Events

January

January 1 January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain 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 year. __TOC__ Events ...

** The

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a legal agreement between many countries, whose overall purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs or quotas. According to its p ...

(GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

s of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

(both later subject to amendment) go into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

ways. *

January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading (871), Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred the Great, Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasi ...

–

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

gains its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming an independent republic, named the ' Union of Burma', with

Sao Shwe Thaik Sao Shwe Thaik (, ''Tsaw³ Kham⁴soek³''; , ; 16 October 1895 – 21 November 1962) was a Burmese politician who served as the first president of the Union of Burma and the last Saopha of Yawnghwe. His full royal title was ''Kambawsaraht ...

as its first President and

U Nu Nu (; ; 25 May 1907 – 14 February 1995), commonly known as Burmese names#Honorifics, U Nu and also by the honorific name Thakin Nu, was a prominent Burmese people, Burmese statesman and the first Prime Minister of Union of Burma. He was ...

its first Prime Minister. *

January 5 Events Pre-1600 * 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. 1601–1900 * 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French ...

– In the United States: **

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

shows the first color

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news, news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a Movie theater, cinema, newsreels were a source of cu ...

(''

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

'' and the ''

Rose Bowl Game The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, traditionally played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl (stadium), Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on ...

''). ** The first

Kinsey Report The Kinsey Reports are two scholarly books on human sexual behavior, ''Sexual Behavior in the Human Male'' (1948) and ''Sexual Behavior in the Human Female'' (1953), written by Alfred Kinsey, Wardell Pomeroy, Clyde Martin, and (for ''Sexual Beh ...

, ''Sexual Behavior in the Human Male'', is published. *

January 7 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of the Roman Republic, Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army, prompting the tribunes who support him to flee to where Caesar is waiting in Ravenna ...

–

Mantell UFO incident On 7 January 1948, 25-year-old Captain Thomas F. Mantell, a Kentucky Air National Guard pilot, died when the P-51 Mustang fighter plane he was piloting crashed near Franklin, Kentucky, United States, after being sent in pursuit of an unidenti ...

Kentucky Air National Guard The Kentucky Air National Guard (KY ANG) is the aerial militia of the United States, U.S. state of Kentucky. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Kentucky Army National Guard, an element of the Kentucky National Guard ...

pilot Thomas Mantell crashes while in pursuit of an

unidentified flying object An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

. *

January 12 Events Pre-1600 * 475 – List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine Emperor Zeno (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 crow ...

–

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

begins his fast-unto-death in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, to stop communal violence during the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

. *

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 peopl ...

– A truce is declared between nationalist Indonesian and Dutch troops in

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

. *

January 22 Events Pre-1600 * 613 – Eight-month-old Heraclius Constantine is crowned as co-emperor ('' Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople. * 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated b ...

– British foreign secretary

Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1940 and ...

proposes the formation of a Western Union between Britain, France and the

Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...

countries to stand up against the Soviet Union. The

Treaty of Brussels The Treaty of Brussels, also referred to as the Brussels Pact, was the founding treaty of the Western Union (WU) between 1948 and 1954, when it was amended as the Modified Brussels Treaty (MTB) and served as the founding treaty of the Western Eu ...

is signed

March 17 Events Pre-1600 * 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda. * 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ...

as a consequence, a predecessor to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. *

January 26 Events Pre-1600 * 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph. * 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people. * 1564 – The Council of T ...

– Teigin poison case: a man masquerading as a doctor poisons 12 of 16 bank employees of the Tokyo branch of Imperial Bank and takes the money; artist Sadamichi Hirasawa is later sentenced to death for the crime, but is never executed. *

January 29 Events Pre-1600 * 904 – Sergius III is elected pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher. * 946 – Caliph al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler ...

– A DC-3 aircraft crash at Los Gatos Creek, near

Coalinga, California Coalinga ( or ) is a city in the Pleasant Valley in Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the western San Joaquin Valley, in central California about 80 miles (128 km) southeast of Salinas, California, Salinas. It was formerly know ...

, kills 4 US citizens and 28 deportees, commemorated in a protest song ("

Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" is a protest song with lyrics by Woody Guthrie and music by Martin Hoffman detailing the 1948 Los Gatos DC-3 crash, January 28, 1948 crash of a plane near Los Gatos Creek (Fresno County, California), Los Gatos ...

") by

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

. *

January 30 Events Pre-1600 * 1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen. * 1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom. 1601–1900 * 1607 – An es ...

Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 at age 78 in the compound of The Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti), a large mansion in central New Delhi. His assassin was Nathuram Godse, from Pune, Maharashtra, a Hindu nationalist, with ...

: Indian pacifist and leader

is shot by

Nathuram Godse Nathuram Vinayak Godse (19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949) () was an Indian Hindu nationalist and political activist who was the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. He shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point blank range at a multi-faith praye ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. ** The

1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (; ), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the ...

open in

St Moritz St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...

, Switzerland. *

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 th ...

– The British

crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by Kingdom of England, England, and then Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English overseas possessions, English and later British Empire. There was usua ...

of the

Malayan Union The Malayan Union (; Jawi: كساتوان مالايا) was a union of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single g ...

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

and

Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...

form the

Federation of Malaya Malaya, officially the Federation of Malaya, was a country in Southeast Asia from 1948 to 1963. It succeeded the Malayan Union and, before that, British Malaya. It comprised eleven states – nine Malay states and two of the Straits Settleme ...

February

February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), ...

** The

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

begins to jam

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

broadcasts. ** The

is proclaimed. *

February 4 Events Pre–1600 * 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...

–

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

(later known as

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

) becomes an independent country, within the

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire The B ...

continuing to adopt King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

as the King of Ceylon. *

February 11 Events Pre-1600 * 660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. * 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Empire, on the eve of his comin ...

– General

Douglas Gracey General Sir Douglas David Gracey, (3 September 1894 – 5 June 1964) was a British Indian Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars. He also fought in French Indochina and was the second Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan ...

becomes Commander-in-chief of

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

. *

February 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. * 1270 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battl ...

– Miranda, innermost of the large

moons of Uranus Uranus, the seventh planet of the Solar System, has 28 confirmed moons. The 27 with names are named after characters that appear in, or are mentioned in, William Shakespeare's plays and Alexander Pope's poem '' The Rape of the Lock''. Uranus's ...

, is discovered by

Gerard Kuiper Gerard Peter Kuiper ( ; born Gerrit Pieter Kuiper, ; 7 December 1905 – 23 December 1973) was a Dutch-American astronomer, planetary scientist, selenographer, author and professor. The Kuiper belt is named after him. Kuiper is consi ...

. *

February 18 Events Pre-1600 * 3102 BC – Kali Yuga, the fourth and final yuga of Hinduism, starts with the death of Krishna. * 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining J ...

–

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 an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

, Irish head of government from 1918 to 1932, loses power to an opposition coalition. John A. Costello is appointed

Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

by President

Seán T. O'Kelly Seán Thomas O'Kelly (; 25 June 1882 – 23 November 1966), originally John T. O'Kelly, was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the second president of Ireland from June 1945 to June 1959. He also served as deputy prime minister of Ir ...

, until

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

. *

February 19 Events Pre-1600 * 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats Roman usurper, usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies. * 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the w ...

– The

Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence, also referred to as the Southeast Asian Youth Conference, was an international youth and students event held in Calcutta, India on 19–23 February 194 ...

convenes in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

. *

February 21 Events Pre-1600 * 452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine. * 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery. * 1440 – The ...

– The United States

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

organization

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

is founded by

Bill France Sr. William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992) was an American businessman and racing driver. He was also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill. He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based s ...

with other drivers. *

February 22 Events Pre-1600 * 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. * 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Fer ...

– The first of the Ben Yehuda Street bombings in Jerusalem kills between 49 and 58 civilians and injures between 140 and 200. *

February 25 Events Pre-1600 * 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor. * 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II. * ...

–

1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état In late February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia through a coup d'état. It marked the beginning of four decades of the party's rule in t ...

Edvard Beneš Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1939 to 1948. During the first six years of his second stint, he led the Czec ...

President of Czechoslovakia The president of Czechoslovakia (, ) was the head of state of Czechoslovakia, from the Origins of Czechoslovakia, creation of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 until the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia, dissolution of the Czech and Slovak F ...

, cedes control of the country to the Communist Party, a day celebrated by that regime as " Victorious February" (; ) until November 1989. *

February 28 Events Pre-1600 *202 BC – Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty. * 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople (Roman Catholic), Fourth Council of Co ...

** Accra Riots: Riots take place in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

, capital of the British colony of Gold Coast, when a peaceful protest march by ex-servicemen is broken up by police, leaving several members of the group dead, among them Sergeant Adjetey, one of the leaders. **The 2nd Congress of the Communist Party of India convenes in

March

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 ...

– '' McCollum v. Board of Education'': The

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

rules that religious instruction in public schools violates the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally including seven articles, the Constituti ...

. *

March 12 Events Pre-1600 * 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. * 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of th ...

– The

Costa Rican Civil War The Costa Rican Civil War took place from 12 March to 24 April 1948. The conflict followed the presidential elections of 8 February 1948, in which opposition candidate Otilio Ulate defeated the ruling party's Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia. ...

begins. *

** The

is signed by Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, providing for economic, social and cultural collaboration and collective self-defence. ** The

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...

motorcycle gang is founded in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. *

March 18 Events Pre-1600 * 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ''(aka Caligula = Little Boots)'' emperor.Tacitus, ''Annals'' V.10. * 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Ar ...

– The Round Table Conference convenes in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, Netherlands, to prepare the decolonization process for the Caribbean island of

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

and the other Dutch Colonies. Aruba presents the mandate of the Aruban People for Aruba to become an independent country, under the sovereignty of the House of Orange, based on Aruba's first state constitution presented officially since August 1947, and a (4th) member state of the future Dutch Commonwealth. *

March 20 Events Pre-1600 *1206 – Michael IV of Constantinople, Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. *1600 – The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden: five Swedish n ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

holds its first elections. ** Renowned Italian conductor

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...

makes his television debut, conducting the

NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, the parent corporation of the National Broadcasting Company especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC ...

in an all-

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

program in the United States. ** The

20th Academy Awards The 20th Academy Awards were held on March 20, 1948, to honor the films of 1947 in film, 1947. It is notable for being the last Oscars until 78th Academy Awards, 2005 in which no film won more than three awards. Rosalind Russell was highly fav ...

Ceremony is held in Los Angeles. ''

Gentleman's Agreement ''Gentleman's Agreement'' is a 1947 American drama film based on Laura Z. Hobson's best-selling 1947 novel of the same title. The film is about a journalist (played by Gregory Peck) who pretends to be Jewish to research an exposé on the wid ...

'' wins the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...

. *

March 25 Until 1752 it was the official date of the beginning of the year in England and its dominions (in the Julian calendar). Events Pre-1600 * 410 – The Southern Yan capital of Guanggu falls to the Jin dynasty general Liu Yu, ending th ...

– The United States Proposal for Temporary United Nations Trusteeship for Palestine is announced by

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

April

April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Its length is 30 days. April is commonly associated with the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the ...

– Children's Bargain Town, a predecessor of

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and p ...

and child-related

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1948 in Washington, D.C.; its first store was built in April 1948, with i ...

, is founded in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, United States. *

April 1 Events Pre-1600 * 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. * 1081 – Alexios I Komnenos overthrows the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, and, after his tro ...

– Physicists

Ralph Asher Alpher Ralph Asher Alpher (February 3, 1921 – August 12, 2007) was an American cosmologist, who carried out pioneering work in the early 1950s on the Big Bang model, including Big Bang nucleosynthesis and predictions of the cosmic microwave backgrou ...

and

George Gamow George Gamow (sometimes Gammoff; born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov; ; 4 March 1904 – 19 August 1968) was a Soviet and American polymath, theoretical physicist and cosmologist. He was an early advocate and developer of Georges Lemaître's Big Ba ...

publish the

Alpher–Bethe–Gamow paper In physical cosmology, the Alpher–Bethe–Gamow paper, or αβγ paper, was created by Ralph Alpher, then a physics PhD student, his advisor George Gamow, and Hans Bethe. The work, which would become the subject of Alpher's PhD dissertation, a ...

, about the

Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...

. *

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. ...

** United States President

signs the

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...

, which authorizes $5 billion in aid for 16 countries. **

Jeju Uprising The Jeju uprising (in South Korea, the ''Jeju April 3 incident'', ) was an insurrection on Jeju Island, South Korea from April 1948 to May 1949. A year prior to its start, residents of Jeju had begun protesting elections scheduled by the Un ...

: Residents revolt on

Jeju island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

, South Korea, eventually leading to the deaths of between 14,000 and 30,000. ** Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is played on television in its entirety for the first time, in a series of concerts featuring

conducting the

in the United States. The chorus is conducted by Robert Shaw. *

April 5 Events Pre-1600 * 823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I. * 919 – The Fatimid invasion of Egypt (919–921), second Fatimid invasion of Medieval Egypt, Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, Al-Qa'im (Fa ...

– 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine: Haganah launches Operation Nachshon, provoking the

1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight In the 1948 Palestine war, more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs – about half of Mandatory Palestine's predominantly Arab population – fled from their homes or were expelled. Expulsions and attacks against Palestinians were carried out by the ...

. *

April 6 Events Pre–1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus. * 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia. * ...

– The Finno-Soviet Treaty is signed in Moscow. *

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 Em ...

– The

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

is established by the United Nations. *

April 9 Events Pre-1600 * 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum. * 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, ...

** Liberal politician

Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala (23 January 1903 – 9 April 1948) was a Colombian politician and statesman who was the leader of the Liberal Party. A nationalist, he served as the mayor of Bogotá from 1936–37, the national Education Minister ...

's assassination provokes a violent riot in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

(the ''

Bogotazo El Bogotazo (from "Bogotá" and the ''-azo'' suffix of violent augmentation) was a massive outbreak of rioting after the assassination in Bogotá, Colombia of Liberal leader and presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on 9 April 1948 d ...

'') and a further 10 years of violence (''

La Violencia ''La Violencia'' (, The Violence) was a ten-year civil war in Colombia from 1948 to 1958, between the Colombian Conservative Party and the Colombian Liberal Party, mainly fought in the countryside. ''La Violencia'' is considered to have begu ...

'') across Colombia. ** The

Deir Yassin massacre The Deir Yassin massacre took place on April 9, 1948, when Zionist paramilitaries attacked the village of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, then part of Mandatory Palestine, killing at least 107 Palestinian Arab villagers, including women and childr ...

takes place in British

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

. *

April 13 Events Pre-1600 * 1111 – Henry V, King of Germany, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. * 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire. * 1455 – Thirteen Years' War: ...

– The Hadassah medical convoy massacre takes place, in British

. *

April 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1457 BC – Battle of Megido – the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. * 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Roman emperor Otho commits suicide. * ...

– The

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

is founded, as the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC). *

April 18 Events Pre-1600 * 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days. * 1428 – Peace of Ferrara ...

– Italian general election, 1948: The first democratic general election with

universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...

is held in Italy. The

Christian Democracy Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...

party achieves a majority over the Popular Democratic Front Communist-Socialist coalition. *

April 19 Events Pre-1600 *AD 65 – The freedman Milichus betrays Pisonian conspiracy, Piso's plot to kill the Roman emperor, Emperor Nero and all of the List of conspiracies (political), conspirators are arrested. * 531 – Battle of Callini ...

joins the United Nations. ** The

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...

(otherwise known as ABC) begins television services, on WFIL-TV in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

(later

WPVI-TV WPVI-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Owned and operated by the ABC television network through its ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on City Avenue in t ...

). *

April 22 Events Pre-1600 * 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil ( discovery of Brazil). * 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico. * 1529 – Treaty of Zara ...

** Civil War in Mandatory Palestine: Battle of Haifa – Jewish paramilitary group

Haganah Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist political violence, Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the reg ...

captures

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

from the

Arab Liberation Army The Arab Liberation Army (ALA; , better translated as Arab Rescue Army (ARA) or Arab Salvation Army (ASA), was an army of volunteers from Arab countries led by Fawzi al-Qawuqji. It fought on the Arab side in the 1948 Palestine war. It was set ...

. ** WTVR begins television services. WTVR is the first TV station south of Washington D.C., giving it the nickname "The South's First Television station". *

April 23 Events Pre-1600 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. *599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in so ...

– First National Games of Pakistan held in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

. *

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 ...

– The

ends. *

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 ...

** The

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

(OAS) is founded. ** The English-built

Land Rover Land Rover is a brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by British multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR builds Land Rovers in Brazil ...

is unveiled at the Amsterdam Motor Show.

May

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...

– The

RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the ...

is established, as an independent nonprofit policy research and analysis institution, in the United States. *

May 9 Events Pre-1600 * 328 – Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria. * 1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy. * 1386 – England and Portugal formall ...

– Solar eclipse of May 9, 1948: An annular solar eclipse is visible in Japan and South Korea, and is the 32nd solar eclipse of Solar Saros 137. This eclipse is very short, lasting just 0.3 seconds. The path width is just about 200 meters wide (approximately 218 yards). *

May 11 Events Pre-1600 * 330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. *868 – A copy of the Diamond Sūtr ...

–

Luigi Einaudi Luigi Numa Lorenzo Einaudi (; 24 March 1874 – 30 October 1961) was an Italian politician, economist and banker who served as President of Italy from 1948 to 1955 and is considered one of the founding fathers of the 1946 Italian institutional ...

becomes

President of the Italian Republic The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The presid ...

May 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1027 – Robert II of France Robert II ( 972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious () or the Wise (), was List of French monarchs, King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Juni ...

– The

Israeli Declaration of Independence The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 (5 Iyar 5708), at the end of the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war phase and ...

is made.

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary List of national founders, national founder and first Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency ...

becomes the first prime minister, a provisional position that will become formalized on February 14, 1949. *

May 15 Events Pre-1600 * 221 – Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. * 392 – Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurpe ...

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. The civil war becam ...

: The British Mandate of Palestine is officially terminated; expeditionary forces from

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, Transjordan,

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

invade

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and clash with Israeli forces after declaring war. ** The murder of June Anne Devaney a 3-year-old girl in

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

, England. To solve the crime, officers take 46,253 sets of

fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...

s before identifying her murderer. ** Australian cricket team in England in 1948: The touring

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

ns set an all-time first-class record, by scoring 721 runs in a day against

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. *

May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. * 1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. *13 ...

Chaim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( ; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization and later as the first pre ...

is elected as the first

President of Israel The president of the State of Israel (, or ) is the head of state of Israel. The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet led by the Prime Minister of Israel, pr ...

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...

Rescue 5 is founded for

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

. *

May 18 Events Pre-1600 * 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. * 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of 47 ...

– The first

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...

of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

officially convenes in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

. *

May 22 Events Pre-1600 * 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu. * 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. * 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt. ...

– The Soviets launch

Operation Vesna Operation Vesna (; ) was a mass deportation of the armed opposition to the Soviet power in the occupied Lithuania carried out by the forces of the Ministry of State Security (MGB) on May 22–24, 1948. According to the February 21, 1948 decr ...

, the largest Lithuanian deportation to Siberia. *

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 ...

– The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) is founded at Ellinwood Malate Church in Manila. *

May 26 Events Pre-1600 * 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe. * 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire ta ...

– The

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

passes Public Law 557 which permanently establishes the

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered, federally supported Nonprofit corporation, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliaries, auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CA ...

as the auxiliary of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. *

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 ...

–

Daniel François Malan Daniël François Malan (; 22 May 1874 – 7 February 1959) was a South African politician who served as the fourth prime minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. The National Party implemented the system of apartheid, which enforce ...

defeats

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (baptismal name Jan Christiaan Smuts, 24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as P ...

and becomes Prime Minister of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, which starts the era of

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

(which is finally dismantled by

F. W. de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk ( , ; 18 March 1936 – 11 November 2021) was a South African politician who served as the seventh and final state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as Deputy President of South Africa, deputy president a ...

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

). *

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 unde ...

– The

Casimir effect In quantum field theory, the Casimir effect (or Casimir force) is a physical force (physics), force acting on the macroscopic boundaries of a confined space which arises from the quantum fluctuations of a field (physics), field. The term Casim ...

is predicted by Dutch physicist

Hendrik Casimir Hendrik Brugt Gerhard Casimir (15 July 1909 – 4 May 2000) was a Dutch physicist who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. He is best known for his work on the Casimir effect, which descr ...

. *

May 30 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within . * 1381 – ...

– A dike along the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

breaks, obliterating Vanport, Oregon, within minutes; 15 people die and tens of thousands are left homeless.

June

June 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León. * 1298 – Residents of Riga and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida. * 1495 – A monk, John Cor, rec ...

– Puma, a global sports goods brand, is founded in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, by

Rudolf Dassler Rudolf "Rudi" Dassler (29 April 1898 – 27 October 1974) was a German cobbler, inventor, member of the Nazi Party, businessman and founder of the sportswear company Puma. He was the older brother of Adidas founder, Adolf "Adi" Dassler. The bro ...

, having split from his brother "

Adi Adi or ADI may refer to: Abbreviations * Acceptable daily intake, in health and medicine * Acting detective inspector, a type of police inspector * Africa Development Indicators, a compilation of data assembled by the World Bank * Alternating ...

". *

June 3 Events Pre-1600 * 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. * 713 – The Byzantine Empire, Byzantine emperor Philippikos Ba ...

– The

Palomar Observatory The Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory in the Palomar Mountains of San Diego County, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Research time at the observat ...

telescope is finished in California. *

June 10 Events Pre-1600 * 671 – Emperor Tenji of Japan introduces a water clock ( clepsydra) called ''Rokoku''. The instrument, which measures time and indicates hours, is placed in the capital of Ōtsu. * 1190 – Third Crusade: Frederic ...

–

Hasan Saka Hasan Hüsnü Saka (1885 – 29 July 1960) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Turkey), minister of foreign affairs, and prime minister of Turkey. Political career He graduated from Faculty of Pol ...

forms the new government of Turkey. (17th government; Hasan Saka had served twice as a prime minister) *

June 11 Events Pre-1600 * 173 – Marcomannic Wars: The Roman army in Moravia is encircled by the Quadi, who have broken the peace treaty ( 171). In a violent thunderstorm emperor Marcus Aurelius defeats and subdues them in the so-called "miracle ...

– The first monkey astronaut, Albert I, is launched into space from White Sands, New Mexico. *

June 15 Events Pre-1600 * 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. * 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. * 923 – Battle of So ...

– Chinese newspaper ''Renmin Ribao'' (''

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...

'') is first published in Beijing, China. *

June 17 Events Pre-1600 * 653 – Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism. *1242 – Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burn ...

– United Airlines Flight 624, a

Douglas DC-6 The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, Douglas reworked it after the war to compete ...

, crashes near

Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania Mount Carmel is a borough in Northumberland County, located in the Coal Heritage Region of Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley, United States. The population was 5,725 at the 2020 census. It is located 88 miles (141 km) n ...

, killing 43 and injuring 84 people on board. *

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 – Siege of Constantinople (860), Byzantine� ...

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...

: A

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

is declared in the

, due to a communist insurgency. ** Columbia Records introduces its rpm long playing phonograph format. *

June 20 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory. * 1180 – First Battle of Uji, startin ...

– The

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

recesses for the remainder of 1948, after an overtime session closes at 7:00 a.m. (to be shortly interrupted by Truman's recall from Congressional recess for July 20, 1948). *

June 21 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarios sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily. * 1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mongols and Wuzong o ...

** The

Deutsche Mark The Deutsche Mark (; "German mark (currency), mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later of unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...

becomes the official currency of the future

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

. ** The

Manchester Baby The Manchester Baby, also called the Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM), was the first electronic stored-program computer. It was built at the University of Manchester by Frederic Calland Williams, Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Ge ...

in England becomes the first

stored-program computer A stored-program computer is a computer that stores program instructions in electronically, electromagnetically, or optically accessible memory. This contrasts with systems that stored the program instructions with plugboards or similar mechani ...

to successfully execute a program. *

June 22 Events Pre-1600 *217 BC – Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. *168 BC – Battle of Pydna: Roman Republic, Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Luciu ...

**The ship brings more than 800 Afro-Caribbean immigrants to

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a Tilbury Fort, 16th century fort ...

near London, the start of a large wave of immigration to Britain. **

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

's ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'', based on

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's famous novel, premieres in the UK. It is banned for 3 years in the U.S., because of alleged

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

in depicting master criminal

Fagin Fagin () is the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a " receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates ...

, played by

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...

. *

June 24 Events Pre-1600 * 1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa. * 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, northwest of Rome. ...

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

: The

Berlin Blockade The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...

begins. ** The first

World Health Assembly The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 World Health Organization#Membership, member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of h ...

of the

is held in Geneva. *

June 26 Events Pre-1600 *4 AD, 4 – Augustus adopts Tiberius. * 221 – Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar (title), Caesar. * 363 – Roman emperor Julian (emperor), J ...

William Shockley William Bradford Shockley ( ; February 13, 1910 – August 12, 1989) was an American solid-state physicist, electrical engineer, and inventor. He was the manager of a research group at Bell Labs that included John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brat ...

files the original patent for the

grown-junction transistor The grown-junction transistor was the first type of bipolar ''junction'' transistor made. It was invented by William Shockley at Bell Labs on June 23, 1948 (patent filed June 26, 1948), six months after the first bipolar point-contact transist ...

, the first

bipolar junction transistor A bipolar junction transistor (BJT) is a type of transistor that uses both electrons and electron holes as charge carriers. In contrast, a unipolar transistor, such as a field-effect transistor (FET), uses only one kind of charge carrier. A ...

. ** The

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...

begins. *

June 28 Events Pre-1600 *1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha, Kerbogha of Mosul at the Battle of Antioch (1098), battle of Antioch. *1360 – Muhammed VI, Sultan of Granada, Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid dynasty, Nas ...

** The

Cominform The Information Bureau of the Communist and Workers' Parties (), commonly known as Cominform (), was a co-ordination body of Marxist–Leninist communist parties in Europe which existed from 1947 to 1956. Formed in the wake of the dissolution ...

Resolution marks the beginning of the

Informbiro period The Informbiro period was an era of Yugoslavia's history following the Tito–Stalin split in mid-1948 that lasted until the country's partial rapprochement with the Soviet Union in 1955 with the signing of the Belgrade declaration. After ...

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

and the Soviet/Yugoslav split. ** The 6.8 Fukui earthquake strikes Fukui, Japan; 3,769 are killed, 22,203 injured. **

Lotte Group Lotte Group is a corporate group started by Zainichi Korean businessman Shin Kyuk-ho in South Korea on June 15, 1948, starting with the South Korea, South Korean Lotte Co., composed of Lotte Holdings, Lotte Holdings (Japan) and Lotte Corporati ...

, a global conglomerate in

Northeast Asia Northeast Asia or Northeastern Asia is a geographical Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia. Its northeastern landmass and islands are bounded by the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean. The term Northeast Asia was popularized during the 1930s by Ame ...

(

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

), is founded.

July

July 5 Events Pre-1600 * 328 – The official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava ( Corabia, Romania) and Oescus ( Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius. * 1316 – The Burgundian ...

– The

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

in the United Kingdom begins functioning, giving the right to universal healthcare, free at point of use. *

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 (Egy ...

– The world's first Air Car-ferry service is flown by a Bristol Freighter of Silver City Airways, from

Lympne Lympne (), formerly also Lymne, is a village on the former shallow-gradient sea cliffs above the expansive agricultural plain of Romney Marsh in Kent. The settlement forms an L shape stretching from Port Lympne Zoo via Lympne Castle facing Ly ...

Le Touquet Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (, Picard language, Picard: ''Ech Toutchet-Paris-Plache''), commonly referred to as Le Touquet (), is a Communes of France, commune near Étaples, in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, northern France. ...

across the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. *

July 13 Events Pre-1600 *1174 – William the Lion, William I of Scotland, a key Rebellion, rebel in the Revolt of 1173–74, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Henry II of England. *1249 – Coronation of Alexander III of Scotland, Ale ...

– The

Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apo ...

and

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...

es reach an agreement, leading to the promotion of the Ethiopian church to the rank of an autocephalous

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

ate. Five

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

s are immediately consecrated by the

Patriarch of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major epi ...

and the successor to Abuna Qerellos IV is granted the power to consecrate new bishops, who are empowered to elect a new Patriarch for their church. *

July 14 Events Pre-1600 * 982 – King Otto II and his Frankish army are defeated by the Muslim army of al-Qasim at Cape Colonna, Southern Italy. *1223 – Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Philip II. * 142 ...

– The attempted assassination of

Palmiro Togliatti Palmiro Michele Nicola Togliatti (; 26 March 1893 – 21 August 1964) was an Italian politician and statesman, leader of Italy's Italian Communist Party, Communist party for nearly forty years, from 1927 until his death. Born into a middle-clas ...

, general secretary of the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party (, PCI) was a communist and democratic socialist political party in Italy. It was established in Livorno as the Communist Party of Italy (, PCd'I) on 21 January 1921, when it seceded from the Italian Socialist Part ...

, results in numerous strikes all over the country. *

July 15 Events Pre-1600 * 484 BC – Dedication of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in ancient Rome * 70 – First Jewish–Roman War: Titus and his armies breach the walls of Jerusalem. ( 17th of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar). * 756 &ndas ...

– The first London chapter of

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...

is founded. *

July 16 Events Pre-1600 * 622 – The Hijrah of Muhammad begins, marking the beginning of the Islamic calendar. * 997 – Battle of Spercheios: Bulgarian forces of Tsar Samuel are defeated by a Byzantine army under general Nikephoros Ouran ...

– Three armed men hijack the

Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, or simply Cathay Pacific, is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main airline hub, hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and its subsidiaries have schedule ...

passenger plane '' Miss Macao'' and shoot the pilot; the plane crashes, killing 26 of 27 people on board. *

July 20 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, storms the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army is drawn into street fights with the Zealots. * 792 – Kardam of Bulgaria defe ...

–

: ** President

issues the second peacetime

military draft Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

in the United States, amid increasing tensions with the

(the first peacetime draft occurred in 1940 under President Roosevelt) **

Eugene Dennis Francis Xavier Waldron (August 10, 1905 – January 31, 1961), best known by the pseudonym Eugene Dennis and Tim Ryan, was an American communist politician and union organizer, best remembered as the long-time leader of the Communist Party USA ...

, William Z. Foster and ten other

Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...

leaders are arrested and charged under the

Alien Registration Act The Alien Registration Act, popularly known as the Smith Act, 76th United States Congress, 3rd session, ch. 439, , is a United States federal statute that was enacted on June 28, 1940. It set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of ...

. *

July 22 Events Pre-1600 * 838 – Battle of Anzen: The Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffers a heavy defeat by the Abbasids. *1099 – First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of ...

– The

Dominion of Newfoundland Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It included the island of Newfoundland, and Labrador on the continental mainland. Newfoundland was one of the orig ...

votes to join Canada, after a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

. *

July 26 Events Pre-1600 * 657 – First Fitna: In the Battle of Siffin, troops led by Ali ibn Abu Talib clash with those led by Muawiyah I. * 811 – Battle of Pliska: Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I is killed and his heir Staurakios is seri ...

– U.S. President Truman signs

Executive Order 9981 Executive Order 9981 was an executive order issued on July 26, 1948, by President Harry S. Truman. It abolished discrimination "on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin" in the United States Armed Forces. The Order led to the r ...

, ending

racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

in the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

. *

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. *1571 – La Laguna encomienda, known t ...

– Around 200 die in an explosion at a chemical plant in

Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...

, Germany. *

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 o ...

– The

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

begin in London, the first since the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

in Berlin. * July 31 ** At Idlewild Field in New York, New York International Airport (later renamed

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

) is dedicated. ** American defector

Elizabeth Bentley Elizabeth Terrill Bentley (January 1, 1908 – December 3, 1963) was an American NKVD spymaster, who was recruited from within the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). She served the Soviet Union as the primary handler of multiple highly placed moles ...

, previously working on behalf of the Soviet Union, appears under subpoena before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

(HUAC) of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

regarding Communist espionage; she implicates

Whittaker Chambers Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer and intelligence agent. After early years as a Communist Party member (1925) and Soviet spy (1932–1938), he defected from the Soviet u ...

. * July–October –

Claude E. Shannon Claude Elwood Shannon (April 30, 1916 – February 24, 2001) was an American mathematician, electrical engineer, computer scientist, cryptographer and inventor known as the "father of information theory" and the man who laid the foundations of th ...

publishes "

A Mathematical Theory of Communication "A Mathematical Theory of Communication" is an article by mathematician Claude E. Shannon published in '' Bell System Technical Journal'' in 1948. It was renamed ''The Mathematical Theory of Communication'' in the 1949 book of the same name, a s ...

" in ''

Bell System Technical Journal The ''Bell Labs Technical Journal'' was the in-house scientific journal for scientists of Bell Labs, published yearly by the IEEE society. The journal was originally established as ''The Bell System Technical Journal'' (BSTJ) in New York by the Am ...

'' (US), regarded as a foundation of

information theory Information theory is the mathematical study of the quantification (science), quantification, Data storage, storage, and telecommunications, communication of information. The field was established and formalized by Claude Shannon in the 1940s, ...

and all modern digital communications, which also leads to the adoption of the term ''

bit The bit is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communication. The name is a portmanteau of binary digit. The bit represents a logical state with one of two possible values. These values are most commonly represented as ...

''.

August

* August 3 –

appears under subpoena before the

HUAC The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty an ...

and alleges that several former U.S. Federal officials were communists, including

Harry Dexter White Harry Dexter White (October 29, 1892 – August 16, 1948) was an American government official in the United States Department of the Treasury. Working closely with the secretary of the treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr., he helped set American financia ...

and

Alger Hiss Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 – November 15, 1996) was an American government official who was accused of espionage in 1948 for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. The statute of limitations had expired for espionage, but he was convicted of perjur ...

. *

August 5 Events Pre-1600 * AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. * 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...

–

appears before the

, to deny the allegations of

. *

August 10 Events Pre-1600 * 654 – Pope Eugene I elected to succeed Martinus I. * 955 – Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor defeats the Magyars, ending 50 years of Magyar invasion of the West. * 991 – Battle of Maldon: T ...

– 23 – The

Herrenchiemsee convention The Constitutional Convention at Herrenchiemsee () was a meeting of constitutional experts nominated by the minister-presidents of the Western States of Germany, held in August 1948 at former Herrenchiemsee Abbey in Bavaria. It was part of the ...

prepares the draft for the

Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany () is the constitution of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came into effect on 23 May after having been approved b ...

. *

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 – Bat ...

– Babrra massacre: About 600 unarmed members of the

Khudai Khidmatgar Khudai Khidmatgar () was an Indian, predominantly Pashtun, nonviolent resistance movement known for its activism against the British Raj in colonial India; it was based in the country's North-West Frontier Province (present-day Khyber Pakhtun ...

movement are shot dead on the orders of the Chief Minister of the

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ) was a province of British India from 1901 to 1947, of the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955, and of the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan from 1970 to 2010. It was established on 9 November ...

, Abdul Qayyum Khan Kashmiri, on Babrra ground in the Hashtnagar region of Charsadda District, North-West Frontier Province (modern-day

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. *

August 13 Events Pre-1600 * 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. * 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. * 554 &ndash ...

–

and Donald Hiss refute allegations of

Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

, before the

. *

August 14 Events Pre-1600 * 74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. * 29 BC – Octavian ...

– 1948 Ashes series: Australian

batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball, ball with a cricket bat, bat to score runs (cricket), runs and prevent the dismissal (cricket), loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since Septembe ...

Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. His cricketing successes have been claimed by Shane ...

, playing his last

Test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

match, against England at

The Oval The Oval, currently named for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club sinc ...

, is bowled by

Eric Hollies William Eric Hollies (5 June 1912 – 16 April 1981) was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for dismissing Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which he needed only four runs for a Test average of 100 ...

for a

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

(leaving his career Test

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

at 99.94); however, "The Invincibles" win the match by an

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). In cricket and rounders, "innings" is ...

and 149 runs, and

The Ashes The Ashes is a Test cricket series played biennially between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, '' The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, ...

4–0. *

–

Beaver drop The beaver drop was a 1948 Idaho Department of Fish and Game program to relocate beavers from Northwestern Idaho to the Chamberlain Basin in Central Idaho. The program involved moving 76 beavers by airplane and parachute, parachuting them down ...

, an Idaho Department of Fish and Game program to relocate

beavers Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

from Northwestern Idaho to the

Chamberlain Basin Chamberlain Basin is a drainage basin that contains a chain of ten alpine lake, alpine and glacial lake, glacial Paternoster lake, Paternoster lakes in Custer County, Idaho, Custer County, Idaho, United States, located in the White Cloud Mountai ...

in Central Idaho. The program involves parachuting beavers into the Chamberlain Basin. *

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 Consta ...

– The southern half of Korea is established as the Republic of Korea (South Korea). *

August 17 Events Pre-1600 * 310 – Pope Eusebius dies, possibly from a hunger strike, shortly after being banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicilia (Roman province), Sicily. * 682 – Pope Leo II begins his pontificate. * 986 – Byzanti ...

– The

holds a private session between

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. * 130 ...

– The Danube Commission is created by the

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Convention (enters into force

11 May Events Pre-1600 * 330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. * 868 – A copy of the Diamond S ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

). *

August 19 Events Pre-1600 * 295 BC – The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War. *43 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, later kno ...

–

Toho strikes The , also translated as the Toho labor disputes or Toho labor upheaval, were a series of strike actions in Japan taken by workers in the Toho labor union against Toho management between 1946 and 1948. The third and largest action was notable for ...

: A

sitdown strike A sit-down strike (or simply sitdown) is a labour strike and a form of civil disobedience in which an organized group of workers, usually employed at factories or other centralized locations, take unauthorized or illegal possession of the workpl ...

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

film studio in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

ends after the studio is surrounded by 2,000 police and a platoon of U.S. Eighth Army soldiers. *

August 20 Events Pre-1600 *AD 14 – Agrippa Postumus, maternal grandson of the late Roman emperor Augustus, is mysteriously executed by his guards while in exile. * 636 – Battle of Yarmouk: Arabs, Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take c ...

–

Lee Pressman Lee Pressman (July 1, 1906 – November 20, 1969) was a labor attorney and earlier a US government functionary, publicly alleged in 1948 to have been a spy for Soviet intelligence during the mid-1930s (as a member of the Ware Group), following h ...

Nathan Witt Nathan Witt (February 11, 1903 – February 16, 1982), born Nathan Wittowsky, was an American lawyer who is best known as being the Secretary of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from 1937 to 1940. He resigned from the NLRB after his commu ...

and

John Abt John Jacob Abt (May 1, 1904 – August 10, 1991) was an American lawyer and politician, who spent most of his career as chief counsel to the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and was a member of the Communist Party and the Soviet spy network " Ware Gr ...

, represented by Harold I. Cammer, plead the Fifth Amendment, in response to allegations of Communism by

before the

. *

August 23 Events Pre-1600 * 30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, the eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Ca ...

– The

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

is established in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, the Netherlands. *

August 24 Events Pre-1600 * 367 – Gratian, son of Roman Emperor Valentinian I, is named co-Augustus at the age of eight by his father. * 394 – The Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, the latest known inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs, is written ...

– The first meeting of the charter members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) is held. *

August 25 Events Pre-1600 * 766 – Emperor Constantine V humiliates nineteen high-ranking officials, after discovering a plot against him. He executes the leaders, Constantine Podopagouros and his brother Strategios. * 1248 – The Dutch cit ...

– The

holds its first-ever televised congressional hearing, featuring "Confrontation Day" between

and

. *

August 27 Events Pre-1600 * 410 – The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days. * 1172 – Henry the Young King and Margaret of France are crowned junior king and queen of England. * 1232 – Shikken Hojo Yasutoki of the ...

–

states that

was a communist on ''

Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...

'' radio.

September

September 4 Events Pre-1600 * 476 – Romulus Augustulus is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself "King of Italy", thus Fall of the Western Roman Empire, ending the Western Roman Empire. * 626 – Li Shimin, Posthumous name, posthumously known as ...

– Queen

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, making her the longest- ...

abdicates for health reasons. *

September 5 Events Pre-1600 * 917 – Liu Yan declares himself emperor, establishing the Southern Han state in southern China, at his capital of Panyu. * 1367 – Swa Saw Ke becomes king of Ava *1590 – Alexander Farnese's army forces Hen ...

–

Robert Schuman Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman (; 29 June 1886 – 4 September 1963) was a Luxembourg-born France, French statesman. Schuman was a Christian democrat, Christian democratic (Popular Republican Movement) political thinker and activist. ...

becomes Prime Minister of France. *

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 Co ...

–

Juliana Juliana (variants Julianna, Giuliana, Iuliana, Yuliana, etc) is a feminine given name which is the feminine version of the Roman name Julianus. Juliana or Giuliana was the name of a number of early saints, notably Saint Julian the Hospitaller, whi ...

is formally inaugurated to succeed her mother as queen regnant of the Netherlands. *

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 &ndas ...

– The northern half of Korea is formally declared the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), with

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

as prime minister. *

September 11 Events Pre-1600 * 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hu ...

–

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

, founder and first

Governor-General of Pakistan The governor-general of Pakistan () was the Political representation, representative of the Monarchy of Pakistan, Pakistani monarch in the Dominion of Pakistan, established by the Indian Independence Act 1947. The office of governor-general was ...

, dies. Pakistan is in a state of shock as it mourns the departure of the father of the nation. The day is a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

nationwide. *

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 Hill ...

– 18 – Indian annexation of Hyderabad ("Operation Polo"): The princely state of

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

is invaded by the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...

in a "

police action In security studies and international relations, a police action is a military action undertaken without a formal declaration of war. In the 21st century, the term has been largely supplanted by " counter-insurgency". Since World War II, formal ...

", in the aftermath of Pakistani leader Jinnah's death. The

Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...

surrenders his state, which is amalgamated into the newly independent

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India, * * was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. Until its Indian independence movement, independence, India had be ...

; thousands are killed as a result of this event. *

– Margaret Chase Smith is elected United States Senator, becoming the first woman to serve in both the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

and the United States Senate. *

September 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1111 – Highest Galician nobility led by Pedro Fróilaz de Traba and the bishop Diego Gelmírez crown Alfonso VII as "King of Galicia". *1176 – The Battle of Myriokephalon is the last attempt by the Byzantine E ...

– Lehi members, also known as the Stern Gang, assassinate Swedish count

Folke Bernadotte Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (2 January 1895 – 17 September 1948) was a Swedish nobleman and diplomat. In World War II, he negotiated the release of about 450 Danish Jews and 30,550 non-Jewish prisoners of many nations from the Nazi ...

, United Nations Mediator in Palestine, in Jerusalem. *

September 18 Events Pre-1600 * 96 – Emperor Domitian is assassinated as a result of a plot by his wife Domitia and two Praetorian prefects. Nerva is then proclaimed as his successor. * 324 – Constantine the Great decisively defeats Licinius i ...

– An inaugural motor race is held at

Goodwood Circuit Goodwood Circuit is a historic venue for both two- and four-wheeled motorsport in the United Kingdom. The circuit is situated near Chichester, West Sussex, close to the south coast of England, on the estate of Goodwood House, and completely e ...

, West Sussex, England. *

September 20 Events Pre-1600 *1058 – Agnes of Poitou and Andrew I of Hungary meet to negotiate about the border territory of Burgenland. *1066 – At the Battle of Fulford, Harald Hardrada defeats earls Morcar and Edwin. * 1187 – Saladin ...

– The city of

Rabwah Rabwah (; Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ; ), officially known as Chenab Nagar (; ), is a city in Chiniot District, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan on the bank of Chenab River. It was the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from ...

is established in Pakistan. *

September 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1066 – William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the Somme river, beginning the Norman conquest of England. * 1331 – The Battle of Płowce is fought, between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teut ...

–

files a slander suit against

, for his August 27 radio statement in the United States. *

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 ...

–

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

's film of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' opens in the U.S.

October

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 Co ...

– The International Union for the Protection of Nature (later known as the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

, IUCN) is established in

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

, France. *

October 6 Events Pre-1600 * 105 BC – Cimbrian War: Defeat at the Battle of Arausio of the Roman army of the mid-Republic * 69 BC – Third Mithridatic War: The military of the Roman Republic subdue Armenia. * AD 23 – Rebels decapitat ...

–

1948 Ashgabat earthquake The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake was on 6 October with a surface-wave magnitude of 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''), in Turkmenistan near Ashgabat. Due to censorship by the Soviet government, the event was not widely reporte ...

: A 7.3 earthquake near

Ashgabat Ashgabat (Turkmen language, Turkmen: ''Aşgabat'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag, Kopetdag mountain range in Central Asia, approximately 50 km (30 ...

Soviet Turkmenistan The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Turkmenistan, the Turkmen SSR, TuSSR, Turkmenistan, or Turkmenia, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union located in Soviet Central Asia, ...

kills 10,000–110,000. *

October 10 Events Pre-1600 * 19 – The Roman general Germanicus dies near Antioch. He was convinced that the mysterious illness that ended in his death was a result of poisoning by the Syrian governor Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, whom he had ordered to ...

– The R-1 missile on test becomes the first

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

launch to enter space. *

October 16 Events Pre-1600 * 456 – Ricimer defeats Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the Western Roman Empire. * 690 – Empress Wu Zetian ascends to the throne of the Tang dynasty and proclaims herself ruler of the Chinese Empire. * ...

– The 57th Street Art Fair in Chicago, the oldest juried art fair in the American Midwest, is founded. *

October 20 Events Pre-1600 *1568 – The Spanish Duke of Alba defeats a Dutch rebel force under William the Silent. * 1572 – Eighty Years' War: Three thousand Spanish soldiers wade through fifteen miles of water in one night to effect the r ...

–

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

is formally founded in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. *

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 ...

– Donora Smog of 1948: A killer smog settles into Donora, Pennsylvania. *

October 29 Events Pre-1600 * 312 – Constantine the Great enters Rome after his victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, stages a grand '' adventus'' in the city, and is met with popular jubilation. Maxentius' body is fished out of the Tiber ...

–

: Massacres of Palestinian Arab villagers by the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

: **

Al-Dawayima massacre The al-Dawayima massacre describes the killing of civilians by the Israeli Defence Force, Israeli army (IDF) that took place in the Palestinian people, Palestinian Arab town of al-Dawayima on October 29, 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli W ...

: Between 30 and 145 are killed. ** Safsaf massacre: At least 52 are killed. *

October 30 Events Pre-1600 * 637 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Antioch surrenders to the Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of the Iron Bridge. * 758 – Guangzhou is sacked by Arab and Persian pirates. * 1137 – Ranulf of Apulia defeats Ro ...

– Gozo ''luzzu'' disaster: A '' luzzu'' fishing boat overloaded with passengers capsizes and sinks in the Gozo Channel off Qala,

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, killing 23 of the 27 people on board.

November

November 1 Events Pre-1600 * 365 – The Alemanni cross the Rhine and invade Gaul. Emperor Valentinian I moves to Paris to command the army and defend the Gallic cities. * 996 – Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk, Bishop of Freisin ...

** The Foley Square trial of

and ten other

CPUSA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...

leaders begins, in New York City. **

Athenagoras I Athenagoras I of Constantinople (), born Aristocles Matthaiou Spyrou (; 6 April 1886 (25 March) – 7 July 1972), was Greek Orthodox Archbishop of North and South America from 1930 to 1948 and the 268th Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople ...

is elected the 268th

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...

. ** A boiler and ammunition explosion aboard merchant ship ''Xuan Huai'' evacuating troops of the

Republic of China Army The Republic of China Army ( Chinese, 中華民國陸軍) also known as the ROC Army (ROCA); colloquially the Taiwanese Army ( Chinese, 台湾陆军) by western or mainland Chinese media, or commonly referred as the National Military Army ( Chi ...

from

Yingkou Yingkou ( zh, s=, t=, p=Yíngkǒu) is a coastal prefecture-level city of central southern Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, on the northeastern shore of Liaodong Bay. It is the third-smallest city in Liaoning with a total area of , a ...

, China for

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

causes thousands of deaths. Dewey Defeats Truman

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 t ...

–

1948 United States presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 2, 1948. The Democratic ticket of incumbent President Harry S. Truman and Senator Alben Barkley defeated the Republican ticket of New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey and Californ ...

: Democratic incumbent

defeats Republican

Thomas E. Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in 1944 and ...

, "Dixiecrat"

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

and Progressive party candidate

Henry A. Wallace Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) was the 33rd vice president of the United States, serving from 1941 to 1945, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served as the 11th U.S. secretary of agriculture and the 10th U.S ...

. *

November 12 Events Pre-1600 * 954 – The 13-year-old Lothair III is crowned at the Abbey of Saint-Remi as king of the West Frankish Kingdom. * 1028 – Future Byzantine empress Zoe takes the throne as empress consort to Romanos III Argyros. ...

– In Tokyo, an international

war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...

s tribunal sentences seven Japanese military and government officials to death, including General

Hideki Tojo was a Japanese general and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944 during the Second World War. His leadership was marked by widespread state violence and mass killings perpetrated in the name of Japanese nationalis ...

, for their roles in World War II. *

November 15 Events Pre-1600 * 655 – Battle of the Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. * 1315 – Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I in the Battle ...

–

Louis Stephen St. Laurent Louis Stephen St. Laurent (; February 1, 1882 – July 25, 1973) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 12th prime minister of Canada from 1948 to 1957. Born and raised in southeastern Quebec, St. Laurent was a leading la ...

becomes Canada's 12th

prime minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. *

November 16 Events Pre-1600 * 951 – Emperor Li Jing sends a Southern Tang expeditionary force of 10,000 men under Bian Hao to conquer Chu. Li Jing removes the ruling family to his own capital in Nanjing, ending the Chu Kingdom. *1272 – W ...

** ''

Operation Magic Carpet Operation Magic Carpet was the post–World War II operation by the U.S. War Shipping Administration (WSA) to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European (ETO), Pacific, and Asian theaters. Hundreds of Libert ...

'' to transport Jews from Yemen to Israel begins. ** The University of the Andes (Universidad de los Andes) is founded in

, Colombia. *

November 17 Events Pre-1600 * 887 – Emperor Charles the Fat is deposed by the Frankish magnates in an assembly at Frankfurt, leading his nephew, Arnulf of Carinthia, to declare himself king of the East Frankish Kingdom in late November. * 1183 &nd ...

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, which ...

divorces his second wife, the former Princess Fawzia of Egypt. **

produces secret government papers, handwritten and typewritten by

, during pretrial examination. *

November 20 Events Pre-1600 * 284 – Diocletian is chosen as Roman emperor. * 762 – During the An Shi Rebellion, the Tang dynasty, with the help of Huihe tribe, recaptures Luoyang from the rebels. *1194 – Palermo is conquered by Henry ...

– Geoffrey B. Orbell rediscovers the

Takahē The South Island takahē (''Porphyrio hochstetteri'') is a Flightless bird, flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the Rail (bird), rail family. It is often known by the abbreviated name takahē, whic ...

, last seen 50 years previously, near Lake Te Anau, New Zealand. *

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 ...

– In Venezuela, president

Rómulo Gallegos Rómulo Ángel del Monte Carmelo Gallegos Freire (2 August 1884 – 5 April 1969) was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. In 1948, he became the first freely elected President of Venezuela, president in Venezuela's history. He was removed from ...

is ousted by a

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

. *

November 27 Events Pre-1600 * AD 25 – Luoyang is declared capital of the Eastern Han dynasty by Emperor Guangwu of Han. * 176 – Emperor Marcus Aurelius grants his son Commodus the rank of " Imperator" and makes him Supreme Commander of th ...

– The

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

defeat the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

12–7 before 20,013 fans at Toronto's

Varsity Stadium Varsity Stadium is an outdoor collegiate stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the "Varsity Centre & Arena", a sports complex at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus. Athletic events have been hosted on the site ...

, to win their first

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

and complete the only

perfect season A perfect season is a sports season, including any requisite playoff portion, in which a team remains and finishes undefeated and untied. The feat is extremely rare at the professional level of any team sport, but has occurred more commonly at th ...

to date in

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

December

Een groep Recce M3 Stuart tanks passeert geparkeerde vrachtwagen

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. * ...

–

José Figueres Ferrer José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer (25 September 1906 – 8 June 1990) served three terms as President of Costa Rica: 1948–1949, 1953–1958 and 1970–1974. During his first term in office he abolished the country's army, nationalized ...

abolishes the army in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

, making it the first country in history to do so. *

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 follow ...

– The United States

subpoenas and retrieves the "

Pumpkin Papers The Pumpkin Papers are a set of typewritten and handwritten documents, stolen from the US federal government (thus information leaks) by members of the Ware Group and other Soviet spy networks in Washington, DC, during 1937–1938, withheld by c ...

" from the farm of

. *

December 4 Events Pre-1600 * 771 – Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne as sole king of the Frankish Kingdom. * 963 – The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated ...

– Chinese liner sinks after an explosion occurs at the stern, which is thought to have been caused by a Japanese mine from

World War 2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisin ...

, killing up to 3920 people. *

December 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1060 – Béla I is crowned king of Hungary. * 1240 – Mongol invasion of Rus': Kyiv, defended by Voivode Dmytro, falls to the Mongols under Batu Khan. *1492 – After exploring the island of Cuba (which he h ...

–

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

displays microfilm from the "Pumpkin Papers" to the press. *

December 9 Events Pre-1600 * 536 – Gothic War: The Byzantine general Belisarius enters Rome unopposed; the Gothic garrison flees the capital. * 730 – Battle of Marj Ardabil: The Khazars annihilate an Umayyad army and kill its commander, ...

– The

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

adopts the

Genocide Convention The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG), or the Genocide Convention, is an international treaty that criminalizes genocide and obligates state parties to pursue the enforcement of its prohibition. It was ...

. *

December 10 Events Pre-1600 *1317 – The Nyköping Banquet: King Birger of Sweden treacherously seizes his two brothers, dukes Valdemar and Erik, who are subsequently starved to death in the dungeon of Nyköping Castle. * 1508 – The Leag ...

– The United Nations General Assembly adopts the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...

. *

December 11 Events Pre-1600 * 220 – Emperor Xian of Han is forced to abdicate the throne by Cao Cao's son Cao Pi, ending the Han dynasty. * 361 – Julian enters Constantinople as sole Roman Emperor. * 861 – Assassination of the Abba ...

– 12 –

: Batang Kali massacre:

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

shoot 24 Chinese villagers in Malaya. *

December 15 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – Vandalic War: Byzantine Empire, Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Tricamarum. * 687 – Pope Sergius I is elected as a compromise between antipopes P ...

– The

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

indicts

, on two counts of

perjury Perjury (also known as forswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an insta ...

. *

December 17 Events Pre-1600 * 497 BC – The first Saturnalia festival was celebrated in ancient Rome. * 546 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Eastern Roman garrison. * 920 – Romanos I ...

– The Finnish Security Police is established to remove communist leadership from its predecessor, the

State Police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...

. *

December 19 Events Pre-1600 * 1154 – Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey. * 1187 – Pope Clement III is elected. * 1490 – Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy. * 1562 &ndas ...

– In the American

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

, the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

defeat the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

7–0, to win the championship. *

December 20 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69 – Antonius Primus enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor for Nero's former general Vespasian. * 1192 – Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England ...

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...

: The Dutch military captures Yogyakarta, the temporary capital of the newly formed Republic of Indonesia. ** American economist and former State Department official and spy for the Soviet Union Laurence Duggan falls to his death, from the 16th story window of his Manhattan office. *

December 23 Events Pre-1600 * 484 – The Arian Vandal Kingdom ceases its persecution of Nicene Christianity. * 558 – Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks. * 583 – Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque. * 962 &ndash ...

– Seven Japanese military and political leaders, convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, are executed by Allied occupation authorities, at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, Japan. *

December 26 Events Pre-1600 * 887 – Berengar I is elected as king of Italy by the lords of Lombardy. He is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy at Pavia. * 1481 – Battle of Westbroek: An army of 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers raised by David of ...

** The last Soviet troops withdraw from

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

. ** Cardinal József Mindszenty is arrested in Hungary and accused of treason and conspiracy. *

December 28 Events Pre-1600 * 418 – A papal election begins, resulting in the election of Pope Boniface I. * 457 – Majorian is acclaimed as Western Roman emperor. * 484 – Alaric II succeeds his father Euric and becomes king of the V ...

– A

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...

member assassinates Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi. *

December 30 Events Pre-1600 * 534 – The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire. * 999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a cr ...

– The musical ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off- ...

'' opens for the first of 1,077 performances in New York City. *

December 31 It is known by a collection of names including: Saint Sylvester's Day, New Year's Eve or Old Year's Day/Night, as the following day is New Year's Day. It is the last day of the year; the following day is January 1, the first day of the followi ...

– Arab-Israeli War: Israeli troops drive Egyptians from the

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

Date unknown

* The

Fresh Kills Landfill The Fresh Kills Landfill was a landfill covering in the borough of Staten Island in New York City, United States. The name comes from the landfill's location along the banks of the Fresh Kills estuary in western Staten Island. The landfill op ...

, the world's largest, opens on

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

. * The Slovak city Gúta is renamed

Kolárovo Kolárovo (before 1948: ''Guta''; or earlier ''Gutta'') is a town in the south of Slovakia near the town of Komárno. It is an agricultural center with 11,000 inhabitants. Basic information The town of Kolárovo is located in the Podunajská n ...

. * The

Vielha Tunnel The Vielha tunnel (Aranese: , Catalan and ) is a road tunnel in Spain, connecting Vielha, the capital of the Aran valley, with the Alta Ribagorça comarca. It is part of the N-230 road and consists of two parallel tunnels. The older one, na ...

is opened, giving access to the

Val d'Aran Aran (; ; ) (often known as the Aran Valley, or Val d'Aran in Aranese Occitan; in other forms of Occitan: ''Vath d'Aran'' or ''Vau d'Aran'', in Catalan: ''Vall d'Aran'', in Spanish: ''Valle de Arán'') is an autonomous administrative entity (form ...

in the Spanish

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

; at this time it is the longest road tunnel in the world. * The Oakridge Transit Centre opens in

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 cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. * The last recorded sighting is made of the

Caspian tiger The Caspian tiger was a '' Panthera tigris tigris'' population native to eastern Turkey, northern Iran, Mesopotamia, the Caucasus around the Caspian Sea, Central Asia to northern Afghanistan and the Xinjiang region in western China. Until the Midd ...

, in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. * A pack of wolves kills about 40 children in Darovskoy District, in Russia. * The last edition of the ''

Index Librorum Prohibitorum The (English: ''Index of Forbidden Books'') was a changing list of publications deemed heretical or contrary to morality by the Sacred Congregation of the Index (a former dicastery of the Roman Curia); Catholics were forbidden to print or re ...

'' is published in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

. * Charles Warrell creates the first I-Spy books in the United Kingdom. * Rev. W. Awdry's third book, ''

James the Red Engine James the Red Engine is a fictional character from ''the Railway Series'' children's books created by Wilbert Awdry and the television adaptation ''Thomas & Friends''. He is an anthropomorphic tender locomotive, and is the number 5 engine on the ...

'', is published in the United Kingdom. * Inspired by World War II fighter planes,

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

introduces the first automobile to sport tailfins. * The inaugural

6 Hours of Watkins Glen The Six Hours of Watkins Glen (currently sponsored as the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen) is a sports car endurance race held annually at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The race dates from 1948, and has been a part of the ...

sports car endurance race is held in the United States.

Births

January

–

Allan Alcorn Allan Alcorn (born January 1, 1948) is an American pioneering engineer and computer scientist best known for creating '' Pong'', one of the first video games. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time. Atari ...

, American engineer *

January 2 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor. * 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Emp ...

Judith Miller Judith Miller (born January 2, 1948) is an American journalist and commentator who is known for writing about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program both before and after the 2003 invasion, but her writings were later discov ...

, American journalist ** Joyce Wadler, American writer, memoirist ** Deborah Watling, English actress (d.

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

) *

January 3 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. * 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...

– Wanda Seux, Paraguayan vedette, dancer and actress (d.

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

) *

** Wally Foreman, Australian media icon (d.

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

) **

Ted Lange Theodore William Lange III (; born January 5, 1948) is an American actor, director and screenwriter best known for his roles as bartender Isaac Washington in the TV series ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986) and Junior in ''That's My Mama'' (1974–7 ...

, African-American actor, director (''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'') *

January 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will ...

** Guy Gardener, American astronaut **

Bob Wise Robert Ellsworth Wise Jr. (born January 6, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 33rd governor of West Virginia from 2001 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, Wise also served in the United States House of Representatives fro ...

, Governor of West Virginia *

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded with Jim Messina (musician), Jim Mess ...

, American rock singer (''

Footloose ''Footloose'' is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford. It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn a b ...

'') ** Ichirou Mizuki, Japanese voice actor (d.

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

) *

January 10 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and th ...

Remu Aaltonen Henry Olavi "Remu" Aaltonen (born 10 January 1948) is a Finnish drummer and singer. He is the lead musician of the band Hurriganes, but has also pursued a solo singing career. Early life Aaltonen was born in Helsinki. He was the oldest child in ...

, Finnish musician **

Donald Fagen Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who is the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker ...

, American rock keyboardist (''

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...

'') **

Teresa Graves Terresa Graves (January 10, 1948October 10, 2002), credited as Teresa Graves, was an American actress and singer, best known for her starring role as undercover police detective Christie Love in the ABC crime-drama television series '' Get Chri ...

, African-American actress and comedian ('' Get Christie Love'') (d.

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

) **

Mischa Maisky Mischa Maisky (, , ; born 10 January 1948) is a Soviet-born Israeli cellist. Biography Mischa Maisky was born in 1948 in Riga and is the younger brother of organist, harpsichordist and musicologist Valery Maisky (1942–1981). He was taught by ...

, Latvian cellist *

January 11 Events Pre-1600 * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. * 630 – Conquest of Mecca: Muhammad and his ...

** Hiroshi Wajima, Japanese sumo wrestler (d.

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

) **

Terry Goodkind Terry Lee Goodkind (January 11, 1948September 17, 2020) was an American writer. He was known for the epic fantasy series ''The Sword of Truth'' as well as the contemporary suspense novel ''The Law of Nines'' (2009), which has ties to his fantasy ...

, American writer (d.

) **

Danne Larsson Dan "Danne" Tage Bexér (né Larsson; born 11 January 1948) is a Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist and businessman who is best known for being the rhythm guitarist in the Swedish rock band Tages, and subsequently Blond, between 1963 and 1969. A ...

, Swedish musician *

** Kenny Allen, English footballer ** Anthony Andrews, English actor *

January 13 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years. * 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the ra ...

** V. Krishnasamy, Malaysian footballer (d.

) **

Françoise David Françoise David (; born January 13, 1948) is a former spokesperson of Québec solidaire – a left-wing, feminist, and sovereigntist political party in the province of Quebec, Canada. She was elected to serve as the Member of the National As ...

, Canadian spokesperson *

January 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. * 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 * 1761 – The Third Battle of Panipat is fought in I ...

T Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. Burnett has won several Grammy Awards for his work on film sou ...

, American record producer, musician **

Muhriz of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ; born 14 January 1948) is the eleventh Yamtuan Besar, Yang di-Pertuan Besar (Chief Ruler) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. He is the only son out of six siblings of royal spouse, t ...

, Yamtuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan **

Carl Weathers Carl Weathers (January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024) was an American actor, director and gridiron football player. His prominent roles included boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in ''Predat ...

, African-American actor, football player (''

Rocky IV ''Rocky IV'' is a 1985 American sports drama film starring, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. The film is the sequel to '' Rocky III'' (1982) and the fourth installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt You ...

'', '' Action Jackson'') (d.

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

) *

January 15 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69, 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Roman emperor, Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. *1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to set ...

–

Ronnie Van Zant Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known as the founding lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was the older brother of Johnny Van Zant, the cu ...

, American rock musician (''

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

'') (d.

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

) *

January 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1458 BC – Hatshepsut dies at the age of 50 and is buried in the Valley of the Kings. * 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the R ...

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...

, American film director, producer, screenwriter and composer **

Gregor Gysi Gregor Florian Gysi (; born 16 January 1948) is a German attorney, former president of the Party of the European Left and a prominent politician of The Left () political party. He belonged to the reformist wing of the governing Socialist Unity ...

, German politician **

Cliff Thorburn Clifford Charles Devlin Thorburn (born 16 January 1948) is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. Nicknamed "The Grinder" because of his slow, determined style of play, he won the World Snooker Championship in 1980, defeating Alex Hi ...

, Canadian snooker player **

Tsuneo Horiuchi is a former professional baseball player in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and a politician. A right-handed pitcher, in he was voted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Baseball career Horiuchi played for the Yomiuri Giants his who ...

, Japanese baseball pitcher, manager *

** Billy T. James, New Zealand comedian, musician and actor (d.

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

) **

Davíð Oddsson Davíð Oddsson (pronounced ; born 17 January 1948) is an Icelandic politician, and the longest-serving prime minister of Iceland, in office from 1991 to 2004. From 2004 to 2005 he served as Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Iceland), foreign minis ...

Prime Minister of Iceland The prime minister of Iceland () is head of government of the Republic of Iceland. The prime minister is appointed formally by the president of Iceland, president and exercises executive authority along with the Cabinet of Iceland, cabinet subje ...

January 18 Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later. * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail. * 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the C ...

– M. C. Gainey, American actor *

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 surren ...

** Lawrence Cartwright, Bahamian politician ** Robert Llewellyn Lyons, Canadian politician *

January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. *1156 – Finnish peasant Lalli kills English clergyman Henry (bishop of Finland), Henry, the Bishop of Turku, on the ice of Köyliönjärvi, Lake Köyli� ...

Nancy Kress Nancy Anne Kress (born January 20, 1948) is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella '' Beggars in Spain'' (1991), which becam ...

, American science fiction writer ** Jerry L. Ross, American air engineer *

January 23 Events Pre-1600 * 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor. * 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao. * 1229 ...

Katharine Holabird Katharine Holabird (born January 23, 1948) is an American writer, best known as the author of the '' Angelina Ballerina'' series, illustrated by Helen Craig, and the ''Twinkle'' series, illustrated by Sarah Warburton. Early life and education ...

, American writer ** Mitoji Yabunaka, Japanese politician *

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 Co ...

Miklós Németh Miklós Németh (, born 24 January 1948) is a retired Hungarian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 24 November 1988 to 23 May 1990. He was one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers' Party, Hungary's Communi ...

, Hungarian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Hungary from 1988 until 1990 *

January 27 Events Pre-1600 * 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor. * 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to become monks by Constantine VII, who becomes sole emperor of the ...

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...

, Russian dancer *

January 28 Events Pre-1600 *AD 98, 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany. * 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accessi ...

Ilkka Kanerva Ilkka Armas Mikael Kanerva (28 January 1948 – 14 April 2022) was a Finnish politician and a member of the Parliament of Finland. He was born in Lokalahti, now a part of Uusikaupunki in Southwest Finland. He was the Minister for Foreign Affairs ...

, Finnish politician (d.

) ** Charles Taylor, Liberian politician, 22nd

President of Liberia The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Prior to the independence of Liber ...

–

Marc Singer Marc Singer (born January 29, 1948) is a Canadian-American actor best known for his roles in the '' Beastmaster'' film series, as Mike Donovan in the original 1980s TV series '' V'', and as Matt Cantrell in ''Dallas''. Early life Singer was born ...

, Canadian actor ('' V'') *

Akira Yoshino is a Japanese chemist. He is a fellow of Asahi Kasei, Asahi Kasei Corporation and a professor at Meijo University in Nagoya. He created the first safe, production-viable lithium-ion battery, which became used widely in cellular phones and noteb ...

, Japanese chemist,

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

laureate **

Paul Magee Paul "Dingus" Magee (born 30 January 1948) is a former volunteer in the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who escaped during his 1981 trial for killing a member of the Special Air Service (SAS) in 1980. After servin ...

, Provisional Irish Republican Army member *

Paul Jabara Paul Frederick Jabara (January 31, 1948 – September 29, 1992) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He wrote Donna Summer's Oscar-winning " Last Dance" from '' Thank God It's Friday'' (1978), as well as "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough ...

, American actor, singer and songwriter (d.

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

) **

Muneo Suzuki Muneo Suzuki (鈴木宗男 ''Suzuki Muneo'', born 31 January 1948), commonly known simply as "Muneo" due to his common last name, is a Japanese politician from Ashoro, Hokkaido, Ashoro, Hokkaido, currently serving as a member of the House of C ...

, Japanese politician

February

–

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in his tee ...

, African-American urban singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer (d.

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

) *

February 2 Events Pre-1600 * 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of " Roman law". * 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: ...

** Ina Garten, American cooking author ** Roger Williamson, British race car driver (d.

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

) *

February 3 Events Pre-1600 * 1047 – Drogo of Hauteville is elected as count of the Apulian Normans during the Norman conquest of Southern Italy. * 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, u ...

Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, SDB, commonly known as Carlos Belo or Ximenes Belo (born 3 February 1948) is an East Timorese prelate of the Catholic Church. He became a bishop in 1988 and served as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of ...

, East Timorean Catholic bishop, recipient of the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

Henning Mankell Henning Georg Mankell (; 3 February 1948 – 5 October 2015) was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a ...

, Swedish crime novelist (d.

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

) *

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

, American hard rock singer and musician ('' School's Out'') ** Ram Baran Yadav,

President of Nepal The president of Nepal (ISO: ) is the head of state of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The president is the nominal head of the executive,the first citizen of the country, and the supreme commander of the Nepalese Armed Forces. Ra ...

February 5 Events Pre-1600 * *2 BC – Caesar Augustus is granted the title ''pater patriae'' by the Roman Senate. *AD 62, 62 – AD 62 Pompeii earthquake, Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy. *756 – Chinese New Year; An Lushan proclaims himself E ...

** Jim Dornan, Northern Irish obstetrician and gynecologist (d.

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

) **

Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; 5 February 1948 – 26 August 2024) was a Swedish association football, football player and Coach (sport), manager. After a playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management ...

, Swedish football manager (d.

) **

Christopher Guest Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born 5 February 1948), known professionally as Christopher Guest, is a British-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. Guest has written, directed, and starred in his series of comedy ...

, American actor, screenwriter, director and composer ('' National Lampoon'', ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'') **

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including Wester ...

, American actress (''

Beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

'') **

Tom Wilkinson Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson (5 February 1948 – 30 December 2023) was an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well ...

, English actor (d.

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

) *

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 & ...

–

Jimmy Greenspoon James Boyd Greenspoon (February 7, 1948 – March 11, 2015) was an American keyboard player and composer, best known as a member of the band Three Dog Night. Early life and education Greenspoon was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised i ...

, American keyboardist, composer (''

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sn ...

'') (d.

) *

February 8 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Constantius III becomes co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir. * 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of ...

–

Dan Seals Danny Wayland Seals (February 8, 1948 – March 25, 2009), also known as England Dan, was an American musician. The younger brother of Seals and Crofts member Jim Seals, he first gained fame as one half of the soft rock duo England Dan & ...

, American musician (d.

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

) *

February 9 Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Zeno (emperor), Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire *1003 – Boleslaus III, Duke of Bohemia, Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I ...

David Hayman David Hayman (born 9 February 1948) is a Scottish film, television and stage actor and director from Glasgow. His acting credits include '' Sid and Nancy'' (1986), '' Hope and Glory'' (1987), '' Rob Roy'' (1995), '' The Jackal'' (1997), '' Tri ...

, Scottish film, television and stage actor, director ** Greg Stafford, American game designer, publisher (d.

) *

February 10 Events Pre-1600 * 1258 – The Siege of Baghdad ends with the surrender of the last Abbasid caliph to Hulegu Khan, a prince of the Mongol Empire. * 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bru ...

Ûssarĸak K'ujaukitsoĸ Uusarqak Qujaukitsoq (Older spelling: Ûssarĸak Kʼujaukitsoĸ; ; 10 February 1948 – 2 August 2018) was a Greenlandic politician for Siumut party. Uusarqak Qujaukitsoq was the son of Kʼujaukitsoĸ Kʼujaukitsoĸ and his wife Eĸilana. His gra ...

, Greenlandic Inuk politician, human rights activist (d.

) **

John Magnier John Magnier (born 10 February 1948) is an Irish business magnate. He is a leading thoroughbred stud owner and has extensive business interests outside the horse-breeding industry. Magnier was a senator in the upper house of the Oireachtas, ...

, Irish businessman, thoroughbred racehorse breeder *

– Chris Rush, American stand-up comedian *

February 12 Events Pre-1600 * 1096 – Pope Urban II confirms the foundation of the abbey of La Roë under Robert of Arbrissel as a community of canons regular. * 1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sofia performed the first post- ...

–

Raymond Kurzweil Raymond Kurzweil ( ; born February 12, 1948) is an American computer scientist, author, entrepreneur, futurist, and inventor. He is involved in fields such as optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech synthesis, speech recognition te ...

, American inventor, author *

February 13 Events Pre-1600 * 962 – Emperor Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I and Pope Pope John XII, John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome. *1258 – Siege of Baghdad (1258), Siege of Baghdad: Hulegu Kh ...

– Kitten Natividad, Mexican-American film actress (d. 2022) *

February 14 It is observed in most countries as Valentine's Day. Events Pre-1600 * 748 – Abbasid Revolution#Persian phase, Abbasid Revolution: The Kaysanites Shia#History, Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad ...

Jackie Martling John Coger "Jackie" Martling Jr. (born February 14, 1948) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, radio personality, author, actor, and musician also known as Jackie the Joke Man. He is best known as a former writer and in-studio comedian for ...

, American comedian, radio personality **

Wally Tax Wladimir "Wally" Tax (; 14 February 1948 – 10 April 2005) was a Dutch singer and songwriter. He was founder and frontman of the Nederbeat group The Outsiders (1959–1969) and the rock group Tax Free (1969–1971). After commercial and artis ...

, Dutch musician (d.

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

) ** Raymond Teller, American illusionist and magician, one half of the duo

Penn & Teller Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since 1975. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic. The duo has bee ...

** Yehuda Shoenfeld, Israeli physician, autoimmunity researcher *

February 15 Events Pre-1600 * 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus * 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia. * 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Ti ...

–

Larry DiTillio Lawrence G. DiTillio (February 15, 1948 – March 16, 2019) was an American film, TV series, and tabletop role-playing game writer. His creations include ''He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword'' and the award-winning '' Masks of Nyarlathot ...

, American film and TV series writer (d.

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

) *

–

Eckhart Tolle Eckhart Tolle ( ; ; born Ulrich Leonard Tölle, 16 February 1948) is a German-born spiritual teacher and self-help author. His books include ''The Power of Now, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment'' (1997), ''A New Earth, A New ...

, German-Canadian spiritual author *

February 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau. * 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons ...

György Cserhalmi György Cserhalmi (born 17 February 1948, in Budapest) is a Hungarian actor. He graduated from the Actors Academy in 1971. He is also the founder of the Labdater Theatre in the Globe cultural centre. Employment *1971: Debrecen Csokonai Theat ...

, Hungarian actor **

José José José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz (17 February 1948 – 28 September 2019), known professionally as José José, was a Mexican singer. Also known as ''El Príncipe de la Canción'' (The Prince of Song), his performance and vocal style have influenced ma ...

, Mexican singer, actor (d.

) *

–

Sinéad Cusack Sinéad Moira Cusack ( ; born 18 February 1948) is an Irish actress. Her first acting roles were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, before moving to London in 1969 to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has won the Critics' Circle and ''Eve ...

, Irish actress *

Pim Fortuyn Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn (; 19 February 1948 – 6 May 2002), was a Dutch politician, author, civil servant, businessman, sociologist and academic who founded the party Pim Fortuyn List (Lijst Pim Fortuyn or LPF) in ...

, Dutch politician, author (d.

) **

Tony Iommi Anthony Frank Iommi Jr. (born 19 February 1948) is an English musician. He co-founded the pioneering Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader, primary composer, and sole continuous member for over ...

, English heavy metal guitarist **

Elizabeth Sackler Elizabeth Ann Sackler (born February 19, 1948) is a public historian, arts activist, and the daughter of Arthur M. Sackler and descendant of the Sackler family - a family deeply intertwined with the opioid epidemic in the United States of Americ ...

, American activist **

Raúl Grijalva Raúl Manuel Grijalva ( ; February 19, 1948 – March 13, 2025) was an American politician and activist who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona from 2003 until his death in 2025. A member of the Democra ...

, American politician, member of the

(d.

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

) *

February 20 Events Pre-1600 *1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated. *1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawn (law), pawned by Norway to S ...

–

Jennifer O'Neill Jennifer O'Neill (born February 20, 1948) is a Brazilian-born American author, model, and former actress. Born in Brazil, and moving to the United States as an infant, she first came to prominence as a teenaged model (person), model, and for he ...

, American model, actress *

–

Christian Vander (musician) Christian Vander (born 21 February 1948) is a French drummer, composer, singer and founder of the progressive rock band Magma. Career Vander is known for his extended compositions, drumming, and shrill falsetto improvisational/scat singing. Hi ...

, French drummer, founder of progressive rock/Zeuhl group Magma *

** John Ashton, American actor (d.

) ** Leslie H. Sabo Jr., American

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient (d.

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

) *

February 24 Events Pre-1600 * 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica. * 1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence. ...

Jayalalithaa Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016), popularly known as Amma, was an Indian actress, politician, and philanthropist who served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years between 1991 and 2016. She ...

, Indian politician, film actress (d.

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

) **

Walter Smith Walter Ferguson Smith (24 February 1948 – 26 October 2021) was a Scottish football player, manager and director, primarily associated with his two spells as manager of Glasgow club Rangers. A defender, Smith's playing career consiste ...

, Scottish football manager (d.

) *

– Danny Denzongpa, Indian actor *

Steven Chu Steven ChuNobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

laureate **

Mike Figgis Michael Figgis (born 28 February 1948) is an English film director, screenwriter, and composer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work on '' Leaving Las Vegas'' (1995). Figgis was the founding patron of the independent filmmakers' ...

, American director, screenwriter and composer **

Kjell Isaksson Kjell Gunnar Isaksson (born 28 February 1948) is a retired pole vaulter from Sweden, who broke the world record several times in 1972. Pole vaulting First he broke the record set by Christos Papanikolaou of Greece and San Jose State University ...

, Swedish pole vaulter **

Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released reco ...

, American actress, singer **

Mercedes Ruehl Mercedes J. Ruehl ( ; born February 28, 1948) is an American screen, stage, and television actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. Ruehl won the Academy Award f ...

, American actress **

Alfred Sant Alfred Sant, (born 28 February 1948) is a Malta, Maltese politician and a novelist. He led the Labour Party (Malta), Labour Party from 1992 to 2008 and served as Prime Minister of Malta between 1996 and 1998 and as Leader of the Opposition from 1 ...

, Leader of Malta Labour Party (1992–), Prime Minister of Malta (1996–1998) *

February 29 February 29 is a '' leap day'' (or "leap year day")—an intercalary date added periodically to create leap years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the 60th day of a leap year in both Julian and Gregorian calendars, and 306 day ...

** Khalid Salleh, Malaysian actor, poet (d.

) **

Ken Foree Ken Foree (born February 29, 1948) is an American actor, best known as the protagonist Peter from the horror film '' Dawn of the Dead'' (1978) and as Roger Rockmore on the Nickelodeon television sitcom '' Kenan & Kel'' (1996–2000). Early life ...

, American actor ** Henry Small, American-born Canadian singer

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 Diocleti ...

– Gopanarayan Das, Indian politician (d.

) *

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 ...

** R. T. Crowley, American pioneer of electronic commerce **

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometim ...

, Irish musician (d.

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

) ** Jeff Kennett, Australian politician * March 3 ** Steve Wilhite, American computer scientist, developer of the GIF image format at CompuServe in 1987 (d.

) * March 4 ** Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, Australian author (''A Cry in the Dark'') ** James Ellroy, American writer ** Tom Grieve, American baseball player ** Leron Lee, American baseball player ** Chris Squire, English bassist (Yes (band), Yes) (d.

) ** Shakin' Stevens, Welsh singer ** Brian Cummings, American voice actor * March 5 ** Eddy Grant, Guyanese British singer, musician ("Electric Avenue (song), Electric Avenue") ** Elaine Paige, English singer, actress * March 6 – Anna Maria Horsford, African-American actress (''Amen (TV series), Amen'') *

** Sinta Nuriyah, 4th First Lady of Indonesia, wife of Abdurrahman Wahid ** Jonathan Sacks, British Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, author and politician (d.

) * March 9 ** László Lovász, Hungarian mathematician ** Jeffrey Osborne, American singer ("On the Wings of Love (song), On the Wings of Love") * March 10 – Doug Clark (serial killer), Doug Clark, American serial killer (d.

) * March 11 ** Dominique Sanda, French actress *

– James Taylor, American singer, songwriter ("Fire and Rain (song), Fire and Rain") * March 13 – Maurice A. de Gosson, Austrian mathematician * March 14 – Billy Crystal, American actor, comedian * March 15 – Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (d. 2003) * March 16 – Margaret Weis, American science fiction writer *

– William Gibson, American/Canadian writer *

** Jessica B. Harris, American historian and journalist ** Bobby Whitlock, American singer and songwriter *

** John de Lancie, American actor ** Bobby Orr, Canadian hockey player ** Helene Vannari, Estonian actress (d.

) * March 22 ** Inri Cristo, Brazilian educator who claims to be Jesus Christ reincarnated ** Wolf Blitzer, American television journalist (CNN) ** Andrew Lloyd Webber, English composer (''Jesus Christ Superstar'') *

– Bonnie Bedelia, American actress * March 26 ** Nash the Slash (b. James Jeffrey Plewman), Canadian musician (d. 2014) ** Steven Tyler, American rock singer, songwriter (Aerosmith) * March 28 **Jayne Ann Krentz, American novelist **Dianne Wiest, American actress * March 29 ** Mike Heideman, American basketball coach (d.

) ** Bud Cort, American actor (''Harold and Maude'') * March 30 – Eddie Jordan, Irish founder of Jordan Grand Prix (d.

) * March 31 ** Rhea Perlman, American actress (''Cheers'') ** Al Gore, American politician and environmentalist, 45th Vice President of the United States

April

– Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican singer, actor * April 2 ** Bob Lienhard, American basketball player (d.

) ** Roald Als, Danish cartoonist *

– Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Mexican economist, politician and 53rd President of Mexico (1988–1994) * April 4 ** Squire Parsons, American gospel singer, songwriter ** Dan Simmons, American fantasy, science fiction author ** Berry Oakley, American musician (d. 1972) *

– Neil Portnow, American President of The Recording Academy (NARAS) *

** Arnie Robinson, American Olympic Long jump champion (d.

) ** John Oates, American rock singer, guitarist (''Hall & Oates'') ** Pietro Anastasi, Italian football player (d.

) *

– Jaya Bachchan, Indian actress and politician * April 10 – Fauzi Bowo, Indonesian politician and diplomat, governor of Jakarta * April 12 ** Jeremy Beadle, English TV presenter (d. 2008) ** Don Fernando, American pornographic film actor, director **Joschka Fischer, German politician ** Marcello Lippi, Italian football player, manager *

** Nam Hae-il, 25th Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea Navy ** Mikhail Shufutinsky, Soviet, Russian singer, actor and TV presenter * April 15 – Michael Kamen, American composer (d. 2003) *

** Ammar El Sherei, Egyptian music icon, celebrity (d. 2012) ** Kazuyuki Sogabe, Japanese voice actor (d.

) * April 17 ** Jan Hammer, Czechoslovakian composer, pianist and keyboardist ** Peter Jenni, Swiss experimental particle physicist *

– Avi Arad, Israeli-American film producer * April 20 – Paul Milgrom, American economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate * April 21 ** Paul Davis (singer), Paul Davis, American singer, songwriter (''Cool Night'') (d. 2008) ** Josef Flammer, Swiss ophthalmologist (after whom Flammer syndrome is named) *

– István Szívós (water polo, born 1948), István Szívós, Hungarian water polo player (d.

) * April 27 ** Amrit Kumar Bohara, Nepalese politician ** Frank Abagnale, American con man, imposter ** Si Robertson, American reality star, preacher, hunter, outdoorsman and U.S. Army veteran * April 28 ** Terry Pratchett, English comic fantasy, science fiction author (d.

) ** Marcia Strassman, American actress, singer (''Welcome Back, Kotter'') (d. 2014) * April 29 – Michael Karoli, German musician (d. 2001) *

– Jocelyne Saab, Lebanese journalist, film director (d.

)

May

* May 2 ** Vladimir Matorin, Russian opera singer ** Larry Gatlin, American singer, songwriter * May 3 ** William H. Miller (writer), William H. Miller, American maritime historian ** Chris Mulkey, American actor * May 4 ** Jan Kantůrek, Czech translator (d.

) ** Tanya Falan Welk, Tanya Falan, American singer ** King George Tupou V of Tonga (d. 2012) * May 5 ** Joe Esposito (singer), Joe Esposito, American singer, songwriter ** Richard Pacheco, American pornographic actor ** Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, English rock drummer * May 7 – Susan Atkins, convicted murderer and ex-follower of Charles Manson (d.

) * May 8 ** Dame Felicity Lott, English soprano ** Stephen Stohn, Canadian television producer *

** Steven W. Mosher, American social scientist, author ** Calvin Murphy, American basketball player, analyst * May 10 – Meg Foster, American actress *

** Pam Ferris, Welsh actress ** Shigeru Izumiya, Japanese musician * May 12 ** Steve Winwood, English rock singer ("Higher Love") ** Lindsay Crouse, American actress *

– Bob Woolmer, Indian-born English cricket coach (d. 2007) *

** Yutaka Enatsu, Japanese professional baseball pitcher ** Brian Eno, English musician, record producer *

– Jesper Christensen, Danish actor * May 17 – Penny DeHaven, American country singer (d. 2014) *

** Olivia Harrison, American author and film producer ** Mikko Heiniö, Finnish composer * May 19 – Grace Jones, Jamaican singer, actress * May 20 – Tesshō Genda, Japanese voice actor * May 21 ** D'Jamin Bartlett, American musical theatre actress ** Elizabeth Buchan, English writer ** Jonathan Hyde, Australian-born English actor ** Carol Potter (actress), Carol Potter, American actress ** Leo Sayer, English rock musician ("When I Need You") * May 23 – Gary McCord, American professional golfer *

– Klaus Meine, German singer (Scorpions (band), Scorpions) *

** Dayle Haddon, Canadian model, actress (d.

) ** Stevie Nicks, American rock singer, songwriter (Fleetwood Mac) * May 27 – Wubbo de Boer, Dutch civil servant *

– Michael Berkeley, English composer *

– Paul L. Schechter, American astronomer and cosmologist * May 31 ** Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian writer of literary reportage, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate ** Lynda Bellingham, English actress, broadcaster and author (d. 2014) ** John Bonham, English rock drummer (Led Zeppelin) (d. 1980)

June

** Powers Boothe, American actor (''Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones'') (d.

) ** Tom Sneva, American race car driver, Indianapolis 500 winner * June 2 – Jerry Mathers, American actor (''Leave It to Beaver'') *

– Carlos Franzetti, Argentine composer and arranger * June 4 ** Bob Champion, English jump jockey ** David Haskell, American actor (d. 2000) * June 6 – Richard Sinclair, English musician (''Caravan (band), Caravan'') * June 7 – Jim C. Walton, American business person, (''Walmart'') * June 8 ** Jürgen von der Lippe, German television presenter, actor and comedian ** Jad Azkoul, Lebanese-American classical guitarist * June 9 ** Gudrun Schyman, Swedish politician ** Gary Thorne, American play-by-play announcer *

– Subrata Roy, Indian businessman (d.

) *

– Dave Cash (baseball), Dave Cash, American baseball player * June 12 – Sadegh Zibakalam, Iranian academic reformist * June 13 – Garnet Bailey, Canadian hockey player, scout (d. 2001) * June 14 – Laurence Yep, American author *

– Paul Michiels, Belgian singer, songwriter * June 16 – Terry Schofield, American basketball player *

– Dave Concepción, Venezuelan baseball player *

– Sherry Turkle, American science/social studies professor ** Eliezer Halfin, Israeli wrestler (d. 1972) * June 19 ** Nick Drake, English musician (d. 1974) ** Lea Laven, Finnish singer ** Phylicia Rashad, African-American actress (''The Cosby Show'') *

** Véronique de Montchalin, French politician ** Diana Mara Henry, American freelance photojournalist ** Alan Longmuir, Scottish musician (d.

) ** Ludwig Scotty, President of Nauru ** Tina Sinatra, American singer, actress, film producer and memoirist *

** Don Airey, British musician ** Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (d. 2011) ** Jovan Aćimović, Serbian football player ** Raffaello Martinelli, Italian prelate ** Philippe Sarde, French film composer ** Andrzej Sapkowski, Polish writer ** Wolfgang Seel, German football player ** Greg Hyder, American professional basketball player *

** Takashi Sasano, Japanese actor ** Shōhaku Okumura, Japanese Soto Zen ** Peter Prijdekker, Dutch swimmer ** Sue Roberts, American professional golfer ** Todd Rundgren, American rock singer, record producer (''Hello It's Me'') ** Curtis Johnson (cornerback), Curtis Johnson, American football cornerback ** Franciszek Smuda, Polish football coach ** Panagiotis Xanthakos, Greek sports shoote ** Colin Waldron, English football defender * June 23 ** Larry Coker, American football player, coach ** Jim Heacock, American defensive coordinator ** Luther Kent, American blues singer *

** Stephen Martin (Australian politician), Stephen Martin, Australian politician, senior academic and rugby league referee ** Patrick Moraz, Swiss keyboard player ** Janet Museveni, First Lady of Uganda ** Dave Orchard, South African cricketer ** Eigil Sørensen, Danish cyclist ** Jürgen Stars, German footballer ** Jenny Wood, Zimbabwean swimmer * June 25 ** Kenn George, American businessman ** Michael Lembeck, American actor, television and film director ** Tom Rideout, Canadian politician *

** David Vaughan (golfer), David Vaughan, Welsh professional golfer ** John Pratt (footballer), John Pratt, English professional footballer ** Pablo Anaya Rivera, Mexican politician * June 27 ** Vennira Aadai Nirmala, Tamil actress ** Michael J. Barrett, Guamanian politician ** Camile Baudoin, American rock guitarist *

** Deborah Moggach, English writer ** Kathy Bates, American actress (''Misery (film), Misery'') ** Jimmy Thomson (footballer, born 1948), Jimmy Thomson, Scottish professional footballer ** Brian Rowan, Scottish professional footballer * June 29 ** Danny Adcock, Australian actor ** Vic Brooks, English cricketer ** Leo Burke, Canadian professional wrestler ** Fred Grandy, American actor, politician (''

'') ** Helge Karlsen, Norwegian football player ** Ian Paice, English musician (''Deep Purple'') ** Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar, crossbench member of the House of Lords * June 30 ** Alice Wong, Canadian politician ** Dag Fornæss, Norwegian speed skater ** Peter Rossborough, English rugby union international ** Galarrwuy Yunupingu, Australian Indigenous community leader (d.

) ** Vladimir Yakunin, Russian official, head of state-run Russian Railways Company ** Raymond Leo Burke, American cardinal, prelate

July

* July 1 ** Ever Hugo Almeida, Paraguayan footballer ** Hap Farber, American football linebacker. ** John Ford (musician), John Ford, English-born rock musician (''Strawbs''), writer of ''Part of the Union'' ** Michael McGimpsey, Northern Ireland politician * July 2 ** Mario Villanueva, Mexican politician ** Saul Rubinek, German-Canadian character actor, director, producer and playwright * July 3 – Tarmo Koivisto, Finnish comics artist * July 4 ** René Arnoux, French racing driver ** Louis Raphaël I Sako, Head of the Chaldean Catholic Church ** Ed Armbrister, Bahamian Major League Baseball outfielder ** Nazmul Hussain, Indian first-class cricketer ** Jeremy Spencer, British musician *

** Tony DeMeo, American football coach, player ** Dave Lemonds, American baseball player ** Salomon Juan Marcos Issa, Mexican politician ** Lojze Peterle, Slovenian politician ** William Hootkins, American actor (d.

) *

** Nathalie Baye, French actress ** Jeff Webb (basketball), Jeff Webb, American professional basketball player ** Arnaldo Baptista, Brazilian rock musician, composer ** Brad Park, Canadian NHL Defenseman ** Sid Smith (offensive lineman), Sid Smith, American football offensive lineman ** Eiko Segawa, Japanese female enka singer, actress ** Jan van der Veen, Dutch professional association football player * July 7 ** Jerry Sherk, American football defensive tackle ** Jean LeClerc (actor), Jean LeClerc, Québécois actor ** Jean-Marie Colombani, French journalist ** Tan Lee Meng, Singaporean jurist ** Stuart Varney, British-American economic consultant ** Luis Estrada (footballer), Luis Estrada, Mexican football league forward, Olympic athlete * July 8 – Raffi (musician), Raffi, Egyptian-born children's entertainer * July 10 ** Theo Bücker, German football manager, player ** Mick Coop, English professional football right back ** Rich Hand, American professional baseball player * July 12 ** Richard Simmons, American television personality, fitness expert (d.

) ** Jay Thomas, American actor (d.

) *

** Alf Hansen, Norwegian rower ** Daphne Maxwell Reid, African-American actress ** Don Sweet, Canadian star football kicker ** Robert A. Underwood, Guamanian politician, educator *

– Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, Zulu king (d.

) *

** Enriqueta Basilio, Mexican track and field athlete (d.

) ** Richard Franklin (director), Richard Franklin, Australian film director (d. 2007) ** Twinkle (singer), Twinkle, English singer, songwriter (d.

) *

** Rubén Blades, Panamanian singer, actor and musician ** Rita Barberá, Spanish politician, Mayor of Valencia (d.

) ** Lars Lagerbäck, Swedish football manager, player ** Jeff Van Wagenen, American professional golfer ** Pinchas Zukerman, Israeli violinist * July 17 ** Doug Berry (Canadian football), Doug Berry, American Canadian football coach ** Alan Sieler, Australian cricketer * July 18 – Hartmut Michel, German chemist,

laureate *

** Muse Watson, American actor ** Maroun Elias Nimeh Lahham, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tunis * July 21 ** Beppe Grillo, Italian activist, blogger, comedian and actor ** Ed Hinton (sportswriter), Ed Hinton, American sportswriter ** Cat Stevens (b. Steven Georgiou, later known as Yusuf Islam), British singer, musician ** Garry Trudeau, American cartoonist (''Doonesbury'') ** Teruzane Utada, Japanese music executive producer, attendant ** Mikhail Nikolayevich Zadornov, Mikhail Zadornov, Russian stand-up comedian, writer ** Snooty, male Florida manatee (d.

) ** Anders Berglund, Swedish arranger/composer, conductor and producer *

** Susan Eloise Hinton, American author ** Otto Waalkes, German comedian, actor * July 23 – John Cushnahan, Northern Irish politician * July 25 ** Steve Goodman, American Grammy Award-winning folk music singer, songwriter (d. 1984) ** Tony Cline, American football player (d.

) * July 27 – Peggy Fleming, American figure skater *

** Gerald Casale, American director, singer (''Devo'')\ ** Georgia Engel, American actress (d.

) *

**Meir Shalev Israeli writer and newspaper columnist for the daily Yedioth Ahronoth. Shalev's books have been translated into 26 languages (d.

) * July 30 ** Jean Reno, French actor ** Julia Tsenova, Bulgarian composer, musician (d. 2010) * July 31 – Jonathan Dollimore, English academic sociologist, cultural theorist

August

Jean-Pierre Raffarin par Claude Truong-Ngoc 2013

* August 2 ** Dennis Prager, American radio talk show host, author ** Bob Rae, Canadian politician * August 3 – Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Prime Minister of France * August 4 – Giorgio Parisi, Italian theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize laureate * August 7 – James P. Allison, American immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine * August 8 – Wincey Willis, British broadcaster *

– Mizengo Pinda, 9th Prime Minister of Tanzania *

– Kathleen Battle, African-American soprano *

– Joseph Marcell, English actor *

** Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Iranian cleric, politician (d.

) ** George Ryton, Singapore-born English Formula One engineer *

** Sean Scanlan, Scottish actor (d.

) ** Robert Hughes (actor), Robert Hughes, Australian actor ** Deana Martin, American singer and actress *

** John Noble, Australian actor ** Robert Plant, English singer (''Led Zeppelin'') ** Barbara Allen Rainey (b. Barbara Ann Allen), American aviator, first female pilot in the U.S. armed forces (d. 1982) * August 21 ** Sharon M. Draper, American children's book author (''Out of My Mind (novel), Out of My Mind'') ** Peter Starkie, Australian rock guitarist (Skyhooks (band), Skyhooks, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons) * August 22 – David Marks, American guitarist (The Beach Boys) *

– Lev Zeleny, Soviet, Russian physicist *

** Jean-Michel Jarre, French electronic musician ** Sauli Niinistö, Finnish politician, 12th President of Finland ** Kim Sung-il (general), Kim Sung-il, Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Air Force ** Tito Sotto, Vicente Sotto III, Filipino actor, host and politician *

– Tony Ramos, Brazilian actor *

– Sgt. Slaughter, American professional wrestler * August 30 ** Lewis Black, American comedian ** Fred Hampton, American activist (d. 1969) ** Victor Skumin, Russian scientist, professor * August 31 ** Cyril Jordan, American musician ** Holger Osieck, German football manager

September

* September 1 – James Rebhorn, American actor (d. 2014) * September 2 ** Nate Archibald, American basketball player ** Terry Bradshaw, American football player, sportscaster ** Christa McAuliffe, American teacher and astronaut (d. in Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster 1986) * September 3 ** Don Brewer, American drummer (''Grand Funk Railroad'') ** Levy Mwanawasa, Zambian president (d. 2008) *

– Michael Berryman, American actor *

– Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Austrian diplomat, politician *

– Sam Hui, Hong Kong singer * September 7 ** Susan Blakely, American actress ** Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi (d.

) * September 8 – The Great Kabuki, Japanese professional wrestler * September 10 ** Judy Geeson, English actress ** Bob Lanier, American basketball player (d.

) ** Margaret Trudeau (b. Margaret Sinclair), wife and mother of Prime Ministers of Canada ** Charlie Waters, American football player *

– John Martyn (b. Iain McGeachy), British folk-rock guitarist (d.

) * September 12 – Mah Bow Tan, Singaporean politician *

** Nell Carter, African-American singer, actress (''Gimme a Break!'') (d. 2003) ** Sitiveni Rabuka, 3rd Prime Minister of Fiji ** Kathleen Lloyd, American actress * September 16 – Ron Blair, American rock bassist (''Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers'') *

** Aidan Nichols, English Dominican priest and academic ** John Ritter, American actor (''Three's Company'') (d. 2003) * September 19 ** Jeremy Irons, English actor ** Nadiya Tkachenko, Soviet pentathlete *

** Rey Langit, Filipino journalist, radio host ** George R. R. Martin, American speculative fiction author * September 22 ** Denis Burke (Australian politician), Denis Burke, Australian politician ** Jim Byrnes (actor), Jim Byrnes, American voice actor, blues musician and actor ** Mark Phillips, British army captain, equestrian and first husband of Anne, Princess Royal * September 23 – José Lavat, Mexican voice actor (d.

) * September 24 – Phil Hartman, Canadian actor, comedian (''

'') (d. 1998) * September 25 ** Cäcilia Rentmeister, German art historian, gender researcher ** Vasile Șirli, Romanian musical composer and producer ** Vladimir Yevtushenkov, Russian Business oligarch, oligarch * September 26 ** Maurizio Gucci, Italian businessman, murder victim (d.

) ** Olivia Newton-John, English-born Australian singer, actress (d.

) ** Vladimír Remek, Czech politician and cosmonaut *

** Michele Dotrice, English actress ** A Martinez, American actor, singer *

** Mark Farner, American rock guitarist, singer (''Grand Funk Railroad'') ** Bryant Gumbel, African-American television broadcaster (''The Today Show'') ** Theo Jörgensmann, German jazz clarinetist

October

QTXP 20121019 Destination Star Trek London MG 2144

* October 1 ** Mark Landon, American actor (d.

) ** Sir Peter Blake (sailor), Peter Blake, New Zealand yachtsman (d. 2001) * October 2 ** Avery Brooks, American actor, musician ** Persis Khambatta, Indian actress, model (''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'') (d. 1998) ** Chris LeDoux, American singer, rodeo star (d.

) ** Donna Karan, American fashion designer * October 4 ** Meg Bennett, American soap opera writer ** Iain Hewitson, New Zealand-Australian chef, restaurateur, author and television personality *

– Russell Mael, American singer (Sparks (band), Sparks) *

** Wendell Ladner, American basketball player (d. 1975) ** Gerry Adams, Northern Irish politician * October 7 – Diane Ackerman, American poet, essayist * October 8 ** Johnny Ramone, American guitarist (Ramones) (d.

) ** Baldwin Spencer (politician), Baldwin Spencer, 3rd Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda * October 9 ** Jackson Browne, American rock musician ("Running on Empty (song), Running on Empty") ** Ciarán Carson, Northern Irish poet, novelist ** Oliver Hart (economist), Oliver Hart, English-born economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate * October 11 ** Margie Alexander, American gospel, soul singer (d. 2013) ** Cynthia Clawson, American gospel singer * October 12 ** Rick Parfitt, English musician (Status Quo (band), Status Quo) (d.

) ** Stephen Shepich, American politician and former member of the Michigan House of Representatives in 1993 and 1994 (d. 2013) * October 13 ** John Ford Coley, American rock musician ("I'd Really Love to See You Tonight") ** Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani musician (d. 1997) * October 14 ** Engin Arık, Turkey, Turkish Nuclear physics, nuclear physicist (d. 2007) ** David Ruprecht, American actor, writer (''Supermarket Sweep'') * October 15 ** Renato Corona, Filipino jurist, lawyer (d.

) ** Chris de Burgh, born Christopher Davison, Argentine-born Anglo-Irish singer, songwriter *

** Leo Mazzone, American baseball coach ** Hema Malini, Indian actress, writer, director, producer, dancer and politician * October 17 ** Robert Jordan, American novelist (d. 2007) ** Margot Kidder, Canadian actress (''Superman (1978 film), Superman'') (d.

) ** Akira Kushida, Japanese singer ** Ng Jui Ping, Singaporean entrepreneur, previously army general (d.

) ** George Wendt, American actor (''Cheers'') (d.

) * October 18 ** Hans Köchler, Austrian philosopher ** Ntozake Shange, African-American playwright and poet (d.

) * October 19 – Patrick Simmons, American musician (The Doobie Brothers) * October 21 ** Tom Everett, American actor ** Allen Vigneron, Archdiocese of Detroit, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Detroit * October 22 ** Lynette Fromme, American attempted assassin of Gerald Ford ** Debbie Macomber, American author * October 23 – Sir Gerry Robinson, Irish-born British businessman (d.

) * October 25 ** Dave Cowens, American basketball player, coach ** Dan Gable, American wrestler, coach ** Dan Issel, American basketball player and coach *

– Toby Harrah, American baseball player * October 28 – Telma Hopkins, African-American actress, singer (Tony Orlando and Dawn) *

** Giuseppe Chirichiello, Italian economist and university professor ** Frans de Waal, Dutch primatologist. (d.

) ** Kate Jackson, American actress (''Charlie's Angels'') *

– Garry McDonald, Australian actor, satirist and comedian

November

– Anna Stuart, American actress * November 3 – Lulu (singer), Lulu (b. Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie), Scottish singer, actress (''To Sir, with Love'') * November 4 ** Delia Casanova, Mexican actress ** Amadou Toumani Touré, 3rd President of Mali (d.

) * November 5 ** Charles Bradley (singer), Charles Bradley, African-American singer (d.

) ** Bob Barr, American politician ** Dallas Holm, American Christian musician ** Zacharias Jimenez, Filipino Roman Catholic bishop (d.

) ** Khalid Ibrahim Khan, Pakistani politician (d.

) ** William Daniel Phillips, American physicist,

laureate * November 6 – Glenn Frey, American guitarist, singer (''Eagles (band), Eagles'') (d.

) * November 7 – Jim Houghton, American actor and director (d.

) * November 9 ** Viktor Matviyenko, Ukrainian footballer, coach (d.

) ** Luiz Felipe Scolari, Brazilian football player, manager ** Kelly Harmon, American actress and model * November 10 – Mário Viegas, Portuguese actor and poetry reciter (d. 1996) * November 11 – Vincent Schiavelli, American character actor and food writer (d.

) *

** Skip Campbell, American politician (d.

) ** Hassan Rouhani, 7th President of Iran ** Richard Roberts (evangelist), Richard Roberts, American evangelist, son of Oral Roberts * November 13 ** Humayun Ahmed, Bengali language, Bengali-language writer ** Lockwood Smith, New Zealand politician * November 14 ** King Charles III of the United Kingdom ** Robert Ginty, American actor, producer, screenwriter and director (d.

) ** Dee Wallace, American actress *

– James Kemsley, Australian cartoonist, actor (d. 2007) *

** Chi Coltrane, American musician (''Thunder and Lightning (Chi Coltrane song), Thunder and Lightning'') ** Ken James (Australian actor), Ken James, Australian actor ** Mutt Lange, Rhodesian-born record producer ** Mate Parlov, Yugoslav Olympic boxer (d. 2008) * November 18 – Dom Irrera, American actor and stand-up comedian * November 19 – Rance Allen, African-American gospel singer and preacher (d.

) *

** Harlee McBride, American actress ** John R. Bolton, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., National Security Advisor ** Barbara Hendricks, American singer ** Richard Masur, American actor, director and president of the Screen Actors Guild * November 21 ** Alphonse Mouzon, American jazz drummer (d.

) ** Michel Suleiman, President of Lebanon * November 22 – Saroj Khan, Indian dance choreographer (d.

) * November 23 ** Dominique-France Picard (aka Princess Fadila of Egypt), wife of King Fuad II of Egypt and the Sudan ** Ron Bouchard, American NASCAR driver (d.

) ** Gabriele Seyfert, East German figure skater **Bonfoh Abass, Togolese politician and List of presidents of Togo, President of Togo (d.

) *

– Joe Howard (actor), Joe Howard, American actor * November 25 – Antoine Sfeir, Franco-Lebanese journalist, professor (d.

) * November 26 ** Elizabeth Blackburn, Australian-American biologist, winner of Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ** Gayle McCormick, American singer (''Smith (band), Smith'') (d.

) ** Marianne Muellerleile, American actress * November 28 – Agnieszka Holland, Polish film, television director and screenwriter

December

Yoshihide Suga cropped 3 Joint Press Announcement of the Okinawa Consolidation Plan

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa em fevereiro de 2018

** T. Coraghessan Boyle, American writer ** Rajat Gupta, Indian-American businessman ** Patricia Hewitt, British Labour Party politician ** Toninho Horta, Brazilian singer, musician ** Christine Westermann, German television, radio host, journalist and author * December 3 ** Rick Cua, American singer, evangelist ** Ozzy Osbourne, English singer (''Black Sabbath'') * December 5, ** Saburō Shinoda, Japanese actor (Ultraman Taro) *

** Keke Rosberg, Finnish Formula One champion ** Marius Müller-Westernhagen, German actor, musician ** JoBeth Williams, American actress, director ** Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan * December 7 ** Gary Morris, American country singer, actor ** Tony Thomas (producer), Tony Thomas, American television and film producer ** Mads Vinding, Danish bassist *

– Abu Abbas, Palestine Liberation Front founder (d.

) *

** Chester Thompson, American rock drummer ** Shinji Tanimura, Japanese musician (d.

) * December 12 – Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, 20th President of Portugal * December 13 ** Lillian Board, South African-born English Olympic athlete (d.

) ** Ted Nugent, American rock guitarist, singer, conservative political commentator (''Cat Scratch Fever'') ** David O'List, English rock guitarist * December 14 ** Lester Bangs, American music journalist (d. 1982) ** Dee Wallace, American actress *

**Melanie Chartoff, American actress and singer (''Rugrats'') **Charlie Scott (basketball), Charlie Scott, American basketball player * December 18 – Edmund Kemper, American serial killer *

– Ken Brown (ice hockey), Ken Brown, Canadian ice hockey player *

** Orchidea De Santis, Italian actress ** Abdulrazak Gurnah, Zanzibar-born novelist, Nobel Prize laureate ** Alan Parsons, English songwriter, musician and record producer * December 21 ** Samuel L. Jackson, American actor, film producer ** Willi Resetarits, Austrian musician, cabaret artist * December 22 ** Noel Edmonds, English TV presenter, DJ ** Steve Garvey, American baseball player ** Flip Mark, American child actor ** Lynne Thigpen, American actress (''Godspell'') (d. 2003) *

– Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, educator, author and music journalist * December 25 ** Alia Al-Hussein, queen consort of Jordan (d.

) ** Barbara Mandrell, American country singer, musician and actress * December 27 **Ronnie Caldwell, American soul music, rhythm and blues musician (d. 1967) **Gérard Depardieu, French actor *

– Mary Weiss, American pop singer (The Shangri-Las) (d.

) * December 29 – Peter Robinson (Northern Ireland politician), Peter Robinson, Northern Ireland First Minister *

** Stephen Cleobury, English choral conductor (d.

) ** Joe Dallesandro, American model, actor ** Sandy Jardine, Scottish professional footballer, playing for Rangers and Hearts and representing Scotland (d. 2014) ** Donna Summer, African-American singer, actress (''Love to Love You Baby (song), Love to Love You Baby'') (d. 2012)

Deaths

January

– Edna May, American actress (b. 1878) *

– Vicente Huidobro, Chilean poet (b. 1893) *

– Anna Kallina, Austrian actress (b. 1874) *

– Mary Dimmick Harrison, wife of President Benjamin Harrison (b. 1858) *

** Charles C. Wilson (actor), Charles C. Wilson, American actor (b. 1894) ** Maria de Maeztu Whitney, Spanish educator, feminist (b. 1882) * January 8 ** Edward Stanley Kellogg, 16th Governor of American Samoa (b. 1870) ** Charles Magnusson, Swedish producer, screenwriter (b. 1878) ** Kurt Schwitters, German artist (b. 1887) ** Richard Tauber, Austrian tenor (b. 1891) *

– Herbert Allen Farmer, American criminal (b. 1891) *

– Tony Garnier (architect), Tony Garnier, French architect (b. 1869) * January 21 ** Eliza Moore, last person born into slavery in the United States (b. 1843) **Naomasa Sakonju, Japanese admiral and war criminal (executed) (b. 1890) ** Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer (b. 1876) *

** Bill Cody (actor), Bill Cody, American actor (b. 1891) ** Maria Mandl, Austrian concentration camp guard and war criminal (executed) (b. 1912) *

– Georg Bruchmüller, German artillery officer (b. 1863) *

** Therese Brandl, German concentration camp guard and war criminal (executed) (b. 1902) ** Anna Maria Gove, American physician (b. 1867) *

– King Tomislav II of Croatia (b. 1900) *

** Arthur Coningham (RAF officer), Sir Arthur Coningham, British air force air marshal (disappeared) (b. 1895) **

, Leader of Indian independence movement, (assassinated) (b. 1869) ** Orville Wright, American co-inventor of the airplane (b. 1871)

February

** Thomas W. Lamont, American banker (b. 1870) ** Bevil Rudd, South African athlete (b. 1894) *

– Otto Praeger, American postal official, implemented U.S. Airmail (b. 1871) *

– Johannes Blaskowitz, German general (b. 1883) *

– Samuel P. Bush, American businessman, industrialist (b. 1863) *

– Karl Valentin, German actor (b. 1882) *

** Sergei Eisenstein, Soviet film director (b. 1898) ** Isaac Isaacs, Sir Isaac Isaacs, 9th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1855) *

– Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Indian poet (b. 1904) * February 23 – John Robert Gregg, Irish-born inventor of shorthand (b. 1867) *

** Alfredo Baldomir, Uruguayan politician, soldier, architect, 27th President of Uruguay and World War II leader (b. 1884) ** Alexander du Toit, South African geologist (b. 1878) ** Juan Esteban Montero, Chilean political figure, 20th President of Chile (b. 1879) * February 27 – Patriarch Nicodim of Romania (b. 1864).

March

* March 4 ** Antonin Artaud, French playwright, actor and director (b. 1896) ** Elsa Brändström, Swedish nurse (b. 1888) * March 10 ** Zelda Fitzgerald, American wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald (b. 1900) ** Jan Masaryk, Czechoslovakian Foreign Minister (b. 1886) * March 16 – León S. Morra, Argentine physician and university professor (b. 1882) * March 23 – George Milne, 1st Baron Milne, British field marshal (b. 1866) * March 24 ** Nikolai Berdyaev, Soviet religious leader, political philosopher (b. 1874) ** Paolo Thaon di Revel, Italian admiral (b. 1859) *

– Joseph M. Reeves, American admiral (b. 1872) * March 31 – Egon Erwin Kisch, Austrian journalist, author (b. 1885)

April

* April 2 ** Biagio Biagetti, Italian painter (b. 1877) ** Sawan Singh, Indian saint known as "The Great Master" (b. 1858) *

– Angelo Joseph Rossi, American political figure, Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1878) *

– Isabel Andreu de Aguilar, Puerto Rican writer, educator, philanthropist and activist (b. 1887) * April 8 – Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, Palestinian Arab nationalist (b. 1907) *

–

, Colombian politician (assassinated) (b. 1903) * April 14 – W. H. Ellis, American attorney and politician (b. 1867) * April 15 ** Radola Gajda, Czech military commander and politician (b. 1892) ** Manuel Roxas, Filipino statesman, 5th President of the Philippines (b. 1892) * April 17 – Kantarō Suzuki, Japanese admiral, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1868) *

– Mikhail Rostovtsev (actor), Mikhail Rostovtsev, Soviet actor (b. 1872) * April 20 – Mitsumasa Yonai, Japanese admiral and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1880) * April 21 – Carlos López Buchardo, Argentine composer (b. 1881) *

– Prosper Montagné, French chef and author (b. 1865) *

– Manuel Ponce, Mexican composer (b. 1882) * April 25 – Gerardo Matos Rodriguez, Uruguayan composer, journalist and pianist (b. 1897) *

– Alfredo Miguel Aguayo Sánchez, Puerto Rican educator, writer (b. 1866)

May

– Viola Allen, American actress (b. 1867) * May 13 ** Milan Begović, Yugoslavian writer (b. 1876) ** Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (b. 1920) *

** André Dauchez, French painter (b. 1870) ** Father Edward J. Flanagan, Irish-born American Roman Catholic priest, founder of Boys Town and monsignor (b. 1886) ** Toyoaki Horiuchi, Japanese general, Class B war criminal suspect (executed) (b. 1900) *

– Muhammad Habibullah, Indian politician (b. 1869) *

– Francisco Alonso, Spanish composer (b. 1887) * May 19 – Maximilian Lenz, Austrian painter and sculptor (b. 1860) * May 21 – Jacques Feyder, French filmmaker (b. 1885) *

– Claude McKay, Jamaican-born American writer and poet (b. 1889) *

– Witold Pilecki, Polish resistance leader (executed) (b. 1901) *

– Émile Gaston Chassinat, French egyptologist (b. 1868) *

– Unity Mitford, British socialite; friend of Adolf Hitler (b. 1914) *

– Dame May Whitty, British actress (b. 1865) *

– József Klekl (politician), József Klekl, Slovenes, Slovene politician in Hungary (b. 1874)

June

– José Vianna da Motta, Portuguese pianist, teacher and composer (b. 1868) * June 2 ** Viktor Brack, German doctor (executed) (b. 1904) ** Karl Brandt, German S.S. officer (executed) (b. 1904) ** Rudolf Brandt, German S.S. officer (executed) (b. 1909) ** Karl Gebhardt, German S.S. officer (executed) (b. 1897) ** Waldemar Hoven, German S.S. officer (executed) (b. 1903) ** Joachim Mrugowsky, German S.S. officer (executed) (b. 1905) ** Wolfram Sievers, German S.S. officer (executed) (b. 1905) * June 6 – Auguste and Louis Lumière, Louis Lumière, French film pioneer (b. 1864) * June 8 – Giacomo Albanese, Italian mathematician (b. 1890) * June 13 – Osamu Dazai, Japanese writer (b. 1909) * June 16 – Eugênia Álvaro Moreyra, Brazilian journalist, actress and director (b. 1898) * June 25 – Bento de Jesus Caraça, Portuguese mathematician, economist and statistician (b. 1901) *

** Nasib al-Bitar, Palestine jurist (b. 1890) ** Lilian Velez, Filipino actress (murdered) (b. 1924) * June 30 – Prince Sabahaddin (b. 1879)

July

* July 1 – Assunta Marchetti, Italian Roman Catholic religious professed and blessed * July 4 ** Albert Bates (criminal), Albert Bates, American criminal (b. 1893) ** Monteiro Lobato, Brazilian writer (b. 1882) *

** Georges Bernanos, French writer (b. 1888) ** Charles Fillmore (Unity Church), Charles Fillmore, American Protestant mystic (b. 1854) ** Carole Landis, American actress (b. 1919) * July 9 – Alcibiades Diamandi, Greek political figure (b. 1893) * July 11 ** King Baggot, American actor (b. 1879) ** Franz Weidenreich, German anatomist, physical anthropologist (b. 1873) *

** Harry Brearley, British inventor of stainless steel (b. 1871) ** Marguerite Moreno, French actress (b. 1871) *

– John J. Pershing, American general (b. 1860) * July 17 – Ildebrando Zacchini, Maltese painter, inventor and traveller (b. 1868) * July 18 – Baldassarre Negroni, Italian director, screenwriter (b. 1877) * July 21 – Arshile Gorky, Soviet-born painter (b. 1904) *

– Sud Mennucci, Brazilian journalist, educator (b. 1882) * July 23 – D. W. Griffith, American film director (''The Birth of a Nation'') (b. 1875) * July 24 – Pencho Zlatev, Bulgarian general, 25th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1881) *

– Antonin Sertillanges, French Catholic philosopher, spiritual writer (b. 1863) * July 27 – Joe Tinker, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs), MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1880) *

– Susan Glaspell, American playwright (b. 1876) * July 31 – Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, mistress of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (b. 1891)

August

* August 3 – Tommy Ryan, American boxing champion (b. 1870) * August 4 – Mileva Marić, Serbian physicist and mathematician, wife of Albert Einstein (b. 1875) * August 7 – Charles Bryant (actor), Charles Bryant, American actor (b. 1879) *

– Andrew Brown (soccer), Andrew Brown, Scottish soccer coach (b. 1870) * August 11 – Kan'ichi Asakawa, Japanese historian (b. 1873) *

– Edwin Maxwell (actor), Edwin Maxwell, Irish actor (b. 1886) * August 16 – Babe Ruth, American baseball player (New York Yankees), MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1895) * August 26 – George Anderson (actor), George Anderson, American actor (b. 1886) *

** Cissie Cahalan, Irish trade union, feminist and suffragette (b. 1876) ** Charles Evans Hughes, 11th Chief Justice of the United States, 1916 Republican presidential candidate (b. 1862)

September

* September 1 ** Feng Yuxiang, Chinese warlord and general (b. 1882) ** Moncef Bey, ruler of Tunisia (1942–43) (b. 1881) * September 2 – Sylvanus Morley, American scholar, World War I spy (b. 1883) * September 3 –

, Czechoslovakian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia and 2-time

(b. 1884) *

– Richard C. Tolman, American mathematical physicist (b. 1881) * September 7 – André Suarès, French poet, critic (b. 1868) * September 10 – Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (b. 1861) *

–

, founder, first Governor General of

(b. 1876) * September 12 ** Rupert D'Oyly Carte, British hotelier, theatre owner and impresario (b. 1876) ** Carlo Servolini, Italian artist (b. 1876) *

– Paul Wegener, German actor, film director and screenwriter, a pioneer of German Expressionism (b. 1874) *

** Ruth Benedict, American anthropologist, folklorist (b. 1887) **

, Swedish diplomat (assassinated) (b. 1895) ** Emil Ludwig, German-born Swiss historian, biographer (b. 1881) ** Raffaele Rossi, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, eminence and servant of God (b. 1876) *

– Husain Salaahuddin, Maldivian writer (b. 1881) * September 22 – Prince Adalbert of Prussia (1884–1948), Prince Adalbert of Prussia (b. 1884) * September 24 – Warren William, American actor (b. 1894) * September 26 – Gregg Toland, American cinematographer (b. 1904) *

– Frank Cellier (actor), Frank Cellier, British actor (b. 1884) * September 30 ** Vasily Kachalov, Soviet actor (b. 1875) ** Edith Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States (b. 1861)

October

* October 1 ** Francisco Rodrigues da Cruz, Portuguese priest (b. 1859) ** Phraya Manopakorn Nititada, 1st Prime Minister of Siam (b. 1884) * October 2 – Simon de Graaff, Dutch civil servant, politician (b. 1866) * October 12 – Susan Sutherland Isaacs, English educational psychologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1885) * October 13 – Samuel S. Hinds, American actor (b. 1875) * October 14 – Dale Fuller (actress), Dale Fuller, American actress (b. 1885) * October 15 – Edythe Chapman, American actress (b. 1863) *

– Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein, German general (b. 1870) * October 18 – Walther von Brauchitsch, German field marshal (b. 1881) * October 21 – Elissa Landi, Italian actress (b. 1904) * October 24 – Franz Lehár, Hungarian composer (b. 1870) * October 31 – Mary Nolan, American actress (b. 1902)

November

B%C3%A9la Mikl%C3%B3s de D%C3%A1lnok 1942

* November 4 ** Albert Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield, British-born American businessman (b. 1874) ** Filippo Perlo, Italian Roman Catholic prelate and missionary (b. 1873) * November 7 – David Leland (actor), David Leland, American actor (b. 1932) * November 8 – Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria (b. 1874) * November 9 – Edgar Kennedy, American actor (b. 1890) * November 10 ** Julius Curtius, German politician, diplomat (b. 1877) ** Jack Nelson (actor), Jack Nelson, American actor, director (b. 1882) * November 11 – Fred Niblo, American film director (b. 1874) *

– Umberto Giordano, Italian composer (b. 1867) *

– Oerip Soemohardjo, Indonesian general (b. 1893) *

– Robert Mallard, African-American lynching victim (b. 1918) * November 21 – Béla Miklós, Hungarian military officer, politician and 38th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1890) * November 23 – Hack Wilson, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs), MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1900) * November 28 – D. D. Sheehan, Irish politician (b. 1873) * November 29 ** Maria Koppenhöfer, German actress (b. 1901) ** Roberto Omegna, Italian cinematographer, director (b. 1876) * November 30 – Franco Vittadini, Italian composer (b. 1884)

December

* December 3 ** Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr (1894–1948), Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr, South African politician (b. 1894) ** Luis Orrego Luco, Chilean politician, lawyer, novelist and diplomat (b. 1866) ** Chano Pozo, Cuban percussionist (b. 1915) * December 8 – Matthew Charlton, Australian politician (b. 1866) *

– João Tamagnini Barbosa, Portuguese military officer, politician and 69th Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1883) *

– C. Aubrey Smith, British actor (b. 1863) * December 21 – Władysław Witwicki, Polish psychologist, philosopher, translator, historian (of philosophy and art) and artist (b. 1878) *

– Japanese war leaders (International Military Tribunal for the Far East, hanged): ** Kenji Doihara, general (b. 1883) ** Kōki Hirota, diplomat and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1878) ** Seishirō Itagaki, military officer (b. 1885) ** Heitarō Kimura, general (b. 1888) ** Iwane Matsui, general (b. 1878) ** Akira Mutō, general (b. 1892) **

, general, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1884) *

– John Westley (actor), John Westley, American actor (b. 1878) *

** Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari, Indian civil servant, politician (b. 1894) ** Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha, Egyptian political figure, 27th Prime Minister of Egypt (assassinated) (b. 1888) *

** George Ault, American painter (b. 1891) ** Denton Welch, English author and painter (b. 1915) *

– Malcolm Campbell, Sir Malcolm Campbell, English land, water racer (b. 1885)

Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett * Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Arne Tiselius * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Paul Hermann Müller * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – T. S. Eliot * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – not awarded

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1948 1948, Leap years in the Gregorian calendar