Today in History
On May 19 in history ..
- 0715 - St Gregory II begins his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1506 - Columbus selects his son Diego as sole heir
- 1515 - George van Saksen-Meissen sells Friesland for 100,000 gold guilders to arch duke Charles
- 1517 - Philip van Bourgondie installed as bishop of Utrecht
- 1547 - Monarch Johan Frederik surrenders to Karel
- 1568 - English queen Elizabeth I arrests Scottish queen Mary
- 1571 - Miguel Lopez de Lagazpi founded Manilla in the Phillipines
- 1585 - Spain confisquates English ships
- 1588 - Spanish Armada sets sail for Lisbon, bound to England
- 1608 - Matthias von Habsburgs army reaches Lieben, at Prague
- 1635 - France declares war on Spain
- 1643 - Battle at Rocroi/Allersheim: French army destroys Spanish army
- 1643 - Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut & New Harbor form United Colonies of New England
- 1652 - Spanish troops occupy Grevelingen
- 1662 - Uniformity Act of England goes into effect
- 1749 - George II grants charter to Ohio Company to settle Ohio Valley
- 1780 - About midday, near-total darkness descends on much of New England to this day it's cause is still unexplained
- 1792 - Russian army enters Poland
- 1793 - Netherlands captures French island of St Maarten (held until 1795)
- 1796 - Game protection law restricts encroachment on Indian hunting grounds
- 1802 - French Order of Légion d'Honneur forms
- 1848 - 1st department store opens
- 1848 - Mexico gives Texas to US, ending the war
- 1853 - Dutch prince Henry marries princess Amalia of Saxony-Weimar
- 1856 - Sen Charles Sumner, Mass, spoke out against slavery
- 1857 - William Francis Channing & Moses G Farmer patents electric fire alarm
- 1862 - Homestead Act becomes law provides cheap land for settlement of West
- 1863 - Siege of Vicksburg, investment of city complete
- 1864 - Battle of Port Walthall Junction, VA (Bermuda Hundred)
- 1864 - Last engagement in series of battles known as Spotsylvania
- 1864 - Skirmish at Cassville Georgia
- 1865 - President Jefferson Davis is captured by Union Cavalry in Georgia
- 1878 - Blanche Kelso Bruce appointed register of treasury by Pres Garfield
- 1884 - Ringling Brothers circus premieres
- 1885 - 1st mass production of shoes (Jan Matzeliger in Lynn, Massachusetts)
- 1885 - German chancellor Bismarck takes possession of Cameroon & Togoland
- 1885 - Jan Matzeliger begins 1st mass production of shoes
- 1886 - Camille Saint-Saëns' 3rd Symphony in C, premieres
- 1891 - Rice Institute, which became Rice University, is chartered
- 1892 - Charles Brady King invents pneumatic hammer
- 1892 - National Society of Colonial Dames of America founded
- 1893 - Heavy rain wash "quick clay" into a deep valley, kills 111 (Norway)
- 1896 - 1st auto (Benz) to arrive in Netherlands
- 1898 - Post Office authorizes use of postcards
- 1900 - Great Britain annexes Tonga archipelago
- 1900 - World's longest railroad tunnel (Simplon) links Italy & Switz, opens
- 1902 - Great Britain & Boers resume peace talks in Pretoria
- 1905 - Tom Jenkins beats Frank Gotcha for heavyweight wrestling champ
- 1906 - Dutch King Victor Emmanuel & Swiss president open Simplon tunnel
- 1906 - Federated Boys' Club (Boys' Club of America) organizes
- 1906 - Italian King Victor Emmanuel & Swiss president open Simplon tunnel
- 1906 - Portugal's King Carlos I names Joao Franco premier
- 1909 - Jack Johnson fights Jack O'Brien to no decision in 6 for boxing title
- 1910 - Cleve Indian Cy Young gets his 500th win, beats Wash 5-4 in 11 innings
- 1911 - Maurice Ravels opera "L'Heure Espagnole," premieres in Paris
- 1911 - Phila Athletics are 12½ games back in AL, & will win World Series
- 1912 - AL Pres Ban Johnson tells Tigers if they continue protest of Ty Cobb's suspension, they will be banned from baseball
- 1913 - Webb Alien Land-Holding Bill passes, forbidding Japs from owning land
- 1916 - Escadrille Américaine (Lafayette) transfered to Verdun
- 1918 - Wash 1st Sunday game, Senators beat Cleveland 1-0 in 18 innings
- 1921 - Congress sharply curbs immigration, setting a national quota system
- 1923 - 49th Kentucky Derby: Earl Sande aboard Zev wins in 2:05.4
- 1923 - KPD (communist revolts) in German Ruhr cities occupied by Allies
- 1926 - French air force bombs Damascus Syria
- 1928 - "Firedamp" explodes in Mather Pa coal mine killing 195 of 273 miners
- 1928 - 51 frogs enter 1st annual "Frog Jumping Jubilee" (Angel's Camp, Cal)
- 1928 - Explosion in coal mine in Mather, Pennsylvania, 195 die
- 1929 - Cloudburst causes stampede in Yankee Stadium crushes 2 people to death
- 1929 - General Feng Yu-Xiang of China declares war on Chiang Kai-Shek govt
- 1930 - White woman win voting rights in South-Africa
- 1931 - Ironclad cruiser Germany launched in Kiel
- 1934 - Military coup by Col Damian Veltsjev in Bulgaria
- 1934 - Sherlock Holmes crossword puzzle in "Sat Review of Lit" Males who solved puzzle became members of Baker Street Irregulars
- 1935 - NFL adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936
- 1937 - John Murray/Allen Boretz' "Room Service," premieres in NYC
- 1939 - Churchill signs British-Russian anti-nazi pact
- 1940 - Amsterdam time becomes MET (Middle European Time)
- 1940 - French counter attack at Péronne under Gen De Gaulle
- 1941 - Germany occupiers in Holland forbid bicycle taxis
- 1941 - New nazi battleship Bismarck leaves Gdynia, Poland
- 1942 - Braves Paul Waner is 3rd NLer to get 3,000 hits (Anson & Wagner)
- 1943 - Berlin is declared "Judenrien" (free of Jews)
- 1943 - Churchill pledges England's full support to US against Japan
- 1944 - 240 gypsies transported to Auschwitz from Westerbork Neth
- 1944 - German defense line in Italy collapsed
- 1945 - Start of the 1st Victory Test Cricket between England & Aust Services
- 1946 - Dutch Cooperation for Sexual Reform (NVSH) forms in Amsterdam
- 1950 - NY Times reports of worlds smallest & dumbest mechanical brain
- 1951 - 77th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Bold wins in 1:56.4
- 1951 - UN begins counter offensive in Korea
- 1953 - Nuclear explosion in Nevada (fall-out in St George, Utah)
- 1954 - Postmaster General Summerfield approves CIA mail-opening project
- 1955 - Atkinson & Depeiaza make 347 stand for 7th wkt WI v Australia
- 1956 - 82nd Preakness: Bill Hartack aboard Fabius wins in 1:58.4
- 1956 - Pirate Dale Long hits 9th-inning HR, 1st HR in 8 straight games
- 1957 - Adone Zoli forms Italian govt
- 1958 - Premiere of Harold Pinter's "Birthday Party," in London
- 1958 - South Pacific soundtrack album goes to #1 & stays #1 for 31 weeks
- 1958 - US & Canada form North American Air Defense Command (NORAD)
- 1959 - Jan de Quay becomes premier of Netherlands
- 1960 - Alan Freed & eight other DJ accused of taking radio payola
- 1960 - Belgian parliament requires rest day for self employed
- 1960 - DJ Alan Freed is accused of bribery in radio payola scandal
- 1960 - Juan Marichal debuts as SF Giant pitcher, beats Phillies on 1 hitter
- 1960 - USAF Maj Robert M White takes X-15 to 33,222 m
- 1961 - New pier opens in Scheveningen
- 1962 - "Bravo, Giovanni" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 76 performances
- 1962 - "John Birch Society," by Chad Mitchell Trio hits #99
- 1962 - 88th Preakness: John Rotz aboard Greek Money wins in 1:56.2
- 1962 - Indonesian paratroopers land in New Guinea
- 1962 - Stan Musial breaks Honus Wagner's NL hit record with 3,431
- 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Christmas Island (atmospheric)
- 1963 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Muskogee Civitan Golf Open
- 1964 - US diplomats find at least 40 secret microphones in Moscow embassy
- 1965 - Patricia R Harris named 1st US black female ambassador (Luxembourg)
- 1965 - West Ham United wins 5th Europe Cup II
- 1967 - US bombs Hanoi
- 1967 - USSR ratifies treaty with Engl & US banning nuclear weapons in space
- 1968 - 20th Emmy Awards: Get Smart, Mission Impossible & Barbara Bain
- 1968 - Frank Howard fails to homer, after hitting 10 in 6 consecutive games
- 1968 - Pirate Radio Brumble of Northern England 1st heard
- 1971 - USSR launches Mars 2, 1st spacecraft to crash land on Mars
- 1972 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1972 - WMAV TV channel 18 in Oxford, MS (PBS) begins broadcasting
- 1973 - "Daisy" A Day by Jud Strunk hits #14
- 1973 - "Smith" opens at Eden Theater NYC for 17 performances
- 1973 - 99th Preakness: Ron Turcotte aboard Secretariat wins in 1:54.4
- 1974 - Joanne Carner Golf Invitational wins LPGA Bluegrass
- 1974 - Stanley Cup: Phila Flyers beat Boston Bruins, 4 games to 2
- 1974 - Valeri Giscard d'Estaing wins French presidential election
- 1975 - 27th Emmy Awards: Mary Tyler Moore Show, Robert Blake & Jean Marsh
- 1975 - Farm truck packed with wedding party struck by a train, killing 66 in truck, 40 miles south of Poona, India
- 1975 - Junko Tabei is 1st woman to climb to the top of Mount Everest
- 1976 - Gold ownership legalized in Australia
- 1976 - Liverpool wins 5th UEFA Cup at Bridge
- 1976 - Senate establishes permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
- 1976 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
- 1977 - "Smokey & the Bandit," premieres
- 1979 - "In The Navy" by Village People hits #3
- 1979 - 105th Preakness: Ron Franklin aboard Spectacular Bid wins in 1:54.2
- 1979 - Guitarist Eric Clapton marries Patti Boyd
- 1980 - "Blackstone" opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 104 performances
- 1980 - Ringo & Barbara Bach are involved in a car crash
- 1981 - Pirate Jim Bibby gives up a leadoff single to Brave Terry Harper, then retires next 27 batters
- 1982 - IFK Göteborg wins 11th UEFA Cup at Göteborg
- 1982 - Sophia Loren jailed in Naples for tax evasion
- 1983 - NASA launches Intelsat V
- 1983 - Weird Al Yankovic gives live performance at Wax Museum in Wash DC
- 1984 - "King Of Suede" by Weird Al Yankovic hits #62
- 1984 - 110th Preakness: Angel Cordero Jr aboard Gate Dancer wins in 1:53.6
- 1984 - Pat LaFontaine scores 2 goals within 22 sec in an NHL playoff game
- 1984 - Stanley Cup: Edmonton Oilers beat NY Islanders, 4 games to 1
- 1984 - STS 41-D vehicle moves to launch pad
- 1985 - Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Chrysler-Plymouth Golf Classic
- 1986 - Anti-apartheid activist Hélène Pastoors sentenced to 10 yrs in S Afr
- 1987 - 1st American Comedy Award
- 1988 - Carlos Lehder Rivas, of Colombia's Medellin drug cartel, is convicted in Florida for smuggling more than 3 tons of cocaine into US
- 1988 - Red Sox retire Bobby Doerr's #1
- 1989 - Dow Jones Avg passes 2,500 mark for 1st time, closes at 2,501.1
- 1989 - Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) last appearance on Dallas
- 1990 - 116th Preakness: Pat Day aboard Summer Squall wins in 1:53.6
- 1990 - General Elvis, TV Drama last airs on ABC
- 1991 - "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story" closes at Shubert NYC after 225 perfs
- 1991 - Pat Bradley wins LPGA Centel Golf Classic
- 1991 - Sandra Palmer wins LPGA Centel Senior Golf Challenge
- 1991 - Willy T Ribbs becomes 1st black driver to make Indianapolis 500
- 1992 - 27th Amendment ratified, prohibits Congress from raising its salary
- 1992 - Amy Fisher shoots Mary Jo Buttafuoco in Massapequa LI
- 1992 - Englishman Dave Gauder, 224 lbs, pulls 196 ton jumbo jet, 3 inches
- 1992 - Ric Flair wins NWA wrestling title
- 1992 - VP Dan Quayle sites Murphy Brown as a poor example of family values
- 1993 - Boeing 727 crashes into mountain at Medellín Colombia, kills 132
- 1993 - Dow Jones closes above 3,500 for 1st time (3,500.03)
- 1993 - Juventus wins 22th UEFA Cup at Torino
- 1994 - Final Episode of LA Law after 8 year run
- 1994 - Omar Sharif suffers a mild heart attack
- 1994 - Tennis star Jennifer Capriati (18), checks into a drug rehab center
- 1995 - Emmy 22nd Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci loses for 15th time
- 1995 - World's youngest doctor, Balamurali Ambati, 17, graduates Mount Sinai
- 1996 - STS 77 (Endeavour 11), launches into orbit
- 2161 - Syzygy: 8 of 9 planets aligned on same side of sun
Famous birthdays on May 19 ..
- 1469 - Giovanni della Robbia, Ital's sculptor
- 1611 - Innocent XI, [Benedetto Odescalchi], Italy, 240th Pope (1676-89)
- 1616 - Johann Jacob Froberger, German singer/organist/composer
- 1746 - Johann Friedrich Peter, composer
- 1755 - Gabriele Prota, composer
- 1762 - Johann G Fichte German philosopher (Wissenschaftslehre)
- 1770 - Antoine-Charles Glachant, composer
- 1795 - Johns Hopkins, philanthropist, founded Johns Hopkins University
- 1808 - Samuel Jameson Gholson, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1883
- 1812 - Felix Kirk Zollicoffer, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1862
- 1815 - John Gross Barnard, Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1882
- 1828 - Adin Ballou Underwood, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
- 1839 - Alice Mary Smith, composer
- 1858 - Roland Napoleon Bonaparte, French officer/traveller (Surinam)
- 1859 - Nellie Melba, [Heal Mitchell], Australian soprano (Peach Melba)
- 1860 - Victor E Orlando, Italy's premier (1917-19)
- 1864 - Carl Ethan Akeley, US, naturalist, devoleped animal mount process
- 1869 - Jules Poncelet, Belgian minister of State
- 1873 - Federico Gerdes, composer
- 1874 - Gilbert Laird Jessop, cricketer (The Croucher)
- 1876 - Saint-Georges de Bouchélier, French author (Le Rois Sans Couronne)
- 1878 - Adam von Ahn Carse, composer
- 1879 - Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, US/Eng's feminist/ex of Waldorf Astor
- 1880 - Allard R Hulshoff, architect of Amsterdam (1924)
- 1883 - Henricus WJM Keuls, Dutch lawyer/poet (Dancing Lamp)
- 1884 - Arthur Meulemans, Belgian composer (Adriaan Brouwer) (or 5/10)
- 1890 - Ho Chi Minh, trail blazer/leader of Vietnam (1946, 1969)
- 1892 - Konstatin G Paustovski, Russian author (Povestj Zjizni) [OS]
- 1895 - Albert Hay Malotte, composer
- 1895 - Cecil Gray, composer
- 1896 - Michael Balcon, Birmingham England, producer/father of Jill Balcon
- 1899 - Leonid Maksimovich Leonov, novelist/playwright
- 1901 - Ivo Cruz, composer
- 1904 - Anthony Bushell, Kent England, actor (Journey's End)
- 1904 - Sven Thofelt, Sweden, pentathlete (Olympic-gold-1928)
- 1909 - Bruce Bennett, Tacoma Wash, actor (Before I Hang, Sahara)
- 1909 - Schlomo Joffe, composer
- 1910 - Alan Melville, cricketer (graceful South African batsman 1938-49)
- 1913 - Albert Hardy, photographer
- 1913 - Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, president of India
- 1915 - Pol Pot, dictator/mass murderer
- 1918 - Florence Chadwick, swimmer (1st to swim English Channel both ways)
- 1919 - Betty Jameson, Norman OK, LPGA golfer (1947 US Women's Open)
- 1921 - Charles van de Reve, slavic (Belief of Kameraden)
- 1921 - Daniel Gelin, Angers France, Maria Schneider's dad, actor (Obsession)
- 1921 - Karel van het Reve, Dutch Slavist (Comrade's Religion)
- 1922 - David McLean, Akron Oh, actor (Tate-Tate)
- 1924 - Sandy Galbraith Wilson, composer
- 1925 - Malcolm X, [Little], [Detroit Red], Omaha NB, founder (Black Muslims)
- 1926 - Paul Cooper, composer
- 1928 - Anthony C B Chapman, England, sports car builder/autoracer (Formula 1)
- 1929 - Harvey Cox, US theologist (Secular City)
- 1929 - Michael Adamis, composer
- 1930 - Hans Kox, composer
- 1930 - Lorraine Hansberry, playwright (Raisin in the Sun)
- 1931 - Eric Davidson, comedy scriptwriter
- 1931 - Ruben Radica, composer
- 1934 - David Sinclair, actor (Love & Hate)
- 1934 - James Charles Lehrer, Wichita Ks, news anchor (McNeil-Lehrer Report)
- 1934 - Jan Wijn, Dutch pianist
- 1935 - David Hartman, Pawtucket RI, TV personality (Good Morning America)
- 1935 - F R Fries, writer
- 1936 - Elisabeth Schwartz, Austria, pairs figure skater (Olympic-gold-1956)
- 1937 - Sanne Sannes, Dutch photographer
- 1938 - James H Bilbray, (Rep-D-Nevada)
- 1939 - 17th earl of Pembroke, English landowner/director (Emily)
- 1939 - Francis R Scobee, Wash, USAF/astronaut (STS 41C, 51L-Chal disaster)
- 1939 - James Fox, London England, actor (Greystoke)
- 1939 - Nancy Kwan, Hong Kong, actress (Flower Drum Song, World of Suzie Wong)
- 1939 - Richard Lowe Teitelbaum, composer
- 1939 - Tomasz Sikorski, composer
- 1940 - Carlos Diegues, actor (Xica)
- 1940 - Frank Lorenzo, airline executive (Continental, Texas Air, Eastern)
- 1940 - Joan Staley, playmate (Nov, 1958)
- 1940 - Mickey Newbury, rocker
- 1941 - Jane Brody, writer/nutritionist
- 1941 - Jimmy Hoffa Jr, son of Jimmy Hoffa/Teamster union leader
- 1941 - Marc-Antonio Consoli, composer
- 1941 - Nora Ephron, NY, novelist/screenwriter/director (Michael, Heartburn)
- 1942 - Gary Kildall, creator of CP/M
- 1942 - James Topping, author of CP/M
- 1945 - Peter Townshend, England, rock guitarist/vocalist/composer (Who-Tommy)
- 1946 - Diedre Lenihan, Atlanta Ga, actress (Wendy-Needles & Pins)
- 1946 - Mary Bryan, LPGA golfer
- 1946 - Michele Placido, Foggia Italy, actor (La Lupa, Poliziotti)
- 1946 - Phillip Rudd, Melbourne, rock drummer (AC/DC-Rock 'n Roll Damnation)
- 1947 - Jerry Hyman, Bkln, rock singer/trombonist (Blood Sweat & Tears)
- 1948 - Grace Jones, [Mendoza], Spanishtown Jamacia, singer/actress (Vamp)
- 1948 - Jean-Pierre Haignere, France, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-17)
- 1948 - Tom Scott, LA, saxophonist/bandleader (Pat Sajak Show)
- 1949 - Dusty Hill, rocker (ZZ Top)
- 1952 - Barbara Loomis, rocker (BT Express)
- 1952 - Joey Ramone, [Jeffrey Hyman], rock drummer (Ramones-Baby I Love You)
- 1953 - Henry Lascelles, English grandson of princess Mary
- 1954 - Rick Cerone, Newark NJ, catcher (Yankees/Red Sox/Mets/Expos)
- 1955 - Ed Whitson, pitcher (NY Yankees, SD Padres)
- 1955 - Pierre J Thuot, Groton Conn, Lt Cmdr USN/astronaut (STS 36, 49, 62)
- 1956 - Althea Gwyn, WBL center (NY Stars)
- 1956 - Martyn Ware, rocker (Heaven 17-Electric Dreams)
- 1956 - Steve Ford, actor (Young & Restless)/son of Pres Gerald Ford
- 1957 - Bill Laimbeer, NBA forward (Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons)
- 1957 - Sophia Crawford, London England, actress (Power Rangers)
- 1959 - Nicole Brown Simpson, Frankford Germany, Mrs OJ Simpson (murdered)
- 1961 - Lisa Rathgber, Hillsboro Ill, bowler (LPBT Rookie of Year 1980)
- 1961 - Lisa Wagner, bowler (3-time LPBT Player of Year, Bowler of Decade)
- 1962 - Iain Harvie, Scottish rock guitarist (Nothing Ever Happens)
- 1963 - Rebecca Bradley, LPGA golfer
- 1963 - Yazz, [Yasmin Evans], Mrs Simon La Bon/rocker (Fine Time)
- 1964 - Michael Dean Standly, Abilene TX, PGA golfer (1993 Freeport-McMoRan)
- 1965 - Edward Odumbe, cricketer (Kenyan pace bowler 1996 World Cup)
- 1965 - Joshua Rifkind, actor (Marshall Chronicles)
- 1966 - Keith Jennings, NFL tight end (Chic Bears)
- 1966 - Marc Bureau, Trois Rivieres, NHL center (Montreal Canadiens)
- 1967 - John Friesz, NFL quarterback (Seattle Seahawks)
- 1967 - Turk Wendell, Pittsfield MA, pitcher (Chic Cubs)
- 1968 - James Parrish, NFL outside linebacker (Pitts Steelers)
- 1968 - Jeanne Basone, Brubank Calif, wrestler (Hollywood-GLOW)
- 1968 - Mark Janssens, Surrey, NHL center (Hartford Whalers)
- 1968 - Paul Justin, NFL quarterback (Indianapolis Colts)
- 1969 - Cecile Ulbrich Tucker, Warren Maine, rower (Olympics-96)
- 1969 - David Wharton, Warminster PA, US Olympic swimmer (Olympic-silver-88)
- 1969 - Kevin Scott, WLAF cornerback (Scotland Claymores)
- 1969 - Richard Dumas, NBA forward (Phila 76ers)
- 1971 - Darryl Morrison, NFL safety (Washington Redskins)
- 1971 - Lori Ann Mundt, Yorkton Saskatchawan, volleyball player (Olympics-96)
- 1972 - Ronald Williams, CFL running back (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
- 1972 - Willie Brown, NFL/WLAF linebacker (Seattle Seahawks. Rhein Fire)
- 1973 - Andreas Johansson, Hofors SWE, NHL forward (Pitts, NY Islanders)
- 1976 - Kevin Garnett, NBA forward (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Famous deaths on May 19 ..
- 0804 - Alcuin of York, English scholar, dies in Tours France at 69
- 0988 - Dunstan[us], English archbishop of Canterbury, dies
- 1296 - Celestine V, [Pietro del Murrone], Pope (1294), dies
- 1536 - Anne Boleyn, Queen of England/wife of Henry VIII, beheaded
- 1536 - Lord Rochford, English brother of Anna Boleyn, beheaded
- 1647 - Sebastian Vrancx, Flemish painter (captain of vigilante), dies
- 1653 - Carel Reyniersz, gov-gen of Neth East Indies, dies at 48
- 1786 - John Stanley, composer, dies at 74
- 1795 - Josiah Bartlett, US physician/judge (signed Decl of Ind), dies at 65
- 1800 - French Bosbeeck, veterinarian/robber, hanged
- 1801 - Herman H Vitringa, politician (National Meetings), dies
- 1845 - Maria EJ Versfelt, mistress of general Moreau/marshal Ney, dies at 68
- 1864 - Nathaniel Hawthorne, US, writer (Scarlet Letter), dies
- 1872 - Johan van Dale, schoolmaster (New Dutch Language Wordbook), dies at 44
- 1876 - Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, Dutch historian/politician, dies at 74
- 1887 - Pieter Blussé van Alblas, liberal minister of Finance, dies at 75
- 1890 - Gus Kempis, cricketer (S Africa's 1st Test), dies of fever at 24
- 1895 - José J Marti y Perez, Spanish/Cuban poet (Versos sencillos), dies
- 1901 - Marthinus Wessels Pretorius, 1st pres Rep South-Africa, dies at 81
- 1903 - Arthur Shrewsbury, cricketer (1277 runs at 35 47 in 23 Tests), dies
- 1922 - Heinrich I Quincke, German internist (postural drainage), dies at 79
- 1924 - Billy Zulch, cricketer (S Afr batsman scored 2 Test centuries), dies
- 1928 - Henry Franklin Belknap Gilbert, composer, dies at 59
- 1928 - Max Scheler, German philosopher, dies at 53
- 1935 - Charles Martin Tornow Loeffler, French composer, dies at 74
- 1935 - Thomas E Lawrence (of Arabia), dies in a motorcycle crash
- 1941 - Werner Sombart, Marxist economist (Händler und Heroes), dies at 78
- 1942 - [Nicoline] Magdalene Anchor-Roll, Norwegian author (Enken), dies at 69
- 1953 - Damasco Berenguer y Fuste, Spanish gen/min of War, dies at 79
- 1954 - Aart A van Schelven, church historian (Willem of Orange), dies at 73
- 1954 - Charles Edward Ives, US composer (Unanswered Question), dies at 79
- 1958 - Bruno Sturmer, composer, dies at 65
- 1958 - Ronald Colman, British actor (Prisoner of Zenda), dies at 67
- 1961 - Joe Howard, singer (Gay Nineties Revue), dies at 94
- 1965 - Maria Dabrowska, Polish writer (Znaki Zycia), dies
- 1966 - Tortoise, reportedly given to Tonga's King by Capt Cook (1773), dies
- 1969 - Coleman Hawkins, US jazz musician/composer, dies
- 1971 - Bernard Wagenaar, Neth/US composer, dies at 76
- 1971 - Ogden Nash, poet/TV panelist (Masquerade Party), dies at 68
- 1978 - George Gladstone, cricketer (one Test WI v England 1930), dies
- 1983 - Jean Rey, Belgian minister, dies
- 1987 - Alice B[radley] Sheldon, sci-fi author (Byte Beautiful), dies at 71
- 1988 - Virginia Farmer, actresss (Cyrano de Bergerac), dies at 90
- 1989 - Able J Herzberg, Russ/Neth lawyer (Eichmann in Jerusalem), dies
- 1989 - E Galgóczi, writer, dies
- 1989 - Robert Webber, actor (Alex-Moonlighting), dies of ALS at 64
- 1991 - Douglas L Mays, cartoonist (Punch), dies
- 1991 - Rini Otte, Dutch actress (Ergens in Nederland), dies at 74
- 1993 - Nemesio Antunes, Chilean painter, dies at 75
- 1993 - Richard Murphy, director (3 Stripes in the Sun), dies of stroke at 81
- 1993 - S W Sohoni, cricketer (4 Tests for India), dies
- 1994 - Henry Morgan, TV panalist (To Tell the Truth), dies of cancer at 74
- 1994 - Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, 1st lady (1961-63), dies of cancer at 64
- 1994 - Jacques Cesar Ellul, writer, dies at 82
- 1994 - Luis Ocana, Span cyclist (Tour de France 1973), commits suicide at 48
- 1996 - Johnny "Guitar" Watson, musician, dies at 61
- 1996 - Margaret Rawlings, actress (Roman Holiday), dies at 89
- 1997 - Millie, dog of President Bush (Millie's Book), dies at 12