Today July 22nd 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
1099 – First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Jerusalem.
1298 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Falkirk – King Edward I of England and his longbowmen defeat William Wallace and his Scottish schiltrons outside the town.
1456 – Ottoman Wars in Europe: Siege of Belgrade – John Hunyadi, Regent of Kingdom of Hungary defeats Mehmet II of Ottoman Empire
1484 – Battle of Lochmaben Fair – a 500-man raiding party led by Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany and James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas are defeated by Scots forces loyal to Albany s brother James III of Scotland; Douglas is captured.
1499 – Battle of Dornach – the Swiss decisively defeat the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I.
1587 – Colony of Roanoke: a second group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke Island off North Carolina to re-establish the deserted colony.
1686 – Albany, New York is formally chartered as a municipality by Governor Thomas Dongan.
1793 – Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Pacific Ocean becoming the first Euro-American to complete a transcontinental crossing of Canada.
1796 – Surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company name an area in Ohio Cleveland after Gen. Moses Cleaveland, the superintendent of the surveying party.
1805 – Napoleonic Wars: War of the Third Coalition – Battle of Cape Finisterre – an inconclusive naval action is fought between a combined French and Spanish fleets under Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve of Spain and a British fleet under Admiral Robert Calder.
1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Peninsular War – Battle of Salamanca – British forces led by Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) defeat French troops near Salamanca, Spain.
1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Atlanta – outside Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate General John Bell Hood leads an unsuccessful attack on Union troops under General William T. Sherman on Bald Hill.
1916 – In San Francisco, California, a bomb explodes on Market Street during a Preparedness Day parade killing 10 and injuring 40.
1933 – Wiley Post becomes the first person to fly solo around the world traveling 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes.
1934 – Outside Chicago s Biograph Theatre, Public Enemy No. 1 John Dillinger is mortally wounded by FBI agents.
1937 – New Deal: the United States Senate votes down President Franklin D. Roosevelt s proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court of the United States.
1942 – The United States government begins compulsory civilian gasoline rationing due to the wartime demands.
1942 – Holocaust: the systematic deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto begins.
1943 – Allied forces capture the Italian city of Palermo.
1944 – The Polish Committee of National Liberation publishes its manifesto, starting the period of Communist rule in Poland
1946 – King David Hotel bombing: Irgun bombs King David Hotel in Jerusalem, headquarters of the British civil and military administration, killing 90.
1962 – Mariner program: Mariner 1 spacecraft flies erratically several minutes after launch and has to be destroyed.
1968 – Sir John Newsome recommends public schools should take 50% of their intake from the state school system
1976 – Japan completes it s last reparation to the Philippines for war crimes committed in Japan s imperial conquest of the country in the Second World War
1977 – Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping is restored to power.
1983 – Martial law in Poland is officially revoked.
1992 – Near Medellín, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar escapes from his luxury prison fearing extradition to the United States.
1997 – The second Blue Water Bridge opens between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario.
2002 – Israel assassinates Salah Shahade, the Commander-in-Chief of Hamas s military arm, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, along with 14 civilians.
2003 – Members of 101st Airborne of the United States, aided by Special Forces, attack a compound in Iraq, killing Saddam Hussein s sons Uday and Qusay, along with Mustapha Hussein, Qusay s 14-year old son, and a bodyguard.
2005 – Jean Charles de Menezes is killed by police as the hunt begins for the London Bombers. See 7 July 2005 London bombings and 21 July 2005 London bombings
Births
1210 – Joan of England, Queen consort of Scotland, wife of Alexander II of Scotland (d. 1238)
1478 – King Philip I of Castile (d. 1506)
1510 – Alessandro de Medici, Duke of Florence (d. 1537)
1535 – Katarina Stenbock, wife of Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1621)
1559 – Lawrence of Brindisi, Italian monk (d. 1619)
1621 – Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician (d. 1683)
1711 – Georg Wilhelm Richmann, Russian physicist (d. 1753)
1713 – Jacques-Germain Soufflot, French architect (d. 1780)
1733 – Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian philosopher and writer (d. 1790)
1755 – Gaspard de Prony, French mathematician (d. 1839)
1784 – Friedrich Bessel, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1846)
1844 – William Archibald Spooner, English priest and scholar (d. 1930)
1848 – Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1914)
1849 – Emma Lazarus, American poet (d. 1887)
1863 – Alec Hearne, Former England cricketer (d. 1952)
1882 – Edward Hopper, American painter (d. 1967)
1887 – Gustav Ludwig Hertz, German physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1975)
1888 – Kirk Bryan, American geologist (d. 1950)
1888 – Selman Waksman, Ukrainian/American biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1973)
1889 – James Whale, English film director (d. 1957)
1890 – Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, American Kennedy family matriarch (d. 1995)
1892 – Jack MacBryan, Former England cricketer and Olympic gold medallist (d. 1983)
1893 – Jesse Haines, American baseball player (d. 1978)
1893 – Karl Menninger, American psychiatrist (d. 1990)
1898 – Stephen Vincent Benét, American author (d. 1943)
1898 – Alexander Calder, American artist (d. 1976)
1905 – Doc Cramer, American baseball player (d. 1990)
1908 – Amy Vanderbilt, American author (d. 1974)
1909 – Dorino Serafini, Italian racing driver (d. 2000)
1913 – Licia Albanese, American opera singer
1913 – Gorni Kramer, Italian bandleader (d. 1995)
1915 – Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, Pakistani politician, diplomat and author. (d. 2000)
1916 – Gino Bianco, Brazilian racing driver (d. 1984)
1916 – Marcel Cerdan, French boxer (d. 1949)
1921 – William Roth, U.S. Senator (d. 2003)
1923 – Bob Dole, American politician
1923 – Lillian Ellison, American professional wrestler (d. 2007)
1923 – Mukesh, Indian singer (d. 1976)
1924 – Margaret Whiting, American singer
1928 – Orson Bean, American film actor
1929 – John Barber, British racing driver
1932 – Oscar De la Renta, Dominican/American fashion designer
1934 – Louise Fletcher, American actress
1935 – Tom Cartwright, Former England cricketer (d. 2007)
1936 – Tom Robbins, American author
1937 – Yasuhiro Kojima, Japanese professional wrestler (d. 1999)
1937 – John Price, Former England cricketer
1937 – Vasant Ranjane, Former Indian cricketer
1938 – Terence Stamp, English actor
1939 – Gila Almagor, Israeli actress
1940 – Judith Walzer Leavitt, American college professor
1940 – Alex Trebek, Canadian game show host
1941 – George Clinton, American musician
1941 – Ron Turcotte, Canadian jockey
1943 – Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Senator from Texas
1943 – Bobby Sherman, American singer and actor
1944 – Estelle Bennett, American singer (Ronettes)
1944 – Rick Davies, British musician (Supertramp)
1944 – Dennis Firestone, Australian racing driver
1944 – Sparky Lyle, American baseball player
1946 – Danny Glover, American actor
1946 – Mireille Mathieu, French singer
1946 – Paul Schrader, American film director and screenwriter
1946 – Stephen M. Wolownik, Russian musician (d. 2000)
1947 – Albert Brooks, American comedian
1947 – Gilles Duceppe, Canadian politician
1947 – Don Henley, American musician (Eagles)
1948 – Otto Waalkes, German comedian
1949 – Alan Menken, American composer
1949 – Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and PM of UAE
1949 – Lasse Virén, Finnish athlete
1950 – S. E. Hinton, American novelist
1951 – J. V. Cain, American football player (d. 1979)
1953 – Jimmy Bruno, American jazz guitarist
1953 – Sylvia Chang, Taiwanese actress
1954 – Pierre Lebeau, Canadian actor
1954 – Lonette McKee, American actress
1954 – Al Di Meola, American guitarist
1955 – Willem Dafoe, American actor
1957 – Dave Stieb, American baseball player
1958 – David Von Erich, American professional wrestler (d. 1984)
1958 – Tatsunori Hara, Japanese professional-baseball player and coach
1960 – Jon Oliva, American musician (Savatage)
1961 – Calvin Fish, English racing driver
1961 – Keith Sweat, American singer
1962 – Steve Albini, American writer, recording engineer and musician (Big Black, Rapeman, Shellac)
1962 – Martine St. Clair, Canadian singer
1963 – Emilio Butragueno, Spanish footballer
1963 – Rob Estes, American actor
1963 – Emily Saliers, American singer (Indigo Girls)
1964 – Rafael Addison, American basketball player
1964 – Adam Godley, British actor
1964 – John Leguizamo, Colombian actor
1964 – Don Van Natta, Jr., American journalist
1964 – David Spade, American comedian
1965 – Patrick Labyorteaux, American actor
1965 – Shawn Michaels, American professional wrestler
1966 – Shaun Cohen, South African professional wrestler
1966 – Tim Brown, American football player
1967 – Lauren Booth, British journalist
1967 – Pat Badger, American musician Extreme
1968 – Rhys Ifans, Welsh actor
1969 – Despina Vandi, Greek singer
1970 – Jason Becker, American musician
1970 – Craig Baird, New Zealander racing driver
1970 – Sergei Zubov, Russian ice hockey player
1971 – Kristine Lilly, American soccer player
1972 – Colin Ferguson, Canadian actor
1972 – Seth Fisher, American comic book artist and penciller (d. 2006)
1972 – Keyshawn Johnson, American football player
1973 – Ronald Ray Howard, American murderer (d. 2005)
1973 – Daniel Jones, Australian musician (Savage Garden)
1973 – Mike Sweeney, American baseball player
1973 – Rufus Wainwright, Canadian singer
1974 – Franka Potente, German actress
1974 – Sonija Kwok, Hong Kong actress
1977 – Gustavo Nery, Brazilian footballer
1978 – Dennis Rommedahl, Danish footballer
1978 – A. J. Cook, Canadian actress
1978 – Martyn Lee, English radio presenter
1978 – Runako Morton, West Indian cricketer
1979 – Lucas Luhr, German racing driver
1979 – Yadel Martí, Cuban baseball player
1979 – James Mason, British professional wrestler
1980 – Scott Dixon, New Zealand racing driver
1980 – Dirk Kuyt, Dutch footballer
1980 – Kate Ryan, Belgian singer
1980 – Tablo, Korean hip-hop musician (Epik High)
1982 – Nuwan Kulasekara, Sri lankan cricketer
1983 – Arsenium, Moldovan singer (O-Zone)
1983 – Steven Jackson, American football player
1983 – Sharni Vinson, Australian actress and model
1984 – Stewart Downing, English footballer
Deaths
1985 – Takudzwa Ngwenya, Zimbabwean/American rugby player
1985 – Akira Tozawa, Japanese professional wrestler
1992 – Selena Gomez, American actress
1997 – Field Cate, American actor
1998 – Madison Pettis, American actress
2002 – Prince Felix of Denmark
Holidays and observances
1362 – Louis of Durazzo, Italian soldier (b. 1324)
1387 – Franz Ackerman, Flemish statesman (b. 1330)
1461 – Charles VII of France (b. 1403)
1525 – Richard Wingfield, English diplomat
1540 – John Zápolya, King of Hungary
1619 – Lawrence of Brindisi, Italian monk (b. 1559)
1633 – Trijntje Keever, presumed to have been the tallest woman ever (b. 1616)
1645 – Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, Count-Duke of Olivares, Spanish statesman (b. 1587)
1676 – Pope Clement X (b. 1590)
1726 – Hugh Drysdale, British Colonial Governor of Virginia
1734 – Peter King, 1st Baron King, Lord Chancellor of England
1789 – Joseph-François Foulon, French administrator (b. 1715)
1802 – Marie François Xavier Bichat, French anatomist (b. 1771)
1826 – Giuseppe Piazzi, Italian astronomer (b. 1746)
1832 – Napoleon II of France (b. 1811)
1852 – Auguste Marmont, French marshal (b. 1774)
1864 – James B. McPherson, American army general, in the Battle of Atlanta (b. 1828)
1869 – John A. Roebling, German-American civil engineer (Brooklyn Bridge), (b. 1806)
1902 – Mieczyslaw Halka Ledóchowski, Polish Catholic Cardinal (b. 1822)
1903 – Cassius Marcellus Clay, American emancipationist (b. 1810)
1904 – Wilson Barrett, English actor (b. 1846)
1908 – William Randal Cremer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1828)
1915 – Sir Sandford Fleming, Canadian engineer and inventor (b. 1827)
1916 – James Whitcomb Riley, American author and poet (b. 1849)
1918 – Indra Lal Roy, Indian pilot (b. 1898)
1920 – William Kissam Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1849)
1922 – Jokichi Takamine, Japanese chemist (b. 1854)
1932 – Errico Malatesta, Italian anarchist (b. 1853)
1932 – Florenz Ziegfeld, theatrical producer (b. 1867)
1932 – Reginald Fessenden, Canadian inventor and radio pioneer (b. 1866)
1934 – John Dillinger, American bank robber (b. 1903)
1950 – William Lyon Mackenzie King, 10th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1874)
1958 – Mikhail Zoshchenko, Russian writer (b. 1895)
1967 – Carl Sandburg, American poet (b. 1878)
1968 – Giovannino Guareschi, Italian journalist (b. 1908)
1970 – George Johnston, Australian journalist and novelist (b. 1912)
1974 – Wayne Morse, U.S. Senator from Oregon (b. 1900)
1979 – Sándor Kocsis, Hungarian footballer (b. 1929)
1988 – Duane Jones, American actor (b. 1936)
1989 – Martti Talvela, Finnish bass (b. 1935)
1990 – Manuel Puig, Argentinian writer (b. 1932)
1992 – Wayne McLaren, portrayed the Marlboro Man (b. 1940)
1995 – Harold Larwood, Former England cricketer (b. 1904)
1996 – Rob Collins, English musician (The Charlatans) (b. 1956)
1998 – Hermann Prey, German bass-baritone (b. 1929)
1999 – Gar Samuelson, American musician (Megadeth) (b. 1958)
2000 – Eric Christmas, British actor (b. 1916)
2000 – Carmen Martín Gaite, Spanish author (b. 1925)
2000 – Claude Sautet, French film director (b. 1924)
2001 – Indro Montanelli, Italian journalist and historian (b. 1909)
2003 – Qusay Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein (b. 1966)
2003 – Uday Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein (b. 1964)
2003 – Wahome Muthahi, Kenyan humourist (b. 1954)
2004 – Sacha Distel, French singer (b. 1933)
2004 – George Kidd, Canadian diplomat (b. 1917)
2004 – Illinois Jacquet, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1922)
2005 – Eugene Record American songwriter and singer (The Chi-Lites) (b. 1940)
2005 – Jean Charles de Menezes, Brazilian electrician killed by Scotland Yard (b. 1978)
2006 – José Antonio Delgado, Venezuelan mountain climber (b. 1965)
2006 – James E. West, mayor of Spokane, Washington (b. 1950)
2007 – Jarrod Cunningham New Zealand rugby player (b. 1968)
2007 – Mike Coolbaugh former baseball player and coach (b. 1972)
2007 – Ulrich Mühe, German actor (b. 1953)
2007 – Rollie Stiles, American baseball player (b. 1906)
2007 – Laszlo Kovacs, Hungarian-born cinematographer (b. 1933)
2008 – Estelle Getty American comedic actress (b. 1923)
2008 – Greg Burson American Voice Actor (b. 1949)