Only 27 movies have ever hit $1 billion at the box office 

Yes — the "Minions" movie made $1 billion.Illumination

With movie-ticket prices increasing and the resurgence of franchises like "Star Wars," films earning over $1 billion worldwide may become commonplace. But for now, there are only 27 movies from the past 25 years that have managed to join this exclusive club.

Using data from Box Office Mojo, we compiled a list of the highest-grossing movies that made $1 billion or more.

From "Minions" to "Furious 7" and more, keep reading for a look at the box-office hits.

27. "The Dark Knight" (2008)

WB via YouTube

Total gross revenue: $1,004,600,000

Back in July 2008, people began speculating that Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" sequel starring Heath Ledger as the Joker might have the box-office power to set a world record. "There are even whispers starting whether 'Dark Knight' can beat the incredible worldwide numbers posted by the all-time $1.8 billion benchmark of 'Titanic,'" Deadline reported.

"The Dark Knight" remains in the 27th spot when it comes to highest-grossing movies of all time.

26. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012)

Warner Bros.

Total gross revenue: $1,021,100,000

When Peter Jackson's first "Hobbit" movie crossed the $1 billion mark, it appeared a good indication the subsequent two sequels would perform equally well, if not better, at the box office. But neither of the second two "Hobbit" films wound up crossing that box-office landmark. Both "The Desolation of Smaug" and "Battle of the Five Armies" made about $960,000,000 each.

25. "Zootopia" (2016)

Disney

Total gross revenue: $1,023,800,000

Disney's "Zootopia" is one of four animated features the studio has made that have crossed the $1 billion mark.

"Not only did it earn Disney Animation's biggest opening ever — debuting to $75 million," Entertainment Weekly reported in July 2016, "but it also set a record for the biggest animated March opening of all time."

24. "Alice In Wonderland" (2010)

Disney via YouTube

Total gross revenue: $1,025,500,000

When Tim Burton's take on the original Disney classic hit $1 billion at the box office in 2010, it was only the sixth ever film to do so. In the years since, more than 20 other films have joined the club — but the sequel to this live-action "Alice In Wonderland" was not among them. "Alice Through the Looking Glass" (2016) grossed $299,500,000 worldwide.

23. "Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace" (1999)

YouTube/LucasFilm

Total gross revenue: $1,027,000,000

"The Phantom Menace" was the first "Star Wars" movie to earn $1 billion, thanks to its 3D re-release in theaters 13 years after the original debut. Without that second surge of ticket purchases, the film would have stayed under $1 billion along with the original three movies.

22. "Finding Dory" (2016)

Gerald in "Finding Dory."Disney

Total gross revenue: $1,027,900,000

Moviegoers flocked back to theaters in the summer of 2016 for Disney Pixar's "Finding Nemo" sequel. It was the second animated feature of 2016 to pass the $1 billion mark ("Zootopia" is the other). The box-office numbers also make "Finding Dory" the fifth highest-grossing animated movie of all time.

21. "Jurassic Park" (1993)

Universal

Total gross revenue: $1,029,200,000

Similar to "The Phantom Menace," a 3D rerelease is responsible for putting "Jurassic Park" over the edge and into the $1 billion club. "Jurassic Park" wasn't originally released in China in 1993, according to a report from The Wrap. But the 20th-anniversary international rerelease included China — and the difference in ticket sales showed.

20. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011)

Disney

Total gross revenue: $1,045,700,000

There are four "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies (soon to be five), and two of them have joined the billion-dollar club. 2011's "On Stranger Tides" holds 20th place, while the second movie in the franchise is right above it.

19. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006)

Disney

Total gross revenue: $1,066,200,000

Back in 2006, when the sequel to Disney's "Pirates of the Caribben: Curse of the Black Pearl" hit theaters, it took just three months for the movie to make $1 billion at the box office. At that time, it was the third ever film to do so.

18. "Toy Story 3" (2010)

Pixar

Total gross revenue: $1,067,000,000

The third movie in the "Toy Story" franchise crossed the $1 billion mark in 2010 and made Disney history as Pixar's highest-grossing film of all time. The success of "Toy Story 3" helped push a fourth movie into Disney's animated movie plan. After a couple of delays, "Toy Story 4" is now expected in 2019. 

17. "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012)

Warner Bros.

Total gross revenue: $1,084,900,000 

Christopher Nolan's follow-up to "The Dark Knight" had become the 13th film in history to reach $1 billion in 2012. This achievement was remarkable, especially given concerns that the movie's success would be dampened after the Aurora theater shooting took place during a midnight screening of the film.

16. "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014)

Courtesy Paramount Pictures

Total gross revenue: $1,104,000,000

Ah yes, the unstoppable box-office power of the "Transformers" franchise. According to The Wrap, "Age of Extinction" (the fourth movie) was made specifically with international audiences in mind — and it paid off. Almost a third of the total box-office revenue came from China alone.

15. "Skyfall" (2012)

Sony

Total gross revenue: $1,108,600,000

"Skyfall" is the only James Bond movie in history that has cracked the $1 billion ceiling. It remains Sony's biggest hit of all time, and holds the record as the first movie to ever cross the 100 million pound mark in the UK.

14. "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)

New Line Cinema

Total gross revenue: $1,119,900,000

People came out in droves for the final installment of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. After only 10 weeks in theaters, "Return of the King" became the second movie ever in history to make $1 billion ("Titantic" was the first, in 1997). The film went on to break an Academy Award record by sweeping all 11 categories for which it was nominated.

13. "Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon" (2011)

Paramount

Total gross revenue: $1,123,800,000

The third "Transformers" movie was the first Paramount picture to reach $1 billion at the box office. Just like with "Age of Extinction," the boost in ticket sales came largely from international movie audiences. This was the last "Transformers" movie that starred Shia LaBeouf. 

12. "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Marvel

Total gross revenue: $1,153,300,000

And here we begin with the seemingly unstoppable success of Marvel universe movies. "Captain America: Civil War" was a blockbuster hit in 2016, and the first movie of that year to rake in $1 billion.

11. "Minions" (2015)

Illumination

Total gross revenue: $1,159,400,000

The 2015 prequel to "Despicable Me" focused only on the overall-wearing Minions the world had come to love. People clearly appreciated the yellow henchman's standalone film, since neither of the two "Despicable Me" movies has breached $1 billion. 

10. "Iron Man 3" (2013)

Disney / Marvel

Total gross revenue: $1,214,800,000

Tony Stark swept away comic fans with the third movie of his trilogy, "Iron Man 3." It only took 23 days in the box office for the film to hit $1 billion. If anyone doubted the power of Robert Downey Jr.'s success as Iron Man before, this movie was the final confirmation of his vital role in Marvel's franchise.

9. "Frozen" (2013)

Disney

Total gross revenue: $1,276,500,000

The global success of "Frozen" continues to maintain records for Disney. The movie holds the #1 spot as the highest-grossing animated feature of all time. "Frozen" joined the billion-dollar club in the same week it nabbed two Oscars as well.

8. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two" (2011)

Warner Bros.

Total gross revenue: $1,341,500,000

Following the trend of some other franchises in our top list, the final "Harry Potter" film is the only one of the bunch that raked in $1 billion or more. The only other movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling's work that came close was "Sorcerer's Stone," which remains at $975 million total.

7. "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)

Marvel

Total gross revenue: $1,405,400,000

"Transformers,""The Dark Knight," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" are three franchises for which each has two movies in the billion-dollar club (you can add "The Avengers" to that list). The 2015 follow-up ensemble movie added James Spader as the terrifying new villain, and (surprising no one) "Age of Ultron" opened in the No. 1 spot around the world.

6. "Furious 7" (2015)

Universal

Total gross revenue: $1,516,000,000

"Furious 7" broke records when it raced past the $1 billion box-office mark in just 17 days. As Entertainment Weekly reported, "that makes 'Furious' 7 the fastest live-action film to reach that number." But two other 2015 movies (coming later on our list) eventually bumped it to third place. This was the last "Fast and Furious" movie to include Paul Walker, which some believe helped boost box-office numbers.

5. "Marvel's The Avengers" (2012)

Marvel

Total gross revenue: $1,518,800,000

The first "Avengers" movie brought together an all-star cast of comic book heroes — and Marvel's efforts were rewarded at the box office. The film passed $1 billion in ticket sales in just 19 days — which means it's tied for third place in the list of fastest-grossing movies alongside "Avatar" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two."

4. "Jurassic World" (2015)

Universal

Total gross revenue: $1,670,400,000

Just like its 1993 predecessor, "Jurassic World" is in the billion-dollar club, but this reboot of the franchise did it in one sweep, no rerelease required.

"Jurassic World" broke all sorts of records. It bumped "Furious 7" out of the No. 1 spot for fastest movie to make $1 billion when it broke the record in only 13 days. At the time it also stunned box-office analysts with the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time, besting "Marvel's The Avengers," with $208.8 million. Worldwide, it opened to over $500 million, making it the first movie to ever crack that number opening weekend.

That record didn't last long, however.

3. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015)

Lucasfilm

Total gross revenue: $2,068,200,000

The seventh movie in the "Star Wars" franchise broke the "Jurassic World" records when box-office numbers tallied $1 billion after only 12 days. And it didn't stop there: "The Force Awakens" went on rake more than $2 billion, solidifying its No. 3 place on our list and becoming the highest-grossing "Star Wars" movie of all time.

2. "Titanic" (1997)

20th Century Fox

Total gross revenue: $2,186,800,000

Two decades later, James Cameron's "Titanic" is still untouchable at its No. 2 spot for box-office records. The movie made about $1.8 billion during its initial 1997 release and then topped $2 billion after it was rereleased in 3D in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the iconic ship's sinking.

1. "Avatar" (2009)

Fox

Total gross revenue: $2,788,000,000

James Cameron's "Avatar" is also sitting pretty as the highest-grossing movie of all time. With more than $2.7 billion in box office revenue, it's miles ahead of other films on the list. But as ticket prices increase and billion-dollar movies become more common, we'll have to wait and see how many more years "Avatar" can claim the No. 1 spot.

[edit]

• 1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned king.
• 1554 – Bayinnaung, who would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, is crowned King of Burma.
• 1808 – John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church, Reculver, founded in 669, from coastal erosion was abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture.
• 1848 – The Palermo rising takes place in Sicily against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
• 1866 – The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.
• 1872 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.
• 1895 – The National Trust is founded in the United Kingdom.
• 1906 – Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman's cabinet (which included amongst its members H. H. Asquith, David Lloyd George, and Winston Churchill) embarks on sweeping social reforms.
• 1908 – A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time.
• 1911 – The University of the Philippines College of Law is formally established; three future Philippine presidents are among the first enrollees.
• 1915 – The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposal to require states to give women the right to vote.
• 1916 – Both Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann, for achieving eight aerial victories each over Allied aircraft, receive the German Empire's highest military award, the Pour le Mérite as the first German aviators to earn it.
• 1918 – Finland's "Mosaic Confessors" law goes into effect, making Finnish Jews full citizens.
• 1921 – Acting to restore confidence in baseball after the Black Sox Scandal, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is elected as Major League Baseball's first commissioner.
• 1926 – Original Sam 'n' Henry aired on Chicago radio later renamed Amos 'n' Andy in 1928.
• 1932 – Hattie Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.
• 1942 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.
• 1962 – Vietnam War: Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission in the war, takes place.
• 1964 – Rebels in Zanzibar begin a revolt known as the Zanzibar Revolution and proclaim a republic.
• 1966 – Lyndon B. Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
• 1967 – Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.
• 1969 – The New York Jets of the American Football League defeat the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League to win Super Bowl III in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
• 1970 – Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian Civil War.
• 1971 – The Harrisburg Seven: Rev. Philip Berrigan and five other activists are indicted on charges of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and of plotting to blow up the heating tunnels of federal buildings in Washington, D.C.
• 1976 – The United Nations Security Council votes 11–1 to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).
• 1986 – Space Shuttle program: Congressman Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a Mission Specialist.
• 1991 – Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of American military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.
• 1998 – Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
• 2001 – Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
• 2004 – The world's largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.
• 2005 – Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket.
• 2006 – A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.
• 2010 – An earthquake in Haiti occurs, killing over 100,000 people and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince.
• 2012 – Violent protests occur in Bucharest, Romania, as two-day-old demonstrations continue against President Traian Băsescu's economic austerity measures. Clashes are reported in numerous Romanian cities between protesters and law enforcement officers.
• 2015 – Government raids kill 143 Boko Haram fighters in Kolofata, Cameroon.
• 2016 – Ten people are killed and 15 wounded in a bombing near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

Births[edit]

• 1483 – Henry III of Nassau-Breda (d. 1538)
• 1562 – Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1630)
• 1576 – Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (d. 1660)
• 1577 – Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist and physician (d. 1644)
• 1588 – John Winthrop, English lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (d. 1649)
• 1591 – Jusepe de Ribera, Spanish painter (d. 1652)
• 1597 – François Duquesnoy, Flemish sculptor and educator (d. 1643)
• 1628 – Charles Perrault, French author and academic (d. 1703)
• 1673 – Rosalba Carriera, Italian painter (d. 1757)
• 1711 – Gaetano Latilla, Italian composer (d. 1788)
• 1715 – Jacques Duphly, French organist and composer (d. 1789)
• 1716 – Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general and politician, 1st Spanish Governor of Louisiana (d. 1795)
• 1721 – Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1792)
• 1723 – Samuel Langdon, American minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1797)
• 1724 – Frances Brooke, English author and playwright (d. 1789)
• 1729 – Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1797)
• 1746 – Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Swiss philosopher and educator (d. 1827)
• 1751 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (d. 1825)
• 1772 – Mikhail Speransky, Russian academic and politician (d. 1839)
• 1786 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (d. 1855)
• 1792 – Johan August Arfwedson, Swedish chemist and academic (d. 1841)
• 1797 – Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and author (d. 1873)
• 1799 – Priscilla Susan Bury, British botanist (d. 1872)
• 1810 – Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (d. 1859)
• 1822 – Étienne Lenoir, Belgian engineer, designed the internal combustion engine (d. 1900)
• 1837 – Adolf Jensen, German pianist and composer (d. 1879)
• 1849 – Jean Béraud, Russian-French painter and academic (d. 1935)
• 1856 – John Singer Sargent, American painter and academic (d. 1925)
• 1863 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian monk and philosopher (d. 1902)
• 1869 – Bhagwan Das, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1958)
• 1873 – Spyridon Louis, Greek runner (d. 1940)
• 1874 – Laura Adams Armer, American author and photographer (d. 1963)
• 1876 – Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the Turkish Provisional Government (d. 1950)
• 1876 – Jack London, American novelist and journalist (d. 1916)
• 1876 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (d. 1948)
• 1877 – Frank J. Corr, American lawyer and politician, 45th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1934)
• 1878 – Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian-American author and playwright (d. 1952)
• 1879 – Ray Harroun, American race car driver and engineer (d. 1968)
• 1879 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (d. 1942)
• 1882 – Milton Sills, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1930)
• 1884 – Texas Guinan, Canadian-American entertainer and bootlegger (d. 1933)
• 1889 – Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, Indian-Pakistani spiritual leader (d. 1965)
• 1890 – Johannes Vares, Estonian poet, physician, and politician (d. 1946)
• 1892 – Mikhail Gurevich, Russian engineer and businessman, co-founded the Russian Aircraft Corporation (d. 1976)
• 1893 – Hermann Göring, German commander, pilot, and politician, Minister President of Prussia (d. 1946)
• 1893 – Alfred Rosenberg, Estonian-German architect and politician, Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories (d. 1946)
• 1894 – Georges Carpentier, French boxer and actor (d. 1975)
• 1895 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Polish-Israeli scholar and academic (d. 1959)
• 1896 – David Wechsler, Romanian-American psychologist and author (d. 1981)
• 1899 – Pierre Bernac, French opera singer and educator (d. 1979)
• 1899 – Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
• 1901 – Karl Künstler, German SS officer (d. 1945)
• 1903 – Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 1960)
• 1904 – Mississippi Fred McDowell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
• 1905 – Nihal Atsız, Turkish author, poet, and philosopher (d. 1975)
• 1905 – James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist and academic (d. 1997)
• 1905 – Tex Ritter, American actor and singer (d. 1974)
• 1906 – Emmanuel Levinas, Lithuanian-French historian, philosopher, and academic (d. 1995)
• 1907 – Sergei Korolev, Russian colonel and engineer (d. 1966)
• 1908 – Jean Delannoy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1908 – Clement Hurd, American illustrator (d. 1988)
• 1910 – Patsy Kelly, American actress and comedian (d. 1981)
• 1910 – Luise Rainer, German-English actress (d. 2014)
• 1912 – Richard Kuremaa, Estonian footballer (d. 1991)
• 1914 – Mieko Kamiya, Japanese psychiatrist and psychologist (d. 1979)
• 1915 – Paul Jarrico, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
• 1915 – Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, Canadian archbishop and academic (d. 2013)
• 1916 – Ruth R. Benerito, American chemist and inventor (d. 2013)
• 1916 – P. W. Botha, South African politician, 8th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 2006)
• 1916 – Jay McShann, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2006)
• 1917 – Walter Hendl, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2007)
• 1917 – Jimmy Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2007)
• 1918 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian-Dutch guru and educator (d. 2008)
• 1920 – James Farmer, American activist and politician, co-founded Congress of Racial Equality (d. 1999)
• 1920 – Jerzy Zubrzycki, Polish-Australian sociologist and academic (d. 2009)
• 1922 – Tadeusz Żychiewicz, Polish journalist and historian (d. 1994)
• 1923 – Vic Allen, English sociologist, economist, and historian (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Ira Hayes, American marine who raised the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima (d. 1955)
• 1924 – Olivier Gendebien, Belgian race car driver and businessman (d. 1998)
• 1924 – Chris Chase, American model, actress, and journalist (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Bill Burrud, American television host, producer, and actor (d. 1990)
• 1926 – Morton Feldman, American composer and academic (d. 1987)
• 1926 – Andrew Laszlo, Hungarian-American cinematographer (d. 2011)
• 1926 – Ray Price, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Ruth Brown, American R&B singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2006)
• 1928 – Lloyd Ruby, American race car driver (d. 2009)
• 1929 – Alasdair MacIntyre, Scottish-American philosopher and academic
• 1929 – Jaakko Hintikka, Finnish philosopher and logician (d. 2015)
• 1930 – Tim Horton, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman, founded Tim Hortons (d. 1974)
• 1930 – Jennifer Johnston, Irish author and playwright
• 1930 – Glenn Yarbrough, American singer and actor (d. 2016)
• 1932 – Des O'Connor, English comedian, singer, and television host
• 1933 – Pavlos Matesis, Greek author and playwright (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Alan Sharp, Scottish-American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Mick Sullivan, English rugby player and coach (d. 2016)
• 1936 – Jennifer Hilton, Baroness Hilton of Eggardon, English police officer and politician
• 1936 – Raimonds Pauls, Latvian pianist and composer
• 1936 – Brajanath Ratha, Indian poet and activist (d. 2014)
• 1936 – Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (d. 2016)
• 1938 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (d. 2013)
• 1938 – Teresa del Conde, Mexican historian and critic
• 1939 – William Lee Golden, American singer-songwriter and painter
• 1939 – Jim Palosaari, American evangelist (d. 2011)
• 1940 – Bob Hewitt, Australian-South African tennis player
• 1940 – Ronald Shannon Jackson, American drummer and composer (d. 2013)
• 1940 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2007)
• 1941 – Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer-songwriter and voice actor (d. 2005)
• 1941 – Fiona Caldicott, English psychiatrist and psychotherapist
• 1941 – Chet Jastremski, American swimmer and physician (d. 2014)
• 1942 – Bernardine Dohrn, American activist and academic
• 1944 – Hans Henning Atrott, German author and theorist
• 1944 – Joe Frazier, American boxer (d. 2011)
• 1944 – Cynthia Robinson, American R&B trumpet player and singer (d 2015)
• 1945 – Maggie Bell, Scottish singer-songwriter
• 1946 – Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, Scottish lawyer and judge
• 1946 – George Duke, American keyboard player, composer, and educator (d. 2013)
• 1947 – Richard Carwardine, English historian and academic
• 1947 – Tom Dempsey, American football player and educator
• 1947 – Sally Hamwee, Baroness Hamwee, English politician
• 1948 – Kenny Allen, English footballer
• 1948 – Anthony Andrews, English actor and producer
• 1948 – Gordon Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 34th Premier of British Columbia
• 1948 – Brendan Foster, English runner and sportscaster
• 1948 – William Nicholson, English author and screenwriter
• 1949 – Kentarō Haneda, Japanese pianist and composer (d. 2007)
• 1949 – Ottmar Hitzfeld, German footballer and manager
• 1949 – Hamadi Jebali, Tunisian engineer, journalist, and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Tunisia
• 1949 – Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist, short-story writer, and essayist
• 1950 – Sheila Jackson Lee, American lawyer, judge, and politician
• 1950 – Göran Lindblad, Swedish dentist and politician
• 1950 – Bob McEwen, American businessman and politician
• 1950 – Dorrit Moussaieff, Israeli-Icelandic jewelry designer and businesswoman, 5th First Lady of Iceland
• 1951 – Kirstie Alley, American actress and producer
• 1951 – Chris Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1978)
• 1951 – Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author
• 1951 – Drew Pearson, American football player and sportscaster
• 1952 – Phil Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1952 – Ricky Van Shelton, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1952 – John Walker, New Zealand runner and politician
• 1952 – Walter Mosley American novelist
• 1953 – Mary Harron, Canadian director and screenwriter
• 1954 – Howard Stern, American radio host, actor, and author
• 1954 – Martin Kylhammar, Swedish professor of culture and society
• 1956 – Nikolai Noskov, Russian rock singer and singer-songwriter
• 1957 – B. Brian Blair, American wrestler and politician
• 1957 – John Lasseter, American animator, director, and producer
• 1957 – Jeremy Sams, English director, playwright, and composer
• 1958 – Christiane Amanpour, English-born Iranian-American journalist
• 1958 – Curt Fraser, American-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1959 – Blixa Bargeld, German singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1959 – Per Gessle, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1960 – Oliver Platt, Canadian-American actor
• 1960 – Dominique Wilkins, French-American basketball player and manager
• 1961 – Simon Russell Beale, Malaysia-born English actor and historian
• 1962 – Joe Quesada, American author and illustrator
• 1962 – Richie Richardson, Antiguan cricketer
• 1962 – Luna Vachon, American-Canadian wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
• 1963 – François Girard, Canadian director and screenwriter
• 1963 – Nando Reis, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1964 – Laura Arraya, Argentinian-Peruvian tennis player
• 1964 – Jeff Bezos, American computer scientist and businessman, founded Amazon.com
• 1965 – Rob Zombie, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
• 1966 – Olivier Martinez, French actor
• 1966 – Craig Parry, Australian golfer
• 1967 – Vendela Kirsebom, Norwegian-Swedish model and actress
• 1968 – Junichi Masuda, Japanese director, producer, and composer
• 1968 – Mauro Silva, Brazilian footballer
• 1969 – David Mitchell, English novelist
• 1969 – Margaret Nagle, American screenwriter and producer
• 1970 – Zack de la Rocha, American singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Scott Burrell, American basketball player and coach
• 1972 – Priyanka Gandhi, Indian politician
• 1972 – Espen Knutsen, Norwegian ice hockey player and coach
• 1972 – Paul Wilson, Australian cricketer and umpire
• 1973 – Brian Culbertson, American pianist and producer
• 1973 – Hande Yener, Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1974 – Melanie C, English singer-songwriter and actress
• 1974 – Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian skier
• 1975 – Jason Freese, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
• 1975 – Jocelyn Thibault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1977 – Yoandy Garlobo, Cuban baseball player
• 1978 – Luis Ayala, Mexican baseball player
• 1978 – Maurizio Zaffiri, Italian rugby player
• 1979 – Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1979 – Lee Bo-young, South Korean actress and model
• 1979 – Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
• 1979 – David Zabriskie, American cyclist
• 1980 – Bobby Crosby, American baseball player
• 1981 – Amerie, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1981 – João Paulo Daniel, Brazilian footballer
• 1981 – Dan Klecko, American football player
• 1981 – Angus Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
• 1981 – Luis Ernesto Pérez, Mexican footballer
• 1982 – Paul-Henri Mathieu, French tennis player
• 1982 – Chris Ray, American baseball player
• 1982 – Dimitrios Tsiamis, Greek triple jumper
• 1982 – Hans Van Alphen, Belgian decathlete
• 1982 – Dean Whitehead, English footballer
• 1982 – Dontrelle Willis, American baseball player
• 1984 – Daniel Sepulveda, American football player
• 1984 – Jonathan Zydko, French footballer
• 1985 – Artem Milevskiy, Ukrainian footballer
• 1985 – Borja Valero, Spanish footballer
• 1986 – Kehoma Brenner, German rugby player
• 1986 – Miguel Ángel Nieto, Spanish footballer
• 1986 – Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, Argentinian-Italian footballer
• 1987 – Salvatore Sirigu, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Claude Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1989 – Thiemo-Jérôme Kialka, German footballer
• 1991 – Pixie Lott, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
• 1991 – Matt Srama, Australian rugby league player
• 1992 – Ishak Belfodil, Algerian footballer
• 1992 – Samuele Longo, Italian footballer
• 1993 – Zayn Malik, English singer-songwriter
• 1993 – Simone Pecorini, Italian footballer

Deaths[edit]

• 690 – Benedict Biscop, English scholar and saint, founded the Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey (b. 628)
• 1140 – Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia
• 1167 – Aelred of Rievaulx, English monk and saint (b. 1110)
• 1321 – Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (b. 1256)
• 1519 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)
• 1665 – Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (b. 1601)
• 1674 – Giacomo Carissimi, Italian priest and composer (b. 1605)
• 1700 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (b. 1620)
• 1705 – Luca Giordano, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1634)
• 1720 – William Ashhurst, English banker and politician, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1647)
• 1732 – John Horsley, English-Scottish historian and author (b. 1685)
• 1735 – John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)
• 1759 – Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1709)
• 1765 – Johann Melchior Molter, German violinist and composer (b. 1696)
• 1777 – Hugh Mercer, Scottish-American general and physician (b. 1726)
• 1778 – François Bigot, French politician (b. 1703)
• 1781 – Richard Challoner, English bishop (b. 1691)
• 1829 – Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German philosopher, poet, and critic (b. 1772)
• 1833 – Marie-Antoine Carême, French chef (b. 1784)
• 1834 – William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
• 1856 – Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak philologist and politician (b. 1815)
• 1861 – Václav Hanka, Czech philologist and author (b. 1791)
• 1892 – James Caulfeild, 3rd Earl of Charlemont, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (b. 1820)
• 1892 – William Reeves, Irish bishop and historian (b. 1815)
• 1899 – Hiram Walker, American businessman, founded Canadian Club (b. 1816)
• 1909 – Hermann Minkowski, Lithuanian-German mathematician and academic (b. 1864)
• 1911 – Andreas Papagiannakopoulos, Greek journalist, judge, and politician (b. 1845)
• 1916 – Georgios Theotokis, Greek lawyer and politician, 80th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1844)
• 1921 – Gervase Elwes, English tenor and actor (b. 1866)
• 1926 – Austin Chapman, Australian businessman and politician, 4th Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1864)
• 1934 – Paul Kochanski, Polish violinist and composer (b. 1887)
• 1934 – Surya Sen, Bangladeshi educator and activist (b. 1894)
• 1938 – Oscar Florianus Bluemner, German-American painter and illustrator (b. 1867)
• 1940 – Edward Smith, English lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1899)
• 1943 – Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (b. 1902)
• 1944 – Lance C. Wade, American commander and pilot (b. 1915)
• 1957 – Ken Wharton, English race car driver (b. 1916)
• 1958 – Charles Hatfield, American meteorologist (b. 1875)
• 1960 – Nevil Shute, English engineer and author (b. 1899)
• 1962 – Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian journalist and activist (b. 1869)
• 1965 – Lorraine Hansberry, American author, playwright, and director (b. 1936)
• 1967 – Burhan Asaf Belge, Turkish diplomat (b. 1887)
• 1971 – John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, English admiral (b. 1885)
• 1973 – Roy Franklin Nichols, American historian and academic (b. 1896)
• 1974 – Princess Patricia of Connaught (b. 1886)
• 1976 – Agatha Christie, English crime novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1890)
• 1977 – Henri-Georges Clouzot, French director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
• 1983 – Nikolai Podgorny, Ukrainian engineer and politician (b. 1903)
• 1988 – Connie Mulder, South African politician (b. 1925)
• 1988 – Piero Taruffi, Italian race car driver and motorcycle racer (b. 1906)
• 1990 – Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-American author and educator (b. 1919)
• 1991 – Robert Jackson, Australian public servant and diplomat (b. 1911)
• 1991 – Mary Francis Shura, American author (b. 1923)
• 1992 – Kumar Gandharva, a Hindustani classical singer (b. 1924)
• 1994 – Gustav Naan, Estonian physicist and philosopher (b. 1919)
• 1996 – Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
• 1997 – Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (b. 1936)
• 1997 – Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
• 1998 – Roger Clark, English race car driver (b. 1939)
• 1999 – Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1961)
• 2000 – Marc Davis, American animator and screenwriter (b. 1913)
• 2000 – Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
• 2001 – Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
• 2001 – William Redington Hewlett, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (b. 1913)
• 2002 – Cyrus Vance, American lawyer and politician, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1917)
• 2003 – Dean Amadon, American ornithologist and author (b. 1912)
• 2003 – Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
• 2003 – Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentine general and politician, 44th President of Argentina (b. 1926)
• 2003 – Maurice Gibb, Manx-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1949)
• 2003 – Alan Nunn May, English physicist and spy (b. 1911)
• 2004 – Olga Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Randy VanWarmer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1955)
• 2006 – Pablita Velarde, Santa Clara Pueblo (Native American) painter (b. 1918)
• 2007 – Alice Coltrane, American pianist and composer (b. 1937)
• 2007 – James Killen, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1925)
• 2009 – Claude Berri, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
• 2009 – Russ Conway, Canadian-American actor (b. 1913)
• 2010 – Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and author (b. 1946)
• 2010 – Hasib Sabbagh, Palestinian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Consolidated Contractors Company (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Bjørn G. Andersen, Norwegian geologist and academic (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Glenda Dickerson, American director, choreographer, and educator (b. 1945)
• 2012 – Bill Janklow, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1939)
• 2012 – Charles H. Price II, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Jim Stanley, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Precious Bryant, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
• 2013 – Eugene Patterson, American journalist and activist (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Alexandra Bastedo, English actress (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Connie Binsfeld, American educator and politician, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (b. 1924)
• 2014 – George Dement, American soldier, businessman, and politician (b. 1922)
• 2015 – Trevor Colbourn, American historian and academic (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Robert Gover, American journalist and author (b. 1929)
• 2015 – Carl Long, American baseball player (b. 1935)
• 2015 – Elena Obraztsova, Russian soprano and actress (b. 1939)
• 2015 – Inge Vermeulen, Brazilian-Dutch field hockey player (b. 1985)

Στο κεντρικό δελτίο του ΑΝΤ1 

ο Νίκος Χατζηνικολάου

Το νέο αυτοκίνητο του Κριστιάνο Ρονάλντο 

[edit]

• 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople.
• 1435 – Sicut Dudum, forbidding the enslavement of the Guanche natives in Canary Islands by the Spanish, is promulgated by Pope Eugene IV.
• 1547 – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey is sentenced to death.
• 1607 – The Bank of Genoa fails after announcement of national bankruptcy in Spain.
• 1793 – Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville, representative of Revolutionary France, lynched by a mob in Rome
• 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany ends with the French vessel running aground, resulting in over 900 deaths.
• 1815 – War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state.
• 1822 – The design of the Greek flag is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
• 1830 – The Great Fire of New Orleans begins.
• 1833 – United States President Andrew Jackson writes to Vice President Martin Van Buren expressing his opposition to South Carolina's defiance of federal authority in the Nullification Crisis.
• 1840 – The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.
• 1842 – Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 camp followers when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
• 1847 – The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican–American War in California.
• 1849 – Establishment of the Colony of Vancouver Island.
• 1893 – The Independent Labour Party of the United Kingdom holds its first meeting.
• 1893 – U.S. Marines land in Honolulu, Hawaii from the USS Boston to prevent the queen from abrogating the Bayonet Constitution.
• 1895 – First Italo-Ethiopian War: the war's opening battle, the Battle of Coatit, occurs; it is an Italian victory.
• 1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
• 1898 – Émile Zola's J'accuse…! exposes the Dreyfus affair.
• 1908 – The Rhoads Opera House fire in Boyertown, Pennsylvania kills 171 people.
• 1910 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; a live performance of the operas Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci are sent out over the airwaves from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
• 1913 – Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated was founded on the campus of Howard University.
• 1915 – The 6.7 Mw Avezzano earthquake shakes the Province of L'Aquila in Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 29,978–32,610.
• 1935 – A plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wish to join Nazi Germany.
• 1939 – The Black Friday bush fires burn 20,000 square kilometers of land in Australia, claiming the lives of 71 people.
• 1942 – Henry Ford patents a plastic automobile, which is 30% lighter than a regular car.
• 1942 – World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter.
• 1951 – First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins.
• 1953 – An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership.
• 1958 – The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera.
• 1960 – The Gulag system of forced labor camps in the Soviet Union is officially abolished.
• 1963 – Coup d'état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio
• 1964 – Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, resulting in 100 deaths.
• 1966 – Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
• 1968 – Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison
• 1972 – Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
• 1974 – Seraphim is elected Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.
• 1978 – United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled "paid" or "volunteer" donors.
• 1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists.
• 1985 – A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa.
• 1986 – A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties.
• 1988 – Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China.
• 1990 – A seven-day pogrom breaks out against the Armenian civilian population of Baku, Azerbaijan, during which Armenians were beaten, tortured, murdered, and expelled from the city.
• 1990 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office in Richmond, Virginia.
• 1991 – Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1000 others.
• 1993 – Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center.
• 2001 – An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800.
• 2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain's negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths.

Births[edit]

• 5 BC – Emperor Guangwu of Han, ruler of China (d. 57)
• 101 – Lucius Aelius, Roman adopted son of Hadrian (d. 138)
• 1334 – Henry II of Castile (d. 1379)
• 1338 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (d. 1392)
• 1505 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1571)
• 1562 – Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish poet and soldier (d. 1601)
• 1596 – Jan van Goyen, Dutch painter and illustrator (d. 1656)
• 1610 – Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (d. 1665)
• 1616 – Antoinette Bourignon, French-Flemish mystic and author (d. 1680)
• 1651 – Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington, English soldier and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1694)
• 1683 – Christoph Graupner, German harpsichord player and composer (d. 1760)
• 1720 – Richard Hurd, English bishop (d. 1808)
• 1749 – Maler Müller, German poet, painter, and playwright (d. 1825)
• 1787 – John Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1854)
• 1804 – Paul Gavarni, French illustrator (d. 1866)
• 1805 – Thomas Dyer, American lawyer and politician, 18th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1862)
• 1808 – Salmon P. Chase, American jurist and politician, 6th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1873)
• 1812 – Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (d. 1883)
• 1832 – Horatio Alger, Jr., American journalist and author (d. 1899)
• 1845 – Félix Tisserand, French astronomer and academic (d. 1896)
• 1858 – Oskar Minkowski, Lithuanian-German biologist and academic (d. 1931)
• 1859 – Kostis Palamas, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1943)
• 1861 – Max Nonne, German neurologist and academic (d. 1959)
• 1864 – Wilhelm Wien, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
• 1865 – Princess Marie of Orléans (d. 1908)
• 1866 – Vasily Kalinnikov, Russian bassoon player and composer (d. 1901)
• 1869 – Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta (d. 1931)
• 1870 – Ross Granville Harrison, American biologist and anatomist (d. 1959)
• 1878 – Lionel Groulx, Canadian priest and historian (d. 1967)
• 1881 – Essington Lewis, Australian engineer and businessman (d. 1961)
• 1883 – Nathaniel Cartmell, American runner and coach (d. 1967)
• 1885 – Alfred Fuller, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Fuller Brush Company (d. 1973)
• 1886 – Art Ross, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1964)
• 1887 – George Gurdjieff, Russian-French mystic and philosopher (d. 1949)
• 1887 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer and actress (d. 1966)
• 1890 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1945)
• 1892 – Ermanno Aebi, Italian-Swiss footballer (d. 1976)
• 1893 – Charles Arnison, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 1974)
• 1893 – Roy Cazaly, Australian footballer and coach (d. 1963)
• 1893 – Clark Ashton Smith, American poet, sculptor, painter, and author (d. 1961)
• 1893 – Chaim Soutine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1943)
• 1901 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American historian and author (d. 1991)
• 1901 – Mieczysław Żywczyński, Polish priest and historian (d. 1978)
• 1902 – Karl Menger, Austrian-American mathematician from the Vienna Circle (d. 1985)
• 1904 – Richard Addinsell, English composer (d. 1977)
• 1904 – Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian-American violinist and composer (d. 1992)
• 1905 – Kay Francis, American actress (d. 1968)
• 1905 – Jack London, English sprinter and pianist (d. 1966)
• 1906 – Zhou Youguang, Chinese linguist, sinologist, and academic
• 1909 – Helm Glöckler, German race car driver (d. 1993)
• 1910 – Yannis Tsarouchis, Greek painter and illustrator (d. 1989)
• 1911 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (d. 2005)
• 1914 – Osa Massen, Danish-American actress (d. 2006)
• 1914 – Ted Willis, Baron Willis, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
• 1919 – Robert Stack, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1921 – Necati Cumalı, Greek-Turkish author and poet (d. 2001)
• 1921 – Dachine Rainer, American-English author and poet (d. 2000)
• 1922 – Albert Lamorisse, French director and producer (d. 1970)
• 1923 – Daniil Shafran, Russian cellist (d. 1997)
• 1923 – Willem Slijkhuis, Dutch runner (d. 2003)
• 1924 – Paul Feyerabend, Austrian-Swiss philosopher and academic (d. 1994)
• 1924 – Roland Petit, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2011)
• 1925 – Rosemary Murphy, American actress (d. 2014)
• 1925 – Vanita Smythe, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
• 1925 – Ron Tauranac, Australian engineer and businessman
• 1925 – Gwen Verdon, American actress and dancer (d. 2000)
• 1926 – Michael Bond, English soldier and author, created Paddington Bear
• 1926 – Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, American author and academic (d. 2003)
• 1926 – Melba Liston, American trombonist and composer (d. 1999)
• 1927 – Brock Adams, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Transportation (d. 2004)
• 1927 – Liz Anderson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Sydney Brenner, South African biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1929 – Joe Pass, American guitarist and composer (d. 1994)
• 1930 – Frances Sternhagen, American actress
• 1931 – Ian Hendry, English actor (d. 1984)
• 1931 – Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian, director, game show panelist, and television personality (d. 2007)
• 1932 – Barry Bishop, American mountaineer, photographer, and scholar (d. 1994)
• 1932 – Bearcat Wright, American wrestler (d. 1982)
• 1933 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (d. 2014)
• 1936 – Renato Bruson, Italian opera singer
• 1937 – Guy Dodson, New Zealand-English biochemist and academic (d. 2012)
• 1938 – Cabu, French cartoonist (d. 2015)
• 1938 – Daevid Allen, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
• 1938 – Richard Anthony, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
• 1938 – Dave Edwards, American captain and politician (d. 2013)
• 1938 – Tord Grip, Swedish footballer and manager
• 1938 – Anna Home, English screenwriter and producer
• 1938 – Shivkumar Sharma, Indian santoor player and composer
• 1939 – Edgardo Cozarinsky, Argentinian author, screenwriter, and director
• 1939 – Jacek Gmoch, Polish footballer and coach
• 1939 – Cesare Maniago, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1940 – Edmund White, American author and playwright
• 1941 – Pasqual Maragall, Catalan academic and politician, 127th President of the Generalitat de Catalunya
• 1941 – Meinhard Nehmer, German bobsledder
• 1943 – William Duckworth, American composer and author (d. 2012)
• 1943 – Richard Moll, American actor
• 1945 – Gordon McVie, English oncologist and author
• 1945 – Peter Simpson, English footballer
• 1946 – Ordal Demokan, Turkish physicist and academic (d. 2004)
• 1946 – Eero Koivistoinen, Finnish saxophonist, composer, and conductor
• 1947 – John Lees, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1947 – Jacek Majchrowski, Polish historian, lawyer, and politician
• 1947 – Carles Rexach, Spanish-Catalan footballer and coach
• 1948 – Gaj Singh, Indian lawyer and politician
• 1949 – Rakesh Sharma, Indian commander, pilot, and astronaut
• 1949 – Brandon Tartikoff, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
• 1950 – Clive Betts, English economist and politician
• 1950 – Bob Forsch, American baseball player (d. 2011)
• 1950 – Gholam Hossein Mazloumi, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
• 1952 – Stephen Glover, English journalist, co-founded The Independent
• 1953 – Silvana Gallardo, American actress and producer (d. 2012)
• 1954 – Richard Blackford, English composer
• 1954 – Trevor Rabin, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1955 – Paul Kelly, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1955 – Jay McInerney, American author, critic, and socialite
• 1955 – Anne Pringle, English diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
• 1957 – Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
• 1957 – Mary Glindon, English lawyer and politician
• 1957 – Mark O'Meara, American golfer
• 1958 – Francisco Buyo, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1958 – Ton du Chatinier, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1959 – Winnie Byanyima, Ugandan engineer, politician, and diplomat
• 1960 – Eric Betzig, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1960 – Matthew Bourne, English choreographer and director
• 1961 – Wayne Coyne, American singer-songwriter and musician
• 1961 – Kelly Hrudey, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1961 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress, comedian, and producer
• 1961 – Suggs, English singer-songwriter, musician, radio personality, and actor
• 1962 – Trace Adkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1962 – Paul Higgins, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1964 – Penelope Ann Miller, American actress
• 1966 – Patrick Dempsey, American actor
• 1966 – Leo Visser, Dutch speed skater and pilot
• 1968 – Mike Whitlow, English footballer and coach
• 1969 – Stefania Belmondo, Italian skier
• 1969 – Stephen Hendry, Scottish snooker player and journalist
• 1970 – Frank Kooiman, Dutch footballer
• 1970 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (d. 2004)
• 1970 – Shonda Rhimes, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1972 – Mark Bosnich, Australian footballer and sportscaster
• 1972 – Nicole Eggert, American actress
• 1972 – Park Jin-young, South Korean singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1972 – Vitaly Scherbo, Belarusian gymnast
• 1973 – Nikolai Khabibulin, Russian ice hockey player
• 1974 – Sergei Brylin, Russian ice hockey player and coach
• 1975 – Rune Eriksen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
• 1975 – Mailis Reps, Estonian academic and politician, 31st Estonian Minister of Education and Research
• 1976 – Mario Yepes, Colombian footballer
• 1977 – Orlando Bloom, English actor and producer
• 1977 – Mi-Hyun Kim, South Korean golfer
• 1977 – Elliot Mason, English trombonist and keyboard player
• 1977 – James Posey, American basketball player and coach
• 1978 – Nate Silver, American journalist and statistician, developed PECOTA
• 1979 – Katy Brand, English actress and screenwriter
• 1980 – Krzysztof Czerwiński, Polish organist and conductor
• 1980 – Nils-Eric Johansson, Swedish footballer
• 1980 – Akira Kaji, Japanese footballer
• 1980 – Mirko Soltau, German footballer
• 1981 – Reggie Brown, American football player
• 1981 – Darrell Rasner, American baseball player
• 1981 – Yujiro Takahashi, Japanese wrestler
• 1982 – Kamran Akmal, Pakistan cricketer
• 1982 – Guillermo Coria, Argentinian tennis player
• 1982 – Constantinos Makrides, Cypriot footballer
• 1982 – Ruth Wilson, English actress
• 1983 – Ender Arslan, Turkish basketball player
• 1983 – Sebastian Kneißl, German footballer
• 1983 – Mauricio Martín Romero, Argentinian footballer
• 1984 – Matteo Cavagna, Italian footballer
• 1984 – Kamghe Gaba, German sprinter
• 1984 – Nick Mangold, American football player
• 1985 – Luke Robinson, American wrestler
• 1986 – Joannie Rochette, Canadian figure skater
• 1987 – Stefano Del Sante, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Florica Leonida, Romanian gymnast
• 1987 – Daniel Oss, Italian cyclist
• 1987 – Marc Staal, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1987 – Sven Wetzel, German rugby player
• 1988 – Josh Freeman, American football player
• 1988 – Daniel Scheinig, German footballer
• 1989 – Bryan Arguez, American footballer
• 1989 – Tim Matavž, Slovenian footballer
• 1989 – Axel Witsel, Belgian footballer
• 1990 – Vincenzo Fiorillo, Italian footballer
• 1990 – Liam Hemsworth, Australian actor
• 1991 – Rob Kiernan, English-Irish footballer
• 1992 – Adam Matthews, Welsh footballer
• 1992 – Dinah Pfizenmaier, German tennis player
• 1997 – Connor McDavid, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1997 – Ivan Provorov, Russian ice hockey player

Deaths[edit]

• 86 BC – Gaius Marius, Roman general and politician (b. 157 BC)
• 533 – Saint Remigius, French bishop and saint (b. 437)
• 614 – Saint Mungo, English-Scottish bishop and saint
• 703 – Empress Jitō of Japan (b. 645)
• 858 – Æthelwulf of Wessex (b. 795)
• 888 – Charles the Fat, Carolingian emperor (b. 839)
• 1147 – Robert de Craon, second Grand Master of the Knights Templar
• 1151 – Suger, French historian and politician (b. 1081)
• 1177 – Henry II, Duke of Austria (b. 1107)
• 1599 – Edmund Spenser, English poet and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1552)
• 1625 – Jan Brueghel the Elder, Flemish painter (b. 1568)
• 1684 – Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk (b. 1628)
• 1691 – George Fox, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (b. 1624)
• 1717 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German entomologist and illustrator (b. 1647)
• 1775 – Johann Georg Walch, German theologian and author (b. 1693)
• 1790 – Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen, French admiral (b. 1712)
• 1796 – John Anderson, Scottish philosopher and educator (b. 1726)
• 1832 – Thomas Lord, English cricketer, founded Lord's Cricket Ground (b. 1755)
• 1838 – Ferdinand Ries, German pianist and composer (b. 1784)
• 1860 – William Mason, American surgeon and politician (b. 1786)
• 1864 – Stephen Foster, American composer and songwriter (b. 1826)
• 1882 – Wilhelm Mauser, German engineer and businessman, co-founded the The Mauser Company (b. 1834)
• 1885 – Schuyler Colfax, American journalist and politician, 17th Vice President of the United States (b. 1823)
• 1889 – Solomon Bundy, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
• 1905 – George Thorn, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Premier of Queensland (b. 1838)
• 1906 – Alexander Stepanovich Popov, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1859)
• 1907 – Jakob Hurt, Estonian theologist and linguist (b. 1839)
• 1915 – Mary Slessor, Scottish-Nigerian missionary (b. 1848)
• 1923 – Alexandre Ribot, French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1842)
• 1924 – Georg Hermann Quincke, German physicist and academic (b. 1834)
• 1929 – Wyatt Earp, American police officer (b. 1848)
• 1929 – H. B. Higgins, Irish-Australian judge and politician, 3rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1851)
• 1934 – Paul Ulrich Villard, French physicist and chemist (b. 1860)
• 1941 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1882)
• 1943 – Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Swiss painter and sculptor (b. 1889)
• 1950 – Dimitrios Semsis, Greek violinist (b. 1883)
• 1956 – Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (b. 1871)
• 1957 – A. E. Coppard English poet and short story writer (b. 1878)
• 1958 – Jesse L. Lasky, American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (b. 1880)
• 1962 – Ernie Kovacs, American actor and game show host (b. 1919)
• 1963 – Sylvanus Olympio, Togolese businessman and politician, President of Togo (b. 1902)
• 1967 – Anatole de Grunwald, Russian-English screenwriter and producer (b. 1910)
• 1971 – Robert Still, English composer and educator (b. 1910)
• 1973 – Sabahattin Eyüboğlu, Turkish screenwriter and producer (b. 1908)
• 1974 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (b. 1906)
• 1974 – Salvador Novo, Mexican playwright and poet (b. 1904)
• 1976 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (b. 1922)
• 1977 – Henri Langlois, Turkish-French historian, co-founded the Cinémathèque Française (b. 1914)
• 1978 – Hubert Humphrey, American pharmacist, academic, and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (b. 1911)
• 1978 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1887)
• 1979 – Donny Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1945)
• 1979 – Marjorie Lawrence, Australian-American soprano (b. 1907)
• 1980 – Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor (b. 1901)
• 1982 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (b. 1912)
• 1983 – René Bonnet, French race car driver and engineer (b. 1904)
• 1986 – Abdul Fattah Ismail, Yemeni educator and politician, 4th President of South Yemen (b. 1939)
• 1988 – Chiang Ching-kuo, Chinese politician, President of the Republic of China (b. 1910)
• 1993 – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian composer and conductor (b. 1907)
• 1995 – Max Harris, Australian journalist, poet, and author (b. 1921)
• 2002 – Frank Shuster, Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1916)
• 2003 – Norman Panama, American director and screenwriter (b. 1914)
• 2004 – Arne Næss, Jr., Norwegian businessman and mountaineer (b. 1937)
• 2005 – Earl Cameron, Canadian journalist (b. 1915)
• 2005 – Nell Rankin, American soprano and actress (b. 1924)
• 2006 – Frank Fixaris, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1934)
• 2006 – Marc Potvin, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1967)
• 2007 – Michael Brecker, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1949)
• 2007 – Danny Oakes, American race car driver (b. 1911)
• 2008 – Johnny Podres, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
• 2009 – Dai Llewellyn Welsh humanitarian activist and politician (b. 1946)
• 2009 – Patrick McGoohan, Irish-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1928)
• 2009 – Mansour Rahbani, Lebanese poet, composer, and producer (b. 1925)
• 2009 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (b. 1926)
• 2009 – Nancy Bird Walton, Australian pilot (b. 1915)
• 2010 – Teddy Pendergrass, American singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
• 2011 – Albert Heijn, Dutch businessman (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Rauf Denktaş, Turkish-Cypriot lawyer and politician, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Guido Dessauer, German physicist and engineer (b. 1915)
• 2012 – Miljan Miljanić, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Richard Threlkeld, American journalist and author (b. 1937)
• 2013 – Diogenes Allen, American philosopher and theologian (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Rodney Mims Cook, Sr., American lieutenant and politician (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Chia-Chiao Lin, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (b. 1916)
• 2014 – Bobby Collins, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Ronny Jordan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
• 2014 – Randal Tye Thomas, American journalist and politician (b. 1978)
• 2014 – Waldemar von Gazen, German general and lawyer (b. 1917)
• 2015 – Mark Juddery, Australian journalist and author (b. 1971)
• 2015 – Robert White, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Paraguay (b. 1926)
• 2016 – Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (b. 1935)
• 2016 – Giorgio Gomelsky, Georgian-American director, producer, songwriter, and manager (b. 1934)
• 2016 – Lawrence Phillips, American football player (b. 1975)

Stevie Wonder serenades Michelle Obama on TV

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Stevie Wonder has sung to US First Lady Michelle Obama, changing the words to two of his songs in tribute to her as she prepares to leave the White House.

Mrs Obama made her last late-night TV appearance as first lady on Jimmy Fallon's NBC show on Wednesday.

She has said Wonder is her favourite singer, and he was brought on to serenade her on Fallon's Tonight Show.

He sang Isn't She Lovely and My Cherie Amour, changing the words to "My Michelle Amour".

Image copyrightAP

He also changed other lyrics in the song, with "How I wish that you were mine" becoming "You'll always be first lady in our life".

Image copyrightAP

Mrs Obama has been in the White House with her husband Barack for eight years. Incoming President Donald Trump will be inaugurated on 20 January.

Wonder began his appearance on The Tonight Show by saying: "I love you, Michelle," before launching into Isn't She Lovely, during which he changed the chorus at one point to: "Michelle is lovely."

During the programme, Mrs Obama also played Catchphrase with comedians Dave Chapelle and Jerry Seinfeld, and surprised members of the public who were recording farewell messages to her.

Mrs Obama has been a regular visitor to The Tonight Show and the host's previous programme Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Παρασκευή και 13

Η Μαρία Χούκλη έφυγε πικραμένη από τον ΑΝΤ1

[edit]

• 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary.
• 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last bishop of Prague and, subsequently, the first Archbishop of Prague.
• 1539 – Spain annexes Cuba.
• 1639 – The "Fundamental Orders", the first written constitution that created a government, is adopted in Connecticut.
• 1761 – The Third Battle of Panipat is fought in India between the Afghans under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Marathas.
• 1784 – American Revolutionary War: Ratification Day, United States - Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain.
• 1814 – Treaty of Kiel: Frederick VI of Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden in return for Pomerania.
• 1822 – Greek War of Independence: Acrocorinth is captured by Theodoros Kolokotronis and Demetrios Ypsilantis.
• 1858 – Napoleon III of France escapes an assassination attempt.
• 1907 – An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than 1,000 people.
• 1911 – Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition makes landfall on the eastern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf.
• 1938 – Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.
• 1943 – World War II: Japan begins Operation Ke, the successful operation to evacuate its forces from Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal Campaign.
• 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill begin the Casablanca Conference to discuss strategy and study the next phase of the war.
• 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to travel by airplane while in office when he travels from Miami to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill.
• 1950 – The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight.
• 1952 – NBC's long-running morning news program Today debuts, with host Dave Garroway.
• 1953 – Josip Broz Tito is inaugurated as the first President of Yugoslavia.
• 1954 – The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation forming the American Motors Corporation.
• 1957 – Kripalu Maharaj was named fifth Jagadguru (world teacher) after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars.
• 1960 – The Reserve Bank of Australia, the country's central bank and banknote issuing authority, is established.
• 1967 – Counterculture of the 1960s: The Human Be-In, takes place in San Francisco, California's Golden Gate Park, launching the Summer of Love.
• 1969 – An accidental explosion aboard the USS Enterprise near Hawaii kills 27 people.
• 1972 – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascends the throne, the first Queen of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513.
• 1973 – Elvis Presley's concert Aloha from Hawaii is broadcast live via satellite, and sets the record as the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history.
• 1993 – In Poland's worst peacetime maritime disaster, ferry MS Jan Heweliusz sinks off the coast of Rügen, drowning 55 passengers and crew; nine crew-members are saved.
• 2000 – A United Nations tribunal sentences five Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years in prison for the 1993 killing of more than 100 Bosnian Muslims.
• 2004 – The national flag of the Republic of Georgia, the so-called "five cross flag", is restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years.
• 2010 – Yemen declares an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
• 2011 – Former president of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees his country to Saudi Arabia after a series of street demonstrations against his regime and corrupt policies, asking for freedom, rights and democracy, considered as the anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution and the birth of the Arab Spring.
• 2013 – Hockey India League, a professional field hockey league in India launched.
• 2015 – Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson completed the first-ever free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
• 2016 – Jakarta Attacks: Bomb explodes in Jalan MH Thamrin across Sarinah building in Jakarta, Indonesia, followed by a gun battle between suspected terrorist and local police. Two victims and five perpetrators were killed.

Births[edit]

• 83 BC– Mark Antony, Roman general and politician (d. 30 BCE)
• 1131 – Valdemar I of Denmark (d. 1182)
• 1273 – Joan I of Navarre, queen regnant of Navarre, queen consort of France (d. 1305)
• 1451 – Franchinus Gaffurius, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1522)
• 1477 – Hermann of Wied, German archbishop (d. 1552)
• 1507 – Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal (d. 1578)
• 1507 – Luca Longhi, Italian painter (d. 1580)
• 1552 – Alberico Gentili, Italian-English academic and jurist (d. 1608)
• 1615 – John Biddle, English minister and theologian (d. 1662)
• 1683 – Gottfried Silbermann, German instrument maker (d. 1753)
• 1684 – Johann Matthias Hase, German mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer (d. 1742)
• 1684 – Jean-Baptiste van Loo, French painter (d. 1745)
• 1699 – Jakob Adlung, German organist, historian, and theorist (d. 1762)
• 1700 – Picander, German poet and playwright (d. 1764)
• 1702 – Emperor Nakamikado of Japan (d. 1737)
• 1705 – Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, French sailor, explorer, and politician (d. 1786)
• 1741 – Benedict Arnold, American-British general (d. 1801)
• 1767 – Maria Theresa of Austria (d. 1827)
• 1780 – Henry Baldwin, American judge and politician (d. 1844)
• 1792 – Christian de Meza, Danish general (d. 1865)
• 1793 – John C. Clark, American lawyer and politician (d. 1852)
• 1798 – Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1872)
• 1800 – Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian composer, botanist, and publisher (d. 1877)
• 1806 – Charles Hotham, English-Australian soldier and politician, 1st Governor of Victoria (d. 1855)
• 1806 – Matthew Fontaine Maury American astronomer, oceanographer, and historian (d. 1873)
• 1818 – Zachris Topelius, Finnish author and journalist (d. 1898)
• 1819 – Dimitrie Bolintineanu, Romanian poet and politician (d. 1872)
• 1824 – Vladimir Stasov, Russian critic (d. 1906)
• 1836 – Henri Fantin-Latour, French painter and lithographer (d. 1904)
• 1841 – Berthe Morisot, French painter (d. 1895)
• 1845 – Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, English politician, 34th Governor-General of India (d. 1927)
• 1850 – Pierre Loti, French captain and author (d. 1923)
• 1856 – J. F. Archibald, Australian journalist and publisher, co-founded The Bulletin (d. 1919)
• 1861 – Mehmed VI, Ottoman sultan (d. 1926)
• 1863 – Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa, Portuguese general and politician, 10th President of Portugal (d. 1929)
• 1863 – Richard F. Outcault, American author and illustrator (d. 1928)
• 1869 – Robert Fournier-Sarlovèze, French polo player and politician (d. 1937)
• 1870 – George Pearce, Australian carpenter and politician (d. 1952)
• 1875 – Albert Schweitzer, French-Gabonese physician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
• 1882 – Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-American historian and journalist (d. 1944)
• 1883 – Nina Ricci, Italian-French fashion designer (d. 1970)
• 1886 – Hugh Lofting, English author and poet, created Doctor Dolittle (d. 1947)
• 1887 – Hugo Steinhaus, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1972)
• 1892 – Martin Niemöller, German pastor and theologian (d. 1984)
• 1892 – Hal Roach, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1992)
• 1892 – George Wilson, English footballer (d. 1961)
• 1896 – John Dos Passos, American novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1970)
• 1897 – Hasso von Manteuffel, German general and politician (d. 1978)
• 1899 – Carlos P. Romulo, Filipino soldier and politician, President of the United Nations General Assembly (d. 1985)
• 1901 – Bebe Daniels, American actress (d. 1971)
• 1901 – Alfred Tarski, Polish-American mathematician and philosopher (d. 1983)
• 1904 – Cecil Beaton, English photographer, painter, and costume designer (d. 1980)
• 1904 – Emily Hahn, American journalist and author (d. 1997)
• 1904 – Babe Siebert, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1939)
• 1905 – Takeo Fukuda, Japanese politician, 67th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1995)
• 1906 – William Bendix, American actor (d. 1964)
• 1907 – Georges-Émile Lapalme, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1985)
• 1908 – Russ Columbo, American singer, violinist, and actor (d. 1934)
• 1909 – Brenda Forbes, English-American actress (d. 1996)
• 1909 – Joseph Losey, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
• 1911 – Anatoly Rybakov, Russian-American author (d. 1998)
• 1912 – Tillie Olsen, American short story writer (d. 2007)
• 1914 – Harold Russell, Canadian-American soldier and actor (d. 2002)
• 1914 – Selahattin Ülkümen, Turkish diplomat (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Mark Goodson, American game show producer, created Family Feud and The Price Is Right (d. 1992)
• 1919 – Giulio Andreotti, Italian journalist and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2013)
• 1919 – Andy Rooney, American soldier, journalist, critic, and television personality (d. 2011)
• 1920 – Bertus de Harder, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 1982)
• 1921 – Murray Bookchin, American author and philosopher (d. 2006)
• 1921 – Kenneth Bulmer, American author (d. 2005)
• 1922 – Diana Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (d. 2010)
• 1923 – Fred Beckey, American mountaineer and author
• 1924 – Carole Cook, American actress and singer
• 1925 – Jean-Claude Beton, Algerian-French engineer and businessman, founded Orangina (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Moscelyne Larkin, American ballerina (d. 2012)
• 1925 – Yukio Mishima, Japanese author, poet, and playwright (d. 1970)
• 1926 – Frank Aletter, American actor (d. 2009)
• 1926 – Warren Mitchell, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
• 1926 – Tom Tryon, American actor and author (d. 1991)
• 1927 – Zuzana Růžičková, Czech harpsichord player
• 1928 – Gerald Arpino, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2008)
• 1928 – Lars Forssell, Swedish author, poet, and songwriter (d. 2007)
• 1928 – Hans Kornberg, German-English biologist and academic
• 1928 – Garry Winogrand, American photographer and author (d. 1984)
• 1930 – Kenny Wheeler, Canadian-English trumpet player and composer (d. 2014)
• 1931 – Frank Costigan, Australian lawyer and politician (d. 2009)
• 1931 – Martin Holdgate, English biologist and academic
• 1932 – Don Garlits, American race car driver and engineer
• 1933 – Stan Brakhage, American director and producer (d. 2003)
• 1934 – Richard Briers, English actor (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Alberto Rodriguez Larreta, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1977)
• 1936 – Clarence Carter, American blues and soul singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer
• 1937 – J. Bernlef, Dutch author and poet (d. 2012)
• 1937 – Ken Higgs, English cricketer and coach (d. 2016)
• 1937 – Leo Kadanoff, American physicist and academic (d. 2015)
• 1937 – Rao Gopal Rao, Indian actor, producer, and politician (d. 1994)
• 1937 – Sonny Siebert, American baseball player
• 1938 – Morihiro Hosokawa, Japanese journalist and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1938 – Jack Jones, American singer and actor
• 1938 – Billie Jo Spears, American country singer (d. 2011)
• 1938 – Allen Toussaint, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2015)
• 1939 – Kurt Moylan, Guamanian businessman and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Guam
• 1940 – Julian Bond, American academic and politician (d. 2015)
• 1940 – Ron Kostelnik, American football player (d. 1993)
• 1940 – Siegmund Nimsgern, German opera singer
• 1940 – Trevor Nunn, English director and composer
• 1940 – Vasilka Stoeva, Bulgarian discus thrower
• 1941 – Nicholas Brooks, English historian (d. 2014)
• 1941 – Faye Dunaway, American actress and producer
• 1941 – Gibby Gilbert, American golfer
• 1941 – Milan Kučan, Slovenian politician, 1st President of Slovenia
• 1942 – Ian Brayshaw, Australian cricketer and footballer
• 1942 – Dave Campbell, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1942 – Gerben Karstens, Dutch cyclist
• 1943 – Angelo Bagnasco, Italian cardinal
• 1943 – Mariss Jansons, Latvian conductor
• 1943 – Shannon Lucid, American biochemist and astronaut
• 1943 – Holland Taylor, American actress and playwright
• 1944 – Graham Marsh, Australian golfer and architect
• 1944 – Nina Totenberg, American journalist
• 1945 – Kathleen Chalfant, American actress
• 1945 – Maina Gielgud, English ballerina and director
• 1947 – Taylor Branch, American historian and author
• 1947 – Bev Perdue, American educator and politician, 73rd Governor of North Carolina
• 1947 – Bill Werbeniuk, Canadian snooker player (d. 2003)
• 1948 – T Bone Burnett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1948 – Valeri Kharlamov, Russian ice hockey player (d. 1981)
• 1948 – John Lescroart, American author and screenwriter
• 1948 – Carl Weathers, American football player and actor
• 1949 – Lawrence Kasdan, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1949 – Mary Robison, American short story writer and novelist
• 1949 – İlyas Salman, Turkish actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1949 – Lamar Williams, American bass player (d. 1983)
• 1950 – Rambhadracharya, Indian religious leader, scholar, and author
• 1950 – Arthur Byron Cover, American author and screenwriter
• 1952 – Sydney Biddle Barrows, American businesswoman and author
• 1952 – Maureen Dowd, American journalist and author
• 1952 – Konstantinos Iosifidis, Greek footballer and manager
• 1952 – Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, Romanian engineer and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Romania
• 1953 – David Clary, English chemist and academic
• 1953 – Denzil Douglas, Caribbean educator and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis
• 1953 – Hans Westerhoff, Dutch biologist and academic
• 1956 – Étienne Daho, Algerian-French singer-songwriter and producer
• 1957 – Anchee Min, Chinese-American painter, photographer, and author
• 1959 – Geoff Tate, German-American singer-songwriter and musician
• 1961 – Rob Hall, New Zealand mountaineer (d. 1996)
• 1961 – Mike Tramp, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1962 – Michael McCaul, American lawyer and politician
• 1962 – Patricia Morrison, American singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1963 – Steven Soderbergh, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Beverly Kinch, English long jumper and sprinter
• 1964 – Shepard Smith, American television journalist
• 1965 – Marc Delissen, Dutch field hockey player, coach, and lawyer
• 1965 – Bob Essensa, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1965 – Slick Rick, English-American rapper and producer
• 1966 – Robert Flello, English lawyer and politician
• 1966 – Marco Hietala, Finnish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
• 1966 – Rene Simpson, Canadian-American tennis player (d. 2013)
• 1967 – Leonardo Ortolani, Italian author and illustrator, created Rat-Man
• 1967 – Emily Watson, English actress
• 1968 – LL Cool J, American rapper and actor
• 1969 – Jason Bateman, American actor, director, and producer
• 1969 – Martin Bicknell, English cricketer
• 1969 – Dave Grohl, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer
• 1971 – Lasse Kjus, Norwegian skier
• 1971 – Bert Konterman, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1971 – Antonios Nikopolidis, Greek footballer and manager
• 1972 – Kyle Brady, American football player and sportscaster
• 1972 – Dion Forster, South African minister, theologian, and author
• 1972 – James Key, English engineer
• 1973 – Giancarlo Fisichella, Italian race car driver
• 1973 – Katie Griffin, Canadian actress and voice actress
• 1973 – Paul Tisdale, English footballer and manager
• 1974 – David Flitcroft, English footballer and manager
• 1975 – Georgina Cates, English actress
• 1976 – Vincenzo Chianese, Italian footballer
• 1977 – Narain Karthikeyan, Indian race car driver
• 1977 – Terry Ryan, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Karen Elson, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and model
• 1979 – Evans Soligo, Italian footballer
• 1980 – Clive Clarke, Irish footballer
• 1980 – Cory Gibbs, American soccer player
• 1980 – Ossama Haidar, Lebanese footballer
• 1980 – Byron Leftwich, American football player
• 1980 – Hiroshi Tamaki, Japanese actor
• 1981 – Abdelmalek Cherrad, Algerian footballer
• 1981 – Hyleas Fountain, American heptathlete
• 1981 – Concepción Montaner, Spanish long jumper
• 1981 – Chiharu Niiyama, Japanese actress and model
• 1982 – Braith Anasta, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
• 1982 – Marc Broussard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1982 – Chris Heighington, Australian-English rugby league player
• 1982 – Léo Lima, Brazilian footballer
• 1982 – Thomas Longosiwa, Kenyan runner
• 1982 – Víctor Valdés, Spanish footballer
• 1983 – Cesare Bovo, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Jason Krejza, Australian cricketer
• 1984 – Erick Aybar, American baseball player
• 1984 – Erika Matsuo, Japanese violinist
• 1984 – Mike Pelfrey, American baseball player
• 1985 – Joel Rosario, Dominican-American jockey
• 1985 – Shawn Sawyer, Canadian figure skater
• 1986 – Yohan Cabaye, French footballer
• 1986 – Alessio Cossu, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Atsushi Hashimoto, Japanese actor
• 1989 – Frankie Bridge, English singer-songwriter and dancer
• 1989 – Adam Clayton, English footballer
• 1989 – Mattia Marchi, Italian footballer
• 1989 – Liu Xiaodong, Chinese footballer
• 1990 – Lelisa Desisa, Ethiopian runner
• 1990 – Áron Szilágyi, Hungarian fencer
• 1992 – Robbie Brady, Irish footballer
• 1992 – Chieh-Yu Hsu, American tennis player
• 1993 – Daniel Bessa, Brazilian footballer
• 1994 – Kane Elgey, Australian rugby league player
• 1994 – Abi Phillips, English singer-songwriter and actress
• 1995 – Georgios Diamantakos, Greek basketball player
• 1995 – Alex Johnston, Australian rugby league player

Deaths[edit]

• 769 – Cui Huan, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
• 1092 – Vratislaus II of Bohemia
• 1163 – Ladislaus II of Hungary (b. 1131)
• 1236 – Saint Sava, Serbian archbishop and saint (b. 1175)
• 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary (b. 1265)
• 1331 – Odoric of Pordenone, Italian priest and explorer (b. 1286)
• 1640 – Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1578)
• 1648 – Caspar Barlaeus, Dutch historian, poet, and theologian (b. 1584)
• 1676 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian organist and composer (b. 1602)
• 1679 – Jacques de Billy, French mathematician and academic (b. 1602)
• 1701 – Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Japanese daimyo (b. 1628)
• 1742 – Edmond Halley, English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist (b. 1656)
• 1753 – George Berkeley, Anglo-Irish philosopher and author (b. 1685)
• 1766 – Frederick V of Denmark (b. 1723)
• 1776 – Edward Cornwallis, English general and politician, Governor of Gibraltar (b. 1713)
• 1786 – Michael Arne, English organist and composer (b. 1741)
• 1786 – Meshech Weare, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1713)
• 1823 – Athanasios Kanakaris, Greek politician (b. 1760)
• 1825 – George Dance the Younger, English architect and surveyor (b. 1741)
• 1833 – Seraphim of Sarov, Russian monk and saint (b. 1759)
• 1867 – Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, French painter and illustrator (b. 1780)
• 1883 – Napoléon Coste, French guitarist and composer (b. 1806)
• 1888 – Stephen Heller, Hungarian pianist and composer (b. 1813)
• 1889 – Ema Pukšec, Croatian soprano (b. 1834)
• 1892 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (b. 1864)
• 1898 – Lewis Carroll, English novelist, poet, and mathematician (b. 1832)
• 1901 – Mandell Creighton, English bishop and historian (b. 1843)
• 1901 – Charles Hermite, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1822)
• 1905 – Ernst Abbe, German physicist and engineer (b. 1840)
• 1907 – Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, Scottish soldier and politician, 6th Governor of New Zealand (b. 1832)
• 1908 – Holger Drachmann, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1846)
• 1915 – Richard Meux Benson, English priest and saint, founded the Society of St. John the Evangelist (b. 1824)
• 1919 – Platon, Estonian bishop and saint (b. 1869)
• 1920 – John Francis Dodge, American businessman, co-founded the Dodge Automobile Company (b. 1864)
• 1926 – August Sedláček, Czech historian and author (b. 1843)
• 1934 – Ioan Cantacuzino, Romanian physician and bacteriologist (b. 1863)
• 1937 – Jaishankar Prasad, Indian poet, author, and playwright (b. 1889)
• 1942 – Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and author (b. 1883)
• 1943 – Laura E. Richards, American author and poet (b. 1850)
• 1944 – Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Turkish author and politician (b. 1869)
• 1949 – Harry Stack Sullivan, American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (b. 1892)
• 1951 – Gregorios Xenopoulos, Greek author, journalist, and playwright (b. 1867)
• 1952 – Artur Kapp, Estonian composer and conductor (b. 1878)
• 1957 – Humphrey Bogart, American actor (b. 1899)
• 1959 – Eivind Berggrav, Norwegian bishop and translator (b. 1884)
• 1961 – Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (b. 1888)
• 1962 – M. Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer, scholar, and politician (b. 1860)
• 1965 – Jeanette MacDonald, American actress and singer (b. 1903)
• 1966 – Sergei Korolev, Ukrainian-Russian engineer and academic (b. 1906)
• 1968 – Dorothea Mackellar, Australian poet and author (b. 1885)
• 1970 – William Feller, Croatian-American mathematician and academic (b. 1906)
• 1970 – Asım Gündüz, Turkish general (b. 1880)
• 1972 – Horst Assmy, German footballer (b. 1933)
• 1972 – Frederick IX of Denmark (b. 1899)
• 1976 – Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia (b. 1922)
• 1977 – Anthony Eden, English soldier and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1897)
• 1977 – Peter Finch, English-Australian actor (b. 1916)
• 1977 – Anaïs Nin, French-American essayist and memoirist (b. 1903)
• 1978 – Harold Abrahams, English sprinter, lawyer, and journalist (b. 1899)
• 1978 – Kurt Gödel, Austrian-American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1906)
• 1978 – Robert Heger, German conductor and composer (b. 1886)
• 1980 – Robert Ardrey, American-South African author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
• 1981 – John O'Grady, Australian author and poet (b. 1907)
• 1984 – Ray Kroc, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1902)
• 1986 – Donna Reed, American actress (b. 1921)
• 1987 – Turgut Demirağ, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 1987 – Douglas Sirk, German-Swiss director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
• 1988 – Georgy Malenkov, Russian engineer and politician, 5th Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1902)
• 1991 – Gordon Bryant, Australian educator and politician (b. 1914)
• 1995 – Alexander Gibson, Scottish conductor (b. 1926)
• 1996 – Onno Tunç, Turkish composer (b. 1948)
• 1997 – Dollard Ménard, Canadian general (b. 1913)
• 2000 – Leonard Weisgard, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
• 2004 – Uta Hagen, German-American actress (b. 1919)
• 2004 – Ron O'Neal, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
• 2005 – Charlotte MacLeod, Canadian-American author (b. 1922)
• 2005 – Conroy Maddox, English painter and educator (b. 1912)
• 2005 – Rudolph Moshammer, German fashion designer (b. 1940)
• 2005 – Jesús Rafael Soto, Venezuelan sculptor and painter (b. 1923)
• 2006 – Henri Colpi, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 2006 – Shelley Winters, American actress (b. 1920)
• 2007 – Vassilis Photopoulos, Greek painter, director, and set designer (b. 1934)
• 2008 – Judah Folkman, American physician, biologist, and academic (b. 1933)
• 2009 – Jan Kaplický, Czech architect, designed the Selfridges Building (b. 1937)
• 2009 – Ricardo Montalbán, Mexican actor (b. 1920)
• 2010 – Antonio Fontán, Spanish journalist and academic (b. 1923)
• 2011 – Georgia Carroll, American singer, model and actress (b. 1919)
• 2012 – Txillardegi, Spanish linguist and politician (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Dan Evins, American businessman, founded Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Rosy Varte, Armenian-French actress (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Conrad Bain, Canadian-American actor (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Jon Bing, Norwegian author, scholar, and academic (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Juan Gelman, Argentinian poet and author (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Milutin Dostanić, Serbian mathematician and academic (b. 1958)
• 2014 – Flavio Testi, Italian composer and musicologist (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Bob Boyd, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Zhang Wannian, Chinese general (b. 1928)
• 2016 – Alan Rickman, English actor (b. 1946)

How Antarctic bases went from 

wooden huts to sci-fi chic

Image copyrightESTÚDIO 41 / AFACONSULT 

How do you build in the most isolated place on Earth? For decades Antarctica - the only continent with no indigenous population - hosted only the simplest huts as human shelters. But, as Matthew Teller finds out, architecture in the coldest, driest, windiest reaches of our planet is getting snazzier.

It's an eye-popping, futuristic design - a dark, sleek building, low and long, that is destined to be a temporary waterfront home for up to 65 people at a time.

The price tag is a hefty $100m (£80m). And while a Chinese company is building it, it's not in China, and almost no-one will ever see it.

Image copyrightESTUDIO 41 ARQUITETURA

Welcome to Brazil's Comandante Ferraz Antarctic research station. 

After the original burned down in 2012, the Brazilian navy launched an architectural competition for a replacement design - won by a local firm - and then awarded the building tender to a Chinese defence and engineering contractor, CEIEC. It's due to be completed in 2018.

Image copyrightESTÚDIO 41/AFACONSULT 

Located on a small island just off the coast of Antarctica, it lies almost 1,000km (600 miles) south of the tip of South America. No scheduled air routes come close and it's way off any shipping lanes.

And even if you could reach it yourself, like all Antarctic research stations Comandante Ferraz will be closed to the public. Virtually nobody other than the crews posted there will ever see it in the flesh. So why, you may ask, spend so much on architectural style? Wouldn't a dull but functional building do just as well?

Brazil is not alone in paying for eye-catching design, though.

In 2013, India unveiled its Bharati station, with a similar modernist design. 

Image copyrightIMS / BOF 

It was made from 134 prefabricated shipping containers, for ease of transport and construction, but you would never guess it from the outside.

Image copyrightNCAOR

And the following year, South Korea opened its Jang Bogo station - a grand, triple-winged module lifted on steel-reinforced blocks, capable of supporting a crew of 60.

Image copyrightEPA

What is the explanation for this architectural flamboyance?

"Antarctic stations have become the equivalent of embassies on the ice," says Prof Anne-Marie Brady, editor-in-chief of the Polar Journal and author of China as a Polar Great Power.

"They are showcases for a nation's interests in Antarctica - status symbols."

Those interests could be purely scientific. But a moratorium on mineral prospecting runs out in just over 40 years' time, and every Antarctic player also wants to be ready to take advantage, should it not be extended.

Planting a dramatic building on the ice has become the modern equivalent of explorers of old planting a flag.

It wasn't always like this.

In March 1903, the 33 men of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition landed on the outlying South Orkney Islands and built a dry-stone shack. 

Image copyrightALAMY

Expedition leader William Bruce grandly named it Omond House, after the Edinburgh meteorologist, Robert Traill Omond. It was Antarctica's first permanent building, and is maintained today by the Argentine government as part of its Orcadas base.

For years afterwards, throughout the heroic age of polar exploration headed by Amundsen, Scott, Shackleton and Mawson, nothing much fancier than wooden huts went up on the white continent.

Image copyrightAFP

Then came a - relative - building boom, spurred by the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58, a global project for co-operation in science. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which resulted from the IGY, suspended all territorial claims, but that led many countries to set about consolidating their presence in other ways, such as construction.

The treaty's clause giving countries conducting "substantial research activity" in Antarctica a vote in meetings to determine the continent's future was another incentive to maintain a physical presence.

The US's sprawling McMurdo research station dates from this period. Powered from 1962 to 1972 by a nuclear reactor, it is the biggest settlement on the continent, housing a summer population of about 1,200.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image copyrightPETER REJECK, NSF

For years, though, what with the huge technical and logistical difficulties in building anything in Antarctica, architectural glamour stayed off the list of priorities.

The UK's Halley station was just "a few wooden huts inside giant steel tubes" when meteorologist Peter Gibbs arrived in 1980. It lay buried beneath 15m (50ft) of snow.

"It was like living in a submarine, clambering up and down ladders to get in and out," Gibbs remembers.

Image copyrightBRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY

Antarctica as a whole has so little precipitation it is classified as a desert, but snow does fall near the coasts, and in the interior low temperatures mean fallen snow accumulates faster than it can melt. Polar winds blow this snow around the continent, so that any object standing proud of the flat surface quickly gains a downwind "tail" of blown snow. Snow accumulation can swamp and crush buildings with ease.

The first Halley station, built in 1956, was abandoned 12 years later, when it too had become "like a submarine", as Gibbs puts it. 

The version he worked in, Halley III, was built in 1973 and lasted only 10 years. Until Halley VI arrived in 2013, all were defeated by snow accumulation, and by the moving ice shelf on which they stood. At Halley's location the ice slides around 1.5m (5ft) a day towards the sea, but to maintain accuracy the station's scientific measurements have to be made at the same place year by year. 

Image copyrightMICHAL KRZYSZTOFOWICZ

Halley VI, however, is Antarctica's first relocatable research station. Its eight connected pods - like giant, colourful train carriages, which can be isolated to limit the spread of fire - sit on hydraulic legs mounted on huge, 8m-long skis. This means that the pods can be detached from each other, dragged by bulldozers to a new location, and the whole station reassembled.

That design is being put to good use, as Halley is currently being moved to avoid a chasm that is opening up in the ice nearby.

And Halley VI is both glamorous and comfortable.

Image copyrightJAMES MORRIS

Its bijou bedrooms feel like a classy budget hotel. Interiors are fitted in vivid reds, blues and greens to compensate for the lack of colour outside. Halley's pool table and sofas sit beneath the only double-height internal space in Antarctica, stylishly lit - outside the months of winter darkness, anyway - by tall, semi-opaque windows. Beside the drinks bar climbs a spiral staircase, clad in aromatic Lebanese cedar veneer, chosen to stimulate an often-overlooked sense in the almost completely smell-free Antarctic environment.

"All the newest bases look good as well as do the science - it's a reflection of the priorities of our era," says Anne-Marie Brady.

South Africa was one of the first countries to solve the problem of snow accumulation with its SANAE IV base, which opened in 1997. It was designed with stilt-like legs, which let snow blow under the building.

Image copyrightDR ROSS HOFMEYR

Germany applied the same concept to its Neumayer III base, which opened in 2009, with an extra refinement. Sixteen hydraulic pillars allow the entire two-storey structure to be raised every year by around a metre. The foot of each pillar is then lifted and replaced on a new firm base of packed snow.

Image copyrightEPA

Image copyrightAFP/GETTY

Another element of Antarctic architecture that has become critical is energy efficiency. Most stations run on polar diesel, which is expensive, polluting and difficult to transport. Belgium's Princess Elisabeth station, an aerodynamic pod raised on steel legs, is the first with zero emissions.

Since its inauguration in 2009 it has run entirely on solar and wind energy, and - even here - has no heating. The station's layered design means interior temperatures are maintained from waste heat generated by electrical systems and human activity, and dense wall insulation reduces heat loss to almost zero.

Image copyrightINTERNATIONAL POLAR FOUNDATION, RENE ROBERT

Image copyrightINTERNATIONAL POLAR FOUNDATION, RENÉ ROBERT

If the Princess Elisabeth station looks like something out of a Bond movie, China's latest Antarctic station Taishan - its fourth - has been likened to a flying saucer. It was rush-built in 45 days in 2013-14, and is intended to last only a few years.

Image copyrightALAMY

"China will probably start building a fifth station this year," says Anne-Marie Brady.

Like all the rest, few people will ever see it.

Ed Sheeran takes top two chart positions

Image copyrightOFFICIAL CHARTS COMPANY

Ed Sheeran's new singles Shape of You and Castle On The Hill have entered the UK singles chart at number one and number two respectively.

The Official Charts Company says it is the first time in history an artist has taken the top two chart positions with brand new songs.

The singer said he was "incredibly chuffed" by the success.

"Both tracks mean a huge amount to me so it really is amazing to see them go to the top of the chart together."

Top five singles
Artist	Title
1) Ed Sheeran	Shape Of You
2) Ed Sheeran	Castle On The Hill
3) Rag N Bone Man	Human
4) Clean Bandit ft Anne Marie and Sean Paul	Rockabye
5) Little Mix	Touch

Source: Official Charts Company

Sheeran's comeback follows a "gap year" where he removed himself from social media, making space to write his third album, ÷ (Divide). 

Fans were clearly hungry for new material, as the star set several streaming records over the course of the week.

Shape Of You's bouncy, uptempo pop was the bigger hit, notching up 13.4 million streams - smashing the record Drake set last summer, when One Dance was streamed 8.9 million in a single week.

Castle On The Hill, built around a chiming, U2-style guitar riff, also beat Drake's tally, with 11.07 million streams.

On Spotify, Sheeran also broke a global streaming record held by One Direction, whose single Drag Me Down racked up 4.76m streams in one day in August 2015. 

Shape Of You was streamed 6.13 million times when it was released last Friday, increasing to 7.24 million streams on Monday.

Top five albums
Artist	Title
1) Little Mix (pictured)	Glory Days
2) Pete Tong	Classic House
3) You Me At Six	Night People
4) George Michael	Ladies and Gentlemen
5) David Bowie	Legacy

Source: Official Charts Company

The remarkable performance of his singles ends Clean Bandit's nine-week run at number one. 

Their single, Rockabye, drops to number four, while Rag 'N' Bone Man's Human is at three.

There are also new entries for Sean Paul and Dua Lipa's No Lie at 28 and Snakehips' Don't Leave, featuring Danish singer MØ, at 33.

In the album chart, Little Mix held on to the top spot for a fifth week with their album Glory Days.

It is now the most successful album by a girl band since the Spice Girls' Spice spent 15 weeks at number one in 1996.

Meanwhile, David Bowie's Blackstar made a reappearance in the top 40, exactly a year after his death, while his Legacy compilation jumped from 18 to number five.