On This Day /

Important events in history
on December 28 th

Events

  1. 2014

    1. The passenger ferry Norman Atlantic caught fire in the Adriatic Sea, resulting in nine deaths, with a further 19 missing.

      1. Italian passenger ferry; caught fire in 2014

        MS Norman Atlantic

        MS Norman Atlantic was a roll-on/roll-off passenger (ROPAX) ferry owned by the Italian ferry company Visemar di Navigazione. The ferry was chartered by ANEK Lines from December 2014. On 28 December 2014, she caught fire in the Strait of Otranto, in the Adriatic Sea.

      2. Body of water between the Italian Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula

        Adriatic Sea

        The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto to the northwest and the Po Valley. The countries with coasts on the Adriatic are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, and Slovenia.

    2. Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashes into the Karimata Strait en route from Surabaya to Singapore, killing all 162 people aboard.

      1. Former scheduled international passenger flight operated by Indonesia AirAsia

        Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501

        Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Indonesia AirAsia from Surabaya, Java, Indonesia, to Singapore. On 28 December 2014, the Airbus A320 flying the route crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 162 people on board. When search operations ended in March 2015, only 116 bodies had been recovered. This was the third-deadliest aviation accident in Indonesian soil, behind Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 and Lion Air Flight 610. It is also the first fatal crash of an Airbus A320 aircraft since the crash of XL Airways Germany Flight 888T in 2008, as well as the second deadliest involving the Airbus A320 family, behind TAM Airlines Flight 3054 in 2007.

      2. Waterway in Indonesia between the islands of Belitung and Borneo

        Karimata Strait

        The Karimata Strait is a wide strait that connects the South China Sea to the Java Sea, separating the Indonesian islands of Belitung to the west and Borneo (Kalimantan) to the east. It is the widest strait between the South China Sea and the Java Sea, but its numerous islands and reefs reduce its navigability. Its weather and current is influenced by the annual southeast and northwest monsoon.

      3. Airport serving Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia

        Juanda International Airport

        Juanda International Airport (JIA), is an international airport located in Sedati, Sidoarjo. It is now the third busiest airport in Indonesia. This airport is located approximately 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) from Downtown Surabaya and serves the Surabaya metropolitan area, the metropolitan area of Surabaya plus extended urban area. Juanda International Airport is operated by PT Angkasa Pura I. The airport takes its name after Djuanda Kartawidjaja (1911–1963), the last Prime Minister of Indonesia who had suggested development of this airport. In 2019, the airport served about 500 aircraft per day.

      4. Largest commercial airport in Singapore

        Changi Airport

        Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport, is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passenger and cargo traffic, it has been rated as the 'World's Best Airport' by Skytrax several times, and is the first airport in the world to hold the accolade for eight consecutive years. It has also been rated as one of the world's cleanest airports and highly rated international transit airports. More than 100 airlines operate from the airport, with nonstop or direct flights to destinations in Asia, Australia/New Zealand & South-West Pacific, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.

    3. Nine people die and another 19 are reported missing, when the MS Norman Atlantic catches fire in the Strait of Otranto, in the Adriatic Sea, in Italian waters.

      1. Italian passenger ferry; caught fire in 2014

        MS Norman Atlantic

        MS Norman Atlantic was a roll-on/roll-off passenger (ROPAX) ferry owned by the Italian ferry company Visemar di Navigazione. The ferry was chartered by ANEK Lines from December 2014. On 28 December 2014, she caught fire in the Strait of Otranto, in the Adriatic Sea.

      2. Strait that connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania

        Strait of Otranto

        The Strait of Otranto connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. Its width at Punta Palascìa, east of Salento is less than 72 km. The strait is named after the Italian city of Otranto.

      3. Body of water between the Italian Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula

        Adriatic Sea

        The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto to the northwest and the Po Valley. The countries with coasts on the Adriatic are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, and Slovenia.

  2. 2011

    1. Kurdish–Turkish conflict: Acting on information that Kurdish militants were crossing the border from Iraqi territory, two Turkish F-16 jets fired at a group of villagers, killing 34 people.

      1. Armed conflict between Turkey and Kurdish insurgent groups

        Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present)

        The Kurdish–Turkish conflict is an armed conflict between the Republic of Turkey and various Kurdish insurgent groups who have either demanded separation from Turkey to create an independent Kurdistan, or attempted to secure autonomy and greater political and cultural rights for Kurds inside the Republic of Turkey.

      2. Iranian ethnic group

        Kurds

        Kurds or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria. There are exclaves of Kurds in Central Anatolia, Khorasan, and the Caucasus, as well as significant Kurdish diaspora communities in the cities of western Turkey and Western Europe. The Kurdish population is estimated to be between 30 and 45 million.

      3. Family of multi-role fighter aircraft

        General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon

        The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,600 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.

      4. Airstrike on Kurdish villagers near the Turkish-Iraqi border

        Roboski massacre

        The Roboski massacre, also known as the Uludere airstrike, took place on December 28, 2011, near the Iraq-Turkey border, when the Turkish Air Force bombed a group of Kurdish civilians who had been involved in smuggling gasoline and cigarettes, killing 34. According to a statement of the Turkish Air Force the group were mistakenly thought to be members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

  3. 2009

    1. Tibetan dissident filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen was imprisoned for subversion by Chinese authorities after a secret trial.

      1. Tibetan filmmaker (born 1974)

        Dhondup Wangchen

        Dhondup Wangchen is a Tibetan filmmaker imprisoned by the Chinese government in 2008 on charges related to his documentary Leaving Fear Behind. Made with senior Tibetan monk Jigme Gyatso, the documentary consists of interviews with ordinary Tibetan people discussing the 14th Dalai Lama, the Chinese government, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and Han Chinese migrants to the region. After smuggling the tapes of the interviews out of Tibet, however, Dhondup Wangchen and Jigme Gyatso were detained during the 2008 Tibetan unrest.

    2. A suicide bomber attacked a Shia procession commemorating the day of Ashura in Karachi, Pakistan, causing 43 deaths.

      1. Bombing in Pakistan

        2009 Karachi bombing

        The 2009 Karachi bombing or Ashura attack took place on 28 December 2009 inside a Shi'ite procession commemorating the day of Ashura, at Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road, Karachi. Ashura is the holiest of days for followers of Shia Islam and marks the anniversary of the death of Hussain, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was killed at the battle of Karbala in 680. At least 30 people were initially reported to have been killed, later figures revealed even more deaths while dozens were left injured in the wake of the attack. The attacker marched amongst the procession with tens of thousands of people attending the march. There is some speculation amongst officials as to whether the nature of the blast was that of a suicide attack or a remotely detonated or planted bomb.

      2. 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.

      3. 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram

        Ashura

        Ashura is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the death of Husayn ibn Ali, who was beheaded during the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. Among Sunni Muslims, Ashura is observed through celebratory fasting as it marks the day of salvation for Moses and the Israelites, who successfully escaped from Biblical Egypt after Moses called upon God's power to part the Red Sea. While Husayn's death is also regarded as a great tragedy by Sunnis, open displays of mourning are either discouraged or outright prohibited, depending on the specific act.

      4. Capital city of Sindh, Pakistan

        Karachi

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

    3. Forty-three people die in a suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, where Shia Muslims are observing the Day of Ashura.

      1. Bombing in Pakistan

        2009 Karachi bombing

        The 2009 Karachi bombing or Ashura attack took place on 28 December 2009 inside a Shi'ite procession commemorating the day of Ashura, at Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road, Karachi. Ashura is the holiest of days for followers of Shia Islam and marks the anniversary of the death of Hussain, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was killed at the battle of Karbala in 680. At least 30 people were initially reported to have been killed, later figures revealed even more deaths while dozens were left injured in the wake of the attack. The attacker marched amongst the procession with tens of thousands of people attending the march. There is some speculation amongst officials as to whether the nature of the blast was that of a suicide attack or a remotely detonated or planted bomb.

      2. Capital city of Sindh, Pakistan

        Karachi

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

      3. Second-most populous Islamic denomination

        Shia Islam

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

      4. 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram

        Ashura

        Ashura is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the death of Husayn ibn Ali, who was beheaded during the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. Among Sunni Muslims, Ashura is observed through celebratory fasting as it marks the day of salvation for Moses and the Israelites, who successfully escaped from Biblical Egypt after Moses called upon God's power to part the Red Sea. While Husayn's death is also regarded as a great tragedy by Sunnis, open displays of mourning are either discouraged or outright prohibited, depending on the specific act.

  4. 2006

    1. Somali Civil War: Troops of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and their Ethiopian allies captured Mogadishu unopposed.

      1. Armed conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia (2006–2009)

        War in Somalia (2006–2009)

        The War in Somalia, also known as the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia or the Ethiopian intervention in the Somali Civil War, was an armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces and Somali troops from Puntland versus the Somali Islamist umbrella group, the Islamic Court Union (ICU), and other affiliated militias for control of Somalia. Ethiopian's actions were due to the ICU gaining control of a majority of southern Somalia in late 2006.

      2. Former legislature of Somalia (2004-12)

        Transitional federal parliament of Somalia

        The Transitional Federal Parliament of the Somali Republic (TFP) was the national parliament of Somalia from 2004 until 2012.

      3. 2006 takeover of Mogadishu by TFG and Ethiopian troops during the War in Somalia (2006-09)

        Fall of Mogadishu

        The Fall of Mogadishu occurred on December 28, 2006, when the militaries of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Ethiopian troops entered the Somali capital unopposed. It came after a swift string of TFG and Ethiopian military victories against the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which had its headquarters in Mogadishu before it fled south.

    2. War in Somalia: The militaries of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopian troops capture Mogadishu unopposed.

      1. Armed conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia (2006–2009)

        War in Somalia (2006–2009)

        The War in Somalia, also known as the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia or the Ethiopian intervention in the Somali Civil War, was an armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces and Somali troops from Puntland versus the Somali Islamist umbrella group, the Islamic Court Union (ICU), and other affiliated militias for control of Somalia. Ethiopian's actions were due to the ICU gaining control of a majority of southern Somalia in late 2006.

      2. Country in the Horn of Africa

        Somalia

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

      3. Former legislature of Somalia (2004-12)

        Transitional federal parliament of Somalia

        The Transitional Federal Parliament of the Somali Republic (TFP) was the national parliament of Somalia from 2004 until 2012.

      4. Country in the Horn of Africa

        Ethiopia

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

      5. 2006 takeover of Mogadishu by TFG and Ethiopian troops during the War in Somalia (2006-09)

        Fall of Mogadishu

        The Fall of Mogadishu occurred on December 28, 2006, when the militaries of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Ethiopian troops entered the Somali capital unopposed. It came after a swift string of TFG and Ethiopian military victories against the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which had its headquarters in Mogadishu before it fled south.

  5. 1989

    1. In one of Australia's worst natural disasters, an earthquake measuring 5.6 ML struck Newcastle, New South Wales, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160 others, and causing an estimated A$4 billion in damages.

      1. 28 December 1989 earthquake in New South Wales, Australia

        1989 Newcastle earthquake

        The 1989 Newcastle earthquake was an intraplate earthquake that occurred in Newcastle, New South Wales on Thursday 28 December. The shock measured 5.6 on the Richter magnitude scale and was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160. The damage bill has been estimated at A$4 billion, including an insured loss of about $1 billion.

      2. 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 .

      3. City in New South Wales, Australia

        Newcastle, New South Wales

        Newcastle is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, which includes most parts of the local government areas of City of Newcastle, City of Lake Macquarie, City of Cessnock, City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council.

    2. A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, killing 13 people.

      1. 28 December 1989 earthquake in New South Wales, Australia

        1989 Newcastle earthquake

        The 1989 Newcastle earthquake was an intraplate earthquake that occurred in Newcastle, New South Wales on Thursday 28 December. The shock measured 5.6 on the Richter magnitude scale and was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160. The damage bill has been estimated at A$4 billion, including an insured loss of about $1 billion.

      2. City in New South Wales, Australia

        Newcastle, New South Wales

        Newcastle is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, which includes most parts of the local government areas of City of Newcastle, City of Lake Macquarie, City of Cessnock, City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council.

  6. 1973

    1. The United States Endangered Species Act is signed into law by President Richard Nixon.

      1. Country in North America

        United States

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

      2. United States law

        Endangered Species Act of 1973

        The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation", the ESA was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973. The Supreme Court of the United States described it as "the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation". The purposes of the ESA are two-fold: to prevent extinction and to recover species to the point where the law's protections are not needed. It therefore "protect[s] species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" through different mechanisms. For example, section 4 requires the agencies overseeing the Act to designate imperiled species as threatened or endangered. Section 9 prohibits unlawful ‘take,’ of such species, which means to "harass, harm, hunt..." Section 7 directs federal agencies to use their authorities to help conserve listed species. The Act also serves as the enacting legislation to carry out the provisions outlined in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Supreme Court found that "the plain intent of Congress in enacting" the ESA "was to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction, whatever the cost." The Act is administered by two federal agencies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). FWS and NMFS have been delegated by the Act with the authority to promulgate any rules and guidelines within the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to implement its provisions.

      3. 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.

  7. 1972

    1. The last scheduled day for induction into the military by the Selective Service System. Due to the fact that President Richard Nixon declared this day a national day of mourning due to former President Harry S Truman's death, approximately 300 men were not able to report due to most Federal offices being closed. Since the draft was not resumed in 1973, they were never drafted.

      1. American conscription system

        Selective Service System

        The Selective Service System (SSS) is an independent agency of the United States government that maintains information on U.S. citizens and other U.S. residents potentially subject to military conscription and carries out contingency planning and preparations for two types of draft: a general draft based on registration lists of men aged 18–25, and a special-skills draft based on professional licensing lists of workers in specified health care occupations. In the event of either type of draft, the Selective Service System would send out induction notices, adjudicate claims for deferments or exemptions, and assign draftees classified as conscientious objectors to alternative service work. All male U.S. citizens and immigrant non-citizens who are between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of their 18th birthdays, and must notify the Selective Service within ten days of any changes to any of the information they provided on their registration cards, such as a change of address. The Selective Service System is a contingency mechanism for the possibility that conscription becomes necessary.

      2. President of the United States from 1969 to 1974

        Richard Nixon

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

      3. President of the United States from 1945 to 1953

        Harry S. Truman

        Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin Roosevelt and as a United States senator from Missouri from 1935 to January 1945. Assuming the presidency after Roosevelt's death, Truman implemented the Marshall Plan to rebuild the economy of Western Europe and established both the Truman Doctrine and NATO to contain the expansion of Soviet communism. He proposed numerous liberal domestic reforms, but few were enacted by the Conservative Coalition which dominated the Congress.

  8. 1967

    1. American businesswoman Muriel Siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

      1. American businesswoman

        Muriel Siebert

        Muriel Faye Siebert was an American businesswoman who was the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, and the first woman to head one of the NYSE's member firms. She joined the 1,365 male members of the exchange on December 28, 1967. Siebert is sometimes known as the "first woman of finance", despite being preceded in owning a brokerage by Victoria Woodhull.

      2. American stock exchange

        New York Stock Exchange

        The New York Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at US$30.1 trillion as of February 2018. The average daily trading value was approximately US$169 billion in 2013. The NYSE trading floor is at the New York Stock Exchange Building on 11 Wall Street and 18 Broad Street and is a National Historic Landmark. An additional trading room, at 30 Broad Street, was closed in February 2007.

    2. American businesswoman Muriel Siebert becomes the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

      1. American businesswoman

        Muriel Siebert

        Muriel Faye Siebert was an American businesswoman who was the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, and the first woman to head one of the NYSE's member firms. She joined the 1,365 male members of the exchange on December 28, 1967. Siebert is sometimes known as the "first woman of finance", despite being preceded in owning a brokerage by Victoria Woodhull.

      2. American stock exchange

        New York Stock Exchange

        The New York Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at US$30.1 trillion as of February 2018. The average daily trading value was approximately US$169 billion in 2013. The NYSE trading floor is at the New York Stock Exchange Building on 11 Wall Street and 18 Broad Street and is a National Historic Landmark. An additional trading room, at 30 Broad Street, was closed in February 2007.

  9. 1958

    1. "Greatest Game Ever Played": Baltimore Colts defeat the New York Giants in the first ever National Football League sudden death overtime game at New York's Yankee Stadium.

      1. Renowned American football event

        1958 NFL Championship Game

        The 1958 NFL Championship Game was the 26th NFL championship game, played on December 28 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first NFL playoff game to be decided in sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17, and the game has since become widely known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played". Its legendary status in the pantheon of historic NFL games was again confirmed by a nationwide poll of 66 media members in 2019, who voted it the best game in the league's first 100 years.

      2. Aspect of history

        History of the Indianapolis Colts

        The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the South Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The organization began play in 1953 as the Baltimore Colts with the team located in Baltimore, Maryland; it relocated to Indianapolis following the 1983 season.

      3. 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.

      4. Professional American football league

        National Football League

        The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world. Each NFL season begins with a three-week preseason in August, followed by the 18-week regular season which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament that culminates in the Super Bowl, which is contested in February and is played between the AFC and NFC conference champions. The league is headquartered in New York City.

      5. Form of competition where play ends as soon as one competitor surpasses the others

        Sudden death (sport)

        In a sport or game, sudden death is a form of competition where play ends as soon as one competitor is ahead of the others, with that competitor becoming the winner. Sudden death is typically used as a tiebreaker when a contest is tied at the end of regulation (normal) playing time or the completion of the normal playing task.

      6. Additional period of play to bring a game to a decision

        Overtime (sports)

        Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination tournaments where only one team or players can advance to the next round or win the tournament.

      7. Former baseball stadium in the Bronx, New York

        Yankee Stadium (1923)

        The original Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees, one of the city's Major League Baseball franchises, from 1923 to 2008, except for 1974–1975 when the stadium was renovated. It hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the home of the New York Giants National Football League (NFL) team from 1956 through September 1973. The stadium's nickname, "The House That Ruth Built", is derived from Babe Ruth, the baseball superstar whose prime years coincided with the stadium's opening and the beginning of the Yankees' winning history. It has often been referred to as "The Cathedral of Baseball".

  10. 1956

    1. Chin Peng, David Marshall and Tunku Abdul Rahman meet in Baling, Malaya to try and resolve the Malayan Emergency situation.

      1. Leader of the Malayan Communist Party (1924–2013)

        Chin Peng

        Chin Peng, born Ong Boon Hua, was a Malayan communist politician, anti-fascist activist and long-time leader of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA).

      2. 1st Chief Minister of Singapore (1955-56)

        David Marshall (Singaporean politician)

        David Saul Marshall, born David Saul Mashal, was a Singaporean lawyer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Singapore from 1955 until his resignation in 1956, after his delegation to London regarding the negotiation for complete home rule and eventual independence of Singapore failed. However, Marshall was instrumental in forging the idea as well as in subsequent negotiations that led to the eventual self-governance of Singapore from the United Kingdom.

      3. Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1957 to 1970

        Tunku Abdul Rahman

        Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah was a Malaysian statesman and lawyer who served as the 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia and the head of government of its predecessor states from 1955 to 1970. He was the first chief minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955 to 1957. He supervised the independence process that culminated on 31 August 1957. As Malaya's first prime minister he dominated politics there for the next 13 years. In 1963, he successfully incorporated the Federation of Malaya, British North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore into the state of Malaysia. However, tensions between the Malay and Chinese communities resulted in Singapore's expulsion in 1965. His poor performance during race riots in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 led to his resignation in 1970. Commonly known simply as "Tunku", Tunku Abdul Rahman is widely regarded, even by his critics, as Malaysia's "founding father", the architect of Malayan independence and of the formation of Malaysia. As such, he is often referred to as Father of Independence or Father of Malaysia.

      4. District of Malaysia in Kedah

        Baling District

        The Baling District is an administrative district in southeastern Kedah, Malaysia. Located about 110 km from Alor Setar, it borders Perak and Betong, the southernmost town of Thailand.

      5. Federation of British territories from 1948–57; independent country from 1957–63

        Federation of Malaya

        The Federation of Malaya was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states that existed from 1 February 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957, and in 1963, Malaysia was formed when the federation united with the Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak Crown Colonies.

      6. 1955 diplomatic conference to resolve the Malayan Emergency

        Baling Talks

        The Baling Talks were held in northern Malaya in December 1955 in an attempt to resolve the Malayan Emergency situation.

      7. 1948–1960 conflict in British Malaya

        Malayan Emergency

        The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War (1948–1960), was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth. The communists fought to win independence for Malaya from the British Empire and to establish a socialist economy, while the Commonwealth forces fought to combat communism and protect British economic and colonial interests. The conflict was called the "Anti–British National Liberation War" by the MNLA, but an "Emergency" by the British, as London-based insurers would not have paid out in instances of civil wars.

  11. 1955

    1. Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Il-sung delivered the Juche speech, outlining the state ideology of his regime.

      1. Supreme Leader (North Korean title)

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

      2. Leader of North Korea from 1948 to 1994

        Kim Il-sung

        Kim Il-sung was a Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Premier from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to 1994. He was the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) from 1949 to 1994. Coming to power after the end of Japanese rule in 1945, he authorized the invasion of South Korea in 1950, triggering an intervention in defense of South Korea by the United Nations led by the United States. Following the military stalemate in the Korean War, a ceasefire was signed on 27 July 1953. He was the third longest-serving non-royal head of state/government in the 20th century, in office for more than 45 years.

      3. 1955 work by Kim Il-sung

        On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work

        On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work, also known as the "Juche speech", was a speech delivered on 28 December 1955 by Kim Il-sung. The address mentioned his Juche ideology by name for the first time. It is considered one of Kim's most important works and a "watershed moment" in North Korean history. Views differ if the speech used the term juche to launch an ideology or more conservatively to assert that the Korean people were the subject of the revolution. The former believes that Juche, as a distinct ideology, was developed by Hwang Jang-yop on his re-discovery of the speech. The speech was published for the first time in 1960 and in many subsequent, heavily edited revisions since.

      4. State ideology of North Korea

        Juche

        Juche, officially the Juche idea, is the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il-sung, the country's founder and first leader. Juche was originally regarded as a variant of Marxism–Leninism until Kim Jong-il, Kim Il-sung's son and successor, declared it a distinct ideology in the 1970s. Kim Jong-il further developed Juche in the 1980s and 1990s by making ideological breaks from Marxism–Leninism and increasing the importance of his father's ideas.

  12. 1948

    1. The DC-3 airliner NC16002 disappears 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Miami.

      1. Airliner and military transport aircraft family

        Douglas DC-3

        The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version of the Douglas DC-2. It is a low-wing metal monoplane with conventional landing gear, powered by two radial piston engines of 1,000–1,200 hp (750–890 kW). The DC-3 has a cruising speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), a capacity of 21 to 32 passengers or 6,000 lbs (2,700 kg) of cargo, and a range of 1,500 mi (2,400 km), and can operate from short runways.

      2. Early Bermuda Triangle incident

        1948 Airborne Transport DC-3 disappearance

        The disappearance of a Douglas DST airliner, registered NC16002, occurred on the night of 28 December 1948 near the end of a scheduled flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida. The aircraft carried 29 passengers and 3 crew members. No probable cause for the loss was determined by the official investigation and it remains unsolved.

      3. City in Florida, United States

        Miami

        Miami, officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 as of the 2020 census, it is the second-most populous city in Florida and the eleventh-most populous city in the Southeastern United States. The Miami metropolitan area is the ninth largest in the U.S. with a population of 6.138 million people as of 2020. The city has the third-largest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises, 58 of which exceed 491 ft (150 m).

  13. 1944

    1. Maurice Richard becomes the first player to score eight points in one game of NHL ice hockey.

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Maurice Richard

        Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season, accomplishing the feat in 50 games in 1944–45, and the first to reach 500 career goals.

      2. North American professional ice hockey league

        National Hockey League

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

      3. Team sport played on ice using sticks, skates, and a puck

        Ice hockey

        Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance and shoot a closed, vulcanized, rubber disc called a "puck" into the other team's goal. Each goal is worth one point. The team which scores the most goals is declared the winner. In a formal game, each team has six skaters on the ice at a time, barring any penalties, one of whom is the goaltender. Ice hockey is a full contact sport.

  14. 1943

    1. World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division captured the town of Ortona, Italy.

      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. Combat conducted in urban areas

        Urban warfare

        Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both the operational and the tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the presence of civilians and the complexity of the urban terrain. Urban combat operations may be conducted to capitalize on strategic or tactical advantages associated with the possession or the control of a particular urban area or to deny these advantages to the enemy.

      3. Canadian Joint Operations Command formation based in Kingston, Ontario

        1st Canadian Division

        The 1st Canadian Division is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and equipped to meet Canada’s military objectives to counter any potential threat.

      4. World War II battle in Ortona, Italy in December 1943

        Battle of Ortona

        The Battle of Ortona was a battle fought between two battalions of elite German Fallschirmjäger (paratroops) from the German 1st Parachute Division under Generalleutnant Richard Heidrich, and assaulting Canadian troops from the 1st Canadian Infantry Division under Major General Christopher Vokes. It was the culmination of the fighting on the Adriatic front in Italy during "Bloody December". The battle was known to those who fought it as the "Italian Stalingrad," for the brutality of its close-quarters combat, which was only worsened by the chaotic rubble of the town and the many booby traps used by both sides. The battle took place in the small Adriatic Sea town of Ortona (Abruzzo), with a peacetime population of 10,000.

    2. Soviet authorities launch Operation Ulussy, beginning the deportation of the Kalmyk nation to Siberia and Central Asia.

      1. 1943 forced resettlement of the Kalmyk minority within the Soviet Union

        Deportation of the Kalmyks

        The Kalmyk deportations of 1943, codename Operation Ulusy was the Soviet deportation of more than 93,000 people of Kalmyk nationality, and non-Kalmyk women with Kalmyk husbands, on 28–31 December 1943. Families and individuals were forcibly relocated in cattle wagons to special settlements for forced labor in Siberia. Kalmyk women married to non-Kalmyk men were exempted from the deportations. The government's official reason for the deportation was an accusation of Axis collaboration during World War II based on the approximately 5,000 Kalmyks who fought in the Nazi-affiliated Kalmykian Cavalry Corps. The government refused to acknowledge that more than 23,000 Kalmyks served in the Red Army and fought against Axis forces at the same time.

    3. World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the Battle of Ortona concludes with the victory of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division over the German 1st Parachute Division and the capture of the Italian town of Ortona.

      1. Combat conducted in urban areas

        Urban warfare

        Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both the operational and the tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the presence of civilians and the complexity of the urban terrain. Urban combat operations may be conducted to capitalize on strategic or tactical advantages associated with the possession or the control of a particular urban area or to deny these advantages to the enemy.

      2. World War II battle in Ortona, Italy in December 1943

        Battle of Ortona

        The Battle of Ortona was a battle fought between two battalions of elite German Fallschirmjäger (paratroops) from the German 1st Parachute Division under Generalleutnant Richard Heidrich, and assaulting Canadian troops from the 1st Canadian Infantry Division under Major General Christopher Vokes. It was the culmination of the fighting on the Adriatic front in Italy during "Bloody December". The battle was known to those who fought it as the "Italian Stalingrad," for the brutality of its close-quarters combat, which was only worsened by the chaotic rubble of the town and the many booby traps used by both sides. The battle took place in the small Adriatic Sea town of Ortona (Abruzzo), with a peacetime population of 10,000.

      3. Canadian Joint Operations Command formation based in Kingston, Ontario

        1st Canadian Division

        The 1st Canadian Division is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and equipped to meet Canada’s military objectives to counter any potential threat.

      4. German WWII airborne division

        1st Parachute Division (Germany)

        The 1st Parachute Division was an elite German military parachute-landing division that fought during World War II. A division of paratroopers was termed a Fallschirmjäger Division. For reasons of secrecy, it was originally raised as the 7th Air Division, or Flieger-Division, before being renamed and reorganized as the 1st Parachute Division in 1943.

      5. Comune in Abruzzo, Italy

        Ortona

        Ortona is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants.

  15. 1941

    1. World War II: Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate high-ranking Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commences.

      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. 1942 assassination in Prague

        Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich

        On 27 May 1942 in Prague, Reinhard Heydrich—the commander of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), acting governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and a principal architect of the Holocaust—was attacked and wounded in an assassination attempt by Czechoslovak resistance operatives Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš. Heydrich died of his wounds on 4 June 1942.

      3. German fascist ideology

        Nazism

        Nazism, the common name in English for National Socialism, is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Nazi Germany. During Hitler's rise to power in 1930s Europe, it was frequently referred to as Hitlerism. The later related term "neo-Nazism" is applied to other far-right groups with similar ideas which formed after the Second World War.

      4. Nazi high official and deputy head of the SS (1904–1942)

        Reinhard Heydrich

        Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was a high-ranking German SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust.

  16. 1918

    1. Irishwoman Constance Markievicz (pictured) was elected to the House of Commons as the first female British member of Parliament, although she never took her seat.

      1. Irish nationalist, suffragist, socialist, politician, and revolutionary

        Constance Markievicz

        Constance Georgine Markievicz, also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, socialist, and the first woman elected to the Westminster Parliament, and was elected Minister for Labour in the First Dáil, becoming the first female cabinet minister in Europe. She served as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South constituency from 1921 to 1922 and 1923 to 1927. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Dublin St Patrick's from 1918 to 1922.

      2. 1918 Irish general election

        The 1918 Irish general election was the part of the 1918 United Kingdom general election which took place in Ireland. It is now seen as a key moment in modern Irish history because it saw the overwhelming defeat of the moderate nationalist Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP), which had dominated the Irish political landscape since the 1880s, and a landslide victory for the radical Sinn Féin party. Sinn Féin had never previously stood in a general election, but had won six seats in by-elections in 1917–18. The party had vowed in its manifesto to establish an independent Irish Republic. In Ulster, however, the Unionist Party was the most successful party.

      3. Lower house in the Parliament of the United Kingdom

        House of Commons of the United Kingdom

        The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.

      4. Political strategy in a legislature

        Abstentionism

        Abstentionism is standing for election to a deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business. Abstentionism differs from an election boycott in that abstentionists participate in the election itself. Abstentionism has been used by Irish republican political movements in the United Kingdom and Ireland since the early 19th century. It was also used by Hungarian and Czech nationalists in the Austrian Imperial Council in the 1860s.

    2. Constance Markievicz, while detained in Holloway prison, becomes the first woman to be elected Member of Parliament (MP) to the British House of Commons.

      1. Irish nationalist, suffragist, socialist, politician, and revolutionary

        Constance Markievicz

        Constance Georgine Markievicz, also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, socialist, and the first woman elected to the Westminster Parliament, and was elected Minister for Labour in the First Dáil, becoming the first female cabinet minister in Europe. She served as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South constituency from 1921 to 1922 and 1923 to 1927. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Dublin St Patrick's from 1918 to 1922.

      2. Representatives in the House of Commons

        Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)

        In the United Kingdom, a member of Parliament (MP) is an individual elected to serve in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

      3. Lower house in the Parliament of the United Kingdom

        House of Commons of the United Kingdom

        The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.

  17. 1912

    1. The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco.

      1. Public transport agency in San Francisco, California, USA

        San Francisco Municipal Railway

        The San Francisco Municipal Railway (SF Muni or Muni), is the public transit system for the City and County of San Francisco. It operates a system of bus routes, the Muni Metro light rail system, three historic cable car lines, and two historic streetcar lines. Previously an independent agency, the San Francisco Municipal Railway merged with two other agencies in 1999 to become the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). In 2018, Muni served 46.7 square miles (121 km2) with an operating budget of about $1.2 billion. Muni is the seventh-highest-ridership transit system in the United States, with 89,377,200 rides in 2021, and the second-highest in California after the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

      2. Street-running light railcar

        Tram

        A tram is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are called tramways or simply trams/streetcars. Many recently built tramways use the contemporary term light rail. The vehicles are called streetcars or trolleys in North America and trams or tramcars elsewhere. The first two terms are often used interchangeably in the United States, with trolley being the preferred term in the eastern US and streetcar in the western US. Streetcar or tramway are preferred in Canada. In parts of the United States, internally powered buses made to resemble a streetcar are often referred to as "trolleys". To avoid further confusion with trolley buses, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) refers to them as "trolley-replica buses". In the United States, the term tram has sometimes been used for rubber-tired trackless trains, which are unrelated to other kinds of trams.

      3. Consolidated city and county in California, United States

        San Francisco

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

  18. 1908

    1. An earthquake registering 7.1 Mw struck near Messina, which, along with the subsequent tsunami, killed at least 75,000 people in southern Italy.

      1. Devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake & tsunami in southern Italy

        1908 Messina earthquake

        The 1908 Messina earthquake occurred on 28 December in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). The epicenter was in the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily from the Italian mainland. The cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria were almost completely destroyed and between 75,000 and 82,000 people died. It was the most destructive earthquake ever to strike Europe.

      2. Measure of earthquake size, in terms of the energy released

        Moment magnitude scale

        The moment magnitude scale is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude based on its seismic moment. It was defined in a 1979 paper by Thomas C. Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori. Similar to the local magnitude scale (ML ) defined by Charles Francis Richter in 1935, it uses a logarithmic scale; small earthquakes have approximately the same magnitudes on both scales.

      3. Comune in Sicily, Italy

        Messina

        Messina is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the Metropolitan City. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of Messina and it is an important access terminal to Calabria region, Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria on the mainland. According to Eurostat the FUA of the metropolitan area of Messina has, in 2014, 277,584 inhabitants.

    2. The 7.1 Mw  Messina earthquake shakes Southern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 75,000 and 200,000.

      1. Devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake & tsunami in southern Italy

        1908 Messina earthquake

        The 1908 Messina earthquake occurred on 28 December in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). The epicenter was in the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily from the Italian mainland. The cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria were almost completely destroyed and between 75,000 and 82,000 people died. It was the most destructive earthquake ever to strike Europe.

      2. Macroregion of Italy

        Southern Italy

        Southern Italy also known as Meridione or Mezzogiorno, is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.

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

        Modified Mercalli intensity scale

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

  19. 1907

    1. The last confirmed sighting of the now-extinct huia occurred in the Tararua Range on New Zealand's North Island.

      1. Extinct species of New Zealand wattlebird

        Huia

        The huia is an extinct species of New Zealand wattlebird, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. The last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907, although there was a credible sighting in 1924.

      2. Mountain range in the North Island of New Zealand

        Tararua Range

        The Tararua Range, often referred to as the Tararua Ranges or Tararua, is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand.

      3. One of the two main New Zealand islands

        North Island

        The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is 113,729 square kilometres (43,911 sq mi), making it the world's 14th-largest island. The world's 28th-most-populous island, Te Ika-a-Māui has a population of 3,922,000, accounting for approximately 77% of the total residents of New Zealand.

  20. 1902

    1. The Syracuse Athletic Club defeat the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.

      1. Defunct American football team

        Syracuse Pros

        A nameless professional American football team, based in Syracuse, New York and generically known as the Syracuse Pros or Syracuse Eleven, was once thought to have joined the American Professional Football Association (now the National Football League for the 1921 season. The team was coached by Mike Purdy and managed by Andy Friedman. Syracuse University multi-sport standout John Barsha was the team's franchise player.

      2. American football tournament held in Madison Square Garden, New York City (1902-03)

        World Series of Football (1902–03)

        The World Series of Football was a series of football games played indoors at New York City's Madison Square Garden in 1902 and 1903. It originally comprised five teams, four from the state of New York and one from New Jersey. While none of the teams were really considered the best in the country, historians refer to the affair as a "World Series". However, it was hardly a series in the sense of two strong teams playing each other over several games. In fact, no team played another more than once and the team pairings were also considered odd. Under the 1902 system, the anticipated second-place team was automatically swept into the championship game without even playing a down while the expected first-place finisher had to fight its way through the brackets, effectively creating a cross between a traditional tournament and a "gauntlet-style" tournament for the first-place team.

      3. Defunct American football team (1902)

        New York (World Series of Football)

        "New York" was a professional football team formed by promoter Tom O'Rouke for the World Series of Football in 1902. The event was held in New York City at Madison Square Garden. It featured five football teams from New York and New Jersey: the Syracuse Athletic Club, Orange Athletic Club, Knickerbocker Athletic Club, Warslow Athletic Club and "New York". The "New York" team was designed and heavily favored to win the tournament. However, they were defeated in the opening game by Syracuse.

      4. Variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas

        Indoor American football

        Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller arena. It is distinct from traditional American or Canadian football played in larger domed or open-air stadiums, although several early college football games contested on full-sized or nearly full-sized fields at Chicago Coliseum (1890s) and Atlantic City Convention Center helped to show that football could be played as an indoor game.

      5. Former arena in Manhattan, New York

        Madison Square Garden (1890)

        Madison Square Garden (1890–1926) was an indoor arena in New York City, the second by that name, and the second and last to be located at 26th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Opened in 1890 at the cost of about $500,000, it replaced the first Madison Square Garden, and hosted numerous events, including boxing matches, orchestral performances, light operas and romantic comedies, the annual French Ball, both the Barnum and the Ringling circuses, and the 1924 Democratic National Convention, which nominated John W. Davis after 103 ballots. The building closed in 1925, and was replaced by the third Madison Square Garden at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street, which was the first to be located away from Madison Square.

  21. 1895

    1. The Lumière brothers perform for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines.

      1. 19/20th-century French filmmakers and photography equipment manufacturers

        Auguste and Louis Lumière

        The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas Lumière and Louis Jean Lumière, were French manufacturers of photography equipment, best known for their Cinématographe motion picture system and the short films they produced between 1895 and 1905, which places them among the earliest filmmakers.

    2. Wilhelm Röntgen publishes a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, which later will be known as x-rays.

      1. Discoverer of X-Rays

        Wilhelm Röntgen

        Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a German mechanical engineer and physicist, who, on 8 November 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays or Röntgen rays, an achievement that earned him the inaugural Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. In honour of Röntgen's accomplishments, in 2004 the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) named element 111, roentgenium, a radioactive element with multiple unstable isotopes, after him. The unit of measurement roentgen was also named after him.

      2. Waves or particles moving through space

        Radiation

        In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma radiation (γ) particle radiation, such as alpha radiation (α), beta radiation (β), proton radiation and neutron radiation acoustic radiation, such as ultrasound, sound, and seismic waves gravitational radiation, that takes the form of gravitational waves, or ripples in the curvature of spacetime

      3. Form of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation

        X-ray

        An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz (3×1016 Hz to 3×1019 Hz) and energies in the range 145 eV to 124 keV. X-ray wavelengths are shorter than those of UV rays and typically longer than those of gamma rays. In many languages, X-radiation is referred to as Röntgen radiation, after the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered it on November 8, 1895. He named it X-radiation to signify an unknown type of radiation. Spellings of X-ray(s) in English include the variants x-ray(s), xray(s), and X ray(s). The most familiar use of X-rays is checking for fractures (broken bones), but X-rays are also used in other ways. For example, chest X-rays can spot pneumonia. Mammograms use X-rays to look for breast cancer.

  22. 1885

    1. Indian National Congress, a political party of India, is founded in Bombay Presidency, British India.

      1. Indian political party

        Indian National Congress

        The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa. From the late 19th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence movement. The Congress led India to independence from the United Kingdom, and significantly influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire.

      2. Province in British India (1668–1947)

        Bombay Presidency

        The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainland territory was acquired in the Konkan region with the Treaty of Bassein (1802). Mahabaleswar was the summer capital.

  23. 1879

    1. The Tay Bridge, spanning the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and Wormit, collapsed during a violent storm while a train was passing over it, killing all on board.

      1. Railway bridge across the River Tay, Scotland

        Tay Bridge

        The Tay Bridge carries the railway across the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife. Its span is 2.75 miles. It is the second bridge to occupy the site.

      2. Firth in Scotland

        Firth of Tay

        The Firth of Tay is a firth on the east coast of Scotland, into which the River Tay empties. The firth is surrounded by four council areas: Fife, Perth and Kinross, City of Dundee, and Angus. Its maximum width is 3 mi (4.8 km).

      3. City and council area in Scotland

        Dundee

        Dundee is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was 148,210, giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or 6,420/sq mi, the second-highest in Scotland. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea. Under the name of Dundee City, it forms one of the 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland.

      4. Town in Scotland

        Wormit

        Wormit is a village on the south shore of the Firth of Tay in north-east Fife, Scotland. Its location at the southern end of the Tay Rail Bridge has led to it becoming a commuter suburb of Dundee. Together with Woodhaven and Newport-on-Tay, Wormit is a part of The Burgh of Newport-on-Tay. The name of the village is thought to be derived from the plant wormwood.

      5. Bridge collapse and train wreck

        Tay Bridge disaster

        The Tay Bridge disaster occurred during a violent storm on Sunday 28 December 1879, when the first Tay Rail Bridge collapsed as a North British Railway (NBR) passenger train on the Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line from Burntisland bound for its final destination of Dundee passed over it, killing all aboard. The bridge—designed by Sir Thomas Bouch—used lattice girders supported by iron piers, with cast iron columns and wrought iron cross-bracing. The piers were narrower and their cross-bracing was less extensive and robust than on previous similar designs by Bouch.

    2. Tay Bridge disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom collapses as a train passes over it, killing 75.

      1. Bridge collapse and train wreck

        Tay Bridge disaster

        The Tay Bridge disaster occurred during a violent storm on Sunday 28 December 1879, when the first Tay Rail Bridge collapsed as a North British Railway (NBR) passenger train on the Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line from Burntisland bound for its final destination of Dundee passed over it, killing all aboard. The bridge—designed by Sir Thomas Bouch—used lattice girders supported by iron piers, with cast iron columns and wrought iron cross-bracing. The piers were narrower and their cross-bracing was less extensive and robust than on previous similar designs by Bouch.

      2. Railway bridge across the River Tay, Scotland

        Tay Bridge

        The Tay Bridge carries the railway across the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife. Its span is 2.75 miles. It is the second bridge to occupy the site.

      3. City and council area in Scotland

        Dundee

        Dundee is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was 148,210, giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or 6,420/sq mi, the second-highest in Scotland. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea. Under the name of Dundee City, it forms one of the 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland.

  24. 1846

    1. Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state.

      1. U.S. state

        Iowa

        Iowa is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east and southeast, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest, and Minnesota to the north.

      2. Constituent political entity of the United States

        U.S. state

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

  25. 1836

    1. South Australia and Adelaide are founded.

      1. State of Australia

        South Australia

        South Australia is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of 984,321 square kilometres (380,048 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, and second smallest state by population. It has a total of 1.8 million people. Its population is the second most highly centralised in Australia, after Western Australia, with more than 77 percent of South Australians living in the capital Adelaide, or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier, the second-largest centre, has a population of 33,233.

      2. Capital city of South Australia, Australia

        Adelaide

        Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide or the Adelaide city centre. The demonym Adelaidean is used to denote the city and the residents of Adelaide. The Traditional Owners of the Adelaide region are the Kaurna people. The area of the city centre and surrounding parklands is called Tarndanya in the Kaurna language.

    2. Spain recognizes the independence of Mexico with the signing of the Santa María–Calatrava Treaty.

      1. Counter-revolutionary attempted interventions by Spain to reclaim Mexico as a colony

        Spanish attempts to reconquer Mexico

        The Spanish attempts to reconquer Mexico were an effort by the Spanish government to regain possession of its former colony of New Spain, resulting in episodes of war comprised in clashes between the newly born Mexican nation and Spain. The designation mainly covers two periods: the first attempts occurred from 1821 to 1825 and involved the defense of Mexico's territorial waters, while the second period had two stages, including the Mexican expansion plan to take the Spanish-held island of Cuba between 1826 and 1828 and the 1829 expedition of Spanish General Isidro Barradas, which landed on Mexican soil with the object of reconquering Mexican territory. Although the Spanish never regained control of the country, they damaged the fledgling Mexican economy.

  26. 1835

    1. Osceola leads his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.

      1. Seminole leader

        Osceola

        Osceola, named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a Scotsman, James McQueen. He was reared by his mother in the Creek (Muscogee) tradition. When he was a child, they migrated to Florida with other Red Stick refugees, led by a relative, Peter McQueen, after their group's defeat in 1814 in the Creek Wars. There they became part of what was known as the Seminole people.

      2. Native American people originally from Florida

        Seminole

        The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, as well as independent groups. The Seminole people emerged in a process of ethnogenesis from various Native American groups who settled in Spanish Florida beginning in the early 1700s, most significantly northern Muscogee Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama.

      3. U.S. state

        Florida

        Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida and Cuba; it is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Spanning 65,758 square miles (170,310 km2), Florida ranks 22nd in area among the 50 states, and with a population of over 21 million, is the third-most populous. The state capital is Tallahassee and the most populous city is Jacksonville. The Miami metropolitan area, with a population of almost 6.2 million, is the most populous urban area in Florida and the ninth-most populous in the United States; other urban conurbations with over one million people are Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Jacksonville.

      4. 1835–42 war in Florida

        Second Seminole War

        The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans and Black Indians. It was part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars. The Second Seminole War, often referred to as the Seminole War, is regarded as "the longest and most costly of the Indian conflicts of the United States".

  27. 1832

    1. John C. Calhoun became the first vice president of the United States to resign.

      1. Vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832

        John C. Calhoun

        John Caldwell Calhoun was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He adamantly defended slavery and sought to protect the interests of the white South. He began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent of a strong national government and protective tariffs. In the late 1820s, his views changed radically, and he became a leading proponent of states' rights, limited government, nullification, and opposition to high tariffs. He saw Northern acceptance of those policies as a condition of the South remaining in the Union. His beliefs and warnings heavily influenced the South's secession from the Union in 1860–1861.

      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.

    2. John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice President of the United States to resign. He resigned after being elected Senator from South Carolina.

      1. Vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832

        John C. Calhoun

        John Caldwell Calhoun was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He adamantly defended slavery and sought to protect the interests of the white South. He began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent of a strong national government and protective tariffs. In the late 1820s, his views changed radically, and he became a leading proponent of states' rights, limited government, nullification, and opposition to high tariffs. He saw Northern acceptance of those policies as a condition of the South remaining in the Union. His beliefs and warnings heavily influenced the South's secession from the Union in 1860–1861.

      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.

  28. 1795

    1. Construction of Yonge Street, formerly recognized as the longest street in the world, begins in York, Upper Canada (present-day Toronto).

      1. Historic road in Ontario, Canada

        Yonge Street

        Yonge Street is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes.

      2. Unincorporated municipality in Home District, Upper Canada

        York, Upper Canada

        York was a town and second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location for the capital of Upper Canada, while he made plans to build a capital near today's London, Ontario. Simcoe renamed the location York after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, George III's second son. Simcoe gave up his plan to build a capital at London, and York became the permanent capital of Upper Canada on February 1, 1796. That year Simcoe returned to Britain and was temporarily replaced by Peter Russell.

      3. Capital city of Ontario, Canada

        Toronto

        Toronto is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration of 9,765,188 people surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario, while the Greater Toronto Area proper had a 2021 population of 6,712,341. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, sports and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

  29. 1768

    1. King Taksin's coronation achieved through conquest as a king of Thailand and established Thonburi as a capital.

      1. 1st and only ruler of the Thonburi Kingdom of Thailand (r. 1767-82)

        Taksin

        King Taksin the Great or the King of Thonburi was the only king of the Thonburi Kingdom. He had been an aristocrat in the Ayutthaya Kingdom and then was a major leader during the liberation of Siam from Burmese occupation after the Second Fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, and the subsequent unification of Siam after it fell under various warlords. He established the city of Thonburi as the new capital, as the city of Ayutthaya had been almost completely destroyed by the invaders. His reign was characterized by numerous wars; he fought to repel new Burmese invasions and to subjugate the northern Thai kingdom of Lanna, the Laotian principalities, and a threatening Cambodia.

      2. Country in Southeast Asia

        Thailand

        Thailand, historically known as Siam and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning 513,120 square kilometres (198,120 sq mi), with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the extremity of Myanmar. Thailand also shares maritime borders with Vietnam to the southeast, and Indonesia and India to the southwest. Bangkok is the nation's capital and largest city.

      3. Former Thai capital city

        Thonburi

        Thonburi is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is reflected in its name: thon (ธน) a loanword from Pali dhána wealth and buri (บุรี), from púra fortress. The full formal name was Thon Buri Si Mahasamut. For the informal name, see the history of Bangkok under Ayutthaya.

  30. 1767

    1. Taksin the Great was crowned king of the newly established Thonburi Kingdom at the new capital of Thonburi in present-day Thailand.

      1. 1st and only ruler of the Thonburi Kingdom of Thailand (r. 1767-82)

        Taksin

        King Taksin the Great or the King of Thonburi was the only king of the Thonburi Kingdom. He had been an aristocrat in the Ayutthaya Kingdom and then was a major leader during the liberation of Siam from Burmese occupation after the Second Fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, and the subsequent unification of Siam after it fell under various warlords. He established the city of Thonburi as the new capital, as the city of Ayutthaya had been almost completely destroyed by the invaders. His reign was characterized by numerous wars; he fought to repel new Burmese invasions and to subjugate the northern Thai kingdom of Lanna, the Laotian principalities, and a threatening Cambodia.

      2. Siamese kingdom (1767–1782)

        Thonburi Kingdom

        The Thonburi Kingdom was a major Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi, in Siam or present-day Thailand. The kingdom was founded by Taksin the Great, who reunited Siam following the collapse of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which saw the country separate into five warring regional states. The Thonburi Kingdom oversaw the rapid reunification and reestablishment of Siam as a preeminient military power within mainland Southeast Asia, overseeing the country's expansion to its greatest territorial extent up to that point in its history, incorporating Lan Na, the Laotian kingdoms, and Cambodia under the Siamese sphere of influence.

      3. Former Thai capital city

        Thonburi

        Thonburi is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is reflected in its name: thon (ธน) a loanword from Pali dhána wealth and buri (บุรี), from púra fortress. The full formal name was Thon Buri Si Mahasamut. For the informal name, see the history of Bangkok under Ayutthaya.

  31. 1659

    1. The Marathas defeat the Adilshahi forces in the Battle of Kolhapur.

      1. 1674–1818 empire in the Indian subcontinent

        Maratha Empire

        The Maratha Empire, later referred as Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian empire that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shivaji of the Bhonsle Dynasty as the Chhatrapati. Although Shivaji came from the Maratha caste, the Maratha empire also included warriors, administrators and other notables from Maratha and several other castes from Maharashtra.

      2. Muslim dynasty which ruled southwest India as the Sultanate of Bijapur from 1490 to 1686

        Adil Shahi dynasty

        The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, was a Shia, and later Sunni Muslim, dynasty founded by Yusuf Adil Shah, that ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur, centred on present-day Bijapur district, Karnataka in India, in the Western area of the Deccan region of Southern India from 1489 to 1686. Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1518), before its political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century and eventual break-up in 1518. The Bijapur Sultanate was absorbed into the Mughal Empire on 12 September 1686, after its conquest by the Emperor Aurangzeb.

      3. 1659 battle between the Maratha Empire and the Adilshahi dynasty

        Battle of Kolhapur

        Battle of Kolhapur was a battle that took place on 28 December 1659, near the city of Kolhapur, Maharashtra between the Maratha Army, led by Shivaji and the Adilshahi forces, led by Rustam Zaman. The battle is known for brilliant movement of flanks by Shivaji, similar to tactics of Babur against Rana Sanga.

  32. 1612

    1. Galileo Galilei became the first person to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star.

      1. Italian polymath (1564–1642)

        Galileo Galilei

        Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced. He was born in the city of Pisa, then part of the Duchy of Florence. Galileo has been called the "father" of observational astronomy, modern physics, the scientific method, and modern science.

      2. Eighth planet from the Sun

        Neptune

        Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times the mass of Earth, and slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus. Neptune is denser and physically smaller than Uranus because its greater mass causes more gravitational compression of its atmosphere. It is referred to as one of the solar system's two ice giant planets. Being composed primarily of gases and liquids, it has no well-defined "solid surface". The planet orbits the Sun once every 164.8 years at an average distance of 30.1 AU. It is named after the Roman god of the sea and has the astronomical symbol , representing Neptune's trident.

      3. Astronomical bodies that appear not to move relative to each other in the night sky

        Fixed stars

        The fixed stars compose the background of astronomical objects that appear not to move relative to one another in the night sky, unlike the foreground of Solar System objects, which appear to move. Generally, the fixed stars are taken to include all stars other than the Sun. Nebulae and other deep-sky objects may also be counted among the fixed stars.

  33. 1308

    1. The reign of Emperor Hanazono of Japan begins.

      1. 95th emperor of Japan (r. 1308-18)

        Emperor Hanazono

        Emperor Hanazono was the 95th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1308 through 1318.

  34. 1065

    1. Westminster Abbey, built by Edward the Confessor as the first Romanesque church in England, was first consecrated.

      1. Gothic abbey church in London, England

        Westminster Abbey

        Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and a burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British monarchs have occurred in Westminster Abbey. Sixteen royal weddings have occurred at the abbey since 1100.

      2. Anglo-Saxon King of England from 1042 to 1066

        Edward the Confessor

        Edward the Confessor was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066.

      3. Architectural style of Medieval Europe

        Romanesque architecture

        Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later date being the most commonly held. In the 12th century it developed into the Gothic style, marked by pointed arches. Examples of Romanesque architecture can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. The Romanesque style in England and Sicily is traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.

      4. Solemn religious dedication

        Consecration

        Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word consecration literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups. The origin of the word comes from the Latin stem consecrat, which means dedicated, devoted, and sacred. A synonym for consecration is sanctification; its antonym is desecration.

    2. Edward the Confessor's Romanesque monastic church at Westminster Abbey is consecrated.

      1. Anglo-Saxon King of England from 1042 to 1066

        Edward the Confessor

        Edward the Confessor was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066.

      2. Architectural style of Medieval Europe

        Romanesque architecture

        Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later date being the most commonly held. In the 12th century it developed into the Gothic style, marked by pointed arches. Examples of Romanesque architecture can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. The Romanesque style in England and Sicily is traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.

      3. Gothic abbey church in London, England

        Westminster Abbey

        Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and a burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British monarchs have occurred in Westminster Abbey. Sixteen royal weddings have occurred at the abbey since 1100.

      4. Solemn religious dedication

        Consecration

        Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word consecration literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups. The origin of the word comes from the Latin stem consecrat, which means dedicated, devoted, and sacred. A synonym for consecration is sanctification; its antonym is desecration.

  35. 893

    1. An earthquake destroyed the city of Dvin, Armenia, resulting in about 30,000 casualties.

      1. Earthquake in Armenia

        893 Dvin earthquake

        The 893 Dvin earthquake occurred on 28 December at around midnight. It had a magnitude of approximately 6 and a maximum intensity of approximately IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale. It destroyed the city of Dvin in Armenia, causing approximately 30,000 casualties. The similarity of the Arabic name for Dvin, 'Dabil' to Ardabil in northwestern Iran, has caused confusion in written records, such that the 893 Ardabil earthquake appears in several catalogues, although it is generally regarded as a false event. It was also recorded as an event during the classical period of India in several early catalogues at an unspecified capital.

      2. Ancient capital of early medieval Armenia.

        Dvin (ancient city)

        Dvin was a large commercial city and the capital of early medieval Armenia. It was situated north of the previous ancient capital of Armenia, the city of Artaxata, along the banks of the Metsamor River, 35 km to the south of modern Yerevan. The site of the ancient city is currently not much more than a large hill located between modern Hnaberd and Verin Dvin, Armenia. Systematic excavations at Dvin that have proceeded since 1937 have produced an abundance of materials, which have shed light into the Armenian culture of the 5th to the 13th centuries.

    2. An earthquake destroys the city of Dvin, Armenia.

      1. Earthquake in Armenia

        893 Dvin earthquake

        The 893 Dvin earthquake occurred on 28 December at around midnight. It had a magnitude of approximately 6 and a maximum intensity of approximately IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale. It destroyed the city of Dvin in Armenia, causing approximately 30,000 casualties. The similarity of the Arabic name for Dvin, 'Dabil' to Ardabil in northwestern Iran, has caused confusion in written records, such that the 893 Ardabil earthquake appears in several catalogues, although it is generally regarded as a false event. It was also recorded as an event during the classical period of India in several early catalogues at an unspecified capital.

      2. Ancient capital of early medieval Armenia.

        Dvin (ancient city)

        Dvin was a large commercial city and the capital of early medieval Armenia. It was situated north of the previous ancient capital of Armenia, the city of Artaxata, along the banks of the Metsamor River, 35 km to the south of modern Yerevan. The site of the ancient city is currently not much more than a large hill located between modern Hnaberd and Verin Dvin, Armenia. Systematic excavations at Dvin that have proceeded since 1937 have produced an abundance of materials, which have shed light into the Armenian culture of the 5th to the 13th centuries.

      3. Country in Western Asia

        Armenia

        Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region; and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the Lachin corridor and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. Yerevan is the capital, largest city and the financial center.

  36. 484

    1. Alaric II succeeded his father Euric as King of the Visigoths.

      1. King of the Visigoths from 484 to 507

        Alaric II

        Alaric II was the King of the Visigoths from 484 until 507. He succeeded his father Euric as king of the Visigoths in Toulouse on 28 December 484; he was the great-grandson of the more famous Alaric I, who sacked Rome in 410. He established his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour in Aquitaine. His dominions included not only the majority of Hispania but also Gallia Aquitania and the greater part of an as-yet undivided Gallia Narbonensis.

      2. King of the Visigoths from 466 to 484

        Euric

        Euric, also known as Evaric, or Eurico in Spanish and Portuguese, son of Theodoric I, ruled as king (rex) of the Visigoths, after murdering his brother, Theodoric II, from 466 until his death in 484. Sometimes he is called Euric II.

      3. 418 – c. 721 kingdom in Iberia

        Visigothic Kingdom

        The Visigothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of the Goths, was a kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic successor states to the Western Roman Empire, it was originally created by the settlement of the Visigoths under King Wallia in the province of Gallia Aquitania in southwest Gaul by the Roman government and then extended by conquest over all of Hispania. The Kingdom maintained independence from the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, whose attempts to re-establish Roman authority in Hispania were only partially successful and short-lived.

    2. Alaric II succeeds his father Euric and becomes king of the Visigoths. He establishes his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour (Southern Gaul).

      1. King of the Visigoths from 484 to 507

        Alaric II

        Alaric II was the King of the Visigoths from 484 until 507. He succeeded his father Euric as king of the Visigoths in Toulouse on 28 December 484; he was the great-grandson of the more famous Alaric I, who sacked Rome in 410. He established his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour in Aquitaine. His dominions included not only the majority of Hispania but also Gallia Aquitania and the greater part of an as-yet undivided Gallia Narbonensis.

      2. King of the Visigoths from 466 to 484

        Euric

        Euric, also known as Evaric, or Eurico in Spanish and Portuguese, son of Theodoric I, ruled as king (rex) of the Visigoths, after murdering his brother, Theodoric II, from 466 until his death in 484. Sometimes he is called Euric II.

      3. 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.

      4. Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

        Aire-sur-l'Adour

        Aire-sur-l'Adour is a commune in the Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.

      5. Historical region of Western Europe inhabited by Celtic tribes

        Gaul

        Gaul was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy, and Germany west of the Rhine. It covered an area of 494,000 km2 (191,000 sq mi). According to Julius Caesar, Gaul was divided into three parts: Gallia Celtica, Belgica, and Aquitania. Archaeologically, the Gauls were bearers of the La Tène culture, which extended across all of Gaul, as well as east to Raetia, Noricum, Pannonia, and southwestern Germania during the 5th to 1st centuries BC. During the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, Gaul fell under Roman rule: Gallia Cisalpina was conquered in 204 BC and Gallia Narbonensis in 123 BC. Gaul was invaded after 120 BC by the Cimbri and the Teutons, who were in turn defeated by the Romans by 103 BC. Julius Caesar finally subdued the remaining parts of Gaul in his campaigns of 58 to 51 BC.

  37. 457

    1. Majorian is acclaimed as Western Roman emperor.

      1. Roman emperor from 457 to 461

        Majorian

        Majorian was the western Roman emperor from 457 to 461. A prominent general of the Roman army, Majorian deposed Emperor Avitus in 457 and succeeded him. Majorian was the last emperor to make a concerted effort to restore the Western Roman Empire with its own forces. Possessing little more than Italy, Dalmatia, and some territory in northern Gaul, Majorian campaigned rigorously for three years against the Empire's enemies. His successors until the fall of the Empire, in 476–480, were actually instruments of their barbarian generals, or emperors chosen and controlled by the Eastern Roman court.

      2. Independently administered western provinces of the Roman Empire

        Western Roman Empire

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

  38. 418

    1. A papal conclave begins, resulting in the election of Pope Boniface I.

      1. Head of the Catholic Church from 418 to 422

        Pope Boniface I

        Pope Boniface I was the bishop of Rome from 28 December 418 to his death on 4 September 422. His election was disputed by the supporters of Eulalius until the dispute was settled by Emperor Honorius. Boniface was active in maintaining church discipline, and he restored certain privileges to the metropolitical sees of Narbonne and Vienne, exempting them from any subjection to the primacy of Arles. He was a contemporary of Augustine of Hippo, who dedicated to him some of his works.

Births & Deaths

  1. 2021

    1. Grichka Bogdanoff, French television presenter and scientific essayist (b. 1949) deaths

      1. French physicists, authors and TV presenters

        Igor and Grichka Bogdanoff

        Igor Youriévitch Bogdanoff and Grégoire "Grichka" Youriévitch Bogdanoff were French twin television presenters, producers, and essayists who, from the 1970s on, presented various subjects in science fiction, popular science, and cosmology. They were involved in a number of controversies, most notably the Bogdanov affair, in which the brothers were alleged to have written nonsensical advanced physics papers that were nonetheless published in reputable scientific journals.

    2. John Madden, American football Hall of Fame coach and commentator (b. 1936) deaths

      1. American football coach and commentator (1936–2021)

        John Madden

        John Earl Madden was an American football player, coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, which he led to eight playoff appearances, seven division titles, seven AFL / AFC Championship Game appearances, and the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XI. Never having a losing season, Madden holds the highest winning percentage among NFL head coaches who coached 100 games.

      2. Professional sports hall of fame in Canton, Ohio

        Pro Football Hall of Fame

        The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coaches, officials, franchise owners, and front-office personnel, almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League (NFL).

    3. Harry Reid, American lawyer, politician, and former Senate majority leader (b. 1939) deaths

      1. American politician (1939–2021)

        Harry Reid

        Harry Mason Reid Jr. was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Senate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2015.

      2. Party leaders of the United States Senate

        The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding the majority and the minority in the United States Senate. They are each elected as majority leader and minority leader by the senators of their party caucuses: the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Senate Republican Conference.

  2. 2017

    1. Rose Marie, American actress and comedienne (b. 1923) deaths

      1. American actress, singer, and comedian (1923–2017)

        Rose Marie

        Rose Marie was an American actress, singer, comedian, and vaudeville performer with a career ultimately spanning nine decades, which included film, radio, records, theater, night clubs and television. As a child performer during the years just after the silent film era, she had a successful singing career under the stage name Baby Rose Marie.

  3. 2016

    1. Debbie Reynolds, American actress, singer and dancer (b. 1932) deaths

      1. American actress, singer and dancer (1932–2016)

        Debbie Reynolds

        Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words. Her breakout role was her first leading role, as Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain (1952). Her other successes include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Susan Slept Here (1954), Bundle of Joy, The Catered Affair, and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), in which her performance of the song "Tammy" reached number one on the Billboard music charts. In 1959, she released her first pop music album, titled Debbie.

    2. Jean-Christophe Victor, French political scientist (b. 1947) deaths

      1. Jean-Christophe Victor

        Jean-Christophe Victor was a political scientist focusing on international relations. He was the son of the polar explorer Paul-Emile Victor and the television producer Éliane Decrais. He earned master's degrees in Chinese at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, and in political sciences at the University of Paris-1 (1982), as well as a PhD in ethnology on Nepal. He was posted as a diplomat in Afghanistan, worked as policy adviser at NATO in Brussels, and for the Policy Planning Office at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  4. 2015

    1. John Bradbury, English drummer and songwriter (b. 1953) deaths

      1. Musical artist

        John Bradbury (drummer)

        John "Brad" Bradbury was an English drummer and record producer. He is best known for having been the drummer in the English ska group The Specials.

    2. Eloy Inos, Mariana Islander businessman and politician, 8th Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands (b. 1949) deaths

      1. Northern Marianan politician

        Eloy Inos

        Eulogio "Eloy" Songao Inos was a Northern Marianan politician who served as the eighth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2013 to 2015. Inos, a member of the Republican Party, also served as the eighth lieutenant governor from 2009 to 2013.

      2. Head of state and of government the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands

        List of governors of the Northern Mariana Islands

        The following is a list of persons who served as governor of Northern Mariana Islands. The term of office is 4 years. The longest-serving governors in CNMI history are Pedro Tenorio, who served 12 years in office from 1982 to 1990 and from 1998 to 2002, and Benigno Fitial, who served 7 years, one month, and 11 days from 2006 to 2013.

    3. Lemmy, English musician, singer, and songwriter (b. 1945) deaths

      1. English rock musician (1945–2015)

        Lemmy

        Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as Lemmy or Lemmy Kilmister, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he was the only continuous member, and a member of Hawkwind from 1971 to 1975.

  5. 2014

    1. Vahan Hovhannisyan, Armenian politician (b. 1956) deaths

      1. Vahan Hovhannisyan

        Vahan Hovhannisyan was an Armenian politician of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). He was Vice-President of the National Assembly of Armenia from 2007 to 2008 and was a candidate in the February 2008 presidential election. A 2008 leaked confidential document by the US State Department described him as "clearly the most likeable Dashnak by public persona."

    2. Frankie Randall, American singer-songwriter (b. 1938) deaths

      1. American actor, singer, and dancer

        Frankie Randall (singer)

        Frankie Randall was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, vocalist, actor, and comedian. His acting credits include The Dean Martin Summer Show and Day of the Wolves.

    3. Leelah Alcorn, American transgender teenager (b. 1997) deaths

      1. American transgender girl (1997–2014)

        Leelah Alcorn

        Leelah Alcorn was an American transgender girl whose suicide attracted international attention; she had posted a suicide note to her Tumblr blog about societal standards affecting transgender people and expressing the hope that her death would create a dialogue about discrimination, abuse, and lack of support for transgender people.

  6. 2013

    1. Halton Arp, American-German astronomer and critic (b. 1927) deaths

      1. American astronomer

        Halton Arp

        Halton Christian "Chip" Arp was an American astronomer. He was known for his 1966 Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, which catalogues many examples of interacting and merging galaxies, though Arp disputed the idea, claiming apparent associations were prime examples of ejections. Arp was also known as a critic of the Big Bang theory and for advocating a non-standard cosmology incorporating intrinsic redshift.

    2. Esther Borja, Cuban soprano and actress (b. 1913) deaths

      1. Cuban operatic soprano and actress

        Esther Borja

        Esther Borja Lima was a Cuban operatic soprano and actress.

    3. Andrew Jacobs, Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1932) deaths

      1. American politician

        Andrew Jacobs Jr.

        Andrew Jacobs Jr. was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he served as an Indiana state legislator and Congressman. Jacobs was a member of the United States House of Representatives for thirty years, beginning in the 1960s. His father, Andrew Jacobs, was also a congressman for one term.

    4. Alfred Marshall, American businessman, founded Marshalls (b. 1919) deaths

      1. American businessman

        Alfred Marshall (businessman)

        Alfred Marshall was an American businessman who founded Marshalls, a chain of department stores which specializes in overstocked, irregular and out-of-season name brand clothing sold at deeply discounted prices. He opened the original Marshalls in 1956 in Beverly, Massachusetts.

      2. American department store chain

        Marshalls

        Marshalls is an American chain of off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico, and 61 stores in Canada. Marshalls first expanded into Canada in March 2011.

    5. Joseph Ruskin, American actor and producer (b. 1924) deaths

      1. American actor

        Joseph Ruskin

        Joseph Ruskin was an American character actor.

    6. Ilya Tsymbalar, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (b. 1969) deaths

      1. Ukrainian-Russian footballer

        Ilya Tsymbalar

        Ilya Vladimirovich Tsymbalar was a Ukrainian-Russian professional football player and coach. A midfielder, he represented both Ukraine and Russia on the international level. He primarily played as an attacking midfielder and was known for set-piece ability and technique.

  7. 2012

    1. Nicholas Ambraseys, Greek-English seismologist and engineer (b. 1929) deaths

      1. Greek seismologist (1929-2012)

        Nicholas Ambraseys

        Nicholas Neocles Ambraseys FICE FREng was a Greek engineering seismologist. He was emeritus professor of engineering seismology and senior research fellow at Imperial College London. For many years Ambraseys was considered the leading figure and an authority in earthquake engineering and seismology in Europe.

    2. Mark Crispin, American computer scientist and academic, designed the IMAP (b. 1956) deaths

      1. Father of Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

        Mark Crispin

        Mark Reed Crispin is best known as the father of the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), having invented it in 1985 during his time at the Stanford Knowledge Systems Laboratory. He is the author or co-author of numerous RFCs and was the principal author of UW IMAP, one of the reference implementations of the IMAP4rev1 protocol described in RFC 3501. He also designed the MIX mail storage format.

      2. Application layer protocol for e-mail retrieval and storage

        Internet Message Access Protocol

        In computing, the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is an Internet standard protocol used by email clients to retrieve email messages from a mail server over a TCP/IP connection. IMAP is defined by RFC 9051.

    3. Václav Drobný, Czech footballer (b. 1980) deaths

      1. Czech footballer

        Václav Drobný

        Václav Drobný was a Czech footballer who notably played for Sparta Prague having spent time in their youth team as well as spells at Czech, Slovak, French and German sides. Drobný played twice for the Czech Republic and was most known in England for his short stint on loan at Aston Villa.

    4. Frankie Walsh, Irish hurler and manager (b. 1936) deaths

      1. Waterford hurler

        Frankie Walsh

        Frankie Walsh was an Irish hurler who played as a left wing-forward at senior level for the Waterford county team.

  8. 2010

    1. Billy Taylor, American pianist and composer (b. 1921) deaths

      1. American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster, and educator

        Billy Taylor

        Billy Taylor was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the artistic director for jazz at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

    2. Terry Peder Rasmussen, American serial killer (b. 1943) deaths

      1. American serial killer (1943–2010)

        Terry Peder Rasmussen

        Terry Peder Rasmussen was an American serial killer. Rasmussen killed at least six people in a series of crimes that spanned decades and stretched across the continental United States. Due to his use of many aliases, most notably "Bob Evans", Rasmussen is known as "The Chameleon Killer".

  9. 2009

    1. Jimmy Sullivan, American musician, composer and songwriter. Known by his stage name The Rev (b. 1981) deaths

      1. American musician (1981–2009)

        The Rev

        James Owen Sullivan, also known by his stage name the Rev, was an American musician, best known as a member of the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, where he played drums and provided backing and co-lead vocals. He was also the lead vocalist/pianist in the avant-garde metal band Pinkly Smooth and drummed for the ska punk band Suburban Legends from 1998 to 1999.

  10. 2008

    1. Irene Lieblich, Polish-American painter and illustrator (b. 1923) deaths

      1. Polish-American painter

        Irene Lieblich

        Irene Lieblich was a Polish-born artist and Holocaust survivor noted for illustrating the books of Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer and for her paintings highlighting Jewish life and culture. She is also a distant cousin of noted Yiddish language author and playwright Isaac Leib Peretz.

  11. 2006

    1. Jamal Karimi-Rad, Iranian politician, Iranian Minister of Justice (b. 1956) deaths

      1. Iranian politician

        Jamal Karimi-Rad

        Jamal Karimi-Rad was the Minister of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

      2. Ministry of Justice (Iran)

  12. 2004

    1. Jerry Orbach, American actor and singer (b. 1935) deaths

      1. American actor and singer (1935-2004)

        Jerry Orbach

        Jerome Bernard Orbach was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last bona fide leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a "versatile stage and film actor".

    2. Susan Sontag, American novelist, essayist, critic, and playwright (b. 1933) deaths

      1. American writer and filmmaker, professor, and activist (1933–2004)

        Susan Sontag

        Susan Sontag was an American writer, philosopher, and political activist. She mostly wrote essays, but also published novels; she published her first major work, the essay "Notes on 'Camp'", in 1964. Her best-known works include the critical works Against Interpretation (1966), Styles of Radical Will (1968), On Photography (1977), and Illness as Metaphor (1978), as well as the fictional works The Way We Live Now (1986), The Volcano Lover (1992), and In America (1999).

  13. 2003

    1. Benjamin Thurman Hacker, American admiral (b. 1935) deaths

      1. United States Navy admiral (1935–2003)

        Benjamin Thurman Hacker

        Rear Admiral Benjamin Thurman Hacker (1935–2003) was a U.S. Navy officer, who became the first Naval Flight Officer (NFO) to achieve Flag rank.

  14. 2001

    1. Samuel Abraham Goldblith, American lieutenant, biologist, and engineer (b. 1919) deaths

      1. American food scientist

        Samuel Abraham Goldblith

        Samuel Abraham Goldblith was an American food scientist. While involved in World War II, he studied malnutrition, and later was involved in food research important for space exploration.

    2. William X. Kienzle, American priest and author (b. 1928) deaths

      1. American novelist

        William X. Kienzle

        William Xavier Kienzle was an American priest and later writer.

  15. 1999

    1. Clayton Moore, American actor (b. 1914) deaths

      1. American actor (1914–1999)

        Clayton Moore

        Clayton Moore was an American actor best known for playing the fictional western character the Lone Ranger from 1949 to 1952 and 1953 to 1957 on the television series of the same name and two related movies from the same producers.

  16. 1994

    1. Adam Peaty, English swimmer births

      1. British swimmer

        Adam Peaty

        Adam George Peaty is an English competitive swimmer who specialises in the breaststroke. He won the gold medal in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first by a male British swimmer in 24 years, and retained the title at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, the first British swimmer ever to retain an Olympic title. He is also an eight-time World Champion, a sixteen-time European Champion and a four-time Commonwealth Champion. According to FINA itself, Peaty is widely regarded as the dominant breaststroke swimmer of his era, and the most dominant sprint breaststroke swimmer of all time.

    2. Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1911) deaths

      1. Jean-Louis Lévesque

        Jean-Louis Lévesque, was a Canadian entrepreneur, thoroughbred racehorse owner, and philanthropist.

  17. 1993

    1. William L. Shirer, American journalist and historian (b. 1904) deaths

      1. American journalist, war correspondent, and author (1904–1993)

        William L. Shirer

        William Lawrence Shirer was an American journalist and war correspondent. He wrote The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a history of Nazi Germany that has been read by many and cited in scholarly works for more than 50 years. Originally a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and the International News Service, Shirer was the first reporter hired by Edward R. Murrow for what became a CBS radio team of journalists known as "Murrow's Boys". He became known for his broadcasts from Berlin, from the rise of the Nazi dictatorship through the first year of World War II (1939–1940). With Murrow, he organized the first broadcast world news roundup, a format still followed by news broadcasts.

  18. 1992

    1. Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (b. 1917) deaths

      1. American baseball player

        Sal Maglie

        Salvatore Anthony Maglie was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and later, a scout and a pitching coach. He played from 1945 to 1958 for the New York Giants, Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals. Maglie was known as "Sal the Barber", because he gave close shaves—that is, pitched inside to hitters. A gentle personality off the field went unnoticed during games, his foreboding physical appearance contributing to his menacing presence on a pitcher's mound. He was the last of 14 players to play for the Giants, Dodgers and Yankees at a time when all three teams were in New York City. During a 10-year major league baseball career, Maglie compiled 119 wins, 862 strikeouts, and a 3.15 earned run average.

  19. 1990

    1. Ayele Abshero, Ethiopian runner births

      1. Ethiopian long-distance runner

        Ayele Abshero

        Ayele Abshero Biza is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who mainly competes in cross country and road races.

    2. Bastiaan Lijesen, Dutch swimmer births

      1. Dutch swimmer

        Bastiaan Lijesen

        Bastiaan Lijesen is a Dutch swimmer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he finished 23rd overall in the heats in the Men's 100 metre backstroke and failed to reach the semifinals.

    3. Warren Skaaren, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1946) deaths

      1. American film producer

        Warren Skaaren

        Warren Skaaren was an American screenwriter and film producer.

  20. 1989

    1. Hermann Oberth, Romanian-German physicist and engineer (b. 1894) deaths

      1. Austro-Hungarian-born German physicist and rocketry pioneer (1894–1989)

        Hermann Oberth

        Hermann Julius Oberth was an Austro-Hungarian-born German physicist and engineer. He is considered one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics, along with Robert Esnault-Pelterie, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard and Herman Potočnik.During WWII he supported Nazi Germany's Aggregat rocket program.

  21. 1986

    1. Tom Huddlestone, English footballer births

      1. English association football player

        Tom Huddlestone

        Thomas Andrew Huddlestone is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and coach for Premier League club Manchester United.

    2. John D. MacDonald, American colonel and author (b. 1916) deaths

      1. American writer

        John D. MacDonald

        John Dann MacDonald was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers.

    3. Jan Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter (b. 1922) deaths

      1. Dutch painter

        Jan Nieuwenhuys

        Jan Nieuwenhuys was a Dutch painter and one of the early active founders of the Dutch Experimentalists group (Reflex) that later became part of CoBrA.

  22. 1984

    1. Martin Kaymer, German golfer births

      1. German professional golfer

        Martin Kaymer

        Martin Kaymer is a German professional golfer. A winner of two major championships, he was also the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking for eight weeks in 2011.

    2. Duane Solomon, American runner births

      1. American middle-distance runner

        Duane Solomon

        Duane Renard Solomon is a retired American Olympic track athlete, primarily known for racing the 800 meters. He ran for his home country in the IAAF World Championships in 2007 and 2013 as well as in the 2012 Olympic Games. He also took the gold medal at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Under 23 Championships in 2006.

    3. Sam Peckinpah, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925) deaths

      1. American film director and screenwriter

        Sam Peckinpah

        David Samuel Peckinpah was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic The Wild Bunch received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institute's top 100 list. His films employed a visually innovative and explicit depiction of action and violence as well as a revisionist approach to the Western genre.

    4. Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, British politician and educator (b. 1903) deaths

      1. Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch

        Mary Elizabeth Henderson Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, was a British politician and educator. She was a baroness in her own right and the wife of Labour Foreign Secretary, Michael Stewart.

  23. 1983

    1. Dennis Wilson, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (b. 1944) deaths

      1. American musician, member of the Beach Boys (1944–1983)

        Dennis Wilson

        Dennis Carl Wilson was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. Dennis was the only true surfer in the Beach Boys, and his personal life exemplified the "California Myth" that the band's early songs often celebrated. He was also known for co-starring in the 1971 film Two-Lane Blacktop.

  24. 1982

    1. François Gourmet, Belgian decathlete births

      1. Belgian decathlete

        François Gourmet

        François Gourmet is a retired Belgian decathlete. His personal best score is 7974 points, achieved at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan. He is a former Belgian record holder.

    2. Curtis Glencross, Canadian hockey player births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Curtis Glencross

        Curtis Jack Glencross is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). An undrafted player, he signed with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as a free agent in 2004 and made his NHL debut with the team in 2007. He has also played in the NHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals.

  25. 1981

    1. Narsha, South Korean singer and dancer births

      1. South Korean singer and actress

        Narsha

        Park Hyo-jin, better known by her stage name Narsha, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as a member of the South Korean girl group Brown Eyed Girls. Her stage name, Narsha, is derived from the term na-reu-sha, which means 'to fly up' in Middle Korean and was given to her by a former manager.

    2. Khalid Boulahrouz, Dutch footballer births

      1. Dutch association football player

        Khalid Boulahrouz

        Khalid Boulahrouz is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender. His nickname is "The Cannibal" for his ability to "eat up" the opposition. He was noted for his tackling and versatility at the back.

    3. Elizabeth Jordan Carr, American journalist births

      1. American Journalist

        Elizabeth Jordan Carr

        Elizabeth Jordan Carr is the United States' first baby born from the in-vitro fertilization procedure and the 15th in the world. The technique was conducted at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk under the direction of Doctors Howard Jones and Georgeanna Seegar Jones, who were the first to attempt the process in the United States. She was delivered at Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia by Dr. Mason Andrews weighing 5 pounds 12 ounces.

    4. Sienna Miller, American-born British actress and fashion designer births

      1. American-British actress (born 1981)

        Sienna Miller

        Sienna Rosie Diana Miller is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian Vogue and for the 2003 Pirelli calendar. Her acting breakthrough came in the 2004 films Layer Cake and Alfie. She subsequently portrayed socialite Edie Sedgwick in Factory Girl (2006) and author Caitlin Macnamara in The Edge of Love (2008), and was nominated for the 2008 BAFTA Rising Star Award. Her role as The Baroness in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) was followed by a brief sabbatical from the screen amid increased tabloid scrutiny.

    5. Frank Turner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. English singer-songwriter

        Frank Turner

        Francis Edward Turner, is an English punk and folk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Hampshire. He began his career as the vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, then embarked upon a primarily acoustic-based solo career following the band's split in 2005. In the studio and during live performances, Turner is accompanied by his backing band, The Sleeping Souls, which consists of Ben Lloyd, Tarrant Anderson (bass), Matt Nasir and Callum Green (drums).

    6. Mika Väyrynen, Finnish footballer births

      1. Finnish footballer

        Mika Väyrynen

        Mika Väyrynen is a Swedish-born Finnish former footballer.

    7. Allan Dwan, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1885) deaths

      1. American film director & screenwriter (1885–1981)

        Allan Dwan

        Allan Dwan was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter.

  26. 1980

    1. Lomana LuaLua, Congolese footballer births

      1. Congolese footballer

        Lomana LuaLua

        Trésor Lomana LuaLua is a Congolese professional footballer who last played as a striker. He is currently the attacking coach for Spalding United.

    2. Ryta Turava, Belarusian race walker births

      1. Belarusian racewalker

        Ryta Turava

        Ryta Turava is an athlete from Belarus, competing in race walking. She was born in Vitebsk.

  27. 1979

    1. James Blake, American tennis player births

      1. American tennis player

        James Blake (tennis)

        James Riley "The Baker" Blake is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. During his career, Blake amassed 24 singles finals appearances, while his career-high singles ranking was world No. 4. His career highlights included reaching the final of the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, the semifinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the quarterfinals of the 2008 Australian Open and 2005 and 2006 US Open, as well as two titles at the Hopman Cup and being the American men's singles No. 1. Blake was a key performer for the victorious United States 2007 Davis Cup team, going 2–0 in the championship tie vs. Russia at second singles.

    2. Zach Hill, American musician and artist births

      1. American musician

        Zach Hill

        Zachary Charles Hill is an American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. He is best known as the drummer and co-producer of the groups Death Grips and the I.L.Y's, and as the drummer of math rock band Hella.

    3. Senna Gammour, German singer-songwriter births

      1. German pop singer

        Senna Gammour

        Senna Gammour, also known mononymously as Senna, is a German singer, television personality and presenter. She was a member of the girl group Monrose.

    4. Bill Hall, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player (born 1979)

        Bill Hall (utility player)

        William Leonard Hall is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, and Baltimore Orioles from 2002 through 2012.

    5. Noomi Rapace, Swedish actress births

      1. Swedish actress (born 1979)

        Noomi Rapace

        Noomi Rapace is a Swedish actress. She achieved international fame with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptations of the Millennium series (2009): The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. She has gone on to become an acknowledged actor in American movies.

  28. 1978

    1. Chris Coyne, Australian footballer and manager births

      1. Australian soccer player and coach

        Chris Coyne

        Christopher John Coyne is an Australian former soccer player and coach who is currently head of Perth Glory Youth NPL in National Premier Leagues Western Australia (NPLWA). In a 17-year career as a player, Coyne appeared for clubs in Australia, England and China, most significantly for Luton Town for whom he appeared 221 times between 2001 and 2008. He played seven times for Australia in 2008 and 2009.

    2. John Legend, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor births

      1. American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer (born 1978)

        John Legend

        John Roger Stephens, known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything", and making uncredited guest appearances on Jay-Z's "Encore" and Alicia Keys's "You Don't Know My Name". He then signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music and released his debut album Get Lifted (2004), which reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

  29. 1977

    1. Derrick Brew, American sprinter births

      1. American sprinter

        Derrick Brew

        Derrick Keith Brew is a 2004 Olympic Gold medalist in the Men's 4x400 meter relay for the United States. Earlier in the games he took third in the US sweep of the 400m.

    2. Shane Elford, Australian rugby league player births

      1. Australian rugby league footballer

        Shane Elford

        Shane Elford, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a winger and centre in the 1990s and 2000s.

    3. Seun Ogunkoya, Nigerian sprinter births

      1. Nigerian sprinter

        Seun Ogunkoya

        Seun Ogunkoya is a Nigerian sprinter and two-time African Championships gold medalist over 100 metres.

  30. 1976

    1. Ben Tune, Australian rugby player births

      1. Rugby player

        Ben Tune

        Ben Tune is a former Australian rugby union player. He played most of his rugby career on the wing but later switched to outside centre.

    2. Igor Žiković, Croatian footballer births

      1. Croatian footballer

        Igor Žiković

        Igor Žiković is a retired Croatian footballer.

    3. Trond Nymark, Norwegian race walker births

      1. Norwegian race walker

        Trond Nymark

        Trond Nymark is a Norwegian race walker. He was born in Bergen and represents TIF Viking.

    4. Katharine Byron, American politician (b. 1903) deaths

      1. American politician

        Katharine Byron

        Katharine Byron, a Democrat, was a U.S. Congresswoman who represented the 6th congressional district of Maryland from May 27, 1941, to January 3, 1943. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Maryland.

  31. 1975

    1. B. J. Ryan, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player (born 1975)

        B. J. Ryan

        Robert Victor "B. J." Ryan Jr. is an American baseball coach and former relief pitcher. He played college baseball at Louisiana, where he played for coach Tony Robichaux in 1997 and 1998. He also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1999 to 2009.

  32. 1974

    1. Jocelyn Enriquez, American singer births

      1. Philippine-American dance-pop singer (born 1974)

        Jocelyn Enriquez

        Jocelyn Enriquez is a Filipino American dance-pop singer born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her most popular songs are "Do You Miss Me", "A Little Bit of Ecstasy", and the Stars on 54 cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind". Her success helped inspire and pave the way for many Asian American, particularly Filipino Americans from the San Francisco Bay Area, artists during the mid to late 1990s such as Buffy, Kai, One Vo1ce, Pinay, Sharyn Maceren, and others.

    2. Rob Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Rob Niedermayer

        Robert Wade Niedermayer Jr. is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 17 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons for the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres.

    3. Markus Weinzierl, German footballer and manager births

      1. German football coach and former player (born 1974)

        Markus Weinzierl

        Markus Weinzierl is a German football coach and current manager of 1. FC Nürnberg.

  33. 1973

    1. Holger Blume, German sprinter births

      1. German sprinter

        Holger Blume

        Holger Blume is a former German sprinter who specialised in the 100 metres.

    2. Marc Blume, German sprinter births

      1. German sprinter

        Marc Blume

        Marc Blume is a German sprinter who specialised in the 100 metres.

    3. Seth Meyers, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and talk show host births

      1. American comedian, actor, writer, and television host (born 1973)

        Seth Meyers

        Seth Adam Meyers is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and television host. He hosts Late Night with Seth Meyers, a late-night talk show on NBC. Prior to that, he was a cast member and head writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live (2001–2014) and hosted the show's news parody segment, Weekend Update.

    4. Ids Postma, Dutch speed skater births

      1. Dutch speed skater

        Ids Postma

        Ids Hylke Postma is a Dutch former speed skater. He is an Olympic gold medalist and former world champion.

  34. 1972

    1. Roberto Palacios, Peruvian footballer births

      1. Peruvian footballer

        Roberto Palacios

        Roberto Carlos Palacios Mestas is a Peruvian retired footballer who played as a midfielder.

    2. Patrick Rafter, Australian-Bermudian tennis player and model births

      1. Australian tennis player

        Pat Rafter

        Patrick Michael Rafter is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. He reached the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles ranking on 26 July 1999. His career highlights include consecutive US Open titles in 1997 and 1998, consecutive runner-up appearances at Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001, winning the 1999 Australian Open men's doubles tournament alongside Jonas Björkman, and winning two singles and two doubles ATP Masters titles.

    3. Adam Vinatieri, American football player births

      1. American football player (born 1972)

        Adam Vinatieri

        Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest kickers of all time, he is the NFL's all-time leading scorer at 2,673 points. He also holds the NFL records for field goals made (599), postseason points (238), and overtime field goals made (12).

  35. 1971

    1. Benny Agbayani, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player (born 1971)

        Benny Agbayani

        Benny Peter Agbayani, Jr. is an American retired professional baseball player. He attended Saint Louis School, Hawaii Pacific University and the Oregon Institute of Technology. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

    2. Sergi Barjuán, Spanish footballer and manager births

      1. Spanish association football manager and former player

        Sergi Barjuán

        Sergi Barjuán Esclusa, known simply as Sergi as a player, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back, currently a manager.

    3. Anita Doth, Dutch singer-songwriter births

      1. Dutch singer and songwriter

        Anita Doth

        Anita Doth is a Dutch singer and songwriter best known as the former singer of the duo 2 Unlimited, along with rapper Ray Slijngaard.

    4. William Gates, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player

        William Gates (basketball)

        William Gates is an American former Chicago-area high school and college basketball player. Gates was the subject of the 1994 Kartemquin Films documentary film Hoop Dreams along with another Chicago-area high school basketball player, Arthur Agee.

    5. Max Steiner, Austrian-American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1888) deaths

      1. Austro-[Hungarian]-American composer (1888–1971)

        Max Steiner

        Maximilian Raoul Steiner was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and went on to become Hollywood's greatest musical composer.

  36. 1970

    1. Elaine Hendrix, American actress births

      1. American actress (born 1970)

        Elaine Hendrix

        Katherine Elaine Hendrix is an American actress. She is known for her roles in Superstar, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, the 1995 Get Smart series, the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, Dynasty, Inspector Gadget 2, and the 2004 documentary film What the Bleep Do We Know!?

    2. James Jett, American sprinter and football player births

      1. American football player (born 1970)

        James Jett

        James Sherman Jett, is a former American football wide receiver and Olympic sprinter who played nine seasons for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders from 1993 to 2002, in the National Football League. He attended college at West Virginia University. He guided the Jefferson High School Cougars of Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia to the state playoffs in 1988. James also ran for the JHS Cougar's Track Team.

    3. Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Dutch tennis player births

      1. Dutch tennis player

        Brenda Schultz-McCarthy

        Brenda Anne Marie Schultz-McCarthy is a former Dutch tennis player. Primarily known by her maiden name Brenda Schultz, she married Sean McCarthy, a former American football player at University of Cincinnati, on 8 April 1995 and adopted his surname. Schultz is known for her fast serve; she has the eighth-fastest serve ever recorded by a female tennis player.

  37. 1969

    1. Linus Torvalds, Finnish-American computer programmer, developed Linux kernel births

      1. Creator and lead developer of the Linux kernel (born 1969)

        Linus Torvalds

        Linus Benedict Torvalds is a Finnish-American software engineer who is the creator and, historically, the lead developer of the Linux kernel, used by Linux distributions and other operating systems such as Android. He also created the distributed version control system Git.

      2. Operating system kernel

        Linux kernel

        The Linux kernel is a free and open-source, monolithic, modular, multitasking, Unix-like operating system kernel. It was originally authored in 1991 by Linus Torvalds for his i386-based PC, and it was soon adopted as the kernel for the GNU operating system, which was written to be a free (libre) replacement for Unix.

  38. 1968

    1. Akihiko Hoshide, Japanese engineer and astronaut births

      1. Japanese engineer and JAXA astronaut

        Akihiko Hoshide

        Akihiko Hoshide is a Japanese engineer, JAXA astronaut, and former Commander of the International Space Station. On August 30, 2012, Hoshide became the third Japanese astronaut to walk in space.

    2. David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, Scottish peer, soldier and courtier (b. 1893) deaths

      1. Scottish peer, soldier and courtier (1893–1968)

        David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie

        Colonel David Lyulph Gore Wolseley Ogilvy, 12th and 7th Earl of Airlie was a Scottish peer, soldier, and courtier.

  39. 1967

    1. Chris Ware, American illustrator births

      1. American artist

        Chris Ware

        Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware is an American cartoonist known for his Acme Novelty Library series and the graphic novels Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth (2000), Building Stories (2012) and Rusty Brown (2019). His works explore themes of social isolation, emotional torment and depression. He tends to use a vivid color palette and realistic, meticulous detail. His lettering and images are often elaborate and sometimes evoke the ragtime era or another early 20th-century American design style.

    2. Katharine McCormick, American biologist and philanthropist (b. 1875) deaths

      1. American suffragist and philanthropist

        Katharine McCormick

        Katharine Dexter McCormick was a U.S. suffragist, philanthropist and, after her husband's death, heir to a substantial part of the McCormick family fortune. She funded most of the research necessary to develop the first birth control pill.

  40. 1965

    1. Allar Levandi, Estonian skier births

      1. Estonian nordic combined skier (born 1965)

        Allar Levandi

        Allar Levandi is an Estonian nordic combined skier who competed during the late 1980s and early 1990s under two different nations in three straight Winter Olympic Games. He trained at Dynamo in Tallinn when Estonia was under Soviet rule in the late 1980s.

  41. 1964

    1. Tex Perkins, Australian singer-songwriter births

      1. Musical artist

        Tex Perkins

        Gregory Stephen Perkins, better known by his stage name Tex Perkins, is an Australian singer-songwriter who fronted the Australian rock band The Cruel Sea, but has also performed with the Beasts of Bourbon, Thug, James Baker Experience, The Butcher Shop, Salamander Jim, and Tex, Don and Charlie. He has also released many solo records. In 1997, a portrait of Tex Perkins by artist Bill Leak won the Packing Room award at the Archibald Prize.

    2. Maite Zúñiga, Spanish runner births

      1. Spanish middle-distance runner

        Maite Zúñiga

        María Teresa "Maite" Zúñiga Domínguez is a retired Spanish middle-distance runner.

  42. 1963

    1. Paul Hindemith, German violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1895) deaths

      1. German composer (1895–1963)

        Paul Hindemith

        Paul Hindemith was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the Neue Sachlichkeit style of music in the 1920s, with compositions such as Kammermusik, including works with viola and viola d'amore as solo instruments in a neo-Bachian spirit. Other notable compositions include his song cycle Das Marienleben (1923), Der Schwanendreher for viola and orchestra (1935), the opera Mathis der Maler (1938), the Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber (1943), and the oratorio When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd, a requiem based on Walt Whitman's poem (1946).

  43. 1962

    1. Michel Petrucciani, French jazz pianist (d. 1999) births

      1. French jazz pianist

        Michel Petrucciani

        Michel Petrucciani was a French jazz pianist. From birth he had osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disease that causes brittle bones and, in his case, short stature. He became one of the most accomplished jazz pianists of his generation despite his health condition and very short life span.

  44. 1961

    1. Kent Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager births

      1. Danish footballer and manager

        Kent Nielsen

        Kent Nielsen is a Danish professional football manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Silkeborg IF. He was named coach of the year by the Danish Football Association in 2014 after winning both the Danish Superliga and the Danish Cup with AaB. He started his coaching career as caretaker manager of AGF, before getting his breakthrough with AC Horsens, guiding the club to promotion to the top-flight Superliga championship in 2005. He has also coached Superliga clubs Brøndby IF and OB.

  45. 1960

    1. Ray Bourque, Canadian ice hockey player births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1960)

        Ray Bourque

        Raymond Jean Bourque is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman five times, while finishing second for that trophy a further six times. He also twice finished second in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, a rarity for a defenceman. He was named to the end-of-season All-Star teams 19 times, 13 on the first-team and six on the second-team.

    2. John Fitzgerald, Australian tennis player, coach, and sportscaster births

      1. Australian tennis player

        John Fitzgerald (tennis)

        John Basil Fitzgerald OAM is a former professional tennis player from Australia who played right-handed with a single-handed backhand.

    3. Melvin Turpin, American basketball player (d. 2010) births

      1. American basketball player

        Melvin Turpin

        Melvin Harrison Turpin was an American professional basketball player. He played five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an All-American college player at the University of Kentucky, where as a senior he led the Wildcats to the 1984 Final Four.

    4. Philippe Panneton, Canadian physician, academic, and diplomat (b. 1895) deaths

      1. Philippe Panneton

        Philippe Panneton was a Canadian physician, academic, diplomat and writer.

  46. 1959

    1. Hansjörg Kunze, German runner and sportscaster births

      1. German track and field athlete (born 1959)

        Hansjörg Kunze

        Hansjörg Kunze is a German track and field athlete. He represented East Germany as a long distance runner.

    2. Daniel Léo Simpson, American composer births

      1. American composer (born 1959)

        Daniel Léo Simpson

        Daniel Léo Simpson is an American composer.

    3. Ana Torroja, Spanish singer-songwriter births

      1. Spanish singer of pop trio Mecano (born 1959)

        Ana Torroja

        Ana Torroja Fungairiño, 3rd marchioness of Torroja, is a Spanish singer. She was the lead singer of the pop trio Mecano, considered one of the most popular pop bands from Spain during the 1980s and 1990s. Mecano split in 1998 and she embarked on a solo career.

    4. Ante Pavelić, Croatian fascist dictator during World War II (b. 1889) deaths

      1. Croatian fascist politician and dictator

        Ante Pavelić

        Ante Pavelić was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia, a fascist puppet state built out of parts of occupied Yugoslavia by the authorities of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, from 1941 to 1945. Pavelić and the Ustaše persecuted many racial minorities and political opponents in the NDH during the war, including Serbs, Jews, Romani, and anti-fascists, becoming one of the key figures of the genocide of Serbs, the Porajmos and the Holocaust in the NDH.

      2. 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.

  47. 1958

    1. Terry Butcher, English footballer and manager births

      1. English football player and manager

        Terry Butcher

        Terry Ian Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He works as an academy coach for Ipswich Town.

    2. Curt Byrum, American golfer births

      1. American professional golfer

        Curt Byrum

        Curt Allen Byrum is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He is the older brother of PGA Tour golfer Tom Byrum.

    3. Zoran Gajić, Serbian volleyball trainer births

      1. Serbian volleyball coach

        Zoran Gajić

        Zoran Gajić is a Serbian volleyball coach serving as minister of sports since 2022. As a volleyball coach, he coached Rabita Baku, and FR Yugoslavia, Iran and Russia men's national volleyball teams.

  48. 1957

    1. Nigel Kennedy, English violinist births

      1. English violinist

        Nigel Kennedy

        Nigel Kennedy is an English violinist and violist.

  49. 1955

    1. Stephen Frost, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter births

      1. British comedian

        Stephen Frost

        Stephen Frederick Eustace Frost is an English actor and comedian.

    2. Liu Xiaobo, Chinese author, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017) births

      1. Chinese human rights activist (1955–2017)

        Liu Xiaobo

        Liu Xiaobo was a Chinese writer, literary critic, human rights activist, philosopher and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who called for political reforms and was involved in campaigns to end communist one-party rule in China. He was arrested numerous times, and was described as China's most prominent dissident and the country's most famous political prisoner. On 26 June 2017, he was granted medical parole after being diagnosed with liver cancer; he died a few weeks later on 13 July 2017.

      2. One of five Nobel Prizes established by Alfred Nobel

        Nobel Peace Prize

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

  50. 1954

    1. Gayle King, American television journalist births

      1. American television personality and journalist

        Gayle King

        Gayle King is an American television personality, author and broadcast journalist for CBS News, co-hosting its flagship morning program, CBS Mornings, and before that its predecessor CBS This Morning. She is also an editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine.

    2. Denzel Washington, American actor, director, and producer births

      1. American actor and filmmaker (born 1954)

        Denzel Washington

        Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and two Silver Bears. In 2016, he received the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2020, The New York Times named him the greatest actor of the 21st century. In 2022, Washington received the Presidential Medal of Freedom bestowed upon him by President Joe Biden.

  51. 1953

    1. Richard Clayderman, French pianist births

      1. French pianist

        Richard Clayderman

        Richard Clayderman is a French pianist who has released numerous albums including the compositions of Paul de Senneville, Olivier Toussaint and Marc Minier, instrumental renditions of popular music, rearrangements of movie soundtracks, ethnic music, and easy-listening arrangements of popular works of classical music.

    2. Tatsumi Fujinami, Japanese wrestler and promoter, founded Dradition wrestling promotion births

      1. Japanese professional wrestler

        Tatsumi Fujinami

        Tatsumi Fujinami is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE on a legend's contract. Fujinami is most well known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He was famously nicknamed "The Dragon", and is credited for inventing the dragon sleeper and the dragon suplex.

      2. Dradition

        Dradition Pro-Wrestling (Dradition) is an independent Japanese professional wrestling promotion that, until 2008, was known as Muga World Pro Wrestling. The promotion was founded by and is owned by puroresu legend Tatsumi Fujinami, who has owned and operated it since its creation in August 2006.

    3. Charlie Pierce, American journalist and author births

      1. American sportswriter, blogger and pundit

        Charlie Pierce

        Charles Patrick Pierce is an American sportswriter, political blogger, liberal pundit author, and game show panelist.

    4. Martha Wash, American singer-songwriter births

      1. American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer

        Martha Wash

        Martha Elaine Wash is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco singer Sylvester including on his signature hit "You Make Me Feel ". After gaining their own record deal, they released three consecutive commercially successful songs which all peaked at number two in the dance charts. The duo was renamed The Weather Girls in 1982 after they released the top-selling single "It's Raining Men", which brought them to mainstream pop attention. The Weather Girls released five albums and were heavily featured on Sylvester's albums.

  52. 1952

    1. Arun Jaitley, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Indian Minister of Law and Justice (d. 2019) births

      1. Indian politician and attorney (1952–2019)

        Arun Jaitley

        Arun Jaitley was an Indian politician and attorney. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Jaitley served as the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of the Government of India from 2014 to 2019. Jaitley previously held the cabinet portfolios of Finance, Defence, Corporate Affairs, Commerce and Industry, and Law and Justice in the Vajpayee government and Narendra Modi government.

      2. Cabinet ministry under the Government of India

        Ministry of Law and Justice (India)

        The Ministry of Law and Justice in the Government of India is a cabinet ministry which deals with the management of the legal affairs, legislative activities and administration of justice in India through its three departments namely the Legislative Department and the Department of Legal Affairs and the Department of Justice respectively. The Department of Legal Affairs is concerned with advising the various Ministries of the Central Government while the Legislative Department is concerned with drafting of principal legislation for the Central Government. The ministry is headed by Cabinet Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of India. The first Law and Justice minister of independent India was Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who served in the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet during 1947–51.

    2. Bridget Prentice, Scottish educator and politician births

      1. British politician

        Bridget Prentice

        Bridget Theresa Prentice is a British politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewisham East from 1992 to 2010. She was married to the Labour MP Gordon Prentice from 1975 until their divorce in 2000. She was a member of the Labour Party until May 2019, when she resigned in protest at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

  53. 1950

    1. Alex Chilton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010) births

      1. American songwriter, guitarist, singer & producer

        Alex Chilton

        William Alexander Chilton was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops was never repeated in later years with Big Star and in his subsequent indie music solo career on small labels, but he drew an intense following among indie and alternative rock musicians. He is frequently cited as a seminal influence by influential rock artists and bands, some of whose testimonials appeared in the 2012 documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.

    2. Clifford Cocks, English mathematician and cryptographer births

      1. British cryptographer

        Clifford Cocks

        Clifford Christopher Cocks is a British mathematician and cryptographer. In 1973, while working at the United Kingdom Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), he invented a public-key cryptography algorithm equivalent to what would become the RSA algorithm.

    3. Rainer Maria Latzke, German-American painter and academic births

      1. German painter

        Rainer Maria Latzke

        Rainer Maria Latzke is a German artist working in the field of trompe-l'œil and mural painting. He taught at the Utah State University and is founder of the Institute of Frescography. Latzke is Honorary Professor of the Fudan University, Shanghai and Guest Professor of the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art . Latzke was ranked one of the 12 cultural trendsetters of the 1990s by Forbes and one of the world's best artists of the last four centuries by the Artists Trade Union of Russia. He is a cousin of Poland´s wealthiest entrepreneur Jan Kulczyk.

  54. 1949

    1. Jack Lovelock, New Zealand runner and soldier (b. 1910) deaths

      1. New Zealand athlete

        Jack Lovelock

        John Edward Lovelock was a New Zealand athlete who became the world 1500m and mile record holder and 1936 Olympic champion in the 1500 metres.

  55. 1948

    1. Ziggy Modeliste, American drummer births

      1. American funk drummer

        Ziggy Modeliste

        Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste, also known as Zigaboo, is an American drummer best known as a founding member of the funk band the Meters. He is widely considered an innovator in the funk genre and New Orleans style drumming. The Meters' music had a defining role and set the stylistic tone of New Orleans funk. Due to his work with the band, Modeliste is credited as an integral part of bringing New Orleans second-line grooves into popular music.

  56. 1947

    1. Dick Diamonde, Dutch-Australian rock bass player births

      1. Australian rock band

        The Easybeats

        The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. Considered one of the most important rock acts in Australia during the 1960s, they enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit, with the 1966 single "Friday on My Mind", as well as one of the few in Australia to foreground their original material.

    2. Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2000) births

      1. Mexican baseball player (1947-2000)

        Aurelio Rodríguez

        Aurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr., sometimes known by the nickname "Chi Chi", was a Mexican professional baseball player, who spent the bulk of his Major League career with the Detroit Tigers. Known for his powerful throwing arm, he was one of the great defensive third basemen of his generation. His career range factor of 3.215 per nine innings at third base ranks second in major league history, and his 4,150 assists at the position ranked fifth in major league history at the time of his retirement.

    3. Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (b. 1869) deaths

      1. King of Italy from 1900 to 1946

        Victor Emmanuel III of Italy

        Victor Emmanuel III was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. He also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and King of the Albanians (1939–1943). During his reign of nearly 46 years, which began after the assassination of his father Umberto I, the Kingdom of Italy became involved in two world wars. His reign also encompassed the birth, rise, and fall of Italian Fascism and its regime.

  57. 1946

    1. Mike Beebe, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Arkansas births

      1. 45th governor of Arkansas

        Mike Beebe

        Mickey Dale Beebe is an American politician and attorney who served as the 45th governor of Arkansas from 2007 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

      2. List of governors of Arkansas

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

    2. Pierre Falardeau, Canadian director, screenwriter, and activist (d. 2009) births

      1. Pierre Falardeau

        Pierre Falardeau was a Québécois film and documentary director, pamphleteer and noted activist for Quebec independence.

    3. Hubert Green, American golfer (d. 2018) births

      1. American professional golfer

        Hubert Green

        Hubert Myatt Green was an American professional golfer who won 29 professional golf tournaments, including two major championships: the 1977 U.S. Open and the 1985 PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.

    4. Tim Johnson, American lawyer and politician births

      1. American politician

        Tim Johnson (South Dakota politician)

        Timothy Peter Johnson is a retired American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from South Dakota from 1997 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the United States representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district from 1987 to 1997 and in the state legislature from 1979 to 1987. Johnson chose not to seek reelection in 2014. As of 2022, he is the last Democrat to have represented South Dakota in Congress, and the last to hold any statewide office in the state.

    5. Barbara, Lady Judge, American-English lawyer and businesswoman births

      1. American-British lawyer and businesswoman (1946–2020)

        Barbara Judge

        Barbara Thomas Judge, Lady Judge, previously known as Barbara Singer Thomas, was an American-British lawyer and businesswoman, based in London with dual American-British citizenship.

    6. Bill Lee, American baseball player and author births

      1. American baseball player (born 1946)

        Bill Lee (left-handed pitcher)

        William Francis Lee III, nicknamed "Spaceman", is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox (1969–1978) and Montreal Expos (1979–1982). On November 7, 2008, Lee was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame as the team's record-holder for most games pitched by a left-hander (321) and the third highest win total by a Red Sox southpaw (94). On August 23, 2012, he signed a contract to play with the San Rafael Pacifics of the independent North American League, at age 65.

    7. Laffit Pincay Jr., Panamanian jockey births

      1. Panamanian jockey (1946-)

        Laffit Pincay Jr.

        Laffit Alejandro Pincay Jr. was once flat racing's winningest all-time jockey, still holding third place many years after his retirement. He competed primarily in the United States.

    8. Edgar Winter, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer births

      1. American musician (born 1946)

        Edgar Winter

        Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing keyboards, guitar, saxophone, and percussion, as well as singing. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group and their popular songs "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride". He is the brother of late blues singer and guitarist Johnny Winter.

    9. Elie Nadelman, Polish-American sculptor (b. 1882) deaths

      1. American sculptor

        Elie Nadelman

        Elie Nadelman was a Polish-American sculptor, draughtsman and collector of folk art.

  58. 1945

    1. Birendra, King of Nepal (d. 2001) births

      1. King of Nepal

        Birendra of Nepal

        Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was the tenth Shah Ruler and the King of Nepal from 1972 until his assassination in 2001. He was the eldest son of King Mahendra.

    2. Max Hastings, English journalist, historian, and author births

      1. English journalist, editor, historian and author (born 1945)

        Max Hastings

        Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings is a British journalist and military historian, who has worked as a foreign correspondent for the BBC, editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph, and editor of the Evening Standard. He is also the author of numerous books, chiefly on war, which have won several major awards. Hastings currently writes a bimonthly column for Bloomberg Opinion.

    3. Theodore Dreiser, American novelist and journalist (b. 1871) deaths

      1. American novelist and journalist (1871–1945)

        Theodore Dreiser

        Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of choice and agency. Dreiser's best known novels include Sister Carrie (1900) and An American Tragedy (1925).

  59. 1944

    1. Sandra Faber, American astronomer and academic births

      1. American astrophysicist

        Sandra Faber

        Sandra Moore Faber is an American astrophysicist known for her research on the evolution of galaxies. She is the University Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and works at the Lick Observatory. She has made discoveries linking the brightness of galaxies to the speed of stars within them and was the co-discoverer of the Faber–Jackson relation. Faber was also instrumental in designing the Keck telescopes in Hawaii.

    2. Johnny Isakson, American sergeant and politician (d. 2021) births

      1. American politician (1944–2021)

        Johnny Isakson

        John Hardy Isakson was an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 2005 to 2019 as a member of the Republican Party. He represented Georgia's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005.

    3. Kary Mullis, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019) births

      1. American biochemist (1944–2019)

        Kary Mullis

        Kary Banks Mullis was an American biochemist. In recognition of his role in the invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, he shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Michael Smith and was awarded the Japan Prize in the same year. PCR became a central technique in biochemistry and molecular biology, described by The New York Times as "highly original and significant, virtually dividing biology into the two epochs of before PCR and after PCR." Mullis attracted controversy for downplaying humans' role in climate change and for expressing doubts that HIV is the sole cause of AIDS.

      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.

    4. Gordon Taylor, English footballer births

      1. Gordon Taylor (footballer)

        Gordon Alexander Taylor OBE is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He was chief executive of the English footballers' trades union, the Professional Footballers' Association, for over 40 years, between 1981 and 2021. In March 2019 it was reported that he is to stand down after the completion of a "full and open review" into the PFA's finances is presented at its 2019 AGM, along with its entire management committee and chairman Ben Purkiss. He is reputed to be the highest paid union official in the world. The 2020 PFA AGM is scheduled for 26 November, and is expected to appoint four non-executive directors. In September 2020 the chair of the all party group on gambling, Carolyn Harris voiced her reservations on gambling related harm exampled by the Union's CEO.

  60. 1943

    1. Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Peruvian cardinal births

      1. Peruvian prelate of the Catholic Church

        Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne

        Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne is a Peruvian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Lima from 1999 to 2019. He has been a bishop since 1988 and was made a cardinal in 2001.

    2. David Peterson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Ontario births

      1. 20th Premier of Ontario

        David Peterson

        David Robert Peterson is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty.

      2. First minister of the government of Ontario

        Premier of Ontario

        The premier of Ontario is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) and leads the largest party or a coalition of parties. As first minister, the premier selects ministers to form the Executive Council, and serves as its chair. Constitutionally, the Crown exercises executive power on the advice of the Executive Council, which is collectively responsible to the legislature.

    3. Joan Ruddock, Welsh politician births

      1. British Labour Party politician

        Joan Ruddock

        Dame Joan Mary Ruddock, is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewisham Deptford from 1987 to 2015. Ruddock was Minister of State for Energy at the Department of Energy and Climate Change until 11 May 2010. She stood down at the 2015 general election.

    4. Steve Evans, American baseball player (b. 1885) deaths

      1. American baseball player

        Steve Evans (baseball)

        Louis Richard (Steve) Evans was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. He played in the National League (NL) for the New York Giants (1908) and St. Louis Cardinals (1910–13), and in the Federal League (FL) for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1914–15) and Baltimore Terrapins (1915). Evans batted and threw left-handed.

  61. 1942

    1. Roger Swerts, Belgian cyclist births

      1. Belgian cyclist

        Roger Swerts

        Roger Swerts is a Belgian former road bicycle racer. As an amateur he placed 18th in the individual road race at the 1964 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal at the 1965 UCI Road World Championships. He turned professional later in 1965.

    2. Alfred Flatow, German gymnast (b. 1869) deaths

      1. German gymnast

        Alfred Flatow

        Alfred Flatow was a Jewish German gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He was murdered in the Holocaust.

  62. 1941

    1. Intikhab Alam, Indian-Pakistani cricketer and coach births

      1. Pakistani cricketer

        Intikhab Alam

        Intikhab Alam Khan is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who played in 47 Test matches and four One Day Internationals from 1959 to 1977. He captained Pakistan in 17 Tests between 1969 and 1975. He also played in English county cricket for Surrey between 1969 and 1981. Prior to this Intikhab was professional for several years at West of Scotland Cricket Club in Glasgow and also coached at The Glasgow Academy. In August 1967, at the Oval, he joined Asif Iqbal for a ninth wicket stand of 190 runs. This remained as a World record for around 30 years.

  63. 1940

    1. A. K. Antony, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Defence births

      1. 23rd Defence Minister Of India And Former Chief Minister of Kerala

        A. K. Antony

        Arackaparambil Kurien Antony is an Indian politician and attorney who was the 23rd Defence Minister of India. He was Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, from Kerala from 1985 to 1995 and again from 2005 to 2022. He also currently serves as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee of the All India Congress Committee, Congress Working Committee, and member of the Congress Core Group and Central Election Committee.

      2. Minister of Defence in India

        Minister of Defence (India)

        The Minister of Defence is the head of the Ministry of Defence and a high ranking minister of the Government of India. The Defence Minister is one of the most senior offices in the Union Council of Ministers as well as being a high-level minister in the union cabinet. The defence minister additionally serves as President of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, and as Chancellor of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology and of the National Defence University.

    2. Don Francisco, Chilean-American journalist and talk show host births

      1. Chilean television personality (born 1940)

        Don Francisco (television host)

        Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld, better known by his stage name as Don Francisco, is a Chilean television host, and a popular personality on the Univision network reaching Spanish-speaking viewers in the United States. In 2016, he signed into Telemundo. He is best known for hosting the former variety shows Sábado Gigante and Don Francisco Presenta.

  64. 1939

    1. Philip Anschutz, American businessman, founded Anschutz Entertainment Group births

      1. American billionaire businessman

        Philip Anschutz

        Philip Frederick Anschutz is an American billionaire businessman who owns or controls companies in a variety of industries, including energy, railroads, real estate, sports, newspapers, movies, theaters, arenas and music. In 2004, he purchased the parent company of the Journal Newspapers, which under Anschutz's direction became the American conservative editorial newspaper Washington Examiner.

      2. American company

        Anschutz Entertainment Group

        The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events. Under the AEG Presents brand, it is the world's second-largest presenter of live music and entertainment events, after Live Nation. AEG Presents was founded in 2002 as AEG Live.

    2. Frank McLintock, Scottish footballer and manager births

      1. Scottish footballer and manager

        Frank McLintock

        Francis McLintock MBE is a former Scotland international footballer, football manager and businessman. He also worked as a sports agent and football pundit in his later life.

    3. Michelle Urry, American journalist and illustrator (d. 2006) births

      1. American cartoonist

        Michelle Urry

        Michelle Urry was the cartoon editor of Playboy magazine for over 30 years. Together with Hugh Hefner, she edited the retrospective Playboy: 50 Years The Cartoons. Among the cartoonists whose career she is credited with developing is B. Kliban. On learning of her death, Jules Feiffer told the New York Times she was the "mother superior to cartoonists."

  65. 1938

    1. Dick Sudhalter, American trumpet player, scholar, and critic (d. 2008) births

      1. American jazz trumpeter

        Dick Sudhalter

        Richard Merrill Sudhalter was an American jazz trumpeter and writer.

    2. Florence Lawrence, Canadian actress (b. 1886) deaths

      1. Canadian-American actress

        Florence Lawrence

        Florence Lawrence was a Canadian-American stage performer and film actress. She is often referred to as the "first movie star", and was thought to be the first film actor to be named publicly until evidence published in 2019 indicated that the first named film star was French actor Max Linder. At the height of her fame in the 1910s, she was known as the "Biograph Girl" for work as one of the leading ladies in silent films from the Biograph Company. She appeared in almost 300 films for various motion picture companies throughout her career.

  66. 1937

    1. Ratan Tata, Indian businessman and philanthropist births

      1. Indian industrialist

        Ratan Tata

        Ratan Naval Tata is an Indian industrialist and former chairman of Tata Sons. He was also the chairman of the Tata Group from 1990 to 2012, serving also as interim chairman from October 2016 through February 2017. He continues to head its charitable trusts. In 2008, he received the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour in India, after receiving the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour in 2000.

    2. Maurice Ravel, French pianist and composer (b. 1875) deaths

      1. French composer (1875–1937)

        Maurice Ravel

        Joseph Maurice Ravel was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In the 1920s and 1930s Ravel was internationally regarded as France's greatest living composer.

  67. 1936

    1. Alan Coleman, English-Australian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013) births

      1. Alan Coleman

        Alan James Coleman was an English-born TV series writer, director and producer, primarily in the southern hemisphere, where he worked on soap operas The Young Doctors, The Restless Years, Punishment, Breakers, Neighbours and Shortland Street.

    2. Lawrence Schiller, American journalist, director, and producer births

      1. American producer, director, and screenwriter

        Lawrence Schiller

        Lawrence Julian Schiller is an American photojournalist, film producer, director and screenwriter.

  68. 1935

    1. Clarence Day, American author and illustrator (b. 1874) deaths

      1. American writer

        Clarence Day

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

  69. 1934

    1. Rudi Faßnacht, German footballer and manager (d. 2000) births

      1. German footballer and manager

        Rudi Faßnacht

        Rudolf "Rudi" Faßnacht was a German football manager.

    2. Maggie Smith, English actress births

      1. English actress (born 1934)

        Maggie Smith

        Dame Margaret Natalie Smith is an English actress. With an extensive career on screen and stage beginning in the mid-1950s, Smith has appeared in more than sixty films and seventy plays. She is one of the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having received highest achievement for film, television and theatre, winning two Academy Awards, a Tony Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards. Hailed as one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actresses, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for contributions to the Arts, and a Companion of Honour in 2014 for services to Drama.

    3. Chieko Aioi, Japanese actress and voice actress (d. 2013) births

      1. Japanese actress and voice actress

        Chieko Aioi

        Reiko Komatsu , professionally known as Chieko Aioi , was a Japanese actress and voice actress.

  70. 1933

    1. John Y. Brown Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 55th Governor of Kentucky (d. 2022) births

      1. American basketball executive and politician (1933–2022)

        John Y. Brown Jr.

        John Young Brown Jr. was an American politician, entrepreneur, and businessman from Kentucky. He served as the 55th governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, and built Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) into a multimillion-dollar restaurant chain.

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

        Governor of Kentucky

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

  71. 1932

    1. Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman, founded Reliance Industries (d. 2002) births

      1. Indian business tycoon (1932–2002)

        Dhirubhai Ambani

        Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, popularly known as Dhirubhai Ambani, was an Indian business tycoon who founded Reliance Industries. Ambani took Reliance public in 1977 and was worth US$2.9 billion in 2002 upon his death. In 2016, he was honoured posthumously with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour for his contributions to trade and industry.

      2. Indian multinational conglomerate company

        Reliance Industries

        Reliance Industries Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate company, headquartered in Mumbai. It has diverse businesses including energy, petrochemicals, natural gas, retail, telecommunications, mass media, and textiles. Reliance is one of the most profitable companies in India, the largest publicly traded company in India by market capitalisation, and the largest company in India as measured by revenue. It is also the one of the top largest employer in India with over 236,000 employees in the world.

    2. Dorsey Burnette, American singer-songwriter (d. 1979) births

      1. American musician (1932–1979)

        Dorsey Burnette

        Dorsey William Burnett Jr. was an American early rockabilly singer. With his younger brother Johnny Burnette and a friend named Paul Burlison, he was a founder member of The Rock and Roll Trio. He is also the father of country musician and Fleetwood Mac member Billy Burnette.

    3. Roy Hattersley, English journalist and politician, Shadow Home Secretary births

      1. British Labour Party politician, author and journalist

        Roy Hattersley

        Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley, is a British Labour Party politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He was MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook for over 32 years from 1964 to 1997, and served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.

      2. British interior spokesperson of the official opposition

        Shadow Home Secretary

        In British politics, the Shadow Home Secretary, is the person within the shadow cabinet who shadows the Home Secretary; this effectively means scrutinising government policy on home affairs including policing, national security, and matters of citizenship. The Shadow Home Secretary also formerly had responsibility for the criminal justice system and the prison service; these responsibilities are now held by the Shadow Justice Secretary. If the opposition party is elected to government, the Shadow Home Secretary often becomes the new Home Secretary, though this is not always the case. The office has been held by Labour MP Yvette Cooper since 29 November 2021

    4. Harry Howell, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2019) births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player (1932–2019)

        Harry Howell (ice hockey)

        Henry Vernon Howell was a Canadian professional hockey player and longtime star for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played in the NHL and then the World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1952 and 1976. After his playing career Howell briefly worked as a coach in both leagues, as well as the general manager of the Cleveland Barons in the NHL during the 1977–78 season. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.

    5. Nichelle Nichols, American actress (d. 2022) births

      1. American actress (1932–2022)

        Nichelle Nichols

        Nichelle Nichols was an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek and its film sequels. Nichols' portrayal of Uhura was groundbreaking for African American actresses on American television. From 1977 until 2015, Nichols volunteered her time to promote NASA's programs and recruit diverse astronauts, including some of the first female and ethnic minority astronauts.

    6. Manuel Puig, Argentinian author and playwright (d. 1990) births

      1. Argentinian writer

        Manuel Puig

        Juan Manuel Puig Delledonne, commonly called Manuel Puig, was an Argentine author. Among his best-known novels are La traición de Rita Hayworth, Boquitas pintadas, and El beso de la mujer araña which was adapted into the film released in 1985, directed by the Argentine-Brazilian director Héctor Babenco; and a Broadway musical in 1993.

    7. Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (b. 1854) deaths

      1. Australian cricketer

        Jack Blackham

        John McCarthy Blackham was a Test cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.

  72. 1931

    1. Guy Debord, French theorist and author (d. 1994) births

      1. French Marxist theorist

        Guy Debord

        Guy-Ernest Debord was a French Marxist theorist, philosopher, filmmaker, critic of work, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situationist International. He was also briefly a member of Socialisme ou Barbarie.

    2. Martin Milner, American actor (d. 2015) births

      1. American actor (1931–2015)

        Martin Milner

        Martin Sam Milner was an American actor and radio host. He is best known for his performances on two television series: Route 66, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, and Adam-12, which aired on NBC from 1968 to 1975.

  73. 1930

    1. Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian illustrator and academic (d. 2010) births

      1. Egyptian artist (1930–2010)

        Mariam A. Aleem

        Mariam A. Aleem was an Egyptian artist and art professor specializing in printed design. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the Faculty of Fine Arts Cairo in 1954 and her Master of Fine Arts in graphic printing 1957 from the University of Southern California. Beginning in 1958, Aleem taught printmaking at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria. In 1968 she became an assistant professor, heading the Printmaking Department. Aleem became a full professor in 1975 and led the Design Department from 1985 to 1990. She earned her Ph.D. in the history of art from Helwan University in Cairo. Aleem exhibited worldwide, with shows in the United States, Lebanon, Egypt, Germany, Italy, and Norway.

  74. 1929

    1. Brian Redhead, English journalist and author (d. 1994) births

      1. Brian Redhead

        Brian Leonard Redhead was a British author, journalist and broadcaster. He was a co-presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 from 1975 until 1993, shortly before his death. He was a great lover and promoter of the city of Manchester and the North West in general, where he lived for most of his career.

    2. Terry Sawchuk, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 1970) births

      1. Canadian professional ice hockey player

        Terry Sawchuk

        Terrance Gordon Sawchuk was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers. He won the Calder Trophy, earned the Vezina Trophy in four different seasons, was a four-time Stanley Cup champion, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame the year after his final season, one of only ten players for whom the three year waiting period was waived.

    3. Maarten Schmidt, Dutch astronomer (d. 2022) births

      1. Dutch-American astronomer (1929–2022)

        Maarten Schmidt

        Maarten Schmidt was a Dutch-born American astronomer who first measured the distances of quasars. He was the first astronomer to identify a quasar, and so was pictured on the March cover of Time magazine in 1966.

  75. 1928

    1. Moe Koffman, Canadian flute player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 2001) births

      1. Canadian jazz musician

        Moe Koffman

        Morris "Moe" Koffman, OC was a Canadian jazz saxophonist and flautist, as well as composer and arranger. During a career spanning from the 1950s to the 2000s, Koffman was one of Canada's most prolific musicians, working variously in clubs and sessions and releasing 30 albums. With his 1957 record Cool and Hot Sax on the New York-based Jubilee label, Koffman became one of the first Canadian jazz musicians to record a full-length album. Koffman was also a long-time member of Rob McConnell's Boss Brass.

  76. 1926

    1. Donald Carr, German-English cricketer and referee (d. 2016) births

      1. English cricketer (1926–2016)

        Donald Carr

        Donald Bryce Carr OBE was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1946 to 1967, for Oxford University from 1948 to 1951, and twice for England in 1951/52. He captained Derbyshire between 1955 and 1962, and scored over 10,000 runs for the county.

  77. 1925

    1. Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (d. 2002) births

      1. German actress, singer and writer

        Hildegard Knef

        Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef was a German actress, voice actress, singer, and writer. She was billed in some English-language films as Hildegard Neff or Hildegarde Neff.

    2. Milton Obote, Ugandan engineer and politician, 2nd President of Uganda (d. 2005) births

      1. President of Uganda (1966–1971; 1980–1985)

        Milton Obote

        Apollo Milton Obote was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from British colonial rule in 1962. Following the nation's independence, he served as prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and the second president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971, then again from 1980 to 1985.

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

        President of Uganda

        The president of the Republic of Uganda is the head of state and the head of government of Uganda. The president leads the executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander-in-chief of the Uganda People's Defence Force.

  78. 1924

    1. Girma Wolde-Giorgis, Ethiopian politician; President of Ethiopia (d. 2018) births

      1. President of Ethiopia from 2001 to 2013

        Girma Wolde-Giorgis

        Girma Wolde-Giorgis was an Ethiopian politician who was the president of Ethiopia from 2001 to 2013. He was the second person to hold the office of president since the founding of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1995.

      2. List of presidents of Ethiopia

        This is a list of presidents of Ethiopia and also a list of heads of state after the fall of the Ethiopian Empire in 1974.

    2. Léon Bakst, Russian painter and costume designer (b. 1866) deaths

      1. Belarusian-Russian artist (1866–1924)

        Léon Bakst

        Léon Bakst – born as Leyb-Khaim Izrailevich Rosenberg, Лейб-Хаим Израилевич (Самойлович) Розенберг was a Russian painter and scene and costume designer of Jewish origin. He was a member of the Sergei Diaghilev circle and the Ballets Russes, for which he designed exotic, richly coloured sets and costumes. He designed the décor for such productions as Carnaval (1910), Spectre de la rose (1911), Daphnis and Chloe (1912), The Sleeping Princess (1921) and others.

  79. 1922

    1. Stan Lee, American publisher, producer, and actor (d. 2018) births

      1. American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer (1922–2018)

        Stan Lee

        Stan Lee was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which would later become Marvel Comics. He was the primary creative leader for two decades, leading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics and film industries.

  80. 1921

    1. Johnny Otis, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2012) births

      1. American musical entertainer (1921–2012)

        Johnny Otis

        Johnny Otis was an American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, and talent scout. He was a seminal influence on American R&B and rock and roll. He discovered numerous artists early in their careers who went on to become highly successful in their own right, including Little Esther Phillips, Etta James, Alan O'Day, Big Mama Thornton, Johnny Ace, Jackie Wilson, Little Willie John, Hank Ballard, and The Robins, among many others. Otis has been called the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues".

  81. 1920

    1. Tufty Mann, South African cricketer (d. 1952) births

      1. South African cricketer

        Tufty Mann

        Norman Bertram Fleetwood "Tufty" Mann was a South African cricketer who played in 19 Test matches from 1947 to 1951.

    2. Bruce McCarty, American architect, designed the Knoxville City-County Building (d. 2013) births

      1. American architect

        Bruce McCarty

        Bruce McCarty, FAIA was an American architect, founder and senior designer at McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects of Knoxville, Tennessee. During a career that has spanned more than a half-century, he designed some of the city's iconic landmarks, and was the city's most dedicated champion of Modern architecture. Buildings designed or co-designed by McCarty include the Lawson McGhee Library, Knoxville City County Building, University of Tennessee Humanities Complex, Clarence Brown Theatre, and University of Tennessee Art and Architecture Building. McCarty was also the Master Architect for the 1982 World's Fair.

      2. Government building in Knoxville, TN, USA

        Knoxville City-County Building

        The Knoxville City-County Building is a building at 400 Main Street in Knoxville, Tennessee that houses the offices of the city government of Knoxville and the county government of Knox County, Tennessee. It also houses the Knox County Jail. The building stands ten stories, and contains 534,000 square feet (49,600 m2) of office space. At the time it was built it was said to be the largest office building in Tennessee.

    3. Steve Van Buren, Honduran-American football player (d. 2012) births

      1. Honduran-American football player

        Steve Van Buren

        Stephen Wood Van Buren was a Honduran–American professional football player who was a halfback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) from 1944 to 1951. Regarded as a powerful and punishing runner with excellent speed, through eight NFL seasons he won four league rushing titles, including three straight from 1947 to 1949. At a time when teams played 12 games a year, he was the first NFL player to rush for over ten touchdowns in a season—a feat he accomplished three times—and the first to have multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. When he retired, he held the NFL career records for rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns.

    4. Al Wistert, American football player and coach (d. 2016) births

      1. American football player (1920–2016)

        Al Wistert

        Albert Alexander "Ox" Wistert was an American football offensive tackle, guard and defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played his entire nine-year NFL career for the Eagles and became their team captain. He was named to play in the NFL's first Pro Bowl as an Eagle. During most of Wistert's career there were no football All-star games, although he was named to the league All-Pro team eight times.

  82. 1919

    1. Emily Cheney Neville, American author (d. 1997) births

      1. American writer

        Emily Cheney Neville

        Emily Cheney Neville was an American author. She was born in Manchester, Connecticut and graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1940. She then worked for the New York Daily News and the New York Daily Mirror newspapers.

    2. Johannes Rydberg, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1854) deaths

      1. Swedish physicist

        Johannes Rydberg

        Johannes (Janne) Robert Rydberg was a Swedish physicist mainly known for devising the Rydberg formula, in 1888, which is used to describe the wavelengths of photons emitted by changes in the energy level of an electron in a hydrogen atom.

  83. 1918

    1. Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet and journalist (b. 1865) deaths

      1. Brazilian Parnassian poet, journalist and translator

        Olavo Bilac

        Olavo Brás Martins dos Guimarães Bilac, known simply as Olavo Bilac, was a Brazilian Parnassian poet, journalist and translator. Alongside Alberto de Oliveira and Raimundo Correia, he was a member of the "Parnassian Triad". He was elected the "Prince of Brazilian Poets" in 1907 by the magazine Fon-Fon. He wrote the lyrics of the Brazilian Flag Anthem.

  84. 1917

    1. Ellis Clarke, Trinidadian politician, 1st President of Trinidad and Tobago (d. 2010) births

      1. Last Governor-General and first President of Trinidad and Tobago

        Ellis Clarke

        Sir Ellis Emmanuel Innocent Clarke was the first President of Trinidad and Tobago and the second and last Governor-General. He was one of the main architects of Trinidad and Tobago's 1962 Independence constitution.

      2. List of heads of state of Trinidad and Tobago

        From 1962 to 1976 the head of state under the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962 was the queen of Trinidad and Tobago, Elizabeth II, who was also the queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The queen was represented in Trinidad and Tobago by a governor-general. Trinidad and Tobago became a republic under the Constitution of 1976 and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by a ceremonial president.

    2. Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian captain and pilot (b. 1892) deaths

      1. Alfred Edwin McKay

        Captain Alfred Edwin "Eddie" McKay MC was a Canadian flying ace who flew with the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War.

  85. 1916

    1. Eduard Strauss, Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1835) deaths

      1. Austrian composer

        Eduard Strauss

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

  86. 1914

    1. Bidia Dandaron, Russian author and educator (d. 1974) births

      1. Bidia Dandaron

        Bidia Dandaron was a major Buddhist author and teacher in the USSR. He also worked in academic Tibetology, contributed to the Tibetan-Russian Dictionary (1959) and made several translations from Tibetan into Russian. He is mostly remembered as a Buddhist teacher whose students in Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania continued both religious and scholarly work, and as an early Buddhist author who wrote on European philosophy, history, and science within a Buddhist framework. Among his students were Alexander Piatigorsky and Linnart Mäll.

    2. Pops Staples, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000) births

      1. American gospel and R&B musician

        Pops Staples

        Roebuck "Pops" Staples was an American gospel and R&B musician. A "pivotal figure in gospel in the 1960s and 1970s," he was an accomplished songwriter, guitarist and singer. He was the patriarch and member of singing group The Staple Singers, which included his son Pervis and daughters Mavis, Yvonne, and Cleotha.

  87. 1913

    1. Lou Jacobi, Canadian-American actor (d. 2009) births

      1. Canadian character actor (1913–2009)

        Lou Jacobi

        Lou Jacobi was a Canadian character actor.

    2. Ahmet Mithat Efendi, Turkish journalist and translator (b. 1844) deaths

      1. Ottoman journalist and author ((1844–1912)

        Ahmet Mithat

        Ahmet Mithat was an Ottoman journalist, author, translator and publisher during the Tanzimat period. In his works, he was known as Ahmet Mithat Efendi, to distinguish him from the contemporary politician Midhat Pasha. Ahmet Mithat Efendi took his name from Ahmed Şefik Midhat Pasha, as he worked for a time as an official and newspaper editor in Midhat Pasha's Vilayet of the Danube.

  88. 1911

    1. Wil van Beveren, Dutch sprinter and journalist (d. 2003) births

      1. Dutch sprinter

        Wil van Beveren

        Wijnand "Wil" van Beveren was a Dutch sprinter. He competed in the 100 m, 200 m and 4×100 metres relay at the 1936 Summer Olympics and finished sixth in the 200 m, running against Jesse Owens. In the relay, the Dutch team was close to a medal, but failed at a baton transfer.

  89. 1910

    1. Billy Williams, American singer (d. 1972) births

      1. American singer

        Billy Williams (singer)

        Wilfred Williams was an American singer. He had a successful cover recording of Fats Waller's "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" in 1957. The record sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. His trademark hook for his songs was to shout "Oh, Yeah" at the end of lyrics.

  90. 1908

    1. Lew Ayres, American actor (d. 1996) births

      1. American actor (1908–1996)

        Lew Ayres

        Lewis Frederick Ayres III was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and for playing Dr. Kildare in nine films. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Johnny Belinda (1948).

  91. 1907

    1. Ze'ev Ben-Haim, Ukrainian-Israeli linguist and academic (d. 2013) births

      1. Ze'ev Ben-Haim

        Ze'ev Wolf Goldman, later known as Ze'ev Ben-Haim, was a leading Israeli linguist and a former president of the Academy of the Hebrew Language.

    2. Louise Granberg, Swedish playwright (b. 1812) deaths

      1. Swedish playwright, translator and theatre director

        Louise Granberg

        Louise Elisabeth Granberg, was a Swedish playwright, translator and theatre director.

  92. 1903

    1. Earl Hines, American pianist and bandleader (d. 1983) births

      1. American jazz pianist

        Earl Hines

        Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".

    2. John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (d. 1957) births

      1. Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (1903–1957)

        John von Neumann

        John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist, engineer and polymath. He was regarded as having perhaps the widest coverage of any mathematician of his time and was said to have been "the last representative of the great mathematicians who were equally at home in both pure and applied mathematics". He integrated pure and applied sciences.

  93. 1902

    1. Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher and author (d. 2001) births

      1. American philosopher, author and educator (1902–2001)

        Mortimer J. Adler

        Mortimer Jerome Adler was an American philosopher, educator, encyclopedist, and popular author. As a philosopher he worked within the Aristotelian and Thomistic traditions. He lived for long stretches in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and San Mateo, California. He taught at Columbia University and the University of Chicago, served as chairman of the Encyclopædia Britannica Board of Editors, and founded his own Institute for Philosophical Research.

    2. Shen Congwen, Chinese author and educator (d. 1988) births

      1. Chinese writer

        Shen Congwen

        Shen Congwen, formerly romanized as Shen Ts'ung-wen, was a Chinese writer who is considered one of the greatest modern Chinese writers, on par with Lu Xun. Regional culture and identity plays a much bigger role in his writing than that of other major early modern Chinese writers. He was known for combining the vernacular style with classical Chinese writing techniques. Shen is the most important of the "native soil" writers in modern Chinese literature. Shen Congwen published many excellent compositions in his life, the most famous of which is the novella Border Town. This story is about the old ferryman and his granddaughter Cuicui's love story. Shen Congwen and his wife Zhang Zhaohe were married in 1933, Shen Congwen and Zhang Zhaohe had two sons after their marriage.

  94. 1900

    1. Alexandre de Serpa Pinto, Portuguese soldier and explorer (b. 1846) deaths

      1. Portuguese explorer and soldier (1846–1900)

        Alexandre de Serpa Pinto

        Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de Serpa Pinto, Viscount of Serpa Pinto was a Portuguese explorer of southern Africa and a colonial administrator.

  95. 1898

    1. Carl-Gustaf Rossby, Swedish-American meteorologist and academic (d. 1957) births

      1. Swedish-born American meteorologist

        Carl-Gustaf Rossby

        Carl-Gustaf Arvid Rossby was a Swedish-born American meteorologist who first explained the large-scale motions of the atmosphere in terms of fluid mechanics. He identified and characterized both the jet stream and the long waves in the westerlies that were later named Rossby waves.

    2. Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (d. 1947) births

      1. Japanese officer, war criminal 1898–1947

        Shigematsu Sakaibara

        Shigematsu Sakaibara was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Japanese garrison commander on Wake Island during World War II, and a convicted war criminal. He was responsible for ordering the Wake Island massacre, in which 98 American civilians were murdered by Japanese soldiers. Following Japan's surrender, Sakaibara was tried for war crimes and executed for his involvement.

  96. 1897

    1. William Corby, American priest and academic (b. 1833) deaths

      1. American army chaplain in the Civil War

        William Corby

        The Rev. William Corby, CSC was an American priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and a Union Army chaplain in the American Civil War attached to the Irish Brigade. He served twice as president of the University of Notre Dame.

  97. 1895

    1. Carol Ryrie Brink, American author and playwright (d. 1981) births

      1. American novelist (1895-1981)

        Carol Ryrie Brink

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

  98. 1890

    1. Quincy Wright, American political scientist, historian, and academic (d. 1970) births

      1. American political scientist

        Quincy Wright

        Philip Quincy Wright was an American political scientist based at the University of Chicago known for his pioneering work and expertise in international law, international relations, and security studies.

    2. Dennis Miller Bunker, American painter (b. 1861) deaths

      1. American painter

        Dennis Miller Bunker

        Dennis Miller Bunker was an American painter and innovator of American Impressionism. His mature works include both brightly colored landscape paintings and dark, finely drawn portraits and figures. One of the major American painters of the late 19th century, and a friend of many prominent artists of the era, Bunker died from meningitis at the age of 29.

  99. 1888

    1. F. W. Murnau, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1931) births

      1. German film director (1888–1931)

        F. W. Murnau

        Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau was a German film director, producer and screenwriter.

  100. 1887

    1. Werner Kolhörster, German physicist and academic (d. 1946) births

      1. German physicist

        Werner Kolhörster

        Werner Heinrich Gustav Kolhörster was a German physicist and a pioneer of research into cosmic rays.

  101. 1882

    1. Arthur Eddington, English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (d. 1944) births

      1. British astrophysicist (1882–1944).

        Arthur Eddington

        Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington was an English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician. He was also a philosopher of science and a populariser of science. The Eddington limit, the natural limit to the luminosity of stars, or the radiation generated by accretion onto a compact object, is named in his honour.

    2. Lili Elbe, Danish model and painter (d. 1931) births

      1. Danish painter and transgender woman (1882–1931)

        Lili Elbe

        Lili Ilse Elvenes, better known as Lili Elbe, was a Danish painter and transgender woman, and among the early recipients of sex reassignment surgery. She was a successful painter under her birth name Einar Wegener. After transitioning in 1930, she changed her legal name to Lili Ilse Elvenes and stopped painting; she later adopted the surname Elbe. She died from complications following a uterus transplant. The UK and US versions of her semi-autobiographical narrative were published posthumously in 1933 under the title Man into Woman: An Authentic Record of a Change of Sex.

  102. 1872

    1. James Van Ness, American lawyer and politician, 7th Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1808) deaths

      1. American politician

        James Van Ness

        James Van Ness was an American politician who served as the 6th Mayor of San Francisco from 1855 to 1856.

      2. Head of the consolidated city-county government of San Francisco, California, USA

        Mayor of San Francisco

        The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the legislative branch. The mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms. Because of San Francisco's status as a consolidated city-county, the mayor also serves as the head of government of the county; both entities have been governed together by a combined set of governing bodies since 1856.

  103. 1870

    1. Charles Bennett, English runner (d. 1949) births

      1. British athlete

        Charles Bennett (athlete)

        Charles Bennett was a British athlete, winner of the 1500 metres at the 1900 Summer Olympics and the first British track and field athlete to become Olympic champion. He was a member of Finchley Harriers which was amalgamated into Hillingdon Athletic Club in 1966.

  104. 1865

    1. Félix Vallotton, Swiss/French painter (d. 1925) births

      1. Swiss painter and printmaker (1865–1925)

        Félix Vallotton

        Félix Édouard Vallotton was a Swiss and French painter and printmaker associated with the group of artists known as Les Nabis. He was an important figure in the development of the modern woodcut. He painted portraits, landscapes, nudes, still lifes, and other subjects in an unemotional, realistic style.

  105. 1859

    1. Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, English historian and politician, Secretary at War (b. 1800) deaths

      1. British historian and politician (1800–1859)

        Thomas Babington Macaulay

        Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, was a British historian and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster-General between 1846 and 1848.

      2. Historical English political position

        Secretary at War

        The Secretary at War was a political position in the English and later British government, with some responsibility over the administration and organization of the Army, but not over military policy. The Secretary at War ran the War Office. After 1794 it was occasionally a Cabinet-level position, although it was considered of subordinate rank to the Secretaries of State. The position was combined with that of Secretary of State for War in 1854 and abolished in 1863.

  106. 1856

    1. Woodrow Wilson, American historian and politician, 28th President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924) births

      1. President of the United States from 1913 to 1921

        Woodrow Wilson

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

      2. 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.

      3. One of five Nobel Prizes established by Alfred Nobel

        Nobel Peace Prize

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

  107. 1842

    1. Calixa Lavallée, Canadian-American lieutenant and composer (d. 1891) births

      1. Canadian composer

        Calixa Lavallée

        Calixa Lavallée was a French-Canadian-American musician and Union Army band musician during the American Civil War. He is best known for composing the music for "O Canada," which officially became the national anthem of Canada in 1980, after a vote in the Senate and the House of Commons. The same 1980 Act of Parliament also changed some of the English lyrics. A slight alteration to the English lyrics was made again in 2018. The original French lyrics and the music, however, have remained unchanged since 1880.

  108. 1818

    1. Carl Remigius Fresenius, German chemist and academic (d. 1897) births

      1. German chemist (1818–1897)

        Carl Remigius Fresenius

        Carl Remigius Fresenius, was a German chemist, known for his studies in analytical chemistry.

  109. 1798

    1. Thomas Henderson, Scottish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1844) births

      1. Scottish astronomer and mathematician

        Thomas Henderson (astronomer)

        Thomas Henderson FRSE FRS FRAS was a Scottish astronomer and mathematician noted for being the first person to measure the distance to Alpha Centauri, the major component of the nearest stellar system to Earth, the first to determine the parallax of a fixed star, and for being the first Astronomer Royal for Scotland.

  110. 1795

    1. Eugenio Espejo, Ecuadorian physician and lawyer (b. 1747) deaths

      1. 18th century Spanish physician

        Eugenio Espejo

        Francisco Javier Eugenio de Santa Cruz y Espejo was a medical pioneer, writer and lawyer of mestizo origin in colonial Ecuador. Although he was a notable scientist and writer, he stands out as a polemicist who inspired the separatist movement in Quito. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in colonial Ecuador. He was Quito's first journalist and hygienist.

  111. 1789

    1. Catharine Maria Sedgwick, American novelist of "domestic fiction" (d. 1867) births

      1. American novelist

        Catharine Sedgwick

        Catharine Maria Sedgwick was an American novelist of what is sometimes referred to as "domestic fiction". With her work much in demand, from the 1820s to the 1850s, Sedgwick made a good living writing short stories for a variety of periodicals. She became one of the most notable female novelists of her time. She wrote work in American settings, and combined patriotism with protests against historic Puritan oppressiveness. Her topics contributed to the creation of a national literature, enhanced by her detailed descriptions of nature. Sedgwick created spirited heroines who did not conform to the stereotypical conduct of women at the time. She promoted Republican motherhood.

  112. 1785

    1. Peter Ernst Wilde, Polish-Estonian physician and journalist (b. 1732) deaths

      1. Baltic German physician and Estophile

        Peter Ernst Wilde

        Peter Ernst Wilde was a Baltic German physician and Enlightenment era Estophile.

  113. 1775

    1. Jean-Gabriel Eynard, Swiss banker and photographer (d. 1863) births

      1. Jean-Gabriel Eynard

        Jean-Gabriel Eynard was a Swiss banker and huge benefactor of the Greek cause.

  114. 1763

    1. John Molson, English-Canadian brewer, founded the Molson Brewery (d. 1836) births

      1. 18th and 19th-century Canadian businessman

        John Molson

        John Molson was an English-born brewer and entrepreneur in colonial Quebec, which during his lifetime became Lower Canada. In addition to founding Molson Brewery, he built the first steamship and the first public railway in Canada, was a president of the Bank of Montreal, and established a hospital, a hotel, and a theatre in Montreal. The dynasty he founded, the Molson family, is still a wealthy and powerful force in Canada.

      2. Canadian alcohol brewery

        Molson Brewery

        The Molson Brewery is a Canadian based brewery company based in Montreal which was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors.

  115. 1736

    1. Antonio Caldara, Italian composer (b. 1670) deaths

      1. Italian composer

        Antonio Caldara

        Antonio Caldara was an Italian Baroque composer.

  116. 1734

    1. Rob Roy MacGregor, Scottish outlaw (b. 1671) deaths

      1. Scottish outlaw

        Rob Roy MacGregor

        Robert Roy MacGregor was a Scottish outlaw, who later became a folk hero.

  117. 1724

    1. Christoph Franz von Buseck, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg (d. 1805) births

      1. German bishop and monarch

        Christoph Franz von Buseck

        Christoph Franz von Buseck was the Roman Catholic bishop of Bamberg and the last Prince-Bishop of Bamberg.

  118. 1722

    1. Eliza Lucas, Caribbean-American agriculturalist (d. 1793) births

      1. American planter and agriculturalist (1722–1793)

        Eliza Lucas

        Elizabeth "Eliza" Lucas Pinckney transformed agriculture in colonial South Carolina, where she developed indigo as one of its most important cash crops. Its cultivation and processing as dye produced one-third the total value of the colony's exports before the Revolutionary War. Manager of three plantations, Pinckney had a major influence on the colonial economy.

  119. 1715

    1. William Carstares, Scottish minister and academic (b. 1649) deaths

      1. William Carstares

        William Carstares was a minister of the Church of Scotland, active in Whig politics.

  120. 1708

    1. Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, French botanist and mycologist (b. 1656) deaths

      1. French botanist (1656–1708)

        Joseph Pitton de Tournefort

        Joseph Pitton de Tournefort was a French botanist, notable as the first to make a clear definition of the concept of genus for plants. Botanist Charles Plumier was his pupil and accompanied him on his voyages.

  121. 1706

    1. Pierre Bayle, French philosopher and author (b. 1647) deaths

      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.

  122. 1694

    1. Mary II of England (b. 1662) deaths

      1. Joint sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland (r. 1689–1694)

        Mary II of England

        Mary II was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694.

  123. 1671

    1. Johann Friedrich Gronovius, German scholar and critic (b. 1611) deaths

      1. German classical scholar, librarian and critic (1611-1671)

        Johann Friedrich Gronovius

        Johann Friedrich Gronovius was a German classical scholar, librarian and critic.

  124. 1665

    1. George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1716) births

      1. British Army general

        George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland

        Lieutenant-General George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland, KG, PC was the third and youngest illegitimate son of King Charles II of England by Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine ; he was the fifth of Charles's eight illegitimate sons. On 1 October 1674, he was created Earl of Northumberland, Baron of Pontefract (Yorkshire) and Viscount Falmouth (Cornwall). On 6 April 1683, he was created Duke of Northumberland. He was described as a most worthy man, and interestingly as "...a tall Black Man like his father the King."

      2. Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire

        This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire. Since 1689, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Berkshire.

  125. 1663

    1. Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (b. 1618) deaths

      1. Italian priest and mathematician

        Francesco Maria Grimaldi

        Francesco Maria Grimaldi, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, mathematician and physicist who taught at the Jesuit college in Bologna. He was born in Bologna to Paride Grimaldi and Anna Cattani.

  126. 1655

    1. Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk (d. 1698) births

      1. British politician

        Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis

        Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis PC was a British politician who served as First Lord of the Admiralty. He succeeded his father Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis as Baron Cornwallis in 1673. On 27 December that year, at Westminster Abbey, he married Elizabeth Fox, daughter of Sir Stephen Fox. Their son Charles succeeded him as 4th Baron Cornwallis. After Elizabeth's death, he married Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch, widow of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth.

      2. Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk

        This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk. Since 1642, all Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Suffolk.

  127. 1651

    1. Johann Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1735) births

      1. German composer and organist

        Johann Krieger

        Johann Krieger was a German composer and organist, younger brother of Johann Philipp Krieger. Born in Nuremberg, he worked at Bayreuth, Zeitz, and Greiz before settling in Zittau. He was one of the most important keyboard composers of his day, highly esteemed by, among others, George Frideric Handel. A prolific composer of church and secular music, he published several dozen of his works, and others survive in manuscript. However, hundreds more were lost when Zittau was destroyed by fire in 1757, during the Seven Years' War.

  128. 1635

    1. Elizabeth Stuart, second daughter of King Charles I of England (d. 1650) births

      1. Elizabeth Stuart (daughter of Charles I)

        Elizabeth Stuart was the second daughter of Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his wife, Henrietta Maria of France.

  129. 1622

    1. Francis de Sales, French bishop and saint (b. 1567) deaths

      1. Bishop of Geneva

        Francis de Sales

        Francis de Sales was a Bishop of Geneva and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God.

  130. 1619

    1. Antoine Furetière, French author and scholar (d. 1688) births

      1. Antoine Furetière

        Antoine Furetière was a French scholar, writer, and lexicographer, known best for his satirical novel Scarron's City Romance. He was expelled from the Académie Française for seeking to publish his own French language dictionary.

  131. 1558

    1. Hermann Finck, German organist and composer (b. 1527) deaths

      1. Hermann Finck

        Hermann Finck was a German composer.

  132. 1547

    1. Konrad Peutinger, German humanist and antiquarian (b. 1465) deaths

      1. Konrad Peutinger

        Conrad Peutinger was a German humanist, jurist, diplomat, politician, economist and archaeologist. A senior official in the municipal government of the Imperial City of Augsburg, he served as a counselor to Emperor Maximilian I and his successor Charles V. Also known as a passionate antiquarian, he collected, with the help of his wife Margareta Welser (1481–1552), one of the largest private libraries north of the Alps.

  133. 1538

    1. Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice (b. 1455) deaths

      1. 77th Doge of Venice

        Andrea Gritti

        Andrea Gritti was the Doge of the Venetian Republic from 1523 to 1538, following a distinguished diplomatic and military career. He started out as a successful merchant in Constantinople and transitioned into the position of Bailo, a diplomatic role. He was arrested for espionage but was spared execution thanks to his good relationship with the Ottoman vizier. After being freed from imprisonment, he returned to Venice and began his political career. When the War of the League of Cambrai broke out, despite his lack of experience, he was given a leadership role in the Venetian military, where he excelled. After the war, he was elected Doge, and he held that post until his death.

  134. 1535

    1. Martin Eisengrein, German theologian (d. 1578) births

      1. Martin Eisengrein

        Martin Eisengrein was a German Catholic theologian, university professor and polemical writer.

  135. 1510

    1. Nicholas Bacon, English politician (d. 1579) births

      1. English politician (1511–1579)

        Nicholas Bacon (Lord Keeper)

        Sir Nicholas Bacon was Lord Keeper of the Great Seal during the first half of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He was the father of the philosopher and statesman Sir Francis Bacon.

  136. 1503

    1. Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (b. 1471) deaths

      1. Lord of Florence (r. 1492–1494)

        Piero the Unfortunate

        Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici, called Piero the Fatuous or Piero the Unfortunate, was the lord of Florence from 1492 until his exile in 1494.

  137. 1491

    1. Bertoldo di Giovanni, Italian sculptor (b. c. 1435) deaths

      1. Italian sculptor

        Bertoldo di Giovanni

        Bertoldo di Giovanni was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and medallist.

  138. 1461

    1. Louise of Savoy, French nun (d. 1503) births

      1. Louise of Savoy (nun)

        Louise of Savoy was a member of the French royal family, who gave up a life of privilege and comfort to become a Poor Clare nun. She was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 1839.

  139. 1446

    1. Antipope Clement VIII (b. 1369) deaths

      1. Antipope at Avignon from 1423 to 1429

        Antipope Clement VIII

        Gil Sánchez Muñoz y Carbón, was one of the Avignon antipopes, reigning from 10 June 1423 to 26 July 1429 as Clement VIII. He was born in Teruel between 1369–1370 and a member of the Avignon curia. When Alfonso V of Aragon reached an agreement with Pope Martin V, Sánchez Muñoz abdicated, made his submission and was appointed bishop of Mallorca. He died on 28 December 1446.

  140. 1394

    1. Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina, queen of Epirus (b. 1350) deaths

      1. ''Basilissa'' of Epirus

        Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina

        Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina or Marija Angelina Nemanjić or Anna Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina was a Byzantine Greek-Serbian aristocrat and the self-proclaimed basilissa of Epirus from 1384–85, succeeding the rule of her murdered husband Thomas Preljubović. Maria and her husband were a famed couple as patrons of the arts during Tomo's rule of Ioannina from 1366 to 1384. She is even portrayed in the icons.

  141. 1367

    1. Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shōgun (b. 1330) deaths

      1. Second shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate of Japan (1330–1367)

        Ashikaga Yoshiakira

        Ashikaga Yoshiakira was the second shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1358 to 1367 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshiakira was the son of the founder and first shōgun of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Takauji. His mother was Akahashi Tōshi, also known as Hōjō Nariko.

  142. 1326

    1. Sir David II Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl, Constable of Scotland, and Chief Warden of Northumberland deaths

      1. Scottish Earl

        David II Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl

        Sir David II Strathbogie was Earl of Atholl, Constable of Scotland, and Chief Warden of Northumberland.

      2. Scottish title between 10th–17th centuries

        Earl of Atholl

        The Mormaer or Earl of Atholl was the title of the holder of a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl, now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is reported from the Pictish period. The only other two Pictish kingdoms to be known from contemporary sources are Fortriu and Circinn. Indeed, the early 13th century document known to modern scholars as the de Situ Albanie repeats the claim that Atholl was an ancient Pictish kingdom. In the 11th century, the famous Crínán of Dunkeld may have performed the role of Mormaer.

      3. Hereditary ceremonial office in Scotland

        Lord High Constable of Scotland

        The Lord High Constable is a hereditary, now ceremonial, office of Scotland. In the order of precedence of Scotland, the office traditionally ranks above all titles except those of the Royal Family. The Lord High Constable was, after the King of Scots, the supreme officer of the Scottish army. He also performed judicial functions as the chief judge of the High Court of Constabulary. From the late 13th Century the Court – presided over by the Lord High Constable or his deputies – was empowered to judge all cases of rioting, disorder, bloodshed and murder if such crimes occurred within four miles of the King, the King's Council, or the Parliament of Scotland. Following James VI's move to England, the jurisdiction of the Lord High Constable was defined in terms of the "resident place" appointed for the Council.

      4. County in northern England

        Northumberland

        Northumberland is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.

  143. 1297

    1. Hugh Aycelin, French cardinal (b. 1230) deaths

      1. Hugh Aycelin

        Hugh Aycelin was a French Cardinal. He was also known as Hughes of Billom, Ugo Billomo, Hughes Séguin, Ugo Seguin de Billon, Hughes Aycelin de Montaigut and Hugues Séguin de Billon.

  144. 1218

    1. Robert II, Count of Dreux (b. 1154) deaths

      1. Lord of Fère-en-Tardenois, Pontarcy, Nesle, Longueville, Quincy-en-Tardenois, Savigny, and Baudemont

        Robert II, Count of Dreux

        Robert II of Dreux, Count of Dreux and Braine, was the eldest surviving son of Robert I, Count of Dreux, and Agnes de Baudemont, countess of Braine, and a grandson of King Louis VI of France.

  145. 925

    1. Wang Zongbi, general of the Chinese state of Former Shu deaths

      1. 10th-century Shu general

        Wang Zongbi

        Wang Zongbi was a Chinese military general and politician of the Former Shu dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

      2. Account of past events in the Chinese civilization

        History of China

        The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty, during the reign of king Wu Ding, referred to in the records as the twenty-first King of Shang. Ancient historical texts such as the Book of Documents, the Bamboo Annals and the Records of the Grand Historian describe a Xia dynasty before the Shang, but no writing is known from the period, and Shang writings do not indicate the existence of the Xia. The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley, which is commonly held to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, Neolithic civilizations originated at various cultural centers along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River. These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the Shang. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is among the world's oldest civilizations and is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.

      3. 10th-century Chinese kingdom

        Former Shu

        Great Shu called in retrospect Former Shu or occasionally Wang Shu (王蜀), was one of the Ten Kingdoms formed during the chaotic period between the rules of the Tang dynasty and the Song dynasty. It existed in 907–925 CE. It was the third state named "Shu" on the same territory, the second one having been Shu Han.

Holidays

  1. Christian feast day: Abel (Coptic Church)

    1. First two sons of Adam and Eve

      Cain and Abel

      In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. The brothers made sacrifices to God, but God favored Abel's sacrifice instead of Cain's. Cain then murdered Abel, whereupon God punished Cain by condemning him to a life of wandering. Cain then dwelt in the land of Nod, where he built a city and fathered the line of descendants beginning with Enoch.

    2. Oriental Orthodox Christian church

      Coptic Orthodox Church

      The Coptic Orthodox Church, also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt, servicing Africa and the Middle East. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the Pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark, who also carries the title of Father of fathers, Shepherd of Shepherds, Ecumenical Judge and the thirteenth among the Apostles. The See of Alexandria is titular, and today, the Coptic Pope presides from Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in the Abbassia District in Cairo. The church follows the Coptic Rite for its liturgy, prayer and devotional patrimony. The church has approximately 25 million members worldwide and is Egypt's largest Christian denomination.

  2. Christian feast day: Caterina Volpicelli

    1. Italian Roman Catholic saint

      Caterina Volpicelli

      Caterina Volpicelli was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious and the foundress of the Maids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

  3. Christian feast day: Feast of the Holy Innocents or Childermas; in Spain and Latin American countries the festival is celebrated with pranks (inocentadas), similar to April Fools' Day (Catholic Church, Church of England, Lutheran Church), and its related observances: Els Enfarinats (Ibi, Spain)

    1. Els Enfarinats

      The annual festival of Els Enfarinats takes place in the town of Ibi in Alicante, Spain on December 28, as part of celebrations related to the Day of the Innocents. Els enfarinats comes from the Valencian word for "breading", and roughly translate to "the breaded ones" or "the floured ones". In the day-long festival, participants known as the Els Enfarinats dress in mock military dress and stage a mock coup d'état. Meanwhile, the Casats i Fadrins, accompanied by a band of street musicians called the Rondalla, known by the name of Sonet, Xirimita and Tabal, tour the city. At 8am, the Els Enfarinats take the city under the slogan "New Justice", and at 9am the Race for Mayor will take place in which it will be decided who is to be Mayor of the Els Enfarinats. Then, the act of L'Aixavegó is carried out in the Plaça de l'Església, where the Els Enfarinats reside. Here, it is decided that those who do not pay the fine will go to jail. At midday, a collection called the Arreplegada dels Enfarinats takes place through the streets of the old quarter and of the city centre of Ibi, terminating in the Sant Joaquim Sanctuary. They exercise their authority under a blaze of fireworks, flour bombs and eggs. At five o'clock in the afternoon the authority of Els Enfarinats comes to an end giving way to the celebration of the traditional Dansà.

    2. Municipality in Valencian Community, Spain

      Ibi, Spain

      Ibi is a town located in the comarca of Alcoià, in the province of Alicante, Spain. As of 2009, Ibi has a total population of c. 24,000 inhabitants. The town, which is located 37 km from the city of Alicante, is surrounded by mountains and gorges.

  4. Christian feast day: Simon the Athonite

    1. 13th-century Greek Orthodox monk

      Simon the Athonite

      Simon the Athonite was a Greek Orthodox monk of the 13th century, later sanctified by the Eastern Orthodox Church as Saint Simon the Myroblyte.

  5. Christian feast day: December 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

    1. December 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

      December 27 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - December 29

  6. King Taksin Memorial Day (Thailand)

    1. Public holidays in Thailand

      Public holidays in Thailand are regulated by the government, and most are observed by both the public and private sectors. There are usually nineteen public holidays in a year, but more may be declared by the cabinet. Other observances, both official and non-official, local and international, are observed to varying degrees throughout the country.

    2. Country in Southeast Asia

      Thailand

      Thailand, historically known as Siam and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning 513,120 square kilometres (198,120 sq mi), with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the extremity of Myanmar. Thailand also shares maritime borders with Vietnam to the southeast, and Indonesia and India to the southwest. Bangkok is the nation's capital and largest city.

  7. Proclamation Day (South Australia), celebration started on the day following Christmas (South Australia)

    1. Holiday

      Proclamation Day

      Proclamation Day is the name of official or unofficial holidays or other anniversaries which commemorate or mark an important proclamation. In some cases it may be the day of, or the anniversary of, the proclamation of a monarch's accession to the throne. A proclamation day may also celebrate the independence of a country, the end of a war, or the ratification of an important treaty.

    2. Holiday originating in Christianity, usually December 25

      Christmas

      Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season organized around it.

    3. State of Australia

      South Australia

      South Australia is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of 984,321 square kilometres (380,048 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, and second smallest state by population. It has a total of 1.8 million people. Its population is the second most highly centralised in Australia, after Western Australia, with more than 77 percent of South Australians living in the capital Adelaide, or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier, the second-largest centre, has a population of 33,233.

  8. Republic Day (South Sudan)

    1. Wikimedia list article

      Public holidays in South Sudan

      This is a list of holidays in South Sudan.

  9. The fourth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)

    1. Period between 25 December and 5 January

      Twelve Days of Christmas

      The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days are 25 December to 5 January, inclusive, with 6 January being a "thirteenth day" in some traditions and languages. However, 6 January is sometimes considered Twelfth Day/Twelfth Night with the Twelve Days "of" Christmas actually after Christmas Day from 26 December to 6 January. For many Christian denominations—for example, the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Church—the Twelve Days are identical to Christmastide, but for others, e.g. the Roman Catholic Church, Christmastide lasts longer than the Twelve Days of Christmas.

    2. Religious category of the Latin Church, Protestantism, and their derivatives

      Western Christianity

      Western Christianity is one of two sub-divisions of Christianity. Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic Church, Independent Catholicism and Restorationism.