On This Day /

Important events in history
on November 18 th

Events

  1. 2020

    1. The Utah monolith, built sometime in 2016 is discovered by state biologists of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

      1. Modern structure of unknown origin in southern Utah

        Utah monolith

        The Utah monolith is a metal pillar that stood in a red sandstone slot canyon in northern San Juan County, Utah, United States. The pillar is 3 m (9.8 ft) tall and made of metal sheets riveted into a triangular prism. It was unlawfully placed on public land between July and October 2016; it stood unnoticed for over four years until its discovery and removal in late 2020. The identity of its makers is unknown, as are their objectives.

      2. Agency of the Utah state government, United States

        Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

        The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is part of the Utah Department of Natural Resources for the state of Utah in the United States. The mission of the Division of Wildlife Resources is to serve the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state's wildlife. In addition to managing and protecting Utah's wildlife, UDWR manages hunting and fishing opportunities within the state.

  2. 2017

    1. Cyclone Numa, a rare "medicane", made landfall in Greece to become the worst weather event that the country had experienced since 1977.

      1. Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone in 2017

        Cyclone Numa

        Cyclone Numa, also known as Medicane Numa, was a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone with the properties of a subtropical cyclone. Numa formed on 11 November 2017 west of the British Isles, out of the extratropical remnants of Tropical Storm Rina, the seventeenth named storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Subsequently, on 17 November, Numa acquired subtropical characteristics before reaching peak intensity on 18 November, becoming a rare "medicane". After making landfall in Greece on 18 November, Numa rapidly weakened, and was later absorbed into another extratropical storm on 20 November. The flooding triggered by Numa became the worst weather event Greece had experienced since 1977, and the storm caused an estimated $100 million in damages in Europe.

      2. Hurricane-like storms in the Mediterranean Sea

        Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone

        Mediterranean tropical-like cyclones, often referred to as medicanes but sometimes also as Mediterranean cyclones or as Mediterranean hurricanes, are meteorological phenomena occasionally observed over the Mediterranean Sea. On a few rare occasions, some storms have been observed reaching the strength of a Category 1 hurricane, on the Saffir–Simpson scale, and one storm has been recorded reaching Category 2 intensity. The main societal hazard posed by medicanes is not usually from destructive winds, but through life-threatening torrential rains and flash floods.

  3. 2014

    1. Two Palestinian men attacked the praying congregants of a synagogue in Jerusalem with axes, knives, and a gun, resulting in eight deaths, including the attackers themselves.

      1. Terrorist attack in Israel

        2014 Jerusalem synagogue attack

        On the morning of 18 November 2014, two Palestinian men from Jerusalem entered Kehilat Bnei Torah synagogue, in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem, and attacked the praying congregants with axes, knives, and a gun. They killed four dual-nationality worshippers, and critically wounded a responding Druze Israeli police officer, who later died of his wounds. They also injured seven male worshippers, one of whom never woke up from a coma and died 11 months later. The two attackers were then shot dead by the police.

  4. 2013

    1. NASA launches the MAVEN probe to Mars.

      1. American space and aeronautics agency

        NASA

        The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.

      2. NASA Mars orbiter

        MAVEN

        MAVEN is an American spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of its atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of the planet's climate and water. The spacecraft name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution" and also a word that means "a person who has special knowledge or experience; an expert". MAVEN was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 18 November 2013 UTC and went into orbit around Mars on 22 September 2014 UTC. The mission is the first by NASA to study the Mars atmosphere. The probe is analyzing the planet's upper atmosphere and ionosphere to examine how and at what rate the solar wind is stripping away volatile compounds.

      3. Fourth planet from the Sun

        Mars

        Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, and has a crust primarily composed of elements similar to Earth's crust, as well as a core made of iron and nickel. Mars has surface features such as impact craters, valleys, dunes and polar ice caps. It has two small and irregularly shaped moons, Phobos and Deimos.

  5. 2012

    1. Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria becomes the 118th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

      1. Head of the Coptic Church since 2012

        Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria

        Pope Tawadros II or Theodore II is the 118th and current pope of Alexandria and patriarch of the See of St. Mark the evangelist and apostle, succeeding the late Pope Shenouda III as leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He took office on 18 November 2012, two weeks after being selected.

      2. List of Coptic Orthodox popes

        The following is a list of all of the Coptic Orthodox popes who have led the Coptic Orthodox Church and have succeeded the Apostle Mark the Evangelist in the office of Bishop of Alexandria, who founded the Church in the 1st century, and marked the beginning of Christianity in Africa.

      3. Leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Egypt

        Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church

        The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, also known as the Bishop of Alexandria, is the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, with ancient Christian roots in Egypt. The current holder of this position is Pope Tawadros II, who was selected as the 118th pope on November 18, 2012.

  6. 2003

    1. With its ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court made the state the first in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage.

      1. 2003 US state court case which legalized gay marriage in Massachusetts

        Goodridge v. Department of Public Health

        Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, 798 N.E.2d 941, is a landmark Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court case in which the Court held that the Massachusetts Constitution requires the state to legally recognize same-sex marriage. The November 18, 2003, decision was the first by a U.S. state's highest court to find that same-sex couples had the right to marry. Despite numerous attempts to delay the ruling, and to reverse it, the first marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples on May 17, 2004, and the ruling has been in full effect since that date.

      2. Highest court in the U.S. state of Massachusetts

        Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

        The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Americas, with a recognized history dating to the establishment of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature in 1692 under the charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

      3. Marriage of persons of the same sex or gender

        Same-sex marriage

        Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. As of 2022, marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting some 1.35 billion people. In Andorra, a law allowing same-sex marriage will come into force on 17 February 2023.

    2. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules 4–3 in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and gives the state legislature 180 days to change the law making Massachusetts the first state in the United States to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples.

      1. Highest court in the U.S. state of Massachusetts

        Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

        The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Americas, with a recognized history dating to the establishment of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature in 1692 under the charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

      2. 2003 US state court case which legalized gay marriage in Massachusetts

        Goodridge v. Department of Public Health

        Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, 798 N.E.2d 941, is a landmark Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court case in which the Court held that the Massachusetts Constitution requires the state to legally recognize same-sex marriage. The November 18, 2003, decision was the first by a U.S. state's highest court to find that same-sex couples had the right to marry. Despite numerous attempts to delay the ruling, and to reverse it, the first marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples on May 17, 2004, and the ruling has been in full effect since that date.

  7. 2002

    1. Iraq disarmament crisis: United Nations weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix arrive in Iraq.

      1. Diplomatic crisis over Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction in the early 2000s

        Iraq disarmament crisis

        The Iraq disarmament crisis was claimed as one of primary issues that led to the multinational invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003. Since the 1980s, Iraq was widely assumed to have been producing and extensively running the programs of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. Iraq made extensive use of chemical weapons during the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s, including against its own Kurdish population. France and the Soviet Union assisted Iraq in the development of its nuclear program, but its primary facility was destroyed by Israel in 1981 in a surprise air strike.

      2. Intergovernmental organization

        United Nations

        The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. It is the world's largest and most familiar international organization. The UN is headquartered on international territory in New York City, and has other main offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, and The Hague.

      3. Swedish politician

        Hans Blix

        Hans Martin Blix is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. As such, Blix was the first Western representative to inspect the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union on site, and led the agency response to them. Blix was also the head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission from March 2000 to June 2003, when he was succeeded by Dimitris Perrikos. In 2002, the commission began searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, ultimately finding none. On 17 March 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush delivered an address from the White House announcing that within 48 hours, the United States would invade Iraq unless Saddam Hussein would leave. Bush then ordered all of the weapons inspectors, including Blix's team, to leave Iraq so that America and its allies could invade Iraq on 20 March. In February 2010, Blix became head of the United Arab Emirates' advisory board for its nuclear power program. He is the former president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations.

      4. Country in Western Asia

        Iraq

        Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the southwest and Syria to the west. The capital and largest city is Baghdad. Iraq is home to diverse ethnic groups including Iraqi Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Armenians, Yazidis, Mandaeans, Persians and Shabakis with similarly diverse geography and wildlife. The vast majority of the country's 44 million residents are Muslims – the notable other faiths are Christianity, Yazidism, Mandaeism, Yarsanism and Zoroastrianism. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish; others also recognised in specific regions are Neo-Aramaic, Turkish and Armenian.

  8. 1999

    1. Texas A&M University's Aggie Bonfire collapsed, killing 12 people and injuring 27 others, and causing the university to officially declare a hiatus on the 90-year-old annual event.

      1. Public university in College Station, Texas, U.S.

        Texas A&M University

        Texas A&M University is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, Texas A&M has the largest student body in the United States, and is the only university in Texas to hold simultaneous designations as a land, sea, and space grant institution. In 2001, it was inducted into the Association of American Universities. The university's students, alumni, and sports teams are known as Aggies, and its athletes compete in eighteen varsity sports as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

      2. Former tradition at Texas A&M University

        Aggie Bonfire

        The Aggie Bonfire was a long-standing annual tradition at Texas A&M University as part of the college rivalry with the University of Texas at Austin. For 90 years, Texas A&M students—known as Aggies—built a bonfire on campus each autumn, known to the Aggie community simply as "Bonfire". The event symbolized Aggie students' "burning desire to beat the hell outta t.u.", a derogatory nickname for the University of Texas.

      3. Fatal accident at Texas A&M University

        1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse

        The 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse occurred at approximately 2:42 a.m. on November 18, 1999 in College Station, Texas, United States. The annual Aggie Bonfire at Texas A&M University collapsed during its construction, killing 12 people and injuring 27.

    2. At Texas A&M University, the Aggie Bonfire collapses killing 12 students and injuring 27 others.

      1. Former tradition at Texas A&M University

        Aggie Bonfire

        The Aggie Bonfire was a long-standing annual tradition at Texas A&M University as part of the college rivalry with the University of Texas at Austin. For 90 years, Texas A&M students—known as Aggies—built a bonfire on campus each autumn, known to the Aggie community simply as "Bonfire". The event symbolized Aggie students' "burning desire to beat the hell outta t.u.", a derogatory nickname for the University of Texas.

  9. 1996

    1. A fire occurs on a train traveling through the Channel Tunnel from France to England causing several injuries and damaging approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) of tunnel.

      1. Non-fatal train incident

        1996 Channel Tunnel fire

        The Channel Tunnel fire of 18 November 1996 occurred on a train carrying Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) and their drivers through the Channel Tunnel from France to the United Kingdom (UK). The fire was seen on the train as it entered the tunnel and, in line with the policy at the time, an attempt was made to drive to the UK where the fire would be dealt with. However, after an indication of a serious problem with the train, the driver stopped at 21:58 CET, 19 kilometres (12 mi) into the tunnel. The locomotive and passenger coach were rapidly enveloped in thick smoke, and the locomotive lost power. Reconfiguration of the tunnel ventilation systems was delayed, but by 22:30 all passengers and crew were safe, in the service tunnel, with minor injuries.

      2. Undersea rail tunnel linking France and England

        Channel Tunnel

        The Channel Tunnel , also known as the Chunnel, is a 50.46-kilometre (31.35 mi) railway tunnel that connects Folkestone with Coquelles beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. It is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland. At its lowest point, it is 75 metres (250 ft) deep below the sea bed and 115 metres (380 ft) below sea level. At 37.9 kilometres (23.5 mi), it has the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world, and is the third longest railway tunnel in the world. The speed limit for trains through the tunnel is 160 kilometres per hour (100 mph). The tunnel is owned and operated by the company Getlink, formerly "Groupe Eurotunnel".

  10. 1993

    1. In the United States, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is approved by the House of Representatives.

      1. Agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States

        North American Free Trade Agreement

        The North American Free Trade Agreement was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994, and superseded the 1988 Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Canada. The NAFTA trade bloc formed one of the largest trade blocs in the world by gross domestic product.

      2. Lower house of the United States Congress

        United States House of Representatives

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

    2. In South Africa, 21 political parties approve a new constitution, expanding voting rights and ending white minority rule.

      1. Supreme and fundamental law of South Africa

        Constitution of South Africa

        The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, it sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the Government. The current constitution, the country's fifth, was drawn up by the Parliament elected in 1994 in the South African general election, 1994. It was promulgated by President Nelson Mandela on 18 December 1996 and came into effect on 4 February 1997, replacing the Interim Constitution of 1993. The first constitution was enacted by the South Africa Act 1909, the longest-lasting to date. Since 1961, the constitutions have promulgated a republican form of government.

  11. 1991

    1. The current flag of Uzbekistan was adopted, making the country the first newly independent republic in Central Asia to choose a new flag.

      1. National flag

        Flag of Uzbekistan

        The flag of Uzbekistan consists of three horizontal azure, white and green bands separated by two thin red fimbriations, with a crescent moon and twelve stars at the canton. Adopted in 1991 to replace the flag of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), it has been the flag of the Republic of Uzbekistan since the country gained independence in that same year. The design of the present flag was partly inspired by the former one.

      2. States established following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991

        Post-Soviet states

        The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad, are the 15 sovereign states that were union republics of the Soviet Union, which emerged and re-emerged from the Soviet Union following its dissolution in 1991.

    2. Croatian War of Independence: The Yugoslav People's Army captured the Croatian city of Vukovar, ending an 87-day siege.

      1. 1991–95 war during the Yugoslav Wars

        Croatian War of Independence

        The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat operations in Croatia by 1992. In Croatia, the war is primarily referred to as the "Homeland War" and also as the "Greater-Serbian Aggression". In Serbian sources, "War in Croatia" and (rarely) "War in Krajina" are used.

      2. Armed forces of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

        Yugoslav People's Army

        The Yugoslav People's Army, also called the Yugoslav National Army, was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its antecedents from 1945 to 1992.

      3. City in Podunavlje, Croatia

        Vukovar

        Vukovar is a city in Croatia, in the eastern region of Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube. Vukovar is the seat of Vukovar-Syrmia County and the second largest city in the county after Vinkovci. The city's registered population was 22,616 in the 2021 census, with a total of 23,536 in the municipality.

      4. 1991 Croatian War of Independence siege

        Battle of Vukovar

        The Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Baroque town was a prosperous, mixed community of Croats, Serbs and other ethnic groups. As Yugoslavia began to break up, Serbia's President Slobodan Milošević and Croatia's President Franjo Tuđman began pursuing nationalist politics. In 1990, an armed insurrection was started by Croatian Serb militias, supported by the Serbian government and paramilitary groups, who seized control of Serb-populated areas of Croatia. The JNA began to intervene in favour of the rebellion, and conflict broke out in the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia in May 1991. In August, the JNA launched a full-scale attack against Croatian-held territory in eastern Slavonia, including Vukovar.

    3. Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon release Anglican Church envoys Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland.

      1. Second-most populous Islamic denomination

        Shia Islam

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

      2. Country in Western Asia

        Lebanon

        Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lies to its west across the Mediterranean Sea; its location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has contributed to its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious diversity. It is part of the Levant region of the Middle East. Lebanon is home to roughly six million people and covers an area of 10,452 square kilometres (4,036 sq mi), making it the second smallest country in continental Asia. The official language of the state is Arabic, while French is also formally recognized; the Lebanese dialect of Arabic is used alongside Modern Standard Arabic throughout the country.

      3. International association of churches

        Anglican Communion

        The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The traditional origins of Anglican doctrine are summarised in the Thirty-nine Articles (1571). The Archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, recognised as primus inter parescode: lat promoted to code: la , but does not exercise authority in Anglican provinces outside of the Church of England. Most, but not all, member churches of the communion are the historic national or regional Anglican churches.

      4. English humanitarian

        Terry Waite

        Terence Hardy Waite is an English humanitarian and author.

      5. American academic and hostage (1931–2016)

        Thomas Sutherland (academic)

        Thomas Sutherland, Dean of Agriculture at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, was kidnapped by Islamic Jihad members near his Beirut home on June 9, 1985. He was released on November 18, 1991 at the same time as Terry Waite, having been held hostage for 2,353 days.

    4. After an 87-day siege, the Croatian city of Vukovar capitulates to the besieging Yugoslav People's Army and allied Serb paramilitary forces.

      1. 1991 Croatian War of Independence siege

        Battle of Vukovar

        The Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Baroque town was a prosperous, mixed community of Croats, Serbs and other ethnic groups. As Yugoslavia began to break up, Serbia's President Slobodan Milošević and Croatia's President Franjo Tuđman began pursuing nationalist politics. In 1990, an armed insurrection was started by Croatian Serb militias, supported by the Serbian government and paramilitary groups, who seized control of Serb-populated areas of Croatia. The JNA began to intervene in favour of the rebellion, and conflict broke out in the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia in May 1991. In August, the JNA launched a full-scale attack against Croatian-held territory in eastern Slavonia, including Vukovar.

      2. Country in Southeast Europe

        Croatia

        Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe. It shares a coastline along the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Italy to the west and southwest. Croatia's capital and largest city, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, with twenty counties. The country spans an area of 56,594 square kilometres, hosting a population of nearly 3.9 million.

      3. City in Podunavlje, Croatia

        Vukovar

        Vukovar is a city in Croatia, in the eastern region of Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube. Vukovar is the seat of Vukovar-Syrmia County and the second largest city in the county after Vinkovci. The city's registered population was 22,616 in the 2021 census, with a total of 23,536 in the municipality.

    5. The autonomous Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia, which would in 1993 become a republic, was established in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

      1. Unrecognized proto-state in the Balkans (1991–1996); now part of Bosnia and Herzegovina

        Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia

        The Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia was an unrecognized geopolitical entity and quasi-state in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was proclaimed on 18 November 1991 under the name Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia as a "political, cultural, economic and territorial whole" in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and abolished on 14 August 1996.

      2. Country in Southeast Europe

        Bosnia and Herzegovina

        Bosnia and Herzegovina, abbreviated BiH or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest. In the south it has a narrow coast on the Adriatic Sea within the Mediterranean, which is about 20 kilometres long and surrounds the town of Neum. Bosnia, which is the inland region of the country, has a moderate continental climate with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. In the central and eastern regions of the country, the geography is mountainous, in the northwest it is moderately hilly, and in the northeast it is predominantly flat. Herzegovina, which is the smaller, southern region of the country, has a Mediterranean climate and is mostly mountainous. Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city of the country followed by Banja Luka, Tuzla and Zenica.

  12. 1987

    1. An underground fire killed 31 people at King's Cross St Pancras tube station in London.

      1. 1987 fire in King's Cross St Pancras tube station, London, England

        King's Cross fire

        The King's Cross fire was a 1987 fire in a London Underground station with 31 fatalities, after a fire under a wooden escalator suddenly spread into the underground ticket hall in a flashover.

      2. London Underground station

        King's Cross St Pancras tube station

        King's Cross St Pancras is a London Underground station on Euston Road in the Borough of Camden, Central London. It serves King's Cross and St Pancras main line stations in fare zone 1, and is an interchange between six Underground lines. The station was one of the first to open on the network. As of 2021, it is the most used station on the network for passenger entrances and exits combined.

    2. King's Cross fire: In London, 31 people die in a fire at the city's busiest underground station, King's Cross St Pancras.

      1. 1987 fire in King's Cross St Pancras tube station, London, England

        King's Cross fire

        The King's Cross fire was a 1987 fire in a London Underground station with 31 fatalities, after a fire under a wooden escalator suddenly spread into the underground ticket hall in a flashover.

      2. Public rapid transit system in London, UK

        London Underground

        The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.

      3. London Underground station

        King's Cross St Pancras tube station

        King's Cross St Pancras is a London Underground station on Euston Road in the Borough of Camden, Central London. It serves King's Cross and St Pancras main line stations in fare zone 1, and is an interchange between six Underground lines. The station was one of the first to open on the network. As of 2021, it is the most used station on the network for passenger entrances and exits combined.

  13. 1985

    1. Calvin and Hobbes, a comic strip by Bill Watterson that was at its height one of the most popular in the world, was first published.

      1. Comic strip by Bill Watterson

        Calvin and Hobbes

        Calvin and Hobbes is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly cited as "the last great newspaper comic", Calvin and Hobbes has enjoyed broad and enduring popularity, influence, and academic and philosophical interest.

      2. American cartoonist (born 1958)

        Bill Watterson

        William Boyd Watterson II is a retired American cartoonist and the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, which was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. Watterson stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes at the end of 1995, with a short statement to newspaper editors and his readers that he felt he had achieved all he could in the medium. Watterson is known for his negative views on comic syndication and licensing, his efforts to expand and elevate the newspaper comic as an art form, and his move back into private life after he stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes. Watterson was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The suburban Midwestern United States setting of Ohio was part of the inspiration for Calvin and Hobbes.

  14. 1978

    1. Jim Jones led more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple to mass murder/suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, hours after some of its members assassinated U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan.

      1. American cult leader (1931–1978)

        Jim Jones

        James Warren Jones was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", Jones and the members of his inner circle orchestrated a mass murder–suicide in his remote jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Jones and the events which occurred at Jonestown have had a defining influence on society's perception of cults.

      2. American religious movement (1954–1978)

        Peoples Temple

        The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, originally Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church and commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978. Founded in Indianapolis, Indiana by Reverend Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple spread a message that combined elements of Christianity with communist and socialist ideology, with an emphasis on racial equality. After Jones moved the group to California in the 1960s and established several locations throughout the state, including its headquarters in San Francisco, the Temple forged ties with many left-wing political figures and claimed to have 20,000 members.

      3. Peoples Temple cult settlement in Guyana

        Jonestown

        The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.–based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became internationally infamous when, on November 18, 1978, a total of 909 people died at the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and at a Temple-run building in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city. The name of the settlement became synonymous with the incidents at those locations.

      4. American politician

        Leo Ryan

        Leo Joseph Ryan Jr. was an American teacher and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. representative from California's 11th congressional district from 1973 until his assassination during the Jonestown massacre in 1978. Before that, he served in the California State Assembly, representing the state's 27th district.

    2. The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet makes its first flight, at the Naval Air Test Center in Maryland, United States.

      1. Carrier-based strike fighter aircraft

        McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

        The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft. Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The Hornet is also used by the air forces of several other nations, and formerly by the U.S. Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels.

      2. Military naval air station and flight test centre in Maryland, United States

        Naval Air Station Patuxent River

        Naval Air Station Patuxent River, also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River.

      3. U.S. state

        Maryland

        Maryland is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. Baltimore is the largest city in the state, and the capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State. It is named after Henrietta Maria, the French-born queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, who was known then in England as Mary.

    3. In Jonestown, Guyana, Jim Jones leads his Peoples Temple to a mass murder–suicide that claimed 918 lives in all, 909 of them in Jonestown itself, including over 270 children.

      1. Peoples Temple cult settlement in Guyana

        Jonestown

        The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.–based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became internationally infamous when, on November 18, 1978, a total of 909 people died at the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and at a Temple-run building in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city. The name of the settlement became synonymous with the incidents at those locations.

      2. American cult leader (1931–1978)

        Jim Jones

        James Warren Jones was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", Jones and the members of his inner circle orchestrated a mass murder–suicide in his remote jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Jones and the events which occurred at Jonestown have had a defining influence on society's perception of cults.

      3. American religious movement (1954–1978)

        Peoples Temple

        The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, originally Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church and commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978. Founded in Indianapolis, Indiana by Reverend Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple spread a message that combined elements of Christianity with communist and socialist ideology, with an emphasis on racial equality. After Jones moved the group to California in the 1960s and established several locations throughout the state, including its headquarters in San Francisco, the Temple forged ties with many left-wing political figures and claimed to have 20,000 members.

      4. Act in which a person kills one or more other people as well as themselves

        Murder–suicide

        A murder-suicide is an act in which an individual kills more than one person either before or while killing themselves. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms:Murder linked with suicide of a person with a homicidal ideation Murder which entails suicide, such as suicide bombing or the deliberate crash of a vehicle carrying the perpetrator and others Murder of an officer or bystander during the act of suicide by cop Suicide after murder to escape criminal punishment(s) Suicide after murder as a form of self-punishment due to guilt Suicide before or after murder by proxy Suicide after or during murder inflicted by others Murder to receive a death sentence willfully Joint suicide in the form of killing the other with consent, and then killing oneself

  15. 1971

    1. Oman declares its independence from the United Kingdom.

      1. Country in Western Asia

        Oman

        Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Oman shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, while sharing maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the United Arab Emirates on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries. Muscat is the nation's capital and largest city.

      2. Country in north-west Europe

        United Kingdom

        The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is 242,495 square kilometres (93,628 sq mi), with an estimated 2020 population of more than 67 million people.

  16. 1970

    1. U.S. President Richard Nixon asks the U.S. Congress for $155 million in supplemental aid for the Cambodian government.

      1. President of the United States from 1969 to 1974

        Richard Nixon

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

      2. 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.

      3. Country in Southeast Asia

        Cambodia

        Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of 181,035 square kilometres, bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. The capital and largest city is Phnom Penh.

  17. 1963

    1. The first push-button telephone goes into service.

      1. Telephone which has buttons or keys for dialing

        Push-button telephone

        The push-button telephone is a telephone that has buttons or keys for dialing a telephone number, in contrast to having a rotary dial as in earlier telephone instruments.

  18. 1961

    1. United States President John F. Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam.

      1. President of the United States from 1961 to 1963

        John F. Kennedy

        John Fitzgerald Kennedy, often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination near the end of his third year in office. Kennedy was the youngest person to assume the presidency by election. He was also the youngest president at the end of his tenure. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his work as president concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. A Democrat, he represented Massachusetts in both houses of the U.S. Congress prior to his presidency.

      2. Country in Southeast Asia from 1955 to 1975

        South Vietnam

        South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam, was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of the Cold War after the 1954 division of Vietnam. It first received international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with its capital at Saigon, before becoming a republic in 1955. South Vietnam was bordered by North Vietnam to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and Thailand across the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. Its sovereignty was recognized by the United States and 87 other nations, though it failed to gain admission into the United Nations as a result of a Soviet veto in 1957. It was succeeded by the Republic of South Vietnam in 1975.

  19. 1956

    1. At the Polish embassy in Moscow, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev said "We will bury you" while addressing Western envoys, prompting them to leave the room.

      1. Leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964

        Nikita Khrushchev

        Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev stunned the communist world with his denunciation of Stalin's crimes, and embarked on a policy of de-Stalinization with his key ally Anastas Mikoyan. He sponsored the early Soviet space program, and enactment of moderate reforms in domestic policy. After some false starts, and a narrowly avoided nuclear war over Cuba, he conducted successful negotiations with the United States to reduce Cold War tensions. In 1964, the Kremlin leadership stripped him of power, replacing him with Leonid Brezhnev as First Secretary and Alexei Kosygin as Premier.

      2. Quote by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev

        We will bury you

        "We will bury you" is a phrase that was used by Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev while addressing Western ambassadors at a reception at the Polish embassy in Moscow on November 18, 1956. The phrase was originally translated into English by Khrushchev's personal interpreter Viktor Sukhodrev. The phrase was received very negatively by contemporary Western audiences, but modern translators have suggested the phrase was mistranslated or taken out of context.

  20. 1949

    1. The Iva Valley Shooting occurs after the coal miners of Enugu in Nigeria go on strike over withheld wages; 21 miners are shot dead and 51 are wounded by police under the supervision of the British colonial administration of Nigeria.

      1. Locality in Enugu, Nigeria

        Iva Valley

        Iva Valley is a locality located in the Nigerian city of Enugu in Enugu State. The Iva Valley is named after a valley in the area which bears the same name. The locality is the site of the Iva Valley Coal Mine. The Iva Valley is famed in Enugu for the events of November 18, 1949 when 21 miners were shot dead by policemen while striking.

      2. Capital city of Enugu state, Nigeria

        Enugu

        Enugu is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Énú Ụ́gwụ́, meaning "hill top", denoting the city's hilly geography.

      3. Country in West Africa

        Nigeria

        Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic Ocean. It covers an area of 923,769 square kilometres (356,669 sq mi), and with a population of over 225 million, it is the most populous country in Africa, and the world's sixth-most populous country. Nigeria borders Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west. Nigeria is a federal republic comprising 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Abuja, is located. The largest city in Nigeria is Lagos, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and the second-largest in Africa.

      4. Work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work

        Strike action

        Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the Industrial Revolution, when mass labor became important in factories and mines. As striking became a more common practice, governments were often pushed to act. When government intervention occurred, it was rarely neutral or amicable. Early strikes were often deemed unlawful conspiracies or anti-competitive cartel action and many were subject to massive legal repression by state police, federal military power, and federal courts. Many Western nations legalized striking under certain conditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

      5. British colony and protectorate from 1914 to 1960

        Colonial Nigeria

        Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain annexed Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River Protectorate in 1884. British influence in the Niger area increased gradually over the 19th century, but Britain did not effectively occupy the area until 1885. Other European powers acknowledged Britain's dominance over the area in the 1885 Berlin Conference.

  21. 1947

    1. The Ballantyne's Department Store fire in Christchurch, New Zealand, kills 41; it is the worst fire disaster in the history of New Zealand.

      1. 1947 fire in Christchurch, New Zealand

        Ballantyne's fire

        On Tuesday, 18 November 1947, a fire engulfed Ballantynes department store in central Christchurch, New Zealand. 41 people died; 39 employees and two auditors, who found themselves trapped by the fire, or were overcome by smoke while evacuating the store complex without a fire alarm or evacuation plan. It remains the deadliest fire in New Zealand history.

      2. City in the South Island of New Zealand

        Christchurch

        Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park along its banks. The city's territorial authority population is 389,300 people, and includes a number of smaller urban areas as well as rural areas. The population of the urban area is 377,900 people. Christchurch is the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand, after Auckland. It is the major urban area of an emerging sub-region known informally as Greater Christchurch. Notable smaller urban areas within this sub-region include Rangiora and Kaiapoi in Waimakariri District, north of the Waimakariri River, and Rolleston and Lincoln in Selwyn District to the south.

  22. 1944

    1. The Popular Socialist Youth is founded in Cuba.

      1. Cuban youth organization; part of the Popular Socialist Party

        Popular Socialist Youth

        The Popular Socialist Youth was a youth organization in Cuba, the youth wing of the Popular Socialist Party. Raúl Valdés Vivó was the general secretary of the organization. By 1960, the organization was estimated to have around 13,000 members. Raúl Castro was a member of the organization for some time.

      2. Island country in the Caribbean

        Cuba

        Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of both the American state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola, and north of both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Havana is the largest city and capital; other major cities include Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey. The official area of the Republic of Cuba is 109,884 km2 (42,426 sq mi) but a total of 350,730 km² including the exclusive economic zone. Cuba is the second-most populous country in the Caribbean after Haiti, with over 11 million inhabitants.

  23. 1943

    1. World War II: Battle of Berlin: Four hundred and forty Royal Air Force planes bomb Berlin causing only light damage and killing 131. The RAF loses nine aircraft and 53 air crew.

      1. Bomber attacks, 1943-44, WWII

        Battle of Berlin (RAF campaign)

        The Battle of Berlin was a bombing campaign against Berlin by RAF Bomber Command along with raids on other German cities to keep German defences dispersed. Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) Bomber Command, believed that "We can wreck Berlin from end to end if the USAAF come in with us. It will cost us between 400 and 500 aircraft. It will cost Germany the war".

      2. Aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces

        Royal Air Force

        The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Following the Allied victory over the Central Powers in 1918, the RAF emerged as the largest air force in the world at the time. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history. In particular, it played a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain.

  24. 1940

    1. World War II: German leader Adolf Hitler and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano meet to discuss Benito Mussolini's disastrous Italian invasion of Greece.

      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. Dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945

        Adolf Hitler

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

      3. Italian diplomat and politician

        Galeazzo Ciano

        Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari was an Italian diplomat and politician who served as Foreign Minister in the government of his father-in-law, Benito Mussolini, from 1936 until 1943. During this period, he was widely seen as Mussolini's most probable successor as head of government.

      4. Dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943

        Benito Mussolini

        Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 1943, and "Duce" of Italian Fascism from the establishment of the Italian Fasces of Combat in 1919 until his execution in 1945 by Italian partisans. As dictator of Italy and principal founder of fascism, Mussolini inspired and supported the international spread of fascist movements during the inter-war period.

      5. 1940–1941 conflict

        Greco-Italian War

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

  25. 1929

    1. Grand Banks earthquake: Off the south coast of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean, a Richter magnitude 7.2 submarine earthquake, centered on the Grand Banks, breaks 12 submarine transatlantic telegraph cables and triggers a tsunami that destroys many south coast communities in the Burin Peninsula.

      1. 1929 earthquake and tsunami in eastern Canada

        1929 Grand Banks earthquake

        The 1929 Grand Banks earthquake occurred on November 18, 1929. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.2 and a maximum Rossi–Forel intensity of VI and was centered in the Atlantic Ocean off the south coast of Newfoundland in the Laurentian Slope Seismic Zone.

      2. Island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

        Newfoundland (island)

        Newfoundland is a large island off the east coast of the North American mainland and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It has 29 percent of the province's land area. The island is separated from the Labrador Peninsula by the Strait of Belle Isle and from Cape Breton Island by the Cabot Strait. It blocks the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, creating the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary. Newfoundland's nearest neighbour is the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

      3. Measure of an earthquake's strength

        Richter magnitude scale

        The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 paper, where he called it the "magnitude scale". This was later revised and renamed the local magnitude scale, denoted as ML or ML .

      4. Group of underwater plateaus south-east of Newfoundland, Canada

        Grand Banks of Newfoundland

        The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordfish, haddock and capelin, as well as shellfish, seabirds and sea mammals.

      5. Decommissioned undersea telegraph cable

        Transatlantic telegraph cable

        Transatlantic telegraph cables were undersea cables running under the Atlantic Ocean for telegraph communications. Telegraphy is now an obsolete form of communication, and the cables have long since been decommissioned, but telephone and data are still carried on other transatlantic telecommunications cables. The first cable was laid in the 1850s from Valentia Island off the west coast of Ireland to Bay of Bulls, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. The first communications occurred on 16 August 1858, but the line speed was poor, and efforts to improve it caused the cable to fail after three weeks.

      6. Series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water

        Tsunami

        A tsunami is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by wind, or tides, which are in turn generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, a tsunami is generated by the displacement of water from a large event.

      7. Peninsula on the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada

        Burin Peninsula

        The Burin Peninsula is a peninsula located on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Marystown is the largest population centre on the peninsula.

  26. 1928

    1. Release of the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, featuring the third appearances of cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. This is considered by the Disney corporation to be Mickey's birthday.

      1. 1928 American animated short film

        Steamboat Willie

        Steamboat Willie is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It was produced in black and white by Walt Disney Studios and was released by Celebrity Productions. The cartoon is considered the debut of Mickey Mouse and his wife Minnie, although both characters appeared several months earlier in a test screening of Plane Crazy. Steamboat Willie was the third of Mickey's films to be produced, but it was the first to be distributed, because Walt Disney, having seen The Jazz Singer, had committed himself to produce one of the first fully synchronized sound cartoons.

      2. Type of two-dimensional visual art

        Cartoon

        A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images intended for satire, caricature, or humor; or a motion picture that relies on a sequence of illustrations for its animation. Someone who creates cartoons in the first sense is called a cartoonist, and in the second sense they are usually called an animator.

      3. American animator and producer (1901–1966)

        Walt Disney

        Walter Elias Disney was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned and nominations by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress and have also been named as some of the greatest films ever by the American Film Institute. Disney was the first person to be nominated for Academy Awards in six different categories.

      4. American animator and special effects pioneer (1901–1971)

        Ub Iwerks

        Ubbe Ert Iwwerks, known as Ub Iwerks, was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, and special effects technician. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Iwerks grew up with a contentious relationship with his father, who abandoned him as a child. Iwerks met fellow artist Walt Disney while working at a Kansas City art studio in 1919. After briefly working as illustrators for a local newspaper company, Disney and Iwerks ventured into animation together. Iwerks joined Disney as chief animator on the Laugh-O-Gram shorts series beginning in 1922, but a studio bankruptcy would cause Disney to relocate to Los Angeles in 1923. In the new studio, Iwerks continued to work with Disney on the Alice Comedies as well as the creation of the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit character. Following the first Oswald short, both Universal Pictures and the Winkler Pictures production company insisted that the Oswald character be redesigned. At the insistence of Disney, Iwerks designed a number of new characters for the studio, including designs that would be used for Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar.

      5. Disney cartoon character and mascot

        Mickey Mouse

        Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves. Taking inspiration from such silent film personalities as Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp, Mickey is traditionally characterized as a sympathetic underdog who gets by on pluck and ingenuity. The character’s status as a small mouse was personified through his diminutive stature and falsetto voice, the latter of which was originally provided by Disney. Mickey is one of the world's most recognizable and universally acclaimed fictional characters of all time.

      6. Disney cartoon character

        Minnie Mouse

        Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasionally with ribbons on them. The Mickey Mouse comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse, although this is seldom used.

  27. 1918

    1. Latvia declares its independence from Russia.

      1. Country in Northern Europe

        Latvia

        Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the Baltic states; and is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts; and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population.

  28. 1916

    1. World War I: First Battle of the Somme: In France, British Expeditionary Force commander Douglas Haig calls off the battle which started on July 1, 1916.

      1. Global war, 1914–1918

        World War I

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

      2. WWI battle pitting France and Britain against Germany

        Battle of the Somme

        The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on both sides of the upper reaches of the Somme, a river in France. The battle was intended to hasten a victory for the Allies. More than three million men fought in the battle of whom one million were wounded or killed, making it one of the deadliest battles in human history.

      3. Six army divisions on the Western Front

        British Expeditionary Force (World War I)

        The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the six-divisions the British Army sent to the Western Front during the First World War. Planning for a British Expeditionary Force began with the 1906–1912 Haldane reforms of the British Army carried out by the Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane following the Second Boer War (1899–1902).

      4. British Field Marshal (1861–1928)

        Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig

        Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until the end of the war. He was commander during the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Arras, the Third Battle of Ypres, the German Spring Offensive, and the Hundred Days Offensive.

  29. 1910

    1. In their campaign for women's voting rights, hundreds of suffragettes march to the British Parliament in London. Several are beaten by police, newspaper attention embarrasses the authorities, and the march is dubbed Black Friday.

      1. Women who advocated for women's right to vote

        Suffragette

        A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members of the British Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a women-only movement founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst, which engaged in direct action and civil disobedience. In 1906, a reporter writing in the Daily Mail coined the term suffragette for the WSPU, derived from suffragist, in order to belittle the women advocating women's suffrage. The militants embraced the new name, even adopting it for use as the title of the newspaper published by the WSPU.

      2. Meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

        Palace of Westminster

        The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the City of Westminster, in central London, England.

      3. Women's suffrage event on 18 November 1910

        Black Friday (1910)

        Black Friday was a suffragette demonstration in London on 18 November 1910, in which 300 women marched to the Houses of Parliament as part of their campaign to secure voting rights for women. The day earned its name from the violence meted out to protesters, some of it sexual, by the Metropolitan Police and male bystanders.

  30. 1909

    1. Two United States warships are sent to Nicaragua after 500 revolutionaries (including two Americans) are executed by order of José Santos Zelaya.

      1. Ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare

        Warship

        A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuverable than merchant ships. Unlike a merchant ship, which carries cargo, a warship typically carries only weapons, ammunition and supplies for its crew. Warships usually belong to a navy, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations.

      2. Country in Central America

        Nicaragua

        Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the largest country in the Central American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the northwest, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Managua is the country's capital and largest city. As of 2015, it was estimated to be the second largest city in Central America. The multi-ethnic population of six million includes people of mestizo, indigenous, European and African heritage. The main language is Spanish. Indigenous tribes on the Mosquito Coast speak their own languages and English.

      3. Person who advocates for, or participates in, a revolution

        Revolutionary

        A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term revolutionary can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.

      4. President of Nicaragua from 1893 to 1909

        José Santos Zelaya

        José Santos Zelaya López was the President of Nicaragua from 25 July 1893 to 21 December 1909.

  31. 1905

    1. Prince Carl of Denmark becomes King Haakon VII of Norway.

      1. King of Norway from 1905 to 1957

        Haakon VII of Norway

        Haakon VII was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957.

  32. 1903

    1. The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty is signed by the United States and Panama, giving the United States exclusive rights over the Panama Canal Zone.

      1. 1903 treaty between U.S. and Panama establishing the Panama Canal Zone

        Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty

        The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty was a treaty signed on November 18, 1903, by the United States and Panama, which established the Panama Canal Zone and the subsequent construction of the Panama Canal. It was named after its two primary negotiators, Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, the French diplomatic representative of Panama, and United States Secretary of State John Hay.

      2. Country spanning North and South America

        Panama

        Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Its capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half the country's 4 million people.

      3. Former unincorporated territory of the United States surrounded by the Republic of Panama

        Panama Canal Zone

        The Panama Canal Zone, also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the territory of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending five miles (8 km) on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón. Its capital was Balboa.

  33. 1901

    1. Britain and the United States sign the Hay–Pauncefote Treaty, which nullifies the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty and withdraws British objections to an American-controlled canal in Panama.

      1. 1901 treaty between the United States and Great Britain

        Hay–Pauncefote Treaty

        The Hay–Pauncefote Treaty is a treaty signed by the United States and Great Britain on 18 November 1901, as a legal preliminary to the U.S. building of the Panama Canal. It nullified the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty of 1850 and gave the United States the right to create and control a canal across the Central American isthmus to connect the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. In the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty, both nations had renounced building such a canal under the sole control of one nation.

      2. 1850 treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom

        Clayton–Bulwer Treaty

        The Clayton–Bulwer Treaty was a treaty signed in 1850 between the United States and the United Kingdom. The treaty was negotiated by John M. Clayton and Sir Henry Bulwer, amidst growing tensions between the two nations over Central America, a region where the British had traditionally held strong influence but also saw increasing American expansion into the area. The treaty proved instrumental in preventing the outbreak of war between the two nations-resolving tensions over American plans to construct a Nicaraguan Canal that would connect the Pacific and the Atlantic. There were three main provisions in the treaty: neither nation would build such a canal without the consent and cooperation of the other; neither would fortify nor found new colonies in the region; when a canal was built, both powers would guarantee that it would be available on a neutral basis for all shipping. Construction on the proposed canal never came to fruition, although the treaty remained in effect until 1901.

  34. 1883

    1. American and Canadian railroads institute five standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.

      1. Area that observes a uniform standard time

        Time zone

        A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it is convenient for areas in frequent communication to keep the same time.

  35. 1872

    1. American suffragette Susan B. Anthony was arrested and fined $100 for having voted in the presidential election two weeks earlier.

      1. Women who advocated for women's right to vote

        Suffragette

        A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members of the British Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a women-only movement founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst, which engaged in direct action and civil disobedience. In 1906, a reporter writing in the Daily Mail coined the term suffragette for the WSPU, derived from suffragist, in order to belittle the women advocating women's suffrage. The militants embraced the new name, even adopting it for use as the title of the newspaper published by the WSPU.

      2. American women's rights activist (1820–1906)

        Susan B. Anthony

        Susan B. Anthony was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to social equality, she collected anti-slavery petitions at the age of 17. In 1856, she became the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.

      3. 22nd quadrennial U.S. presidential election

        1872 United States presidential election

        The 1872 United States presidential election was the 22nd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1872. Despite a split in the Republican Party, incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant defeated Democratic-endorsed Liberal Republican nominee Horace Greeley.

    2. Susan B. Anthony and 14 other women are arrested for voting illegally in the United States presidential election of 1872.

      1. American women's rights activist (1820–1906)

        Susan B. Anthony

        Susan B. Anthony was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to social equality, she collected anti-slavery petitions at the age of 17. In 1856, she became the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.

      2. 22nd quadrennial U.S. presidential election

        1872 United States presidential election

        The 1872 United States presidential election was the 22nd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1872. Despite a split in the Republican Party, incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant defeated Democratic-endorsed Liberal Republican nominee Horace Greeley.

  36. 1867

    1. An earthquake strikes the Virgin Islands, triggering the largest tsunami witnessed in the Caribbean and killing dozens.

      1. Earthquake and tsunami in the Caribbean

        1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and tsunami

        The 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and tsunami occurred on November 18, at 2.45 p.m. in the Anegada Trough about 20 km southwest of Saint Thomas, Danish West Indies. The Ms  7.5 earthquake came just 20 days after the devastating San Narciso Hurricane in the same region. Tsunamis from this earthquake were some of the highest ever recorded in the Lesser Antilles. Wave heights exceeded 10 m (33 ft) in some islands in the Lesser Antilles. The earthquake and tsunami resulted in no more than 50 fatalities, although casualties in the hundreds is also claimed.

      2. Island group of the Caribbean Leeward Islands

        Virgin Islands

        The Virgin Islands are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix being a displaced part of the same geologic structure. Politically, the British Virgin Islands have been governed as the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, and form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago is separated from the true Lesser Antilles by the Anegada Passage and from the main island of Puerto Rico by the Virgin Passage.

      3. Series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water

        Tsunami

        A tsunami is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by wind, or tides, which are in turn generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, a tsunami is generated by the displacement of water from a large event.

      4. Region to the east of Central America

        Caribbean

        The Caribbean is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America.

  37. 1865

    1. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was published, becoming the first great success of American author Mark Twain (pictured).

      1. 1865 short story by Mark Twain

        The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

        "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain. It was his first great success as a writer and brought him national attention. The story has also been published as "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog" and "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". In it, the narrator retells a story he heard from a bartender, Simon Wheeler, at the Angels Hotel in Angels Camp, California, about the gambler Jim Smiley. The narrator describes him: "If he even seen a straddle bug start to go anywheres, he would bet you how long it would take him to get to wherever he going to, and if you took him up, he would foller that straddle bug to Mexico but what he would find out where he was bound for and how long he was on the road."

      2. American author and humorist (1835–1910)

        Mark Twain

        Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced", and William Faulkner called him "the father of American literature". His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), the latter of which has often been called the "Great American Novel". Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.

  38. 1863

    1. King Christian IX of Denmark signs the November constitution that declares Schleswig to be part of Denmark. This is seen by the German Confederation as a violation of the London Protocol and leads to the German–Danish war of 1864.

      1. King of Denmark from 1863 to 1906

        Christian IX of Denmark

        Christian IX was King of Denmark from 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.

      2. Aspect of history

        History of Schleswig-Holstein

        The history of Schleswig-Holstein consists of the corpus of facts since the pre-history times until the modern establishing of the Schleswig-Holstein state.

      3. State between Germany and Denmark from 1058 to 1866

        Duchy of Schleswig

        The Duchy of Schleswig was a duchy in Southern Jutland covering the area between about 60 km north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany. The region is also called Sleswick in English.

      4. Association of German states from 1815 to 1866

        German Confederation

        The German Confederation was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, which had been dissolved in 1806.

      5. 1852 treaty on Schleswig-Holstein

        London Protocol (1852)

        On 8 May 1852, after the First War of Schleswig, an agreement called the London Protocol was signed. This international treaty was the revision of an earlier protocol, which had been ratified on 2 August 1850, by the major German powers of Austria and Prussia. The second London Protocol was recognised by the five major European powers—Austria, France, Prussia, Russia, and the United Kingdom—as well as by the Baltic Sea powers of Denmark and Sweden.

      6. 1864 war between Denmark, Prussia, and Austria

        Second Schleswig War

        The Second Schleswig War also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 February 1864, when Prussian and Austrian forces crossed the border into the Danish fief Schleswig. Denmark fought the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire. Like the First Schleswig War (1848–1852), it was fought for control of the duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg, due to the succession disputes concerning them when the Danish king died without an heir acceptable to the German Confederation. The war started after the passing of the November Constitution of 1863, which institutionally tied Duchy of Schleswig more closely to the Danish kingdom, which was viewed by the German side as a violation of the London Protocol.

  39. 1812

    1. Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Krasnoi ends in French defeat, but Marshal of France Michel Ney's leadership leads to him becoming known as "the bravest of the brave".

      1. 1803–1815 wars involving the French Empire

        Napoleonic Wars

        The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of French domination over most of continental Europe. The wars stemmed from the unresolved disputes associated with the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars consisting of the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797) and the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802). The Napoleonic Wars are often described as five conflicts, each termed after the coalition that fought Napoleon: the Third Coalition (1803–1806), the Fourth (1806–1807), the Fifth (1809), the Sixth (1813–1814), and the Seventh (1815) plus the Peninsular War (1807–1814) and the French invasion of Russia (1812).

      2. 1812 battle during the French invasion of Russia

        Battle of Krasnoi

        The Battle of Krasnoi (Krasny) was a series of skirmishes fought from 15 to 18 November 1812 during the final stage of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. In this engagement the Russians under General Kutuzov inflicted heavy losses on the remnants of the Grande Armee, which was severely weakened by attrition. Neither Kutuzov nor Napoleon allowed this clash to escalate into a full battle. Throughout the four days of combat, Napoleon sought to rush his troops, extended in a 50-mile line of march, past the Russians, who were positioned parallel to the highway. Despite the vast superiority of the Russian army, Kutuzov refrained from launching a full offensive as he did not want to risk a pitched battle against Napoleon.

      3. French military title

        Marshal of France

        Marshal of France is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) and for a period dormant (1870–1916). It was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration, and one of the Grand Dignitaries of the Empire during the First French Empire.

      4. French military commander

        Michel Ney

        Michel Ney, 1st Duke of Elchingen, 1st Prince of the Moskva, was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon I.

  40. 1809

    1. Napoleonic Wars: In the Bay of Bengal, a French frigate squadron captured three East Indiamen mainly carrying recruits for the Indian Army.

      1. 1803–1815 wars involving the French Empire

        Napoleonic Wars

        The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of French domination over most of continental Europe. The wars stemmed from the unresolved disputes associated with the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars consisting of the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797) and the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802). The Napoleonic Wars are often described as five conflicts, each termed after the coalition that fought Napoleon: the Third Coalition (1803–1806), the Fourth (1806–1807), the Fifth (1809), the Sixth (1813–1814), and the Seventh (1815) plus the Peninsular War (1807–1814) and the French invasion of Russia (1812).

      2. Northeastern part of the Indian Ocean

        Bay of Bengal

        The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between Sangaman Kanda, Sri Lanka, and the north westernmost point of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is the largest water region called a bay in the world. There are countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal in South Asia and Southeast Asia. During the existence of British India, it was named as the Bay of Bengal after the historic Bengal region. At the time, the Port of Kolkata served as the gateway to the Crown rule in India. Cox's Bazar, the longest sea beach in the world and Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest and the natural habitat of the Bengal tiger, are located along the bay.

      3. Type of warship

        Frigate

        A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.

      4. Naval engagement of the Napoleonic wars

        Action of 18 November 1809

        The action of 18 November 1809 was the major engagement of a six-month cruise by a French frigate squadron in the Indian Ocean, during the Napoleonic Wars. The French commander, Commodore Jacques Hamelin, was engaged in commerce raiding across the Bay of Bengal. His squadron achieved local superiority, capturing numerous merchant ships and minor warships. On 18 November 1809, off the Nicobar Islands, three warships under Hamelin's command encountered a convoy of three East Indiamen merchant vessels bound for British India, mainly carrying recruits for the army of the East India Company (EIC).

      5. General name for any ship operating under charter or license to any of the East India Companies

        East Indiaman

        East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vessels belonging to the Austrian, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, or Swedish companies.

    2. In a naval action during the Napoleonic Wars, French frigates defeat British East Indiamen in the Bay of Bengal.

      1. Naval engagement of the Napoleonic wars

        Action of 18 November 1809

        The action of 18 November 1809 was the major engagement of a six-month cruise by a French frigate squadron in the Indian Ocean, during the Napoleonic Wars. The French commander, Commodore Jacques Hamelin, was engaged in commerce raiding across the Bay of Bengal. His squadron achieved local superiority, capturing numerous merchant ships and minor warships. On 18 November 1809, off the Nicobar Islands, three warships under Hamelin's command encountered a convoy of three East Indiamen merchant vessels bound for British India, mainly carrying recruits for the army of the East India Company (EIC).

      2. 1803–1815 wars involving the French Empire

        Napoleonic Wars

        The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of French domination over most of continental Europe. The wars stemmed from the unresolved disputes associated with the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars consisting of the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797) and the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802). The Napoleonic Wars are often described as five conflicts, each termed after the coalition that fought Napoleon: the Third Coalition (1803–1806), the Fourth (1806–1807), the Fifth (1809), the Sixth (1813–1814), and the Seventh (1815) plus the Peninsular War (1807–1814) and the French invasion of Russia (1812).

      3. Type of warship

        Frigate

        A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.

      4. General name for any ship operating under charter or license to any of the East India Companies

        East Indiaman

        East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vessels belonging to the Austrian, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, or Swedish companies.

      5. Northeastern part of the Indian Ocean

        Bay of Bengal

        The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between Sangaman Kanda, Sri Lanka, and the north westernmost point of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is the largest water region called a bay in the world. There are countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal in South Asia and Southeast Asia. During the existence of British India, it was named as the Bay of Bengal after the historic Bengal region. At the time, the Port of Kolkata served as the gateway to the Crown rule in India. Cox's Bazar, the longest sea beach in the world and Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest and the natural habitat of the Bengal tiger, are located along the bay.

  41. 1803

    1. The Battle of Vertières, the last major battle of the Haitian Revolution, is fought, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Haiti, the first black republic in the Western Hemisphere.

      1. 1803 battle of the Haitian Revolution

        Battle of Vertières

        The Battle of Vertières was the last major battle of the Haitian Revolution, and the final part of the Revolution under Jean Jacques Dessalines. It was fought on 18 November 1803 between the indigenous Haitian army and Napoleon's French expeditionary forces, who were committed to regaining control of the island.

      2. 1791–1804 slave revolt in the French colony of Saint-Domingue

        Haitian Revolution

        The Haitian Revolution was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt began on 22 August 1791, and ended in 1804 with the former colony's independence. It involved black, biracial, French, Spanish, British, and Polish participants—with the ex-slave Toussaint Louverture emerging as Haiti's most prominent general. The revolution was the only slave uprising that led to the founding of a state which was both free from slavery and ruled by non-whites and former captives. It is now widely seen as a defining moment in the history of the Atlantic World.

      3. Country in the Caribbean

        Haiti

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

      4. Half of Earth which lies west of the prime meridian and east of the antimeridian

        Western Hemisphere

        The Western Hemisphere is the half of Earth that lies west of the prime meridian and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term Western Hemisphere is often used as a metonymy for the Americas, even though geographically the hemisphere also includes parts of other continents.

  42. 1760

    1. The rebuilt debtors' prison, at the Castellania in Valletta, receives the first prisoners.

      1. Prison for people unable to repay a debt

        Debtors' prison

        A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons were a common way to deal with unpaid debt in Western Europe. Destitute people who were unable to pay a court-ordered judgment would be incarcerated in these prisons until they had worked off their debt via labour or secured outside funds to pay the balance. The product of their labour went towards both the costs of their incarceration and their accrued debt. Increasing access and lenience throughout the history of bankruptcy law have made prison terms for unaggravated indigence obsolete over most of the world.

      2. Maltese government building

        Castellania (Valletta)

        The Castellania, also known as the Castellania Palace, is a former courthouse and prison in Valletta, Malta that currently houses the country's health ministry. It was built by the Order of St. John between 1757 and 1760, on the site of an earlier courthouse which had been built in 1572.

      3. Capital of Malta

        Valletta

        Valletta is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 was 6,444. According to the data from 2020 by Eurostat, the Functional Urban Area and metropolitan region covered the whole island and has a population of 480,134. Valletta is the southernmost capital of Europe, and at just 0.61 square kilometres (0.24 sq mi), it is the European Union's smallest capital city.

  43. 1730

    1. The future Frederick the Great of Prussia is granted a pardon by his father and is released from confinement.

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

        Frederick the Great

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

  44. 1626

    1. The new St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is consecrated.

      1. Church in Vatican City

        St. Peter's Basilica

        The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, or simply Saint Peter's Basilica, is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal enclave that is within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initially planned by Pope Nicholas V and then Pope Julius II to replace the aging Old St. Peter's Basilica, which was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.

  45. 1601

    1. Tiryaki Hasan Pasha, an Ottoman provincial governor, routs the Habsburg forces commanded by Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria who were besieging Nagykanizsa.

      1. Ottoman military commander in the Long Turkish War

        Tiryaki Hasan Pasha

        Tiryaki Hasan Pasha ; Hasan-paša Tiro (Bosnian); also called Alacaatlı Hasan Pasha (1530–1611), was an Ottoman military commander, who participated in the Long Turkish War. He received his education in the Enderun school.

      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. Holy Roman Emperor from 1619 to 1637

        Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor

        Ferdinand II was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria and Maria of Bavaria. His parents were devout Catholics, and, in 1590, they sent him to study at the Jesuits' college in Ingolstadt because they wanted to isolate him from the Lutheran nobles. In July that same year (1590), when Ferdinand was 12 years old, his father died, and he inherited Inner Austria–Styria, Carinthia, Carniola and smaller provinces. His cousin, the childless Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, who was the head of the Habsburg family, appointed regents to administer these lands.

      4. 1601 battle of the Long War

        Siege of Nagykanizsa

        During the siege of Naģykanizsa in 1601, a small Ottoman force held the fortress of Naģykanizsa in western Hungary against a much larger coalition army of the Habsburg monarchy, while inflicting heavy losses on its besiegers.

  46. 1493

    1. Christopher Columbus first sights the island now known as Puerto Rico.

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

        Christopher Columbus

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

      2. Caribbean island and unincorporated territory of the United States

        Puerto Rico

        Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Caribbean island and unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Miami, Florida, between the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and includes the eponymous main island and several smaller islands, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. It has roughly 3.2 million residents, and its capital and most populous city is San Juan. Spanish and English are the official languages of the executive branch of government, though Spanish predominates.

  47. 1421

    1. St Elizabeth's flood: A dike in the Grote Hollandse Waard in the Netherlands breaks, killing about 10,000 people.

      1. Flooding of the Grote Hollandse Waard, an area in what is now the Netherlands

        St. Elizabeth's flood (1421)

        The St. Elizabeth's flood of 1421 was a flooding of the Grote Hollandse Waard, an area in what is now the Netherlands. It takes its name from the feast day of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary which was formerly 19 November. It ranks 20th on the list of worst floods in history. During the night of 18/19 November 1421 a heavy storm near the North Sea coast caused the dikes to break in a number of places and the lower-lying polder land was flooded. A number of villages were swallowed by the flood and were lost, causing between 2,000 and 10,000 casualties. The dike breaks and floods caused widespread devastation in Zeeland and Holland.

      2. Former farming region in the County of Holland, Netherlands

        Grote Hollandse Waard

        The Grote Waard or Hollandse Waard was a farming region in the County of Holland at the border of the Duchy of Brabant, that disappeared in the St. Elizabeth's flood. Parts of this polder are now separated by water: Hoekse Waard, Eiland van Dordrecht, De Biesbosch, and parts of North Brabant. The Grote Waard was a damp peat region, which was roughly limited by what now is the Afgedamde Maas between Heusden and Woudrichem, the Boven Merwede and Beneden Merwede, Dordrecht, Maasdam, the Keizersdijk between Maasdam and Strijen, Strijensas, Lage Zwaluwe, and Hooge Zwaluwe.

  48. 1302

    1. Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull Unam sanctam, claiming spiritual supremacy for the papacy.

      1. Head of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303

        Pope Boniface VIII

        Pope Boniface VIII was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial origin, with connections to the papacy. He succeeded Pope Celestine V, who had abdicated from the papal throne. Boniface spent his early career abroad in diplomatic roles.

      2. Type of decree by the Catholic pope

        Papal bull

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

      3. 1302 papal bull issued by Boniface VIII

        Unam sanctam

        Unam sanctam is a papal bull that was issued by Pope Boniface VIII on 18 November 1302. It laid down dogmatic propositions on the unity of the Catholic Church, the necessity of belonging to it for eternal salvation, the position of the Pope as supreme head of the Church and the duty thence arising of submission to the Pope to belong to the Church and thus to attain salvation. The Pope further emphasized the higher position of the spiritual in comparison with the secular order. The historian Brian Tierney calls it "probably the most famous" document on church and state in medieval Europe. The original document is lost, but a version of the text can be found in the registers of Boniface VIII in the Vatican Archives. The bull was the definitive statement of the late medieval theory of hierocracy, which argued for the temporal as well as spiritual supremacy of the pope.

  49. 1210

    1. Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, was ex­com­mu­ni­cated by Pope Innocent III after Otto commanded him to annul the Concordat of Worms.

      1. Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 to 1218

        Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor

        Otto IV was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218.

      2. Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

        Holy Roman Emperor

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

      3. Censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community

        Excommunication

        Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose of the institutional act is to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular, those of being in communion with other members of the congregation, and of receiving the sacraments.

      4. Head of the Catholic Church from 1198 to 1216

        Pope Innocent III

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

      5. Treaty between the church and the Holy Roman Empire

        Concordat of Worms

        The Concordat of Worms was an agreement between the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire which regulated the procedure for the appointment of bishops and abbots in the Empire. Signed on 23 September 1122 in the German city of Worms by Pope Callixtus II and Emperor Henry V, the agreement set an end to the Investiture Controversy, a conflict between state and church over the right to appoint religious office holders that had begun in the middle of the 11th century.

    2. Pope Innocent III excommunicates Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV for invading the Kingdom of Sicily after promising to recognize papal control over it.

      1. Head of the Catholic Church from 1198 to 1216

        Pope Innocent III

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

      2. Censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community

        Excommunication

        Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose of the institutional act is to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular, those of being in communion with other members of the congregation, and of receiving the sacraments.

      3. Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

        Holy Roman Emperor

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

      4. Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 to 1218

        Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor

        Otto IV was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218.

      5. State in southern Italy (1130–1816)

        Kingdom of Sicily

        The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of the southern peninsula. The island was divided into three regions: Val di Mazara, Val Demone and Val di Noto.

  50. 1105

    1. Maginulfo is elected Antipope Sylvester IV in opposition to Pope Paschal II.

      1. Person who claims to be, but is not recognized as, the legitimate pope

        Antipope

        An antipope is a person who makes a significant and substantial attempt to occupy the position of Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church in opposition to the legitimately elected pope. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th centuries, antipopes were supported by important factions within the Church itself and by secular rulers.

      2. Claimant to the Papacy from 1105 to 1111

        Antipope Sylvester IV

        Sylvester IV, born Maginulf, was a claimant to the Papacy from 1105 to 1111 in opposition to Paschal II. A priest before his election, he was probably a native of Rome. He had the backing of the Roman militia and initially of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV, who later forced him to abdicate. Today he is regarded as an antipope.

      3. Head of the Catholic Church from 1099 to 1118

        Pope Paschal II

        Pope Paschal II, born Ranierius, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was created the cardinal-priest of San Clemente by Pope Gregory VII (1073–85) in 1073. He was consecrated as pope in succession to Pope Urban II (1088–99) on 19 August 1099. His reign of almost twenty years was exceptionally long for a medieval pope.

  51. 1095

    1. The Council of Clermont begins: called by Pope Urban II, it led to the First Crusade to the Holy Land.

      1. 1095 Catholic Church synod starting the First Crusade

        Council of Clermont

        The Council of Clermont was a mixed synod of ecclesiastics and laymen of the Catholic Church, called by Pope Urban II and held from 17 to 27 November 1095 at Clermont, Auvergne, at the time part of the Duchy of Aquitaine.

      2. Head of the Catholic Church from 1088 to 1099

        Pope Urban II

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

      3. 1096–1099 Christian conquest of the Holy Land

        First Crusade

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

      4. Abrahamic term for Israel and Palestine

        Holy Land

        The Holy Land is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy Land" usually refers to a territory roughly corresponding to the modern State of Israel and the modern State of Palestine. Jews, Christians, and Muslims regard it as holy.

  52. 401

    1. The Visigoths, led by king Alaric I, cross the Alps and invade northern Italy.

      1. Germanic people of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages

        Visigoths

        The Visigoths were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is known as the Migration Period. The Visigoths emerged from earlier Gothic groups, including a large group of Thervingi, who had moved into the Roman Empire beginning in 376 and had played a major role in defeating the Romans at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. Relations between the Romans and the Visigoths varied, with the two groups making treaties when convenient, and warring with one another when not. Under their first leader, Alaric I, the Visigoths invaded Italy and sacked Rome in August 410. Afterwards, they began settling down, first in southern Gaul and eventually in Hispania, where they founded the Visigothic Kingdom and maintained a presence from the 5th to the 8th centuries AD.

      2. 1st King of the Visigoths (r. 395–410)

        Alaric I

        Alaric I was the first king of the Visigoths, from 395 to 410. He rose to leadership of the Goths who came to occupy Moesia—territory acquired a couple of decades earlier by a combined force of Goths and Alans after the Battle of Adrianople.

      3. Major mountain range system in Central Europe

        Alps

        The Alps are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) across seven Alpine countries : France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia.

  53. 326

    1. The old St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated by Pope Sylvester I.

      1. Church in Rome, Papal States

        Old St. Peter's Basilica

        Old St. Peter's Basilica was the building that stood, from the 4th to 16th centuries, where the new St. Peter's Basilica stands today in Vatican City. Construction of the basilica, built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero, began during the reign of Emperor Constantine I. The name "old St. Peter's Basilica" has been used since the construction of the current basilica to distinguish the two buildings.

      2. Head of the Catholic Church from 314 to 335

        Pope Sylvester I

        Pope Sylvester I was the bishop of Rome from 31 January 314 until his death. He filled the see of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church, yet very little is known of him. The accounts of his pontificate preserved in the seventh- or eighth-century Liber Pontificalis contain little more than a record of the gifts said to have been conferred on the church by Constantine I, although it does say that he was the son of a Roman named Rufinus. His feast is celebrated as Saint Sylvester's Day, on 31 December in Western Christianity, and on 2 January in Eastern Christianity.

Births & Deaths

  1. 2017

    1. Malcolm Young, Scottish-Australian hard rock guitarist (b. 1953) deaths

      1. Australian guitarist (1953–2017)

        Malcolm Young

        Malcolm Mitchell Young was an Australian musician who was the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter of AC/DC. Except for a brief absence in 1988, he was with the band from its beginning in 1973 until retiring in 2014 due to health reasons. As a member of AC/DC, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

  2. 2016

    1. Sharon Jones, American soul and funk singer (b. 1956) deaths

      1. American soul and funk singer (1956–2016)

        Sharon Jones

        Sharon Lafaye Jones was an American soul and funk singer. She was the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a soul and funk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Jones experienced breakthrough success relatively late in life, releasing her first record when she was 40 years old. In 2014, Jones was nominated for her first Grammy, in the category Best R&B Album, for Give the People What They Want.

    2. Denton Cooley, American surgeon and scientist (b. 1920) deaths

      1. American heart and cardiothoracic surgeon (1920–2016)

        Denton Cooley

        Denton Arthur Cooley was an American heart and cardiothoracic surgeon famous for performing the first implantation of a total artificial heart. Cooley was also the founder and surgeon in-chief of The Texas Heart Institute, chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at clinical partner Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, consultant in Cardiovascular Surgery at Texas Children's Hospital and a clinical professor of Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

  3. 2015

    1. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, Belgian-Moroccan terrorist (b. 1987) deaths

      1. Belgian-born terrorist (1987)

        Abdelhamid Abaaoud

        Abdelhamid Abaaoud was a Belgian-born Islamic terrorist who had spent time in Syria. He was suspected of having organized multiple terror attacks in Belgium and France, and is known to have masterminded the November 2015 Paris attacks. Prior to the Paris attacks, there was an international arrest warrant issued for Abaaoud for his activities in recruiting individuals to Islamic terrorism in Syria.

    2. Dan Halldorson, Canadian-American golfer (b. 1952) deaths

      1. Canadian professional golfer

        Dan Halldorson

        Daniel Albert Halldorson was a Canadian professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Canadian Tour.

    3. Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1975) deaths

      1. New Zealand rugby union player (1975–2015)

        Jonah Lomu

        Jonah Tali Lomu was a New Zealand professional rugby union player. Lomu is considered to have been the first true global superstar of rugby, and consequently had a huge impact on the game. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential players in the history of the sport, and as one of the most talented sportsmen in human history.

  4. 2014

    1. Dave Appell, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1922) deaths

      1. American musician

        Dave Appell

        David Appell was an American musician, musical arranger and record producer born in Philadelphia.

    2. Pepe Eliaschev, Argentinian journalist and author (b. 1945) deaths

      1. Journalist and writer

        Pepe Eliaschev

        José Ricardo Eliaschev, better known as Pepe Eliaschev, was an Argentine journalist and writer.

    3. Ahmad Lozi, Jordanian educator and politician, 48th Prime Minister of Jordan (b. 1925) deaths

      1. Ahmad Lozi

        Ahmad Lozi was a Jordanian politician. He served as the 21st Prime Minister of Jordan from 29 November 1971 to 26 May 1973. He succeeded Wasfi al-Tal who had been assassinated by the Black September Organization. In the 1960s he had already served as member of the House of Representatives and the Senate. He also had terms as Minister for Prime ministry affairs, Municipal Affairs and Finance. He served as Chief of the Royal Court from 1979 to 1984. This was followed by the presidency of the Senate for thirteen years, from 1984 to 1997. In 2011 he headed a committee to oversee changes to the Constitution of Jordan.

      2. List of prime ministers of Jordan

        This is a list of prime ministers of Jordan since 1921.

    4. C. Rudhraiya, Indian director and producer (b. 1947) deaths

      1. C. Rudraiah

        Rudraiah Chockalingam was an Indian film director most known for directing the film, Aval Appadithan (1978) which starred Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth and Sripriya.

  5. 2013

    1. Thomas Howard, American football player (b. 1983) deaths

      1. American football player (1983–2013)

        Thomas Howard (American football)

        Thomas Arquis Howard was an American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons. He played college football for the University of Texas at El Paso.

    2. S. R. D. Vaidyanathan, Indian nadaswaram player and composer (b. 1929) deaths

      1. Musical artist

        S. R. D. Vaidyanathan

        S. R. D. Vaidyanathan was an Indian musician who played the Nadaswaram.

      2. Double reed wind instrument from South India

        Nadaswaram

        The Nagaswaram (nādḥasvaram) is a double reed wind instrument from South India. It is used as a traditional classical instrument in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala.

    3. Ljubomir Vračarević, Serbian martial artist, founded Real Aikido (b. 1947) deaths

      1. Ljubomir Vračarević

        Ljubomir Vračarević, was a Serbian martial artist and founder of Real Aikido.

      2. Hybrid Japanese Martial Art

        Real Aikido

        Real Aikido is a martial art developed by Ljubomir Vračarević, a self-defence instructor from Serbia. It is a mixture of aikido, judo and jujutsu techniques, with some modifications made by Vračarević.

    4. Peter Wintonick, Canadian director and producer (b. 1953) deaths

      1. Canadian documentary filmmaker (1953 - 2013)

        Peter Wintonick

        Peter Kenneth Wintonick was a Canadian independent documentary filmmaker based in Montreal. A winner of the 2006 Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts, former Thinker in Residence for the Premier of South Australia, prolific award-winning filmmaker, he was one of Canada's best known international documentarians.

  6. 2012

    1. Emilio Aragón Bermúdez, Spanish clown, singer, and accordion player (b. 1929) deaths

      1. Spanish clown and musician

        Emilio Aragón Bermúdez

        Emilio Alberto Aragón Bermúdez, better known as Miliki, was a Spanish clown, accordionist and singer, he was a member of the artist family Aragón. He was declared Son of the City of Carmona and received the Silver Medal of that town.

    2. Phoebe Hearst Cooke, American businesswoman and philanthropist (b. 1927) deaths

      1. American businesswoman and philanthropist

        Phoebe Hearst Cooke

        Phoebe Millicent Hearst Cooke was an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She served on the board of directors of the Hearst Corporation from 1962 to 1998. She was a granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst. Her twin brother was former Hearst Corporation chairman George Randolph Hearst Jr., who died in June 2012.

  7. 2010

    1. Freddy Beras-Goico, Dominican comedian and television host (b. 1940) deaths

      1. Dominican Republic actor

        Freddy Beras-Goico

        Freddy Reinaldo Antonio Beras-Goico, popularly known as "Freddy Beras" or just "Beras-Goico", was a Dominican comedian, TV presenter, writer and media personality for over 30 years. He hosted the TV show El Gordo de La Semana and he was a staple of primetime TV. He was one of the most recognized personalities in the Dominican Republic.

    2. Brian G. Marsden, English-American astronomer and academic (b. 1937) deaths

      1. British astronomer (1937–2010)

        Brian G. Marsden

        Brian Geoffrey Marsden was a British astronomer and the longtime director of the Minor Planet Center (MPC) at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.

  8. 2009

    1. Red Robbins, American basketball player (b. 1944) deaths

      1. American basketball player

        Red Robbins

        Austin "Red" Robbins was an American basketball player.

  9. 2005

    1. Harold J. Stone, American actor (b. 1911) deaths

      1. American actor

        Harold J. Stone

        Harold J. Stone was an American stage, radio, film, and television character actor.

  10. 2004

    1. Robert Bacher, American physicist and academic (b. 1905) deaths

      1. American nuclear physicist

        Robert Bacher

        Robert Fox Bacher was an American nuclear physicist and one of the leaders of the Manhattan Project. Born in Loudonville, Ohio, Bacher obtained his undergraduate degree and doctorate from the University of Michigan, writing his 1930 doctoral thesis under the supervision of Samuel Goudsmit on the Zeeman effect of the hyperfine structure of atomic levels. After graduate work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he accepted a job at Columbia University. In 1935 he accepted an offer from Hans Bethe to work with him at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It was there that Bacher collaborated with Bethe on his book Nuclear Physics. A: Stationary States of Nuclei (1936), the first of three books that would become known as the "Bethe Bible".

    2. Cy Coleman, American pianist and composer (b. 1929) deaths

      1. Musical artist

        Cy Coleman

        Cy Coleman was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist.

  11. 2003

    1. Michael Kamen, American composer and conductor (b. 1948) deaths

      1. American composer

        Michael Kamen

        Michael Arnold Kamen was an American composer, orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician.

  12. 2002

    1. James Coburn, American actor (b. 1928) deaths

      1. American film actor (1928–2002)

        James Coburn

        James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.

  13. 2001

    1. Walter Matuszczak, Polish-American football player 1939 All-America, 1941 New York Giants draft (b. 1918) deaths

      1. American football player and veterinarian (1918–2001)

        Walter Matuszczak

        Walter John Matuszczak later changed the spelling of his last name to Matuszak was an American football player and veterinarian. Founder of DeWitt Animal Hospital in New York, he practiced there until 1971. Dr. Matuszak owned Wa-Noa Golf Club in East Syracuse, New York. A World War II veteran, Dr. Matuszak served as a captain in the Army Veterinary Corps.

      2. Team field sport

        American football

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

      3. 1939 College Football All-America Team

        The 1939 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1939. The nine selectors recognized by the NCAA as "official" for the 1939 season are (1) Collier's Weekly, as selected by Grantland Rice, (2) the Associated Press, (3) the United Press, (4) the All-America Board, (5) the International News Service (INS), (6) Liberty magazine, (7) the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), (8) Newsweek, and (9) the Sporting News.

      4. Details of the 1941 NFL Draft

        1941 NFL Draft

        The 1941 National Football League Draft was held on December 10, 1940, at the Willard Hotel in Washington D.C. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Chicago Bears selected halfback Tom Harmon.

      5. National Football League franchise in East Rutherford, New Jersey

        New York Giants

        The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 miles (8 km) west of New York City. The stadium is shared with the New York Jets. The Giants are headquartered and practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, also in the Meadowlands.

  14. 1999

    1. Paul Bowles, American composer and author (b. 1910) deaths

      1. American composer and writer (1910–1999)

        Paul Bowles

        Paul Frederic Bowles was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator. He became associated with the Moroccan city of Tangier, where he settled in 1947 and lived for 52 years to the end of his life.

    2. Doug Sahm, American singer and guitarist (b. 1941) deaths

      1. American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist

        Doug Sahm

        Douglas Wayne Sahm was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important performer of Texan Music. He gained fame along with his band, the Sir Douglas Quintet, with a top-twenty hit in the United States and the United Kingdom with "She's About a Mover" (1965). Sahm was influenced by the San Antonio music scene that included conjunto and blues, and later by the hippie scene of San Francisco. With his blend of music, he found success performing in Austin, Texas, as the hippie counterculture soared in the 1970s.

  15. 1998

    1. Tara Singh Hayer, Indian-Canadian journalist and publisher (b. 1936) deaths

      1. Canadian journalist (1936–1998)

        Tara Singh Hayer

        Tara Singh Hayer was an Indian-Canadian newspaper publisher and editor who was murdered after his outspoken criticism of fundamentalist violence and terrorism. In particular, he was a key witness in the trial of the Air India Flight 182 bombing.

  16. 1995

    1. Miron Grindea, Romanian-English journalist (b. 1909) deaths

      1. Romanian literary journalist and magazine editor (1909–1995)

        Miron Grindea

        Miron Grindea was a Romanian-born literary journalist and the editor of ADAM International Review, a literary magazine published for more than 50 years. In 1984 ADAM was said to be "the world's longest surviving literary magazine". Its title was an acronym for "Arts, Drama, Architecture and Music".

  17. 1994

    1. Danka Kovinić, Montenegrin professional tennis player births

      1. Montenegrin tennis player

        Danka Kovinić

        Danka Kovinić is a Montenegrin professional tennis player.

    2. Bernhard Luxbacher, Austrian footballer births

      1. Austrian footballer (born 1994)

        Bernhard Luxbacher

        Bernhard Luxbacher is an Austrian footballer who plays for First Vienna.

    3. Akiyuki Hashimoto, Japanese sprinter births

      1. Japanese sprinter

        Akiyuki Hashimoto

        Akiyuki Hashimoto is a Japanese sprinter.

    4. Cab Calloway, American singer-songwriter and bandleader (The Cab Calloway Orchestra) (b. 1907) deaths

      1. African-American bandleader and singer (1907–1994)

        Cab Calloway

        Cabell Calloway III was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist of the swing era. His niche of mixing jazz and vaudeville won him acclaim during a career that spanned over 65 years.

      2. American jazz band

        The Cab Calloway Orchestra

        The Cab Calloway Orchestra, based at the exclusive Cotton Club in Harlem, was, for more than a decade, one of the most important jazz bands in America. Different lineups featured the best available established musicians.

    5. Peter Ledger, Australian painter and illustrator (b. 1945) deaths

      1. Australian cartoonist, artist, and illustrator

        Peter Ledger

        Peter Ledger was an Australian cartoonist, comic book artist, commercial airbrush artist, and illustrator.

  18. 1992

    1. Steven Skrzybski, German footballer births

      1. German footballer

        Steven Skrzybski

        Steven Skrzybski is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker for Holstein Kiel.

  19. 1991

    1. Ahmed Kelly, Iraqi-Australian swimmer births

      1. Australian Paralympic swimmer

        Ahmed Kelly

        Ahmed Kelly is an Iraqi-born Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, his third games, he won the silver medal in the Men's 150 m individual medley SM3.

    2. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, Thai tennis player births

      1. Thai tennis player

        Noppawan Lertcheewakarn

        Noppawan "Nok" Lertcheewakarn is a former professional Thai tennis player. At 2009 Wimbledon Championships, she won the junior singles title. She reached career-high WTA rankings of 149 in singles and 97 in doubles.

    3. Gustáv Husák, Slovak lawyer and politician, 9th President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1913) deaths

      1. Czechoslovak politician, 9th President of Czechoslovakia (1913–1991)

        Gustáv Husák

        Gustáv Husák was a Czechoslovak communist politician of Slovak origin, who served as the long-time First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1969 to 1987 and the president of Czechoslovakia from 1975 to 1989.

      2. List of presidents of Czechoslovakia

        The president of Czechoslovakia was the head of state of Czechoslovakia, from the creation of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 until the dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic on 1 January 1993.

  20. 1989

    1. Lu Jiajing, Chinese tennis player births

      1. Chinese tennis player

        Lu Jiajing

        Lu Jiajing is a Chinese tennis player.

  21. 1988

    1. Jeffrey Jordan, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player and son of Michael Jordan

        Jeffrey Jordan

        Jeffrey Michael Jordan is an American former basketball player who played for the University of Illinois and the University of Central Florida. He is the oldest child of retired Hall of Fame basketball player Michael Jordan. Jeffrey Jordan is the co-founder of Heir Jordan, a philanthropic foundation that he runs with his younger brother Marcus.

    2. Michael Roach, American soccer player births

      1. American soccer player

        Michael Roach (soccer)

        Michael Roach is an American soccer player.

    3. Marie-Josée Ta Lou, Ivorian sprinter births

      1. Ivorian sprinter

        Marie-Josée Ta Lou

        Gonezie Marie Josée Dominique Ta Lou is an Ivorian sprinter competing in the 100 metres and 200 m. She finished fourth in the 100 metres and 200 metres finals at the 2016 Olympic Games, missing out on a medal in the 100m by seven-thousandths of a second (0.007). She then won silver medals in the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 2017 World Championships, the latter in the national record time of 22.08 secs. Her 100 metres best is 10.72 secs (2022), thus making her the African record holder.

  22. 1987

    1. Yoon Park, South Korean actor births

      1. South Korean actor

        Yoon Park

        Yoon Park is a South Korean actor.

    2. Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist (b. 1934) deaths

      1. French cyclist

        Jacques Anquetil

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

  23. 1986

    1. Gia Carangi, American model (b. 1960) deaths

      1. American model

        Gia Carangi

        Gia Marie Carangi was an American model, considered by many to be the first supermodel. She was featured on the cover of many magazines, including multiple editions of Vogue and Cosmopolitan, and appeared in advertising campaigns for luxury fashion houses such as Armani, Dior, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent.

  24. 1985

    1. Allyson Felix, American sprinter births

      1. American track and field athlete (born 1985)

        Allyson Felix

        Allyson Michelle Felix is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. She specialized in the 200 meters from 2003 to 2013, then gradually shifted to the 400 meters later in her career. At 200 meters, Felix is the 2012 Olympic champion, a three-time world champion (2005–2009), a two-time Olympic silver medalist, and the 2011 world bronze medalist. At 400 meters, she is the 2015 world champion, 2011 world silver medalist, 2016 Olympic silver medalist, 2017 world bronze medalist, and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist. Across the short distances, Felix is a ten-time U.S. national champion.

    2. Christian Siriano, American fashion designer births

      1. American fashion designer (born 1985)

        Christian Siriano

        Christian Vincent Siriano is an American fashion designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Siriano first gained attention after winning the fourth season of American design competition show Project Runway in 2007, becoming the series' youngest winner. He launched his namesake "Christian Siriano" collection in 2008, which brought in revenue of over $1.2 million by 2010 and was estimated to have reached $5 million by 2012.

  25. 1984

    1. Ryohei Chiba, Japanese singer and dancer births

      1. W-inds

        W-inds is a Japanese pop boy band managed by Vision Factory and signed to the Pony Canyon label since 2000. The group consists of Ryohei Chiba and Keita Tachibana; Ryuichi Ogata left the group in 2020. Tachibana is the lead singer of the group, while Chiba and Ogata provide backing vocals and rap.

    2. Enar Jääger, Estonian footballer births

      1. Estonian footballer

        Enar Jääger

        Enar Jääger is an Estonian former professional footballer who played as a defender.

    3. Mary Hamman, American journalist and author (b. 1907) deaths

      1. American writer and editor

        Mary Hamman

        Mary Hamman was an American writer and editor. She was an editor for Pictorial Review, Good Housekeeping, Mademoiselle, as well as the modern living editor for LIFE and editor-in-chief for Bride & Home.

  26. 1983

    1. Travis Buck, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player & coach

        Travis Buck

        Travis George Buck is an American baseball coach former professional outfielder, who is the current hitting coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros.

    2. Michael Dawson, English footballer births

      1. English footballer

        Michael Dawson (footballer)

        Michael Richard Dawson is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back.

    3. Jon Lech Johansen, Norwegian computer programmer and engineer, created DeCSS births

      1. Norwegian programmer (born 1983)

        Jon Lech Johansen

        Jon Lech Johansen, also known as DVD Jon, is a Norwegian programmer who has worked on reverse engineering data formats. He wrote the DeCSS software, which decodes the Content Scramble System used for DVD licensing enforcement. Johansen is a self-trained software engineer, who quit high school during his first year to spend more time with the DeCSS case. He moved to the United States and worked as a software engineer from October 2005 until November 2006. He then moved to Norway but moved back to the United States in June 2007.

      2. Free open-source program to decode DVDs with encryption

        DeCSS

        DeCSS is one of the first free computer programs capable of decrypting content on a commercially produced DVD video disc. Before the release of DeCSS, open source operating systems could not play encrypted video DVDs.

  27. 1982

    1. Greg Estandia, American football player births

      1. American football player (born 1982)

        Greg Estandia

        Greg Estandia is a former American football tight end. He was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Nevada-Las Vegas.

  28. 1981

    1. Dianne dela Fuente, Filipino singer and actress births

      1. Musical artist

        Dianne dela Fuente

        Dianne dela Fuente is a Filipino actress and singer.

    2. Nasim Pedrad, Iranian-American actress births

      1. American actress, writer, and comedian

        Nasim Pedrad

        Nasim Pedrad is an Iranian American actress, writer, and comedian. She was a cast member in the NBC sketch variety series Saturday Night Live from 2009 to 2014. She later went on to star in the Fox sitcoms Mulaney (2014–2015) and New Girl (2015–2018), the Fox horror comedy series Scream Queens (2015), and the TBS science fiction comedy series People of Earth (2017). Pedrad also created, produces, and starred in the TBS sitcom Chad (2021).

    3. Vittoria Puccini, Italian actress births

      1. Italian actress

        Vittoria Puccini

        Vittoria Puccini is an Italian film and television actress.

  29. 1980

    1. Hamza al-Ghamdi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of United Airlines Flight 175 (d. 2001) births

      1. Saudi Arabian terrorist and 9/11 perpetrator

        Hamza al-Ghamdi

        Hamza al-Ghamdi was one of five terrorist hijackers of United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 11 attacks.

      2. 9/11 hijacked passenger flight

        United Airlines Flight 175

        United Airlines Flight 175 was a domestic passenger flight that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The flight's scheduled plan was from Logan International Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles, California. The Boeing 767-200 aircraft was deliberately crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing all 65 aboard and causing the deaths of around 600 people at or above the building's impact zone.

    2. Luke Chadwick, English footballer births

      1. English footballer and coach

        Luke Chadwick

        Luke Harry Chadwick is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

    3. Minori Chihara, Japanese voice actress and singer births

      1. Japanese voice actress and singer

        Minori Chihara

        Minori Chihara is a Japanese voice actress and former singer who has had roles in several anime series. She is well known for her voice role as Yuki Nagato in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Leon in The iDOLM@STER, while in her musical career, she has been signed under King Records and Lantis. She was born in the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi and was raised in Saitama. She is affiliated with the talent agency HoriPro International.

    4. François Duval, Belgian racing driver births

      1. François Duval

        François Duval is a Belgian rally driver.

    5. Denny Hamlin, American race car driver births

      1. American racing driver (born 1980)

        Denny Hamlin

        James Dennis Alan Hamlin is an American professional stock car racing driver and NASCAR team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He co-owns and operates 23XI Racing with the basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan. He has won 48 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the Coca Cola 600 in 2022 and the Daytona 500 in 2016, 2019, and 2020; he is the fourth person to win the race in back-to-back seasons, alongside Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Sterling Marlin.

    6. Conn Smythe, Canadian soldier, ice hockey player, and businessman (b. 1895) deaths

      1. Canadian sports executive (1895–1980)

        Conn Smythe

        Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe, MC was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1927 to 1961 and as the builder of Maple Leaf Gardens. As owner of the Leafs during numerous championship years, his name appears on the Stanley Cup eight times: 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951 and 1962.

  30. 1979

    1. Neeti Mohan, Indian playback singer births

      1. Indian singer

        Neeti Mohan

        Neeti Mohan is an Indian singer. She sings mainly in Hindi and few Tamil films, but has also done songs in Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Punjabi, and English. Born in Delhi, she was one of the winners of the Channel V's reality show Popstars, subsequently being chosen for Aasma, with other winners of the show. She rose to prominence after recording "Ishq Wala Love" from Student of the Year (2012), ultimately winning the Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent and was nominated for the Best Female Playback Singer for "Jiya Re" from Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012).

    2. Freddie Fitzsimmons, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1901) deaths

      1. American baseball player and manager

        Freddie Fitzsimmons

        Frederick Landis Fitzsimmons was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, manager, and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1925 to 1943 with the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. Nicknamed Fat Freddie, and known for his mastery of the knuckle curve, Fitzsimmons' 217 wins were the third most by a National League (NL) right-hander in the period from 1920 to 1955, trailing only Burleigh Grimes and Paul Derringer. In 1940 he set an NL record, which stood until 1959, with a single-season winning percentage of .889 (16–2). He was an agile fielder in spite of his heavy build, holding the major league record for career double plays (79) from 1938 to 1964, and tying another record by leading the league in putouts four times; he ranked eighth in NL history in putouts (237) and ninth in fielding percentage (.977) when his career ended.

  31. 1978

    1. Damien Johnson, Irish footballer births

      1. Northern Irish footballer

        Damien Johnson

        Damien Michael Johnson is a Northern Irish football coach and former international player. Sincce 2019 he has been first team technical coach & head of player development at Blackburn Rovers.

    2. Aldo Montano, Italian fencer births

      1. Italian fencer

        Aldo Montano (fencer born 1978)

        Aldo Montano is an Italian fencer and a five-time Olympic medalist.

    3. Jim Jones, American cult leader, founded Peoples Temple (b. 1931) deaths

      1. American cult leader (1931–1978)

        Jim Jones

        James Warren Jones was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", Jones and the members of his inner circle orchestrated a mass murder–suicide in his remote jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Jones and the events which occurred at Jonestown have had a defining influence on society's perception of cults.

      2. American religious movement (1954–1978)

        Peoples Temple

        The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, originally Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church and commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978. Founded in Indianapolis, Indiana by Reverend Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple spread a message that combined elements of Christianity with communist and socialist ideology, with an emphasis on racial equality. After Jones moved the group to California in the 1960s and established several locations throughout the state, including its headquarters in San Francisco, the Temple forged ties with many left-wing political figures and claimed to have 20,000 members.

    4. Leo Ryan, American soldier, educator, and politician (b. 1925) deaths

      1. American politician

        Leo Ryan

        Leo Joseph Ryan Jr. was an American teacher and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. representative from California's 11th congressional district from 1973 until his assassination during the Jonestown massacre in 1978. Before that, he served in the California State Assembly, representing the state's 27th district.

  32. 1977

    1. Trent Barrett, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster births

      1. Australian RL coach and former Australia international rugby league footballer

        Trent Barrett

        Trent Barrett is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is a former head coach and a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.

    2. Kurt Schuschnigg, Italian-Austrian lawyer and politician, 15th Federal Chancellor of Austria (b. 1897) deaths

      1. Chancellor of Austria from 1934 to 1938

        Kurt Schuschnigg

        Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg was an Austrian Fatherland Front politician who was the Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert Dollfuss until the 1938 Anschluss with Nazi Germany. Although Schuschnigg accepted that Austria was a "German state" and that Austrians were Germans, he was strongly opposed to Adolf Hitler's goal to absorb Austria into the Third Reich and wished for it to remain independent.

      2. Head of government of the Republic of Austria

        Chancellor of Austria

        The chancellor of the Republic of Austria is the head of government of the Republic of Austria. The position corresponds to that of Prime Minister in several other parliamentary democracies.

  33. 1976

    1. Shagrath, Norwegian singer-songwriter births

      1. Norwegian musician

        Shagrath

        Stian Tomt Thoresen, known professionally as Shagrath, is a Norwegian musician who is the vocalist, founding member and multi-instrumentalist of the band Dimmu Borgir.

    2. Dominic Armato, American voice actor births

      1. American actor

        Dominic Armato

        Dominic Armato is an American voice actor, journalist and food critic. He is best known for his work on LucasArts games. His most famous role is the voice of the pirate Guybrush Threepwood in the Monkey Island series.

    3. Sage Francis, American rapper births

      1. American rapper (b. 1976)

        Sage Francis

        Paul William "Sage" Francis is an American independent underground rapper from Providence, Rhode Island. He is the founder and CEO of Strange Famous Records.

    4. Matt Welsh, Australian swimmer births

      1. Australian swimmer

        Matt Welsh

        Matthew James Welsh, OAM is an Australian swimmer who is the former world champion in the backstroke and butterfly. He took two golds in 50-meter butterfly and 50-meter backstroke, during one hour, at the World Championships in Shanghai 2006. Welsh retired from professional swimming in March 2008 when he failed to secure a place in the team for the Beijing Olympics.

    5. Mona Zaki, Egyptian actress births

      1. Egyptian actress (born 1976)

        Mona Zaki

        Mona Ali Mohamed Zaki is an Egyptian actress.

    6. Man Ray, American-French photographer and painter (b. 1890) deaths

      1. American visual artist and photographer (1890–1976)

        Man Ray

        Man Ray was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal. He produced major works in a variety of media but considered himself a painter above all. He was best known for his pioneering photography, and was a renowned fashion and portrait photographer. He is also noted for his work with photograms, which he called "rayographs" in reference to himself.

  34. 1975

    1. Lucy Akhurst, English actress and producer births

      1. English actress, writer and director

        Lucy Akhurst

        Lucy Akhurst is an English actress, writer and director who has been working mainly in television since the 1990s. She starred alongside Neil Morrissey in The Vanishing Man and then came to prominence in a lead role in 1999's ITV seven-part drama Wonderful You.

    2. Shawn Camp, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player

        Shawn Camp (baseball)

        Shawn Anthony Camp is an American baseball coach and former pitcher, who is the current head coach of the George Mason Patriots. He played college baseball for George Mason from 1995 to 1997. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2014 with his longest tenure as a player with the Toronto Blue Jays. He also played for the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies.

    3. Anthony McPartlin, English comedian, actor, and producer births

      1. English television presenter

        Ant McPartlin

        Anthony David McPartlin is an English television presenter, singer, rapper, comedian and actor. He is best known for working alongside Dec Donnelly as part of the presenting duo Ant & Dec.

    4. Pastor Troy, American rapper, producer, and actor births

      1. American rapper and record producer (born 1977)

        Pastor Troy

        Micah LeVar "Pastor" Troy is an American rapper and record producer. He is also a member of the hardcore rap group D.S.G.B.. In 2020, he made several homophobic statements against Lil Nas X that generated considerable controversy.

    5. Jason Williams, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player

        Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)

        Jason Chandler Williams is an American former professional basketball player who was a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for twelve seasons during the late 1990s and 2000s. In 2006, Williams won an NBA championship as the starting point guard for the Miami Heat. Due to his style of play, he was given the nickname "White Chocolate."

  35. 1974

    1. Graham Coughlan, Irish footballer and coach births

      1. Irish football manager, former player

        Graham Coughlan

        Graham Coughlan is an Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a centre back. He is currently manager of EFL League Two club Newport County.

    2. Petter Solberg, Norwegian racing driver births

      1. Norwegian rally and rallycross driver

        Petter Solberg

        Petter Solberg is a Norwegian former professional rally and rallycross driver.

  36. 1973

    1. Jonnie Irwin, English television presenter and business expert births

      1. English television presenter (born 1973)

        Jonnie Irwin

        Jonathan James Irwin is an English television presenter, writer, lecturer, business and property expert.

    2. Nic Pothas, South African cricketer and coach births

      1. South African cricketer and coach

        Nic Pothas

        Nic Pothas is a South African cricket coach and former cricketer who played as a right-handed batsman and fielded as a wicket-keeper. In a total of over 200 first-class matches, he has taken over 500 catches. Pothas is an accomplished batsman, with an average of over 40 in first-class cricket.

  37. 1972

    1. Jeroen Straathof, Dutch cyclist and speed skater births

      1. Dutch cyclist and speed skater

        Jeroen Straathof

        Johannes Nicolaas Maria ("Jeroen") Straathof is a retired Dutch racing cyclist and speed skater. Straathof was the first, and still the only, athlete in the world to represent his country at the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics and the Paralympics.

    2. Danny Whitten, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Crazy Horse) (b. 1943) deaths

      1. American guitarist

        Danny Whitten

        Danny Ray Whitten was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with Neil Young's backing band Crazy Horse, and for the song "I Don't Want to Talk About It", a hit for Rod Stewart and Everything but the Girl.

      2. American rock band

        Crazy Horse (band)

        Crazy Horse is an American rock band best known for their association with Neil Young. Beginning in 1968 and continuing to the present day, they have been co-credited on a number of Young's albums, with 12 studio albums and numerous live albums being billed as by Neil Young and Crazy Horse. They have also released six studio albums of their own, issued between 1971 and 2009.

  38. 1971

    1. Thérèse Coffey, English chemist and politician births

      1. British politician (born 1971)

        Thérèse Coffey

        Thérèse Anne Coffey is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she previously served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from September to October 2022 and as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2019 to 2022. Coffey, the first woman to hold the title of Deputy Prime Minister, has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Suffolk Coastal since 2010.

    2. Terrance Hayes, American poet and academic births

      1. American poet and educator

        Terrance Hayes

        Terrance Hayes is an American poet and educator who has published seven poetry collections. His 2010 collection, Lighthead, won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2010. In September 2014, he was one of 21 recipients of a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, awarded to individuals who show outstanding creativity in their work.

    3. Matthew Rodwell, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster births

      1. Australian rugby league footballer

        Matthew Rodwell

        Matthew Rodwell is a former professional rugby league footballer. He played for the Newcastle Knights, Western Reds, St. George Dragons, St. George Illawarra Dragons, Penrith Panthers and the Warrington Wolves as a halfback.

  39. 1970

    1. Megyn Kelly, American lawyer and journalist births

      1. American television and radio journalist and podcaster

        Megyn Kelly

        Megyn Marie Kelly is an American journalist and media personality. She currently hosts a talk show and podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, that airs live daily on SiriusXM. She was a talk show host at Fox News from 2004 to 2017 and a host and correspondent with NBC News from 2017 to 2018. She is also active in posting to her Instagram page and YouTube channel.

    2. Peta Wilson, Australian model and actress births

      1. Australian actress and model (born 1970)

        Peta Wilson

        Peta Gia Wilson is an Australian actress, lingerie designer and model. She is best known as Nikita in the television series La Femme Nikita.

  40. 1969

    1. Ahmed Helmy, Egyptian actor births

      1. Egyptian actor

        Ahmed Helmy

        Ahmed Muhammad Helmy Abdel Rahman Awwad is an Egyptian actor, comedian, film producer, TV host and diplomat. He started his career in 1993 on the Egyptian satellite broadcast in a program called Leib Eyal. In 1998, he made his first movie Aboud Ala El Hedoud.

    2. Koichiro Kimura, Japanese mixed martial artist and wrestler (d. 2014) births

      1. Japanese professional wrestler

        Koichiro Kimura

        Koichiro Kimura was a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, also known under the ring name Super Uchuu Power . Kimura was known for his work in promotions like Dramatic Dream Team, W*ING, Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling, among others. He was also involved in MMA, facing Rickson Gracie at the second event of Vale Tudo Japan and being the founder of the female MMA brands AX and G-Shooto. He also competed in Fighting Network RINGS during its early years and participated in both mixed-style shoot contests and worked matches for the company. Kimura died of pneumonia on October 28, 2014.

    3. Ted Heath, English trombonist and bandleader (b. 1902) deaths

      1. Musical artist

        Ted Heath (bandleader)

        George Edward Heath was a British musician and big band leader.

    4. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., American businessman and diplomat, 44th United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (b. 1888) deaths

      1. American businessman and politician (1888–1969)

        Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.

        Joseph Patrick Kennedy was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was the patriarch of the Irish-American Kennedy family, which included President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and longtime Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy.

      2. Representative of the United States to the United Kingdom

        List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Kingdom

        The United States ambassador to the United Kingdom is the official representative of the president of the United States and the American government to the monarch and government of the United Kingdom. The position is held by Jane D. Hartley, who presented her credentials to Queen Elizabeth II on July 19, 2022.

  41. 1968

    1. George Kotsiopoulos, American stylist and journalist births

      1. George Kotsiopoulos

        George Kotsiopoulos is an American magazine editor, fashion consultant, stylist and television personality. He is style editor at large for C magazine and was a fashion associate at The New York Times Magazine. He was a co-host of Fashion Police.

    2. Romany Malco, American rapper, producer, actor, and screenwriter births

      1. American actor

        Romany Malco

        Romany Romanic Malco Jr. is an American actor, voice actor, rapper, and music producer. He has been nominated for several awards, including an NAACP Image Award, MTV Movie Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. In film, he is best known for his roles in The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005), Baby Mama (2008), Think Like a Man (2012) and its sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014), and The DUFF (2015). In television, he is best known for portraying Conrad Shepard on the Showtime series Weeds (2005–2012) and Rome Howard on the ABC series A Million Little Things (2018–present). He is also known for writing the rap lyrics for the character of MC Skat Kat in "Opposites Attract".

    3. Gary Sheffield, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player

        Gary Sheffield

        Gary Antonian Sheffield is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for eight teams from 1988 to 2009. He is a sports agent.

  42. 1967

    1. Tom Gordon, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player (born 1967)

        Tom Gordon

        Thomas Flynn Gordon, nicknamed "Flash," is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher and current radio color commentator for the Boston Red Sox. Gordon played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals (1988–1995), Boston Red Sox (1996–1999), Chicago Cubs (2001–02), Houston Astros (2002), Chicago White Sox (2003), New York Yankees (2004–05), Philadelphia Phillies (2006–2008), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2009). In 1998, he won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and led the American League (AL) in saves and games finished. In 1998-99, Gordon set a then-MLB record with 54 consecutive saves.

    2. Jocelyn Lemieux, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Jocelyn Lemieux

        Jocelyn Jean-Marc Lemieux is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 597 games in the National Hockey League with six teams over thirteen seasons before finishing his career with the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL.

  43. 1965

    1. Tim DeLaughter, American singer-songwriter and musician births

      1. American musician

        Tim DeLaughter

        Tim DeLaughter is an American rock musician. He is the frontman of the bands Tripping Daisy, The Polyphonic Spree, and Preteen Zenith.

    2. Henry A. Wallace, American agronomist and bureaucrat, 33rd Vice President of the United States, 11th US Secretary of Agriculture (b. 1888) deaths

      1. Vice president of the United States from 1941 to 1945

        Henry A. Wallace

        Henry Agard Wallace was an American politician, journalist, farmer, and businessman who served as the 33rd vice president of the United States, the 11th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and the 10th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He was the nominee of the new Progressive Party in the 1948 presidential election.

      2. Second-highest constitutional office in the United States

        Vice President of the United States

        The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as the president of the Senate. In this capacity, the vice president is empowered to preside over Senate deliberations at any time, but may not vote except to cast a tie-breaking vote. The vice president is indirectly elected together with the president to a four-year term of office by the people of the United States through the Electoral College.

      3. Head of the US Department of Agriculture

        United States Secretary of Agriculture

        The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.

  44. 1964

    1. Rita Cosby, American journalist and author births

      1. Rita Cosby

        Rita Cosby is a television news anchor and correspondent, radio host, and best selling author. She is currently a special correspondent for the CBS syndicated program Inside Edition, specializing in interviewing newsmakers and political figures. Cosby has received three Emmy Awards, the Jack Anderson Award for investigative excellence, the Matrix Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and the Lech Walesa Freedom Award. October 11, 2010, was declared "Rita Cosby Day" in the State of New York for her “extraordinary journalism and exemplary service on behalf of her community.”

    2. Nadia Sawalha, English actress births

      1. British actress and television personality

        Nadia Sawalha

        Nadia Sawalha is a British actress, television personality and YouTuber. She played the role of Annie Palmer on the BBC One soap opera EastEnders from 1997 to 1999 and Gina in ITV comedy Second Thoughts from 1992 to 1994. She has been a long-term panellist on the ITV daytime talk show Loose Women, being one of the original panellists from its start in 1999 until 2002, before returning to the show in 2013 after a panellist revamp. She has also had roles in The Bill, Casualty, Benidorm and 99-1 and presented numerous television programmes.

  45. 1963

    1. Len Bias, American basketball player (d. 1986) births

      1. American basketball player (1963–1986)

        Len Bias

        Leonard Kevin Bias was an American college basketball player who attended the University of Maryland. During his four years playing for Maryland, he was named a first-team All-American. Two days after being selected by the Boston Celtics with the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft, Bias died from cardiac arrhythmia induced by a cocaine overdose. In 2021, Bias was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

    2. Dante Bichette, American baseball player and coach births

      1. American baseball player & coach (born 1963)

        Dante Bichette

        Alphonse Dante Bichette Sr. is an American former professional baseball player, currently employed by the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the California Angels (1988–1990), Milwaukee Brewers (1991–1992), Colorado Rockies (1993–1999), Cincinnati Reds (2000), and Boston Red Sox (2000–2001). He was also the hitting coach for the Rockies in 2013. He batted and threw right-handed.

    3. Peter Schmeichel, Danish footballer and sportscaster births

      1. Danish association football player

        Peter Schmeichel

        Peter Bolesław Schmeichel is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is best known for his most successful years at English club Manchester United, whom he captained to victory in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final to complete the Treble. He also won the UEFA Euro 1992 with his country Denmark.

    4. Joost Zwagerman, Dutch author and poet (d. 2015) births

      1. Dutch writer, poet, and essayist

        Joost Zwagerman

        Johannes Jacobus Willebrordus "Joost" Zwagerman was a Dutch writer, poet and essayist. Among his teachers was the novelist Oek de Jong.

  46. 1962

    1. Bart Bryant, American golfer births

      1. American professional golfer (1962–2022)

        Bart Bryant

        Barton Holan Bryant was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.

    2. Niels Bohr, Danish footballer, physicist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885) deaths

      1. Danish physicist (1885–1962)

        Niels Bohr

        Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr was also a philosopher and a promoter of scientific research.

      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.

  47. 1960

    1. Ivans Klementjevs, Latvian canoeist births

      1. Soviet-born Latvian politician and former sprint canoeist

        Ivans Klementjevs

        Ivans Klementjevs is a Soviet-born Latvian politician and former sprint canoeist who competed from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. He won three Olympic medals in C-1 1000 m at the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics. The highlight was the gold medal in 1988, which he won as a competitor for the USSR. He trained at Trudovye Rezervy and later at the Armed Forces sports society in Riga when Latvia was part of the Soviet Union.

    2. Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter births

      1. Turkish filmmaker and screenwriter (born 1960)

        Yeşim Ustaoğlu

        Yeşim Ustaoğlu is a Turkish filmmaker and screenwriter.

    3. Kim Wilde, English singer-songwriter births

      1. English pop singer (born 1960)

        Kim Wilde

        Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, DJ and television presenter. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award for Best British Female solo artist. In 1986, she had a UK No. 2 hit with a reworked version of the Supremes' song "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. Between 1981 and 1996, she had 25 singles that charted within the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. Her other hits include "Chequered Love" (1981), "You Came" (1988), and "Never Trust a Stranger" (1988). In 2003, she collaborated with Nena on the song "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime", which topped the Dutch charts.

  48. 1959

    1. Jimmy Quinn, Northern Irish footballer and manager births

      1. Northern Irish footballer

        Jimmy Quinn (footballer, born 1959)

        James Martin Quinn is a Northern Irish former footballer and manager.

  49. 1958

    1. Daniel Brailovsky, Argentine-born Israeli footballer and manager births

      1. Argentine-born Israeli former footballer and manager

        Daniel Brailovsky

        Daniel Alberto Brailovsky Poliak is an Argentine-born Israeli former professional footballer and manager.

  50. 1957

    1. Tony Bunn, American bassist, composer, producer, and writer births

      1. American musician

        Tony Bunn

        Robert Anthony Bunn is an American bassist, composer, producer, and writer.

  51. 1956

    1. Noel Brotherston, Irish-English footballer and painter (d. 1995) births

      1. Northern Irish footballer

        Noel Brotherston

        Noel Brotherston was an international footballer for Northern Ireland.

    2. Warren Moon, American football player and sportscaster births

      1. American gridiron football player (born 1956)

        Warren Moon

        Harold Warren Moon is an American former football quarterback who played professionally for 23 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). In the NFL, Moon also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Kansas City Chiefs. Moon is considered one of the greatest undrafted players in NFL history.

    3. Jim Weirich, American computer scientist, developed Rake Software (d. 2014) births

      1. American computer programmer

        Jim Weirich

        James Nolan Weirich was a software developer, speaker, teacher, and contributor to the Ruby programming language community. He was active in the Ruby community worldwide, speaking at events in Asia, South America, Europe, and the United States.

      2. Rake (software)

        Rake is a software task management and build automation tool created by Jim Weirich. It allows the user to specify tasks and describe dependencies as well as to group tasks in a namespace. It is similar in to SCons and Make. It's written in the Ruby programming language and the Rakefiles use Ruby syntax. Rake uses Ruby's anonymous function blocks to define various tasks, allowing the use of Ruby syntax. It has a library of common tasks: for example, functions to do common file-manipulation tasks and a library to remove compiled files. Like Make, Rake can also synthesize tasks based on patterns: for example, automatically building a file compilation task based on filename patterns. Rake is now part of the standard library of Ruby from version 1.9 onward.

  52. 1954

    1. Carter Burwell, American composer and conductor births

      1. American composer of film scores

        Carter Burwell

        Carter Benedict Burwell is an American film composer. He has consistently collaborated with the Coen brothers, having scored most of their films. Burwell has also scored three of Todd Haynes's films, three of Spike Jonze's films, and all the films of Martin McDonagh. He has received Academy Awards nominations for Best Original Score for Haynes's Carol (2015) and McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).

  53. 1953

    1. Jan Kuehnemund, American rock guitarist (d. 2013) births

      1. American lead guitarist of metal band Vixen

        Jan Kuehnemund

        Janice Lynn Kuehnemund was an American lead guitarist who founded the all-female hard rock/glam metal band Vixen.

  54. 1952

    1. Peter Beattie, Australian lawyer and politician, 36th Premier of Queensland births

      1. Australian politician

        Peter Beattie

        Peter Douglas Beattie is an Australian former politician who served as the 36th Premier of Queensland, in office from 1998 to 2007. He was the state leader of the Labor Party from 1996 to 2007.

      2. Premier of Queensland

        The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland.

    2. Delroy Lindo, English-American actor and director births

      1. English-American actor

        Delroy Lindo

        Delroy George Lindo is an English-American actor. He is the recipient of such accolades as a NAACP Image Award, a Satellite Award, and nominations for a Drama Desk Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Tony Award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

    3. John Parr, English singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. English musician

        John Parr

        John Stephen Parr is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, best known for his 1985 single "St. Elmo's Fire ", charting at number one in the US and number six in the UK, and for his 1984 US number-six rock single "Naughty Naughty". He has written and performed ten major motion-picture theme songs, including Three Men and a Baby and The Running Man. Parr has sold over 10 million albums and was nominated for a Grammy award for "St. Elmo's Fire" in 1985.

    4. Paul Éluard, French poet and author (b. 1895) deaths

      1. French poet

        Paul Éluard

        Paul Éluard, born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel, was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement.

  55. 1951

    1. Pete Morelli, American businessman births

      1. American football official

        Pete Morelli

        Peter Danie Morelli is a former American football official, who officiated in the National Football League (NFL) until the 2018 NFL season. He is the president of Saint Mary's High School in Stockton, California. He wore uniform number 135.

    2. Justin Raimondo, American journalist and author (d. 2019) births

      1. American journalist (1951–2019)

        Justin Raimondo

        Justin Raimondo was an American author and the editorial director of Antiwar.com. He described himself as a "conservative-paleo-libertarian."

  56. 1950

    1. Graham Parker, English singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. English singer-songwriter

        Graham Parker

        Graham Thomas Parker is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.

    2. Rudy Sarzo, Cuban-American rock bass player births

      1. Cuban American bassist

        Rudy Sarzo

        Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont is a Cuban American hard rock/heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played with several well known heavy metal and hard rock acts including Manic Eden, Dio, Blue Öyster Cult, Geoff Tate's Queensrÿche, Devil City Angels, and The Guess Who. He rejoined Quiet Riot in 2021, but has agreed to finish tour with The Guess Who until a replacement can be found.

  57. 1949

    1. Herman Rarebell, German rock drummer and songwriter births

      1. German drummer

        Herman Rarebell

        Herman Rarebell is a German musician, best known as the drummer for the hard rock band Scorpions from 1977 to 1995, during which time he played on eight studio albums. Aside from playing drums, Rarebell wrote or co-wrote several songs for the group such as "Another Piece of Meat", "Falling in Love" and "Passion Rules the Game". He composed the lyrics for some of the band's most well known songs such as "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Make It Real", "Dynamite", "Blackout", "Arizona", "Bad Boys Running Wild", "Don't Stop at the Top", and "Tease Me Please Me".

  58. 1948

    1. Tõnis Mägi, Estonian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor births

      1. Estonian singer and composer

        Tõnis Mägi

        Tõnis Mägi is an Estonian singer, guitarist, composer and actor. He is one of the most influential and remarkable names in Estonian rock music of the past 40 years. More recently, he is known for his political activity in support of the right-wing populist and national-conservative Conservative People's Party of Estonia as well as vaccine hesitancy.

    2. Kongō Masahiro, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 2014) births

      1. Kongō Masahiro

        Kongō Masahiro was a former sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake and he won a top division tournament championship in 1975. He was a sumo coach and head of the Nishonoseki stable from 1976 until 2013.

    3. Ana Mendieta, Cuban-American sculptor and painter (d. 1985) births

      1. Cuban-American artist (1948–1985)

        Ana Mendieta

        Ana Mendieta was a Cuban-American performance artist, sculptor, painter and video artist who is best known for her "earth-body" artwork. Born in Havana, Mendieta left for the United States in 1961.

    4. Jack Tatum, American football player (d. 2010) births

      1. American football player (1948–2010)

        Jack Tatum

        John David Tatum was an American football safety. He played 10 seasons, from 1971 through 1980, with the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers in the National Football League (NFL). He was popularly known as "the Assassin" because of his playing style. Tatum was voted to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1973–1975) and was a member of one Super Bowl-winning team in his nine seasons with the Raiders. He is also known for a hit he made against New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley in a 1978 preseason game, that paralyzed Stingley from the chest down.

  59. 1947

    1. Ross Wilson, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer births

      1. Musical artist

        Ross Wilson (musician)

        Ross Andrew Wilson is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He is the co-founder and frontman of the long-standing rock groups Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock, as well as a number of other former bands, in addition to performing solo. He has produced records for bands such as Skyhooks and Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons, as well as for those of his own bands. He appeared as a judge on celebrity singing TV series It Takes Two from 2005. Wilson was individually inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 1989 and again as a member of Daddy Cool in 2006. Ross currently resides in the Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne.

  60. 1946

    1. Chris Rainbow, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2015) births

      1. Scottish pop rock singer and musician

        Chris Rainbow

        Christopher James Harley, known by the stage name Chris Rainbow, was a Scottish pop rock singer and musician whose songs "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" were often played by British radio DJs Kenny Everett and Tony Blackburn in the 1970s.

  61. 1945

    1. Wilma Mankiller, American tribal chief (d. 2010) births

      1. Native American activist and politician; Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1985 to 1995

        Wilma Mankiller

        Wilma Pearl Mankiller was a Native American activist, social worker, community developer and the first woman elected to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, she lived on her family's allotment in Adair County, Oklahoma, until the age of 11, when her family relocated to San Francisco as part of a federal government program to urbanize Native Americans. After high school, she married a well-to-do Ecuadorian and raised two daughters. Inspired by the social and political movements of the 1960s, Mankiller became involved in the Occupation of Alcatraz and later participated in the land and compensation struggles with the Pit River Tribe. For five years in the early 1970s, she was employed as a social worker, focusing mainly on children's issues.

    2. Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 6th President of Sri Lanka births

      1. President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015

        Mahinda Rajapaksa

        Mahinda Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004 and 2018 to 2019, and the Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2015 and 2019 to 2021. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kurunegala since 2015.

      2. Executive head of state of Sri Lanka

        President of Sri Lanka

        The President of Sri Lanka is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union government and the commander-in-chief of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces.

  62. 1944

    1. Wolfgang Joop, German fashion designer, founded JOOP! births

      1. German fashion designer

        Wolfgang Joop

        Wolfgang Joop is a German fashion designer. He is the founder of the fashion and cosmetics company JOOP! as well as the fashion brand Wunderkind. He is the father of fashion and jewel designer Jette Joop as well as writer and painter Florentine Joop.

      2. German luxury fashion house

        JOOP!

        Joop GmbH, branded JOOP!, is a German luxury fashion house specializing in contemporary clothing and cosmetics.

    2. Edwin C. Krupp, American astronomer, archaeoastronomer, author, Director Griffith Observatory births

      1. American astronomer

        Ed Krupp

        Edwin Charles Krupp is an American astronomer, researcher, author, and popularizer of science. He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of archaeoastronomy, the study of how ancient cultures viewed the sky and how those views affected their cultures. He has taught at the college level, as a planetarium lecturer, and in various documentary films. He has been the director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles since first taking over the position in 1974 after the departure of the previous director, William J. Kaufmann III. His writings include science papers and journal articles, astronomy magazine articles, books on astronomy and archaeoastronomy for adults, and books explaining sky phenomena and astronomy to children.

      2. Scientist in the field of astronomy

        Astronomer

        An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either observational or theoretical astronomy. Examples of topics or fields astronomers study include planetary science, solar astronomy, the origin or evolution of stars, or the formation of galaxies. A related but distinct subject is physical cosmology, which studies the Universe as a whole.

      3. Interdisciplinary study of astronomies in cultures

        Archaeoastronomy

        Archaeoastronomy is the interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary study of how people in the past "have understood the phenomena in the sky, how they used these phenomena and what role the sky played in their cultures". Clive Ruggles argues it is misleading to consider archaeoastronomy to be the study of ancient astronomy, as modern astronomy is a scientific discipline, while archaeoastronomy considers symbolically rich cultural interpretations of phenomena in the sky by other cultures. It is often twinned with ethnoastronomy, the anthropological study of skywatching in contemporary societies. Archaeoastronomy is also closely associated with historical astronomy, the use of historical records of heavenly events to answer astronomical problems and the history of astronomy, which uses written records to evaluate past astronomical practice.

      4. Observatory in Los Angeles, California

        Griffith Observatory

        Griffith Observatory is an observatory in Los Angeles, California on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. The observatory is a popular tourist attraction with a close view of the Hollywood Sign and an extensive array of space and science-related displays. It is named after its benefactor, Griffith J. Griffith. Admission has been free since the observatory's opening in 1935, in accordance with the benefactor's will.

  63. 1943

    1. Leonardo Sandri, Argentinian cardinal births

      1. Leonardo Sandri

        Leonardo Sandri is an Argentine prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since November 2007 and vice dean of the College of Cardinals since January 2020. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches from 2007 to 2022. He served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1974 to 1991 in several overseas assignments, including as permanent observer of the Holy See before the Organization of American States from 1989 to 1991, and in Rome as Substitute for General Affairs in the Secretariat of State from 1999 to 2007.

  64. 1942

    1. Susan Sullivan, American actress births

      1. American actress (born 1942)

        Susan Sullivan

        Susan Michaela Sullivan is an American actress. Sullivan is best known for her roles as Lenore Curtin Delaney on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World (1971–76), as Lois Adams on the ABC sitcom It's a Living (1980–81), as Maggie Gioberti Channing on the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–90), as Kitty Montgomery on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), and as Martha Rodgers on Castle (2009–2016). She earned an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress for the role of Julie Farr in the 1978 series Julie Farr, M.D. and a Golden Globe nomination for Supporting Actress for her role in Dharma & Greg.

  65. 1941

    1. Gary Bettenhausen, American race car driver (d. 2014) births

      1. American racing driver

        Gary Bettenhausen

        Gary Bettenhausen was an American auto racing driver. He was born in Blue Island, Illinois, raised in Tinley Park, Illinois, graduated in the class of 1962 from Bremen High School in Midlothian, Illinois and at the time of his death resided in Monrovia, Indiana.

    2. Angela Watkinson, English educator and politician births

      1. British politician

        Angela Watkinson

        Dame Angela Eileen Watkinson, DBE is a British politician. She was Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornchurch and Upminster until 2017, and was first elected in 2001 to the earlier seat of Upminster, defeating Labour's Keith Darvill who had taken the seat from the Conservatives in 1997. She was re-elected with increased majorities in 2005 and 2010.

    3. Émile Nelligan, Canadian poet and author (b. 1879) deaths

      1. Canadian poet (1879–1941)

        Émile Nelligan

        Émile Nelligan was a Canadian Symbolist poet from Montreal who wrote in French. Even though he stopped writing poetry after being institutionalized at the age of 19, Nelligan remains an iconic figure in Quebec culture and was considered by Edmund Wilson to be the greatest Canadian poet in any language.

    4. Walther Nernst, German chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864) deaths

      1. German chemist

        Walther Nernst

        Walther Hermann Nernst was a German chemist known for his work in thermodynamics, physical chemistry, electrochemistry, and solid state physics. His formulation of the Nernst heat theorem helped pave the way for the third law of thermodynamics, for which he won the 1920 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He is also known for developing the Nernst equation in 1887.

      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.

    5. Chris Watson, Chilean-Australian journalist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1867) deaths

      1. Australian politician (1867–1941)

        Chris Watson

        John Christian Watson was an Australian politician who served as the third prime minister of Australia, in office from 27 April to 18 August 1904. He served as the inaugural federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1901 to 1907 and was the first member of the party to serve as prime minister.

      2. Head of Government of Australia

        Prime Minister of Australia

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

  66. 1940

    1. James Welch, American novelist and poet (d. 2003) births

      1. Native American writer and poet

        James Welch (writer)

        James Phillip Welch Jr., who grew up within the Blackfeet and A'aninin cultures of his parents, was a Native American novelist and poet, considered a founding author of the Native American Renaissance. His novel Fools Crow (1986) received several national literary awards, and his debut novel Winter in the Blood (1974) was adapted as a film by the same name, released in 2013.

    2. Ivane Javakhishvili, Georgian historian and academic (b. 1876) deaths

      1. Georgian historian and linguist (1876-1940)

        Ivane Javakhishvili

        Ivane Alexandres dze Javakhishvili was a Georgian historian and linguist whose voluminous works heavily influenced the modern scholarship of the history and culture of Georgia. He was one of the founding fathers of the Tbilisi State University (1918) and its rector from 1919 to 1926.

  67. 1939

    1. Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington, English journalist and politician, Leader of the House of Lords births

      1. British baroness (born 1939)

        Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington

        Margaret Ann Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington,, is a British politician for the Labour Party and former BBC television producer and presenter.

      2. Member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom

        Leader of the House of Lords

        The leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The post is also the leader of the majority party in the House of Lords who acts as the government party chairperson in the house. The role is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position, usually one of the sinecure offices of Lord President of the Council, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal or Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Unless the Leader is also a departmental minister, being Leader constitutes the bulk of their government responsibilities, but it has never been an independent salaried office. The Office of the Leader of the House of Lords is a ministerial department.

    2. Amanda Lear, Hong Kong-French singer-songwriter and actress births

      1. French singer, actress, television presenter

        Amanda Lear

        Amanda Lear is a French singer, songwriter, painter, television presenter, actress, and former model.

  68. 1938

    1. Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil, Iraqi-Lebanese archbishop (d. 2012) births

      1. Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil

        Archbishop Jules Mikhael Al-Jamil was the Syriac Catholic titular archbishop of Tagritum and the auxiliary bishop.

    2. Norbert Ratsirahonana, Malagasy politician, Prime Minister of Madagascar births

      1. Malagasy politician

        Norbert Ratsirahonana

        Norbert Lala Ratsirahonana is a Malagasy politician.

      2. Head of government in Madagascar

        Prime Minister of Madagascar

        This is a list of prime ministers of Madagascar, since the establishment of the office of chief minister in 1828, during the Merina Kingdom.

    3. Karl Schranz, Austrian skier births

      1. Austrian alpine skier

        Karl Schranz

        Karl Schranz is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria, one of the best of the 1960s and early 1970s.

  69. 1936

    1. Ennio Antonelli, Italian cardinal births

      1. Ennio Antonelli

        Ennio Antonelli is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church and retired President of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

    2. Don Cherry, American trumpet player (d. 1995) births

      1. American jazz trumpeter (1936–1995)

        Don Cherry (trumpeter)

        Donald Eugene Cherry was an American jazz trumpeter. Cherry had a long association with free jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, which began in the late 1950s. He also performed alongside musicians such as John Coltrane, Charlie Haden, Sun Ra, Ed Blackwell, the New York Contemporary Five, and Albert Ayler.

    3. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1872) deaths

      1. Indian freedom fighter, first Indian helmsman and former leader of INC

        V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

        Valliyappan Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai , also known as Kappalottiya Tamizhan, was an Indian freedom fighter and former leader of the Indian National Congress. He founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 to compete against the monopoly of the British India Steam Navigation Company (BISNC). He launched the first indigenous Indian shipping service between Tuticorin (India) and Colombo with the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC), competing against British ships. Tuticorin Port Trust, one of India's thirteen major ports, is named after him. At one time a member of the Indian National Congress, he was later charged with sedition by the British government and sentenced to life imprisonment, and his barrister license was revoked.

  70. 1935

    1. Rudolf Bahro, German philosopher and politician (d. 1997) births

      1. German politician and writer

        Rudolf Bahro

        Rudolf Bahro was a dissident from East Germany who, since his death, has been recognised as a philosopher, political figure and author. Bahro was a leader of the West German party The Greens, but became disenchanted with its political organization, left the party and explored spiritual approaches to sustainability.

    2. Rodney Hall, Australian author and poet births

      1. English-born Australian writer

        Rodney Hall (writer)

        Rodney Hall AM is an Australian writer.

  71. 1934

    1. Vassilis Vassilikos, Greek journalist and diplomat births

      1. Greek writer and diplomat

        Vassilis Vassilikos

        Vassilis Vassilikos is a Greek writer and diplomat.

  72. 1933

    1. Bruce Conner, American painter, photographer, and director (d. 2008) births

      1. American artist

        Bruce Conner

        Bruce Conner was an American artist who worked with assemblage, film, drawing, sculpture, painting, collage, and photography.

  73. 1932

    1. Danny McDevitt, American baseball player (d. 2010) births

      1. American baseball player (1932-2010)

        Danny McDevitt

        Daniel Eugene McDevitt was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1957 through 1962 for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Athletics. The left-hander was listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 170 pounds (77 kg).

  74. 1929

    1. Gianna D'Angelo, American soprano and educator (d. 2013) births

      1. American opera singer

        Gianna D'Angelo

        Gianna D'Angelo was an American coloratura soprano, primarily active in the 1950s and 1960s.

  75. 1928

    1. Salvador Laurel, Filipino lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of the Philippines (d. 2004) births

      1. Vice President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992

        Salvador Laurel

        Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel, also known as Doy Laurel, was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the vice president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under President Corazon Aquino and briefly served as the last prime minister from February 25 to March 25, 1986, when the position was abolished. He was a major leader of the United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO), the political party that helped topple the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos with the 1986 People Power Revolution.

      2. Head of government of the Philippines from 1978 to 1986

        Prime Minister of the Philippines

        The prime minister of the Philippines was the official designation of the head of the government of the Philippines from 1978 until the People Power Revolution in 1986. During martial law and the fourth republic, the prime minister served as the head the Armed Forces of the Philippines. A limited version of this office, officially known as the President of the Council of Government, existed temporarily in 1899 during the First Philippine Republic.

    2. Sheila Jordan, American singer-songwriter and pianist births

      1. American jazz singer and songwriter (born 1928)

        Sheila Jordan

        Sheila Jordan is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to recording her own albums. Jordan pioneered a bebop and scat jazz singing style with an upright bass as the only accompaniment. Jordan's music has earned praise from many critics, particularly for her ability to improvise lyrics; Scott Yanow describes her as "one of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers." Charlie Parker often introduced Jordan as "the lady with the million dollar ears."

  76. 1927

    1. Hank Ballard, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 2003) births

      1. American singer and songwriter (1927–2003)

        Hank Ballard

        Hank Ballard was an American singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of The Midnighters and one of the first rock and roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s. He played an integral part in the development of the genre, releasing the hit singles "Work With Me, Annie" and answer songs "Annie Had a Baby" and "Annie's Aunt Fannie" with his Midnighters. He later wrote and originally recorded "The Twist" which was notably covered a year later by Chubby Checker, this second version spreading the popularity of the dance. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

    2. Knowlton Nash, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2014) births

      1. Knowlton Nash

        Cyril Knowlton Nash was a Canadian journalist, author and news anchor. He was senior anchor of CBC Television's flagship news program, The National from 1978 until his retirement in 1988. He began his career in journalism by selling newspapers on the streets of Toronto during World War II. Before age 20, he was a professional journalist for British United Press. After some time as a freelance foreign correspondent, he became the CBC's Washington correspondent during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, also covering stories in South and Central America and Vietnam. He moved back to Toronto in 1968 to join management as head of CBC's news and information programming, then stepped back in front of the camera in 1978 as anchor of CBC's late evening news program, The National. He stepped down from that position in 1988 to make way for Peter Mansbridge. Nash wrote several books about Canadian journalism and television, including his own memoirs as a foreign correspondent.

    3. Scipione Borghese, 10th Prince of Sulmona Italian race car driver, explorer, and politician (b. 1871) deaths

      1. Scipione Borghese, 10th Prince of Sulmona

        Prince Luigi Marcantonio Francesco Rodolfo Scipione Borghese, commonly known as Scipione Borghese, was an Italian aristocrat, industrialist, politician, explorer, mountain climber and racing driver belonging to the House of Borghese.

  77. 1925

    1. Gene Mauch, American baseball player and manager (d. 2005) births

      1. American baseball player and manager

        Gene Mauch

        Gene William Mauch was an American professional baseball player and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates (1947), Chicago Cubs (1948–1949), Boston Braves (1950–1951), St. Louis Cardinals (1952) and Boston Red Sox (1956–1957).

  78. 1924

    1. Alexander Mackenzie Stuart, Baron Mackenzie-Stuart, Scottish soldier, engineer, and judge (d. 2000) births

      1. Alexander Mackenzie Stuart, Baron Mackenzie-Stuart

        Alexander John ("Jack") Mackenzie Stuart, Baron Mackenzie-Stuart was a Scottish advocate and judge. He was the first judge from a United Kingdom jurisdiction to sit on the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, later becoming its president.

    2. Anna Elisabeth (Lise) Østergaard, Danish psychologist and politician (d. 1996) births

      1. Danish government minister

        Lise Østergaard

        Anna Elisabeth "Lise" Østergaard was a Danish psychologist and a politician in the social-democratic party. Under Anker Jørgensen's leadership, she was Minister without Portfolio (1977–80) and Minister of Culture. As a psychologist, she was head of psychology in Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet (1958) as well as the first woman to become professor of clinical psychology at Copenhagen University (1963), a position she resumed after her political career ended in the mid-1980s.

  79. 1923

    1. Ted Stevens, American politician (d. 2010) births

      1. American politician (1923-2010)

        Ted Stevens

        Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009. He was the longest-serving Republican Senator in history at the time he left office, though his record was later surpassed in January 2017 by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch. He was the president pro tempore of the United States Senate in the 108th and 109th Congresses from January 3, 2003, to January 3, 2007, and was the third U.S. Senator to hold the title of president pro tempore emeritus. He was previously Solicitor of the Department of the Interior from September 1960 to January 1961.

  80. 1922

    1. Luis Somoza Debayle, Nicaraguan politician, 70th President of Nicaragua (d. 1967) births

      1. President of Nicaragua from 1956 to 1963

        Luis Somoza Debayle

        Luis Anastasio Somoza Debayle was the 26th President of Nicaragua from 21 September 1956 to 1 May 1963.

      2. Head of state of Nicaragua

        President of Nicaragua

        The president of Nicaragua, officially known as the president of the Republic of Nicaragua, is the head of state and head of government of Nicaragua. The office was created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until the Constitution of 1839, the head of state of Nicaragua was styled simply as Head of State, and from 1839 to 1854 as Supreme Director.

    2. Marjorie Gestring, American springboard diver (d. 1992) births

      1. American diver

        Marjorie Gestring

        Marjorie Gestring was a competitive springboard diver from the United States. At the age of 13 years and 268 days, she won the gold medal in 3-meter springboard diving at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, making her at the time the youngest person ever to win an Olympic gold medal. A multi-time national diving champion in the United States, she was given a second Olympic gold medal by the United States Olympic Committee after the 1940 Summer Olympics were called off due to the advent of World War II. Gestring attempted to return to the Olympics at the 1948 Games, but failed to qualify for the US team. She has been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame.

    3. Marcel Proust, French author and critic (b. 1871) deaths

      1. French novelist, critic and essayist (1871–1922)

        Marcel Proust

        Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel In Search of Lost Time, originally published in French in seven volumes between 1913 and 1927. He is considered by critics and writers to be one of the most influential authors of the 20th century.

  81. 1920

    1. Mustafa Khalil, Egyptian lawyer and politician, 77th Prime Minister of Egypt (d. 2008) births

      1. Egyptian Prime Minister (1920-2008)

        Mustafa Khalil

        Mustafa Khalil was an Egyptian politician and Prime Minister of Egypt from October 2, 1978 to May 15, 1980. Khalil also served as the Egyptian Foreign Minister from February 17, 1979 until May 15, 1980 upon the resignation of the position's incumbent over objections on peace talks between Egypt and Israel. Khalil was best known for his integral role in the negotiations that led to the 1979 Camp David Accord peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

      2. Head of government of Egypt

        Prime Minister of Egypt

        The prime minister of Egypt is the head of the Egyptian government. A direct translation of the Arabic-language title is "Minister-President of Egypt" and "President of the Government". The Arabic title can also be translated as "President of the Council of Ministers", as is the case with the Prime Minister of Syria, despite the Arabic title being the same in Syria and Egypt.

    2. Robert Fryer, American playwright and producer (d. 2000) births

      1. American film producer

        Robert Fryer

        Robert Sherwood Fryer was an American theatrical and film producer. Beginning in the early 1950s, Robert Fryer produced and co-produced many Broadway hits. Some of his most notable theatrical productions include: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wonderful Town, Auntie Mame, Redhead, Chicago, On The Twentieth Century, and Sweeney Todd. His notable film productions include: Mame, Voyage of the Damned, The Boys from Brazil, and The Shining.

    3. Ron Suart, English football player and manager (d. 2015) births

      1. Ron Suart

        Ronald Suart was an English football player and manager. His only honour was winning the Division Three North championship as manager of Scunthorpe & Lindsey United in 1957–58.

  82. 1919

    1. Jocelyn Brando, American actress (d. 2005) births

      1. American actress and writer (1919–2005)

        Jocelyn Brando

        Jocelyn Brando was an American actress and writer. She is best known for her role as Katie Bannion in the film noir The Big Heat (1953).

  83. 1918

    1. İlhan Berk, Turkish poet and author (d. 2008) births

      1. Turkish poet

        İlhan Berk

        İlhan Berk was a leading Turkish poet. He was a dominant figure in the postmodern current in Turkish poetry and was very influential among Turkish literary circles.

    2. Tasker Watkins, Welsh soldier, judge, and politician, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2007) births

      1. Welsh judge, barrister, soldier, teacher and sports executive

        Tasker Watkins

        Sir Tasker Watkins was a Welsh Lord Justice of Appeal and deputy Lord Chief Justice. He was President of the Welsh Rugby Union from 1993 to 2004. During the Second World War, he served in the British Army and was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest British award for valour in the face of the enemy. A war hero who was prominent in the law and in Rugby Union, Watkins was described as The Greatest Living Welshman.

      2. Highest military decoration awarded for valour in armed forces of various Commonwealth countries

        Victoria Cross

        The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously awarded by countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, most of which have established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command. No civilian has received the award since 1879. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857, two-thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch. The investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace.

  84. 1917

    1. Pedro Infante, Mexican actor and singer (d. 1957) births

      1. Mexican actor and singer (1917–1957)

        Pedro Infante

        Pedro Infante Cruz was a Mexican ranchera music singer and actor, whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. His popularity spread across Latin America.

  85. 1915

    1. Ken Burkhart, American baseball player and umpire (d. 2004) births

      1. American baseball player

        Ken Burkhart

        Kenneth William Burkhart was an American right-handed pitcher and umpire in Major League Baseball. From 1945 through 1949 he played with the St. Louis Cardinals (1945–48) and Cincinnati Reds (1948–49), and served as a National League umpire from 1957 to 1973.

  86. 1914

    1. Haguroyama Masaji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 36th Yokozuna (d. 1969) births

      1. Japanese sumo wrestler

        Haguroyama Masaji

        Haguroyama Masaji was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nakanokuchi, Niigata. He was the sport's 36th yokozuna. He was a yokozuna for a period of twelve years and three months dating from his promotion to that rank in May 1941 until his retirement in September 1953, which was an all-time record until surpassed in 2019 by Hakuhō. During his career Haguroyama won seven top division championships and was runner-up on six other occasions. However, he was always in the shadow of yokozuna Futabayama, who came from the same stable. After his retirement he was the head coach of Tatsunami stable until his death in 1969.

      2. Highest-ranking of the six divisions of professional sumo

        Makuuchi

        Makuuchi (幕内), or makunouchi (幕の内), is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (rikishi), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.

  87. 1913

    1. Endre Rozsda, Hungarian-French painter and illustrator (d. 1999) births

      1. French painter

        Endre Rozsda

        Endre Rozsda was a Hungarian-French painter.

  88. 1912

    1. Vic Hey, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1995) births

      1. Australian RL coach and former Australia international rugby league footballer

        Vic Hey

        Victor John Hey, also known by the nickname of "The Human Bullet", was an Australian rugby league national and state representative five-eighth and later a successful first-grade and national coach. His Australian club playing career commenced with the Western Suburbs Magpies, and concluded with the Parramatta Eels. In between he played for a number of clubs in the English first division. He is considered one of Australia's finest footballers of the 20th century

    2. Hilda Nickson, English author (d. 1977) births

      1. British novelist

        Hilda Nickson

        Hilda Nickson, née Pressley was a British writer of over 60 romance novels published from 1957 to 1977, under her married and maiden name, and as Hilda Pressley. She was vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She was married to the writer Arthur Nickson (1902–1974).

  89. 1911

    1. Attilio Bertolucci, Italian poet and author (d. 2000) births

      1. Italian poet and writer (1911–2000)

        Attilio Bertolucci

        Attilio Bertolucci was an Italian poet and writer. He was father to film directors Bernardo and Giuseppe Bertolucci.

  90. 1909

    1. Johnny Mercer, American singer-songwriter and producer, co-founded Capitol Records (d. 1976) births

      1. American lyricist, songwriter, singer and record executive

        Johnny Mercer

        John Herndon Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallichs.

      2. American record label

        Capitol Records

        Capitol Records, LLC is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note in the United States in 1942 by Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva, and Glenn E. Wallichs. Capitol was acquired by British music conglomerate EMI as its North American subsidiary in 1955. EMI was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2012, and was merged with the company a year later, making Capitol and the Capitol Music Group both distributed by UMG. The label's circular headquarters building is a recognized landmark of Hollywood, California. Capitol is well known as the U.S. record label of the Beatles, especially during the years of Beatlemania in America from 1964 to 1967.

    2. Renée Vivien, English-French poet (b. 1877) deaths

      1. British poet who wrote in the French language

        Renée Vivien

        Renée Vivien was a British poet who wrote in French, in the style of the Symbolistes and the Parnassiens. A high-profile lesbian in the Paris of the Belle Époque, she is notable for her work, which has received more attention following a recent revival of interest in Sapphic verse. Many of her poems are autobiographical, pertaining mostly to Baudelarian themes of extreme romanticism and frequent despair. Apart from poetry, she wrote several works of prose, including L'Etre Double, and an unfinished biography of Anne Boleyn, which was published posthumously. She has been the object of multiple biographies, most notably by Jean-Paul Goujon, André Germain, and Yves-Gerard Le Dantec.

  91. 1908

    1. Imogene Coca, American actress, comedian, and singer (d. 2001) births

      1. American comic actress (1908–2001)

        Imogene Coca

        Imogene Coca was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows. Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and wished to have a serious career in music and dance, graduating to decades of stage musical revues, cabaret and summer stock. In her 40s, she began a celebrated career as a comedian on television, starring in six series and guest starring on successful television programs from the 1940s to the 1990s.

  92. 1907

    1. Gustav Nezval, Czech actor (d. 1998) births

      1. Czech actor

        Gustav Nezval

        Gustav Nezval by civil name Augustin Nezval, was a Czech stage and film actor.

    2. Compay Segundo, Cuban singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003) births

      1. Cuban trova guitarist, singer and composer

        Compay Segundo

        Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles, known professionally as "Compay Segundo", was a Cuban trova guitarist, singer and composer.

  93. 1906

    1. Sait Faik Abasıyanık, Turkish author and poet (d. 1954) births

      1. Turkish writer of short stories and poetry (1906-1954)

        Sait Faik Abasıyanık

        Sait Faik Abasıyanık was one of the greatest Turkish writers of short stories and poetry and considered an important literary figure of the 1940s. He created a brand new style in Turkish literature and brought new life to Turkish short story writing with his harsh but humanistic portrayals of labourers, fishermen, children, the unemployed, and the poor. His stories focused on the urban lifestyle and he portrayed the denizens of the darker places in Istanbul. He also explored the "...torments of the human soul and the agony of love and betrayal..."

    2. Alec Issigonis, Greek-English car designer, designed the mini car (d. 1988) births

      1. British car designer

        Alec Issigonis

        Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was a British-Greek automotive designer. He designed the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959, and voted the second most influential car of the 20th century in 1999.

      2. British car model from 1959 to 2000

        Mini

        The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during six, from the last year of the 1950s into the last year of the 20th century, over a single generation, as fastbacks, estates, and convertibles.

    3. Klaus Mann, German-American novelist, short story writer, and critic (d. 1949) births

      1. German writer and dissident

        Klaus Mann

        Klaus Heinrich Thomas Mann was a German writer and dissident. He was the son of Thomas Mann, a nephew of Heinrich Mann and brother of Erika Mann, with whom he maintained a lifelong close relationship, and Golo Mann. He is well known for his 1936 novel, Mephisto.

    4. George Wald, American neurobiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997) births

      1. George Wald

        George Wald was an American scientist who studied pigments in the retina. He won a share of the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Haldan Keffer Hartline and Ragnar Granit.

      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.

  94. 1904

    1. Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1983) births

      1. British Conservative politician (1904–1983)

        Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton

        Alan Tindal Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, CH, PC, DL, was a British Conservative politician.

      2. British Cabinet minister

        Secretary of State for the Colonies

        The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies.

    2. Masao Koga, Japanese composer and guitarist (d. 1978) births

      1. Japanese composer, guitarist, and mandolinist (1904–1978)

        Koga Masao

        Koga Masao was a Japanese composer, mandolinist, and guitarist of the Shōwa era who was dubbed "Japan's Irving Berlin" by Universal Press Syndicate. His melancholy style, based upon Nakayama Shimpei's yonanuki scale, was popularly known in Japan as "Koga melody" . He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure and the People's Honor Award for his contributions to Japanese music.

  95. 1902

    1. Franklin Adreon, American film and television director (d. 1979) births

      1. American actor

        Franklin Adreon

        Franklin "Pete" Adreon was an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.

  96. 1901

    1. V. Shantaram, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984) births

      1. Indian film director, producer, and actor

        V. Shantaram

        Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre, referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He is most known for films such as Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Amar Bhoopali (1951), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957), Navrang (1959), Duniya Na Mane (1937), Pinjara (1972), Chani, Iye Marathiche Nagari and Zunj.

    2. Craig Wood, American golfer (d. 1968) births

      1. American professional golfer

        Craig Wood (golfer)

        Craig Ralph Wood was an American professional golfer in the 1930s and 1940s, the winner of 21 PGA Tour titles including two major championships and a member of three Ryder Cup teams (1931, 1933, 1935).

  97. 1899

    1. Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian-American violinist and conductor (d. 1985) births

      1. Hungarian-American conductor and violinist (1899–1985)

        Eugene Ormandy

        Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association with the orchestra is one of the longest enjoyed by any conductor with any American orchestra. Ormandy made numerous recordings with the orchestra, and as guest conductor with European orchestras, and achieved three gold records and two Grammy Awards. His reputation was as a skilled technician and expert orchestral builder.

    2. Howard Thurman, American author, philosopher and civil rights activist (d. 1981) births

      1. American theologian (1899–1981)

        Howard Thurman

        Howard Washington Thurman was an American author, philosopher, theologian, mystic, educator, and civil rights leader. As a prominent religious figure, he played a leading role in many social justice movements and organizations of the twentieth century. Thurman's theology of radical nonviolence influenced and shaped a generation of civil rights activists, and he was a key mentor to leaders within the civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King Jr.

  98. 1897

    1. Patrick Blackett, Baron Blackett, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1974) births

      1. British physicist

        Patrick Blackett

        Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, Baron Blackett was a British experimental physicist known for his work on cloud chambers, cosmic rays, and paleomagnetism, winning the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1948. In 1925 he became the first person to prove that radioactivity could cause the nuclear transmutation of one chemical element to another. He also made a major contribution in World War II advising on military strategy and developing operational research. His left-wing views saw an outlet in third world development and in influencing policy in the Labour Government of the 1960s.

      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.

  99. 1891

    1. Gio Ponti, Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, and publisher.(d. 1979) births

      1. Italian architect

        Gio Ponti

        Giovanni "Gio" Ponti was an Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, teacher, writer and publisher.

  100. 1889

    1. Stanislav Kosior, Polish-Russian politician (d. 1939) births

      1. Soviet politician (1889–1939)

        Stanisław Kosior

        Stanisław Vikentyevich Kosior, sometimes spelled Kossior, was a Soviet politician who was First Secretary of the Communist Party of Ukraine, Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union and member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).

    2. William Allingham, Irish-English poet and scholar (b. 1824) deaths

      1. 19th-century Irish poet and scholar

        William Allingham

        William Allingham was an Irish poet, diarist and editor. He wrote several volumes of lyric verse, and his poem "The Faeries" was much anthologised. But he is better known for his posthumously published Diary, in which he records his lively encounters with Tennyson, Carlyle and other writers and artists. His wife, Helen Allingham, was a well-known watercolourist and illustrator.

  101. 1888

    1. Frances Marion, American screenwriter, novelist and journalist (d. 1973) births

      1. American screenwriter, director, journalist and author

        Frances Marion

        Frances Marion was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis and Anita Loos. During the course of her career, she wrote over 325 scripts. She was the first writer to win two Academy Awards. Marion began her film career working for filmmaker Lois Weber. She wrote numerous silent film scenarios for actress Mary Pickford, before transitioning to writing sound films.

  102. 1886

    1. Ferenc Münnich, Hungarian soldier and politician, 47th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1967) births

      1. Hungarian politician

        Ferenc Münnich

        Ferenc Münnich was a Hungarian Communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary from 1958 to 1961.

      2. List of prime ministers of Hungary

        This article lists the prime ministers of Hungary from when the first Prime Minister, Lajos Batthyány, took office in 1848 until the present day. The prime minister of Hungary is head of the Government of Hungary. On 30 November 2020, Viktor Orbán became the longest serving prime minister in the modern era.

    2. Chester A. Arthur, American general, lawyer, and politician, 21st President of the United States (b. 1829) deaths

      1. President of the United States from 1881 to 1885

        Chester A. Arthur

        Chester Alan Arthur was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. Previously the 20th U.S. vice president, he succeeded to the presidency upon the death of President James A. Garfield in September 1881, two months after Garfield was shot by an assassin.

      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.

  103. 1883

    1. Carl Vinson, American judge and politician (d. 1981) births

      1. American politician

        Carl Vinson

        Carl Vinson was an American politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for over 50 years and was influential in the 20th century expansion of the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the Democratic Party and represented Georgia in the House from 1914 to 1965. He was known as "The Father of the Two-Ocean Navy". He is the longest-serving member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Georgia. From 1961 to 1965, he served as the Dean of the US House of Representatives as the longest serving member of the body.

  104. 1882

    1. Amelita Galli-Curci, Italian-American soprano (d. 1963) births

      1. Italian coloratura soprano (1882–1963)

        Amelita Galli-Curci

        Amelita Galli-Curci was an Italian coloratura soprano. She was one of the most popular operatic singers of the 20th century, with her recordings selling in large numbers.

    2. Wyndham Lewis, English painter and critic (d. 1957) births

      1. English painter and writer (1882–1957)

        Wyndham Lewis

        Percy Wyndham Lewis was a British writer, painter and critic. He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art and edited BLAST, the literary magazine of the Vorticists.

    3. Jacques Maritain, French philosopher and author (d. 1973) births

      1. French Catholic philosopher (1882-1973)

        Jacques Maritain

        Jacques Maritain was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aquinas for modern times, and was influential in the development and drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Pope Paul VI presented his "Message to Men of Thought and of Science" at the close of Vatican II to Maritain, his long-time friend and mentor. The same pope had seriously considered making him a lay cardinal, but Maritain rejected it. Maritain's interest and works spanned many aspects of philosophy, including aesthetics, political theory, philosophy of science, metaphysics, the nature of education, liturgy and ecclesiology.

    4. Frances Gertrude McGill, pioneering Canadian forensic pathologist (d. 1959) births

      1. Canadian forensic pathologist and allergologist (1882–1959)

        Frances Gertrude McGill

        Frances Gertrude McGill was a Canadian forensic pathologist, criminologist, bacteriologist, allergologist and allergist. Nicknamed "the Sherlock Holmes of Saskatchewan" for her deductive skills and public fame, McGill influenced the development of forensic pathology in Canadian police work and was internationally noted for her expertise in the subject.

      2. Medical speciality

        Forensic pathology

        Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some jurisdictions. Coroners and medical examiners are also frequently asked to confirm the identity of remains.

  105. 1880

    1. Naum Torbov, Bulgarian architect, designed the Central Sofia Market Hall (d. 1952) births

      1. Bulgarian architect

        Naum Torbov

        Naum Torbov (1880-1952) was a Bulgarian architect.

      2. Market in Sofia, Bulgaria

        Central Sofia Market Hall

        The Central Sofia Market Hall, known popularly simply as The Market Hall is a covered market in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, located on Marie Louise Boulevard. It was opened in 1911 and is today an important trade centre in the city.

  106. 1876

    1. Victor Hémery, French racing driver (d. 1950) births

      1. Victor Hémery

        Victor Hémery was a champion French racecar driver of the early Grand Prix motor racing era.

  107. 1874

    1. Clarence Day, American author and poet (d. 1935) births

      1. American writer

        Clarence Day

        Clarence Shepard Day Jr. was an American author and cartoonist, best known for his 1935 work Life with Father.

  108. 1866

    1. Henry Daglish, Australian politician, 6th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1920) births

      1. Australian politician (1866–1920)

        Henry Daglish

        Henry Daglish was an Australian politician who was the sixth premier of Western Australia and the first from the Labor Party, serving from 10 August 1904 to 25 August 1905. Daglish was born in Ballarat, Victoria, and studied at the University of Melbourne. In 1882, he worked as a mechanical engineer but soon switched to working in the Victorian public service. He first stood for election in 1896 but failed to win the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Melbourne South. He then moved to Subiaco, Western Australia, where he found work as a chief clerk in the Western Australian Police Department. In 1900, Daglish was elected to the Subiaco Municipal Council and in April the following year, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly as the member for the newly created seat of Subiaco, becoming one of six Labor members in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The party elected him as its whip, and he resigned from the Subiaco council on 1 May 1901. On 1 December 1902, Daglish was sworn in as mayor of Subiaco, having been elected the previous month.

      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.

  109. 1860

    1. Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish pianist, composer, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland (d. 1941) births

      1. Polish pianist, prime minister (1860-1941)

        Ignacy Jan Paderewski

        Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I.

      2. Head of Government of Poland

        Prime Minister of Poland

        The President of the Council of Ministers, colloquially referred to as the prime minister, is the head of the cabinet and the head of government of Poland. The responsibilities and traditions of the office stem from the creation of the contemporary Polish state, and the office is defined in the Constitution of 1997. According to the Constitution, the president nominates and appoints the prime minister, who will then propose the composition of the Cabinet. Fourteen days following their appointment, the prime minister must submit a programme outlining the government's agenda to the Sejm, requiring a vote of confidence. Conflicts stemming from both interest and powers have arisen between the offices of President and Prime Minister in the past.

  110. 1856

    1. Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (d. 1929) births

      1. Russian general

        Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1856–1929)

        Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia was a Russian general in World War I (1914–1918). The son of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1831–1891), and a grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, he was commander in chief of the Imperial Russian Army units on the main front in the first year of the war, during the reign of his first cousin once removed, Nicholas II. Although held in high regard by Paul von Hindenburg, he struggled with the colossal task of leading Russia's war effort against Germany, including strategy, tactics, logistics and coordination with the government. After the Gorlice–Tarnów offensive in 1915, Tsar Nicholas replaced the Grand Duke as commander-in-chief of the army. He later was a successful commander-in-chief in the Caucasus region. He was briefly recognized as the Emperor in 1922 in areas controlled by the White Armies movement in the Russian Far East.

  111. 1852

    1. Rose Philippine Duchesne, French-American nun and saint (b. 1769) deaths

      1. 18th and 19th-century French Catholic religious sister and missionary in the United States

        Rose Philippine Duchesne

        Rose Philippine Duchesne, RCSJ, was a French religious sister and educator whom Pope John Paul II canonized in 1988. She is the only fully canonized female Roman Catholic saint to share a feast day with the Dedication of Saints Peter and Paul on November 18th. A native of France, she immigrated as a missionary to America, and is recognized for her care and education of Indigenous American survivors of the United States Indian removal programs. Along with the founder, Madeleine-Sophie Barat, she was an early member of the Society of the Sacred Heart, and established the congregation's first communities in the United States. She spent the last half of her life teaching and serving the people of the Midwestern United States, which was at that time considered the western frontier of the nation.

  112. 1841

    1. Agustín Gamarra, Peruvian general and politician, 10th and 14th President of Peru (b. 1785) deaths

      1. President of Peru variously in the 1800s

        Agustín Gamarra

        Agustín Gamarra Messia was a Peruvian soldier and politician, who served as the 4th and 7th President of Peru.

  113. 1839

    1. August Kundt, German physicist and educator (d. 1894) births

      1. German physicist

        August Kundt

        August Adolf Eduard Eberhard Kundt was a German physicist.

  114. 1836

    1. W. S. Gilbert, English playwright, poet, and illustrator (d. 1911) births

      1. English dramatist, poet and illustrator (1836–1911)

        W. S. Gilbert

        Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most famous of these include H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre, The Mikado. The popularity of these works was supported for over a century by year-round performances of them, in Britain and abroad, by the repertory company that Gilbert, Sullivan and their producer Richard D'Oyly Carte founded, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. These Savoy operas are still frequently performed in the English-speaking world and beyond.

  115. 1833

    1. James Patterson, English-Australian politician, 17th Premier of Victoria (d. 1895) births

      1. Australian colonial politician

        James Patterson (Australian politician)

        Sir James Brown Patterson, was an Australian politician who served as premier of Victoria from 1893 to 1894.

      2. Head of government in the state of Victoria

        Premier of Victoria

        The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assembly.

  116. 1832

    1. Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, Finnish-Swedish geologist and explorer (d. 1901) births

      1. Finland-Swedish baron, geologist and explorer (1832–1901)

        Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld

        Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld was a Finland-Swedish aristocrat, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer. He was a member of the Fenno-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists and held the title of a friherre (baron).

  117. 1830

    1. Adam Weishaupt, German philosopher and academic, founded the Illuminati (b. 1748) deaths

      1. German philosopher and founder of the Illuminati (1748–1830)

        Adam Weishaupt

        Johann Adam Weishaupt was a German philosopher, professor of civil law and later canon law, and founder of the Illuminati.

      2. 18th century Bavarian secret society

        Illuminati

        The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 May 1776 in Bavaria, today part of Germany. The society's goals were to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life and abuses of state power. "The order of the day," they wrote in their general statutes, "is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them." The Illuminati—along with Freemasonry and other secret societies—were outlawed through edict by Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, with the encouragement of the Catholic Church, in 1784, 1785, 1787 and 1790. During subsequent years, the group was generally vilified by conservative and religious critics who claimed that the Illuminati continued underground and were responsible for the French Revolution.

  118. 1814

    1. William Jessop, English engineer (b. 1745) deaths

      1. British civil engineer (1745-1814)

        William Jessop

        William Jessop was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

  119. 1810

    1. Asa Gray, American botanist and academic (d. 1888) births

      1. American botanist (1810–1888)

        Asa Gray

        Asa Gray is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His Darwiniana was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually exclusive. Gray was adamant that a genetic connection must exist between all members of a species. He was also strongly opposed to the ideas of hybridization within one generation and special creation in the sense of its not allowing for evolution. He was a strong supporter of Darwin, although Gray's theistic evolution was guided by a Creator.

  120. 1804

    1. Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora, Italian general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1878) births

      1. Italian general and politician

        Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora

        Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora was an Italian general and statesman. His older brothers include soldier and naturalist Alberto della Marmora and Alessandro Ferrero La Marmora, founder of the branch of the Italian army now called the Bersaglieri.

      2. Head of government of the Italian Republic

        Prime Minister of Italy

        The prime minister, officially the president of the Council of Ministers, of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Constitution of Italy; the president of the Council of Ministers is appointed by the president of the Republic and must have the confidence of the Parliament to stay in office.

    2. Philip Schuyler, American general and senator (b. 1733) deaths

      1. American politician and general (1733–1804)

        Philip Schuyler

        Philip John Schuyler was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler.

  121. 1797

    1. Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat, French shipbuilder and merchant (b. 1719) deaths

      1. Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat

        Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat was one of the most important shipbuilders and merchants of the port of Bordeaux in the late 18th century. His son, André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat, succeeded him, and later became involved in politics. In 1789 he participated in the French Revolution.

  122. 1785

    1. David Wilkie, Scottish painter and academic (d. 1841) births

      1. Scottish painter (1785–1841)

        David Wilkie (artist)

        Sir David Wilkie was a Scottish painter, especially known for his genre scenes. He painted successfully in a wide variety of genres, including historical scenes, portraits, including formal royal ones, and scenes from his travels to Europe and the Middle East. His main base was in London, but he died and was buried at sea, off Gibraltar, returning from his first trip to the Middle East. He was sometimes known as the "people's painter".

    2. Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (b. 1725) deaths

      1. First Prince of the Blood

        Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

        Louis Philippe d'Orléans known as le Gros, was a French prince, a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the royal dynasty that ruled France. The First Prince of the Blood after 1752, he was the most senior male at the French court after the immediate royal family. He was the father of Philippe Égalité. He greatly augmented the already huge wealth of the House of Orléans.

  123. 1774

    1. Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands (d. 1837) births

      1. Queen consort of the Netherlands

        Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands

        Friederike Luise Wilhelmine of Prussia was the first Queen consort of the Netherlands as the first wife of King William I of the Netherlands. She had a modest public role but acted as a patron of the arts.

  124. 1772

    1. Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (d. 1806) births

      1. Prince of Prussia and composer

        Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (1772–1806)

        Prince Frederick Louis Christian "Ferdinand" of Prussia, was a Prussian prince, soldier, composer and pianist. Prince Louis Ferdinand fought in the Napoleonic Wars. The 1927 German film Prinz Louis Ferdinand was a biopic of his life.

  125. 1756

    1. Thomas Burgess, English bishop and philosopher (d. 1837) births

      1. English Anglican bishop (1756–1837)

        Thomas Burgess (bishop of Salisbury)

        Thomas Burgess was an English author, philosopher, Bishop of St Davids and Bishop of Salisbury, who was greatly influential in the development of the Church in Wales. He founded St David's College, Lampeter, was a founding member of the Odiham Agricultural Society, helped establish the Royal Veterinary College in London, and was the first president of the Royal Society of Literature.

  126. 1736

    1. Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, German harpsichord player and composer (d. 1800) births

      1. German composer and harpsichordist

        Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch

        Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch (1736–1800) was a German composer and harpsichordist. Born in Zerbst, he was the son of the composer Johann Friedrich Fasch. He was initially taught by his father.

      2. Plucked-string keyboard instrument

        Harpsichord

        A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism that plucks one or more strings with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic. The strings are under tension on a soundboard, which is mounted in a wooden case; the soundboard amplifies the vibrations from the strings so that the listeners can hear it. Like a pipe organ, a harpsichord may have more than one keyboard manual, and even a pedal board. Harpsichords may also have stop buttons which add or remove additional octaves. Some harpsichords may have a buff stop, which brings a strip of buff leather or other material in contact with the strings, muting their sound to simulate the sound of a plucked lute.

  127. 1727

    1. Philibert Commerson, French physician and explorer (d. 1773) births

      1. French naturalist (1727-1773)

        Philibert Commerson

        Philibert Commerson, sometimes spelled Commerçon by contemporaries, was a French naturalist, best known for accompanying Louis Antoine de Bougainville on his voyage of circumnavigation in 1766–1769.

  128. 1724

    1. Bartolomeu de Gusmão, Portuguese priest (b. 1685) deaths

      1. Brazilian-Portuguese priest and naturalist

        Bartolomeu de Gusmão

        Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão was a Brazilian-born Portuguese priest and naturalist, who was a pioneer of lighter-than-air airship design.

  129. 1664

    1. Miklós Zrínyi, Croatian and Hungarian military leader and statesman (b. 1620) deaths

      1. Croatian-Hungarian military commander

        Miklós Zrínyi

        Nikola VII Zrinski was a Croatian and Hungarian military leader, statesman and poet. He was a member of the House of Zrinski, a Croatian-Hungarian noble family. He is the author of the first epic poem, The Peril of Sziget, in Hungarian literature.

  130. 1647

    1. Pierre Bayle, French philosopher and author (d. 1706) births

      1. French philosopher and writer (1647–1706)

        Pierre Bayle

        Pierre Bayle was a French philosopher, author, and lexicographer. A Huguenot, Bayle fled to the Dutch Republic in 1681 because of religious persecution in France. He is best known for his Historical and Critical Dictionary, whose publication began in 1697. Bayle was a notable advocate of religious toleration, and his skeptical philosophy had a significant influence on the subsequent growth and development of the European Age of Enlightenment. Bayle is commonly regarded as a forerunner of the Encyclopédistes of the mid-18th century.

  131. 1630

    1. Eleonora Gonzaga, Italian wife of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1686) births

      1. 17th century Holy Roman Empress

        Eleonora Gonzaga (1630–1686)

        Eleonora Gonzaga, was by birth Princess of Mantua, Nevers and Rethel from the Nevers branch of the House of Gonzaga and was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia by marriage to Emperor Ferdinand III.

      2. 17th century Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor

        Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

        Ferdinand III was from 1621 Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary from 1625, King of Croatia and Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 until his death in 1657.

  132. 1590

    1. George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, English commander and politician, Lord High Steward of Ireland (b. 1528) deaths

      1. English magnate

        George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury

        George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, 6th Earl of Waterford, 12th Baron Talbot, KG, Earl Marshal (c. 1522/1528 – 18 November 1590) was an English magnate and military commander. He also held the subsidiary titles of 15th Baron Strange of Blackmere and 11th Baron Furnivall. He was best known for his tenure as keeper of Mary, Queen of Scots between 1568 – 1585, his marriage to his second wife Elizabeth Talbot, as well as his surviving collection of written work.

      2. Former Great Officer of State in the United Kingdom

        Lord High Steward of Ireland

        The Lord High Steward of Ireland is a hereditary Great Officer of State in the United Kingdom, sometimes known as the Hereditary Great Seneschal. The Earls of Shrewsbury have held the office since the 15th century. Although the Irish Free State, later the Republic of Ireland, became independent in 1922, the title remained the same, rather than reflecting the region of Northern Ireland, which remains within the United Kingdom.

  133. 1576

    1. Philipp Ludwig II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg (d. 1612) births

      1. Count of Hanau-Münzenberg

        Philipp Ludwig II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg

        Philipp Ludwig II of Hanau-Münzenberg, was one of the most notable counts of Hanau of the early modern period, his policies bringing about sweeping changes.

  134. 1571

    1. Hippolytus Guarinonius, Italian physician and polymath (d. 1654) births

      1. Hippolytus Guarinonius

        Hippolytus Guarinonius was a Tridentine physician and polymath who spent most of his life in Hall in Tirol. He represented a militant strand of Catholicism and was instrumental in the building of the St Charles Church (Karlskirche) in Volders. He was also an instigator of the anti-Semitic cult of Andreas Oxner.

  135. 1565

    1. Yun Won-hyung, Korean writer and politician (b. 1509) deaths

      1. Yun Won-hyeong

        Yun Won-hyeong was a Korean political figure of the Joseon period. He was the younger brother of Queen Munjeong, the 3rd wife of 11th King Jungjong and was the maternal uncle of the 13th King Myeongjong.

  136. 1559

    1. Cuthbert Tunstall, English bishop (b. 1474) deaths

      1. English Scholastic, church leader, diplomat, administrator and royal adviser

        Cuthbert Tunstall

        Cuthbert Tunstall was an English Scholastic, church leader, diplomat, administrator and royal adviser. He served as Prince-Bishop of Durham during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

  137. 1522

    1. Lamoral, Count of Egmont (d. 1568) births

      1. General and statesman in Flanders (1522–1568)

        Lamoral, Count of Egmont

        Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere was a general and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, whose execution helped spark the national uprising that eventually led to the independence of the Netherlands.

  138. 1482

    1. Gedik Ahmed Pasha, Ottoman politician, 17th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire deaths

      1. Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1474 to 1477

        Gedik Ahmed Pasha

        Gedik Ahmed Pasha was an Ottoman statesman and admiral who served as Grand Vizier and Kapudan Pasha during the reigns of sultans Mehmed II and Bayezid II.

      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.

  139. 1472

    1. Basilius Bessarion, titular patriarch of Constantinople (b. c. 1403) deaths

      1. Greek theologian, cardinal bishop and Latin Patriarch of Constantinople (1403-1472)

        Bessarion

        Bessarion was a Byzantine Greek Renaissance humanist, theologian, Catholic cardinal and one of the famed Greek scholars who contributed to the so-called great revival of letters in the 15th century.

  140. 1441

    1. Roger Bolingbroke, English cleric, astronomer, astrologer, magister and alleged necromancer deaths

      1. Roger Bolingbroke

        Roger Bolingbroke was a 15th-century English cleric, astronomer, astrologer, magister and alleged necromancer. He flourished in the first half of the 15th century. He was tried, convicted and executed for treasonable witchcraft on the person of Henry VI of England.

  141. 1349

    1. Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen (b. 1310) deaths

      1. Margrave of Meissen

        Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen

        Frederick II was the margrave of Meissen from 1323 until his death.

  142. 1313

    1. Constance of Portugal, Portuguese infanta (b. 1290) deaths

      1. Queen consort of Castile and León

        Constance of Portugal

        Constance of Portugal, was Queen of Castile by her marriage to Ferdinand IV.

  143. 1305

    1. John II, duke of Brittany (b. 1239) deaths

      1. Duke of Brittany

        John II, Duke of Brittany

        John II reigned as Duke of Brittany from 1286 until his death, and was also Earl of Richmond in the Peerage of England. He took part in two crusades prior to his accession to the ducal throne. As a duke, John was involved in the conflicts between the kings of France and England. He was crushed to death in an accident during the celebrations of a papal coronation.

  144. 1259

    1. Adam Marsh, English scholar and theologian deaths

      1. Adam Marsh

        Adam Marsh was an English Franciscan, scholar and theologian. Marsh became, after Robert Grosseteste, "...the most eminent master of England."

  145. 1170

    1. Albert the Bear, margrave of Brandenburg (b. c. 1100) deaths

      1. 1st Margrave of Brandenburg (1157-70)

        Albert the Bear

        Albert the Bear was the first margrave of Brandenburg from 1157 to his death and was briefly duke of Saxony between 1138 and 1142.

  146. 1154

    1. Adelaide of Maurienne, French queen consort (b. 1092) deaths

      1. Queen consort of the Franks

        Adelaide of Maurienne

        Adelaide of Maurienne, also called Alix or Adele was Queen of France as the second wife of King Louis VI (1115-1137).

  147. 1100

    1. Thomas of Bayeux, archbishop of York deaths

      1. Norman Archbishop of York

        Thomas of Bayeux

        Thomas of Bayeux was Archbishop of York from 1070 until 1100. He was educated at Liège and became a royal chaplain to Duke William of Normandy, who later became King William I of England. After the Norman Conquest, the king nominated Thomas to succeed Ealdred as Archbishop of York. After Thomas' election, Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, demanded an oath from Thomas to obey him and any future Archbishops of Canterbury; this was part of Lanfranc's claim that Canterbury was the primary bishopric, and its holder the head of the English Church. Thomas countered that York had never made such an oath. As a result, Lanfranc refused to consecrate him. The King eventually persuaded Thomas to submit, but Thomas and Lanfranc continued to clash over ecclesiastical issues, including the primacy of Canterbury, which dioceses belonged to the province of York, and the question of how York's obedience to Canterbury would be expressed.

  148. 953

    1. Liutgard of Saxony, duchess of Lorraine (b. 931) deaths

      1. Duchess consort of Lotharingia

        Liutgard of Saxony (died 953)

        Liutgarde of Saxony, a member of the Ottonian dynasty, was Duchess consort of Lorraine from 947 until her death by her marriage with Duke Conrad the Red. She and Conrad became progenitors of the Salian dynasty.

  149. 942

    1. Odo of Cluny, Frankish abbot and saint (b. c. 878) deaths

      1. Benedictine monk, second abbot of Cluny

        Odo of Cluny

        Odo of Cluny was the second abbot of Cluny. He enacted various reforms in the Cluniac system of France and Italy. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. His feast day is 18 November.

  150. 709

    1. Emperor Kōnin of Japan (d. 782) births

      1. 49th emperor of Japan

        Emperor Kōnin

        Emperor Kōnin was the 49th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781.

  151. 701

    1. Itzam K'an Ahk II, Mayan ruler (d. 757) births

      1. Ajaw of Piedras Negras from 729 to 757

        Itzam Kʼan Ahk II

        Itzam Kʼan Ahk II, also known as Ruler 4, was an ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from 729 to 757 AD. Itzam Kʼan Ahk II ascended to the throne following the death of Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk II. Itzam Kʼan Ahk II may have fathered the following three kings of Piedras Negras: Yoʼnal Ahk III, Haʼ Kʼin Xook, and Kʼinich Yat Ahk II. Following Itzam Kʼan Ahk II's demise, he was succeeded by Yoʼnal Ahk III in 757 AD. Itzam Kʼan Ahk II left behind several monuments, including stelae at Piedras Negras and a large mortuary temple now known as Pyramid O-13. In addition, the details of his life and his Kʼatun-jubilee were commemorated on Panel 3, raised by Kʼinich Yat Ahk II several years following Itzam Kʼan Ahk II's death.

Holidays

  1. Christian feast day: Abhai of Hach (Syriac Orthodox Church)

    1. Martyrology of Rabban Sliba

      The Martyrology of Rabban Sliba is a book containing the names and feast days of a number of martyrs of the Syriac Orthodox Church. It was edited by P. Paul Peeters, S.J., and published in Analecta Bollandiana #27 in 1908.

    2. Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch

      Syriac Orthodox Church

      The Syriac Orthodox Church, officially known as the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and informally as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox church that branched from the Church of Antioch. The bishop of Antioch, known as the patriarch, heads the church, claiming apostolic succession through Saint Peter in the c. 1st century, according to sacred tradition. The church upholds Miaphysite doctrine in Christology, and employs the Divine Liturgy of Saint James, associated with James, the brother of Jesus. Classical Syriac is the official and liturgical language of the church.

  2. Christian feast day: Alphaeus and Zacchaeus

    1. Alphaeus and Zacchaeus

      Saints Alphaeus and Zaccheus were two Christians who were put to death in Caesarea, Palestine, in 303 or 304, according to church historian Eusebius in his Martyrs of Palestine. They are commemorated on Nov. 18.

  3. Christian feast day: Barulas

    1. Romanus of Caesarea

      Romanus of Caesarea is venerated as a martyr. A deacon of Caesarea, he was martyred at Antioch.

  4. Christian feast day: Constant

    1. Irish priest and hermit (d. 777)

      Saint Constant

      Saint Constant was an Irish priest and hermit, who was martyred in 777 AD. His feast is celebrated on 18 November.

  5. Christian feast day: Dedication of Saints Peter and Paul

    1. Dedication of Saints Peter and Paul

      The Dedication of the Basilicas of the Apostles Peter and Paul is a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, which is celebrated on 18 November.

  6. Christian feast day: Elizabeth of Hungary (Church of England)

    1. Hungarian princess and Christian saint

      Elizabeth of Hungary

      Elizabeth of Hungary, also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary and the landgravine of Thuringia in Germany.

    2. Anglican state church of England

      Church of England

      The Church of England is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain by the 3rd century and to the 6th-century Gregorian mission to Kent led by Augustine of Canterbury.

  7. Christian feast day: Juthwara

    1. British martyr

      Juthwara

      Saint Juthwara or Jutwara was a virgin and martyr from Dorset. According to her legend, she was an eighth century Saxon, and sister to Saint Sidwell, though some historians have theorised she was a Briton living in the sixth century. Her relics were translated to Sherborne during the reign of Ethelred the Unready. Nothing further is known with certainty about her life.

  8. Christian feast day: Mabyn (Roman Catholic Church and Anglicanism)

    1. Medieval Cornish saint

      Mabyn

      Mabyn, also known as Mabena, Mabon, etc., was a medieval Cornish saint. According to local Cornish tradition she was one of the many children of Brychan, king of Brycheiniog in Wales in the 5th century. The village and civil parish of St Mabyn is named for her, and the local St Mabyn Parish Church is dedicated to her.

    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.

    3. Christian denominational tradition

      Anglicanism

      Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the largest branches of Christianity, with around 110 million adherents worldwide as of 2001.

  9. Christian feast day: The main day of the Feast of the Virgen de Chiquinquirá or Chinita's Fair (Maracaibo, Venezuela)

    1. Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá

      Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá or the Virgin of Chiquinquirá is a Marian title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a venerated image in the northern Andes region.

    2. Municipality in Zulia, Venezuela

      Maracaibo

      Maracaibo is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the second-largest city in Venezuela, after the national capital, Caracas, and the capital of the state of Zulia. The population of the city is approximately 2,658,355 with the metropolitan area estimated at 5,278,448 as of 2010. Maracaibo is nicknamed "The Beloved Land of the Sun".

    3. Country in South America

      Venezuela

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

  10. Christian feast day: Maudez (Mawes)

    1. Breton saint

      Saint Maudez

      Saint Maudez is a Breton saint who lived in the 5th or 6th century. He is also known as Maudé, Maudet, Maodez or Modez (Breton), Maudetus (Latin), Mandé (French) and Mawes. In the Breton calendar his feast is 18 November.

  11. Christian feast day: Nazarius (Nazaire)

    1. French Roman Catholic saint

      Saint Nazarius (abbot)

      Saint Nazarius was the fourteenth abbot of the monastery of Lérins, probably during the reign of the Merovingian Clotaire II (584-629). He successfully attacked the remnants of paganism on the southern coast of France, overthrew a sanctuary of Venus near Cannes, and founded on its site a convent for women, which was destroyed by the Saracens in the 8th century. His name is inscribed on the calendar of saints of the French Church, on 18 November.

  12. Christian feast day: Odo of Cluny

    1. Benedictine monk, second abbot of Cluny

      Odo of Cluny

      Odo of Cluny was the second abbot of Cluny. He enacted various reforms in the Cluniac system of France and Italy. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. His feast day is 18 November.

  13. Christian feast day: Romanus of Caesarea

    1. Romanus of Caesarea

      Romanus of Caesarea is venerated as a martyr. A deacon of Caesarea, he was martyred at Antioch.

  14. Christian feast day: Rose Philippine Duchesne

    1. 18th and 19th-century French Catholic religious sister and missionary in the United States

      Rose Philippine Duchesne

      Rose Philippine Duchesne, RCSJ, was a French religious sister and educator whom Pope John Paul II canonized in 1988. She is the only fully canonized female Roman Catholic saint to share a feast day with the Dedication of Saints Peter and Paul on November 18th. A native of France, she immigrated as a missionary to America, and is recognized for her care and education of Indigenous American survivors of the United States Indian removal programs. Along with the founder, Madeleine-Sophie Barat, she was an early member of the Society of the Sacred Heart, and established the congregation's first communities in the United States. She spent the last half of her life teaching and serving the people of the Midwestern United States, which was at that time considered the western frontier of the nation.

  15. Christian feast day: November 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

    1. November 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

      November 17 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - November 19

  16. Day of Army and Victory (Haiti)

    1. Public holidays in Haiti

      The following are public holidays in Haiti. Many Vodou holidays are also celebrated, but are not considered public holidays.

    2. Country in the Caribbean

      Haiti

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

  17. Independence Day (Morocco), celebrates the independence of Morocco from France and Spain in 1956.

    1. Public holidays in Morocco

      This is a list of holidays in Morocco.

    2. Country in North Africa

      Morocco

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

  18. National Day (Oman)

    1. Public holidays in Oman

      The following is a list of public holidays in Oman.

  19. Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia celebrates the independence of Latvia from Russia in 1918.

    1. Public holiday in Latvia

      Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia

      Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia is celebrated annually on 18 November. It marks the anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence of Latvia by the People's Council of Latvia in 1918.

    2. Country in Northern Europe

      Latvia

      Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the Baltic states; and is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts; and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population.

  20. Remembrance Day of the Sacrifice of Vukovar in 1991 (Croatia)

    1. 1991 Croatian War of Independence siege

      Battle of Vukovar

      The Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Baroque town was a prosperous, mixed community of Croats, Serbs and other ethnic groups. As Yugoslavia began to break up, Serbia's President Slobodan Milošević and Croatia's President Franjo Tuđman began pursuing nationalist politics. In 1990, an armed insurrection was started by Croatian Serb militias, supported by the Serbian government and paramilitary groups, who seized control of Serb-populated areas of Croatia. The JNA began to intervene in favour of the rebellion, and conflict broke out in the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia in May 1991. In August, the JNA launched a full-scale attack against Croatian-held territory in eastern Slavonia, including Vukovar.

    2. Country in Southeast Europe

      Croatia

      Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe. It shares a coastline along the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Italy to the west and southwest. Croatia's capital and largest city, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, with twenty counties. The country spans an area of 56,594 square kilometres, hosting a population of nearly 3.9 million.