
Saturday, November 13, 2010
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Sunday, October 24, 2010
Reasons for the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict
In 1984 the government introduced a new policy of according citizenship to those who were either born in
"Sinhala only" Policy
Under the British rule, the English-educated Tamils occupied important posts in the government. After independence, the Sinhalese government made Sinhala the official language of
University Admission
The educational policy was to restrict the accessibility of the English-educated Sri Lankan Tamils to the higher education and government employment. At the same time, it sought to increase the number of the Sinhalese educated youth in the universities and government sector. Both goals were accomplished by changing the language and admission polices in universities to favour Sinhalese students. Until 1960, all the entrance examinations to the universities were conducted in English. In subsequent years, the government began to conduct these examinations in Sinhalese and Tamil. This change, coupled with the expansion of the secondary education, intensified the competition for universities admissions. In 1970, the government adopted a pro-Sinhalese education policy by replacing merit as the criteria for the universities admissions with a system of weightage in favour of the Sinhalese students. Thus the Tamil students had to score higher marks to secure a place in the universities. This evoked a string protest from the Tamil community, but the government disregarded it. Unfair university admission policy was a reason for the conflict as it showed discrimination by the government against the Tamils which further deepen the mutual distrust and suspicions between the two communities.
Resettlement of the Population
The land settlement policies were designed to undermine the Tamil interests in the Northern and Eastern provinces. Under the state-aided colonization programme, a large number of Sinhalese were resettled in the two Tamil dominated provinces. The Tamils suspected that it was a deliberate move to change the demographic character of the Tamil provinces to dilute the concept of a Tamil traditional homeland. Thus, resettlement of the population was another reason for the conflict as the Tamils became fearful that they would become a minority in their traditional homelands.
Explain how one factor is more important than the other.
Therefore all the factors are important causes for the conflict because it was the combination of all the policy that led to conflict. The Sinhalese government deliberately and consciously introduced policies to discriminate against the Tamils. Thus the government policies proved to be ill-conceived and counter productive, as the Tamils became disenchanted with the government and declared their intention to fight for a separate Tamil state.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
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Okay, well, where to start? You’re probably never going read it. In fact chances are it won’t even reach you. I’m probably just writing this to myself you know for very putty reasons. I guess I should just say all this stuff especially by now but it helps to write things down rather than saying it so that we won’t forget and generally making a fool out of ourselves. It’s September third today! That means it would have been our two years and six months of anniversary. I know that I always complain those anniversaries are for twelve years old but yes, happy hypocritically anniversary. I know you probably roll your eyes at me for bring that up and I’m well aware that it has been well over a year now since you… left me, well one years three months and sixteen days. I think right now I’ve finish the process you know and I have finally come into terms with the fact that you are not coming back, ever. And I think I’m out of the phrase where I just lie on my floor and hoping that you will just turn up on my doorstep. You know what, I’m… I’m doing okay, getting there, baby steps. I’ve even… even been sort of seeing a girl. Jess is her name. My kin keeps telling me that it’s a positive step getting over you and stuff. Don’t get me wrong, she is a nice girl but different.
It’s funny. Your muscles have a certain memory about them that is we can tie our shoes or play piano without looking. But than you spent a long enough time with someone, and your bodies memories each other you know. The warmth of your back, the pace of your heartbeat, your tickly eye lashes and why your finger would curl in sequence when I use to play with you palm. Another person is like moving to a new country where you don’t know the language. It’s a scary thing… and she voluntarily eats celery, who does that?
You know people are always on the back “you know find someone else, there’s plenty more fish in the sea.” Well you know what, I feel like a freaking fish in a bucket. I’ve been reading a lot, non-fiction mostly. Did I ever tell you about the theory about the multi-verse? It says that there is an infinite amount of hypocritically universes parallel to ours containing every single possible set of circumstances. Kind of got me thinking you know? It means that somewhere, there might be a world in which on that fifteen of February we never had that argument and I didn’t say all those things I didn’t mean and you didn’t walk away without another word. Well maybe there is another world in which I chase after you, and we will still be together, catches the train together and do couple things and have bubble tea with that god off slimy goby old jelly at the bottom which I hate.
Sometimes on my way, I’d walk pass your house. Every time I do, I get this weird urge to knock on the door which is stupid because I know you wouldn’t answer it. Well in any case it’s technically your old house now. You’re… nowadays you’re quite far away with your new life and all. I wonder if you even remember me sometimes, I… I’d… I’d wish you talk to me, give me some… vague sign that you do remember. Because you know what, I’m not doing well, life is actually pretty shit.
Love,
Sonny
Monday, October 18, 2010
To somebody special
Monday, October 4, 2010
The world won’t stop for you.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
I stay up every night hoping that maybe one day, you’ll come to your senses. And every morning when I check my phone, my heart gets a little more brok
I’m happy yet I’m sad. It’s like I have everything yet I’m missing something. I just can’t seem to put my finger on it. I can’t seem to smile, most of the time I just want to cry. Everyday I try but I get nowhere. I’m on the verge of falling. I’m holding on the edge, I can’t let go and for some reason I have no control.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Just because we don’t talk anymore, doesn’t mean that I don’t still think about you now and then.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
July 4
July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 180 days remaining until the end of the year. The Aphelion, the point in the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, occurs around this date.
Events
- 836 – Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples
- 993 – Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized.
- 1054 – A supernova is observed by the Chinese, the Arabs and possibly Amerindians near the star Tauri. For several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day. Its remnants form the Crab Nebula.
- 1120 – Jordan II of Capua is anointed as prince after his infant nephew's death.
- 1187 – The Crusades: Battle of Hattin – Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem.
- 1253 – Battle of West-Capelle: John I of Avesnes defeats Guy of Dampierre.
- 1359 – Francesco II Ordelaffi of Forlì surrenders to the Papal commander Gil de Albornoz.
- 1456 – The Siege of Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) begins. (Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe)
- 1534 – Christian III is elected King of Denmark and Norway in the town of Rye.
- 1569 – The King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus finally sign the document of union between Poland and Lithuania, creating new country known as Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1610 – The Battle of Klushino between forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia during the Polish-Muscovite War.
- 1634 – The city of Trois-Rivières is founded in New France (Quebec, Canada)
- 1636 – City of Providence, Rhode Island forms.
- 1744 – The Treaty of Lancaster, in which the Iriquois ceded lands between the Allegheny Mountains and the Ohio River to the British colonies, is signed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
- 1754 – French and Indian War: George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French Capt. Louis Coulon de Villiers.
- 1774 – Orangetown Resolutions adopted in the Province of New York, one of many protests against the British Parliament's Coercive Acts
- 1776 – American Revolution: the United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress
- 1778 – American Revolutionary War: Forces under George Clark capture Kaskaskia during the Illinois campaign.
- 1802 – At West Point, New York the United States Military Academy opens.
- 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.
- 1810 – The French occupy Amsterdam.
- 1817 – At Rome, New York, United States, construction on the Erie Canal begins.
- 1827 – Slavery is abolished in New York State.
- 1837 – Grand Junction Railway, the world's first long-distance railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool.
- 1838 – The Iowa Territory is organized.
- 1840 – The Cunard Line's 700 ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end.
- 1845 – Near Concord, Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau embarks on a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond (see Walden).
- 1855 – In Brooklyn, New York, the first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, titled Leaves of Grass, is published.
- 1862 – Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Siege of Vicksburg – Vicksburg, Mississippi surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege. 150 miles up the Mississippi River, a Confederate Army is repulsed at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.
- 1865 – Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published.
- 1878 – Thoroughbred horses Ten Broeck and Mollie McCarty run a match race, immortalized in the song Molly and Tenbrooks.
- 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: the Zululand capital of Ulundi is captured by British troops and burnt to the ground, thus, ending the war and forcing King Cetshwayo to flee.
- 1881 – In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.
- 1886 – The people of France offer the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States.
- 1886 – The first scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia.
- 1887 – The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, joins Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi.
- 1892 – Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, so that year there were 367 days in this country, with two occurrences of Monday, July 4.
- 1894 – The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.
- 1903 – Dorothy Levitt was reported as the first woman in the world to compete in a 'motor race'.
- 1910 – African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match sparking race riots across the United States.
- 1913 – President Woodrow Wilson addresses American Civil War veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913.
- 1918 – Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascends to the throne.
- 1918 – Bolsheviks kill Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family (Julian calendar date).
- 1927 – First flight of the Lockheed Vega.
- 1934 – Leo Szilard patents the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb.
- 1939 – Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, tells a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he announces his retirement from major league baseball.
- 1941 – Nazi Germans massacre Polish scientists and writers in the captured Polish city of Lwów.
- 1946 – After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attains full independence from the United States.
- 1947 – The "Indian Independence Bill" is presented before British House of Commons, suggesting bifurcation of British India into two sovereign countries – India and Pakistan.
- 1950 – The first broadcast by Radio Free Europe.
- 1959 – With the admission of Alaska as the 49th U.S. state earlier in the year, the 49-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 1960 – Due to the post-Independence Day admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania almost ten and a half months later (see Flag Act).
- 1961 – Walt Disney is one of the two main speakers on the Independence Day in The Rebuild Hills at Skørping in Denmark
- 1965 – Homophile activists picket at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the first in a series of Annual Reminders of the second-class status of LGBT people in the United States.
- 1966 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into United States law. The act goes into effect the next year.
- 1969 – Two teens (one male, one female) are attacked at Blue Rock Springs in California. They are the second (known) victims of the Zodiac Killer. The male survives.
- 1969 – The Ohio Fireworks Derecho kills 18 Ohioans and destroys over 100 boats on Lake Erie.
- 1976 – Israeli commandos raid Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.
- 1982 – Iranian diplomats kidnapping (1982): four Iranian diplomats are kidnapped by Lebanese militia in Lebanon.
- 1987 – In France, former Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie (aka the "Butcher of Lyon") is convicted of crimes against humanity and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 1993 – Sumitomo Chemical's resin plant in Nihama explodes killing one worker and injuring three others.
- 1997 – NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
- 2004 – The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.
- 2005 – The Deep Impact collider hits the comet Tempel 1.
- 2006 – Space Shuttle program: STS-121 Mission – Space Shuttle Discovery launches at 18:37:55 UTC.
- 2006 – North Korea tests four short-range missiles, one medium-range missile, and a long-range Taepodong-2. The long-range Taepodong-2 reportedly fails in mid-air over the Sea of Japan.
- 2008 – Cross-strait charter direct flight between mainland China and Taiwan started.
- 2009 – The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after 8 years, due to security reasons following the World Trade Center attacks.
Births
- 1330 – Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (d. 1367)
- 1546 – Murat III, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1595)
- 1694 – Louis-Claude Daquin, French composer (d. 1772)
- 1715 – Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet (d. 1769)
- 1719 – Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (d. 1797)
- 1790 – George Everest, Welsh surveyor (d. 1866)
- 1799 – King Oscar I of Sweden, French general (d. 1859)
- 1804 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American writer (d. 1864)
- 1807 – Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian patriot (d. 1882)
- 1816 – Hiram Walker, American grocer and distiller (d. 1899)
- 1826 – Stephen Foster, American songwriter (d. 1864)
- 1845 – Thomas Barnardo, Irish humanitarian (d. 1905)
- 1847 – James Anthony Bailey, American circus impresario (d. 1906)
- 1854 – Victor Babeş, Romanian bacteriologist (d. 1926)
- 1867 – Stephen Mather, American entrepreneur and conservationist (d. 1930)
- 1868 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer (d. 1921)
- 1872 – Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933)
- 1881 – Ulysses S. Grant III, American soldier (d. 1968)
- 1882 – Louis B. Mayer, American film producer (d. 1957)
- 1883 – Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (d. 1970)
- 1895 – Irving Caesar, American lyricist and composer (d. 1996)
- 1896 – Mao Dun, Chinese writer (d. 1981)
- 1898 – Dr. Pilar Barbosa, Puerto Rican historian (d. 1997)
- 1898 – Gertrude Lawrence, English-born actress (d. 1952)
- 1902 – Meyer Lansky, Russian-born American gangster (d. 1983)
- 1902 – George Murphy, American entertainer (d. 1992)
- 1903 – Flor Peeters, Belgian composer, organist and teacher (d. 1986)
- 1904 – Angela Baddeley, English actress (d. 1976)
- 1905 – Irving Johnson, American adventurer (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Gordon Griffith, American director (d. 1958)
- 1907 – Howard Taubman, American music and theater critic (d. 1996)
- 1910 – Gloria Stuart, American actress
- 1911 – Mitch Miller, American entertainer
- 1912 – Viviane Romance, French actress (d. 1991)
- 1916 – Iva Toguri D'Aquino, American World War II figure (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1947)
- 1918 – Ann Landers, American advice columnist (d. 2002)
- 1918 – Abigail Van Buren, American advice columnist
- 1918 – King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga (d. 2006)
- 1918 – Johnnie Parsons, American race car driver (d. 1984)
- 1920 – Norm Drucker, American basketball referee
- 1920 – Leona Helmsley, American hotel operator and real estate investor (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Gerard Debreu, French economist, Nobel laureate (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist (d. 2003)
- 1923 – Rudolf Friedrich, Swiss Federal Councilor
- 1924 – Eva Marie Saint, American actress
- 1926 – Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentine-Spanish footballer
- 1927 – Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress
- 1927 – Neil Simon, American playwright
- 1928 – Giampiero Boniperti, Italian footballer
- 1929 – Al Davis, American businessman
- 1929 – Chuck Tanner, American baseball player
- 1929 – Bill Tuttle, American baseball player (d. 1998)
- 1930 – Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Armenian actor (d. 1993)
- 1930 – George Steinbrenner, American businessman
- 1930 – Yuri Tyukalov, Soviet Olympic rower
- 1931 – Stephen Boyd, Northern Irish actor (d. 1977)
- 1931 – Sébastien Japrisot, French author, film director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1932 – Aurèle Vandendriessche, Belgian athlete
- 1934 – Colin Welland, English actor
- 1935 – Paul Scoon, Governor General of Grenada
- 1936 – Zdzisława Donat, Polish coloratura soprano
- 1937 – Sonja Haraldsen, Queen of Norway (spouse of King Harald V of Norway)
- 1937 – Thomas Nagel, American philosopher
- 1938 – Bill Withers, American singer and songwriter
- 1938 – Sergio Oliva, Cuban born American bodybuilder
- 1940 – Karolyn Grimes, American actress
- 1941 – Brian Willson, American peace activist
- 1942 – Hal Lanier, American baseball player
- 1942 – Floyd Little, American football player
- 1942 – Stefan Meller, Polish foreign minister (d. 2008)
- 1943 – Konrad "Conny" Bauer, German musician
- 1943 – Geraldo Rivera, American reporter
- 1943 – Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, American musician (d. 1970)
- 1943 – Emerson Boozer, American football player
- 1943 – Milan Máčala, Czech football coach
- 1944 – Ray Meagher, Australian actor
- 1944 – Joe Berardo, Portuguese millionaire
- 1945 – Bruce French, American actor
- 1946 – Tish Howard, American model
- 1946 – Ron Kovic, American peace activist
- 1946 – Michael Milken, American financier
- 1946 – Ed O'Ross, American actor
- 1947 – Morganna Roberts, American entertainer
- 1948 – Ed Armbrister, baseball player
- 1948 – René Arnoux, French race car driver
- 1948 – Tommy Körberg, Swedish singer and actor
- 1948 – Jeremy Spencer, English musician
- 1948 – Phil Wheatley, Director-General of the National Offender Management Service
- 1950 – Philip Craven, British International Paralympic Committee president
- 1950 – David Jensen, Canadian-born British radio DJ
- 1951 – Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, American politician
- 1952 – Álvaro Uribe, President of Colombia
- 1954 – Jim Beattie, American baseball player
- 1955 – John Waite, English singer
- 1956 – Mark Belling, American radio talkshow host
- 1957 – Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand
- 1957 – Rein Lang, Estonian politician and diplomat
- 1958 – Kirk Pengilly, Australian musician
- 1958 – Carl Valentine, English-born Canadian former footballer
- 1959 – Victoria Abril, Spanish actress
- 1960 – Sid Eudy, American professional wrestler
- 1960 – Barry Windham, American professional wrestler
- 1960 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1994)
- 1961 – Richard Garriott, English video game designer
- 1962 – Neil Morrissey, English actor
- 1962 – Pam Shriver, American former tennis player
- 1963 – Henri Leconte, French former tennis player
- 1963 – Matt Malley, American musician
- 1963 – José Oquendo, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1964 – Cle Kooiman, American soccer player
- 1964 – Mark Slaughter, American singer
- 1964 – Mark Whiting, American filmmaker and actor
- 1965 – Horace Grant, American basketball player
- 1965 – Harvey Grant, American basketball player
- 1965 – Jo Whiley, English radio DJ
- 1966 – Minas Hantzidis, Greek footballer
- 1966 – Lee Reherman, American actor
- 1967 – Vinny Castilla, Mexican baseball player
- 1967 – Andy Walker (journalist), Canadian television personality
- 1967 – Rick Wilkins, American baseball player
- 1968 – Jack Frost, American musician
- 1969 – Todd Marinovich, American football player
- 1969 – Wilfred Mugeyi, Zimbabwean soccer player
- 1970 – Tony Vidmar, Australian former footballer
- 1970 – Christian Giesler, American bassist (Kreator)
- 1971 – Andy Creeggan, Canadian musician
- 1971 – Brendan Donnelly, American baseball player
- 1971 – Koko, sign-language gorilla
- 1971 – Ned Zelic, Australian soccer player
- 1972 – Nina Badrić, Croatian singer
- 1972 – Stephen Giles, Canadian canoer
- 1972 – William Goldsmith, American drummer
- 1972 – Mike Knuble, Canadian hockey player
- 1972 – Oleg Prudius, Ukrainian professional wrestler
- 1973 – Gackt, Japanese singer
- 1973 – Keiko Ihara, Japanese racing driver
- 1973 – Michael Johnson, English-born Jamaican footballer
- 1973 – Jan Magnussen, Danish racing driver
- 1973 – Tony Popovic, Australian soccer player
- 1973 – Elton Williams, Montserratian footballer
- 1974 – La'Roi Glover, American football player
- 1974 – Adrian Griffin, American basketball player
- 1974 – Vince Spadea, American tennis player
- 1975 – Tania Davis, Australian violist
- 1976 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (d. 2003)
- 1976 – Yevgeniya Medvedeva-Arbuzova, Russian cross-country skier
- 1977 – Jonas Kjellgren, Swedish musician (Scar Symmetry)
- 1978 – Katia Zygouli, Greek model
- 1978 – Vicky Kaya, Greek model and actress
- 1978 – Stephen McNally, British singer and songwriter (BBMak)
- 1978 – Emile Mpenza, Belgian footballer
- 1978 – Becki Newton, American actress
- 1980 – Max Elliott Slade, American film actor
- 1981 – Francisco Cruceta, Dominican baseball player
- 1981 – Dédé, Angolan soccer player
- 1982 – Hannah Harper, English porn star
- 1983 – Isabeli Fontana, Brazilian model
- 1983 – Ben Jorgensen, American musician
- 1983 – Andy Mrotek, American musician
- 1983 – Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Spanish actor and singer
- 1984 – Gina Glocksen, American singer
- 1984 – Akanishi Jin, Japanese singer
- 1985 – Kane Tenace, Australian rules footballer
- 1986 – Takahisa Masuda, Japanese singer
- 1990 – David Kross, German actor
- 1990 – Backer Aloenouvo, Togolese Soccer Player
- 2003 – Alessia di Matteo, Italian medical figure (d. 2005)
- 2008 – Princess Rayet Al Noor bint Hashim, daughter of Prince Hashim bin Al Hussein
Deaths
- 907 – Luitpold, Margrave of Bavaria
- 943 – Taejo of Goryeo, ruler of Korea (b. 877)
- 965 – Pope Benedict V, Italian Roman Catholic Pope (b. unknown)
- 973 – Ulrich of Augsburg, German bishop (b. 890)
- 1187 – Raynald of Chatillon, Prince of Antioch
- 1541 – Pedro de Alvarado, Spanish explorer (b. 1495)
- 1546 – Hayreddin Barbarossa, Admiral of the Ottoman Navy (b. 1478)
- 1551 – Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell of Oakham, Knight (b. 1514)
- 1603 – Philippe de Monte, Flemish composer (b. 1521)
- 1623 – William Byrd, English composer
- 1648 – Antoine Daniel, French Jesuit missionary, one of the Canadian Martyrs (b. 1601)
- 1742 – Guido Grandi, Italian mathematician (b. 1671)
- 1754 – Philippe Néricault Destouches, French dramatist and author (b. 1680)
- 1761 – Samuel Richardson, English writer (b. 1689)
- 1780 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Austrian military leader (b. 1712)
- 1787 – Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise, Marshal of France (b. 1715)
- 1821 – Richard Cosway, English artist (b. 1742)
- 1826 – John Adams, 2nd President of the United States (b. 1735)
- 1826 – Thomas Jefferson 3rd President of the United States (b. 1743)
- 1831 – James Monroe, 5th President of the United States (b. 1758)
- 1848 – François-René de Chateaubriand, French writer (b. 1768)
- 1850 – William Kirby, English entomologist (b. 1759)
- 1854 – Karl Friedrich Eichhorn, German jurist (b. 1781)
- 1857 – William L. Marcy, American statesman (b. 1786)
- 1881 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish statesman (b. 1806)
- 1882 – Joseph Brackett, American composer (b. 1797)
- 1891 – Hannibal Hamlin, U.S. Vice President (b. 1809)
- 1901 – Johannes Schmidt, German linguist (b. 1843)
- 1902 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian spiritual leader (b. 1863)
- 1905 – Élisée Reclus, French anarchist (b. 1830)
- 1910 – Melville Weston Fuller, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1833)
- 1910 – Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer (b. 1835)
- 1916 – Alan Seeger, American war poet (b. 1888)
- 1922 – Lothar von Richthofen, German pilot (b. 1894)
- 1926 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian Saint (b. 1901)
- 1931 – Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta, Italian aristocrat (b. 1869)
- 1931 – Buddie Petit, American jazz musician (b. 1895)
- 1934 – Maria Sklodowska-Curie, Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Physics (b. 1867)
- 1938 – Otto Bauer, Austrian Social Democratic politician (b. 1881)
- 1938 – Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (b. 1899)
- 1941 – Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician (b. 1881)
- 1946 – Gerda Steinhoff, Nazi concentration camp overseer (b. 1922)
- 1948 – Monteiro Lobato, Brazilian writer (b. 1882)
- 1963 – Bernard Freyberg, Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1889)
- 1964 – Henry (Hank) Sylvern, U.S. radio personality (b. 1908)
- 1970 – Barnett Newman, American artist (b. 1905)
- 1970 – Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1884)
- 1971 – August Derleth, American writer and editor (b. 1909)
- 1975 – Georgette Heyer, English author (b. 1902)
- 1976 – Antoni Słonimski, Polish poet (b. 1895)
- 1977 – Gersh Budker, Russian physicist (b. 1918)
- 1979 – Lee Wai Tong, Chinese footballer (b. 1905)
- 1980 – Maurice Grevisse, Belgian grammarian (b. 1895)
- 1982 – Terry Higgins, early British AIDS death (b. 1945)
- 1984 – Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
- 1986 – Flor Peeters, Belgian composer, organist, and teacher (b. 1903)
- 1986 – Oscar Zariski, Russian mathematician (b. 1899)
- 1988 – Adrian Adonis, American professional wrestler (b. 1954)
- 1989 – Jack Haig, British actor (b. 1913)
- 1991 – Victor Chang, Australian physician (b. 1936)
- 1992 – Ástor Piazzolla, Argentinian composer (b. 1921)
- 1993 – Bona Arsenault, French Canadian politician and historian (b. 1903)
- 1994 - Ong Sin Wee, proud Singaporean and boyfriend.
- 1994 – Joey Marella, American professional wrestling referee (b. 1964)
- 1995 – Eva Gabor, Hungarian actress (b. 1919)
- 1995 – Bob Ross, American artist and television host (b. 1942)
- 1997 – Charles Kuralt, American television presenter (b. 1934)
- 1997 – John Zachary Young, English zoologist (b. 1907)
- 1999 – Leo Garel, American artist and cartoonist (b. 1917)
- 2000 – Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski, Polish writer (b. 1919)
- 2001 – Keenan Milton, American skateboarder (b. 1974)
- 2002 – Benjamin O. Davis Jr., American general (b. 1912)
- 2002 – Mansoor Hekmat, Iranian politician (b. 1951)
- 2002 – Winnifred Quick, American Titanic survivor (b. 1904)
- 2003 – André Claveau, French singer (b. 1915)
- 2003 – Barry White, American singer (b. 1944)
- 2004 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss conductor (b. 1920)
- 2004 – Frank Robinson (Xylophone Man), British street entertainer (b. 1932)
- 2005 – Hank Stram, American football coach (b. 1923)
- 2007 – Barış Akarsu, Turkish rock musician (b. 1979)
- 2007 – Bill Pinkney, American singer and performer (b. 1925)
- 2008 – Jesse Helms, American politician (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Evelyn Keyes, American actress (b. 1916)
- 2008 – Terrence Kiel, American football player (b. 1980)
- 2008 – Charles Wheeler, British journalist (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Brenda Joyce, American actress (b. 1917)
- 2009 – Allen Klein, American record label executive (b. 1931)
- 2009 – Drake Levin, American rock musician (b. 1946)
- 2009 – Steve McNair, American football player (b. 1973)
- 2009 – Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish writer (b. 1935)
- 2009 – Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, Congolese politician (b. 1938)
- 2009 – Jim Chapin, American drummer (b. 1919)
Holidays and observances
- Christian Feast Day
- Andrew of Crete
- Bertha of Artois
- Elizabeth of Portugal, patron saint of Coimbra (city holiday), known there as Rainha Santa Isabela.
- Oda of Canterbury
- Ulrich of Augsburg
- Filipino-American Friendship Day (Philippines)
- Independence Day, celebrates the Declaration of Independence of the United States from Great Britain in 1776.
- Liberation Day (Rwanda)



