• 1066 – Harold Godwinson (or Harold II) is crowned King of England.
• 1205 – Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans.
• 1322 – Stephen Uroš III is crowned King of Serbia.
• 1355 – Charles I of Bohemia is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy in Milan.
• 1449 – Constantine XI is crowned Byzantine Emperor at Mystras.
• 1492 – The Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella enter Granada, completing the Reconquista.
• 1540 – King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves.
• 1579 – The Union of Arras is signed.
• 1661 – English Restoration: The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London, England.
• 1690 – Joseph, son of Emperor Leopold I, becomes King of the Romans.
• 1721 – The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings.
• 1781 – In the Battle of Jersey, the British defeat the last attempt by France to invade Jersey.
• 1809 – Combined British, Portuguese and colonial Brazilian forces begin the Invasion of Cayenne during the Napoleonic Wars.
• 1838 – Alfred Vail demonstrates a telegraph system using dots and dashes (this is the forerunner of Morse code).
• 1839 – The most damaging storm in 300 years sweeps across Ireland, damaging or destroying more than 20% of the houses in Dublin.
• 1853 – President-elect of the United States Franklin Pierce and his family are involved in a train wreck near Andover, Massachusetts. Pierce's 11-year-old son Benjamin is killed in the crash.
• 1870 – The inauguration of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.
• 1893 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress. The charter is signed by President Benjamin Harrison.
• 1900 – Second Boer War: Having already sieged the fortress at Ladysmith, Boer forces attack it, but are driven back by British defenders.
• 1907 – Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome, Italy.
• 1912 – New Mexico is admitted to the Union as the 47th U.S. state.
• 1912 – German geophysicist Alfred Wegener first presents his theory of continental drift.
• 1921 – Formation of the Iraqi Army.
• 1929 – King Alexander of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes suspends his country's constitution (the January 6th Dictatorship).
• 1929 – Mother Teresa arrives in Calcutta, India, to begin her work among India's poorest and sick people.
• 1930 – The first diesel-engined automobile trip is completed, from Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York, New York.
• 1931 – Thomas Edison signs his last patent application.
• 1941 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms speech in the State of the Union address.
• 1946 – The first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
• 1947 – Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to offer a round-the-world ticket.
• 1950 – The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with the UK in response.
• 1951 – Korean War: An estimated 200–1,300 South Korean communist sympathizers are slaughtered in what becomes the Ganghwa massacre.
• 1953 – The first Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
• 1960 – National Airlines Flight 2511 is destroyed in mid-air by a bomb, while en route from New York City to Miami.
• 1960 – The Associations Law comes into force in Iraq, allowing registration of political parties.
• 1967 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and ARVN troops launch "Operation Deckhouse Five" in the Mekong River delta.
• 1974 – In response to the 1973 oil crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in the United States.
• 1978 – The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) is returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
• 1992 – President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia flees the country as a result of the military coup.
• 1993 – Indian Border Security Force units kill 55 Kashmiri civilians in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, in revenge after militants ambushed a BSF patrol.
• 1994 – Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the knee at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit.
• 1995 – A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack.
• 2000 – Celia, the last Pyrenean ibex was found dead after a tree had landed on her.
• 2005 – American Civil Rights Movement: Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect in the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers.
• 2005 – A train collision in Graniteville, South Carolina, releases about 60 tons of chlorine gas.
• 2009 – Israel conducts an assault on the Gaza Strip
• 2012 – 26 people are killed and 63 wounded when a suicide bomber blows himself up at a police station in Damascus.

Births[edit]

• 1367 – Richard II of England (d. 1400)
• 1384 – Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, English noblemen (d. 1408)
• 1412 – Joan of Arc, French martyr and saint (d. 1431)
• 1486 – Martin Agricola, German composer and theorist (d. 1556)
• 1488 – Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet (d. 1540)
• 1525 – Caspar Peucer, German physician and scholar (d. 1602)
• 1561 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (d. 1656)
• 1587 – Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares (d. 1645)
• 1595 – Claude Favre de Vaugelas, French educator and courtier (d. 1650)
• 1617 – Christoffer Gabel, Danish politician (d. 1673)
• 1655 – Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg (d. 1720)
• 1670 – Alexander Gordon, Scottish-Russian general (d. 1752)
• 1673 – James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire (d. 1744)
• 1695 – Giuseppe Sammartini, Italian oboe player and composer (d. 1750)
• 1702 – José de Nebra, Spanish composer (d. 1768)
• 1714 – Percivall Pott, English surgeon (d. 1788)
• 1766 – Mihály Fazekas, Hungarian author (d. 1828)
• 1785 – Andreas Moustoxydis, Greek historian and philologist (d. 1860)
• 1793 – James Madison Porter, American lawyer and politician, 18th United States Secretary of War (d. 1862)
• 1795 – Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (d. 1871)
• 1799 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (d. 1831)
• 1803 – Henri Herz, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1888)
• 1807 – Joseph Petzval, German-Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1891)
• 1808 – Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American oncologist and paleontologist (d. 1864)
• 1811 – Charles Sumner, American lawyer and politician (d. 1874)
• 1812 – Melchora Aquino, Filipino activist (d. 1919)
• 1819 – Baldassare Verazzi, Italian painter (d. 1886)
• 1822 – Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist and businessman (d. 1890)
• 1832 – Gustave Doré, French painter and sculptor (d. 1883)
• 1836 – Ludwig Schüler, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1930)
• 1838 – Max Bruch, German composer and conductor (d. 1920)
• 1842 – Clarence King, American geologist, mountaineer, and critic (d. 1901)
• 1848 – Hristo Botev, Bulgarian poet and journalist (d. 1876)
• 1850 – Eduard Bernstein, German theorist and politician (d. 1932)
• 1850 – Franz Xaver Scharwenka, Polish-German pianist and composer (d. 1924)
• 1856 – Giuseppe Martucci, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1909)
• 1857 – Hugh Mahon, Irish-Australian publisher and politician; 10th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1931)
• 1857 – William Russell, American lawyer and politician; 37th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
• 1859 – Samuel Alexander, Australian-English philosopher and academic (d. 1938)
• 1861 – Victor Horta, Belgian architect, designed Hôtel van Eetvelde (d. 1947)
• 1861 – George Lloyd, English-Canadian bishop and theologian (d. 1940)
• 1861 – János Zsupánek, Slovene-Hungarian author and poet (d. 1951)
• 1866 – Dante Cappelli, Italian actor (d. 1948)
• 1868 – Ștefan Luchian, Romanian painter (d. 1917)
• 1868 – Vittorio Monti, Italian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1922)
• 1870 – Gustav Bauer, German politician, 11th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1944)
• 1872 – Alexander Scriabin, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1915)
• 1874 – Fred Niblo, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1948)
• 1878 – Adeline Genée, Danish-English ballerina (d. 1970)
• 1878 – Carl Sandburg, American poet and historian (d. 1967)
• 1880 – Tom Mix, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1940)
• 1881 – Ion Minulescu, Romanian poet and writer (d. 1944)
• 1882 – Aleksandra Ekster, Polish-French painter and set designer (d. 1949)
• 1882 – Fan S. Noli, Albanian-American bishop and politician; 14th Prime Minister of Albania (d. 1965)
• 1882 – Sam Rayburn, American lawyer and politician; 48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1961)
• 1883 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, painter, and philosopher (d. 1931)
• 1883 – Frank Haller, American boxer (d. 1939)
• 1896 – Péter Veres, Hungarian politician; Minister of Defense of Hungary (d. 1970)
• 1898 – James Fitzmaurice, Irish soldier and pilot (d. 1965)
• 1898 – Charles E. Pont, American minister and painter (d. 1971)
• 1899 – Phyllis Haver, American actress (d. 1960)
• 1899 – Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer (d. 1968)
• 1900 – Maria of Yugoslavia (d. 1961)
• 1902 – Helmut Poppendick, German physician (d. 1994)
• 1903 – Maurice Abravanel, Greek-American pianist and conductor (d. 1993)
• 1903 – Francis L. Sullivan, English-American actor (d. 1956)
• 1905 – Idris Davies, Welsh poet and author (d. 1953)
• 1907 – David Fleay, Australian ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1993)
• 1908 – Menachem Avidom, Hungarian-Israeli composer (d. 1995)
• 1910 – G. N. Balasubramaniam, Indian singer-songwriter (d. 1965)
• 1910 – Wright Morris, American author and photographer (d. 1998)
• 1910 – Yiannis Papaioannou, Greek composer and educator (d. 1989)
• 1912 – Jacques Ellul, French philosopher and critic (d. 1994)
• 1912 – Danny Thomas, American actor and producer (d. 1991)
• 1913 – Edward Gierek, Polish politician (d. 2001)
• 1913 – Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000)
• 1914 – Godfrey Edward Arnold, Austrian-American physician and academic (d. 1989)
• 1915 – Ibolya Csák, Hungarian high jumper and gymnast (d. 2006)
• 1915 – Don Edwards, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2015)
• 1915 – John C. Lilly, American psychoanalyst, physician, and philosopher (d. 2001)
• 1915 – Liisi Oterma, Finnish astronomer (d. 2001)
• 1915 – Alan Watts, English-American philosopher and author (d. 1973)
• 1916 – Eugene Thomas Maleska, American journalist (d. 1993)
• 1916 – Vincent Serventy, Australian ornithologist and author (d. 2007)
• 1917 – Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (d. 2005)
• 1919 – Roy Cochran, American hurdler and sprinter (d. 1981)
• 1920 – John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Doris Stokes, English psychic (d. 1987)
• 1920 – Early Wynn, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1999)
• 1921 – Marianne Grunberg-Manago, Russian-French biochemist and academic (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Cary Middlecoff, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 1998)
• 1923 – Vladimir Kazantsev, Russian runner (d. 2007)
• 1923 – Norman Kirk, New Zealand engineer and politician, 29th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1974)
• 1923 – Jacobo Timerman, Argentinian journalist and author (d. 1999)
• 1924 – Earl Scruggs, American banjo player (Flatt and Scruggs) (d. 2012)
• 1925 – John DeLorean, American engineer and businessman, founded the DeLorean Motor Company (d. 2005)
• 1926 – Ralph Branca, American baseball player
• 1926 – Pat Flaherty, American race car driver (d. 2002)
• 1926 – Kid Gavilán, Cuban-American boxer (d. 2003)
• 1926 – Mickey Hargitay, Hungarian-American actor and bodybuilder (d. 2006)
• 1926 – Günter Rössler, German photographer and journalist (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Jesse Leonard Steinfeld, American physician and academic, 11th Surgeon General of the United States (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Capucine, French actress and model (d. 1990)
• 1928 – George H. Ross, American lawyer and businessman
• 1929 – Anne Rogers Clark, American dog breeder and trainer (d. 2006)
• 1929 – Babrak Karmal, Afghan politician (d. 1996)
• 1930 – W. Wallace Cleland, American biochemist and educator (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Vic Tayback, American actor (d. 1990)
• 1931 – E. L. Doctorow, American author, playwright, and academic (d. 2015)
• 1931 – Juan Goytisolo, Spanish poet and author
• 1931 – P. J. Kavanagh, English poet and author (d. 2015)
• 1931 – Dickie Moore, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman (d. 2015)
• 1931 – Kaoru Yachigusa, Japanese actress
• 1932 – Stuart A. Rice, American chemist and academic
• 1933 – John Clive, English author and actor (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Leszek Drogosz, Polish boxer and actor (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2003)
• 1933 – Ian McColl, Baron McColl of Dulwich, English surgeon and academic
• 1933 – Emil Steinberger, Swiss actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1933 – Fred L. Turner, American businessman (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Harry M. Miller, Australian publicist
• 1934 – Sylvia Syms, English actress
• 1934 – John Wieners, American poet and actor (d. 2002)
• 1935 – Queen Margarita of Bulgaria
• 1935 – Joseph Rotman, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2015)
• 1935 – Nino Tempo, American singer and actor
• 1936 – Rubén Amaro, Sr., Mexican baseball player and scout
• 1936 – Darlene Hard, American tennis player and coach
• 1936 – Julio María Sanguinetti, Uruguayan journalist, lawyer, and politician; 29th Constitutional President of Uruguay
• 1936 – Nida Blanca, Filipino actress (d. 2001)
• 1937 – Paolo Conte, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1937 – Ludvík Daněk, Czech discus thrower (d. 1998)
• 1937 – Lou Holtz, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1937 – Doris Troy, American singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
• 1938 – Adriano Celentano, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and director
• 1938 – Adrienne Clarke, Australian botanist and academic
• 1938 – Mario Rodríguez Cobos, Argentinian philosopher and author (d. 2010)
• 1938 – William E. Connolly, American political scientist, theorist, and academic
• 1939 – Georgios Babiniotis, Greek linguist and philologist
• 1939 – Murray Rose, Australian swimmer and sportscaster (d. 2012)
• 1940 – Penny Lernoux, American journalist and author (d. 1989)
• 1940 – Van McCoy, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1979)
• 1943 – Hak Ja Han, Korean wife of Sun Myung Moon
• 1943 – Terry Venables, English footballer and manager
• 1944 – Bonnie Franklin, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
• 1944 – Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist and academic; Nobel Prize laureate
• 1945 – Allen Appel, American author, illustrator, and photographer
• 1945 – Barry John, Welsh rugby player
• 1945 – Barry Lopez, American environmentalist and author
• 1946 – Syd Barrett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
• 1947 – Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (d. 1978)
• 1947 – Ian Millar, Canadian horse rider
• 1948 – Guy Gardner, American colonel and astronaut
• 1949 – Mike Boit, Kenyan runner and academic
• 1949 – Carolyn D. Wright, American poet and academic
• 1950 – Louis Freeh, American lawyer and jurist; 10th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• 1951 – Don Gullett, American baseball player and coach
• 1951 – Kim Wilson, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player
• 1952 – Frank Sivero, Italian-American actor
• 1952 – Moondog Spot, American wrestler (d. 2003)
• 1953 – Malcolm Young, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1953 – Jon Eberson, Norwegian guitarist and orchestra leader (Jazzpunkensemblet)
• 1954 – Yuji Horii, Japanese video game designer, created Dragon Quest
• 1954 – Anthony Minghella, English director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1954 – Karen Moras, Australian swimmer and coach
• 1954 – Trudie Styler, English actress and producer
• 1955 – Ajayi Agbebaku, Nigerian triple jumper
• 1955 – Rowan Atkinson, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1955 – Richard Corbett, English politician
• 1955 – Alex Forsyth, American ice hockey player
• 1955 – Susan B. Horwitz, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2014)
• 1956 – Angus Deayton, English actor and screenwriter
• 1956 – Elizabeth Strout, American author and academic
• 1956 – Justin Welby, English archbishop
• 1956 – Clive Woodward, English rugby player and coach
• 1957 – Michael Foale, English-American astrophysicist and astronaut
• 1957 – Nancy Lopez, American golfer and sportscaster
• 1958 – Themos Anastasiadis, Greek journalist and economist
• 1958 – Scott Bryce, American actor, director, and producer
• 1958 – Margus Hanson, Estonian politician, 23rd Estonian Minister of Defence
• 1958 – Mohsen Rastani, Iranian photographer
• 1959 – Kapil Dev, Indian cricketer and coach
• 1959 – Kathy Sledge, American singer (Sister Sledge)
• 1960 – Paul Azinger, American golfer and sportscaster
• 1960 – Eric Grothe, Sr., Australian rugby league player
• 1960 – Kari Jalonen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
• 1960 – Nigella Lawson, English chef and author
• 1960 – Howie Long, American football player and actor
• 1961 – Georges Jobé, Belgian motocross racer (d. 2012)
• 1962 – Michael Houser, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Widespread Panic and Brute) (d. 2002)
• 1962 – Kevin Rosier, American mixed martial artist and boxer (d. 2015)
• 1962 – Vangelis Vlachos, Greek footballer and manager
• 1963 – Norm Charlton, American baseball player and coach
• 1963 – Tony Halme, Finnish wrestler, actor, and politician (d. 2010)
• 1963 – Paul Kipkoech, Kenyan runner (d. 1995)
• 1963 – Tina Landon, Mexican-American dancer and choreographer
• 1963 – Ian Lavery, English miner and politician
• 1964 – Konnan, Cuban-American wrestler and sportscaster
• 1964 – Yuri, Mexican singer and actress
• 1964 – Denise Borino-Quinn, American actress (d. 2010)
• 1964 – Charles Haley, American football player and coach
• 1964 – Henry Maske, German boxer and actor
• 1964 – Jacqueline Moore, American wrestler and manager
• 1964 – Richard Nerurkar, English runner
• 1964 – Mark O'Toole, English bass player
• 1964 – Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan swimmer and sportscaster (d. 2005)
• 1965 – Muhammed al-Ahari, American author and scholar
• 1965 – Laurence Hurst, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at the University of Bath
• 1965 – Bjørn Lomborg, Danish author and academic
• 1965 – Murray McLachlan, British concert pianist
• 1965 – Christine Wachtel, German runner
• 1966 – Ipče Ahmedovski, Macedonian singer (d. 1994)
• 1966 – Fernando Carrillo, Venezuelan actor
• 1966 – Sharon Cuneta, Filipino singer and actress
• 1966 – A. R. Rahman, Indian singer-songwriter and producer
• 1967 – Kim Atienza, Filipino host
• 1968 – John Singleton, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1969 – Norman Reedus, American model and actor
• 1970 – José Carabalí, Venezuelan runner
• 1970 – Julie Chen, American journalist and producer
• 1970 – Gabrielle Reece, American volleyball player, sportscaster, and actress
• 1971 – Karin Slaughter, American author
• 1971 – Irwin Thomas, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1972 – Nek, Italian singer-songwriter
• 1973 – Scott Ferguson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1973 – Vasso Karantasiou, Greek volleyball player
• 1974 – Daniel Cordone, Argentinian footballer
• 1974 – Paul Grant, American basketball player and coach
• 1974 – Shelbee Myne, American pornographic actress
• 1975 – Yukana, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1975 – Nicole DeHuff, American actress (d. 2005)
• 1975 – James Farrior, American football player
• 1975 – Jason King, English radio and television host
• 1976 – Johnny Yong Bosch, American actor and martial artist
• 1976 – Danny Pintauro, American actor
• 1976 – Daniel Tynell, Swedish skier
• 1976 – Lu Yi, Chinese actor and singer
• 1976 – Richard Zedník, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1977 – Defconn, South Korean singer and television presenter
• 1977 – Marc Johnson, American skateboarder
• 1978 – Nikki Einfeld, Canadian soprano
• 1978 – Casey Fossum, American baseball player
• 1978 – Bubba Franks, American football player
• 1978 – Tara Spencer-Nairn, Canadian actress
• 1979 – Camila Grey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Steed Malbranque, French footballer
• 1980 – Sam Sallon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Apostolia Zoi, Greek singer
• 1980 – Pascual Romero, American musician and producer
• 1981 – Mike Jones, American rapper and actor
• 1981 – Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress and director
• 1981 – Jérémie Renier, Belgian-French actor
• 1981 – Asante Samuel, American football player
• 1982 – Gilbert Arenas, American basketball player
• 1982 – Brian Bass, American baseball player
• 1982 – Tiffany Pollard, American actress
• 1982 – Eddie Redmayne, English actor and singer
• 1983 – Adam Burish, American ice hockey player
• 1983 – Mithra Jin, South Korean rapper (Epik High)
• 1983 – Natali Thanou, Serbian-Greek model and singer
• 1984 – Kate McKinnon, American actress
• 1984 – Eric Trump, American businessman and philanthropist
• 1985 – Ben Haenow, English singer
• 1985 – Inge Vermeulen, Brazilian-Dutch field hockey player (d. 2015)
• 1986 – Paul McShane, Irish footballer
• 1986 – Petter Northug, Norwegian skier
• 1986 – Irina Shayk, Russian-American model and actress
• 1986 – Benjamin Simm, German rugby player
• 1986 – Mike Teel, American football player
• 1986 – Alex Turner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1987 – Gemma Gibbons, English-Scottish martial artist
• 1987 – Bongani Khumalo, South African footballer
• 1987 – Zhang Lin, Chinese swimmer
• 1988 – Mikael Daez, Filipino model and actor
• 1989 – Andy Carroll, English footballer
• 1989 – James Durbin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1989 – Max Pirkis, English actor and producer
• 1989 – Arisa Sugi, Japanese entertainer
• 1993 – Lil Reese, American rapper
• 1994 – Jameis Winston, American football player
• 1996 – Kishan Shrikanth, Indian actor and director
• 1998 – Yuuka Yano, Japanese actress

Deaths[edit]

• 429 – Honoratus, French archbishop and saint (b. 350)
• 664 – 'Amr ibn al-'As, Arabian general and politician, Governor of Egypt (b. 583)
• 786 – Abo of Tiflis, Iraqi martyr and saint (b. 756)
• 884 – Hasan ibn Zayd, Tabaristan ruler
• 1088 – Berengar of Tours, French scholar and theologian (b. 999)
• 1275 – Raymond of Penyafort, Catalan archbishop and saint (b. 1175)
• 1387 – Peter IV of Aragon (b. 1319)
• 1481 – Ahmed Khan bin Küchük, Mongolian ruler
• 1537 – Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (b. 1510)
• 1537 – Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter, designed the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (b. 1481)
• 1616 – Philip Henslowe, English businessman (b. 1550)
• 1646 – Elias Holl, German architect, designed the Augsburg Town Hall (b. 1573)
• 1689 – Seth Ward, English bishop, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1617)
• 1693 – Mehmed IV, Ottoman sultan (b. 1642)
• 1711 – Philips van Almonde, Dutch admiral (b. 1646)
• 1718 – Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian lawyer and jurist (b. 1664)
• 1725 – Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese playwright (b. 1653)
• 1731 – Étienne François Geoffroy, French physician and chemist (b. 1672)
• 1734 – John Dennis, English playwright and critic (b. 1657)
• 1813 – Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers, French general (b. 1764)
• 1829 – Josef Dobrovský, Czech philologist and historian (b. 1753)
• 1831 – Rodolphe Kreutzer, French violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1766)
• 1840 – Frances Burney, English author and playwright (b. 1752)
• 1847 – Tyagaraja, Indian composer (b. 1767)
• 1852 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented braille (b. 1809)
• 1855 – Giacomo Beltrami, Italian jurist, explorer, and author (b. 1779)
• 1882 – Richard Henry Dana, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1815)
• 1884 – Gregor Mendel, Czech geneticist and botanist (b. 1822)
• 1885 – Bharatendu Harishchandra, Indian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1850)
• 1885 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (b. 1812)
• 1896 – Thomas W. Knox, American journalist and author (b. 1835)
• 1905 – George Van Cleaf, American water polo player (b. 1880)
• 1913 – Frederick Hitch, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1856)
• 1917 – Hendrick Peter Godfried Quack, Dutch economist and historian (b. 1834)
• 1918 – Georg Cantor, German mathematician and philosopher (b. 1845)
• 1919 – Max Heindel, Danish-American astrologer and mystic (b. 1865)
• 1919 – Theodore Roosevelt, American colonel and politician, 26th President of the United States (b. 1858)
• 1921 – Devil Anse Hatfield, American guerrilla leader (b. 1839)
• 1922 – Jakob Rosanes, Ukrainian-German mathematician and chess player (b. 1842)
• 1928 – Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and long jumper (b. 1876)
• 1933 – Vladimir de Pachmann, Ukrainian-German pianist (b. 1848)
• 1934 – Herbert Chapman, English footballer and manager (b. 1878)
• 1937 – André Bessette, Canadian saint (b. 1845)
• 1939 – Gustavs Zemgals, Latvian politician, 2nd President of Latvia (b. 1871)
• 1941 – Charley O'Leary, American baseball player and coach (b. 1882)
• 1942 – Emma Calvé, French soprano (b. 1858)
• 1942 – Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian 3rd President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1876)
• 1944 – Ida Tarbell, American journalist, author, and educator (b. 1857)
• 1944 – Jacques Rosenbaum, Estonian-German architect (b. 1878)
• 1945 – Edith Frank, German-Dutch mother of Anne Frank (b. 1900)
• 1945 – Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist and chemist (b. 1863)
• 1949 – Victor Fleming, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1883)
• 1952 – Sofoklis Dousmanis, Greek admiral (b. 1868)
• 1966 – Jean Lurçat, French painter (b. 1892)
• 1972 – Chen Yi, Chinese general and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China (b. 1901)
• 1974 – David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican painter (b. 1896)
• 1978 – Burt Munro, New Zealand motorcycle racer (b. 1899)
• 1980 – Georgeanna Tillman, American singer (The Marvelettes) (b. 1944)
• 1980 – Raymond Mays, English race car driver (b. 1899)
• 1981 – A. J. Cronin, Scottish physician and author (b. 1896)
• 1984 – Ernest Laszlo, Hungarian-American cinematographer (b. 1898)
• 1990 – Ian Charleson, Scottish actor (b. 1949)
• 1990 – Pavel Cherenkov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
• 1991 – Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Turkish composer and musicologist (b. 1907)
• 1993 – Dizzy Gillespie, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player (b. 1917)
• 1993 – Richard Mortensen, Danish painter and educator (b. 1910)
• 1993 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-French dancer and choreographer (b. 1938)
• 1994 – Virginia Clinton Kelley, American nurse, mother of Bill Clinton (b. 1923)
• 1995 – Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-South African politician (b. 1926)
• 1997 – Catherine Scorsese, American actress (b. 1912)
• 1999 – Michel Petrucciani, French-American pianist (b. 1962)
• 2000 – Don Martin, American cartoonist (b. 1931)
• 2003 – Hirini Melbourne, New Zealand singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1949)
• 2004 – Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Pierre Charles, Dominican politician, 5th Prime Minister of Dominica (b. 1954)
• 2005 – Lois Hole, Canadian academic and politician, 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (b. 1929)
• 2005 – Louis Robichaud, Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Hugh Thompson, Jr., American soldier and pilot (b. 1943)
• 2006 – Lou Rawls, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1933)
• 2007 – Mario Danelo, American football player (b. 1985)
• 2007 – Roberta Wohlstetter, American political scientist, historian, and academic (b. 1912)
• 2007 – Sneaky Pete Kleinow, American guitarist and songwriter (The Flying Burrito Brothers) (b. 1934)
• 2008 – P. K. Sethi, Indian surgeon (b. 1927)
• 2009 – Cheryl Holdridge, American actress (b. 1944)
• 2009 – John Scott Martin, English actor (b. 1926)
• 2009 – Maria Dimitriadi, Greek singer (b. 1950)
• 2009 – Ron Asheton, American guitarist, songwriter, and actor (The Stooges, The New Order, New Race, and Destroy All Monsters) (b. 1948)
• 2010 – James von Brunn, American murderer (b. 1920)
• 2011 – Uche Okafor, Nigerian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1967)
• 2012 – Bob Holness, South African-English radio and television host (b. 1928)
• 2012 – John Celardo, American illustrator (b. 1918)
• 2012 – Roger Boisjoly, American aerodynamicist and engineer (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Spike Pola, Australian footballer (b. 1914)
• 2012 – Sybil Plumlee, American police officer and educator (b. 1911)
• 2012 – Tom Ardolino, American drummer (NRBQ) (b. 1955)
• 2012 – W. Francis McBeth, American composer (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Bart Van den Bossche, Flemish singer and actor (b. 1964)
• 2013 – Cho Sung-min, South Korean baseball player (b. 1973)
• 2013 – Gerard Helders, Dutch jurist and politician (b. 1905)
• 2013 – John Ingram, American lawyer and politician (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Ruth Carter Stevenson, American art collector, founded the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Bob Bolen, American businessman and politician (b. 1926)
• 2014 – Julian Rotter, American psychologist and academic (b. 1916)
• 2014 – Larry D. Mann, Canadian-American actor (b. 1922)
• 2014 – Marina Ginestà, French soldier and photographer (b. 1919)
• 2014 – Mónica Spear, Venezuelan model and actress, Miss Venezuela 2004 (b. 1984)
• 2014 – Nelson Ned, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
• 2015 – Arthur Jackson, American lieutenant and target shooter (b. 1918)
• 2015 – Basil John Mason, English meteorologist and academic (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Buffalo Tiger, American politician (b. 1920)
• 2015 – Lance Percival, English actor, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
• 2015 – Thunder Rumble, American race horse (b. 1989)

Bee Gees manager and Grease producer Robert Stigwood dies

Image copyrightRex Features

Robert Stigwood, who managed Cream and the Bee Gees before producing the rock musicals Saturday Night Fever and Grease has died at the age of 81. 

The Australian impresario's death was confirmed on Facebook by Spencer Gibb, son of Bee Gees star Robin Gibb. 

A cause of death was not immediately available.

Andrew Lloyd Webber was among those paying tribute, describing Stigwood as a "great showman" who "taught me much".

Spencer Gibb called him "a creative genius with a very quick and dry wit" adding that "Robert was the driving force behind The Bee Gees career".

Jump media player

Media player help

Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.

Stigwood started out as an advertising agency copywriter in his native Australia before moving to the UK at the age of 21

There, he made his name representing English singer John Leyton, securing him a role on the TV show Harpers West One. The deal allowed Leyton to perform a song - Johnny Remember Me - which spent four weeks at number one in 1961.

By 1966, after a period of bankruptcy, he became a booking agent for The Who, luring them onto his own Reaction Records label, where they recorded the hit single Substitute.

He went on to manage Cream and Eric Clapton, before signing the Bee Gees in 1967 and steering them to international success with an intensive promotional campaign for the single New York Mining Disaster 1941.

Image copyrightRex Features

By the early 1970s, though, the Bee Gees had fallen out of favour, and Clapton was inactive due to drug addiction. Stigwood turned his attention to musicals, producing the movie version of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Who's rock opera Tommy.

Having bought the management rights to Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar, Stigwood was instrumental in cracking down on unlicensed performances of the musicals in the US - including school productions - to ensure profits went into pockets of its creators.

He also formed RSO Records (short for Robert Stigwood Organization), where he resuscitated the careers of his two biggest acts - sending Clapton to the top of the charts with I Shot The Sheriff, and rebranding the Bee Gees as falsetto-voiced disco lynchpins on Jive Talking.

The Australian's midas touch continued in the late 1970s, when he produced Saturday Night Fever, making a global star of television actor John Travolta and selling 40 million copies of the Bee Gees-powered soundtrack.

Stigwood followed it with the evergreen teen musical Grease, and was particularly proud of casting fellow Australian Olivia Newton John in the role of Sandy.

Image copyrightPress Association

But he faltered with the 1978 Beatles musical Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - a fantastical but unfocused movie starring The Bee Gees, Peter Frampton and comedian Frankie Howerd. 

"If you like the Beatles and you like movies, do yourself a favour and stay away," wrote influential US film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum. Audiences took note, and the film flopped at the box office, although the soundtrack sold well.

Stigwood went on to produce the similarly-disappointing sequels Grease 2 and Staying Alive - but found success later in life with the Madonna-starring musical Evita, which won the 1997 Golden Globe for best film.

The movie's lyricist, Sir Tim Rice, paid tribute to Stigwood on Twitter, calling him "extraordinary, innovative [and] generous".

"[He was] a vital part of my life," he added.

Εορτή Θεοφανίων -Γιατί βουτάμε στο νερό για να πιάσουμε το σταυρό

Τα Θεοφάνεια ολοκληρώνουν το Δωδεκαήμερο των εορτών των 

Χριστουγέννων και μεταφέρουν το ελπιδοφόρο μήνυμα, μέσω 

της φανέρωσης των τριών προσώπων της Αγίας Τριάδας.

 Σήμερα η Ορθοδοξία τιμά τη βάπτιση του Ιησού Χριστού στον

 Ιορδάνη ποταμό από τον Άγιο Ιωάννη τον βαπτιστή

Τα Θεοφάνεια εορτάζονται στις 6 Ιανουαρίου και είναι η τρίτη και τελευταία εορτή

 του Δωδεκαημέρου. Το όνομα της προκύπτει από την φανέρωση των τριών

 προσώπων της Αγίας Τριάδας που συνέβη σύμφωνα με τρεις σχετικές ευαγγελικές

 περικοπές. Η εορτή των Θεοφανίων λέγεται επίσης και Επιφάνεια και Φώτα

 (ή Εορτή των Φώτων).

Γιατί βουτάμε στο νερό για το σταυρό

Μαζί με την φανέρωση της Αγίας Τριάδας, γιορτάζεται και μία υπολανθάνουσα

 λατρεία προς το νερό, που θεωρούνται παντού αγιασμένα. Κυρίως οι νέοι βουτάνε

 στα νερά, αψηφώντας το κρύο,γιατί θεωρούν μεγάλη ευλογία να πιάσουν το σταυρό,

 ενώ, σε πολλές περιοχές της χώρας μας, ο ιερέας απελευθερώνει ένα περιστέρι

 σε ανάμνηση της εμφάνισης του Αγίου Πνεύματος «εν είδει» (με τη μορφή) 

περιστεριού και στη συνέχεια επισκέπτεται τα σπίτια για να τα αγιάσει.

Η ανάμνηση της βάπτισης του Ιησού

Κατά τις ευαγγελικές περικοπές στις αρχές του 30ου έτους της ηλικίας του Ιησού,

 ο Ιωάννης (ο Πρόδρομος), γιος του Ζαχαρία και της Ελισάβετ, ο επιλεγόμενος στη 

συνέχεια Βαπτιστής, που ήταν 6 μήνες μεγαλύτερος του Χριστού, και διέμενε στην 

έρημο, ασκητεύοντας και κηρύττοντας το βάπτισμα μετανοίας, βάπτισε με έκπληξη

 και τον Ιησού στον Ιορδάνη ποταμό. Κατά δε τη στιγμή της Βάπτισης κατέβηκε από

 τον ουρανό το Άγιο Πνεύμα υπό μορφή περιστεράς στον Ιησού και ταυτόχρονα από

 τον ουρανό ακούσθηκε φωνή που έλεγε ότι: Ούτος εστίν ο Υιός μου ο αγαπητός

 εν ω ευδόκησα". Η φράση αναφέρεται στα ευαγγέλια του Ματθαίου, του Μάρκου και 

του Λουκά, ενώ απουιάζει από αυτό του Ιωάννη.

Αυτή δε είναι και η μοναδική φορά της εμφάνισης, στη Γη, της Αγίας και ομοουσίου και αδιαιρέτου Τριάδος υπό του πλήρους «μυστηρίου» της Θεότητας. Τα θεοφάνεια ονομάζονται έτσι επειδή η φωνή του θεού ακούστηκε στη γη. Για αυτό ονομάστηκαν έτσι Θεό+Φάνεια. Ο θεός φάνηκε στην γη, θεός+φάνηκε. Το πότε καθιερώθηκε να εορτάζεται η μνήμη του γεγονότος της Βάπτισης του Ιησού δεν είναι γνωστό με βεβαιότητα. Φαίνεται όμως ότι αναφάνηκε πολύ νωρίς στη πρώτη Εκκλησιά των Χριστιανών. Ο Κλήμης ο Αλεξανδρεύς (Στρωμ. βιβλ. α΄) αναφέρει πως κάποιοι αιρετικοί, οι περί τον Βασιλείδη γνωστικοί στις αρχές του Β΄ αιώνα εόρταζαν την ημέρα της Βάπτισης του Κυρίου «προδιανυκτερεύοντες» και ότι η εορτή αυτή γινόταν κατ΄ άλλους μεν στις 6 Ιανουαρίου, κατ΄ άλλους στις 10 Ιανουαρίου.

Κατά δε τον 3ο αιώνα η εορτή φαίνεται κοινότατη σε όλη την Χριστιανική Εκκλησία. Έτσι ενώ ο Gieseler ( Kirchengeschichte I ,376) δέχθηκε ότι πρώτοι οι Βασιλειδιανοί καθιέρωσαν την εορτή των Θεοφανίων ο Neander (Kirchengeschichte I 386) θέτει το ερώτημα: πως από αιρετικούς το δέχθηκε η Εκκλησία;

Ο Ιωάννης ο Χρυσόστομος παραδέχεται και περιγράφει την εορτή ως αρχαία πανήγυρης μάλλον στην Αντιόχεια τη Μεγάλη, και ότι από εκεί την παρέλαβαν οι Γνωστικοί Βασιλειδιανοί... Κατά δε τις Αποστολικές Διαταγές (η΄ 38) η εορτή των Επιφανείων «ήγετο δια το εν αυτή ανάδειξιν γεγενήσθαι της του Χριστού θεότητος».

Στο τέλος του 3ου αιώνα προστέθηκε και άλλη έννοια στον εορτασμό αυτό που άρχισε να πανηγυρίζεται και ως ημέρα της «εν σαρκί» φανερώσεως του Κυρίου. Ούτως και στην Αλεξάνδρεια κατά τον Κασσιανό, και στη Κύπρο κατά Επιφάνιο. Από της εποχής λοιπόν αυτής άρχεται, κατά το πιθανότερο, και ο εορτασμός των Χριστουγέννων.

Κατά τον 4ο αιώνα η εορτή των Θεοφανίων γιορτάζεται πλέον με λαμπρότητα σε όλη την ανατολική Εκκλησία ως εορτή του φωτισμού της ανθρωπότητας δια του Αγίου Βαπτίσματος, απ΄ όπου και το όνομα «Τα Φώτα», εορτή «των Φώτων» (Γρηγόριος Ναζιανζηνός λόγος 39, Αστερίου Αμάσ. Λόγος εις «εορτών των Καλανδών»).

Στη Δύση τα Θεοφάνια απαντώνται στα μέσα του 4ου αιώνα, αλλά από της εποχής αυτής φαίνεται στη Ρωμαϊκή Εκκλησία και άλλη μια εορτή αφιερωμένη στη κατά σάρκα Γέννηση του Ιησού στις 25 Δεκεμβρίου. Όταν πλέον καθιερώθηκε αυτή η ημερομηνία για τα Χριστούγεννα σε όλο τον Χριστιανικό κόσμο έγινε και ο διαχωρισμός της εορτής των Φώτων στις 6 Ιανουαρίου, στα μέσα του 6ου αιώνα.

ΦΡΕΝΤ ΑΣΤΑΙΡ ΣΤΟ ΜΕΓΑΡΟ ΜΟΥΣΙΚΗΣ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ

Αφιέρωμα στο διάσημο αμερικανό χορευτή, τραγουδιστή και ηθοποιό ΦΡΕΝΤ ΑΣΤΑΙΡ θα παρουσιασει στο Μεγαρο Μουσικης Θεσσαλονικης(Μ2,αιθουσα Μωρις Σαλτιελ,5ος οροφος)  την Δευτερα 11 ΙΑΝΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ,8μμ,με υλικο απο το προσωπικο του αρχειο ο δημοσιογραφος Λευτερης Κογκαλιδης , Εισοδος ελευθερη. Οργανωτες ειναι το Μεγαρο Μουσικης Θεσσαλονικης και ο Συλλογος Φιλων Μουσικης Θεσσαλονικης. Χορηγος επικοινωνιας το ΠΡΑΚΤΟΡΕΙΟ FM 104,9. Από το σύνολο των 32 μιούζικαλ στα οποία εμφανίζεται ο Αστέρ, παρουσιάζονται 30 αποσπάσματα όπου χορεύει με τις: Τζίντζερ Ρότζερς (10 ταινίες), Βέρα-Έλλεν (δύο ταινίες), Ρίτα Χαίηγουορθ (δύο ταινίες), Λουσίλ Μπρέμερ (δύο ταινίες), Τζούντυ Γκάρλαντ, Τζόαν Κρώφορντ, Τζόαν Φονταίν, Ελινορ Πάουελ, Μάρτζορι Ρέινολντς, Τζόαν Λέσλι, Αννα Μίλερ, Μπέττυ Χάττον, Τζέην Πάουελ, Σιντ Τσαρίς, Λέσλι Καρόν, Οντρεϋ Χέπμπορν. Το αφιέρωμα περιλαμβάνει το πρώτο τραγούδι που κέρδισε βραβείο Όσκαρ «The continental» (από την «Εύθυμη ζωντοχήρα» του 1934), το αξέχαστο «Cheek to cheek» του 1935 από το «Τοπ Χατ», που λάνσαρε σε όλο τον κόσμο το χορό cheek-to-cheek,  τις εκπληκτικές κλακέτες με τη «βασίλισσα της κλακέτας» Ελινορ Πάουελ στο «Begin the beguine» από το «Μελωδίες και ρυθμός του 1940»,  την εκθαμβωτική Ρίτα Χαίηγουορθ στον «Ίλιγγο του χορού» (1942),  την ανεπανάληπτη Τζούντυ Γκάρλαντ στην «Πασχαλινή Παρέλαση» (1948), το ρομαντικό χορό στο Σέντραλ Παρκ της Νέας Υόρκης με τη Σιντ Τσάρις στο «Ένα χορό για σένα» (1953) και την ίδια στο «Ενα ζευγάρι μεταξωτές κάλτσες» (1957), την εύθραυστη Οντρεϋ Χέπμπορν με νυφικό του Ζιβανσί στο «Εξυπνο μουτράκι» (1957). Ο σπουδαιότερος χορευτής στην ιστορία του κινηματογράφου γεννήθηκε στις 10 Μαΐου 1899 στην Όμαχα της Νεμπράσκα. Ο πατέρας του ήταν μετανάστης από τη Βιέννη και η μητέρα του ήταν αμερικανίδα. Ο Φρεντ Αστέρ μαζί με την αδελφή του Αντέλ ξεκινούν το 1917 να χορεύουν επαγγελματικά, σε επιθεωρησιακές παραστάσεις. Το 1924 έχουν πλέον καθιερωθεί στο θεατρικό χώρο. Το 1932 η Αντέλ ερωτεύεται τον Βρετανό λόρδο Τσαρλς Κάβεντις, τον παντρεύεται και εγκαταλείπει τη σκηνή. Το 1933 Αστέρ πηγαίνει στο Χόλιγουντ, κλείνει συμβόλαιο με τα στούντιο RKO, που τον δανείζουν, όμως, στη Μέτρο Γκόλντουϊν Μάγερ, όπου κάνει το κινηματογραφικό του ντεμπούτο, σε μικρό ρόλο, στην «Κυρία του Ντάνσιγκ» χορεύοντας με την Τζόαν Κρώφορντ. Επιστρέφοντας στην RKO, εμφανίζεται μαζί με την Τζίντζερ Ρότζερς σε δευτερεύοντα ρόλο στην ταινία «Καριόκα», όπου πρωταγωνιστές ήταν ο Τζον Ραίημοντ και η Ντολόρες Ντελ Ρίο. Χορεύοντας την «Καριόκα» ο Αστέρ και η Ρότζερς γνώρισαν την αθανασία σε όλες τις γωνιές του πλανήτη. Οι δέκα ταινίες με την Τζίντζερ Ρότζερς άφησαν εποχή.  Αλλά και η μουσική που συνόδευε τα βήματα των πρωταγωνιστών ήταν μοναδική. Ολοι οι μεγάλοι συνθέτες της εποχής, όπως ο Μπερλίν, ο Γκέρσουιν, ο Κερν εμπιστεύονται τις νέες δημιουργίες τους στον Αστέρ, το χορευτή, τον τραγουδιστή. Και βέβαια θα πρέπει να υπογραμμιστεί η συμβολή ενός Ελληνα στην επιτυχημένη κινηματογραφική πορεία του Αστέρ. Ηταν ο Χερμες Παν (Ερμής Παναγιωτόπουλος) που χορογράφησε τις περισσότερες ταινίες του Αστέρ. Ποτέ δεν κέρδισε Οσκαρ ο Αστέρ για κάποια ταινία του αλλά του απονεμήθηκε ένα ειδικό Οσκαρ για το σύνολο της προσφοράς του το 1949.  Ο Φρεντ Αστέρ επέμενε να τον έχουν πάντα ολόκληρο στο πλάνο, χωρίς ειδικά τρικ και βελτίωση της παρουσίας του με ανώφελα κοντινά πλάνα. Ηταν χορευτής που έκανε να φαίνονται όλα εύκολα. Για το κοινό του ο χορός είναι αυθόρμητος. Σα να του έρχεται ξαφνικά η επιθυμία να χορέψει και χορεύει. Πίσω όμως από κάθε χορογραφία κρύβονται ατέλειωτες ώρες δουλειάς, υπομονής και προσπάθειας. Ο Ρούντολφ Νουρέγιεφ τον θεωρούσε ως τον καλύτερο χορευτή, απαράμιλλο και αέρινο ενώ ο Μιχαήλ Μπαρίσνικοφ δήλωσε γι'αυτόν «Δεν είναι μυστικό ότι οι χορευτές μισούν τον Αστέρ. Μας δημιουργεί συμπλέγματα γιατί είναι τέλειος. Η τελειότητά του είναι παραλογισμός». Και όμως στην αξιολόγηση του πρώτου δοκιμαστικού που έκανε για τον κινηματογράφο η διάγνωση ήταν «Δε μπορεί να παίξει. Δε μπορεί να τραγουδήσει. Αρχίζει να έχει φαλάκρα. Μπορεί να χορέψει λίγο...»

[edit]

• 1131 – Canute Lavard was murdered at Haraldsted, Denmark by his cousin Magnus, which led to the civil war in Denmark (1131–34).
• 1325 – Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal.
• 1558 – France takes Calais, the last continental possession of England.
• 1566 – Pope Pius V is elected.
• 1608 – Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia.
• 1610 – Galileo Galilei makes his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, although he is not able to distinguish the last two until the following day.
• 1782 – The first American commercial bank, the Bank of North America, opens.
• 1785 – Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries travel from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in a gas balloon.
• 1797 – The modern Italian flag is first used.
• 1835 – HMS Beagle drops anchor off the Chonos Archipelago.
• 1894 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film.
• 1904 – The distress signal "CQD" is established only to be replaced two years later by "SOS".
• 1919 – Montenegrin guerrilla fighters rebel against the planned annexation of Montenegro by Serbia, but fail.
• 1920 – The New York State Assembly refuses to seat five duly elected Socialist assemblymen.
• 1922 – Dáil Éireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a 64–57 vote.
• 1927 – The first transatlantic telephone service is established from New York, New York to London, United Kingdom.
• 1931 – Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight (from Australia to New Zealand) in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand's west coast.
• 1935 – Benito Mussolini and French Foreign minister Pierre Laval sign the Franco-Italian Agreement.
• 1940 – Winter War: The Finnish 9th Division stops and completely destroys the overwhelming Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road.
• 1942 – World War II: The siege of the Bataan Peninsula begins.
• 1945 – World War II: British General Bernard Montgomery holds a press conference in which he claims credit for victory in the Battle of the Bulge.
• 1948 – Kentucky Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell crashes while in pursuit of a supposed UFO.
• 1954 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system, is held in New York at the head office of IBM.
• 1955 – Contralto Marian Anderson becomes the first person of color to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera.
• 1959 – The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.
• 1960 – The Polaris missile is test launched.
• 1968 – Surveyor Program: Surveyor 7, the last spacecraft in the Surveyor series, lifts off from launch complex 36A, Cape Canaveral.
• 1970 – The Punjab Legislative Council (Abolition) Act, 1969 comes into effect.
• 1973 – Mark Essex fatally shoots ten people and wounds 13 others at Howard Johnson's Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, before being shot to death by police officers.
• 1979 – Third Indochina War: Cambodian–Vietnamese War: Phnom Penh falls to the advancing Vietnamese troops, driving out Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
• 1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter authorizes legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
• 1984 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• 1985 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches Sakigake, Japan's first interplanetary spacecraft and the first deep space probe to be launched by any country other than the United States or the Soviet Union.
• 1989 – Prince Akihito is sworn in as the emperor of Japan after the death of his father Hirohito
• 1990 – The interior of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public for safety reasons.
• 1991 – Roger Lafontant, former leader of the Tonton Macoute in Haiti under François Duvalier, attempts a coup d'état, which ends in his arrest.
• 1993 – The Fourth Republic of Ghana is inaugurated with Jerry Rawlings as President.
• 1993 – Bosnian War: The Bosnian Army executes a surprise attack on the village of Kravica in Srebrenica.
• 1999 – The Senate trial in the impeachment of U.S. President Bill Clinton begins.
• 2010 – Muslim gunmen in Egypt open fire on a crowd of Coptic Christians, killing eight of them and one Muslim bystander.
• 2012 – A hot air balloon crashes near Carterton, New Zealand, killing all 11 people on board.
• 2015 – Two gunmen commit a mass shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing twelve people and injuring another eleven.
• 2015 – A car bomb explodes outside a police college in the Yemeni capital Sana'a with at least 38 people reported dead and more than 63 injured.

Births[edit]

• 1355 – Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, English politician, Lord High Constable of England (d. 1397)
• 1502 – Pope Gregory XIII (d. 1585)
• 1634 – Adam Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1666)
• 1647 – William Louis, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1677)
• 1685 – Jonas Alströmer, Swedish businessman (d. 1761)
• 1706 – Johann Heinrich Zedler, German publisher (d. 1751)
• 1713 – Giovanni Battista Locatelli, Italian director and manager (d. 1785)
• 1718 – Israel Putnam, American general (d. 1790)
• 1746 – George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1823)
• 1768 – Joseph Bonaparte, Italian king (d. 1844)
• 1786 – John Catron, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1865)
• 1796 – Princess Charlotte of Wales (d. 1817)
• 1800 – Millard Fillmore, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 13th President of the United States (d. 1874)
• 1827 – Sandford Fleming, Scottish-Canadian engineer, created Universal Standard Time (d. 1915)
• 1831 – Heinrich von Stephan, German postman, founded the Universal Postal Union (d. 1897)
• 1832 – James Munro, Scottish-Australian publisher and politician; 15th Premier of Victoria (d. 1908)
• 1834 – Johann Philipp Reis, German physicist, invented the Reis telephone (d. 1874)
• 1837 – Thomas Henry Ismay, English businessman, founded the White Star Line Shipping Company (d. 1899)
• 1844 – Bernadette Soubirous, French nun and saint (d. 1879)
• 1845 – Ludwig III of Bavaria (d. 1921)
• 1856 – Charles Harold Davis, American painter (d. 1933)
• 1858 – Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, Belarusian lexicographer and journalist (d. 1922)
• 1860 – Emanuil Manolov, Bulgarian composer (d. 1902)
• 1864 – Seo Jae-pil, South Korean-American journalist and activist (d. 1951)
• 1870 – Gordon Hewart, 1st Viscount Hewart, English judge and politician; 7th Lord Chief Justice of England (d. 1943)
• 1871 – Émile Borel, French mathematician and politician (d. 1956)
• 1873 – Charles Péguy, French poet and journalist (d. 1914)
• 1873 – Adolph Zukor, Hungarian-American film producer; co-founded Paramount Pictures (d. 1976)
• 1875 – Gustav Flatow, German gymnast (d. 1945)
• 1875 – Thomas Hicks, American runner (d. 1963)
• 1876 – William Hurlstone, English pianist and composer (d. 1906)
• 1877 – William Clarence Matthews, American baseball player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1928)
• 1879 – John Bissinger, American gymnast (d. 1941)
• 1880 – Jerome Steever, American water polo player (d. 1957)
• 1885 – Edwin Swatek, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1966)
• 1887 – Oskar Luts, Estonian author and playwright (d. 1953)
• 1888 – Vera de Bosset, Russian-American ballerina (d. 1982)
• 1891 – Zora Neale Hurston, American anthropologist and author (d. 1960)
• 1895 – Hudson Fysh, Australian pilot and businessman; co-founded Qantas Airways Limited (d. 1974)
• 1895 – Clara Haskil, Romanian pianist (d. 1960)
• 1896 – Arnold Ridley, English actor and playwright (d. 1984)
• 1898 – Robert LeGendre, American pentathlete (d. 1931)
• 1899 – Al Bowlly, Mozambican-English singer-songwriter (d. 1941)
• 1899 – Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (d. 1963)
• 1900 – John Brownlee, Australian actor and singer (d. 1969)
• 1900 – Robert Le Vigan, French-Argentinian actor (d. 1972)
• 1903 – Ioannis Despotopoulos, Greek architect and academic (d. 1992)
• 1903 – Alan Napier, English-American actor (d. 1988)
• 1905 – James Simpson, Jr., American politician and racing driver (d. 1960)
• 1906 – Bobbi Trout, American pilot (d. 2003)
• 1907 – Nicanor Zabaleta, Spanish harp player (d. 1993)
• 1907 – Baha Gelenbevi, Turkish film artist (d. 1984)
• 1908 – Red Allen, American trumpet player (d. 1967)
• 1910 – Orval Faubus, American soldier and politician; 36th Governor of Arkansas (d. 1994)
• 1911 – Butterfly McQueen, American actress and dancer (d. 1995)
• 1912 – Charles Addams, American cartoonist; created The Addams Family (d. 1988)
• 1912 – Günter Wand, German conductor and composer (d. 2002)
• 1913 – Johnny Mize, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1993)
• 1916 – W. L. Jeyasingham, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (d. 1989)
• 1916 – Paul Keres, Estonian-Finnish chess player and theoretician (d. 1975)
• 1917 – Ulysses Kay, American composer (d. 1995)
• 1917 – Milton Resnick, Russian-American painter (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Vincent Gardenia, Italian-American actor and singer (d. 1992)
• 1921 – Chester Kallman, American poet and translator (d. 1975)
• 1922 – Alvin Dark, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
• 1922 – Eric Jupp, English-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2003)
• 1922 – Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flute player (d. 2000)
• 1923 – Hugh Kenner, Canadian scholar and critic (d. 2003)
• 1924 – Geoffrey Bayldon, English actor
• 1924 – Pablo Birger, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1966)
• 1924 – Gene L. Coon, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1973)
• 1925 – Gerald Durrell, Indian-English zookeeper, conservationist and author; founded Durrell Wildlife Park (d. 1995)
• 1926 – Kim Jong-pil, South Korean politician, 11th Prime Minister of South Korea
• 1928 – William Peter Blatty, American author and screenwriter
• 1929 – Robert Juniper, Australian painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Terry Moore, American actress and producer
• 1930 – Jack Greene, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Eddie LeBaron, American football player, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2015)
• 1931 – Mirja Hietamies, Finnish skier (d. 2013)
• 1932 – Joe Berinson, Australian pharmacist, lawyer, and politician; Attorney-General of Western Australia
• 1933 – Elliott Kastner, American-English film producer (d. 2010)
• 1933 – Phil Mulkey, American decathlete and coach
• 1934 – Jean Corbeil, Canadian politician; 29th Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2002)
• 1934 – Charles Jenkins Sr., American sprinter and coach
• 1934 – Joseph Naso, American serial killer
• 1934 – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 5th President of Cyprus (d. 2008)
• 1935 – Kenny Davern, American clarinet player and saxophonist (d. 2006)
• 1935 – Tommy Johnson, American tuba player and educator (d. 2006)
• 1935 – Valeri Kubasov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Ducky Schofield, American baseball player
• 1936 – G. Robert Blakey, American lawyer and academic
• 1936 – Ben Cropp, Australian hunter and photographer
• 1936 – Hunter Davies, Scottish author and journalist
• 1936 – Ian La Frenais, English screenwriter and producer
• 1938 – Lou Graham, American golfer and soldier
• 1938 – Lena Granhagen, Swedish actress
• 1938 – Roland Topor, French illustrator, painter, and actor (d. 1997)
• 1938 – Fred Whitfield, American baseball player (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Tom Kiernan, Irish rugby player and coach
• 1939 – Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark
• 1940 – Anton Norris, Barbadian high jumper and cricketer
• 1941 – Iona Brown, English violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
• 1941 – Frederick D. Gregory, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
• 1941 – Manfred Schellscheidt, German-American soccer player and coach
• 1941 – John E. Walker, English chemist and academic; Nobel Prize laureate
• 1942 – Vasily Alekseyev, Russian-German weightlifter and coach (d. 2011)
• 1942 – Jim Lefebvre, American baseball player and manager
• 1942 – Danny Steinmann, American director and screenwriter (d. 2012)
• 1942 – Danny Williams, South African singer (d. 2005)
• 1943 – Richard Armstrong, English organist and conductor
• 1943 – Sadako Sasaki, Japanese victim of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (d. 1955)
• 1944 – Arne Scheie, Norwegian sportscaster
• 1944 – Kotaro Suzumura, Japanese economist and academic
• 1944 – Tony Whitlam, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician
• 1945 – Tony Conigliaro, American baseball player and journalist (d. 1990)
• 1945 – Dick Marty, Swiss lawyer and politician
• 1945 – Raila Odinga, Kenyan engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Kenya
• 1946 – Michael Roizen, American anesthesiologist and author
• 1946 – Jann Wenner, American publisher, co-founded Rolling Stone
• 1946 – Mike Wilds, English racing driver
• 1947 – Shobhaa De, Indian journalist and author
• 1947 – Tony Elliott, English publisher; founded Time Out
• 1947 – Mohammad-Reza Lotfi, Iranian setar player and composer (d. 2014)
• 1948 – Kenny Loggins, American singer-songwriter
• 1948 – Ichirou Mizuki, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
• 1949 – Marshall Chapman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1949 – Chavo Guerrero Sr., American wrestler and trainer
• 1949 – Anne Schedeen, American actress
• 1949 – Steven Williams, American actor
• 1950 – Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer-songwriter
• 1950 – Erin Gray, American actress
• 1950 – Ross Grimsley, American baseball player and coach
• 1950 – Malcolm Macdonald, English footballer and manager
• 1951 – Massimo Sigala, Italian race car driver
• 1951 – Helen Worth, English actress
• 1952 – Sammo Hung, Hong Kong actor, director, producer, and martial artist
• 1953 – Robert Longo, American painter
• 1953 – Morris Titanic, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1954 – Alan Butcher, English cricketer and coach
• 1954 – Jodi Long, American actress
• 1954 – José María Vitier, Cuban pianist and composer
• 1956 – David Caruso, American actor and producer
• 1956 – Mike Liut, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1956 – Uwe Ochsenknecht, German actor and singer
• 1956 – Kostas Petropoulos, Greek basketball player and coach
• 1957 – Nicholson Baker, American historian, author, and academic
• 1957 – Katie Couric, American television journalist, television personality, and author
• 1957 – Reena Roy, Indian actress
• 1957 – Julian Solís, Puerto Rican boxer
• 1958 – Donna Rice Hughes, American actress and activist
• 1958 – Linda Kozlowski, American actress
• 1959 – Anne Balsamo, American cultural academic
• 1959 – Jon Larsen, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter (Hot Club de Norvège)
• 1959 – Ross Norman, New Zealand-English squash player
• 1959 – Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon, English accountant and politician
• 1959 – Kathy Valentine, American bass player and songwriter
• 1960 – David Marciano, American actor
• 1960 – Loretta Sanchez, American politician
• 1961 – Supriya Pathak, Indian actress
• 1961 – Andrew Thomson, Australian lawyer and politician
• 1961 – John Thune, American politician
• 1961 – Nils Økland, Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player
• 1962 – Aleksandr Dugin, Russian sociologist and philosopher
• 1962 – Hallie Todd, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1963 – Clint Mansell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1963 – Rand Paul, American ophthalmologist and politician
• 1964 – Nicolas Cage, American actor, director, and producer
• 1965 – Alessandro Lambruschini, Italian runner
• 1965 – John Ondrasik, American singer-songwriter (Five For Fighting)
• 1966 – Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, American publicist (d. 1999)
• 1966 – Corrie Sanders, South African boxer (d. 2012)
• 1966 – Ehab Tawfik, Egyptian singer-songwriter
• 1967 – Nick Clegg, English academic and politician; Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• 1967 – Guy Hebert, American ice hockey player
• 1967 – Irrfan Khan, Indian actor
• 1967 – Mark Lamarr, English radio and television host
• 1967 – Ricky Stuart, Australian rugby player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1969 – David Yost, American actor and producer
• 1970 – Andy Burnham, English politician, Secretary of State for Health
• 1970 – Todd Day, American basketball player and coach
• 1970 – Doug E. Doug, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – João Ricardo, Angolan footballer
• 1971 – C.W. Anderson, American wrestler
• 1971 – Jeremy Renner, American actor, singer, and producer
• 1972 – Donald Brashear, American-Canadian ice hockey player and mixed martial artist
• 1972 – Vladimir Dubrovshchik, Belarusian discus thrower
• 1973 – Baiba Broka, Latvian actress
• 1973 – Jonna Tervomaa, Finnish singer-songwriter
• 1974 – Alenka Bikar, Slovenian sprinter and politician
• 1974 – Svetlana Metkina, Russian actress
• 1974 – John Rich, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1975 – Hossein Derakhshan, Iranian-Canadian journalist and blogger
• 1975 – Yūko Nakamura, Japanese actress
• 1975 – Shawn Phelan, American actor (d. 1998)
• 1976 – Éric Gagné, Canadian baseball player
• 1976 – Vybz Kartel, Jamaican dancehall artist and entreprenuer
• 1976 – Harish Raghavendra, Indian actor and singer
• 1976 – Tomas Ražanauskas, Lithuanian footballer and manager
• 1976 – Alfonso Soriano, Dominican baseball player
• 1976 – Kierston Wareing, English actress
• 1977 – Michelle Behennah, Singaporean-English model
• 1977 – Dustin Diamond, American actor, director, and producer
• 1977 – John Gidding, American architect and television host
• 1977 – Sofi Oksanen, Finnish author and playwright
• 1977 – Marco Storari, Italian footballer
• 1978 – Dean Cosker, English cricketer
• 1978 – Jean Charles de Menezes, Brazilian shooting victim (d. 2005)
• 1978 – Asami Imajuku, Japanese model, actress, and singer
• 1978 – Kevin Mench, American baseball player
• 1978 – Emilio Palma, Argentinian citizen; first person born on Antarctica
• 1978 – Ryan Star, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1979 – Bipasha Basu, Indian actress and singer
• 1979 – Aloe Blacc, American singer-songwriter
• 1979 – Yōko Honna, Japanese voice actress
• 1979 – Ricardo Maurício, Brazilian race car driver
• 1979 – Mariángel Ruiz, Venezuelan actress and singer, Miss Venezuela 2002
• 1980 – Campbell Johnstone, New Zealand rugby player
• 1980 – Zöe Salmon, Northern Irish model and television host, Miss Northern Ireland 1999
• 1980 – Merritt Wever, American actress
• 1981 – Alex Auld, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1981 – Marquis Daniels, American basketball player
• 1981 – Travis Friend, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1982 – Francisco Rodríguez, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1982 – Hannah Stockbauer, German swimmer
• 1982 – Sho Tomita, Japanese actor
• 1982 – Priit Viks, Estonian biathlete
• 1982 – Ianina Zanazzi, Argentinian race car driver
• 1983 – Marc Burns, Trinidadian sprinter
• 1983 – Edwin Encarnación, Dominican baseball player
• 1983 – Natalie Gulbis, American golfer
• 1983 – Liesbeth Mouha, Belgian volleyball player
• 1983 – Robert Ri'chard, American actor and producer
• 1984 – Diego Balbinot, Italian footballer
• 1984 – Jon Lester, American baseball player
• 1984 – Antonino Saviano, Italian footballer
• 1985 – Austin Brown, American singer-songwriter
• 1985 – Lewis Hamilton, English racing driver
• 1985 – Wayne Routledge, English footballer
• 1986 – Jinxx, American guitarist (Black Veil Brides and The Dreaming)
• 1986 – Grant Leadbitter, English footballer
• 1987 – Stefan Babović, Serbian footballer
• 1987 – Lyndsy Fonseca, American actress
• 1987 – Olga Panova, Russian tennis player
• 1987 – Jimmy Smith, English footballer
• 1988 – Hardwell, Dutch DJ and producer
• 1988 – Haley Bennett, American actress and singer
• 1988 – Sergei Mošnikov, Estonian footballer
• 1988 – Scott Pendlebury, Australian footballer
• 1988 – Robert Sheehan, Irish actor
• 1989 – Miles Addison, English footballer
• 1989 – Emiliano Insúa, Argentinian footballer
• 1990 – Liam Aiken, American actor
• 1990 – Elene Gedevanishvili, Georgian figure skater
• 1990 – Camryn Grimes, American actress
• 1990 – Michael Sam, American football player
• 1990 – Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austrian ski jumper
• 1991 – Eden Hazard, Belgian footballer
• 1991 – Max Morrow, Canadian actor
• 1991 – Caster Semenya, South African runner
• 1993 – Varunya Wongteanchai, Thai tennis player
• 1997 – Ayumi Ishida, Japanese singer (Morning Musume)

Deaths[edit]

• 312 – Lucian of Antioch, Turkish martyr, saint, and theologian (b. 240)
• 672 – Tenji, Japanese emperor (b. 626)
• 1131 – Canute Lavard, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein and ruler of the Obotrite confederation, saint (b. 1096)
• 1285 – Charles I of Naples (b. 1226)
• 1325 – Denis of Portugal (b. 1261)
• 1400 – Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, English politician (b. 1374)
• 1451 – Antipope Felix V (b. 1383)
• 1536 – Catherine of Aragon (b. 1485)
• 1566 – Louis de Blois, Flemish monk and author (b. 1506)
• 1619 – Nicholas Hilliard, English painter and goldsmith (b. 1547)
• 1625 – Ruggiero Giovannelli, Italian composer (b. 1560)
• 1655 – Pope Innocent X (b. 1574)
• 1658 – Theophilus Eaton, American farmer and politician (b. 1590)
• 1694 – Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, English general and politician; Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire (b. 1618)
• 1700 – Raffaello Fabretti, Italian scholar and author (b. 1618)
• 1715 – François Fénelon, French archbishop, theologian, and poet (b. 1651)
• 1758 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet and playwright (b. 1686)
• 1767 – Thomas Clap, American minister and academic (b. 1703)
• 1770 – Carl Gustaf Tessin, Swedish politician and diplomat (b. 1695)
• 1783 – William Tans'ur, English composer and educator (b. 1700)
• 1786 – Jean-Étienne Guettard, French physician and mineralogist (b. 1715)
• 1812 – Joseph Dennie, American journalist and author (b. 1768)
• 1830 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian public servant and politician (b. 1770)
• 1830 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter (b. 1769)
• 1858 – Mustafa Reşid Pasha, Ottoman politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1800)
• 1864 – Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist and politician, 6th U.S. Secretary of the Interior (b. 1808)
• 1876 – Juste Olivier, Swiss poet and academic (b. 1807)
• 1878 – François-Vincent Raspail, French chemist, physician, and physiologist (b. 1794)
• 1892 – Tewfik Pasha, Egyptian politician (b. 1852)
• 1893 – Jožef Stefan, Slovenian physicist and mathematician (b. 1835)
• 1904 – Emmanuel Rhoides, Greek journalist and author (b. 1836)
• 1913 – Jack Boyle, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1866)
• 1919 – Henry Ware Eliot American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Washington University in St. Louis (b. 1843)
• 1920 – Edmund Barton, Australian judge and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1849)
• 1927 – Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos, Greek politician; 99th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1851)
• 1931 – Edward Channing, American historian and author (b. 1856)
• 1932 – André Maginot, French soldier and politician (b. 1877)
• 1936 – Guy d'Hardelot, French pianist and composer (b. 1858)
• 1941 – Charles Finger, English journalist and author (b. 1869)
• 1942 – Alfred Asikainen, Finnish wrestler (b. 1888)
• 1943 – Nikola Tesla, Croatian-Serbian-American physicist and engineer (b. 1856)
• 1944 – Lou Henry Hoover, American wife of Herbert Hoover, 33rd First Lady of the United States (b. 1874)
• 1944 – Napoleon Lapathiotis, Greek lawyer and poet (b. 1888)
• 1946 – Adamo Didur, Polish opera singer (b. 1874)
• 1951 – René Guénon, French-Egyptian philosopher and author (b. 1886)
• 1953 – Osa Johnson, American explorer, director, and producer (b. 1894)
• 1958 – Jalmari Eskola, Finnish runner (b. 1886)
• 1958 – Goffredo Zehender, Italian racing driver (b. 1901)
• 1960 – Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers, English tennis player and coach (b. 1878)
• 1963 – Arthur Edward Moore, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 23rd Premier of Queensland (b. 1876)
• 1964 – Cyril Davies, English singer and harmonica player (b. 1932)
• 1964 – Reg Parnell, English racing driver and manager (b. 1911)
• 1966 – Allan Chapman, Scottish politician (b. 1897)
• 1967 – David Goodis, American author and screenwriter (b. 1917)
• 1967 – Carl Schuricht, German-Swiss conductor (b. 1880)
• 1968 – J. L. B. Smith, South African chemist and academic (b. 1897)
• 1968 – Gholamreza Takhti, Iranian wrestler (b. 1930)
• 1972 – John Berryman, American poet and scholar (b. 1914)
• 1972 – Eftichia Papagianopoulos, Greek composer (b. 1893)
• 1980 – Larry Williams, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1935)
• 1981 – Alvar Lidell, English journalist (b. 1908)
• 1981 – Eric Robinson, Australian businessman and politician; 2nd Australian Minister for Finance (b. 1926)
• 1984 – Alfred Kastler, German-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
• 1985 – Mary Hardy, Australian comedian and actor (b. 1931)
• 1986 – P. D. Eastman, American author and illustrator (b. 1909)
• 1986 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican author, screenwriter, and photographer (b. 1917)
• 1988 – Michel Auclair, German-French actor (b. 1922)
• 1988 – Trevor Howard, English actor (b. 1913)
• 1989 – Hirohito, Japanese emperor (b. 1901)
• 1990 – Bronko Nagurski, Canadian-American football player and wrestler (b. 1908)
• 1990 – Horace Stoneham, American businessman (b. 1903)
• 1992 – Richard Hunt, American puppeteer and voice actor (b. 1951)
• 1994 – Llewellyn Rees, English-Welsh actor (b. 1901)
• 1995 – Murray Rothbard, American economist, historian, and theorist (b. 1926)
• 1996 – Károly Grósz, Hungarian politician. 51st Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1930)
• 1996 – Tarō Okamoto, Japanese painter and sculptor (b. 1911)
• 1998 – Owen Bradley, American record producer (b. 1915)
• 1998 – Vladimir Prelog, Croatian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
• 2000 – Gary Albright, American wrestler (b. 1963)
• 2001 – James Carr, American singer (b. 1942)
• 2002 – Jon Lee, English drummer (Feeder, The Darling Buds, and Raindancer) (b. 1968)
• 2002 – Avery Schreiber, American actor (b. 1935)
• 2004 – Ingrid Thulin, Swedish actress and director (b. 1926)
• 2005 – Pierre Daninos, French author (b. 1913)
• 2005 – Eileen Desmond, Irish politician, 12th Irish Minister for Health (b. 1932)
• 2006 – Heinrich Harrer, Austrian mountaineer, geographer, and author (b. 1912)
• 2007 – Bobby Hamilton, American race car driver (b. 1957)
• 2007 – Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic-Scottish journalist, author, and academic (b. 1929)
• 2008 – Alwyn Schlebusch, South African academic and politician; Vice State President of South Africa (b. 1917)
• 2011 – Derek Gardner, English engineer (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Ibrahim Aslan, Egyptian journalist and author (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Tony Blankley, American journalist/editor, television and commentator, and political pundit (b. 1948)
• 2012 – Milburn E. Calhoun, American physician, philanthropist, and publisher (b. 1930)
• 2012 – George Livingston, American politician (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Hideaki Nitani, Japanese actor (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Herbert Wilf, American mathematician and academic (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Azer Bülbül, Turkish folk singer and actor (b. 1969)
• 2013 – Carl Berner, German-American super-centenarian (b. 1902)
• 2013 – Richard Ben Cramer, American journalist and author (b. 1950)
• 2013 – David R. Ellis, American actor, stuntman, and director (b. 1952)
• 2013 – Huell Howser, American television host (b. 1945)
• 2013 – Ada Louise Huxtable, American curator and critic (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Jiřina Jirásková, Czech actress (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Harvey Shapiro, American poet and journalist (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Paul Goggins, English politician (b. 1953)
• 2014 – Aitzaz Hasan, Pakistani student (b. 1999)
• 2014 – Thomas V. Jones, American businessman (b. 1920)
• 2014 – Run Run Shaw, Chinese-Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist; founded Shaw Brothers Studio and TVB (b. 1907)
• 2015 – Subhas Anandan, Indian-Singaporean lawyer (b. 1947)
• 2015 – Mompati Merafhe, Botswana general and politician, Vice-President of Botswana (b. 1936)
• 2015 – Arch A. Moore, Jr., American sergeant, lawyer, and politician; 28th Governor of West Virginia (b. 1923)
• 2015 – J. P. Parisé, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1941)
• 2015 – B. S. Abdur Rahman, Indian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Tim Roberts, American wrestler (b. 1976)
• 2015 – Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor and screenwriter (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Georges Wolinski, French cartoonist (b. 1934)

Composer Pierre Boulez dies at 90

Jump media player

Media player he

French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez has died at the age of 90.

His family said the world-renowned musician died on Tuesday at his home in Baden-Baden, Germany.

"For all those who met him and were able to appreciate his creative energy, his artistic vigour... will remain alive and strong," they said. 

As well as being a world-famous composer and conductor he was a prolific writer and pianist and head of the music venue The Paris Philharmonic. 

Boulez was also the founder and former director of the Paris based Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique and was famed for his work alongside leading experimental composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Olivier Messiaen. 

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls paid tribute to Boulez on Twitter: "Courage, innovation, creativity, this is what Pierre Boulez meant to the world of French music, of which he made a beacon of light throughout the world."

French President Francois Hollande said in a statement: "Pierre Boulez made French music shine throughout the world. As a composer and conductor, he always wanted to reflect on the ages."

Boulez had been considered one of the most influential voices in the contemporary music since the 1950s and, as a conductor, he was in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. 

One of his particular trademarks as a conductor was that he shunned the baton, always choosing to conduct with his hands.

As a composer, Boulez's work was noted for its difficulty, with one of his most celebrated works, Le Marteau Sans Maitre, being inspired by the complexity and lack of formal artistic structure of surrealist poetry.

Born in the Loire region of France in 1925, Boulez began his musical career at the Conservatoire in Paris, one of the world's most celebrated music schools. 

He graduated in 1945 and, still only 21, became musical director of the theatre company of Jean-Louis Barrault and Madeleine Renaud. 

During this period he composed violent early pieces such as his first two piano sonatas and Livre Pour Quatuor for string quartet. 

Pierre Boulez was a truly great artist who ranks  alongside the likes of Marcel Duchamp, Jean Prouve and Albert Camus as an epoch-defining 20th Century French intellectual. He was not easy. He could be enormously charming and utterly horrible - sometimes to the same person in the same conversation. 

Music was his art form, agitation his style. He had no time for the status quo, and even less for the days of yore. He was a modernist - a man who sought to make some sense of the absurdities of the world in which he lived through the medium of music. It was a new age with new problems that he believed demanded a new sound. 

The flowery, romantic classical cannon didn't resonate in his mechanised Parisian infrastructure full of hard edges and cold steel. Something sharper, less melodic and altogether more complex was required. 

He championed the original modernist avant-garde of Stravinsky, Bartok, Berg and Messiaen (his tutor), while also supporting pioneering peers such as Ligeti, Birtwistle and Stockhausen. 

His own compositions, which were relatively few in number, have come to be highly regarded. If I were to choose one work it would be Notations, his 12 pieces for piano. It is spiky, difficult, unpredictable, poetic, and unsurpassable. Just like the man himself. 

Great demand

Boulez's career as a conductor took off in the 1950s, during which time he performed with the Sudwestfunk (South-West German Radio). 

He also began acting as guest conductor for some of Europe's leading orchestras and festivals. 

Boulez's talent led him to be more and more in demand and he was appearing widely as a conductor by the 1960s.

He led the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1971-75 and from 1971-77 was also music director of the New York Philharmonic, where he championed contemporary works - a contrast from his acclaimed predecessor Leonard Bernstein. 

Increasingly, Boulez became exasperated with what he considered to be the suffocating conservatism of the French musical world, prompting him to make his home in Baden-Baden. 

Multiple honours

His rebellious nature also led to him once being briefly detained by Swiss policeon suspicion of being linked to terrorist activities in the period of heightened security soon after the 11 September US terror attacks.

Swiss authorities confiscated his passport in the town of Basle, where he had been conducting at a music festival, after discovering he had said in the 1960s opera houses should be blown up and therefore considered him a potential security threat.

Alongside his conducting, Boulez's creative output flourished as the director of the experimental music studio, the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM), where he had access to the latest computer technology.

But he stepped down from this position in 1991 to devote more time to conducting. 

In 2009, he joined with fellow conductor Daniel Barenboim to conduct the complete symphonies of Gustav Mahler at Carnegie Hall, New York. 

Overall Boulez won 26 Grammys and multiple other honours, including Sweden's Polar Music Prize, Japan's Praemium Imperiale and France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. 

He was also inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame in 2012. 

BBC Radio 3 Music Matters and Proms presenter Tom Service said Boulez leaves "one of the most resonant legacies of any composer of the post-war period".

"The scale of Boulez's achievements across the whole of musical culture means that he will never truly disappear into the past tense. As listeners, performers, and composers, we will all be living out his legacy for generations to come."