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December 20

On This Day in History

December 20

December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. 11 days remain until the end of the year.

Lottery News On This Day

2024: New Jersey schoolteacher bonds with ailing father over love of scratch-off lottery tickets. During the season of peace and cheer, there's no better time to discover how one New Jersey family's touching story of hope revolves around the shared love of lottery games and the excitement it brings to an ailing father.
2021: Michigan woman gifted winning lottery ticket worth $1 million on her birthday. A Michigan woman had an unforgettable birthday celebration, but there was one gift that stood out above the rest when it turned out to be a lottery ticket worth a $1 million prize.
2021: Massachusetts cancer survivor to help his two daughters with $1 million lottery prize. A cancer survivor who won a $1 million prize in the Massachusetts Lottery is ready to check off a couple big-ticket items on his holiday wish list.
2019: California lottery reps are afraid of being attacked — so they asked for unmarked cars. Increasing anti-government sentiment is prompting California Lottery workers to request that their work-provided vehicles have government logos removed for their safety.
2019: Winner claims prize for $150 million Powerball lottery ticket sold at CA/NV border. A huge Powerball jackpot was claimed on a ticket sold at a famous lottery store on the border of California and Nevada.
2017: Georgia Lottery denies millions in prizes to winners of scratch-off games. The Georgia Lottery Commission has refused to pay more than $17.1 million in scratch-off game prizes since 2014 — the year lottery officials instituted a policy of investigating big-money winners.
2014: Scamming store owner loses lottery license. RD's Deli and Market in Melrose, Massachusetts, will no longer be selling lottery tickets now that its owner has been accused of trying to scam a mentally disabled woman out of her winnings.
2013: Canadian lottery winner donates $40 million jackpot to charity. Unlike most big lottery winners who spend days, or even months, trying to figure out how they'll spend their newfound riches, Tom Crist needed only a moment to decide where his $40 million in winnings would go: all to charity.
2011: Connecticut to audit lottery winners for back taxes. After successfully targeting deadbeat parents, the state of Connecticut is going after tax evaders' lottery winnings.
2011: Ireland TV network red-faced after huge lottery numbers blunder. Ireland's national television broadcaster is hoping the country's newest Lotto millionaire hasn't thrown away their winning ticket after watching the live drawing broadcast on Saturday night.
2010: Lottery winners say most fun was giving money away. A lottery-winning couple enjoyed spending some of their prize money on themselves -- like the new house, new car, and some new things for inside the house -- but they feel the best about the money they gave away.
2010: Electronic NJ lottery ticket plan advances. Legislation that would allow people to buy New Jersey lottery tickets on the Internet and by other electronic means continues to advance in the state Assembly.
2007: Texas students rank USA lotteries. Last week, a 65-year-old San Antonio math professor and his students unveiled a ranking of every lottery in the United States based on fairness and disclosure, hoping to wield national influence on lottery best practices.
2006: Mass. Lottery bets it can draw richer players. The Massachusetts State Lottery is spending millions on an upscale advertising campaign aimed at reeling in upper-income folks with dreams of having even more money.
2006: Year in review: N.C. Lottery. A summary of North Carolina's first-ever lottery that started this year.
2006: Maryland Lottery changing broadcast network. The Maryland Board of Public Works today is expected to award WBAL TV a four year, $10 million broadcasting contract to televise lottery drawings, breaking WJZ TV's 12 year run.
2006: Ohio Lottery to ditch Lot 'O Play game over lack of interest. he bingo-style Lot 'O Play game that the Ohio Lottery launched slightly more than a year ago will disappear Jan. 20 after a long struggle to win the hearts of players.
2006: Spain goes bullistic as big, fat lottery faces bald truth. Advertisements for Spain's El Gordo lottery, featuring a large, bald, a silent, mysterious figure showering good fortune at random upon Spaniards, has been dropped this year.
2006: Investigation to probe who wins B.C. Lottery prizes. The British Columbia Lottery Corporation is welcoming an investigation by the provincial ombudsman into the number of insider wins and ticket-selling practices.
2005: Lotto winner's ex-wife fights back. The gloves have come off in the legal battle over Canada's biggest-ever individual lottery jackpot.
2005: N.C. lottery hires have connections to Ga. and a Senator. The North Carolina Education Lottery announced five additional hirings Monday, including three with connections to the Georgia Lottery and another who was once a state director for U.S. Sen. John Edwards.
2005: N.C. Lottery to join Powerball. The North Carolina lottery commission voted Monday to join the multistate Powerball game, known for offering jackpots of $100 million and more, including one last month for $340 million, the second-largest in U.S. lottery history.
2004: Record Powerball lottery winner's granddaughter found dead. The body of record Powerball winner Jack Whittaker's 17-year-old granddaughter was found Monday in a rural area in western West Virginia, State Police said.
2004: Powerball Jackpot Jumps to $30 Million. Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Saturday's Powerball drawing the jackpot grew to an estimated $30 million, with a cash option of $16.5 million.
2004: Mega Millions jackpot increases to $31 million. The jackpot in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery grew to $31 million Saturday.
2004: Georgia lottery chief keeps education in the forefront. Unlike that of a typical CEO, Georgia Lottery Corp. president and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco's job performance directly impacts how many college-bound teens will be able to afford higher learning and how many kids have access to pre-kindergarten.
2004: Four tickets win UK Lotto jackpot. Four lucky tickets have matched all six numbers drawn Saturday to win the £4.5 million (US$8.8 million) UK Lotto jackpot, according to National Lottery operator Camelot.
2004: Illinois man charged with stealing lottery tickets. A Schaumburg, Illinois man is accused of stealing hundreds of lottery tickets around Chicago's northwest suburbs over the past two weeks.
2004: French butcher wins Euro Millions lottery jackpot. A butcher from suburban Bordeaux in south-west France was the sole winner of Europe's latest lottery jackpot and was to pocket the hefty sum of _26.2 million (US$35 million), French lottery officials said on Sunday.
2003: Mega Millions jackpot increases to $100 million. The jackpot in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery drawing grew to $100 million Saturday.
2003: 60 Winners Made Official in First Big Sleigh Drawing. Sixty Missouri Lottery winners are now official in the first of three Big Sleigh Giveaway drawings.
2003: $100 Million Jackpot is Texas Record. The Mega Millions jackpot, which increased to $100 million after no tickets matched all six numbers last night, is the highest jackpot ever for the state of Texas.

Top 25 Lottery Jackpots On This Day

1.$1.43 Billion: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2025
2.$862 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2024
3.$575.8 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2023
4.$465 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2022
5.$363.3 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2021
6.€330.47 Million US$350.96 Million: Italy
SuperEnalotto
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2022
7.$330 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 22, 2020
8.$321 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 23, 2020
9.$305 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 21, 2018
10.$281 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 22, 2018
11.$269 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2017
12.$253 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 22, 2017
13.$227 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 23, 2015
14.$216.3 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 21, 2002
15.$171 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 21, 2019
15.$171 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 21, 2021
17.$170.5 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 21, 2022
18.$162 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 22, 2009
19.$152 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2011
20.$145 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 21, 2010
21.€128.1 Million
US$144.52 Million: Italy
SuperEnalotto
Draw Date
Dec 21, 2021
22.$142 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 23, 2014
23.€100 Million
US$131.91 Million: Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Dec 21, 2012
24.$116 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 20, 2003
25.€101 Million
US$115.18 Million: Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Dec 21, 2018

Lottery Post Member Birthdays On This Day

1987: zxchris
Sunday, Dec 20, 1987
38 years old
1981: ccartier
Sunday, Dec 20, 1981
44 years old
1979: Emamarie79
Thursday, Dec 20, 1979
46 years old
1976: LOL1220
Monday, Dec 20, 1976
49 years old
1973: aceystacii33
Thursday, Dec 20, 1973
52 years old
1972: Gary-Andre
Wednesday, Dec 20, 1972
53 years old
1972: Titoutou
Wednesday, Dec 20, 1972
53 years old
1970: copyguy
Sunday, Dec 20, 1970
55 years old
1970: William 7D
Sunday, Dec 20, 1970
55 years old
1969: CashWinner$
Saturday, Dec 20, 1969
56 years old
1964: LotteryGuru1220
Sunday, Dec 20, 1964
61 years old
1963: tennesseeme2
Friday, Dec 20, 1963
62 years old
1962: BigReg150T
Thursday, Dec 20, 1962
63 years old
1952: carol1220
Saturday, Dec 20, 1952
73 years old
1952: charlesgo
Saturday, Dec 20, 1952
73 years old
1949: Lance68
Tuesday, Dec 20, 1949
76 years old
1946: Just Helen
Friday, Dec 20, 1946
79 years old
1941: annie8
Saturday, Dec 20, 1941
84 years old
1922: PROGTIME
Wednesday, Dec 20, 1922
103 years old
: big3picker
(year not provided)
: Ladylexus1
(year not provided)
: NataBost
(year not provided)

Worldwide Events On This Day

2024: Six people are killed and over 200 are injured when an anti-Islam activist drives a car into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany.
2024: A mass stabbing occurs in a primary school in Zagreb, Croatia, in which a 7-year-old pupil is killed and six more are injured by a knife-wielding 19-year-old male.
2022: A Vega C rocket carrying two Pléiades Neo satellites fails after liftoff.
2019: The United States Space Force becomes the first new branch of the United States Armed Forces since 1947.
2016: Aerosucre Flight 157 crashes during takeoff from Germán Olano Airport in Puerto Carreño, Colombia, killing five people.
2007: Elizabeth II becomes the oldest monarch in the history of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years and 243 days.
2007: The Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904), by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, and O Lavrador de Café by Brazilian modernist painter Cândido Portinari, are stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art in Brazil. Both will be recovered a few weeks later.
2004: A gang of thieves steal £26.5 million worth of currency from the Donegall Square West headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, one of the largest bank robberies in British history.
2004: Cave Story releases to the public.
1999: Macau is handed over to China by Portugal.
1995: NATO begins peacekeeping in Bosnia.
1995: American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia, killing 159 of the 163 people on board.
1991: A Missouri court sentences the Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina.
1989: The United States invasion of Panama deposes Manuel Noriega.
1988: War on drugs: The United Nations agrees upon and promulgates the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, one of three major drug control treaties currently in force.
1987: In the worst peacetime sea disaster, the passenger ferry Doña Paz sinks after colliding with the oil tanker MT Vector in the Tablas Strait of the Philippines, killing an estimated 4,000 people (1,749 official).
1985: Pope John Paul II announces the institution of World Youth Day.
1984: The Summit Tunnel fire, one of the largest transportation tunnel fires in history, burns after a freight train carrying over one million liters of gasoline derails near the town of Todmorden, England, in the Pennines.
1984: Disappearance of Jonelle Matthews from Greeley, Colorado. Her remains were discovered on July 23, 2019, located about 24 km (15 mi) southeast of Jonelle's home. The cause of death "was a gunshot wound to the head."
1977: With the approval of the State Council, China's two largest newspapers, the People's Daily and the Guangming Daily, publish in full for the first time the Second Chinese Character Simplification Scheme.
1973: Assassination of Luis Carrero Blanco: A car bomb planted by ETA in Madrid kills three people, including the Prime Minister of Spain, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco.
1970: Koza riot: After a series of hit-and-runs and other vehicular incidents involving American service personnel, roughly 5,000 Okinawans take to the streets, clashing with American law enforcement in protest against the U.S. occupation of Okinawa.
1968: The Zodiac Killer murders his first two officially confirmed victims, David Arthur Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, on Lake Herman Road in Benicia, California, United States.
1967: A Pennsylvania Railroad Budd Metroliner exceeds 249 kilometres per hour (155 mph) on their New York Division, also present-day Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
1960: Vietnam War: The National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, popularly known as the Viet Cong, is formally established in Tân Lập village, present day Tây Ninh province.
1957: The initial production version of the Boeing 707 makes its first flight.
1955: Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom.
1952: A United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns in Moses Lake, Washington, killing 87 of the 115 people on board.
1951: The EBR-1 in Arco, Idaho becomes the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. The electricity powered four light bulbs.
1948: Indonesian National Revolution: The Dutch military captures Yogyakarta, the temporary capital of the newly formed Republic of Indonesia.
1946: It's a Wonderful Life premieres at the Globe Theatre in New York to mixed reviews. [1]
1946: An earthquake in Nankaidō, Japan causes a tsunami which kills at least one thousand people and destroys 36,000 homes.
1942: World War II: Japanese air forces bomb Calcutta, India.
1941: World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers", in Kunming, China.
1940: Captain America Comics #1, containing the first appearance of the superhero Captain America, is published.
1924: Adolf Hitler is released from Landsberg Prison.
1917: Cheka, the first Soviet secret police force, is founded.
1915: World War I: The last Australian troops are evacuated from Gallipoli.
1860: South Carolina becomes the first state to attempt to secede from the United States with the South Carolina Declaration of Secession.
1848: French presidential election: Having won the popular vote in a landslide, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte is inaugurated in the chamber of the National Assembly as the first (and only) president of the French Second Republic.
1832: HMS Clio under the command of Captain Onslow arrives at Port Egmont under orders to take possession of the Falkland Islands.
1808: Peninsular War: The Siege of Zaragoza begins.
1803: The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.
1334: Cardinal Jacques Fournier, a Cistercian monk, is elected Pope Benedict XII.
1192: Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after the Third Crusade.
1046: Emperor Henry III convenes the synod of Sutri to mediate between different claimants to the papacy.
944: Byzantine Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos is arrested by two of his sons, forced to abdicate and to live as a monk for the rest of his life.
AD 69: Antonius Primus enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor for Nero's former general Vespasian.

Births On This Day

2002: Marcelo Pitaluga, Brazilian footballer
2001: Facundo Pellistri, Uruguayan footballer
2001: Sepp van den Berg, Dutch footballer
2000: Gaboro, Assyrian Swedish rapper and songwriter (died 2024)
1998: Kylian Mbappé, French footballer
1997: De'Aaron Fox, American basketball player
1997: Suzuka Nakamoto, Japanese singer
1996: Jarrod Bowen, English football player
1995: Anžejs Pasečņiks, Latvian basketball player
1995: Christian Wilkins, American football player
1994: Calvin Ridley, American football player
1993: Andrea Belotti, Italian footballer
1993: Robeisy Ramírez, Cuban boxer
1992: Ksenia Makarova, Russian-American figure skater
1991: Rachael Boyle, Scottish footballer
1991: Jorginho, Brazilian footballer
1991: Jillian Rose Reed, American actress
1991: Fabian Schär, Swiss footballer
1990: JoJo, American singer and actress
1990: Marta Xargay, Spanish basketball player
1987: Malcolm Jenkins, American football player
1986: Chay Genoway, Canadian ice hockey player
1984: Bob Morley, Australian actor
1984: David Tavaré, Spanish singer and DJ
1983: Jonah Hill, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
1982: Mohammad Asif, Pakistani cricketer
1982: David Cook, American singer-songwriter
1982: Kasper Klausen, Danish footballer
1982: David Wright, American baseball player
1981: Royal Ivey, American basketball player and coach
1981: James Shields, American baseball player
1980: Israel Castro, Mexican footballer
1980: Ashley Cole, English footballer
1980: Anthony da Silva, French-Portuguese footballer
1980: Martín Demichelis, Argentine footballer
1979: Michael Rogers, Australian cyclist
1978: Yoon Kye-sang, South Korean singer
1978: Andrei Markov, Russian-Canadian ice hockey player
1978: Geremi Njitap, Cameroon footballer
1978: Bouabdellah Tahri, French runner
1976: Nenad Vučković, Croatian footballer
1975: Bartosz Bosacki, Polish footballer
1974: Die, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1972: Jan Čaloun, Czech ice hockey player
1972: Anders Odden, Norwegian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1970: Nicole de Boer, Canadian actress
1970: Grant Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer and coach
1970: Jörg Schmidt, German footballer
1969: Alain de Botton, Swiss-English philosopher and author
1969: Zahra Ouaziz, Moroccan runner
1968: Karl Wendlinger, Austrian racing driver
1966: Veronica Pershina, Russian-American figure skater and coach
1966: Chris Robinson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1963: Joel Gretsch, American actor
1961: Mohammad Fouad, Egyptian singer-songwriter and actor
1960: Nalo Hopkinson, Jamaican-Canadian author and educator
1960: Kim Ki-duk, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2020)
1959: George Coupland, Scottish scientist
1959: Hildegard Körner, German runner
1959: Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Polish physicist and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Poland
1958: Doug Nordquist, American high jumper
1958: James Thomson, American biologist and academic
1957: Billy Bragg, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1957: Anna Vissi, Cypriot singer-songwriter and actress
1957: Mike Watt, American singer-songwriter and bass player
1956: Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Mauritanian general and politician, President of Mauritania
1956: Guy Babylon, American keyboard player and songwriter (died 2009)
1956: Blanche Baker, American actress and screenwriter
1956: Junji Hirata, Japanese wrestler
1956: Andrew Mackenzie, Scottish geologist and businessman
1956: Anita Ward, American disco/R&B singer
1955: Martin Schulz, German politician
1955: Binali Yıldırım, Turkish lawyer and politician, Turkish Minister of Transport
1954: Michael Badalucco, American actor
1954: Sandra Cisneros, American author and poet
1952: Jenny Agutter, English actress
1951: Nuala O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan, Northern Irish academic and police ombudsman
1951: Marta Russell, American author and activist (died 2013)
1950: Arturo Márquez, Mexican-American composer
1949: Soumaïla Cissé, Malian engineer and politician (died 2020)
1949: Cecil Cooper, American baseball player and manager
1948: Alan Parsons, English keyboard player and producer
1948: Mitsuko Uchida, Japanese pianist
1947: Gigliola Cinquetti, Italian singer-songwriter
1946: Uri Geller, Israeli-English magician and psychic
1946: Bill Hosket Jr., American basketball player
1946: Sonny Perdue, American politician, 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture, 81st Governor of Georgia
1946: Dick Wolf, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1945: Peter Criss, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer
1945: Sivakant Tiwari, Indian-Singaporean lawyer and author (died 2010)
1944: Ray Martin, Australian television host and journalist
1942: Rana Bhagwandas, Pakistani lawyer and judge, Chief Justice of Pakistan (died 2015)
1942: Bob Hayes, American sprinter and football player (died 2002)
1942: Jean-Claude Trichet, French banker and economist
1942: Roger Woodward, Australian classical pianist, composer, conductor, teacher and human rights activist.
1939: Kathryn Joosten, American actress (died 2012)
1939: Kim Weston, American soul singer
1935: Khalid Ibadulla, Pakistani cricketer and sportscaster (died 2024)
1933: Olavi Salonen, Finnish runner
1933: Rik Van Looy, Belgian cyclist (died 2024)
1932: John Hillerman, American actor (died 2017)
1931: Mala Powers, American actress (died 2007)
1929: Don Sunderlage, American basketball player (died 1961)
1928: John Menkes, Austrian-American pediatric and writer (died 2008)
1927: Michael Beaumont, 22nd Seigneur of Sark, English engineer and politician (died 2016)
1927: Jim Simpson, American sportscaster (died 2016)
1927: Kim Young-sam, South Korean soldier and politician, 7th President of South Korea (died 2015)
1926: Marcel Douzima, Central African lawyer and politician (died 2012)
1926: Geoffrey Howe, Welsh lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 2015)
1926: Otto Graf Lambsdorff, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of Economics (died 2009)
1925: Benito Lorenzi, Italian footballer (died 2007)
1924: Charlie Callas, American actor and comedian (died 2011)
1924: Judy LaMarsh, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 42nd Secretary of State for Canada (died 1980)
1922: Beverly Pepper, American sculptor and painter (died 2020)
1922: William Soeryadjaya, Chinese-Indonesian businessman and co-founder of Astra International (died 2010)
1921: George Roy Hill, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2002)
1920: Väinö Linna, Finnish author (died 1992)
1918: Jean Marchand, Canadian trade union leader and politician, 43rd Secretary of State for Canada (died 1988)
1917: David Bohm, American-English physicist, neuropsychologist, and philosopher (died 1992)
1917: Cahit Külebi, Turkish poet and author (died 1997)
1917: Audrey Totter, American actress (died 2013)
1916: Michel Chartrand, Canadian trade union leader and activist (died 2010)
1915: Aziz Nesin, Turkish author and poet (died 1995)
1914: Harry F. Byrd Jr., American lieutenant, publisher, and politician (died 2013)
1911: Hortense Calisher, American author (died 2009)
1909: Vakkom Majeed, Indian journalist and politician (died 2000)
1908: Dennis Morgan, American actor and singer (died 1994)
1907: Paul Francis Webster, American soldier and songwriter (died 1984)
1905: Bill O'Reilly, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (died 1992)
1904: Spud Davis, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 1984)
1904: Yevgenia Ginzburg, Russian author (died 1977)
1902: Prince George, Duke of Kent (died 1942)
1902: Sidney Hook, American philosopher and author (died 1989)
1901: Robert J. Van de Graaff, American physicist and academic, invented the Van de Graaff generator (died 1967)
1900: Lissy Arna, German actress (died 1964)
1900: Gabby Hartnett, American baseball player and manager (died 1972)
1899: Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Welsh preacher and physician (died 1981)
1898: Konstantinos Dovas, Greek general and politician, 156th Prime Minister of Greece (died 1973)
1898: Irene Dunne, American actress and singer (died 1990)
1894: Robert Menzies, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (died 1978)
1891: Erik Almlöf, Swedish triple jumper (died 1971)
1890: Yvonne Arnaud, French pianist, actress and singer (died 1958)
1890: Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1967)
1888: Yitzhak Baer, German-Israeli historian and academic (died 1980)
1888: Fred Merkle, American baseball player and manager (died 1956)
1886: Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, American tennis player and businessman (died 1974)
1884: Ruhana Kuddus, Indonesian activist and journalist (died 1972)
1881: Branch Rickey, American baseball player and manager (died 1965)
1874: Mary Ann Bevan, English nurse who, after developing acromegaly, toured the circus sideshow circuit as "the ugliest woman in the world"
1873: Kan'ichi Asakawa, Japanese historian, author, and academic (died 1948)
1873: Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Turkish poet, academic, and politician (died 1936)
1871: Henry Kimball Hadley, American composer and conductor (died 1937)
1869: Charley Grapewin, American actor (died 1956)
1868: Harvey Samuel Firestone, American businessman, founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company (died 1938)
1865: Elsie de Wolfe, American actress and interior decorator (died 1950)
1861: Ferdinand Bonn, German actor (died 1933)
1861: Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (died 1926)
1851: Knut Wicksell, Swedish economist (died 1926)
1841: Ferdinand Buisson, French academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1932)
1838: Edwin Abbott Abbott, English theologian, author, and educator (died 1926)
1812: Laura M. Hawley Thurston, American poet and educator (died 1842)
1806: Martín Carrera, Mexican general and president (1855) (died 1871)
1792: Nicolas Toussaint Charlet, French painter and educator (died 1845)
1786: Pietro Raimondi, Italian composer (died 1853)
1740: Arthur Lee, American physician and diplomat (died 1792)
1641: Urban Hjärne, Swedish chemist, geologist, and physician (died 1724)
1629: Pieter de Hooch, Dutch painter (died 1684)
1626: Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff, German scholar and politician (died 1692)
1576: John Sarkander, Moravian priest and saint (died 1620)
1537: John III, king of Sweden (died 1592)
1496: Joseph ha-Kohen, historian and physician (died 1575)
1494: Oronce Finé, French mathematician and cartographer (died 1555)

Deaths On This Day

2024: Casey Chaos, American singer (born 1965)
2024: George Eastham, English footballer (born 1936)
2024: Rickey Henderson, American baseball player (born 1958)
2022: Franco Harris, American football player (born 1950)
2020: Fanny Waterman, British pianist (born 1920)
2020: Ezra Vogel, American sociologist (born 1930)
2014: Per-Ingvar Brånemark, Swedish surgeon and academic (born 1929)
2014: John Freeman, English lawyer, politician, and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States (born 1915)
2013: Pyotr Bolotnikov, Russian runner (born 1930)
2012: Stan Charlton, English footballer and manager (born 1929)
2012: Robert Juniper, Australian painter and sculptor (born 1929)
2012: Victor Merzhanov, Russian pianist and educator (born 1919)
2011: Barry Reckord, Jamaican playwright and screenwriter (born 1926)
2010: K. P. Ratnam, Sri Lankan academic and politician (born 1914)
2009: Brittany Murphy, American actress and singer (born 1977)
2009: Arnold Stang, American actor (born 1918)
2008: Adrian Mitchell, English author, poet, and playwright (born 1932)
2008: Robert Mulligan, American director and producer (born 1925)
2008: Igor Troubetzkoy, Russian aristocrat and racing driver (born 1912)
2006: Anne Rogers Clark, American dog breeder and trainer (born 1929)
2005: Raoul Bott, Hungarian-American mathematician and academic (born 1923)
2001: Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegalese poet and politician, 1st President of Senegal (born 1906)
1999: Riccardo Freda, Egyptian-Italian director and screenwriter (born 1909)
1999: Hank Snow, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1914)
1998: Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, English physiologist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916)
1997: Denise Levertov, English-American poet and translator (born 1923)
1997: Dick Spooner, English cricketer (born 1919)
1997: Dawn Steel, American film producer (born 1946)
1996: Carl Sagan, American astronomer, astrophysicist, and cosmologist (born 1934)
1995: Madge Sinclair, Jamaican-American actress (born 1938)
1994: Dean Rusk, American lawyer, and politician, 54th United States Secretary of State (born 1909)
1993: W. Edwards Deming, American statistician, author, and academic (born 1900)
1993: Nazife Güran, Turkish composer and educator (born 1921)
1991: Simone Beck, French chef and author (born 1904)
1991: Sam Rabin, English wrestler, singer, and sculptor (born 1903)
1991: Albert Van Vlierberghe, Belgian cyclist (born 1942)
1986: Joe DeSa, American baseball player (born 1959)
1984: Stanley Milgram, American psychologist and academic (born 1933)
1984: Dmitry Ustinov, Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union (1976-84) (born 1908)
1982: Arthur Rubinstein, Polish-American pianist and composer (born 1887)
1981: Dimitris Rontiris, Greek actor and director (born 1899)
1976: Richard J. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 48th Mayor of Chicago (born 1902)
1976: Soetardjo Kartohadikusumo, Indonesian politician, 1st Governor of West Java (born 1890)
1974: Rajani Palme Dutt, English journalist and politician (born 1896)
1974: André Jolivet, French composer and conductor (born 1905)
1973: Luis Carrero Blanco, Spanish admiral and politician, 69th President of the Government of Spain (born 1904; assassinated)
1973: Bobby Darin, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1936)
1972: Adolfo Orsi, Italian businessman (born 1888)
1971: Roy O. Disney, American banker and businessman, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (born 1893)
1968: John Steinbeck, American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902)
1961: Moss Hart, American director and playwright (born 1904)
1961: Earle Page, Australian soldier and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1880)
1959: Juhan Simm, Estonian composer and conductor (born 1885)
1956: Ramón Carrillo, Argentinian neurologist and physician (born 1906)
1954: James Hilton, English-American author and screenwriter (born 1900)
1950: Enrico Mizzi, Maltese lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Malta (born 1885)
1941: Igor Severyanin, Russian-Estonian poet and author (born 1887)
1939: Hans Langsdorff, German captain (born 1894)
1938: Annie Armstrong, American missionary (born 1850)
1938: Lida Howell, American archer (born 1859)
1937: Erich Ludendorff, German general (born 1865)
1935: Martin O'Meara, Irish-Australian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1882)
1929: Émile Loubet, French lawyer and politician, 8th President of France (born 1838)
1927: Frederick Semple, American golfer and tennis player (born 1872)
1925: João Ferreira Sardo, the founder of Gafanha da Nazaré, also known as Prior Sardo (born 1873).
1921: Julius Richard Petri, German microbiologist (born 1852)
1920: Linton Hope, English sailor and architect (born 1863)
1919: Philip Fysh, English-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Tasmania (born 1835)
1917: Lucien Petit-Breton, French-Argentinian cyclist (born 1882)
1916: Arthur Morgan, Australian politician, 16th Premier of Queensland (born 1856)
1915: Upendrakishore Ray, Indian painter and composer (born 1863)
1893: George C. Magoun, American businessman (born 1840)
1880: Gaspar Tochman, Polish-American colonel and lawyer (born 1797)
1862: Robert Knox, Scottish surgeon and zoologist (born 1791)
1856: Francesco Bentivegna, Italian activist (born 1820)
1849: Kyai Maja, Javanese ulama and commander of Java War (born 1792)
1820: John Bell, American farmer (born 1750)
1812: Sacagawea, American explorer (born 1788)
1783: Antonio Soler, Spanish priest and composer (born 1729)
1768: Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni, Italian poet and academic (born 1692)
1765: Louis-Ferdinand, Dauphin of France (born 1729)
1740: Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Portsmouth (born 1675)
1723: Augustus Quirinus Rivinus, German physician and botanist (born 1652)
1722: Kangxi, emperor of the Qing Dynasty (born 1654)
1658: Jean Jannon, French designer and typefounder (born 1580)
1590: Ambroise Paré, French physician and surgeon (born 1510)
1552: Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther (born 1499)
1539: Johannes Lupi, Flemish composer (born 1506)
1355: Stefan Dušan, emperor of Serbia (born 1308)
1340: John I, duke of Bavaria (born 1329)
1326: Peter of Moscow, Russian metropolitan bishop
1295: Margaret of Provence, French queen (born 1221)
977: Fujiwara no Kanemichi, Japanese statesman (born 925)
910: Alfonso III, king of Asturias
217: Zephyrinus, pope of the Catholic Church
69: Titus Flavius Sabinus, a Roman politician and soldier

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