1025

June 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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  • 653 – Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism.
  • 1242 – Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burnt in Paris.
  • 1397 – The Kalmar Union is formed under the rule of Margaret I of Denmark.
  • 1462 – Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack at Târgovişte), forcing him to retreat from Wallachia.
  • 1497 – Battle of Deptford Bridge: Forces under King Henry VII defeat troops led by Michael An Gof.
  • 1565 – Matsunaga Hisahide assassinates the 13th Ashikaga shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
  • 1579 – Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England.
  • 1596 – The Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz discovers the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen.
  • 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, will spend the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.
  • 1665 – Battle of Montes Claros: Portugal definitively secured independence from Spain in the last battle of the Portuguese Restoration War.
  • 1673 – French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet reach the Mississippi River and become the first Europeans to make a detailed account of its course.
  • 1767 – Samuel Wallis, a British sea captain, sights Tahiti and is considered the first European to reach the island.
  • 1773 – Cúcuta, Colombia, is founded by Juana Rangel de Cuéllar.
  • 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Colonists inflict heavy casualties on British forces while losing the Battle of Bunker Hill.
  • 1789 – In France, the Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly.
  • 1794 – Foundation of Anglo-Corsican Kingdom.
  • 1795 – The burghers of Swellendam expel the Dutch East India Company magistrate and declare a republic.
  • 1839 – In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace are established as a result.
  • 1843 – The Wairau Affray, the first serious clash of arms between Māori and British settlers in the New Zealand Wars, takes place.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Vienna, Virginia.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Aldie in the Gettysburg Campaign.
  • 1876 – American Indian Wars: Battle of the Rosebud: 1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook’s forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory.
  • 1877 – American Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon: The Nez Perce defeat the U.S. Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory.
  • 1885 – The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor.
  • 1898 – The United States Navy Hospital Corps is established.
  • 1900 – Boxer Rebellion: Western Allied and Japanese forces capture the Taku Forts in Tianjin, China.
  • 1901 – The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT.
  • 1910 – Aurel Vlaicu pilots an A. Vlaicu nr. 1 on its first flight.
  • 1922 – Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral complete the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic.
  • 1929 – The town of Murchison, New Zealand Is rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killing 17. At the time it was New Zealand’s worst natural disaster.
  • 1930 – U.S. President Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act into law.
  • 1932 – Bonus Army: Around a thousand World War I veterans amass at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would give them certain benefits.
  • 1933 – Union Station massacre: In Kansas City, Missouri, four FBI agents and captured fugitive Frank Nash are gunned down by gangsters attempting to free Nash.
  • 1939 – Last public guillotining in France: Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, is executed in Versailles outside the Saint-Pierre prison.
  • 1940 – World War II: RMS Lancastria is attacked and sunk by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France. At least 3,000 are killed in Britain’s worst maritime disaster.
  • 1940 – World War II: The British Army’s 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya, Africa from Italian forces.
  • 1940 – The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union.
  • 1944 – Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic.
  • 1948 – United Airlines Flight 624, a Douglas DC-6, crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board.
  • 1952 – Guatemala passes Decree 900, ordering the redistribution of uncultivated land.
  • 1953 – Cold War: East Germany Workers Uprising: In East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin to quell a rebellion.
  • 1958 – The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver (Canada), collapses into the Burrard Inlet killing 18 ironworkers and injuring others.
  • 1960 – The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty.
  • 1963 – The United States Supreme Court rules 8–1 in Abington School District v. Schempp against requiring the reciting of Bible verses and the Lord’s Prayer in public schools.
  • 1963 – A day after South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed.
  • 1967 – Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon.
  • 1972 – Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee during an attempt by members of the administration of President Richard M. Nixon to illegally wiretap the political opposition as part of a broader campaign to subvert the democratic process
  • 1985 – Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist.
  • 1987 – With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct.
  • 1991 – Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth.
  • 1992 – A “joint understanding” agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II).
  • 1994 – Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O. J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
  • 2015 – Nine people are killed in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
  • 2017 – A series of wildfires in central Portugal kill at least 64 people and injure 204 others.

Births on June 17

  • 801 – Drogo of Metz, Frankish bishop (d. 855)
  • 1239 – Edward I, English king (d. 1307)
  • 1530 – François de Montmorency, French nobleman (d. 1579)
  • 1571 – Thomas Mun, English writer on economics (d. 1641)
  • 1603 – Joseph of Cupertino, Italian mystic and saint (d. 1663)
  • 1604 – John Maurice, Dutch nobleman (d. 1679)
  • 1610 – Birgitte Thott, Danish scholar, writer and translator (b. 1662)
  • 1631 – Gauharara Begum, Mughal princess (d. 1706)
  • 1682 – Charles XII, Swedish king (d. 1718)
  • 1691 – Giovanni Paolo Panini, Italian painter and architect (d. 1765)
  • 1693 – Johann Georg Walch, German theologian and author (d. 1775)
  • 1704 – John Kay, English engineer, invented the Flying shuttle (d. 1780)
  • 1714 – César-François Cassini de Thury, French astronomer and cartographer (d. 1784)
  • 1718 – George Howard, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Minorca (d. 1796)
  • 1778 – Gregory Blaxland, English-Australian explorer (d. 1853)
  • 1800 – William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, English-Irish astronomer and politician (d. 1867)
  • 1808 – Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian poet, playwright, and linguist (d. 1845)
  • 1810 – Ferdinand Freiligrath, German poet and translator (d. 1876)
  • 1811 – Jón Sigurðsson, Icelandic scholar and politician (d. 1879)
  • 1818 – Charles Gounod, French composer and academic (d. 1893)
  • 1818 – Sophie of Württemberg, queen of the Netherlands (d. 1877)
  • 1821 – E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (d. 1888)
  • 1832 – William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (d. 1919)
  • 1833 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president (d. 1893)
  • 1858 – Eben Sumner Draper, American businessman and politician, 44th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1914)
  • 1861 – Pete Browning, American baseball player (d. 1905)
  • 1861 – Omar Bundy, American general (d. 1940)
  • 1863 – Charles Michael, duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1934)
  • 1865 – Susan La Flesche Picotte, Native American physician (d. 1915)
  • 1867 – Flora Finch, English-American actress (d. 1940)
  • 1867 – John Robert Gregg, Irish-born American educator, publisher, and humanitarian (d. 1948)
  • 1867 – Henry Lawson, Australian poet and author (d. 1922)
  • 1871 – James Weldon Johnson, American author, journalist, and activist (d. 1938)
  • 1876 – William Carr, American rower (d. 1942)
  • 1876 – Edward Anthony Spitzka, American anatomist and author (d. 1922)
  • 1880 – Carl Van Vechten, American author and photographer (d. 1964)
  • 1881 – Tommy Burns, Canadian boxer and promoter (d. 1955)
  • 1882 – Adolphus Frederick VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1918)
  • 1882 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1971)
  • 1888 – Heinz Guderian, German general (d. 1954)
  • 1897 – Maria Izilda de Castro Ribeiro, Brazilian girl, popular saint (d. 1911)
  • 1898 – M. C. Escher, Dutch illustrator (d. 1972)
  • 1898 – Carl Hermann, German physicist and academic (d. 1961)
  • 1898 – Harry Patch, English soldier and firefighter (d. 2009)
  • 1900 – Martin Bormann, German politician (d. 1945)
  • 1900 – Evelyn Irons, Scottish journalist and war correspondent (d. 2000)
  • 1902 – Sammy Fain, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
  • 1902 – Alec Hurwood, Australian cricketer (d. 1982)
  • 1903 – Ruth Graves Wakefield, American chef, created the chocolate chip cookie (d. 1977)
  • 1904 – Ralph Bellamy, American actor (d. 1991)
  • 1904 – J. Vernon McGee, American pastor and theologian (d. 1988)
  • 1904 – Patrice Tardif, Canadian farmer and politician (d. 1989)
  • 1907 – Maurice Cloche, French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1990)
  • 1909 – Elmer L. Andersen, American businessman and politician, 30th Governor of Minnesota (d. 2004)
  • 1909 – Ralph E. Winters, Canadian-American film editor (d. 2004)
  • 1910 – Red Foley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1968)
  • 1910 – George Hees, Canadian football player and politician (d. 1996)
  • 1914 – John Hersey, American journalist and author (d. 1993)
  • 1915 – David “Stringbean” Akeman, American singer and banjo player (d. 1973)
  • 1915 – Marcel Cadieux, Canadian civil servant and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States (d. 1981)
  • 1916 – Terry Gilkyson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
  • 1917 – Dufferin Roblin, Canadian politician, 14th Premier of Manitoba (d. 2010)
  • 1918 – Ajahn Chah, Thai monk and educator (d. 1992)
  • 1919 – William Kaye Estes, American psychologist and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – John Moffat, Scottish lieutenant and pilot (d. 2016)
  • 1919 – Beryl Reid, English actress (d. 1996)
  • 1920 – Jacob H. Gilbert, American lawyer and politician (d. 1981)
  • 1920 – Setsuko Hara, Japanese actress (d. 2015)
  • 1920 – François Jacob, French biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Peter Le Cheminant, English air marshal and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (d. 2018)
  • 1922 – John Amis, English journalist and critic (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Elroy Hirsch, American football player (d. 2004)
  • 1923 – Arnold S. Relman, American physician and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Dale C. Thomson, Canadian historian and academic (d. 1999)
  • 1925 – Alexander Shulgin, American pharmacologist and chemist (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – Martin Böttcher, German composer and conductor (d. 2019)
  • 1927 – Wally Wood, American author, illustrator, and publisher (d. 1981)
  • 1928 – Juan María Bordaberry, President of Uruguay (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – Bud Collins, American journalist and sportscaster (d. 2016)
  • 1929 – Tigran Petrosian, Armenian chess player (d. 1984)
  • 1930 – Cliff Gallup, American rock & roll guitarist (d. 1988)
  • 1930 – Brian Statham, English cricketer (d. 2000)
  • 1931 – John Baldessari, American painter and illustrator (d. 2020)
  • 1932 – Derek Ibbotson, English runner (d. 2017)
  • 1932 – John Murtha, American colonel and politician (d. 2010)
  • 1933 – Harry Browne, American soldier and politician (d. 2006)
  • 1933 – Christian Ferras, French violinist (d. 1982)
  • 1933 – Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (d. 1970)
  • 1936 – Vern Harper, Canadian tribal leader and activist (d. 2018)
  • 1936 – Ken Loach, English director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1937 – Peter Fitzgerald, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Ted Nelson, American sociologist and philosopher
  • 1937 – Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian fashion designer, television presenter and politician (d. 2009)
  • 1940 – George Akerlof, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1940 – Bobby Bell, American football player
  • 1940 – Chuck Rainey, American bassist
  • 1941 – Nicholas C. Handy, English chemist and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1942 – Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian politician, Vice President of Egypt, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1942 – Doğu Perinçek, Turkish lawyer and politician
  • 1942 – Roger Steffens, American actor and producer
  • 1943 – Newt Gingrich, American historian and politician, 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
  • 1943 – Barry Manilow, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1943 – Chantal Mouffe, Belgian theorist and author
  • 1943 – Burt Rutan, American engineer and pilot
  • 1944 – Randy Johnson, American football player (d. 2009)
  • 1944 – Chris Spedding, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Tommy Franks, American general
  • 1945 – Ken Livingstone, English politician, 1st Mayor of London
  • 1945 – Eddy Merckx, Belgian cyclist and sportscaster
  • 1945 – Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (d. 2018)
  • 1946 – Peter Rosei, Austrian author, poet, and playwright
  • 1947 – Christopher Allport, American actor (d. 2008)
  • 1947 – Timothy Wright, American gospel singer, pastor (d. 2009)
  • 1947 – Linda Chavez, American journalist and author
  • 1947 – George S. Clinton, American composer and songwriter
  • 1947 – Gregg Rolie, American rock singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1947 – Paul Young, English singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
  • 1948 – Dave Concepción, Venezuelan baseball player and manager
  • 1948 – Jacqueline Jones, American historian and academic
  • 1948 – Aurelio López, Mexican baseball player and politician (d. 1992)
  • 1948 – Karol Sikora, English physician and academic
  • 1949 – Snakefinger, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1987)
  • 1949 – John Craven, English economist and academic
  • 1949 – Russell Smith, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
  • 1950 – Lee Tamahori, New Zealand film director
  • 1951 – Starhawk, American author and activist
  • 1951 – John Garrett, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1951 – Joe Piscopo, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Mike Milbury, American ice hockey player, coach, and manager
  • 1952 – Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, English educator and politician, Secretary of State for Education
  • 1953 – Vernon Coaker, English educator and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1953 – Juan Muñoz, Spanish sculptor and storyteller (d. 2001)
  • 1954 – Mark Linn-Baker, American actor and director
  • 1955 – Mati Laur, Estonian historian, author, and academic
  • 1955 – Bob Sauvé, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1955 – Cem Hakko, Turkish fashion designer and businessman
  • 1956 – Iain Milne, Scottish rugby player
  • 1957 – Philip Chevron, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
  • 1957 – Martin Dillon, American tenor and educator (d. 2005)
  • 1957 – Uģis Prauliņš, Latvian composer
  • 1958 – Pierre Berbizier, French rugby player and coach
  • 1958 – Jello Biafra, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1958 – Bobby Farrelly, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Sam Hamad, Syrian-Canadian academic and politician
  • 1958 – Jon Leibowitz, American lawyer and politician
  • 1958 – Daniel McVicar, American actor
  • 1959 – Carol Anderson, American author and historian
  • 1959 – Lawrence Haddad, South African-English economist and academic
  • 1959 – Nikos Stavropoulos, Greek basketball player and coach
  • 1960 – Adrián Campos, Spanish race car driver
  • 1960 – Thomas Haden Church, American actor
  • 1961 – Kōichi Yamadera, Japanese actor and singer
  • 1962 – Michael Monroe, Finnish singer-songwriter and saxophonist
  • 1963 – Greg Kinnear, American actor, television presenter, and producer
  • 1964 – Rinaldo Capello, Italian race car driver
  • 1964 – Michael Gross, German swimmer
  • 1964 – Steve Rhodes, English cricketer and coach
  • 1965 – Dermontti Dawson, American football player and coach
  • 1965 – Dan Jansen, American speed skater and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Dara O’Kearney, Irish runner and poker player
  • 1966 – Mohammed Ghazy Al-Akhras, Iraqi journalist and author
  • 1966 – Tory Burch, American fashion designer and philanthropist
  • 1966 – Ken Clark, American football player (d. 2013)
  • 1966 – Diane Modahl, English runner
  • 1966 – Jason Patric, American actor
  • 1967 – Dorothea Röschmann, German soprano and actress
  • 1967 – Eric Stefani, American keyboard player and composer
  • 1968 – Steve Georgallis, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1968 – Minoru Suzuki, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
  • 1969 – Paul Tergat, Kenyan runner
  • 1969 – Geoff Toovey, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1969 – Ilya Tsymbalar, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1970 – Stéphane Fiset, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1970 – Will Forte, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Jason Hanson, American football player
  • 1970 – Popeye Jones, American basketball player and coach
  • 1970 – Michael Showalter, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1970 – Alan Dowson, English football manager and former professional player
  • 1971 – Paulina Rubio, Mexican pop singer
  • 1971 – Mildred Fox, Irish politician
  • 1973 – Leander Paes, Indian tennis player
  • 1974 – Evangelia Psarra, Greek archer
  • 1975 – Joshua Leonard, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1975 – Juan Carlos Valerón, Spanish footballer
  • 1975 – Phiyada Akkraseranee, Thai actress and model
  • 1976 – Scott Adkins, English actor and martial artist
  • 1976 – Sven Nys, Belgian cyclist
  • 1977 – Tjaša Jezernik, Slovenian tennis player
  • 1977 – Mark Tauscher, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1978 – Isabelle Delobel, French ice dancer
  • 1978 – Travis Roche, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Nick Rimando, American soccer player
  • 1979 – Tyson Apostol, American television personality
  • 1979 – Young Maylay, American rapper, producer, and voice actor
  • 1980 – Elisa Rigaudo, Italian race walker
  • 1980 – Jeph Jacques, American author and illustrator
  • 1980 – Venus Williams, American tennis player
  • 1981 – Kyle Boller, American football player
  • 1981 – Shane Watson, Australian cricketer
  • 1982 – Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982 – Marek Svatoš, Slovak ice hockey player (d. 2016)
  • 1982 – Stanislava Hrozenská, Slovak tennis player
  • 1982 – Stefan Hodgetts, English racing driver
  • 1982 – Arthur Darvill, English actor
  • 1982 – Jodie Whittaker, English actress
  • 1983 – Lee Ryan, English singer/actor
  • 1983 – Vlasis Kazakis, Greek footballer
  • 1984 – Michael Mathieu, Bahamian sprinter
  • 1984 – Si Tianfeng, Chinese race walker
  • 1985 – Özge Akın, Turkish sprinter
  • 1985 – Marcos Baghdatis, Cypriot tennis player
  • 1985 – Rafael Sóbis, Brazilian footballer
  • 1986 – Apoula Edel, Armenian footballer
  • 1986 – Helen Glover, English rower
  • 1987 – Kendrick Lamar, American rapper
  • 1987 – Nozomi Tsuji, Japanese singer and actress
  • 1988 – Andrew Ogilvy, Australian basketball player
  • 1988 – Shaun MacDonald, Welsh footballer
  • 1988 – Stephanie Rice, Australian swimmer
  • 1989 – Georgios Tofas, Cypriot footballer
  • 1989 – Simone Battle, American singer and actress (d. 2014)
  • 1990 – Jordan Henderson, English footballer
  • 1990 – Josh Mansour, Australian rugby league player
  • 1991 – Daniel Tupou, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
  • 1994 – Amari Cooper, American football player
  • 1995 – Clément Lenglet, French footballer

Deaths on June 17

  • 656 – Uthman, caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate (b. 579)
  • 676 – Adeodatus, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 811 – Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, Japanese shōgun (b. 758)
  • 850 – Tachibana no Kachiko, Japanese empress (b. 786)
  • 900 – Fulk, French archbishop and chancellor
  • 1025 – Bolesław I the Brave, Polish king (b. 967)
  • 1091 – Dirk V, count of Holland (b. 1052)
  • 1207 – Daoji, Chinese buddhist monk (b. 1130)
  • 1219 – David of Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon
  • 1361 – Ingeborg of Norway, princess consort and regent of Sweden (b. 1301)
  • 1400 – Jan of Jenštejn, archbishop of Prague (b. 1348)
  • 1463 – Catherine of Portugal, Portuguese princess (b. 1436)
  • 1501 – John I Albert, Polish king (b. 1459)
  • 1565 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shōgun (b. 1536)
  • 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal, Mughal princess (b. 1593)
  • 1649 – Injo of Joseon, Korean king (b. 1595)
  • 1674 – Jijabai, Dowager Queen, mother of Shivaji (b. 1598)
  • 1694 – Philip Howard, English cardinal (b. 1629)
  • 1696 – John III Sobieski, Polish king (b. 1629)
  • 1719 – Joseph Addison, English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician (b. 1672)
  • 1734 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Secretary of State for War (b. 1653)
  • 1740 – Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1687)
  • 1762 – Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French poet and playwright (b. 1674)
  • 1771 – Daskalogiannis, Greek rebel leader (b. 1722)
  • 1775 – John Pitcairn, Scottish-English soldier (b. 1722)
  • 1797 – Mohammad Khan Qajar, Persian tribal chief (b. 1742)
  • 1813 – Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, Scottish-English admiral and politician (b. 1726)
  • 1821 – Martín Miguel de Güemes, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1785)
  • 1839 – Lord William Bentinck, English general and politician, 14th Governor-General of India (b. 1774)
  • 1866 – Joseph Méry, French poet and author (b. 1798)
  • 1889 – Lozen, Chiracaua Apache warrior woman (b. ~1840)
  • 1898 – Edward Burne-Jones, English soldier and painter (b. 1833)
  • 1904 – Nikolay Bobrikov, Russian soldier and politician, Governor-General of Finland (b. 1839)
  • 1936 – Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1883)
  • 1939 – Allen Sothoron, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1893)
  • 1939 – Eugen Weidmann, German criminal (b. 1908)
  • 1940 – Arthur Harden, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
  • 1941 – Johan Wagenaar, Dutch organist and composer (b. 1862)
  • 1942 – Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1853)
  • 1952 – Jack Parsons, American chemist and engineer (b. 1914)
  • 1954 – Danny Cedrone, American guitarist and bandleader (b. 1920)
  • 1956 – Percival Perry, 1st Baron Perry, English businessman (b. 1878)
  • 1956 – Paul Rostock, German surgeon and academic (b. 1892)
  • 1956 – Bob Sweikert, American race car driver (b. 1926)
  • 1957 – Dorothy Richardson, English journalist and author (b. 1873)
  • 1957 – J. R. Williams, Canadian-American cartoonist (b. 1888)
  • 1961 – Jeff Chandler, American actor (b. 1918)
  • 1963 – Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician (b. 1882)
  • 1968 – José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer and manager (b. 1901)
  • 1974 – Refik Koraltan, Turkish lawyer and politician, 8th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (b. 1889)
  • 1975 – James Phinney Baxter III, American historian and academic (b. 1893)
  • 1979 – Hubert Ashton, English cricketer and politician (b. 1898)
  • 1979 – Duffy Lewis, American baseball player and manager (b. 1888)
  • 1981 – Richard O’Connor, Indian-English general (b. 1889)
  • 1981 – Zerna Sharp, American author and educator (b. 1889)
  • 1982 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (b. 1920)
  • 1983 – Peter Mennin, American composer and educator (b. 1923)
  • 1985 – John Boulting, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1913)
  • 1986 – Kate Smith, American singer (b. 1907)
  • 1987 – Dick Howser, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1936)
  • 1996 – Thomas Kuhn, American historian and philosopher (b. 1922)
  • 1996 – Curt Swan, American illustrator (b. 1920)
  • 1999 – Basil Hume, English cardinal (b. 1923)
  • 2000 – Ismail Mahomed, South African lawyer and jurist, 17th Chief Justice of South Africa (b. 1931)
  • 2001 – Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1919)
  • 2001 – Thomas Winning, Scottish cardinal (b. 1925)
  • 2002 – Willie Davenport, American sprinter and hurdler (b. 1943)
  • 2002 – Fritz Walter, German footballer (b. 1920)
  • 2004 – Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1926)
  • 2006 – Bussunda, Brazilian comedian (b. 1962)
  • 2007 – Gianfranco Ferré, Italian fashion designer (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Serena Wilson, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1933)
  • 2008 – Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (b. 1922)
  • 2009 – Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (b. 1929)
  • 2009 – Darrell Powers, American sergeant (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Rex Mossop, Australian rugby player and sportscaster (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Stéphane Brosse, French mountaineer (b. 1971)
  • 2012 – Patricia Brown, American baseball player (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Nathan Divinsky, Canadian mathematician and chess player (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (b. 1965)
  • 2012 – Fauzia Wahab, Pakistani actress and politician (b. 1956)
  • 2013 – Michael Baigent, New Zealand-English theorist and author (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – Atiqul Haque Chowdhury, Bangladeshi playwright and producer (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Pierre F. Côté, Canadian lawyer and civil servant (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Bulbs Ehlers, American basketball player (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – James Holshouser, American politician, 68th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1934)
  • 2014 – Patsy Byrne, English actress (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Éric Dewailly, Canadian epidemiologist and academic (b. 1954)
  • 2014 – Stanley Marsh 3, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Arnold S. Relman, American physician and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Larry Zeidel, Canadian-American ice hockey player and sportscaster (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Ron Clarke, Australian runner and politician, Mayor of the Gold Coast (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – John David Crow, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Süleyman Demirel, Turkish engineer and politician, 9th President of Turkey (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Clementa C. Pinckney, American minister and politician (b. 1973)
  • 2017 – Baldwin Lonsdale, president of Vanuatu (b. 1948)

Holidays and observances on June 17

  • Christian feast day:
    • Albert Chmielowski
    • Botolph (England and Scandinavia)
    • Gondulphus of Berry
    • Hervé
    • Hypatius of Bithynia (Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches)
    • Rainerius
    • Samuel and Henrietta Barnett (Church of England)
    • June 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Father’s Day (El Salvador, Guatemala)
  • Icelandic National Day, celebrates the independence of Iceland from Kingdom of Denmark in 1944.
  • Occupation of the Latvian Republic Day (Latvia)
  • Remembrance to East German uprising of 1953, public holiday in West Germany between 1954 and 1990 (today German Unity Day) is the public holiday day)
  • World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (International)
  • Zemla Intifada Day (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)

May 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

by
  • 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu.
  • 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet.
  • 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.
  • 1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to assassinate Saladin near Aleppo.
  • 1200 – King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet.
  • 1246 – Henry Raspe is elected anti-king of the Kingdom of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV.
  • 1254 – Serbian King Stefan Uroš I and the Republic of Venice sign a peace treaty.
  • 1370 – Brussels massacre: Hundreds of Jews are murdered and the rest of the Jewish community is banished from Brussels, Belgium, for allegedly desecrating consecrated Host.
  • 1377 – Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe.
  • 1455 – Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England.
  • 1520 – The massacre at the festival of Tóxcatl takes place during the Fall of Tenochtitlan, resulting in turning the Aztecs against the Spanish.
  • 1629 – Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV sign the Treaty of Lübeck ending Danish intervention in the Thirty Years’ War.
  • 1762 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Hamburg.
  • 1762 – Trevi Fountain is officially completed and inaugurated in Rome.
  • 1766 – A large earthquake causes heavy damage and loss of life in Istanbul and the Marmara region.
  • 1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri.
  • 1807 – A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason.
  • 1809 – On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I is repelled by an enemy army for the first time.
  • 1816 – A mob in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, riots over high unemployment and rising grain costs, and the riots spread to Ely the next day.
  • 1819 – SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
  • 1826 – HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage.
  • 1840 – The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished.
  • 1848 – Slavery is abolished in Martinique.
  • 1849 – Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only U.S. president to ever hold a patent.
  • 1856 – Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beats Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made regarding Southerners and slavery.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Union forces begin the Siege of Port Hudson which lasts 48 days, the longest siege in U.S. military history.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army’s Red River Campaign ends in failure.
  • 1872 – Reconstruction Era: President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers.
  • 1900 – The Associated Press is formed in New York City as a non-profit news cooperative.
  • 1906 – The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their “Flying-Machine”.
  • 1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, the only volcano besides Mount St. Helens to erupt in the contiguous U.S. during the 20th century.
  • 1915 – Three trains collide in the Quintinshill rail disaster near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246.
  • 1926 – Chiang Kai-shek replaces the communists in Kuomintang China.
  • 1927 – Near Xining, China, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake causes 200,000 deaths in one of the world’s most destructive earthquakes.
  • 1939 – World War II: Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel.
  • 1941 – During the Anglo-Iraqi War, British troops take Fallujah.
  • 1942 – Mexico enters the Second World War on the side of the Allies.
  • 1943 – Joseph Stalin disbands the Comintern.
  • 1947 – Cold War: The Truman Doctrine goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece.
  • 1957 – South Africa’s government approves of racial separation in universities.
  • 1958 – The 1958 riots in Ceylon become a watershed in the race relations of various ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. The total deaths is estimated at 300, mostly Tamils.
  • 1960 – The Great Chilean earthquake, measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, hits southern Chile, becoming the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.
  • 1962 – Continental Airlines Flight 11 crashes after bombs explode on board.
  • 1963 – Greek left-wing politician Grigoris Lambrakis is shot in an assassination attempt, and dies five days later.
  • 1964 – Lyndon B. Johnson launches the Great Society.
  • 1967 – Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping.
  • 1967 – L’Innovation department store in Brussels, Belgium, burns down, resulting in 323 dead or missing and 150 injured, the most devastating fire in Belgian history.
  • 1968 – The nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 miles southwest of the Azores.
  • 1969 – Apollo 10’s lunar module flies within 8.4 nautical miles (16 km) of the moon’s surface.
  • 1972 – Ceylon adopts a new constitution, becoming a republic and changing its name to Sri Lanka, and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.
  • 1972 – Over 400 women in Derry, Northern Ireland attack the offices of Sinn Féin following the shooting by the Irish Republican Army of a young British soldier on leave.
  • 1987 – Hashimpura massacre occurs in Meerut, India.
  • 1987 – First ever Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand playing Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
  • 1990 – North and South Yemen are unified to create the Republic of Yemen.
  • 1992 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia join the United Nations.
  • 1994 – A worldwide trade embargo against Haiti goes into effect to punish its military rulers for not reinstating the country’s ousted elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
  • 1996 – The Burmese military regime jails 71 supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi in a bid to block a pro-democracy meeting.
  • 1998 – A U.S. federal judge rules that U.S. Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the Lewinsky scandal involving President Bill Clinton.
  • 2000 – In Sri Lanka, over 150 Tamil rebels are killed over two days of fighting for control in Jaffna.
  • 2002 – Civil rights movement: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama, convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murder of four girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
  • 2010 – Air India Express Boeing 737 crashes over a cliff upon landing at Mangalore, India, killing 158 of 166 people on board, becoming the deadliest crash involving a Boeing 737.
  • 2010 – Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2–0 in the Uefa Champions League final in Madrid, Spain to become the first, and so far only, Italian team to win the historic treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League).
  • 2011 – An EF5 tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people and wreaking $2.8 billion in damages, the costliest and seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.
  • 2012 – Tokyo Skytree opens to the public. It is the tallest tower in the world (634 m), and the second tallest man-made structure on Earth after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m).
  • 2014 – General Prayut Chan-o-cha becomes interim leader of Thailand in a military coup d’état, following six months of political turmoil.
  • 2014 – An explosion occurs in Ürümqi, capital of China’s far-western Xinjiang region, resulting in at least 43 deaths and 91 injuries.
  • 2015 – The Republic of Ireland becomes the first nation in the world to legalize gay marriage in a public referendum.
  • 2017 – Twenty-two people are killed at an Ariana Grande concert in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
  • 2017 – United States President Donald Trump visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall.

Births on May 22

  • 626 – Itzam K’an Ahk I, Mayan king (d. 686)
  • 1009 – Su Xun, Chinese writer (d. 1066)
  • 1408 – Annamacharya, Hindu saint (d. 1503)
  • 1539 – Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (d. 1621)
  • 1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French soldier and governor (d. 1698)
  • 1644 – Gabriël Grupello, Flemish Baroque sculptor (d. 1730)
  • 1650 – Richard Brakenburgh, Dutch Golden Age painter (d. 1702)
  • 1694 – Daniel Gran, Austrian painter (d. 1757)
  • 1715 – François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, French cardinal and diplomat (d. 1794)
  • 1733 – Hubert Robert, French painter (d. 1808)
  • 1752 – Louis Legendre, French butcher and politician (d. 1797)
  • 1762 – Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, English politician (d. 1834)
  • 1770 – Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (d. 1840)
  • 1772 – Ram Mohan Roy, Indian philosopher and reformer (d. 1833)
  • 1782 – Hirose Tansō, Japanese neo-Confucian scholar, teacher, writer (d. 1856)
  • 1783 – William Sturgeon, English physicist and inventor, invented the electromagnet and electric motor (d. 1850)
  • 1808 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (d. 1855)
  • 1811 – Giulia Grisi, Italian soprano (d. 1869)
  • 1811 – Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, English politician (d. 1864)
  • 1813 – Richard Wagner, German composer (d. 1883)
  • 1814 – Amalia Lindegren, Swedish painter (d. 1891)
  • 1820 – Worthington Whittredge, American painter (d. 1910)
  • 1828 – Albrecht von Graefe, German ophthalmologist and academic (d. 1870)
  • 1831 – Henry Vandyke Carter, English anatomist and surgeon (d. 1897)
  • 1833 – Félix Bracquemond, French painter and etcher (d. 1914)
  • 1833 – Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla, Spanish politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1895)
  • 1841 – Catulle Mendès, French poet, author, and playwright (d. 1909)
  • 1844 – Mary Cassatt, American painter and educator (d. 1926)
  • 1846 – Rita Cetina Gutiérrez, Mexican poet, educator, and activist (d. 1908)
  • 1848 – Fritz von Uhde, German painter and educator (d. 1911)
  • 1849 – Aston Webb, English architect and academic (d. 1930)
  • 1858 – Belmiro de Almeida, Brazilian painter, illustrator, sculptor (d. 1935)
  • 1859 – Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer (d. 1930)
  • 1859 – Tsubouchi Shōyō, Japanese author, playwright, and educator (d. 1935)
  • 1864 – Willy Stöwer, German author and illustrator (d. 1931)
  • 1868 – Augusto Pestana, Brazilian engineer and politician (d. 1934)
  • 1874 – Daniel François Malan, South African clergyman and politician, 5th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1959)
  • 1876 – Julius Klinger, Austrian painter and illustrator (d. 1942)
  • 1879 – Warwick Armstrong, Australian cricketer and journalist (d. 1947)
  • 1879 – Jean Cras, French admiral and composer (d. 1932)
  • 1879 – Symon Petliura, Ukrainian statesman and independence leader (d. 1926)
  • 1880 – Francis de Miomandre, French author and translator (d. 1959)
  • 1885 – Giacomo Matteotti, Italian lawyer and politician (d. 1924)
  • 1885 – Soemu Toyoda, Japanese admiral (d. 1957)
  • 1887 – A. W. Sandberg, Danish film director and screenwriter (d. 1938)
  • 1891 – Johannes R. Becher, German politician, novelist, and poet (d. 1958)
  • 1894 – Friedrich Pollock, German sociologist and philosopher (d. 1970)
  • 1897 – Robert Neumann, German and English-speaking author (d. 1975)
  • 1900 – Juan Arvizu, Mexican lyric opera tenor and bolero vocalist (d.1985)
  • 1901 – Maurice J. Tobin, American politician, 6th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 1953)
  • 1902 – Jack Lambert, English footballer and manager (d. 1940)
  • 1902 – Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (d. 1956)
  • 1904 – Uno Lamm, Swedish electrical engineer and inventor (d. 1989)
  • 1905 – Bodo von Borries, German physicist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (d. 1956)
  • 1905 – Tom Driberg, British politician (d. 1976)
  • 1907 – Hergé, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1983)
  • 1907 – Laurence Olivier, English actor, director, and producer (d. 1989)
  • 1908 – Horton Smith, American golfer and captain (d. 1963)
  • 1909 – Margaret Mee, English illustrator and educator (d. 1988)
  • 1912 – Herbert C. Brown, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
  • 1913 – Rafael Gil, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
  • 1913 – Dominique Rolin, Belgian author (d. 2012)
  • 1914 – Max Kohnstamm, Dutch historian and diplomat (d. 2010)
  • 1914 – Sun Ra, American pianist, composer, bandleader, poet (d. 1993)
  • 1917 – George Aratani, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
  • 1917 – Jean-Louis Curtis, French author (d. 1995)
  • 1919 – Paul Vanden Boeynants, Belgian businessman and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2001)
  • 1920 – Thomas Gold, Austrian-American astrophysicist and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1921 – George S. Hammond, American scientist (d. 2005)
  • 1922 – Quinn Martin, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1987)
  • 1924 – Charles Aznavour, French-Armenian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2018)
  • 1925 – Jean Tinguely, Swiss painter and sculptor (d. 1991)
  • 1927 – Michael Constantine, American actor
  • 1927 – Peter Matthiessen, American novelist, short story writer, editor, co-founded The Paris Review (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – George Andrew Olah, Hungarian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – Serge Doubrovsky, French theorist and author (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – John Mackenzie, Scottish director and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1928 – T. Boone Pickens, American businessman (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Hiroshi Sano, Japanese novelist (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian poet (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Kenny Ball, English jazz trumpet player, vocalist, and bandleader (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Marisol Escobar, French-American sculptor (d. 2016)
  • 1930 – Harvey Milk, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1978)
  • 1932 – Robert Spitzer, American psychiatrist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1933 – Chen Jingrun, Chinese mathematician and academic (d. 1996)
  • 1934 – Peter Nero, American pianist and conductor
  • 1936 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (d. 2014)
  • 1937 – Facundo Cabral, Argentinian singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
  • 1938 – Richard Benjamin, American actor and director
  • 1938 – Susan Strasberg, American actress (d. 1999)
  • 1939 – Paul Winfield, American actor (d. 2004)
  • 1940 – Kieth Merrill, American filmmaker
  • 1940 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (d. 2011)
  • 1940 – Bernard Shaw, American journalist
  • 1940 – Mick Tingelhoff, American Pro Football Hall of Famer
  • 1941 – Menzies Campbell, Scottish sprinter and politician
  • 1942 – Roger Brown, American basketball player (d. 1997)
  • 1942 – Ted Kaczynski, American academic and mathematician turned anarchist and serial murderer (Unabomber)
  • 1942 – Barbara Parkins, Canadian actress
  • 1942 – Richard Oakes, Native American civil rights activist (d. 1972)
  • 1943 – Betty Williams, Northern Irish peace activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2020)
  • 1943 – Tommy John, American baseball player
  • 1944 – John Flanagan, Australian fantasy author
  • 1945 – Bob Katter, Australian politician
  • 1946 – George Best, Northern Irish footballer and manager (d. 2005)
  • 1946 – Michael Green, English physicist and academic
  • 1946 – Howard Kendall, English footballer and manager (d. 2015)
  • 1946 – Andrei Marga, Romanian philosopher, political scientist, politician
  • 1946 – Lyudmila Zhuravleva, Russian-Ukrainian astronomer
  • 1948 – Tomás Sánchez, Cuban painter and engraver
  • 1948 – Nedumudi Venu, Indian actor and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Cheryl Campbell, English actress
  • 1949 – Valentin Inzko, Austrian diplomat
  • 1950 – Bernie Taupin, English singer-songwriter and poet
  • 1953 – François Bon, French writer
  • 1953 – Cha Bum-kun, South Korean footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Paul Mariner, English footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1954 – Barbara May Cameron, Native American human rights activist (d. 2002)
  • 1954 – Shuji Nakamura, Japanese-American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1956 – Lucie Brock-Broido, American poet (d. 2018)
  • 1957 – Lisa Murkowski, American lawyer and politician
  • 1959 – David Blatt, Israeli-American basketball player and coach
  • 1959 – Morrissey, English singer-songwriter and performer
  • 1959 – Kwak Jae-yong, South Korean director and screenwriter
  • 1959 – Mehbooba Mufti, Indian politician
  • 1960 – Hideaki Anno, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Brian Pillman, American football player and wrestler (d. 1997)
  • 1963 – Claude Closky, French contemporary artist
  • 1965 – Jay Carney, American journalist, 29th White House Press Secretary
  • 1966 – Johnny Gill, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1966 – Wang Xiaoshuai, Chinese director and screenwriter
  • 1968 – Graham Linehan, Irish comedian, actor, and author
  • 1969 – Cathy McMorris Rodgers, American lawyer and politician
  • 1970 – Naomi Campbell, English model
  • 1970 – Brody Stevens, American comedian and actor (d. 2019)
  • 1972 – Max Brooks, American author and screenwriter
  • 1973 – Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Danish actor
  • 1974 – Garba Lawal, Nigerian footballer
  • 1974 – Henrietta Ónodi, Hungarian Olympic gymnast
  • 1974 – Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukrainian politician
  • 1975 – Salva Ballesta, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Christian Vande Velde, American cyclist
  • 1978 – Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress
  • 1978 – Katie Price, English television personality and glamour model
  • 1979 – Maggie Q, American actress
  • 1979 – Nazanin Boniadi, Iranian-American actress
  • 1980 – Sharice Davids, American politician
  • 1980 – Lucy Gordon, British actress and model (d. 2009)
  • 1981 – Daniel Bryan, American wrestler
  • 1981 – Bassel Khartabil, Syrian computer programmer and engineer (d. 2015)
  • 1981 – Jürgen Melzer, Austrian tennis player
  • 1982 – Erin McNaught, Australian model and actress
  • 1982 – Apolo Ohno, American speed skater
  • 1982 – Hong Yong-jo, North Korean footballer
  • 1983 – Natasha Kai, American soccer player and Olympic medalist
  • 1984 – Karoline Herfurth, German actress
  • 1984 – Didier Ya Konan, Ivorian footballer
  • 1984 – Dustin Moskovitz, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Facebook
  • 1985 – Tranquillo Barnetta, Swiss footballer
  • 1985 – Tao Okamoto, Japanese model and actress
  • 1986 – Julian Edelman, American football player
  • 1986 – Matt Jarvis, English footballer
  • 1986 – Tatiana Volosozhar, Russian figure skater
  • 1987 – Novak Djokovic, Serbian tennis player
  • 1987 – Arturo Vidal, Chilean footballer
  • 1988 – Heida Reed, Icelandic-British actress
  • 1989 – Corey Dickerson, American baseball player
  • 1990 – Wyatt Roy, Australian politician
  • 1991 – Joel Obi, Nigerian footballer
  • 1991 – Suho, South Korean singer and actor
  • 1992 – Anna Baryshnikov, American actress
  • 1994 – Florian Luger, Austrian male model
  • 1998 – Samile Bermannelli, Brazilian fashion model
  • 1999 – Camren Bicondova, American actress
  • 1999 – Femke Huijzer, Dutch model

Deaths on May 22

  • 192 – Dong Zhuo, Chinese warlord and politician (b. 138)
  • 337 – Constantine the Great, Roman emperor (b. 272)
  • 748 – Empress Genshō of Japan (b. 683)
  • 1067 – Constantine X, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1006)
  • 1068 – Emperor Go-Reizei of Japan (b. 1025)
  • 1310 – Saint Humility, founder of the Vallumbrosan religious order of nuns (b. c.1226)
  • 1409 – Blanche of England, sister of King Henry V (b. 1392)
  • 1455 – Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, English commander (b. 1406)
  • 1455 – Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, Lancastrian commander (b. 1414)
  • 1455 – Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, English commander (b. 1393)
  • 1457 – Rita of Cascia, Italian nun and saint (b. 1381)
  • 1490 – Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent, English administrator, nobleman and magnate (b. 1416)
  • 1538 – John Forest, English friar and martyr (b. 1471)
  • 1540 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (b. 1483)
  • 1545 – Sher Shah Suri, Indian ruler (b. 1486)
  • 1553 – Giovanni Bernardi, Italian sculptor and engraver (b. 1495)
  • 1602 – Renata of Lorraine (b. 1544)
  • 1609 – Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff, Dutch captain (b. 1573)
  • 1666 – Gaspar Schott, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1608)
  • 1667 – Pope Alexander VII (b. 1599)
  • 1745 – François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general (b. 1671)
  • 1760 – Baal Shem Tov, Polish rabbi and author (b. 1700)
  • 1772 – Durastante Natalucci, Italian historian and academic (b. 1687)
  • 1795 – Ewald Friedrich von Hertzberg, Prussian politician, Foreign Minister of Prussia (b. 1725)
  • 1802 – Martha Washington, First, First Lady of the United States (b. 1731)
  • 1851 – Mordecai Manuel Noah, American journalist and diplomat (b. 1755)
  • 1859 – Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (b. 1810)
  • 1861 – Thornsbury Bailey Brown, American soldier (b. 1829)
  • 1868 – Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1801)
  • 1885 – Victor Hugo, French novelist, poet, and playwright (b. 1802)
  • 1901 – Gaetano Bresci, Italian-American anarchist, assassin of Umberto I of Italy (b. 1869)
  • 1910 – Jules Renard, French author and playwright (b. 1864)
  • 1932 – Augusta, Lady Gregory, Anglo-Irish activist, landlord, and playwright, co-founded the Abbey Theatre (b. 1852)
  • 1933 – Tsengeltiin Jigjidjav, Mongolian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Mongolia (b. 1894)
  • 1938 – William Glackens, American painter and illustrator (b. 1870)
  • 1939 – Ernst Toller, German playwright and author (b. 1893)
  • 1939 – Jiří Mahen, Czech author and playwright (b. 1882)
  • 1954 – Chief Bender, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1884)
  • 1965 – Christopher Stone, English radio host (b. 1882)
  • 1966 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (b. 1900)
  • 1967 – Langston Hughes, American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright (b. 1902)
  • 1967 – Charlotte Serber, American Librarian of the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos site (b. 1911)
  • 1972 – Cecil Day-Lewis, Anglo-Irish poet and author (b. 1904)
  • 1972 – Margaret Rutherford, English actress (b. 1892)
  • 1974 – Irmgard Flügge-Lotz, German-American mathematician and aerospace engineer (b. 1903)
  • 1975 – Lefty Grove, American baseball player (b. 1900)
  • 1982 – Cevdet Sunay, Turkish general and politician, 5th President of Turkey (b. 1899)
  • 1983 – Albert Claude, Belgian biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
  • 1985 – Wolfgang Reitherman, German-American animator, director, and producer (b. 1909)
  • 1988 – Giorgio Almirante, Italian journalist and politician (b. 1914)
  • 1989 – Steven De Groote, South African pianist and educator (b. 1953)
  • 1990 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer (b. 1922)
  • 1991 – Shripad Amrit Dange, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1899)
  • 1991 – Stan Mortensen, English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
  • 1992 – Zellig Harris, American linguist and academic (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – Mieczysław Horszowski, Polish-American pianist and composer (b. 1892)
  • 1997 – Alziro Bergonzo, Italian architect and painter (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Alfred Hershey, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
  • 1998 – John Derek, American actor, director, and photographer (b. 1926)
  • 1998 – José Enrique Moyal, Israeli physicist and engineer (b. 1910)
  • 2000 – Davie Fulton, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1916)
  • 2004 – Richard Biggs, American actor (b. 1960)
  • 2004 – Mikhail Voronin, Russian gymnast (b. 1945)
  • 2005 – Charilaos Florakis, Greek politician (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – Thurl Ravenscroft, American voice actor and singer (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (b. 1945)
  • 2007 – Pemba Doma Sherpa, Nepalese mountaineer (b. 1970)
  • 2008 – Robert Asprin, American soldier and author (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – Martin Gardner, American mathematician, cryptographer, and author (b. 1914)
  • 2011 – Joseph Brooks, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – Muzafar Bhutto, Pakistani politician (b. 1970)
  • 2012 – Wesley A. Brown, American lieutenant and engineer (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Marques Haynes, American basketball player and coach (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Vladimir Katriuk, Ukrainian-Canadian SS officer (b. 1921)
  • 2016 – Velimir “Bata” Živojinović, Serbian actor and politician (b. 1933)
  • 2017 – Nicky Hayden, American motorcycle racer (b. 1981)
  • 2019 – Judith Kerr, German-born British writer and illustrator (b. 1923)
  • 2020 – Denise Cronenberg, Canadian costume designer (b. 1938)

Holidays and observances on May 22

  • Abolition Day (Martinique)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Castus and Emilius
    • Fulk
    • Humilita
    • Michael Hồ Đình Hy (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)
    • Quiteria
    • Rita of Cascia
    • Romanus of Subiaco
    • May 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Harvey Milk Day (California)
  • International Day for Biological Diversity (International)
  • United States National Maritime Day
  • National Sovereignty Day (Haiti)
  • Republic Day (Sri Lanka)
  • Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari (Ukraine)
  • Unity Day (Yemen), celebrates the unification of North and South Yemen into the Republic of Yemen in 1990.
  • World Goth Day