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138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor.

1570 - Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England.

1793 - George Washington holds the first Cabinet meeting as President of the United States.

1836 - Samuel Colt receives an American patent for the Colt revolver.

1836 - US Showman Phineas Taylor Barnum exhibits African American slave Joice Heth.

1837 - First U.S. electric printing press patented by Thomas Davenport.

1870 - Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress.

1901 - J.P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation.

1912 - Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

1913 - The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing a graduated income tax, is ratified.

1919 - Oregon places a 1 cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.

1921 - The Democratic Republic of Georgia occupied by Bolshevist Russia.

1925 - Glacier Bay National Monument (now Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve) is established in Alaska.

1928 - Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, DC becomes the first holder of a television license from the Federal Radio Commission.

1933 - The USS ''Ranger'' is launched, becoming the first custom-built aircraft carrier.

1941 - February strike: First general & physical protest against nazi anti-Jewish behaviour & -laws (Amsterdam)

1943 - Holocaust: 158 Norwegian Jews were deported from Norway to death camp Auschwitz by the vessel Gutenland. Altogether the total number of Jews deported from Norway was 767. Of these 30 survived.

1945 - Turkey declares war on Germany.

1951 - The first Pan American Games are held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1954 - Gamal Abdul Nasser is made premier of Egypt.

1956 - In his speech On the Personality Cult and its Consequences Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denounces the actions of Joseph Stalin.

1964 - Cassius Clay beats Sonny Liston in Miami Beach, Florida, and is crowned the heavyweight champion of the world.

1969 - Germany gives $5 million to an Arab terrorist as ransom for the passengers and crew of a hijacked jumbo jet.

1971 - The first unit of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, first commercial nuclear power station in Canada, goes online.

1981 - Apple Computer's first CEO Michael Scott fired 40 employees from the Apple II group personally, in belief that they were redundant. Following these actions, he was moved to position of Vice Chairman.

1986 - EDSA Revolution: President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the first Filipino woman president.

1991 - Gulf War: An Iraqi Scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 U.S. Marines.

1992 - Khojaly massacre: about 613 civilians killed by Armenian armed forces during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan

1994 - Mosque of Abraham massacre: In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein opens fire with an assault rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 more before being subdued and beaten to death by survivors. Subsequent rioting kills 26 more Palestinians and 9 Israelis.

2000 - The Swedish political party New Democracy is declared financially bankrupt.

2006 - The world's estimated population reaches 6.5 billion.

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1398 - Xuande, Emperor of China (d. 1435)

1591 - Friedrich von Spee, German writer (d. 1635)

1643 - Ahmed II, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1695)

1663 - Pierre Antoine Motteux, French-born English dramatist (d. 1718)

1682 - Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist (d. 1771)

1692 - Karl Ludwig, Freiherr von Pöllnitz, German adventurer and writer (d. 1775)

1707 - Carlo Goldoni, Italian writer (d. 1793)

1714 - René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, Chancellor of France (d. 1792)

1714 - Hyde Parker, British admiral (d. 1782)

1725 - Karl Wilhelm Ramler, German poet (d. 1798)

1752 - John Graves Simcoe, first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (d. 1806)

1778 - José de San Martín, Argentine general and liberator of South America

1841 - Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter, graphic artist and sculptor (d. 1919)

1842 - Karl May, German writer (d. 1912)

1845 - George Reid, fourth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1918)

1860 - Sir William Ashley, Economic historian. (d. 1927)

1873 - Enrico Caruso, Italian tenor (d. 1921)

1877 - Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist (d. 1935)

1888 - John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State (d. 1959)

1889 - Homer S. Ferguson, United States Senator (d. 1982)

1890 - Dame Myra Hess, English pianist (d. 1965)

1890 - Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet politician (d. 1986)

1895 - Lew Andreas, American basketball coach (d. 1984)

1901 - Zeppo Marx, American actor (d. 1979)

1908 - Frank G. Slaughter, American novelist (d. 2001)

1910 - Millicent Fenwick, American fashion editor and politician (d. 1992)

1913 - Jim Backus, American actor (d. 1989)

1913 - Gert Fröbe, German actor (d. 1988)

1916 - Reinhard Bendix, German sociologist (d. 1991)

1917 - Anthony Burgess, English author (d. 1993)

1918 - Barney Ewell, American athlete (d. 1996)

1918 - Bobby Riggs, American tennis player (d. 1995)

1919 - Karl Pribram, Austrian neuroscientist

1921 - Pierre Laporte, Canadian statesman (d. 1970)

1925 - Edward Gorey, American illustrator (d. 2000)

1928 - Larry Gelbart, American comedy writer

1929 - Christopher George, American actor (d. 1983)

1932 - Faron Young, American singer (d.1996)

1934 - Tony Lema, American pro golfer (d. 1966)

1935 - Sally Jessy Raphaël, American talk show host

1937 - Tom Courtenay, British actor

1937 - Bob Schieffer, American broadcast journalist

1937 - Barbara Piasecka Johnson, widow of John Seward Johnson I

1938 - Diane Baker, American actress

1938 - Herb Elliott, Australian runner

1940 - Billy Packer, American sports broadcaster

1940 - Ron Santo, baseball player

1940 - Danny Cater, baseball player

1942 - Karen Grassle, American actress

1942 - Carl Eller, former American football player

1943 - Wilson Piazza, Brazilian footballer

1943 - George Harrison, British musician (the Beatles) (d. 2001)

1946 - Franz Xaver Kroetz, German dramatist

1947 - Lee Evans, American athlete

1947 - Doug Yule, American bass guitarist, (The Velvet Underground)

1948 - Danny Denzongpa, Indian actor

1949 - Ric Flair, American professional wrestler

1950 - Neil Jordan, Irish director

1950 - Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina

1951 - Don Quarrie, Jamaican runner

1951 - James Brown, American sportscaster

1951 - César Cedeño, baseball player

1952 - Joey Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer (d. 2000)

1953 - José María Aznar, Prime Minister of Spain

1954 - John Doe, American musician

1958 - Kurt Rambis, American basketball player

1959 - Mike Peters, Welsh musician (The Alarm)

1960 - Tony Grimaud, Maltese-born singer and songwriter

1960 - Stefan Blöcher, German field hockey player

1961 - Davey Allison, American race car driver (d. 1993)

1961 - Todd Blackledge, American football player

1962 - Birgit Fischer, German kayaker

1963 - Nancy O'Dell, American reporter and television personality

1964 - Lee Evans, British comedian

1964 - Don Majkowski, American football player

1966 - Alexis Denisof, American actor

1966 - Samson Kitur, Kenyan athlete (d. 2003)

1966 - Téa Leoni, American actress

1968 - Sandrine Kiberlain, French actress

1969 - Paul Trimboli, Australian footballer

1971 - Sean Astin, American actor

1971 - Dave Harris, American disc jockey

1971 - Daniel Powter, Canadian musician

1973 - Justin Jeffre, American singer (98 Degrees)

1973 - Anson Mount, American actor

1976 - Rashida Jones, American actress, writer, model, musician

1977 - Sarah Jezebel Deva, English singer

1977 - Josh Wolff, American footballer

1981 - Jamie Lynn, American model

1981 - Park Ji-Sung, South Korean footballer

1981 - Misty Giles, American beauty quuen and Survivor contestant

1982 - Chris Baird, Irish footballer

1982 - Bert McCracken, American singer (The Used)

1985 - Joakim Noah, American basketball player

1986 - Justin Berfield, American actor

1986 - James and Oliver Phelps, British actors

1998 - Brendon Baerg, American actor

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1246 - Dafydd ap Llywelyn, King of Gwynedd

1522 - William Lilye, English classical scholar

1536 - Berthold Haller, German-born reformer (b. 1492)

1553 - Hirate Masahide, Japanese diplomat and tutor of Oda Nobunaga (suicide) (d. 1492)

1558 - Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal and France (b. 1498)

1577 - King Eric XIV of Sweden (b. 1533)

1601 - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English politician (b. 1566)

1634 - Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general (b. 1583)

1643 - Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer (b. 1582)

1655 - Daniel Heinsius, Flemish scholar (b. 1580)

1682 - Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (b. 1639)

1713 - King Frederick I of Prussia (b. 1657)

1715 - Pu Songling, Chinese writer (b. 1640)

1723 - Sir Christopher Wren, English architect (b. 1632)

1756 - Eliza Haywood, English actress and writer (b. 1693)

1798 - Louis-Jules Mancini-Mazarini, Duc de Nivernais, French diplomat and writer (b. 1716)

1805 - Thomas Pownall, British colonial statesman (b. 1722)

1831 - Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German writer (b. 1752)

1850 - Daoguang, Emperor of China (b. 1782)

1852 - Thomas Moore, Irish poet (b. 1779)

1860 - Chauncey Allen Goodrich, American clergyman, educator, and lexicographer (b. 1790)

1899 - Paul Julius Reuter, German-born journalist (b. 1816)

1912 - Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1852)

1934 - John McGraw, baseball player and manager (b. 1873)

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

1950 - George Minot, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1885)

1953 - Sergei Winogradsky, Russian scientist (b. 1856)

1957 - George "Bugs" Moran, American gangster (b. 1893)

1964 - Grace Metalious, American writer (b. 1924)

1970 - Mark Rothko, American painter

1971 - Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)

1975 - Elijah Muhammad, American Black Muslim leader (b. 1897)

1978 - Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., American general (b. 1920)

1983 - Tennessee Williams, American playwright (b. 1911)

1987 - James Coco, American actor (b. 1930)

1994 - Baruch Goldstein, American-born mass killer (b. 1956)

1994 - Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer (b. 1914)

1996 - Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-born actor (b. 1940)

1999 - Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)

2001 - Sir Donald Bradman, Australian cricketer (b. 1908)

2003 - Tom O'Higgins, Irish Chief Justice (b. 1916)

2003 - Alberto Sordi, Italian actor (b. 1920)

2005 - Peter Benenson, British founder of Amnesty International (b. 1921)

2006 - Darren McGavin, American actor (b. 1922)

2006 - Charlie Wayman, English footballer (b. 1922)

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Kuwait's national day.

People Power Day, special holiday in the Philippines.

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Liturgical feasts

Saint Cesar
Saint Klaudian
Blessed Romeo
Saint Walburgis
Saint Adeltrude