Events

2026

Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat recorded the second-highest scoring game in NBA history with 83 Points.

2024

2024 Portuguese legislative election: Elections are held in Portugal for all 230 seats in the Assembly of the Republic. The Partido Socialista loses its absolute majority to the Partido Social Democrata, winning 77 and 79 seats respectively.

2023

Silicon Valley Bank collapses due to a run on its deposits, in the second largest bank failure in US history. Its operations are taken over by the FDIC.

2022

2022 Hungarian presidential election: The National Assembly of Hungary elects former minister for Family Affairs, Katalin Novák, as president of Hungary in a 137–51 vote, becoming the first female president in the country's history.

2019

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX, crashes shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 passengers and crew. This and the prior Lion Air Flight 610 led to all 387 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft being grounded worldwide.

2017

The impeachment of President Park Geun-hye of South Korea in response to a major political scandal is unanimously upheld by the country's Constitutional Court, ending her presidency.

2006

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.

2000

The Dot-com bubble peaks with the NASDAQ Composite stock market index reaching 5,048.62.

1991

1991 Salvadoran legislative election: The Nationalist Republican Alliance wins 39 of the 84 seats in the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador.

1990

In Haiti, Prosper Avril is ousted eighteen months after seizing power in a coup d'état in September 1988.

1989

Air Ontario Flight 1363, a Fokker F-28 Fellowship, crashes at Dryden Regional Airport in Dryden, Ontario, Canada, killing 24.

1982

Syzygy: All nine planets recognized at this time — Mercury to Pluto — align on the same side of the Sun.

1979

1979 International Women's Day protests in Tehran: Protestor involvement peaks with 15,000 Iranian women and girls performing a three‐hour-long sit‐in at the Courthouse of Tehran.

1977

Astronomers discover the rings of Uranus.

1975

Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Campaign: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột in the South on their way to capturing Saigon in the final push for victory over South Vietnam.

1974

1974 Belgian general election: Elections are held in Belgium for all 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives, the Belgian Socialist Party taking the majority with 59.

1971

John Gorton resigns as Prime Minister of Australia and the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia after a secret ballot vote of confidence, being replaced in both positions by William McMahon.

1970

Vietnam War: Captain Ernest Medina is charged by the U.S. military with My Lai war crimes.

1969

In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempts to recant.

1966

Military Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyễn Cao Kỳ sacks rival General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, precipitating large-scale civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.

1959

Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, thousands of Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama's palace to prevent his removal.

1952

Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba.

1949

Mildred Gillars ("Axis Sally") is convicted of treason.

1945

World War II: The U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting conflagration kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.

1944

Greek Civil War: The Political Committee of National Liberation is established in Greece by the National Liberation Front.

1933

The Long Beach earthquake affects the Greater Los Angeles Area, leaving around 108 people dead.

1922

Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for an appendicitis operation.

1909

By signing the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Thailand relinquishes its sovereignty over the Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu, which become British protectorates.

1906

The Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst ever, kills 1099 miners in northern France.

1891

Almon Strowger patents the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.

1876

The first successful test of a telephone is made by Alexander Graham Bell.

1873

The first Azerbaijani play, The Adventures of the Vizier of the Khan of Lenkaran, prepared by Akhundov, is performed by Hassan-bey Zardabi and dramatist and Najaf-bey Vezirov.

1861

El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bamana Empire of Mali.

1848

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican–American War.

1831

The French Foreign Legion is created by Louis Philippe, the King of France, from the foreign regiments of the Kingdom of France.

1830

The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army is created.

1814

Emperor Napoleon I is defeated at the Battle of Laon in France.

1762

French Huguenot Jean Calas, who had been wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.

1735

An agreement between Nader Shah and Russia is signed near Ganja, Azerbaijan and Russian troops are withdrawn from occupied territories.

1661

French "Sun King" Louis XIV begins his personal rule of France after the death of his premier, the Cardinal Mazarin.

1629

Charles I dissolves the Parliament of England, beginning the eleven-year period known as the Personal Rule.

1607

Susenyos I defeats the combined armies of Yaqob and Abuna Petros II at the Battle of Gol in Gojjam, making him Emperor of Ethiopia.

1535

Spaniard Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the fourth Bishop of Panama, discovers the Galápagos Islands by chance on his way to Peru.

1496

After establishing the city of Santo Domingo, Christopher Columbus departs for Spain, leaving his brother in command.

947

The Later Han is founded by Liu Zhiyuan. He declares himself emperor.

298

Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a triumphal entry into Carthage.

-241

First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.

Births

2004

Matt Poitras, Canadian ice hockey player

2002

Keon Johnson, American basketball player

2000

Nick Bolton, American football player

1999

Cole Kmet, American football player

1998

Justin Herbert, American football player

1997

Belinda Bencic, Swiss tennis player

1995

Zach LaVine, American basketball player

1995

Sergey Mozgov, Russian ice dancer

1994

Bad Bunny, Puerto Rican rapper, songwriter, producer, actor, and wrestler

1994

Nikita Parris, English footballer

1993

Jack Butland, English footballer

1993

Aminata Namasia, Congolese politician

1992

Neeskens Kebano, French-Congolese footballer

1991

Kenshi Yonezu, Japanese singer-songwriter and illustrator

1990

Stefanie Vögele, Swiss tennis player

1989

Simon Moser, Swiss ice hockey player

1989

Dayán Viciedo, Cuban baseball player

1988

Clarissa dos Santos, Brazilian basketball player

1988

Josh Hoffman, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player

1988

Ego Nwodim, American actress

1988

Quincy Pondexter, American basketball player and coach

1988

Ivan Rakitić, Croatian football player

1987

Martellus Bennett, American football player

1987

Greg Eastwood, New Zealand rugby league player

1987

Tuukka Rask, Finnish ice hockey player

1987

Māris Štrombergs, Latvian BMX racer

1986

Sergei Shirokov, Russian ice hockey player

1984

Tim Brent, Canadian ice hockey player

1984

Ben May, English footballer

1984

Olivia Wilde, American actress and director

1983

Étienne Boulay, Canadian football player

1983

Janet Mock, American journalist, author, and activist

1983

Rafe Spall, English actor

1983

Carrie Underwood, American singer-songwriter

1982

Kwame Brown, American basketball player

1982

Dr Disrespect, American live streamer

1982

Logan Mankins, American football player

1981

Samuel Eto'o, Cameroonian footballer

1981

Steven Reid, English-Irish footballer

1978

Benjamin Burnley, American musician

1978

Camille, French singer-songwriter and actress

1977

Robin Thicke, American singer, songwriter, and record producer

1976

Barbara Schett, Austrian tennis player

1973

Jason Croker, Australian rugby league player

1973

Liu Qiangdong, Chinese entrepreneur, billionaire, founder of JD.com

1973

Chris Sutton, English footballer

1973

Mauricio Taricco, Argentine footballer and manager

1972

Beth Buchanan, Australian actress

1972

Matt Kenseth, American NASCAR driver

1972

Timbaland, American rapper and producer

1971

Jon Hamm, American actor and director

1968

Alma Čardžić, Bosnian singer

1968

Pavel Srníček, Czech footballer and coach (died 2015)

1966

Mike Timlin, American baseball player

1965

Jillian Richardson, Canadian sprinter

1965

Rod Woodson, American football player, coach, and sportscaster

1964

Greg Campbell, Australian cricketer

1964

Neneh Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter

1964

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh

1963

Jeff Ament, American bass player and songwriter

1963

Rick Rubin, American record producer

1962

Jasmine Guy, American actress, singer, and director

1962

Seiko Matsuda, Japanese singer-songwriter

1961

Laurel Clark, American captain, physician, and astronaut (died 2003)

1958

Garth Crooks, English footballer and sportscaster

1958

Steve Howe, American baseball player (died 2006)

1958

Sheikh Mohammad Illias, Bengali politician

1958

Sharon Stone, American actress and producer

1957

Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founded al-Qaeda (died 2011)

1956

Robert Llewellyn, English actor, producer, and screenwriter

1956

Larry Myricks, American long jumper and sprinter

1956

Odile Buisson, French gynecologist, advocate for women's right to pleasure

1955

Toshio Suzuki, Japanese race car driver

1953

Paul Haggis, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter

1953

Ronnie Earl, American blues guitarist

1952

Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwean politician, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (died 2018)

1951

Gloria Diaz, Filipino actress and beauty queen, Miss Universe 1969

1948

Austin Carr, American basketball player

1947

Kim Campbell, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Canada

1947

Tom Scholz, American musician and songwriter

1946

Curley Culp, American football player (died 2021)

1946

Gérard Garouste, French contemporary artist

1946

Jim Valvano, American basketball player and coach (died 1993)

1945

Katharine Houghton, American actress and playwright

1945

Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Railways (died 2001)

1943

Peter Berresford Ellis, English historian and author

1941

George P. Smith, American biologist, Nobel laureate in Chemistry

1940

LeRoy Ellis, American basketball player (died 2012)

1940

Chuck Norris, American actor, producer, and martial artist (died 2026)

1940

David Rabe, American playwright and screenwriter

1939

Asghar Ali Engineer, Indian activist and author (died 2013)

1939

Irina Press, Ukrainian-Russian hurdler and pentathlete (died 2004)

1938

Norman Blake, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1938

Ron Mix, American football player

1937

María Kodama, Argentine writer and translator (died 2023)

1937

Sam Hall, American diver, legislator, and mercenary (died 2014)

1936

Sepp Blatter, Swiss businessman and eighth president of FIFA

1935

Polly Farmer, Australian footballer and coach (died 2019)

1934

Gergely Kulcsár, Hungarian javelin thrower (died 2020)

1933

Ralph Emery, American country music disc jockey, radio and television host (died 2022)

1932

Marcia Falkender, Baroness Falkender, English politician (died 2019)

1931

Georges Dor, Canadian author, playwright, and composer (died 2001)

1930

Sándor Iharos, Hungarian runner (died 1996)

1929

Sam Steiger, American journalist and politician (died 2012)

1928

Sara Montiel, Spanish actress (died 2013)

1928

James Earl Ray, American criminal; assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. (died 1998)

1927

Claude Laydu, Belgian-French actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 2011)

1926

Marques Haynes, American basketball player (died 2015)

1925

Bob Lanier, American lawyer, banker, and politician, Mayor of Houston (died 2014)

1924

Judith Jones, American literary and cookbook editor (died 2017)

1923

Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2015)

1920

Alfred Peet, Dutch-American businessman, founded Peet's Coffee & Tea (died 2007)

1920

Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns, American mandolinist and comic singer (died 1989)

1919

Leonor Oyarzún, Chilean socialite, First Lady of Chile from 1990 to 1994 (died 2022)

1918

Günther Rall, German general and pilot (died 2009)

1917

David Hare, American Surrealist artist, sculptor, photographer and painter (died 1992)

1915

Harry Bertoia, Italian-American sculptor and furniture designer (died 1978)

1915

Joža Horvat, Croatian writer (died 2012)

1903

Edward Bawden, English artist and illustrator (died 1989)

1903

Bix Beiderbecke, American cornet player, pianist, and composer (died 1931)

1903

Clare Boothe Luce, American playwright, journalist, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (died 1987)

1901

Michel Seuphor, Belgian painter (died 1999)

1900

Violet Brown, Jamaican supercentenarian, oldest Jamaican ever (died 2017)

1900

Pandelis Pouliopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician (died 1943)

1896

Frederick Coulton Waugh, British cartoonist, painter, teacher and author (died 1973)

1892

Arthur Honegger, French composer and educator (died 1955)

1892

Gregory La Cava, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1952)

1891

Sam Jaffe, American actor, teacher, musician and engineer (died 1984)

1890

Albert Ogilvie, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Tasmania (died 1939)

1888

Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (died 1961)

1881

Jessie Boswell, English painter (died 1956)

1877

Pascual Ortiz Rubio, Mexican diplomat and president (1930–1932) (died 1963)

1876

Anna Hyatt Huntington, American sculptor (died 1973)

1873

Jakob Wassermann, German-Austrian soldier and author (died 1934)

1870

David Riazanov, Russian theorist and politician (died 1938)

1867

Hector Guimard, French-American architect (died 1942)

1867

Lillian Wald, American nurse, humanitarian, and author, founded the Henry Street Settlement (died 1940)

1861

E. Pauline Johnson, Canadian First Nations poet and performer (died 1913)

1853

Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1930)

1850

Spencer Gore, English tennis player and cricketer (died 1906)

1846

Edward Baker Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (died 1850)

1845

Alexander III of Russia (died 1894)

1844

Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist and composer (died 1908)

1844

Marie Euphrosyne Spartali, British Pre-Raphaelite painter (died 1927)

1843

Evelyn Abbott, English classical scholar (died 1901)

1841

Ina Coolbrith, first poet laureate of California, writer, and librarian (died 1928)

1810

Samuel Ferguson, Irish poet and lawyer (died 1886)

1795

Joseph Légaré, Canadian painter and glazier, artist, seigneur and political figure (died 1855)

1789

Manuel de la Peña y Peña, Mexican lawyer and 20th President (1847) (died 1850)

1788

Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, German author, poet, playwright, and critic (died 1857)

1788

Edward Hodges Baily, English sculptor (died 1867)

1787

Francisco de Paula Martínez de la Rosa y Berdejo, Spanish playwright and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (died 1862)

1787

William Etty, English painter and academic (died 1849)

1777

Louis Hersent, French painter (died 1860)

1772

Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German poet and critic (died 1829)

1769

Joseph Williamson, English businessman and philanthropist (died 1840)

1749

Lorenzo Da Ponte, Italian-American priest and poet (died 1838)

1748

John Playfair, Scottish minister and scientist (died 1819)

1709

Georg Wilhelm Steller, German botanist, zoologist, physician, and explorer (died 1746)

1656

Giacomo Serpotta, Italian Rococo sculptor (died 1732)

1653

John Benbow, Royal Navy admiral (died 1702)

1628

François Girardon, French sculptor (died 1715)

1628

Marcello Malpighi, Italian physician and biologist (died 1694)

1604

Johann Rudolf Glauber, German-Dutch alchemist and chemist (died 1670)

1596

Princess Maria Elizabeth of Sweden, daughter of King Charles IX of Sweden (died 1618)

1536

Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (died 1572)

1503

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1564)

1452

Ferdinand II, King of Castile and León (died 1516)

Deaths

2025

Stanley R. Jaffe, American film producer and director (born 1940)

2025

Carl Lundström, Swedish businessman and activist (born 1960)

2022

John Elliott, English historian and academic (born 1930)

2016

Ken Adam, German-English production designer and art director (born 1921)

2016

Roberto Perfumo, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster (born 1942)

2016

Jovito Salonga, Filipino lawyer and politician, 14th President of the Senate of the Philippines (born 1920)

2016

Anita Brookner, English novelist and art historian (born 1928)

2015

Richard Glatzer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1952)

2013

Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland, British born Swedish Princess (born 1915)

2012

Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (born 1938)

2012

Frank Sherwood Rowland, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1927)

2011

Bill Blackbeard, American author and illustrator (born 1926)

2010

Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, Egyptian scholar and academic (born 1928)

2010

Corey Haim, Canadian actor (born 1971)

2007

Ernie Ladd, American football player and wrestler (born 1938)

2005

Dave Allen, Irish-English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (born 1936)

1999

Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuadorian painter and sculptor (born 1919)

1998

Lloyd Bridges, American actor and director (born 1913)

1997

LaVern Baker, American singer and actress (born 1929)

1996

Ross Hunter, American film producer (born 1926)

1992

Giorgos Zampetas, Greek bouzouki player and composer (born 1925)

1988

Andy Gibb, Australian singer-songwriter and actor (born 1958)

1986

Ray Milland, Welsh-American actor and director (born 1907)

1985

Konstantin Chernenko, Russian soldier and politician, Head of State of The Soviet Union (born 1911)

1985

Bob Nieman, American baseball player (born 1927)

1977

E. Power Biggs, English-American organist and composer (born 1906)

1973

Evelyn Baring, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale (1960 – 1973), Governor of Kenya (1952 – 1959), High Commissioner for Southern Africa (1944 – 1951), Governor of Southern Rhodesia (1942 – 1944) (born 1903)

1973

Li Mi, Chinese lieutenant general and anti-communist, Taiwanese nationalist (born 1902)

1973

Richard Sharples, British politician, assassinated Governor of Bermuda (born 1916)

1969

Muriel Hannah, American artist active in Alaska.

1966

Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1888)

1966

Frank O'Connor, Irish short story writer, novelist, and poet (born 1903)

1951

Kijūrō Shidehara, Japanese lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Japan (born 1872)

1948

Zelda Fitzgerald, American author, visual artist, and ballet dancer (born 1900)

1948

Jan Masaryk, Czech soldier and politician (born 1886)

1942

Wilbur Scoville, American pharmacist and chemist (born 1865)

1940

Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian novelist and playwright (born 1891)

1937

Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian journalist and author (born 1884)

1925

Myer Prinstein, Polish-American jumper (born 1878)

1923

Salvador Seguí, Catalan anarcho-syndicalist leader (born 1887)

1913

Harriet Tubman, American nurse and activist (born c. 1820)

1910

Karl Lueger, Austrian lawyer and politician Mayor of Vienna (born 1844)

1910

Carl Reinecke, German pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1824)

1898

Marie-Eugénie de Jésus, French nun and saint, founded the Religious of the Assumption (born 1817)

1897

Savitribai Phule, Indian poet and activist (born 1831)

1895

Charles Frederick Worth, English-French fashion designer (born 1825)

1894

Jacob Mahler, German-French saddler and anarchist (born 1832)

1872

Giuseppe Mazzini, Italian journalist and politician (born 1805)

1861

Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet, playwright, and ethnographer (born 1814)

1832

Muzio Clementi, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1752)

1826

John Pinkerton, Scottish antiquarian, cartographer, author, numismatist and historian (born 1758)

1792

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1713)

1776

Élie Catherine Fréron, French author and critic (born 1718)

1724

Urban Hjärne, Swedish chemist, geologist, and physician (born 1641)

1682

Jacob van Ruisdael, Dutch painter and etcher (born 1628)

1585

Rembert Dodoens, Flemish physician and botanist (born 1517)

1572

William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester

1528

Balthasar Hübmaier, German/Moravian Anabaptist leader

1513

John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, English commander and politician, Lord High Constable of England (born 1442)

1315

Agnes Blannbekin, Austrian mystic

1291

Arghun, Mongol ruler in Persia (born c. 1258)

948

Liu Zhiyuan, Shatuo founder of the Later Han dynasty (born 895)

483

Pope Simplicius

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