Portal:Biography/Selected anniversaries/August 9

Births

 * 1593 - Izaak Walton, English angler (d. 1683)
 * 1631 - John Dryden, English Poet Laureate (d. 1700)
 * 1757 - Thomas Telford, Scottish civil engineer (d. 1834)
 * 1776 - Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist (d. 1856)
 * 1896 - Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist (d. 1980)
 * 1909 - Adam von Trott zu Solz, German diplomat opposing the Nazi regime (executed) (d. 1944)
 * 1914 - Tove Jansson, Finnish author, the creator of the Moomins (d. 2001)
 * 1938 - Leonid Kuchma, Ukrainian politician
 * 1939 - Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy, former President of the European Commission
 * 1968 - Eric Bana, Australian actor
 * 1978 - Audrey Tautou, French actress

Deaths

 * 378 - Valens, (pictured) Roman Emperor (killed in battle) (b. 328)
 * 803 - Byzantine Empress Irene
 * 1173 - Najm ad-Din Ayyub, father of Saladin
 * 1969 - Sharon Tate, American actress (murdered) (b. 1943)
 * 1975 - Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer (b. 1906)
 * 1996 - Sir Frank Whittle, invented the jet engine (b. 1907)

Recent days: August 8 – August 7 – August 6