Swaggart is an American Pentecostal televangelist, gospel music recording artist, pianist, and Christian author.

  66. 1934

    1. Kanshi Ram, Indian politician (d. 2006) births

      1. Indian politician

        Kanshi Ram

        Kanshi Ram, also known as Bahujan Nayak or Manyavar or Saheb, was an Indian politician and social reformer who worked for the upliftment and political mobilisation of the Bahujans, the backward or lower caste people including untouchable groups at the bottom of the caste system in India. Towards this end, Kanshi Ram founded Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS-4), the All India Backward and Minorities Communities Employees' Federation (BAMCEF) in 1971 and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 1984. He ceded leadership of the BSP to his protégé Mayawati who has served four terms as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

  67. 1933

    1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, American lawyer and judge (d. 2020) births

      1. US Supreme Court justice from 1993 to 2020

        Ruth Bader Ginsburg

        Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton to replace retiring justice Byron White, and at the time was generally viewed as a moderate consensus-builder. She eventually became part of the liberal wing of the Court as the Court shifted to the right over time. Ginsburg was the first Jewish woman and the second woman to serve on the Court, after Sandra Day O'Connor. During her tenure, Ginsburg wrote notable majority opinions, including United States v. Virginia (1996), Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc. (2000), and City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York (2005).

    2. Philippe de Broca, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004) births

      1. French movie director

        Philippe de Broca

        Philippe de Broca was a French movie director.

  68. 1932

    1. Alan Bean, American astronaut and pilot (d. 2018) births

      1. American astronaut and naval officer (1932–2018)

        Alan Bean

        Alan LaVern Bean was an American naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, NASA astronaut and painter; he was the fourth person to walk on the Moon. He was selected to become an astronaut by NASA in 1963 as part of Astronaut Group 3.

    2. Arif Mardin, Turkish-American record producer (d. 2006) births

      1. Musical artist

        Arif Mardin

        Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for over 30 years, as producer, arranger, studio manager, and vice president, before moving to EMI and serving as vice president and general manager of Manhattan Records. His collaborations include working with The Rascals, Queen, John Prine, the Bee Gees, Hall & Oates, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, Michael Crawford, Chaka Khan, Laura Nyro, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon, Phil Collins, Daniel Rodriguez, Danny O'Keefe, and Norah Jones. Mardin was awarded eleven Grammy Awards and has eighteen nominations.

  69. 1930

    1. Zhores Alferov, Belarusian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019) births

      1. Soviet-Russian physicist (1930–2019)

        Zhores Alferov

        Zhores Ivanovich Alferov was a Soviet and Russian physicist and academic who contributed significantly to the creation of modern heterostructure physics and electronics. He shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics for the development of the semiconductor heterojunction for optoelectronics. He also became a politician in his later life, serving in the lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, as a member of the Communist Party from 1995.

      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.

  70. 1928

    1. Bob Wilber, American clarinetist and saxophonist (d. 2019) births

      1. American jazz clarinetist, composer and saxophonist

        Bob Wilber

        Robert Sage Wilber was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber was a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his career to present traditional jazz pieces in a contemporary manner. He played with many distinguished jazz leaders in the 1950s and 1960s, including Bobby Hackett, Benny Goodman, Sidney Bechet, Jack Teagarden and Eddie Condon. In the late 1960s, he was an original member of the World's Greatest Jazz Band, and in the early 70s of Soprano Summit, a band which gained wide attention. In the late 1970s, he formed the Bechet Legacy Band.

  71. 1927

    1. Christian Marquand, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2000) births

      1. French actor

        Christian Marquand

        Christian Marquand was a French actor, screenwriter and film director. Born in Marseille, he was born to a Spanish father and an Arab mother, and his sister was film director Nadine Trintignant. He was often cast as a heartthrob in French films of the 1950s.

    2. Carl Smith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010) births

      1. American country singer (1927–2010)

        Carl Smith (musician)

        Carl Milton Smith was an American country singer. Known as "Mister Country", he was one of the genre's most successful male artists during the 1950s, scoring 30 top-10 Billboard hits. Smith's success continued well into the 1970s, when he had a charting single every year but one. In 1952, Smith married June Carter, with whom he had daughter Carlene, the couple divorced in 1956. His eldest daughter Carlene was also the stepdaughter of fellow late country singer Johnny Cash, who was subsequently married to his ex-wife Carter. He later married Goldie Hill, and they had three children together. In 2003, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. According to the Hollywood Walk of Fame website, he was a "drinking companion" to Johnny Cash, his daughter's stepfather.

    3. Hector Rason, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1858) deaths

      1. Australian politician

        Hector Rason

        Sir Cornthwaite Hector William James Rason, better known as Hector Rason, was the seventh Premier of Western Australia.

      2. Head of the executive branch of the state government of Western Australia

        Premier of Western Australia

        The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive branch of the Government of Western Australia and is accountable to the Parliament of Western Australia. The premier is appointed by the governor of Western Australia. By convention, the governor appoints as premier whoever has the support of the majority of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. In practice, this means that the premier is the leader of the political party or group of parties with a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. Since Western Australia achieved self-governance in 1890, there have been 31 premiers. Mark McGowan is the current premier, having been appointed to the position on 17 March 2017.

  72. 1926

    1. Ben Johnston, American composer and academic (d. 2019) births

      1. American composer (1926–2019)

        Ben Johnston (composer)

        Benjamin Burwell Johnston Jr. was an American contemporary music composer, known for his use of just intonation. He was called "one of the foremost composers of microtonal music" by Philip Bush and "one of the best non-famous composers this country has to offer" by John Rockwell.

    2. Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (d. 1983) births

      1. American football player and coach (1926–1983)

        Norm Van Brocklin

        Norman Mack Van Brocklin, nicknamed "The Dutchman", was an American football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He spent his first nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles during his final three. Following his playing career, he was the inaugural head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 to 1966 and the second head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1968 to 1974.

  73. 1921

    1. Madelyn Pugh, American television writer and producer (d. 2011) births

      1. American screenwriter

        Madelyn Pugh

        Madelyn Pugh, sometimes credited as Madelyn Pugh Davis, Madelyn Davis, or Madelyn Martin, was a television writer who became known in the 1950s for her work on the I Love Lucy television series.

    2. Talaat Pasha, Ottoman politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1874) deaths

      1. Turkish Ottoman politician and war criminal (1874–1921)

        Talaat Pasha

        Mehmed Talaat, commonly known as Talaat Pasha or Talat Pasha, was a Turkish Ottoman politician and convicted war criminal of the late Ottoman Empire who served as its de facto leader from 1913 to 1918. Talaat Pasha was chairman of the Union and Progress Party, which operated a one-party dictatorship in the Ottoman Empire, and later on became Grand Vizier during World War I. He was one of the perpetrators of the Armenian genocide and other ethnic cleansings during his time as Minister of Interior Affairs.

      2. Wikipedia list article

        List of Ottoman grand viziers

        The grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire was the de facto prime minister of the sultan in the Ottoman Empire, with the absolute power of attorney and, in principle, removable only by the sultan himself in the classical period, before the Tanzimat reforms, or until the 1908 Revolution. He held the imperial seal and could summon all other viziers to attend to affairs of the state in the Imperial Council; the viziers in conference were called "kubbe viziers" in reference to their meeting place, the Kubbealtı ('under-the-dome') in Topkapı Palace. His offices were located at the Sublime Porte.

  74. 1920

    1. E. Donnall Thomas, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012) births

      1. American hematologist

        E. Donnall Thomas

        Edward Donnall "Don" Thomas was an American physician, professor emeritus at the University of Washington, and director emeritus of the clinical research division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In 1990 he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Joseph E. Murray for the development of cell and organ transplantation. Thomas and his wife and research partner Dottie Thomas developed bone marrow transplantation as a treatment for leukemia.

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

        Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

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

  75. 1919

    1. Lawrence Tierney, American actor (d. 2002) births

      1. American actor (1919–2002)

        Lawrence Tierney

        Lawrence James Tierney was an American film and television actor who is best known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and tough guys in a career that spanned over 50 years. His roles mirrored his own frequent brushes with the law. In 2005, film critic David Kehr of The New York Times described "the hulking Tierney" as "not so much an actor as a frightening force of nature".

  76. 1918

    1. Richard Ellmann, American author and critic (d. 1987) births

      1. American writer and literary critic

        Richard Ellmann

        Richard David Ellmann, FBA was an American literary critic and biographer of the Irish writers James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and William Butler Yeats. He won the U.S. National Book Award for Nonfiction for James Joyce (1959), which is one of the most acclaimed literary biographies of the 20th century. Its 1982 revised edition was similarly recognised with the award of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Ellmann was a liberal humanist, and his academic work focused on the major modernist writers of the twentieth century.

    2. Punch Imlach, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1987) births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player, coach and general manager (1918–1987)

        Punch Imlach

        George "Punch" Imlach was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager best known for his association with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame (2004).

  77. 1916

    1. Frank Coghlan, Jr., American actor and pilot (d. 2009) births

      1. American actor (1916–2009)

        Junior Coghlan

        Frank Coghlan Jr. also known as Junior Coghlan, was an American actor who later became a career officer in the United States Navy and a naval aviator. He appeared in approximately 129 films and television programs between 1920 and 1974. During the 1920s and 1930s, he became a popular child and juvenile actor, appearing in films with Pola Negri, Jack Dempsey, William Haines, Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, William Boyd and Bette Davis. He appeared in early "Our Gang" comedies, but he is best known for the role of Billy Batson in the 1941 motion picture serial, and first comic book superhero film, Adventures of Captain Marvel. Coghlan later served 23 years as an aviator and officer in the U.S. Navy, from 1942 to 1965. After retiring from the Navy, he returned to acting and appeared in television, films, and commercials. He published an autobiography in 1992 and died in 2009 at age 93.

    2. Fadil Hoxha, Kosovar commander and politician, President of Kosovo (d. 2001) births

      1. Kosovar politician (1916–2001)

        Fadil Hoxha

        Fadil Hoxha was a Yugoslavian ethnic Albanian communist revolutionary and politician from Kosovo. He was a member of the Communist party and fought in the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II. After the war, he was the first President of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija (1945-1963) and later member of the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1974-1984).

      2. Head of State of the Republic of Kosovo

        President of Kosovo

        The president of the Republic of Kosovo, is the head of state and chief representative of the de facto Republic of Kosovo in the country and abroad.

    3. Harry James, American trumpet player, bandleader, and actor (d. 1983) births

      1. American trumpeter, big band leader

        Harry James

        Harry Haag James was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized and was active again with his band from then until his death in 1983. He was especially known among musicians for his technical proficiency as well as his tone, and was influential on new trumpet players from the late 1930s into the 1940s. He was also an actor in a number of films that usually featured his band.

  78. 1913

    1. Macdonald Carey, American actor (d. 1994) births

      1. American actor

        Macdonald Carey

        Edward Macdonald Carey was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera Days of Our Lives. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member.

    2. Jack Fairman, English race car driver (d. 2002) births

      1. British racing driver

        Jack Fairman

        Jack Fairman was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 13 Formula One Grands Prix, making his debut on 18 July 1953. He scored a total of five championship points, all of which came in the 1956 season.

  79. 1912

    1. Lightnin' Hopkins, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1982) births

      1. American singer-songwriter, pianist, and guitarist

        Lightnin' Hopkins

        Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

    2. Louis Paul Boon, Flemish journalist and author (d. 1979) births

      1. Louis Paul Boon

        Louis Paul Boon was a Belgian writer of novels, poetry, pornography, columns and art criticism. He was also a painter. He is best known for the novels My Little War (1947), the diptych Chapel Road (1953) / Summer in Termuren (1956), Menuet (1955) and Pieter Daens (1971).

  80. 1907

    1. Zarah Leander, Swedish actress and singer (d. 1981) births

      1. Swedish actress and singer (1907–1981)

        Zarah Leander

        Zarah Leander was a Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned Universum Film AG (UFA). Although no exact record sales numbers exist, she was probably among Europe's best-selling recording artists in the years prior to 1945. Her involvement with UFA caused her films and lyrics to be identified as Nazi propaganda. Though she had taken no public political position and was dubbed an "Enemy of Germany" by Joseph Goebbels, she remained a controversial figure for the rest of her life. As a singer Leander was known for her confident style and her dark, veiled voice.

  81. 1905

    1. Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, German lawyer and judge (d. 1944) births

      1. German aristocrat and lawyer (1905–1944)

        Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg

        Berthold Alfred Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German aristocrat and lawyer who was a key conspirator in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler on 20 July 1944, alongside his younger brother, Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. After the plot failed, Berthold was tried and executed by the Nazi regime.

  82. 1904

    1. George Brent, Irish-American actor (d. 1979) births

      1. Irish-American actor

        George Brent

        George Brent was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis, which included Jezebel and Dark Victory.

    2. J. Pat O'Malley, English-American actor (d. 1985) births

      1. English actor (1904–1985)

        J. Pat O'Malley

        James Rudolph O'Malley was an English character actor and singer who appeared in many American films and television programmes from the 1940s to 1982, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley. He also appeared on the Broadway stage in Ten Little Indians (1944) and Dial M for Murder (1954).

  83. 1900

    1. Gilberto Freyre, Brazilian sociologist, anthropologist, historian and writer (d. 1987) births

      1. Brazilian scholar, writer, and politician

        Gilberto Freyre

        Gilberto de Mello Freyre was a Brazilian sociologist, anthropologist, historian, writer, painter, journalist, congressman born in Recife, Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. He is commonly associated with other major Brazilian cultural interpreters of the first half of the 20th century, such as Sérgio Buarque de Holanda and Caio Prado Júnior. His best-known work is a sociological treatise named Casa-Grande & Senzala.

  84. 1898

    1. Henry Bessemer, English engineer and businessman (b. 1813) deaths

      1. English inventor

        Henry Bessemer

        Sir Henry Bessemer was an English inventor, whose steel-making process would become the most important technique for making steel in the nineteenth century for almost one hundred years from 1856 to 1950. He also played a significant role in establishing the town of Sheffield, nicknamed ‘Steel City’, as a major industrial centre.

  85. 1897

    1. Jackson Scholz, American runner (d. 1986) births

      1. Athletics competitor

        Jackson Scholz

        Jackson Volney Scholz was an American sprint runner. In the 1920s, he became the first person to appear in an Olympic sprint final in three different Olympic Games. After his athletic career, he also gained fame as a writer.

    2. James Joseph Sylvester, English mathematician and academic (b. 1814) deaths

      1. English mathematician (1814–1897)

        James Joseph Sylvester

        James Joseph Sylvester was an English mathematician. He made fundamental contributions to matrix theory, invariant theory, number theory, partition theory, and combinatorics. He played a leadership role in American mathematics in the later half of the 19th century as a professor at the Johns Hopkins University and as founder of the American Journal of Mathematics. At his death, he was a professor at Oxford University.

  86. 1891

    1. Joseph Bazalgette, English engineer and academic (b. 1819) deaths

      1. 19th-century English civil engineer

        Joseph Bazalgette

        Sir Joseph William Bazalgette CB was a 19th-century English civil engineer. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works, his major achievement was the creation of a sewerage system for central London which was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics, while beginning to clean the River Thames. He was also the designer of Hammersmith Bridge.

  87. 1886

    1. Gerda Wegener, Danish artist (d. 1940) births

      1. Danish artist

        Gerda Wegener

        Gerda Marie Fredrikke Wegener was a Danish illustrator and painter. Wegener is known for her fashion illustrations and later her paintings that pushed the boundaries of gender and love of her time. These works were classified as lesbian erotica at times and many were inspired by her partner, the transgender woman Lili Elbe. Wegener employed these works in the styles of Art Nouveau and later Art Deco.

  88. 1879

    1. Benjamin R. Jacobs, American biochemist (d. 1963) births

      1. Benjamin R. Jacobs

        Benjamin Ricardo Jacobs, Ph.D. was born at the American Consulate in Lima, Peru to Rosa Mulet Jacobs of Valparaíso, Chile, a French-Chilean, and Washington Michael Jacobs of South Carolina in the United States. Originally christened on April 5, 1879 as Ricardo Benjamin Jacobs, he later changed his name, once by reversing the order of his first and middle name, and then in some records by anglicizing the name Ricardo to Richard. His mother was the accomplished and well-educated daughter of a noted French merchant in Valparaíso. At the time of his birth, his father was the American vice-consul to Peru. A businessman with many interests in the United States, including mining, his father also was engaged in mining in several countries in South America and he published the Imprenta Americana and a semi-weekly newspaper, El Tumbes.

  89. 1878

    1. Reza Shah, Iranian Shah (d. 1944) births

      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.

  90. 1874

    1. Harold L. Ickes, American journalist and politician, United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1952) births

      1. American politician (1874–1952)

        Harold L. Ickes

        Harold LeClair Ickes was an American administrator, politician and lawyer. He served as United States Secretary of the Interior for nearly 13 years from 1933 to 1946, the longest tenure of anyone to hold the office, and the second longest-serving Cabinet member in U.S. history after James Wilson. Ickes and Labor Secretary Frances Perkins were the only original members of the Roosevelt cabinet who remained in office for his entire presidency.

      2. Head of the United States Department of the Interior

        United States Secretary of the Interior

        The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural resources, leading such agencies as the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Park Service. The secretary also serves on and appoints the private citizens on the National Park Foundation Board. The secretary is a member of the United States Cabinet and reports to the president of the United States. The function of the U.S. Department of the Interior is different from that of the interior minister designated in many other countries.

  91. 1869

    1. Stanisław Wojciechowski, Polish scholar and politician, President of the Republic of Poland (d. 1953) births

      1. Polish politician

        Stanisław Wojciechowski

        Stanisław Wojciechowski was a Polish politician and scholar who served as President of Poland between 1922 and 1926, during the Second Polish Republic.

      2. List of heads of state of Poland

        This article lists the heads of state of Poland. Currently, the President of Poland is the head of state of the country.

  92. 1868

    1. Grace Chisholm Young, English mathematician (d. 1944) births

      1. English mathematician

        Grace Chisholm Young

        Grace Chisholm Young was an English mathematician. She was educated at Girton College, Cambridge, England and continued her studies at Göttingen University in Germany, where in 1895 she received a doctorate. Her early writings were published under the name of her husband, William Henry Young, and they collaborated on mathematical work throughout their lives. For her work on calculus (1914–16), she was awarded the Gamble Prize for Mathematics by Girton College, University of Cambridge.

  93. 1866

    1. Matthew Charlton, Australian miner and politician (d. 1948) births

      1. Australian politician

        Matthew Charlton

        Matthew Charlton was an Australian politician who served as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Leader of the Opposition from 1922 to 1928. He led the party to defeat at the 1922 and 1925 federal elections.

  94. 1858

    1. Liberty Hyde Bailey, American botanist and academic, co-founded the American Society for Horticultural Science (d. 1954) births

      1. U.S. botanist (1858–1954)

        Liberty Hyde Bailey

        Liberty Hyde Bailey was an American horticulturist and reformer of rural life. He was cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science. As an energetic reformer during the Progressive Era, he was instrumental in starting agricultural extension services, the 4-H movement, the nature study movement, parcel post and rural electrification. He was considered the father of rural sociology and rural journalism.

      2. American Society for Horticultural Science

        Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science in Alexandria, Virginia is "the largest, most visible organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research, education, and application."

  95. 1857

    1. Christian Michelsen, Norwegian businessman and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Norway (d. 1925) births

      1. 1st Prime Minister of independent Norway

        Christian Michelsen

        Peter Christian Hersleb Kjerschow Michelsen, better known as Christian Michelsen, was a Norwegian shipping magnate and statesman. He was the first prime minister of independent Norway and Norway's 9th prime minister from 1905 to 1907. Michelsen is most known for his central role in the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905, and was one of Norway's most influential politicians of his time.

      2. Head of government of Norway

        Prime Minister of Norway

        The prime minister of Norway is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the monarch, to the Storting, to their political party, and ultimately the electorate. In practice, since it is nearly impossible for a government to stay in office against the will of the Storting, the prime minister is primarily answerable to the Storting. The prime minister is almost always the leader of the majority party in the Storting, or the leader of the senior partner in the governing coalition.

  96. 1854

    1. Emil von Behring, German physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917) births

      1. German physiologist

        Emil von Behring

        Emil von Behring, born Emil Adolf Behring, was a German physiologist who received the 1901 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the first one awarded in that field, for his discovery of a diphtheria antitoxin. He was widely known as a "saviour of children," as diphtheria used to be a major cause of child death. His work with the disease, as well as tetanus, has come to bring him most of his fame and acknowledgment. He was honored with Prussian nobility in 1901, henceforth being known by the surname "von Behring."

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

        Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

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

  97. 1852

    1. Augusta, Lady Gregory, Anglo-Irish landowner, playwright, and translator (d. 1932) births

      1. Irish playwright, poet and folklorist (1852–1932)

        Lady Gregory

        Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory was an Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced a number of books of retellings of stories taken from Irish mythology. Born into a class that identified closely with British rule, she turned against it. Her conversion to cultural nationalism, as evidenced by her writings, was emblematic of many of the political struggles to occur in Ireland during her lifetime.

  98. 1851

    1. John Sebastian Little, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Arkansas (d. 1916) births

      1. American politician (1851-1916)

        John Sebastian Little

        John Sebastian Little was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the 21st Governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas.

      2. List of governors of Arkansas

        The governor of Arkansas is the head of government of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the Arkansas government and is charged with enforcing state laws. They have the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Arkansas General Assembly, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.

    2. William Mitchell Ramsay, Scottish archaeologist and scholar (d. 1939) births

      1. Scottish archaeologist and New Testament scholar (1851-1939)

        William Mitchell Ramsay

        Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, FBA was a Scottish archaeologist and New Testament scholar. By his death in 1939 he had become the foremost authority of his day on the history of Asia Minor and a leading scholar in the study of the New Testament.

  99. 1848

    1. Johan Jakob Nervander, Finnish poet, physicist and meteorologist (b. 1805) deaths

      1. Johan Jakob Nervander

        Johan Jakob Nervander was a Finnish poet, physicist and meteorologist.

  100. 1842

    1. Luigi Cherubini, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1760) deaths

      1. Italian Classical and Romantic composer (1760–1842)

        Luigi Cherubini

        Luigi Cherubini was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries. His operas were heavily praised and interpreted by Rossini.

  101. 1838

    1. Karl Davydov, Russian cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1889) births

      1. Musical artist

        Karl Davydov

        Karl Yulievich Davydov was a Russian cellist of great renown during his time, and described by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as the "czar of cellists". He was also a composer, mainly for the cello. His name also appears in various different spellings: Davydov, Davidoff, Davidov, and more, with his first name sometimes written as Charles or Carl.

  102. 1835

    1. Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1916) births

      1. Austrian composer

        Eduard Strauss

        Eduard "Edi" Strauss was an Austrian composer who, together with his brothers Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss made up the Strauss musical dynasty. He was the son of Johann Strauss I and Maria Anna Streim. The family dominated the Viennese light music world for decades, creating many waltzes and polkas for many Austrian nobility as well as dance-music enthusiasts around Europe. He was affectionately known in his family as 'Edi'.

  103. 1831

    1. Saint Daniele Comboni, Italian missionary and saint (d. 1881) births

      1. Italian Roman Catholic saint

        Daniele Comboni

        Daniele Comboni was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop who served in the missions in Africa and was the founder of both the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus and the Comboni Missionary Sisters. Comboni studied under Nicola Mazza in Verona where he became a multi-linguist and in 1849 vowed to join the missions in the African continent although this did not occur until 1857 when he travelled to Sudan. He continued to travel back and forth from his assignment to his native land in order to found his congregations and attend to other matters, and returned in 1870 for the First Vatican Council in Rome until its premature closing due to conflict.

  104. 1830

    1. Paul Heyse, German author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914) births

      1. German writer and translator (1830–1914)

        Paul Heyse

        Paul Johann Ludwig von Heyse was a distinguished German writer and translator. A member of two important literary societies, the Tunnel über der Spree in Berlin and Die Krokodile in Munich, he wrote novels, poetry, 177 short stories, and about sixty dramas. The sum of Heyse's many and varied productions made him a dominant figure among German men of letters. He was awarded the 1910 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to the consummate artistry, permeated with idealism, which he has demonstrated during his long productive career as a lyric poet, dramatist, novelist and writer of world-renowned short stories." Wirsen, one of the Nobel judges, said that "Germany has not had a greater literary genius since Goethe." Heyse is the fifth oldest laureate in literature, after Alice Munro, Jaroslav Seifert, Theodor Mommsen and Doris Lessing.

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

        Nobel Prize in Literature

        The Nobel Prize in Literature is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in the field of literature, produced the most outstanding work in an idealistic direction". Though individual works are sometimes cited as being particularly noteworthy, the award is based on an author's body of work as a whole. The Swedish Academy decides who, if anyone, will receive the prize. The academy announces the name of the laureate in early October. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895. Literature is traditionally the final award presented at the Nobel Prize ceremony. On some occasions the award has been postponed to the following year, most recently in 2018 as of May 2022.

    2. Élisée Reclus, French geographer and anarchist (d. 1905) births

      1. French geographer, writer and anarchist

        Élisée Reclus

        Jacques Élisée Reclus was a French geographer, writer and anarchist. He produced his 19-volume masterwork, La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes, over a period of nearly 20 years (1875–1894). In 1892 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Paris Geographical Society for this work, despite having been banished from France because of his political activism.

  105. 1824

    1. Jules Chevalier, French priest, founded the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (d. 1907) births

      1. French Roman Catholic priest

        Jules Chevalier

        Servant of God Jules Chevalier was a French Roman Catholic priest and founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC), the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (FDNSC), the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Roman Catholic religious institutes, with lay associates, known collectively as the Chevalier Family.

      2. Missionaries of the Sacred Heart

        The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Servant of God Jules Chevalier (1824–1907) at Issoudun, France, in the Diocese of Bourges.

  106. 1821

    1. Johann Josef Loschmidt, Austrian physicist and chemist (d. 1895) births

      1. Austrian scientist (1821‐1895)

        Johann Josef Loschmidt

        Johann Josef Loschmidt, who referred to himself mostly as Josef Loschmidt, was a notable Austrian scientist who performed ground-breaking work in chemistry, physics, and crystal forms.

    2. William Milligan, Scottish theologian and author (d. 1892) births

      1. William Milligan

        William Milligan was a renowned Scottish theologian. He studied at the University of Halle in Germany, and eventually became a professor at the University of Aberdeen. He is best known for his commentary on the Revelation of St. John. He also wrote two other well-known books that are classics: The Resurrection of our Lord and The Ascension of our Lord.

  107. 1820

    1. Clement Mary Hofbauer, Austrian priest and saint (b. 1751) deaths

      1. Austrian Redemptorist and saint

        Clement Mary Hofbauer

        Clement Mary Hofbauer was a Moravian hermit and later a priest of the Redemptorist congregation. He established the presence of his congregation, founded in Italy, north of the Alps, for which he is considered a co-founder of the congregation. He was greatly known for his lifelong dedication to the care of the poor during a tumultuous period of Europe's history, which left thousands in destitution. He worked to care for the Polish people, until he was expelled from there and moved to Austria.

  108. 1813

    1. John Snow, English physician and epidemiologist (d. 1858) births

      1. English epidemiologist and physician (1813–1858)

        John Snow

        John Snow was an English physician and a leader in the development of anaesthesia and medical hygiene. He is considered one of the founders of modern epidemiology, in part because of his work in tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, London, in 1854, which he curtailed by removing the handle of a water pump. Snow's findings inspired the adoption of anaesthesia as well as fundamental changes in the water and waste systems of London, which led to similar changes in other cities, and a significant improvement in general public health around the world.

  109. 1809

    1. Joseph Jenkins Roberts, American-Liberian historian and politician, 1st President of Liberia (d. 1876) births

      1. 1st and 7th president of Liberia (1848-56, 1872-76)

        Joseph Jenkins Roberts

        Joseph Jenkins Roberts was an African-American merchant who emigrated to Liberia in 1829, where he became a politician. Elected as the first (1848–1856) and seventh (1872–1876) president of Liberia after independence, he was the first man of African descent to govern the country, serving previously as governor from 1841 to 1848. Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, Roberts emigrated as a young man with his mother, siblings, wife, and child to the young West African colony. He opened a trading firm in Monrovia and later engaged in politics.

      2. Head of state and government of Liberia

        President of Liberia

        The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

  110. 1791

    1. Charles Knight, English author and publisher (d. 1873) births

      1. English publisher, editor, and author (1791-1873)

        Charles Knight (publisher)

        Charles Knight was an English publisher, editor and author. He published and contributed to works such as The Penny Magazine, The Penny Cyclopaedia, and The English Cyclopaedia, and established the Local Government Chronicle.

  111. 1790

    1. Ludwig Immanuel Magnus, German mathematician and academic (d. 1861) births

      1. Ludwig Immanuel Magnus

        Ludwig Immanuel Magnus was a German Jewish mathematician who, in 1831, published a paper about the inversion transformation, which leads to inversive geometry.

  112. 1779

    1. William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1848) births

      1. British politician (1779–1848)

        William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne

        William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne,, in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister. His first premiership ended when he was dismissed by King William IV in 1834, the last British prime minister to be dismissed by a monarch. Five months later he was re-appointed and served for six more years, into the reign of Queen Victoria. He is best known for coaching the Queen in the ways of politics, acting almost as her private secretary. Historians do not rank Melbourne's tenure as prime minister favourably, as he had no great foreign wars or domestic issues to handle, and he was involved in several political scandals in the early years of Victoria's reign.

      2. Head of Government in the United Kingdom

        Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

        The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern prime ministers hold office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the House of Commons, they sit as members of Parliament.

  113. 1767

    1. Andrew Jackson, American general, judge, and politician, 7th President of the United States (d. 1845) births

      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. Head of state and head of government of the United States of America

        President of the United States

        The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

  114. 1754

    1. Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (d. 1842) births

      1. Scottish surgeon, botanist and naturalist (1754–1842)

        Archibald Menzies

        Archibald Menzies was a Scottish surgeon, botanist and naturalist. He spent many years at sea, serving with the Royal Navy, private merchants, and the Vancouver Expedition. He was the first recorded European to reach the summit of the Hawaiian volcano Mauna Loa and introduced the Monkey Puzzle tree to England.

  115. 1711

    1. Eusebio Kino, Italian priest and missionary (b. 1645) deaths

      1. Italian Jesuit missionary (1645–1711)

        Eusebio Kino

        Eusebio Francisco Kino, often referred to as Father Kino, was a Tyrolean Jesuit, missionary, geographer, explorer, cartographer and astronomer born in the Territory of the Bishopric of Trent, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. For the last 24 years of his life he worked in the region then known as the Pimería Alta, modern-day Sonora in Mexico and southern Arizona in the United States. He explored the region and worked with the indigenous Native American population, including primarily the Tohono O'Odham, Sobaipuri and other Upper Piman groups. He proved that the Baja California Territory was not an island but a peninsula by leading an overland expedition there. By the time of his death he had established 24 missions and visitas.

  116. 1673

    1. Salvator Rosa, Italian painter and poet (b. 1615) deaths

      1. Italian painter, poet and printmaker (1615 –1673)

        Salvator Rosa

        Salvator Rosa is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the early 19th century. In his lifetime he was among the most famous painters, known for his flamboyant personality, and regarded as an accomplished poet, satirist, actor, musician, and printmaker, as well. He was active in Naples, Rome, and Florence, where on occasion he was compelled to move between cities, as his caustic satire earned him enemies in the artistic and intellectual circles of the day.

  117. 1666

    1. George Bähr, German architect, designed the Dresden Frauenkirche (d. 1738) births

      1. George Bähr

        George Bähr was a German architect.

      2. Lutheran church in Dresden, Germany

        Frauenkirche, Dresden

        The Dresden Frauenkirche is a Lutheran church in Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony. Destroyed during the Allied firebombing of Dresden towards the end of World War II, the church was reconstructed between 1994 and 2005.

  118. 1638

    1. Shunzhi Emperor of China (d. 1661) births

      1. 2nd Qing emperor of China (r. 1644–61)

        Shunzhi Emperor

        The Shunzhi Emperor was the second emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1644 to 1661. A committee of Manchu princes chose him to succeed his father, Hong Taiji (1592–1643), in September 1643, when he was five years old. The princes also appointed two co-regents: Dorgon (1612–1650), the 14th son of the Qing dynasty's founder Nurhaci (1559–1626), and Jirgalang (1599–1655), one of Nurhaci's nephews, both of whom were members of the Qing imperial clan.

  119. 1591

    1. Alexandre de Rhodes, French missionary (d. 1660) births

      1. Jesuit missionary and lexicographer in Vietnam

        Alexandre de Rhodes

        Alexandre de Rhodes was an Avignonese Jesuit missionary and lexicographer who had a lasting impact on Christianity in Vietnam. He wrote the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum, the first trilingual Vietnamese-Portuguese-Latin dictionary, published in Rome, in 1651.

  120. 1582

    1. Daniel Featley, English theologian and controversialist (d. 1645) births

      1. Daniel Featley

        Daniel Featley, also called Fairclough and sometimes called Richard Fairclough/Featley, was an English theologian and controversialist. He fell into difficulties with Parliament due to his loyalty to Charles I of England in the 1640s, and he was harshly treated and imprisoned at the end of his life.

  121. 1575

    1. Annibale Padovano, Italian organist and composer (b. 1527) deaths

      1. Italian composer

        Annibale Padovano

        Annibale Padovano was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance Venetian School. He was one of the earliest developers of the keyboard toccata.

  122. 1536

    1. Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, Ottoman politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1493) deaths

      1. Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1523 to 1536

        Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha

        Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, also known as Frenk Ibrahim Pasha, Makbul Ibrahim Pasha, which later changed to Maktul Ibrahim Pasha His origin is thought to have been Albanian. After his execution in the Topkapı Palace, was the first Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire appointed by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

      2. Wikipedia list article

        List of Ottoman grand viziers

        The grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire was the de facto prime minister of the sultan in the Ottoman Empire, with the absolute power of attorney and, in principle, removable only by the sultan himself in the classical period, before the Tanzimat reforms, or until the 1908 Revolution. He held the imperial seal and could summon all other viziers to attend to affairs of the state in the Imperial Council; the viziers in conference were called "kubbe viziers" in reference to their meeting place, the Kubbealtı ('under-the-dome') in Topkapı Palace. His offices were located at the Sublime Porte.

  123. 1516

    1. Alqas Mirza, Safavid prince (d. 1550) births

      1. Safavid governor of Astarabad

        Alqas Mirza

        Abu'l Ghazi Sultan Alqas Mirza, better known as Alqas Mirza, was a Safavid prince and the second son of king (shah) Ismail I. In early 1546, with Ottoman help, he staged a revolt against his brother Tahmasp I, who was king at the time.

  124. 1493

    1. Anne de Montmorency, French captain and diplomat (d. 1567) births

      1. French soldier, statesman and diplomat

        Anne de Montmorency

        Anne, Duke of Montmorency, Honorary Knight of the Garter was a French soldier, statesman and diplomat. He became Marshal of France and Constable of France and served five kings.

  125. 1311

    1. Walter V, Count of Brienne deaths

      1. Duke of Athens

        Walter V, Count of Brienne

        Walter V of Brienne was Duke of Athens from 1308 until his death. Being the only son of Hugh of Brienne and Isabella de la Roche, Walter was the heir to large estates in France, the Kingdom of Naples, and the Peloponnese. He was held in custody in the Sicilian castle of Augusta between 1287 and 1296 or 1297 to secure the payment of his father's ransom to the Aragonese admiral Roger of Lauria. When his father died fighting against Lauria in 1296, Walter inherited the County of Brienne in France, and the counties of Lecce and Conversano in southern Italy. He was released, but he was captured during a Neapolitan invasion of Sicily in 1299. His second captivity lasted until the Treaty of Caltabellotta in 1302.

  126. 1190

    1. Isabella of Hainault, queen of Philip II of France (b. 1170) deaths

      1. Queen consort of France

        Isabella of Hainault

        Isabella of Hainault was a Queen of France as the first wife of King Philip II. She was also formally ruling Countess of Artois de jure between 1180 and 1190.

      2. King of France from 1180 to 1223

        Philip II of France

        Philip II, byname Philip Augustus, was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French monarch to style himself "King of France". The son of King Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne, he was originally nicknamed Dieudonné (God-given) because he was a first son and born late in his father's life. Philip was given the epithet "Augustus" by the chronicler Rigord for having extended the crown lands of France so remarkably.

  127. 1124

    1. Ernulf, Bishop of Rochester deaths

      1. 12th-century Bishop of Rochester

        Ernulf

        Ernulf was a French Benedictine monk who became prior of Christ Church in Canterbury, abbot of Peterborough, and bishop of Rochester in England. A jurist and an architect as well, he was responsible for greatly expanding Canterbury Cathedral during his time there.

      2. Diocesan bishop in the Church of England

        Bishop of Rochester

        The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.

  128. 990

    1. Siegfried I (the Older), German nobleman deaths

      1. German count (d. 990)

        Siegfried I the Older, Count of Walbeck

        Siegfried I the Elder, Count of Walbeck and Möckerngau, son of Lothar II the Old, Count of Walbeck, and Mathilde von Arneburg.

      2. Official privileged social class

        Nobility

        Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristics associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles or simply formal functions, and vary by country and by era. Membership in the nobility, including rights and responsibilities, is typically hereditary and patrilineal.

  129. 963

    1. Romanos II, Byzantine emperor deaths

      1. Byzantine emperor from 959 to 963

        Romanos II

        Romanos II Porphyrogenitus was Byzantine Emperor from 959 to 963. He succeeded his father Constantine VII at the age of twenty-one and died suddenly and mysteriously four years later. His son Basil II the Bulgar slayer would ultimately succeed him in 976.

  130. 493

    1. Odoacer, first king of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire (b. 433) deaths

      1. Germanic king of Italy (r. 476–493) and usurper of the Western Roman Empire

        Odoacer

        Flavius Odoacer, also spelled Odovacer or Odovacar, was a soldier and statesman of barbarian background, who deposed the child emperor Romulus Augustulus and became Rex/Dux (476–493). Odoacer's overthrow of Romulus Augustulus is traditionally seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire as well as Ancient Rome.

      2. Independently administered western provinces of the Roman Empire

        Western Roman Empire

        The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period from 395 to 476, where there were separate coequal courts dividing the governance of the empire in the Western and the Eastern provinces, with a distinct imperial succession in the separate courts. The terms Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire were coined in modern times to describe political entities that were de facto independent; contemporary Romans did not consider the Empire to have been split into two empires but viewed it as a single polity governed by two imperial courts as an administrative expediency. The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476, and the Western imperial court in Ravenna was formally dissolved by Justinian in 554. The Eastern imperial court survived until 1453.

  131. 220

    1. Cao Cao, Chinese general, warlord and statesman deaths

      1. Chinese warlord and statesman (155–220)

        Cao Cao

        Cao Cao, courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao laid the foundations for what became the state of Cao Wei, and he was posthumously honoured as "Emperor Wu of Wei", despite the fact that he never officially proclaimed himself Emperor of China or Son of Heaven. Cao Cao remains a controversial historical figure—he is often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant in literature, but he has also been praised as a brilliant ruler, military genius, and great poet possessing unrivalled charisma, who treated his subordinates like family.

  132. -44

    1. Julius Caesar, Roman general and statesman (b. 100 BC) deaths

      1. Roman general and dictator (100–44 BC)

        Julius Caesar

        Gaius Julius Caesar, was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and subsequently became dictator from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.

Holidays

  1. Christian feast day: Aristobulus of Britannia (Roman Catholic Church)

    1. 1st-century Christian bishop in Britannia and saint

      Aristobulus of Britannia

      Aristobulus of Britannia is a Christian saint named by Hippolytus of Rome (170–235) and Dorotheus of Gaza (505–565) as one of the Seventy Disciples mentioned in Luke 10:1–24 and as the first bishop in Roman Britain.

    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.

  2. Christian feast day: Clement Mary Hofbauer

    1. Austrian Redemptorist and saint

      Clement Mary Hofbauer

      Clement Mary Hofbauer was a Moravian hermit and later a priest of the Redemptorist congregation. He established the presence of his congregation, founded in Italy, north of the Alps, for which he is considered a co-founder of the congregation. He was greatly known for his lifelong dedication to the care of the poor during a tumultuous period of Europe's history, which left thousands in destitution. He worked to care for the Polish people, until he was expelled from there and moved to Austria.

  3. Christian feast day: Leocritia

    1. Christian martyrs in Medieval Islamic Spain

      Martyrs of Córdoba

      The Martyrs of Córdoba were forty-eight Christian martyrs who were executed under the rule of Muslim administration in Al-Andalus. The hagiographical treatise written by the Iberian Christian and Latinist scholar Eulogius of Córdoba describes in detail the executions of the martyrs for capital violations of Islamic law (sharīʿa), including apostasy and blasphemy. The martyrdoms recorded by Eulogius took place between 850 and 859 AD, which according to the Mālikī judges of al-Andalus broke the treaty signed between Muslims and their Christian subjects.

  4. Christian feast day: Saint Longinus

    1. Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus

      Longinus

      Longinus is the name given to the unnamed Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance and who in medieval and some modern Christian traditions is described as a convert to Christianity. His name first appeared in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. The lance is called in Christianity the "Holy Lance" (lancea) and the story is related in the Gospel of John during the Crucifixion. This act is said to have created the last of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ.

  5. Christian feast day: Louise de Marillac

    1. French Roman Catholic saint

      Louise de Marillac

      Louise de Marillac , also Louise Le Gras, was the co-founder, with Vincent de Paul, of the Daughters of Charity. She is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

  6. Christian feast day: March 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

    1. March 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

      March 14 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - March 16

  7. Constitution Day (Belarus)

    1. Public holidays in Belarus

      National holidays in Belarus are classified into state holidays and other holidays and commemorative days, including religious holidays. Nine of them are non-working days.

  8. International Day To Combat Islamophobia

    1. Worldwide annual observance to combat Islamophobia

      International Day To Combat Islamophobia

      International Day To Combat Islamophobia is an international observance designated by United Nations in 2022, taking place on 15 March every year in 140 countries worldwide. The purpose of observing this day is to show the true face of Islam to those who hate Islam. The date, March 15, was chosen as it is the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shootings, in which 51 people were killed.

  9. Joseph Jenkins Roberts' Birthday (Liberia)

    1. Public holidays in Liberia

      The following are public holidays in Liberia.

    2. Country in West Africa

      Liberia

      Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It has a population of around 5 million and covers an area of 43,000 square miles (111,369 km2). English is the official language, but over 20 indigenous languages are spoken, reflecting the country's ethnic and cultural diversity. The country's capital and largest city is Monrovia.

  10. National Day, celebrating the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 (Hungary)

    1. Public holidays in Hungary

      A number of public holidays and special events take place each year in Hungary.

    2. European Revolution of 1848

      Hungarian Revolution of 1848

      The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 or fully Hungarian Civic Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 was one of many European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. Although the revolution failed, it is one of the most significant events in Hungary's modern history, forming the cornerstone of modern Hungarian national identity.

  11. World Consumer Rights Day (International)

    1. United Nations body for consumer protection

      Consumers International

      Consumers International is the membership organization for consumer groups around the world. Founded on 1 April 1960, it has over 250 member organizations in 120 countries. Its head office is situated in London, England, and has numerous regional offices in Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

  12. Youth Day (Palau)

    1. Public holidays in Palau

      This is a list of holidays in Palau.