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1604 - Leon VII Spanish poet's first poem is published: La Cocina 1864 - US Civil War: Union Army General Sherman begins advance to Atlanta, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign 1889 - Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch; the elevators in the tower are not yet ready, so intrepid visitors have to climb 1,710 steps to reach the top 1933 - 59th Kentucky Derby: Don Meade aboard Brokers Tip wins in 2:06.8 1942 - Corregidor and Philippines surrender to Japanese Armies 1970 - Irish Prime Minister Jack Lynch sacks two ministers in the Irish government over allegations of illegal arms importation 1981 - US expels Libyan diplomats 1991 - Space Shuttle STS 39 (Discovery 12) lands More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1916 - Belgian troops march into Kigali, German East Africa 1945 - General Johannes Blaskowitz surrenders German troops in Netherlands 1987 - American televangelist Jim Bakker and Rich Dortch dismissed from Assemblies of God after revelations of an alleged rape of a church secretary 1987 - Miroslav Mihailovic begins 54 hours of telling jokes 2008 - Chaiten Volcano erupts in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1758 - Maximilien Robespierre, French revolutionary (President of the National Convention, Member of Committee of Public Safety), born in Arras, France (d. 1794) 1843 - Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist (investigated Lake Bonneville, Utah), born in Rochester, New York (d. 1918) 1925 - Patrick Meaney, British businessman and CEO (Rank Organization), born in Wandsworth, London (d. 1992) 1947 - Ronald Rivest, American computer scientist (RSA cryptography), born in Schenectady, New York 1953 - Michelle Courchesne, Quebec politician and former President of the Treasury Board, born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 850 - Ninmyō, 54th Emperor of Japan (833-50) during the Heian period, dies at 41 1727 - Catharine I of Russia [Marta Samuilovna], wife of Peter the Great, dies at about 42 1985 - Pete Desjardins, American diver (Olympic gold 10m platform, 3m springboard 1928), dies at 78 2014 - Geoffrey Maitland Smith, British accountant (Sir Charles Clore; Paul McCartney) and businessman (CEO of Sears, 1978-95), dies at 81 2018 - Cirilo Bautista, Filipino writer and poet, dies at 76 More Famous Deaths »

1863 - Irish boxer Joe Coburn KOs American Mike McCoole in the 67th round in his first defense of Heavyweight C'ship of America in Charlestown, Maryland 1916 - US Marines invade Dominican Republic, stay until 1924 1917 - St Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Koob no-hits Chicago White Sox, 1-0 at Sportsman's Park III 1948 - First squadron of jet aircraft boards a carrier 1955 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada test Site 1956 - The first World Judo Championships are held in Tokyo 1961 - Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space aboard Freedom 7 2006 - The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1494 - On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica and lands at Discovery Bay 1864 - Battle of Wilderness, Virginia (Germanna Ford, Wilderness Tavern) 1938 - MLB Philadelphia Phillies Harold Kelleher pitcher faces 16 batters in 6th, as Cubs score 12 runs, both marks are NL records off one hurler in a single inning 1990 - 35th Eurovision Song Contest: Toto Cutugno for Italy wins singing "Insieme: 1992" in Zagreb 1991 - A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after Salvadoran man is shot by police More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1883 - Charles "Chief" Bender, American Baseball HOF pitcher (only indigenous American in BHOF; World Series 1910, 11, 13; no-hitter 1910; Philadelphia A's), born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota (d. 1954) 1915 - Richard Rovere, American political journalist (Goldwater Caper), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 1979) 1924 - Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, Argentine film director (Monday's Child), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1978) 1950 - Googoosh [Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین)], Persian singer and actress, born in Sarcheshmeh Street, Tehran, Iran 1982 - Jay Bothroyd, English footballer (striker for J1 League club Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo), born in London More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1945 - Peter Van Pels, Jewish Refugee (b. 1926) 1964 - Howard Zahniser, American environmental activist (father of Wilderness Act), dies of heart failure at 58 1995 - Anthony Wagner, English Officer of Arms at the College of Arms and author on heraldry, dies at 86 2000 - Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (Tour de France 1938, 48; Giro d'Italia 1936-7, 46), dies of a heart attack at 85 2012 - Raman Surendranath, Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 26 wickets), dies at 75 More Famous Deaths »

1493 - Spanish Pope Alexander VI decrees in the papal bull "Inter caetera" that all lands west of a line 100 leagues west of any of the islands of the Azores or the Cape Verde Islands belong to Castile, ultimately dividing the Americas between Spain and Portugal 1861 - At Gretna, Louisiana, one of the first guns for the Confederate Navy is cast 1910 - Wilfrid Laurier passes the Naval Service Act, which creates the Royal Canadian Navy 1927 - Nicaragua agrees to a US supervised presidential election in 1928 1957 - Anne Frank Foundation forms in Amsterdam 1975 - Italian film "Seven Beauties" directed by Lina Wertmüller, starring Giancarlo Giannini, and Shirley Stoler released - first film directed by a women to be nominated for an Academy Award 1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan 2018 - LA Angels first baseman Albert Pujols collects his 3,000th MLB hit in a 5-0 win v Mariners in Seattle More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1883 - John Gordon Cashman publishes the first edition of the "Vicksburg Evening Post" in Mississippi 1942 - Battle of Coral Sea begins (1st naval battle fought solely in air) between Japanese, US and Australian navies and air forces 1959 - First Grammy Awards: Perry Como and Ella Fitzgerald win major awards 1966 - The Soviet government signs an agreement with Fiat to build an automobile factory in the Soviet Union 2019 - 145th Kentucky Derby: stewards disqualify first-across-the-line Maximum Security for interference; longshot Country House declared winner; first DQ in race history for race infraction More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1938 - Gillian Tindall, British historian and novelist (The Fields Beneath, Fly Away Home), born in London (d. 2025) 1949 - Zal Cleminson, Scottish guitarist (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), born in Glasgow, Scotland 1956 - Barrie Masters, British pub-rock singer (Eddie and the Hot Rods), born in Rochford, Essex, England (d. 2019) 1977 - Mariano Pernía, Argentine soccer left back (11 caps Spain; Independiente, Recreativo, Getafe, Atlético Madrid), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina 1984 - Manjural Islam Rana, Bangladeshi cricket all-rounder (6 Tests, 1 x 50, 5 wickets, BB 3/84; Khulna Division), born in Khulna, Bangladesh (d. 2007) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1566 - Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1490) 1855 - Camille Pleyel, Austrian pianist, piano manufacturer, and music publisher, dies at 66 1953 - T. Tertius Noble, English composer, dies at 85 1984 - Bob Clampett, American cartoonist (b. 1913) 1994 - Karl Francis Hettinger, American police officer (Onion Field survivor), dies at 59 More Famous Deaths »

1342 - Count Hartmann II becomes the ruler of Vaduz, Liechtenstein 1864 - Red River Campaign: third day of Battle at Alexandria, Louisiana 1933 - Nellie T. Ross takes office as the first female director of the US Mint 1966 - WDHO (now WNWO) TV channel 24 in Toledo, Ohio (ABC) begins broadcasting 2002 - Military MiG-21 aircraft crashes into the Bank of Rajasthan in India, killing eight people 2002 - "Spider-Man," starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin, premieres 2023 - 13-year-old Serbian student shoots and kills nine people at his Belgrade school, eight students and a security guard, before handing himself in 2023 - MLB LA Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani joins NY Yankee legend Babe Ruth as only pitcher to strike out 500 batters and hit over 100 career home runs in 6-4 over the Cardinals in St. Louis More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1815 - Battle at Tolentino: Austria beats King Joachim of Naples 1855 - Antwerp-Rotterdam railway officially opens 1952 - "Call Me Madam" closes at the Imperial Theater in NYC after 644 performances 1954 - WHA TV channel 21 in Madison, Wisconsin (PBS) begins broadcasting 1994 - Wim Kok and the Labour Party win Dutch general election More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1729 - Florian Leopold Gassmann, Bohemian composer, born in Brüx, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1774) 1849 - Jacob Riis, Danish-American social reformer and "muck raking" reporter (NY Tribune, NY Evening Sun), born in Ribe, Denmark (d. 1914) 1895 - Cornelius Van Til, Dutch philosopher and Christian apologist, born in Grootegast, Netherlands (d. 1987) 1915 - Stu Hart, Canadian pro wrestler and trainer (founder Stampede Wrestling; sons Bret and Owen Hart), born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (d. 2003) 1949 - Albert Sacco Jr., American chemical engineer and astronaut (STS 73), born in Boston, Massachusetts More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1442 - Engelbert I Nassau-Dillenburg (counsellor to Duke of Burgendy), dies at 71 or 72 1737 - Abraham Patras, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1735-37), dies at 65 1988 - Johannes Driessler, German organist and composer, dies at 67 1994 - Milford Dolliole, American pioneer jazz drummer, dies at 90 2006 - Pramod Mahajan, Indian politician (b. 1949) More Famous Deaths »

1598 - France and Spain sign the Peace of Vervins 1923 - MLB Washington Senator Walter Johnson pitches his 100th shutout, beats New York Yankees 3-0 1941 - Nazi occupied Netherlands lays off Jewish journalists 1943 - German troops vacate Jefna, Tunisia 1950 - Dutch PM Malan recognizes South-Africa but not People's Republic of China 1969 - British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II departs Southampton on its maiden voyage to New York 1982 - Argentine cruiser General Belgrano is sunk by British submarine HMS Conqueror with the loss of more than 350 men during the Falklands War 1983 - 6.7 earthquake injures 487 in Coalinga, California More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1876 - The April Uprising breaks out in Bulgaria 1878 - US stops minting the 20-cent coin due to public confusion with the quarter 1887 - Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film (used in Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope) 1953 - Hussein I installed as King of Jordan 1998 - 124th Kentucky Derby: Kent Desormeaux aboard Real Quiet wins in 2:02.20 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1660 - Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian baroque composer (Tigrane), born in Palermo, Sicily, Viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire (d. 1725) 1860 - Theodor Herzl, Austrian journalist and father of modern political Zionism (World Zionist Organization), born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary (d. 1904) 1910 - Laurie Nash, Australian cricket fast-bowler (2 Tests, 10 wickets) and VFL player and coach (South Melbourne), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1986) 1954 - Elliot Goldenthal, American concert, theater, and Academy Award-winning film score composer (Frida; Juan Darién - A Carnival Mass), born in Brooklyn, New York City 1984 - Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer, born in Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 2001 - Gina Mastrogiacomo, American actress (Goodfellas), dies at 39 2012 - Junior Seau, American Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (12 x Pro Bowl; 6 × First-team All-Pro; NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1992; SD Chargers), commits suicide at 43 2013 - Jeff Hanneman, American haevy metal guitarist (Slayer), dies from liver failure at 49 2017 - Abelardo Castillo, Argentine writer and novelist, dies at 82 2018 - Wang Danfeng, Chinese actress, dies at 93 More Famous Deaths »

1850 - John Geary becomes the first mayor of San Francisco 1951 - Dutch Reformed Church introduces a new church choir 1967 - Bernard Malamud wins the Pulitzer Price in Fiction for "The Fixer" 1988 - Two IRA attacks in and near Roermond, Netherlands, kills three British servicemen and wounds three more 2002 - Padres closer Trevor Hoffman sets MLB record for saves for one team (321) in 4-3 win v Chicago Cubs in San Diego 2009 - Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden 2014 - Hundreds march through Nigerian capital calling for the release of schoolgirls abducted by Islamic militants, Boko Haram, who oppose Western education 2019 - US Attorney General William Barr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee, defending his handling of the Mueller Report More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1795 - King of Hawaiʻi Kamehameha I defeats Kalanikupule and conquers island of Oʻahu at Battle of Nuʻuanu [approx. date] 1957 - Vanguard TV-1 booster test reaches an altitude of 121 miles (195 km) 1967 - Anastasio Somoza Debayle becomes President of Nicaragua 1969 - Houston Astros hurler Don Wilson blanks Reds, 4-0 for second career no-hitter, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati 2007 - The Los Angeles May Day mêlée occurs, in which the Los Angeles Police Department's response to a May Day pro-immigration rally becomes a matter of controversy More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1831 - Emily Stowe, Canadian suffragist and first woman licensed to practise medicine in Canada, born in Norwich Township, Oxford County, Ontario (d. 1903) 1924 - Enriko Josif, Serbian composer and pedagogue (Lyric Symphony), born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (d. 2003) 1927 - Greta Andersen, Danish swimmer (Olympic gold 100m freestyle, silver 4×100m freestyle 1948), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2023) 1955 - András Törőcsik, Hungarian soccer forward (45 caps; Újpest Dozsa FC, Montpellier), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2022) 1970 - Damon Diletti, Australian field hockey goal keeper (Olympic silver 1992; Champions Trophy gold 1999), born in Perth, West Australia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1679 - Esaias Reusner, German lutenist and composer, dies at 43 1913 - John Barclay Armstrong, Texas Ranger and U.S. Marshal (b. 1850) 1957 - Grant Mitchell, American actor (Great Lie, Laura, Cairo, Conflict), dies at 82 2018 - Chuck Missler, American evangelist and author, dies at 83 2021 - Al Jamison, American football offensive lineman (AFL All Star 1961, 62; AFL C'ship 1960, 61; Houston Oilers), dies at 83 More Famous Deaths »

1803 - Chancellor Robert Livingston and James Monroe sign Louisiana Purchase Treaty in Paris at a cost of 15 million dollars, doubles the size of the USA 1871 - The Camp Grant Massacre of Apache Indians in Arizona Territory is committed by white and Mexican adventurers, 144 die 1939 - Lou Gehrig sets a MLB record playing his 2,130th consecutive and final game for the New York Yankees. 1972 - "Arthur Godfrey Time" ends a 27 year run on radio 1973 - Women's tennis groups end disputes over sanctioning tournaments 1995 - After 120 years the last 15 A and S department stores close 1997 - Tajik Prest Imomali Rakhmonov wounded in assassination attempt 2019 - New type of dementia identified and named limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (Late) after misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1492 - Spain announces it will expel all Jews 1945 - Concentration camp Munchen-Allag freed 1977 - Revival of musical revue "A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green" closes at Little Theatre, NYC after 92 performances 1997 - Big Ben stops at 12:11 PM for 54 minutes 2012 - Manchester City defeats Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in English Premier League history More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1723 - Mathurin Jacques Brisson, French zoologist and naturalist (Ornithologie), born in Fontenay-le-Comte (d. 1806) 1909 - Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands (1948-80), born in Noordeinde Palace, The Hague, Netherlands (d. 2004) 1913 - Bernard Sendall, British deputy director general of the Independent Television Authority and author (Independent Television in Britain), born in Malvern, England (d. 1996) 1936 - Bernie Clifton [Quinn], British comedian (Oswald the Ostrich), born in St Helens, Lancashire, England 1982 - Kirsten Dunst, American actress (Interview with the Vampire, Spider-Man), born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1848 - Friedrich Freiherr Gagern, German Dutch army commandant, dies at 53 1942 - J. C. Arthur, American botanist (studied parasitic fungi rusts), dies at 92 1983 - Joel H. Hildebrand, American chemist and educator (research led to new treatments for divers with the 'bends' through the use of helium and oxygen breathing mixtures), dies at 101 1998 - Nizar Qabbani, Syrian poet (b. 1926) 2007 - Gordon Scott [Werschkul], American actor (Tarzan series), dies at 80 More Famous Deaths »

1644 - Farm leader Li Zicheng becomes Emperor of China and flees Peking 1707 - English and Scottish parliaments accept Act of Union; creates the United Kingdom of Great Britain (comes into being 1st May) 1854 - Ashmun Institute (later Lincoln University), in Hinsonville, Pennsylvania, receives its charter from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, making it the 1st degree-granting Black college in US 1862 - 100,000 federal troops prepare to march into Corinth, Mississippi 1864 - The Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York 1953 - Milwaukee Braves' Joe Adcock is 1st to homer into New York's Polo Grounds center field bleachers 1995 - KC Royal John Nonely is 70th to HR on his 1st at bat 1996 - Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Fresno, California on KFRR 104.1 FM More Historical Events »