[edit]

• 46 BCE – Julius Caesar defeats Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
• 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex fights, and is defeated by, a Danish invasion army.
• 1490 – Anne of Brittany announces that all those who would ally with the King of France will be considered guilty of the crime of lèse-majesté.
• 1642 – King Charles I of England sends soldiers to arrest members of Parliament, commencing England's slide into civil war.
• 1649 – English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.
• 1717 – The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance.
• 1762 – Great Britain enters the Seven Years' War against Spain and Naples.
• 1798 – Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, Wallachia, as its new Prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire.
• 1847 – Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government.
• 1853 – After having been kidnapped and sold into slavery in the American South, Solomon Northup regains his freedom; his memoir 12 Years a Slave later becomes a national bestseller.
• 1854 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.
• 1863 – The New Apostolic Church, a Christian and chiliastic church, is established in Hamburg, Germany.
• 1865 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street in New York City.
• 1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878): Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule and becomes capital Liberated Bulgaria a few months later.
• 1884 – The Fabian Society is founded in London, England, United Kingdom.
• 1889 – The Oklahoma Land Run opens two million acres of unused Oklahoma Territory to first serve first come settlers on April 22.
• 1896 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
• 1903 – Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. Thomas Edison's movie company shoots the film Electrocuting an Elephant of the execution.
• 1912 – The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by royal charter.
• 1944 – World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.
• 1948 – Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1951 – Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul.
• 1955 – The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
• 1958 – Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from orbit.
• 1959 – Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.
• 1965 – United States President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaims his "Great Society" during his State of the Union address.
• 1966 – A military coup takes place in Upper Volta (later Burkina Faso), dissolving the National Parliament and leading to a new national constitution.
• 1970 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Tonghai County, China, killing at least 15,000 people.
• 1972 – Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, England.
• 1974 – United States President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over materials subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
• 1976 – The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force shoots dead six Irish Catholic civilians in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The next day, gunmen shoot dead ten Protestant civilians nearby in retaliation.
• 1987 – The Maryland train collision: An Amtrak train en route to Boston from Washington, D.C., collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, killing 16 people.
• 1989 – Second Gulf of Sidra incident: A pair of Libyan MiG-23 "Floggers" are shot down by a pair of US Navy F-14 Tomcats during an air-to-air confrontation.
• 1990 – In Pakistan's deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.
• 1998 – Wilaya of Relizane massacres in Algeria: Over 170 are killed in three remote villages.
• 1998 – A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.
• 1999 – Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota.
• 2000 – Two trains on the Røros Line collide in Åsta, Norway, resulting in an explosive fire and 19 deaths.
• 2004 – Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.
• 2004 – Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.
• 2006 – Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke. His authority is transferred to acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
• 2007 – The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.
• 2010 – Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, is officially opened.
• 2013 – A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, the Philippines.

Births[edit]

• 1077 – Emperor Zhezong of Song (d. 1100)
• 1334 – Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy (d. 1383)
• 1581 – James Ussher, Irish archbishop (d. 1656)
• 1664 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (d. 1742)
• 1672 – Hugh Boulter, Anglo-Irish archbishop (d. 1742)
• 1710 – Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer, violinist, and organist (d. 1736)
• 1720 – Johann Friedrich Agricola, German organist and composer (d. 1774)
• 1785 – Jacob Grimm, German author and philologist (d. 1863)
• 1809 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille (d. 1852)
• 1813 – Isaac Pitman, English linguist and educator (d. 1897)
• 1832 – George Tryon, English admiral (d. 1893)
• 1838 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (d. 1883)
• 1839 – Carl Humann, German archaeologist, architect, and engineer (d. 1896)
• 1842 – Frederic T. Greenhalge, American politician, 38th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
• 1848 – Katsura Tarō, Japanese general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1913)
• 1858 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1946)
• 1869 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1960)
• 1870 – Percy Pitt, English organist and conductor (d. 1932)
• 1872 – Ottilie Sutro, American pianist (d. 1970)
• 1872 – Albert Tyler, American pole vaulter (d. 1945)
• 1874 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1935)
• 1877 – Marsden Hartley, American painter (d. 1943)
• 1878 – A. E. Coppard, English poet and author (d. 1957)
• 1878 – Rosa Grünberg, Swedish actress and soprano (d. 1960)
• 1878 – Augustus John, Welsh painter and illustrator (d. 1961)
• 1881 – Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (d. 1919)
• 1881 – Patrick Ryan, Irish-American hammer thrower (d. 1964)
• 1882 – Aristarkh Lentulov, Russian painter and set designer (d. 1943)
• 1883 – Max Eastman, American author and poet (d. 1969)
• 1883 – Johanna Westerdijk, Dutch plant pathologist (d. 1961)
• 1884 – Guy Pène du Bois, American painter, critic, and educator (d. 1958)
• 1889 – M. Patanjali Sastri, Indian jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of India (d. 1963)
• 1890 – Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, American publisher, founded DC Comics (d. 1965)
• 1891 – Edward Brooker, English-Australian sergeant and politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (d. 1948)
• 1891 – Bryn Lewis, Welsh international rugby player (d. 1917)
• 1892 – María Díaz Cortés, Spanish super-centenarian (d. 2009)
• 1893 – Yone Minagawa, Japanese super-centenarian (d. 2007)
• 1894 – Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician and poet (d. 1962)
• 1895 – Leroy Grumman, American engineer and businessman; co-founded Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Co. (d. 1982)
• 1896 – Everett Dirksen, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1969)
• 1896 – André Masson, French painter (d. 1987)
• 1896 – Arnold Susi, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (d. 1968)
• 1896 – Jørgen Løvset, Norwegian professor of medicine, gynecology and obstetrics (d. 1981)
• 1900 – James Bond, American ornithologist (d. 1989)
• 1901 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and theorist (d. 1989)
• 1902 – John McCone, American businessman and politician, 6th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1991)
• 1905 – Sterling Holloway, American actor and singer (d. 1992)
• 1909 – J. R. Simplot, American businessman, founded the Simplot Company (d. 2008)
• 1910 – Arthur Villeneuve, Canadian painter (d. 1990)
• 1911 – Clara Østø, Danish actress (d. 1983)
• 1911 – Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish athlete and resistance member (d. 1943)
• 1912 – Noro Morales, Puerto Rican-American pianist and bandleader (d. 1964)
• 1913 – Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan ruler (d. 2007)
• 1914 – Herman Franks, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2009)
• 1915 – Meg Mundy, English-American actress
• 1916 – Slim Gaillard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Slim & Slam) (d. 1991)
• 1916 – Lionel Newman, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
• 1916 – Robert Parrish, American actor and director (d. 1995)
• 1920 – William Colby, American intelligence officer; 10th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1996)
• 1922 – Rosalie Crutchley, English actress (d. 1997)
• 1922 – Mart Port, Estonian architect (d. 2012)
• 1922 – Frank Wess, American saxophonist and flute player (New York Jazz Quartet) (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Tito Rodríguez, Puerto Rican-American singer and bandleader (d 1973)
• 1924 – Sebastian Kappen, Indian priest and theologian (d. 1993)
• 1924 – Meta Vannas, Estonian politician (d. 2002)
• 1924 – Marianne Werner, German shot putter
• 1925 – Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish skier and technician (d. 2003)
• 1926 – Eddie Cusic, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
• 1927 – Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Barbara Rush, American actress
• 1929 – Günter Schabowski, East German politician (d. 2015)
• 1930 – Sorrell Booke, American actor and director (d. 1994)
• 1930 – Don Shula, American football player and coach
• 1931 – William Deane, Australian judge and politician, 22nd Governor-General of Australia
• 1931 – Lala Mara, Fijian wife of Kamisese Mara (d. 2004)
• 1931 – Coşkun Özarı, Turkish football player and coach (d. 2011)
• 1932 – Clint Hill, American secret service agent and author
• 1932 – Thelma Holt, English actress and producer
• 1932 – Roman Personov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 2002)
• 1932 – Carlos Saura, Spanish director and screenwriter
• 1932 – Richard Stahl, American actor (d. 2006)
• 1933 – Ilia II of Georgia
• 1933 – Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, American author
• 1934 – Hellmuth Karasek, Czech-German journalist, author, and critic (d. 2015)
• 1934 – Rudolf Schuster, Slovak politician, 2nd President of Slovakia
• 1935 – Walter Mahlendorf, German sprinter
• 1935 – Floyd Patterson, American boxer (d. 2006)
• 1935 – Toru Terasawa, Japanese runner
• 1937 – Grace Bumbry, American soprano and actress
• 1937 – Dyan Cannon, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1937 – Mick O'Connell, Irish footballer
• 1938 – Eddie Southern, American hurdler
• 1940 – Alexander Chancellor, English journalist
• 1940 – Gao Xingjian, Chinese-French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1940 – Helmut Jahn, German-American architect, designed Liberty Place and Messeturm
• 1940 – Brian Josephson, Welsh physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1940 – Jill Pitkeathley, Baroness Pitkeathley, English politician
• 1941 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 2005)
• 1941 – John Bennett Perry, American actor and singer
• 1941 – Kalpnath Rai, Indian politician (d. 1999)
• 1941 – Maureen Reagan, American actress and activist (d. 2001)
• 1941 – K. Thurairetnasingam, Sri Lankan politician
• 1942 – Bolaji Akinyemi, Nigerian professor of political science
• 1942 – Precious Bryant, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
• 1942 – John McLaughlin, English guitarist and songwriter
• 1943 – Doris Kearns Goodwin, American historian and author
• 1943 – Hwang Sok-yong, South Korean author and educator
• 1943 – Priit Vesilind, Estonian-American author and photographer
• 1944 – Angela Harris, Baroness Harris of Richmond, English politician
• 1944 – Charlie Manuel, American baseball player and manager
• 1945 – Vesa-Matti Loiri, Finnish actor and singer
• 1945 – Richard R. Schrock, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1946 – Lisa Appignanesi Polish-English author and academic
• 1946 – Arthur Conley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
• 1946 – S. Rajasekharan, Indian poet and critic
• 1947 – Chris Cutler, American-English drummer and songwriter
• 1947 – Marie-Thérèse Letablier, French sociologist
• 1947 – Doc Neeson, Irish-Australian singer-songwriter (The Angels) (d. 2014)
• 1947 – Rick Stein, English chef and author
• 1948 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (d. 1992)
• 1948 – Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali
• 1948 – Eugeniusz Wycisło, Polish politician
• 1949 – Margaret Anne Marshall, Scottish soprano
• 1949 – Mick Mills, English footballer and manager
• 1950 – John Louis Evans, American murderer (d. 1983)
• 1950 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (d. 2013)
• 1951 – Bob Black, American author and activist
• 1951 – Barbara Cochran, American skier
• 1951 – Ronald Corp, English priest, composer, and conductor
• 1953 – Norberto Alonso, Argentinian footballer
• 1953 – Jackie Ballard, English journalist and politician
• 1953 – Richard Boden, English director and producer
• 1953 – Vicki Bruce, English psychologist and academic
• 1953 – James Warren, American journalist
• 1954 – Eugene Chadbourne, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1954 – Tina Knowles, American fashion designer; founded House of Deréon
• 1955 – Cecilia Conrad, Norwegian economist and academic
• 1955 – Mark Hollis, English singer-songwriter
• 1956 – Alex Cline, American drummer and educator
• 1956 – Nels Cline, American guitarist and songwriter (Wilco)
• 1956 – Ann Magnuson, American actress and singer
• 1956 – Sarojini Sahoo, Indian journalist, author, and poet
• 1956 – Bernard Sumner, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1957 – Brian Roy Goble, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
• 1957 – Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1957 – Gurdas Maan, Indian singer-songwriter and actor
• 1957 – Vesna Zmijanac, Serbian singer and actress
• 1958 – Andy Borowitz, American comedian and author
• 1958 – Matt Frewer, American-Canadian actor and singer
• 1958 – Gary Jones, Welsh-Canadian actor and screenwriter
• 1958 – Jim Powers, American wrestler
• 1958 – Julian Sands, English actor
• 1960 – Jane Halton, Australian public servant
• 1960 – Gavin Miller, Australian rugby league player
• 1960 – Art Paul Schlosser, American singer-songwriter
• 1960 – Michael Stipe, American singer-songwriter and producer (R.E.M. and Automatic Baby)
• 1960 – April Winchell, American actress, singer, and screenwriter
• 1961 – Lee Curreri, American actor and pianist
• 1961 – Sidney Green, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – Natalya Bochina, Russian sprinter
• 1962 – Harlan Coben, American author
• 1962 – Laila Elwi, Egyptian actress
• 1962 – Michael France, American screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1962 – Robin Guthrie, Scottish guitarist and producer (Cocteau Twins)
• 1962 – Joe Kleine, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – André Rouvoet, Dutch educator and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
• 1962 – Peter Steele, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2010)
• 1963 – Igor Astapkovich, Belarusian hammer thrower
• 1963 – Dave Foley, Canadian comedian, actor, director, and producer
• 1963 – Till Lindemann, German singer-songwriter
• 1964 – Dot Jones, American actress
• 1964 – Riki Takeuchi, Japanese actor
• 1965 – Yvan Attal, French actor and director
• 1965 – Guy Forget, Moroccan-American tennis player
• 1965 – Beth Gibbons, English singer-songwriter
• 1965 – Rick Hearst, American actor
• 1965 – Craig Revel Horwood, Australian-English dancer, choreographer, and director
• 1965 – Cait O'Riordan, Nigerian-English bass player and songwriter
• 1965 – Julia Ormond, English actress and producer
• 1965 – Rob Wilson, English politician
• 1966 – Deana Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1966 – La Parka II, Mexican wrestler
• 1967 – David Berman, American singer-songwriter
• 1967 – Johnny Nelson, English boxer and sportscaster
• 1967 – Marina Orsini, Canadian actress
• 1967 – David Toms, American golfer
• 1968 – Mike Wilpolt, American football player and coach
• 1969 – Corie Blount, American basketball player
• 1969 – Kostas Frantzeskos, Greek footballer
• 1969 – Mary Macleod, English politician
• 1969 – Marla Runyan, American runner and long jumper
• 1969 – Kees van Wonderen, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1970 – Chris Kanyon, American wrestler (d. 2010)
• 1971 – Junichi Kakizaki, Japanese botanist and floral designer
• 1972 – Charlotte Hudson, English actress
• 1972 – James Longley, American director and producer
• 1973 – Greg de Vries, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1973 – Frank Høj, Danish cyclist
• 1973 – Harmony Korine, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1974 – Danilo Hondo, German cyclist
• 1974 – Ian Moor, English singer
• 1974 – Sjur Miljeteig, Norwegian trumpeter
• 1974 – Armin Zöggeler, Italian luger
• 1975 – Shane Carwin, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
• 1975 – Jill Marie Jones, American actress
• 1976 – Benoît Joachim, Luxembourgish cyclist
• 1976 – Ted Lilly, American baseball player
• 1977 – Irán Castillo, Mexican actress and singer
• 1977 – David Millar, Maltese-Scottish cyclist
• 1977 – Dan Shanahan, Irish hurler and coach
• 1977 – Ozell Wells, Dominican-American basketball player, coach, and scout
• 1977 – Tim Wheeler, Northern Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1977 – Eric Fructuoso, Filipino actor
• 1977 – Vhong Navarro, Filipino actor, host, and dancer
• 1978 – Dominik Hrbatý, Slovakian tennis player
• 1978 – Paul Licuria, Australian footballer
• 1978 – Mai Meneses, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Nena Daconte)
• 1979 – Shergo Biran, German footballer
• 1979 – Tristan Gommendy, French race car driver
• 1979 – Charity Rahmer, American actress
• 1980 – Greg Cipes, American actor and singer
• 1980 – Bobbi Eden, Dutch porn actress and model
• 1980 – Happy Salma, Indonesian model, actress and writer
• 1980 – Alexandra Jiménez, Spanish actress
• 1980 – Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer
• 1980 – Yaroslav Popovych, Ukrainian cyclist
• 1981 – Silvy De Bie, Belgian singer (Sylver)
• 1981 – Hitomi Obara, Japanese wrestler
• 1982 – Paulo Ferrari, Argentinian footballer
• 1982 – Kang Hye-jung, South Korean actress and singer
• 1982 – Richard Logan, English footballer
• 1982 – Lucie Škrobáková, Czech hurdler
• 1982 – Hollie Stevens, American porn actress (d. 2012)
• 1983 – Spencer Chamberlain, American singer-songwriter
• 1983 – Gemma Hunt, English television host
• 1984 – İbrahim Akın, Turkish footballer
• 1985 – Danielle Campo, Canadian swimmer
• 1985 – Lenora Crichlow, English actress
• 1985 – Al Jefferson, American basketball player
• 1985 – Fernando Rees, Brazilian race car driver
• 1985 – Gökhan Gönül, Turkish international footballer
• 1986 – Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwanese tennis player
• 1986 – Katrina Halili, Filipino model and actress
• 1986 – Younès Kaboul, French footballer
• 1986 – Andrei Krauchanka, Belarusian decathlete
• 1986 – James Milner, English footballer
• 1986 – Steve Slaton, American football player
• 1987 – Nikolaj Misiuk, Lithuanian footballer
• 1987 – Kay Voser, Swiss footballer
• 1988 – Anestis Argyriou, Greek footballer
• 1988 – Nabila Jamshed, Indian author
• 1988 – Maximilian Riedmüller, German footballer
• 1989 – Labrinth, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1989 – Jeff Gyasi, Nigerian footballer
• 1989 – Kevin Pillar, American baseball player
• 1989 – Graham Rahal, American race car driver
• 1990 – Iago Falqué, Spanish footballer
• 1990 – Julia Glushko, Israeli tennis player
• 1990 – Toni Kroos, German footballer
• 1990 – Alberto Paloschi, Italian footballer
• 1991 – Tal al-Mallohi, Syrian blogger and activist
• 1991 – Stefan Nenadović, Montenegrin footballer
• 1991 – Mikk Pinnonen, Estonian handball player
• 1991 – Olivia Tennet, New Zealand actress and dancer
• 1993 – Martin Paasoja, Estonian basketball player
• 1993 – Marlo Mortel, Filipino actor and singer
• 1995 – Maddie Hasson, American actress
• 1995 – María Isabel, Spanish singer
• 1995 – Victonara Galang, Filipino volleyball player
• 1996 – Jade Jones, English wheelchair racer
• 1997 – Răzvan Popa, Romanian footballer
• 1998 – Liza Soberano, Filipino-American actress

Deaths[edit]

• 874 – Hasan al-Askari, Saudi Arabian 11th of the Twelve Imams (b. 846)
• 1248 – Sancho II of Portugal (b. 1207)
• 1286 – Anna Komnene Doukaina, Byzantine wife of William II of Villehardouin
• 1428 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1370)
• 1564 – Hosokawa Ujitsuna, Japanese commander (b. 1514)
• 1584 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1539)
• 1695 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (b. 1628)
• 1752 – Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (b. 1704)
• 1761 – Stephen Hales, English clergyman and physiologist (b. 1677)
• 1782 – Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect, designed École Militaire (b. 1698)
• 1786 – Moses Mendelssohn, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1729)
• 1804 – Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet (b. 1730)
• 1821 – Elizabeth Ann Seton, American nun and saint (b. 1774)
• 1825 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1751)
• 1863 – Roger Hanson, American general (b. 1827)
• 1874 – Thomas Gregson, English-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1798)
• 1877 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1794)
• 1880 – Anselm Feuerbach, German painter (b. 1829)
• 1882 – John William Draper, English-American physician, chemist, and photographer (b. 1811)
• 1883 – Antoine Chanzy, French general (b. 1823)
• 1891 – Antoine Labelle, Canadian priest (b. 1833)
• 1896 – Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German bishop (b. 1821)
• 1901 – Nikolaos Gyzis, Greek painter and academic (b. 1842)
• 1903 – Gulstan Ropert, American missionary (b. 1839)
• 1903 – Topsy American elephant (b. 1875)
• 1904 – Anna Winlock American astronomer (b. 1857)
• 1910 – Léon Delagrange, French pilot and sculptor (b. 1873)
• 1912 – Clarence Dutton, American geologist and soldier (b. 1841)
• 1919 – Georg von Hertling, German academic and politician, 7th Chancellor of the German Empire (b. 1843)
• 1920 – Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish author and playwright (b. 1843)
• 1924 – Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1852)
• 1927 – Süleyman Nazif, Ottoman Turkish poet (b. 1870)
• 1931 – Art Acord, American actor and stuntman (b. 1890)
• 1931 – Louise, Princess Royal of England (b. 1867)
• 1931 – Mohammad Ali Jouhar, Indian journalist, activist, and scholar (b. 1878)
• 1940 – Flora Finch, English-American actress and producer (b. 1867)
• 1941 – Henri Bergson, French philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
• 1943 – Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish athlete and saboteur (b. 1911)
• 1944 – Kaj Munk, Danish playwright and pastor (b. 1898)
• 1945 – Harold Fraser, American golfer (b. 1872)
• 1960 – Albert Camus, French philosopher and novelist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
• 1961 – Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
• 1962 – Hans Lammers, German SS officer (b. 1879)
• 1965 – T. S. Eliot, American-English poet, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
• 1967 – Donald Campbell, English race car driver (b. 1921)
• 1969 – Paul Chambers, American Bass player (b. 1935)
• 1970 – Jean-Étienne Valluy, French general (b. 1899)
• 1971 – Arthur Ford, American psychic, founded the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (b. 1896)
• 1975 – Carlo Levi, Italian painter, author, and activist (b. 1902)
• 1976 – Epameinondas Thomopoulos, Greek painter (b. 1878)
• 1981 – Ruth Lowe, Canadian pianist and songwriter (b. 1914)
• 1985 – Brian Horrocks, Indian-English general (b. 1895)
• 1985 – Lovro von Matačić, Croatian conductor and composer (b. 1899)
• 1986 – Christopher Isherwood, English-American author and academic (b. 1904)
• 1986 – Phil Lynott, Irish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (Thin Lizzy, Skid Row, and Grand Slam) (b. 1949)
• 1988 – Lily Laskine, French harp player (b. 1893)
• 1990 – Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic (b. 1903)
• 1990 – Henry Bolte, Australian sergeant and politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (b. 1908)
• 1994 – Marie Orav, Estonian chess player (b. 1911)
• 1994 – R. D. Burman, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1939)
• 1995 – Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor and composer (b. 1942)
• 1995 – Sol Tax, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1907)
• 1996 – Ramón Vinay, Chilean-Mexican tenor (b. 1911)
• 1997 – Harry Helmsley, American businessman (b. 1909)
• 1998 – John Gary, American singer-songwriter (b. 1932)
• 1998 – Mae Questel, American actress and singer (b. 1908)
• 1999 – Iron Eyes Cody, American actor and stuntman (b. 1904)
• 1999 – Jaak Tamm, Estonian politician (b. 1950)
• 2000 – Spyros Markezinis, Greek lawyer and politician, 170th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1909)
• 2000 – Tom Fears, Mexican-American football player and coach (b. 1922)
• 2001 – Les Brown, American bandleader and composer (b. 1912)
• 2001 – Yoshika Yuhnagi, Japanese model (b. 1983)
• 2003 – Hanno Drechsler, German academic and politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1931)
• 2003 – Sabine Ulibarrí, American poet and critic (b. 1919)
• 2003 – Yfrah Neaman, Lebanese-English violinist (b. 1923)
• 2004 – Brian Gibson, English director and screenwriter (b. 1944)
• 2004 – Jake Hess, American singer (The Statesmen Quartet and Masters V) (b. 1927)
• 2004 – Jeff Nuttall, English actor, poet, and painter (b. 1933)
• 2004 – Joan Aiken, English author (b. 1924)
• 2004 – John Toland, American historian and author (b. 1912)
• 2005 – Alton Tobey, American painter and illustrator (b. 1914)
• 2005 – Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1924)
• 2005 – Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Guy Davenport, American author and scholar (b. 1927)
• 2005 – Humphrey Carpenter, English radio host and author (b. 1946)
• 2005 – Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian (b. 1919)
• 2006 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (b. 1912)
• 2006 – John Hahn-Petersen, Danish actor (b. 1930)
• 2006 – Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emirati politician, 1st Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (b. 1946)
• 2006 – Milton Himmelfarb, American sociographer, author, and academic (b. 1918)
• 2007 – Gren, Welsh cartoonist (b. 1934)
• 2007 – Helen Hill, American director and producer (b. 1970)
• 2007 – Jan Schröder, Dutch cyclist (b. 1941)
• 2007 – Lewis Hodges, English air marshal and pilot (b. 1918)
• 2007 – Marais Viljoen, South African politician, 5th State President of South Africa (b. 1915)
• 2007 – Sandro Salvadore, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
• 2007 – Steve Krantz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1923)
• 2008 – Jimmy Nah, Singaporean comedian and actor (b. 1968)
• 2008 – Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist (b. 1932)
• 2008 – Yannis Tamtakos, Greek activist (b. 1908)
• 2009 – Gert Jonke, Austrian poet, playwright, and author (b. 1946)
• 2009 – Giselle Salandy, Trinidadian boxer (b. 1987)
• 2010 – Casey Johnson, American model and actress (b. 1979)
• 2010 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (b. 1910)
• 2010 – Rory Markas, American sportscaster (b. 1955)
• 2010 – Sandro de América, Argentine singer and actor (b. 1945)
• 2010 – Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese engineer (b. 1916)
• 2011 – Ali-Reza Pahlavi, Iranian son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (b. 1966)
• 2011 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (b. 1937)
• 2011 – Dick King-Smith English author (b. 1922)
• 2011 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (The Humblebums and Stealers Wheel) (b. 1947)
• 2011 – Mick Karn, Cypriot-English bass player and songwriter (Japan, Dalis Car, NiNa, and JBK) (b. 1958)
• 2011 – Mohamed Bouazizi, Tunisian activist (b. 1984)
• 2011 – Salmaan Taseer, Pakistani businessman and politician, 26th Governor of Punjab, Pakistan (b. 1944)
• 2012 – Carmen Naranjo, Costa Rican author and poet (b. 1928)
• 2012 – David Wheeler, American director and producer (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Gatewood Galbraith, American lawyer, author, and politician (b. 1947)
• 2012 – Harry Fowler, English actor (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Kerry McGregor, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1974)
• 2012 – Richard Alf, American businessman, co-founded San Diego Comic-Con International (b. 1952)
• 2012 – Rod Robbie, English-Canadian architect, designed the Canadian Pavilion and Rogers Centre (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Ruben Ayala, American politician (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Anwar Shamim, Pakistani general (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Murray Henderson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Nikos Samaras, Greek volleyball player (b. 1970)
• 2013 – Pete Elliott, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Sammy Johns, American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
• 2013 – Tony Lip, American actor (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Yevgeny Pepelyaev, Russian colonel and pilot (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1951)
• 2013 – Şenay (singer), Turkish singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
• 2014 – Andy Holden, English runner and coach (b. 1948)
• 2014 – Caixa Eletronica, American race horse (b. 2005)
• 2014 – Gabe Gabler, American baseball player (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Irving Fishman, American lawyer and politician (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Jean Metellus, Haitian neurologist, author, poet, and playwright (b. 1937)
• 2014 – Shirley Jeffrey, Australian biologist and academic (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Ahuti Prasad, Indian actor and director (b. 1958)
• 2015 – Chitresh Das, Indian dancer and choreographer (b. 1944)
• 2015 – Hank Peters, American businessman (b. 1924)
• 2015 – Michele Serros, American author and poet (b. 1966)
• 2015 – Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1955)
• 2015 – Stu Miller, American baseball player (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Stuart Scott, American sportscaster and actor (b. 1965)

 Δύο ελληνικοί προορισμοί στα 10 κρυμμένα «διαμάντια» της Ευρώπης για το 2016

Μπορεί η  Μύκονος, η  Σαντορίνη, η  Ίμπιζα και το Σαν Τροπέ (μεταξύ άλλων) να κλέβουν κάθε καλοκαίρι τα φώτα της δημοσιότητας, τουλάχιστον όσον αφορά τους κοσμοπολίτες, ωστόσο υπάρχουν και ορισμένες περιοχές, που αν και μακριά από τα φλας είναι για πολλούς ο... παράδεισος.

Η βρετανική Telegraph εντόπισε τα 10 καλύτερα κρυμμένα θέρετρα για τις καλοκαιρινές διακοπές του 2016, μεταξύ των οποίων και δύο ελληνικά. Έστω κι αν αυτές αργούν ακόμη...

1. 1. Palagruza, Κροατία

2. Mljet, Κροατία

3. Anamur-Iskele, Τουρκία

4. Κουφονήσια, Ελλάδα

5. Παλαιοχώρα, νοτιοδυτική  Κρήτη, Ελλάδα

6. Viveiro, Γαλικία, Ισπανία

7. Cíes Islands, Ισπανία

8. Comporta, Tróia, Πορτογαλία

9. San Pantaleo, Σαρδηνία

10. Notre Dame, Porquerolles, Γαλλία

Δισκογραφία

Άλμπουμ

• Titles (Virgin, 1982) – Νο 74 στη Μ. Βρετανία
• Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters (Virgin, 1987) – Νο 89 στη Μ. Βρετανία
• Bestial Cluster (CMP, 1993)
• Polytown (CMP, 1994)
• The Tooth Mother (CMP, 1995)
• Seed [EP] ( Medium UK, 1997)
• Beginning to Melt ( Medium UK, 1997)
• Liquid Glass (Medium, 1998)
• -ism (Medium UK, 2000)
• Each Eye a Path (Medium, 2001)
• Each Path a Remix (Medium, 2003)
• More Better Different (Invisible Hands Music, 2004)
• Love's Glove EP (MK, 2005)
• Three Part Species (MK, 2006)
• Selected (MK, 2007)
• The Concrete Twin (MK, 2009)

Σινγκλ

• "Sensitive" (Virgin, 1982) – Νο 98 στη Μ. Βρετανία
• "After a Fashion" (1983) – Νο 39 στη Μ. Βρετανία
• "Buoy" (Virgin, 1987) – Νο 63 στη Μ. Βρετανία
• "Of & About" (MK, 2006)

Πέθανε ο Γάλλος τραγουδιστής του ’70 Michel Delpech 

5 Έλληνες που έγραψαν Ιστορία

τα 10 καλύτερα παραθαλάσσια ξενοδοχεία στην Ελλάδα 

Τις προτάσεις των ειδικών συντακτών της με τα 10 καλύτερα 

μέρη διαμονής για τις καλοκαιρινές διακοπές του 2016 

παρουσίασε στους αναγνώστες της η εφημερίδα «Telegraph».

1) «Sorta Apartments», Κρήτη

Το ξενοδοχείο των 7 μόλις διαμερισμάτων βρίσκεται στην γνωστή παραλία «Ιγκουάνα»

 των Χανίων.

2) «Atrium Palace., Ρόδος

Το 5άστερο ξενοδοχείο με τις εγκαταστάσεις spa και τις πολυτελείς βίλες βρίσκεται

 στην φημισμένη παραλία «Κάλαθος», στην νοτιοανατολική πλευρά του νησιού.

3) «Vatera Beach Hotel, Λέσβος

Όπως προδίδει και το όνομα του, το ξενοδοχείο αυτό βρίσκεται στην μεγαλύτερη 

παραλία του νησιού, μήκους 7χλμ, τα «Βατερά».

4) «Νταμούχαρη», Πήλιο

Στην βοτσαλωτή παραλία του, Νταμουχάρη, η οποία προβλήθηκε και στην γνωστή

 ταινία Mamma Mia, βρίσκεται το επόμενο ξενοδοχείο, στην βορειοανατολική ακτή του

 Πηλίου.

5) «Μαντώ», Σκόπελος

Κοντά σε μια από τις ωραιότερες παραλίες της Σκοπέλου, με άμμο και πεύκα, το

 Βελανιό, βρίσκεται ο ξενώνας «Μαντώ», που έχει προβολή στην παραλία Στάφυλος.

6) «Coco Mat Eco», Σέριφος

Ιδανικό για φυσιολάτρες το ξενοδοχείο αυτό βρίσκεται στην παραλία «Βάγια», ενώ

 η φιλοξενία των επισκεπτών γίνεται σε πετρόκτιστα βιοκλιματικής αρχιτεκτονικής

 δωμάτια.

7) «Sesa Boutique Hotel», Πρέβεζα

Με θέα την παραλία «Κανάλι» και τα τιρκουάζ νερά του Ιονίου, το μόλις 11 δωματίων

 ξενοδοχείο προσφέρει μίνιμαλ, σικ διακόσμηση και υπέροχο φαγητό.

8) «Βριτομάρτις», Κρήτη

Η καλύτερη επιλογή για γυμνισμό, αυτό το ξενοδοχείο είναι αφιερωμένο σε όσους

 αγαπούν να ξεφορτώνονται τα ρούχα τους στις διακοπές τους. Στην παραλία «Φιλάκι».

9) «Κάμπινγκ Αρετή», Χαλκιδική

Στο δεύτερο πόδι, στην κοσμοπολίτικη Σιθωνία, το συγκεκριμένο κάμπινγκ είναι πολύ

 φιλικό για οικογένειες, ενώ διαθέτει και ένα υπέροχο παραθαλάσσιο εστιατόριο.

10) «The Romanos-Costa Navarino», Πύλος

Ένα απο τα πολυτελέστερα και πιο πλήρη ξενοδοχεία της χώρας, το Κόστα Ναβαρίνο

 σας υπόσχεται ονειρικές διακοπές, στο συγκρότημα «The Romanos».

The 10 best ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes

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William Shatner and Christine White in "The Twilight Zone" episode "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet."Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

Syfy has added several wrinkles to its annual “Twilight Zone” marathon.

It’s not only showing all 156 episodes of Rod Serling’s classic CBS series, in chronological order — “TZ” aired from 1959 to ’64 — but it’s airing them in HD. (That probably won’t make much of a difference for a black-and-white series from this era, but still . . .)

In honor of the 87-hour marathon — which concludes Sunday at noon — here are my Top 10 all-time favorite “Twilight Zone” episodes, in no particular order.

“A Game of Pool” (Originally aired Oct. 13, 1961)

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This parable of life and death, decided in a seedy pool room (city unknown), features two actors with terrific chops and even better chemistry: Jack Klugman as Jesse Cardiff, the self-proclaimed best pool player on Randolph Street, and Jonathan Winters as the dead pool legend James Howard “Fats” Brown (“The best who ever was”). Fats materializes from pool-player heaven and challenges Jesse to a game. The stakes? If Jesse wins, he lives. If he loses, he dies. The banter between Klugman and Winters (stepping outside his comic comfort zone) is priceless. (And the timing was perfect: The episode aired shortly after the big-screen premiere of “The Hustler,” co-starring Jackie Gleason as pool legend Minnesota Fats.)

“The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (Originally aired March 4, 1960)

Suburban mob-mentality panic turns deadly when strange things begin to happen on Maple Street one summer night after something crashes nearby, cutting the power. Lights flicker on and off, cars start by themselves and, before too long, neighbor turns on neighbor when teenage Tommy suggests it’s the work of aliens from outer space.

“It’s a Good Life” (Originally aired Nov. 3, 1961)

This one still creeps me out. Evil youngster Anthony Fremont (Billy Mumy, later to star in “Lost in Space”) holds his family and small Ohio town hostage by killing anyone who doesn’t think good thoughts about him (or anything else) — turning them into something hideous before “wishing” them to a nearby cornfield. One of Anthony’s neighbors gets drunk at a birthday party and mouths off about the young lad. Bad move.

“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (Originally aired Oct. 11, 1963)

Bob Wilson (yes, it’s William Shatner) is flying home with his understanding wife after spending time in the loony bin following a previous mid-flight freakout. That’s why no one believes him when he — and only he — sees a huge furry gremlin trying to destroy the plane’s engines. Hey, it happens.

“The Fever” (Originally aired Jan. 29, 1960)

Fusty, uptight Franklin Gibbs (Everett Sloane) is in a Las Vegas casino after winning a trip to Sin City with his wife, Flora. He grudgingly drops a coin into a one-armed bandit and then becomes obsessed with the machine, which vocally beckons him (or is it just all that loose change?). A cautionary tale.

“Living Doll” (Originally aired Nov. 1, 1963)

Future “Kojak” star Telly Savalas (with hair, yet) is Erich Streator, a mean father who dumps his stepdaughter’s Talky Tina doll into the trash. Tina doesn’t like that — or Erich — and seeks her revenge. Not recommended for those with a fear of dolls (creepy or otherwise).

“Twenty Two” (Originally aired Feb. 10, 1961)

Liz Powell (Barbara Nichols) is a professional dancer who’s in the hospital, recovering from exhaustion. She has a horrific recurring dream in which she’s escorted to the hospital morgue — Room 22 — by a shadowy nurse in an elevator who repeats the same phrase: “Room for one more, honey.” So what happens when Liz is discharged from the hospital? I won’t spoil it for you.

“And When the Sky Was Opened” (Originally aired Dec. 11, 1959)

Three astronauts, just back from a space mission, vanish from existence — and from everyone’s consciousness — each time one of them checks out of the hospital. In the end, there’s no trace of them — or of their mission. Did they ever exist in the first place? Discuss amongst yourselves.

“Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up ?” (Originally aired May 26, 1961)

A busload of passengers are snowbound in a remote diner, unable to cross a bridge after something crash-lands nearby (echoes of our “Maple Street” friends). Suddenly all hell breaks loose: the jukebox plays itself, the lights flicker, the telephone rings and no one’s there. All the passengers know is that one of them didn’t board the bus.

“A Piano in the House” (Originally aired Feb. 16, 1962)

Acid-tongued, loveless drama critic Fitzgerald Fortune (Barry Morse, who later co-starred in “The Fugitive”) buys a player-piano as a birthday present for his kind, much-younger wife, whom he taunts mercilessly. The piano, it turns out, has a strange effect on Fitz’s dinner guests — who, trancelike, bare their souls every time the piano plays a different tune. Everyone but Fitz is horrified — until it’s his turn to reveal his true inner identity.

[edit]

• 1066 – Edward the Confessor dies childless, sparking a succession crisis that will eventually lead to the Norman conquest of England.
• 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France.
• 1500 – Duke Ludovico Sforza conquers Milan.
• 1527 – Felix Manz, a leader of the Anabaptist congregation in Zürich, Switzerland, is executed by drowning.
• 1554 – A great fire occurs in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
• 1675 – Battle of Colmar: the French army beats Brandenburg.
• 1757 – Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering, the traditional and gruesome form of capital punishment used for regicides.
• 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold.
• 1846 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Territory with the United Kingdom.
• 1875 – The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated in Paris.
• 1895 – Dreyfus affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
• 1896 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wilhelm Röntgen has discovered a type of radiation later known as X-rays.
• 1900 – Irish leader John Redmond calls for a revolt against British rule.
• 1911 – Kappa Alpha Psi, the world's second oldest and largest black fraternity, is founded at Indiana University.
• 1912 – The Prague Party Conference takes place.
• 1913 – First Balkan War: During the Battle of Lemnos, Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it did not venture for the rest of the war.
• 1914 – The Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and that it would pay a "living wage" of at least US$5 for a day's labor.
• 1919 – The German Workers' Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded.
• 1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.
• 1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.
• 1944 – The Daily Mail becomes the first transoceanic newspaper.
• 1945 – The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet government of Poland.
• 1949 – United States President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program.
• 1957 – In a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will later be called the Eisenhower Doctrine.
• 1968 – Alexander Dubček comes to power: "Prague Spring" begins in Czechoslovakia.
• 1969 – The Troubles: The Royal Ulster Constabulary raid the Bogside area of Derry, damaging property and beating residents. In response, residents erect barricades and establish Free Derry.
• 1972 – United States President Richard Nixon orders the development of a Space Shuttle program.
• 1974 – An earthquake in Lima, Peru, kills six people, and damages hundreds of houses.
• 1974 – Warmest reliably measured temperature in Antarctica of +59 °F (+15 °C) recorded at Vanda Station
• 1975 – The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing twelve people.
• 1976 – The Khmer Rouge proclaim the Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea.
• 1976 – The Troubles: In response to the killing of six Catholics the night before, gunmen shoot dead ten Protestant civilians after stopping their minibus at Kingsmill in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK.
• 1991 – Georgian forces enter Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Georgia, opening the 1991–92 South Ossetia War.
• 1991 – The United States Embassy to Somalia in Mogadishu is evacuated by helicopter airlift days after violence enveloped Mogadishu during the Somali Civil War
• 1993 – The oil tanker MV Braer runs aground on the coast of the Shetland Islands, spilling 84,700 tons of crude oil.
• 2005 – Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System, is discovered by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz using images originally taken on October 21, 2003, at the Palomar Observatory.
• 2014 – A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine.

Births[edit]

• 1209 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English-German king (d. 1272)
• 1548 – Francisco Suárez, Spanish priest, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1617)
• 1587 – Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer (d. 1641)
• 1614 – Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (d. 1662)
• 1640 – Paolo Lorenzani, Italian composer (d. 1713)
• 1679 – Pietro Filippo Scarlatti, Italian organist and composer (d. 1750)
• 1717 – William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1793)
• 1735 – Claude Martin, French-English general (d. 1800)
• 1762 – Constanze Mozart, German wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (d. 1842)
• 1767 – Jean-Baptiste Say, French economist and academic (d. 1832)
• 1778 – Zebulon Pike, American general and explorer (d. 1813)
• 1779 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (d. 1820)
• 1793 – Harvey Putnam, American lawyer and politician (d. 1855)
• 1808 – Anton Füster, Austrian priest and activist (d. 1881)
• 1834 – William John Wills, English surgeon and explorer (d. 1861)
• 1838 – Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic (d. 1922)
• 1846 – Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German philosopher and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1926)
• 1855 – King Camp Gillette, American businessman, founded the Gillette Company (d. 1932)
• 1864 – Bob Caruthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1911)
• 1865 – Julio Garavito Armero, Colombian astronomer, mathematician, and engineer (d. 1920)
• 1865 – Ban Johnson, American businessman, founded the Western League (d. 1931)
• 1866 – Dimitrios Gounaris, Greek politician, 94th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1922)
• 1871 – Frederick Converse, American composer and academic (d. 1940)
• 1874 – Joseph Erlanger, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
• 1876 – Konrad Adenauer, German politician, Chancellor of West Germany (d. 1967)
• 1879 – Hans Eppinger, Austrian physician (d. 1946)
• 1879 – Marcel Tournier, French harp player and composer (d. 1951)
• 1880 – Nikolai Medtner, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1951)
• 1881 – Pablo Gargallo, Spanish sculptor and painter (d. 1934)
• 1882 – Herbert Bayard Swope, American journalist (d. 1958)
• 1882 – Dorothy Levitt, English racing driver and journalist (d. 1922)
• 1885 – Humbert Wolfe, Italian-English poet and civil servant (d. 1940)
• 1886 – Markus Reiner, Israeli physicist and engineer (d. 1976)
• 1892 – Agnes von Kurowsky, American nurse (d. 1984)
• 1893 – Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian-American guru and philosopher (d. 1952)
• 1893 – Elizabeth Cotten, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1987)
• 1895 – Jeannette Piccard, American priest, and balloonist (d. 1981)
• 1900 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (d. 1955)
• 1902 – Hubert Beuve-Méry, French journalist (d. 1989)
• 1902 – Stella Gibbons, English journalist and author (d. 1989)
• 1903 – Harold Gatty, Australian pilot and navigator (d. 1957)
• 1904 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (d. 1997)
• 1904 – Erika Morini, Austrian violinist (d. 1995)
• 1906 – Kathleen Kenyon, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1978)
• 1908 – George Dolenz, Italian-American actor (d. 1963)
• 1909 – Lucienne Bloch, Swiss-American sculptor, painter, and photographer (d. 1995)
• 1909 – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 1994)
• 1910 – Hugh Brannum, American actor and singer (d. 1987)
• 1910 – Jack Lovelock, New Zealand runner and journalist (d. 1949)
• 1911 – Jean-Pierre Aumont, French actor and screenwriter (d. 2001)
• 1913 – Nejat Eczacıbaşı, Turkish chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist (d. 1993)
• 1914 – Nicolas de Staël, Russian-French painter (d. 1955)
• 1914 – George Reeves, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1959)
• 1915 – Arthur H. Robinson, Canadian geographer and cartographer (d. 2004)
• 1917 – Adolfo Consolini, Italian discus thrower (d. 1969)
• 1917 – Lucienne Day, English textile designer (d. 2010)
• 1917 – Francis L. Kellogg, American diplomat (d. 2006)
• 1917 – Wieland Wagner, German director and producer (d. 1966)
• 1917 – Jane Wyman, American actress (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Hector Abhayavardhana, Sri Lankan theorist and politician (d. 2012)
• 1919 – Severino Gazzelloni, Italian flute player (d. 1992)
• 1919 – Herb Peterson, American businessman (d. 2008)
• 1920 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist (d. 1995)
• 1921 – Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright (d. 1990)
• 1921 – Paul Governali, American football player and actor (d. 1978)
• 1921 – Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
• 1922 – Anthony Synnot, Australian admiral (d. 2001)
• 1923 – Glenn Boyer, American historian and author (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Sam Phillips, American record producer, founded Sun Records (d. 2003)
• 1926 – Veikko Karvonen, Finnish runner (d. 2007)
• 1926 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (d. 2009)
• 1926 – Hosea Williams, American businessman and activist (d. 2000)
• 1927 – Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Hindu guru of the Shaiva Siddhanta lineage and founder of Iraivan Temple (d. 2001)
• 1928 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th President of Pakistan (d. 1979)
• 1928 – Walter Mondale, American soldier, lawyer, and politician; 42nd Vice President of the United States
• 1929 – Wilbert Harrison, American singer-songwriter (d. 1994)
• 1929 – Russ Manning, American illustrator (d. 1981)
• 1929 – Aulis Rytkönen, Finnish footballer and manager (d. 2014)
• 1929 – Tabby Thomas, American singer, pianist, and guitarist (d. 2014)
• 1930 – Al Masini, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2010)
• 1931 – Alvin Ailey, American dancer and choreographer; founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (d. 1989)
• 1931 – Alfred Brendel, Austrian pianist, poet, and author
• 1931 – Joan Coxsedge, Australian politician
• 1931 – Robert Duvall, American actor and director
• 1932 – Umberto Eco, Italian philosopher and author
• 1932 – Raisa Gorbachova, Russian wife of Mikhail Gorbachev (d. 1999)
• 1932 – Chuck Noll, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
• 1933 – Derek Johnson, English runner (d. 2004)
• 1933 – Leonard Marsh, American businessman; co-founded Snapple (d. 2013)
• 1934 – William Bendeck, Bolivian race car driver (d. 1971)
• 1934 – Phil Ramone, South African-American record producer, co-founded A & R Recording (d. 2013)
• 1935 – David Ryall, English actor (d. 2014)
• 1936 – Florence King, American author and journalist
• 1938 – Juan Carlos I of Spain
• 1938 – Jim Otto, American football player
• 1938 – Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author and playwright
• 1939 – M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician (d. 1997)
• 1940 – Athol Guy, Australian bassist
• 1940 – Michael O'Donoghue, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1994)
• 1941 – Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
• 1941 – Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian cricketer (d. 2011)
• 1942 – Jan Leeming, English journalist
• 1942 – Terenci Moix, Spanish author (d. 2003)
• 1942 – Maurizio Pollini, Italian pianist
• 1942 – Charlie Rose, American journalist and talk show host
• 1943 – Mary Gaudron, Australian lawyer and judge
• 1944 – Jo Ann Kelly, English singer and guitarist (d. 1990)
• 1944 – Ed Rendell, American lieutenant and politician; 45th Governor of Pennsylvania
• 1944 – Louis Stewart, Irish guitarist
• 1945 – Chuck McKinley, American tennis player (d. 1986)
• 1945 – Roger Spottiswoode, Canadian-English director and producer
• 1946 – Diane Keaton, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1946 – Prince Tomohito of Mikasa (d. 2012)
• 1947 – Mike DeWine, American lawyer and politician; 59th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
• 1947 – Mercury Morris, American football player
• 1948 – Ted Lange, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1950 – Ioan P. Culianu, Romanian historian, philosopher, and author (d. 1991)
• 1950 – Peter Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, English lawyer and politician; Attorney General for England and Wales
• 1950 – John Manley, Canadian lawyer and politician; 8th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
• 1950 – Charlie Richmond, Canadian sound designer and engineer
• 1950 – Chris Stein, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1950 – Krzysztof Wielicki, Polish mountaineer
• 1951 – Steve Arnold, English footballer
• 1951 – Jagathy Sreekumar, Indian actor and screenwriter
• 1952 – Uli Hoeneß, German footballer and manager
• 1953 – Steve Archer, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1953 – Pamela Sue Martin, American actress
• 1953 – Mike Rann, English-Australian journalist and politician; 44th Premier of South Australia
• 1953 – George Tenet, American civil servant and academic; 18th Director of Central Intelligence
• 1954 – Alex English, American basketball player and coach
• 1954 – László Krasznahorkai, Hungarian author and screenwriter
• 1955 – Mamata Banerjee, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal
• 1955 – Jacob Hård, Swedish journalist
• 1955 – Jimmy Mulville, English comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter; co-founded Hat Trick Productions
• 1955 – Mohsen Sazegara, Iranian journalist and politician
• 1956 – Chen Kenichi, Japanese-Chinese chef
• 1956 – Tim Macartney-Snape, Australian mountaineer and author
• 1956 – Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German academic and politician; 14th Vice-Chancellor of Germany
• 1957 – Kevin Hastings, Australian rugby player and trainer
• 1958 – Nancy Delahunt, Canadian curler
• 1958 – Ron Kittle, American baseball player and manager
• 1958 – Marvin Lee Wilson, American murderer (d. 2012)
• 1959 – Clancy Brown, American actor and singer
• 1959 – David Eastwood, English historian and academic
• 1960 – Steve Jones, English captain and pilot
• 1960 – Otar Korgalidze, Georgian footballer and manager
• 1960 – Glenn Strömberg, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
• 1960 – Phil Thornalley, English bass player, songwriter, and producer
• 1961 – Iris DeMent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1962 – Suzy Amis, American actress and model
• 1962 – Danny Jackson, American baseball player and manager
• 1962 – Andrew Rawnsley, English journalist and author
• 1963 – Jeff Fassero, American baseball player and coach
• 1964 – Grant Young, American drummer
• 1965 – Ricky Paull Goldin, American actor and producer
• 1965 – Vinnie Jones, English footballer and actor
• 1965 – Patrik Sjöberg, Swedish high jumper
• 1966 – Kate Schellenbach, American drummer
• 1966 – Steve Tuttle, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1967 – Joe Flanigan, American actor
• 1968 – DJ BoBo, Swiss singer-songwriter and producer
• 1968 – Andrew Golota, Polish-born U.S.-based boxer
• 1968 – Carrie Ann Inaba, American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer
• 1968 – Joé Juneau, Canadian ice hockey player and engineer
• 1969 – Marilyn Manson, American singer-songwriter, actor, and director
• 1969 – Paul McGillion, Scottish-Canadian actor and producer
• 1969 – Shea Whigham, American actor
• 1970 – Rick Campanelli, Canadian television host
• 1970 – Mitoy Yonting, Filipino singer and actor
• 1971 – Jayne Middlemiss, English radio and television host
• 1971 – Mayuko Takata, Japanese actress
• 1971 – Stian Carstensen, Norwegian artist and multi-instrument (Farmers Market)
• 1972 – Philip Davies, English politician
• 1972 – Sakis Rouvas, Greek singer-songwriter, producer and actor
• 1973 – Phil Joel, New Zealand singer-songwriter and bass player (Newsboys)
• 1974 – Sarah-Jane Honeywell, English actress and dancer
• 1974 – Iwan Thomas, Welsh sprinter
• 1975 – Kylie Bax, New Zealand-American model and actress
• 1975 – Bradley Cooper, American actor and producer
• 1975 – Warrick Dunn, American football player
• 1975 – Mike Grier, American ice hockey player and scout
• 1976 – Shintarō Asanuma, Japanese voice actor and singer
• 1976 – Diego Tristán, Spanish footballer
• 1976 – Matt Wachter, American bass player
• 1977 – Marcus Trick, German rugby player
• 1978 – Sabrina Harman, American soldier
• 1978 – January Jones, American actress
• 1978 – Seanan McGuire, American author
• 1978 – Franck Montagny, French race car driver
• 1979 – Kyle Calder, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Giuseppe Gibilisco, Italian pole vaulter
• 1979 – Ronnie O'Brien, Irish footballer and coach
• 1979 – Masami Tanaka, Japanese swimmer
• 1980 – Luke Bailey, Australian rugby league player
• 1980 – Sebastian Deisler, German footballer
• 1980 – Bennie Joppru, American football player
• 1980 – Brad Meyers, Australian rugby league player
• 1981 – Deadmau5, Canadian DJ and producer
• 1981 – Corey Flynn, New Zealand rugby player
• 1981 – Kyla, Filipino singer
• 1981 – Brooklyn Sudano, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1982 – Norichika Aoki, Japanese baseball player
• 1982 – Janica Kostelić, Croatian skier
• 1982 – Darren Mackie, Scottish footballer
• 1982 – Tiiu Nurmberg, Canadian-Estonian skier
• 1982 – Vadims Vasiļevskis, Latvian javelin thrower
• 1982 – Benoît Vaugrenard, French cyclist
• 1983 – Sean Dockery, American basketball player
• 1984 – Derrick Atkins, Bahamian sprinter
• 1984 – Reinar Hallik, Estonian basketball player
• 1984 – Amanda Hearst, American model
• 1984 – Nao Nagasawa, Japanese actress, voice actress, and singer
• 1985 – Michael Cuccione, Canadian actor and singer (d. 2001)
• 1985 – Yoon So-yi, South Korean actress
• 1985 – Fabienne Suter, Swiss skier
• 1985 – Diego Vera, Uruguayan footballer
• 1986 – J. P. Arencibia, American baseball player
• 1986 – Teppei Koike, Japanese actor and singer
• 1986 – Deepika Padukone, Danish-Indian model and actress
• 1987 – Kristin Cavallari, American actress
• 1987 – Michael Gilday, Canadian speed skater
• 1988 – Pauline, French singer-songwriter
• 1988 – Mario de Luna, Mexican footballer
• 1988 – Luke Daniels, English footballer
• 1988 – Yago Fernández, Portuguese footballer
• 1988 – Azizulhasni Awang, Malaysian professional track cyclist
• 1989 – Krisztián Németh, Hungarian footballer
• 1990 – Yoseob, South Korean singer, actor, and dancer (Beast)
• 1991 – Denis Alibec, Romanian footballer
• 1991 – Soner Aydoğdu, Turkish footballer
• 1991 – Eric Fisher, American football player
• 1991 – Daniel Pacheco, Spanish footballer
• 1992 – Julian Derstroff, German footballer
• 1993 – De'Anthony Thomas, American football player
• 1995 – Joyce Ching, Filipino actress and singer
• 1998 – Marie Iitoyo, Japanese model and actress
• 1999 – Marc Yu, American pianist and cellist
• 1999 – Berkin Elvan, 15-year-old Kurdish boy (d. 2014)

Deaths[edit]

• 842 – Al-Mu'tasim, Iraqi 8th Abbasid caliph (b. 794)
• 1066 – Edward the Confessor, English king (b. 1004)
• 1400 – John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English politician (b. 1350)
• 1448 – Christopher of Bavaria (b. 1416)
• 1465 – Charles, Duke of Orléans (b. 1394)
• 1477 – Charles the Bold, French son of Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy (b. 1433)
• 1524 – Marko Marulić, Croatian poet (b. 1450)
• 1527 – Felix Manz, Swiss martyr (b. 1498)
• 1589 – Catherine de' Medici, Italian-French wife of Henry II of France (b. 1519)
• 1688 – Catarina de San Juan, Asian-born Mexican popular saint, the "China Poblana"
• 1713 – Jean Chardin, French explorer and author (b. 1643)
• 1740 – Antonio Lotti, Italian composer and educator (b. 1667)
• 1762 – Elizabeth of Russia (b. 1709)
• 1771 – John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1710)
• 1796 – Samuel Huntington, American jurist and politician, 18th Governor of Connecticut (b. 1731)
• 1823 – George Johnston, Scottish-Australian colonel and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales (b. 1764)
• 1846 – Alfred Thomas Agate, American painter and illustrator (b. 1812)
• 1858 – Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Austrian field marshal (b. 1766)
• 1860 – John Neumann, Czech-American bishop and saint (b. 1811)
• 1883 – Charles Tompson, Australian poet (b. 1806)
• 1888 – Henri Herz, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1803)
• 1891 – Emma Abbott, American soprano and actress (b. 1849)
• 1904 – Karl Alfred von Zittel, German paleontologist and geologist (b. 1839)
• 1910 – Léon Walras, French-Swiss economist and academic (b. 1834)
• 1919 – Sumako Matsui, Japanese actress and singer (b. 1886)
• 1922 – Ernest Shackleton, Irish explorer (b. 1874)
• 1933 – Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (b. 1872)
• 1937 – Marie Booth, English daughter of William and Catherine Booth (b. 1864)
• 1940 – Humbert Wolfe, Italian-English poet and civil servant (b. 1885)
• 1941 – Amy Johnson, English pilot (b. 1903)
• 1942 – Tina Modotti, Italian photographer, model, actress, and activist (b. 1896)
• 1943 – George Washington Carver, American botanist, educator, and inventor (b. 1864)
• 1946 – Kitty Cheatham, American singer and actress (b. 1864)
• 1947 – Charles Schlee, Danish-American cyclist (b. 1873)
• 1951 – Andrei Platonov, Russian author (b. 1899)
• 1951 – Soh Jaipil, South Korean-American journalist and activist (b. 1864)
• 1952 – Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian-Italian physician and activist (b. 1869)
• 1952 – Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish colonel and politician; 46th Governor-General of India (b. 1887)
• 1954 – Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player and manager (b. 1891)
• 1956 – Mistinguett, French actress and singer (b. 1875)
• 1957 – Jerome Steever, American water polo player (b. 1880)
• 1963 – Rogers Hornsby, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1896)
• 1970 – Cyril Fagan, Irish-American astrologer and author (b. 1896)
• 1970 – Max Born, German physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
• 1970 – Roberto Gerhard, Catalan composer and scholar (b. 1896)
• 1971 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian-American sound designer and engineer (b. 1899)
• 1972 – Tevfik Rüştü Aras, Turkish politician (b. 1883)
• 1974 – Lev Oborin, Russian pianist and educator (b. 1907)
• 1976 – Hamit Kaplan, Turkish wrestler (b. 1934)
• 1976 – John A. Costello, Irish lawyer and politician; 3rd Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1891)
• 1976 – Mal Evans, English talent manager (b. 1935)
• 1977 – Artur Adson, Estonian-Swedish poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1889)
• 1978 – Wyatt Emory Cooper, American author and screenwriter (b. 1927)
• 1979 – Billy Bletcher, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1894)
• 1979 – Charles Mingus, American bassist and composer (b. 1922)
• 1981 – Harold Urey, American chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1893)
• 1981 – Lanza del Vasto, Italian poet and philosopher (b. 1901)
• 1982 – Edmund Herring, Australian general and politician; 7th Chief Justice of Victoria (b. 1892)
• 1982 – Hans Conried, American actor and singer (b. 1917)
• 1982 – Harvey Lembeck, American actor and singer (b. 1923)
• 1985 – Alexis Rannit, Estonian-American poet and critic (b. 1914)
• 1985 – Robert L. Surtees, American cinematographer (b. 1906)
• 1987 – Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-Canadian skier (b. 1875)
• 1987 – Margaret Laurence, Canadian author and academic (b. 1926)
• 1988 – Pete Maravich, American basketball player (b. 1947)
• 1990 – Arthur Kennedy, American actor (b. 1914)
• 1991 – Tõnis Kint, Estonian commander and politician (b. 1896)
• 1991 – Vasko Popa, Serbian poet and academic (b. 1922)
• 1993 – Westley Allan Dodd, American murderer (b. 1961)
• 1994 – Brian Johnston, English sportscaster and author (b. 1912)
• 1994 – Elmar Lipping, Estonian commander and politician, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs in exile (b. 1906)
• 1994 – Tip O'Neill, American politician; 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1912)
• 1996 – Lincoln Kirstein, American director and producer (b. 1907)
• 1996 – Yahya Ayyash, Palestinian Hamas member (b. 1966)
• 1997 – André Franquin, Belgian cartoonist (b. 1924)
• 1997 – Burton Lane, American composer and songwriter (b. 1912)
• 1998 – Ken Forssi, American bass player (Love and The Surfaris) (b. 1943)
• 1998 – Sonny Bono, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and politician (b. 1935)
• 2000 – Hopper Read, English cricketer (b. 1910)
• 2001 – Nancy Parsons, American actress (b. 1942)
• 2003 – Doreen Carwithen, English cellist, composer, and educator (b. 1922)
• 2003 – Jean Kerr, American author and playwright (b. 1923)
• 2003 – Massimo Girotti, Italian actor (b. 1918)
• 2003 – Roy Jenkins, Welsh-English captain and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Norman Heatley, English biologist and chemist, co-developed penicillin (b. 1911)
• 2004 – Tug McGraw, American baseball player (b. 1944)
• 2005 – Danny Sugerman, American talent manager and author (b. 1954)
• 2006 – Merlyn Rees, Welsh-Irish educator and politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (b. 1920)
• 2007 – Chih Ree Sun, Chinese-American physicist and poet (b. 1923)
• 2007 – Momofuku Ando, Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founded Nissin Foods (b. 1910)
• 2008 – Clinton Grybas, Australian sportscaster (b. 1975)
• 2009 – Griffin Bell, American lawyer and politician, 72nd United States Attorney General (b. 1918)
• 2009 – Ned Tanen, American businessman (b. 1931)
• 2010 – Murray Saltzman, Russian-American rabbi and activist (b. 1929)
• 2010 – Willie Mitchell, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1928)
• 2010 – Kenneth Noland, American painter (b. 1924)
• 2011 – Malangatana Ngwenya, Mozambican painter and poet (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Alexander Sizonenko, Russian basketball player (b. 1959)
• 2012 – Amit Saigal, Indian publisher, founded the Rock Street Journal (b. 1965)
• 2012 – Don Carter, American bowler (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Frederica Sagor Maas, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1900)
• 2012 – Isaac Díaz Pardo, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Samson H. Chowdhury, Bangladeshi businessman (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Bruce McCarty, American architect, designed the Knoxville City-County Building (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Chandler Williams, American football player (b. 1985)
• 2013 – Joselo, Venezuelan actor (b. 1936)
• 2013 – Pierre Cogan, French cyclist (b. 1914)
• 2013 – Martha Greenhouse, American actress (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Richard McWilliam, American businessman, co-founded the Upper Deck Company (b. 1953)
• 2013 – Sol Yurick, American author (b. 1925)
• 2013 – T. S. Cook, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Carmen Zapata, American actress (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Eusébio, Mozambican-Portuguese footballer and manager (b. 1942)
• 2014 – Jerry Coleman, American baseball player and manager (b. 1924)
• 2014 – K. P. Udayabhanu, Indian singer (b. 1936)
• 2014 – Philippe Boiry, French journalist (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Simon Hoggart, English journalist (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Uday Kiran, Indian actor and singer (b. 1980)
• 2015 – Arthur E. Chase, American businessman and politician (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Bernard Joseph McLaughlin, American bishop (b. 1912)
• 2015 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French race car driver and motorcycle racer (b. 1937)
• 2015 – Joy Ali, Fijian boxer (b. 1978)
• 2015 – Milton Hebald, American sculptor and academic (b. 1917)

Η Βανέσα Ρεντγκρέιβ στον καταυλισμό στον Ελαιώνα

Πέντε ελληνικοί παράδεισοι στα μνημεία παγκόσμιας κληρονομιάς

Πέντεπεριοχές της χώρας εντάχθηκαν στο Παγκόσμια Δίκτυο των Γεωπάρκων, το οποίο έχει συσταθεί υπό τη σκέπη της UNESCO, και αποτελούν γεωλογικά μνημεία της παγκόσμιας κληρονομιάς.

Τον περασμένο μήνα η UNESCO ως βραχίονας του ΟΗΕ για τον Πολιτισμό προχώρησε στη θεσμοθετημένη δημιουργία ενός δικτύου για την προστασία και ανάδειξη περιοχών με ιδιαίτερη γεωλογική, πολιτισμική σημασία και στον μεγάλο κατάλογο συμπεριλαμβάνονται πέντε ελληνικά Γεωπάρκα.

Πρόκειται για τη νήσο Λέσβο, την περιοχή του Ψηλορείτη, τη  Σητεία, το εθνικό πάρκο Χελμού - Βουραϊκού και τον εθνικό δρυμό Βίκου - Αώου. «Το Παγκόσμιο δίκτυο Γεωπάρκων συμπεριλαμβάνει περιοχές με ιδιαίτερο γεωλογικό ενδιαφέρον, γεωλογικά μνημεία του πλανήτη. Σε αυτά σήμερα συγκαταλέγονται 120 περιοχές σε 33 χώρες του κόσμου. Τα περισσότερα βρίσκονται στην  Ευρώπη και την  Ασία, ενώ και άλλες χώρες υποβάλλουν υποψηφιότητες για να εντάξουν περιοχές» λέει ο κ. Νίκος Ζούρος, καθηγητής στο τμήμα Γεωγραφίας του Πανεπιστημίου Αιγαίου και διευθυντής στο Μουσείο Φυσικής Ιστορίας στο Απολιθωμένο Δάσος της Λέσβου.

Απολιθωμένος κορμος δέντρου στο δυτικό τμήμα της Λέσβου

Η ίδρυση του δικτύου
Ο ίδιος σήμερα έχει αναλάβει τη θέση του προέδρου στο Παγκόσμιο Δίκτυο Γεωπάρκων, ενώ υπήρξε από τους εμπνευστές της ιδέας πριν από δύο δεκαετίες. Οπως εξηγεί στο «Εθνος» μαζί με άλλες τρεις περιοχές σε  Γαλλία, Γερμανία και  Ισπανία ξεκίνησαν την προσπάθεια να δημιουργηθεί ένα διεθνές δίκτυο για την ανάδειξη των μνημείων της φύσης. Σταδιακά το δίκτυο μεγάλωσε και από μια διεθνής οργάνωση εντάχθηκε τώρα σε επίσημο πρόγραμμα της UNESCO.

«Ως γεωπάρκο χαρακτηρίζεται μια ευρεία περιοχή που διαθέτει γεωλογικά μνημεία διεθνούς ενδιαφέροντος, η αξία τους για την εξέλιξη του πλανήτη υπερβαίνει τα εθνικά όρια και πρέπει να υπάρχει φορέας που να ασχολείται με την προστασία και ανάδειξή τους. Τα οφέλη είναι προφανή. Είναι η διεθνές προβολή, μια αναγνώριση η οποία δίδει κύρος στο μνημείο και αυτό οδηγεί στο να αυξηθεί η επισκεψιμότητα» λέει ο κ. Ν. Ζούρος.

«Είναι ένας τρόπος προβολής των μνημείων και τα γεωπάρκα θα αποκτήσουν μεγαλύτερη «ορατότητα», θα γίνουν πιο γνωστά σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο. Λειτουργεί ως σήμα ποιότητας, ενώ θα εξασφαλίσει σε επίπεδο της ΕΕ δυνατότητα ιδιαίτερης χρηματοδότησης για τις περιοχές αυτές» λέει. «Από τα γεωλογικά μνημεία τεκμηριώνεται και η ιστορία του πλανήτη, όπως για παράδειγμα οι επιπτώσεις της κλιματικής αλλαγής. Αυτά τα τεκμήρια βρίσκονται στα γεωπάρκα σε όλο τον κόσμο μέσα από απολιθώματα» καταλήγει.

ΛΕΣΒΟΣ

Μοναδικής αξίας το Απολιθωμένο Δάσος

Περιλαμβάνει όλο το νησί και αναγνωρίσθηκε από την UNESCO το 2012.

Στο δυτικό τμήμα της Λέσβου δεσπόζει το Απολιθωμένο Δάσος, ένα μοναδικό μνημείο της φύσης, το οποίο έχει κηρυχθεί «Διατηρητέο Μνημείο της Φύσης». Από τη συστηματική μελέτη των απολιθωμένων κορμών και φύλλων προσδιορίσθηκε το γένος και το είδος των φυτών που συμμετείχαν στη σύνθεση του δάσους της Λέσβου πριν από 20 εκατομμύρια χρόνια. Πολλοί απολιθωμένοι κορμοί ανήκουν σε προγονικές μορφές του σύγχρονου είδους Σεκόγια η αειθαλής, που φύεται στις δυτικές ακτές των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών.

Η σύνθεση της απολιθωμένης χλωρίδας δείχνει ότι το απολιθωμένο δάσος της Λέσβου αναπτύχθηκε σε υποτροπικό κλίμα το οποίο μεταβαλλόταν απότομα σε ηπειρωτικό θερμό. Το νησί είναι διάσπαρτο από μοναδικής αξίας και σπουδαιότητας φυσικά δημιουργήματα και γεωμορφές όπως ηφαίστεια, θερμές πηγές, θέσεις ορυκτών και μεταλλευμάτων, μεγάλα γεωλογικά ρήγματα, σημαντικές απολιθωματοφόρες θέσεις, βραχώδεις ακτές και διατηρεί σημαντικά τεκμήρια της γεωλογικής ιστορίας της λεκάνης του Αιγαίου.

ΠΑΡΚΟ ΨΗΛΟΡΕΙΤΗ

Ταξίδι 250 εκατομμυρίων ετών

Το Φυσικό Πάρκο Ψηλορείτη ιδρύθηκε το 2001 από την εταιρεία ΑΚΟΜΜ - Ψηλορείτης Αναπτυξιακή ΑΕ ΟΤΑ με την επιστημονική υποστήριξη του Μουσείου Φυσικής Ιστορίας του Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης. Εντάχθηκε από την ίδρυσή του στο Δίκτυο των Ευρωπαϊκών Γεωπάρκων. Τα μνημεία της γης και οι γεώτοποι του Ψηλορείτη είναι διάσπαρτοι σε όλη την έκτασή του. Περιλαμβάνουν μοναδικούς σχηματισμούς πετρωμάτων, θέσεις απολιθωμάτων, εντυπωσιακές μορφές του ανάγλυφου, σπήλαια, πτυχώσεις και ρήγματα των πετρωμάτων. Εχουν οριοθετηθεί υποπεριοχές όπως η «τομή των Ταλαίων Ορέων: ένα ταξίδι 250 εκατομμυρίων χρόνων στο παρελθόν» στην οροσειρά του Κουλούκωνα, τα «καρστικά τοπία του Ψηλορείτη» στην ορεινή ζώνη του βουνού, «από το βουνό στον κάμπο» που περικλείει τους ανατολικούς και νότιους πρόποδες του βουνού, τα «γκρεμνά του Αμαρίου» στην ομώνυμη κοιλάδα και το «σπηλαιοπάρκο» που περιλαμβάνει τα σημαντικότερα σπήλαια του Ψηλορείτη.

ΠΑΡΚΟ ΧΕΛΜΟΥ-ΒΟΥΡΑΪΚΟΥ

Σπήλαιο με 13 υπόγειες λίμνες

Τον Οκτώβριο του 2009 έγινε μέλος του Ευρωπαϊκού Δικτύου Γεωπάρκων και του παγκόσμιου Δικτύου GGN της UNESCO. Οι σημαντικότεροι γεώτοποι είναι: το απότομο και επιβλητικό Φαράγγι του Βουραϊκού ποταμού με τον Οδοντωτό σιδηρόδρομο. Στα κάθετα τοιχώματα του φαραγγιού σαν τεράστιες οθόνες προβάλλουν τη γεωλογική εξέλιξή του, με τα κροκαλοπαγή, τους λεπτοπλακώδεις ασβεστόλιθους, ενώ σαν πινελιές ενός πανύψηλου ζωγράφου θαυμάζουμε τα ρήγματα και τις πτυχές των πετρωμάτων. Το  Σπήλαιο των Λιμνών στα Καστριά με τις 13 καταπληκτικές υπόγειες λίμνες δείχνει την αργή και δημιουργική δράση του νερού στο πέρασμα των αιώνων με τους θαυμάσιους και τεράστιους σταλακτίτες και σταλαγμίτες. Στην περιοχή θα συναντήσουμε τα παλαιότερα πετρώματα του γεωπάρκου (περίπου 200 εκατομμυρίων ετών) ηφαιστειακά και μεταμορφωμένα, ενώ ένα μονοπάτι βγάζει στα μυθικά ύδατα Στυγός, μια πηγή σε υψόμετρο 2.100 μ. στη Νεραϊδoράχη του Ορους Χελμού.

Ο Νίκος Ζούρος, καθηγητής στο Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου, ο οποίος έχει αναλάβει τη θέση του προέδρου στο Παγκόσμιο Δίκτυο Γεωπάρκων, ενώ υπήρξε από τους εμπνευστές της ιδέας για την ίδρυσή του πριν από δύο δεκαετίες

ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΔΡΥΜΟΣ ΒΙΚΟΥ-ΑΩΟΥ
Από τις βαθύτερες χαράδρες

Το πάρκο είναι αλλιώς γνωστό και με την ονομασία «Ο Δρυμός των μεγάλων κορυφών». Βόρειο όριο του Δρυμού είναι η χαράδρα του Αώου και το νότιο όριο το φαράγγι του Βίκου. Μέσα στον Δρυμό βρίσκονται 4 οικισμοί. Είναι τα χωριά Μικρό και Μεγάλο  Πάπιγκο, το Μονοδέντρι και ο Βίκος, όπου βρίσκεται και το ομώνυμο φαράγγι το οποίο θεωρείται από τα μεγαλύτερα και πιο εντυπωσιακά ασβεστολιθικά φαράγγια της  Ευρώπης. Εχει μήκος 12 χλμ., πλάτος που κυμαίνεται μεταξύ 200 μ. και 1,5 χλμ. και μέγιστο βάθος 1.200 μ. H χαράδρα του Βίκου είναι μία από τις μεγαλύτερες και βαθύτερες του κόσμου. Είναι ιδιαίτερα εντυπωσιακή, με κάθετους γεωλογικούς σχηματισμούς, εναλλαγή οικοσυστημάτων, πλούσια βιοποικιλότητα και αποτελεί ένα από τα λίγα εναπομείναντα καταφύγια άγριας ζωής στην  Ευρώπη. Εχει καταχωρισθεί στο βιβλίο Guinness ως η πιο βαθιά, με βάθος 900 μέτρα και άνοιγμα μόνο 1.100 μέτρα. Τη χαράδρα διαρρέει ο ποταμός Βοϊδομάτης, που έχει νερό μόνο εποχιακά.

ΣΗΤΕΙΑ
Σπάνιος πλούτος απολιθωμάτων

Το Γεωπάρκο  Σητείας περιλαμβάνει το υψίπεδο και την ανατολική ακτογραμμή που διαθέτει μοναδικό γεωφυσικό πλούτο: σπήλαια, φαράγγια, σπάνια πετρώματα και απολιθώματα. Η γεωγραφική της θέση στο ανατολικό άκρο του νησιού που επέτρεψε την ανταλλαγή ειδών από τη Μικρά  Ασία, σε συνδυασμό με το ξηροθερμικό κλίμα που επικρατεί στην περιοχή, δημιούργησε ένα μωσαϊκό οικοτόπων και οικοσυστημάτων, μερικά από τα οποία, όπως το φοινικόδασος του Βάι, είναι μοναδικά για την περιοχή της Μεσογείου. Το Φυσικό Πάρκο  Σητείας χαρακτηρίζεται από πολύ πλούσια γεωκληρονομιά, η οποία περιλαμβάνει εντυπωσιακά πετρώματα, ιδιαίτερους σχηματισμούς και γεωμορφές στις μεταλπικές ενότητες, χαρακτηριστικές τεκτονικές και μικροτεκτονικές δομές καθώς και πλούτο απολιθωμάτων. Εντός του Πάρκου έχουν αποτυπωθεί πάνω από 100 γεώτοποι, δηλαδή τοποθεσίες ιδιαίτερα και χαρακτηριστικά μνημεία της γεωκληρονομιάς.

Μίνι διαμερίσματα στη Νέα Υόρκη -Για περίπου 2.500 ευρώ 

Ταμικροσκοπικά διαμερίσματα, όπου το κρεβάτι, το τραπέζι και άλλα αντικείμενα βγαίνουν από το «πουθενά» έχουν γεμίσει αρκετές πόλεις του κόσμου, ανάμεσά τους και η Νέα Υόρκη.

Στο «Μεγάλο Μήλο», αν και απαγορεύεται τα διαμερίσματα να είναι κάτω από 37 τ.μ., οι αρχές έκαναν μια εξαίρεση. Τα μίνι διαμερίσματα των 29 τ.μ. είναι πια γεγονός.

Η τιμή τους, ωστόσο, είναι αντιστρόφως ανάλογη του μεγέθους τους μιας και κοστίζουν από 2.380 ευρώ έως 2.745. Μια μέση γκαρσονιέρα στη Νέα Υόρκη στοιχίζει περίπου 2.665 ευρώ.

Το Associated Press «έριξε» μια ματιά στο κτίριο και είδε πως αρκετά από τα μίνι-διαμερίσματα είναι ήδη εξοπλισμένα με κρεβάτι, καναπέ, ντουλάπια και τραπέζια. Ο ιδιοκτήτης θα έχει τη δυνατότητα να απολαμβάνει ασύρματο Ιντερνετ και καλωδιακή τηλεόραση. Επίσης, περιλαμβάνεται εβδομαδιαία υπηρεσία καθαρισμού.

Επιδίωξη των αρχιτεκτόνων είναι οι μονάδες να έχουν την αίσθηση του σπιτιού.

Το κτίριο έχει κοινόχρηστους χώρους, συμπεριλαμβανομένων γυμναστηρίου, υπόγειου σαλονιού με τηλεόραση και μπιλιάρδο, αλλά και ταράτσα με γκριλ.