On This Day /

Important events in history
on November 12 th

Events

  1. 2021

    1. The Los Angeles Superior Court formally ends the 14-year conservatorship to pop singer Britney Spears.

      1. US, California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County

        Los Angeles County Superior Court

        The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States.

      2. Legal dispute regarding American entertainer

        Britney Spears conservatorship dispute

        On February 1, 2008, American entertainer Britney Spears was involuntarily placed under a conservatorship by Judge Reva Goetz, with her father, James "Jamie" Spears, and attorney Andrew M. Wallet, as conservators. The conservatorship lasted until November 2021.

      3. American singer (born 1981)

        Britney Spears

        Britney Jean Spears is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productions and television series, Spears signed with Jive Records in 1997 at age fifteen. Her first two studio albums, ...Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops!... I Did It Again (2000), are among the best-selling albums of all time and made Spears the best-selling teenage artist of all time. With first-week sales of over 1.3 million copies, Oops!... I Did It Again held the record for the fastest-selling album by a female artist in the United States for fifteen years. Spears adopted a more mature and provocative style for her albums Britney (2001) and In the Zone (2003), and starred in the 2002 film Crossroads.

  2. 2017

    1. The 7.3 Mw  Kermanshah earthquake shakes the northern Iran–Iraq border with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). At least 410 people are killed and over 7,000 are injured.

      1. November 2017 earthquake near the Iran–Iraq border

        2017 Iran–Iraq earthquake

        On 12 November 2017 at 18:18 UTC, an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 7.3 occurred on the Iran–Iraq border, with the Iraqi Kurdish city of Halabja, and the Kurdish dominated places of Ezgeleh, Salas-e Babajani County, Kermanshah Province in Iran, closest to the epicentre, 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the city of Halabja, Iraqi Kurdistan.

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

        Modified Mercalli intensity scale

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

  3. 2015

    1. Two suicide bombers detonate explosives in Bourj el-Barajneh, Beirut, killing 43 people and injuring over 200 others.

      1. Violent attack in which the attacker accepts their own death

        Suicide attack

        A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout history, often as part of a military campaign, and more recently as part of terrorist campaigns.

      2. Suicide bombings in Beirut, Lebanon

        2015 Beirut bombings

        On 12 November 2015, two suicide bombers detonated explosives in Bourj el-Barajneh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, that is inhabited mostly by Shia Muslims. Reports of the number of fatalities concluded that 43 people died directly from the detonation. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks.

      3. Southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon

        Bourj el-Barajneh

        Bourj el-Barajneh is a municipality located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in Lebanon. The municipality lies between Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport and the town of Haret Hreik.

      4. 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.

  4. 2014

    1. The European Space Agency lander Philae touched down on 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, becoming the first spacecraft to land on a comet.

      1. European organisation dedicated to space exploration

        European Space Agency

        The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,200 in 2018 and an annual budget of about €7.2 billion in 2022.

      2. Robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft

        Philae (spacecraft)

        Philae was a robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft until it separated to land on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, ten years and eight months after departing Earth. On 12 November 2014, Philae touched down on the comet, but it bounced when its anchoring harpoons failed to deploy and a thruster designed to hold the probe to the surface did not fire. After bouncing off the surface twice, Philae achieved the first-ever "soft" (nondestructive) landing on a comet nucleus, although the lander's final, uncontrolled touchdown left it in a non-optimal location and orientation.

      3. Periodic contact binary comet

        67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

        67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is a Jupiter-family comet, originally from the Kuiper belt, with a current orbital period of 6.45 years, a rotation period of approximately 12.4 hours and a maximum velocity of 135,000 km/h. Churyumov–Gerasimenko is approximately 4.3 by 4.1 km at its longest and widest dimensions. It was first observed on photographic plates in 1969 by Soviet astronomers Klim Ivanovych Churyumov and Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko, after whom it is named. It most recently came to perihelion on 2 November 2021, and will next come to perihelion on 9 April 2028.

      4. Natural object in space that releases gas

        Comet

        A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind acting upon the nucleus of the comet. Comet nuclei range from a few hundred meters to tens of kilometers across and are composed of loose collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles. The coma may be up to 15 times Earth's diameter, while the tail may stretch beyond one astronomical unit. If sufficiently bright, a comet may be seen from Earth without the aid of a telescope and may subtend an arc of 30° across the sky. Comets have been observed and recorded since ancient times by many cultures and religions.

    2. The Philae lander, deployed from the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe, reaches the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

      1. Robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft

        Philae (spacecraft)

        Philae was a robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft until it separated to land on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, ten years and eight months after departing Earth. On 12 November 2014, Philae touched down on the comet, but it bounced when its anchoring harpoons failed to deploy and a thruster designed to hold the probe to the surface did not fire. After bouncing off the surface twice, Philae achieved the first-ever "soft" (nondestructive) landing on a comet nucleus, although the lander's final, uncontrolled touchdown left it in a non-optimal location and orientation.

      2. European organisation dedicated to space exploration

        European Space Agency

        The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,200 in 2018 and an annual budget of about €7.2 billion in 2022.

      3. European orbiter sent to study a comet

        Rosetta (spacecraft)

        Rosetta was a space probe built by the European Space Agency launched on 2 March 2004. Along with Philae, its lander module, Rosetta performed a detailed study of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P). During its journey to the comet, the spacecraft performed flybys of Earth, Mars, and the asteroids 21 Lutetia and 2867 Šteins. It was launched as the third cornerstone mission of the ESA's Horizon 2000 programme, after SOHO / Cluster and XMM-Newton.

      4. Periodic contact binary comet

        67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

        67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is a Jupiter-family comet, originally from the Kuiper belt, with a current orbital period of 6.45 years, a rotation period of approximately 12.4 hours and a maximum velocity of 135,000 km/h. Churyumov–Gerasimenko is approximately 4.3 by 4.1 km at its longest and widest dimensions. It was first observed on photographic plates in 1969 by Soviet astronomers Klim Ivanovych Churyumov and Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimenko, after whom it is named. It most recently came to perihelion on 2 November 2021, and will next come to perihelion on 9 April 2028.

  5. 2011

    1. An explosion in the Shahid Modarres missile base led to the deaths of 17 members of the Revolutionary Guards, including Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, a key figure in Iran's missile program.

      1. 2011 explosion of a missile base in northern Iran

        Bid Kaneh explosion

        Bidganeh arsenal explosion was a large explosion that occurred about 13:30 local time, 12 November 2011 in Iran's Moddares garrison missile base. The facility is also referred to as Shahid Modarres missile base, and the Alghadir missile base. Seventeen members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed in this incident, including Major General Hassan Moqaddam, described as "a key figure in Iran's missile programme".

      2. Military organization to protect the political system of the Islamic Republic in Iran

        Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

        The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, founded after the Iranian Revolution on 22 April 1979 by order of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Whereas the Iranian Army defends Iranian borders and maintains internal order, according to the Iranian constitution, the Revolutionary Guard is intended to protect the country's Islamic republic political system, which supporters believe includes preventing foreign interference and coups by the military or "deviant movements". The IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by the governments of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

      3. Iranian ballistic missile expert (1959–2011)

        Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam

        Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam was an Iranian military officer in the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and designer of Iran's ballistic missile project. He was the chief of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He founded Iran's long-range missile program and sought the expertise and blueprint designs from North Korea in order to help develop Iran's missile technology. He designed the Shahab, Ghadr and Sejjil missiles with an operational range of more than 1,000–2,000 kilometres to target Israel. For these reasons he is regarded as the father of Iran's missile program. He was killed on 12 November 2011 in the Bid Kaneh explosion, at a military base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 25 miles west of Iran's capital, Tehran.

    2. Silvio Berlusconi tenders his resignation as Prime Minister of Italy, effective November 16, due in large part to the European sovereign debt crisis.

      1. Italian politician and media tycoon (born 1936)

        Silvio Berlusconi

        Silvio Berlusconi is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1994 to 2013, and has served as a member of the Senate of the Republic since 2022, and previously from March to November 2013, and as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2019, and previously from 1999 to 2001.

      2. Head of government of the Italian Republic

        Prime Minister of Italy

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

      3. Multi-year debt crisis in multiple EU countries since late 2009

        European debt crisis

        The European debt crisis, often also referred to as the eurozone crisis or the European sovereign debt crisis, is a multi-year debt crisis that took place in the European Union (EU) from 2009 until the mid to late 2010s. Several eurozone member states were unable to repay or refinance their government debt or to bail out over-indebted banks under their national supervision without the assistance of third parties like other eurozone countries, the European Central Bank (ECB), or the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    3. A blast in Iran's Shahid Modarres missile base leads to the death of 17 of the Revolutionary Guards members, including Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, a key figure in Iran's missile program.

      1. 2011 explosion of a missile base in northern Iran

        Bid Kaneh explosion

        Bidganeh arsenal explosion was a large explosion that occurred about 13:30 local time, 12 November 2011 in Iran's Moddares garrison missile base. The facility is also referred to as Shahid Modarres missile base, and the Alghadir missile base. Seventeen members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed in this incident, including Major General Hassan Moqaddam, described as "a key figure in Iran's missile programme".

      2. Military organization to protect the political system of the Islamic Republic in Iran

        Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

        The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, founded after the Iranian Revolution on 22 April 1979 by order of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Whereas the Iranian Army defends Iranian borders and maintains internal order, according to the Iranian constitution, the Revolutionary Guard is intended to protect the country's Islamic republic political system, which supporters believe includes preventing foreign interference and coups by the military or "deviant movements". The IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by the governments of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

      3. Iranian ballistic missile expert (1959–2011)

        Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam

        Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam was an Iranian military officer in the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and designer of Iran's ballistic missile project. He was the chief of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He founded Iran's long-range missile program and sought the expertise and blueprint designs from North Korea in order to help develop Iran's missile technology. He designed the Shahab, Ghadr and Sejjil missiles with an operational range of more than 1,000–2,000 kilometres to target Israel. For these reasons he is regarded as the father of Iran's missile program. He was killed on 12 November 2011 in the Bid Kaneh explosion, at a military base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 25 miles west of Iran's capital, Tehran.

  6. 2006

    1. Although the Georgian government declared it illegal, South Ossetia held a referendum on independence, with more than 99 percent of voters in favour of preserving the region's status as a de facto independent state.

      1. Partially recognised state in the South Caucasus

        South Ossetia

        South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated population of just over 56,500 people (2022), who live in an area of 3,900 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), on the south side of the Greater Caucasus mountain range, with 33,000 living in the capital city, Tskhinvali. Only Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria recognise South Ossetia as a sovereign state. Although Georgia does not control South Ossetia, the Georgian government and the United Nations consider the territory part of Georgia.

      2. 2006 South Ossetian independence referendum

        South Ossetia, a mostly unrecognized republic in the South Caucasus, formerly the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic with its capital in Tskhinvali, held a referendum on independence on November 12, 2006.

      3. List of states with limited recognition

        A number of polities have declared independence and sought diplomatic recognition from the international community as sovereign states, but have not been universally recognised as such. These entities often have de facto control of their territory. A number of such entities have existed in the past.

  7. 2003

    1. Iraq War: In Nasiriyah, Iraq, at least 23 people, among them the first Italian casualties of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, are killed in a suicide bomb attack on an Italian police base.

      1. 2003–2011 war after an American-led invasion

        Iraq War

        The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 that began with the invasion of Iraq by the United States–led coalition that overthrew the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. The conflict continued for much of the next decade as an insurgency emerged to oppose the coalition forces and the post-invasion Iraqi government. US troops were officially withdrawn in 2011. The United States became re-involved in 2014 at the head of a new coalition, and the insurgency and many dimensions of the armed conflict continue today. The invasion occurred as part of the George W. Bush administration's War on terror following the September 11 attacks, despite no connection between Iraq and the attacks.

      2. City in Dhi Qar, Iraq

        Nasiriyah

        Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the lower Euphrates, about 360 km south-southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the Dhi Qar Governorate. Its population in 2003 was about 560,000, making it the fourth-largest city in Iraq. It had a diverse population of Muslims, Mandaeans and Jews in the early 20th century; today its inhabitants are predominantly Shia muslims.

      3. Military invasion led by the United States

        2003 invasion of Iraq

        The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 days of major combat operations, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland invaded Iraq. Twenty-two days after the first day of the invasion, the capital city of Baghdad was captured by Coalition forces on 9 April 2003 after the six-day-long Battle of Baghdad. This early stage of the war formally ended on 1 May 2003 when U.S. President George W. Bush declared the "end of major combat operations" in his Mission Accomplished speech, after which the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was established as the first of several successive transitional governments leading up to the first Iraqi parliamentary election in January 2005. U.S. military forces later remained in Iraq until the withdrawal in 2011.

      4. 2003 Nasiriyah bombing

        The 2003 Nasiriyah bombing was a suicide attack on the Italian Carabinieri MSU headquarters in Nasiriyah, Iraq, south of Baghdad on 12 November 2003. The attack resulted in the deaths of 18 Italian servicemembers, mostly members of the MSU Carabinieri, an Italian civilian, and 9 Iraqi civilians and was the worst Italian military disaster since the Second World War. The attack, labeled a "terrorist act" by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, was among a string of many attacks on non-American military international targets in Iraq that occurred shortly after the end of major combat operations, including the Jordanian and Turkish embassies, International Red Cross, and UN facilities.

    2. Shanghai Transrapid sets a new world speed record of 501 kilometres per hour (311 mph) for commercial railway systems, which remains the fastest for unmodified commercial rail vehicles.

      1. Railway line in Shanghai using magnetic levitation train

        Shanghai maglev train

        The Shanghai maglev train or Shanghai Transrapid is a magnetic levitation train (maglev) line that operates in Shanghai, China. It is the oldest commercial maglev still in operation, and the first commercial high-speed maglev with cruising speed of 431 km/h (268 mph). It is also the fastest commercial electric train in the world.

      2. Railway speed record

        The world record for a conventional wheeled passenger train is held by France's TGV, set in 2007 when it reached 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph) on a 140 km (87 mi) section of track.

  8. 2001

    1. American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into residential buildings five minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, killing a total of 265 people.

      1. Aviation accident in November 2001, New York, USA

        American Airlines Flight 587

        American Airlines Flight 587 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. On November 12, 2001, the Airbus A300B4-605R flying the route, crashed into the neighborhood of Belle Harbor, on the Rockaway Peninsula of Queens, New York City, shortly after takeoff. All 260 people aboard the plane were killed, as well as five people on the ground. It is the second-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history behind the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in 1979, and the second-deadliest aviation incident involving an Airbus A300.

      2. Major U.S. airport in New York City

        John F. Kennedy International Airport

        John F. Kennedy International Airport is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New York airport system, the 13th-busiest airport in the United States, and the busiest international air passenger gateway into North America. Over 90 airlines operate from the airport, with nonstop or direct flights to destinations in all six inhabited continents.

    2. In New York City, American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300 en route to the Dominican Republic, crashes minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 on board and five on the ground.

      1. Aviation accident in November 2001, New York, USA

        American Airlines Flight 587

        American Airlines Flight 587 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. On November 12, 2001, the Airbus A300B4-605R flying the route, crashed into the neighborhood of Belle Harbor, on the Rockaway Peninsula of Queens, New York City, shortly after takeoff. All 260 people aboard the plane were killed, as well as five people on the ground. It is the second-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history behind the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in 1979, and the second-deadliest aviation incident involving an Airbus A300.

      2. World's first twin-engine widebody jet airliner

        Airbus A300

        The Airbus A300 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus. In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a large airliner. West Germany and France reached an agreement on 29 May 1969 after the British withdrew from the project on 10 April 1969. European collaborative aerospace manufacturer Airbus Industrie was formally created on 18 December 1970 to develop and produce it. The prototype first flew on 28 October 1972.

      3. Country in the Caribbean

        Dominican Republic

        The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with Haiti, making Hispaniola one of only two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that is shared by two sovereign states. The Dominican Republic is the second-largest nation in the Antilles by area at 48,671 square kilometers (18,792 sq mi), and third-largest by population, with approximately 10.7 million people, down from 10.8 million in 2020, of whom approximately 3.3 million live in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo, the capital city. The official language of the country is Spanish.

      4. Major U.S. airport in New York City

        John F. Kennedy International Airport

        John F. Kennedy International Airport is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New York airport system, the 13th-busiest airport in the United States, and the busiest international air passenger gateway into North America. Over 90 airlines operate from the airport, with nonstop or direct flights to destinations in all six inhabited continents.

    3. War in Afghanistan: Taliban forces abandon Kabul, ahead of advancing Afghan Northern Alliance troops.

      1. Conflict between NATO Western forces and the Taliban

        War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

        The War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) was an armed conflict that began when an international military coalition led by the United States launched an invasion of Afghanistan, toppling the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate and establishing the internationally recognized Islamic Republic three years later. The conflict ultimately ended with the 2021 Taliban offensive, which overthrew the Islamic Republic, and re-established the Islamic Emirate. It was the longest war in the military history of the United States, surpassing the length of the Vietnam War (1955–1975) by approximately six months.

      2. Islamist organization in Afghanistan (founded 1994)

        Taliban

        The Taliban, which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pashtun nationalist political movement in Afghanistan. It ruled approximately three-quarters of the country from 1996 to 2001, before being overthrown following the United States invasion. It recaptured Kabul on 15 August 2021 after nearly 20 years of insurgency, and currently controls all of the country, although its government has not yet been recognized by any country. The Taliban government has been criticized for restricting human rights in Afghanistan, including the right of women and girls to work and to have an education.

      3. Capital and the largest city of Afghanistan

        Kabul

        Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. According to late 2022 estimates, the population of Kabul was 13.5 million people. In contemporary times, the city has served as Afghanistan's political, cultural, and economical centre, and rapid urbanisation has made Kabul the 75th-largest city in the world and the country's primate city.

      4. 1996–2001 anti-Taliban military front in Afghanistan

        Northern Alliance

        The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, was a military alliance of groups that operated between late 1996 to 2001 after the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) took over Kabul. The United Front was originally assembled by key leaders of the Islamic State of Afghanistan, particularly president Burhanuddin Rabbani and former Defense Minister Ahmad Shah Massoud. Initially it included mostly Tajiks but by 2000, leaders of other ethnic groups had joined the Northern Alliance. This included Karim Khalili, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Abdullah Abdullah, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Qadir, Asif Mohseni, Amrullah Saleh and others.

  9. 1999

    1. The 7.2 Mw  Düzce earthquake shakes northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 845 people are killed and almost 5,000 are injured.

      1. 1999 earthquake in north-central Turkey

        1999 Düzce earthquake

        The 1999 Düzce earthquake occurred on 12 November at 18:57:22 local time with a moment magnitude of 7.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), causing damage and at least 845 fatalities in Düzce, Turkey. The epicenter was approximately 100 km (62 mi) to the east of the extremely destructive 1999 İzmit earthquake that happened a few months earlier. Both strike-slip earthquakes were caused by movement on the North Anatolian Fault.

      2. Country straddling Western Asia and Southeastern Europe

        Turkey

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

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

        Modified Mercalli intensity scale

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

  10. 1997

    1. Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

      1. Pakistani terrorist convicted of 1993 World Trade Center bombing

        Ramzi Yousef

        Ramzi Ahmed Yousef is a Pakistani convicted terrorist who was one of the main perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the bombing of Philippine Airlines Flight 434; he was also a co-conspirator in the Bojinka plot. In 1995, he was arrested by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and U.S. Diplomatic Security Service at a guest house in Islamabad, Pakistan, while trying to set a bomb in a doll, then extradited to the United States.

      2. Terrorist truck attack in New York City

        1993 World Trade Center bombing

        The 1993 World Trade Center bombing was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, U.S., carried out on February 26, 1993, when a van bomb detonated below the North Tower of the complex. The 1,336 lb (606 kg) urea nitrate–hydrogen gas enhanced device was intended to send the North Tower crashing into the South Tower, bringing both towers down and killing tens of thousands of people. It failed to do so, but killed six people, including a pregnant woman, and injured over one thousand. About 50,000 people were evacuated from the buildings that day.

  11. 1996

    1. A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 collided in mid-air near New Delhi, killing 349 people, the deadliest such collision in history.

      1. Flag carrier of Saudi Arabia

        Saudia

        Saudia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. The airline's main operational base is at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are secondary hubs. The airline is the third largest in the Middle East in terms of Qatar Airways. It operates domestic and international scheduled flights to over 100 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Domestic and international charter flights are operated, mostly during the Ramadan and the Hajj season. It joined the SkyTeam airline alliance on 29 May 2012 becoming the first Persian Gulf carrier to join one of the three major airline alliances. Saudia is a member and one of the founders of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.

      2. First flag carrier of Kazakhstan

        Kazakhstan Airlines

        Kazakhstan Airlines was an airline from Kazakhstan, serving as national flag carrier of the country from its independence in 1991 until 1996. Following the disaster of the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, Kazakhstan Airlines ceased operations, and its role as flag carrier was transferred to Air Kazakhstan.

      3. November 1996 mid-air plane collision in northern India

        1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision

        On 12 November 1996, Saudia Flight 763, a Boeing 747 en route from Delhi, India, to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907, an Ilyushin Il-76 en route from Chimkent, Kazakhstan, to Delhi, collided over the village of Charkhi Dadri, around 100 km west of Delhi. The crash killed all 349 people on board both planes, making it the world's deadliest mid-air collision and the deadliest aviation accident to occur in India. The crash was caused by failure of the Kazakhstani crew to maintain the correct altitude, because of confused dialogue with the tower, communicated via the radio operator, while also apparently fighting turbulence.

    2. A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakh Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane collide in mid-air near New Delhi, killing 349 in the deadliest mid-air collision to date.

      1. Flag carrier of Saudi Arabia

        Saudia

        Saudia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. The airline's main operational base is at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are secondary hubs. The airline is the third largest in the Middle East in terms of Qatar Airways. It operates domestic and international scheduled flights to over 100 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Domestic and international charter flights are operated, mostly during the Ramadan and the Hajj season. It joined the SkyTeam airline alliance on 29 May 2012 becoming the first Persian Gulf carrier to join one of the three major airline alliances. Saudia is a member and one of the founders of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.

      2. American wide-body long-range commercial jet aircraft

        Boeing 747

        The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet 2+1⁄2 times its size, to reduce its seat cost by 30% to democratize air travel. In 1965, Joe Sutter left the 737 development program to design the 747, the first twin-aisle airliner. In April 1966, Pan Am ordered 25 Boeing 747-100 aircraft and in late 1966, Pratt & Whitney agreed to develop its JT9D engine, a high-bypass turbofan. On September 30, 1968, the first 747 was rolled out of the custom-built Everett Plant, the world's largest building by volume. The first flight took place on February 9, 1969, and the 747 was certified in December of that year. It entered service with Pan Am on January 22, 1970. The 747 was the first airplane dubbed "Jumbo Jet", the first wide-body airliner.

      3. Russian heavy military transport aircraft

        Ilyushin Il-76

        The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967, as a replacement for the Antonov An-12. It was designed to deliver heavy machinery to remote, poorly served areas. Military versions of the Il-76 have been widely used in Europe, Asia and Africa, including use as an aerial refueling tanker or command center.

      4. November 1996 mid-air plane collision in northern India

        1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision

        On 12 November 1996, Saudia Flight 763, a Boeing 747 en route from Delhi, India, to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907, an Ilyushin Il-76 en route from Chimkent, Kazakhstan, to Delhi, collided over the village of Charkhi Dadri, around 100 km west of Delhi. The crash killed all 349 people on board both planes, making it the world's deadliest mid-air collision and the deadliest aviation accident to occur in India. The crash was caused by failure of the Kazakhstani crew to maintain the correct altitude, because of confused dialogue with the tower, communicated via the radio operator, while also apparently fighting turbulence.

  12. 1995

    1. Erdut Agreement regarding the peaceful resolution to the Croatian War of Independence is reached.

      1. 1995 treaty ending the Croatian War of Independence

        Erdut Agreement

        The Erdut Agreement, officially the Basic Agreement on the Region of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium, was an agreement reached on 12 November 1995 between the authorities of the Republic of Croatia and the local Serb authorities of the Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia region on the peaceful resolution to the Croatian War of Independence in eastern Croatia. It initiated the process of peaceful reintegration of the region to the central government control and provided a set of guarantees on minority rights and refugee return. It was named after Erdut, the village in which it was signed.

      2. 1991–95 war during the Yugoslav Wars

        Croatian War of Independence

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

  13. 1991

    1. Indonesian forces opened fire on student demonstrators protesting the occupation of East Timor in the capital Dili, killing at least 250 people.

      1. 1991 massacre in Indonesian-occupied East Timor

        Santa Cruz massacre

        The Santa Cruz massacre was the murder of at least 250 East Timorese pro-independence demonstrators in the Santa Cruz cemetery in the capital, Dili, on 12 November 1991, during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor and is part of the East Timor genocide.

      2. 1975–1999 military occupation

        Indonesian occupation of East Timor

        The Indonesian occupation of East Timor began in December 1975 and lasted until October 1999. After centuries of Portuguese colonial rule in East Timor, a 1974 coup in Portugal led to the decolonisation of its former colonies, creating instability in East Timor and leaving its future uncertain. After a small-scale civil war, the pro-independence Fretilin declared victory in the capital city of Dili and declared an independent East Timor on 28 November 1975.

      3. Capital and largest city of East Timor

        Dili

        Dili is the capital and largest city of East Timor. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountains. The climate is tropical, with distinct wet and dry seasons. The city has served as the economic hub and chief port of what is now East Timor since its designation as the capital of Portuguese Timor in 1769. It also serves as the capital of the Dili Municipality, which includes some rural subdivisions in addition to the urban ones which make up the city itself. Dili's growing population is relatively youthful, being mostly of working age. The local language is Tetum, however residents include many internal migrants from other areas of the country.

    2. Santa Cruz massacre: The Indonesian Army open fire on a crowd of student protesters in Dili, East Timor.

      1. 1991 massacre in Indonesian-occupied East Timor

        Santa Cruz massacre

        The Santa Cruz massacre was the murder of at least 250 East Timorese pro-independence demonstrators in the Santa Cruz cemetery in the capital, Dili, on 12 November 1991, during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor and is part of the East Timor genocide.

      2. Land service branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces

        Indonesian Army

        The Indonesian Army is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat (TKR) "Civil Security Forces" first emerged as a paramilitary and police corps.

      3. Capital and largest city of East Timor

        Dili

        Dili is the capital and largest city of East Timor. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountains. The climate is tropical, with distinct wet and dry seasons. The city has served as the economic hub and chief port of what is now East Timor since its designation as the capital of Portuguese Timor in 1769. It also serves as the capital of the Dili Municipality, which includes some rural subdivisions in addition to the urban ones which make up the city itself. Dili's growing population is relatively youthful, being mostly of working age. The local language is Tetum, however residents include many internal migrants from other areas of the country.

  14. 1990

    1. Crown Prince Akihito is formally installed as Emperor Akihito of Japan, becoming the 125th Japanese monarch.

      1. Heir to the throne

        Crown prince

        A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife of the person styled crown prince.

      2. Emperor of Japan from 1989 to 2019

        Akihito

        Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, Heisei being an expression of achieving peace worldwide.

    2. Tim Berners-Lee publishes a formal proposal for the World Wide Web.

      1. English computer scientist, inventor of the World Wide Web (born 1955)

        Tim Berners-Lee

        Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, also known as TimBL, is an English computer scientist best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web. He is a Professorial Fellow of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Berners-Lee proposed an information management system on 12 March 1989, then implemented the first successful communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client and server via the Internet in mid-November.

      2. System of interlinked hypertext documents accessed over the Internet

        World Wide Web

        The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet.

  15. 1982

    1. USSR: Yuri Andropov becomes the General Secretary of the Communist Party's Central Committee, succeeding Leonid I. Brezhnev.

      1. Country in Eurasia (1922–1991)

        Soviet Union

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

      2. Leader of the Soviet Union from 1982 to 1984

        Yuri Andropov

        Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was the sixth paramount leader of the Soviet Union and the fourth General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. After Leonid Brezhnev's 18-year rule, Andropov served in the post from November 1982 until his death in February 1984.

      3. De facto leader of the Soviet Union

        General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

        The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, more commonly called the General Secretary was the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). From 1929 until the union's dissolution in 1991, the officeholder was the recognized leader of the Soviet Union. Officially, the General Secretary solely controlled the Communist Party directly. However, since the party had a monopoly on political power, the General Secretary had executive control of the Soviet government. Because of the office's ability to direct both the foreign and domestic policies of the state and preeminence over the Soviet Communist Party, it was the de facto highest office of the Soviet Union.

      4. Executive leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

        Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

        The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the executive leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, acting between sessions of Congress. According to party statutes, the committee directed all party and governmental activities. Its members were elected by the Party Congress.

      5. Leader of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982

        Leonid Brezhnev

        Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and 1982 and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet between 1960 and 1964 and again between 1977 and 1982. His 18-year term as General Secretary was second only to Joseph Stalin's in duration. Brezhnev's tenure as General Secretary remains debated by historians; while his rule was characterised by political stability and significant foreign policy successes, it was also marked by corruption, inefficiency, economic stagnation, and rapidly growing technological gaps with the West.

  16. 1981

    1. Space Shuttle program: Mission STS-2, utilizing the Space Shuttle Columbia, marks the first time a crewed spacecraft is launched into space twice.

      1. 1972–2011 United States human spaceflight program

        Space Shuttle program

        The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its official name, Space Transportation System (STS), was taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development. It flew 135 missions and carried 355 astronauts from 16 countries, many on multiple trips.

      2. 1981 American crewed spaceflight

        STS-2

        STS-2 was the second Space Shuttle mission conducted by NASA, and the second flight of the orbiter Columbia. The mission, crewed by Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly, launched on November 12, 1981, and landed two days later on November 14, 1981. STS-2 marked the first time that a crewed, reusable orbital vehicle returned to space. This mission tested the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR) as part of the OSTA-1 payload, along with a wide range of other experiments including the Shuttle robotic arm, commonly known as Canadarm. Other experiments or tests included Shuttle Multispectral Infrared Radiometer, Feature Identification and Location Experiment, Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites, Ocean Color Experiment, Night/Day optical Survey of Lightning, Heflex Bioengineering Test, and Aerodynamic Coefficient Identification Package (ACIP). One of the feats accomplished was various tests on the Orbital Maneuvring System (OMS) including starting and restarting the engines while in orbit and various adjustments to its orbit. The OMS tests also help adjust the Shuttle's orbit for use of the radar. During the mission, President Reagan called the crew of STS-2 from Mission Control Center in Houston.

      3. Partially reusable launch system and spaceplane

        Space Shuttle

        The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS), taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft where it was the only item funded for development. The first (STS-1) of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights (STS-5) beginning in 1982. Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. They launched from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Operational missions launched numerous satellites, interplanetary probes, and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), conducted science experiments in orbit, participated in the Shuttle-Mir program with Russia, and participated in construction and servicing of the International Space Station (ISS). The Space Shuttle fleet's total mission time was 1,323 days.

      4. Orbiter in NASA's Space Shuttle program; operational from 1981 until the 2003 disaster

        Space Shuttle Columbia

        Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA. Named after the first American ship to circumnavigate the upper North American Pacific coast and the female personification of the United States, Columbia was the first of five Space Shuttle orbiters to fly in space, debuting the Space Shuttle launch vehicle on its maiden flight in April 1981. As only the second full-scale orbiter to be manufactured after the Approach and Landing Test vehicle Enterprise, Columbia retained unique features indicative of its experimental design compared to later orbiters, such as test instrumentation and distinctive black chines. In addition to a heavier fuselage and the retention of an internal airlock throughout its lifetime, these made Columbia the heaviest of the five spacefaring orbiters; around 1,000 kilograms heavier than Challenger and 3,600 kilograms heavier than Endeavour. Columbia also carried ejection seats based on those from the SR-71 during its first six flights until 1983, and from 1986 onwards carried an external imaging pod on its vertical stabilizer.

  17. 1980

    1. The NASA space probe Voyager I makes its closest approach to Saturn and takes the first images of its rings.

      1. American space and aeronautics agency

        NASA

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

      2. NASA 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, 3 months and 4 days as of December 10, 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.

      3. Sixth planet from the Sun

        Saturn

        Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; however, with its larger volume, Saturn is over 95 times more massive.

      4. Planar assemblage of icy particles orbiting Saturn

        Rings of Saturn

        The rings of Saturn are the most extensive ring system of any planet in the Solar System. They consist of countless small particles, ranging in size from micrometers to meters, that orbit around Saturn. The ring particles are made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of rocky material. There is still no consensus as to their mechanism of formation. Although theoretical models indicated that the rings were likely to have formed early in the Solar System's history, newer data from Cassini suggested they formed relatively late.

  18. 1979

    1. Iran hostage crisis: In response to the hostage situation in Tehran, U.S. President Jimmy Carter orders a halt to all petroleum imports into the United States from Iran.

      1. 1979–1981 diplomatic standoff between the United States and Iran

        Iran hostage crisis

        On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took them as hostages. A diplomatic standoff ensued. The hostages were held for 444 days, being released on January 20, 1981.

      2. Capital city of Iran

        Tehran

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

      3. President of the United States from 1977 to 1981

        Jimmy Carter

        James Earl Carter Jr. is an American former politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967. Since leaving office, Carter has remained engaged in political and social projects, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work.

      4. 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.

  19. 1977

    1. France conducts the Oreste nuclear test as 14th in the group of 29, 1975–78 French nuclear tests series.

      1. Country in Western Europe

        France

        France, officially the French Republic, is a transcontinental country predominantly located in Western Europe and spanning overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Due to its several coastal territories, France has the largest exclusive economic zone in the world. France borders Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Andorra, and Spain in continental Europe, as well as the Netherlands, Suriname, and Brazil in the Americas via its overseas territories in French Guiana and Saint Martin. Its eighteen integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 km2 (248,573 sq mi) and contain close to 68 million people. France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre; other major urban areas include Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Bordeaux, and Nice.

      2. Series of French nuclear tests conducted in the South Pacific

        1975–78 French nuclear tests

        The 1975–1978 nuclear test series was a group of 29 nuclear tests conducted by France in 1975–1978. These tests followed the 1971–1974 French nuclear tests series and preceded the 1979–1980 French nuclear tests series.

  20. 1975

    1. The Comoros joins the United Nations.

      1. Country in the Indian Ocean

        Comoros

        The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni. The religion of the majority of the population, and the official state religion, is Sunni Islam. As a member of the Arab League, it is the only country in the Arab world which is entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. Comoros proclaimed their independence on July 6, 1975. It is also a member state of the African Union, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Indian Ocean Commission. The country has three official languages: Chi Comori, French and Arabic.

  21. 1971

    1. Vietnam War: As part of Vietnamization, U.S. President Richard Nixon sets February 1, 1972 as the deadline for the removal of another 45,000 American troops from Vietnam.

      1. Policy of American withdrawal from South Vietnam near the end of the Vietnam War

        Vietnamization

        Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard Nixon administration to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnamese forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops". Brought on by the Viet Cong's Tet Offensive, the policy referred to U.S. combat troops specifically in the ground combat role, but did not reject combat by the U.S. Air Force, as well as the support to South Vietnam, consistent with the policies of U.S. foreign military assistance organizations. U.S. citizens' mistrust of their government that had begun after the offensive worsened with the release of news about U.S. soldiers massacring civilians at My Lai (1968), the invasion of Cambodia (1970), and the leaking of the Pentagon Papers (1971).

      2. President of the United States from 1969 to 1974

        Richard Nixon

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

      3. Country in Southeast Asia

        Vietnam

        Vietnam or Viet Nam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of 311,699 square kilometres (120,348 sq mi) and population of 96 million, making it the world's fifteenth-most populous country. Vietnam borders China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west. It shares maritime borders with Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand, and the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia through the South China Sea. Its capital is Hanoi and its largest city is Ho Chi Minh City.

  22. 1970

    1. The Oregon Highway Division unsuccessfully attempted to destroy a rotting beached sperm whale near Florence, Oregon, with dynamite.

      1. Department of the state government of Oregon, United States

        Oregon Department of Transportation

        The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Department which, along with the Oregon State Highway Commission, was created by an act of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1913. It works closely with the five-member Oregon Transportation Commission in managing the state's transportation systems.

      2. Phenomenon of a beached whale exploding due to explosives or decomposition

        Exploding whale

        There have been several cases of exploding whale carcasses due to a buildup of gas in the decomposition process. This would occur if a whale decides to strand itself ashore. Actual explosives have also been used to assist in disposing of whale carcasses, ordinarily after towing the carcass out to sea, and as part of a beach cleaning effort. It was reported as early as 1928, when an attempt to preserve a carcass failed due to faulty chemical usages.

      3. Largest species of toothed whale

        Sperm whale

        The sperm whale or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.

      4. City in Oregon, United States

        Florence, Oregon

        Florence is a coastal city in Lane County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It lies at the mouth of the Siuslaw River on the Pacific Ocean and about midway between Newport and Coos Bay along U.S. Route 101. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 8,921.

    2. The deadliest tropical cyclone in history made landfall on the coast of East Pakistan (Bangladesh), killing at least 250,000 people.

      1. Tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan in 1970

        1970 Bhola cyclone

        The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan and India's West Bengal on November 11, 1970. It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the world's deadliest natural disasters. At least 300,000 people lost their lives in the storm, possibly as many as 500,000, primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta. Bhola was the sixth and strongest cyclonic storm of the 1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.

      2. Former provincial wing of Pakistan (1955–1971)

        East Pakistan

        East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which nowadays is split up between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, with a coastline on the Bay of Bengal. East Pakistanis were popularly known as "Pakistani Bengalis"; to distinguish this region from India's state West Bengal, East Pakistan was known as "Pakistani Bengal". In 1971, East Pakistan became the newly independent state Bangladesh, which means "country of Bengal" in Bengali.

    3. The Oregon Highway Division attempts to destroy a rotting beached sperm whale with explosives, leading to the now infamous "exploding whale" incident.

      1. Department of the state government of Oregon, United States

        Oregon Department of Transportation

        The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Department which, along with the Oregon State Highway Commission, was created by an act of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1913. It works closely with the five-member Oregon Transportation Commission in managing the state's transportation systems.

      2. Largest species of toothed whale

        Sperm whale

        The sperm whale or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.

      3. Phenomenon of a beached whale exploding due to explosives or decomposition

        Exploding whale

        There have been several cases of exploding whale carcasses due to a buildup of gas in the decomposition process. This would occur if a whale decides to strand itself ashore. Actual explosives have also been used to assist in disposing of whale carcasses, ordinarily after towing the carcass out to sea, and as part of a beach cleaning effort. It was reported as early as 1928, when an attempt to preserve a carcass failed due to faulty chemical usages.

    4. The 1970 Bhola cyclone makes landfall on the coast of East Pakistan, becoming the deadliest tropical cyclone in history.

      1. Tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan in 1970

        1970 Bhola cyclone

        The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan and India's West Bengal on November 11, 1970. It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the world's deadliest natural disasters. At least 300,000 people lost their lives in the storm, possibly as many as 500,000, primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta. Bhola was the sixth and strongest cyclonic storm of the 1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.

      2. Former provincial wing of Pakistan (1955–1971)

        East Pakistan

        East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which nowadays is split up between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, with a coastline on the Bay of Bengal. East Pakistanis were popularly known as "Pakistani Bengalis"; to distinguish this region from India's state West Bengal, East Pakistan was known as "Pakistani Bengal". In 1971, East Pakistan became the newly independent state Bangladesh, which means "country of Bengal" in Bengali.

  23. 1969

    1. Vietnam War: Independent investigative journalist Seymour Hersh breaks the story of the My Lai Massacre.

      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. American investigative journalist

        Seymour Hersh

        Seymour Myron "Sy" Hersh is an American investigative journalist and political writer.

      3. 1968 mass murder of civilians by American soldiers during the Vietnam War

        Mỹ Lai massacre

        The Mỹ Lai massacre was the mass murder of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians by United States troops in Sơn Tịnh District, South Vietnam, on 16 March 1968 during the Vietnam War. Between 347 and 504 unarmed people were killed by U.S. Army soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment and Company B, 4th Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade, 23rd (Americal) Infantry Division. Victims included men, women, children, and infants. Some of the women were gang-raped and their bodies mutilated, and some mutilated and raped children who were as young as 12. Twenty-six soldiers were charged with criminal offenses, but only Lieutenant William Calley Jr., a platoon leader in C Company, was convicted. Found guilty of murdering 22 villagers, he was originally given a life sentence, but served three-and-a-half years under house arrest after President Richard Nixon commuted his sentence.

  24. 1961

    1. Terry Jo Duperrault is the sole survivor of a series of brutal murders aboard the ketch Bluebelle.

      1. Type of sailboat

        Ketch

        A ketch is a two-masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast, and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch from a yawl, which has its mizzen mast stepped aft of its rudder post. In the 19th and 20th centuries, ketch rigs were often employed on larger yachts and working watercraft, but ketches are also used as smaller working watercraft as short as 15 feet, or as small cruising boats, such as Bill Hanna's Tahiti ketches or L. Francis Herreshoff's Rozinante and H-28.

      2. Sailing ship; site of 1961 mass murder

        Bluebelle (ship)

        Bluebelle was a 60-foot (18 m) twin-masted sailing ketch based out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ship was scuttled following an act of mass murder by the ship's captain, Julian Harvey, on November 12, 1961.

  25. 1958

    1. A team of rock climbers led by Warren Harding completes the first ascent of The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.

      1. American rock climber (1924–2002)

        Warren Harding (climber)

        Warren Harding was one of the most accomplished and influential American rock climbers of the 1950s to 1970s. He was the leader of the first team to climb El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, in 1958. The route they climbed, known as The Nose, ascends 2,900 feet (880 m) up the central buttress of what is one of the largest granite monoliths in the world. Harding climbed many other first ascents in Yosemite, some 28 in all, as well as making the first true big-wall ascents in the Sierra Nevada range of California.

      2. Rock climbing route in Yosemite National Park, USA

        The Nose (El Capitan)

        The Nose is one of the original technical climbing routes up El Capitan. Once considered impossible to climb, El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing. It is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and considered a classic around the world.

      3. Vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park

        El Capitan

        El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about 3,000 feet (914 m) from base to summit along its tallest face and is a popular objective for rock climbers.

      4. Glacial valley in California, United States

        Yosemite Valley

        Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about 7.5 mi (12.1 km) long and 3,000–3,500 ft (910–1,070 m) deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines. The valley is drained by the Merced River, and a multitude of streams and waterfalls flow into it, including Tenaya, Illilouette, Yosemite and Bridalveil Creeks. Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America and is a big attraction especially in the spring, when the water flow is at its peak. The valley is renowned for its natural environment and is regarded as the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park.

  26. 1956

    1. Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia join the United Nations.

      1. Country in North Africa

        Morocco

        Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east, and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south. Mauritania lies to the south of Western Sahara. Morocco also claims the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, and several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast. It spans an area of 446,300 km2 (172,300 sq mi) or 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi), with a population of roughly 37 million. Its official and predominant religion is Islam, and the official languages are Arabic and Berber; the Moroccan dialect of Arabic and French are also widely spoken. Moroccan identity and culture is a mix of Arab, Berber, and European cultures. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca.

      2. Country in North Africa

        Sudan

        Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in East Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Egypt to the north, Eritrea to the northeast, Ethiopia to the southeast, Libya to the northwest, South Sudan to the south and the Red Sea. It has a population of 45.70 million people as of 2022 and occupies 1,886,068 square kilometres, making it Africa's third-largest country by area, and the third-largest by area in the Arab League. It was the largest country by area in Africa and the Arab League until the secession of South Sudan in 2011, since which both titles have been held by Algeria. Its capital is Khartoum and its most populated city is Omdurman.

      3. Country in North Africa

        Tunisia

        Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a part of the Maghreb region of North Africa, bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It features the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan. Known for its ancient architecture, souks and blue coasts, it covers 163,610 km2 (63,170 sq mi), and has a population of 12.1 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern reaches of the Sahara desert; much of its remaining territory is arable land. Its 1,300 km (810 mi) of coastline include the African conjunction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Basin. Tunisia is home to Africa's northernmost point, Cape Angela; and its capital and largest city is Tunis, which is located on its northeastern coast, and lends the country its name.

      4. Intergovernmental organization

        United Nations

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

    2. In the midst of the Suez Crisis, Palestinian refugees are shot dead in Rafah by Israel Defense Force soldiers following the invasion of the Gaza Strip.

      1. 1956 invasion of Egypt by Israel, the United Kingdom and France

        Suez Crisis

        The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was an invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, followed by the United Kingdom and France. The aims were to regain control of the Suez Canal for the Western powers and to remove Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had just swiftly nationalised the foreign-owned Suez Canal Company, which administered the canal. Israel's primary objective was to re-open the blocked Straits of Tiran. After the fighting had started, political pressure from the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Nations led to a withdrawal by the three invaders. The episode humiliated the United Kingdom and France and strengthened Nasser.

      2. Displaced persons and refugees

        Palestinian refugees

        Palestinian refugees are citizens of Mandatory Palestine, and their descendants, who fled or were expelled from their country over the course of the 1947–49 Palestine war and the Six-Day War. Most Palestinian refugees live in or near 68 Palestinian refugee camps across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In 2019 more than 5.6 million Palestinian refugees were registered with the United Nations.

      3. 1956 murder of Palestinians by Israeli forces during the Suez Crisis

        Rafah massacre

        The Rafah massacre occurred on November 12, 1956, during Israel's occupation of the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Protectorate following the Suez Crisis. The town of Rafah, lying on the Egypt–Gaza border, had been one of two invasion points during the initial incursion by the Israel Defense Forces into the Strip on November 1. As with the earlier Khan Yunis massacre, circumstances surrounding the events which led to the deaths of approximately 111 residents of Rafah and the nearby refugee camp are highly disputed, with Israel neither denying nor acknowledging any wrongdoing, while admitting that a number of refugees were killed during a screening operation. Refugees, it is also claimed, continued to resist the occupying army.

      4. Combined military forces of Israel

        Israel Defense Forces

        The Israel Defense Forces, alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym Tzahal (צה״ל), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and the Israeli Navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security apparatus, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel. The IDF is headed by the Chief of the General Staff, who is subordinate to the Israeli Defense Minister.

      5. Self-governing Palestinian territory next to Egypt and Israel

        Gaza Strip

        The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a Palestinian exclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The smaller of the two Palestinian territories, it borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km (32 mi) border. Together, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank make up the State of Palestine, while being under Israeli military occupation since 1967.

  27. 1954

    1. Ellis Island ceases operations.

      1. Island in New York Harbor in New York and New Jersey, United States

        Ellis Island

        Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 million immigrants arriving at the Port of New York and New Jersey were processed there under federal law. Today, it is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and is accessible to the public only by ferry. The north side of the island is the site of the main building, now a national museum of immigration. The south side of the island, including the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, is open to the public only through guided tours.

  28. 1948

    1. Former Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo was sentenced to death for war crimes alongside generals Iwane Matsui, Akira Mutō and Kenji Doihara.

      1. Prime Minister of Japan, war criminal 1884–1948

        Hideki Tojo

        Hideki Tojo was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association for most of World War II. He assumed several more positions including chief of staff of the Imperial Army before ultimately being removed from in July 1944. During his years in power, his leadership was marked by extreme state-perpetrated violence in the name of Japanese ultranationalism, much of which he was personally involved in.

      2. Individual act constituting a serious violation of the laws of war

        War crime

        A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostages, unnecessarily destroying civilian property, deception by perfidy, wartime sexual violence, pillaging, and for any individual that is part of the command structure who orders any attempt to committing mass killings including genocide or ethnic cleansing, the granting of no quarter despite surrender, the conscription of children in the military and flouting the legal distinctions of proportionality and military necessity.

      3. Japanese officer, war criminal 1878–1948

        Iwane Matsui

        Iwane Matsui was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary force sent to China in 1937. He was convicted of war crimes and executed by the Allies for his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre.

      4. Japanese officer, war criminal 1892–1948

        Akira Mutō

        Akira Mutō was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He was convicted of war crimes and was executed by hanging. Mutō was implicated in both the Nanjing Massacre and the Manila massacre.

      5. Japanese officer, war criminal 1883-1948

        Kenji Doihara

        Kenji Doihara was a Japanese army officer. As a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, he was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.

    2. Aftermath of World War II: In Tokyo, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East sentences seven Japanese military and government officials, including General Hideki Tojo, to death for their roles in World War II.

      1. Events after the end of the war in 1945

        Aftermath of World War II

        The aftermath of World War II was the beginning of a new era started in late 1945 for all countries involved, defined by the decline of all colonial empires and simultaneous rise of two superpowers; the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US). Once Allies during World War II, the US and the USSR became competitors on the world stage and engaged in the Cold War, so called because it never resulted in overt, declared total war between the two powers but was instead characterized by espionage, political subversion and proxy wars. Western Europe and Asia were rebuilt through the American Marshall Plan, whereas Central and Eastern Europe fell under the Soviet sphere of influence and eventually behind an "Iron Curtain". Europe was divided into a US-led Western Bloc and a USSR-led Eastern Bloc. Internationally, alliances with the two blocs gradually shifted, with some nations trying to stay out of the Cold War through the Non-Aligned Movement. The war also saw a nuclear arms race between the two superpowers; part of the reason that the Cold War never became a "hot" war was that the Soviet Union and the United States had nuclear deterrents against each other, leading to a mutually assured destruction standoff.

      2. Post-World War II war crimes trials

        International Military Tribunal for the Far East

        The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), also known as the Tokyo Trial or the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, was a military trial convened on April 29, 1946 to try leaders of the Empire of Japan for crimes against peace, conventional war crimes, and crimes against humanity leading up to and during the Second World War. It was modeled after the International Military Tribunal (IMT) formed several months earlier in Nuremberg, Germany to prosecute senior officials of Nazi Germany.

      3. Prime Minister of Japan, war criminal 1884–1948

        Hideki Tojo

        Hideki Tojo was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association for most of World War II. He assumed several more positions including chief of staff of the Imperial Army before ultimately being removed from in July 1944. During his years in power, his leadership was marked by extreme state-perpetrated violence in the name of Japanese ultranationalism, much of which he was personally involved in.

  29. 1945

    1. Sudirman was elected the first commander-in-chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces.

      1. First commander-in-chief of the Indonesian armed forces (1916–1950)

        Sudirman

        General of the Army Raden Sudirman was a high-ranking Indonesian military officer during the Indonesian National Revolution. The first commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, he continues to be widely respected in the country.

      2. Combined military forces of Indonesia

        Indonesian National Armed Forces

        The Indonesian National Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Indonesia. It consists of the Army (TNI-AD), Navy (TNI-AL), and Air Force (TNI-AU). The President of Indonesia is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. In 2021, it comprises approximately 395,500 military personnel including the Indonesian Marine Corps, which is a branch of the Navy.

  30. 1944

    1. Second World War: The Royal Air Force sank the German battleship Tirpitz on the ninth attempt (video featured), killing about 1,000 sailors on board.

      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. Aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces

        Royal Air Force

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

      3. Bismarck-class battleship of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine

        German battleship Tirpitz

        Tirpitz was the second of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine (navy) prior to and during the Second World War. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Kaiserliche Marine, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and her hull was launched two and a half years later. Work was completed in February 1941, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Like her sister ship, Bismarck, Tirpitz was armed with a main battery of eight 38-centimetre (15 in) guns in four twin turrets. After a series of wartime modifications she was 2000 tonnes heavier than Bismarck, making her the heaviest battleship ever built by a European navy.

      4. British air raid of World War II

        Operation Catechism

        Operation Catechism was a British air raid of World War II that destroyed the German battleship Tirpitz. It was conducted on 12 November 1944 by 29 Royal Air Force heavy bombers that attacked the battleship at its anchorage near the Norwegian city of Tromsø. The ship capsized after being hit by at least two bombs and damaged by the explosions of others, killing between 940 and 1,204 members of the crew; the British suffered no casualties.

    2. World War II: The Royal Air Force launches 29 Avro Lancaster bombers, which sink the German battleship Tirpitz, with 12,000 lb Tallboy bombs off Tromsø, Norway.

      1. Aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces

        Royal Air Force

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

      2. World War II British heavy bomber aircraft

        Avro Lancaster

        The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era.

      3. Large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns

        Battleship

        A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

      4. Bismarck-class battleship of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine

        German battleship Tirpitz

        Tirpitz was the second of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine (navy) prior to and during the Second World War. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Kaiserliche Marine, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and her hull was launched two and a half years later. Work was completed in February 1941, when she was commissioned into the German fleet. Like her sister ship, Bismarck, Tirpitz was armed with a main battery of eight 38-centimetre (15 in) guns in four twin turrets. After a series of wartime modifications she was 2000 tonnes heavier than Bismarck, making her the heaviest battleship ever built by a European navy.

      5. Type of earthquake bomb

        Tallboy (bomb)

        Tallboy or Bomb, Medium Capacity, 12,000 lb was an earthquake bomb developed by the British aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis and used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

      6. Municipality in Troms og Finnmark, Norway

        Tromsø

        Tromsø is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.

  31. 1942

    1. World War II: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, the decisive engagement in a series of sea battles between Allied and Japanese forces during the months-long Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands, began.

      1. Global war, 1939–1945

        World War II

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

      2. 1942 naval battle in the Pacific Ocean

        Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

        The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the Third Battle of the Solomon Sea , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles between Allied and Imperial Japanese forces during the months-long Guadalcanal Campaign in the Solomon Islands during World War II. The action consisted of combined air and sea engagements over four days, most near Guadalcanal and all related to a Japanese effort to reinforce land forces on the island. The only two U.S. Navy admirals to be killed in a surface engagement in the war were lost in this battle.

      3. Combat involving sea-going ships

        Naval warfare

        Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large landmasses, transportation before the advent of extensive railroads was largely dependent upon rivers, canals, and other navigable waterways.

      4. Grouping of the victorious countries of the war

        Allies of World War II

        The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy. Its principal members by 1941 were the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and China.

      5. U.S. military campaign in World War II

        Guadalcanal campaign

        The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater of World War II. It was the first major land offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan.

    2. World War II: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal between Japanese and American forces begins near Guadalcanal. The battle lasts for three days and ends with an American victory.

      1. 1942 naval battle in the Pacific Ocean

        Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

        The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the Third Battle of the Solomon Sea , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles between Allied and Imperial Japanese forces during the months-long Guadalcanal Campaign in the Solomon Islands during World War II. The action consisted of combined air and sea engagements over four days, most near Guadalcanal and all related to a Japanese effort to reinforce land forces on the island. The only two U.S. Navy admirals to be killed in a surface engagement in the war were lost in this battle.

      2. Principal island of Solomon Islands

        Guadalcanal

        Guadalcanal is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the second by population. The island is mainly covered in dense tropical rainforest and has a mountainous hinterland.

  32. 1941

    1. World War II: Temperatures around Moscow drop to −12 °C (10 °F) as the Soviet Union launches ski troops for the first time against the freezing German forces near the city.

      1. Country in Eurasia (1922–1991)

        Soviet Union

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

      2. Use of ski-equipped soldiers in war

        Ski warfare

        Ski warfare is the use of ski-equipped troops in war.

    2. World War II: The Soviet cruiser Chervona Ukraina is destroyed during the Battle of Sevastopol.

      1. Soviet Admiral Nakhimov-class cruiser

        Soviet cruiser Chervona Ukraina

        Chervona Ukraina was an Admiral Nakhimov-class light cruiser of the Soviet Navy assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. During World War II, she supported Soviet forces during the Sieges of Odessa and Sevastopol before being sunk at Sevastopol on 12 November 1941 by German aircraft. She was raised in 1947 and was used as a training hulk before becoming a target ship in 1950.

      2. Nazi German offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II

        Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942)

        The Siege of Sevastopol also known as the Defence of Sevastopol or the Battle of Sevastopol was a military engagement that took place on the Eastern Front of the Second World War. The campaign was fought by the Axis powers of Germany and Romania against the Soviet Union for control of Sevastopol, a port in the Crimea on the Black Sea. On 22 June 1941 the Axis invaded the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa. Axis land forces reached the Crimea in the autumn of 1941 and overran most of the area. The only objective not in Axis hands was Sevastopol. Several attempts were made to secure the city in October and November 1941. A major attack was planned for late November, but heavy rains delayed it until 17 December 1941. Under the command of Erich von Manstein, Axis forces were unable to capture Sevastopol during this first operation. Soviet forces launched an amphibious landing on the Crimean peninsula at Kerch in December 1941 to relieve the siege and force the Axis to divert forces to defend their gains. The operation saved Sevastopol for the time being, but the bridgehead in the eastern Crimea was eliminated in May 1942.

  33. 1940

    1. World War II: Free French forces captured Gabon from Vichy France.

      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. 1940–1944 government-in-exile led by Charles de Gaulle during WWII

        Free France

        Free France was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general Charles de Gaulle, Free France was established as a government-in-exile in London in June 1940 after the Fall of France during World War II and fought the Axis as an Allied nation with its Free French Forces. Free France also supported the resistance in Nazi-occupied France, known as the French Forces of the Interior, and gained strategic footholds in several French colonies in Africa.

      3. WWII battle in colonial Gabon; Allied victory

        Battle of Gabon

        The Battle of Gabon, also called the Gabon Campaign, occurred in November 1940 during World War II. The battle resulted in forces under the orders of General de Gaulle taking the colony of Gabon and its capital, Libreville, from Vichy France, and the rallying of French Equatorial Africa to Free France.

      4. Client state of Nazi Germany (1940–1944)

        Vichy France

        Vichy France, officially the French State, was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its territory occupied under harsh terms of the armistice, it adopted a policy of collaboration with Nazi Germany, which occupied the northern and western portions before occupying the remainder of Metropolitan France in November 1942. Though Paris was ostensibly its capital, the collaborationist Vichy government established itself in the resort town of Vichy in the unoccupied "Free Zone", where it remained responsible for the civil administration of France as well as its colonies.

    2. World War II: Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov arrived in Berlin to discuss the possibility of the Soviet Union joining the Axis powers.

      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. Soviet politician (1890–1986), Statesman and Diplomat

        Vyacheslav Molotov

        Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov was a Russian politician and diplomat, an Old Bolshevik, and a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s onward. He served as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars from 1930 to 1941 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1939 to 1949 and from 1953 to 1956.

      3. 1940 negotiations for Soviet entry as a fourth Axis power in WWII

        German–Soviet Axis talks

        German–Soviet Axis talks occurred in October and November 1940 concerning the Soviet Union's potential entry as a fourth Axis Power during World War II. The negotiations, which occurred during the era of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, included a two-day conference in Berlin between Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov and Adolf Hitler and German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. The talks were followed by both countries trading written proposed agreements.

      4. Alliance defeated in World War II

        Axis powers

        The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Germany, the Kingdom of Italy, and the Empire of Japan. The Axis were united in their opposition to the Allies, but otherwise lacked comparable coordination and ideological cohesion.

    3. World War II: The Battle of Gabon ends as Free French Forces take Libreville, Gabon, and all of French Equatorial Africa from Vichy French forces.

      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. WWII battle in colonial Gabon; Allied victory

        Battle of Gabon

        The Battle of Gabon, also called the Gabon Campaign, occurred in November 1940 during World War II. The battle resulted in forces under the orders of General de Gaulle taking the colony of Gabon and its capital, Libreville, from Vichy France, and the rallying of French Equatorial Africa to Free France.

      3. 1940–1944 government-in-exile led by Charles de Gaulle during WWII

        Free France

        Free France was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general Charles de Gaulle, Free France was established as a government-in-exile in London in June 1940 after the Fall of France during World War II and fought the Axis as an Allied nation with its Free French Forces. Free France also supported the resistance in Nazi-occupied France, known as the French Forces of the Interior, and gained strategic footholds in several French colonies in Africa.

      4. Capital and the largest city of Gabon

        Libreville

        Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Occupying 65 square kilometres (25 sq mi) in the northwestern province of Estuaire, Libreville is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904.

      5. Country on the west coast of Central Africa

        Gabon

        Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. It has an area of nearly 270,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq mi) and its population is estimated at 2.3 million people. There are coastal plains, mountains, and a savanna in the east.

      6. Federation of French colonies in central Africa (1910-58)

        French Equatorial Africa

        French Equatorial Africa, or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, and comprising what are today the countries of Chad, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, and Gabon.

      7. Client state of Nazi Germany (1940–1944)

        Vichy France

        Vichy France, officially the French State, was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its territory occupied under harsh terms of the armistice, it adopted a policy of collaboration with Nazi Germany, which occupied the northern and western portions before occupying the remainder of Metropolitan France in November 1942. Though Paris was ostensibly its capital, the collaborationist Vichy government established itself in the resort town of Vichy in the unoccupied "Free Zone", where it remained responsible for the civil administration of France as well as its colonies.

    4. World War II: Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov arrives in Berlin to discuss the possibility of the Soviet Union joining the Axis Powers.

      1. Soviet politician (1890–1986), Statesman and Diplomat

        Vyacheslav Molotov

        Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov was a Russian politician and diplomat, an Old Bolshevik, and a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s onward. He served as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars from 1930 to 1941 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1939 to 1949 and from 1953 to 1956.

      2. 1940 negotiations for Soviet entry as a fourth Axis power in WWII

        German–Soviet Axis talks

        German–Soviet Axis talks occurred in October and November 1940 concerning the Soviet Union's potential entry as a fourth Axis Power during World War II. The negotiations, which occurred during the era of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, included a two-day conference in Berlin between Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov and Adolf Hitler and German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. The talks were followed by both countries trading written proposed agreements.

  34. 1938

    1. Nazi Germany issues the Decree on the Elimination of Jews from Economic Life prohibiting Jews from selling goods and services or working in a trade, totally segregating Jews from the German economy.

      1. National economy of Nazi Germany

        Economy of Nazi Germany

        Like many other Western nations at the time, Germany suffered the economic effects of the Great Depression with unemployment soaring around the Wall Street Crash of 1929. When Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, he introduced policies aimed at improving the economy. The changes included privatization of state industries, tariffs on imports, and an attempt to achieve autarky. Weekly earnings increased by 19% in real terms from 1933 to 1939, but this was largely due to employees working longer hours, while the hourly wage rates remained close to the lowest levels reached during the Great Depression. In addition, reduced foreign trade meant rationing of consumer goods like poultry, fruit, and clothing for many Germans.

  35. 1936

    1. In California, the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens to traffic.

      1. Complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay

        San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge

        The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries about 260,000 vehicles a day on its two decks. It has one of the longest spans in the United States.

  36. 1933

    1. Nazi Germany uses a referendum to ratify its withdrawal from the League of Nations.

      1. Germany under control of the Nazi Party (1933–1945)

        Nazi Germany

        Nazi Germany was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a dictatorship. Under Hitler's rule, Germany quickly became a totalitarian state where nearly all aspects of life were controlled by the government. The Third Reich, meaning "Third Realm" or "Third Empire", alluded to the Nazi claim that Nazi Germany was the successor to the earlier Holy Roman Empire (800–1806) and German Empire (1871–1918). The Third Reich, which Hitler and the Nazis referred to as the Thousand-Year Reich, ended in May 1945 after just 12 years when the Allies defeated Germany, ending World War II in Europe.

      2. 1933 German referendum

        A referendum on withdrawing from the League of Nations was held in Germany on 12 November 1933 alongside Reichstag elections. The measure was approved by 95.1% of voters with a turnout of 96.3%. It was the first of a series of referendums held by the German cabinet under Chancellor Adolf Hitler, after the cabinet conferred upon itself the ability to hold referendums on 14 July 1933.

      3. 20th-century intergovernmental organisation, predecessor to the United Nations

        League of Nations

        The League of Nations was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. The main organization ceased operations on 20 April 1946 but many of its components were relocated into the new United Nations.

  37. 1928

    1. The British ocean liner SS Vestris sank in the western Atlantic Ocean, killing 111 people.

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

        Ocean liner

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

      2. 1912 ocean liner

        SS Vestris

        SS Vestris was a 1912 steam ocean liner operated by Lamport and Holt Line and used on its service between New York and the River Plate. On 12 November 1928 she began listing about 200 miles (300 km) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, was abandoned, and sank, killing more than 100 people. Her wreck is thought to lie some 1.2 miles (2 km) beneath the North Atlantic.

    2. SS Vestris sinks approximately 200 miles (320 km) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, killing at least 110 passengers, mostly women and children who die after the vessel is abandoned.

      1. 1912 ocean liner

        SS Vestris

        SS Vestris was a 1912 steam ocean liner operated by Lamport and Holt Line and used on its service between New York and the River Plate. On 12 November 1928 she began listing about 200 miles (300 km) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, was abandoned, and sank, killing more than 100 people. Her wreck is thought to lie some 1.2 miles (2 km) beneath the North Atlantic.

      2. Body of water and metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Virginia and North Carolina

        Hampton Roads

        Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic Ocean, and the surrounding metropolitan region located in the southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina portions of the Tidewater Region.

  38. 1927

    1. Leon Trotsky is expelled from the Soviet Communist Party, leaving Joseph Stalin in undisputed control of the Soviet Union.

      1. Russian Marxist revolutionary (1879–1940)

        Leon Trotsky

        Lev Davidovich Bronstein, better known as Leon Trotsky, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary, political theorist and politician. Ideologically a Marxist, his developments to the ideology are called Trotskyism.

      2. Founding and ruling party of the Soviet Union

        Communist Party of the Soviet Union

        The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), also known by various other names during its history, was the founding and ruling party of the Soviet Union. The CPSU was the sole governing party of the Soviet Union until 1990 when the Congress of People's Deputies modified Article 6 of the 1977 Soviet Constitution, which had previously granted the CPSU a monopoly over the political system. The party has its roots in the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP). The RSDLP was founded in 1898, when Russia was ruled by an absolute monarchy. The broad anti-Tsarist ideology was the driving factor in its initial growth. Russians across the political spectrum flocked to the party, as Marxists, socialists, and centrists made up its ranks. Despite the Tsar's harsh oppression including imprisoning and even executing party members, the RSDLP continued to grow, albeit underground. Initially the party operated in a unified and cohesive manner, but by 1900 cracks within party unity began to show.

      3. Leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953

        Joseph Stalin

        Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1952) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1941–1953). Initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he consolidated power to become a dictator by the 1930s. Ideologically adhering to the Leninist interpretation of Marxism, he formalised these ideas as Marxism–Leninism, while his own policies are called Stalinism.

      4. Country in Eurasia (1922–1991)

        Soviet Union

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

  39. 1920

    1. Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes sign the Treaty of Rapallo.

      1. Country in southeastern Europe, 1918–1941

        Kingdom of Yugoslavia

        The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" was its colloquial name due to its origins. The official name of the state was changed to "Kingdom of Yugoslavia" by King Alexander I on 3 October 1929.

      2. 1920 treaty between Italy and Yugoslavia

        Treaty of Rapallo (1920)

        The Treaty of Rapallo was a treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes that was signed to solve the dispute over some territories in the former Austrian Littoral, which was in the northern Adriatic, as well as in Dalmatia.

  40. 1918

    1. Dissolution of Austria-Hungary: Austria becomes a republic. After the proclamation, a coup attempt by the communist Red Guard is defeated by the social-democratic Volkswehr.

      1. Historical event in 1918

        Dissolution of Austria-Hungary

        The dissolution of Austria-Hungary was a major geopolitical event that occurred as a result of the growth of internal social contradictions and the separation of different parts of Austria-Hungary. The reason for the collapse of the state was World War I, the 1918 crop failure and the economic crisis. The 1917 October Revolution and the Wilsonian peace pronouncements from January 1918 onward encouraged socialism on the one hand, and nationalism on the other, or alternatively a combination of both tendencies, among all peoples of the Habsburg monarchy.

      2. Period of Austrian statehood from the end of WWI (1919) to the Austrian Revolution (1934)

        First Austrian Republic

        The First Austrian Republic was created after the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 10 September 1919—the settlement after the end of World War I which ended the Habsburg rump state of Republic of German-Austria—and ended with the establishment of the Austrofascist Federal State of Austria based upon a dictatorship of Engelbert Dollfuss and the Fatherland's Front in 1934. The Republic's constitution was enacted on 1 October 1920 and amended on 7 December 1929. The republican period was increasingly marked by violent strife between those with left-wing and right-wing views, leading to the July Revolt of 1927 and the Austrian Civil War of 1934.

      3. Combined military forces of the Republic of Austria

        Austrian Armed Forces

        The Austrian Armed Forces are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria.

  41. 1912

    1. Eight months after perishing during the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, the bodies of Robert Falcon Scott (pictured) and his companions were discovered on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

      1. Research expedition to the South Pole (1910 to 1912)

        Terra Nova Expedition

        The Terra Nova Expedition, officially the British Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition to Antarctica which took place between 1910 and 1913. Led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott, the expedition had various scientific and geographical objectives. Scott wished to continue the scientific work that he had begun when leading the Discovery Expedition from 1901 to 1904, and wanted to be the first to reach the geographic South Pole. He and four companions attained the pole on 17 January 1912, where they found that a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen had preceded them by 34 days. Scott's party of five died on the return journey from the pole; some of their bodies, journals, and photographs were found by a search party eight months later.

      2. British Antarctic explorer (1868–1912)

        Robert Falcon Scott

        Captain Robert Falcon Scott,, was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition of 1910–1913. On the first expedition, he set a new southern record by marching to latitude 82°S and discovered the Antarctic Plateau, on which the South Pole is located. On the second venture, Scott led a party of five which reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, less than five weeks after Amundsen's South Pole expedition.

      3. Ice shelf in Antarctica

        Ross Ice Shelf

        The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica. It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 kilometres (370 mi) long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface. Ninety percent of the floating ice, however, is below the water surface.

    2. First Balkan War: King George I of Greece makes a triumphal entry into Thessaloniki after its liberation from 482 years of Ottoman rule.

      1. 1912–1913 war between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire

        First Balkan War

        The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan states' combined armies overcame the initially numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, achieving rapid success.

      2. King of Greece (r. 1863–1913)

        George I of Greece

        George I was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination in 1913.

      3. City in Macedonia, Greece

        Thessaloniki

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

    3. The frozen bodies of Robert Scott and his men are found on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

      1. British Antarctic explorer (1868–1912)

        Robert Falcon Scott

        Captain Robert Falcon Scott,, was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition of 1910–1913. On the first expedition, he set a new southern record by marching to latitude 82°S and discovered the Antarctic Plateau, on which the South Pole is located. On the second venture, Scott led a party of five which reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, less than five weeks after Amundsen's South Pole expedition.

      2. Ice shelf in Antarctica

        Ross Ice Shelf

        The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica. It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 kilometres (370 mi) long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface. Ninety percent of the floating ice, however, is below the water surface.

  42. 1905

    1. In a referendum, 79 percent of voters opted to keep Norway a monarchy, paving the way for Haakon VII to take the throne.

      1. 1905 Norwegian monarchy referendum

        A referendum on retaining the monarchy or becoming a republic was held in Norway on 12 and 13 November 1905. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Storting's decision to authorise the government to make the offer of the throne of the newly self-ruling country. The Storting had wanted to offer the throne to Prince Carl of Denmark, but the prince insisted that the Norwegian people have a chance to decide whether they wanted to retain a monarchy.

      2. Head of state of Norway

        Monarchy of Norway

        The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingdoms which were united to form Norway; it has been in unions with both Sweden and Denmark for long periods.

      3. King of Norway from 1905 to 1957

        Haakon VII of Norway

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

    2. Norway holds a referendum resulting in popular approval of the Storting's decision to authorise the government to make the offer of the throne of the newly independent country.

      1. 1905 Norwegian monarchy referendum

        A referendum on retaining the monarchy or becoming a republic was held in Norway on 12 and 13 November 1905. Voters were asked whether they approved of the Storting's decision to authorise the government to make the offer of the throne of the newly self-ruling country. The Storting had wanted to offer the throne to Prince Carl of Denmark, but the prince insisted that the Norwegian people have a chance to decide whether they wanted to retain a monarchy.

      2. Supreme legislature of Norway

        Storting

        The Storting is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional representation in nineteen multi-seat constituencies. A member of Stortinget is known in Norwegian as a stortingsrepresentant, literally "Storting representative".

  43. 1893

    1. Abdur Rahman Khan accepts the Durand Line as the border between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the British Raj.

      1. Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901

        Abdur Rahman Khan

        Abdur Rahman Khan GCSI was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to his death in 1901. He is known for uniting the country after years of internal fighting and negotiation of the Durand Line Agreement with British India.

      2. Border between Afghanistan and Pakistan

        Durand Line

        The Durand Line, forms the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, a 2,670-kilometre (1,660 mi) international land border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to the border with China.

      3. 1823–1926 state in Central Asia

        Emirate of Afghanistan

        The Emirate of Afghanistan also referred to as the Emirate of Kabul Persian: امارت افغانستان, romanized: Amārat-i Afghānistān) was an emirate between Central Asia and South Asia that is now today's Afghanistan and some parts of today's Pakistan. The emirate emerged from the Durrani Empire, when Dost Mohammad Khan, the founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Kabul, prevailed.

      4. 1858–1947 British colonial rule on the Indian subcontinent

        British Raj

        The British Raj was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; it is also called Crown rule in India, or Direct rule in India, and lasted from 1858 to 1947. The region under British control was commonly called India in contemporaneous usage and included areas directly administered by the United Kingdom, which were collectively called British India, and areas ruled by indigenous rulers, but under British paramountcy, called the princely states. The region was sometimes called the Indian Empire, though not officially.

  44. 1892

    1. William Heffelfinger (pictured) was paid $500 by the Allegheny Athletic Association, becoming the first professional American football player.

      1. American football player and coach (1867–1954)

        Pudge Heffelfinger

        William Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger, also spelled Hafelfinger, was an American football player and coach. He is considered the first athlete to play American football professionally, having been paid to play in 1892.

      2. Club that fielded the first professional American football player

        Allegheny Athletic Association

        The Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which is today the North Side of Pittsburgh.

      3. Team field sport

        American football

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

    2. Pudge Heffelfinger becomes the first professional American football player on record, participating in his first paid game for the Allegheny Athletic Association.

      1. American football player and coach (1867–1954)

        Pudge Heffelfinger

        William Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger, also spelled Hafelfinger, was an American football player and coach. He is considered the first athlete to play American football professionally, having been paid to play in 1892.

      2. Team field sport

        American football

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

      3. Club that fielded the first professional American football player

        Allegheny Athletic Association

        The Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which is today the North Side of Pittsburgh.

  45. 1835

    1. Construction is completed on the Wilberforce Monument in Kingston Upon Hull.

      1. Wilberforce Monument

        The Wilberforce Monument is a monument honoring English politician and abolitionist William Wilberforce in Kingston Upon Hull, England. The ashlar structure consists of a Doric column topped by a statue of Wilberforce. Construction on the monument began in 1834 and was completed the following year. In 1952, it was designated a Grade II listed structure.

      2. City in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

        Kingston upon Hull

        Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, 25 miles (40 km) inland from the North Sea and 50 miles (80 km) south-east of York, the historic county town. With a population of 259,778 (mid-2019 est.), it is the fourth-largest city in the Yorkshire and the Humber region after Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford.

  46. 1439

    1. Plymouth becomes the first town incorporated by the English Parliament.

      1. City and unitary authority in England

        Plymouth

        Plymouth is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately 36 miles (58 km) south-west of Exeter and 193 miles (311 km) south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.

      2. Legislature of England, 1215 to 1707

        Parliament of England

        The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised the English monarch. Great councils were first called Parliaments during the reign of Henry III. By this time, the king required Parliament's consent to levy taxation.

  47. 1330

    1. Led by the voivode Basarab I, Wallachian forces defeated the Hungarian army in an ambush at the Battle of Posada.

      1. Historical Slavic noble title

        Voivode

        Voivode is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the medieval rulers of the Romanian-inhabited states and of governors and military commanders of Hungarian, Balkan or some Slavic-speaking populations.

      2. First independent ruler of Wallachia (r. c. 1310–1351/52)

        Basarab I of Wallachia

        Basarab I, also known as Basarab the Founder, was a voivode and later the first independent ruler of Wallachia who lived in the first half of the 14th century. Many details of his life are uncertain. Although his name is of Turkic origin, 14th-century sources unanimously state that he was a Vlach (Romanian). According to two popular theories, Basarab either came into power between 1304 and 1324 by dethroning or peacefully succeeding the legendary founder of Wallachia, Radu Negru, or in 1310 by succeeding his father, Thocomerius.

      3. Historical and geographical region of Romania

        Wallachia

        Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia is traditionally divided into two sections, Muntenia and Oltenia. Dobruja could sometimes be considered a third section due to its proximity and brief rule over it. Wallachia as a whole is sometimes referred to as Muntenia through identification with the larger of the two traditional sections.

      4. 1330 battle between Wallachian and Hungarian armies

        Battle of Posada

        The Battle of Posada was fought between Basarab I of Wallachia and Charles I of Hungary.

    2. Battle of Posada ends: Wallachian Voievode Basarab I defeats the Hungarian army by ambush.

      1. 1330 battle between Wallachian and Hungarian armies

        Battle of Posada

        The Battle of Posada was fought between Basarab I of Wallachia and Charles I of Hungary.

      2. First independent ruler of Wallachia (r. c. 1310–1351/52)

        Basarab I of Wallachia

        Basarab I, also known as Basarab the Founder, was a voivode and later the first independent ruler of Wallachia who lived in the first half of the 14th century. Many details of his life are uncertain. Although his name is of Turkic origin, 14th-century sources unanimously state that he was a Vlach (Romanian). According to two popular theories, Basarab either came into power between 1304 and 1324 by dethroning or peacefully succeeding the legendary founder of Wallachia, Radu Negru, or in 1310 by succeeding his father, Thocomerius.

  48. 1028

    1. Future Byzantine empress Zoe takes the throne as empress consort to Romanos III Argyros.

      1. List of Byzantine emperors

        This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised sovereign authority are included, to the exclusion of junior co-emperors (symbasileis) who never attained the status of sole or senior ruler, as well as of the various usurpers or rebels who claimed the imperial title.

      2. Byzantine empress regnant in 1042

        Zoë Porphyrogenita

        Zoë Porphyrogenita was Byzantine Empress from 11 November 1028 until her death in 1050, briefly ruling in her own right from April to June 1042, alongside her sister Theodora Porphyrogenita.

      3. Byzantine emperor from 1028 to 1034

        Romanos III Argyros

        Romanos III Argyros, or Argyropoulos was Byzantine Emperor from 1028 until his death. He was a Byzantine noble and senior official in Constantinople when the dying Constantine VIII forced him to divorce his wife and marry the emperor's daughter Zoë. Upon Constantine's death three days later, Romanos took the throne.

  49. 954

    1. The 13-year-old Lothair III is crowned at the Abbey of Saint-Remi as king of the West Frankish Kingdom.

      1. Penultimate Carolingian king of West Francia (r. 954–986)

        Lothair of France

        Lothair, sometimes called Lothair II, III or IV, was the penultimate Carolingian king of West Francia, reigning from 10 September 954 until his death in 986.

      2. Archeology and art museum in rue Simon Reims, France

        Musée Saint-Remi

        The Musée Saint-Remi is an archeology and art museum in Reims, France. The museum is housed in the former Abbey of Saint-Remi, founded in the sixth century and which had been keeping since 1099 the relics of Saint Remigius. The Basilica of Saint-Remi, adjacent to it and consecrated in 1049, was its abbey church. Both buildings have been listed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991 because of their outstanding architecture and importance in the early French monarchy.

      3. State in Western Europe from 843 to 987; predecessor to the Kingdom of France

        West Francia

        In medieval history, West Francia or the Kingdom of the West Franks refers to the western part of the Frankish Empire established by Charlemagne. It represents the earliest stage of the Kingdom of France, lasting from about 840 until 987. West Francia emerged from the partition of the Carolingian Empire in 843 under the Treaty of Verdun following the death of Charlemagne's son, Louis the Pious. It is considered the first polity in French history.

Births & Deaths

  1. 2018

    1. Stan Lee, American comic book writer, editor, and publisher (b. 1922) deaths

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

        Stan Lee

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

  2. 2016

    1. Lupita Tovar, Mexican-American actress (b. 1910) deaths

      1. Mexican-American actress

        Lupita Tovar

        Guadalupe Natalia Tovar, known professionally as Lupita Tovar, was a Mexican-born American actress best known for her starring role in the 1931 Spanish-language version of Drácula, filmed in Los Angeles by Universal Pictures at night using the same sets as the Bela Lugosi version, but with a different cast and director. She also starred in the 1932 film Santa, one of the first Mexican sound films, and one of the first commercial Spanish-language sound films.

    2. Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Egyptian Actor (b. 1946) deaths

      1. Egyptian actor (1946–2016)

        Mahmoud Abdel Aziz

        Mahmoud Abdel Aziz was an Egyptian film and television actor. He became famous for several famous roles in Egyptian cinema, before becoming famous in his native Egypt and the whole region for his Egyptian patriotic role in the Egyptian TV series Raafat el-Hagan. The Egyptian Actors Guild announced his death on the night of 12 November 2016.

  3. 2015

    1. Márton Fülöp, Hungarian footballer (b. 1983) deaths

      1. Hungarian footballer (1983–2015)

        Márton Fülöp

        Márton Fülöp was a Hungarian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

    2. Jihadi John, terrorist (b. 1988) deaths

      1. Kuwaiti-British militant and ISIL executioner (1988–2015)

        Jihadi John

        Mohammed Emwazi was a Kuwaiti–born British militant believed to be the person seen in several videos produced by the Islamist extremist group ISIL showing the beheadings of a number of captives in 2014 and 2015. A group of his hostages nicknamed him "John" since he was part of a four-person terrorist cell with English accents whom they called "The Beatles"; the press later began calling him "Jihadi John".

  4. 2014

    1. Ravi Chopra, Indian director and producer (b. 1946) deaths

      1. Indian filmmaker (1946-2014)

        Ravi Chopra

        Ravi Chopra was an Indian film and television director, producer and screenwriter.

    2. Warren Clarke, English actor, director, and producer (b. 1947) deaths

      1. British actor (1947–2014)

        Warren Clarke

        Warren Clarke was an English actor. He appeared in many films after a significant role as Dim in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. His television appearances included Dalziel and Pascoe, The Manageress and Sleepers.

    3. Marge Roukema, American educator and politician (b. 1929) deaths

      1. American politician

        Marge Roukema

        Margaret "Marge" Roukema was an American politician who represented New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives for twenty-two years as a Republican from 1981 to 2003.

    4. Valery Senderov, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1945) deaths

      1. Valery Senderov

        Valery Senderov was a Soviet dissident, mathematician, teacher, and advocate of human rights known for his struggle against state-sponsored antisemitism.

  5. 2013

    1. Steve Rexe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1947) deaths

      1. Canadian ice hockey goaltender

        Steve Rexe

        Stephen Glen Rexe was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, the first-ever draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) and second overall pick in the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft.

    2. Konrad Rudnicki, Polish astronomer and academic (b. 1926) deaths

      1. Polish astronomer

        Konrad Rudnicki

        Konrad Rudnicki was a Polish astronomer, professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and a priest of the Old Catholic Mariavite Church.

    3. Aleksandr Serebrov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1944) deaths

      1. Soviet and Russian cosmonaut

        Aleksandr Serebrov

        Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Serebrov was a Soviet cosmonaut. He graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (1967), and was selected as a cosmonaut on 1 December 1978. He retired on 10 May 1995. He was married and had one child.

    4. John Tavener, English composer and educator (b. 1944) deaths

      1. English composer (1944–2013)

        John Tavener

        Sir John Kenneth Tavener was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious works. Among his best known works are The Lamb (1982) The Protecting Veil, (1988) and Song for Athene (1993).

    5. Kurt Trampedach, Danish painter and sculptor (b. 1943) deaths

      1. Danish painter and sculptor (1943–2013)

        Kurt Trampedach

        Kurt Trampedach was a Danish painter and sculptor.

  6. 2012

    1. Hans Hammarskiöld, Swedish photographer (b. 1925) deaths

      1. Swedish photographer

        Hans Hammarskiöld

        Hans Arvid Hammarskiöld was a Swedish professional photographer. He was active in most genres—for many years he worked as an industrial photographer, but was especially noted for his portraits.

    2. Sergio Oliva, Cuban-American bodybuilder (b. 1941) deaths

      1. Cuban bodybuilder (1941–2012)

        Sergio Oliva

        Sergio Oliva was a Cuban-American bodybuilder known as The Myth. He is a three-time Mr. Olympia winner.

    3. Daniel Stern, American psychologist and theorist (b. 1934) deaths

      1. Daniel Stern (psychologist)

        Daniel N. Stern was a prominent American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, specializing in infant development, on which he had written a number of books — most notably The Interpersonal World of the Infant (1985).

  7. 2010

    1. Henryk Górecki, Polish composer (b. 1933) deaths

      1. Polish composer (1933–2010)

        Henryk Górecki

        Henryk Mikołaj Górecki was a Polish composer of contemporary classical music. According to critic Alex Ross, no recent classical composer has had as much commercial success as Górecki. He became a leading figure of the Polish avant-garde during the post-Stalin cultural thaw. His Anton Webern-influenced serialist works of the 1950s and 1960s were characterized by adherence to dissonant modernism and influenced by Luigi Nono, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Krzysztof Penderecki and Kazimierz Serocki. He continued in this direction throughout the 1960s, but by the mid-1970s had changed to a less complex sacred minimalist sound, exemplified by the transitional Symphony No. 2 and the Symphony No. 3. This later style developed through several other distinct phases, from such works as his 1979 Beatus Vir, to the 1981 choral hymn Miserere, the 1993 Kleines Requiem für eine Polka and his requiem Good Night.

  8. 2008

    1. Catherine Baker Knoll, American educator and politician, 30th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1930) deaths

      1. Pennsylvania politician

        Catherine Baker Knoll

        Catherine Baker Knoll was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. She was the 30th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, serving under Governor Ed Rendell from 2003 to 2008, when she died in office. Prior to that, she served as the 32nd Pennsylvania State Treasurer from 1989 to 1997.

      2. Constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

        Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

        The lieutenant governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutenant governor independently of the gubernatorial primary. The winners of the party primaries are then teamed together as a single ticket for the fall general election. Democrat John Fetterman is the incumbent lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor presides in the Senate and is first in the line of succession to the governor; in the event the governor dies, resigns, or otherwise leaves office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.

    2. Mitch Mitchell, English drummer (b. 1947) deaths

      1. English drummer and child actor

        Mitch Mitchell

        John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell was an English drummer and child actor, who was best known for his work in the Jimi Hendrix Experience for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2009.

  9. 2007

    1. K. C. Ibrahim, Indian cricketer (b. 1919) deaths

      1. K. C. Ibrahim

        Khanmohammad Cassumbhoy Ibrahim pronunciation (help·info) was an Indian cricketer who played in four Tests in the 1948-49 season.

    2. Ira Levin, American novelist, playwright, and songwriter (b. 1929) deaths

      1. American novelist, playwright (1929–2007)

        Ira Levin

        Ira Marvin Levin was a Jewish-American novelist, playwright, and songwriter. His works include the novels A Kiss Before Dying (1953), Rosemary's Baby (1967), The Stepford Wives (1972), This Perfect Day (1970), and The Boys from Brazil (1976), as well as the play Deathtrap (1978). Many of his novels and plays have been adapted into films.

  10. 2003

    1. Jonathan Brandis, American actor (b. 1976) deaths

      1. American actor (1976–2003)

        Jonathan Brandis

        Jonathan Gregory Brandis was an American actor. Beginning his career as a child model, Brandis moved on to acting in commercials and subsequently won television and film roles. Brandis made his acting debut in 1982 as Kevin Buchanan on the soap opera One Life to Live. In 1990, he portrayed Bill Denbrough in the television miniseries It. Also in 1990, he starred as Bastian Bux in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter. In 1993, at the age of 17, he was cast in the role of teen prodigy Lucas Wolenczak on the NBC series seaQuest DSV. The character was popular among teenage viewers, and Brandis regularly appeared in teen magazines. Brandis died by suicide in 2003 following a period of heavy drinking and career setbacks.

    2. Cameron Duncan, New Zealand director and screenwriter (b. 1986) deaths

      1. New Zealand filmmaker (1986–2003)

        Cameron Duncan

        Cameron Troy Duncan was a filmmaker from New Zealand.

    3. Penny Singleton, American actress (b. 1908) deaths

      1. American actress (1908–2003)

        Penny Singleton

        Penny Singleton was an American actress, singer, dancer and labor leader. During her 60-year career on stage, screen, radio and television, Singleton appeared as the comic-strip heroine Blondie Bumstead in a series of 28 motion pictures from 1938 until 1950 and the popular Blondie radio program from 1939 until 1950. Singleton also provided the voice of Jane Jetson in the animated series The Jetsons from 1962 to 1963.

    4. Tony Thompson, American drummer (b. 1954) deaths

      1. American drummer (1954–2003)

        Tony Thompson (drummer)

        Anthony Terrence Thompson was an American session drummer best known as the drummer of the Power Station and a member of Chic.

  11. 2001

    1. Albert Hague, German-American actor and composer (b. 1920) deaths

      1. Jewish composer and songwriter

        Albert Hague

        Albert Hague was a German-American songwriter, composer, and actor.

    2. Tony Miles, English chess player and theoretician (b. 1955) deaths

      1. English chess player (1955–2001)

        Tony Miles

        Anthony John Miles was an English chess player and the first Englishman to earn the Grandmaster title.

  12. 2000

    1. Franck Pourcel, French conductor and composer (b. 1913) deaths

      1. Musical artist

        Franck Pourcel

        Franck Pourcel was a French composer, arranger, and conductor of popular and classical music.

  13. 1998

    1. Roy Hollis, English footballer (b. 1925) deaths

      1. English footballer

        Roy Hollis

        Roy Walter Hollis was a footballer and is a member of the Norwich City Hall of Fame.

    2. Sally Shlaer, American mathematician and engineer (b. 1938) deaths

      1. American computer scientist

        Sally Shlaer

        Sally hashim Shlaer was an American mathematician, software engineer and methodologist, known as co-developer of the 1980s Shlaer–Mellor method for software development.

  14. 1997

    1. Carlos Surinach, Spanish-American composer and conductor (b. 1915) deaths

      1. American classical composer

        Carlos Surinach

        Carlos Lund i Wrokona was a Spanish-born composer and conductor.

  15. 1994

    1. Guillaume Cizeron, French ice dancer births

      1. French ice dancer

        Guillaume Cizeron

        Guillaume Cizeron is a French ice dancer. With his partner, Gabriella Papadakis, he is the 2022 Olympic champion, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a five-time World champion, a five-time consecutive European champion (2015–2019), the 2017 and 2019 Grand Prix Final champion, and a seven-time French national champion. They have won ten gold medals on the Grand Prix series. Earlier in their career, they won silver at the 2012 Junior Grand Prix Final and 2013 World Junior Championships.

    2. Wilma Rudolph, American sprinter and educator (b. 1940) deaths

      1. African American athlete (1940–1994)

        Wilma Rudolph

        Wilma Glodean Rudolph was an American sprinter, who became a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in track and field following her successes in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. Rudolph competed in the 200-meter dash and won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics at Melbourne, Australia. She also won three gold medals, in the 100- and 200-meter individual events and the 4 x 100-meter relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. Rudolph was acclaimed the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games.

  16. 1993

    1. H. R. Haldeman, American diplomat, 4th White House Chief of Staff (b. 1926) deaths

      1. American political aide implicated in the Watergate Scandal

        H. R. Haldeman

        Harry Robbins Haldeman was an American political aide and businessman, best known for his service as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon and his consequent involvement in the Watergate scandal.

      2. American Presidential appointee

        White House Chief of Staff

        The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a cabinet position, in the federal government of the United States.

  17. 1992

    1. Trey Burke, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player (born 1992)

        Trey Burke

        Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–13 season, he earned National Player of the Year and led the 2012–13 Wolverines to the championship game of the 2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Shortly after the tournament he declared his eligibility for the draft.

    2. Adam Larsson, Swedish ice hockey player births

      1. Swedish ice hockey player

        Adam Larsson

        Nils Erik Adam Larsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The youngest player on the Skellefteå AIK squad at the time of his draft, Larsson was the first defenceman and first European-trained player to be drafted in 2011.

    3. Luguelín Santos, Dominican sprinter births

      1. Dominican sprinter

        Luguelín Santos

        Luguelín Miguel Santos Aquino is a Dominican sprinter, who specialises in the 400 m. He was the silver medallist in the event at the 2012 London Olympics at the age of eighteen. His personal best is 44.11 seconds.

  18. 1991

    1. Gijs Van Hoecke, Belgian cyclist births

      1. Belgian racing cyclist

        Gijs Van Hoecke

        Gijs Van Hoecke is a Belgian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam AG2R Citroën Team.

    2. Gabriele Tinti, Italian actor (b. 1932) deaths

      1. Italian actor

        Gabriele Tinti (actor)

        Gabriele Tinti was an Italian actor who was married to actress and model Laura Gemser.

  19. 1990

    1. Adrianna Franch, American soccer player births

      1. American soccer player

        Adrianna Franch

        Adrianna Nichole Franch is an American soccer goalkeeper who currently plays for Kansas City in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She is a member of the United States women's national soccer team.

    2. Florent Manaudou, French swimmer births

      1. French swimmer

        Florent Manaudou

        Florent Manaudou is a French competitive swimmer, an Olympic champion of the 50-meter freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics, and the younger brother of Laure Manaudou, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist in swimming. He currently holds the world record in the 50-meter backstroke. He competes for the Energy Standard Swim Club in the International Swimming League.

    3. Harmeet Singh, Norwegian footballer births

      1. Norwegian footballer

        Harmeet Singh (footballer)

        Harmeet Singh is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Sandefjord.

    4. Siim-Sander Vene, Estonian basketball player births

      1. Estonian basketball player

        Siim-Sander Vene

        Siim-Sander Vene is an Estonian professional basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the Basketball Champions League. Standing at 2.03 m, he plays both the small forward and power forward positions. Vene was named Estonian Basketball Player of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

    5. Eve Arden, American actress and comedian (b. 1908) deaths

      1. American actress (1908–1990)

        Eve Arden

        Eve Arden was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades.

  20. 1989

    1. Hiroshi Kiyotake, Japanese footballer births

      1. Japanese footballer (born 1989)

        Hiroshi Kiyotake

        Hiroshi Kiyotake is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Japanese club Cerezo Osaka and the Japan national team. He played for Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

  21. 1988

    1. Russell Westbrook, American basketball player births

      1. American basketball player (born 1988)

        Russell Westbrook

        Russell Westbrook III is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and earned the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) for the 2016–17 season. He is also a nine-time All-NBA Team member, led the league in scoring in 2014–15 and 2016–17, and won back-to-back NBA All-Star Game MVP awards in 2015 and 2016.

  22. 1987

    1. Jason Day, Australian golfer births

      1. Australian professional golfer

        Jason Day

        Jason Day is an Australian professional golfer, PGA Tour member and winner of the 2015 PGA Championship. He is a former world number one in the World Golf Ranking, having first achieved the ranking in September 2015. Day first broke into the world's top ten in June 2011, rising to world number nine after his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open. In February 2014, Day won his first WGC title, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and would win it for a second time in 2016. With his 2016 win, he joined Tiger Woods and Geoff Ogilvy as the only multiple winners of the WGC Match Play. He went on to win his first major tournament at the 2015 PGA Championship, scoring a record 20 strokes under par and rising to number three in the world rankings.

    2. Kengo Kora, Japanese actor births

      1. Japanese actor

        Kengo Kora

        Kengo Kora is a Japanese actor.

  23. 1986

    1. Ignazio Abate, Italian footballer births

      1. Italian footballer (born 1986)

        Ignazio Abate

        Ignazio Abate is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a full-back and manager of AC Milan's under-19 side. On early stage deployed as a winger, he was also capable of playing as a wide midfielder or as a wing-back, and was even used as a centre-back on occasion; he was renowned for his stamina, quick sprints, and ability to make attacking runs down the right flank. In his prime, he was considered one of the fastest players in the top leagues of European football.

    2. Nedum Onuoha, English footballer births

      1. English footballer

        Nedum Onuoha

        Chinedum Onuoha is an English former professional footballer and television pundit for ESPN. He also works for Manchester City as a community ambassador.

    3. Minoru Yasui, American lawyer and activist (b. 1916) deaths

      1. American lawyer and activist (1916–1986)

        Minoru Yasui

        Minoru Yasui was an American lawyer from Oregon. Born in Hood River, Oregon, he earned both an undergraduate degree and his law degree at the University of Oregon. He was one of the few Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor who fought laws that directly targeted Japanese Americans or Japanese immigrants. His case was the first case to test the constitutionality of the curfews targeted at minority groups.

  24. 1985

    1. Arianny Celeste, American model and actress births

      1. American model

        Arianny Celeste

        Arianny Celeste is an American ring girl and model. She is a co-host on TV show Overhaulin' and has been in Playboy magazine.

    2. Adlène Guedioura, French-Algerian footballer births

      1. Algerian footballer

        Adlène Guedioura

        Adlène Guedioura is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Al-Duhail SC in the Qatar Stars League.

  25. 1984

    1. Sepp De Roover, Belgian footballer births

      1. Belgian footballer

        Sepp De Roover

        Sepp De Roover is a retired Belgian footballer who played as a right back and current head coach of FC Wezel Sport.

    2. Omarion, American singer, songwriter, actor and dancer births

      1. American singer and songwriter

        Omarion

        Omari Ishmael Grandberry, better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the boy band B2K. The group achieved success in the early 2000s with their singles "Gots ta Be", "Uh Huh", "Girlfriend", and the number-one hit "Bump, Bump, Bump".

    3. Sandara Park, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress births

      1. South Korean singer (born 1984)

        Sandara Park

        Sandara Park, also known by her stage name Dara, is a South Korean singer, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in the Philippines as a contestant on the talent show Star Circle Quest in 2004, after which she had a successful acting and singing career before returning to South Korea in 2007. She made her South Korean debut in 2009 as a member of the K-pop group 2NE1, which went on to become one of the best-selling girl groups of all time before their disbandment in 2016.

    4. Conrad Rautenbach, Zimbabwean racing driver births

      1. Zimbabwean rally driver

        Conrad Rautenbach

        Conrad Rautenbach is a rally driver from Zimbabwe who competed in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën Junior Team along with his co-driver Daniel Barritt. He won the African Rally Championship twice, in 2007 and 2011.

  26. 1983

    1. Charlie Morton, American baseball player births

      1. American baseball player (born 1983)

        Charlie Morton (pitcher)

        Charles Alfred Morton IV is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Braves selected Morton in the third round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. He has also previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Rays. Morton was a World Series champion in 2017 and 2021 and an All-Star in 2018 and 2019.

  27. 1982

    1. Anne Hathaway, American actress births

      1. American actress (born 1982)

        Anne Hathaway

        Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, she was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2015. Her films have grossed over $6.8 billion worldwide, and she appeared on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2009.

    2. Mikele Leigertwood, English footballer births

      1. Footballer (born 1982)

        Mikele Leigertwood

        Mikele Benjamin Leigertwood is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in England, he represented the Antigua and Barbuda national team at international level.

  28. 1981

    1. Annika Becker, German pole vaulter births

      1. German pole vaulter

        Annika Becker

        Annika Becker is a retired German pole vaulter.

    2. DJ Campbell, English footballer births

      1. English footballer

        DJ Campbell

        Dudley Junior Campbell is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward.

    3. Sergio Floccari, Italian footballer births

      1. Italian footballer

        Sergio Floccari

        Sergio Floccari is a former Italian footballer who plays as a striker.

    4. William Holden, American actor (b. 1918) deaths

      1. American actor (1918–1981)

        William Holden

        William Holden was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film Stalag 17 (1953) and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for the television film The Blue Knight (1973). Holden starred in some of Hollywood's most popular and critically acclaimed films, including Sunset Boulevard (1950), Sabrina (1954), Picnic (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Wild Bunch (1969) and Network (1976). He was named one of the "Top 10 Stars of the Year" six times, and appeared as 25th on the American Film Institute's list of 25 greatest male stars of Classical Hollywood cinema.

  29. 1980

    1. Shaun Cooper, American bass player births

      1. American rock band

        Taking Back Sunday

        Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. The band was formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes and bassist Jesse Lacey in 1999. The band's members currently are Adam Lazzara, John Nolan, Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell (drums), accompanied by Nathan Cogan (guitar) for their live performances. The band's former members include Lacey, Reyes, bass guitarist Matthew Rubano, and guitarist and vocalist Fred Mascherino.

    2. Nur Fettahoğlu, German-Turkish journalist and actress births

      1. Turkish actress (born 1980)

        Nur Fettahoğlu

        Asiye Nur Fettahoğlu is a Turkish-German actress, model, television presenter and fashion designer known for playing numerous characters in several films and television series, including her role as Mahidevran Sultan in Muhteşem Yüzyıl.

    3. Ryan Gosling, Canadian actor, producer and singer births

      1. Canadian actor (born 1980)

        Ryan Gosling

        Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards and a BAFTA Award.

    4. Charlie Hodgson, English rugby player births

      1. British Lions & England international rugby union player

        Charlie Hodgson

        Charles Christopher Hodgson is a retired English rugby union player, having previously been a player for Sale Sharks and Saracens. His position was fly-half and he is the leading Premiership points scorer of all time. Hodgson also played for England, until announcing his international retirement in 2012. Hodgson made 18 consecutive starts at fly half for England between 2004 and 2006.

  30. 1979

    1. Matt Cappotelli, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2018) births

      1. American professional wrestler

        Matt Cappotelli

        Matthew Lee Cappotelli was an American professional wrestler. After co-winning Tough Enough III with John Hennigan, he worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), the primary developmental territory for WWE. He ended his career due to a malignant brain tumor.

    2. Cote de Pablo, Chilean actress births

      1. Chilean-American actress (b. 1979)

        Cote de Pablo

        María José de Pablo Fernández, known professionally as Cote de Pablo, is a Chilean-American actress and singer. Born in Santiago, Chile, she moved to the United States at the age of ten, where she studied acting.

    3. Lucas Glover, American golfer births

      1. American professional golfer

        Lucas Glover

        Lucas Hendley Glover is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He is best known for winning the 2009 U.S. Open.

    4. Corey Maggette, American basketball player and sportscaster births

      1. American basketball player

        Corey Maggette

        Corey Antoine Maggette is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He became an analyst for Fox Sports.

    5. Matt Stevic, Australian footballer and umpire births

      1. Australian rules football field umpire

        Matt Stevic

        Matt Stevic is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has umpired 449 career games in the AFL, which has him sitting currently at number 4 on the All-time Games umpired list. The 449 games includes ten grand finals. Stevic was born in Leongatha, Victoria. He made his debut umpiring his first match in the AFL in Round 1, 2004, between the Western Bulldogs and the West Coast Eagles at the Telstra Dome, and he has since umpired internationally.

  31. 1978

    1. Alexandra Maria Lara, Romanian-German actress births

      1. Romanian-German actress

        Alexandra Maria Lara

        Alexandra Maria Lara is a Romanian-German actress who has appeared in Downfall (2004), Control (2007), Youth Without Youth (2007), The Reader (2008), Rush (2013), and Geostorm (2017).

    2. Mista, Spanish footballer births

      1. Spanish footballer (born 1978)

        Mista (footballer)

        Miguel Ángel Ferrer Martínez, known as Mista, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker, currently a manager.

    3. Ashley Williams, American actress births

      1. American actress (born 1978)

        Ashley Williams (actress)

        Ashley Williams Dodson, known as Ashley Williams, is an American actress. She is known for starring in the television series The Jim Gaffigan Show on TV Land and in the NBC series Good Morning Miami. Williams played Victoria on the CBS series How I Met Your Mother opposite Josh Radnor. She has starred in more than a dozen different television pilots over the years and done over 150 episodes of television in addition to television movies for The Hallmark Channel, Lifetime Television, and ABC Family. She has worked in studio and independent films, regional theater, Off-Broadway, and on Broadway.

  32. 1977

    1. Benni McCarthy, South African footballer births

      1. South African footballer

        Benni McCarthy

        Benedict Saul "Benni" McCarthy is a South African coach and former footballer who is a first-team coach at Manchester United. He previously worked as head coach of South African Premier Division team AmaZulu.

    2. Lee Murray, English mixed martial artist births

      1. British bank robber and mixed martial artist

        Lee Murray

        Lee Brahim Murray-Lamrani is an English-Moroccan mixed martial arts fighter and criminal. In 2005, his MMA career was cut short after he was stabbed multiple times outside a Mayfair nightclub. He was arrested in Rabat, Morocco, in June 2006 and sentenced to 10 years in prison in June 2010, for masterminding the armed Securitas depot robbery in Kent, England, where over $92 million (£53,116,760) of cash bank notes belonging to the Bank of England were stolen by Murray and his associates on 22 February 2006. It was the largest known cash robbery in the world during peacetime. After a foiled attempt to escape prison and a failed appeal, his jail term was extended to 25 years on 30 November 2010. He is currently being held at a prison in Tifelt, northwestern Morocco, and despite being incarcerated fathered a child from prison in 2010. In 2018, Murray in an interview stated he was training to fight in prison, and still planned a UFC comeback, with the hope of securing a pardon from King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

  33. 1976

    1. Tevin Campbell, American R&B singer-songwriter and actor births

      1. American singer (born 1976)

        Tevin Campbell

        Tevin Jermod Campbell is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Records. In 1989, Campbell collaborated with Quincy Jones performing lead vocals for "Tomorrow" on Jones' album Back on the Block and released his Platinum-selling debut album, T.E.V.I.N. The album included his highest-charting single to date, "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do", peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The debut album also included the singles "Alone With You", and "Goodbye".

    2. Judith Holofernes, German singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. German singer, guitarist, songwriter and author

        Judith Holofernes

        Judith Holfelder-Roy, known by her stage name Judith Holofernes, is a German singer, guitarist, songwriter and author.

    3. Richelle Mead, American author and educator births

      1. American fantasy author (born 1976)

        Richelle Mead

        Richelle Mead is an American fantasy author. She is known for the Georgina Kincaid series, Vampire Academy, Bloodlines and the Dark Swan series.

    4. Mirosław Szymkowiak, Polish footballer and journalist births

      1. Polish footballer

        Mirosław Szymkowiak

        Mirosław Szymkowiak is a Polish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Szymkowiak is also a former member of the Poland national team.

    5. Mikhail Gurevich, Russian engineer, co-founded Mikoyan (b. 1893) deaths

      1. Soviet aircraft designer (1893–1976)

        Mikhail Gurevich (aircraft designer)

        Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich was a Soviet aircraft designer who co-founded the Mikoyan-Gurevich military aviation bureau along with Artem Mikoyan. The bureau is famous for its fighter aircraft, rapid interceptors and multi-role combat aircraft which were staples of the Soviet Air Forces throughout the Cold War. The bureau designed 170 projects of which 94 were made in series. In total, 45,000 MiG aircraft have been manufactured domestically, of which 11,000 aircraft were exported. The last plane which Gurevich personally worked on before his retirement was the MiG-25.

      2. Aircraft manufacturer in Russia

        Mikoyan

        Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG", commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russian aerospace and defence company headquartered in Begovoy District, Moscow.

    6. Walter Piston, American composer and academic (b. 1894) deaths

      1. American composer (1894–1976)

        Walter Piston

        Walter Hamor Piston, Jr., was an American composer of classical music, music theorist, and professor of music at Harvard University.

  34. 1975

    1. Kiara Bisaro, Canadian mountain biker births

      1. Canadian mountain biker

        Kiara Bisaro

        Kiara Bisaro is a Canadian mountain biker.

    2. Jason Lezak, American swimmer births

      1. American swimming executive (born 1975)

        Jason Lezak

        Jason Edward Lezak is an American former competitive swimmer and swimming executive. As a swimmer, Lezak specialized in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races. His pro career lasted for nearly fifteen years, spanning four Olympic games and eight Olympic medals.

  35. 1974

    1. Alessandro Birindelli, Italian footballer births

      1. Italian retired footballer

        Alessandro Birindelli

        Alessandro Birindelli is an Italian retired footballer who played as a full-back or as a wide midfielder. Equally at ease on both the left and the right flanks, he was best known for his 11-year spell with Juventus, during which time he won several accolades and appeared in nearly 300 official games.

  36. 1973

    1. Radha Mitchell, Australian actress births

      1. Australian actress

        Radha Mitchell

        Radha Rani Amber Indigo Ananda Mitchell is an Australian actress. She started her career with various appearances on Australian television, including a regular role as Catherine O'Brien in the soap opera Neighbours (1996–97).

  37. 1972

    1. Vassilios Tsiartas, Greek footballer births

      1. Greek footballer

        Vasilios Tsiartas

        Vasilios Tsiartas is a Greek former international footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Although he was famed for his lackadaisical playing style, his ability was never in question and he was in many ways the epitome of a classic "number 10" player. "El Mago", as was his nickname, was naturally left-footed but was just as dangerous with his right foot. A great football mind, a literally world-class vertical pass, amazing set-up and amazing long-range shots. His racing flaw was his lack of speed, which, however, was overshadowed by his great technical skills. Also characteristic of the incredible potential of his left foot is the fact that in addition to the many goals he scored with free kicks, long and short shots and penalties, sometimes in his career he scored with direct corner kicks. Thus, Tsiartas was the main set piece taker for the national and his club team. He was an important member of Greece, claiming two assists in Portugal towards Greece's ultimate victory at UEFA Euro 2004. In his entire career he did not receive a single red card. Although he played as a passer, Tsiartas was capable of scoring many goals due to his deadly footage and scoring abilities being one of AEK Athens' top scorers. He is considered one of the best Greek players in history.

    2. Rudolf Friml, Czech-American pianist and composer (b. 1879) deaths

      1. Czech composer

        Rudolf Friml

        Charles Rudolf Friml was a Czech-born composer of operettas, musicals, songs and piano pieces, as well as a pianist. After musical training and a brief performing career in his native Prague, Friml moved to the United States, where he became a composer. His best-known works are Rose-Marie and The Vagabond King, each of which enjoyed success on Broadway and in London and were adapted for film.

    3. Tommy Wisdom, English racing driver and journalist (b. 1906) deaths

      1. Tommy Wisdom

        Thomas Henry Wisdom was a British motoring correspondent for the Daily Herald. He was also a racing driver who took part in numerous races and rallies.

  38. 1971

    1. Chen Guangcheng, Chinese-American lawyer and activist births

      1. Chinese civil rights activist

        Chen Guangcheng

        Chen Guangcheng is a Chinese civil rights activist who has worked on human rights issues in rural areas of the People's Republic of China. Blind from an early age and self-taught in the law, Chen is frequently described as a "barefoot lawyer" who advocates for women's rights, land rights, and the welfare of the poor.

    2. Johanna von Caemmerer, German mathematician (b. 1914) deaths

      1. German Australian mathematician

        Hanna Neumann

        Johanna (Hanna) Neumann was a German-born mathematician who worked on group theory.

  39. 1970

    1. Elektra, American wrestler, model, and dancer births

      1. American professional wrestler

        Elektra (wrestling)

        Donna Adamo is an American retired professional wrestling valet and professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Elektra. She is best known for her appearances with the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling from October 1999 until its closure in April 2001. She is also known for her appearances in The Sopranos as a "Bada Bing Girl".

    2. Tonya Harding, American figure skater births

      1. American former sportswoman (born 1970)

        Tonya Harding

        Tonya Maxene Price is an American former figure skater, retired boxer and a reality television personality. Born in Portland, Oregon, Harding was raised primarily by her mother, who enrolled her in ice skating lessons beginning at three years old. Harding spent much of her early life training, eventually dropping out of high school to devote her time to the sport. After climbing the ranks in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships between 1986 and 1989, Harding won the 1989 Skate America competition. She became the 1991 and 1994 U.S. champion before being stripped of her 1994 title, and 1991 World silver medalist. In 1991, she became the first American woman and the second woman in history to successfully land a triple Axel in competition. Harding is a two-time Olympian and a two-time Skate America Champion.

    3. Sarah Harmer, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. Musical artist

        Sarah Harmer

        Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist.

    4. Oscar Strasnoy, French-Argentine composer births

      1. French-Argentine composer, conductor and pianist

        Oscar Strasnoy

        Oscar Strasnoy is a French-Argentine composer, conductor and pianist. Although primarily known for his stage works, the first of which Midea (2) premiered in Spoleto in 2000, his principal compositions also include two secular cantatas and several song cycles.

  40. 1969

    1. Ian Bremmer, American political scientist and author births

      1. American political scientist

        Ian Bremmer

        Ian Arthur Bremmer is an American political scientist and author with a focus on global political risk. He is the president and founder of Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm with principal offices in New York City. He is also a founder of the digital media firm GZERO Media.

    2. Jason Cundy, English footballer and sportscaster births

      1. English footballer (born 1969)

        Jason Cundy

        Jason Victor Cundy is an English former professional footballer and radio broadcaster for talkSPORT.

    3. Rob Schrab, American writer and artist births

      1. Comic book creator, screen writer, producer, director

        Rob Schrab

        Robby Christopher Schrab is an American comic book creator, screenwriter, director, and producer. He is the creator of the comic book Scud: The Disposable Assassin, co-writer of the feature film Monster House, co-creator of the competitive film festival Channel 101, and the co-creator of Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program. He has directed three seasons of The Sarah Silverman Program and episodes of Childrens Hospital, Blue Mountain State, Community, Parks and Recreation, The Mindy Project, Workaholics, Creepshow, and the second season of the Netflix reboot of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

    4. Liu Shaoqi, Chinese politician, 2nd Chairman of the People's Republic of China (b. 1898) deaths

      1. 2nd President of the People's Republic of China (1898–1969)

        Liu Shaoqi

        Liu Shaoqi was a Chinese revolutionary, politician, and theorist. He was Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee from 1954 to 1959, First Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1956 to 1966 and Chairman of the People's Republic of China, the de jure head of state, from 1959 to 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China. For 15 years, Liu held high positions in Chinese leadership, behind only Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. Originally considered as a successor to Mao, Liu antagonized him in the early 1960s before the Cultural Revolution. From 1966 onward, Liu was criticized and then purged by Mao. In 1968, Liu disappeared from public life and was labelled the "commander of China's bourgeoisie headquarters", China's foremost "capitalist-roader", and a traitor to the revolution. He was purged and imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution, but was posthumously rehabilitated by Deng Xiaoping's government in 1980 and granted a national memorial service.

      2. Ceremonial office and nominal de jure Head of State of China

        President of the People's Republic of China

        The president of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the president of China, is the head of state and the second-highest political office of the People's Republic of China. The presidency is constitutionally a largely ceremonial office with very limited power in China's political system. However, the post has been held by the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 1993, who is China's de facto leader.

  41. 1968

    1. Kathleen Hanna, American singer-songwriter births

      1. American musician and feminist activist

        Kathleen Hanna

        Kathleen Hanna is an American singer, musician, artist, feminist activist, pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement, and punk zine writer. In the early-to-mid-1990s she was the lead singer of feminist punk band Bikini Kill, before fronting Le Tigre in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since 2010, she has recorded as the Julie Ruin.

    2. Sammy Sosa, Dominican-American baseball player births

      1. Dominican baseball player

        Sammy Sosa

        Samuel Peralta Sosa is a Dominican-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Cubs. After playing for the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, Sosa joined the Cubs in 1992 and became regarded as one of the game's best hitters. Sosa hit his 400th home run in his 1,354th game and his 5,273rd at-bat, reaching this milestone quicker than any player in National League history. He is one of nine players in MLB history to hit 600 career home runs.

    3. Aaron Stainthorpe, English-German singer-songwriter births

      1. British singer

        Aaron Stainthorpe

        Aaron Stainthorpe is an English singer who is the lead vocalist for doom metal band My Dying Bride.

  42. 1967

    1. Bassim Al-Karbalaei, Iraqi Eulogy Reciter births

      1. Iraqi eulogy reciter

        Basim al-Karbalaei

        Haj Mulla Basim Ismail Muhammad-Ali al-Karbalaei, commonly known as Basim Karbalaei or Mulla Basim is an Iraqi Shi'ite eulogy reciter.

    2. Disco Inferno, American wrestler and manager births

      1. American professional wrestler

        Disco Inferno (wrestler)

        Glenn Gilbertti is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Disco Inferno from 1995 to 2001.

    3. Iryna Khalip, Belarusian journalist births

      1. Belarusian journalist

        Iryna Khalip

        Iryna Khalip is a Belarusian journalist, reporter and editor in the Minsk bureau of Novaya Gazeta, known for her criticism of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

    4. Michael Moorer, American boxer births

      1. American boxer

        Michael Moorer

        Michael Lee Moorer is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2008. He won a world championship on four occasions in two weight classes, having held the WBO light heavyweight title from 1988 to 1991; compiling 22 straight KOs in 22 fights and the WBO heavyweight title from 1992 to 1993; the unified WBA, IBF and lineal heavyweight titles in 1994; and regained the IBF heavyweight title again from 1996 to 1997 becoming a three-time heavyweight world champion.

    5. Grant Nicholas, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. Musical artist

        Grant Nicholas

        Grantley Jonathan "Grant" Nicholas is a Welsh musician, and lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Feeder.

  43. 1965

    1. Lex Lang, American voice actor and producer births

      1. American voice actor

        Lex Lang

        Lex Lang is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is best known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the Crash Bandicoot series and Goemon Ishikawa in Lupin the Third.

    2. Taher Saifuddin, Indian spiritual leader, 51st Da'i al-Mutlaq (b. 1888) deaths

      1. 51st Dai al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra

        Taher Saifuddin

        Taher Saifuddin, also known as Tahir Sayf al-Din, was the 51st and longest serving Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras. Saifuddin adapted the modernisation in Western and European ideas, and established its benefits for the Bohras, whilst still steeped in the traditions and the culture of the community's Fatimid heritage. Saifuddin laid substantial groundwork in terms of philanthropy, education, entrepreneurship, social outreach, political outreach, and community upliftment upon which his successors, Mohammed Burhanuddin and Mufaddal Saifuddin, continued to build, resulting in unprecedented era of prosperity among the Dawoodi Bohras.

      2. Religious leader

        Da'i al-Mutlaq

        The term Da'i al-Mutlaq literally meaning 'the absolute, or unrestricted, missionary', is the most senior spiritual rank and office in Tayyibi Isma'ilism. The Da'i al-Mutlaq has headed the Tayyibi community since the seclusion of the 21st Tayyibi Imam, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim, traditionally placed in 528 AH/1134 AD.

  44. 1964

    1. Vic Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009) births

      1. American singer-songwriter

        Vic Chesnutt

        James Victor Chesnutt was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, Little, was released in 1990. His commercial breakthrough came in 1996 with the release of Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, a charity record of alternative artists covering his songs.

    2. David Ellefson, American bass player and songwriter births

      1. American bass guitarist

        David Ellefson

        David Warren Ellefson is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth.

    3. Wang Kuang-hui, Taiwanese baseball player and coach births

      1. Taiwanese baseball player (1964–2021)

        Wang Kuang-hui

        Wang Kuang-hui was a Taiwanese professional baseball player and coach. He spent his entire playing and coaching career in the Chinese Professional Baseball League with the Brother Elephants franchise.

    4. Barbara Stühlmeyer, German musicologist, church musician and writer births

      1. Barbara Stühlmeyer

        Barbara Stühlmeyer OblOSB is a German theologian, musicologist, author, especially a Hildegard scholar and a science journalism.

  45. 1962

    1. Kuniko Asagi, Japanese actress and television host births

      1. Japanese actress and television presenter

        Kuniko Asagi

        Kuniko Asagi is a Japanese actress and television presenter. Her real name is Kuniko Tanaka .

    2. Jon Dough, American porn actor, director, and producer (d. 2006) births

      1. American pornographic actor (1962–2006)

        Jon Dough

        Jon Dough was an American pornographic actor active between 1985 and 2006.

    3. Mariella Frostrup, British journalist and actress births

      1. British journalist and presenter

        Mariella Frostrup

        Mariella Frostrup is a British journalist and presenter, known in British television and radio mainly for arts programmes.

    4. Mark Hunter, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager births

      1. Ice hockey player

        Mark Hunter (ice hockey)

        Mark William Hunter is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive, coach, and former player. He most recently served as the assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hunter was born in Petrolia, Ontario, but grew up in nearby Oil Springs, Ontario, and was one of three brothers, with Dave and Dale, to play in the NHL.

    5. Neal Shusterman, American author and poet births

      1. American novelist

        Neal Shusterman

        Neal Shusterman is an American writer of young-adult fiction. He won the 2015 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for his book Challenger Deep and his novel, Scythe, was a 2017 Michael L. Printz Honor book.

    6. Naomi Wolf, American author and activist births

      1. American writer (born 1962)

        Naomi Wolf

        Naomi Rebekah Wolf is an American feminist author and journalist, and conspiracy theorist.

    7. Roque González Garza, Mexican general and acting president (1915) (b. 1885) deaths

      1. 42nd Mexican President

        Roque González Garza

        Roque Victoriano González Garza was a Mexican general and acting president of the Republic from January to June 1915.

  46. 1961

    1. Nadia Comăneci, Romanian gymnast and coach births

      1. Romanian gymnast (born 1961)

        Nadia Comăneci

        Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner is a Romanian retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games. At the same Games she received six more perfect 10s for events en route to winning three gold medals. At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow Comăneci won two more gold medals and achieved two more perfect 10s. During her career Comăneci won nine Olympic medals and four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals.

    2. Enzo Francescoli, Uruguayan footballer births

      1. Uruguayan footballer

        Enzo Francescoli

        Enzo Francescoli Uriarte, nicknamed "El Príncipe", is a Uruguayan former footballer who played as a attacking midfielder. He is regarded as one of the best playmakers of his generation and as one of Uruguay's and South America's greatest ever players.

  47. 1960

    1. Maurane, Belgian singer and actress (d. 2018) births

      1. Musical artist

        Maurane

        Claudine Luypaerts, better known as Maurane, was a Francophone Belgian singer and actress.

  48. 1959

    1. Vincent Irizarry, American actor births

      1. American actor

        Vincent Irizarry

        Vincent Michael Irizarry is an American actor. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1985 and 2002, and won in 2009.

    2. Toshihiko Sahashi, Japanese composer births

      1. Japanese composer

        Toshihiko Sahashi

        Toshihiko Sahashi is a Japanese composer. He graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1986. Sahashi has composed music for various anime series, video games, movies, dramas, and musicals. His works include the original soundtracks for Zipang, Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, Gunslinger Girl, Black Blood Brothers, Seijuu Sentai Gingaman, Kamen Rider Kuuga, Kamen Rider Agito, Kamen Rider Hibiki, Kamen Rider Den-O, Full Metal Panic!, Hunter × Hunter, Simoun, Reborn! and composed all three Saint Seiya anime series. Together with the London Symphony Orchestra, two symphonic albums have been released, each arranging his compositions from Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny. For the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise's 30th anniversary, he again collaborated with the London Symphony Orchestra for another symphonic music album.

  49. 1958

    1. Megan Mullally, American actress and singer births

      1. American actress, comedian, and singer

        Megan Mullally

        Megan Mullally is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for playing Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning twice, in 2000 and 2006. She also received nominations for numerous other accolades for her portrayal, including seven consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, winning three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003, as well as receiving four Golden Globe Award nominations.

    2. Mykola Vynnychenko, Ukrainian race walker births

      1. Mykola Vynnychenko

        Mykola Alekseyevich Vynnychenko is a former Soviet Ukrainian race walker.

    3. Gustaf Söderström, Swedish shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (b. 1865) deaths

      1. Swedish athlete

        Gustaf Söderström

        Gustaf Fredrik "Jotte" Söderström was a Swedish athlete and tug of war competitor.

      2. Sport in which two teams pull on opposite ends of a rope

        Tug of war

        Tug of war is a sport that pits two teams against each other in a test of strength: teams pull on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal being to bring the rope a certain distance in one direction against the force of the opposing team's pull.

  50. 1957

    1. Tim Samaras, American engineer, storm chaser (d. 2013) births

      1. American engineer and storm chaser

        Tim Samaras

        Timothy Michael Samaras was an American engineer and storm chaser best known for his field research on tornadoes and time on the Discovery Channel show, Storm Chasers. He died in the 2013 El Reno tornado.

  51. 1955

    1. Les McKeown, Scottish pop singer (d. 2021) births

      1. Scottish pop singer (1955–2021)

        Les McKeown

        Leslie Richard McKeown was a Scottish pop singer. He was the lead singer of the Bay City Rollers during their most successful period in the 1970s.

    2. Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer and architect, designed the Grand Hotel Aranybika (b. 1878) deaths

      1. Hungarian swimmer and architect

        Alfréd Hajós

        Alfréd Hajós was a Hungarian swimmer, football player and manager, and architect. He was the first modern Olympic swimming champion and the first Olympic champion of Hungary. No other swimmer ever won such a high fraction of all Olympic events at a single Games. He was also part of the first-ever team fielded by Hungary in 1902.

      2. Grand Hotel Aranybika

        Grand Hotel Aranybika is a four-star hotel in Debrecen, Hungary. Located in the city centre, its history dates back to the late 17th century, though the current building of the hotel was erected in 1915 according to the blueprints of Alfréd Hajós.

    3. Tin Ujević, Croatian poet and translator (b. 1891) deaths

      1. Croatian poet

        Tin Ujević

        Augustin Josip "Tin" Ujević was a Croatian poet, considered by many to be the greatest poet in 20th century Croatian literature.

    4. Sarah Wambaugh, American political scientist, world authority on plebiscites (b. 1882) deaths

      1. American political scientist

        Sarah Wambaugh

        Sarah Wambaugh was an American political scientist.

  52. 1954

    1. Paul McNamee, Australian tennis player births

      1. Australian tennis coach and former tennis player

        Paul McNamee

        Paul McNamee is an Australian former doubles world No. 1 tennis player and prominent sports administrator.

  53. 1953

    1. Baaba Maal, Senegalese singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. Senegalese singer and guitarist (born 1953)

        Baaba Maal

        Baaba Maal is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several albums, both for independent and major labels. In July 2003, he was made a UNDP Youth Emissary.

  54. 1950

    1. Barbara Fairchild, American country and gospel singer-songwriter births

      1. American country and gospel singer

        Barbara Fairchild

        Barbara Fairchild is an American country and gospel singer, who is best known for her hit 1973 country song "The Teddy Bear Song" and other country hits.

    2. Lesley Ashburner, American hurdler (b. 1883) deaths

      1. American hurdler

        Lesley Ashburner

        Lesley Ashburner was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 110 metre hurdles.

    3. Julia Marlowe, English-American actress (b. 1865) deaths

      1. 19th/20th-century American actress

        Julia Marlowe

        Julia Marlowe was an English-born American actress, known for her interpretations of William Shakespeare's plays.

  55. 1949

    1. Ron Lapointe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1992) births

      1. Canadian ice hockey coach

        Ron Lapointe

        Ron Lapointe was a Canadian ice hockey coach.

    2. Jack Reed, American soldier and politician births

      1. American politician and U.S. Senator from Rhode Island

        Jack Reed (Rhode Island politician)

        John Francis Reed is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Rhode Island, a seat he was first elected to in 1996. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district from 1991 to 1997. Reed graduated from the United States Military Academy and Harvard University, serving in the U.S. Army as an active officer from 1971 to 1979. He is the dean of Rhode Island's congressional delegation.

  56. 1948

    1. Hassan Rouhani, Iranian lawyer and politician; 7th President of Iran births

      1. 7th President of Iran from 2013 to 2021

        Hassan Rouhani

        Hassan Rouhani is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cleric. He has been a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts since 1999. He was a member of the Expediency Council from 1991 to 2021, and also was a member of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2021. Rouhani was deputy speaker of the fourth and fifth terms of the Parliament of Iran (Majlis) and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2005. In the latter capacity, he was the country's top negotiator with the EU three, UK, France, and Germany, on nuclear technology in Iran, and has also served as a Shia mujtahid, and economic trade negotiator.

      2. Head of Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran

        President of Iran

        The president of Iran is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The president is the second highest-ranking official of Iran after the Supreme Leader.

    2. Umberto Giordano, Italian composer (b. 1867) deaths

      1. Italian opera composer

        Umberto Giordano

        Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas.

  57. 1947

    1. Buck Dharma, American singer-songwriter and guitarist births

      1. American musician

        Buck Dharma

        Donald Roeser, known by his stage name Buck Dharma, is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the sole constant member of hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967. He wrote and sang vocals on several of the band's best-known hits, including "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Godzilla" and "Burnin' for You".

    2. Patrice Leconte, French director and screenwriter births

      1. Patrice Leconte

        Patrice Leconte is a French film director, actor, comic strip writer, and screenwriter.

  58. 1946

    1. Alexandra Charles, Swedish businesswoman births

      1. Swedish former nightclub owner

        Alexandra Charles

        Alexandra Charles is a Swedish former nightclub owner. With her first husband Noël Charles (1940–2013) she opened a membership restaurant-discothèque called Alexandra's in central Stockholm in 1968 which existed in four successive central locations in that city until 1988. They also initially had a club by the same name in his native Barbados.

    2. Albert Bond Lambert, American golfer and pilot (b. 1875) deaths

      1. American golfer and aviator (1875–1946)

        Albert Bond Lambert

        Albert Bond Lambert was an American golfer who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics and in the 1904 Summer Olympics. He was also a prominent St. Louis aviator and benefactor of aviation.

    3. Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian academic and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (b. 1861) deaths

      1. Indian independence activist, scholar, educator, politician (1861–1946)

        Madan Mohan Malaviya

        Madan Mohan Malaviya (pronunciation  was an Indian scholar, educational reformer and politician notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress four times and the founder of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha. He was addressed as Pandit, a title of respect, and also as Mahamana.

      2. List of presidents of the Indian National Congress

        The President of the Indian National Congress is the chief executive of the Indian National Congress (INC), one of the principal political parties in India. Constitutionally, the president is elected by an electoral college composed of members drawn from the Pradesh Congress Committees and members of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). In the event of any emergency because of any cause such as the death or resignation of the president elected as above, the most senior General Secretary discharges the routine functions of the president until the Working Committee appoints a provisional president pending the election of a regular president by the AICC. The president of the party has effectively been the party's national leader, head of the party's organisation, head of the Working Committee, the chief spokesman, and all chief Congress committees.

  59. 1945

    1. Michael Bishop, American author and educator births

      1. American writer

        Michael Bishop (author)

        Michael Lawson Bishop is an American writer. Over four decades and in more than thirty books, he has created what has been called a "body of work that stands among the most admired and influential in modern science fiction and fantasy literature."

    2. Neil Young, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer births

      1. Canadian-American singer and songwriter (born 1945)

        Neil Young

        Neil Percival Young is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and others. Since the beginning of his solo career with his backing band Crazy Horse, he has released many critically acclaimed and important albums, such as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Gold Rush, Harvest, On the Beach and Rust Never Sleeps. He was a part-time member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

    3. Judith Roitman, American mathematician and academic births

      1. American mathematician

        Judith Roitman

        Judith "Judy" Roitman is a mathematician, a retired professor at the University of Kansas. She specializes in set theory, topology, Boolean algebras, and mathematics education.

  60. 1944

    1. Booker T. Jones, American pianist, saxophonist, songwriter, and producer births

      1. American musician

        Booker T. Jones

        Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.

    2. Al Michaels, American sportscaster births

      1. American television sportscaster

        Al Michaels

        Alan Richard Michaels is an American television sportscaster currently working as the play-by-play announcer for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video and in an emeritus role for NBC Sports. He has worked on network sports television since 1971, with his most recent work being with NBC Sports after nearly three decades (1976–2006) with ABC Sports. Michaels is known for his many years calling play-by-play of National Football League games, including ABC Monday Night Football from 1986 to 2005 and NBC Sunday Night Football from 2006 to 2021. He is also known for famous calls in other sports, including the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Winter Olympics and the earthquake-interrupted Game 3 of the 1989 World Series.

  61. 1943

    1. Errol Brown, Jamaican-English singer-songwriter (d. 2015) births

      1. Musical artist

        Errol Brown

        Lester Errol Brown MBE was a British-Jamaican singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the soul and funk band Hot Chocolate. In 2004, Brown received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

    2. Brian Hyland, American pop singer births

      1. American pop and country singer

        Brian Hyland

        Brian Hyland is an American pop singer and instrumentalist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s. AllMusic journalist Jason Ankeny says "Hyland's puppy-love pop virtually defined the sound and sensibility of bubblegum during the pre-Beatles era." Although his status as a teen idol faded, he went on to release several country-influenced albums and had additional chart hits later in his career.

    3. Wallace Shawn, American actor, comedian and playwright births

      1. American actor

        Wallace Shawn

        Wallace Michael Shawn is an American actor, playwright, and essayist. His film roles include Wally Shawn in My Dinner with Andre (1981), Vizzini in The Princess Bride (1987), Mr. James Hall in Clueless (1995) and the voice of Rex in the Toy Story franchise (1995–2019). He has also had roles in six of Woody Allen's films. His television work includes recurring roles as Jeff Engels in The Cosby Show (1987–1991), Grand Nagus Zek in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999), Cyrus Rose in Gossip Girl (2008–2012), and Dr. John Sturgis in Young Sheldon (2018–present).

    4. Björn Waldegård, Swedish racing driver (d. 2014) births

      1. Swedish rally driver (1943–2014)

        Björn Waldegård

        Björn Waldegård was a Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the inaugural World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979. His Swedish nickname was "Walle".

    5. John Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011) births

      1. American guitarist (1943–2011)

        John Walker (musician)

        John Joseph Maus, known professionally as John Walker, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the founder of the Walker Brothers, who had their greatest success in the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom.

  62. 1942

    1. Maurice O'Neill, executed Irish Republican deaths

      1. Maurice O'Neill (Irish republican)

        In 1942, Irish Republican Army (IRA) Volunteer, Maurice O'Neill was captured, tried and executed, after a shoot out with Irish police.

      2. Political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland

        Irish republicanism

        Irish republicanism is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate.

  63. 1940

    1. Amjad Khan, Indian actor & director (d. 1992) births

      1. Indian film actor (1940–1992)

        Amjad Khan (actor)

        Amjad Khan was an Indian actor and film director. He worked in over 132 films in a career spanning nearly twenty years. He was the son of the actor Jayant. He gained popularity for villainous roles in mostly Hindi films, the most famous being Gabbar Singh in the 1975 classic Sholay and of Dilawar in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978).

    2. Michel Audet, Canadian economist and politician births

      1. Canadian politician and economist

        Michel Audet

        Michel Audet is an economist and a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the Finance Minister of Quebec in the first Charest government.

    3. Jürgen Todenhöfer, German judge and politician births

      1. Jürgen Todenhöfer

        Jürgen Todenhöfer is a German author, journalist, politician, and executive.

  64. 1939

    1. Lucia Popp, Slovak soprano (d. 1993) births

      1. Lucia Popp

        Lucia Popp was a Slovak operatic soprano. She began her career as a soubrette, and later moved into the light-lyric and lyric coloratura soprano repertoire and then the lighter Richard Strauss and Wagner operas. Her career included performances at Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, and La Scala. Popp was also a highly regarded recitalist and lieder singer.

    2. Norman Bethune, Canadian physician and humanitarian (b. 1890) deaths

      1. Canadian physician (1890-1939)

        Norman Bethune

        Henry Norman Bethune was a Canadian thoracic surgeon, early advocate of socialized medicine, and member of the Communist Party of Canada. A veteran of the First World War, he held militarism and capitalism to be inextricably linked.

  65. 1938

    1. Denis DeJordy, Canadian ice hockey player and coach births

      1. Canadian ice hockey player

        Denis DeJordy

        Joseph Denis Emile DeJordy, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played goal for four National Hockey League teams, most notably the Chicago Black Hawks. In 1966–67, he and Glenn Hall won the Vezina Trophy for the best goals-against average in the NHL.

    2. Benjamin Mkapa, Tanzanian journalist and politician, 3rd President of Tanzania births

      1. President of Tanzania from 1995 to 2005

        Benjamin Mkapa

        Benjamin William Mkapa was the third president of Tanzania, in office from 1995 to 2005. He was Chairman of the Revolutionary State Political Party.

      2. Head of state and of government of the United Republic of Tanzania

        President of Tanzania

        The President of the United Republic of Tanzania is the head of state and head of government of the United Republic of Tanzania. The President leads the executive branch of the Government of Tanzania and is the commander-in-chief of the Tanzania People's Defence Force. The President serves a term of five years. Since 1992, they are limited to two terms, whether successive or separated.

    3. Mort Shuman, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1991) births

      1. American songwriter

        Mort Shuman

        Mortimer Shuman was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as "Le Lac Majeur", "Papa-Tango-Charly", "Sha Mi Sha", "Un Été de Porcelaine", and "Brooklyn by the Sea" which became hits in France.

  66. 1934

    1. Charles Manson, American cult leader (d. 2017) births

      1. American criminal and cult leader (1934–2017)

        Charles Manson

        Charles Milles Manson was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. In 1971, Manson was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people, including the film actress Sharon Tate. The prosecution contended that, while Manson never directly ordered the murders, his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy.

    2. John McGahern, Irish author and educator (d. 2006) births

      1. Irish writer

        John McGahern

        John McGahern was an Irish writer and novelist. He is regarded as one of the most important writers of the latter half of the twentieth century.

    3. Vavá, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2002) births

      1. Brazilian footballer

        Vavá

        Edvaldo Izidio Neto, commonly known as Vavá, was a Brazilian footballer who is widely considered one of the best strikers of his generation. His nickname was "Peito de Aço". He played as a main striker for Sport Club do Recife, C.R. Vasco da Gama, S.E. Palmeiras and the Brazil national football team.

  67. 1933

    1. John Cady, American golfer (b. 1866) deaths

      1. American golfer

        John Cady (golfer)

        John Deere Cady was an American golfer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. He was the grandson of John Deere and the great-grandson of Linus Yale, Sr.

    2. F. Holland Day, American photographer and publisher (b. 1864) deaths

      1. American photographer and publisher

        F. Holland Day

        Fred Holland Day, known professionally as F. Holland Day, was an American photographer and publisher. He was prominent in literary and photography circles in the late nineteenth century and was a leading Pictorialist. He was an early and vocal advocate for accepting photography as a fine art.

  68. 1930

    1. Bob Crewe, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2014) births

      1. Musical artist

        Bob Crewe

        Robert Stanley Crewe was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. He was known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for the Four Seasons.

  69. 1929

    1. Michael Ende, German author and fiction writer (d. 1995) births

      1. German writer (1929−1995)

        Michael Ende

        Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende was a German writer of fantasy and children's fiction. He is known for his epic fantasy The Neverending Story ; other well-known works include Momo and Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver. His works have been translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 35 million copies.

    2. Grace Kelly, American actress, later Princess Grace of Monaco (d. 1982) births

      1. American actress and Princess consort of Monaco (1929–1982)

        Grace Kelly

        Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956.

  70. 1927

    1. František Šťastný, Czech motorcycle racer and sportscaster (d. 2000) births

      1. Czechoslovakian motorcycle racer

        František Šťastný

        František Šťastný was a Czech Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.

    2. Yutaka Taniyama, Japanese mathematician and theorist (d. 1958) births

      1. Japanese mathematician

        Yutaka Taniyama

        Yutaka Taniyama was a Japanese mathematician known for the Taniyama–Shimura conjecture.

  71. 1926

    1. Robert Goff, Baron Goff of Chieveley, English lawyer and judge (d. 2016) births

      1. English academic, barrister and Senior Law Lord

        Robert Goff, Baron Goff of Chieveley

        Robert Lionel Archibald Goff, Baron Goff of Chieveley, was an English barrister and judge who was Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, the equivalent of today's President of the Supreme Court. Best known for establishing unjust enrichment as a branch of English law, he has been described by Andrew Burrows as "the greatest judge of modern times". Goff was the original co-author of Goff & Jones, the leading English law textbook on restitution and unjust enrichment, first published in 1966. He practised as a commercial barrister from 1951 to 1975, following which he began his career as a judge. He was appointed to the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords in 1986.

  72. 1924

    1. Sam Jones, American bassist, cellist, and composer (d. 1981) births

      1. American jazz double bassist, cellist, and composer

        Sam Jones (musician)

        Samuel Jones was an American jazz double bassist, cellist, and composer.

  73. 1923

    1. Vicco von Bülow, German humorist, actor, and director (d. 2011) births

      1. German humorist (1923–2011)

        Loriot

        Bernhard-Viktor Christoph-Carl von Bülow, known as Vicco von Bülow or Loriot, was a German comedian, humorist, cartoonist, film director, actor and writer.

    2. Ian Graham, English archaeologist and explorer (d. 2017) births

      1. Ian Graham

        Ian James Alastair Graham OBE was a British Mayanist whose explorations of Maya ruins in the jungles of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize helped establish the Corpus of Maya Hieroglyphic Inscriptions published by the Peabody Museum of Harvard University. Among his related works is a biography of an early predecessor, the 19th-century British Maya explorer Alfred Maudslay.

    3. Rubén Bonifaz Nuño, Mexican poet and scholar (d. 2013) births

      1. Mexican poet and classical scholar

        Rubén Bonifaz Nuño

        Rubén Bonifaz Nuño was a Mexican poet and classical scholar.

  74. 1922

    1. Tadeusz Borowski, Polish poet, author, and journalist (d. 1951) births

      1. Polish writer and journalist

        Tadeusz Borowski

        Tadeusz Borowski was a Polish writer and journalist. His wartime poetry and stories dealing with his experiences as a prisoner at Auschwitz are recognized as classics of Polish literature.

    2. Kim Hunter, American actress (d. 2002) births

      1. American actress (1922-2002)

        Kim Hunter

        Kim Hunter was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, which she reprised for the 1951 film adaptation, and won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

  75. 1920

    1. Richard Quine, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1989) births

      1. American actor (1920–1989)

        Richard Quine

        Richard Quine was an American director, actor, and singer.

  76. 1919

    1. France Štiglic, Slovenian film director and screenwriter (d. 1993) births

      1. Slovenian film director (1919-1993)

        France Štiglic

        France Štiglic was a Slovenian film director and screenwriter. His 1948 film On Our Own Land was entered into the 1949 Cannes Film Festival. His film The Ninth Circle (1960) was Yugoslavia's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 33rd Academy Awards, where it was shortlisted for the award.

  77. 1917

    1. Jo Stafford, American singer (d. 2008) births

      1. American singer (1917–2008)

        Jo Stafford

        Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical training to become an opera singer before following a career in popular music, and by 1955 had achieved more worldwide record sales than any other female artist. Her 1952 song "You Belong to Me" topped the charts in the United States and United Kingdom, becoming the second single to top the UK Singles Chart, and the first by a female artist to do so.

  78. 1916

    1. Paul Emery, English racing driver (d. 1993) births

      1. Paul Emery

        Paul Emery was a racing driver from England.

    2. Jean Papineau-Couture, Canadian composer and academic (d. 2000) births

      1. Canadian composer and academic

        Jean Papineau-Couture

        Jean Papineau-Couture, was a Canadian composer and academic.

    3. Percival Lowell, American astronomer, mathematician, and author (b. 1855) deaths

      1. American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer (1855–1916)

        Percival Lowell

        Percival Lowell was an American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars, and furthered theories of a ninth planet within the Solar System. He founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death.

  79. 1915

    1. Roland Barthes, French philosopher, theorist, and critic (d. 1980) births

      1. French philosopher and essayist

        Roland Barthes

        Roland Gérard Barthes was a French literary theorist, essayist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. His work engaged in the analysis of a variety of sign systems, mainly derived from Western popular culture. His ideas explored a diverse range of fields and influenced the development of many schools of theory, including structuralism, anthropology, literary theory, and post-structuralism.

  80. 1911

    1. Buck Clayton, American trumpet player and academic (d. 1991) births

      1. American jazz trumpeter

        Buck Clayton

        Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" as he passed by a shop window.

  81. 1910

    1. Dudley Nourse, South African cricketer (d. 1981) births

      1. South African Test cricketer

        Dudley Nourse

        Arthur Dudley Nourse was a South African Test cricketer. Primarily a batsman, he was captain of the South African team from 1948 to 1951.

  82. 1908

    1. Harry Blackmun, American lawyer and judge (d. 1999) births

      1. US Supreme Court justice from 1970 to 1994

        Harry Blackmun

        Harry Andrew Blackmun was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 to 1994. Appointed by Republican President Richard Nixon, Blackmun ultimately became one of the most liberal justices on the Court. He is best known as the author of the Court's opinion in Roe v. Wade.

  83. 1906

    1. George Dillon, American soldier and poet (d. 1968) births

      1. American poet

        George Dillon (poet)

        George Hill Dillon was an American editor and poet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1932 for The Flowering Stone.

  84. 1905

    1. Louise Thaden, American pilot (d. 1979) births

      1. Louise Thaden

        Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden was an American aviation pioneer, holder of numerous aviation records, and the first woman to win the Bendix trophy, alongside Blanche Noyes. She was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Historical Society's Hall of Fame in 1980.

  85. 1904

    1. Max Hoffman, Austrian-born car importer and businessman (d. 1981) births

      1. Max Hoffman

        Maximilian Edwin Hoffman, was an Austrian-born, New York-based importer of luxury European automobiles into the United States during the 1950s.

  86. 1903

    1. Jack Oakie, American actor (d. 1978) births

      1. American actor (1903–1978)

        Jack Oakie

        Jack Oakie was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television. He portrayed Napaloni in Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940), receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

  87. 1902

    1. William Henry Barlow, English engineer (b. 1812) deaths

      1. British civil engineer

        William Henry Barlow

        William Henry Barlow FRS FRSE FICE MIMechE was an English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with railway engineering projects. Barlow was involved in many engineering enterprises. He was engineer for the Midland Railway on its London extension and designed the company's London terminus at St Pancras.

  88. 1901

    1. James Luther Adams, American minister and theologian (d. 1994) births

      1. American theologian and minister

        James Luther Adams

        James Luther Adams (1901–1994), an American professor at Harvard Divinity School, Andover Newton Theological School, and Meadville Lombard Theological School, and a Unitarian parish minister, was the most influential theologian among American Unitarian Universalists in the 20th century.

  89. 1900

    1. Stanley Graham, New Zealand mass murderer (d. 1941) births

      1. Stanley Graham

        Eric Stanley George Graham was a New Zealander who killed seven people.

  90. 1898

    1. Leon Štukelj, Slovenian gymnast (d. 1999) births

      1. Slovenian gymnast

        Leon Štukelj

        Leon Štukelj was a Slovene professional gymnast. He was an Olympic gold medalist and athlete who represented Yugoslavia at the Olympics.

  91. 1897

    1. Karl Marx, German composer and conductor (d. 1985) births

      1. German composer and music teacher

        Karl Marx (composer)

        Karl Julius Marx was a German composer and music teacher.

  92. 1896

    1. Salim Ali, Indian ornithologist and author (d. 1987) births

      1. Indian ornithologist

        Salim Ali

        Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Sometimes referred to as the "Birdman of India", Salim Ali was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and wrote several bird books that popularized ornithology in India. He became a key figure behind the Bombay Natural History Society after 1947 and used his personal influence to garner government support for the organisation, create the Bharatpur bird sanctuary and prevent the destruction of what is now the Silent Valley National Park.

    2. Joseph James Cheeseman, Liberian politician, 12th President of Liberia (b. 1843) deaths

      1. Former President of Liberia

        Joseph James Cheeseman

        Joseph James Cheeseman was the 12th president of Liberia. Born at Edina in Grand Bassa County, he was elected three times on the True Whig ticket. Cheeseman was educated at Liberia College.

      2. Head of state and government of Liberia

        President of Liberia

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

  93. 1895

    1. Manuel Alonso Areizaga, Spanish tennis player (d. 1984) births

      1. Spanish tennis player

        Manuel Alonso Areizaga

        Manuel Alonso de Areizaga was a Spanish tennis player. He was the first Spanish tennis player of international stature.

    2. Nima Yooshij, Iranian poet and academic (d. 1960) births

      1. Iranian poet

        Nima Yooshij

        Nimā Yushij, also called Nimā (نیما), born Ali Esfandiāri, was an Iranian poet. He is famous for his style of poetry which he popularized, called she'r-e now, also known as She'r-e Nimaa'i in his honour after his death. He is considered as the father of modern Persian poetry.

  94. 1894

    1. Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe, Norwegian zoologist and comparative psychologist (d. 1976) births

      1. Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe

        Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe was a Norwegian zoologist and comparative psychologist. He was the first person to describe a pecking order of hens.

  95. 1892

    1. Tudor Davies, Welsh tenor and actor (d. 1958) births

      1. Welsh tenor (1892–1958)

        Tudor Davies

        Tudor Davies was a Welsh tenor.

  96. 1890

    1. Lily Kronberger, Hungarian figure skater (d. 1974) births

      1. Hungarian figure skater

        Lily Kronberger

        Lily Kronberger, also spelled Lili Kronberger, was a Hungarian figure skater competitive during the early years of modern figure skating. She was Hungary’s first World Champion.

  97. 1889

    1. DeWitt Wallace, American publisher and philanthropist, co-founded Reader's Digest (d. 1981) births

      1. DeWitt Wallace

        William Roy DeWitt Wallace;, publishing as DeWitt Wallace, was an American magazine publisher.

      2. American general-interest magazine

        Reader's Digest

        Reader's Digest is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wife Lila Bell Wallace. For many years, Reader's Digest was the best-selling consumer magazine in the United States; it lost the distinction in 2009 to Better Homes and Gardens. According to Mediamark Research (2006), Reader's Digest reached more readers with household incomes of over $100,000 than Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and Inc. combined.

  98. 1886

    1. Günther Dyhrenfurth, German geologist and mountaineer (d. 1975) births

      1. Swiss mountain climber

        Günter Dyhrenfurth

        Günter Oskar Dyhrenfurth was a German-born, German and Swiss mountaineer, geologist and Himalayan explorer. He won a gold medal in alpinism at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

    2. Ben Travers, English author and playwright (d. 1980) births

      1. English writer

        Ben Travers

        Ben Travers was an English writer. His output includes more than 20 plays, 30 screenplays, 5 novels, and 3 volumes of memoirs. He is best remembered for his long-running series of farces first staged in the 1920s and 1930s at the Aldwych Theatre. Many of these were made into films and later television productions.

  99. 1881

    1. Olev Siinmaa, Estonian-Swedish architect (d. 1948) births

      1. Estonian architect

        Olev Siinmaa

        Olev Siinmaa, was an Estonian architect who is perhaps best recalled for his work in the style coined "Pärnu Resort Functionalism".

    2. Maximilian von Weichs, German field marshal (d. 1954) births

      1. German Field Marshal

        Maximilian von Weichs

        Maximilian Maria Joseph Karl Gabriel Lamoral Reichsfreiherr von und zu Weichs an der Glon was a field marshal in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II.

  100. 1872

    1. William Fay, Irish actor and producer (d. 1947) births

      1. William Fay

        William George "Willie" Fay was an actor and theatre producer who was one of the co-founders of the Abbey Theatre.

  101. 1866

    1. Sun Yat-sen, Chinese physician and politician, 1st President of the Republic of China (d. 1925) births

      1. Chinese statesman, physician, and revolutionary (1866–1925)

        Sun Yat-sen

        Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese statesman, physician, and political philosopher, who served as the first provisional president of the Republic of China and the first leader of the Kuomintang. He is called the "Father of the Nation" in the Republic of China, and the "Forerunner of the Revolution" in the People's Republic of China for his instrumental role in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty during the Xinhai Revolution. Sun is unique among 20th-century Chinese leaders for being widely revered in both Mainland China and Taiwan.

      2. Head of state of the Republic of China

        President of the Republic of China

        The president of the Republic of China, now often referred to as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (ROC), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The position once had authority of ruling over Mainland China, but its remaining jurisdictions has been limited to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other smaller islands since the conclusion of Second Chinese Civil War.

  102. 1865

    1. Elizabeth Gaskell, English author (b. 1810) deaths

      1. English writer (1810–1865)

        Elizabeth Gaskell

        Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of Victorian society, including the very poor. Her work is of interest to social historians as well as readers of literature. Her first novel, Mary Barton, was published in 1848. Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Brontë, published in 1857, was the first biography of Charlotte Brontë. In this biography, she wrote only of the moral, sophisticated things in Brontë's life; the rest she omitted, deciding certain, more salacious aspects were better kept hidden. Among Gaskell's best known novels are Cranford (1851–53), North and South (1854–55), and Wives and Daughters (1865), all having been adapted for television by the BBC.

  103. 1850

    1. Mikhail Chigorin, Russian chess player and theoretician (d. 1908) births

      1. Russian chess player

        Mikhail Chigorin

        Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin was a Russian chess player. He played two World Championship matches against Wilhelm Steinitz, losing both times. The last great player of the Romantic chess style, he also served as a major source of inspiration for the "Soviet chess school", which dominated the chess world in the middle and latter parts of the 20th century.

  104. 1848

    1. Eduard Müller, Swiss lawyer and politician, 51st President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1919) births

      1. Eduard Müller (Swiss politician)

        Eduard Müller was a Swiss politician, Mayor of Bern (1888–1895), President of the Swiss National Council (1890/1891) and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1895–1919). He was a member of the Free Democratic Party.

      2. Head of Switzerland's Federal Council

        President of the Swiss Confederation

        The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the Confederation or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is the head of Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council, the country's executive branch. Elected by the Federal Assembly for one year, the officeholder chairs the meetings of the Federal Council and undertakes special representational duties.

  105. 1847

    1. William Christopher Zeise, Danish chemist who prepared Zeise's salt, one of the first organometallic compounds (b. 1789) deaths

      1. Danish organic chemist (1789–1847)

        William Christopher Zeise

        William Christopher Zeise was a Danish organic chemist. He is best known for synthesising one of the first organometallic compounds, named Zeise's salt in his honour. He also performed pioneering studies in organosulfur chemistry, discovering the xanthates in 1823.

      2. Chemical compound

        Zeise's salt

        Zeise's salt, potassium trichloro(ethylene)platinate(II), is the chemical compound with the formula K[PtCl3(C2H4)]·H2O. The anion of this air-stable, yellow, coordination complex contains an η2-ethylene ligand. The anion features a platinum atom with a square planar geometry. The salt is of historical importance in the area of organometallic chemistry as one of the first examples of a transition metal alkene complex and is named for its discoverer, William Christopher Zeise.

  106. 1842

    1. John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919) births

      1. English physicist (1842-1919)

        John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh

        John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, was an English mathematician and physicist who made extensive contributions to science. He spent all of his academic career at the University of Cambridge. Among many honors, he received the 1904 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his investigations of the densities of the most important gases and for his discovery of argon in connection with these studies." He served as president of the Royal Society from 1905 to 1908 and as chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1908 to 1919.

      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.

  107. 1840

    1. Auguste Rodin, French sculptor and illustrator, created The Thinker (d. 1917) births

      1. French sculptor (1840–1917)

        Auguste Rodin

        François Auguste René Rodin was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a unique ability to model a complex, turbulent, and deeply pocketed surface in clay. He is known for such sculptures as The Thinker, Monument to Balzac, The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais, and The Gates of Hell.

      2. Sculpture by Auguste Rodin

        The Thinker

        The Thinker is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, usually placed on a stone pedestal. The work depicts a nude male figure of heroic size sitting on a rock. He is seen leaning over, his right elbow placed on his left thigh, holding the weight of his chin on the back of his right hand. The pose is one of deep thought and contemplation, and the statue is often used as an image to represent philosophy.

  108. 1836

    1. Juan Ramón Balcarce, Argentinian general and politician, 6th Governor of Buenos Aires Province (b. 1773) deaths

      1. Juan Ramón Balcarce

        Juan Ramón González de Balcarce was an Argentine military leader and politician.

      2. Head of government of Buenos Aires Province

        Governor of Buenos Aires Province

        The Governor of Buenos Aires Province is a citizen of the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina, holding the office of governor for the corresponding period. The governor is elected alongside a vice-governor. Currently the governor of Buenos Aires Province is Axel Kicillof since December 11, 2019.

  109. 1833

    1. Alexander Borodin, Russian composer and chemist (d. 1887) births

      1. Russian composer, doctor and chemist

        Alexander Borodin

        Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian-Russian extraction. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as "The Five", a group dedicated to producing a "uniquely Russian" kind of classical music. Borodin is known best for his symphonies, his two string quartets, the symphonic poem In the Steppes of Central Asia and his opera Prince Igor.

  110. 1817

    1. Bahá'u'lláh, Persian spiritual leader, founded the Baháʼí Faith (d. 1892) births

      1. Founder of the Baháʼí Faith

        Baháʼu'lláh

        Baháʼu'lláh was the founder of the Baháʼí Faith. He was born to an aristocratic family in Persia, and was exiled due to his adherence to the messianic Bábí Faith. In 1863, in Iraq, he first announced his claim to a revelation from God, and spent the rest of his life in further imprisonment in the Ottoman Empire. His teachings revolved around the principles of unity and religious renewal, ranging from moral and spiritual progress to world governance.

      2. Religion established in the 19th century

        Baháʼí Faith

        The Baháʼí Faith is a relatively new religion teaching the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the Middle East, where it has faced ongoing persecution since its inception. The religion is estimated to have 5–8 million adherents, known as Baháʼís, spread throughout most of the world's countries and territories.

  111. 1815

    1. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American activist (d. 1902) births

      1. American suffragist (1815–1902)

        Elizabeth Cady Stanton

        Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, the first convention to be called for the sole purpose of discussing women's rights, and was the primary author of its Declaration of Sentiments. Her demand for women's right to vote generated a controversy at the convention but quickly became a central tenet of the women's movement. She was also active in other social reform activities, especially abolitionism.

  112. 1795

    1. Thaddeus William Harris, American entomologist and botanist (d. 1856) births

      1. American physician

        Thaddeus William Harris

        Thaddeus William Harris was an American entomologist and librarian. His focus on insect life cycles and interactions with plants was influential in broadening American entomological studies beyond a narrow taxonomic approach. He was an early agricultural entomologist and served as a mentor and role model for others in this new field. For 25 years Harris served as the librarian of Harvard University where oversaw the rapid growth of the library and introduced one of the earliest American library card catalogs.

  113. 1793

    1. Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, Livonian physician and botanist (d. 1831) births

      1. Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz

        Johann Friedrich Gustav von Eschscholtz was a Baltic German physician, naturalist, and entomologist. He was one of the earliest scientific explorers of the Pacific region, making significant collections of flora and fauna in Alaska, California, and Hawaii.

    2. Jean Sylvain Bailly, French astronomer, mathematician, and politician, 1st Mayor of Paris (b. 1736) deaths

      1. French astronomer, mathematician, freemason, and political leader (1736–1793)

        Jean Sylvain Bailly

        Jean Sylvain Bailly was a French astronomer, mathematician, freemason, and political leader of the early part of the French Revolution. He presided over the Tennis Court Oath, served as the mayor of Paris from 1789 to 1791, and was ultimately guillotined during the Reign of Terror.

      2. Head of the executive branch of the Government of Paris

        Mayor of Paris

        The Mayor of Paris is the chief executive of Paris, the capital and largest city in France. The officeholder is responsible for the administration and management of the city, submits proposals and recommendations to the Council of Paris, is active in the enforcement of the city's ordinances, submits the city's annual budget and appoints city officers, department commissioners or directors, as well as members of city boards and commissions. During meetings of the Council of Paris, the mayor serves as the presiding officer, as it is the case in any other commune in France. Since Paris doubles as a department as well, the mayor also has the rank of a departmental council president.

    3. Lord George Gordon, English politician (b. 1751) deaths

      1. 18th-century British politician

        Lord George Gordon

        Lord George Gordon was a British politician best known for lending his name to the Gordon Riots of 1780.

  114. 1780

    1. Piet Retief, South African ruler (d. 1838) births

      1. South African Voortrekker leader (1780-1838)

        Piet Retief

        Pieter Mauritz Retief was a Voortrekker leader. Settling in 1814 in the frontier region of the Cape Colony, he assumed command of punitive expeditions in response to raiding parties from the adjacent Xhosa territory. He became a spokesperson for the frontier farmers who voiced their discontent, and wrote the Voortrekkers' declaration at their departure from the colony.

  115. 1755

    1. Gerhard von Scharnhorst, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (d. 1813) births

      1. Hanoverian-born general

        Gerhard von Scharnhorst

        Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst was a Hanoverian-born general in Prussian service from 1801. As the first Chief of the Prussian General Staff, he was noted for his military theories, his reforms of the Prussian army, and his leadership during the Napoleonic Wars. Scharnhorst limited the use of corporal punishments, established promotion for merit, abolished the enrollment of foreigners, began the organization of a reserve army, and organized and simplified the military administration.

      2. Ministry of War (Prussia)

        The Prussian War Ministry was gradually established between 1808 and 1809 as part of a series of reforms initiated by the Military Reorganization Commission created after the disastrous Treaties of Tilsit. The War Ministry was to help bring the Army under constitutional review, and, along with the General Staff systematize the conduct of warfare. Gerhard von Scharnhorst, the most prominent and influential of the reformers, served as acting war minister from roughly 1808 until 1810.

  116. 1742

    1. Friedrich Hoffmann, German physician and chemist (b. 1660) deaths

      1. German physician and chemist (1660–1742)

        Friedrich Hoffmann

        Friedrich Hoffmann or Hofmann was a German physician and chemist. He is also sometimes known in English as Frederick Hoffmann.

  117. 1729

    1. Louis Antoine de Bougainville, French admiral and explorer (d. 1811) births

      1. French admiral and explorer

        Louis Antoine de Bougainville

        Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of the British explorer James Cook, he took part in the Seven Years' War in North America and the American Revolutionary War against Britain. Bougainville later gained fame for his expeditions, including a circumnavigation of the globe in a scientific expedition in 1763, the first recorded settlement on the Falkland Islands, and voyages into the Pacific Ocean. Bougainville Island of Papua New Guinea as well as the Bougainvillea flower were named after him.

  118. 1684

    1. Edward Vernon, English admiral and politician (d. 1757) births

      1. British naval officer prominent during the War of Jenkins' Ear

        Edward Vernon

        Admiral Edward Vernon was an English naval officer. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years service. As a vice admiral during the War of Jenkins' Ear, in 1739 he was responsible for the capture of Porto Bello, seen as expunging the failure of Admiral Hosier there in a previous conflict. However, his amphibious operation against the Spanish port of Cartagena de Indias was a disastrous defeat. Vernon also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) on three occasions and was outspoken on naval matters in Parliament, making him a controversial figure.

  119. 1671

    1. Thomas Fairfax, English general and politician (b. 1612) deaths

      1. English politician and general

        Thomas Fairfax

        Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented commander, Fairfax led Parliament to many victories, notably the crucial Battle of Naseby, becoming effectively military ruler of England, but was eventually overshadowed by his subordinate Oliver Cromwell, who was more politically adept and radical in action against Charles I. Fairfax became unhappy with Cromwell's policy and publicly refused to take part in Charles's show trial. Eventually he resigned, leaving Cromwell to control the country. Because of this, and also his honourable battlefield conduct and his active role in the Restoration of the monarchy after Cromwell's death, he was exempted from the retribution exacted on many other leaders of the revolution.

  120. 1667

    1. Hans Nansen, Danish politician (b. 1598) deaths

      1. Danish statesman

        Hans Nansen

        Hans Nansen was a Danish statesman.

  121. 1655

    1. Francis Nicholson, British Army general and colonial administrator (d. 1727) births

      1. British general and colonial official

        Francis Nicholson

        Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson was a British Army general and colonial official who served as the Governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He previously was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, the Governor of Virginia from 1698 to 1705, the Governor of Maryland from 1694 to 1698, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1690 to 1692, and the Lieutenant Governor of the Dominion of New England from 1688 to 1689.

  122. 1651

    1. Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican nun, poet, and scholar (d. 1695) births

      1. Mexican writer, philosopher, composer and poet (1648–1695)

        Juana Inés de la Cruz

        Doña Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana, better known as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a Mexican writer, philosopher, composer and poet of the Baroque period, and Hieronymite nun. Her contributions to the Spanish Golden Age gained her the nicknames of "The Tenth Muse" or "The Phoenix of America",; historian Stuart Murray calls her a flame that rose from the ashes of "religious authoritarianism".

  123. 1627

    1. Diego Luis de San Vitores, Spanish Jesuit missionary (d. 1672) births

      1. Diego Luis de San Vitores

        Diego Luis de San Vitores, SJ was a Spanish Jesuit missionary who founded the first Catholic church on the island of Guam. He is responsible for establishing the Christian presence in the Mariana Islands. He is a controversial figure today due to his role in starting the Spanish-Chamorro Wars.

  124. 1623

    1. Josaphat Kuntsevych, Lithuanian archbishop (b. c. 1582) deaths

      1. Ukrainian Greek-Catholic archbishop and martyr

        Josaphat Kuntsevych

        Josaphat Kuntsevych, OSBM was a Basilian monk and archeparch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church who on 12 November 1623 was killed by an angry mob in Vitebsk, in the eastern peripheries of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He is said to be the best-known victim of anti-Catholic violence related to implementing the Union of Brest, and has been declared a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church.

  125. 1615

    1. Richard Baxter, English minister, poet, and theologian (d. 1691) births

      1. 17th-century English Puritan church leader and theologian

        Richard Baxter

        Richard Baxter was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymnodist, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he made his reputation by his ministry at Kidderminster in Worcestershire, and at around the same time began a long and prolific career as theological writer. After the Restoration he refused preferment, while retaining a non-separatist Presbyterian approach, and became one of the most influential leaders of the Nonconformists, spending time in prison. His views on justification and sanctification are somewhat controversial and unconventional within the Calvinist tradition because his teachings seem, to some, to undermine salvation by faith, in that he emphasizes the necessity of repentance and faithfulness.

  126. 1606

    1. Jeanne Mance, French-Canadian nurse, founded the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (d. 1673) births

      1. 17th-century French nurse and settler in Quebec, New France

        Jeanne Mance

        Jeanne Mance was a French nurse and settler of New France. She arrived in New France two years after the Ursuline nuns came to Quebec. Among the founders of Montreal in 1642, she established its first hospital, the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, in 1645. She returned twice to France to seek financial support for the hospital. After providing most of the care directly for years, in 1657 she recruited three sisters of the Religieuses hospitalières de Saint-Joseph, and continued to direct operations of the hospital. During her era, she was also known as Jehanne Mance contemporarily by the French, and as Joan Mance by the English contemporarily.

      2. Hospital in Montreal, Quebec

        Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal

        The Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal was the first hospital established in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

  127. 1595

    1. John Hawkins, English admiral and shipbuilder (b. 1532) deaths

      1. English navigator, admiral, privateer and slave trader

        John Hawkins (naval commander)

        Sir John Hawkins was a pioneering English naval commander and administrator. He was also a privateer and an early promoter of English involvement in the Atlantic slave trade.

  128. 1579

    1. Albrecht of Hanau-Münzenberg, German nobleman (d. 1635) births

      1. Albrecht of Hanau-Münzenberg

        Albert of Hanau-Münzenberg was the younger son of Philip Louis I of Hanau-Münzenberg (1553-1580) and his wife, Countess Magdalene of Waldeck-Wildungen (1558-1599). The only sons of his parents to reach adulthood were Albert and his elder brother Philip Louis II. Albert's son John Ernest was the last male member of the Hanau-Münzenberg line of the House of Hanau.

  129. 1572

    1. Henry of Stolberg, German nobleman (b. 1509) deaths

      1. Henry of Stolberg

        Count Henry of Stolberg was a German nobleman.

  130. 1567

    1. Anne de Montmorency, French general and diplomat (b. 1493) deaths

      1. French soldier, statesman and diplomat

        Anne de Montmorency

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

  131. 1562

    1. Pietro Martire Vermigli, Italian theologian (b. 1500) deaths

      1. Italian Reformed theologian

        Peter Martyr Vermigli

        Peter Martyr Vermigli was an Italian-born Reformed theologian. His early work as a reformer in Catholic Italy and his decision to flee for Protestant northern Europe influenced many other Italians to convert and flee as well. In England, he influenced the Edwardian Reformation, including the Eucharistic service of the 1552 Book of Common Prayer. He was considered an authority on the Eucharist among the Reformed churches, and engaged in controversies on the subject by writing treatises. Vermigli's Loci Communes, a compilation of excerpts from his biblical commentaries organised by the topics of systematic theology, became a standard Reformed theological textbook.

  132. 1555

    1. Stephen Gardiner, English bishop and politician, English Secretary of State (b. 1497) deaths

      1. English clergyman and politician

        Stephen Gardiner

        Stephen Gardiner was an English Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I and King Philip.

      2. Appointed position in the English government

        Secretary of State (England)

        In the Kingdom of England, the title of Secretary of State came into being near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603), the usual title before that having been King's Clerk, King's Secretary, or Principal Secretary.

    2. Yang Jisheng (b. 1516), Ming dynasty official and Confucian martyr deaths

      1. Chinese statesman

        Yang Jisheng (Ming dynasty)

        Yang Jisheng was a Chinese court official of the Ming dynasty who held multiple posts during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor. He is remembered as a political opponent of Yan Song, on whose initiative he was arrested and eventually executed. The death sentence was later posthumously reversed, and the unjust manner of Yang's death led him to be revered as a martyr for Confucian values.

    3. Zhang Jing, Ming Chinese general deaths

      1. Ming dynasty politician

        Zhang Jing (Ming dynasty)

        Zhang Jing, going by the name Cai Jing (蔡經) for much of his life, was a Chinese official who served the Ming dynasty. As he climbed the ladder of Chinese bureaucracy, he became in charge of several provinces as supreme commander, and was involved in the conflicts such as the suppression of the Yao rebellions in the southwestern frontier and the defence of China from wokou pirates. At the height of his power, he was in charge of the military in six provinces, an unprecedented number in the Ming dynasty. Despite winning a great victory against the pirates in 1555, he quickly fell from power by running afoul of the domineering clique of Yan Song and Zhao Wenhua, and was executed by the Jiajing Emperor later in the same year.

  133. 1547

    1. Claude of Valois (d. 1575) births

      1. Duchess consort of Lorraine

        Claude of France (1547–1575)

        Claude of France was a French princess as the second daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici, and Duchess of Lorraine by marriage to Charles III, Duke of Lorraine.

  134. 1528

    1. Qi Jiguang, Chinese general (d. 1588) births

      1. Qi Jiguang

        Qi Jiguang, courtesy name Yuanjing, art names Nantang and Mengzhu, posthumous name Wuyi, was a Chinese military general and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is best known for leading the defense on the coastal regions against wokou pirate activities in the 16th century, as well as for the reinforcement of the Great Wall of China. Qi is also known for writing the military manuals Jixiao Xinshu and Lianbing Shiji or Record of Military Training (練兵實紀), which he based on his experience as a martial educator and defensive planner in the Ming military forces. He is regarded as a hero in Chinese culture.

  135. 1494

    1. Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen, Princess of Anhalt by birth, by marriage Duchess of Saxony (d. 1521) births

      1. Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen

        Margaret of Anhalt was a member of the House of Ascania and was a princess of Anhalt by birth and by marriage Duchess of Saxony.

  136. 1492

    1. Johan Rantzau, German general (d. 1565) births

      1. German-Danish general and statesman

        Johan Rantzau

        Johan Rantzau was a German-Danish general and statesman known for his role in the Count's Feud. His military leadership ensured the succession of Christian III to the throne, which brought about the Reformation in Denmark.

  137. 1450

    1. Jacques of Savoy, Count of Romont, Prince of Savoy (d. 1486) births

      1. Jacques of Savoy, Count of Romont

        Jacques of Savoy was Count of Romont and Lord of Vaud.

  138. 1434

    1. Louis III of Anjou (b. 1403) deaths

      1. Louis III of Anjou

        Louis III was a claimant to the Kingdom of Naples from 1417 to 1426, as well as count of Provence, Forcalquier, Piedmont, and Maine and duke of Anjou from 1417 to 1434. As the heir designate to the throne of Naples, he was duke of Calabria from 1426 to 1434.

  139. 1375

    1. John Henry, Margrave of Moravia (b. 1322) deaths

      1. Count of Tyrol

        John Henry, Margrave of Moravia

        John Henry of Luxembourg, a member of the House of Luxembourg, was Count of Tyrol from 1335 to 1341 and Margrave of Moravia from 1349 until his death.

  140. 1347

    1. John of Viktring, Austrian chronicler and political advisor (b. c.1270) deaths

      1. John of Viktring

        John of Viktring was a late medieval chronicler and political advisor to Duke Henry of Carinthia.

  141. 1218

    1. Henry de Abergavenny, Prior of Abergavenny and Bishop of Llandaff deaths

      1. Henry de Abergavenny

        Henry de Abergavenny was Prior of Abergavenny and Bishop of Llandaff, both in South Wales.

  142. 1209

    1. Phillipe de Plessis, Grand Master of the Knights Templar (b. 1165) deaths

      1. 13th Grand Master of the Knights Templar

        Phillipe de Plessis

        Philippe du Plessis was the 13th Grand Master of the Knights Templar. He was born in the fortress of Plessis-Macé, Anjou, France. In 1189 he joined the Third Crusade as a simple knight, and discovered the Order of the Temple in Palestine. After the death of Gilbert Horal he became Grand Master. He helped uphold the treaty between Saladin and Richard I. In the renewal of this treaty in 1208 he suggested that the Teutonic Order and Hospitallers should make a new peace treaty offer with Malek-Adel. The accord was criticised by Pope Innocent III.

  143. 1202

    1. Canute VI of Denmark (b. 1163) deaths

      1. King of Denmark

        Canute VI of Denmark

        Canute VI was King of Denmark (1182–1202). Contemporary sources describe Canute as an earnest, strongly religious man.

  144. 1094

    1. Duncan II of Scotland (b. 1060) deaths

      1. King of Alba

        Duncan II of Scotland

        Donnchad mac Máel Coluim was king of Scots. He was son of Malcolm III and his first wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, widow of Thorfinn Sigurdsson.

  145. 1087

    1. William I, Count of Burgundy (b. 1020) deaths

      1. Count of Burgundy

        William I, Count of Burgundy

        William I, called the Great, was Count of Burgundy from 1057 to 1087 and Mâcon from 1078 to 1087. He was a son of Renaud I and Alice of Normandy, daughter of Richard II, Duke of Normandy. William was the father of several notable children, including Pope Callixtus II.

  146. 1035

    1. Cnut the Great, Danish-English king (b. c.995) deaths

      1. 11th-century King of Denmark, Norway, and England

        Cnut

        Cnut, also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway from 1028 until his death in 1035. The three kingdoms united under Cnut's rule are referred to together as the North Sea Empire.

  147. 975

    1. Notker Physicus, Swiss painter deaths

      1. Monk, physician, painter, and composer (died 975)

        Notker Physicus

        Notker Physicus, sometimes called Notker II, was a monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall, active as a physician, painter, and composer. Besides physicus, he was also nicknamed piperis granum on account of his strict discipline.

  148. 973

    1. Burchard III, Frankish nobleman (b. c.915) deaths

      1. Burchard III, Duke of Swabia

        Burchard III, a member of the Hunfriding dynasty, was the count of Thurgau and Zürichgau, perhaps of Rhaetia, and then Duke of Swabia from 954 to his death.

  149. 657

    1. Livinus, Irish apostle (b. c.580) deaths

      1. Livinus

        Saint Livinus, also Livinus of Ghent, was an apostle in Flanders and Brabant, venerated as a saint and martyr in Catholic tradition and more especially at the Saint Bavo Chapel, Ghent. His feast day is 12 November.

      2. Title given to a messenger or receiver of knowledge, especially in Christianity

        Apostle

        An apostle, in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (apostéllein), "to send off". The purpose of such sending off is usually to convey a message, and thus "messenger" is a common alternative translation; other common translations include "ambassador" and "envoy". The term in Ancient Greek also has other related meanings.

  150. 607

    1. Pope Boniface III deaths

      1. Head of the Catholic Church in 607

        Pope Boniface III

        Pope Boniface III was the bishop of Rome from 19 February 607 to his death. Despite his short pontificate, he made a significant contribution to the Catholic Church.

Holidays

  1. Birth of Sun Yat-Sen, also Doctors' Day and Cultural Renaissance Day. (Republic of China)

    1. Public holidays in Taiwan

      The following are considered holidays in Taiwan. Some are official holidays, some are not:

    2. Country in East Asia

      Taiwan

      Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. The territories controlled by the ROC consist of 168 islands, with a combined area of 36,193 square kilometres (13,974 sq mi). The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 sq mi), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanised population is concentrated. The capital, Taipei, forms along with New Taipei City and Keelung the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Other major cities include Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries in the world.

  2. Christian feast day: Arsatius

    1. Italian Roman Catholic saint

      Arsatius

      Saint Arsatius or Arsacius is a saint of whose life virtually nothing is known. He is said to have been a bishop of Milan, who lived either around 400 or in the 6th century, and possibly a martyr, but there is no evidence. Because of the traditional connection with Milan, he is further supposed to have been a disciple of Saint Ambrose, who was also Bishop of Milan, but there is no evidence of this either.

  3. Christian feast day: Astrik (or Anastasius) of Pannonhalma

    1. Astrik

      Saint Astrik of Pannonhalma is a saint of the 11th century.

  4. Christian feast day: Cumméne Fota

    1. Cumméne Fota

      Cumméne Fota or Fada, anglicised Cummian, was an Irish bishop and fer léignid (lector) of Cluain Ferta Brénainn (Clonfert). He was an important theological writer in the early to mid 7th century.

  5. Christian feast day: Cunibert

    1. Cunibert

      Cunibert, Cunipert, or Kunibert was the ninth bishop of Cologne, from 627 to his death. Contemporary sources mention him between 627 and 643.

  6. Christian feast day: Emilian of Cogolla

    1. Aemilian of Cogolla

      Saint Aemilian (; is an Iberic saint, widely revered throughout Spain, who lived during the age of Visigothic rule.

  7. Christian feast day: Imerius of Immertal

    1. Imerius of Immertal

      Imerius of Immertal was a monk, hermit, and missionary in the present Swiss Jura. The name of the town of Saint-Imier refers to him.

  8. Christian feast day: Josaphat Kuntsevych (Roman Catholic Church, Greek Catholic Church)

    1. Ukrainian Greek-Catholic archbishop and martyr

      Josaphat Kuntsevych

      Josaphat Kuntsevych, OSBM was a Basilian monk and archeparch of the Ruthenian Catholic Church who on 12 November 1623 was killed by an angry mob in Vitebsk, in the eastern peripheries of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He is said to be the best-known victim of anti-Catholic violence related to implementing the Union of Brest, and has been declared a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church.

    2. Largest Christian church, led by the pope

      Catholic Church

      The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2019. As the world's oldest and largest continuously functioning international institution, it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies located around the world. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The bishopric of Rome, known as the Holy See, is the central governing authority of the church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia, has its principal offices in Vatican City, a small enclave of the Italian city of Rome, of which the pope is head of state.

    3. Index of articles associated with the same name

      Greek Catholic Church

      The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually.

  9. Christian feast day: Lebuinus (Liafwine)

    1. Lebuinus

      Lebuinus is the Apostle of the Frisians and patron of Deventer.

  10. Christian feast day: Livinus of Ghent

    1. Livinus

      Saint Livinus, also Livinus of Ghent, was an apostle in Flanders and Brabant, venerated as a saint and martyr in Catholic tradition and more especially at the Saint Bavo Chapel, Ghent. His feast day is 12 November.

  11. Christian feast day: Machar

    1. Saint Machar

      Machar was a 6th-century Irish Saint active in Scotland.

  12. Christian feast day: Margarito Flores García

    1. 20th-century Mexican Catholic priest, martyr, and saint

      Margarito Flores García

      Margarito Flores García was a priest of the Catholic Church and was canonized a saint in 2000. During his ministry in Chilpancingo-Chilapa, he was persecuted in the Mexican revolution and died as a martyr.

  13. Christian feast day: Nilus of Sinai

    1. Nilus of Sinai

      Saint Nilus the Elder of Sinai was one of the many disciples and stalwart defenders of St. John Chrysostom.

  14. Christian feast day: Patiens

    1. Patiens

      Saint Patiens was the fourth Bishop of Metz, later being made patron of the city. He died in the fourth century.

  15. Christian feast day: René d'Angers

    1. Saint Renatus

      Saint Renatus is the name of a French and an Italian saint of the Catholic Church who is claimed to be the same person. There are different stories of two saints with by the name Renatus, who were later merged into a single one based on their described similarities and contemporaneity. Both are venerated in Italy and France. They were: Saint Renatus of Sorrento, and Saint Renatus of Angers. Part of their stories seem to be a legend, part incomplete and part deficient historically documented.

  16. Christian feast day: Theodore the Studite

    1. Theodore the Studite

      Theodore the Studite, also known as Theodorus Studita and Saint Theodore of Stoudios/Studium, was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios Monastery in Constantinople. He played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantine monasticism and of classical literary genres in Byzantium. He is known as a zealous opponent of iconoclasm, one of several conflicts that set him at odds with both emperor and patriarch. Throughout his life he maintained letter correspondences with many important political and cultural figures of the Byzantine empire; this included many women, such as the composer and nun Kassia, who was much influenced by his teachings.

  17. Christian feast day: Ymar

    1. Ymar

      Ymar of Reculver was an Anglo-Saxon saint.

  18. Christian feast day: November 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

    1. November 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

      November 11 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - November 13

  19. Constitution Day (Azerbaijan)

    1. Public holidays in Azerbaijan

      There are several public holidays in Azerbaijan. Public holidays were regulated in the constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR for the first time on 19 May 1921. They are now regulated by the Constitution of Azerbaijan.

  20. Father's Day (Indonesia)

    1. Celebration honoring fathers

      Father's Day

      Father's Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the United States, Father's Day was founded by Sonora Smart Dodd, and celebrated on the third Sunday of June for the first time in 1910. The day is held on various dates across the world, and different regions maintain their own traditions of honoring fatherhood.

    2. Country in Southeast Asia and Oceania

      Indonesia

      Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and the 14th-largest country by area, at 1,904,569 square kilometres. With over 275 million people, Indonesia is the world's fourth-most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority country. Java, the world's most populous island, is home to more than half of the country's population.

  21. National Health Day (Indonesia)

    1. Public holidays in Indonesia

      The following table indicates declared Indonesian government national holidays. Cultural variants also provide opportunity for holidays tied to local events. Beside official holidays, there are the so-called "libur bersama" or "cuti bersama", or joint leave(s) declared nationwide by the government. In total there are 16 public holidays every year.

    2. Country in Southeast Asia and Oceania

      Indonesia

      Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and the 14th-largest country by area, at 1,904,569 square kilometres. With over 275 million people, Indonesia is the world's fourth-most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority country. Java, the world's most populous island, is home to more than half of the country's population.

  22. National Youth Day (East Timor)

    1. Culture of East Timor

      The culture of East Timor reflects numerous cultural influences, including Portuguese, Roman Catholic, and Malay, on the indigenous Austronesian cultures in East Timor.

  23. World Pneumonia Day

    1. Annual event

      World Pneumonia Day

      World Pneumonia Day provides an annual forum for the world in the fight against pneumonia. More than 100 organizations representing the interests of children joined forces as the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia to hold the first World Pneumonia Day on 12 November 2009. Save The Children artist ambassadors Gwyneth Paltrow and Hugh Laurie, Charles MacCormack of Save The Children, Orin Levine of PneumoADIP, Lance Laifer of Hedge Funds vs. Malaria & Pneumonia, the Global Health Council, the GAVI Alliance, and the Sabin Vaccine Institute joined together in a call to action asking people to participate in World Pneumonia Day on 2 November.