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December 15

On This Day in History

December 15

December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. 16 days remain until the end of the year.

Lottery News On This Day

2023: Michigan man drove around with $2 million winning lottery ticket for 4 months without realizing it. A Michigan man drove around for four months with a winning lottery ticket worth $2 million in his car without realizing it.
2022: Two winning $1 million Mega Millions tickets sold in Texas set to expire in a month. There are two second-tier Mega Millions prizes worth $1 million each that will expire in just over a month if no one steps forward to claim them.
2021: Ireland National Lottery to propose must-win jackpot draws. Executives at Premier Lotteries Ireland, the operator of the Ireland National Lottery, are in talks about enacting regulations that would require a drawing for a capped jackpot to produce a winner after a certain number of rollovers.
2017: Michigan Lottery retailer sells two jackpot-winning tickets on same day. A lucky Meijer store in Holland, Michigan, sold two jackpot-winning lottery tickets on Saturday worth a combined $2.4 million, according to the Michigan Lottery.
2017: Keno in New Hampshire starts today. The popular "quick-draw" style Keno lottery game can be officially played in New Hampshire, as of Friday, Dec. 15, 2017.
2012: How lottery winners spend their money. Lottery winners: What separates the ones who live happily ever after from the ones who, five years later, wind up drunk, broke, in jail or hounded by the IRS?
2009: Arkansas Lottery begins Cash 3 game. Arkansas Lottery retailers can now sell tickets for Cash 3, a game that allows players to pick three numbers in hopes of matching them to numbers selected by a random number generator at the lottery's headquarters in Little Rock.
2004: Oklahoma Lottery Commission could be appointed by end of month. The first step toward having a state lottery, the appointment of a seven member Oklahoma Lottery Commission, could be in place by the end of the month, according to Gov. Brad Henry.
2004: S.C. Lottery scratch games sold after top prize won. The South Carolina Education Lottery offers some scratch lottery games for sale, even after the top prize has been won.
2004: Mega Millions jackpot increases to $25 million. The jackpot in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery grew to $25 million dollars after none of the tickets sold for last night's $17 million dollar drawing matched all five lotto numbers and the Mega Ball.
2004: Tennessee lottery surplus has state officials scrambling. Tennesseans are playing the lottery, but not as many students as expected are taking advantage of college scholarships - and state officials have not decided what to do with the surplus.
2003: $100 Million Powerball Jackpot. Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Saturday's Powerball drawing, the jackpot grew to an estimated $100 million, with a cash option of $53.6 million - currently the largest lottery jackpot in the world.
2003: Mega Millions jackpot increases to $71 million. The jackpot in the multistate Mega Millions lottery drawing has reached $71 million, the highest Mega Millions jackpot in almost 3 months.
2003: Pensacola Quick Pick hits jackpot. A new millionaire bought Saturday's winning Florida Lotto ticket at a Pensacola gas station.
2003: Lottery clock at 58 days. With thousands of dollars in incentive bonuses for Tennessee lottery employees tied to starting the lottery by Feb 10, work is moving swiftly across the state.
2003: Three tickets share $40 million Florida Lotto jackpot. Three tickets matched all six Florida Lotto numbers to share a jackpot of $40 million, lottery officials said Sunday.
2003: Lotto winner again sold in Royal Palm. For the second time in four months, a winning ticket in a Florida Lotto drawing was purchased in Royal Palm Beach.
2003: Lottery winner files $6.3 million complaint against stockbroker. A multimillion dollar lottery winner filed a $6.3 million complaint against her stockbroker in Rochester, claiming he lost most of her savings.

Top 25 Lottery Jackpots On This Day

1.$648 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2013
2.$520 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 16, 2023
3.$429 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 16, 2022
4.$372 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2019
5.€327.42 Million US$348.24 Million: Italy
SuperEnalotto
Draw Date
Dec 15, 2022
6.$335 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 15, 2021
7.$291 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 15, 2020
8.$287 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 16, 2020
9.$284 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2018
10.$250 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 16, 2017
11.$246 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 15, 2018
12.$208 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 15, 2017
13.$180 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 16, 2015
14.$163.3 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2002
15.$163 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2007
16.$160 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 18, 2019
16.$160 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2021
18.$149.9 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2022
19.€126 Million
US$148.33 Million: Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Dec 15, 2017
20.€125.56 Million
US$142.13 Million: Italy
SuperEnalotto
Draw Date
Dec 16, 2021
21.$135 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 16, 2011
22.$123 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2010
23.$121.6 Million: Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Dec 17, 2016
24.$118 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 15, 2009
25.$113 Million: Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Dec 16, 2014

Lottery Post Member Birthdays On This Day

1988: vralvarez88
Thursday, Dec 15, 1988
35 years old
1976: mello1ne
Wednesday, Dec 15, 1976
47 years old
1972: lisalisa38
Friday, Dec 15, 1972
51 years old
1970: neicy14
Tuesday, Dec 15, 1970
53 years old
1970: heardja
Tuesday, Dec 15, 1970
53 years old
1965: LIPPY$
Wednesday, Dec 15, 1965
58 years old
1957: smitty in$va
Sunday, Dec 15, 1957
66 years old
1956: voryileymob
Saturday, Dec 15, 1956
67 years old
1951: Golfsupttdd
Saturday, Dec 15, 1951
72 years old
1930: megamillionaire
Monday, Dec 15, 1930
93 years old
: Brennie
(year not provided)
: Destiny1215
(year not provided)
: JadeRaww
(year not provided)
: mckinnonj1968
(year not provided)
: SaraM528
(year not provided)

Worldwide Events On This Day

2017: A 6.5M_w earthquake strikes the Indonesian island of Java in the city of Tasikmalaya, resulting in four deaths.
2014: Gunman Man Haron Monis takes 18 hostages inside a café in Martin Place for 16 hours in Sydney. Monis and two hostages are killed when police raid the café the following morning.
2013: The South Sudanese Civil War begins when opposition leaders Dr. Riek Machar, Pagan Amum and Rebecca Nyandeng vote to boycott the meeting of the National Liberation Council at Nyakuron.
2010: A boat carrying 90 asylum seekers crashes into rocks off the coast of Christmas Island, Australia, killing 48 people.
2005: Introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor into USAF active service.
2001: The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 spent to stabilize it, without fixing its famous lean.
2000: The third reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down.
1997: Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183 crashes in the desert near Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, killing 85.
1993: The Troubles: The Downing Street Declaration is issued by British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds.
1989: Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights relating the abolition of capital punishment is adopted.
1981: A suicide car bombing targeting the Iraqi embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, levels the embassy and kills 61 people, including Iraq's ambassador to Lebanon. The attack is considered the first modern suicide bombing.
1978: U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and sever diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).
1973: John Paul Getty III, grandson of American billionaire J. Paul Getty, is found alive near Naples, Italy, after being kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10.
1973: The American Psychiatric Association votes 13-0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
1970: Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully lands on Venus. It is the first successful soft landing on another planet.
1965: Project Gemini: Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Four orbits later, it achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7.
1961: Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death after being found guilty by an Israeli court of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people, and membership of an outlawed organization.
1960: Richard Pavlick is arrested for plotting to assassinate U.S. President-Elect John F. Kennedy.
1960: King Mahendra of Nepal suspends the country's constitution, dissolves parliament, dismisses the cabinet, and imposes direct rule.
1945: Occupation of Japan/Shinto Directive: General Douglas MacArthur orders that Shinto be abolished as the state religion of Japan.
1944: World War II: a single-engine UC-64A Norseman aeroplane carrying United States Army Air Forces Major Glenn Miller is lost in a flight over the English Channel.
1943: World War II: The Battle of Arawe begins during the New Britain campaign.
1942: World War II: The Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse begins during the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1941: The Holocaust in Ukraine: German troops murder over 15,000 Jews at Drobytsky Yar, a ravine southeast of the city of Kharkiv.
1939: Gone with the Wind (highest inflation adjusted grossing film) receives its premiere at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
1917: World War I: An armistice between Russia and the Central Powers is signed.
1914: World War I: The Serbian Army recaptures Belgrade from the invading Austro-Hungarian Army.
1914: A gas explosion at Mitsubishi Hōjō coal mine, in Kyushu, Japan, kills 687.
1906: The London Underground's Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opens.
1905: The Pushkin House is established in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to preserve the cultural heritage of Alexander Pushkin.
1903: Italian American food cart vendor Italo Marchiony receives a U.S. patent for inventing a machine that makes ice cream cones.
1899: British Army forces are defeated at the Battle of Colenso in Natal, South Africa, the third and final battle fought during the Black Week of the Second Boer War.
1893: Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World" a.k.a. the "New World Symphony") by Antonín Dvořák premieres in a public afternoon rehearsal at Carnegie Hall in New York City, followed by a concert premiere on the evening of December 16.
1890: Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull is killed on Standing Rock Indian Reservation, leading to the Wounded Knee Massacre.
1871: Sixteen-year-old telegraphist Ella Stewart keys and sends the first telegraphed message from Arizona Territory at the Deseret Telegraph Company office in Pipe Spring.
1869: The short-lived Republic of Ezo is proclaimed in the Ezo area of Japan. It is the first attempt to establish a democracy in Japan.
1864: American Civil War: The Battle of Nashville begins at Nashville, Tennessee, and ends the following day with the destruction of the Confederate Army of Tennessee as a fighting force by the Union Army of the Cumberland.
1836: The U.S. Patent Office building in Washington, D.C., nearly burns to the ground, destroying all 9,957 patents issued by the federal government to that date, as well as 7,000 related patent models.
1791: The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia General Assembly.
1778: American Revolutionary War: British and French fleets clash in the Battle of St. Lucia.
1651: Castle Cornet in Guernsey, the last stronghold which had supported the King in the Third English Civil War, surrenders.
1546: The town of Ekenäs (Finnish: Tammisaari) is founded by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden.
1467: Stephen III of Moldavia defeats Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, with the latter being injured thrice, at the Battle of Baia.
1270: The Nizari Ismaili garrison of Gerdkuh, Persia surrender after 17 years to the Mongols.
1256: Mongol forces under Hulagu enter and dismantle the Nizari Ismaili (Assassin) stronghold at Alamut Castle (in present-day Iran) as part of their offensive on Islamic southwest Asia.
1167: Sicilian Chancellor Stephen du Perche moves the royal court to Messina to prevent a rebellion.
1161: Jin-Song wars: Military officers conspire against the emperor Wanyan Liang of the Jin dynasty after a military defeat at the Battle of Caishi, and assassinate the emperor at his camp.
1025: Constantine VIII becomes sole emperor of the Byzantine Empire, 63 years after being crowned co-emperor.
687: Pope Sergius I is elected as a compromise between antipopes Paschal and Theodore.
533: Vandalic War: Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Tricamarum.

Births On This Day

2000: Kayvon Thibodeaux, American football player
1998: Chandler Canterbury, American actor
1997: Maude Apatow, American actress
1997: Zach Banks, American race car driver
1997: Magdalena Fręch, Polish tennis player
1997: Stefania LaVie Owen, New Zealand-American actress
1996: Jenifer Brening, German singer
1996: Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ukrainian footballer
1995: Jahlil Okafor, American basketball player
1993: Daniel Ochefu, American basketball player
1992: Daiamami Genki, Japanese sumo wrestler
1992: Jesse Lingard, English footballer
1992: Alex Telles, Brazilian footballer
1991: Conor Daly, American race car driver
1991: Yanni Gourde, Canadian ice hockey player
1991: Alana Haim, American musician and actress
1989: Nichole Bloom, American actress and model
1988: Erik Gustafsson, Swedish ice hockey player
1988: Emily Head, English actress
1988: Steven Nzonzi, French footballer
1987: Josh Norman, American football player
1986: Kim Junsu, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
1986: Iveta Mazáčová, Czech sprinter
1986: Keylor Navas, Costa Rican footballer
1986: Snejana Onopka, Ukrainian model
1985: Diogo Fernandes, Brazilian footballer
1984: Martyn Bernard, English high jumper
1984: Martin Škrtel, Slovak footballer
1983: Delon Armitage, Trinidadian-English rugby player
1983: René Duprée, Canadian professional wrestler
1983: Camilla Luddington, English actress
1983: Ronnie Radke, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1983: Sophia Young, Vincentian-American basketball player
1982: Charlie Cox, English actor
1982: Borja García, Spanish race car driver
1982: George O. Gore II, American actor and comedian
1982: Tatiana Perebiynis, Ukrainian tennis player
1981: Michelle Dockery, English actress
1981: Brendan Fletcher, Canadian actor and screenwriter
1981: Andy González, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
1981: Thomas Herrion, American football player (d. 2005)
1981: Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russian footballer
1980: Élodie Gossuin, French beauty pageant titleholder and model
1980: Sergio Pizzorno, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1980: Manuel Wilhelm, German rugby player
1979: Adam Brody, American actor
1979: Eric Young, Canadian-American wrestler
1978: Ned Brower, American drummer
1978: Mark Jansen, Dutch guitarist and songwriter
1978: Jerome McDougle, American football player
1977: Mehmet Aurélio, Brazilian-Turkish footballer and manager
1977: Geoff Stults, American actor and producer
1976: Baichung Bhutia, Indian footballer and manager
1976: Kim Eagles, Canadian sport shooter
1976: Aaron Miles, American baseball player and coach
1976: Todd Tichenor, American baseball player and umpire
1975: Samira Saraya, Palestinian actor, filmmaker, poet and rapper
1974: Garath Archer, English rugby player
1974: P. J. Byrne, American actor
1973: Surya Bonaly, French figure skater
1973: Ryoo Seung-wan, South Korean actor, director, and screenwriter
1972: Rodney Harrison, American football player and sportscaster
1972: Lee Jung-jae, South Korean actor
1972: Stuart Townsend, Irish actor
1972: Alexandra Tydings, American actress, director, writer and producer
1971: Clint Lowery, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1970: Frankie Dettori, Italian jockey
1970: Lawrence Funderburke, American basketball player
1970: Michael Shanks, Canadian actor, screenwriter and director
1969: Ralph Ineson, English actor
1969: Chantal Petitclerc, Canadian wheelchair racer and senator
1969: Adam Setliff, American discus thrower and lawyer
1968: Garrett Wang, American actor
1967: David Howells, English footballer and coach
1967: Mo Vaughn, American baseball player
1966: Carl Hooper, Guyanese cricketer and coach
1966: Molly Price, American actress
1964: Paul Kaye, English actor
1963: Ellie Cornell, American actress and producer
1963: Norman J. Grossfeld, American screenwriter and producer
1963: Helen Slater, American actress
1963: David Wingate, American basketball player
1962: Tim Gaines, American bass player
1962: Simon Hodgkinson, English rugby player and coach
1961: Karin Resetarits, Austrian journalist and politician
1960: Walter Werzowa, Austrian composer and producer
1959: Greg Matthews, Australian cricketer
1959: Alan Whetton, New Zealand rugby player
1959: Gary Whetton, New Zealand rugby player
1958: Carlo J. Caparas, Filipino director and producer
1958: Richard Kastle, American classical pianist
1957: Mario Marois, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
1957: Mike McAlary, American journalist and author (d. 1998)
1957: Tim Reynolds, German-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1956: John Lee Hancock, American screenwriter, film director, and producer
1956: Tony Leon, South African lawyer and politician
1955: Hector Sants, English banker
1955: Paul Simonon, English singer-songwriter and bass player
1954: Alex Cox, English film director, screenwriter, actor, non-fiction author and broadcaster
1954: Oliver Heald, English lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for England and Wales
1954: Mark Warner, American businessman and politician, 69th Governor of Virginia
1953: John R. Allen, American general and diplomat
1953: J. M. DeMatteis, American author
1953: Robert Charles Wilson, American-Canadian author
1952: Rudi Protrudi, American singer-songwriter and producer
1952: Allan Simonsen, Danish footballer and manager
1952: Julie Taymor, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1951: George Donikian, Australian journalist
1951: Joe Jordan, Scottish footballer and manager
1951: Tim Webster, Australian journalist and sportscaster
1950: Melanie Chartoff, American actress and comedian
1950: Sylvester James Gates, American theoretical physicist and professor
1949: Don Johnson, American actor
1949: Brian Roper, English economist and academic
1948: Cassandra Harris, Australian actress (d. 1991)
1948: Charlie Scott, American basketball player
1946: Carmine Appice, American drummer and songwriter
1946: Art Howe, American baseball player and manager
1946: Genny Lim, American writer
1945: Heather Booth, American civil rights activist, feminist, and political strategist
1945: Ivor Crewe, English political scientist and academic
1944: Jim Leyland, American baseball player and manager
1944: Chico Mendes, Brazilian trade union leader and activist (d. 1988)
1943: Lucien den Arend, Dutch sculptor
1942: Kathleen Blanco, American educator and politician, 54th Governor of Louisiana (d. 2019)
1940: Nick Buoniconti, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2019)
1939: Cindy Birdsong, American singer-songwriter
1939: Dave Clark, English musician and songwriter
1938: Michael Bogdanov, Welsh director and screenwriter (d. 2017)
1938: Billy Shaw, American football player
1936: Joe D'Amato, Italian director and producer (d. 1999)
1933: Bapu, Indian director and screenwriter (d. 2014)
1933: Tim Conway, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2019)
1933: Donald Woods, South African journalist and activist (d. 2001)
1932: Jesse Belvin, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1960)
1932: John Meurig Thomas, Welsh chemist and academic (d. 2020)
1931: Klaus Rifbjerg, Danish author and poet (d. 2015)
1930: Edna O'Brien, Irish novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer
1928: Ernest Ashworth, American singer-songwriter (d. 2009)
1928: Ida Haendel, Polish-English violinist and educator (d. 2020)
1928: Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian-New Zealand painter and architect (d. 2000)
1926: Bitt Pitt, Australian race car driver (d. 2017)
1925: Kasey Rogers, American actress and author (d. 2006)
1924: Frank W. J. Olver, English-American mathematician and academic (d. 2013)
1924: Ruhi Sarıalp, Turkish triple jumper and educator (d. 2001)
1923: Pierre Cossette, American producer and manager (d. 2009)
1923: Freeman Dyson, English-American physicist and mathematician (d. 2020)
1923: Uziel Gal, German-Israeli engineer, designed the Uzi gun (d. 2002)
1923: Valentin Varennikov, Russian general and politician (d. 2009)
1921: Alan Freed, American radio host (d. 1965)
1920: Gamal al-Banna, Egyptian author and scholar (d. 2013)
1920: Kurt Schaffenberger, German-American sergeant and illustrator (d. 2002)
1919: Max Yasgur, American dairy farmer and host of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair (d. 1973)
1918: Jeff Chandler, American actor (d. 1961)
1918: Chihiro Iwasaki, Japanese painter and illustrator (d. 1974)
1917: Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Indian-Pakistani linguist and lexicographer (d. 2005)
1916: Miguel Arraes, Brazilian lawyer and politician, Governor of Pernambuco (d. 2005)
1916: Buddy Cole, American pianist and conductor (d. 1964)
1916: Maurice Wilkins, New Zealand-English physicist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
1915: Eila Campbell, English geographer and cartographer (d. 1994)
1913: Roger Gaudry, Canadian chemist and businessman (d. 2001)
1913: Muriel Rukeyser, American poet, academic, and activist (d. 1980)
1911: Nicholas P. Dallis, American psychiatrist and illustrator (d. 1991)
1911: Stan Kenton, American pianist and composer (d. 1979)
1910: John Hammond, American record producer and critic (d. 1987)
1909: Sattar Bahlulzade, Azerbaijani-Russian painter (d. 1974)
1909: Eliza Atkins Gleason, American librarian (d. 2009)
1908: Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk, scholar, and author (d. 2005)
1907: Gordon Douglas, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
1907: Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect, designed the United Nations Headquarters and the Cathedral of Brasília (d. 2012)
1903: Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna (d. 1938)
1902: Robert F. Bradford, American lawyer and politician, 57th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1983)
1899: Harold Abrahams, English sprinter, lawyer, and journalist (d. 1978)
1896: Betty Smith, American author and playwright (d. 1972)
1894: Vibert Douglas, Canadian astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1988)
1894: Josef Imbach, Swiss sprinter (d. 1964)
1892: J. Paul Getty, American-English businessman and art collector, founded Getty Oil (d. 1976)
1891: A.P. Carter, American country singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1960)
1890: Harry Babcock, American pole vaulter (d. 1965)
1888: Maxwell Anderson, American journalist and playwright (d. 1959)
1886: Wanda Krahelska-Filipowicz, Polish politician and resistance fighter (d. 1968)
1886: Florence Jepperson Madsen, American contralto singer and professor of music (d. 1977)
1885: Leonid Pitamic, Slovenian lawyer, philosopher, and academic (d. 1971)
1878: Hans Carossa, German author and poet (d. 1956)
1875: Emilio Jacinto, Filipino journalist and activist (d. 1899)
1869: Leon Marchlewski, Polish chemist and academic (d. 1946)
1863: Arthur Dehon Little, American chemist and engineer (d. 1935)
1861: Charles Duryea, American engineer and businessman, co-founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (d. 1938)
1861: Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Finnish lawyer, judge, and politician, 3rd President of Finland (d. 1944)
1860: Niels Ryberg Finsen, Faroese-Danish physician and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1904)
1860: Abner Powell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1953)
1859: L. L. Zamenhof, Polish linguist and ophthalmologist, created Esperanto (d. 1917)
1852: Henri Becquerel, French physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1908)
1837: E. W. Bullinger, English minister, scholar, and theologian (d. 1913)
1832: Gustave Eiffel, French architect and engineer, co-designed the Eiffel Tower (d. 1923)
1789: Carlos Soublette, Venezuelan general and politician, 11th President of Venezuela (d. 1870)
1710: Francesco Zahra, Maltese painter (d. 1773)
1686: Jean-Joseph Fiocco, Flemish violinist and composer (d. 1746)
1657: Michel Richard Delalande, French organist and composer (d. 1726)
1610: David Teniers the Younger, Flemish painter (d. 1690)
1567: Christoph Demantius, German composer, poet, and theorist (d. 1643)
1447: Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1508)
1242: Prince Munetaka, Japanese shōgun (d. 1274)
130: Lucius Verus, Roman emperor (d. 169)
AD 37: Nero, Roman emperor (d. 68)

Deaths On This Day

2020: Saufatu Sopoanga, Tuvaluan politician, 8th Prime Minister of Tuvalu (b. 1952)
2018: Eryue He, Chinese historical fiction writer (b.1945)
2018: Girma Wolde-Giorgis, President of Ethiopia (b. 1924)
2017: Heinz Wolff, scientist and TV presenter (b. 1928)
2017: Calestous Juma, academic (b. 1953)
2016: Craig Sager, American sports journalist (b. 1951)
2015: Harry Zvi Tabor, English-Israeli physicist and engineer (b. 1917)
2014: Donald Metcalf, Australian physiologist and immunologist (b. 1929)
2014: Fausto Zapata, Mexican journalist, lawyer, and politician, Governor of San Luis Potosí (b. 1940)
2013: Harold Camping, American evangelist, author, radio host (b. 1921)
2013: Joan Fontaine, British-American actress (b. 1917)
2013: Dyron Nix, American basketball player (b. 1967)
2012: Owoye Andrew Azazi, Nigerian general (b. 1952)
2012: Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, Nigerian politician, 18th Governor of Kaduna State (b. 1948)
2012: Olga Zubarry, Argentinian actress (b. 1929)
2011: Bob Brookmeyer, American trombone player and composer (b. 1929)
2011: Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (b. 1949)
2010: Blake Edwards, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
2010: Bob Feller, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1918)
2010: Eugene Victor Wolfenstein, American psychoanalyst and theorist (b. 1940)
2009: Eliza Atkins Gleason, American librarian (b. 1909)
2009: Oral Roberts, American evangelist, founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (b. 1918)
2008: León Febres Cordero, Ecuadorian engineer and politician, 46th President of Ecuador (b. 1931)
2007: Julia Carson, American lawyer and politician (b. 1938)
2006: Clay Regazzoni, Swiss race car driver (b. 1939)
2006: Mary Stolz, American journalist and author (b. 1920)
2005: Heinrich Gross, Austrian physician and psychiatrist (b. 1914)
2005: Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (b. 1915)
2005: William Proxmire, American soldier, journalist, and politician (b. 1915)
2005: Darrell Russell, American football player (b. 1976)
2004: Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan educator and politician, Speaker of the Nauru Parliament (b. 1943)
2003: Vincent Apap, Maltese sculptor (b. 1909)
2003: George Fisher, American cartoonist (b. 1923)
2003: Keith Magnuson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1947)
2000: Haris Brkić, Bosnian-Serbian basketball player (b. 1974)
1993: William Dale Phillips, American chemist and engineer (b. 1925)
1991: Vasily Zaytsev, Russian captain (b. 1915)
1989: Edward Underdown, English actor and jockey (b. 1908)
1986: Serge Lifar, Russian-French ballet dancer and choreographer (b. 1905)
1985: Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, Mauritian physician and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Mauritius (b. 1900)
1984: Jan Peerce, American tenor and actor (b. 1904)
1980: Peter Gregg, American race car driver (b. 1940)
1978: Chill Wills, American actor (b. 1903)
1977: Wilfred Kitching, English 7th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1893)
1974: Anatole Litvak, Russian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1902)
1971: Paul Lévy, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1886)
1969: Karl Theodor Bleek, German lawyer and politician, 12th Mayor of Marburg (b. 1898)
1968: Antonio Barrette, Canadian politician, 18th Premier of Quebec (b. 1899)
1968: Jess Willard, American boxer and actor (b. 1881)
1966: Keith Arbuthnott, 15th Viscount of Arbuthnott, Indian-Scottish general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire (b. 1897)
1966: Walt Disney, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (b. 1901)
1965: M. Balasundaram, Sri Lankan journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1903)
1962: Charles Laughton, English-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1899)
1958: Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian-Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
1950: Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India (b. 1875)
1947: Arthur Machen, Welsh journalist and author (b. 1863)
1947: Crawford Vaughan, Australian politician, 27th Premier of South Australia (b. 1874)
1944: Glenn Miller, American bandleader and composer (b. 1904)
1943: Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1904)
1890: Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Lakota tribal chief (b. 1831)
1878: Alfred Bird, English chemist and businessman, invented baking powder (b. 1811)
1855: Jacques Charles François Sturm, French mathematician and academic (b. 1803)
1819: Daniel Rutherford, Scottish chemist and physician (b. 1749)
1817: Federigo Zuccari, astronomer, director of the Astronomical Observatory of Naples (b. 1783)
1812: Shneur Zalman, Russian rabbi, author and founder of Chabad (b. 1745)
1792: Joseph Martin Kraus, Swedish pianist, violinist, and composer (b. 1756)
1753: Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect and politician, designed Chiswick House (b. 1694)
1715: George Hickes, English minister and scholar (b. 1642)
1698: Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart, French nobleman (b. 1636)
1688: Gaspar Fagel, Dutch lawyer and politician (b. 1634)
1683: Izaak Walton, English author (b. 1593)
1675: Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter and educator (b. 1632)
1673: Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, English noblewoman (b. 1623)
1621: Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes, French courtier, Constable of France (b. 1578)
1598: Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde, Dutch nobleman (b. 1540)
1574: Selim II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1524)
1467: Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna, archbishop and regent of Sweden (b. 1417)
1343: Hasan Kucek, Chopanid prince (b. c. 1319)
1283: Philip I, Latin emperor (b. 1243)
1230: Ottokar I, duke of Bohemia (b. 1155)
1161: Wanyan Liang, Chinese emperor (b. 1122)
1072: Alp Arslan, Turkish sultan (b. 1029)
1025: Basil II, Byzantine emperor (b. 958)
933: Li Siyuan, Chinese emperor (b. 867)

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