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December 26

On This Day in History

December 26

December 26 is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. 5 days remain until the end of the year.

Lottery News On This Day

2022: California's 2022 lottery winners: A mystery billionaire and 100+ millionaires. If 2021 was a good year for California lottery players, 2022 was even better. This year, Powerball's biggest prize — a $2.04 billion jackpot — went to the Golden State. Many more scratchers, Mega Millions, and Super Lotto Plus players in California became millionaires, too.
2021: $150,000 lottery prize makes for perfect Christmas and birthday present for NC player. A North Carolina Lottery player celebrated her birthday and Christmas two-fold this year when she found out she won a $150,000 prize from a second-chance promotion.
2019: A reporter won the lottery and quit her job, live on air — only to find the payout was about $5,500. A Spanish television reporter appeared to celebrate and quit her job on live television after realizing she had a winning El Gordo lottery ticket. It was a decision for which she would later apologize.
2018: $1 million Maryland Mega Millions lottery ticket expired Christmas Eve. Someone could have had few extra presents under the tree this year, had they checked their Mega Millions lottery ticket before Christmas.
2016: N.C. Lottery chief refutes state study. Some lottery winners avoid paying debts out of their winnings. But how many?
2015: Las Vegas woman wins $100,000 on $5 NFL parlay bet. One of the biggest long shots in betting history will be cashed on Wednesday afternoon when Tayla Polia gets paid $100,005 for her $5, 15-leg NFL parlay that came through this week.
2015: Lottery scandal unlikely to affect New Mexico, official says. The expanding investigation of a former security chief for the national association that operates Powerball, Mega Millions, Hot Lotto and other lotteries is unlikely to affect New Mexico at this point, state lottery CEO David Barden said this week.
2015: Federal officials work to extradite Jamaican lottery scammers. While the arrest and conviction of one Jamaican lottery scammer was successful this year, rounding up his associate in the wide-ranging operation — and 13 other suspects still believed to be in Jamaica — is proving to be more onerous.
2014: $1 million lottery prize goes unclaimed. The deadline for claiming a $1 million Powerball prize sold in New Mexico came and went Wednesday, with nobody stepping forward with the winning ticket.
2013: Police issued lotto tickets during Christmas traffic stops. Motorists caught speeding to grandma's house in Melbourne, Florida, were greeted with a bittersweet Christmas Day surprise as officers doled out warnings and tickets alongside scratch-off lottery games.
2011: Illinois Lottery hopes to sell tickets online in '3 to 4 months'. Illinois Lottery Superintendent Michael Jones said Monday that he hopes the state will begin selling lottery tickets online in the next three to four months.
2010: Merry Christmas indeed! Lucky N.Y. lottery player wins $49M. It will probably be the merriest Christmas one New Yorker has ever known.
2006: 21 tickets win Maryland Lottery's Bonus Match 5. Lottery players throughout the State of Maryland should check their Bonus Match 5 tickets for a little something extra this holiday season.
2006: $1 million Powerball lottery winner speaks about picking numbers. A western Oklahoma couple won $1 million playing Powerball on March 17th with numbers that Charles derived while driving his tractor-trailer rig.
2006: Lottery Ticket Worth Over Half A Million Sold In Nashville. A Tennessee Lotto 5 ticket sold in Nashville correctly matched all five numbers from Monday night's drawing, hitting the jackpot of $518,712.
2006: N.C. Lottery sales fall short. North Carolina's lottery sales have tumbled since July, and the game's director predicts that -- under the best scenario -- the lottery will generate $75 million less for education than projected in the current state budget.
2005: Wealthiest schools lose out in Okla. Lottery. Eight public school districts aren't receiving any of the $75 million allocated to common education this year from Oklahoma's lottery and racetrack/tribal casino laws.
2005: One $26 Million UK Lotto Winner on Christmas Eve. One lucky lottery player matched all six numbers in the special UK Lotto Superdraw to win the £15 million (US$26 million) Christmas Eve jackpot.
2005: WI Lottery Player Strikes It Rich on Christmas. A Wisconsin Megabucks player is more than $11 million dollars richer this Christmas.
2005: N.C. Lottery misunderstandings could derail bonds. The new North Carolina lottery is supposed to help fund education, but local school officials and advocates are worried that the newly created state game could shut off a vital source of funding.
2005: Lottery: Promises and pitfalls. A look at problems and solutions of some state lotteries, as North Carolina leaders try to predict their own problems to come.
2005: $6 million in Illinois lottery prizes unclaimed. More than $6 million in Illinois Lottery prize money sits unclaimed -- the largest being a $900,000 Little Lotto jackpot drawn Oct. 2.
2003: Powerball Jackpot Soars to $170 Million. No one correctly matched all six numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing, pushing the jackpot to an estimated $170 million, with a cash option of $92.1 million. That's currently the largest lottery jackpot in the world, and the 7th largest Powerball jackpot ever.
2003: Lottery's $125M Pot Stirs City. Visions of sugarplums - and sweet greenbacks - were dancing through the heads of New York lottery players on Christmas as they rushed to buy tickets for tonight's $125 million Mega Millions jackpot.
2003: $315M Lottery Winner Shuns Attention. Tell the world you have $113 million, and that you're willing to give part of it away, and the world will beat a path to your door.
2003: Lottery scam costs Fresno man $2,300. A new twist to a scam involving the Canadian lottery has cost a 77-year-old Fresno man $2,300, Fresno police reported Wednesday.
2003: One ticket wins $3 million Florida Lotto. One ticket matched all six Florida Lotto numbers to win a jackpot of $3 million, lottery officials said Thursday.

Top 25 Lottery Jackpots On This Day

1.$565 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 27, 2022
2.$429 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 27, 2021
3.$376 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 29, 2020
4.$370 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 28, 2018
5.€335.4 Million US$357 Million: Italy
SuperEnalotto
Draw Date
Dec 27, 2022
6.$341 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 26, 2020
7.$337 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 27, 2017
8.$294 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 26, 2018
9.$277 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 26, 2017
10.$255 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 26, 2015
11.$206 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 27, 2011
12.$204.5 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 26, 2022
13.$201 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 28, 2021
14.$200 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 28, 2019
14.$200 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 28, 2010
16.$170 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 27, 2003
17.$156 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 26, 2014
18.€130.55 Million
US$147.84 Million: Italy
SuperEnalotto
Draw Date
Dec 27, 2021
19.€119 Million
US$136.26 Million: Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Dec 28, 2018
20.$125 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 26, 2003
21.$122 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 26, 2009
22.€85 Million
US$117.05 Million: Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Dec 27, 2013
23.$117 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 29, 2015
24.$110 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 27, 2014
25.€82.86 Million
US$101.45 Million: Italy
SuperEnalotto
Draw Date
Dec 28, 2020

Lottery Post Member Birthdays On This Day

1986: Richard086
Friday, Dec 26, 1986
36 years old
1985: Keykey9155
Thursday, Dec 26, 1985
37 years old
1983: playernumbertwo
Monday, Dec 26, 1983
39 years old
1979: Charmrolle
Wednesday, Dec 26, 1979
43 years old
1975: etienneedison
Friday, Dec 26, 1975
47 years old
1973: Millionot
Wednesday, Dec 26, 1973
49 years old
1969: deladap
Friday, Dec 26, 1969
53 years old
1965: JCO822
Sunday, Dec 26, 1965
57 years old
1965: MonicaG
Sunday, Dec 26, 1965
57 years old
1959: capron422000
Saturday, Dec 26, 1959
63 years old
1957: boylina120
Thursday, Dec 26, 1957
65 years old
1944: elottery
Tuesday, Dec 26, 1944
78 years old
1938: DaddyOinPa
Monday, Dec 26, 1938
84 years old
: beachygirl2011
(year not provided)

Worldwide Events On This Day

2015: During the December 2015 North American storm complex, a Tornado Outbreak occurs in the DFW Metroplex, with the most notable tornadoes being an EF2, EF3, and an EF4. About a dozen people died due to various reasons, 10 of which due to the EF4, which did substantial damage to the suburb of Rowlett.
2012: China opens the world's longest high-speed rail route, which links Beijing and Guangzhou.
2006: 2006 Hengchun earthquakes.
2004: The 9.1-9.3 M_w Indian Ocean earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). One of the largest observed tsunamis, it affected coastal and partially mainland areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia; death toll is estimated at 227,898.
2004: Orange Revolution: The final run-off election in Ukraine is held under heavy international scrutiny.
2003: The 6.6 M_w Bam earthquake shakes southeastern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving more than 26,000 dead and 30,000 injured.
1999: The storm Lothar sweeps across Central Europe, killing 137 and causing US$1.3 billion in damage.
1998: Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern no-fly zones.
1994: Four Armed Islamic Group hijackers seize control of Air France Flight 8969. When the plane lands at Marseille, a French Gendarmerie assault team boards the aircraft and kills the hijackers.
1991: The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union meets and formally dissolves the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.
1975: Tu-144, the world's first commercial supersonic aircraft, surpassing Mach 2, goes into service.
1972: Vietnam War: As part of Operation Linebacker II, 120 American B-52 Stratofortress bombers attacked Hanoi, including 78 launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the largest single combat launch in Strategic Air Command history.
1968: The Communist Party of the Philippines is established by Jose Maria Sison, breaking away from the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930.
1966: The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach.
1963: The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" are released in the United States, marking the beginning of Beatlemania on an international level.
1948: Cardinal József Mindszenty is arrested in Hungary and accused of treason and conspiracy.
1948: The last Soviet troops withdraw from North Korea.
1944: World War II: George S. Patton's Third Army breaks the encirclement of surrounded U.S. forces at Bastogne, Belgium.
1943: World War II: German warship Scharnhorst is sunk off of Norway's North Cape after a battle against major Royal Navy forces.
1941: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
1919: Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox is sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee, allegedly establishing the Curse of the Bambino superstition.
1898: Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium.
1871: Thespis, the first Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration, debuts. It does modestly well, but the two would not collaborate again for four years and the score has been lost.
1862: American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou begins.
1862: Four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover are the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship.
1862: The largest mass-hanging in U.S. history took place in Mankato, Minnesota, where 38 Native Americans died.
1861: American Civil War: The Trent Affair: Confederate diplomatic envoys James Murray Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and the United Kingdom.
1860: First Rules derby is held between Sheffield F.C. and Hallam F.C., the oldest football fixture in the world.
1825: Advocates of liberalism in Russia rise up against Czar Nicholas I but are suppressed in the Decembrist revolt in Saint Petersburg.
1811: A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable.
1806: Battles of Pultusk and Golymin: Russian forces hold French forces under Napoleon.
1805: Austria and France sign the Treaty of Pressburg.
1799: Henry Lee III's eulogy to George Washington in congress declares him as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen". (This is not to be confused with Washington's funeral on December 18.)
1793: Second Battle of Wissembourg: France defeats Austria.
1790: Louis XVI of France gives his public assent to Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution.
1776: American Revolutionary War: In the Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army attacks and successfully defeats a garrison of Hessian forces.
1704: Second Battle of Anandpur: In the Second Battle of Anandpur, Aurangzeb's two generals, Wazir Khan and Zaberdast Khan executed two children of Guru Gobind Singh, Zorawar Singh aged 8 and Fateh Singh aged 5, by burying them alive into a wall.
1489: The forces of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, take control of Almería from the Nasrid ruler of Granada, Muhammad XIII.
1481: Battle of Westbroek: Holland defeats troops of Utrecht.
887: Berengar I is elected as king of Italy by the lords of Lombardy. He is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy at Pavia.

Births On This Day

1997: Tamara Zidanšek, Slovenian tennis player
1994: Souleymane Coulibaly, Ivorian footballer
1992: Cecilia Costa Melgar, Chilean tennis player
1992: Jade Thirlwall, English singer
1991: Eden Sher, American actress
1990: Jon Bellion, American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer
1990: Andy Biersack, American singer-songwriter
1990: Denis Cheryshev, Russian footballer
1990: Aaron Ramsey, Welsh footballer
1989: Yohan Blake, Jamaican sprinter
1986: Joe Alexander, American-Israeli basketball player
1986: Kit Harington, English actor
1986: Hugo Lloris, French footballer
1986: Selen Soyder, Turkish actress and beauty queen
1985: Beth Behrs, American actress
1984: Ahmed Barusso, Ghanaian footballer
1984: Leonardo Ghiraldini, Italian rugby player
1984: Alex Schwazer, Italian race walker
1983: Yu Takahashi, Japanese singer-songwriter
1983: Alexander Wang, American fashion designer
1982: Kenneth Darby, American football player
1982: Noel Hunt, Irish footballer
1982: Aksel Lund Svindal, Norwegian skier
1981: Pablo Canavosio, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
1981: Nikolai Nikolaeff, Australian actor
1980: Todd Dunivant, American soccer player
1980: Ceylan Ertem, Turkish singer
1979: Fabián Carini, Uruguayan footballer
1979: Chris Daughtry, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1979: Dimitry Vassiliev, Russian ski jumper
1979: Craig Wing, Australian rugby player
1978: Karel Rüütli, Estonian lawyer and politician
1978: Kaoru Sugayama, Japanese volleyball player
1977: Fatih Akyel, Turkish footballer and manager
1977: Adrienn Hegedűs, Hungarian tennis player
1976: Simon Goodwin, Australian footballer and coach
1975: Chris Calaguio, Filipino basketball player
1975: Marcelo Ríos, Chilean tennis player
1975: María Vasco, Spanish race walker
1974: Joshua John Miller, American actor, director, and screenwriter
1973: Paulo Frederico Benevenute, Brazilian footballer
1973: Gianluca Faliva, Italian rugby player
1973: Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Japanese baseball player
1973: Steve Prescott, English rugby player (d. 2013)
1972: Esteban Fuertes, Argentinian footballer
1972: Robert Muchamore, English author
1971: Jared Leto, American actor and musician
1971: Mika Nurmela, Finnish footballer
1971: Tatiana Sorokko, Russian-American model and journalist
1970: James Mercer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1969: Isaac Viciosa, Spanish runner
1968: Matt Zoller Seitz, American film critic and author
1966: Jay Farrar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1966: Tim Legler, American basketball player and sportscaster
1966: Jay Yuenger, American guitarist and producer
1964: Elizabeth Kostova, American author
1963: Craig Teitzel, Australian rugby league player
1963: Lars Ulrich, Danish-American drummer, songwriter, and producer
1962: Mark Starr, English wrestler (d. 2013)
1961: Andrew Lock, Australian mountaineer
1961: John Lynch, Northern Irish actor
1960: Keith Martin Ball, American mathematician and academic
1960: Ruud Kaiser, Dutch footballer and manager
1960: Jim Toomey, American cartoonist
1960: Cem Uzan, Turkish businessman and politician
1959: Kōji Morimoto, Japanese animator and director
1959: Hans Nielsen, Danish motorcycle racer
1959: Wang Lijun, Chinese police officer and politician
1958: Adrian Newey, English aerodynamicist and engineer
1957: Dermot Murnaghan, English-Northern Irish journalist and game show host
1956: David Sedaris, American comedian, author, and radio host
1955: Evan Bayh, American lawyer and politician, 46th Governor of Indiana
1954: Peter Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and philanthropist
1954: Ozzie Smith, American baseball player and sportscaster
1953: Leonel Fernández, Dominican lawyer and politician, 51st President of the Dominican Republic
1953: Makis Katsavakis, Greek footballer and manager
1953: Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Swedish-Estonian journalist and politician, 4th President of Estonia
1953: Henning Schmitz, German drummer
1950: Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Pakistani businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan
1950: Mario Mendoza, Mexican baseball player and manager
1949: José Ramos-Horta, East Timorese lawyer and politician, 2nd President of East Timor, Nobel Prize laureate
1948: Candy Crowley, American journalist
1947: James T. Conway, American general
1947: Jean Echenoz, French author
1947: Carlton Fisk, American baseball player
1947: Josef Janíček, Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and keyboard player
1947: Richard Levis McCormick, American historian and academic
1946: Alan Frumin, American lawyer and politician
1946: Tiit Rosenberg, Estonian historian and academic
1945: John Walsh, American television host, producer, and activist, created America's Most Wanted
1944: William Ayers, American academic and activist
1942: Vinicio Cerezo, Guatemalan politician, 28th President of Guatemala
1942: Catherine Coulter, American author
1942: Gray Davis, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of California
1941: Daniel Schmid, Swiss actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
1940: Edward C. Prescott, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1940: Ray Sadecki, American baseball player (d. 2014)
1939: Fred Schepisi, Australian director and screenwriter
1939: Phil Spector, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2021)
1938: Bahram Beyzai, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter
1938: Robert Hamerton-Kelly, South African-American pastor, scholar, and author (d. 2013)
1938: Alamgir Kabir, Bangladeshi director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
1938: Mirko Kovač, Yugoslav-Croatian author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
1937: John Horton Conway, English mathematician, known for Conway's Game of Life (d. 2020)
1936: Peep Jänes, Estonian architect
1936: Trevor Taylor, English race car driver (d. 2010)
1935: Abdul "Duke" Fakir, American singer
1935: Rohan Kanhai, Guyanese cricketer
1935: Norm Ullman, Canadian ice hockey player
1933: Caroll Spinney, American puppeteer and voice actor (d. 2019)
1930: Jean Ferrat, French singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2010)
1930: Harry Gamble, American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
1930: Donald Moffat, English-American actor (d. 2018)
1929: Kathleen Crowley, American actress (d. 2017)
1929: Régine Zylberberg, Belgian-French singer and actress
1927: Denis Gifford, English journalist and historian (d. 2000)
1927: Alan King, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
1927: Stu Miller, American baseball player (d. 2015)
1927: Denis Quilley, English actor (d. 2003)
1926: Earle Brown, American composer (d. 2002)
1924: Frank Broyles, American football player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2017)
1923: Richard Artschwager, American painter, illustrator, and sculptor (d. 2013)
1922: Richard Mayes, English actor (d. 2006)
1921: Steve Allen, American actor, singer, talk show host, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
1921: John Severin, American illustrator (d. 2012)
1918: Olga Lopes-Seale, Guyanese-Barbadian singer and radio host (d. 2011)
1918: Georgios Rallis, Greek lieutenant and politician, 173rd Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2006)
1915: Rolf Botvid, Swedish actor and screenwriter (d. 1998)
1914: Richard Widmark, American actor (d. 2008)
1913: Frank Swift, English footballer and journalist (d. 1958)
1912: Arsenio Lacson, Filipino journalist and politician, Mayor of Manila (d. 1962)
1910: Imperio Argentina, Argentine-Spanish actress and singer (d. 2003)
1910: Marguerite Churchill, American actress (d. 2000)
1909: Matt Gordy, American pole vaulter (d. 1989)
1908: Ralph Hill, American runner (d. 1994)
1907: Albert Gore, Sr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1998)
1905: William Loeb III, American publisher (d. 1981)
1904: Alejo Carpentier, Swiss-Cuban musicologist and author (d. 1980)
1903: Elisha Cook, Jr., American actor (d. 1995)
1902: Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan, Russian painter and sculptor (d. 1980)
1901: Elmar Muuk, Estonian linguist and author (d. 1941)
1900: Evelyn Bark, leading member of the British Red Cross, first female recipient of the CMG (d. 1993)
1894: Jean Toomer, American author and poet (d. 1967)
1893: Mao Zedong, Chinese politician, Chairman of the Communist Party of China (d. 1976)
1892: Don Barclay, American actor and illustrator (d. 1975)
1891: Henry Miller, American author and painter (d. 1980)
1890: Konstantinos Georgakopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1973)
1890: Percy Hodge, English runner (d. 1967)
1888: Marius Canard, French orientalist and historian (d. 1982)
1887: Arthur Percival, English general (d. 1966)
1885: Bazoline Estelle Usher, African-American educator (d. 1992)
1883: Maurice Utrillo, French painter (d. 1955)
1874: Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah, Bangladeshi theologian and academic (d. 1965)
1873: Thomas Wass, English cricketer (d. 1953)
1872: Norman Angell, English journalist, academic, and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
1869: Mathieu Cordang, Dutch cyclist (d. 1942)
1867: Phan Bội Châu, Vietnamese activist (d. 1940)
1864: Yun Chi-ho, Korean activist and politician (d. 1945)
1863: Charles Pathé, French record producer, co-founded Pathé Records (d. 1957)
1859: William Stephens, American lawyer and politician, 24th Governor of California (d. 1944)
1854: José Yves Limantour, Mexican financier and politician, Mexican Secretary of Finance (d. 1935)
1853: René Bazin, French author and academic (d. 1932)
1852: Johannes François Snelleman, Dutch zoologist, orientalist, and ethnographer (d. 1938)
1837: Morgan Bulkeley, American soldier and politician, 54th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1922)
1837: George Dewey, American admiral (d. 1917)
1820: Dion Boucicault, Irish actor and playwright (d. 1890)
1819: E. D. E. N. Southworth, American author and educator (d. 1899)
1803: Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, Estonian physician and author (d. 1882)
1791: Charles Babbage, English mathematician and engineer, invented the Difference engine (d. 1871)
1785: Étienne Constantin de Gerlache, Belgian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1871)
1782: Philaret Drozdov, Russian metropolitan and saint (d. 1867)
1780: Mary Somerville, Scottish mathematician, astronomer, and author (d. 1872)
1769: Ernst Moritz Arndt, German writer and poet (d. 1860)
1751: Lord George Gordon, English lieutenant and politician (d. 1793)
1751: Clemens Maria Hofbauer, Austrian priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1820)
1737: Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (d. 1815)
1723: Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm, German-French author and playwright (d. 1807)
1716: Thomas Gray, English poet and scholar (d. 1771)
1716: Jean François de Saint-Lambert, French soldier and philosopher (d. 1803)
1687: Johann Georg Pisendel, German violinist and composer (d. 1755)
1646: Robert Bolling, English-American merchant and planter (d. 1709)
1628: John Page, American politician (d. 1692)
1618: Elisabeth of the Palatinate, German princess, philosopher, and Calvinist (d. 1680)
1581: Philip III, Landgrave of Hesse-Butzbach (d. 1643)
1537: Albert, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (d. 1593)
1536: Yi I, Korean philosopher and scholar (d. 1584)
1532: Wilhelm Xylander, German scholar and academic (d. 1576)
1526: Rose Lok, businesswoman and Protestant exile (d.1613)
1446: Charles de Valois, Duke de Berry, French noble (d. 1472)
1194: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1250)

Deaths On This Day

2020: Brodie Lee, American Professional Wrestler (b.1979)
2017: Irv Weinstein, American broadcaster and television news anchor (b. 1930)
2016: Ricky Harris, American comedian, actor (b. 1962)
2016: George S. Irving, American actor, singer and dancer (b. 1922)
2015: Sidney Mintz, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1922)
2015: Jim O'Toole, American baseball player (b. 1937)
2014: Stanisław Barańczak, Polish-American poet, critic, and scholar (b. 1946)
2014: James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (b. 1927)
2014: Leo Tindemans, Belgian politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1922)
2013: Paul Blair, American baseball player and coach (b. 1944)
2013: Marta Eggerth, Hungarian-American actress and singer (b. 1912)
2012: Gerry Anderson, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
2012: Gerald McDermott, American author and illustrator (b. 1941)
2012: Ibrahim Tannous, Lebanese general (b. 1929)
2011: Houston Antwine, American football player (b. 1939)
2011: Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., Mexican-American actor and producer (b. 1940)
2011: Sarekoppa Bangarappa, Indian politician, 15th Chief Minister of Karnataka (b. 1932)
2011: Joe Bodolai, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1948)
2011: James Rizzi, American painter and illustrator (b. 1950)
2010: Salvador Jorge Blanco, 48th President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1926)
2010: Edward Bhengu, South African activist (b. 1934)
2010: Teena Marie, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1956)
2009: Felix Wurman, American cellist and composer (b. 1958)
2006: Gerald Ford, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 38th President of the United States (b. 1913)
2006: Ivar Formo, Norwegian skier and engineer (b. 1951)
2006: Munir Niazi, Indian-Pakistani poet (b. 1928)
2005: Muriel Costa-Greenspon, American soprano (b. 1937)
2005: Ted Ditchburn, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
2005: Kerry Packer, Australian publisher and businessman (b. 1937)
2005: Viacheslav Platonov, Russian volleyball player and coach (b. 1939)
2005: Vincent Schiavelli, American actor (b. 1948)
2005: Erich Topp, German commander (b. 1914)
2004: Troy Broadbridge, Australian footballer (b. 1980)
2004: Jonathan Drummond-Webb, South African surgeon and academic (b. 1959)
2004: Sigurd Køhn, Norwegian saxophonist and composer (b. 1959)
2004: Angus Ogilvy, English businessman (b. 1928)
2004: Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1974)
2004: Reggie White, American football player and wrestler (b. 1961)
2003: Virginia Coffey, American civil rights activist (b. 1904)
2002: Herb Ritts, American photographer and director (b. 1952)
2002: Armand Zildjian, American businessman, founded the Avedis Zildjian Company (b. 1921)
2001: Nigel Hawthorne, English actor (b. 1929)
2000: Jason Robards, American actor (b. 1922)
1999: Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1942)
1999: Shankar Dayal Sharma, Indian academic and politician, 9th President of India (b. 1918)
1998: Ram Swarup, Indian writer on Hindu philosophy and religion (b. 1920)
1997: Cahit Arf, Turkish mathematician and academic (b. 1910)
1997: Cornelius Castoriadis, Greek economist and philosopher (b. 1922)
1996: JonBenét Ramsey, American child beauty queen and prominent unsolved murder victim (b. 1990)
1994: Sylva Koscina, Italian actress (b. 1933)
1990: Gene Callahan, American art director and production designer (b. 1923)
1989: Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1924)
1988: Glenn McCarthy, American businessman, founded the Shamrock Hotel (b. 1907)
1988: Pablo Sorozábal, German-Spanish composer and conductor (b. 1897)
1987: Dorothy Bliss, American invertebrate zoologist, curator at the American Museum of Natural History (b. 1916)
1986: Elsa Lanchester, English-American actress (b. 1902)
1981: Amber Reeves, New Zealand-English author and scholar (b. 1887)
1981: Suat Hayri Ürgüplü, Turkish politician, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1903)
1981: Savitri, Indian actress, playback singer, dancer, director and producer (b. 1936)
1980: Tony Smith, American sculptor and educator (b. 1912)
1977: Howard Hawks, American director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
1974: Farid al-Atrash, Syrian-Egyptian singer-songwriter, oud player, and actor (b. 1915)
1974: Jack Benny, American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, and violinist (b. 1894)
1974: Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton, Scottish admiral (b. 1890)
1973: Harold B. Lee, American religious leader, 11th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1899)
1972: Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (b. 1884)
1970: Lillian Board, South African-English runner (b. 1948)
1968: Weegee, Ukrainian-American photographer and journalist (b. 1898)
1966: Ina Boudier-Bakker, Dutch author (b. 1875)
1966: Herbert Otto Gille, German general (b. 1897)
1966: Guillermo Stábile, Argentinian footballer and manager (b. 1905)
1963: Gorgeous George, American wrestler (b. 1915)
1960: Tetsuro Watsuji, Japanese historian and philosopher (b. 1889)
1959: Jack Tresadern, English footballer and manager (b. 1890)
1933: Anatoly Lunacharsky, Russian journalist and politician (b. 1875)
1933: Henry Watson Fowler, English lexicographer and educator (b. 1858)
1931: Melvil Dewey, American librarian and educator, created the Dewey Decimal Classification (b. 1851)
1929: Albert Giraud, Belgian poet (b. 1860)
1925: Jan Letzel, Czech architect, designed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (b. 1880)
1923: Dietrich Eckart, German journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1868)
1909: Frederic Remington, American painter and illustrator (b. 1861)
1902: Mary Hartwell Catherwood, American author and poet (b. 1849)
1890: Heinrich Schliemann, German-Italian archaeologist and author (b. 1822)
1869: Jean Léonard Marie Poiseuille, French physician and physiologist (b. 1797)
1863: Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (b. 1775)
1786: Gasparo Gozzi, Italian playwright and critic (b. 1713)
1784: Seth Warner, American colonel (b. 1743)
1780: John Fothergill, English physician and botanist (b. 1712)
1771: Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher and activist (b. 1715)
1731: Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French author (b. 1672)
1646: Henri de Bourbon, prince of Condé (b. 1588)
1574: Charles de Lorraine, French cardinal (b. 1524)
1530: Babur, Mughal emperor (b. 1483)
1476: Galeazzo Maria Sforza, duke of Milan (b. 1444)
1458: Arthur III, duke of Brittany (b. 1393)
1441: Niccolò III d'Este, marquess of Ferrara
1413: Michele Steno, doge of Venice (b. 1331)
1360: Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, English commander (b. 1314)
1352: John, 3rd Earl of Kent, English politician (b. 1330)
1350: Jean de Marigny, French archbishop
1331: Philip I, Prince of Taranto, titular Latin Emperor (b. 1278)
1302: Valdemar, king of Sweden (b. 1239)
1191: Reginald Fitz Jocelin, archbishop-elect of Canterbury
1006: Gao Qiong, Chinese general (b. 935)
893: Masrur al-Balkhi, Abbasid general
865: Zheng, empress of the Tang Dynasty
831: Euthymius of Sardis, Byzantine bishop and saint (b. 754)
418: Zosimus, pope of the Catholic Church
268: Dionysius, pope of the Catholic Church

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