/year

March 12 in history

220 sourced entries recorded on March 12, from 417 CE to 2025 CE. Every line is quoted from the revision it came from.

Events

  • 538Siege of Rome: King Vitiges of the Ostrogoths ends his siege (after 374 days) and abandons Rome. He retreats with his Gothic army northeast along the Via Flaminia.source
  • 1088Pope Urban II (Urbanus) succeeds Victor III as the 159th pope of the Catholic Church in Rome.source
  • 1171Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos) orders the arrest of all Venetians in his empire, and seizes their ships and goods.source
  • 1194March 12–28 – Richard I besieges Nottingham Castle (occupied by supporters of John) – which falls after a siege of several days. Richard is aided by English troops under Ranulf de Blondeville and David of Scotland.source
  • 1301Second Mongol invasion of Burma: After seven weeks of a stalemate, the Mongols and the Burmese begin negotiations for a truce.source
  • 1316At Belgrade, Stefan Vladislav II becomes the new King of Syrmia (now part of Serbia) upon the death of his father, Stefan Dragutin.source
  • 1325At the age of 11, Valdemar III becomes the new ruler of the Duchy of Schleswig upon the death of his father, Eric II, Duke of Schleswig.source
  • 1365The University of Vienna is founded.source
  • 1372Saint Bridget sets out on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, staying in Cyprus until May 12. In August, she is in Bethlehem where she sees a vision of Jesus' birth. In September, she sets sail for Naples, where she arrives in December.source
  • 1376The Treaty of Bruges, signed on June 27, 1375 between England and France to end hostilities in the Hundred Years' War for a year, is extended by agreement to June 24, 1377.source
  • 1388Pope Urban VI issues a papal bull permitting the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, to establish a cathedral, acknowledging that pagan objects have been discarded and that Christianity has come to the Baltic nation.source
  • 1391Konrad von Wallenrode succeeds Konrad Zöllner von Rotenstein, as Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights.source
  • 1403As King Martin I of Aragon helps to end the siege by the French of the papal palace in Avignon, Antipope Benedict XIII flees to the Crown of Aragon.source
  • 1421In his campaign to rid Germany of Jewish people, Albert V, Duke of Austria issues a death sentence against wealthy Jews who had been imprisoned as part of his order of May 23, 1420. On March 12, the burning at the stake of 120 women and 92 men is carried out south of the city walls of Vienna.source
  • 1425King James I of Scotland opens a brief session of the Scottish Parliament, which opens at Perth and ends after only five days.source
  • 1456After a session of eight months that had started on July 9, 1455, the English Parliament adjourns at Westminster. Royal assent is given by King Henry VI to bills passed, including the Importation Act 1455, banning the import for the next five years of woven silk goods (including ribbons and girdles) that had been manufactured outside of England, and subjecting importers to heavy fines. and the Embezzlement Act, allowing civil remedies by executors of estates to recover goods that had been stolen by servants from their masters.source
  • 1470Wars of the Roses in England – At the Battle of Losecoat Field, the House of York (supporters of King Edward IV) defeats the House of Lancaster (supporters of the former King Henry VI, led by Sir Robert Welles). Welles is captured and confesses that he had been hired by the Earl of Warwick and by King Edward's brother, George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence to overthrow the King. Warwick and Clarence flee England and Welles is beheaded.source
  • 1488The Bartolomeu Dias expedition from Portugal arrives at the Cape of Good Hope and the crew of the two expedition ships, São Cristóvão and São Pantaleão, become the first Europeans to set foot at Good Hope. They anchor at the Boesmans River at what is now the South African city of Kwaaihoek. In that the landing took place on the feast day of Saint Gregory, the Portuguese sailors erect the Padrão de São Gregório, a stone pillar and cross, to mark their arrival.source
  • 1512Pope Julius II issues the papal bull Dilecte fili, declaring King Louis XII deposed and directing that the French throne be given to King Henry VIII of England.source
  • 1514A huge exotic embassy sent by King Manuel I of Portugal to Pope Leo X arrives in Rome, including Hanno, an Indian elephant.source
  • 1515In Italy, Costanzo II Sforza, Lord of Pesaro, is mortally wounded by a gunshot from an arquebus rifle while traveling with Maximilian Sforza, Duke of Milan. He dies a little more than a month later, on April 14.source
  • 1537Recife is founded by the Portuguese, in Brazil.source
  • 1541The Portuguese Empire's fortress at Agadir falls to the Moroccan general Mohammed al-Shaykh after a siege of 24 days.source
  • 1550Arauco War: Battle of Penco – Several hundred Spanish and indigenous troops under the command of Pedro de Valdivia defeat an army of 60,000 Mapuche in modern-day Chile.source
  • 1550Acapulco is founded by 30 families sent from Mexico City.source
  • 1579The Siege of Maastricht, a center of the Dutch resistance to Spanish rule, is started in the Netherlands by Spanish troops under the command of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma. The siege will last almost four months before Maastricht falls on July 1.source
  • 1586Greek-born Spanish artist Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos, known better as El Greco, is commissioned to paint his most famous work, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, which he finishes in early 1588.source
  • 1599Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, is appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, by Queen Elizabeth I of England.source
  • 1612At Daulambapur, near Kamalganj in what is now the Sylhet Division in Bangladesh, a battle takes place between 4,500 troops led by General Islam Khan I of India's Mughal Empire, and 12,000 defenders led by the Afghan warlord Khwaja Usman. The Mughals are almost defeated until Usman is struck in the eye by an arrow fired from a crossbow.source
  • 1622Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Ávila, Isidore the Farmer and Philip Neri are canonized by Pope Gregory XV.source
  • 1630Infanta Isabella grants permission for the civic Latin school in Mechelen to become the Oratorian Collegesource
  • 1640March 8–13 – Siege of Galle: Dutch troops take the strategic fortress at Galle, Sri Lanka from the Portuguese.source
  • 1664Province of New Jersey becomes an English colony in North America.source
  • 1664King Charles II of England makes royal charter for territory in North America that leases to his brother, James, Duke of York, a patent for a large amount of land in what is now the northeastern United States. According to the Charter, James receives "all that part of the mayne land of New England" between "New Scotland in America" and the river of Kenebeque", along with "Mattowacks or Long Island" and "Martins Vineyard and Nantukes", and the lands between the "Connecticutte and Hudsons rivers" and the lands "from the west side of "Connecticutte to the east side De la Warre Bay". The lease, which includes the territory claimed by the Dutch Republic as New Netherland is for most of the U.S. state of Maine and parts of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.source
  • 1672Action of 12 March 1672, a 2-day naval engagement between an English coastal patrol and a Dutch Smyrna convoy off the south coast of England. The English fleet suffers severe damage while most of the Dutch convoy escapes, although one of the Dutch commanders (De Haaze) is killed and one warship taken as a prize (Klein Hollandia) sinks; the latter will be rediscovered in 2019.source
  • 1672Action of 12 March 1672: A 2-day naval engagement between an English coastal patrol and a Dutch convoy off Beachy Head. The English fleet suffers severe damage while most of the Dutch convoy escapes, although one of the Dutch commanders (De Haaze) is killed and one warship taken as a prize (Klein Hollandia) sinks; the latter will be rediscovered in 2019.source
  • 1679Catherine Deshayes Monvoisin, commonly called "La Voisin" and the suspected killer of over 1,000 people in France by poisoning, is arrested outside of the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle in Paris and imprisoned at Vincennes for the next 11 months. After her conviction, she is publicly burned at the stake on February 22, 1680.source
  • 1689start of the Williamite War in Ireland: James II lands at Kinsale with 6,000 French soldiers and marches for Dublin.source
  • 1689start of the Williamite War in Ireland: James II lands at Kinsale with 6,000 French soldiers, is met by Major-General McCarthy and marches for Dublin. He is joined by the Earl of Tyrconnel with Irish Catholic troops at Cork on 14 March.source
  • 1700The Swedish troops marches from Humlebæk towards Copenhagen to siege the city.source
  • 1718Anton Florian becomes the new Prince of Liechtenstein, succeeding Joseph Wenzelsource
  • 1723the title of Viscount Palmerston is created in the Peerage of Ireland for the politician Henry Temple.source
  • 1730John Glas is deposed from the Church of Scotland; the Glasite sect forms around him.source
  • 1730John Glas deposed from the Church of Scotland; the Glasite sect forms around him.source
  • 1734Salzburgers arrive at the mouth of the Savannah River in the British Colony of Georgia.source
  • 1735The first Holiday Peace Act was introduced.source
  • 1755A steam engine is used in the American colonies for the first time as New Jersey copper mine owner Arent Schuyler installs a Newcomen atmospheric engine to pump water out of a mineshaft.source
  • 1766the Blunden Baronetcy, of Castle Blunden, in the County of Kilkenny is created in the Baronetage of Ireland for John Blunden, a member of the Irish House of Commons.source
  • 1771The North Carolina General Assembly establishes Wake County (named for Margaret Wake, the wife of North Carolina Royal Governor William Tryon) from portions of Cumberland, Johnston and Orange counties. Bloomsberry (later known as Wake Courthouse) is made the informal county seat.source
  • 1773March 9–19 – Second voyage of James Cook: Tobias Furneaux in HMS Adventure explores the coast of Van Diemen's Land.source
  • 1794General Antoni Madaliński, a commander of the National Cavalry in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, disobeys an order from the ruling Russian Empire and Kingdom of Prussia imposing demobilization, advancing his troops from Ostrołęka to Kraków.source
  • 1799Isaac Nichols is accused of stealing stolen goods and sentenced to 14 years on Norfolk Island; his sentence is suspended by Governor Hunter on 1 Aprilsource
  • 1809Marques de Someruelos, captain-general of Cuba, issues a proclamation that causes 9,000 Francophone Saint-Domingue refugees to sail for New Orleans.source
  • 1809The Sydney Gazette refers to Foveaux Strait, the first recorded usage of the name.source
  • 1814Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême enters Bordeaux, marking the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty.source
  • 1827In Brown v. Maryland, the United States Supreme Court ruled that imported goods in their original package are under federal jurisdiction and thus not subject to state regulation.source
  • 1830Craig vs. Missouri: The United States Supreme Court rules that state loan certificates are unconstitutional.source
  • 1840Paweł Strzelecki reaches Australia's highest summit, Mount Kosciuszko.source
  • 1843March 11–14 – Eta Carinae flares, to become the second-brightest star.source
  • 1844The Columbus and Xenia Railroad, the first railroad planned to be built in Ohio, is chartered.source
  • 1845St John the Baptist Church in Reid Canberra is consecrated.source
  • 1857March 8 – 12 – Spirit Lake Massacre, near Okoboji and Spirit lakes in the northwestern territory of Iowa near the Minnesota border.source
  • 1857Desjardins Canal disaster - The bridge over Desjardins Canal, near Hamilton, Canada West, collapses under a Great Western Railway passenger train. About 60 people die.source
  • 1857Elizabeth Blackwell opens a hospital, the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children.source
  • 1868Basutoland is proclaimed a British Protectorate, becoming independent in 1966 as Lesotho.source
  • 1868Basutoland is proclaimed a British Protectorate.source
  • 1868Henry James O'Farrell fires a revolver into the back of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (second son of Queen Victoria) while the latter is picnicking in the beachfront suburb of Clontarf. It was Australia's first attempted political assassination. O'Farrell first claimed that he was acting under instruction from Melbourne Fenians but later retracted the claims. He had problems with alcoholism and mental illness.source
  • 1868Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Edinburgh, is shot in the back in Sydney, Australia, at a fundraising event for the Sydney Sailors Home, by Irishman Henry James O'Farrell. The prince survives and quickly recovers; O'Farrell is executed on April 21, despite attempts by the prince to gain clemency for him.source
  • 1878Commander R.C. Dryer takes possession of the area surrounding Walvis Bay.source
  • 1878Britain annexes Walvis Bay.source
  • 1879Sir John A. Macdonald introduces protective tariffs on manufactured goods being imported into Canada, a transcontinental railway, and immigration to the west in his National Policy.source
  • 1881Andrew Watson of Glasgow's Queen's Park F.C. (from a mixed Scottish/British Guianese background) captains the Scotland national football team in a 6–1 victory against England, becoming the world's first mixed race international Association football player.source
  • 1881The Welsh Rugby Union is formed as the Welsh Football Union in a meeting in Neath.source
  • 1888Qing government signed a treaty with the US banning Chinese laborers from entering the US in accordance with the Chinese Exclusion Actsource
  • 1889Almon B. Strowger, an undertaker in Topeka, Kansas, files a patent in the United States for an automatic telephone exchange using the Strowger switch.source
  • 1891March 9–12 – The Great Blizzard of 1891 in the south and west of England leads to extensive snow drifts and powerful storms off the south coast, with 14 ships sunk, and approximately 220 deaths attributed to the weather conditions.source
  • 1891Djurgårdens IF (DIF) sports club is founded in Stockholm.source
  • 1894Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time.source
  • 1903Andries Dreyer, an archivist of the Dutch Reformed Church, is ordained as a missionary of the congregation for the Hanover Street area in Cape Town.source
  • 1903The University of Puerto Rico is founded.source
  • 1910actress Florence Lawrence becomes "the first true movie star" after being named in advertisements, having previously been billed only as "The Biograph Girl".source
  • 1912The Girl Scouts of the USA is founded by Juliette Gordon Low, in Savannah, Georgia.source
  • 1913Canberra is named by Gertrude Denmansource
  • 1917The Russian Duma declares a Provisional Government. It is dissolved 4 months later.source
  • 1921The İstiklâl Marşı (Independence March), the Turkish national anthem, is officially adopted.source
  • 1921Start of Cairo Conference which agrees that the administration of Transjordan should be separated from that of Palestine.source
  • 1921The Capitol Theatre, a lush 2,500 seat movie palace, opened on Vancouver's Granville Street.source
  • 1928The opening of Qiding railway station.source
  • 1930Mahatma Gandhi sets off on a 200-mile march towards the sea with 78 followers to protest against the British monopoly on salt in India; more will join them during the Salt March that ends on April 5.source
  • 1934Prime Minister Konstantin Päts stages a self-coup by declaring a state of emergency in Estonia, with the approval of the parliament, beginning the country's Era of Silence.source
  • 1934Konstantin Päts with the help of General Johan Laidoner set up a virtual dictatorship. Parliament was prorogued and political parties were banned. Many members of the Vaps Movement were arrested.source
  • 1934An intense cyclone crosses the Queensland coast near Innisfail, 75 people were confirmed dead.source
  • 1936Ukichiro Nakaya creates the first artificial snow crystal.source
  • 1938Anschluss: German troops occupy Austria; annexation is declared the following day.source
  • 1938Anschluss: On March 11–13, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed the neighboring country of Austria (Österreich). This event is known as the Anschluss. “Anschluss” is a German word that means “connection” or “joining.”German troops occupy Austria; annexation is declared the following day. German troops occupy Austria; annexation is declared the following day.source
  • 1938Henri de Man resigns as finance minister after his fiscal proposals are rejected.source
  • 1939March 10–21 — 18th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)source
  • 1940Moscow Peace Treaty: The Soviet Union and Finland sign a peace treaty in Moscow, ending the Winter War; Finns, along with the world at large, are shocked by the harsh terms.source
  • 1943Gustav Vigeland, sculptor (born 1869)source
  • 1943Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man is premiered by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.source
  • 1944WWII: The Political Committee of National Liberation is created in Greece.source
  • 1947The Cold War begins: The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed, to help stem the spread of Communism.source
  • 1947US military aid to Turkeysource
  • 1948April 24: Costa Rican Civil Warsource
  • 1948Earthquake around Kahramanmaraş.source
  • 1950Royal question: 1950 Belgian monarchy referendum – In Belgium, a referendum on the monarchy shows 57.7% support the return of King Leopold III from exile to resume exercise of his constitutional powers, 42.3% against. The King has said he would abdicate if he did not receive 55% support, and that the final decision would be for the federal parliament.source
  • 1950A plane carrying returning rugby fans from Ireland to Wales crashes near Llandow, with the loss of 80 lives.source
  • 1950Llandow air disaster: 83 people die when a plane carrying Welsh rugby fans home from Belfast crashes in South Wales.source
  • 195696 U.S. Congressmen sign the Southern Manifesto, a protest against the 1954 Supreme Court ruling (Brown v. Board of Education) that desegregated public education.source
  • 1962March 8–12 – In Geneva, France and the Algerian FLN begin negotiations.source
  • 1962the Church of the Good Shepherd in Ayr (1957) is elevated to the Good Shepherd Cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galloway.source
  • 1968Mauritius achieves independence from British rule.source
  • 1968U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson barely edges out antiwar candidate Eugene McCarthy in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, a vote which highlights the deep divisions in the country, and the party, over Vietnam.source
  • 1970Citroën introduces the Citroën SM, the world's fastest front-wheel drive auto at this time, at the annual Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland.source
  • 1971March 12–13 – The Allman Brothers Band plays their legendary concert at the Fillmore East.source
  • 1975U.N. Security Council Resolution 367 was adopted after receiving a complaint from the government of the country, the Council again called upon all States to respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus.source
  • 1975The Dubai Islamic Bank was established in the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first private institution to operate under the principles of Islamic banking. With the charging of interest on a loan prohibited by Islamic law, the banks instead make an investment in the item upon which the loan is planned, without a fixed interest rate. Similar Islamic banks were established in 1977 in Kuwait, Egypt and the Sudan.source
  • 1975The first transmission of television in the nation began under the name Televisão Experimental de Cabo Verde or TEVEC (now RTC)source
  • 1976Lenny Murphy, leader of the Shankill Butchers, is arrested, but his gang continue to murder.source
  • 1977The Centenary Test between Australia and England begins at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.source
  • 1980The Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk and its three sister churches announce that they have no objection to reconsideration of the Immorality- and Mixed Marriages Acts.source
  • 1984The National Union of Mineworkers strikes as tens of thousands of miners in the United Kingdom stop working in protest over colliery closures, starting the United Kingdom miners' strike that lasts a year.source
  • 1988The MRT system is officially opened, with the opening of a new section from Tiong Bahru to Clementi.source
  • 1989Tim Berners-Lee produces the proposal document that will become the blueprint for the World Wide Web.source
  • 1990March 11–13 – The March 1990 Central United States tornado outbreak produces 64 tornadoes across six US states, including four violent F4/F5 tornadoes. The outbreak leaves 2 dead, 89 injured, and causes over $500 million in damages.source
  • 1993North Korea nuclear weapons program: North Korea announces that it plans to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and refuses to allow inspectors access to nuclear sites, beginning the 1993–94 North Korean Nuclear Crisis.source
  • 19931993 Bombay bombings: Several bombs explode in Bombay, India, killing 257 and injuring hundreds more.source
  • 1994The Church of England ordains its first female priests.source
  • 1999Former Warsaw Pact members Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic join NATO.source
  • 2000Pope John Paul II apologizes for the wrongdoings by members of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the ages.source
  • 2000March 12–26 – Pope John Paul II visits Israel, and thus becomes the second pope to visit Israel. During his stay, the Pope visits Yad Vashem (the Israeli national Holocaust memorial) and the Western Wall placing a letter inside it in which he prayed for forgiveness for the actions against Jews in the past.source
  • 2000A Zenit-3SL sea launch fails due to a software bug.source
  • 2000The country competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.source
  • 2001Uganda is accused of harbouring anti-Rwandan elements starting a feud between the two countries.source
  • 2003The World Health Organization issues a global alert on SARS when it spreads to Hong Kong and Vietnam after originating in Mainland China.source
  • 2004United Nations Security Council resolution 1531 was adopted unanimously and extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) until 15 September 2004.source
  • 2005A train derailment in Hải Vân Pass.source
  • 2006Abdelhak Layada, one of the founders of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), is released from prison due to the February 28, 2006, national reconciliation charter decree of application.source
  • 2012A coach carrying school pupils and teachers crashes while travelling through Sierre Tunnel on the A9 motorway in western Switzerland. Of the 52 people on board, 28 are killed, among them 22 children.source
  • 2015The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant becomes allies with fellow jihadist group Boko Haram, effectively annexing the group.source
  • 2018March 9-18: Belarus takes part in the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.source
  • 2018In line with international regulations, the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation issued an announcement to ban passengers from bringing battery charger into the cabin of an aircraft.source
  • 2018Flight BS211 crashes and bursts into flames at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal, killing 51 of the 71 people aboard. The 20 surviving passengers were seriously injured from the impact and the fire.source
  • 2018March 9–18 – The 2018 Winter Paralympics are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.source
  • 2020Global stock markets crashed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the United States travel ban on the Schengen Area. The DJIA goes into free fall, closing at over −2,300 points, the worst loss for the index since 1987.source
  • 2021San Juan′s San José Church prepares for reopening after being closed in 1996 for restoration and repairs. The second-oldest church on the island, which was built in 1532 near the ocean on top of a Taíno settlement at the highest point of Old San Juan, was originally a Dominican convent where Bartolomé de las Casas lived.source
  • 2022March 4 – March 13 – The 2022 Winter Paralympics are held in Beijing, China, making it the first city to host both Summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics.source
  • 2023March 8–21 – The 2023 World Baseball Classic is held in, and won by, Japan.source
  • 2025March 8–17 – The 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games are held in Turin, Italy.source
  • 20252025 Belizean general election: The incumbent People's United Party wins a second term in a landslide victory.source

Births

  • 1096Canute Lavard, duke of Schleswig (died 1131)source
  • 1238Serafina, Italian noblewoman and saint (died 1253)source
  • 1270Charles, Count of Valois, son of Philip III of France (died 1325)source
  • 1386Ashikaga Yoshimochi, Japanese shōgun (died 1428)source
  • 1409Isabella of Urgell, Duchess of Coimbra, Portuguese Duchess (died 1459)source
  • 1434William III, Count of Henneberg-Schleusingen (died 1480)source
  • 1475Luca Gaurico, Italian astrologer (died 1558)source
  • 1476Anna Jagiellon, Duchess of Pomerania, Polish princess (died 1503)source
  • 1479Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours (died 1516)source
  • 1501Pietro Andrea Mattioli, Italian scientist (died 1577)source
  • 1607Paul Gerhardt, German theologian (died 1676)source
  • 1613André Le Nôtre, French landscape and garden designer (died 1700)source
  • 1626John Aubrey, English antiquary and writer (died 1697)source
  • 1672Yunzhi, Prince Zhi (1672 – 1735), also known as Yunzhi, formally known as Prince Zhi of the Second Rank between 1698 and 1708, a Manchu prince of the Qing dynastysource
  • 1683John Theophilus Desaguliers, French-born British natural philosopher, assistant to Isaac Newton (died 1744)source
  • 1685George Berkeley, Irish philosopher (died 1753)source
  • 1685George Berkeley, philosopher (died 1753)source
  • 1690George Lee, 2nd Earl of Lichfield, British peer (died 1743)source
  • 1691Dionisia de Santa María Mitas Talangpaz, Filipino saint (died 1732)source
  • 1776Lady Hester Stanhope, English archaeologist (died 1839)source
  • 1784William Buckland, English geologist, paleontologist (died 1856)source
  • 1795William Lyon Mackenzie, Scottish-born Canadian journalist, 1st Mayor of Toronto (died 1861)source
  • 1806Jane Pierce, First Lady of the United States (died 1863)source
  • 1815Cornelis Moll, founder of the first Natal newspaper De Natalier, is born as the 24th child in Cape Townsource
  • 1835Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer (died 1909)source
  • 1836Isabella Beeton, English writer on household management (died 1865)source
  • 1863Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italian writer, war hero and politician (died 1938)source
  • 1864W. H. R. Rivers, English psychiatrist (died 1922)source
  • 1869George Forbes, New Zealand Prime Minister, first leader of the New Zealand National Party (died 1947)source
  • 1921Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (died 2003)source
  • 1922Jack Kerouac, American author (died 1969)source
  • 1947Mitt Romney, American businessman, politician, Governor of Massachusetts, 2012 presidential candidate, and US Senator (R-UT)source
  • 1994Christina Grimmie, American singer (murdered. 2016)source

Deaths

  • 417Innocent I dies after a 16-year reign in which he has restored relations between the sees of Rome and Antioch, enforced celibacy of the clergy, and maintained the right of the bishop of Rome to judge appeals from other churches. Innocent is succeeded by Zosimus as the 41st pope.source
  • 604Pope Gregory I (the Great) dies at Rome, after a 14-year tenure. He has laid the foundations which claim papal absolutism, pioneered the conversion of Britain to Roman Catholicism and enunciated what will come to be known as the "seven deadly sins". Gregory is succeeded by Sabinian as the 65th pope of the Catholic Church.source
  • 604Gregory I, pope of the Catholic Churchsource
  • 951Ælfheah the Bald, bishop of Winchestersource
  • 969Mu Zong, emperor of the Liao dynasty (born 931)source
  • 996Odo I of Blois (Eudes), French noblemansource
  • 1022Symeon the New Theologian, Byzantine monk (born 949)source
  • 1122Giso IV, count of Gudensberg (born 1070)source
  • 1160Al-Muqtafi, caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate (born 1096)source
  • 1289Demetrius II (the Devoted), king of Georgia (born 1259)source
  • 1316Stefan Dragutin, king of Serbia (House of Nemanjić)source
  • 1374Emperor Go-Kōgon of Japan (born 1338).source
  • 1468Astorre II Manfredi, Italian noble (born 1412)source
  • 1496Johann Heynlin, German humanist scholar (born c. 1425)source
  • 1507Cesare Borgia, Italian general and statesman. (born 1475)source
  • 1510Mihnea cel Rău, the ruling Prince of Wallachia (now in Romania), is assassinated in Sibiu while attending Mass at the Roman Catholic church there.source
  • 1539Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English diplomat and politician (b.1477)source
  • 1579Alessandro Piccolomini, Italian humanist and philosopher from Siena (born 1508)source
  • 1628John Bull, English composer (born c. 1562)source
  • 1648Tirso de Molina, Spanish writer (born 1571)source
  • 1673Margaret Theresa of Spain (born 1651)source
  • 1699Peder Griffenfeld, Danish statesman (born 1635)source
  • 1703Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford, Royalist during the English Civil War (born 1627)source
  • 1737Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, regent of the Kingdom of Serbia (1720–1733) (born 1684)source
  • 1811Judah Leib Ben-Ze'ev, Galician Jewish modern Hebrew philologist, lexicographer, Biblical scholar and poet (born 1764)source
  • 1832Friedrich Kuhlau, German Danish composer (born 1786)source
  • 1841All 136 passengers and crew on steamship SS President, commanded by legendary captain Richard Roberts (known for saying "I'd go to sea in a bathtub"), are killed when the ship founders in rough seas.source
  • 1870Pastor Obligado, lawyer, Governor of the secessionist State of Buenos Aires 1853–1858 (born 1818)source
  • 1885Próspero Fernández Oreamunosource
  • 1914George Westinghouse, American entrepreneur (born 1846)source
  • 1925Sun Yat-sen, Chinese physician, politician and revolutionary (born 1866)source
  • 1951Alfred Hugenberg, German businessman and politician (born 1865)source
  • 1955Charlie Parker, American saxophonist (born 1920)source
  • 1972César Atahualpa Rodríguez, poet (born 1889)source
  • 2003Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić of Serbia is assassinated in Belgrade by a sniper.source
  • 2014Fiji's Health Department confirms that eleven people have died and over 10,000 people have been infected in an outbreak of the type three strain of dengue fever.source
  • 2015Sir Terry Pratchett, 66, British author (Discworld), posterior cortical atrophy.source