-
1288
Elisabeth Richeza, the Queen of Poland
-
1453
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, a Spanish general
-
1715
King Louis XIV of France dies on this day. His reign spanned 72 years, making him it the longest rule of any major monarch in Europe.
-
1848
Auguste-Henri Forel, a Swiss entomologist
-
1874
Heinrich Otto Ludwig, a composer
-
1939
Germany attacks the city of Danzig on this day. This attack marks the official start of World War II.
-
1941
On this day, any Jewish people living in Germany are made to wear a yellow Star of David as an identifying symbol.
-
1945
This day marks the formal surrender of Japan and an end to World War II.
-
1951
The United States, New Zealand, and Australia sign the ANZUS Treaty.
-
1969
A revolution in Libya spurs Muammar Gaddafi to depose his rival King Idris.
-
31 B.C.
Octavian’s army defeats Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s forces at the Battle of Actium, effectively ending the Roman Republic.
-
1192
Richard the Lionheart meets with Saladin to sign a treaty regarding Jerusalem.
-
1548
Vincenzo Scamozzi, an Italian architect
-
1661
Georg Bohm, a German organist and composer
-
1675
William Somervile, an English poet
-
1792
The September Massacres take place as mobs kill three bishops and several hundred priests they think are sympathetic to the royal cause.
-
1850
Eugene Field, a journalist and author famous for the creation of “Little Boy Blue”.
-
1850
Woldemar Voigt, German physicist
-
1852
Paul Bourget, French critic, novelist, and writer
-
1864
General Sherman of the Union captures the city of Atlanta and sets it ablaze.
-
1944
Nazi forces send Anne Frank to Auschwitz.
-
1948
Terry Bradshaw, an NFL quarterback and later sports announcer
-
1568
Adriano Banchieri, Italian organist and composer
-
1710
Abraham Trembley, Swiss zoologist and biologist
-
1752
The British Empire and the colonies in America adopt the Gregorian Calendar. This causes people to riot at the loss of 11 days of the year.
-
1777
The United States flies its own flag in battle for the first time in Delaware during the Revolutionary War.
-
1814
James Joseph Sylvester, English academic skilled in mathematics
-
1833
The New York Sun officially begins publishing the first daily newspaper.
-
1838
Frederick Douglass disguises himself as a sailor to escape from slavery.
-
1913
Alan Ladd, American actor and later producer
-
1914
Giacome della Chiesa, cardinal, becomes Pope Benedict XV
-
1916
Allied forces repel Germany at the Battle of Verdun.
-
1948
Lyudmila Karachkina, Ukrainian astronomer
-
1975
Redfoo, American singer, songwriter, dancer, and producer
-
476
The last Western Emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustulus, surrenders the throne after Odoacer’s forces invade. This marks the end of the Western Empire of Rome.
-
1241
Alexander III of Scotland
-
1609
European navigator Henry Hudson becomes the first man to discover the island of Manhattan.
-
1682
Edmond Halley, an English astronomer, observes a comet that would later be named after him.
-
1851
John Dillon, Irish politician, poet, and activist
-
1862
As part of the Civil War in the US, General Robert E. Lee leads thousands of Confederate troops to invade Maryland.
-
1882
This date marks the first successful test of Thomas Edison’s light bulb invention in widespread use.
-
1885
Antonio Bacci, prominent Italian cardinal
-
1886
Geronimo agrees to a surrender. This action marks an effective end to the US-Indian conflicts throughout the region.
-
1886
Albert Orsborn, Englishman and General of The Salvation Army
-
1893
English author Beatrix Potter pens her first “Peter Rabbit” story for a young boy.
-
1917
Henry Ford II, American businessman
-
1918
Paul Harvey, American radio host and personality
-
1639
Louis XIV, French monarch
-
1666
The Great Fire of London ends. In its wake, thousands of homes are destroyed and eight people are dead.
-
1774
Nearly all of America’s thirteen new colonies agree to a trade embargo with Britain during the first Continental Congress. This event is held at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia.
-
1839
China begins its First Opium War.
-
1847
Jesse James, American outlaw
-
1914
World War I’s Battle of Marne begins now, and French and British forces prevent German advance on Paris.
-
1929
Bob Newhart, American actor
-
1940
Raquel Welch,American actress
-
1946
Freddie Mercury, British songwriter, singer, and producer
-
1951
Michael Keaton, American actor
-
2017
Experts record Hurricane Irma as the most powerful Atlantic Ocean one in history. Its wind speeds reached 185 miles per hour.
-
1522
An expedition returns to Spain to report their success at circumnavigating the earth. The force lost Ferdinand Magellan, their captain.
-
1620
The Mayflower departs from Plymouth to sail to America. It has just over 100 pilgrims on board.
-
1757
Marquis de Lafayette, French military officer who took part in the American Revolutionary War
-
1860
Jane Addams, American activist and social reformer, commonly referred to as the “mother” of social work
-
1888
Joseph P. Kennedy, an American investor, businessman, and politician
-
1901
Anarchist Leon Czolgosz shoots American President William McKinley while the latter visits New York’s Pan-American Exposition.
-
1909
The rest of the world finally receives news that explorer Robert Peary discovered the North Pole five months earlier.
-
1916
Clarence Saunders opens the Piggly Wiggly in Memphis, Tennessee. It becomes the first true supermarket.
-
1943
Roger Waters, English bassist, songwriter, and singer
-
1947
Jane Curtin, American actress
-
70
General Titus leads the Roman army to both occupy and plunder the city of Jerusalem.
-
1533
Elizabeth I, Queen of England, Ireland, and the last monarch of the House of Tudor
-
1714
The War of Spanish Succession ends thanks to Emperor Charles VI and the Treaty of Baden.
-
1822
Pedro I declares that Brazil is officially independent from Portugal and marks the former’s national day of celebration.
-
1860
Grandma Moses, American artist
-
1888
A child named Edith McLean becomes the first baby to use an incubator. The State Emigrant Hospital cares for her.
-
1908
Paul Brown, American football coach
-
1909
Eugene Lefebvre dies in an aircraft during a test of the Wright biplane. He is the first official pilot to die in this way.
-
1923
Louise Suggs, professional golfer
-
1936
Buddy Holly, American singer and songwriter
-
1942
Roy DeMeo, American hitman working for the Mafia
-
1157
Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart, the King of England
-
1380
Dimitry defeats the Mongols at the Battle of Kulikovo.
-
1504
Michelangelo unveils his David in the city of Florence.
-
1522
Juan de Elcano, a Spanish navigator, returns to Spain.
-
1565
St. Augustine, Florida plays host to the first permanent European settlement in America.
-
1664
The Dutch surrender the New Netherlands colony to English soldiers. This surrender includes New York.
-
1841
Charles J. Guiteau, American assassin known for killing James Garfield
-
1925
Peter Sellers, British actor and voice artist
-
1932
Patsy Cline, American singer and songwriter
-
1941
Bernie Sanders, American politician and activist
-
1970
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijack and destroy three airliners.
-
1979
Pink, American musician
-
1986
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” receives its first national broadcast.
-
1000
King Olaf is defeated at the Battle of Svolder in one of the greatest battles of the Viking Age.
-
1776
The United Colonies officially become the United States of America.
-
1817
Alexander Twilight receives his bachelor’s degree and is likely the first African-American to graduate from college.
-
1828
Leo Tolstoy, Russian author
-
1853
Fred Spofforth, Australian cricketer
-
1890
Colonel Sanders, American businessman and entrepreneur
-
1914
The British Army creates its first mechanized unit.
-
1923
Cliff Robertson, American actor
-
1966
Adam Sandler, American comedian and actor
-
1993
The Palestine Liberation Organization exchanges letters of recognition with Israel.
-
2015
Queen Elizabeth II sets a record for the longest-reigning monarch in Britain, having ruled for 63 years and seven months by this point.
-
1638
Maria Theresa of Spain, the last ruler of the House of Hapsburg
-
1776
Nathan Hale volunteers to be a spy at George Washington’s request.
-
1846
Elias Howe secures a patent for his sewing machine.
-
1890
Elsa Schiaparelli, Italian fashion designer
-
1924
Leopold and Loeb receive guilty verdicts for the murder of Robert Franks.
-
1929
Arnold Palmer, American golfer
-
1934
Roger Maris, American baseball player
-
1941
Stephen J. Gould, historian and evolutionary biologist
-
1960
Colin Firth, British actor
-
1977
Hamida Djandoubi becomes the last person to receive an execution via Guillotine in France.
-
2008
CERN powers up its Large Hadron Collider. Many feel it is the biggest science experiment in history.
-
1297
William Wallace, a Scottish rebel, defeats English forces at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
-
1609
Spain announces an expulsion order against the Moriscos of Valencia.
-
1697
Prince Eugen defeats Turkish forces at the Battle of Zenta, putting an end to Ottoman control in Central Europe.
-
1708
Charles XII halts his march on Moscow outside the city of Smolensk.
-
1885
D. H. Lawrence, English painter, literary critic, poet, and novelist
-
1916
Ed Sabol, American filmmaker
-
1917
Ferdinand Marcos, leader of the Philippines
-
1924
Tom Landry, American coach and football player
-
1965
Bashar al-Assad, Syrian politician and President of Syria
-
1967
Harry Connick, Jr., American singer, actor, and composer
-
2001
Terrorists hijack and crash three planes into the Pentagon and the two World Trade Centers. A fourth plane crashes in a field after passengers attempt to retake it.
-
1575
Henry Hudson, English navigator and explorer
-
1758
Charles Messier begins his Messier Catalogue by mistakenly identifying the Crab Nebula.
-
1909
Fritz Hofmann obtains the first patent for synthetic rubber
-
1913
Jessie Owens, American athlete
-
1933
Leó Szilárd first entertains the idea of a nuclear reactor.
-
1940
Four teenagers near Lascaux discover the Lascaux Cave Paintings.
-
1944
Barry White,American singer and songwriter
-
1958
The Supreme Court orders Central High in Little Rock, an all-white school, to begin integration procedures.
-
1959
The USSR launches the first spacecraft to make an impact on the Moon.
-
1973
Paul Walker, American actor
-
1981
Jennifer Hudson, American actress and spokesperson
-
335
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre receives its consecration in Jerusalem.
-
1224
Francis of Assisi receives stigmata after praying on Mount Verna.
-
1630
Daniel Defoe, English writer and trader
-
1847
US General Winfield Scott captures Mexico City during the American-Mexican War.
-
1857
Milton Hershey, American businessman
-
1860
John. J. Pershing, an Army general for the United States during World War I.
-
1874
Arnold Schoenberg, Austrian-American composer
-
1903
Claudette Colbert, French-American actress
-
1916
Ronald Dahl, British novelist, fighter pilot, and screenwriter
-
1956
IBM’s first commercial computer with a hard drive, the RAMAC 305, weighs over one ton.
-
1993
Norway unveils the Oslo Accords, a peace agreement the country brokered between Israel and Palestine.
-
1752
Britain and the colonies in America adopt the Gregorian calendar.
-
1769
Alexander von Humboldt, a Prussian naturalist, explorer, and geographer
-
1812
Napoleon occupies Moscow and the fires start, extinguished by the 19th.
-
1849
Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist
-
1939
The first helicopter takes a tethered flight in Connecticut.
-
1947
Sam Neill, a New Zealand actor of Irish descent
-
1949
Hindi becomes an official language in India, and the population celebrates this day as Hindi Day.
-
1956
A facility in Washington, D.C. performs the world’s first prefrontal lobotomy.
-
1960
Saudi-Arabia, Venezuela, Kuwait, Iran, and Iraq form OPEC.
-
1965
Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Prime Minister and ex-president
-
1983
Amy Winehouse, an American singer and songwriter
-
1254
Marco Polo, a Venetian explorer and merchant
-
1616
The first free public school for non-aristocrats in Europe opens in Italy.
-
1821
The countries of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua declare their independence from Spain.
-
1835
Scientist Charles Darwin reaches the Galapagos Islands.
-
1857
William Howard Taft, an American president
-
1890
Agatha Christie, an English mystery novelist
-
1928
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.
-
1936
Ashley Cooper, an Australian tennis player
-
1940
The tide turns at the Battle of Britain as the Luftwaffe loses 56 of its planes.
-
1961
Dan Marino, an American footballer
-
1977
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer
-
1998
Developers register “Google.com” as a domain name.
-
1795
British forces take Cape Town from the Dutch.
-
1810
Mexico calls for an end to Spanish rule.
-
1848
All French territories move to abolish slavery.
-
1858
Bonar Law, a UK prime minister
-
1875
James Cash Penney, an American businessman
-
1891
Karl Dönitz, an admiral during World War II and President of Germany
-
1906
Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer, finds the Magnetic South Pole.
-
1925
B.B. King, an American blues musician
-
1934
Elgin Baylor, an American basketball player
-
1959
Tim Raines, an American baseball player
-
1963
Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore, and Malaya form the Federation of Malaysia.
-
1978
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Tabar, Iran.
-
1997
Steve Jobs is named interim CEO of Apple.
-
642
Amr ibn al-‘As and his forces conquer Alexandria. Arab forces under Amr ibn al-‘As conquer Alexandria.
-
1683
Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek makes the first known report of the existence of bacteria. is the first to report the existence of bacteria.
-
1730
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, a continental army general
-
1743
Marquis de Condorcet, a French philosopher
-
1862
The Battle of Antietam marks the bloodiest day in the history of the Civil War. Over 23,000 soldiers are killed on Union ground.
-
1900
Commonwealth of Australia comes into existence.
-
1916
The famous Red Baron scores his first aerial victory near Cambrai.
-
1923
Hank Williams, an American musician and singer
-
1931
Anne Bancroft, an American actress
-
1945
Phil Jackson, a Basketball player and coach
-
1950
Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India
-
1978
The Camp David Accords provide a framework for possible peace between Egypt and Israel.
-
53
Trajan, the Emperor of Ancient Rome
-
1811
An expeditionary force from Britain conquers parts of the Dutch Indies.
-
1812
Three-quarters of Moscow is destroyed by a fire that finally extinguishes after five days.
-
1873
Jay Cooke & Co, a bond agency, collapses and begins the panic that will start the Long Depression.
-
1895
John Diefenbaker, a Canadian prime minister
-
1905
Greta Garbo, a Swedish-American actress
-
1914
Royal rulers approve the Irish Home Rule bill.
-
1931
Japanese forces fake a railway explosion as a pretext for invading Manchuria.
-
1933
Scotty Bowman, an ice hockey coach
-
1942
The Minister of Justice for the Nazi Party approves the extermination of “asocials”.
-
1961
James Gandolfini, an American actor
-
1971
Lance Armstrong, an American cyclist
-
1976
The city of Bejing holds a funeral for Mao Zedong.
-
86
Antoninus Pius, a Roman emperor
-
1356
The Black Prince and forces from England defeat France and capture its king.
-
1749
Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, a French astronomer and mathematician
-
1870
Prussian forces besiege Paris.
-
1893
All women in New Zealand get the right to vote in elections.
-
1948
Jeremy Irons, a British actor
-
1974
Jimmy Fallon, an American television presenter
-
1985
An 8.1 magnitude earthquake devastates the people of Mexico City.
-
1986
AZT becomes available to AIDS patients.
-
1993
William Golding, a British novelist
-
451
Flavius Aetius defeats Attila the Hun and halts the Hun invasion.
-
622
Muhammad comes to Medina.
-
1519
Magellan’s expeditionary force sets off to circumnavigate the globe.
-
1878
Upton Sinclair, an American novelist, journalist, and activist
-
1884
Maxwell Perkins, an American literary editor
-
1917
Red Auerbach, an American basketball coach
-
1934
Sophia Loren, an Italian actress
-
1943
Sani Abacha, a politician and military leader
-
1951
Guy Lafluer, a Canadians ice hockey player
-
1854
An alliance of British and French troops defeat Russian forces at the first battle of the Crimean War.
-
1990
The eastern and western sides of Germany seek to ratify reunification.
-
2001
President of the United States George W. Bush officially declares war on terror.
-
1621
King James I grants Alexander Sterling a charter to colonize Nova Scotia.
-
1792
The National Convention formally abolishes the French monarchy via a charter during the Revolution.
-
1866
H. G. Wells, an English writer
-
1898
Empress Dowager Cixi ends the Hundred Days’ reform and seizes power in China.
-
1909
Kwame Nkrumah, President and Prime Minister of Ghana
-
1915
Cecil Chubb purchases Stonehenge.
-
1922
Warren G. Harding approves a resolution for a Jewish homeland within Palestine.
-
1934
Leonard Cohen, a Canadian poet and singer
-
1936
The Spanish junta promotes Franco to Supreme Commander.
-
1947
Stephen King, an American author
-
1949
Communist leaders in China establish the People’s Republic.
-
1950
Bill Murray, an American actor
-
1967
Faith Hill, an American country music singer
-
1515
Anne of Cleves, a consort to Henry VIII
-
1692
The Salem Witch Trials perform the final hangings for those found guilty of witchcraft in the United States.
-
1792
The French First Republic is formed and strips the French king of his influence.
-
1862
President Lincoln announces his intention to free slaves next year.
-
1870
Charlotte Cooper, an English tennis player
-
1895
Paul Muni, a stage and film actor
-
1927
Tom Lasorda, an American coach and baseball player
-
1958
Andrea Bocelli, an Italian singer and songwriter
-
1962
Martin Crowe, a New Zealand cricketer
-
1965
The Indo-Pakistani war ends.
-
1980
Iraq invades Iran.
-
2011
Scientists at CERN discover neutrinos that break the speed of light.
-
63 BC
Augustus Caesar, the first Emperor of Rome
-
1122
The Concordat of Worms goes into effect.
-
1215
Kublai Khan, founder of the Yuan Dynasty
-
1821
Tripolitsa falls during the Greek War of Independence.
-
1869
Mary Mallon, or “Typhoid Mary,” the first person identified as an asymptomatic carrier of the disease
-
1884
Herman Hollerith patents a machine that marks the beginning of data processing.
-
1889
Fusajiro Yamauchi founds Nintendo Koppai as a way to market the Hanafuda card game.
-
1916
Aldo Moro, an Italian politician
-
1930
Ray Charles, an American musician
-
1942
The “Manhattan Project” begins.
-
1943
Marty Schottenheimer, an American football coach and player
-
1180
The Byzantine Empire begins its decline with the death of Manuel I Komnenos.
-
1501
Girolamo Cardano, an Italian mathematician and physician
-
1755
John Marshall, an American politician
-
1789
The Federal Judiciary act creates a six-person Supreme Court within the US.
-
1869
Panic erupts on Wall Street as Gould & Fisk seek to corner the gold market.
-
1877
The Imperial Japanese Army wins the Battle of Shiroyama.
-
1896
F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American screenwriter and novelist
-
1902
Ayatollah Khomeini, religious leader and politician
-
1936
Jim Henson, an American puppeteer
-
1948
Phil Hartman, a Canadian actor and comedian
-
1950
All Jews living in Yemen move to Israel.
-
1957
Schools in Little Rock receive executive orders to desegregate.
-
1066
King Harold Godwinson and his English forces defeat invading Norwegian forces.
-
1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa is the first European to see the Pacific Ocean.
-
1789
The United States Congress lays out a proposal for the Bill of Rights.
-
1897
William Faulkner, an American novelist
-
1906
Leonardo Torres Quevedo’s remote guiding of a boat is considered the first remote control.
-
1915
Ethel Rosenberg, an American citizen convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
-
1944
Michael Douglas, an American actor
-
1952
Christopher Reeve, an American actor
-
1956
The first transatlantic phone cable goes into use.
-
1968
Will Smith, an American actor and rapper
-
1969
Catherine Zeta-Jones, a Welsh actress
-
1181
Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order
-
1580
Frances Drake completes his circumnavigation of the earth.
-
1687
A Venetian army damages the Parthenon after it attacks the Acropolis.
-
1687
Support for the Glorious Revolution begins.
-
1815
Austria, Prussia, and Russian form the Holy Alliance with one another.
-
1874
Charles Vyner Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak
-
1888
T. S. Eliot, an English author
-
1902
Albert Anastasia, an Italian mobster
-
1918
The largest and most costly offensive of World War I, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, begins.
-
1948
Olivia Newton-John, an Australian singer and actress
-
1981
Serena Williams, an American tennis player
-
1066
Troops led by William the Conqueror sail for England.
-
1290
A massive earthquake occurs near China.
-
1540
Ignatius Loyola founds the society of Jesuits.
-
1722
Samuel Adams, an American statesman
-
1779
John Adams opens negotiations with Great Britain.
-
1783
Agustín de Iturbide, a Mexican general and politician
-
1821
Agustin de Iturbide and his forces occupy Mexico City and end the War of Independence.
-
1822
Scholar Jean-François Champollion deciphers the Rosetta stone.
-
1905
A physics journal introduces the world to Einstein’s “mass-energy equivalence” equation.
-
1907
Bhagat Singh, an Indian revolutionary
-
1908
The first Ford Model T car rolls off the assembly line.
-
1939
Kathy Whitworth, a professional golfer
-
1972
Gwyneth Paltrow, an American actress
-
1984
Avril Lavigne, a Canadian singer
-
551 BC
Confucius, a Chinese philosopher
-
58 BC
Livia, a Roman empress
-
1066
William the Conqueror and his forces invade England at Pevensey Bay.
-
1735
Augustus FitzRoy, a British nobleman
-
1781
The Siege of Yorktown begins.
-
1887
The Yellow River floods, leading to one of history’s deadliest disasters.
-
1913
Alice Marble, an American tennis player
-
1916
Peter Finch, an Australian actor
-
1939
Most of Lithuania goes to the USSR as part of the German-Soviet Frontier Treaty.
-
1987
Hilary Duff, an American actress
-
522 BC
Darius I of Persia becomes King of the Persian Empire.
-
480 BC
Themistocles defeats Xerxes I at the Battle of Salamis.
-
106 BC
Pompey the Great, a Roman general
-
1547
Miguel de Cervantes, a Spanish novelist
-
1567
The War of Religion begins in France.
-
1758
Horatio Nelson, an admiral in the Royal Navy
-
1829
The London Metropolitan Police releases its first units.
-
1931
Anita Ekberg, a Swedish actress and model
-
1935
Jerry Lee Lewis, an American singer and pianist
-
1943
Lech Wałęsa, a Polish politician
-
2008
The Dow Jones Industrial Average suffers its largest single-day point loss.
-
1846
American dentist William Morton is the first person to use anesthetic ether.
-
1862
Otto von Bismarck delivers his famous “Blood and Iron” speech”.
-
1917
Buddy Rich, an American jazz drummer
-
1924
Truman Capote, an American author
-
1928
Elie Wiesel, a Jewish writer, activist, and Holocaust survivor
-
1938
Chamberlain, Hitler, Daladier, and Mussolini sign the Treaty of Munich.
-
1946
Nuremberg finds twenty-two leaders of the Nazi Party guilty of war crimes.
-
1975
Marion Cotillard, a French actress
-
1980
Martina Hingis, a Swiss tennis player
-
2002
Maddie Ziegler, an American dancer