The time is now 10:23 am

You last visited
June 4, 2026, 10:59 pm

All times shown are
Eastern Time (GMT-5:00)

December 17

On This Day in History

December 17

December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. 14 days remain until the end of the year.

Lottery News On This Day

2025: UK couple wins £1 million National Lottery prize for the second time. A UK couple has beaten what lottery experts call insurmountable odds by winning a £1 million (US$1,342,420) prize in the National Lottery for the second time.
2024: Arkansas man suppresses celebration for "confirmation" of $500,000 lottery prize. An Arkansas man denied himself a celebration of a $500,000 scratch-off lottery prize until he could receive absolute confirmation that it was real.
2023: Arkansas woman sleeps with lottery tickets under pillow, wins $2 million Powerball prize. An Arkansas woman wanted to win Powerball so badly, she slept with her lottery ticket under her pillow — and she woke up to a $2 million prize the next morning.
2021: UK pals jailed for winning £4 million in lottery using stolen debit card. Two friends from the United Kingdom had a short-lived celebration after winning £4 million (US$ 5.3 million) in the lottery using a debit card they stole.
2020: Misprinted Kentucky Lottery tickets lead players to mistakenly believe they won. Quite a few Kentucky Lottery players thought they had won big time when they saw matching symbols printed on their Tic Tac Cash Fast Play tickets, but that joy quickly dissipated when they found out that those symbols were not indicators of winning the lottery at all, rather they were a result of a software error.
2019: Dad and his daughter got millions from IRS after claiming to win lottery, authorities say. A Florida father and daughter claimed the government owed them $175 million in tax refunds on their lottery winnings. The IRS paid them $3.4 million before the agency realized the pair had never purchased a winning ticket, prosecutors say.
2018: Class action over 'mesmerizing' video lottery terminals in Canada moves forward. An intriguing court case that alleges Crown-owned video lottery terminals are inherently deceptive and violate the Criminal Code has reached a critical milestone in Newfoundland and Labrador.
2018: Lottery is building a better Nebraska. It's been 25 years since Nebraskans began putting a dollar on a dream by purchasing state lottery tickets. A lot has changed since then.
2016: The legendary luck of this Spanish lottery shop keeps El Gordo players coming back. Less than two weeks before Christmas, the line to buy a ticket for Spain's biggest lottery at Doña Manolita, which some consider the country's luckiest ticket vendor, was roughly 100 people long on a chilly Tuesday evening.
2015: $63 million California Lottery ticket expires soon. A $63 million Super Lotto prize may become the largest unclaimed prize in California, but many prizes big and small go unclaimed every year, a spokesperson for the California Lottery Commission said Saturday.
2013: MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT SOARS TO $636 MILLION. Certainly the state lotteries expected the multi-state Mega Millions October rules changes to increase jackpots, but it's fair to say the first jackpot run under the new rules exceeded their wildest expectations.
2011: Four years after drawing fiasco, Tenn. Lottery settles with tech firms. The Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. has received nearly $1 million from a pair of technology companies it blamed for software glitches that resulted in the sale of about $2 million worth of unwinnable tickets in 2007.
2009: Man wins $100,000 in one Pick 4 drawing. A North Carolina man had a good feeling that 3851 would come out in the Virginia Pick 4 drawing -- and he was right.
2008: $207M Mega Millions lottery winners happy, but waiting. A city streets department employee from Piqua, Ohio, confirmed he is one of the winners of a $207 million Mega Millions jackpot and said that all but one of the winning ticket holders are also city employees.
2008: Virginia man wins 11 times in one lottery drawing. James Peterson of Hampton, Virginia, doesn't make it a habit to buy so many tickets when he plays the Virginia Lottery's Cash 5 game, but he made an exception last Saturday.
2007: Avid S.C. lottery player wins $1,000,025. A South Carolina man is a millionaire after buying a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket in Rock Hill.
2007: Most lottery players never see big payoff. A media story makes the case that most lottery players will not win the big prize.
2004: UPS Employees Charged in Stolen Lottery Ticket Investigation. New Mexico Lottery security agents have identified 12 Albuquerque-area men and women allegedly involved in the theft and receipt of 24 packs of Lottery tickets, stolen while in transit at an area United Parcel Service shipping hub.
2004: Two win biggest lottery jackpot ever in Germany. Two people from the western German state of North Rhine-Westfalia got the winning numbers to share the biggest lottery jackpot ever in Germany - _26.7 million (US$35.5 million), lottery officials announced.
2004: Lawsuit acuses Texas of misusing lottery funds. A lawsuit filed by a watchdog group seeks to block the State of Texas from making more payments to a Las Vegas law firm hired a year ago to draft legislation to legalize video slot machines.
2004: GTECH to earn $85M from Missouri lottery contract. GTECH Holdings Corporation announced Thursday that its wholly-owned subsidiary, GTECH Corporation, was chosen by the State of Missouri to provide a new online lottery central system, terminals, and ongoing services under a proposed seven-year integrated services contract.
2004: Global Pyramid Lottery Sceme Indicted Again. On the heels of several indictments and guilty pleadings worldwide, World Games Inc. (WGI) is once again the target of law enforcement.
2003: Mega Millions jackpot increases to $85 million. The jackpot in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery drawing grew to $85 million Wednesday.
2003: Colorado lottery woes will be fixed, says state revenue director. Colorado Revenue Director M. Michael Cooke on Tuesday pledged to fix Lottery management problems found by state auditors.
2003: You've won the lottery! Now what?. Believe it or not, jackpot winners face both a pile of cash and a mountain of problematic decisions. Here's a practical to-do list. Keep it handy for the next time you strike it rich.
2003: Profit Soars at Lottery Operator Gtech. Gtech Holdings Corp., the world's largest operator of lottery systems, posted a 40 percent jump in profit for its latest quarter, beating Wall Street estimates.
2003: Kentucky Couple Fighting Medical Problems Wins Lottery Jackpot. A couple battling multiple sclerosis and diabetes claimed a $21 million dollar Lotto South jackpot today and immediately pledged part of their winnings to medical research.

Top 25 Lottery Jackpots On This Day

1.$1.27 Billion: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2025
2.$760 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2024
3.$648 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2013
4.$544.4 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2023
5.$465 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2022
6.$372 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2019
7.$352.2 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2021
8.€329.14 Million US$348.46 Million: Italy
SuperEnalotto
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2022
9.$310 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2020
10.$304 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 19, 2020
11.$284 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2018
12.$269 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2017
13.$262 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 19, 2018
14.$223 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 19, 2017
15.$202 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 19, 2015
16.$163.3 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2002
17.$163 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2007
18.$160 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2019
18.$160 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2021
20.€135 Million
US$159.62 Million: Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Dec 19, 2017
21.$152 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2011
22.$149.9 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2022
23.€126.87 Million
US$142.58 Million: Italy
SuperEnalotto
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2021
24.$140 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2009
25.$125 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 19, 2014

Lottery Post Member Birthdays On This Day

1987: aliciaking
Thursday, Dec 17, 1987
38 years old
1987: Laine12
Thursday, Dec 17, 1987
38 years old
1985: nypaplayer
Tuesday, Dec 17, 1985
40 years old
1983: FeliciaRocks123
Saturday, Dec 17, 1983
42 years old
1982: SkyWalker17
Friday, Dec 17, 1982
43 years old
1979: Greezie Mae79
Monday, Dec 17, 1979
46 years old
1978: LadyB1217
Sunday, Dec 17, 1978
47 years old
1977: MikeStephen1977
Saturday, Dec 17, 1977
48 years old
1975: powerplayer
Wednesday, Dec 17, 1975
50 years old
1973: Peewee$48
Monday, Dec 17, 1973
52 years old
1970: Samone1
Thursday, Dec 17, 1970
55 years old
1970: CPrice2012
Thursday, Dec 17, 1970
55 years old
1967: Coldestpiece656
Sunday, Dec 17, 1967
58 years old
1953: elijah3445
Thursday, Dec 17, 1953
72 years old
1951: rosaliekg573
Monday, Dec 17, 1951
74 years old
1949: rico4
Saturday, Dec 17, 1949
76 years old
: titi1$4me
(year not provided)

Worldwide Events On This Day

2014: The United States and Cuba re-establish diplomatic relations after severing them in 1961.
2010: Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring.
2009: MV Danny F II sinks off the coast of Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 44 people and over 28,000 animals.
2005: Anti-World Trade Organization protesters riot in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
2005: Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicates the throne as King of Bhutan.
2003: The Soham murder trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend, Maxine Carr, is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
2003: SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first powered and first supersonic flight.
2003: Sex work rights activists establish December 17 (or "D17") as International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers to memorialize victims of a serial killer who targeted prostitutes, and highlight State violence against sex workers by police and others.
2002: Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.
1997: Peruvian internal conflict: Fourteen members of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement provoke a hostage crisis by taking over the Japanese embassy in Lima.
1997: Aerosvit Flight 241: A Yakovlev Yak-42 crashes into the Pierian Mountains near Thessaloniki Airport in Thessaloniki, Greece, killing all 70 people on board.
1989: Romanian Revolution: Protests continue in Timișoara, Romania, with rioters breaking into the Romanian Communist Party's District Committee building and attempting to set it on fire.
1989: Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years.
1989: The Simpsons premieres on television with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
1983: Provisional IRA members detonate a car bomb at Harrods Department Store in London. Three police officers and three civilians are killed.
1981: American Brigadier General James L. Dozier is abducted by the Red Brigades in Verona, Italy.
1973: Thirty passengers are killed in an attack by Palestinian terrorists on Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport.
1970: Polish protests: In Gdynia, soldiers fire at workers emerging from trains, killing dozens.
1969: Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs.
1967: Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia, disappears while swimming near Portsea, Victoria, and is presumed drowned.
1961: Niterói circus fire: Fire breaks out during a performance by the Gran Circus Norte-Americano in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing more than 500.
1960: Troops loyal to Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia crush the coup that began December 13, returning power to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.
1960: Munich C-131 crash: Twenty passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground are killed.
1957: The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
1951: The American Civil Rights Congress delivers "We Charge Genocide" to the United Nations.
1950: The F-86 Sabre's first mission over Korea.
1948: The Finnish Security Police is established to remove communist leadership from its predecessor, the State Police.
1947: First flight of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber.
1945: Kurdistan flag day, the flag of Kurdistan was raised for the first time in Mahabad in eastern Kurdistan.
1944: World War II: Battle of the Bulge: Malmedy massacre: American 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion POWs are shot by Waffen-SS Kampfgruppe Joachim Peiper.
1943: All Chinese are again permitted to become citizens of the United States upon the repeal of the Act of 1882 and the introduction of the Magnuson Act.
1939: World War II: Battle of the River Plate: The Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff outside Montevideo.
1938: Otto Hahn discovers the nuclear fission of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and technological basis of nuclear energy.
1935: First flight of the Douglas DC-3.
1933: The first NFL Championship Game is played at Wrigley Field in Chicago between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears. The Bears won 23-21.
1928: Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru assassinate British police officer James Saunders in Lahore, Punjab, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai at the hands of the police. The three were executed in 1931.
1927: Indian revolutionary Rajendra Lahiri is hanged in Gonda jail, Uttar Pradesh, India, two days before the scheduled date.
1926: Antanas Smetona assumes power in Lithuania as the 1926 coup d'état is successful.
1918: Darwin Rebellion: Up to 1,000 demonstrators march on Government House in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
1907: Ugyen Wangchuck is crowned first King of Bhutan.
1903: The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
1896: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Schenley Park Casino, which was the first multi-purpose arena with the technology to create an artificial ice surface in North America, is destroyed in a fire.
1892: First issue of Vogue is published.
1865: First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert.
1862: American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
1837: A fire in the Winter Palace of Saint Petersburg kills 30 guards.
1835: The second Great Fire of New York destroys 53,000 square metres (13 acres) of New York City's Financial District.
1819: Simón Bolívar declares the independence of Gran Colombia in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela).
1812: War of 1812: U.S. forces attack a Lenape village in the Battle of the Mississinewa.
1807: Napoleonic Wars: France issues the Milan Decree, which confirms the Continental System.
1790: The Aztec calendar stone is discovered at El Zócalo, Mexico City.
1777: American Revolution: France formally recognizes the United States.
1718: War of the Quadruple Alliance: Great Britain declares war on Spain.
1665: The first account of a blood transfusion is published, in the form of a letter from physician Richard Lower to chemist Robert Boyle, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
1586: Go-Yōzei becomes Emperor of Japan.
1583: Cologne War: Forces under Ernest of Bavaria defeat troops under Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg at the Siege of Godesberg.
1538: Pope Paul III excommunicates Henry VIII of England.
1398: Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies in Delhi are defeated by Timur.
1354: Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut and Holy Roman Empress and her son William I, Duke of Bavaria, sign a peace treaty ending the Hook and Cod wars.
1297: King Kyawswa of Pagan is overthrown by the three Myinsaing brothers, marking the de facto end of the Pagan Kingdom.
942: Assassination of William I of Normandy.
920: Romanos I Lekapenos is crowned co-emperor of the underage Constantine VII.
546: Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Eastern Roman garrison.
497 BC: The first Saturnalia festival was celebrated in ancient Rome.

Births On This Day

2002: Castello Lukeba, French footballer
2000: Wesley Fofana, French footballer
1999: Mirei Sasaki, Japanese singer, model, and actress
1998: Jasmine Armfield, English actress
1998: Martin Ødegaard, Norwegian footballer
1997: Naiktha Bains, British-Australian tennis player
1997: Shoma Uno, Japanese figure skater
1996: Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Russian figure skater
1995: Guerschon Yabusele, French basketball player
1994: Lloyd Perrett, New Zealand rugby league player
1994: Nat Wolff, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player and actor
1993: Kiersey Clemons, American actress
1993: Patricia Kú Flores, Peruvian tennis player
1992: Quinton de Kock, South African cricketer
1992: Buddy Hield, Bahamian basketball player
1992: Joshua Ingram, Canadian drummer and percussionist
1991: Jordan Rankin, Australian rugby league player
1991: Atsedu Tsegay, Ethiopian runner
1990: Graham Rogers, American actor
1989: André Ayew, Ghanaian footballer
1989: Taylor York, American musician
1988: Liisa Ehrberg, Estonian cyclist
1988: Grethe Grünberg, Estonian ice dancer
1988: Kris Joseph, Canadian basketball player
1988: David Rudisha, Kenyan runner
1988: Yann Sommer, Swiss footballer
1988: Craig Sutherland, Scottish footballer
1987: Maryna Arzamasova, Belarusian middle-distance runner
1987: Bo Guagua, Chinese businessman
1987: Chelsea Manning, American soldier and intelligence analyst
1987: Donovan Solano, Colombian baseball player
1986: Emma Bell, American actress
1986: Frei Gilson, Brazilian Catholic priest and singer
1986: Frank Winterstein, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
1986: Vanessa Zima, American actress
1985: Fernando Abad, Dominican baseball player
1985: Łukasz Broź, Polish footballer
1985: Craig Reid, English footballer
1984: Luis Alfageme, Argentinian footballer
1984: Julian Bennett, English footballer
1984: Andrew Davies, English footballer
1984: Shannon Woodward, American actress
1983: Gregory Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player and executive
1983: Erik Christensen, Canadian ice hockey player
1983: Mikky Ekko, American singer and songwriter
1983: Haron Keitany, Kenyan runner
1983: Sébastien Ogier, French race car driver
1982: Josh Barfield, American baseball player
1982: Lorenzo Cittadini, Italian rugby player
1982: Craig Kielburger, Canadian activist and author
1982: Stéphane Lasme, Gabonese basketball player
1981: Jerry Hsu, American skateboarder and photographer
1981: Tim Wiese, German footballer
1980: Suzy Batkovic, Australian basketball player
1980: Ryan Hunter-Reay, American race car driver
1980: Alexandra Papageorgiou, Greek hammer thrower
1980: Eli Pariser, American activist and author
1979: Matt Murley, American ice hockey player
1979: Paul Smith, English footballer
1978: Alex Cintrón, Puerto Rican baseball player and sportscaster
1978: Riteish Deshmukh, Indian film actor, producer and architect
1978: Manny Pacquiao, Filipino boxer and politician
1978: Neil Sanderson, Canadian drummer and songwriter
1978: Chase Utley, American baseball player
1977: Arnaud Clément, French tennis player
1977: Samuel Påhlsson, Swedish ice hockey player
1977: Katheryn Winnick, Canadian actress
1976: Éric Bédard, Canadian speed skater and coach
1976: Nir Davidovich, Israeli footballer and manager
1976: Patrick Müller, Swiss footballer
1976: Andrew Simpson, English sailor (died 2013)
1976: Takeo Spikes, American football player and sportscaster
1975: Nick Dinsmore, American wrestler and trainer
1975: Susanthika Jayasinghe, Sri Lankan sprinter
1975: Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-American actress
1974: Charl Langeveldt, South African cricketer
1974: Sarah Paulson, American actress
1974: Giovanni Ribisi, American actor
1974: Marissa Ribisi, American actress
1973: Eddie Fisher, American drummer
1973: Konstadinos Gatsioudis, Greek javelin thrower
1973: Rian Johnson, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1973: Paula Radcliffe, English runner
1973: Hasan Vural, German-Turkish footballer
1972: John Abraham, Indian actor and producer
1972: Iván Pedroso, Cuban long jumper and coach
1971: Claire Forlani, English actress
1971: Alan Khan, South African radio and TV presenter
1971: Nikki McCray-Penson, American basketball player and coach (died 2023)
1971: Antoine Rigaudeau, French basketball player
1970: Sean Patrick Thomas, American actor
1969: Laurie Holden, American actress and model
1969: Inna Lasovskaya, Russian triple jumper
1969: Chuck Liddell, American mixed martial artist and kick-boxer
1969: Mick Quinn, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
1968: Claudio Suárez, Mexican footballer
1968: Paul Tracy, Canadian race car driver and sportscaster
1967: Vincent Damphousse, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
1967: Gigi D'Agostino, Italian muscisian, singer and DJ.
1967: Karsten Neitzel, German footballer and manager
1966: Tracy Byrd, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1966: Kristiina Ojuland, Estonian politician, 23rd Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
1965: Craig Berube, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1965: Jeff Grayer, American basketball player and coach
1964: Frank Musil, Czech ice hockey player and coach
1964: Joe Wolf, American basketball player and coach (died 2024)
1962: Paul Dobson, English footballer
1962: Galina Malchugina, Russian sprinter
1962: Rocco Mediate, American golfer and journalist
1961: Mansoor al-Jamri, Bahraini journalist and author
1961: Sara Dallin, English singer
1959: Bob Stinson, American songwriter and guitarist (died 1995)
1958: Mike Mills, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
1958: Donald Payne Jr., American politician (died 2024)
1957: Wendy Hoyte, English sprinter
1957: Bob Ojeda, American baseball player and coach
1956: Peter Farrelly, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1956: Dominic Lawson, English journalist and author
1956: Totka Petrova, Bulgarian runner
1955: Brad Davis, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
1954: Sergejus Jovaiša, Lithuanian basketball player
1953: Bill Pullman, American actor
1951: Pat Hill, American football player and coach
1951: Ken Hitchcock, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1951: Tatyana Kazankina, Russian runner
1950: Laurence F. Johnson, American educator and author
1950: Maurice Peoples, American sprinter and coach
1949: Joel Brooks, American actor
1949: Sotiris Kaiafas, Cypriot footballer
1949: Paul Rodgers, English singer-songwriter and producer
1948: Valery Belousov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (died 2015)
1948: Jim Bonfanti, American rock drummer
1948: Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Turkish economist and politician
1947: Wes Studi, American actor and producer
1946: Simon Bates, English radio host
1946: Eugene Levy, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
1945: Ernie Hudson, American actor
1945: David Mallet, English director
1945: Chris Matthews, American journalist and author
1945: Jüri Talvet, Estonian poet and critic
1945: Jacqueline Wilson, English author and academic
1944: Jack L. Chalker, American author and educator (died 2005)
1944: Carlo M. Croce, Italian-American oncologist and academic
1944: Bernard Hill, English actor (died 2024)
1943: Ron Geesin, Scottish pianist and composer
1942: Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian general and politician, 7th & 15th President of Nigeria (died 2025)
1942: Paul Butterfield, American singer and harmonica player (died 1987)
1941: Dave Dee, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2009)
1941: Stan Mudenge, Zimbabwean historian and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2012)
1940: Kåre Valebrokk, Norwegian journalist (died 2013)
1940: María Elena Velasco, Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (died 2015)
1939: James Booker, American pianist (died 1983)
1939: Eddie Kendricks, American R&B singer-songwriter (died 1992)
1938: Peter Snell, New Zealand runner (died 2019)
1937: Brian Hayes, Australian-English radio host
1937: Art Neville, American singer and keyboard player (died 2019)
1937: Kerry Packer, Australian businessman, founded World Series Cricket (died 2005)
1937: John Kennedy Toole, American novelist (died 1969)
1937: Calvin Waller, American general (died 1996)
1936: Pope Francis (died 2025)
1936: Tommy Steele, English singer, guitarist, and actor
1935: Brian Langford, English cricketer (died 2013)
1935: Cal Ripken Sr., American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 1999)
1934: Irving Petlin, American painter and academic (died 2018)
1934: Ray Wilson, English footballer and manager (died 2018)
1932: John Bond, English footballer and manager (died 2012)
1931: Gerald Finnerman, American director and cinematographer (died 2011)
1931: Dave Madden, Canadian-American actor (died 2014)
1931: James McGaugh, American neurobiologist and psychologist
1930: Bob Guccione, American photographer and publisher, founded Penthouse (died 2010)
1930: Armin Mueller-Stahl, German actor and painter
1930: Dorothy Rowe, Australian psychologist and author (died 2019)
1929: William Safire, American journalist and author (died 2009)
1928: Marilyn Beck, American journalist (died 2014)
1928: Eli Beeding, American captain and pilot (died 2013)
1928: Doyle Conner, American farmer and politician, seventh Florida Commissioner of Agriculture (died 2012)
1927: Richard Long, American actor and director (died 1974)
1927: Edward Meneeley, American painter and sculptor (died 2012)
1926: Ray Jablonski, American baseball player (died 1985)
1926: John Hans Krebs, American lawyer and politician (died 2014)
1926: Stephen Lewis, English actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright (died 2015)
1925: Calvin Tomkins, American author and art critic
1923: Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian and scholar (died 2006)
1922: Alan Voorhees, American engineer and academic (died 2005)
1921: Lore Berger, German-Swiss author and translator (died 1943)
1920: Kenneth E. Iverson, Canadian computer scientist, developed the APL programming language (died 2004)
1917: Kenneth Dike, Nigerian historian, author, and academic (died 1983)
1916: Penelope Fitzgerald, English author and poet (died 2000)
1914: Mushtaq Ali, Indian cricketer (died 2005)
1914: Fernando Alonso, Cuban ballet dancer, co-founded the Cuban National Ballet (died 2013)
1913: Burt Baskin, American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (died 1967)
1912: Edward Short, Baron Glenamara, English captain and politician, Lord President of the Council (died 2012)
1910: Eknath Easwaran, Indian-American educator and author (died 1999)
1910: Sy Oliver, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player (died 1988)
1908: Willard Libby, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1980)
1906: Fernando Lopes-Graça, Portuguese composer and conductor (died 1994)
1906: Russell C. Newhouse, American pilot and engineer (died 1998)
1905: Simo Häyhä, Finnish soldier and sniper (died 2002)
1905: Mohammad Hidayatullah, 11th Chief Justice of India, and politician, sixth Vice President of India (died 1992)
1905: Erico Verissimo, Brazilian author and translator (died 1975)
1904: Paul Cadmus, American painter and illustrator (died 1999)
1903: Erskine Caldwell, American novelist and short story writer (died 1987)
1903: Ray Noble, English bandleader, composer, and actor (died 1978)
1900: Mary Cartwright, English mathematician and academic, one of the first people to analyze a dynamical system with chaos (died 1998)
1898: Loren Murchison, American sprinter (died 1979)
1895: Gerald Patterson, Australian tennis player (died 1967)
1894: Arthur Fiedler, American conductor (died 1979)
1894: Patrick Flynn, Irish-American runner and soldier (died 1969)
1894: Wim Schermerhorn, Dutch cartographer, engineer, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (died 1977)
1893: Charles C. Banks, English captain and pilot (died 1971)
1893: Erwin Piscator, German director and producer (died 1966)
1892: Sam Barry, American basketball player and coach (died 1950)
1890: Prince Joachim of Prussia (died 1920)
1887: Josef Lada, Czech painter and illustrator (died 1957)
1884: Alison Uttley, English children's book writer (died 1976)
1881: Aubrey Faulkner, South African-English cricketer and coach (died 1930)
1874: William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canadian economist and politician, tenth Prime Minister of Canada (died 1950)
1873: Ford Madox Ford, English novelist, poet, and critic (died 1939)
1866: Kazys Grinius, Lithuanian physician and politician, third President of Lithuania (died 1950)
1859: Paul César Helleu, French painter and illustrator (died 1927)
1858: Eva Nansen, Norwegian mezzo-soprano singer and pioneer on women's skiing (died 1907)
1853: Pierre Paul Émile Roux, French physician and immunologist, co-founded the Pasteur Institute (died 1933)
1847: Émile Faguet, French author and critic (died 1916)
1842: Sophus Lie, Norwegian mathematician and academic (died 1899)
1840: Nozu Michitsura, Japanese field marshal (died 1908)
1835: Alexander Emanuel Agassiz, Swiss-American ichthyologist and engineer (died 1910)
1830: Jules de Goncourt, French author and critic (died 1870)
1827: Alexander Wassilko von Serecki, Austrian lawyer and politician (died 1893)
1812: Vilhelm Petersen, Danish painter (died 1880)
1807: John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet and activist (died 1892)
1797: Joseph Henry, American physicist and engineer (died 1878)
1796: Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Canadian judge and politician (died 1865)
1778: Humphry Davy, English chemist and physicist (died 1829)
1749: Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer and educator (died 1801)
1734: Maria I of Portugal (died 1816)
1706: Émilie du Châtelet, French mathematician and physicist (died 1749)
1699: Charles-Louis Mion, French composer and educator (died 1775)
1685: Thomas Tickell, English poet (died 1740)
1632: Anthony Wood, English historian and author (died 1695)
1619: Prince Rupert of the Rhine (died 1682)
1616: Roger L'Estrange, English pamphleteer and author (died 1704)
1574: Pedro Téllez-Girón, 3rd Duke of Osuna, Spanish nobleman and politician (died 1624)
1556: Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, poet in Mughal Empire (died 1627)
1554: Ernest of Bavaria, Roman Catholic bishop (died 1612)
1267: Emperor Go-Uda of Japan (died 1324)
1239: Kujō Yoritsugu, Japanese shōgun (died 1256)

Deaths On This Day

2024: Igor Kirillov, Russian general (born 1970)
2024: Marisa Paredes, Spanish film actress (born 1946)
2023: Ronaldo Valdez, Filipino actor (born 1947)
2023: James McCaffrey, American actor (born 1958)
2020: Jeremy Bulloch, English actor (born 1945)
2020: Allen Dines, American politician (born 1921)
2016: Benjamin A. Gilman, American soldier and politician (born 1922)
2016: Henry Heimlich, American doctor (born 1920)
2016: Gordon Hunt, American voice director (born 1929)
2015: Hal Brown, American baseball player and manager (born 1924)
2015: Osamu Hayaishi, American-Japanese biochemist and academic (born 1920)
2015: Michael Wyschogrod, German-American philosopher and theologian (born 1928)
2014: Dieter Grau, German-American scientist and engineer (born 1913)
2014: Richard C. Hottelet, American journalist (born 1917)
2014: Oleh Lysheha, Ukrainian poet and playwright (born 1949)
2014: Lowell Steward, American captain (born 1919)
2014: Ivan Vekić, Croatian colonel, lawyer, and politician, Croatian Minister of the Interior (born 1938)
2013: Fred Bruemmer, Latvian-Canadian photographer (born 1929)
2013: Ricardo María Carles Gordó, Spanish cardinal (born 1926)
2013: Richard Heffner, American historian and television host (born 1925)
2013: Tetsurō Kashibuchi, Japanese drummer, songwriter, and producer (born 1950)
2013: Janet Rowley, American geneticist and biologist (born 1925)
2013: Conny van Rietschoten, Dutch sailor (born 1926)
2012: Richard Adams, Filipino-American activist (born 1947)
2012: James Gower, American priest and activist, co-founded the College of the Atlantic (born 1922)
2012: Daniel Inouye, American captain and politician (born 1924)
2012: Laurier LaPierre, Canadian historian, journalist, and politician (born 1929)
2012: Frank Pastore, American baseball player and radio host (born 1957)
2011: Eva Ekvall, Venezuelan journalist and author, Miss Venezuela 2000 (born 1983)
2011: Kim Jong-il, North Korean commander and politician, second Supreme Leader of North Korea (born 1941)
2010: Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter (born 1941)
2010: Walt Dropo, American basketball and baseball player (born 1923)
2010: Ralph Coates, English footballer (born 1946)
2009: Chris Henry, American football player (born 1983)
2009: Jennifer Jones, American actress (born 1919)
2009: Alaina Reed Hall, American actress (born 1946)
2008: Sammy Baugh, American football player and coach (born 1914)
2008: Freddy Breck, German singer-songwriter, producer, and journalist (born 1942)
2008: Dave Smith, American baseball player and coach (born 1955)
2008: Gregoire, Congolese chimpanzee, oldest recorded (born 1942)
2006: Larry Sherry, American baseball player and coach (born 1935)
2005: Jack Anderson, American journalist and author (born 1922)
2005: Marc Favreau, Canadian actor and poet (born 1929)
2005: Haljand Udam, Estonian orientalist and academic (born 1936)
2004: Tom Wesselmann, American painter and sculptor (born 1931)
2003: Otto Graham, American football player and coach (born 1921)
2002: K. W. Devanayagam, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, tenth Sri Lankan Minister of Justice (born 1910)
1999: Rex Allen, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1920)
1999: Grover Washington Jr., American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (born 1943)
1999: C. Vann Woodward, American historian and academic (born 1908)
1992: Günther Anders, German journalist and philosopher (born 1902)
1992: Dana Andrews, American actor (born 1909)
1987: Bernardus Johannes Alfrink, Dutch cardinal (born 1900)
1987: Linda Wong, American porn actress (born 1951)
1987: Marguerite Yourcenar, Belgian-American author and poet (born 1903)
1986: Guillermo Cano Isaza, Colombian journalist (born 1925)
1982: Homer S. Ferguson, American lawyer, judge, and politician (born 1889)
1981: Antiochos Evangelatos, Greek composer and conductor (born 1903)
1978: Don Ellis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (born 1934)
1970: Oliver Waterman Larkin, American historian, author, and educator (born 1896)
1967: Harold Holt, Australian lawyer and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1908)
1964: Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1883)
1962: Thomas Mitchell, American actor (born 1892)
1957: Dorothy L. Sayers, English author, poet, and playwright (born 1893)
1956: Eddie Acuff, American actor (born 1903)
1947: Christos Tsigiridis, Greek engineer (born 1877)
1942: Allen Bathurst, Lord Apsley, English lieutenant and politician (born 1895)
1940: Alicia Boole Stott, Anglo-Irish mathematician and academic (born 1860)
1935: Lizette Woodworth Reese, American poet (born 1856)
1933: 13th Dalai Lama (born 1876)
1932: Charles Winckler, Danish discus thrower, shot putter, and tug of war competitor (born 1867)
1930: Peter Warlock, Welsh composer and critic (born 1894)
1929: Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa, Portuguese general and politician, tenth President of Portugal (born 1863)
1928: Frank Rinehart, American photographer (born 1861)
1927: Rajendra Lahiri, Indian activist (born 1892)
1917: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, English physician and activist (born 1836)
1909: Leopold II of Belgium (born 1835)
1907: William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, Irish-Scottish physicist and engineer (born 1824)
1904: William Shiels, Irish-Australian politician, 16th Premier of Victoria (born 1848)
1891: José María Iglesias, Mexican politician and interim President (1876-1877) (born 1823)
1857: Francis Beaufort, Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy (born 1774)
1847: Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (born 1791)
1833: Kaspar Hauser, German feral child (born 1812?)
1830: Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan general and politician, second President of Venezuela (born 1783)
1721: Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough, English soldier and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (born 1640)
1663: Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba (born 1583)
1562: Eleonora di Toledo, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (born 1522)
1559: Irene di Spilimbergo, Italian Renaissance poet and painter (born 1538)
1471: Infanta Isabel, Duchess of Burgundy (born 1397)
1419: William Gascoigne, Chief Justice of England
1316: Juan Fernández, bishop-elect of León
1273: Rumi, Persian jurist, theologian, and poet (born 1207)
1195: Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut (born 1150)
1187: Pope Gregory VIII (born 1100)
942: William I, duke of Normandy
908: al-Abbas ibn al-Hasan al-Jarjara'i, Abbasid vizier
908: Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz, Abbasid prince and poet, anti-caliph for one day
779: Sturm, abbot of Fulda

Guest