Today August 9th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
48 BC – Caesar s civil war: Battle of Pharsalus – Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt.
378 – Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople – A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens is defeated by the Visigoths in present-day Turkey. Valens is killed along with over half of his army.
681 – Bulgaria is founded as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube, after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV south of the Danube delta.
1048 – Pope Damasus II dies in Rome, after reigning for only 23 days.
1173 – Construction of the Tower of Pisa begins, and it takes two centuries to complete.
1329 – Quilon the first Indian Diocese was erected by Pope John XXII and Jordanus was appointed the first Bishop
1483 – Opening of the Sistine Chapel
1666 – Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 150 merchant ships in the Vlie estuary, and pillaging the town of West-Terschelling, an act later known as Holmes s Bonfire.
1810 – Napoleon annexes Westphalia as part of the First French Empire.
1842 – Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States-Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains.
1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Cedar Mountain – At Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeats Union forces under General John Pope.
1877 – Indian Wars: Battle of Big Hole – A small band of Nez Percé Indians clash with the United States Army.
1892 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph.
1902 – Edward VII is crowned king of the United Kingdom.
1907 – The first Boy Scout encampment concludes at Brownsea Island in Southern England.
1925 – Kakori train robbery took place at Kakori, near Lucknow, India
1936 – Summer Olympic Games: Games of the XI Olympiad: Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal at the games becoming the first American to win four medals in one Olympiad.
1942 – Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement.
1942 – World War II: Battle of Savo Island – Allied naval forces protecting their amphibious forces during the initial stages of the Battle of Guadalcanal are surprised and defeated by an Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser force.
1944 – The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time.
1945 – World War II: Nagasaki is devastated when an atomic bomb, Fat Man, is dropped by the United States B-29 Bockscar. 70,000 people are killed instantly.
1965 – Singapore seceded from Malaysia and gained independence.
1965 – A fire at a Titan missile base near Searcy, Arkansas kills 53 construction workers.
1969 – Members of a cult led by Charles Manson brutally murder pregnant actress Sharon Tate (wife of Roman Polanski), coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Polish actor Wojciech Frykowski, men s hairstylist Jay Sebring, and recent high-school graduate Steven Parent at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles, California.
1971 – Internment in Northern Ireland: British security forces arrest hundreds of nationalists and detain them without trial in Long Kesh prison. Twenty people die in the riots that follow.
1974 – As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office. His Vice President, Gerald Ford, becomes president.
1977 – The military-controlled Government of Uruguay announces that it will return the nation to civilian rule through general elections in 1981 for a President and Congress.
1993 – The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership.
1999 – Russian President Boris Yeltsin fires his Prime Minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet.
1999 – The Diet of Japan enacts a law establishing the Hinomaru and Kimi Ga Yo as the official national flag and national anthem.
2001 – US President George W. Bush announces his support for federal funding of limited research on embryonic stem cells.
2007 – Emergence of the Financial crisis of 2007-2008 when a liquidity crisis resulted from the Subprime mortgage crisis
2008 – The launch of the new Philippine network, TV5.
Births
1201 – Arnold Fitz Thedmar, English chronicler (d. 1274)
1593 – Izaak Walton, English angler (d. 1683)
1631 – John Dryden, English Poet Laureate (d. 1700)
1648 – Johann Michael Bach, German composer (d. 1694)
1653 – John Oldham, English poet (d. 1683)
1669 – Eudoxia Lopukhina, Tsarina of Russia (d. 1731)
1674 – František Maxmilián Kanka, Czech architect (d. 1766)
1722 – Augustus William, Prince of Prussia (d. 1758)
1726 – Francesco Cetti, Italian Jesuit scientist (d. 1778)
1757 – Thomas Telford, Scottish civil engineer (d. 1834)
1776 – Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist (d. 1856)
1783 – Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1801)
1797 – Charles Robert Malden, British naval officer (d. 1855)
1805 – Joseph Locke, English railway and civil engineer (d. 1860)
1809 – William Barret Travis, commander at Battle of the Alamo
1845 – André Bessette, Canadian religious figure (d. 1937)
1847 – Maria Victoria al Pozzo della Cisterna, queen consort of Spain (d. 1876)
1871 – Leonid Andreyev, Russian writer (d. 1919)
1872 – Archduke Joseph August of Austria, Austrian field marshal (d. 1962)
1874 – Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan composer and conductor (d. 1947)
1875 – Albert Ketèlbey, English pianist, conductor and composer (b. 1959)
1896 – Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist (d. 1980)
1896 – Erich Hückel, German physicist (d. 1980)
1899 – P. L. Travers, Australian author (d. 1996)
1901 – Charles Farrell, American actor (d. 1990)
1902 – Zino Francescatti, French violinist (d. 1991)
1909 – Adam von Trott zu Solz, German diplomat (d. 1944)
1911 – William Alfred Fowler, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1996)
1911 – Eddie Futch, American boxing trainer (d. 2001)
1914 – Tove Jansson, Finnish author (Moomins) (d. 2001)
1914 – Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian conductor (d. 1963)
1914 – Joe Mercer, English footballer (d. 1990)
1919 – Joop den Uyl, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1987)
1919 – Ralph Houk, American baseball player and manager
1920 – Enzo Biagi, Italian journalist and writer
1921 – J. James Exon, American politician, (d. 2005)
1921 – Ernest Angley, televangelist
1922 – Philip Larkin, English poet (d. 1985)
1925 – David A. Huffman, creator of Huffman coding (d. 1999)
1927 – Daniel Keyes, American author
1927 – Robert Shaw, English actor (d. 1978)
1928 – Bob Cousy, American. basketball player
1930 – Jacques Parizeau, Quebec economist and politician
1931 – Mário Zagallo, Brazilian football coach and player
1931 – Chuck Essegian, American baseball player
1932 – John Gomery, Canadian jurist
1933 – Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Japanese television personality and children s author
1936 – Julián Javier, American baseball player
1936 – Patrick Tse Yin, Hong Kong film director
1938 – Leonid Kuchma, Ukrainian politician
1938 – Rod Laver, Australian tennis player
1938 – Otto Rehhagel, German football manager
1939 – Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy, former President of the European Commission
1939 – Brito, Brazilian footballer
1940 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (d. 2008)
1942 – Tommie Agee, American baseball player (d. 2001)
1942 – David Steinberg, Canadian comedian
1943 – Ken Norton, American boxer
1944 – Sam Elliott, American actor
1945 – Posy Simmonds, English cartoonist
1946 – Jim Kiick, American football player
1947 – Barbara Mason, American soul singer
1947 – Benjamin Orr, American bassist and singer (The Cars) (d. 2000)
1947 – Roy Hodgson, Football Mananger
1948 – Bill Campbell, American baseball player
1949 – Jonathan Kellerman, American writer
1952 – Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thai politician
1954 – Ray Jennings, South African cricketer and coach
1955 – John E. Sweeney, American politician
1955 – Peter Schmuck, American sportswriter
1957 – Melanie Griffith, American actress
1958 – Amanda Bearse, American actress
1959 – Kurtis Blow, American rapper
1959 – Stuart Hughes, Canadian actor
1961 – Brad Gilbert, American tennis player
1961 – John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand
1961 – Amy Stiller, American actress
1962 – Kevin Mack, American football player
1962 – Louis Lipps, American football player
1963 – Whitney Houston, American diva and actress
1964 – Brett Hull, Canadian-born hockey player
1964 – Hoda Kotb, American television news anchor
1967 – Deion Sanders, American football player
1968 – Gillian Anderson, American actress
1968 – Eric Bana, Australian actor
1968 – Karyn Parsons, American actress
1968 – Sam Fogarino, American musician (Interpol)
1968 – Joseph McGinty Nichol, American film producer and director
1969 – Divine Brown, American convicted felon
1969 – Troy Percival, baseball player
1970 – Rod Brind Amour, hockey player
1970 – Chris Cuomo, American TV journalist
1970 – Thomas Lennon, American actor
1970 – Arion Salazar, American musician (Third Eye Blind)
1971 – Davide Rebellin, Italian cyclist
1971 – Mack 10, American rapper
1971 – James Kim, technology reporter (d. 2006)
1972 – Juanes, Colombian singer
1972 – A-Mei, Taiwanese singer
1973 – Kevin McKidd, Scottish actor
1973 – Filippo Inzaghi, Italian footballer
1974 – Mahesh Babu, Indian film actor
1974 – Derek Fisher, American basketball player
1974 – Matt Morris, American baseball player
1974 – Kirill Reznik, American politician
1974 – Nicola Stapleton, English actress
1975 – Mike Lamb, American baseball player
1975 – Robbie Middleby, Australian soccer player
1976 – Jessica Capshaw, American actress
1976 – Rhona Mitra, English actress
1976 – Aled Haydn Jones, Radio 1 s The Chris Moyles show Producer
1977 – Jason Frasor, American baseball player
1977 – Chamique Holdsclaw, American basketball player
1977 – Adewale Ogunleye, American football player
1977 – Mikael Silvestre, French footballer
1978 – Audrey Tautou, French actress
1980 – Ryu Seung-beom, South Korean actor
1980 – Dominic Tabuna, Nauruan politician
1981 – Li Jiawei, Singaporean Olympic table tennis player
1982 – Tyson Gay, American sprinter
1982 – Danieal Manning, American football player
1983 – Ashley Johnson, American actress
1983 – Shane O Brien, Canadian hockey player
1984 – Paul Gallagher, Scottish footballer
1984 – Saori Horii, Japanese gravure idol
1985 – Luca Filippi, Italian racing driver
1985 – Hayley Peirsol, American swimmer
1985 – JaMarcus Russell, American football player
1986 – Vanessa Morley, American actress
1989 – Stefano Okaka Chuka, Italian footballer
1990 – Adelaide Kane, Australian actress
1991 – Hansika Motwani, Indian actress
1994 – Forrest Landis, American child actor
Deaths
117 – Trajan, Roman Emperor (b. 53)
378 – Valens, Roman Emperor (killed in battle) (b. 328)
803 – Byzantine Empress Irene (b. 752)
1048 – Pope Damasus II
1107 – Emperor Horikawa of Japan (b. 1079)
1173 – Najm ad-Din Ayyub, father of Saladin
1250 – King Eric IV of Denmark (b. 1216)
1534 – Cardinal Cajetan, Italian theologian (b. 1470)
1601 – Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia (b. 1558)
1634 – William Noy, English jurist (b. 1577)
1720 – Simon Ockley, English orientalist (b. 1678)
1744 – James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, English patron of the arts (b. 1673)
1816 – Johann August Apel, German jurist and writer (b. 1771)
1837 – Xavier Sigalon, French painter (b. 1787)
1886 – Samuel Ferguson, Northern Irish poet and artist (b. 1810)
1919 – Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (b. 1857)
1942 – Edith Stein, (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) (executed) (b. 1891)
1945 – Harry Hillman, American athlete (b. 1881)
1945 – Robert Hampton Gray, last Canadian Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1917)
1946 – Bert Vogler, Former South African cricketer (b. 1876)
1957 – Carl Clauberg, Nazi doctor (b. 1898)
1962 – Hermann Hesse, German-born writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1877)
1967 – Joe Orton, English writer (b. 1933)
1969 – Cecil Frank Powell, British physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1903)
1969 – Abigail Folger, American heiress (murdered) (b. 1943)
1969 – Wojciech Frykowski, Polish writer (murdered) (b. 1936)
1969 – Jay Sebring, American hair stylist (murdered) (b. 1933)
1969 – Sharon Tate, American actress (murdered) (b. 1943)
1969 – Steven Parent, American student (murdered) (b. 1951)
1974 – Bill Chase, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1934)
1975 – Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer (b. 1906)
1979 – Walter O Malley, baseball executive (b. 1903)
1979 – Raymond Washington, founder of Los Angeles, California gang, the Crips
1980 – Jacqueline Cochran, American aviatrix (b. 1906)
1985 – Clive Churchill, Australian rugby league footballer (b. 1927)
1988 – Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer (b. 1905)
1990 – Joe Mercer, English footballer (b. 1914)
1992 – Fereydoun Farrokhzad, Iranian Singer (b. 1938)
1995 – Jerry Garcia, American musician (Grateful Dead) (b. 1942)
1996 – Sir Frank Whittle, invented the jet engine (b. 1907)
1999 – Fouad Serageddin, Egyptian politician (b. 1910)
2000 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-born economist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1920)
2000 – Nicholas Markowitz-kidnapped and murdered by Jesse James Hollywood (b. 1984)
2002 – Paul Samson, British guitarist (Samson) (b. 1953)
2002 – Peter Neville, anarchist, sociologist, and peace activist
2003 – Ray Harford, English footballer and manager (b. 1945)
2003 – Gregory Hines, American actor and dancer (b. 1946)
2003 – Jacques Deray, French film director (b. 1929)
2003 – Chester Ludgin, American baritone (b. 1925)
2004 – Robert Lecourt, French politician and president of the European Court of Justice (b. 1908)
2004 – Tony Mottola, American guitarist (b. 1918)
2004 – David Raksin, American film director (b. 1912)
2005 – Matthew McGrory, American actor (b. 1973)
2005 – Judith Rossner, American novelist (b. 1935)
2006 – James van Allen, American physicist (b. 1914)
2006 – Philip E. High, science fiction author (b. 1914)
2007 – Joe O Donnell, American documentary photographer, photojournalist (b. 1922)
2008 – Bernie Mac, American comedian, actor.(b. 1957)
2008 – Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian prominent poet and writer of prose.(b. 1941)
Holidays and observances
Singapore: National Day
National Women s Day in South Africa
International Day of the World s Indigenous People
Feast day of the great martyr Saint Panteleimon in Russian Orthodox Church
National Peacekeepers Day in Canada
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