[edit]

• 598 – Balkan Campaign: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro-Slavic hordes are decimated by the plague.
• 1282 – The people of Sicily rebel against the Angevin king Charles I, in what becomes known as the Sicilian Vespers.
• 1296 – Edward I sacks Berwick-upon-Tweed, during armed conflict between Scotland and England.
• 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: Sixth Coalition forces march into Paris.
• 1815 – Joachim Murat issues the Rimini Proclamation which would later inspire Italian Unification.
• 1822 – The Florida Territory is created in the United States.
• 1841 – The National Bank of Greece is founded in Athens.
• 1842 – Ether anesthesia is used for the first time, in an operation by the American surgeon Dr. Crawford Long.
• 1844 – One of the most important battles of the Dominican War of Independence from Haiti takes place near the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.
• 1855 – Origins of the American Civil War: Bleeding Kansas – "Border Ruffians" from Missouri invade Kansas and force election of a pro-slavery legislature.
• 1856 – The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Crimean War.
• 1863 – Danish prince Wilhelm Georg is chosen as King George of Greece.
• 1867 – Alaska is purchased from Russia for $7.2 million, about 2-cent/acre ($4.19/km²), by United States Secretary of State William H. Seward.
• 1870 – Texas is readmitted to the Union following Reconstruction.
• 1885 – The Battle for Kushka triggers the Panjdeh Incident which nearly gives rise to war between the British Empire and Russian Empire.
• 1899 – German Society of Chemistry issues an invitation to other national scientific organizations to appoint delegates to the International Committee on Atomic Weights.
• 1909 – The Queensboro Bridge in New York City opens, linking Manhattan and Queens.
• 1910 – The Mississippi Legislature founds The University of Southern Mississippi.
• 1912 – Sultan Abdelhafid signs the Treaty of Fez, making Morocco a French protectorate.
• 1918 – Outburst of bloody March Events in Baku and other locations of Baku Governorate.
• 1939 – The Heinkel He 100 fighter sets a world airspeed record of 463 mph (745km/h).
• 1939 – Detective Comics #27 is released, introducing Batman.
• 1940 – Second Sino-Japanese War: Japan declares Nanking capital of a new Chinese puppet government, nominally controlled by Wang Jingwei.
• 1944 – World War II: Allied bombers conduct their most severe bombing run on Sofia, Bulgaria.
• 1944 – Allied bombing raid on Nuremberg. Along the English eastern coast 795 aircraft are despatched, including 572 Lancasters, 214 Halifaxes and 9 Mosquitos. The bombers meet resistance at the coasts of Belgium and the Netherlands from German fighters. In total, 95 bombers are lost, making it the largest RAF Bomber Command loss of World War II.
• 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces invade Austria and capture Vienna; Polish and Soviet forces liberate Danzig.
• 1949 – A riot breaks out in Austurvöllur square in Reykjavík, when Iceland joins NATO.
• 1954 – The Yonge Street subway line opens in Toronto. It is the first subway in Canada.
• 1961 – The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs is signed in New York City.
• 1964 – Jeopardy!, hosted by Art Fleming debuts.
• 1965 – Vietnam War: A car bomb explodes in front of the United States Embassy, Saigon, killing 22 and wounding 183 others.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: The Easter Offensive begins after North Vietnamese forces cross into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of South Vietnam.
• 1976 – The first Land Day protests are held in Israel/Palestine.
• 1979 – Airey Neave, a British Member of Parliament, is killed by a car bomb as he exits the Palace of Westminster. The Irish National Liberation Army claims responsibility.
• 1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley, Jr. Another two people are wounded at the same time.
• 1982 – Space Shuttle program: STS-3 Mission is completed with the landing of Columbia at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
• 2006 – The United Kingdom Terrorism Act 2006 becomes a law.
• 2009 – Twelve gunmen attack the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore, Pakistan.

Births[edit]

• 1326 – Ivan II of Moscow (d. 1359)
• 1432 – Mehmed the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan (d. 1481)
• 1566 – Carlo Gesualdo, Italian nobleman, lutenist, composer and murderer (d. 1613)
• 1606 – Vincentio Reinieri, Italian mathematician and astronomer (d. 1647)
• 1640 – John Trenchard, English politician (d. 1695)
• 1727 – Tommaso Traetta, Italian composer (d. 1779)
• 1746 – Francisco Goya, Spanish painter (d. 1828)
• 1750 – John Stafford Smith, English organist and composer (d. 1836)
• 1793 – Juan Manuel de Rosas, Argentinian politician, army officer, and caudillo (d. 1877)
• 1805 – Ferdinand Johann Wiedemann, German-Swedish linguist (d. 1887)
• 1811 – Robert Bunsen, German chemist (d. 1899)
• 1820 – Anna Sewell, English author (d. 1878)
• 1844 – Paul Verlaine, French poet (d. 1896)
• 1853 – Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter (d. 1890)
• 1857 – Léon Charles Thévenin, French engineer (d. 1926)
• 1858 – Siegfried Alkan, German composer (d. 1941)
• 1863 – Mary Calkins, American philosopher and psychologist (d. 1930)
• 1864 – Franz Oppenheimer, German-American sociologist and economist (d. 1943)
• 1874 – Charles Lightoller, English 2nd officer on the RMS Titanic (d. 1952)
• 1874 – Josiah McCracken, American thrower and football player (d. 1962)
• 1874 – Nicolae Rădescu, Romanian army officer and politician, Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1953)
• 1875 – Thomas Xenakis, Greek gymnast (d. 1942)
• 1879 – Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (d. 1954)
• 1880 – Seán O'Casey, Irish playwright (d. 1964)
• 1882 – Melanie Klein, Austrian-English psychoanalyst (d. 1960)
• 1892 – Stefan Banach, Polish mathematician (d. 1945)
• 1892 – Fortunato Depero, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1960)
• 1892 – Erhard Milch, German field marshal (d. 1972)
• 1892 – Erwin Panofsky, German art historian (d. 1968)
• 1892 – Johannes Pääsuke, Estonian photographer and director (d. 1918)
• 1894 – Tommy Green, English race walker (d. 1975)
• 1894 – Sergey Ilyushin, Russian engineer, founded Ilyushin Aircraft Company (d. 1977)
• 1895 – Jean Giono, French author (d. 1970)
• 1895 – Charlie Wilson, English footballer (d. 1971)
• 1899 – Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, Indian author (d. 1970)
• 1902 – Brooke Astor, American philanthropist (d. 2007)
• 1902 – Frieda Szwillus, German super-centenarian (d. 2014)
• 1902 – Ted Heath, English trombonist and composer (d. 1969)
• 1903 – Countee Cullen, American poet (d. 1946)
• 1903 – Joy Ridderhof, American missionary (d. 1984)
• 1904 – Ripper Collins, American baseball player (d. 1970)
• 1905 – Mikio Oda, Japanese triple jumper (d. 1998)
• 1905 – Albert Pierrepoint, English hangman (d. 1992)
• 1907 – Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte, German colonel (d. 1994)
• 1910 – Józef Marcinkiewicz, Polish mathematician (d. 1940)
• 1912 – Alvin Hamilton, Canadian politician (d. 2004)
• 1913 – Marc Davis, American animator (d. 2000)
• 1913 – Richard Helms, American diplomat, 8th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 2002)
• 1913 – Frankie Laine, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2007)
• 1913 – Ċensu Tabone, Maltese politician, 4th President of Malta (d. 2012)
• 1914 – Sonny Boy Williamson, American singer and harmonica player (d. 1948)
• 1917 – Els Aarne, Estonian composer and pedagogue (d. 1995)
• 1919 – McGeorge Bundy, American diplomat, 6th United States National Security Advisor (d. 1996)
• 1919 – Robin M. Williams, New Zealand mathematician and academic (d. 2013)
• 1921 – André Fontaine, French historian and journalist (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Tony Honoré, English lawyer and jurist
• 1922 – Turhan Bey, Austrian-American actor (d. 2012)
• 1922 – Arthur Wightman, American physicist (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Milton Acorn, Canadian poet (d. 1986)
• 1924 – Alan Davidson, English historian and author (d. 2003)
• 1926 – Ingvar Kamprad, Swedish businessman, founded IKEA
• 1926 – Peter Marshall, American actor, singer, and game show host
• 1926 – Werner Torkanowsky, German-American conductor (d. 1992)
• 1926 – Larissa Volpert, Russian chess player
• 1927 – Robert Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Ilminster, English civil servant and scholar
• 1928 – Robert Badinter, French lawyer and politician, French Minister of Justice
• 1928 – Tom Sharpe, English-Spanish author (d. 2013)
• 1929 – Richard Dysart, American actor
• 1929 – Ray Musto, American soldier and politician (d. 2014)
• 1929 – István Rózsavölgyi, Hungarian middle-distance runner (d. 2012)
• 1930 – John Astin, American actor and director
• 1930 – Nicolas Browne-Wilkinson, Baron Browne-Wilkinson, English judge and politician
• 1930 – Rolf Harris, Australian-English singer-songwriter
• 1933 – Luis Bacalov, Argentinian-Italian composer
• 1933 – Jean-Claude Brialy, French actor and director (d. 2007)
• 1933 – George Morfogen, American actor
• 1934 – Paul Crouch, American broadcaster, co-founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Hans Hollein, Austrian architect, designed Haas House (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Karl Berger, German pianist and composer
• 1935 – Willie Galimore, American football player (d. 1964)
• 1937 – Warren Beatty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1937 – Ian MacLaurin, Baron MacLaurin of Knebworth, English businessman
• 1938 – John Barnhill, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
• 1938 – Klaus Schwab, German economist, founded the World Economic Forum
• 1940 – Jerry Lucas, American basketball player
• 1940 – Hans Ragnemalm, Swedish lawyer and judge
• 1941 – Graeme Edge, English singer-songwriter and drummer (Moody Blues)
• 1941 – Ron Johnston, English geographer and academic
• 1941 – Wasim Sajjad, Pakistan lawyer and politician, President of Pakistan
• 1941 – Bob Smith, American politician
• 1942 – Ruben Kun, Nauruan politician, 14th President of Nauru
• 1942 – Kenneth Welsh, Canadian actor
• 1943 – Sarah Badel, English actress
• 1943 – Ken Forssi, American bass player (The Surfaris and Love) (d. 1998)
• 1943 – Al Goodman, American singer Ray, Goodman & Brown (d. 2010)
• 1943 – Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa, Malagasy sprinter
• 1943 – Jay Traynor, American singer (The Mystics and Jay and the Americans) (d. 2014)
• 1945 – Eric Clapton, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Yardbirds, Cream, The Dirty Mac, Blind Faith, and Free Creek)
• 1945 – Ron Garvin, Canadian-American wrestler
• 1945 – S.D. Jones, Antiguan wrestler (d. 2008)
• 1945 – Johnnie Walker, English radio host
• 1946 – Elhanan Helpman, Israeli-American economist
• 1946 – Mohammad Hashem Pesaran, Iranian-English economist
• 1947 – Ryszard Kotla, Polish journalist and author
• 1947 – Terje Venaas, Norwegian bassist
• 1947 – Dick Roche, Irish politician, Minister of State for European Affairs
• 1948 – Mervyn King, English economist and academic
• 1948 – Nigel Jones, Baron Jones of Cheltenham, English politician
• 1948 – Eddie Jordan, Irish race car driver, founded Jordan Grand Prix
• 1949 – Sue Cook, English radio host and author
• 1949 – Liza Frulla, Canadian politician
• 1949 – Ray Magliozzi, American radio host
• 1949 – Dana Gillespie, English singer-songwriter and actress
• 1949 – Lene Lovich, American singer
• 1949 – Naomi Sims, American model and author (d. 2009)
• 1950 – Janet Browne, English-American historian and academic
• 1950 – Robbie Coltrane, Scottish actor and singer
• 1950 – Beverley Hughes, English academic and politician
• 1950 – Warren Snowdon, Australian politician
• 1950 – Grady Little, former manager in Major League Baseball
• 1951 – Tina Monzon-Palma, Filipino journalist
• 1951 – Yves Séguin, Canadian academic and politician
• 1952 – Peter Knights, Australian footballer and coach
• 1952 – Stuart Dryburgh, English-New Zealand cinematographer
• 1955 – Margaret Fingerhut, English pianist
• 1955 – Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
• 1955 – Rhonda Jo Petty, American porn actress
• 1955 – Randy VanWarmer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2004)
• 1956 – Bill Butler, Scottish educator and politician
• 1956 – Juanito Oiarzabal, Spanish mountaineer
• 1956 – Shahla Sherkat, Iranian journalist and author
• 1956 – Vladimir Denissenkov, Russian accordionist and composer
• 1957 – Michael Lehmann, American director and producer
• 1957 – Paul Reiser, American actor and screenwriter
• 1958 – Montgomery Kaluhiokalani, American surfer (d. 2013)
• 1958 – Maurice LaMarche, Canadian voice actor
• 1958 – Michael Morris, American director and producer
• 1958 – Mike Rotunda, American wrestler and agent
• 1959 – Andrew Bailey, English banker
• 1959 – Martina Cole, English television host and author
• 1959 – Peter Ellis, New Zealand criminal
• 1959 – Sabine Meyer, German clarinet player
• 1960 – Laurie Graham, Canadian skier
• 1960 – Christoph M. Ohrt, German actor
• 1961 – Mike Thackwell, New Zealand race car driver
• 1961 – Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1999)
• 1962 – Mark Begich, American politician
• 1962 – Adrianna Biedrzyńska, Polish actress
• 1962 – Bil Dwyer, American actor
• 1962 – MC Hammer, American rapper, dancer, and actor
• 1963 – Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Mongolian journalist and politician, 4th President of Mongolia
• 1963 – Eli-Eri Moura, Brazilian composer and conductor
• 1963 – Panagiotis Tsalouchidis, Greek footballer
• 1964 – Abu Anas al-Libi, Libyan terrorist (d. 2015)
• 1964 – Vlado Bozinovski, Australian footballer
• 1964 – Tracy Chapman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1964 – David Ellett, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1964 – Sigurd Haveland, Gibraltarian triathlete and cyclist
• 1964 – Ian Ziering, American actor
• 1965 – Piers Morgan, English journalist
• 1966 – Joey Castillo, American drummer and songwriter (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Danzig, Sugartooth, and Zilch)
• 1966 – Efstratios Grivas, Greek chess player and author
• 1966 – Dmitry Volkov, Russian swimmer
• 1966 – Leonid Voloshin, Russian triple jumper
• 1967 – Christopher Bowman, American figure skater (d. 2008)
• 1967 – Megumi Hayashibara, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1967 – Julie Richardson, New Zealand tennis player
• 1967 – Richard Hutten, Dutch designer
• 1968 – Donna D'Errico, American actress and model
• 1968 – Celine Dion, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
• 1969 – Nuša Derenda, Slovenian singer
• 1969 – Troy Bayliss, Australian motorcycle racer
• 1970 – Tobias Hill, English poet and author
• 1970 – Sylvain Charlebois, Canadian food distribution, policy expert
• 1970 – Ricardo Bernal, Mexican tenor
• 1970 – Jone Nikula, Finnish radio and television host
• 1971 – Mark Consuelos, Spanish-American actor
• 1971 – Mari Holden, American cyclist
• 1972 – Mili Avital, Israeli-American actress
• 1972 – Makoto Nagano, Japanese martial artist
• 1972 – Emerson Thome, Brazilian footballer
• 1972 – Karel Poborský, Czech footballer
• 1973 – Ali Ahmed, Qatari archer
• 1973 – Robin Coleman, American actress and bodybuilder
• 1973 – Adam Goldstein, American keyboard player, DJ, and producer (Crazy Town and TRV$DJAM) (d. 2009)
• 1973 – Jan Koller, Czech footballer
• 1973 – Matthew Pritchard, Welsh skateboarder
• 1973 – Kareem Streete-Thompson, Caymanian-American long jumper
• 1973 – Rodney Thomas, American football player (d. 2014)
• 1974 – Maria Dangell, Estonian singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1975 – Paul Griffen, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
• 1975 – Haluk Piyes, German actor
• 1975 – Bahar Soomekh, Iranian-American actress
• 1976 – Jessica Cauffiel, American actress and singer
• 1976 – Ty Conklin, American ice hockey player
• 1976 – Matt Doran, Australian actor
• 1976 – Bonobo, English DJ and producer
• 1976 – Ayako Kawasumi, Japanese voice actress
• 1976 – Mark McClelland, Irish bass player (Snow Patrol, Little Doses, and The Reindeer Section)
• 1976 – Obadele Thompson, Barbadian sprinter
• 1976 – Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish politician, Minister for Education of Denmark
• 1977 – Abhishek Chaubey, Indian director and screenwriter
• 1977 – Rupert Evans, English actor
• 1978 – Teemu Aalto, Finnish ice hockey player
• 1978 – Paweł Czapiewski, Polish middle-distance runner
• 1978 – Chris Paterson, Scottish rugby player and coach
• 1978 – Simon Webbe, English singer-songwriter and actor (Blue)
• 1979 – Norah Jones, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress (The Little Willies and Wax Poetic)
• 1979 – Sean Garrett, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1979 – Park Kyung-lim, South Korean comedian and actor
• 1979 – Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Ukrainian footballer
• 1979 – Daniel Arenas, Colombian actor
• 1980 – Yalın, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Fiona Gubelmann, American actress
• 1980 – Ricardo Osorio, Mexican footballer
• 1980 – Chris Paterson, Australian rugby player
• 1981 – Jammal Brown, American football player
• 1981 – Angie Greenup, American comedian and television host
• 1981 – Andrea Masi, Italian rugby player
• 1982 – Jason Dohring, American actor
• 1982 – Mark Hudson, English footballer
• 1982 – Philippe Mexès, French footballer
• 1982 – Javier Portillo, Spanish footballer
• 1982 – A-Trak, Canadian DJ, turntablist and producer
• 1983 – Jérémie Aliadière, French footballer
• 1983 – Zach Gowen, American wrestler
• 1983 – Scott Moffatt, Canadian singer, guitarist, and model (The Moffatts)
• 1983 – Sajjad Moradi, Iranian runner
• 1983 – Davis Romero, Panamanian baseball player
• 1983 – Hebe Tien, Taiwanese singer and actress (S.H.E)
• 1984 – Mario Ančić, Croatian tennis player
• 1984 – Jonny Diaz, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1984 – Christian López, Guatemalan weightlifter (d. 2013)
• 1984 – Anna Nalick, American singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Paul Oliver, American football player (d. 2013)
• 1984 – Samantha Stosur, Australian tennis player
• 1985 – Giacomo Ricci, Italian race car driver
• 1986 – Beni, Japanese-American singer-songwriter
• 1986 – Simon R. Baker, Canadian actor
• 1986 – Sergio Ramos, Spanish footballer
• 1987 – Trent Barreta, American wrestler
• 1987 – Calum Elliot, Scottish footballer
• 1987 – Kwok Kin Pong, Hong Kong footballer
• 1987 – Marc-Édouard Vlasic, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1988 – Capri Anderson, American porn actress
• 1988 – Thanasis Papazoglou, Greek footballer
• 1988 – Richard Sherman, American football player
• 1988 – Danica Thrall, English model
• 1989 – Adam Duffy, English snooker player
• 1989 – Chris Sale, American baseball player
• 1990 – Lee Gi-kwang, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor (BEAST)
• 1990 – Allie Gonino, American actress and singer (The Stunners)
• 1990 – Cassie Scerbo, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1990 – Ádám Simon, Hungarian footballer
• 1990 – András Simon, Hungarian footballer
• 1990 – Rodney Strasser, Sierra Leonean footballer
• 1991 – Kim Grajdek, German tennis player
• 1992 – Enrique Gil, Filipino actor and dancer
• 1993 – Song Min-ho, South Korean rapper, composer and lyricist (Winner)
• 1994 – Haruka Shimazaki, Japanese singer (AKB48)
• 1994 – Sarah Solovay, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1994 – Jetro Willems, Dutch footballer
• 1998 – Janella Salvador, Filipino actress and singer

Deaths[edit]

• 116 – Quirinus of Neuss, Roman martyr and saint
• 365 – Emperor Ai of Jin (b. 341)
• 987 – Arnulf II, Count of Flanders (b. 960)
• 1202 – Joachim of Fiore, Italian mystic and theologian (b. 1135)
• 1486 – Thomas Bourchier, English cardinal (b. 1404)
• 1526 – Konrad Mutian, German humanist (b. 1471)
• 1540 – Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, German cardinal (b. 1469)
• 1559 – Adam Ries, German mathematician (b. 1492)
• 1587 – Ralph Sadler, English politician, Secretary of State for England (b. 1507)
• 1662 – François le Métel de Boisrobert, French poet and playwright (b. 1592)
• 1707 – Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, French general and engineer (b. 1633)
• 1764 – Pietro Locatelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1695)
• 1783 – William Hunter, Scottish anatomist and physician (b. 1718)
• 1804 – Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie, French general (b. 1718)
• 1806 – Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (b. 1757)
• 1830 – Louis I, Grand Duke of Baden (b. 1763)
• 1840 – Beau Brummell, English fashion designer (b. 1778)
• 1842 – Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, French painter (b. 1755)
• 1864 – Louis Schindelmeisser, German clarinet player, composer, and conductor (b. 1811)
• 1873 – Bénédict Morel, Austrian-French physician (b. 1809)
• 1879 – Thomas Couture, French painter and educator (b. 1815)
• 1886 – Joseph-Alfred Mousseau, Canadian politician, 6th Premier of Quebec (b. 1838)
• 1896 – Charilaos Trikoupis, Greek politician, 55th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1832)
• 1908 – Chester Gillette, American murderer (b. 1883)
• 1912 – Karl May, German author (b. 1842)
• 1925 – Rudolf Steiner, Austrian philosopher (b. 1861)
• 1935 – Romanos Melikian, Armenian composer (b. 1883)
• 1936 – Conchita Supervía, Spanish soprano (b. 1895)
• 1940 – Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Scotland (b. 1876)
• 1943 – Jan Bytnar, Polish lieutenant and activist (b. 1921)
• 1943 – Maciej Aleksy Dawidowski, Polish sergeant and activist (b. 1920)
• 1945 – Béla Balogh, Hungarian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1885)
• 1949 – Dattaram Hindlekar, Indian cricketer (b. 1909)
• 1949 – Friedrich Bergius, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
• 1950 – Léon Blum, French politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1872)
• 1952 – Jigme Wangchuck, Bhutanese king (b. 1905)
• 1954 – Pauline Brunius, Swedish actress and director (b. 1881)
• 1955 – Harl McDonald, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1899)
• 1956 – Edmund Clerihew Bentley, English author (b. 1875)
• 1959 – Daniil Andreyev, Russian mystic and poet (b. 1906)
• 1959 – Riccardo Zanella, Croatian politician (b. 1875)
• 1960 – Joseph Haas, German composer and educator (b. 1879)
• 1961 – Philibert Jacques Melotte, English astronomer (b. 1880)
• 1963 – Aleksandr Gauk, Russian conductor and composer (b. 1893)
• 1964 – Nella Larsen, American nurse and author (b. 1891)
• 1965 – Philip Showalter Hench, American physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1896)
• 1966 – Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (b. 1902)
• 1966 – Maxfield Parrish, American painter and illustrator (b. 1870)
• 1966 – Erwin Piscator, German director and producer (b. 1893)
• 1967 – Jean Toomer, American author and poet (b. 1894)
• 1968 – Bobby Driscoll, American actor (b. 1937)
• 1969 – Lucien Bianchi, Belgian race car driver (b. 1934)
• 1970 – Heinrich Brüning, German politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1885)
• 1971 – Selmer Jackson, American actor (b. 1888)
• 1972 – Gabriel Heatter, American journalist (b. 1890)
• 1972 – Peter Whitney, American actor (b. 1916)
• 1973 – Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish pilot and politician (b. 1903)
• 1975 – Peter Bamm, German journalist and author (b. 1897)
• 1977 – Abdel Halim Hafez, Egyptian singer and actor (b. 1929)
• 1977 – Levko Revutsky, Ukrainian composer and educator (b. 1889)
• 1978 – George Paine, English cricketer and coach (b. 1908)
• 1979 – Airey Neave, English soldier and politician (b. 1916)
• 1979 – Ray Ventura, French pianist and bandleader (b. 1908)
• 1981 – DeWitt Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader's Digest (b. 1889)
• 1984 – Karl Rahner, German theologian (b. 1904)
• 1985 – Harold Peary, American actor and singer (b. 1908)
• 1986 – James Cagney, American actor and dancer (b. 1899)
• 1986 – John Ciardi, American poet and etymologist (b. 1916)
• 1988 – Edgar Faure, French historian and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1908)
• 1990 – Harry Bridges, Australian-American union leader (b. 1901)
• 1992 – Manolis Andronikos, Greek archeologist and academic (b. 1919)
• 1993 – S. M. Pandit, Indian painter (b. 1916)
• 1993 – Richard Diebenkorn, American painter (b. 1922)
• 1994 – Sid Weiss, American bassist (b. 1914)
• 1995 – Rozelle Claxton, American pianist (b. 1913)
• 1995 – Tony Lock, English cricketer (b. 1929)
• 1995 – Paul A. Rothchild, American record producer (b. 1935)
• 1996 – Hugh Falkus, English pilot and author (b. 1917)
• 1996 – Ryoei Saito, Japanese businessman (b. 1916)
• 1999 – Gary Morton, American actor and producer (b. 1924)
• 2000 – Rudolf Kirchschläger, Austrian judge and politician, 8th President of Austria (b. 1915)
• 2002 – Anand Bakshi, Indian poet and songwriter (b. 1930)
• 2002 – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother of the United Kingdom (b. 1900)
• 2003 – Michael Jeter, American actor (b. 1952)
• 2003 – Valentin Pavlov, Russian politician, 11th Prime Minister of the Soviet Union (b. 1937)
• 2004 – Alistair Cooke, English-American journalist (b. 1908)
• 2004 – Hubert Gregg, English actor and director (b. 1914)
• 2004 – Michael King, New Zealand historian and author (b. 1945)
• 2004 – Timi Yuro, American singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
• 2005 – Robert Creeley, American poet (b. 1926)
• 2005 – Emil Dimitrov, Bulgarian singer (b. 1940)
• 2005 – Milton Green, American hurdler (b. 1913)
• 2005 – Mitch Hedberg, American comedian and actor (b. 1968)
• 2005 – Fred Korematsu, American activist (b. 1919)
• 2005 – Derrick Plourde, American drummer (Lagwagon, Bad Astronaut, The Ataris, Mad Caddies, and Rich Kids on LSD) (b. 1971)
• 2005 – Don Rose, American radio host (b. 1934)
• 2005 – Chrysanthos Theodoridis, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1934)
• 2005 – O. V. Vijayan, Indian author and illustrator (b. 1930)
• 2006 – Red Hickey, American football player and coach (b. 1917)
• 2006 – John McGahern, Irish author (b. 1934)
• 2007 – John Roberts, Canadian politician (b. 1933)
• 2008 – David Leslie, Scottish race car driver (b. 1953)
• 2008 – Richard Lloyd, English race car driver (b. 1945)
• 2008 – Dith Pran, Cambodian photographer (b. 1942)
• 2010 – Jaime Escalante, Bolivian educator (b. 1930)
• 2010 – Morris R. Jeppson, American lieutenant (b. 1922)
• 2010 – Martin Sandberger, German SS officer (b. 1911)
• 2012 – Janet Anderson Perkin, Canadian baseball player and curler (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Aquila Berlas Kiani, Indian-Canadian sociologist and academic (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Francesco Mancini, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1968)
• 2012 – Granville Semmes, American businessman, founded 1-800-Flowers (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Raja Ashman Shah, Malaysian son of Azlan Shah of Perak (b. 1958)
• 2012 – Leonid Shebarshin, Russian KGB officer (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Franco Califano, Libyan-Italian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1938)
• 2013 – Daniel Hoffman, American poet and academic (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Peter Kormos, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1952)
• 2013 – Mal Moore, American football player and coach (b. 1939)
• 2013 – Samueli Naulu, Fijian rugby player (b. 1982)
• 2013 – Bobby Parks, American basketball player and coach (b. 1962)
• 2013 – Phil Ramone, South African-American songwriter and producer, co-founded A & R Recording (b. 1934)
• 2013 – Edith Schaeffer, Chinese-Swiss religious leader and author, co-founded L'Abri (b. 1914)
• 2013 – Bob Turley, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Ray Hutchison, American lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
• 2014 – Keizō Kanie, Japanese actor (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Kate O'Mara, English actress (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Fred Stansfield, Welsh footballer and manager (b. 1917)
• 2014 – Phuntsok Wangyal, Tibetan politician (b. 1922)

τα πιο παραμυθένια μέρη στον κόσμο -Ενα και στην Ελλάδα 

Οι ιστορίες που περιγράφουν μπορεί να είναι βγαλμένες από 

τη φαντασία κάποιου, αλλά παραμυθένια τοπία δεν υπάρχουν

 μόνο εκεί.

Μαγικές λίμνες, εντυπωσιακά κάστρα, σπηλιές και απίστευτα τοπία. Ολα 

βρίσκονται γύρω μας. Και πολλά από αυτά τα έχουμε δει και σε ταινίες. 

Η Daily Mail μπήκε σε αυτή την ονειροπόλα διάθεση και διάλεξε τα πιο παραμυθένια

 μέρη του πλανήτη.

Ενα από αυτά που επέλεξε είναι στην Ελλάδα. Πρόκειται για το απίστευτο σπήλαιο 

της Μελισσάνης, με την εντυπωσιακή λίμνη, που μαγεύει όποιον το έχει επισκεφθεί.

Κάστρο Neuschwanstein, Γερμανία

Λίμνη Μπλεντ, Σλοβενία

Μοντ Σεν Μισέλ, Γαλλία

«Μαγικό Βουνό», Χιλή

Κάστρο Dunnottar, Σκωτία

Παλάτι Βερσαλιών, Γαλλία

Μελισσάνη, Κεφαλονιά

Γέφυρα Γκλένφιναν, Σκωτία

Κάστρο Alnwick, Βρετανία

Μαλδίβες

Κάστρο Swallow's Nest, Ουκρανία

Τούνελ της αγάπης, Ουκρανία

Κάστρο Dunrobin, Σκωτία

Μοναστήρι Admont Abbey, Αυστρία

Dark Hedges, Ιρλανδία

Κάστρο Bojnice, Σλοβακία

Σπηλιές Waitomo Glowworm, Νέα Ζηλανδία

Αγροί με τουλίπες, Ολλανδία

Φρούριο Akershus, Νορβηγία

Chateau Chambord, Γαλλία

Κάστρο Eltz, Γερμανία

• 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Maximian.
• 627 – Battle of the Trench: Muhammad undergoes a 14-day siege at Medina (Saudi Arabia) by Meccan forces under Abu Sufyan.
• 1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade.
• 1492 – Queen Isabella of Castille issues the Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.
• 1561 – The city of San Cristóbal, Táchira is founded.
• 1717 – A sermon on "The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ" by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, provokes the Bangorian Controversy.
• 1774 – American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.
• 1822 – The massacre of the population of the Greek island of Chios by soldiers of the Ottoman Empire following an attempted rebellion, depicted by the French artist Eugène Delacroix.
• 1854 – Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade.
• 1866 – The Spanish Navy bombs the harbor of Valparaíso, Chile.
• 1877 – The family with samurai antecedents that responded to the Saigō army in Ōita Nakatsu, rebels.
• 1885 – The United Kingdom establishes a protectorate over Bechuanaland.
• 1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened.
• 1899 – Malolos, capital of the First Philippine Republic, was captured by American forces.
• 1901 – 1901 Black Sea earthquake.
• 1903 – Richard Pearse allegedly makes a powered flight in an early aircraft.
• 1906 – The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later the National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for college sports in the United States.
• 1909 – Serbia accepts Austrian control over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• 1909 – Construction of the ill fated RMS Titanic begins.
• 1910 – Six North Staffordshire Pottery towns federate to form modern Stoke-on-Trent.
• 1913 – The Vienna Concert Society rioted during a performance of modernist music by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Anton von Webern, causing a premature end to the concert due to violence; this concert became known as the Skandalkonzert.
• 1917 – The United States takes possession of the Danish West Indies after paying $25 million to Denmark, and renames the territory the United States Virgin Islands.
• 1918 – Massacre of ethnic Azerbaijanis is committed by allied armed groups of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims are killed.
• 1918 – Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time.
• 1921 – The Royal Australian Air Force is formed.
• 1930 – The Motion Picture Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years.
• 1931 – An earthquake destroys Managua, Nicaragua, killing 2,000.
• 1931 – TWA Flight 599 crashes near Bazaar, Kansas, killing eight, including University of Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne.
• 1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States.
• 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces invade Christmas Island, then a British possession.
• 1945 – World War II: a defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands.
• 1949 – The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada.
• 1951 – Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau.
• 1957 – Elections to the Territorial Assembly of the French colony Upper Volta are held. After the elections PDU and MDV form a government.
• 1958 – In the Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265.
• 1959 – The 14th Dalai Lama, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum.
• 1964 – A coup d'état in Brazil establishes a military government, under the aegis of general Castelo Branco.
• 1966 – The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.
• 1970 – Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit.
• 1979 – The last British soldier leaves the Maltese Islands. Malta declares its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien).
• 1980 – The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.
• 1985 – The first WrestleMania, the biggest wrestling event from the WWE (then the WWF), takes place in Madison Square Garden in New York.
• 1986 – Six metropolitan county councils are abolished in England.
• 1990 – Approximately 200,000 protestors take to the streets of London to protest against the newly introduced Poll Tax.
• 1991 – Georgian independence referendum, 1991: Nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country's independence from the Soviet Union.
• 1992 – The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California.
• 1994 – The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull.
• 1995 – End of the US military campaign in Somalia
• 2004 – Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed.

Births[edit]

• 250 – Constantius Chlorus, Roman emperor (d. 306)
• 1360 – Philippa of Lancaster (d. 1415)
• 1425 – Bianca Maria Visconti, Italian wife of Francesco I Sforza (d. 1468)
• 1499 – Pope Pius IV (d. 1565)
• 1504 – Guru Angad, Indian guru (d. 1552)
• 1519 – Henry II of France (d. 1559)
• 1536 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shogun (d. 1565)
• 1576 – Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau (d. 1644)
• 1596 – René Descartes, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1650)
• 1621 – Andrew Marvell, English poet and politician (d. 1678)
• 1644 – Henry Winstanley, English painter and engineer (d. 1703)
• 1651 – Charles II, Elector Palatine, German husband of Princess Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark (d. 1685)
• 1675 – Pope Benedict XIV (d. 1758)
• 1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, German organist and composer (d. 1750)
• 1718 – Mariana Victoria of Spain (d. 1781)
• 1723 – Frederick V of Denmark (d. 1766)
• 1730 – Étienne Bézout, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1783)
• 1732 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer (d. 1809)
• 1740 – Panoutsos Notaras, Greek politician (d. 1849)
• 1747 – Johann Abraham Peter Schulz, German pianist and composer (d. 1800)
• 1752 – Panoutsos Notaras, Greek politician (d. 1849)
• 1777 – Charles Cagniard de la Tour, French physicist and engineer (d. 1859)
• 1778 – Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist (d. 1858)
• 1794 – Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1852)
• 1809 – Edward FitzGerald, English poet (d. 1883)
• 1809 – Nikolai Gogol, Ukrainian-Russian author and playwright (d. 1852)
• 1809 – Otto Lindblad, Swedish composer (d. 1864)
• 1819 – Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (d. 1901)
• 1823 – Mary Boykin Chesnut, American author (d. 1886)
• 1847 – Hermann de Pourtalès, Swiss sailor (d. 1904)
• 1847 – Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev, Russian mathematician (d. 1878)
• 1855 – Alfred E. Hunt, American businessman (d. 1899)
• 1859 – Emil Fenyvessy, Hungarian actor (d. 1924)
• 1865 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, Indian physician (d. 1887)
• 1871 – Arthur Griffith, Irish politician, 3rd President of Dáil Éireann (d. 1922)
• 1872 – Sergei Diaghilev, Russian ballet manager and critic, founded the Ballets Russes (d. 1929)
• 1872 – Alexandra Kollontai, Russian diplomat (d. 1952)
• 1876 – Borisav Stanković, Serbian author (d. 1927)
• 1878 – Jack Johnson, American boxer (d. 1946)
• 1884 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer (d. 1946)
• 1885 – Pascin, Bulgarian-American painter (d. 1930)
• 1890 – Ben Adams, American standing jumper (d. 1961)
• 1890 – William Lawrence Bragg, Australian-English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
• 1891 – Victor Varconi, Hungarian-American actor (d. 1976)
• 1893 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor (d. 1954)
• 1893 – Herbert Meinhard Mühlpfordt, German historian (d. 1982)
• 1895 – Vardis Fisher, American author (d. 1968)
• 1900 – Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (d. 1974)
• 1902 – Alfred Praks, Estonian wrestler (d. 1998)
• 1903 – John Harron, American actor (d. 1939)
• 1905 – Robert Stevenson, English director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
• 1906 – Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
• 1907 – Eddie Quillan, American actor (d. 1990)
• 1908 – Red Norvo, American vibraphone player and composer (d. 1999)
• 1911 – Freddie Green, American guitarist (d. 1987)
• 1911 – Elisabeth Grümmer, German soprano (d. 1986)
• 1912 – William Lederer, American author (d. 2009)
• 1913 – Etta Baker, American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)
• 1914 – Octavio Paz, Mexican author, poet, and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
• 1915 – Albert Hourani, English historian and author (d. 1993)
• 1915 – Shoichi Yokoi, Japanese sergeant (d. 1997)
• 1916 – Lucille Bliss, American voice actress (d. 2012)
• 1916 – John H. Wood, Jr., American lawyer and judge (d. 1979)
• 1917 – Dorothy DeLay, American violin instructor (d. 2002)
• 1919 – Frank Akins, American football player (d. 1993)
• 1920 – Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (d. 2014)
• 1920 – Paul Zorner, German soldier and pilot (d. 2014)
• 1921 – Peggy Rea, American actress (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Richard Kiley, American actor (d. 1999)
• 1923 – Shoshana Damari, Yemeni-Israeli singer and actress (d. 2006)
• 1923 – François Sermon, Belgian footballer (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Leo Buscaglia, American author (d. 1998)
• 1924 – Charles Guggenheim, American director and producer (d. 2002)
• 1925 – Jean Coutu, Canadian actor (d. 1999)
• 1926 – John Fowles, English author (d. 2005)
• 1926 – Beni Montresor, Italian director, set designer, author, and illustrator (d. 2001)
• 1926 – Rocco Petrone, American engineer (d. 2006)
• 1927 – Cesar Chavez, American union leader and activist (d. 1993)
• 1927 – William Daniels, American actor
• 1927 – Elmer Diedtrich, American politician (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Bud MacPherson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)
• 1928 – Lefty Frizzell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
• 1928 – Gordie Howe, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1929 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne (d. 2007)
• 1929 – Bert Fields, American lawyer
• 1931 – Miller Barber, American golfer (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Tamara Tyshkevich, Soviet shot putter (d. 1997)
• 1932 – John Jakes, American author
• 1932 – Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1933 – Anita Carter, American singer-songwriter and bassist (Carter Family and The Carter Sisters) (d. 1999)
• 1933 – Nichita Stănescu, Romanian poet (d. 1983)
• 1934 – Richard Chamberlain, American actor and singer
• 1934 – Shirley Jones, American actress and singer
• 1934 – John D. Loudermilk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1934 – Carlo Rubbia, Italian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1934 – Kamala Surayya, Indian poet and author
• 1935 – Herb Alpert, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player
• 1935 – Judith Rossner, American author (d. 2005)
• 1936 – Marge Piercy, American author and poet
• 1936 – Bob Pulford, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1936 – Sandayū Dokumamushi, Japanese actor
• 1937 – Willem Duyn, Dutch singer-songwriter (Mouth & MacNeal) (d. 2004)
• 1938 – Patrick Bateson, English biologist
• 1938 – Sheila Dikshit, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Delhi
• 1938 – Antje Gleichfeld, German middle-distance runner
• 1938 – Joel Godard, American television announcer
• 1938 – Bill Hicke, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Tõnno Lepmets, Estonian basketball player (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Michiko Nomura, Japanese voice actress
• 1938 – Arthur B. Rubinstein, American pianist, composer, and conductor (The Beepers)
• 1938 – David Steel, Scottish academic and politician
• 1939 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian politician, 1st President of Georgia (d. 1993)
• 1939 – Israel Horovitz, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1939 – Walker David Miller, American judge (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Volker Schlöndorff, German director and producer
• 1939 – Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, German footballer
• 1940 – Brian Ackland-Snow, English production designer (d. 2013)
• 1940 – Barney Frank, American politician
• 1940 – Patrick Leahy, American politician
• 1941 – Franco Bonvicini, Italian illustrator (d. 1995)
• 1941 – Faith Leech, Australian swimmer (d. 2013)
• 1942 – Ulla Hoffmann, Swedish politician
• 1942 – Hugh McCracken, American guitarist and producer (d. 2013)
• 1942 – Michael Savage, American radio host and author
• 1943 – Roy Andersson, Swedish director and screenwriter
• 1943 – Deirdre Clancy, English costume designer
• 1943 – Christopher Walken, American actor
• 1944 – Pascal Danel, French singer-songwriter
• 1944 – Mick Ralphs, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Mott the Hoople and Bad Company)
• 1945 – Edwin Catmull, American computer scientist
• 1945 – Valerie Curtin, American actress and screenwriter
• 1945 – Gabe Kaplan, American actor
• 1945 – Myfanwy Talog, Welsh actress (d. 1995)
• 1946 – Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 1984)
• 1946 – Bob Russell, English politician
• 1946 – Klaus Wolfermann, German javelin thrower
• 1947 – Augustin Banyaga, Rwandan-American mathematician and academic
• 1947 – Kristian Blak, Danish-Faroese pianist, composer, and producer (Yggdrasil)
• 1947 – Don Foster, English politician
• 1947 – César Gaviria, Colombian politician, 36th President of Colombia
• 1947 – Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Israeli physicist (d. 2011)
• 1948 – Gary Doer, Canadian politician and diplomat, 20th Premier of Manitoba
• 1948 – Natalia Dubova, Russian ice dancer and coach
• 1948 – David Eisenhower, American author and educator
• 1948 – Al Gore, American politician, 45th Vice President of the United States and Nobel Prize laureate
• 1948 – Rhea Perlman, American actress
• 1948 – Gustaaf Van Cauter, Belgian cyclist
• 1949 – Gilles Gilbert, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1949 – Bert Massie, English activist
• 1950 – András Adorján, Hungarian chess player and author
• 1950 – Ed Marinaro, American football player and actor
• 1950 – Sandra Morgen, American feminist anthropologist
• 1951 – Frankie Sabath, Puerto Rican singer and actor
• 1952 – Vanessa del Rio, American porn actress
• 1952 – Dermot Morgan, Irish actor (d. 1998)
• 1953 – Dennis Kamakahi, American guitarist and composer (d. 2014)
• 1954 – Laima Vaikule, Latvian actress, singer, director, and choreographer
• 1955 – Robert Vance, New Zealand cricketer
• 1955 – Angus Young, Scottish-Australian guitarist and songwriter (AC/DC and Marcus Hook Roll Band)
• 1957 – Alan Duncan, English politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
• 1957 – Marc McClure, American actor
• 1957 – Kyle Secor, American actor
• 1958 – Tony Cox, American actor
• 1958 – Sylvester Groth, German tenor and actor
• 1959 – Markus Hediger, Swiss poet and translator
• 1959 – Ali McMordie, Irish bass player (Stiff Little Fingers and Friction Groove)
• 1960 – Michelle Nicastro, American actress and singer (d. 2010)
• 1961 – Ron Brown, American sprinter and football player
• 1961 – Howard Gordon, American screenwriter and producer
• 1961 – Suzanne Westenhoefer, American comedian and actress
• 1961 – Gary Winick, American director and producer (d. 2011)
• 1962 – John Taylor, American football player
• 1962 – Olli Rehn, Finnish politician
• 1963 – Paul Mercurio, Australian actor and dancer
• 1963 – Grant Benson, British broadcaster
• 1964 – Mark Hoban, English politician
• 1964 – Brad Slaight, American comedian and actor
• 1964 – Fez Whatley, American radio host and producer
• 1964 – Paul Wong, Hong Kong singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (Beyond)
• 1965 – Tom Barrasso, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1965 – Jean-Christophe Lafaille, French mountaineer (d. 2006)
• 1965 – William McNamara, American actor
• 1965 – Steven T. Seagle, American author and screenwriter
• 1966 – Roger Black, English runner
• 1966 – Nick Firestone, American race car driver
• 1968 – Kimmo Kinnunen, Finnish javelin thrower
• 1968 – Naoya Ogawa, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
• 1968 – J. R. Reid, American basketball player and coach
• 1969 – Nyamko Sabuni, Burundian-Swedish politician
• 1969 – Steve Smith, American basketball player
• 1970 – Alenka Bratušek, Slovenian politician, 7th Prime Minister of Slovenia
• 1970 – Samantha Brown, American television host
• 1970 – Damon Herriman, Australian actor
• 1970 – Patrick Lachman, American singer and guitarist (Damageplan and Halford)
• 1971 – Demetris Assiotis, Cypriot footballer
• 1971 – Martin Atkinson, English footballer and referee
• 1971 – Pavel Bure, Russian ice hockey player
• 1971 – Craig McCracken, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
• 1971 – Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor
• 1972 – Alejandro Amenábar, Chilean-Spanish director and screenwriter
• 1972 – Andrew Bowen, American actor
• 1972 – Ze Frank, American comedian and blogger
• 1972 – Luca Gentili, Italian footballer and coach
• 1972 – Hristos Polihroniou, Greek hammer thrower
• 1972 – Evan Williams, American businessman, co-founded Twitter and Pyra Labs
• 1973 – Christopher Hampson, English ballet dancer and choreographer
• 1974 – Benjamin Eicher, German director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1974 – Adrian Holmes, Welsh-Canadian actor
• 1974 – Stefan Olsdal, Swedish bass player (Placebo)
• 1975 – Emma Atkins, English actress
• 1975 – Prodromos Dreliozis, Greek basketball player
• 1975 – Toni Gardemeister, Finnish race car driver
• 1975 – Adam Green, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Nathan Grey, Australian rugby player
• 1975 – Cameron Murray, Scottish rugby player
• 1975 – Ryan Rupe, American baseball player
• 1976 – Anthony B, Jamaican singer and DJ
• 1976 – Rich Clementi, American mixed martial artist
• 1976 – Howard Frier, American basketball player
• 1976 – Shawty Lo, American rapper (D4L)
• 1976 – Guy Mariano, American skateboarder
• 1976 – Josh Saviano, American actor and lawyer
• 1976 – Igors Sļesarčuks, Latvian-Russian footballer
• 1976 – Alan Tern, Singaporean actor
• 1976 – Vice Ganda, Filipino actor, comedian, host, and singer
• 1977 – Toshiya, Japanese bass player, songwriter, and producer (Dir en grey)
• 1977 – Garth Tander, Australian race car driver
• 1978 – Stephen Clemence, English footballer
• 1978 – Jarrod Cooper, American football player
• 1978 – Daniel Mays, English actor
• 1978 – Jérôme Rothen, French footballer
• 1978 – Vivian Schmitt, German pornographic actress
• 1978 – Tony Yayo, American rapper (G-Unit)
• 1979 – Omri Afek, Israeli footballer
• 1979 – Euan Burton, Scottish martial artist
• 1979 – Alexis Ferrero, Argentinian footballer
• 1979 – Josh Kinney, American baseball player
• 1979 – Charlie Manning, American baseball player
• 1979 – Tanya Tate, English porn actress and model
• 1980 – Trenyce, American singer and actress
• 1980 – Martin Albrechtsen, Danish footballer
• 1980 – Karolina Lassbo, Swedish lawyer
• 1980 – Dean Clark, English footballer
• 1980 – Kate Micucci, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (Garfunkel and Oates)
• 1980 – Michael Ryder, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Maaya Sakamoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
• 1980 – Chien-Ming Wang, Taiwanese baseball player
• 1981 – Ryan Bingham, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1981 – Thomas Chatelle, Belgian footballer
• 1981 – Gerard McCarthy, Irish actor
• 1981 – Pa Dembo Touray, Gambian footballer
• 1981 – Maarten van der Weijden, Dutch swimmer
• 1982 – Tal Ben Haim, Israeli footballer
• 1982 – Ryland Blackinton, American guitarist (Cobra Starship and This Is Ivy League)
• 1982 – Bam Childress, American football player
• 1982 – Audrey Kawasaki, American painter
• 1982 – Lennon Murphy, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1983 – Hashim Amla, South African cricketer
• 1983 – Thierry Issiémou, Gabonese footballer
• 1983 – Silver Leppik, Estonian basketball player
• 1983 – Anthony Lewis, English actor
• 1983 – Jeff Mathis, American baseball player
• 1983 – Vlasios Maras, Greek gymnast
• 1983 – Paddy McCarthy, Irish footballer
• 1983 – Melissa Ordway, American actress and model
• 1983 – Noah "40" Shebib, Canadian record producer
• 1983 – Nigel Plum, Australian rugby player
• 1984 – Rakshita, Indian actress and producer
• 1984 – Jack Antonoff, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Fun, Steel Train, and Bleachers)
• 1984 – Dario Bova, Italian footballer
• 1984 – David Clarkson, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1984 – Osama Hawsawi, Saudi Arabian footballer
• 1984 – Eddie Johnson, American soccer player
• 1984 – James Jones, American football player
• 1984 – Kaie Kand, Estonian heptathlete
• 1984 – Alberto Junior Rodríguez, Peruvian footballer
• 1984 – Yanin Vismitananda, Thai actress and martial artist
• 1984 – Anna Willard, American runner
• 1984 – Ed Williamson, English rugby player
• 1985 – Stephanie Bendixsen, Australian television host
• 1985 – Steve Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1985 – Jo-Lonn Dunbar, American football player
• 1985 – Jesper Hansen, Danish footballer
• 1985 – Ivan Mishyn, Ukrainian rally codriver
• 1985 – Kory Sheets, American football player
• 1985 – Jalmar Sjöberg, Swedish wrestler
• 1985 – Jessica Szohr, American actress
• 1986 – Matthew Collins, Welsh footballer
• 1986 – Andreas Dober, Austrian footballer
• 1986 – Romeo Filipović, German-Croatian footballer
• 1986 – James King, Scottish rugby player
• 1986 – Paulo Machado, Portuguese footballer
• 1986 – Jay Rock, American rapper (Black Hippy)
• 1987 – Nordin Amrabat, Dutch footballer
• 1987 – Hugo Ayala, Mexican footballer
• 1987 – Amaury Bischoff, Portuguese footballer
• 1987 – Justin Braun, American soccer player
• 1987 – The Child of Lov, Belgian-Dutch singer (d. 2013)
• 1987 – Carl Dickinson, English footballer
• 1987 – Allison Falk, American soccer player
• 1987 – Koneru Humpy, Indian chess player
• 1987 – Georg Listing, German bass player (Tokio Hotel)
• 1987 – Eros Pisano, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Aridane Santana, Spanish footballer
• 1987 – Kirill Starkov, Danish ice hockey player
• 1987 – Winston Venable, American football player
• 1987 – Nelli Zhiganshina, Russian figure skater
• 1988 – Thomas De Corte, Belgian footballer
• 1988 – Hogan Ephraim, English footballer
• 1988 – Dorin Dickerson, American football player
• 1988 – DeAndre Liggins, American basketball player
• 1988 – Louis van der Westhuizen, Namibian cricketer
• 1989 – Kidd, Scottish-Danish rapper
• 1989 – Alyn Camara, German long jumper
• 1989 – Alberto Martín Romo García Adámez, Spanish footballer
• 1989 – Alfredo Marte, Dominican baseball player
• 1989 – Josmil Pinto, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1989 – Nejc Vidmar, Slovenian footballer
• 1989 – Liu Zige, Chinese swimmer
• 1989 – Benjamin Alves, Filipino actor
• 1990 – Kylie Bisutti, American model and author
• 1990 – Balázs Megyeri, Hungarian footballer
• 1990 – George Iloka, American football player
• 1990 – Sandra Roma, Swedish tennis player
• 1990 – Bang Yong-guk, South Korean rapper, actor, and dancer (B.A.P)
• 1991 – Nichaon Jindapon, Thai badminton player
• 1991 – Renato Kelić, Croatian footballer
• 1991 – Milan Milanović, Serbian footballer
• 1991 – Lukas Rotpuller, Austrian footballer
• 1991 – Jan Šebek, Czech footballer
• 1991 – Rodney Sneijder, Dutch footballer
• 1992 – Stijn de Looijer, Dutch footballer
• 1992 – Henri Laaksonen, Swiss-Finnish tennis player
• 1992 – Beatričė Rožinskaitė, Lithuanian figure skater
• 1993 – Jonatan Isenia, Dutch baseball player
• 1993 – Mikael Ishak, Swedish footballer
• 1994 – Thomas Batuello, American actor
• 1998 – Valeria Gorlats, Estonian tennis player
• 1999 – Chae Sang-woo, South Korean actor

Deaths[edit]

• 1340 – Ivan I of Moscow (b. 1288)
• 1547 – Francis I of France (b. 1494)
• 1567 – Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (b. 1504)
• 1621 – Philip III of Spain (b. 1578)
• 1631 – John Donne, English lawyer and poet (b. 1572)
• 1671 – Anne Hyde, English wife of James II of England (b. 1637)
• 1703 – Johann Christoph Bach, German organist and composer (b. 1642)
• 1723 – Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, English politician, 14th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1661)
• 1741 – Pieter Burman the Elder, Dutch scholar (b. 1668)
• 1797 – Olaudah Equiano, Nigerian merchant, author, and activist (b.1745)
• 1837 – John Constable, English painter (b. 1776)
• 1850 – John C. Calhoun, American politician, 7th Vice President of the United States (b. 1782)
• 1855 – Charlotte Brontë, English author (b. 1816)
• 1877 – Antoine Augustin Cournot, French mathematician (b. 1801)
• 1880 – Henryk Wieniawski, Polish violinist and composer (b. 1835)
• 1885 – Franz Abt, German composer and conductor (b. 1819)
• 1913 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (b. 1837)
• 1915 – Wyndham Halswelle, English-Scottish runner (b. 1882)
• 1917 – Emil Adolf von Behring, German physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1854)
• 1924 – George Charles Haité, English painter and illustrator (b. 1855)
• 1929 – Pablo de Escandón, Mexican polo player (b. 1856)
• 1930 – Ludwig Schüler, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1836)
• 1931 – Knute Rockne, American football player and coach (b. 1888)
• 1935 – Georges V. Matchabelli, Georgian-American businessman and diplomat, founded Prince Matchabelli perfume (b. 1885)
• 1935 – Concordia Selander, Swedish actress and manager (b. 1861)
• 1939 – Ioannis Tsangaridis, Greek general (b. 1887)
• 1944 – Mineichi Koga, Japanese admiral (b. 1885)
• 1945 – Frank Findlay, New Zealand politician (b. 1884)
• 1945 – Hans Fischer, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
• 1950 – Robert Natus, Estonian architect (b. 1890)
• 1952 – Wallace H. White, Jr., American politician (b. 1877)
• 1956 – Ralph DePalma, Italian race car driver (b. 1884)
• 1968 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (b. 1885)
• 1972 – Meena Kumari, Indian actress (b. 1932)
• 1975 – Percy Alliss, English golfer (b. 1897)
• 1976 – Paul Strand, American photographer and director (b. 1890)
• 1978 – Charles Herbert Best, American-Canadian medical scientist, co-discovered Insulin (b. 1899)
• 1980 – Vladimír Holan, Czech poet (b. 1905)
• 1980 – Jesse Owens, American sprinter and long jumper (b. 1913)
• 1981 – Enid Bagnold, English author and playwright (b. 1889)
• 1983 – Christina Stead, Australian author (b. 1902)
• 1984 – Ronald Clark O'Bryan, American murderer (b. 1944)
• 1986 – O'Kelly Isley, Jr., American singer-songwriter (The Isley Brothers) (b. 1937)
• 1986 – Jerry Paris, American actor and director (b. 1925)
• 1988 – William McMahon, Australian politician, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1908)
• 1993 – Chichay, Filipino actress (b. 1918)
• 1993 – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1965)
• 1993 – Mitchell Parish, Lithuanian-American songwriter (b. 1900)
• 1995 – Selena, American singer-songwriter (Selena y Los Dinos) (b. 1971)
• 1996 – Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Gun Club) (b. 1958)
• 1998 – Bella Abzug, American lawyer and politician (b. 1920)
• 1998 – Tim Flock, American race car driver (b. 1924)
• 1999 – Yuri Knorozov, Russian linguist (b. 1922)
• 2001 – David Rocastle, English footballer (b. 1967)
• 2001 – Clifford Shull, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
• 2002 – Barry Took, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
• 2002 – Moturu Udayam, Indian politician and activist (b. 1924)
• 2003 – Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter, English-Canadian geometer (b. 1907)
• 2003 – Anne Gwynne, American actress (b. 1918)
• 2003 – Tommy Seebach, Danish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (Sir Henry and his Butlers) (b. 1949)
• 2004 – Scott Helvenston, American soldier (b. 1965)
• 2005 – Stanley J. Korsmeyer, American oncologist (b. 1951)
• 2005 – Justiniano Montano, Filipino politician (b. 1905)
• 2005 – Frank Perdue, American businessman (b. 1920)
• 2005 – Terri Schiavo, American medical patient (b. 1963)
• 2006 – Angela Devi, American model (b. 1975)
• 2006 – Jackie McLean, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Paul Watzlawick, Austrian-American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1921)
• 2008 – Jules Dassin, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1911)
• 2008 – Bill Keightley, American equipment manager (b. 1926)
• 2009 – Raúl Alfonsín, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (b. 1927)
• 2009 – Jarl Alfredius, Swedish journalist (b. 1943)
• 2009 – Choor Singh, Indian-Singaporean judge (b. 1911)
• 2010 – Shirley Mills, American actress (b. 1926)
• 2010 – Syed Qasim Mahmood, Pakistani journalist, lexicographer, and author (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Tony Barrell, English-Australian journalist and broadcaster (b. 1940)
• 2011 – Gil Clancy, American boxing trainer (b. 1922)
• 2011 – Alan Fitzgerald, Australian journalist and author (b. 1935)
• 2011 – Oddvar Hansen, Norwegian footballer and coach (b. 1921)
• 2011 – Claudia Heill, Austrian martial artist (b. 1982)
• 2011 – Vassili Kononov, Russian criminal (b. 1923)
• 2011 – Ishbel MacAskill, Scottish singer and activist (b. 1941)
• 2011 – Mel McDaniel, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
• 2011 – Boško Radonjić, Serbian mobster (b. 1943)
• 2011 – Edward Stobart, English businessman (b. 1954)
• 2011 – Henry Taub, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Judith Adams, New Zealand-Australian nurse and politician (b. 1943)
• 2012 – Dale R. Corson, American physicist and academic (b. 1914)
• 2012 – Bernard O. Gruenke, American stained glass artist (b. 1914)
• 2012 – Jerry Lynch, American baseball player (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Alberto Sughi, Italian painter (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Halbert White, American economist and educator (b. 1950)
• 2013 – Charles Amarin Brand, French archbishop (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Ernie Bridge, Australian singer and politician (b. 1936)
• 2013 – Helena Carroll, Scottish-American actress (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Bob Clarke, American illustrator (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Ahmad Sayyed Javadi, Iranian lawyer and politician, Iranian Minister of Interior (b. 1917)
• 2013 – Dmitri Uchaykin, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1980)
• 2014 – Gonzalo Anes, Spanish economist, historian, and academic (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Irene Fernandez, Malaysian activist (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Frankie Knuckles, American DJ and producer (b. 1955)
• 2014 – Bob Larbey, English screenwriter (b. 1934)
• 2014 – Enrique Plancarte Solís, Mexican drug lord (b. 1970)
• 2014 – Roger Somville, Belgian painter (b. 1923)

Η «Σαχάρα» της Λήμνου

«Εξορία», «σεληνιακό τοπίο». Αυτές είναι οι δύο απαντήσεις που

 δίνουν όσοι δεν ξέρουν και προφανώς δεν έχουν επισκεφθεί 

τη Λήμνο, στο άκουσμα του ονόματος του νησιού. Κι όμως η

 Λήμνος είναι ένας τόπος μαγικός ένα μικρό νησί του βορείου

 Αιγαίου όπου συναντώνται τρεις ήπειροι:Η Ευρώπη, η Ασία, η 

Αφρική. Το γεγονός ότι στο νησί βρίσκεται η μοναδική -κατά

 ορισμένους- έρημος της Ευρώπης, το αποδεικνύει....

Βόρεια της Λήμνου, στην περιοχή Γομάτι, στις πλαγιές του χωριού Κατάλακκο,

 το θέαμα είναι πέρα για πέρα αναπάντεχο: Μια μικρή... έρημος. Μια ατελείωτη

 επιφάνεια, 70 στρεμμάτων, μακριά από τη θάλασσα γεμάτη άμμο, με αμμόλοφους

 που αλλάζουν διαρκώς σχήμα, όπως ακριβώς και στη Σαχάρα, ανάλογα με το πώς 

τους... συνθέτει ο βοριάς.

Οι Παχιές Αμμουδιές είναι αμμοθίνες, λόφοι δηλαδή από λεπτή άμμο και λίγα

 σκόρπια φρύγανα που μεταφέρουν τη γοητεία της ερήμου, στο βόρειο Αιγαίο. 

Ενα τοπίο πέρα για πέρα εντυπωσιακό και συνάμα μοναδικό για την Ελλάδα αλλά

 και την Ευρώπη. Ενα τοπίο καθαρά αφρικανικό, μια μικρογραφία της Σαχάρα της

 οποίας της δημιουργία οι επιστήμονες αδυνατούν ακόμη να ερμηνεύσουν.

Η ελάχιστη βλάστηση που συνθέτει τη χλωρίδα των Αμμοθινών, είναι κυρίως τα

 πανέμορφα λευκά κρινάκια της Λήμνου (pancratium maritimum), ενώ περιμετρικά των

 ολόχρυσων αμμοθινών, υπάρχουν αμμόφιλη βλάστηση (Ammophila arenaria), 

λυγαριές (Vitex agnus castus), αγριοαχλαδιές (Pyrus spinosa), αστυφίδες 

(Sarcopoterium spinosum), θυμάρι (Thymus vulgaris), πικροδάφνες (Nerium oleander)

 και αγριελιές (Olea europea var. Oleaster).

Αξίζει να σημειωθεί, πάντως, ότι το τοπίο είναι τόσο ιδιαίτερο που συχνά αποτελεί

 τόπο γυρισμάτων για πολλά διαφημιστικά σποτ, ενώ εκεί έχουν γυριστεί και οι 

σκηνές στην... έρημο για την ταινία  «Μια Ελληνίδα στο χαρέμι» με την Ρένα

 Βλαχοπούλου!

British Museum defines Greek naked ideal

The art of Ancient Greece focused unashamedly on the naked body. Female nudity was treated discreetly but the unclothed male form was everywhere.

The show Defining Beauty at the British Museum investigates the Greek obsession with physical perfection - and the man in charge says there's an obvious parallel with people's desire today to look good at the gym.

Dr Ian Jenkins is the British Museum's expert on classical Greek sculpture. Yet even he finds it hard to explain exactly why the naked human form featured in the art of Ancient Greece in a way it didn't in other cultures of the same era.

"If you look at Assyrian culture or the Egyptians or the Cypriots they weren't at ease with the naked body - mainly the male body - in a way the Greeks were," he says.

"The same was true of Roman culture before it came under Greek influence. I don't think there's an easy explanation why.

"It may in part be the importance of culture in defining Ancient Greece at all. Apart from shared cultural values there was language and the recognition of the Olympian gods: those were the big unifying elements. 

"So the focus on the body may have linked what was really a scattering of city states rather than a nation or an empire. Not all the artwork shows the body naked but a lot of it does. For the Greeks the body had almost entirely positive connotations: there was no shame."

Some of what's in the exhibition verges on the risque. But Dr Jenkins makes a distinction between naked and nude. 

"To me, naked is when your underpants elastic goes ping in Athens High Street and you're left compromised. But, at least for men, nudity was a club and heavily circumscribed by rules. 

"For a man in Ancient Greece to be naked at, say, the wrestling academy was to join the ranks of the righteous. Representations of the naked male were common and I doubt they ever shocked anyone."

Defining Beauty brings together around 150 items, mainly sculpture. Some are beautiful originals from Ancient Greek times (roughly the two and a half millennia BC), but others are marble or bronze copies from Roman times or the modern era.

The British Museum has moved parts of the Elgin Marbles to the show, allowing them to be studied for a time in a different context. Some other pieces, such as the marble statue of a discus thrower, are also long-term inhabitants of the museum.

Others are on loan, such as the Vatican's incomplete but impressive Belvedere Torso of the First Century BC.

A bronze Apoxyomenos (an athlete scraping sweat off his naked body) is on loan from Croatia, where in 1996 it was discovered, apparently by accident, beneath the Adriatic.

Defining Beauty isn't only about the Alpha Male community of Ancient Greece, but it's the part of the exhibition which has the most obvious echo today.

Paul Standell is an actor and personal trainer who runs a website delivering to clients the kind of physique to which, 20 years ago, few in Britain aspired.

He says he's had clients hoping to attain a "Greek statue" look. 

"Always it's the men. Possibly what they mean is they want to look like Brad Pitt in Troy or Dwayne Johnson in Hercules: I suspect a big movie influence on what people expect an Ancient Greek hero or god to look like. They want the arms and the chest and a Hollywood six-pack."

So how does Paul rate the 3,000-year-old skin-scraping athlete? Would he make a magazine cover in 2015?

"In many ways it looks like the male ideal hasn't really changed. He and the discus thrower show many of the physical characteristics they'd need to get work as a fitness model today.

"Proportions are vital. So if you take the waist as one, you want shoulder-size to be 1.4 and that's pretty much what you see in the exhibition. They've also got good obliques, defining the mid-line of the body. 

"There's excellent calf definition too and the shoulders and chest are visually separated, as they need to be. It's exactly what some male clients want today.

"But it's interesting that recent tastes go beyond that. Though it pains me to say it, an agent handling fitness models in London or LA might tell these guys to go away and get even more defined, even more cut. Or maybe they just need a tan." 

Having seen the exhibition, Standell thinks the Ancient Greeks had a more realistic view of anatomy than we do today. 

"Of course they didn't have Photoshop to contend with," he says. 

Dr Jenkins says the female figures are represented in the exhibition with a greater modesty - up to a point.

"The fact is that in Ancient Greece social convention meant a respectable woman would never be seen unclothed.

"So a representation of Aphrodite (goddess of love) might show her bathing as that's a situation in which a woman can legitimately have no clothes on. But even that came relatively late in the Ancient Greek period. 

"Sculptors often resorted to drapes or sometimes to a modestly placed arm. Of course, you may argue that a finely executed tissue of drapery could make the image more erotic rather than less." 

Dr Jenkins says modern gym culture has brought us closer to the mindset of Ancient Greek times in terms of admiration of the body. 

"We have become franker about physique and that trend is developing even now. Look at the new interest in tattoos and piercings: it's a way of adorning the body, and to some people it's self-liberating."

But he says we need to grasp that society 3,000 years ago was highly honour-conscious. To do what was dishonourable was to invite censure and punishment. 

"So, for instance, Ancient Greece was honest and perfectly open about homosexuality and accepted it in young men.

"But in other ways it wasn't the totally licentious place people sometimes imagine: individual city states could be quite restrictive." 

Defining Beauty: The body in ancient Greek art is on at the British Museum until 5 July.

Νέα υπηρεσία «ταξί» με... Learjet: Ταξιδέψτε σε όλο τον κόσμο με 650 δολάρια

Πρόκειται για υπηρεσία στα πρότυπα του Uber απλά αντί για 

ταξί κάποιος καλεί το Learjet του για να ταξιδέψει ανά πάσα

 στιγμή σε οποιονδήποτε προορισμό μόνο με 650 δολάρια.  

Η υπηρεσία προσφέρει 7.000 ιδιωτικά αεροσκάφη που πιθανά να βολεύουν όποιον

 θελήσει να πετάξει σε κάποιον προορισμό. Ο χρήστης επιλέγει χρόνο, τόπο, μέγεθος

 αεροσκάφους και η εταιρία Victor βρίσκει αυτό που του ταιριάζει.

Η υπηρεσία προσφέρει ταξίδια με ιδιωτικά αεροσκάφη για υπερατλαντικές πτήσεις,

 για ταξίδια ανά την Ευρώπη αλλά και ελαφρά αεροσκάφη για ταξίδια από μια

 πρωτεύουσα της Ευρώπης σε μια άλλη.
Το χαμηλότερο κόστος πτήσης ξεκινά από τα 650 ευρώ το άτομο για ένα ταξίδι 

επτά ατόμων.

H βρετανική εταιρία Victor έχει αναπτύξει ένα αλγόριθμο που της επιτρέπει να

 γνωρίζει που βρίσκονται τα διαθέσιμα ιδιωτικά αεροσκάφη ανά πάσα στιγμή.
Μάλιστα η υπηρεσία έχει καταφέρει να βρει χρηματοδότηση από επενδυτές ύψους

 8 εκατ. δολαρίων και έχει γίνει και εφαρμογή στο iPhone.

Η Victor έχει εξελίξει ακόμα περισσότερο τις υπηρεσίες της αφού προσφέρει ταξίδια

 με ιδιωτικά αεροσκάφη ακόμα και σε σκυλιά. Η συγκεκριμένη υπηρεσία λέγεται

 «Pets on Jets» και έχει βρει μεγάλη ανταπόκριση, αφού υπάρχουν πολλοί που δεν

 θέλουν να ταξιδεύουν τα κατοικίδια τους μαζί με τις αποσκευές στις εμπορικές πτήσεις.

«Είδα μία τρύπα στην αγορά, όπου καταναλωτές-ταξιδιώτες έμεναν στο σκοτάδι,

 σχετικά με τις πτήσεις των ιδιωτικών αεροσκαφών. Δεν υπήρχε καμία ενημέρωση, 

καμία διαφάνεια και καμία ρύθμιση ώστε να κερδίσει κάποιος χρήματα αν η τιμή 

πτήσεων σημείωνε πτώση», αναφέρει ο Clive Jackson, CEO και ιδρυτής της Victor.