| 637:
|
Death of St. Carthage
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| 964:
|
Death of Pope John XII, unshriven, in the arms of his mistress
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| 1004:
|
Coronation of Henry II as Holy Roman Emperor
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| 1080:
|
Massacre of Bishop Walcher of Lorraine and his retinue
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| 1264:
|
English barons under Simon de Montfort heavily defeated forces under Henry III at the battle of Lewes
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| 1295:
|
Death of (St.) Gil of Santarem
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| 1316:
|
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, born. King of Bohemia from 1346 to 1378, he became emperor in 1355. born
|
| 1494:
|
Columbus discovers Jamaica
|
| 1509:
|
The French defeated the Venetians at the battle of Agnadello in Italy in the War of the League of Cambrai
|
| 1553:
|
Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre born
|
| 1587:
|
James VI, King of Scots, invites his nobles to a banquet at Holyrood, to try to persuade them to keep the King's Peace with each other
|
| 1607:
|
Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in North America, was founded near the James River in Virginia
|
| 1608:
|
Death of Charles "the Great," King of Lorraine
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| 1610:
|
Henry IV of France, the first Bourbon king, was assassinated by religious fanatic Francois Ravaillac in Paris
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| 1634:
|
First property tax general law in America signed by Massachusetts governor
|
| 1638:
|
Imprisonment of the Abbe of St. Cyran, by Richelieu
|
| 1643:
|
Death of Louis XIII, King of France. Louis XIV ascends the French throne at age 4, reigns until 1715
|
| 1686:
|
The German physicist whose temperature scale bears his name, Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit. born
|
| 1727:
|
English painter Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. One of his best known paintings is "The Blue Boy".
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| 1787:
|
Delegates began gathering in Philadelphia for a convention to draw up the U.S. Constitution
|
| 1796:
|
English physician Edward Jenner performed the first successful vaccination, inoculating an eight-year-old boy against smallpox and laying the foundation for modern immunology
|
| 1804:
|
The Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase left St. Louis. The expedition started up the Missouri in a 55 foot covered keelboat and two small craft
|
| 1811:
|
Paraguay proclaimed independence from Spain
|
| 1847:
|
HMS Driver arrived back at Spithead, southern England, after the first circumnavigation of the world by a steamship
|
| 1853:
|
Gail Borden applies for patent for making condensed milk
|
| 1862:
|
Adolphe Nicole of Switzerland patented the chronograph -- a timepiece that would allow for split-second timing of sporting events
|
| 1878:
|
The trademark name of Vaseline - for a brand of petroleum jelly - was registered by Robert A. Chesebrough - of Chesebrough-Pond's, USA, Co
|
| 1885:
|
Otto Klemperer, German musical director and conductor, in Breslau. In his early career he championed modern works. born
|
| 1897:
|
As a statue of George Washington was unveiled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John Philip Sousa's march, "The Stars and Stripes Forever," was performed for the first time. President McKinley attended the ceremony
|
| 1900:
|
The second Modern Olympic Games opened in Paris, with women allowed to take part for the first time
|
| 1904:
|
The Olympic Games were held in the United States, at St. Louis, Missouri
|
| 1912:
|
August Strindberg, influential Swedish playwright, died. Best known for "Miss Julie" and "The Father."
|
| 1913:
|
John D. Rockefeller established the Rockefeller Foundation with a gift of $100,000,000 - the largest gift of money to that time. The foundation promotes "the well-being of mankind throughout the world.""
|
| 1919:
|
Henry John Heinz, U.S. food manufacturer, died; his food company became famous for its slogan "57 varieties."
|
| 1921:
|
Florence Allen became the first U.S. woman judge to sentence a man to death. Frank Motto was convicted of murder and executed on Aug. 20
|
| 1925:
|
Opera singer Patrice Munsel born
|
| 1928:
|
Billy Martin, local boy who made good in baseball. born
|
| 1936:
|
Edmund Allenby, British military commander, died; he directed the Palestine campaign in World War I
|
| 1940:
|
German bombers destroyed two thirds of the Dutch city of Rotterdam, killing almost 1,000 people and making at least 80,000 homeless
|
| 1942:
|
The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps was established. During World War II, women became eligible to enlist for non-combat duties in the WAAC by an act of Congress
|
| 1942:
|
Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" was first performed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andre Kostelanetz, who had commissioned the work
|
| 1943:
|
Rock singer-musician (Cream) Jack Bruce born
|
| 1944:
|
Movie producer ("Star Wars") George Lucas born
|
| 1944:
|
Actress Francesca Annis born
|
| 1944:
|
Singer Troy Shondell born
|
| 1945:
|
Rock musician (The Young Rascals) Gener Cornish born
|
| 1948:
|
Actress Meg Foster born
|
| 1948:
|
The state of Israel was proclaimed at 4 p.m., eight hours before the British mandate in Palestine was to end
|
| 1952:
|
Rock artist (Talking Heads) David Byrne born
|
| 1952:
|
Movie director ("Back to the Future") Robert Zemeckis born
|
| 1955:
|
The Warsaw Pact was signed by the Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania
|
| 1955:
|
Representatives from eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, signed the Warsaw Pact in Poland. The Warsaw Pact was inspired by Nikita Khrushchev to strengthen the Soviet hold over it Eastern European allies
|
| 1961:
|
Actor Tim Roth. born
|
| 1962:
|
Rock singer (The Cult) Ian Astbury born
|
| 1962:
|
Rock musician (Poison) C.C. DeVille born
|
| 1962:
|
Princess Sophia of Greece married Don Juan Carlos of Spain
|
| 1963:
|
Kuwait became the 111th member of the United Nations
|
| 1964:
|
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev joined United Arab Republic President Gamel Abdel Nasser in setting off charges, diverting the Nile River from the site of the Aswan High Dam project
|
| 1965:
|
Queen Elizabeth unveiled a memorial to the late U.S president John Kennedy on a field at Runnymede, the site west of London where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215
|
| 1966:
|
Rock musician (Alice in Chains) Mike Inez born
|
| 1968:
|
Czechoslovakia's communist government announced widespread liberalizing reforms under leader Alexander Dubcek
|
| 1969:
|
Singer (New Kids on the Block) Danny Wood born
|
| 1971:
|
Rapper (Lost Boyz) Freaky Tah born
|
| 1973:
|
Singer Shanice born
|
| 1973:
|
Singer Natalie Appleton (All Saints) born
|
| 1973:
|
America's Skylab I space laboratory was launched into earth orbit by the last Saturn Five booster rocket
|
| 1974:
|
Dr. Donald Coggan was named Archbishop of Canterbury, succeeding Archbishop Michael Ramsey
|
| 1975:
|
U.S. forces raided the Cambodian island of Koh Tang and recaptured the American merchant ship "Mayaguez." All 40 crew members were released safely by Cambodia, but some 40 U.S. servicemen were killed in the military operation
|
| 1980:
|
President Jimmy Carter inaugurated the Department of Health and Human Services, the successor to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare
|
| 1983:
|
Lebanese President Amin Gemayel's Cabinet voted unanimously to approve a U.S.-sponsored troop withdrawal agreement with Israel, despite Syrian rejection of the pact
|
| 1984:
|
The chairman of the Soviet Union's Olympic Committee told a Moscow news conference his country's decision to withdraw from the summer games in Los Angeles was "irrevocable."
|
| 1985:
|
Secretary of State George P. Shultz raised human rights and arms control issues during a six-hour meeting with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko at the Soviet Embassy in Vienna
|
| 1985:
|
The first McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, became the first museum of the fast-food business
|
| 1986:
|
Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev said in a televised address that casualties from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster had risen to nine dead and 299 hospitalized, but said, "The worst is behind us.""
|
| 1987:
|
Lt. Col. Sitiveni Rabuka seized power in a bloodless military coup in Fiji
|
| 1987:
|
Actress Rita Hayworth died in New York at age 68
|
| 1987:
|
The Commerce Department reported that the U.S. trade deficit had narrowed in March to $13.6 billion
|
| 1988:
|
Iraqi jets bombed the Seawise Giant -- the world's biggest ship -- and three other tankers at the Larak oil terminal in Iran on the Strait of Hormuz
|
| 1988:
|
Twenty-seven people, most of them teen-agers, were killed when their church bus collided with a pickup truck going the wrong way on a highway near Carrollton, Kentucky. (The driver of the truck, Larry Mahoney, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment.)
|
| 1989:
|
Peronist leader Carlos Menem swept to power in Argentina, beating ruling Radical Party candidate Eduardo Angeloz
|
| 1989:
|
Tens of thousands demonstrated for democratic reforms in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on the eve of a visit to the country by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
|
| 1990:
|
In separate decrees, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev declared that the republics of Estonia and Latvia had no legal basis for moving toward independence
|
| 1990:
|
The Dow Jones industrial average hit a record 2,281.53 points
|
| 1991:
|
Jiang Qing, widow of Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong and leader of the 'Gang of Four', committed suicide
|
| 1991:
|
In South Africa, Winnie Mandela was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for complicity in the kidnapping and beating of four youths, one of whom died. She was freed pending appeal
|
| 1991:
|
President Bush announced his selection of Robert M. Gates to head the Central Intelligence Agency
|
| 1991:
|
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Washington to begin a two-week visit to the United States
|
| 1991:
|
42 people were killed in a train collision in western Japan
|
| 1992:
|
Former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev appealed to the U.S. Congress, to pass a bill aiding the people of the former Soviet Union
|
| 1992:
|
Former football player Lyle Alzado died in Portland, Oregon, at age 43
|
| 1993:
|
American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst Jr., 85, died after a heart attack. He was editor-in-chief of Hearst Newspapers and chairman of the executive committee of the Hearst Corporation
|
| 1993:
|
President Clinton told a news conference his threat of military force to halt the war in the former Yugoslavia was "still on the table" despite opposition from European allies
|
| 1994:
|
Noisy parades and celebrations enveloped the 700-strong Palestinian police force as it patrolled Jericho on the first full day of Palestinian self-rule after nearly three decades of Israeli occupation
|
| 1995:
|
The Dalai Lama proclaimed six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, Tibet's second most senior spiritual leader
|
| 1995:
|
Myrlie Evers-Williams was sworn in to head the NAACP, pledging to lead the civil rights group away from its recent troubles and restore it as a political and social force
|
| 1996:
|
A jury in Pontiac, Michigan, acquitted Dr. Jack Kevorkian of assisted-suicide charges, his third legal victory in two years
|
| 1997:
|
Laurie Lee, who immortalized a sensual and earthy way of English country living in his classic novel "Cider with Rosie," died
|
| 1997:
|
Jurors at the Timothy McVeigh trial in Denver saw chilling black-and-white surveillance pictures of a Ryder truck moving toward the Oklahoma City federal building minutes before a bomb blew the place apart
|
| 1998:
|
Singer-actor Frank Sinatra died at a Los Angeles hospital at age 82
|
| 1998:
|
The hit sitcom "Seinfeld" aired its final episode after nine years on NBC, and I've never seen a single episode
|
| 1998:
|
The Associated Press commemorated its 150th anniversary
|
| 1999:
|
His previous calls rebuffed, President Clinton finally got through to Chinese President Jiang Zemin; Clinton expressed hope the two countries could repair the damage to their relations since the U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade
|
| 2000:
|
Tens of thousands of mothers rallied in Washington to demand strict control of handguns
|
| 2000:
|
Former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi died in Tokyo at age 62
|
| 2005:
|
Uzbek president blames outlawed Islamist group for deaths
|
| 2005:
|
U.S. Senator calls for nationwide investigation into Army recruitment tactics
|
| 2005:
|
Bikers begin descent on South Carolina resort for rallies
|
| 2005:
|
Russian football club signs two Portugal internationals
|
| 2005:
|
Al Jazeera announces English-language channel for 2006
|
| 2005:
|
Mexican president defends emigration
|
| 2005:
|
U.S. Defense Secretary announces closures and expansions of military bases
|
| 2005:
|
Kosovo's independence unacceptable for Serbian PM
|
| 2005:
|
Serbia and Montenegro football: Partizan secures League title
|
| 2005:
|
North and South Korea to meet next week
|
| 2005:
|
Gaza settlers protest planned pullout
|
| 2006:
|
Bulls clinch position in Super 14 rugby semi-finals
|
| 2006:
|
Prison riot breaks out in Haiti
|
| 2006:
|
Word 2007 will include blogging tools
|
| 2006:
|
Alonso wins Spanish GP: fans are rejoicing
|
| 2006:
|
Mohamed ElBaradei: Highly enriched uranium found in Iran is "of little significance"
|
| 2006:
|
Fitzgerald to announce new evidence against Libby
|
| 2006:
|
US continues to deny Red Cross access to all detainees
|
| 2006:
|
Australian govt announces proposals for copyright update, allows private recording and transfer between media
|
| 2006:
|
Greek soccer champions celebrate title win with Maradona
|
| 2006:
|
ISO adopts Open Document Format
|
| 2007:
|
Karachi, Pakistan shut down by strike
|
| 2007:
|
Smoke from massive warehouse fire in Buffalo, New York USA can be seen 40 miles away
|
| 2007:
|
Australian cricket tour of Zimbabwe cancelled
|
| 2007:
|
FBI 'Ten Most Wanted' fugitive arrested in Montreal, Canada
|
| 2007:
|
Renewed factional violence in Gaza; interior minister resigns
|
| 2007:
|
Alaskan cruise ship evacuated
|
| 2007:
|
Mullah Omar says his jihad to continue
|
| 2007:
|
MuchMusic Video Award People's Choice nominees announced
|
| 2007:
|
User-generated content, other high-bandwidth websites blocked for U.S. soldiers
|
| 2007:
|
DaimlerChrysler to sell Chrysler Group for $7.4 Billion
|
| 2007:
|
German warship undergoes repairs after firing on itself
|
| 2008:
|
Coordinated series of bombs kills at least 80 in India
|
| 2008:
|
Community forum held after attacks on Mormon teens in Arizona
|
| 2008:
|
Bomb destroys Spanish police barracks and kills policeman in Basque Country
|
| 2008:
|
Queen Elizabeth visits Turkey
|
| 2008:
|
John Edwards endorses Barack Obama
|
| 2008:
|
Chinese earthquake: Death toll reaches almost 15,000 as 'dangerous' cracks found in dam near city
|
| 2008:
|
US says polar bears are threatened species
|
| 2008:
|
Police exchange shots in South Melbourne, Australia
|
| 2009:
|
Egyptian archaeologists announce discovery of marble statue and 132 new sites
|
| 2009:
|
Flight simulation site Avsim 'destroyed' by hackers
|
| 2009:
|
Guatemala arrests Twitter user for inciting financial panic
|
| 2009:
|
U.S. automaker Chrysler wants to eliminate 789 dealerships
|
| 2009:
|
Spain in danger of Eurovision disqualification after scheduling snafu at RTVE
|
| 2010:
|
Iraq electoral commission: No fraud found in vote recount
|
| 2010:
|
Interim Kyrgyz government retakes buildings after violent protests
|
| 2010:
|
Officials: Plot to kill Indonesian president foiled
|
| 2010:
|
At least 21 dead after coal mine explosion in Chinese mine
|
| 2010:
|
Moscow Metro attack suspects killed by police
|
| 2010:
|
Russian citizen jailed for sending military intelligence to US
|
| 2010:
|
Eight killed in Dagestan, Russia after ambush
|
| 2010:
|
Nigerian ex-governor James Ibori arrested in Dubai
|
| 2010:
|
Violence in Bangkok prompts closure of US embassy in Thailand
|
| 2010:
|
Russian meeting with Hamas provokes criticism from Israel
|
| 2010:
|
Bomb blast at Iraqi football match kills 25, many wounded
|
| 2010:
|
Space Shuttle Atlantis launches for the final time
|
| 2012:
|
Sydney's 'Angel of The Gap' dies after decades rescuing the suicidal
|
| 2012:
|
Cyprus leader says no to second term
|
| 2012:
|
Swedish man denies serial shootings
|
| 2012:
|
Mexico authorities find over four dozen corpses
|
History
Icons
Actress Francesca Annis born in London, England
69-time Academy Award nominated director, producer, and screenwriter, George Lucas born in Modesto, California
Actress Meg Foster born in Reading, Pennsylvania
Academy and Golden Globe Award winning director, Robert Lee Zemeckis born in Chicago, Illinois
Humanitarian, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and Juno Award winner, Tom Cochrane born in Lynn Lake, Manitoba
Actor and director Tim Roth born in London, England