Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, born in Sharon, Vermont (1805), and Seven Japanese wartime leaders executed at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo (1948). Born on this day: Akihito, Alexander I and Joseph Smith. Died: Tōjō Hideki, Lavrenty Beria and Gerard Peter Kuiper.
33 events, 73 births and 49 deaths on this date.
Joseph Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont, and would later found the Latter Day Saint movement. At 24 he published the Book of Mormon, which he said was a translation of golden plates, and his movement is followed by millions today.
Lucian Rose Foster · Public domainAllied occupation authorities hanged seven Japanese military and political leaders at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo. They had been convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East for crimes committed during the Second World War.
Colombia joined the Buenos Aires copyright treaty, an agreement among American states on protecting literary and artistic works. It meant authors' rights were recognised across the member countries, not just at home.
Soldiers from Australia and New Zealand reached Cairo during the First World War, a capital city founded in the tenth century. The Giza pyramids lie within its boundaries, so the new arrivals were close to some of the oldest monuments on earth.
Soviet troops moved into Kabul, bringing the Soviet–Afghan War into the heart of the country. The occupation drew Soviet forces deeper into a conflict that would last almost a decade.
Gripped by a severe mental illness, the Dutch painter cut off part of his ear and handed the piece to a woman working in a brothel in Arles. The episode shows how a mental disorder can drive behaviour far outside a person's control.
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Akihito reigned as Emperor of Japan from 1989 until abdicating in 2019, the first Japanese monarch to step down in over two centuries. Known for his interest in marine biology and conservation, he worked to bring the imperial family closer to ordinary people.
Malacañang Photo Bureau · Public domain
Emperor of Russia from 1801 to his death in 1825, nicknamed "the Blessed". He steered Russia through the Napoleonic Wars, repeatedly shifting between neutrality, opposition and alliance with France, while keeping absolute power despite his liberal talk.
Alexander Molinari · Public domain
Joseph Smith founded the Latter Day Saint movement, which includes the LDS Church, after publishing the Book of Mormon in 1830 as what he said was a translation of golden plates. He led followers across several American states before he was killed by a mob in Illinois in 1844.
Lucian Rose Foster · Public domain
Tōjō Hideki was a Japanese general who served as prime minister during the Second World War, overseeing the attack on Pearl Harbor. After Japan's defeat he was convicted by an international tribunal and hanged in Tokyo.
Public domain
Beria ran Stalin's secret police for most of the Second World War and oversaw the Soviet atomic bomb project. After Stalin's death he was arrested by his own colleagues and executed in December 1953.
presumed official · Public domain
Dutch-born astronomer who worked in the United States and is remembered for studying the planets and their moons. The Kuiper belt, an icy region beyond Neptune, is named after him.
Public domain
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