[Edit]

top

1075 - Dmitar Zvonimir was crowned as king of the Croatia.

1238 - James I of Aragon conquered Valencia and founded the Kingdom of Valencia.

1446 - The Hangul alphabet is published in Korea.

1514 - Marriage of Louis XII of France and Mary Tudor

1582 - Due to the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

1604 - Supernova 1604, the most recent supernova to be observed in the Milky Way.

1635 - Founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams is banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony as a religious dissident after he spoke out against punishments for religious offenses and giving away Native American land.

1701 - The Collegiate School of Connecticut (later renamed Yale University) is chartered in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

1771 - The Dutch merchant ship Vrouw Maria sinks near the coast of Finland.

1776 - Father Francisco Palou founds Mission San Francisco de Asis in what is now San Francisco, California.

1799 - Sinking of HMS Lutine with the loss of 240 men and a cargo worth £1,200,000.

1812 - War of 1812: In a naval engagement on Lake Erie, American forces capture two British ships; the HMS Detroit and the HMS Caledonia.

1820 - Guayaquil declared independence from Spain.

1831 - Capo d'Istria was assassinated.

1845 - The eminent and controversial Anglican, John Henry Newman, was received into the Roman Catholic Church.

1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Tom's Brook - Union cavalrymen in the Shenandoah Valley defeat Confederate forces at Tom's Brook, Virginia.

1871 - The Great Chicago Fire is brought under control.

1874 - General Postal Union was created as a result of the Treaty of Berne.

1888 - The Washington Monument officially opens to the general public.

1914 - World War I: Siege of Antwerp - Antwerp, Belgium falls to German troops.

1919 - Black Sox scandal: The Cincinnati Reds "win" the World Series.

1934 - Regicide at Marseille: The assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Louis Barthou, Foreign Minister of France.

1934 - World Series - The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Detroit Tigers four games to three.

1936 - Generators at Boulder Dam (later renamed to Hoover Dam) begin to transmit electricity from the Colorado River 266 miles to Los Angeles, California.

1940 - World War II: Battle of Britain - During a nighttime air raid by the German Luftwaffe, St. Paul's Cathedral is pierced by a bomb.

1942 - Statute of Westminster Adoption Act formalizes Australian autonomy.

1943 - Major League Baseball - The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Detroit Tigers 4 games to three.

1957 - Neil H. McElroy was sworn in as the 6th Secretary of Defense of United States.

1962 - Uganda becomes an independent republic.

1963 - In northeast Italy, over 2,000 people are killed when a large landslide behind the Vajont Dam causes a giant wave of water to overtop it.

1967 - A day after being caught, Che Guevara is executed for attempting to incite a revolution in Bolivia.

1969 - In Chicago, the United States National Guard is called in for crowd control as demonstrations continue in connection to the trial of the "Chicago Eight" (trial started on September 24).

1970 - The Khmer Republic is proclaimed in Cambodia.

1983 - Rangoon bombing: attempted assassination of South Korean President Chun Doo Hwan during an official visit to Rangoon, Burma. Chun survived but the blast killed 17 of his entourage, including four cabinet ministers, whilst 17 others were injured. Four Burmese officials also died in the blast.

1986 - United States District Court Judge Harry E. Claiborne becomes the fifth federal official to be removed from office through impeachment.

1986 - The FOX Network begins broadcasting.

1989 - An official news agency in the Soviet Union reports the landing of a UFO in Voronezh.

1989 - In Leipzig, East Germany, 70,000 protesters demand the legalization of opposition groups and democratic reforms.

1991 - Ecuador becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.

1992 - A 13 kilogram (est.) meteorite lands in the driveway of the Knapp residence in Peekskill, New York, destroying the family's 1980 Chevrolet Malibu.

1995 - An Amtrak Sunset Limited train is derailed by saboteurs near Palo Verde, Arizona.

2001 - Second mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attack.

2002 - After losing a massive amount of ground during the summer of 2002, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 7,286.27, its lowest level in five years. The NASDAQ also hit a six-year low of 1,114.11.

2004 - Democratic elections held for the first time in Afghanistan.

2004 - The tri-annual federal election is held in Australia and Liberal Party of Australia leader, John Howard, wins a fourth term as Prime Minister in a landslide victory over opponent, Mark Latham of the Australian Labor Party.

2005 - China's State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping officially announces the new accurate height of Mount Everest is 8848.43 m.

2005 - When Tropical Depression 23 strengthens into Hurricane Vince it makes the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season the first season on record to use a name beginning with V.

2005 - Smoking is fully banned on the UK rail network.

2006 - North Korea allegedly tests its first nuclear device.

2006 - Google reaches an agreement with YouTube and buys YouTube in USD $1.65 billion.

top

1201 - Robert de Sorbon, French theologian and founder of the Sorbonne (d. 1274)

1221 - Salimbene di Adam, Italian chronicler

1261 - King Dinis of Portugal (d. 1325)

1328 - King Peter I of Cyprus (d. 1369)

1581 - Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician (d. 1638)

1585 - Heinrich Schütz, German composer (d. 1672)

1586 - Archduke Leopold V of Austria (d. 1632)

1757 - King Charles X of France (d. 1836)

1796 - Joseph Bonomi the Younger, English Egyptologist (d. 1878)

1835 - Camille Saint-Saëns, French composer (d. 1921)

1840 - Simeon Solomon, British artist (d. 1905)

1852 - Hermann Emil Fischer, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)

1859 - Alfred Dreyfus, French military officer (d. 1935)

1871 - George Gauthier, Bishop of Montreal and rector of the University of Montreal (d. 1940)

1873 - Karl Schwarzschild, German physicist and astronomer (d. 1916)

1873 - Charles Walgreen, American entrepreneur (d. 1939)

1873 - Carl Flesch, Hungarian violinist (d. 1944)

1874 - Nicholas Roerich, Russian painter (d. 1947)

1879 - Max von Laue, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1960)

1886 - Rube Marquard, baseball player (d. 1980)

1888 - Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin, Russian politician (d. 1938)

1890 - Aimee Semple McPherson, American evangelist (d. 1944)

1892 - Ivo Andrić, Serbo-Croatian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)

1892 - Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet (d. 1941)

1893 - Mário de Andrade, Brazilian writer and photographer (d. 1945)

1900 - Alastair Sim, Scottish actor (d. 1976)

1903 - Walter O'Malley, American baseball executive (d. 1979)

1906 - Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegalese poet and politician (d. 2001)

1907 - Quintin Hogg, British politician (d. 2001)

1908 - Jacques Tati, French filmmaker (d. 1982)

1909 - Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 2000)

1911 - Joe Rosenthal, American photographer (d. 2006)

1915 - Clifford M. Hardin, United States Secretary of Agriculture

1918 - Lila Kedrova, Russian-born actress (d. 2000)

1920 - Jens Bjørneboe, Norwegian author (d. 1976)

1921 - Michel Boisrond, French film director (d. 2002)

1923 - Fyvush Finkel, American actor

1925 - Johnny Stompanato, American organized crime figure (d. 1958)

1926 - Danièle Delorme, French actress

1928 - Einojuhani Rautavaara, Finnish composer

1933 - Peter Mansfield, British physicist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate

1934 - Jill Ker Conway, Australian-American author

1935 - Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, member of the British Royal Family

1936 - Brian Blessed, English actor

1938 - Heinz Fischer, Austrian politician

1940 - John Lennon, British musician and songwriter (The Beatles) (d. 1980)

1940 - Joe Pepitone, American baseball player

1941 - Trent Lott, American politician

1941 - Chucho Valdés, Cuban musician

1944 - John Entwistle, British musician (The Who) (d. 2002)

1944 - Nona Hendryx, American singer (LaBelle)

1946 - Tansu Çiller, Prime Minister of Turkey

1947 - France Gall, French singer

1948 - Jackson Browne, American musician

1950 - Jody Williams, American teacher and aid worker, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize

1952 - Sharon Osbourne, English music manager and wife of Ozzy Osbourne

1953 - Tony Shalhoub, American actor

1954 - Scott Bakula, American actor

1957 - Don Garber, American sports commissioner

1958 - Michael Pare, American actor

1960 - Kenny Garrett, American jazz saxophonist

1962 - Jorge Burruchaga, Argentinian footballer

1964 - Bobby Flay, American celebrity chef and restaurateur

1966 - David Cameron, British politician

1967 - Eddie Guerrero, Mexican professional wrestler (d. 2005)

1969 - P.J. Harvey, English musician

1970 - Kenny Anderson, American basketball player

1970 - Savannah, American actress (d. 1994)

1970 - Annika Sörenstam, Swedish golfer

1971 - Simon Atlee, British photographer (d. 2004)

1971 - Michael Manna, American professional wrestler

1973 - Steven Burns, American actor and musician

1973 - Fabio Lione, Italian musician (Rhapsody)

1973 - Terry Balsamo - American guitarist

1975 - Sean Lennon, American musician

1975 - Mark Viduka, Australian footballer

1978 - Nicky Byrne, Irish musician (Westlife)

1978 - Juan Dixon, American basketball player

1979 - Gonzalo Sorondo, Uruguayan footballer

1979 - Brandon Routh, American Actor

1980 - Henrik Zetterberg, Swedish ice hockey player

1981 - Zachery Ty Bryan, American actor

1981 - Darius Miles, American basketball player

1982 - António Mendonça, Angolan footballer

1986 - Laure Manaudou, French swimmer

1992 - Tyler James Williams, American actor

1994 - Jodelle Ferland, Canadian actress

top

1047 - Pope Clement II (b. 1005)

1253 - Robert Grosseteste, English statesman and bishop

1390 - King John I of Castile (b. 1358)

1555 - Justus Jonas, German protestant reformer (b. 1493)

1562 - Gabriele Falloppio, Italian anatomist (b. 1523)

1569 - Vladimir of Staritsa, Russian prince (b. 1533)

1597 - Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Japanese shogun (b. 1537)

1691 - William Sacheverell, English statesman (b. 1638)

1709 - Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, English mistress of Charles II of England (b. 1640)

1729 - Richard Blackmore, English physician and writer (b. 1654)

1793 - Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, French missionary (b. 1718)

1797 - Vilna Gaon, Lithuanian rabbi (b. 1720)

1806 - Benjamin Banneker, American astronomer (b. 1731)

1831 - John Capodistria, Governor of Greece (b. 1776)

1924 - Valery Bryusov, Russian writer and critic (b. 1873)

1934 - King Alexander I of Yugoslavia (assassinated) (b. 1888)

1934 - Louis Barthou, Prime Minister of France (assassinated) (b. 1862)

1940 - Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador (b. 1865).

1941 - Helen Morgan, American singer and actress (b. 1900)

1943 - Pieter Zeeman, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)

1950 - George Hainsworth, National Hockey League goaltender (b. 1895)

1955 - Theodor Cardinal Innitzer, Austrian Catholic archbishop (b. 1875)

1956 - Marie Doro, American actress (b. 1882)

1958 - Pope Pius XII (b. 1876)

1962 - Milan Vidmar, Slovenian electrical engineer and chess player (b. 1885)

1967 - Che Guevara, Argentine revolutionary and guerilla leader (executed) (b. 1928)

1967 - Cyril Norman Hinshelwood, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)

1967 - André Maurois, French author (b. 1885)

1968 - Pierre Mulele, Congolese revolutionary

1972 - Miriam Hopkins, American actress (b. 1902)

1974 - Oskar Schindler, German businessman (b. 1908)

1976 - Walter Warlimont, German General WWII (b. 1894)

1978 - Jacques Brel, Belgian singer and actor (b. 1929)

1987 - Guru Gopinath, Indian classical dancer (b. 1908)

1987 - Clare Boothe Luce, American diplomat (b. 1903)

1987 - William Parry Murphy, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1892)

1989 - Penny Lernoux, American journalist and author (b. 1940)

1995 - Alec Douglas-Home, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1903)

1996 - Walter Kerr, American theater critic (b. 1913)

1999 - Milt Jackson, American jazz vibraphonist (b. 1923)

2000 - David Dukes, American actor (b. 1945)

2000 - Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross (b. 1918)

2001 - Dagmar, American television personality (b. 1921)

2001 - Herbert Ross, American film director and producer (b. 1927)

2005 - Louis Nye, American comedian and actor (b. 1913)

2006 - Paul Hunter, Professional snooker player. (b. 1978)

top

RC Saints - Saint Denis, Saint John Leonardi

South Korea - Hangul Day: celebrating the invention of Hangul, the native Korean phonetic alphabet.

Uganda - Independence Day (from Britain, 1962)

Leif Erikson Day - in United States, Iceland and Norway: celebrating the first European landing in North America

Canada - Thanksgiving 2006

United States - Columbus Day 2006

Ecuador - Guayaquil's Independence Day (from Spain 1820) (Dia de la independencia de Guayaquil)

Romania - Romanian Holocaust Remembrance Day

French Republican Calendar - Sarrasin (Buckwheat) Day, eighteenth day in the Month of Vendémiaire