October 26

October 26 in recent years

2023 (Thursday)

2022 (Wednesday)

2021 (Tuesday)

2020 (Monday)

2019 (Saturday)

2018 (Friday)

2017 (Thursday)

2016 (Wednesday)

2015 (Monday)

2014 (Sunday)

October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 66 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki
• 1341 – The Byzantine civil war of 1341–47 formally begins with the proclamation of John VI Kantakouzenos as Byzantine Emperor at Didymoteicho.
• 1377 – Tvrtko I is crowned the first king of Bosnia.
• 1520 – Charles V is crowned.
• 1597 – Imjin War: Admiral Yi Sun-sin routs the Japanese Navy of 300 ships with only 13 ships at the Battle of Myeongnyang.
• 1640 – The Treaty of Ripon is signed, restoring peace between Scotland and Charles I of England.
• 1689 – General Piccolomini of Austria burns down Skopje to prevent the spread of cholera. He died of cholera himself soon after.
• 1774 – The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia.
• 1775 – King George III of Great Britain goes before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion, and authorized a military response to quell the American Revolution.
• 1776 – Benjamin Franklin departs from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution.
• 1811 – The Argentine government declare the freedom of expression for the press by decree.
• 1813 – War of 1812: A combined force of British regulars, Canadian militia, and Mohawks defeat the Americans in the Battle of the Chateauguay.
• 1825 – The Erie Canal opens: Passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie.
• 1859 – The Royal Charter is wrecked on the coast of Anglesey, north Wales with 459 dead.
• 1860 – Meeting of Teano. Giuseppe Garibaldi, conqueror of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, gives it to King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy.
• 1861 – The Pony Express officially ceases operations.
• 1863 – The Football Association, the oldest football association in the world, is formed in London.
• 1881 – The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona.
• 1905 – Sweden accepted the independence of Norway.
• 1909 – Itō Hirobumi, four time Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st, 5th, 7th and 10th) and Resident-General of Korea, is assassinated by An Jung-geun at the Harbin train station in Manchuria.
• 1912 – First Balkan War: The Ottoman occupied city of Thessaloniki, is liberated and unified with Greece on the feast day of its patron saint Demetrius. On the same day, Serbian troops captured Skopje.
• 1917 – World War I: Battle of Caporetto; Italy suffers a catastrophic defeat to the forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany. The young unknown Oberleutnant Erwin Rommel captures Mount Matajur with only 100 Germans against a force of over 7000 Italians.
• 1917 – World War I: Brazil declares war on the Central Powers.
• 1918 – Erich Ludendorff, quartermaster-general of the Imperial German Army, is dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany for refusing to cooperate in peace negotiations.
• 1921 – The Chicago Theatre opens.
• 1936 – The first electric generator at Hoover Dam goes into full operation.
• 1940 – The P-51 Mustang makes its maiden flight.
• 1942 – World War II: In the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the Guadalcanal Campaign, one U.S. aircraft carrier, Hornet, is sunk and another aircraft carrier, Enterprise, is heavily damaged, while two Japanese carriers and one cruiser are heavily damaged.
• 1943 – World War II: First flight of the Dornier Do 335 "Pfeil".
• 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends with an overwhelming American victory.
• 1947 – The Maharaja of Kashmir and Jammu agrees to allow his kingdom to join India.
• 1955 – After the last Allied troops have left the country and following the provisions of the Austrian Independence Treaty, Austria declares permanent neutrality.
• 1955 – Ngô Đình Diệm declares himself Premier of South Vietnam.
• 1958 – Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York City to Paris, France.
• 1964 – Eric Edgar Cooke becomes last person in Western Australia to be executed.
• 1967 – Mohammad Reza Pahlavi crowns himself Emperor of Iran and then crowns his wife Farah Empress of Iran.
• 1968 – Soviet cosmonaut Georgy Beregovoy pilots Soyuz 3 into space for a four-day mission.
• 1970 – Muhammad Ali faces off against Jerry Quarry in Atlanta, Georgia for the first time after Ali's three-year hiatus from evading to be drafted in the Vietnam War.
• 1977 – Ali Maow Maalin, the last natural case of smallpox, develops rash in Merca district, Somalia. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider this date the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination.
• 1979 – Park Chung-hee, President of South Korea is assassinated by Korean Central Intelligence Agency head Kim Jae-gyu. Choi Kyu-hah becomes the acting President; Kim is executed the following May.
• 1984 – "Baby Fae" receives a heart transplant from a baboon.
• 1985 – The Australian government returns ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara Aborigines.
• 1991 – History of Slovenia: Three months after the end of the Ten-Day War, the last soldier of the Yugoslav People's Army leaves the territory of the Republic of Slovenia.
• 1992 – The Charlottetown Accord fails to win majority support in a Canada wide referendum.
• 1992 – The London Ambulance Service is thrown into chaos after the implementation of a new CAD, or Computer Aided Dispatch, system which failed.
• 1994 – Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty.
• 1995 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Mossad agents assassinate Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shaqaqi in his hotel in Malta.
• 1999 – Britain's House of Lords votes to end the right of hereditary peers to vote in Britain's upper chamber of Parliament.
• 2000 – Laurent Gbagbo takes over as president of Côte d'Ivoire following a popular uprising against President Robert Guéï.
• 2001 – The United States passes the USA PATRIOT Act into law.
• 2002 – Moscow theater hostage crisis: Approximately 50 Chechen terrorists and 150 hostages die when Russian Spetsnaz storm a theater building in Moscow, which had been occupied by the terrorists during a musical performance three days before.
• 2003 – The Cedar Fire, the second-largest fire in California history, kills 15 people, consumes 250,000 acres (1,000 km²), and destroys 2,200 homes around San Diego.
• 2014 – Britain withdraws from Afghanistan after the end of Operation Herrick which started on June 20, 2002 after 12 years four months and seven days.

Births

• 1416 – Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent, English administrator, nobleman and magnate (d. 1490)
• 1427 – Sigismund, Archduke of Austria (d. 1496)
• 1474 – Friedrich of Saxony (d. 1510)
• 1491 – Zhengde Emperor of China (d. 1521)
• 1529 – Anna of Hesse (d. 1591)
• 1564 – Hans Leo Hassler German organist and composer (d. 1612)
• 1609 – William Sprague, English-American settler, co-founded Charlestown, Massachusetts (d. 1675)
• 1673 – Dimitrie Cantemir, Moldavian geographer, historian, and philosopher (d. 1723)
• 1684 – Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (d. 1757)
• 1685 – Domenico Scarlatti, Italian harpsichord player and composer (d. 1757)
• 1694 – Johan Helmich Roman, Swedish composer (d. 1758)
• 1747 – Ivan Mane Jarnović, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1804)
• 1757 – Karl Leonhard Reinhold, Austrian philosopher and academic (d. 1823)
• 1759 – Georges Danton, French lawyer and politician, French Minister of Justice (d. 1794)
• 1768 – Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko, Polish general and politician (d. 1844)
• 1794 – Konstantin Thon, Russian architect, designed the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (d. 1881)
• 1795 – Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer and theorist (d. 1872)
• 1797 – Giuditta Pasta, Italian soprano (d. 1865)
• 1799 – Margaret Agnes Bunn, Scottish actress (d. 1883)
• 1800 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian field marshal (d. 1891)
• 1802 – Miguel I of Portugal (d. 1866)
• 1803 – Joseph Hansom, English architect, designed Birmingham Town Hall (d. 1882)
• 1842 – Vasily Vereshchagin, Russian soldier and painter (d. 1904)
• 1849 – Ferdinand Georg Frobenius, German mathematician and academic (d. 1917)
• 1850 – Grigore Tocilescu, Romanian archaeologist and historian (d. 1909)
• 1854 – C. W. Post, American businessman, founded Post Foods (d. 1914)
• 1860 – Frank Eaton, American Deputy U.S. Marshal (d. 1958)
• 1865 – Benjamin Guggenheim, American businessman (d. 1912)
• 1869 – Washington Luís, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 13th President of Brazil (d. 1957)
• 1871 – Guillermo Kahlo, German-Mexican photographer (d. 1941)
• 1872 – Harold Fraser, American golfer (d. 1945)
• 1873 – A. K. Fazlul Huq, Bangladeshi-Pakistani lawyer and politician, 5th Pakistani Minister of Interior (d. 1962)
• 1873 – Thorvald Stauning, Danish union leader and politician, 24th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1942)
• 1874 – Martin Lowry, English chemist and academic (d. 1936)
• 1874 – Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, American philanthropist (d. 1948)
• 1880 – Andrei Bely, Russian author, poet, and critic (d. 1934)
• 1881 – Louis Bastien, French cyclist and fencer (d. 1963)
• 1883 – Napoleon Hill, American philosopher and author (d. 1970)
• 1883 – Paul Pilgrim, American runner (d. 1958)
• 1884 – William Hogenson, American sprinter (d. 1965)
• 1890 – Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Indian journalist and politician (d. 1931)
• 1893 – Miloš Crnjanski, Serbian poet and author (d. 1977)
• 1899 – Judy Johnson, American baseball player and coach (d. 1989)
• 1902 – Beryl Markham, Kenyan horse trainer and author (d. 1986)
• 1902 – Jack Sharkey, American boxer and referee (d. 1994)
• 1902 – Henrietta Hill Swope, American astronomer (d. 1980)
• 1903 – Mahn Ba Khaing, Burmese martyr (d. 1947)
• 1905 – George Bernard Flahiff, Canadian cardinal (d. 1989)
• 1906 – Primo Carnera, Italian boxer and actor (d. 1967)
• 1909 – Ignace Lepp, French psychologist and author (d. 1966)
• 1909 – Dante Quinterno, Argentinian author and illustrator (d. 2003)
• 1910 – John Krol, American cardinal (d. 1996)
• 1911 – Sid Gillman, American football player and coach (d. 2003)
• 1911 – Mahalia Jackson, American singer and actress (d. 1972)
• 1911 – Sorley MacLean, Scottish poet and educator (d. 1996)
• 1912 – Don Siegel, American director and producer (d. 1991)
• 1913 – Charlie Barnet, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
• 1914 – Jackie Coogan, American actor and director (d. 1984)
• 1915 – Joe Fry, English race car driver (d. 1950)
• 1916 – François Mitterrand, French lawyer and politician, 21st President of France (d. 1996)
• 1916 – Boyd Wagner, American colonel and pilot (d. 1942)
• 1918 – Diana Serra Cary, American actress
• 1919 – Frank Bourgholtzer, American journalist (d. 2010)
• 1919 – Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (d. 2015)
• 1919 – Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Persian king (d. 1980)
• 1920 – Sarah Lee Lippincott, American astronomer
• 1921 – George Forrest, Northern Irish politician (d. 1968)
• 1922 – Madelyn Dunham, American grandmother of Barack Obama (d. 2008)
• 1922 – Fred Wood, English actor
• 1923 – Robert Hinde, English zoologist and academic
• 1924 – Shaw Taylor, English actor and television host (d. 2015)
• 1925 – Jan Wolkers, Dutch sculptor, painter, and author (d. 2007)
• 1926 – Panos Gavalas, Greek singer (d. 1988)
• 1927 – Warne Marsh, American saxophonist (Supersax) (d. 1987)
• 1928 – Francisco Solano López, Argentinian illustrator (d. 2011)
• 1929 – Neal Matthews, Jr., American singer (The Jordanaires) (d. 2000)
• 1933 – Takis Kanellopoulos, Greek director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1990)
• 1933 – Andrew P. O'Rourke, American judge and politician (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Hot Rod Hundley, American basketball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
• 1934 – Hans-Joachim Roedelius, German keyboard player and producer (Cluster, Harmonia, Kluster, and Aquarello)
• 1935 – Mike Gray, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Gloria Conyers Hewitt, American mathematician and academic
• 1936 – Shelley Morrison, American actress
• 1936 – György Pauk, Hungarian violinist and educator
• 1940 – Eddie Henderson, American trumpet player and educator
• 1940 – John Horgan, Irish academic and politician
• 1941 – Steven Kellogg, American author and illustrator
• 1941 – Charlie Landsborough, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1942 – Bob Hoskins, English actor, singer, and director (d. 2014)
• 1942 – Milton Nascimento, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Clube da Esquina)
• 1942 – Zdenko Runjić, Croatian songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
• 1942 – Jonathan Williams, English race car driver
• 1944 – Jim McCann, Irish singer and guitarist (The Dubliners and The Ludlows) (d. 2015)
• 1945 – Pat Conroy, American author
• 1945 – Demetris Th. Gotsis, Greek poet and author
• 1945 – Nancy Davis Griffeth, American computer scientist
• 1945 – Jaclyn Smith, American actress and producer
• 1946 – Sir Kevin Barron, English politician
• 1946 – Keith Hopwood, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Herman's Hermits)
• 1946 – Pat Sajak, American game show host
• 1946 – Holly Woodlawn, American performer
• 1947 – Ricardo Asch, Argentinian gynecologist and endocrinologist
• 1947 – Ian Ashley, German-English race car driver
• 1947 – Hillary Rodham Clinton, American lawyer and politician, 44th First Lady of the United States
• 1947 – Reg Empey, Irish businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of Belfast
• 1947 – Trevor Joyce, Irish poet and scholar
• 1947 – Kenzo Kitakata, Japanese novelist
• 1948 – Toby Harrah, American baseball player and coach
• 1949 – Antonio Carpio, Filipino lawyer and jurist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
• 1949 – Steve Rogers, American baseball player
• 1949 – Kevin Sullivan, American wrestler and booker
• 1951 – Bootsy Collins, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Parliament-Funkadelic and Praxis)
• 1951 – Tommy Mars, American keyboard player
• 1951 – Julian Schnabel, American painter, director, and screenwriter
• 1952 – Bobby Bandiera, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes)
• 1952 – Edward Garnier, English lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for England and Wales
• 1952 – Andrew Motion, English poet and author
• 1952 – David Was, American singer-songwriter and producer (Was (Not Was))
• 1953 – Roger Allam, English actor and singer
• 1953 – Tim Hely Hutchinson, English publisher
• 1953 – Joe Meriweather, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
• 1953 – Keith Strickland, American guitarist and songwriter (The B-52's)
• 1953 – Maureen Teefy, American actress and singer
• 1953 – Lauren Tewes, American actress
• 1954 – Vasilis Hatzipanagis, Greek footballer
• 1954 – Adam Mars-Jones, English author and critic
• 1956 – Stephen Gumley, Australian engineer and businessman
• 1956 – Rita Wilson, American actress, singer, and producer
• 1957 – Julie Dawn Cole, English actress and singer
• 1957 – Bob Golic, American football player and radio host
• 1958 – Shaun Woodward, English politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• 1959 – Brian Bovell, English actor
• 1959 – François Chau, Cambodian-American actor
• 1959 – Paul Farmer, American anthropologist and physician
• 1959 – Andreas Hinze, German footballer
• 1959 – Marilyn Jess, French porn actress
• 1959 – Evo Morales, Bolivian politician, 80th President of Bolivia
• 1960 – Patrick Breen, American actor and screenwriter
• 1961 – Gerald Malloy, American lawyer and politician
• 1961 – Dylan McDermott, American actor
• 1961 – Stacy Schiff, American author and critic
• 1962 – Cary Elwes, English actor and producer
• 1963 – Ted Demme, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2002)
• 1963 – Natalie Merchant, American singer-songwriter and pianist (10,000 Maniacs)
• 1964 – Tom Cavanagh, Canadian actor and producer
• 1965 – Aaron Kwok, Hong Kong singer, dancer, and actor
• 1965 – Kelly Rowan, Canadian actress and producer
• 1966 – Jane Hajduk, American actress
• 1966 – Masaharu Iwata, Japanese keyboard player and composer
• 1966 – Sverre Gjørvad, Norwegian drummer (Dingobats)
• 1966 – Steve Valentine, Scottish actor
• 1966 – Jeanne Zelasko, American journalist and sportscaster
• 1967 – Douglas Alexander, Scottish lawyer and politician, Minister of State for Europe
• 1967 – Keith Urban, New Zealand-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Ranch)
• 1970 – Lisa Ryder, Canadian actress
• 1970 – Dian Bachar, American actor
• 1971 – Jim Butcher, American author
• 1971 – Audley Harrison, English boxer
• 1971 – Ronnie Irani, English cricketer
• 1971 – Anthony Rapp, American actor and singer
• 1972 – Daniel Elena, Monegasque race car driver
• 1973 – Austin Healey, English rugby player and sportscaster
• 1973 – Seth MacFarlane, American voice actor, singer, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Taka Michinoku, Japanese wrestler and trainer
• 1974 – Lisa, Japanese singer and producer (M-Flo)
• 1974 – Anita Rinaldi, Hungarian porn actress, director, and producer
• 1974 – Raveena Tandon, Indian actress and producer
• 1975 – Ivo Posti, Estonian tenor
• 1976 – Miikka Kiprusoff, Finnish ice hockey player
• 1976 – Shinji Takao, Japanese Go player
• 1977 – Jon Heder, American actor and producer
• 1978 – Sari Abacha, Nigerian footballer (d. 2013)
• 1978 – Jimmy Aggrey, English footballer and actor
• 1978 – Eva Kaili, Greek journalist and politician
• 1978 – CM Punk, American wrestler and actor
• 1978 – Dave Zastudil, American football player
• 1979 – Movsar Barayev, Chechen militia leader (d. 2002)
• 1979 – Josh Portman, American guitarist (Near Miss and Yellowcard)
• 1980 – Cristian Chivu, Romanian footballer
• 1980 – Claire Cooper, English actress
• 1980 – Koichi Watanabe, Japanese kick-boxer
• 1981 – Sam Brown, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1981 – Martina Schild, Swiss skier
• 1981 – Guy Sebastian, Australian singer-songwriter and producer
• 1981 – Chou Ssu-Chi, Taiwanese baseball player
• 1981 – Girl Talk, American DJ and producer (Trey Told 'Em)
• 1982 – Nicola Adams, English boxer
• 1982 – Adam Carroll, Irish race car driver
• 1982 – Niña Dolino, Filipino actress
• 1983 – Francisco Liriano, Dominican baseball player
• 1983 – Dmitri Sychev, Russian footballer
• 1983 – Luke Watson, South African rugby player
• 1984 – Sasha Cohen, American figure skater
• 1984 – Adriano Correia, Brazilian footballer
• 1984 – Mathieu Crépel, French snowboarder
• 1984 – Jefferson Farfán, Peruvian footballer
• 1984 – Amanda Overmyer, American singer-songwriter
• 1985 – Asin, Indian model and actress
• 1985 – Andrea Bargnani, Italian basketball player
• 1985 – Kafoumba Coulibaly, Ivorian footballer
• 1985 – Monta Ellis, American basketball player
• 1985 – Kieran Read, New Zealand rugby player
• 1985 – Soko, French singer and actress
• 1986 – Ibor Bakar, French footballer
• 1986 – Emilia Clarke, English actress
• 1986 – Jakub Rzeźniczak, Polish footballer
• 1986 – Marco Ruben, Argentinian footballer
• 1986 – Schoolboy Q, German-American rapper (Black Hippy)
• 1987 – Abudramae Bamba, Ivorian footballer
• 1987 – Shawn Lauvao, American football player
• 1988 – Greg Zuerlein, American figure skater
• 1989 – Emil Sayfutdinov, Russian motorcycle racer
• 1990 – Mark Swanepoel, South African rugby player
• 1991 – Riho Iida, actress and model
• 1991 – Amala Paul, Indian actress
• 1991 – Shu Watanabe, Japanese actor
• 1994 – Allie DeBerry, American actress
• 1996 – Rebecca Tunney, English gymnast

Deaths

• 664 – Cedd, English monk and bishop (b. 620)
• 899 – Alfred the Great, English king (b. 849)
• 1440 – Gilles de Rais, French knight (b. 1404)
• 1633 – Horio Tadaharu, Japanese daimyo (b. 1596)
• 1671 – Sir John Gell, 1st Baronet, English politician (b. 1593)
• 1675 – William Sprague, English-American settler, co-founded Charlestown, Massachusetts (b. 1609)
• 1686 – John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, English captain and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire (b. 1623)
• 1717 – Catherine Sedley, Countess of Dorchester (b. 1657)
• 1751 – Philip Doddridge, English minister and hymn-writer (b. 1702)
• 1764 – William Hogarth, English painter and engraver (b. 1697)
• 1773 – Amédée-François Frézier, French mathematician, engineer, and explorer (b. 1682)
• 1803 – Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, English politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1721)
• 1806 – John Graves Simcoe, English general and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (b. 1752)
• 1817 – Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Dutch-Austrian chemist and botanist (b. 1727)
• 1861 – Edward "Ned" Kendall American bugle player and bandleader (b. 1808)
• 1864 – William T. Anderson, American captain (b. 1838)
• 1866 – John Kinder Labatt, Irish-Canadian brewer, founded the Labatt Brewing Company (b. 1803)
• 1890 – Carlo Collodi, Italian journalist and author (b. 1826)
• 1896 – Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, French philosopher, academic, and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1827)
• 1902 – Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American activist (b. 1815)
• 1909 – Itō Hirobumi, Japanese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1841)
• 1930 – Waldemar Haffkine, Russian-Swiss physician and microbiologist (b. 1860)
• 1930 – Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman and horse breeder (b. 1872)
• 1931 – Charles Comiskey, American baseball player and manager (b. 1859)
• 1932 – Margaret Brown, American philanthropist and activist (b. 1867)
• 1937 – Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki, Polish general (b. 1867)
• 1941 – Arkady Gaidar, Russian journalist and author (b. 1904)
• 1943 – Aurel Stein, Hungarian-English archaeologist and academic (b. 1862)
• 1944 – Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (b. 1857)
• 1944 – William Temple, English archbishop (b. 1881)
• 1945 – Aleksey Krylov, Russian mathematician and engineer (b. 1863)
• 1945 – Paul Pelliot, French sinologist and explorer (b. 1878)
• 1946 – Ioannis Rallis, Greek lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1878)
• 1947 – Edwin Sidney Savage, English cleric (b. 1862)
• 1949 – Lionel Halsey, English admiral and courtier (b. 1872)
• 1952 – Hattie McDaniel, American actress and singer (b. 1895)
• 1956 – Walter Gieseking, French-German pianist and composer (b. 1895)
• 1957 – Gerty Cori, Czech-American biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1896)
• 1957 – Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek philosopher, author, and playwright (b. 1883)
• 1962 – Louise Beavers, American actress and singer (b. 1902)
• 1963 – Elizabeth Gunn, New Zealand paediatrician (b. 1879)
• 1965 – Sylvia Likens, American murder victim (b. 1949)
• 1966 – Alma Cogan, English singer (b. 1932)
• 1971 – Vincent Coleman, American actor (b. 1901)
• 1972 – Igor Sikorsky, Ukrainian-American aircraft designer, founded Sikorsky Aircraft (b. 1889)
• 1974 – Bidia Dandaron, Russian author and educator (b. 1914)
• 1978 – Alexander Gerschenkron, Ukrainian-American historian, critic, and educator (b. 1904)
• 1979 – Park Chung-hee, South Korean general and politician, 3rd President of South Korea (b. 1917)
• 1984 – Gus Mancuso, American baseball player and coach (b. 1905)
• 1986 – Jackson Scholz, American runner (b. 1897)
• 1989 – Charles J. Pedersen, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
• 1993 – Oro, Mexican wrestler (b. 1971)
• 1994 – Wilbert Harrison, American singer and guitarist (b. 1929)
• 1995 – Wilhelm Freddie, Danish painter and sculptor (b. 1909)
• 1995 – Gorni Kramer, Italian bassist, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1913)
• 1999 – Hoyt Axton, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1938)
• 1999 – Eknath Easwaran, Indian-American author and educator (b. 1910)
• 1999 – Johannes Käbin, Estonian politician (b. 1905)
• 2002 – Movsar Barayev, Russian militia leader (b. 1979)
• 2002 – Jacques Massu, French general (b. 1908)
• 2004 – Bobby Ávila, Mexican baseball player and politician (b. 1924)
• 2005 – Keith Parkinson, American illustrator (b. 1958)
• 2005 – George Swindin, English footballer and manager (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Tillman Franks, American bassist and songwriter (b. 1920)
• 2006 – Pontus Hultén, Swedish art collector and curator (b. 1924)
• 2007 – Nicolae Dobrin, Romanian footballer and manager (b. 1947)
• 2007 – Friedman Paul Erhardt, German-American chef and television host (b. 1943)
• 2007 – Arthur Kornberg, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize (b. 1918)
• 2007 – Khun Sa, Burmese warlord (b. 1934)
• 2008 – Tony Hillerman, American journalist, author, and educator (b. 1925)
• 2008 – Delmar Watson, American actor and photographer (b. 1926)
• 2009 – Teel Bivins, American lawyer and politician, 18th United States Ambassador to Sweden (b. 1947)
• 2009 – George Naʻope, American singer and dancer (b. 1928)
• 2009 – Troy Smith, American businessman, founded Sonic Drive-In (b. 1922)
• 2010 – Glen Little, American clown (b. 1925)
• 2010 – Mbah Maridjan, Indonesian spiritual leader (b. 1927)
• 2010 – Paul the Octopus, English octopus (b. 2008)
• 2010 – Romeu Tuma, Brazilian police officer and politician (b. 1931)
• 2011 – Jona Senilagakali, Fijian physician and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Fiji (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Mac Ahlberg, Swedish-Italian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Arnold Greenberg, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (b. 1932)
• 2012 – John M. Johansen American architect, designed the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre (b. 1916)
• 2012 – Alan Kirschenbaum, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1961)
• 2012 – Natina Reed, American rapper and actress (Blaque) (b. 1979)
• 2012 – Björn Sieber, Austrian skier (b. 1989)
• 2012 – Alan Stretton, Australian general (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Ritva Arvelo, Finnish actress, director, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Ron Davies, Welsh photographer (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Doug Ireland, American journalist and activist (b. 1946)
• 2013 – Al Johnson, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Unifics) (b. 1948)
• 2013 – Andries Maseko, South African footballer (b. 1955)
• 2013 – Gabriel of Komana (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Vic Allen, English sociologist, economist, and historian (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Mo Collins, American football player and coach (b. 1976)
• 2014 – Germain Gagnon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1942)
• 2014 – Senzo Meyiwa, South African footballer (b. 1987)
• 2014 – Jeff Robinson, American baseball player (b. 1961)
• 2014 – Gordy Soltau, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Oscar Taveras, Dominican baseball player (b. 1992)

Holidays and observances

• Accession Day (Jammu and Kashmir)
• Angam Day (Nauru)
• Armed Forces Day (Benin)
• Christian feast day:
  • Alfred the Great
  • Blessed Celine Borzecka
  • Cedd
  • Cuthbert of Canterbury
  • Demetrius of Thessaloniki
  • Fulk of Pavia (Roman Catholic Church)
  • Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann and Paul Gerhardt (Lutheran Church)
  • Quadragesimus
  • Witta of Büraburg

• National Day, celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Neutrality in 1955. (Austria)
• Intersex Awareness Day

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada