309–Pope Eusebius is banished to Sicily, Western Roman Empire, by the Emperor Maxentius, where he dies from a hunger strike. He was buried in the catacomb of Callixtus.
986–The Bulgarians, under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron, defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gates of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping.
1153–Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne, dies after being struck down while plundering church lands near Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, at age 26.
1186–Ottokar IV, Duke of Styria, and Leopold V, Duke of Austria, sign a heritage agreement in which Ottokar gives his duchy to Leopold and his son, Frederick, under the stipulation that Austria and Styria will remain undivided.
1304–Emperor Go-Fukakusa of Japan dies at age 61.
1324–Irene of Brunswick dies in in Rhaedestos, Turkey, at age 31.
1386–Karl Topia, the ruler of Princedom of Albania, forges an alliance with the Republic of Venice, committing to participate in all wars of the Republic, receiving coastal protection against the Ottomans in return.
1498–Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, becomes the first person in history to resign the cardinalate. That day, King Louis XII of France names him Duke of Valentinois.
1549–The Prayer Book Rebellion is quashed in England.
1560–The Roman Catholic Church is overthrown and Protestantism is established as the national religion in Scotland.
1585–Antwerp is captured by Spanish forces under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, who orders Protestants to leave the city. As a result, over half of the 100,000 inhabitants flee to the northern provinces.
1585–A first group of colonists, sent by Sir Walter Raleigh under the charge of Ralph Lane, lands in the New World to create Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina.
1597–Robert Devereux (2nd Earl of Essex) and Sir Walter Raleigh set sail on an expedition to the Azores.
1611–Gaspar de Borja y Velasco is made a cardinal by Pope Paul V.
1629–Polish-Lithuanian King, John III Sobieski, is born in Olesko, Poland (present-day Ukraine). Sobieski's military skill, demonstrated in wars against the Ottoman Empire, contributed to his prowess as King of Poland. His 22-year reign marked a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization.
1668–An 8.0 earthquake causes 8,000 deaths in Anatolia, Ottoman Empire.
1681–Patriarch Nikon of Moscow dies in Tropino, Yaroslavl, at age 76. He was renowned for his eloquence, energy, piety, and close ties to Tsar Alexis of Russia.
1717–During the Austro-Turkish War, the month-long Siege of Belgrade ends with Prince Eugene of Savoy's Austrian troops capturing the city from the Ottoman Empire.
1740–Pope Benedict XIV, previously known as Prospero Lambertini, succeeds Clement XII as the 247th Pope.
1771–Edinburgh botanist, James Robertson, makes the first recorded ascent of Ben Nevis in Scotland.
1784–Classical composer, Luigi Boccherini, receives a pay rise of 12,000 reals from his employer, the Infante Luis, Count of Chinchón.
1786–Soldier and frontiersman, Davy Crockett, is born in Limestone, Greene County, North Carolina. He was a 19th-century American folk hero and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier." He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives and served during the Texas Revolution. Crockett became famous in his own lifetime for larger-than-life exploits popularized by stage plays and almanacs. After his death, he continued to be credited with acts of mythical proportion. These led in the 20th century to popular television and movie portrayals.
1786–Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld is born Marie Luise Victoire in Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. She was a German princess and the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
1786–Prussian King, Frederick the Great, dies in an armchair in his study at the Palace of Sanssouci in Potsdam, Prussia, at age 74.
1794–Prince Alexander of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst is born Alexander Leopold Franz Emmerich at Kupferzell, near Waldenburg, Germany. He was a German priest and reputed miracle-worker.
1807–Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat leaves New York, New York, for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world.
1844–Menelik II of Ethiopia is born Sahle Maryam in Angolalla, Shewa, Ethiopian Empire. Emperor Menelik expanded his kingdom to the south and east, into Kaffa, Sidama, Wolayta, and other kingdoms.
1850–Politician, José de San Martín, dies blind and in ill health in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, at age 72. He was the first President of Peru.
1862–The Dakota War begins in Minnesota, as Lakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River.
1866–The Grand Duchy of Baden announces her withdrawal from the German Confederation and signs a treaty of peace and alliance with Prussia.
1883–The first public performance is given of the Dominican Republic's national anthem, Himno Nacional.
1887–Charles I of Austria is born Karl Franz Joseph Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Marie in Persenbeug-Gottsdorf, Austria-Hungary. He was the last ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire: he was the last Emperor of Austria, the last King of Hungary, and the last monarch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
1888–Actor, Monty Woolley, is born Edgar Montillion Woolley in Manhattan, New York. He appeared in the films The Girl of the Golden West, Young Dr. Kildare, Midnight, Never Say Die, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Pied Piper, Since You Went Away, Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Molly and Me, Night and Day, The Bishop's Wife, and Kismet.
1892–Actress, Mae West, is born Mary Jane West in Brooklyn, New York. She scripted, as well as starred in, numerous risqué sex farces of the 1930s, which were responsible for bringing her worldwide fame. One of the more controversial movie stars of her day, West encountered many problems, including censorship. She appeared in the films She Done Him Wrong, I’m No Angel, Klondike Annie, Go West, Young Man, My Little Chickadee, Myra Breckinridge, and Sextette.
1896–Bridget Driscoll is run over by a Benz car on the grounds of The Crystal Palace in London, England. It is the first pedestrian motoring fatality in the U.K.
1907–Pike Place Market opens. It is a popular tourist destination and registered historic district in Seattle, Washington.
1908–Fantasmagorie, the first animated cartoon, created by Émile Cohl, is shown in Paris, France.
1915–Jewish American, Leo Frank, is lynched for the alleged murder of a 13-year-old girl in Marietta, Georgia.
1915–A hurricane hits Galveston, Texas, with winds up to 135 miles per hour.
1918–Bolshevik revolutionary leader, Moisei Uritsky, is assassinated.
1920–Actress, Maureen O'Hara, is born Maureen FitzSimons in Ranelagh, County Dublin, Ireland. She appeared in the films The Hunchback of Notre Dame, How Green Was My Valley, The Black Swawn, Miracle on 34th Street, Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, The Long Gray Line, Our Man in Havana, The Parent Trap, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, Spencer’s Mountain, Big Jake, and Only the Lonely.
1923–Painter, Larry Rivers, is born Larry Grossberg in New York, New York. He will become an abstract expressionist and a predecessor of pop art; his biggest project being a 33-foot, 76-panel work titled “The History of the Russian Revolution: From Marx to Mayakowski.” It took him six months to produce it. In addition to 30 paintings on canvas, it included an assemblage of boxes, silhouettes, a long poem, an honor roll of martyrs, lead pipes, wooden rifles, and a real machine gun. Rivers called it “the greatest painting-sculpture-mixed media of the 20th century... or the stupidest.”
1926–Politician, Jiang Zemin, is born in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China. He was the former General Secretary of the Communist Party and the fifth President of China.
1927–Jazz musician, Sam Butera, is born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for his collaboration with Louis Prima and Keely Smith. Butera is frequently regarded as a crossover artist who performed with equal ease in both R&B and the post-Big Band pop style of jazz that permeated the early Las Vegas nightclub scene.
1929–Captain and pilot, Francis Gary Powers, is born in Jenkins, Kentucky. He was an American pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission over Soviet Union airspace, causing the 1960 “U-2 incident.” When the U.S. government learned of Powers' disappearance over the Soviet Union, they issued a cover statement claiming a "weather plane" had strayed off course after its pilot had "difficulties with his oxygen equipment." However, Powers’ plane crashed almost fully intact, and the Soviets recovered its equipment. Powers was interrogated extensively by the KGB for months before he made a confession and a public apology for his part in espionage. On August 17, 1960, Powers was convicted of espionage against the Soviet Union and was sentenced to a total of 10 years… three years in imprisonment followed by seven years of hard labor. He was held in Vladimir Central Prison, 100 miles east of Moscow, Russia. On February 10, 1962, Powers was exchanged, along with American student, Frederic Pryor, in a well-publicized spy swap at the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin, Germany.
1930–Film and televison producer, Harve Bennett, is born Harve Bennett Fischman in Chicago, Illinois. His work in TV includes The Mod Squad, Rich Man Poor Man, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Bionic Woman. He produced several films in the "Star Trek" franchise, including Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
1933–Actor, Glenn Corbett, is born Glenn Edwin Rothenburg in El Monte, California. He was cast in the final two seasons of the TV series, Route 66, replacing George Maharis. He appeared in the films Operation Petticoat, The Crimson Kimono, All the Young Men, Homicidal, Shenandoah, Chisum, Big Jake, and Midway.
1933–Singer, Mark Dinning, is born in Manchester, Oklahoma. He had a #1 hit with the novelty song, Teen Angel, in 1960.
1933–NASA Flight Director and Manager, Gene Kranz, is born Eugene Francis Kranz in Toledo, Ohio. Kranz served during the Gemini and Apollo programs, and is best known for his role in directing the successful Mission Control team efforts to save the crew of Apollo 13 (which later was made into a major motion picture of the same name where he was portrayed by actor Ed Harris. In the film, his character uttered the famous line, “Failure is not an option.” He is also noted for his trademark close-cut, flattop hairstyle, and the wearing of dapper "mission" vests of different styles and materials (made by his wife, Marta Kranz) during missions for which he was Flight Director.
1936–José María of Manila dies by execution in Madrid, Spain, at age 55. He was a Spanish-Filipino Roman Catholic and was priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He was martyred in the early phase of the Spanish Civil War, and is the third Filipino to have been declared blessed by the Roman Catholic Church.
1939–Blues guitarist, Luther Allison, is born in Widener, Arkansas.
1943–The U.S. Seventh Army, under General George S. Patton, arrives in Messina, Italy, followed several hours later by the British 8th Army, under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, completing the Allied conquest of Sicily.
1943–The first Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins.
1943–The Royal Air Force begins Operation Hydra, the first air raid of the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Germany's V-weapon program.
1943–Actor, Robert De Niro, is born in Manhattan, New York. He appeared in the films Jennifer on My Mind, Born to Win, Bang the Drum Slowly, Mean Streets, The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, 1900, The Deer Hunter, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Once Upon a Time in America, Falling in Love, The Untouchables, Midnight Run, Jacknife, Stanley & Iris, Goodfellas, Awakenings, Guilty by Suspicion, Cape Fear, Night and the City, This Boy’s Life, A Bronx Tale, Casino, and Analyze This. His father was artist, Robert De Niro, Sr. He was married to actress, Diahnne Abbott.
1945–Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.
1946–Director, producer, and screenwriter, Martha (Patterson) Coolidge, is born in New Haven, Connecticut. Her films include Valley Girl, Real Genius, Sledge Hammer!, Rambling Rose, Lost in Yonkers, Angie, Three Wishes, and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.
1946–Politician, Patrick Manning, is born Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. He was the fourth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
1947–The Radcliffe Line, the border between Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan, is revealed.
1947–Gary Talley, of The Box Tops, is born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1949–Sib Hashian, drummer for Boston, is born John Thomas Hashian in Boston, Massachusetts.
1950–The Hill 303 Massacre takes place as American POWs are shot to death by the North Korean Army.
1953–The first meeting of Narcotics Anonymous is held in Southern California.
1958–Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and it fails. It is notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country.
1958–Belinda (Jo) Carlisle, of The Go-Go's, is born in Los Angeles, California.
1959–Quake Lake is formed by the 7.5 Hebgen Lake earthquake, near Hebgen Lake in Montana.
1959–The LP, Kind of Blue, by Miles Davis, is released.
1959–Cult leader, David Koresh, is born Vernon Wayne Howell in Houston, Texas. He was the leader of the Branch Davidians religious sect, believing himself to be its final prophet.
1960–Gabon gains independence from France.
1960–The Beatles perform at the Indra Club, Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg, West Germany. This is the beginning of their first Hamburg engagement (the first of 48 nights at the seedy Indra Club). The club was frequented by prostitutes and their clients, most of them in various states of inebriation. The owner, Bruno Koschmider, urges The Beatles to ”Mach Shau,” and John Lennon complies by screaming, shouting, and leaping about the stage. The others follow his example, sometimes playing while lying on the floor. Lennon once appeared wearing only his underwear and, on another occasion, wearing a toilet seat around his neck. The Beatles begin to draw in larger crowds, and their musical abilities are sharpened by their arduous schedule: four and one-half hours on week nights and six hours on weekends. To keep up their energy and to compensate for insufficient sleep, all of the Beatles, except for Pete Best, start using stimulant drugs. During their time at the Indra, the band lodge in a single room behind the screen of a nearby movie house.
1960–Actor, Sean (Justin) Penn, is born in Los Angeles, California. He appeared in the films Taps, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Bad Boys, Racing with the Moon, The Falcon and the Snowman, Carlito’s Way, Dead Man Walking, Sweet and Lowdown, Up at the Villa, I Am Sam, Mystic River, and Milk. His father was film director, Leo Penn. His brother was actor, Christopher Penn. He was married to singer, Madonna, and actress, Robin Wright.
1962–East German border guards kill 18-year-old Peter Fechter, as he attempts to cross the Berlin Wall into West Berlin, becoming one of the first victims of the wall.
1962–Gilby Clarke, of Guns N' Roses, is born Gilbert Clarke in Cleveland, Ohio.
1964–The Kinks single, You Really Got Me, is released in the U.K. on Pye Records.
1964–The Beatles appear on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.
1964–Maria (Luisa) McKee, of Lone Justice, is born in Los Angeles, California.
1965–The Beatles, on a tour of North America, perform two shows at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. The attendance for each show is 18,000.
1965–Steve Gorman, drummer for The Black Crowes, is born in Muskegon, Michigan.
1966–The Beatles, veering into Canada during their final tour of America, perform two shows at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. At their press conference, John Lennon expresses admiration for U.S. draft resistance, suggesting that those young Americans wanting to avoid the draft move to Canada. The U.S. press and establishment are rather annoyed, still fuming over the earlier ”Beatles bigger than Jesus” uproar.
1968–Publisher McGraw-Hill moves up the publication date of Hunter Davies’ authorized Beatles biography to prevent its sales being affected by the spoiler tome, The Beatles: The Real Story, by Julian Fast. Fast later admits that he’s never had contact with any of the Beatles.
1968–The Doors start a four week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart with Waiting for the Sun.
1968–Hush by Deep Purple is released.
1969–Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 people and causing $1.42 billion in damage.
1969–The Woodstock Music & Arts Fair comes to an end with Jimi Hendrix's version of The Star Spangled Banner.
1969–Actor and singer, Donnie Wahlberg, is born Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr. in Boston, Massachusetts. He was an original member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. He is known for the role of Detective Daniel Reagan in the TV series Blue Bloods. He appeared in the films Ransom, Body Count, Southie, The Sixth Sense, and Dreamcatcher. His brother is actor, Mark Wahlberg. He is married to actress, Jenny McCarthy.
1969–German-American architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, dies in Chicago, Illinois. He was cremated and his ashes wereburied close to other famous Chicago architects in Graceland Cemetery.
1970–Venera 7 is launched. It will later become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus).
1973–Paul Williams, of The Temptations, dies from suicide by gunshot wound in Detroit, Michigan, at age 34.
1977–The day after the death of Elvis, President Jimmy Carter comments: “Elvis Presley’s death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was unique and irreplaceable. More than 20 years ago, he burst upon the scene with an impact that was unprecedented and will probably never be equaled. His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense and he was a symbol to people the world over, of the vitality, rebelliousness and good humor of his country.” Florists, Transworld Delivery, says it delivered more flowers to Graceland than for any other event in the history of the company.
1977–The Soviet icebreaker, Arktika, becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.
1978–The Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean, when it lands in Miserey, France, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
1979–Bob Dylan and John Lennon star in the documentary Eat the Document on PBS-TV. While sitting in the back of his limo, Dylan tells Lennon he’s going to throw up (and he does). The documentary was filmed during Dylan’s tour of England in 1965.
1979–Roller coaster designer, John C. Allen, dies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at age 72. He was responsible for the revival of wooden roller coasters, which began in the 1970s. Some of his surviving roller coasters are: Tornado, Starliner, Blue Streak, Cannon Ball, Zingo, Great American Scream Machine, and The Racer.
1979–Actress, Vivian Vance, dies of breast and bone cancer in Belvedere, California, at age 70. She is best known for the role of Ethel Mertz in the TV sitcom I Love Lucy. She was also seen on the TV shows The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Red Skelton Show, The Lucy Show, Here’s Lucy, and Rhoda. She appeared in the films Take a Chance, The Secret Fury, The Blue Veil, and The Great Race.
1980–Infant, Azaria Chamberlain, disappears, at Ayers Rock, Northern Territory. Probably taken by a dingo, the disappearance leads to what was then the most publicized trial in Australian history.
1982–The first compact discs (CDs) are released to the public in Germany.
1983–Lyricist, Ira Gershwin, dies in Beverly Hills, California, at age 86. He collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century.
1988–President of Pakistan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, and U.S. Ambassador, Arnold Raphel, are killed in a plane crash.
1990–Singer and actress, Pearl Bailey, dies of arteriosclerotic coronary artery disease in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at age 72. She was seen widely on TV variety shows in the 1950s. She appeared in the films Carmen Jones, That Certain Feeling, St. Louis Blues, Porgy and Bess, All the Fine Young Canibals, and The Landlord.
1991–In Sydney, Australia, taxi driver, Wade Frankum, shoots seven people and injures six others, before turning the gun on himself in Sydney, Australia.
1995–Playwright and screenwriter, Howard E. Koch, dies in Woodstock, New York, at age 93.
1998–President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. On the same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.
1999–A 7.4 earthquake strikes Izmit, Turkey, killing more than 17,000 people and injuring 44,000 others.
2004–The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Boze pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country.
2005–The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of Israeli disengagement from Gaza, begins.
2005–Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh.
2008–American swimmer, Michael Phelps, becomes the first person to win eight gold medals in one Olympic Games.
2009–An accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia, Russia, kills 75 people and shuts down the hydroelectric power station, leading to a widespread power failure in the local area.
2010–Politician, Francesco Cossiga, dies from respiratory problems in Rome, Italy, at age 82. He was the eighth President of Italy.
2015–Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, reports for jury duty in New York City, drawing a throng of reporters. Shortly before 4:00 p.m., Mr. Trump, and about 150 other prospective jurors, are dismissed.
2015–A bomb explodes near the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least 19 people and injuring 123 others.
2015–Actress, Yvonne Craig, dies of breast cancer in Pacific Palisades, California, at age 78. She is best known for the role of Batgirl on the 1960s TV series Batman. She was seen on many other TV shows, including Perry Mason, Death Valley Days, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, 77 Sunset Strip, and Star Trek. She appeared in the films Gidget, The Gene Krupa Story, High Time, It Happened at the World’s Fair, Kissin’ Cousins, Quick Before It Melts, Ski Party, One of Our Spies Is Missing, Mars Needs Women, In Like Flint, and How to Frame a Figg.
2016–Cisco anounces a cut of 5,500 jobs in their shift from switches to software.
2016–North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom, Thae Yong Ho, defects with his family to South Korea.
2016–Malaysian oil tanker, MT Vier Harmoni, is hijacked off the coast of Malaysia and is taken to Indonesian waters near the island of Batam.
2016–Eight people are seriously injured when a passenger train collides with a tree that had fallen across the railway line at Saint-Aunès, Hérault, France.
2016–All 511 passengers and crew are evacuated from the ferry Caribbean Fantasy which caught fire off San Juan, Puerto Rico.
2016–Film director, Arthur Hiller, dies of natural causes in Los Angeles, California, at age 92. His films include The Wheeler Dealers, The Americanization of Emily, Promise Her Anything, Tobruk, The Out-of-Towners, Love Story, The Hospital, Plaza Suite, Man of La Mancha, Making Love, Author! Author!, Romantic Comedy, The Lonely Guy, and Teachers.
PHOTOS TOP TO BOTTOM:
|
|
1969–The Woodstock Music & Arts Fair comes to an end with Jimi Hendrix's version of The Star Spangled Banner.
