1048 – Al-Biruni, Arabic royal astrologer, dies at 74
1565 – Conrad Gessner, Swiss physician and naturalist, dies at 49
1574 – Selim II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1566-74), dies of head injury after a fall at 50
1769 – Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, German poet and novelist (Fables and Tales), dies at 54
1915 – Francis Cockrell, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 81
1940 – George Regas, Greek actor (The Mark of Zorro), dies at 50
1958 – Ahmed Mukhtar Baban, premier of Iraq, executed
1969 – Raymond A Spruance, U.S. Navy admiral (Battle of Midway), dies at 83
1981 – Cornelius Cardew, British composer (Scratch Orchestra), dies in a hit and run accident at 45
1997 – Martin Carter, Guyanese poet and political activist, dies at 70