Events
1152 - Henry II marries Eleanor of Aquitaine.
1268 - The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Battle of Antioch.
1302 - Bruges Matins, the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by members of the local Flemish militia
1498 - Vasco da Gama reaches the port of Calicut, India
1593 - Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe.
1631 - In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.
1652 - Rhode Island passes the first law in North America making slavery illegal.
1765 - Fire destroys a large part of Montreal, Quebec.
1783 - First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after leaving the United States.
1803 - Napoleonic Wars: The United Kingdom revokes the Treaty of Amiens and declares war on France.
1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate.
1811 - Las Piedras Battle: first great military triumph of the revolution of the Río de la Plata in Uruguay leaded by Jose Artigas.
1848 - Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany.
1863 - American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg begins.
1869 - Surrender and dissolution of the Ezo Republic to Japan.
1869 - The Public Credit Act is signed by Ulysses S. Grant, one of his first actions as President of the United States.
1876 - Wyatt Earp starts work in Dodge City, Kansas.
1896 - The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate but equal is constitutional.
1896 - Khodynka Tragedy: a mass panic on Khodynka Field in Moscow during the festivities of the coronation of Russian Tsar Nicholas II resulted in the deaths of 1,389 people.
1897 - Dracula, a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker is published.
1900 - The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga.
1910 - The Earth passes through the tail of Comet Halley.
1917 - World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President the power of conscription.
1926 - Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a Venice, California, beach.
1927 - The Bath School Disaster: Forty-five people are killed by bombs planted by a disgruntled school-board member in Michigan.
1933 - New Deal: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority.
1944 - World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino - Conclusion after seven days of the fourth battle as German paratroopers ("Fallschirmjäger") evacuate Monte Cassino.
1944 - Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.
1944 - World War II: SS troops burn down six villages in the Brkini hills in south western Slovenia.
1948 - The First Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China officially convenes in Nanking.
1953 - Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier.
1958 - An F-104 Starfighter sets a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph (2,259.82 km/h).
1959 - Launching of the National Liberation Committee of Côte d'Ivoire in Conakry, Guinea.
1969 - Apollo program: Apollo 10 launched.
1974 - Nuclear test: Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so.
1974 - Completion of the Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built at the time. It later collapses on August 8, 1991.
1980 - 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption: Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.
1980 - Gwangju Massacre: Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations, calling for democratic reforms.
1983 - In Ireland, the Government launched a crackdown, with the leading Dublin pirate Radio Nova being put off the air.
1990 - In France, a modified TGV train achieves a new rail world speed record - 515.3km/h
1991 - Helen Sharman from Sheffield becomes the first Briton to orbit in Space
1991 - Northern Somalia declares independence from the rest of Somalia as the Republic of Somaliland but is unrecognised by the international community.
1992 - The Archivist of the United States officially announces the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
1998 - United States v. Microsoft: The United States Department of Justice and 20 U.S. states file an antitrust case against Microsoft.
2006 - The post Loktantra Andolan government passes a landmark bill curtailing the power of the monarchy and making Nepal a secular country.
Births
1943 - James Reiher, American professional wrestler
1944 - W. G. Sebald, German-born writer (d. 2001)
1946 - Bruce Gilbert, English musician (Wire)
1946 - Frank Hsieh, former Premier of Taiwan
1946 - Reggie Jackson, American baseball player
1946 - Andreas Katsulas, American actor (d. 2006)
1947 - John Bruton, ninth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland
1949 - Rick Wakeman, English composer and musician (Yes)
1949 - Bill Wallace, Canadian musician (The Guess Who)
1950 - Thomas Gottschalk, German television show host
1950 - Mark Mothersbaugh, American composer, musician, and singer (Devo)
1952 - Diane Duane, American writer
1952 - George Strait, American musician
1952 - Jeana Yeager, American aviator
1955 - Chow Yun-Fat, Hong Kong actor
1957 - Michael Cretu, German musician (Enigma)
1958 - Toyah Willcox, English actor and singer
1959 - Jay Wells, Canadian ice hockey player
1960 - Jari Kurri, Finnish ice hockey player
1960 - Yannick Noah, French tennis player
1962 - Mike Whitmarsh, American Volleyball Player
1962 - Nanne Grönvall, Swedish singer
1962 - Sandra Cretu, German singer
1962 - Mike Darnell, American television executive
1965 - Ingo Schwichtenberg, German drummer (d. 1995)
1966 - Michael Tait, American musician (dc Talk, Tait)
1967 - Heinz-Harald Frentzen, German F1 driver
1969 - Martika, Cuban-American singer
1970 - Tina Fey, American writer/actress
1971 - Brad Friedel, American soccer player
1971 - Nobuteru Taniguchi, Japanese racing driver
1972 - Turner Stevenson, Canadian ice hockey player
1973 - Dario Franchitti, Scottish racecar driver
1974 - Nelson Figueroa, American baseball player
1975 - John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
1975 - Jack Johnson, American musician
1975 - Peter Iwers, Swedish bass player (In Flames)
1976 - Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian ice hockey player
1977 - Lee Hendrie, English footballer
1977 - Danny Mills, English footballer
1978 - Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
1979 - Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer
1979 - Michal Martikán, Slovak slalom canoiest
1979 - Julián Speroni, Argentine footballer
1980 - Jeff Roehl, American football player
1980 - Ali Zafar, Pakistani singer and model
1980 - Aileen Campbell, Scottish Politician
1981 - Mahamadou Diarra, Malian footballer
1982 - Jason Brown, English-born footballer
1982 - Eric West, American singer and actor
1983 - Gary O'Neil, English footballer
1983 - Luis Terrero, Dominican baseball player
1983 - Vince Young, American football player
1984 - Scarlett Keegan, Playboy Playmate
1984 - Joakim Soria, Mexican baseball player
1984 - Niki Terpstra, Dutch cyclist
1986 - Ryan Lamb, English rugby union player
1987 - Luisana Lopilato, Argentine actress and model
1988 - Ryan Cooley, Canadian television actor
1992 - Spencer Breslin, American actor
1997 - Alana Etheridge, American actress
Deaths
1941 - Werner Sombart, German economist and sociologist (b. 1863)
1955 - Mary McLeod Bethune, American educator and activist (b. 1875)
1956 - Maurice Tate, English cricketer (b. 1895)
1963 - Ernie Davis, American football player (b. 1939)
1967 - Andy Clyde, American actor (b. 1892)
1971 - Aleksandr Gennadievich Kurosh, Russian mathematician (b. 1908)
1973 - Jeannette Rankin, first U.S. Congresswoman (b. 1880)
1975 - Leroy Anderson, American composer (b. 1908)
1980 - Ian Curtis, English musician, singer and lyricist (Joy Division) (b. 1956)
1980 - Harry Truman, victim of Mount St. Helens eruption (b. 1896)
1980 - David A. Johnston, a U.S. Volcanoligist was also a victim of Mount St. Helens eruption (b. 1949)
1980 - Reid Blackburn, a photojournalist for National Geographic was also a victim of Mount St. Helens eruption (b. 1952)
1981 - Arthur O'Connell, American actor (b. 1908)
1981 - William Saroyan, American author (b. 1908)
1988 - Daws Butler, American voice actor (b. 1916)
1990 - Jill Ireland, English actress (b. 1936)
1992 - Skip Stephenson, American TV personality (b. 1940)
1992 - Marshall Thompson, American actor (b. 1925)
1995 - Elisha Cook, Jr., American actor (b. 1903)
1995 - Alexander Godunov, Russian ballet dancer and actor (b. 1949)
1995 - Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress (b. 1933)
1997 - Bridgette Andersen, American actress (b. 1975)
1999 - Augustus Pablo, Jamaican singer (b. 1954)
1999 - Betty Robinson, American runner (b. 1911)
2000 - Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian musician and arranger (b. 1946)
2000 - Maulana Yousuf Ludhianvi, Muslim scholar
2002 - Davey Boy Smith, English professional wrestler (b. 1962)
2003 - Anna Santisteban, Puerto Rican beauty contest organizer (b. 1914)
2003 - Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking crusader (b. 1961)
2004 - Elvin Jones, American jazz drummer (b. 1927)
2004 - Serge Turgeon, Quebec actor and union leader (b. 1946)
2006 - Andrew Martinez, U.C. Berkeley's "Naked Guy" (b. 1972)
2007 - Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, French physicist (b. 1932)
2007 - Yoyoy Villame, Philippine novelty singer and movie actor (b. 1932)
1152 - Henry II marries Eleanor of Aquitaine.
1268 - The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Battle of Antioch.
1302 - Bruges Matins, the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by members of the local Flemish militia
1498 - Vasco da Gama reaches the port of Calicut, India
1593 - Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe.
1631 - In Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts.
1652 - Rhode Island passes the first law in North America making slavery illegal.
1765 - Fire destroys a large part of Montreal, Quebec.
1783 - First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after leaving the United States.
1803 - Napoleonic Wars: The United Kingdom revokes the Treaty of Amiens and declares war on France.
1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate.
1811 - Las Piedras Battle: first great military triumph of the revolution of the Río de la Plata in Uruguay leaded by Jose Artigas.
1848 - Opening of the first German National Assembly (Nationalversammlung) in Frankfurt, Germany.
1863 - American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg begins.
1869 - Surrender and dissolution of the Ezo Republic to Japan.
1869 - The Public Credit Act is signed by Ulysses S. Grant, one of his first actions as President of the United States.
1876 - Wyatt Earp starts work in Dodge City, Kansas.
1896 - The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate but equal is constitutional.
1896 - Khodynka Tragedy: a mass panic on Khodynka Field in Moscow during the festivities of the coronation of Russian Tsar Nicholas II resulted in the deaths of 1,389 people.
1897 - Dracula, a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker is published.
1900 - The United Kingdom proclaims a protectorate over Tonga.
1910 - The Earth passes through the tail of Comet Halley.
1917 - World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President the power of conscription.
1926 - Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a Venice, California, beach.
1927 - The Bath School Disaster: Forty-five people are killed by bombs planted by a disgruntled school-board member in Michigan.
1933 - New Deal: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority.
1944 - World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino - Conclusion after seven days of the fourth battle as German paratroopers ("Fallschirmjäger") evacuate Monte Cassino.
1944 - Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.
1944 - World War II: SS troops burn down six villages in the Brkini hills in south western Slovenia.
1948 - The First Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China officially convenes in Nanking.
1953 - Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier.
1958 - An F-104 Starfighter sets a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph (2,259.82 km/h).
1959 - Launching of the National Liberation Committee of Côte d'Ivoire in Conakry, Guinea.
1969 - Apollo program: Apollo 10 launched.
1974 - Nuclear test: Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon becoming the sixth nation to do so.
1974 - Completion of the Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built at the time. It later collapses on August 8, 1991.
1980 - 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption: Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.
1980 - Gwangju Massacre: Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations, calling for democratic reforms.
1983 - In Ireland, the Government launched a crackdown, with the leading Dublin pirate Radio Nova being put off the air.
1990 - In France, a modified TGV train achieves a new rail world speed record - 515.3km/h
1991 - Helen Sharman from Sheffield becomes the first Briton to orbit in Space
1991 - Northern Somalia declares independence from the rest of Somalia as the Republic of Somaliland but is unrecognised by the international community.
1992 - The Archivist of the United States officially announces the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
1998 - United States v. Microsoft: The United States Department of Justice and 20 U.S. states file an antitrust case against Microsoft.
2006 - The post Loktantra Andolan government passes a landmark bill curtailing the power of the monarchy and making Nepal a secular country.
Births
1943 - James Reiher, American professional wrestler
1944 - W. G. Sebald, German-born writer (d. 2001)
1946 - Bruce Gilbert, English musician (Wire)
1946 - Frank Hsieh, former Premier of Taiwan
1946 - Reggie Jackson, American baseball player
1946 - Andreas Katsulas, American actor (d. 2006)
1947 - John Bruton, ninth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland
1949 - Rick Wakeman, English composer and musician (Yes)
1949 - Bill Wallace, Canadian musician (The Guess Who)
1950 - Thomas Gottschalk, German television show host
1950 - Mark Mothersbaugh, American composer, musician, and singer (Devo)
1952 - Diane Duane, American writer
1952 - George Strait, American musician
1952 - Jeana Yeager, American aviator
1955 - Chow Yun-Fat, Hong Kong actor
1957 - Michael Cretu, German musician (Enigma)
1958 - Toyah Willcox, English actor and singer
1959 - Jay Wells, Canadian ice hockey player
1960 - Jari Kurri, Finnish ice hockey player
1960 - Yannick Noah, French tennis player
1962 - Mike Whitmarsh, American Volleyball Player
1962 - Nanne Grönvall, Swedish singer
1962 - Sandra Cretu, German singer
1962 - Mike Darnell, American television executive
1965 - Ingo Schwichtenberg, German drummer (d. 1995)
1966 - Michael Tait, American musician (dc Talk, Tait)
1967 - Heinz-Harald Frentzen, German F1 driver
1969 - Martika, Cuban-American singer
1970 - Tina Fey, American writer/actress
1971 - Brad Friedel, American soccer player
1971 - Nobuteru Taniguchi, Japanese racing driver
1972 - Turner Stevenson, Canadian ice hockey player
1973 - Dario Franchitti, Scottish racecar driver
1974 - Nelson Figueroa, American baseball player
1975 - John Higgins, Scottish snooker player
1975 - Jack Johnson, American musician
1975 - Peter Iwers, Swedish bass player (In Flames)
1976 - Oleg Tverdovsky, Ukrainian ice hockey player
1977 - Lee Hendrie, English footballer
1977 - Danny Mills, English footballer
1978 - Ricardo Carvalho, Portuguese footballer
1979 - Mariusz Lewandowski, Polish footballer
1979 - Michal Martikán, Slovak slalom canoiest
1979 - Julián Speroni, Argentine footballer
1980 - Jeff Roehl, American football player
1980 - Ali Zafar, Pakistani singer and model
1980 - Aileen Campbell, Scottish Politician
1981 - Mahamadou Diarra, Malian footballer
1982 - Jason Brown, English-born footballer
1982 - Eric West, American singer and actor
1983 - Gary O'Neil, English footballer
1983 - Luis Terrero, Dominican baseball player
1983 - Vince Young, American football player
1984 - Scarlett Keegan, Playboy Playmate
1984 - Joakim Soria, Mexican baseball player
1984 - Niki Terpstra, Dutch cyclist
1986 - Ryan Lamb, English rugby union player
1987 - Luisana Lopilato, Argentine actress and model
1988 - Ryan Cooley, Canadian television actor
1992 - Spencer Breslin, American actor
1997 - Alana Etheridge, American actress
Deaths
1941 - Werner Sombart, German economist and sociologist (b. 1863)
1955 - Mary McLeod Bethune, American educator and activist (b. 1875)
1956 - Maurice Tate, English cricketer (b. 1895)
1963 - Ernie Davis, American football player (b. 1939)
1967 - Andy Clyde, American actor (b. 1892)
1971 - Aleksandr Gennadievich Kurosh, Russian mathematician (b. 1908)
1973 - Jeannette Rankin, first U.S. Congresswoman (b. 1880)
1975 - Leroy Anderson, American composer (b. 1908)
1980 - Ian Curtis, English musician, singer and lyricist (Joy Division) (b. 1956)
1980 - Harry Truman, victim of Mount St. Helens eruption (b. 1896)
1980 - David A. Johnston, a U.S. Volcanoligist was also a victim of Mount St. Helens eruption (b. 1949)
1980 - Reid Blackburn, a photojournalist for National Geographic was also a victim of Mount St. Helens eruption (b. 1952)
1981 - Arthur O'Connell, American actor (b. 1908)
1981 - William Saroyan, American author (b. 1908)
1988 - Daws Butler, American voice actor (b. 1916)
1990 - Jill Ireland, English actress (b. 1936)
1992 - Skip Stephenson, American TV personality (b. 1940)
1992 - Marshall Thompson, American actor (b. 1925)
1995 - Elisha Cook, Jr., American actor (b. 1903)
1995 - Alexander Godunov, Russian ballet dancer and actor (b. 1949)
1995 - Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress (b. 1933)
1997 - Bridgette Andersen, American actress (b. 1975)
1999 - Augustus Pablo, Jamaican singer (b. 1954)
1999 - Betty Robinson, American runner (b. 1911)
2000 - Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian musician and arranger (b. 1946)
2000 - Maulana Yousuf Ludhianvi, Muslim scholar
2002 - Davey Boy Smith, English professional wrestler (b. 1962)
2003 - Anna Santisteban, Puerto Rican beauty contest organizer (b. 1914)
2003 - Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking crusader (b. 1961)
2004 - Elvin Jones, American jazz drummer (b. 1927)
2004 - Serge Turgeon, Quebec actor and union leader (b. 1946)
2006 - Andrew Martinez, U.C. Berkeley's "Naked Guy" (b. 1972)
2007 - Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, French physicist (b. 1932)
2007 - Yoyoy Villame, Philippine novelty singer and movie actor (b. 1932)
