849 Walafrid Strabo (died), German monk and theologian (born 808)
1276 Pope Adrian V (died) (born 1220)
1318 Clare of Montefalco (died), Italian nun and saint (born 1268)
1503 Pope Alexander VI (died) (born 1431)
1559 Pope Paul IV (died) (born 1476)
1572 Marriage in Paris, France of the Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre to Margaret of Valois, in a supposed attempt to reconcile Protestants and Catholics.
1587 Virginia Dare, granddaughter of Governor John White of the Colony of Roanoke, becomes the first English child born in the Americas.
1590 John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returns from a supply trip to England and finds his settlement deserted.
1596 Jean Bolland (born), Flemish priest and hagiographer (died 1665)
1606 Maria Anna of Spain (born) (died 1646)
1612 The trials of the Pendle witches, one of England’s most famous witch trials, begins at Lancaster Assizes.
1634 Urbain Grandier, accused and convicted of sorcery, is burned alive in Loudun, France.
1685 Brook Taylor (born), English mathematician (died 1731)
1774 Meriwether Lewis (born), American soldier, explorer, and politician, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (died 1809)
1783 A huge fireball meteor is seen across Great Britain as it passes over the east coast.
1809 Matthew Boulton (died), English businessman and engineer, co-founded Boulton and Watt (born 1728)
1834 Marshall Field (born), American businessman, founded Marshall Field’s (died 1906)
1838 The Wilkes Expedition, which would explore the Puget Sound and Antarctica, weighs anchor at Hampton Roads in 1838
1850 Honoré de Balzac (died), French author and playwright (born 1799)
1864 American Civil War: Battle of Globe Tavern – Union forces try to cut a vital Confederate supply-line into Petersburg, Virginia, by attacking the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad.
1868 French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovers helium.
1877 Asaph Hall discovers Martian moon Phobos.
1886 Eli Whitney Blake (died), American inventor, invented the Mortise lock (born 1795)
1900 Glenn Albert Black (born), American archaeologist (died 1964)
1902 Margaret Murie (born), American environmentalist and author (died 2003)
1903 German engineer Karl Jatho allegedly flies his self-made, motored gliding airplane four months before the first flight of the Wright brothers.
1904 Max Factor, Jr. (born), American businessman (died 1996)
1917 Caspar Weinberger (born), American captain, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of Defense (died 2006)
1919 Joseph E. Seagram (died), Canadian businessman and politician, founded the Seagram Company (born 1841)
1920 Shelley Winters (born), American actress and singer (died 2006)
1920 The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women’s suffrage.
1927 Rosalynn Carter (born), American wife of Jimmy Carter, 41st First Lady of the United States
1928 Marge Schott (born), American businesswoman (died 2004)
1933 Roman Polanski (born), French-Polish director, producer, screenwriter, and actor
1935 Rafer Johnson (born), American decathlete and actor
1936 Robert Redford (born), American actor, director, and producer
1938 The Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting New York, United States with Ontario, Canada over the Saint Lawrence River, is dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1940 Walter Chrysler (died), American businessman, founded Chrysler (born 1875)
1943 Carl Wayne (born), English singer and actor (The Move, The Hollies, and The Vikings) (died 2004)
1949 Paul Mares (died), American trumpet player and bandleader (New Orleans Rhythm Kings) (born 1900)
1950 Dennis Elliott (born), English drummer and sculptor (Foreigner and If)
1952 Elayne Boosler (born), American actress, director, and screenwriter
1952 Patrick Swayze (born), American actor and singer (died 2009)
1953 Louie Gohmert (born), American captain, lawyer, and politician
1954 Umberto Guidoni (born), Italian astrophysicist, astronaut, and politician
1957 Denis Leary (born), American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
1957 Ron Strykert (born), Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Men at Work)
1958 Brojen Das from Bangladesh swims across the English Channel in a competition, as the first Bangali as well as the first Asian to ever do it. He became first among 39 competitors.
1958 Madeleine Stowe (born), American actress
1958 Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel Lolita is published in the United States.
1961 Timothy Geithner (born), American banker and politician, 75th United States Secretary of the Treasury
1963 American civil rights movement: James Meredith becomes the first black person to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
1965 Vietnam War: Operation Starlite begins – United States Marines destroy a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in the first major American ground battle of the war.
1966 Vietnam War: the Battle of Long Tan ensues after a patrol from the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment clashes with a Viet Cong force in Phước Tuy Province.
1969 Christian Slater (born), American actor and producer
1971 Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam.
1976 In the Korean Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjom, the Axe murder incident results in the death of two US soldiers.
1978 Andy Samberg (born), American actor, screenwriter, and rapper (The Lonely Island)
1983 Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 people and causing over US$1 billion in damage (1983 dollars).
1990 B. F. Skinner (died), American psychologist, invented the Skinner box (born 1904)
2003 Tony Jackson (died), English singer and bass player (The Searchers) (born 1938)
2005 A massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java, affecting almost 100 million people, the one of the largest and most widespread power outages in history.
2008 President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf resigns due to the threat of impeachment.
EO Smith
Latest posts by EO Smith (see all)
- Patriotism - 4 July, 2017
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- Alternative Facts and Science - 24 January, 2017