45 BC In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
455 Petronius Maximus becomes, with support of the Roman Senate, emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
624 Led by Muhammad, the Muslims of Medina defeat the Quraysh of Mecca in the Battle of Badr.
1040 Harold Harefoot, English son of Cnut the Great (born 1015)
1231 Emperor Shijō (born) of Japan (died 1242)
1516 Giuliano de’ Medici (died), Duke of Nemours (born 1479)
1686 Jean-Baptiste Oudry (born), French painter and engraver (died 1755)
1741 Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (died),, French poet (born 1671)
1776 British forces evacuate Boston, Massachusetts, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.
1780 American Revolution: George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday “as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence”.
1782 Daniel Bernoulli (died),, Dutch-Swiss mathematician and physicist (born 1700)
180 Marcus Aurelius (born 121) dies leaving Commodus the sole emperor of the Roman Empire.
1804 Jim Bridger (born), American explorer (died 1881)
1834 Gottlieb Daimler (born), German engineer and businessman, co-founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (died 1900)
1842 The Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is formed;
1846 Friedrich Bessel (died),, German mathematician and astronomer (born 1784)
1849 Charles F. Brush (born), American inventor, co-invented the Arc lamp (died 1929)
1853 Christian Doppler (died),, Austrian physicist and mathematician (born 1803)
1871 Robert Chambers (died),, Scottish geologist and publisher, co-founded Chambers Harrap (born 1802)
1877 Otto Gross (born), Austrian psychoanalyst (died 1920)
1881 Walter Rudolf Hess (born), Swiss physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1973)
1897 Jozef Mazur (born), American painter and sculptor (died 1970)
1902 Bobby Jones (born), American golfer (died 1971)
1915 Ray Ellington (born), English singer, drummer, and bandleader (died 1985)
1919 Nat King Cole (born), American singer, pianist, and television host (died 1965)
1930 James Irwin (born), American pilot and astronaut (died 1991)
1932 Donald N. Langenberg (born), American physicist and educator
1938 Rudolf Nureyev (born), Russian dancer and choreographer (died 1993)
1941 In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1941 Paul Kantner (born), American guitarist (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and KBC Band)
1942 John Wayne Gacy (born), American serial killer (died 1994)
1944 John Sebastian (born), American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Lovin’ Spoonful, Even Dozen Jug Band, and The Mugwumps)
1945 The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, ten days after its capture.
1947 First flight of the B-45 Tornado strategic bomber.
1947 James Morrow (born), American author
1948 The Benelux, France, and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO.
1949 Patrick Duffy (born), American actor and director
1950 Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name “Californium”.
1951 Kurt Russell (born), American actor
1955 Gary Sinise (born), American actor, director, and bass player (Lt. Dan Band)
1956 Fred Allen (died), American actor (born 1894)
1956 Irène Joliot-Curie (died),, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1897)
1956 Patrick McDonnell (born),, American author and illustrator
1960 U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
1964 Rob Lowe (born),, American actor and producer
1965 Amos Alonzo Stagg (died),, American football player and coach (born 1862)
1966 Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.
1967 Billy Corgan (born),, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan, Spirits in the Sky, and Starchildren)
1968 As a result of nerve gas testing in Skull Valley, Utah, US, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.
1969 Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
1970 My Lai Massacre: The United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the incident.
1972 Mia Hamm (born),, American soccer player
1973 The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family.
1990 Ric Grech (born),, Ukrainian-English bass player (Family, Blind Faith, and Traffic) (born 1946)
1992 A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.
1992 Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires: Suicide car bomb attack kills 29 and injures 242.
1993 Helen Hayes (died),, American actress (born 1900)
2004 Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. 35 Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Belgrade and Nišare destroyed.
2005 Andre Norton (died),, American author (born 1912)
2006 Bob Blue (died),, American songwriter and educator (born 1948)
2006 Oleg Cassini (died),, French-American fashion designer (born 1913)
2007 Jim Cronin (died),, English zoo keeper and activist, founded Monkey World (born 1951)
2007 John Backus (died),, American computer scientist, designed Fortran (born 1924)
2008 Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer resigns after a scandal involving a high-end prostitute. Lieutenant Governor David Paterson becomes New York State governor.
2011 Ferlin Husky (died),, American singer (born 1925)
2013 The largest meteorite (since NASA started observing the moon in 2005) hit the moon.
EO Smith
Latest posts by EO Smith (see all)
- Patriotism - 4 July, 2017
- The Super Sucker Bowl - 10 February, 2017
- Alternative Facts and Science - 24 January, 2017