Events

69 - The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.
1124 - Pope Honorius II is elected.
1140 - Conrad III of Germany besieged Weinsberg.
1237 - The city of Ryazan is sacked by the Mongol army of Batu Khan.
1361 - The Battle of Linuesa is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the forces of the Emirate of Granada and the combined army of the Kingdom of Castile and of Jaén resulting in a Castilian victory.
1598 - Battle of Curalaba: The revolting Mapuche, led by cacique Pelentaru, inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southern Chile.
1620 - Plymouth Colony: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
1826 - American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexican Texas, declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.
1832 - Egyptian/Ottoman War: Egyptian forces decisively defeat Ottoman troops at the Battle of Konya.
1844 - The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers commences business at its cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement.
1861 - Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.
1872 - Challenger expedition: HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth, England.
1879 - World première of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1883 - The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army, are formed: .
1907 - The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in Iquique, Chile.
1910 - An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England, kills 344 miners.
1913 - Arthur Wynne's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World.
1919 - American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.
1923 - United Kingdom and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship, called the Nepal/Britain Treaty of 1923, which superseded the Treaty of Sugauli signed in 1816.
1936 - First flight of the Junkers Ju 88 multi-role combat aircraft.
1937 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre.
1941 - World War II: A formal treaty of alliance between Thailand and Japan is signed in the presence of the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
1946 - An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaid, Japan, kills over 1,300 people and destroys over 38,000 homes.
1962 - Rondane National Park is established as Norway's first national park.
1963 - The episode of intercommunal violence called "Bloody Christmas" begins in Cyprus, ultimately resulting in the displacement of 25,000-30,000 Turkish Cypriots and destruction of more than 100 villages.
1967 - Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a heart transplant, dies in Cape Town, South Africa, having lived for 18 days after the transplant.
1968 - Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.
1969 - The United Nations adopts the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
1973 - The Geneva Conference on the Arab/Israeli conflict opens.
1979 - Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London by Lord Peter Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.
1988 - A bomb explodes on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, killing 270.
1992 - A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, killing 56.
1994 - Mexican volcano Popocatépetl, dormant for 47 years, erupts gases and ash.
1995 - The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control.
1999 - The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid, Spain.
2004 - Iraq War: A suicide bomber killed 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, Iraq, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers.

Births

1118 - Thomas Becket, English archbishop and saint (died 1170)
1401 - Masaccio, Italian painter (died 1428)
1596 - Peter Mogila, Romanian-Ukrainian metropolitan and saint (died 1646)
1603 - Roger Williams, English-American minister, theologian, and politician, 9th President of the Colony of Rhode Island (died 1684)
1672 - Benjamin Schmolck, German pastor and composer (died 1737)
1714 - John Bradstreet, Canadian-English general (died 1774)
1728 - Hermann Raupach, German harpsichord player and composer (died 1778)
1778 - Anders Sandøe Ørsted, Danish jurist and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Denmark (died 1860)
1795 - Jack Russell, English priest, hunter, and dog breeder (died 1883)
1795 - Leopold von Ranke, German historian, author, and academic (died 1886)
1803 - Achille Vianelli, Italian painter and academic (died 1894)
1804 - Benjamin Disraeli, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1881)
1805 - Thomas Graham, Scottish chemist and academic (died 1869)
1811 - Archibald Tait, Scottish-English archbishop (died 1882)
1815 - Thomas Couture, French painter and educator (died 1879)
1818 - Amalia of Oldenburg (died 1875)
1820 - William H. Osborn, American businessman (died 1894)
1830 - Bartolomé Masó, Cuban soldier and politician (died 1907)
1832 - John H. Ketcham, American general and politician (died 1906)
1843 - Thomas Bracken, Irish-New Zealand journalist, poet, and politician (died 1898)
1850 - William Wallace Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (died 1862)
1851 - Thomas Chipman McRae, American lawyer and politician, 26th Governor of Arkansas (died 1929)
1859 - Gustave Kahn, French poet and critic (died 1936)
1866 - Maud Gonne, English-Irish actress and activist (died 1953)
1868 - George W. Fuller, American chemist and engineer (died 1934)
1872 - Sidney Ainsworth, English-American actor (died 1922)
1872 - Trevor Kincaid, Canadian-American zoologist and academic (died 1970)
1872 - Lorenzo Perosi, Italian priest and composer (died 1956)
1872 - Albert Payson Terhune, American journalist and author (died 1942)
1873 - Blagoje Bersa, Croatian composer and educator (died 1934)
1876 - Jack Lang, Australian lawyer and politician, 23rd Premier of New South Wales (died 1975)
1877 - Jaan Sarv, Estonian mathematician and scholar (died 1954)
1885 - Frank Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1960)
1888 - Jean Bouin, French runner and rugby player (died 1914)
1889 - Sewall Wright, American geneticist and biologist (died 1988)
1890 - Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1967)
1891 - John William McCormack, American lawyer and politician, 53rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (died 1980)
1892 - Amy Clarke, English poet, author, and academic (died 1980)
1892 - Walter Hagen, American golfer (died 1969)
1892 - Rebecca West, English journalist and author (died 1983)
1896 - Leroy Robertson, American composer and educator (died 1971)
1903 - Maria Balcerkiewiczówna, Polish-English actress (died 1975)
1905 - Anthony Powell, English author (died 2000)
1908 - Herbert Hutner, American banker and lawyer (died 2008)
1911 - Josh Gibson, American baseball player (died 1947)
1913 - Arnold Friberg, American illustrator and painter (died 2010)
1914 - Frank Fenner, Australian microbiologist and virologist (died 2010)
1915 - Werner von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (died 2007)
1917 - Diana Athill, English author
1917 - Heinrich Böll, German soldier and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1985)
1918 - Donald Regan, American colonel and politician, 11th White House Chief of Staff (died 2003)
1918 - Kurt Waldheim, Austrian colonel and politician, 9th President of Austria (died 2007)
1920 - Jean Gascon, Canadian actor and director (died 1988)
1921 - Alicia Alonso, Cuban ballerina and choreographer, founded the Cuban National Ballet
1921 - Robert Lipshutz, American lawyer and politician, 17th White House Counsel (died 2010)
1922 - Itubwa Amram, Nauruan pastor and politician (died 1989)
1922 - Paul Winchell, American ventriloquist and voice actor (died 2005)
1924 - Rita Reys, Dutch singer and actress (died 2013)
1925 - Olga Aroseva, Russian actress (died 2013)
1926 - Arnot Lustig, Czech author and playwright (died 2011)
1926 - Joe Paterno, American football player and coach (died 2012)
1928 - Michalis Kounelis, Greek violinist (died 1999)
1932 - U. R. Ananthamurthy, Indian author, poet, and critic (died 2014)
1932 - Edward Hoagland, American author and critic
1933 - Denis E. Dillon, American jurist and politician (died 2010)
1933 - Robert Worcester, American businessman and academic, founded MORI
1934 - Giuseppina Leone, Italian sprinter
1935 - John G. Avildsen, American director, producer, and cinematographer
1935 - Lorenzo Bandini, Italian race car driver (died 1967)
1935 - Yusuf Bey, American activist (died 2003)
1935 - Phil Donahue, American talk show host and producer
1935 - Edward Schreyer, Canadian academic and politician, 22nd Governor General of Canada
1937 - Jane Fonda, American actress, producer, and activist
1937 - Donald F. Munson, American soldier and politician
1938 - Larry Bryggman, American actor
1938 - Frank Moorhouse, Australian journalist, author, and screenwriter
1938 - John Quayle, English actor
1939 - Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian academic and politician, 2nd Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
1939 - Wafic Saïd, Syrian-Saudi Arabian financier, businessman and philanthropist
1940 - Kelly Cherry American poet and author
1940 - Arvi Lind, Finnish journalist
1940 - Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (The Mothers of Invention) (died 1993)
1942 - Hu Jintao, Chinese engineer and politician, 6th President of China
1942 - Reinhard Mey, German singer-songwriter and guitarist
1942 - Anthony Summers, Irish journalist and author
1943 - André Arthur, Canadian journalist and politician
1943 - Lena Bergman, Swedish actress
1943 - Albert Lee, English guitarist and songwriter (Heads Hands and Feet and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings)
1943 - Walter Spanghero, French rugby player
1944 - Bill Atkinson, English footballer and referee (died 2013)
1944 - Michael Tilson Thomas, American pianist, composer, and conductor
1944 - Zheng Xiaoyu, Chinese diplomat (died 2007)
1946 - Roy Karch, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1946 - Christopher Keene, American conductor (died 1995)
1946 - Kevin Peek, Australian guitarist and songwriter (Sky) (died 2013)
1946 - Carl Wilson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Beach Boys) (died 1998)
1947 - Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Paco de Lucía Sextet) (died 2014)
1947 - Bryan Hamilton, Irish footballer and manager
1948 - Samuel L. Jackson, American actor and producer
1948 - Dave Kingman, American baseball player
1948 - Willi Resetarits, Austrian singer-songwriter, actor, and activist
1949 - Nicholas Penny, English historian and academic
1949 - Thomas Sankara, Burkinabé captain and politician, 5th President of Burkina Faso (died 1987)
1949 - Nikolaos Sifounakis, Greek lawyer and politician
1950 - Jeffrey Katzenberg, American screenwriter and producer, co-founded DreamWorks Animation
1950 - Lillebjørn Nilsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Gitarkameratene)
1950 - David Thacker, English director and screenwriter
1951 - Nick Gilder, English-Canadian singer-songwriter (Sweeney Todd)
1951 - Steve Perryman, English footballer and manager
1952 - Joaquín Andújar, Dominican baseball player (died 2015)
1953 - András Schiff, Hungarian-English pianist and conductor
1953 - Betty Wright, American singer-songwriter
1954 - Chris Evert, American tennis player and coach
1954 - Tsurutaro Kataoka, Japanese boxer and actor
1955 - Jane Kaczmarek, American actress
1955 - Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, Japanese singer-songwriter and bass player (Southern All Stars)
1956 - Dave Laut, American shot putter (died 2009)
1957 - Tom Henke, American baseball player
1957 - Rolf Kanies, German actor
1957 - Ray Romano, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
1958 - Tamara Bykova, Russian high jumper
1959 - Florence Griffith Joyner, American sprinter and actress (died 1998)
1960 - Roger McDowell, American baseball player and coach
1960 - Sherry Rehman, Pakistani journalist, politician, and diplomat, 25th Pakistan Ambassador to the United States
1960 - Tim Rucks, American football player and coach (died 2015)
1960 - Andy Van Slyke, American baseball player and coach
1961 - Henry Ford Kamel, Ghanaian banker and politician (died 2012)
1961 - The Patriot, American wrestler
1961 - Rein Raud, Estonian scholar and author
1961 - Ryuji Sasai, Japanese bass player and composer
1963 - Govinda, Indian actor, singer, and politician
1964 - Rob Kelly, English footballer and manager
1964 - Joe Kocur, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1964 - Kunihiko Ikuhara, Japanese director and illustrator
1964 - Daniel Suarez, American author
1964 - Fabiana Udenio, Argentinian-Italian actress
1965 - Andy Dick, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
1965 - Anke Engelke, Canadian-German actress, director, and screenwriter
1965 - Stuart Mitchell, Scottish pianist and composer
1966 - Adam Schefter, American journalist and sportscaster
1966 - Kiefer Sutherland, Canadian actor, director, and producer
1967 - Ervin Johnson, American basketball player
1967 - Terry Mills, American basketball player and coach
1967 - Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Georgia
1969 - Julie Delpy, French-American model, actress, director, and screenwriter
1971 - Matthieu Chedid, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
1971 - Margarita Drobiazko, Lithuanian ice dancer
1971 - Fenton Keogh, Australian chef and television host
1971 - Brett Scallions, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Fuel, Manzarek–Krieger, and Circus Diablo)
1972 - Gloria De Piero, English journalist and politician, Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
1972 - Claudia Poll, Nicaraguan-Costa Rican swimmer and sportscaster
1972 - Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, Indian journalist and politician
1973 - Irakli Alasania, Georgian colonel and politician, Georgian Minister of Defense
1974 - Karrie Webb, Australian golfer
1975 - Paloma Herrera, Argentinian ballerina
1976 - Mirela Maniani, Albanian-Greek javelin thrower
1976 - Lukas Rossi, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Rock Star Supernova and Daylight Division)
1978 - Emiliano Brembilla, Italian swimmer
1979 - Steve Montador, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2015)
1980 - Michele Di Piedi, Italian footballer
1980 - Royce Ring, American baseball player
1981 - Frankie Abernathy, American purse designer, cast member on The Real World: San Diego (died 2007)
1981 - Sajid Mahmood, English cricketer
1981 - Lynda Thomas, Mexican singer-songwriter and producer
1981 - Cristian Zaccardo, Italian footballer
1982 - Primo, Puerto Rican-Canadian wrestler
1982 - Philip Humber, American baseball player
1982 - Iljo Keisse, Belgian cyclist
1984 - Andrea Jeremiah, Indian actress and singer
1984 - Darren Potter, English footballer
1985 - Tom Sturridge, English actor
1986 - Davey Browne, Australian boxer (died 2015)
1987 - Denis Alekseyev, Russian sprinter
1987 - Brad Howard, Australian footballer
1988 - Perri Shakes-Drayton, English sprinter and hurdler

Deaths

72 - Thomas the Apostle, Roman martyr and saint (born 1 AD)
882 - Hincmar, French archbishop and historian (born 806)
1308 - Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse (born 1244)
1375 - Giovanni Boccaccio, Italian author and poet (born 1313)
1504 - Berthold von Henneberg, German archbishop (born 1442)
1549 - Marguerite de Navarre, French wife of Henry II of Navarre (born 1492)
1597 - Peter Canisius, Dutch priest and saint (born 1521)
1807 - John Newton, English soldier and minister (born 1725)
1824 - James Parkinson, English physician and paleontologist (born 1755)
1869 - Friedrich Ernst Scheller, German jurist and politician (born 1791)
1873 - Francis Garnier, French admiral and explorer (born 1839)
1889 - Friedrich August von Quenstedt, German geologist and palaeontologist (born 1809)
1907 - Klara Hitler, Austrian mother of Adolf Hitler (born 1860)
1920 - Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, Somalian general, founded the Dervish state (born 1856)
1929 - I. L. Patterson, American politician, 18th Governor of Oregon (born 1859)
1933 - Knud Rasmussen, Greenlandic anthropologist and explorer (born 1879)
1935 - Ted Birnie, English footballer and manager (born 1878)
1935 - Kurt Tucholsky, German-Swedish journalist and author (born 1890)
1937 - Ted Healy, American comedian and actor (born 1896)
1937 - Frank born Kellogg, American lawyer and politician, 45th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1856)
1940 - F. Scott Fitzgerald, American author and poet (born 1896)
1945 - George S. Patton, American general (born 1885)
1952 - Kenneth Edwards, American golfer (born 1886)
1953 - Kaarlo Koskelo, Finnish-American wrestler and businessman (born 1888)
1957 - Eric Coates, English-American viola player and composer (born 1886)
1958 - Lion Feuchtwanger, German-American author and playwright (born 1884)
1959 - Rosanjin, Japanese calligrapher, engraver, and painter (born 1883)
1962 - Gary Hocking, Welsh-Rhodesian motorcycle racer (born 1937)
1963 - Jack Hobbs, English cricketer and journalist (born 1882)
1964 - Carl Van Vechten, American author and photographer (born 1880)
1965 - Claude Champagne, Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (born 1891)
1967 - Stuart Erwin, American actor (born 1903)
1968 - Vittorio Pozzo, Italian footballer, coach, and manager (born 1886)
1971 - Charles C. Banks, English captain and pilot (born 1893)
1974 - Richard Long, American actor and director (born 1927)
1982 - Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jullundhri, Pakistani poet and composer (born 1900)
1983 - Paul de Man, Belgian-American philosopher, critic, and academic (born 1919)
1987 - John Spence, American singer (No Doubt) (born 1969)
1988 - Nikolaas Tinbergen, Dutch-English ethologist and ornithologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1907)
1989 - Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Nigerian-English photographer, co-founded Autograph ABP (born 1955)
1990 - Clarence Johnson, American engineer, designed the Lockheed U-2 and Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (born 1910)
1992 - Stella Adler, American actress and educator (born 1901)
1992 - Albert King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1924)
1992 - Nathan Milstein, Russian-American violinist and composer (born 1903)
1995 - Charlie Tumahai, New Zealand singer-songwriter and bass player (Be-Bop Deluxe, Mississippi, and Herbs) (born 1949)
1998 - Ernst-Günther Schenck, German colonel and physician (born 1904)
2003 - Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (born 1924)
2004 - Autar Singh Paintal, Indian physiologist and neurologist (born 1925)
2006 - Scobie Breasley, Australian jockey and trainer (born 1914)
2006 - Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (born 1940)
2009 - Edwin G. Krebs, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)
2009 - Christos Lambrakis, Greek journalist and businessman (born 1934)
2010 - Enzo Bearzot, Italian footballer and manager (born 1927)
2013 - Edgar Bronfman, Sr., Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (born 1929)
2013 - John Eisenhower, American historian, general, and diplomat, 45th United States Ambassador to Belgium (born 1922)
2013 - Richard Hart, Jamaican-English historian, lawyer, and politician (born 1917)
2014 - Horacio Ferrer, Uruguayan poet and composer (born 1922)
2014 - Udo Jürgens, Austrian-Swiss singer-songwriter and pianist (born 1934)
2014 - Sitor Situmorang, Indonesian poet and author (born 1923)
2014 - Billie Whitelaw, English actress (born 1932)