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1802 - Naturalists Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland reach Quito, Ecuador 1842 - 4,500 British and Indian troops leave Kabul, massacred before reaching India 1870 - Inauguration of the Musikverein concert hall in Vienna, Austria; designed by Danish architect Theophil Hansen for the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna, built on land provided by Emperor Franz Joseph I 1922 - -13] Conference of Cannes concerning German retribution payments 1950 - Britain recognizes Communist government of China 1969 - WLIW TV channel 21 in Garden City, NY (PBS) begins broadcasting 1975 - TV game show "Wheel of Fortune" debuts on NBC 1980 - AFC Championship, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Houston Oilers, 27-13 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1938 - Bronze memorial statue of explorer Henry Hudson erected in the Bronx, New York 1980 - The beginning of the first GPS epoch 2009 - Israel begins an assault on the Gaza Strip 2013 - The NHL reaches an agreement to end a 113 day lockout 2021 - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says country's five-year economic plan has failed at opening of a rare meeting of the Workers' Party More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1595 - Claude Favre de Vaugelas, Savoyard grammarian and man of letters, born in Meximieux, Duchy of Savoy (d. 1650) 1853 - Clement Reid, English geologist and paleobotanist, first to suggest a drowned land bridge between Britain and Europe (now called Doggerland), born in London (d. 1916) 1899 - Sophie-Carmen "Sonia" Eckhardt-Gramatté, Russian-Canadian pianist and composer, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1974) 1970 - John Gerak, NFL tight end/guide (Minnesota Vikings, St Louis Rams), born in Youngstown, Ohio 1982 - Gilbert Arenas, American basketball player, born in Tampa, Florida More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1541 - Bernard van Orley, Flemish royal painter of Hungary, dies at about 52 1852 - Louis Braille, French educator and inventor of a system of reading and writing for the blind, dies of tuberculosis at 43 1958 - Josephine CMA, princess of Belgium/nun, dies at 85 1995 - Joe Slovo, Latvian-South African attorney and politician (Secretary General of SACR), dies at 68 2008 - Yunus Mahomed, South African lawyer and activist (UDF), dies at 57 More Famous Deaths »

1809 - Treaty of Dardanelles concluded between Britain and France 1925 - Nellie Tayloe Ross sworn in as Governor of Wyoming, 1st woman governor in USA 1929 - Coup by King Alexander in South Slavia 1930 - Bonnie Parker meets Clyde Barrow for the first time at Clarence Clay's house 1941 - British Australian troops conquer Bardia, Libya 1990 - J Donald Crump appointed 8th Commissioner of CFL 1993 - Washington state executes Westley Allan Dodd by hanging (first legal hanging in America since 1965) 2020 - Iran pulls out of the 2015 nuclear deal, will not limit its uranium enrichment More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1781 - British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burns Richmond, Virginia 1970 - 23,000 Belgian mine workers strike 1972 - Largest crowd at Cleveland Arena (Cavs vs Lakers-11,178) 2020 - Iran pulls out of the 2015 nuclear deal, will not limit its uranium enrichment 2023 - Pocahontas revealed as the 12th great-grandmother of actor Edward Norton on PBS's "Finding Your Roots" More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1661 - Jacob Balthasar Schutz, German composer, born in the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1700) 1828 - August Valentine Kautz, German-American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Baden, Germany (d. 1895) 1888 - George "Rube" Foster, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1915, 16; no-hitter 1916; Boston Red Sox), born in Lehigh, Oklahoma (d. 1976) 1939 - Bridget Parker, British equestrian 3 day event (Olympic gold 1972), born in Northumberland, England 1980 - Bennie Joppru, National Football League tight end, born in Dickinson, North Dakota More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1968 - Jean Murat, French actor (Eternal Rain, Carnival Flanders), dies at 79 1996 - Jay Arena, American pediatrician (Duke Poison Center Director, inventor of the child-proof safety cap), dies at 86 2005 - Danny Sugerman, American music manager (The Doors), dies of lung cancer at 50 2007 - Momofuku Ando, Taiwanese-Japanese inventor of instant noodles and cup noodles, dies of heart failure at 96 2024 - (Derek) "Del" Palmer, English session and touring bassist, and sound engineer (Kate Bush), dies at 71 More Famous Deaths »

1717 - Netherlands, Great Britain and France sign Triple Alliance 1906 - South Africa beat England by one wicket, their 1st Test win 1934 - Premiere of the first Dutch talkie movie, Jan Teunissen's "Willem van Oranje" 1951 - Korean War: Chinese forces recapture Seoul 1967 - English land and boat racer Donald Campbell is killed while driving jet-powered boat Bluebird K7 on Coniston Water in England trying to beat his own water speed record 1986 - Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson scores twice as he rushes for an NFL postseason record 248 yards in 20-0 victory over Dallas Cowboys in NFC divisional playoff in Anaheim, California 1987 - Sixteen die in a train crash in Chase, Maryland 2018 - 'Bomb Cyclone' hits US Northeast prompting flooding and snow in New York subway system More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1725 - Benjamin Franklin arrives in London [OS=Dec 24 1724] 1945 - US jeep-aircraft carrier Ommaney Bay sinks after Japanese kamikaze attack 1947 - Arthur Schwartz, Ira Gershwin, and George S. Kaufman's musical "Park Avenue" closes at the Shubert Theater, NYC, after 72 performances 1951 - Korean War: Chinese forces recapture Seoul 1987 - Sixteen die in a train crash in Chase, Maryland More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1839 - Carl Humann, German engineer and self-made archaeologist who discovered the Pergamon altar, born in Steele, Prussia (d. 1896) 1882 - Aristarkh Lentulov, Russian artist, born in Nizhny Lomov, Russia (d. 1943) 1965 - Yvan Attal, Israeli-French actor (Love Without Pity) and director (The Accusation), born in Tel Aviv, Israel 1970 - Sean Lumpkin, American NFL safety (New Orleans Saints), born in Golden Valley, Minnesota 1998 - Liza Soberano, Filipino-American actress (Forevermore; Everyday I Love You), born in Santa Clara, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1729 - Joseph de Montesquiou earl d'Artagnan, French lt-general, dies at 77 1898 - Frantisek Pivoda, Czech composer, dies at 73 1955 - G. G. van der Hoeven, Dutch editor-in-chief (NRC newspaper), dies at 82 2004 - Joan Aiken, British writer of children's books (The Whispering Mountain, The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase), dies at 79 2010 - Johan Ferrier, Surinamian politician (b. 1910) More Famous Deaths »

1922 - First living person is depicted on a U.S. coin when Governor Thomas Kilby appears on the Alabama Centennial half dollar 1945 - Admiral Chester Nimitz begins planning assaults on Okinawa and Iwo Jima in Japan 1947 - First opening session of Congress is televised; it does not happen again until 1977 1961 - US breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba 1991 - 8 Iraqi embassy officials are expelled from the UK 1994 - 35-foot-tall Chief Wahoo, trademark of Indians on top of Stadium since 1962, is taken down, to be moved to Jacob's Field 1998 - American "Hee Haw" banjo player Grandpa Jones suffers a stroke 2002 - College Football, 4th BCS National Championship, Rose Bowl, Pasadena: #1 Miami beats #2 Nebraska, 37-14, at 88th Rose Bowl More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1911 - City of Almaty in Russian Turkestan is destroyed by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake 1920 - Boston Red Sox baseball club owner Harry Frazee announces agreement to sell slugger Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000 in cash and a $350,000 loan; start of the 84 year "Curse of the Bambino" 1967 - WJAN TV channel 17 in Canton, OH (IND) begins broadcasting 1976 - Australian Open Women's Tennis: Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley beats Renata Tomanova of Czechoslovakia 6-2, 6-2 for her 3rd straight home singles title 1987 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1777 - Louis Poinsot, French mathematician and physicist (invented geometrical mechanics), born in Paris, France (d. 1859) 1870 - Henry Handel Richardson [Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson], Australian novelist (Richard Mahoney), born in East Melbourne, Australia (d. 1946) 1939 - (Gwendolyn) Dianne Brooks, American RandB, jazz, session and touring vocalist (Three Playmates - "Sugah Wooga"; solo - "Walking On My Mind"; Anne Murray), born in New Jersey (d. 2005) 1940 - Tsutomu Hanahara, Japanese freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold flyweight 1964), born in Shimonoseki, Japan (d. 2024) 1957 - Frank Dicopoulos, American actor (Frank Cooper Jr in "Guiding Light"), born in Akron, Ohio More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1028 - Fujiwara Michinaga, Japanese regent (wrote world's oldest autographic diary), dies (b. 966) 1927 - Carle David Tolmé Runge, German mathematician and physicist, dies at 70 1968 - Earl Swope, American jazz and big band trombonist (Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Jimmy Dorsey, Louie Bellson), dies at 45 1979 - Conrad Hilton, American hotel mogul (Hilton Hotels, world's 1st international hotel chain), dies at 91 2015 - Allie Sherman, American football coach (Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1953-56 CFL; New York Giants 1961–68), dies at 91 More Famous Deaths »

366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers and invade the Roman Empire 1958 - Dmitri Shostakovich' 2nd Piano Concerto has US premiere, with Leonard Bernstein as soloist and conductor of the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie hall in NYCs in NY 1967 - 33rd Sugar Bowl: #6 Alabama beats #3 Nebraska, 34-7 1969 - Once influential daily sports newspaper, 'Soviet Sport' declares Czech super-star distance runner Emil Zatopek a "public enemy" after he supports democratic wing of the Communist Party at start of the Prague Spring 1972 - "Rothschilds" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 505 performances 1989 - 75th Rose Bowl: #11 Michigan beats #5 Southern California, 22-14 1996 - 25th Fiesta Bowl: #1 Nebraska beats #2 Florida, 62-24 2022 - Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigns in a televised address amid political deadlock after a rejection of his deal with the military by pro-democracy forces More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1920 - Responding to global fear of communism caused by the Russian Revolution, US Attorney General Palmer authorizes raids across the country on unionists and socialists 1923 - Ku Klux Klan surprise attack on black residential area Rosewood Florida, 8 killed (compensation awarded in 1995) 1933 - Ijmuider fishing strike begins (till July 11th) 1983 - Several African National Congress (ANC) members detained in Swaziland decide to leave the country voluntarily for Mozambique. 2019 - United States international Christian Pulisic becomes the most expensive American soccer player when he moves from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea for £57.6M ($73M); remains at Dortmund on loan until the end of the season More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1908 - Jānis Ķepītis, Latvian pianist, conductor, and composer, born in Beverīna, Latvia (d. 1989) 1937 - Imerio Massignan, Italian road cyclist (Tour de France Mountains classification 1960, 61), born in Altavilla Vicentina, Italy (d. 2024) 1964 - Pernell Whitaker, American boxer (Olympic gold 1984, 4-division world champion), born in Norfolk, Virginia (d. 2019) 1982 - Athanasia Tsoumeleka, Greek race walker (Olympic gold 20k 2004), born in Preveza, Greece 1985 - Heather O'Reilly, American soccer midfielder (231 caps; FIFA Women's World Cup 2015; Olympic gold 2004, 08, 12), born in East Brunswick, New Jersey More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1973 - Joe Harriott, Jamaican-British be-bop and free-form jazz, and world-fusion alto saxophonist (Abstract; Indo-Jazz), dies of cancer at 44 1975 - Theo Osterkamp, German fighter pilot, dies at 82 1996 - Karl Targownik, Hungarian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, dies at 80 2007 - Teddy Kollek, Israeli politician (Mayor of Jerusalem), dies at 95 2020 - Grant Weatherstone, Scotland rugby union winger (16 caps; Edinburgh District), dies at 88 More Famous Deaths »

1932 - United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth 1945 - German air raid on allied airports at Eindhoven/Saint-Trond/Brussels 1962 - 28th Orange Bowl: #4 LSU beats #7 Colorado, 25-7 1963 - 29th Orange Bowl: #5 Alabama beats #8 Oklahoma, 17-0 1971 - Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US 1990 - 19th Fiesta Bowl: #5 Florida State beats #6 Nebraska, 41-17 1990 - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) implements "SYNDEX," granting independent stations more rights over cable TV outlets for exclusive syndicated programs 2000 - Opening of the Holy Doors of Santa Maria Maggiore by Pope John Paul II in Rome to celebrate the new millennium More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1954 - Rose and Cotton Bowl are 1st sport colorcasts 1993 - Blockbuster Bowl 3: Stanford beats Penn State, 24-3 1993 - 79th Rose Bowl: #7 Michigan beats #9 Washington, 38-31 2007 - Bulgarian, Romanian, and Irish become official languages of the European Union, joining 20 other official languages 2007 - 36th Fiesta Bowl: #9 Boise State beats #7 Oklahoma, 43-42 (OT) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 766 - Ali al-Rida [Abū al-Ḥasan al-Thānī], 8th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam and descendant of the prophet Muhammad, born in Medina, Abbasid Caliphate (d. 818) [approximate birthdate] 1711 - Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier whose unit is considered one of the worst in European history due to insubordination and plundering, born in Reggio di Calabria (d. 1749) 1848 - John W. Goff, American lawyer and judge known for his part in the Catalpa Rescue, born in Gorey, Ireland (d. 1924) 1890 - Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer and founder of the Anton Melik Geographical Institute (The Geography of Slovenia), born in Črna Vas, Austrio-Hungarian Empire (d. 1966) 1970 - Gabriel Jarret, American actor (Real Genius, Apollo 13), born in Los Angeles, California More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1957 - Seán South, Irish Republican Army volunteer, killed during the Brookeborough Raid, at 28 1994 - Arthur Porritt, New Zealand athlete (Olympic bronze 100m 1924) and 11th governor-general of New Zealand 1967-72, dies at 93 1996 - Orapin Chaiyakan, first Thai woman elected to the Parliament of Thailand, dies at 91 2006 - Dawn Lake, Australian TV comedienne, dies at 78 2015 - Jeff Golub, American jazz guitarist (Avenue Blue; Rod Stewart), dies of a rare brain disease at 59 More Famous Deaths »

870 - Skirmish at Englefield: Ethelred of Wessex beats a section of the Viking Great Heathen Army, camped at Reading 1911 - Marie Curie receives her second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her work with radioactivity 1923 - BBC begins using Big Ben's chimes as an interval signal 1957 - Amateur Athletic Union awards American sprinter Bobby Morrow the James E. Sullivan Award 1975 - 42nd Sugar Bowl: #3 Alabama beats #7 Penn State, 13-6 1986 - Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 97 1996 - 63rd Orange Bowl: #6 Nebraska beats #10 Virginia Tech, 41-21 1997 - 27th Fiesta Bowl: #10 Kansas State beats #14 Syracuse, 35-18 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 406 - "The Great Invasion" sees a vast horde of Vandals, Alans, and Suebi cross the Rhine at Mainz, beginning the invasion of Gaul 1968 - Record high barometric pressure (1083.8 mb, 32 inches) recorded at Agata in Siberia, Soviet Union; eclipsed in December 2001 1969 - Congo-Brazzaville becomes People's republic, under major Ngouabi 1984 - Test Cricket debut of Mohammad Azharuddin, v England at Calcutta 1998 - US movie box office hits record $6.24 billion for year More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1928 - Hugh McElhenny, American Pro/College Football HOF halfback (University of Washington; 5 × First-team All-Pro; 6 × Pro Bowl; Minnesota Vikings, SF 49ers), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2022) 1936 - Jerry Sturm, American football tackle (AFL All-Star 1964, 66; Denver Broncos, NO Saints), born in English, Indiana (d. 2020) 1949 - Susan Shwartz, American author, born in Youngstown, Ohio 1949 - Ellen Datlow, American editor, born in New York City 1954 - Alex Salmond, Scottish politician (Scottish National Party) First Minister of Scotland (2007-14), born in Linlithgow, Scotland (d. 2024) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1510 - Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, dies at 38 1987 - Leo Steiner, American restaurateur and co-owner of the Carnegie Deli, dies at 48 (b. circa 1939) 1991 - Georges Poulet, French-Belgian critic (Temps Humain), dies at 89 1993 - Arthur Dreifuss, director and producer (Murder in Amsterdam), dies at 85 2022 - Sergei Bautin, Belarusian ice hockey defenceman (Olympic gold Unified Team 1992; Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks), dies at 55 More Famous Deaths »

1621 - English King James I tears the Protestation of Parliament from the records, objecting to Parliament commenting on a foreign marriage alliance 1672 - Baron Karl Rabenhaupt occupies Coevorden, Netherlands 1896 - Stanley Cup, Granite Rink, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Ernie McLea scores a hat-trick as Montreal Victorias beat Winnipeg Victorias, 6-5; first SC Challenge game played outside of Montreal 1917 - -37°F (-38°C) in Lewisburg, WV (state record) 1953 - Queen Elizabeth II visits the Tūrangawaewae marae in New Zealand, home of the Māori Kīngitanga movement 1973 - AFC Championship, Miami Orange Bowl: Miami Dolphins beat Oakland Raiders, 27-10 1979 - English Progressive rock group, Emerson, Lake and Palmer break up 1997 - In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people are killed from four villages. More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1672 - Baron Karl Rabenhaupt occupies Coevorden, Netherlands 1924 - Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announces the existence of other galaxies at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society 1958 - French franc devalued 1997 - An abandoned building collapses on NY's 42nd St, no one hurt 2006 - Madrid Barajas International Airport is bombed. More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1887 - Henry George Ley, British organist, composer, and teacher (Eton, 1926-45), born in Chagford, England (d. 1962) 1934 - Barry Briggs, New Zealand speedway rider (World Champion 1957-58, 64, 66; British Championship 1961, 64-67, 69), born in Christchurch, Canterbury 1945 - Vernon Wells, Australian actor (Commando; Mad Max: The Road Warrior), born in Rushworth, Australia 1953 - Daniel T. Barry, American engineer and NASA astronaut (STS 72), born in Norwalk, Connecticut 1965 - David Baker, UK cyclist, born in Sheffield, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1947 - Alfred North Whitehead, British mathematician and philosopher (Adventures of Ideas), dies at 86 1968 - Trygve Lie, Norwegian politician and 1st Secretary-General of the United Nations (1946-52), dies at 72 1995 - Doris Grau, American script supervisor, actress and voice artist (Point Blank, King Kong), dies from respiratory failure at 71 1998 - Johnny Moore, American singer (The Drifters) (b. 1934) 2019 - Johnny Ward, English rugby league hooker (4 Tests Great Britain, 3 England; Castleford 262 games), dies at 78 More Famous Deaths »

1911 - Mongolia gains independence from the Qing dynasty 1944 - Belgian Walloon Nazi collaborator Léon Degrelle sentenced to death 1955 - NHL officials wear new vertically striped black-and-white sweaters for the first time in Montreal Canadiens' 5-2 win over Toronto Maple Leafs 1957 - National Football League Championship, Briggs Stadium, Detroit: Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns, 50-14; Lions score 2 touchdowns in each quarter 1965 - The Supremes release single "My World is Empty Without You" 1992 - Governor Cuomo grants Jean Harris (Scarsdale Diet Dr killer) clemency 1994 - Australian cricket's spin king Shane Warne dismisses England's Phil DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm for a famous hat-trick in 2nd Test win in Melbourne 1998 - Leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologize for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed over a million people More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1921 - Mackenzie King is sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of Canada 1933 - New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert refuses to release future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth to manage the Cincinnati Reds 1983 - Indian cricket opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar scores an unbeaten 236 in drawn 6th Test v West Indies at Chennai; his 4th Test double century and 30th century, surpassing Don Bradman's record of 29 1984 - Wayne Gretzky scores his NHL career 32nd hat trick and adds 3 assists in Edmonton's 6-3 win over Detroit Red Wings for his 100th point in just 35 games; 2nd fastest in history - recorded 100 points in 34 games in 1983 1997 - Cricket Women's World Cup: Australia defeats New Zealand by 5 wickets More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1935 - Russell Watt, New Zealand rugby union wing (9 Tests; Otago, Southland, Wellington), born in Dunedin, New Zealand (d. 2022) 1939 - (William Edwin) "Ed" Bruce, American country singer ("Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"), born in Keiser, Arkansas (d. 2021) 1970 - Hidetoshi Mitsusada, Japanese racing driver, born in Osaka, Japan 1974 - James Darling, American football linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles), born in Denver, Colorado 1995 - Flossie, British domestic cat, world's oldest cat recognized by Guinness World Records, born in Merseyside, England More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1606 - Stephen Bocskai, Prince of Transylvania and Hungary (1605-6), dies at 49 1919 - William Osler, Canadian physician and author (circulatory system), dies at 70 1925 - Félix E Vallotton, Swiss painter/writer (Chaste Susanne), dies at 60 2017 - Alfred Binns, West Indian cricket wicket-keeper (5 Tests, 17 dismissals; Jamaica), dies at 88 2023 - Les McCann, American jazz pianist, soul singer ("Compared to What"), painter, and photographer, dies of pneumonia at 88 More Famous Deaths »

1915 - Today the British Cabinet recognizes the true nature of the war by deciding to institute compulsory military service, with single men to be conscripted before married ones 1926 - Imperial Airways begins mail and passenger service from England to India 1949 - 20th Century Fox announces it will produce TV programs 1953 - WLBT TV channel 3 in Jackson, Mississippi (NBC) begins broadcasting 1964 - Premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich's cantata "The Execution of Stepan Razin" 1984 - Rajiv Gandhi's Congress party wins the general election in India 1994 - American country singer Tammy Wynette admitted to the hospital with bile duct infection 2019 - Jihadist fundamentalist group al-Shabaab sets off a truck bomb in Mogadishu, Somalia, killing at least 84 people and wounding over 150 More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1947 - Chic Cards beat Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 in NFL championship game 1973 - US President Nixon signs Endangered Species Act into law 1981 - Warner-Elektra-Atlantic raises price of 45 records from $1.68 to $1.98 1984 - TV soap "Edge of Night" ends 28 year run 1984 - Creosote bush determined to be 11,700 years old More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1738 - Thaddaus Ferdinand Lipowsky, German composer, born in St. Martin im Innkreis, Duchy of Bavaria (d. 1767) 1842 - Calixa Lavallee, Canadian composer (O Canada), born in Verchères, British Province of Canada (d. 1891) 1908 - Lew Ayres, American actor (All Quiet on Western Front; Holiday; Dr Kildare (films); Johnny Belinda), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 1996) 1938 - Dick Sudhalter, American jazz trumpeter, and writer, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2008) 1970 - Elizabeth McIntyre, Miss West Virginia (1996), born in Dunbar, West Virginia More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1793 - Louis earl of Bylandt, Dutch admiral, dies at about 75 1949 - Hervey Allen, American writer and poet (Anthony Adverse), dies at 60 1999 - Clayton Moore, American actor (The Lone Ranger), dies at 85 2001 - William X. Kienzle, American novelist (b. 1928) 2020 - Fou Ts'ong, Chinese-British concert pianist, dies of COVID-19 at 86 More Famous Deaths »

1703 - England and Portugal sign Methuen-Asiento-trade agreement 1939 - 1st American skimobiles (North Conway, NH) 1943 - France transfers most of her powers in Lebanon to Lebanese government 1960 - France performs nuclear test 1960 - 1961 NFL Draft: Tommy Mason from University of Tulane first pick by Minnesota Vikings 1986 - Musical "Les Misérables" opens in the US at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. 1996 - Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram air base which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul. 2001 - The People's Republic of China is granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States. More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1943 - Montgomery discusses Operation Overlord (D-day landings) with Eisenhower and Bedell Smith 1979 - Sire Records releases "Pretenders", the debut album of The Pretenders, in US 1981 - USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan 1983 - Propane gas fire devastated 16 blocks of Buffalo 1995 - Australian cricketer David Boon completes his 21st Test Cricket century (110 v SL, MCG) More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1911 - Anna Russell, English music satirist and composer, born in London, England (d. 2006) 1918 - Gale Cleven, American WWII pilot (100th Bomb Group), portrayed by Austin Butler in "Masters of the Air", born in Lemmon, South Dakota (d. 2006) 1950 - Jack van Gelder, Dutch sport commentator and TV presenter (football commentator in "Aunt Rita's Feast"), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands 1971 - Duncan Ferguson, Scottish soccer striker (7 caps; Everton 230 games, Newcastle Utd) and manager (Everton 2019, 22), born in Stirling, Scotland 1973 - Wilson Cruz [Echevarría], American stage and screen actor (My So Called Life; Party of Five), born in Brooklyn, NYC More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1737 - William Bowyer, English printer to the Royal Society, known as 'the learned printer', dies at 38 1923 - Gustave Eiffel, French engineer and architect who designed and built the Eiffel Tower, dies at 91 1955 - Alfred Carpenter, English Royal Navy soldier, dies at 74 1957 - Alan Bridge, actor (Hail the Conquering Hero), dies at 66 1999 - Bernard Chacksfield, British Air Vice-Marshal, dies at 86 More Famous Deaths »

1825 - Decembrist uprising in Russia against Tsar Nicholas I begins [O.S. 14 December] 1877 - Socialist Labor Party of North America holds 1st national convention 1878 - 1st US store to install electric lights, Philadelphia 1972 - Ballon d'Or: Bayern Munich defender Franz Beckenbauer wins award for best European football player ahead of tied fellow German duo of Gerd Müller and Günter Netzer 1976 - AFC Championship, Oakland Coliseum: Oakland Raiders beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-7 1988 - Anti African student rebellion in Nanjing, China 1990 - Senior Professional Baseball Association folds 1991 - Militant Sikhs kill 55 and wounds 70 in India More Historical Events »

Historical Events 268 - Saint Dionysius, Roman Pope (259-260), dies 1825 - Decembrist uprising in Russia against Tsar Nicholas I begins [O.S. 14 December] 1979 - Soviet special forces take over the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan 1993 - Antonov-26 crashes in Gyumri, Armenia, killing 36 people 2012 - China opens the world’s longest high speed rail route from Beijing to Guangzhou More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1820 - Gustavus Adolphus Smith, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (d. 1885) 1837 - George Dewey, American admiral, naval hero in Battle of Manila Bay, born in Montpelier, Vermont (d. 1917) 1855 - Arnold Mendelssohn, German composer, born in Ratibor, Province of Silesia (now Poland) (d. 1933) 1945 - John Walsh, American activist and television host (America's Most Wanted), born in Auburn, New York 1948 - Chris Chambliss, American baseball first baseman (MLB All Star 1976; World Series 1977, 78 NY Yankees; AL Rookie of the Year 1971 Cleveland Indians), born in Dayton, Ohio More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1530 - Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur, Timurid founder and 1st Emperor of the Mughal dynasty in the Indian Subcontinent (1526-30), dies at 47 1918 - Bertram Luard-Selby, British organist and composer, dies at 65 1974 - Farid al-Atrash [El-Atrache], Syrian composer, musician, virtuoso oud player, and actor (Akher kedba), dies of heart disease at 59 1980 - (John) "Peck" Kelley, American jazz pianist and bandleader (Peck's Bad Boys), dies from complications of Parkinson's disease at 82 1997 - Cornelius Castoriadis, Greek philosopher and economist, dies at 75 More Famous Deaths »

1000 - Monarch Istvan crowned king of Hungary 1688 - British King James II lands in Ambleteuse, France 1899 - Shelling on besieged Ladysmith during the Boer War includes one shell containing a plum pudding 1921 - Last major Potlatch (ceremony) by Chief Daniel Cranmer (Kwakwaka’wakw) from Alert Bay, British Columbia. Twenty-six people arrested, their masks and regalia sold by Canadian government. 1930 - Tasmania all out 280, WI 2-139 at Hobart Crowd 2,500 1942 - Soviet artillery and tank battle on German armies at Stalingrad 1973 - Arab oil ministers cancel January 5 percent production cut; Saudi Arabian oil minister promises 10 percent OPEC production rise 1997 - For 1st time US movie box office receipts pass $6 billion More Historical Events »