On This Day /

Important events in history
on March 8 th

Events

  1. 2021

    1. International Women's Day marches in Mexico become violent with 62 police officers and 19 civilians injured in Mexico City alone.

      1. Holiday to recognize women worldwide

        International Women's Day

        International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

      2. Mexico-related events during the year of 2021

        2021 in Mexico

        This article lists events occurring in Mexico during the year 2021. The article lists the most important political leaders during the year at both federal and state levels and will include a brief year-end summary of major social and economic issues. Cultural events, including major sporting events, are also listed. For a more expansive list of political events, see 2021 in Mexican politics and government.

      3. Capital and largest city of Mexico

        Mexico City

        Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of Mexico within the high Mexican central plateau, at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 ft). The city has 16 boroughs or demarcaciones territoriales, which are in turn divided into neighborhoods or colonias.

  2. 2018

    1. The first Aurat March (social/political demonstration) was held being International Women's Day in Karachi, Pakistan, since then annually held across Pakistan and feminist slogan Mera Jism Meri Marzi (My body, my choice), in demand for women's right to bodily autonomy and against gender-based violence came into vogue in Pakistan.

      1. International Women's Day demonstrations in Pakistan

        Aurat March

        The Aurat March is an annual socio-political demonstration in Pakistani cities such as Lahore, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta, Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar to observe International Women's Day.

      2. Holiday to recognize women worldwide

        International Women's Day

        International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

      3. Capital city of Sindh, Pakistan

        Karachi

        Karachi is the most populous city in Pakistan and one of the most populous cities 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.

      4. Feminist slogan in Pakistan

        Mera Jism Meri Marzi

        Mera Jism Meri Marzi is a slogan used by feminists in Pakistan to demand bodily autonomy and protest gender-based violence.

      5. Feminist slogan for bodily autonomy

        My body, my choice

        My body, my choice is a feminist slogan used in several countries, most often surrounding issues of bodily autonomy and abortion.

      6. Rights claimed for women and girls worldwide

        Women's rights

        Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behavior, whereas in others, they are ignored and suppressed. They differ from broader notions of human rights through claims of an inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women and girls, in favor of men and boys.

      7. Human right to personal autonomy, self-ownership, and self-determination

        Bodily integrity

        Bodily integrity is the inviolability of the physical body and emphasizes the importance of personal autonomy, self-ownership, and self-determination of human beings over their own bodies. In the field of human rights, violation of the bodily integrity of another is regarded as an unethical infringement, intrusive, and possibly criminal.

      8. Index of articles associated with the same name

        Gender-related violence

        Gender-related violence or gender-based violence includes any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification.

  3. 2017

    1. The Azure Window, a limestone natural arch in Gozo, Malta, collapsed during a storm.

      1. Former natural limestone arch in the Maltese island of Gozo

        Azure Window

        The Azure Window, also known as the Dwejra Window, was a 28-metre-tall (92 ft) natural arch on the island of Gozo, located just off the shores of Malta. The limestone feature, which was in Dwejra Bay close to the Inland Sea and Fungus Rock, was one of the island's major tourist attractions until it collapsed in stormy weather on 8 March 2017. The arch, together with other natural features in the area, has appeared in a number of international films and media productions.

      2. Island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea

        Gozo

        Gozo, Maltese: Għawdex and in antiquity known as Gaulos, is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago.

    2. The Azure Window, a natural arch on the Maltese island of Gozo, collapses in stormy weather.

      1. Former natural limestone arch in the Maltese island of Gozo

        Azure Window

        The Azure Window, also known as the Dwejra Window, was a 28-metre-tall (92 ft) natural arch on the island of Gozo, located just off the shores of Malta. The limestone feature, which was in Dwejra Bay close to the Inland Sea and Fungus Rock, was one of the island's major tourist attractions until it collapsed in stormy weather on 8 March 2017. The arch, together with other natural features in the area, has appeared in a number of international films and media productions.

      2. Island country in the central Mediterranean

        Malta

        Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily (Italy), 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The official languages are Maltese and English, and 66% of the current Maltese population is at least conversational in the Italian language.

      3. Island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea

        Gozo

        Gozo, Maltese: Għawdex and in antiquity known as Gaulos, is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago.

  4. 2014

    1. In one of aviation's greatest mysteries, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying a total of 239 people, disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The fate of the flight remains unknown.

      1. Passenger aircraft that went missing in 2014

        Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

        Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared on 8 March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned destination, Beijing Capital International Airport. The crew of the Boeing 777-200ER registered as 9M-MRO, last communicated with air traffic control (ATC) around 38 minutes after takeoff when the flight was over the South China Sea. The aircraft was lost from ATC radar screens minutes later, but was tracked by military radar for another hour, deviating westward from its planned flight path, crossing the Malay Peninsula and Andaman Sea. It left radar range 200 nautical miles northwest of Penang Island in northwestern Peninsular Malaysia.

      2. Federal territory and capital city of Malaysia

        Kuala Lumpur

        Kuala Lumpur, officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and colloquially referred to as KL, is a federal territory and the ceremonial, legislative and judicial capital city of Malaysia. It is one of the fastest growing cities in Asia and the largest city in Malaysia, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with a census population of 1,982,112 as of 2020. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.564 million people as of 2018. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, both in population and economic development.

  5. 2004

    1. A new constitution is signed by Iraq's Governing Council.

      1. 2004–2006 provisional constitution of Iraq

        Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period

        The Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period, also called the Transitional Administrative Law or TAL, was Iraq's provisional constitution following the 2003 Iraq War. It was signed on March 8, 2004 by the Iraqi Governing Council. It came into effect on June 28, 2004 following the official transfer of power from the Coalition Provisional Authority to a sovereign Iraqi government. The law remained in effect until the formation of the government in May 2006, when it was superseded by the permanent constitution that had been approved by referendum on October 15, 2005.

      2. Country in Western Asia

        Iraq

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

      3. 2003–2004 provisional government of Iraq

        Iraqi Governing Council

        The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) was the provisional government of Iraq from 13 July 2003 to 1 June 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The IGC consisted of various Iraqi political and tribal leaders who were appointed by the CPA to provide advice and leadership of the country until the June 2004 transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government.

  6. 1985

    1. A supposed failed assassination attempt on Islamic cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon kills at least 56 and injures 180 others.

      1. 1985 Beirut car bombings

        On 8 March 1985, a car bomb exploded between 9 and 45 metres from the house of Shia cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon, in a failed assassination attempt by a Lebanese counter-terrorism unit linked to the Central Intelligence Agency. The bombing killed 80 people and injured 200, almost all civilians.

      2. Lebanese faqih

        Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah

        Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah was a prominent twelver Shia cleric from a Lebanese family. Born in Najaf, Iraq, Fadlallah studied Islam in Najaf before moving to Lebanon in 1952. In the following decades, he gave many lectures, engaged in intense scholarship, wrote dozens of books, founded several Islamic religious schools, and established the Mabarrat Association. Through the aforementioned association, he established a public library, a women's cultural center, and a medical clinic.

      3. Capital and largest city of Lebanon

        Beirut

        Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2014, Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, and was one of Phoenicia's most prominent city states, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 14th century BC.

  7. 1983

    1. Cold War: In a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida, U.S. president Ronald Reagan described the Soviet Union as an "evil empire".

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

        Cold War

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

      2. 1983 speech by Ronald Reagan

        Evil Empire speech

        The "Evil Empire" speech was a speech delivered by U.S. President Ronald Reagan to the National Association of Evangelicals on March 8, 1983 during the Cold War. In that speech, Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire" and as "the focus of evil in the modern world". Reagan explicitly rejected the notion that the United States and the Soviet Union were equally responsible for the Cold War and the ongoing nuclear arms race between the two nations; rather, he asserted that the conflict was a battle between good and evil.

      3. American religious organization

        National Association of Evangelicals

        The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches from nearly 40 different denominations and serves a constituency of millions. The mission of the NAE is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States.

      4. City in Florida

        Orlando, Florida

        Orlando is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released in July 2017, making it the 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida behind Miami and Tampa. Orlando had a population of 307,573 in the 2020 census, making it the 67th-largest city in the United States, the fourth-largest city in Florida, and the state's largest inland city.

      5. President of the United States from 1981 to 1989

        Ronald Reagan

        Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party from 1962 onward, he also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975 after having a career as a Hollywood actor and union leader.

    2. Cold War: While addressing a convention of Evangelicals, U.S. President Ronald Reagan labels the Soviet Union an "evil empire".

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

        Cold War

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

      2. American religious organization

        National Association of Evangelicals

        The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches from nearly 40 different denominations and serves a constituency of millions. The mission of the NAE is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States.

      3. 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.

      4. President of the United States from 1981 to 1989

        Ronald Reagan

        Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party from 1962 onward, he also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975 after having a career as a Hollywood actor and union leader.

      5. 1983 speech by Ronald Reagan

        Evil Empire speech

        The "Evil Empire" speech was a speech delivered by U.S. President Ronald Reagan to the National Association of Evangelicals on March 8, 1983 during the Cold War. In that speech, Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire" and as "the focus of evil in the modern world". Reagan explicitly rejected the notion that the United States and the Soviet Union were equally responsible for the Cold War and the ongoing nuclear arms race between the two nations; rather, he asserted that the conflict was a battle between good and evil.

  8. 1979

    1. Images taken by Voyager I proved the existence of volcanoes on Io, a moon of Jupiter.

      1. NASA space probe launched in 1977

        Voyager 1

        Voyager 1 is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. Launched 16 days after its twin Voyager 2, Voyager 1 has been operating for 45 years, 2 months and 28 days as of December 3, 2022 UTC [refresh]. It communicates through NASA's Deep Space Network to receive routine commands and to transmit data to Earth. Real-time distance and velocity data is provided by NASA and JPL. At a distance of 158.79 AU (14.760 billion mi) from Earth as of November 7, 2022, it is the most distant human-made object from Earth.

      2. Volcanism of Io, a moon of Jupiter

        Volcanism on Io

        Volcanism on Io, a moon of Jupiter, is represented by the presence of volcanoes, volcanic pits and lava flows on the moon's surface. Its volcanic activity was discovered in 1979 by Voyager 1 imaging scientist Linda Morabito. Observations of Io by passing spacecraft and Earth-based astronomers have revealed more than 150 active volcanoes. Up to 400 such volcanoes are predicted to exist based on these observations. Io's volcanism makes the satellite one of only four known currently volcanically active worlds in the Solar System.

      3. Innermost of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter

        Io (moon)

        Io, or Jupiter I, is the innermost and third-largest of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter. Slightly larger than Earth’s moon, Io is the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System, has the highest density of any moon, the strongest surface gravity of any moon, and the lowest amount of water of any known astronomical object in the Solar System. It was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and was named after the mythological character Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of Zeus's lovers.

      4. Natural satellites of the planet Jupiter

        Moons of Jupiter

        There are 80 known moons of Jupiter, not counting a number of moonlets likely shed from the inner moons. All together, they form a satellite system which is called the Jovian system. The most massive of the moons are the four Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, which were independently discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and Simon Marius and were the first objects found to orbit a body that was neither Earth nor the Sun. Much more recently, beginning in 1892, dozens of far smaller Jovian moons have been detected and have received the names of lovers or daughters of the Roman god Jupiter or his Greek equivalent Zeus. The Galilean moons are by far the largest and most massive objects to orbit Jupiter, with the remaining 76 known moons and the rings together composing just 0.003% of the total orbiting mass.

    2. Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time.

      1. Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation

        Philips

        Koninklijke Philips N.V., commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters is still in Eindhoven. Philips was formerly one of the largest electronics companies in the world, but is currently focused on the area of health technology, having divested its other divisions.

      2. Digital optical disc data storage format

        Compact disc

        The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in October 1982 and branded as Digital Audio Compact Disc.

    3. Images taken by Voyager I proved the existence of volcanoes on Io, a moon of Jupiter.

      1. NASA space probe launched in 1977

        Voyager 1

        Voyager 1 is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. Launched 16 days after its twin Voyager 2, Voyager 1 has been operating for 45 years, 2 months and 28 days as of December 3, 2022 UTC [refresh]. It communicates through NASA's Deep Space Network to receive routine commands and to transmit data to Earth. Real-time distance and velocity data is provided by NASA and JPL. At a distance of 158.79 AU (14.760 billion mi) from Earth as of November 7, 2022, it is the most distant human-made object from Earth.

      2. Volcanism of Io, a moon of Jupiter

        Volcanism on Io

        Volcanism on Io, a moon of Jupiter, is represented by the presence of volcanoes, volcanic pits and lava flows on the moon's surface. Its volcanic activity was discovered in 1979 by Voyager 1 imaging scientist Linda Morabito. Observations of Io by passing spacecraft and Earth-based astronomers have revealed more than 150 active volcanoes. Up to 400 such volcanoes are predicted to exist based on these observations. Io's volcanism makes the satellite one of only four known currently volcanically active worlds in the Solar System.

      3. Innermost of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter

        Io (moon)

        Io, or Jupiter I, is the innermost and third-largest of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter. Slightly larger than Earth’s moon, Io is the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System, has the highest density of any moon, the strongest surface gravity of any moon, and the lowest amount of water of any known astronomical object in the Solar System. It was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and was named after the mythological character Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of Zeus's lovers.

      4. Natural satellites of the planet Jupiter

        Moons of Jupiter

        There are 80 known moons of Jupiter, not counting a number of moonlets likely shed from the inner moons. All together, they form a satellite system which is called the Jovian system. The most massive of the moons are the four Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, which were independently discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and Simon Marius and were the first objects found to orbit a body that was neither Earth nor the Sun. Much more recently, beginning in 1892, dozens of far smaller Jovian moons have been detected and have received the names of lovers or daughters of the Roman god Jupiter or his Greek equivalent Zeus. The Galilean moons are by far the largest and most massive objects to orbit Jupiter, with the remaining 76 known moons and the rings together composing just 0.003% of the total orbiting mass.

  9. 1978

    1. BBC Radio 4 began broadcasting Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a science fiction radio series that was later adapted into novels, a television series, and other formats.

      1. British national radio station

        BBC Radio 4

        BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. The station controller is Mohit Bakaya.

      2. English author and humourist (1952–2001)

        Douglas Adams

        Douglas Noel Adams was an English author and screenwriter, best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Originally a 1978 a BBC radio comedy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy developed into a "trilogy" of five books that sold more than 15 million copies in his lifetime. It was further developed into a television series, several stage plays, comics, a video game, and a 2005 feature film. Adams's contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.

      3. UK sci-fi comedy radio series (1978–2018)

        The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)

        The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy radio series primarily written by Douglas Adams. It was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom by BBC Radio 4 in 1978, and afterwards the BBC World Service, National Public Radio in the US and CBC Radio in Canada. The series was the first radio comedy programme to be produced in stereo, and was innovative in its use of music and sound effects, winning a number of awards.

      4. Science fiction series

        The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

        The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it was later adapted to other formats, including novels, stage shows, comic books, a 1981 TV series, a 1984 text-based computer game, and 2005 feature film.

      5. BBC television series (1981)

        The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)

        The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a BBC television adaptation of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which was broadcast in January and February 1981 on UK television station BBC Two. The adaptation follows the original radio series in 1978 and 1980, the first novel and double LP, in 1979, and the stage shows, in 1979 and 1980, making it the fifth iteration of the guide.

  10. 1966

    1. Nelson's Pillar, a large granite pillar topped by a statue of Lord Nelson in Dublin, Ireland, was severely damaged by a bomb.

      1. Former column and statue in Dublin, Ireland

        Nelson's Pillar

        Nelson's Pillar was a large granite column capped by a statue of Horatio Nelson, built in the centre of what was then Sackville Street in Dublin, Ireland. Completed in 1809 when Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, it survived until March 1966, when it was severely damaged by explosives planted by Irish republicans. Its remnants were later destroyed by the Irish Army.

      2. British Royal Navy Admiral (1758–1805)

        Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson

        Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in history.

    2. Nelson's Pillar in Dublin, Ireland, destroyed by a bomb.

      1. Former column and statue in Dublin, Ireland

        Nelson's Pillar

        Nelson's Pillar was a large granite column capped by a statue of Horatio Nelson, built in the centre of what was then Sackville Street in Dublin, Ireland. Completed in 1809 when Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, it survived until March 1966, when it was severely damaged by explosives planted by Irish republicans. Its remnants were later destroyed by the Irish Army.

  11. 1965

    1. Vietnam War: US Marines arrive at Da Nang.

      1. Cold War conflict in Southeast Asia from 1955 to 1975

        Vietnam War

        The Vietnam War was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The north was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist states, while the south was supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies. The war is widely considered to be a Cold War-era proxy war. It lasted almost 20 years, with direct U.S. involvement ending in 1973. The conflict also spilled over into neighboring states, exacerbating the Laotian Civil War and the Cambodian Civil War, which ended with all three countries becoming communist states by 1975.

      2. Maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces

        United States Marine Corps

        The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combined arms, implementing its own infantry, artillery, aerial, and special operations forces. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.

      3. City in central Vietnam

        Da Nang

        Da Nang or Danang is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important port cities. As one of the country's five direct-controlled municipalities, it falls under the administration of the central government.

  12. 1963

    1. The Ba'ath Party came to power in a coup d'état by a clique of quasi-leftist Syrian Army officers calling themselves the National Council for the Revolutionary Command.

      1. Syrian political party (1947–1966)

        Ba'ath Party

        The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused Baʿathism, which is an ideology mixing Arab nationalist, pan-Arabism, Arab socialist, and anti-imperialist interests. Baʿathism calls for unification of the Arab world into a single state. Its motto, "Unity, Liberty, Socialism", refers to Arab unity, and freedom from non-Arab control and interference.

      2. Overthrow of Syrian Prime Minister Nazim al-Kudsi by the Ba'ath Party

        1963 Syrian coup d'état

        The 1963 Syrian coup d'état, referred to by the Syrian government as the 8 March Revolution, was the successful seizure of power in Syria by the military committee of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. The planning and the unfolding conspiracy was inspired by the Iraqi Regional Branch's successful military coup.

      3. Land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces

        Syrian Army

        The Syrian Army, officially the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the most senior posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 percent of the combined services. The Syrian Army originated in local military forces formed by the French after World War I, after France obtained a mandate over the region. It officially came into being in 1945, before Syria obtained full independence the following year.

      4. Council set up to rule Syria after the 1963 Syrian coup d'état

        National Council for the Revolutionary Command

        The National Council for the Revolutionary Command (NCRC) is the twenty-man council set up to rule Syria after the 1963 Syrian coup d'état.

    2. The Ba'ath Party comes to power in Syria in a coup d'état

      1. Syrian political party (1947–1966)

        Ba'ath Party

        The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused Baʿathism, which is an ideology mixing Arab nationalist, pan-Arabism, Arab socialist, and anti-imperialist interests. Baʿathism calls for unification of the Arab world into a single state. Its motto, "Unity, Liberty, Socialism", refers to Arab unity, and freedom from non-Arab control and interference.

      2. Country in Western Asia

        Syria

        Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a Western Asian country located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It is a unitary republic that consists of 14 governorates (subdivisions), and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. Cyprus lies to the west across the Mediterranean Sea. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including the majority Syrian Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Armenians, Circassians, Albanians, and Greeks. Religious groups include Muslims, Christians, Alawites, Druze, and Yazidis. The capital and largest city of Syria is Damascus. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, and Muslims are the largest religious group.

      3. Overthrow of Syrian Prime Minister Nazim al-Kudsi by the Ba'ath Party

        1963 Syrian coup d'état

        The 1963 Syrian coup d'état, referred to by the Syrian government as the 8 March Revolution, was the successful seizure of power in Syria by the military committee of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. The planning and the unfolding conspiracy was inspired by the Iraqi Regional Branch's successful military coup.

  13. 1950

    1. The iconic Volkswagen Type 2 "Bus" begins production.

      1. Volkswagen panel van

        Volkswagen Type 2

        The Volkswagen Type 2, known officially as the Transporter, Kombi or Microbus, or, informally, as the Bus (US), Camper (UK) or Bulli (Germany), is a forward control light commercial vehicle introduced in 1950 by the German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model. Following – and initially deriving from – Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 (Beetle), it was given the factory designation Type 2.

  14. 1942

    1. World War II: The Dutch East Indies surrender Java to the Imperial Japanese Army

      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. 1816–1949 Dutch colony, now Indonesia

        Dutch East Indies

        The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Dutch government in 1800.

      3. Island in Indonesia

        Java

        Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 148.76 million people, Java is the world's most populous island, home to approximately 55% of the Indonesian population.

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

        Imperial Japanese Army

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

    2. World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces captured Rangoon, Burma from British.

      1. Largest City in Yangon Region, Myanmar

        Yangon

        Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government relocated the administrative functions to the purpose-built capital city of Naypyidaw in north central Myanmar. With over 7 million people, Yangon is Myanmar's most populous city and its most important commercial centre.

      2. Country in Southeast Asia

        Myanmar

        Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia, and has a population of about 54 million as of 2017. Myanmar is bordered by Bangladesh and India to its northwest, China to its northeast, Laos and Thailand to its east and southeast, and the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal to its south and southwest. The country's capital city is Naypyidaw, and its largest city is Yangon (Rangoon).

      3. Country in north-west Europe

        United Kingdom

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

  15. 1937

    1. Spanish Civil War: The Battle of Guadalajara begins.

      1. 1936–1939 civil war in Spain

        Spanish Civil War

        The Spanish Civil War was a civil war in Spain fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republicans and the Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the left-leaning Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic, and consisted of various socialist, communist, separatist, anarchist, and republican parties, some of which had opposed the government in the pre-war period. The opposing Nationalists were an alliance of Falangists, monarchists, conservatives, and traditionalists led by a military junta among whom General Francisco Franco quickly achieved a preponderant role. Due to the international political climate at the time, the war had many facets and was variously viewed as class struggle, a religious struggle, a struggle between dictatorship and republican democracy, between revolution and counterrevolution, and between fascism and communism. According to Claude Bowers, U.S. ambassador to Spain during the war, it was the "dress rehearsal" for World War II. The Nationalists won the war, which ended in early 1939, and ruled Spain until Franco's death in November 1975.

      2. 1937 battle of the Spanish Civil War

        Battle of Guadalajara

        The Battle of Guadalajara saw the victory of the People's Republican Army and of the International Brigades over the Italian and Nationalist forces attempting to encircle Madrid during the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalist forces involved in the Battle of Guadalajara were primarily the Italian Corps of Volunteer Troops.

  16. 1936

    1. Daytona Beach and Road Course holds its first oval stock car race.

      1. Motorsport track in the United States

        Daytona Beach and Road Course

        The Daytona Beach and Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It originally became famous as the location where 15 world land speed records were set.

      2. Form of automobile racing

        Stock car racing

        Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately 0.25 to 2.66 miles. It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It originated in the southern United States; the world's largest governing body is the American NASCAR. Its NASCAR Cup Series is the premier top-level series of professional stock car racing. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil and the United Kingdom also have forms of stock car racing. Top-level races typically range between 200 and 600 miles in length.

  17. 1924

    1. Three violent explosions at a coal mine near Castle Gate, Utah, killed all 171 miners working there.

      1. 1924 coal mine explosion near Castle Gate, Utah

        Castle Gate Mine disaster

        The Castle Gate mine disaster occurred on March 8, 1924, in a coal mine near the town of Castle Gate, Utah, located approximately 90 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. All of the 171 men working in the mine were killed in the series of three violent explosions. One worker, the leader of the rescue crew, died from carbon monoxide inhalation while attempting to reach the victims shortly after the explosion.

      2. Ghost town in Utah, United States

        Castle Gate, Utah

        Castle Gate is a ghost town in the western United States, located in Carbon County in eastern Utah. A mining town approximately ninety miles (140 km) southeast of Salt Lake City, its name was derived from a rock formation near the mouth of Price Canyon. This formation features two sheer sandstone walls on either side of the Price River, which appear to open like a giant gate as travelers approach this narrow section of the canyon.

    2. A mine disaster kills 172 coal miners near Castle Gate, Utah.

      1. 1924 coal mine explosion near Castle Gate, Utah

        Castle Gate Mine disaster

        The Castle Gate mine disaster occurred on March 8, 1924, in a coal mine near the town of Castle Gate, Utah, located approximately 90 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. All of the 171 men working in the mine were killed in the series of three violent explosions. One worker, the leader of the rescue crew, died from carbon monoxide inhalation while attempting to reach the victims shortly after the explosion.

      2. Ghost town in Utah, United States

        Castle Gate, Utah

        Castle Gate is a ghost town in the western United States, located in Carbon County in eastern Utah. A mining town approximately ninety miles (140 km) southeast of Salt Lake City, its name was derived from a rock formation near the mouth of Price Canyon. This formation features two sheer sandstone walls on either side of the Price River, which appear to open like a giant gate as travelers approach this narrow section of the canyon.

  18. 1921

    1. Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato Iradier is assassinated while on his way home from the parliament building in Madrid.

      1. 19/20th-century Spanish politician

        Eduardo Dato

        Eduardo Dato e Iradier was a Spanish political leader during the Spanish Restoration period. He served three times as Spanish prime minister: from 27 October 1913 to 9 December 1915, from 11 June 1917 to 3 November 1917, and from 28 April 1920 until his assassination by Catalan anarchists. Also he held eleven cabinet ministries, and was four times president of the Spanish Congress of Deputies.

      2. Legislature of Spain

        Cortes Generales

        The Cortes Generales are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies, and the Senate.

      3. Capital and the biggest city of Spain

        Madrid

        Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and its monocentric metropolitan area is the third-largest in the EU. The municipality covers 604.3 km2 (233.3 sq mi) geographical area.

  19. 1919

    1. During the Egyptian Revolution, British authorities arrested rebel leader Saad Zaghloul and exiled him to Malta.

      1. 1919 revolution in Egypt

        Egyptian Revolution of 1919

        The Egyptian Revolution of 1919 was a countrywide revolution against the British occupation of Egypt and Sudan. It was carried out by Egyptians from different walks of life in the wake of the British-ordered exile of the revolutionary Egyptian Nationalist leader Saad Zaghlul, and other members of the Wafd Party in 1919.

      2. 19th and 20th-century Egyptian politician and revolutionary

        Saad Zaghloul

        Saad Zaghloul was an Egyptian revolutionary and statesman. He was the leader of Egypt's nationalist Wafd Party.

  20. 1917

    1. International Women's Day protests in Petrograd mark the beginning of the February Revolution (February 23 in the Julian calendar).

      1. Holiday to recognize women worldwide

        International Women's Day

        International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

      2. Federal city in Russia

        Saint Petersburg

        Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), is the second-largest city in Russia. It is situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, with a population of roughly 5.4 million residents. Saint Petersburg is the fourth-most populous city in Europe after Istanbul, Moscow and London, the most populous city on the Baltic Sea, and the world's northernmost city of more than 1 million residents. As Russia's Imperial capital, and a historically strategic port, it is governed as a federal city.

      3. First of two 1917 revolutions in Russia

        February Revolution

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

      4. Calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC

        Julian calendar

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

    2. The United States Senate votes to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule.

      1. Upper house of the United States Congress

        United States Senate

        The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.

      2. Political stalling tactic

        Filibuster

        A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out a bill", and is characterized as a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body.

      3. Parliamentary procedure forcing a quick end to a debate

        Cloture

        Cloture, closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. Clôture is French for "the act of terminating something". It was introduced into the Parliament of the United Kingdom by William Ewart Gladstone to overcome the obstructionism of the Irish Parliamentary Party and was made permanent in 1887. It was subsequently adopted by the United States Senate and other legislatures. The name cloture remains in the United States; in Commonwealth countries it is usually closure or, informally, guillotine; in the United Kingdom closure and guillotine are distinct motions.

  21. 1916

    1. World War I: A British force unsuccessfully attempts to relieve the siege of Kut (present-day Iraq) in the Battle of Dujaila.

      1. Global war, 1914–1918

        World War I

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

      2. City in Wasit, Iraq

        Kut

        Kūt, officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare or Kut al-Imara, is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about 160 kilometres south east of Baghdad. As of 2018 the estimated population is about 389,400 people. It is the capital of the province long known as Al Kut, but since the 1960s renamed Wasit.

      3. Country in Western Asia

        Iraq

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

      4. 1916 WWI battle between British and Ottoman forces, in present-day eastern Iraq

        Battle of Dujaila

        The Battle of Dujaila was fought on 8 March 1916, between British and Ottoman forces during the First World War. The Ottoman forces, led by Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz were besieging Kut, when the Anglo-Indian relief force, led by Lieutenant-General Fenton Aylmer, attempted to relieve the city. The attempt failed, and Aylmer lost 4,000 men.

  22. 1910

    1. French aviator Raymonde de Laroche became the first woman to receive a pilot's licence.

      1. French, world's first female pilot (1882–1919)

        Raymonde de Laroche

        Raymonde de Laroche was a French pilot, thought to be the first woman to pilot a plane. She became the world's first licensed female pilot on 8 March 1910.

      2. Permits for operating aircraft

        Pilot licensing and certification

        Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits for operating aircraft. Flight crew licences are regulated by ICAO Annex 1 and issued by the civil aviation authority of each country. CAA’s have to establish that the holder has met a specific set of knowledge and experience before issuing the licence. The licence, with added ratings, allows a pilot to fly aircraft registered in the licence issuing state.

    2. French aviator Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot's license.

      1. Person controlling an aircraft in flight

        Aircraft pilot

        An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they are involved in operating the aircraft's navigation and engine systems. Other aircrew members, such as drone operators, flight attendants, mechanics and ground crew, are not classified as aviators.

      2. French, world's first female pilot (1882–1919)

        Raymonde de Laroche

        Raymonde de Laroche was a French pilot, thought to be the first woman to pilot a plane. She became the world's first licensed female pilot on 8 March 1910.

      3. Permits for operating aircraft

        Pilot licensing and certification

        Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits for operating aircraft. Flight crew licences are regulated by ICAO Annex 1 and issued by the civil aviation authority of each country. CAA’s have to establish that the holder has met a specific set of knowledge and experience before issuing the licence. The licence, with added ratings, allows a pilot to fly aircraft registered in the licence issuing state.

  23. 1868

    1. Sakai incident: Japanese samurai kill 11 French sailors in the port of Sakai, Osaka.

      1. 1868 killing of French sailors by samurai in Sakai, Japan

        Sakai incident

        The Sakai incident was a diplomatic incident that occurred on March 8, 1868, in Bakumatsu period Japan involving the deaths of eleven French sailors from the French corvette Dupleix in the port of Sakai near Osaka, Japan. It is also known as the Senshū Sakai incident (泉州堺事件) or the Myōkoku-ji incident (妙国寺事件), and was one of three major diplomatic incidents involving attacks on foreigners in Japan in 1868.

      2. Military nobility of pre-industrial Japan

        Samurai

        Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the daimyo. They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords and Kiri-sute gomen. They cultivated the bushido codes of martial virtues, indifference to pain, and unflinching loyalty, engaging in many local battles.

      3. Designated city in Kansai, Japan

        Sakai

        Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and include Daisen Kofun, the largest grave in the world by area. Once known for swords, Sakai is now famous for the quality of its cutlery. As of 1 January 2022, the city had an estimated population of 819,965, making it the fourteenth most populous city in Japan.

  24. 1844

    1. King Oscar I ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.

      1. King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to 1859

        Oscar I of Sweden

        Oscar I was King of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte.

      2. Personal union of the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway from 1814 to 1905

        Union between Sweden and Norway

        Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway, officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch and common foreign policy that lasted from 1814 until its peaceful dissolution in 1905.

    2. The Althing, the parliament of Iceland, was reopened after 45 years of closure.

      1. Supreme legislature of Iceland

        Althing

        The Alþingi is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at Þingvellir, situated approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of what later became the country's capital, Reykjavík. Even after Iceland's union with Norway in 1262, the Althing still held its sessions at Þingvellir until 1800, when it was discontinued. It was restored in 1844 by royal decree and moved to Reykjavík. The restored unicameral legislature first came together in 1845 and after 1874 operated in two chambers with an additional third chamber taking on a greater role as the decades passed until 1991 when Althing became once again unicameral. The present parliament building, the Alþingishús, was built in 1881, made of hewn Icelandic stone. The unicameral parliament has 63 members, and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional representation. The current speaker of the Althing is Birgir Ármannsson.

      2. Country in the North Atlantic Ocean

        Iceland

        Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to over 65% of the population. Iceland is the biggest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate.

  25. 1801

    1. War of the Second Coalition: At the Battle of Abukir, a British force under Sir Ralph Abercromby lands in Egypt with the aim of ending the French campaign in Egypt and Syria.

      1. 1798–1802 set of battles between the French revolutionaries and the neighbouring monarchies

        War of the Second Coalition

        The War of the Second Coalition was the second war on revolutionary France by most of the European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria and Russia, and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples and various German monarchies. Prussia did not join this coalition, and Spain supported France.

      2. 1801 battle during the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria

        Battle of Abukir (1801)

        The Battle of Abukir of 8 March 1801 was the second pitched battle of the French campaign in Egypt and Syria to be fought at Abu Qir on the Mediterranean coast, near the Nile Delta.

      3. 18th-century British soldier and politician

        Ralph Abercromby

        Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby was a British soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was appointed Governor of Trinidad, served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, and was noted for his services during the French Revolutionary Wars, ultimately in the Egyptian campaign. His strategies are ranked amongst the most daring and brilliant exploits of the British army.

      4. 1798–1801 campaign during the War of the Second Coalition

        French campaign in Egypt and Syria

        The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the primary purpose of the Mediterranean campaign of 1798, a series of naval engagements that included the capture of Malta and the Greek island Crete, later arriving in the Port of Alexandria. The campaign ended in defeat for Napoleon, leading to the withdrawal of French troops from the region.

  26. 1782

    1. Gnadenhutten massacre: Ninety-six Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, who had converted to Christianity, are killed by Pennsylvania militiamen in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indian tribes.

      1. 1782 killing of Christian Lenape by American soldiers during the Revolutionary War

        Gnadenhutten massacre

        The Gnadenhutten massacre, also known as the Moravian massacre, was the killing of 96 pacifist Moravian Christian Indians by U.S. militiamen from Pennsylvania, under the command of David Williamson, on March 8, 1782 at the Moravian missionary village of Gnadenhutten, Ohio Country, during the American Revolutionary War.

      2. Indigenous peoples of the United States

        Native Americans in the United States

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

      3. Village in Ohio, United States

        Gnadenhutten, Ohio

        Gnadenhutten is a village located on the Tuscarawas River in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States and is Ohio's oldest existing settlement, being founded by Moravian Christians. The population was 1,288 at the 2010 census.

      4. Abrahamic monotheistic religion

        Christianity

        Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global population. Its adherents, known as Christians, are estimated to make up a majority of the population in 157 countries and territories and are a minority in all others.

      5. U.S. state

        Pennsylvania

        Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to the southeast, Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, Lake Erie and the Canadian province of Ontario to the northwest, New York to the north, and the Delaware River and New Jersey to the east.

  27. 1775

    1. An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes "African Slavery in America", the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.

      1. American political activist (1737–1809)

        Thomas Paine

        Thomas Paine was an English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary. He authored Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–1783), two of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and helped inspire the Patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain, hitherto an unpopular cause. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of transnational human rights.

      2. Movement to end slavery in the United States

        Abolitionism in the United States

        In the United States, abolitionism, the movement that sought to end slavery in the country, was active from the late colonial era until the American Civil War, the end of which brought about the abolition of American slavery through the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

  28. 1736

    1. Nader Shah, the founder of the Afsharid dynasty, was crowned Shah of Iran.

      1. Shah of Iran (r. 1736–47) and founder of the Afsharid dynasty

        Nader Shah

        Nader Shah Afshar was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was assassinated during a rebellion. He fought numerous campaigns throughout the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and South Asia, such as the battles of Herat, Mihmandust, Murche-Khort, Kirkuk, Yeghevārd, Khyber Pass, Karnal, and Kars. Because of his military genius, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia, the Sword of Persia, or the Second Alexander. Nader belonged to the Turkoman Afshars, a semi-nomadic tribe settled in Khorasan in northeastern Iran, which had supplied military power to the Safavid dynasty since the time of Shah Ismail I.

      2. 1736–1796 Iranian dynasty of Turkoman origin

        Afsharid dynasty

        The Afsharid dynasty was an Iranian dynasty founded by Nader Shah of the Qirqlu clan of the Turkoman Afshar tribe.

      3. List of monarchs of Persia

        This is a list of monarchs of Persia, which are known by the royal title Shah or Shahanshah. This list starts from the establishment of the Medes around 671 BCE until the deposition of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979 CE.

    2. Nader Shah, founder of the Afsharid dynasty, is crowned Shah of Iran.

      1. Shah of Iran (r. 1736–47) and founder of the Afsharid dynasty

        Nader Shah

        Nader Shah Afshar was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was assassinated during a rebellion. He fought numerous campaigns throughout the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and South Asia, such as the battles of Herat, Mihmandust, Murche-Khort, Kirkuk, Yeghevārd, Khyber Pass, Karnal, and Kars. Because of his military genius, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia, the Sword of Persia, or the Second Alexander. Nader belonged to the Turkoman Afshars, a semi-nomadic tribe settled in Khorasan in northeastern Iran, which had supplied military power to the Safavid dynasty since the time of Shah Ismail I.

      2. 1736–1796 Iranian dynasty of Turkoman origin

        Afsharid dynasty

        The Afsharid dynasty was an Iranian dynasty founded by Nader Shah of the Qirqlu clan of the Turkoman Afshar tribe.

      3. List of monarchs of Persia

        This is a list of monarchs of Persia, which are known by the royal title Shah or Shahanshah. This list starts from the establishment of the Medes around 671 BCE until the deposition of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979 CE.

  29. 1722

    1. The Safavid Empire of Iran is defeated by an army from Afghanistan at the Battle of Gulnabad.

      1. Iranian empire from 1501 to 1736

        Safavid Iran

        Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia, also referred to as the Safavid Empire, was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. The Safavid Shāh Ismā'īl I established the Twelver denomination of Shīʿa Islam as the official religion of the empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the history of Islam.

      2. Country in Western Asia

        Iran

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

      3. Historical development of Afghanistan

        History of Afghanistan

        The history of Afghanistan as a state began in 1823 as the Emirate of Afghanistan after the exile of the Sadozai monarchy to Herat. The Sadozai monarchy ruled the Afghan Durrani Empire, considered the founding state of modern Afghanistan. The written recorded history of the land presently constituting Afghanistan can be traced back to around 500 BCE when the area was under the Achaemenid Empire, although evidence indicates that an advanced degree of urbanized culture has existed in the land since between 3000 and 2000 BCE. Bactria dates back to 2500 BCE. The Indus Valley civilisation stretched up to large parts of Afghanistan in the north. Alexander the Great and his Macedonian army arrived at what is now Afghanistan in 330 BCE after the fall of the Achaemenid Empire during the Battle of Gaugamela. Since then, many empires have established capitals in Afghanistan, including the Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, Indo-Sassanids, Kabul Shahi, Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Kartids, Timurids, Hotakis and Durranis.

      4. 1722 battle between the Safavid and Hotaki Empires in Isfahan, Iran

        Battle of Gulnabad

        The Battle of Gulnabad was fought between the military forces from Hotaki Dynasty and the army of the Safavid Empire. It further cemented the eventual fall of the Safavid dynasty, which had been declining for decades.

  30. 1702

    1. Anne (pictured) became the Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland, succeeding her brother-in-law William III.

      1. Queen of Britain and Ireland from 1702 to 1714

        Anne, Queen of Great Britain

        Anne was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 8 March 1702 until 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. Anne continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death.

      2. King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689–1702

        William III of England

        William III, also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He is sometimes informally known as "King Billy" in Ireland and Scotland. His victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is commemorated by Unionists, who display orange colours in his honour. He ruled Britain alongside his wife and cousin, Queen Mary II, and popular histories usually refer to their reign as that of "William and Mary".

    2. Queen Anne, the younger sister of Mary II, becomes Queen regnant of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

      1. Queen of Britain and Ireland from 1702 to 1714

        Anne, Queen of Great Britain

        Anne was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 8 March 1702 until 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. Anne continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death.

      2. 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.

      3. Female monarch who rules a country in her own right

        Queen regnant

        A queen regnant is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns suo jure over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king; or a queen regent, who is the guardian of a child monarch and rules pro tempore in the child's stead, be it de jure in sharing power or de facto in ruling alone. She is sometimes called a woman king. A princess regnant is a female monarch who reigns suo jure over a "principality"; an empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns suo jure over an "empire".

      4. Historic kingdom on the British Isles

        Kingdom of England

        The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.

      5. Historic sovereign kingdom in the British Isles (9th c.-1654; 1660–1707)

        Kingdom of Scotland

        The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England. It suffered many invasions by the English, but under Robert the Bruce it fought a successful War of Independence and remained an independent state throughout the late Middle Ages. Following the annexation of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles from the Kingdom of Norway in 1266 and 1472 respectively, and the final capture of the Royal Burgh of Berwick by the Kingdom of England in 1482, the territory of the Kingdom of Scotland corresponded to that of modern-day Scotland, bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In 1603, James VI of Scotland became King of England, joining Scotland with England in a personal union. In 1707, during the reign of Queen Anne, the two kingdoms were united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain under the terms of the Acts of Union.

      6. English client state on the island of Ireland between 1542 and 1801

        Kingdom of Ireland

        The Kingdom of Ireland was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from 1542 until 1801. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then of Great Britain, and administered from Dublin Castle by a viceroy appointed by the English king: the Lord Deputy of Ireland. It had a parliament, composed of Anglo-Irish and native nobles. From 1661 until 1801, the administration controlled an army. A Protestant state church, the Church of Ireland, was established. Although styled a kingdom, for most of its history it was, de facto, an English dependency. This status was enshrined in Poynings' Law and in the Declaratory Act of 1719.

  31. 1658

    1. After a devastating defeat in the Second Northern War, King Frederick III of Denmark–Norway was forced to give up nearly half his Danish territory to Sweden to save the remainder.

      1. Conflict in Europe, 1655 to 1660

        Second Northern War

        The Second Northern War (1655–60), was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (1656–58), Brandenburg-Prussia (1657–60), the Habsburg monarchy (1657–60) and Denmark–Norway. The Dutch Republic waged an informal trade war against Sweden and seized the colony of New Sweden in 1655, but was not a recognized part of the Polish–Danish alliance.

      2. King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 to 1670

        Frederick III of Denmark

        Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Verden, and the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (1635–45).

      3. 1658 territorial settlement between Denmark–Norway and Sweden during the Second Northern War

        Treaty of Roskilde

        The Treaty of Roskilde (NS) during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Karl X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish city of Roskilde. After a devastating defeat, Denmark–Norway was forced to give up a third of its territory to save the rest, the ceded lands comprising Blekinge, Bornholm, Bohuslän (Båhuslen), Scania (Skåne) and Trøndelag, as well as her claims to Halland.

    2. Treaty of Roskilde: After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars (1655–1661), Frederick III, the King of Denmark–Norway is forced to give up nearly half his territory to Sweden.

      1. 1658 territorial settlement between Denmark–Norway and Sweden during the Second Northern War

        Treaty of Roskilde

        The Treaty of Roskilde (NS) during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Karl X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish city of Roskilde. After a devastating defeat, Denmark–Norway was forced to give up a third of its territory to save the rest, the ceded lands comprising Blekinge, Bornholm, Bohuslän (Båhuslen), Scania (Skåne) and Trøndelag, as well as her claims to Halland.

      2. Index of articles associated with the same name

        Northern Wars

        "Northern Wars" is a term used for a series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe from the 16th to the 18th century. An internationally agreed-on nomenclature for these wars has not yet been devised. While the Great Northern War is generally considered to be the last of the Northern Wars, there are different scholarly opinions on which war constitutes the First Northern War.

      3. King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 to 1670

        Frederick III of Denmark

        Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Verden, and the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (1635–45).

      4. Political union in Northern Europe between 1524 to 1814

        Denmark–Norway

        Denmark–Norway was an early modern multi-national and multi-lingual real union consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway, the Duchy of Schleswig, and the Duchy of Holstein. The state also claimed sovereignty over three historical peoples: Frisians, Gutes and Wends. Denmark–Norway had several colonies, namely the Danish Gold Coast, the Nicobar Islands, Serampore, Tharangambadi, and the Danish West Indies. The union was also known as the Dano-Norwegian Realm, Twin Realms (Tvillingerigerne) or the Oldenburg Monarchy (Oldenburg-monarkiet)

  32. 1655

    1. The court of Northampton County, Virginia, issued a ruling that made John Casor the first person of African descent in the Thirteen Colonies to be declared a slave for life as a result of a civil suit.

      1. County in Virginia, United States

        Northampton County, Virginia

        Northampton County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,282. Its county seat is Eastville. Northampton and Accomack Counties are a part of the larger Eastern Shore of Virginia.

      2. American slave

        John Casor

        John Casor, a servant in Northampton County in the Virginia Colony, in 1655 became the first person of African descent in the Thirteen Colonies to be declared as a slave for life as a result of a civil suit. In 1662, the Virginia Colony passed a law incorporating the principle of partus sequitur ventrem, ruling that children of enslaved mothers would be born into slavery, regardless of their father's race or status. This was in contradiction to English common law for English subjects, which based a child's status on that of the father. In 1699 the Virginia House of Burgesses passed a law deporting all free black people. But many new families of free black people continued to be formed during the colonial years by the close relationships among the working class.

      3. British colonies forming the United States

        Thirteen Colonies

        The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centuries, they began fighting the American Revolutionary War in April 1775 and formed the United States of America by declaring full independence in July 1776. Just prior to declaring independence, the Thirteen Colonies in their traditional groupings were: New England ; Middle ; Southern. The Thirteen Colonies came to have very similar political, constitutional, and legal systems, dominated by Protestant English-speakers. The first of these colonies was Virginia Colony in 1607, a Southern colony. While all these colonies needed to become economically viable, the founding of the New England colonies, as well as the colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania, were substantially motivated by their founders' concerns related to the practice of religion. The other colonies were founded for business and economic expansion. The Middle Colonies were established on an earlier Dutch colony, New Netherland. All the Thirteen Colonies were part of Britain's possessions in the New World, which also included territory in Canada, Florida, and the Caribbean.

      4. Treatment of people as property

        Slavery

        Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave, who is someone forbidden to quit their service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as their property. Slavery typically involves the enslaved person being made to perform some form of work while also having their location or residence dictated by the enslaver. Many historical cases of enslavement occurred when the enslaved broke the law, became indebted, or suffered a military defeat; other forms of slavery were instituted along demographic lines such as race. The duration of a person's enslavement might be for life, or for a fixed period of time, after which freedom would be granted. Although most forms of slavery are explicitly involuntary and involve the coercion of the enslaved, there also exists voluntary slavery, entered into by the enslaved to pay a debt or obtain money because of poverty. In the course of human history, slavery was a typical feature of civilization, legal in most societies, but it is now outlawed in most countries of the world, except as a punishment for a crime.

  33. 1576

    1. A Spanish colonial officer wrote a letter to King Philip II containing the first mention of the Maya ruins of Copán in present-day Honduras.

      1. 16th-century King of Spain, Portugal, Naples and Sicily; King consort of England

        Philip II of Spain

        Philip II, also known as Philip the Prudent, was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He was also jure uxoris King of England and Ireland from his marriage to Queen Mary I in 1554 until her death in 1558. He was also Duke of Milan from 1540. From 1555, he was Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands.

      2. Mesoamerican former civilization

        Maya civilization

        The Maya civilization of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is also noted for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system.

      3. Archaeological site of the Maya civilization

        Copán

        Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. This ancient Maya city mirrors the beauty of the physical landscape in which it flourished—a fertile, well-watered mountain valley in western Honduras at an elevation of 600 meters above mean sea level. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. The city was in the extreme southeast of the Mesoamerican cultural region, on the frontier with the Isthmo-Colombian cultural region, and was almost surrounded by non-Maya peoples.

  34. 1558

    1. The city of Pori (Swedish: Björneborg) was founded by Duke John on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia.

      1. City in Satakunta, Finland

        Pori

        Pori is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, 110 kilometres (68 mi) west of Tampere, 140 kilometres (87 mi) north of Turku and 241 kilometres (150 mi) north-west of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Pori was established in 1558 by Duke John, who later became King John III of Sweden.

      2. North Germanic language

        Swedish language

        Swedish is a North Germanic language spoken predominantly in Sweden and in parts of Finland. It has at least 10 million native speakers, the fourth most spoken Germanic language and the first among any other of its type in the Nordic countries overall.

      3. King of Sweden from 1569 to 1592

        John III of Sweden

        John III was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomously, the ruler of Finland, as Duke John from 1556 to 1563. In 1581 he assumed also the title Grand Prince of Finland. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Eric XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap between the newly established Lutheran Church of Sweden and the Catholic church, as well as his conflict with, and murder of, his brother.

      4. Northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea – between Sweden and Finland

        Gulf of Bothnia

        The Gulf of Bothnia is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast and the Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lies Åland, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.

  35. 1262

    1. Battle of Hausbergen between bourgeois militias and the army of the bishop of Strasbourg.

      1. 1262 conflict to free the city of Strasbourg

        Battle of Hausbergen

        The Battle of Hausbergen took place on 8 March 1262 and marked the release of Strasbourg from episcopal authority. The bourgeoisie of the town defeated the army of the Bishop of Strasbourg, Walter of Geroldseck.

      2. Prefecture and commune in Grand Est, France

        Strasbourg

        Strasbourg is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the European Parliament. Located at the border with Germany in the historic region of Alsace, it is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin department.

  36. 1126

    1. Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.

      1. Queen of León, Castile, and Galicia (1079–1126) (ruled 1109–1126)

        Urraca of León

        Urraca, called the Reckless, was Queen of León, Castile and Galicia from 1109 until her death. She claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All Spain and Empress of All Galicia.

      2. King of León, Castile, and Galicia from 1126 to 1157

        Alfonso VII of León and Castile

        Alfonso VII, called the Emperor, became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. Alfonso, born Alfonso Raimúndez, first used the title Emperor of All Spain, alongside his mother Urraca, once she vested him with the direct rule of Toledo in 1116. Alfonso later held another investiture in 1135 in a grand ceremony reasserting his claims to the imperial title. He was the son of Urraca of León and Raymond of Burgundy, the first of the House of Ivrea to rule in the Iberian peninsula.

      3. Country on the Iberian Peninsula (910-1230)

        Kingdom of León

        The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León. The kings of León fought civil wars, wars against neighbouring kingdoms, and campaigns to repel invasions by both the Moors and the Vikings, all in order to protect their kingdom's changing fortunes.

  37. 1010

    1. Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh.

      1. Persian poet, author of Shahnameh

        Ferdowsi

        Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi, also Firdawsi or Ferdowsi, was a Persian poet and the author of Shahnameh, which is one of the world's longest epic poems created by a single poet, and the greatest epic of Persian speaking countries. Ferdowsi is celebrated as one of the most influential figures of Persian literature and one of the greatest in the history of literature.

      2. Long epic Persian poem written by Ferdowsi

        Shahnameh

        The Shahnameh or Shahnama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,000 "distichs" or couplets, the Shahnameh is one of the world's longest epic poems. It tells mainly the mythical and to some extent the historical past of the Persian Empire from the creation of the world until the Muslim conquest in the seventh century. Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the greater region influenced by Persian culture such as Armenia, Dagestan, Georgia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan celebrate this national epic.

Births & Deaths

  1. 2020

    1. Max von Sydow, Swedish actor (b. 1929) deaths

      1. Swedish actor (1929–2020)

        Max von Sydow

        Max von Sydow was a Swedish-French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television series in multiple languages. He became a French citizen in 2002 and lived in France for the last two decades of his life.

  2. 2019

    1. Marshall Brodien, American actor (b. 1934) deaths

      1. American magician (1934–2019)

        Marshall Brodien

        Marshall Brodien was a professional magician who played Wizzo the Wizard, a wizard clown character which appeared on WGN-TV's Bozo's Circus and The Bozo Show from 1968-1994.

    2. Cedrick Hardman, American football player and actor (b. 1948) deaths

      1. American football player (1948–2019)

        Cedrick Hardman

        Cedrick Ward Hardman was an American Football defensive end who played for the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders and the United States Football League's Oakland Invaders. Hardman's thirteen-year professional football career lasted from 1970 to 1981 in the National Football League and ended as a player/coach in 1983 with the USFL's Oakland Invaders. Hardman held the record for most sacks in a season for the 49ers recording 18 sacks in only 14 games during his 1971 Pro Bowl season with the 49ers until 2012, when it was broken by Aldon Smith with 19.5.

  3. 2018

    1. Kate Wilhelm, American author (b. 1928) deaths

      1. American science fiction writer (1928–2018)

        Kate Wilhelm

        Kate Wilhelm was an American author. She wrote novels and stories in the science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres, including the Hugo Award–winning Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang. Wilhelm established the Clarion Workshop along with her husband Damon Knight and writer Robin Scott Wilson.

  4. 2016

    1. George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (b. 1926) deaths

      1. English record producer (1926–2016)

        George Martin

        Sir George Henry Martin was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatles' original albums. AllMusic has described him as the "world's most famous record producer". Martin's formal musical expertise and interest in novel recording practices complemented the Beatles' rudimentary musical education and relentless quest for new musical sounds to record. Most of the Beatles' orchestral arrangements and instrumentation were written or performed by Martin, and he played piano or keyboards on a number of their records. Martin's collaboration with the Beatles resulted in popular, highly acclaimed records with innovative sounds, such as the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band—the first rock album to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

  5. 2015

    1. Sam Simon, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1955) deaths

      1. American director, producer, writer, boxing manager and philanthropist (1955–2015)

        Sam Simon

        Samuel Michael Simon was an American director, producer, writer, animal rights activist and philanthropist, who co-developed the television series The Simpsons.

  6. 2014

    1. Leo Bretholz, Austrian-American Holocaust survivor and author (b. 1921) deaths

      1. Holocaust survivor

        Leo Bretholz

        Leo Bretholz was a Holocaust survivor who, in 1942, escaped from a train heading for Auschwitz. He has also written a book on his experiences, titled Leap into Darkness.

      2. Genocide of European Jews by Nazi Germany

        The Holocaust

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

    2. William Guarnere, American sergeant (b. 1923) deaths

      1. US Army soldier

        William Guarnere

        William J. Guarnere Sr. was a United States Army paratrooper who fought in World War II as a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division.

  7. 2013

    1. John O'Connell, Irish and politician, Irish Minister of Health (b. 1927) deaths

      1. Irish politician (1927–2013)

        John O'Connell (Dublin politician)

        John Francis O'Connell was an Irish Labour Party, Independent and Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Health from 1992 to 1993 and Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1981 to 1982. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1965 to 1987 and from 1989 to 1993. He served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency from 1979 to 1981. He was a Senator from 1987 to 1989, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.

      2. Irish government cabinet minister

        Minister for Health (Ireland)

        The Minister for Health is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Health. The Minister for Health is responsible for healthcare in the Republic of Ireland and related services.

    2. Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin, German soldier and publisher (b. 1922) deaths

      1. German publisher

        Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin

        Ewald-Heinrich Hermann Konrad Oskar Ulrich Wolf Alfred von Kleist-Schmenzin was a German publisher and convenor of the Munich Conference on Security Policy until 1998. A member of the von Kleist family and an officer in the Wehrmacht during World War II, his parents were active in the German resistance against Adolf Hitler. Von Kleist was designated to kill Hitler in a suicide attack and was the last surviving member of the 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler.

  8. 2012

    1. Simin Daneshvar, Iranian author and academic (b. 1921) deaths

      1. Iranian writer

        Simin Daneshvar

        Simin Dāneshvar ‎ was an Iranian academic, novelist, fiction writer and translator.

  9. 2009

    1. Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1918) deaths

      1. American musician

        Hank Locklin

        Hank Locklin was an American country music singer-songwriter. He had 70 chart singles, including two number one hits on Billboard's country chart. His biggest hits included "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" and his signature "Please Help Me, I'm Falling". The latter also went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. Billboard's 100th anniversary issue listed it as the second most successful country single of the rock and roll era. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.

  10. 2007

    1. John Inman, English actor (b. 1935) deaths

      1. English actor (1935–2007)

        John Inman

        Frederick John Inman was an English actor and singer best known for his role as Mr. Humphries in Are You Being Served?, a British sitcom between 1972 and 1985, and was the only actor from that series to feature in the Australian Version.

    2. John Vukovich, American baseball player and coach (b. 1947) deaths

      1. American baseball player, coach, and manager

        John Vukovich

        John Christopher Vukovich, nicknamed "Vuk" or "Johnny Vuk", was an American professional baseball utility infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB), best known for his years with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played in parts of ten seasons between 1970 and 1981 for the Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Milwaukee Brewers. Vukovich is also known for recording the lowest career MLB batting average (BA) (.161) of any non-pitcher with 500 or more at bats (AB).

  11. 2005

    1. César Lattes, Brazilian physicist and academic (b. 1924) deaths

      1. Brazilian physicist

        César Lattes

        Cesare Mansueto Giulio Lattes, also known as César Lattes, was a Brazilian experimental physicist, one of the discoverers of the pion, a composite subatomic particle made of a quark and an antiquark.

    2. Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen commander and politician, President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (b. 1951) deaths

      1. Chechen politician and military commander

        Aslan Maskhadov

        Aslan (Khalid) Aliyevich Maskhadov was a Soviet and Chechen politician and military commander who served as the third president of the unrecognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

      2. Head of government of the de facto Chechen state

        President of Ichkeria

        The president of Ichkeria, formally the president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria was the head of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria from 1991 to 2007, the Islamic Republic that existed until the victory of the Russian Federation in the Second Chechen War.

  12. 2004

    1. Muhammad Zaidan, Syrian terrorist, founded the Palestine Liberation Front deaths

      1. Founder and leader of the Palestine Liberation Front

        Muhammad Zaidan

        Muhammad Zaidan, also known as Abu Abbas AH-boo ə-BAHSS or Muhammad Abbas, was the founder and a leader of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) Organization.

      2. Palestinian political faction

        Palestinian Liberation Front

        The Palestinian Liberation Front is a Palestinian political faction. Since 1997, the PLF has been a designated terrorist organization by the United States and by Canada since 2003. The PLF has also been banned in Japan.

  13. 2003

    1. Adam Faith, English singer (b. 1940) deaths

      1. English singer, actor and financial journalist (1940–2003)

        Adam Faith

        Terence Nelhams Wright, known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. A teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK Singles Chart with "What Do You Want?" (1959) and "Poor Me" (1960). He became the first UK artist to lodge his initial seven hits in the top 5, and was ultimately one of the most charted acts of the 1960s. He was also one of the first UK acts to record original songs regularly. Faith also maintained an acting career, appearing as Dave in the teen exploitation film Beat Girl (1960), the eponymous lead in the ITV television series Budgie (1971–1972) and Frank Carver in the BBC comedy drama Love Hurts (1992–1994).

    2. Karen Morley, American actress (b. 1909) deaths

      1. American actress (1909–2003)

        Karen Morley

        Karen Morley was an American film actress.

  14. 1999

    1. Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentinian journalist and author (b. 1914) deaths

      1. Argentine novelist (1914–1999)

        Adolfo Bioy Casares

        Adolfo Bioy Casares was an Argentine fiction writer, journalist, diarist, and translator. He was a friend and frequent collaborator with his fellow countryman Jorge Luis Borges. He is the author of the Fantastique novel The Invention of Morel.

    2. Peggy Cass, American actress and comedian (b. 1924) deaths

      1. American actress, comedian, game show panelist, and announcer

        Peggy Cass

        Mary Margaret "Peggy" Cass was an American actress, comedian, game show panelist, and announcer.

    3. Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player and coach (b. 1914) deaths

      1. American baseball player (1914–1999)

        Joe DiMaggio

        Joseph Paul DiMaggio, nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Born to Sicilian immigrants in California, he is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and is best known for setting the record for the longest hitting streak in baseball, which still stands.

  15. 1998

    1. Tali Darsigny, Canadian weightlifter births

      1. Canadian weightlifter

        Tali Darsigny

        Tali Darsigny is a Canadian weightlifter.

    2. Ray Nitschke, American football player (b. 1936) deaths

      1. American football player (1936–1998)

        Ray Nitschke

        Raymond Ernest Nitschke was a professional American football middle linebacker who spent his entire 15-year National Football League (NFL) career with the Green Bay Packers. Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978, he was the anchor of the defense for head coach Vince Lombardi in the 1960s, leading the Packers to five NFL championships and victories in the first two Super Bowls.

  16. 1997

    1. Tijana Bošković, Serbian volleyball player births

      1. Serbian volleyball player

        Tijana Bošković

        Tijana Bošković is a Serbian professional volleyball player of the Serbia women's national volleyball team. Bošković is a left-handed and has won gold with the national team at the 2018 World Championship, the 2022 World Championship, the 2017 European Championship, and the 2019 European Championship. She is a two-time Olympic medalist. She won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

  17. 1996

    1. Matthew Hammelmann, Australian rules footballer births

      1. Australian rules footballer

        Matthew Hammelmann

        Matthew Hammelmann is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by the Brisbane Lions with their fourth selection and seventy-fifth overall in the 2015 AFL rookie draft. He debuted in the forty-two point loss against Richmond in round 14, 2016. In October 2017, he was delisted by Brisbane.

    2. Jack Churchill, British colonel (b. 1906) deaths

      1. British Army officer (1906–1996)

        Jack Churchill

        John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill, was a British Army officer who fought in the Second World War with a longbow, bagpipes, and a Scottish broadsword. Nicknamed "Fighting Jack Churchill" and "Mad Jack", he was known for the motto: "Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed."

  18. 1994

    1. Claire Emslie, Scottish footballer births

      1. Scottish footballer

        Claire Emslie

        Claire Emslie is a Scottish footballer who plays as a forward for Angel City FC in the National Women's Soccer League of the United States of America, and the Scotland national team.

  19. 1993

    1. Billy Eckstine, American trumpet player (b. 1914) deaths

      1. American jazz singer and bandleader (1914–1993)

        Billy Eckstine

        William Clarence Eckstine was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award "for performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording." His recording of "I Apologize" was given the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. The New York Times described him as an "influential band leader" whose "suave bass-baritone" and "full-throated, sugary approach to popular songs inspired singers like Earl Coleman, Johnny Hartman, Joe Williams, Arthur Prysock, and Lou Rawls."

  20. 1991

    1. Tom English, Australian rugby player births

      1. Australian rugby player

        Tom English (rugby union)

        Tom English is an Australian rugby player, currently playing with the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby. English plays as a centre, however, he can play on the wing.

  21. 1990

    1. Asier Illarramendi, Spanish footballer births

      1. Spanish footballer

        Asier Illarramendi

        Asier Illarramendi "Illarra" Andonegi is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for and captains Real Sociedad as a defensive midfielder.

    2. Petra Kvitová, Czech tennis player births

      1. Czech tennis player

        Petra Kvitová

        Petra Kvitová, OLY is a Czech professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes and variety, Kvitová has won 29 career singles titles, including two major titles at Wimbledon in 2011 and in 2014. She also won a bronze medal in singles while representing the Czech Republic at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her career-high ranking of world No. 2 was achieved on 31 October 2011.

  22. 1985

    1. Maria Ohisalo, Finnish politician and researcher births

      1. Finnish politician

        Maria Ohisalo

        Maria Karoliina Ohisalo is a Finnish politician and researcher who served as Minister of the Interior between 2019 and 2021. The leader of the Green League, she has been a Member of Parliament since 2019.

  23. 1984

    1. Ross Taylor, New Zealand cricketer births

      1. New Zealand cricketer

        Ross Taylor

        Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor is a former international cricketer and former captain of the New Zealand national team. Batting predominantly at number four, when he announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of 2021, he was the leading run-scorer for New Zealand in Test and One Day International cricket.

  24. 1983

    1. André Santos, Brazilian footballer births

      1. Brazilian footballer

        André Santos

        André Clarindo dos Santos is a Brazilian footballer who most recently played for Figueirense. Santos is a left-back, who can also be deployed as a left winger. On 15 June 2009, he made his first international appearance as a substitute in a match against Egypt. Santos participated and helped Brazil capture the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He joined Arsenal from Fenerbahçe in August 2011.

    2. Mark Worrell, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player

        Mark Worrell

        Mark Robert Worrell is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Baltimore Orioles between 2008 and 2011.

    3. Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, English lieutenant and politician (b. 1904) deaths

      1. British Conservative politician (1904–1983)

        Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton

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

    4. William Walton, English composer (b. 1902) deaths

      1. English composer (1902–1983)

        William Walton

        Sir William Turner Walton was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include Façade, the cantata Belshazzar's Feast, the Viola Concerto, the First Symphony, and the British coronation marches Crown Imperial and Orb and Sceptre.

  25. 1982

    1. Leonidas Kampantais, Greek footballer births

      1. Greek footballer

        Leonidas Kampantais

        Leonidas Kampantais is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a striker for Atlantis Anthoussa.

    2. Keemstar, American YouTuber births

      1. American YouTuber (born 1982)

        Keemstar

        Daniel M. Keem, better known by his online alias Keemstar, is an American YouTuber, podcaster, and streamer. He is best known for being the host of the Internet popular culture news show DramaAlert. He is a controversial figure due to his involvement in many conflicts and controversies. He has released small amounts of discography as well.

    3. Hatem Ali Jamadar, Bengali politician (b. 1872) deaths

      1. Bengali politician

        Hatem Ali Jamadar

        Khan Sahib Hatem Ali Jamadar was a Bengali politician and philanthropist. He served as a member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly and the East Bengal Legislative Assembly.

  26. 1977

    1. James Van Der Beek, American actor births

      1. American actor (born 1977)

        James Van Der Beek

        James William Van Der Beek is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series Dawson's Creek and Johnny "Mox" Moxon in Varsity Blues (1999). He played a fictionalized version of himself on the cult ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, starred in CSI: Cyber as FBI Special Agent Elijah Mundo, and as Matt Bromley on the FX drama Pose.

    2. Johann Vogel, Swiss footballer births

      1. Swiss footballer

        Johann Vogel (footballer)

        Johann Louis François Vogel is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his professional with Grasshopper Club Zürich and PSV. In his later career, he played for Milan, Betis, and Blackburn Rovers before returning to Grasshoppers. At international level, he amassed 94 caps scoring twice for the Switzerland national team.

  27. 1976

    1. Juan Encarnación, Dominican baseball player births

      1. Dominican baseball player (born 1976)

        Juan Encarnación

        Juan De Dios Encarnación is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1997 to 2007 for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals. Encarnación suffered a career-ending injury after getting hit in the eye by a foul ball on August 31, 2007.

    2. Freddie Prinze Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter births

      1. American actor

        Freddie Prinze Jr.

        Frederick James Prinze Jr. is an American actor, television and film producer, and screenwriter. He has starred in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), She's All That (1999), Summer Catch (2001), Scooby-Doo (2002), and its sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). Prinze has also had recurring and starring roles in television shows, including Friends (2002), Boston Legal (2004), Freddie (2005–06) and 24 (2010), and voiced Kanan Jarrus in the Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels. He is the only child of comedian and actor Freddie Prinze.

  28. 1975

    1. George Stevens, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1904) deaths

      1. American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer (1904–1975)

        George Stevens

        George Cooper Stevens was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. Films he produced were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture six times while he had five nominations as Best Director, winning twice.

  29. 1973

    1. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, American keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1945) deaths

      1. American musician (1945–1973)

        Ron "Pigpen" McKernan

        Ronald Charles McKernan, known as Pigpen, was an American musician. He was a founding member of the San Francisco band the Grateful Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972.

  30. 1972

    1. Lena Sundström, Swedish journalist and author births

      1. Swedish journalist and author

        Lena Sundström

        Lena Amalia Kyoung Ran Sundström is a Swedish journalist and author. She writes news chronicles and writes for Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter. She has also had her own column at Aftonbladet newspaper, Metro newspaper's Swedish editions, Mersmak and Dagens Arbete.

  31. 1971

    1. Harold Lloyd, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1893) deaths

      1. American actor and comedian (1893–1971)

        Harold Lloyd

        Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.

  32. 1970

    1. Jason Elam, American football player births

      1. American football player (born 1970)

        Jason Elam

        Jason Elam is a former American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft and played 15 seasons with the Broncos and two with the Atlanta Falcons.

  33. 1968

    1. Michael Bartels, German race car driver births

      1. German professional racing driver

        Michael Bartels

        Michael Bartels is a German professional racing driver. He is a multiple FIA GT champion and former Grand Prix driver who attempted to qualify for four races in 1991 with Lotus.

  34. 1966

    1. Greg Barker, Baron Barker of Battle, English politician births

      1. British Conservative Party politician & life peer (b.1966)

        Greg Barker, Baron Barker of Battle

        Gregory Leonard George Barker, Baron Barker of Battle, is a British Conservative Party politician and life peer. In May 2010 he was appointed Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, a role in which he served until 2014. At the following year's general election he stood down as MP for Bexhill and Battle and was appointed to the House of Lords.

  35. 1965

    1. Kenny Smith, American basketball player and sportscaster births

      1. American basketball player and sports commentator

        Kenny Smith

        Kenneth Smith, nicknamed "the Jet", is an American sports commentator and former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1987 to 1997 as a member of the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Denver Nuggets. He won back-to-back NBA championships with Houston.

  36. 1961

    1. Camryn Manheim, American actress births

      1. American actress

        Camryn Manheim

        Debra Frances "Camryn" Manheim is an American actress known for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's The Practice, Delia Banks on CBS's Ghost Whisperer, Gladys Presley in the 2005 miniseries Elvis, and "Control" on Person of Interest. In 1999, Manheim won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on The Practice. Since 2022, she has been part of the main cast of the revival of Law & Order.

    2. Larry Murphy, Canadian ice hockey player births

      1. Canadian ice hockey defenceman

        Larry Murphy (ice hockey)

        Lawrence Thomas Murphy is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played over 20 years in the National Hockey League, suiting up for the Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings.

    3. Thomas Beecham, English conductor and composer (b. 1879) deaths

      1. British conductor and impresario (1879–1961)

        Thomas Beecham

        Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras. From the early 20th century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to the BBC, was Britain's first international conductor.

  37. 1960

    1. Irek Mukhamedov, Russian ballet dancer births

      1. Soviet dancer, ballet teacher and pedagog (born 1960)

        Irek Mukhamedov

        Irek Dzhavdatovich Mukhamedov OBE, is a Soviet-born British ballet dancer of Tatar origin who has danced with the Bolshoi Ballet and the Royal Ballet. Born in Kazan, he trained at the Moscow Choreographic Institute under the guidance of Alexander Prokofiev between 1970 and 1978. Upon graduation, he joined the Classical Ballet Company, where he spent three years touring around the world. It was with this company that he first danced Romeo, a role that was to become one of his most acclaimed. In 1981 he won the Grand Prix and gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow and was immediately invited to join the Bolshoi Ballet as a principal dancer, where he not only became Grigorovich's favourite danseur but went to become the youngest man ever to dance the leading role in Spartacus.

  38. 1959

    1. Aidan Quinn, Irish-American actor births

      1. American actor (born 1959)

        Aidan Quinn

        Aidan Quinn is an American actor who made his film debut in Reckless (1984). He has starred in over 80 feature films, including Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), The Mission (1986), Stakeout (1987), Avalon (1990), Benny & Joon (1993), Legends of the Fall (1994), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), Michael Collins (1996), Practical Magic (1998), Song for a Raggy Boy (2003), and Unknown (2011).

  39. 1958

    1. Gary Numan, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer births

      1. English musician (born 1958)

        Gary Numan

        Gary Anthony James Webb, known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his debut solo album The Pleasure Principle in 1979, topping the UK Albums Chart. While his commercial popularity peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits including "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars", Numan maintains a cult following. He has sold over 10 million records.

  40. 1957

    1. Clive Burr, English rock drummer (d. 2013) births

      1. English drummer (1957–2013)

        Clive Burr

        Clive Ronald Burr was an English drummer. He was a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.

    2. William Edward Childs, American pianist and composer births

      1. American jazz pianist, arranger and conductor (born 1957)

        Billy Childs

        William Edward Childs is an award-winning American composer, jazz pianist, arranger and conductor from Los Angeles, California, United States.

    3. Bob Stoddard, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player (born 1957)

        Bob Stoddard

        Robert Lyle Stoddard is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Stoddard attended Fresno State University and he threw and batted right-handed.

    4. Othmar Schoeck, Swiss composer and conductor (b. 1886) deaths

      1. Swiss composer and conductor

        Othmar Schoeck

        Othmar Schoeck was a Swiss Romantic classical composer, opera composer, musician, and conductor.

  41. 1956

    1. Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (d. 1989) births

      1. English footballer (1956–1989)

        Laurie Cunningham

        Laurence Paul Cunningham was an English professional footballer. A left winger, he notably played in England, France and Spain, where he became the first ever British player to sign for Real Madrid.

    2. David Malpass, American economist and government official births

      1. American economist

        David Malpass

        David Robert Malpass is an American economic analyst and former government official serving as President of the World Bank Group since 2019. Malpass previously served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs under Donald Trump, Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary under Ronald Reagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under George H. W. Bush. He served as Chief Economist at Bear Stearns for the six years preceding its collapse.

  42. 1954

    1. Steve James, American documentary filmmaker births

      1. American film producer and documentary film director

        Steve James (film producer)

        Steve James is an American film producer and director of several documentaries, including Hoop Dreams (1994), Stevie (2002), and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016).

    2. David Wilkie, Sri Lankan-Scottish swimmer births

      1. David Wilkie (swimmer)

        David Andrew Wilkie is a Scottish former competitive swimmer who was Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion in the 1970s. He is the only person to have held British, American, Commonwealth, European, world and Olympic swimming titles at the same time and was the first British swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal since Anita Lonsbrough in 1960.

  43. 1953

    1. Jim Rice, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster births

      1. American baseball player

        Jim Rice

        James Edward Rice, nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder and designated hitter. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2009, as the 103rd member voted in by the BBWAA. Rice played his entire 16-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox.

  44. 1951

    1. Dianne Walker, American tap dancer births

      1. Musical artist

        Dianne Walker

        Dianne Walker, also known as Lady Di, is an American tap dancer. Her thirty-year career spans Broadway, television, film, and international dance concerts. Walker is the Artistic Director of TapDancin, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts.

  45. 1949

    1. Teofilo Cubillas, Peruvian footballer births

      1. Peruvian footballer

        Teófilo Cubillas

        Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga is a Peruvian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50. He was renowned for his technique, shooting ability and free kick ability.

  46. 1948

    1. Mel Galley, English rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008) births

      1. Musical artist

        Mel Galley

        Melville John Galley was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his work with Whitesnake, Trapeze, Finders Keepers and Phenomena.

    2. Jonathan Sacks, English rabbi, philosopher, and scholar (d. 2020) births

      1. British Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, author, and politician (1948–2020)

        Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks

        Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. As the spiritual head of the United Synagogue, the largest synagogue body in the United Kingdom, he was the Chief Rabbi of those Orthodox synagogues but was not recognized as the religious authority for the Haredi Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations or for the progressive movements such as Masorti, Reform, and Liberal Judaism. As Chief Rabbi, he formally carried the title of Av Beit Din (head) of the London Beth Din. At the time of his death, he was the Emeritus Chief Rabbi.

    3. Hulusi Behçet, Turkish dermatologist and scientist (b. 1889) deaths

      1. Turkish dermatologist

        Hulusi Behçet

        Hulusi Behçet, was a Turkish dermatologist and scientist. He described a disease of inflamed blood vessels in 1937, which is named after him as Behçet's disease. His portrait was depicted on a former Turkish postcard stamp.

  47. 1947

    1. Carole Bayer Sager, American singer-songwriter and painter births

      1. American lyricist, singer and songwriter

        Carole Bayer Sager

        Carole Bayer Sager is an American lyricist, singer, and songwriter.

    2. Michael S. Hart, American author, founded Project Gutenberg (d. 2011) births

      1. American author, founder of Project Gutenberg (1947–2011)

        Michael S. Hart

        Michael Stern Hart was an American author, best known as the inventor of the e-book and the founder of Project Gutenberg (PG), the first project to make e-books freely available via the Internet. He published e-books years before the Internet existed via the ARPANET, and later on BBS networks and Gopher servers.

      2. Online digital book library

        Project Gutenberg

        Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of books or individual stories in the public domain. All files can be accessed for free under an open format layout, available on almost any computer. As of 3 October 2015, Project Gutenberg had reached 50,000 items in its collection of free eBooks.

  48. 1946

    1. Randy Meisner, American singer-songwriter and bass player births

      1. American musician

        Randy Meisner

        Randall Herman Meisner is a retired American musician, singer, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles. Throughout his professional musical career, Meisner's main role was that of bassist and backing high-harmony vocalist as both a group member and session musician. He co-wrote the Eagles hit song "Take It to the Limit", which he also sang.

  49. 1945

    1. Micky Dolenz, American singer-songwriter and actor births

      1. American actor, musician and member of the Monkees (born 1945)

        Micky Dolenz

        George Michael Dolenz Jr. is an American actor, musician, TV producer and businessman. He is best known as the drummer and one of three primary vocalists for the pop-rock band the Monkees, and a co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968). Following the death of Michael Nesmith in 2021, Dolenz is the only surviving member of the band.

    2. Anselm Kiefer, German painter and sculptor births

      1. German painter and sculptor

        Anselm Kiefer

        Anselm Kiefer is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan have played a role in developing Kiefer's themes of German history and the horrors of the Holocaust, as have the spiritual concepts of Kabbalah.

  50. 1944

    1. Sergey Nikitin, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. Musical artist

        Sergey Nikitin (musician)

        Sergey Yakovlevich Nikitin is a prominent Soviet and Russian bard, composer, and biophysicist. He performs both solo and in a duet with his wife, Tatyana Nikitina all over Russia, the former Soviet republics, and other countries with significant Russian-speaking diaspora. Nikitin is also known as a composer and performer of songs for children.

    2. Fredy Hirsch, German Jewish athlete who helped thousands of Jewish children in the Holocaust (b. 1916) deaths

      1. German-Jewish youth leader

        Fredy Hirsch

        Alfred Hirsch was a German-Jewish athlete, sports teacher and Zionist youth movement leader, notable for helping thousands of Jewish children during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in Prague, Theresienstadt concentration camp, and Auschwitz. Hirsch was the deputy supervisor of children at Theresienstadt and the supervisor of the children's block at the Theresienstadt family camp at Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

  51. 1943

    1. Susan Clark, Canadian actress and producer births

      1. Canadian actress

        Susan Clark

        Susan Clark is a Canadian actress, known for her movie roles such as Coogan's Bluff and Colossus: The Forbin Project, and for her role as Katherine Papadopolis on the American television sitcom Webster, on which she appeared with her husband, Alex Karras.

    2. Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (d. 2010) births

      1. English actress (1943–2010)

        Lynn Redgrave

        Lynn Rachel Redgrave was an English actress. She won two Golden Globe Awards throughout her career.

  52. 1942

    1. Dick Allen, American baseball player and tenor (d. 2020) births

      1. American baseball player (1942–2020)

        Dick Allen

        Richard Anthony Allen was an American professional baseball player. During his fifteen-year-long Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played as a first baseman, third baseman, and outfielder, most notably for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox, and was one of baseball's top sluggers of the 1960s and early 1970s.

    2. Ann Packer, English sprinter, hurdler, and long jumper births

      1. Ann Packer

        Ann Elizabeth Packer MBE is an English former sprinter, hurdler and long jumper. She won a gold medal in the 800 metres and a silver in the 400 metres at the 1964 Summer Olympics.

    3. José Raúl Capablanca, Cuban chess player (b. 1888) deaths

      1. Cuban chess player (1888–1942)

        José Raúl Capablanca

        José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. A chess prodigy, he is widely renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play.

  53. 1941

    1. Norman Stone, British historian, author, and academic (d. 2019) births

      1. British historian and author (1941–2019)

        Norman Stone

        Norman Stone was a British historian and author. He was Professor of European History in the Department of International Relations at Bilkent University, having formerly been a professor at the University of Oxford, a lecturer at the University of Cambridge, and an adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He was a board member of the Center for Eurasian Studies (AVIM), and devoted some of the last years of his life to promoting Armenian genocide denial.

    2. Sherwood Anderson, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1876) deaths

      1. American writer

        Sherwood Anderson

        Sherwood Anderson was an American novelist and short story writer, known for subjective and self-revealing works. Self-educated, he rose to become a successful copywriter and business owner in Cleveland and Elyria, Ohio. In 1912, Anderson had a nervous breakdown that led him to abandon his business and family to become a writer.

  54. 1939

    1. Jim Bouton, American baseball player and journalist (d. 2019) births

      1. American baseball player and writer (1939–2019)

        Jim Bouton

        James Alan Bouton was an American professional baseball player. Bouton played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher for the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, Houston Astros, and Atlanta Braves between 1962 and 1978. He was also a best-selling author, actor, activist, sportscaster and one of the creators of Big League Chew.

    2. Lynn Seymour, Canadian ballerina and choreographer births

      1. Canadian-born ballerina, choreographer, and director

        Lynn Seymour

        Lynn Seymour CBE is a Canadian-born retired ballerina, choreographer, and director.

    3. Lidiya Skoblikova, Russian speed skater and coach births

      1. Russian speed skater

        Lidiya Skoblikova

        Lidiya Pavlovna Skoblikova is a retired Russian speed skater and coach. She represented the USSR Olympic team during the Olympic Winter Games in 1960, 1964 and 1968, and won a total of six gold medals, a record she shares with Dutch speed skater Ireen Wüst. She also won 25 gold medals at the world championships and 15 gold medals at the USSR National Championships in several distances. She was also the first athlete to earn six gold medals in the Winter Olympics and the first to earn four gold medals at a single Olympic Winter Games. She was the most successful athlete at the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics, sharing the honour for 1960 Games with her compatriot Yevgeny Grishin.

    4. Robert Tear, Welsh tenor and conductor (d. 2011) births

      1. Welsh tenor

        Robert Tear

        Robert Tear, CBE was a Welsh tenor singer, teacher and conductor. He first became known singing in the operas of Benjamin Britten in the mid-1960s. From the 1970s until his retirement in 1999 his main operatic base was the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; he appeared with other opera companies in the UK, mainland Europe, the US and Australia. Generally avoiding the Italian repertoire, which did not suit his voice, Tear became known in leading and character roles in German, British and Russian operas.

  55. 1937

    1. Richard Fariña, American singer-songwriter and author (d. 1966) births

      1. American folksinger, songwriter, poet and novelist (1937-1966)

        Richard Fariña

        Richard George Fariña was an American folksinger, songwriter, poet and novelist.

    2. Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan politician, President of Rwanda (d. 1994) births

      1. 2nd President of Rwanda from 1973 until assassinated in 1994

        Juvénal Habyarimana

        Juvénal Habyarimana was a Rwandan politician and military officer who served as the second president of Rwanda, from 1973 until 1994. He was nicknamed Kinani, a Kinyarwanda word meaning "invincible".

      2. List of presidents of Rwanda

        This article lists the presidents of Rwanda since the creation of the office in 1961, to the present day.

    3. Howie Morenz, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1902) deaths

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Howie Morenz

        Howard William Morenz was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Beginning in 1923, he played centre for three National Hockey League (NHL) teams: the Montreal Canadiens, the Chicago Black Hawks, and the New York Rangers. Before joining the NHL, Morenz excelled in the junior Ontario Hockey Association, where his team played for the Memorial Cup, the championship for junior ice hockey in Canada. In the NHL, he was one of the most dominant players in the league and set several league scoring records. A strong skater, Morenz was referred to as the "Stratford Streak" and "Mitchell Meteor" in reference to his speed on the ice.

  56. 1936

    1. Sue Ane Langdon, American actress and singer births

      1. American actress

        Sue Ane Langdon

        Sue Ane Langdon is an American actress. She has appeared in dozens of television series and had featured roles in films such as A Guide for the Married Man and The Cheyenne Social Club, both directed by Gene Kelly, as well as The Rounders opposite Henry Fonda and Glenn Ford and two Elvis Presley movies, Roustabout and Frankie and Johnny.

    2. Panditrao Agashe, Indian businessman (d. 1986) births

      1. Indian businessman

        Panditrao Agashe

        Jagdish "Panditrao" Agashe was an Indian businessman, best remembered for succeeding his father Chandrashekhar Agashe as the joint managing director of the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd. from 1970 to 1978. The Panditrao Agashe School in Pune is named in his honour.

  57. 1935

    1. George Coleman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader births

      1. American jazz saxophonist

        George Coleman

        George Edward Coleman is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master.

  58. 1934

    1. Marv Breeding, American baseball player and scout (d. 2006) births

      1. American baseball player (1934–2006)

        Marv Breeding

        Marv Eugene Breeding was an American professional baseball second baseman who played four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators and Los Angeles Dodgers between 1960 and 1963. He batted and threw right-handed and was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg).

  59. 1932

    1. Minna Craucher, Finnish socialite and spy (b. 1891) deaths

      1. Finnish socialite and spy

        Minna Craucher

        Madame Minna Craucher was the false name of Maria Vilhelmiina Lindell, a Finnish socialite and spy. Her home was a noted salon for various writers and artists. She also did espionage, originally for the Cheka, the Soviet secret police, and was arrested three times for fraud. She also had connections to the right-wing Lapua Movement. She became the subject of several books and stories. In 1932 she was murdered with a shot to the head.

      2. Clandestine acquisition of confidential information

        Espionage

        Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangible benefit. A person who commits espionage is called an espionage agent or spy. Any individual or spy ring, in the service of a government, company, criminal organization, or independent operation, can commit espionage. The practice is clandestine, as it is by definition unwelcome. In some circumstances, it may be a legal tool of law enforcement and in others, it may be illegal and punishable by law.

  60. 1931

    1. John McPhee, American author and educator births

      1. American writer

        John McPhee

        John Angus McPhee is an American writer. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourth occasion in 1999 for Annals of the Former World. In 2008, he received the George Polk Career Award for his "indelible mark on American journalism during his nearly half-century career". Since 1974, McPhee has been the Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University.

    2. Neil Postman, American author and social critic (d. 2003) births

      1. American media theorist and cultural critic (1931–2003)

        Neil Postman

        Neil Postman was an American author, educator, media theorist and cultural critic, who eschewed digital technology, including personal computers, mobile devices, and cruise control in cars, and was critical of uses of technology, such as personal computers in school. He is best known for twenty books regarding technology and education, including Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985), Conscientious Objections (1988), Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (1992), The Disappearance of Childhood (1982) and The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School (1995).

    3. Gerald Potterton, English-Canadian animator, director, and producer births

      1. British-Canadian animator and director (1931–2022)

        Gerald Potterton

        Gerald Potterton was a British–Canadian director, writer, producer and animator. He is best known for directing the cult classic Heavy Metal and his animation work on Yellow Submarine.

  61. 1930

    1. Bob Grim, American baseball player (d. 1996) births

      1. American baseball player (1930-1996)

        Bob Grim (baseball)

        Robert Anton Grim was a pitcher in Major League Baseball.

    2. Douglas Hurd, English politician births

      1. British Conservative politician

        Douglas Hurd

        Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, is a British Conservative Party politician who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995.

    3. William Howard Taft, American politician, 27th President of the United States (b. 1857) deaths

      1. President of the United States from 1909 to 1913

        William Howard Taft

        William Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected president in 1908, the chosen successor of Theodore Roosevelt, but was defeated for reelection in 1912 by Woodrow Wilson after Roosevelt split the Republican vote by running as a third-party candidate. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft to be chief justice, a position he held until a month before his death.

      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.

    4. Edward Terry Sanford, American jurist and politician, United States Assistant Attorney General (b. 1865) deaths

      1. US Supreme Court justice from 1923 to 1930

        Edward Terry Sanford

        Edward Terry Sanford was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1923 until his death in 1930. Prior to his nomination to the high court, Sanford served as a United States Assistant Attorney General under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1905 to 1907, and as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee from 1908 to 1923. As of 2021, he is the last sitting district court judge to be elevated directly to the Supreme Court.

      2. Government official rank in the Department of Justice

        United States Assistant Attorney General

        Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an assistant attorney general.

  62. 1927

    1. Ramon Revilla Sr., Filipino actor and politician (d. 2020) births

      1. Filipino politician and actor (1927–2020)

        Ramon Revilla Sr.

        Ramon Bautista Revilla Sr., popularly known simply as Ramon Revilla Sr., was a Filipino actor who served as Senator of the Republic of the Philippines.

  63. 1926

    1. Francisco Rabal, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2001) births

      1. Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (1926–2001)

        Francisco Rabal

        Francisco Rabal Valera, better known as Paco Rabal, was a Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter born in Águilas, a town in the south-western part of the province of Murcia, Spain. Throughout his career, Rabal appeared in around 200 films working with directors including Francesc Rovira-Beleta, Luis Buñuel, José Luis Sáenz de Heredia, Carlos Saura, Pedro Almodóvar, William Friedkin, Michelangelo Antonioni, Claude Chabrol, Luchino Visconti, and Gillo Pontecorvo. Paco Rabal was recognized both in his native Spain and internationally, winning the Award for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for Los Santos Inocentes and a Goya Award for Best Actor for playing Francisco de Goya in Carlos Saura's Goya en Burdeos. One of Spain's most loved actors, Rabal also was known for his commitment to human rights and other social causes.

  64. 1925

    1. Warren Bennis, American scholar, author, and academic (d. 2014) births

      1. Warren Bennis

        Warren Gamaliel Bennis was an American scholar, organizational consultant and author, widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership studies. Bennis was University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration and Founding Chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California.

  65. 1924

    1. Anthony Caro, English sculptor and illustrator (d. 2013) births

      1. English sculptor

        Anthony Caro

        Sir Anthony Alfred Caro was an English abstract sculptor whose work is characterised by assemblages of metal using 'found' industrial objects. His style was of the modernist school, having worked with Henry Moore early in his career. He was lauded as the greatest British sculptor of his generation.

    2. Sean McClory, Irish-American actor and director (d. 2003) births

      1. Irish actor

        Sean McClory

        Séan Joseph McClory was an Irish actor whose career spanned six decades and included well over 100 films and television series. He was sometimes billed as Shawn McGlory or Sean McGlory.

    3. Addie L. Wyatt, American civil rights activist and labor leader (d. 2012)[citation needed] births

      1. Addie L. Wyatt

        Addie L. Wyatt was a leader in the United States Labor movement, and a civil rights activist. Wyatt is known for being the first African-American woman elected international vice president of a major labor union, the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union. Wyatt began her career in the union in the early 1950s and advanced in leadership. In 1975, with the politician Barbara Jordan, she was the first African-American woman named by Time magazine as Person of the Year.

      2. Wikipedia information page

        Wikipedia:Citation needed

  66. 1923

    1. Johannes Diderik van der Waals, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1837) deaths

      1. Dutch physicist and thermodynamicist (1837–1923)

        Johannes Diderik van der Waals

        Johannes Diderik van der Waals was a Dutch theoretical physicist and thermodynamicist famous for his pioneering work on the equation of state for gases and liquids. Van der Waals started his career as a school teacher. He became the first physics professor of the University of Amsterdam when in 1877 the old Athenaeum was upgraded to Municipal University. Van der Waals won the 1910 Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the equation of state for gases and liquids.

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

        Nobel Prize in Physics

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

  67. 1922

    1. Ralph H. Baer, German-American video game designer, created the Magnavox Odyssey (d. 2014) births

      1. German-American inventor and engineer (1922–2014)

        Ralph H. Baer

        Ralph Henry Baer was a German-American inventor, game developer, and engineer.

      2. First commercial home video game console

        Magnavox Odyssey

        The Magnavox Odyssey is the first commercial home video game console. The hardware was designed by a small team led by Ralph H. Baer at Sanders Associates, while Magnavox completed development and released it in the United States in September 1972 and overseas the following year. The Odyssey consists of a white, black, and brown box that connects to a television set, and two rectangular controllers attached by wires. It is capable of displaying three square dots and one line of varying height on the screen in monochrome black and white, with differing behavior for the dots depending on the game played. Players place plastic overlays on the screen to display additional visual elements for each game, and one or two players for each game control their dots with the knobs and buttons on the controller by the rules given for the game. The console cannot generate audio or track scores. The Odyssey console came packaged with dice, paper money, and other board game paraphernalia to accompany the games, while a peripheral controller—the first video game light gun—was sold separately.

    2. Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (d. 2008) births

      1. American dancer and actress (1922–2008)

        Cyd Charisse

        Cyd Charisse was an American actress and dancer.

    3. Carl Furillo, American baseball player (d. 1989) births

      1. American baseball player (1922-1989)

        Carl Furillo

        Carl Anthony Furillo, nicknamed "The Reading Rifle" and "Skoonj", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), spending his entire career with the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers. A member of seven National League (NL) champions from 1947 to 1959 inclusive, Furillo batted over .300 five times, winning the 1953 batting title, with a .344 average — then the highest by a right-handed hitting Dodger since 1900. Noted for his strong and accurate throwing arm, he recorded ten or more assists in nine consecutive seasons, leading the league twice, and retired with the fifth-most games in right field (1,408) in NL history.

    4. Shigeru Mizuki, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2015) births

      1. Japanese manga artist

        Shigeru Mizuki

        Shigeru Mizuki was a Japanese manga artist and historian, best known for his manga series GeGeGe no Kitarō. Born in a hospital in Osaka and raised in the city of Sakaiminato, Tottori, he later moved to Chōfu, Tokyo where he remained until his death. His pen-name, Mizuki, comes from the time when he managed an inn called 'Mizuki Manor' while he drew pictures for kamishibai. A specialist in stories of Yōkai, he is considered a master of the genre. Mizuki was also a noted historian, publishing works relating to world history, Japanese history, and his own World War II experience.

  68. 1921

    1. Alan Hale Jr., American actor and restaurateur (d. 1990) births

      1. American actor

        Alan Hale Jr.

        Alan Hale Jr. (born Alan Hale MacKahan; was an American actor and restaurateur. He was the son of actor Alan Hale Sr. His television career spanned four decades, but he was best known for his secondary lead role as Captain Jonas Grumby, better known as The Skipper, on the 1960s CBS comedy series Gilligan's Island, a role he reprised in three Gilligan's Island television films and two spin-off cartoon series.

  69. 1918

    1. Eileen Herlie, Scottish-American actress (d. 2008) births

      1. American actress

        Eileen Herlie

        Eileen Herlie was a Scottish-American actress.

  70. 1917

    1. Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and businessman (b. 1838) deaths

      1. German general and airship pioneer (1838–1917)

        Ferdinand von Zeppelin

        Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin was a German general and later inventor of the Zeppelin rigid airships. His name soon became synonymous with airships and dominated long-distance flight until the 1930s. He founded the company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin.

  71. 1914

    1. Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich, Belarusian-Russian physicist and astronomer (d. 1987) births

      1. Soviet physicist, physical chemist and cosmologist

        Yakov Zeldovich

        Yakov Borisovich Zeldovich, also known as YaB, D.N. was a leading Soviet physicist of Belarusian origin, who is known for his prolific contributions in physical cosmology, physics of thermonuclear reactions, combustion, and hydrodynamical phenomena.

  72. 1912

    1. Preston Smith, American businessman and politician, Governor of Texas (d. 2003) births

      1. Governor of Texas from 1969 to 1973

        Preston Smith (governor)

        Preston Earnest Smith was an American entrepreneur and politician who served as the 40th governor of Texas from 1969 to 1973, who previously served as the lieutenant governor from 1963 to 1969.

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

        Governor of Texas

        The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who took office in 2015.

    2. Meldrim Thomson Jr., American publisher and politician, Governor of New Hampshire (d. 2001) births

      1. American politician

        Meldrim Thomson Jr.

        Meldrim Thomson Jr. was an American politician who served three terms as the 73rd governor of New Hampshire from 1973 to 1979. A Republican, he was known as a strong supporter of conservative political values.

      2. Head of state and of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire

        Governor of New Hampshire

        The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire.

  73. 1911

    1. Alan Hovhaness, Armenian-American pianist and composer (d. 2000) births

      1. Armenian-American composer (1911–2000)

        Alan Hovhaness

        Alan Hovhaness was an American-Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies and 434 opus numbers. The true tally is well over 500 surviving works, since many opus numbers comprise two or more distinct works.

  74. 1910

    1. Claire Trevor, American actress (d. 2000) births

      1. American actress (1910–2000)

        Claire Trevor

        Claire Trevor was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Key Largo (1948), and received nominations for her roles in The High and the Mighty (1954) and Dead End (1937). Trevor received top billing, ahead of John Wayne, for Stagecoach (1939).

  75. 1909

    1. Beatrice Shilling, English motorcycle racer and engineer (d. 1990) births

      1. British aeronautical engineer

        Beatrice Shilling

        Beatrice Shilling OBE PhD MSc CEng was a British aeronautical engineer and amateur racing driver. During the Second World War, she designed and developed "Miss Shilling's orifice" to restrict fuel flow to the carburettor of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines in the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters. Previously the pilots had experienced a loss of power or even complete engine cut-out during combat manoeuvres, posing a potentially lethal disadvantage in the Battle of Britain.

  76. 1907

    1. Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek lawyer and politician, President of Greece (d. 1998) births

      1. Prime Minister of Greece intermittently between 1955-80, President from 1980-85, 1990-95

        Konstantinos Karamanlis

        Konstantinos G. Karamanlis, commonly anglicised to Constantine Karamanlis or just Caramanlis, was a four-time prime minister and twice as the president of the Third Hellenic Republic, and a towering figure of Greek politics, whose political career spanned much of the latter half of the 20th century.

      2. Head of state of Greece

        President of Greece

        The president of Greece, officially the President of the Hellenic Republic, commonly referred to in Greek as the President of the Republic, is the head of state of Greece. The president is elected by the Hellenic Parliament; the role has been mainly ceremonial since the 1986 constitutional reform. The office was formally established by the Constitution of Greece in 1975, but has antecedents in the Second Hellenic Republic of 1924–1935 and the Greek junta in 1973–1974 which predated the transition to the current Third Hellenic Republic. The incumbent, since 13 March 2020, is Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

  77. 1902

    1. Louise Beavers, American actress and singer (d. 1962) births

      1. American actress (1900–1962)

        Louise Beavers

        Louise Beavers was an American film and television actress. From the 1920s until 1960, she appeared in dozens of films and two hit television shows. She was most often cast in the roles of a maid, servant or slave.

    2. Jennings Randolph, American journalist and politician (d. 1998) births

      1. American politician

        Jennings Randolph

        Jennings Randolph was an American politician from West Virginia. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service in the United States House of Representatives from 1933 to 1947 and the United States Senate from 1958 to 1985. He was the last surviving member of the United States Congress to have served during the first 100 days of Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. Randolph retired in 1985, and was succeeded by Jay Rockefeller.

  78. 1896

    1. Charlotte Whitton, Canadian journalist and politician, 46th Mayor of Ottawa (d. 1975) births

      1. Canadian politician (1896–1975)

        Charlotte Whitton

        Charlotte Elizabeth Whitton was a Canadian feminist and mayor of Ottawa. She was the first woman mayor of a major city in Canada, serving from 1951 to 1956 and again from 1960 to 1964. Whitton was a Canadian social policy pioneer, leader and commentator, as well as a journalist and writer.

      2. List of mayors of Ottawa

        List of mayors of Ottawa

        The mayor of Ottawa is head of the executive branch of the Ottawa City Council. The current mayor is Mark Sutcliffe.

  79. 1892

    1. Juana de Ibarbourou, Uruguayan poet and author (d. 1979) births

      1. Uruguayan poet

        Juana de Ibarbourou

        Juana Fernández Morales de Ibarbourou, also known as Juana de América, was a Uruguayan poet and one of the most popular poets of Spanish America. Her poetry, the earliest of which is often highly erotic, is notable for her identification of her feelings with nature around her. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times.

  80. 1889

    1. John Ericsson, Swedish-American engineer (b. 1803) deaths

      1. United States engineer

        John Ericsson

        John Ericsson was a Swedish-American inventor. He was active in England and the United States.

  81. 1887

    1. Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and activist (b. 1813) deaths

      1. American clergyman and abolitionist (1813–1887)

        Henry Ward Beecher

        Henry Ward Beecher was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. His rhetorical focus on Christ's love has influenced mainstream Christianity to this day.

    2. James Buchanan Eads, American engineer, designed the Eads Bridge (b. 1820) deaths

      1. American civil engineer and inventor (1820–1887)

        James Buchanan Eads

        Captain James Buchanan Eads was a world-renowned American civil engineer and inventor, holding more than 50 patents.

      2. Bridge spanning the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri

        Eads Bridge

        The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the cities of St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. It is located on the St. Louis riverfront between Laclede's Landing, to the north, and the grounds of the Gateway Arch, to the south. The bridge is named for its designer and builder, James Buchanan Eads. Work on the bridge began in 1867, and it was completed in 1874. The Eads Bridge was the first bridge across the Mississippi south of the Missouri River. Earlier bridges were located north of the Missouri, where the Mississippi is smaller. None of the earlier bridges survive, which means that the Eads Bridge is also the oldest bridge on the river.

  82. 1886

    1. Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972) births

      1. American chemist

        Edward Calvin Kendall

        Edward Calvin Kendall was an American chemist. In 1950, Kendall was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine along with Swiss chemist Tadeusz Reichstein and Mayo Clinic physician Philip S. Hench, for their work with the hormones of the adrenal gland. Kendall did not only focus on the adrenal glands, he was also responsible for the isolation of thyroxine, a hormone of the thyroid gland and worked with the team that crystallized glutathione and identified its chemical structure.

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

        Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

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

  83. 1879

    1. Otto Hahn, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968) births

      1. German chemist

        Otto Hahn

        Otto Hahn was a German chemist who was a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is referred to as the father of nuclear chemistry and father of nuclear fission. Hahn and Lise Meitner discovered radioactive isotopes of radium, thorium, protactinium and uranium. He also discovered the phenomena of atomic recoil and nuclear isomerism, and pioneered rubidium–strontium dating. In 1938, Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann discovered nuclear fission, for which Hahn received the 1944 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Nuclear fission was the basis for nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons.

      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.

  84. 1874

    1. Millard Fillmore, American lawyer and politician, 13th President of the United States (b. 1800) deaths

      1. President of the United States from 1850 to 1853

        Millard Fillmore

        Millard Fillmore was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853, the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Upstate New York, Fillmore was elected as the 12th vice president of the United States in 1848, and succeeded to the presidency in July 1850 upon the death of U.S. President Zachary Taylor. Fillmore was instrumental in the passing of the Compromise of 1850, a bargain that led to a brief truce in the battle over the expansion of slavery. He failed to win the Whig nomination for president in 1852 but gained the endorsement of the nativist Know Nothing Party four years later and finished third in the 1856 presidential election.

      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.

  85. 1872

    1. Priscilla Susan Bury, British botanist (b. 1799) deaths

      1. British botanist and artist (1799–1872)

        Priscilla Susan Bury

        Priscilla Susan Bury, born Falkner, was an English botanist and illustrator.

    2. Cornelius Krieghoff, Dutch-Canadian painter (b. 1815) deaths

      1. Dutch painter

        Cornelius Krieghoff

        Cornelius David Krieghoff was a Dutch-born Canadian-American painter of the 19th century. Krieghoff is most famous for his paintings of Canadian landscapes and Canadian life outdoors, which were as sought after in his own time as they are today. He is particularly famous for his winter scenes, some of which he painted in a number of variants.

  86. 1869

    1. Hector Berlioz, French composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1803) deaths

      1. French composer and conductor (1803–1869)

        Hector Berlioz

        Louis-Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the Symphonie fantastique and Harold in Italy, choral pieces including the Requiem and L'Enfance du Christ, his three operas Benvenuto Cellini, Les Troyens and Béatrice et Bénédict, and works of hybrid genres such as the "dramatic symphony" Roméo et Juliette and the "dramatic legend" La Damnation de Faust.

  87. 1865

    1. Frederic Goudy, American type designer (d. 1947) births

      1. American printer, artist and type designer (1865–1947)

        Frederic Goudy

        Frederic William Goudy was an American printer, artist and type designer whose typefaces include Copperplate Gothic, Goudy Old Style and Kennerley. He was one of the most prolific of American type designers and his self-named type continues to be one of the most popular in America.

  88. 1859

    1. Kenneth Grahame, British author (d. 1932) births

      1. British writer, 1859–1932

        Kenneth Grahame

        Kenneth Grahame was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for The Wind in the Willows (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as The Reluctant Dragon. Both books were later adapted for stage and film, of which A. A. Milne's Toad of Toad Hall, based on part of The Wind in the Willows, was the first. Other adaptations include Cosgrove Hall Films' The Wind in the Willows, and the Walt Disney films.

  89. 1858

    1. Ida Hunt Udall, American diarist and homesteader (d. 1915) births

      1. American Latter-day Saint diarist (1858–1915)

        Ida Hunt Udall

        Ida Frances Hunt Udall was an American diarist, homesteader, and teacher in territorial Utah and Arizona. A lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Udall participated in the church's historical practice of plural marriage as the second wife of David King Udall and co-wife of Eliza Luella Stewart Udall and Mary Ann Linton Morgan Udall.

  90. 1856

    1. Bramwell Booth, English 2nd General of The Salvation Army (d. 1929) births

      1. General of The Salvation Army

        Bramwell Booth

        William Bramwell Booth, CH was a Salvation Army officer, Christian and British charity worker who was the first Chief of Staff (1881–1912) and the second General of The Salvation Army (1912–1929), succeeding his father, William Booth.

      2. Title of the international leader of The Salvation Army

        General of The Salvation Army

        General is the title of the international leader and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers. The General is elected by the High Council of The Salvation Army and serves a term of five years, which may be extended to seven years. Brian Peddle, the current general, assumed the position in August 2018 upon the retirement of Andre Cox. The organisation's founder, William Booth, was the first and longest-serving general. There have been 21 generals as of 2018.

    2. Colin Campbell Cooper, American painter and academic (d. 1937) births

      1. American painter

        Colin Campbell Cooper

        Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. was an American Impressionist painter, perhaps most renowned for his architectural paintings, especially of skyscrapers in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. An avid traveler, he was also known for his paintings of European and Asian landmarks, as well as natural landscapes, portraits, florals, and interiors. In addition to being a painter, he was also a teacher and writer. His first wife, Emma Lampert Cooper, was also a highly regarded painter.

  91. 1851

    1. Frank Avery Hutchins, American librarian and educator (d. 1914) births

      1. American educator, librarian and co-founder of the Wisconsin Library Association

        Frank Avery Hutchins

        Frank Avery Hutchins was an American educator and librarian. He was one of the founders of the Wisconsin Library Association and the Wisconsin Free Library Commission.

  92. 1844

    1. Charles XIV John of Sweden (b. 1763) deaths

      1. King of Sweden and Norway (r. 1818–44) and French Marshal

        Charles XIV John

        Charles XIV John was King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844. Before his reign he was a Marshal of France during the Napoleonic Wars and participated in several battles. In modern Norwegian lists of kings he is called Charles III John. He was the first monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty.

  93. 1841

    1. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., American lawyer and jurist (d. 1935) births

      1. US Supreme Court justice from 1902 to 1932

        Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

        Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was an American jurist and legal scholar who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932. He is one of the most widely cited U.S. Supreme Court justices and most influential American common law judges in history, noted for his long service, pithy opinions—particularly those on civil liberties and American constitutional democracy—and deference to the decisions of elected legislatures. Holmes retired from the court at the age of 90, an unbeaten record for oldest justice on the Supreme Court. He previously served as a Brevet Colonel in the American Civil War, in which he was wounded three times, as an associate justice and chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and as Weld Professor of Law at his alma mater, Harvard Law School. His positions, distinctive personality, and writing style made him a popular figure, especially with American progressives.

  94. 1836

    1. Harriet Samuel, English businesswoman and founder the jewellery retailer H. Samuel (d. 1908) births

      1. English businesswoman

        Harriet Samuel

        Harriet Samuel was an English businesswoman and the founder of H. Samuel, one of the United Kingdom's best-known high street jewellery retailers.

      2. Mass-market jewellery chain

        H. Samuel

        H. Samuel is a mass-market jewellery chain, operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is part of the Signet Group of jewellery retailers.

  95. 1830

    1. João de Deus, Portuguese poet and educator (d. 1896) births

      1. Portuguese poet

        João de Deus de Nogueira Ramos

        João de Deus de Nogueira Ramos, better known as João de Deus, was a Portuguese poet, pedagogue and editor who turned his attention to Portuguese educational problems and wrote the famous didactic book Cartilha Maternal (1876), used to teach Portuguese language during both the 19th and 20th centuries across the country.

  96. 1827

    1. Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist and anthropologist (d. 1875) births

      1. German linguist

        Wilhelm Bleek

        Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel Bleek was a German linguist. His work included A Comparative Grammar of South African Languages and his great project jointly executed with Lucy Lloyd: The Bleek and Lloyd Archive of ǀxam and !kun texts. A short form of this eventually reached press with Specimens of Bushman Folklore, which Laurens van der Post drew on heavily.

  97. 1822

    1. Ignacy Łukasiewicz, Polish inventor and businessman, invented the Kerosene lamp (d. 1882) births

      1. Polish pharmacist, engineer, businessman, inventor and philanthropist

        Ignacy Łukasiewicz

        Jan Józef Ignacy Łukasiewicz was a Polish pharmacist, engineer, businessman, inventor, and philanthropist. He was one of the most prominent philanthropists in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, crown land of Austria-Hungary. He was a pioneer who in 1856 built the world's first modern oil refinery.

      2. Type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel

        Kerosene lamp

        A kerosene lamp is a type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel. Kerosene lamps have a wick or mantle as light source, protected by a glass chimney or globe; lamps may be used on a table, or hand-held lanterns may be used for portable lighting. Like oil lamps, they are useful for lighting without electricity, such as in regions without rural electrification, in electrified areas during power outages, at campsites, and on boats. There are three types of kerosene lamp: flat-wick, central-draught, and mantle lamp. Kerosene lanterns meant for portable use have a flat wick and are made in dead-flame, hot-blast, and cold-blast variants.

  98. 1804

    1. Alvan Clark, American astronomer and optician (d. 1887) births

      1. Alvan Clark

        Alvan Clark, born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, the descendant of a Cape Cod whaling family of English ancestry, was an American astronomer and telescope maker.

  99. 1799

    1. Simon Cameron, American journalist and politician, United States Secretary of War (d. 1889) births

      1. American politician and senator from Pennsylvania

        Simon Cameron

        Simon Cameron was an American businessperson and politician. He represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate and served as United States Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln at the start of the American Civil War.

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

        United States Secretary of War

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

  100. 1761

    1. Jan Potocki, Polish ethnologist, historian, linguist, and author (d. 1815) births

      1. Polish nobleman, writer (creating in French), traveler, politician and historian

        Jan Potocki

        Count Jan Potocki was a Polish nobleman, ethnologist, linguist, traveller and author of the Enlightenment period, whose life and exploits made him a celebrated figure in Poland. He is known chiefly for his picaresque novel, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa.

  101. 1748

    1. William V, Prince of Orange (d. 1806) births

      1. Prince of Orange

        William V, Prince of Orange

        William V was a prince of Orange and the last stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He went into exile to London in 1795. He was furthermore ruler of the Principality of Orange-Nassau until his death in 1806. In that capacity he was succeeded by his son William.

  102. 1746

    1. André Michaux, French botanist and explorer (d. 1802) births

      1. French botanist and explorer (1746-1802)

        André Michaux

        André Michaux, also styled Andrew Michaud, was a French botanist and explorer. He is most noted for his study of North American flora. In addition Michaux collected specimens in England, Spain, France, and even Persia. His work was part of a larger European effort to gather knowledge about the natural world. Michaux's contributions include Histoire des chênes de l'Amérique and Flora Boreali-Americana which continued to be botanical references well into the 19th century. His son, François André Michaux, also became an authoritative botanist.

  103. 1726

    1. Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, English admiral and politician, Treasurer of the Navy (d. 1799) births

      1. British naval officer

        Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe

        Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, was a British naval officer. After serving throughout the War of the Austrian Succession, he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations against the French coast as part of Britain's policy of naval descents during the Seven Years' War. He also took part, as a naval captain, in the decisive British naval victory at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in November 1759.

      2. Civilian officer of the Royal Navy

        Treasurer of the Navy

        The Treasurer of the Navy, originally called Treasurer of Marine Causes or Paymaster of the Navy, was a civilian officer of the Royal Navy, one of the principal commissioners of the Navy Board responsible for naval finance from 1524 to 1832. The treasurer was based at the Navy Pay Office.

  104. 1723

    1. Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St. Paul's Cathedral (b. 1632) deaths

      1. English architect (1632–1723)

        Christopher Wren

        Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including what is regarded as his masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710.

  105. 1717

    1. Abraham Darby I, English blacksmith (b. 1678) deaths

      1. Abraham Darby I

        Abraham Darby, in his later life called Abraham Darby the Elder, now sometimes known for convenience as Abraham Darby I, was an English ironmaster and foundryman. Born into an English Quaker family that played an important role in the Industrial Revolution, Darby developed a method of producing pig iron in a blast furnace fuelled by coke rather than charcoal. This was a major step forward in the production of iron as a raw material for the Industrial Revolution.

  106. 1714

    1. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German pianist and composer (d. 1788) births

      1. German composer (1714–1788)

        Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach

        Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach.

  107. 1712

    1. John Fothergill, English physician and botanist (d. 1780) births

      1. English physician and plant collector, 1712–1780

        John Fothergill (physician)

        John Fothergill FRS was an English physician, plant collector, philanthropist and Quaker. His medical writings were influential, and he built up a sizeable botanic garden in what is now West Ham Park in London.

  108. 1702

    1. William III of England (b. 1650) deaths

      1. King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689–1702

        William III of England

        William III, also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s, and King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II. He is sometimes informally known as "King Billy" in Ireland and Scotland. His victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is commemorated by Unionists, who display orange colours in his honour. He ruled Britain alongside his wife and cousin, Queen Mary II, and popular histories usually refer to their reign as that of "William and Mary".

  109. 1641

    1. Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer (b. 1587) deaths

      1. Xu Xiake

        Xu Xiake, born Xu Hongzu (徐弘祖), courtesy name Zhenzhi (振之), was a Chinese travel writer and geographer of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), known best for his famous geographical treatise, and noted for his bravery and humility. He traveled throughout China for more than 30 years, documenting his travels extensively. The records of his travels were compiled posthumously in The Travel Diaries Xu Xiake, and his work translated by Ding Wenjiang. Xu's writing falls under the old Chinese literary category of 'travel record literature', which used narrative and prose styles of writing to portray one's travel experiences.

  110. 1619

    1. Veit Bach, German baker and miller deaths

      1. Founder of musical Bach family

        Veit Bach

        Vitus "Veit" Bach was a German baker and miller who, according to Johann Sebastian Bach, founded the Bach family, which became one of the most important families in musical history.

  111. 1550

    1. John of God, Portuguese friar and saint (b. 1495) deaths

      1. 16th-century Portuguese saint

        John of God

        John of God was a Portuguese soldier turned health-care worker in Spain, whose followers later formed the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, a worldwide Catholic religious institute dedicated to the care of the poor, sick, and those suffering from mental disorders. He has been canonized by the Catholic Church, and is considered one of the leading religious figures in the Iberian Peninsula.

  112. 1495

    1. John of God, Portuguese friar and saint (d. 1550) births

      1. 16th-century Portuguese saint

        John of God

        John of God was a Portuguese soldier turned health-care worker in Spain, whose followers later formed the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, a worldwide Catholic religious institute dedicated to the care of the poor, sick, and those suffering from mental disorders. He has been canonized by the Catholic Church, and is considered one of the leading religious figures in the Iberian Peninsula.

  113. 1466

    1. Francesco I Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1401) deaths

      1. Italian condottiero, founder of the Sforza dynasty

        Francesco I Sforza

        Francesco I Sforza was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L'Aquila and in the 1430s fought for the Papal States and Milan against Venice. Once war between Milan and Venice ended in 1441 under mediation by Sforza, he successfully invaded southern Italy alongside René of Anjou, pretender to the throne of Naples, and after that returned to Milan. He was instrumental in the Treaty of Lodi (1454) which ensured peace in the Italian realms for a time by ensuring a strategic balance of power. He died in 1466 and was succeeded as duke by his son, Galeazzo Maria Sforza. While Sforza was recognized as duke of Milan, his son Ludovico would be the first to have formal investiture under the Holy Roman Empire by Maximilian I in 1494.

  114. 1403

    1. Bayezid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1360) deaths

      1. 4th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402

        Bayezid I

        Bayezid I, also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt was the Ottoman Sultan from 1389 to 1402. He adopted the title of Sultan-i Rûm, Rûm being an old Islamic name for the Roman Empire. He decisively defeated the Crusaders at Nicopolis in 1396. Bayezid unsuccessfully besieged Constantinople and later was defeated and captured by Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402 and died in captivity in March 1403, triggering the Ottoman Interregnum.

  115. 1144

    1. Pope Celestine II deaths

      1. Head of the Catholic Church from 1143 to 1144

        Pope Celestine II

        Pope Celestine II, born Guido di Castello, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 26 September 1143 to his death in 1144.

  116. 1137

    1. Adela of Normandy, by marriage countess of Blois (b. c. 1067) deaths

      1. 11th and 12th-century daughter of William the Conqueror and Countess of Blois

        Adela of Normandy

        Adela of Normandy, of Blois, or of England, also known as Saint Adela in Roman Catholicism, was a daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders who later became the countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux by marriage to Stephen II of Blois. Her husband greatly benefited from the increased social status and prestige that came with such a marriage. She brought with her not only her bloodline but a dowry of money and other movable goods from the prodigious store of Anglo-Norman wealth. She was regent of Blois during the absence of her spouse in 1096–1100 and 1101–02, and during the minority of her son from 1102 until 1120. Adela was the mother of King Stephen of England and Bishop Henry of Winchester.

      2. Nobility title in European countries

        Count

        Count is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. The etymologically related English term "county" denoted the territories associated with the countship.

      3. Prefecture and commune in Centre-Val de Loire, France

        Blois

        Blois is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.

  117. 1126

    1. Urraca of León and Castile (b. 1079) deaths

      1. Queen of León, Castile, and Galicia (1079–1126) (ruled 1109–1126)

        Urraca of León

        Urraca, called the Reckless, was Queen of León, Castile and Galicia from 1109 until her death. She claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All Spain and Empress of All Galicia.

Holidays

  1. Christian feast day: Edward King (Church of England)

    1. Edward King (bishop of Lincoln)

      Edward King was a bishop of the Church of England.

    2. Anglican state church of England

      Church of England

      The Church of England is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain by the 3rd century and to the 6th-century Gregorian mission to Kent led by Augustine of Canterbury.

  2. Christian feast day: Felix of Burgundy

    1. 7th-century Bishop of Dunwich and saint

      Felix of Burgundy

      Felix of Burgundy, also known as Felix of Dunwich, was a saint and the first bishop of the East Angles. He is widely credited as the man who introduced Christianity to the kingdom of East Anglia. Almost all that is known about the saint originates from The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, completed by Bede in about 731, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Bede praised Felix for delivering "all the province of East Anglia from long-standing unrighteousness and unhappiness".

  3. Christian feast day: John of God

    1. 16th-century Portuguese saint

      John of God

      John of God was a Portuguese soldier turned health-care worker in Spain, whose followers later formed the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, a worldwide Catholic religious institute dedicated to the care of the poor, sick, and those suffering from mental disorders. He has been canonized by the Catholic Church, and is considered one of the leading religious figures in the Iberian Peninsula.

  4. Christian feast day: Philemon the actor

    1. Apollonius and Philemon

      The deacon Apollonius and his convert Philemon were Christian martyrs of the Diocletianic Persecution around 303. Philemon was a famous flute player, mime and actor at Antinoöpolis in Egypt.

  5. Christian feast day: March 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

    1. March 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

      March 7 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - March 9

  6. International Women's Day, and its related observances: International Women's Collaboration Brew Day

    1. International Women's Collaboration Brew Day

      International Women's Collaboration Brew Day is an annual event that takes place each year on International Women's Day. The event gathers women brewers around the world who brew the same beer. All proceeds are donated to charity. It was established to raise awareness of women in the brewing industry, especially as beer brewmasters. It also networks women interested in brewing.