Famous birthdays, deaths and events of August 7
Birthdays
- 317 - Constantius II, Roman emperor (d. 361)
- 1282 - Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, (d. 1316)
- 1533 - Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga, Basque soldier and poet (d. 1595)
- 1560 - Elizabeth Báthory, Hungarian countess and serial killer (d. 1614)
- 1574 - Robert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick
- 1598 - Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish poet (d. 1672)
- 1726 - James Bowdoin, American Revolutionary leader and politician (d. 1790)
- 1742 - Nathanael Greene, American Revolutionary general (d. 1786)
- 1751 - Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange (d. 1820)
- 1779 - Louis de Freycinet, French explorer (d. 1842)
- 1779 - Carl Ritter, German geographer (d. 1859)
- 1783 - Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom, (d. 1810)
- 1844 - Auguste Michel-Lévy, French geologist (d. 1911)
- 1860 - Alan Leo, British astrologer (d. 1917)
- 1862 - Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden (d. 1931)
- 1867 - Emil Nolde, German painter (d. 1956)
- 1868 - Ladislaus Bortkiewicz, Russian mathematician (d. 1931)
- 1876 - Mata Hari, Dutch spy (d. 1917)
- 1877 - Ulrich Salchow, Swedish figure skater (d. 1949)
- 1879 - Johannes Kotze, South African cricketer (d. 1931)
- 1885 - Billie Burke, American actress (d. 1970)
- 1901 - Ann Harding, American actress (d. 1981)
- 1903 - Louis Leakey, British archaeologist (d. 1972)
- 1904 - Ralph Bunche, American diplomat
- 1907 - Albert Kotin, American abstract painter (d. 1980)
- 1911 - Nicholas Ray, American director and scenarist (d. 1979)
- 1913 - George Van Eps, American guitarist (d. 1998)
- 1921 - Manitas de Plata, Gypsy guitarist
- 1925 - M. S. Swaminathan, Indian scientist
- 1925 - Felice Bryant, American country songwriter and singer (d. 2003)
- 1926 - Stan Freberg, American voice comedian
- 1927 - Edwin W. Edwards, American politician
- 1927 - Art Houtteman, American baseball player (d. 2003)
- 1927 - Carl Switzer, American child actor (d. 1959)
- 1928 - Romeo Muller, American screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1928 - James Randi, Canadian magician
- 1929 - Don Larsen, American baseball player
- 1931 - Charles E. Rice, American legal scholar and author
- 1932 - Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian athlete (d. 1973)
- 1932 - Maurice Rabb, Jr.
- 1932 - Edward Hardwicke, British actor
- 1933 - Eddie Firmani, South African football player and coach
- 1936 - Rahsaan Roland Kirk, American saxophonist (d. 1977)
- 1937 - Don Wilson, England cricketer
- 1939 - Anjanette Comer, American actress
- 1940 - Jean-Luc Dehaene, Belgian politician
- 1942 - Tobin Bell, American actor
- 1942 - Garrison Keillor, American writer and radio host
- 1942 - Carlos Monzón, Argentine boxer
- 1942 - B.J. Thomas, American singer
- 1942 - Caetano Veloso, Brazilian musician
- 1943 - Dino Valente, American musician (Quicksilver Messenger Service) (d. 1994)
- 1943 - Alain Corneau, French film director
- 1944 - Robert Mueller, Director of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
- 1944 - David Rasche, American actor
- 1945 - Alan Page, American football player
- 1946 - Ed Seykota, American commodities and futures trader
- 1947 - Franciscus Henri, Dutch-born Australian entertainer
- 1948 - Greg Chappell, Australian cricket player
- 1948 - Marty Appel, American public relations executive and author
- 1949 - Walid Jumblatt, Lebanese political leader
- 1950 - Alan Keyes, American diplomat and political activist
- 1952 - Alexei Sayle, British comedian
- 1953 - Anne Fadiman, American writer; daughter of Clifton Fadiman
- 1954 - Jonathan Pollard, Israeli spy
- 1955 - Vladimir Sorokin, Russian writer
- 1955 - Greg Nickels, mayor of Seattle
- 1955 - Wayne Knight, American actor
- 1955 - Gregoris Valtinos, Greek actor and director
- 1957 - Alexander Dityatin, Soviet gymnast
- 1958 - Bruce Dickinson, English singer (Iron Maiden)
- 1958 - Alberto Salazar, American distance runner
- 1959 - Ali Shah, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1960 - David Duchovny, American actor
- 1960 - Jacquie O'Sullivan, British singer (Bananarama)
- 1961 - Yelena Davydova, Soviet gymnast
- 1962 - Bruno Pelletier, Québécois singer
- 1963 - Harold Perrineau Jr., American actor
- 1964 - Michael Weishan, American TV host
- 1964 - John Birmingham, Australian author
- 1966 - Kristin Hersh, American singer and guitarist (Throwing Muses)
- 1966 - Jimmy Wales, American internet entrepreneur
- 1967 - Jason Grimsley, American baseball player
- 1968 - Lynn Strait, American singer (Snot)
- 1971 - Sydney Penny, American actress
- 1971 - Rachel York, American actress and singer
- 1971 - Dominic Cork, England cricketer
- 1972 - Greg Serano, American actor
- 1973 - Danny Graves, American baseball player
- 1973 - Kevin Muscat, Australian footballer
- 1975 - Edgar Rentería, Colombian baseball player
- 1975 - David Hicks, Australian alleged terrorist
- 1975 - Charlize Theron, South African actress
- 1975 - Gaahl (Kristian Eivind Espedal), Norwegian musician
- 1975 - Koray Candemir, Turkish singer
- 1976 - Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos, Greek footballer
- 1976 - Shane Lechler, American football player
- 1977 - Samantha Ronson, British DJ.
- 1978 - Jamey Jasta, American singer (Hatebreed)
- 1978 - Alexandre Aja, French director
- 1978 - Vanness Wu, Taiwanese singer
- 1978 - Cirroc Lofton, American actor
- 1978 - Shirley Yeung, Hong Kong actress
- 1979 - Eric Johnson, American actor
- 1980 - Aurélie Claudel, French model
- 1982 - Yana Klochkova, Ukrainian swimmer
- 1982 - Vasileios Spanoulis, Greek basketball player
- 1983 - Tina O'Brien, British actress
- 1987 - Sidney Crosby, Canadian hockey player
- 1988 - Melody Oliveria, American internet blogger
- 1996 - Tessa Allen, American actress
Deaths
- 461 - Majorian, Roman Emperor (assassinated) (b. 420)
- 479 - Emperor Yūryaku of Japan,
- 1106 - Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1050)
- 1485 - Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany
- 1613 - Thomas Fleming, English judge (b. 1544)
- 1616 - Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect (b. 1548)
- 1635 - Friedrich von Spee, German writer (b. 1591)
- 1639 - Martin van den Hove, Dutch scientist (b. 1605)
- 1661 - Jin Shengtan, Chinese editor
- 1817 - Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, French industrialist (b. 1739)
- 1834 - Joseph Marie Jacquard, French weaver and inventor (b. 1752)
- 1848 - Jöns Jakob Berzelius, Swedish chemist (b. 1779)
- 1855 - Mariano Arista, President of Mexico (b. 1802)
- 1864 - Li Xiucheng, late Taiping‘s Field Marshal and soul person.(b. 1823)
- 1893 - Alfredo Catalani, Italian musician (b. 1854)
- 1912 - François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss hydrologist (b. 1841)
- 1917 - Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning, first pilot to land his aircraft on a moving ship. (b. 1891)
- 1938 - Constantin Stanislavski, Russian/Soviet theatre practitioner (b. 1863)
- 1941 - Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author
- 1957 - Oliver Hardy, American comedian and actor (b. 1892)
- 1969 - Joseph Kosma, French composer (Autumn Leaves) (b. 1905)
- 1970 - Jonathan Jackson, Brother of George Jackson
- 1972 - Joi Lansing, American model and actress (b. 1929)
- 1973 - Jack Gregory, Former Australian cricketer (b. 1895)
- 1974 - Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet (b. 1925)
- 1974 - Sylvio Mantha, professional ice hockey player (b. 1902)
- 1984 - Esther Phillips, American singer (b. 1935)
- 1985 - Grayson Hall, American actress (b. 1923)
- 1987 - Camille Chamoun, Lebanese President (b. 1900)
- 1989 - Mickey Leland, American politician
- 1992 - John Anderson, American actor (b. 1922)
- 1994 - Larry Martyn, comedy actor (b. 1934)
- 1995 - Brigid Brophy, British author (b. 1929)
- 1999 - Brion James, American actor (b. 1945)
- 2003 - Mickey McDermott, baseball player (b. 1929)
- 2004 - Red Adair, American oil field firefighter (b. 1915)
- 2004 - Colin Bibby, English ornithologist (b. 1948)
- 2005 - Peter Jennings, Canadian-born news anchor (b. 1938)
- 2006 - Mary Anderson Bain, American New Deal politician (b. 1911)
- 2007 - Hal Fishman, Los Angeles based local news anchor. (b. 1931)
- 2007 - Ernesto Alonso, Mexican actor
- 2007 - Angus Tait, New Zealand electronics innovator and businessman (b. 1919)
- 2008 - Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent/manager and producer (b. 1931)
- 2008 - Andrea Pininfarina, CEO of Pininfarina S.p.A. (b. 1957)
Events
- 322 - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great.
- 1461 - the Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor.
- 1606 - The first documented performance of Macbeth performed at the Great Hall at Hampton Court.
- 1679 - The brigantine Le Griffon, commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the south-eastern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes of North America.
- 1714 - The Battle of Gangut: the first important victory of the Russian Navy.
- 1782 - George Washington orders the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to honor soldiers wounded in battle. It is later renamed to the more poetic Purple Heart.
- 1789 - The United States War Department is established.
- 1794 - The Whiskey Rebellion begins: farmers in the Monongahela Valley of Pennsylvania rebel against the federal tax on liquor and distilled drinks.
- 1819 - Simón Bolívar triumphs over Spain in the Battle of Boyacá.
- 1879 - The opening of the Poor Man's Palace in Manchester.
- 1927 - The Peace Bridge opens between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York.
- 1933 - The Iraqi Government slaughters over 3,000 Assyrians in the village of Sumail. The day becomes known as Assyrian Martyrs Day.
- 1940 - Alsace Lorraine is annexed by the Third Reich (Germany) during World War II
- 1942 - World War II: the Battle of Guadalcanal begins
- 1944 - IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I).
- 1945 - President Harry Truman announces the bombing of Hiroshima with an atomic bomb while returning from the Potsdam Conference aboard the heavy cruiser USS Augusta (CA-31) in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1947 - Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after a 101-day, 7000-km (4375-mile) journey across the Pacific Ocean proving that pre-historic peoples could have traveled from South America.
- 1947 - The Bombay Municipal Corporation formally takes over the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).
- 1955 - Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, the precursor to Sony, begins selling its first transistor radios in Japan.
- 1959 - The Lincoln Memorial design on the U.S. penny goes into circulation. It replaces the "sheaves of wheat" design and is still in use.
- 1959 - Explorer program: Explorer 6 launched from the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- 1960 - Côte d'Ivoire becomes independent.
- 1964 - Vietnam War: the U.S. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving US President Lyndon B. Johnson broad war powers to deal with North Vietnamese attacks on American forces.
- 1966 - Race riots occur in Lansing, Michigan.
- 1967 - Vietnam War: the People's Republic of China agrees to give North Vietnam an undisclosed amount of aid in the form of a grant.
- 1970 - California judge Harold Haley is taken hostage in his courtroom and killed during in an effort to free George Jackson from police custody.
- 1973 - NBC airs the final day of the Watergate hearings on U.S. daytime television.
- 1974 - Philippe Petit performed a high wire act between the twin towers of the World Trade Center 1,368 ft (417.0 m) in the air.
- 1976 - Viking program: Viking 2 enters into orbit around Mars.
- 1978 - United States President Jimmy Carter declares a federal emergency at Love Canal.
- 1981 - The Washington Star ceases all operations after 128 years of publication.
- 1985 - Takao Doi, Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai are chosen to be Japan's first astronauts.
- 1988 - Rioting in New York City's Tompkins Square Park.
- 1989 - U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland (D-TX) and 15 others die in a plane crash in Ethiopia.
- 2007 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants breaks baseball great Hank Aaron's record by hitting his 756th home run.
- 2008 - Georgia launches a military offensive to surround and capture the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, from Russian control, starting the South Ossetia War.
- 2009 - Typhoon Morakot hits Taiwan, killing 500 and making more than a thousand isolated without food, causing the worst flooding in the island in half a century.
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