May 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love.
  • 1515 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, are officially married at Greenwich.
  • 1568 – Battle of Langside: The forces of Mary, Queen of Scots, are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother.
  • 1619 – Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason.
  • 1779 – War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from it (the Innviertel).
  • 1780 – The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice.
  • 1787 – Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England, with eleven ships full of convicts (the “First Fleet”) to establish a penal colony in Australia.
  • 1804 – Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city.
  • 1830 – Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.
  • 1846 – Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on the Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American annexation of the Republic of Texas and a Mexican military incursion.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a “proclamation of neutrality” which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights.
  • 1861 – The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
  • 1861 – Pakistan’s (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.
  • 1862 – The USS Planter, a steamer and gunship, steals through Confederate lines and is passed to the Union, by a southern slave, Robert Smalls, who later was officially appointed as captain, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Resaca: The battle begins with Union General Sherman fighting toward Atlanta.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Battle of Palmito Ranch: In far south Texas, the last land battle of the Civil War ends with a Confederate victory.
  • 1880 – In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway.
  • 1888 – With the passage of the Lei Áurea (“Golden Law”), Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery.
  • 1909 – The first Giro d’Italia starts from Milan. Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna will be the winner.
  • 1912 – The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom.
  • 1917 – Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.
  • 1940 – World War II: Germany’s conquest of France begins as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech to the House of Commons.
  • 1940 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands flees her country to Great Britain after the German invasion. Princess Juliana takes her children to Canada for their safety.
  • 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav royal colonel Dragoljub Mihailović starts fighting against German occupation troops, beginning the Serbian resistance.
  • 1943 – World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia.
  • 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre is committed by Arab irregulars, the day before the declaration of independence of the state of Israel on May 14.
  • 1950 – The first round of the Formula One World Championship is held at Silverstone.
  • 1951 – The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru.
  • 1952 – The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting.
  • 1954 – The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place.
  • 1954 – The original Broadway production of The Pajama Game opens and runs for another 1,063 performances. Later received three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, and Best Choreography.
  • 1958 – During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Vice President Richard Nixon’s car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.
  • 1958 – May 1958 crisis: A group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria.
  • 1958 – Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey.
  • 1960 – Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
  • 1967 – Dr. Zakir Husain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969.
  • 1969 – May 13 Incident involving sectarian violence in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • 1971 – Over 900 unarmed Bengali Hindus are murdered in the Demra massacre.
  • 1972 – Faulty electrical wiring ignites a fire underneath the Playtown Cabaret in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators lead to 118 fatalities, with many victims leaping to their deaths.
  • 1972 – The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.
  • 1980 – An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.
  • 1981 – Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery and survives.
  • 1985 – Police bombed MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
  • 1989 – Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike.
  • 1990 – The Dinamo–Red Star riot took place at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia between the Bad Blue Boys (fans of Dinamo Zagreb) and the Delije (fans of Red Star Belgrade).
  • 1992 – Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People’s Republic of China.
  • 1995 – Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.
  • 1996 – Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.
  • 1998 – Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped.
  • 1998 – India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.
  • 2005 – Andijan uprising, Uzbekistan; Troops open fire on crowds of protestors after a prison break; at least 187 people were killed according to official estimates.
  • 2006 – São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil.
  • 2011 – Two bombs explode in the Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others.
  • 2012 – Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40.
  • 2013 – American physician Kermit Gosnell is found guilty in Pennsylvania of murdering three infants born alive during attempted abortions, involuntary manslaughter of a woman during an abortion procedure, and other charges.
  • 2014 – An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners.

Births on  May 13

  • 1024 – Hugh of Cluny, French abbot and saint (d. 1109)
  • 1179 – Theobald III, Count of Champagne (d. 1201)
  • 1221 – Alexander Nevsky, Russian prince and saint (d. 1263)
  • 1254 – Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (d. 1321)
  • 1453 – Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran, Scottish princess (d. 1488)
  • 1588 – Ole Worm, Danish physician and historian (d. 1654)
  • 1597 – Cornelis Schut, Flemish painter, draughtsman and engraver (d. 1655)
  • 1638 – Richard Simon, French priest and scholar (d. 1712)
  • 1699 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1782)
  • 1712 – Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish politician and diplomat (d. 1772)
  • 1713 – Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (d. 1765)
  • 1717 – Maria Theresa, Archduchess, Queen, and Empress; Austrian wife of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1780)
  • 1730 – Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1782)
  • 1735 – Horace Coignet, French violinist and composer (d. 1821)
  • 1742 – Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen (d. 1798)
  • 1753 – Lazare Carnot, French general, mathematician, and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 1823)
  • 1792 – Pope Pius IX (d. 1878)
  • 1794 – Louis Léopold Robert, French painter (d. 1835)
  • 1795 – Gérard Paul Deshayes, French geologist and chronologist (d. 1875)
  • 1811 – Juan Bautista Ceballos, President of Mexico (1853) (b. 1859)
  • 1822 – Francis, Duke of Cádiz (d. 1902)
  • 1830 – Zebulon Baird Vance, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of North Carolina (d. 1894)
  • 1832 – Juris Alunāns, Latvian philologist and author (d. 1864)
  • 1840 – Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1897)
  • 1842 – Arthur Sullivan, English composer (d. 1900)
  • 1853 – Vaiben Louis Solomon, Australian politician, 21st Premier of South Australia (d. 1908)
  • 1856 – Tom O’Rourke, American boxer and manager (d. 1938)
  • 1857 – Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1932)
  • 1868 – Sumner Paine, American target shooter (d. 1904)
  • 1869 – Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Turkish writer (d. 1944)
  • 1877 – Robert Hamilton, Scottish international footballer (d. 1948)
  • 1881 – Lima Barreto, Brazilian journalist and author (d. 1922)
  • 1881 – Joe Forshaw, American runner (d. 1964)
  • 1882 – Georges Braque, French painter and sculptor (d. 1963)
  • 1883 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the pap smear (d. 1962)
  • 1884 – Oskar Rosenfeld, Jewish-Austrian writer and Holocaust victim (d.1944)
  • 1885 – Mikiel Gonzi, Maltese archbishop (d. 1984)
  • 1887 – Lorna Hodgkinson, Australian educator and educational psychologist (d. 1951)
  • 1888 – Inge Lehmann, Danish seismologist and geophysicist (d. 1993)
  • 1894 – Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Icelandic politician, 2nd President of Iceland (d. 1972)
  • 1895 – Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-American psychologist, parapsychologist, and author (d. 1964)
  • 1901 – Murilo Mendes, Brazilian poet and telegrapher (d. 1975)
  • 1904 – Louis Duffus, Australian-South African cricketer and journalist (d. 1984)
  • 1905 – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (d. 1977)
  • 1907 – Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (d. 1989)
  • 1908 – Eugen Kapp, Estonian composer and educator (d. 1996)
  • 1909 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (d. 1992)
  • 1911 – Robert Middleton, American actor (d. 1977)
  • 1911 – Maxine Sullivan, American singer and actress (d. 1987)
  • 1912 – Gil Evans, Canadian-American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1988)
  • 1912 – Judah Nadich, American colonel and rabbi (d. 2007)
  • 1913 – Robert Dorning, English actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1989)
  • 1913 – Theo Helfrich, German racing driver (d. 1978)
  • 1913 – William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (d. 1980)
  • 1914 – Joe Louis, American boxer (d. 1981)
  • 1914 – Johnnie Wright, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
  • 1914 – Antonia Ferrín Moreiras, Spanish mathematician, academic, and astronomer (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – Sachidananda Routray, Indian Oriya-language poet (d. 2004)
  • 1918 – Balasaraswati, Indian dancer and instructor (d. 1984)
  • 1918 – Gwyn Howells, Australian public servant (d. 1997)
  • 1920 – Gareth Morris, English flute player (d. 2007)
  • 1922 – Michael Ainsworth, English cricketer (d. 1978)
  • 1922 – Otl Aicher, German graphic designer and typographer (d. 1991)
  • 1922 – Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (d. 2009)
  • 1923 – Ruth Adler Schnee, German-American textile designer and interior designer
  • 1924 – Theodore Mann, American director and producer (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Harry Schwarz, South African anti-apartheid leader, lawyer, and Ambassador (d. 2010)
  • 1927 – Archie Scott Brown, Scottish race car driver (d. 1958)
  • 1927 – Fred Hellerman, American folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1927 – Herbert Ross, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2001)
  • 1928 – Enrique Bolaños, Nicaraguan politician, President of Nicaragua
  • 1928 – Édouard Molinaro, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – John Galvin, American general (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Mike Gravel, American lieutenant and politician
  • 1930 – José Jiménez Lozano, Spanish journalist and author
  • 1930 – Vernon Shaw, Dominican politician, 5th President of Dominica (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Jim Jones, American cult leader, founder of the Peoples Temple (d. 1978)
  • 1931 – Sydney Lipworth, South African-English lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist
  • 1933 – John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (d. 2002)
  • 1934 – Ehud Netzer, Israeli archaeologist, architect, and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Leon Wagner, American baseball player and actor (d. 2004)
  • 1935 – Dominic Cossa, American opera singer
  • 1935 – Jan Saudek, Czech photographer and painter
  • 1935 – Kája Saudek, Czech author and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1936 – Bill Rompkey, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1937 – Trevor Baylis, English inventor, invented the wind-up radio (d. 2018)
  • 1937 – Roch Carrier, Canadian librarian and author
  • 1937 – Zohra Lampert, American actress
  • 1937 – Beverley Owen, American actress (d. 2019)
  • 1937 – Roger Zelazny, American author and poet (d. 1995)
  • 1938 – Giuliano Amato, Italian academic and politician, 48th Prime Minister of Italy
  • 1938 – Laurent Beaudoin, Canadian businessman
  • 1938 – Anna Cropper, British actress (d. 2007)
  • 1938 – Francine Pascal, American author and playwright
  • 1938 – Buck Taylor, American actor
  • 1939 – Hildrun Claus, German long jumper
  • 1939 – Peter Frenkel, German race walker and coach
  • 1939 – Harvey Keitel, American actor
  • 1940 – Bruce Chatwin, English author (d. 1989)
  • 1940 – Kōkichi Tsuburaya, Japanese runner (d. 1968)
  • 1941 – Senta Berger, Austrian actress
  • 1941 – Joe Brown, English singer and musician
  • 1941 – Jody Conradt, American basketball player and coach
  • 1941 – Ritchie Valens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1959)
  • 1942 – Leighton Gage, American author (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Roger Young, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1943 – Anthony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, English lawyer and judge
  • 1943 – Kurt Trampedach, Danish painter and sculptor (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – Mary Wells, American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
  • 1944 – Sir Crispin Agnew, 11th Baronet, Scottish explorer, lawyer, and judge
  • 1944 – Robert L. Crawford Jr., American actor
  • 1944 – Carolyn Franklin, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1944 – Armistead Maupin, American author, screenwriter, and actor
  • 1945 – Lasse Berghagen, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1945 – Magic Dick, American blues-rock harmonica, trumpet, and saxophone player
  • 1945 – Lou Marini, American saxophonist and composer
  • 1946 – Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor and author (d. 2017)
  • 1946 – Jean Rondeau, French race car driver and constructor (d. 1985)
  • 1946 – Marv Wolfman, American author
  • 1947 – Charles Baxter, American novelist, essayist, and poet
  • 1947 – Edgar Burcksen, Dutch-American film editor
  • 1948 – Sheila Jeffreys, English-Australian political scientist, author, and academic
  • 1948 – Dean Meminger, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1949 – Jane Glover, English conductor and scholar
  • 1949 – Zoë Wanamaker, American-British actress
  • 1949 – Philip Kruse, Norwegian trumpeter and orchestra leader
  • 1950 – Andy Cunningham, English actor (d. 2011)
  • 1950 – Danny Kirwan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
  • 1950 – Joe Johnston, American film director and effects artist
  • 1950 – Manning Marable, American author and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1950 – Bobby Valentine, American baseball player and manager
  • 1950 – Stevie Wonder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1951 – Rosie Boycott, English journalist and author
  • 1951 – Sharon Sayles Belton, American politician, 45th Mayor of Minneapolis
  • 1951 – Anand Modak, Indian composer and director (d. 2014)
  • 1951 – Herman Philipse, Dutch philosopher and academic
  • 1951 – Selina Scott, English journalist, producer, and author
  • 1951 – Paul Thompson, English drummer
  • 1952 – John Kasich, American politician, 69th Governor of Ohio
  • 1952 – Mary Walsh, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Londa Schiebinger, American academic and author
  • 1953 – Zlatko Burić, Croat-Danish actor
  • 1953 – Gerry Sutcliffe, English politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
  • 1953 – David Voelker, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
  • 1953 – Harm Wiersma, Dutch draughts player and politician
  • 1953 – Ruth A. David, American electrical engineer
  • 1954 – Johnny Logan, Australian-Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1956 – Richard Madeley, English journalist and author
  • 1956 – Fred Melamed, American actor
  • 1956 – Kailash Vijayvargiya, National General Secretary of Bhartiya Janta Party
  • 1957 – Alan Ball, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Frances Barber, English actress
  • 1957 – Mark Heap, English actor
  • 1957 – David Hill, English organist and conductor
  • 1957 – Mar Roxas, Filipino economist and politician, 24th Filipino Secretary of the Interior
  • 1957 – Koji Suzuki, Japanese author and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Anthony Ray Parker, American actor
  • 1961 – Siobhan Fallon Hogan, American actress
  • 1961 – Dennis Rodman, American basketball player, wrestler, and actor
  • 1962 – Paul Burstow, English politician
  • 1962 – Nick Hurd, English businessman and politician, Minister for Civil Society
  • 1963 – Andrea Leadsom, English politician
  • 1963 – Wally Masur, Australian tennis player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1964 – Stephen Colbert, American comedian and talk show host
  • 1964 – Chris Maitland, English drummer
  • 1964 – Tom Verica, American actor, television director, and producer
  • 1965 – José Antonio Delgado, Venezuelan mountaineer (d. 2006)
  • 1965 – Tasmin Little, English violinist and educator
  • 1965 – János Marozsán, Hungarian footballer
  • 1965 – Hikari Ōta, Japanese comedian and actor
  • 1965 – José Rijo, Dominican baseball player
  • 1965 – Lari White, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (d. 2018)
  • 1966 – Alison Goldfrapp, English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1966 – Darius Rucker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1967 – Tish Cyrus, American actress and film producer
  • 1967 – Shon Greenblatt, American actor
  • 1967 – Tommy Gunn, pornographic actor
  • 1967 – Chuck Schuldiner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
  • 1967 – Melanie Thornton, American-German singer (d. 2001)
  • 1968 – Miguel Ángel Blanco, Spanish politician (d. 1997)
  • 1968 – Susan Floyd, American actress
  • 1968 – Scott Morrison, Australian politician, 30th Prime Minister of Australia
  • 1968 – PMD, American rapper
  • 1968 – Dmitriy Shevchenko, Russian discus thrower and coach
  • 1969 – Buckethead, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1969 – Nikos Aliagas, French-Greek journalist and television host
  • 1970 – Doug Evans, American football player
  • 1970 – Robert Maćkowiak, Polish sprinter
  • 1971 – Imogen Boorman, English actress and martial artist
  • 1971 – Rob Fredrickson, American football player
  • 1971 – Espen Lind, Norwegian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1971 – Tom Nalen, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Stefaan Maene, Belgian swimmer
  • 1972 – Darryl Sydor, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1972 – Pieta van Dishoeck, Dutch rower
  • 1973 – Eric Lewis, American pianist
  • 1973 – Bridgett Riley, American boxer and stuntwoman
  • 1975 – Jamie Allison, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Cristian Bezzi, Italian rugby player and coach
  • 1975 – Brian Geraghty, American actor
  • 1976 – Mark Delaney, Welsh footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Trajan Langdon, American basketball player and scout
  • 1976 – Ana Popović, Serbian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1976 – Magdalena Walach, Polish actress
  • 1977 – Ilse DeLange, Dutch singer-songwriter
  • 1977 – Anthony Q. Farrell, Canadian-American actor and screenwriter
  • 1977 – Robby Hammock, American baseball player and coach
  • 1977 – Neil Hopkins, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1977 – James Middlebrook, English cricketer
  • 1977 – Samantha Morton, English actress and director
  • 1977 – Brian Thomas Smith, American actor and producer
  • 1977 – Pusha T, American rapper
  • 1978 – Brooke Anderson, American journalist
  • 1978 – Mike Bibby, American basketball player and coach
  • 1978 – Ryan Bukvich, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Germán Magariños, Argentinian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1978 – Dilshan Vitharana, Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1978 – Barry Zito, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Nuwan Zoysa, Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1979 – Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
  • 1979 – Steve Mildenhall, English footballer
  • 1979 – Vyacheslav Shevchuk, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1980 – L. J. Smith, American football player
  • 1981 – Luciana Berger, English politician
  • 1981 – Nicolas Jeanjean, French rugby player
  • 1981 – Sunny Leone, Canadian American actress, model, and pornstar
  • 1981 – Michael Mantenuto, American actor (d. 2017)
  • 1981 – Shaun Phillips, American football player
  • 1981 – Ryan Piers Williams, American actor and film director
  • 1982 – Albert Crusat, Spanish footballer
  • 1982 – Larry Fonacier, Filipino basketball player
  • 1982 – Oguchi Onyewu, American soccer player
  • 1983 – Natalie Cassidy, English actress and singer
  • 1983 – Anita Görbicz, Hungarian handball player
  • 1983 – Johnny Hoogerland, Dutch cyclist
  • 1983 – Grégory Lemarchal, French singer (d. 2007)
  • 1983 – Jacob Reynolds, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1983 – Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer
  • 1984 – J. B. Cox, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Benny Dayal, Indian singer
  • 1984 – Dawn Harper, American hurdler
  • 1984 – Caroline Rotich, Kenyan runner
  • 1985 – Javier Balboa, Spanish-Equatoguinean footballer
  • 1985 – Jaroslav Halák, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1985 – David Hernandez, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Carolina Luján, Argentine chess player
  • 1985 – Iwan Rheon, Welsh actor and singer
  • 1985 – Travis Zajac, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Lena Dunham, American actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1986 – Eun-Hee Ji, South Korean golfer
  • 1986 – Robert Pattinson, English actor
  • 1986 – Alexander Rybak, Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, violinist, and actor
  • 1986 – Scott Sutter, English footballer
  • 1986 – Nino Schurter, Swiss cyclist
  • 1986 – Kris Versteeg, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – Antonio Adán, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Hugo Becker, French actor
  • 1987 – Matt Doyle, American actor and singer
  • 1987 – Laura Izibor, Irish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1987 – Candice King, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1987 – Sandro Mareco, Argentine chess player
  • 1987 – Hunter Parrish, American actor and singer
  • 1987 – Marianne Vos, Dutch cyclist
  • 1987 – Charlotte Wessels, Dutch singer-songwriter
  • 1987 – Bobby Shuttleworth, American soccer player
  • 1988 – Paulo Avelino, Filipino actor and singer
  • 1988 – Didier Cohen, Australian DJ, producer and media personality
  • 1988 – Casey Donovan, Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1989 – P. K. Subban, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Mychal Givens, American baseball player
  • 1991 – Jennifer Beattie, Scottish footballer
  • 1991 – Anders Fannemel, Norwegian ski jumper
  • 1992 – Bill Arnold, American ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Willson Contreras, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1992 – Josh Papalii, New Zealand-Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Georgina García Pérez, Spanish tennis player
  • 1993 – Stefan Kraft, Austrian ski jumper
  • 1993 – Debby Ryan, American actress and singer
  • 1993 – Romelu Lukaku, Belgian footballer
  • 1993 – Siim-Tanel Sammelselg, Estonian ski jumper
  • 1993 – Tones and I, Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1994 – Łukasz Moneta, Polish footballer
  • 1997 – Reimis Smith, Australian rugby league player

Deaths on May 13

  • 189 – Emperor Ling of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 156)
  • 1112 – Ulric II, Margrave of Carniola
  • 1176 – Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1119)
  • 1285 – Robert de Ros, 1st Baron de Ros
  • 1312 – Theobald II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1263)
  • 1573 – Takeda Shingen, Japanese daimyō (b. 1521)
  • 1619 – Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Dutch politician (b. 1547)
  • 1704 – Louis Bourdaloue, French preacher and author (b. 1632)
  • 1726 – Francesco Antonio Pistocchi, Italian singer (b. 1659)
  • 1782 – Daniel Solander, Swedish-English botanist and phycologist (b. 1736)
  • 1807 – Eliphalet Dyer, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1721)
  • 1809 – Beilby Porteus, English bishop (b. 1731)
  • 1832 – Georges Cuvier, French zoologist and academic (b. 1769)
  • 1835 – John Nash, English architect, designed the Royal Pavilion (b. 1752)
  • 1866 – Nikolai Brashman, Czech-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1796)
  • 1878 – Joseph Henry, American physicist and academic (b. 1797)
  • 1884 – Cyrus McCormick, American businessman, co-founded the International Harvester Company (b. 1809)
  • 1885 – Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician, pathologist, and anatomist (b. 1809)
  • 1903 – Apolinario Mabini, Filipino lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Philippines (b. 1864)
  • 1916 – Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (b. 1859)
  • 1921 – Jean Aicard, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1848)
  • 1926 – Libert H. Boeynaems, Belgian-American bishop (b. 1857)
  • 1929 – Arthur Scherbius, German electrical engineer, invented the Enigma machine (b. 1878)
  • 1930 – Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian scientist, explorer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
  • 1938 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
  • 1941 – Frederick Christian, English cricketer (b. 1877)
  • 1941 – Ōnishiki Uichirō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 26th Yokozuna (b. 1891)
  • 1945 – Tubby Hall, American drummer (b. 1895)
  • 1946 – Zara DuPont, American suffragist (b. 1869)
  • 1947 – Sukanta Bhattacharya, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1926)
  • 1948 – Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (b. 1920)
  • 1957 – Michael Fekete, Hungarian-Israeli mathematician and academic (b. 1886)
  • 1961 – Gary Cooper, American actor (b. 1901)
  • 1962 – Henry Trendley Dean, American dentist (b. 1893)
  • 1962 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (b. 1910)
  • 1963 – Alois Hudal, Austrian-Italian bishop (b. 1885)
  • 1972 – Dan Blocker, American actor (b. 1928)
  • 1974 – Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican poet and diplomat (b. 1902)
  • 1974 – Arthur J. Burks, American colonel and author (b. 1898)
  • 1975 – Bob Wills, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1905)
  • 1977 – Mickey Spillane, American mobster (b. 1934)
  • 1985 – Leatrice Joy, American actress (b. 1893)
  • 1985 – Richard Ellmann, American literary critic and biographer (b. 1918)
  • 1988 – Chet Baker, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1929)
  • 1992 – F. E. McWilliam, Irish sculptor (b. 1909)
  • 1994 – Duncan Hamilton, Irish-English race car driver (b. 1920)
  • 1994 – John Swainson, Canadian-American jurist and politician, 42nd Governor of Michigan (b. 1925)
  • 1995 – Hao Wang, Chinese-American logician, philosopher, and mathematician (b. 1921)
  • 1999 – Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, Saudi Arabian scholar and academic (b. 1910)
  • 1999 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer and journalist (b. 1902)
  • 2000 – Paul Bartel, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
  • 2000 – Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese wrestler (b. 1951)
  • 2001 – Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (b. 1939)
  • 2002 – Ruth Cracknell, Australian actress and author (b. 1925)
  • 2002 – Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
  • 2005 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (b. 1921)
  • 2005 – George Dantzig, American mathematician and academic (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian and scholar (b. 1923)
  • 2006 – Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American singer (b. 1949)
  • 2008 – Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1930)
  • 2008 – Ron Stone, American journalist and author (b. 1936)
  • 2009 – Frank Aletter, American actor (b. 1926)
  • 2009 – Meir Brandsdorfer, Belgian rabbi (b. 1934)
  • 2009 – Achille Compagnoni, Italian skier and mountaineer (b. 1914)
  • 2011 – Derek Boogaard, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1982)
  • 2011 – Stephen De Staebler, American sculptor and educator (b. 1933)
  • 2011 – Wallace McCain, Canadian businessman, co-founded McCain Foods (b. 1930)
  • 2011 – Bruce Ricker, American director and producer (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Arsala Rahmani Daulat, Afghan politician (b. 1937)
  • 2012 – Donald “Duck” Dunn, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Cuban-American theologian, author, and academic (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – Lee Richardson, English speedway rider (b. 1979)
  • 2012 – Don Ritchie, Australian humanitarian (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Nguyễn Văn Thiện, Vietnamese bishop (b. 1906)
  • 2013 – Joyce Brothers, American psychologist, author, and actress (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Otto Herrigel, Namibian lawyer and politician (b. 1937)
  • 2013 – Jagdish Mali, Indian photographer (b. 1954)
  • 2013 – Chuck Muncie, American football player (b. 1953)
  • 2013 – Fyodor Tuvin, Russian footballer (b. 1973)
  • 2013 – Lynne Woolstencroft, Canadian politician (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – David Malet Armstrong, Australian philosopher and author (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Malik Bendjelloul, Swedish director and producer (b. 1977)
  • 2014 – J. F. Coleman, American soldier and pilot (b. 1918)
  • 2014 – Ron Stevens, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (b. 1948)
  • 2015 – Earl Averill, Jr., American baseball player (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Robert Drasnin, American clarinet player and composer (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – David Sackett, American-Canadian physician and academic (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Gainan Saidkhuzhin, Russian cyclist (b. 1937)
  • 2018 – Margot Kidder, Canadian-American actress (b. 1948)
  • 2019 – Doris Day, American singer and actress (b. 1922)
  • 2019 – Unita Blackwell, American civil rights activist, and politician (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances on May 13

  • Abbotsbury Garland Day (Dorset, England)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Our Lady of Fátima
    • Gerard of Villamagna
    • Glyceria
    • John the Silent (Roman Catholic)
    • Julian of Norwich (Roman Catholic)
    • Frances Perkins (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Servatius
    • May 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Rotuma Day (Rotuma)

Similar Posts

  • April 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now the United States state of Florida.
    • 1755 – Commodore William James captures the Maratha fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India.
    • 1792 – The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.
    • 1800 – Ludwig van Beethoven leads the premiere of his First Symphony in Vienna.
    • 1800 – The Treaty of Constantinople establishes the Septinsular Republic, the first autonomous Greek state since the Fall of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 1801 – French Revolutionary Wars: The British capture the Danish fleet.
    • 1851 – Rama IV is crowned King of Thailand.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The largest in a series of Southern bread riots occurs in Richmond, Virginia.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Defeat at the Third Battle of Petersburg forces the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate government to abandon Richmond, Virginia.
    • 1885 – Canadian Cree warriors attack the village of Frog Lake, killing nine.
    • 1900 – The United States Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.
    • 1902 – Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated in the Marie Palace, Saint Petersburg.
    • 1902 – “Electric Theatre”, the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles.
    • 1911 – The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts the country’s first national census.
    • 1912 – The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.
    • 1917 – World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
    • 1921 – The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.
    • 1930 – After the mysterious death of Empress Zewditu, Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.
    • 1956 – As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.
    • 1964 – The Soviet Union launches Zond 1.
    • 1972 – Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.
    • 1973 – Launch of the LexisNexis computerized legal research service.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
    • 1976 – Prince Norodom Sihanouk resigns as leader of Cambodia and is placed under house arrest.
    • 1979 – A Soviet bio-warfare laboratory at Sverdlovsk accidentally releases airborne anthrax spores, killing 66 plus an unknown amount of livestock.
    • 1980 – United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act.
    • 1982 – Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.
    • 1986 – Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist, best known for the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”, announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.
    • 1989 – Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba, to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.
    • 1989 – ASUS corporation is founded.
    • 1991 – Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province when she succeeds William Vander Zalm (who had resigned) as Premier of British Columbia.
    • 1992 – In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.
    • 1992 – Forty-two civilians are massacred in the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
    • 2002 – Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated.
    • 2004 – Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; the attack is thwarted.
    • 2006 – Over 60 tornadoes break out in the United States; Tennessee is hardest hit with 29 people killed.
    • 2012 – A mass shooting at Oikos University in California leaves seven people dead and three injured.
    • 2014 – A spree shooting occurs at the Fort Hood army base in Texas, with four dead, including the gunman, and 16 others injured.
    • 2015 – Gunmen attack Garissa University College in Kenya, killing at least 148 people and wounding 79 others.
    • 2015 – Four men steal items worth up to £200 million from an underground safe deposit facility in London’s Hatton Garden area in what has been called the “largest burglary in English legal history.”

    Births on April 2

    • 742 – Charlemagne, Frankish king (d. 814)
    • 1473 – John Corvinus, Hungarian noble (d. 1504)
    • 1545 – Elisabeth of Valois (d. 1568)
    • 1565 – Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch explorer (d. 1599)
    • 1586 – Pietro Della Valle, Italian traveler (d. 1652)
    • 1602 – Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, Franciscan abbess (d. 1665)
    • 1618 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1663)
    • 1647 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German-Dutch botanist and illustrator (d. 1717)
    • 1653 – Prince George of Denmark (d. 1708)
    • 1696 – Francesca Cuzzoni, Italian operatic soprano (d. 1778)
    • 1719 – Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (d. 1803)
    • 1725 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian explorer and author (d. 1798)
    • 1788 – Francisco Balagtas, Filipino poet and author (d. 1862)
    • 1788 – Wilhelmine Reichard, German balloonist (d. 1848)
    • 1789 – Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (d. 1871)
    • 1792 – Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada (d. 1840)
    • 1798 – August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet and academic (d. 1874)
    • 1805 – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1875)
    • 1814 – Henry L. Benning, American general and judge (d. 1875)
    • 1814 – Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor (d. 1879)
    • 1827 – William Holman Hunt, English soldier and painter (d. 1910)
    • 1835 – Jacob Nash Victor, American engineer (d. 1907)
    • 1838 – Léon Gambetta, French lawyer and politician, 45th Prime Minister of France (d. 1882)
    • 1840 – Émile Zola, French novelist, playwright, journalist (d. 1902)
    • 1841 – Clément Ader, French engineer, designed the Ader Avion III (d. 1926)
    • 1842 – Dominic Savio, Italian Catholic saint, adolescent student of Saint John Bosco (d. 1857)
    • 1861 – Iván Persa, Slovenian priest and author (d. 1935)
    • 1862 – Nicholas Murray Butler, American philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
    • 1869 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (d. 1928)
    • 1875 – Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (d. 1940)
    • 1875 – William Donne, English cricketer and captain (d. 1942)
    • 1884 – J. C. Squire, English poet, author, and historian (d. 1958)
    • 1891 – Jack Buchanan, Scottish entertainer (d. 1957)
    • 1891 – Max Ernst, German painter, sculptor, and poet (d. 1976)
    • 1891 – Tristão de Bragança Cunha, Indian nationalist and anti-colonial activist from Goa (d. 1958)
    • 1896 – Johnny Golden, American golfer (d. 1936)
    • 1898 – Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Indian poet, actor and politician (d. 1990)
    • 1898 – Chiungtze C. Tsen, Chinese mathematician (d. 1940)
    • 1900 – Roberto Arlt, Argentinian journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1942)
    • 1900 – Anis Fuleihan, Cypriot-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1970)
    • 1900 – Alfred Strange, English footballer (d. 1978)
    • 1902 – Jan Tschichold, German-Swiss graphic designer and typographer (d. 1974)
    • 1903 – Lionel Chevrier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Canadian Minister of Justice (d. 1987)
    • 1906 – Alphonse-Marie Parent, Canadian priest and educator (d. 1970)
    • 1907 – Harald Andersson, American-Swedish discus thrower (d. 1985)
    • 1907 – Luke Appling, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (d. 2003)
    • 1910 – Paul Triquet, Canadian general, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1980)
    • 1910 – Chico Xavier, Brazilian spiritual medium (d. 2002)
    • 1914 – Alec Guinness, English actor (d. 2000)
    • 1919 – Delfo Cabrera, Argentinian runner and soldier (d. 1981)
    • 1920 – Gerald Bouey, Canadian lieutenant and civil servant (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Jack Stokes, English animator and director (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Jack Webb, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1922 – John C. Whitehead, American banker and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of State (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Gloria Henry, American actress
    • 1923 – Johnny Paton, Scottish footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – G. Spencer-Brown, English mathematician, psychologist, and author (d. 2016)
    • 1924 – Bobby Ávila, Mexican baseball player (d. 2004)
    • 1925 – George MacDonald Fraser, Scottish author and screenwriter (d. 2008)
    • 1925 – Hans Rosenthal, German radio and television host (d. 1987)
    • 1926 – Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Rudra Rajasingham, Sri Lankan police officer and diplomat (d. 2006)
    • 1927 – Carmen Basilio, American boxer and soldier (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – Howard Callaway, American soldier and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Army (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Rita Gam, American actress (d. 2016)
    • 1927 – Billy Pierce, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Kenneth Tynan, English author and critic (d. 1980)
    • 1928 – Joseph Bernardin, American cardinal (d. 1996)
    • 1928 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor, and director (d. 1991)
    • 1928 – Roy Masters, English-American radio host
    • 1928 – David Robinson, Northern Irish horticulturist and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1929 – Ed Dorn, American poet and educator (d. 1999)
    • 1930 – Roddy Maude-Roxby, English actor
    • 1931 – Vladimir Kuznetsov, Russian javelin thrower (d. 1986)
    • 1932 – Edward Egan, American cardinal (d. 2015)
    • 1933 – György Konrád, Hungarian sociologist and author
    • 1934 – Paul Cohen, American mathematician and theorist (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Brian Glover, English wrestler and actor (d. 1997)
    • 1934 – Carl Kasell, American journalist and game show host (d. 2018)
    • 1934 – Richard Portman, American sound engineer (d. 2017)
    • 1934 – Dovid Shmidel, Austrian-born Israeli rabbi
    • 1936 – Shaul Ladany, Serbian-Israeli race walker and engineer
    • 1937 – Dick Radatz, American baseball player (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – John Larsson, Swedish 17th General of The Salvation Army
    • 1938 – Booker Little, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1961)
    • 1938 – Al Weis, American baseball player
    • 1939 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1939 – Anthony Lake, American academic and diplomat, 18th United States National Security Advisor
    • 1939 – Lise Thibault, Canadian journalist and politician, 27th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
    • 1940 – Donald Jackson, Canadian figure skater and coach
    • 1940 – Mike Hailwood, English motorcycle racer (d. 1981)
    • 1940 – Penelope Keith, English actress
    • 1941 – Dr. Demento, American radio host
    • 1941 – Sonny Throckmorton, American country singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Leon Russell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2016)
    • 1942 – Roshan Seth, Indian-English actor
    • 1943 – Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce, South African-English admiral and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
    • 1943 – Caterina Bueno, Italian singer (d. 2007)
    • 1943 – Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (d. 2017)
    • 1943 – Antonio Sabàto, Sr., Italian actor
    • 1944 – Bill Malinchak, American football player
    • 1945 – Jürgen Drews, German singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Guy Fréquelin, French race car driver
    • 1945 – Linda Hunt, American actress
    • 1945 – Reggie Smith, American baseball player and coach
    • 1945 – Don Sutton, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1945 – Anne Waldman, American poet
    • 1946 – Richard Collinge, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1946 – David Heyes, English politician
    • 1946 – Sue Townsend, English author and playwright (d. 2014)
    • 1946 – Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1947 – Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer-songwriter
    • 1947 – Tua Forsström, Finnish writer
    • 1947 – Emmylou Harris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Camille Paglia, American author and critic
    • 1948 – Roald Als, Danish author and illustrator
    • 1948 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (d. 2012)
    • 1948 – Daniel Okrent, American journalist and author
    • 1948 – Joan D. Vinge, American author
    • 1949 – Paul Gambaccini, American-English radio and television host
    • 1949 – Bernd Müller, German footballer
    • 1949 – Pamela Reed, American actress
    • 1949 – David Robinson, American drummer
    • 1950 – Lynn Westmoreland, American politician
    • 1951 – Ayako Okamoto, Japanese golfer
    • 1952 – Lennart Fagerlund, Swedish cyclist
    • 1952 – Will Hoy, English race car driver (d. 2002)
    • 1952 – Leon Wilkeson, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1953 – Jim Allister, Northern Irish lawyer and politician
    • 1953 – Rosemary Bryant Mariner, 20th and 21st-century U.S. Navy aviator
    • 1953 – Malika Oufkir, Moroccan Berber writer
    • 1953 – Debralee Scott, American actress (d. 2005)
    • 1953 – James Vance, American author and playwright (d. 2017)
    • 1954 – Gregory Abbott, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1954 – Donald Petrie, American actor and director
    • 1955 – Michael Stone, Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary
    • 1957 – Caroline Dean, English biologist and academic
    • 1957 – Hank Steinbrenner, American businessman, co-owner of the New York Yankees
    • 1958 – Stefano Bettarello, Italian rugby player
    • 1958 – Larry Drew, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Gelindo Bordin, Italian runner
    • 1959 – David Frankel, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1959 – Juha Kankkunen, Finnish race car driver
    • 1959 – Yves Lavandier, French director and producer
    • 1959 – Badou Ezzaki, Moroccan footballer and manager
    • 1960 – Linford Christie, Jamaican-English sprinter
    • 1960 – Brad Jones, Australian race car driver
    • 1960 – Pascale Nadeau, Canadian journalist
    • 1961 – Buddy Jewell, American singer-songwriter
    • 1961 – Christopher Meloni, American actor
    • 1961 – Keren Woodward, English singer-songwriter
    • 1962 – Pierre Carles, French director and producer
    • 1962 – Billy Dean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – Clark Gregg, American actor
    • 1963 – Karl Beattie, English director and producer
    • 1963 – Mike Gascoyne, English engineer
    • 1964 – Pete Incaviglia, American baseball player and coach
    • 1964 – Jonathon Sharkey, American wrestler
    • 1965 – Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (d. 2012)
    • 1966 – Bill Romanowski, American football player and actor
    • 1966 – Teddy Sheringham, English international footballer, striker and coach
    • 1967 – Greg Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1967 – Phil Demmel, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1969 – Ajay Devgan, Indian actor, director, and producer
    • 1971 – Edmundo Alves de Souza Neto, Brazilian footballer
    • 1971 – Jason Lewry, English cricketer
    • 1971 – Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Remo D’Souza, Indian choreographer and dancer
    • 1972 – Calvin Davis, American sprinter and hurdler
    • 1972 – Zane Lamprey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Dmitry Lipartov, Russian footballer
    • 1973 – Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican-American actress
    • 1973 – Aleksejs Semjonovs, Latvian footballer
    • 1974 – Tayfun Korkut, Turkish football manager and former player
    • 1975 – Randy Livingston, American basketball player
    • 1975 – Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, German rower
    • 1976 – Andreas Anastasopoulos, Greek shot putter
    • 1976 – Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer
    • 1976 – Pattie Mallette, Canadian author and film producer
    • 1977 – Per Elofsson, Swedish skier
    • 1977 – Michael Fassbender, German-Irish actor and producer
    • 1977 – Hanno Pevkur, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Justice
    • 1978 – Scott Lynch, American author
    • 1978 – Ethan Smith, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1979 – Jesse Carmichael, American keyboard player
    • 1980 – Avi Benedi, Israeli singer and songwriter
    • 1980 – Adam Fleming, Scottish journalist
    • 1980 – Gavin Heffernan, Canadian director and screenwriter
    • 1980 – Ricky Hendrick, American race car driver (d. 2004)
    • 1980 – Wairangi Koopu, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1980 – Carlos Salcido, Mexican international footballer, defender
    • 1981 – Michael Clarke, Australian cricketer
    • 1981 – Kapil Sharma, Indian stand-up comedian, television presenter and actor
    • 1982 – Marco Amelia, Italian footballer
    • 1982 – Jeremy Bloom, American football player and skier
    • 1982 – Jack Evans, American wrestler
    • 1982 – David Ferrer, Spanish tennis player
    • 1983 – Yung Joc, American rapper
    • 1983 – Maksym Mazuryk, Ukrainian pole vaulter
    • 1984 – Engin Atsür, Turkish basketball player
    • 1984 – Nóra Barta, Hungarian diver
    • 1984 – Jérémy Morel, French footballer
    • 1985 – Thom Evans, Zimbabwean-Scottish rugby player
    • 1985 – Stéphane Lambiel, Swiss figure skater
    • 1986 – Ibrahim Afellay, Dutch footballer
    • 1986 – Andris Biedriņš, Latvian basketball player
    • 1986 – Lee DeWyze, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1987 – Pablo Aguilar, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Marc Pugh, English footballer
    • 1988 – Jesse Plemons, American actor
    • 1990 – Yevgeniya Kanayeva, Russian gymnast
    • 1990 – Miralem Pjanić, Bosnian footballer
    • 1991 – Quavo, American rapper
    • 1993 – Keshorn Walcott, Trinidadian javelin thrower
    • 1997 – Dillon Bassett, American race car driver
    • 1997 – Abdelhak Nouri, Dutch footballer

    Deaths on April 2

    • 670 – Hasan ibn Ali the second Shia Imam (b. 624)
    • 870 – Æbbe the Younger, Frankish abbess
    • 872 – Muflih al-Turki, Turkish general
    • 968 – Yuan Dezhao, Chinese chancellor (b. 891)
    • 991 – Bardas Skleros, Byzantine general
    • 1118 – Baldwin I, king of Jerusalem
    • 1244 – Henrik Harpestræng, Danish botanical and medical author
    • 1272 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English husband of Sanchia of Provence (b. 1209)
    • 1335 – Henry of Bohemia (b. 1265)
    • 1412 – Ruy González de Clavijo, Spanish explorer and author
    • 1416 – Ferdinand I, king of Aragon (b. 1379)
    • 1502 – Arthur, prince of Wales (b. 1486)
    • 1507 – Francis of Paola, Italian friar and saint, founded the Order of the Minims (b. 1416)
    • 1511 – Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe, German nobleman (b. 1428)
    • 1640 – Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Polish author and poet (b. 1595)
    • 1657 – Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1608)
    • 1657 – Jean-Jacques Olier, French priest, founded the Society of Saint-Sulpice (b. 1608)
    • 1672 – Pedro Calungsod, Filipino missionary and saint (b. 1654)
    • 1672 – Diego Luis de San Vitores, Spanish Jesuit missionary (b. 1627)
    • 1720 – Joseph Dudley, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1647)
    • 1742 – James Douglas, Scottish physician and anatomist (b. 1675)
    • 1747 – Johann Jacob Dillenius, German-English botanist and mycologist (b. 1684)
    • 1754 – Thomas Carte, English historian and author (b. 1686)
    • 1787 – Thomas Gage, English general and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1719)
    • 1791 – Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, French journalist and politician (b. 1749)
    • 1801 – Thomas Dadford, Jr., English engineer (b. 1761)
    • 1803 – Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet, Scottish judge and politician (b. 1721)
    • 1817 – Johann Heinrich Jung, German author and academic (b. 1740)
    • 1827 – Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus, German physician and educator (b. 1776)
    • 1845 – Philip Charles Durham, Scottish admiral and politician (b. 1763)
    • 1865 – A. P. Hill, American general (b. 1825)
    • 1872 – Samuel Morse, American painter and academic, invented the Morse code (b. 1791)
    • 1891 – Albert Pike, American lawyer and general (b. 1809)
    • 1891 – Ahmed Vefik Pasha, Greek playwright and politician, 249th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1823)
    • 1894 – Achille Vianelli, Italian painter and academic (b. 1803)
    • 1896 – Theodore Robinson, American painter and academic (b. 1852)
    • 1914 – Paul Heyse, German author, poet, and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1830)
    • 1917 – Bryn Lewis, Welsh international rugby player (b.1891)
    • 1923 – Topal Osman, Turkish colonel (b. 1883)
    • 1928 – Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)
    • 1930 – Zewditu I of Ethiopia (b. 1876)
    • 1933 – Ranjitsinhji, Indian cricketer (b. 1872)
    • 1936 – Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne, French general (b. 1860)
    • 1942 – Édouard Estaunié, French novelist (b. 1862)
    • 1948 – Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (b. 1907)
    • 1953 – Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (b. 1885)
    • 1966 – C. S. Forester, English novelist (b. 1899)
    • 1972 – Franz Halder, German general (b. 1884)
    • 1972 – Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Japanese martial artist and educator (b. 1887)
    • 1974 – Georges Pompidou, French banker and politician, 19th President of France (b. 1911)
    • 1977 – Walter Wolf, German academic and politician (b. 1907)
    • 1987 – Buddy Rich, American drummer, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1917)
    • 1989 – Manolis Angelopoulos, Greek singer (b. 1939)
    • 1992 – Juanito, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1954)
    • 1992 – Jan van Aartsen, Dutch politician (b. 1909)
    • 1994 – Betty Furness, American actress, consumer advocate, game show panelist, television journalist and television personality (b. 1916)
    • 1994 – Marc Fitch, British historian and philanthropist (b. 1908)
    • 1995 – Hannes Alfvén, Swedish physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
    • 1997 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese director and producer (b. 1910)
    • 1998 – Rob Pilatus, American-German singer-songwriter (b. 1965)
    • 2001 – Charles Daudelin, Canadian sculptor and painter (b. 1920)
    • 2002 – Levi Celerio, Filipino composer and songwriter (b. 1910)
    • 2002 – John R. Pierce, American engineer and author (b. 1910)
    • 2003 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
    • 2004 – John Argyris, Greek computer scientist, engineer, and academic (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Lillian O’Donnell, American crime novelist (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Pope John Paul II (b. 1920)
    • 2006 – Lloyd Searwar, Guyanese anthologist and diplomat (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Henry L. Giclas, American astronomer and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2008 – Yakup Satar, Turkish World War I veteran(b. 1898)
    • 2009 – Albert Sanschagrin, Canadian bishop (b. 1911)
    • 2009 – Bud Shank, American saxophonist and flute player (b. 1926)
    • 2010 – Chris Kanyon, American wrestler (b. 1970)
    • 2011 – John C. Haas, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Jesús Aguilarte, Venezuelan captain and politician (b. 1959)
    • 2012 – Elizabeth Catlett, American-Mexican sculptor and illustrator (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Mauricio Lasansky, American graphic designer and academic (b. 1914)
    • 2013 – Fred, French author and illustrator (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director, screenwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Milo O’Shea, Irish-American actor (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Glyn Jones, South African actor and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Urs Widmer, Swiss author and playwright (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Manoel de Oliveira, Portuguese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
    • 2015 – Robert H. Schuller, American pastor and author (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician, Governor of Limburg (b. 1954)
    • 2016 – Gallieno Ferri, Italian comic book artist and illustrator (b. 1929)
    • 2016 – Robert Abajyan, Armenian sergeant (b. 1996)

    Holidays and observances on April 2

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abundius of Como
      • Amphianus of Lycia
      • Æbbe the Younger
      • Bronach of Glen-Seichis (Irish martyrology)
      • Francis of Paola
      • Francisco Coll Guitart
      • Henry Budd (Anglican Church of Canada)
      • Nicetius of Lyon
      • Pedro Calungsod
      • Theodosia of Tyre
      • Urban of Langres
      • April 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • International Children’s Book Day (International)
    • Thai Heritage Conservation Day (Thailand)
    • Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day (Belarus)
    • World Autism Awareness Day (International)