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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 ...
– In a coup, Colonel
Jean-Bédel Bokassa Jean-Bédel Bokassa (; 22 February 1921 – 3 November 1996) was a Central African politician and military officer who served as the second president of the Central African Republic (CAR), after seizing power in the Saint-Sylvestre coup d ...
takes over as military ruler of the
Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...
, ousting President
David Dacko David Dacko (; 24 March 1930 – 20 November 2003) was a Central African politician who served as the first President of the Central African Republic from 14 August 1960 to 1 January 1966 and as the third President of the Central African Repub ...
. *
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 ...
1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état The 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état was an event which took place on 3 January 1966 in the Republic of Upper Volta (today Burkina Faso), when following large-scale popular unrest, the military intervened against the government. This forced Preside ...
: President
Maurice Yaméogo Maurice Nawalagmba Yaméogo (31 December 1921 – 15 September 1993) was the first President of the Republic of Upper Volta, now called Burkina Faso, from 1960 until 1966. "Monsieur Maurice" embodied the Voltaic state at the moment of independen ...
is deposed by a military coup in the
Republic of Upper Volta The Republic of Upper Volta () was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing state within the French Community. Before becoming autonomous, it had been part of the French Union as the French Upper V ...
(modern-day Burkina Faso). *
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 ...
**
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# ...
i–Indian peace negotiations end successfully with the signing of the
Tashkent Declaration The Tashkent Declaration was signed between India and Pakistan on 10 January 1966 to resolve the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Peace was achieved on 23 September through interventions by the Soviet Union and the United States, both of which pus ...
, a day before the sudden death of Indian prime minister
Lal Bahadur Shastri Lal Bahadur Shastri (; born Lal Bahadur Srivastava; 2 October 190411 January 1966) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1964 to 1966. He previously served as Minister ...
. ** The House of Representatives of the US state of Georgia refuses to allow African-American representative
Julian Bond Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the ea ...
to take his seat, because of his anti-war stance. *
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 ...
1966 Nigerian coup d'état On 15 January 1966, rebellious soldiers led by Kaduna Nzeogwu and 4 others carried out a military putsch, killing 22 people, including the prime minister of Nigeria, many senior politicians, senior Army officers and their wives, and sentinels o ...
: A bloody military coup is staged in
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
, deposing the civilian government and resulting in the death of Prime Minister
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, Prime Minister of Nigeria. A dominant figure of Nigerian Independence, he was a conservative Anglophile. His political career spa ...
. *
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 ...
** The Nigerian coup is overturned by another faction of the military, led by Major General
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) was a Nigerian general who was the first military head of state of Nigeria. He seized power during the ensuing chaos after the 15 January 1966 military coup. Ironsi ruled ...
, leaving a military government in power and beginning a long period of military rule. **
1966 Palomares B-52 crash The Palomares incident occurred on 17 January 1966, when a United States Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress#Variants, B-52G bomber collided with a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-135 tanker during Aerial refueling, mid-air refueling at over th ...
: A U.S. Air Force
B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Ai ...
bomber collides with a
KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...
over Spain, dropping three 70-
kiloton TNT equivalent is a convention for expressing energy, typically used to describe the energy released in an explosion. A ton of TNT equivalent is a unit of energy defined by convention to be (). It is the approximate energy released in the det ...
hydrogen bomb A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lo ...
s near the town of Palomares, and one into the sea.
Carl Brashear Carl Maxie Brashear (19 January 1931 – 25 July 2006) was a United States Navy sailor. He was a Master Diver, rising to the position in 1970, despite having his lower left leg amputated in 1966. The 2000 film '' Men of Honor'' was based on his ...
, the first African-American
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
diver, is involved in an accident during the recovery of the latter, which results in the amputation of his leg. *
January 19 Events Pre-1600 * 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to '' Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. * 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surren ...
Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...
is elected
Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
; she is sworn in on
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 ...
. *
January 21 Events Pre-1600 * 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa. * 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded wh ...
– Italian Prime Minister
Aldo Moro Aldo Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and prominent member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) and its centre-left wing. He served as prime minister of Italy in five terms from December 1963 ...
resigns due to a power struggle in his party. *
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 ...
– The military government of
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
announces that ex-prime minister
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, Prime Minister of Nigeria. A dominant figure of Nigerian Independence, he was a conservative Anglophile. His political career spa ...
was killed during the coup a week previously. *
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 ...
Air India Flight 101 crashes into
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...
, killing all 117 people on board, including
Homi J. Bhabha Homi Jehangir Bhabha, FNI, FASc, FRS (30 October 1909 – 24 January 1966) was an Indian nuclear physicist who is widely credited as the "father of the Indian nuclear programme". He was the founding director and professor of physics at the ...
, chairman of the
Indian Atomic Energy Commission The Atomic Energy Commission of India is the governing body of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India. The DAE is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister. The Indian Atomic Energy Commission was set up on 3 August 19 ...
. *
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 ...
Disappearance of the Beaumont children: Three children disappear on their way to
Glenelg, South Australia Glenelg is a beach-side suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Located on the shore of Holdfast Bay in Gulf St Vincent, it has become a tourist destination due to its beach and many attractions, home to several hotels and dozens of ...
, never to be seen again. Their fate remains unknown.,
1966 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election The Liberal Party of Australia held a leadership ballot on 20 January 1966, following the resignation of Robert Menzies. Incumbent deputy leader Harold Holt was elected unopposed as his successor, and was sworn in as prime minister on 26 January. ...
:
Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until Disappearance of Harold Holt, his disappearance and presumed death in 1967. He held o ...
is elected leader of the
Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia (LP) is the prominent centre-right political party in Australia. It is considered one of the two major parties in Australian politics, the other being the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Liberal Party was fo ...
unopposed when
Sir Robert Menzies ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...
retires after an unprecedented 16 years in office; consequently Holt becomes
Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
six days later. *
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 ...
**The British government promises the U.S. that British troops in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
will stay until more peaceful conditions occur in the region. **Britain's Labour Party unexpectedly retains the parliamentary seat of Hull North in a
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
, with a swing of 4.5% to their candidate from the opposition Conservatives, and a majority up from 1,181 at the 1964 General Election to 5,351. *
January 31 Events Pre-1600 * 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades. * 1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on th ...
– The United Kingdom ceases all trade with
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
.


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), ...
– Around 2,600
political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...
s are released by
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, in return for "donations" worth approximately $10,000 a head from
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 ...
. *
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 ...
– The unmanned Soviet
Luna 9 Luna 9 (Луна-9), internal designation Ye-6 No.13, was an uncrewed space mission of the Soviet Union's Luna programme. On 3 February 1966, the Luna 9 spacecraft became the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the Moon and return ima ...
spacecraft makes the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
. *
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 ...
All Nippon Airways Flight 60 was a Boeing 727-81 aircraft making a domestic commercial flight in Japan from Sapporo Chitose Airport to Tokyo Haneda International Airport. On February 4, 1966, all 133 people on board died when the plane mysteriously crashed into Tokyo ...
plunges into Tokyo Bay; 133 people are killed. *
February 7 Events Pre-1600 * 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor. * 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II. * 1301 & ...
** The Great Fire of Iloilo, Philippines, breaks out in a lumber yard and burns for almost half a day, destroying nearly three-quarters of the
City Proper A city proper is the geographical area contained within city limits. The term ''proper'' is not exclusive to city, cities; it can describe the geographical area within the boundaries of any given locality. The United Nations defines the term as " ...
area and causing 50 million pesos in total property damage. **
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
of the United States and
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (; 8 September 1930 – 23 July 2011) was a South Vietnamese military officer and politician who served as the chief of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force in the 1960s, before leading the nation as the prime minister of Sout ...
of South Vietnam convene with other officials in a
summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
in
Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
to discuss the course of the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. *
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 ...
– The
Australian dollar The Australian dollar (currency sign, sign: $; ISO 4217, code: AUD; also abbreviated A$ or sometimes AU$ to distinguish it from other dollar, dollar-denominated currencies; and also referred to as the dollar or Aussie dollar) is the official ...
is introduced at a rate of 2 dollars per pound, or 10 shillings per dollar. *
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 naval minister of the United Kingdom,
Christopher Mayhew Christopher Paget Mayhew, Baron Mayhew (12 June 1915 – 7 January 1997) was a British politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1950 and from 1951 to 1974, when he left the Labour Party to join the Liberals. In 1981 ...
, resigns over defence policy. *
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 ...
– While Soviet author and translator Valery Tarsis is abroad, 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 ...
negates his citizenship. *
February 23 Events Pre-1600 * 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution. * 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone o ...
1966 Syrian coup d'état The 1966 Syrian coup d'état refers to events between 21 and 23 February during which the government of the Syrian Arab Republic was overthrown and replaced. The ruling National Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party were removed from power ...
: An intra-party military coup in
Syria 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 ...
replaces the previous government of
Amin al-Hafiz Amin may refer to: People * Amin (name), a masculine given name and also a surname * Al-Amin, sixth Abbasid caliph, who ruled from 809 to 813 * Amin (Qing dynasty), Imperial Prince of the Qing Dynasty * Idi Amin (c. 1925–2003), military ruler ...
by one led by
Salah Jadid Salah Jadid (; 1926 – 19 August 1993) was a Syrian military officer and politician who was the leader of the far-left bloc of the Syrian Regional Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and the ''de facto'' leader of Ba'athist Syria from 1966 until 1970 ...
. *
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. ...
– A coup led by the police and military of
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
raises the
National Liberation Council The National Liberation Council (NLC) led the Ghanaian government from 24 February 1966 to 1 October 1969. The body emerged from a ''coup d'état'' against the Nkrumah government carried out jointly by the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Arme ...
to power while president
Kwame Nkrumah Francis Kwame Nkrumah (, 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained ...
is abroad. *
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 ...
– British Prime Minister
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...
calls a general election in the United Kingdom, to be held on March 31.


March

* March – The
DKW DKW (''Dampfkraftwagen'', – the same initials later also used for ''Des Knaben Wunsch'', ; ''Das Kleine Wunder'', and ''Deutsche Kinderwagen'', ) was a German car- and motorcycle-marque. DKW was one of the four companies that formed Auto U ...
automobile ceases production in Germany. *
March 1 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...
**The British Government announces plans for the
decimalisation Decimalisation or decimalization (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the conversion of a system of currency or of weights and measures to units related by Power of 10, powers of 10. Most countries have ...
of the
pound sterling Sterling (symbol: £; currency code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound is the main unit of sterling, and the word '' pound'' is also used to refer to the British currency general ...
(hitherto denominated in 20 shillings and 240 pence to the £), to come into force on 15 February 1971 (
Decimal Day Decimal Day () in the United Kingdom and in Republic of Ireland, Ireland was Monday 15 February 1971, the day on which each country decimalised its respective £sd currency of pound sterling, pounds, Shilling (British coin), shillings, and pe ...
). **Soviet
space probe Uncrewed spacecraft or robotic spacecraft are spacecraft without people on board. Uncrewed spacecraft may have varying levels of autonomy from human input, such as remote control, or remote guidance. They may also be autonomous, in which th ...
''
Venera 3 Venera 3 ( meaning ''Venus 3'') was a Venera program space probe that was built and launched by the Soviet Union to explore the surface of Venus. It was launched on 16 November 1965 at 04:19 UTC from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, USSR. The probe comp ...
'' crashes on
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
, becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet's surface. **The
Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...
takes power in
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 ...
. *
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 ...
Kwame Nkrumah Francis Kwame Nkrumah (, 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained ...
arrives in
Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
and is granted
asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...
. *
March 4 Events Pre-1600 * AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth). * 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. * 581 – Yang Jian declares himself Emperor ...
**
Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402 On March 4, 1966, Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402 struck the approach lights and a seawall during a night landing attempt in poor visibility at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan. Of the 62 passengers and 10 crew, only 8 passengers survived. ...
crashes during a night landing in poor visibility at Tokyo International Airport in Japan, killing 64 of 72 people on board. **In an interview with ''
London Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...
'' reporter
Maureen Cleave Maureen Diana Cleave (20 October 1934 – 6 November 2021) was a British journalist. She worked for the London ''Evening Standard'' from 1958 conducting interviews with many prominent musicians of the era, including Bob Dylan and John Lennon. O ...
,
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
of
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
states: "We're
more popular than Jesus "More popular than Jesus" is part of a remark made by John Lennon of the Beatles in a March 1966 interview, in which he claimed that the public were more infatuated with the band than with Jesus Christ, and that Christian faith was declining ...
now." *
March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Easte ...
**
BOAC Flight 911 BOAC Flight 911 (call sign "Speedbird 911") was a round-the-world flight operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) that crashed near Mount Fuji in Japan on 5 March 1966, with the loss of all 113 passengers and 11 crew members. ...
crashes in severe
clear-air turbulence In meteorology, clear-air turbulence (CAT) is the turbulence, turbulent movement of air masses in the absence of any visual clues such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet. The atmospheric region mos ...
over
Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
soon after taking off from Tokyo International Airport in Japan, killing all 124 people on board. **''
Merci, Chérie "Merci, Chérie" (; "Thank you, darling") is a song composed and recorded by Austrian singer Udo Jürgens with lyrics by himself and Thomas Hörbiger. It in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, held in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, resulting in the ...
'' by
Udo Jürgens Jürgen Udo Bockelmann (30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014), generally known as Udo Jürgens, was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, ...
(music by Udo Jürgens, lyrics by Jürgens and Thomas Hörbiger) wins the
Eurovision Song Contest 1966 The Eurovision Song Contest 1966 was the 11th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, following the country's victory at the with the song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" by France Gall. Organised ...
(staged in Luxembourg) for Austria. *
March 7 Events Pre-1600 * 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. * 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cobl ...
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
asks U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
for negotiations about the state of
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 ...
equipment in France. *
March 8 Events Pre-1600 * 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem '' Shahnameh''. * 1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León. * 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between ...
**Anti-communist demonstrations occur at the
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
n Foreign Ministry. **
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: The U.S. announces it will substantially increase the number of its troops in
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. **
Nelson's Pillar Nelson's Pillar (also known as the Nelson Pillar or simply the Pillar) was a large granite column capped by a statue of Horatio Nelson, built in the centre of what was then Sackville Street (later renamed O'Connell Street) in Dublin, Ireland. ...
in
O'Connell Street O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Henry ...
,
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, is clandestinely blown up by former
Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...
volunteers marking this year's 50th anniversary of the
Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...
. *
March 10 Events Pre-1600 * 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end. * 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes ...
Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
ss
Beatrix of the Netherlands Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix was born ...
marries Claus von Amsberg. Some spectators demonstrate against the groom because he is German. * March 11 **Transition to the New Order in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
: President Sukarno gives all executive powers to General Suharto by signing the Supersemar order. **French President
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
states that French troops will be taken out of
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 ...
and that all French NATO bases and headquarters must be closed within a year. * March 16 – NASA spacecraft Gemini 8 (David Scott, Neil Armstrong) conducts the first docking in space, with an Agena target vehicle. * March 20 – Football's FIFA World Cup Trophy is stolen while on exhibition in London; it is found seven days later by a mongrel dog named "Pickles (dog), Pickles" and his owner David Corbett, wrapped in newspaper in a south London garden. * March 22 – in the Chinese city of Xingtai a magnitude 1966 Xingtai earthquakes, 6.8 earthquake leaves more than 8,000 dead and 38,000 injured. * March 24 – Pope Paul VI meets Michael Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in Rome, and gives him an episcopal ring. * March 26 – Demonstrations are held across the United States against the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. * March 28 – Cevdet Sunay becomes the fifth president of Turkey. * March 29 – The 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is held: Leonid Brezhnev demands that U.S. troops leave Vietnam, and announces that Sino-Soviet split, Chinese-Soviet relations are not satisfactory. * March 31 **The British Labour Party led by
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...
wins the 1966 United Kingdom general election, gaining a 96-seat majority (compared with a single seat majority when the election was called on February 28). ** The
Soviet Union The 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 ...
launches Luna 10, which becomes the first
space probe Uncrewed spacecraft or robotic spacecraft are spacecraft without people on board. Uncrewed spacecraft may have varying levels of autonomy from human input, such as remote control, or remote guidance. They may also be autonomous, in which th ...
to enter orbit around the Moon.


April

* April 2 – The
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
n army demands that the country rejoin the United Nations. * April 3 – Luna 10 is the first manmade object to enter lunar orbit. * April 5 – During the Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese military prime minister
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (; 8 September 1930 – 23 July 2011) was a South Vietnamese military officer and politician who served as the chief of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force in the 1960s, before leading the nation as the prime minister of Sout ...
personally attempts to lead the capture of the restive city of Da Nang, Đà Nẵng before backing down. * April 7 – The United Kingdom asks the United Nations Security Council for authority to use force to stop oil tankers that violate the embargo against
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
(authority is given April 10). * April 8 ** Buddhists in South Vietnam protest against the fact that the new government has not set a date for Free and fair election, free elections. ** Leonid Brezhnev becomes General Secretary of 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 ...
, as well as Leader of the Communist Party of the U.S.S.R. * April 14 ** Kenyan Vice President Oginga Odinga resigns, saying "invisible government" representing foreign interests now runs the country. He will head a new party, the Kenya People's Union. **The South Vietnamese government promises free elections in 3–5 months. * April 15 – An anti-Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nasser conspiracy is exposed in Egypt. * April 18 ** China declares that it will stop economic aid to
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. ** The 38th Academy Awards ceremony is held in Santa Monica, California: ''The Sound of Music (film), The Sound of Music'' wins Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Picture. * April 19 – Moors murders: Ian Brady and Myra Hindley go on trial at Chester Crown Court in north west England for the murders of 3 children who vanished between November 1963 and October 1965. * April 21 ** An artificial heart is installed in the chest of Marcel DeRudder in a Houston, Texas, hospital. ** The opening of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is televised for the first time. ** Haile Selassie visits Jamaica for the first time, meeting with Rastafari movement, Rasta leaders. * April 24 – Uniform Time Act, Uniform daylight saving time is first observed in most parts of North America. * April 26 ** A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye. ** The magnitude 5.1 1966 Tashkent earthquake, Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale, MSK intensity of VII (''Very strong''). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed. * April 27 – Pope Paul VI and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko meet in the Vatican City, Vatican (the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and 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 ...
). * April 28 – In
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
, security forces kill seven ZANLA men in combat; ''Chimurenga'', the ZANU rebellion, begins. * April 30 – Regular hovercraft service begins over the English Channel (discontinued in 2000).


May

* May 4 ** Fiat signs a contract with the Soviet government to build a car factory in 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 ...
. ** May 1966 lunar eclipse: A penumbral lunar eclipse takes place, the 64th lunar eclipse of Lunar Saros 111. * May 5 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup in ice hockey. * May 6 – The Moors murders trial ends in the UK with Ian Brady being found guilty on all three counts of murder and sentenced to three concurrent terms of life imprisonment. Myra Hindley is convicted on two counts of murder and of being an accessory in the third murder committed by Brady, receiving two concurrent terms of life imprisonment and a seven-year fixed term for being an accessory. * May 7 – Irish bank workers Irish bank strikes (1966–76), go on strike. * May 12 ** African members of the UN Security Council say that the British army should blockade Rhodesia. ** China Radio International, Radio Peking claims that U.S. planes have shot down a Chinese plane over Yunnan (the U.S. denies the story the next day). * May 14 – Turkey and Greece intend to start negotiations about the situation in Cyprus. * May 15 **
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
asks
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
for peace negotiations. ** The South Vietnamese army besieges Da Nang. ** Tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators again picket the White House, then rally at the Washington Monument. * May 16 ** The Chinese Communist Party issues the 'May 16 Notification, May 16 Notice', marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. ** A strike is called by the National Union of Seamen in the United Kingdom. ** In New York City, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes his first public speech on the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. * May 19 – Gertrude Baniszewski is found guilty of torturing and murdering 16-year-old Murder of Sylvia Likens, Sylvia Likens in Indianapolis, United States, and is sentenced to life in prison (she is released on parole in December 1985). * May 24 ** Battle of Mengo Hill: Ugandan army troops arrest Mutesa II of Buganda and occupy his palace. ** The
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
n government forbids all political activity in the country until January 17, 1969. * May 25 ** Explorer program: Satellite Explorer 32 (Atmosphere Explorer-B) is launched from the United States. ** No. 9 Squadron RAAF becomes part of the 4,500 strong Australian Task Force assigned to duties in
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, leaving for Southeast Asia aboard the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney (R17), HMAS ''Sydney''. * May 26 – British Guiana achieves independence from the United Kingdom, becoming Guyana. * May 28 ** Fidel Castro declares martial law in Cuba because of a possible U.S. attack. ** The
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
n and
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
n governments declare that the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation is over (a treaty is signed on August 11). ** Boat ride ''It's a Small World'' opens at Disneyland. * May 29 – Sports stadium Estadio Azteca officially opens in Mexico City in advance of the 1968 Summer Olympics. * May 31 – The Philippines reestablishes diplomatic relations with
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
.


June

* June 2 ** Éamon de Valera is re-elected as Irish president, aged 84. ** Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on another world. ** Four former cabinet ministers including Évariste Kimba are executed in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Democratic Republic of the Congo for alleged involvement in a plot to kill Mobutu Sese Seko. * June 3 – Joaquín Balaguer is elected president of the Dominican Republic. * June 5 – Gemini 9A: Gene Cernan completes the second U.S. spacewalk (2 hours, 7 minutes). * June 6 – Civil rights movement, Civil rights activist James Meredith is shot by a sniper while traversing Mississippi in the March Against Fear. * June 8 ** A North American XB-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber prototype is destroyed in a mid-air collision with an F-104 Starfighter chase plane during a photo shoot. NASA pilot Joseph A. Walker and USAF test pilot Carl Cross are both killed. ** 1966 Topeka tornado: Topeka, Kansas, is devastated by a tornado that registers as an "F5" on the Fujita scale, the first to exceed US$100 million in damages. Sixteen people are killed, hundreds more injured and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, and the campus of Washburn University suffers catastrophic damage. * June 12 – Chicago's Division Street riots begin in response to police shooting of a young Puerto Rican man. * June 13 – ''Miranda v. Arizona'': The Supreme Court of the United States rules that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them. * June 14 – The Holy See, Vatican abolishes the ''Index Librorum Prohibitorum''. * June 17 – An Air France personnel strike begins. * June 18 – CIA chief William Raborn resigns; Richard Helms becomes his successor. * June 28 – Argentine Revolution: In Argentina, a military dictatorship, military junta calling itself ''Revolución Argentina'' deposes president Arturo Umberto Illia in a coup and appoints General Juan Carlos Onganía to power. * June 29 **
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: U.S. planes begin bombing Hanoi and Haiphong. ** The strike by the National Union of Seamen in the United Kingdom is called off. * June 30 ** France formally leaves the military structure of
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 ...
. ** The National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded in Washington, D.C.


July

* July 1 – Joaquín Balaguer becomes president of the Dominican Republic. * July 3 **31 people are arrested when a demonstration by approximately 4,000 anti-
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
protesters in front of the United States Embassy in London in Grosvenor Square turns violent. **René Barrientos is elected President of Bolivia. * July 6 – Malawi becomes a republic. * July 7 – A Warsaw Pact conference ends with a promise to support North Vietnam. * July 8 – King Mwambutsa IV Bangiriceng of Burundi is deposed by his son Ntare V, who is in turn deposed by prime minister Michel Micombero. * July 11 – The 1966 FIFA World Cup begins in England. * July 12 – Zambia threatens to leave the Commonwealth of Nations because of British peace overtures to
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
. * July 13 – In Chicago, United States, Richard Speck breaks into a nurses' dormitory and murders eight of the nine student nurses who live there. * July 14 ** Israeli and
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 ...
n jet fighters clash over the Jordan River. ** Gwynfor Evans, President of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, becomes Member of the United Kingdom Parliament for Carmarthen (UK Parliament constituency), Carmarthen, taking the previously Labour-held Welsh seat at a by-election with a majority of 2,435 on an 18% swing and giving his party its first representation at Westminster in its forty-one year history. * July 18 ** Gemini 10 (John Young (astronaut), John Young, Michael Collins (astronaut), Michael Collins) is launched from the United States. After docking with an Agena target vehicle, the astronauts set a world altitude record of 474 miles (763 km). ** The International Court of Justice rules in favour of South Africa in a case on the administration of South West Africa which has been brought before them by Ethiopia and Liberia. * July 22 – Following the death of Hsu Tsu-tsai, a visiting engineer, in The Hague under suspicious circumstances, the Chinese government declares Dutch diplomat G. J. Jongejans persona non grata, but tells him not to leave China before Hsu's Chinese associates have been permitted to leave the Netherlands. * July 23 – Katanga Province, Katangese troops in Kisangani, Stanleyville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, revolt for several weeks in support of the exiled minister Moise Tshombe. * July 24 ** U.N. Secretary General U Thant visits Moscow. ** A USAF McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, F-4C Phantom #63-7599 is shot down by a North Vietnamese S-75 Dvina, SAM-2 northeast of Hanoi, the first loss of a U.S. aircraft to a Vietnamese surface-to-air missile in the Vietnam War. * July 26 – Lord Gardiner issues the Practice Statement in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, stating that the House, when acting in a judicial capacity, is not bound to follow its own previous precedent. * July 28 – The U.S. announces that a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance plane has disappeared over Cuba. * July 29 ** 1966 Nigerian counter-coup: Army officers from the north of
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
execute head of state General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Aguiyi-Ironsi and install Yakubu Gowon. ** ''La Noche de los Bastones Largos'': Junta takes over Argentine universities. ** Bob Dylan is injured in a motorcycle accident near his home in Woodstock, New York. He is not seen in public for over a year. * July 30 – England national football team, England beats Germany national football team, West Germany 4–2 to win the 1966 FIFA World Cup at Wembley Stadium (1923), Wembley after extra time. * July 31 – Loss of MV Darlwyne, Loss of MV ''Darlwyne'': a pleasure cruiser disappears off the Cornwall coast of England with the loss of all 31 aboard.


August

* August 1 ** Sniper Charles Whitman University of Texas tower shooting, kills 15 people and wounds 31 from roof of the University of Texas at Austin Main Building tower in the United States, after earlier killing his Uxoricide, wife and Matricide, mother. ** The British Colonial Office merges with the Commonwealth Relations Office to form a new Commonwealth Office. * August 5 – The Caesars Palace hotel and casino opens in Las Vegas, United States. * August 6 ** Braniff International Airways Flight 250 crashes in Falls City, Nebraska, United States, killing all 42 of those on board. ** René Barrientos takes office as the President of Bolivia. ** The António de Oliveira Salazar, Salazar Bridge (later the 25 de Abril Bridge) opens in Lisbon, Portugal. * August 10 – Lunar Orbiter 1, the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the Moon, is launched. * August 11 ** Indonesia and Malaysia issue a joint peace declaration, formally ending the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation which began in 1963. **
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
hold a press conference in Chicago, during which
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
apologizes for his "
more popular than Jesus "More popular than Jesus" is part of a remark made by John Lennon of the Beatles in a March 1966 interview, in which he claimed that the public were more infatuated with the band than with Jesus Christ, and that Christian faith was declining ...
" remark, saying, "I didn't mean it as a lousy anti-religious thing." * August 12 – Massacre of Braybrook Street: Harry Roberts, John Duddy and Jack Witney shoot dead 3 plainclothes policemen in London; they are later sentenced to life imprisonment. * August 15 –
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 ...
n and Israeli troops clash over Lake Kinneret (also known as the Sea of Galilee) for 3 hours. * August 17 – Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Republic begin negotiations in Kuwait to end the war in Yemen. * August 18 –
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
– Battle of Long Tan: D Company, 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, meets and defeats a Viet Cong force estimated to be four times larger, in Phuoc Tuy Province, Republic of Vietnam. * August 19 – The 6.8 1966 Varto earthquake, Varto earthquake affects the town of Varto in eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''), killing at least 2,394–3,000 and injuring at least 1,420. * August 21 – Seven men are sentenced to death in Egypt for anti-Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nasser agitation. * August 22 ** The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is established. ** The United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC), predecessor of the United Farm Workers, United Farm Workers of America (UFW), is formed. * August 26 – The first battle of the South African Air Force and the South African Police with People's Liberation Army of Namibia, PLAN, the armed wing of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), takes place at Ongulumbashe during Operation Blue Wildebeest, triggering the South African Border War which continues until 1989. * August 29 –
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
end their The Beatles' 1966 US tour, U.S. tour with a concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. It is their last performance as a live touring band. * August 30 – France offers independence to French Somaliland (Djibouti from 1977).


September

* September 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General U Thant declares that he will not seek re-election, because U.N. efforts in Vietnam have failed. ** 98 British tourists die when Britannia Airways Flight 105 crashes in Ljubljana, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia. * September 6 – South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd is stabbed to death in Parliament by Dimitri Tsafendas. * September 9 –
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 ...
decides to move Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe to Belgium. * September 12 – B. J. Vorster becomes the new Prime Minister of South Africa. * September 13 – Cultural Revolution in China: Clashes between the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Guards are reported by Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union, TASS in the Soviet Union. * September 16 ** In South Vietnam, Thích Trí Quang ends a 100-day hunger strike. ** The Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House opens at Lincoln Center in New York City with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's opera ''Antony and Cleopatra (1966 opera), Antony and Cleopatra''. * September 19 – Indonesian military commander (later President) Suharto announces the resumption of Indonesian participation in the United Nations. * September 29 – Hurricane Inez strikes Hispaniola, leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands homeless in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. * September 30 ** The Bechuanaland Protectorate in Africa achieves independence from the United Kingdom as Botswana, with Seretse Khama as its first President of Botswana, President. ** Baldur von Schirach and Albert Speer are released from Spandau Prison in West Berlin.


October

* October 1 – West Coast Airlines Flight 956 crashes with 18 fatal injuries and no survivors south of Wemme, Oregon, the first loss of a DC-9. * October 3 – Tunisia severs diplomatic relations with the United Arab Republic. * October 4 ** Israel applies for membership in the European Economic Community, which is never granted. ** Basutoland becomes independent of the United Kingdom and takes the name Lesotho. * October 5 ** UNESCO signs the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers. This event is to be celebrated as World Teachers' Day. ** Spain closes its Gibraltar border to vehicular traffic. ** An experimental breeder reactor at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan suffers a partial meltdown when its cooling system fails. * October 6 ** LSD is made illegal in the United States and controlled so strictly that not only are possession and recreational use criminalized, but all legal scientific research programs on the drug in the country are shut down as well. ** The Love Pageant Rally takes place in the Panhandle (San Francisco), Panhandle of Golden Gate Park (a narrow section that projects into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district). * October 7 – 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 ...
declares that all Chinese students must leave the country before the end of October. * October 9 –
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: Binh Tai Massacre. * October 11 – France and 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 ...
sign a treaty for cooperation in nuclear research. * October 14 ** Closure of Intra Bank begins a crisis in the Lebanese banking system. ** The city of Montreal inaugurates the Montreal Metro system. * October 15 – Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton found the Black Panther Party in the United States. * October 17 – Lesotho and Botswana are admitted to the United Nations. * October 21 – Aberfan disaster in South Wales (U.K.): 144 (including 116 children) are killed by a collapsing coal spoil tip. * October 26 **
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 ...
decides to move its headquarters from Paris to Brussels. ** A fire aboard the US aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Tonkin kills 44 crewmen. * October 27 ** The United Nations terminates the mandate given by the League of Nations and proclaims that South West Africa will be administrated by the United Nations. This is rejected by South Africa. ** Walt Disney records his final filmed appearance prior to his death, detailing his plans for EPCOT (concept), EPCOT, a utopian planned community, planned city to be built in Florida.


November

* November 2 **The Cuban Adjustment Act comes into force, allowing 123,000 Cubans the opportunity to apply for permanent residency in the United States. **North Korean commandos ambush a UN command control consisting of 2nd Infantry Division (United States), 2nd Infantry Division soldiers south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. * November 4 – 1966 flood of the Arno river in Italy hits Florence, flooding it to a maximum depth of , leaving thousands homeless and destroying millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. In addition, a 1966 Venice flood, severe tidal flood hits Venice. * November 5 – Thirty-eight African states demand that the United Kingdom use force against the
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
n government. * November 6 – Lunar Orbiter 2 is launched. * November 8 – Screen actor Ronald Reagan is elected Governor of California. * November 10 – Seán Lemass retires as Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, to be replaced in the role by fellow Fianna Fáil member Jack Lynch. * November 11 ** A mine kills three Israelis, Israeli paratroopers on the West Bank border. ** Spain declares a general amnesty for crimes committed during the Spanish Civil War, effective only for the Falangists' side. * November 12 – A total solar eclipse occurs, the 20th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 142. * November 15 – Gemini 12 (James A. Lovell, Buzz Aldrin) splashes down safely in the Atlantic Ocean, east of the Bahamas. * November 17 ** The U.N. General Assembly decides to found the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. ** A spectacular Leonids, Leonid meteor shower passes over Arizona, at the rate of 2,300 a minute for 20 minutes. * November 24 – TABSO Flight 101, from Sofia, Bulgaria, crashes near Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, killing all 82 people on board. * November 26 ** 1966 Australian federal election:
Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until Disappearance of Harold Holt, his disappearance and presumed death in 1967. He held o ...
's Liberal Party of Australia, Liberal/National Party of Australia, Country Coalition (Australia), Coalition Holt government, government is re-elected with a significantly increased majority, defeating the Australian Labor Party, Labor Party led by Arthur Calwell. Calwell resigns as Labor leader shortly after; he will be 1967 Australian Labor Party leadership election, replaced by his deputy and future Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. ** In the Canadian Football League, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Ottawa Rough Riders to win the 54th Grey Cup at Vancouver's Empire Stadium (Vancouver), Empire Stadium 29–14. Saskatchewan are led by quarterback Ron Lancaster. * November 27 – The Washington Redskins defeat the New York Giants 72–41 in the highest scoring game in National Football League history. * November 28 – Truman Capote's Black and White Ball ("The Party of the Century") is held in New York City. * November 29 – The sinks in a storm on Lake Huron, killing 28 of 29 crewmen. * November 30 – Barbados achieves Barbados Independence Act 1966, independence from the United Kingdom.


December

* December 1 ** Kurt Georg Kiesinger is elected Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic), Chancellor of West Germany. ** British Prime Minister
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...
and
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
n Prime minister Ian Smith negotiate aboard in the Mediterranean. * December 2 – U Thant agrees to serve a second term as United Nations Secretary General. * December 3 – Anti-Portuguese demonstrations occur in Macau; a curfew is declared the next day. * December 5 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in ''Bond v. Floyd'' that the Georgia House of Representatives must seat Julian Bond, having violated his First Amendment to the United States Constitution, First and Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Fourteenth Amendment rights. * December 6 –
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: Bình Hòa massacre. * December 7 **
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 ...
offers weapons to rebels in Jordan. ** Barbados is United Nations Security Council Resolution 230, admitted to the United Nations. * December 8 – The Typaldos Line's ferry sinks in rough seas in the Aegean Sea near Crete, leaving 217 dead. * December 16 ** The United Nations Security Council approves an oil embargo against
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
. ** The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights are adopted by the General Assembly, as Resolution 2200 A (XXI). * December 17 – South Africa does not join the trade embargo against
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
. * December 18 – ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas (television special), How the Grinch Stole Christmas'', narrated by Boris Karloff, is shown for the first time on CBS in the United States. It becomes a Christmas tradition. * December 19 – The Asian Development Bank begins operations. * December 20 – U.K. Prime Minister
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...
withdraws all his previous offers to the
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
n government and announces that he will agree to independence for the country only after the establishment of a Black majority government there. * December 22 – Prime Minister Ian Smith declares that Rhodesia is already a republic. * December 26 – The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, founder of Organization US (a black nationalist group) and chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, from 1989 to 2002. * December 31 ** East German Premier Walter Ulbricht discusses negotiations about German reunification. ** Eight paintings worth millions of pounds are stolen from Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, but are recovered locally within a week. ** The Congolese government takes over the Union Minière du Haut Katanga.


Date unknown

* Konstantin Chernenko, later leader of the
Soviet Union The 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 ...
, becomes a candidate member of the Central Committee. * Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn are awarded the Fermi Prize. * The Congress of the United States creates the National Council for Marine Resources and Engineering Development. * Martin Richards (computer scientist), Martin Richards designs the programming language BCPL. * The World Buddhist Sangha (Buddhism), Sangha Council is convened by Theravada, Theravadins in Sri Lanka, with the hope of bridging differences and working together. * ''The Jerusalem Bible'', a Roman Catholic translation, is published in English. * Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann publish ''The Social Construction of Reality''. * Long-term potentiation (LTP), the putative cell (biology), cellular mechanism of learning and memory, is first observed by Terje Lømo in Oslo, Norway. * In or about this year, one person returning to Haiti from the Republic of the Congo, Congo is thought to have first brought HIV to the Americas.


Births


January

*
January 1 January 1 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 ...
– Ivica Dačić, Serbian politician, Prime Minister of Serbia 2012–2014 * January 4 – Christian Kern, Austrian politician, 24th Chancellor of Austria * January 6 – Sharon Cuneta, Filipino actress, host and singer * January 7 – Corrie Sanders, South African boxer (d. 2012) * January 8 ** Igor Vyazmikin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2009) ** Andrew Wood (singer), Andrew Wood, American musician (d. 1990) * January 13 – Patrick Dempsey, American actor and race car driver * January 14 ** Nadia Maftouni, Iranian philosopher ** Dan Schneider, American television producer, screenwriter and actor *
January 17 Events Pre-1600 * 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 peopl ...
** Shabba Ranks, Jamaican singer ** Nobuyuki Kojima, Korean footballer *
January 19 Events Pre-1600 * 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to '' Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. * 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surren ...
** Floris Jan Bovelander, Dutch field-hockey player ** Stefan Edberg, Swedish tennis player ** Lena Philipsson, Swedish singer and media personality * January 20 – Rainn Wilson, American actor, writer and producer *
January 22 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 ...
– Jegath Gaspar Raj, Tamil Maiyam founder *
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 ...
– Tamlyn Tomita, Japanese–born American actress * January 28 – Andrea Berg, German singer * January 29 – Romário, Brazilian footballer and politician


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), ...
– Michelle Akers, American footballer * February 5 – José María Olazábal, Spanish golfer * February 6 – Rick Astley, British pop singer *
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 & ...
– Kristin Otto, German swimmer * February 8 – Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian footballer * February 9 – Ellen van Langen, Dutch athlete * February 11 – Cristina Elena Grigoraș, Romanian artistic gymnast * February 13 – Neal McDonough, American actor * February 17 ** Quorthon, Swedish singer, songwriter, musician and record producer (d. 2004) ** Atle Skårdal, Norwegian alpine skier *
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 ...
– Cindy Crawford, American model and actress * February 22 – Rachel Dratch, American actress and comedian *
February 23 Events Pre-1600 * 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution. * 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone o ...
**Alexandre Borges, Brazilian actor **Didier Queloz, Swiss-born astronomer, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate *
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. ...
– Billy Zane, American actor * February 25 ** Samson Kitur, Kenyan athlete ** Téa Leoni, American actress * February 26 ** Jennifer Grant, American actress ** Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer * February 27 – Alison Gertz, American AIDS activist (d. 1992) *
February 28 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 ...
** Paulo Futre, Portuguese footballer ** Ickey Woods, American football player


March

*
March 1 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...
– Zack Snyder, American actor, film director, screenwriter and producer *
March 2 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost ...
– Sheren Tang, Hong Kong actress * March 3 ** Fernando Colunga, Mexican actor ** Vander Lee, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2016) ** Tone Lōc, African-American R&B musician *
March 4 Events Pre-1600 * AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth). * 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. * 581 – Yang Jian declares himself Emperor ...
** Steve Bastoni, Australian actor ** Kevin Johnson (basketball), Kevin Johnson, American basketball player *
March 7 Events Pre-1600 * 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. * 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cobl ...
– Atsushi Sakurai, Japanese musician (d. 2023) * March 9 – Tony Lockett, Australian rules footballer *
March 10 Events Pre-1600 * 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end. * 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes ...
– Edie Brickell, American singer * March 13 – Chico Science, Brazilian musician (d. 1997) * March 17 – Espen Hammer, Norwegian philosopher * March 18 – Jerry Cantrell, American guitarist and singer * March 21 **Adam Rudawski, politician, economist, and academic professor **DJ Premier, American record producer and DJ * March 22 – Martha McSally, American politician and military pilot * March 25 ** Tom Glavine, American baseball player, MLB Hall of Fame member ** Jeff Healey, Canadian guitarist (d. 2008) ** Remig Stumpf, German cyclist (d. 2019) * March 26 – Michael Imperioli, American actor * March 29 – Krasimir Balakov, Bulgarian footballer


April

* April 2 – Teddy Sheringham, British footballer * April 6 – Elisabeth Fritzl, Austrian girl which have sexually abused by her father Josef Fritzl in the Fritzl case * April 8 ** Cynthia Nixon, American actress ** Robin Wright, American actress * April 11 – Lisa Stansfield, British soul singer * April 13 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer * April 14 – Greg Maddux, American baseball player, MLB Hall of Fame member * April 15 – Samantha Fox, British model and singer * April 17 – Vikram (actor), Vikram, Indian actor * April 18 – Trine Hattestad, Norwegian athlete * April 20 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher * April 22 – Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor * April 26 ** Andrea Temesvári, Hungarian tennis player ** Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize–winning poet * April 27 – Yoshihiro Togashi, Japanese author and illustrator * April 28 **Ali Reza Pahlavi (born 1966), Ali-Reza Pahlavi, titular prince of Iran (d. 2011) ** Jackson Galaxy, American cat behaviorist


May

* May 3 – Firdous Bamji, Indian-American actor * May 5 – Lyubov Yegorova (cross-country skier), Lyubov Yegorova, Russian cross-country skier * May 6 ** Andrea Chiesa, Swiss Formula One driver ** Cindy Hsu, American Emmy Award-winning journalist * May 7 ** Anderson Cummins, Canadian cricketer ** Jes Høgh, Danish footballer * May 8 ** Robert J. Behnen, American genealogist and politician ** Kamil Kašťák, Czech ice hockey player ** Marta Sánchez, Spanish female vocalist, entertainer ** Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian goalkeeper * May 10 ** Jonathan Edwards (triple jumper), Jonathan Edwards, British athlete ** Anne Elvebakk, Norwegian biathlete ** Genaro Hernández, Mexican-American boxer * May 12 ** Stephen Baldwin, American actor ** Bebel Gilberto, Brazilian popular singer * May 13 ** Cheryl Dunye, Liberian-born film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress ** Darius Rucker, African-American country singer * May 16 ** Janet Jackson, African-American R&B singer ** Juan Manuel Funes, Guatemalan footballer and coach * May 17 – Qusay Hussein, Iraqi politician (d. 2003) * May 19 – Polly Walker, English actress * May 20 – Mindy Cohn, American actress * May 21 ** Lisa Edelstein, American actress and playwright ** François Omam-Biyik, Cameroonian football player * May 22 – Siri Eftedal, Norwegian team handball player and Olympic medalist * May 23 ** H. Jon Benjamin, American actor and comedian ** Graeme Hick, English cricketer * May 24 ** Eric Cantona, French footballer ** Francisco Javier Cruz, Mexican football player * May 25 – Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh, Iranian goalkeeper * May 26 ** Helena Bonham Carter, English actress ** Zola Budd, South African athlete * May 27 ** Heston Blumenthal, British chef ** Carol Campbell (actress), Carol Campbell, Afro-German actress, model and presenter * May 30 – Thomas Häßler, German football player


June

* June 3 – Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricketer * June 4 ** Cecilia Bartoli, Italian mezzo-soprano ** Svetlana Jitomirskaya, American mathematician ** Vladimir Voevodsky, Russian mathematician (d. 2017) * June 6 ** Faure Gnassingbé, President of Togo ** Folkert Thiadens, Dutch politician * June 7 – Tom McCarthy (director), Tom McCarthy, American film director and actor * June 8 – Julianna Margulies, American actress and producer * June 13 – Grigori Perelman, Russian mathematician * June 15 – Gwen Walz, First ladies of Minnesota, First Lady of Minnesota since 2019 and wife of Tim Walz * June 16 – Jan Železný, Czech javelin thrower * June 18 – Kurt Browning, Canadian figure skater * June 19 – Samuel West, British actor * June 22 ** Michael Park (co-driver), Michael Park, British rally co-driver (d. 2005) ** Emmanuelle Seigner, French actress ** Dean Woods, Australian cyclist and Olympic champion (d. 2022) * June 23 – Richie Jen, Taiwanese musician * June 24 – Adrienne Shelly, American actress, film director and screenwriter (d. 2006) * June 25 – Dikembe Mutombo, Congolese-American basketball player (d. 2024) * June 26 – Dany Boon, French comedian and filmmaker * June 27 – J. J. Abrams, American television writer and producer * June 28 ** John Cusack, American actor ** Mary Stuart Masterson, American actress * June 29 – Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Indonesian politician, governor of Jakarta * June 30 ** Cheryl Bernard, Canadian Olympic curler ** Marton Csokas, New Zealand actor ** Mike Tyson, African-American boxer


July

* July 1 ** Enrico Annoni, Italian footballer ** Samir Rifai, Prime Minister of Jordan * July 3 ** Isabelle Emmery, Belgian politician, MP. ** František Štorm, Czech musician (Master's Hammer) and typographer * July 5 – Gianfranco Zola, Italian footballer * July 8 – Michael Hite, American politician * July 9 – Pamela Adlon, American actress, voice actress, screenwriter, producer and director * July 10 – Gina Bellman, New Zealand-British actress * July 11 – Kentaro Miura, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2021) * July 14 – Matthew Fox, American actor * July 15 – Irène Jacob, French-born actress * July 18 ** Dan O'Brien, American athlete ** Lori Alan, American voice actress * July 19 – Blue Demon Jr. * July 20 – Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico (2012–2018), Governor of the State of Mexico (2005–2011) * July 21 – Sarah Waters, British novelist * July 26 – Angelo Di Livio, Italian footballer * July 28 – Miguel Ángel Nadal, Spanish footballer * July 29 – Richard Steven Horvitz, American actor and voice actor * July 30 – Murilo Bustamante, Brazilian mixed martial artist * July 31 – Dean Cain, American actor


August

* August 4 - Philippe Maidenberg, French architect, interior designer and furnishing designer * August 5 – James Gunn, American filmmaker * August 7 ** Harith Iskander, Malaysian actor and comedian ** Jimmy Wales, American-British entrepreneur, co-founder of Wikipedia. Quoted from the April 25, 2004, first-ever press release issued by the Wikimedia Foundation. * August 9 ** Glenn Postolski, Argentine professor (d. 2024) * August 10 ** Hossam Hassan, Egyptian footballer ** André Sogliuzzo, American actor and voice actor * August 11 – Juan María Solare, Argentine composer * August 12 – Les Ferdinand, English footballer * August 14 ** Halle Berry, American actress ** Freddy Rincón, Colombian footballer (d. 2022) * August 17 – Rodney Mullen, American skateboarder * August 19 – Lee Ann Womack, American musician * August 20 ** Dimebag Darrell, American guitarist (d. 2004) ** Enrico Letta, 55th Prime Minister of Italy ** Liu Chunyan, Chinese voice actress and host * August 23 – Rik Smits, Dutch basketball player * August 26 ** Jacques Brinkman, Dutch field hockey player ** Shirley Manson, Scottish musician * August 27 ** Jeroen Duyster, Dutch rower ** Juhan Parts, 15th Prime Minister of Estonia * August 28 – Priya Dutt, Indian social worker and politician


September

* September 1 – Tim Hardaway, American basketball player * September 2 – Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress * September 4 – Yanka Dyagileva, Russian singer (d. 1991) * September 6 ** Emil Boc, 61st Prime Minister of Romania ** Eduardo Maruri, Ecuadorian businessman and politician * September 7 ** Vladimir Andreyev (racewalker), Vladimir Andreyev, Russian race walker ** Toby Jones, English actor ** Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, German speed skater * September 8 – Carola Häggkvist, Swedish pop singer, Eurovision Song Contest Eurovision Song Contest 1991, 1991 winner * September 9 ** Georg Hackl, German skiing, luger ** Adam Sandler, American actor and comedian * September 12 ** Steve Ells, American entrepreneur and founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill ** Kiko, Princess Akishino, Princess Akishino of Japan ** Malu Mader, Brazilian actress * September 20 – Nuno Bettencourt, Portuguese-American guitarist and singer-songwriter * September 21 – Nechirvan Barzani, President of Iraqi Kurdistan * September 22 ** Erdoğan Atalay, German actor ** Moustafa Amar, Egyptian singer * September 25 – Jason Flemyng, English actor * September 26 – Jenn Hill, American politician and member of the Michigan House of Representatives since 2023 * September 27 – Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Member of the US House from Florida * September 28 – Maria Canals-Barrera, American actress * September 29 – Bujar Nishani, President of Albania (d. 2022)


October

* October 1 ** Ashab Uddin, Indian politician ** George Weah, Liberian politician and football player * October 2 – Yokozuna (wrestler), Rodney Anoa'i, Samoan-American professional wrestler (d. 2000) * October 5 – Inessa Kravets, Ukrainian athlete * October 6 – Niall Quinn, Irish footballer * October 7 – Sherman Alexie, Native American author * October 9 – David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 2010-2016 * October 10 ** Tony Adams, English footballer ** Carolyn Bertozzi, American chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate ** Bai Ling, Chinese actress ** Elana Meyer, South African athlete * October 11 – Luke Perry, American actor (d. 2019) * October 15 – Jorge Campos, Mexican footballer and coach * October 18 – Angela Visser, Dutch winner of Miss Universe 1989 * October 19 – Jon Favreau, American actor and director * October 20 – Stefan Raab, German entertainer, television host, comedian and musician * October 22 – Valeria Golino, Italian-Greek film and television actress * October 24 **Roman Abramovich, UK-based Russian billionaire businessman **Zahn McClarnon, American actor * October 25 – Wendel Clark, Canadian hockey player * October 28 – Andy Richter, American actor, writer, comedian and late-night talk show announcer * October 30 – Zoran Milanović, Croatian politician, President of Croatia * October 31 **Ad-Rock, Adam Horovitz, American rapper **Mike O'Malley, American actor and playwright


November

*November 2 **David Schwimmer, American actor * November 3 – Joe Hachem, Lebanese-born Australian poker player * November 8 – Gordon Ramsay, British chef, restaurateur and television personality * November 11 ** Benedicta Boccoli, Italian model and actress ** Peaches (musician), Peaches, Canadian musician * November 15 – Rachel True, American actress * November 17 ** Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997) ** Daisy Fuentes, Cuban-born American model and television personality ** Sophie Marceau, French actress * November 19 ** Gail Devers, American track and field athlete ** Jason Scott Lee, American actor and martial artist * November 22 ** Orlando Jorge Mera, Dominican politician (d. 2022) ** Michael K. Williams, American actor (d. 2021) * November 23 **Vincent Cassel, French actor **Michelle Gomez, Scottish actress * November 25 ** Billy Burke (actor), Billy Burke, American actor ** Roberto Rojas (politician), Roberto Rojas, Bolivian politician (d. 2022) * November 26 – Garcelle Beauvais, Haitian-American actress, singer and fashion model * November 28 – Narumi Yasuda, Japanese actress * November 29 – John Bradshaw Layfield, American professional wrestler


December

* December 4 – Fred Armisen, American actor, comedian and musician * December 5 – Patricia Kaas, French singer and actress * December 7 ** C. Thomas Howell, American actor and director ** Linn Ullmann, Norwegian journalist and author * December 8 – Sinéad O'Connor, Irish singer (d. 2023) * December 9 – Glenn Youngkin, American businessman and politician * December 10 ** Kirsten Gillibrand, American politician; United States Senator (D-NY) ** Gideon Sa'ar, Israeli politician ** Kadyrbek Sarbayev, foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan ** Natee Thongsookkaew, Thailand footballer * December 12 – Último Dragón, Japanese professional wrestler * December 14 – Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Danish Prime Minister * December 15 – Katja von Garnier, German film director * December 17 – Miloš Tichý, Czech astronomer * December 19 ** Tim Sköld, Swedish multi-instrumentalist musician ** Alberto Tomba, Italian alpine skier * December 20 – Ed de Goeij, Dutch footballer * December 21 **Kiefer Sutherland, Canadian actor and film director **William Samoei Ruto, 5th President of the Republic of Kenya * December 22 – Dmitry Bilozerchev, Soviet gymnast * December 23 – Cláudia Raia, Brazilian actress, dancer and singer * December 24 – Diedrich Bader, American actor and voice artist * December 27 – Bill Goldberg, American professional wrestler * December 28 – Kaliopi, Macedonian singer-songwriter


Deaths


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 ...
– Vincent Auriol, French politician, President of France (b. 1884) *
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 ...
** Sammy Younge Jr., American civil rights activist (b. 1944) ** Marguerite Higgins, American journalist (b. 1920) * January 4 – Georges Theunis, 24th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1873) *
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 ...
– Ignacy Oziewicz, Polish general (b. 1887) * January 11 ** Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter (b. 1901) ** Hannes Kolehmainen, Finnish Olympic athlete (b. 1889) **
Lal Bahadur Shastri Lal Bahadur Shastri (; born Lal Bahadur Srivastava; 2 October 190411 January 1966) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1964 to 1966. He previously served as Minister ...
, Indian activist, 2nd
Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
(b. 1904) * January 14 ** Sergei Korolev, Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer (b. 1907) ** Bill Carr, American Olympic athlete (b. 1909) *
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 ...
** Samuel Akintola, Nigerian premier of the Western Nigeria, Western region and Aare Ona Kakanfo XIII of the Yoruba (assassinated) (b. 1910) **
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, Prime Minister of Nigeria. A dominant figure of Nigerian Independence, he was a conservative Anglophile. His political career spa ...
, Nigerian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Nigeria (assassinated) (b. 1912) ** Ahmadu Bello, Nigerian premier of the Premier of Northern Nigeria, Northern region (assassinated) (b. 1910) * January 16 – Courtney Hodges, American army general (b. 1887) *
January 17 Events Pre-1600 * 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 peopl ...
– Vincent J. Donehue, American stage director (b. 1917) *
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 ...
– Herbert Marshall, English actor (b. 1890) * January 25 – Saul Adler, Russian-born British-Israeli expert on parasitology (b. 1895) *
January 31 Events Pre-1600 * 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades. * 1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on th ...
** Elizabeth Patterson (actress), Elizabeth Patterson, American actress (b. 1874) ** Arthur Percival, British general (b.1887)


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), ...
** Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (b. 1885) ** Buster Keaton, American actor and film director (b. 1895) ** Joseph R. Knowland, American politician and newspaper publisher (b. 1873) * February 6 – Narcisa de León, Filipino film producer (b. 1877) * February 9 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer (b. 1886) * February 10 ** J. F. C. Fuller, British general and military strategist (b. 1878) ** Billy Rose, American composer and band leader (b. 1899) * February 12 – Wilhelm Röpke, German economist (b. 1899) * February 15 ** Gerard Antoni Ciołek, Gerard Ciołek, Polish architect and historian (b. 1909) ** Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian socialist and Roman Catholic priest (b. 1929) * February 17 **Alfred P. Sloan, American automobile industrialist (b. 1875) **Hans Hofmann, German-American painter (b. 1880) * February 18 – Robert Rossen, American film director (b. 1908) *
February 20 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 ...
– Chester W. Nimitz, American Navy admiral (b. 1885) * February 25 – Victor Kravchenko (defector), Victor Kravchenko, Soviet writer (b. 1905) * February 26 ** Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian pro-independence activist, Hindu nationalist (b. 1883) ** Gino Severini, Italian painter (b. 1883) *
February 28 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 ...
** Charles Bassett, American astronaut (b. 1931) ** Jonathan Hale, American actor (b. 1891) ** Victor Jacob Koningsberger, Dutch botanist (b. 1895) ** Elliot See, American astronaut (b. 1927)


March

*
March 1 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...
** Fritz Houtermans, German physicist (b. 1903) ** William R. Munroe, American admiral (b. 1886) * March 3 ** William Frawley, American actor (''I Love Lucy'') (b. 1887) ** Alice Pearce, American actress (b. 1917) *
March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Easte ...
– Anna Akhmatova, Russian poet (b. 1889) * March 6 – Michitaro Tozuka, Japanese admiral (b. 1890) *
March 7 Events Pre-1600 * 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. * 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cobl ...
– Donald B. Beary, American admiral (b. 1888) *
March 8 Events Pre-1600 * 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem '' Shahnameh''. * 1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León. * 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between ...
** William Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor, British politician (b. 1907) ** Abdel Hadi Al Gazzar, Egyptian painter (b. 1925) *
March 10 Events Pre-1600 * 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end. * 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes ...
– Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888) * March 11 – Fannie Salter, American lighthouse keeper (b. 1882) * March 12 – Néstor Guillén, Bolivian politician, 40th President of Bolivia (b. 1890) * March 20 – Laurence Abrams, English professional footballer (b. 1889) * March 27 – Helen Menken, American actress (b. 1901) * March 29 – Stylianos Gonatas, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876) * March 30 – Erwin Piscator, German theater director (b. 1893)


April

* April 1 – Brian O'Nolan, Irish humorist (b. 1911) * April 2 – C. S. Forester, English author (b. 1899) * April 3 – Battista Farina, Italian car designer (b. 1893) * April 6 – Julia Faye, American actress (b. 1893) * April 10 – Evelyn Waugh, English author (b. 1903) * April 13 ** Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881) ** Georges Duhamel (author), Georges Duhamel, French author (b. 1884) ** Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi military officer and statesman, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921) * April 17 – Mario Serandrei, Italian editor and screenwriter (b. 1907) * April 19 – Javier Solís, Mexican singer and actor (b. 1931) * April 20 – Prince Frederick of Prussia (1911–1966), Prince Frederick of Prussia (b. 1911) * April 21 – Sepp Dietrich, Nazi German military leader and Schutzstaffel, SS commander (b. 1892) * April 23 – George Ohsawa, Japanese dietist, founder of Macrobiotics (b. 1893) * April 29 – Eugene O'Brien (actor), Eugene O'Brien, American actor (b. 1880)


May

* May 4 – Amédée Ozenfant, French painter (b. 1886) * May 8 – Erich Pommer, German film producer (b. 1889) * May 11 – Alfred Wintle, British army officer and eccentric (b. 1897) * May 14 – Ludwig Meidner, German painter (b. 1884) * May 15 ** Venceslau Brás, 9th President of Brazil, leader in World War I (b. 1868) ** Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, 30th President of El Salvador (assassinated) (b. 1882) ** Titien Sumarni, Indonesian actress (b. 1932) * May 20 – Carlos Arruza, Mexican bullfighter (b. 1920) * May 21 – Lady Dorothy Macmillan, spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1900) * May 22 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (b. 1900) * May 23 – Demchugdongrub, Mongolian politician (b. 1902) * May 24 – Jim Barnes, English golf champion (b. 1886) * May 25 – Vernon Sturdee, Sir Vernon Sturdee, Australian general (b. 1890) * May 29 – John and James Woolf, James Woolf, British film producer (b. 1919)


June

* June 1 – Papa Jack Laine, American jazz musician (b. 1873) * June 3 – Nicholas Straussler, Hungarian engineer (b. 1891) * June 6 – Ethel Clayton, American actress (b. 1882) * June 7 – Jean Arp, Alsatian sculptor, painter and poet (b. 1886) * June 8 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (b. 1890) * June 11 – Wallace Ford, English-born American actor (b. 1898) * June 12 ** William Ernest Hocking, American philosopher (b. 1873) ** Hermann Scherchen, Austrian conductor (b. 1891) * June 15 – Robert G. Fowler, American pioneer aviator (b. 1884) * June 19 – Ed Wynn, American actor and comedian (b. 1886) * June 20 – Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest and astrophysicist (b. 1894) * June 30 ** Margery Allingham, British detective fiction writer (b. 1904) ** Giuseppe Farina, Italian racing driver (b. 1906)


July

* July 2 ** Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (b. 1898) ** John of Shanghai and San Francisco, John the Wonderworker, Chinese Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox bishop, American archbishop and saint (b. 1896) * July 3 – Deems Taylor, American composer (b. 1885) * July 5 – George de Hevesy, Hungarian chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885) * July 9 – Venerable Marija Petković, Yugoslav Roman Catholic foundress and Servant of God (b. 1892) * July 11 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet (b. 1913) * July 12 – D. T. Suzuki, Japanese scholar and essayist (b. 1870) * July 14 – Julie Manet, French painter (b. 1878) * July 18 – Bobby Fuller, American rock and roll musician (b. 1942) * July 21 ** Francesco Paolo Cantelli, Italian mathematician (b. 1875) ** Philipp Frank, Austrian physicist and mathematician (b. 1884) * July 23 ** Montgomery Clift, American actor (b. 1920) ** Douglass Montgomery, American actor (b. 1907) * July 25 – Frank O'Hara, American poet (b. 1926) * July 29 –
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) was a Nigerian general who was the first military head of state of Nigeria. He seized power during the ensuing chaos after the 15 January 1966 military coup. Ironsi ruled ...
, Nigerian head of state (b. 1924) * July 31 ** Alexander von Falkenhausen, German general and military advisor, 20 July Plotter (b. 1878) ** Bud Powell, American jazz pianist (b. 1924)


August

* August 1 – Charles Whitman, American mass murderer (b. 1941) * August 2 – Renya Mutaguchi, Japanese general (b. 1888) * August 3 – Lenny Bruce, American comedian (b. 1925) * August 6 – Cordwainer Smith, American author (b. 1913) * August 12 – Artur Alliksaar, Estonian poet (b. 1923) * August 15 ** Jan Kiepura, Polish tenor and actor (b. 1902) ** Seena Owen, American actress (b. 1894) * August 17 – Ken Miles, British sports car racing engineer and driver (b. 1918) * August 19 – Fritz Bleyl, German painter (b. 1880) * August 23 – Francis X. Bushman, American actor (b. 1883) * August 24 ** Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, Polish general and statesman, 33rd Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1895) ** Lao She, Chinese author (b. 1899) ** Vicente Mejía Colindres, 29th President of Honduras (b. 1878) * August 26 ** Art Baker (actor), Art Baker, American actor (b. 1898) ** W. W. E. Ross, Canadian geophysicist and poet (b. 1894)


September

* September 6 ** Margaret Sanger, American birth control advocate (b. 1879) ** Hendrik Verwoerd, 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa (b. 1901) * September 11 – Collett E. Woolman, American airline executive (b. 1889) * September 14 ** Gertrude Berg, American actress (b. 1899) ** Hiram Wesley Evans, American Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard (b. 1881) ** Cemal Gürsel, Turkish general and statesman, 10th Prime Minister of Turkey and 4th President of Turkey (b. 1895) * September 17 – Fritz Wunderlich, German tenor (b. 1930) * September 19 – Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov, Soviet scientist and general (b. 1874) * September 21 – Paul Reynaud, French lawyer and politician, 77th Prime Minister of France (b. 1878) * September 26 ** Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi, Indian Independence activist (b. 1900) ** Helen Kane, American singer (b. 1904) * September 28 ** André Breton, French poet and writer (b. 1896) ** Eric Fleming, American actor (b. 1925)


October

* October 9 – Idris Ahmed Mia, Bengali politician (b. 1894) * October 10 ** Charlotte Cooper (tennis), Charlotte Cooper, English tennis champion (b. 1870) ** Wilfrid Lawson (actor), Wilfrid Lawson, English actor (b. 1900) * October 13 – Clifton Webb, American actor, dancer and singer (b. 1889) * October 17 – Cléo de Mérode, French dancer (b. 1875) * October 18 – Elizabeth Arden, Canadian-born American beautician and cosmetics entrepreneur (b. 1881) * October 23 – Claire McDowell, American silent screen actress (b. 1877) * October 24 – Hans Dreier, German art director (b. 1885) * October 26 – Alma Cogan, English singer (b. 1932) * October 28 – Robert Charpentier, French Olympic cyclist (b. 1916)


November

* November 2 ** Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884) ** Mississippi John Hurt, African-American singer and guitarist (b. 1893) * November 5 – Dietrich von Choltitz, Nazi German military governor of Paris in World War II (b. 1894) * November 8 – Bernhard Zondek, German-born Israeli gynecologist, developer of first reliable pregnancy test (b. 1891) * November 13 – Esna Boyd, Australian tennis player (b. 1899) * November 14 ** Steingrímur Steinþórsson, 11th Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1893) ** Zengo Yoshida, Japanese admiral (b. 1885) * November 21 – Władysław Bortnowski, Polish historian and military commander (b. 1891) * November 23 – Seán T. O'Kelly, 2nd President of Ireland (b. 1882) * November 26 – Siegfried Kracauer, German writer, sociologist and critic (b. 1889) * November 28 – Boris Podolsky, Russian-American physicist (b. 1896)


December

* December 2 – L.E.J. Brouwer, Dutch mathematician and philosopher (b. 1881) * December 6 – Juan Natalicio González, Paraguayan poet, 37th President of Paraguay (b. 1897) * December 14 – Verna Felton, American actress (b. 1890) * December 15 – Walt Disney, American animated film producer and founder of The Walt Disney Company and Disneyland Resort (b. 1901) * December 19 – Betty Kuuskemaa, Estonian actress (b. 1879) * December 22 – Lucy Burns, American women's rights campaigner (b. 1879) * December 26 – Herbert Gille, SS German general (b. 1897) * December 27 – Guillermo Stábile, Argentine football player and manager (b. 1905) * December 30 – Christian Herter, United States Secretary of State (b. 1895) * December 31 – Nipo T. Strongheart, Native American filmmaker (b. 1891)Nipo T. Strongheart
/ref>


Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Alfred Kastler * Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Robert S. Mulliken * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – Peyton Rous and Charles Brenton Huggins * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Shmuel Yosef Agnon and Nelly Sachs * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – not awarded


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1966 1966,