48 BCPompey the Great (born 106 BC) is assassinated on the orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.
235 Pope Pontian resigns. He and Hippolytus, church leader of Rome, are exiled to the mines of Sardinia.
365 Roman usurper Procopius bribes two legions passing by Constantinople, and proclaims himself Roman emperor.
935 Saint Wenceslas (born 907) is murdered by his brother, Boleslaus I of Bohemia.
1066 William the Bastard (as he was known at the time) invades England beginning the Norman conquest of England.
1106 The Battle of Tinchebray – Henry I of England defeats his brother, Robert Curthose.
1197 Henry VI (died), Holy Roman Emperor (born 1165)
1542 Navigator Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo of Portugal arrives at what is now San Diego, California, United States.
1582 George Buchanan (died), Scottish and scholar (born 1506)
1605 Ismaël Bullialdus (born), French astronomer and mathematician (died 1694)
1681 Johann Mattheson (born), German composer, lexicographer, and diplomat (died 1764)
1694 Gabriel Mouton (died), French scientist (born 1618)
1746 William Jones (born), Welsh philologist and scholar (died 1794)
1779 American Revolution: Samuel Huntington is elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.
1781 American forces backed by a French fleet begin the siege of Yorktown, Virginia, during the American Revolutionary War.
1787 The newly completed United States Constitution is voted on by the U.S. Congress to be sent to the state legislatures for approval.
1791 France becomes the first country to emancipate its Jewish population.
1803 Prosper Mérimée (born), French archaeologist, historian, and author (died 1870)
1809 Alvan Wentworth Chapman (born), American physician and botanist (died 1899)
1836 Thomas Crapper (born), English plumber, invented the ballcock (died 1910)
1841 Georges Clemenceau (born), French journalist, physician, and politician, 85th Prime Minister of France (died 1929)
1867 The United States takes control of Midway Island.
1867 Toronto becomes the capital of Ontario.
1868 Battle of Alcolea causes Queen Isabella II of Spain to flee to France.
1871 Brazilian Parliament passes the Law of the Free Womb, granting freedom to all new children born to slaves, the first major step in the eradication of slavery in Brazil.
1885 Riots break out in Montreal to protest against compulsory smallpox vaccination.
1889 The first General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defines the length of a meter as the distance between two lines on a standard bar of an alloy of platinum with ten percent iridium, measured at the melting point of ice.
1891 Herman Melville (died), American author and poet (born 1819)
1892 The first night game for American football takes place in a contest between Wyoming Seminary and Mansfield State Normal.
1895 Louis Pasteur (died), French chemist and microbiologist (born 1822)
1901 Ed Sullivan (born), American television host (died 1974)
1901 William S. Paley (born), American broadcaster, founded CBS (died 1990)
1909 Al Capp (born), American cartoonist (died 1979)
1914 Maria Franziska von Trapp (born), Austrian-American singer (died 2014)
1914 Richard Warren Sears (died), American businessman, co-founded Sears (born 1863)
1916 Peter Finch (born), English-Australian actor (died 1977)
1918 Georg Simmel (died), German sociologist and philosopher (born 1858)
1919 Race riots begin in Omaha, Nebraska, US.
1924 First round-the-world flight completed.
1924 Marcello Mastroianni (born), Italian-French actor (died 1996)
1925 Frank Latimore (born), American actor (died 1998)
1925 Seymour Cray (born), American computer scientist, founded the CRAY Computer Company (died 1996)
1926 Jerry Clower (born), American comedian (died 1998)
1928 Sir Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin.
1928 The U.K. Parliament passes the Dangerous Drugs Act outlawing cannabis.
1934 Brigitte Bardot (born), French actress and singer
1938 Ben E. King (born), American singer-songwriter and producer (The Drifters)
1938 Charles Duryea (died), American engineer and businessman, founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (born 1861)
1939 Elbridge Bryant (born), American singer and dancer (The Temptations) (died 1975)
1939 Stuart Kauffman (born), American biologist
1939 Warsaw surrenders to Nazi Germany during World War II.
1942 Edward “Little Buster” Forehand (born), American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2006)
1943 Nick St. Nicholas (born), German-Canadian bass player (Steppenwolf, The Mynah Birds, The Sparrows, Blue Cheer, and World Classic Rockers)
1943 Sam Ruben (died), American chemist (born 1913)
1950 Indonesia joins the United Nations.
1950 Paul Burgess (born), English rock drummer (10cc, Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works)
1951 CBS makes the first color televisions available for sale to the general public, but the product is discontinued less than a month later.
1951 Norton Buffalo (born), American singer-songwriter, harmonica player, producer, and actor (Steve Miller Band) (died 2009)
1953 Edwin Hubble (died), American astronomer (born 1889)
1956 William Boeing (died), American businessman, founded the Boeing Company (born 1881)
1957 C. J. Chenier (born), American singer-songwriter and accordion player
1960 Mali and Senegal join the United Nations.
1964 Harpo Marx (died), American comedian, actor, and singer (born 1888)
1964 Janeane Garofalo (born), American comedian, actress, producer, and screenwriter
1966 André Breton (died), French author and poet (born 1896)
1967 Mira Sorvino (born), American actress and producer
1967 Moon Zappa (born), American actress and singer
1968 Mika Häkkinen (born), Finnish race car driver
1968 Naomi Watts (born), English-Australian actress and producer
1970 Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser (born 1918) dies of a heart attack in Cairo. Anwar Sadat is named as Nasser’s temporary successor, and will later become the permanent successor.
1971 A. J. Croce (born), American singer-songwriter and pianist
1971 The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 banning the medicinal use of cannabis.
1978 Pope John Paul I (died) (born 1912)
1987 Hilary Duff (born), American singer-songwriter and actress
1989 Ferdinand Marcos (died), Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Philippines (born 1917)
1991 Miles Davis (died), American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (Miles Davis Quintet) (born 1926)
1993 Peter De Vries (died), American journalist and author (born 1910)
1995 Bob Denard and a group of mercenaries take the islands of Comoros in a coup.
1995 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat sign the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
2000 Pierre Trudeau (died), Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1919)
2003 Althea Gibson (died), American tennis player and golfer (born 1927)
2003 Elia Kazan (died), Turkish-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1909)
2004 Geoffrey Beene (died), American fashion designer (born 1924)
2007 René Desmaison (died), French mountaineer (born 1930)
2007 Wally Parks (died), American businessman, founded the National Hot Rod Association (born 1913)
2008 SpaceX launches the first private spacecraft, the Falcon 1 into orbit.
2012 Chris Economaki (died), American sportscaster (born 1920)
2012 Somali and African Union forces launch a coordinated assault on the Somali port city of Kismayo to take back the city from al-Shabaab militants.
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