Events

• 711 Islamic conquest of Hispania: Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad land at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus).
• 1429 – Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans.
• 1483– Gran Canaria, the main of the Canary Islands is conquered by the Kingdom of Castile, very important step in the expansion of Spain.
• 1624–: in France, Richelieu assumes as Prime Minister of Louis XIII.
• 1672 – Franco-Dutch War: Louis XIV of France invades the Netherlands.
• 1707– Scotland and England unified in United Kingdom of Great Britain.
• 1770 – James Cook arrives at and names Botany Bay, Australia.
• 1832 – Évariste Galois released from prison.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Maryland's House of Delegates votes not to secede from the Union.
• 1862 – American Civil War: New Orleans, Louisiana falls to Union forces under Admiral David Farragut.
• 1864 – The Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
• 1882 – The "Elektromote" – forerunner of the trolleybus – is tested by Ernst Werner von Siemens in Berlin.
• 1903 – A 30 million cubic-metre landslide kills 70 in Frank, Alberta, Canada.
• 1916 – World War I: The British 6th Indian Division surrenders to Ottoman Forces at Kut in one of the largest surrenders of British forces up to that point.
• 1916 – Easter Rebellion: Martial law in Ireland is lifted and the rebellion is officially over with the surrender of Irish nationalists to British authorities in Dublin.
• 1945 – World War II: The German Army in Italy unconditionally surrenders to the Allies.
• 1945 – World War II: Start of Operation Manna.
• 1945 – World War II – Fuehrerbunker: Adolf Hitler marries his long-time partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designates Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor. Both Hitler and Braun will commit suicide the next day.
• 1945 – The Dachau concentration camp is liberated by United States troops.
• 1945 – The Italian commune of Fornovo di Taro is liberated from German forces by Brazilian forces.
• 1946 – Former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders are indicted for war crimes.
• 1951 – A Tibetan delegation to the Chinese government is presented with a draft treaty regarding the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
• 1953 – The first U.S. experimental 3D-TV broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.
• 1965 – Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) successfully launches its seventh rocket in its Rehber series.
• 1967 – After refusing induction into the United States Army the day before (citing religious reasons), Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title.
• 1968 – The controversial musical Hair opens on Broadway.
• 1970 – Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to hunt Viet Cong.
• 1974 – Watergate Scandal: President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings related to the scandal.
• 1975 – Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate U.S. citizens from Saigon prior to an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.
• 1980 – Corazones Unidos Siempre Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority Inc. is founded.
• 1986 – Roger Clemens then of the Boston Red Sox sets a major league baseball record with 20 strikeouts in nine innings against the Seattle Mariners.
• 1986 – A fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles Public Library damages or destroys 400,000 books and other items.
• 1991 – A cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 mph, killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as 10 million homeless.
• 1992 – 1992 Los Angeles riots: Riots in Los Angeles, California, following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 53 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed.
• 1997 – The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 enters into force, outlawing the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons by its signatories.
• 1999 – The Avala TV Tower near Belgrade is destroyed in the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
• 2002 – The United States is re-elected to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, one year after losing the seat that it had held for 50 years.
• 2004 – Dick Cheney and George W. Bush testify before the 9/11 Commission in a closed, unrecorded hearing in the Oval Office.
• 2004 – Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production.
• 2005 – Syria completes withdrawal from Lebanon, ending 29 years of occupation.
• 2005 – New Zealand's first civil union takes place.
• 2007 – Republic Protests in Turkey.

Births

• 1665 – James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish statesman and soldier (d. 1745)
• 1667 – John Arbuthnot, English physician and satirist (d. 1735)
• 1686 – Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English statesman (d. 1742)
• 1727 – Jean-Georges Noverre, French dancer (d. 1810)
• 1745 – Oliver Ellsworth, 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1807)
• 1758 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish Lieutenant General and war hero (d. 1820)
• 1762 – Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, French marshal (d. 1833)
• 1769 – Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Anglo-Irish statesman (d. 1852)
• 1780 – Charles Nodier, French writer (d. 1844)
• 1784 – Samuel Turell Armstrong, American politician and acting Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1850)
• 1810 – Thomas Adolphus Trollope, English author and journalist, (d. 1892)
• 1837 – Georges Boulanger, French general and politician (d. 1891)
• 1842 – Karl Millöcker, Dutch composer (d. 1899)
• 1848 – Raja Ravi Varma,Indian painter (d.1906)
• 1854 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1912)
• 1863 – William Randolph Hearst, American publisher (d. 1951)
• 1863 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet (d. 1933)
• 1863 – Maria Theresa Ledochowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic nun (d. 1922)
• 1872 – Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman (d. 1930)
• 1875 – Rafael Sabatini, Italian/British writer (d. 1950)
• 1876 – Zauditu of Ethiopia (d. 1930)
• 1879 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor (d. 1961)
• 1882 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch artist and printer (d. 1945)
• 1885 – Egon Erwin Kisch, Czech journalist and author (d. 1948)
• 1893 – Harold Urey, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
• 1895 – Sir Malcolm Sargent, English conductor (d. 1967)
• 1899 – Duke Ellington, American jazz pianist and bandleader (d. 1974)
• 1901 – Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (d. 1989)
• 1907 – Tino Rossi, French singer and actor (d. 1983)
• 1907 – Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-born American film director (d. 1997)
• 1908 – Jack Williamson, American writer (d. 2006)
• 1909 – Tom Ewell, American actor (d. 1994)
• 1912 – Richard Carlson, American actor (d. 1977)
• 1915 – Donald Mills, American singer (Mills Brothers) (d. 1999)
• 1917 – Celeste Holm, American actress
• 1918 – George Allen, American football player and coach (d. 1990)
• 1919 – Gérard Oury, French film actor and director (d. 2006)
• 1920 – Harold Shapero, American composer
• 1922 – Helmut Krackowizer, Austrian motorcyclist (d. 2001)
• 1922 – Toots Thielemans, Belgian jazz guitarist and harmonica player
• 1924 – Al Balding, Canadian golfer (d. 2006)
• 1924 – Zizi Jeanmaire, French ballet dancer and actress
• 1925 – Ned Austin, American character actor (d. 2007)
• 1925 – John Compton, Saint Lucian Prime Minister (d. 2007)
• 1925 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, producer and film director (d. 2007)
• 1926 – Elmer Kelton, American Western novelist (d. 2009)
• 1928 – Carl Gardner, American singer (The Coasters)
• 1929 – Ray Baretto, American jazz musician (d. 2006)
• 1929 – Walter Kempowski, German author (d. 2007)
• 1929 – Mickey McDermott, American baseball player (d. 2003)
• 1929 – Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer
• 1930 – Jean Rochefort, French actor
• 1931 – Frank Auerbach, German-born British painter
• 1931 – Lonnie Donegan, Scottish musician (d. 2002)
• 1932 – Joy Clements, American soprano (d. 2005)
• 1933 – Mark Eyskens, Prime Minister of Belgium
• 1933 – Rod McKuen, American poet and composer
• 1934 – Luis Aparicio, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1934 – Pedro Pires, 3rd President of Cape Verde
• 1934 – Otis Rush, American musician
• 1936 – Zubin Mehta, Indian-born conductor
• 1936 – April Stevens, American singer
• 1936 – Lane Smith, American actor (d. 2005)
• 1937 – Jill Paton Walsh, English writer
• 1938 – Fred Dibnah, English television personality (d. 2004)
• 1938 – Bernard Madoff, American convict, who was a financier and Chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange.
• 1938 – Klaus Voormann, German musician, artist, and record producer
• 1942 – Galina Kulakova, Soviet cross country skier
• 1944 – Princess Benedikte of Denmark
• 1944 – Richard Kline, American actor and director
• 1944 – Francis Lee, English International Footballer and philanthropist
• 1945 – Tammi Terrell, American singer (d. 1970)
• 1947 – Serge Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1947 – Olavo de Carvalho, Brazilian philosopher
• 1947 – Tommy James, American musician
• 1947 – Jim Ryun, American athlete and politician
• 1948 – Bruce Cutler, American attorney
• 1948 – Michael Karoli, German guitarist and violinist (Can) (d. 2001)
• 1950 – Phillip Noyce, Australian film director
• 1950 – Debbie Stabenow, American politician
• 1951 – Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (d. 2001)
• 1952 – Nora Dunn, American actress
• 1952 – David Icke, English writer
• 1952 – Bob McClure, American baseball player
• 1954 – Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder
• 1954 – Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian
• 1955 – Wendee Lee, American voice actress
• 1955 – Kate Mulgrew, American actress
• 1955 – Gino Quilico, Canadian baritone
• 1956 – Sofia Sakorafa, Greek javelin thrower and politician
• 1956 – Ketil Stokkan, Norwegian singer
• 1957 – Daniel Day-Lewis, British-Irish actor
• 1957 – Mark Kendall, American guitarist
• 1957 – Timothy Treadwell, American ecologist (d. 2003)
• 1958 – Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress
• 1958 – Eve Plumb, American actress
• 1958 – Gary Cohen, Baseball broadcaster
• 1958 – Martin Whitmarsh, Current CEO of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 Racing Team
• 1960 – Phil King, English bassist
• 1960 – Robert J. Sawyer, Canadian writer
• 1960 – Caveh Zahedi, American filmmaker
• 1961 – Fumihiko Tachiki, Japanese seiyū
• 1963 – Mike Babcock, NHL Coach
• 1964 – Federico Castelluccio, Italian-American actor
• 1966 – Phil Tufnell, English cricketer
• 1967 – Curtis Joseph, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1967 – Master P, American rapper
• 1968 – Carnie Wilson, American singer
• 1969 – Paul Adelstein, American actor
• 1969 – İzel, Turkish singer
• 1970 – Andre Agassi, American tennis player
• 1970 – China Forbes, American singer and songwriter (Pink Martini)
• 1970 – Uma Thurman, American actress
• 1971 – Sam Michael, Australian engineer
• 1971 – Tamara Johnson-George, American singer (SWV)
• 1972 – Dustin McDaniel, American politician
• 1973 – David Belle, French physical educator
• 1973 – Johan Hegg, Swedish heavy metal vocalist
• 1974 – Anggun, Indonesian singer
• 1974 – Pascal Cygan, French footballer
• 1974 – Julian Knowle, Austrian tennis player
• 1974 – Jasper Wood, Canadian violinist
• 1975 – Béres Zoo, Hungarian radio DJ
• 1975 – Rafael Betancourt, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1975 – Eric Koston, Thai American professional skateboarder
• 1976 – Jay Orpin, Swedish composer and producer
• 1977 – Rocío Carrasco, Spanish TV host and socialite
• 1977 – Claus Jensen, Danish footballer
• 1978 – Tony Armas, Jr., Venezuelan baseball player
• 1978 – Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, American tennis players
• 1979 – Ryan Sharp, Scottish racing driver
• 1979 – Jo O'Meara, British singer (S Club)
• 1979 – Lee Dong-Gook, Korean footballer
• 1979 – Matt Tong, English drummer (Bloc Party)
• 1980 – Mathieu Biron, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Kian Egan, Irish singer (Westlife)
• 1980 – Kelly Shoppach, American baseball player
• 1981 – George McCartney, Northern Irish footballer
• 1981 – Émilie Mondor, Canadian athlete (d. 2006)
• 1981 – Alex Vincent, American actor
• 1982 – Travis Smith, American drummer (Trivium)
• 1983 – Jay Cutler, American football player
• 1983 – Yuriko Shiratori, Japanese gravure idol and actress
• 1983 – David Lee, American basketball player
• 1983 – Tommie Harris, American football player
• 1983 – Sam Jones III, American Actor
• 1984 – Taylor Cole, American actress
• 1984 – Firass Dirani, Australian actor
• 1984 – Phạm Văn Quyến, Vietnamese footballer
• 1984 – Vasilis Xanthopoulos, Greek basketball player
• 1986 – Renee Alway, American model
• 1987 – Alicia Morton, American actress
• 1988 – Younha, Korean pop singer
• 2003 – Barbaro, American thoroughbred racehorse (d. 2007)
• 2003 – Maud Behn, Princess of Norway
• 2007 – Infanta Sofía of Spain, Princess of Spain

Deaths

• 926 – Burchard II, Duke of Swabia
• 1380 – Catherine of Siena, Italian saint (b. 1347)
• 1594 – Thomas Cooper, English bishop, lexicographer, and writer
• 1630 – Agrippa d'Aubigné, French poet (b. 1552)
• 1658 – John Cleveland, English poet (b. 1613)
• 1676 – Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (b. 1607)
• 1688 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1620)
• 1698 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, First Lord of the British Admiralty (b. 1655)
• 1707 – George Farquhar, Irish dramatist (b. 1678)
• 1743 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French writer (b. 1658)
• 1768 – Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and minerologist (b. 1694)
• 1776 – Edward Wortley Montagu, English traveler and writer (b. 1713)
• 1782 – Richard Kempenfelt, Royal Navy Admiral (b. 1718)
• 1793 – Yechezkel Landau, Polish rabbi (b. 1713)
• 1793 – John Michell, English scientist (b. 1724)
• 1798 – Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, German entomologist (b. 1723)
• 1854 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general (b. 1768)
• 1903 – Paul du Chaillu, French explorer (b. 1835)
• 1916 – Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician (b. 1850)
• 1920 – William Henry Seward, Jr., Union Brigadier General in the American Civil War (b. 1839)
• 1933 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet (b. 1863)
• 1935 – Leroy Carr, American blues singer, songwriter and pianist (b. 1905)
• 1937 – William Gillette, American actor (b. 1853)
• 1944 – Bernardino Machado, President of Portugal (b. 1851)
• 1945 – Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, German SS officer (b. 1893)
• 1951 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-born philosopher (b. 1889)
• 1956 – Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, German field marshal (b. 1876)
• 1961 – Cisco Houston, American folk singer (b. 1918)
• 1966 – William Eccles, English physicist and radio pioneer (b. 1875)
• 1967 – Anthony Mann, American actor and director (b. 1906)
• 1967 – J.B. Lenoir, American Blues Musician (b. 1929)
• 1979 – Hardie Gramatky, American author and animator (b. 1907)
• 1980 – Alfred Hitchcock, English film director (b. 1899)
• 1988 – James McCracken, American tenor (b. 1926)
• 1992 – Mae Clarke, American actress (b. 1910)
• 1993 – Mick Ronson, English musician (b. 1946)
• 1993 – Michael Gordon, American film director (b. 1909)
• 1997 – Mike Royko, American columnist (b. 1932)
• 1998 – Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1922)
• 2002 – Bob Akin, American industrialist and race car driver (b. 1936)
• 2002 – Lor Tok, Thai comedian and actor (b. 1914)
• 2004 – Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1925)
• 2005 – William J. Bell, American television writer and producer (b. 1927)
• 2005 – Mariana Levy, Mexican actress, singer, and television show host (b. 1966)
• 2006 – John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian-born US economist (b. 1908)
• 2007 – Milt Bocek, American baseball player (b. 1912)
• 2007 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (b. 1978)
• 2007 – Ivica Račan, former Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)
• 2007 – Arve Opsahl, Norwegian actor, known as the leader of Olsenbanden
• 2007 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1940)
• 2007 – Zhang Taofang, Chinese sniper (b. 1931)
• 2008 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist, known as the first to synthesize LSD (b. 1906)

Holidays and observances

• International Dance Day
• Japan (public holiday since 1927, traditionally the start of the Golden Week holiday period)
• Roman Empire – second day of the Floralia in honor of Flora
• Bahá'í Faith – The ninth day of the Festival of Ridván
• National Persian Gulf Day in Iran

• Saint Catherine of Siena
• Saint Robert (d. 1111)
• Saint Wilfred the Younger
• Saint Peter of Verona
• Saint Hugh of Cluny

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada