- 1772 - Birth of encyclopedia publisher Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus
- 1900 - 1. FC Nürnberg is founded
- 1904 - FC Schalke 04 is founded in Gelsenkirchen
- 1938 - Death of pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, recipient of the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize
- 1956 - Birth of high jumper Ulrike Meyfarth