- 1919 Lady (Nancy) Astor became the first woman to take a seat in the Westminster House of Commons.
- 1956 Ronnie Delaney (21) won a gold medal for Ireland in the 1,500 metres at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, the first since Bob Tisdall in 1932.
- 1666 Sir James Ware (72), antiquary and historiographer, author notably of Ancient Irish histories (1633), died.