Events
- 1724 - Tumult of Thorn - religious unrest followed by the execution of nine Protestant citizens and the mayor of Thorn (Toruń) by Polish authorities.
- 1732 - The Royal Opera House opens at Covent Garden, London.
- 1776 - Marquis de Lafayette attempts to enter the American military as a major general.
- 1787 - Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the US Constitution.
- 1826 - Malacca High School (SMK Tinggi Melaka) is established in Melaka (Malacca), Malaysia.
- 1889 - The Gondoliers - one of the most popular of the comic operas created by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan - opens in London
- 1900 - Max Planck, in his house at Grunewald, on the outskirts of Berlin, discovers the law of black body emission.
- 1917 - World War I: The US declares war on Austria-Hungary.
- 1930 - W1XAV in Boston, Massachusetts broadcasts video from the CBS radio orchestra program,
The Fox Trappers
. The broadcast also includes the first television commercial in the United States, an advertisement for
I.J. Fox Furriers
, who sponsored the radio show. - 1941 - World War II: Canada declares war on Finland, Hungary, Romania, and Japan.
- 1941 - World War II: Attack on Pearl Harbor - The Imperial Japanese Navy attacks the US Pacific Fleet and its defending Army Air Forces and Marine air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
- 1946 - A fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia kills 119 people.
- 1949 - Chinese Civil War: The government of Republic of China moves from Nanking to Taipei.
- 1962 - Prince Rainier III of Monaco revises the principality's constitution, devolving some of his power to advisory and legislative councils.
- 1965 - Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras simultaneously lift mutual excommunications that had been in place since 1054.
- 1966 - A fire at an army barracks in Erzurum, Turkey kills 68 people.
- 1970 - The first ever general election on the basis of direct adult franchise is held in Pakistan for 313 National Assembly seats.
- 1971 - Pakistan President Yahya Khan announces formation of a Coalition Government at Centre with Nurul Amin as Prime Minister and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto as Vice-Prime Minister.
- 1972 - Apollo 17, the last Apollo moon mission, is launched. The crew take the photograph known as "The Blue Marble" as they leave the Earth.
- 1975 - Indonesia invades East Timor.
- 1982 - In Texas, Charles Brooks, Jr. becomes the first person to be executed by lethal injection in the US.
- 1983 - An Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 collides with an Aviaco DC-9 in intense fog while the two airliners are taxiing down the runway at Madrid Barajas International Airport, killing 93 people.
- 1987 - Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 crashes near Paso Robles, California,killing all 43 on board, after a disgruntled passenger shoots hisex-boss traveling on the flight, then shoots both pilots and himself.
- 1988 - Spitak Earthquake: In Armenia an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale kills nearly 25,000, injures 15,000 and leaves 400,000 homeless.
- 1988 - Yasser Arafat recognizes the right of Israel to exist.
- 1993 - The Long Island Rail Road massacre: Passenger Colin Ferguson murders six people and injures 19 others on the LIRR in Nassau County, New York.
- 1995 - The Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter, a little more than six years after it was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis during Mission STS-34.
- 1998 - Yachtsman Jesse Martin departs from Melbourne on his circumnavigation journey around the world.
- 1999 - The RIAA files a lawsuit against the Napster file-sharing client, on charges of copyright infringement.
- 2001 - John P. Walters is sworn in as the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
- 2003 - The Conservative Party of Canada is officially recognized after the merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.
- 2005 - Rigoberto Alpizar, a passenger on American Airlines Flight 924 who allegedly claimed to have a bomb, is shot and killed by a team of US federal air marshals at Miami International Airport.
- 2006 - A tornado struck Kensal Green, North West London, seriously damaging around 150 properties.
Births
- 521 - Saint Columba, Irish Christian missionary to Scotland (d. 597)
- 903 - Abd Al-Rahman Al Sufi, Persian astronomer (d. 986)
- 1302 - Azzone Visconti lord of Milan (d. 1339)
- 1545 - Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, consort of Mary I of Scotland (d. 1567)
- 1561 - Kikkawa Hiroie, Japanese politician (d. 1625)
- 1598 - Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Italian artist (d. 1680)
- 1637 - Bernardo Pasquini, Italian composer (d. 1710)
- 1670 - John Aislabie, English director of the South Sea Company (d. 1742)
- 1724 - Louise of Great Britain, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1751)
- 1764 - Claude Victor-Perrin, duc de Belluno, French marshal (d. 1841)
- 1784 - Allan Cunningham, British poet (d. 1842)
- 1801 - Johann Nestroy, Austrian dramatist and actor (d. 1862)
- 1803 - Maria Josepha of Saxony, queen consort of Spain (d. 1829)
- 1810 - Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist (d. 1894)
- 1810 - Theodor Schwann, German physiologist (d. 1882)
- 1823 - Leopold Kronecker, German mathematician (d. 1891)
- 1847 - George Grossmith, British actor and writer (d. 1912)
- 1860 - Joseph Cook, 6th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1947)
- 1862 - Paul Adam, French novelist (d. 1920)
- 1863 - Pietro Mascagni, Italian composer (d. 1945)
- 1863 - Richard Sears, American department store founder (d. 1914)
- 1873 - Willa Cather, American novelist (d. 1947)
- 1879 - Rudolf Friml, American composer (d. 1972)
- 1887 - Ernst Toch, Austrian composer (d. 1964)
- 1888 - Joyce Cary, Irish author (d. 1957)
- 1888 - Hamilton Fish III, American politician (d. 1991)
- 1891 - Fay Bainter, Academy Award-winning American actress (d. 1968)
- 1903 - Danilo Blanuša, Croatian mathematician (d. 1987)
- 1904 - Konstantin Sokolsky, Russian singer (d. 1991)
- 1905 - Gerard Kuiper, Dutch-born American astronomer (d. 1973)
- 1907 - Fred Rose, Canadian communist politician (d. 1983)
- 1910 - Louis Prima, American musician (d. 1978)
- 1910 - Edmundo Ros, Trinidadian musician
- 1912 - Daniel Jones, British composer (d. 1993)
- 1915 - Eli Wallach, American actor
- 1916 - Jean Carignan, French Canadian fiddler (d. 1988)
- 1920 - Fiorenzo Magni, Italian cyclist
- 1921 - Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader
- 1924 - John Love, Zimbabwean Formula One driver (d. 2005)
- 1924 - Mário Soares, President of Portugal
- 1925 - Hernando da Silva Ramos, Brazilian racing driver
- 1927 - Helen Watts, British contralto
- 1928 - Noam Chomsky, American linguist and political writer
- 1930 - Hal Smith, American baseball player
- 1932 - Ellen Burstyn, American actress
- 1932 - Paul Caponigro, American photographer
- 1940 - Stan Boardman, English comedian
- 1940 - Gerry Cheevers, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1942 - Harry Chapin, American singer and songwriter (d. 1981)
- 1942 - Alex Johnson, American baseball player
- 1942 - Peter Tomarken, American game show host (d. 2006)
- 1943 - Göran Lennmarker, Swedish politician
- 1943 - Bernard C. Parks, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department
- 1944 - Jamiel Chagra, American drug trafficker
- 1944 - Daniel Chorzempa, American organist
- 1945 - Marion Rung, Finnish singer
- 1947 - Johnny Bench, American baseball player
- 1947 - Tony Thomas, American TV and film producer
- 1947 - Garry Unger, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1948 - Gary Morris, American singer and actor
- 1948 - Mads Vinding, Danish bassist
- 1949 - Tom Waits, American singer, composer, and actor
- 1952 - Georges Corraface, Greek actor, president of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival
- 1954 - Mark Hofmann, American forger and bomber
- 1954 - Mike Nolan, Irish singer (Bucks Fizz)
- 1955 - Priscilla Barnes, American actress
- 1955 - John Watkins, Australian politician
- 1956 - Larry Bird, American basketball player
- 1957 - Tom Winsor, British lawyer and economic regulator
- 1958 - Tim Butler, English musician (Psychedelic Furs)
- 1958 - Rick Rude, American professional wrestler (d. 1999)
- 1960 - Craig Scanlon, English guitarist (The Fall)
- 1962 - Grecia Colmenares, Venezuelan actress
- 1964 - Roberta Close, Brazilian model
- 1964 - Tadao Uematsu, Japanese racing driver
- 1965 - Colin Hendry, Scottish footballer
- 1965 - Jeffrey Wright, American actor
- 1966 - C. Thomas Howell, American actor
- 1966 - Shinichi Itoh, Japanese motorcycle racer
- 1967 - Tino Martinez, American baseball player
- 1968 - Mark Geyer, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1970 - Carmen Campuzano, Mexican actress and fashion model
- 1971 - Vladimir Akopian, Armenian chess player
- 1971 - Chasey Lain, American pornographic actress
- 1972 - Hermann Maier, Austrian skier
- 1972 - Tammy Lynn Sytch, American professional wrestler
- 1973 - Terrell Owens, American football player
- 1973 - Fabien Pelous, French international rugby player
- 1973 - Damien Rice, Irish musician
- 1974 - Nicole Appleton, Canadian-born singer
- 1975 - Jamie Clapham, English footballer
- 1976 - Alan Faneca, American football player
- 1976 - Brent Johnson, Canadian football player
- 1976 - Georges Laraque, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 - Vanessa Lorenzo, Spanish fashion model
- 1977 - Dominic Howard, English drummer (Muse)
- 1978 - Shiri Appleby, American actress
- 1978 - Frankie J, Mexican-born American singer
- 1979 - Ayako Fujitani, Japanese actress
- 1979 - Lampros Choutos, Greek footballer
- 1979 - Jennifer Carpenter, American actress
- 1980 - John Terry, English footballer
- 1983 - Fausto Carmona, Dominican baseball player
- 1984 - Robert Kubica, the first Polish Formula One racing driver
- 1984 - Aaron Gray, American basketball player
- 1984 - Luca Rigoni, Italian footballer
- 1987 - Aaron Carter, American singer and actor
- 1988 - Emily Browning, Australian actress
- 1989 - Nicholas Hoult, English actor
- 2003 - Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands
- 43 BC - Cicero, Roman politician and author (b. 106 BC)
- 283 - Pope Eutychian
- 983 - Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1254 - Pope Innocent IV
- 1279 - King Boleslaus V of Poland (b. 1226)
- 1295 - Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Hertford, English politician (b. 1243)
- 1498 - Alexander Hegius von Heek, German humanist
- 1562 - Adrian Willaert, Flemish composer
- 1649 - Charles Garnier, French Jesuit missionary (b. 1606)
- 1672 - Richard Bellingham, English-born Massachusetts colonial magistrate (b. 1592)
- 1683 - John Oldham, English poet (smallpox) (b. 1653)
- 1683 - Algernon Sydney, English politician (b. 1623)
- 1723 - Jan Santini Aichel, Bohemian architect (b. 1677)
- 1725 - Florent Carton Dancourt, French dramatist and actor (b. 1661)
- 1775 - Charles Saunders, British admiral
- 1793 - Joseph Bara, French revolutionary (b. 1780)
- 1815 - Michel Ney, French marshall (executed) (b. 1769)
- 1817 - William Bligh, British naval officer (b. 1745)
- 1842 - Thomas Hamilton, Scottish writer (b. 1789)
- 1874 - Constantin von Tischendorf, German biblical scholar (b. 1815)
- 1894 - Ferdinand de Lesseps, French diplomat and entrepreneur (Suez Canal) (b. 1805)
- 1902 - Thomas Nast, German-born American cartoonist (b. 1840)
- 1906 - Élie Ducommun, Swiss journalist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1833)
- 1913 - Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano, Italian Catholic churchman and last surviving cardinal of Pius IX (b. 1828)
- 1917 - Léon Minkus, German/Czech Composer and violinist (b. March 23, 1826)
- 1941 - Casualties of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
- 1941 - Mervyn S. Bennion, United States Navy Captain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1887)
- 1941 - Herbert C. Jones, United States Navy, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1918)
- 1941 - Isaac C. Kidd, United States Navy Rear Admiral, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1884)
- 1941 - Thomas J. Reeves, United States Navy, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1895)
- 1941 - Franklin Van Valkenburgh, United States Navy, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1888)
- 1947 - Nicholas M. Butler, American university president, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1862)
- 1947 - Tristan Bernard, French playwright and novelist (b. 1866)
- 1956 - Huntley Gordon, Canadian actor (b. 1887)
- 1960 - Clara Haskil, Swiss pianist (b. 1895)
- 1969 - Lefty O'Doul, American baseball player (b. 1897)
- 1969 - Eric Portman, English actor (b. 1903)
- 1970 - Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (b. 1883)
- 1975 - Thornton Wilder, American playwright (b. 1897)
- 1977 - Peter Carl Goldmark, Hungarian-born American engineer (b. 1906)
- 1978 - Alexander Wetmore, American ornithologist (b. 1886)
- 1980 - Darby Crash, American punk-rock lengend (b. 1958)
- 1983 - Fanny Cano, Mexican actress (b. 1944)
- 1984 - Lee Roy Yarbrough, American race car (Nascar) driver (b. 1938)
- 1985 - Robert Graves, British author (b. 1895)
- 1985 - Potter Stewart, US Supreme Court Justice (b. 1915)
- 1989 - William Calhoun, professional wrestler (b. 1934)
- 1990 - Joan Bennett, American actress (b. 1910)
- 1990 - Jean Duceppe, Quebec stage, television and film actor (b. 1923)
- 1990 - Jean Paul Lemieux, Quebec painter (b. 1904)
- 1993 - Félix Houphouët-Boigny, President of Côte d'Ivoire (b. 1905)
- 1993 - Wolfgang Paul, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- 1994 - J.C. Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1939)
- 1997 - Billy Bremner, Scottish former footballer (b. 1942)
- 1998 - Martin Rodbell, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1925)
- 1998 - John Addison, British composer (b. 1920)
- 2000 - Vladimir Gotovac, Croatian poet and politician (b. 1930)
- 2001 - Charles McClendon, LSU Tigers head football coach (b. 1923)
- 2003 - Carl F. H. Henry American theologian and publisher (b. 1913)
- 2003 - Azie Taylor Morton, Treasurer of the United States (b. 1936)
- 2004 - Frederick Fennell, American conductor (b. 1914)
- 2004 - Jerry Scoggins, American singer (b. 1913)
- 2004 - Dimebag Darrell, Lead Guitarist For Pantera. (b. 1966)
- 2004 - Jay Van Andel, co-founder and former chairman of Amway (b. 1924)
- 2005 - Bud Carson, American football player and coach (b. 1931)
- 2005 - Lucy d'Abreu, was the oldest living person in the United Kingdom from April 2004 until her death (b. 1892)
- 2005 - Rigoberto Alpizar, airplane passenger fatally shot by U.S. Air Marshals after allegedly claiming he had placed a bomb aboard (b. 1961)
- 2006 - Jeane Kirkpatrick, American ambassador (b. 1926)
- 2006 - Jay McShann, American musician (b. ca. 1910)
- R.C. Saints - Saint Ambrose: Memorial
- Eastern Orthodox Saints: Saint Aemilianus
- US - Pearl Harbor Day (observance)
- Colombia - DÃÂa de las Velitas (Day of the Candles): Festivity
- India - The Armed Forces Flag Day