What happened on August 7 ?

461 - Majorian, Roman Emperor (assassinated) (b. 420)

479 - Emperor Y?ryaku of Japan

1106 - Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1050)

1485 - Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, English prince

1613 - Thomas Fleming, English judge (b. 1544)

1616 - Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect (b. 1548)

1635 - Friedrich von Spee, German writer (b. 1591)

1661 - Jin Shengtan, Chinese editor, writer and critic (b. 1608)

1817 - Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, French industrialist (b. 1739)

1834 - Joseph Marie Jacquard, French weaver and inventor (b. 1752)

1848 - Jöns Jakob Berzelius, Swedish chemist (b. 1779)

1855 - Mariano Arista, President of Mexico (b. 1802)

1912 - François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss hydrologist (b. 1841)

1917 - Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning, first pilot to land his aircraft on a ship. Killed five days later during another landing on the ship

1938 - Konstantin Stanislavski, Russian/Soviet actor, producer, dramatist (b. 1863)

1941 - Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)

1957 - Oliver Hardy, American comedian and actor (b. 1892)

1974 - Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet (b. 1925)

1985 - Grayson Hall, American actress (b. 1923)

1989 - Mickey Leland, U.S. Congressman (D-TX) (b. 1944)

1995 - Brigid Brophy, British author (b. 1929)

1999 - Brion James, American actor (b. 1945)

2004 - Red Adair, American firefighter (b. 1915)

2004 - Colin Bibby, English ornithologist (b. 1948)

2004 - Aaron Lee Thibedeau, Aaron Lee "TIBBS" Thibedeau(b. 1979)

2005 - Peter Jennings, Canadian-born news anchor (b. 1938)

Roman Catholicism - the feasts of at least 15 saints: St. Cajetan of Thienna

St. Donatus

St. Claudia

St. Agathangelo Noury

St. Albert of Trapani

St. Victricius

St. Carpophorus

St. Donat

St. Donatian

St. Donatus & Hilarinus

St. Donatus of Besancon

St. Faustus

St. Hyperechios

St. Peter, Julian, and Companions

BBC: On This Day

The New York Times: On This Day