Events
- 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sassanid capital, but is unable to take the city.
- 1167 - Battle of Monte Porzio - A Roman army supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel
- 1176 - Battle of Legnano, in which the Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick I.
- 1414 - Council of Constance.
- 1453 - Byzantine-Ottoman Wars: Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih capture Constantinople after a siege, ending the Byzantine Empire.
- 1592 - At the Battle of Sacheon, the Korean navy led by Admiral Yi Sun Shin, repels a Japanese army that outnumbers it nearly 3 to 1.
- 1660 - English Restoration: Charles II (on his birthday - see below) is restored to the throne of Great Britain.
- 1677 - Treaty of Middle Plantation establishes peace between the Virginia colonists and the local Indians.
- 1727 - Peter II becomes Tsar of Russia.
- 1733 - The right of Canadians to keep Indian slaves is upheld at Quebec City.
- 1765 - Patrick Henry in a speech (on his birthday, see below) denouncing the Stamp Act is believed to have said, "If this be treason, make the most of it!"
- 1780 - Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton massacres Colonel Abraham Buford's continentals allegedly after the continentals surrender. 113 Americans are killed.
- 1790 - Rhode Island becomes the last of the original United States colonies to ratify the Constitution and is admitted as the 13th U.S. state.
- 1848 - Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S. state.
- 1864 - Emperor Maximilian of Mexico arrives in Mexico for the first time.
- 1867 - The Austro-Hungarian agreement known as Ausgleich ("the Compromise") is born through Act 12, which establishes the Austro-Hungarian Empire; on June 8 Emperor Franz Joseph is crowned King of Hungary.
- 1868 - The assassination of Michael Obrenovich III, Prince of Serbia, in Belgrade.
- 1886 - Chemist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, the ad appearing in the Atlanta Journal.
- 1903 - May coup d'etat: Alexander Obrenovich, King of Serbia, and Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization.
- 1913 - Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring is premiered in Paris.
- 1914 - Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence; 1,024 lives lost.
- 1919 - Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington's observation of a total solar eclipse in Principe and by Andrew Crommelin in Sobral, Ceará, Brazil.
- 1919 - The Republic of Prekmurje founded
- 1924 - AEK Athens FC is established on the anniversary of the siege of Constantinople by the Turks.
- 1932 - World War I Veterans begin to assemble in Washington, DC in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.
- 1942 - Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra record Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", the best-selling Christmas album in history, for Decca Records in Los Angeles.
- 1948 - Creation of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation
- 1950 - St. Roch, first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia .
- 1953 - Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay are the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted) 39th birthday.
- 1954 - First of the annual Bilderberg conferences.
- 1964 - The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian situation in Israel, leading to the formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
- 1968 - Manchester United win the European Cup, the first English Club to do so.
- 1972 - 26 people are killed and dozens more injured when three Japanese gunmen open fire on crowds at Lod International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.
- 1973 - Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.
- 1982 - Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff ever to visit Canterbury Cathedral.
- 1985 - Heysel Stadium disaster: At the European Cup final in Brussels, Belgium, 39 football fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses after Liverpool F.C. fans breach a fence separating them from Juventus F.C. fans.
- 1985 - Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months.
- 1988 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union as he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
- 1990 - Boris Yeltsin is elected president of the Russian SFSR by the Russian parliament.
- 1999 - Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.
- 1999 - Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.
- 2001 - U.S. Supreme Court rules that disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
- 2001 - International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers inaugurated.
- 2004 - The World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
- 2004 - The Al-Khobar massacres in Saudi Arabia kill 22.
- 2005 - France resoundingly rejects the European Constitution.
[edit] Births
- 1594 - Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian general (d. 1632)
- 1627 - Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French writer and Princess(d. 1693)
- 1630 - Charles II of England (d. 1685)
- 1675 - Humphry Ditton, English mathematician (d. 1715)
- 1716 - Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French naturalist (d. 1800)
- 1722 - James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, Irish politician (d. 1773)
- 1736 - Patrick Henry, American patriot, statesman, and orator (d. 1799)
- 1773 - Princess Sophia of Gloucester (d. 1844)
- 1794 - Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer (d. 1874)
- 1823 - John H. Balsley, American carpenter (d. 1895)
- 1860 - Isaac Albéniz, Spanish composer (d. 1909)
- 1863 - Arthur Mold, English cricketer (d. 1921)
- 1874 - G. K. Chesterton, English novelist (d. 1936)
- 1880 - Oswald Spengler, German philosopher (d. 1936)
- 1892 - Alfonsina Storni, Argentine writer (d. 1938)
- 1893 - Max Brand, American author and war correspondent (d. 1944)
- 1894 - Beatrice Lillie, Canadian actress (d. 1989)
- 1894 - Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-born writer and film director (d. 1969)
- 1897 - Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Austrian composer (d. 1957)
- 1903 - Bob Hope, British-born comedian and actor (d. 2003)
- 1905 - Sebastian Shaw, English actor (d. 1994)
- 1906 - T.H. White, British author (d. 1964)
- 1907 - Hartland Molson, Canadian businessman and senator (d. 2002)
- 1911 - Armida, Mexican-American stage, vaudeville and film star (d. 1989)
- 1913 - Tony Zale, American boxer (d. 1997)
- 1914 - Stacy Keach, Sr., American actor (d. 2003)
- 1915 - Karl Münchinger, German conductor (d. 1990)
- 1917 - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (d. 1963)
- 1920 - John Harsanyi, Hungarian-born economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- 1922 - Iannis Xenakis, Greek composer and architect, major contributor to musical modernism (d. 2001)
- 1926 - Charles Denner, French actor (d. 1995)
- 1927 - Jean Coutu, Quebec businessman (Jean Coutu Group)
- 1932 - Richie Guerin, former basketball player
- 1932 - Paul R. Ehrlich, American biologist and author who founded the group Zero Population Growth
- 1933 - Helmuth Rilling, German conductor
- 1937 - Charles W. Pickering, American judge
- 1937 - Irmin Schmidt, German musician (Can)
- 1938 - Fay Vincent, baseball commissioner
- 1939 - Al Unser, Sr., American race car driver
- 1940 - Farooq Leghari, President of Pakistan
- 1942 - Pierre Bourque, Former mayor of Montreal
- 1942 - Kevin Conway, American actor
- 1943 - Robert W. Edgar, Theologian
- 1945 - Gary Brooker, musician (Procol Harum)
- 1946 - Fernando Buesa, Basque politician (d. 2000)
- 1947 - Gene Robinson, American ecclesiastic
- 1947 - Anthony Geary, American actor
- 1948 - Nick Mancuso, Italian-Canadian actor
- 1949 - Brian Kidd, English footballer
- 1950 - Rebbie Jackson, American musician
- 1951 - Peter Chernin, President of News Corporation
- 1953 - Danny Elfman, American musician (Oingo Boingo)
- 1953 - Aleksandr Abdulov, Russian actor (d. 2008)
- 1955 - John Hinckley, Jr., American attempted assassin
- 1955 - Sut Jhally, Kenyan-born American educator
- 1955 - Ken Schrader, American race car driver
- 1956 - LaToya Jackson, American musician
- 1957 - Jeb Hensarling, American politician
- 1957 - Ted Levine, American actor
- 1958 - Annette Bening, American actress
- 1958 - Willem Holleeder, Dutch criminal
- 1959 - Rupert Everett, English actor
- 1959 - Adrian Paul, English actor
- 1961 - Melissa Etheridge, American musician
- 1962 - Eric Davis, American baseball player
- 1962 - John D. LeMay, American actor
- 1963 - Blaze Bayley, British singer (ex-Iron Maiden)
- 1963 - Tracey E. Bregman, American actress
- 1963 - Ukyo Katayama, Japanese racing driver
- 1963 - Lisa Whelchel, American actress
- 1967 - Noel Gallagher, English musician (Oasis)
- 1967 - Mike Keane, Canadian hockey player
- 1969 - Chan Kinchla, Canadian musician (Blues Traveler)
- 1970 - Natarsha Belling, Australian news presenter
- 1971 - Eric Lucas, Quebec professional boxer
- 1972 - Közi, Japanese visual kei artist
- 1973 - Anthony Azizi, American actor
- 1973 - Mark Lee, American musician (guitarist for Third Day)
- 1973 - Alpay Özalan, Turkish footballer
- 1974 - Myf Warhurst, Australian radio presenter on Triple J and TV personality on Spicks and Specks
- 1974 - Marc Gené, Spanish Formula One driver
- 1975 - Melanie Brown, English musician and actress
- 1975 - Anthony Wall, English golfer
- 1976 - David Buckner, American musician (Papa Roach)
- 1976 - Caçapa, Brazilian footballer
- 1976 - Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball player
- 1976 - Yūsuke Iseya, Japanese model and actor
- 1977 - Antonio Lebo-Lebo, Angolan footballer
- 1977 - Massimo Ambrosini, Italian footballer
- 1978 - Pelle Almqvist, Swedish musician (The Hives)
- 1978 - Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player
- 1978 - Adam Rickitt,British/New Zealand actor
- 1979 - Brian Kendrick, American professional wrestler
- 1979 - Arne Friedrich, German football player
- 1979 - John Rheinecker, Major League Baseball player
- 1979 - Casey Sheehan, American soldier; son of Cindy Sheehan (d. 2004)
- 1981 - Andrei Arshavin, Russian footballer
- 1982 - Ana Beatriz Barros, Brazilian model
- 1982 - Joanne Borgella, American plus-sized model and singer
- 1982 - Matt Macri, American baseball player
- 1983 - Rama Claproth, Indonesian blues guitarist
- 1984 - Carmelo Anthony, American basketball player
- 1986 - Dylan Postl, American professional wrestler
- 1986 - Jaslene Gonzalez, Puerto Rican/American fashion model
- 1987 - Alessandra Toreson, American actress
- 1989 - Danielle Riley Keough, American actress
- 1990 - Dave Morton, American guitarist
- 1991 - Kristen Alderson, American actress
[edit] Deaths
- 1259 - King Christopher I of Denmark (b. 1219)
- 1379 - King Henry II of Castile (b. 1334)
- 1405 - Philippe de Mézières, advisor to Charles V of France
- 1425 - Hongxi Emperor of China (b. 1378)
- 1453 - Constantine XI Palaeologus, last Byzantine Emperor (b. 1404)
- 1500 - Bartolomeu Dias, Portuguese explorer
- 1546 - David Beaton, Scottish Catholic cardinal
- 1593 - John Penry, Welsh Protestant leader (b. 1559)
- 1660 - Frans van Schooten, Dutch mathematician (b. 1615)
- 1691 - Cornelis Tromp, Dutch admiral (b. 1629)
- 1790 - Israel Putnam, American Revolutionary War general (b. 1718)
- 1796 - Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish politician (b. 1720)
- 1814 - Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress of France (b. 1763)
- 1829 - Humphry Davy, English chemist (b. 1778)
- 1847 - Emmanuel, marquis de Grouchy, French marshal (b. 1766)
- 1866 - Winfield Scott, American general (b. 1786)
- 1868 - Michael Obrenovich III, Prince of Serbia (b. 1823)
- 1882 - Vasily Perov, Russian painter (b. 1833)
- 1892 - Bahá'u'lláh, Persian founder of the Bahá'í Faith (b. 1817)
- 1896 - Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist (b. 1814)
- 1903 - Draga Mašin, Queen of Serbia (b. 1864)
- 1903 - Bruce Price, American architect (b. 1845)
- 1910 - Mily Balakirev, Russian composer (b. 1837)
- 1911 - William S. Gilbert, English dramatist (b. 1836)
- 1919 - Robert Bacon, American politician (b. 1860)
- 1935 - Josef Suk, Czech composer and violinist (b. 1874)
- 1939 - Ursula Julia Ledochowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic saint (b. 1865)
- 1942 - John Barrymore, American actor (b. 1882)
- 1946 - Martin Gottfried Weiss, Commandant of Dachau concentration camp (b. 1905)
- 1948 - Dame May Whitty, English actress (b. 1865)
- 1951 - Fanny Brice, American singer/comedian (b. 1891)
- 1953 - Man Mountain Dean, American professional wrestler (b. 1891)
- 1958 - Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1881)
- 1970 - John Gunther, American writer (b. 1901)
- 1972 - Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (b. 1902)
- 1972 - Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-born mechanical engineer (b. 1878)
- 1973 - P. Ramlee, Malaysian film actor, director, singer and songwriter. (b. 1929)
- 1977 - Ba Maw, Burmese politician (b. 1893)
- 1979 - Mary Pickford, Canadian-born American actress and studio founder (b. 1892)
- 1979 - John H. Wood, Jr., American federal judge (b. 1916)
- 1982 - Romy Schneider, Austrian actress (b. 1938)
- 1983 - Arvīds Pelše, Soviet Latvian statesman (b. 1899)
- 1989 - John Cipollina, American musician (Quicksilver Messenger Service) (b. 1943)
- 1993 - Billy Conn, American boxer (b. 1917)
- 1994 - Erich Honecker, leader of East Germany (b. 1912)
- 1996 - Tamara Toumanova, Ballet star and actress (b. 1919)
- 1997 - Jeff Buckley, American musician (drowned) (b. 1966)
- 1997 - George Fenneman, American radio and television announcer (b. 1919)
- 1998 - Barry M. Goldwater, U.S. Senator from Arizona and presidential candidate (b. 1909)
- 2002 - Mildred Benson, American writer (b. 1905)
- 2003 - David Jefferies, British motorcycle racer (b. 1972)
- 2004 - Archibald Cox, Watergate special prosecutor (b. 1912)
- 2004 - Samuel Dash, American Congressional counsel (b. 1925)
- 2005 - George Rochberg, American composer (b. 1918)
- 2006 - Steve Mizerak, American pool player (b. 1944)
- 2006 - Jacques Bouchard, Quebec advertising executive (b. 1930)
- 2007 - Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1938)
- 2007 - Lois Browne-Evans, Bermudian Politician (stroke) (b. 1927)
- 2007 - Posteal Laskey, American convicted murderer widely believed to be the Cincinnati Strangler of natural causes (b. 1938)
- 2008 - Luc Bourdon, Canadian National Hockey League Defenceman who played with the Vancouver Canucks (Motorcycle Accident) (b. 1987)
- 2008 - Harvey Korman, American actor (b. 1927)
- 2008 - Dianne Odell, American medical figure (b. 1947)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] External links
