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475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital Constantinople.

1349 - The Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland is rounded up and incinerated, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing bubonic plague.

1431 - Judges' investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, the seat of the English occupation government.

1760 - Afghans defeat Marathas in Battle of Barari Ghat.

1768 - Philip Astley stages the first modern circus (London).

1788 - Connecticut becomes the fifth state to join the United States.

1793 - Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first to fly in a balloon in the United States.

1806 - Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson is buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.

1816 - Sir Humphry Davy tested the Davy lamp for Miners at Hebburn Colliery.

1822 - The Portuguese prince Pedro I of Brazil decided to stay in Brazil against the orders of the Portuguese king João VI, starting the Brazilian independence process.

1839 - The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.

1857 - Fort Tejon earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 7.9.

1858 - Anson Jones, final President of the Republic of Texas commits suicide.

1861 - American Civil War: The "Star of the West" incident. (Considered by some to be the "First Shots of the American Civil War.")

1861 - Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union preceding the American Civil War.

1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Fort Hindman.

1878 - Humbert I becomes King of Italy.

1880 - The Great Gale of 1880 devastates parts of Oregon and Washington with high wind and heavy snow.

1882 - Oscar Wilde gives his first lecture on "The English Renaissance of Art" in New York.

1894 - New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.

1900 - S.S. Lazio is founded in Rome, Italy.

1903 - Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the famous poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia.

1905 - According to the Julian Calendar which was used at the time, Russian workers stage a march on the Winter Palace that ends in the massacre by Czarist troops known as Bloody Sunday, setting off the Russian Revolution of 1905.

1912 - Marines invade Honduras.

1916 - The Ottoman Empire prevails in the Battle of Çanakkale, as the last British troops are evacuated.

1917 - World War I: Battle of Rafa.

1923 - Juan de la Cierva makes first autogyro flight.

1929 - The Seeing Eye is established with the mission to train dogs to assist the blind (Nashville, Tennessee).

1945 - The United States invades Luzon in the Philippines.

1951 - United Nations headquarters officially opens in New York City.

1960 - Construction of the Aswan Dam begins in Egypt.

1964 - Several Panamanian youths try to put up the Panamanian flag on the US-controlled Panama Canal Zone, during the fight the Panama flag is torn, setting off four days of fighting between US armed forces and civilian Panamanians around the country. This day is known as Martyrs' Day.

1972 - RMS Queen Elizabeth is destroyed by fire in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong.

1986 - After losing a patent battle with Polaroid, Kodak leaves the instant camera business.

1991 - The Soviets storm Vilnius to stop Lithuanian independence.

1995 - Valeri Poliakov completes 366 days in space while aboard the Mir space station, breaking a duration record.

1997 - A Comair Embraer 120 crashes during approach into Detroit Metro Airport, killing 29.

1999 - The Walt Disney World attraction Horizons closes for good.

2002 - The United States Department of Justice announces it is going to pursue a criminal investigation of Enron.

2005 - Elections are held to replace Yasser Arafat.

2006 - The Phantom of the Opera surpassed the record set by Cats for the title of longest running show on Broadway.

2006 - The first broadcast of The Howard Stern Show via Sirius Satellite Radio.

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1554 - Pope Gregory XV (d. 1623)

1571 - Karel Bonaventura Buquoy, French soldier (d. 1621)

1589 - Ivan Gundulic, Croatian poet (d. 1638)

1624 - Empress Meisho of Japan (d. 1696)

1685 - Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist (d. 1766)

1728 - Thomas Warton, English poet (d. 1790)

1790 - Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom, Swedish poet (d. 1855)

1811 - Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English writer (d. 1856)

1823 - Johannes Friedrich August von Esmarch, German surgeon (d. 1908)

1829 - Thomas William Robertson, English playwright (d. 1871)

1829 - Adolf von Schlagintweit, German explorer (d. 1857)

1854 - Jennie Jerome, American society beauty (d. 1921)

1856 - Anton Aškerc, Slovenian priest and poet (d. 1912)

1864 - Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician (d. 1926)

1868 - S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist (d. 1939)

1870 - Joseph B Strauss, American civil engineer (d. 1938)

1873 - Hayyim Nahman Bialik, Ukrainian poet (d. 1934)

1875 - Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American socalite (d. 1942)

1879 - John Broadus Watson, American psychologist (d. 1958)

1881 - Lascelles Abercrombie, British poet and critic (d. 1938)

1881 - Edouard Beaupré, horse lifter (d. 1904)

1881 - Giovanni Papini, Italian writer (d. 1956)

1890 - Karel Čapek, Czech writer (d. 1938)

1890 - Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist (d. 1935)

1892 - Eva Bowring, American politician (d. 1985)

1897 - Karl Löwith, German philosopher (d. 1973)

1898 - Vilma Bánky, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)

1898 - Gracie Fields, English vaudeville performer (d. 1979)

1899 - Alexander Tcherepnin, Russian composer (d. 1977)

1900 - Maria of Romania, Queen Consort of Yugoslavia (d. 1961)

1901 - Chic Young, American cartoonist (d. 1973)

1902 - Rudolph Bing, Austrian-born opera manager (d. 1997)

1902 - Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish religious author (d. 1975)

1903 - Hem Vejakorn, Thai illustrator (d. 1969)

1904 - George Balanchine, Russian dancer/choreographer (d. 1983)

1908 - Simone de Beauvoir, French author (d. 1986)

1912 - Ralph Tubbs, British architect (d. 1996)

1913 - Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)

1914 - Kenny (Klook) Clarke, American jazz drummer and composer (d. 1985)

1915 - Fernando Lamas, Argentine actor (d. 1982)

1916 - Vic Mizzy, American orchestra leader

1916 - Peter Twinn, English World War II code-breaker (d. 2004)

1917 - Herbert Lom, Czech actor

1920 - Clive Dunn, British actor

1920 - Hakim Mohammed Said, Pakistani scholar

1921 - Lister Sinclair, Canadian broadcaster and playwright (d. 2006)

1922 - Har Gobind Khorana, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate

1922 - Ahmed Sékou Touré, President of Guinea (d. 1984)

1924 - Sergei Parajanov, Armenian film director (d. 1990)

1925 - Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d. 1989)

1928 - Judith Krantz, American author

1928 - Domenico Modugno, Italian singer and songwriter

1929 - Heiner Muller, German dramatist (d. 1995)

1929 - Brian Friel, Irish dramatist

1929 - Dorothea Puente, American serial killer

1931 - Algis Budrys, American author

1932 - Robert P. Casey, American politician (d. 2000)

1934 - Bart Starr, American football player

1935 - Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)

1935 - Dick Enberg, American sportscaster

1936 - Anne Rivers Siddons, American writer

1940 - Jimmy Boyd, American actor and singer

1940 - Barbara Buczek, Polish composer (d. 1993)

1940 - Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss politician

1941 - Joan Baez, American singer and activist

1942 - K Callan, American actress

1942 - Susannah York, British actress

1943 - Freddie Starr, English comedian and singer

1944 - Jimmy Page, English guitarist

1947 - Ronnie Landfield, American artist

1950 - David Johansen American singer

1950 - Rio Reiser, German singer (d. 1996)

1951 - Crystal Gayle, American singer

1951 - M.L. Carr, basketball player and coach

1952 - Hugh Bayley, British politician

1955 - J. K. Simmons, American actor

1956 - Kimberly Beck, American actress

1956 - Imelda Staunton, British actress

1958 - Mehmet Ali Ağca, Turkish attempted assassin of Pope John Paul II

1959 - Mark Martin, American race car driver

1959 - Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

1959 - Cristi Minculescu, Romanian musician

1959 - Otis Nixon, baseball player

1963 - Michael Everson, expert in writing systems and Unicode

1965 - Eric Erlandson, American musician

1965 - Joely Richardson, British actress

1965 - Darren Bennett, Australian-born American football player

1967 - Claudio Caniggia, Argentinian footballer

1967 - Steven Harwell, American singer and musician

1967 - Dave Matthews, South African singer and musician

1967 - Carl Bell, American musician

1968 - Jimmy Adams, West Indian cricketer

1968 - Joey Lauren Adams, American actress

1968 - Al Schnier, American rock guitarist

1970 - Alex Staropoli, Italian keyboardist

1970 - Lara Fabian, Belgian singer

1971 - Daniel Dumile, American hip hop artist

1972 - Mat Hoffman, American BMX Biker

1972 - Jay Powell, baseball player

1975 - Angela Bettis, American actress

1975 - Kim Mathers, former wife of Eminem

1975 - Kiko Calero, Baseball player

1976 - Todd Grisham, American professional wrestling interviewer

1978 - Chad Johnson, American football player

1978 - Gennaro Gattuso, Italian footballer

1978 - AJ McLean, American singer

1978 - Maggie Rizer, American model and AIDS activist

1979 - Tomiko Van, Japanese singer

1980 - Sergio García, Spanish golfer

1981 - Euzebiusz Smolarek, Polish footballer

1987 - Pablo Santos, Mexican actor (d. 2006)

1989 - Michaella Krajicek, Dutch tennis player

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1282 - Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd Hakam al Qurashi, ruler of Minorca (b. 1204)

1283 - Wen Tianxiang, Prime Minister of China (executed) (b. 1236)

1499 - Johann Cicero, elector of Brandenburg (b. 1455)

1514 - Anna, Duchess of Brittany, queen of Charles VIII of France (b. 1477)

1543 - Guillaume du Bellay, French diplomat and general (b. 1491)

1562 - Amago Haruhisa, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1514)

1571 - Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, French naval officer (b. 1510)

1598 - Jasper Heywood, English translator (b. 1553)

1677 - Aernout van der Neer, Dutch cartoonist and painter (b. 1603)

1757 - Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, French scientist and man of letters (b. 1657)

1757 - Louis Bertrand Castel, French mathematician (b. 1688)

1766 - Thomas Birch, British historian (b. 1705)

1799 - Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian scientist (b. 1718)

1800 - Jean Étienne Championnet, French general (b. 1762)

1805 - Noble Jones, American Continental Congressman (b. 1723)

1848 - Caroline Herschel, German-born astronomer (b. 1750)

1858 - Anson Jones, 5th and last President of Texas (suicide) (b. 1798)

1873 - Emperor Napoleon III of France (b. 1808)

1876 - Samuel Gridley Howe, American abolitionist (b. 1801)

1877 - Alexander Brullov, Russia painter (b. 1799)

1878 - King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (b. 1820)

1895 - Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American watch manufacturer (b. 1812)

1901 - Richard Copley Christie, English scholar (b. 1830)

1908 - Wilhelm Busch, German painter (b. 1832)

1908 - Abraham Goldfaden, Russian-born actor (b. 1840)

1911 - Edwin Arthur Jones, American composer (b. 1853)

1918 - Émile Reynaud, French scientist (b. 1844)

1923 - Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand writer (b. 1888)

1931 - Wayne Munn, wrestler (b. 1896)

1936 - John Gilbert, American actor (b. 1899)

1939 - Johann Strauss III, Austrian conductor (b. 1866)

1939 - Johnny Gruelle, American cartoonist, children's book writer and creator of Raggedy Ann (b. 1880)

1946 - Countee Cullen, American poet (b. 1903)

1947 - Karl Mannheim, German sociologist (b. 1893)

1961 - Emily Greene Balch, American writer and pacifist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1867)

1971 - Elmer Flick, baseball player (b. 1876)

1972 - Ted Shawn, American dancer (b. 1891)

1975 - Pierre Fresnay, French actor (b. 1897)

1975 - Pyotr Sergeyevich Novikov, Russian mathematician (b. 1901)

1981 - Kazimierz Serocki, Polish composer (b. 1922)

1984 - Wolfgang Staudte, German director (b. 1906)

1985 - Robert Mayer, British businessman and philanthropist (b. 1879)

1987 - Marion Hutton, American singer (b. 1919)

1987 - Arthur Lake, American actor (b. 1905)

1989 - Bill Terry, baseball player (b. 1898)

1990 - Spud Chandler, baseball player (b. 1907)

1992 - Bill Naughton, British playwright (b. 1910)

1993 - Svetoslav Roerich, Russian painter (b. 1904)

1994 - Johnny Temple, baseball player (b. 1927)

1995 - Peter Cook, British actor. satirist, writer, and comedian (b. 1937)

1995 - Souphanouvong, President of Laos (b. 1909)

1997 - Edward Osobka-Morawski, Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1909)

1997 - Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)

1998 - Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (b. 1918)

2000 - Nigel Tranter, Scottish historian and author (b. 1909)

2001 - Maurice Prather, American motion picture and still photographer (b. 1926)

2003 - Will McDonough, American sports journalist (b. 1935)

2005 - Gonzalo Gavira, Mexican film sound technician (b. 1925)

2006 - Andy Caldecott, Australian KTM motorcyclist (b. 1964), during the 9th stage Dakar Rally

2006 - Mikk Mikiver, Estonian actor, director (b. 1937)

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Martyrs' Day (Panama) commemorates the 1964 riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal Zone

Roman Catholic - Feast of Saint Adrian

Eastern Orthodox - Feast of Saint Theophan the Recluse

Black Nazarene feast in the Quiapo district, Manila, Philippines

Balloon Ascension Day

Stepfather's Day