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  • July 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 484 BC – Dedication of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in ancient Rome
    • AD 70 – Titus and his armies breach the walls of Jerusalem. (17th of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar).
    • 756 – An Lushan Rebellion: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is ordered by his Imperial Guards to execute chancellor Yang Guozhong by forcing him to commit suicide or face a mutiny. General An Lushan has other members of the emperor’s family killed.
    • 1099 – First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final assault of a difficult siege.
    • 1149 – The reconstructed Church of the Holy Sepulchre is consecrated in Jerusalem.
    • 1207 – King John of England expels Canterbury monks for supporting Archbishop Stephen Langton.
    • 1240 – Swedish–Novgorodian Wars: A Novgorodian army led by Alexander Nevsky defeats the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva.
    • 1381 – John Ball, a leader in the Peasants’ Revolt, is hanged, drawn, and quartered in the presence of King Richard II of England.
    • 1410 – Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War: Battle of Grunwald: The allied forces of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the army of the Teutonic Order.
    • 1482 – Muhammad XII is crowned the twenty-second and last Nasrid king of Granada.
    • 1738 – Baruch Laibov and Alexander Voznitzin are burned alive in St. Petersburg, Russia. Vonitzin had converted to Judaism with Laibov’s help, with the consent of Empress Anna Ivanovna.
    • 1741 – Aleksei Chirikov sights land in Southeast Alaska. He sends men ashore in a longboat, making them the first Europeans to visit Alaska.
    • 1789 – Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, is named by acclamation Colonel General of the new National Guard of Paris.
    • 1799 – The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign.
    • 1806 – Pike Expedition: United States Army Lieutenant Zebulon Pike begins an expedition from Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis, Missouri, to explore the west.
    • 1815 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon Bonaparte surrenders aboard HMS Bellerophon.
    • 1823 – A fire destroys the ancient Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Italy.
    • 1834 – The Spanish Inquisition is officially disbanded after nearly 356 years.
    • 1838 – Ralph Waldo Emerson delivers the Divinity School Address at Harvard Divinity School, discounting Biblical miracles and declaring Jesus a great man, but not God. The Protestant community reacts with outrage.
    • 1862 – The CSS Arkansas, the most effective ironclad on the Mississippi River, battles with Union ships commanded by Admiral David Farragut, severely damaging three ships and sustaining heavy damage herself. The encounter changed the complexion of warfare on the Mississippi and helped to reverse Rebel fortunes on the river in the summer of 1862.
    • 1870 – Reconstruction Era of the United States: Georgia becomes the last of the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union.
    • 1870 – Rupert’s Land and the North-Western Territory are transferred to Canada from the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the province of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories are established from these vast territories.
    • 1888 – The stratovolcano Mount Bandai erupts killing approximately 500 people, in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
    • 1910 – In his book Clinical Psychiatry, Emil Kraepelin gives a name to Alzheimer’s disease, naming it after his colleague Alois Alzheimer.
    • 1916 – In Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporate Pacific Aero Products (later renamed Boeing).
    • 1918 – World War I: The Second Battle of the Marne begins near the River Marne with a German attack.
    • 1920 – The Polish Parliament establishes Silesian Voivodeship before the Polish-German plebiscite.
    • 1922 – Japanese Communist Party is established in Japan.
    • 1927 – Massacre of July 15, 1927: Eighty-nine protesters are killed by the Austrian police in Vienna.
    • 1946 – State of North Borneo, today in Sabah, Malaysia, annexed by the United Kingdom.
    • 1954 – First flight of the Boeing 367-80, prototype for both the Boeing 707 and C-135 series.
    • 1955 – Eighteen Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by thirty-four others.
    • 1959 – The steel strike of 1959 begins, leading to significant importation of foreign steel for the first time in United States history.
    • 1966 – Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnam begin Operation Hastings to push the North Vietnamese out of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone.
    • 1971 – The United Red Army is founded in Japan.
    • 1974 – In Nicosia, Cyprus, Greek junta-sponsored nationalists launch a coup d’état, deposing President Makarios and installing Nikos Sampson as Cypriot president.
    • 1975 – Space Race: Apollo–Soyuz Test Project features the dual launch of an Apollo spacecraft and a Soyuz spacecraft on the first joint Soviet-United States human-crewed flight. It was both the last launch of an Apollo spacecraft, and the Saturn family of rockets.
    • 1979 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter gives his “malaise speech”.
    • 1983 – An attack at Orly Airport in Paris is launched by Armenian militant organisation ASALA, leaving eight people dead and 55 injured.
    • 1996 – A Belgian Air Force C-130 Hercules carrying the Royal Netherlands Army marching band crashes on landing at Eindhoven Airport.
    • 1998 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil MP S. Shanmuganathan is killed by a claymore mine.
    • 2002 – “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh pleads guilty to supplying aid to the enemy and to possession of explosives during the commission of a felony.
    • 2002 – Anti-Terrorism Court of Pakistan hands down the death sentence to British born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and life terms to three others suspected of murdering The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
    • 2003 – AOL Time Warner disbands Netscape. The Mozilla Foundation is established on the same day.
    • 2006 – Twitter, later one of the largest social media platforms in the world, is launched.
    • 2014 – A train derails on the Moscow Metro, killing at least 24 and injuring more than 160 others.
    • 2016 – Factions of the Turkish Armed Forces attempt a coup.

    Births on July 15

    • 980 – Ichijō, Japanese emperor (d. 1011)
    • 1273 – Ewostatewos, Ethiopian monk and saint (d. 1352)
    • 1353 – Vladimir the Bold, Russian prince (d. 1410)
    • 1359 – Antonio Correr, Italian cardinal (d. 1445)
    • 1442 – Boček IV of Poděbrady, Bohemian nobleman (d. 1496)
    • 1455 – Queen Yun, Korean queen (d. 1482)
    • 1471 – Eskender, Ethiopian emperor (d. 1494)
    • 1478 – Barbara Jagiellon, duchess consort of Saxony and Margravine consort of Meissen (d. 1534)
    • 1573 – Inigo Jones, English architect, designed the Queen’s House (d. 1652)
    • 1600 – Jan Cossiers, Flemish painter (d. 1671)
    • 1606 – Rembrandt, Dutch painter and etcher (d. 1669)
    • 1611 – Jai Singh I, maharaja of Jaipur (d. 1667)
    • 1613 – Gu Yanwu, Chinese philologist and geographer (d. 1682)
    • 1631 – Jens Juel, Danish politician and diplomat, Governor-general of Norway (d. 1700)
    • 1631 – Richard Cumberland, English philosopher (d. 1718)
    • 1638 – Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1693)
    • 1704 – August Gottlieb Spangenberg, German bishop and theologian (d. 1792)
    • 1779 – Clement Clarke Moore, American author, poet, and educator (d. 1863)
    • 1793 – Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps, American educator, author, editor (d. 1884)
    • 1796 – Thomas Bulfinch, American mythologist (d. 1867)
    • 1799 – Reuben Chapman, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of Alabama (d. 1882)
    • 1800 – Sidney Breese, American jurist and politician (d. 1878)
    • 1808 – Henry Edward Manning, English cardinal (d. 1892)
    • 1812 – James Hope-Scott, English lawyer and academic (d. 1873)
    • 1817 – Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet, English engineer, designed the Forth Bridge (d. 1898)
    • 1827 – W. W. Thayer American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Oregon (d. 1899)
    • 1848 – Vilfredo Pareto, Italian economist and sociologist (d. 1923)
    • 1850 – Frances Xavier Cabrini, Italian-American nun and saint (d. 1917)
    • 1852 – Josef Josephi, Polish-born singer and actor (d. 1920)
    • 1858 – Emmeline Pankhurst, English political activist and suffragist (d. 1928)
    • 1864 – Marie Tempest, English actress and singer (d. 1942)
    • 1865 – Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, Anglo-Irish businessman and publisher, founded the Amalgamated Press (d. 1922)
    • 1865 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (d. 1945)
    • 1867 – Jean-Baptiste Charcot, French physician and explorer (d. 1936)
    • 1871 – Doppo Kunikida, Japanese journalist, author, and poet (d. 1908)
    • 1880 – Enrique Mosca, Argentinian lawyer and politician (d. 1950)
    • 1887 – Wharton Esherick, American sculptor (d. 1970)
    • 1892 – Walter Benjamin, German philosopher and critic (d. 1940)
    • 1893 – Enid Bennett, Australian-American actress (d. 1969)
    • 1893 – Dick Rauch, American football player and coach (d. 1970)
    • 1894 – Tadeusz Sendzimir, Polish-American engineer (d. 1989)
    • 1899 – Seán Lemass, Irish soldier and politician, 4th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 1971)
    • 1902 – Jean Rey, Belgian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the European Commission (d. 1983)
    • 1903 – Walter D. Edmonds, American journalist and author (d. 1998)
    • 1903 – K. Kamaraj, Indian journalist and politician (d. 1975)
    • 1904 – Rudolf Arnheim, German-American psychologist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1905 – Dorothy Fields, American songwriter (d. 1974)
    • 1905 – Anita Farra, Italian actress (d. 2008)
    • 1906 – R. S. Mugali, Indian poet and academic (d. 1993)
    • 1906 – Rudolf Uhlenhaut, English-German engineer (d. 1989)
    • 1909 – Jean Hamburger, French physician and surgeon (d. 1992)
    • 1911 – Edward Shackleton, Baron Shackleton, English geographer and politician, Secretary of State for Air (d. 1994)
    • 1913 – Cowboy Copas, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
    • 1913 – Hammond Innes, English journalist and author (d. 1998)
    • 1913 – Abraham Sutzkever, Russian poet and author (d. 2010)
    • 1914 – Akhtar Hameed Khan, Pakistani economist, scholar, and activist (d. 1999)
    • 1914 – Howard Vernon, Swiss-French actor (d. 1996)
    • 1915 – Albert Ghiorso, American chemist and academic (d. 2010)
    • 1915 – Kashmir Singh Katoch, Indian army officer (d. 2007)
    • 1916 – Sumner Gerard, American politician and diplomat (d. 2004)
    • 1917 – Robert Conquest, English-American historian, poet, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1917 – Joan Roberts, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
    • 1917 – Nur Muhammad Taraki, Afghan journalist and politician (d. 1979)
    • 1918 – Bertram Brockhouse, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)
    • 1918 – Brenda Milner, English-Canadian neuropsychologist and academic
    • 1919 – Fritz Langanke, German lieutenant (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Iris Murdoch, Anglo-Irish British novelist and philosopher (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Jack Beeson, American pianist and composer (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – Henri Colpi, Swiss-French director and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Robert Bruce Merrifield, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Jean Heywood, British actress (d. 2019)
    • 1922 – Leon M. Lederman, American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
    • 1922 – Jean-Pierre Richard, French writer (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Francisco de Andrade, Portuguese sailor
    • 1924 – Jeremiah Denton, American admiral and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Marianne Bernadotte, Swedish actress and philanthropist
    • 1925 – Philip Carey, American actor (d. 2009)
    • 1925 – Taylor Hardwick, American architect, designed Haydon Burns Library and Friendship Fountain Park (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – D. A. Pennebaker, American documentary filmmaker (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Evan Hultman, American politician
    • 1925 – Antony Carbone, American actor
    • 1925 – Pandel Savic, American football player (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Driss Chraïbi, Moroccan-French journalist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1926 – Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentinian general and politician, 44th President of Argentina (d. 2003)
    • 1926 – Raymond Gosling, English physicist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Sir John Graham, 4th Baronet, English diplomat (d. 2019)
    • 1927 – Nan Martin, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1927 – Carmen Zapata, American actress (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Håkon Brusveen, Norwegian cross-country skier
    • 1928 – Carl Woese, American microbiologist and biophysicist (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Viramachaneni Vimla Devi, Indian parliamentarian (d. 1967)
    • 1929 – Charles Anthony, American tenor and actor (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Francis Bebey, Cameroonian-French guitarist (d. 2001)
    • 1929 – Ian Stewart, Scottish race car driver (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Jacques Derrida, Algerian-French philosopher and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1930 – Richard Garneau, Canadian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Stephen Smale, American mathematician and computer scientist
    • 1930 – Einosuke Akiya, Japanese Buddhist leader
    • 1931 – Clive Cussler, American archaeologist and author (d. 2020)
    • 1931 – Joanna Merlin, American actress and casting director
    • 1931 – Jacques-Yvan Morin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
    • 1932 – Ed Litzenberger, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2010)
    • 1933 – Guido Crepax, Italian author and illustrator (d. 2003)
    • 1933 – M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Indian author and screenwriter
    • 1934 – Harrison Birtwistle, English composer and academic
    • 1934 – Eva Krížiková, Czech actress (d. 2020)
    • 1934 – Risto Jarva, Finnish director and producer (d. 1977)
    • 1935 – Donn Clendenon, American baseball player and lawyer (d. 2005)
    • 1935 – Alex Karras, American football player, wrestler, and actor (d. 2012)
    • 1935 – Ken Kercheval, American actor and director (d. 2019)
    • 1936 – George Voinovich, American lawyer and politician, 65th Governor of Ohio (d. 2016)
    • 1937 – Prabhash Joshi, Indian journalist (d. 2009)
    • 1938 – Ernie Barnes, American football player, actor, and painter (d. 2009)
    • 1938 – Carmen Callil, Australian publisher, founded Virago Press
    • 1938 – Barry Goldwater, Jr., American lawyer and politician
    • 1939 – Aníbal Cavaco Silva, Portuguese economist and politician, 19th President of the Portuguese Republic
    • 1940 – Denis Héroux, Canadian director and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Ronald Gene Simmons, American sergeant and convicted murderer (d. 1990)
    • 1940 – Robert Winston, English surgeon, academic, and politician
    • 1942 – Vivian Malone Jones, American civil rights activist (d. 2005)
    • 1943 – Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Northern Irish astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
    • 1944 – Millie Jackson, American singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Jan-Michael Vincent, American actor (d. 2019)
    • 1945 – David Arthur Granger, Guyanese politician, 9th President of Guyana
    • 1945 – Peter Lewis (musician), American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1945 – Jürgen Möllemann, German soldier and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (d. 2003)
    • 1946 – Linda Ronstadt, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1946 – Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei
    • 1947 – Peter Banks, English guitarist and songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1947 – Lydia Davis, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist
    • 1947 – Pridiyathorn Devakula, Thai economist and politician, Thai Minister of Finance
    • 1947 – Roky Erickson, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2019)
    • 1948 – Twinkle, English singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1948 – Dimosthenis Kourtovik, Greek anthropologist and critic
    • 1948 – Artimus Pyle, American rock drummer and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
    • 1949 – Carl Bildt, Swedish politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Sweden
    • 1949 – Trevor Horn, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1949 – Richard Russo, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter
    • 1950 – Colin Barnett, Australian economist and politician, 29th Premier of Western Australia
    • 1950 – Arianna Huffington, Greek-American journalist and publisher (The Huffington Post)
    • 1951 – Gregory Isaacs, Jamaican-English singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1951 – Jesse Ventura, American wrestler, actor, and politician, 38th Governor of Minnesota
    • 1952 – David Pack, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1952 – Celia Imrie, English actress
    • 1952 – Terry O’Quinn, American actor
    • 1952 – Marky Ramone, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1952 – Johnny Thunders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1991)
    • 1953 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haitian priest and politician, 49th President of Haiti
    • 1953 – Sultanah Haminah, Malaysian royal consort
    • 1953 – Mohamad Shahrum Osman, Malaysian politician
    • 1953 – Alicia Bridges, American singer-songwriter
    • 1954 – John Ferguson, Australian rugby league player
    • 1954 – Jeff Jarvis, American journalist and blogger
    • 1954 – Giorgos Kaminis, American-Greek lawyer and politician, 78th Mayor of Athens
    • 1954 – Mario Kempes, Argentinian footballer and manager
    • 1956 – Ashoke Sen, Indian theoretical physicist and string theorist
    • 1956 – Ian Curtis, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Joy Division) (d. 1980)
    • 1956 – Nicholas Harberd, British botanist, educator and academician
    • 1956 – Barry Melrose, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Steve Mortimer, Australian rugby league player, coach, and administrator
    • 1956 – Joe Satriani, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1956 – Wayne Taylor, South African race car driver
    • 1958 – Gary Heale, English footballer and coach
    • 1958 – Mac Thornberry, American lawyer and politician
    • 1959 – Vincent Lindon, French actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Kim Alexis, American fashion model
    • 1961 – Lolita Davidovich, Canadian actress
    • 1961 – Jean-Christophe Grangé, French journalist and screenwriter
    • 1961 – Scott Ritter, American soldier and international weapons inspector
    • 1961 – Forest Whitaker, American actor
    • 1962 – Nikos Filippou, Greek basketball player and manager
    • 1962 – Michelle Ford, Australian swimmer
    • 1963 – Brigitte Nielsen, Danish-Italian actress
    • 1963 – Steve Thomas, English-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1965 – Alistair Carmichael, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1965 – Gero Miesenböck, Austrian neuroscientist and educator
    • 1965 – David Miliband, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
    • 1966 – Jason Bonham, English singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1966 – Irène Jacob, French-Swiss actress
    • 1967 – Adam Savage, American actor and special effects designer
    • 1967 – Elbert West, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1968 – Eddie Griffin, American comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1969 – Ain Tammus, Estonian footballer and coach
    • 1970 – Tarkan Gözübüyük, Turkish bass player and producer
    • 1972 – Scott Foley, American actor
    • 1973 – Brian Austin Green, American actor
    • 1975 – Cherry, American wrestler and manager
    • 1975 – Danny Law, English cricketer
    • 1975 – Ben Pepper, Australian basketball player
    • 1976 – Steve Cunningham, American boxer
    • 1976 – Marco Di Vaio, Italian footballer
    • 1976 – Diane Kruger, German actress and model
    • 1976 – Gabriel Iglesias, Mexican-American comedian and voice actor
    • 1977 – André Nel, South African cricketer
    • 1977 – Lana Parrilla, American actress
    • 1977 – John St. Clair, American football player
    • 1977 – Ray Toro, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Miguel Olivo, Dominican baseball player
    • 1979 – Laura Benanti, American actress and singer
    • 1979 – Alexander Frei, Swiss footballer
    • 1979 – Edda Garðarsdóttir, Icelandic footballer
    • 1979 – Renata Kučerová, Czech tennis player
    • 1980 – Reggie Abercrombie, American baseball player
    • 1980 – BxB Hulk, Japanese professional wrestler
    • 1980 – Jonathan Cheechoo, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Julia Perez, Indonesian singer and actress (d. 2017)
    • 1981 – Alou Diarra, French footballer
    • 1981 – Petros Klampanis, Greek bassist and composer
    • 1981 – Marius Stankevičius, Lithuanian footballer
    • 1982 – Alan Pérez, Spanish cyclist
    • 1982 – Neemia Tialata, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1982 – Aída Yéspica, Venezuelan model and actress
    • 1983 – Nelson Merlo, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1983 – Will Rudge, English cricketer
    • 1983 – Heath Slater, American wrestler
    • 1984 – Angelo Siniscalchi, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Veronika Velez-Zuzulová, Slovak skier
    • 1985 – Sanjeev, Tamil actor
    • 1985 – Tomer Kapon, Israeli actor
    • 1986 – Tyler Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Riki Christodoulou, English race car driver
    • 1989 – Steven Jahn, German footballer
    • 1989 – Alisa Kleybanova, Russian tennis player
    • 1989 – Anthony Randolph, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Zach Bogosian, American ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Damian Lillard, American basketball player
    • 1991 – Danilo, Brazilian footballer
    • 1991 – Derrick Favors, American basketball player
    • 1991 – Evgeny Tishchenko, Russian boxer
    • 1992 – Tobias Harris, American basketball player
    • 1992 – Hokutōfuji Daiki, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1992 – Wayde van Niekerk, South African sprinter
    • 1993 – Håvard Nielsen, Norwegian footballer

    Deaths on July 15

    • 756 – Yang Guifei, consort of Xuan Zong (b. 719)
    • 998 – Abū al-Wafā’ Būzjānī, Persian mathematician and astronomer (b. 940)
    • 1015 – Vladimir the Great, Grand prince of Kievan Rus’ (b. c. 958)
    • 1274 – Bonaventure, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1221)
    • 1291 – Rudolf I of Germany (b. 1218)
    • 1299 – King Eric II of Norway (b. c. 1268)
    • 1381 – John Ball, English Lollard priest
    • 1388 – Agnes of Durazzo, titular Latin empress consort of Constantinople (d. 1313)
    • 1397 – Catherine of Henneberg, German ruler (b. c. 1334)
    • 1406 – William, Duke of Austria
    • 1410 – Ulrich von Jungingen, German Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (b. 1360)
    • 1445 – Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland
    • 1542 – Lisa del Giocondo, subject of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mona Lisa (b. 1479)
    • 1544 – René of Châlon (b. 1519)
    • 1571 – Shimazu Takahisa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1514)
    • 1609 – Annibale Carracci, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1560)
    • 1614 – Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme, French soldier, historian, and author (b. 1540)
    • 1655 – Girolamo Rainaldi, Italian architect (b. 1570)
    • 1685 – James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, Dutch-English general and politician, Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull (b. 1649)
    • 1750 – Vasily Tatishchev, Russian ethnographer and politician (b. 1686)
    • 1765 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (b. 1705)
    • 1767 – Michael Bruce, Scottish poet and composer (b. 1746)
    • 1789 – Jacques Duphly, French harpsichord player and composer (b. 1715)
    • 1828 – Jean-Antoine Houdon, French sculptor (b. 1741)
    • 1839 – Winthrop Mackworth Praed, English poet and politician (b. 1802)
    • 1844 – Claude Charles Fauriel, French philologist and historian (b. 1772)
    • 1851 – Juan Felipe Ibarra, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1787)
    • 1857 – Carl Czerny, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1791)
    • 1858 – Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, Russian painter (b. 1806)
    • 1883 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (b. 1838)
    • 1885 – Rosalía de Castro, Spanish author and poet (b. 1837)
    • 1890 – Gottfried Keller, Swiss author, poet, and playwright (b. 1819)
    • 1898 – Jean-Baptiste Salpointe, French-American archbishop (d. 1825)
    • 1904 – Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer (b. 1860)
    • 1919 – Hermann Emil Fischer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
    • 1929 – Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1874)
    • 1930 – Leopold Auer, Hungarian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1845)
    • 1931 – Ladislaus Bortkiewicz, Russian-German economist and mathematician (b. 1868)
    • 1932 – Bahíyyih Khánum, Iranian writer and leader in the Baha’i faith (b. 1846)
    • 1932 – Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven, South African poet and politician (b. 1873)
    • 1933 – Irving Babbitt, American scholar, critic, and academic (b. 1865)
    • 1933 – Freddie Keppard, American cornet player (b. 1890)
    • 1940 – Eugen Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist and physician (b. 1857)
    • 1940 – Robert Wadlow, American giant, 8″11′ 271 cm (b.1918)
    • 1942 – Wenceslao Vinzons, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1910)
    • 1944 – Marie-Victorin Kirouac, Canadian botanist and academic (b. 1885)
    • 1946 – Razor Smith, English cricketer and coach (b. 1877)
    • 1947 – Walter Donaldson, American soldier and songwriter (b. 1893)
    • 1948 – John J. Pershing, American general (b. 1860)
    • 1953 – Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, Indian archbishop, founded the Order of the Imitation of Christ (b. 1882)
    • 1957 – James M. Cox, American publisher and politician, 46th Governor of Ohio (b. 1870)
    • 1957 – Vasily Maklakov, Russian lawyer and politician (b. 1869)
    • 1959 – Ernest Bloch, Swiss-American composer and academic (b. 1880)
    • 1959 – Vance Palmer, Australian author and critic (b. 1885)
    • 1960 – Set Persson, Swedish politician (b. 1897)
    • 1960 – Lawrence Tibbett, American singer and actor (b. 1896)
    • 1961 – John Edward Brownlee, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Alberta (b. 1884)
    • 1961. – Nina Bari, Russian mathematician (b. 1901)
    • 1965 – Francis Cherry, American lawyer and politician, 35th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1908)
    • 1966 – Seyfi Arkan, Turkish architect (b. 1903)
    • 1974 – Christine Chubbuck, American journalist (b. 1944)
    • 1976 – Paul Gallico, American journalist and author (b. 1897)
    • 1977 – Donald Mackay, Australian businessman and activist (b. 1933)
    • 1979 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican academic and politician, 29th President of Mexico, 1964-1970 (b. 1911)
    • 1981 – Frédéric Dorion, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1898)
    • 1982 – Bill Justis, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1926)
    • 1986 – Billy Haughton, American harness racer and trainer (b. 1923)
    • 1988 – Eleanor Estes, American librarian, author, and illustrator (b. 1906)
    • 1989 – Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (b. 1956)
    • 1990 – Zaim Topčić, Yugoslav and Bosnian writer (b. 1920)
    • 1990 – Margaret Lockwood, English actress (b. 1916)
    • 1990 – Omar Abu Risha, Syrian poet and diplomat, 4th Syrian Ambassador to the United States (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – Bert Convy, American actor, singer, and game show host (b. 1933)
    • 1992 – Hammer DeRoburt, Nauruan educator and politician, 1st President of Nauru (b. 1922)
    • 1992 – Chingiz Mustafayev, Azerbaijani journalist and author (b. 1960)
    • 1997 – Justinas Lagunavičius, Lithuanian basketball player (b. 1924)
    • 1997 – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founded Versace (b. 1946)
    • 1998 – S. Shanmuganathan, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1960)
    • 2000 – Louis Quilico, Canadian opera singer and educator (b. 1925)
    • 2001 – C. Balasingham, Sri Lankan lawyer and civil servant (b. 1917)
    • 2003 – Roberto Bolaño, Chilean novelist, short-story writer, poet, and essayist (b. 1953)
    • 2003 – Elisabeth Welch, American actress and singer (b. 1904)
    • 2006 – Robert H. Brooks, American businessman, founder of Hooters and Naturally Fresh, Inc. (b. 1937)
    • 2006 – Alireza Shapour Shahbazi, Iranian archaeologist and academic (b. 1942)
    • 2008 – György Kolonics, Hungarian canoe racer (b. 1972)
    • 2010 – James E. Akins, American politician and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Friedrich Wilhelm Schnitzler, German landowner and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2011 – Googie Withers, British-Australian actress (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Boris Cebotari, Moldovan footballer (b. 1975)
    • 2012 – Tsilla Chelton, Israeli-French actress (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Grant Feasel, American football player (b. 1960)
    • 2012 – David Fraser, English general (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Celeste Holm, American actress and singer (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Yoichi Takabayashi, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Ninos Aho, Syrian-American poet and activist (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Henry Braden, American lawyer and politician (b. 1944)
    • 2013 – Tom Greenwell, American lawyer and judge (b. 1956)
    • 2013 – Earl Gros, American football player (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Noël Lee, Chinese-American pianist and composer (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Meskerem Legesse, Ethiopian runner (b. 1986)
    • 2013 – John T. Riedl, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1962)
    • 2014 – Óscar Acosta, Honduran author, poet, and diplomat (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – James MacGregor Burns, American historian, political scientist, and author (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Saúl Lara, Spanish footballer (b. 1982)
    • 2014 – Edward Perl, American neuroscientist and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Robert A. Roe, American soldier and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Masahiko Aoki, Japanese-American economist and academic (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Wan Li, Chinese politician, 4th Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – Aubrey Morris, British actor (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Dave Somerville, Canadian singer (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Martin Landau, American film and television actor (b. 1928)

    Holidays and observances on July 15

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)
      • Anne-Marie Javouhey
      • Bernhard II, Margrave of Baden-Baden
      • Bonaventure
      • Dispersion of the Apostles (No longer officially celebrated by the Catholic Church)
      • Donald of Ogilvy
      • Edith of Polesworth
      • Edith of Wilton
      • Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
      • Plechelm
      • Quriaqos and Julietta
      • Swithun
      • Vladimir the Great (Eastern Orthodox; Catholic Church)
      • July 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July. (Puerto Rico)
    • Earliest day on which Galla Bayramy can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday of July. (Turkmenistan)
    • Earliest day on which Marine Day can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July. (Japan)
    • Earliest day on which President’s Day (Botswana) can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July.
    • Elderly Men Day (Kiribati)
    • Festival of Santa Rosalia (Palermo, Sicily)
    • Sultan’s Birthday (Brunei Darussalam)

  • June 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei.
    • 1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi.
    • 1194 – Sverre is crowned King of Norway, leading to his excommunication by the Catholic Church and civil war.
    • 1444 – Skanderbeg defeats an Ottoman invasion force at Torvioll.
    • 1534 – Jacques Cartier is the first European to reach Prince Edward Island.
    • 1613 – The Globe Theatre in London, built by William Shakespeare‘s playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, burns to the ground.
    • 1644 – Charles I of England defeats a Parliamentarian detachment at the Battle of Cropredy Bridge.
    • 1659 – At the Battle of Konotop the Ukrainian armies of Ivan Vyhovsky defeat the Russians led by Prince Trubetskoy.
    • 1786 – Alexander Macdonell and over five hundred Roman Catholic highlanders leave Scotland to settle in Glengarry County, Ontario.
    • 1807 – Russo-Turkish War: Admiral Dmitry Senyavin destroys the Ottoman fleet in the Battle of Athos.
    • 1850 – Autocephaly officially granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to the Church of Greece.
    • 1864 – At least 99 people, mostly German and Polish immigrants, are killed in Canada’s worst railway disaster after a train fails to stop for an open drawbridge and plunges into the Rivière Richelieu near St-Hilaire, Quebec.
    • 1874 – Greek politician Charilaos Trikoupis publishes a manifesto in the Athens daily Kairoi entitled “Who’s to Blame?” leveling complaints against King George. Trikoupis is elected Prime Minister of Greece the next year.
    • 1880 – France annexes Tahiti, renaming the independent Kingdom of Tahiti as “Etablissements de français de l’Océanie”.
    • 1881 – In Sudan, Muhammad Ahmad declares himself to be the Mahdi, the messianic redeemer of Islam.
    • 1888 – George Edward Gouraud records Handel’s Israel in Egypt onto a phonograph cylinder, thought for many years to be the oldest known recording of music.
    • 1889 – Hyde Park and several other Illinois townships vote to be annexed by Chicago, forming the largest United States city in area and second largest in population at the time.
    • 1915 – The North Saskatchewan River flood of 1915 is the worst flood in Edmonton history.
    • 1916 – British diplomat turned Irish nationalist Roger Casement is sentenced to death for his part in the Easter Rising.
    • 1922 – France grants 1 km2 at Vimy Ridge “freely, and for all time, to the Government of Canada, the free use of the land exempt from all taxes”.
    • 1927 – The Bird of Paradise, a U.S. Army Air Corps Fokker tri-motor, completes the first transpacific flight, from the mainland United States to Hawaii.
    • 1945 – The Soviet Union annexes the Czechoslovak province of Carpathian Ruthenia.
    • 1950 – Korean War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman authorizes a sea blockade of Korea.
    • 1956 – The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 is signed by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, officially creating the United States Interstate Highway System.
    • 1972 – The United States Supreme Court rules in the case Furman v. Georgia that arbitrary and inconsistent imposition of the death penalty violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
    • 1974 – Vice President Isabel Perón assumes powers and duties as Acting President of Argentina, while her husband President Juan Peron is terminally ill.
    • 1974 – Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Soviet Union to Canada while on tour with the Kirov Ballet.
    • 1975 – Steve Wozniak tested his first prototype of Apple I computer.
    • 1976 – The Seychelles become independent from the United Kingdom.
    • 1976 – The Conference of Communist and Workers Parties of Europe convenes in East Berlin.
    • 1987 – Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, the Le Pont de Trinquetaille, was bought for $20.4 million at an auction in London, England.
    • 1995 – Space Shuttle program: STS-71 Mission (Atlantis) docks with the Russian space station Mir for the first time.
    • 1995 – The Sampoong Department Store collapses in the Seocho District of Seoul, South Korea, killing 501 and injuring 937.
    • 2002 – Naval clashes between South Korea and North Korea lead to the death of six South Korean sailors and sinking of a North Korean vessel.
    • 2006 – Hamdan v. Rumsfeld: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that President George W. Bush’s plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violates U.S. and international law.
    • 2007 – Apple Inc. releases its first mobile phone, the iPhone.
    • 2012 – A derecho sweeps across the eastern United States, leaving at least 22 people dead and millions without power.
    • 2014 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant self-declared its caliphate in Syria and northern Iraq.

    Births on June 29

    • 1136 – Petronilla of Aragon (d. 1173)
    • 1326 – Murad I, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1389)
    • 1398 – John II of Aragon and Navarre (d. 1479)
    • 1443 – Anthony Browne, English knight (d. 1506)
    • 1482 – Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (d. 1517)
    • 1488 – Pedro Pacheco de Villena, Catholic cardinal (d. 1560)
    • 1517 – Rembert Dodoens, Flemish physician and botanist (d. 1585)
    • 1525 – Peter Agricola, German humanist, theologian, diplomat and statesman (d. 1585)
    • 1528 – Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1589)
    • 1543 – Christine of Hesse, Duchess consort of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1604)
    • 1596 – Emperor Go-Mizunoo of Japan (d. 1680)
    • 1621 – Willem van der Zaan, Dutch Admiral (d. 1669)
    • 1686 – Pietro Paolo Troisi, Maltese artist (d. 1743)
    • 1746 – Joachim Heinrich Campe, German linguist, author, and educator (d. 1818)
    • 1768 – Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (d. 1831)
    • 1787 – Lavinia Stoddard, American poet, school founder (d. 1820)
    • 1793 – Josef Ressel, Czech-Austrian inventor, invented the propeller (d. 1857)
    • 1798 – Willibald Alexis, German author and poet (d. 1871)
    • 1798 – Giacomo Leopardi, Italian poet and philosopher (d. 1837)
    • 1801 – Frédéric Bastiat, French economist and theorist (d. 1850)
    • 1803 – John Newton Brown, American minister and author (d. 1868)
    • 1818 – Angelo Secchi, Italian astronomer and academic (d. 1878)
    • 1819 – Thomas Dunn English, American poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1902)
    • 1833 – Peter Waage, Norwegian chemist and academic (d. 1900)
    • 1835 – Celia Thaxter, American poet and story writer (d. 1894)
    • 1844 – Peter I of Serbia (d. 1921)
    • 1849 – Pedro Montt, Chilean lawyer and politician, 15th President of Chile (d. 1910)
    • 1849 – Sergei Witte, Russian politician, 1st Chairmen of Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire (d. 1915)
    • 1849 – John Hunn, American businessman and politician, 51st Governor of Delaware (d. 1926)
    • 1858 – George Washington Goethals, American general and engineer, co-designed the Panama Canal (d. 1928)
    • 1858 – Julia Lathrop, American activist and politician (d. 1932)
    • 1861 – William James Mayo, American physician and surgeon, co-founded the Mayo Clinic (d. 1939)
    • 1863 – Wilbert Robinson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1934)
    • 1866 – Bartholomeus Roodenburch, Dutch swimmer (d. 1939)
    • 1868 – George Ellery Hale, American astronomer and journalist (d. 1938)
    • 1870 – Joseph Carl Breil, American tenor, composer, and director (d. 1926)
    • 1873 – Leo Frobenius, German ethnologist and archaeologist (d. 1938)
    • 1879 – Benedetto Aloisi Masella, Italian cardinal (d. 1970)
    • 1880 – Ludwig Beck, German general (d. 1944)
    • 1881 – Harry Frazee, American director, producer, and agent (d. 1929)
    • 1881 – Curt Sachs, German-American composer and musicologist (d. 1959)
    • 1882 – Henry Hawtrey, English runner (d. 1961)
    • 1882 – Franz Seldte, German captain and politician, Reich Minister for Labour (d. 1947)
    • 1886 – Robert Schuman, Luxembourgian-French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1963)
    • 1888 – Squizzy Taylor, Australian gangster (d. 1927)
    • 1889 – Willie Macfarlane, Scottish-American golfer (d. 1961)
    • 1890 – Robert Laurent, American sculptor and academic (d. 1970)
    • 1890 – Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, Dutch supercentenarian (d. 2005)
    • 1893 – Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, Indian economist and statistician (d. 1972)
    • 1893 – Aarre Merikanto, Finnish composer and educator (d. 1958)
    • 1897 – Fulgence Charpentier, Canadian journalist and publisher (d. 2001)
    • 1898 – Yvonne Lefébure, French pianist and educator (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French poet and pilot (d. 1944)
    • 1901 – Nelson Eddy, American singer and actor (d. 1967)
    • 1903 – Alan Blumlein, English engineer, developed the H2S radar (d. 1942)
    • 1904 – Witold Hurewicz, Polish mathematician (d. 1956)
    • 1906 – Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Ukrainian general (d. 1945)
    • 1906 – Heinz Harmel, German general (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Leroy Anderson, American composer and conductor (d. 1975)
    • 1908 – Erik Lundqvist, Swedish javelin thrower (d. 1963)
    • 1910 – Frank Loesser, American composer and conductor (d. 1969)
    • 1910 – Burgess Whitehead, American baseball player (d. 1993)
    • 1911 – Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (d. 2004)
    • 1911 – Katherine DeMille, Canadian-American actress (d. 1995)
    • 1911 – Bernard Herrmann, American composer and conductor (d. 1975)
    • 1912 – José Pablo Moncayo, Mexican pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1958)
    • 1912 – Émile Peynaud, French oenologist and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – John Toland, American historian and author (d. 2004)
    • 1913 – Earle Meadows, American pole vaulter (d. 1992)
    • 1914 – Rafael Kubelík, Czech-American conductor and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1914 – Christos Papakyriakopoulos, Greek-American mathematician and academic (d. 1976)
    • 1916 – Ruth Warrick, American actress and activist (d. 2005)
    • 1917 – Ling Yun, Chinese politician (d. 2018)
    • 1918 – Heini Lohrer, Swiss ice hockey player (d. 2011)
    • 1918 – Gene La Rocque, U.S admiral (d. 2016)
    • 1918 – Francis W. Nye, United States Air Force major general (d. 2019)
    • 1919 – Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, Mexican cardinal (d. 2008)
    • 1919 – Walter Babington Thomas, Commander of British Far East Land Forces (d. 2017)
    • 1919 – Slim Pickens, American actor and rodeo performer (d. 1983)
    • 1920 – César Rodríguez Álvarez, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Ray Harryhausen, American animator and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Nicole Russell, Duchess of Bedford (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Frédéric Dard, French author and screenwriter (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Jean Kent, English actress (d. 2013)
    • 1921 – Reinhard Mohn, German businessman (d. 2009)
    • 1921 – Harry Schell, French-American race car driver (d. 1960)
    • 1922 – Ralph Burns, American songwriter, bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and pianist (d. 2001)
    • 1922 – Vasko Popa, Serbian poet and academic (d. 1991)
    • 1922 – John William Vessey, Jr., American general (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Chou Wen-chung, Chinese-American composer and educator (d. 2019)
    • 1924 – Ezra Laderman, American composer and educator (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Roy Walford, American pathologist and gerontologist (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Philip H. Hoff, American politician (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Francis S. Currey, American World War II Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Giorgio Napolitano, Italian journalist and politician, 11th President of Italy
    • 1925 – Chan Parker, American dancer and author (d. 1999)
    • 1925 – Jackie Lynn Taylor, American actress (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Cara Williams, American actress
    • 1926 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler, 3rd Emir of Kuwait (d. 2006)
    • 1926 – Julius W. Becton, Jr., U.S lieutenant general
    • 1926 – Roger Stuart Bacon, Nova Scotia politician
    • 1926 – Bobby Morgan, American professional baseball player
    • 1927 – Pierre Perrault, Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 1999)
    • 1927 – Marie Thérèse Killens, Canadian politician
    • 1928 – Ian Bannen, Scottish actor (d. 1999)
    • 1928 – Jean-Louis Pesch, French author and illustrator
    • 1928 – Radius Prawiro, Indonesian economist and politician (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Pat Crawford Brown, American actress
    • 1929 – Pete George, American weightlifter
    • 1929 – Oriana Fallaci, Italian journalist and author (d. 2006)
    • 1930 – Ernst Albrecht, German economist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Lower Saxony (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Robert Evans, American actor and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Viola Léger, American-Canadian actress and politician
    • 1930 – Sławomir Mrożek, Polish-French author and playwright (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Sevim Burak, Turkish author (d. 1983)
    • 1932 – Brian Hutton, Baron Hutton, British jurist; Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
    • 1933 – Bob Shaw, American baseball player and manager (d. 2010)
    • 1933 – John Bradshaw, American theologian and author (d. 2016)
    • 1934 – Corey Allen, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1935 – Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos, Greek captain and businessman (d. 2011)
    • 1935 – Katsuya Nomura, Japanese baseball player and manager
    • 1936 – Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2011)
    • 1939 – Alan Connolly, Australian cricketer
    • 1939 – Amarildo Tavares da Silveira, Brazilian footballer and coach
    • 1940 – Vyacheslav Artyomov, Russian composer
    • 1940 – John Dawes, Welsh rugby player and coach
    • 1941 – John Boccabella, American baseball player
    • 1941 – Stokely Carmichael, Trinidadian-American activist (d. 1998)
    • 1942 – Charlotte Bingham, English author and screenwriter
    • 1942 – Mike Willesee, Australian journalist and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1943 – Little Eva, American singer (d. 2003)
    • 1943 – Louis Nicollin, French entrepreneur and chairman of Montpellier HSC (d. 2017)
    • 1944 – Gary Busey, American actor
    • 1944 – Andreu Mas-Colell, Spanish economist, academic, and politician
    • 1944 – Seán Patrick O’Malley, American cardinal
    • 1945 – Chandrika Kumaratunga, Sri Lankan journalist and politician, 5th President of Sri Lanka
    • 1946 – Ernesto Pérez Balladares, Panamanian politician, 33rd President of Panama
    • 1946 – Egon von Fürstenberg, Swiss fashion designer (d. 2004)
    • 1947 – Richard Lewis, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Sean Bergin, South African-Dutch saxophonist and flute player (d. 2012)
    • 1948 – Fred Grandy, American actor and politician
    • 1948 – Ian Paice, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
    • 1948 – Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar, Kenyan-English politician
    • 1949 – Dan Dierdorf, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1949 – Joan Clos, Spanish anesthesiologist and politician, 116th Mayor of Barcelona
    • 1949 – Ann Veneman, American lawyer and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Agriculture
    • 1950 – Bobby London, American illustrator
    • 1951 – Craig Sager, American sportscaster (d. 2016)
    • 1953 – Don Dokken, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – Colin Hay, Scottish-Australian singer and guitarist
    • 1954 – Rick Honeycutt, American baseball player and coach
    • 1954 – Leovegildo Lins da Gama Júnior, Brazilian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1955 – Charles J. Precourt, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1956 – Nick Fry, English economist and businessman
    • 1956 – David Burroughs Mattingly, American illustrator and painter
    • 1956 – Pedro Guerrero, Dominican-American baseball player and manager
    • 1956 – Pedro Santana Lopes, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 118th Prime Minister of Portugal
    • 1956 – Pyotr Vasilevsky, Belarusian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1957 – Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Turkmen dentist and politician, 2nd President of Turkmenistan
    • 1957 – María Conchita Alonso, Cuban-Venezuelan singer and actress
    • 1957 – Robert Forster, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1957 – Michael Nutter, American politician, 98th Mayor of Philadelphia
    • 1957 – Terry Wyatt, English physicist and academic
    • 1958 – Dieter Althaus, German politician
    • 1958 – Rosa Mota, Portuguese runner
    • 1961 – Sharon Lawrence, American actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1962 – Amanda Donohoe, English actress
    • 1962 – Joan Laporta, Spanish lawyer and politician
    • 1962 – George D. Zamka, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1963 – Anne-Sophie Mutter, German violinist
    • 1964 – Stedman Pearson, English singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1965 – Tripp Eisen, American guitarist
    • 1965 – Paul Jarvis, English cricketer
    • 1966 – Yoko Kamio, Japanese author and comic artist
    • 1967 – Jeff Burton, American race car driver
    • 1967 – Melora Hardin, American actress and singer
    • 1967 – Seamus McGarvey, Northern Irish cinematographer
    • 1968 – Brian d’Arcy James, American actor and musician
    • 1968 – Theoren Fleury, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1968 – Judith Hoag, American actress and educator
    • 1969 – Claude Béchard, Canadian politician (d. 2010)
    • 1969 – Pavlos Dermitzakis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Tōru Hashimoto, Japanese lawyer and politician
    • 1970 – Melanie Paschke, German sprinter
    • 1970 – Emily Skinner, American actress and singer
    • 1971 – Matthew Good, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1973 – George Hincapie, American cyclist
    • 1976 – Daniel Carlsson, Swedish race car driver
    • 1976 – Bret McKenzie, New Zealand comedian, actor, musician, songwriter, and producer
    • 1977 – Sotiris Liberopoulos, Greek footballer
    • 1977 – Zuleikha Robinson, English actress
    • 1978 – Nicole Scherzinger, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1979 – Matthew Bode, Australian footballer
    • 1979 – Andy O’Brien, English footballer
    • 1979 – Marleen Veldhuis, Dutch swimmer
    • 1980 – Katherine Jenkins, Welsh soprano and actress
    • 1981 – Luke Branighan, Australian rugby league player
    • 1981 – Joe Johnson, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (d. 2005)
    • 1981 – Shmuly Yanklowitz, American rabbi, author, and educator
    • 1982 – Dusty Hughes, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Lily Rabe, American actress
    • 1983 – Aundrea Fimbres, American singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1983 – Jeremy Powers, American cyclist
    • 1984 – Aleksandr Shustov, Russian high jumper
    • 1985 – Quintin Demps, American football player
    • 1986 – José Manuel Jurado, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Edward Maya, Romanian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1988 – Éver Banega, Argentinian footballer
    • 1990 – Kim Little, Scottish footballer
    • 1990 – Yann M’Vila, French footballer
    • 1991 – Suk Hyun-jun, South Korean footballer
    • 1991 – Kawhi Leonard, American basketball player
    • 1991 – Addison Timlin, American actress
    • 1993 – Harrison Gilbertson, Australian actor
    • 1994 – Camila Mendes, American actress and model
    • 1996 – Joseph Manu, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1998 – Michael Porter Jr., American basketball player
    • 2006 – Sam Lavagnino, American child voice actor

    Deaths on June 29

    • 226 – Cao Pi, Chinese emperor (b. 187)
    • 884 – Yang Shili, general of the Tang Dynasty
    • 976 – Gero, archbishop of Cologne
    • 1059 – Bernard II, Duke of Saxony (b. 995)
    • 1149 – Raymond of Poitiers, Prince of Antioch (b. 1115)
    • 1153 – Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles
    • 1252 – Abel, King of Denmark (b. 1218)
    • 1293 – Henry of Ghent, philosopher (b. c.1217)
    • 1315 – Ramon Llull, Spanish philosopher (b. 1235)
    • 1344 – Joan of Savoy, duchess consort of Brittany, throne claimant of Savoy (b. 1310)
    • 1374 – Jan Milíč of Kroměříž, Czech priest and reformer
    • 1432 – Janus of Cyprus (b. 1375)
    • 1509 – Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (b. 1443)
    • 1520 – Moctezuma II, Aztec ruler (b. 1466)
    • 1575 – Baba Nobuharu, Japanese samurai (b. 1515)
    • 1594 – Niels Kaas, Danish politician, Chancellor of Denmark (b. 1535)
    • 1626 – Scipione Cobelluzzi, Italian cardinal and archivist (b. 1564)
    • 1646 – Laughlin Ó Cellaigh, Gaelic-Irish Lord
    • 1725 – Arai Hakuseki, Japanese philosopher, academic, and politician (b. 1657)
    • 1729 – Edward Taylor, American-English poet, pastor, and physician (b. circa 1642)
    • 1744 – André Campra, French composer and conductor (b. 1660)
    • 1764 – Ralph Allen, English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1693)
    • 1779 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German painter (b. 1728)
    • 1831 – Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom und zum Stein, Prussian minister and politician (b. 1757)
    • 1840 – Lucien Bonaparte, French prince (b. 1775)
    • 1852 – Henry Clay, American lawyer and politician, 9th United States Secretary of State (b. 1777)
    • 1853 – Adrien-Henri de Jussieu, French botanist and academic (b. 1797)
    • 1855 – John Gorrie, American physician and humanitarian (b. 1803)
    • 1860 – Thomas Addison, English physician and endocrinologist (b. 1793)
    • 1861 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet and translator (b. 1806)
    • 1873 – Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Indian poet and playwright (b. 1824)
    • 1875 – Ferdinand I of Austria (b. 1793)
    • 1895 – Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist (b. 1825)
    • 1900 – Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1827)
    • 1907 – Konstantinos Volanakis, Greek painter and academic (b. 1837)
    • 1919 – José Gregorio Hernández Venezuelan physician and educator (b. 1864)
    • 1931 – Nérée Beauchemin, Canadian poet and physician (b. 1850)
    • 1933 – Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1887)
    • 1935 – Jack O’Neill, Irish-American baseball player and manager (b. 1873)
    • 1936 – János Szlepecz, Slovene priest and missionary (b. 1872)
    • 1940 – Paul Klee, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1879)
    • 1941 – Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish pianist, composer, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1860)
    • 1942 – Paul Troje, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1864)
    • 1949 – Themistoklis Sofoulis, Greek politician, 115th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1860)
    • 1955 – Max Pechstein, German painter and academic (b. 1881)
    • 1960 – Frank Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1885)
    • 1962 – Charles Lyon Chandler, American historian (b. 1883)
    • 1964 – Eric Dolphy, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1928)
    • 1967 – Primo Carnera, Italian boxer and actor (b. 1906)
    • 1967 – Jayne Mansfield, American actress (b. 1933)
    • 1969 – Moise Tshombe, Congolese accountant and politician, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1919)
    • 1971 – Nestor Mesta Chayres, Mexican operatic tenor and bolero vocalist (b. 1908)
    • 1975 – Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
    • 1978 – Bob Crane, American actor (b. 1928)
    • 1979 – Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1945)
    • 1980 – Jorge Basadre, Peruvian historian (b. 1903)
    • 1981 – Russell Drysdale, English-Australian painter (b. 1912)
    • 1982 – Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer, founded Balmain (b. 1914)
    • 1982 – Henry King, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1886)
    • 1986 – Frank Wise, Australian politician, 16th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1897)
    • 1990 – Irving Wallace, American author and screenwriter (b. 1916)
    • 1992 – Mohamed Boudiaf, Algerian soldier and politician, President of Algeria (b. 1919)
    • 1993 – Héctor Lavoe, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
    • 1994 – Kurt Eichhorn, German conductor and educator (b. 1908)
    • 1995 – Lana Turner, American actress (b. 1921)
    • 1997 – William Hickey, American actor (b. 1927)
    • 1998 – Horst Jankowski, German pianist and composer (b. 1936)
    • 1999 – Karekin I, Syrian-Armenian patriarch (b. 1950)
    • 1999 – Allan Carr, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1937)
    • 2000 – Vittorio Gassman, Italian actor and director (b. 1922)
    • 2002 – Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (b. 1928)
    • 2003 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (b. 1907)
    • 2004 – Bernard Babior, American physician and biochemist (b. 1935)
    • 2004 – Alvin Hamilton, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1912)
    • 2006 – Fabián Bielinsky, Argentinian director and screenwriter (b. 1959)
    • 2006 – Randy Walker, American football player and coach (b. 1954)
    • 2007 – Fred Saberhagen, American soldier and author (b. 1930)
    • 2007 – Joel Siegel, American journalist and critic (b. 1943)
    • 2009 – Joe Bowman, American, target shooter and boot-maker (b. 1925)
    • 2011 – K. D. Sethna, Indian poet, scholar, writer, philosopher, and cultural critic (b. 1904)
    • 2012 – Yong Nyuk Lin, Singaporean politician, Singaporean Minister of Health (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Vincent Ostrom, American political scientist and academic (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Juan Reccius, Chilean triple jumper (b. 1911)
    • 2012 – Floyd Temple, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Peter Fitzgerald, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Jack Gotta, American-Canadian football player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Margherita Hack, Italian astrophysicist and author (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Gilma Jiménez, Colombian politician (b. 1956)
    • 2014 – Damian D’Oliveira, South African cricketer (b. 1960)
    • 2014 – Dermot Healy, Irish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Hisham Barakat, Egyptian lawyer and judge (b. 1950)
    • 2015 – Josef Masopust, Czech footballer and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Charles Pasqua, French businessman and politician, French Minister of the Interior (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Jan Hettema, Springbok cyclist and five times South African National Rally Champion (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Louis Nicollin, French entrepreneur and chairman of Montpellier HSC from 1974 to his death (b. 1943)
    • 2017 – Dave Semenko, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1957)
    • 2018 – Steve Ditko, American comic writer and illustrator (b. 1927)
    • 2020 – Carl Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)

    Holidays and observances on June 29

    • Christian feast day:
      • Cassius of Narni
      • Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Western Christianity), and its related observances:
        • Haro Wine Festival (Haro, La Rioja)
        • l-Imnarja (Malta)
      • June 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Engineer’s Day (Ecuador)
    • Independence Day (Seychelles), celebrates the independence of Seychelles from the United Kingdom in 1976.
    • Veterans’ Day (Netherlands)

  • April 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th dynasty).
    • 1183 BC – Traditional reckoning of the Fall of Troy marking the end of the legendary Trojan War, given by chief librarian of the Library of Alexandria Erastothenes, among others.
    • 1547 – Battle of Mühlberg. Duke of Alba, commanding Spanish-Imperial forces of Charles I of Spain, defeats the troops of Schmalkaldic League.
    • 1558 – Mary, Queen of Scots, marries the Dauphin of France, François, at Notre Dame de Paris.
    • 1704 – The first regular newspaper in British Colonial America, The Boston News-Letter, is published.
    • 1800 – The United States Library of Congress is established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 to purchase “such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress”.
    • 1877 – Russo-Turkish War: Russian Empire declares war on Ottoman Empire.
    • 1885 – American sharpshooter Annie Oakley is hired by Nate Salsbury to be a part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.
    • 1895 – Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail single-handedly around the world, sets sail from Boston, Massachusetts aboard the sloop “Spray”.
    • 1913 – The Woolworth Building, a skyscraper in New York City, is opened.
    • 1914 – The Franck–Hertz experiment, a pillar of quantum mechanics, is presented to the German Physical Society.
    • 1915 – The arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Istanbul marks the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.
    • 1916 – Easter Rising: Irish rebels, led by Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, launch an uprising in Dublin against British rule and proclaim an Irish Republic.
    • 1916 – Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organise a rescue for the crew of the sunken Endurance.
    • 1918 – World War I: First tank-to-tank combat, during the second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. Three British Mark IVs meet three German A7Vs.
    • 1922 – The first segment of the Imperial Wireless Chain providing wireless telegraphy between Leafield in Oxfordshire, England, and Cairo, Egypt, comes into operation.
    • 1926 – The Treaty of Berlin is signed. Germany and the Soviet Union each pledge neutrality in the event of an attack on the other by a third party for the next five years.
    • 1932 – Benny Rothman leads the mass trespass of Kinder Scout, leading to substantial legal reforms in the United Kingdom.
    • 1933 – Nazi Germany begins its persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses by shutting down the Watch Tower Society office in Magdeburg.
    • 1944 – World War II: The SBS launches a raid against the garrison of Santorini in Greece.
    • 1953 – Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
    • 1955 – The Bandung Conference ends: Twenty-nine non-aligned nations of Asia and Africa finish a meeting that condemns colonialism, racism, and the Cold War.
    • 1957 – Suez Crisis: The Suez Canal is reopened following the introduction of UNEF peacekeepers to the region.
    • 1963 – Marriage of Princess Alexandra of Kent to Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey in London.
    • 1965 – Civil war breaks out in the Dominican Republic when Colonel Francisco Caamaño overthrows the triumvirate that had been in power since the coup d’état against Juan Bosch.
    • 1967 – Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1 when its parachute fails to open. He is the first human to die during a space mission.
    • 1967 – Vietnam War: American General William Westmoreland says in a news conference that the enemy had “gained support in the United States that gives him hope that he can win politically that which he cannot win militarily”.
    • 1970 – China launches Dong Fang Hong I, becoming the fifth nation to put an object into orbit using its own booster.
    • 1970 – The Gambia becomes a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, with Dawda Jawara as its first President.
    • 1980 – Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis.
    • 1990 – STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery.
    • 1990 – Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.
    • 1993 – An IRA bomb devastates the Bishopsgate area of London.
    • 1996 – In the United States, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is passed into law.
    • 2004 – The United States lifts economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years previously, as a reward for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction.
    • 2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.
    • 2011 – WikiLeaks starts publishing the Guantanamo Bay files leak.
    • 2013 – A building collapses near Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 1,129 people and injuring 2,500 others.
    • 2013 – Violence in Bachu County, Kashgar Prefecture, of China’s Xinjiang results in death of 21 people.

    Births on April 24

    • 1086 – Ramiro II of Aragon (d. 1157)
    • 1492 – Sabina of Bavaria, Bavarian duchess and noblewoman (d. 1564)
    • 1532 – Thomas Lucy, English politician (d. 1600)
    • 1533 – William I of Orange, founding father of the Netherlands (d. 1584)
    • 1538 – Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (d. 1587)
    • 1545 – Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, English Earl (d. 1581)
    • 1562 – Xu Guangqi, Ming Dynasty Chinese politician, scholar and lay Catholic leader (d. 1633)
    • 1581 – Vincent de Paul, French priest and saint (d. 1660)
    • 1608 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans, third son of King Henry IV of France (d. 1660)
    • 1620 – John Graunt, English demographer and statistician (d. 1674)
    • 1706 – Giovanni Battista Martini, Italian pianist and composer (d. 1780)
    • 1718 – Nathaniel Hone the Elder, Irish-English painter and educator (d. 1784)
    • 1743 – Edmund Cartwright, English clergyman and engineer, invented the power loom (d. 1823)
    • 1784 – Peter Vivian Daniel, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1860)
    • 1815 – Anthony Trollope, English novelist, essayist, and short story writer (d. 1882)
    • 1823 – Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician, President of Mexico (d. 1889)
    • 1845 – Carl Spitteler, Swiss poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
    • 1856 – Philippe Pétain, French general and politician, 119th Prime Minister of France (d. 1951)
    • 1860 – Queen Marau, last Queen of Tahiti (d.1935)
    • 1862 – Tomitaro Makino, Japanese botanist (d. 1957)
    • 1868 – Sandy Herd, Scottish golfer (d. 1944)
    • 1876 – Erich Raeder, German admiral (d. 1960)
    • 1878 – Jean Crotti, Swiss-French painter (d. 1958)
    • 1879 – Susanna Bokoyni, Hungarian-American circus performer (d. 1984)
    • 1880 – Gideon Sundback, Swedish-American engineer and businessman, developed the zipper (d. 1954)
    • 1880 – Josef Müller, Croatian entomologist (d. 1964)
    • 1882 – Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish-English air marshal (d. 1970)
    • 1885 – Thomas Cronan, American triple jumper (d. 1962)
    • 1885 – Con Walsh, Irish-Canadian hammer thrower and footballer (d. 1961)
    • 1887 – Denys Finch Hatton, English hunter (d. 1931)
    • 1888 – Pe Maung Tin, Burma-based scholar and educator (d. 1973)
    • 1889 – Stafford Cripps, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1952)
    • 1889 – Lyubov Popova, Russian painter and academic (d. 1924)
    • 1897 – Manuel Ávila Camacho, Mexican colonel and politician, 45th President of Mexico (d. 1955)
    • 1897 – Benjamin Lee Whorf, American linguist, anthropologist, and engineer (d. 1941)
    • 1899 – Oscar Zariski, Russian-American mathematician and academic (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Elizabeth Goudge, English author and educator (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Spanish lawyer and politician, founded the Falange (d. 1936)
    • 1904 – Willem de Kooning, Dutch-American painter and educator (d. 1997)
    • 1905 – Al Bates, American long jumper (d. 1999)
    • 1905 – Robert Penn Warren, American novelist, poet, and literary critic (d. 1989)
    • 1906 – William Joyce, American-born Irish-British Nazi propaganda broadcaster (d. 1946)
    • 1906 – Mimi Smith, English nurse (d. 1991)
    • 1907 – Gabriel Figueroa, Mexican cinematographer (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Marceline Day, American actress (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Inga Gentzel, Swedish runner (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor (d. 1963)
    • 1912 – Ruth Osburn, American discus thrower (d. 1994)
    • 1913 – Dieter Grau, German-American scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
    • 1914 – William Castle, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1914 – Phil Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1991)
    • 1914 – Justin Wilson, American chef and author (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – Lou Thesz, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2002)
    • 1919 – David Blackwell, American mathematician and academic (d. 2010)
    • 1919 – Glafcos Clerides, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 4th President of Cyprus (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Gino Valenzano, Italian race car driver (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Marc-Adélard Tremblay, Canadian anthropologist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Gus Bodnar, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2005)
    • 1923 – Doris Burn, American author and illustrator (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Clement Freud, German-English radio host, academic, and politician (d. 2009)
    • 1924 – Ruth Kobart, American actress and singer (d. 2002)
    • 1925 – Franco Leccese, Italian sprinter (d. 1992)
    • 1926 – Marilyn Erskine, American actress
    • 1926 – Thorbjörn Fälldin, Swedish farmer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 2016)
    • 1927 – Josy Barthel, Luxembourgian runner and politician, Luxembourgian Minister for Energy (d. 1992)
    • 1928 – Tommy Docherty, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1928 – Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist (d. 2008)
    • 1928 – Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Dr. Rajkumar, Indian actor and singer (d. 2006)
    • 1930 – Jerome Callet, American instrument designer, educator, and author (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Richard Donner, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1930 – José Sarney, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 31st President of Brazil
    • 1931 – Abdelhamid Kermali, Algerian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Bridget Riley, English painter and illustrator
    • 1934 – Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (d. 2015)
    • 1934 – Shirley MacLaine, American actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1936 – David Crombie, Canadian educator and politician, 56th Mayor of Toronto
    • 1936 – Jill Ireland, English actress (d. 1990)
    • 1937 – Joe Henderson, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2001)
    • 1940 – Sue Grafton, American author (d. 2017)
    • 1941 – Richard Holbrooke, American journalist, banker, and diplomat, 22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – John Williams, Australian-English guitarist and composer
    • 1942 – Richard M. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 54th Mayor of Chicago
    • 1942 – Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, activist, and producer
    • 1943 – Richard Sterban, American country & gospel bass singer
    • 1943 – Gordon West, English footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1944 – Peter Cresswell, English judge
    • 1944 – Maarja Nummert, Estonian architect
    • 1944 – Tony Visconti, American record producer, musician and singer
    • 1945 – Doug Clifford, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1946 – Doug Christie, Canadian lawyer and activist (d. 2013)
    • 1947 – Josep Borrell, Spanish engineer and politician, 22nd President of the European Parliament
    • 1947 – João Braz de Aviz, Brazilian cardinal
    • 1947 – Claude Dubois, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Denise Kingsmill, Baroness Kingsmill, New Zealand-English lawyer and politician
    • 1947 – Roger D. Kornberg, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1948 – Paul Cellucci, American soldier and politician, 69th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 2013)
    • 1948 – Eliana Gil, Ecuadorian-American psychiatrist, therapist, and author
    • 1949 – Eddie Hart, American sprinter
    • 1949 – Véronique Sanson, French singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1950 – Rob Hyman, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1951 – Ron Arad, Israeli architect and academic
    • 1951 – Christian Bobin, French author and poet
    • 1951 – Nigel Harrison, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1951 – Enda Kenny, Irish educator and politician, 13th Taoiseach of Ireland
    • 1952 – Jean Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
    • 1952 – Ralph Winter, American film producer
    • 1953 – Eric Bogosian, American actor and writer
    • 1954 – Mumia Abu-Jamal, American journalist, activist, and convicted murderer
    • 1954 – Jack Blades, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1955 – Marion Caspers-Merk, German politician
    • 1955 – John de Mol Jr., Dutch businessman, co-founded Endemol
    • 1955 – Eamon Gilmore, Irish trade union leader and politician, 25th Tánaiste of Ireland
    • 1955 – Margaret Moran, British politician and criminal
    • 1955 – Guy Nève, Belgian race car driver (d. 1992)
    • 1955 – Michael O’Keefe, American actor
    • 1955 – Bill Osborne, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1956 – James A. Winnefeld, Jr., American admiral
    • 1957 – Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed, Pakistani-English businessman and politician
    • 1958 – Brian Paddick, English police officer and politician
    • 1959 – Paula Yates, British-Australian television host and author (d. 2000)
    • 1961 – Andrew Murrison, English physician and politician, Minister for International Security Strategy
    • 1962 – Clemens Binninger, German politician
    • 1962 – Stuart Pearce, English footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1962 – Steve Roach, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Paula Frazer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1963 – Billy Gould, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1963 – Mano Solo, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1964 – Helga Arendt, German sprinter (d. 2013)
    • 1964 – Cedric the Entertainer, American comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1964 – Djimon Hounsou, Beninese-American actor and producer
    • 1964 – Witold Smorawiński, Polish guitarist, composer, and educator
    • 1965 – Jeff Jackson, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1966 – Pierre Brassard, Canadian comedian and actor
    • 1966 – Alessandro Costacurta, Italian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1966 – David Usher, English-Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1967 – Dino Rađa, Croatian basketball player
    • 1967 – Omar Vizquel, Venezuelan-American baseball player and coach
    • 1968 – Aidan Gillen, Irish actor
    • 1968 – Todd Jones, American baseball player
    • 1968 – Roxanna Panufnik, English composer
    • 1968 – Hashim Thaçi, Kosovan soldier and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Kosovo
    • 1969 – Elias Atmatsidis, Greek footballer
    • 1969 – Rory McCann, Scottish actor
    • 1969 – Eilidh Whiteford, Scottish academic and politician
    • 1970 – Damien Fleming, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Kumar Dharmasena, Sri Lankan cricketer and umpire
    • 1971 – Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1972 – Rab Douglas, Scottish footballer
    • 1972 – Chipper Jones, American baseball player
    • 1972 – Jure Košir, Slovenian skier and singer
    • 1973 – Gabby Logan, English gymnast, television and radio host
    • 1973 – Damon Lindelof, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1973 – Brian Marshall, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1973 – Eric Snow, American basketball player and coach
    • 1973 – Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer
    • 1973 – Toomas Tohver, Estonian footballer
    • 1973 – Lee Westwood, English golfer
    • 1974 – Eric Kripke, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Stephen Wiltshire, English illustrator
    • 1975 – Dejan Savić, Yugoslavian and Serbian water polo player
    • 1976 – Steve Finnan, Irish international footballer
    • 1976 – Frédéric Niemeyer, Canadian tennis player and coach
    • 1977 – Carlos Beltrán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
    • 1977 – Diego Placente, Argentine footballer
    • 1978 – Diego Quintana, Argentine footballer
    • 1980 – Fernando Arce, Mexican footballer
    • 1980 – Karen Asrian, Armenian chess player (d. 2008)
    • 1981 – Taylor Dent, American tennis player
    • 1981 – Yuko Nakanishi, Japanese swimmer
    • 1982 – Kelly Clarkson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1982 – David Oliver, American hurdler
    • 1982 – Simon Tischer, German volleyball player
    • 1983 – Hanna Melnychenko, Ukrainian heptathlete
    • 1985 – Mike Rodgers, American sprinter
    • 1986 – Aaron Cunningham, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Ben Howard, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1987 – Kris Letang, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Rein Taaramäe, Estonian cyclist
    • 1987 – Jan Vertonghen, Belgian international footballer
    • 1987 – Varun Dhawan, Indian actor
    • 1989 – Elīna Babkina, Latvian basketball player
    • 1989 – David Boudia, American diver
    • 1989 – Taja Mohorčič, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1990 – Kim Tae-ri, South Korean actress
    • 1990 – Jan Veselý, Czech basketball player
    • 1991 – Sigrid Agren, French-Swedish model
    • 1991 – Morgan Ciprès, French figure skater
    • 1991 – Batuhan Karadeniz, Turkish footballer
    • 1992 – Joe Keery, American actor
    • 1992 – Laura Kenny, English cyclist
    • 1993 – Ben Davies, Welsh international footballer
    • 1994 – Jordan Fisher, American singer, dancer, and actor
    • 1994 – Caspar Lee, British-South African Youtuber
    • 1996 – Ashleigh Barty, Australian tennis player
    • 1997 – Lydia Ko, New Zealand golfer
    • 1997 – Veronika Kudermetova, Russian tennis player
    • 1998 – Ryan Newman, American actress
    • 1999 – Jerry Jeudy, American football player

    Deaths on April 24

    • 624 – Mellitus, saint, and archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1149 – Petronille de Chemillé, abbess of Fontevrault
    • 1288 – Gertrude of Austria (b. 1226)
    • 1338 – Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat (b. 1291)
    • 1479 – Jorge Manrique, Spanish poet (b. 1440)
    • 1513 – Şehzade Ahmet, Ottoman prince (b. 1465)
    • 1617 – Concino Concini, Italian-French politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1575)
    • 1622 – Fidelis of Sigmaringen, German friar and saint (b. 1577)
    • 1656 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (b. 1561)
    • 1731 – Daniel Defoe, English journalist, novelist, and spy (b. 1660)
    • 1748 – Anton thor Helle, German-Estonian clergyman and translator (b. 1683)
    • 1779 – Eleazar Wheelock, American minister and academic, founded Dartmouth College (b. 1711)
    • 1794 – Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish field marshal and politician (b. 1719)
    • 1852 – Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet and translator (b. 1783)
    • 1889 – Zulma Carraud, French author (b. 1796)
    • 1891 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, German field marshal (b. 1800)
    • 1924 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and academic (b. 1844)
    • 1931 – David Kldiashvili, Georgian author and playwright (b. 1862)
    • 1935 – Anastasios Papoulas, Greek general (b. 1857)
    • 1938 – George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (b. 1863)
    • 1939 – Louis Trousselier, French cyclist (b. 1881)
    • 1941 – Karin Boye, Swedish author and poet (b. 1900)
    • 1942 – Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author (b. 1874)
    • 1944 – Charles Jordan, American magician (b. 1888)
    • 1945 – Ernst-Robert Grawitz, German physician (b. 1899)
    • 1947 – Hans Biebow, German SS officer (b. 1902)
    • 1947 – Willa Cather, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1873)
    • 1948 – Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer (b. 1863)
    • 1954 – Guy Mairesse, French race car driver (b. 1910)
    • 1960 – Max von Laue, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
    • 1961 – Lee Moran, American actor, director and screenwriter (b. 1888)
    • 1962 – Milt Franklyn, American composer (b. 1897)
    • 1964 – Gerhard Domagk, German pathologist and bacteriologist (b. 1895)
    • 1965 – Louise Dresser, American actress (b. 1878)
    • 1966 – Simon Chikovani, Georgian poet and author (b. 1902)
    • 1967 – Vladimir Komarov, Russian pilot, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1927)
    • 1967 – Robert Richards, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of South Australia (b. 1885)
    • 1968 – Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (b. 1876)
    • 1970 – Otis Spann, American singer and pianist (b. 1930)
    • 1972 – Fernando Amorsolo, Filipino painter (b. 1892)
    • 1974 – Bud Abbott, American comedian and producer (b. 1895)
    • 1975 – Pete Ham, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
    • 1976 – Mark Tobey, American-Swiss painter and educator (b. 1890)
    • 1980 – Alejo Carpentier, Swiss-Cuban musicologist and author (b. 1904)
    • 1982 – Ville Ritola, Finnish runner (b. 1896)
    • 1983 – Erol Güngör, Turkish sociologist, psychologist, and academic (b. 1938)
    • 1983 – Rolf Stommelen, German race car driver (b. 1943)
    • 1984 – Rafael Pérez y Pérez, Spanish author (b. 1891)
    • 1993 – Oliver Tambo, South African lawyer and activist (b. 1917)
    • 1993 – Tran Duc Thao, Vietnamese philosopher and theorist (b. 1917)
    • 1995 – Lodewijk Bruckman, Dutch painter (b. 1903)
    • 1997 – Allan Francovich, American director and producer (b. 1941)
    • 1997 – Pat Paulsen, American comedian and activist (b. 1927)
    • 1997 – Eugene Stoner, American engineer, designed the AR-15 rifle (b. 1922)
    • 2001 – Josef Peters, German race car driver (b. 1914)
    • 2001 – Johnny Valentine, American wrestler (b. 1928)
    • 2002 – Lucien Wercollier, Luxembourgian sculptor (b. 1908)
    • 2004 – José Giovanni, French-Swiss director and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2004 – Estée Lauder, American businesswoman, co-founded Estée Lauder Companies (b. 1906)
    • 2005 – Ezer Weizman, Israeli general and politician, 7th President of Israel (b. 1924)
    • 2005 – Fei Xiaotong, Chinese sociologist and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2006 – Brian Labone, English footballer (b. 1940)
    • 2006 – Moshe Teitelbaum, Romanian-American rabbi and author (b. 1914)
    • 2008 – Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, and saxophonist, and composer (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Sathya Sai Baba, Indian guru and philanthropist (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Hans Hollein, Austrian architect, designed Haas House (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Sandy Jardine, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Shobha Nagi Reddy, Indian politician (b. 1968)
    • 2014 – Tadeusz Różewicz, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Tommy Kono, American weightlifter and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Robert Pirsig, American author and philosopher (b. 1928)

    Holidays and observances on April 24

    • Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (Armenia, France)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Benedict Menni
      • Dermot of Armagh
      • Dyfnan of Anglesey
      • Ecgberht of Ripon
      • Fidelis of Sigmaringen
      • Gregory of Elvira
      • Ivo of Ramsey
      • Johann Walter (Lutheran)
      • Mary of Clopas
      • Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
      • Mellitus
      • Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur
      • Salome (disciple)
      • Wilfrid (Church of England)
      • William Firmatus
      • April 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Concord Day (Niger)
    • Democracy Day (Nepal)
    • Earliest day on which Arbor Day can fall, while April 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Friday in April. (United States)
    • Earliest day on which Turkmen Racing Horse Festival can fall, while April 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in April. (Turkmenistan)
    • Fashion Revolution Day, and its related observances:
      • Labour Safety Day (Bangladesh, proposed)
    • Kapyong Day (Australia, Canada)
    • National Panchayati Raj Day (India)
    • St Mark’s Eve
    • Republic Day (The Gambia)
    • World Day for Laboratory Animals

  • April 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 217 – Roman Emperor Caracalla is assassinated. He is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus.
    • 632 – King Charibert II is assassinated at Blaye (Gironde), along with his infant son Chilperic.
    • 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-‘Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids.
    • 1093 – The new Winchester Cathedral is dedicated by Walkelin.
    • 1139 – Roger II of Sicily is excommunicated.
    • 1149 – Pope Eugene III takes refuge in the castle of Ptolemy II of Tusculum.
    • 1232 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols begin their siege on Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty.
    • 1271 – In Syria, sultan Baibars conquers the Krak des Chevaliers.
    • 1665 – English colonial patents are granted for the establishment of the Monmouth Tract, for what would eventually become Monmouth County in northeastern New Jersey.
    • 1730 – Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New York City, is dedicated.
    • 1740 – War of Jenkins’ Ear: Three British ships capture the Spanish third-rate Princesa, taken into service as HMS Princess.
    • 1808 – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baltimore is promoted to an archdiocese, with the founding of the dioceses of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Bardstown (now Louisville) by Pope Pius VII.
    • 1820 – The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
    • 1832 – Black Hawk War: Around three-hundred United States 6th Infantry troops leave St. Louis, Missouri to fight the Sauk Native Americans.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Mansfield: Union forces are thwarted by the Confederate army at Mansfield, Louisiana.
    • 1866 – Italy and Prussia ally against the Austrian Empire.
    • 1886 – William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
    • 1895 – In Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional.
    • 1904 – The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the Entente cordiale.
    • 1904 – Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan is renamed Times Square after The New York Times.
    • 1906 – Auguste Deter, the first person to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, dies.
    • 1908 – H. H. Asquith of the Liberal Party takes office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, succeeding Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman.
    • 1908 – Harvard University votes to establish the Harvard Business School.
    • 1911 – Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovers superconductivity.
    • 1913 – The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, becomes law.
    • 1916 – In Corona, California, race car driver Bob Burman crashes, killing three (including himself), and badly injuring five spectators.
    • 1918 – World War I: Actors Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin sell war bonds on the streets of New York City’s financial district.
    • 1924 – Sharia courts are abolished in Turkey, as part of Atatürk’s Reforms.
    • 1929 – Indian independence movement: At the Delhi Central Assembly, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw handouts and bombs to court arrest.
    • 1935 – The Works Progress Administration is formed when the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 becomes law.
    • 1942 – World War II: Siege of Leningrad: Soviet forces open a much-needed railway link to Leningrad.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Japanese take Bataan in the Philippines.
    • 1943 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in an attempt to check inflation, freezes wages and prices, prohibits workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and bars rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.
    • 1943 – Otto and Elise Hampel are executed in Berlin for their anti-Nazi activities.
    • 1945 – World War II: After an air raid accidentally destroys a train carrying about 4,000 Nazi concentration camp internees in Prussian Hanover, the survivors are massacred by Nazis.
    • 1946 – Électricité de France, the world’s largest utility company, is formed as a result of the nationalisation of a number of electricity producers, transporters and distributors.
    • 1950 – India and Pakistan sign the Liaquat–Nehru Pact.
    • 1952 – U.S. President Harry Truman calls for the seizure of all domestic steel mills in an attempt to prevent the 1952 steel strike.
    • 1953 – Mau Mau leader Jomo Kenyatta is convicted by British Kenya’s rulers.
    • 1954 – A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 37 people.
    • 1954 – South African Airways Flight 201 A de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 crashes into the sea during night killing 21 people.
    • 1959 – A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.
    • 1959 – The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.
    • 1960 – The Netherlands and West Germany sign an agreement to negotiate the return of German land annexed by the Dutch in return for 280 million German marks as Wiedergutmachung.
    • 1961 – A large explosion on board the MV Dara in the Persian Gulf kills 238.
    • 1964 – The Gemini 1 test flight is conducted.
    • 1968 – BOAC Flight 712 catches fire shortly after takeoff. As a result of her actions in the accident, Barbara Jane Harrison is awarded a posthumous George Cross, the only GC awarded to a woman in peacetime.
    • 1970 – Bahr El-Baqar primary school bombing: Israeli bombers strike an Egyptian school. Forty-six children are killed.
    • 1974 – At Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run to surpass Babe Ruth’s 39-year-old record.
    • 1975 – Frank Robinson manages the Cleveland Indians in his first game as major league baseball’s first African American manager.
    • 1987 – Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis resigns amid controversy over racially charged remarks he had made while on Nightline.
    • 1992 – Retired tennis great Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS, acquired from blood transfusions during one of his two heart surgeries.
    • 1993 – The Republic of North Macedonia joins the United Nations.
    • 1999 – Haryana Gana Parishad, a political party in the Indian state of Haryana, merges with the Indian National Congress.
    • 2004 – War in Darfur: The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups.
    • 2006 – Shedden massacre: The bodies of eight men, all shot to death, are found in a field in Shedden, Elgin County, Ontario. The murders are soon linked to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.
    • 2008 – The construction of the world’s first skyscraper to integrate wind turbines is completed in Bahrain.
    • 2013 – The Islamic State of Iraq enters the Syrian Civil War and begins by declaring a merger with the Al-Nusra Front under the name Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham.

    Births on April 8

    • 1320 – Peter I of Portugal (d. 1367)
    • 1408 – Jadwiga of Lithuania, Polish princess (d. 1431)
    • 1435 – John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford, English noble (d. 1461)
    • 1533 – Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer (d. 1604)
    • 1536 – Barbara of Hesse (d. 1597)
    • 1541 – Michele Mercati, Italian physician and archaeologist (d. 1593)
    • 1580 – William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, English noble, courtier and patron of the arts (d. 1630)
    • 1596 – Juan van der Hamen, Spanish artist (d. 1631)
    • 1605 – Philip IV of Spain (d. 1665)
    • 1605 – Mary Stuart, English-Scottish princess (d. 1607)
    • 1641 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (d. 1704)
    • 1692 – Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1770)
    • 1726 – Lewis Morris, American judge and politician (d. 1798)
    • 1732 – David Rittenhouse, American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1796)
    • 1761 – William Joseph Chaminade, French priest, founded the Society of Mary (d. 1850)
    • 1770 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian banker and politician (d. 1830)
    • 1798 – Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet and author (d. 1857)
    • 1818 – Christian IX of Denmark (d. 1906)
    • 1818 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (d. 1892)
    • 1826 – Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican soldier (d. 1890)
    • 1827 – Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican ophthalmologist, journalist, and politician (d. 1898)
    • 1842 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author and educator (d. 1933)
    • 1859 – Edmund Husserl, German Jewish-Austrian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1938)
    • 1864 – Carlos Deltour, French rower and rugby player (d. 1920)
    • 1867 – Allen Butler Talcott, American painter and educator (d. 1908)
    • 1869 – Harvey Cushing, American surgeon and academic (d. 1939)
    • 1871 – Clarence Hudson White, American photographer and educator (d. 1925)
    • 1874 – Manuel Díaz, Cuban fencer (d. 1929)
    • 1874 – Stanisław Taczak, Polish general (d. 1960)
    • 1875 – Albert I of Belgium (d. 1934)
    • 1882 (O.S. 27 March) – Dmytro Doroshenko, Lithuanian-Ukrainian historian and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Ukraine (d. 1951)
    • 1883 – R. P. Keigwin, English cricketer and academic (d. 1972)
    • 1883 – Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (d. 1936)
    • 1885 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier, composer, and educator (d. 1951)
    • 1886 – Margaret Ayer Barnes, American author and playwright (d. 1967)
    • 1888 – Dennis Chávez, American journalist and politician (d. 1962)
    • 1889 – Adrian Boult, English conductor (d. 1983)
    • 1892 – Richard Neutra, Austrian-American architect, designed the Los Angeles County Hall of Records (d. 1970)
    • 1892 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded United Artists (d. 1979)
    • 1896 – Yip Harburg, American composer (d. 1981)
    • 1900 – Marie Byles, Australian solicitor (d. 1979)
    • 1902 – Andrew Irvine, English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1924)
    • 1902 – Maria Maksakova Sr., Russian soprano (d. 1974)
    • 1904 – John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
    • 1904 – Hirsch Jacobs, American horse trainer (d. 1970)
    • 1905 – Joachim Büchner, German sprinter and graphic designer (d. 1978)
    • 1905 – Helen Joseph, English-South African activist (d. 1992)
    • 1905 – Erwin Keller, German field hockey player (d. 1971)
    • 1906 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (d. 1974)
    • 1908 – Hugo Fregonese, Argentinian director and screenwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1909 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (d. 1983)
    • 1910 – George Musso, American football player and police officer (d. 2000)
    • 1911 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
    • 1911 – Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and academic (d. 1995)
    • 1912 – Alois Brunner, Austrian-German SS officer (d. 2001 or 2010)
    • 1912 – Sonja Henie, Norwegian-American figure skater and actress (d. 1969)
    • 1914 – María Félix, Yaqui/Basque-Mexican actress (d. 2002)
    • 1915 – Ivan Supek, Croatian physicist, philosopher and writer (d. 2007)
    • 1917 – Winifred Asprey, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 2007)
    • 1917 – Lloyd Bott, Australian public servant (d. 2004)
    • 1917 – Hubertus Ernst, Dutch bishop (d. 2017)
    • 1917 – Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer (d. 1988)
    • 1918 – Betty Ford, American wife of Gerald Ford, 40th First Lady of the United States (d. 2011)
    • 1918 – Glendon Swarthout, American author and academic (d. 1992)
    • 1919 – Ian Smith, Zimbabwean lieutenant and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Rhodesia (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – Franco Corelli, Italian tenor and actor (d. 2003)
    • 1921 – Jan Novák, Czech composer (d. 1984)
    • 1921 – Herman van Raalte, Dutch footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Carmen McRae, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress (d. 1994)
    • 1923 – George Fisher, American cartoonist (d. 2003)
    • 1923 – Edward Mulhare, Irish-American actor (d. 1997)
    • 1924 – Frédéric Back, German-Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Anthony Farrar-Hockley, English general and historian (d. 2006)
    • 1924 – Kumar Gandharva, Hindustani classical singer (d. 1992)
    • 1924 – Sara Northrup Hollister, American occultist (d. 1997)
    • 1926 – Henry N. Cobb, American architect and academic, co-founded Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (d. 2020)
    • 1926 – Shecky Greene, American actor
    • 1926 – Jürgen Moltmann, German theologian and academic
    • 1927 – Tilly Armstrong, English author (d. 2010)
    • 1927 – Ollie Mitchell, American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Fred Ebb, American lyricist (d. 2004)
    • 1929 – Jacques Brel, Belgian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1978)
    • 1929 – Renzo De Felice, Italian historian and author (d. 1996)
    • 1930 – Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma (d. 2010)
    • 1931 – John Gavin, American actor and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Mexico (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – Iskandar of Johor (d. 2010)
    • 1933 – James Lockhart, American scholar of colonial Latin America, especially Nahua peoples (d. 2014)
    • 1934 – Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower and Singapore Flyer (d. 2007)
    • 1935 – Oscar Zeta Acosta, American lawyer and politician (d. 1974)
    • 1935 – Albert Bustamante, American soldier, educator, and politician
    • 1937 – Tony Barton, English footballer, outside right and manager (d. 1993)
    • 1937 – Seymour Hersh, American journalist and author
    • 1937 – Momo Kapor, Serbian author and painter (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Kofi Annan, Ghanaian economist and diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 2018)
    • 1938 – John Hamm, Canadian physician and politician, 25th Premier of Nova Scotia
    • 1938 – Mary W. Gray, American mathematician, statistician, and lawyer
    • 1939 – John Arbuthnott, Scottish microbiologist and academic
    • 1939 – Trina Schart Hyman, American author and illustrator (d. 2004)
    • 1940 – John Havlicek, American basketball player (d. 2019)
    • 1941 – J. J. Jackson, American soul/R&B singer, songwriter, and arranger
    • 1941 – Vivienne Westwood, English fashion designer
    • 1942 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (d. 2006)
    • 1942 – Roger Chapman, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1942 – Douglas Trumbull, American director, producer, and special effects artist
    • 1943 – Michael Bennett, American dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 1987)
    • 1943 – Miller Farr, American football player
    • 1943 – James Herbert, English author and illustrator (d. 2013)
    • 1943 – Chris Orr, English painter and illustrator
    • 1944 – Hywel Bennett, Welsh actor (d. 2017)
    • 1944 – Odd Nerdrum, Swedish-Norwegian painter and illustrator
    • 1945 – Derrick Walker, Scottish businessman
    • 1945 – Jang Yong, South Korean actor
    • 1946 – Catfish Hunter, American baseball player (d. 1999)
    • 1946 – Tim Thomerson, American actor and producer
    • 1947 – Tom DeLay, American lawyer and politician
    • 1947 – Steve Howe, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1947 – Robert Kiyosaki, American businessman, co-founded Cashflow Technologies
    • 1947 – Pascal Lamy, French businessman and politician, European Commissioner for Trade
    • 1947 – Larry Norman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1948 – Barbara Young, Baroness Young of Old Scone, Scottish academic and politician
    • 1949 – K. C. Kamalasabayson, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 39th Attorney General of Sri Lanka (d. 2007)
    • 1949 – John Madden, English director and producer
    • 1949 – Brenda Russell, African-American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1949 – John Scott, English sociologist and academic
    • 1950 – Grzegorz Lato, Polish footballer and coach
    • 1951 – Gerd Andres, German politician
    • 1951 – Geir Haarde, Icelandic economist, journalist, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Iceland
    • 1951 – Mel Schacher, American bass player
    • 1951 – Joan Sebastian, Mexican singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1952 – Ahmet Piriştina, Turkish politician (d. 2004)
    • 1954 – Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – G.V. Loganathan, Indian-American engineer and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1955 – Ricky Bell, American football player (d. 1984)
    • 1955 – Gerrie Coetzee, South African boxer
    • 1955 – Ron Johnson, American businessman and politician
    • 1955 – Barbara Kingsolver, American novelist, essayist and poet
    • 1955 – David Wu, Taiwanese-American lawyer and politician
    • 1956 – Michael Benton, Scottish-English paleontologist and academic
    • 1956 – Christine Boisson, French actress
    • 1956 – Roman Dragoun, Czech singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1956 – Jim Piddock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Fred Smerlas, American football player and radio host
    • 1958 – Detlef Bruckhoff, German footballer
    • 1958 – Tom Petranoff, American javelin thrower and coach
    • 1959 – Alain Bondue, French cyclist
    • 1960 – John Schneider, American actor and country singer
    • 1961 – Richard Hatch, American reality contestant
    • 1961 – Brian McDermott, English footballer and manager
    • 1962 – Paddy Lowe, English engineer
    • 1962 – Izzy Stradlin, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1963 – Tine Asmundsen, Norwegian bassist
    • 1963 – Julian Lennon, English singer-songwriter
    • 1963 – Terry Porter, American basketball player and coach
    • 1963 – Donita Sparks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1963 – Alec Stewart, English cricketer
    • 1963 – Seth Tobias, American businessman (d. 2007)
    • 1964 – Biz Markie, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1964 – John McGinlay, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Steven Blaney, Canadian businessman and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of Public Safety
    • 1965 – Michael Jones, New Zealand rugby player and coach
    • 1966 – Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress (d. 2014)
    • 1966 – Mark Blundell, English race car driver
    • 1966 – Andy Currier, English rugby league player
    • 1966 – Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand-Australian television host (d. 2014)
    • 1966 – Dalton Grant, English high jumper
    • 1966 – Mazinho, Brazilian footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1966 – Harri Rovanperä, Finnish race car driver
    • 1966 – Evripidis Stylianidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister for the Interior
    • 1966 – Robin Wright, American actress, director, producer
    • 1967 – Kenny Benjamin, Antiguan cricketer
    • 1968 – Patricia Arquette, French-Canadian Russian/Polish Jewish-American actress and director
    • 1968 – Patricia Girard, French runner and hurdler
    • 1968 – Tracy Grammer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1971 – Darren Jessee, American singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1972 – Paul Gray, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1972 – Sergei Magnitsky, Russian lawyer and accountant (d. 2009)
    • 1973 – Khaled Badra, Tunisian footballer
    • 1973 – Emma Caulfield, American actress
    • 1974 – Toutai Kefu, Tongan-Australian rugby player
    • 1974 – Nnedi Okorafor, Nigerian-American author and educator
    • 1975 – Anouk, Dutch singer
    • 1975 – Francesco Flachi, Italian footballer
    • 1975 – Timo Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1975 – Funda Arar, Turkish singer
    • 1977 – Ana de la Reguera, Mexican actress
    • 1977 – Mehran Ghassemi, Iranian journalist and author (d. 2008)
    • 1977 – Mark Spencer, American computer programmer and engineer
    • 1978 – Daigo, Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, and voice actor
    • 1978 – Bernt Haas, Austrian-Swiss footballer
    • 1978 – Rachel Roberts, Canadian model and actress
    • 1978 – Jocelyn Robichaud, Canadian tennis player and coach
    • 1978 – Evans Rutto, Kenyan runner
    • 1979 – Alexi Laiho, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – Amit Trivedi, Indian singer-songwriter
    • 1980 – Manuel Ortega, Austrian singer
    • 1980 – Katee Sackhoff, American actress
    • 1980 – Mariko Seyama, Japanese announcer, photographer, and model
    • 1981 – Frédérick Bousquet, French swimmer
    • 1981 – Ofer Shechter, Israeli model, actor, and screenwriter
    • 1982 – Gennady Golovkin, Kazakhstani boxer
    • 1982 – Brett White, Australian rugby league player
    • 1983 – Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova, Russian runner
    • 1984 – Michelle Donelan, British politician
    • 1984 – Ezra Koenig, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1984 – Pablo Portillo, Mexican singer and actor
    • 1984 – Taran Noah Smith, American actor
    • 1985 – Patrick Schliwa, German rugby player
    • 1985 – Yemane Tsegay, Ethiopian runner
    • 1986 – Igor Akinfeev, Russian footballer
    • 1986 – Félix Hernández, Venezuelan-American baseball player
    • 1987 – Royston Drenthe, Dutch footballer
    • 1987 – Jeremy Hellickson, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Sam Rapira, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1988 – Jenni Asserholt, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Kim Myung-sung, South Korean baseball player
    • 1990 – Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer (d. 2017)
    • 1993 – Viktor Arvidsson, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1993 – Zac Santo, Australian rugby league player
    • 1994 – Josh Chudleigh, Australian rugby league player
    • 1995 – Cedi Osman, Turkish professional basketball player
    • 1997 – Saygrace, Australian singer and songwriter
    • 1997 – Arno Verschueren, Belgian professional football player

    Deaths on April 8

    • 217 – Caracalla, Roman emperor (b. 188)
    • 622 – Shōtoku, Japanese prince (b. 572)
    • 632 – Charibert II, Frankish king (b. 607)
    • 894 – Adalelm, Frankish nobleman
    • 944 – Wang Yanxi, Chinese emperor
    • 956 – Gilbert, Frankish nobleman
    • 967 – Mu’izz al-Dawla, Buyid emir (b. 915)
    • 1143 – John II Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1087)
    • 1150 – Gertrude of Babenberg , duchess of Bohemia (b. 1118)
    • 1321 – Thomas of Tolentino, Italian-Franciscan missionary (b. c. 1255)
    • 1338 – Stephen Gravesend, bishop of London
    • 1364 – John II, French king (b. 1319)
    • 1450 – Sejong the Great, Korean king (b. 1397)
    • 1461 – Georg von Peuerbach, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1423)
    • 1492 – Lorenzo de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1449)
    • 1551 – Oda Nobuhide, Japanese warlord (b. 1510)
    • 1586 – Martin Chemnitz, Lutheran theologian and reformer (b. 1522)
    • 1608 – Magdalen Dacre, English noble (b. 1538)
    • 1612 – Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (b. 1575)
    • 1691 – Carlo Rainaldi, Italian architect, designed the Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto (b. 1611)
    • 1697 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (b. 1629)
    • 1704 – Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist and philologist (b. 1624)
    • 1704 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English colonel and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1641)
    • 1709 – Wolfgang Dietrich of Castell-Remlingen, German nobleman (b. 1641)
    • 1725 – John Wise, American minister (b. 1652)
    • 1735 – Francis II Rákóczi, Hungarian prince (b. 1676)
    • 1848 – Gaetano Donizetti, Italian composer (b. 1797)
    • 1860 – István Széchenyi, Hungarian statesman and reformer (b.1791)
    • 1861 – Elisha Otis, American businessman, founded the Otis Elevator Company (b. 1811)
    • 1870 – Charles Auguste de Bériot, Belgian violinist and composer (b. 1802)
    • 1894 – Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1838)
    • 1906 – Auguste Deter, German woman, first person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (b. 1850)
    • 1919 – Loránd Eötvös, Hungarian physicist, academic, and politician, Hungarian Minister of Education (b. 1848)
    • 1920 – Charles Griffes, American pianist and composer (b. 1884)
    • 1931 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish poet Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
    • 1936 – Róbert Bárány, Austrian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876)
    • 1936 – Božena Benešová, Czech poet and novelist (b. 1873)
    • 1941 – Marcel Prévost, French novelist and playwright (b. 1862)
    • 1942 – Kostas Skarvelis, Greek guitarist and composer (b. 1880)
    • 1947 – Olaf Frydenlund, Norwegian target shooter (b. 1862)
    • 1950 – Vaslav Nijinsky, Polish dancer and choreographer (b. 1890)
    • 1959 – Marios Makrionitis, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Athens (b. 1913)
    • 1961 – Joseph Carrodus, Australian public servant (b. 1885)
    • 1962 – Juan Belmonte, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1892)
    • 1965 – Lars Hanson, Swedish actor (b. 1886)
    • 1969 – Zinaida Aksentyeva, Ukrainian astronomer (b. 1900)
    • 1973 – Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1881)
    • 1974 – James Charles McGuigan, Canadian cardinal (b. 1894)
    • 1979 – Breece D’J Pancake, American short story writer (b. 1952)
    • 1981 – Omar Bradley, American general (b. 1893)
    • 1983 – Isamu Kosugi, Japanese actor and director (b. 1904)
    • 1984 – Pyotr Kapitsa, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1894)
    • 1985 – John Frederick Coots, American pianist and composer (b. 1897)
    • 1990 – Ryan White, American activist, inspired the Ryan White Care Act (b. 1971)
    • 1991 – Per Ohlin, Swedish musician (b. 1969)
    • 1992 – Daniel Bovet, Swiss-Italian pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
    • 1993 – Marian Anderson, American operatic singer (b. 1897)
    • 1994 – François Rozet, French-Canadian actor (b. 1899)
    • 1996 – Ben Johnson, American actor and stuntman (b. 1918)
    • 1996 – León Klimovsky, Argentinian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1906)
    • 1996 – Mick Young, Australian politician (b. 1936)
    • 1997 – Laura Nyro, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1947)
    • 2000 – František Šťastný, Czech motorcycle racer (b. 1927)
    • 2000 – Claire Trevor, American actress (b. 1910)
    • 2002 – María Félix, Mexican actress (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter (b. 1937)
    • 2004 – Werner Schumacher, German actor (b. 1921)
    • 2005 – Onna White, Canadian choreographer and dancer (b. 1922)
    • 2006 – Gerard Reve, Dutch author and poet (b. 1923)
    • 2007 – Sol LeWitt, American painter and sculptor (b. 1928)
    • 2008 – Kazuo Shiraga, Japanese painter (b. 1924)
    • 2009 – Richard de Mille, American Scientologist, author, investigative journalist, and psychologist (b. 1922)
    • 2009 – Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (b. 1976)
    • 2010 – Malcolm McLaren, English singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
    • 2010 – Teddy Scholten, Dutch singer (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Hedda Sterne, Romanian-American painter and photographer (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – Blair Kiel, American football player and coach (b. 1961)
    • 2012 – Jack Tramiel, Polish-American businessman, founded Commodore International (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Janusz K. Zawodny, Polish-American soldier, historian, and political scientist (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Mikhail Beketov, Russian journalist (b. 1958)
    • 2013 – Annette Funicello, American actress and singer (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Sara Montiel, Spanish-Mexican actress and singer (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Margaret Thatcher, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Emmanuel III Delly, Iraqi patriarch (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Ivan Mercep, New Zealand architect, designed the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Rayson Huang, Hong Kong chemist and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2015 – Sergei Lashchenko, Ukrainian kick-boxer (b. 1987)
    • 2015 – David Laventhol, American journalist and publisher (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (b. 1936)

    Holidays and observances on April 8

    • Buddha’s Birthday, also known as Hana Matsuri, “Flower Festival” (Japan)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Anne Ayres (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Constantina
      • Julie Billiart of Namur
      • Perpetuus
      • Walter of Pontoise
      • William Augustus Muhlenberg (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • April 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Fast and Prayer Day can fall, while April 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Friday in April (Liberia)
    • International Romani Day

  • January 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
    • 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of New France (Canada) and provide for the spread of the “Holy Catholic faith”.
    • 1559 – Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London.
    • 1582 – Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
    • 1759 – The British Museum opens to the public.
    • 1777 – American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present day Vermont) declares its independence.
    • 1782 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris addresses the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.
    • 1815 – War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates.
    • 1818 – A paper by David Brewster is read to the Royal Society, belatedly announcing his discovery of what we now call the biaxial class of doubly-refracting crystals. On the same day, Augustin-Jean Fresnel signs a “supplement” (submitted four days later) on reflection of polarized light.
    • 1822 – Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.
    • 1867 – Forty people die when ice covering the boating lake at Regent’s Park, London, collapses.
    • 1870 – A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the Democratic Party with a donkey (“A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion” by Thomas Nast for Harper’s Weekly).
    • 1876 – The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl.
    • 1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta.
    • 1892 – James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.
    • 1908 – The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women.
    • 1910 – Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 325 ft (99 m).
    • 1911 – Palestinian Arabic-language Falastin newspaper founded.
    • 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising.
    • 1919 – Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150.
    • 1934 – The 8.0 Mw  Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people.
    • 1936 – The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio.
    • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republican both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.
    • 1943 – World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins.
    • 1943 – The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
    • 1947 – The Black Dahlia murder: the dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles.
    • 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government.
    • 1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe’s oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.
    • 1962 – Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy.
    • 1966 – The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d’état.
    • 1967 – The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10.
    • 1969 – The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5.
    • 1970 – Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria.
    • 1970 – Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya.
    • 1973 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.
    • 1975 – The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal.
    • 1976 – Gerald Ford’s would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.
    • 1981 – Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from Solidarity (Polish trade union) at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa.
    • 1991 – The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.
    • 1991 – Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of Australia, signs letters patent allowing Australia to become the first Commonwealth realm to institute its own Victoria Cross in its honours system.
    • 2001 – Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, goes online.
    • 2005 – ESA’s SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon.
    • 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq.
    • 2009 – US Airways Flight 1549 ditches safely in the Hudson River after the plane collides with birds less than two minutes after take-off.
    • 2013 – A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others.
    • 2015 – The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the franc’s value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets
    • 2016 – The Kenyan Army suffers its worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 Kenyan soldiers are killed in the battle.
    • 2019 – Somali militants attack the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19.
    • 2019 – Theresa May’s UK government suffers the biggest government defeat in modern times, when 432 MPs voting against the proposed European Union withdrawal agreement, giving her opponents a majority of 230.

    Births on January 15

    • 961 – Seongjong of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 997)
    • 1432 – Afonso V of Portugal (d. 1481)
    • 1462 – Edzard I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (d. 1528)
    • 1481 – Ashikaga Yoshizumi, Japanese shōgun (d. 1511)
    • 1538 – Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (d. 1599)
    • 1595 – Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, English politician (d. 1661)
    • 1622 – Molière, French actor and playwright (d. 1673)
    • 1623 – Algernon Sidney, British philosopher (d. 1683)
    • 1671 – Abraham de la Pryme, English archaeologist and historian (d. 1704)
    • 1674 – Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French poet and playwright (d. 1762)
    • 1716 – Philip Livingston, American merchant and politician (d. 1778)
    • 1747 – John Aikin, English surgeon and author (d. 1822)
    • 1754 – Richard Martin, Irish activist and politician, co-founded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (d. 1834)
    • 1791 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1872)
    • 1795 – Alexander Griboyedov, Russian playwright, composer, and poet (d. 1829)
    • 1803 – Marjorie Fleming, Scottish poet and author (d. 1811)
    • 1809 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French economist and politician (d. 1865)
    • 1812 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (d. 1885)
    • 1815 – William Bickerton, English-American religious leader, 3rd President of the Church of Jesus Christ (d. 1905)
    • 1834 – Samuel Arza Davenport, American lawyer and politician (d. 1911)
    • 1841 – Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, English captain and politician, 6th Governor General of Canada (d. 1908)
    • 1842 – Josef Breuer, Austrian physician and psychiatrist (d. 1925)
    • 1842 – Mary MacKillop, Australian nun and saint, co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (d. 1909)
    • 1850 – Leonard Darwin, English soldier, eugenicist, and politician (d. 1943)
    • 1850 – Mihai Eminescu, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1889)
    • 1850 – Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian-Swedish mathematician and physicist (d. 1891)
    • 1855 – Jacques Damala, Greek-French soldier and actor (d. 1889)
    • 1858 – Giovanni Segantini, Italian painter (d. 1899)
    • 1859 – Archibald Peake, English-Australian politician, 25th Premier of South Australia (d. 1920)
    • 1863 – Wilhelm Marx, German lawyer and politician, 17th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1946)
    • 1866 – Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, historian, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)
    • 1869 – Ruby Laffoon, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Kentucky (d. 1941)
    • 1869 – Stanisław Wyspiański, Polish poet, playwright, and painter (d. 1907)
    • 1870 – Pierre S. du Pont, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1954)
    • 1872 – Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian author and translator (d. 1944)
    • 1875 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and journalist (d. 1929)
    • 1877 – Lewis Terman, American psychologist, eugenicist, and academic (d. 1956)
    • 1878 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (d. 1941)
    • 1879 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author and playwright (d. 1961)
    • 1882 – Henry Burr, Canadian singer, radio performer, and producer (d. 1941)
    • 1885 – Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician and author (d. 1973)
    • 1885 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (d. 1968)
    • 1890 – Michiaki Kamada, Japanese admiral (d. 1947)
    • 1891 – Ray Chapman, American baseball player (d. 1920)
    • 1891 – Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet and translator (d. 1938)
    • 1893 – Ivor Novello, Welsh singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1951)
    • 1895 – Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
    • 1896 – Marjorie Bennett, Australian-American actress (d. 1982)
    • 1902 – Nâzım Hikmet, Greek-Turkish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1963)
    • 1902 – Saud of Saudi Arabia (d. 1969)
    • 1903 – Paul A. Dever, American lieutenant and politician, 58th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
    • 1907 – Janusz Kusociński, Polish runner and soldier (d. 1940)
    • 1908 – Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1909 – Jean Bugatti, German-French engineer (d. 1939)
    • 1909 – Gene Krupa, American drummer, composer, and actor (d. 1973)
    • 1912 – Michel Debré, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1996)
    • 1913 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (d. 2002)
    • 1913 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998)
    • 1913 – Miriam Hyde, Australian pianist and composer (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Alexander Marinesko, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant (d. 1963)
    • 1914 – Stefan Bałuk, Polish general (d. 2014)
    • 1914 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1917 – K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (d. 1994)
    • 1918 – João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (d. 1999)
    • 1918 – Édouard Gagnon, Canadian cardinal (d. 2007)
    • 1918 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (d. 1970)
    • 1919 – Maurice Herzog, French mountaineer and politician, French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – George Cadle Price, Belizean politician, 1st Prime Minister of Belize (d. 2011)
    • 1920 – Bob Davies, American basketball player and coach (d. 1990)
    • 1920 – Steve Gromek, American baseball player (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – John O’Connor, American cardinal (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – Frank Thornton, English actor (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Sylvia Lawler, English geneticist (d. 1996)
    • 1922 – Eric Willis, Australian sergeant and politician, 34th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1999)
    • 1923 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish pianist, songwriter, and poet (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese-Chinese economist and politician, 4th President of the Republic of China
    • 1924 – George Lowe, New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Ruth Slenczynska, American pianist and composer
    • 1925 – Ignacio López Tarso, Mexican actor
    • 1926 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (d. 2005)
    • 1927 – Phyllis Coates, American actress
    • 1928 – W. R. Mitchell, English journalist and author (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Earl Hooker, American guitarist (d. 1970)
    • 1929 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (assassinated in 1968)
    • 1930 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (d. 1985)
    • 1931 – Lee Bontecou, American painter and sculptor
    • 1932 – Lou Jones, American sprinter (d. 2006)
    • 1933 – Frank Bough, English journalist and radio host
    • 1933 – Ernest J. Gaines, American author and academic (d. 2019)
    • 1933 – Peter Maitlis, English chemist and academic
    • 1934 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian civil servant and politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Margaret O’Brien, American actress and singer
    • 1938 – Ashraf Aman, Pakistani engineer and mountaineer
    • 1938 – Estrella Blanca, Mexican wrestler
    • 1938 – Chuni Goswami, Indian footballer and cricketer
    • 1939 – Per Ahlmark, Swedish journalist and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 2018)
    • 1939 – Tony Bullimore, British sailor
    • 1941 – Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist (d. 2010)
    • 1942 – Frank Joseph Polozola, American academic and judge (d. 2013)
    • 1943 – George Ambrum, Australian rugby league player (d. 1986)
    • 1943 – Margaret Beckett, English metallurgist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
    • 1943 – Stuart E. Eizenstat, American lawyer and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the European Union
    • 1943 – Mike Marshall, American baseball player
    • 1944 – Jenny Nimmo, English author
    • 1945 – Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1945 – Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (d. 1993)
    • 1945 – William R. Higgins, American colonel (d. 1990)
    • 1945 – Princess Michael of Kent
    • 1945 – David Pleat, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1946 – Charles Brown, American actor (d. 2004)
    • 1947 – Mary Hogg, English lawyer and judge
    • 1947 – Andrea Martin, American-Canadian actress, singer, and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1949 – Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (d. 2001)
    • 1949 – Alasdair Liddell, English businessman (d. 2012)
    • 1949 – Ian Stewart, Scottish runner
    • 1949 – Howard Twitty, American golfer
    • 1950 – Marius Trésor, French footballer and coach
    • 1952 – Boris Blank, Swiss singer-songwriter
    • 1952 – Andrzej Fischer, Polish footballer
    • 1953 – Randy White, American football player
    • 1954 – Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino poet, author, and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Nigel Benson, English author and illustrator
    • 1955 – Andreas Gursky, German photographer
    • 1955 – Khalid Islambouli, Egyptian lieutenant (d. 1982)
    • 1956 – Vitaly Kaloyev, Russian architect
    • 1956 – Mayawati, Indian educator and politician, 23rd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
    • 1956 – Marc Trestman, American football player and coach
    • 1957 – David Ige, American politician
    • 1957 – Marty Lyons, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1957 – Andrew Tyrie, English journalist and politician
    • 1957 – Mario Van Peebles, American actor and director
    • 1958 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1958 – Boris Tadić, Serbian psychologist and politician, 16th President of Serbia
    • 1959 – Greg Dowling, Australian rugby league player
    • 1959 – Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer and photographer (d. 2008)
    • 1959 – Pete Trewavas, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1961 – Serhiy N. Morozov, Ukrainian footballer and coach
    • 1961 – Yves Pelletier, Canadian actor and director
    • 1963 – Conrad Lant, English singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1963 – Bruce Schneier, American cryptographer and author
    • 1964 – Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer
    • 1965 – Maurizio Fondriest, Italian cyclist
    • 1965 – Bernard Hopkins, American boxer and coach
    • 1965 – James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor
    • 1966 – Lisa Lisa, American R&B singer
    • 1967 – Ted Tryba, American golfer
    • 1968 – Chad Lowe, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1969 – Delino DeShields, American baseball player and manager
    • 1970 – Shane McMahon, American wrestler and businessman
    • 1971 – Regina King, American actress
    • 1972 – Shelia Burrell, American heptathlete
    • 1972 – Christos Kostis, Greek footballer
    • 1972 – Claudia Winkleman, English journalist and critic
    • 1973 – Essam El Hadary, Egyptian footballer
    • 1973 – Suparno Satpathy, Indian socio-political leader
    • 1974 – Séverine Deneulin, international development academic
    • 1974 – Ray King, American baseball player
    • 1975 – Mary Pierce, Canadian-American tennis player and coach
    • 1976 – Doug Gottlieb, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Iryna Lishchynska, Ukrainian runner
    • 1976 – Scott Murray, Scottish rugby player
    • 1976 – Florentin Petre, Romanian footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Eddie Cahill, American actor
    • 1978 – Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist
    • 1978 – Ryan Sidebottom, English cricketer
    • 1979 – Drew Brees, American football player
    • 1979 – Michalis Morfis, Cypriot footballer
    • 1979 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer
    • 1980 – Matt Holliday, American baseball player
    • 1981 – El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese football player
    • 1981 – Pitbull, American rapper and producer
    • 1981 – Dylan Armstrong, Canadian shot putter and hammer thrower
    • 1981 – Vanessa Henke, German tennis player
    • 1981 – Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby player
    • 1982 – Benjamin Agosto, American skater
    • 1982 – Armando Galarraga, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1982 – Brett Lebda, American ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Ari Pulkkinen, Finnish pianist and composer
    • 1982 – Francis Zé, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1983 – Jermaine Pennant, English footballer
    • 1983 – Hugo Viana, Portuguese footballer
    • 1984 – Ben Shapiro, American author and commentator
    • 1985 – René Adler, German footballer
    • 1985 – Enrico Patrizio, Italian rugby player
    • 1985 – Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer
    • 1986 – Fred Davis, American football player
    • 1987 – Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Tsegaye Kebede, Ethiopian runner
    • 1987 – David Knight, English footballer
    • 1987 – Kelleigh Ryan, Canadian fencer
    • 1987 – Michael Seater, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1988 – Daniel Caligiuri, German footballer
    • 1988 – Skrillex, American DJ and producer
    • 1989 – Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
    • 1990 – Paul Blake, English sprinter
    • 1990 – Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer
    • 1990 – Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer
    • 1991 – Marc Bartra, Spanish footballer
    • 1991 – Nicolai Jørgensen, Danish footballer
    • 1991 – Darya Klishina, Russian long jumper
    • 1991 – James Mitchell, Australian basketball player
    • 1992 – Joël Veltman, Dutch footballer
    • 1994 – Eric Dier, English footballer
    • 1998 – Alexandra Eade, Australian artistic gymnast
    • 2004 – Grace VanderWaal, American singer-songwriter

    Deaths on January 15

    • AD 69 – Galba, Roman emperor (b. 3 BC)
    • 378 – Chak Tok Ich’aak I, Mayan ruler
    • 570 – Íte of Killeedy, Irish nun and saint (b. 475)
    • 849 – Theophylact, Byzantine emperor (b. 793)
    • 936 – Rudolph of France (b. 880)
    • 950 – Wang Jingchong, Chinese general
    • 1149 – Berengaria of Barcelona, queen consort of Castile (b. 1116)
    • 1568 – Nicolaus Olahus, Romanian archbishop (b. 1493)
    • 1569 – Catherine Carey, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England (b. 1524)
    • 1584 – Martha Leijonhufvud, Swedish noblewoman (b. 1520)
    • 1595 – Murad III, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1546)
    • 1623 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian lawyer, historian, and scholar (b. 1552)
    • 1672 – John Cosin, English bishop and academic (b. 1594)
    • 1683 – Philip Warwick, English politician (b. 1609)
    • 1775 – Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Italian organist and composer (b. 1700)
    • 1790 – John Landen, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1719)
    • 1804 – Dru Drury, English entomologist and author (b. 1725)
    • 1813 – Anton Bernolák, Slovak linguist and priest (b. 1762)
    • 1815 – Emma, Lady Hamilton, English-French mistress of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (b. 1761)
    • 1855 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (b. 1780)
    • 1864 – Isaac Nathan, English-Australian composer and journalist (b. 1792)
    • 1866 – Massimo d’Azeglio, Piedmontese-Italian statesman, novelist and painter (b. 1798)
    • 1876 – Eliza McCardle Johnson, American wife of Andrew Johnson, 18th First Lady of the United States (b. 1810)
    • 1885 – Leopold Damrosch, German-American composer and conductor (b. 1832)
    • 1893 – Fanny Kemble, English actress (b. 1809)
    • 1896 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (b. 1822)
    • 1905 – George Thorn, Australian politician, 6th Premier of Queensland (b. 1838)
    • 1909 – Arnold Janssen, German priest and missionary (b. 1837)
    • 1916 – Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian playwright and translator (b. 1850)
    • 1919 – Karl Liebknecht, German politician (b. 1871)
    • 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg, German economist, theorist, and philosopher (b. 1871)
    • 1926 – Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1883)
    • 1929 – George Cope, American painter (b. 1855)
    • 1936 – Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster, English cricketer and politician, 7th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1866)
    • 1937 – Anton Holban, Romanian author, theoretician, and educator (b. 1902)
    • 1945 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (b. 1865)
    • 1948 – Josephus Daniels, American publisher and diplomat, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1862)
    • 1950 – Henry H. Arnold, American general (b. 1886)
    • 1951 – Ernest Swinton, British Army officer (b. 1868)
    • 1951 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian captain and sailor (b. 1887)
    • 1952 – Ned Hanlon, Australian sergeant and politician, 26th Premier of Queensland (b. 1887)
    • 1955 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (b. 1900)
    • 1959 – Regina Margareten, Hungarian businesswoman (b. 1863)
    • 1964 – Jack Teagarden, American singer-songwriter and trombonist (b. 1905)
    • 1967 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (b. 1882)
    • 1968 – Bill Masterton, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1938)
    • 1970 – Frank Clement, English race car driver (b. 1886)
    • 1970 – William T. Piper, American engineer and businessman, founded Piper Aircraft (b. 1881)
    • 1972 – Daisy Ashford, English author (b. 1881)
    • 1973 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1919)
    • 1973 – Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1901)
    • 1974 – Harold D. Cooley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1897)
    • 1981 – Graham Whitehead, English race car driver (b. 1922)
    • 1982 – Red Smith, American journalist (b. 1905)
    • 1983 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (b. 1898)
    • 1983 – Shepperd Strudwick, American actor (b. 1907)
    • 1984 – Fazıl Küçük, Cypriot journalist and politician (b. 1906)
    • 1987 – Ray Bolger, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1904)
    • 1988 – Seán MacBride, Irish republican activist and politician, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
    • 1990 – Gordon Jackson, Scottish-English actor (b. 1923)
    • 1990 – Peggy van Praagh, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (b. 1910)
    • 1993 – Sammy Cahn, American songwriter (b. 1913)
    • 1994 – Georges Cziffra, Hungarian-French pianist and composer (b. 1921)
    • 1994 – Harry Nilsson, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
    • 1994 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (b. 1916)
    • 1996 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (b. 1922)
    • 1996 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (b. 1938)
    • 1998 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian economist and politician, Prime Minister of India (b. 1898)
    • 1998 – Junior Wells, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (b. 1934)
    • 1999 – Betty Box, English composer and producer (b. 1915)
    • 2000 – Georges-Henri Lévesque, Canadian-Dominican priest and sociologist (b. 1903)
    • 2001 – Leo Marks, English cryptographer, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2002 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, American politician, 49th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1923)
    • 2002 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (b. 1915)
    • 2004 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (b. 1949)
    • 2005 – Victoria de los Ángeles, Spanish soprano and actress (b. 1923)
    • 2005 – Walter Ernsting, German author (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Elizabeth Janeway, American author and critic (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Ruth Warrick, American actress (b. 1916)
    • 2006 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1926)
    • 2007 – Awad Hamed al-Bandar, Iraqi lawyer and judge (b. 1945)
    • 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Iraqi intelligence officer (b. 1951)
    • 2007 – James Hillier, Canadian-American computer scientist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (b. 1915)
    • 2007 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino educator and diplomat (b. 1905)
    • 2007 – Bo Yibo, Chinese commander and politician, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1908)
    • 2008 – Robert V. Bruce, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
    • 2008 – Brad Renfro, American actor (b. 1982)
    • 2009 – Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (b. 1917)
    • 2011 – Nat Lofthouse, English footballer and manager (b. 1925)
    • 2011 – Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, French soldier, race car driver, and businessman (b. 1908)
    • 2011 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (b. 1939)
    • 2012 – Ed Derwinski, American soldier and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the Xunta of Galicia (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Carlo Fruttero, Italian journalist and author (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Samuel Jaskilka, American general (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Ib Spang Olsen, Danish author and illustrator (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Hulett C. Smith, American lieutenant and politician, 27th Governor of West Virginia (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – John Thomas, American high jumper (b. 1941)
    • 2014 – Curtis Bray, American football player and coach (b. 1970)
    • 2014 – John Dobson, Chinese-American astronomer and author (b. 1915)
    • 2014 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (b. 1944)
    • 2015 – Ervin Drake, American songwriter and composer (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Francisco X. Alarcón, American poet and educator (b. 1954)
    • 2016 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1958)
    • 2016 – Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (b. 1943)
    • 2017 – Jimmy Snuka, Fijian professional wrestler (b. 1943)
    • 2018 – Dolores O’Riordan, Irish pop singer (b. 1971)
    • 2019 – Carol Channing, American actress (b. 1921)
    • 2019 – Ida Kleijnen, Dutch chef (b. 1936)

    Holidays and observances on January 15

    • Arbor Day (Egypt)
    • Armed Forces Day (Nigeria)
    • Army Day (India)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Abeluzius (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church)
      • Arnold Janssen
      • Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (one of Martyr Saints of China)
      • Ita
      • Our Lady of the Poor
      • Macarius of Egypt (Western Christianity)
      • Maurus and Placidus (Order of Saint Benedict)
      • Paul the Hermit
      • January 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Martin Luther King Jr. Day can fall (the 15th being his birthday), while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in January. (United States)
    • Earliest day on which Sinulog Festival can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday in January. (Philippines)
    • John Chilembwe Day (Malawi)
    • Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea)
    • Ocean Duty Day (Indonesia)
    • Sagichō at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. (Kamakura, Japan)
    • Teacher’s Day (Venezuela)
    • The second day of the sidereal winter solstice festivals in India (see January 14):
      • Thai Pongal, Tamil harvest festival