August 9

August 9 is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 144 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 48 BC – Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus – Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt.
• 378 – Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople – A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens is defeated by the Visigoths. Valens is killed along with over half of his army.
• 1173 – Construction of the campanile of the Cathedral of Pisa (now known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa) begins; it will take two centuries to complete.
• 1329 – Quilon, the first Indian Christian Diocese, is erected by Pope John XXII; the French-born Jordanus is appointed the first Bishop.
• 1483 – Opening of the Sistine Chapel in Rome with the celebration of a Mass.
• 1500 – Ottoman–Venetian War (1499–1503): The Ottomans capture Methoni, Messenia.
• 1610 – The First Anglo-Powhatan War begins in colonial Virginia.
• 1810 – Napoleon annexes Westphalia as part of the First French Empire.
• Georgia.
• 1842 – The Webster–Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States–Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains.
• 1854 – Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Cedar Mountain – At Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeats Union forces under General John Pope.
• 1877 – Indian Wars: Battle of the Big Hole – A small band of Nez Percé Indians clash with the United States Army
• 1892 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph.
• 1902 – Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• 1907 – The first Boy Scout encampment concludes at Brownsea Island in southern England.
• 1914 – Start of the Battle of Mulhouse, part of a French attempt to recover the province of Alsace and the first French offensive of World War I.
• 1925 – A train robbery takes place in Kakori, near Lucknow, India
• 1930 – Betty Boop makes her cartoon debut in Dizzy Dishes.
• 1936 – Summer Olympic Games: Games of the XI Olympiad – Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal at the games.
• 1942 – Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement.
• 1942 – World War II: Battle of Savo Island – Allied naval forces protecting their amphibious forces during the initial stages of the Battle of Guadalcanal are surprised and defeated by an Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser force.
• 1944 – The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time.
• 1944 – Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, the largest offensive launched by Soviet Union against Finland during the Second World War, ends to a strategic stalemate. Both Finnish and Soviet troops at the Finnish front dug to defensive positions, and the front remains stable until the end of the war.
• 1945 – World War II: Nagasaki is devastated when an atomic bomb, Fat Man, is dropped by the United States B-29 Bockscar. 35,000 people are killed outright, including 23,200-28,200 Japanese war workers, 2,000 Korean forced workers, and 150 Japanese soldiers.
• 1945 – The Red Army invades Japanese-occupied Manchuria.
• 1965 – Singapore is expelled from Malaysia and becomes the only country to date to gain independence unwillingly.
• 1965 – A fire at a Titan missile base near Searcy, Arkansas kills 53 construction workers.
• 1969 – Followers led by Charles Manson murder pregnant actress Sharon Tate (wife of Roman Polanski), coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Polish actor Wojciech Frykowski, men's hairstylist Jay Sebring and recent high-school graduate Steven Parent.
• 1971 – The Troubles: The British Army in Northern Ireland launches Operation Demetrius. Hundreds of people are arrested and interned, thousands are displaced, and twenty are killed in the violence that followed.
• 1974 – As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office. His Vice President, Gerald Ford, becomes president.
• 1993 – The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership.
• 1999 – Russian President Boris Yeltsin fires his Prime Minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet.
• 2006 – At least 21 suspected terrorists were arrested in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot that happened in the United Kingdom. The arrests were made in London, Birmingham, and High Wycombe in an overnight operation.
• 2013 – Gunmen open fire at a Sunni mosque in the city of Quetta killing at least 10 people and injuring 30.
• 2014 – Michael Brown, a 18-year-old African American male in Ferguson, Missouri, was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer, sparking protests and unrest in the city.

Births

• 1201 – Arnold Fitz Thedmar, English historian and merchant (d. 1274)
• 1537 – Francesco Barozzi, Italian mathematician and astronomer (d. 1604)
• 1544 – Bogislaw XIII, Duke of Pomerania (d. 1606)
• 1603 – Johannes Cocceius, German-Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1669)
• 1631 – John Dryden, English poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1700)
• 1653 – John Oldham, English poet and translator (d. 1683)
• 1669 – Eudoxia Lopukhina, Russian wife of Peter the Great (d. 1731)
• 1674 – František Maxmilián Kaňka, Czech architect, designed the Veltrusy Mansion (d. 1766)
• 1696 – Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein (d. 1772)
• 1722 – Prince Augustus William of Prussia (d. 1758)
• 1726 – Francesco Cetti, Italian priest, zoologist, and mathematician (d. 1778)
• 1757 – Thomas Telford, Scottish architect and engineer, designed the Menai Suspension Bridge (d. 1834)
• 1776 – Amedeo Avogadro, Italian physicist and chemist (d. 1856)
• 1783 – Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1801)
• 1788 – Adoniram Judson, American missionary and lexicographer (d. 1850)
• 1797 – Charles Robert Malden, English lieutenant and surveyor (d. 1855)
• 1805 – Joseph Locke, English engineer and politician (d. 1860)
• 1845 – André Bessette, Canadian saint (d. 1937)
• 1847 – Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, French-Italian wife of Amadeo I of Spain (d. 1876)
• 1861 – Dorothea Klumpke, American astronomer and academic (d. 1942)
• 1867 – Evelina Haverfield, Scottish nurse and activist (d. 1920)
• 1872 – Archduke Joseph August of Austria (d. 1962)
• 1874 – Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan composer and conductor (d. 1947)
• 1875 – Albert Ketèlbey, English pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1959)
• 1881 – Prince Antônio Gastão of Orléans-Braganza, Brazilian prince (d. 1918)
• 1896 – Erich Hückel, German physicist and chemist (d. 1980)
• 1896 – Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist and philosopher (d. 1980)
• 1899 – P. L. Travers, Australian-English author and actress (d. 1996)
• 1901 – Charles Farrell, American actor and singer (d. 1990)
• 1902 – Zino Francescatti, French violinist (d. 1991)
• 1902 – Panteleimon Ponomarenko, Russian general and politician (d. 1984)
• 1909 – Vinayaka Krishna Gokak, Indian scholar, author, and academic (d. 1992)
• 1909 – Adam von Trott zu Solz, German lawyer and diplomat (d. 1944)
• 1911 – William Alfred Fowler, American astronomer and astrophysicist, Nobel Laureate (d. 1996)
• 1911 – Eddie Futch, American boxer and trainer (d. 2001)
• 1911 – John McQuade, Northern Irish soldier, boxer, and politician (d. 1984)
• 1913 – Wilbur Norman Christiansen, Australian astronomer and engineer (d. 2007)
• 1914 – Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian-Austrian conductor and director (d. 1963)
• 1914 – Tove Jansson, Finnish author and illustrator (d. 2001)
• 1914 – Joe Mercer, English footballer and manager (d. 1990)
• 1915 – Mareta West, American astronomer and geologist (d. 1998)
• 1918 – Kermit Beahan, American colonel (d. 1989)
• 1918 – Giles Cooper, Irish soldier and playwright (d. 1966)
• 1918 – Albert Seedman, American police officer (d. 2013)
• 1919 – Joop den Uyl, Dutch journalist, economist, and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1987)
• 1919 – Ralph Houk, American baseball player and manager (d. 2010)
• 1920 – Enzo Biagi, Italian journalist and author (d. 2007)
• 1921 – Ernest Angley, American evangelist and author
• 1921 – J. James Exon, American soldier and politician, 33rd Governor of Nebraska (d. 2005)
• 1922 – Philip Larkin, English poet and author (d. 1985)
• 1924 – Mathews Mar Barnabas, Indian metropolitan (d. 2012)
• 1924 – Frank Martínez, American soldier and painter (d. 2013)
• 1925 – David A. Huffman, American computer scientist, developed Huffman coding (d. 1999)
• 1927 – Daniel Keyes, American author and academic (d. 2014)
• 1927 – Robert Malpas, English engineer and businessman
• 1927 – Marvin Minsky, American computer scientist and academic
• 1927 – Robert Shaw, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1978)
• 1928 – Bob Cousy, American basketball player and coach
• 1928 – Camilla Wicks, American violinist and educator
• 1928 – Dolores Wilson, American soprano and actress (d. 2010)
• 1929 – Abdi İpekçi, Turkish journalist and activist (d. 1979)
• 1930 – Milt Bolling, American baseball player and scout (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Jacques Parizeau, Canadian economist and politician, 26th Premier of Quebec (d. 2015)
• 1931 – Chuck Essegian, American baseball player and lawyer
• 1931 – James Freeman Gilbert, American geophysicist and academic (d. 2014)
• 1931 – Paula Kent Meehan, American businesswoman, co-founded Redken (d. 2014)
• 1931 – Mário Zagallo, Brazilian footballer and coach
• 1932 – Tam Dalyell, Scottish academic and politician
• 1932 – John Gomery, Canadian lawyer and jurist
• 1933 – Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Japanese actress, talk show host, and author
• 1935 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (d. 2008)
• 1936 – Julián Javier, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1936 – Patrick Tse, Chinese-Hong Kong actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1938 – Leonid Kuchma, Ukrainian engineer and politician, 2nd President of Ukraine
• 1938 – Rod Laver, Australian tennis player and coach
• 1938 – Otto Rehhagel, German footballer, coach, and manager
• 1939 – Hércules Brito Ruas, Brazilian footballer
• 1939 – Vincent Hanna, Northern Irish journalist (d. 1997)
• 1939 – The Mighty Hannibal, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2014)
• 1939 – Billy Henderson, American singer (The Spinners) (d. 2007)
• 1939 – Bulle Ogier, French actress and screenwriter
• 1939 – Romano Prodi, Italian academic and politician, 52nd Prime Minister of Italy
• 1939 – Butch Warren, American bassist (d. 2013)
• 1941 – Way Bandy, American make-up artist (d. 1986)
• 1941 – Shirlee Busbee, American author
• 1942 – Tommie Agee, American baseball player (d. 2001)
• 1942 – Jack DeJohnette, American drummer, pianist, and composer
• 1942 – David Steinberg, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1943 – Ken Norton, American boxer and actor (d. 2013)
• George Armstrong, English footballer (d. 2000)
• 1944 – Patrick Depailler, French race car driver (d. 1980)
• 1944 – Sam Elliott, American actor and producer
• 1944 – Patricia McKissack, American soldier, engineer, and author
• 1944 – John Simpson, English journalist and author
• 1945 – Barbara Delinsky, American author
• 1945 – Aleksandr Gorelik, Russian figure skater and sportscaster (d. 2012)
• 1945 – Zurab Sakandelidze, Georgian basketball player (d. 2004)
• 1945 – Posy Simmonds, English author and illustrator
• 1946 – Jim Kiick, American football player
• 1947 – Roy Hodgson, English footballer and manager
• 1947 – Barbara Mason, American singer-songwriter
• 1947 – John Varley, American author
• 1948 – Bill Campbell, American baseball player and coach
• 1949 – Jonathan Kellerman, American psychologist and author
• 1949 – Ted Simmons, American baseball player and coach
• 1951 – James Naughtie, Scottish journalist and radio host
• 1951 – Steve Swisher, American baseball player and manager
• 1952 – Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thai activist and politician
• 1953 – Kay Stenshjemmet, Norwegian speed skater
• 1953 – Jean Tirole, French economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1953 – Roberta Tovey, English actress and singer
• 1954 – Ray Jennings, South African cricketer and coach
• 1955 – John E. Sweeney, American lawyer and politician
• 1957 – Melanie Griffith, American actress and producer
• 1958 – Amanda Bearse, American actress and director
• 1958 – Muazzez Ersoy, Turkish singer
• 1958 – James Lileks, American journalist and blogger
• 1958 – Calie Pistorius, South African engineer and academic
• 1959 – Kurtis Blow, American rapper, producer, and actor
• 1959 – Stuart Hughes, Canadian actor
• 1959 – Michael Kors, American fashion designer
• 1959 – Toni Servillo, Italian actor and director
• 1961 – Brad Gilbert, American tennis player and sportscaster
• 1961 – John Key, New Zealand businessman and politician, 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand
• 1962 – Louis Lipps, American football player and radio host
• 1962 – Kevin Mack, American football player
• 1962 – John "Hot Rod" Williams, American basketball player
• 1963 – Whitney Houston, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (d. 2012)
• 1963 – Jay Leggett, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1964 – Brett Hull, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager
• 1964 – Hoda Kotb, American journalist and talk show host
• 1965 – Chin Ka-lok, Hong Kong actor and choreographer
• 1966 – Vinny Del Negro, American basketball player and coach
• 1966 – Linn Ullmann, Norwegian journalist and author
• 1967 – Deion Sanders, American football and baseball player
• 1968 – McG, American director and producer
• 1968 – Gillian Anderson, American-English actress and director
• 1968 – Eric Bana, Australian actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1968 – Sam Fogarino, American drummer (Interpol and Magnetic Morning)
• 1968 – Carmi Martin, Filipino actress
• 1969 – Smaragda Karydi, Greek actress
• 1969 – Troy Percival, American baseball player and coach
• 1969 – Estella Marie Thompson, American prostitute
• 1970 – Rod Brind'Amour, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1970 – Chris Cuomo, American lawyer and journalist
• 1970 – Thomas Lennon, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1971 – Mack 10, American rapper and actor (Westside Connection)
• 1971 – James Kim, American technology expert (d. 2006)
• 1971 – Mark Povinelli, American actor and stuntman
• 1971 – Davide Rebellin, Italian cyclist
• 1971 – Nikki Ziering, American model and actress
• 1972 – A-mei, Taiwanese singer
• 1972 – Juanes, Colombian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Ekhymosis)
• 1972 – Ryan Bollman, American actor
• 1973 – Filippo Inzaghi, Italian footballer and manager
• 1973 – Kevin McKidd, Scottish actor and director
• 1973 – Gene Luen Yang, American author and illustrator
• 1974 – Derek Fisher, American basketball player and coach
• 1974 – Stephen Fung, Hong Kong actor, singer, director, and screenwriter
• 1974 – Matt Morris, American baseball player
• 1974 – Kirill Reznik, American lawyer and politician
• 1974 – Nicola Stapleton, English actress and singer
• 1974 – Raphaël Poirée, French biathlete
• 1975 – Mahesh Babu, Indian actor and producer
• 1975 – Mike Lamb, American baseball player
• 1975 – Robbie Middleby, Australian soccer player
• 1976 – Nawaf al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)
• 1976 – Jessica Capshaw, American actress
• 1976 – Aled Haydn Jones, Welsh radio host and producer
• 1976 – Rhona Mitra, English actress and singer
• 1976 – Mark Priestley, Australian actor (d. 2008)
• 1976 – Audrey Tautou, French model, actress, and singer
• 1977 – Tuncay Çalışkan, Turkish-Austrian martial artist
• 1977 – Jason Frasor, American baseball player
• 1977 – Chamique Holdsclaw, American basketball player
• 1977 – Adewale Ogunleye, American football player
• 1977 – Ime Udoka, American basketball player and coach
• 1977 – Mikaël Silvestre, French footballer
• 1978 – Dorin Chirtoacă, Moldavian lawyer and politician, Mayor of Chișinău
• 1978 – Daniela Denby-Ashe, English actress
• 1978 – Ana Serradilla, Mexican actress and producer
• 1979 – Michael Kingma, Australian basketball player
• 1979 – Lisa Nandy, English lawyer and politician
• 1979 – Tony Stewart, American football player
• 1980 – Texas Battle, American actor
• 1980 – Nuria Cabanillas, Canadian-Spanish gymnast
• 1980 – Charlie David, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1980 – Rachel Kramer, Dutch singer
• 1980 – Ryoo Seung-bum, South Korean actor and singer
• 1980 – Dominic Tabuna, Nauruan politician
• 1981 – Jarvis Hayes, American basketball player
• 1981 – Li Jiawei, Singaporean table tennis player
• 1982 – Joel Anthony, American basketball player
• 1982 – Tyson Gay, American sprinter
• 1982 – Yekaterina Samutsevich, Russian singer and activist (Pussy Riot)
• 1982 – Kanstantsin Sivtsov, Belorussian cyclist
• 1983 – Ashley Johnson, American actress and singer
• 1983 – Shane O'Brien, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Alicja Smietana, Polish-English violinist
• 1984 – Paul Gallagher, Scottish footballer
• 1985 – Luca Filippi, Italian race car driver
• 1985 – Anna Kendrick, American actress and singer
• 1985 – Haruka Kinami, Japanese actress
• 1985 – Hayley Peirsol, American swimmer
• 1985 – JaMarcus Russell, American football player
• 1985 – Chandler Williams, American football player (d. 2013)
• 1986 – Michael Lerchl, German footballer
• 1986 – Daniel Preussner, German rugby player
• 1986 – Tyler "Telle" Smith, American singer-songwriter and bass player (The Word Alive, In Fear and Faith, and Greeley Estates)
• 1986 – Rafaela Zanella, Brazilian model, Miss Brazil 2006
• 1987 – Marco Carmona, Mexican illustrator and animator
• 1987 – Marek Niit, Estonian sprinter
• 1988 – Anthony Castonzo, American football player
• 1988 – Vasilios Koutsianikoulis, Greek footballer
• 1989 – Lucy Dixon, English actress
• 1989 – Jason Heyward, American baseball player
• 1989 – Stefano Okaka, Italian footballer
• 1989 – Kento Ono, Japanese actor and model
• 1990 – İshak Doğan, Turkish footballer
• 1990 – Adelaide Kane, Australian actress
• 1990 – Stuart McInally, Scottish rugby player
• 1990 – Brice Roger, French skier
• 1990 – Bill Skarsgård, Swedish actor
• 1990 – Emily Tennant, Canadian actress
• 1991 – Alice Barlow, English actress and singer
• 1991 – Hansika Motwani, Indian actress
• 1991 – Candela Vetrano, Argentinian actress and singer
• 1991 – Young Thug, American rapper
• 1993 – Rydel Lynch, American singer and actress (R5)
• 1999 – Deniss Vasiļjevs, Latvian figure skater
• 2005 – Caylee Anthony, American murder victim (d. 2008)

Deaths

• 117 – Trajan, Roman emperor (b. 53)
• 378 – Traianus, Roman general
• 378 – Valens, Roman emperor (b. 328)
• 803 – Irene of Athens (b. 752)
• 833 – Al-Ma'mun, Iraqi caliph (b. 786)
• 1048 – Pope Damasus II
• 1107 – Emperor Horikawa of Japan (b. 1079)
• 1173 – Najm ad-Din Ayyub, Kurdish soldier and politician
• 1250 – Eric IV of Denmark (b. 1216)
• 1534 – Thomas Cajetan, Italian cardinal and philosopher (b. 1470)
• 1580 – Metrophanes III of Constantinople (b. 1520)
• 1601 – Michael the Brave, Romanian prince (b. 1558)
• 1634 – William Noy, English lawyer and judge (b. 1577)
• 1720 – Simon Ockley, English orientalist and academic (b. 1678)
• 1744 – James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire (b. 1673)
• 1816 – Johann August Apel, German jurist and author (b. 1771)
• 1861 – Vincent Novello, English composer and publisher (b. 1781)
• 1886 – Samuel Ferguson, Irish lawyer and poet (b. 1810)
• 1910 – Huo Yuanjia, Chinese martial artist, co-founded the Chin Woo Athletic Association (b. 1868)
• 1919 – Ruggero Leoncavallo, Italian composer and educator (b. 1857)
• 1932 – John Charles Fields, Canadian mathematician, founder of the Fields Medal (b. 1863)
• 1942 – Edith Stein, German nun and saint (b. 1891)
• 1943 – Chaim Soutine, Belarusian-French painter and educator (b. 1893)
• 1945 – Robert Hampton Gray, Canadian lieutenant and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1917)
• 1945 – Harry Hillman, American runner and coach (b. 1881)
• 1946 – Bert Vogler, South African cricketer (b. 1876)
• 1948 – Hugo Boss, German fashion designer, founded Hugo Boss (b. 1885)
• 1949 – Edward Thorndike, American psychologist and academic (b. 1874)
• 1957 – Carl Clauberg, German physician (b. 1898)
• 1962 – Hermann Hesse, German-Swiss author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1877)
• 1963 – Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, American son of John F. Kennedy (b. 1963)
• 1967 – Joe Orton, English author and playwright (b. 1933)
• 1969 – Wojciech Frykowski, Polish-American actor and author (b. 1936)
• 1969 – Jay Sebring, American hair stylist (b. 1933)
• 1969 – Sharon Tate, American model and actress (b. 1943)
• 1969 – Steven Parent, American student (b. 1951)
• 1969 – C. F. Powell, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
• 1972 – Sıddık Sami Onar, Turkish lawyer and academic (b. 1897)
• 1974 – Bill Chase, American trumpet player and bandleader (Chase) (b. 1934)
• 1975 – Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1906)
• 1978 – James Gould Cozzens, American soldier and author (b. 1903)
• 1979 – Walter O'Malley, American businessman (b. 1903)
• 1979 – Raymond Washington, American gang leader, founded the Crips (b. 1953)
• 1980 – Jacqueline Cochran, American pilot (b. 1906)
• 1985 – Clive Churchill, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1927)
• 1988 – Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer and poet (b. 1905)
• 1988 – Ramón Valdés, Mexican actor (b. 1923)
• 1990 – Joe Mercer, English footballer and manager (b. 1914)
• 1992 – Fereydoun Farrokhzad, Iranian singer and actor (b. 1938)
• 1995 – Jerry Garcia, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Legion of Mary, and Old and in the Way) (b. 1942)
• 1996 – Frank Whittle, English soldier and engineer, invented the jet engine (b. 1907)
• 1999 – Fouad Serageddin, Egyptian journalist and politician (b. 1910)
• 2000 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
• 2000 – Nicholas Markowitz, American murder victim (b. 1984)
• 2002 – Paul Samson, English guitarist (Samson) (b. 1953)
• 2003 – Jacques Deray, French director and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 2003 – Ray Harford, English footballer and manager (b. 1945)
• 2003 – Gregory Hines, American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1946)
• 2003 – Chester Ludgin, American actor and singer (b. 1925)
• 2003 – R. Sivagurunathan, Sri Lankan lawyer, journalist, and academic (b. 1931)
• 2004 – Robert Lecourt, French lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of France (b. 1908)
• 2004 – Tony Mottola, American guitarist and composer (b. 1918)
• 2004 – David Raksin, American composer and educator (b. 1912)
• 2005 – Matthew McGrory, American actor (b. 1973)
• 2005 – Judith Rossner, American author (b. 1935)
• 2006 – Philip E. High, English author (b. 1914)
• 2006 – James Van Allen, American physicist and academic (b. 1914)
• 2007 – Joe O'Donnell, American photographer and journalist (b. 1922)
• 2008 – Bernie Mac, American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1957)
• 2008 – Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian author and poet (b. 1941)
• 2009 – John Quade, American actor (b. 1938)
• 2010 – Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, American singer and bass player (The Legendary Blues Band) (b. 1926)
• 2010 – Ted Stevens, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Carl Davis, American record producer (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Gene F. Franklin, American engineer, theorist, and academic (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Al Freeman, Jr., American actor, director, and educator (b. 1934)
• 2012 – David Rakoff, Canadian-American actor and journalist (b. 1964)
• 2012 – Carmen Belen Richardson, Puerto Rican actress (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Mel Stuart, American director and producer (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Haji, Canadian-American actress (b. 1946)
• 2013 – Harry Elliott, American baseball player and coach (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Eduardo Falú, Argentinian guitarist and composer (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Louis Killen, English singer (b. 1934)
• 2013 – William Lynch, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1947)
• 2013 – Phill Nixon, English darts player (b. 1956)
• 2014 – J. F. Ade Ajayi, Nigerian historian and academic (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Andriy Bal, Ukrainian footballer and coach (b. 1958)
• 2014 – Arthur G. Cohen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Arlen Realty and Development Corporation (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Ed Nelson, American actor (b. 1928)
• 2015 – Frank Gifford, American football player, sportscaster, and actor (b. 1930)
• 2015 – John Henry Holland, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1929)
• 2015 – Walter Nahún López, Honduran footballer (b. 1977)
• 2015 – David Nobbs, English author and screenwriter (b. 1935)
• 2015 – Kayyar Kinhanna Rai, Indian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1915)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Candida Maria of Jesus
  • Edith Stein
  • Firmus and Rusticus
  • Herman of Alaska (Russian Orthodox Church and related congregations; Episcopal Church (USA))
  • John Vianney
  • Mary Sumner (Church of England)
  • Nath Í of Achonry
  • Romanus Ostiarius
  • Secundian, Marcellian and Verian
  • August 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples (International)
• National Day, celebrates the independence of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965.
• National Peacekeepers' Day, celebrated on Sunday closest to the day (Canada)
• National Women's Day (South Africa)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• : On This DayThe New York Times
• On This Day in Canada