/year

May 26 in history

231 sourced entries recorded on May 26, from 17 CE to 2024 CE. Every line is quoted from the revision it came from.

Events

  • 17Germanicus returns to Rome as a conquering hero; he celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti and other Germanic tribes west of the Elbe.source
  • 451Battle of Vartanantz: King Yazdegerd II defeats the Armenian army (66,000 men) under their rebel leader Vartan Mamikonian on the Avarayr Plain (Armenia). Despite the loss of Mamikonian, who is killed, the Armenians consider this battle to have been a moral and religious victory, since Yazdegerd, out of respect for their efforts, allows them to remain Christian. The anniversary is a national and religious holiday.source
  • 604Augustine, Archbishop of Canterbury, is succeeded by Laurence. He is a member of the Gregorian mission (see 596).source
  • 866Basil the Macedonian is crowned co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire, and is adopted by the much younger Michael III.source
  • 961Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor elects his 6-year-old son Otto II as heir apparent and co-ruler at the Imperial Diet in Worms. He is crowned at Aachen, and placed under the tutelage of his grandmother Matilda and his half-brother William of Mainz. Otto's own brother Bruno I is charged with the provisional government of Lorraine again.source
  • 1093Battle of the Stugna River: The nomadic Cumans defeat a Kievan joint force led by the princes of Kievan Rus' at the Stuhna River in the valley near Trepol. Rostislav Vsevolodovich, prince of Pereyaslavl, drowns while fleeing the battle.source
  • 1096May 18–26 – The Worms massacre: Members of the People's Crusade under Emicho besiege Worms in the Rhineland before killing at least 800 Jews, despite the intervention of Bishop Adalbert II. He tries to hide some of them in the bishop's palace, others chose to remain outside its walls. One of the victims is Minna of Worms, an influential Jew among the Christian nobility.source
  • 1099The Crusaders march to Haifa and along the coast under Mount Carmel to Caesarea (modern Israel), where they rest for four days in order to celebrate Whitsun (Whit Sunday).source
  • 1104King Baldwin I captures Acre, the port is besieged from April, and blockaded by the Genoese and Pisan fleet. Baldwin promises a free passage to those who want to move to Ascalon, but the Italian sailors plunder the wealthy Muslim emigrants and kill many of them.source
  • 1135King Alfonso VII is crowned as "Emperor of All Spain" (Imperator totius Hispaniae) in the Cathedral of León. The coronation is attended by Ramon Berenguer IV (his brother-in-law), Raymond V and other Spanish nobles who recognize him as their overlord.source
  • 1199John returns to London and chooses people to help him to rule the kingdom. He appoints Archbishop Hubert Walter as his advisor and chancellor. Geoffrey Fitz Peter is chosen as Chief Justiciar and William (the Marshal) becomes Marshal of John's household. On May 27, John is crowned as king of England at Westminster Abbey.source
  • 1249Battle of Fossalta: King Enzo of Sardinia, an illegitimate son of Emperor Frederick II, is captured and imprisoned by Lombard forces, in a clash between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. Enzo is put in golden chains and paraded around Bologna on a horse. He becomes a prisoner in a palace, named Palazzo Re Enzo.source
  • 1293An earthquake in Kamakura, Japan kills an estimated 23,000.source
  • 1310Siege of Algeciras: Castilian forces abandon the siege as King Ferdinand IV of Castile ("Ferdinand the Summoned") sign a seven-year peace treaty with Abu al-Juyush Nasr, Sultan of Granada. Nasr agrees to pay an indemnity of 150,000 gold doblas and an annual tribute of 11,000 doblas to Castile. He yields some frontier towns, including Quesada and Bedmar. In accordance with the terms, Nasr becomes a vassal of Castile and provides up to 3 months of military service per year if summoned. Markets will be opened between Castile and Granada – Ferdinand appoints a "judge of the frontiers" (juez de la frontera) to adjudicate disputes between Christians and Muslims in the border regions.source
  • 1315opening of Bruce campaign in Ireland by Edward Bruce. His army sacks Granard – he is proclaimed by Irish allies as King of Ireland.source
  • 1315King Edward II of England and ships with more than 6,000 troops land on the coast of Ireland at Larne to counter the Scottish invasion of Ireland led by Edward Bruce.source
  • 1315Edward and his fleet (and more than 5,000 men) land on the Irish coast at points at and between Olderfleet Castle at Larne to initiate an invasion of Ireland.source
  • 1323Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, sends his third, fourth and fifth letters to German cities to advocate that residents relocate to his the Duchy of Lithuania.source
  • 1328William of Ockham secretly leaves Avignon, under threat from Pope John XXII.source
  • 1378Uskhal Khan Tögüs Temür succeeds his father, Biligtü Khan Ayushiridara, as ruler of the Northern Yuan dynasty in Mongolia.source
  • 1390Lithuanian Civil War: The Treaty of Königsberg is signed in Königsberg, between Samogitian nobles and representatives of the Teutonic Knights.source
  • 1409The second Samogitian Uprising begins in modern-day Lithuania against the Teutonic Knights who had been granted the rights to the Duchy of Samogita by the Peace of Raciążek in 1402.source
  • 1465Elizabeth Woodville, Queen consort of Edward IV of England, is crowned in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey.source
  • 1485King James III of Scotland gives royal assent to numerous acts passed by the Scottish Parliament, including the England Act (regarding the peace between "betuix our soverane lord and Richard king of Ingland", and "the marriage and alliance appointed to be made and performed.")source
  • 1495A Spanish army under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba lands in Calabria, with the purpose of ousting the French and restoring Ferdinand II of Naples to the throne.source
  • 1502Columbus and his men complete the rescue of stranded Portuguese soldiers in Morocco, then depart Asilah for a crossing of the Atlantic in 20 days.source
  • 1512Selim I succeeds Bayezid II, as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.source
  • 1518A transit of Venus occurs, but a transit will not be observed or recorded until 120 years later, on December 4, 1639.source
  • 1524Atiquipaque, the most important city of the Xinca people, is conquered by the Spanish, resulting in a significant reduction in the Xinca population.source
  • 1545Islam Shah Suri succeeds Sher Shah Suri to become ruler of the Sur Empiresource
  • 1573Battle of Haarlemmermeer: Geuzen ships, attempting to break the siege of Haarlem, are defeated by a combined Spanish and Amsterdam fleet.source
  • 1578The Alteratie takes place in Amsterdam, expelling the 24 Catholic members of the 40-man city government, and forming a new council is formed with 30 Calvinist Protestants and 10 Catholics.source
  • 1581(10th waning of Nayon 943 ME) In Burma, Thiri Thudhamma Yaza of Martaban becomes the new Viceroy of Martaban (now Mottama in the Mon State of Myanmar) after the demise of Minye Nandameit.source
  • 1603The Battle of Sluis is fought at sea off of the Belgian Netherlands as Spanish ships try unsuccessfully to break through a blockade port of the port of Sluis. The Spanish ships are forced to return to port after at least 414 sailors are killed.source
  • 1607At Jamestown, the president of the governing council, Edward Wingfield, directs the fort to be strengthened and armed against the many attacks of the natives: "Hereupon the President was contented the Fort should be pallisadoed, the ordinance mounted, his men armed and exercised, for many were the assaults and Ambuscadoes of the Savages ..." 200 armed Indians attack the Jamestown settlement, killing two people and wounding 10.source
  • 1617Eliya VIII becomes the new Patriarch of the Church of the East and leader of the Christians of Mesopotamia.source
  • 1629May 14–28 – Huguenot rebellions: After a 15-day siege, Louis XIII of France captures Privas.source
  • 1637Pequot War: Mystic massacre – A band of English settlers under Captain John Mason, and their Narragansett and Mohegan allies, set fire to a fortified village of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe near the Mystic River. Between 400 and 700 people, mostly women, children and old men, are killed.source
  • 1644Battle of Montijo: The Kingdom of Portugal is victorious over Habsburg Spain, in the first major action between the two nations during the Portuguese Restoration War.source
  • 1645May 20–30 - Yangzhou massacre, one of the most destructive massacres in historysource
  • 1650Cromwell leaves Ireland from Youghal and passes his command to Henry Ireton.source
  • 1650Oliver Cromwell leaves Ireland (following the Siege of Clonmel), occasioning Andrew Marvell's An Horatian Ode upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland.source
  • 1651Council of Brabant issues a decree regulating the production, distribution and consumption of aqua vitae in the Duchy of Brabantsource
  • 1671John O'Molony is appointed Roman Catholic Bishop of Killaloe.source
  • 1672Jørgen Iversen Dyppel becomes the first governor of the renewed establishment of St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies.source
  • 1676The show trial against Griffenfeld ends with his conviction of all charges against him for simony, bribery, oath-breaking, malversation and lèse-majestéand and treason. He is sentenced to loss of honour, life and estate.source
  • 1676A fire destroys the town hall and 624 houses in Southwark, London.source
  • 1676fire in Southwark destroys 625 houses.source
  • 1703Portugal joins the Grand Alliance.source
  • 1716Two regular companies of field artillery, each 100 men strong, are raised at Woolwich, by Royal Warrant of King George I of Great Britain.source
  • 1733The introduction of John Kay's Flying Shuttle which revolutionized the textile industry and marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.source
  • 1733John Kay patents the flying shuttle.source
  • 1736Battle of Ackia: British and Chickasaw Native Americans defeat French troops.source
  • 1736Battle of Ackia: British and Chickasaw Native Americans defeat French troops.source
  • 1756The parliament begun to use a name stamp with the signature of the King, when the monarch refuses to sign papers of state.source
  • 1762Dissatisfied with the progress of the French and Indian War, King George III dismisses his Prime Minister, the Duke of Newcastle, and replaces him with his former tutor, Tory politician John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. The Bute ministry lasts less than a year before Stuart's resignation in 1763.source
  • 1765During a stroll in the park "on a fine Sabbath afternoon" at Glasgow Green, Scottish engineer James Watt receives the inspiration that provides the breakthrough in his development of the steam engine; he recounts later that "The idea came into my mind, that as steam was an elastic body it would rush into a vacuum, and if a communication was made between the cylinder and an exhausted vessel, it would rush into it, and might be there condensed without cooling the cylinder... I had not walked further than the Golf-house when the whole thing was arranged in my mind."source
  • 1776May 15–26 – American Revolution: Battle of the Cedars – British forces skirmish with the American Continental Army around Les Cèdres, Quebec.source
  • 1781Bank of North America is chartered by the Confederation Congress.source
  • 1783A Great Jubilee Day, celebrating the end of the American Revolution, is held in Trumbull, Connecticut.source
  • 1783A Great Jubilee Day is held in Trumbull, Connecticut, to celebrate the end of the American Revolution.source
  • 1790Congress passes an act to govern the creation of states from the "Southwest Territory", from which Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi will be formed.source
  • 1798Battle of Tara Hill in the Irish Rebellion of 1798: British forces including three companies of the Reay Fencibles (formed primarily from the Clan Mackay) drive rebels of the Society of United Irishmen from their position with around 400 of the latter killed and only 26 Reay casualties.source
  • 1805Napoleon is crowned King of Italy.source
  • 1816The Norwegian Bible Society, the oldest interchurch organization in Norway is founded.source
  • 1817completion of Royal Canal throughout from Dublin to the River Shannon at Tarmonbarry.source
  • 1818The County of Lerchenborg is established by Christian Cornelius Lerche from the manors of Lerchenborg and Aunsøgård as well as the farms Mineslund, Asnæsgård, Lerchenfeld, Birkendegård, Vesterbygard, Astrup and Davrup.source
  • 1822Grue Church fire: The biggest fire disaster in Norway's history kills 116 people.source
  • 1822116 people die in the Grue Church fire. It's the biggest fire disaster in Norway's history.source
  • 1825Two Unitarian Christian bodies, the American Unitarian Association in the United States and the British and Foreign Unitarian Association in the United Kingdom are founded, coincidentally on the same date.source
  • 1826Country Bankers Act 1826 permits joint-stock banks outside the London area, which may issue banknotes.source
  • 1826the Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway and Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway are authorised.source
  • 1828The supposed feral child Kaspar Hauser is discovered in Nuremberg, Germany.source
  • 1828Supposed feral child Kaspar Hauser is discovered in Nuremberg, Germany.source
  • 1831Battle of Ostrołęka: The Poles fight another indecisive battle.source
  • 1833John Etherington Welch Rolls of The Hendre, Monmouth, marries Elizabeth Long, granddaughter of the 7th Earl of Northesk. They are the parents of John Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock.source
  • 1834Concession of Evoramonte, ending the civil war period; Miguel I of Portugal surrenderedsource
  • 1838Trail of Tears: The Cherokee Nation is forcibly relocated in the United States.source
  • 1859Austro-Sardinian War: Battle of Varese – Giuseppe Garibaldi's Hunters of the Alps confront and defeat Austrian forces, led by Field Marshal-Lieutenant Karl von Urban.source
  • 1859Engebret Soot, canal engineer (born 1786)source
  • 1864Montana Territory is organized out of parts of Washington Territory and Dakota Territory.source
  • 18651863–75 cholera pandemic caused 45,000 fatalities in Belgium in 1865.source
  • 1866First production of the comic opera Cox and Box by F. C. Burnand and Arthur Sullivan at Moray Lodge, Kensingtonsource
  • 1868Fenian bomber Michael Barrett becomes the last person publicly hanged in the United Kingdom.source
  • 1869Boston University is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.source
  • 1879Mohammad Yaqub Khan, Emir of Afghanistan, and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak, putting the Afghan state into the British sphere of influence.source
  • 1888The comic novel The Diary of a Nobody by brothers George and Weedon Grossmith begins serialization in Punch (London).source
  • 1896Coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna in the Dormition Cathedral, Moscow; this will be the last coronation of the Russian monarch. The Qing dynasty is represented at the coronation by Chinese official Li Hongzhang who through September goes on to visit Germany, Britain, Canada and the United States.source
  • 1896founding of Oruro Royalsource
  • 1896Eleven years after its foundation, a group of 12 purely industrial stocks are chosen to form the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the U.S. The index is composed entirely of industrial shares for the first time.source
  • 1896A bridge collapse in Victoria, British Columbia kills 55 people.source
  • 1897Irish-born theatrical manager Bram Stoker's contemporary Gothic horror novel Dracula is first published (in London); it will influence the direction of vampire literature for the following century.source
  • 1901Russian cruiser Boyarin launched without presence of the Imperial Russian Army.source
  • 1903Românul de la Pind, the longest-running newspaper by and about Aromanians until World War II, is founded.source
  • 1908At Masjed Soleyman in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil discovery in the Middle East is made. The rights to the resource are quickly acquired by the United Kingdom.source
  • 1909The Protectionist Party and the Free Trade Party merge to form the Fusion Party, led by Alfred Deakin.source
  • 1912May 25–26 – The British driver Cyril Snipe and his co-driver Pedrini win the 1912 Targa Florio endurance automobile race on Sicily.source
  • 1913May 26 (May 13 O.S.) – Igor Sikorsky becomes the first person to pilot a 4-engine fixed-wing aircraft.source
  • 1917A tornado strikes Mattoon, Illinois, causing devastation and killing 101 people.source
  • 1918The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic is abolished; Georgia declares its independence as the Democratic Republic of Georgia.source
  • 1918May 21–29 - The Ottoman World War I defeat at the Battle of Sardarabad is seen as saving the Armenian nation from destruction.source
  • 1920Ganja revolt: Anti-Soviet opposition in the Azerbaijan SSR launches an abortive revolt in Ganja.source
  • 1921A general strike begins in Norway, begun by 120,000 workers led by Ole O. Lian.source
  • 1923The first 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race is held, and is won by André Lagache and René Léonard.source
  • 1924The United States Immigration Act of 1924, commonly known as the Johnson-Reed Act, becomes effective. The act modifies the National Origins Quotas introduced in the Immigration Act of 1921.source
  • 1924Harry Grindell Matthews attempts to demonstrate his "death ray" to the War Office in the United Kingdom.source
  • 1924The Asian Exclusion Act is enacted by the United States. Its broad discrimination against Asia is seen as the spark that spurred Japan down the path against their former allies into World War II.source
  • 1924The Asian Exclusion Act is enacted, banning all Asian immigration to the United States. It was a slap in the face to Japan after their participation as a principal ally in WWI, and is seen as the spark that spurred Japan's alliance with Germany and down the path to World War II.source
  • 1926The Rif War ends, when Rif rebels surrender in Morocco.source
  • 1932Judgement in Donoghue v Stevenson handed down in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, creating the modern concept of a duty of care in British law.source
  • 1933The Nazi Party in Germany introduces a law to legalize eugenic sterilization.source
  • 1933The Nazi Party introduces a law to legalise eugenic sterilisation.source
  • 1940The first free flight of Igor Sikorsky's Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 helicopter is made in the United States.source
  • 1941A special sitting of Dáil Éireann unanimously condemns the introduction of conscription in Northern Ireland.source
  • 1941A special sitting of Dáil Éireann unanimously condemned the introduction of conscription in Northern Ireland.source
  • 1942The Anglo-Soviet Treaty of 1942, to help establish a military and political alliance between the USSR and the British Empire, is signed in London by foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov.source
  • 1948The United States Congress passes Public Law 557 which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as the auxiliary of the United States Air Force.source
  • 1951May 25–26 – British spies Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean leave the United Kingdom to defect to the Soviet Union.source
  • 1954A fire on board the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Bennington, off Narragansett Bay, Massachusetts, kills 103 sailors.source
  • 19571957 Abant earthquakesource
  • 19651964–66 Balkans Cup: Albania is defeated by Bulgaria 1–0 at Yuri Gagarin Stadium, Varnasource
  • 1967The Beatles release the groundbreaking album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the United Kingdom. It becomes one of the most influential albums in popular music history.source
  • 1968BERNAMA (Berita Nasional Malaysia) or Malaysian National News Agency established.source
  • 1968Dr. Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini and his team perform the first heart transplant in Latin America.source
  • 1969The Andean Pact (Andean Group) is established.source
  • 1969Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth, after a successful 8-day test of all the components needed for the upcoming first crewed Moon landing.source
  • 1969May 26–June 2 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono conduct their second bed-in. The follow-up to the Amsterdam event is held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Lennon composes and records the song "Give Peace a Chance" during the event.source
  • 1970The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.source
  • 1971Qantas agrees to pay $500,000 to bomb hoaxer/extortionist Mr. Brown (Peter Macari), who is later arrested.source
  • 1972Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev sign the SALT I treaty in Moscow, as well as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and other agreements.source
  • 1974Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) assault group attacked and destroyed the equipment used in building the East-West Highway from Gerik, Perak to Jeli, Kelantan, delaying the completion of the project by two years.source
  • 1978In Atlantic City, New Jersey, Resorts International, the first legal casino in the eastern United States, opens.source
  • 1980May 18–27 – Gwangju Uprising: Students in Gwangju, South Korea, begin demonstrations, calling for democratic reforms.source
  • 1980John Frum supporters in Vanuatu storm government offices on the island of Tanna. Vanuatu government troops land the next day and drive them away.source
  • 1981The Italian Forlani government resigns over its links to the fascist Masonic cell Propaganda Due.source
  • 1982English club Aston Villa F.C. wins the European Cup, beating Bayern Munich 1–0 after a 69th-minute goal by Peter Withe in Rotterdam.source
  • 1983The 7.8 Mw Sea of Japan earthquake shakes northern Honshu with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami is generated that leaves about 100 people dead.source
  • 1985Young driver Danny Sullivan beats veteran Mario Andretti to win the 1985 Indianapolis 500.source
  • 1986Swedish rock band Europe releases its third studio album, The Final Countdown. The title track would become one of the band's most notable works, achieving global success.source
  • 1989Arsenal F.C. defeat Liverpool F.C. by 2 goals to nil at Anfield, in the final game of the season, to win the Football League First Division.source
  • 1991Lauda Air Boeing 767 crashes near Bangkok, Thailand, killing all 223 people on board.source
  • 1993Albanian President Sali Berisha urges the United States and NATO to take action to prevent Serbian ethnic cleansing of Kosovo Albanians.source
  • 1996Democratic Rally won 20 of the 56 seats in the parliament following parliamentary elections. Voter turnout was 92.9%.source
  • 1996The Alaska Milkmen defeats the Purefoods TJ Hotdogs, 93-92 in overtime to win the 1996 PBA All-Filipino Cup finals.source
  • 1997May 26 and June 4 – President Ramos declares a state of calamity in Metro Manila and the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Rizal and Zambales due to the impact of Tropical Depression Bining.source
  • 1998Australia holds its first National Sorry Day.source
  • 1999The 1999 UEFA Champions League final takes place at the Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona, in which the English side Manchester United defeats the German side Bayern Munich 2–1.source
  • 1999Kargil War: The Indian Air Force launches an attack on intruding Pakistan Army troops and mujahideen militants in Kashmir.source
  • 2000National Human Rights Commission is established.source
  • 2003The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 is passed into law. The Philippines becomes one of the first Asian nations to pass anti-trafficking legislation.source
  • 2003Georges Rutaganda becomes the first person to be convicted of war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and his previous charges are upheld.source
  • 2010May 25–29 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 takes place in Oslo, Norway, and is won by German entrant Lena with the song "Satellite".source
  • 2011Ratko Mladić, the war crimes fugitive accused of orchestrating the Siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre, has been arrested in Serbia.source
  • 2011Former Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladić, wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, is arrested in Serbia.source
  • 2012May 22–26 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan, and is won by Swedish entrant Loreen with the song "Euphoria".source
  • 2014Narendra Modi succeeds Manmohan Singh as the 14th Prime Minister of India.source
  • 2016The Cameroonian government announces the reappearance of the H5N1 Influenza virus in the country, reporting that at least 15,000 birds have been killed by the virus since 22 May.source
  • 2018Real Madrid wins the 2017-18 Champions League held in Kyiv, Ukraine by beating Liverpool in the final 3–1.source
  • 2018Sri Lankan marine biologist Asha de Vos was awarded the Golden Alumni Award in the Professional Achievement category at the first edition of the British Council Golden Alumni awards.source
  • 2018Georgia celebrates the 100th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the First Republic of Georgia. More than 20 high level delegations arrive to attend the event, including the presidents of Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Finland, Armenia, and the European Commission.source
  • 2020LATAM Airlines, the largest air carrier in Latin America, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.source
  • 2020Protests caused by the murder of George Floyd break out across hundreds of cities in the U.S. and around the world. These are followed by further protests and rallies on June 6 against racism and police brutality around the world.source
  • 2020Costa Rica becomes the first Central American country to legalise same-sex marriage.source
  • 2021Shell becomes the first company to be legally mandated to align its carbon emissions with the Paris climate accord, following a landmark court ruling in the Netherlands.source
  • 2021The 2021 Syrian presidential election is held.source
  • 20242024 Lithuanian presidential election: Incumbent president Gitanas Nausėda wins a landslide victory for a second term in office.source

Births

  • 1053Vladimir II, Grand Prince of Kiev (died 1125)source
  • 1264Koreyasu, Japanese prince and shogun (died 1326)source
  • 1478Pope Clement VII (died 1534)source
  • 1539Renée of Bourbon, Duchess of Lorraine (b.1494)source
  • 1562James III, Margrave of Baden-Hachberg (died 1590)source
  • 1566Mehmed III, Ottoman Sultan (died 1603)source
  • 1583Susanna Hall, Daughter of William Shakespeare (died 1649)source
  • 1591Olimpia Maidalchini, Italian noblewoman (died 1657)source
  • 1623William Petty, English scientist, philosopher and economist (died 1687)source
  • 1650John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general (died 1722)source
  • 1667Abraham de Moivre, French mathematician (died 1754)source
  • 1669Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist (died 1722)source
  • 1676Maria Clara Eimmart, German astronomer, engraver and designer (died 1707)source
  • 1689Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, writer (died 1762)source
  • 1700Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf, German religious and social reformer (died 1760)source
  • 1764Edward Livingston, American jurist, statesman (died 1836)source
  • 1799Alexander Pushkin - poet, playwright, and novelist (died 1837)source
  • 1843Artur Silveira da Motasource
  • 1858Horace Smith-Dorrien, British general (died 1930)source
  • 1886Al Jolson, American entertainer (died 1950)source
  • 1907John Wayne, American actor, film director (died 1979)source
  • 1913Peter Cushing, English actor (died 1994)source
  • 1926Miles Davis, African-American Jazz musician (died 1991)source
  • 1948Stevie Nicks, American rock singer, songwriter (Fleetwood Mac)source

Deaths

  • 604Augustine, Archbishop of Canterbury (approximate date)source
  • 735Bede, Anglo-Saxon theologian and historiansource
  • 735Bede, Anglo-Saxon monk-historian, dies at Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey. He will be remembered as "the Venerable", and is the author of books that are copied and studied later all over Europe. His greatest book is the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, a major source for the history of Britain, in the immediate post-Roman period.source
  • 926Yuan Xingqin, Chinese generalsource
  • 946King Edmund I is murdered at age 25 by an outlawed robber while attending St. Augustine's Day mass in Pucklechurch (Gloucestershire). He is succeeded by his brother Eadred (or Edred) as king of England.source
  • 946Edmund I, king of England (born 921)source
  • 1012Erluin II, monk and abbot of Gemblouxsource
  • 1035Berenguer Ramon I, Spanish nobleman (born 1005)source
  • 1055Adalbert, margrave of Austriasource
  • 1076Ramon Berenguer I, count of Barcelona (born 1023)source
  • 1250Peter I (Mauclerc), French nobleman (born 1187)source
  • 1339Aldona Ona, Queen of Poland (born c. 1309)source
  • 1362Louis of Taranto (born 1320)source
  • 1421Mehmed I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his son, Murad II.source
  • 1421Mehmed I, Ottoman Sultan (born 1389)source
  • 1497Antonio Manetti, Italian mathematician and architect (born 1423)source
  • 1512Bayezid II, Ottoman Sultan (born 1447)source
  • 1552Sebastian Münster, German cartographer and cosmographer (born 1488)source
  • 1583Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox (born 1542)source
  • 1645Mariana de Jesús de Paredes, Ecuadorian Roman Catholic hermit and saint (born 1618)source
  • 1653Robert Filmer, English writer (born 1588)source
  • 1702Zeb-un-Nissa, Mughal princess and poet, imprisoned by her father for the last 20 years of her life (born 1638)source
  • 1703Samuel Pepys, English diarist and administrator (born 1633)source
  • 1703Louis-Hector de Callière, Governor General of New France, dies in office.source
  • 1742Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian Zaporozhian Cossack starshina, diplomat (born 1672)source
  • 1762Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher (born 1714)source
  • 1762Claus Paarss, military officer and governor og Greenland (born 1683)source
  • 1799James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Scottish jurist (born 1714)source
  • 1818Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian military commander (born 1761)source
  • 1818Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza (born 1785)source
  • 1840Sidney Smith, British admiral (born 1764)source
  • 1845Jónas Hallgrímsson, poet and writer.source
  • 1875Victoriano Sánchez Barcáiztegui, Spanish Navy officer and hero (killed in action) (born 1826)source
  • 1883Abdelkader El Djezairi, Algerian leader (born 1808)source
  • 1908Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Sikh Empire-born founder of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam (born 1835)source
  • 1924Victor Herbert, Irish composer (born 1859)source
  • 1933Horatio Bottomley, British politician and businessman (born 1860)source
  • 1955Alberto Ascari, Italian race-car driver (accident) (born 1918)source
  • 1980May 18–27 - Gwangju massacre: Up to 165 people are killed when a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju is crushed by the South Korean army.source
  • 1985Harold Hecht, 77, American film producer (Marty), cancer.source
  • 2017Zbigniew Brzezinski, 89, Polish-born American diplomat and political scientist, National Security Advisor (1977–1981).source