United States grants honorary citizenship to Winston Churchill (1963), and NASA names the Mercury Seven as its first astronauts (1959). Born on this day: Charles Baudelaire, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Kristen Stewart. Died: Frank Lloyd Wright, Francis Bacon and Philip, duke of Edinburgh.
31 events, 67 births and 61 deaths on this date.
Churchill became the first person given honorary American citizenship by an act of Congress, a recognition of his wartime partnership with the United States and his long ties to the country through his American mother. The honour came from the U.S. Congress, which passed a private bill for the purpose.
Public domainSeven test pilots were picked from more than a hundred candidates to become America's first astronauts for Project Mercury. Their selection kicked off the country's effort to put a person into orbit.
A respected commander, Severus was hailed as emperor by his troops in Illyricum, a move that set him on the road to sole power. Within a few years he had defeated his rivals and founded a dynasty that ruled Rome until 235.
Vietnamese forces under the Trần dynasty turned back a Yuan invasion fleet on the Bạch Đằng River, in the north of present-day Vietnam. The victory helped keep Vietnam independent of Mongol-led China.
Spain and the Dutch Republic signed a deal at Antwerp that paused their long fight over the Netherlands for twelve years. It gave both sides breathing space in a conflict that had dragged on for decades.
Built to cover short and thin routes that the 727 served poorly, the twinjet went on to become one of the most-built airliners ever. It lost its best-selling crown to the Airbus A320 family in 2019.
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Charles Baudelaire was a French poet and art critic who wrote Les Fleurs du mal, a book of lyric poems about beauty in a rapidly changing Paris. He also coined the word modernity to describe life in the modern city.
Notwist · Public domain
French actor who became a star of the New Wave with Breathless in 1960, then leaned into popular action films. He refused to work in English-language Hollywood productions throughout his career.
Georges Biard · CC BY-SA 3.0
American actress known for playing Bella Swan in the Twilight films and for later arthouse roles, including Spencer, which earned her an Oscar nomination. She has also started directing, with her debut feature The Chronology of Water premiering at Cannes in 2025.
Kevin Paul · CC BY 4.0
Wright designed Fallingwater and over a thousand other buildings, and developed organic architecture, which fits structures to people and their surroundings. He died in 1959, leaving a body of work that still shapes how Americans think about home design.
Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain
English philosopher and statesman who argued that scientific knowledge should come from careful observation and experiment rather than inherited authority. He also rose to Lord Chancellor under James I before a fall from office for corruption.
Paul van Somer I / Formerly attributed to Frans Pourbus the Younger · Public domain
Philip, consort to Queen Elizabeth II, died at Windsor Castle aged 99, having held the longest consort's role in British history. He was also a naval officer, a keen carriage-driving enthusiast and a patron of hundreds of charities.
Allan Warren · CC BY-SA 3.0
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