On This Day in History

February 17

February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. 317 days remain until the end of the year (318 in leap years).

Lottery News On This Day

2020
Lottery exceeding expectations in Mississippi. Through a little more than two months of operation, Mississippi's lottery has generated about $16 million in revenue for work on the state's roads and bridges.
2020
Two Alaska state lottery plans are about to be debated; here's how they'd work. Alaska is one of five U.S. states without a lottery. This year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy and House Majority Leader Steve Thompson, a Republican from Fairbanks, have each offered plans to change that.
2019
South Carolina lottery winner where are you? $1.5B still unclaimed, and clock is ticking. A Mega Millions ticket worth more than $1.5 billion purchased in October, 2018, will be worthless in about two months if no one comes forward to claim the cash.
2018
CT Lottery security chief on paid leave following review of botched raffle draw. The Connecticut Lottery Corp. has placed its $139,000-a-year year security director, Alfred DuPuis, on a paid leave pending possible disciplinary action after an internal investigation concluded that he "acted with gross neglect... of his duties" leading up to a million-dollar blunder in a Jan. 1 drawing.
2016
Florida couple claims share of historic $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot. A married couple from Melbourne Beach, Florida, have claimed their one-third share of the world's biggest lottery jackpot of all time.
2014
Three $1M lottery tickets sold in W.Va. in 1 week. West Virginia has another $1 million lottery winner -- the third in one week.
2014
Homeless man wins Hungary's biggest-ever lottery. Unemployed, in debt and facing another year living on the streets, a Hungary man is now a rich man, after winning his country's biggest lottery prize.
2012
CNN producer tells what it's like to win lottery twice. A CNN Producer who claimed a $1 million lottery ticket after winning $100,000 last year says that good things don't come from scratching your life away at a lottery machine, but from faith, hard work, and giving to others.
2012
Starving horses found on lottery winner's ranch. Eight malnourished horses were found on a 40-acre ranch northeast of Sanger that is owned by a couple who a decade ago won a $40 million California Lottery jackpot.
2010
Part of stolen lottery jackpot is returned to Texas man. On Tuesday, state District Judge Bob Perkins signed an order restoring to the Grand Prairie man $395,000 seized from the bank account of a store clerk accused of stealing the winning ticket.
2010
Colorado Lottery launches new jackpot game next week. The Colorado Lottery will launch its first new Jackpot game in nine years next week.
2010
Bad news for record S. African lottery "winner". A deaf South African cleaner besieged by begging relatives after a newspaper reported he had scooped a 91 million rand (US$12 million) lottery jackpot was not the winner, the draw's organizers said on Tuesday.
2009
Dream big: Mega jackpot for tonight is $103 million. Lottery business for the Mega Millions $103 million jackpot drawing tonight is expected to be brisk.
2007
$75 million Powerball lottery jackpot claimed by N.C. prison guard. For more than two months, Jackie Alston quietly celebrated her winning Powerball ticket, quitting her job at a state prison and then putting together a team of financial advisers.
2005
Oregon Lottery rate cut has fierce opposition and support. Oregon Lottery Director Dale Penn, seeking to capture millions of additional dollars for schools and other state programs, on Tuesday proposed a nearly 50 percent rate cut for retailers offering the lottery's new electronic slot machines.
2005
Texas to use Lottery to institute video slot machines. Facing an uphill battle to amend the Texas Constitution to allow video slot machines, some Texas lawmakers are working on legislation to authorize the devices as an extension of the lottery.
2005
Lottery ticket plucked from trash wins $100,000. The Hoosier Lottery awarded the $100,000 prize after a winning ticket purchased in Shelbyville was tossed in the trash, then plucked out by a luckier person.
2005
Georgia Lottery mistake gives players extra chance to win. A mistake during a Georgia lottery Fantasy Five drawing is giving players an extra chance to cash in.
2004
One in a Mega million. Tonight at 11, millions of people across the country will hold their breath and allow themselves to imagine their biggest dreams coming true - if only for a few seconds.
2004
Mayor finds long-forgotten lottery ticket was a winner. It took some help from her daughter for the mayor of Pemberton, British Columbia, a small town north of Vancouver, to find she had a lottery ticket worth $100,000 ($US75,000).
2004
New Tennessee Lottery hasn't hurt Kentucky ticket sales yet. The new Tennessee Lottery, for now, doesn't seem to be hurting the games in surrounding states.
2004
Tennessee Lottery joins Powerball super game. Yesterday the Tennessee Lottery became the 26th lottery nationwide to join the super lotto game in which jackpots have exceeded $200 million.

Top 25 Lottery Jackpots On This Day

1.$493 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Feb 20, 2024
2.$425.3 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Feb 19, 2014
3.$365 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Feb 18, 2006
4.$361 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Feb 18, 2017
5.$316.1 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Feb 17, 2024
6.$282 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Feb 20, 2019
7.€202 Million
US$244.86 Million
Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Feb 19, 2021
8.$223 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Feb 17, 2018
9.$220 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Feb 19, 2008
10.$206 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Feb 19, 2019
11.€176 Million
US$199.34 Million
Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Feb 19, 2019
12.€160 Million
US$197.54 Million
Multi-Country
Euro Millions
Draw Date
Feb 20, 2018
13.$189 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Feb 17, 2016
14.$185 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Feb 20, 2018
15.€157.58 Million
US$179.08 Million
Draw Date
Feb 17, 2022
16.$177 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Feb 17, 2004
17.$154 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Feb 18, 2014
18.$150 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Feb 20, 2007
19.$145 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Feb 17, 2006
20.€109.02 Million
US$131.67 Million
Draw Date
Feb 18, 2021
21.$126 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Feb 19, 2011
22.€100.87 Million
US$125.2 Million
Draw Date
Feb 17, 2018
23.€107.49 Million
US$121.74 Million
Draw Date
Feb 19, 2019
24.$105 Million
Multi-State
Powerball
Draw Date
Feb 18, 2009
25.$104 Million
Multi-State
Mega Millions
Draw Date
Feb 19, 2016

Lottery Post Member Birthdays On This Day

1987
Tuesday, Feb 17, 1987
37 years old
1984
Friday, Feb 17, 1984
40 years old
1984
Friday, Feb 17, 1984
40 years old
1982
Wednesday, Feb 17, 1982
42 years old
1980
Sunday, Feb 17, 1980
44 years old
1974
Sunday, Feb 17, 1974
50 years old
1968
Saturday, Feb 17, 1968
56 years old
1967
Friday, Feb 17, 1967
57 years old
1965
Wednesday, Feb 17, 1965
59 years old
1964
Monday, Feb 17, 1964
60 years old
1963
Sunday, Feb 17, 1963
61 years old
1953
Tuesday, Feb 17, 1953
71 years old
1953
Tuesday, Feb 17, 1953
71 years old
1950
Friday, Feb 17, 1950
74 years old
1949
Thursday, Feb 17, 1949
75 years old
(year not provided)
(year not provided)
(year not provided)
(year not provided)

Worldwide Events On This Day

2016
Military vehicles explode outside a Turkish Armed Forces barracks in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least 29 people and injuring 61 others.
2015
Eighteen people are killed and 78 injured in a stampede at a Mardi Gras parade in Haiti.
2011
Arab Spring: Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi's regime begin.
2011
Arab Spring: In Bahrain, security forces launch a deadly pre-dawn raid on protesters in Pearl Roundabout in Manama; the day is locally known as Bloody Thursday.
2008
Kosovo declares independence from Serbia.
2006
A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126.
1996
In Philadelphia, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.
1996
NASA's Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros.
1996
The 8.2 Mw Biak earthquake shakes the Papua province of eastern Indonesia with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A large tsunami followed, leaving one-hundred sixty-six people dead or missing and 423 injured.
1995
The Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ends on a ceasefire brokered by the UN.
1992
First Nagorno-Karabakh War: Armenian troops massacre more than 20 Azerbaijani civilians during the Capture of Garadaghly.
1991
Ryan International Airlines Flight 590 crashes during takeoff from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, killing both pilots, the aircraft's only occupants.
1980
First winter ascent of Mount Everest by Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy.
1979
The Sino-Vietnamese War begins.
1978
The Troubles: The Provisional IRA detonates an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30 others, all Protestants.
1974
Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House in a stolen helicopter.
1972
Cumulative sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model T.
1970
Jeffrey R. MacDonald, United States Army captain, is charged with murder of his pregnant wife and two daughters.
1969
American aquanaut Berry L. Cannon dies of carbon dioxide poisoning while attempting to repair a leak in the SEALAB III underwater habitat. The SEALAB project was subsequently abandoned.
1965
Project Ranger: The Ranger 8 probe launches on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon in preparation for the crewed Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis or the "Sea of Tranquility" would become the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing.
1964
In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.
1964
Gabonese president Léon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his rival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place.
1959
Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2: The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.
1959
A Turkish Airlines Vickers Viscount crashes near Gatwick Airport, killing 14; Turkish prime minister Adnan Menderes survives the crash.
1949
Chaim Weizmann begins his term as the first President of Israel.
1948
The Alwaziri coup briefly ousts the ruling Hamidaddin dynasty of Yemen; Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din is killed.
1944
World War II: The Battle of Eniwetok begins. The battle ends in an American victory on February 22.
1944
World War II: Operation Hailstone begins: U.S. naval air, surface, and submarine attack against Truk Lagoon, Japan's main base in the central Pacific, in support of the Eniwetok invasion.
1919
The Ukrainian People's Republic asks the Entente and the United States for help fighting the Bolsheviks.
1913
The Armory Show opens in New York City, displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century.
1905
Russian Revolution of 1905: Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia is assassinated in the Moscow Kremlin by Socialist Revolutionary Ivan Kalyayev.
1865
American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina, is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.
1864
American Civil War: The H. L. Hunley becomes the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic.
1863
A group of citizens of Geneva found an International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which later became known as the International Committee of the Red Cross.
1859
Cochinchina Campaign: The French Navy captures the Citadel of Saigon, a fortress manned by 1,000 Nguyễn dynasty soldiers, en route to conquering Saigon and other regions of southern Viet Nam.
1854
The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State.
1838
Weenen massacre: Hundreds of Voortrekkers along the Blaukraans River, Natal are killed by Zulus.
1819
The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise for the first time.
1814
War of the Sixth Coalition: The Battle of Mormant.
1801
United States presidential election: A tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
1753
In Sweden February 17 is followed by March 1 as the country moves from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
1739
The Battle of Vasai commences as the Marathas move to invade Portuguese-occupied territory.
1676
Sixteen men of Pascual de Iriate's expedition are lost at Evangelistas Islets at the western end of the Strait of Magellan.
1674
An earthquake strikes the Indonesian island of Ambon. It triggers a 100 m (330 ft) megatsunami which drowns over 2,300 people.
1621
Myles Standish is appointed as first military commander of the English Plymouth Colony in North America.
1616
Nurhaci proclaims himself Khan of the Later Jin, precursor to the Qing Dynasty.
1600
On his way to be burned at the stake for heresy, at Campo de' Fiori in Rome, the philosopher Giordano Bruno has a wooden vise put on his tongue to prevent him continuing to speak.
1500
Duke Friedrich and Duke Johann attempt to subdue the peasantry of Dithmarschen, Denmark, in the Battle of Hemmingstedt.
1411
Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of Bayezid I, becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire with the support of Mircea I of Wallachia.
1370
Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.

Births On This Day

1998
Devin White, American football player
1997
Madison Keys, American tennis player
1996
Sebastian Aho, Swedish ice hockey player
1996
Sasha Pieterse, South African-American actress and singer-songwriter
1993
Marc Márquez, Spanish motorcycle racer
1992
Meaghan Martin, American actress and singer
1991
Phil Pressey, American basketball player and coach
1991
Ed Sheeran, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1991
Jeremy Allen White, American actor
1991
Bonnie Wright, English actress, filmmaker, and activist
1990
Marianne St-Gelais, Canadian speed skater
1989
Rebecca Adlington, English swimmer
1989
Chord Overstreet, American actor and singer
1988
Michael Frolík, Czech ice hockey player
1988
Case Keenum, American football player
1988
Vasyl Lomachenko, Ukrainian boxer
1987
Ísis Valverde, Brazilian actress
1986
Brett Kern, American football player
1985
Anders Jacobsen, Norwegian ski jumper
1984
AB de Villiers, South African cricketer
1984
Marcin Gortat, Polish basketball player
1984
Katie Hill, Australian 3.0 point wheelchair basketball player
1982
Adriano, Brazilian footballer
1982
Brian Bruney, American baseball player
1981
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor, director, and producer
1981
Paris Hilton, American model, media personality, actress, singer, DJ, author and businesswoman
1981
Pontus Segerström, Swedish footballer (d. 2014)
1980
Al Harrington, American basketball player
1980
Jason Ritter, American actor
1980
Klemi Saban, Israeli footballer
1979
Conrad Ricamora, American actor
1979
Josh Willingham, American baseball player
1978
Rory Kinnear, English actor and playwright
1976
Kelly Carlson, American actress and model
1975
Kaspars Astašenko, Latvian ice hockey player (d. 2012)
1975
Václav Prospal, Czech ice hockey player
1974
Kaoru, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1974
Jerry O'Connell, American actor, director, and producer
1973
Drew Barry, American basketball player
1973
Goran Bunjevčević, Serbian footballer (d. 2018)
1973
Raphaël Ibañez, French rugby player
1972
Billie Joe Armstrong, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer
1972
Philippe Candeloro, French figure skater
1972
Taylor Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2022)
1972
Valeria Mazza, Argentine model and businesswoman
1971
Denise Richards, American model and actress
1970
Dominic Purcell, English-Australian actor and producer
1969
David Douillet, French martial artist and politician
1969
Vasily Kudinov, Russian handball player (d. 2017)
1968
Giuseppe Signori, Italian footballer
1968
Wu'erkaixi, Chinese journalist and activist
1966
Luc Robitaille, Canadian ice hockey player, manager, and actor
1965
Michael Bay, American director and producer
1964
Sherry Hawco, Canadian gymnast (d. 1991)
1963
Larry the Cable Guy, American comedian and voice actor
1963
Alison Hargreaves, English mountaineer (d. 1995)
1963
Jen-Hsun Huang, Taiwanese-American businessman, co-founded Nvidia
1963
Michael Jordan, American basketball player, executive, and businessman
1962
Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor and director
1961
Angela Eagle, English politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
1961
Maria Eagle, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
1961
Andrey Korotayev, Russian anthropologist, historian, and sociologist
1960
Lindy Ruff, Canadian hockey player and coach
1959
Aryeh Deri, Moroccan-Israeli rabbi and politician, Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs
1959
Rowdy Gaines, American swimmer and sportscaster
1957
Loreena McKennitt, Canadian singer-songwriter, accordion player, and pianist
1956
Richard Karn, American actor and game show host
1955
Mo Yan, Chinese author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1954
Lou Ann Barton, American singer-songwriter
1954
Miki Berkovich, Israeli basketball player
1954
Rene Russo, American actress
1953
Becky Ann Baker, American actress
1952
Karin Büttner-Janz, German gymnast and physician
1952
Vladimír Padrůněk, Czech musician (d. 1991)
1951
Rashid Minhas, Pakistani soldier and pilot (d. 1971)
1949
Fred Frith, English guitarist and songwriter
1949
Dennis Green, American football player and coach (d. 2016)
1948
José José, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2019)
1946
Shahrnush Parsipur, Iranian-American author and academic
1945
Zina Bethune, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2012)
1945
Brenda Fricker, Irish actress
1944
Karl Jenkins, Welsh saxophonist, keyboard player, and composer
1942
Huey P. Newton, American activist, co-founded the Black Panther Party (d. 1989)
1941
Julia McKenzie, English actress, singer, and director
1940
Vicente Fernández, Mexican singer-songwriter, actor, and producer (d. 2021)
1940
Gene Pitney, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
1937
Mary Ann Mobley, American model and actress, Miss America 1959 (d. 2014)
1936
Jim Brown, American football player and actor (d. 2023)
1935
Christina Pickles, English-American actress
1934
Alan Bates, English actor (d. 2003)
1934
Barry Humphries, Australian comedian, actor, and author (d. 2023)
1933
Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (d. 2007)
1931
Jiřina Jirásková, Czech actress and singer (d. 2013)
1931
Buddy Ryan, American football coach (d. 2016)
1930
Roger Craig, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2023)
1930
Benjamin Fain, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (d. 2013)
1930
Ruth Rendell, English author (d. 2015)
1929
Alejandro Jodorowsky, Chilean-French director and screenwriter
1929
Chaim Potok, American rabbi and author (d. 2002)
1929
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (d. 1993)
1929
Patricia Routledge, English actress and singer
1928
Marta Romero, Puerto Rican actress and singer (d. 2013)
1928
Michiaki Takahashi, Japanese virologist (d. 2013)
1925
Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (d. 2003)
1925
Hal Holbrook, American actor and director (d. 2021)
1924
Margaret Truman, American singer and author (d. 2008)
1923
Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player and bandleader (d. 2014)
1922
Tommy Edwards, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 1969)
1921
Duane Gish, American biochemist and academic (d. 2013)
1920
Ivo Caprino, Norwegian director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
1920
Annie Glenn, American disability and communication disorder advocate (d. 2020)
1920
Curt Swan, American illustrator (d. 1996)
1919
J. M. S. Careless, Canadian historian and academic (d. 2009)
1919
Kathleen Freeman, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
1919
Joe Hunt, American tennis player (d. 1945)
1918
William Bronk, American poet and academic (d. 1999)
1918
Jacqueline Ferrand, French mathematician (d. 2014)
1916
Alexander Obolensky, Russian rugby player and pilot (d. 1940)
1916
Don Tallon, Australian cricketer (d. 1984)
1916
Raf Vallone, Italian footballer and actor (d. 2002)
1914
Arthur Kennedy, American actor (d. 1990)
1912
Andre Norton, American author (d. 2005)
1911
Oskar Seidlin, German-American author, poet, and scholar (d. 1984)
1910
Marc Lawrence, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
1908
Bo Yibo, Chinese general and politician, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (d. 2007)
1906
Mary Brian, American actress (d. 2002)
1905
Rózsa Péter, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1977)
1904
Hans Morgenthau, German-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1980)
1903
Sadegh Hedayat, Iranian-French author and translator (d. 1951)
1900
Ruth Clifford, American actress (d. 1998)
1899
Jibanananda Das, Bangladeshi-Indian poet and author (d. 1954)
1893
Wally Pipp, American baseball player and journalist (d. 1965)
1891
Abraham Fraenkel, German-Israeli mathematician and academic (d. 1965)
1890
Ronald Fisher, English-Australian statistician, biologist, and geneticist (d. 1962)
1888
Ronald Knox, English Catholic priest (d. 1957)
1888
Otto Stern, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1969)
1887
Joseph Bech, Luxembourgian lawyer and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1975)
1887
Leevi Madetoja, Finnish composer and critic (d. 1947)
1881
Mary Carson Breckinridge, American nurse midwife, founded Frontier Nursing Service (d. 1965)
1879
Dorothy Canfield Fisher, American educational reformer, social activist and author (d. 1958)
1877
Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and author (d. 1904)
1877
André Maginot, French sergeant and politician (d. 1932)
1874
Thomas J. Watson, American businessman (d. 1956)
1864
Jozef Murgaš, Slovak priest, botanist, and painter (d. 1929)
1864
Banjo Paterson, Australian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1941)
1862
Mori Ōgai, Japanese general, author, and poet (d. 1922)
1861
Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, duchess of Albany (d. 1922)
1854
Friedrich Alfred Krupp, German businessman (d. 1902)
1849
Joseph Favre, Swiss chef (d. 1903)
1848
Louisa Lawson, Australian poet and publisher (d. 1920)
1843
Aaron Montgomery Ward, American businessman, founded Montgomery Ward (d. 1913)
1836
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1870)
1832
Richard Henry Park, American sculptor (d. 1902)
1821
Lola Montez, Irish-American actress and dancer (d. 1861)
1820
Henri Vieuxtemps, Belgian violinist and composer (d. 1881)
1817
Édouard Thilges, Luxembourgian jurist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1904)
1799
Carl Julian (von) Graba, German lawyer and ornithologist who visited and studied the Faroe Islands (d. 1874)
1796
Philipp Franz von Siebold, German physician and botanist (d. 1866)
1781
René Laennec, French physician, invented the stethoscope (d. 1826)
1762
John Cooke, English captain (d. 1805)
1758
John Pinkerton, Scottish antiquarian, cartographer, author, numismatist and historian (d. 1826)
1754
Nicolas Baudin, French cartographer and explorer (d. 1803)
1752
Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German author and playwright (d. 1831)
1740
Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, Swiss physicist and meteorologist (d. 1799)
1723
Tobias Mayer, German astronomer and academic (d. 1762)
1653
Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1713)
1646
Pierre Le Pesant, sieur de Boisguilbert, French economist (d. 1714)
1524
Charles de Lorraine, French cardinal (d. 1574)
1519
Francis, French Grand Chamberlain (d. 1563)
1490
Charles III, duke of Bourbon (d. 1527)
1028
Al-Juwayni, Persian scholar and imam (d. 1085)
624
Wu Zetian, Chinese empress consort (d. 705)

Deaths On This Day

2021
Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author (b. 1951)
2021
Seif Sharif Hamad, Tanzanian politician (b. 1943)
2017
Robert H. Michel, American politician (b. 1923)
2017
Michael Novak, American Roman Catholic theologian (b. 1933)
2016
Andy Ganteaume, Trinidadian cricketer (b. 1921)
2016
Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, Egyptian journalist (b. 1923)
2016
Claude Jeancolas, French historian, author, and journalist (b. 1949)
2016
Tony Phillips, American baseball player (b. 1959)
2016
Andrzej Żuławski, Polish film director (b. 1940)
2015
John Barrow, American-Canadian football player and manager (b. 1935)
2015
Cathy Ubels-Veen, Dutch politician (b. 1928)
2015
Liu Yudi, Chinese general and pilot (b. 1923)
2014
Bob Casale, American guitarist, keyboard player, and producer (b. 1952)
2014
Peter Florin, German politician and diplomat, President of the United Nations General Assembly (b. 1921)
2014
Wayne Smith, Jamaican singer (b. 1965)
2013
Richard Briers, English actor (b. 1934)
2013
Shmulik Kraus, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1935)
2013
Sophie Kurys, American baseball player (b. 1925)
2013
Mindy McCready, American singer-songwriter (b. 1975)
2012
Robert Carr, English engineer and politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1916)
2012
Michael Davis, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1943)
2012
Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn, Dutch mathematician and theorist (b. 1918)
2012
Ulric Neisser, German-American psychologist and academic (b. 1928)
2010
Kathryn Grayson, American actress and singer (b. 1922)
2009
Conchita Cintrón, Chilean bullfighter and journalist (b. 1922)
2006
Ray Barretto, American drummer (b. 1929)
2006
Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1948)
2005
Dan O'Herlihy, Irish-American actor (b. 1919)
2005
Omar Sívori, Argentinian footballer and manager (b. 1935)
2004
José López Portillo, Mexican lawyer and politician, 51st President of Mexico (b. 1920)
2003
Steve Bechler, American baseball player (b. 1979)
1998
Ernst Jünger, German soldier, philosopher, and author (b. 1895)
1994
Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
1990
Jean-Marc Boivin, French mountaineer, skier, and pilot (b. 1951)
1989
Lefty Gomez, American baseball player (b. 1908)
1988
John M. Allegro, English archaeologist and scholar (b. 1923)
1988
Karpoori Thakur, Indian educator and politician, 11th Chief Minister of Bihar (b. 1924)
1986
Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (b. 1895)
1982
Nestor Chylak, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1922)
1982
Thelonious Monk, American pianist and composer (b. 1917)
1982
Lee Strasberg, American actor and director (b. 1901)
1979
William Gargan, American actor (b. 1905)
1977
Janani Luwum, Ugandan archbishop and saint (b. 1922)
1972
Friday Hassler, American race car driver (b. 1935)
1970
Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Ukrainian-Israeli novelist, short story writer, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
1970
Alfred Newman, American composer and conductor (b. 1900)
1969
Berry L. Cannon, American aquanaut (b. 1935)
1966
Hans Hofmann, German-American painter (b. 1880)
1962
Joseph Kearns, American actor (b. 1907)
1962
Bruno Walter, German-American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1876)
1961
Lütfi Kırdar, Turkish physician and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (b. 1887)
1961
Nita Naldi, American actress (b. 1894)
1948
Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, Imam of Yemen (b. 1904)
1946
Dorothy Gibson, American actress and singer (b. 1889)
1939
Willy Hess, German violinist and educator (b. 1859)
1934
Albert I of Belgium (b. 1875)
1934
Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player and theoretician (b. 1862)
1924
Oskar Merikanto, Finnish composer (b. 1868)
1919
Wilfrid Laurier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1841)
1912
Edgar Evans, Welsh sailor and explorer (b. 1876)
1909
Geronimo, American tribal leader (b. 1829)
1905
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, fifth son and seventh child of Tsar Alexander II (b. 1857)
1905
William Bickerton, English-American religious leader, leader in the Latter Day Saint movement (b. 1815)
1890
Christopher Latham Sholes, American publisher and politician (b. 1819)
1874
Adolphe Quetelet, Belgian astronomer, mathematician, and sociologist (b. 1796)
1856
Heinrich Heine, German journalist and poet (b. 1797)
1854
John Martin, English painter, engraver, and illustrator (b. 1789)
1849
María de las Mercedes Barbudo, Puerto Rican political activist, the first woman Independentista in the island (b. 1773)
1841
Ferdinando Carulli, Italian guitarist and composer (b. 1770)
1768
Arthur Onslow, English lawyer and politician, Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1691)
1732
Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (b. 1669)
1715
Antoine Galland, French orientalist and archaeologist (b. 1646)
1680
Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, English politician (b. 1599)
1680
Jan Swammerdam, Dutch biologist, zoologist, and entomologist (b. 1637)
1673
Molière, French actor and playwright (b. 1622)
1659
Abel Servien, French politician, French Minister of Finance (b. 1593)
1624
Juan de Mariana, Spanish priest and historian (b. 1536)
1609
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1549)
1600
Giordano Bruno, Italian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1548)
1500
Adolph, Count of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst, German noble (b. before 1463)
1371
Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
1339
Otto, Duke of Austria (b. 1301)
1220
Theobald I, Duke of Lorraine
1178
Evermode of Ratzeburg, bishop of Ratzeburg
923
Al-Tabari, Persian scholar (b. 839)
440
Mesrop Mashtots, Armenian monk, linguist, and theologian (b. 360)
364
Jovian, Roman emperor (b. 331)