November 28

For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre.

November 28 is the 332nd day of the year (333rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 33 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Thursday or Friday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Tuesday or Sunday (56).

Events

• 587 – Treaty of Andelot: King Guntram of Burgundy recognizes Childebert II as his heir.
• 936 – Shi Jingtang is enthroned as the first emperor of the Later Jin by Emperor Taizong of Liao, following a revolt against Emperor Fei of Later Tang.
• 1443 – Skanderbeg and his forces liberate Kruja in central Albania and raise the Albanian flag.
• 1470 – Champa–Đại Việt War: Emperor Lê Thánh Tông of Đại Việt formally launches his attack against Champa.
• 1520 – After navigating through a strait at the southern end of South America, three ships under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan reach the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first European ships to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.
• 1582 – In Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway pay a £40 bond for their marriage licence.
• 1627 – The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Navy has its greatest and last victory in the Battle of Oliwa.
• 1660 – At Gresham College, twelve men, including Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, and Sir Robert Moray decide to found what is later known as the Royal Society.
• 1666 – At least 3,000 men of the Royal Scots Army led by Tam Dalyell of the Binns defeat about 900 Covenanter rebels in the Battle of Rullion Green.
• 1785 – The Treaty of Hopewell is signed.
• 1811 – Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, premieres at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig.
• 1814 – The Times in London is for the first time printed by automatic, steam-powered presses built by the German inventors Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Friedrich Bauer, signaling the beginning of the availability of newspapers to a mass audience.
• 1821 – Panama Independence Day: Panama separates from Spain and joins Gran Colombia.
• 1828 – Greek War of Independence: The French Morea expedition to recapture Morea (now the Peloponnese) ends when the last Ottoman forces depart the peninsula.
• 1843 – Ka Lā Hui (Hawaiian Independence Day): The Kingdom of Hawaii is officially recognized by the United Kingdom and France as an independent nation.
• 1862 – American Civil War: In the Battle of Cane Hill, Union troops under General James G. Blunt defeat General John Marmaduke's Confederates.
• 1885 – Bulgarian victory in the Serbo-Bulgarian War preserves the Unification of Bulgaria.
• 1893 – New Zealand becomes the first country in which women vote in a national election.
• 1895 – The first American automobile race takes place over the 54 miles from Chicago's Jackson Park to Evanston, Illinois. Frank Duryea wins in approximately 10 hours.
• 1899 – The Second Boer War: a British column is engaged by Boer forces at the Battle of Modder River; although the Boers withdraw, the British suffer heavy casualties.
• 1905 – Irish nationalist Arthur Griffith founds Sinn Féin as a political party with the main aim of establishing a dual monarchy in Ireland.
• 1907 – In Haverhill, Massachusetts, scrap-metal dealer Louis B. Mayer opens his first movie theater.
• 1908 – A mine explosion in Marianna, Pennsylvania, kills 154 men, leaving only one survivor.
• 1909 – Sergei Rachmaninoff makes the debut performance of his Piano Concerto No. 3, considered to be one of the most technically challenging piano concertos in the standard classical repertoire.
• 1910 – The Liberal Party, led by Eleftherios Venizelos, wins the second Greek general election of the year.
• 1912 – Albania declares its independence from the Ottoman Empire.
• 1914 – World War I: Following a war-induced closure in July, the New York Stock Exchange re-opens for bond trading.
• 1917 – The Estonian Provincial Assembly declares itself the sovereign power of Estonia.
• 1918 – Bukovina votes for union with the Kingdom of Romania.
• 1919 – Lady Astor is elected as a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She is the first woman to sit in the House of Commons. (Countess Markievicz, the first to be elected, refused to sit.)
• 1920 – Irish War of Independence: Kilmichael Ambush: The Irish Republican Army ambush a convoy of British Auxiliaries and kill seventeen.
• 1925 – The Grand Ole Opry begins broadcasting in Nashville, Tennessee, as the WSM Barn Dance.
• 1942 – In Boston, Massachusetts, a fire in the Cocoanut Grove nightclub kills 492 people.
• 1943 – World War II: Tehran Conference: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin meet in Tehran, Iran, to discuss war strategy.
• 1958 – Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and Gabon become autonomous republics within the French Community.
• 1960 – Mauritania becomes independent of France.
• 1964 – Mariner program: NASA launches the Mariner 4 probe toward Mars.
• 1964 – Vietnam War: National Security Council members agree to recommend that U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson adopt a plan for a two-stage escalation of bombing in North Vietnam.
• 1965 – Vietnam War: In response to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson's call for "more flags" in Vietnam, Philippine President-elect Ferdinand Marcos announces he will send troops to help fight in South Vietnam.
• 1966 – Michel Micombero overthrows the monarchy of Burundi and makes himself the first president.
• 1967 – The first pulsar known as PSR B1919+21 in the constellation of Vulpecula was discovered by two astronomers Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish.
• 1971 – Fred Quilt, a leader of the Tsilhqot'in First Nation suffers severe abdominal injuries allegedly caused by Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers; he dies two days later.
• 1971 – Wasfi al-Tal, Prime Minister of Jordan, is assassinated by the Black September unit of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
• 1972 – Last executions in Paris: Claude Buffet and Roger Bontems are guillotined at La Santé Prison.
• 1975 – East Timor declares its independence from Portugal.
• 1979 – Air New Zealand Flight 901, a DC-10 sightseeing flight over Antarctica, crashes into Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people on board.
• 1980 – Iran–Iraq War: Operation Morvarid: The bulk of the Iraqi Navy is destroyed by the Iranian Navy in the Persian Gulf. (Commemorated in Iran as Navy Day.)
• 1987 – South African Airways Flight 295 crashes into the Indian Ocean, killing all 159 people on board.
• 1989 – Cold War: Velvet Revolution: In the face of protests, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announces it will give up its monopoly on political power.
• 1991 – South Ossetia declares independence from Georgia.
• 2002 – Suicide bombers blow up an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya; their colleagues fail in their attempt to bring down Arkia Israel Airlines Flight 582 with surface-to-air missiles.
• 2013 – A 5.6 earthquake in Iran kills seven people and injures 45 others.
• 2014 – Gunmen set off three bombs at the central mosque in the northern city of Kano killing at least 120 people.

Births

• 1118 – Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1180)
• 1489 – Margaret Tudor, English wife of James IV of Scotland (d. 1541)
• 1570 – James Whitelocke, English judge and politician, Chief Justice of Chester (d. 1632)
• 1598 – Hans Nansen, Danish lawyer and politician (d. 1667)
• 1628 – John Bunyan, English preacher, theologian, and author (d. 1688)
• 1632 – Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-French composer and manager (d. 1687)
• 1640 – Willem de Vlamingh, Flemish captain and explorer (d. 1698)
• 1661 – Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, English soldier and politician, 14th Colonial Governor of New York (d. 1723)
• 1681 – Jean Cavalier, French rebel leader (d. 1740)
• 1700 – Nathaniel Bliss, English astronomer and mathematician (d. 1764)
• 1700 – Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (d. 1770)
• 1757 – William Blake, English poet and painter (d. 1827)
• 1772 – Luke Howard, English chemist and meteorologist (d. 1864)
• 1774 – Maria Antonia of Parma (d. 1841)
• 1785 – Victor de Broglie, French lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of France (d. 1870)
• 1792 – Victor Cousin, French philosopher and academic (d. 1867)
• 1793 – Carl Jonas Love Almqvist, Swedish poet, composer, and critic (d. 1866)
• 1805 – John Lloyd Stephens, American archeologist and explorer (d. 1852)
• 1810 – William Froude, English engineer and architect (d. 1879)
• 1820 – Friedrich Engels, German-English philosopher, economist, and journalist (d. 1895)
• 1829 – Anton Rubinstein, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1894)
• 1837 – John Wesley Hyatt, American engineer (d. 1920)
• 1853 – Helen Magill White, American academic (d. 1944)
• 1857 – Alfonso XII of Spain (d. 1885)
• 1864 – James Allen, English author and poet (d. 1912)
• 1864 – Lindley Miller Garrison, American lawyer and politician, 46th United States Secretary of War (d. 1932)
• 1866 – Henry Bacon, American architect, designed the Lincoln Memorial (d. 1924)
• 1876 – Bert Vogler, South African cricketer (d. 1946)
• 1880 – Alexander Blok, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1921)
• 1881 – Stefan Zweig, Austrian author, playwright, and journalist (d. 1942)
• 1887 – Ernst Röhm, German soldier and politician (d. 1934)
• 1891 – Gregorio Perfecto, Filipino journalist, jurist, and politician (d. 1949)
• 1894 – Henry Hazlitt, American economist and philosopher (d. 1993)
• 1895 – José Iturbi, Spanish pianist and conductor (d. 1980)
• 1896 – Dawn Powell, American author and playwright (d. 1965)
• 1896 – Lilia Skala, Austrian-American actress (d. 1994)
• 1898 – İhap Hulusi Görey, Turkish graphic artist (d. 1986)
• 1903 – Gladys O'Connor, English-Canadian actress (d. 2012)
• 1904 – James Eastland, American planter and politician (d. 1986)
• 1904 – Nancy Mitford, English journalist and author (d. 1973)
• 1907 – Rose Bampton, American soprano and educator (d. 2007)
• 1907 – Alberto Moravia, Italian journalist and author (d. 1990)
• 1908 – Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Nigerian educator and politician, 3rd Governor of Ondo State (d. 1997)
• 1908 – Claude Lévi-Strauss, Belgian-French anthropologist and ethnologist (d. 2009)
• 1910 – Elsie Quarterman, American ecologist and academic (d. 2014)
• 1911 – Václav Renč, Czech poet and playwright (d. 1973)
• 1912 – Morris Louis, American painter (d. 1962)
• 1913 – Cliff Addison, English chemist and academic (d. 1994)
• 1915 – Evald Okas, Estonian painter and academic (d. 2011)
• 1915 – Yves Thériault, Canadian author (d. 1983)
• 1916 – Lilian, Princess of Réthy (d. 2002)
• 1916 – Ramón José Velásquez, Venezuelan journalist, lawyer, and politician, President of Venezuela (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Gloria Grahame, American actress and singer (d. 1981)
• 1923 – James Karen, American actor
• 1924 – Dennis Brutus, South African journalist, poet, and academic (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Johanna Döbereiner, Czech-Brazilian agronomist and academic (d. 2000)
• 1925 – József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1978)
• 1925 – Gigi Gryce, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1983)
• 1927 – Chuck Mitchell, American actor (d. 1992)
• 1928 – Arthur Melvin Okun, American economist and academic (d. 1980)
• 1928 – Piet Steenbergen, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2010)
• 1929 – Berry Gordy, Jr., American songwriter and producer, founded Motown Records
• 1931 – Dervla Murphy, Irish cyclist and author
• 1931 – Tomi Ungerer, French author and illustrator
• 1931 – Ed Young, Chinese-American author and illustrator
• 1932 – Gato Barbieri, Argentinian saxophonist and composer
• 1932 – Terence Frisby, English author and playwright
• 1933 – Joe Knollenberg, American soldier and politician
• 1933 – Hope Lange, American actress (d. 2003)
• 1935 – Masahito, Prince Hitachi of Japan
• 1935 – Randolph Stow, Australian-English author and poet (d. 2010)
• 1936 – Gary Hart, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland
• 1936 – Celin Romero, Spanish-American guitarist
• 1940 – Bruce Channel, American singer-songwriter
• 1941 – Laura Antonelli, Croatian-Italian actress (d. 2015)
• 1942 – Manolo Blahnik, Spanish-English shoe designer
• 1942 – Paul Warfield, American football player and sportscaster
• 1943 – Randy Newman, American singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1944 – Rita Mae Brown, American author, poet, and screenwriter
• 1944 – R. B. Greaves, Guyanese-American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)
• 1945 – Franklin Drilon, Filipino lawyer and politician, 22nd President of the Senate of the Philippines
• 1946 – Joe Dante, American director and producer
• 1947 – Michel Berger, French singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
• 1947 – Maria Farantouri, Greek singer and politician
• 1948 – Beeb Birtles, Dutch-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1948 – Alan Lightman, American physicist, author, and academic
• 1948 – Dick Morris, American political consultant, journalist, and author
• 1949 – Alexander Godunov, Russian-American actor and dancer (d. 1995)
• 1949 – Paul Shaffer, Canadian-American singer, keyboard player, and bandleader (CBS Orchestra)
• 1950 – Ed Harris, American actor and producer
• 1950 – Russell Alan Hulse, American physicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1950 – Peeter Torop, Estonian semiotician and academic
• 1951 – Barbara Morgan, American educator and astronaut
• 1952 – S. Epatha Merkerson, American actress
• 1952 – Ole Thomsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
• 1953 – Alistair Darling, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
• 1953 – Helen De Michiel, American director and producer
• 1953 – Pamela Hayden, American actress and singer
• 1953 – Sixto Lezcano, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
• 1953 – Gordon Marsden, English journalist and politician
• 1954 – Necip Hablemitoğlu, Turkish historian and academic (d. 2002)
• 1955 – Alessandro Altobelli, Italian footballer and sportscaster
• 1955 – Adem Jashari, Kosovo commander (d. 1998)
• 1956 – Fiona Armstrong, English-Scottish journalist and author
• 1957 – Peeter Järvelaid, Estonian historian and scholar
• 1957 – Vivienne Tam, Fashion Designer
• 1958 – Kriss Akabusi, English sprinter and hurdler
• 1958 – Dave Righetti, American baseball player and coach
• 1959 – Nancy Charest, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
• 1959 – Judd Nelson, American actor and screenwriter
• 1959 – Stephen Roche, Irish cyclist and sportscaster
• 1960 – Jorge Domecq, Spanish lawyer and diplomat
• 1960 – John Galliano, Gibraltarian-English fashion designer
• 1960 – Andy Ritchie, English footballer and manager
• 1960 – Kenny Wharton, English footballer and coach
• 1961 – Martin Clunes, English actor, singer, and director
• 1961 – Alfonso Cuarón, Mexican director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1961 – John Fenty, English businessman
• 1961 – Jane Sibbett, American actress and producer
• 1962 – Matt Cameron, American drummer and songwriter
• 1962 – Paul Dinello, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1962 – Juan Carlos Rosero, Ecuadorian cyclist (d. 2013)
• 1962 – Jon Stewart, American comedian, actor, and television host
• 1963 – Jesús Ledesma Aguilar, Mexican murderer (d. 2006)
• 1963 – Armando Iannucci, Scottish comedian, actor, director, and producer
• 1963 – Andrew Jones, English politician
• 1963 – Johnny Newman, American basketball player
• 1963 – Walt Weiss, American baseball player and manager
• 1964 – Michael Bennet, Indian-American lawyer and politician
• 1964 – John Burkett, American baseball player and bowler
• 1964 – Roy Tarpley, American basketball player (d. 2015)
• 1964 – Sian Williams, English-Welsh journalist
• 1965 – Erwin Mortier, Belgian author and poet
• 1965 – Matt Williams, American baseball player and manager
• 1966 – Sam Seder, American actor, director, and producer
• 1966 – Narumi Yasuda, Japanese actress
• 1967 – Chris Heaton-Harris, English businessman and politician
• 1967 – José del Solar, Peruvian footballer and manager
• 1967 – Stephnie Weir, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1968 – Darren Bett, English journalist
• 1969 – Nick Knight, English cricketer and sportscaster
• 1969 – Robb Nen, American baseball player and manager
• 1969 – Valeri Nikitin, Estonian wrestler
• 1969 – Sonia O'Sullivan, Irish athlete
• 1970 – Álex López Morón, Spanish tennis player
• 1970 – Richard Osman, English television host, director, and producer
• 1971 – Fenriz, Norwegian singer-songwriter
• 1971 – Rob Conway, American wrestler
• 1971 – Cathy Garcia-Molina, Filipino actress and director
• 1972 – Paulo Figueiredo, Angolan footballer
• 1972 – Anastasia Kelesidou, German-Greek discus thrower
• 1972 – Jesper Strömblad, Swedish guitarist and songwriter
• 1973 – Jade Puget, American guitarist and producer
• 1974 – apl.de.ap, Filipino-American rapper and producer
• 1974 – Styles P, American rapper
• 1974 – András Tölcséres, Hungarian footballer and manager
• 1975 – Bakarhythm, Japanese comedian, actor, playwright, and composer
• 1975 – Eka Kurniawan, Indonesian journalist and author
• 1975 – Park Sung-bae, South Korean footballer
• 1975 – Takashi Shimoda, Japanese footballer
• 1975 – Sigurd Wongraven, Norwegian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1976 – Ryan Kwanten, Australian actor
• 1977 – Marlon Broomes, English footballer
• 1977 – Fabio Grosso, Italian footballer and manager
• 1977 – Acer Nethercott, English rower (d. 2013)
• 1977 – Gavin Rae, Scottish footballer
• 1977 – Greg Somerville, New Zealand rugby player
• 1977 – DeMya Walker, American basketball player
• 1978 – Brent Albright, American wrestler
• 1978 – Darryl Flahavan, English footballer
• 1978 – Aimee Garcia, American actress
• 1978 – Camilla Long, English columnist
• 1978 – Freddie Mitchell, American football player
• 1978 – Mehdi Nafti, Tunisian footballer
• 1978 – Michael Simpkins, English footballer
• 1978 – Haytham Tambal, Sudanese footballer
• 1978 – Asuka Tono, Japanese actress
• 1979 – Chamillionaire, American rapper, producer, and actor
• 1979 – Daniel Henney, American actor
• 1979 – Katarzyna Strączy, Polish tennis player
• 1980 – Lisa Middelhauve, German singer-songwriter
• 1980 – Stuart Taylor, English footballer
• 1981 – Jacqui Ainsley, English model
• 1981 – Sharon Needles, American drag queen performer and singer
• 1981 – Erick Rowan, American wrestler
• 1981 – Brian Tevreden, Dutch footballer
• 1982 – Leandro Barbosa, Brazilian basketball player
• 1982 – Chris Harris, English motorcycle racer
• 1982 – Raido Villers, Estonian basketball player
• 1983 – Tyler Glenn, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1983 – Summer Rae, American football player, wrestler, and actress
• 1983 – Édouard Roger-Vasselin, French tennis player
• 1983 – Nelson Haedo Valdez, Paraguayan footballer
• 1984 – Andrew Bogut, Australian basketball player
• 1984 – Marc-André Fleury, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1984 – Trey Songz, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1984 – Mary Elizabeth Winstead, American actress and producer
• 1985 – Esha Gupta, Indian model and actress
• 1985 – Mike Kostka, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1985 – Caitlin McClatchey, English-Scottish swimmer
• 1985 – Álvaro Pereira, Uruguayan footballer
• 1986 – Mouhamadou Dabo, French footballer
• 1987 – Karen Gillan, Scottish actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1987 – Craig Kieswetter, English cricketer
• 1987 – Bianca Manalo, Filipino model and actress
• 1988 – Daniel Matsunaga, Brazilian-Japanese actor and model
• 1988 – Scarlett Pomers, American actress and singer
• 1989 – Laura Alleway, Australian footballer
• 1990 – Dedryck Boyata, Belgian footballer
• 1990 – Bradley Smith, English motorcycle racer
• 1992 – Jake Miller, American singer-songwriter
• 1995 – Chase Elliott, American race car driver

Deaths

• 741 – Pope Gregory III
• 1170 – Owain Gwynedd, Welsh king (b. 1080)
• 1290 – Eleanor of Castile (b. 1241)
• 1574 – Georg Major, German theologian and educator (b. 1502)
• 1585 – Hernando Franco, Spanish composer (b. 1532)
• 1667 – Jean de Thévenot, French linguist and botanist (b. 1633)
• 1675 – Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh, English soldier and politician (b. 1608)
• 1675 – Leonard Hoar, English-American minister and academic (b. 1630)
• 1680 – Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Italian sculptor and painter (b. 1598)
• 1680 – Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi, Italian painter and architect (b. 1606)
• 1694 – Matsuo Bashō, Japanese poet and scholar (b. 1644)
• 1695 – Giovanni Paolo Colonna, Italian organist, composer, and educator (b. 1637)
• 1695 – Anthony Wood, English historian and author (b. 1632)
• 1698 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French soldier and politician, 3rd Governor General of New France (b. 1622)
• 1763 – Naungdawgyi, Burmese king (b. 1734)
• 1785 – William Whipple, American general and politician (b. 1730)
• 1794 – Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Prussian-American general (b. 1730)
• 1794 – Sir James Tylney-Long, 7th Baronet, English politician (b. 1736)
• 1801 – Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, French geologist and academic (b. 1750)
• 1815 – Johann Peter Salomon, German violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1745)
• 1843 – József Ficzkó, Slovene-Croatian priest and author (b. 1772)
• 1852 – Ludger Duvernay, French journalist and politician (b. 1799)
• 1852 – Emmanuil Xanthos, Greek activist, co-founded Filiki Eteria (b. 1772)
• 1859 – Washington Irving, American short story writer, essayist, biographer, historian (b. 1783)
• 1870 – Frédéric Bazille, French soldier and painter (b. 1841)
• 1872 – Mary Somerville, Scottish-Italian astronomer, mathematician, and author (b. 1780)
• 1873 – Caterina Scarpellini, Italian astronomer and meteorologist (b. 1808)
• 1878 – Orson Hyde, American religious leader, 3rd President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (b. 1805)
• 1880 – Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos, Portuguese archbishop (b. 1837)
• 1890 – Jyotirao Phule, Indian philosopher and activist (b. 1827)
• 1899 – Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione (b. 1837)
• 1901 – Moses Dickson, African-American abolitionist, soldier, minister and founder of The Knights of Liberty (b. 1824)
• 1904 – Hermann de Pourtalès, Swiss sailor (b. 1847)
• 1907 – Stanisław Wyspiański, Polish playwright, poet, and painter (b. 1869)
• 1912 – Walter Benona Sharp, American businessman (b. 1870)
• 1915 – Mubarak Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1896)
• 1917 – Mikelis Avlichos, Greek poet and scholar (b. 1844)
• 1921 – `Abdu'l-Bahá, Persian religious leader (b. 1844)
• 1930 – Constantine VI of Constantinople (b. 1859)
• 1935 – Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist and scholar (b. 1877)
• 1939 – James Naismith, Canadian-American physician and educator, created basketball (b. 1861)
• 1943 – Aleksander Hellat, Estonian lawyer and politician, 6th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1881)
• 1945 – Dwight F. Davis, American tennis player and politician, 49th United States Secretary of War (b. 1879)
• 1947 – Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, French general (b. 1902)
• 1953 – Frank Olson, American biologist and chemist (b. 1910)
• 1954 – Enrico Fermi, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
• 1960 – Dirk Jan de Geer, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1870)
• 1960 – Tsunenohana Kan'ichi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 31st Yokozuna (b. 1896)
• 1960 – Max Pruss, Prussian captain (b. 1891)
• 1960 – Richard Wright, American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet (b. 1908)
• 1962 – K. C. Dey, Indian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1893)
• 1962 – Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (b. 1880)
• 1963 – Karyn Kupcinet, American actress (b. 1941)
• 1968 – Enid Blyton, English author and poet (b. 1897)
• 1971 – Wasfi al-Tal, Jordanian captain and politician, 34th Prime Minister of Jordan (b. 1920)
• 1972 – Havergal Brian, English composer (b. 1875)
• 1973 – Marthe Bibesco, Romanian-French author and poet (b. 1886)
• 1976 – Rosalind Russell, American actress, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1907)
• 1977 – Trevor Bardette, American actor (b. 1902)
• 1977 – Bob Meusel, American baseball player and sailor (b. 1896)
• 1978 – Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Argentinian businessman (b. 1902)
• 1982 – Helen of Greece and Denmark (b. 1896)
• 1983 – Christopher George, American actor (b. 1929)
• 1987 – Choh Hao Li, Chinese-American biologist and chemist (b. 1913)
• 1992 – Sidney Nolan, Australian-English painter and academic (b. 1917)
• 1993 – Jerry Edmonton, Canadian-American drummer (Steppenwolf and The Sparrows) (b. 1946)
• 1993 – Garry Moore, American comedian and game show host (b. 1915)
• 1994 – Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (b. 1960)
• 1994 – Buster Edwards, English boxer and criminal (b. 1932)
• 1994 – Jerry Rubin, American businessman and activist (b. 1938)
• 1995 – Joe Kelly, Irish race car driver (b. 1915)
• 1997 – Georges Marchal, French actor (b. 1920)
• 1998 – Kerry Wendell Thornley, American soldier and author (b. 1938)
• 2000 – Liane Haid, Austrian-Swiss actress and singer (b. 1895)
• 2001 – Kal Mann, American songwriter (b. 1917)
• 2001 – William Reid, Scottish lieutenant and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1921)
• 2002 – Melih Cevdet Anday, Turkish poet and author (b. 1915)
• 2002 – Dave "Snaker" Ray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1943)
• 2003 – Ted Bates, English footballer and manager (b. 1918)
• 2003 – Antonia Forest, English author (b. 1915)
• 2003 – Mihkel Mathiesen, Estonian engineer and politician (b. 1918)
• 2005 – Marc Lawrence, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1910)
• 2005 – Jack Concannon, American football player and actor (b. 1943)
• 2006 – Lyubov Polishchuk, Russian actress (b. 1949)
• 2007 – Gudrun Wagner, Prussian director and producer (b. 1944)
• 2008 – Havaldar Gajender Singh, Indian sergeant (b. 1972)
• 2008 – Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Indian soldier (b. 1977)
• 2009 – Gilles Carle, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
• 2009 – Takeo Kajiwara, Japanese Go player (b. 1923)
• 2010 – Giorgos Fountas, Greek actor (b. 1922)
• 2010 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-American actor and producer (b. 1926)
• 2011 – Lloyd J. Old, American immunologist and academic (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Knut Ahnlund, Swedish historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Don Rhymer, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1961)
• 2012 – Spain Rodriguez, American illustrator (b. 1940)
• 2012 – Franco Ventriglia, American opera singer (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Zig Ziglar, American soldier and author (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Mike Jenkins, American strongman (b. 1982)
• 2013 – Jack Matthews, American author, playwright, and academic (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Mitja Ribičič, Italian-Slovenian soldier and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Jean-Louis Roux, Canadian actor and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman, Austrian-American poet and songwriter (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Danny Wells, Canadian actor (b. 1941)
• 2014 – Chespirito, Mexican actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Said Akl, Lebanese poet, playwright, and linguist (b. 1912)
• 2014 – Dale Armstrong, Canadian race car driver (b. 1941)
• 2014 – Bunta Sugawara, Japanese actor (b. 1933)
• 2015 – Wayne Bickerton, Welsh songwriter and producer (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Luc Bondy, Swiss director and producer (b. 1948)
• 2015 – Gerry Byrne, English-Welsh footballer (b. 1938)
• 2015 – Doug Lennox, Canadian actor and radio host (b. 1938)
• 2015 – Marjorie Lord, American actress and singer (b. 1918)
• 2015 – Olene Walker, American lawyer and politician, 15th Governor of Utah (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• Ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Faith)
• Christian feast day:
  • Catherine Labouré
  • Feast of the Holy Sovereigns (Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii)
  • Kamehameha and Emma (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Herman of Alaska, the anniversary of his actual death. Eastern Orthodox
  • Pope Gregory III
• Independence Day / National Day / Flag Day, celebrate the independence of Albania from Turkey in 1912, the first Albanian flag raise by Skanderbeg in 1443, and for the new parliamentary constitution in 1998.
• Independence Day (Mauritania), celebrate the independence of Mauritania from France in 1960.
• Independence Day (Panama), celebrate the independence of Panama from Spain in 1821.
• Navy Day (Iran)
• Republic Day (Burundi)
• Republic Day (Chad)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History