It was the first year of the
Cold War, which would last until
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
, ending with the
dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
*
January–
February –
Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom
The winter of 1946–1947 was a harsh European winter noted for its adverse effects in the United Kingdom. It caused severe hardships in economic terms and living conditions in a country still recovering from the Second World War. There were ma ...
: The worst snowfall in the country in the 20th century causes extensive disruption of travel. Given the low ratio of private vehicle ownership at the time, it is mainly remembered in terms of its effects on the railway network.
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining 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 yea ...
- The
Canadian Citizenship Act comes into effect.
*
January 4 – First issue of weekly
magazine ''
Der Spiegel'' published in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, edited by
Rudolf Augstein
Rudolf Karl Augstein (5 November 1923 – 7 November 2002) was a German journalist, editor, publicist, and politician. He was one of the most influential German journalists, founder and part-owner of '' Der Spiegel'' magazine. As a politician, h ...
.
*
January 10 – The
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
adopts a resolution to take control of the free city of
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...
.
*
January 15 – Elizabeth Short, an aspiring actress nicknamed the "
Black Dahlia
Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – January 14–15, 1947), known posthumously as the Black Dahlia, was an American woman found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 15, 1947. Her case became highly publicized ow ...
", is found brutally murdered in a vacant lot in Los Angeles; the mysterious case is never solved.
*
January 16 –
Vincent Auriol
Vincent Jules Auriol (; 27 August 1884 – 1 January 1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954.
Early life and politics
Auriol was born in Revel, Haute-Garonne, as the only child of Jacques Antoine Aurio ...
is inaugurated as president of France.
*
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 surrend ...
– Ferry sinks in the
South Euboean Gulf
The South Euboean Gulf ( el, Νότιος Ευβοϊκός Κόλπος, ''Notios Evvoïkos Kolpos'') is a gulf in Central Greece, between the island of Euboea and the Greek mainland (Boeotia and Attica). With a total length of approximately 50& ...
of Greece killing 392.
*
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 Cou ...
– In the third phase of the
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...
,
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos ( el, Δημήτριος Μάξιμος; 6 July 1873 – 17 October 1955) was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.
Maximos was born on 6 July 1873 in Patras. He ...
forms a monarchist government in Athens and begins a brief term as prime minister.
*
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 Tren ...
– A
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...
Douglas DC-3 aircraft crashes soon after taking off from
Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen, killing all 22 people on board, including
Prince Gustaf Adolf, second in line to the Swedish throne, and American opera singer
Grace Moore
Mary Willie Grace Moore (December 5, 1898January 26, 1947) was an American operatic soprano and actress in musical theatre and film.Obituary ''Variety'', January 29, 1947, page 48. She was nicknamed the "Tennessee Nightingale." Her films helped ...
.
*
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 the ...
– The
Communists
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
take power in the
Polish People's Republic
The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million ne ...
.
February
*
February 3
** The lowest air temperature in North America (−63 degrees Celsius) is recorded in
Snag, in the
Yukon Territory
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
.
**
Percival Prattis becomes the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
news correspondent allowed in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
and
Senate press galleries.
*
February 5
**
Bolesław Bierut
Bolesław Bierut (; 18 April 1892 – 12 March 1956) was a Polish communist activist and politician, leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1947 until 1956. He was President of the State National Council from 1944 to 1947, President of Po ...
becomes the
President of Poland
The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...
.
** The Government of the United Kingdom announces the £25 million
Tanganyika groundnut scheme
The Tanganyika groundnut scheme, or East Africa groundnut scheme, was a failed attempt by the British government to cultivate tracts of its African trust territory Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania) with peanuts. Launched in the aftermath of Worl ...
, for cultivation of
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...
s in the
Tanganyika Territory
Tanganyika was a colonial territory in East Africa which was administered by the United Kingdom in various guises from 1916 to 1961. It was initially administered under a military occupation regime. From 20 July 1922, it was formalised into a L ...
.
*
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 &nd ...
– The
South Pacific Commission
The Pacific Community (PC), formerly the South Pacific Commission (SPC), is an international development organisation governed by 27 members, including 22 Pacific island countries and territories. The organisation's headquarters are in Nouméa ...
(SPC) is founded.
*
February 8
Events Pre-1600
* 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
*1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.
* 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al ...
– The
Karlslust dance hall fire in Berlin, Germany, kills over 80 people.
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, spar ...
– In Paris, France, peace treaties are signed between the World War II Allies and Italy, Hungary,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
and Finland. Italy cedes most of
Istria to the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...
(later
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
).
*
February 12
Events Pre-1600
*1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie performed the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna.
*1429 – English forces under ...
** A
meteorite creates an
impact crater
An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact crater ...
in
Sikhote-Alin, in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
.
** In
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, the
Panglong Agreement
The Panglong Agreement ( my, ပင်လုံစာချုပ် ) was reached in Panglong, Southern Shan State, between the Burmese government under Aung San and the Shan, Kachin, and Chin peoples on 12 February 1947. Aung Zan Wai, Pe ...
is reached between the
Burmese government
Myanmar ( also known as Burma) operates ''de jure'' as a unitary assembly-independent republic under its 2008 constitution. On 1 February 2021, Myanmar's military took over the government in a coup, causing ongoing anti-coup protests.
...
under its leader, General
Aung San
Aung San (, ; 13 February 191519 July 1947) was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his goa ...
, and the
Shan,
Kachin, and
Chin ethnic peoples at the Panglong Conference. U Aung Zan Wai,
Pe Khin, Major Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Dr. Sein Mya Maung and
Myoma U Than Kywe
Myoma Than Kywe ( my, မြို့မ သန်းကြွယ်, ; 26 December 1924 – 22 September 1983) was a Burmese politician. He was one of the negotiators of the historical Panglong Conference. The signing of Panglong Agreement ...
are among the negotiators.
*
February 17 –
Cold War: The
Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
begins to transmit radio broadcasts into Eastern Europe and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
.
*
February 20
** An
explosion at the O'Connor Electro-Plating Company in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
leaves 17 dead, 100 buildings damaged, and a crater in the ground.
** The
U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Hermes program
Project Hermes was a missile research program run by the Ordnance Corps of the United States Army from November 15, 1944, to December 31, 1954, in response to Germany's rocket attacks in Europe during World War II. The program was to determine ...
V-2
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develope ...
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
''Blossom I'' is launched into space, carrying plant material and
fruitflies, the first living things to enter space.
*
February 21
Events Pre-1600
*452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.
* 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
*1440 – The Pru ...
– In New York City,
Edwin Land
Edwin Herbert Land, ForMemRS, FRPS, Hon.MRI (May 7, 1909 – March 1, 1991) was an Russian-American scientist and inventor, best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. He invented inexpensive filters for polarizing light, ...
demonstrates the first "instant camera", his
Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the
Optical Society of America
Optica (formerly known as The Optical Society (OSA) and before that as the Optical Society of America) is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals and organizes conference ...
.
*
February 22
Events Pre-1600
* 1076 – Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Ferd ...
– The ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon ''
Cat Fishin'
This is a complete list of the 164 shorts in the ''Tom and Jerry'' series produced and released between 1940 and 2014. Of these, 162 are theatrical shorts, one is a made-for-TV short, and one is a 2-minute sketch shown as part of a telethon.
...
'' is released.
*
February 23 – The
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Art ...
(ISO) is founded.
*
February 25
** The German state of
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
is officially abolished, by the
Allied Control Council.
**
Hachikō Line derailment: The worst-ever train accident in Japan kills 184 people.
** John C. Hennessy, Jr. brings the first
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
to the United States. He purchased the 1946 automobile from the U.S. Army Post Exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, while serving in the U.S. Army. The Beetle is shipped from Bremerhaven, arriving in New York this day.
*
February 28
** The United States grants France a military base in
Casablanca.
** In
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
,
civil disorder is put down, with large loss of civilian lives.
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 Diocletian ...
** The
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...
begins to operate.
** German rocket scientist
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...
marries his first cousin, 18-year-old Maria von Quirstorp.
*
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.
* 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...
– The
Treaty of Dunkirk
The Treaty of Dunkirk was signed on 4 March 1947, between France and the United Kingdom in Dunkirk (France) as a ''Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance'' against a possible German attack in the aftermath of World War II. It entered into forc ...
(effective September 8) is signed between the United Kingdom and France, providing for mutual assistance in the event of attack.
*
March 12 – The
Cold War begins: The
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine is an American foreign policy that pledged American "support for democracies against authoritarian threats." The doctrine originated with the primary goal of containing Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. It wa ...
is proclaimed, to help stem the spread of
Communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
.
*
March 14 – The
Thames flood and other widespread flooding occurs, as the exceptionally harsh
British winter of 1946–1947
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
ends in a thaw.
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
*474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
* 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odo ...
– Hindus and Muslims clash in
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
.
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen en ...
– The
19th Academy Awards
The 19th Academy Awards were held on March 13, 1947, honoring the films of 1946, hosted by Jack Benny.
'' The Best Years of Our Lives'' won seven of its eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and both male acting Oscars. Th ...
Ceremony is held. The movie ''
The Best Years of Our Lives
''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (also known as ''Glory for Me'' and ''Home Again'') is a 1946 American epic drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Rus ...
'' wins the
Academy Award for Best Picture, along with several other Academy Awards.
*
March 25 – A
coal mine
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
explosion in
Centralia, Illinois
Centralia is a city in Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Illinois with the largest portion in Marion County. The city is the largest in three of the counties; Clinton, Marion, and Washington, but is not a ...
, United States; 111 miners are killed.
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
– A World War II Japanese
booby trap explodes on
Corregidor Island, killing 28 people.
*
March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– A
rebellion against French rule erupts in
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
.
*
March 31 – The leaders of the Kurdish People's
Republic of Mahabad
The Republic of Mahabad or the Republic of Kurdistan ( ku, کۆماری کوردستان / Komara Kurdistanê; fa, جمهوری مهاباد) was a short-lived Kurdish self-governing unrecognized state in present-day Iran, from 22 January to ...
, the second
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
state in the history of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, are hanged at
Chuwarchira Square
Chahar Cheragh or Chuar-chira Square (Kurdish: ''چوارچرا, Çar Çira'', fa, میدان چهارچراغ) (meaning ''Square of the four candles''), is a public square in the centre of the city of Mahabad. It is now officially called Shahrd ...
in
Mahabad
Mahabad ( fa, مهاباد, ku, مەهاباد, translit=Mehabad), also Romanized as Mihābād and Muhābād and formerly known as Savojbolagh, is a city and capital of Mahabad County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its ...
, after the state has been overrun by the Iranian army.
April
*
April
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days.
April is commonly associated with ...
– The previous discovery of the '
Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the ...
' in the
Qumran Caves
Qumran Caves are a series of caves, both natural and artificial, found around the archaeological site of Qumran in the Judaean Desert. It is in these caves that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
Israel Nature and Parks Authority took over t ...
(above the northwest shore of the
Dead Sea) by
Bedouin shepherds, becomes known.
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Ko ...
**
Jackie Robinson, the first
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
since the 1880s, signs a contract with the
Brooklyn Dodgers.
**
Paul I Paul I may refer to:
*Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch
* Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople
*Pope Paul I (700–767)
*Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia
*Pau ...
becomes King of Greece, aged 45, following the death of his brother,
King George II.
** The
1947 Royal New Zealand Navy mutinies begin.
*
April 4 – The
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
begins operations.
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
** The Arab
Ba'ath Party is established by merger in
Damascus.
**
Edaville Railroad
Edaville Railroad (also branded Edaville USA and Edaville Family Theme Park) is a heritage railroad and amusement park in South Carver, Massachusetts, opened in 1947, and temporally closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The park was onl ...
opens in Massachusetts, as the first railway theme park.
**The largest recorded
sunspot group appears on the solar surface.
*
April 9
Events Pre-1600
* 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, su ...
** Multiple tornadoes strike Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, killing 184 and injuring 970.
** The
Journey of Reconciliation
The Journey of Reconciliation, also called "First Freedom Ride", was a form of nonviolent direct action to challenge state segregation laws on interstate buses in the Southern United States.
Bayard Rustin and 18 other men and women were the ea ...
in the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
begins, organized by the
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the civil rights movement. Founded in 1942, its stated mission is "to bring about ...
.
*
April 15
Events Pre-1600
* 769 – The Lateran Council ends by condemning the Council of Hieria and anathematizing its iconoclastic rulings.
* 1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscar ...
– Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to play Major League Baseball since the 1880s.
*
April 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
* 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide.
* 73 – Masad ...
**
Texas City disaster: The
ammonium nitrate
Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is ...
cargo of French-registered
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...
explodes in
Texas City, Texas
Texas City is a city in Galveston County in the U.S. state of Texas. Located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas City is a busy deepwater port on Texas's Gulf Coast, as well as a petroleum-refining and petrochemical-manufacturin ...
in one of the
largest man-made non-nuclear explosions in history, killing at least 581, including all but one member of the city fire department, injuring at least 5,000 and destroying 20 city blocks. Of the dead, remains of 113 are never found, and 62 are unidentifiable.
** American financier and presidential adviser
Bernard Baruch describes the post–World War II tensions between the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
and the United States as a "
Cold War".
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
** The British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
detonates 6,800 tons of explosives, in an attempt to demolish the fortified island of
Heligoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...
, Germany, in another of the largest man-made non-nuclear explosions in history.
** '
Mrs. Ples
__NOTOC__
Mrs. Ples is the popular nickname for the most complete skull of an ''Australopithecus africanus'' ever found in South Africa. Many ''Australopithecus'' fossils have been found near Sterkfontein, about northwest of Johannesburg, in a r ...
', an ''
Australopithecus africanus'' skull, is discovered in the
Sterkfontein area in
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
, South Africa.
*
April 20
Events Pre-1600
* 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
1601–1900
*1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament.
*1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroys ...
– King
Frederik IX
Frederick IX ( da, Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg; 11 March 1899 – 14 January 1972) was List of Danish monarchs, King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. Born into the House of Glücksburg, Frederick was the elder son of Ch ...
succeeds his father,
Christian X
Christian X ( da, Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was List of Danish monarchs, King of Denmark from 1912 to his death in 1947, and the only List of rulers of Iceland, King of Iceland as ...
, on the throne of
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
.
*
April 26
Events Pre-1600
* 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
*1348 – Czech king Karel IV founds the Charles University in Prague, which was later named after him and was the first university in Central Europe.
* 1 ...
– Academy Award-winning ''
Tom and Jerry
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...
'' cartoon, ''
The Cat Concerto
''The Cat Concerto'' is a 1947 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 29th ''Tom and Jerry'' short, released to theatres on April 26, 1947. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with musical sup ...
'', is released to theatres.
May
*
May 1
Events Pre-1600
* 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
* 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
*1169 – N ...
–
Portella della Ginestra massacre: The
Salvatore Giuliano gang of Sicilian separatists opens fire on a
Labour Day parade at Portella della Ginestra,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
, killing 11 people and wounding 27.
*
May 2
Events Pre-1600
* 1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter.
*1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
* 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprison ...
– The movie ''
Miracle on 34th Street
''Miracle on 34th Street'' (initially released as ''The Big Heart'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1947 American Christmas comedy-drama film released by 20th Century Fox, written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davi ...
'', a Christmastime classic, is first shown in theaters.
*
May 3
Events Pre-1600
* 752 – Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico, assumes the throne.
* 1481 – The largest of three earthquakes strikes the island of Rhodes and causes an estimated 30,000 casualties.
...
– The new post-war
Constitution of Japan
The Constitution of Japan ( Shinjitai: , Kyūjitai: , Hepburn: ) is the constitution of Japan and the supreme law in the state. Written primarily by American civilian officials working under the Allied occupation of Japan, the constitutio ...
goes into effect.
*
May 11 – The
Ferrari 125 S
:''See also the Ferrari 125 F1, a Formula One race car sharing the same engine''
The Ferrari 125 S (commonly 125 or 125 Sport) was a 1.5 litre race car built in 1947 by automaker Ferrari of Modena, Italy, its first vehicle. Only two were made.
A ...
, the first car to bear the
Ferrari name, debuts.
*
May 22
Events Pre-1600
* 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu.
* 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.
* 1 ...
** The
Cold War begins: In an effort to fight the spread of
Communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
, President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
signs an Act of Congress that implements the
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine is an American foreign policy that pledged American "support for democracies against authoritarian threats." The doctrine originated with the primary goal of containing Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. It wa ...
. This Act grants $400 million in military and economic aid to
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
and Greece. The Cold War
ends
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
**End (category theory)
** End (topology)
**End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
**End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
** End (gridiron footbal ...
in
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
.
**
David Lean's film ''
Great Expectations'', based on the novel by
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
, opens in the United States. Critics call it the finest film ever made from a Charles Dickens novel.
*
May 25
Events Pre-1600
* 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
*240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Tol ...
– Hyundai Togun, the initial name of the
Hyundai Group, is founded by
Chung Ju-young.
*
May 29
Events Pre-1600
* 363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city.
* 1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under ...
** An
Air Iceland
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing fo ...
Douglas C-47
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
on a domestic flight in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
crashes into a mountainside killing all 25 people on board.
** A
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
Douglas C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...
crashes on approach to
Naval Air Station Atsugi
is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato and Ayase in Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean and once housed the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5), which d ...
,
Japan, killing all 41 on board in the worst aviation accident in Japanese history up to this time.
**
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1 ...
''Mainliner Lake Tahoe'', operating as
United Airlines Flight 521, fails to become airborne while attempting to take off from
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. Covering , the facility was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, runs off the end of the runway, and slams into an embankment, killing 42 of the 48 people on board in the worst aviation disaster in American history until the following day.
*
May 30 –
Eastern Air Lines Flight 605
Eastern Air Lines Flight 605 was a domestic flight in the US from Newark to Miami on May 30, 1947. The flight crashed near Bainbridge, Maryland, causing the deaths of all 53 passengers and crew on board in what was then the worst disaster in th ...
: A
Douglas C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...
crashes near
Bainbridge, Maryland
United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge (USNTC Bainbridge) was the U.S. Navy Training Center at Port Deposit, Maryland, on the bluffs of the northeast bank of the Susquehanna River. It was active from 1942 to 1976 under the Commander of ...
, killing all 53 aboard (49 passengers, 4 crew), in America's worst commercial aviation disaster to that date.
*
May 31
Events Pre-1600
* 455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
* 1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat K ...
**
Ferenc Nagy
Ferenc Nagy (; 8 October 1903 – 12 June 1979) was a Hungarian politician of the Smallholders Party who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1946 until his forced resignation in 1947. He was also a Speaker of the National Assembly of Hung ...
, the democratically elected
prime Minister of Hungary
The prime minister of Hungary ( hu, Magyarország miniszterelnöke) is the head of government of Hungary. The prime minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament, to their political part ...
, is forced into resign and go exile under pressure from the Soviet-backed
Hungarian Communist Party
The Hungarian Communist Party ( hu, Magyar Kommunista Párt, abbr. MKP), known earlier as the Party of Communists in Hungary ( hu, Kommunisták Magyarországi Pártja, abbr. KMP), was a communist party in Hungary that existed during the interwar ...
led by
Mátyás Rákosi
Mátyás Rákosi (; born Mátyás Rosenfeld; 9 March 1892
– 5 February 1971) was a Hungarian communis ...
. The
fellow traveler Lajos Dinnyés
Lajos Dinnyés (16 April 1901 – 3 May 1961) was a Hungarian politician of the Smallholders Party who served as the last pre-communist Prime Minister of Hungary from 1947 to 1948.
Biography
He came from a well to do titled family and finished ...
replaces him, which grants the Communists effective control of the Hungarian government.
**
Alcide de Gasperi
Alcide Amedeo Francesco De Gasperi (; 3 April 1881 – 19 August 1954) was an Italian politician who founded the Christian Democracy party and served as prime minister of Italy in eight successive coalition governments from 1945 to 1953.
De Gas ...
forms a new government in Italy, the first postwar Italian government not to include members of the
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy.
The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) ...
.
June
*
June
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in ...
– The
Doomsday Clock
The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists''. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity ...
of the
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' is a nonprofit organization concerning science and global security issues resulting from accelerating technological advances that have negative consequences for humanity. The ''Bulletin'' publishes conte ...
is introduced.
*
June 5 – U.S. Secretary of State
George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...
outlines the
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...
for American reconstruction and relief aid to Europe, in a speech at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
.
*
June 7
Events Pre-1600
* 421 – Emperor Theodosius II marries Aelia Eudocia at Constantinople (Byzantine Empire).
* 879 – Pope John VIII recognizes the Duchy of Croatia under Duke Branimir as an independent state.
* 1002 – Henr ...
– The Romanian Army founds the
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club CCA (Clubul Central al Armatei – The Army's Central Club), which will become
the most successful Romanian football team during its time as ''
CSA Steaua București
Clubul Sportiv al Armatei Steaua București, commonly known as CSA Steaua București () or simply Steaua, is a major multi-sports club based in Bucharest and run by the Ministry of National Defence. It is one of the most successful clubs in Roma ...
''.
*
June 10
Events Pre-1600
* 671 – Emperor Tenji of Japan introduces a water clock ( clepsydra) called ''Rokoku''. The instrument, which measures time and indicates hours, is placed in the capital of Ōtsu.
*1190 – Third Crusade: Frederick I ...
–
SAAB
Saab or SAAB may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB
** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB
* Saab Automobile, a fo ...
in Sweden produces its first automobile.
*
June 11
Events Pre-1600
* 173 – Marcomannic Wars: The Roman army in Moravia is encircled by the Quadi, who have broken the peace treaty (171). In a violent thunderstorm emperor Marcus Aurelius defeats and subdues them in the so-called "miracle ...
–
15 – The first
Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod
The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a music festival which takes place every year during the second week of July in Llangollen, North Wales. It is one of several large annual Eisteddfodau in Wales. Singers and dancers from around ...
is held in Wales.
*
June 15
Events Pre-1600
* 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
* 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II.
* 923 – Battle of So ...
– The ''
Estado Novo'' in Portugal orders 11 military officers and 19 university professors, who are accused of revolutionary activity, to resign.
*
June 21 – The
Parliament of Canada votes unanimously to pass several laws regarding displaced foreign refugees.
*
June 23 – The
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
follows the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, in overriding President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
's
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
of the
Taft–Hartley Act
The Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, better known as the Taft–Hartley Act, is a Law of the United States, United States federal law that restricts the activities and power of trade union, labor unions. It was enacted by the 80th United S ...
.
*
June 24
Events Pre-1600
*1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa.
* 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, northwest of Rome. ...
–
Kenneth Arnold
Kenneth Albert Arnold (March 29, 1915 – January 16, 1984) was an American aviator, businessman, and politician.
He is best known for making what is generally considered the first widely reported modern unidentified flying object sighting in ...
makes the first widely reported
UFO sighting
This is a partial list by date of sightings of alleged unidentified flying objects (UFOs), including reports of close encounters and alien abductions.
Second millennium BCE
Classical antiquity
8th century
16th–17th centuries
19th cent ...
near
Mount Rainier,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. Over
800 copycat sightings are reported throughout the US in the coming following weeks.
*
June 25
Events Pre-1600
* 524 – The Franks are defeated by the Burgundians in the Battle of Vézeronce.
* 841 – In the Battle of Fontenay-en-Puisaye, forces led by Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat the armies of Lothair I of ...
– ''
The Diary of a Young Girl
''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Neth ...
'' by
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...
is published for the first time as ''Het Achterhuis: Dagboekbrieven 14 juni 1942 – 1 augustus 1944'' ("The Annex: Diary Notes from 14 June 1942 – 1 August 1944") in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, two years after the writer's death in
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concentra ...
.
July
*
July 1 – The
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
begins the
National Malaria Eradication Program
In the United States, the National Malaria Eradication Program (NMEP) was launched in July 1947. By 1951 this federal program—with state and local participation—had reduced the incidence of malaria in the United States to the point that the pr ...
, successfully eradicating malaria in
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the United ...
.
*
July 6
Events Pre-1600
* 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra shatters Sparta's reputation of military invincibility.
* 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt ...
**
1947 Sylhet referendum
The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post-independence Dominion of India, or leave Assam for Ea ...
: A referendum is held in
Sylhet to decide its fate in the
Partition of India.
** The first prototype
AK-47
The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...
assault rifles are built to the design of
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov ( rus, Михаи́л Тимофе́евич Кала́шников, p=kɐˈlaʂnʲɪkəf; 10 November 1919 – 23 December 2013) was a Soviet and Russian lieutenant general, inventor, military engineer, writer, a ...
.
*
July 8 –
Roswell UFO incident
The Roswell incident was an event that occurred in 1947, pertaining to the recovery of mundane metallic and rubber debris from a military balloon that crashed near Corona, New Mexico by United States Army Air Forces officers from Roswell Army ...
: A supposedly downed
extraterrestrial spacecraft is reportedly found near
Roswell, New Mexico.
*
July 9 – King
George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...
of the United Kingdom announces the engagement of his daughter
Princess Elizabeth to
Lt. Philip Mountbatten.
*
July 11
Events Pre-1600
* 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death.
* 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, ...
– The ship ''
Exodus'' leaves France for
Palestine, with 4,500 Jewish
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
survivor refugees on board.
*
July 17
Events Pre-1600
* 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
*1048 – Damasu ...
** Indian passenger ship is capsized by a cyclone at
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
, India, with 625 people killed.
** Alleged date when
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)He is presumed to have died in 1947, although the circumstances of his death are not clear and this date has been disputed. Some reports claim he was alive years later. 31 J ...
dies in a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
prison. It is not announced until
February 6,
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...
. There will be reported sightings of him until
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
.
*
July 18
Events Pre-1600
* 477 BC – Battle of the Cremera as part of the Roman–Etruscan Wars. Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman army.
* 387 BC – Roman- Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, l ...
** Following wide media and
UNSCOP
The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) was created on 15 May 1947 in response to a United Kingdom government request that the General Assembly "make recommendations under article 10 of the Charter, concerning the future gover ...
coverage, the ''
Exodus'' is captured by British troops, and refused entry into Palestine at the port of
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
.
** President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
signs the
Presidential Succession Act
The United States Presidential Succession Act is a federal statute establishing the presidential line of succession. Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the United States Constitution authorizes Congress to enact such a statute:
Congress has e ...
into law, which places the
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
and the
President pro tempore of the Senate
A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being".
...
next in the line of succession, after the
vice president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
.
*
July 19
Events Pre-1600
*AD 64 – The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city.
* 484 – Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is ...
– Burmese nationalist
Aung San
Aung San (, ; 13 February 191519 July 1947) was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his goa ...
, and six members of his newly formed cabinet, are assassinated during a cabinet meeting.
*
July 26
Events Pre-1600
* 657 – First Fitna: In the Battle of Siffin, troops led by Ali ibn Abu Talib clash with those led by Muawiyah I.
* 811 – Battle of Pliska: Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I is killed and his heir Staurakios is se ...
–
Cold War: U.S. President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
signs the
National Security Act of 1947 into law to create the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
, the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
, the
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...
, and the
National Security Council.
*
July 27
Events Pre-1600
* 1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth.
* 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Ste ...
–
28 – English endurance swimmer
Tom Blower
Tom Blower (1914–1955; nicknamed "Torpedo") was a British man who on 27–28 July 1947 became the first to successfully swim the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland, completing the feat in 15 hours and 26 minutes. In spite of multiple at ...
becomes the first person to swim the
North Channel North Channel may refer to:
*North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)
The North Channel (known in Irish and Scottish Gaelic as , in Scots as the ) is the strait between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland. It begins no ...
, from
Donaghadee
Donaghadee ( , ) is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northeast coast of the Ards Peninsula, about east of Belfast and about six miles (10 km) south east of Bangor. It is in the civil parish of Donaghadee and ...
in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
to
Portpatrick
Portpatrick is a village and civil parish in the historical county of Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the west coast of the Rhins of Galloway. The parish is about in length and in breadth, covering .
History ...
in Scotland.
*
July 29
Events Pre-1600
* 587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple.
* 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12.
* 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo ...
** After being shut down on November 9, 1946, for a refurbishment, the
ENIAC
ENIAC (; Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was the first programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer, completed in 1945. There were other computers that had these features, but the ENIAC had all of them in one pac ...
computer in the United States is turned back on again, and remains in continuous operation until October 2, 1955.
** Original flying saucer witness Kenneth Arnold interviews
Fred Crisman and Harold Dahl, who claims to
have recovered material dropped from a flying saucer. Dahl also reports the first modern so-called "
Men in Black
In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi- government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesse ...
" encounter.
August
*
August 1
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic.
*AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under ...
– Indonesian airline
Garuda Indonesia is established.
*
August 2 –
1947 BSAA Avro Lancastrian ''Star Dust'' accident: A British South American Airways Avro Lancastrian airliner crashes into a mountain during a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile (the wreckage will not be found until 1998).
*
August 5
Events Pre-1600
*AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty.
* 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...
– The Netherlands ends
Operation Product
Operation Product was a Dutch military offensive against areas of Java and Sumatra controlled by the Republic of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution.Vickers (2005), p. 99 It took place between 21 July and 4 August 1947. Referr ...
, the first of its major ''
politionele acties
' ( en, police actions) refers to two major military offensives undertaken by the Netherlands on Java and Sumatra against the Republic of Indonesia during its struggle for independence in the Indonesian National Revolution. In Indonesia they ar ...
'' (military "police actions") in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
.
*
August 7
Events Pre-1600
* 461 – Roman Emperor Majorian is beheaded near the river Iria in north-west Italy following his arrest and deposition by the ''magister militum'' Ricimer.
* 626 – The Avar and Slav armies leave the siege of Co ...
**
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer with a background in zoology, botany and geography.
Heyerdahl is notable for his ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000& ...
's
balsa wood
''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' bei ...
raft, the ''
Kon-Tiki
The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named ''Kon-Tiki'' after the Inca god Viracocha, fo ...
'', smashes into the
reef
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...
at
Raroia
Raroia, or Raro-nuku, is an atoll of the Tuamotus chain in French Polynesia, located 740 km northeast of Tahiti and 6 km southwest of Takume. Administratively it is a part of the commune of Makemo.
The oval-shaped atoll measures 43 ...
in the
Tuamotu Islands
The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (french: Îles Tuamotu, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extendin ...
, after a 101-day, 4,300 mile, voyage across the Eastern Pacific Ocean, demonstrating that prehistoric peoples could have traveled to the Central Pacific islands from South America.
** The
Bombay Municipal Corporation
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC; IAST: ), also known as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. It is India's richest municipal corporation. The BMC ...
formally takes over the
Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).
*
August 14
** The Muslim majority regions formed by the
Partition of India gain independence from the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
as the
Dominion of Pakistan
Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of ...
. While the transition is officially at midnight on this day, Pakistan celebrates its independence on August 14, compared with India on the 15th, because the
Pakistan Standard Time
Pakistan Standard Time ( ur, , abbreviated as PKT) is UTC+05:00 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. The time zone is in use during standard time in Asia.
History
Pakistan had been following UTC+05:30 since 1907 (during the British Raj ...
is 30 minutes behind the standard time of India.
**
Muhammad Ali Jinnah becomes the first
governor-general of Pakistan.
Liaquat Ali Khan
Liaquat Ali Khan ( ur, ; 1 October 1895 – 16 October 1951), also referred to in Pakistan as ''Quaid-e-Millat'' () or ''Shaheed-e-Millat'' ( ur, lit=Martyr of the Nation, label=none, ), was a Pakistani statesman, lawyer, political theoris ...
takes office as the first
prime minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pa ...
.
*
August 15
Events Pre-1600
* 636 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins.
* 717 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Const ...
** The greater Indian subcontinent, with a mixed population of
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
,
Sikhs,
Buddhists,
Jains
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
,
Zoroasters,
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
,
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
,
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
and others formed by the
Partition of India, gains independence from the British Empire, as the
Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...
.
**
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
takes office as the first
prime minister of India, taking his oath from
Louis Mountbatten, Viscount Mountbatten of Burma,
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
(but no longer
viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...
).
*
August 16 – In Greece, General
Markos Vafiadis
Markos Vafeiadis (also spelled as Vafiadis and Vafiades; el, Μάρκος Βαφειάδης; Tosya, – Athens, ) was a leading figure of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) during the Greek Resistance and the Greek Civil War.
Pre-war life
Vaf ...
takes over the government until
1949.
*
August 23
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, the eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Cae ...
– The
prime minister of Greece,
Dimitrios Maximos
Dimitrios E. Maximos ( el, Δημήτριος Μάξιμος; 6 July 1873 – 17 October 1955) was a Greek banker and politician. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece after World War II.
Maximos was born on 6 July 1873 in Patras. He ...
, resigns.
*
August 27
Events Pre-1600
* 410 – The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days.
* 1172 – Henry the Young King and Margaret of France are crowned junior king and queen of England.
*1232 – Shikken Hojo Yasutoki of the K ...
– The French government lowers the daily bread
ration
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...
to 200 grams, causing riots in
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
and
Le Mans.
*
August 30
Events Pre-1600
* 70 – Titus ends the siege of Jerusalem after destroying Herod's Temple.
* 1282 – Peter III of Aragon lands at Trapani to intervene in the War of the Sicilian Vespers.
*1363 – The five-week Battle of Lake ...
– A fire at a movie theater in
Rueil
Rueil-Malmaison () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2017, it had a population of 78,152. It is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Par ...
, a suburb of Paris, France, kills 83 people.
*
August 31
Events Pre-1600
* 1056 – After a sudden illness a few days previously, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty.
* 1057 – Abdication of Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas after just one year ...
– In Hungary, communists fail to gain a majority in parliamentary elections (despite widespread fraud) and turn to direct action as part of the country's History of Hungary#Transition to communism (1944–1949), transition to Communism (1944–1949).
September
* September 9
** Women's suffrage is agreed by Argentina's Congress.
** A moth lodged in a relay is found to be the cause of a malfunction in the Harvard Mark II electromechanical computer, logged as the "First actual case of Software bug, bug being found."
* September 13 – Indian Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
suggests the exchange of four million Hindus and Muslims between India and Pakistan.
* September 15–September 16, 16 – Typhoon Kathleen strikes the Bōsō Peninsula and the entire Kantō region in Japan. Heavy rains cause the Arakawa River (Kanto), Arakawa and Tone Rivers to overflow and embankment collapse. The resulting floods and debris flow kill between 1,077 and 1,920 people, injuring 1,547 and leaving 853 missing.
* September 17–September 21, 21 – The 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane in southeastern Florida, and also in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana causes widespread damage, and kills 50 people.
* September 18 – In the United States:
** The
National Security Act of 1947 becomes effective on this day, creating the United States Air Force, National Security Council (United States), National Security Council and the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
.
** The United States Department of War, Department of War becomes the Department of the Army, a branch of the new United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense.
* September 22 – The Information Bureau of the Communist and Workers' Parties (Cominform) is founded by the International Communist Movement.
* September 30 – Pakistan and Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, Yemen join the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
.
October
* October
** The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigations into communism in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood.
** First recorded use of the word ''computer'' in its modern sense, referring to an electronic digital machine.
* October 1 – The North American F-86 Sabre jet fighter aircraft makes its first flight.
* October 5 – President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
delivers the first televised White House address, speaking on the world food crises.
* October 14
** 1947 Jammu massacres: Extremist Hindus and Sikhs kill 20,000–100,000 Muslims in the Jammu and Kashmir (princely state), princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
** United States Air Force test pilot Captain Chuck Yeager flies a Bell X-1 rocket plane faster than the speed of sound, the first time it has been accomplished.
* October 20 – A war begins in Kashmir, along the border between India and Pakistan, initiating the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948. Also, Pakistan establishes diplomatic relations with the United States of America.
* October 24 – The first Azad Kashmir Government is established within Pakistan, headed by Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan as its first President supported by the government of Pakistan.
* October 30 – The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the foundation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is established.
November
* November 2 – In Long Beach, California, designer and airplane pilot Howard Hughes carries out the one and only flight of the Hughes H-4 Hercules ("''Spruce Goose''"), the largest fixed-wing aircraft ever built and flown. This flight only lasts 8 minutes.
* November 6 – The television program ''Meet the Press'' makes its debut, on the NBC-TV network in the United States.
* November 9 – Junagadh is invaded by the Indian army.
* November 10 – The arrest of four steel workers in Marseille begins a French Communist Party, French communist riot, that also spreads to Paris.
* November 13
** Wataru Misaka makes the roster of the 1947–48 New York Knicks season, New York Knicks to become the first person of color to play in modern professional basketball, just months after
Jackie Robinson has broken the color barrier in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
for the
Brooklyn Dodgers. Misaka has led the Utah Utes men's basketball, Utah Utes to the 1944 NCAA basketball tournament, 1944 NCAA and 1947 National Invitation Tournament, 1947 NIT championships.
** The Soviet Union completes development of the
AK-47
The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...
assault rifle; it will be adopted by the Soviet Army in 1949 and become the most produced assault rifle in history.
* November 15
** The International Telecommunication Union becomes a specialized agency of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
.
** The Universal Postal Union (UPU) becomes a specialized agency of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
(effective
July 1 1948).
* November 16
** In Brussels, 15,000 people demonstrate against the relatively short prison sentences of Belgian Nazi criminals.
** Great Britain begins withdrawing its troops from Palestine.
* November 17–December 23 – John Bardeen and Walter Brattain working under William Shockley at AT&T Corporation, AT&T's Bell Labs in the United States demonstrate the transistor effect, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th century.
* November 17 – The Screen Actors Guild implements an anti-Communist loyalty oath.
* November 18 – Ballantyne's fire: A fire in Ballantynes department store in Christchurch, New Zealand, kills 41 people.
* November 20
** Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh: Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II), the daughter of
George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...
of the United Kingdom, marries Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey in London.
** Paul Ramadier resigns as Prime Minister of France. He is succeeded by Robert Schuman, who calls in 80,000 army reservists to quell rioting miners in France.
* November 21 – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment begins in Havana, Cuba. This conference ends in 1948, when its members complete the Havana Charter.
* November 24 – McCarthyism: The
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
votes 346–17 to approve citations of Contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten", after the screenwriters and directors refuse to co-operate with the House Un-American Activities Committee concerning allegations of Communism, communist influences in the movie business. The ten men are Hollywood blacklist, blacklisted by the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood movie studios on the following day.
* November 25
** The New Zealand Parliament ratifies the Statute of Westminster 1931, Statute of Westminster, and thus becomes independent of legislative control by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
** The new Pakistan Army and Pashtun people, Pashtun Mercenary, mercenaries overrun Mirpur in Kashmir, resulting in the death of 20,000 Hindus and Sikhs.
* November 27 – In Paris, France, police occupy the editorial offices of the communist newspapers.
* November 29 – The United Nations General Assembly votes for the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine which will partition Mandatory Palestine between Arab and Jewish regions, resulting in the creation of the State of Israel.
December
* December – 1947 anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo, organised by the new Syrian government, result in some 75 Jews murdered and a Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries, Jewish exodus.
* December 2–December 4, 4 – 1947 Aden riots: Yemeni Arabs attack Mizrahi Jews.
* December 2 – 1947 Jerusalem riots: Arabs protest against the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.
* December 3
** French Communist Party, French communist Strike action, strikers derail the Paris-Tourcoing express train because of false rumors that it is transporting soldiers; 21 people are killed.
** The Tennessee Williams play ''A Streetcar Named Desire (play), A Streetcar Named Desire'', starring Marlon Brando in his first great role, opens at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway in New York City; Jessica Tandy also stars as Blanche Du Bois.
* December 4 – French Interior Minister Jules S. Moch takes state of emergency, emergency measures against his country's rioters, after six days of violent arguments in the National Assembly of France, National Assembly.
* December 6
** Arturo Toscanini conducts a concert performance of the first half of Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''Otello'', for a broadcast on NBC Radio in the United States. The second half of the opera is broadcast a week later.
** Women are admitted to full membership of the University of Cambridge in England. following a vote in September.
* December 9 – French labor unions call off the general strike, and re-commence negotiations with the French government.
* December 12 – The
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian Royal Army takes back power in the Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan province.
* December 14 – Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is officially inaugurated in Madrid, and hosts its first match.
* December 21 – During the mass migration of Hindus and Muslims between the new states of India and Pakistan, 400,000 are slaughtered.
* December 22 – The Italian Constituent Assembly votes to accept the new Constitution of Italy.
* December 30
** The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter aircraft (NATO reporting name Wikt:fagot, Fagot) makes its first flight in the Soviet Union.
** King Michael I of Romania is forced to abdicate and the Romanian monarchy is abolished.
Date unknown
* Raytheon produces the first commercial microwave oven, in the United States.
* Global casual fashion brand H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) is founded, and a first Hennes outlet store opens in Västmanland, Sweden.
Births
January
*
January 1
January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining 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 yea ...
** F. R. David, Tunisian-born French singer
** Vladimir Titov, Russian cosmonaut
** Frances Yip, Hong Kong singer
* January 6
** Sandy Denny, British singer (d. 1978)
** Ian Millar, Canadian dressage rider
* January 8
** David Bowie, English singer, songwriter, and actor (d. 2016)
** Samuel Schmid, Swiss Federal Councillor
*
January 10 – Peer Steinbrück, German politician
* January 13 – Carles Rexach, Spanish-Catalan footballer and coach
*
January 15 – Andrea Martin, Canadian-American actress (''Second City Television'')
*
January 16
** Juliet Berto, French actress, director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
** Apasra Hongsakula, Thai model, Miss Universe 1965
** Harvey Proctor, British Conservative politician
* January 18 – Takeshi Kitano, Japanese film director, actor
* January 20 – Cyrille Guimard, French road racing cyclist
* January 21 – Jill Eikenberry, American actress
* January 23
** Tom Carper, American politician
** Megawati Sukarnoputri, 5th President of Indonesia
*
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 Cou ...
** Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian footballer (d. 2012)
** Michio Kaku, American theoretical physicist
** Warren Zevon, American rock musician (''Werewolves of London'') (d. 2003)
* January 25 – Tostão (Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade), Brazilian footballer
*
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 Tren ...
– Michel Sardou, French singer and actor
* January 27 – Björn Afzelius, Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist (''Hoola Bandoola Band'') (d. 1999)
* January 29 – Linda B. Buck, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* January 30 – Steve Marriott, British rock musician (d.
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
)
*
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 the ...
– Jonathan Banks, American actor
February
* February 1 – Mike Brant, Israeli singer and songwriter (d. 1975)
* February 2 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress (''Charlie's Angels'') (d. 2009)
*
February 3
** Paul Auster, American novelist
** Dave Davies, English musician (The Kinks)
** Melanie Safka, American rock singer
* February 4
** Halina Aszkiełowicz-Wojno, Polish volleyball player (d. 2018)
** Dennis C. Blair, American admiral, Director of National Intelligence
** Dan Quayle, 44th Vice President of the United States
** John Campbell Brown, Scottish astronomer (d. 2019)
*
February 5 – Regina Duarte, Brazilian actress; former Special Secretary of Culture of Brazil
*
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 &nd ...
– Wayne Allwine, American voice actor (d. 2009)
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, spar ...
– Louise Arbour, Canadian jurist
* February 11
** Yukio Hatoyama, 60th Prime Minister of Japan
** Roy Moore, American politician
** Derek Shulman, Scottish musician (''Gentle Giant'')
* February 13 – Mike Krzyzewski, American basketball player and coach
* February 15
** John Adams (composer), John Adams, American composer
** Wenche Myhre, Norwegian actress, singer
** Ádám Nádasdy, Hungarian linguist and poet
* February 16 – Veríssimo Correia Seabra, Bissau-Guinean military commander (d. 2004)
* February 18
** Princess Christina of the Netherlands (d. 2019)
** José Luis Cuerda, Spanish filmmaker, screenwriter and producer (d. 2020)
* February 19 – Gustavo Rodríguez (actor), Gustavo Rodríguez, Venezuelan actor (d. 2014)
*
February 20
** Peter Osgood, English footballer (d. 2006)
** Peter Strauss, American actor
*
February 21
Events Pre-1600
*452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine.
* 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
*1440 – The Pru ...
** Victor Sokolov, Russian dissident journalist and priest (d. 2006)
** Renata Sorrah, Brazilian actress
* February 24
** Rupert Holmes, British-born American singer-songwriter (''The Pina Colada Song'')
** Edward James Olmos, Hispanic-American actor, director, producer and activist
** Juval Aviv, Israeli-American security consultant and former Mossad agent
*
February 25
** Lee Evans (sprinter), Lee Evans, American Olympic athlete (d. 2021)
** Doug Yule, American rock singer (''The Velvet Underground'')
* February 26 – Sandie Shaw, British singer
* February 27 – Gidon Kremer, Latvian violinist
*
February 28 – Stephanie Beacham, English actress
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 Diocletian ...
– Alan Thicke, Canadian actor and television host (d. 2016)
* March 2 – Yuri Bogatyryov, Soviet actor (d. 1989)
* March 3 – Óscar Tabárez, Óscar Washington Tabárez, Uruguayan football manager and former player
*
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.
* 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a st ...
** Jan Garbarek, Norwegian musician
** Gunnar Hansen, Icelandic actor (d. 2015)
* March 6
** Kiki Dee, English pop singer (''Don't Go Breaking My Heart'')
** Dick Fosbury, American athlete
** Teru Miyamoto, Japanese author
** Rob Reiner, American actor, comedian, producer, director and activist (''All in the Family'')
** John Stossel, American journalist
* March 7 – Walter Röhrl, German racing driver
* March 8
** Carole Bayer Sager, American singer, songwriter
** Michael S. Hart, American author, inventor (d. 2011)
* March 9 – Ryszard Peryt, Polish conductor, librettist (d. 2019)
* March 10 – Kim Campbell, Prime Minister of Canada
* March 11 – Geoff Hunt, Australian squash player
*
March 12
** Kalervo Palsa, Finnish artist
** Mitt Romney, American businessman, politician, Governor of Massachusetts, 2012 United States presidential election, 2012 presidential candidate, and United States Senate, US Senator (Republican Party (United States), R-Utah, Ut.)
* March 13 – Beat Richner, Swiss pediatrician, cellist (d. 2018)
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
*474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
* 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odo ...
– Ry Cooder, American guitarist
* March 16
** Baek Yoon-sik, South Korean actor
** Ramzan Paskayev, Chechen accordionist
* March 17
**Yury Chernavsky, Russian-born composer, producer
**Zhandra Rodríguez, Venezuelan ballet dancer
* March 18 – Tamara Griesser Pečar, Slovenian historian
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen en ...
– Glenn Close, American actress
* March 21 – Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of Yemen (d. 2017)
* March 22 – James Patterson, American author
* March 24
** Mike Kellie, English rock musician (d. 2017)
** Louise Lanctôt, Canadian terrorist and writer
** Alan Sugar, English entrepreneur
*
March 25 – Elton John, English singer-songwriter and composer
* March 26 – Subhash Kak, Indian-American author
*
March 31
** Wong Choon Wah, Malaysian footballer (d. 2014)
** César Gaviria, Colombian economist, politician and 28th President of Colombia
April
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Ko ...
** Alain Connes, French mathematician
** Ingrid Steeger, German actress, comedian
** Tzipi Shavit, Israeli actress
* April 2
** Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer, actress
** Emmylou Harris, American singer, songwriter
** Camille Paglia, American literary critic
* April 5 – Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, 14th President of the Philippines, daughter of president Diosdado Macapagal
* April 6 – John Ratzenberger, American actor (''Cheers'')
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
– Florian Schneider, German musician (d. 2020)
* April 10 – Bunny Wailer, Jamaican reggae musician (d. 2021)
* April 12
** Tom Clancy, American author (d. 2013)
** David Letterman, American talk show host
* April 13 – Mike Chapman, Australian-born songwriter, record producer
*
April 15
Events Pre-1600
* 769 – The Lateran Council ends by condemning the Council of Hieria and anathematizing its iconoclastic rulings.
* 1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscar ...
– Lois Chiles, American actress
*
April 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
* 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide.
* 73 – Masad ...
** Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, African-American basketball player, actor (''Airplane!'')
** Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter ("Baker Street (song), Baker Street") (d. 2011)
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
** Kathy Acker, American author (d. 1997)
** Jerzy Stuhr, Polish actor, director
** James Woods, American actor
* April 19 – Murray Perahia, American pianist
*
April 20
Events Pre-1600
* 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
1601–1900
*1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament.
*1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroys ...
** Daud Ibrahim, Malaysian cyclist (d. 2010)
** Hector (musician), Hector, Finnish rock musician
* April 21 – Iggy Pop, American rock musician
* April 24 – Josep Borrell, Spanish minister, Member of the European Parliament, MEP and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, EU High Representative
* April 25
** Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer and coach (d. 2016)
** Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor
* April 27 - Pete Ham, Welsh rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (suicide 1975)
* April 29
** Olavo de Carvalho, Brazilian journalist, essayist and professor of philosophy
** Tommy James, American rock singer, producer
** Jim Ryun, American middle-distance runner
May
*
May 1
Events Pre-1600
* 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
* 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
*1169 – N ...
– Jacob Bekenstein, Mexico-born Israeli-American theoretical physicist (d. 2015)
* May 4 – Theda Skocpol, American sociologist
* May 5 – Malam Bacai Sanhá, Guinea-Bissau politician (d. 2012)
* May 6 – Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher
* May 8 – H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* May 9 – Yukiya Amano, Japanese international civil servant (d. 2019)
* May 10 – Caroline B. Cooney, American author
*
May 11
** Walter Selke, German physicist
** Butch Trucks, American drummer (''The Allman Brothers Band'') (d. 2017)
* May 12 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian politician, philosopher and historian
* May 13 – Stephen R. Donaldson, American novelist
* May 14
** José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, Colombian drug lord (d. 1989)
** Tamara Dobson, African-American actress, fashion model (d. 2006)
**Ana Martín, Mexican actress, singer producer and former model (Miss Mexico Organization, Miss Mexico 1963)
* May 15 – Muhyiddin Yassin, Prime Minister of Malaysia
* May 17 – Hawa Abdi, Somali activist and doctor (d. 2020)
* May 18 – John Bruton, 10th Taoiseach of Ireland
* May 19 – Paul Brady, Northern Irish singer, songwriter
* May 21 – Lolit Solis, Filipina talent manager (host of ''Startalk (Philippine TV series), Startalk'', ''CelebriTV'')
* May 24 – Maude Barlow, Canadian author, activist and National Chairperson of The Council of Canadians
* May 26 – Glenn Turner, New Zealand Captain (cricket), cricket captain
* May 27
** Peter DeFazio, American politician
** Branko Oblak, Slovenian football player and coach
* May 28 – Pedro Giachino, Argentine Navy officer (d. 1982)
June
* June 1
** Jonathan Pryce, Welsh actor
** Ronnie Wood, English rock musician (''Faces (band), The Faces'', ''The Rolling Stones'')
* June 2 – Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Punjabi saint, Sikh theologian, military leader (d. 1984)
* June 3 – Dave Alexander (musician), Dave Alexander, American musician (d. 1975)
* June 4 – Viktor Klima, Chancellor of Austria
*
June 5
** Laurie Anderson, American experimental performance artist, composer and musician
** Jojon, Indonesian comedian, actor (d. 2014)
* June 6
** David Blunkett, British politician
** Robert Englund, American actor (''V (1983 miniseries), V'', ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'')
** Ada Kok, Dutch swimmer
* June 8 – Eric F. Wieschaus, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* June 9
** Françoise Demulder, French war photographer (d. 2008)
** Robert Indermaur, Swiss painter and sculptor
*
June 10
Events Pre-1600
* 671 – Emperor Tenji of Japan introduces a water clock ( clepsydra) called ''Rokoku''. The instrument, which measures time and indicates hours, is placed in the capital of Ōtsu.
*1190 – Third Crusade: Frederick I ...
– Ken Singleton, American baseball player
*
June 15
Events Pre-1600
* 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
* 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II.
* 923 – Battle of So ...
** Alain Aspect, French quantum physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics
** John Hoagland, American war photographer (d. 1984)
* June 19
** Paula Koivuniemi, Finnish singer
** Salman Rushdie, Indian-born British author (''The Satanic Verses'')
* June 20 – Candy Clark, American actress
*
June 21
** Rachel Adato, Israeli gynaecologist, lawyer and politician
** Shirin Ebadi, Iranian activist, Nobel Peace Prize recipient
** Fernando Savater, Spanish philosopher, author
* June 22
** Bruno Latour, French philosopher, anthropologist and sociologist (d. 2022)
** Natalya Varley, Soviet, Russian film, theater actress
** Murray Webb, New Zealand caricature artist, test cricketer
** David Jones (golfer), David Jones, Northern Irish European Tour golfer
** Octavia E. Butler, American author (d. 2006)
** Trevor Blades, English cricketer
** Pete Maravich, American basketball player (d. 1988)
** Jerry John Rawlings, 2-time President of Ghana (d. 2020)
*
June 23
** Zvi Rosen, Israeli international footballer
** Bryan Brown, Australian actor
** Thor Hansen, Norwegian-born professional poker player
** Ed Werenich, Canadian curler
*
June 24
Events Pre-1600
*1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa.
* 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, northwest of Rome. ...
** Mick Fleetwood, British musician (''Fleetwood Mac'')
** Helena Vondráčková, Czech singer
** Peter Weller, American actor and director
*
June 25
Events Pre-1600
* 524 – The Franks are defeated by the Burgundians in the Battle of Vézeronce.
* 841 – In the Battle of Fontenay-en-Puisaye, forces led by Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat the armies of Lothair I of ...
– Jimmie Walker, African-American actor (''Good Times (TV series), Good Times'')
* June 26 – Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Afghan politician
* June 27
** Hans Ooft, Dutch football player, manager
** Abdel Djaadaoui, Algerian footballer
* June 29 – David Chiang, Hong Kong actor
* June 30 – Jean-Yves Le Drian, French minister
July
*
July 1
** Marc Benno, American singer, songwriter and guitarist
** Arantxa Urretabizkaia, Basque writer, screenwriter and actress
** Sharad Yadav, Indian politician
* July 2 – Larry David, American actor, writer, producer and director (''Curb Your Enthusiasm'')
* July 3
** Betty Buckley, American actress, singer
** Mike Burton (swimmer), Mike Burton, American swimmer
** Rob Rensenbrink, Dutch football player (d. 2020)
** Jana Švandová, Czech actress
* July 4
** Francisco Fernández de Cevallos, Mexican politician
** Eva Goës, Swedish politician
** Carla Panerai, Italian sprinter
* July 5 – Toos Beumer, Dutch swimmer
*
July 6
Events Pre-1600
* 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra shatters Sparta's reputation of military invincibility.
* 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt ...
– Shelley Hack, American model, actress, producer, political and media advisor
* July 7
** Richard Beckinsale, English actor (d. 1979)
** King Gyanendra of Nepal
** Felix Standaert, Belgian diplomat
*
July 9
** Haruomi Hosono, Japanese musician (''Yellow Magic Orchestra'')
** O. J. Simpson, African-American football player and actor
* July 10
** Allen Fong, Hong Kong film director
** Arlo Guthrie, American folk singer (''Alice's Restaurant'')
*
July 11
Events Pre-1600
* 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death.
* 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, ...
– Riad Ismat, Syrian writer, critic and theatre director
* July 12
** Gareth Edwards, Welsh rugby union player
**Wilko Johnson, English rock musician (d. 2022
** Lenka Termerová, Czech actress
* July 14 – Navin Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius
* July 15 – Roky Erickson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2019)
* July 16
** Roelf Meyer, South African politician, businessman
*
July 17
Events Pre-1600
* 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
*1048 – Damasu ...
– Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom, royal consort
*
July 19
Events Pre-1600
*AD 64 – The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city.
* 484 – Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is ...
– Brian May, English rock guitarist ''(Queen (band), Queen'')
* July 20
** Gerd Binnig, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate
** Carlos Santana, Mexican-born rock guitarist
* July 21 – Co Adriaanse, Dutch football manager
* July 22
** Albert Brooks, American actor, comedian, director, and novelist
** Erica Gavin, American actress
** Don Henley, American singer, songwriter and musician
* July 24 – Peter Serkin, American classical pianist (d. 2020)
* July 25 – Scott Shannon, American disc jockey
*
July 27
Events Pre-1600
* 1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth.
* 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Ste ...
** Bob Klein, American football player
** Kazuyoshi Miura (businessman), Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese businessman (d. 2008)
** Giora Spiegel, Israeli footballer and coach
* July 28 – Su Tseng-chang, Taiwanese politician, 41st and 50th Premier of the Republic of China
* July 30
** William Atherton, American actor
** Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, French virologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate
** Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-American actor, bodybuilder and 38th Governor of California
* July 31 - Richard Griffiths, English actor (d. 2013)
August
*
August 1
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic.
*AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under ...
** Lorna Goodison, Jamaican poet
** Leoluca Orlando, Italian politician
* August 4 – Hubert Ingraham, Bahamian politician
*
August 5
Events Pre-1600
*AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty.
* 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...
– Graham Lovett, English footballer (d. 2018)
*
August 7
Events Pre-1600
* 461 – Roman Emperor Majorian is beheaded near the river Iria in north-west Italy following his arrest and deposition by the ''magister militum'' Ricimer.
* 626 – The Avar and Slav armies leave the siege of Co ...
– Franciscus Henri, Dutch-born Australian children's entertainer, composer and artist
* August 8
** Terangi Adam, Nauruan politician
** George Costigan, British actor, screenwriter
** Ken Dryden, Canadian NHL goaltender, author and politician
* August 9 – John Varley (author), John Varley, American science-fiction author
* August 10
** Ian Anderson, British rock musician (''Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull'')
** Drupi, Italian singer
** Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian politician
* August 11
** Diether Krebs, German actor, cabaret artist and comedian (d. 2000)
** Wilma van den Berg, Dutch sprinter
*
August 14
** Maddy Prior, English folk singer
** Danielle Steel, American romance novelist
*
August 15
Events Pre-1600
* 636 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins.
* 717 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Const ...
** Sonny Carter, American astronaut (d.
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
)
** Raakhee, Indian actress
*
August 16
** Carol Moseley Braun, African-American politician
** Marc Messier, Canadian actor
* August 17 – Mohamed Abdelaziz (Sahrawi politician), Mohamed Abdelaziz, Sahrawi politician
* August 20 – José Wilker, Brazilian actor (d. 2014)
* August 21 – Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada
* August 22
** Cindy Williams, American actress (''Laverne and Shirley'')
** Peter Irniq, Canadian Commissioner of Nunavut
*
August 23
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, the eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Cae ...
– Willy Russell, British playwright
* August 24 – Roger De Vlaeminck, Belgian cyclist
* August 26 – Nicolae Dobrin, Romanian footballer (d. 2007)
*
August 27
Events Pre-1600
* 410 – The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days.
* 1172 – Henry the Young King and Margaret of France are crowned junior king and queen of England.
*1232 – Shikken Hojo Yasutoki of the K ...
– Barbara Bach, American actress
* August 28
** Emlyn Hughes, English footballer (d. 2004)
** Liza Wang, Hong Kong actress
** Alice Playten, American actress (d. 2011)
* August 29
** James Hunt, British 1976 Formula 1 world champion (d. 1993)
** Temple Grandin, American animal welfare and autism expert
** Jah Lloyd, Jamaican reggae singer, deejay and producer (d. 1999)
*
August 30
Events Pre-1600
* 70 – Titus ends the siege of Jerusalem after destroying Herod's Temple.
* 1282 – Peter III of Aragon lands at Trapani to intervene in the War of the Sicilian Vespers.
*1363 – The five-week Battle of Lake ...
– Allan Rock, Canadian politician, diplomat
*
August 31
Events Pre-1600
* 1056 – After a sudden illness a few days previously, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty.
* 1057 – Abdication of Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas after just one year ...
** Ramón Castellano de Torres, Spanish painter
** Somchai Wongsawat, 26th Prime Minister of Thailand
September
* September 3
** Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prime Minister of Norway
** Gerard Houllier, French football manager (d. 2020)
* September 5
** Danny Florencio, Filipino basketball player (d. 2018)
** Buddy Miles, African-American drummer, singer and composer (d. 2008)
** Kiyoshi Takayama, Japanese yakuza boss
* September 6
** Jane Curtin, American actress, comedian (''Saturday Night Live'')
** Bruce Rioch, Scottish footballer, coach
** Jacob Rubinovitz, Israeli scientist
* September 8 – Amos Biwott, Kenyan Olympic athlete
* September 13 – Ajib Ahmad, Malaysian politician (d. 2011)
* September 14
** Sam Neill, British-born New Zealand actor
** Jerzy Popieluszko, Polish Roman Catholic priest and blessed (d. 1984)
* September 16 – Russ Abbot, British comedian, actor and singer
* September 17 – Tessa Jowell, British politician (d. 2018)
* September 19 – Tanith Lee, British author (d. 2015)
* September 21
** Don Felder, American musician and songwriter
** Stephen King, American writer and novelist, specializing in the horror genre
* September 22 – Jo Beverley, Anglo-Canadian writer (d. 2016)
* September 23 – Mary Kay Place, American actress
* September 25
** Cheryl Tiegs, American model, actress
** Cecil Womack, African-American singer, songwriter (''Womack & Womack'') (d. 2013)
* September 26 – Lynn Anderson, American country music singer (d. 2015)
* September 27
** Dick Advocaat, Dutch football manager
** Meat Loaf, American rock singer, actor (d. 2022)
** Denis Lawson, Scottish actor and director
* September 28
** Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesian politician and former military officer
** Marcelo Guinle, Argentine politician (d. 2017)
** Sheikh Hasina, 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh
* September 30
** Marc Bolan, English rock musician (d. 1977)
** Rula Lenska, English actress
October
* October 1
** Aaron Ciechanover, Israeli biologist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner
** Stephen Collins, American actor
** Mariska Veres, Dutch singer (d. 2006)
* October 2 – Ward Churchill, American author, activist
* October 3
** Alain Mucchielli, French physician
** Fred DeLuca, American entrepreneur, co-founder of ''Subway (restaurant), Subway'' (d. 2015)
** John Perry Barlow, American internet activist, writer, and lyricist (d. 2018)
* October 4 – Ann Widdecombe, British politician
* October 5 – Brian Johnson, English rock singer (AC/DC)
* October 9 – France Gall, French singer (d. 2018)
* October 13 – Sammy Hagar, American rock musician (Montrose (band), Montrose and Van Halen)
* October 14 – Nikolai Volkoff, Croatian-Russian professional wrestler (d. 2018)
* October 17 – Simi Garewal, Indian actress, producer, director, and talk show host
* October 18
** James H. Fallon, American neuroscientist
** Job Cohen, Dutch politician
* October 19
** Giorgio Cavazzano, Italian comics artist and illustrator
** Gunnar Staalesen, Norwegian author
* October 20 – Abdul Hadi Awang, Malaysian politician
* October 24 – Kevin Kline, American actor
* October 26
** Hillary Clinton, American politician, First Lady of the United States, First Lady, United States Senate, US Senator (Democratic Party (United States), D-New York (state), Ny.), United States Secretary of State, Secretary of State, and 2016 Democratic Party (United States), Democratic presidential candidate
** Ene Järvis, Estonian actress
* October 28 – Henri Michel, French football player and coach (d. 2018)
* October 29 – Richard Dreyfuss, American actor
* October 30 – Timothy B. Schmit, American musician
* October 31
** Carmen Alborch, Spanish feminist, writer and politician (d. 2018)
** Herman Van Rompuy, Belgian politician, 66th Prime Minister of Belgium
November
* November 1
** Taizo Ichinose, Japanese war photographer (d. 1973)
** Bob Weston (guitarist), Bob Weston, British musician (d. 2012)
** Salleh Ibrahim, Malaysian footballer (d. 2020)
* November 4 – Rod Marsh, Australian cricketer (d. 2022)
* November 5 – Rubén Juárez, Argentine bandoneonist, singer and songwriter of tango (d. 2010)
* November 6 – E. Lee Spence, German-born American pioneer List of undersea explorers, underwater archaeologist, treasure hunter
* November 7
** Yutaka Fukumoto, Japanese professional baseball player
** Usha Uthup, Indian singer
** Sondhi Limthongkul, Thai journalist, writer and founder of ''Manager Daily''
** Sefi Rivlin, Israeli actor, footballer and comedian (d. 2013)
* November 8 – Minnie Riperton, African-American singer (d. 1979)
* November 10
** Glen Buxton, American rock guitarist (d. 1997)
** Greg Lake, English musician, producer (King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer) (d. 2016)
* November 12 – Carlos Ezquerra, Spanish comics artist (d. 2018)
* November 13 – Joe Mantegna, American actor, producer and director
* November 14 – P. J. O'Rourke, American journalist, satirist (d. 2022)
* November 15
** Steven G. Kellman, American author, critic
** Bill Richardson, American politician and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Nations
* November 17
** Will Vinton, American animator, filmmaker (d. 2018)
** Inky Mark, Canadian politician
* November 18 – Ali Bakar, Malaysian football player (d. 2003)
* November 19 – Anfinn Kallsberg, Faroese Prime Minister
* November 20
** Joe Walsh, American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist
** Nurlan Balgimbayev, Kazakh politician (d. 2015)
* November 21
** Alcione Nazareth, Alcione, Brazilian singer
** Nickolas Grace, British actor
** Chua Ek Kay, Singaporean painter (d. 2008)
* November 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics), November 22 - Terje Rød-Larsen, Norwegian diplomat, politician and sociologist
*November 24 – Dwight Schultz, American actor (''The A-Team'')
* November 25 – John Larroquette, American actor (''Night Court'')
* November 29 – Mirza Khazar, Azerbaijani author
* November 30
** Sergio Badilla Castillo, Chilean poet
** Stuart Baird, English film editor, producer and director
** Véronique Le Flaguais, Canadian actress
** David Mamet, American playwright
** Moses Nagamootoo, 8th Prime Minister of Guyana
December
* December 1 – Bob Fulton, English-Australian rugby league player (d. 2021)
* December 2 – Isaac Bitton, French rock drummer
* December 6 – Romildo Ribeiro Soares, RR Soares, Brazilian televangelist, missionary, author, singer, businessman and composer
* December 7
** Oliver Dragojević, Croatian singer (d. 2018)
** Johnny Bench, American baseball player
** Wendy Padbury, British actress
** Jeff Maxwell, American actor (''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H'')
* December 8
** Gregg Allman, American singer, songwriter and musician (d. 2017)
** Gérard Blanc, French singer
** Thomas R. Cech, American chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate
* December 9 – Tom Daschle, U.S. Senator
* December 10 – Rainer Seifert, German field hockey player
* December 11 – David E. Stone, American sound editor
* December 12 – Will Alsop, English architect
* December 14
** Christopher Parkening, American guitarist
** Dilma Rousseff, 36th President of Brazil
* December 16
** Ben Cross, English actor (d. 2020)
** Vincent Matthews (athlete), Vincent Matthews, American athlete
** Trevor Żahra, Maltese novelist, poet and illustrator
* December 18 – Leonid Yuzefovich, Russian crime fiction writer
* December 21 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist (d. 2014)
* December 22
** Mitsuo Tsukahara, Japanese gymnast
** Porfirio Lobo, 54th President of Honduras
* December 25 – Pepe Smith, Filipino rock musician (d. 2019)
* December 26 – Mariella Mehr, Swiss novelist (d. 2022)
* December 27 – Johann-Henrich Krummacher, German politician and clergyman (d. 2008)
* December 28 – Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player (d. 2000)
* December 29
** Ted Danson, American actor (''Cheers'')
** Cozy Powell, English drummer (d. 1998)
* December 30 – Jeff Lynne, British musician (Electric Light Orchestra)
* December 31
** Rita Lee, Brazilian rock singer, composer
** Tim Matheson, American actor, film director and producer
Date unknown
* Marouf al-Bakhit, twice Prime Minister of Jordan
Deaths
January
* January 3 – Al Herpin, French-born American insomniac, "The Man Who Never Slept" (b. 1862)
* January 5 – Osami Nagano, Japanese admiral (b. 1880)
* January 8 – Tadeusz Kutrzeba, Polish general (b. 1885)
* January 9
** Herman Bing, German actor (b. 1889)
** Karl Mannheim, Hungarian sociologist (b. 1893)
*
January 10
** Arthur E. Andersen, American accountant (b. 1885)
** Hanns Sachs, Austrian psychoanalyst (b. 1881)
* January 11 – Eva Tanguay, Canadian-born vaudeville performer (b. 1878)
* January 12
** Zdenko Blažeković, Yugoslavian politician (b. 1915)
** Júlio Afrânio Peixoto, Brazilian physician, writer, politician and historian (b. 1876)
* January 13
** Sixto María Durán Cárdenas, Ecuadorian pianist, composer and lawyer (b. 1875)
** Ignazio Lupo, Italian-born American gangster (b. 1877)
* January 14 – Bill Hewitt (American football), Bill Hewitt, American football player (Chicago Bears), Pro Football Hall of Fame member (b. 1909)
* January 17 – Hryhoriy Khomyshyn, Ukrainian Roman Catholic bishop, martyr and blessed (b. 1867)
* January 18 – Maria Giovanna Fasce, Italian Roman Catholic religious professed, Augustinians, Augustinian nun and blessed (b. 1881)
*
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 surrend ...
– Manuel Machado (poet and playwright), Manuel Machado, Spanish poet (b. 1874)
* January 20
** Josh Gibson, African-American baseball player, MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1911)
** Andrew Volstead, American politician (b. 1860)
* January 22 – Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, British writer (b. 1888)
* January 23
** Pierre Bonnard, French painter (b. 1867)
** Roy Geiger, American general (b. 1885)
*
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 Cou ...
– August Meyszner, Austrian-born SS officer (executed) (b. 1886)
* January 25 – Al Capone, American gangster (b. 1899)
*
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 Tren ...
**
Grace Moore
Mary Willie Grace Moore (December 5, 1898January 26, 1947) was an American operatic soprano and actress in musical theatre and film.Obituary ''Variety'', January 29, 1947, page 48. She was nicknamed the "Tennessee Nightingale." Her films helped ...
, American opera singer, actress (b. 1898)
** Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (b. 1906)
* January 27 – Vassily Balabanov, Soviet administrator, Provincial Governor of Imperial Russia (b. 1873)
* January 28 – Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan-born French composer (b. 1874)
* January 30 – Frederick Blackman, British plant physiologist (b.1866)
February
*
February 3 – Petar Živković, Yugoslavian politician, 11th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1879)
* February 4 – Luigi Russolo, Italian painter, composer (b. 1885)
*
February 6
** O. Max Gardner, Governor of North Carolina (b. 1882)
** Luigi Russolo, Italian Futurism, Futurist painter, composer (b. 1885)
* February 11 – Martin Klein (wrestler), Martin Klein, Estonian wrestler (b.1884)
*
February 12
Events Pre-1600
*1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie performed the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna.
*1429 – English forces under ...
** Kurt Lewin, German-born American psychologist (b. 1890)
** Sidney Toler, American actor (b. 1874)
* February 14 – Celestina Boninsegna, Italian soprano (b. 1877)
* February 15 – Mustafa Abdel-Razek, Egyptian Islamic philosopher (b. 1885)
* February 16
** Pedro de Répide Gallegos, Spanish journalist, writer (b. 1853)
** Bertha Schwarz, German soprano (b. 1855)
* February 18
** Valentina Dmitryeva, Soviet writer, teacher and doctor (b. 1859)
** Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt (b. 1901)
*
February 20 – Henry Herbert (actor), Henry Herbert, British actor (b. 1879)
*
February 23 – Hakim Habibur Rahman, Indian physician, writer, journalist and politician (b. 1881)
* February 24
** Morinosuke Chiwaki, Japanese dentist (b. 1870)
** Pierre Janet, French psychologist (b. 1859)
* February 26
** Antonino D'Agata, Italian politician (b. 1882)
** Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss politician, president of the Federal Council (b. 1868)
** Ben Webster (actor), Ben Webster, British-born American actor (b. 1864)
* February 27 – Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1868)
March
* March 2 – Whately Carington, British parapsychologist (b. 1892)
* March 5 – Alfredo Casella, Italian composer (b. 1883)
* March 9
** Carrie Chapman Catt, American suffrage leader (b. 1859)
** Jhaverchand Meghani, Indian poet, writer (b. 1897)
* March 10 – Harukichi Hyakutake, Japanese general (b. 1888)
* March 11
**Victor Lustig, Austrian-born con artist (b. 1890)
**Wilhelm Heye, German general (b. 1869)
*
March 12 – Walter Samuel Goodland, Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1862)
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
*474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
* 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odo ...
** Arthur Machen, British-born author (b. 1863)
** Jean-Richard Bloch, French critic, novelist and playwright (b. 1884)
* March 18 – William C. Durant, American automobile pioneer (b. 1861)
*
March 19
Events Pre-1600
* 1277 – The Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 is concluded, stipulating a two-year truce and renewing Venetian commercial privileges in the Byzantine Empire.
* 1279 – A Mongol victory at the Battle of Yamen en ...
** James A. Gilmore, American businessman and baseball executive (b. 1887)
** Prudence Heward, Canadian painter (b. 1896)
* March 20 – Victor Goldschmidt, Swiss geochemist (b. 1888)
* March 21 – Homer Lusk Collyer, American hermit brother (''Collyer brothers'') (b. 1881)
* March 23
** Archduchess Louise of Austria, Archduchess Louise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany (b. 1870)
** Ferdinand Zecca, French actor, producer, director and screenwriter (b. 1864)
*
March 25 – Chen Cheng-po, Taiwanese painter (b. 1895)
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Di ...
** Johnny Evers, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs), MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1881)
** Karol Świerczewski, Polish military leader (b. 1897)
*
March 29
Events Pre-1600
* 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
* 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of ...
– Manuel de Adalid y Gamero, Honduran composer (b. 1872)
April
*
April 1
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
*1081 – Alexios I Ko ...
– King George II of Greece (b. 1890)
* April 5 – Petro Trad, Lebanese lawyer, politician, 14th Prime Minister of Lebanon and 5th President of Lebanon (b. 1876)
*April 6 - Herbert Backe, German Nazi general (b. 1896)
*
April 7
Events Pre-1600
* 451 – Attila the Hun captures Metz in France, killing most of its inhabitants and burning the town.
* 529 – First ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', a fundamental work in jurisprudence, is issued by Eastern Roman Empe ...
** Henry Ford, American industrialist, automobile manufacturer (b. 1863)
** Savvas the New of Kalymnos, Greek Orthodox priest and saint (b. 1862)
* April 8 – Collyer brothers, Langley Collyer, American hermit brother (b. 1885)
*
April 9
Events Pre-1600
* 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, su ...
– William Foden, American composer (b. 1860)
* April 10
** Charles Bally, Swiss linguist (b. 1865)
** John Ince (actor), John Ince, American actor (b. 1878)
* April 12 – Duke Robert of Württemberg (b. 1873)
* April 14
** Ayoub Tabet, 6th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1884)
** Salvador Toscano, Mexican director, producer and filmmaker (b. 1872)
*
April 15
Events Pre-1600
* 769 – The Lateran Council ends by condemning the Council of Hieria and anathematizing its iconoclastic rulings.
* 1071 – Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscar ...
– Georg Friederici, German ethnologist (b. 1866)
*
April 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
* 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide.
* 73 – Masad ...
** Guido Donegani, Italian engineer, businessman and politician (b. 1877)
** Rudolf Höss, German commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp (executed) (b. 1900)
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
– Jozef Tiso, Slovak politician, Roman Catholic priest, 1st Prime Minister of Slovakia and President of Slovakia (b. 1887)
*
April 20
Events Pre-1600
* 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
1601–1900
*1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament.
*1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroys ...
– King Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)
* April 21 – Heitor da Silva Costa, Brazilian engineer, designer and constructor (b. 1873)
* April 23 – Gyula Károlyi, Hungarian politician, 29th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1871)
* April 24 – Willa Cather, American novelist (b. 1873)
* April 25
** José María Reina Andrade, acting president of Guatemala (b. 1860)
** Ana Cumpănaș, Austro-Hungarian prostitute (b. 1889)
*
April 26
Events Pre-1600
* 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
*1348 – Czech king Karel IV founds the Charles University in Prague, which was later named after him and was the first university in Central Europe.
* 1 ...
– Francesco Paolo Finocchiaro, Italian painter (b. 1868)
* April 29
**Gheorghe Ciuhandu (priest), Gheorghie Ciuhandu, Romanian Orthodox priest, theologian, historian and advocate (b. 1875)
** Irving Fisher, American economist (b. 1867)
**Karel Čurda, Czech soldier and parachutist (b. 1911)
* April 30
** Francesc Cambó, Andorran politician (b. 1876)
** Almroth WSir Almroth Wright, British bacteriologist and immunologist (b. 1861)
May
* May 8 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American department store magnate (b. 1858)
* May 13 – Sukanta Bhattacharya, Bengali poet (b. 1926)
* May 14 – John R. Sinnock, 8th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint (b. 1888)
* May 15 – Miguel Abadía Méndez, Colombian politician, 12th President of Colombia (b. 1867)
* May 16
** Frederick Gowland Hopkins, Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, British biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1861)
** Michael Joseph Curley, American Roman Catholic bishop and reverend (b. 1879)
** Zhang Lingfu, Chinese general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1903)
* May 17
** George Forbes (New Zealand politician), George Forbes, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
** Seabiscuit, thoroughbred racehorse (b. 1933)
* May 18 – Lucile Gleason, American actress (b. 1888)
* May 20 – Philipp Lenard, Austrian physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
* May 23 – Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, Swiss writer (b. 1878)
* May 28 – August Eigruber, Nazi war criminal (executed) (b. 1907)
*
May 30 – Georg Ludwig von Trapp, Austrian sailor, patriarch of the Von Trapp Family of ''The Sound of Music'' fame (b. 1880)
*
May 31
Events Pre-1600
* 455 – Emperor Petronius Maximus is stoned to death by an angry mob while fleeing Rome.
* 1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River: Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat K ...
– Adrienne Ames, American actress (b. 1907)
June
* June 6
** S. H. Dudley (singer), S. H. Dudley, American urban singer (b. 1864)
** Władysław Raczkiewicz, Polish politician, lawyer, diplomat and 5th
President of Poland
The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...
(b. 1885)
** José Marques da Silva, Portuguese architect (b. 1869)
* June 9
** Augusto Giacometti, Italian painter (b. 1877)
** J. Warren Kerrigan, American actor (b. 1879)
*
June 11
Events Pre-1600
* 173 – Marcomannic Wars: The Roman army in Moravia is encircled by the Quadi, who have broken the peace treaty (171). In a violent thunderstorm emperor Marcus Aurelius defeats and subdues them in the so-called "miracle ...
– Richard Hönigswald, Hungarian-born American philosopher (b. 1875)
* June 12 – Cosme Damião, former Portuguese football player and manager (b. 1885)
* June 14 – Albert Marquet, French painter (b. 1875)
* June 17 – Maxwell Perkins, American literary editor (b. 1884)
* June 18
**Alfred Allen (actor), Alfred Allen, American actor (b. 1866)
** Richard Cooper (actor), Richard Cooper, British actor (b. 1893)
** Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese rear admiral, convicted war criminal (executed) (b. 1898)
**John Henry Patterson (author), John Henry Patteron, Anglo-Irish soldier, hunter and author (b. 1867)
* June 19 – Kōsō Abe, Japanese admiral, convicted war criminal (executed) (b. 1892)
* June 20 – Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (assassinated) (b. 1906)
* June 22 – Jim Tully, American vagabond, pugilist and writer (b. 1891)
*
June 24
Events Pre-1600
*1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa.
* 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, northwest of Rome. ...
– Bartolomeo Pagano, Bartolome Pagano, Italian actor (b. 1878)
* June 26 – R. B. Bennett, 11th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1870)
* June 28 – Franciszek Mączyński, Polish architect (b. 1874)
July
* July 7 – José Luis Tamayo, 20th President of Ecuador (b. 1858)
* July 12 – Jimmie Lunceford, American jazz musician (b. 1902)
* July 15
** Walter Donaldson, American songwriter (b. 1893)
** Brandon Hurst, American stage, screen veteran (b. 1866)
** Henry Kolker, American actor (b. 1874)
*
July 17
Events Pre-1600
* 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
*1048 – Damasu ...
**
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)He is presumed to have died in 1947, although the circumstances of his death are not clear and this date has been disputed. Some reports claim he was alive years later. 31 J ...
, Swedish diplomat, humanitarian (presumed dead on this date) (b. 1912)
** Prince Sisowath Youtevong, 4th Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1913)
*
July 18
Events Pre-1600
* 477 BC – Battle of the Cremera as part of the Roman–Etruscan Wars. Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman army.
* 387 BC – Roman- Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, l ...
– Fumio Hayashi (doctor), Fumio Hayashi, Japanese physician (b. 1900)
*
July 19
Events Pre-1600
*AD 64 – The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city.
* 484 – Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is ...
–
Aung San
Aung San (, ; 13 February 191519 July 1947) was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his goa ...
, Burmese nationalist (assassinated) (b. 1915)
* July 21 – Patriarch Yousef VI Emmanuel II Thomas (b. 1852)
* July 23
** Alice Fischer (actress), Alice Fischer, American actress (b. 1869)
** Ángel Roffo, Argentine doctor (b. 1882)
*July 25 - Kathleen Scott, British sculptor and wife of explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott (b. 1878)
*
July 26
Events Pre-1600
* 657 – First Fitna: In the Battle of Siffin, troops led by Ali ibn Abu Talib clash with those led by Muawiyah I.
* 811 – Battle of Pliska: Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I is killed and his heir Staurakios is se ...
– Archbishop Leontios of Cyprus (b. 1896)
*
July 29
Events Pre-1600
* 587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple.
* 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12.
* 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo ...
** Leo Stein, American art collector, critic (b. 1872)
** George Bausewine, American baseball player, umpire (b. 1869)
* July 30
** Joseph Cook, Sir Joseph Cook, 6th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1860)
** Fedir Krychevsky, Ukrainian painter (b. 1879)
August
* August – Teresa Magbanua, Filipino general (b. 1868)
* August 3
** José Pardo y Barreda, Peruvian politician, 51st Prime Minister of Peru and 2-time President of Peru (b. 1864)
** Vic Willis, American baseball player (Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves), MLB Hall of Fame member (b. 1876)
*
August 7
Events Pre-1600
* 461 – Roman Emperor Majorian is beheaded near the river Iria in north-west Italy following his arrest and deposition by the ''magister militum'' Ricimer.
* 626 – The Avar and Slav armies leave the siege of Co ...
– Anton Denikin, Russian military leader (b. 1872)
* August 9 – Carlo Romanelli, Italian sculptor (b. 1872)
* August 10 – Antonio Sciortino, Maltese sculptor (b. 1879)
*
August 15
Events Pre-1600
* 636 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins.
* 717 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Const ...
– Claudio Granzotto, Italian Roman Catholic religious professed and blessed (b. 1900)
* August 17 – Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke (b. 1865)
* August 20
**Franz Cumont, Belgian archaeologist, historian (b. 1868)
**James Harbord, American general (b. 1866)
* August 21 – Ettore Bugatti, Italian car designer, founder of Bugatti (b. 1881)
*
August 23
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, the eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Cae ...
– Hasmik (actress), Hasmik, Soviet actress (b. 1878)
* August 29
** Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (gored) (b. 1917)
** Kōtarō Nakamura, General of the Imperial Japanese Army (b. 1881)
September
* September 1 – Frederick Russell Burnham, American Scout, father of the international Scouting movement (b. 1861)
* September 8 – Victor Horta, Belgian Art Nouveau architect (b. 1861)
* September 9 – Ananda Coomaraswamy, Ceylonese-born American philosopher (b. 1877)
* September 10 – Hatazō Adachi, Japanese general (suicide) (b. 1890)
* September 11
**Robert Lee Bullard, American general (b. 1861)
**Alice Keppel, mistress of Edward VII (b. 1868)
* September 20
**Fiorello H. La Guardia, Mayor of New York (b. 1882)
**Jantina Tammes, Dutch plant biologist (b. 1871)
* September 21
** Harry Carey (actor), Harry Carey, American film actor (b. 1878)
** Vasily Glagolev, Soviet general (b. 1896)
* September 26 – Hugh Lofting, British-born writer (b. 1886)
* September 27 – Luigi Barlassina, Patriarch of Jerusalem (b. 1872)
October
* October 1
** Olive Borden, American actress (b. 1906)
** Gregorio Martinez Sierra, Spanish writer, poet, dramatist and director (b. 1881)
* October 2 – P. D. Ouspensky, Soviet mathematician (b. 1878)
* October 3 – Ernest L. Riebau, American politician (1895)
* October 4 – Max Planck, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858)
* October 6 – Leevi Madetoja, Finnish composer (b. 1887)
* October 10 – Jo Mora, Uruguayan-born American cartoonist (b. 1876)
* October 12
** James Farley (actor), James Farley, American actor (b. 1882)
** Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton, Sir Ian Hamilton, British general (b. 1853)
* October 13 – Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield, British economist, social reformer (b. 1859)
* October 16 – Anna B. Eckstein, German peace campaigner (b. 1868)
* October 17 – John Halliday (actor), John Halliday, American actor (b. 1880)
* October 18
** Harry C. Bradley (actor), Harry C. Bradley, American actor (b. 1869)
** Massimo Terzano, Italian cinematographer (b. 1892)
* October 20 – Albert Howard, Sir Albert Howard, English botanist and organic farming pioneer (b. 1873)
* October 23 – Carl Shelton, American gangster (b. 1888)
* October 24 – Dudley Digges (actor), Dudley Digges, Irish actor (b. 1879)
* October 27 – María Teresalina Sánchez, Spanish Franciscan religious sister, missionary and martyr (b. 1918)
* October 29 – Frances Cleveland, First Lady of the United States (b. 1864)
November
* November 6 – Ernie Adams (actor), Ernie Adams, American actor (b. 1885)
* November 7 – Sándor Garbai, Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1879)
* November 8
** Mariano Benlliure, Spanish sculptor (b. 1862)
** Constantin Sănătescu, Romanian general, statesman and 44th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1885)
* November 15 – Eduard Ritter von Schleich, German fighter ace, air force general (b. 1888)
* November 16 – Giuseppe Volpi, Italian businessman, politician (b. 1877)
* November 17 – Josaphat Kotsylovsky, Ukrainian Roman Catholic bishop, martyr and blessed (b. 1876)
* November 20 – Georg Kolbe, German sculptor (b. 1877)
* November 28
** W. E. Lawrence, American actor (b. 1896)
** Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, French general (b. 1902)
* November 30 – Ernst Lubitsch, German film director (b. 1892)
December
* December 1
** Aleister Crowley, British occultist (b. 1875)
** G. H. Hardy, British mathematician (b. 1877)
* December 2 – Franz Xaver Schwarz, German Nazi politician (executed) (b. 1875)
* December 3 – Heinrich Hetsch, German physician, microbiologist (b. 1873)
* December 4
** Margaret Butler (sculptor), Margaret Butler, New Zealand sculptor (b. 1883)
** Walter Walker (actor), Walter Walker, American actor (b. 1864)
* December 6 – Tadashige Daigo, Japanese admiral (executed) (b. 1891)
* December 7
** Tristan Bernard, French writer, lawyer (b. 1866)
** Nicholas Murray Butler, American president of Columbia University, Nobel Peace Prize recipient (b. 1862)
** Henry Page Croft, 1st Baron Croft, British politician (b. 1881)
* December 9 – John Kelly (actor), John Kelly, American actor (b. 1901)
* December 10 – Pierre Petit de Julleville, French Roman Catholic priest, bishop and eminence (b. 1876)
* December 12 – Huda Sha'arawi, Egyptian feminist (b. 1879)
* December 13
** Nicholas Roerich, Russian painter (b. 1874)
** Juan Bautista Vargas Arreola, Mexican general during Mexican Revolution (b. 1890)
* December 14
** Stanley Baldwin, British Conservative politician, 3-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
** Edward Higgins, General of The Salvation Army (b. 1864)
* December 15 – Arthur Machen, British writer (b. 1863)
* December 17
** Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted, Danish chemist (b. 1879)
** Christos Tsigiridis, Greek engineer (b. 1877)
* December 20
** Benigno Aquino Sr., Filipino politician (b. 1894)
** Luigi Chiarelli, Italian playwright (b. 1880)
* December 23 – Ziauddin Ahmad, Indian educationalist and politician (b. 1878)
* December 25 – Gaspar G. Bacon, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1886)
* December 27 – Johannes Winkler, German rocket pioneer (b. 1897)
* December 28 – King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (b. 1869)
* December 29 – Han van Meegeren, Dutch painter, forger (b. 1889)
* December 30 – Alfred North Whitehead, British mathematician, philosopher (b. 1861)
Date unknown
* Ayoub Tabet, 6th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1884)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Edward Victor Appleton
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Robert Robinson (organic chemist), Sir Robert Robinson
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Carl Ferdinand Cori, Gerty Cori, Bernardo Houssay
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – André Gide
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – The Friends Service Council (UK) and The American Friends Service Committee (USA), on behalf of the Religious Society of Friends
References
External links
Pathe newsreel, 1947. Experimental snowplough. Pathe says 'Grantham' but the station name 'Dowlais top' in Wales can be clearly seen
Stories from the winter of 1947
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