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July 29 in History
- 587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple.
- 238 – The Praetorian Guard storm the palace and capture Pupienus and Balbinus. They are dragged through the streets of Rome and executed. On the same day, Gordian III, age 13, is proclaimed emperor.
- 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12.
- 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo of Tripoli sack Thessaloniki, the Byzantine Empire’s second-largest city, after a short siege, and plunder it for a week.
- 923 – Battle of Firenzuola: Lombard forces under King Rudolph II and Adalbert I, margrave of Ivrea, defeat the dethroned Emperor Berengar I of Italy at Firenzuola (Tuscany).
- 1014 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, and his subsequent treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of a heart attack less than three months later, on October 6.
- 1018 – Count Dirk III defeats an army sent by Emperor Henry II in the Battle of Vlaardingen.
- 1030 – Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad: King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes.
- 1148 – The Siege of Damascus ends in a decisive crusader defeat and leads to the disintegration of the Second Crusade.
- 1565 – The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany, at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland.
- 1567 – James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling.
- 1588 – Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines: English naval forces under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France.
- 1693 – War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen: France wins a Pyrrhic victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands.
- 1775 – Founding of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps: General George Washington appoints William Tudor as Judge Advocate of the Continental Army.
- 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel submits his prizewinning “Memoir on the Diffraction of Light”, precisely accounting for the limited extent to which light spreads into shadows, and thereby demolishing the oldest objection to the wave theory of light.
- 1836 – Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.
- 1848 – Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt: In County Tipperary, Ireland, then in the United Kingdom, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police.
- 1851 – Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia.
- 1858 – United States and Japan sign the Harris Treaty.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C.
- 1871 – The Connecticut Valley Railroad opens between Old Saybrook, Connecticut and Hartford, Connecticut in the United States.
- 1899 – The First Hague Convention is signed.
- 1900 – In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the anarchist Gaetano Bresci.
- 1907 – Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9, 1907, and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement.
- 1914 – The Cape Cod Canal opened.
- 1920 – Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project.
- 1921 – Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party.
- 1932 – Great Depression: In Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the “Bonus Army” of World War I veterans.
- 1937 – Tōngzhōu Incident: In Tōngzhōu, China, the East Hopei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians.
- 1945 – The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music.
- 1948 – Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad: After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, open in London.
- 1950 – Korean War: After four days, the No Gun Ri Massacre ends when the US Army 7th Cavalry Regiment is withdrawn.
- 1957 – The International Atomic Energy Agency is established.
- 1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- 1959 – First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union.
- 1965 – Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay.
- 1967 – Vietnam War: Off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134.
- 1967 – During the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela is shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead.
- 1973 – Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi.
- 1973 – During the Dutch Grand Prix driver Roger Williamson was killed in the race, after a suspected tire failure caused the car to pitch into the barriers at high speed.
- 1976 – In New York City, David Berkowitz (a.k.a. the “Son of Sam”) kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks.
- 1980 – Iran adopts a new “holy” flag after the Islamic Revolution.
- 1981 – A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
- 1981 – After impeachment on June 21, Abolhassan Banisadr flees with Massoud Rajavi to Paris, in an Iranian Air Force Boeing 707, piloted by Colonel Behzad Moezzi, to form the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
- 1987 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel).
- 1987 – Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues.
- 1993 – The Supreme Court of Israel acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free.
- 1996 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad.
- 2005 – Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris.
- 2010 – An overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in at least 80 deaths.
- 2013 – Two passenger trains collide in the Swiss municipality of Granges-près-Marnand near Lausanne injuring 25 people.
- 2019 – Prison riot between rival gangs broke out in Brazil, at least 57 people have been killed.
Births on July 29
- 869 – Muhammad al-Mahdi, Iraqi 12th Imam (d. 941)
- 996 – Fujiwara no Norimichi, Japanese nobleman (d. 1075)
- 1166 – Henry II, French nobleman and king of Jerusalem (d. 1197)
- 1356 – Martin the Elder, king of Aragon, Valencia and Majorca (d. 1410)
- 1537 – Pedro Téllez-Girón, Spanish nobleman (d. 1590)
- 1573 – Philip II, duke of Pomerania-Stettin (d. 1618)
- 1580 – Francesco Mochi, Italian sculptor (d. 1654)
- 1605 – Simon Dach, German poet and hymn-writer (d. 1659)
- 1646 – Johann Theile, German organist and composer (d. 1724)
- 1744 – Giulio Maria della Somaglia, Italian cardinal (d. 1830)
- 1763 – Philip Charles Durham, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1845)
- 1797 – Daniel Drew, American businessman and financier (d. 1879)
- 1801 – George Bradshaw, English cartographer and publisher (d. 1853)
- 1805 – Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and philosopher (d. 1859)
- 1806 – Horace Abbott, American businessman and banker (d. 1887)
- 1817 – Ivan Aivazovsky, Armenian-Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1900)
- 1817 – Martin Körber, Baltic German pastor, composer, and conductor (d. 1893)
- 1841 – Gerhard Armauer Hansen, Norwegian physician (d. 1912)
- 1843 – Johannes Schmidt, German linguist and academic (d. 1901)
- 1846 – Sophie Menter, German pianist and composer (d. 1918)
- 1846 – Isabel, Brazilian princess (d. 1921)
- 1849 – Max Nordau, Hungarian physician, author, and critic, co-founded the World Zionist Organization (d. 1923)
- 1860 – Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, English politician, 8th Governor of Queensland (d. 1940)
- 1867 – Berthold Oppenheim, Moravian rabbi (d. 1942)
- 1869 – Booth Tarkington, American novelist and dramatist (d. 1946)
- 1871 – Jakob Mändmets, Estonian writer and journalist (d. 1930)
- 1872 – Eric Alfred Knudsen, American author, lawyer, and politician (d. 1957)
- 1874 – J. S. Woodsworth, Canadian minister and politician (d. 1942)
- 1876 – Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-American actress and acting teacher (d. 1949)
- 1878 – Don Marquis, American author, poet, and playwright (d. 1937)
- 1883 – Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and author (d. 1942)
- 1883 – Benito Mussolini, Italian fascist revolutionary and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1945)
- 1884 – Ralph Austin Bard, American financier and politician, 2nd Under Secretary of the Navy (d. 1975)
- 1885 – Theda Bara, American actress (d. 1955)
- 1887 – Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian-American pianist and composer (d. 1951)
- 1888 – Vladimir K. Zworykin, Russian-American engineer, invented the Iconoscope (d. 1982)
- 1891 – Bernhard Zondek, German-Israeli gynecologist and academic (d. 1966)
- 1892 – William Powell, American actor and singer (d. 1984)
- 1896 – Maria L. de Hernández, Mexican-American rights activist (d. 1986)
- 1897 – Neil Ritchie, Guyanese-English general (d. 1983)
- 1898 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1988)
- 1899 – Walter Beall, American baseball player (d. 1959)
- 1900 – Mary V. Austin, Australian community worker and political activist (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Eyvind Johnson, Swedish novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1976)
- 1900 – Teresa Noce, Italian labor leader, activist, and journalist (d. 1980)
- 1900 – Don Redman, American composer, and bandleader (d. 1964)
- 1904 – Mahasi Sayadaw, Burmese monk and philosopher (d. 1982)
- 1904 – J. R. D. Tata, French-Indian pilot and businessman, founded Tata Motors and Tata Global Beverages (d. 1993)
- 1905 – Clara Bow, American actress (d. 1965)
- 1905 – Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish economist and diplomat, 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1961)
- 1905 – Stanley Kunitz, American poet and translator (d. 2006)
- 1906 – Thelma Todd, American actress and singer (d. 1935)
- 1907 – Melvin Belli, American lawyer (d. 1996)
- 1909 – Samm Sinclair Baker, American author (d. 1997)
- 1909 – Chester Himes, American-Spanish author (d. 1984)
- 1910 – Gale Page, American actress (d. 1983)
- 1911 – Foster Furcolo, American lawyer and politician, 60th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1995)
- 1911 – Archbishop Iakovos of America (d. 2005)
- 1913 – Erich Priebke, German war criminal, leader of the 1944 Ardeatine massacre (d. 2013)
- 1914 – Irwin Corey, American actor and activist (d. 2017)
- 1915 – Bruce R. McConkie, American colonel and religious leader (d. 1985)
- 1915 – Francis W. Sargent, American soldier and politician, 64th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1998)
- 1916 – Budd Boetticher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
- 1916 – Charlie Christian, American guitarist (d. 1942)
- 1916 – Rupert Hamer, Australian politician, 39th Premier of Victoria (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Rochus Misch, German SS officer (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Don Ingalls, American writer and producer (d. 2014)
- 1918 – Edwin O’Connor, American journalist and author (d. 1968)
- 1918 – Mary Lee Settle, American novelist, essayist, and memoirist (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Neville Jeffress, Australian businessman (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Richard Egan, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1921 – Chris Marker, French photographer and journalist (d. 2012)
- 1923 – George Burditt, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Edgar Cortright, American scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Jim Marshall, English businessman, founded Marshall Amplification (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Gordon Mitchell, American bodybuilder and actor (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Lloyd Bochner, Canadian-American actor (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Robert Horton, American actor (d. 2016)
- 1925 – Harold W. Kuhn, American mathematician and academic (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Ted Lindsay, Canadian ice hockey player, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer
- 1926 – Robert Kilpatrick, Baron Kilpatrick of Kincraig, Scottish physician, academic, and politician (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Harry Mulisch, Dutch author, poet, and playwright (d. 2010)
- 1930 – Paul Taylor, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2018)
- 1931 – Kjell Karlsen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2020)
- 1932 – Leslie Fielding, English diplomat
- 1932 – Nancy Kassebaum, American businesswoman and politician
- 1933 – Lou Albano, Italian-American wrestler, manager, and actor (d. 2009)
- 1933 – Colin Davis, English race car driver (d. 2012)
- 1933 – Robert Fuller, American actor and rancher
- 1933 – Randy Sparks, American folk singer-songwriter and musician (The New Christy Minstrels)
- 1935 – Peter Schreier, German tenor and conductor (d. 2019)
- 1936 – Elizabeth Dole, American lawyer and politician, 20th United States Secretary of Labor
- 1937 – Daniel McFadden, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate
- 1938 – Peter Jennings, Canadian-American journalist and author (d. 2005)
- 1938 – Jean Rochon, Canadian physician and politician
- 1940 – Betty Harris, American chemist
- 1940 – Winnie Monsod, Filipina economist and political commentator
- 1941 – Jennifer Dunn, American engineer and politician (d. 2007)
- 1941 – Goenawan Mohamad, Indonesian poet and playwright
- 1941 – David Warner, English actor
- 1942 – Doug Ashdown, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1943 – David Taylor, English snooker player and sportscaster
- 1944 – Jim Bridwell, American rock climber and mountaineer
- 1945 – Sharon Creech, American author and educator
- 1945 – Mircea Lucescu, Romanian footballer, coach, and manager
- 1946 – Ximena Armas, Chilean painter
- 1946 – Stig Blomqvist, Swedish race car driver
- 1946 – Neal Doughty, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
- 1946 – Alessandro Gogna, Italian mountaineer and adventurer
- 1946 – Diane Keen, English actress
- 1946 – Aleksei Tammiste, Estonian basketball player
- 1947 – Dick Harmon, American golfer and coach (d. 2006)
- 1948 – John Clarke, New Zealand-Australian comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
- 1949 – Leslie Easterbrook, American actress
- 1949 – Jamil Mahuad, Ecuadorian lawyer and politician, 51st President of Ecuador
- 1950 – Jenny Holzer, American painter, author, and dancer
- 1951 – Susan Blackmore, English psychologist and theorist
- 1951 – Dan Driessen, American baseball player and coach
- 1951 – Dean Pitchford, American actor, director, screenwriter, and composer
- 1952 – Norman Blackwell, Baron Blackwell, English businessman and politician
- 1952 – Joe Johnson, English snooker player and sportscaster
- 1952 – Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, Greek politician
- 1953 – Ken Burns, American director and producer
- 1953 – Geddy Lee, Canadian musician
- 1953 – Frank McGuinness, Irish poet and playwright
- 1953 – Tim Gunn, American television host and actor
- 1954 – Patti Scialfa, American musician
- 1955 – Jean-Hugues Anglade, French actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1955 – Dave Stevens, American illustrator (d. 2008)
- 1955 – Stephen Timms, English politician, Minister of State for Competitiveness
- 1956 – Teddy Atlas, American boxer, trainer, and sportscaster
- 1956 – Ronnie Musgrove, American lawyer and politician, 62nd Governor of Mississippi
- 1956 – Faustino Rupérez, Spanish cyclist
- 1957 – Liam Davison, Australian author and educator (d. 2014)
- 1957 – Viktor Gavrikov, Lithuanian-Swiss chess player (d. 2016)
- 1957 – Nellie Kim, Russian gymnast and coach
- 1958 – Gail Dines, English-American author, activist, and academic
- 1958 – Simon Nye, English screenwriter and producer
- 1958 – Cynthia Rowley, American fashion designer
- 1959 – Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor, singer, and producer
- 1959 – Ruud Janssen, Dutch blogger and illustrator
- 1959 – Dave LaPoint, American baseball player and manager
- 1959 – John Sykes, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 – Didier Van Cauwelaert, French author
- 1962 – Carl Cox, English DJ and producer
- 1962 – Frank Neubarth, German footballer and manager
- 1962 – Scott Steiner, American wrestler
- 1962 – Vincent Rousseau, Belgian runner
- 1963 – Hans-Holger Albrecht, Belgian-German businessman
- 1963 – Jim Beglin, Irish footballer and sportscaster
- 1963 – Julie Elliott, English politician
- 1963 – Azeem Hafeez, Pakistani cricketer
- 1963 – Alexandra Paul, American actress and producer
- 1963 – Graham Poll, English footballer, referee, and journalist
- 1964 – Jaanus Veensalu, Estonian footballer
- 1965 – Luis Alicea, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
- 1965 – Dean Haglund, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Adam Holloway, English captain and politician
- 1965 – Stan Koziol, American soccer player (d. 2014)
- 1965 – Chang-Rae Lee, South Korean-American author and academic
- 1965 – Xavier Waterkeyn, Australian author
- 1965 – Woody Weatherman, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1966 – Sally Gunnell, English hurdler and sportscaster
- 1966 – Stuart Lampitt, English cricketer
- 1966 – Martina McBride, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1968 – Gideon Henderson, English geologist and academic
- 1968 – Paavo Lötjönen, Finnish cellist and educator
- 1970 – Adele Griffin, American author
- 1970 – Andi Peters, English journalist, actor, and producer
- 1970 – John Rennie, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1971 – Andrea Philipp, German sprinter
- 1972 – Wil Wheaton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1973 – Stephen Dorff, American actor and producer
- 1973 – Denis Urubko, Kazakh mountaineer
- 1975 – Yoshihiro Akiyama, Japanese mixed martial artist
- 1975 – Lanka de Silva, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1975 – Corrado Grabbi, Italian footballer
- 1975 – Jaanus Sirel, Estonian footballer
- 1978 – Mike Adams, American baseball player
- 1978 – Marina Lazarovska, Macedonian tennis player
- 1979 – Karim Essediri, Tunisian footballer
- 1979 – Ronald Murray, American basketball player
- 1979 – Juris Umbraško, Latvian basketball player
- 1980 – Ryan Braun, Canadian-American baseball player
- 1980 – Fernando González, Chilean tennis player
- 1980 – Ben Koller, American drummer
- 1980 – John Morris, Australian rugby league player
- 1981 – Fernando Alonso, Spanish race car driver
- 1981 – Andrés Madrid, Argentinian footballer
- 1981 – Troy Perkins, American soccer player
- 1982 – Janez Aljančič, Slovenian footballer
- 1982 – Jônatas Domingos, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 – Allison Mack, American actress and criminal
- 1983 – Jason Belmonte, Australian bowler
- 1983 – Inés Gómez Mont, Mexican journalist and actress
- 1983 – Alexei Kaigorodov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Jerious Norwood, American football player
- 1983 – Elise Testone, American singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Oh Beom-seok, South Korean footballer
- 1984 – Chad Billingsley, American baseball player
- 1984 – Wilson Palacios, Honduran footballer
- 1985 – Besart Berisha, Albanian footballer
- 1985 – Okinoumi Ayumi, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1985 – Simon Santoso, Indonesian badminton player
- 1988 – Tarjei Bø, Norwegian biathlete
- 1989 – Grit Šadeiko, Estonian heptathlete
- 1991 – Dale Copley, Australian rugby league player
- 1991 – Irakli Logua, Russian footballer
- 1992 – Karen Torrez, Bolivian swimmer
- 1993 – Nicole Melichar, American tennis player
- 1994 – Liam O’Brien, Canadian ice hockey player
Deaths on July 29
- 238 – Balbinus, Roman emperor (b. 165)
- 238 – Pupienus, Roman emperor (b. 178)
- 451 – Tuoba Huang, prince of Northern Wei (b. 428)
- 796 – Offa of Mercia (b. 730)
- 846 – Li Shen, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
- 1030 – Olaf II of Norway (b. 995)
- 1095 – Ladislaus I of Hungary (b. 1040)
- 1099 – Pope Urban II (b. 1042)
- 1108 – Philip I of France (b. 1052)
- 1236 – Ingeborg of Denmark, Queen of France (b. 1175)
- 1326 – Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster (b. 1259)
- 1504 – Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby (b. 1435)
- 1507 – Martin Behaim, German-Bohemian geographer and astronomer (b. 1459)
- 1573 – John Caius, English physician and academic (b. 1510)
- 1612 – Jacques Bongars, French scholar and diplomat (b. 1554)
- 1644 – Pope Urban VIII (b. 1568)
- 1752 – Peter Warren, Irish admiral and politician (b. 1703)
- 1781 – Johann Kies, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1713)
- 1792 – René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French lawyer and politician, Chancellor of France (b. 1714)
- 1813 – Jean-Andoche Junot, French general (b. 1771)
- 1833 – William Wilberforce, English philanthropist and politician (b. 1759)
- 1839 – Gaspard de Prony, French mathematician and engineer (b. 1755)
- 1844 – Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1791)
- 1856 – Robert Schumann, German composer and critic (b. 1810)
- 1857 – Thomas Dick, Scottish minister, astronomer, and author (b. 1774)
- 1887 – Agostino Depretis, Italian politician, 9th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1813)
- 1890 – Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1853)
- 1895 – Floriano Peixoto, Brazilian general and politician, 2nd President of Brazil (b. 1839)
- 1900 – Umberto I of Italy (b. 1844)
- 1908 – Marie Adam-Doerrer (b. 1838)
- 1913 – Tobias Asser, Dutch lawyer and jurist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1838)
- 1918 – Ernest William Christmas, Australian-American painter (b. 1863)
- 1924 – Sotirios Krokidas, Greek educator and politician, 110th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1852)
- 1934 – Didier Pitre, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1883)
- 1938 – Nikolai Krylenko, Russian lawyer, jurist, and politician, Prosecutor General of the Russian SFSR (b. 1885)
- 1950 – Joe Fry, English race car driver (b. 1915)
- 1951 – Ali Sami Yen, Turkish footballer and manager, founded Galatasaray S.K. (b. 1886)
- 1954 – Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (b. 1879)
- 1960 – Hasan Saka, Turkish politician, 7th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1885)
- 1962 – Ronald Fisher, English biologist and statistician (b. 1890)
- 1962 – Leonardo De Lorenzo, Italian-American flute player and educator (b. 1875)
- 1964 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (b. 1885)
- 1966 – Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigerian general and politician, 2nd Head of State of Nigeria (b. 1924)
- 1966 – Adekunle Fajuyi, Nigerian colonel (b. 1926)
- 1970 – John Barbirolli, English cellist and conductor (b. 1899)
- 1973 – Norm Smith, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1915)
- 1973 – Roger Williamson, English race car driver (b. 1948)
- 1974 – Cass Elliot, American singer (b. 1941)
- 1974 – Erich Kästner, German author and poet (b. 1899)
- 1976 – Mickey Cohen, American gangster (b. 1913)
- 1978 – Andrzej Bogucki, Polish actor, operetta singer, and songwriter (b. 1904)
- 1979 – Herbert Marcuse, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1898)
- 1979 – Bill Todman, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1916)
- 1981 – Robert Moses, American urban planner, designed the Northern State Parkway and Southern State Parkway (b. 1888)
- 1982 – Harold Sakata, American wrestler and actor (b. 1920)
- 1982 – Vladimir K. Zworykin, Russian-American engineer, invented the Iconoscope (b. 1889)
- 1983 – Luis Buñuel, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1900)
- 1983 – Raymond Massey, Canadian-American actor and screenwriter (b. 1896)
- 1983 – David Niven, English military officer and actor (b. 1910)
- 1984 – Fred Waring, American television host and bandleader (b. 1900)
- 1987 – Bibhutibhushan Mukhopadhyay, Indian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1894)
- 1990 – Bruno Kreisky, Austrian academic and politician, 22nd Chancellor of Austria (b. 1911)
- 1992 – Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1952)
- 1994 – John Britton, American physician (b. 1925)
- 1994 – Dorothy Hodgkin, Egyptian-English biochemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
- 1995 – Les Elgart, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1917)
- 1996 – Ric Nordman, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1919)
- 1996 – Marcel-Paul Schützenberger, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1920)
- 1996 – Jason Thirsk, American singer and bass player (b. 1967)
- 1998 – Jerome Robbins, American director, producer, and choreographer (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Edward Gierek, Polish soldier and politician (b. 1913)
- 2001 – Wau Holland, German computer scientist, co-founded Chaos Computer Club (b. 1951)
- 2003 – Foday Sankoh, Sierra Leonean soldier, founded the Revolutionary United Front (b. 1937)
- 2004 – Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress and singer (b. 1923)
- 2007 – Mike Reid, English comedian, actor, and author (b. 1940)
- 2007 – Michel Serrault, French actor (b. 1928)
- 2007 – Tom Snyder, American journalist and talk show host (b. 1936)
- 2007 – Marvin Zindler, American journalist (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Bruce Edward Ivins, American scientist and bio-defense researcher (b. 1946)
- 2010 – Charles E. Wicks, American chemist and academic (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Tatiana Egorova, Russian footballer and manager (b. 1970)
- 2012 – August Kowalczyk, Polish actor and director (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Chris Marker, French photographer and journalist (b. 1921)
- 2012 – James Mellaart, English archaeologist and author (b. 1925)
- 2012 – John Stampe, Danish footballer and coach (b. 1957)
- 2013 – Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian footballer (b. 1986)
- 2013 – Peter Flanigan, American banker and civil servant (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Tony Gaze, Australian soldier, pilot, and race car driver (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Munir Hussain, Indian cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1929)
- 2014 – M. Caldwell Butler, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Jon R. Cavaiani, English-American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Giorgio Gaslini, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1929)
- 2014 – María Antonia Iglesias, Spanish journalist and author (b. 1945)
- 2014 – Péter Kiss, Hungarian engineer and politician (b. 1959)
- 2014 – Idris Muhammad, American drummer and composer (b. 1939)
- 2014 – Thomas R. St. George, American soldier and author (b. 1919)
- 2015 – Antony Holland, English-Canadian actor, director, and playwright (b. 1920)
- 2015 – Peter O’Sullevan, Anglo-Irish sportscaster (b. 1918)
- 2015 – Mike Pyle, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Franklin H. Westervelt, American computer scientist, engineer, and academic (b. 1930)
- 2018 – Oliver Dragojević, a Croatian recording artist (b. 1947)
- 2018 – Josip Peruzovic, Yugoslav-born American professional wrestler (b. 1947)
Holidays and observances on July 29
- Christian feast day:
- Lupus of Troyes
- Martha of Bethany (Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran Church)
- Mary of Bethany
- Olaf II of Norway
- Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix
- July 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Somer’s Day can fall, while August 4 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before the first Monday in August. (Bermuda)
- International Tiger Day
- Mohun Bagan Day (India)
- National Anthem Day (Romania)
- National Thai Language Day (Thailand)
- Ólavsøka or Olsok, opening of the Løgting session. (Faroe Islands and the Nordic countries)
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July 6 in History
- 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra shatters Sparta’s reputation of military invincibility.
- 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under ‘Amr ibn al-‘As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt).
- 1253 – Mindaugas is crowned King of Lithuania.
- 1348 – Pope Clement VI issues a papal bull protecting the Jews accused of having caused the Black Death.
- 1411 – Ming China’s Admiral Zheng He returns to Nanjing after the third treasure voyage and presents the Sinhalese king, captured during the Ming–Kotte War, to the Yongle Emperor.
- 1415 – Jan Hus is condemned by the assembly of the council in the cathedral as a heretic and sentenced to be burned at the stake. (See Deaths section.)
- 1438 – A temporary compromise between the rebellious Transylvanian peasants and the noblemen is signed in Kolozsmonostor Abbey.
- 1483 – Richard III is crowned King of England.
- 1484 – Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River.
- 1495 – First Italian War: Battle of Fornovo: Charles VIII defeats the Holy League.
- 1535 – Sir Thomas More is executed for treason against King Henry VIII of England.
- 1557 – King Philip II of Spain, consort of Queen Mary I of England, sets out from Dover to war with France, which eventually resulted in the loss of the City of Calais, the last English possession on the continent, and Mary I never seeing her husband again.
- 1560 – The Treaty of Edinburgh is signed by Scotland and England.
- 1573 – Córdoba, Argentina, is founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera.
- 1573 – French Wars of Religion: Siege of La Rochelle ends.
- 1614 – Raid on Żejtun: The south east of Malta, and the town of Żejtun, suffer a raid from Ottoman forces. This was the last unsuccessful attempt by the Ottomans to conquer the island of Malta.
- 1630 – Thirty Years’ War: Four thousand Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus land in Pomerania, Germany.
- 1685 – Battle of Sedgemoor: Last battle of the Monmouth Rebellion. troops of King James II defeat troops of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth.
- 1751 – Pope Benedict XIV suppresses the Patriarchate of Aquileia and establishes from its territory the Archdiocese of Udine and Gorizia.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: Siege of Fort Ticonderoga: After a bombardment by British artillery under General John Burgoyne, American forces retreat from Fort Ticonderoga, New York.
- 1779 – Battle of Grenada: The French defeat British naval forces during the American Revolutionary War.
- 1801 – First Battle of Algeciras: Outnumbered French Navy ships defeat the Royal Navy in the fortified Spanish port of Algeciras.
- 1809 – The second day of the Battle of Wagram; France defeats the Austrian army in the largest battle to date of the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1854 – In Jackson, Michigan, the first convention of the United States Republican Party is held.
- 1885 – Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog.
- 1887 – David Kalākaua, monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution, which transfers much of the king’s authority to the Legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
- 1892 – Three thousand eight hundred striking steelworkers engage in a day-long battle with Pinkerton agents during the Homestead Strike, leaving ten dead and dozens wounded.
- 1917 – World War I: Arabian troops led by T. E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) and Auda ibu Tayi capture Aqaba from the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt.
- 1918 – The Left SR uprising in Russia starts with the assassination of German ambassador Wilhelm von Mirbach by Cheka members.
- 1919 – The British dirigible R34 lands in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship.
- 1933 – The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game is played in Chicago’s Comiskey Park. The American League defeated the National League 4–2.
- 1936 – A major breach of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal in England sends millions of gallons of water cascading 200 feet (61 m) into the River Irwell.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Battle of Brunete: The battle begins with Spanish Republican troops going on the offensive against the Nationalists to relieve pressure on Madrid.
- 1939 – Anti-Jewish legislation in prewar Nazi Germany closes the last remaining Jewish enterprises.
- 1940 – Story Bridge, a major landmark in Brisbane, as well as Australia’s longest cantilever bridge is formally opened.
- 1941 – The German army launches its offensive to encircle several Soviet armies near Smolensk.
- 1942 – Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the “Secret Annexe” above her father’s office in an Amsterdam warehouse.
- 1944 – Jackie Robinson refuses to move to the back of a bus, leading to a court-martial.
- 1944 – The Hartford circus fire, one of America’s worst fire disasters, kills approximately 168 people and injures over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut.
- 1947 – Referendum held in Sylhet to decide its fate in the Partition of India.
- 1947 – The AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union.
- 1957 – Althea Gibson wins the Wimbledon championships, becoming the first black athlete to do so.
- 1957 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time, as teenagers at Woolton Fete, three years before forming the Beatles.
- 1962 – As a part of Operation Plowshare, the Sedan nuclear test takes place.
- 1962 – The Late Late Show, the world’s longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster, airs on RTÉ One for the first time.
- 1964 – Malawi declares its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1966 – Malawi becomes a republic, with Hastings Banda as its first President.
- 1967 – Nigerian Civil War: Nigerian forces invade Biafra, beginning the war.
- 1975 – The Comoros declares independence from France.
- 1986 – Davis Phinney becomes the first American cyclist to win a road stage of the Tour de France.
- 1988 – The Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires. One hundred sixty-seven oil workers are killed, making it the world’s worst offshore oil disaster in terms of direct loss of life.
- 1989 – The Tel Aviv–Jerusalem bus 405 suicide attack: Sixteen bus passengers are killed when a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad took control of the bus and drove it over a cliff.
- 1990 – The Electronic Frontier Foundation is founded.
- 1995 – In the Bosnian War, under the command of General Ratko Mladić, Serbia begins its attack on the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.
- 1997 – The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of mass protests, riots and gun battles begin in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland.
- 1998 – Hong Kong International Airport opens in Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, replacing Kai Tak Airport as the city’s international airport.
- 2003 – The 70-metre Yevpatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message (Cosmic Call 2) to five stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri (HD 75732), HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris (HD 95128). The messages will arrive to these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044, and 2049, respectively.
- 2006 – The Nathu La pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opens for trade after 44 years.
- 2013 – At least 42 people are killed in a shooting at a school in Yobe State, Nigeria.
- 2013 – A Boeing 777 operating as Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashes at San Francisco International Airport, killing three and injuring 181 of the 307 people on board.
- 2013 – A 73-car oil train derails in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec and explodes into flames, killing at least 47 people and destroying more than 30 buildings in the town’s central area.
Births on July 6
- 1387 – Queen Blanche I of Navarre (d. 1441)
- 1423 – Antonio Manetti, Italian mathematician and architect (d. 1497)
- 1580 – Johann Stobäus, German lute player and composer (d. 1646)
- 1623 – Jacopo Melani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1676)
- 1678 – Nicola Francesco Haym, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1729)
- 1686 – Antoine de Jussieu, French biologist and academic (d. 1758)
- 1701 – Mary, Countess of Harold, English aristocrat and philanthropist (d. 1785)
- 1736 – Daniel Morgan, American general and politician (d. 1802)
- 1747 – John Paul Jones, Scottish-American captain (d. 1792)
- 1766 – Alexander Wilson, Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, and illustrator (d. 1813)
- 1781 – Stamford Raffles, English politician, founded Singapore (d. 1826)
- 1782 – Maria Luisa of Spain (d. 1824)
- 1785 – William Hooker, English botanist and academic (d. 1865)
- 1789 – María Isabella of Spain (d. 1846)
- 1796 – Nicholas I of Russia (d. 1855)
- 1797 – Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey (d. 1869)
- 1799 – Louisa Caroline Huggins Tuthill, American author (d. 1879)
- 1817 – Albert von Kölliker, Swiss anatomist and physiologist (d. 1905)
- 1818 – Adolf Anderssen, German chess player (d. 1879)
- 1823 – Sophie Adlersparre, Swedish publisher, writer, and women’s rights activist (d. 1895)
- 1829 – Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1880)
- 1831 – Sylvester Pennoyer, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Oregon (d. 1902)
- 1832 – Maximilian I of Mexico (d. 1867)
- 1837 – R. G. Bhandarkar, Indian orientalist and scholar (d. 1925)
- 1838 – Vatroslav Jagić, Croatian philologist and scholar (d. 1923)
- 1840 – José María Velasco Gómez, Mexican painter and academic (d. 1912)
- 1843 – John Downer, Australian politician, 16th Premier of South Australia (d. 1915)
- 1856 – George Howard Earle, Jr., American lawyer and businessman (d. 1928)
- 1858 – William Irvine, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of Victoria (d. 1943)
- 1865 – Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, Swiss composer and educator (d. 1950)
- 1868 – Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1935)
- 1873 – Dimitrios Maximos, Greek banker and politician, 140th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1955)
- 1877 – Arnaud Massy, French golfer (d. 1950)
- 1878 – Eino Leino, Finnish poet and journalist (d. 1926)
- 1883 – Godfrey Huggins, Prime Minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (d. 1971)
- 1884 – Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, American businessman and sailor (d. 1970)
- 1885 – Ernst Busch, German field marshal (d. 1945)
- 1886 – Marc Bloch, French historian and academic (d. 1944)
- 1887 – Marc Chagall, Belarusian-French painter and poet (d. 1985)
- 1887 – Annette Kellerman, Australian swimmer and actress (d. 1975)
- 1890 – Dhan Gopal Mukerji, Indian-American author and scholar (d. 1936)
- 1892 – Will James, American author and illustrator (d. 1942)
- 1897 – Richard Krautheimer, German-American historian and scholar (d. 1994)
- 1898 – Hanns Eisler, German-Austrian soldier and composer (d. 1962)
- 1899 – Susannah Mushatt Jones, American supercentarian (d. 2016)
- 1900 – Frederica Sagor Maas, American author and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1900 – Elfriede Wever, German Olympic runner (d. 1941)
- 1903 – Hugo Theorell, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)
- 1904 – Robert Whitney, American conductor and composer (d. 1986)
- 1904 – Erik Wickberg, Swedish 9th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1996)
- 1905 – Juan O’Gorman, Mexican painter and architect (d. 1982)
- 1907 – Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter and educator (d. 1954)
- 1907 – George Stanley, Canadian soldier, historian, and author, designed the flag of Canada (d. 2002)
- 1908 – Anton Muttukumaru, Sri Lankan general and diplomat (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Eric Reece, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Tasmania (d. 1999)
- 1910 – René Le Grèves, French cyclist (d. 1946)
- 1911 – June Gale, American actress (d. 1996)
- 1912 – Heinrich Harrer, Austrian geographer and mountaineer (d. 2006)
- 1912 – Molly Yard, American feminist (d. 2005)
- 1913 – Vance Trimble, American journalist and author
- 1914 – Vince McMahon Sr., American wrestling promoter, founded WWE (d. 1984)
- 1914 – Ernest Kirkendall, American chemist and metallurgist (d. 2005)
- 1915 – Leonard Birchall, Royal Canadian Air Force pilot (d. 2004)
- 1916 – Harold Norse, American poet and author (d. 2009)
- 1916 – Don R. Christensen, American animator, cartoonist, illustrator, writer and inventor (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand runner and coach (d. 2004)
- 1918 – Sebastian Cabot, English-Canadian actor (d. 1977)
- 1918 – Herm Fuetsch, American professional basketball player (d. 2010)
- 1918 – Francisco Moncion, Dominican-American ballet dancer, charter member of the New York City Ballet (d.1995)
- 1919 – Ernst Haefliger, Swiss tenor and educator (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Edward Kenna, Australian Second World War recipient of the Victoria Cross (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Ray Dowker, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Allan MacEachen, Canadian economist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (d. 2017)
- 1921 – Billy Mauch, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Bobby Mauch, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Nancy Reagan, American actress and activist, 42nd First Lady of the United States (d. 2016)
- 1922 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Wojciech Jaruzelski, Polish general and politician, 1st President of Poland (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Mahim Bora, Indian writer and educationist, recipients of the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour (d. 2016)
- 1924 – Louie Bellson, American drummer, composer, and bandleader (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Merv Griffin, American actor, singer, and producer, created Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! (d. 2007)
- 1925 – Bill Haley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1981)
- 1925 – Gazi Yaşargil, Turkish neurosurgeon and academic
- 1926 – Sulev Vahtre, Estonian historian and academic (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Armando Silvestre, Mexican-American actor
- 1927 – Jan Hein Donner, Dutch chess player and journalist (d. 1988)
- 1927 – Janet Leigh, American actress and author (d. 2004)
- 1928 – Bernard Malgrange, French mathematician
- 1929 – Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, French politician historian
- 1930 – George Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1930 – Ian Burgess, English racing driver (d. 2012)
- 1931 – Della Reese, American actress and singer (d. 2017)
- 1931 – László Tábori, Hungarian runner and coach (d. 2018)
- 1932 – Herman Hertzberger, Dutch architect and academic
- 1935 – Candy Barr, American model, dancer, and actress (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
- 1936 – Dave Allen, Irish comedian, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
- 1937 – Vladimir Ashkenazy, Russian-Icelandic pianist and conductor
- 1937 – Ned Beatty, American actor
- 1937 – Gene Chandler, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1937 – Bessie Head, Botswanan writer
- 1937 – Michael Sata, Zambian police officer and politician, 5th President of Zambia (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Jet Harris, English bass player (d. 2011)
- 1939 – Mary Peters, English-Irish pentathlete and shot putter
- 1939 – Bruce Hunter, American swimmer (d. 2018)
- 1940 – Jeannie Seely, Grammy Award-winning country music singer-songwriter and Grand Ole Opry member
- 1940 – Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakh politician, 1st President of Kazakhstan
- 1941 – David Crystal, British linguist, author, and academic
- 1941 – Reinhard Roder, German footballer and manager
- 1943 – Tamara Sinyavskaya, Russian soprano
- 1944 – Gunhild Hoffmeister, German runner
- 1946 – George W. Bush, American businessman and politician, 43rd President of the United States
- 1946 – Fred Dryer, American football player and actor
- 1946 – Peter Singer, Australian philosopher and academic
- 1946 – Sylvester Stallone, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1947 – Roy Señeres, Filipino diplomat and politician (d. 2016)
- 1948 – Nathalie Baye, French actress
- 1948 – Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Canadian academic and politician, 26th Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs
- 1948 – Brad Park, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
- 1949 – Noli de Castro, Filipino journalist and politician, 14th Vice President of the Philippines
- 1949 – Phyllis Hyman, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1995)
- 1949 – Michael Shrieve, American composer, drummer, and percussionist
- 1950 – John Byrne, English-American author and illustrator
- 1951 – Lorna Golding, Former First Lady of Jamaica
- 1951 – Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor and producer
- 1952 – Hilary Mantel, English author and critic
- 1953 – Nanci Griffith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 – Kaiser Kalambo, Zambian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1953 – Robert Ménard, French politician and former journalist
- 1954 – Allyce Beasley, American actress
- 1954 – Willie Randolph, American baseball player and manager
- 1958 – Jennifer Saunders, English actress, comedian and screenwriter
- 1959 – Richard Dacoury, French basketball player
- 1960 – Maria Wasiak, Polish businesswoman and politician, Polish Minister of Infrastructure and Development
- 1961 – Robin Antin, American dancer, choreographer, and businesswoman
- 1962 – Todd Bennett, English runner and coach (d. 2013)
- 1962 – Peter Hedges, American author, screenwriter, and director
- 1967 – Heather Nova, Bermudian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1970 – Inspectah Deck, American rapper and producer
- 1970 – Martin Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Daniel Andrews, Australian politician, 48th Premier of Victoria
- 1972 – Laurent Gaudé, French author and playwright
- 1972 – Greg Norton, American baseball player and coach
- 1972 – Zhanna Pintusevich-Block, Ukrainian sprinter
- 1974 – Zé Roberto, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 – 50 Cent, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1975 – Sebastián Rulli, Argentine-Mexican actor and model
- 1975 – Amir-Abbas Fakhravar, Iranian journalist and activist
- 1976 – Rory Delap, English-Irish footballer
- 1976 – Ioana Dumitriu, Romanian-American mathematician and academic
- 1977 – Max Mirnyi, Belarusian tennis player
- 1977 – Makhaya Ntini, South African cricketer
- 1978 – Adam Busch, American actor, director, and producer
- 1978 – Tamera Mowry, American actress and producer
- 1978 – Tia Mowry, American actress and producer
- 1978 – Kevin Senio, New Zealand rugby player
- 1979 – Nic Cester, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 – Kevin Hart, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1980 – Joell Ortiz, American rapper
- 1980 – Eva Green, French actress and model
- 1981 – Nnamdi Asomugha, American football player
- 1981 – Roman Shirokov, Russian footballer
- 1982 – Brandon Jacobs, American football player
- 1982 – Misty Upham, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1983 – Gregory Smith, Canadian actor, director, and producer
- 1984 – Zhang Hao, Chinese figure skater
- 1985 – Ranveer Singh, Indian film actor
- 1986 – David Karp, American businessman, founded Tumblr
- 1987 – Sophie Auster, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Manteo Mitchell, American runner
- 1987 – Kate Nash, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
- 1987 – Caroline Trentini, Brazilian model
- 1988 – Kevin Fickentscher, Swiss footballer
- 1990 – Magaye Gueye, French footballer
- 1992 – Manny Machado, Dominican-American baseball player
Deaths on July 6
- 371 BC – Cleombrotus I, Spartan king
- 649 – Goar of Aquitaine, French bishop
- 887 – Wang Chongrong, Chinese warlord
- 918 – William I, duke of Aquitaine (b. 875)
- 1017 – Genshin, Japanese scholar (b. 942)
- 1070 – Godelieve, Flemish saint (b. 1049)
- 1189 – Henry II, king of England (b. 1133)
- 1218 – Odo III, duke of Burgundy (b. 1166)
- 1249 – Alexander II, king of Scotland (b. 1198)
- 1415 – Jan Hus, Czech priest, philosopher, and reformer (b. 1369)
- 1476 – Regiomontanus, German mathematician and astrologer (b. 1436)
- 1480 – Antonio Squarcialupi, Italian composer (b. 1416)
- 1533 – Ludovico Ariosto, Italian poet and playwright (b. 1474)
- 1535 – Thomas More, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1478)
- 1553 – Edward VI, king of England and Ireland (b. 1537)
- 1583 – Edmund Grindal, English archbishop (b. 1519)
- 1585 – Thomas Aufield, English priest and martyr (b. 1552)
- 1614 – Man Singh I, Rajput Raja of Amer (b. 1550)
- 1684 – Peter Gunning, English bishop (b. 1614)
- 1758 – George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe, English general and politician (b. 1725)
- 1768 – Conrad Beissel, German-American religious leader (b. 1690)
- 1802 – Daniel Morgan, American general and politician (b. 1736)
- 1809 – Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle, French general (b. 1775)
- 1813 – Granville Sharp, English activist (b. 1735)
- 1815 – Samuel Whitbread, English politician (b. 1764)
- 1835 – John Marshall, American captain and politician, 4th United States Secretary of State (b. 1755)
- 1854 – Georg Ohm, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1789)
- 1868 – Harada Sanosuke, Japanese captain (b. 1840)
- 1893 – Guy de Maupassant, French short story writer, novelist, and poet (b. 1850)
- 1901 – Chlodwig Carl Viktor, German prince and chancellor (b. 1819)
- 1902 – Maria Goretti, Italian martyr and saint (b. 1890)
- 1904 – Abai Qunanbaiuly, Kazakh poet and philosopher (b. 1845)
- 1907 – August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein, German linguist and theologian (b. 1826)
- 1916 – Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (b. 1840)
- 1918 – Wilhelm von Mirbach, German diplomat (b. 1871)
- 1922 – Maria Teresia Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and missionary (b. 1863)
- 1932 – Kenneth Grahame, Scottish-English author (b. 1859)
- 1934 – Nestor Makhno, Ukrainian commander (b. 1888)
- 1946 – Horace Pippin, American painter (b. 1888)
- 1947 – Adolfo Müller-Ury, Swiss-American painter (b. 1862)
- 1952 – Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 14th Premier of Quebec (b. 1867)
- 1959 – George Grosz, German painter and illustrator (b. 1893)
- 1960 – Aneurin Bevan, Welsh-English politician, Secretary of State for Health (b. 1897)
- 1961 – Scott LaFaro, American bassist (b. 1936)
- 1961 – Woodall Rodgers, American lawyer and politician, Mayor of Dallas (b. 1890)
- 1962 – Paul Boffa, Maltese soldier and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1890)
- 1962 – William Faulkner, American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
- 1962 – Joseph August, archduke of Austria (b. 1872)
- 1963 – George, duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1899)
- 1964 – Claude V. Ricketts, American admiral (b. 1906)
- 1966 – Sad Sam Jones, American baseball player and manager (b. 1892)
- 1967 – Hilda Taba, Estonian architect and educator (b. 1902)
- 1971 – Louis Armstrong, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1901)
- 1973 – Otto Klemperer, German-American conductor and composer (b. 1885)
- 1975 – Reşat Ekrem Koçu, Turkish historian, scholar, and poet (b. 1905)
- 1976 – Zhu De, Chinese general and politician, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (b. 1886)
- 1976 – Fritz Lenz, German geneticist and physician (b. 1887)
- 1977 – Ödön Pártos, Hungarian-Israeli viola player and composer (b. 1907)
- 1978 – Babe Paley, American socialite and fashion style icon (b. 1915)
- 1979 – Van McCoy, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1940)
- 1986 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian lawyer and politician, 4th Deputy Prime Minister of India (b. 1908)
- 1989 – János Kádár, Hungarian mechanic and politician, Hungarian Minister of the Interior (b. 1912)
- 1991 – Mudashiru Lawal, Nigerian footballer (b. 1954)
- 1992 – Marsha P. Johnson, American drag queen performer and activist (b. 1945)
- 1994 – Ahmet Haxhiu, Kosovan activist (b. 1932)
- 1995 – Aziz Nesin, Turkish author and poet (b. 1915)
- 1997 – Chetan Anand, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1998 – Roy Rogers, American cowboy, actor, and singer (b. 1911)
- 1999 – Joaquín Rodrigo, Spanish pianist and composer (b. 1901)
- 2000 – Władysław Szpilman, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1911)
- 2002 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman, founded Reliance Industries (b. 1932)
- 2002 – John Frankenheimer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1908)
- 2003 – Çelik Gülersoy, Turkish lawyer, historical preservationist, writer and poet (b. 1930)
- 2004 – Thomas Klestil, Austrian politician, 10th President of Austria (b. 1932)
- 2004 – Syreeta Wright, American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
- 2005 – Ed McBain, American author and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Claude Simon, Malagasy-French novelist and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- 2006 – Kasey Rogers, American actress (b. 1925)
- 2007 – Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, American author (b. 1939)
- 2009 – Vasily Aksyonov, Russian author and academic (b. 1932)
- 2009 – Robert McNamara, American businessman and politician, 8th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1916)
- 2010 – Harvey Fuqua, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1929)
- 2011 – Carly Hibberd, Australian road racing cyclist (b. 1985)
- 2012 – Hani al-Hassan, Palestinian engineer and politician (b. 1939)
- 2013 – Lo Hsing Han, Burmese businessman, co-founded Asia World (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Alan J. Dixon, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 34th Illinois Secretary of State (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Jerry Weintraub, American film producer, and talent agent (b. 1937)
- 2018 – Shoko Asahara, founder of Japanese cult group Aum Shinrikyo (b. 1955)
- 2019 – João Gilberto, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, pioneer of bossa nova music style (b. 1931)
- 2020 – Charlie Daniels, American singer-songwriter, fiddle-player and guitarist (b. 1936)
- 2020 – Ennio Morricone, Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpet player (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on July 6
- The first day of San Fermín, which lasts until July 14. (Pamplona)
- Christian feast day:
- Maria Goretti
- Romulus of Fiesole
- July 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (Cayman Islands)
- Day of the Capital (Kazakhstan)
- Independence Day (Comoros), celebrates the independence of the Comoros from France in 1975.
- Independence Day (Malawi), celebrates the independence of Malawi from United Kingdom in 1964.
- International Kissing Day (informally observed)
- Jan Hus Day (Czech Republic)
- Kupala Night (Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine)
- National Fried Chicken Day (United States)
- Statehood Day (Lithuania)
- Teachers’ Day (Peru)
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May 27 in History
- 1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens.At least 600 Jews are killed.
- 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death.
- 1153 – Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland.
- 1199 – John is crowned King of England.
- 1257 – Richard of Cornwall, and his wife, Sanchia of Provence, are crowned King and Queen of the Germans at Aachen Cathedral.
- 1644 – Manchu regent Dorgon defeats rebel leader Li Zicheng of the Shun dynasty at the Battle of Shanhai Pass, allowing the Manchus to enter and conquer the capital city of Beijing.
- 1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founds the city of Saint Petersburg.
- 1798 – The Battle of Oulart Hill takes place in Wexford, Ireland; Irish rebel leaders defeat and kill a detachment of militia.
- 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Austrian forces defeat the French at Winterthur, Switzerland.
- 1813 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George.
- 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi begins his attack on Palermo, Sicily, as part of the Italian unification.
- 1863 – American Civil War: First Assault on the Confederate works at the Siege of Port Hudson.
- 1874 – The first group of Dorsland trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts leaves Pretoria.
- 1883 – Alexander III is crowned Tsar of Russia.
- 1896 – The F4-strength St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado hits in St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, killing at least 255 people and causing over $10–million in damage.
- 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima begins.
- 1917 – Pope Benedict XV promulgates the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first comprehensive codification of Catholic canon law in the legal history of the Catholic Church.
- 1919 – The NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon after completing the first transatlantic flight.
- 1927 – The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacture of the Ford Model T and begins to retool plants to make the Ford Model A.
- 1930 – The 1,046 feet (319 m) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public.
- 1933 – New Deal: The U.S. Federal Securities Act is signed into law requiring the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.
- 1933 – The Walt Disney Company releases the cartoon Three Little Pigs, with its hit song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”
- 1935 – New Deal: The Supreme Court of the United States declares the National Industrial Recovery Act to be unconstitutional in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, (295 U.S. 495).
- 1937 – In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic, creating a vital link between San Francisco and Marin County, California.
- 1940 – World War II: In the Le Paradis massacre, 99 soldiers from a Royal Norfolk Regiment unit are shot after surrendering to German troops; two survive.
- 1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaims an “unlimited national emergency”.
- 1941 – World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic killing almost 2,100 men.
- 1942 – World War II: In Operation Anthropoid, Reinhard Heydrich is fatally wounded in Prague; he dies of his injuries eight days later.
- 1958 – First flight of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.
- 1960 – In Turkey, a military coup removes President Celâl Bayar and the rest of the democratic government from office.
- 1962 – The Centralia mine fire is ignited in the town’s landfill above a coal mine.
- 1965 – Vietnam War: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation Front targets within South Vietnam.
- 1967 – Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census.
- 1967 – The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is launched by Jacqueline Kennedy and her daughter Caroline.
- 1971 – The Dahlerau train disaster, the worst railway accident in West Germany, kills 46 people and injures 25 near Wuppertal.
- 1971 – Pakistani forces massacre over 200 civilians, mostly Bengali Hindus, in the Bagbati massacre.
- 1975 – Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, in North Yorkshire, England, kills 33 – the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom.
- 1980 – The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more.
- 1984 – The Danube-Black Sea canal is opened, in a ceremony attended by the Ceaușescus. It had been under construction since the 1950s.
- 1996 – First Chechen War: the Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire.
- 1997 – The 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak occurs, spawning multiple tornadoes in Central Texas, including the F5 that killed 27 in Jarrell.
- 1998 – Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot.
- 2001 – Members of the Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf seize twenty hostages from an affluent island resort on Palawan in the Philippines; the hostage crisis would not be resolved until June 2002.
- 2006 – The 6.4 Mw Yogyakarta earthquake shakes central Java with an MSK intensity of VIII (Damaging), leaving more than 5,700 dead and 37,000 injured.
- 2016 – Barack Obama is the first president of United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha.
- 2017 – Andrew Scheer takes over after Rona Ambrose as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
- 2018 – Maryland Flood Event: A flood occurs throughout the Patapsco Valley causing one death and destroying the entire first floors of buildings on Main Street in Ellicott City and causing cars to overturn.
Births on May 27
- 742 – Emperor Dezong of Tang (d. 805)
- 1332 – Ibn Khaldun, Tunisian historian and theologian (d. 1406)
- 1378 – Zhu Quan, Chinese military commander, historian and playwright (d. 1448)
- 1519 – Girolamo Mei, Italian historian and theorist (d. 1594)
- 1537 – Louis IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg (d. 1604)
- 1576 – Caspar Schoppe, German author and scholar (d. 1649)
- 1584 – Michael Altenburg, German theologian and composer (d. 1640)
- 1601 – Antoine Daniel, French-Canadian missionary and saint (d. 1648)
- 1626 – William II, Prince of Orange (d. 1650)
- 1627 – Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier (d. 1693)
- 1651 – Louis Antoine de Noailles, French cardinal (d. 1729)
- 1652 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine of Germany (d. 1722)
- 1738 – Nathaniel Gorham, American merchant and politician, 14th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1796)
- 1756 – Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (d. 1825)
- 1774 – Francis Beaufort, Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy (d. 1857)
- 1794 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1877)
- 1814 – John Rudolph Niernsee, Viennese-born American architect (d.1885)
- 1815 – Henry Parkes, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1896)
- 1818 – Amelia Bloomer, American journalist and activist (d. 1894)
- 1819 – Julia Ward Howe, American poet and songwriter (d. 1910)
- 1827 – Samuel F. Miller, American lawyer and politician (d. 1892)
- 1832 – Zenas Ferry Moody, American surveyor and politician, 7th Governor of Oregon (d. 1917)
- 1836 – Jay Gould, American businessman and financier (d. 1892)
- 1837 – Wild Bill Hickok, American police officer (d. 1876)
- 1852 – Billy Barnes, English cricketer (d. 1899)
- 1857 – Theodor Curtius, German chemist (d. 1928)
- 1860 – Manuel Teixeira Gomes, Portuguese politician, 7th President of Portugal (d. 1941)
- 1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (d. 1921)
- 1867 – Arnold Bennett, English author and playwright (d. 1931)
- 1868 – Aleksa Šantić, Bosnian poet and author (d. 1924)
- 1871 – Georges Rouault, French painter and illustrator (d. 1958)
- 1875 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (d. 1942)
- 1876 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 1945)
- 1876 – William Stanier, English engineer (d. 1965)
- 1878 – Anna Cervin, Swedish artist (d. 1972)
- 1879 – Karl Bühler, German-American linguist and psychologist (d. 1963)
- 1879 – Hans Lammers, German judge and politician (d. 1962)
- 1883 – Jessie Arms Botke, American painter (d. 1971)
- 1884 – Max Brod, Czech journalist, author, and composer (d. 1968)
- 1887 – Frank Woolley, English cricketer (d. 1978)
- 1888 – Louis Durey, French composer (d. 1979)
- 1891 – Claude Champagne, Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (d. 1965)
- 1891 – Jaan Kärner, Estonian poet and author (d. 1958)
- 1894 – Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French physician and author (d. 1961)
- 1894 – Dashiell Hammett, American detective novelist and screenwriter (d. 1961)
- 1895 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (d. 1995)
- 1897 – John Cockcroft, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
- 1897 – Dink Templeton, American rugby player and coach (d. 1962)
- 1898 – David Crosthwait, American engineer, inventor and writer (d. 1976)
- 1899 – Johannes Türn, Estonian chess and draughts player (d. 1993)
- 1900 – Lotte Toberentz, German overseer of the Nazi Uckermark concentration camp (d. 1964)
- 1900 – Uładzimir Žyłka, Belarusian poet and translator (d. 1933)
- 1904 – Chūhei Nambu, Japanese jumper and journalist (d. 1997)
- 1906 – Buddhadasa, Thai monk and philosopher (d. 1993)
- 1906 – Harry Hibbs, English footballer (d. 1984)
- 1906 – Antonio Rosario Mennonna, Italian bishop (d. 2009)
- 1907 – Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and critic (d. 1988)
- 1907 – Rachel Carson, American biologist, environmentalist, and author (d. 1964)
- 1909 – Dolores Hope, American singer and philanthropist (d. 2011)
- 1911 – Hubert Humphrey, American journalist and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (d. 1978)
- 1911 – Teddy Kollek, Hungarian-Israeli politician, Mayor of Jerusalem (d. 2007)
- 1911 – Vincent Price, American actor (d. 1993)
- 1912 – John Cheever, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1982)
- 1912 – Sam Snead, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2002)
- 1912 – Terry Moore, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1995)
- 1915 – Ester Soré, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1996)
- 1915 – Herman Wouk, American novelist (d. 2019)
- 1917 – Harry Webster, English engineer (d. 2007)
- 1918 – Yasuhiro Nakasone, Japanese commander and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2019)
- 1921 – Bob Godfrey, Australian-English animator, director, and voice actor (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Christopher Lee, English actor (d. 2015)
- 1922 – John D. Vanderhoof, American banker and politician, 37th Governor of Colorado (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Henry Kissinger, German-American political scientist and politician, 56th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1923 – Sumner Redstone, American businessman and philanthropist
- 1924 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (d. 2014)
- 1924 – John Sumner, English-Australian director, founded the Melbourne Theatre Company (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Tony Hillerman, American journalist and author (d. 2008)
- 1927 – Jüri Randviir, Estonian chess player and journalist (d. 1996)
- 1928 – Thea Musgrave, Scottish-American composer and educator
- 1930 – John Barth, American novelist and short story writer
- 1930 – William S. Sessions, American civil servant and judge, 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- 1930 – Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2010)
- 1931 – André Barbeau, French-Canadian neurologist (d. 1986)
- 1931 – John Chapple, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Gibraltar
- 1931 – Bernard Fresson, French actor (d. 2002)
- 1931 – Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress and producer (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Philip Kotler, American author and professor
- 1933 – Edward Samuel Rogers, Canadian businessman (d. 2008)
- 1933 – Manfred Sommer, Spanish author and illustrator (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Ray Daviault, Canadian-American baseball player
- 1934 – Harlan Ellison, American author and screenwriter (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Daniel Colchico, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Mal Evans, British road manager of The Beatles (d. 1976)
- 1935 – Jerry Kindall, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
- 1935 – Ramsey Lewis, American jazz pianist and composer
- 1935 – Lee Meriwether, American model and actress, Miss America 1955
- 1936 – Benjamin Bathurst, English admiral
- 1936 – Louis Gossett, Jr., American actor and producer
- 1936 – Marcel Masse, Canadian educator and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2014)
- 1937 – Allan Carr, American playwright and producer (d. 1999)
- 1939 – Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns, English courtier and businessman
- 1939 – Yves Duhaime, Canadian captain and politician
- 1939 – Sokratis Kokkalis, Greek businessman
- 1939 – Gerald Ronson, English businessman and philanthropist
- 1939 – Lionel Sosa, Mexican-American advertising and marketing executive
- 1939 – Don Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
- 1940 – Mike Gibson, Australian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Lee Baca, American police officer
- 1942 – Piers Courage, English racing driver (d. 1970)
- 1942 – Roger Freeman, Baron Freeman, English accountant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- 1942 – Robin Widdows, English racing driver
- 1943 – Cilla Black, English singer and actress (d. 2015)
- 1943 – Bruce Weitz, American actor
- 1944 – Chris Dodd, American lawyer and politician
- 1944 – Ingrid Roscoe, English historian and politician, Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire
- 1944 – Alain Souchon, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1945 – Bruce Cockburn, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1946 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (d. 2005)
- 1946 – John Williams, English motorcycle racer (d. 1978)
- 1947 – Peter DeFazio, American politician
- 1947 – Marty Kristian, German-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1947 – Branko Oblak, Slovenian footballer and coach
- 1947 – Riivo Sinijärv, Estonian politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1948 – Wubbo de Boer, Dutch civil servant (d. 2017)
- 1948 – Pete Sears, English bass player
- 1948 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (d. 2014)
- 1949 – Hugh Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale, English politician
- 1949 – Christa Vahlensieck, German runner
- 1950 – Dee Dee Bridgewater, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1950 – Makis Dendrinos, Greek basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1951 – John Conteh, English boxer
- 1954 – Pauline Hanson, Australian businesswoman, activist, and politician
- 1954 – Jackie Slater, American football player and coach
- 1955 – Eric Bischoff, American wrestler, manager, and producer
- 1955 – Richard Schiff, American actor, director, and producer
- 1955 – Ian Tracey, English organist and conductor
- 1956 – Cynthia McFadden, American journalist
- 1956 – Rosemary Squire, English producer and manager, co-founded Ambassador Theatre Group
- 1956 – Giuseppe Tornatore, Italian director and screenwriter
- 1957 – Dag Terje Andersen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Labour
- 1957 – Nitin Gadkari, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Transport
- 1957 – Eddie Harsch, Canadian-American keyboard player and bass player (d. 2016)
- 1957 – Siouxsie Sioux, English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
- 1958 – Nick Anstee, English accountant and politician, 682nd Lord Mayor of London
- 1958 – Neil Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician
- 1958 – Jesse Robredo, Filipino politician, 23rd Filipino Secretary of the Interior (d. 2012)
- 1960 – Gaston Therrien, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1961 – José Luíz Barbosa, Brazilian runner and coach
- 1961 – Peri Gilpin, American actress
- 1962 – Marcelino Bernal, Mexican footballer
- 1962 – Ray Borner, Australian basketball player
- 1962 – Steven Brill, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1962 – Anthony A. Hyman, Israeli-English biologist and academic
- 1962 – David Mundell, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1962 – Ravi Shastri, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
- 1963 – Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Cuban pianist and composer
- 1963 – Maria Walliser, Swiss skier
- 1964 – Adam Carolla, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Pat Cash, Australian-English tennis player and sportscaster
- 1966 – Heston Blumenthal, English chef and author
- 1967 – Paul Gascoigne, English international footballer, midfielder, coach, and manager
- 1967 – Eddie McClintock, American actor
- 1968 – Jeff Bagwell, American baseball player and coach
- 1968 – Rebekah Brooks, English journalist
- 1968 – Harun Erdenay, Turkish basketball player and coach
- 1968 – Frank Thomas, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1969 – Todd Hundley, American baseball player
- 1969 – Jeremy Mayfield, American race car driver
- 1969 – Craig Federighi, American computer scientist and engineer
- 1970 – Michele Bartoli, Italian cyclist
- 1970 – Tim Farron, English educator and politician
- 1970 – Joseph Fiennes, English actor
- 1970 – Alex Archer, American-born Australian musician
- 1971 – Mathew Batsiua, Nauruan politician
- 1971 – Paul Bettany, English actor
- 1971 – Wayne Carey, Australian footballer and coach
- 1971 – Kaur Kender, Estonian author
- 1971 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (d. 2002)
- 1971 – Lee Sharpe, English footballer
- 1971 – Grant Stafford, South African tennis player
- 1971 – Sophie Walker, British politician, leader of the Women’s Equality Party
- 1971 – Petroc Trelawny, British radio and television broadcaster
- 1972 – Todd Demsey, American golfer
- 1972 – Antonio Freeman, American football player
- 1972 – Maxim Sokolov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Jack McBrayer, American actor and comedian
- 1973 – Tana Umaga, New Zealand rugby player and coach
- 1973 – Yorgos Lanthimos, Greek film video, and theatre director, producer and screenwriter
- 1974 – Skye Edwards, British singer-songwriter
- 1974 – Denise van Outen, English actress, singer, and television host
- 1974 – Derek Webb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Danny Wuerffel, American football player
- 1975 – André 3000, American rapper
- 1975 – Michael Hussey, Australian cricketer
- 1975 – Jamie Oliver, English chef and author
- 1975 – Feryal Özel, Turkish astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
- 1976 – Marcel Fässler, Swiss racing driver
- 1977 – Abderrahmane Hammad, Algerian high jumper
- 1977 – Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1978 – Adin Brown, American soccer player
- 1979 – Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (d. 2004)
- 1979 – Mile Sterjovski, Australian footballer
- 1980 – Craig Buntin, Canadian figure skater
- 1981 – Alina Cojocaru, Romanian ballerina
- 1981 – Johan Elmander, Swedish footballer
- 1984 – Blake Ahearn, American basketball player
- 1984 – Miguel González, Mexican baseball pitcher
- 1985 – Chiang Chien-ming, Taiwanese baseball player
- 1985 – Roberto Soldado, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Conor Cummins, Manx motorcycle racer
- 1986 – Bamba Fall, Senegalese basketball player
- 1986 – Lasse Schöne, Danish footballer
- 1987 – Gervinho, Ivorian footballer
- 1987 – Bella Heathcote, Australian actress
- 1987 – Eric Kolelas, French-English actor and director
- 1987 – Bora Paçun, Turkish basketball player
- 1987 – Matt Prior, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Martina Sablikova, Czech speed skater and cyclist
- 1988 – Vontae Davis, American football player
- 1988 – Irina Davydova, Russian hurdler
- 1988 – Garrett Richards, American baseball pitcher
- 1988 – Tyler Sash, American football player (d. 2015)
- 1989 – Igor Morozov, Estonian footballer
- 1990 – Yenew Alamirew, Ethiopian runner
- 1990 – Chris Colfer, American actor and singer
- 1990 – Marcus Kruger, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1991 – Sebastien Dewaest, Belgian footballer
- 1991 – Tim Lafai, Samoan rugby league player
- 1991 – Ksenia Pervak, Russian tennis player
- 1991 – Eneli Vals, Estonian footballer
- 1992 – Aaron Brown, Canadian sprinter
- 1992 – Laurence Vincent-Lapointe, Canadian canoer
Deaths on May 27
- 366 – Procopius, Roman usurper (b. 325)
- 398 – Murong Bao, emperor of the Xianbei state Later Yan (b. 355)
- 475 – Eutropius, bishop of Orange
- 866 – Ordoño I of Asturias (b. 831)
- 927 – Simeon I of Bulgaria first Bulgarian Emperor (b. 864)
- 1039 – Dirk III, Count of Holland (b. 981)
- 1045 – Bruno of Würzburg, imperial chancellor of Italy (b. c. 1005)
- 1178 – Godfrey van Rhenen, bishop of Utrecht
- 1240 – William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey (b. 1166)
- 1444 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English commander (b. 1404)
- 1508 – Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1452)
- 1508 – Lucrezia Crivelli, mistress of Ludovico Sforza (b. 1452)
- 1525 – Thomas Müntzer, German mystic and theologian (b. 1488)
- 1541 – Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (b. 1473)
- 1564 – John Calvin, French pastor and theologian (b. 1509)
- 1610 – François Ravaillac, French assassin of Henry IV of France (b. 1578)
- 1624 – Diego Ramírez de Arellano, Spanish sailor and cosmographer (b. c. 1580)
- 1637 – John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, English politician (b. c. 1566)
- 1661 – Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, Scottish general and politician (b. 1607)
- 1675 – Gaspard Dughet, Italian-French painter (b. 1613)
- 1690 – Giovanni Legrenzi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1626)
- 1702 – Dominique Bouhours, French priest and critic (b. 1628)
- 1707 – Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan, French mistress of Louis XIV of France (b. 1640)
- 1781 – Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1716)
- 1797 – François-Noël Babeuf, French journalist (b. 1760)
- 1831 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (b. 1799)
- 1840 – Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1782)
- 1867 – Thomas Bulfinch American mythologist (b. 1796)
- 1896 – Aleksandr Stoletov, Russian physicist, engineer, and academic (b. 1839)
- 1910 – Robert Koch, German physician and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
- 1918 – Ōzutsu Man’emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 18th Yokozuna (b. 1869)
- 1919 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian author and activist (b. 1848)
- 1933 – Achille Paroche, French target shooter (b. 1868)
- 1939 – Joseph Roth, Austrian-French journalist and author (b. 1894)
- 1941 – Ernst Lindemann, German captain (b. 1894)
- 1941 – Günther Lütjens, German admiral (b. 1889)
- 1942 – Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, Turkish theologian, logician, and translator (b. 1878)
- 1943 – Gordon Coates, New Zealand soldier and politician, 21st Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1878)
- 1945 – Enno Lolling, German physician (b. 1888)
- 1947 – Ed Konetchy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1885)
- 1949 – Robert Ripley, American cartoonist, publisher, and businessman, founded Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (b. 1890)
- 1953 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player and manager (b. 1868)
- 1960 – James Montgomery Flagg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1877)
- 1963 – Grigoris Lambrakis, Greek physician and politician (b. 1912)
- 1964 – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of India (b. 1889)
- 1967 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (b. 1880)
- 1967 – Ernst Niekisch, German academic and politician (b. 1889)
- 1969 – Jeffrey Hunter, American actor and producer (b. 1926)
- 1971 – Béla Juhos, Hungarian-Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1901)
- 1971 – Armando Picchi, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1935)
- 1980 – Gün Sazak, Turkish agronomist and politician (b. 1932)
- 1984 – Vasilije Mokranjac, Serbian composer (b. 1923)
- 1986 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
- 1986 – Ajoy Mukherjee, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (b. 1901)
- 1986 – Giorgos Tzifos, Greek actor and cinematographer (b. 1918)
- 1987 – John Howard Northrop, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
- 1988 – Hjördis Petterson, Swedish actress (b. 1908)
- 1988 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- 1989 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (b. 1907)
- 1990 – Robert B. Meyner, American lawyer and politician, 44th Governor of New Jersey (b. 1908)
- 1991 – Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist and theorist (b. 1904)
- 1992 – Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (b. 1890)
- 1998 – Minoo Masani, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
- 2000 – Kazimierz Leski, Polish engineer and pilot (b. 1912)
- 2000 – Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, Scottish politician and diplomat, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (b. 1917)
- 2000 – Maurice Richard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1921)
- 2003 – Luciano Berio, Italian composer and educator (b. 1925)
- 2006 – Rob Borsellino, American journalist (b. 1949)
- 2006 – Paul Gleason, American actor (b. 1939)
- 2006 – Craig Heyward, American football player (b. 1966)
- 2007 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1967)
- 2007 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (b. 1932)
- 2007 – Ed Yost, American inventor, created the hot air balloon (b. 1919)
- 2008 – Franz Künstler, Hungarian soldier (b. 1900)
- 2009 – Thomas M. Franck, American lawyer and academic (b. 1931)
- 2009 – Clive Granger, Welsh-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1934)
- 2009 – Mona Grey, British nursing administrator; Northern Ireland’s first Chief Nursing Officer
- 2009 – Abram Hoffer, Canadian biochemist, physician, and psychiatrist (b. 1917)
- 2009 – Gérard Jean-Juste, Haitian-American priest and theologian (b. 1946)
- 2009 – Carol Anne O’Marie, American nun and author (b. 1933)
- 2009 – William Refshauge, Australian soldier and physician (b. 1913)
- 2009 – Paul Sharratt, English-American television host (b. 1933)
- 2010 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (b. 1929)
- 2011 – Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (b. 1950)
- 2011 – Margo Dydek, Polish-American basketball player (b. 1974)
- 2011 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1949)
- 2012 – Simeon Daniel, Nevisian educator and politician, 1st Premier of Nevis (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Friedrich Hirzebruch, German mathematician and academic (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (b. 1928)
- 2012 – David Rimoin, Canadian-American geneticist and academic (b. 1936)
- 2013 – Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (b. 1917)
- 2013 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Abdoulaye Sékou Sow, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Robert Genn, Canadian painter and author (b. 1936)
- 2014 – Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
- 2014 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Massimo Vignelli, Italian-American graphic designer (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Erik Carlsson, Swedish rally driver (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Nils Christie, Norwegian sociologist, criminologist, and author (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Andy King, English footballer and manager (b. 1956)
- 2015 – Michael Martin, American philosopher and academic (b. 1932)
- 2017 – Gregg Allman, American musician, singer and songwriter (b. 1947)
- 2020 – Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (b. 1935)
Holidays and observances on May 27
- Armed Forces Day (Nicaragua)
- Children’s Day (Nigeria)
- Christian feast day:
- Augustine of Canterbury
- Blessed Lojze Grozde
- Bede (commemoration, Anglican Communion)
- Bruno of Würzburg
- Eutropius of Orange
- Hildebert
- Julius the Veteran
- May 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Mother’s Day (Bolivia)
- Navy Day (Japan)
- Slavery Abolition Day (Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin)
- Start of National Reconciliation Week (Australia)
-
May 7 in History
- 351 – The Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus breaks out after his arrival at Antioch.
- 558 – In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction. Justinian I immediately orders that the dome be rebuilt.
- 1274 – In France, the Second Council of Lyon opens to regulate the election of the Pope.
- 1487 – The Siege of Málaga commences during the Spanish Reconquista.
- 1544 – The Burning of Edinburgh by an English army is the first action of the Rough Wooing.
- 1664 – Louis XIV of France begins construction of the Palace of Versailles.
- 1685 – Battle of Vrtijeljka between rebels and Ottoman forces.
- 1697 – Stockholm’s royal castle (dating back to medieval times) is destroyed by fire. It is replaced in the 18th century by the current Royal Palace.
- 1718 – The city of New Orleans is founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville.
- 1763 – Pontiac’s War begins with Pontiac’s attempt to seize Fort Detroit from the British.
- 1794 – French Revolution: Robespierre introduces the Cult of the Supreme Being in the National Convention as the new state religion of the French First Republic.
- 1824 – World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria. The performance is conducted by Michael Umlauf under the composer’s supervision.
- 1832 – Greece’s independence is recognized by the Treaty of London.
- 1840 – The Great Natchez Tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi killing 317 people. It is the second deadliest tornado in United States history.
- 1846 – The Cambridge Chronicle, America’s oldest surviving weekly newspaper, is published for the first time in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- 1864 – American Civil War: The Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off from the Battle of the Wilderness and moves southwards.
- 1864 – The world’s oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide is launched by William Pile, Hay and Co. in Sunderland, England, for transporting passengers and goods between Britain and Australia.
- 1895 – In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector—a primitive radio receiver. In some parts of the former Soviet Union the anniversary of this day is celebrated as Radio Day.
- 1915 – World War I: German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turns many former pro-Germans in the United States against the German Empire.
- 1915 – The Republic of China accedes to 13 of the 21 Demands, extending the Empire of Japan‘s control over Manchuria and the Chinese economy.
- 1920 – Kiev Offensive: Polish troops led by Józef Piłsudski and Edward Rydz-Śmigły and assisted by a symbolic Ukrainian force capture Kiev only to be driven out by the Red Army counter-offensive a month later.
- 1920 – Treaty of Moscow: Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia only to invade the country six months later.
- 1920 – Morecambe Football Club was founded during a meeting at the West View Hotel on the town’s promenade.
- 1930 – The 7.1 Mw Salmas earthquake shakes northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Up to three-thousand people were killed.
- 1931 – The stand-off between criminal Francis Crowley and 300 members of the New York Police Department takes place in his fifth-floor apartment on West 91st Street, New York City.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: The German Condor Legion, equipped with Heinkel He 51 biplanes, arrives in Spain to assist Francisco Franco’s forces.
- 1940 – World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Winston Churchill three days later.
- 1942 – World War II: During the Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attack and sink the Imperial Japanese Navy light aircraft carrier Shōhō; the battle marks the first time in naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.
- 1945 – World War II: Last German U boat attack of the war, two freighters are sunk off the Firth of Forth, Scotland.
- 1945 – World War II: General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending Germany’s participation in the war. The document takes effect the next day.
- 1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded
- 1948 – The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress.
- 1952 – The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey Dummer.
- 1954 – Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat and a Viet Minh victory (the battle began on March 13).
- 1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis of 1960: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.
- 1976 – The Honda Accord is officially launched.
- 1986 – Canadian Patrick Morrow becomes the first person to climb each of the Seven Summits.
- 1992 – Michigan ratifies a 203-year-old proposed amendment to the United States Constitution making the 27th Amendment law. This amendment bars the U.S. Congress from giving itself a mid-term pay raise.
- 1992 – Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission, STS-49.
- 1992 – Three employees at a McDonald’s Restaurant in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, are brutally murdered and a fourth permanently disabled after a botched robbery. It is the first “fast-food murder” in Canada.
- 1994 – Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream is recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway in February.
- 1998 – Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history.
- 1999 – Pope John Paul II travels to Romania, becoming the first pope to visit a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054.
- 1999 – Kosovo War: Three Chinese citizens are killed and 20 wounded when a NATO aircraft apparently inadvertently bombs the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Serbia.
- 1999 – In Guinea-Bissau, President João Bernardo Vieira is ousted in a military coup.
- 2000 – Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as president of Russia.
- 2002 – An EgyptAir Boeing 737-500 crashes on approach to Tunis–Carthage International Airport, killing 14 people.
- 2002 – A China Northern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people.
- 2004 – American businessman Nick Berg is beheaded by Islamic militants. The act is recorded on videotape and released on the Internet.
Births on May 7
- Before 160 – Julia Maesa, Roman noblewoman (d. 224)
- 1488 – John III of the Palatinate, archbishop of Regensburg (d. 1538)
- 1530 – Louis, Prince of Condé (d. 1569)
- 1553 – Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia (d. 1618)
- 1605 – Patriarch Nikon of Moscow (d. 1681)
- 1643 – Stephanus Van Cortlandt, American politician, 10th Mayor of New York City (d. 1700)
- 1700 – Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician (d. 1772)
- 1701 – Carl Heinrich Graun, German tenor and composer (d. 1759)
- 1711 – David Hume, Scottish economist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1776)
- 1724 – Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, French-Austrian field marshal (d. 1797)
- 1740 – Nikolai Arkharov, Russian police officer and general (d. 1814)
- 1748 – Olympe de Gouges, French playwright and philosopher (d. 1793)
- 1763 – Józef Poniatowski, Polish general (d. 1813)
- 1767 – Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia (d. 1820)
- 1774 – William Bainbridge, American commodore (d. 1833)
- 1787 – Jacques Viger, Canadian archaeologist and politician, 1st mayor of Montreal (d. 1858)
- 1812 – Robert Browning, English poet and playwright (d. 1889)
- 1833 – Johannes Brahms, German pianist and composer (d. 1897)
- 1836 – Joseph Gurney Cannon, American lawyer and politician, 40th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1926)
- 1837 – Karl Mauch, German geographer and explorer (d. 1875)
- 1840 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer and educator (d. 1893)
- 1845 – Mary Eliza Mahoney, American nurse and activist (d. 1926)
- 1847 – Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1929)
- 1857 – William A. MacCorkle, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1930)
- 1860 – Tom Norman, English businessman (d. 1930)
- 1861 – Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
- 1867 – Władysław Reymont, Polish novelist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1925)
- 1875 – Bill Hoyt, American pole vaulter (d. 1951)
- 1880 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (d. 1972)
- 1881 – George E. Wiley, American cyclist (d. 1954)
- 1882 – Willem Elsschot, Belgian author and poet (d. 1960)
- 1885 – George “Gabby” Hayes, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1889 – Viktor Puskar, Estonian colonel (d. 1943)
- 1891 – Harry McShane, Scottish engineer and activist (d. 1988)
- 1892 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (d. 1982)
- 1892 – Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav field marshal and politician, 1st President of Yugoslavia (d. 1980)
- 1893 – Frank J. Selke, Canadian ice hockey coach and manager (d. 1985)
- 1896 – Kathleen McKane Godfree, English tennis and badminton player (d. 1992)
- 1899 – Alfred Gerrard, English sculptor and academic (d. 1998)
- 1901 – Gary Cooper, American actor (d. 1961)
- 1903 – Jimmy Ball, Canadian sprinter (d. 1988)
- 1904 – Kurt Weitzmann, German-American historian and author (d. 1993)
- 1906 – Eric Krenz, American discus thrower and shot putter (d. 1931)
- 1909 – Edwin H. Land, American scientist and inventor, co-founded the Polaroid Corporation (d. 1991)
- 1909 – Dorothy Sunrise Lorentino, Native American teacher (d. 2005)
- 1911 – Ishirō Honda, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
- 1911 – Rıfat Ilgaz, Turkish author, poet, and educator (d. 1993)
- 1912 – Pannalal Patel, Indian author (d. 1989)
- 1913 – John Spencer Hardy, American general (d. 2012)
- 1913 – Simon Ramo, American physicist and engineer (d. 2016)
- 1914 – Arthur Snelling, English civil servant and diplomat. British Ambassador to South Africa (d. 1996)
- 1916 – Huw Wheldon, Welsh-English broadcaster (d. 1986)
- 1916 – W. B. Young, Scottish rugby player and physician (d. 2013)
- 1917 – Domenico Bartolucci, Italian cardinal and composer (d. 2013)
- 1917 – Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (d. 2020)
- 1917 – David Tomlinson, English actor (d. 2000)
- 1919 – Eva Perón, Argentinian actress, 25th First Lady of Argentina (d. 1952)
- 1920 – Rendra Karno, Indonesian actor (d. 1985)
- 1921 – Asa Briggs, Baron Briggs, English historian and academic (d. 2016)
- 1921 – Gaston Rébuffat, French mountaineer and author (d. 1985)
- 1922 – Darren McGavin, American actor and director (d. 2006)
- 1922 – Joe O’Donnell, American photographer and journalist (d. 2007)
- 1923 – Anne Baxter, American actress (d. 1985)
- 1923 – Jim Lowe, American singer-songwriter, disc jockey, and radio host (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Bülent Ulusu, Turkish admiral and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2015)
- 1924 – Albert Band, French-American director and producer (d. 2002)
- 1925 – Lauri Vaska, Estonian-American chemist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, German-American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1929 – Dick Williams, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2011)
- 1930 – Totie Fields, American comedian and author (d. 1978)
- 1930 – Babe Parilli, American football player and coach (d. 2017)
- 1930 – John Smith, Baron Kirkhill, English politician
- 1931 – Teresa Brewer, American singer (d. 2007)
- 1931 – Gene Wolfe, American author (d. 2019)
- 1932 – Jordi Bonet, Spanish-Canadian painter and sculptor (d. 1979)
- 1932 – Alan Cuthbert, English pharmacologist and academic (d. 2016)
- 1932 – Pete Domenici, American lawyer and politician, 37th Mayor of Albuquerque (d. 2017)
- 1932 – Derek Taylor, English journalist and author (d. 1997)
- 1933 – Johnny Unitas, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
- 1935 – Avraham Heffner, Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Michael Hopkins, English architect
- 1936 – Robin Hanbury-Tenison, English explorer and author
- 1936 – Tony O’Reilly, Irish rugby player and businessman
- 1936 – Jimmy Ruffin, American soul singer (d. 2014)
- 1937 – Eddie Clayton, English footballer
- 1937 – Claude Raymond, Canadian baseball player and coach
- 1939 – Sidney Altman, Canadian-American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1939 – Ruggero Deodato, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1939 – Ruud Lubbers, Dutch economist and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2018)
- 1939 – Johnny Maestro, American pop/doo-wop singer (d. 2010)
- 1939 – Clive Soley, Baron Soley, English politician
- 1940 – Angela Carter, English novelist and short story writer (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Dave Chambers, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1941 – Lawrence Collins, Baron Collins of Mapesbury, English lawyer and judge
- 1943 – Terry Allen, American singer and painter
- 1943 – Harvey Andrews, English singer-songwriter and poet
- 1943 – John Bannon, Australian academic and politician, 39th Premier of South Australia (d. 2015)
- 1943 – Peter Carey, Australian novelist and short story writer
- 1945 – Christy Moore, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1945 – Robin Strasser, American actress
- 1946 – Thelma Houston, American R&B/disco singer and actress
- 1946 – Marv Hubbard, American football player (d. 2015)
- 1946 – Bill Kreutzmann, American drummer
- 1946 – Michael Rosen, English author and poet
- 1946 – Brian Turner, English chef and television host
- 1949 – Kathy Ahern, American golfer (d. 1996)
- 1949 – Deborah Butterfield, American sculptor
- 1950 – John Dowling Coates, Australian lawyer, sports administrator and businessman
- 1950 – Randall “Tex” Cobb, American boxer and actor
- 1950 – Tim Russert, American television journalist and lawyer (d. 2008)
- 1953 – Pat McInally, American football player and coach
- 1953 – Ian McKay, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1982)
- 1954 – Philippe Geluck, Belgian cartoonist
- 1954 – Joanna Haigh, English meteorologist and physicist
- 1954 – Amy Heckerling, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1955 – Clément Gignac, Canadian politician
- 1955 – Ben Poquette, American basketball player
- 1955 – Axel Zwingenberger, German pianist and songwriter
- 1956 – Jan Peter Balkenende, Dutch jurist and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- 1956 – Anne Dudley, English pianist and composer
- 1956 – Nicholas Hytner, English director and producer
- 1956 – Jean Lapierre, Canadian talk show host and politician
- 1956 – Calum MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician
- 1957 – Kristina M. Johnson, American business executive, engineer, academic and government official
- 1958 – Mikhail Biryukov, Russian footballer and manager
- 1958 – Mark G. Kuzyk, American physicist and academic
- 1958 – Anne Marie Rafferty, English nurse and academic
- 1959 – Michael E. Knight, American actor
- 1959 – Tony Sealy, English footballer, forward and manager
- 1959 – Heiki Valk, Estonian archeologist and academic
- 1960 – Adam Bernstein, American director and screenwriter
- 1960 – Ara Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham, Iraqi-English surgeon and academic
- 1960 – Almudena Grandes, Spanish author
- 1961 – Hans-Peter Bartels, German politician
- 1961 – Sue Black, Scottish anthropologist and academic
- 1961 – Ivar Must, Estonian composer and producer
- 1962 – Tony Campbell, American basketball player and coach
- 1962 – Judith Donath, American computer scientist and academic
- 1963 – Johnny Lee Middleton, American bass player and songwriter
- 1964 – Ronnie Harmon, American football player
- 1964 – Denis Mandarino, Brazilian guitarist, composer, and painter
- 1964 – Leslie O’Neal, American football player
- 1965 – Reuben Davis, American football player
- 1965 – Owen Hart, Canadian wrestler (d. 1999)
- 1965 – Norman Whiteside, Northern Irish footballer and manager
- 1965 – Huang Zhihong, Chinese shot putter
- 1967 – Martin Bryant, Australian mass murderer
- 1967 – Adam Price, Danish chef and screenwriter
- 1967 – Joe Rice, American colonel and politician
- 1968 – Traci Lords, American actress and singer
- 1968 – Lisa Raitt, Canadian lawyer and politician, 30th Canadian Minister of Transport
- 1969 – Eagle-Eye Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1969 – Jun Falkenstein, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1969 – Katerina Maleeva, Bulgarian tennis player
- 1971 – Reidar Horghagen, Norwegian drummer
- 1971 – Dave Karpa, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1971 – Thomas Piketty, French economist
- 1972 – Peter Dubovský, Czech-Slovak footballer (d. 2000)
- 1972 – Frank Trigg, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
- 1973 – Kristian Lundin, Swedish songwriter and producer
- 1973 – Paolo Savoldelli, Italian cyclist
- 1974 – Ian Pearce, English footballer and assistant manager
- 1973 – Lawrence Johnson, American pole vaulter
- 1975 – Ashley Cowan, English cricketer
- 1976 – Calvin Booth, American basketball player
- 1976 – Berke Hatipoğlu, Turkish guitarist and songwriter
- 1976 – Stacey Jones, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1976 – Andrea Lo Cicero, Italian rugby player
- 1976 – Michael P. Murphy, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2005)
- 1976 – Ayelet Shaked, Israeli Minister of Justice (2015-2019)
- 1977 – Elton Flatley, Australian rugby player
- 1978 – Stian Arnesen, Norwegian guitarist, drummer, and songwriter
- 1978 – James Carter, American hurdler
- 1978 – Shawn Marion, American basketball player
- 1979 – Katie Douglas, American basketball player
- 1983 – Phionah Atuhebwe, Ugandan vaccinologist and immunization expert
- 1984 – James Loney, American baseball player
- 1984 – Alex Smith, American football player
- 1984 – Kevin Owens, Canadian wrestler
- 1985 – Jarrad Hickey, Australian rugby league player
- 1985 – Drew Neitzel, American basketball player
- 1986 – Matt Helders, English drummer
- 1987 – Asami Konno, Japanese singer
- 1987 – Michael Maidens, English footballer (d. 2007)
- 1987 – Mark Reynolds, Scottish footballer
- 1987 – David Schlemko, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Eino Puri, Estonian footballer
- 1988 – Sander Puri, Estonian footballer
- 1989 – Earl Thomas, American football player
- 1995 – Seko Fofana, French born Ivorian international footballer
- 1997 – Daria Kasatkina, Russian tennis player
- 1998 – Jesse Puljujärvi, Finnish ice hockey player
Deaths on May 7
- 721 – John of Beverley, bishop of York
- 833 – Ibn Hisham, Egyptian Muslim historian
- 973 – Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 912)
- 1014 – Bagrat III, 1st King of Georgia (b. 960)
- 1092 – Remigius de Fécamp, English monk and bishop
- 1166 – William I of Sicily
- 1202 – Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey
- 1205 – Ladislaus III of Hungary (b. 1201)
- 1234 – Otto I, Duke of Merania (b. c. 1180)
- 1243 – Hugh d’Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel
- 1427 – Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr, English priest (b. 1352)
- 1494 – Eskender, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1471)
- 1523 – Franz von Sickingen, German knight (b. 1481)
- 1539 – Ottaviano Petrucci, Italian printer (b. 1466)
- 1617 – David Fabricius, German astronomer and theologian (b. 1564)
- 1667 – Johann Jakob Froberger, German organist and composer (b. 1616)
- 1682 – Feodor III of Russia (b. 1661)
- 1685 – Bajo Pivljanin (b. 1630)
- 1718 – Mary of Modena (b. 1658)
- 1793 – Pietro Nardini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1722)
- 1800 – Niccolò Piccinni, Italian composer (b. 1728)
- 1805 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English general and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1737)
- 1815 – Jabez Bowen, American colonel and politician, 45th Deputy Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1739)
- 1825 – Antonio Salieri, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1750)
- 1840 – Caspar David Friedrich, German painter and educator (b. 1774)
- 1868 – Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, Scottish lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1778)
- 1872 – Alexander Loyd, American carpenter and politician, 4th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
- 1876 – William Buell Sprague, American clergyman, historian, and author (b. 1795)
- 1887 – C. F. W. Walther, German-American religious leader and theologian (b. 1811)
- 1896 – H. H. Holmes, American serial killer (b. 1861)
- 1902 – Agostino Roscelli, Italian priest and saint (b. 1818)
- 1917 – Albert Ball, English fighter pilot (b. 1896)
- 1922 – Max Wagenknecht, German pianist and composer (b. 1857)
- 1924 – Alluri Sitarama Raju, Indian activist (b. 1897/1898)
- 1925 – William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, English businessman and politician (b. 1851)
- 1937 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and author (b. 1886)
- 1938 – Octavian Goga, Romanian politician, former Prime Minister (b. 1881)
- 1940 – George Lansbury, English journalist and politician (b. 1859)
- 1941 – James George Frazer, Scottish-English anthropologist and academic (b. 1854)
- 1942 – Felix Weingartner, Croatian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1863)
- 1943 – Fethi Okyar, Turkish colonel and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1880)
- 1946 – Herbert Macaulay, Nigerian journalist and politician (b. 1864)
- 1951 – Warner Baxter, American actor (b. 1889)
- 1967 – Margaret Larkin, American writer and poet (b. 1899)
- 1958 – Mihkel Lüdig, Estonian organist, composer, and conductor (b. 1880)
- 1976 – Alison Uttley, English children’s book writer (b. 1884)
- 1978 – Mort Weisinger, American journalist and author (b. 1915)
- 1986 – Haldun Taner, Turkish playwright and author (b. 1915)
- 1987 – Colin Blakely, Northern Irish actor (b. 1930)
- 1987 – Paul Popham, American soldier and activist, co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis (b. 1941)
- 1990 – Sam Tambimuttu, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
- 1994 – Clement Greenberg, American art critic (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Ray McKinley, American drummer, singer, and bandleader (Glenn Miller Orchestra) (b. 1910)
- 1998 – Allan McLeod Cormack, South African-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
- 1998 – Eddie Rabbitt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
- 2000 – Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., American captain, actor, and producer (b. 1909)
- 2001 – Jacques de Bourbon-Busset, French author and politician (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Waldemar Milewicz, Polish journalist (b. 1956)
- 2005 – Tristan Egolf, American author and activist (b. 1971)
- 2005 – Peter Rodino, American captain and politician (b. 1909)
- 2005 – Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (b. 1980)
- 2006 – Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (b. 1943)
- 2006 – Joan C. Edwards, American singer and philanthropist (b. 1918)
- 2007 – Isabella Blow, English magazine editor (b. 1958)
- 2007 – Diego Corrales, American boxer (b. 1977)
- 2007 – Octavian Paler, Romanian journalist and politician (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Yahweh ben Yahweh, American cult leader, founded the Nation of Yahweh (b. 1935)
- 2009 – David Mellor, English designer (b. 1930)
- 2009 – Danny Ozark, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1923)
- 2011 – Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer (b. 1957)
- 2011 – Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
- 2011 – Big George, English songwriter, producer, and radio host (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Sammy Barr, Scottish trade union leader (b. 1931)
- 2012 – Ferenc Bartha, Hungarian economist and politician (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Dennis E. Fitch, American captain and pilot (b. 1942)
- 2013 – Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1948)
- 2013 – George Sauer, Jr., American football player (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Colin Pillinger, English astronomer, chemist, and academic (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Dick Welteroth, American baseball player (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Frank DiPascali, American businessman (b. 1956)
- 2015 – John Dixon, Australian-American author, and illustrator (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances on May 7
- Christian feast day:
- Agathius of Byzantium
- Agostino Roscelli
- Pope Benedict II
- Flavia Domitilla
- Gisela of Hungary
- Harriet Starr Cannon (Episcopal Church (USA))
- John of Beverley
- Rose Venerini
- Stanislaus (Roman Martyrology)
- May 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Defender of the Fatherland Day (Kazakhstan)
- Dien Bien Phu Victory Day (Vietnam)
- Radio Day, commemorating the work of Alexander Popov (Russia, Bulgaria)