Events
- 642 - Battle of Maserfeld - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia.
- 910 - The last major Viking army to raid England is defeated at the Battle of Tettenhall by the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex, led by King Edward and Earl Aethelred.
- 1100 - Henry I crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
- 1305 - William Wallace, who led Scottish resistance to England, is captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London for trial and execution.
- 1388 - Battle of Otterburn, border skirmish between the Scottish and the English in Northern England.
- 1583 - Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St John's, Newfoundland.
- 1620 - The Mayflower departs Southampton, England on first attempt to reach North America.
- 1689 - 1,500 Iroquois attack village of Lachine, in New France.
- 1716 - Battle of Petrovaradin
- 1735 - Freedom of the press: New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel against the royal governor of New York, on the basis that what he published was true.
- 1763 - Pontiac's War: Battle of Bushy Run - British forces led by Henry Bouquet defeat Chief Pontiac's Indians at Bushy Run.
- 1772 - The First Partition of Poland begins.
- 1812 - War of 1812: Tecumseh's Indian force ambushes Thomas Van Horne's 200 Americans at Brownstone Creek, causing them to flee and retreat.
- 1858 - Cyrus West Field and others complete the first transatlantic telegraph cable after several unsuccessful attempts. It operated for less than a month.
- 1860 - Carl IV of Sweden-Norway is crowned king of Norway, in Trondheim.
- 1861 - American Civil War: In order to help pay for the war effort, the United States government issues the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US $800; rescinded in 1872).
- 1861 - The United States Army abolished flogging.
- 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Baton Rouge - Along the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Confederate troops drive Union forces back into the city.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Mobile Bay begins - At Mobile Bay near Mobile, Alabama, Admiral David Farragut leads a Union flotilla through Confederate defenses and seals one of the last major Southern ports.
- 1870 - Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Spicheren is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
- 1874 - Japan launches its postal savings system, modeled after a similar system in England.
- 1882 - Standard Oil of New Jersey is established.
- 1882 - Martial law is enacted in Japan.
- 1884 - The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.
- 1888 - Bertha Benz drives from Mannheim to Pforzheim in the first long distance automobile trip.
- 1901 - Peter O'Connor sets the first IAAF recognised long jump world record of 24ft 11¾ins. The record will stand for 20 years.
- 1912 - Japan's first taxicab service begins in Ginza, Tokyo.
- 1914 - In Cleveland, Ohio, the first electric traffic light is installed.
- 1925 - Plaid Cymru is formed with the aim of disseminating knowledge of the Welsh language, which is in danger of dying out.
- 1940 - World War II : Latvia is annexed by the Soviet Union.
- 1943 - World War II: During the Battle of Troina, at around 11 A.M, Mount Etna erupted sending much ash and lava miles into the sky.
- 1944 - World War II: Possibly the biggest prison breakout in history occurs as 545 Japanese POWs attempt to escape outside the town of Cowra, NSW, Australia.
- 1944 - Holocaust: Polish insurgents liberate a German labor camp in Warsaw, freeing 348 Jewish prisoners.
- 1949 - In Ecuador an earthquake destroys 50 towns and kills more than 6000.
- 1957 - American Bandstand, a show dedicated to the teenage "baby-boomers" by playing the songs and showing popular dances of the time, debuts on the ABC television network.
- 1960 - Burkina Faso, then known as "Upper Volta", becomes independent from France.
- 1962 - Nelson Mandela is jailed. He would not be released until 1990.
- 1963 - United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign a nuclear test ban treaty.
- 1964 - Vietnam War: Operation Pierce Arrow - American aircraft from carriers USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation bomb North Vietnam in retaliation for strikes attacked U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.
- 1969 - Mariner program: Mariner 7 makes its closest fly-by of Mars (3,524 kilometers).
- 1974 - Vietnam War: The U.S. Congress places a $1 billion dollar limit on military aid to South Vietnam.
- 1979 - In Afghanistan, Maoists undertake an attempted military uprising.
- 1981 - Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers who ignored his order for them to return to work.
- 1989 - General elections are held in Nicaragua, Sandinista Front wins the majority.
- 1995 - The city of Knin, a significant Serb stronghold, is captured by Croatian forces during Operation Storm. The date is celebrated as the day of victory (Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day) in Croatia.
- 2003 - A car bomb explodes in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta outside the Marriott Hotel killing 12 and injuring 150.
Births
- 1301 - Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, English politician (d. 1330)
- 1397? - Guillaume Dufay, Franco-Flemish composer and theorist (d. 1474)
- 1461 - Alexander Jagiellon, Grand Duke of Lithuania (d. 1506)
- 1623 - Antonio Cesti, Italian composer (d. 1669)
- 1641 - John Hathorne, American magistrate (d. 1717)
- 1662 - James Anderson, Scottish historian (d. 1728)
- 1694 - Leonardo Leo, Italian composer (d. 1744)
- 1802 - Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician (d. 1829)
- 1811 - Ambroise Thomas, French opera composer (d. 1896)
- 1813 - Ivar Aasen, Norwegian poet and language reformer (d. 1896)
- 1815 - Edward John Eyre, English explorer (d. 1901)
- 1827 - Deodoro da Fonseca, first President of Brazil (d.1892)
- 1828 - Louise of the Netherlands, queen of Sweden and Norway (d. 1871)
- 1833 - Carola of Vasa, Queen consort of Saxony (d. 1907)
- 1850 - Guy de Maupassant, French author (d. 1893)
- 1862 - Joseph Merrick, the "Elephant Man" (d. 1890)
- 1866 - Carl Harries, German chemist (d. 1923)
- 1866 - Harry Trott, Australian cricketer (d. 1917)
- 1872 - Oswaldo Cruz, Brazilian physician (d. 1917)
- 1877 - Tom Thomson, Canadian painter (d. 1917)
- 1887 - Reginald Owen, English actor (d. 1972)
- 1888 - Victor Francen, Belgian-born actor (d. 1977)
- 1889 - Conrad Aiken, American writer (d. 1973)
- 1890 - Erich Kleiber, Austrian-born conductor (d. 1956)
- 1890 - Naum Gabo, sculptor (d. 1977)
- 1897 - Aksel Larsen, Danish politician (d. 1972)
- 1901 - Claude Autant-Lara, French film director (d. 2000)
- 1906 - John Huston, American director (d. 1987)
- 1906 - Wassily Leontief, Russian economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1999)
- 1906 - Joan Hickson, English actress (d. 1998)
- 1908 - Harold Holt, 17th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1967)
- 1910 - Bruno Coquatrix, French songwriter and music impresario (d. 1979)
- 1911 - Robert Taylor, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1912 - Abbé Pierre, French Catholic priest (d. 2007)
- 1914 - David Brian, American actor (d. 1993)
- 1918 - Tom Drake, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1918 - Betty Oliphant, Canadian ballerina (d. 2004)
- 1923 - Devan Nair, President of Singapore
- 1930 - Neil Armstrong, American astronaut
- 1930 - Michal Kováč, President of Slovakia
- 1934 - Wendell Berry, American poet, writer and farmer
- 1935 - John Saxon, American actor
- 1937 - Herb Brooks, American ice hockey coach (d. 2003)
- 1939 - Princess Irene of the Netherlands
- 1941 - Bob Clark, American film director (d. 2007)
- 1943 - Nelson Briles, American baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1943 - Sammi Smith, American country singer and songwriter (d. 2005)
- 1946 - Loni Anderson, American actress
- 1946 - Bruce Coslet, American football player and coach
- 1946 - Ron Silliman, American poet
- 1946 - Erika Slezak, American actress
- 1947 - Angry Anderson, Australian entertainer (Rose Tattoo)
- 1947 - Bernie Carbo, American baseball player
- 1947 - Rick Derringer, American musician
- 1948 - Carole Laure, French Canadian actress
- 1948 - Ray Clemence, English footballer
- 1951 - John Jarratt, Australian actor
- 1953 - Rick Mahler, American baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1953 - Samantha Sang, Australian singer
- 1956 - Jerry Ciccoritti, Canadian film director
- 1956 - Fred Ottman, American wrestler
- 1956 - Maureen McCormick, American actress
- 1957 - Faith Prince, American actress
- 1959 - Pete Burns, English singer (Dead or Alive)
- 1960 - Seth Swirsky, American songwriter
- 1961 - Tawny Kitaen, American actress
- 1961 - Mark O'Connor, American violinist
- 1961 - Clayton Rohner, American actor
- 1962 - Patrick Ewing, American basketball player
- 1964 - Adam Yauch (MCA), American musician (Beastie Boys)
- 1965 - Motoi Sakuraba, Japanese composer
- 1966 - Jonathan Silverman, American actor
- 1968 - Terri Clark, Canadian country singer
- 1968 - Funkmaster Flex, American hip hop DJ
- 1968 - Tokimitsu Ishizawa, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1968 - Oleg Luzhny, Ukrainian footballer
- 1968 - Colin McRae, Scottish rally driver (d. 2007)
- 1968 - John Olerud, American baseball player
- 1970 - James Gunn, American filmmaker
- 1971 - Evil Jared Hasselhoff, American musician (The Bloodhound Gang)
- 1972 - Christian Olde Wolbers, Belgian musician (Fear Factory)
- 1973 - Sean Sherk, American Mixed martial artist
- 1974 - Alvin Ceccoli, Australian soccer player
- 1974 - Antoine Sibierski, French footballer
- 1975 - Antony Cotton, English actor
- 1975 - Ami Foster, American actress
- 1975 - Kajol Mukherjee, Indian actress
- 1975 - Eicca Toppinen, Finnish cellist (Apocalyptica)
- 1976 - Jeff Friesen, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 - Kwon Sang-woo, South Korean actor
- 1976 - Marian Pahars, Latvian footballer
- 1977 - Eric Hinske, American baseball player
- 1977 - Michael Walsh, English footballer
- 1977 - Mark Mulder, American baseball player
- 1978 - Kim Gevaert, Belgian sprinter
- 1978 - Nektaria Karantzi, Greek singer
- 1979 - David Healy, Northern Irish footballer
- 1980 - Kaylani Lei, Asian-American *** star
- 1980 - Wayne Bridge, English footballer
- 1980 - Jason Čulina, Australian soccer player
- 1980 - Ali Umar, Maldivian footballer
- 1981 - Carl Crawford, American baseball player
- 1981 - Rachel Scott, American murder victim (d. 1999)
- 1981 - Kō Shibasaki, Japanese singer
- 1981 - Erik Guay, Canadian alpine skier
- 1981 - Cory Williams, American internet celebrity
- 1982 - LoLo Jones, American track and field athlete
- 1982 - Ryu Seung Min, Korean table tennis player
- 1982 - Tobias Regner, German singer
- 1983 - Dawn Richard, American singer (Danity Kane)
- 1985 - Salomon Kalou, Ivorian footballer
- 1985 - Laurent Ciman, Belgian footballer
- 1986 - Paula Creamer, American golfer
- 1987 - Genelia D'Souza, Indian actress
- 1987 - Xenia Tchoumitcheva, Swiss model
- 1993 - Corey J. Smith, English television actor
- 1993 - Suzuka Ōgo, Japanese actress
- 1995 - Devo Keenan American cellist and son of musician Maynard James Keenan
- 2000 - Maya Bond, Japanese-born American singer and musician
Deaths
- 882 - King Louis III of France (b. 863)
- 1063 - Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Gwynedd
- 1364 - Emperor Kogon of Japan (b. 1313)
- 1572 - Isaac Luria, Palestinian-born Kabbalist (b. 1534)
- 1579 - Stanislaus Hosius, Polish Catholic cardinal (b. 1504)
- 1610 - Alonso GarcÃa de Ramón, Spanish soldier and twice Royal Governor of Chile
- 1633 - Archbishop George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1562)
- 1678 - Juan GarcÃa de Zéspedes, Mexican musician and composer (b. 1619)
- 1743 - John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, English statesman and writer (b. 1696)
- 1778 - Charles Clémencet, French historian (b. 1703)
- 1792 - Frederick North, Lord North, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1732)
- 1799 - Richard Howe, British admiral (b. 1726)
- 1868 - Jacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de Perthes, French archaeologist (b. 1788)
- 1880 - Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra, Austrian physician (b. 1816)
- 1895 - Friedrich Engels, German philosopher (b. 1820)
- 1911 - Bob Caruthers, baseball player (b. 1864)
- 1923 - Vatroslav Jagić, Croatian slavist (b. 1835)
- 1925 - Jennie Lee (actor), American actress (b. 1848)
- 1929 - Millicent Fawcett, British suffragist and feminist (b. 1847)
- 1946 - Wilhelm Marx, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1863)
- 1952 - Sameera Moussa, Egyptian nuclear scientist (b. 1917)
- 1955 - Carmen Miranda, Portuguese actress and singer (b. 1909)
- 1957 - Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1877)
- 1959 - Edgar Guest, English poet (b. 1881)
- 1960 - Arthur Meighen, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1874)
- 1962 - Marilyn Monroe, American actress (b. 1926)
- 1963 - Salvador Bacarisse, Spanish composer (b. 1898)
- 1964 - Art Ross, professional ice hockey player and executive (b. 1886) (Art Ross Trophy)
- 1972 - Harry Hylton-Foster, Speaker of the British House of Commons (b. 1905)
- 1978 - Jesse Haines, baseball player (b. 1893)
- 1980 - Harold Runnels, United States Congressman (b. 1924)
- 1984 - Richard Burton, Welsh actor (b. 1925)
- 1991 - Paul Brown, American football coach (b. 1908)
- 1991 - Soichiro Honda, founder of the Honda Motor Company (b. 1906)
- 1992 - Jeff Porcaro, American drummer (b. 1954)
- 1994 - Alain de Changy, Belgian racing driver (b. 1922)
- 1998 - Otto Kretschmer, German U-boat commander (b. 1912)
- 1998 - Todor Zhivkov, Bulgarian Communist dictator from 1956 to 1989 (b. 1911)
- 2000 - Sir Alec Guinness, British actor (b. 1914)
- 2000 - Otto Buchsbaum, writer and ecological activist (b. 1920)
- 2001 - Otema Allimadi, Prime Minister of Uganda (b. 1929)
- 2002 - Josh Ryan Evans, American actor (b. 1982)
- 2002 - Chick Hearn, American basketball announcer (b. 1916)
- 2002 - Franco Lucentini, Italian writer (b. 1920)
- 2005 - Polina Astakhova, Russian gymnast (b. 1936)
- 2005 - Jim O'Hora, American football coach (b. 1915)
- 2005 - Raul Roco, Philippine senator (b. 1941)
- 2006 - Susan Butcher, American Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion (b. 1954)
- 2007 - Florian Pittiş, Romanian artist (b. 1943)
- 2007 - Jean-Marie Lustiger, Cardinal of France
- Burkina Faso - Independence Day.
- Croatia - Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.
- Chile - Children's Day
- Abel of Reims (died 750)
- Addai
- Saint Afra, martyr [Augsburg (rare)]
- Saint Afra and companions, virgins, martyrs [France]
- Saint Dominic, confessor [medieval date, in Paris; nowadays August 4]
- Saint Emygdius, martyr, bishop of Ascoli Piceno
- Feast of Mary "ad nives"; Dedication of Santa Maria Maggiore bin Rome [common]
- Saint Ormisdas, pope, confessor [Bamberg]
- Saint Oswald of Northumbria, king, martyr [common; England] (died 642)
- Saint Sixtus II, pope [Paris]