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763 BC - Assyrians record a solar eclipse that will be used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.

923 - Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy.

1184 - King Magnus V of Norway is killed at the battle of Fimreite.

1215 - King John of England puts his seal to the Magna Carta.

1219 - Dannebrog - oldest national flag in the world - and flag of Denmark. According to legend, fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse (now Tallinn) in Estonia, and turned the Danes' luck.

1246 - With the death of Duke Frederick II, the Babenberg dynasty ends in Austria.

1389 - Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians.

1520 - Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther.

1580 - Phillip II of Spain declares William the Silent to be an outlaw.

1667 - The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys. He transfuses 12 fluid ounces (350 mL) of sheep blood to a 15-year-old boy. The boy later dies and Baptiste is accused of murder.

1752 - Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity.

1775 - American Revolutionary War: George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

1776 - Delaware Separation Day - Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from Pennsylvania.

1785 - Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, co-pilot of the first-ever manned flight (1783), and his companion, Pierre Romain, become the first-ever casualties of an air crash when their hot air balloon explodes during their attempt to cross the English Channel.

1804 - New Hampshire approves the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratifying the document.

1808 - Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain.

1836 - Arkansas is admitted as the 25th U.S. state.

1844 - Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber.

1846 - The Oregon Treaty establishes the 49th parallel as the border between the United States and Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

1859 - Pig War: Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between U.S. and British/Canadian settlers.

1864 - American Civil War: Siege of Petersburg begins.

1864 - Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.8 km²) around Arlington Mansion are officially set aside as a military cemetery by U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.

1877 - Henry Ossian Flipper becomes the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy.

1888 - Prince Wilhelm II becomes Kaiser Wilhelm II and is the last emperor of the second reich

1904 - A fire aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York City's East River kills 1000.

1905 - Princess Margaret of Connaught marries Gustav, Crown Prince of Sweden.

1909 - Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lords and form the Imperial Cricket Conference.

1911 - Tabulating Computing Recording Corporation (IBM) is incorporated.

1913 - US troops under General John 'Black Jack' Pershing massacre at least 2,000 Philippine men, women and children at Bud Bagsak.

1916 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America, making them the only American youth organization with a federal charter.

1919 - John Alcock and Arthur Brown complete first nonstop transatlantic flight at Clifden, County Galway, Ireland.

1920 - Duluth lynchings in Minnesota

1924 - Native Americans are proclaimed United States citizens.

1934 - The U.S.'s Great Smoky Mountains National Park is founded.

1944 - World War II: Battle of Saipan: The United States invades Saipan.

1944 - In the Saskatchewan general election, 1944, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government of North America.

1945 - The General Dutch Youth League (ANJV) is founded in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1954 - UEFA (the Union des Associations Européennes de Football) is formed in Basle, Switzerland.

1955 - The Eisenhower administration stages the first annual "Operation Alert" (OPAL) exercise, an attempt to assess the USA's preparations for a nuclear attack.

1962 - Students for a Democratic Society complete the Port Huron Statement.

1992 - The United States Supreme Court rules in US vs. Alvarez-Machain that it is permissible for the USA to suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the USA for trial, without approval from those other countries. No reciprocal right is recognized for the reverse to happen in the USA.

1994 - Israel and Vatican City establish full diplomatic relations.

1996 - In Manchester, UK, a terrorist bomb injures over 200 people and devastates a large part of the city centre.

2005 - After an eight year theatrical hiatus, Batman returns to theaters in the critically acclaimed Batman Begins.

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1330 - Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales (d. 1376)

1594 - Nicolas Poussin, French painter (d. 1665)

1623 - Cornelis de Witt, Dutch politician (d. 1672)

1624 - Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist (d. 1704)

1640 - Bernard Lamy, French mathematician (d. 1715)

1755 - Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy, French chemist (d. 1809)

1765 - Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, German mathematician (d. 1831)

1767 - Rachel Donelson Jackson, First Lady of the United States

1789 - Josiah Henson, American slave and settlement founder (d. 1883)

1801 - Benjamin Raymond, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1883)

1805 - William Butler Ogden, first Mayor of Chicago (d. 1877)

1809 - François-Xavier Garneau, French Canadian poet and historian (d. 1866)

1843 - Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer (d. 1907)

1875 - Herman Smith-Johannsen, cross-country skier (d. 1987)

1882 - Ion Antonescu, Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1946)

1884 - Harry Langdon, American actor (d. 1944)

1888 - Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet (d. 1921)

1900 - Gotthard Günther, German philosopher (d. 1984)

1902 - Erik Erikson, psychoanalyst (d. 1994)

1906 - Léon Degrelle, Belgian SS officer (d. 1994)

1910 - David Rose, American songwriter, composer and orchestra leader (d. 1990)

1911 - W.V. Awdry, British children's writer (d. 1997)

1914 - Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (d. 1984)

1914 - Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American cartoonist (d. 1999)

1915 - Thomas Huckle Weller, American virologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

1916 - Herbert Simon, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)

1917 - John Fenn, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate

1917 - Lash La Rue, American actor (d. 1996)

1918 - Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., owner of the Buffalo Bills

1920 - Alberto Sordi, Italian actor and director (d. 2003)

1921 - Errol Garner, American musician (d. 1977)

1924 - Ezer Weizman, 7th President of Israel (d. 2005)

1926 - Shigeru Kayano, Japanese Ainu activist (d. 2006)

1927 - Ibn-e-Insha, Pakistani humourist and Urdu poet d. 1978)

1930 - Marcel Pronovost, Professional ice hockey player

1932 - Mario Cuomo, Governor of New York

1933 - Sergio Endrigo, Italian singer (d. 2005)

1936 - William Joseph Levada, American Catholic prelate

1937 - Waylon Jennings, American singer (d. 2002)

1938 - Billy Williams, baseball player

1939 - Ward Connerly, American political figure

1939 - Brian Jacques, British author

1941 - Harry Nilsson, American singer and composer (d. 1994)

1942 - John E. McLaughlin, former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

1943 - Xaviera Hollander, Dutch author

1943 - Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark

1943 - Johnny Hallyday, French singer and actor

1943 - Muff Winwood, British songwriter, producer and bassist (Spencer Davis Group)

1945 - Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Philippine senator

1945 - Nicola Pagett, British actress

1946 - Noddy Holder, English singer (Slade)

1946 - Demis Roussos, Greek singer

1947 - John Hoagland, American photographer

1948 - Mike Holmgren, American football coach

1949 - Dusty Baker, baseball player and manager

1949 - Simon Callow, British actor

1949 - Russell Hitchcock, Member of Air Supply

1949 - Jim Varney, American actor (d. 2000)

1950 - Lakshmi Mittal, Indian industrialist

1951 - Steve Walsh, American singer/songwriter (Kansas)

1953 - Rita Lee, Playboy Playmate

1954 - James Belushi, American actor

1954 - Paul Rusesabagina, Manager of hotel des diplomates during the Rwandan genocide

1955 - Julie Hagerty, American actress

1958 - Wade Boggs, baseball player

1958 - Riccardo Paletti, Italian racing driver (d. 1982)

1959 - Eileen Davidson, American actress

1960 - Michèle Laroque, French actress

1960 - Marieke van Doorn, Dutch field hockey player

1961 - Dave McAuley, Northern Irish boxer

1961 - Yoshimi Iwasaki, Japanese singer/actress

1962 - Chris Morris, British satirist

1962 - Andrea Rost, Hungarian soprano

1963 - Helen Hunt, American actress

1964 - Courteney Cox, American actress

1964 - Michael Laudrup, Danish footballer

1965 - Adam Smith, American politician

1966 - Idalis DeLeon, American actress/singer

1967 - Yuji Ueda, Japanese voice actor

1969 - Ice Cube, American rapper and actor

1969 - Oliver Kahn, German footballer

1969 - Cédric Pioline, French tennis player

1970 - Leah Remini, American actress

1970 - Gaëlle Méchaly, French soprano

1971 - Edwin Brienen, Dutch director

1972 - Justin Leonard, American professional golfer

1972 - Andy Pettitte, baseball player

1973 - Neil Patrick Harris, American actor

1973 - Tore André Flo, Norwegian footballer

1973 - Pia Miranda, Australian actress

1975 - Elizabeth Reaser, American actress

1975 - Rachel Wacholder, American beach volleyballer/model

1977 - Nina Liu, Australian actress

1978 - Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer

1978 - Zach Day, Baseball player

1979 - Yulia Nesterenko, Belarusian athlete

1979 - Julia Schultz, Playboy Playmate

1980 - Mary Carey, American adult actress

1980 - Almudena Cid, Spanish gymnast

1980 - Cara Zavaleta, Playboy Playmate

1981 - William Dean Martin, American musician

1983 - Julia Fischer, German violinist

1983 - Derek Anderson, American football player

1985 - Nadine Coyle, Northern Irish singer (Girls Aloud)

1988 - Miku Ishida, Japanese teen idol

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923 - Robert I of France (b. c. 865)

1073 - Emperor Go-Sanjō of Japan (b. 1034)

1246 - Duke Frederick II of Austria (b. 1219)

1341 - Andronicus III Palaeologus, Eastern Roman Emperor (b. 1297).

1381 - John Cavendish, Lord Chief Justice of England

1381 - Wat Tyler, English rebel

1383 - John VI Cantacuzenus, Byzantine Emperor

1389 - Prince Lazar, Serbian Orthodox saint (b. 1329)

1467 - Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1396)

1521 - Tamás Bakócz. Hungarian Catholic cardinal and statesman (b. 1442)

1614 - Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English politician (b. 1540)

1679 - Guillaume Courtois, French painter (b. 1628)

1724 - Henry Sacheverell, English churchman and politician (b. 1674)

1750 - Marguerite De Launay, Baronne Staal, French writer (b. 1684)

1768 - James Short, Scottish mathematician and optician (b. 1710)

1772 - Louis-Claude Daquin, French composer (b. 1694)

1849 - James Knox Polk, 11th President of the United States (b. 1795)

1858 - Ary Scheffer, Dutch-French painter (b. 1795)

1888 - Emperor Friedrich III of Germany (b. 1831)

1889 - Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet (b. 1850)

1917 - Kristian Birkeland, Norwegian physicist (b. 1867)

1934 - Alfred Bruneau, French composer (d. 1857)

1941 - Evelyn Underhill, British writer (b. 1875)

1941 - Otfrid Foerster, German neurologist (b. 1873)

1962 - Alfred Cortot, Swiss pianist (b. 1877)

1965 - E. A. Speiser, American Bible scholar (b. 1902)

1968 - Sam Crawford, baseball player (b. 1880)

1968 - Wes Montgomery, American jazz guitarist (b. 1925)

1971 - Wendell Meredith Stanley, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)

1976 - Jimmy Dykes, baseball player and manager (b. 1896)

1984 - Meredith Willson, American composer (b. 1902)

1985 - Andy Stanfield, American athlete (b. 1927)

1989 - Victor French, American actor (b. 1934)

1991 - Arthur Lewis, British economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)

1993 - John Connally, American politician (b. 1917)

1993 - James Hunt, English race car driver (b. 1947)

1994 - Manos Hadjidakis, Greek composer (b. 1925)

1995 - John Vincent Atanasoff, American computer pioneer (b. 1903)

1996 - Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (b. 1917)

1996 - Dick Murdoch, Professinal Wrestler (b. 1946)

2003 - Hume Cronyn, Canadian actor (b. 1911)

2006 - Raymond Devos, French humorist (b. 1922)

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Commemoration of Evelyn Underhill (Anglican mystic and poet)

Roman Empire – ninth and final day of the Vestalia in honor of Vesta

Commemoration of William Adams (Miura Anjin 三浦按針) a man shipwrecked in Japan in the 1600s, and whom James Clavell's "Shogun" was based upon

Flag Day in Denmark

Malawi Freedom Day

Elder Abuse Awareness Day

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Saint Abraham (died 480)

Saint Bernard of Aosta (died 1081, patron saint of alpinists and mountain guides)

Saint Vitus' Day – Vitus Diena held in medieval Latvia

Saint Germaine Cousin (died 1601, patron of shepherdesses and of victims of child abuse)