This Day in History
January 8

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing a single day's events)

What happened in history on this day: January 8?

On January 8 in ...

  • 482 - Severinus, German monastery founder/saint, dies.
  • 624 - Abu Sufjan ibn Harb, Kurashite chief, dies in battle.
  • 624 - Muslim army occupies Kurashitische Caravan.
  • 871 - Battle at Ashdown: Ethelred of Wessex beats Danish invasion army.
  • 1081 - Birth of Henry V Roman German king/emperor (1098/1111-25).
  • 1198 - Coelestinus III [Giacinto Bobo], pope (1191-98), dies.
  • 1198 - Lotario di Segni elected Pope Innocentius III.
  • 1214 - Earl Ferrand of Flanders drops ties with France.
  • 1324 - Marco Polo, Venetian explorer/Governor of Nanking, dies.
  • 1336 - Giotto di Bondone Italian Renaissance painter, dies at about age 71.
  • 1455 - Laurentius Justitianus [Lorenzo Giustiniani], saint, dies at age 73.
  • 1499 - Louis XII of France after papal divorce marries Anne, Duchess of Brittany to keep the duchy for the crown.
  • 1558 - French troops under duke de Guise occupy Calais.
  • 1567 - Jacob Vaet Flemish composer/royal chaplain master, dies at about age 37.
  • 1583 - Birth of Simon Episcopius Dutch bishop/theologist.
  • 1587 - Birth of Johannes Fabricius Denmark, astronomer (discovered sunspots).
  • 1589 - Birth of Ivan [Dzivo F] Gundulic Dalmatisch writer (Dubravka).
  • 1598 - Genoa Italy expels Jews.
  • 1598 - Jews are expelled from Genoa Italy.
  • 1598 - Johan Georg elector of Brandenburg (1571-91), dies at age 72.
  • 1628 - Birth of François de Montmorency-Bouteville duc de Luxembourg, French soldier.
  • 1632 - Birth of Samuel Freiherr von Pufendorf in Dorfchemnitz, Saxony; developer of the concept of "natural law".
  • 1642 - Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist/astronomer, dies at age 78 in Arceti, Italy.
  • 1651 - Giovanni Battista Gagliano composer, dies at age 56.
  • 1656 - Oldest surviving commercial newspaper begins (Haarlem, Netherlands).
  • 1658 - Birth of Nicolas Coustou French sculptor (Descente de Croix).
  • 1668 - Birth of Jean Gilles composer.
  • 1675 - First American commercial corporation chartered (New York Fishing Co).
  • 1696 - Michael de Ronghe composer, dies at age 75.
  • 1705 - Georg F Händels first opera "Almira" premieres in Hamburg.
  • 1711 - Philips van Almonde Zealand Lieutenant-Admiral, dies at age 66.
  • 1713 - Arcangelo Corelli composer/violinist (Concerti Grossi), dies at age 59.
  • 1716 - Dutch gang leader "Sjako" arrested.
  • 1745 - England, Austria, Netherlands and Saxon sign anti-Prussian Quadruple Alliance.
  • 1760 - Comet C/1760 A1 (Great comet) approaches within 0.0682 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth.
  • 1767 - Birth of Abraham de Veer Dutch Governor-General of Suriname (1822-28).
  • 1775 - John Baskerville English printer/type designer, dies at age 68.
  • 1786 - Birth of Nicholas Biddle; made second Bank of the United States first effective central bank.
  • 1790 - US President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union Address, in New York City.
  • 1791 - Birth of Jacob Collamer; US Senator for Vermont.
  • 1792 - Birth of Lowell Mason in Medfield, Massachusetts, USA; organist/composer (Zebulo).
  • 1796 - Death of Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois at age 46; French National Convention chairman.
  • 1798 - 11th Amendment to US Constitution ratified, judicial powers construed.
  • 1800 - Austrians defeat French in second battle of Novi.
  • 1800 - Wild Boy of Aveyron discovered in southern France.
  • 1806 - Cape colony becomes English colony.
  • 1810 - Birth of Robert Schumann in Zwickau, Germany; composer (Neue Zeitschrift fuer Musik).
  • 1811 - Death of Friedrich Nicolai in Berlin, Germany; leader of enlightenment movement in Germany, book dealer and writer.
  • 1811 - Louisiana slave revolt by Charles Deslondes at German Coast.
  • 1811 - Death of Samuel Storyat age 58; Dutch rear admiral (Battle of Kamperduin).
  • 1812 - Birth of Sigismund Fortune François Thalberg in Geneva, Switzerland; leading pianist, rival of Franz Liszt.
  • 1814 - Birth of Thomas Green; Brigadier General (Confederate Army) (dies 1864).
  • 1815 - US 7th Infantry Regiment plus others (total 4500) defeat a British force of 8000 in the Battle of New Orleans under Major General Andrew Jackson. The battle was fought on the grounds of Chalmette Plantation, downriver from New Orleans. British killed/wounded/captured: 2055; American: 101.
  • 1815 - Birth of George Webb Morell; US Major General (Union volunteers) (dies 1883).
  • 1815 - Birth of Lawrence Pike Graham; US Brigadier General (Union volunteers) (dies 1905).
  • 1815 - Edward Pakenham, English General (Battle of New Orleans), dies in battle.
  • 1817 - Birth of John Selden Roane; Brigadier General (Confederate Army) (dies 1867).
  • 1821 - Birth of James Longstreet; Confederate General (first Corps, ANV).
  • 1823 - Birth of Alfred Russel Wallace; British zoologist/co-discoverer (evolution).
  • 1824 - Birth of William Wilkie Collins; English novelist (The Woman in White, The Moonstone).
  • 1830 - Birth of Governer Kemble Warren; Major General (Union volunteers) (dies 1882).
  • 1830 - Birth of Hans von Bülow in Dresden, Germany; pianist/virtuoso conductor/musical writer.
  • 1833 - Boston Academy of Music, first US music school, is established.
  • 1835 - The United States national debt is zero for the only time.
  • 1838 - In New Jersey, Alfred Vail demonstrates a telegraph using dots and dashes (a forerunner of Morse code).
  • 1838 - Rebellion at Amherstburg, Ontario breaks out.
  • 1842 - Pierre Earl the Cambronne, French General (Waterloo, Elba), dies at age 71.
  • 1848 - Austrian soldiers kill ten students, in Pavia.
  • 1851 - Birth of Gérard Leman; Belgian count/General.
  • 1853 - First US bronze equestrian statue (of Andrew Jackson) unveiled, Washington, D.C.
  • 1856 - Dr John A Veatch discovers borax, in Tuscan Springs, California, USA.
  • 1862 - Birth of Frank Nelson Doubleday; publisher/founder (Doubleday and Co).
  • 1863 - Birth of Paul Scheerbart [Bruno Küfer]; German writer (The Seasnake).
  • 1867 - Birth of Emily Green Balch; US sociologist/feminist/pacifist (Nobel Prize 1946).
  • 1867 - Legislation gives suffrage to District of Columbia blacks, despite President Andrew Johnson's veto.
  • 1868 - Birth of Frank Dyson; proved Einstein right about light bent by gravity.
  • 1870 - Birth of Miguel Primo de Rivera Orbaneja; dictator of Spain (1923-30).
  • 1877 - Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their final losing battle against the U.S. Cavalry in Montana.
  • 1880 - Joshua Abraham Norton, self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States and Protector of México, dies in San Francisco, California, at age 60.
  • 1884 - Chrome tanning process for leather patented by Augustus Schultz.
  • 1885 - Birth of John Curtin in Victoria; Australian Prime Minister (Labor, 1941-45).
  • 1886 - Birth of Noble Drew Ali AKA Timothy Drew in North Carolina, USA; prophet (Moorish Science Temple).
  • 1888 - Birth of Matt Moore in County Meath, Ireland; actor (Coquette, Deluge).
  • 1889 - Birth of Paul Hartmann in Furth, Germany; actor (Haunted Castle).
  • 1889 - Dr Herman Hollerith receives first US patent for a tabulating machine (first computer).
  • 1891 - Birth of Storm Jameson; English novelist (The Green Man, Cousin Honoré).
  • 1891 - Birth of Walther Bothe in Oranienburg, Germany; physics professor at the universities of Berlin, Giessen and Heidelberg, discovered neutron radiation, built Germany's first cyclotron, won the Nobel Prize for Physics for development of a method of detecting subatomic particles.
  • 1892 - John Heykamp, old-catholic archbishop of Utrecht, dies at age 67.
  • 1894 - Columbus World's Fair in Chicago destroyed by fire.
  • 1894 - Pierre-Joseph van Beneden, paleontologist (life of tapeworms), dies at age 84.
  • 1896 - Birth of Jaromir Weinberger in Prague, Czechoslovakia; composer (Bird's Opera).
  • 1896 - Birth of Manuel Rojas in Sepulveda, Chile; writer (Men of the South).
  • 1896 - Paul M Verlaine, French poet (Elégies, Bonne Chanson), dies at age 51.
  • 1897 - Michael Eagan wins first US national amateur handball championship.
  • 1899 - Birth of Solomon WRD Bandaranaike; premier of Ceylon (1956-59).
  • 1900 - Billy Bates cricket player (656 runs and 50 wickets in 15 Tests for England), dies.
  • 1900 - Birth of Queen Marie of Yugoslavia.
  • 1901 - Birth of Edmond Vandercammen; French/Belgian writer (L'amour responsable).
  • 1902 - First National Bowling Championship held (Chicago, Illinois, USA).
  • 1902 - Birth of Alexander Gray in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (This is Music).
  • 1902 - Birth of Carl R[ansom] Rogers; US psychologist (Client-Centered Therapy).
  • 1902 - Birth of Georgy M Malenkov; Stalin's successor as head of CPSU, Prime Minister (1953-55).
  • 1902 - Birth of Gret Palucca; German dancer/choreography (Silent Song).
  • 1903 - Birth of Gene Roth [Eugene Stutenroth] in South Dakota, USA; actor (She Demons, Spider).
  • 1904 - Birth of Peter Arno in New York City, New York, USA; cartoonist (The New Yorker).
  • 1904 - Pope Pius X bans low cut dresses in the presence of churchmen.
  • 1905 - Birth of Carl Gustav Hempel in Oranienburg, Germany; logical positivist philosopher, taught at Yale University and Princeton University in the USA.
  • 1906 - Jacob Cornelis van Marken, peanut butter maker (Calvé-Delft), dies at age 60.
  • 1908 - Birth of William Hartnell in London, England; actor (Agitator, Jackpot).
  • 1909 - Birth of Bruce Mitchell; cricket player (South African bat, their top run-scorer (3471)).
  • 1910 - Birth of Richard Cromwell [LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh] in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Jezebel).
  • 1912 - Birth of José Ferrer in Santurce, Puerto Rico; actor/director (Cyrano de Bergerac, Blood Tide, Dune, Big Bus, George Washington, The Rhinemann Exchange, The French Atlantic Affair, Young Harry Houdini, Blood Feud, Newhart, Your Show of Shows).
  • 1912 - Birth of Rudolf G Escher; Dutch composer (True Face of Peace).
  • 1913 - Birth of Horace Smith; cricket player (New Zealand, only Test wicket off his first ball (Paynter)).
  • 1917 - Austria-Hungarian troops conquer Forlani, Italy.
  • 1917 - Birth of Stanley Prager in New York City, New York, USA; comedian (College Bowl).
  • 1918 - Mississippi becomes first state to ratify 18th amendment (alcohol prohibition).
  • 1918 - US President Woodrow Wilson outlines to the American Congress his 14 points for peace after war in Europe, calls for creation of a League of Nations.
  • 1923 - Birth of Iva Michiels [Rik Ceuppens]; Flemish writer (Ksiega Alfa).
  • 1923 - Birth of Johnny Wardle; cricket player (Yorkshire and England left-arm bowler of 1950s).
  • 1923 - Birth of Larry Storch in New York City, New York, USA; comedian (F Troop, Larry Storch Show, Sabrina the Teenaged Witch).
  • 1924 - Birth of Ron Moody in London, England; actor (Twelve Chairs, Wrong is Right).
  • 1925 - Birth of James Saunders; English chemist/playwright (Ark).
  • 1926 - Abdul-Aziz ibn Sa'ud becomes king of Hejaz; renames it Saudi Arabia.
  • 1926 - Birth of Milton "Soupy Sales" Hines in North Carolina, USA; comedian (Soupy Sales Show).
  • 1928 - Birth of Sander Vanocur in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; news anchor (NBC Weekend News).
  • 1929 - First telephone connection between Netherlands and West-Indies.
  • 1930 - Belgian Princess Marie-José marries Italian crown prince Umberto.
  • 1930 - Birth of Doreen Wilber; American archer (Olympics-gold-1972).
  • 1930 - Birth of May Wynn [Donna Lee Hickey] in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Caine Mutiny, Noah's Ark).
  • 1931 - Birth of Bill Graham in Germany; German rock concert promoter (Fillmore) (dies 1991).
  • 1931 - Philadelphia Quakers set NHL record of 15 straight loses.
  • 1933 - Birth of Charles Osgood in New York City, New York, USA; news anchor (CBS Weekend News), TV host (CBS Sunday Morning).
  • 1933 - Birth of Jean-Marie Straub in France; director (Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach).
  • 1934 - Birth of Jacques Anquetil in France; Tour de France bicycle racer (5-time winner).
  • 1934 - Birth of Roy Kinnear in Lancashire, England; actor (TW3, Help!, The Three Musketeers).
  • 1935 - Birth of Elvis Aaron Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA; musician/actor ("Blue Suede Shoes", "Hounddog").
  • 1935 - Birth of Nolan Miller in Burkburnett, Texas, USA; fashion designer (Dynasty, The Love Boat).
  • 1935 - Spectrophotometer patented, AC Hardy.
  • 1936 - Birth of Ferdinand Hartzenberg; South African minister of Education (1979-82).
  • 1937 - -50 degrees F (-45.6 degrees C), San Jacinto, Nevada (state record low).
  • 1937 - Birth of Shirley Bassey in Cardiff, Wales; singer (Goldfinger, Moonraker).
  • 1938 - Birth of Bob Eubanks in Flint Michigan, USA; TV host (Newlywed Game).
  • 1938 - Donald Bradman scores 107 for South Australia versus Queensland (first innings).
  • 1939 - Birth of Yvette Mimieux in Hollywood, California, USA; actress (Time Machine, Where the Boys Are).
  • 1940 - Birth of Anthony Gaurdine; rocker (Little Anthony and Imperials - "Goin' Out of My Head").
  • 1940 - Britain's first war rationing (bacon, butter and sugar).
  • 1941 - Birth of Graham Chapman in England; comedian/writer (Monty Python's Flying Circus, Doctor at Large, The Two Ronnies, The Frost Report, That Was The Week That Was).
  • 1941 - British Air Marshal Richard Peirse resigns.
  • 1941 - Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement, dies at age 83.
  • 1941 - Birth of Anthony Gourdine; singer (Little Anthony and the Imperials).
  • 1942 - Birth of Stephen Hawking; English physicist (Black Holes and Baby Universes).
  • 1942 - Birth of Vyacheslav Dmitriyevich Zudov in USSR; cosmonaut (Soyuz 23).
  • 1943 - Birth of Lee Jackson; rocker (Nice).
  • 1943 - Birth of Marcus Hutson; rock vocalist (Whispers).
  • 1944 - Birth of Terry Brooks; American sci-fi author (Sword of Shannara).
  • 1945 - Birth of John Peters; rock drummer (Harpers Bizarre).
  • 1945 - Jac[obus] P Thijsse, Dutch biologist (Omgang met planten), dies at age 79.
  • 1946 - Birth of Elaine Cheris in Dotham, Alabama, USA; fencer-epee (Olympics-1996).
  • 1946 - Birth of Kathleen Noone; actress (All My Children, Party of Five, Knots Landing, According to Jim, Passions).
  • 1946 - Birth of Robby Krieger in Los Angeles, California, USA; guitarist (The Doors - "Come on Baby Light My Fire").
  • 1946 - Birth of Tod Brannan; Vice President (Logos Network Corp).
  • 1947 - Birth of David Jones AKA David Bowie in London, England; singer ("Major Tom", "Ziggy Stardust"), actor (The Man Who Fell to Earth).
  • 1947 - Birth of Igor Ivanov in Leningrad, Russia; Canadian chess champion (1981-84, 1985-).
  • 1947 - Birth of Terry Sylvester; rocker (The Hollies - "The Air that I Breathe").
  • 1947 - American General George Marshall becomes Secretary of State.
  • 1947 - Toronto Maple Leafs' rookie Howie Meeker scores five goals in a game.
  • 1948 - Birth of Gillies Mackinnon; film director (Playboys).
  • 1948 - Dutch Queen Wilhelmina signs death sentence against Ans van Dijk for treason.
  • 1949 - Make Mine Manhattan play closes at Broadhurst Theater in New York City, New York after 429 performances.
  • 1949 - Birth of Lawrence Rowe; cricket player (prolific West Indies batsman, 302 versus England 1974).
  • 1949 - Birth of Anne Schedeen in Portland, Oregon, USA; actress (Alf, Paper Dolls, Marcus Welby).
  • 1950 - George Rowe, cricket player (15 wickets in four Tests for South Africa 1895-1902), dies.
  • 1950 - Joseph A Schumpeter, Austrian/American economist/Minister of Finance, dies at age 66.
  • 1950 - Joseph Issac Shneerson, Jewish Lubavitch Chabal leader, dies.
  • 1951 - Birth of John McTiernan in Albany, New York, USA; actor (Predator, Die Hard, Medicine Man).
  • 1951 - Thought extinct since 1615, a Cahow is rediscovered in Bermuda.
  • 1952 - TV show My Friend Irma first airs in the USA.
  • 1952 - Antonia Maury, discoverer (supergiant, giant and dwarf stars), dies.
  • 1952 - Birth of Laurie Walters in San Francisco, California, USA; actress (Joannie - Eight is Enough).
  • 1952 - Birth of Norm Jarvis in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada; golfer (1984 Chilliwack).
  • 1952 - Jordan adopts constitution.
  • 1952 - Joseph Arendt, Belgian worker's union leader, dies at age 66.
  • 1953 - Birth of Bruce Sutter; pitcher (Chicago Cubs, Saint Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves).
  • 1953 - Cleveland Indians bar night games with Cleveland Browns (who refuse to share TV receipts).
  • 1953 - René Mayer forms French government.
  • 1954 - Elvis Presley pays US$4 to a Memphis studio and records his first two songs, "Casual Love" and "I'll Never Stand in Your Way".
  • 1955 - Birth of Mike Reno in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; rock vocalist (Loverboy - "Get Lucky", "Heaven in Your Eyes").
  • 1955 - Furman sets NCAA basketball single-game scoring record with 154 points.
  • 1955 - Georgia Tech ends Kentucky's 130-game home basketball win streak.
  • 1955 - Louise Sugg wins LPGA Los Angeles Golf Open.
  • 1955 - Birth of Harriet Sansom Harris; actress (Desperate Housewives, Frasier, It's All Relative).
  • 1956 - Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Conrad Aiken.
  • 1956 - Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog" single goes to #1 and stays #1 for a record 11 weeks (for a single).
  • 1958 - Cuban revolutionary forces capture Havana.
  • 1959 - Birth of Michael Harwood in Sydney, New South Wales; Australasia golfer.
  • 1959 - Charles de Gaulle inaugurated as President of France's 5th Republic.
  • 1961 - Birth of Shoaib Mohammad; cricket player (son of Hanif Patient and prolific batsman).
  • 1961 - Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Yvor Winters.
  • 1962 - Leonardo Da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time.
  • 1962 - Dutch express train crashes into slow commuter train, 91 die (Netherlands).
  • 1962 - Golfer Jack Nicklaus, age 21, makes his first professional appearance, comes in 50th.
  • 1963 - Mona Lisa painting, on loan, is unveiled in America's National Gallery of Art.
  • 1963 - Birth of Hiromi Kobayashi in Fukushima, Japan; LPGA golfer (1993 JAL Big Apple).
  • 1963 - Stark Young, US writer (So Red the Rose), dies at age 81.
  • 1964 - Arnoldus JC Krafft, theologist (Atlas of Netherlands Antilles), dies at age 71.
  • 1964 - Birth of Virgil Hill in Missouri, USA; middleweight boxer (Olympics-silver-1984).
  • 1964 - European Parliament accepts Mansholt Plan.
  • 1964 - Julius Raab, Austrian chancellor (1953-61), dies at age 72.
  • 1964 - US President Lyndon B Johnson declares "War on Poverty".
  • 1965 - Birth of Champaka Ramanayake; cricket player (Sri Lankan opening bowler).
  • 1965 - Birth of Eric Wohlberg in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; cyclist (Olympics-1996).
  • 1965 - Birth of Maria Pitillo in Elmira, New York, USA; actress (Dear God, Nancy Don Lewis - Ryan's Hope, Providence, House Rules, Partners).
  • 1965 - Birth of Michelle Forbes; actress (Julianna Cox - Homicide).
  • 1965 - Star of India returned to American Museum of Natural History.
  • 1965 - NBC debuts the TV dance show Hullabaloo.
  • 1966 - The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" album goes #1 and stays #1 for six weeks.
  • 1966 - The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" single goes #1 and stays #1 for three weeks.
  • 1966 - Birth of Darryl Hall; Canadian Football League linebacker (Calgary Stampeders).
  • 1966 - Birth of Loretta Lee [Lee Lai Chan] in China; actress (Happy Ghost).
  • 1966 - Georges Pompidou appointed French premier.
  • 1966 - ABC-TV airs the final episode of Shindig!. The show features The Kinks and The Who.
  • 1967 - Birth of Hollis Conway in Chicago, Illinois, USA; high jumper (Olympics-silver/bronze-1988, 1992).
  • 1967 - Birth of Kent Jones in Portales, New Mexico, USA; golfer (NM State Amateur-1990-91).
  • 1967 - Birth of Roger Rowland in Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Nike golfer (1990 Macon Open-second).
  • 1967 - Birth of Willie Anderson; American NBA guard (New York Knicks, Olympics-bronze-1988).
  • 1967 - Zbigniew Cybulski, Polish actor (See You Tommorrow), dies at age 39.
  • 1967 - Birth of Robert Sylvester Kelly AKA R. Kelly in Chicago, Illinois, USA; singer ("I Believe I Can Fly").
  • 1967 - Birth of Michelle Forbes; actress (Prison Break, 24, Homicide).
  • 1968 - Birth of Alexander Alexeev; NHL defenseman (Belarus, Olympics-1998).
  • 1968 - Birth of Brian Johnson in Oakland, California, USA; catcher (San Diego Padres).
  • 1968 - Birth of Mark Duane Croghan in Akron, Ohio, USA; 3k steeplechase (Olympics-5th-1996).
  • 1968 - Birth of Paul Carey; US baseball infielder (Baltimore Orioles).
  • 1968 - The ABC TV network airs the first The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau 60-minute documentary TV show in the USA.
  • 1969 - Birth of Ami Dolenz in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (General Hospital, Can't Buy Me Love).
  • 1969 - Birth of Brian Boehringer in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; pitcher (New York Yankees).
  • 1969 - Birth of Jeff Abercrombie; bassist (Fuel).
  • 1970 - Birth of Jon Klemm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; NHL defenseman (Colorado Avalanche).
  • 1971 - 29 pilot whales beach themselves and die at San Clemente Island, California.
  • 1971 - Birth of Billy Joe Hobert; NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders).
  • 1971 - Birth of Branislav Janos; hockey forward (Team Slovakia 1998).
  • 1971 - Birth of Brenda Lee Armstrong in Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA; Miss Minnesota-America (1990).
  • 1971 - Birth of Brook Mahealani Lee; Miss Universe/Miss USA-1997 (Hawaii).
  • 1971 - Birth of Darren Langdon in Deer Lake, Newfoundland, Canada; NHL left wing (New York Rangers).
  • 1971 - Birth of Jason Giambi in West Covina, California, USA; infielder (Oakland Athletics).
  • 1971 - Birth of Roosevelt Potts; NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts).
  • 1971 - Birth of Stephane Barin; hockey forward (Team France 1998).
  • 1971 - French Line's Antilles passenger liner (20,000 gross tons, 1663 passengers) strikes an unchartered rock off Mustique, rupturing an oil pipeline, engulfing the entire ship. The 635 passengers are rescued by other ships.
  • 1971 - Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota established.
  • 1972 - Birth of Brandie Burton in San Bernardino, California, USA; LPGA golfer (1993 du Maurier Ltd).
  • 1972 - Birth of Devlin Murphy in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; canoe (alternate-Olympics-1996).
  • 1972 - Kenneth Patchen, American writer (See You in the Morning), dies at age 60.
  • 1972 - NCAA announces freshman can play on teams starting in fall.
  • 1973 - Greg Chappell's best Test bowling, 5-61 versus Pakistan at Sydney Cricket Ground.
  • 1973 - Secret peace talks between US and North Vietnam resume near Paris, France.
  • 1973 - USSR launches Luna 21 for Moon landing.
  • 1974 - Birth of Arjan Blaauw; Dutch soccer player (FC Groningen).
  • 1974 - Birth of Brian Roberson; wide receiver (New York Giants).
  • 1974 - Gold hits record US$126.50 an ounce in London, England.
  • 1974 - Silver hits record US$3.40 an ounce in New York.
  • 1975 - Anthony Warde, actor (Big Punch, Buck Rogers), dies at age 66.
  • 1975 - Birth of Vitali Yachmenev in Chelyabinsk, Russia; NHL right wing (Los Angeles Kings).
  • 1975 - Gertrude Olmsted, actress (Cobra, Torrent), dies at age 70.
  • 1975 - John Dierkes, actor (Red Badge of Courage), dies at age 69.
  • 1975 - Death of John Gregson at age 55 after a heart attack; British actor (Rooney, Assassin, Gideon - Gideon's Way TV show).
  • 1975 - US Judge Sirica orders release of Watergate's John W Dean III, Herbert W Kalmbach and Jeb Stuart Magruder from prison.
  • 1975 - Louis J H C A de Bourbon, Dutch writer/poet (Gypsy Blood), dies at age 66.
  • 1975 - Richard Tucker [Reuben Ticker], US tenor (La Gioconda), dies at age 61.
  • 1976 - Birth of Jenny Lewis in Las Vegas, Nevada; actress (Becky - Life With Lucy, Brooklyn Bridge, Shannon's Deal).
  • 1976 - Birth of Brad Snyder in Ontario, Canada; shot putter (Olympics-1996).
  • 1976 - Chou En-lai, China's Prime Minister (1949-76), dies of cancer in Beijing at age 78.
  • 1976 - Franklin Mint strikes first gold coins for Netherlands Antilles.
  • 1977 - Birth of Pearl Amoah; Miss Ghana-Universe (1996).
  • 1977 - Birth of Ryan Frances; actor (Trevor - Sisters).
  • 1977 - Birth of Amber Benson; actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
  • 1978 - Birth of Petra Minarova; Miss Czech Republic-Universe (1997).
  • 1978 - Israel's Cabinet votes to 'strengthen' settlements in occupied Sinai.
  • 1978 - Death of Walter Keirnan at age 75; TV host and panelist (Who's the Boss?, What's the Story?, Who Said That?, Kiernan's Corner, I've Got a Secret).
  • 1978 - Birth of Scott Whyte; actor (City Guys).
  • 1979 - 512 die as oil tanker Bantry Bay blows up.
  • 1979 - The French tanker Betelgeuse explodes at the Gulf Oil terminal at Bantry, Ireland; 50 are killed.
  • 1979 - Argentina and Chile sign Beagle Canal accord.
  • 1979 - Birth of Sarah Polley; actress/director (Sweet Hereafter, Slings and Arrows, Road to Avonlea).
  • 1979 - Death of Sara Carter, American bluegrass and country singer (Carter Family), at age 80 (born 1898).
  • 1980 - NCAA decides to sponsor women's championships in five sports.
  • 1980 - Oscar Ewing, US government official (Everybody's Business), dies at age 90.
  • 1980 - Birth of Rachel Nichols; actress (Alias, The Inside).
  • 1980 - New York Islanders' Glenn Resch's 20th shut-out opponent-Vancouver Canucks 3-0.
  • 1981 - Pirates of Penzance opens at Uris Theater in New York City, New York for 772 performances.
  • 1981 - India all out 63 in one-day international versus Australia.
  • 1981 - Stack's sells Brasher doubloon of Yale University for US$650,000.
  • 1981 - Cincinnati Reds become last team to sign a free agent (Larry Biitner).
  • 1981 - Disneyland welcomes its 200-millionth guest, Gert Schelvis.
  • 1981 - Death of Woody Chamblis at age 66 of cancer; actor (Woody Lathrop - Gunsmoke TV show).
  • 1982 - The US government and AT&T settle their antitrust suit, with AT&T splitting its 22 regional companies into individual entities.
  • 1982 - The US Justice Department decides to drop its antitrust suit against IBM, which was launched 13 years ago. One of its aims had been to break IBM up into several companies.
  • 1982 - Death of Reta Shaw at age 69 of emphysema; actress (The Ghost and Mrs Muir TV show).
  • 1982 - Birth of Gaby Hoffman, actress (Field of Dreams, Uncle Buck, Now and Then, Someone Like Me).
  • 1982 - Gregoire Aslan, character actor (Concrete Jungle), dies of a heart attack at age 73.
  • 1983 - Birth of Disashi Lumumbo-Kasongo; guitarist (Gym Class Heroes).
  • 1983 - Death of Gale Page at age 72 of cancer; actress/singer (Four Daughters, Knute Rockney, Robert Montgomery Presents TV show).
  • 1983 - Lois Wilson, actress (Alice - Aldrich Family), dies at age 88.
  • 1983 - A riot breaks out at Sing Sing prison, New York.
  • 1984 - NHL Washington Capitals' Bengt Gustafsson scores five goals.
  • 1984 - In Sulawesi, Indonesia, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurs.
  • 1984 - NCAA announces that basketball tournament will have 64 teams.
  • 1986 - US President Ronald Reagan freezes Libyan assets in the US.
  • 1986 - Willie McCovey is 16th elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year.
  • 1986 - Yaroslav Seifert, Czechoslovakian poet (Nobel Prize 1984), dies at age 84.
  • 1987 - Dow Jones Industrial Index closes above 2,000 for first time (2,002.25).
  • 1987 - P G Joshi, cricket player (12 Tests for India 1951-60, ct 18 stp 9), dies.
  • 1987 - Peter Adams, actor (Alternative, Blowing Hot and Cold), dies at age 69.
  • 1988 - 9th largest NBA crowd 38,873-Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons.
  • 1988 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 140.58 points (6.85 percent) to close at 1,911.31 in a mini-crash.
  • 1988 - Frank Pace Junior, US Secretary of Army (1950-53), dies at age 76.
  • 1988 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Debi Thomas.
  • 1989 - 42nd Street closes at Winter Garden Theater in New York City, New York after 3,486 performances.
  • 1989 - In England, a British Midland Boeing 737-400 plane crashes on approach to East Midlands Airport, leaving 47 dead.
  • 1989 - Death of Kenneth McMillan at age 66 of liver failure; actor (Our Family Honor TV show, Suzanne Pleshette is Maggie Briggs TV show, Rhoda TV show, Ryan's Hope TV show, King and Favorite Son TV mini-series, Concrete Beat, Malone).
  • 1989 - Soviet Union promises to eliminate stockpiles of chemical weapons.
  • 1990 - Terry Thomas, English comic (Heroes), dies of Parkinson's disease at age 78.
  • 1990 - Demonstrations in Leipzig, Germany, demand reunification; "Wir sind ein Volk!" is the chant used on this day during the demonstrations.
  • 1990 - Death of Georgie Auld AKA John Altwerger at age 70; jazz tenor saxophonist (Artie Shaw orchestra, Jan Savitt orchestra, Benny Goodman orchestra, Bunny Berigan orchestra).
  • 1991 - Davis Rules with Jonathan Winters and Randy Quaid premieres on ABC-TV.
  • 1991 - Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins, and Rod Carew elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • 1991 - Death of Steve Clark at age 30 from drugs and alcohol in London, England; guitarist (Def Leppard - "Hysteria").
  • 1991 - Tamás Darnyi swims world record 400m medley (4:12.36).
  • 1992 - Abderrahim Bouabid, Morroco prime secretary (1972), dies.
  • 1992 - Johnny [Jan] Meijer, Dutch king of accordions (Body and Soul), dies.
  • 1992 - US President George H. W. Bush is televised falling violently ill at a state dinner in Japan, vomiting into the lap of Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and fainting.
  • 1993 - Chicago Bulls' player Michael Jordan scores his 20,000th career point.
  • 1993 - Hakija Turajlic, Bosnian vice-premier, murdered.
  • 1993 - Theo Bruins, Dutch pianist/composer (Syncope), dies at age 63.
  • 1994 - Edward Duke, actor (Decadence, Silver Bears), dies of cancer at age 40.
  • 1994 - Harvey Haddix, pitcher (12 perfect inning game), dies at age 68.
  • 1994 - Lady Caithness, wife of British undersecretary, commits suicide.
  • 1994 - Death of Pat Buttram at age 78 of kidney failure; actor (Eustace Haney - Green Acres TV show, Petticoat Junction TV show).
  • 1994 - Rintje Ritsma skates world record 1500m (1:51.60).
  • 1994 - Russian manned space craft TM-18 is launched into orbit. Valeri Polyakov begins his 437.7 day orbit on the Mir space station, eventually setting the world record for days spent in orbit.
  • 1994 - Sri Chandrashekhara Saraswathi, guru of Kanchi, dies at age 99.
  • 1994 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Davis.
  • 1994 - Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Italian actor (Octopus), dies at age 52.
  • 1995 - Guys and Dolls closes at Martin Beck Theater in New York City, New York after 1143 performances.
  • 1995 - Carlos Monzon [El Macho], Argentine middleweight boxing champion (1970-77), dies at age 52.
  • 1995 - Louis "Loulou" Gasté, guitarist/composer ("Doggy in the Window"), dies at age 88.
  • 1995 - Mike Schmidt is elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame.
  • 1996 - For first time in 25 years no one is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • 1996 - Francois Mitterrand, President of France (1981-95), dies of cancer at age 79.
  • 1996 - A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital Kinshasa - 350 dead.
  • 1997 - Intel releases the 166 MHz and 200 MHz Pentium processors with MMX multimedia extension instructions. Bus speed is 66 MHz. They incorporate 4.5 million transistors. Performance of the 200 MHz version is 350 MIPS. Code-name during development was P55C. MMX originally stood for "matrix-multiplication extensions".
  • 1997 - Death of Carole Carr at age 68; singer/actress (Down Among the Z Men).
  • 1998 - Death of Michael Tippett, English composer (Royal College of Music), at age 93 (born 1905).
  • 1998 - New York Giants' general manager George Young resigns to accept NFL position.
  • 1998 - Walter Diemer, inventor (bubble gum 1928), dies of heart failure at age 93.
  • 1998 - Ramzi Yousef is sentenced to life in prison for planning the World Trade Center bombing.
  • 1998 - Cosmologists announce that the universe's expansion rate is increasing.
  • 2001 - Noah, a gaur, is born, the first individual of an endangered species to be cloned.
  • 2002 - IBM announces it will no longer manufacture desktop personal computers in most of the world. It will sell its desktop facilities in US and Europe to Sanmina-SCI.
  • 2002 - Juan Gonzalez agrees to a $24 million, two-year deal with the Texas Rangers.
  • 2002 - US President George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, as Public Law 107-110, with federally-mandated standard testing and narrow focus on reading and math.
  • 2002 - Death of Alexander Prochorow, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916).
  • 2002 - Death of Dave Thomas, American fast food entrepreneur (Wendy's) (born 1932).
  • 2003 - US Airways Express Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people aboard.
  • 2004 - Queen Elizabeth II christens the Cunard Line's RMS Queen Mary 2 cruise liner, the largest ocean liner in the world (151,400 gross tons, 3090 passengers).
  • 2005 - Over night, violent storm Gudrun sweeps across the southern half of Sweden, the worst storm in the country since 1969, and one of the worst natural catastrophes in recorded Swedish history. Storm gusts reached 150 km/hour, knocking down 250 million trees, the equivalent of a year's normal harvest of 80 million cubic metres throughout the country. Seven die in the storm, another nine die in clean-up work. 500,000 households are left with no electricity, and the Öresund bridge is closed to road traffic.
  • 2006 - A powerful, magnitude 6.9 earthquake centered off the coast of the Greek island of Kythera shakes much of Greece and is felt throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin.
  • 2007 - Russian oil supplies to Poland, Germany, and Ukraine are cut as the Russia-Belarus energy dispute escalates; restored three days later.
  • 2007 - Death of Yvonne de Carlo at age 84 in Woodland Hills, California, USA; actress; (Lily Munster - The Munsters TV show).
  • 2008 - An attempted assassination of Maldivian president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is thwarted after a Boy Scout grabs the attacker's knife. The Boy Scout is injured, but after a scuffle police arrest the attacker.
  • 2009 - In Los Angeles, California, the Critics' Choice Awards are announced.
    • Best picture: Slumdog Millionaire
    • Best director: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
    • Best writer: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire
    • Best young actor: Dev Patel for Slumdog Millionaire
    • Best composer: A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire
    • Best song: "The Wrestler" by Bruce Springsteen
    • Best actor: Sean Penn for Milk
    • Best acting ensemble: Milk
    • Best actress: Meryl Streep for Doubt, and Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married
    • Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
    • Best action film: The Dark Knight
    • Best supporting actress: Kate Winslet for The Reader.

  • 2009 - The Bank of England cuts interest rates to 1.5 percent, the lowest level since the Bank of England was founded in 1694.
  • 2010 - The Togo national football team is involved in an attack in Angola, and as a result withdraws from the Africa Cup of Nations.
  • 2011 - Jared Loughner shoots at a political event in Tucson, Arizona, killing 6, wounding 13 others.
  • 2016 - Joaquín Guzmán, widely regarded as the world's most powerful drug trafficker, is recaptured following his escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico.
  • 2017 - Death of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, 4th President of Iran (born 1934).
  • 2017 - Death of James Mancham, 1st President of Seychelles (born 1939).
  • 2020 - In retaliation for the American assassination of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani, Iran launches ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. soldiers, injuring multiple personnel.
  • 2020 - Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 is shot down by Iranian forces shortly after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards mistook the plane for a cruise missile.
  • 2020 - Death of Infanta Pilar de Borbón, Spanish royal (born 1936).
  • 2022 - Death of Marilyn Bergman at age 93 of respiratory failure in Los Angeles, California; lyricist ("The Way We Were").

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