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  • June 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    In the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer solstice sometimes occurs on this date, while the Winter solstice occurs in the Southern Hemisphere.

    • 451 – Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius’ battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory.
    • 1180 – First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan.
    • 1620 – The Battle of Höchst takes place during the Thirty Years’ War.
    • 1631 – The Sack of Baltimore: The Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates.
    • 1652 – Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha is appointed Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1685 – Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth declares himself King of England at Bridgwater.
    • 1756 – A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta.
    • 1782 – The U.S. Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States.
    • 1787 – Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the ‘United States’.
    • 1789 – Deputies of the French Third Estate take the Tennis Court Oath.
    • 1819 – The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, United Kingdom. It is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, although most of the journey is made under sail.
    • 1837 – Queen Victoria succeeds to the British throne.
    • 1840 – Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph.
    • 1862 – Barbu Catargiu, the Prime Minister of Romania, is assassinated.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: West Virginia is admitted as the 35th U.S. state.
    • 1877 – Alexander Graham Bell installs the world’s first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
    • 1893 – Lizzie Borden is acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother.
    • 1895 – The Kiel Canal, crossing the base of the Jutland peninsula and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, is officially opened.
    • 1900 – Boxer Rebellion: The Imperial Chinese Army begins a 55-day siege of the Legation Quarter in Beijing, China.
    • 1900 – Baron Eduard Toll, leader of the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900, departs Saint Petersburg in Russia on the explorer ship Zarya, never to return.
    • 1921 – Workers of Buckingham and Carnatic Mills in the city of Chennai, India, begin a four-month strike.
    • 1942 – The Holocaust: Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, steal an SS staff car and escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
    • 1943 – The Detroit race riot breaks out and continues for three more days.
    • 1943 – World War II: The Royal Air Force launches Operation Bellicose, the first shuttle bombing raid of the war. Lancaster bombers damage the V-2 rocket production facilities at the Zeppelin Works while en route to an air base in Algeria.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes with a decisive U.S. naval victory. The lopsided naval air battle is also known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”.
    • 1944 – Continuation War: The Soviet Union demands an unconditional surrender from Finland during the beginning of partially successful Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive. The Finnish government refuses.
    • 1944 – The experimental MW 18014 V-2 rocket reaches an altitude of 176 km, becoming the first man-made object to reach outer space.
    • 1945 – The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip.
    • 1948 – The Deutsche Mark is introduced in Western Allied-occupied Germany. The Soviet Military Administration in Germany responded by imposing the Berlin Blockade four days later.
    • 1956 – A Venezuelan Super-Constellation crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Asbury Park, New Jersey, killing 74 people.
    • 1959 – A rare June hurricane strikes Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence killing 35.
    • 1960 – The Mali Federation gains independence from France (it later splits into Mali and Senegal).
    • 1963 – Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union and the United States sign an agreement to establish the so-called “red telephone” link between Washington and Moscow.
    • 1972 – Watergate scandal: An 18½-minute gap appears in the tape recording of the conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the recent arrests of his operatives while breaking into the Watergate complex.
    • 1973 – Snipers fire upon left-wing Peronists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in what is known as the Ezeiza massacre. At least 13 are killed and more than 300 are injured.
    • 1973 – Aeroméxico Flight 229 crashes on approach to Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, killing all 27 people on board.
    • 1975 – The film Jaws is released in the United States, becoming the highest-grossing film of that time and starting the trend of films known as “summer blockbusters”.
    • 1979 – ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart is shot dead by a Nicaraguan soldier under the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. The murder is caught on tape and sparks an international outcry against the regime.
    • 1982 – The Argentine Corbeta Uruguay base on Southern Thule surrenders to Royal Marine commandos in the final action of the Falklands War.
    • 1990 – Asteroid Eureka is discovered.
    • 1990 – The 7.4 Mw  Manjil–Rudbar earthquake affects northern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 35,000–50,000, and injuring 60,000–105,000.
    • 1991 – German Bundestag votes to move seat of government from the former West German capital of Bonn to the present capital Berlin.
    • 1994 – The 1994 Imam Reza shrine bomb explosion in Iran leaves at least 25 dead and 70 to 300 injured.
    • 2003 – The Wikimedia Foundation is founded in St. Petersburg, Florida.

    Births on June 20

    • 1005 – Ali az-Zahir, Fatimid caliph of Egypt (d. 1036)
    • 1389 – John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, English statesman (d. 1435)
    • 1469 – Gian Galeazzo Sforza, duke of Milan (d. 1494)
    • 1566 – Sigismund III Vasa, Polish and Swedish king (d. 1632)
    • 1583 – Jacob De la Gardie, Swedish soldier and politician, Lord High Constable of Sweden (d. 1652)
    • 1634 – Charles Emmanuel II, duke of Savoy (d. 1675)
    • 1642 – George Hickes, English minister and scholar (d. 1715)
    • 1647 – John George III, Elector of Saxony (d. 1691)
    • 1717 – Jacques Saly, French sculptor and painter (d. 1776)
    • 1723 – Adam Ferguson, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1816)
    • 1737 – Tokugawa Ieharu, Japanese shōgun (d. 1786)
    • 1754 – Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, princess of Baden (d. 1832)
    • 1756 – Joseph Martin Kraus, German-Swedish composer and educator (d. 1792)
    • 1761 – Jacob Hübner, German entomologist and author (d. 1826)
    • 1763 – Wolfe Tone, Irish rebel leader (d. 1798)
    • 1770 – Moses Waddel, American minister and academic (d. 1840)
    • 1771 – Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, Scottish philanthropist, and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Kirkcudbright (d. 1820)
    • 1771 – Hermann von Boyen, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (d. 1848)
    • 1777 – Jean-Jacques Lartigue, Canadian bishop (d. 1840)
    • 1778 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac, French politician, 7th Prime Minister of France (d. 1832)
    • 1786 – Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, French poet and author (d. 1859)
    • 1796 – Luigi Amat di San Filippo e Sorso, Italian cardinal (d. 1878)
    • 1808 – Samson Raphael Hirsch, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1888)
    • 1809 – Isaak August Dorner, German theologian and academic (d. 1884)
    • 1813 – Joseph Autran, French poet and author (d. 1877)
    • 1819 – Jacques Offenbach, German-French cellist and composer (d. 1880)
    • 1847 – Gina Krog, Norwegian suffragist and women’s rights activist (d. 1916)
    • 1855 – Richard Lodge, English historian and academic (d. 1936)
    • 1858 – Charles W. Chesnutt, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1932)
    • 1860 – Alexander Winton, Scottish-American race car driver and engineer (d. 1932)
    • 1860 – Jack Worrall, Australian cricketer, footballer, and coach (d. 1937)
    • 1861 – Frederick Gowland Hopkins, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
    • 1865 – George Redmayne Murray, English biologist and physician (d. 1939)
    • 1866 – James Burns, English cricketer (d. 1957)
    • 1869 – Laxmanrao Kirloskar, Indian businessman, founded the Kirloskar Group (d. 1956)
    • 1870 – Georges Dufrénoy, French painter and academic (d. 1943)
    • 1872 – George Carpenter, American 5th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1948)
    • 1875 – Reginald Punnett, English geneticist, statistician, and academic (d. 1967)
    • 1882 – Daniel Sawyer, American golfer (d. 1937)
    • 1884 – Mary R. Calvert, American astronomer and author (d. 1974)
    • 1884 – Johannes Heinrich Schultz, German psychiatrist and psychotherapist (d. 1970)
    • 1885 – Andrzej Gawroński, Polish linguist and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1887 – Kurt Schwitters, German painter and illustrator (d. 1948)
    • 1889 – John S. Paraskevopoulos, Greek-South African astronomer and academic (d. 1951)
    • 1891 – Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, Italian soprano (d. 1951)
    • 1891 – John A. Costello, Irish lawyer and politician, 3rd Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 1976)
    • 1893 – Wilhelm Zaisser, German soldier and politician (d. 1958)
    • 1894 – Lloyd Hall, American chemist and academic (d. 1971)
    • 1896 – Wilfrid Pelletier, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1982)
    • 1897 – Elisabeth Hauptmann, German author and playwright (d. 1973)
    • 1899 – Jean Moulin, French soldier and engineer (d. 1943)
    • 1903 – Sam Rabin, English wrestler, sculptor, and singer (d. 1991)
    • 1905 – Lillian Hellman, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1906 – Bob King, American high jumper and obstetrician (d. 1965)
    • 1907 – Jimmy Driftwood, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (d. 1998)
    • 1908 – Billy Werber, American baseball player (d. 2009)
    • 1908 – Gus Schilling, American actor (d. 1957)
    • 1909 – Errol Flynn, Australian-American actor (d. 1959)
    • 1910 – Josephine Johnson, American author and poet (d. 1990)
    • 1911 – Gail Patrick, American actress (d. 1980)
    • 1912 – Anthony Buckeridge, English author (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – Jack Torrance, American shot putter and football player (d. 1969)
    • 1914 – Gordon Juckes, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1994)
    • 1914 – Muazzez İlmiye Çığ, Turkish archaeologist and academic
    • 1915 – Dick Reynolds, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2002)
    • 1915 – Terence Young, Chinese-English director and screenwriter (d. 1994)
    • 1916 – Jean-Jacques Bertrand, Canadian lawyer and politician, 21st Premier of Quebec (d. 1973)
    • 1916 – T. Texas Tyler, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
    • 1917 – Helena Rasiowa, Austrian-Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1994)
    • 1918 – George Lynch, American race car driver (d. 1997)
    • 1918 – Zoltán Sztáray, Hungarian-American author (d. 2011)
    • 1920 – Geoffrey Baker, English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (d. 1980)
    • 1920 – Danny Cedrone, American guitarist and bandleader (d. 1954)
    • 1920 – Thomas Jefferson, American trumpet player (d. 1986)
    • 1921 – Byron Farwell, American historian and author (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Pancho Segura, Ecuadorian tennis player (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Peter Gay, German-American historian, author, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Jerzy Nowak, Polish actor and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Chet Atkins, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2001)
    • 1924 – Fritz Koenig, German sculptor and academic, designed The Sphere (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Doris Hart, American tennis player and educator (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Audie Murphy, American lieutenant and actor, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1971)
    • 1926 – Rehavam Ze’evi, Israeli general and politician, 9th Israeli Minister of Tourism (d. 2001)
    • 1927 – Simin Behbahani, Iranian poet and activist (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Eric Dolphy, American saxophonist, flute player, and composer (d. 1964)
    • 1928 – Martin Landau, American actor and producer (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Jean-Marie Le Pen, French intelligence officer and politician
    • 1928 – Asrat Woldeyes, Ethiopian surgeon and educator (d. 1999)
    • 1929 – Edgar Bronfman, Sr., Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Anne Weale, English journalist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1929 – Edith Windsor, American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights activist (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Magdalena Abakanowicz, Polish sculptor and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – John Waine, English bishop
    • 1931 – Olympia Dukakis, American actress
    • 1931 – James Tolkan, American actor and director
    • 1932 – Robert Rozhdestvensky, Russian poet and author (d. 1994)
    • 1933 – Danny Aiello, American actor (d. 2019)
    • 1933 – Claire Tomalin, English journalist and author
    • 1934 – Wendy Craig, English actress
    • 1935 – Jim Barker, American politician (d. 2005)
    • 1935 – Len Dawson, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1935 – Armando Picchi, Italian footballer and coach (d. 1971)
    • 1936 – Billy Guy, American singer (d. 2002)
    • 1936 – Enn Vetemaa, Estonian author and screenwriter (d. 2017)
    • 1937 – Stafford Dean, English actor and singer
    • 1937 – Jerry Keller, American singer-songwriter
    • 1938 – Joan Kirner, Australian educator and politician, 42nd Premier of Victoria (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Mickie Most, English music producer (d. 2003)
    • 1939 – Ramakant Desai, Indian cricketer (d. 1998)
    • 1939 – Budge Rogers, English rugby player and manager
    • 1940 – Eugen Drewermann, German priest and theologian
    • 1940 – John Mahoney, English actor (d. 2018)
    • 1941 – Stephen Frears, English actor, director, and producer
    • 1941 – Ulf Merbold, German physicist and astronaut
    • 1942 – Neil Trudinger, Australian mathematician and theorist
    • 1942 – Brian Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1945 – Anne Murray, Canadian singer and guitarist
    • 1946 – Xanana Gusmão, Timorese soldier and politician, 1st President of East Timor
    • 1946 – David Kazhdan, Russian-Israeli mathematician and academic
    • 1946 – Bob Vila, American television host
    • 1946 – André Watts, American pianist and educator
    • 1947 – Dolores “LaLa” Brooks, American pop singer (The Crystals)
    • 1948 – Cirilo Flores, American bishop (d. 2014)
    • 1948 – Ludwig Scotty, Nauruan politician, 10th President of Nauru
    • 1949 – Alan Longmuir, Scottish bass player and songwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1949 – Lionel Richie, American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor
    • 1949 – Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 8th president of Sri Lanka
    • 1950 – Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqi politician, 76th Prime Minister of Iraq
    • 1951 – Tress MacNeille, American actress and voice artist
    • 1951 – Sheila McLean, Scottish scholar and academic
    • 1951 – Paul Muldoon, Irish poet and academic
    • 1952 – John Goodman, American actor
    • 1952 – Vikram Seth, Indian author and poet
    • 1953 – Robert Crais, American author and screenwriter
    • 1953 – Raúl Ramírez, Mexican tennis player
    • 1953 – Willy Rampf, German engineer
    • 1954 – Allan Lamb, South African-English cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1954 – Ilan Ramon, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2003)
    • 1955 – E. Lynn Harris, American author (d. 2009)
    • 1956 – Peter Reid, English footballer and manager
    • 1956 – Sohn Suk-hee, South Korean newscaster
    • 1958 – Kelly Johnson, English hard rock guitarist and songwriter (d. 2007)
    • 1960 – Philip M. Parker, American economist and author
    • 1960 – John Taylor, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor
    • 1963 – Kirk Baptiste, American sprinter
    • 1963 – Mark Ovenden, British author and broadcaster
    • 1964 – Pierfrancesco Chili, Italian motorcycle racer
    • 1964 – Silke Möller, German runner
    • 1966 – Boaz Yakin, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1967 – Nicole Kidman, American-Australian actress
    • 1967 – Dan Tyminski, American singer-songwriter
    • 1968 – Robert Rodriguez, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Paulo Bento, Portuguese footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Misha Verbitsky, Russian mathematician and academic
    • 1969 – MaliVai Washington, American tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Andrea Nahles, German politician, German Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
    • 1970 – Athol Williams, South African poet and social philosopher
    • 1971 – Rodney Rogers, American basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Jeordie White, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bass player
    • 1972 – Alexis Alexoudis, Greek footballer
    • 1973 – Chino Moreno, American singer-songwriter
    • 1975 – Joan Balcells, Spanish tennis player
    • 1975 – Daniel Zítka, Czech footballer
    • 1976 – Juliano Belletti, Brazilian footballer
    • 1976 – Carlos Lee, Panamanian baseball player
    • 1977 – Gordan Giriček, Croatian basketball player
    • 1977 – Amos Lee, American singer-songwriter
    • 1978 – Frank Lampard, English footballer
    • 1978 – Jan-Paul Saeijs, Dutch footballer
    • 1979 – Charles Howell III, American golfer
    • 1980 – Franco Semioli, Italian footballer
    • 1980 – Tika Sumpter, American actress
    • 1980 – Fabian Wegmann, German cyclist
    • 1981 – Brede Hangeland, Norwegian footballer
    • 1982 – Aleksei Berezutski, Russian footballer
    • 1982 – Vasili Berezutski, Russian footballer
    • 1982 – Example, English singer/rapper
    • 1983 – Josh Childress, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Darren Sproles, American football player
    • 1984 – Hassan Adams, American basketball player
    • 1985 – Saki Aibu, Japanese actress
    • 1985 – Aurélien Chedjou, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1985 – Matt Flynn, American football player
    • 1986 – Dreama Walker, American actress
    • 1987 – A-fu, Taiwanese singer and songwriter
    • 1987 – Carsten Ball, Australian tennis player
    • 1987 – Asmir Begović, Bosnian footballer
    • 1987 – Joseph Ebuya, Kenyan runner
    • 1987 – Kierra Sheard, American gospel singer
    • 1989 – Christopher Mintz-Plasse, American actor
    • 1989 – Javier Pastore, Argentinian footballer
    • 1989 – Terrelle Pryor, American football player
    • 1990 – DeQuan Jones, American basketball player
    • 1991 – Kalidou Koulibaly, Senegalese footballer
    • 1991 – Rick ten Voorde, Dutch footballer
    • 1993 – Sead Kolašinac, Bosnian footballer
    • 1994 – Leonard Williams, American football player
    • 1995 – Caroline Weir, Scottish footballer
    • 1996 – Sam Bennett, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1997 – Bálint Kopasz, Hungarian sprint canoeist

    Deaths on June 20

    • 465 – Emperor Wencheng of Northern Wei (b. 440)
    • 656 – Uthman ibn Affan, Rashidun caliph (b. 577)
    • 840 – Louis the Pious, Carolingian emperor (b. 778)
    • 930 – Hucbald, Frankish monk and music theorist
    • 981 – Adalbert, archbishop of Magdeburg
    • 1176 – Mikhail of Vladimir, Russian prince
    • 1351 – Margareta Ebner, German nun and mystic (b. 1291)
    • 1405 – Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, fourth son of King Robert II of Scotland (b. 1343)
    • 1597 – Willem Barentsz, Dutch cartographer and explorer (b. 1550)
    • 1605 – Feodor II of Russia (b. 1589)
    • 1668 – Heinrich Roth, German missionary and scholar (b. 1620)
    • 1776 – Benjamin Huntsman, English businessman (b. 1704)
    • 1787 – Carl Friedrich Abel, German viol player and composer (b. 1723)
    • 1800 – Abraham Gotthelf Kästner, German mathematician and academic (b. 1719)
    • 1810 – Axel von Fersen the Younger, Swedish general and politician (b. 1755)
    • 1815 – Guillaume Philibert Duhesme, French general (b. 1766)
    • 1820 – Manuel Belgrano, Argentinian general, economist, and politician (b. 1770)
    • 1837 – William IV of the United Kingdom (b. 1765)
    • 1840 – Pierre Claude François Daunou, French historian and politician (b. 1761)
    • 1847 – Juan Larrea, Argentinian captain and politician (b. 1782)
    • 1869 – Hijikata Toshizō, Japanese commander (b. 1835)
    • 1870 – Jules de Goncourt, French historian and author (b. 1830)
    • 1872 – Élie Frédéric Forey, French general (b. 1804)
    • 1875 – Joseph Meek, American police officer and politician (b. 1810)
    • 1888 – Johannes Zukertort, Polish-English chess player (b. 1842)
    • 1906 – John Clayton Adams, English painter (b. 1840)
    • 1909 – Friedrich Martens, Estonian-Russian historian, lawyer, and diplomat (b. 1845)
    • 1925 – Josef Breuer, Austrian physician and psychologist (b. 1842)
    • 1929 – Emmanouil Benakis, Greek merchant and politician, 35th Mayor of Athens (b. 1843)
    • 1945 – Bruno Frank, German author, poet, and playwright (b. 1878)
    • 1947 – Bugsy Siegel, American mobster (b. 1906)
    • 1952 – Luigi Fagioli, Italian race car driver (b. 1898)
    • 1958 – Kurt Alder, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 1963 – Raphaël Salem, Greek-French mathematician and academic (b. 1898)
    • 1965 – Bernard Baruch, American financier and politician (b. 1870)
    • 1966 – Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1894)
    • 1974 – Horace Lindrum, Australian snooker player (b. 1912)
    • 1975 – Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Hatian anthropologist (b. 1898)
    • 1978 – Mark Robson, Canadian-American director and producer (b. 1913)
    • 1984 – Estelle Winwood, English actress (b. 1883)
    • 1995 – Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and educator (b. 1911)
    • 1997 – Cahit Külebi, Turkish poet and author (b. 1917)
    • 1999 – Clifton Fadiman, American game show host, author, and critic (b. 1902)
    • 2001 – Gina Cigna, French-Italian soprano (b. 1900)
    • 2002 – Erwin Chargaff, Austrian-American biochemist and academic (b. 1905)
    • 2002 – Tinus Osendarp, Dutch runner (b. 1916)
    • 2004 – Jim Bacon, Australian politician, 41st Premier of Tasmania (b. 1950)
    • 2005 – Larry Collins, American journalist, historian, and author (b. 1929)
    • 2005 – Jack Kilby, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
    • 2010 – Roberto Rosato, Italian footballer (b. 1943)
    • 2010 – Harry B. Whittington, English palaeontologist and academic (b. 1916)
    • 2011 – Ryan Dunn, American television personality (b. 1977)
    • 2012 – Judy Agnew, Second Lady of the United States. (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – LeRoy Neiman, American painter (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Andrew Sarris, American critic (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Ingvar Rydell, Swedish footballer (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Angelo Niculescu, Romanian footballer and manager (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – Miriam Schapiro, Canadian-American painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
    • 2017 – Prodigy, American music artist (b. 1974)

    Holidays and observances on June 20

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adalbert of Magdeburg
      • Florentina
      • John of Matera
      • Blessed Margareta Ebner
      • Methodius of Olympus
      • Pope Silverius
      • June 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of the National Flag (Argentina)
    • The earliest date for the summer solstice in the Northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the Southern hemisphere, and its related observance:
      • Earliest day on which Day of the Finnish Flag can fall, while June 26 is the latest; celebrated on Saturday of Midsummer’s Day (Finland)
      • International Surfing Day (on or near Summer solstice)
      • Litha / Midsummer celebrations in the northern hemisphere, Yule in the southern hemisphere.
    • Gas Sector Day (Azerbaijan)
    • Martyrs’ Day (Eritrea)
    • West Virginia Day (West Virginia)
    • World Refugee Day (International)
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    June 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 313 – The decisions of the Edict of Milan, signed by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Valerius Licinius, granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire, are published in Nicomedia.
    • 1381 – In England, the Peasants’ Revolt, led by Wat Tyler, comes to a head, as rebels set fire to the Savoy Palace.
    • 1514 – Henry Grace à Dieu, at over 1,000 tons the largest warship in the world at this time, built at the new Woolwich Dockyard in England, is dedicated.
    • 1525 – Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for priests and nuns.
    • 1625 – King Charles I of England marries Catholic princess Henrietta Maria of France and Navarre, at Canterbury.
    • 1740 – Georgia provincial governor James Oglethorpe begins an unsuccessful attempt to take Spanish Florida during the Siege of St. Augustine.
    • 1774 – Rhode Island becomes the first of Britain’s North American colonies to ban the importation of slaves.
    • 1777 – American Revolutionary War: Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette lands near Charleston, South Carolina, in order to help the Continental Congress to train its army.
    • 1805 – Lewis and Clark Expedition: Scouting ahead of the expedition, Meriwether Lewis and four companions sight the Great Falls of the Missouri River.
    • 1881 – The USS Jeannette is crushed in an Arctic Ocean ice pack.
    • 1886 – A fire devastates much of Vancouver, British Columbia.
    • 1893 – Grover Cleveland notices a rough spot in his mouth and on July 1 undergoes secret, successful surgery to remove a large, cancerous portion of his jaw; the operation was not revealed to the public until 1917, nine years after the president’s death.
    • 1898 – Yukon Territory is formed, with Dawson chosen as its capital.
    • 1917 – World War I: The deadliest German air raid on London of the war is carried out by Gotha G.IV bombers and results in 162 deaths, including 46 children, and 432 injuries.
    • 1927 – Aviator Charles Lindbergh receives a ticker tape parade down 5th Avenue in New York City.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Villers-Bocage: German tank ace Michael Wittmann ambushes elements of the British 7th Armoured Division, destroying up to fourteen tanks, fifteen personnel carriers and two anti-tank guns in a Tiger I tank.
    • 1944 – World War II: German combat elements, reinforced by the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division, launch a counterattack on American forces near Carentan.
    • 1944 – World War II: Germany launches the first V1 Flying Bomb attack on England. Only four of the eleven bombs strike their targets.
    • 1952 – Catalina affair: A Swedish Douglas DC-3 is shot down by a Soviet MiG-15 fighter.
    • 1966 – The United States Supreme Court rules in Miranda v. Arizona that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.
    • 1967 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson nominates Solicitor-General Thurgood Marshall to become the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
    • 1971 – Vietnam War: The New York Times begins publication of the Pentagon Papers.
    • 1977 – Convicted Martin Luther King Jr. assassin James Earl Ray is recaptured after escaping from prison three days before.
    • 1981 – At the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London, a teenager, Marcus Sarjeant, fires six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II.
    • 1982 – Fahd becomes King of Saudi Arabia upon the death of his brother, Khalid.
    • 1982 – Battles of Tumbledown and Wireless Ridge, during the Falklands War.
    • 1983 – Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the central Solar System when it passes beyond the orbit of Neptune.
    • 1990 – First day of the June 1990 Mineriad in Romania. At least 240 strikers and students are arrested or killed in the chaos ensuing from the first post-Ceaușescu elections.
    • 1994 – A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, blames recklessness by Exxon and Captain Joseph Hazelwood for the Exxon Valdez disaster, allowing victims of the oil spill to seek $15 billion in damages.
    • 1996 – The Montana Freemen surrender after an 81-day standoff with FBI agents.
    • 1997 – A jury sentences Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
    • 2000 – President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea meets Kim Jong-il, leader of North Korea, for the beginning of the first ever inter-Korea summit, in the northern capital of Pyongyang.
    • 2000 – Italy pardons Mehmet Ali Ağca, the Turkish gunman who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981.
    • 2002 – The United States withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
    • 2007 – The Al Askari Mosque is bombed for a second time.
    • 2010 – A capsule of the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa, containing particles of the asteroid 25143 Itokawa, returns to Earth.
    • 2012 – A series of bombings across Iraq, including Baghdad, Hillah and Kirkuk, kills at least 93 people and wounds over 300 others.
    • 2015 – A man opens fire at policemen outside the police headquarters in Dallas, Texas, while a bag containing a pipe bomb is also found. He was later shot dead by police.

    Births on June 13

    • AD 40 – Gnaeus Julius Agricola, Roman general (d. 93)
    • 823 – Charles the Bald, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 877)
    • 839 – Charles the Fat, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 888)
    • 1367 – Taejong of Joseon (d. 1422)
    • 1500 – Ernest of Bavaria, pledge lord of the County of Glatz (d. 1560)
    • 1508 – Alessandro Piccolomini, Italian astronomer and philosopher (d. 1579)
    • 1539 – Jost Amman, Swiss printmaker (d. 1591)
    • 1555 – Giovanni Antonio Magini, Italian mathematician, cartographer and astronomer (d. 1617)
    • 1580 – Willebrord Snell, Dutch astronomer and mathematician (d. 1626)
    • 1595 – Jan Marek Marci, Czech physician and scientist (d. 1667)
    • 1617 – Sir Vincent Corbet, 1st Baronet, English politician (d. 1656)
    • 1649 – Adrien Baillet, French scholar and critic (d. 1706)
    • 1711 – Sir Richard Glyn, 1st Baronet, of Ewell, English banker and politician, Lord Mayor of London (d. 1773)
    • 1752 – Frances Burney, English novelist and playwright (d. 1840)
    • 1761 – Antonín Vranický, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1820)
    • 1763 – José Bonifácio de Andrada, Brazilian poet, academic, and politician (d. 1838)
    • 1773 – Thomas Young, English physicist and physiologist (d. 1829)
    • 1775 – Antoni Radziwiłł, Polish-Lithuanian composer and politician (d. 1833)
    • 1786 – Winfield Scott, American general (d. 1866)
    • 1790 – José Antonio Páez, Venezuelan general and politician, President of Venezuela (d. 1873)
    • 1809 – Heinrich Hoffmann, German psychiatrist and author (d. 1894)
    • 1822 – Carl Schmidt, Latvian-German chemist and academic (d. 1894)
    • 1827 – Alberto Henschel, German-Brazilian photographer and businessman (d. 1882)
    • 1831 – James Clerk Maxwell, Scottish physicist and mathematician (d. 1879)
    • 1840 – Augusta Lundin, the first international Swedish fashion designer (d. 1919)
    • 1854 – Charles Algernon Parsons, English engineer, founded C. A. Parsons and Company (d. 1931)
    • 1863 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English fashion designer (d. 1935)
    • 1864 – Rudolf Kjellén, Swedish political scientist and academic (d. 1922)
    • 1864 – Dwight B. Waldo, American historian and academic (d. 1939)
    • 1865 – Karl Blossfeldt, German photographer (d. 1932)
    • 1865 – W. B. Yeats, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1939)
    • 1868 – Wallace Clement Sabine, American physicist and academic (d. 1919)
    • 1870 – Jules Bordet, Belgian immunologist and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
    • 1872 – Thomas N. Heffron, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1951)
    • 1873 – Karin Swanström, Swedish actress, director, and producer (d. 1942)
    • 1875 – Paul Neumann, Austrian swimmer and physician (d. 1932)
    • 1876 – William Sealy Gosset, English chemist and statistician (d. 1937)
    • 1879 – Heinrich Gutkin, Estonian businessman and politician (d. 1941)
    • 1879 – Charalambos Tseroulis, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister for Military Affairs (d. 1929)
    • 1884 – Leon Chwistek, Polish painter, philosopher, and mathematician (d. 1944)
    • 1884 – Étienne Gilson, French philosopher and academic (d. 1978)
    • 1885 – Henry George Lamond, Australian farmer and author (d. 1969)
    • 1887 – André François-Poncet, French politician and diplomat (d. 1978)
    • 1887 – Bruno Frank, German-American author, poet, and playwright (d. 1945)
    • 1888 – Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese poet and critic (d. 1935)
    • 1892 – Basil Rathbone, South African-born British-American actor (d. 1967)
    • 1893 – Alan Arnold Griffith, English engineer (d. 1963)
    • 1893 – Dorothy L. Sayers, English author and poet (d. 1957)
    • 1894 – Leo Kanner, Ukrainian-American psychiatrist and physician (d. 1981)
    • 1894 – Jacques Henri Lartigue, French photographer and painter (d. 1986)
    • 1897 – Paavo Nurmi, Finnish runner and coach (d. 1973)
    • 1899 – Carlos Chávez, Mexican composer, conductor, and journalist, founded the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra (d. 1978)
    • 1901 – Tage Erlander, Swedish lieutenant and politician, 25th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1985)
    • 1902 – Carolyn Eisele, American mathematician and historian (d. 2000)
    • 1903 – Willard Harrison Bennett, American physicist and chemist (d. 1987)
    • 1905 – James T. Rutnam, Sri Lankan historian and author (d. 1988)
    • 1906 – Bruno de Finetti, Austrian-Italian mathematician and statistician (d. 1985)
    • 1909 – E. M. S. Namboodiripad, Indian theorist and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Kerala (d. 1998)
    • 1910 – Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, Spanish journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1999)
    • 1910 – Mary Wickes, American actress (d. 1995)
    • 1910 – Mary Whitehouse, English activist, founded the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association (d. 2001)
    • 1911 – Luis Walter Alvarez, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
    • 1911 – Maurice Copeland, American actor (d. 1985)
    • 1911 – Erwin Wilhelm Müller, German physicist and academic (d. 1977)
    • 1912 – Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau, Canadian poet and painter (d. 1943)
    • 1913 – Ralph Edwards, American radio and television host (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Yitzhak Pundak, Israeli general, diplomat and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1914 – Frederic Franklin, English-American ballet dancer and director (d. 2013)
    • 1915 – Don Budge, American tennis player and coach (d. 2000)
    • 1916 – Wu Zhengyi, Chinese botanist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Teddy Turner, English actor (d. 1992)
    • 1917 – Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan novelist (d. 2005)
    • 1918 – Ben Johnson, American actor and stuntman (d. 1996)
    • 1918 – Helmut Lent, German soldier and pilot (d. 1944)
    • 1918 – Percy Rodriguez, Canadian-American actor (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Rolf Huisgen, German chemist and academic (d. 2020)
    • 1920 – Iosif Vorovich, Russian mathematician and engineer (d. 2001)
    • 1921 – Lennart Strand, Swedish runner (d. 2004)
    • 1922 – Etienne Leroux, South African author (d. 1989)
    • 1923 – Lloyd Conover, American chemist and inventor (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Kristine Miller, American actress (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Jérôme Lejeune, French pediatrician and geneticist (d. 1994)
    • 1926 – Paul Lynde, American actor and comedian (d. 1982)
    • 1927 – Slim Dusty, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
    • 1928 – Giacomo Biffi, Italian cardinal (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Renée Morisset, Canadian pianist (d. 2009)
    • 1928 – John Forbes Nash, Jr., American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Ralph McQuarrie, American illustrator (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Robert W. Scott, American farmer and politician, 67th Governor of North Carolina (d. 2009)
    • 1930 – Gotthard Graubner, German painter and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Ryszard Kukliński, Polish colonel and spy (d. 2004)
    • 1930 – Paul Veyne, French archaeologist, historian, and academic
    • 1931 – Nora Kovach, Hungarian-American ballerina (d. 2009)
    • 1931 – Reed Scowen, Canadian politician
    • 1931 – Irvin D. Yalom, American psychotherapist and academic
    • 1932 – Raymond Jolliffe, 5th Baron Hylton, English politician
    • 1932 – Bob McGrath, American singer and actor
    • 1932 – Billy Williams, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
    • 1933 – Norman Lloyd-Edwards, Welsh lawyer and politician, Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan
    • 1934 – Bill Blakeley, American basketball player and coach (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Lucjan Brychczy, Polish footballer and coach
    • 1934 – Manuel Clouthier, Mexican businessman and politician (d. 1989)
    • 1934 – James Anthony Griffin, American bishop
    • 1934 – Uriel Jones, American drummer (d. 2009)
    • 1934 – Leonard Kleinrock, American computer scientist and engineer
    • 1935 – Christo, Bulgarian-French sculptor and painter
    • 1935 – Jeanne-Claude, Moroccan sculptor and painter (d. 2009)
    • 1935 – Samak Sundaravej, Thai politician, 25th Prime Minister of Thailand (d. 2009)
    • 1937 – Eleanor Holmes Norton, American lawyer and politician
    • 1937 – Erich Ribbeck, German footballer and manager
    • 1937 – Andreas Whittam Smith, English journalist and publisher, co-founded The Independent
    • 1940 – Bobby Freeman, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Dallas Long, American shot putter and physician
    • 1941 – Marcel Lachemann, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1941 – Serge Lemoyne, Canadian painter (d. 1998)
    • 1941 – Marv Tarplin, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2011)
    • 1942 – Yiannis Boutaris, Greek businessman and politician, Mayor of Thessaloniki
    • 1943 – Harry Collins, English sociologist, author, and academic
    • 1943 – Malcolm McDowell, English actor and producer
    • 1943 – Jim Guy Tucker, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Arkansas
    • 1944 – Christine Beasley, English nursing administrator
    • 1944 – David Curry, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
    • 1944 – Ban Ki-moon, South Korean politician and diplomat, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations
    • 1945 – Whitley Strieber, American author
    • 1946 – Sher Bahadur Deuba, Nepalese politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Nepal
    • 1946 – Paul L. Modrich, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1946 – Gabriel of Komana, Belgian-Dutch archbishop (d. 2013)
    • 1948 – Garnet Bailey, Canadian-American ice hockey player and scout (d. 2001)
    • 1948 – Joe Roth, American director and producer, co-founded Morgan Creek Productions
    • 1949 – Ann Druyan, American popular science writer
    • 1949 – Dennis Locorriere, American singer and musician
    • 1949 – Ulla Schmidt, German educator and politician, German Federal Minister of Health
    • 1949 – Red Symons, English-Australian musician, television, and radio personality
    • 1950 – Nick Brown, English politician, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
    • 1950 – Gerd Zewe, German footballer and manager
    • 1951 – Howard Leese, American guitarist and producer
    • 1951 – Richard Thomas, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1951 – Stellan Skarsgård, Swedish actor
    • 1952 – Jean-Marie Dedecker, Belgian martial artist and politician
    • 1953 – Tim Allen, American actor, comedian, and producer
    • 1954 – Andrzej Lepper, Polish politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland (d. 2011)
    • 1954 – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigerian economist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Nigeria
    • 1955 – Alan Hansen, Scottish footballer and sportscaster
    • 1955 – Leah Ward Sears, German-American lawyer and jurist
    • 1956 – Blair Chapman, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1956 – Sal Paolantonio, American lieutenant and journalist
    • 1957 – Ron Areshenkoff, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1957 – Roy Cooper, American lawyer and politician, 75th Governor of North Carolina
    • 1957 – Bruce Flowers, American basketball player
    • 1957 – Andrzej Morozowski, Polish journalist and author
    • 1957 – Dicky Thompson, American golfer
    • 1959 – Boyko Borissov, Bulgarian footballer and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
    • 1959 – Maurice G. Dantec, French-born Canadian science fiction writer (d. 2016)
    • 1959 – Steve Georganas, Australian politician
    • 1959 – Klaus Iohannis, Romanian educator and politician, 5th President of Romania
    • 1960 – Jacques Rougeau, Canadian wrestler
    • 1961 – Anders Järryd, Swedish tennis player
    • 1962 – Davey Hamilton, American race car driver
    • 1962 – Glenn Michibata, Canadian-American tennis player and coach
    • 1962 – Ally Sheedy, American actress and author
    • 1962 – Hannah Storm, American journalist and author
    • 1963 – Bettina Bunge, Swiss-German tennis player
    • 1963 – Sarah Connolly, English soprano and actress
    • 1963 – Audrey Niffenegger, American author and academic
    • 1964 – Christian Wilhelm Berger, Romanian organist, composer, and educator
    • 1964 – Kathy Burke, English actress, director, and playwright
    • 1964 – Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways, Government of India, Politician
    • 1964 – Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1965 – Infanta Cristina Federica of Spain
    • 1965 – Vassilis Karapialis, Greek footballer
    • 1965 – Lukas Ligeti, Austrian-American drummer and composer
    • 1965 – Maninder Singh, Indian cricketer
    • 1966 – Henry Bond, English photographer and curator
    • 1966 – Grigori Perelman, Russian mathematician
    • 1966 – Naoki Hattori, Japanese race car driver
    • 1967 – Taşkın Aksoy, German-Turkish footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Fabio Baldato, Italian cyclist
    • 1968 – Peter DeBoer, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1968 – Darren Dreger, Canadian sportscaster
    • 1968 – David Gray, English-Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1968 – Tim Leveque, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1968 – Denise Pearson, English singer-songwriter
    • 1968 – Marcel Theroux, Ugandan-English journalist and author
    • 1969 – Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, Spanish actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Virginie Despentes, French author, screenwriter, and director
    • 1969 – Laura Kightlinger, American actress, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Svetlana Krivelyova, Russian shot putter
    • 1969 – Søren Rasted, Danish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1970 – Rivers Cuomo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1970 – Chris Cairns, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1971 – Nóra Köves, Hungarian tennis player
    • 1972 – Natalie MacMaster, Canadian fiddler
    • 1972 – Marek Jerzy Minakowski, Polish philosopher, historian, genealogist
    • 1973 – Sam Adams, American football player
    • 1973 – Tanner Foust, American race car driver and television host
    • 1973 – Mattias Hellberg, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – Stuart Karppinen, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1973 – Ville Laihiala, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Valeri Bure, Russian-American ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Ante Covic, Australian footballer
    • 1975 – Jeff Davis, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1975 – Jennifer Nicole Lee, American model, actress, and author
    • 1975 – Jaan Pehk, Estonian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1975 – Riccardo Scimeca, English footballer
    • 1976 – Kym Marsh, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1977 – Romain Mesnil, French pole vaulter
    • 1977 – Earthwind Moreland, American football player
    • 1978 – Ethan Embry, American actor
    • 1979 – Esther Anderson, Australian actress
    • 1979 – Nila Håkedal, Norwegian volleyball player
    • 1979 – Miguel Pate, American long jumper
    • 1979 – Ryan Pickett, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1980 – Florent Malouda, French footballer
    • 1980 – Diego Mendieta, Paraguayan footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1980 – Jamario Moon, American basketball player
    • 1980 – Juan Carlos Navarro, Spanish basketball player
    • 1980 – Darius Vassell, English footballer
    • 1980 – Markus Winkelhock, German racing driver
    • 1981 – Chris Evans, American actor and producer
    • 1981 – Blake Judd, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1981 – David Madden, founder and executive director of the National History Bee and the National History Bowl
    • 1981 – Radim Vrbata, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopian runner
    • 1982 – Krzysztof Bosak, Polish politician
    • 1982 – Nate Jones, American football player
    • 1983 – Steve Novak, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Jason Spezza, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Rachel Taylor, Welsh rugby union player
    • 1984 – Nery Castillo, Mexican-Uruguayan footballer
    • 1984 – Kaori Icho, Japanese wrestler
    • 1984 – Antje Möldner-Schmidt, German runner
    • 1985 – Filipe Albuquerque, Portuguese racing driver
    • 1985 – Silvio Bankert, German footballer
    • 1985 – Pedro Strop, Dominican baseball player
    • 1985 – Danny Syvret, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Kat Dennings, American actress and comedian
    • 1986 – Keisuke Honda, Japanese footballer
    • 1986 – Jonathan Lucroy, American baseball catcher
    • 1986 – Ashley Olsen, American child actress, fashion designer, and businesswoman
    • 1986 – Mary-Kate Olsen, American child actress, fashion designer, and businesswoman
    • 1986 – DJ Snake, French DJ and record producer
    • 1986 – Lea Verou, Greek computer scientist and author
    • 1986 – Måns Zelmerlöw, Swedish singer
    • 1987 – Marko Grgić, Croatian footballer
    • 1988 – Gabe Carimi, American football player
    • 1988 – Reece Noi, British actor
    • 1988 – Cody Walker, American actor
    • 1989 – Ben Barba, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – James Calado, English racing driver
    • 1989 – Ryan McDonagh, American ice hockey defenseman
    • 1989 – Daniel Mortimer, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Andreas Samaris, Greek footballer
    • 1989 – Tommy Searle, English motocross racer
    • 1989 – Hassan Whiteside, American basketball player
    • 1989 – Erica Wiebe, Canadian wrestler
    • 1990 – James McCann, American baseball player
    • 1990 – Nicole Riner, Swiss tennis player
    • 1990 – Aaron Taylor-Johnson, English actor
    • 1991 – Will Claye, American jumper
    • 1991 – Ryan Mason, English footballer
    • 1992 – Semi Radradra, Fijian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Simona Senoner, Italian ski jumper (d. 2011)
    • 1993 – Denis Ten, Kazakhstani figure skater (d. 2018)
    • 1994 – Deepika Kumari, Indian archer
    • 1995 – Emily Fanning, New Zealand tennis player
    • 1995 – Laura Ucrós, Colombian tennis player
    • 2000 – Penny Oleksiak, Canadian swimmer

    Deaths on June 13

    • 220 – Xiahou Dun, Chinese general
    • 976 – Mansur I, Samanid emir
    • 995 – Fujiwara no Michikane, Japanese nobleman (b. 961)
    • 1036 – Ali az-Zahir, Fatimid caliph (b. 1005)
    • 1231 – Anthony of Padua, Portuguese priest and saint (b. 1195)
    • 1256 – Tankei, Japanese sculptor (b. 1173)
    • 1348 – Juan Manuel, Spanish prince (b. 1282)
    • 1432 – Uko Fockena, Frisian chieftain (b. c. 1408)
    • 1550 – Veronica Gambara, Italian poet (b. 1485)
    • 1636 – George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly, Scottish politician (b. 1562)
    • 1645 – Miyamoto Musashi, Japanese samurai (b. 1584)
    • 1661 – Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, English politician (b. 1595)
    • 1665 – Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer, Dutch admiral (b. 1604)
    • 1784 – Henry Middleton, American farmer and politician, 2nd President of the Continental Congress (b. 1717)
    • 1846 – Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès, French geographer and author (b. 1767)
    • 1861 – Henry Gray, English anatomist and surgeon (b. 1827)
    • 1881 – Joseph Škoda, Czech physician and dermatologist (b. 1805)
    • 1886 – Ludwig II, king of Bavaria (b. 1845)
    • 1894 – John Cox Bray, Australian politician, 15th Premier of South Australia (b. 1842)
    • 1898 – Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Quebec (b. 1840)
    • 1904 – Nikiforos Lytras, Greek painter and educator (b. 1832)
    • 1917 – Louis-Philippe Hébert, Canadian sculptor (b. 1850)
    • 1918 – Michael Alexandrovich, Russian Grand Duke (b. 1878)
    • 1930 – Henry Segrave, American-English racing driver (b. 1896)
    • 1931 – Kitasato Shibasaburō, Japanese physician and bacteriologist (b. 1851)
    • 1939 – Arthur Coningham, Australian cricketer (b. 1863)
    • 1943 – Kočo Racin, Macedonian author and activist (b. 1908)
    • 1948 – Osamu Dazai, Japanese author (b. 1909)
    • 1951 – Ben Chifley, Australian engineer and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1885)
    • 1957 – Irving Baxter, American high jumper and pole vaulter (b. 1876)
    • 1958 – Edwin Keppel Bennett, English poet and academic (b. 1887
    • 1965 – Martin Buber, Austrian-Israeli philosopher and theologian (b. 1878)
    • 1965 – David Drummond, Australian farmer and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1969 – Pralhad Keshav Atre, Indian journalist, director, and producer (b. 1898)
    • 1972 – Georg von Békésy, Hungarian biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
    • 1972 – Stephanie von Hohenlohe, Austrian-German spy (b. 1891)
    • 1979 – Demetrio Stratos, Egyptian-Italian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1945)
    • 1980 – Walter Rodney, Guyanese historian and activist (b. 1942)
    • 1981 – Olivério Pinto, Brazilian zoologist and physician (b. 1896)
    • 1984 – António Variações, Portuguese singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
    • 1986 – Benny Goodman, American clarinet player, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1909)
    • 1987 – Geraldine Page, American actress (b. 1924)
    • 1989 – Fran Allison, American television personality and puppeteer (b. 1907)
    • 1993 – Gérard Côté, Canadian runner (b. 1913)
    • 1993 – Deke Slayton, American soldier, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1924)
    • 1994 – Nadia Gray, Romanian-French actress (b. 1923)
    • 1997 – Nguyen Manh Tuong, Vietnamese lawyer and academic (b. 1909)
    • 1998 – Alfred Gerrard, English sculptor and academic (b. 1899)
    • 1998 – Birger Ruud, Norwegian ski jumper (b. 1911)
    • 1998 – Reg Smythe, English cartoonist (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – John Hope, American navigator and meteorologist (b. 1919)
    • 2002 – Maia Wojciechowska, Polish-American author (b. 1927)
    • 2003 – Malik Meraj Khalid, Pakistani lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Pakistan (b. 1916)
    • 2004 – Ralph Wiley, American journalist and author (b. 1952)
    • 2005 – Álvaro Cunhal, Portuguese academic and politician (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – David Diamond, American pianist and composer (b. 1915)
    • 2006 – Charles Haughey, Irish lawyer and politician, 7th Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Walid Eido, Lebanese judge and politician (b. 1942)
    • 2008 – Tim Russert, American journalist and lawyer (b. 1950)
    • 2009 – Fathi Yakan, Lebanese scholar and politician (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – Jimmy Dean, American singer and businessman, founded Jimmy Dean Foods (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Sam Beddingfield, American pilot and engineer (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Graeme Bell, Australian pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1914)
    • 2012 – Roger Garaudy, French philosopher and author (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Jože Humer, Slovenian composer and translator (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Mehdi Hassan, Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer for Lollywood (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – David Deutsch, American businessman, founded Deutsch Inc. (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Sam Most, American flute player and saxophonist (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Albert White Hat, American educator and activist (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Mahdi Elmandjra, Moroccan economist and sociologist (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Gyula Grosics, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Jim Keays, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Chuck Noll, American football player and coach (b. 1932)
    • 2014 – Robert Peters, American poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Buddy Boudreaux, American saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1917)
    • 2015 – Sergio Renán, Argentinian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Mike Shrimpton, New Zealand cricketer and coach (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on June 13

    • Christian feast day:
      • Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church
      • Aquilina
      • Cetteus (Peregrinus)
      • Felicula
      • G. K. Chesterton (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Gerard of Clairvaux
      • Psalmodius
      • Ragnebert (Rambert)
      • Blessed Thomas Woodhouse
      • Triphyllius
      • June 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Inventors’ Day (Hungary)
    • Suleimaniah City Fallen and Martyrs Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)

  • May 27 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens.At least 600 Jews are killed.
    • 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death.
    • 1153 – Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland.
    • 1199 – John is crowned King of England.
    • 1257 – Richard of Cornwall, and his wife, Sanchia of Provence, are crowned King and Queen of the Germans at Aachen Cathedral.
    • 1644 – Manchu regent Dorgon defeats rebel leader Li Zicheng of the Shun dynasty at the Battle of Shanhai Pass, allowing the Manchus to enter and conquer the capital city of Beijing.
    • 1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founds the city of Saint Petersburg.
    • 1798 – The Battle of Oulart Hill takes place in Wexford, Ireland; Irish rebel leaders defeat and kill a detachment of militia.
    • 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Austrian forces defeat the French at Winterthur, Switzerland.
    • 1813 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George.
    • 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi begins his attack on Palermo, Sicily, as part of the Italian unification.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: First Assault on the Confederate works at the Siege of Port Hudson.
    • 1874 – The first group of Dorsland trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts leaves Pretoria.
    • 1883 – Alexander III is crowned Tsar of Russia.
    • 1896 – The F4-strength St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado hits in St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, killing at least 255 people and causing over $10–million in damage.
    • 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima begins.
    • 1917 – Pope Benedict XV promulgates the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first comprehensive codification of Catholic canon law in the legal history of the Catholic Church.
    • 1919 – The NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon after completing the first transatlantic flight.
    • 1927 – The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacture of the Ford Model T and begins to retool plants to make the Ford Model A.
    • 1930 – The 1,046 feet (319 m) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public.
    • 1933 – New Deal: The U.S. Federal Securities Act is signed into law requiring the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.
    • 1933 – The Walt Disney Company releases the cartoon Three Little Pigs, with its hit song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”
    • 1935 – New Deal: The Supreme Court of the United States declares the National Industrial Recovery Act to be unconstitutional in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, (295 U.S. 495).
    • 1937 – In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic, creating a vital link between San Francisco and Marin County, California.
    • 1940 – World War II: In the Le Paradis massacre, 99 soldiers from a Royal Norfolk Regiment unit are shot after surrendering to German troops; two survive.
    • 1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaims an “unlimited national emergency”.
    • 1941 – World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic killing almost 2,100 men.
    • 1942 – World War II: In Operation Anthropoid, Reinhard Heydrich is fatally wounded in Prague; he dies of his injuries eight days later.
    • 1958 – First flight of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.
    • 1960 – In Turkey, a military coup removes President Celâl Bayar and the rest of the democratic government from office.
    • 1962 – The Centralia mine fire is ignited in the town’s landfill above a coal mine.
    • 1965 – Vietnam War: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation Front targets within South Vietnam.
    • 1967 – Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census.
    • 1967 – The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is launched by Jacqueline Kennedy and her daughter Caroline.
    • 1971 – The Dahlerau train disaster, the worst railway accident in West Germany, kills 46 people and injures 25 near Wuppertal.
    • 1971 – Pakistani forces massacre over 200 civilians, mostly Bengali Hindus, in the Bagbati massacre.
    • 1975 – Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, in North Yorkshire, England, kills 33 – the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom.
    • 1980 – The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more.
    • 1984 – The Danube-Black Sea canal is opened, in a ceremony attended by the Ceaușescus. It had been under construction since the 1950s.
    • 1996 – First Chechen War: the Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire.
    • 1997 – The 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak occurs, spawning multiple tornadoes in Central Texas, including the F5 that killed 27 in Jarrell.
    • 1998 – Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot.
    • 2001 – Members of the Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf seize twenty hostages from an affluent island resort on Palawan in the Philippines; the hostage crisis would not be resolved until June 2002.
    • 2006 – The 6.4 Mw  Yogyakarta earthquake shakes central Java with an MSK intensity of VIII (Damaging), leaving more than 5,700 dead and 37,000 injured.
    • 2016 – Barack Obama is the first president of United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha.
    • 2017 – Andrew Scheer takes over after Rona Ambrose as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
    • 2018 – Maryland Flood Event: A flood occurs throughout the Patapsco Valley causing one death and destroying the entire first floors of buildings on Main Street in Ellicott City and causing cars to overturn.

    Births on May 27

    • 742 – Emperor Dezong of Tang (d. 805)
    • 1332 – Ibn Khaldun, Tunisian historian and theologian (d. 1406)
    • 1378 – Zhu Quan, Chinese military commander, historian and playwright (d. 1448)
    • 1519 – Girolamo Mei, Italian historian and theorist (d. 1594)
    • 1537 – Louis IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg (d. 1604)
    • 1576 – Caspar Schoppe, German author and scholar (d. 1649)
    • 1584 – Michael Altenburg, German theologian and composer (d. 1640)
    • 1601 – Antoine Daniel, French-Canadian missionary and saint (d. 1648)
    • 1626 – William II, Prince of Orange (d. 1650)
    • 1627 – Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier (d. 1693)
    • 1651 – Louis Antoine de Noailles, French cardinal (d. 1729)
    • 1652 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine of Germany (d. 1722)
    • 1738 – Nathaniel Gorham, American merchant and politician, 14th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1796)
    • 1756 – Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (d. 1825)
    • 1774 – Francis Beaufort, Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy (d. 1857)
    • 1794 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1877)
    • 1814 – John Rudolph Niernsee, Viennese-born American architect (d.1885)
    • 1815 – Henry Parkes, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1896)
    • 1818 – Amelia Bloomer, American journalist and activist (d. 1894)
    • 1819 – Julia Ward Howe, American poet and songwriter (d. 1910)
    • 1827 – Samuel F. Miller, American lawyer and politician (d. 1892)
    • 1832 – Zenas Ferry Moody, American surveyor and politician, 7th Governor of Oregon (d. 1917)
    • 1836 – Jay Gould, American businessman and financier (d. 1892)
    • 1837 – Wild Bill Hickok, American police officer (d. 1876)
    • 1852 – Billy Barnes, English cricketer (d. 1899)
    • 1857 – Theodor Curtius, German chemist (d. 1928)
    • 1860 – Manuel Teixeira Gomes, Portuguese politician, 7th President of Portugal (d. 1941)
    • 1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (d. 1921)
    • 1867 – Arnold Bennett, English author and playwright (d. 1931)
    • 1868 – Aleksa Šantić, Bosnian poet and author (d. 1924)
    • 1871 – Georges Rouault, French painter and illustrator (d. 1958)
    • 1875 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (d. 1942)
    • 1876 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 1945)
    • 1876 – William Stanier, English engineer (d. 1965)
    • 1878 – Anna Cervin, Swedish artist (d. 1972)
    • 1879 – Karl Bühler, German-American linguist and psychologist (d. 1963)
    • 1879 – Hans Lammers, German judge and politician (d. 1962)
    • 1883 – Jessie Arms Botke, American painter (d. 1971)
    • 1884 – Max Brod, Czech journalist, author, and composer (d. 1968)
    • 1887 – Frank Woolley, English cricketer (d. 1978)
    • 1888 – Louis Durey, French composer (d. 1979)
    • 1891 – Claude Champagne, Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (d. 1965)
    • 1891 – Jaan Kärner, Estonian poet and author (d. 1958)
    • 1894 – Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French physician and author (d. 1961)
    • 1894 – Dashiell Hammett, American detective novelist and screenwriter (d. 1961)
    • 1895 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (d. 1995)
    • 1897 – John Cockcroft, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
    • 1897 – Dink Templeton, American rugby player and coach (d. 1962)
    • 1898 – David Crosthwait, American engineer, inventor and writer (d. 1976)
    • 1899 – Johannes Türn, Estonian chess and draughts player (d. 1993)
    • 1900 – Lotte Toberentz, German overseer of the Nazi Uckermark concentration camp (d. 1964)
    • 1900 – Uładzimir Žyłka, Belarusian poet and translator (d. 1933)
    • 1904 – Chūhei Nambu, Japanese jumper and journalist (d. 1997)
    • 1906 – Buddhadasa, Thai monk and philosopher (d. 1993)
    • 1906 – Harry Hibbs, English footballer (d. 1984)
    • 1906 – Antonio Rosario Mennonna, Italian bishop (d. 2009)
    • 1907 – Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and critic (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Rachel Carson, American biologist, environmentalist, and author (d. 1964)
    • 1909 – Dolores Hope, American singer and philanthropist (d. 2011)
    • 1911 – Hubert Humphrey, American journalist and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (d. 1978)
    • 1911 – Teddy Kollek, Hungarian-Israeli politician, Mayor of Jerusalem (d. 2007)
    • 1911 – Vincent Price, American actor (d. 1993)
    • 1912 – John Cheever, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1982)
    • 1912 – Sam Snead, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2002)
    • 1912 – Terry Moore, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1995)
    • 1915 – Ester Soré, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1915 – Herman Wouk, American novelist (d. 2019)
    • 1917 – Harry Webster, English engineer (d. 2007)
    • 1918 – Yasuhiro Nakasone, Japanese commander and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2019)
    • 1921 – Bob Godfrey, Australian-English animator, director, and voice actor (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – Christopher Lee, English actor (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – John D. Vanderhoof, American banker and politician, 37th Governor of Colorado (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Henry Kissinger, German-American political scientist and politician, 56th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1923 – Sumner Redstone, American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1924 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – John Sumner, English-Australian director, founded the Melbourne Theatre Company (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Tony Hillerman, American journalist and author (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Jüri Randviir, Estonian chess player and journalist (d. 1996)
    • 1928 – Thea Musgrave, Scottish-American composer and educator
    • 1930 – John Barth, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1930 – William S. Sessions, American civil servant and judge, 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
    • 1930 – Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2010)
    • 1931 – André Barbeau, French-Canadian neurologist (d. 1986)
    • 1931 – John Chapple, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Gibraltar
    • 1931 – Bernard Fresson, French actor (d. 2002)
    • 1931 – Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Philip Kotler, American author and professor
    • 1933 – Edward Samuel Rogers, Canadian businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Manfred Sommer, Spanish author and illustrator (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Ray Daviault, Canadian-American baseball player
    • 1934 – Harlan Ellison, American author and screenwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1935 – Daniel Colchico, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Mal Evans, British road manager of The Beatles (d. 1976)
    • 1935 – Jerry Kindall, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1935 – Ramsey Lewis, American jazz pianist and composer
    • 1935 – Lee Meriwether, American model and actress, Miss America 1955
    • 1936 – Benjamin Bathurst, English admiral
    • 1936 – Louis Gossett, Jr., American actor and producer
    • 1936 – Marcel Masse, Canadian educator and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Allan Carr, American playwright and producer (d. 1999)
    • 1939 – Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns, English courtier and businessman
    • 1939 – Yves Duhaime, Canadian captain and politician
    • 1939 – Sokratis Kokkalis, Greek businessman
    • 1939 – Gerald Ronson, English businessman and philanthropist
    • 1939 – Lionel Sosa, Mexican-American advertising and marketing executive
    • 1939 – Don Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Mike Gibson, Australian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Lee Baca, American police officer
    • 1942 – Piers Courage, English racing driver (d. 1970)
    • 1942 – Roger Freeman, Baron Freeman, English accountant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
    • 1942 – Robin Widdows, English racing driver
    • 1943 – Cilla Black, English singer and actress (d. 2015)
    • 1943 – Bruce Weitz, American actor
    • 1944 – Chris Dodd, American lawyer and politician
    • 1944 – Ingrid Roscoe, English historian and politician, Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire
    • 1944 – Alain Souchon, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1945 – Bruce Cockburn, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1946 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – John Williams, English motorcycle racer (d. 1978)
    • 1947 – Peter DeFazio, American politician
    • 1947 – Marty Kristian, German-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1947 – Branko Oblak, Slovenian footballer and coach
    • 1947 – Riivo Sinijärv, Estonian politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1948 – Wubbo de Boer, Dutch civil servant (d. 2017)
    • 1948 – Pete Sears, English bass player
    • 1948 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1949 – Hugh Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale, English politician
    • 1949 – Christa Vahlensieck, German runner
    • 1950 – Dee Dee Bridgewater, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1950 – Makis Dendrinos, Greek basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1951 – John Conteh, English boxer
    • 1954 – Pauline Hanson, Australian businesswoman, activist, and politician
    • 1954 – Jackie Slater, American football player and coach
    • 1955 – Eric Bischoff, American wrestler, manager, and producer
    • 1955 – Richard Schiff, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1955 – Ian Tracey, English organist and conductor
    • 1956 – Cynthia McFadden, American journalist
    • 1956 – Rosemary Squire, English producer and manager, co-founded Ambassador Theatre Group
    • 1956 – Giuseppe Tornatore, Italian director and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Dag Terje Andersen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Labour
    • 1957 – Nitin Gadkari, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Transport
    • 1957 – Eddie Harsch, Canadian-American keyboard player and bass player (d. 2016)
    • 1957 – Siouxsie Sioux, English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
    • 1958 – Nick Anstee, English accountant and politician, 682nd Lord Mayor of London
    • 1958 – Neil Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1958 – Jesse Robredo, Filipino politician, 23rd Filipino Secretary of the Interior (d. 2012)
    • 1960 – Gaston Therrien, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1961 – José Luíz Barbosa, Brazilian runner and coach
    • 1961 – Peri Gilpin, American actress
    • 1962 – Marcelino Bernal, Mexican footballer
    • 1962 – Ray Borner, Australian basketball player
    • 1962 – Steven Brill, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Anthony A. Hyman, Israeli-English biologist and academic
    • 1962 – David Mundell, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1962 – Ravi Shastri, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Cuban pianist and composer
    • 1963 – Maria Walliser, Swiss skier
    • 1964 – Adam Carolla, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Pat Cash, Australian-English tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Heston Blumenthal, English chef and author
    • 1967 – Paul Gascoigne, English international footballer, midfielder, coach, and manager
    • 1967 – Eddie McClintock, American actor
    • 1968 – Jeff Bagwell, American baseball player and coach
    • 1968 – Rebekah Brooks, English journalist
    • 1968 – Harun Erdenay, Turkish basketball player and coach
    • 1968 – Frank Thomas, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Todd Hundley, American baseball player
    • 1969 – Jeremy Mayfield, American race car driver
    • 1969 – Craig Federighi, American computer scientist and engineer
    • 1970 – Michele Bartoli, Italian cyclist
    • 1970 – Tim Farron, English educator and politician
    • 1970 – Joseph Fiennes, English actor
    • 1970 – Alex Archer, American-born Australian musician
    • 1971 – Mathew Batsiua, Nauruan politician
    • 1971 – Paul Bettany, English actor
    • 1971 – Wayne Carey, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1971 – Kaur Kender, Estonian author
    • 1971 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (d. 2002)
    • 1971 – Lee Sharpe, English footballer
    • 1971 – Grant Stafford, South African tennis player
    • 1971 – Sophie Walker, British politician, leader of the Women’s Equality Party
    • 1971 – Petroc Trelawny, British radio and television broadcaster
    • 1972 – Todd Demsey, American golfer
    • 1972 – Antonio Freeman, American football player
    • 1972 – Maxim Sokolov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Jack McBrayer, American actor and comedian
    • 1973 – Tana Umaga, New Zealand rugby player and coach
    • 1973 – Yorgos Lanthimos, Greek film video, and theatre director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Skye Edwards, British singer-songwriter
    • 1974 – Denise van Outen, English actress, singer, and television host
    • 1974 – Derek Webb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Danny Wuerffel, American football player
    • 1975 – André 3000, American rapper
    • 1975 – Michael Hussey, Australian cricketer
    • 1975 – Jamie Oliver, English chef and author
    • 1975 – Feryal Özel, Turkish astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
    • 1976 – Marcel Fässler, Swiss racing driver
    • 1977 – Abderrahmane Hammad, Algerian high jumper
    • 1977 – Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lankan cricketer
    • 1978 – Adin Brown, American soccer player
    • 1979 – Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (d. 2004)
    • 1979 – Mile Sterjovski, Australian footballer
    • 1980 – Craig Buntin, Canadian figure skater
    • 1981 – Alina Cojocaru, Romanian ballerina
    • 1981 – Johan Elmander, Swedish footballer
    • 1984 – Blake Ahearn, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Miguel González, Mexican baseball pitcher
    • 1985 – Chiang Chien-ming, Taiwanese baseball player
    • 1985 – Roberto Soldado, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Conor Cummins, Manx motorcycle racer
    • 1986 – Bamba Fall, Senegalese basketball player
    • 1986 – Lasse Schöne, Danish footballer
    • 1987 – Gervinho, Ivorian footballer
    • 1987 – Bella Heathcote, Australian actress
    • 1987 – Eric Kolelas, French-English actor and director
    • 1987 – Bora Paçun, Turkish basketball player
    • 1987 – Matt Prior, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Martina Sablikova, Czech speed skater and cyclist
    • 1988 – Vontae Davis, American football player
    • 1988 – Irina Davydova, Russian hurdler
    • 1988 – Garrett Richards, American baseball pitcher
    • 1988 – Tyler Sash, American football player (d. 2015)
    • 1989 – Igor Morozov, Estonian footballer
    • 1990 – Yenew Alamirew, Ethiopian runner
    • 1990 – Chris Colfer, American actor and singer
    • 1990 – Marcus Kruger, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Sebastien Dewaest, Belgian footballer
    • 1991 – Tim Lafai, Samoan rugby league player
    • 1991 – Ksenia Pervak, Russian tennis player
    • 1991 – Eneli Vals, Estonian footballer
    • 1992 – Aaron Brown, Canadian sprinter
    • 1992 – Laurence Vincent-Lapointe, Canadian canoer

    Deaths on May 27

    • 366 – Procopius, Roman usurper (b. 325)
    • 398 – Murong Bao, emperor of the Xianbei state Later Yan (b. 355)
    • 475 – Eutropius, bishop of Orange
    • 866 – Ordoño I of Asturias (b. 831)
    • 927 – Simeon I of Bulgaria first Bulgarian Emperor (b. 864)
    • 1039 – Dirk III, Count of Holland (b. 981)
    • 1045 – Bruno of Würzburg, imperial chancellor of Italy (b. c. 1005)
    • 1178 – Godfrey van Rhenen, bishop of Utrecht
    • 1240 – William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey (b. 1166)
    • 1444 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English commander (b. 1404)
    • 1508 – Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1452)
    • 1508 – Lucrezia Crivelli, mistress of Ludovico Sforza (b. 1452)
    • 1525 – Thomas Müntzer, German mystic and theologian (b. 1488)
    • 1541 – Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (b. 1473)
    • 1564 – John Calvin, French pastor and theologian (b. 1509)
    • 1610 – François Ravaillac, French assassin of Henry IV of France (b. 1578)
    • 1624 – Diego Ramírez de Arellano, Spanish sailor and cosmographer (b. c. 1580)
    • 1637 – John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, English politician (b. c. 1566)
    • 1661 – Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, Scottish general and politician (b. 1607)
    • 1675 – Gaspard Dughet, Italian-French painter (b. 1613)
    • 1690 – Giovanni Legrenzi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1626)
    • 1702 – Dominique Bouhours, French priest and critic (b. 1628)
    • 1707 – Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan, French mistress of Louis XIV of France (b. 1640)
    • 1781 – Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1716)
    • 1797 – François-Noël Babeuf, French journalist (b. 1760)
    • 1831 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (b. 1799)
    • 1840 – Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1782)
    • 1867 – Thomas Bulfinch American mythologist (b. 1796)
    • 1896 – Aleksandr Stoletov, Russian physicist, engineer, and academic (b. 1839)
    • 1910 – Robert Koch, German physician and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
    • 1918 – Ōzutsu Man’emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 18th Yokozuna (b. 1869)
    • 1919 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian author and activist (b. 1848)
    • 1933 – Achille Paroche, French target shooter (b. 1868)
    • 1939 – Joseph Roth, Austrian-French journalist and author (b. 1894)
    • 1941 – Ernst Lindemann, German captain (b. 1894)
    • 1941 – Günther Lütjens, German admiral (b. 1889)
    • 1942 – Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, Turkish theologian, logician, and translator (b. 1878)
    • 1943 – Gordon Coates, New Zealand soldier and politician, 21st Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1878)
    • 1945 – Enno Lolling, German physician (b. 1888)
    • 1947 – Ed Konetchy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1885)
    • 1949 – Robert Ripley, American cartoonist, publisher, and businessman, founded Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (b. 1890)
    • 1953 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player and manager (b. 1868)
    • 1960 – James Montgomery Flagg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1877)
    • 1963 – Grigoris Lambrakis, Greek physician and politician (b. 1912)
    • 1964 – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of India (b. 1889)
    • 1967 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (b. 1880)
    • 1967 – Ernst Niekisch, German academic and politician (b. 1889)
    • 1969 – Jeffrey Hunter, American actor and producer (b. 1926)
    • 1971 – Béla Juhos, Hungarian-Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1901)
    • 1971 – Armando Picchi, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1935)
    • 1980 – Gün Sazak, Turkish agronomist and politician (b. 1932)
    • 1984 – Vasilije Mokranjac, Serbian composer (b. 1923)
    • 1986 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
    • 1986 – Ajoy Mukherjee, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (b. 1901)
    • 1986 – Giorgos Tzifos, Greek actor and cinematographer (b. 1918)
    • 1987 – John Howard Northrop, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
    • 1988 – Hjördis Petterson, Swedish actress (b. 1908)
    • 1988 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 1989 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (b. 1907)
    • 1990 – Robert B. Meyner, American lawyer and politician, 44th Governor of New Jersey (b. 1908)
    • 1991 – Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist and theorist (b. 1904)
    • 1992 – Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (b. 1890)
    • 1998 – Minoo Masani, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
    • 2000 – Kazimierz Leski, Polish engineer and pilot (b. 1912)
    • 2000 – Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, Scottish politician and diplomat, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – Maurice Richard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1921)
    • 2003 – Luciano Berio, Italian composer and educator (b. 1925)
    • 2006 – Rob Borsellino, American journalist (b. 1949)
    • 2006 – Paul Gleason, American actor (b. 1939)
    • 2006 – Craig Heyward, American football player (b. 1966)
    • 2007 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1967)
    • 2007 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (b. 1932)
    • 2007 – Ed Yost, American inventor, created the hot air balloon (b. 1919)
    • 2008 – Franz Künstler, Hungarian soldier (b. 1900)
    • 2009 – Thomas M. Franck, American lawyer and academic (b. 1931)
    • 2009 – Clive Granger, Welsh-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1934)
    • 2009 – Mona Grey, British nursing administrator; Northern Ireland’s first Chief Nursing Officer
    • 2009 – Abram Hoffer, Canadian biochemist, physician, and psychiatrist (b. 1917)
    • 2009 – Gérard Jean-Juste, Haitian-American priest and theologian (b. 1946)
    • 2009 – Carol Anne O’Marie, American nun and author (b. 1933)
    • 2009 – William Refshauge, Australian soldier and physician (b. 1913)
    • 2009 – Paul Sharratt, English-American television host (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (b. 1929)
    • 2011 – Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (b. 1950)
    • 2011 – Margo Dydek, Polish-American basketball player (b. 1974)
    • 2011 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1949)
    • 2012 – Simeon Daniel, Nevisian educator and politician, 1st Premier of Nevis (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Friedrich Hirzebruch, German mathematician and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – David Rimoin, Canadian-American geneticist and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Abdoulaye Sékou Sow, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Robert Genn, Canadian painter and author (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Massimo Vignelli, Italian-American graphic designer (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Erik Carlsson, Swedish rally driver (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Nils Christie, Norwegian sociologist, criminologist, and author (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Andy King, English footballer and manager (b. 1956)
    • 2015 – Michael Martin, American philosopher and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2017 – Gregg Allman, American musician, singer and songwriter (b. 1947)
    • 2020 – Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (b. 1935)

    Holidays and observances on May 27

    • Armed Forces Day (Nicaragua)
    • Children’s Day (Nigeria)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Augustine of Canterbury
      • Blessed Lojze Grozde
      • Bede (commemoration, Anglican Communion)
      • Bruno of Würzburg
      • Eutropius of Orange
      • Hildebert
      • Julius the Veteran
      • May 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Mother’s Day (Bolivia)
    • Navy Day (Japan)
    • Slavery Abolition Day (Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin)
    • Start of National Reconciliation Week (Australia)

  • May 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe.
    • 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire takes place. The Sasanids defeat the Armenians militarily but guarantee them freedom to openly practice Christianity.
    • 946 – King Edmund I of England is murdered by a thief whom he personally attacks while celebrating St Augustine’s Mass Day.
    • 961 – King Otto I elects his 6-year-old son Otto II as heir apparent and co-ruler of the East Frankish Kingdom. He is crowned at Aachen, and placed under the tutelage of his grandmother Matilda.
    • 1135 – Alfonso VII of León and Castile is crowned in León Cathedral as Imperator totius Hispaniae (Emperor of all of Spain).
    • 1293 – An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan, killing about 23,000.
    • 1328 – William of Ockham, the Franciscan Minister-General Michael of Cesena, and two other Franciscan leaders secretly leave Avignon, fearing a death sentence from Pope John XXII.
    • 1538 – Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city. Calvin lives in exile in Strasbourg for the next three years.
    • 1573 – The Battle of Haarlemmermeer, a naval engagement in the Dutch War of Independence.
    • 1637 – Pequot War: A combined English and Mohegan force under John Mason attacks a village in Connecticut, massacring approximately 500 Pequots.
    • 1644 – Portuguese Restoration War: Portuguese and Spanish forces both claim victory in the Battle of Montijo.
    • 1736 – The Battle of Ackia was fought near the present site of Tupelo, Mississippi. British and Chickasaw soldiers repelled a French and Choctaw attack on the then-Chickasaw village of Ackia.
    • 1770 – The Orlov Revolt, an attempt to revolt against the Ottoman Empire before the Greek War of Independence, ends in disaster for the Greeks.
    • 1783 – A Great Jubilee Day held at North Stratford, Connecticut, celebrated the end of fighting in the American Revolution.
    • 1805 – Napoléon Bonaparte assumes the title of King of Italy and is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Milan Cathedral, the gothic cathedral in Milan.
    • 1821 – Establishment of the Peloponnesian Senate by the Greek rebels.
    • 1822 – One hundred sixteen people die in the Grue Church fire, the biggest fire disaster in Norway’s history.
    • 1857 – Dred Scott is emancipated by the Blow family, his original owners.
    • 1864 – Montana is organized as a United States territory.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi division, is the last full general of the Confederate Army to surrender, at Galveston, Texas.
    • 1868 – The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson ends with his acquittal by one vote.
    • 1869 – Boston University is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
    • 1879 – Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state.
    • 1896 – Nicholas II becomes the last Tsar of Imperial Russia.
    • 1896 – Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
    • 1897 – Dracula, a Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, is published.
    • 1897 – The original manuscript of William Bradford’s history, “Of Plymouth Plantation” is returned to the Governor of Massachusetts by the Bishop of London after being taken during the American Revolutionary War.
    • 1900 – Thousand Days’ War: The Colombian Conservative Party turns the tide of war in their favor with victory against the Colombian Liberal Party in the Battle of Palonegro.
    • 1908 – The first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East was made at Masjed Soleyman in southwest Persia. The rights to the resource were quickly acquired by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
    • 1917 – Several powerful tornadoes rip through Illinois, including the city of Mattoon.
    • 1918 – The Democratic Republic of Georgia is established.
    • 1923 – The first 24 Hours of Le Mans was held and has since been run annually in June.
    • 1927 – The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.
    • 1936 – In the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, Tommy Henderson begins speaking on the Appropriation Bill. By the time he sits down in the early hours of the following morning, he had spoken for ten hours.
    • 1937 – Walter Reuther and members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) clashed with Ford Motor Company security guards at the River Rouge Complex complex in Dearborn, Michigan, during the Battle of the Overpass.
    • 1938 – In the United States, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins its first session.
    • 1940 – World War II: Operation Dynamo: In northern France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Siege of Calais ends with the surrender of the British and French garrison.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Gazala takes place.
    • 1948 – The U.S. Congress passes Public Law 80-557, which permanently establishes the Civil Air Patrol as an auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
    • 1966 – British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana.
    • 1967 – The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.
    • 1968 – H-dagurinn in Iceland: Traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight
    • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first manned moon landing.
    • 1970 – The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.
    • 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army slaughters at least 71 Hindus in Burunga, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
    • 1972 – The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
    • 1981 – Italian Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the pseudo-masonic lodge P2 (Propaganda Due).
    • 1981 – An EA-6B Prowler crashes on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others.
    • 1983 – The 7.8 Mw  Sea of Japan earthquake shakes northern Honshu with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A destructive tsunami is generated that leaves about 100 people dead.
    • 1986 – The European Community adopts the European flag.
    • 1991 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era.
    • 1991 – Lauda Air Flight 004 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes in the Phu Toei National Park in Thailand, killing all 223 people on board.
    • 1998 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules in New Jersey v. New York that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
    • 1998 – The first “National Sorry Day” was held in Australia, and reconciliation events were held nationally, and attended by over a million people.
    • 2002 – The tugboat Robert Y. Love collides with a support pier of Interstate 40 on the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, resulting in 14 deaths and 11 others injured.
    • 2004 – United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
    • 2008 – Severe flooding begins in eastern and southern China that will ultimately cause 148 deaths and force the evacuation of 1.3 million.

    Births on May 26

    • 1264 – Koreyasu, Japanese prince and shōgun (d. 1326)
    • 1478 – Clement VII, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1534)
    • 1562 – James III, margrave of Baden-Hachberg (d. 1590)
    • 1566 – Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1603)
    • 1602 – Philippe de Champaigne, Dutch-French painter (d. 1674)
    • 1623 – William Petty, English economist and philosopher (d. 1687)
    • 1650 – John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (d. 1722)
    • 1667 – Abraham de Moivre, French-English mathematician and theorist (d. 1754)
    • 1669 – Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist and mycologist (d. 1722)
    • 1700 – Nicolaus Zinzendorf, German bishop and saint (d. 1760)
    • 1799 – August Kopisch, German poet and painter (d. 1853)
    • 1822 – Edmond de Goncourt, French author and critic, founded the Académie Goncourt (d. 1896)
    • 1863 – Bob Fitzsimmons, English-New Zealand boxer (d. 1917)
    • 1865 – Robert W. Chambers, American author and illustrator (d. 1933)
    • 1867 – Mary of Teck, English-born queen consort of the United Kingdom (d. 1953)
    • 1873 – Olaf Gulbransson, Norwegian painter and illustrator (d. 1958)
    • 1876 – Percy Perrin, English cricketer (d. 1945)
    • 1880 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (d. 1967)
    • 1881 – Adolfo de la Huerta, Mexican politician and provisional president, 1920 (d. 1955)
    • 1883 – Mamie Smith, American singer, actress, dancer, and pianist (d. 1946)
    • 1886 – Al Jolson, American singer and actor (d. 1950)
    • 1887 – Ba U, 2nd President of Burma (d. 1963)
    • 1893 – Eugene Aynsley Goossens, English conductor and composer (d. 1962)
    • 1895 – Dorothea Lange, American photographer and journalist (d. 1965)
    • 1895 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian-American actor and singer (d. 1971)
    • 1898 – Ernst Bacon, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1990)
    • 1898 – Christfried Burmeister, Estonian speed skater (d. 1965)
    • 1899 – Antonio Barrette, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Premier of Quebec (d. 1968)
    • 1899 – Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (d. 1997)
    • 1900 – Karin Juel, Swedish singer, actor, and writer (d. 1976)
    • 1904 – George Formby, English singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1961)
    • 1904 – Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, Turkish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1983)
    • 1904 – Vlado Perlemuter, Lithuanian-French pianist and educator (d. 2002)
    • 1907 – Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (d. 2006)
    • 1907 – John Wayne, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1979)
    • 1908 – Robert Morley, English actor (d. 1992)
    • 1908 – Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, Vietnamese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam (d. 1976)
    • 1909 – Matt Busby, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Adolfo López Mateos, Mexican politician, 48th President of Mexico (d. 1969)
    • 1910 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Hungarian-Israeli martial artist, boxer, and gymnast (d. 1998)
    • 1911 – Maurice Baquet, French actor and cellist (d. 2005)
    • 1911 – Henry Ephron, American playwright, screenwriter, and producer (d. 1992)
    • 1912 – János Kádár, Hungarian mechanic and politician, 46th Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1989)
    • 1912 – Jay Silverheels, Canadian-American actor (d. 1980)
    • 1913 – Peter Cushing, English actor (d. 1994)
    • 1913 – Pierre Daninos, French author (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Karin Ekelund, Swedish actress (d. 1976)
    • 1913 – Josef Manger, German weightlifter (d. 1991)
    • 1914 – Frankie Manning, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Vernon Alley, American bassist (d. 2004)
    • 1915 – Antonia Forest, English author (d. 2003)
    • 1916 – Henriette Roosenburg, Dutch journalist and author (d. 1972)
    • 1919 – Rubén González, Cuban pianist (d. 2003)
    • 1920 – Jack Cheetham, South African cricketer (d. 1980)
    • 1920 – Peggy Lee, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Inge Borkh, German soprano (d. 2018)
    • 1922 – Troy Smith, American businessman, founded Sonic Drive-In (d. 2009)
    • 1923 – James Arness, American actor (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – Roy Dotrice, English actor (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Carmen Montejo, Cuban-Mexican actress (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Alec McCowen, English actor (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – Miles Davis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
    • 1927 – Jacques Bergerac, French actor and businessman (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and assisted suicide activist (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – J. F. Ade Ajayi, Nigerian historian and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Ernie Carroll, Australian television personality and producer
    • 1929 – Hans Freeman, Australian bioinorganic chemist and protein crystallographer (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – John Jackson, English lawyer and businessman
    • 1929 – Catherine Sauvage, French singer and actress (d. 1998)
    • 1930 – Karim Emami, Indian-Iranian lexicographer and critic (d. 2005)
    • 1933 – Edward Whittemore, American soldier and author (d. 1995)
    • 1935 – Eero Loone, Estonian philosopher and academic
    • 1936 – David Stevens, Baron Stevens of Ludgate, English politician
    • 1937 – Manorama, Indian actress and singer (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Paul E. Patton, American politician, 59th Governor of Kentucky
    • 1938 – William Bolcom, American pianist and composer
    • 1938 – Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Russian author and playwright
    • 1938 – K. Bikram Singh, Indian director and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Teresa Stratas, Canadian soprano and actress
    • 1939 – Brent Musburger, American sportscaster
    • 1939 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Canadian academic and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
    • 1940 – Levon Helm, American singer-songwriter, drummer, producer, and actor (d. 2012)
    • 1941 – Aldrich Ames, American CIA officer and criminal
    • 1941 – Jim Dobbin, Scottish microbiologist and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1941 – Cliff Drysdale, South African tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1941 – Imants Kalniņš, Latvian composer
    • 1943 – Erica Terpstra, Dutch swimmer, journalist, and politician
    • 1944 – Phil Edmonston, American-Canadian journalist and politician
    • 1944 – Jan Kinder, Norwegian ice hockey player (d. 2013)
    • 1944 – Sam Posey, American race car driver and journalist
    • 1945 – Vilasrao Deshmukh, Indian lawyer and politician, 17th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2012)
    • 1945 – Alistair MacDuff, English lawyer and judge
    • 1945 – Garry Peterson, Canadian-American drummer
    • 1946 – Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian gymnast and coach
    • 1946 – Mick Ronson, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1993)
    • 1947 – Carol O’Connell, American author and painter
    • 1947 – Glenn Turner, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1948 – Stevie Nicks, American singer-songwriter
    • 1949 – Jeremy Corbyn, British journalist and politician
    • 1949 – Ward Cunningham, American computer programmer, developed the first wiki
    • 1949 – Pam Grier, American actress
    • 1949 – Anne McGuire, Scottish educator and politician
    • 1949 – Philip Michael Thomas, American actor
    • 1949 – Hank Williams Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Ramón Calderón, Spanish lawyer and businessman
    • 1951 – Lou van den Dries, Dutch mathematician
    • 1951 – Sally Ride, American physicist and astronaut, founded Sally Ride Science (d. 2012)
    • 1951 – Madeleine Taylor-Quinn, Irish educator and politician
    • 1952 – David Meece, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1953 – Kay Hagan, American lawyer and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1953 – Don McAllister, English footballer and manager
    • 1953 – Michael Portillo, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
    • 1953 – Dan Roundfield, American basketball player (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Alan Hollinghurst, English novelist, poet, short story writer, and translator
    • 1954 – Denis Lebel, Canadian businessman and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Transport
    • 1955 – Masaharu Morimoto, Japanese-American chef
    • 1955 – Paul Stoddart, Australian businessman
    • 1955 – Wesley Walker, American football player and educator
    • 1956 – Neil Parish, English politician
    • 1956 – Fiona Shackleton, English lawyer
    • 1957 – Diomedes Díaz, Colombian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1957 – François Legault, Canadian businessman and politician
    • 1957 – Roberto Ravaglia, Italian race car driver
    • 1958 – Ronnie Black, American golfer
    • 1958 – Arto Bryggare, Finnish hurdler and politician
    • 1958 – Margaret Colin, American actress
    • 1959 – Ole Bornedal, Danish actor, director, and producer
    • 1960 – Doug Hutchison, American actor
    • 1960 – Dean Lukin, Australian weightlifter
    • 1960 – Masahiro Matsunaga, Japanese race car driver
    • 1960 – Rob Murphy, American baseball player
    • 1960 – Romas Ubartas, Lithuanian discus thrower
    • 1961 – Steve Pate, American golfer
    • 1961 – Tarsem Singh, Indian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Black, English singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1962 – Genie Francis, Canadian-American actress
    • 1962 – Bobcat Goldthwait, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Simon Armitage, English poet, playwright and novelist
    • 1963 – Claude Legault, Canadian actor and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Mary Nightingale, English journalist
    • 1963 – Jamie Spence, English golfer
    • 1964 – Caitlín R. Kiernan, Irish-American paleontologist and author
    • 1964 – Lenny Kravitz, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor
    • 1964 – Argiris Pedoulakis, Greek basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Hazel Irvine, Scottish sportscaster and journalist
    • 1966 – Helena Bonham Carter, English actress
    • 1966 – Zola Budd, South African runner
    • 1967 – Philip Treacy, Irish milliner, hat designer
    • 1967 – Mika Yamamoto, Japanese journalist (d. 2012)
    • 1968 – Fernando León de Aranoa, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
    • 1968 – Steve Sedgley, English footballer and manager
    • 1969 – John Baird, Canadian politician, 10th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1969 – Siri Lindley, American triathlete and coach
    • 1969 – Dominic Mohan, English journalist
    • 1970 – Nobuhiro Watsuki, Japanese illustrator
    • 1971 – Zaher Andary, Lebanese footballer
    • 1971 – Matt Stone, American actor, animator, screenwriter, producer, and composer
    • 1973 – Naomi Harris, Canadian-American photographer
    • 1974 – Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer
    • 1975 – Lauryn Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1976 – Paul Collingwood, English cricketer and coach
    • 1976 – Stephen Curry, Australian comedian and actor
    • 1976 – Kenny Florian, American mixed martial artist and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Justin Pierre, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1977 – Nikos Chatzivrettas, Greek basketball player
    • 1977 – Raina Telgemeier, American author and cartoonist
    • 1977 – Luca Toni, Italian footballer
    • 1977 – Misaki Ito, Japanese actress and model
    • 1978 – Phil Elvrum, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Fabio Firmani, Italian footballer
    • 1978 – Dan Parks, Australian-Scottish rugby player
    • 1979 – Amanda Bauer, American astronomer and academic
    • 1979 – Natalya Nazarova, Russian sprinter
    • 1979 – Elisabeth Harnois, American actress
    • 1979 – Mehmet Okur, Turkish basketball player
    • 1980 – Louis-Jean Cormier, Canadian singer and songwriter
    • 1981 – Robert Copeland, Australian footballer
    • 1981 – Anthony Ervin, American swimmer
    • 1981 – Jason Manford, English actor, screenwriter, and television host
    • 1981 – Isaac Slade, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1981 – Ben Zobrist, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Sten Lassmann, Estonian pianist
    • 1982 – Hasan Kabze, Turkish footballer
    • 1983 – Demy de Zeeuw, Dutch footballer
    • 1983 – Henry Holland, English fashion designer
    • 1983 – Nathan Merritt, Australian rugby league player
    • 1985 – Monika Christodoulou, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1985 – Ashley Vincent, English footballer
    • 1986 – Michel Tornéus, Swedish long jumper
    • 1987 – Olcay Şahan, Turkish footballer
    • 1987 – Josh Thomas, Australian comedian and actor
    • 1988 – Andrea Catellani, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Will Chambers, Australian rugby league player
    • 1988 – Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Colombian footballer
    • 1988 – Dani Samuels, Australian discus thrower
    • 1988 – Joel Selwood, Australian footballer
    • 1988 – Damian Williams, American football player
    • 1989 – Paula Findlay, Canadian triathlete
    • 1991 – Ah Young, South Korean singer and actress
    • 1992 – Curtis Rona, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1993 – Jason Adesanya, Belgian footballer
    • 1993 – Dan Sarginson, Australian-English rugby league player
    • 1993 – Katerine Savard, Canadian swimmer
    • 1993 – Jimmy Vesey, American ice hockey player
    • 1996 – Lara Goodall, South African cricketer

    Deaths on May 26

    • 604 – Augustine of Canterbury, Benedictine monk and archbishop
    • 735 – Bede, English monk, historian, and theologian
    • 818 – Ali al-Ridha, Saudi Arabian 8th of The Twelve Imams
    • 926 – Yuan Xingqin, Chinese general and governor
    • 946 – Edmund I, king of England (b. 921)
    • 1035 – Berenguer Ramon I, Spanish nobleman (b. 1005)
    • 1055 – Adalbert, margrave of Austria
    • 1250 – Peter I, duke of Brittany
    • 1339 – Aldona Ona, queen of Poland
    • 1362 – Louis I, king of Naples (b. 1320)
    • 1421 – Mehmed I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1389)
    • 1512 – Bayezid II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1447)
    • 1536 – Francesco Berni, Italian poet (b. 1498)
    • 1552 – Sebastian Münster, German cartographer and cosmographer (b. 1488)
    • 1648 – Vincent Voiture, French poet and author (b. 1597)
    • 1653 – Robert Filmer, English theorist and author (b. 1588)
    • 1679 – Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1636)
    • 1685 – Charles II, German elector palatine (b. 1651)
    • 1703 – Samuel Pepys, English politician (b. 1633)
    • 1742 – Pylyp Orlyk, Ukrainian diplomat (b. 1672)
    • 1746 – Thomas Southerne, Irish playwright (b. 1660)
    • 1762 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher and academic (b. 1714)
    • 1799 – James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Scottish linguist, biologist, and judge (b. 1714)
    • 1818 – Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Finland (b. 1761)
    • 1818 – Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza, Chilean lawyer and guerrilla leader (b. 1785)
    • 1824 – Capel Lofft, English lawyer (b. 1751)
    • 1840 – Sidney Smith, English admiral and politician (b. 1764)
    • 1881 – Jakob Bernays, German philologist and academic (b. 1824)
    • 1883 – Abdelkader El Djezairi, Algerian ruler (b. 1808)
    • 1902 – Almon Brown Strowger, American soldier and inventor (b. 1839)
    • 1904 – Georges Gilles de la Tourette, French physician and neurologist (b. 1857)
    • 1908 – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Indian religious leader, founded the Ahmadiyya movement (b. 1835)
    • 1914 – Jacob August Riis, Danish-American journalist, photographer, and reformer (b. 1849)
    • 1924 – Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor, founded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (b. 1859)
    • 1926 – Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet (b. 1904)
    • 1933 – Horatio Bottomley, English financier, journalist, and politician (b. 1860)
    • 1933 – Jimmie Rodgers, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1897)
    • 1939 – Charles Horace Mayo, American physician, co-founded Mayo Clinic (b. 1865)
    • 1943 – Edsel Ford, American businessman (b. 1893)
    • 1943 – Alice Tegnér, Swedish organist, composer, and educator (b. 1864)
    • 1944 – Christian Wirth, German SS officer (b. 1885)
    • 1948 – Torsten Bergström, Swedish actor and director (b. 1896)
    • 1951 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (b. 1880)
    • 1954 – Lionel Conacher, Canadian football player and politician (b. 1900)
    • 1955 – Alberto Ascari, Italian race car driver (b. 1918)
    • 1956 – Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (b. 1902)
    • 1959 – Philip Kassel, American gymnast (b. 1876)
    • 1966 – Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (b. 1894)
    • 1969 – Paul Hawkins, Australian race car driver (b. 1937)
    • 1969 – Allan Haines Loughead, American engineer, co-founded the Lockheed Corporation (b. 1889)
    • 1974 – Silvio Moser, Swiss race car driver (b. 1941)
    • 1976 – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher and academic (b. 1889)
    • 1978 – Cybele Andrianou, Greek actress (b. 1887)
    • 1979 – George Brent, Irish-American actor (b. 1904)
    • 1984 – Elizabeth Peer, American journalist (b. 1936)
    • 1989 – Don Revie, English footballer and manager (b. 1927)
    • 1994 – Sonny Sharrock, American guitarist (b. 1940)
    • 1995 – Friz Freleng, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1906)
    • 1997 – Ralph Horween, American football player and coach (b. 1896)
    • 1999 – Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor and philanthropist (b. 1906)
    • 1999 – Waldo Semon, American chemist and engineer (b. 1898)
    • 2001 – Vittorio Brambilla, Italian race car driver (b. 1937)
    • 2001 – Anne Haney, American actress (b. 1934)
    • 2001 – Moven Mahachi, Zimbabwean soldier and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Defence (b. 1952)
    • 2001 – Dona Massin, Canadian actress and choreographer (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian runner (b. 1932)
    • 2003 – Kathleen Winsor, American journalist and author (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – Nikolai Chernykh, Russian astronomer (b. 1931)
    • 2005 – Eddie Albert, American actor (b. 1906)
    • 2005 – Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
    • 2005 – Ruth Laredo, American pianist and educator (b. 1937)
    • 2005 – Leslie Smith, English businessman, co-founded Lesney Products (b. 1918)
    • 2006 – Édouard Michelin, French businessman (b. 1963)
    • 2006 – Kevin O’Flanagan, Irish footballer and physician (b. 1919)
    • 2007 – Jack Edward Oliver, English illustrator (b. 1942)
    • 2007 – Howard Porter, American basketball player (b. 1948)
    • 2008 – Sydney Pollack, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
    • 2008 – Zita Urbonaitė, Lithuanian cyclist (b. 1973)
    • 2009 – Mihalis Papagiannakis, Greek journalist and politician (b. 1941)
    • 2009 – Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey and soccer player (b. 1965)
    • 2010 – Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television host (b. 1912)
    • 2010 – Chris Moran, English air marshal and pilot (b. 1956)
    • 2010 – Kieran Phelan, Irish politician (b. 1949)
    • 2011 – Arisen Ahubudu, Sri Lankan scholar, author, and playwright (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Arthur Decabooter, Belgian cyclist (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Leo Dillon, American illustrator (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Stephen Healey, Welsh captain and footballer (b. 1982)
    • 2012 – Hiroshi Miyazawa, Japanese politician (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Hans Schmidt, Canadian wrestler (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Jim Unger, English-Canadian illustrator (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Ray Barnhart, American businessman and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – John Bierwirth, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Roberto Civita, Italian-Brazilian businessman (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Tom Lichtenberg, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Otto Muehl, Austrian painter (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Jack Vance, American author (b. 1916)
    • 2014 – Baselios Thoma Didymos I, Indian metropolitan (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Miodrag Radulovacki, Serbian-American academic and neuropharmacologist (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – William R. Roy, American physician, journalist, and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Hooshang Seyhoun, Iranian-Canadian architect, sculptor, and painter (b. 1920)
    • 2015 – Vicente Aranda, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Les Johnson, Australian politician and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Robert Kraft, American astronomer and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – João Lucas, Portuguese footballer (b. 1979)
    • 2015 – Dayton Waller, American soldier and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2016 – Hedy Epstein, German-born American human rights activist and Holocaust survivor (b. 1924)
    • 2017 – Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-born American politician (b. 1928)

    Holidays and observances on May 26

    • Christian feast day:
      • Augustine of Canterbury (Anglican Communion and Eastern Orthodox)
      • Lambert of Vence
      • Peter Sanz (one of Martyr Saints of China)
      • Philip Neri
      • Pope Eleuterus
      • Quadratus of Athens
      • Zachary, Bishop of Vienne
      • May 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Independence Day, commemorates the day of the First Republic in 1918 (Georgia)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Guyana from the United Kingdom in 1966.
    • Mother’s Day (Poland)
    • National Paper Airplane Day (United States)
    • National Sorry Day (Australia)

  • March 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 708 – Pope Constantine succeeds Pope Sisinnius as the 88th pope.
    • 717 – Theodosius III resigns the throne to the Byzantine Empire to enter the clergy.
    • 919 – Romanos Lekapenos seizes the Boukoleon Palace in Constantinople and becomes regent of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII.
    • 1000 – Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah assassinates the eunuch chief minister Barjawan and assumes control of the government.
    • 1306 – Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scots (Scotland).
    • 1409 – The Council of Pisa opens.
    • 1555 – The city of Valencia is founded in present-day Venezuela.
    • 1576 – Jerome Savage takes out a sub-lease to start the Newington Butts Theatre outside London.
    • 1584 – Sir Walter Raleigh is granted a patent to colonize Virginia.
    • 1655 – Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christiaan Huygens.
    • 1802 – The Treaty of Amiens is signed as a “Definitive Treaty of Peace” between France and the United Kingdom.
    • 1807 – The Slave Trade Act becomes law, abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire.
    • 1807 – The Swansea and Mumbles Railway, then known as the Oystermouth Railway, becomes the first passenger-carrying railway in the world.
    • 1811 – Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from the University of Oxford for publishing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism.
    • 1821 – Traditional date of the start of the Greek War of Independence. The war had actually begun on 23 February 1821 (Julian calendar).
    • 1845 – New Zealand Legislative Council pass the first Militia Act constituting the New Zealand Army.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: In Virginia, Confederate forces temporarily capture Fort Stedman from the Union.
    • 1894 – Coxey’s Army, the first significant American protest march, departs Massillon, Ohio for Washington, D.C.
    • 1911 – In New York City, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 garment workers.
    • 1917 – The Georgian Orthodox Church restores its autocephaly abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811.
    • 1918 – The Belarusian People’s Republic is established.
    • 1924 – On the anniversary of Greek Independence, Alexandros Papanastasiou proclaims the Second Hellenic Republic.
    • 1931 – The Scottsboro Boys are arrested in Alabama and charged with rape.
    • 1941 – The Kingdom of Yugoslavia joins the Axis powers with the signing of the Tripartite Pact.
    • 1947 – An explosion in a coal mine in Centralia, Illinois kills 111.
    • 1948 – The first successful tornado forecast predicts that a tornado will strike Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
    • 1949 – More than 92,000 kulaks are suddenly deported from the Baltic states to Siberia.
    • 1957 – United States Customs seizes copies of Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” on obscenity grounds.
    • 1957 – The European Economic Community is established with West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as the first members.
    • 1965 – Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King Jr. successfully complete their 4-day 50-mile march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.
    • 1969 – During their honeymoon, John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold their first Bed-In for Peace at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel (until March 31).
    • 1971 – The Army of the Republic of Vietnam abandon an attempt to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos.
    • 1975 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia is shot and killed by a mentally ill nephew.
    • 1979 – The first fully functional Space Shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch.
    • 1988 – The Candle demonstration in Bratislava is the first mass demonstration of the 1980s against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
    • 1995 – WikiWikiWeb, the world’s first wiki, and part of the Portland Pattern Repository, is made public by Ward Cunningham.
    • 1996 – The European Union’s Veterinarian Committee bans the export of British beef and its by-products as a result of mad cow disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy).
    • 2006 – Capitol Hill massacre: A gunman kills six people before taking his own life at a party in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
    • 2006 – Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the rigged 2006 Belarusian presidential election, clash with riot police. Opposition leader Aleksander Kozulin is among several protesters arrested.

    Births on March 25

    • 1252 – Conradin, Duke of Swabia (d. 1268)
    • 1259 – Andronikos II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1332)
    • 1297 – Andronikos III Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1341)
    • 1297 – Arnošt of Pardubice, Polish archbishop (d. 1364)
    • 1345 – Blanche of Lancaster (d. 1369)
    • 1347 – Catherine of Siena, Italian philosopher, theologian, and saint (d. 1380)
    • 1404 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English military leader (d. 1444)
    • 1414 – Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, English noble (d. 1455)
    • 1434 – Eustochia Smeralda Calafato, Italian saint (d. 1485)
    • 1453 – Giuliano de’ Medici (d. 1478)
    • 1479 – Vasili III of Russia (d. 1533)
    • 1491 – Marie d’Albret, Countess of Rethel (d. 1549)
    • 1510 – Guillaume Postel, French linguist (d. 1581)
    • 1538 – Christopher Clavius, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1612)
    • 1541 – Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1587)
    • 1545 – John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (d. 1622)
    • 1546 – Giacomo Castelvetro, Italian writer (d. 1616)
    • 1593 – Jean de Brébeuf, French-Canadian missionary and saint (d. 1649)
    • 1611 – Evliya Çelebi, Ottoman Turk traveller and writer (d. 1682)
    • 1636 – Henric Piccardt, Dutch lawyer (d. 1712)
    • 1643 – Louis Moréri, French priest and scholar (d. 1680)
    • 1661 – Paul de Rapin, French soldier and historian (d. 1725)
    • 1699 – Johann Adolph Hasse, German singer and composer (d. 1783)
    • 1741 – Jean-Antoine Houdon, French sculptor and educator (d. 1828)
    • 1745 – John Barry, American naval officer and father of the American navy (d. 1803)
    • 1767 – Joachim Murat, French general (d. 1815)
    • 1782 – Caroline Bonaparte, French daughter of Carlo Buonaparte (d. 1839)
    • 1800 – Ernst Heinrich Karl von Dechen, German geologist and academic (d. 1889)
    • 1808 – José de Espronceda, Spanish poet and author (d. 1842)
    • 1824 – Clinton L. Merriam, American banker and politician (d. 1900)
    • 1840 – Myles Keogh, Irish-American colonel (d. 1876)
    • 1863 – Simon Flexner, American physician and academic (d. 1946)
    • 1867 – Gutzon Borglum, American sculptor, designed Mount Rushmore (d. 1941)
    • 1867 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian-American cellist and conductor (d. 1957)
    • 1868 – Bill Lockwood, English cricketer (d. 1932)
    • 1871 – Louis Perrée, French fencer (d. 1924)
    • 1872 – Horatio Nelson Jackson, American race car driver and physician (d. 1955)
    • 1873 – Rudolf Rocker, German-American author and activist (d. 1958)
    • 1874 – Selim Sırrı Tarcan, Turkish educator and politician (d. 1957)
    • 1876 – Irving Baxter, American jumper and pole vaulter (d. 1957)
    • 1877 – Walter Little, Canadian politician (d. 1961)
    • 1878 – František Janda-Suk, Czech discus thrower and shot putter (d. 1955)
    • 1879 – Amedee Reyburn, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1920)
    • 1881 – Béla Bartók, Hungarian pianist and composer (d. 1945)
    • 1881 – Patrick Henry Bruce, American painter and educator (d. 1936)
    • 1881 – Mary Webb, English author and poet (d. 1927)
    • 1893 – Johannes Villemson, Estonian runner (d. 1971)
    • 1895 – Siegfried Handloser, German general and physician (d. 1954)
    • 1885 – Jimmy Seed, English international footballer, inside forward and manager (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (d. 1981)
    • 1899 – François Rozet, French-Canadian actor (d. 1994)
    • 1901 – Ed Begley, American actor (d. 1970)
    • 1903 – Binnie Barnes, English-American actress (d. 1998)
    • 1903 – Frankie Carle, American pianist and bandleader (d. 2001)
    • 1903 – Nahum Norbert Glatzer, Ukrainian-American theologian and scholar (d. 1990)
    • 1904 – Pete Johnson, American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist (d. 1967)
    • 1905 – Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, German colonel (d. 1944)
    • 1906 – Jean Sablon, French singer and actor (d. 1994)
    • 1906 – A. J. P. Taylor, English historian and academic (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – David Lean, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)
    • 1910 – Magda Olivero, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
    • 1910 – Benzion Netanyahu, Polish-Israeli historian and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1912 – Melita Norwood, English civil servant and spy (d. 2005)
    • 1912 – Jean Vilar, French actor and director (d. 1971)
    • 1913 – Reo Stakis, Cypriot-Scottish businessman, founded Stakis Hotels (d. 2001)
    • 1914 – Norman Borlaug, American agronomist and humanitarian, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Dorothy Squires, Welsh singer (d. 1998)
    • 1916 – S. M. Pandit, Indian painter and educator (d. 1993)
    • 1918 – Howard Cosell, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Paul Scott, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1978)
    • 1920 – Patrick Troughton, English actor (d. 1987)
    • 1920 – Usha Mehta, Gandhian and freedom fighter of India (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Nancy Kelly, American actress (d. 1995)
    • 1921 – Simone Signoret, French actress (d. 1985)
    • 1922 – Eileen Ford, American businesswoman, co-founded Ford Models (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Bonnie Guitar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Roberts Blossom, American actor (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Machiko Kyō, Japanese actress (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Flannery O’Connor, American short story writer and novelist (d. 1964)
    • 1925 – Anthony Quinton, Baron Quinton, English physician and philosopher (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Kishori Sinha, Indian politician, social activist and advocate (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Riz Ortolani, Italian composer and conductor (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – László Papp, Hungarian boxer (d. 2003)
    • 1926 – Jaime Sabines, Mexican poet and politician (d. 1999)
    • 1926 – Gene Shalit, American journalist and critic
    • 1927 – P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Jim Lovell, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1928 – Gunnar Nielsen, Danish runner and typographer (d. 1985)
    • 1928 – Hans Steinbrenner, German sculptor (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Cecil Taylor, American pianist and composer (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – David Burge, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer and explorer (d. 1982)
    • 1930 – Rudy Minarcin, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Humphrey Burton, English radio and television host
    • 1932 – Penelope Gilliatt, English novelist, short story writer, and critic (d. 1993)
    • 1932 – Wes Santee, American runner (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Johnny Burnette, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964)
    • 1934 – Bernard King, Australian actor and chef (d. 2002)
    • 1934 – Karlheinz Schreiber, German-Canadian businessman
    • 1934 – Gloria Steinem, American feminist activist, co-founded the Women’s Media Center
    • 1935 – Gabriel Elorde, Filipino boxer (d. 1985)
    • 1936 – Carl Kaufmann, American-German sprinter (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Tom Monaghan, American businessman, founded Domino’s Pizza
    • 1938 – Hoyt Axton, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1999)
    • 1938 – Daniel Buren, French sculptor and painter
    • 1938 – Fritz d’Orey, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1939 – Toni Cade Bambara, American author, academic, and activist (d. 1995)
    • 1939 – D. C. Fontana, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1941 – Gudmund Hernes, Norwegian sociologist and politician, Norwegian Minister of Education and Research
    • 1942 – Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2018)
    • 1942 – Richard O’Brien, English actor and screenwriter
    • 1942 – Kim Woodburn, English television host
    • 1943 – Paul Michael Glaser, American actor and director
    • 1945 – Leila Diniz, Brazilian actress (d. 1972)
    • 1946 – Cliff Balsom, English footballer
    • 1946 – Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and author (d. 2010)
    • 1946 – Stephen Hunter, American author and critic
    • 1946 – Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist (d. 1991)
    • 1947 – Richard Cork, English historian and critic
    • 1947 – Elton John, English singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor
    • 1948 – Bonnie Bedelia, American actress
    • 1948 – Michael Stanley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1949 – Ronnie Flanagan, Northern Irish Chief Constable (Royal Irish Constabulary, Police Service of Northern Ireland)
    • 1949 – Sue Klebold, American activist
    • 1950 – Chuck Greenberg, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1995)
    • 1950 – Ronnie McDowell, American singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – David Paquette, American-New Zealander pianist
    • 1951 – Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese wrestler (d. 2000)
    • 1952 – Stephen Dorrell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health
    • 1952 – Antanas Mockus, Colombian mathematician, philosopher, and politician, Mayor of Bogotá
    • 1953 – Robert Fox, English producer and manager
    • 1953 – Vesna Pusić, Croatian sociologist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia
    • 1953 – Haroon Rasheed, Pakistani cricketer and coach
    • 1954 – Thom Loverro, American journalist and author
    • 1955 – Daniel Boulud, French chef and author
    • 1955 – Lee Mazzilli, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1957 – Christina Boxer, English runner and journalist
    • 1957 – Jonathan Michie, English economist and academic
    • 1957 – Aleksandr Puchkov, Russian hurdler
    • 1957 – Jim Uhls, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1958 – Lorna Brown, Canadian artist, curator, and writer
    • 1958 – Susie Bright, American journalist, author, and critic
    • 1958 – Sisy Chen, Taiwanese journalist and politician
    • 1958 – María Caridad Colón, Cuban javelin thrower and shot putter
    • 1958 – John Ensign, American physician and politician
    • 1958 – Ray Tanner, American baseball player and coach
    • 1958 – Åsa Torstensson, Swedish politician, 3rd Swedish Minister for Infrastructure
    • 1960 – Steve Norman, English saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1960 – Peter O’Brien, Australian actor
    • 1960 – Brenda Strong, American actress
    • 1961 – Mark Brooks, American golfer
    • 1962 – Marcia Cross, American actress
    • 1962 – David Nuttall, English lawyer and politician
    • 1963 – Karen Bruce, English dancer and choreographer
    • 1963 – Velle Kadalipp, Estonian architect
    • 1963 – Andrew O’Connor, British actor, comedian, magician, television presenter and executive producer
    • 1964 – René Meulensteen, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1964 – Ken Wregget, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1964 – Norm Duke, American bowler
    • 1965 – Avery Johnson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Stefka Kostadinova, Bulgarian high jumper
    • 1965 – Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress, producer, and designer
    • 1966 – Tom Glavine, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Humberto Gonzalez, Mexican boxer
    • 1966 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
    • 1966 – Anton Rogan, Northern Irish footballer
    • 1967 – Matthew Barney, American sculptor and photographer
    • 1967 – Doug Stanhope, American comedian and actor
    • 1967 – Debi Thomas, American figure skater and physician
    • 1969 – George Chlitsios, Greek conductor and composer
    • 1969 – Dale Davis, American basketball player
    • 1969 – Cathy Dennis, English singer-songwriter, record producer and actress
    • 1969 – Jeffrey Walker, English singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1970 – Magnus Larsson, Swedish golfer
    • 1971 – Stacy Dragila, American pole vaulter and coach
    • 1971 – Cammi Granato, American ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Sheryl Swoopes, American basketball player and coach
    • 1972 – Giniel de Villiers, South African race car driver
    • 1972 – Phil O’Donnell, Scottish footballer (d. 2007)
    • 1973 – Michaela Dorfmeister, Austrian skier
    • 1973 – Anders Fridén, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1973 – Bob Sura, American basketball player
    • 1974 – Serge Betsen, Cameroonian-French rugby player
    • 1974 – Lark Voorhies, American actress and singer
    • 1975 – Ladislav Benýšek, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Melanie Blatt, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1975 – Erika Heynatz, Papua New Guinean-Australian model and actress
    • 1976 – Francie Bellew, Irish footballer
    • 1976 – Lars Figura, German sprinter
    • 1976 – Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer
    • 1976 – Rima Wakarua, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
    • 1977 – Natalie Clein, English cellist and educator
    • 1977 – Andrew Lindsay, Scottish rower
    • 1978 – Gennaro Delvecchio, Italian footballer
    • 1979 – Muriel Hurtis-Houairi, French sprinter
    • 1980 – Kathrine Sørland, Norwegian fashion model and television presenter
    • 1982 – Danica Patrick, American race car driver
    • 1982 – Álvaro Saborío, Costa Rican footballer
    • 1982 – Jenny Slate, American comedian, actress and author
    • 1983 – Mickaël Hanany, French high jumper
    • 1984 – Katharine McPhee, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1984 – Liam Messam, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1985 – Carmen Rasmusen, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1985 – Diana Rennik, Estonian figure skater
    • 1986 – Marco Belinelli, Italian basketball player
    • 1986 – Megan Gibson, American softball player
    • 1986 – Kyle Lowry, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Mickey Paea, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Jacob Bagersted, Danish handball player
    • 1987 – Victor Obinna, Nigerian footballer
    • 1987 – Nobunari Oda, Japanese figure skater
    • 1988 – Big Sean, American rapper, singer and songwriter
    • 1988 – Mitchell Watt, Australian long jumper
    • 1988 – Arthur Zeiler, German rugby player
    • 1989 – Aly Michalka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1989 – Scott Sinclair, English footballer
    • 1990 – Mehmet Ekici, Turkish footballer
    • 1990 – Alexander Esswein, German footballer
    • 1991 – Scott Malone, English footballer, left-back
    • 1993 – Jacob Gagan, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Sam Johnstone, English footballer
    • 1994 – Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier

    Deaths on March 25

    • 908 – Li Kening, Chinese general
    • 940 – Taira no Masakado, Japanese samurai
    • 990 – Nicodemus of Mammola, Italian monk and saint
    • 1005 – Kenneth III, king of Scotland
    • 1051 – Hugh IV, French nobleman
    • 1189 – Frederick, duke of Bohemia
    • 1223 – Alfonso II, king of Portugal (b. 1185)
    • 1351 – Kō no Moronao, Japanese samurai
    • 1351 – Kō no Moroyasu, Japanese samurai
    • 1392 – Hosokawa Yoriyuki, Japanese samurai
    • 1458 – Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana, Spanish poet and politician (b. 1398)
    • 1558 – Marcos de Niza, French friar and explorer (b. 1495)
    • 1603 – Ikoma Chikamasa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1526)
    • 1609 – Olaus Martini, Swedish archbishop (b. 1557)
    • 1609 – Isabelle de Limeuil, French noble (b. 1535)
    • 1620 – Johannes Nucius, German composer and theorist (b. 1556)
    • 1625 – Giambattista Marino, Italian poet and author (b. 1569)
    • 1658 – Herman IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg, German nobleman (b. 1607)
    • 1677 – Wenceslaus Hollar, Czech-English painter and etcher (b. 1607)
    • 1701 – Jean Regnault de Segrais, French poet and novelist (b. 1624)
    • 1712 – Nehemiah Grew, English anatomist and physiologist (b. 1641)
    • 1732 – Lucy Filippini, Italian teacher and saint (b. 1672)
    • 1736 – Nicholas Hawksmoor, English architect, designed Easton Neston and Christ Church (b. 1661)
    • 1738 – Turlough O’Carolan, Irish harp player and composer (b. 1670)
    • 1801 – Novalis, German poet and author (b. 1772)
    • 1818 – Caspar Wessel, Norwegian-Danish mathematician and cartographer (b. 1745)
    • 1857 – William Colgate, English-American businessman and philanthropist, founded Colgate-Palmolive (b. 1783)
    • 1860 – James Braid, Scottish-English surgeon (b. 1795)
    • 1869 – Edward Bates, American politician and lawyer (b. 1793)
    • 1873 – Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter and illustrator (b. 1810)
    • 1907 – Ernst von Bergmann, Latvian-German surgeon and academic (b. 1836)
    • 1908 – Durham Stevens, American diplomat (b. 1851)
    • 1914 – Frédéric Mistral, French lexicographer and poet, 1904 Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1830)
    • 1917 – Elizabeth Storrs Mead, American academic (b. 1832)
    • 1918 – Claude Debussy, French composer (b. 1862)
    • 1918 – Peter Martin, Australian footballer and soldier (b. 1875)
    • 1927 – Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, Palestinian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (b. 1843)
    • 1931 – Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Indian journalist and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1931 – Ida B. Wells, American journalist and activist (b. 1862)
    • 1932 – Harriet Backer, Norwegian painter (b.1845)
    • 1942 – William Carr, American rower (b. 1876)
    • 1951 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (b. 1887)
    • 1956 – Lou Moore, American race car driver (b. 1904)
    • 1956 – Robert Newton, English actor (b. 1905)
    • 1957 – Max Ophüls, German-American director and screenwriter (b. 1902)
    • 1958 – Tom Brown, American trombonist (b. 1888)
    • 1964 – Charles Benjamin Howard, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1885)
    • 1965 – Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (b. 1925)
    • 1969 – Billy Cotton, English singer, drummer, and bandleader (b. 1899)
    • 1969 – Max Eastman, American poet and activist (b. 1883)
    • 1973 – Jakob Sildnik, Estonian photographer and director (b. 1883)
    • 1973 – Edward Steichen, Luxembourgian-American photographer, painter, and curator (b. 1879)
    • 1975 – Juan Gaudino, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1893)
    • 1975 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian king (b. 1906)
    • 1975 – Deiva Zivarattinam, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1894)
    • 1976 – Josef Albers, German-American painter and educator (b. 1888)
    • 1976 – Benjamin Miessner, American radio engineer and inventor (b. 1890)
    • 1979 – Robert Madgwick, Australian colonel and academic (b. 1905)
    • 1979 – Akinoumi Setsuo, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 37th Yokozuna (b. 1914)
    • 1980 – Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist and psychologist (b. 1901)
    • 1980 – Walter Susskind, Czech-English conductor and educator (b. 1913)
    • 1982 – Goodman Ace, American comedian and writer (b. 1899)
    • 1983 – Bob Waterfield, American football player and coach (b. 1920)
    • 1986 – Gloria Blondell, American actress (b. 1910)
    • 1987 – A. W. Mailvaganam, Sri Lankan physicist and academic (b. 1906)
    • 1988 – Robert Joffrey, American dancer, choreographer, and director, co-founded the Joffrey Ballet (b. 1930)
    • 1991 – Marcel Lefebvre, French-Swiss archbishop (b. 1905)
    • 1992 – Nancy Walker, American actress, singer, and director (b. 1922)
    • 1994 – Angelines Fernández, Spanish-Mexican actress (b. 1922)
    • 1994 – Bernard Kangro, Estonian poet and journalist (b. 1910)
    • 1994 – Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician (b. 1899)
    • 1995 – James Samuel Coleman, American sociologist and academic (b. 1926)
    • 1995 – John Hugenholtz, Dutch engineer (b. 1914)
    • 1996 – John Snagge, English journalist (b. 1904)
    • 1998 – Max Green, Australian lawyer (b. 1952)
    • 1998 – Steven Schiff, American lawyer and politician (b. 1947)
    • 1999 – Cal Ripken, Sr., American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1936)
    • 2000 – Helen Martin, American actress (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Brian Trubshaw, English cricketer and pilot (b. 1924)
    • 2002 – Kenneth Wolstenholme, English journalist and sportscaster (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Paul Henning, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1911)
    • 2006 – Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish photographer (b. 1950)
    • 2006 – Rocío Dúrcal, Spanish singer and actress (b. 1944)
    • 2006 – Richard Fleischer, American film director (b. 1916)
    • 2006 – Buck Owens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
    • 2007 – Andranik Margaryan, Armenian engineer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Armenia (b. 1951)
    • 2008 – Ben Carnevale, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
    • 2008 – Thierry Gilardi, French journalist and sportscaster (b. 1958)
    • 2008 – Abby Mann, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1927)
    • 2008 – Herb Peterson, American businessman, created the McMuffin (b. 1919)
    • 2009 – Johnny Blanchard, American baseball player (b. 1933)
    • 2009 – Kosuke Koyama, Japanese-American theologian and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2009 – Dan Seals, American musician (b. 1948)
    • 2009 – Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, Turkish politician and member of the Parliament of Turkey (b. 1954)
    • 2012 – Priscilla Buckley, American journalist and author (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Hal E. Chester, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – John Crosfield, English businessman, founded Crosfield Electronics (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Edd Gould, English animator and voice actor, founded Eddsworld (b. 1988)
    • 2012 – Antonio Tabucchi, Italian author and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Léonce Bernard, Canadian politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Ben Goldfaden, American basketball player and educator (b. 1913)
    • 2013 – Anthony Lewis, American journalist and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Jean Pickering, English runner and long jumper (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Jean-Marc Roberts, French author and screenwriter (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – John F. Wiley, American lieutenant, football player, and coach (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Lorna Arnold, English historian and author (b. 1915)
    • 2014 – Hank Lauricella, American football player and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Jon Lord, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1956)
    • 2014 – Sonny Ruberto, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Jonathan Schell, American journalist and author (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Ralph Wilson, American businessman, founded the Buffalo Bills (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – George Fischbeck, American journalist and educator (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (b. 1917)
    • 2017 – Cuthbert Sebastian, St. Kitts and Nevis politician (b. 1921)
    • 2018 – Zell Miller, American author and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2019 – Scott Walker, American-born British singer-songwriter (b. 1943)[9]

    Holidays and observances on March 25

    • Anniversary of the Arengo and the Feast of the Militants (San Marino)
    • Christian feast days:
      • Ælfwold II of Sherborne
      • Barontius and Desiderius
      • Blessed Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas
      • Omelyan Kovch (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
      • Dismas, the “Good Thief”
      • Humbert of Maroilles
      • Quirinus of Tegernsee
      • March 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Cultural Workers Day (Russia)
    • Earliest day on which Seward’s Day can fall, while March 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Monday in March. (Alaska)
    • Empress Menen’s Birthday (Rastafari)
    • EU Talent Day (European Union)
    • Feast of the Annunciation (Christianity), and its related observances (if March 25 falls in Holy Week or Easter Week the feast is moved to the Monday after the 2nd Sunday of Easter):
      • Historic start of the new year (Lady Day) in England, Wales, Ireland, and the future United States until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752. (The year 1751 began on 25 March; the year 1752 began on 1 January.) It is one of the four Quarter days in Ireland and England.
      • International Day of the Unborn Child (international)
      • Mother’s Day (Slovenia)
      • Vårfrudagen or Våffeldagen, “Waffle Day” (Sweden, Norway & Denmark)
    • Freedom Day (Belarus)
    • International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (international)
    • International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members (United Nations General Assembly)
    • Maryland Day (Maryland, United States)
    • Medal of Honor Day (United States)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the start of Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, in 1821. (Greece)
    • NZ Army Day
    • Struggle for Human Rights Day (Slovakia)
    • Tolkien Reading Day

  • February 21 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery.
    • 1440 – The Prussian Confederation is formed.
    • 1613 – Mikhail I is unanimously elected Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia.
    • 1797 – A force of 1,400 French soldiers invaded Britain at Fishguard in support of the Society of United Irishmen. They were defeated by 500 British reservists.
    • 1804 – The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales.
    • 1808 – Without a previous declaration of war, Russian troops cross the border to Sweden at Abborfors in eastern Finland, thus beginning the Finnish War, in which Sweden will lose the eastern half of the country (i.e. Finland) to Russia.
    • 1828 – Initial issue of the Cherokee Phoenix is the first periodical to use the Cherokee syllabary invented by Sequoyah.
    • 1842 – John Greenough is granted the first U.S. patent for the sewing machine.
    • 1848 – Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish The Communist Manifesto.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Valverde is fought near Fort Craig in New Mexico Territory.
    • 1866 – Lucy Hobbs Taylor becomes the first American woman to graduate from dental school.
    • 1874 – The Oakland Daily Tribune publishes its first edition.
    • 1878 – The first telephone directory is issued in New Haven, Connecticut.
    • 1885 – The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated.
    • 1896 – An Englishman raised in Australia, Bob Fitzsimmons, fought an Irishman, Peter Maher, in an American promoted event which technically took place in Mexico, winning the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship in boxing.
    • 1913 – Ioannina is incorporated into the Greek state after the Balkan Wars.
    • 1916 – World War I: In France, the Battle of Verdun begins.
    • 1918 – The last Carolina parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.
    • 1919 – German socialist Kurt Eisner is assassinated. His death results in the establishment of the Bavarian Soviet Republic and parliament and government fleeing Munich, Germany.
    • 1921 – Constituent Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia adopts the country’s first constitution.
    • 1921 – Rezā Shāh takes control of Tehran during a successful coup.
    • 1925 – The New Yorker publishes its first issue.
    • 1929 – In the first battle of the Warlord Rebellion in northeastern Shandong against the Nationalist government of China, a 24,000-strong rebel force led by Zhang Zongchang was defeated at Zhifu by 7,000 NRA troops.1934 – Augusto Sandino is executed.
    • 1937 – The League of Nations bans foreign national “volunteers” in the Spanish Civil War.
    • 1945 – World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japanese kamikaze planes sink the escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea and damage the USS Saratoga.
    • 1945 – World War II: the Brazilian Expeditionary Force defeat the German forces in the Battle of Monte Castello on the Italian front.
    • 1947 – In New York City, Edwin Land demonstrates the first “instant camera”, the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America.
    • 1948 – NASCAR is incorporated.
    • 1952 – The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to “set the people free”.
    • 1952 – The Bengali Language Movement protests occur at the University of Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
    • 1958 – The CND symbol, aka peace symbol, commissioned by the Direct Action Committee in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, is designed and completed by Gerald Holtom.
    • 1965 – Malcolm X is assassinated while giving a talk at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem.
    • 1971 – The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.
    • 1972 – United States President Richard Nixon visits the People’s Republic of China to normalize Sino-American relations.
    • 1972 – The Soviet unmanned spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.
    • 1973 – Over the Sinai Desert, Israeli fighter aircraft shoot down Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 jet killing 108 people.
    • 1974 – The last Israeli soldiers leave the west bank of the Suez Canal pursuant to a truce with Egypt.
    • 1975 – Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison.
    • 1995 – Steve Fossett lands in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.
    • 2013 – At least 17 people are killed and 119 injured following several bombings in the Indian city of Hyderabad.

    Births on February 21

    • 921 – Abe no Seimei, Japanese astrologer (d. 1005)
    • 1397 – Isabella of Portugal (d. 1471)
    • 1462 – Joanna la Beltraneja, princess of Castile (d. 1530)
    • 1484 – Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1535)
    • 1498 – Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland, English Earl (d. 1549)
    • 1541 – Philipp V, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (d. 1599)
    • 1556 – Sethus Calvisius, German astronomer, composer, and theorist (d. 1615)
    • 1559 – Nurhaci, Manchu emperor (d. 1626)
    • 1609 – Raimondo Montecuccoli, Italian military commander (d. 1680)
    • 1621 – Rebecca Nurse, Massachusetts colonist, executed as a witch (d. 1692)
    • 1705 – Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, English admiral and politician (d. 1781)
    • 1728 – Peter III of Russia (d. 1762)
    • 1783 – Catharina of Württemberg (d. 1835)
    • 1788 – Francis Ronalds, British scientist, inventor and engineer who was knighted for developing the first working electric telegraph (d. 1873)
    • 1791 – Carl Czerny, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1857)
    • 1794 – Antonio López de Santa Anna, Mexican general and politician, 8th President of Mexico (d. 1876)
    • 1801 – John Henry Newman, English cardinal (d. 1890)
    • 1817 – José Zorrilla, Spanish poet and playwright (d. 1893)
    • 1821 – Charles Scribner I, American publisher, founded Charles Scribner’s Sons (d. 1871)
    • 1836 – Léo Delibes, French pianist and composer (d. 1891)
    • 1844 – Charles-Marie Widor, French organist and composer (d. 1937)
    • 1860 – Goscombe John, Welsh-English sculptor and academic (d. 1952)
    • 1865 – John Haden Badley, English author and educator, founded the Bedales School (d. 1967)
    • 1867 – Otto Hermann Kahn, German banker and philanthropist (d. 1934)
    • 1875 – Jeanne Calment, French super-centenarian, oldest verified person ever (d. 1997)
    • 1878 – Mirra Alfassa, French-Indian spiritual leader (d. 1973)
    • 1881 – Kenneth J. Alford, English soldier, bandmaster, and composer (d. 1945)
    • 1885 – Sacha Guitry, Russian-French actor, director, and playwright (d. 1957)
    • 1887 – Korechika Anami, Japanese general and politician, 54th Japanese Minister of War (d. 1945)
    • 1888 – Clemence Dane, English author and playwright (d. 1965)
    • 1892 – Harry Stack Sullivan, American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (d. 1949)
    • 1893 – Celia Lovsky, Austrian-American actress (d. 1979)
    • 1893 – Andrés Segovia, Spanish guitarist (d. 1987)
    • 1894 – Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, Indian chemist and academic (d. 1955)
    • 1895 – Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1976)
    • 1896 – Nirala, Indian poet and author (d. 1961)
    • 1900 – Jeanne Aubert, French singer and actress (d. 1988)
    • 1902 – Arthur Nock, English theologian and academic (d. 1963)
    • 1903 – Anaïs Nin, French-American essayist and memoirist (d. 1977)
    • 1903 – Raymond Queneau, French poet and author (d. 1976)
    • 1907 – W. H. Auden, English-American poet, playwright, and composer (d. 1973)
    • 1909 – Hans Erni, Swiss painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2015)
    • 1910 – Douglas Bader, English captain and pilot (d. 1982)
    • 1912 – Arline Judge, American actress and singer (d. 1974)
    • 1914 – Ilmari Juutilainen, Finnish soldier and pilot (d. 1999)
    • 1914 – Zachary Scott, American actor (d. 1965)
    • 1914 – Jean Tatlock, American psychiatrist and physician (d. 1944)
    • 1915 – Claudia Jones, Trinidad-British journalist and activist (d. 1964)
    • 1915 – Ann Sheridan, American actress and singer (d. 1967)
    • 1915 – Anton Vratuša, Prime Minister of Slovenia (1978–1980) (d. 2017)
    • 1917 – Lucille Bremer, American actress and dancer (d. 1996)
    • 1917 – Tadd Dameron, American pianist and composer (d. 1965)
    • 1921 – John Rawls, American philosopher and academic (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Richard T. Whitcomb, American aeronautical engineer (d. 2009)
    • 1924 – Thelma Estrin, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwean educator and politician, 2nd President of Zimbabwe (d. 2019)
    • 1924 – Dorothy Blum, American computer scientist and cryptanalyst (d. 1980)
    • 1925 – Sam Peckinpah, American director and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1925 – Jack Ramsay, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Erma Bombeck, American journalist and author (d. 1996)
    • 1929 – Chespirito, Mexican actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2003)
    • 1934 – Rue McClanahan, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1935 – Richard A. Lupoff, American author
    • 1936 – Barbara Jordan, American lawyer and politician (d. 1996)
    • 1937 – Ron Clarke, Australian runner and politician, Mayor of the Gold Coast (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Harald V of Norway
    • 1938 – Bobby Charles, American singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Kel Tremain, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1992)
    • 1940 – Peter Gethin, English race car driver (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – John Lewis, American activist and politician
    • 1942 – Tony Martin, Trinidadian-American historian and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1942 – Margarethe von Trotta, German actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1943 – David Geffen, American businessman, co-founded DreamWorks and Geffen Records
    • 1945 – Maurice Bembridge, English golfer
    • 1946 – Tyne Daly, American actress and singer
    • 1946 – Anthony Daniels, English actor and producer
    • 1946 – Alan Rickman, English actor and director (d. 2016)
    • 1946 – Bob Ryan, American journalist and author
    • 1947 – Johnny Echols, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Olympia Snowe, American politician
    • 1948 – Bill Slayback, American baseball player and singer (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Frank Brunner, American illustrator
    • 1949 – Jerry Harrison, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1949 – Ronnie Hellström, Swedish footballer
    • 1950 – Larry Drake, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1951 – Vince Welnick, American keyboard player (d. 2006)
    • 1952 – Jean-Jacques Burnel, English bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1952 – Vitaly Churkin, Russian diplomat, former Ambassador of Russia to the United Nations (d. 2017)
    • 1953 – Christine Ebersole, American actress and singer
    • 1953 – William Petersen, American actor and producer
    • 1954 – Christina Rees, British politician
    • 1955 – Kelsey Grammer, American actor, singer, and producer
    • 1958 – Jake Burns, Northern Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1958 – Mary Chapin Carpenter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1958 – Kim Coates, Canadian actor
    • 1958 – Alan Trammell, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1959 – José María Cano, Spanish singer-songwriter and painter
    • 1960 – Plamen Oresharski, Bulgarian economist and politician, 52nd Prime Minister of Bulgaria
    • 1960 – Steve Wynn, American singer-songwriter
    • 1961 – Christopher Atkins, American actor and businessman
    • 1962 – Chuck Palahniuk, American novelist and journalist
    • 1962 – David Foster Wallace, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 2008)
    • 1963 – William Baldwin, American actor
    • 1963 – Ranking Roger, English singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2019)
    • 1963 – Greg Turner, New Zealand golfer
    • 1964 – Mark Kelly, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1964 – Scott Kelly, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1965 – Mark Ferguson, Australian journalist
    • 1967 – Leroy Burrell, American runner and coach
    • 1967 – Sari Essayah, Finnish athlete and politician
    • 1969 – James Dean Bradfield, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (Manic Street Preachers)
    • 1969 – Aunjanue Ellis, American actress and producer
    • 1969 – Petra Kronberger, Austrian skier
    • 1969 – Tony Meola, American soccer player and manager
    • 1969 – Cathy Richardson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1970 – Michael Slater, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Eric Wilson, American bass player and drummer
    • 1971 – Pierre Fulke, Swedish golfer
    • 1972 – Seo Taiji, South Korean singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – Heri Joensen, Faroese singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1973 – Brian Rolston, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1974 – Iván Campo, Spanish footballer
    • 1975 – Scott Miller, Australian swimmer
    • 1976 – Ryan Smyth, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1976 – Michael McIntyre, English comedian, actor and television presenter
    • 1977 – Jonathan Safran Foer, American novelist
    • 1977 – Steve Francis, American basketball player
    • 1977 – Owen King, American author
    • 1977 – Kevin Rose, American businessman and television host, founded Digg
    • 1978 – Kumail Nanjiani, Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and podcast host
    • 1979 – Pascal Chimbonda, Guadeloupean-French footballer, defender
    • 1979 – Shane Gibson, American guitarist (stOrk and Jonathan Davis and the SFA) (d. 2014)
    • 1979 – Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress and producer
    • 1979 – Carly Colón, Puerto Rican professional wrestler
    • 1979 – Jordan Peele, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1980 – Brad Fast, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Tiziano Ferro, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1980 – Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 5th King of Bhutan
    • 1980 – Justin Roiland, American animator, writer and voice actor
    • 1981 – Floor Jansen, Dutch singer, songwriter, and vocal coach
    • 1982 – Andre Barrett, American basketball player
    • 1982 – Chantal Claret, American singer-songwriter
    • 1982 – Tebogo Jacko Magubane, South African DJ and producer
    • 1983 – Braylon Edwards, American football player
    • 1983 – Franklin Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1983 – Mélanie Laurent, French actress
    • 1984 – Andrew Ellis, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1984 – David Odonkor, German footballer
    • 1984 – Marco Paoloni, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – James Wisniewski, American ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Georgios Samaras, Greek footballer
    • 1985 – Jamaal Westerman, American football player
    • 1986 – Charlotte Church, Welsh singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1987 – Ellen Page, Canadian actress
    • 1989 – Corbin Bleu, American actor, model, dancer, film producer and singer-songwriter
    • 1990 – Mattias Tedenby, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Joe Alwyn, English actor
    • 1991 – Riyad Mahrez, Algerian footballer
    • 1991 – Ji So-yun, South Korean footballer
    • 1991 – Devon Travis, American baseball player
    • 1991 – Suppasit Jongcheveevat, Thai actor
    • 1993 – Steve Leo Beleck, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1993 – Davy Klaassen, Dutch footballer
    • 1993 – Masaki Suda, Japanese actor
    • 1994 – Tang Haochen, Chinese tennis player
    • 1994 – Charalampos Mavrias, Greek footballer
    • 1996 – Sophie Turner, English actress

    Deaths on February 21

    • 4 AD – Gaius Caesar, Roman consul and grandson of Augustus (b. 20 BC)
    • 675 – Randoald of Grandval, prior of the Benedictine monastery of Grandval
    • 1184 – Minamoto no Yoshinaka, Japanese shōgun (b. 1154)
    • 1267 – Baldwin of Ibelin, Seneschal of Cyprus
    • 1437 – James I of Scotland (b. 1394; assassinated)
    • 1471 – Jan Rokycana, Czech bishop and theologian (b. 1396)
    • 1513 – Pope Julius II (b. 1443)
    • 1543 – Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, Somalian general (b. 1507)
    • 1554 – Hieronymus Bock, German botanist and physician (b. 1498)
    • 1572 – Cho Shik, Korean poet and scholar (d. 1501)
    • 1590 – Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, English nobleman and general (b. 1528)
    • 1595 – Robert Southwell, English priest and poet (b. 1561)
    • 1677 – Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher and scholar (b. 1632)
    • 1715 – Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, English politician (b. 1637)
    • 1730 – Pope Benedict XIII (b. 1649)
    • 1821 – Georg Friedrich von Martens, German jurist and diplomat (b. 1756)
    • 1824 – Eugène de Beauharnais, French general (b. 1781)
    • 1829 – Kittur Chennamma, Indian queen and freedom fighter (b. 1778)
    • 1846 – Emperor Ninkō of Japan (b. 1800)
    • 1862 – Justinus Kerner, German poet and physician (b. 1786)
    • 1888 – William Weston, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1804)
    • 1891 – James Timberlake, American lieutenant and police officer (b. 1846)
    • 1919 – Kurt Eisner, German journalist and politician, Minister-President of Bavaria (b. 1867)
    • 1926 – Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1853)
    • 1934 – Augusto César Sandino, Nicaraguan rebel leader (b. 1895)
    • 1938 – George Ellery Hale, American astronomer and academic (b. 1868)
    • 1941 – Frederick Banting, Canadian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
    • 1944 – Ferenc Szisz, Hungarian-French race car driver (b. 1873)
    • 1945 – Eric Liddell, Scottish rugby player and runner (b. 1902)
    • 1946 – José Streel, Belgian journalist (b. 1911)
    • 1958 – Duncan Edwards, English footballer (b. 1936)
    • 1965 – Malcolm X, American minister and activist (b. 1925; assassinated)
    • 1967 – Charles Beaumont, American author and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 1968 – Howard Florey, Australian pathologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
    • 1972 – Zhang Guohua, Chinese general and politician (b. 1914)
    • 1972 – Bronislava Nijinska, Russian-American dancer and choreographer (b. 1891)
    • 1972 – Eugène Tisserant, French cardinal (b. 1884)
    • 1974 – Tim Horton, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman, co-founded Tim Hortons (b. 1930)
    • 1980 – Alfred Andersch, German-Swiss author (b. 1914)
    • 1982 – Gershom Scholem, German-Israeli historian and philosopher (b. 1897)
    • 1984 – Mikhail Sholokhov, Russian novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
    • 1985 – Louis Hayward, South African-American actor (b. 1909)
    • 1986 – Helen Hooven Santmyer, American novelist (b. 1895)
    • 1991 – Dorothy Auchterlonie Green, Australian poet, critic, and academic (b. 1915)
    • 1993 – Inge Lehmann, Danish seismologist and geophysicist (b. 1888)
    • 1994 – Johannes Steinhoff, German general and pilot (b. 1913)
    • 1996 – Morton Gould, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1913)
    • 1999 – Gertrude B. Elion, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
    • 1999 – Ilmari Juutilainen, Finnish soldier and pilot (b. 1914)
    • 1999 – Wilmer Mizell, American baseball player and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2002 – John Thaw, English actor and producer (b. 1942)
    • 2004 – John Charles, Welsh footballer and manager (b. 1931)
    • 2005 – Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Cuban author, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1929)
    • 2005 – Zdzisław Beksiński, Polish painter, photographer, and sculptor (b. 1929)
    • 2008 – Ben Chapman, American actor (b. 1928)
    • 2011 – Dwayne McDuffie, American author and screenwriter, co-founded Milestone Media (b. 1962)
    • 2011 – Bernard Nathanson, American physician and activist (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – H. M. Darmstandler, American general (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Hasse Jeppson, Swedish footballer (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Héctor Maestri, Cuban-American baseball player (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Matthew Robinson, Australian snowboarder (b. 1985)
    • 2014 – Cornelius Schnauber, German–American historian, playwright, and academic (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Aleksei Gubarev, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Sadeq Tabatabaei, Iranian journalist and politician (b. 1943)
    • 2015 – Clark Terry, American trumpet player, composer, and educator (b. 1920)
    • 2016 – Eric Brown, Scottish-English captain and pilot (b. 1919)
    • 2017 – Jeanne Martin Cissé, Guinean teacher and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2018 – Billy Graham, American evangelist (b. 1918)
    • 2019 – Stanley Donen, American film director (b. 1924)
    • 2019 – Peter Tork, American musician and actor (b. 1942)

    Holidays and observances on February 21

    • Armed Forces Day (South Africa)
    • Birthday of King Harald V (Norway)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Felix of Hadrumetum
      • Pepin of Landen
      • Peter Damian
      • Randoald of Grandval
      • February 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Father Lini Day (Vanuatu)
    • Language Movement Day (Bangladesh)
      • International Mother Language Day (UNESCO)
    • The first day of the Birth Anniversary of Fifth Druk Gyalpo, celebrated until February 23. (Bhutan)
    • The first day of the Musikahan Festival, celebrated until February 27. (Tagum City, Philippines)
    • Feralia (Ancient Rome)