On This Day in History

December 8

December 8 is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. 23 days remain until the end of the year.

Lottery News On This Day

2023
Court finds that skill games are legal in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court found that unregulated skill games are legal in Pennsylvania, much to the disappointment of online and retail casinos.
2022
Maryland woman forgot where she hid $50,000 lottery ticket. A Maryland woman won $50,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket, but her hiding spot was apparently so good that she forgot where she put it.
2021
Group of 55 women take home record $80 million in Australian Powerball lottery. 55 women from a ladies-only gym called Curves are celebrating together after they won the $80 million (US$57.4 million) Australian Lottery Powerball jackpot drawn on Thurs., Dec. 2.
2020
50 players win Massachusetts Lottery jackpot. 50 players walked away from the Mass Cash drawing on Sunday, Dec. 6 with a claim to the $100,000 top prize, breaking the state's previous all-time record of 34 jackpot winners in one drawing.
2020
UK raises legal age to play the National Lottery from 16 to 18. Starting next year, 16- and 17-year-olds will no longer be able to play the National Lottery. In a move to curb the potential development of harmful gambling habits in a rapidly evolving digital age, the UK government announced that they will be raising the legal age to play the lottery to 18.
2017
NY couple buys $7M lottery ticket with leftover money after losing at casino. Meat wholesaler Leon Greenberg and his wife are $7 million richer thanks to a winning New York State Lottery scratch-off ticket that was purchased with funds left over after a trip to a Connecticut casino.
2017
2 more suspects plead guilty in $5.7M Jamaican lottery scam. Two more suspects have pleaded guilty in a Jamaican lottery scam that authorities say bilked at least 90 Americans out of more than $5.7 million.
2016
Custodian wins $2M scratch-off lottery ticket. A high school janitor won 2 million dollars from a scratch-off ticket bought in Gurnee, Illinois.
2016
Minnesota father, son both win $100K in same lottery drawing. A father and son from Halstad in northwestern Minnesota both won the $100,000 top prize in the Dec. 2 All or Nothing drawing.
2015
Colorado homeless man wins $500,000 in lottery. A Colorado man who had been homeless for more than six years finally got a little bit of luck Friday when he won $500,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket.
2013
Lottery tickets accidentally shipped to man's house. A metro Atlanta man opened up a box with a gift he ordered on the Internet to find a treasure of scratch-off lottery tickets.
2013
Pa. lawmaker wants to give lottery winners right to remain anonymous. A Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, lawmaker unveiled legislation Friday that would allow lottery winners to keep their identities hidden from the public.
2012
Possibility of Mississippi lottery worries Arkansas lottery officials. Arkansas lottery officials are keeping a nervous eye on Mississippi as that state's legislators prepare to consider creating a state lottery.
2012
Arizona man claims other half of record Powerball jackpot. A man who lottery officials announced Friday has claimed his half of the $587.5 million Powerball jackpot, decided to collect the winnings now and not next year because of the financial uncertainty posed by the nation's ongoing financial impasse.
2011
D.C. Lottery continues to evolve online gambling plan. The D.C. Lottery’s planned online gambling program will not be hosted on the city’s secure DC-NET Internet system as originally planned, information technology officials said Wednesday.
2010
Harry Reid pushing to legalize online poker for American casinos, horse tracks. Nevada Senator Harry Reid is reportedly taking a gamble that would change up the online poker industry.
2006
Despite dire predictions, Net gambling not changed by new U.S. law. When President George W. Bush signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in October, many reports gave the impression it sounded like the death knell for the multibillion-dollar Web-based gambling industry. They were wrong.
2004
Kansas Couple Discovers It Pays to Check Those Lottery Tickets. The winners of a $192,769 Super Kansas Cash jackpot had left the winning ticket in their truck.
2004
Record Powerball lottery winner ordered into substance abuse program. A man who won a nearly $315 million Powerball lottery -- the largest single jackpot in history -- was ordered into substance abuse treatment today after his second drunken driving arrest this year.
2004
Charity leader wins $27 million in California lottery. A California charity leader got a lucky boost to help her crusade to save unwanted babies.
2004
Lottery Scheme Now Targeting Tennessee. Fraudulent letters purporting to be from the El Gordo Sweepstakes Lottery Company, S.L. in Madrid, Sprain have appeared in some Tennessee mailboxes, informing consumers that they have won hundreds of thousands of dollars.
2004
Texas Mega Millions lottery sales strong. One year after Texas joined the Mega Millions multi-state lottery game, lottery officials say it's a hit.
2004
Gaming executives guilty of operating illegal lottery, pyramid scheme. Six of the lead promoters of World Games Inc. (WGI) plead guilty to operating and promoting an Illegal Pyramid Scheme December 6, 2004 in Calgary, Alberta.
2003
Powerball Jackpot Grows To $76 Million. Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Saturday's Powerball drawing the jackpot grew to an estimated $76 million, with a cash option of $40.9 million.
2003
Mega Millions Jackpot Swells to $54 Million. The jackpot in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery drawing grew to $54 million Saturday.
2003
Florida Lotto jackpot rolls over to $32 million. No ticket matched all six Florida Lotto numbers, causing the current jackpot to roll over to $32 million, lottery officials said Sunday.
2003
Woman accused of stealing lottery tickets bound over for trial. An Wisconsin woman accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of scratch-off lottery tickets when she worked at Denny's Super Valu in Algoma has been bound over for trial.
2003
French lottery to pay up. Games company Francaise des Jeux said it would compensate a handful of people who mistakenly thought they had won the jackpot because of printing errors on a batch of black jack scratch cards.
2003
Lottery officials swamped with resumes. Deluged with more than 9,000 unsolicited resumes for only 300 jobs, Tennessee lottery officials have enlisted help in matching the right people with the right jobs.

Top 25 Lottery Jackpots On This Day

1.$457.8 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 9, 2023
2.$395 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2023
3.$379 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 9, 2022
4.$344 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 10, 2013
5.€323.2 Million
US$339.46 Million
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2022
6.$314 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 10, 2019
7.$290.5 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2021
8.$264 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2020
9.$262 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 9, 2020
10.€240 Million
US$258.43 Million
Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2023
11.$245 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 11, 2018
12.€200 Million
US$242.28 Million
Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2020
13.$217 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2018
14.$212 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 9, 2017
15.$176 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2017
16.$171 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2004
17.$170 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 9, 2008
18.$145 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 9, 2015
19.$140 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 11, 2019
20.€121.96 Million
US$137.85 Million
Draw Date
Dec 9, 2021
21.$135 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 10, 2021
22.€106 Million
US$124.65 Million
Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Dec 8, 2017
23.$122 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 11, 2013
24.$115 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 11, 2007
24.$115 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 10, 2022

Lottery Post Member Birthdays On This Day

1990
Saturday, Dec 8, 1990
33 years old
1987
Tuesday, Dec 8, 1987
36 years old
1986
Monday, Dec 8, 1986
37 years old
1982
Wednesday, Dec 8, 1982
41 years old
1980
Monday, Dec 8, 1980
43 years old
1979
Saturday, Dec 8, 1979
44 years old
1976
Wednesday, Dec 8, 1976
47 years old
1975
Monday, Dec 8, 1975
48 years old
1969
Monday, Dec 8, 1969
54 years old
1965
Wednesday, Dec 8, 1965
58 years old
1964
Tuesday, Dec 8, 1964
59 years old
1960
Thursday, Dec 8, 1960
63 years old
1944
Friday, Dec 8, 1944
79 years old
1940
Sunday, Dec 8, 1940
83 years old
(year not provided)
(year not provided)

Worldwide Events On This Day

2019
First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China.
2013
Riots break out in Singapore after a fatal accident in Little India.
2013
Metallica performs a show in Antarctica, making them the first band to perform on all seven continents.
2010
With the second launch of the Falcon 9 and the first launch of the Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.
2010
The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km.
2009
Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq, kill 127 people and injure 448 others.
2004
The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.
2004
Columbus nightclub shooting: Nathan Gale opens fire at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, killing former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell and three others before being shot dead by a police officer.
2001
A raid conducted by the Internal Security Department (ISD) of Singapore foils a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot to bomb foreign embassies in Singapore.
1998
Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.
1992
The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the second time.
1991
The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
1990
The Galileo spacecraft flies past Earth for the first time.
1988
A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany, killing five people and injuring 50 others.
1987
Cold War: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the White House.
1987
An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel-Gaza Strip border, which has been cited as one of the events which sparked the First Intifada.
1985
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia, is established.
1980
John Lennon is murdered by Mark David Chapman in front of The Dakota in New York City.
1974
A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.
1972
United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45. This is the first-ever loss of a Boeing 737.
1971
Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi.
1969
Olympic Airways Flight 954 strikes a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece, killing 90 people in the worst crash of a Douglas DC-6 in history.
1966
The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.
1963
Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, killing all 81 people on board.
1962
Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.
1955
The Flag of Europe is adopted by Council of Europe.
1953
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech, which leads to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.
1943
World War II: The German 117th Jäger Division destroys the monastery of Mega Spilaio in Greece and executes 22 monks and visitors as part of reprisals that culminated a few days later with the Massacre of Kalavryta.
1941
World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be "a date which will live in infamy", after which the U.S. declares war on Japan.
1941
World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invade Shanghai International Settlement, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. (See December 7 for the concurrent attack on Pearl Harbor in the Western Hemisphere.)
1922
Two days after coming into existence, the Irish Free State executes four leaders of the Irish Republican Army.
1914
World War I: A squadron of Britain's Royal Navy defeats the Imperial German East Asia Squadron in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
1912
Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out.
1907
King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.
1864
Pope Pius IX promulgates the encyclical Quanta cura and its appendix, the Syllabus of Errors, outlining the authority of the Catholic Church and condemning various liberal ideas.
1854
In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived free of Original Sin.
1851
Conservative Santiago-based government troops defeat rebels at the Battle of Loncomilla, signaling the end of the 1851 Chilean Revolution.
1660
A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.
1504
Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah writes his Oran fatwa, arguing for the relaxation of Islamic law requirements for the forcibly converted Muslims in Spain.
877
Louis the Stammerer (son of Charles the Bald) is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne.
757
The poet Du Fu returns to Chang'an as a member of Emperor Xuanzong's court, after having escaped the city during the An Lushan Rebellion.
395
Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope.

Births On This Day

1996
Scott McTominay, Scottish footballer
1994
Conseslus Kipruto, Kenyan runner
1994
Raheem Sterling, English footballer
1993
Janari Jõesaar, Estonian basketball player
1993
Jordan Obita, English footballer
1993
AnnaSophia Robb, American actress
1993
Cara Mund, Miss America 2018
1992
Yui Yokoyama, Japanese idol, model, and actress
1989
Drew Doughty, Canadian ice hockey player
1989
Jesse Sene-Lefao, New Zealand rugby league player
1986
Enzo Amore, American wrestler and rapper
1986
Amir Khan, English boxer
1986
Sam Tagataese, New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player
1986
Kate Voegele, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
1985
Josh Donaldson, American baseball player
1985
Meagan Duhamel, Canadian figure skater
1985
Dwight Howard, American basketball player
1985
Oleksiy Pecherov, Ukrainian basketball player
1984
Emma Green Tregaro, Swedish high jumper
1984
Greg Halford, English footballer
1984
Sam Hunt, American singer-songwriter
1983
Neel Jani, Swiss race car driver
1983
Valéry Mézague, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2014)
1982
Alfredo Aceves, American baseball player
1982
Serena Ryder, Canadian singer-songwriter
1982
Chrisette Michele, American singer-songwriter
1982
Nicki Minaj, Trinidadian-American rapper and actress
1981
Jeremy Accardo, American baseball player
1981
Simon Finnigan, English rugby league player
1981
Philip Rivers, American football player
1980
Yuliya Krevsun, Ukrainian runner
1979
Daniel Fitzhenry, Australian rugby player
1979
Johan Forssell, Swedish lawyer and politician
1979
Raymond Lam, Chinese actor and singer
1979
Ingrid Michaelson, American singer-songwriter and pianist
1979
Christian Wilhelmsson, Swedish footballer
1978
John Oster, English-Welsh footballer
1978
Frédéric Piquionne, French footballer
1978
Anwar Siraj, Ethiopian footballer
1978
Ian Somerhalder, American actor
1978
Vernon Wells, American baseball player
1977
Ryan Newman, American race car driver
1977
Aleksandra Olsza, Polish tennis player
1977
Anita Weyermann, Swiss runner and journalist
1976
Brettina, Bahamian-American singer-songwriter and actress
1976
Reed Johnson, American baseball player
1976
Dominic Monaghan, German-born English actor
1976
Zoe Konstantopoulou, Greek lawyer and politician
1975
Kevin Harvick, American race car driver
1974
Cristian Castro, Mexican singer
1974
Tony Simmons, American football player and coach
1974
Nick Zinner, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1973
Corey Taylor, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
1972
Indrek Allmann, Estonian architect
1972
Janae Marie Kroczaleski, American powerlifter
1972
Édson Ribeiro, Brazilian sprinter
1971
Abdullah Ercan, Turkish footballer and manager
1969
Kristin Lauter, American mathematician and cryptographer
1968
Mike Mussina, American baseball player and coach
1968
Doriano Romboni, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2013)
1967
Jeff George, American football player
1967
Andy Kapp, German curler
1967
Kotono Mitsuishi, Japanese voice actress and singer
1967
Darren Sheridan, English footballer and manager
1966
Bushwick Bill, Jamaican-American rapper (d. 2019)
1966
Les Ferdinand, English footballer and coach
1966
Tyler Mane, Canadian wrestler and actor
1966
Sinéad O'Connor, Irish singer-songwriter (d. 2023)
1965
David Harewood, English actor
1965
Theo Maassen, Dutch actor, producer, and screenwriter
1964
James Blundell, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1964
Teri Hatcher, American actress
1964
Chigusa Nagayo, Japanese wrestler
1964
Óscar Ramírez, Costa Rican footballer and coach
1963
Greg Howe, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1963
Toshiaki Kawada, Japanese wrestler
1963
Ricky Walford, Australian rugby league player
1962
Steve Elkington, Australian-American golfer
1962
Marty Friedman, American-Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and television host
1962
Nikos Karageorgiou, Greek footballer and manager
1962
Berry van Aerle, Dutch footballer
1961
Mark Bugden, Australian rugby league player
1961
Conceição Lima, São Toméan poet
1961
Mikey Robins, Australian comedian and television host
1960
Aaron Allston, American game designer and author (d. 2014)
1960
Lim Guan Eng, Malaysian accountant and politician
1959
Stephen Jefferies, South African cricketer and coach
1959
Mark Steyn, Canadian-American author and critic
1958
Rob Byrnes, American author and blogger
1958
Rob Curling, Malayan-English journalist
1958
Michel Ferté, French race car driver
1958
Bob Greene, American physiologist and author
1958
Mirosław Okoński, Polish footballer
1958
George Rogers, American football player
1957
Mike Buchanan, British men's rights advocate
1957
James Cama, American martial artist and educator (d. 2014)
1957
Phil Collen, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1956
Warren Cuccurullo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1956
Andrius Kubilius, Lithuanian academic and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Lithuania
1956
Slick, American wrestler and manager
1955
Milenko Zablaćanski, Serbian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
1954
Harold Hongju Koh, American lawyer, academic, and politician
1954
Frits Pirard, Dutch cyclist
1953
Kim Basinger, American actress
1953
Roy Firestone, American sportscaster and journalist
1953
Norman Finkelstein, American author, academic, and activist
1953
Sam Kinison, American comedian (d. 1992)
1953
Władysław Kozakiewicz, Lithuanian-Polish pole vaulter and coach
1953
Steve Yates, English footballer
1952
Khaw Boon Wan, Malayan-Singaporean politician, Singaporean Minister of Health
1952
Steve Atkinson, English-Hong Kong cricketer
1951
Bill Bryson, American essayist, travel and science writer
1951
Richard Desmond, English publisher and businessman, founded Northern & Shell
1951
Jan Eggum, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1950
Rick Baker, American actor and makeup artist
1950
Tim Foli, American baseball player, coach, and manager
1950
Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1994)
1949
Mary Gordon, American author, critic, and academic
1949
Nancy Meyers, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1949
Robert Sternberg, American psychologist and academic
1948
Luis Caffarelli, Argentinian-American mathematician and academic
1948
John Waters, English-Australian actor, singer-songwriter, and guitarist
1947
Gregg Allman, American musician (d. 2017)
1947
Gérard Blanc, French singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 2009)
1947
Thomas Cech, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1947
Kati-Claudia Fofonoff, Finnish author and poet (d. 2011)
1947
Margaret Geller, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
1946
John Rubinstein, American actor, director, and composer
1946
Chava Alberstein, Polish-Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist
1945
John Banville, Irish novelist and screenwriter
1945
Julie Heldman, American tennis player
1944
George Baker, Dutch singer-songwriter
1944
Bertie Higgins, American singer-songwriter
1944
Ted Irvine, Canadian ice hockey player
1944
Vince MacLean, Canadian educator and politician
1943
Larry Martin, American paleontologist and ornithologist (d. 2013)
1943
Jim Morrison, American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 1971)
1943
James Tate, American poet (d. 2015)
1943
Bodo Tümmler, German runner
1943
Mary Woronov, American actress, director, and screenwriter
1941
Ed Brinkman, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
1941
Bob Brown, American football player (d. 2023)
1941
Duke Cunningham, American commander and politician
1941
Bobby Elliott, English drummer
1941
Geoff Hurst, English footballer and manager
1940
Brant Alyea, American baseball player
1939
Red Berenson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1939
Jerry Butler, American singer-songwriter and producer
1939
James Galway, Irish flute player
1939
Felipe Gozon, Filipino lawyer and businessman
1939
Dariush Mehrjui, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2023)
1939
Soko Richardson, American drummer (d. 2004)
1937
James MacArthur, American actor (d. 2010)
1937
Arne Næss, Jr., German-Norwegian mountaineer and businessman (d. 2004)
1936
David Carradine, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2009)
1936
Michael Hobson, American publisher (d. 2020)
1936
Peter Parfitt, English cricketer
1935
Dharmendra, Indian actor, producer, and politician
1935
Tatiana Zatulovskaya, Russian-Israeli chess player (d. 2017)
1933
Flip Wilson, American actor and comedian (d. 1998)
1932
Claus Luthe, German automotive designer (d. 2008)
1931
Bob Arum, American boxing promoter, founded Top Rank
1930
Julian Critchley, English journalist and politician (d. 2000)
1930
Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
1929
Victor Nosach, chronicler of the history of workers and trade union of Russia (d. 2011)
1928
Bill Hewitt, Canadian journalist and sportscaster (d. 1996)
1928
Ulric Neisser, German-American psychologist, neuroscientist, and academic (d. 2012)
1927
Vladimir Shatalov, Kazakhstani general, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2021)
1927
Niklas Luhmann, German thinker and social theorist (d. 1998)
1925
Sammy Davis, Jr., American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1990)
1925
Nasir Kazmi, Pakistani Urdu poet (d. 1972)
1925
Carmen Martín Gaite, Spanish author and poet (d. 2000)
1925
Jimmy Smith, American organist (d. 2005)
1924
Lionel Gilbert, Australian historian, author, and academic (d. 2015)
1923
Dewey Martin, American actor (d. 2018)
1923
Rudolph Pariser, Chinese-American soldier and chemist
1922
Lucian Freud, German-English painter and illustrator (d. 2011)
1922
Jean Ritchie, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
1920
McDonald Bailey, Trinidadian-English sprinter and rugby player (d. 2013)
1919
Peter Tali Coleman, Samoan-American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of American Samoa (d. 1997)
1919
Julia Bowman, American mathematician and theorist (d. 1985)
1919
Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (d. 2001)
1917
Ian Johnson, Australian cricketer and administrator (d. 1998)
1916
Richard Fleischer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
1915
Ernest Lehman, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
1914
Floyd Tillman, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
1914
Ernie Toshack, Australian cricketer (d. 2003)
1913
Delmore Schwartz, American poet and short story writer (d. 1966)
1911
Lee J. Cobb, American actor (d. 1976)
1911
Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (d. 1992)
1908
Concha Piquer, Spanish singer and actress (d. 1990)
1908
John A. Volpe, American soldier and politician, 61st Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1994)
1903
Zelma Watson George, Black American opera singer (d. 1994)
1902
Wifredo Lam, Cuban-French painter (d. 1982)
1900
Sun Li-jen, Chinese general and politician (d. 1990)
1900
Ants Oras, Estonian-American author and academic (d. 1982)
1899
Arthur Leslie, English-Welsh actor and playwright (d. 1970)
1899
John Qualen, Canadian-American actor (d. 1987)
1894
E. C. Segar, American cartoonist, created Popeye (d. 1938)
1894
James Thurber, American humorist and cartoonist (d. 1961)
1892
Marcus Lee Hansen, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1938)
1890
Bohuslav Martinů, Czech-American pianist and composer (d. 1959)
1887
Elizabeth Daryush, English poet (d. 1977)
1886
Diego Rivera, Mexican painter and educator (d. 1957)
1884
Francis Balfour, English colonel and politician (d. 1965)
1881
Albert Gleizes, French painter (d. 1953)
1880
Johannes Aavik, Estonian linguist and philologist (d. 1973)
1877
Paul Ladmirault, French pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 1944)
1875
Frederik Buch, Danish actor and screenwriter (d. 1925)
1874
Ernst Moro, Austrian physician and pediatrician (d. 1951)
1865
Rüdiger von der Goltz, German general (d. 1946)
1865
Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician and academic (d. 1963)
1865
Jean Sibelius, Finnish violinist and composer (d. 1957)
1864
Camille Claudel, French illustrator and sculptor (d. 1943)
1863
Charles Lincoln Edwards, American zoologist (d. 1937)
1862
Georges Feydeau, French playwright (d. 1921)
1861
William C. Durant, American businessman, founded General Motors and Chevrolet (d. 1947)
1861
Aristide Maillol, French sculptor and painter (d. 1944)
1861
Georges Méliès, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1938)
1860
Amanda McKittrick Ros, Irish author and poet (d. 1939)
1832
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
1822
Jakov Ignjatović, Hungarian-Serbian author (d. 1889)
1818
Charles III, Prince of Monaco (d. 1889)
1817
Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1896)
1815
Adolph Menzel, German painter and illustrator (d. 1905)
1813
August Belmont, Prussian-American financier and diplomat, 16th United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (d. 1890)
1807
Friedrich Traugott Kützing, German pharmacist, botanist and phycologist (d. 1893)
1795
Peter Andreas Hansen, Danish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1874)
1765
Eli Whitney, American engineer, invented the cotton gin (d. 1825)
1756
Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (d. 1801)
1731
František Xaver Dušek, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1799)
1730
Jan Ingenhousz, Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist (d. 1799)
1724
Claude Balbastre, French organist and composer (d. 1799)
1708
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1765)
1699
Maria Josepha of Austria (d. 1757)
1678
Antonio de Benavides, colonial governor of Florida (d. 1762)
1678
Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole, English politician and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (d. 1757)
1558
François de La Rochefoucauld, Catholic cardinal (d. 1645)
1542
Mary, Queen of Scots, daughter of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise (d. 1587)
1538
Miklós Istvánffy, Hungarian politician (d. 1615)
1424
Anselm Adornes, Belgian merchant, politician and diplomat (d. 1483)
1418
Queen Jeonghui, Queen consort of Korea (d. 1483)
1412
Astorre II Manfredi, Italian lord (d. 1468)
1021
Wang Anshi, Chinese economist and chancellor (d. 1086)
65 BC
Horace, Roman poet (d. 8 BC)

Deaths On This Day

2021
Robbie Shakespeare, Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer (b. 1953)
2019
René Auberjonois, American actor (b. 1940)
2019
Juice Wrld, American rapper, singer and songwriter (b. 1998)
2019
Caroll Spinney, American puppeteer and actor (b. 1933)
2018
David Weatherall, English physician, geneticist, and academic (b. 1933)
2016
John Glenn, American astronaut and senator, first American to go into orbit (b. 1921)
2015
Mattiwilda Dobbs, American soprano and actress (b. 1925)
2015
Alan Hodgkinson, English footballer and coach (b. 1936)
2015
Douglas Tompkins, American businessman, co-founded The North Face and Esprit Holdings (b. 1943)
2015
John Trudell, American author, poet, and actor (b. 1946)
2015
Elsie Tu, English-Hong Kong educator and politician (b. 1913)
2014
Tom Gosnell, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1951)
2014
Russ Kemmerer, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
2014
Knut Nystedt, Norwegian organist and composer (b. 1915)
2013
John Cornforth, Australian-English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
2013
Sándor Szokolay, Hungarian composer and academic (b. 1931)
2013
Richard S. Williamson, American lawyer and diplomat (b. 1949)
2012
Jerry Brown, American football player (b. 1987)
2012
John Gowans, Scottish-English 16th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1934)
2012
Johnny Lira, American boxer (b. 1951)
2009
Luis Días, Dominican singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
2008
Oliver Postgate, English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
2008
Robert Prosky, American actor (b. 1930)
2007
Gerardo García Pimentel, Mexican journalist (b. 1983)
2006
Martha Tilton, American singer (b. 1915)
2006
José Uribe, Dominican baseball player (b. 1959)
2005
Rose Heilbron, British barrister and judge (b. 1914)
2004
Dimebag Darrell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)
2003
Rubén González, Cuban pianist (b. 1919)
2001
Mirza Delibašić, Bosnian basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
2001
Betty Holberton, American computer scientist and programmer (b. 1917)
1999
Péter Kuczka, Hungarian poet and author (b. 1923)
1997
Bob Bell, American clown and actor (b. 1922)
1996
Howard Rollins, American actor (b. 1950)
1996
Kashiwado Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 47th Yokozuna (b. 1938)
1994
Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1927)
1993
Yevgeny Minayev, Russian weightlifter (b. 1933)
1992
William Shawn, American journalist (b. 1917)
1991
Buck Clayton, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1911)
1984
Luther Adler, American actor (b. 1903)
1984
Robert Jay Mathews, American militant leader, founded The Order (b. 1953)
1984
Razzle, English drummer (b. 1960)
1984
Semih Sancar, Turkish general (b. 1911)
1983
Keith Holyoake, New Zealand farmer and politician, 26th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1904)
1983
Slim Pickens, American actor (b. 1919)
1982
Bram Behr, Surinamese journalist and politician (b. 1951)
1982
André Kamperveen, Surinamese footballer and manager (b. 1924)
1982
Marty Robbins, American singer-songwriter and race car driver (b. 1925)
1982
Haim Laskov, Israel Defense Forces fifth Chief of Staff (b. 1919)
1980
John Lennon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
1978
Golda Meir, Ukrainian-Israeli educator and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898)
1975
Gary Thain, New Zealand bass player (b. 1948)
1971
Ernst Krenkel, Russian geographer and explorer (b. 1903)
1971
Eleni Ourani, Greek poet and critic (b. 1896)
1966
Ward Morehouse, American playwright, author, and critic (b. 1899)
1963
Sarit Thanarat, Thai field marshal and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1908)
1958
Tris Speaker, American baseball player and manager (b. 1888)
1954
Claude Cahun, French artist, photographer, and writer (b. 1894)
1954
Gladys George, American actress (b. 1904)
1954
Joseph B. Keenan, American lawyer and politician (b. 1888)
1952
Charles Lightoller, English sailor (b. 1874)
1942
Albert Kahn, American architect, Fisher Building, Packard Automotive Plant, Ford River Rouge Complex (b. 1869)
1941
Izidor Kürschner, Hungarian football player and coach (b. 1885)
1940
George Lloyd, English-Canadian bishop and theologian (b. 1861)
1938
Friedrich Glauser, Swiss author (b. 1896)
1937
Hans Molisch, Czech-Austrian botanist and academic (b. 1856)
1932
Gertrude Jekyll, British horticulturist and writer (b. 1843)
1929
José Vicente Concha, Colombian politician and 8th President of Colombia (b. 1867)
1922
Joe McKelvey and three other prominent Irish Republican Army officers are executed during the Irish Civil War
1919
J. Alden Weir, American painter (b. 1852)
1918
Josip Stadler, Bosnian Catholic archbishop (b. 1843)
1917
Mendele Mocher Sforim, Russian author (b. 1836)
1914
Melchior Anderegg, Swiss mountain guide (b. 1828)
1914
Maximilian von Spee, Danish-German admiral (b. 1861)
1913
Camille Jenatzy, Belgian race car driver (b. 1868)
1907
King Oscar II of Sweden (b. 1829)
1903
Herbert Spencer, English biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and philosopher (b. 1820)
1894
Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1821)
1886
Isaac Lea, American conchologist, geologist, and publisher (b. 1792)
1885
William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1821)
1869
Narcisa de Jesús, Ecuadorian saint (b. 1832)
1864
George Boole, English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1815)
1859
Thomas De Quincey, English journalist and author (b. 1785)
1856
Theobald Mathew, Irish social reformer and temperance movement leader (b. 1790)
1830
Benjamin Constant, Swiss-French philosopher and author (b. 1767)
1815
Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Methodist preacher and philanthropist (b. 1739)
1779
Nathan Alcock, English physician (b. 1707)
1768
Jean Denis Attiret, French painter and missionary (b. 1702)
1756
William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, English politician and diplomat, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1690)
1746
Charles Radclyffe, English courtier and soldier (b. 1693)
1745
Étienne Fourmont, French orientalist and academic (b. 1683)
1744
Marie Anne de Mailly, French mistress of Louis XV of France (b. 1717)
1734
James Figg, English prizefighter
1722
Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (b. 1652)
1709
Thomas Corneille, French playwright and philologist (b. 1625)
1695
Barthélemy d'Herbelot, French orientalist and academic (b. 1625)
1691
Richard Baxter, English minister, poet, and hymn-writer (b. 1615)
1680
Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, English lawyer and politician (b. 1606)
1649
Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (b. 1613)
1643
John Pym, English politician (b. 1583)
1638
Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet (b. 1589)
1632
Philippe van Lansberge, Dutch astronomer and mathematician (b. 1561)
1626
John Davies, English poet, lawyer, and politician (b. 1569)
1596
Luis de Carvajal the Younger, Marrano writer and martyr (b. c. 1566/1567)
1550
Gian Giorgio Trissino, Italian humanist, poet, dramatist and diplomat (b. 1478)
1431
Hedwig Jagiellon, Polish and Lithuanian princess (b. 1408)
1365
Nicholas II, Duke of Opava (b. 1288)
1292
John Peckham, Archbishop of Canterbury
1186
Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen (b.c 1125)
964
Zhou the Elder, Chinese queen consort
899
Arnulf of Carinthia (b. 850)
855
Drogo of Metz, illegitimate son of Charlemagne (b. 801)