On Things That Happened on My Birthday

Since I’ve seen this on a number of friends’ webpages, I thought I too could list a number of interesting things that happened on my birthday, the 24th of June. 🙂

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

Events
1314 – End of the Battle of Bannockburn. Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce defeat Edward II of England. Scotland regains its independence.
1497 – John Cabot lands on North America in Newfoundland; first European discovery of the region since the Vikings.
1509 – Henry VIII crowned King of England.
1534 – Jacques Cartier makes the European discovery of Prince Edward Island.
1793 – First republican constitution in France adopted.
1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon’s invasion of Russia begins.
1813 – Battle of Beaver Dams : A British, and Indian joint force defeat the U.S Army.
1901 – First exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s work opens.
1947 – First known sighting of UFOs: Kenneth Arnold, flying over Washington, notices nine luminous disks in the form of saucers.
1948 – Start of the Berlin Blockade. The Soviet Union makes overland travel between the West with West Berlin impossible.
1999 – The guitar with which Eric Clapton recorded Layla is sold at auction for $497,500.

Births
1340 – John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (d. 1399)
1842 – Ambrose Bierce, American author
1895 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer (d. 1983)
1915 – Fred Hoyle, British astronomer and science fiction author (d. 2001)
1942 – Mick Fleetwood, musician (Fleetwood Mac)
1944 – Jeff Beck, English guitarist (Yardbirds)
1947 – Peter Weller, American actor
1963 – Mike Wieringo, American comic book artist

Deaths
1604 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, Lord Great Chamberlain of England (b. 1550)
1908 – Grover Cleveland, President of the United States (heart failure) (b. 1837)
1987 – Jackie Gleason, American actor and musician (b. 1916)
2005 – Paul Winchell, American voice actor and ventriloquist (b. 1922)