March 6

Events Pre-1600 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. 845 – The 42 Martyrs of Amorium are killed after refusing to convert to Islam. 1204 – The Siege of Château Gaillard ends in a French victory over King John of England, who loses control of Normandy to King Philip II Augustus. 1323 – Treaty of Paris of 1323 is signed. 1447 – Election of Pope Nicholas V following the death of Pope Eugene IV on 23 February 1447.

1601–1900 1651 – The town of Kajaani, known at the time as Cajanaburg, is founded by Count Per Brahe, the Governor-General of Finland. 1788 – The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island in order to found a convict settlement. 1820 – The Missouri Compromise is signed into law by United States President James Monroe. The compromise allows Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, brings Maine into the Union as a free state, and makes the rest of the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase territory slavery-free. 1836 – Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo: After a thirteen-day siege by an army of over 1,800 Mexican troops, the 257 Texas volunteers, including frontiersman Davy Crockett and colonel Jim Bowie, defending the Alamo are killed and the fort is captured. 1857 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules 7–2 in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case that the Constitution does not confer citizenship on black people.

1901–present 1901 – An anarchist assassin tries to kill German Emperor Wilhelm II. 1904 – Scottish National Antarctic Expedition: Led by William Speirs Bruce, the Antarctic region of Coats Land is discovered from the Scotia. 1930 – International Unemployment Day demonstrations globally initiated by the Communist Party USA. 1943 – World War II: Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel launches the Battle of Medenine in an attempt to slow down the British Eighth Army. It fails, and he leaves Africa three days later. 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Fardykambos, one of the first major battles between the Greek Resistance and the occupying Royal Italian Army, ends with the surrender of an entire Italian battalion, the bulk of the garrison of the town of Grevena, leading to its liberation a fortnight later. 1945 – World War II: Cologne is captured by American troops. On the same day, Operation Spring Awakening, the last major German offensive of the war, begins. 1957 – the Ghana Independence Act 1957 is passed in the United Kingdom resulting in Ghana gaining independence from the British. 1975 – Algiers Accord: Iran and Iraq announce a settlement of their border dispute. 1985 – Registration of the Filipino megachurch Christ's Commission Fellowship with the Philippine government, months after its first worship service in August 1984. 1987 – The British ferry capsizes in about 90 seconds, killing 193. 1988 – Operation Flavius: Three Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers are shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar. 2003 – Air Algérie Flight 6289 crashes at the Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport in Tamanrasset, Algeria, killing 102 out of the 103 people on board. 2008 – A suicide bomber kills 68 people in the Karrada district of Karrada in Baghdad 2008 – A gunman kills eight students in Jerusalem. 2020 – 32 people are killed and 82 are injured when gunmen open fire on a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack.

Births Pre-1600 1340 – John of Gaunt (probable; d. 1399) 1405 – John II of Castile (died 1454) 1475 – Michelangelo, Italian painter and sculptor (died 1564) 1483 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (died 1540) 1495 – Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet and diplomat (died 1556)

1601–1900 1619 – Cyrano de Bergerac, French author and playwright (died 1655) 1663 – Francis Atterbury, English bishop (died 1732) 1716 – Pehr Kalm, Swedish-Finnish botanist and explorer (died 1779) 1724 – Henry Laurens, English-American merchant and politician, 5th President of the Continental Congress (died 1792) 1761 – Antoine-François Andréossy, French general and diplomat (died 1828) 1779 – Antoine-Henri Jomini, Swiss-French general (died 1869) 1780 – Lucy Barnes, American writer (died 1809) 1785 – Karol Kurpiński, Polish composer and conductor (died 1857) 1787 – Joseph von Fraunhofer, German physicist and astronomer (died 1826) 1806 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English-Italian poet and translator (died 1861) 1818 – William Claflin, American businessman and politician, 27th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1905) 1823 – Charles I of Württemberg (died 1891) 1826 – Annie Feray Mutrie, British painter (died 1893) 1831 – Philip Sheridan, Irish-American general (died 1888) 1834 – George du Maurier, French-English author and illustrator (died 1896) 1841 – Viktor Burenin, Russian author, poet, playwright, and critic (died 1926) 1849 – Georg Luger, Austrian gun designer, designed the Luger pistol (died 1923) 1865 – Duan Qirui, Chinese warlord and politician (died 1936) 1870 – Oscar Straus, Viennese composer and conductor (died 1954) 1871 – Afonso Costa, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 59th Prime Minister of Portugal (died 1937) 1872 – Sarah Roberts, subject of a vampire legend (died 1913) 1876 – A. A. Kannisto, Finnish politician (died 1930) 1877 – Rose Fyleman, English writer and poet (died 1957) 1882 – F. Burrall Hoffman, American architect, co-designed Villa Vizcaya (died 1980) 1882 – Guy Kibbee, American actor and singer (died 1956) 1884 – Molla Mallory, Norwegian-American tennis player (died 1959) 1884 – María Collazo, Uruguayan journalist and activist (died 1942) 1885 – Ring Lardner, American journalist and author (died 1933) 1892 – Bert Smith, English international footballer (died 1969) 1893 – Furry Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1981) 1893 – Ella P. Stewart, pioneering Black American pharmacist (died 1987) 1895 – Albert Tessier, Canadian priest and historian (died 1976) 1900 – Gina Cigna, French-Italian soprano and actress (died 2001) 1900 – Lefty Grove, American baseball player (died 1975) 1900 – Henri Jeanson, French journalist and author (died 1970)

1901–present 1903 – Empress Nagako of Japan (died 2000) 1904 – José Antonio Aguirre, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Basque Country (died 1960) 1905 – Bob Wills, American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader (died 1975) 1906 – Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (died 1959) 1909 – Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (died 1987) 1909 – Herman Lay, American businessman (died 1982) 1909 – Stanisław Jerzy Lec, Polish poet and author (died 1966) 1910 – Emma Bailey, American auctioneer and author (died 1999) 1912 – Mohammed Burhanuddin, Indian spiritual leader, 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq (died 2014) 1917 – Donald Davidson, American philosopher and academic (died 2003) 1917 – Will Eisner, American illustrator and publisher (died 2005) 1918 – Howard McGhee, American trumpeter (died 1987) 1920 – Lewis Gilbert, English director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2018) 1923 – Ed McMahon, American comedian, game show host, and announcer (died 2009) 1923 – Wes Montgomery, American guitarist and songwriter (died 1968) 1924 – Sarah Caldwell, American opera director, impresario, and stage director (died 2006) 1924 – Ottmar Walter, German footballer (died 2013) 1924 – William H. Webster, American lawyer and jurist, Director of Central Intelligence (died 2025) 1926 – Ann Curtis, American swimmer (died 2012) 1926 – Alan Greenspan, American economist and politician (died 2026) 1926 – Ray O'Connor, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of Western Australia (died 2013) 1926 – Andrzej Wajda, Polish director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2016) 1927 – Gordon Cooper, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (died 2004) 1927 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2014) 1929 – Tom Foley, American lawyer and politician, 57th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (died 2013) 1929 – David Sheppard, English cricketer and bishop (died 2005) 1930 – Lorin Maazel, French-American violinist, composer, and conductor (died 2014) 1932 – Marc Bazin, Haitian lawyer and politician, 49th President of Haiti (died 2010) 1932 – Jean Boht, English actress (died 2023) 1932 – Bronisław Geremek, Polish historian and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2008) 1932 – Timofei Moșneaga, Moldovan physician and politician, Moldovan Minister of Health (died 2014) 1936 – Marion Barry, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Mayor of the District of Columbia (died 2014) 1936 – Choummaly Sayasone, Laotian politician, 5th President of Laos 1937 – Ivan Boesky, American businessman (died 2024) 1937 – Norman Coburn, Australian actor 1937 – Valentina Tereshkova, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut 1938 – Keishu Tanaka, Japanese politician, 17th Japanese Minister of Justice (died 2022) 1939 – Kit Bond, American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Missouri (died 2025) 1939 – Adam Osborne, Thai-Indian engineer and businessman, founded the Osborne Computer Corporation (died 2003) 1939 – Cookie Rojas, Cuban-American baseball player 1940 – Ken Danby, Canadian painter (died 2007) 1940 – R. H. Sikes, American golfer (died 2023) 1940 – Willie Stargell, American baseball player (died 2001) 1941 – Peter Brötzmann, German saxophonist and clarinet player (died 2023) 1944 – Richard Corliss, American journalist and critic (died 2015) 1944 – Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand soprano and actress 1944 – Mary Wilson, American singer (died 2021) 1945 – Angelo Castro Jr., Filipino actor and journalist (died 2012) 1946 – Patrick Baudry, French military officer and astronaut 1946 – Martin Kove, American actor 1946 – David Gilmour, English guitarist and singer-songwriter 1947 – Rob Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and activist (died 2025) 1947 – Jean Seaton, English historian and academic 1947 – Dick Fosbury, American high jumper (died 2023) 1948 – Stephen Schwartz, American composer and producer 1949 – Shaukat Aziz, Pakistani economist and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Pakistan 1949 – Martin Buchan, Scottish footballer and manager 1950 – Arthur Roche, English archbishop 1951 – Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch cyclist (died 2004) 1952 – Denis Napthine, Australian politician, 47th Premier of Victoria 1953 – Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali banker and politician, 34th Prime Minister of Nepal 1953 – Carolyn Porco, American astronomer and academic 1954 – Harald Schumacher, German footballer and manager 1955 – Cyprien Ntaryamira, Burundian politician, 5th President of Burundi (died 1994) 1955 – Alberta Watson, Canadian actress (died 2015) 1956 – Steve Vizard, Australian television host, actor, and producer 1959 – Tom Arnold, American actor and comedian 1960 – Sleepy Floyd, American basketball player and coach 1962 – Alison Nicholas, British golfer 1963 – D. L. Hughley, American actor, producer, and screenwriter 1964 – Linda Pearson, Scottish sport shooter 1966 – Alan Davies, English comedian, actor and screenwriter 1967 – Julio Bocca, Argentine ballet dancer and director 1967 – Glenn Greenwald, American journalist and author 1967 – Connie Britton, American actress 1968 – Carla McGhee, American basketball player and coach 1971 – Darrick Martin, American basketball player and coach 1972 – Shaquille O'Neal, American basketball player 1973 – Michael Finley, American basketball player 1973 – Peter Lindgren, Swedish guitarist and songwriter 1973 – Greg Ostertag, American basketball player 1974 – Guy Garvey, English singer-songwriter and guitarist 1975 – Aracely Arámbula, Mexican actress and singer 1975 – Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Canadian pianist and conductor 1976 – Ken Anderson, American wrestler and actor 1977 – Nantie Hayward, South African cricketer 1977 – Giorgos Karagounis, Greek footballer 1977 – Shabani Nonda, Congolese footballer 1979 – Tim Howard, American soccer player