Geopolitical Chess: The Ukraine-Russia saga continues to escalate, with reports of new missile engagements that have some folks whispering about the echoes of a larger conflict. It's like watching two space fleets in a game of "who can push the big red button first?"
Cultural and Environmental Oddities: Amidst all this, there's always room for the bizarre or heartwarming. From land lotteries in Germany to a lion cub's transfer in Beirut, it's like humanity's tapestry is woven with both conflict and culture, with a dash of absurdity.
Nuclear Rhetoric: Kim Jong Un, not wanting to be left out of the global drama, threw in some nuclear threats for good measure. It's as if he's saying, "Hey, look at me, I can also end the world in a spectacular fashion!"
King Cyrus the Great of Persia is born AI analysis
Roman Emperor Julian receives intelligence about the Persian army while at Ctesiphon AI analysis
Malcolm II of Scotland dies AI analysis
The White Ship sinks in the English Channel AI analysis
The siege of Granada, the last Arab stronghold in Spain, begins AI analysis
Spanish conquistador Lope de Aguirre dies AI analysis
British troops evacuate New York City AI analysis
Alfred Nobel patents dynamite AI analysis
Albert Einstein presents his General Theory of Relativity AI analysis
The Anti-Comintern Pact is signed by Germany and Japan AI analysis
Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" opens in London AI analysis
First episode of "Doctor Who" airs on BBC AI analysis
Greek President George Papadopoulos is ousted in a military coup AI analysis
Band Aid records "Do They Know It's Christmas?" AI analysis
U.S. President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act AI analysis
The first direct flights between Taiwan and mainland China since 1949 begin AI analysis
The Arab Spring protests reach Yemen AI analysis
First flight of the de Havilland Mosquito aircraft AI analysis
The Launch of SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) AI analysis
New Zealand becomes a dominion AI analysis
Catherine Cornaro
Queen of Cyprus
(d. 1510)
Thomas Dacre
2nd Baron Dacre, Knight of Henry VIII of England
(d. 1525)
Osanna of Cattaro
Dominican visionary and anchoress
(d. 1565)
Lope de Vega
Spanish playwright and poet
(d. 1635)
John Heminges
English actor
(d. 1630)
Piet Pieterszoon Hein
Dutch admiral
(d. 1629)
Sir Gervase Clifton
1st Baronet, English politician
(d. 1666)
Henrietta Maria of France
Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland
(d. 1669)
Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri
Italian violin maker
(d. 1740)
Jean-François Séguier
French astronomer and botanist
(d. 1784)
Johann Friedrich Reichardt
German composer and critic
(d. 1814)
Robert Townsend
American spy
(d. 1838)
John Armstrong
Jr., American general and politician, 7th United States Secretary of War
(d. 1843)
Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck
English author and activist
(d. 1856)
Franz Xaver Gruber
Austrian organist and composer
(d. 1863)
Julius Robert von Mayer
German physician and physicist
(d. 1878)
William Sawyer
Canadian merchant and politician
(d. 1904)
John Bigelow
American lawyer and politician, United States Ambassador to France
(d. 1911)
Andrew Carnegie
Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist
(d. 1919)
Ernst Schröder
German mathematician and academic
(d. 1902)
Henry Ware Eliot
American businessman and philanthropist
(d. 1919)
Karl Benz
German engineer and businessman, founded Mercedes-Benz
(d. 1929)
José Maria de Eça de Queirós
Portuguese-French journalist and author
(d. 1900)
Carrie Nation
American activist
(d. 1911)
Alfred Capus
French journalist, author, and playwright
(d. 1922)
Ethelbert Nevin
American pianist and composer
(d. 1901)
Gustaf Söderström
Swedish tug of war competitor, shot putter, and discus thrower
(d. 1958)
Kate Gleason
American engineer, businesswoman, and philanthropist
(d. 1933)
Talaat Harb
Egyptian economist, founded the Banque Misr
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Ernest Louis
Grand Duke of Hesse
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Ben Lindsey
American lawyer and judge
(d. 1934)
Winthrop Ames
American director, producer, and playwright
(d. 1937)
Maurice Denis
French painter of Les Nabis movement
(d. 1943)
Robert Maysack
American gymnast and triathlete
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Albert Henry Krehbiel
American painter and illustrator
(d. 1945)
Joe Gans
American boxer
(d. 1910)
Harley Granville-Barker
British actor, director and playwright
(d. 1946)
John Flynn
Australian minister and pilot, founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
(d. 1951)
Elsie J. Oxenham
English author
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Jacob Fichman
Romanian-Israeli poet and critic
(d. 1958)
Harvey Spencer Lewis
American mystic and author
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Nikolai Vavilov
Russian botanist and geneticist
(d. 1943)
Reşat Nuri Güntekin
Turkish author and playwright
(d. 1956)
Isaac Rosenberg
English soldier and poet
(d. 1918)
Ōnishiki Uichirō
Japanese sumo wrestler, the 26th Yokozuna
(d. 1941)
Joseph Wood Krutch
American author and critic
(d. 1970)
Wilhelm Kempff
German pianist and composer
(d. 1991)
Anastas Mikoyan
Soviet politician, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
(d. 1978)
Helen Hooven Santmyer
American poet and author
(d. 1986)
Ludvík Svoboda
Czech general and politician, 8th President of Czechoslovakia
(d. 1979)
Albertus Soegijapranata
Indonesian archbishop
(d. 1963)
Virgil Thomson
American composer and critic
(d. 1989)
Debaki Bose
Indian actor, director, and screenwriter
(d. 1971)
Aarne Viisimaa
Estonian tenor and director
(d. 1989)
Rudolf Höss
German SS officer
(d. 1947)
Helen Gahagan Douglas
American actress and politician
(d. 1980)
Arthur Liebehenschel
German SS officer
(d. 1948)
Eddie Shore
Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
(d. 1985)
Lillian Copeland
American discus thrower and shot putter
(d. 1964)
Toni Ortelli
Italian composer and conductor
(d. 2000)
Samiha Ayverdi
Turkish mystic and author
(d. 1993)
Alice Ambrose
American philosopher and logician
(d. 2001)
John Stuart Hindmarsh
English race car driver and pilot
(d. 1938)
Natyaguru Nurul Momen
Bangladeshi playwright, author, educator, director and media personality
(d. 1990)
P. D. Eastman
American author and illustrator
(d. 1986)
Roelof Frankot
Dutch painter and photographer
(d. 1984)
Lewis Thomas
American physician, etymologist, and educator
(d. 1993)
Joe DiMaggio
American baseball player and coach
(d. 1999)
Léon Zitrone
Russian-French journalist
(d. 1995)
Augusto Pinochet
Chilean general and politician, 30th President of Chile
(d. 2006)
Armando Villanueva
Peruvian politician, 121st Prime Minister of Peru
(d. 2013)
Peg Lynch
American actress and screenwriter
(d. 2015)
Luigi Poggi
Italian cardinal
(d. 2010)
Alparslan Türkeş
Cypriot-Turkish colonel and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
(d. 1997)
Norman Tokar
American director, producer, and screenwriter
(d. 1979)
Shelagh Fraser
English actress
(d. 2000)
Ricardo Montalbán
Mexican-American actor, singer, and director
(d. 2009)
Noel Neill
American actress
(d. 2016)
Ilja Hurník
Czech composer and playwright
(d. 2013)
Fernance B. Perry
Portuguese-American businessman and philanthropist
(d. 2014)
Mauno Koivisto
Finnish banker and politician, 9th President of Finland
(d. 2017)
Art Wall Jr.
American golfer
(d. 2001)
Paul Desmond
American saxophonist and composer
(d. 1977)
Sybil Stockdale
American activist, co-founded the National League of Families
(d. 2015)
Takaaki Yoshimoto
Japanese poet, philosopher, and critic
(d. 2012)
Poul Anderson
American author
(d. 2001)
Jeffrey Hunter
American actor and producer
(d. 1969)
Ranganath Misra
Indian lawyer and jurist, 21st Chief Justice of India
(d. 2012)
John K. Cooley
American journalist and author
(d. 2008)
Judy Crichton
American director and producer
(d. 2007)
Nat Adderley
American cornet and trumpet player
(d. 2000)
Takayo Fischer
American actress and singe
r
Kathryn Crosby
American actress and singer
(d. 2024)
Robert Berner
American geologist and academic
(d. 2015)
Trisha Brown
American dancer and choreographer
(d. 2017)
Erol Güngör
Turkish sociologist and psychologist
(d. 1983)
Rosanna Schiaffino
Italian actress
(d. 2009)
Martin Feldstein
American economist and academic
(d. 2019)
Reinhard Furrer
Austrian-German physicist and astronaut
(d. 1995)
Joe Gibbs
American football coach and auto racing executiv
e
Karl Offmann
Mauritian politician, 3rd President of Mauritius
(d. 2022)
Shyamal Kumar Sen
Indian jurist and politician, 21st Governor of West Benga
l
Percy Sledge
American singer
(d. 2015)
Christos Papanikolaou
Greek pole vaulte
r
Gerald Seymour
English journalist and autho
r
Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi
Pakistani spiritual leader and autho
r
Bob Lind
American singer-songwriter and guitaris
t
Mimis Papaioannou
Greek footballer and manager
(d. 2023)
Jerry Portnoy
American singer-songwriter and harmonica playe
r
Ben Stein
American actor, television personality, game show host, lawyer, and autho
r
Michael Kijana Wamalwa
Kenyan lawyer and politician, 8th Vice President of Kenya
(d. 2003)
Gail Collins
American journalist and autho
r
Patrick Nagel
American painter and illustrator
(d. 1984)
George Webster
American football player
(d. 2007)
Marc Brown
American author and illustrato
r
Mike Doyle
English footballer
(d. 2011)
Jonathan Kaplan
French-American director and produce
r
John Larroquette
American acto
r
Jacques Dupuis
Canadian lawyer and politician, 14th Deputy Premier of Quebe
c
Lars Eighner
American author
(d. 2021)
Kerry O'Keeffe
Australian cricketer and sportscaste
r
Chris Claremont
English-American autho
r
Giorgio Faletti
Italian author, screenwriter, and actor
(d. 2014)
Alexis Wright
Australian autho
r
Bucky Dent
American baseball player and manage
r
Charlaine Harris
American author and poe
t
Bill Morrissey
American singer-songwriter
(d. 2011)
Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Spanish author and journalis
t
Johnny Rep
Dutch footballer and manage
r
Crescent Dragonwagon
American author and educato
r
John Lynch
American businessman and politician, 80th Governor of New Hampshir
e
Gabriele Oriali
Italian footballer and manage
r
Graham Eadie
Australian rugby league player and coac
h
Mark Frost
American author, screenwriter, and produce
r
Jeffrey Skilling
American businessma
n
Don Hahn
American director and produce
r
Kurt Niedermayer
German footballer and manage
r
Connie Palmen
Dutch autho
r
Bruno Tonioli
Italian dancer and choreographe
r
Bob Ehrlich
American lawyer and politician, 60th Governor of Marylan
d
Naomi Oreskes
American historian of scienc
e
Charles Kennedy
Scottish journalist and politician
(d. 2015)
Steve Rothery
English guitarist and songwrite
r
Amy Grant
American singer-songwrite
r
John F. Kennedy Jr.
American lawyer, journalist, and publisher
(d. 1999)
Paul Comstive
English footballer
(d. 2013)
Gilbert Delorme
Canadian ice hockey player and coac
h
Hironobu Sakaguchi
Japanese videogame designe
r
Jimon Terakado
Japanese comedian and acto
r
Kevin Chamberlin
American actor and directo
r
Holly Cole
Canadian singer and actres
s
Chip Kelly
American football player and coac
h
Mark Lanegan
American singer-songwriter
(d. 2022)
Tim Armstrong
American musician, songwriter, and produce
r
Cris Carter
American football player, coach, and sportscaste
r
Billy Burke
American acto
r
Stacy Lattisaw
American R&B singe
r
Anthony Nesty
Surinamese swimme
r
Gregg Turkington
Australian comedian and singe
r
Jill Hennessy
Canadian actress and singe
r
Erick Sermon
American rapper and produce
r
Anthony Peeler
American basketball playe
r
Christina Applegate
American actres
s
Magnus Arvedson
Swedish ice hockey player and coac
h
Göksel Demirpençe
Turkish singer-songwrite
r
Gerard King
American basketball playe
r
Deepa Marathe
Indian crickete
r
Petteri Nummelin
Finnish ice hockey playe
r
Steven de Jongh
Dutch cyclis
t
Octavio Dotel
Dominican baseball playe
r
Erick Strickland
American basketball playe
r
Eddie Steeples
American actor, producer, and screenwrite
r
Kenneth Mitchell
Canadian actor
(d. 2024)
Abdelkader Benali
Moroccan-Dutch journalist and autho
r
Kristian Nairn
Northern Irish actor and D
J
Clint Mathis
American soccer player and coac
h
Donovan McNabb
American football player and sportscaste
r
Olena Vitrychenko
Ukrainian gymnast and coac
h
Guillermo Cañas
Argentinian tennis playe
r
Jill Flint
American actres
s
Marcus Marshall
Australian race car drive
r
Ringo Sheena
Japanese singer-songwriter and produce
r
Jerry Ferrara
American acto
r
Joel Kinnaman
Swedish acto
r
John-Michael Liles
American ice hockey playe
r
Josh Mathews
American wrestler and sportscaste
r
Aaron Mokoena
South African footballe
r
Alviro Petersen
South African crickete
r
Nick Swisher
American baseball playe
r
Steffen Thier
German rugby playe
r
Xabi Alonso
Spanish footballe
r
Lee Bum-ho
South Korean baseball playe
r
Barbara Pierce Bush
American activis
t
Jenna Bush Hager
American journalis
t
Jared Jeffries
American basketball playe
r
Chevon Troutman
American basketball playe
r
Mitchell Claydon
Australian-English crickete
r
Michael Garnett
Canadian ice hockey playe
r
Jhulan Goswami
Indian crickete
r
Peter Siddle
Australian crickete
r
Gaspard Ulliel
French actor
(d. 2022)
Remona Fransen
Dutch pentathlet
e
Katie Cassidy
American actres
s
Trevor Booker
American basketball playe
r
Nodar Kumaritashvili
Georgian luger
(d. 2010)
Jay Spearing
English footballe
r
Tom Dice
Belgian singer-songwrite
r
Stephanie Hsu
American actres
s
Philipp Grubauer
German ice hockey playe
r
Ana Bogdan
Romanian tennis player
Danny Kent
English motorcycle race
r
Dennis Smith Jr.
American basketball playe
r
Talen Horton-Tucker
American basketball playe
r
Kaja Juvan
Slovenian tennis playe
r
Bilge Khagan
Turkic emperor
(b. 683)
William Adelin
son of Henry I of England
(sinking of the White Ship) (b. 1103)
Prince Koreyasu
Japanese shōgun
(b. 1264)
Philip II
Prince of Taranto
(b. 1329)
Jacques Cœur
French merchant and banker
(b. 1395)
Andrea Doria
Italian admiral
(b. 1466)
Hu Zongxian
Chinese general
(b. 1512)
Edward Alleyn
English actor, founded Dulwich College
(b. 1566)
Ismaël Bullialdus
French astronomer and mathematician
(b. 1605)
Stephanus Van Cortlandt
American lawyer and politician, 10th Mayor of New York City
(b. 1643)
Isaac Watts
English hymnwriter and theologian
(b. 1674)
Johann Georg Pisendel
German violinist and composer
(b. 1687)
Richard Glover
English poet and politician
(b. 1712)
Heinrich Barth
German explorer and scholar
(b. 1821)
Hermann Kolbe
German chemist and academic
(b. 1818)
Thomas A. Hendricks
American lawyer and politician, 21st Vice President of the United States
(b. 1819)
Edward P. Allen
American lawyer and politician
(b. 1839)
Gaston Chevrolet
French-American racing driver and businessman
(b. 1892)
N. E. Brown
English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents
(b. 1849)
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
American lawyer and judge
(b. 1866)
Kanbun Uechi
Japanese martial artist, founded Uechi-ryū
(b. 1877)
Bill Robinson
American actor and dancer
(b. 1878)
Mao Anying
Chinese general
(b. 1922)
Johannes V. Jensen
Danish author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
(b. 1873)
Gustaf John Ramstedt
Finnish linguist and diplomat
(b. 1873)
Alexander Dovzhenko
Ukrainian-Russian director, producer, and screenwriter
(b. 1894)
Gérard Philipe
French actor
(b. 1922)
Hubert Van Innis
Belgian archer
(b. 1866)
Alexander Marinesko
Russian lieutenant
(b. 1913)
Myra Hess
English pianist and educator
(b. 1890)
Upton Sinclair
American novelist, critic, and essayist
(b. 1878)
Paul Siple
American geographer and explorer
(b. 1908)
Yukio Mishima
Japanese author, actor, and director
(b. 1925)
Henri Coandă
Romanian engineer, designed the Coandă-1910
(b. 1886)
Hans Scharoun
German architect
(b. 1893)
Laurence Harvey
Lithuania-born English actor
(b. 1928)
Nick Drake
English singer-songwriter and guitarist
(b. 1948)
U Thant
Burmese lawyer and diplomat, 3rd Secretary-General of the United Nations
(b. 1909)
Herbert Flam
American tennis player
(b. 1928)
Jack Albertson
American actor and singer
(b. 1907)
Saleem Raza (Pakistani singer)
Pakistani Christian playback singer
(b. 1932)
Yashwantrao Chavan
Indian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of India
(b. 1913)
Geoffrey Grigson
English poet and critic
(b. 1905)
Franz Hildebrandt
German pastor and theologian
(b. 1909)
Harold Washington
American lawyer and politician, 51st Mayor of Chicago
(b. 1922)
Alva R. Fitch
American general
(b. 1907)
Merab Mamardashvili
Georgian philosopher and academic
(b. 1930)
Eleanor Audley
American actress and voice artist
(b. 1905)
Léon Zitrone
Russian-French journalist
(b. 1914)
Hastings Banda
Malawian physician and politician, 1st President of Malawi
(b. 1898)
Nelson Goodman
American philosopher and academic
(b. 1906)
Flip Wilson
American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
(b. 1933)
Valentín Campa
Mexican union leader and politician
(b. 1904)
Hugh Alexander
American baseball player and scout
(b. 1917)
Karel Reisz
Czech-English director and producer
(b. 1926)
Ed Paschke
American painter and academic
(b. 1939)
George Best
Northern Irish footballer
(b. 1946)
Richard Burns
English rally driver
(b. 1971)
Luciano Bottaro
Italian author and illustrator
(b. 1931)
Valentín Elizalde
Mexican singer-songwriter
(b. 1979)
Phyllis Fraser
American actress and publisher, co-founded Beginner Books
(b. 1916)
Kenneth M. Taylor
American lieutenant and pilot
(b. 1919)
Peter Lipton
American philosopher and academic
(b. 1954)
Leonard Goodwin
British protozoologist
(b. 1915)
Alfred Balk
American journalist and author
(b. 1930)
Peter Christopherson
English keyboard player, songwriter, and director
(b. 1955)
C. Scott Littleton
American anthropologist and academic
(b. 1933)
Bernard Matthews
English businessman, founded Bernard Matthews Farms
(b. 1930)
Vasily Alekseyev
Russian weightlifter and coach
(b. 1942)
Coco Robicheaux
American singer-songwriter and guitarist
(b. 1947)
Lars Hörmander
Swedish mathematician and educator
(b. 1931)
Dave Sexton
English footballer and manager
(b. 1930)
Dinah Sheridan
English actress
(b. 1920)
Jim Temp
American football player and businessman
(b. 1933)
Lou Brissie
American baseball player
(b. 1924)
Ricardo Fort
Argentinian businessman
(b. 1968)
Bill Foulkes
English footballer and manager
(b. 1932)
Chico Hamilton
American drummer and bandleader
(b. 1921)
Egon Lánský
Czech journalist and politician
(b. 1934)
Al Plastino
American author and illustrator
(b. 1921)
Irvin J. Borowsky
American publisher and philanthropist
(b. 1924)
Sitara Devi
Indian dancer, and choreographer
(b. 1920)
Petr Hapka
Czech composer and conductor
(b. 1944)
Denham Harman
American biogerontologist and academic
(b. 1916)
O'Neil Bell
Jamaican boxer
(b. 1974)
Jeremy Black
English admiral
(b. 1932)
Svein Christiansen
Norwegian drummer and composer
(b. 1941)
Lennart Hellsing
Swedish author and translator
(b. 1919)
Elmo Williams
American director, producer, and editor
(b. 1913)
Fidel Castro
Communist leader of Cuba, and revolutionary
(b. 1926)
Ron Glass
American actor
(b. 1945)
Diego Maradona
Argentinian football player
(b. 1960)
Terry Venables
English football player and manager
(b.1943)