Events
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launches several projectiles into northern Israel as a response to the assassination of Ali Khamenei, formally initiating the 2026 Lebanon War.
Russian forces capture the city of Kherson during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which subsequently began the start of the Russian occupation and military-civilian administration in Kherson. Kherson is the only regional capital in Ukraine that Russia captured.
The elements Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson are officially added to the periodic table at a conference in Moscow, Russia.
The Oscar Selfie, regarded as one of the most influential and important images of all time, is taken at the 86th Academy Awards.
A tornado outbreak occurs over a large section of the Southern United States and into the Ohio Valley region, resulting in 40 tornado-related fatalities.
In Monterrey, Mexico, a man identified as Diego Santoy Riveroll commits a double murder against two children, followed by an attempted murder of his ex-partner, Erika. The incident is popularly known as the Cumbres case.
War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.
U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins, (ending on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities).
Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.
Researchers at Fermilab announce the discovery of the top quark.
Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from the Kennedy Space Center on STS-67, carrying the ASTRO-2 spacelab observatory.
Start of the war in Transnistria.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, all of which (except San Marino) were former Soviet republics, join the United Nations.
Establishment of Kuwait Democratic Forum, center-left political organization in Kuwait.
Battle at Rumaila oil field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War.
Nelson Mandela is elected deputy president of the African National Congress.
Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century.
Aeroflot Flight F-77 crashes near Bugulma Airport, killing all 38 people aboard.
Compact discs and players are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had previously been available only in Japan.
Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Soviet or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28.
The late iconic actor Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from his grave in Switzerland.
Libya becomes the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as the General People's Congress adopts the "Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People".
The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets.
Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown.
In Toulouse, France, the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted.
Baggeridge Colliery closes, marking the end of over 300 years of coal mining in the Black Country.
The US and Republic of Vietnam Air Force begin Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d'état.
Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.
Norodom Sihanouk, king of Cambodia, abdicates the throne in favor of his father, Norodom Suramarit.
Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute.
World War II: During the Battle of the Bismarck Sea Allied aircraft defeat a Japanese attempt to ship troops to New Guinea.
World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joins the Axis Pact.
Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected Pope and takes the name Pius XII.
The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry.
The film King Kong premieres in Radio City Music Hall and RKO Roxy in New York City.
Finnish president P. E. Svinhufvud gives a radio speech, which four days later finally ends the Mäntsälä Rebellion and the far-right Lapua Movement that started it.
The first Communist International meets in Moscow.
The enactment of the Jones–Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.
United States Steel Corporation is founded as a result of a merger between Carnegie Steel Company and Federal Steel Company which became the first corporation in the world with a market capital over $1 billion.
The U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment limiting the autonomy of Cuba, as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops.
Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Roderick Maclean in Windsor.
Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 U.S. presidential election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote.
The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act.
East Cape War: The Völkner Incident in New Zealand.
Ulysses S. Grant is promoted to lieutenant general, giving him command of all Union Armies.
The two-day Great Slave Auction, once thought to be the largest such auction in United States history, begins.
Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.
Texas Revolution: The Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico is adopted.
Signing of the Kandyan Convention treaty by British invaders and the leaders of the Kingdom of Kandy.
Argentine War of Independence: A royalist fleet defeats a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate.
The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.
The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
Napoleon Bonaparte is appointed to command the Army of Italy.
Claude Chappe demonstrates the first semaphore line near Paris.
American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia units attempt to prevent capture of supply ships in and around the Savannah River by a small fleet of the Royal Navy in the Battle of the Rice Boats.
The Great Fire of Meireki begins in Edo (now Tokyo), Japan, causing more than 100,000 deaths before it exhausts itself three days later.
Vasco da Gama's fleet visits the Island of Mozambique.
The College of Arms is formally incorporated by Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England.
Burgundian Wars: The Old Swiss Confederacy hands Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a major defeat in the Battle of Grandson in Canton of Neuchâtel.
George of Poděbrady is chosen as the king of Bohemia.
Skanderbeg organizes a group of Albanian nobles to form the League of Lezhë.
Fall of Nicaea to the Ottoman Turks after a siege.
Louis V becomes the last Carolingian king of West Francia after the death of his father, Lothaire.
Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.
Births
Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne
Windy Zhan, Hong Kong singer and actress
Brooks Barnhizer, American basketball player
Bárbara Domingos, Brazilian rhythmic gymnast
Illan Meslier, French footballer
Isiah Pacheco, American football player
Iñaki Peña, Spanish footballer
Tua Tagovailoa, American football player
Arike Ogunbowale, American basketball player
Becky G, American singer and actress
Jin Longguo, Chinese singer based in South Korea
Miguel Andújar, Dominican baseball player
Max Domi, Canadian ice hockey player
Ange-Freddy Plumain, French footballer
Nicolás Brussino, Argentine-Italian basketball player
Adolis García, Cuban baseball player
Charlie Coyle, American ice hockey player
Nick Franklin, American baseball player
Rauno Alliku, Estonian footballer
Malcolm Butler, American football player
Luke Combs, American singer-songwriter
Tiger Shroff, Indian actor
Toby Alderweireld, Belgian footballer
Alemão, Brazilian footballer
Nathalie Emmanuel, English actress
Marcel Hirscher, Austrian skier
André Bernardes Santos, Portuguese footballer
Shane Vereen, American football player
Chris Woakes, English cricketer
Édgar Andrade, Mexican footballer
James Arthur, English singer-songwriter
Laura Kaeppeler, American beauty queen, Miss America 2012
Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver
Dexter Pittman, American basketball player
Geert Arend Roorda, Dutch footballer
Jonas Jerebko, Swedish basketball player
Jonathan D'Aversa, Canadian ice hockey player
Jason Smith, American basketball player
Reggie Bush, American football player
Robert Iler, American actor
Suso Santana, Spanish footballer
Jonathan Ericsson, Swedish ice hockey player
Deuce, American singer-songwriter and producer
Lisandro López, Argentine footballer
Jay McClement, Canadian ice hockey player
Glen Perkins, American baseball player
Ryan Shannon, American ice hockey player
Kevin Kurányi, German footballer
Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
Joel Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
Ben Roethlisberger, American football player
Corey Webster, American football player
Lance Cade, American wrestler (died 2010)
Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
Chris Barker, English footballer and manager (died 2020)
Rebel Wilson, Australian actress and screenwriter
Damien Duff, Irish footballer
Jim Troughton, English cricketer
Nicky Weaver, English footballer
Jim Chalmers, Australian politician
Gabby Eigenmann, Filipino actor and singer
Lee Hodges, English footballer and manager
Sebastian Janikowski, Polish gridiron football player
Tomáš Kaberle, Czech ice hockey player
Dominique Canty, American basketball player and coach
Chris Martin, English singer-songwriter (Coldplay)
Heather McComb, American actress
Stephen Parry, English swimmer and sportscaster
Andrew Strauss, South African-English cricketer
Daryl Gibson, New Zealand rugby player
Hayley Lewis, Australian swimmer and television host
Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player
Trevor Sinclair, English footballer and manager
Mauricio Pochettino, Argentinian footballer and manager
Roman Čechmánek, Czech ice hockey player (died 2023)
Dave Gorman, English comedian, author and television presenter
Method Man, American rapper, record producer and actor
James Purnell, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Ciriaco Sforza, Swiss footballer and manager
Wibi Soerjadi, Dutch pianist and composer
Daniel Craig, English actor and producer
Ann Leckie, American author
Simon Reevell, English lawyer and politician
Ron Gant, American baseball player and journalist
Lembit Öpik, Northern Irish politician
Laird Hamilton, American surfer and actor
Mike Von Erich, American wrestler (died 1987)
Anthony Albanese, Australian politician, 31st Prime Minister of Australia
Alvin Youngblood Hart, American singer and guitarist
Jon Bon Jovi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
Paul Farrelly, English journalist and politician
Tom Nordlie, Norwegian footballer and coach
Brendan O'Connor, Australian politician, Australian Minister for Employment
Raimo Summanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
Gabriele Tarquini, Italian race car driver
Simone Young, Australian conductor, director, and composer
Larry Stewart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Kevin Curren, South African-American tennis player
Ian Woosnam, English-Welsh golfer
Mark Dean, American inventor and computer engineer
Hossein Dehghan, Iranian general and politician, Iranian Minister of Defense
Dito Tsintsadze, Georgian film director and screenwriter
John Cowsill, American musician, songwriter, and producer
Mark Evans, Australian rock bass player
Dale Bozzio, American pop-rock singer-songwriter
Jay Osmond, American singer, drummer, actor, and TV/film producer
Ken Salazar, American lawyer and politician, 50th United States Secretary of the Interior
Steve Small, Australian cricketer
Ed Johnstone, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Russ Feingold, American lawyer and politician
Kazuo Kitagawa, Japanese politician
Mark Evanier, American author and screenwriter
Laraine Newman, American actress and comedian
Karen Carpenter, American singer (died 1983)
Larry Carlton, American guitarist and songwriter
Rory Gallagher, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 1995)
Jeff Kennett, Australian journalist and politician, 43rd Premier of Victoria
Carmen Lawrence, Australian politician, 25th Premier of Western Australia
John Dawkins, Australian politician
Nelson Ned, Brazilian singer-songwriter (died 2014)
Harry Redknapp, English footballer and manager
Derek Watkins, English trumpet player and composer (died 2013)
Leif Segerstam, Finnish conductor and composer (died 2024)
George Layton, English actor, director, and screenwriter
Peter Straub, American author and poet (died 2022)
Robert Williams, American painter and cartoonist
John Irving, American novelist and screenwriter
Claude Larose, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Iranian architect and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Iran
Lou Reed, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (died 2013)
Derek Woodley, English footballer (died 2002)
John Cornell, Australian actor, director, and producer (died 2021)
David Satcher, American admiral and physician, 16th Surgeon General of the United States
Billy McNeill, Scottish footballer (died 2019)
Jan Howard Finder, American author and academic (died 2013)
Clark Gesner, American author and composer (died 2002)
Ricardo Lagos, Chilean economist, lawyer, and politician, 33rd President of Chile
Lawrence Payton, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 1997)
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algerian soldier and politician, 5th President of Algeria (died 2021)
Haroon Ahmed, Pakistani-English engineer and academic
John Tusa, Czech-English journalist and academic
Gene Stallings, American football player and coach
Howard Cassady, American football player (died 2019)
Dottie Rambo, American singer-songwriter (died 2008)
Leo Dillon, American illustrator (died 2012)
Gun Hägglund, Swedish journalist and translator (died 2011)
Mikhail Gorbachev, Russian lawyer and politician, the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2022)
John Cullum, American actor and singer
Emma Penella, Spanish actress (died 2007)
Tom Wolfe, American journalist and author (died 2018)
Roger Walkowiak, French cyclist and economist (died 2017)
Bernard Agré, Ivorian cardinal (died 2014)
Murray Rothbard, American economist and historian (died 1995)
Cal Abrams, American baseball player (died 1997)
Renos Apostolidis, Greek philologist, author, and critic (died 2004)
Basil Hume, English cardinal (died 1999)
Robert H. Michel, American soldier and politician (died 2017)
Dave Strack, American basketball player and coach (died 2014)
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, American saxophonist (died 1986)
Bill Quackenbush, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (died 1999)
Frances Spence, American computer programmer (died 2012)
Kazimierz Górski, Polish footballer and coach (died 2006)
Ernst Haas, Austrian-American photographer and journalist (died 1986)
Jennifer Jones, American actress (died 2009)
Eddie Lawrence, American actor, singer, and playwright (died 2014)
Tamara Toumanova, Russian-American ballerina and actress (died 1996)
Desi Arnaz, Cuban-American actor, singer, and producer (died 1986)
David Goodis, American author and screenwriter (died 1967)
Jim Konstanty, American baseball player and coach (died 1976)
John Burton, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to Ceylon (died 2010)
Martin Ritt, American actor and film director (died 1990)
Godfried Bomans, Dutch television host and author (died 1971)
Mort Cooper, American baseball player (died 1958)
Henry Katzman, American pianist, composer, and painter (died 2001)
Mel Ott, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (died 1958)
Walter Bruch, German engineer (died 1990)
Marc Blitzstein, American composer and songwriter (died 1964)
Geoffrey Grigson, English poet and critic (died 1985)
Dr. Seuss, American children's book writer, poet, and illustrator (died 1991)
Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (died 1972)
Edward Condon, American physicist and academic (died 1974)
Grete Hermann, German mathematician and philosopher (died 1984)
Kurt Weill, German-American pianist and composer (died 1950)
Willis H. O'Brien, American animator and director (died 1962)
Kurt Grelling, German logician and philosopher (died 1942)
René Vallon, French aviator (died 1911)
James A. Gilmore, American businessman and baseball executive (died 1947)
Pope Pius XII (died 1958)
Julien Félix, French military officer and aviator (died 1914)
Margaret Sibella Brown, Canadian bryologist (died 1961)
John Jay Chapman, American lawyer, author, and poet (died 1933)
Susanna M. Salter, American activist and politician (died 1961)
Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (died 1916)
Robert Means Thompson, American commander, lawyer, and businessman (died 1930)
Marie Roze, French soprano (died 1926)
Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer, art collector, and philanthropist (died 1914)
Henry Billings Brown, American lawyer and judge (died 1913)
Carl Schurz, German-American general, lawyer, and politician, 13th United States Secretary of the Interior (died 1906)
Bedřich Smetana, Czech pianist and composer (died 1884)
Multatuli, Dutch writer (died 1887)
János Arany, Hungarian journalist and poet (died 1882)
Alexander Bullock, American lawyer and politician, 26th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1882)
Pope Leo XIII (died 1903)
Yevgeny Baratynsky, Russian-Italian poet and philosopher (died 1844)
Sam Houston, American soldier and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Texas (died 1863)
Joel Roberts Poinsett, American physician and politician, 15th United States Secretary of War (died 1851)
Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (died 1826)
DeWitt Clinton, American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of New York (died 1828)
Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (died 1794)
Nicholas Pocock, English naval painter (died 1821)
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (died 1793)
Carlo Gimach, Maltese architect, engineer and poet (died 1730)
Cornelis Speelman, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (died 1684)
George Sandys, English traveller, colonist and poet (died 1644)
Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and scholar, founded the Bodleian Library (died 1613)
Franz von Sickingen, German knight (died 1523)
Pope Adrian VI (died 1523)
Johannes Engel, German doctor, astronomer and astrologer (died 1512)
Countess Palatine Margaret of Mosbach, countess consort of Hanau (died 1457)
Jean II, Duke of Alençon (died 1476)
Robert II of Scotland (died 1390)
Benedict of Nursia, Italian Christian saint (died 543 or 547)
Deaths
Janice Burgess, American television executive, screenwriter, and producer (born 1952)
Jaclyn Jose, Filipino actress (born 1963)
Mike Oliver, British sociologist, disability rights activist (born 1945)
Billy Herrington, American actor (born 1969)
Lin Hu, Chinese lieutenant general (born 1927)
Benoît Lacroix, Canadian priest, historian, and philosopher (born 1915)
Aubrey McClendon, American businessman (born 1959)
Dean Hess, American minister and colonel (born 1917)
Dave Mackay, Scottish-English footballer and manager (born 1934)
Mal Peet, English author and illustrator (born 1947)
Ryhor Baradulin, Belarusian poet and translator (born 1935)
Peter Harvey, Australian journalist (born 1944)
Giorgos Kolokithas, Greek basketball player (born 1945)
Shabnam Shakeel, Pakistani poet and author (born 1942)
Lawrence Anthony, South African environmentalist, explorer, and author (born 1950)
Van T. Barfoot, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1919)
Norman St John-Stevas, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (born 1929)
James Q. Wilson, American political scientist and academic (born 1931)
Winston Churchill, English journalist and politician (born 1940)
João Bernardo Vieira, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (born 1939)
Shigeru Morita, Japanese painter (born 1907)
Jeff Healey, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1966)
Thomas S. Kleppe, American soldier and politician, 41st United States Secretary of the Interior (born 1919)
Clem Labine, American baseball player (born 1926)
Ivan Safronov, Russian colonel and journalist (born 1956)
Henri Troyat, Russian-French historian and author (born 1911)
Martin Denny, American pianist and composer (born 1911)
Cormac McAnallen, Irish footballer (born 1980)
Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (born 1916)
Marge Schott, American businesswoman (born 1928)
Hank Ballard, American singer-songwriter (born 1927)
Malcolm Williamson, Australian pianist and composer (born 1931)
Sandra Schmirler, Canadian curler (born 1963)
Dusty Springfield, English singer (born 1939)
Anita Morris, American actress, singer, and dancer (born 1943)
Sandy Dennis, American actress (born 1937)
Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor, and director (born 1928)
Randolph Scott, American actor and director (born 1898)
Lolo Soetoro, Indonesian geographer and academic (born 1935)
Philip K. Dick, American philosopher and author (born 1928)
Christy Ring, Irish hurler (born 1920)
Eugénie Brazier, French chef (born 1895)
Léo-Ernest Ouimet, Canadian director and producer (born 1877)
José Martínez Ruiz, Spanish author and critic (born 1873)
Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin, Belgian mathematician and academic (born 1866)
Fred Merkle, American baseball player and manager (born 1888)
Selim Sırrı Tarcan, Turkish educator and politician (born 1874)
James Lightbody, American runner (born 1882)
Sarojini Naidu, Indian poet and activist (born 1879)
Frans Johan Louwrens Ghijsels, Dutch architect and urban planner (born 1882)
Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture (born 1895)
George E. Stewart, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1872)
Emily Carr, Canadian painter and author (born 1871)
Ida Maclean, British biochemist, the first woman admitted to the London Chemical Society (born 1877)
Gisela Januszewska, Austrian physician (born 1867)
Howard Carter, English archaeologist and historian (born 1874)
Ben Harney, American pianist and composer (born 1871)
D. H. Lawrence, English novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (born 1885)
Champ Clark, American lawyer and politician, 41st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1850)
Jubal Early, American general (born 1816)
Berthe Morisot, French painter (born 1841)
Isma'il Pasha, Egyptian politician (born 1830)
John Benjamin Macneill, Irish engineer (born 1790)
Carl Sylvius Völkner, German-New Zealand priest and missionary (born 1819)
Ulric Dahlgren, American colonel (born 1842)
Nicholas I, Russian emperor (born 1796)
Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, German physician and astronomer (born 1758)
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1768)
Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring, German physician, anatomist, and anthropologist (born 1755)
Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Mexican revolutionary (born ca. 1773)
Horace Walpole, English historian and politician (born 1717)
Carl Gustaf Pilo, Swedish-Danish painter and academic (born 1711)
John Wesley, English cleric and theologian (born 1703)
Louis de Rouvroy, French duke and diplomat (born 1675)
Francesco Bianchini, Italian astronomer and philosopher (born 1662)
Anne of Denmark, Queen Consort of England, Scotland and Ireland (born 1574)
Alessandro Farnese, Italian cardinal and diplomat (born 1520)
Wladyslaw I, king of Poland (born 1261)
Marjorie Bruce, Scottish daughter of Robert the Bruce (born 1296)
Charles the Good, Count of Flanders (born 1084)
Mokjong, king of Goryeo (born 980)
Lothair, king of West Francia (born 941)
William, archbishop of Mainz (born 929)
Chad of Mercia, English bishop and saint (born 634)
Mani, Persian prophet and founder of Manichaeism (born 216)