Events
- 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar.
- 1447 - Nicholas V becomes Pope.
- 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of the Prussian Confederation pledged allegiance to
Casimir IV of Poland
, and the Polish king agreed to help in their struggle for independence from the Teutonic Knights. - 1479 -
Treaty of Alcaçovas
- Portugal gives the Canary Islands to Castile in exchange for claims in West Africa. - 1521 - Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam.
- 1788 - The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island in order to found a
convict settlement
. - 1820 - The Missouri Compromise is signed into law by President James Monroe. The compromise allows Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, but makes the rest of the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase territory slavery-free.
- 1834 - York, Upper Canada is incorporated as
Toronto
. - 1836 - Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo - After a 13-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers defending the Alamo are defeated and the fort taken.
- 1853 - The Giuseppe Verdi opera
La Traviata
premieres in Venice. - 1856 - The University of Maryland, College Park is chartered as the
Maryland Agricultural College
. - 1857 - The Supreme Court of the United States rules in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case.
- 1869 - Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table to the
Russian Chemical Society
. - 1899 - Bayer registers aspirin as a trademark.
- 1900 - A
coal mine
explosion in West Virginia traps 50 coal miners. - 1901 - In
Bremen
an assassin attempts to kill
Wilhelm II of Germany
. - 1902 - The Spanish football club
Real Madrid
is founded. - 1921 - The Portuguese Communist Party is founded as the Portuguese Section of the Communist International.
- 1925 - Pionerskaya Pravda, one of the oldest children's newspapers in Europe, is founded.
- 1925 - Belgium annexes Eupen, Malmedy, and
Sankt Vith
. - 1927 - Fritz Lang's Metropolis is released.
- 1940 - Winter War: An armistice is signed by Finland and the Soviet Union.
- 1945 - A
communist
-dominated government under Petru Groza assumes power in Romania. - 1946 - Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh signs an agreement with France which recognizes Vietnam as an autonomous state in the
Indochinese Federation
and the French Union. - 1951 - The trial of
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
begins. - 1953 -
Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov
succeeds
Josef Stalin
as Premier and
First Secretary
of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. - 1957 - United Kingdom colonies Gold Coast and British Togoland become the independent Republic of Ghana.
- 1957 - Israel withdraws its troops from the Sinai Peninsula.
- 1964 - Prophet Elijah Muhammad officially gives
Cassius Clay
the name Muhammad Ali meaning "beloved of Allah". - 1964 - Constantine II becomes King of Greece.
- 1964 - Tom O'Hara sets a new world record for the indoor mile run by completing it in 3 minutes, 56.4 seconds.
- 1970 - Suspected murderer Charles Manson releases Lie: The Love & Terror Cult to help finance his defense.
- 1975 -
Algiers Accord
: Iran and Iraq announce a settlement over their border dispute. - 1981 - After 19 years presenting the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite signs off for the last time.
- 1983 - The United States Football League begins its first year of competition.
- 1984 - Twelve-month-long strike in British coal industry begins.
- 1987 - The
British
ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes in about 90 seconds killing 193. - 1988 - Students at Gallaudet University go on strike in favor of the selection of a deaf university president. The protest is called Deaf President Now.
- 1988 - Three unarmed members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army are killed by the SAS on the territory of Gibraltar in the conclusion of Operation Flavius.
- 1992 - The
Michelangelo computer virus
begins to affect computers. - 1992 - Founding of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
- 1994 - Referendum in Moldova results in the electorate voting against possible reunification with Romania.
- 1997 -
Picasso
's painting Tête de Femme is stolen from a London gallery, and is recovered a week later. - 2006 - South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signs a bill into legislation that would ban most abortions in the state.
- 2007 - Former White House aide
I. Lewis Libby, Jr.
was found guilty on four of five counts of perjury and obstruction of justice trial. - 2007 - United States lottery Mega Millions set a new world record for the highest jackpot ever offered of US$390 million.
Births
- 1340 - John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (d. 1399)
- 1405 - King John II of Castile (d. 1454)
- 1459 - Jacob Fugger, German banker (d. 1525)
- 1475 - Michelangelo, Italian artist (d. 1564)
- 1483 - Francesco Guicciardini, Italian statesman and historian (d. 1540)
- 1495 - Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet (d. 1556)
- 1619 - Cyrano de Bergerac, French soldier, poet (d. 1655)
- 1663 - Francis Atterbury, British man of letters (d. 1732)
- 1706 - George Pocock, British admiral (d. 1792)
- 1716 - Pehr Kalm, Swedish explorer and naturalist (d. 1779)
- 1761 -
Antoine-Francois Andreossy
, French General (d. 1828) - 1779 - Antoine-Henri Jomini, French general (d. 1869)
- 1787 - Joseph von Fraunhofer, German physicist (d. 1826)
- 1806 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, British poet (d. 1861)
- 1812 - Aaron Lufkin Dennison American watch manufacturer (d. 1895)
- 1817 - Princess Clémentine of Orléans (d. 1907)
- 1818 - William Claflin, 27th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1905)
- 1831 - Philip Sheridan, American Civil War Union cavalry officer (d. 1888)
- 1834 - George du Maurier British illustrator and writer (d. 1896)
- 1870 - Oscar Straus, Viennese operetta composer (d. 1954)
- 1882 - F. Burrall Hoffman, American architect (d. 1980)
- 1885 - Ring Lardner, American writer (d. 1933)
- 1893 - Furry Lewis, American blues guitarist (d. 1981)
- 1900 - Lefty Grove, American Baseball Player (d. 1975)
- 1903 - Empress Kōjun of Japan (d. 2000)
- 1904 -
Joseph Schmidt
, Austrian tenor (d. 1942) - 1904 - José Antonio Aguirre, Basque politician (d. 1960)
- 1905 - Bob Wills, American singer (d. 1975)
- 1906 - Lou Costello, American actor comedian (d. 1959)
- 1914 - Kiril Kondrashin, Russian conductor (d. 1981)
- 1915 -
Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin
, Bohra spiritual leader - 1915 - Pete Gray, American baseball player (d. 2002)
- 1917 - Will Eisner, American illustrator and cartoonist (d. 2005)
- 1917 - Frankie Howerd, English comedian (d. 1992)
- 1919 - Maurice Grosse, British paranormal investigator (d. 2006)
- 1923 - Ed McMahon, American television personality
- 1925 - Wes Montgomery, American musician (d. 1968)
- 1926 - Alan Greenspan, American economist
- 1926 - Andrzej Wajda, Polish film director
- 1927 - Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez, Colombian writer, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1927 - Gordon Cooper, astronaut (d. 2004)
- 1927 - Norman Treigle, American bass-baritone (d. 1975)
- 1930 - Lorin Maazel, French-born American conductor
- 1931 - Hal Needham, American stuntman
- 1933 - Ted Abernathy, American baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1934 - John Noakes, British television presenter
- 1935 - Ron Delany, Irish athlete
- 1936 - Bob Akin, American industrialist and race car driver (d. 2002)
- 1936 -
Marion Barry Jr.
, American politician - 1936 - Jean Boht, English actress
- 1937 - Ivan Boesky, American stock trader
- 1937 - Valentina Tereshkova, cosmonaut
- 1939 - Adam Osborne, British author and computer designer (d. 2003)
- 1939 -
Infanta Margarita of Spain
, duchess of Soria - 1939 - Cookie Rojas, baseball player
- 1940 - Willie Stargell, baseball player (d. 2001)
- 1942 - Ben Murphy, American actor
- 1944 - Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand singer
- 1944 - Mary Wilson, American singer (
Supremes
) - 1946 - David Gilmour, British musician (Pink Floyd)
- 1947 - Kiki Dee, British singer
- 1947 - Dick Fosbury, American athlete
- 1947 - Martin Kove, American actor
- 1947 - Teru Miyamoto, Japanese author
- 1947 - Rob Reiner, American actor, comedian, and film producer
- 1948 - Anna Maria Horsford, American actress
- 1949 - Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of Pakistan
- 1949 - Martin Buchan, Scottish footballer
- 1951 - Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch cyclist (d. 2004)
- 1953 - Jan Kjærstad, Norwegian author
- 1953 - Jacklyn Zeman, American actress
- 1955 - Alberta Watson, Canadian actress
- 1958 - Eddie Deezen, American actor
- 1959 - Saul Anuzis, American politician
- 1959 - Tom Arnold, American actor and comedian
- 1962 - Valerie French, American animatronics art director
- 1963 -
D.L. Hughley
, American comedian and actor - 1964 - Skip Ewing, American country music singer and songwriter
- 1964 - Madonna Wayne Gacy, American musician
- 1966 - Alan Davies, British comedian and actor
- 1968 - Moira Kelly, American actress
- 1968 - Michael Romeo, American musician
- 1969 - Andrea Elson, American actress
- 1969 - Tari Phillips, American basketball player
- 1969 - Greg Scott, British TV personality
- 1970 - Shane Brolly, British actor
- 1971 - Sean Morley, American professional wrestler
- 1971 - Darrick Martin, American basketball player
- 1972 - Terry Murphy, Northern Irish snooker player
- 1972 - Shaquille O'Neal, American basketball player
- 1973 - Michael Finley, American basketball player
- 1974 - Sebastian Siegel, British-American actor
- 1975 -
Aracely Arambula
, Mexican actress and singer - 1976 - Ken Anderson, American professional wrestler
- 1977 - Giorgos Karagounis, Greek footballer
- 1977 - Marcus Thames, American baseball player
- 1978 - Sage Rosenfels, American Football Player
- 1979 - Tim Howard, American soccer player
- 1979 - David Flair, American professional wrestler
- 1979 -
Erik Bedard
, Canadian baseball player - 1979 - Ryan Nyquist, American BMX rider
- 1980 - Ross Mawhinney, British-born Italian radio DJ
- 1981 - Ellen Muth, American actress
- 1983 - Andranik Teymourian, Iranian footballer
- 1984 - Becky, Japanese-British entertainer
- 1985 - Albert Reed, American model
- 1986 - Eli Marienthal, American actor
- 1987 - Hannah Taylor-Gordon, English actress
- 1992 - Momoko Tsugunaga, Japanese singer
- 1996 - Savanah Stehlin, American actress
Deaths
- 766 - Chrodegang of Metz, Frankish
bishop of Metz - 1252 -
Saint Rose of Viterbo
, Italian saint (b. 1235) - 1490 - Ivan the Young, Ruler of Tver (b. 1458)
- 1531 - Pedrarias Dávila, Spanish conquistador
- 1627 - Krzysztof Zbaraski, Polish statesman (b. 1580)
- 1754 - Henry Pelham, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1694)
- 1758 - Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington, English politician (b. 1705)
- 1764 - Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1690)
- 1796 - Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French writer (b. 1713)
- 1836 - Davy Crockett, American frontiersman (b. 1786)
- 1836 -
William Barret Travis
, American lawyer from South Carolina and soldier (b. 1809) - 1836 -
James Butler Bonham
, American lawyer from South Carolina and soldier (b. 1807) - 1836 -
Jim Bowie
, American pioneer and soldier (b. 1796) - 1842 - Constanze Mozart, wife of W.A. Mozart (b. 1763)
- 1854 -
Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
, British soldier and politician (b. 1778) - 1860 -
Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer
, German cellist and composer (b. 1783) - 1866 - William Whewell, English scientist, philosopher, and historian of science (b. 1794)
- 1881 - Horatia Nelson, the illegitimate daughter of
Emma Hamilton
and
Horatio Nelson
(b. 1801) - 1888 - Louisa May Alcott, American novelist (b. 1832)
- 1895 - Camilla Collett, Norwegian writer and feminist (b. 1813)
- 1899 -
Victoria Kaiulani
, Hawaiian princess (b. 1875) - 1900 - Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and industrialist (b. 1834)
- 1905 - John Henninger Reagan, American Confederate politician (b. 1818)
- 1932 - John Philip Sousa, American band leader, conductor, and composer (b. 1854)
- 1933 - Anton Cermak, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1873)
- 1935 - Fridolf Rhudin Swedish actor and comedian (b. 1895)
- 1939 - Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician (b. 1852)
- 1941 - Gutzon Borglum, Danish sculptor (b. 1867)
- 1948 - Ross Lockridge, Jr., American novelist (b. 1914)
- 1950 - Albert Lebrun, President of France (b. 1871)
- 1951 - Ivor Novello, Welsh actor, musician, and composer (b. 1893)
- 1951 - Volodymyr Vynnychenko, Ukrainian politician and statesman (b. 1880)
- 1952 - Jürgen Stroop, Nazi SS-leader (executed) (b. 1895)
- 1961 -
George Formby
, British comedian and singer (b. 1904) - 1964 - King Paul of Greece (b. 1901)
- 1965 - Margaret Dumont, American actress (b. 1889)
- 1967 - John Haden Badley, English author and educator (b. 1865)
- 1967 - Nelson Eddy, American singer and actor (b. 1901)
- 1967 - Zoltán Kodály, Hungarian composer (b. 1882)
- 1969 - Nadya Rusheva, Russian painter (b. 1952)
- 1970 - William Hopper, American actor (b. 1915)
- 1971 - Thurston Dart, English harpsichordist and conductor (b. 1921)
- 1973 - Pearl S. Buck, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
- 1976 -
Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom
, American boxer and actor (b. 1903) - 1981 - George Geary, English cricketer (b. 1893)
- 1982 - Ayn Rand, Russian-American author (b. 1905)
- 1985 - Henry Wilcoxon, Dominican actor (b. 1905)
- 1986 - Georgia O'Keeffe, American artist (b. 1887)
- 1986 - Vol. Mairéad Farrell, Vol. Seán Savage and Vol. Daniel McCann killed within minutes of each other; Irish Republicans.
- 1994 - Melina Mercouri, Greek actress, political activist, and politician (b. 1920)
- 1997 - Cheddi Jagan,
President of Guyana
(b. 1918) - 1997 - Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1924)
- 1998 - Frank Barrett, American baseball player (b. 1913)
- 1999 - Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, emir of Bahrain (b. 1933)
- 1999 - Dennis Viollet, former footballer (b. 1933)
- 2000 - John Colicos, Canadian actor (b. 1928)
- 2001 - Kim Walker, American actress (b. 1968)
- 2002 - Bryan Fogarty, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1969)
- 2003 - John Sanford, American author (b. 1904)
- 2004 - Frances Dee, American actress (b. 1909)
- 2004 - Ray Fernandez, American professional wrestler (b. 1957)
- 2005 - Hans Bethe, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- 2005 - Tommy Vance, British radio disc jockey (b. 1943)
- 2005 - Danny Gardella, American baseball player (b. 1920)
- 2005 - Teresa Wright, American actress (b. 1918)
- 2006 - King Floyd, American musician (b. 1945)
- 2006 - Kirby Puckett, American baseball player (b. 1960)
- 2006 - Dana Reeve, American actress, wife of Christopher Reeve (b. 1961)
- 2007 - Jean Baudrillard, French cultural theorist, philosopher, political commentator and photographer (b. 1929)
- 2007 - Allen Coage (aka "Bad News Brown"), American professional wrestler and judoka (b. 1943)
- 2007 - Ernest Gallo, American winemaker (b. 1909)
Holidays and Observances
- Ghana - Independence Day (from Britain, 1957)
- Alamo Day in Texas
- Saint Chrodegang
- Saint Fridolin
- Saint Colette aka Saint Coleta of Ghent
- Saint Olegarius
- March 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
