Events
January
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
– In a
coup, Colonel
Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Jean-Bédel Bokassa (; 22 February 1921 – 3 November 1996), also known as Bokassa I, was a Central African political and military leader who served as the second president of the Central African Republic (CAR) and as the emperor of its s ...
takes over as military ruler of the
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
, ousting President
David Dacko.
*
January 3 –
1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President
Maurice Yaméogo
Maurice Yaméogo (31 December 1921 – 15 September 1993) was the first President of the Republic of Upper Volta, now called Burkina Faso, from 1959 until 1966.
"Monsieur Maurice" embodied the Voltaic state at the moment of independence. However ...
is deposed by a military coup in the
Republic of Upper Volta
The Republic of Upper Volta (french: République de Haute-Volta) was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Before becoming autonomous, it had been part of the ...
(modern-day Burkina Faso).
*
January 10
**
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
i–Indian peace negotiations end successfully with the signing of the
Tashkent Declaration
The Tashkent Declaration was signed between India and Pakistan on 10 January 1966 to resolve the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Peace was achieved on 23 September through interventions by the Soviet Union and the United States, both of which push ...
, a day before the sudden death of Indian prime minister
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri (; 2 October 1904 – 11 January 1966) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of India from 1964 to 1966 and 6th Home Minister of India from 1961 to 1963. He promoted the White Re ...
.
**
The House of Representatives of the US state of Georgia refuses to allow African-American representative
Julian Bond
Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the e ...
to take his seat, because of his anti-war stance.
** A
Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, primarily to discuss
Rhodesia.
*
January 12
Events Pre-1600
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
* 1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already rei ...
– United States President
Lyndon Johnson states that the United States should stay in
South Vietnam until
Communist aggression there is ended.
*
January 15 –
1966 Nigerian coup d'état
The 1966 Nigerian coup d'état began on 15 January 1966, when mutinous Nigerian soldiers led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna killed 22 people including the Prime Minister of Nigeria, many senior politicians, many senior Army of ...
: A bloody military coup is staged in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, deposing the civilian government and resulting in the death of Prime Minister
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was a Nigerian politician who served as the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria upon independence.
Early life
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in December 1912 in modern-day ...
.
*
January 17
Events Pre-1600
*38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
* 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on ...
** The Nigerian coup is overturned by another faction of the military, leaving a military government in power. This is the beginning of a long period of military rule.
**
1966 Palomares B-52 crash
The 1966 Palomares B-52 crash, also called the Palomares incident, occurred on 17 January 1966, when a B-52G bomber of the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command collided with a KC-135 tanker during mid-air refueling at over the Med ...
: A U.S. Air Force
B-52
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
bomber collides with a
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of trans ...
over Spain, dropping three 70-
kiloton
TNT equivalent is a convention for expressing energy, typically used to describe the energy released in an explosion. The is a unit of energy defined by that convention to be , which is the approximate energy released in the detonation of a ...
hydrogen bombs near the town of
Palomares, and one into the sea.
Carl Brashear, the first African American
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
diver, is involved in an accident during the recovery of the latter which results in the amputation of his leg.
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrend ...
–
Indira Gandhi is elected
Prime Minister of India; she is sworn in
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
*1438 – The Cou ...
.
*
January 20
**
1966 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election
The Liberal Party of Australia held a leadership ballot on 20 January 1966, following the resignation of Robert Menzies. Incumbent deputy leader Harold Holt was elected unopposed as his successor, and was sworn in as Prime Minister of Australia, p ...
:
Harold Holt is elected leader of the
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...
unopposed when
Sir Robert Menzies retires after an unprecedented
16 years in office; consequently Holt becomes
Prime Minister of Australia six days later.
** Demonstrations occur against high
food prices in Hungary.
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
* 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when ...
– Italian Prime Minister
Aldo Moro
Aldo Romeo Luigi Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and a prominent member of the Christian Democracy (DC). He served as prime minister of Italy from December 1963 to June 1968 and then from November 1974 to July 1 ...
resigns due to a power struggle in his party.
*
January 22
** The military government of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
announces that ex-prime minister
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was a Nigerian politician who served as the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria upon independence.
Early life
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in December 1912 in modern-day ...
was killed during the coup a week previously.
** The
Chadian Muslim insurgent group
FROLINAT
FROLINAT (french: Front de libération nationale du Tchad; en, National Liberation Front of Chad) was an insurgent rebel group active in Chad between 1966 and 1993.
Origins
The organization was a result of the political union between the left ...
is founded in
Sudan, starting the
Chadian Civil War.
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
*1438 – The Cou ...
–
Air India Flight 101
Air India Flight 101 was a scheduled Air India passenger flight from Bombay to London. On the morning of 24 January 1966 at 8:02 CET, the aircraft operating the flight accidentally flew into Mont Blanc in France. The accident was caused by a mi ...
crashes into
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and ...
, killing all 117 people on board, including Dr.
Homi J. Bhabha, chairman of the
Indian Atomic Energy Commission.
*
January 26 –
Beaumont children disappearance: Three children disappear on their way to
Glenelg, South Australia, never to be seen again.
*
January 27
**The British government promises the U.S. that British troops in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
will stay until more peaceful conditions occur in the region.
**Britain's
Labour Party unexpectedly retains the parliamentary seat of
Hull North in a by-election, with a swing of 4.5% to their candidate from the opposition Conservatives, and a majority up from 1,181 at the 1964 General Election to 5,351.
*
January 31
Events Pre-1600
* 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
*1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the ...
– The United Kingdom ceases all trade with
Rhodesia.
February
*
February 1 – Around 2,600
political prisoners are released by
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, in return for "donations" worth approximately $10,000 a head from
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
.
*
February 3 – The unmanned Soviet
Luna 9
Luna 9 (Луна-9), internal designation Ye-6 No.13, was an uncrewed space mission of the Soviet Union's Luna programme. On 3 February 1966, the Luna 9 spacecraft became the first spacecraft to achieve a survivable landing on a celestial body ...
spacecraft makes the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
.
*
February 4 –
All Nippon Airways Flight 60 plunges into Tokyo Bay; 133 people are killed.
*
February 7
Events Pre-1600
* 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor.
* 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
* 1301 &nd ...
–
Lyndon Johnson of the United States and
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ of South Vietnam convene with other officials in a
summit in
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...
to discuss the course of the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
.
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, spar ...
– Soviet fiction writers
Yuli Daniel
Yuli Markovich Daniel ( rus, Ю́лий Ма́ркович Даниэ́ль, p=ˈjʉlʲɪj ˈmarkəvʲɪtɕ dənʲɪˈelʲ, a=Yuliy Markovich Daniel'.ru.vorb.oga; 15 November 1925 — 30 December 1988) was a Russian writer and Soviet dissident ...
and
Andrei Sinyavsky
Andrei Donatovich Sinyavsky (russian: Андре́й Дона́тович Синя́вский; 8 October 1925 – 25 February 1997) was a Russian writer and Soviet dissident known as a defendant in the Sinyavsky–Daniel trial in 1965.
Sinyav ...
are sentenced to five and seven years, respectively, for "anti-Soviet" writings.
*
February 14 – The
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the currency of Australia, including its external territories: Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island. It is officially used as currency by three independent Pacific Isl ...
is introduced at a rate of 2 dollars per pound, or 10 shillings per dollar.
*
February 19 – The naval minister of the United Kingdom,
Christopher Mayhew
Christopher Paget Mayhew, Baron Mayhew (12 June 1915 – 7 January 1997) was a British politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1950 and from 1951 to 1974, when he left the Labour Party to join the Liberals. In 1981 ...
, resigns.
*
February 20 – While Soviet author and translator
Valery Tarsis is abroad, the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
negates his citizenship.
*
February 23 –
1966 Syrian coup d'état
The 1966 Syrian coup d'état refers to events between 21 and 23 February during which the government of the Syrian Arab Republic was overthrown and replaced. The ruling National Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party were removed from power ...
: An intra-party military coup in
Syria replaces the previous government of
Amin al-Hafiz
Amin al-Hafiz ( ar, أمين الحافظ, Amīn al-Ḥāfiẓ12 November 1921 – 17 December 2009), also known as Amin Hafez was a Syrian politician, general, and member of the Ba'ath Party who served as the President of Syria from 27 July ...
by one led by
Salah Jadid
Salah Jadid (1926 – 19 August 1993, ar, صلاح جديد, Ṣalāḥ Jadīd) was a Syrian general, a leader of the left-wing of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in Syria, and the country's ''de facto'' leader from 1966 until 1970, when h ...
.
*
February 24 – A coup led by the police and military of
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
raises the
National Liberation Council
The National Liberation Council (NLC) led the Ghanaian government from 24 February 1966 to 1 October 1969. The body emerged from a ''coup d'état'' against the Nkrumah government carried out jointly by the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed For ...
to power while president
Kwame Nkrumah is abroad.
*
February 28 – British Prime Minister
Harold Wilson calls a General Election in the United Kingdom, to be held on March 31.
March
* March – The
DKW automobile ceases production in Germany.
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
**The British Government announces plans for the
decimalisation of the
pound sterling
Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and ...
(hitherto denominated in 20 shillings and 240 pence to the £), to come into force on 15 February 1971 (
Decimal Day).
**Soviet
space probe
A space probe is an artificial satellite that travels through space to collect scientific data. A space probe may orbit Earth; approach the Moon; travel through interplanetary space; flyby, orbit, or land or fly on other planetary bodies; or ...
''
Venera 3
Venera 3 (russian: Венера-3 meaning ''Venus 3'') was a Venera program space probe that was built and launched by the Soviet Union to explore the surface of Venus. It was launched on 16 November 1965 at 04:19 UTC from Baikonur, Kazakhstan ...
'' crashes on
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...
, becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet's surface.
**The
Ba'ath Party takes power in
Syria.
*
March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...
–
Kwame Nkrumah arrives in
Guinea and is granted
asylum
Asylum may refer to:
Types of asylum
* Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome
* Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute
* Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea
...
.
*
March 4
Events Pre-1600
*AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).
* 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
* 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...
**
Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402 crashes during a night landing in poor visibility at
Tokyo International Airport in Japan, killing 64 of 72 people on board.
**In an interview with ''
London Evening Standard'' reporter
Maureen Cleave
Maureen Diana Cleave (20 October 1934 – 6 November 2021) was a British journalist. She worked for the London ''Evening Standard'' from 1958 conducting interviews with many prominent musicians of the era, including Bob Dylan and John Lennon. O ...
,
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
of
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
states "We're
more popular than Jesus now".
*
March 5
**
BOAC Flight 911
BOAC Flight 911 (call sign "Speedbird 911") was a round-the-world flight operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) that crashed near Mount Fuji in Japan on 5 March 1966, with the loss of all 113 passengers and 11 crew members ...
crashes in severe
clear-air turbulence
In meteorology, clear-air turbulence (CAT) is the turbulent movement of air masses in the absence of any visual clues, such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet.
The atmospheric region most suscept ...
over
Mount Fuji soon after taking off from Tokyo International Airport in Japan, killing all 124 people on board.
**"
Merci, Chérie" by
Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens (born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann; 30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014) was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, composed close ...
(music by Udo Jürgens, lyrics by Jürgens and Thomas Hörbiger) wins the
Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria.
*
March 7 –
Charles de Gaulle asks U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
for negotiations about the state of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
equipment in France.
*
March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bou ...
**Anti-communist demonstrations occur at the
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n Foreign Ministry.
**
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
: The U.S. announces it will substantially increase the number of its troops in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
.
**
Nelson's Pillar in
O'Connell Street,
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, is clandestinely blown up by former
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...
volunteers marking this year's 50th anniversary of the
Easter Rising.
*
March 10
Events Pre-1600
* 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
* 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a ...
–
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...
ss
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013.
Beatrix is the eldest daughter of Queen Juliana and her husban ...
marries
Claus von Amsberg
Prince Claus of the Netherlands, Jonkheer van Amsberg (born Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg; 6 September 1926 – 6 October 2002) was Prince consort of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until his death in 2002 as the husband ...
. Some spectators demonstrate against the groom because he is German.
*
March 11
Events Pre-1600
* 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander.
* 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the ven ...
**
Transition to the New Order
Indonesia's transition to the New Order in the mid-1960s ousted the country's first president, Sukarno, after 22 years in the position. One of the most tumultuous periods in the country's modern history, it was the commencement of Suharto's ...
in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
: President
Sukarno gives all
executive power
The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state.
In political systems b ...
s to General
Suharto by signing the "
Supersemar
The Order of Eleventh March ( id, Surat Perintah Sebelas Maret), commonly referred to by its syllabic abbreviation ''Supersemar'', was a document signed by the Indonesian President Sukarno on 11 March 1966, giving army commander Lt. Gen. Suhar ...
" order.
**French President
Charles de Gaulle states that French troops will be taken out of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and that all French NATO bases and headquarters must be closed within a year.
*
March 16
Events Pre-1600
* 934 – Meng Zhixiang declares himself emperor and establishes Later Shu as a new state independent of Later Tang.
*1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York.
* 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse ...
**
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
spacecraft
Gemini 8
Gemini 8 (officially Gemini VIII) With Gemini IV, NASA changed to Roman numerals for Gemini mission designations. was the sixth crewed spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. It was launched on March 16, 1966, and was the 14th crewed American fli ...
(
David Scott
David Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932) is an American retired test pilot and NASA astronaut who was the seventh person to walk on the Moon. Selected as part of the third group of astronauts in 1963, Scott flew to space three times and ...
,
Neil Armstrong) conducts the first docking in space, with an
Agena target vehicle.
**
Paul Van Doren establishes the
Vans
Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. From 1996 to 2019, the comp ...
shoe company in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen en ...
– The
Texas Western Miners defeat the
Kentucky Wildcats with five African American starters, ushering in desegregation in athletic recruiting.
*
March 20
Events Pre-1600
* 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka.
* 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
* 1600 – The Link ...
– Football's
FIFA World Cup Trophy
The World Cup is a solid gold trophy that is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup association football tournament. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two trophies have been used: the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970, before ...
is stolen while on exhibition in London; it is found seven days later by a mongrel dog named "
Pickles
Pickles may refer to:
Dogs
* Pickles (dog) (died 1967), a dog that found the stolen World Cup trophy in 1966
* Pickles (pickleball), a dog often cited as the name origin for the sport of pickleball
* Mr. Pickles, the titular demonic dog in ...
" and his owner David Corbett, wrapped in newspaper in a south London garden.
*
March 22: in the Chinese city of
Xingtai
Xingtai (), formerly known as Xingzhou and Shunde, is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has a total area of and administers 4 districts, 2 county-level cities and 12 counties. At the 2020 censu ...
a magnitude
6.8 earthquake leaves more than 8,000 dead and 38,000 injured.
*
March 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6.
*1387 – English victory over a Franco- Castilian-Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margate o ...
–
Pope Paul VI meets
Michael Ramsey
Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron Ramsey of Canterbury, (14 November 1904 – 23 April 1988) was an English Anglican bishop and life peer. He served as the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was appointed on 31 May 1961 and held the office until 1 ...
, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, in Rome, and gives him an episcopal ring.
*
March 26
Events Pre-1600
* 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
*1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, ...
– Demonstrations are held across the United States against the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
.
*
March 27
Events Pre-1600
*1309 – Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
* 1329 – Pope John XXII ...
– In
South Vietnam, 20,000 Buddhists march in demonstrations against the policies of the military government.
*
March 28
**
Cevdet Sunay
Cevdet Sunay (; 10 February 1899 – 22 May 1982) was a Turkish politician and army officer, who served as the fifth President of Turkey from 1966 to 1973.
Early life and career
Sunay was born in 1899 in Trabzon, in the Ottoman Empire. ...
becomes the fifth president of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
.
**
Indira Gandhi visits Washington, D.C.
*
March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– The
23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is held:
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and ...
demands that U.S. troops leave Vietnam, and announces that
Chinese-Soviet relations are not satisfactory.
*
March 31
**The British
Labour Party led by
Harold Wilson wins the
1966 United Kingdom general election, gaining a 96-seat majority (compared with a single seat majority when the election was called on February 28).
** The
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
launches
Luna 10
Luna 10 (or Lunik 10) was a 1966 Soviet lunar robotic spacecraft mission in the Luna program. It was the first artificial satellite of the Moon.
Luna 10 conducted extensive research in lunar orbit, gathering important data on the strength of ...
, which becomes the first
space probe
A space probe is an artificial satellite that travels through space to collect scientific data. A space probe may orbit Earth; approach the Moon; travel through interplanetary space; flyby, orbit, or land or fly on other planetary bodies; or ...
to enter orbit around the Moon.
April
*
April 2
Events Pre-1600
* 1513 – Having spotted land on March 27, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León comes ashore on what is now the U.S. state of Florida, landing somewhere between the modern city of St. Augustine and the mouth of the St. J ...
– The
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n army demands that the country rejoin the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
.
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
*1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
*1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created.
* ...
–
Luna 10
Luna 10 (or Lunik 10) was a 1966 Soviet lunar robotic spacecraft mission in the Luna program. It was the first artificial satellite of the Moon.
Luna 10 conducted extensive research in lunar orbit, gathering important data on the strength of ...
is the first manmade object to enter lunar orbit.
*
April 5 – During the
Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese military prime minister
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ personally attempts to lead the capture of the restive city of
Đà Nẵng before backing down.
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
– The United Kingdom asks the
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
for authority to use force to stop
oil tankers that violate the embargo against
Rhodesia (authority is given
April 10).
*
April 8
** Buddhists in
South Vietnam protest against the fact that the new government has not set a date for
free elections.
**
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and ...
becomes General Secretary of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, as well as Leader of the Communist Party of the U.S.S.R.
*
April 14
Events Pre-1600
* 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.
* 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor Otho ...
** Kenyan Vice President
Oginga Odinga resigns, saying "invisible government" representing foreign interests now runs the country. He will head a new party, the
Kenya People's Union
The Kenya People's Union (KPU) was a socialist political party in Kenya led by Oginga Odinga. The party was banned in 1969.
History
Formation
In March 1966 a left-wing faction of the governing Kenya African National Union (KANU) instigated a ...
.
**The
South Vietnamese government promises free elections in 3–5 months.
*
April 15
Events Pre-1600
* 769 – The Lateran Council ends by condemning the Council of Hieria and anathematizing its iconoclastic rulings.
* 1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscar ...
– An anti-
Nasser conspiracy is exposed in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
.
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
** China declares that it will stop economic aid to
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
.
** The
38th Academy Awards
The 38th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1965, were held on April 18, 1966, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. They were hosted by Bob Hope.
The ceremony was broadcast on the ABC network and was ...
ceremony is held in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...
: ''
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...
'' wins
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
.
*
April 21
** An
artificial heart is installed in the chest of Marcel DeRudder in a
Houston, Texas, hospital.
** The opening of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
is televised for the first time.
**
Haile Selassie visits
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
for the first time, meeting with
Rasta leaders.
**
Moors murders
The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...
:
Ian Brady
The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...
and
Myra Hindley go on trial at
Chester Crown Court in north west England for the murders of 3 children who vanished between November
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...
and October
1965.
*
April 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th dynasty).
*1183 BC – Traditional reckoning of the Fall of Troy ...
–
Uniform
A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, ...
daylight saving time is first observed in most parts of North America.
*
April 26
Events Pre-1600
* 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
*1348 – Czech king Karel IV founds the Charles University in Prague, which was later named after him and was the first university in Central Europe.
* 1 ...
** A new government is formed in the
Republic of the Congo, led by
Ambroise Noumazalaye.
** The magnitude 5.1
Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in
Soviet Central Asia
Soviet Central Asia (russian: link=no, Советская Средняя Азия, Sovetskaya Srednyaya Aziya) was the part of Central Asia administered by the Soviet Union between 1918 and 1991, when the Central Asian republics declared ind ...
with a maximum
MSK intensity of VII (''Very strong'').
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of 2 ...
is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed.
*
April 27 –
Pope Paul VI and Soviet Foreign Minister
Andrei Gromyko
Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko (russian: Андрей Андреевич Громыко; be, Андрэй Андрэевіч Грамыка; – 2 July 1989) was a Soviet communist politician and diplomat during the Cold War. He served as ...
meet in the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
(the first meeting between leaders of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
).
*
April 28
Events Pre-1600
* 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...
– In
Rhodesia, security forces kill seven
ZANLA men in combat; ''
Chimurenga
''Chimurenga'' is a word in the Shona language. The Ndebele equivalent, though not as widely used since the majority of Zimbabweans are Shona speaking, is ''Umvukela'', meaning "revolutionary struggle" or uprising. In specific historical terms ...
'', the
ZANU
The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was a militant organisation that fought against white minority rule in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). ZANU split in 1975 into wings loyal to Robert Mugab ...
rebellion, begins.
*
April 30
Events Pre-1600
*311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends.
*1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois.
*1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus hi ...
– Regular
hovercraft service begins over the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
(discontinued in 2000).
May
*
May 4
Events Pre-1600
* 1256 – The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull ''Licet ecclesiae catholicae''.
* 1415 – Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus ar ...
**
Fiat signs a contract with the Soviet government to build a car factory in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
.
**
May 1966 lunar eclipse: A penumbral lunar eclipse takes place, the 64th lunar eclipse of
Lunar Saros 111.
*
May 5
Events Pre-1600
* 553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
*1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
*1260 – Kub ...
– The
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
defeat the
Detroit Red Wings to win the
Stanley Cup in ice hockey.
*
May 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1527 – Spanish and German troops sack Rome; many scholars consider this the end of the Renaissance.
* 1536 – The Siege of Cuzco commences, in which Incan forces attempt to retake the city of Cuzco from the Sp ...
– The
Moors murders
The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...
trial ends in the UK with
Ian Brady
The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...
being found guilty on all three counts of murder and sentenced to three concurrent terms of life imprisonment.
Myra Hindley is convicted on two counts of murder and of being an accessory in the third murder committed by Brady, receiving two concurrent terms of life imprisonment and a seven-year fixed term for being an accessory.
*
May 7
Events Pre-1600
* 351 – The Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus breaks out after his arrival at Antioch.
* 558 – In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction. Justinian I imm ...
– Irish bank workers
go on strike.
*
May 12
Events Pre-1600
* 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism.
* 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang d ...
** African members of the UN Security Council say that the British army should blockade Rhodesia.
**
Radio Peking claims that U.S. planes have shot down a Chinese plane over
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...
(the U.S. denies the story the next day).
*
May 14 –
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
and Greece intend to start negotiations about the situation in
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
.
*
May 15
**
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
asks
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
for peace negotiations.
** The
South Vietnamese army besieges
Da Nang.
** Tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators again picket the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
, then rally at the
Washington Monument.
*
May 16
** The
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
issues the '
May 16 Notice', marking the beginning of the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...
.
** A strike is called by the
National Union of Seamen
The National Union of Seamen (NUS) was the principal trade union of merchant seafarers in the United Kingdom from the late 1880s to 1990. In 1990, the union amalgamated with the National Union of Railwaymen to form the National Union of Rail ...
in the United Kingdom.
** In New York City, Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
makes his first public speech on the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
.
*
May 19
Events
Pre-1600
* 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace.
* 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected.
*1051 – Henry I of France marries the Rus' princess, Anne of Kiev.
*1445 &nda ...
– Gertrude Baniszewski is found guilty of torturing and murdering 16-year-old
Sylvia Likens at a court in Indianapolis, United States, and is sentenced to life in prison (she is released on parole in December
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
).
*
May 24
**
Battle of Mengo Hill:
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
n army troops arrest
Mutesa II of Buganda
Sir Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Mutesa II (modern spelling: Muteesa) (19 November 1924 – 21 November 1969) was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda in Uganda from 22 November 1939 until his death. He was the thirty- ...
and occupy his palace.
** The
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
n government forbids all political activity in the country until January 17, 1969.
*
May 25
Events Pre-1600
* 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
*240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Tol ...
**
Explorer program
The Explorers program is a NASA exploration program that provides flight opportunities for physics, geophysics, heliophysics, and astrophysics investigations from space. Launched in 1958, Explorer 1 was the first spacecraft of the United Stat ...
: Satellite
Explorer 32 (Atmosphere Explorer-B) is launched from the United States.
**
No. 9 Squadron RAAF becomes part of the 4,500 strong
Australian Task Force assigned to duties in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, leaving for
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
aboard the aircraft carrier
HMAS ''Sydney''.
*
May 26 –
British Guiana achieves independence, becoming
Guyana.
*
May 28
Events Pre-1600
*585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from ...
**
Fidel Castro declares
martial law in Cuba because of a possible U.S. attack.
** The
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
n governments declare that the
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation is over (a treaty is signed on
August 11).
** Boat ride "
It's a Small World
"It's a Small World" is a water-based boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks worldwide, including Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California; Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida; Tokyo D ...
" opens at
Disneyland.
*
May 29
Events Pre-1600
* 363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city.
* 1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under ...
– Sports stadium
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Mexico City. It is the official home of Association football, football clubs Club América and Cruz Azul as well as the Mexico national football team. The stadium sits at an altitude of a ...
officially opens in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
in advance of the
1968 Summer Olympics.
*
May 31
Events Pre-1600
* 455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
* 1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat K ...
– The
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
reestablishes
diplomatic relations
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
with
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
.
June
*
June 2
Events Pre-1600
* 455 – Sack of Rome: Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks.
* 1098 – First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ends as Crusader forces take the city; the second siege began five days later. 1601� ...
**
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of govern ...
is re-elected as Irish president.
**
Surveyor program
The Surveyor program was a NASA program that, from June 1966 through January 1968, sent seven robotic spacecraft to the surface of the Moon. Its primary goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of soft landings on the Moon. The Surveyor craft w ...
:
Surveyor 1
Surveyor 1 was the first lunar soft-lander in the uncrewed Surveyor program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, United States). This lunar soft-lander gathered data about the lunar surface that would be needed for the cr ...
lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
, becoming the first U.S.
spacecraft
A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
to soft-land on another world.
** Four former cabinet ministers including
Évariste Kimba are executed in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, for alleged involvement in a plot to kill
Mobutu Sese Seko.
*
June 3 –
Joaquín Balaguer is elected president of the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
.
*
June 5 –
Gemini 9A:
Gene Cernan
Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the eleventh human being to ...
completes the second U.S. spacewalk (2 hours, 7 minutes).
*
June 6 –
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
activist
James Meredith is shot by a sniper while traversing Mississippi in the
March Against Fear.
*
June 8
** A
North American XB-70 Valkyrie
The North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie was the prototype version of the planned B-70 nuclear-armed, deep-penetration supersonic strategic bomber for the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command. Designed in the late 1950s by North Ame ...
strategic bomber prototype is destroyed in a mid-air collision with an
F-104 Starfighter chase plane during a photo shoot.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
pilot
Joseph A. Walker and
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
test pilot Carl Cross are both killed.
**
1966 Topeka tornado:
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...
is devastated by a tornado that registers as an "F5" on the
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is deter ...
, the first to exceed US$100 million in damages. Sixteen people are killed, hundreds more injured and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, and the campus of
Washburn University suffers catastrophic damage.
*
June 12 – Chicago's
Division Street riots begin in response to police shooting of a young Puerto Rican man.
*
June 13
Events Pre-1600
* 313 – The decisions of the Edict of Milan, signed by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Valerius Licinius, granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire, are published in Nicomedia.
* 1325 – Ibn Battuta ...
– ''
Miranda v. Arizona'': The
Supreme Court of the United States rules that the police must inform
suspects of their rights before questioning them.
*
June 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1158 – The city of Munich is founded by Henry the Lion on the banks of the river Isar.
* 1216 – First Barons' War: Prince Louis of France takes the city of Winchester, abandoned by John, King of England, and soon ...
– The
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
abolishes the ''
Index Librorum Prohibitorum''.
*
June 17 – An
Air France personnel strike begins.
*
June 18
Events Pre-1600
* 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China.
* 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
* 860 – Byzantine–Rus' War: A fleet of about ...
–
CIA chief
William Raborn
William Francis Raborn, Jr., (June 8, 1905 – March 6, 1990) was the United States Director of Central Intelligence from April 28, 1965 until June 30, 1966. He was also a career United States Navy officer who led the project to develop the U ...
resigns;
Richard Helms
Richard McGarrah Helms (March 30, 1913 – October 23, 2002) was an American government official and diplomat who served as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from 1966 to 1973. Helms began intelligence work with the Office of Strategic Ser ...
becomes his successor.
*
June 28 –
Argentine Revolution: In
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, a
military junta
A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...
calling itself ''Revolución Argentina'' deposes president
Arturo Umberto Illia
Arturo Umberto Illia (; 4 August 1900 – 18 January 1983) was an Argentine politician and physician, who was President of Argentina from 12 October 1963, to 28 June 1966. He was a member of the centrist Radical Civic Union.
Illia reached the ...
in a
coup and appoints General
Juan Carlos Onganía
Juan Carlos Onganía Carballo (; 17 March 1914 – 8 June 1995) was President of Argentina from 29 June 1966 to 8 June 1970. He rose to power as dictator after toppling the president Arturo Illia in a coup d'état self-named ''Revolución Argen ...
to power.
*
June 29
**
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
: U.S. planes begin bombing
Hanoi and
Haiphong
Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta.
Haiphong wa ...
.
** The strike by the
National Union of Seamen
The National Union of Seamen (NUS) was the principal trade union of merchant seafarers in the United Kingdom from the late 1880s to 1990. In 1990, the union amalgamated with the National Union of Railwaymen to form the National Union of Rail ...
in the United Kingdom is called off.
[
* June 30
** France formally leaves ]NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
.
** The National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...
(NOW) is founded in Washington, D.C.
July
* July 1 – Joaquín Balaguer becomes president of the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
.
* July 3
Events Pre-1600
* 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
* 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revolut ...
**31 people are arrested when a demonstration by approximately 4,000 anti-Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
protesters in front of the United States Embassy in London
The Embassy of the United States of America in London is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the United Kingdom. It is located in Nine Elms and is the largest American embassy in Western Europe and the focal point for events relating ...
in Grosvenor Square turns violent.
** René Barrientos is elected President of Bolivia
The president of Bolivia ( es, Presidente de Bolivia), officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia ( es, Presidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia), is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the ca ...
.
* July 6
Events Pre-1600
* 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra shatters Sparta's reputation of military invincibility.
* 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt ...
– Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...
becomes a republic.
* July 7
Events Pre-1600
* 1124 – The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks.
* 1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her execution.
* 1520 – Spanish ''conquistad ...
– A Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist repub ...
conference ends with a promise to support North Vietnam.
* July 8 – King Mwambutsa IV Bangiriceng of Burundi is deposed by his son Ntare V, who is in turn deposed by prime minister Michel Micombero.
* July 11 – The 1966 FIFA World Cup begins in England.
* July 12
** Indira Gandhi visits Moscow.
** Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
threatens to leave the Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...
because of British peace overtures to Rhodesia.
* July 13
Events Pre-1600
* 1174 – William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173–74, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England.
* 1249 – Coronation of Alexander III as King of Scots.
*1260 – The Livon ...
– The International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktiv ...
is founded in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
* July 14
** Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i and Syrian jet fighters clash over the Jordan River.
** Richard Speck
Richard Benjamin Speck (December 6, 1941 – December 5, 1991) was an American mass murderer who killed eight student nurses in their South Deering, Chicago, residence via stabbing, strangling, slashing their throats, or a combination of the th ...
murders 8 student nurses in their Chicago dormitory. He is arrested on July 17
Events Pre-1600
* 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
*1048 – Damasu ...
.
** Gwynfor Evans, President of Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
, the Welsh nationalist party, becomes Member of the United Kingdom Parliament for Carmarthen
Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...
, taking the previously Labour-held Welsh seat at a by-election with a majority of 2,435 on an 18% swing and giving his party its first representation at Westminster in its forty-one year history.
* July 18
** Gemini 10
Gemini 10 (officially Gemini X) With Gemini IV, NASA changed to Roman numerals for Gemini mission designations. was a 1966 crewed spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the 8th crewed Gemini flight, the 16th crewed American flight, and t ...
(John Young John Young may refer to:
Academics
* John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow
* John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Col ...
, Michael Collins) is launched from the United States. After docking with an Agena target vehicle, the astronauts set a world altitude record of 474 miles (763 km).
** The International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...
rules in favour of South Africa in a case on the administration of South West Africa
South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...
which has been brought before them by Ethiopia and Liberia.
* July 22 – Following the death of Hsu Tsu-tsai, an engineer, in The Hague, the Chinese government declares Dutch delegate G. J. Jongejans persona non grata, but tells him not to leave the country before other Chinese engineers have left the Netherlands.
* July 23
Events Pre-1600
* 811 – Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I plunders the Bulgarian capital of Pliska and captures Khan Krum's treasury.
*1319 – A Knights Hospitaller fleet scores a crushing victory over an Aydinid fleet off Chios. 1 ...
– Katangese troops in Stanleyville, Congo, revolt for several weeks in support of the exiled minister Moise Tshombe
Moise is a given name and surname, with differing spellings in its French and Romanian origins, both of which originate from the name Moses: Moïse is the French spelling of Moses, while Moise is the Romanian spelling. As a surname, Moisè and Mo ...
.
* July 24
Events Pre-1600
*1132 – Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily.
* 1148 – Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade.
*1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirl ...
– U.N. Secretary General U Thant
Thant (; ; January 22, 1909 – November 25, 1974), known honorifically as U Thant (), was a Burmese diplomat and the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, the first non-Scandinavian to hold the position. He held t ...
visits Moscow.
* July 24
Events Pre-1600
*1132 – Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily.
* 1148 – Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade.
*1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirl ...
– A USAF F-4C Phantom #63-7599 is shot down by a North Vietnamese SAM-2
The S-75 (Russian: С-75; NATO reporting name SA-2 Guideline) is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude air defence system, built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance. Following its first deployment in 1957 it became one of the most w ...
northeast of Hanoi, the first loss of a U.S. aircraft to a Vietnamese surface-to-air missile in the Vietnam War.
* July 26 – Lord Gardiner issues the Practice Statement
The Practice Statement 9663 All ER 77 was a statement made in the House of Lords by Lord Gardiner LC on 26 July 1966 on behalf of himself and the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, that they would depart from precedent in the Lords in order to achieve j ...
in the House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
of the United Kingdom, stating that the House is not bound to follow its own previous precedent
A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great valu ...
.
* July 28
Events Pre-1600
*1364 – Troops of the Republic of Pisa and the Republic of Florence clash in the Battle of Cascina.
*1540 – Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, on the same day his former Chancellor, Thom ...
– The U.S. announces that a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance plane has disappeared over Cuba.
* July 29
Events Pre-1600
* 587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple.
* 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12.
* 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo ...
** 1966 Nigerian counter-coup: Army officers from the north of Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
execute head of state General Aguiyi-Ironsi and install Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Dan-Yumma 'Jack' Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian Army general and military leader. As Head of State of Nigeria, Gowon presided over a controversial Nigerian Civil War and delivered the famous "no victor, no vanquishe ...
.
** '' La Noche de los Bastones Largos'': Junta takes over Argentine universities.
** Bob Dylan is injured in a motorcycle accident near his home in Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 in 20 ...
. He is not seen in public for over a year.
* July 30 – England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
beats West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
4–2 to win the 1966 FIFA World Cup at Wembley after extra time.
* July 31 – The pleasure cruiser MV ''Darlwyne'' disappeared
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organi ...
off the Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
coast with the loss of all 31 aboard.
August
* August 1
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic.
*AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under ...
** Sniper Charles Whitman
Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) was an American mass murderer who became known as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, Whitman used knives to kill his mother and his wife in their respective homes, then went to ...
kills 14 people and wounds 32 from atop the University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
Main Building tower, after earlier killing his wife and mother.
** The British Colonial Office
The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of c ...
merges with the Commonwealth Relations Office to form a new Commonwealth Office.
* August 2 – The Spanish government forbids overflights by British military aircraft.
* August 5
** Groundbreaking takes place for the World Trade Center in New York City.
** Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
leads a civil rights march in Chicago, during which he is struck by a rock thrown from an angry white mob.
** The Caesars Palace hotel and casino opens in Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
* August 6
** Braniff Flight 250 crashes in Falls City, Nebraska, killing all 42 on board.
** René Barrientos takes office as the President of Bolivia.
** The Salazar Bridge (later the 25 de Abril Bridge
The 25 de Abril Bridge ( pt, Ponte 25 de Abril, 25th of April Bridge, ) is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tagus river. It has a total len ...
) opens in Lisbon, Portugal.
* August 10
Events Pre-1600
* 654 – Pope Eugene I elected to succeed Martinus I.
* 955 – Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Gro� ...
** An East German court sentences Günter Laudahn to life imprisonment for spying for the United States.
** Lunar Orbiter 1
The 1966 Lunar Orbiter 1 robotic spacecraft mission, part of NASA's Lunar Orbiter program, was the first American spacecraft to orbit the Moon. It was designed primarily to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selection and verifica ...
, the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the moon, is launched.
* August 11
** Indonesia and Malaysia issue a joint peace declaration, formally ending the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation which began in 1963.
** The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
hold a press conference in Chicago, during which John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
apologizes for his " more popular than Jesus" remark, saying, "I didn't mean it as a lousy anti-religious thing."
* August 12
Events Pre-1600
*1099 – First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade.
* 1121 – B ...
– Massacre of Braybrook Street: Harry Roberts, John Duddy and Jack Witney shoot dead 3 plainclothes policemen in London; they are later sentenced to life imprisonment.
* August 15
Events Pre-1600
* 636 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins.
* 717 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Const ...
– Syrian and Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i troops clash over Lake Kinneret (also known as the Sea of Galilee) for 3 hours.
* August 17
Events Pre-1600
*309/310 – Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, possibly from a hunger strike.
* 682 – Pope Leo II begins his pontificate.
* 986 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle ...
– Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and the United Arab Republic
The United Arab Republic (UAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية المتحدة, al-Jumhūrīyah al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1971. It was initially a political union between Eg ...
begin negotiations in Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
to end the war in Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
.
* August 18
Events Pre-1600
* 684 – Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria.
* 707 – Princess Abe accedes to the imperial Japanese throne as Empress Genmei.
*1304 & ...
– Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
– Battle of Long Tan
The Battle of Long Tan (18 August 1966) took place in a rubber plantation near Long Tân, in Phước Tuy Province, South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. The action was fought between Viet Cong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) units ...
: D Company, 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, meets and defeats a Viet Cong
,
, war = the Vietnam War
, image = FNL Flag.svg
, caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green.
, active ...
force estimated to be four times larger, in Phuoc Tuy Province, Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of t ...
.
* August 19 – The 6.8 Varto earthquake affects the town of Varto in eastern Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''), killing at least 2,394–3,000 and injuring at least 1,420.
* August 21 – Seven men are sentenced to death in Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
for anti- Nasser agitation.
* August 22
Events Pre-1600
* 392 – Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor.
* 851 – Battle of Jengland: Erispoe defeats Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland.
*1138 – Battle of the Standard between Scotland a ...
** The Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field offic ...
(ADB) is established.
** The United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC), predecessor of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), is formed.
* August 26
Events Pre-1600
* 683 – Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah.
*1071 – The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most ...
– The first battle of the South African Air Force and the South African Police
The South African Police (SAP) was the national police force and law enforcement agency in South Africa from 1913 to 1994; it was the ''de facto'' police force in the territory of South West Africa (Namibia) from 1939 to 1981. After South Af ...
with PLAN, the armed wing of the South West Africa People's Organization
The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...
(SWAPO), takes place at Ongulumbashe
Omugulugwombashe (also: ''Ongulumbashe'', official: ''Omugulu gwOombashe''; Otjiherero: ''giraffe leg'') is a settlement in the Tsandi electoral constituency in the Omusati Region of northern Namibia. The settlement features a clinic and a prima ...
during Operation Blue Wildebeest, triggering the South African Border War
The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Ango ...
which continues until 1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
.
* August 29
Events Pre-1600
* 708 – Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708).
* 870 – The city of Melite surrenders to an Aghlabid army following a siege, putting an end to Byzantine M ...
– The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
end their U.S. tour with a concert at Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 ...
in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. It is their last performance as a live touring band.
* August 30
Events Pre-1600
* 70 – Titus ends the siege of Jerusalem after destroying Herod's Temple.
* 1282 – Peter III of Aragon lands at Trapani to intervene in the War of the Sicilian Vespers.
*1363 – The five-week Battle of Lake ...
– France offers independence to French Somaliland ( Djibouti from 1977).
September
* September 1
** United Nations Secretary-General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-g ...
U Thant
Thant (; ; January 22, 1909 – November 25, 1974), known honorifically as U Thant (), was a Burmese diplomat and the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, the first non-Scandinavian to hold the position. He held t ...
declares that he will not seek re-election, because U.N. efforts in Vietnam have failed.
** 98 British tourists die when Britannia Airways Flight 105 crashes in Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
.
* September 6
Events Pre-1600
* 394 – Battle of the Frigidus: Roman emperor Theodosius I defeats and kills Eugenius the usurper. His Frankish ''magister militum'' Arbogast escapes but commits suicide two days later.
*1492 – Christopher Colu ...
– South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of '' Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...
is stabbed to death in Parliament by Dimitri Tsafendas
Dimitri Tsafendas ( el, Δημήτρης Τσαφέντας; 14 January 1918 – 7 October 1999) was a Greek- Mozambican lifelong political militant and the assassin of Prime Minister of South Africa Hendrik Verwoerd on 6 September 1966. .
* September 9
Events Pre-1600
* 337 – Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans succeed their father Constantine I as co-emperors. The Roman Empire is divided between the three Augusti.
*1000 – Battle of Svolder, Viking Age.
* 1141 – ...
– NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
decides to move Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. ACO's and SHAPE's commander is t ...
to Belgium.
* September 12
Events Pre-1600
*490 BC – Battle of Marathon: The conventionally accepted date for the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians and their Plataean allies defeat the first Persian invasion force of Greece.
* 372 – Sixteen Kingdoms: Jin ...
** Gemini 11
Gemini 11 (officially Gemini XI) With Gemini IV, NASA changed to Roman numerals for Gemini mission designations. was the ninth crewed spaceflight mission of NASA's Project Gemini, which flew from September 12 to 15, 1966. It was the 17th crewed ...
(Richard F. Gordon, Jr.
Richard Francis Gordon Jr. (October 5, 1929 – November 6, 2017) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, and an American football executive. He was one of 24 people to have flown to the Moon, as the com ...
, Pete Conrad
Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. (June 2, 1930 – July 8, 1999) was an American NASA astronaut, aeronautical engineer, naval officer and aviator, and test pilot, and commanded the Apollo 12 space mission, on which he became the third person to ...
) docks with an Agena target vehicle.
** B. J. Vorster becomes the new Prime Minister of South Africa.
* September 13
Events Pre-1600
* 585 BC – Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Sabines, and the surrender of Collatia.
* 509 BC – The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on Rome's Capitoline Hi ...
– Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...
in China: Clashes between the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Guards are reported by TASS in the Soviet Union.
* September 16
** In South Vietnam, Thích Trí Quang
Thích Trí Quang ( Hán Nôm: 釋智光) (21 December 1923 – 8 November 2019) was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk best known for his role in leading South Vietnam's Buddhist population during the Buddhist crisis in 1963, and in later Bud ...
ends a 100-day hunger strike.
** The Metropolitan Opera House opens at Lincoln Center in New York City with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's opera '' Antony and Cleopatra''.
* September 19
Events Pre-1600
* 85 – Nerva, suspected of complicity of the death of Domitian, is declared emperor by Senate. The Senate then annuls laws passed by Domitian and orders his statues to be destroyed.
* 634 – Siege of Damascus: Th ...
– Indonesian military commander (later President) Suharto announces the resumption of Indonesian participation in the United Nations.
* September 29
Events Pre-1600
*61 BC – Pompey the Great celebrates his third triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday.
* 1011 – Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, ...
– Hurricane Inez
Hurricane Inez was a powerful major hurricane that affected the Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, and Mexico in 1966. It was the first storm on record to affect all of those areas. It originated from a tropical wave over Africa, and became a tropical ...
strikes Hispaniola, leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands homeless in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
and Haiti.
* September 30
** The Bechuanaland Protectorate in Africa achieves independence from the United Kingdom as Botswana, with Seretse Khama as its first President.
** Baldur von Schirach and Albert Speer are released from Spandau Prison in West Berlin.
October
* October – Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton found the Black Panther Party in the United States.
* October 1
Events Pre-1600
* 331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.
* 366 – Pope Damasus I is consecrated.
* 959 – Edgar the Peaceful becomes king of all England, in succession to Eadw ...
– West Coast Airlines Flight 956 crashes with 18 fatal injuries and no survivors south of Wemme, Oregon
Wemme is an unincorporated community in the northwest United States, located in Clackamas County, Oregon, east of Portland. It is located within the Mount Hood Corridor, between Welches and Brightwood along U.S. Route 26. It is one of the co ...
, the first loss of a DC-9.
* October 3
Events Pre-1600
* 2457 BC – Gaecheonjeol, Hwanung (환웅) purportedly descended from heaven. South Korea's National Foundation Day.
* 52 BC – Gallic Wars: Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrenders to the Romans under Juliu ...
– Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
severs diplomatic relations with the United Arab Republic
The United Arab Republic (UAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية المتحدة, al-Jumhūrīyah al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1971. It was initially a political union between Eg ...
.
* October 4
Events Pre-1600
*AD 23 – Rebels sack the Chinese capital Chang'an during a peasant rebellion.
*1209 – Otto IV is crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Innocent III.
*1302 – The Byzantine–Venetian War comes t ...
** Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
applies for membership in the European Economic Community, which is never granted.
** Basutoland becomes independent of the United Kingdom and takes the name Lesotho.
* October 5
Events Pre-1600
* 610 – Heraclius arrives at Constantinople, kills Byzantine Emperor Phocas, and becomes emperor.
* 816 – King Louis the Pious is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope.
* 869 – The Fourth Coun ...
** UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
signs the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers. This event is to be celebrated as World Teachers' Day.
** Spain closes its Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
border to vehicular traffic.
** An experimental breeder reactor
A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material than it consumes. Breeder reactors achieve this because their neutron economy is high enough to create more fissile fuel than they use, by irradiation of a fertile mate ...
at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan suffers a partial meltdown when its cooling system fails.
* October 6
Events Pre-1600
* 105 BC – Cimbrian War: Defeat at the Battle of Arausio accelerates the Marian reforms of the Roman army of the mid-Republic.
* 69 BC – Third Mithridatic War: The military of the Roman Republic subdue Armenia.
*A ...
** LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
is made illegal in the United States and controlled so strictly that not only are possession and recreational use criminalized, but all legal scientific research programs on the drug in the country are shut down as well.
** The Love Pageant Rally takes place in the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park (a narrow section that projects into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury
Haight-Ashbury () is a district of San Francisco, California, named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets. It is also called The Haight and The Upper Haight. The neighborhood is known as one of the main centers of the counterculture ...
district).
* October 7
Events Pre-1600
* 3761 BC – The epoch reference date (start) of the modern Hebrew calendar.
* 1403 – Venetian–Genoese wars: The Genoese fleet under a French admiral is defeated by a Venetian fleet at the Battle of Modon.
* 1477 ...
– The Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
declares that all Chinese students must leave the country before the end of October.
* October 9
Events Pre-1600
* 768 – Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned kings of the Franks.
* 1238 – James I of Aragon founds the Kingdom of Valencia.
* 1410 – The first known mention of the Prague astronomical clock.
* 1446 &ndash ...
– Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
: Binh Tai Massacre.
* October 11
Events Pre-1600
*1138 – A massive earthquake strikes Aleppo; it is one of the most destructive earthquakes ever.
*1142 – A peace treaty ends the Jin–Song wars.
* 1311 – The peerage and clergy restrict the authority of Engl ...
– France and the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
sign a treaty for cooperation in nuclear research.
* October 14
** Closure of Intra Bank begins a crisis in the Lebanese banking system.
** The city of Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
inaugurates the Montreal Metro system.
* October 17
Events Pre-1600
* 690 – Empress Wu Zetian establishes the Zhou Dynasty of China.
*1091 – London tornado of 1091: A tornado thought to be of strength T8/F4 strikes the heart of London.
*1346 – The English capture King Davi ...
– Lesotho and Botswana are admitted to the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
.
* October 21
Events Pre-1600
*1096 – A Seljuk Turkish army successfully fights off the People's Crusade.
*1097 – First Crusade: Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemund of Taranto, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, begin the Siege of A ...
** Aberfan disaster
The Aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on 21 October 1966. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the Welsh village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, and overlaid a natural spring. Heavy rain led ...
in South Wales (U.K.): 144 (including 116 children) are killed by a collapsing coal spoil tip.
** The AFL-NFL merger in American football is approved by the U.S. Congress.
* October 22
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – The Chalcedonian Creed, regarding the divine and human nature of Jesus, is adopted by the Council of Chalcedon, an ecumenical council.
* 794 – Emperor Kanmu relocates the Japanese capital to Heian-kyō (no ...
– Spain demands that the United Kingdom stop military flights to Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
; Britain refuses the next day.
* October 26
Events Pre-1600
* 1185 – The Uprising of Asen and Peter begins on the feast day of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki and ends with the creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire.
* 1341 – The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 formally b ...
** NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
decides to move its headquarters from Paris to Brussels.
** A fire aboard the aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Tonkin kills 44 crewmen.
* October 27
Events Pre-1600
* 312 – Constantine is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.
* 1275 – Traditional founding of the city of Amsterdam.
* 1524 – French troops lay siege to Pavia.
* 1553 – Condemned as ...
** The United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
terminates the mandate given by the League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
and proclaims that South West Africa
South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...
will be administrated by the United Nations. This is rejected by South Africa.
** Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
records his final filmed appearance prior to his death, detailing his plans for EPCOT
Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...
, a utopian planned city to be built in Florida.
November
* November 1 – The National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
in the United States awards its sixteenth franchise to the city of . The team will be named the New Orleans Saints.
* November 2
Events Pre-1600
* 619 – A qaghan of the Western Turkic Khaganate is assassinated in a Chinese palace by Eastern Turkic rivals after the approval of Tang emperor Gaozu.
* 1410 – The Peace of Bicêtre suspends hostilities in the ...
– The Cuban Adjustment Act comes into force, allowing 123,000 Cubans the opportunity to apply for permanent residency
Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with suc ...
in the United States.
* November 4 – 1966 flood of the Arno
The 1966 flood of the Arno ( it, Alluvione di Firenze del 4 novembre 1966) in Florence killed 101 people and damaged or destroyed millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. It is considered the worst flood in the city's history since 1557. Wi ...
river in Italy hits Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, flooding it to a maximum depth of , leaving thousands homeless and destroying millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. In addition, a severe tidal flood hits Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
.
* November 5 – Thirty-eight African states demand that the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
use force against the Rhodesian government.
* November 6
Events Pre-1600
* 447 – A powerful earthquake destroys large portions of the Walls of Constantinople, including 57 towers.
* 963 – Synod of Rome: Emperor Otto I calls a council at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Pope John XII is ...
– Lunar Orbiter 2
The 1966 Lunar Orbiter 2 robotic spacecraft mission, part of the Lunar Orbiter Program, was designed primarily to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selection and verification of safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo mis ...
is launched.
* November 8
Events Pre-1600
* 960 – Battle of Andrassos: Byzantines under Leo Phokas the Younger score a crushing victory over the Hamdanid Emir of Aleppo, Sayf al-Dawla.
*1278 – Trần Thánh Tông, the second emperor of the Trần dynasty, ...
– Screen actor Ronald Reagan is elected Governor of California.
* November 10
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Emperor Leo II dies after a reign of ten months. He is succeeded by his father Zeno, who becomes sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire.
* 937 – Ten Kingdoms: Li Bian usurps the throne and deposes Emperor Yang ...
– Seán Lemass
Seán Francis Lemass (born John Francis Lemass; 15 July 1899 – 11 May 1971) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1959 to 1966. He also served as Tánaiste from 1957 to 1959, 1951 to 1954 ...
retires as Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...
of the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
to be replaced in the role by fellow Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...
member Jack Lynch.
* November 11
** A mine kills 3 Israeli paratroopers on the West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
border.
** Spain declares general amnesty for crimes committed during the Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, effective only for the Falangists' side.
* November 12 – Total solar eclipse occurs, the 20th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 142
Saros cycle series 142 for solar eclipses occurs at the Moon's descending node, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, contains 72 events. 41 of these are total eclipses, the longest of which occurs on May 28, 2291 and will last 6 minutes 34 second ...
.
* November 14
Events Pre-1600 1601–1900
*1680 – German astronomer Gottfried Kirch discovers the Great Comet of 1680, the first comet to be discovered by telescope.
*1770 – James Bruce discovers what he believes to be the source of the Nile.
...
– Jack L. Warner sells Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
to Seven Arts Productions, which eventually becomes Warner Bros.-Seven Arts.
* November 15
** Gemini 12
Gemini 12 (officially Gemini XII) With Gemini IV, NASA changed to Roman numerals for Gemini mission designations. was a 1966 crewed spaceflight in NASA's Project Gemini. It was the 10th and final crewed Gemini flight ( Gemini 1 and Gemini 2 wer ...
( James A. Lovell, Buzz Aldrin) splashes down safely in the Atlantic Ocean, east of the Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...
.
** A Boeing 727 freighter on Pan Am Flight 708
Pan Am Flight 708 (PA 708) was a cargo flight that crashed on initial approach less than west-southwest of its destination airport, Berlin Tegel in Germany, in the early morning hours of November 15, 1966. The flight was operated by a Pan Ameri ...
crashes near Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, Germany, killing all three crew on board.
** Two young couples in Point Pleasant, West Virginia reportedly see a strange moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
-like creature, which would become known as the Mothman
In West Virginia folklore, the Mothman is a humanoid creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 15, 1966, to December 15, 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the ''Point Pleasant Register'', dated ...
.
* November 17
** The U.N. General Assembly decides to found the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
** A spectacular Leonid meteor shower passes over Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, at the rate of 2,300 a minute for 20 minutes.
* November 21 – In Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
, the army crushes an attempted coup.
* November 24
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Theodosius I makes his '' adventus'', or formal entry, into Constantinople.
*1190 – Conrad of Montferrat becomes King of Jerusalem upon his marriage to Isabella I of Jerusalem.
* 1221 – Genghis Khan d ...
** The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
begin recording sessions for their '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' album at Abbey Road Studios in London.
** TABSO Flight 101
TABSO Flight 101 was a scheduled service of the Bulgarian national airline from Sofia, Bulgaria via Budapest, Hungary and Prague, Czechoslovakia (today's Czech Republic) to Berlin, East Berlin in the German Democratic Republic (today's Germany). ...
, from Sofia, Bulgaria, crashes near Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, killing all 82 people on board.
* November 26
** 1966 Australian federal election
The 1966 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 26 November 1966. All 124 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The incumbent Liberal–Country coalition government, led by Prime Minister Harold Holt, won an ...
: Harold Holt's Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
/Country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
Coalition Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
is re-elected with a significantly increased majority, defeating the Labor Party led by Arthur Calwell
Arthur Augustus Calwell (28 August 1896 – 8 July 1973) was an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Labor Party from 1960 to 1967. He led the party to three federal elections.
Calwell grew up in Melbourne and attended St J ...
. Calwell resigns as Labor leader shortly after; he will be replaced by his deputy and future Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the ...
.
** In the Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
, the Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in ...
defeat the Ottawa Rough Riders to win the 54th Grey Cup
The 54th Grey Cup was hosted at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia on November 26, 1966. The Saskatchewan Roughriders won their first Grey Cup after 53 years of competition for this trophy, after losing eight times. With Eagle Keys ...
at Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
's Empire Stadium 29–14. Saskatchewan were led by quarterback Ron Lancaster
Ronald Lancaster (October 14, 1938 – September 18, 2008) was an American-Canadian professional football player and coach in the Canadian Football League (CFL). As the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders for 16 seasons, he ...
.
* November 27 – The Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
defeat the New York Giants 72–41 in the highest scoring game in National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
history.
* November 28
Events Pre-1600
* 587 – Treaty of Andelot
The Treaty of Andelot (or Pact of Andelot) was signed at Andelot-Blancheville in 587 between King Guntram of Burgundy and Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. Based on the terms of the accord, Brun ...
– Truman Capote's Black and White Ball ('The Party of the Century') is held in New York City.
* November 29
Events Pre-1600
* 561 – Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert I, Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I, divide the Frankish Kingdom.
* 618 – The Tang dynasty scores a decisive victory over t ...
– The sinks in a storm on Lake Huron, killing 28 of 29 crewmen.
* November 30 – Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...
achieves independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
from the United Kingdom.
December
* December 1
Events Pre-1600
* 800 – A council is convened in the Vatican, at which Charlemagne is to judge the accusations against Pope Leo III.
*1420 – Henry V of England enters Paris alongside his father-in-law King Charles VI of France.
* ...
** Kurt Georg Kiesinger is elected Chancellor of West Germany.
** British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Rhodesian Prime minister Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1 ...
negotiate aboard in the Mediterranean.
* December 2
Events Pre-1600
*1244 – Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon.
* 1409 – The University of Leipzig opens. 1601–1900
*1697 – St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren followin ...
– U Thant
Thant (; ; January 22, 1909 – November 25, 1974), known honorifically as U Thant (), was a Burmese diplomat and the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, the first non-Scandinavian to hold the position. He held t ...
agrees to serve a second term as United Nations Secretary General.
* December 3
Events Pre-1600
* 915 – Pope John X crowns Berengar I of Italy as Holy Roman Emperor (probable date). 1601–1900
* 1775 – American Revolutionary War: becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the ...
– Anti-Portuguese demonstrations occur in Macau; a curfew is declared the next day.
* December 5 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in ''Bond v. Floyd'' that the Georgia House of Representatives must seat Julian Bond, having violated his First Amendment to the United States Constitution, First and Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Fourteenth Amendment rights.
* December 6 – Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
: Bình Hòa massacre.
* December 7
** Syria offers weapons to rebels in Jordan.
** Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...
is United Nations Security Council Resolution 230, admitted to the United Nations.
* December 8 – The Typaldos Line's ferry sinks in rough seas in the Aegean Sea near Crete, leaving 217 dead.
* December 12 – Harry Roberts (criminal), Harry Roberts, John Whitney and John Duddy are sentenced to life imprisonment (each with a recommended minimum of 30 years) for the Shepherd's Bush murders of three London policemen on August 12. Roberts, arrested on November 15 north of London, will eventually spend nearly 48 years in prison.
* December 16
** The United Nations Security Council approves an oil embargo against Rhodesia.
** The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights are adopted by the General Assembly, as Resolution 2200 A (XXI).
* December 17 – South Africa does not join the trade embargo against Rhodesia.
* December 19 – The Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field offic ...
begins operations.
* December 20 – U.K. Prime Minister Harold Wilson withdraws all his previous offers to the Rhodesian government and announces that he will agree to independence for the country only after the establishment of a Black majority government there.
* December 22 – Prime Minister Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1 ...
declares that Rhodesia is already a republic.
* December 24 – New York television station WPIX broadcasts ''Yule Log (TV program), The Yule Log'' for the first time; it becomes a Christmas tradition.
* December 25 – Marionette sci-fi series ''Thunderbirds (TV series), Thunderbirds'' airs its final episode on ITV (TV network), ITV in the United Kingdom with a Christmas special.
* December 26 – The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, founder of Organization US (a black nationalist group) and chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, from 1989 to 2002.
* December 31
** East German Premier Walter Ulbricht discusses negotiations about German reunification.
** Eight paintings worth millions of pounds are stolen from Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, but are recovered locally within a week.
** The Congolese government takes over the Union Minière du Haut Katanga.
Date unknown
* Konstantin Chernenko, later leader of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, becomes a candidate member of the Central Committee.
* Paramount Pictures Corporation becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Gulf+Western Industries, Inc.
* Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn are awarded the Fermi Prize.
* The Congress of the United States creates the National Council for Marine Resources and Engineering Development.
* Martin Richards (computer scientist), Martin Richards designs the programming language BCPL.
* The World Buddhist Sangha (Buddhism), Sangha Council is convened by Theravada, Theravadins in Sri Lanka, with the hope of bridging differences and working together.
* ''The Jerusalem Bible'', a Roman Catholic translation, is published in English.
* Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann publish ''The Social Construction of Reality''.
* Long-term potentiation (LTP), the putative cell (biology), cellular mechanism of learning and memory, is first observed by Terje Lømo in Oslo, Norway.
* In or about this year, one person returning to Haiti from the Republic of the Congo, Congo is thought to have first brought HIV to the Americas.
Births
January
* January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
– Ivica Dačić, Serbian politician, Prime Minister of Serbia 2012–2014
* January 4 – Christian Kern, Austrian politician, 24th Chancellor of Austria
* January 6 – Sharon Cuneta, Filipino actress, host and singer
* January 7 – Corrie Sanders, South African boxer (d. 2012)
* January 8
** Igor Vyazmikin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2009)
** Andrew Wood (singer), Andrew Wood, American musician (d. 1990)
* January 13 – Patrick Dempsey, American actor and race car driver
* January 14
** Nadia Maftouni, Iranian philosopher
** Dan Schneider, American television producer, screenwriter and actor
* January 17
Events Pre-1600
*38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
* 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on ...
** Shabba Ranks, Jamaican singer
** Nobuyuki Kojima, Korean footballer
* January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrend ...
** Floris Jan Bovelander, Dutch field-hockey player
** Stefan Edberg, Swedish tennis player
** Lena Philipsson, Swedish singer and media personality
* January 20 – Rainn Wilson, American actor, writer and producer
* January 22 – Jegath Gaspar Raj, Tamil Maiyam founder
* January 28 – Andrea Berg, German singer
* January 29 – Romário, Brazilian footballer and politician
February
* February 1 – Michelle Akers, American footballer
* February 3 – Jimmy Thunder, Samoan boxer
* February 5 – José María Olazábal, Spanish golfer
* February 6 – Rick Astley, British pop musician
* February 7
Events Pre-1600
* 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor.
* 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
* 1301 &nd ...
– Kristin Otto, German swimmer
* February 8 – Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian footballer
* February 9 – Ellen van Langen, Dutch athlete
* February 11 – Cristina Elena Grigoraș, Romanian artistic gymnast
* February 13 – Neal McDonough, American actor
* February 17 – Quorthon, Swedish singer, songwriter, musician and record producer (d. 2004)
* February 20 – Cindy Crawford, American model and actress
* February 22 – Rachel Dratch, American actress and comedian
* February 23
**Alexandre Borges, Brazilian actor
**Didier Queloz, Swiss-born astronomer, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate
* February 24 – Billy Zane, American actor
* February 25
** Samson Kitur, Kenyan athlete
** Téa Leoni, American actress
* February 26
** Jennifer Grant, American actress
** Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer
* February 27 – Alison Gertz, American AIDS activist (d. 1992)
* February 28
** Paulo Futre, Portuguese footballer
** Ickey Woods, American football player
March
* March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
– Zack Snyder, American actor, film director, screenwriter and producer
* March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...
– Sheren Tang, Hong Kong actress
* March 3
** Fernando Colunga, Mexican actor
** Vander Lee, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
** Tone Lōc, African American R&B musician
* March 4
Events Pre-1600
*AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).
* 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
* 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...
** Steve Bastoni, Australian actor
** Kevin Johnson (basketball), Kevin Johnson, American basketball player
* March 9 – Tony Lockett, Australian rules footballer
* March 10
Events Pre-1600
* 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
* 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a ...
– Edie Brickell, American singer
* March 13 – Chico Science, Brazilian musician (d. 1997)
* March 17 – Espen Hammer, Norwegian philosopher
* March 18 – Jerry Cantrell, American guitarist and singer
* March 22
** Pia Cayetano, Filipino politician, and lawyer
** António Pinto (athlete), Antonio Pinto, Portuguese long-distance runner
* March 25
** Tom Glavine, American baseball player, MLB Hall of Fame member
** Jeff Healey, Canadian guitarist (d. 2008)
** Anton Rogan, Northern Irish footballer
** Remig Stumpf, German cyclist (d. 2019)
* March 26
Events Pre-1600
* 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
*1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, ...
– Michael Imperioli, American actor
* March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– Krasimir Balakov, Bulgarian footballer
April
* April 2
Events Pre-1600
* 1513 – Having spotted land on March 27, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León comes ashore on what is now the U.S. state of Florida, landing somewhere between the modern city of St. Augustine and the mouth of the St. J ...
– Teddy Sheringham, British footballer
* April 8
** Cynthia Nixon, American actress
** Robin Wright, American actress
* April 11 – Lisa Stansfield, British soul singer
* April 13 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer
* April 14
Events Pre-1600
* 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.
* 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor Otho ...
- Greg Maddux, American baseball player, MLB Hall of Fame member
* April 15
Events Pre-1600
* 769 – The Lateran Council ends by condemning the Council of Hieria and anathematizing its iconoclastic rulings.
* 1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscar ...
– Samantha Fox, British model and singer
* April 17 – Vikram (actor), Vikram, Indian actor
* April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
– Trine Hattestad, Norwegian athlete
* April 20 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher
* April 22 – Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor
* April 25 – Man Arenas, Spanish comic creator
* April 26
Events Pre-1600
* 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
*1348 – Czech king Karel IV founds the Charles University in Prague, which was later named after him and was the first university in Central Europe.
* 1 ...
– Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize–winning poet
* April 27
** Siw Anita Andersen Norwegian actress
** Yoshihiro Togashi, Japanese author and illustrator
* April 28
Events Pre-1600
* 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...
– Ali Reza Pahlavi (born 1966), Ali-Reza Pahlavi, titular prince of Iran (d. 2011)
May
* May 3 – Firdous Bamji, Indian-American actor
* May 5
Events Pre-1600
* 553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
*1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
*1260 – Kub ...
– Lyubov Yegorova (cross-country skier), Lyubov Yegorova, Russian cross-country skier
* May 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1527 – Spanish and German troops sack Rome; many scholars consider this the end of the Renaissance.
* 1536 – The Siege of Cuzco commences, in which Incan forces attempt to retake the city of Cuzco from the Sp ...
** Andrea Chiesa, Swiss Formula One driver
** Cindy Hsu, American Emmy Award-winning journalist
* May 7
Events Pre-1600
* 351 – The Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus breaks out after his arrival at Antioch.
* 558 – In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction. Justinian I imm ...
** Anderson Cummins, Canadian cricketer
** Jes Høgh, Danish footballer
* May 8
** Robert J. Behnen, American genealogist and politician
** Kamil Kašťák, Czech ice hockey player
** Marta Sánchez, Spanish female vocalist, entertainer
** Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian goalkeeper
* May 10
** Mikael Andersson (ice hockey, born 1966), Mikael Andersson, Swedish ice hockey player
** Jonathan Edwards (triple jumper), Jonathan Edwards, British athlete
** Anne Elvebakk, Norwegian biathlete
** Genaro Hernández, Mexican-American boxer
** Wade Dominguez, American actor, model, singer and dancer (d. 1998)
* May 12
Events Pre-1600
* 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism.
* 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang d ...
** Stephen Baldwin, American actor
** Bebel Gilberto, Brazilian popular singer
* May 13
** Cheryl Dunye, Liberian-born film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress
** Darius Rucker, African American country singer
* May 16
** Janet Jackson, African American R&B singer
** Juan Manuel Funes, Guatemalan footballer and coach
* May 17
** Hill Harper, American actor
** Qusay Hussein, Iraqi politician (d. 2003)
* May 19
Events
Pre-1600
* 639 – Ashina Jiesheshuai and his tribesmen assaulted Emperor Taizong at Jiucheng Palace.
* 715 – Pope Gregory II is elected.
*1051 – Henry I of France marries the Rus' princess, Anne of Kiev.
*1445 &nda ...
– Polly Walker, English actress
* May 21
** Lisa Edelstein, American actress and playwright
** François Omam-Biyik, Cameroonian football player
* May 22 – Siri Eftedal, Norwegian team handball player and Olympic medalist
* May 23
** H. Jon Benjamin, American actor and comedian
** Graeme Hick, English cricketer
* May 24
** Eric Cantona, French footballer
** Francisco Javier Cruz, Mexican football player
** Russell Kun, Nauruan politician
* May 25
Events Pre-1600
* 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
*240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Tol ...
– Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh, Iranian goalkeeper
* May 26
** Helena Bonham Carter, English actress
** Zola Budd, South African athlete
* May 27
** Heston Blumenthal, British chef
** Carol Campbell (actress), Carol Campbell, Afro-German actress, model and presenter
* May 30 – Thomas Häßler, German football player
June
* June 3 – Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricketer
* June 4
** Cecilia Bartoli, Italian mezzo-soprano
** Svetlana Jitomirskaya, American mathematician
** Vladimir Voevodsky, Russian mathematician (d. 2017)
* June 6 – Faure Gnassingbé, President of Togo
* June 7 – Tom McCarthy (director), Tom McCarthy, American film director and actor
* June 8
** Jens Kidman, Swedish musician
** Julianna Margulies, American actress and producer
* June 13
Events Pre-1600
* 313 – The decisions of the Edict of Milan, signed by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Valerius Licinius, granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire, are published in Nicomedia.
* 1325 – Ibn Battuta ...
– Grigori Perelman, Russian mathematician
* June 14
Events Pre-1600
* 1158 – The city of Munich is founded by Henry the Lion on the banks of the river Isar.
* 1216 – First Barons' War: Prince Louis of France takes the city of Winchester, abandoned by John, King of England, and soon ...
– Eduardo Waghorn, Chilean musician
* June 15 – Roberto Carnevale, Italian musician
* June 16 – Jan Železný, Czech javelin thrower
* June 18
Events Pre-1600
* 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China.
* 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
* 860 – Byzantine–Rus' War: A fleet of about ...
– Kurt Browning, Canadian figure skater
* June 19 – Samuel West, British actor
* June 22
** Michael Park (co-driver), Michael Park, British rally co-driver (d. 2005)
** Emmanuelle Seigner, French actress
** Dean Woods, Australian cyclist and Olympic champion (d. 2022)
* June 23 – Richie Jen, Taiwanese musician
* June 24 – Adrienne Shelly, American actress, film director and screenwriter (d. 2006)
* June 25 – Dikembe Mutombo, Congolese basketball player
* June 26 – Dany Boon, French comedian and filmmaker
* June 27 – J. J. Abrams, American television writer and producer
* June 28
** John Cusack, American actor
** Mary Stuart Masterson, American actress
* June 29 – Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Indonesian politician, governor of Jakarta
* June 30
** Cheryl Bernard, Canadian Olympic curler
** Marton Csokas, New Zealand actor
** Mike Tyson, African American boxer
July
* July 1
** Enrico Annoni, Italian footballer
** Samir Rifai, Prime Minister of Jordan
* July 3
Events Pre-1600
* 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
* 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revolut ...
– František Štorm, Czech musician (Master's Hammer) and typographer
* July 5 – Gianfranco Zola, Italian footballer
* July 8 – Shadlog Bernicke, Nauruan politician
* July 9 – Pamela Adlon, American actress, voice actress, screenwriter, producer and director
* July 10 – Gina Bellman, New Zealand-British actress
* July 11 – Kentaro Miura, Japanese author and illustrator
* July 14 – Matthew Fox, American actor
* July 15
** Irène Jacob, French-born actress
** Kristoff St. John, American actor (d. 2019)
* July 16
** Frankie Gan Joon Zin, Malaysian politician
** Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy, Malaysian lawyer
* July 18
** Lori Alan, American actress and voice actress
** Dan O'Brien, American athlete
* July 20 – Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico (2012-2018), Governor of the State of Mexico (2005–2011)
* July 21 – Sarah Waters, British novelist
* July 26 – Angelo Di Livio, Italian footballer
* July 28
Events Pre-1600
*1364 – Troops of the Republic of Pisa and the Republic of Florence clash in the Battle of Cascina.
*1540 – Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, on the same day his former Chancellor, Thom ...
– Miguel Ángel Nadal, Spanish footballer
* July 29
Events Pre-1600
* 587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple.
* 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12.
* 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo ...
– Richard Steven Horvitz, American actor and voice actor
* July 30
** Murilo Bustamante, Brazilian mixed martial artist
** Allan Langer, Australian rugby league player
* July 31 – Dean Cain, American actor
August
* August 5 – James Gunn, American filmmaker
* August 7
** Harith Iskander, Malaysian actor and comedian
** Jimmy Wales, American-British entrepreneur, co-founder of Wikipedia[. Quoted from the April 25, 2004, first-ever press release issued by the Wikimedia Foundation.]
* August 10
Events Pre-1600
* 654 – Pope Eugene I elected to succeed Martinus I.
* 955 – Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Gro� ...
** Charlie Dimmock, English TV gardening expert
** Hossam Hassan, Egyptian footballer
** André Sogliuzzo, American actor and voice actor
* August 11 – Juan María Solare, Argentine composer
* August 12
Events Pre-1600
*1099 – First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade.
* 1121 – B ...
– Les Ferdinand, English footballer
* August 14
** Halle Berry, American actress
** Freddy Rincón, Colombian footballer (d. 2022)
* August 17
Events Pre-1600
*309/310 – Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, possibly from a hunger strike.
* 682 – Pope Leo II begins his pontificate.
* 986 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle ...
– Rodney Mullen, American skateboarder
* August 19 – Lee Ann Womack, American musician
* August 20
** Dimebag Darrell, American guitarist (d. 2004)
** Enrico Letta, 55th Prime Minister of Italy
** Liu Chunyan, Chinese voice actress and host
* August 23 – Rik Smits, Dutch basketball player
* August 26
Events Pre-1600
* 683 – Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah.
*1071 – The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most ...
– Jacques Brinkman, Dutch field hockey player
* August 27
** Jeroen Duyster, Dutch rower
** Juhan Parts, 15th Prime Minister of Estonia
* August 28 – Priya Dutt, Indian social worker and politician
September
* September 1 – Tim Hardaway, American basketball player
* September 2 – Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress
* September 4 – Yanka Dyagileva, Russian singer (d. 1991)
* September 6
Events Pre-1600
* 394 – Battle of the Frigidus: Roman emperor Theodosius I defeats and kills Eugenius the usurper. His Frankish ''magister militum'' Arbogast escapes but commits suicide two days later.
*1492 – Christopher Colu ...
** Emil Boc, 61st Prime Minister of Romania
** Eduardo Maruri, Ecuadorian businessman and politician
* September 7
** Vladimir Andreyev (racewalker), Vladimir Andreyev, Russian race walker
** Toby Jones, English actor
** Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, German speed skater
* September 8 – Carola Häggkvist, Swedish pop singer, Eurovision Song Contest Eurovision Song Contest 1991, 1991 winner
* September 9
Events Pre-1600
* 337 – Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans succeed their father Constantine I as co-emperors. The Roman Empire is divided between the three Augusti.
*1000 – Battle of Svolder, Viking Age.
* 1141 – ...
** Georg Hackl, German skiing, luger
** Adam Sandler, American actor and comedian
* September 12
Events Pre-1600
*490 BC – Battle of Marathon: The conventionally accepted date for the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians and their Plataean allies defeat the first Persian invasion force of Greece.
* 372 – Sixteen Kingdoms: Jin ...
** Steve Ells, American entrepreneur and founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill
** Kiko, Princess Akishino, Princess Akishino of Japan
** Malu Mader, Brazilian actress
* September 20 – Nuno Bettencourt, Portuguese-American guitarist and singer-songwriter
* September 21 – Nechirvan Barzani, President of Iraqi Kurdistan
* September 22
** Erdoğan Atalay, German actor
** Moustafa Amar, Egyptian singer
* September 25 – Jason Flemyng, English actor
* September 28 – Maria Canals-Barrera, American actress
* September 29
Events Pre-1600
*61 BC – Pompey the Great celebrates his third triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday.
* 1011 – Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, ...
– Bujar Nishani, President of Albania (d. 2022)
October
* October 1
Events Pre-1600
* 331 BC – Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.
* 366 – Pope Damasus I is consecrated.
* 959 – Edgar the Peaceful becomes king of all England, in succession to Eadw ...
** Ashab Uddin, Indian politician
** George Weah, Liberian politician and football player
* October 2 – Yokozuna (wrestler), Rodney Anoa'i, Samoan-American professional wrestler (d. 2000)
* October 3
Events Pre-1600
* 2457 BC – Gaecheonjeol, Hwanung (환웅) purportedly descended from heaven. South Korea's National Foundation Day.
* 52 BC – Gallic Wars: Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrenders to the Romans under Juliu ...
– Rabbi Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, Israeli settler leader (d. 2000)
* October 5
Events Pre-1600
* 610 – Heraclius arrives at Constantinople, kills Byzantine Emperor Phocas, and becomes emperor.
* 816 – King Louis the Pious is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope.
* 869 – The Fourth Coun ...
– Inessa Kravets, Ukrainian athlete
* October 6
Events Pre-1600
* 105 BC – Cimbrian War: Defeat at the Battle of Arausio accelerates the Marian reforms of the Roman army of the mid-Republic.
* 69 BC – Third Mithridatic War: The military of the Roman Republic subdue Armenia.
*A ...
– Niall Quinn, Irish footballer
* October 7
Events Pre-1600
* 3761 BC – The epoch reference date (start) of the modern Hebrew calendar.
* 1403 – Venetian–Genoese wars: The Genoese fleet under a French admiral is defeated by a Venetian fleet at the Battle of Modon.
* 1477 ...
– Sherman Alexie, Native American author
* October 8 – Aaron Callaghan (footballer, born 1966), Aaron Callaghan, Irish football club executive
* October 9
Events Pre-1600
* 768 – Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned kings of the Franks.
* 1238 – James I of Aragon founds the Kingdom of Valencia.
* 1410 – The first known mention of the Prague astronomical clock.
* 1446 &ndash ...
– David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
* October 10
** Tony Adams, English footballer
** Carolyn Bertozzi, American chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
** Bai Ling, Chinese actress
** Elana Meyer, South African athlete
* October 11
Events Pre-1600
*1138 – A massive earthquake strikes Aleppo; it is one of the most destructive earthquakes ever.
*1142 – A peace treaty ends the Jin–Song wars.
* 1311 – The peerage and clergy restrict the authority of Engl ...
– Luke Perry, American actor (d. 2019)
* October 15
** Eric Benét, African American singer-songwriter
** Jorge Campos, Mexican footballer and coach
* October 18 – Angela Visser, Dutch winner of Miss Universe 1989
* October 19 – Jon Favreau, American actor and director
* October 20 – Stefan Raab, German entertainer, television host, comedian and musician
* October 22
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – The Chalcedonian Creed, regarding the divine and human nature of Jesus, is adopted by the Council of Chalcedon, an ecumenical council.
* 794 – Emperor Kanmu relocates the Japanese capital to Heian-kyō (no ...
– Valeria Golino, Italian-Greek film and television actress
* October 24 – Roman Abramovich, UK-based Russian billionaire businessman
* October 25 – Wendel Clark, Canadian hockey player
* October 28 – Andy Richter, American actor, writer, comedian and late night talk show announcer
* October 30 – Zoran Milanović, Croatian politician, President of Croatia
* October 31
**Ad-Rock, Adam Horovitz, American rapper
**Mike O'Malley, American actor and playwright
November
*November 2
Events Pre-1600
* 619 – A qaghan of the Western Turkic Khaganate is assassinated in a Chinese palace by Eastern Turkic rivals after the approval of Tang emperor Gaozu.
* 1410 – The Peace of Bicêtre suspends hostilities in the ...
**David Schwimmer, American actor
* November 3 – Joe Hachem, Lebanese-born Australian poker player
* November 8
Events Pre-1600
* 960 – Battle of Andrassos: Byzantines under Leo Phokas the Younger score a crushing victory over the Hamdanid Emir of Aleppo, Sayf al-Dawla.
*1278 – Trần Thánh Tông, the second emperor of the Trần dynasty, ...
– Gordon Ramsay, Scottish-born chef, restaurateur and television personality
* November 11
** Benedicta Boccoli, Italian model and actress
** Peaches (musician), Peaches, Canadian musician
* November 13 – Susanna Haapoja, Finnish politician (d. 2009)
* November 15 – Rachel True, American actress
* November 17
** Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
** Daisy Fuentes, Cuban-born American model and television personality
** Sophie Marceau, French actress
* November 19
** Gail Devers, American track and field athlete
** Jason Scott Lee, American actor and martial artist
* November 22
** Orlando Jorge Mera, Dominican politician (d. 2022)
** Michael K. Williams, American actor (d. 2021)
* November 23
**Vincent Cassel, French actor
**Michelle Gomez, Scottish actress
* November 24
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Theodosius I makes his '' adventus'', or formal entry, into Constantinople.
*1190 – Conrad of Montferrat becomes King of Jerusalem upon his marriage to Isabella I of Jerusalem.
* 1221 – Genghis Khan d ...
– Juan Pablo Gamboa, Colombian actor
* November 25
** Billy Burke (actor), Billy Burke, American actor
** Roberto Rojas, Bolivian politician (d. 2022)
* November 26 – Garcelle Beauvais, Haitian-American actress, singer and fashion model
* November 28
Events Pre-1600
* 587 – Treaty of Andelot
The Treaty of Andelot (or Pact of Andelot) was signed at Andelot-Blancheville in 587 between King Guntram of Burgundy and Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. Based on the terms of the accord, Brun ...
– Narumi Yasuda, Japanese actress
* November 29
Events Pre-1600
* 561 – Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert I, Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I, divide the Frankish Kingdom.
* 618 – The Tang dynasty scores a decisive victory over t ...
– John Bradshaw Layfield, American professional wrestler
December
* December 1
Events Pre-1600
* 800 – A council is convened in the Vatican, at which Charlemagne is to judge the accusations against Pope Leo III.
*1420 – Henry V of England enters Paris alongside his father-in-law King Charles VI of France.
* ...
- Larry Walker, Canadian baseball player, MLB Hall of Fame member
* December 3
Events Pre-1600
* 915 – Pope John X crowns Berengar I of Italy as Holy Roman Emperor (probable date). 1601–1900
* 1775 – American Revolutionary War: becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the ...
– Adam Berry, American composer
* December 4
** Fred Armisen, American actor, comedian and musician
** Carey Means, American actor and voice artist
* December 5 – Patricia Kaas, French singer and actress
* December 7
** C. Thomas Howell, American actor and director
** Linn Ullmann, Norwegian journalist and author
* December 8
** Bushwick Bill, Jamaican-American rapper (d. 2019)
** Matthew Labyorteaux, American actor
** Sinéad O'Connor, Irish pop singer
** Ralph Santolla, Italian-American metal guitarist (d. 2018)
* December 9
** Tim Bull, Australian politician
** Michael Foster (musician), Michael Foster, American musician, drummer
* December 10
** Montserrat Gil Torné, Andorran politician
** Kirsten Gillibrand, American politician; United States Senator (D-NY)
** Julio Rodas, Guatemalan soccer player
** Mateo Romero (artist), Mateo Romero, Native American painter
** Gideon Sa'ar, Israeli politician
** Kadyrbek Sarbayev, foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan
** Natee Thongsookkaew, Thailand footballer
* December 12
** Último Dragón, Japanese professional wrestler
** Lydia Zimmermann, Spanish filmmaker
* December 14
** Anthony Mason (basketball), Anthony Mason, American basketball player (d. 2015)
** Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Danish Prime Minister
* December 15 – Katja von Garnier, German film director
* December 17 – Miloš Tichý, Czech astronomer
* December 19
** Tim Sköld, Swedish multi-instrumentalist musician
** Alberto Tomba, Italian alpine skier
* December 20 – Ed de Goeij, Dutch footballer
* December 21 – Kiefer Sutherland, Canadian actor and film director
* December 22
** Din Beramboi, Malaysian comedian, actor and radio DJ (d. 2010)
** Dmitry Bilozerchev, Soviet gymnast
* December 23 – Cláudia Raia, Brazilian actress, dancer and singer
* December 24 – Diedrich Bader, American actor and voice artist
* December 27 – Bill Goldberg, American professional wrestler
* December 28 – Kaliopi, Macedonian singer-songwriter
* December 31 – Maddie Taylor, American actress and comedian
Date unknown
* Guli Francis-Dehqani, Iranian-born Anglican diocesan bishop
* Julian Hooper, New Zealand artist
* Charbel Iskandar, Lebanese actor
* Kivi Larmola, Finnish artist
Deaths
January
* January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...
– Vincent Auriol, French politician, President of France (b. 1884)
* January 3
** Sammy Younge Jr., American civil rights activist (b. 1944)
** Marguerite Higgins, American journalist (b. 1920)
** Rex Lease, American actor (b. 1903)
* January 4 – Georges Theunis, 24th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1873)
* January 10 – Ignacy Oziewicz, Polish general (b. 1887)
* January 11
** Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter (b. 1901)
** Hannes Kolehmainen, Finnish Olympic athlete (b. 1889)
** Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri (; 2 October 1904 – 11 January 1966) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of India from 1964 to 1966 and 6th Home Minister of India from 1961 to 1963. He promoted the White Re ...
, Indian activist, 2nd Prime Minister of India (b. 1904)
* January 14
** Sergei Korolev, Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer (b. 1907)
** Bill Carr, American Olympic athlete (b. 1909)
* January 15
** Samuel Akintola, Nigerian premier of the Western Nigeria, Western region and Aare Ona Kakanfo XIII of the Yoruba (assassinated) (b. 1910)
** Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was a Nigerian politician who served as the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria upon independence.
Early life
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in December 1912 in modern-day ...
, Nigerian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Nigeria (assassinated) (b. 1912)
** Ahmadu Bello, Nigerian premier of the Premier of Northern Nigeria, Northern region (assassinated) (b. 1910)
* January 16 – Courtney Hodges, American army general (b. 1887)
* January 17
Events Pre-1600
*38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
* 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on ...
– Vincent J. Donehue, American stage director (b. 1917)
* January 18 – Kathleen Norris, American writer (b. 1880)
* January 22 – Herbert Marshall, English actor (b. 1890)
* January 25 – Saul Adler, Russian-born British-Israeli expert on parasitology (b. 1895)
* January 31
Events Pre-1600
* 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
*1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the ...
** Elizabeth Patterson (actress), Elizabeth Patterson, American actress (b. 1875)
** Arthur Percival, British general (b.1887)
February
* February 1
** Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (b. 1885)
** Buster Keaton, American actor and film director (b. 1895)
** Joseph R. Knowland, American politician and newspaper publisher (b. 1873)
* February 3 – June Walker, American actress (b. 1900)
* February 5 – Louisa Martindale, British physician, writer, magistrate and prison commissioner (b. 1872)
* February 6 – Narcisa de León, Filipino film producer (b. 1877)
* February 9 – Sophie Tucker, American singer (b. 1886)
* February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, spar ...
** J. F. C. Fuller, British general and military strategist (b. 1878)
** Billy Rose, American composer and band leader (b. 1899)
* February 12 – Wilhelm Röpke, German economist (b. 1899)
* February 15
** Gerard Antoni Ciołek, Gerard Ciołek, Polish architect and historian (b. 1909)
** Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian socialist and Roman Catholic priest (b. 1929)
* February 17
**Alfred P. Sloan, American automobile industrialist (b. 1875)
**Hans Hofmann, German-American painter (b. 1880)
* February 18 – Robert Rossen, American film director (b. 1908)
* February 20 – Chester W. Nimitz, American Navy admiral (b. 1885)
* February 25 – Victor Kravchenko (defector), Victor Kravchenko, Soviet writer (b. 1905)
* February 26
** Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian pro-independence activist, Hindu nationalist (b. 1883)
** Gino Severini, Italian painter (b. 1883)
* February 28
** Charles Bassett, American astronaut (b. 1931)
** Jonathan Hale, American actor (b. 1891)
** Elliot See, American astronaut (b. 1927)
March
* March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
** Fritz Houtermans, German physicist (b. 1903)
** William R. Munroe, American admiral (b. 1886)
** Donald Stewart (actor), Donald Stewart, American actor (b. 1910)
* March 3
** Joseph Fields, American playwright (b. 1895)
** William Frawley, American actor (''I Love Lucy'') (b. 1887)
** Alice Pearce, American actress (b. 1917)
* March 5 – Anna Akhmatova, Russian poet (b. 1889)
* March 7 – Donald B. Beary, American admiral (b. 1888)
* March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bou ...
** William Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor, British politician (b. 1907)
** Abdel Hadi Al Gazzar, Egyptian painter (b. 1925)
* March 10
Events Pre-1600
* 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
* 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a ...
** Frank O'Connor, Irish writer (b. 1903)
** Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
* March 12 – Néstor Guillén, Bolivian politician, 40th President of Bolivia
The president of Bolivia ( es, Presidente de Bolivia), officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia ( es, Presidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia), is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the ca ...
(b. 1890)
* March 20
Events Pre-1600
* 673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka.
* 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
* 1600 – The Link ...
** Laurence Abrams, English professional footballer (b. 1889)
** Johnny Morrison (baseball), Johnny Morrison, American professional baseball player (b. 1895)
* March 27
Events Pre-1600
*1309 – Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized on Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
* 1329 – Pope John XXII ...
– Helen Menken, American actress (b. 1901)
* March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– Stylianos Gonatas, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
* March 30 – Erwin Piscator, German theater director (b. 1893)
April
* April 1 – Brian O'Nolan, Irish humorist (b. 1911)
* April 2
Events Pre-1600
* 1513 – Having spotted land on March 27, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León comes ashore on what is now the U.S. state of Florida, landing somewhere between the modern city of St. Augustine and the mouth of the St. J ...
– C. S. Forester, English author (b. 1899)
* April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
*1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
*1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created.
* ...
– Battista Farina, Italian car designer (b. 1893)
* April 6 – Julia Faye, American actress (b. 1893)
* April 10 – Evelyn Waugh, English author (b. 1903)
*April 11 - William H. Pitsenbarger, United States Air Force Medal of Honour recipient (b. 1944)
* April 13
** Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881)
** Georges Duhamel, French author (b. 1884)
** Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi military officer and statesman, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921)
* April 17 – Mario Serandrei, Italian editor and screenwriter (b. 1907)
* April 19 – Javier Solís, Mexican singer and actor (b. 1931)
* April 20 – Prince Frederick of Prussia (1911–1966), Prince Frederick of Prussia (b. 1911)
* April 21 – Sepp Dietrich, Nazi German military leader and Schutzstaffel, SS commander (b. 1892)
* April 23 – George Ohsawa, Japanese dietist, founder of Macrobiotics (b. 1893)
* April 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th dynasty).
*1183 BC – Traditional reckoning of the Fall of Troy ...
– Tino Pattiera, Yugoslav-born Italian tenor (b. 1890)
* April 29 – Eugene O'Brien (actor), Eugene O'Brien, American actor (b. 1880)
May
* May 4
Events Pre-1600
* 1256 – The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull ''Licet ecclesiae catholicae''.
* 1415 – Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus ar ...
– Amédée Ozenfant, French painter (b. 1886)
* May 8 – Erich Pommer, German film producer (b. 1889)
* May 11 – Alfred Wintle, British army officer and eccentric (b. 1897)
* May 14 – Ludwig Meidner, German painter (b. 1884)
* May 15
** Venceslau Brás, 9th President of Brazil, leader in World War II (b. 1868)
** Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, 30th President of El Salvador (assassinated) (b. 1882)
** Titien Sumarni, Indonesian actress (b. 1932)
* May 20 – Carlos Arruza, Mexican bullfighter (b. 1920)
* May 21 – Lady Dorothy Macmillan, spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1900)
* May 22 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (b. 1900)
* May 23 – Demchugdongrub, Mongolian politician (b. 1902)
* May 24 – Jim Barnes, English golf champion (b. 1886)
* May 25
Events Pre-1600
* 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
*240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Tol ...
– Vernon Sturdee, Australian general (b. 1890)
* May 29
Events Pre-1600
* 363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city.
* 1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under ...
– John and James Woolf, James Woolf, British film producer (b. 1919)
June
* June 1 – Papa Jack Laine, American jazz musician (b. 1873)
* June 3 – Nicholas Straussler, Hungarian engineer (b. 1891)
* June 6 – Ethel Clayton, American actress (b. 1882)
* June 7 – Jean Arp, Alsatian sculptor, painter and poet (b. 1886)
* June 8 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (b. 1890)
* June 11 – Wallace Ford, English-born American actor (b. 1898)
* June 12
** William Ernest Hocking, American philosopher (b. 1873)
** Hermann Scherchen, Austrian conductor (b. 1891)
* June 15 – Robert G. Fowler, American pioneer aviator (b. 1884)
* June 19 – Ed Wynn, American actor and comedian (b. 1886)
* June 20 – Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest and astrophysicist (b. 1894)
* June 30
** Margery Allingham, British detective fiction writer (b. 1904)
** Giuseppe Farina, Italian race car driver (b. 1906)
July
* July 2
** Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (b. 1900)
** John of Shanghai and San Francisco, John the Wonderworker, Chinese Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox bishop, American archbishop and saint (b. 1896)
* July 3
Events Pre-1600
* 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
* 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revolut ...
– Deems Taylor, American composer (b. 1885)
* July 5 – George de Hevesy, Hungarian chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885)
* July 7
Events Pre-1600
* 1124 – The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks.
* 1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her execution.
* 1520 – Spanish ''conquistad ...
– Carmelita Geraghty, American actress (b. 1901)
* July 9 – Venerable Marija Petković, Yugoslav Roman Catholic foundress and Servant of God (b. 1892)
* July 11 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet (b. 1913)
* July 12 – D. T. Suzuki, Japanese scholar and essayist (b. 1870)
* July 14 – Julie Manet, French painter (b. 1878)
* July 18 – Bobby Fuller, American rock and roll musician (b. 1942)
* July 21
** Francesco Paolo Cantelli, Italian mathematician (b. 1875)
** Philipp Frank, Austrian physicist and mathematician (b. 1884)
* July 23
Events Pre-1600
* 811 – Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I plunders the Bulgarian capital of Pliska and captures Khan Krum's treasury.
*1319 – A Knights Hospitaller fleet scores a crushing victory over an Aydinid fleet off Chios. 1 ...
** Montgomery Clift, American actor (b. 1920)
** Douglass Montgomery, American actor (b. 1907)
* July 25 – Frank O'Hara, American poet (b. 1926)
* July 31
** Alexander von Falkenhausen, German general and military advisor, 20 July Plotter (b. 1878)
** Bud Powell, American jazz pianist (b. 1924)
August
* August 1
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic.
*AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under ...
– Charles Whitman
Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) was an American mass murderer who became known as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, Whitman used knives to kill his mother and his wife in their respective homes, then went to ...
, American mass murderer (b. 1941)
* August 3 – Lenny Bruce, American comedian (b. 1925)
* August 6 – Cordwainer Smith, American author (b. 1913)
* August 12
Events Pre-1600
*1099 – First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade.
* 1121 – B ...
– Artur Alliksaar, Estonian poet (b. 1923)
* August 15
Events Pre-1600
* 636 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins.
* 717 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Const ...
** Jan Kiepura, Polish tenor and actor (b. 1902)
** Seena Owen, American actress (b. 1894)
* August 17
Events Pre-1600
*309/310 – Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, possibly from a hunger strike.
* 682 – Pope Leo II begins his pontificate.
* 986 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle ...
– Ken Miles, British sports car racing engineer and driver (b. 1918)
* August 19 – Fritz Bleyl, German painter (b. 1880)
* August 23 – Francis X. Bushman, American actor (b. 1883)
* August 24
** Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, Polish general and statesman, 33rd Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1895)
** Vicente Mejía Colindres, 29th President of Honduras (b. 1878)
* August 26
Events Pre-1600
* 683 – Yazid I's army kills 11,000 people of Medina including notable Sahabas in Battle of al-Harrah.
*1071 – The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most ...
– Art Baker (actor), Art Baker, American actor (b. 1898)
September
* September 3 – Fu Lei, Chinese translator (b. 1908)
* September 6
Events Pre-1600
* 394 – Battle of the Frigidus: Roman emperor Theodosius I defeats and kills Eugenius the usurper. His Frankish ''magister militum'' Arbogast escapes but commits suicide two days later.
*1492 – Christopher Colu ...
** Margaret Sanger, American birth control advocate (b. 1879)
** Hendrik Verwoerd
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of '' Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...
, 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa (b. 1901)
* September 14
** Gertrude Berg, American actress (b. 1899)
** Hiram Wesley Evans, American Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard (b. 1881)
** Cemal Gürsel, Turkish general and statesman, 10th Prime Minister of Turkey and 4th President of Turkey (b. 1895)
* September 17 – Fritz Wunderlich, German tenor (b. 1930)
* September 19
Events Pre-1600
* 85 – Nerva, suspected of complicity of the death of Domitian, is declared emperor by Senate. The Senate then annuls laws passed by Domitian and orders his statues to be destroyed.
* 634 – Siege of Damascus: Th ...
– Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov, Soviet scientist and general (b. 1874)
* September 21 – Paul Reynaud, French lawyer and politician, 77th Prime Minister of France (b. 1878)
* September 26
** Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi, Indian Independence activist (b. 1900)
** Helen Kane, American singer (b. 1904)
* September 28
** André Breton, French poet and writer (b. 1896)
** Eric Fleming, American actor (b. 1925)
October
* October 10
** Charlotte Cooper (tennis), Charlotte Cooper, English tennis champion (b. 1870)
** Wilfrid Lawson (actor), Wilfrid Lawson, English actor (b. 1900)
* October 13 – Clifton Webb, American actor, dancer and singer (b. 1889)
* October 16 – George O'Hara (actor), George O'Hara, American actor (b. 1899)
* October 17
Events Pre-1600
* 690 – Empress Wu Zetian establishes the Zhou Dynasty of China.
*1091 – London tornado of 1091: A tornado thought to be of strength T8/F4 strikes the heart of London.
*1346 – The English capture King Davi ...
– Cléo de Mérode, French dancer (b. 1875)
* October 18 – Elizabeth Arden, Canadian-born American beautician and cosmetics entrepreneur (b. 1878)
* October 23 – Claire McDowell, American silent screen actress (b. 1877)
* October 24 – Hans Dreier, German art director (b. 1885)
* October 26
Events Pre-1600
* 1185 – The Uprising of Asen and Peter begins on the feast day of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki and ends with the creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire.
* 1341 – The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 formally b ...
– Alma Cogan, English singer (b. 1932)
* October 28 – Robert Charpentier, French Olympic cyclist (b. 1916)
November
* November 2
Events Pre-1600
* 619 – A qaghan of the Western Turkic Khaganate is assassinated in a Chinese palace by Eastern Turkic rivals after the approval of Tang emperor Gaozu.
* 1410 – The Peace of Bicêtre suspends hostilities in the ...
** Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
** Mississippi John Hurt, African American singer and guitarist (b. 1893)
* November 4 – Dietrich von Choltitz, Nazi German military governor of Paris in World War II (b. 1894)
* November 8
Events Pre-1600
* 960 – Battle of Andrassos: Byzantines under Leo Phokas the Younger score a crushing victory over the Hamdanid Emir of Aleppo, Sayf al-Dawla.
*1278 – Trần Thánh Tông, the second emperor of the Trần dynasty, ...
– Bernhard Zondek German-born Israeli gynecologist, developer of first reliable pregnancy test (b. 1891)
* November 9 – Jisaburō Ozawa, Japanese admiral (b. 1886)
* November 13 – Esna Boyd, Australian tennis player (b. 1899)
* November 14
Events Pre-1600 1601–1900
*1680 – German astronomer Gottfried Kirch discovers the Great Comet of 1680, the first comet to be discovered by telescope.
*1770 – James Bruce discovers what he believes to be the source of the Nile.
...
– Steingrímur Steinþórsson, 11th Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1893)
* November 21 – Władysław Bortnowski, Polish historian and military commander (b. 1891)
* November 23 – Seán T. O'Kelly, 2nd President of Ireland (b. 1882)
* November 26 – Siegfried Kracauer, German writer, sociologist and critic (b. 1889)
* November 28
Events Pre-1600
* 587 – Treaty of Andelot
The Treaty of Andelot (or Pact of Andelot) was signed at Andelot-Blancheville in 587 between King Guntram of Burgundy and Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. Based on the terms of the accord, Brun ...
– Boris Podolsky, Russian-American physicist (b. 1896)
December
* December 2
Events Pre-1600
*1244 – Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon.
* 1409 – The University of Leipzig opens. 1601–1900
*1697 – St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren followin ...
– L.E.J. Brouwer, Dutch mathematician and philosopher (b. 1881)
* December 6 – Juan Natalicio González, Paraguayan poet, 37th President of Paraguay (b. 1897)
* December 14
** Emma Dunn, British-born actress (b. 1875)
** Verna Felton, American actress (b. 1890)
** Richard Whorf, American actor (b. 1906)
* December 15 – Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
, American animated film producer and founder of The Walt Disney Company and Disneyland Resort (b. 1901)
* December 19 – Betty Kuuskemaa, Estonian actress (b. 1879)
* December 22
** Harry Beaumont, American film director (b. 1888)
** Lucy Burns, American women's rights campaigner (b. 1879)
** Robert Keith (actor), Robert Keith, American actor (b. 1898)
* December 26 – Herbert Gille, SS German general (b. 1897)
* December 27 – Guillermo Stábile, Argentine football player and manager (b. 1905)
* December 30 – Christian Herter, United States Secretary of State (b. 1895)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Alfred Kastler
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Robert S. Mulliken
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – Peyton Rous and Charles Brenton Huggins
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Shmuel Yosef Agnon and Nelly Sachs
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – not awarded
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1966
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