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1332 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August%207 | August 7 | This day marks the approximate midpoint of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and of winter in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the June solstice).
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 Constantinople.
768 – Pope Stephen III is elected to office, and quickly seeks Frankish protection against the Lombard threat, since the Byzantine Empire is no longer able to help.
936 – Coronation of King Otto I of Germany.
1461 – The Ming dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor.
1479 – Battle of Guinegate: French troops of King Louis XI were defeated by the Burgundians led by Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg.
1601–1900
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.
1743 – The Treaty of Åbo ended the 1741–1743 Russo-Swedish War.
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.
1786 – The first federal Indian Reservation is created by the United States.
1789 – The United States Department of War is established.
1791 – American troops destroy the Miami town of Kenapacomaqua near the site of present-day Logansport, Indiana in the Northwest Indian War.
1794 – U.S. President George Washington invokes the Militia Acts of 1792 to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania.
1819 – Simón Bolívar triumphs over Spain in the Battle of Boyacá.
1858 – The first Australian rules football match is played between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College.
1890 – Anna Månsdotter, found guilty of the 1889 Yngsjö murder, became the last woman to be executed in Sweden.
1901–present
1909 – Alice Huyler Ramsey and three friends become the first women to complete a transcontinental auto trip, taking 59 days to travel from New York, New York to San Francisco, California.
1927 – The Peace Bridge opens between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York.
1930 – The last confirmed lynching of black people in the Northern United States occurs in Marion, Indiana; two men, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, are killed.
1933 – The Kingdom of Iraq slaughters over 3,000 Assyrians in the village of Simele. This date is recognized as Martyrs Day or National Day of Mourning by the Assyrian community in memory of the Simele massacre.
1942 – World War II: The Battle of Guadalcanal begins as the United States Marines initiate the first American offensive of the war with landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands.
1944 – IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I).
1946 – The government of the Soviet Union presented a note to its Turkish counterparts which refuted the latter's sovereignty over the Turkish Straits, thus beginning the Turkish Straits crisis.
1947 – Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after a 101-day, journey across the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to prove 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).
1959 – Explorer program: Explorer 6 launches from the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
1960 – Ivory Coast becomes independent from France.
1962 – Canadian-born American pharmacologist Frances Oldham Kelsey awarded the U.S. President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service for her refusal to authorize thalidomide.
1964 – Vietnam War: The U.S. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson broad war powers to deal with North Vietnamese attacks on American forces.
1969 – Richard Nixon appoints Luis R. Bruce, a Mohawk-Oglala Sioux and co-founder of the National Congress of American Indians, as the new commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
1970 – California judge Harold Haley is taken hostage in his courtroom and killed during an effort to free George Jackson from police custody.
1974 – Philippe Petit performs a high wire act between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in the air.
1976 – Viking program: Viking 2 enters orbit around Mars.
1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter declares a federal emergency at Love Canal due to toxic waste that had been disposed of negligently.
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.
1987 – Cold War: Lynne Cox becomes the first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, crossing the Bering Strait from Little Diomede Island in Alaska to Big Diomede in the Soviet Union.
1989 – U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland (D-TX) and 15 others die in a plane crash in Ethiopia.
1990 – First American soldiers arrive in Saudi Arabia as part of the Gulf War.
1993 – Ada Deer, a Menominee activist, sworn in as the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
1995 – The Chilean government declares state of emergency in the southern half of the country in response to an event of intense, cold, wind, rain and snowfall known as the White Earthquake.
1997 – Space Shuttle Program: The Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-85 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
1997 – Fine Air Flight 101 crashes after takeoff from Miami International Airport, killing five people.
1998 – Bombings at United States embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya kill approximately 212 people.
1999 – The Chechnya-based Islamic International Brigade invades neighboring Dagestan.
2007 – At AT&T Park, Barry Bonds hits his 756th career home run to surpass Hank Aaron's 33-year-old record.
2008 – The start of the Russo-Georgian War over the territory of South Ossetia.
2020 – Air India Express Flight 1344 overshoots the runway at Calicut International Airport in the Malappuram district of Kerala, India, and crashes, killing 21 of the 190 people on board.
Births
Pre-1600
317 – Constantius II, Roman emperor (d. 361)
1282 – Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (d. 1316)
1533 – Alonso de Ercilla, Spanish soldier and poet (d. 1595)
1560 – Elizabeth Báthory, Hungarian aristocrat and serial killer (d. 1614)
1571 – Thomas Lupo, English viol player and composer (d. 1627)
1574 – Robert Dudley, English explorer and cartographer (d. 1649)
1598 – Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish poet and linguist (d. 1672)
1601–1900
1613 – William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz, Dutch stadtholder (d. 1664)
1702 – Muhammad Shah, Mughal emperor of India (d. 1748)
1726 – James Bowdoin, American banker and politician, 2nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1790)
1742 – Nathanael Greene, American general (d. 1786)
1751 – Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange (d. 1820)
1779 – Carl Ritter, German geographer and academic (d. 1859)
1826 – August Ahlqvist, Finnish professor, poet, scholar of the Finno-Ugric languages, author, and literary critic (d. 1889)
1844 – Auguste Michel-Lévy, French geologist and author (d. 1911)
1860 – Alan Leo, English astrologer and author (d. 1917)
1862 – Henri Le Sidaner, French painter (d. 1939)
1862 – Victoria of Baden (d. 1931)
1867 – Emil Nolde, Danish-German painter and illustrator (d. 1956)
1868 – Ladislaus Bortkiewicz, Russian-German economist and statistician (d. 1931)
1868 – Huntley Wright, English actor (d. 1941)
1869 – Mary Frances Winston, American mathematician (d. 1959)
1876 – Mata Hari, Dutch dancer and spy (d. 1917)
1879 – Johannes Kotze, South African cricketer (d. 1931)
1884 – Billie Burke, American actress and singer (d. 1970)
1884 – Nikolai Triik, Estonian painter and illustrator (d. 1940)
1887 – Anna Elisabet Weirauch, German author and playwright (d. 1970)
1890 – Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, American author and activist (d. 1964)
1901–present
1901 – Ann Harding, American actress and singer (d. 1981)
1903 – Louis Leakey, Kenyan-English palaeontologist and archaeologist (d. 1972)
1904 – Ralph Bunche, American political scientist, academic, and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
1907 – Albert Kotin, Belarusian-American soldier and painter (d. 1980)
1910 – Freddie Slack, American pianist and bandleader (d. 1965)
1911 – István Bibó, Hungarian lawyer and politician (d. 1979)
1911 – Nicholas Ray, American director and screenwriter (d. 1979)
1913 – George Van Eps, American guitarist (d. 1998)
1916 – Kermit Love, American actor, puppeteer, and costume designer (d. 2008)
1918 – C. Buddingh', Dutch poet and translator (d. 1985)
1918 – Gordon Zahn, American sociologist and author (d. 2007)
1921 – Manitas de Plata, French guitarist (d. 2014)
1921 – Karel Husa, Czech-American composer and conductor (d. 2016)
1924 – Kenneth Kendall, Indian-English journalist and actor (d. 2012)
1925 – Felice Bryant, American songwriter (d. 2003)
1926 – Stan Freberg, American puppeteer, voice actor, and singer (d. 2015)
1927 – Rocky Bridges, American baseball player and coach (d. 2015)
1927 – Edwin Edwards, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 50th Governor of Louisiana (d. 2021)
1927 – Art Houtteman, American baseball player and journalist (d. 2003)
1928 – Betsy Byars, American author and academic (d. 2020)
1928 – Owen Luder, English architect, designed Tricorn Centre and Trinity Square
1928 – James Randi, Canadian-American stage magician and author (d. 2020)
1929 – Don Larsen, American baseball player (d. 2020)
1930 – Togrul Narimanbekov, Azerbaijani-French painter and academic (d. 2013)
1930 – Veljo Tormis, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2017)
1931 – Jack Good, British television producer (d. 2017)
1931 – Charles E. Rice, American scholar and author (d. 2015)
1932 – Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian runner (d. 1973)
1932 – Edward Hardwicke, English actor (d. 2011)
1932 – Rien Poortvliet, Dutch painter and illustrator (d. 1995)
1932 – Maurice Rabb, Jr., American ophthalmologist and academic (d. 2005)
1933 – Eddie Firmani, South African footballer and manager
1933 – Elinor Ostrom, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
1933 – Jerry Pournelle, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
1933 – Alberto Romulo, Filipino politician and diplomat
1934 – Sándor Simó, Hungarian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
1935 – Rahsaan Roland Kirk, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1977)
1937 – Zoltán Berczik, Hungarian table tennis player and coach (d. 2011)
1937 – Don Wilson, English cricketer and coach (d. 2012)
1940 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, French-Belgian lawyer and politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2014)
1940 – Uwe Nettelbeck, German record producer, journalist and film critic (d. 2007)
1941 – Matthew Evans, Baron Evans of Temple Guiting, English publisher and politician (d. 2016)
1942 – Garrison Keillor, American humorist, novelist, short story writer, and radio host
1942 – Carlos Monzon, Argentinian boxer and actor (d. 1995)
1942 – Caetano Veloso, Brazilian singer-songwriter, writer and producer
1942 – Richard Sykes, English biochemist and academic
1942 – B. J. Thomas, American singer (d. 2021)
1943 – Mohammed Badie, Egyptian religious leader
1943 – Lana Cantrell, Australian singer-songwriter and lawyer
1943 – Alain Corneau, French director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
1944 – John Glover, American actor
1944 – Robert Mueller, American soldier and lawyer, 6th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
1945 – Kenny Ireland, Scottish actor and director (d. 2014)
1945 – Alan Page, American football player and jurist
1947 – Franciscus Henri, Dutch-Australian singer-songwriter
1947 – Sofia Rotaru, Ukrainian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
1948 – Marty Appel, American businessman and author
1948 – Greg Chappell, Australian cricketer and coach
1949 – Walid Jumblatt, Lebanese journalist and politician
1949 – Matthew Parris, South African-English journalist and politician
1950 – Rodney Crowell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1950 – Alan Keyes, American politician and diplomat, 16th Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
1950 – S. Thandayuthapani, Sri Lankan educator and politician
1952 – Caroline Aaron, American actress and producer
1952 – Eamonn Darcy, Irish golfer
1952 – Kees Kist, Dutch footballer
1952 – Alexei Sayle, English comedian, actor, and author
1953 – Anne Fadiman, American journalist and author
1954 – Valery Gazzaev, Russian footballer, manager and politician
1954 – Jonathan Pollard, Israeli spy
1954 – Alan Reid, Scottish politician
1955 – Wayne Knight, American actor, comedian and voice actor
1955 – Greg Nickels, American lawyer and politician, 51st Mayor of Seattle
1955 – Vladimir Sorokin, Russian author and playwright
1957 – Daire Brehan, Irish journalist, lawyer, and actress (d. 2012)
1957 – Alexander Dityatin, Russian gymnast and colonel
1958 – Russell Baze, Canadian-American jockey
1958 – Bruce Dickinson, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1958 – Alberto Salazar, Cuban-American runner and coach
1959 – Koenraad Elst, Belgian orientalist and author
1959 – Ali Shah, Zimbabwean cricketer and coach
1960 – David Duchovny, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1961 – Brian Conley, English actor and singer
1961 – Yelena Davydova, Russian gymnast
1961 – Walter Swinburn, English jockey and trainer (d. 2016)
1962 – Alison Brown, American banjo player, songwriter, and producer
1963 – Paul Dunn, Australian rugby league player
1963 – Nick Gillespie, American journalist and author
1963 – Marcus Roberts, American pianist and educator
1964 – John Birmingham, English-Australian journalist and author
1964 – Ian Dench, English guitarist and songwriter
1964 – Peter Niven, Scottish jockey
1965 – Raul Malo, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1965 – Elizabeth Manley, Canadian figure skater
1966 – David Cairns, Scottish laicised priest and politician, Minister of State for Scotland (d. 2011)
1966 – Shobna Gulati, British actress
1966 – Kristin Hersh, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1966 – Jimmy Wales, American-British entrepreneur, co-founder of Wikipedia
1967 – Jason Grimsley, American baseball player
1968 – Francesca Gregorini, Italian-American director and screenwriter
1968 – Trevor Hendy, Australian surfer and coach
1968 – Sophie Lee, Australian actress and author
1969 – Paul Lambert, Scottish footballer and manager
1969 – Dana G. Peleg, Israeli writer and LGBT activist
1970 – Eric Namesnik, American swimmer (d. 2006)
1971 – Dominic Cork, England cricketer and sportscaster
1971 – Rachel York, American actress and singer
1972 – Gerry Peñalosa, Filipino boxer and promoter
1973 – Mikhail Gorsheniov, Russian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
1973 – Danny Graves, Vietnamese-American baseball player
1973 – Kevin Muscat, English-Australian footballer, coach, and manager
1974 – Chico Benymon, American actor
1974 – Michael Shannon, American actor
1975 – Koray Candemir, Turkish singer-songwriter
1975 – Gerard Denton, Australian cricketer
1975 – Megan Gale, Australian model and actress
1975 – Ray Hill, American football player (d. 2015)
1975 – Rebecca Kleefisch, American journalist and politician, 44th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
1975 – Édgar Rentería, Colombian baseball player
1975 – Charlize Theron, South African actress
1976 – Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos, Greek footballer and manager
1976 – Shane Lechler, American football player
1977 – Charlotte Ronson, English fashion designer
1977 – Samantha Ronson, English singer-songwriter and DJ
1977 – Justin Brooker, Rugby League Player
1978 – Alexandre Aja, French director, producer, and screenwriter
1978 – Jamey Jasta, American singer-songwriter
1978 – Mark McCammon, English-Barbadian footballer
1978 – Cirroc Lofton, American actor
1979 – Eric Johnson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
1979 – Miguel Llera, Spanish footballer
1979 – Birgit Zotz, Austrian anthropologist and author
1980 – Carsten Busch, German footballer
1980 – Aurélie Claudel, French model and actress
1980 – Tácio Caetano Cruz Queiroz, Brazilian footballer
1980 – Seiichiro Maki, Japanese footballer
1981 – David Testo, American soccer player
1981 – Randy Wayne, American actor and producer
1982 – Ángeles Balbiani, Argentine actress and singer
1982 – Abbie Cornish, Australian actress
1982 – Juan Martín Hernández, Argentine rugby player
1982 – Marquise Hill, American football player (d. 2007)
1982 – Vassilis Spanoulis, Greek basketball player
1982 – Martin Vučić, Macedonian singer and drummer
1983 – Christian Chávez, Mexican singer-songwriter and actor
1983 – Murat Dalkılıç, Turkish singer-songwriter
1983 – Danny, Portuguese footballer
1983 – Andriy Hrivko, Ukrainian cyclist
1983 – Mark Pettini, English cricketer and journalist
1984 – Stratos Perperoglou, Greek basketball player
1984 – Tooba Siddiqui, Pakistani model and actress
1984 – Yun Hyon-seok, South Korean poet and author (d. 2003)
1986 – Paul Biedermann, German swimmer
1986 – Valter Birsa, Slovenian footballer
1986 – Altaír Jarabo, Mexican model and actress
1986 – Juan de la Rosa, Mexican boxer
1987 – Sidney Crosby, Canadian ice hockey player
1987 – Mustapha Dumbuya, Sierra Leonean footballer
1987 – Ryan Lavarnway, American baseball player
1987 – Rouven Sattelmaier, German footballer
1988 – Jonathan Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player
1988 – Mohamed Coulibaly, Senegalese footballer
1988 – Anisa Mohammed, West Indian cricketer
1988 – Melody Oliveria, American blogger
1988 – Erik Pieters, Dutch footballer
1988 – Beanie Wells, American football player
1989 – DeMar DeRozan, American basketball player
1990 – Josh Franceschi, English singer-songwriter
1991 – Luis Salom, Spanish motorcycle racer (d. 2016)
1991 – Mitchell te Vrede, Dutch footballer
1991 – Mike Trout, American baseball player
1992 – Adam Yates, English cyclist
1992 – Simon Yates, English cyclist
1992 – E. J. Tackett, American bowler
1993 – Martti Nõmme, Estonian ski jumper
1993 – Karol Zalewski, Polish sprinter
1998 – Vladimir Barbu, Italian diver
1998 – María Bazo, Peruvian windsurfer
Deaths
Pre-1600
461 – Majorian, Roman emperor (b. 420)
707 – Li Chongjun, Chinese prince
1028 – Alfonso V, king of León (b. 994)
1106 – Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1050)
1234 – Hugh Foliot, bishop of Hereford (b. c. 1155)
1272 – Richard Middleton, English Lord Chancellor
1296 – Heinrich II von Rotteneck, prince-bishop of Regensburg
1385 – Joan of Kent, mother of Richard II (b. 1328)
1485 – Alexander Stewart, duke of Albany (b. 1454)
1547 – Cajetan, Italian priest and saint (b. 1480)
1601–1900
1613 – Thomas Fleming, English judge and politician, Lord Chief Justice of England (b. 1544)
1616 – Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect, designed Teatro Olimpico (b. 1548)
1632 – Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford, English soldier (b. 1575)
1635 – Friedrich Spee, German poet and academic (b. 1591)
1639 – Martin van den Hove, Dutch astronomer and mathematician (b. 1605)
1661 – Jin Shengtan, Chinese journalist and critic (b. 1608)
1787 – Francis Blackburne, English Anglican churchman and activist (b. 1705)
1817 – Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, French economist and politician (b. 1739)
1834 – Joseph Marie Jacquard, French weaver and inventor, invented the Jacquard loom (b. 1752)
1848 – Jöns Jacob Berzelius, Swedish chemist and academic (b. 1779)
1855 – Mariano Arista, Mexican general and politician, 19th President of Mexico (b. 1802)
1864 – Li Xiucheng, Chinese field marshal (b. 1823)
1893 – Alfredo Catalani, Italian composer and academic (b. 1854)
1899 – Jacob Maris, Dutch painter and educator (b. 1837)
1900 – Wilhelm Liebknecht, German lawyer and politician (b. 1826)
1901–present
1912 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss limnologist and academic (b. 1841)
1917 – Edwin Harris Dunning, South African-English commander and pilot (b. 1891)
1938 – Konstantin Stanislavski, Russian actor and director (b. 1863)
1941 – Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
1948 – Charles Bryant, English-American actor and director (b. 1879)
1953 – Abner Powell, American baseball player and manager (b. 1860)
1957 – Oliver Hardy, American actor, singer, and director (b. 1892)
1958 – Elizabeth Foreman Lewis, American author and educator (b. 1892)
1960 – Luis Ángel Firpo, Argentine boxer (b. 1894)
1963 – Ramon Vila Capdevila, last of the Spanish Maquis, holding out after the end of the Spanish Civil War (b.1908)
1968 – Giovanni Bracco, Italian race car driver (b. 1908)
1969 – Jean Bastien, French professional footballer (b. 1915)
1969 – Joseph Kosma, Hungarian-French composer (b. 1905)
1970 – Harold Haley, American lawyer and judge (b. 1904)
1970 – Jonathan P. Jackson, American bodyguard and kidnapper (b. 1953)
1972 – Joi Lansing, American model, actress, and singer (b. 1929)
1973 – Jack Gregory, Australian cricketer (b. 1895)
1974 – Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet and author (b. 1925)
1974 – Sylvio Mantha, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1902)
1978 – Eddie Calvert, English trumpeter (b. 1922)
1981 – Gunnar Uusi, Estonian chess player (b. 1931)
1985 – Grayson Hall, American actress (b. 1922)
1987 – Camille Chamoun, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 7th President of Lebanon (b. 1900)
1989 – Mickey Leland, American lawyer and politician (b. 1944)
1994 – Larry Martyn, English actor (b. 1934)
1995 – Brigid Brophy, English author and critic (b. 1929)
2001 – Algirdas Lauritėnas, Lithuanian basketball player (b. 1932)
2003 – K. D. Arulpragasam, Sri Lankan zoologist and academic (b. 1931)
2003 – Mickey McDermott, American baseball player and coach (b. 1929)
2004 – Red Adair, American firefighter (b. 1915)
2004 – Colin Bibby, English ornithologist and academic (b. 1948)
2005 – Peter Jennings, Canadian-American journalist and author (b. 1938)
2006 – Mary Anderson Bain, American lawyer and politician (b. 1911)
2007 – Ernesto Alonso, Mexican actor, director, and producer (b. 1917)
2007 – Angus Tait, New Zealand businessman, founded Tait Communications (b. 1919)
2008 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent and producer (b. 1931)
2008 – Andrea Pininfarina, Italian engineer and businessman (b. 1957)
2009 – Louis E. Saavedra, American educator and politician, 48th Mayor of Albuquerque (b. 1933)
2009 – Mike Seeger, American singer-songwriter (b. 1933)
2010 – John Nelder, English mathematician and statistician (b. 1924)
2011 – Mark Hatfield, American soldier, academic, and politician, 29th Governor of Oregon (b. 1922)
2011 – Nancy Wake, New Zealand-English captain and spy (b. 1912)
2012 – Murtuz Alasgarov, Azerbaijani academic and politician, Speaker of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan (b. 1928)
2012 – Judith Crist, American critic and academic (b. 1922)
2012 – Vladimir Kobzev, Russian footballer and coach (b. 1959)
2012 – Anna Piaggi, Italian journalist and author (b. 1931)
2012 – Mayer Zald, American sociologist and academic (b. 1931)
2012 – Dušan Zbavitel, Czech indologist and author (b. 1925)
2013 – Samuel G. Armistead, American linguist, historian, and academic (b. 1927)
2013 – Almir Kayumov, Russian footballer (b. 1964)
2013 – Anthony Pawson, English-Canadian biologist, chemist, and academic (b. 1952)
2013 – Margaret Pellegrini, American actress and dancer (b. 1923)
2013 – Meeli Truu, Estonian architect (d. 1946)
2013 – Alexander Yagubkin, Russian boxer (b. 1961)
2014 – Víctor Fayad, Argentine lawyer and politician (b. 1955)
2014 – Perry Moss, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
2014 – Henry Stone, American record producer (b. 1921)
2015 – Manuel Contreras, Chilean general (b. 1929)
2015 – Frances Oldham Kelsey, Canadian pharmacologist and physician (b. 1914)
2015 – Louise Suggs, American golfer, co-founded LPGA (b. 1923)
2016 – Bryan Clauson, American racing driver (b. 1989)
2017 – Don Baylor, American baseball player (b. 1949)
2017 – David Maslanka, American composer (b. 1943)
2018 – M. Karunanidhi, Indian politician, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and prominent leader of Tamils (b. 1924)
2018 – Stan Mikita, Slovakian hockey player (b. 1940)
2019 – David Berman, American musician, singer, poet and cartoonist (b. 1967)
2020 – Lê Khả Phiêu, Vietnamese politician (b. 1931)
2021 – Markie Post, American actress (b. 1950)
Holidays and observances
Assyrian Martyrs Day (Assyrian community)
Battle of Boyacá Day (Colombia)
Christian feast day:
Albert of Trapani
Cajetan of Thienna
Carpophorus and companions
Dometius of Persia
Donatus of Arezzo
Donatus of Besançon
Donatus of Muenstereifel
John Mason Neale and Catherine Winkworth (Episcopal Church (USA))
Nantovinus
Pope Sixtus II
August 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Emancipation Day (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
Filseta (Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church)
Republic Day (Ivory Coast)
Youth Day (Kiribati)
National Purple Heart Day (United States)
References
External links
Days of the year
August |
1793 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August%2029 | August 29 |
Events
Pre-1600
708 – Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708).
870 – The city of Melite surrenders to an Aghlabid army following a siege, putting an end to Byzantine Malta.
1009 – Mainz Cathedral suffers extensive damage from a fire, which destroys the building on the day of its inauguration.
1261 – Pope Urban IV succeeds Pope Alexander IV, becoming the 182nd pope.
1315 – Battle of Montecatini: The army of the Republic of Pisa, commanded by Uguccione della Faggiuola, wins a decisive victory against the joint forces of the Kingdom of Naples and the Republic of Florence despite being outnumbered.
1350 – Battle of Winchelsea (or Les Espagnols sur Mer): The English naval fleet under King Edward III defeats a Castilian fleet of 40 ships.
1475 – The Treaty of Picquigny ends a brief war between the kingdoms of France and England.
1484 – Pope Innocent VIII succeeds Pope Sixtus IV.
1498 – Vasco da Gama decides to depart Calicut and return to Kingdom of Portugal.
1521 – The Ottoman Turks capture Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade).
1526 – Battle of Mohács: The Ottoman Turks led by Suleiman the Magnificent defeat and kill the last Jagiellonian king of Hungary and Bohemia.
1541 – The Ottoman Turks capture Buda, the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom.
1601–1900
1728 – The city of Nuuk in Greenland is founded as the fort of Godt-Haab by the royal governor Claus Paarss.
1741 – The eruption of Oshima–Ōshima and the Kampo tsunami: At least 2,000 people along the Japanese coast drown in a tsunami caused by the eruption of Oshima.
1756 – Frederick the Great attacks Saxony, beginning the Seven Years' War in Europe.
1758 – The Treaty of Easton establishes the first American Indian reservation, at Indian Mills, New Jersey, for the Lenape.
1778 – American Revolutionary War: British and American forces battle indecisively at the Battle of Rhode Island.
1779 – American Revolutionary War: American forces battle and defeat the British and Iroquois forces at the Battle of Newtown.
1786 – Shays' Rebellion, an armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers, begins in response to high debt and tax burdens.
1807 – British troops under Sir Arthur Wellesley defeat a Danish militia outside Copenhagen in the Battle of Køge.
1831 – Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction.
1842 – Treaty of Nanking signing ends the First Opium War.
1861 – American Civil War: The Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries gives Federal forces control of Pamlico Sound.
1869 – The Mount Washington Cog Railway opens, making it the world's first mountain-climbing rack railway.
1871 – Emperor Meiji orders the abolition of the han system and the establishment of prefectures as local centers of administration. (Traditional Japanese date: July 14, 1871).
1885 – Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first internal combustion motorcycle, the Reitwagen.
1898 – The Goodyear tire company is founded.
1901–present
1903 – The , the last of the five s, is launched.
1907 – The Quebec Bridge collapses during construction, killing 75 workers.
1910 – The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, also known as the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, becomes effective, officially starting the period of Japanese rule in Korea.
1911 – Ishi, considered the last Native American to make contact with European Americans, emerges from the wilderness of northeastern California.
1911 – The Canadian Naval Service becomes the Royal Canadian Navy.
1914 – World War I: Start of the Battle of St. Quentin in which the French Fifth Army counter-attacked the invading Germans at Saint-Quentin, Aisne.
1915 – US Navy salvage divers raise , the first U.S. submarine sunk in an accident.
1916 – The United States passes the Philippine Autonomy Act.
1918 – World War I: Bapaume taken by the New Zealand Division in the Hundred Days Offensive.
1930 – The last 36 remaining inhabitants of St Kilda are voluntarily evacuated to other parts of Scotland.
1941 – World War II: Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is occupied by Nazi Germany following an occupation by the Soviet Union.
1943 – World War II: German-occupied Denmark scuttles most of its navy; Germany dissolves the Danish government.
1944 – World War II: Slovak National Uprising takes place as 60,000 Slovak troops turn against the Nazis.
1949 – Soviet atomic bomb project: The Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb, known as First Lightning or Joe 1, at Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan.
1950 – Korean War: British troops arrive in Korea to bolster the US presence there.
1958 – United States Air Force Academy opens in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
1965 – The Gemini V spacecraft returns to Earth, landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
1966 – The Beatles perform their last concert before paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
1966 – Leading Egyptian thinker Sayyid Qutb is executed for plotting the assassination of President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
1970 – Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War, East Los Angeles, California. Police riot kills three people, including journalist Rubén Salazar.
1982 – The synthetic chemical element Meitnerium, atomic number 109, is first synthesized at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany.
1991 – Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union suspends all activities of the Soviet Communist Party.
1991 – Libero Grassi, an Italian businessman from Palermo, is killed by the Sicilian Mafia after taking a solitary stand against their extortion demands.
1996 – Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashes into a mountain on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen, killing all 141 aboard.
1997 – Netflix is launched as an internet DVD rental service.
1997 – At least 98 villagers are killed by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria GIA in the Rais massacre, Algeria.
1998 – Eighty people are killed when Cubana de Aviación Flight 389 crashes during a rejected takeoff from the Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, Ecuador.
2003 – Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, the Shia Muslim leader in Iraq, is assassinated in a terrorist bombing, along with nearly 100 worshippers as they leave a mosque in Najaf.
2005 – Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing up to 1,836 people and causing $125 billion in damage.
2012 – At least 26 Chinese miners are killed and 21 missing after a blast in the Xiaojiawan coal mine, located at Panzhihua, Sichuan Province.
Births
Pre-1600
979 – Otto (or Eudes), French nobleman (d. 1045)
1321 – John of Artois, French nobleman (d. 1387)
1347 – John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English nobleman and soldier (d. 1375)
1434 – Janus Pannonius, Hungarian bishop and poet (d. 1472)
1514 – García Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Marquis of Villafranca, Spanish noble and admiral (d. 1577)
1534 – Nicholas Pieck, Dutch Franciscan friar and martyr (d. 1572)
1597 – Henry Gage, Royalist officer in the English Civil War (d. 1645)
1601–1900
1619 – Jean-Baptiste Colbert, French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (d. 1683)
1628 – John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1701)
1632 – John Locke, English physician and philosopher (d. 1704)
1724 – Giovanni Battista Casti, Italian poet and author (d. 1803)
1725 – Charles Townshend, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1767)
1728 – Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony, electress of Bavaria (d. 1797)
1756 – Jan Śniadecki, Polish mathematician and astronomer (d. 1830)
1756 – Count Heinrich von Bellegarde, Austrian general and politician (d. 1845)
1773 – Aimé Bonpland, French botanist and explorer (d. 1858)
1777 – Hyacinth, Russian religious leader, founded Sinology (d. 1853)
1780 – Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, French painter and illustrator (d. 1867)
1792 – Charles Grandison Finney, American minister and author (d. 1875)
1805 – Frederick Denison Maurice, English priest, theologian, and author (d. 1872)
1809 – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., American physician and author (d. 1894)
1810 – Juan Bautista Alberdi, Argentinian theorist and diplomat (d. 1884)
1813 – Henry Bergh, American activist, founded the ASPCA (d. 1888)
1842 – Alfred Shaw, English cricketer, rugby player, and umpire (d. 1907)
1843 – David B. Hill, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of New York (d. 1910)
1844 – Edward Carpenter, English anthologist and poet (d. 1929)
1857 – Sandford Schultz, English cricketer (d. 1937)
1861 – Byron G. Harlan, American singer (d. 1936)
1862 – Andrew Fisher, Scottish-Australian politician and diplomat, 5th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1928)
1862 – Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1949)
1871 – Albert François Lebrun, French engineer and politician, 15th President of France (d. 1950)
1875 – Leonardo De Lorenzo, Italian flute player and educator (d. 1962)
1876 – Charles F. Kettering, American engineer and businessman, founded Delco Electronics (d. 1958)
1876 – Kim Koo, South Korean politician, 6th President of The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (d. 1949)
1887 – Jivraj Narayan Mehta, Indian physicians and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Gujarat (d. 1978)
1888 – Salme Dutt, Estonian-English politician (d. 1964)
1890 – Peder Furubotn, Norwegian Communist and anti-Nazi Resistance leader (d.1975)
1891 – Marquis James, American journalist and author (d. 1955)
1898 – Preston Sturges, American director and producer (d. 1959)
1901–present
1901 – Aurèle Joliat, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (d. 1986)
1904 – Werner Forssmann, German physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
1905 – Dhyan Chand, Indian field hockey player (d. 1979)
1905 – Arndt Pekurinen, Finnish activist (d. 1941)
1910 – Vivien Thomas, American surgeon and academic (d. 1985)
1911 – John Charnley, British orthopedic surgeon (d. 1982)
1912 – Sohn Kee-chung, South Korean runner (d. 2002)
1912 – Barry Sullivan, American actor (d. 1994)
1912 – Wolfgang Suschitzky, Austrian-English cinematographer and photographer (d. 2016)
1913 – Len Butterfield, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1999)
1913 – Jackie Mitchell, American baseball pitcher (d. 1987)
1915 – Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress (d. 1982)
1915 – Nathan Pritikin, American nutritionist and author (d. 1985)
1916 – Luther Davis, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 2008)
1917 – Isabel Sanford, American actress (d. 2004)
1920 – Charlie Parker, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1955)
1920 – Herb Simpson, American baseball player (d. 2015)
1920 – Otis Boykin, American inventor and engineer (d. 1982)
1922 – Richard Blackwell, American actor, fashion designer, and critic (d. 2008)
1922 – John Edward Williams, American author and educator (d. 1994)
1922 – Arthur Anderson, American actor (d. 2016)
1923 – Richard Attenborough, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2014)
1924 – Dinah Washington, American singer and pianist (d. 1963)
1926 – Helene Ahrweiler, Greek historian and academic
1926 – Donn Fendler, American author and speaker (d. 2016)
1926 – Betty Lynn, American actress
1927 – Jimmy C. Newman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2014)
1928 – Herbert Meier, Swiss author and translator (d. 2018)
1929 – Thom Gunn, English-American poet and academic (d. 2004)
1930 – Jacques Bouchard, Canadian businessman (d. 2006)
1930 – Carlos Loyzaga, Filipino basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
1931 – Stelios Kazantzidis, Greek singer and guitarist (d. 2001)
1931 – Lise Payette, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2018)
1933 – Sorel Etrog, Romanian-Canadian sculptor, painter, and illustrator (d. 2014)
1933 – Arnold Koller, Swiss politician
1934 – Dimitris Papamichael, Greek actor and director (d. 2004)
1935 – Hugo Brandt Corstius, Dutch linguist and author (d. 2014)
1935 – William Friedkin, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1935 – László Garai, Hungarian psychologist and scholar
1936 – John McCain, American captain and politician (d. 2018)
1937 – James Florio, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 49th Governor of New Jersey
1938 – Elliott Gould, American actor and producer
1938 – Angela Huth, English journalist and author
1938 – Christian Müller, German footballer and manager
1938 – Robert Rubin, American lawyer and politician, 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury
1939 – Jolán Kleiber-Kontsek, Hungarian discus thrower and shot putter
1939 – Joel Schumacher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2020)
1940 – James Brady, American politician and activist, 15th White House Press Secretary (d. 2014)
1940 – Gary Gabelich, American race car driver (d. 1984)
1941 – Robin Leach, English journalist and television host (d. 2018)
1942 – James Glennon, American cinematographer (d. 2006)
1942 – Gottfried John, German actor (d. 2014)
1942 – Sterling Morrison, American singer and guitarist (d. 1995)
1943 – Mohamed Amin, Kenyan photographer and journalist (d. 1996)
1943 – Dick Halligan, American pianist and composer
1943 – Arthur B. McDonald, Canadian astrophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1945 – Chris Copping, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1945 – Wyomia Tyus, American sprinter
1946 – Bob Beamon, American long jumper
1946 – Francine D. Blau, American economist and academic
1946 – Demetris Christofias, Cypriot businessman and politician, 6th President of Cyprus (d. 2019)
1946 – Giorgio Orsoni, Italian lawyer and politician, 17th Mayor of Venice
1947 – Temple Grandin, American ethologist, academic, and author
1947 – James Hunt, English race car driver and sportscaster (d. 1993)
1948 – Robert S. Langer, American chemical engineer, entrepreneur, and academic
1949 – Stan Hansen, American wrestler and actor
1950 – Doug DeCinces, American baseball player
1950 – Frank Henenlotter, American director and screenwriter
1950 – Dave Reichert, American soldier and politician
1951 – Geoff Whitehorn, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1952 – Karen Hesse, American author and poet
1952 – Dave Malone, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1952 – Don Schlitz, American Hall of Fame country music songwriter
1953 – David Boaz, American businessman and author
1953 – Richard Harding, English rugby player
1953 – James Quesada, Nicaraguan-American anthropologist and academic
1954 – Michael P. Kube-McDowell, American journalist, author, and academic
1955 – Diamanda Galás, American singer-songwriter and pianist
1955 – Jack Lew, American lawyer and politician, 25th White House Chief of Staff
1956 – Mark Morris, American dancer and choreographer
1956 – Eddie Murray, American football player
1956 – Charalambos Xanthopoulos, Greek footballer
1956 – Steve Yarbrough, American novelist and short story writer
1957 – Jerry D. Bailey, American jockey and sportscaster
1957 – Grzegorz Ciechowski, Polish singer-songwriter, film music composer (d. 2001)
1958 – Lenny Henry, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
1958 – Michael Jackson, American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actor (d. 2009)
1959 – Rebecca De Mornay, American actress
1959 – Ramón Díaz, Argentinian footballer and manager
1959 – Ray Elgaard, Canadian football player
1959 – Chris Hadfield, Canadian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
1959 – Eddi Reader, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1959 – Timothy Shriver, American businessman and activist
1959 – Stephen Wolfram, English-American physicist and mathematician
1959 – Nagarjuna, Indian film actor, Producer and Businessman
1960 – Todd English, American chef and author
1960 – Tony MacAlpine, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1961 – Carsten Fischer, German field hockey player
1961 – Rodney McCray, American basketball player
1962 – Carl Banks, American football player and sportscaster
1962 – Hiroki Kikuta, Japanese game designer and composer
1962 – Ian James Corlett, Canadian voice actor, writer, producer and author
1962 – Simon Thurley, English historian and academic
1963 – Elizabeth Fraser, Scottish singer-songwriter
1964 – Perri "Pebbles" Reid, American dance-pop and urban contemporary singer-songwriter
1964 – Zisis Tsekos, Greek footballer
1965 – Will Perdue, American basketball player and sportscaster
1966 – Jörn Großkopf, German footballer and manager
1967 – Neil Gorsuch, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
1967 – Anton Newcombe, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1968 – Meshell Ndegeocello, German-American singer-songwriter
1969 – Joe Swail, Northern Irish snooker player
1969 – Jennifer Crittenden, American screenwriter and producer
1969 – Lucero, Mexican singer, songwriter, actress, and television host
1971 – Henry Blanco, Venezuelan baseball player and coach
1971 – Alex Griffin, English bass player
1971 – Carla Gugino, American actress
1972 – Amanda Marshall, Canadian singer-songwriter
1972 – Bae Yong-joon, South Korean actor
1973 – Vincent Cavanagh, English singer and guitarist
1973 – Olivier Jacque, French motorcycle racer
1974 – Kumi Tanioka, Japanese keyboard player and composer
1975 – Kyle Cook, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1976 – Stephen Carr, Irish footballer
1976 – Phil Harvey, English businessman
1976 – Kevin Kaesviharn, American football player
1976 – Georgios Kalaitzis, Greek basketball player
1976 – Pablo Mastroeni, Argentine-American soccer player and manager
1976 – Jon Dahl Tomasson, Danish footballer and manager
1977 – Cayetano, Greek DJ and producer
1977 – Devean George, American basketball player
1977 – John Patrick O'Brien, American soccer player
1977 – Roy Oswalt, American baseball player
1977 – Charlie Pickering, Australian comedian and radio host
1977 – Aaron Rowand, American baseball player and sportscaster
1978 – Volkan Arslan, German-Turkish footballer
1978 – Celestine Babayaro, Nigerian footballer
1979 – Stijn Devolder, Belgian cyclist
1979 – Kristjan Rahnu, Estonian decathlete
1979 – Ryan Shealy, American baseball player
1980 – Chris Simms, American football player
1980 – David West, American basketball player
1981 – Geneviève Jeanson, Canadian cyclist
1981 – Jay Ryan, New Zealand-Australian actor and producer
1982 – Ruhila Adatia-Sood, Kenyan journalist and radio host (d. 2013)
1982 – Carlos Delfino, Argentinian-Italian basketball player
1982 – Vincent Enyeama, Nigerian footballer
1983 – Antti Niemi, Finnish ice hockey player
1986 – Hajime Isayama, Japanese illustrator
1986 – Lea Michele, American actress and singer
1987 – Tony Kane, Irish footballer
1990 – Jakub Kosecki, Polish footballer
1990 – Patrick van Aanholt, Dutch footballer
1991 – Néstor Araujo, Mexican footballer
1991 – Deshaun Thomas, American basketball player
1992 – Mallu Magalhães, Brazilian singer-songwriter
1992 – Noah Syndergaard, American baseball player
1993 – Liam Payne, English singer-songwriter
Deaths
Pre-1600
886 – Basil I, Byzantine emperor (b. 811)
939 – Wang Jipeng, Chinese emperor of Min
939 – Li Chunyan, Chinese empress
956 – Fu the Elder, Chinese empress
979 – Abu Taghlib, Hamdanid emir
1021 – Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Japanese nobleman (b. 948)
1046 – Gerard of Csanád Venetian monk and Hungarian bishop (b.980)
1093 – Hugh I, duke of Burgundy (b. 1057)
1123 – Eystein I, king of Norway (b. 1088)
1135 – Al-Mustarshid, Abbasid caliph (b. 1092)
1159 – Bertha of Sulzbach, Byzantine empress
1298 – Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar, English princess (b. 1269)
1315 – Peter Tempesta, Italian nobleman (b. 1291)
1315 – Charles of Taranto, Italian nobleman (b. 1296)
1395 – Albert III, duke of Austria (b. 1349)
1442 – John V, duke of Brittany (b. 1389)
1499 – Alesso Baldovinetti, Florentine painter (b. 1427)
1523 – Ulrich von Hutten, Lutheran reformer (b. 1488)
1526 – Louis II, king of Hungary and Croatia (b. 1506)
1526 – Pál Tomori Hungarian archbishop and soldier (b. 1475)
1533 – Atahualpa, Inca emperor (b. 1497)
1542 – Cristóvão da Gama, Portuguese commander (b. 1516)
1601–1900
1604 – Hamida Banu Begum, Mughal empress (b. 1527)
1657 – John Lilburne, English activist (b. 1614)
1712 – Gregory King, English genealogist, engraver, and statistician (b. 1648)
1749 – Matthias Bel, Hungarian pastor and polymath (b. 1684)
1769 – Edmond Hoyle, English author and educator (b. 1672)
1780 – Jacques-Germain Soufflot, French architect, co-designed The Panthéon (b. 1713)
1799 – Pius VI, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1717)
1844 – Edmund Ignatius Rice, Irish missionary and educator, founded the Christian Brothers and Presentation Brothers (b. 1762)
1856 – Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck, English author and activist (b. 1778)
1866 – Tokugawa Iemochi, Japanese shōgun (b. 1846)
1877 – Brigham Young, American religious leader, 2nd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1801)
1889 – Stefan Dunjov, Bulgarian colonel (b. 1815)
1891 – Pierre Lallement, French businessman, invented the bicycle (b. 1843)
1892 – William Forbes Skene, Scottish historian and author (b. 1809)
1901–present
1904 – Murad V, Ottoman sultan (b. 1840)
1911 – Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, 6th Nizam of Hyderabad (b.1866)
1917 – George Huntington Hartford, American businessman (b. 1833)
1930 – William Archibald Spooner, English priest and author (b. 1844)
1931 – David T. Abercrombie, American businessman, co-founded Abercrombie & Fitch (b. 1867)
1944 – Attik, Greek pianist and composer (b. 1885)
1946 – Adolphus Busch III, American businessman (b. 1891)
1946 – John Steuart Curry, American painter and academic (b. 1897)
1951 – Sydney Chapman, English economist and civil servant (b. 1871)
1952 – Anton Piëch, Austrian lawyer (b. 1894)
1958 – Marjorie Flack, American author and illustrator (b. 1897)
1966 – Sayyid Qutb, Egyptian theorist, author, and poet (b. 1906)
1968 – Ulysses S. Grant III, American general (b. 1881)
1971 – Nathan Freudenthal Leopold Jr., American murderer (b. 1904)
1972 – Lale Andersen, German singer-songwriter (b. 1905)
1975 – Éamon de Valera, Irish soldier and politician, 3rd President of Ireland (b. 1882)
1977 – Jean Hagen, American actress (b. 1923)
1977 – Brian McGuire, Australian race car driver (b. 1945)
1979 – Gertrude Chandler Warner, American author and educator (b. 1890)
1981 – Lowell Thomas, American journalist and author (b. 1892)
1982 – Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress (b. 1915)
1982 – Lehman Engel, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
1985 – Evelyn Ankers, British-American actress (b. 1918)
1987 – Archie Campbell, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1914)
1987 – Lee Marvin, American actor (b. 1924)
1989 – Peter Scott, English explorer and painter (b. 1909)
1990 – Manly Palmer Hall, Canadian-American mystic and author (b. 1901)
1991 – Libero Grassi, Italian businessman (b. 1924)
1992 – Félix Guattari, French philosopher and theorist (b. 1930)
1995 – Frank Perry, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
2000 – Shelagh Fraser, English actress (b. 1922)
2000 – Willie Maddren, English footballer and manager (b. 1951)
2000 – Conrad Marca-Relli, American-Italian painter and academic (b. 1913)
2001 – Graeme Strachan, Australian singer-songwriter & television personality (b. 1952)
2001 – Francisco Rabal, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
2002 – Lance Macklin, English race car driver (b. 1919)
2003 – Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, Iraqi politician (b. 1939)
2003 – Patrick Procktor, English painter and academic (b. 1936)
2004 – Hans Vonk, Dutch conductor (b. 1942)
2007 – James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand businessman (b. 1914)
2007 – Richard Jewell, American police officer (b. 1962)
2007 – Pierre Messmer, French civil servant and politician, 154th Prime Minister of France (b. 1916)
2007 – Alfred Peet, Dutch-American businessman, founded Peet's Coffee & Tea (b. 1920)
2008 – Geoffrey Perkins, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1953)
2008 – Michael Schoenberg, American geophysicist and theorist (b. 1939)
2011 – Honeyboy Edwards, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1915)
2011 – Junpei Takiguchi, Japanese voice actor (b. 1931)
2012 – Ruth Goldbloom, Canadian academic and philanthropist, co-founded Pier 21 (b. 1923)
2012 – Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, English historian and author (b. 1953)
2012 – Shoshichi Kobayashi, Japanese-American mathematician and academic (b. 1932)
2012 – Anne McKnight, American soprano (b. 1924)
2012 – Les Moss, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1925)
2012 – Sergei Ovchinnikov, Russian volleyball player and coach (b. 1969)
2013 – Joan L. Krajewski, American lawyer and politician (b. 1934)
2013 – Medardo Joseph Mazombwe, Zambian cardinal (b. 1931)
2013 – Bruce C. Murray, American geologist and academic, co-founded The Planetary Society (b. 1931)
2014 – Octavio Brunetti, Argentinian pianist and composer (b. 1975)
2014 – Björn Waldegård, Swedish race car driver (b. 1943)
2016 – Gene Wilder, American stage and screen comic actor, screenwriter, film director, and author (b. 1933)
2018 – James Mirrlees, Scottish economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1936)
2018 – Paul Taylor, American choreographer (b. 1930)
2021 – Ed Asner, American actor (b. 1929)
2021 – Lee "Scratch" Perry, Jamaican reggae producer (b. 1936)
2021 – Jacques Rogge, Olympic sailor and Orthopedic Surgeon who served as the 8th President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1942)
Holidays and observances
Christian feast day:
Adelphus of Metz
Beheading of St. John the Baptist
Eadwold of Cerne
Euphrasia Eluvathingal (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church)
John Bunyan (Episcopal Church)
Sabina
Vitalis, Sator and Repositus
August 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
International Day against Nuclear Tests
Miners' Day (Ukraine)
Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine (Ukraine)
Municipal Police Day (Poland)
National Sports Day (India)
Slovak National Uprising Anniversary (Slovakia)
Telugu Language Day (India)
References
External links
Days of the year
August |
2563 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur%20Phillip | Arthur Phillip | Admiral Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first governor of the Colony of New South Wales.
Phillip was educated at Greenwich Hospital School from June 1751 until December 1753. He then became an apprentice on the whaling ship Fortune. With the outbreak of the Seven Years' War against France, Phillip enlisted in Royal Navy as captain's servent aboard . Serving under Captain Michael Everitt, Phillip also served on and . Phillip was promoted to Lieutenant 7 June 1761, before being put on half-pay at the end of hostilities on 25 April 1763. Seconded to the Portuguese Navy in 1774, serving in the war against Spain. Returning to Royal Navy service in 1778, in 1782 Phillip in command of , was to capture Spanish colonies in South America, but an armistice was concluded before reaching his destination. In 1784, Phillip was employed by Home Office Under Secretary Evan Nepean, to survey French defences in Europe.
In 1786 Phillip was appointed by Lord Sydney as the commander of the First Fleet, a fleet of 11 ships whose crew were to establish a penal colony and a settlement at Botany Bay, New South Wales. On arriving at Botany Bay, Phillip found the site unsuitable and searched for a more habitable site for a settlement, which he found in Port Jackson – the site of Sydney, Australia, today. Phillip was a far-sighted governor who soon realised that New South Wales would need a civil administration and a system for emancipating convicts. But his plan to bring skilled tradesmen on the First Fleet's voyage had been rejected. Consequently, he faced immense problems with labour, discipline, and supply. The arrival of more convicts with the Second and Third Fleets placed new pressures on scarce local resources. By the time Phillip sailed home in December 1792, the colony was taking shape, with official land-grants, systematic farming, and a water supply in place.
On 11 December 1792, Phillip left the colony to return to Britain to receive medical treatment for kidney stones, he had planned to return to Australia, but medical advice recommended he resign from the governorship. His health recovered and he returned to active duty in Navy in 1796, holding a number of ship commands in home waters before being put in command of the Hampshire Sea Fencibles. He eventually retired from active naval service in 1805. He spent his final years of retirement in Bath, Somerset, before his death on 31 August 1814. As the first Governor of New South Wales, a number of places in Australia are named after him, including Port Phillip, Phillip Island, Phillip Street in Sydney, the suburb of Phillip in Canberra and the Governor Phillip Tower building in Sydney, as well as many streets, parks, and schools.
Early life
Arthur Phillip was born on 11 October 1738, in the Parish of All Hallows, in Bread Street, London. He was the son of Jacob Phillip, an immigrant from Frankfurt, who by various accounts was a language teacher, a merchant vessel owner, a merchant captain, or a common seaman. His mother, Elizabeth Breach, was the widow of a common seaman by the name of John Herbert, who had died of disease in Jamaica aboard on 13 August 1732. At the time of Arthur Phillip's birth, his family maintained a modest existence as tenants near Cheapside in the City of London.
There are no surviving records of Phillip's early childhood. His father, Jacob, died in 1739, after which the Phillip family would have a low income. Arthur went to sea on a British naval vessel at age of nine. On 22 June 1751, he was accepted into the Greenwich Hospital School, a charity school for the sons of indigent seafarers. In accordance with the school's curriculum, his education focused on literacy, arithmetic, and navigational skills, including cartography. His headmaster, Reverend Francis Swinden, observed that in personality, Phillip was an "unassuming, reasonable, business-like to the smallest degree in everything he undertakes".
Phillip remained at the Greenwich Hospital School for two and a half years, longer than the average student stay of one year. At the end of 1753, he was granted a seven-year indenture as an apprentice aboard Fortune, a 210-ton whaling vessel commanded by merchant mariner William Readhead. Phillip left the Greenwich Hospital School on 1 December, and spent the next few months aboard the Fortune, awaiting the start of the 1754 whaling season.
Contemporary portraits depict Phillip as shorter than average, with an olive complexion and dark eyes. A long nose and a pronounced lower lip dominated his "smooth pear of a skull" as quoted by Robert Hughes.
Early maritime career
Whaling and merchant expeditions
In April 1754 Fortune headed out to hunt whales near Svalbard in the Barents Sea. As an apprentice Phillip's responsibilities included stripping blubber from whale carcasses and helping to pack it into barrels. Food was scarce, and Fortunes 30 crew members supplemented their diet with bird's eggs, scurvy grass, and, where possible, reindeer. The ship returned to England on 20 July 1754. The whaling crew were paid and replaced with twelve sailors for a winter voyage to the Mediterranean. Phillip remained aboard as Fortune undertook an outward trading voyage to Barcelona and Livorno carrying salt and raisins, returning via Rotterdam with a cargo of grains and citrus. The ship returned to England in April 1755 and sailed immediately for Svalbard for that year's whale hunt. Phillip was still a member of the crew but abandoned his apprenticeship when the ship returned to England on 27 July.
Royal Navy and the Seven Years' War
On 16 October 1755, Phillip enlisted in the Royal Navy as captain's servant aboard the 68-gun , commanded by his mother's cousin, Captain Michael Everitt. As a member of Buckinghams crew, Phillip served in home waters until April 1756 and then joined Admiral John Byng's Mediterranean fleet. The Buckingham was Rear-Admiral Temple West's flagship at the Battle of Minorca on 20 May 1756.
Phillip moved on 1 August 1757, with Everitt, to the 90-gun , which took part in the Raid on St Malo on 5–12 June 1758. Phillip, again with Captain Everitt, transferred on 28 December 1758 to the 64-gun , which went to the West Indies to serve at the Siege of Havana. On 7 June 1761, Phillip was commissioned as a lieutenant in recognition for his active service. With the coming of peace on 25 April 1763, he was retired on half-pay.
Retirement and the Portuguese Navy
In July 1763, Phillip married Margaret Charlotte Denison (), known as Charlott, a widow 16 years his senior, and moved to Glasshayes in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, establishing a farm there. The marriage was unhappy, and the couple separated in 1769 when Phillip returned to the Navy. The following year, he was posted as second lieutenant aboard , a newly built 74-gun ship of the line.
In 1774, Phillip was seconded to the Portuguese Navy as a captain, serving in the war against Spain. While with the Portuguese Navy, Phillip commanded a 26-gun frigate, Nossa Senhora do Pilar. On that ship, he took a detachment of troops from Rio de Janeiro to Colonia do Sacramento on the Río de la Plata (opposite Buenos Aires) to relieve the garrison there. The voyage also conveyed a consignment of convicts assigned to carry out work at Colonia. During a storm encountered in the course of the voyage, the convicts assisted in working the ship, and on arriving at Colonia, Phillip recommended that they be rewarded for saving the ship by remission of their sentences. A garbled version of this recommendation eventually found its way into the English press in 1786, when Phillip was appointed to lead the expedition to Sydney. Phillip played a leading role in the capture of the Spanish ship San Agustín, on 19 April 1777, off Santa Catarina. The Portuguese Navy commissioned her as the Santo Agostinho, under Phillip's command. The action was reported in the English press:
Madrid, 28 Aug. Letters from Lisbon bring the following Account from Rio Janeiro: That the St. Augustine, of 70 Guns, having been separated from the Squadron of M. Casa Tilly, was attacked by two Portugueze Ships, against which they defended themselves for a Day and a Night, but being next Day surrounded by the Portugueze Fleet, was obliged to surrender.
Recommissioned into Royal Navy
In 1778, Britain was again at war, and Phillip was recalled to service and promoted to commander of the 8-gun fireship HMS Basilisk on 2 September 1779. He was promoted to post-captain on 30 November 1781 and given command of the 20-gun . He served on convoy duty to the Elbe in the early part of 1782. On 30 June 1782, the Ariadne, under Phillip's command, captured the French frigate Le Robecq.
In July 1782, in a change of government, Thomas Townshend became Secretary of State for Home and American Affairs, and assumed responsibility for organising an expedition against Spanish America. Like his predecessor, Lord Germain, he turned to Phillip for advice. The plan was for a squadron of three ships of the line and a frigate to mount a raid on Buenos Aires and Monte Video, then to proceed to the coasts of Chile, Peru, and Mexico to maraud, and ultimately to cross the Pacific to join the British Navy's East India squadron for an attack on Manila. On 27 December 1782, Phillip, with Lieutenant Philip Gidley King, took charge of the 64-gun . The expedition, consisting of the 70-gun , the 74-gun , Europa, and the 32-gun frigate , sailed on 16 January 1783 under the command of Commodore Robert Kingsmill. Shortly after the ships' departure, an armistice was concluded between Great Britain and Spain. Phillip learnt of this in April when he put in for storm repairs at Rio de Janeiro. Phillip wrote to Townshend from Rio de Janeiro on 25 April 1783, expressing his disappointment that the ending of the American War had robbed him of the opportunity for naval glory in South America.
Survey work in Europe
After his return to England from India in April 1784, Phillip remained in close contact with Townshend, now Lord Sydney, and Home Office Under Secretary Evan Nepean. From October 1784 to September 1786, Nepean, who was in charge of the Secret Service relating to the Bourbon Powers, France and Spain, employed him to spy on the French naval arsenals at Toulon and other ports. There was fear that Britain would soon be at war with these powers as a consequence of the Batavian Revolution in the Netherlands.
Colonial service
Lord Sandwich, together with the president of the Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks, the scientist who had accompanied Lieutenant James Cook on his 1770 voyage, was advocating the establishment of a British colony in Botany Bay, New South Wales. Banks accepted an offer of assistance from the American loyalist James Matra in July 1783. Under Banks' guidance, Matra rapidly produced "A Proposal for Establishing a Settlement in New South Wales" (24 August 1783), with a fully developed set of reasons for a colony composed of American loyalists, Chinese, and South Sea Islanders (but not convicts). Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney, as Secretary of State for the Home Office and minister in charge, decided to establish the proposed colony in Australia. This decision was taken for two reasons: the ending of the option to transport criminals to North America following the American Revolution, and the need for a base in the Pacific to counter French expansion.
In September 1786, Phillip was appointed commodore of the fleet, which came to be known as the First Fleet. His assignment was to transport convicts and soldiers to establish a colony at Botany Bay. Upon arriving there, Phillip was to assume the powers of captain general and governor in chief of the new colony. A subsidiary colony was to be founded on Norfolk Island, as recommended by Sir John Call and Sir George Young, to take advantage of that island's native flax (harakeke) and timber for naval purposes.
Voyage to Colony of New South Wales
On 25 October 1786, the 20-gun , lying in the dock at Deptford, was commissioned, with the command given to Phillip. The armed tender , under the command of Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball, was also commissioned to join the expedition. On 15 December, Captain John Hunter was assigned as second captain to Sirius to command in the absence of Phillip, whose preference, it was to be supposed, would be requisite at all times wherever the seat of government in that country might be fixed.
Phillip had a difficult time assembling the fleet, which was to make an eight-month sea voyage and then establish a colony. Everything a new colony might need had to be taken, since Phillip had no real idea of what he might find when he got there. There were few funds available for equipping the expedition. His suggestion that people with experience in farming, building, and crafts be included was rejected by the Home Office. Most of the 772 convicts were petty thieves from the London slums. A contingent of marines and a handful of other officers who were to administer the colony accompanied Phillip.
The fleet of 11 ships and about 1,500 people, under Phillip's command, sailed from Portsmouth, England, on 13 May 1787; provided an escort out of British waters. On 3 June 1787, the fleet anchored at Santa Cruz, Tenerife. On 10 June they set sail to cross the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro, taking advantage of favourable trade winds and ocean currents. The Fleet reached Rio de Janeiro on 5 August and stayed for a month to resupply. The Fleet left Rio de Janeiro on 4 September to run before the westerlies to Table Bay in Southern Africa, which it reached on 13 October; this was the last port of call before Botany Bay. On 25 November, Phillip transferred from the Sirius to the faster Supply, and with the faster ships of the fleet hastened ahead to prepare for the arrival of the rest of the fleet. However, this "flying squadron", as Frost called it, reached Botany Bay only hours before the rest of the Fleet, so no preparatory work was possible. Supply reached Botany Bay on 18 January 1788; the three fastest transports in the advance group arrived on 19 January; slower ships, including Sirius, arrived on 20 January.
Phillip soon decided that the site, chosen on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks, who had accompanied James Cook in 1770, was not suitable, since it had poor soil, no secure anchorage, and no reliable water source. Cook was an explorer and Banks had a scientific interest, whereas Phillip's differing assessment of the site came from his perspective as, quoted by Tyrrell, "custodian of over a thousand convicts" for whom he was responsible. After some exploration, Phillip decided to go on to Port Jackson, and on 26 January, the marines and the convicts landed at a cove, which Phillip named for Lord Sydney. This date later became Australia's national day, Australia Day. Governor Phillip formally proclaimed the colony on 7 February 1788 in Sydney. Sydney Cove offered a fresh water supply and a safe harbour, which Phillip famously described as: "being with out exception the finest Harbour in the World [...] Here a Thousand Sail of the Line may ride in the most perfect Security."
Establishing a settlement
On 26 January, the British flag was raised, and possession of the land was taken formally in the name of King George III. The next day, sailors from Sirius, a party of marines, and a number of male convicts were disembarked to fell timber and clear the ground for the erection of tents. The remaining large company of male convicts disembarked from the transports over the following days. Phillip himself structured the ordering of the camp. His own tent as governor and those of his attendant staff and servants were set on the east side of Tank Stream, with the tents of the male convicts and marines on the west. During this time, priority was given to building permanent storehouses for the settlement's provisions. On 29 January, the governor's portable house was placed, and livestock were landed the next day. The female convicts disembarked on 6 February; the general camp for the women was to the north of the governor's house and separated from the male convicts by the houses of chaplain Richard Johnson and the Judge Advocate, Marine Captain David Collins. On 7 February 1788, Phillip and his government were formally inaugurated.
On 15 February 1788, Phillip sent Lieutenant Philip Gidley King with a party of twenty-three, including fifteen convicts, to establish the colony at Norfolk Island, partly in response to a perceived threat of losing the island to the French, and partly to establish an alternative food source for the mainland colony.
Governor of New South Wales
When Phillip was appointed as governor-designate of the colony and began to plan the expedition, he requested that the convicts that were being sent be trained; only twelve carpenters and a few men who knew anything about agriculture were sent. Seamen with technical and building skills were commandeered immediately. The colony's isolation meant that it took almost two years for Phillip to receive replies to his dispatches from his superiors in London.
Phillip established a civil administration, with courts of law, that applied to everyone living in the settlement. Two convicts, Henry and Susannah Kable, sought to sue Duncan Sinclair, the captain of the Alexander, for stealing their possessions during the voyage. Sinclair, believing that as convicts they had no protection from the law, as was the case in Britain, boasted that he could not be sued. Despite this, the court found for the plaintiffs and ordered the captain to make restitution for the theft of the Kables' possessions.
Phillip had drawn up a detailed memorandum of his plans for the proposed new colony. In one paragraph he wrote: "The laws of this country [England] will of course, be introduced in [New] South Wales, and there is one that I would wish to take place from the moment his Majesty's forces take possession of the country: That there can be no slavery in a free land, and consequently no slaves." Nevertheless, Phillip believed in severe discipline; floggings and hangings were commonplace, although Phillip commuted many death sentences. The settlement's supplies were rationed equally to convicts, officers, and marines, and females were given two-thirds of the weekly males' rations. In late February, six convicts were brought before the criminal court for stealing supplies. They were sentenced to death; the ringleader, Thomas Barrett, was hanged that day. Phillip gave the rest a reprieve. They were banished to an island in the harbour and given only bread and water.
The governor also expanded the settlement's knowledge of the landscape. Two officers from Sirius, Captain John Hunter and Lieutenant William Bradley, conducted a thorough survey of the harbour at Sydney Cove. Phillip later joined them on an expedition to survey Broken Bay.
The fleet's ships left over the next months, with Sirius and Supply remaining in the colony under command of the governor. They were used to survey and map the coastlines and waterways. Scurvy broke out, so Sirius left Port Jackson for Cape Town under the command of Hunter in October 1788, having been sent for supplies. The voyage, which completed a circumnavigation, returned to Sydney Cove in April, just in time to save the near-starving colony.
As an experienced farmhand, Phillip's appointed servant Henry Edward Dodd, served as farm superintendent at Farm Cove, where he successfully cultivated the first crops, later moving to Rose Hill, where the soil was better. James Ruse, a convict, was later appointed to the position after Dodd died in 1791. When Ruse succeeded in the farming endeavours, he received the colony's first land grant.
In June 1790, more convicts arrived with the Second Fleet, but , carrying more supplies, was disabled en route after hitting an iceberg, leaving the colony low on provisions again. Supply, the only ship left under colonial command after Sirius was wrecked 19 March 1790 trying to land men and supplies on Norfolk Island, was sent to Batavia for supplies.
In late 1792, Phillip, whose health was suffering, relinquished the governorship to Major Francis Grose, lieutenant-governor and commander of New South Wales Corps. On 11 December 1792, Phillip left for Britain, on the Atlantic, which had arrived with convicts of the Third Fleet. Phillip was unable to follow his original intention of returning to Port Jackson once his health was restored, as medical advice compelled him to resign formally on 23 July 1793.
Military personnel in colony
The main challenge for order and harmony in the settlement came not from the convicts secured there on terms of good behaviour, but from the attitude of officers from the New South Wales Marine Corps. As Commander in Chief, Phillip was in command of both the naval and marine forces; his naval officers readily obeyed his commands, but a measure of co-operation from the marine officers ran against their tradition. Major Robert Ross and his officers (with the exception of a few such as David Collins, Watkin Tench, and William Dawes) refused to do anything other than guard duty, claiming that they were neither gaolers, supervisors, nor policemen.
Four companies of marines, consisting of 160 privates with 52 officers and NCO's, accompanied the First Fleet to Botany Bay. In addition, there were 34 officers and men serving in the Ship's Complement of Marines aboard Sirius and Supply, bringing the total to 246 who departed England.
Ross supported and encouraged his fellow officers in their conflicts with Phillip, engaged in clashes of his own, and complained of the governor's actions to the Home Office. Phillip, more placid and forbearing in temperament, was anxious in the interests of the community as a whole to avoid friction between the civil and military authorities. Though firm in his attitude, he endeavoured to placate Ross, but to little effect. In the end, he solved the problem by ordering Ross to Norfolk Island on 5 March 1790 to replace the commandant there.
Beginning with guards arriving with the Second and Third fleets, but officially with the arrival of on 22 September 1791, the New South Wales Marines were relieved by a newly formed British Army regiment of foot, the New South Wales Corps. On 18 December 1791, Gorgon left Port Jackson, taking home the larger part of the still-serving New South Wales Marines. There remained in New South Wales a company of active marines serving under Captain George Johnston, who had been Phillip's aide-de-camp, that transferred to the New South Wales Corps. Also remaining in the colony were discharged marines, many of whom became settlers. The official departure of the last serving marines from the colony was in December 1792, under Governor Phillip.
Major Francis Grose, commander of the New South Wales Corps, had replaced Ross as the Lieutenant-Governor and took over command of the colony when Phillip returned to Britain.
Relations with indigenous peoples
Phillip's official orders with regard to Aboriginal people were to "conciliate their affections", to "live in amity and kindness with them", and to punish anyone who should "wantonly destroy them, or give them any unnecessary interruption in the exercise of their several occupations". The first meeting between the colonists and the Eora, Aboriginal people, happened in Botany Bay. When Phillip went ashore, gifts were exchanged, thus Phillip and the officers began their relationship with the Eora through gift-giving, hilarity, and dancing, but also by showing them what their guns could do. Anyone found harming or killing Aboriginal people without provocation would be severely punished.
After the early meetings, dancing, and musket demonstrations, the Eora avoided the settlement in Sydney Cove for the first year, but they warned and then attacked whenever colonists trespassed on their lands away from the settlement. Part of Phillip's early plan for peaceful cohabitation had been to persuade some Eora, preferably a family, to come and live in the town with the British so that the colonists could learn about the Eora's language, beliefs, and customs.
By the end of the first year, as none of the Eora had come to live in the settlement, Phillip decided on a more ruthless strategy, and ordered the capture of some Eora warriors. The man who was captured was Arabanoo, from whom Phillip and his officers started to learn language and customs. Arabanoo died in April 1789 of smallpox, which also ravaged the rest of the Eora population. Phillip again ordered the boats to Manly Cove, where two more warriors were captured, Coleby and Bennelong; Coleby soon escaped, but Bennelong remained. Bennelong and Phillip formed a kind of friendship, before he too escaped.
Four months after Bennelong escaped from Sydney, Phillip was invited to a whale feast at Manly. Bennelong greeted him in a friendly and jovial way. Phillip was suddenly surrounded by warriors and speared in the shoulder by a man called Willemering. He ordered his men not to retaliate. Phillip, perhaps realising that the spearing was in retaliation for the kidnapping, ordered no actions to be taken over it. Friendly relations were reestablished afterwards, with Bennelong even returning to Sydney with his family.
Even though there were now friendly relations with the aborigines around Sydney Cove, the same couldn't be said about the ones around Botany Bay, who had killed or wounded 17 colonists. Phillip despatched orders, as quoted by Tench, "to put to death ten... [and] cut off the heads of the slain... to infuse a universal terror, which might operate to prevent further mischief". Even though two expeditions were despatched under command of Watkin Tench, no one was apprehended.
On 11 December 1792, when Phillip returned to Britain, Bennelong and another Aboriginal man named Yemmerrawanne (or Imeerawanyee) travelled with him on the Atlantic.
Later life and death
Phillip's estranged wife, Charlott, died 3 August 1792 and was buried in St Beuno's Churchyard, Llanycil, Bala, Merionethshire. Phillip, a resident in Marylebone, married Isabella Whitehead of Bath in St Marylebone Church of England on 8 May 1794.
His health recovered, he was recommissioned in March 1796 to the 74-gun as part of the Channel fleet. In October, his command was switched to the 74-gun . In September 1797, Phillip was transferred again to the 90-gun , command of which he held until December of that year. During 1798–99, Phillip commanded the Hampshire Sea Fencibles, then appointed inspector of the Impress Service, in which capacity he and a secretary toured the outposts of Britain to report on the strengths of the various posts.
In the ordinary course of events he was promoted to Rear-Admiral on 1 January 1801. Phillip retired in 1805 from active service in the Navy, was promoted to Vice-Admiral on 13 December 1806, and received a final promotion to Admiral of the Blue on 4 June 1814.
Phillip suffered a stroke in 1808, which left him partially paralysed. He died 31 August 1814 at his residence, 19 Bennett Street, Bath. He was buried nearby at St Nicholas's Church, Bathampton. His Last Will and Testament has been transcribed and is online. Forgotten for many years, the grave was discovered in November 1897 by a young woman cleaning the church, who found the name after lifting matting from the floor; the historian James Bonwick had been searching Bath records for its location. An annual service of remembrance is held at the church around Phillip's birthdate by the Britain–Australia Society.
In 2007, Geoffrey Robertson QC alleged that Phillip's remains were no longer in St Nicholas Church, Bathampton, and had been lost: "Captain Arthur Phillip is not where the ledger stone says he is: it may be that he is buried somewhere outside, it may simply be that he is simply lost. But he is not where Australians have been led to believe that he now lies."
Legacy
A number of places in Australia bear Phillip's name, including Port Phillip, Phillip Island (Victoria), Phillip Island (Norfolk Island), Phillip Street in Sydney, the federal electorate of Phillip (1949–1993), the suburb of Phillip in Canberra, the Governor Phillip Tower building in Sydney, and many streets, parks, and schools, including a state high school in Parramatta.
A monument to Phillip in Bath Abbey Church was unveiled in 1937. Another was unveiled at St Mildred's Church, Bread Street, London, in 1932; that church was destroyed in the London Blitz in 1940, but the principal elements of the monument were re-erected at the west end of Watling Street, near Saint Paul's Cathedral, in 1968. A different bust and memorial is inside the nearby church of St Mary-le-Bow. There is a statue of him in the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney. There is a portrait of him by Francis Wheatley in the National Portrait Gallery, London, and in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney.
Percival Serle wrote of Phillip in his Dictionary of Australian Biography:
200th anniversary
As part of a series of events on the bicentenary of his death, a memorial was dedicated in Westminster Abbey on 9 July 2014. In the service, the Dean of Westminster, Very Reverend Dr John Hall, described Phillip as follows: "This modest, yet world-class seaman, linguist, and patriot, whose selfless service laid the secure foundations on which was developed the Commonwealth of Australia, will always be remembered and honoured alongside other pioneers and inventors here in the Nave: David Livingstone, Thomas Cochrane, and Isaac Newton." A similar memorial was unveiled by the outgoing 37th Governor of New South Wales, Marie Bashir, in St James' Church, Sydney, on 31 August 2014. A bronze bust was installed at the Museum of Sydney, and a full-day symposium discussed his contributions to the founding of modern Australia.
In popular culture
Phillip has been featured in a number of movies and television programs, for example he is portrayed by Sir Cedric Hardwicke, in John Farrow's 1953 film Botany Bay, Sam Neill in the 2005 film The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant and David Wenham in the 2015 mini-series Banished.
He is a prominent character in Timberlake Wertenbaker's play Our Country's Good, in which he commissions Lieutenant Ralph Clark to stage a production of The Recruiting Officer. He is shown as compassionate and just, but receives little support from his fellow officers.
Memorials
See also
Historical Records of Australia
Journals of the First Fleet
History of smallpox in Australia
References
Citations
Sources
Further reading
External links
Arthur Phillip High School, Parramatta – state high (years 7–12) school named for Phillip
B. H. Fletcher, "Phillip, Arthur (1738–1814)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, Melbourne University Press, 1967, pp 326–333.
Governors of New South Wales
City founders
Royal Navy admirals
1738 births
1814 deaths
Australian penal colony administrators
Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War
Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War
People from the City of London
English people of German descent
Port Phillip
18th-century Australian people
People educated at the Royal Hospital School
Colony of New South Wales people
Sea captains
Military personnel from London
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