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  • July 18- History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 477 BC – Battle of the Cremera as part of the Roman–Etruscan Wars. Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman army.
    • 387 BC– Roman-Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome.
    • 362 – Roman–Persian Wars: Emperor Julian arrives at Antioch with a Roman expeditionary force (60,000 men) and stays there for nine months to launch a campaign against the Persian Empire.
    • 452 – Sack of Aquileia: After an earlier defeat on the Catalaunian Plains, Attila lays siege to the metropolis of Aquileia and eventually destroys it.
    • 645 – Chinese forces under general Li Shiji besiege the strategic fortress city of Anshi (Liaoning) during the Goguryeo–Tang War.
    • 1195 – Battle of Alarcos: Almohad forces defeat the Castilian army of Alfonso VIII and force its retreat to Toledo.
    • 1290 – King Edward I of England issues the Edict of Expulsion, banishing all Jews (numbering about 16,000) from England; this was Tisha B’Av on the Hebrew calendar, a day that commemorates many Jewish calamities.
    • 1334 – The bishop of Florence blesses the first foundation stone for the new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral, designed by the artist Giotto di Bondone.
    • 1389 – France and England agree to the Truce of Leulinghem, inaugurating a 13-year peace, the longest period of sustained peace during the Hundred Years’ War.
    • 1391 – Tokhtamysh–Timur war: Battle of the Kondurcha River: Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in present-day southeast Russia.
    • 1507 – In Brussels, Prince Charles I, is crowned Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders, a year after inheriting the title.
    • 1555 – The College of Arms is reincorporated by Royal charter signed by Queen Mary I of England and King Philip II of Spain.
    • 1806 – A gunpowder magazine explosion in Birgu, Malta, kills around 200 people.
    • 1812 – The Treaties of Orebro end both the Anglo-Russian and Anglo-Swedish Wars.
    • 1841 – Coronation of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil.
    • 1857 – Louis Faidherbe, French governor of Senegal, arrives to relieve French forces at Kayes, effectively ending El Hajj Umar Tall’s war against the French.
    • 1862 – First ascent of Dent Blanche, one of the highest summits in the Alps.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Wagner: One of the first formal African American military units, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, supported by several white regiments, attempts an unsuccessful assault on Confederate-held Battery Wagner.
    • 1870 – The First Vatican Council decrees the dogma of papal infallibility.
    • 1872 – The Ballot Act 1872 in the United Kingdom introduced the requirement that parliamentary and local government elections be held by secret ballot.
    • 1914 – The U.S. Congress forms the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, giving official status to aircraft within the U.S. Army for the first time.
    • 1925 – Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf.
    • 1936 – On the Spanish mainland, a faction of the army supported by fascists, rises up against the Second Spanish Republic in a coup d’etat starting the 3-year-long Civil War, resulting in the longest dictatorship in modern European history.
    • 1942 – World War II: During the Beisfjord massacre in Norway, 15 Norwegian paramilitary guards help members of the SS to kill 288 political prisoners from Yugoslavia.
    • 1942 – The Germans test fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 using its jet engines for the first time.
    • 1944 – World War II: Hideki Tōjō resigns as Prime Minister of Japan because of numerous setbacks in the war effort.
    • 1966 – Human spaceflight: Gemini 10 is launched from Cape Kennedy on a 70-hour mission that includes docking with an orbiting Agena target vehicle.
    • 1966 – A racially charged incident in a bar sparks the six-day Hough riots in Cleveland, Ohio; 1,700 Ohio National Guard troops intervene to restore order.
    • 1968 – Intel is founded in Mountain View, California.
    • 1976 – Nadia Comăneci becomes the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
    • 1982 – Two hundred sixty-eight Guatemalan campesinos (“peasants” or “country people”) are slain in the Plan de Sánchez massacre.
    • 1984 – McDonald’s massacre in San Ysidro, California: In a fast-food restaurant, James Oliver Huberty opens fire, killing 21 people and injuring 19 others before being shot dead by police.
    • 1992 – A picture of Les Horribles Cernettes was taken, which became the first ever photo posted to the World Wide Web.
    • 1994 – The bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (Argentine Jewish Community Center) in Buenos Aires kills 85 people (mostly Jewish) and injures 300.
    • 1994 – Rwandan genocide: The Rwandan Patriotic Front takes control of Gisenyi and north western Rwanda, forcing the interim government into Zaire and ending the genocide.
    • 1995 – On the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the Soufrière Hills volcano erupts. Over the course of several years, it devastates the island, destroying the capital, forcing most of the population to flee.
    • 1996 – Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River, beginning one of Quebec’s costliest natural disasters ever.
    • 1996 – Battle of Mullaitivu: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam capture the Sri Lanka Army’s base, killing over 1200 soldiers.
    • 2012 – At least seven people are killed and 32 others are injured after a bomb explodes on an Israeli tour bus at Burgas Airport, Bulgaria.
    • 2013 – The Government of Detroit, with up to $20 billion in debt, files for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.
    • 2019 – A man sets fire to an anime studio in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan, killing at 35 people and injuring dozens of others.

    Births on July 18

    • 1013 – Hermann of Reichenau, German composer, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1013)
    • 1501 – Isabella of Austria, queen of Denmark (d. 1526)
    • 1504 – Heinrich Bullinger, Swiss pastor and reformer (d. 1575)
    • 1534 – Zacharius Ursinus, German theologian (d. 1583)
    • 1552 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1612)
    • 1634 – Johannes Camphuys, Dutch politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1695)
    • 1659 – Hyacinthe Rigaud, French painter (d. 1743)
    • 1670 – Giovanni Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1747)
    • 1702 – Maria Clementina Sobieska, Polish noble (d. 1735)
    • 1718 – Saverio Bettinelli, Italian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1808)
    • 1720 – Gilbert White, English ornithologist and ecologist (d. 1793)
    • 1724 – Maria Antonia of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1780)
    • 1750 – Frederick Adolf, duke of Östergötland (d. 1803)
    • 1796 – Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher and academic (d. 1879)
    • 1811 – William Makepeace Thackeray, English author and poet (d. 1863)
    • 1818 – Louis Gerhard De Geer, Swedish lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1896)
    • 1821 – Pauline Viardot, French soprano and composer (d. 1910)
    • 1837 – Vasil Levski, Bulgarian priest and activist (d. 1873)
    • 1843 – Virgil Earp, American marshal (d. 1905)
    • 1845 – Tristan Corbière, French poet (d. 1875)
    • 1848 – W. G. Grace, English cricketer and physician (d. 1915)
    • 1853 – Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
    • 1861 – Kadambini Ganguly, Indian physician, one of the first Indian women to obtain a degree (d. 1923)
    • 1864 – Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1937)
    • 1867 – Margaret Brown, American philanthropist and activist (d. 1932)
    • 1871 – Giacomo Balla, Italian painter (d.1958)
    • 1871 – Sada Yacco, Japanese actress and dancer (d. 1946)
    • 1881 – Larry McLean, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1921)
    • 1884 – Alberto di Jorio, Italian cardinal (d. 1979)
    • 1886 – Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., American general (d. 1945)
    • 1887 – Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian military officer and politician, Minister President of Norway (d. 1945)
    • 1889 – Kōichi Kido, Japanese politician, 13th Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan (d. 1977)
    • 1890 – Frank Forde, Australian educator and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1983)
    • 1892 – Arthur Friedenreich, Brazilian footballer (d. 1969)
    • 1893 – David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, Scottish peer, soldier and courtier (d. 1968)
    • 1895 – Olga Spessivtseva, Russian-American ballerina (d. 1991)
    • 1895 – Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster (d. 1954)
    • 1897 – Ernest Eldridge, English race car driver and engineer (d. 1935)
    • 1898 – John Stuart, Scottish-English actor (d. 1979)
    • 1899 – Ernst Scheller, German soldier and politician, 8th Mayor of Marburg (d. 1942)
    • 1900 – Nathalie Sarraute, French lawyer and author (d. 1999)
    • 1902 – Jessamyn West, American author (d. 1984)
    • 1902 – Chill Wills, American actor (d. 1978)
    • 1905 – Robert Elton Brooker, American business executive (d. 2000)
    • 1906 – S. I. Hayakawa, Canadian-American academic and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1906 – Clifford Odets, American director, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1963)
    • 1908 – Peace Pilgrim, American mystic and activist (d. 1981)
    • 1908 – Lupe Vélez, Mexican-American actress and dancer (d. 1944)
    • 1908 – Beatrice Aitchison, American mathematician, statistician, and transportation economist (d. 1997)
    • 1909 – Bishnu Dey, Indian poet, critic, and academic (d. 1982)
    • 1909 – Andrei Gromyko, Belarusian-Russian economist and politician, Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1989)
    • 1909 – Mohammed Daoud Khan, Afghan commander and politician, 1st President of Afghanistan (d. 1978)
    • 1909 – Harriet Nelson, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
    • 1910 – Diptendu Pramanick, Indian businessman (d. 1989)
    • 1910 – Mamadou Dia, Senegalese politician; 1st Prime Minister of Senegal (d. 2009)
    • 1911 – Hume Cronyn, Canadian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1913 – Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Oscar Heisserer, French footballer (d. 2004)
    • 1915 – Carequinha, Brazilian clown and actor (d. 2006)
    • 1915 – Roxana Cannon Arsht, American judge (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Louis Le Bailly, British Royal Navy officer (d. 2010)
    • 1916 – Charles Kittel, American physicist (d. 2019)
    • 1917 – Henri Salvador, French singer and guitarist (d. 2008)
    • 1917 – Paul Streeten, Austrian-born British economics professor (d. 2019)
    • 1918 – Nelson Mandela, South African lawyer and politician, 1st President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Lilia Dale, Italian actress
    • 1920 – Eric Brandon, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1982)
    • 1921 – Peter Austin, English brewer, founded Ringwood Brewery (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Aaron T. Beck, American psychiatrist and academic
    • 1921 – John Glenn, American colonel, astronaut, and politician (d. 2016)
    • 1921 – Richard Leacock, English-French director and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1921 – Heinz Bennent, German actor (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Thomas Kuhn, American physicist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1996)
    • 1923 – Jerome H. Lemelson, American engineer and businessman (d. 1997)
    • 1923 – Michael Medwin, English actor (d. 2020)
    • 1924 – Inge Sørensen, Danish swimmer (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Tullio Altamura, Italian actor
    • 1925 – Shirley Strickland, Australian runner and hurdler (d. 2004)
    • 1925 – Friedrich Zimmermann, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of the Interior (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Raymond Jones, Australian Modernist architect
    • 1925 – Windy McCall, American baseball relief pitcher (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Margaret Laurence, Canadian author and academic (d. 1987)
    • 1926 – Nita Bieber, American actress (d. 2019)
    • 1926 – Bernard Pons, French politician and medical doctor
    • 1926 – Maunu Kurkvaara, Finnish film director and screenwriter
    • 1927 – Mehdi Hassan, Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – Kurt Masur, German conductor and educator (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Antonio García-Trevijano, Spanish republican, political activist, and author (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – Keith MacDonald, Canadian politician
    • 1927 – Anthony Mirra, American gangster, member of the Bonanno Crime Family (d. 1982)
    • 1928 – Andrea Gallo, Italian priest and author (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Baddiewinkle, American internet personality
    • 1929 – Dick Button, American figure skater and actor
    • 1929 – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and actor (d. 2000)
    • 1932 – Robert Ellis Miller, American director and screenwriter (d. 2017)
    • 1933 – Jean Yanne, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1933 – Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Russian poet and playwright (d. 2017)
    • 1934 – Edward Bond, English director, playwright, and screenwriter
    • 1934 – Darlene Conley, American actress (d. 2007)
    • 1935 – Tenley Albright, American figure skater and physician
    • 1935 – Jayendra Saraswathi, Indian guru, 69th Shankaracharya
    • 1937 – Roald Hoffmann, Polish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1937 – Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – John Connelly, English footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1938 – Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboard player and manager (d. 1985)
    • 1938 – Paul Verhoeven, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1939 – Brian Auger, English rock and jazz keyboard player
    • 1939 – Dion DiMucci, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1939 – Jerry Moore, American football player and coach
    • 1940 – James Brolin, American actor
    • 1940 – Joe Torre, American baseball player and manager
    • 1941 – Frank Farian, German songwriter and producer
    • 1941 – Lonnie Mack, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
    • 1941 – Martha Reeves, American singer and politician
    • 1942 – Giacinto Facchetti, Italian footballer (d. 2006)
    • 1942 – Adolf Ogi, Swiss politician, 84th President of the Swiss Confederation
    • 1943 – Joseph J. Ellis, American historian and author
    • 1944 – David Hemery, English hurdler and author
    • 1945 – Pat Doherty, Irish Republican politician
    • 1946 – Kalpana Mohan, Indian actress
    • 1946 – John Naughton, Scottish-Irish journalist, author, and academic
    • 1947 – Steve Forbes, American publisher and politician
    • 1948 – Carlos Colón Sr., Puerto Rican-American wrestler and promoter
    • 1948 – Jeanne Córdova, American journalist and activist (d. 2016)
    • 1948 – Graham Spanier, 16th President of Pennsylvania State University
    • 1948 – Hartmut Michel, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1949 – Dennis Lillee, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1950 – Richard Branson, English businessman, founded Virgin Group
    • 1950 – Jack Dongarra, American computer scientist and academic
    • 1950 – Kostas Eleftherakis, Greek footballer
    • 1950 – Glenn Hughes, American disco singer (Village People) and actor (d. 2001)
    • 1950 – Jack Layton, Canadian political scientist, academic, and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1950 – Mark Udall, American educator and politician
    • 1951 – Elio Di Rupo, Belgian chemist, academic, and politician, 68th Prime Minister of Belgium
    • 1951 – Margo Martindale, American actress
    • 1954 – Ricky Skaggs, American singer-songwriter, mandolin player, and producer
    • 1955 – Bernd Fasching, Austrian painter and sculptor
    • 1957 – Nick Faldo, English golfer and sportscaster
    • 1957 – Keith Levene, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1960 – Simon Heffer, English journalist and author
    • 1961 – Elizabeth McGovern, American actress
    • 1961 – Alan Pardew, English footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Pasi Rautiainen, Finnish footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1962 – Shaun Micallef, Australian comedian, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Marc Girardelli, Austrian-Luxembourgian skier
    • 1963 – Martín Torrijos, Panamanian economist and politician, 35th President of Panama
    • 1964 – Wendy Williams, American talk show host
    • 1965 – Vesselina Kasarova, Bulgarian soprano
    • 1966 – Dan O’Brien, American decathlete and coach
    • 1967 – Vin Diesel, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter1968 – Grant Bowler, New Zealand-Australian actor
    • 1968 – Scott Gourley, Australian rugby player
    • 1969 – Elizabeth Gilbert, American author
    • 1969 – The Great Sasuke, Japanese wrestler and politician
    • 1971 – Penny Hardaway, American basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Sukhwinder Singh, Indian singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1974 – Alan Morrison, British poet
    • 1975 – Torii Hunter, American baseball player
    • 1975 – Daron Malakian, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1975 – M.I.A., English rapper and producer5
    • 1976 – Elsa Pataky, Spanish actress
    • 1976 – Go Soo-hee, South Korean actress
    • 1977 – Alexander Morozevich, Russian chess player and author
    • 1978 – Adabel Guerrero, Argentinian actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1978 – Shane Horgan, Irish rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1978 – Crystal Mangum, American murderer responsible for making false rape allegations in the Duke lacrosse case
    • 1978 – Joo Sang-wook, South Korean actor
    • 1978 – Ben Sheets, American baseball player and coach
    • 1978 – Mélissa Theuriau, French journalist
    • 1979 – Deion Branch, American football player
    • 1979 – Joey Mercury, American wrestler and producer
    • 1980 – Kristen Bell, American actress
    • 1981 – Dennis Seidenberg, German ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Ryan Cabrera, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1982 – Priyanka Chopra, Indian actress, singer, and film producer
    • 1982 – Carlo Costly, Honduran footballer
    • 1983 – Carlos Diogo, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1983 – Aaron Gillespie, American singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1983 – Mikk Pahapill, Estonian decathlete
    • 1983 – Jan Schlaudraff, German footballer
    • 1985 – Chace Crawford, American actor
    • 1985 – Panagiotis Lagos, Greek footballer
    • 1985 – James Norton, English actor
    • 1986 – Natalia Mikhailova, Russian ice dancer
    • 1987 – Tontowi Ahmad, Indonesian badminton player
    • 1988 – Änis Ben-Hatira, German-Tunisian footballer
    • 1988 – César Villaluz, Mexican footballer
    • 1989 – Jamie Benn, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Sebastian Mielitz, German footballer
    • 1989 – Yohan Mollo, French footballer
    • 1993 – Lee Tae-min, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1993 – Michael Lichaa, Australian rugby league player
    • 1994 – Nilo Soares, East Timorese footballer
    • 1997 – Noah Lyles, American sprinter
    • 2001 – Agustina Roth, Argentine BMX rider

    Deaths on July 18

    • 707 – Emperor Monmu of Japan (b. 683)
    • 715 – Muhammad bin Qasim, Umayyad general (b. 695)
    • 912 – Zhu Wen, Chinese emperor (b. 852)
    • 924 – Abu’l-Hasan Ali ibn al-Furat, Abbasid vizier (b. 855)
    • 928 – Stephen II, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 984 – Dietrich I, bishop of Metz
    • 1100 – Godfrey of Bouillon, Frankish knight (b. 1016)
    • 1185 – Stefan, first Archbishop of Uppsala (b. before 1143)
    • 1194 – Guy of Lusignan, king consort of Jerusalem (b. c. 1150)
    • 1232 – John de Braose, Marcher Lord of Bramber and Gower
    • 1270 – Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1300 – Gerard Segarelli, Italian religious leader, founded the Apostolic Brethren (b. 1240)
    • 1450 – Francis I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1414)
    • 1488 – Alvise Cadamosto, Italian explorer (b. 1432)
    • 1566 – Bartolomé de las Casas, Spanish bishop and historian (b. 1484)
    • 1591 – Jacobus Gallus, Slovenian composer (b. 1550)
    • 1608 – Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1546)
    • 1610 – Caravaggio, Italian painter (b. 1571)
    • 1639 – Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, German general (b. 1604)
    • 1650 – Robert Levinz, English Royalist, hanged in London by Parliamentary forces as a spy (b. 1615)
    • 1695 – Johannes Camphuys, Dutch politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1634)
    • 1698 – Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Swiss theologian and author (b. 1633)
    • 1721 – Jean-Antoine Watteau, French painter (b. 1684)
    • 1730 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, French general (b. 1644)
    • 1756 – Pieter Langendijk, Dutch poet and playwright (b. 1683)
    • 1792 – John Paul Jones, Scottish-American admiral and diplomat (b. 1747)
    • 1817 – Jane Austen, English novelist (b. 1775)
    • 1837 – Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant and rebel leader (b. 1777)
    • 1863 – Robert Gould Shaw, American colonel (b. 1837)
    • 1872 – Benito Juárez, Mexican lawyer and politician, 26th President of Mexico (b. 1806)
    • 1884 – Ferdinand von Hochstetter, Austrian geologist and academic (b. 1829)
    • 1887 – Dorothea Dix, American social reformer and activist (b. 1802)
    • 1890 – Lydia Becker, English journalist, author, and activist, co-founded the Women’s Suffrage Journal (b. 1827)
    • 1892 – Thomas Cook, English travel agent, founded the Thomas Cook Group (b. 1808)
    • 1899 – Horatio Alger, American novelist and journalist (b. 1832)
    • 1916 – Benjamin C. Truman, American journalist and author (b. 1835)
    • 1925 – Louis-Nazaire Bégin, Canadian cardinal (b. 1840)
    • 1932 – Jean Jules Jusserand, French author and diplomat, French Ambassador to the United States (b. 1855)
    • 1937 – Julian Bell, English poet and academic (b. 1908)
    • 1938 – Marie of Romania (b. 1875)
    • 1944 – Thomas Sturge Moore, English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1870)
    • 1947 – Evald Tipner, Estonian footballer and ice hockey player (b. 1906)
    • 1948 – Herman Gummerus, Finnish historian, academic, and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1949 – Vítězslav Novák, Czech composer and educator (b. 1870)
    • 1949 – Francisco Javier Arana, Guatemalan Army colonel and briefly Guatemalan head of state (b.1905)
    • 1950 – Carl Clinton Van Doren, American critic and biographer (b. 1885)
    • 1952 – Paul Saintenoy, Belgian architect and historian (b. 1862)
    • 1954 – Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster (b. 1895)
    • 1966 – Bobby Fuller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
    • 1968 – Corneille Heymans, Belgian physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
    • 1969 – Mary Jo Kopechne, American educator and secretary (b. 1940)
    • 1973 – Jack Hawkins, English actor (b. 1910)
    • 1975 – Vaughn Bodē, American illustrator (b. 1941)
    • 1981 – Sonja Branting-Westerståhl, Swedish lawyer (b. 1890)
    • 1982 – Roman Jakobson, Russian–American linguist and theorist (b. 1896)
    • 1984 – Lally Bowers, English actress (b. 1914)
    • 1984 – Grigori Kromanov, Estonian director and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 1987 – Gilberto Freyre, Brazilian sociologist, anthropologist, historian, writer, painter, journalist and congressman (b. 1907)
    • 1988 – Nico, German singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and actress (b. 1938)
    • 1988 – Joly Braga Santos, Portuguese composer and conductor (b. 1924)
    • 1989 – Donnie Moore, American baseball player (b. 1954)
    • 1989 – Rebecca Schaeffer, American model and actress (b.1967)
    • 1990 – Karl Menninger, American psychiatrist and author (b. 1896)
    • 1990 – Yun Posun, South Korean politician, 2nd President of South Korea (b. 1897)
    • 2001 – Mimi Fariña, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)
    • 2002 – Metin Toker, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1924)
    • 2004 – André Castelot, Belgian-French historian and author (b. 1911)
    • 2004 – Émile Peynaud, French wine maker (b. 1912)
    • 2005 – Amy Gillett, Australian cyclist and rower (b. 1976)
    • 2005 – William Westmoreland, American general (b. 1914)
    • 2006 – Henry Hewes, American theater writer (b. 1917)
    • 2007 – Jerry Hadley, American tenor (b. 1952)
    • 2007 – Kenji Miyamoto, Japanese politician (b. 1908)
    • 2009 – Henry Allingham, English soldier (b. 1896)
    • 2009 – Jill Balcon, English actress (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, Lithuanian-Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – Jean François-Poncet, French politician and diplomat, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Dawoud Rajiha, Syrian general and politician, Syrian Minister of Defense (b. 1947)
    • 2012 – Assef Shawkat, Syrian general and politician (b. 1950)
    • 2012 – Hasan Turkmani, Syrian general and politician, Syrian Minister of Defense (b. 1935)
    • 2012 – Rajesh Khanna, Indian actor (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Vaali, Indian poet, songwriter, and actor (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Olivier Ameisen, French-American cardiologist and academic (b. 1953)
    • 2014 – Andreas Biermann, German footballer (b. 1980)
    • 2014 – João Ubaldo Ribeiro, Brazilian journalist, author, and academic (b. 1941)
    • 2014 – Dietmar Schönherr, Austrian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Alex Rocco, American actor (b. 1936)
    • 2018 – Jonathan Gold, American food critic (b. 1960)
    • 2018 – Adrian Cronauer, American Radio personality (b. 1938)

    Holidays and observances on July 18

    • Christian feast day:
      • Arnulf of Metz
      • Bartolomé de las Casas (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Bruno of Segni
      • Camillus de Lellis (optional memorial, United States only)
      • Eadburh (or Edburga) of Bicester
      • Elizabeth Ferard (Church of England)
      • Frederick of Utrecht
      • Goneri of Brittany
      • Gundenis
      • Marina of Aguas Santas
      • Maternus of Milan
      • Minnborinus of Cologne
      • Pambo
      • Philastrius (or Filaster)
      • Symphorosa
      • Teneu (or Theneva)
      • Theodosia of Constantinople
      • July 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Uruguay)
    • Nelson Mandela International Day

  • July 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 622 – The beginning of the Islamic calendar.
    • 997 – Battle of Spercheios: Bulgarian forces of Tsar Samuel are defeated by a Byzantine army under general Nikephoros Ouranos at the Spercheios River in Greece.
    • 1054 – Three Roman legates break relations between Western and Eastern Christian Churches through the act of placing an invalidly-issued Papal bull of Excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia during Saturday afternoon divine liturgy. Historians frequently describe the event as the start of the East–West Schism.
    • 1212 – Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa: After Pope Innocent III calls European knights to a crusade, forces of Kings Alfonso VIII of Castile, Sancho VII of Navarre, Peter II of Aragon and Afonso II of Portugal defeat those of the Berber Muslim leader Almohad, thus marking a significant turning point in the Reconquista and in the medieval history of Spain.
    • 1232 – The Spanish town of Arjona declares independence and names its native Muhammad ibn Yusuf as ruler. This marks Muhammad’s first rise to prominence; he would later establish the Nasrid Emirate of Granada, the last independent Muslim state in Spain.
    • 1251 – Celebrated by the Carmelite Order – but doubted by modern historians – as the day when Saint Simon Stock had a vision of the Virgin Mary
    • 1377 – King Richard II of England is crowned.
    • 1661 – The first banknotes in Europe are issued by the Swedish bank Stockholms Banco.
    • 1683 – Manchu Qing dynasty naval forces under traitorous commander Shi Lang defeat the Kingdom of Tungning in the Battle of Penghu near the Pescadores Islands.
    • 1769 – Father Junípero Serra founds California’s first mission, Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Over the following decades, it evolves into the city of San Diego, California.
    • 1779 – American Revolutionary War: Light infantry of the Continental Army seize a fortified British Army position in a midnight bayonet attack at the Battle of Stony Point.
    • 1790 – The District of Columbia is established as the capital of the United States after signature of the Residence Act.
    • 1809 – The city of La Paz, in what is today Bolivia, declares its independence from the Spanish Crown during the La Paz revolution and forms the Junta Tuitiva, the first independent government in Spanish America, led by Pedro Domingo Murillo.
    • 1849 – Antonio María Claret y Clará founds the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, popularly known as the Claretians in Vic, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: At the order of President Abraham Lincoln, Union troops begin a 25-mile march into Virginia for what will become the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the war.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: David Farragut is promoted to rear admiral, becoming the first officer in United States Navy to hold an admiral rank.
    • 1909 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar is forced out as Shah of Persia and is replaced by his son Ahmad Shah Qajar.
    • 1910 – John Robertson Duigan makes the first flight of the Duigan pusher biplane, the first aircraft built in Australia.
    • 1915 – Henry James becomes a British citizen to highlight his commitment to Britain during the first World War.
    • 1915 – At Treasure Island on the Delaware River in the United States, the First Order of the Arrow ceremony takes place and the Order of the Arrow is founded to honor American Boy Scouts who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law.
    • 1927 – Augusto César Sandino leads a raid on U.S. Marines and Nicaraguan Guardia Nacional that had been sent to apprehend him in the village of Ocotal, but is repulsed by one of the first dive-bombing attacks in history.
    • 1931 – Emperor Haile Selassie signs the first constitution of Ethiopia.
    • 1935 – The world’s first parking meter is installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
    • 1941 – Joe DiMaggio hits safely for the 56th consecutive game, a streak that still stands as an MLB record.
    • 1942 – Holocaust: Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup (Rafle du Vel’ d’Hiv): The government of Vichy France orders the mass arrest of 13,152 Jews who are held at the Vélodrome d’Hiver in Paris before deportation to Auschwitz.
    • 1945 – World War II: The heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis leaves San Francisco with parts for the atomic bomb “Little Boy” bound for Tinian Island.
    • 1945 – Manhattan Project: The Atomic Age begins when the United States successfully detonates a plutonium-based test nuclear weapon near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
    • 1948 – Following token resistance, the city of Nazareth, revered by Christians as the hometown of Jesus, capitulates to Israeli troops during Operation Dekel in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
    • 1948 – The storming of the cockpit of the Miss Macao passenger seaplane, operated by a subsidiary of the Cathay Pacific Airways, marks the first aircraft hijacking of a commercial plane.
    • 1950 – Chaplain–Medic massacre: American POWs are massacred by North Korean Army.
    • 1951 – King Leopold III of Belgium abdicates in favor of his son, Baudouin I of Belgium.
    • 1956 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closes its last “Big Tent” show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; due to changing economics, all subsequent circus shows will be held in arenas.
    • 1965 – The Mont Blanc Tunnel linking France and Italy opens.
    • 1965 – South Vietnamese Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo, a formerly undetected communist spy and double agent, is hunted down and killed by unknown individuals after being sentenced to death in absentia for a February 1965 coup attempt against Nguyễn Khánh.
    • 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 11, the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Kennedy, Florida.
    • 1979 – Iraqi President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr resigns and is replaced by Saddam Hussein.
    • 1983 – Sikorsky S-61 disaster: A helicopter crashes off the Isles of Scilly, causing 20 fatalities.
    • 1990 – The Luzon earthquake strikes the Philippines with an intensity of 7.7, affecting Benguet, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, La Union, Aurora, Bataan, Zambales and Tarlac.
    • 1990 – The Parliament of the Ukrainian SSR declares state sovereignty over the territory of the Ukrainian SSR.
    • 1999 – John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, died when the Piper Saratoga PA-32R aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
    • 2004 – Millennium Park, considered Chicago’s first and most ambitious early 21st-century architectural project, is opened to the public by Mayor Richard M. Daley.
    • 2007 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 and 6.6 aftershock occurs off the Niigata coast of Japan killing eight people, injuring at least 800 and damaging a nuclear power plant.
    • 2013 – As many as 27 children die and 25 others are hospitalized after eating lunch served at their school in eastern India.
    • 2015 – Four U.S. Marines and one gunman die in a shooting spree targeting military installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
    • 2019 – 100 years old building in Mumbai, India, collapsed, killing at least 10 people and many remaining trapped.

    Births on July 16

    • 1194 – Clare of Assisi, an Italian nun and saint (d. 1253)
    • 1486 – Andrea del Sarto, Italian painter (d. 1530)
    • 1517 – Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, English duchess (d. 1559)
    • 1529 – Petrus Peckius the Elder, Dutch jurist, writer on international maritime law (d. 1589)
    • 1611 – Cecilia Renata of Austria (d. 1644)
    • 1661 – Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, Canadian captain, explorer, and politician (d. 1706)
    • 1714 – Marc René, marquis de Montalembert, French engineer and author (d. 1800)
    • 1722 – Joseph Wilton, English sculptor and academic (d. 1803)
    • 1723 – Joshua Reynolds, English painter and academic (d. 1792)
    • 1731 – Samuel Huntington, American jurist and politician, 18th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1796)
    • 1749 – Cyrus Griffin, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 16th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1810)
    • 1796 – Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French painter and etcher (d. 1875)
    • 1821 – Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader and author, founded Christian Science (d. 1910)
    • 1841 – Nikolai von Glehn, Estonian-German architect and activist (d. 1923)
    • 1858 – Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1931)
    • 1862 – Ida B. Wells, American journalist and activist (d. 1931)
    • 1863 – Anderson Dawson, Australian politician, 14th Premier of Queensland (d. 1910)
    • 1870 – Lambert McKenna, Irish priest, lexicographer, and scholar (d. 1956)
    • 1871 – John Maxwell, American golfer (d. 1906)
    • 1872 – Roald Amundsen, Norwegian pilot and explorer (d. 1928)
    • 1872 – Frank Cooper, Australian politician, 25th Premier of Queensland (d. 1949)
    • 1880 – Kathleen Norris, American journalist and author (d. 1966)
    • 1882 – Violette Neatley Anderson, American judge (d. 1937)
    • 1883 – Charles Sheeler, American photographer and painter (d. 1965)
    • 1884 – Anna Vyrubova, Russian author (d. 1964)
    • 1887 – Shoeless Joe Jackson, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)
    • 1888 – Percy Kilbride, American actor (d. 1964)
    • 1888 – Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1966)
    • 1889 – Arthur Bowie Chrisman, American author (d. 1953)
    • 1895 – Wilfrid Hamel, Canadian businessman and politician, 35th Mayor of Quebec City (d. 1968)
    • 1896 – Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, German biologist and eugenicist (d. 1969)
    • 1896 – Trygve Lie, Norwegian trade union leader and politician, 1st Secretary-General of the United Nations (d. 1968)
    • 1902 – Alexander Luria, Russian psychologist and physician (d. 1977)
    • 1902 – Mary Philbin, American actress (d. 1993)
    • 1903 – Fritz Bauer, German lawyer and judge (d. 1968)
    • 1903 – Carmen Lombardo, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1971)
    • 1903 – Irmgard Flügge-Lotz, German mathematician and engineer (d. 1974)
    • 1904 – Goffredo Petrassi, Italian composer and conductor (d. 2003)
    • 1906 – Vincent Sherman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1907 – Frances Horwich, American educator and television host (d. 2001)
    • 1907 – Orville Redenbacher, American farmer and businessman, founded Orville Redenbacher’s (d. 1995)
    • 1907 – Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (d. 1990)
    • 1910 – Stan McCabe, Australian cricketer (d. 1968)
    • 1910 – Gordon Prange, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1980)
    • 1911 – Ginger Rogers, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1995)
    • 1911 – Sonny Tufts, American actor (d. 1970)
    • 1912 – Milt Bocek, American baseball player (d. 2007)
    • 1912 – Amy Patterson, Argentine composer, singer, poet, and teacher (d. 2019)
    • 1915 – Barnard Hughes, American actor (d. 2006)
    • 1915 – Elaine Barrie, American actress (d. 2003)
    • 1918 – Denis Edward Arnold, English soldier (d. 2015)
    • 1918 – Paul Farnes, famed World War II Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot and one of “The Few” surviving pilots of the Battle of Britain (d. 2020)
    • 1918 – Samuel Victor Perry, English biochemist and rugby player (d. 2009)
    • 1919 – Hermine Braunsteiner, Austrian SS officer (d. 1999)
    • 1919 – Choi Kyu-hah, South Korean politician, 4th President of South Korea (d. 2006)
    • 1920 – Anatole Broyard, American critic and editor (d. 1990)
    • 1923 – Chris Argyris, American psychologist, theorist, and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Bola Sete, Brazilian guitarist (d. 1987)
    • 1924 – James L. Greenfield, American journalist and politician
    • 1924 – Bess Myerson, American model, actress, game show panelist, and politician, Miss America 1945 (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Rupert Deese, Northern Mariana Islander ceramic artist (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Frank Jobe, American sergeant and surgeon (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Rosita Quintana, Argentine actress
    • 1925 – Cal Tjader, American jazz musician (d. 1982)
    • 1926 – Ivica Horvat, Croatian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – Irwin Rose, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Pierre F. Côté, Canadian lawyer and civil servant (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Shirley Hughes, English author and illustrator
    • 1927 – Derek Hawksworth, English footballer
    • 1928 – Anita Brookner, English novelist and art historian (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Bella Davidovich, Soviet-American pianist
    • 1928 – Robert Sheckley, American author and screenwriter (d. 2005)
    • 1928 – Jim Rathmann, American race car driver (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – Dave Treen, American lawyer and politician, 51st Governor of Louisiana (d. 2009)
    • 1928 – Andrzej Zawada, Polish mountaineer and author (d. 2000)
    • 1929 – Charles Ray Hatcher, American serial killer (d. 1984)
    • 1929 – Sheri S. Tepper, American author and poet (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Gaby Tanguy, French swimmer
    • 1930 – Guy Béart, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1930 – Michael Bilirakis, American lawyer and politician
    • 1930 – Bert Rechichar, American football defensive back and kicker (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Fergus Gordon Kerr, Scottish Roman Catholic priest of the English Dominican Province
    • 1931 – Norm Sherry, American former catcher, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball
    • 1932 – John Chilton, English trumpet player and composer (d. 2016)
    • 1932 – Max McGee, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Dick Thornburgh, American lawyer and politician, 76th United States Attorney General
    • 1933 – Julian A. Brodsky, American businessman
    • 1934 – Tomás Eloy Martínez, Argentine journalist (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Katherine D. Ortega, 38th Treasurer of the United States
    • 1934 – Donald M. Payne, American educator and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1935 – Carl Epting Mundy Jr., American general (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Lynn Wyatt, American socialite and philanthropist
    • 1936 – Yasuo Fukuda, Japanese politician, 91st Prime Minister of Japan
    • 1936 – Buddy Merrill, American guitarist
    • 1936 – Jerry Norman, American sinologist and linguist (d. 2012)
    • 1936 – Venkataraman Subramanya, Indian-Australian cricketer
    • 1937 – Richard Bryan, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Nevada
    • 1937 – John Daly, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
    • 1938 – Cynthia Enloe, American author and academic
    • 1938 – Tony Jackson, English singer and bass player (d. 2003)
    • 1939 – William Bell, American singer-songwriter
    • 1939 – Lido Vieri, Italian football manager and football player
    • 1939 – Denise LaSalle, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2018)
    • 1939 – Ruth Perry, president of Liberia (d. 2017)
    • 1939 – Shringar Nagaraj, Indian actor and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Corin Redgrave, English actor and activist (d. 2010)
    • 1939 – Mariele Ventre, Italian singer and conductor (d. 1995)
    • 1941 – Desmond Dekker, Jamaican singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1941 – Dag Solstad, Norwegian author and playwright
    • 1941 – Hans Wiegel, Dutch journalist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
    • 1941 – Sir George Young, 6th Baronet, English banker and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
    • 1942 – Margaret Court, Australian tennis player and minister
    • 1943 – Reinaldo Arenas, Cuban-American author, poet, and playwright (d. 1990)
    • 1943 – Vernon Bogdanor, English political scientist and academic
    • 1943 – Jimmy Johnson, American football player and coach
    • 1944 – Angharad Rees, English-Welsh actress and jewellery designer (d. 2012)
    • 1946 – Louise Fréchette, Canadian civil servant and diplomat, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
    • 1946 – Barbara Lee, American politician
    • 1946 – Ron Yary, American football player
    • 1947 – Don Burke, Australian television host and producer
    • 1947 – Alexis Herman, American businesswoman and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of Labor
    • 1947 – Assata Shakur, American-Cuban criminal and activist
    • 1948 – Rubén Blades, Panamanian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1948 – Lars Lagerbäck, Swedish footballer and manager
    • 1948 – Kevin McKenzie, South African cricketer
    • 1948 – Pinchas Zukerman, Israeli violinist and conductor
    • 1949 – Alan Fitzgerald, American guitarist and keyboardist
    • 1950 – Pierre Paradis, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Dennis Priestley, English darts player
    • 1950 – Frances Spalding, English historian and academic
    • 1950 – Tom Terrell, American journalist and photographer (d. 2007)
    • 1951 – Jean-Luc Mongrain, Canadian journalist
    • 1951 – Che Rosli, Malaysian politician
    • 1952 – Stewart Copeland, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1952 – Richard Egielski, American author and illustrator
    • 1952 – Marc Esposito, French director and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Ken McEwan, South African cricketer
    • 1953 – Douglas J. Feith, American lawyer and politician, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
    • 1954 – Jeanette Mott Oxford, American politician
    • 1955 – Susan Wheeler, American poet and academic
    • 1955 – Saw Swee Leong, Malaysian badminton player
    • 1956 – Tony Kushner, American playwright and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Faye Grant, American actress
    • 1957 – Alexandra Marinina, Ukrainian-Russian colonel and author
    • 1958 – Mick Cornett, American politician, and former mayor of Oklahoma City.
    • 1958 – Michael Flatley, American-Irish dancer and choreographer
    • 1958 – Mike Rogers, American politician
    • 1959 – Gary Anderson, South African-American football player
    • 1959 – James MacMillan, Scottish composer and conductor
    • 1959 – Zoran Jolevski, Macedonian economist, politician, and diplomat, Macedonian Ambassador to the United States
    • 1959 – Jürgen Ligi, Estonian economist and politician, 25th Estonian Minister of Defence
    • 1960 – Terry Pendleton, American baseball player and coach
    • 1962 – Grigory Leps, Russian singer-songwriter
    • 1963 – Phoebe Cates, American actress
    • 1963 – Srečko Katanec, Slovenian footballer and coach
    • 1963 – Mikael Pernfors, Swedish tennis player
    • 1964 – Phil Hellmuth, American poker player
    • 1964 – Miguel Induráin, Spanish cyclist
    • 1965 – Michel Desjoyeaux, French sailor
    • 1965 – Claude Lemieux, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1965 – Sherri Stoner, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Jyrki Lumme, Finnish ice hockey player
    • 1967 – Will Ferrell, American actor, comedian, and producer
    • 1968 – Dhanraj Pillay, Indian field hockey player and manager
    • 1968 – Barry Sanders, American football player
    • 1968 – Larry Sanger, American philosopher and businessman, co-founded Wikipedia and Citizendium
    • 1968 – Michael Searle, Australian rugby league player and businessman
    • 1968 – Robert Sherman, American songwriter and businessman
    • 1968 – Olga Souza, Brazilian singer and dancer
    • 1969 – Jules De Martino, English singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1969 – Kathryn Harby-Williams, Australian netball player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Raimonds Miglinieks, Latvian basketball player and coach
    • 1970 – Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Corey Feldman, American actor
    • 1971 – Ed Kowalczyk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Live)
    • 1972 – Ben Cahoon, American-Canadian football player and coach
    • 1972 – François Drolet, Canadian speed skater
    • 1973 – Shaun Pollock, South African cricketer
    • 1973 – Graham Robertson, American director and producer
    • 1973 – Tim Ryan, American politician
    • 1974 – Jeremy Enigk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Maret Maripuu, Estonian politician, Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
    • 1974 – Ryan McCombs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Wendell Sailor, Australian rugby player
    • 1975 – Bas Leinders, Belgian race car driver
    • 1976 – Tomasz Kuchar, Polish race car driver
    • 1976 – Carlos Humberto Paredes, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1976 – Anna Smashnova, Belarusian-Israeli tennis player
    • 1977 – Bryan Budd, Northern Ireland-born English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2006)
    • 1979 – Chris Mihm, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Mai Nakamura, Japanese swimmer
    • 1979 – Kim Rhode, American sport shooter
    • 1979 – Nathan Rogers, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – Konstantin Skrylnikov, Russian footballer
    • 1980 – Adam Scott, Australian golfer
    • 1981 – Giuseppe Di Masi, Italian footballer
    • 1981 – Robert Kranjec, Slovenian ski jumper
    • 1981 – Zach Randolph, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Vicente Rodríguez, Spanish footballer
    • 1982 – André Greipel, German cyclist
    • 1982 – Carli Lloyd, American soccer player
    • 1982 – Michael Umaña, Costa Rican footballer
    • 1983 – Duncan Keith, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Hayanari Shimoda, Japanese race car driver
    • 1984 – Attila Szabó, Hungarian decathlete
    • 1985 – Mārtiņš Kravčenko, Latvian basketball player
    • 1986 – Dustin Boyd, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Misako Uno, Japanese actress, singer, and fashion designer
    • 1987 – Mousa Dembélé, Belgian footballer
    • 1987 – AnnaLynne McCord, American actress and producer
    • 1987 – Knowshon Moreno, American football player
    • 1988 – Sergio Busquets, Spanish footballer
    • 1989 – Gareth Bale, Welsh footballer
    • 1990 – Bureta Faraimo, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1990 – Wizkid, Nigerian singer and songwriter
    • 1990 – Johann Zarco, French motorcycle racer
    • 1991 – Nate Schmidt, American ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Andros Townsend, English footballer
    • 1996 – Daniel Pearson, English actor and presenter

    Deaths on July 16

    • 784 – Fulrad, Frankish diplomat and saint (b. 710)
    • 866 – Irmgard, Frankish abbess
    • 1212 – William de Brus, 3rd Lord of Annandale
    • 1216 – Pope Innocent III (b. 1160)
    • 1324 – Emperor Go-Uda of Japan (b. 1267)
    • 1342 – Charles I of Hungary (b. 1288)
    • 1344 – An-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt (b. 1316)
    • 1509 – João da Nova, Portuguese explorer (b. 1460)
    • 1546 – Anne Askew, English author and poet (b. 1520)
    • 1557 – Anne of Cleves (b. 1515)
    • 1576 – Isabella de’ Medici, Italian noble (b. 1542)
    • 1647 – Masaniello, Italian rebel (b. 1622)
    • 1664 – Andreas Gryphius, German poet and playwright (b. 1616)
    • 1686 – John Pearson, English bishop and scholar (b. 1612)
    • 1691 – François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, French politician, French Secretary of State for War (b. 1641)
    • 1729 – Johann David Heinichen, German composer and theorist (b. 1683)
    • 1747 – Giuseppe Crespi, Italian painter (b. 1665)
    • 1770 – Francis Cotes, English painter and academic (b. 1726)
    • 1796 – George Howard, English field marshal and politician (b. 1718)
    • 1831 – Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, French-Russian general (b. 1763)
    • 1849 – Sarah Allen, African-American missionary for the African Methodist Episcopal Church (b. 1764)
    • 1868 – Dmitry Pisarev, Russian author and critic (b. 1840)
    • 1879 – Edward Deas Thomson, Scottish-Australian politician, 3rd Chief Secretary of New South Wales (b. 1800)
    • 1882 – Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady of the United States 1861-1865 (b. 1818)
    • 1886 – Ned Buntline, American journalist and author (b. 1823)
    • 1896 – Edmond de Goncourt, French critic and publisher, founded Académie Goncourt (b. 1822)
    • 1915 – Ellen G. White, American theologian and author (b. 1827)
    • 1917 – Philipp Scharwenka, German composer and educator (b. 1847)
    • 1939 – Bartholomeus Roodenburch, Dutch swimmer (b. 1866)
    • 1949 – Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1866)
    • 1953 – Hilaire Belloc, French-born British writer and historian (b. 1870)
    • 1954 – Herms Niel, German soldier, trombonist, and composer (b. 1888)
    • 1960 – Albert Kesselring, German field marshal (b. 1881)
    • 1960 – John P. Marquand, American author (b. 1893)
    • 1964 – Rauf Orbay, Turkish colonel and politician, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1881)
    • 1965 – Boris Artzybasheff, Ukrainian-American illustrator (b.1899)
    • 1969 – James Scott Douglas, English-born Scottish race car driver and 6th Baronet Douglas (b. 1930)
    • 1981 – Harry Chapin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
    • 1982 – Charles Robberts Swart, South African lawyer and politician, 1st State President of South Africa (b. 1894)
    • 1985 – Heinrich Böll, German novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
    • 1985 – Wayne King, American saxophonist, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1901)
    • 1989 – Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor and manager (b. 1908)
    • 1990 – Robert Blackburn, Irish educator (b. 1927)
    • 1990 – Miguel Muñoz, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1922)
    • 1991 – Meindert DeJong, Dutch-American soldier and author (b. 1906)
    • 1991 – Robert Motherwell, American painter and academic (b. 1915)
    • 1991 – Frank Rizzo, American police officer and politician, 93rd Mayor of Philadelphia (b. 1920)
    • 1992 – Buck Buchanan, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
    • 1994 – Julian Schwinger, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
    • 1995 – May Sarton, American playwright and novelist (b. 1912)
    • 1995 – Stephen Spender, English author and poet (b. 1909)
    • 1996 – Adolf von Thadden, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1921)
    • 1998 – John Henrik Clarke, American historian and scholar (b. 1915)
    • 1999 – John F. Kennedy Jr., American lawyer and publisher (b. 1960)
    • 1999 – Alan Macnaughton, Canadian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons (b. 1903)
    • 2001 – Morris, Belgian cartoonist (b. 1923)
    • 2002 – John Cocke, American computer scientist and engineer (b. 1925)
    • 2003 – Celia Cruz, Cuban-American singer and actress (b. 1925)
    • 2003 – Carol Shields, American-Canadian novelist and short story writer (b. 1935)
    • 2004 – George Busbee, American lawyer and politician, 77th Governor of Georgia (b. 1927)
    • 2004 – Charles Sweeney, American general and pilot (b. 1919)
    • 2005 – Pietro Consagra, Italian sculptor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Camillo Felgen, Luxembourgian singer-songwriter and radio host (b. 1920)
    • 2006 – Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 13th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas (b. 1948)
    • 2007 – Caterina Bueno, Italian singer and historian (b. 1943)
    • 2008 – Jo Stafford, American singer (b. 1917)
    • 2008 – Lindsay Thompson, Australian politician, 40th Premier of Victoria (b. 1923)
    • 2011 – Forrest Blue, American football player (b. 1944)
    • 2012 – William Asher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Stephen Covey, American businessman and author (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Gilbert Esau, American businessman and politician (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Ed Lincoln, Brazilian bassist, pianist, and composer (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Masaharu Matsushita, Japanese businessman (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Kitty Wells, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Alex Colville, Canadian painter and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Marv Rotblatt, American baseball player (1927)
    • 2014 – Karl Albrecht, German businessman, co-founded Aldi (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Mary Ellen Otremba, American educator and politician (b. 1950)
    • 2014 – Johnny Winter, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2014 – Heinz Zemanek, Austrian computer scientist and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2015 – Denis Avey, English soldier, engineer, and author (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – Evelyn Ebsworth, English chemist and academic (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Alcides Ghiggia, Uruguayan footballer and manager (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Jack Goody, English anthropologist, author, and academic (b. 1919)
    • 2017 – George Romero, American filmmaker (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on July 16

    • Christian feast day:
      • Gondulphus of Tongeren
      • Helier
      • Our Lady of Mount Carmel
        • Fiesta de La Tirana (Tarapacá Region, Chile)
      • Reineldis
      • July 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Engineer’s Day (Honduras)
    • Holocaust Memorial Day (France)

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

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

    Births on June 29

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

    Deaths on June 29

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

    Holidays and observances on June 29

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

  • June 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul.
    • 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
    • 1461 – Edward, Earl of March, is crowned King Edward IV of England.
    • 1519 – Charles V is elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
    • 1575 – Sengoku period of Japan: The combined forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu are victorious in the Battle of Nagashino.
    • 1635 – Guadeloupe becomes a French colony.
    • 1651 – The Battle of Berestechko between Poland and Ukraine starts.
    • 1709 – Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava.
    • 1745 – A New England colonial army captures the French fortifications at Louisbourg (New Style).
    • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Sullivan’s Island ends with the American victory, leading to the commemoration of Carolina Day.
    • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Thomas Hickey, Continental Army private and bodyguard to General George Washington, is hanged for mutiny and sedition.
    • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: The American Continentals engage the British in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse resulting in standstill and British withdrawal under cover of darkness.
    • 1797 – French troops disembark in Corfu, beginning the French rule in the Ionian Islands.
    • 1807 – Second British invasion of the Río de la Plata; John Whitelocke lands at Ensenada on an attempt to recapture Buenos Aires and is defeated by the locals.
    • 1838 – Coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
    • 1841 – The Paris Opera Ballet premieres Giselle in the Salle Le Peletier.
    • 1846 – Adolphe Sax patents the saxophone.
    • 1855 – Sigma Chi fraternity is founded in North America.
    • 1859 – The first conformation dog show is held in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
    • 1865 – The Army of the Potomac is disbanded.
    • 1880 – Australian bushranger Ned Kelly is captured at Glenrowan.
    • 1881 – The Austro–Serbian Alliance of 1881 is secretly signed.
    • 1882 – The Anglo-French Convention of 1882 marks the territorial boundaries between Guinea and Sierra Leone.
    • 1894 – Labor Day becomes an official US holiday.
    • 1895 – The United States Court of Private Land Claims rules James Reavis’s claim to Barony of Arizona is “wholly fictitious and fraudulent.”
    • 1896 – An explosion in the Newton Coal Company’s Twin Shaft Mine in Pittston, Pennsylvania results in a massive cave-in that kills 58 miners.
    • 1902 – The U.S. Congress passes the Spooner Act, authorizing President Theodore Roosevelt to acquire rights from Colombia for the Panama Canal.
    • 1904 – The SS Norge runs aground on Hasselwood Rock in the North Atlantic 430 kilometres (270 mi) northwest of Ireland. More than 635 people die during the sinking.
    • 1911 – The Nakhla meteorite, the first one to suggest signs of aqueous processes on Mars, falls to Earth, landing in Egypt.
    • 1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo; this is the casus belli of World War I.
    • 1917 – World War I: Greece joins the Allied powers.
    • 1919 – The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the state of war between Germany and the Allies of World War I.
    • 1921 – Serbian King Alexander I proclaims the new constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, known thereafter as the Vidovdan Constitution.
    • 1922 – The Irish Civil War begins with the shelling of the Four Courts in Dublin by Free State forces.
    • 1926 – Mercedes-Benz is formed by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merging their two companies.
    • 1936 – The Japanese puppet state of Mengjiang is formed in northern China.
    • 1940 – Romania cedes Bessarabia (current-day Moldova) to the Soviet Union after facing an ultimatum.
    • 1942 – World War II: Nazi Germany starts its strategic summer offensive against the Soviet Union, codenamed Case Blue.
    • 1945 – Poland’s Soviet-allied Provisional Government of National Unity is formed over a month after V-E Day.
    • 1948 – Cold War: The Tito–Stalin Split results in the expulsion of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia from the Cominform.
    • 1948 – Boxer Dick Turpin beats Vince Hawkins at Villa Park in Birmingham to become the first black British boxing champion in the modern era.
    • 1950 – Korean War: Suspected communist sympathizers (between 60,000 to 200,000) are executed in the Bodo League massacre.
    • 1950 – Korean War: Packed with its own refugees fleeing Seoul and leaving their 5th Division stranded, South Korean forces blow up the Hangang Bridge in an attempt to slow North Korea’s offensive. The city falls later that day.
    • 1950 – Korean War: North Korean Army conducts the Seoul National University Hospital massacre.
    • 1956 – in Poznań, workers from HCP factory go to the streets, sparking one of the first major protests against communist government both in Poland and Europe.
    • 1964 – Malcolm X forms the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
    • 1969 – Stonewall riots begin in New York City, marking the start of the Gay Rights Movement.
    • 1973 – Elections are held for the Northern Ireland Assembly, which will lead to power-sharing between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland for the first time.
    • 1976 – The Angolan court sentences US and UK mercenaries to death sentences and prison terms in the Luanda Trial.
    • 1978 – The United States Supreme Court, in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke bars quota systems in college admissions.
    • 1981 – A powerful bomb explodes in Tehran, killing 73 officials of the Islamic Republican Party.
    • 1987 – For the first time in military history, a civilian population is targeted for chemical attack when Iraqi warplanes bombed the Iranian town of Sardasht.
    • 1989 – On the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, Slobodan Milošević delivers the Gazimestan speech at the site of the historic battle.
    • 1997 – Holyfield–Tyson II: Mike Tyson is disqualified in the third round for biting a piece off Evander Holyfield’s ear.
    • 2001 – Slobodan Milošević is extradited to the ICTY in The Hague to stand trial.
    • 2004 – Iraq War: Sovereign power is handed to the interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the U.S.-led rule of that nation.
    • 2009 – Honduran president Manuel Zelaya is ousted by a local military coup following a failed request to hold a referendum to rewrite the Honduran Constitution. This was the start of the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis.
    • 2016 – A terrorist attack in Turkey’s Istanbul Atatürk Airport kills 42 people and injures more than 230 others.

    Births on June 28

    • 751 – Carloman I, king of the Franks (d. 771)
    • 1243 – Emperor Go-Fukakusa of Japan (d. 1304)
    • 1444 – Charlotte, Queen of Cyprus (d. 1487)
    • 1476 – Pope Paul IV (d. 1559)
    • 1490 – Albert of Brandenburg, German archbishop (d. 1545)
    • 1491 – Henry VIII of England (d. 1547)
    • 1503 – Giovanni della Casa, Italian author and poet (d. 1556)
    • 1547 – Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian organist and composer (d. 1599)
    • 1557 – Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, English nobleman (d. 1595)
    • 1560 – Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (d. 1657)
    • 1573 – Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby, English noble (d. 1644)
    • 1577 – Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish painter and diplomat (d. 1640)
    • 1582 – William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English politician (d. 1662)
    • 1604 – Heinrich Albert, German composer and poet (d. 1651)
    • 1641 – Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d’Arquien, consort to King John III Sobieski (d. 1716)
    • 1653 – Muhammad Azam Shah, Mughal emperor (d. 1707)
    • 1703 – John Wesley, English cleric and theologian (d. 1791)
    • 1712 – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher and polymath (d. 1778)
    • 1719 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1785)
    • 1734 – Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier, French organist and composer (d. 1794)
    • 1742 – William Hooper, American physician, lawyer, and politician (d. 1790)
    • 1824 – Paul Broca, French physician, anatomist, and anthropologist (d. 1880)
    • 1825 – Emil Erlenmeyer, German chemist (d. 1909)
    • 1831 – Joseph Joachim, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1907)
    • 1836 – Emmanuel Rhoides, Greek journalist and author (d. 1904)
    • 1844 – John Boyle O’Reilly, Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer (d. 1890)
    • 1852 – Charles Cruft, English showman, founded Crufts Dog Show (d. 1938)
    • 1867 – Luigi Pirandello, Italian dramatist, novelist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
    • 1873 – Alexis Carrel, French surgeon and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1944)
    • 1875 – Henri Lebesgue, French mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1879 – Wilhelm Steinkopf, German chemist (d. 1949)
    • 1880 – John Meyers, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1971)
    • 1883 – Pierre Laval, French soldier and politician, 101st Prime Minister of France (d. 1945)
    • 1884 – Lamina Sankoh, Sierra Leonean banker and politician (d. 1964)
    • 1888 – George Challenor, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1947)
    • 1888 – Stefi Geyer, Hungarian violinist and educator (d. 1956)
    • 1891 – Esther Forbes, American historian and author (d. 1968)
    • 1891 – Carl Spaatz, American general (d. 1974)
    • 1892 – Carl Panzram, American serial killer (d. 1930)
    • 1893 – August Zamoyski, Polish-French sculptor (d. 1970)
    • 1894 – Francis Hunter, American tennis player (d. 1981)
    • 1902 – Richard Rodgers, American playwright and composer (d. 1979)
    • 1906 – Maria Goeppert Mayer, Polish-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
    • 1907 – Jimmy Mundy, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1907 – Yvonne Sylvain, First female Haitian physician (d. 1989)
    • 1909 – Eric Ambler, English author and screenwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1912 – Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, German physicist and philosopher (d. 2007)
    • 1913 – Franz Antel, Austrian director and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1913 – George Lloyd, English soldier and composer (d. 1998)
    • 1913 – Walter Oesau, German colonel and pilot (d. 1944)
    • 1914 – Aribert Heim, Austrian SS physician and Nazi war criminal (d. 1992)
    • 1917 – A. E. Hotchner, American author and playwright (d. 2020)
    • 1918 – William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, Scottish-English politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1999)
    • 1919 – Joseph P. Lordi, American government official (d. 1983)
    • 1920 – Clarissa Eden, Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
    • 1921 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (d. 2004)
    • 1922 – Hans Frauenfelder, American physicist and biophysicist
    • 1923 – Pete Candoli, American trumpet player (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Adolfo Schwelm Cruz, Argentinian racing driver (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Gaye Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – George Booth, American cartoonist
    • 1926 – Mel Brooks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1926 – Robert Ledley, American academic and inventor (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – Correlli Barnett, English historian and author
    • 1927 – Frank Sherwood Rowland, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Hans Blix, Swedish politician and diplomat, 33rd Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1928 – Patrick Hemingway, American writer
    • 1928 – Harold Evans, English-American historian and journalist
    • 1928 – Peter Heine, South African cricketer (d. 2005)
    • 1928 – Cyril Smith, English politician (d. 2010)
    • 1929 – Alfred Miodowicz, Polish politician
    • 1930 – William C. Campbell, Irish-American biologist and parasitologist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1930 – Itamar Franco, Brazilian engineer and politician, 33rd President of Brazil (d. 2011)
    • 1930 – Jack Gold, English director and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Hans Alfredson, Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1931 – Junior Johnson, American race car driver (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Lucien Victor, Belgian cyclist (d. 1995)
    • 1932 – Pat Morita, American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1933 – Gusty Spence, Northern Irish loyalist and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1934 – Robert Carswell, Baron Carswell, Northern Irish lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
    • 1934 – Roy Gilchrist, Jamaican cricketer (d. 2001)
    • 1934 – Bette Greene, American journalist and author
    • 1934 – Carl Levin, American lawyer and politician
    • 1934 – Georges Wolinski, Tunisian-French journalist and cartoonist (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – John Inman, English actor (d. 2007)
    • 1936 – Chuck Howley, American football player
    • 1937 – George Knudson, Canadian golfer (d. 1989)
    • 1937 – Fernand Labrie, Canadian endocrinologist and academic
    • 1937 – Ron Luciano, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1995)
    • 1938 – John Byner, American actor and comedian
    • 1938 – Leon Panetta, American lawyer and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of Defense
    • 1938 – S. Sivamaharajah, Sri Lankan Tamil newspaper publisher and politician (d. 2006)
    • 1938 – Simon Douglas-Pennant, 7th Baron Penrhyn, British baron
    • 1939 – Klaus Schmiegel, German chemist
    • 1940 – Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshi economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – Al Downing, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1941 – Joseph Goguen, American computer scientist and academic, developed the OBJ language (d. 2006)
    • 1941 – David Johnston, Canadian academic, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor General of Canada
    • 1942 – Chris Hani, South African politician (d. 1993)
    • 1942 – Hans-Joachim Walde, German decathlete (d. 2013)
    • 1942 – Frank Zane, American professional bodybuilder and author
    • 1943 – Jens Birkemose, Danish painter
    • 1943 – Donald Johanson, American paleontologist and academic
    • 1943 – Klaus von Klitzing, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1945 – Ken Buchanan, Scottish boxer
    • 1945 – David Knights, English bass player and producer
    • 1945 – Raul Seixas, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1989)
    • 1945 – Türkan Şoray, Turkish actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1946 – Robert Asprin, American soldier and author (d. 2008)
    • 1946 – Bruce Davison, American actor and director
    • 1946 – David Duckham, English rugby player
    • 1946 – Robert Xavier Rodríguez, American classical composer
    • 1946 – Jaime Guzmán, Chilean lawyer and politician (d. 1991)
    • 1946 – Gilda Radner, American actress and comedian (d. 1989)
    • 1947 – Mark Helprin, American novelist and journalist
    • 1947 – Laura Tyson, American economist and academic
    • 1948 – Kathy Bates, American actress
    • 1948 – Sergei Bodrov, Russian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Deborah Moggach, English author and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Daniel Wegner, Canadian-American psychologist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1949 – Don Baylor, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1950 – Philip Fowke, English pianist and educator
    • 1950 – Mauricio Rojas, Chilean-Swedish economist and politician
    • 1950 – Chris Speier, American baseball player and coach
    • 1951 – Mick Cronin, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1951 – Mark Shand, English conservationist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1951 – Lalla Ward, English actress and author
    • 1952 – Enis Batur, Turkish poet and author
    • 1952 – Pietro Mennea, Italian sprinter and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1952 – Jean-Christophe Rufin, French physician and author
    • 1954 – A. A. Gill, Scottish author and critic (d. 2016)
    • 1954 – Alice Krige, South African actress
    • 1955 – Shirley Cheriton, British actress
    • 1956 – Amira Hass, Israeli journalist and author
    • 1956 – Noel Mugavin, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1957 – Lance Nethery, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1957 – Georgi Parvanov, Bulgarian historian and politician, 4th President of Bulgaria
    • 1957 – Mike Skinner, American race car driver
    • 1957 – Jim Spanarkel, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1958 – Donna Edwards, American lawyer and politician
    • 1958 – Félix Gray, Tunisian-French singer-songwriter
    • 1959 – Clint Boon, English singer and keyboard player
    • 1959 – John Shelley, British illustrator
    • 1960 – John Elway, American football player and manager
    • 1960 – Roland Melanson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1961 – Jeff Malone, American basketball player and coach
    • 1962 – Anișoara Cușmir-Stanciu, Romanian long jumper
    • 1962 – Artur Hajzer, Polish mountaineer (d. 2013)
    • 1962 – Ann-Louise Skoglund, Swedish hurdler
    • 1963 – Peter Baynham, Welsh actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Charlie Clouser, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1964 – Christina Ashcroft, Canadian sport shooter
    • 1964 – Mark Grace, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Bernie McCahill, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1964 – Dan Stains, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1964 – Steve Williamson, English saxophonist and composer
    • 1965 – Jessica Hecht, American actress
    • 1965 – Tiaan Strauss, South African rugby player
    • 1966 – Peeter Allik, Estonian painter and illustrator (d. 2019)
    • 1966 – Bobby Bare Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1966 – John Cusack, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Mary Stuart Masterson, American actress
    • 1967 – Leona Aglukkaq, Canadian politician, 7th Canadian Minister of Health
    • 1967 – Gil Bellows, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1967 – Zhong Huandi, Chinese runner
    • 1967 – Lars Riedel, German discus thrower
    • 1968 – Chayanne, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1969 – Tichina Arnold, American actress and singer
    • 1969 – Stéphane Chapuisat, Swiss footballer
    • 1969 – Fabrizio Mori, Italian hurdler
    • 1970 – Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer and coach
    • 1970 – Tom Merritt, American journalist
    • 1970 – Mike White, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Lorenzo Amoruso, Italian footballer
    • 1971 – Fabien Barthez, French footballer
    • 1971 – Bobby Hurley, American basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Ron Mahay, American baseball player and scout
    • 1971 – Elon Musk, South African-born American businessman
    • 1971 – Aileen Quinn, American actress and singer
    • 1972 – Ngô Bảo Châu, Vietnamese-French mathematician and academic
    • 1972 – Chris Leslie, English politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
    • 1972 – Geeta Tripathee, Nepali poet, lyricist and literary critic
    • 1972 – Alessandro Nivola, American actor
    • 1973 – Adrián Annus, Hungarian hammer thrower
    • 1973 – Corey Koskie, Canadian baseball player
    • 1974 – Rob Dyrdek, American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and reality television star
    • 1975 – Jon Nödtveidt, Swedish singer-songwriter, and guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1976 – Shinobu Asagoe, Japanese tennis player
    • 1976 – Seth Wescott, American snowboarder
    • 1977 – Chris Spurling, American baseball player
    • 1977 – Mark Stoermer, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1977 – Harun Tekin, Turkish singer and guitarist
    • 1978 – Simon Larose, Canadian tennis player
    • 1979 – Randy McMichael, American football player
    • 1979 – Neil Shanahan, Irish racing driver (d. 1999)
    • 1979 – Florian Zeller, French author and playwright
    • 1980 – Jevgeni Novikov, Estonian footballer
    • 1981 – Savage, New Zealand rapper
    • 1981 – Michael Crafter, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Guillermo Martínez, Cuban javelin thrower
    • 1981 – Brandon Phillips, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Ibrahim Camejo, Cuban long jumper
    • 1985 – Phil Bardsley, English footballer
    • 1985 – Colt Hynes, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Kellie Pickler, American singer-songwriter
    • 1987 – Sonata Tamošaitytė, Lithuanian hurdler
    • 1987 – Terrence Williams, American basketball player
    • 1989 – Jason Clark, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Andrew Fifita, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – David Fifita, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Julia Zlobina, Russian-Azerbaijani figure skater
    • 1989 – Markiplier, American internet personality
    • 1989 – Nicole Rottmann, Austrian tennis player
    • 1991 – Seohyun, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress
    • 1991 – Kevin De Bruyne, Belgian footballer
    • 1991 – Kang Min-hyuk, South Korean singer, drummer, and actor
    • 1992 – Oscar Hiljemark, Swedish footballer
    • 1992 – Elaine Thompson, Jamaican sprinter
    • 1993 – Bradley Beal, American basketball player
    • 1994 – Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan
    • 1994 – Emily Blue, American singer-songwriter
    • 1996 – Donna Vekić, Croatian tennis player
    • 1996 – Larissa Werbicki, Canadian rower
    • 1999 – Markéta Vondroušová, Czech tennis player
    • 2002 – Marta Kostyuk, Ukrainian tennis player

    Deaths on June 28

    • 202 – Yuan Shao, Chinese warlord
    • 548 – Theodora I, Byzantine empress
    • 572 – Alboin, King of the Lombards
    • 683 – Leo II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 611)
    • 767 – Paul I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 700)
    • 928 – Louis the Blind, Holy Roman emperor (b. 880)
    • 975 – Cyneweard, bishop of Wells
    • 1031 – Taira no Tadatsune, Japanese governor
    • 1061 – Floris I, count of Holland
    • 1175 – Andrey Bogolyubsky, Russian Grand Prince (b. 1111)
    • 1189 – Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony, (b. 1156)
    • 1194 – Xiao Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1127)
    • 1385 – Andronikos IV, Byzantine emperor (b. 1348)
    • 1497 – James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley, English rebel leader (b. c. 1463)
    • 1575 – Yonekura Shigetsugu, Japanese samurai
    • 1586 – Primož Trubar, Slovenian author and reformer (b. 1508)
    • 1598 – Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (b. 1527)
    • 1607 – Domenico Fontana, Italian architect (b. 1543)
    • 1716 – George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (b. 1665)
    • 1757 – Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, queen consort of Frederick William I (b. 1687)
    • 1798 – John Henry Colclough, Irish revolutionary (b. c. 1769)
    • 1813 – Gerhard von Scharnhorst, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (b. 1755)
    • 1834 – Joseph Bové, Russian architect, designed the Triumphal Arch of Moscow (b. 1784)
    • 1836 – James Madison, American academic and politician, 4th President of the United States (b. 1751)
    • 1880 – Texas Jack Omohundro, American soldier and hunter (b. 1846)
    • 1881 – Jules Armand Dufaure, French politician, 33rd Prime Minister of France (b. 1798)
    • 1889 – Maria Mitchell, American astronomer and academic (b. 1818)
    • 1892 – Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet and politician, Greek Foreign Minister (b. 1810)
    • 1913 – Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (b. 1841)
    • 1914 – Sophie, duchess of Hohenberg (b. 1868)
    • 1914 – Franz Ferdinand, archduke of Austria (b. 1863)
    • 1915 – Victor Trumper, Australian cricketer (b. 1877)
    • 1917 – Ștefan Luchian, Romanian painter and educator (b. 1868)
    • 1922 – Velimir Khlebnikov, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1885)
    • 1929 – Edward Carpenter, English poet and philosopher (b. 1844)
    • 1936 – Alexander Berkman, American author and activist (d. 1870)
    • 1939 – Douglas H. Johnston, governor of the Chickasaw Nation (b. 1856)
    • 1940 – Italo Balbo, Italian air marshal and politician (b. 1896)
    • 1944 – Friedrich Dollmann, German general (b. 1882)
    • 1945 – Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu, Turkish journalist (b. 1879)
    • 1947 – Stanislav Kostka Neumann, Czech writer, poet and journalist (b. 1875)
    • 1960 – Jake Swirbul, American businessman, co-founded the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (b. 1898)
    • 1962 – Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player and manager (b. 1903)
    • 1962 – Cy Morgan, American baseball player (b. 1878)
    • 1965 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, bandleader, and composer (b. 1905)
    • 1966 – Mehmet Fuat Köprülü, Turkish historian and politician, 21st Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1890)
    • 1971 – Franz Stangl, Austrian SS officer (b. 1908)
    • 1974 – Vannevar Bush, American engineer and academic (b. 1890)
    • 1975 – Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis, Greek architect (b. 1913)
    • 1975 – Rod Serling, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1924)
    • 1978 – Clifford Dupont, English-Rhodesian lawyer and politician, 1st President of Rhodesia (b. 1905)
    • 1980 – José Iturbi, Spanish pianist and conductor (b. 1895)
    • 1981 – Terry Fox, Canadian runner and activist (b. 1958)
    • 1983 – Alf Francis, German-English motor racing mechanic and racing car constructor (b. 1918)
    • 1984 – Yigael Yadin, Israeli archaeologist, general, and politician (b. 1917)
    • 1985 – Lynd Ward, American author and illustrator (b. 1905)
    • 1989 – Joris Ivens, Dutch journalist, director, and producer (b. 1898)
    • 1992 – Guy Nève, Belgian racing driver (b. 1955)
    • 1992 – Mikhail Tal, Latvian chess player (b. 1936)
    • 1995 – Petri Walli, Finnish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1969)
    • 2000 – Jane Birdwood, Baroness Birdwood, Canadian-English publisher and politician (b. 1913)
    • 2000 – Nils Poppe, Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
    • 2001 – Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher and author (b. 1902)
    • 2003 – Joan Lowery Nixon, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
    • 2004 – Anthony Buckeridge, English author (b. 1912)
    • 2005 – Brenda Howard, American activist (b. 1946)
    • 2005 – Michael P. Murphy, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1976)
    • 2006 – Jim Baen, American publisher, founded Baen Books (b. 1943)
    • 2006 – Peter Rawlinson, Baron Rawlinson of Ewell, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1919)
    • 2006 – George Unwin, English pilot and commander (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Eugene B. Fluckey, American admiral, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Kiichi Miyazawa, Japanese lawyer and politician, 78th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1919)
    • 2009 – A. K. Lohithadas, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1955)
    • 2009 – Billy Mays, American TV personality (b. 1958)
    • 2010 – Robert Byrd, American lawyer and politician (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Richard Isay, American psychiatrist and author (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Leontine T. Kelly, American bishop (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Robert Sabatier, French author and poet (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Doris Sams, American baseball player (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Ted Hood, American sailor and architect (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Tamás Katona, Hungarian historian and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Kenneth Minogue, New Zealand-Australian political scientist and academic (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – F. D. Reeve, American author and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – David Rubitsky, American sergeant (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Seymour Barab, American cellist and composer (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Jim Brosnan, American baseball player (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – On Kawara, Japanese painter (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Meshach Taylor, American actor (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Jack Carter, American actor and comedian (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Jope Seniloli, Fijian politician, Vice-President of Fiji (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Wally Stanowski, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
    • 2016 – Scotty Moore, American guitarist (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Pat Summitt, American women’s college basketball head coach (b. 1952)
    • 2016 – Buddy Ryan, American football coach (b. 1931)
    • 2018 – Harlan Ellison, American writer (b. 1934)

    Holidays and observances on June 28

    • Christian feast day:
      • Basilides and Potamiana
      • Irenaeus of Lyon (Western Christianity)
      • Heimerad
      • Blessed Maria Pia Mastena
      • Paulus I
      • Vincenza Gerosa
      • June 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Ukraine)
    • Earliest day on which Vardavar can fall, while August 1 is the latest; celebrated on the 14th weeks after Easter (Armenia)
    • Family Day (Vietnam)
    • Poznań Remembrance Day (Poland)
    • Vidovdan, celebrating St. Vitus and an important day in Serbian history. (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Tau Day, a day similar to Pi Day celebrating the number Tau, which is equivalent to 2*Pi.

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

    • 1358 – The Republic of Ragusa is founded.
    • 1497 – Cornish rebels Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank are executed at Tyburn, London, England.
    • 1556 – The thirteen Stratford Martyrs are burned at the stake near London for their Protestant beliefs.
    • 1743 – In the Battle of Dettingen, George II becomes the last reigning British monarch to participate in a battle.
    • 1760 – Anglo-Cherokee War: Cherokee warriors defeat British forces at the Battle of Echoee near present-day Otto, North Carolina.
    • 1806 – British forces take Buenos Aires during the first of the British invasions of the River Plate.
    • 1844 – Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum Smith, are killed by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate forces defeat Union forces during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain during the Atlanta Campaign.
    • 1869 – The Republic of Ezo on the island of Hokkaido ends after being defeated by Japanese Imperial troops.
    • 1895 – The inaugural run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
    • 1898 – The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia.
    • 1905 – During the Russo-Japanese War, sailors start a mutiny aboard the Russian battleship Potemkin.
    • 1908 – A group of Vietnamese tirailleurs conducts a failed attempt to poison the entire French army’s garrison in the Hanoi Citadel with the aim to make way for Hoàng Hoa Thám’s rebel army to capture Hanoi.
    • 1923 – Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH.4B biplane.
    • 1927 – Prime Minister of Japan Tanaka Giichi convenes an eleven-day conference to discuss Japan’s strategy in China. The Tanaka Memorial, a forged plan for world domination, is later claimed to be a secret report leaked from this conference.
    • 1941 – Romanian authorities launch one of the most violent pogroms in Jewish history in the city of Iași, resulting in the murder of at least 13,266 Jews.
    • 1941 – World War II: German troops capture the city of Białystok during Operation Barbarossa.
    • 1946 – In the Canadian Citizenship Act, the Parliament of Canada establishes the definition of Canadian citizenship.
    • 1950 – The United States decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War.
    • 1954 – The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, the Soviet Union’s first nuclear power station, opens in Obninsk, near Moscow.
    • 1954 – The FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match between Hungary and Brazil, highly anticipated to be exciting, instead turns violent, with three players ejected and further fighting continuing after the game.
    • 1957 – Hurricane Audrey makes landfall near the Texas–Louisiana border, killing over 400 people, mainly in and around Cameron, Louisiana.
    • 1973 – The President of Uruguay Juan María Bordaberry dissolves Parliament and establishes a dictatorship.
    • 1974 – U.S. president Richard Nixon visits the Soviet Union.
    • 1976 – Air France Flight 139 (Tel Aviv-Athens-Paris) is hijacked en route to Paris by the PLO and redirected to Entebbe, Uganda.
    • 1977 – France grants independence to Djibouti.
    • 1980 – The ‘Ustica massacre’: Itavia Flight 870 crashes in the sea while en route from Bologna to Palermo, Italy, killing all 81 on board.
    • 1981 – The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issues its “Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party Since the Founding of the People’s Republic of China”, laying the blame for the Cultural Revolution on Mao Zedong.
    • 1982 – Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the final research and development flight mission, STS-4.
    • 1988 – The Gare de Lyon rail accident in Paris, France, kills 56 people.
    • 1991 – Slovenia, after declaring independence two days before is invaded by Yugoslav troops, tanks, and aircraft starting the Ten-Day War.
    • 1994 – Members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult release sarin gas in Matsumoto, Japan. Seven people are killed, 660 injured.
    • 2007 – Tony Blair resigns as British Prime Minister, a position he had held since 1997. His Chancellor, Gordon Brown succeeds him.
    • 2007 – The Brazilian Military Police invades the favelas of Complexo do Alemão in an episode which is remembered as the Complexo do Alemão massacre.
    • 2008 – In a highly scrutinized election President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe is re-elected in a landslide after his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai had withdrawn a week earlier, citing violence against his party’s supporters.
    • 2013 – NASA launches the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, a space probe to observe the Sun.
    • 2014 – At least fourteen people are killed when a Gas Authority of India Limited pipeline explodes in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India.
    • 2015 – Formosa Fun Coast fire: A dust fire occurs at a recreational water park in Taiwan, killing 15 people and injuring 497 others, 199 critically.
    • 2017 – A series of powerful cyberattacks using the Petya malware target websites of Ukrainian organizations and counterparts with Ukrainian connections around the globe.

    Births on June 27

    • 850 – Ibrahim II of Ifriqiya, Aghlabid emir (d. 902)
    • 1350 – Manuel II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1425)
    • 1430 – Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter, Lancastrian leader (d. 1475)
    • 1462 – Louis XII, king of France (d. 1515)
    • 1464 – Ernst II of Saxony, Archbishop of Magdeburg (1476–1513) (d. 1513)
    • 1497 – Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1546)
    • 1550 – Charles IX, king of France (d. 1574)
    • 1596 – Maximilian, Prince of Dietrichstein (d. 1655)
    • 1696 – William Pepperrell, American merchant and soldier (d. 1759)
    • 1717 – Louis-Guillaume Le Monnier, French botanist and physicist (d. 1799)
    • 1767 – Alexis Bouvard, French astronomer and academic (d. 1843)
    • 1805 – Napoléon Coste, French guitarist and composer (d. 1883)
    • 1806 – Augustus De Morgan, English mathematician and logician (d. 1871)
    • 1812 – Anna Cabot Lowell Quincy Waterston, American writer (d. 1899)
    • 1817 – Louise von François, German author (d. 1893)
    • 1828 – Bryan O’Loghlen, Irish-Australian politician, 13th Premier of Victoria (d. 1905)
    • 1838 – Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1894)
    • 1838 – Paul Mauser, German weapon designer, designed the Gewehr 98 (d. 1914)
    • 1846 – Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish politician (d. 1891)
    • 1850 – Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician and academic (d. 1919)
    • 1850 – Lafcadio Hearn, Greek-Japanese historian and author (d. 1904)
    • 1862 – May Irwin, Canadian-American actress and singer (d. 1938)
    • 1865 – John Monash, Australian engineer and general (d. 1931)
    • 1869 – Kate Carew, American illustrator and journalist (d. 1961)
    • 1869 – Emma Goldman, Lithuanian-Canadian philosopher and activist (d. 1940)
    • 1869 – Hans Spemann, German embryologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1941)
    • 1870 – Frank Rattray Lillie, American zoologist and embryologist (d. 1947)
    • 1872 – Heber Doust Curtis, American astronomer (d. 1942)
    • 1872 – Paul Laurence Dunbar, American author, poet, and playwright (d. 1906)
    • 1880 – Helen Keller, American author, academic, and activist (d. 1968)
    • 1882 – Eduard Spranger, German philosopher and academic (d. 1963)
    • 1884 – Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher and poet (d. 1962)
    • 1885 – Pierre Montet, French historian and academic (d. 1966)
    • 1885 – Guilhermina Suggia, Portuguese cellist (d. 1950)
    • 1886 – Charlie Macartney, Australian cricketer and soldier (d. 1958)
    • 1888 – Lewis Bernstein Namier, Polish-English historian and academic (d. 1960)
    • 1888 – Antoinette Perry, American actress and director (d. 1946)
    • 1892 – Paul Colin, French illustrator (d. 1985)
    • 1899 – Juan Trippe, American businessman, founded Pan American World Airways (d. 1981)
    • 1900 – Dixie Brown, British boxer (d. 1957)
    • 1901 – Merle Tuve, American geophysicist and academic (d. 1982)
    • 1905 – Armand Mondou, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1976)
    • 1906 – Catherine Cookson, English author and philanthropist (d. 1998)
    • 1906 – Vernon Watkins, Welsh-American poet and painter (d. 1967)
    • 1907 – John McIntire, American actor (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – João Guimarães Rosa, Brazilian physician and author (d. 1967)
    • 1911 – Marion M. Magruder, American Marine officer, commander of the VMF(N)-533 squadron. (d. 1997)
    • 1912 – E. R. Braithwaite, Guyanese novelist, writer, teacher, and diplomat (d. 2016)
    • 1913 – Elton Britt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
    • 1913 – Philip Guston, American painter and academic (d. 1980)
    • 1913 – Willie Mosconi, American pool player (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Robert Aickman, English author and activist, co-founded the Inland Waterways Association (d. 1981)
    • 1914 – Helena Benitez, Filipina academic and administrator (d. 2016)
    • 1914 – Margaret Ekpo, Nigerian women’s rights activist, social mobilizer and politician (d. 2006)
    • 1914 – Giorgio Almirante, Italian journalist and politician (d. 1988)
    • 1915 – Grace Lee Boggs, American philosopher, author, and activist (d. 2015)
    • 1915 – Aideu Handique, Indian actress (d. 2002)
    • 1915 – John Alexander Moore, American zoologist and academic (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Robert Normann, Norwegian guitarist (d. 1998)
    • 1918 – Adolph Kiefer, American swimmer (d. 2017)
    • 1919 – M. Carl Holman, American author, educator, poet, and playwright (d. 1988)
    • 1919 – Amala Shankar, Indian danseuse
    • 1920 – Fernando Riera, Chilean football player and manager (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – Muriel Pavlow, English actress (d. 2019)
    • 1922 – George Walker, American composer (d. 2018)
    • 1923 – Jacques Berthier, French organist and composer (d. 1994)
    • 1923 – Elmo Hope, American pianist and composer (d. 1967)
    • 1924 – Bob Appleyard, English cricketer and businessman (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Leonard Lerman, American geneticist and biologist (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Doc Pomus, American singer-songwriter (d. 1991)
    • 1925 – Wayne Terwilliger, American second baseman, coach, and manager
    • 1927 – Bob Keeshan, American actor and producer (d. 2004)
    • 1928 – James Lincoln Collier, American journalist and author
    • 1928 – Rudy Perpich, American dentist and politician, 34th Governor of Minnesota (d. 1995)
    • 1929 – Dick the Bruiser, American football player and wrestler (d. 1991)
    • 1929 – Peter Maas, American journalist and author (d. 2001)
    • 1930 – Ross Perot, American businessman and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Charles Bronfman, Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1931 – Martinus J. G. Veltman, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1932 – Eddie Kasko, American baseball player and manager (d. 2020)
    • 1932 – Anna Moffo, American operatic soprano (d. 2006)
    • 1932 – Hugh Wood, English composer
    • 1936 – Lucille Clifton, American author and poet (d. 2010)
    • 1936 – Shirley Anne Field, English actress
    • 1937 – Joseph P. Allen, American physicist and astronaut
    • 1937 – Otto Herrigel, Namibian lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Kirkpatrick Sale, American author and scholar
    • 1938 – Bruce Babbitt, American lawyer and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Interior
    • 1938 – David Hope, Baron Hope of Craighead, Scottish lieutenant and judge
    • 1938 – Konrad Kujau, German illustrator (d. 2000)
    • 1939 – R. D. Burman, Indian singer-songwriter (d. 1994)
    • 1939 – Neil Hawke, Australian cricketer and footballer (d. 2000)
    • 1940 – Ian Lang, Baron Lang of Monkton, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1941 – Bill Baxley, American lawyer and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
    • 1941 – James P. Hogan, English-Irish author (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1942 – Bruce Johnston, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1942 – Frank Mills, Canadian pianist and composer
    • 1942 – Danny Schechter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1943 – Ravi Batra, Indian-American economist and academic
    • 1944 – Angela King, English environmentalist and author, co-founded Common Ground
    • 1944 – Patrick Sercu, Belgian cyclist (d. 2019)
    • 1945 – Joey Covington, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Norma Kamali, American fashion designer
    • 1945 – Ragnar Søderlind, Norwegian composer
    • 1948 – Camile Baudoin, American guitarist
    • 1949 – Vera Wang, American fashion designer
    • 1951 – Ulf Andersson, Swedish chess player
    • 1951 – Julia Duffy, American actress
    • 1951 – Gilson Lavis, English drummer and portrait artist
    • 1951 – Mary McAleese, Irish academic and politician, 8th President of Ireland
    • 1952 – Madan Bhandari, Nepalese politician (d. 1993)
    • 1953 – Igor Gräzin, Estonian academic and politician
    • 1953 – Alice McDermott, American novelist
    • 1954 – Richard Ibbotson, English admiral
    • 1955 – Isabelle Adjani, French actress
    • 1956 – Heiner Dopp, German field hockey player and politician
    • 1957 – Gabriella Dorio, Italian runner
    • 1958 – Lisa Germano, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1958 – Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1996)
    • 1959 – Dan Jurgens, American author and illustrator
    • 1959 – Lorrie Morgan, American singer
    • 1960 – Craig Hodges, American basketball player and coach
    • 1960 – Robert King, English harpsichordist and conductor
    • 1960 – Jeremy Swift, English actor
    • 1962 – Michael Ball, English actor and singer
    • 1962 – Sunanda Pushkar, India-born Canadian businesswoman (d. 2014)
    • 1963 – Wendy Alexander, Scottish politician, Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
    • 1963 – Johnny Benson Jr., American race car driver
    • 1964 – Stephan Brenninkmeijer, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Chuck Person, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Simon Sebag Montefiore, English journalist, historian, and author
    • 1965 – S. Manikavasagam, Malaysian politician and social activist
    • 1965 – Óscar Vega, Spanish boxer
    • 1966 – J.J. Abrams, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Jörg Bergen, German footballer and manager
    • 1966 – Jeff Conine, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Aigars Kalvītis, Latvian politician, businessman, and former Prime Minister of Latvia
    • 1967 – Sylvie Fréchette, Canadian swimmer and coach
    • 1967 – George Hamilton, Northern Irish police officer
    • 1967 – Vasiliy Kaptyukh, Belarusian discus thrower
    • 1967 – Phil Kearns, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Kelly Ayotte, American lawyer and politician, New Hampshire Attorney General
    • 1969 – Viktor Petrenko, Ukrainian figure skater
    • 1970 – Régine Cavagnoud, French skier (d. 2001)
    • 1970 – John Eales, Australian rugby player and businessman
    • 1970 – Jim Edmonds, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Jo Frost, English nanny, television personality, and author
    • 1971 – Serginho, Brazilian footballer
    • 1972 – Dawud Wharnsby, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1973 – Abbath Doom Occulta, Norwegian musician
    • 1973 – Simon Archer, English badminton player
    • 1974 – Christian Kane, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1974 – Christopher O’Neill, English-American businessman
    • 1975 – Ace Darling, American wrestler
    • 1975 – Bianca Del Rio, American drag queen & comedian
    • 1975 – Sarah Evanetz, Canadian swimmer
    • 1975 – Tobey Maguire, American actor
    • 1975 – Daryle Ward, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Johnny Estrada, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Leigh Nash, American singer-songwriter
    • 1977 – Arkadiusz Radomski, Polish footballer
    • 1978 – Apparat, German musician
    • 1980 – Hugo Campagnaro, Argentinian footballer
    • 1980 – Jennifer Goodridge, American keyboard player
    • 1980 – Alexander Peya, Austrian tennis player
    • 1980 – Kevin Pietersen, South African-English cricketer
    • 1980 – Craig Terrill, American football player
    • 1981 – Andrew Embley, Australian footballer
    • 1983 – Jim Johnson, American baseball player
    • 1983 – Dale Steyn, South African cricketer
    • 1983 – Nikola Rakočević, Serbian actor
    • 1984 – Khloé Kardashian, American model, businesswoman, and radio host
    • 1984 – D.J. King, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Jose Holebas, German-Greek footballer
    • 1984 – Gökhan Inler, Swiss footballer
    • 1985 – James Hook, Welsh rugby player
    • 1985 – Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russian tennis player
    • 1985 – Nico Rosberg, German race car driver
    • 1986 – Sam Claflin, British actor
    • 1986 – Drake Bell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1986 – Bryan Fletcher, American skier
    • 1986 – LaShawn Merritt, American sprinter
    • 1987 – India de Beaufort, English actress
    • 1987 – Ed Westwick, English actor
    • 1988 – Stefani Bismpikou, Greek gymnast
    • 1988 – Matthew Spiranovic, Australian footballer
    • 1988 – Kate Ziegler, American swimmer
    • 1989 – Hana Birnerová, Czech tennis player
    • 1989 – Matthew Lewis, English actor
    • 1992 – Ahn So-hee, South Korean singer and actress
    • 1992 – Karthika Nair, Indian film actress
    • 1993 – Johanna Talihärm, Estonian biathlete
    • 1993 – Alberto Campbell-Staines, Australian athlete
    • 1994 – Anita Husarić, Bosnian tennis player
    • 1995 – Monté Morris, American basketball player

    Deaths on June 27

    • 992 – Conan I of Rennes, Duke of Brittany
    • 1162 – Odo II, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1118)
    • 1194 – King Sancho VI of Navarre (b. 1132)
    • 1296 – Floris V, Count of Holland (b. 1254)
    • 1458 – Alfonso V of Aragon (b. 1396)
    • 1497 – Michael An Gof, rebel leader
    • 1497 – Thomas Flamank, rebel leader
    • 1574 – Giorgio Vasari, Italian historian, painter, and architect (b. 1511)
    • 1601 – Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys (b. 1525)
    • 1603 – Jan Dymitr Solikowski, Polish archbishop (b. 1539)
    • 1627 – John Hayward, English historian, journalist, and politician (b. 1564)
    • 1636 – Date Masamune, Japanese strongman (b. 1567)
    • 1654 – Johannes Valentinus Andreae, German theologian (b. 1586)
    • 1655 – Eleonora Gonzaga, Holy Roman Empress (b. 1598)
    • 1672 – Roger Twysden, English historian and politician (b. 1597)
    • 1720 – Guillaume Amfrye de Chaulieu, French poet and author (b. 1639)
    • 1794 – Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (b. 1711)
    • 1794 – Philippe de Noailles, French general (b. 1715)
    • 1827 – Johann Gottfried Eichhorn, German theologian and academic (b. 1754)
    • 1829 – James Smithson, English chemist and mineralogist (b. 1765)
    • 1831 – Sophie Germain, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1776)
    • 1839 – Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire (b. 1780)
    • 1844 – Hyrum Smith, American religious leader (b. 1800)
    • 1844 – Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founded the Latter Day Saint movement (b. 1805)
    • 1878 – Sidney Breese, American jurist and politician (b. 1800)
    • 1894 – Giorgio Costantino Schinas, Maltese architect and civil engineer (b. 1834)
    • 1896 – John Berryman, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1825)
    • 1905 – Harold Mahony, Scottish-Irish tennis player (b. 1867)
    • 1907 – Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, American educator, co-founded Radcliffe College (b. 1822)
    • 1911 – Victor Surridge, English motorcycle racer (b. 1882)
    • 1912 – George Bonnor, Australian cricketer (b. 1855)
    • 1917 – Karl Allmenröder, German soldier and pilot (b. 1896)
    • 1919 – Peter Sturholdt, American boxer (b. 1885)
    • 1920 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian lawyer and judge (b. 1839)
    • 1934 – Francesco Buhagiar, Maltese politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1876)
    • 1935 – Eugene Augustin Lauste, French-American inventor (b. 1857)
    • 1944 – Milan Hodža, Czech journalist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (b. 1878)
    • 1946 – Wanda Gág, American author and illustrator (b. 1893)
    • 1949 – Frank Smythe, English botanist and mountaineer (b. 1900)
    • 1950 – Milada Horáková, Czech politician, victim of judicial murder (b. 1901)
    • 1952 – Max Dehn, German-American mathematician and academic (b. 1878)
    • 1957 – Hermann Buhl, Austrian soldier and mountaineer (b. 1924)
    • 1960 – Lottie Dod, English tennis player, golfer, and archer (b. 1871)
    • 1962 – Paul Viiding, Estonian author, poet, and critic (b. 1904)
    • 1967 – Jaan Lattik, Estonian pastor and politician, 9th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (b. 1878)
    • 1970 – Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler and scholar (b. 1902)
    • 1975 – G.I. Taylor, English mathematician and physicist (b. 1886)
    • 1986 – George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player and referee (b. 1905)
    • 1987 – Billy Snedden, Australian lawyer and politician, 17th Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1926)
    • 1989 – A. J. Ayer, English philosopher and academic (b. 1910)
    • 1991 – Milton Subotsky, American-English screenwriter and producer (b. 1921)
    • 1996 – Albert R. Broccoli, American film producer (b. 1909)
    • 1998 – Gilles Rocheleau, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1935)
    • 1999 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1919)
    • 2000 – Pierre Pflimlin, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1907)
    • 2001 – Tove Jansson, Finnish author, illustrator, and painter (b. 1914)
    • 2001 – Jack Lemmon, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2001 – Joan Sims, English actress (b. 1930)
    • 2002 – John Entwistle, English singer-songwriter, bass guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
    • 2002 – Robert L. J. Long, American admiral (b. 1920)
    • 2003 – David Newman, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
    • 2004 – George Patton IV, American general (b. 1923)
    • 2004 – Darrell Russell, American race car driver (b. 1968)
    • 2005 – Shelby Foote, American historian and author (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Ray Holmes, English lieutenant and pilot (b. 1914)
    • 2005 – John T. Walton, American businessman, co-founded the Children’s Scholarship Fund (b. 1946)
    • 2006 – Ángel Maturino Reséndiz, Mexican serial killer (b. 1959)
    • 2007 – William Hutt, Canadian actor (b. 1920)
    • 2008 – Sam Manekshaw, Indian field marshal (b. 1914)
    • 2009 – Gale Storm, American actress (b. 1922)
    • 2010 – Corey Allen, American film and television actor, writer, director, and producer (b. 1934)
    • 2011 – Mike Doyle, English footballer (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Stan Cox, English runner (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Rosemary Dobson, Australian poet and illustrator (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Stefano Borgonovo, Italian footballer (b. 1964)
    • 2013 – Ian Scott, English-New Zealand painter (b. 1945)
    • 2014 – Edmond Blanchard, Canadian jurist and politician (b. 1954)
    • 2014 – Allen Grossman, American poet, critic, and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2014 – Leslie Manigat, Haitian educator and politician, 43rd President of Haiti (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Violet Milstead, Canadian World War II aviator and bush pilot (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Rachid Solh, Lebanese politician, 48th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Zvi Elpeleg, Polish-Israeli diplomat, author, and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Knut Helle, Norwegian historian and professor (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Chris Squire, English musician (bass guitarist), singer and songwriter, member of the rock band Yes (b. 1948)
    • 2016 – Bud Spencer, Italian swimmer, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 2017 – Peter L. Berger, Austrian sociologist (b. 1929)
    • 2018 – Joe Jackson, American manager, father of Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson (b. 1928)
    • 2018 – Liz Jackson, Australian journalist and former barrister (b. 1951)
    • 2018 – William McBridge, Australian obstetrician (b. 1927)

    Holidays and observances on June 27

    • Christian feast day:
      • Arialdo
      • Crescens, one of the Seventy disciples
      • Cyril of Alexandria (Coptic Church, Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion and Lutheran Church)
      • Ladislaus I of Hungary
      • Our Lady of Perpetual Help
      • Sampson the Hospitable
      • Zoilus
      • June 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Canadian Multiculturalism Day (Canada)
    • Commemoration Day for the Victims of the Communist Regime (Czech Republic)
    • Day of Turkmen Workers of Culture and Art (Turkmenistan)
    • Helen Keller Day (United States)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Djibouti from France in 1977.
    • Mixed Race Day (Brazil)
    • National HIV Testing Day (United States)
    • National PTSD Awareness Day (United States)
    • Seven Sleepers’ Day or Siebenschläfertag (Germany)
    • Unity Day (Tajikistan)

  • May 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    This day marks the approximate midpoint of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the March equinox).

    May 5 in History

    • 553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins
    • 1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
    • 1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
    • 1494 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.
    • 1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
    • 1654 – Cromwell’s Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh.
    • 1672 – In preparation for the Franco-Dutch War, Louis XIV of France personally inspects his troops at Charleroi in one of the most magnificent displays of military power in the seventeenth century.
    • 1762 – Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.
    • 1789 – In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
    • 1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
    • 1809 – The Swiss canton of Aargau allows citizenship to Jews.
    • 1811 – Peninsular War: In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, the British-Portuguese Army repels an attempt by the French Army of Portugal to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.
    • 1821 – Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
    • 1835 – The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
    • 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.
    • 1862 – Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate District of the Gulf surrenders about 4,000 men at Citronelle, Alabama.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia.
    • 1866 – Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
    • 1877 – American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.
    • 1886 – The Bay View massacre: A militia fires into a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, killing seven.
    • 1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
    • 1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
    • 1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder.
    • 1912 – Pravda, the “voice” of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publication in Saint Petersburg.
    • 1920 – Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
    • 1925 – Scopes Trial: Serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
    • 1927 – To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is first published.
    • 1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
    • 1940 – World War II: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London.
    • 1940 – World War II: Norwegian Campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.
    • 1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots’ Victory Day.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath becomes effective, encompassing all German armed forces opposing the 21st Army Group in northwestern Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
    • 1945 – World War II: Dönitz gives Löhr permission to seek an armistice with the Western Allies to preserve a communist free Austria and recognising first, from a German standpoint, the separation of Austria from Germany undoing the Anschluss.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Prague uprising begins as an attempt by the Czech resistance to free the city from German occupation.
    • 1945 – World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon.
    • 1945 – World War II: Battle of Castle Itter, the only battle in which American and German troops fought cooperatively.
    • 1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
    • 1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej is crowned as King of Thailand.
    • 1955 – The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect.
    • 1961 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
    • 1964 – The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
    • 1972 – Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
    • 1973 – Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59​2⁄5, an as-yet unbeaten record.
    • 1980 – Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
    • 1981 – Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
    • 1985 – Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech.
    • 1987 – Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
    • 1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
    • 1992 – Armand Césari Stadium disaster in Bastia (Corsica): Eighteen people are killed and 2,300 are injured when one of the terraces collapses before a football match between SC Bastia and Olympique de Marseille.
    • 1993 – Three eight-year-old boys are murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, Ultimately leading to the conviction of the West Memphis Three.
    • 1994 – The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
    • 1994 – American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism.
    • 1998 – A Peruvian Air Force Boeing 737 operating for Occidental Petroleum crashes on approach to Alférez FAP Alfredo Vladimir Sara Bauer Airport in Andoas, Peru, killing 75 people.
    • 2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
    • 2007 – Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing all 114 aboard, making it the deadliest aircraft disaster in Cameroon.
    • 2010 – Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis.
    • 2014 – Eleven people are missing after a Chinese cargo ship collides with a Marshall Islands registered container ship off the coast of Hong Kong.
    • 2014 – Twenty-two people die after two boats carrying refugees collide in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece.
    • 2019 – A Russian jet plane burst into flames while attempting an emergency landing at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow killing at least 41 people.
    • 2020 – The National Telecommunications Commission issued a Cease and desist order to ABS-CBN Corporation to stop the operation of it’s free TV and radio stations.

    Births on May 5

    • 1210 – Afonso III of Portugal (d. 1279)
    • 1282 – Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (d. 1322)
    • 1310 – Preczlaw of Pogarell, Cardinal and Bishop of Wrocław (d. 1376)
    • 1352 – Rupert of Germany, Count Palatine of the Rhine (d. 1410)
    • 1479 – Guru Amar Das, Indian 3rd Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
    • 1504 – Stanislaus Hosius, Polish cardinal (d. 1579)
    • 1530 – Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, French nobleman (d. 1574)
    • 1542 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire (d. 1623)
    • 1582 – John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1628)
    • 1684 – Françoise Charlotte d’Aubigné, French wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles (d. 1739)
    • 1747 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1792)
    • 1749 – Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer (d. 1794)
    • 1764 – Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician (d. 1812)
    • 1800 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
    • 1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and author (d. 1855)
    • 1818 – Karl Marx, German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist (d. 1883)
    • 1826 – Eugénie de Montijo, French wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
    • 1830 – John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (d. 1906)
    • 1832 – Hubert Howe Bancroft, American ethnologist and historian (d. 1918)
    • 1833 – Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer and academic (d. 1905)
    • 1834 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian painter and architect (d. 1873)
    • 1843 – William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot (d. 1900)
    • 1846 – Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
    • 1858 – John L. Leal, American physician (d. 1914)
    • 1859 – Charles B. Hanford, American Shakespearean actor (d. 1926)
    • 1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (d. 1922)
    • 1865 – Helen Maud Merrill, American litterateur and poet (d. 1943)
    • 1866 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (d. 1938)
    • 1869 – Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (d. 1937)
    • 1869 – Hans Pfitzner, German composer and conductor (d. 1949)
    • 1874 – Thomas Bavin, New Zealand-Australian politician, 24th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1941)
    • 1882 – Sylvia Pankhurst, English women’s suffrage movement leader and socialist activist (d. 1960)
    • 1883 – Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (d. 1950)
    • 1883 – Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, American mathematician (d. 1966)
    • 1884 – Chief Bender, American baseball player and coach (d. 1954)
    • 1885 – Kingsley Fairbridge, South African-Australian scholar and politician (d. 1924)
    • 1887 – Mervyn S. Bennion, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1941)
    • 1889 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer and soldier (d. 1973)
    • 1890 – Christopher Morley, American journalist and author (d. 1957)
    • 1892 – Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist (d. 1968)
    • 1898 – Elsie Eaves, American engineer (d. 1983)
    • 1898 – Blind Willie McTell, American Piedmont blues singer and guitar player (d. 1959)
    • 1899 – Freeman Gosden, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1900 – Helen Redfield, American geneticist (d. 1988)
    • 1903 – James Beard, American chef and author (d. 1985)
    • 1905 – Floyd Gottfredson, American author and illustrator (d. 1986)
    • 1906 – Charles Exbrayat, French author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
    • 1907 – Daryna Dmytrivna Polotniuk, Bukovinian (Ukrainian) journalist and author (d. 1982)
    • 1908 – Kurt Böhme, German opera singer (d. 1989)
    • 1909 – Miklós Radnóti, Hungarian poet and author (d. 1944)
    • 1910 – Leo Lionni, American author and illustrator (d. 1999)
    • 1911 – Gilles Grangier, French director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1911 – Andor Lilienthal, Russian-Hungarian chess player (d. 2010)
    • 1911 – Pritilata Waddedar, Indian educator and activist (d. 1932)
    • 1913 – Duane Carter, American race car driver (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (d. 1958)
    • 1915 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (d. 1998)
    • 1916 – Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (d. 1994)
    • 1917 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest (d. 2005)
    • 1919 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
    • 1922 – Irene Gut Opdyke, Polish nurse and humanitarian (d. 2003)
    • 1923 – William C. Campbell, American golfer (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – James Gilbert, Scottish television producer and director (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Cathleen Synge Morawetz, Canadian mathematician (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Richard Wollheim, English philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1925 – Leo Ryan, American soldier, educator, and politician (d. 1978)
    • 1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress
    • 1929 – Ilene Woods, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – Hans Abramson, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Greg, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1999)
    • 1932 – Stan Goldberg, American illustrator (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Bob Said, American race car driver and bobsled racer (d. 2002)
    • 1933 – Igor Kashkarov, Russian high jumper
    • 1933 – Collie Smith, Jamaican cricketer (d. 1959)
    • 1934 – Henri Konan Bédié, Ivorian politician, 2nd President of Côte d’Ivoire
    • 1934 – Victor Garland, Australian accountant and politician, 26th Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
    • 1935 – Eddie Linden, Scottish poet and magazine editor
    • 1935 – Bernard Pivot, French journalist, talk show host, and producer
    • 1935 – Robert Rehme, American film producer
    • 1936 – Sandy Baron, American actor and comedian (d. 2001)
    • 1936 – Patrick Gowers, English composer and educator (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Ervin Lázár, Hungarian author (d. 2006)
    • 1937 – Delia Derbyshire, English musician, arranger and composer (d. 2001)
    • 1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
    • 1938 – Barbara Wagner, Canadian figure skater and coach
    • 1939 – Ray Gosling, English journalist, author, and activist (d. 2013)
    • 1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor
    • 1940 – Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American director and producer
    • 1941 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
    • 1942 – István Bujtor, Hungarian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1942 – Jean Corston, Baroness Corston, English lawyer and politician
    • 1942 – Hugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon, English politician (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
    • 1943 – Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish journalist and author
    • 1944 – Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
    • 1944 – John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor and screenwriter
    • 1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 2015)
    • 1945 – Kurt Loder, American journalist, author, and critic
    • 1945 – Dianne Willcocks, English sociologist and academic
    • 1946 – Jim Kelly, American actor, athlete, and martial artist
    • 1946 – Aydın Menderes, Turkish politician (d. 2011)
    • 1948 – Bella van der Spiegel-Hage, Dutch cyclist
    • 1948 – Bill Ward, English drummer and songwriter
    • 1949 – Eppie Bleeker, Dutch speed skater
    • 1950 – Rex Caldwell, American golfer
    • 1950 – Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer
    • 1951 – Rudolf Finsterer, German rugby player and coach
    • 1951 – Toomas Vilosius, Estonian physician and politician, 2nd Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
    • 1952 – Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (d. 2017)
    • 1952 – Jorge Llopart, Spanish race walker
    • 1952 – Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1955 – Jon Butcher, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and freelance multimedia producer
    • 1956 – Steve Scott, American runner and coach
    • 1957 – Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Peter Howitt, English actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Aad van Mil, Dutch water polo player
    • 1958 – Ron Arad, Israeli colonel and pilot (d. 1986)
    • 1958 – Robert DiPierdomenico, Australian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1958 – Vanessa Downing, Australian actress
    • 1958 – Jack Wishna, American businessman, co-founded Rockcityclub (d. 2012)
    • 1959 – Bobby Ellsworth, American singer and bass player
    • 1959 – Ian McCulloch, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1959 – Steve Stevens, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1959 – Brian Williams, American journalist
    • 1960 – Doug Hawkins, Australian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Marg Downey, Australian actress
    • 1961 – Hiroshi Hase, Japanese wrestler and politician
    • 1961 – Rob Williams, American basketball player (d. 2014)
    • 1962 – Kaoru Wada, Japanese composer and conductor
    • 1963 – James LaBrie, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1963 – Simon Rimmer, English chef and author
    • 1963 – Scott Westerfeld, American author and composer
    • 1964 – Jean-François Copé, French politician, French Minister of Budget
    • 1964 – Heike Henkel, German high jumper
    • 1964 – Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1964 – Minami Takayama, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1964 – Efrat Mishori, Israeli poet and filmmaker
    • 1965 – Glenn Seton, Australian race car driver
    • 1966 – Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer
    • 1966 – Sergei Stanishev, Bulgarian politician, 46th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
    • 1966 – Josh Weinstein, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1967 – Adam Hughes, American author and illustrator
    • 1967 – Alexis Sinduhije, Burundian journalist and politician
    • 1969 – Pieter Muller, South African rugby player
    • 1970 – Kyan Douglas, American television host and author
    • 1970 – Todd Newton, American game show host
    • 1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
    • 1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player and manager
    • 1972 – James Cracknell, English rower
    • 1972 – Žigmund Pálffy, Slovakian ice hockey player
    • 1972 – Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Meb Keflezighi, American runner
    • 1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
    • 1976 – Jean-François Dumoulin, Canadian race car driver
    • 1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
    • 1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1978 – Morgan Pehme, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
    • 1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
    • 1980 – Hank Green, American entrepreneur, educator, and vlogger
    • 1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Craig David, English singer-songwriter, musician and producer
    • 1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
    • 1982 – Ferrie Bodde, Dutch footballer
    • 1982 – Wouter D’Haene, Belgian sprinter
    • 1982 – Randall Gay, American football player
    • 1982 – Corey Parker, Australian rugby league footballer
    • 1983 – James Anyon, English cricketer
    • 1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor
    • 1983 – Mabel Gay, Cuban triple jumper
    • 1983 – Annie Villeneuve, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1983 – Scott Ware, American football player
    • 1984 – Johanna Hedva, Korean-American artist and genderqueer activist
    • 1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1984 – Christian Valdez, Mexican footballer
    • 1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress and singer
    • 1985 – Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer
    • 1985 – Tsepo Masilela, South African footballer
    • 1985 – Marcos Rogério Oliveira Duarte, Brazilian footballer
    • 1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American football player
    • 1987 – Graham Dorrans, Scottish footballer
    • 1988 – Adele, English singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Mervyn Westfield, English cricketer
    • 1989 – Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
    • 1991 – Xenofon Fetsis, Greek footballer
    • 1991 – Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer
    • 1992 – Loïck Landre, French footballer
    • 1994 – Celeste, English singer
    • 1998 – Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player
    • 1999 – Nathan Chen, American figure skater
    • 1999 – Justin Kluivert, Dutch footballer

    Deaths on May 5

    • 465 – Gerontius, Archbishop of Milan
    • 1194 – Casimir II the Just, Polish son of Bolesław III Wrymouth (b. 1138)
    • 1243 – Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent, English justiciar (b. c. 1160)
    • 1306 – Constantine Palaiologos, Byzantine general (b. 1261)
    • 1309 – Charles II of Naples (b. 1254)
    • 1316 – Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I of England (b. 1282)
    • 1338 – Prince Tsunenaga, son of the Japanese Emperor (b. 1324)
    • 1380 – Saint Philotheos, Coptic martyr
    • 1432 – Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola, Italian adventurer
    • 1525 – Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (b. 1463)
    • 1582 – Charlotte of Bourbon, Princess consort of Orange, married to William I of Orange (b. 1547)
    • 1586 – Henry Sidney, Irish politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1529)
    • 1671 – Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English general and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1602)
    • 1672 – Samuel Cooper, English painter and linguist (b. 1609)
    • 1700 – Angelo Italia, Italian architect (b. 1628)
    • 1705 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1640)
    • 1760 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English politician (b. 1720)
    • 1766 – Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
    • 1808 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist and philosopher (b. 1757)
    • 1821 – Napoleon, French general and emperor (b. 1769)
    • 1827 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (b. 1750)
    • 1833 – Sophia Campbell, English-Australian painter (b. 1777)
    • 1855 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1786)
    • 1859 – Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (b. 1805)
    • 1860 – Jean-Charles Prince, Canadian bishop (b. 1804)
    • 1883 – John O’Shanassy, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Victoria (b. 1818)
    • 1892 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (b. 1818)
    • 1896 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
    • 1902 – Bret Harte, American short story writer and poet (b. 1836)
    • 1907 – Şeker Ahmed Pasha, Turkish soldier and painter (b. 1841)
    • 1913 – Henry Moret, French painter (b. 1856)
    • 1916 – John MacBride, Irish soldier and rebel (b. 1865)
    • 1916 – Maurice Raoul-Duval, French polo player (b. 1866)
    • 1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian journalist and publicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
    • 1924 – A. Sabapathy, Sri Lankan journalist and politician (b. 1853)
    • 1931 – Glen Kidston, English pilot and race car driver (b. 1899)
    • 1942 – Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
    • 1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (b. 1917)
    • 1957 – Leopold Löwenheim, German mathematician and logician (b. 1878)
    • 1959 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentinian academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
    • 1962 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
    • 1965 – Nikos Gounaris, Greek tenor and composer (b. 1915)
    • 1965 – John Waters, American director and screenwriter (b. 1893)
    • 1971 – Violet Jessop, Argentinean-English nurse (b. 1887)
    • 1973 – Zekai Özger, Turkish poet and academic (b. 1948)
    • 1977 – Ludwig Erhard, German economist and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)
    • 1981 – Bobby Sands, PIRA volunteer and hunger striker (b. 1954)
    • 1983 – Horst Schumann, German physician (b. 1901)
    • 1983 – John Williams, English-American actor (b. 1903)
    • 1985 – Donald Bailey, English engineer, designed the Bailey bridge (b. 1901)
    • 1988 – Michael Shaara, American author and academic (b. 1928)
    • 1993 – Irving Howe, American literary and social critic (b. 1920)
    • 1994 – Mário Quintana, Brazilian poet and translator (b. 1906)
    • 1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player and coach (b. 1911)
    • 1999 – Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
    • 2000 – Bill Musselman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940)
    • 2001 – Morris Graves, American painter and educator (b. 1910)
    • 2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, created CliffsNotes (b. 1918)
    • 2002 – Hugo Banzer, Bolivian general and politician, 62nd President of Bolivia (b. 1926)
    • 2002 – Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (b. 1904)
    • 2002 – George Sidney, American director and producer (b. 1916)
    • 2003 – Sam Bockarie, Sierra Leonean commander (b. 1964)
    • 2003 – Walter Sisulu, South African activist and politician (b. 1912)
    • 2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer and producer (b. 1919)
    • 2006 – Atıf Yılmaz, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (b. 1927)
    • 2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (b. 1917)
    • 2008 – Jerry Wallace, American singer and guitarist (b. 1928)
    • 2010 – Giulietta Simionato, Italian soprano (b. 1910)
    • 2010 – Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Nigerian academic and politician, 13th President of Nigeria (b. 1951)
    • 2011 – Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (b. 1901)
    • 2011 – Yosef Merimovich, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1924)
    • 2011 – Dana Wynter, British actress (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Surendranath, Indian cricketer (b. 1937)
    • 2012 – Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Aatos Erkko, Finnish journalist and publisher (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – George Knobel, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Roy Padayachie, South African lawyer and politician, South African Minister of Communications (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Robert Ressler, American FBI agent and author (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Michael Otedola, Nigerian journalist and politician, 9th Governor of Lagos State (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Jobst Brandt, American cyclist, engineer, and author (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Hans Jansen, Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (b. 1942)
    • 2017 – Binyamin Elon, Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician (b. 1954)
    • 2017 – Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Mauritanian politician (b. 1953)

    Holidays and observances on May 5

    • Children’s Day (Japan, South Korea)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Angelus of Jerusalem
      • Aventinus of Tours
      • Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice
      • Frederick the Wise (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)
      • Hilary of Arles
      • Jutta of Kulmsee
      • Stanisław Kazimierczyk
      • May 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Cinco de Mayo (Mexico, United States)
    • Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan)
    • Europe Day (Council of Europe)
    • Feast of al-Khadr or Saint George (Palestinian)
    • Indian Arrival Day (Guyana)
    • International Midwives’ Day (International)
    • Liberation Day (Denmark, Netherlands)
    • Lusophone Culture Day (Community of Portuguese Language Countries)
    • World Portuguese language day (International)
    • Martyrs’ Day (Albania)
    • Patriots’ Victory Day (Ethiopia)
    • Senior Citizens Day (Palau)
    • Tango no sekku (Japan)

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

    May 2 in History

    • 1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter
    • 1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
    • 1335 – Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, becomes Duke of Carinthia.
    • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
    • 1559 – John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the nascent Scottish Reformation.
    • 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle.
    • 1611 – The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.
    • 1625 – Afonso Mendes, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Latin Patriarch of Ethiopia, arrives at Beilul from Goa.
    • 1670 – King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson’s Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.
    • 1672 – John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.
    • 1808 – Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
    • 1812 – The Siege of Cuautla during the Mexican War of Independence ends with both sides claiming victory after Mexican rebels under José María Morelos y Pavón abandon the city after 72 days under siege by royalist Spanish troops under Félix María Calleja.
    • 1816 – Marriage of Léopold of Saxe-Coburg and Princess Charlotte of Wales.
    • 1829 – After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days later.
    • 1866 – Peruvian defenders fight off the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
    • 1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Ottoman Bulgaria.
    • 1879 – The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party is founded in Madrid by Pablo Iglesias.
    • 1885 – Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.
    • 1889 – Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs the Treaty of Wuchale, giving Italy control over Eritrea.
    • 1906 – Closing ceremony of the Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece.
    • 1918 – General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
    • 1920 – The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis.
    • 1933 – Germany’s independent labor unions are replaced by the German Labour Front.
    • 1941 – Following the coup d’état against Iraq Crown Prince ‘Abd al-Ilah earlier that year, the United Kingdom launches the Anglo-Iraqi War to restore him to power.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin.
    • 1945 – World War II: The surrender of Caserta comes into effect, by which German troops in Italy cease fighting.
    • 1945 – World War II: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp finding 1000 dead prisoners, most of whom starved to death.
    • 1945 – World War II: A death march from Dachau to the Austrian border is halted by the segregated, all-Nisei 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. Army in southern Bavaria, saving several hundred prisoners.
    • 1952 – A De Havilland Comet makes the first jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers, from London to Johannesburg.
    • 1955 – Tennessee Williams wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
    • 1963 – Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
    • 1964 – Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the American aircraft carrier USNS Card while it is docked at Saigon. Two Viet Cong combat swimmers had placed explosives on the ship’s hull. She is raised and returned to service less than seven months later.
    • 1964 – First ascent of Shishapangma, the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders.
    • 1969 – The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.
    • 1972 – In the early morning hours a fire breaks out at the Sunshine Mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, Idaho, killing 91 workers.
    • 1982 – Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
    • 1986 – Chernobyl disaster: The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster.
    • 1989 – Cold War: Hungary begins dismantling its border fence with Austria, which allows a number of East Germans to defect.
    • 1994 – A bus crashes in Gdańsk, Poland killing 32 people.
    • 1995 – During the Croatian War of Independence, the Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina fires cluster bombs at Zagreb, killing seven and wounding over 175 civilians.
    • 1998 – The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union’s monetary policy.
    • 1999 – Panamanian general election, 1999: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
    • 2000 – President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.
    • 2004 – The Yelwa massacre concludes. It began on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims killed 78 Christians at Yelwa. In response, about 630 Muslims were killed by Christians on May 2nd.
    • 2008 – Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.
    • 2008 – Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
    • 2011 – Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI’s most wanted man, is killed by the United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
    • 2011 – An E. coli outbreak strikes Europe, mostly in Germany, leaving more than 30 people dead and many others sick from the bacteria outbreak.
    • 2012 – A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction, setting a new world record for a work of art at auction.
    • 2014 – Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing.

    Births on May 2

    • 1360 – Yongle Emperor of China (d. 1424)
    • 1402 – Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (d. 1445)
    • 1451 – René II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)
    • 1458 – Eleanor of Viseu (d. 1525)
    • 1476 – Charles I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels, Count of Kladsko, Governor of Bohemia and Silesia (d. 1536)
    • 1533 – Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (d. 1596)
    • 1551 – William Camden, English historian and topographer (d. 1623)
    • 1567 – Sebald de Weert, Dutch captain, vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company (d. 1603)
    • 1579 – Tokugawa Hidetada, Japanese shōgun (d. 1632)
    • 1601 – Athanasius Kircher, German priest and scholar (d. 1680)
    • 1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1725)
    • 1695 – Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French painter and architect (d. 1766)
    • 1702 – Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian and theosopher (d. 1782)
    • 1707 – Jean-Baptiste Barrière, French cellist and composer (d. 1747)
    • 1729 – Catherine the Great of Russia (d. 1796)
    • 1737 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1805)
    • 1740 – Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1821)
    • 1750 – John André, English soldier and spy (d. 1780)
    • 1752 – Ludwig August Lebrun, German oboe player and composer (d. 1790)
    • 1754 – Vicente Martín y Soler, Spanish composer (d. 1806)
    • 1772 – Novalis, German author and poet (d. 1801)
    • 1773 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher and poet (d. 1845)
    • 1797 – Abraham Pineo Gesner, Canadian physician and geologist (d. 1864)
    • 1802 – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d. 1870)
    • 1806 – Catherine Labouré, French nun and saint (d. 1876)
    • 1810 – Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (d. 1874)
    • 1813 – Caroline Leigh Gascoigne, English novelist and poet (d. 1883)
    • 1815 – William Buell Richards, Canadian lawyer and judge, 1st Chief Justice of Canada (d. 1889)
    • 1822 – Jane Miller Thengberg, Scottish-Swedish governess and educator (d. 1902)
    • 1828 – Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist and photographer (d. 1915)
    • 1830 – Otto Staudinger, German entomologist and author (d. 1900)
    • 1843 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American engineer (d. 1929)
    • 1859 – Jerome K. Jerome, English author and playwright (d. 1927)
    • 1860 – John Scott Haldane, Scottish physiologist, physician, and academic (d. 1936)
    • 1860 – Theodor Herzl, Austro-Hungarian Zionist philosopher, journalist and author (d. 1904)
    • 1865 – Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d. 1909)
    • 1867 – Giuseppe Morello, Italian-American mobster (d. 1930)
    • 1873 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (d. 1944)
    • 1879 – James F. Byrnes, American stenographer and politician, 49th United States Secretary of State (d. 1972)
    • 1880 – Bill Horr, American football player, discus thrower, and coach (d. 1955)
    • 1882 – Isabel González, Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans’ American citizenship (d. 1971)
    • 1885 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (d. 1966)
    • 1886 – Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (d. 1956)
    • 1887 – Vernon Castle, English-American dancer (d. 1918)
    • 1887 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)
    • 1889 – Ki Hajar Dewantara, Indonesian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1959)
    • 1890 – E. E. Smith, American engineer and author (d. 1965)
    • 1892 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (d. 1918)
    • 1894 – Norma Talmadge, leading US actress of the silent era (d. 1957)
    • 1894 – Joseph Henry Woodger, English biologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1981)
    • 1895 – Lorenz Hart, American playwright and lyricist (d. 1943)
    • 1897 – John Frederick Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)
    • 1898 – Henry Hall, English bandleader, composer, and actor (d. 1989)
    • 1901 – Bob Wyatt, English cricketer (d. 1995)
    • 1901 – Edouard Zeckendorf, Belgian doctor, army officer and mathematician (d. 1983)
    • 1901 – Willi Bredel, German writer (d. 1964)
    • 1902 – Brian Aherne, English actor (d. 1986)
    • 1902 – Werner Finck, German Kabarett comedian, actor and author (d. 1978)
    • 1903 – Benjamin Spock, American rower, pediatrician, and author (d. 1998)
    • 1904 – Bill Brandt, German-English photographer and journalist (d. 1983)
    • 1905 – Alan Rawsthorne, British composer (d. 1971)
    • 1905 – Charlotte Armstrong, American author (d. 1969)
    • 1906 – Philippe Halsman, Latvian-American photographer (d. 1979)
    • 1907 – Pinky Lee, American comedian and television host (d. 1993)
    • 1908 – Frank Rowlett, American cryptologist (d. 1998)
    • 1909 – Teddy Stauffer, Swiss bandleader, musician, and actor (d. 1991)
    • 1910 – Alexander Bonnyman, Jr., American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1943)
    • 1910 – Edmund Bacon, American urban planner, architect, educator, and author (d. 2005)
    • 1912 – Axel Springer, German journalist and publisher, founded Axel Springer AG (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – Karl Adam, German rowing coaches (d. 1976)
    • 1912 – Marten Toonder, Dutch comic strip creator (d. 2005)
    • 1912 – Nigel Patrick, English actor and director (d. 1981)
    • 1913 – Pietro Frua, Italian coachbuilder and car designer (d. 1983)
    • 1913 – Aydın Sayılı, Turkish historian and academic (d. 1993)
    • 1915 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Peggy Mount, English actress (d. 2001)
    • 1917 – Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder
    • 1917 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian-Brazilian journalist and activist (d. 2000)
    • 1920 – Vasantrao Deshpande, Indian singer and sitar player (d. 1983)
    • 1920 – Guinn Smith, American pole vaulter, soldier, and pilot (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Jacob Gilboa, Israeli composer (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – B. B. Lal, Indian archaeologist
    • 1921 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1922 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (d. 2007)
    • 1922 – A. M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born American journalist and author (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Serge Reggiani, Italian-born French singer and actor (d. 2004)
    • 1923 – Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Albert Nordengen, Norwegian banker and politician (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Jamal Abro, Pakistani lawyer and author (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Arthur Clues, Australian rugby league player (d. 1998)
    • 1924 – Hugh Cortazzi, English soldier, historian, and diplomat, British Ambassador to Japan (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – John Neville, English-Canadian actor (d. 2011)
    • 1926 – Gérard D. Levesque, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1993)
    • 1927 – Ray Barrett, Australian actor and singer (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Amos Kenan, Israeli columnist, painter, sculptor, playwright and novelist (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Michael Broadbent, British wine critic and writer (d. 2020)
    • 1928 – Hans Trass, Estonian ecologist and botanist (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt, French writer and translator of German origin
    • 1928 – Horst Stein, German conductor (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Édouard Balladur, Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France
    • 1929 – James Dillion, American discus thrower (d. 2010)
    • 1929 – Link Wray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan (d. 1972)
    • 1930 – Yoram Kaniuk, Israeli painter and critic (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Marco Pannella, Italian journalist and politician (d. 2016)
    • 1931 – Phil Bruns, American actor and stuntman (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Martha Grimes, American author and poet
    • 1932 – Maury Allen, American journalist, actor, and author (d. 2010)
    • 1933 – Bunk Gardner, American musician
    • 1933 – Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
    • 1934 – Manfred Durniok, German film producer, director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1935 – Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1935 – Faisal II of Iraq, the last King of Iraq (d.1958)
    • 1936 – Norma Aleandro, Argentinian actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1936 – Engelbert Humperdinck, English singer and pianist
    • 1936 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (d. 1972)
    • 1937 – Klaus Enders, German motorcycle sidecar racer (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Lorenzo Music, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1937 – Gisela Elsner, German writer (d. 1992)
    • 1938 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d. 1996)
    • 1939 – Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist and engineer
    • 1939 – Ernesto Castano, Italian football player
    • 1940 – Jules Albert Wijdenbosch, Surinamese politician
    • 1941 – Tony Adamowicz, American race car driver (d. 2016)
    • 1941 – Bruce Cameron, Scottish bishop
    • 1941 – Clay Carroll, American baseball player
    • 1941 – Eddy Louiss, French jazz musician (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Jacques Rogge, Belgian businessman
    • 1942 – Wojciech Pszoniak, Polish film and theater actor
    • 1944 – Robert G. W. Anderson, English chemist, historian, and curator
    • 1945 – Randy Cain, American soul singer (d. 2009)
    • 1945 – Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1945 – Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan-American model, actress, and activist
    • 1945 – Goldy McJohn, Canadian keyboard player (d. 2017)
    • 1946 – Peter L. Benson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1946 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1946 – David Suchet, English actor
    • 1947 – James Dyson, English businessman, founded the Dyson Company
    • 1947 – Lynda Myles, English screenwriter and producer
    • 1947 – Philippe Herreweghe, Belgian conductor
    • 1948 – Larry Gatlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1949 – Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener and author
    • 1949 – Alfons Schuhbeck, German celebrity chef, author and businessman
    • 1950 – Simon Gaskell, English chemist and academic
    • 1950 – Duncan Gay, Australian businessman and politician
    • 1950 – Lou Gramm, American singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Richard Ground, English lawyer and judge (d. 2014)
    • 1950 – Fausto Silva, Brazilian television presenter
    • 1951 – John Glascock, English singer and bass player (d. 1979)
    • 1952 – Chris Anderson, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1952 – Christine Baranski, American actress and singer
    • 1952 – Isla St Clair, Scottish singer and actress
    • 1953 – Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor and director
    • 1953 – Jamaal Wilkes, American basketball player
    • 1954 – Elliot Goldenthal, American composer and conductor
    • 1954 – Dawn Primarolo, English politician
    • 1954 – Stephen Venables, English mountaineer and author
    • 1955 – Willie Miller, Scottish footballer
    • 1955 – Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
    • 1956 – Régis Labeaume, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Quebec City
    • 1958 – Yasushi Akimoto, Japanese songwriter and producer
    • 1958 – Stanislav Levý, Czech footballer and manager
    • 1958 – David O’Leary, English-Irish footballer and manager
    • 1959 – Alan Best, Canadian animator, director, and producer
    • 1959 – Tony Wakeford, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Stephen Daldry, English director and producer
    • 1961 – Steve James, English snooker player
    • 1961 – Sophie Thibault, Canadian journalist
    • 1961 – Phil Vickery, English chef and author
    • 1962 – Elizabeth Berridge, American actress
    • 1962 – Michael Grandage, English director and producer
    • 1962 – Jimmy White, English snooker player
    • 1965 – Félix José, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1966 – Uwe Freiler, German footballer
    • 1966 – Margus Kolga, Estonian diplomat
    • 1966 – Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and politician
    • 1967 – Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1995)
    • 1967 – Mika Brzezinski, American journalist and author
    • 1967 – David Rocastle, English footballer (d. 2001)
    • 1968 – Jeff Agoos, Swiss-American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Julia Hartley-Brewer, English broadcaster and columnist
    • 1968 – Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1969 – Brian Lara, Trinidadian cricketer
    • 1970 – Marco Walker, Swiss footballer and coach
    • 1971 – Musashimaru Kōyō, Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna
    • 1971 – Fatima Yusuf, Nigerian sprinter
    • 1972 – Paul Adcock, English footballer
    • 1972 – Ahti Heinla, Estonian programmer and businessman, co-developed Skype
    • 1972 – Dwayne Johnson, American-Canadian wrestler, actor, and producer
    • 1973 – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German director and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Horacio Carbonari, Argentinian footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Andy Johnson, English-Welsh footballer
    • 1974 – Janek Meet, Estonian footballer
    • 1975 – David Beckham, English footballer, coach, and model
    • 1975 – Joe Wilkinson, English comedian, actor and writer
    • 1976 – Jeff Gutt, American singer-songwriter
    • 1977 – Brian Cardinal, American basketball player
    • 1977 – Jan Fitschen, German runner
    • 1977 – Luke Hudson, American baseball player
    • 1977 – Fredrik Malm, Swedish journalist and politician
    • 1977 – Jenna von Oÿ, American actress and singer
    • 1977 – Kalle Palander, Finnish skier
    • 1978 – Melvin Ely, American basketball player
    • 1978 – Mike Weaver, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Ioannis Kanotidis, Greek footballer
    • 1979 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish-American actress, presenter and VJ (d. 2011)
    • 1980 – Tim Borowski, German footballer
    • 1980 – Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canadian skateboarder
    • 1980 – Ellie Kemper, American actress, comedian and writer
    • 1980 – Zat Knight, English footballer
    • 1980 – Artūras Masiulis, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1980 – Troy Murphy, American basketball player
    • 1980 – Lassaâd Ouertani, Tunisian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1980 – Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Vincent Tong, Canadian actor, singer, voice actor and director
    • 1981 – Robert Buckley, American actor
    • 1981 – Chris Kirkland, English footballer
    • 1981 – Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer
    • 1981 – Matt Murray, English footballer
    • 1981 – Rina Satō, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1982 – Timothy Benjamin, Welsh sprinter
    • 1982 – Johan Botha, South African cricketer
    • 1983 – Alessandro Diamanti, Italian footballer
    • 1983 – Maynor Figueroa, Honduran footballer
    • 1983 – Tina Maze, Slovenian skier
    • 1983 – Daniel Sordo, Spanish race car driver
    • 1983 – Ove Vanebo, Norwegian politician
    • 1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer
    • 1984 – Thabo Sefolosha, Swiss basketball player
    • 1985 – Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1985 – Kyle Busch, American race car driver
    • 1985 – Ashley Harkleroad, American tennis player
    • 1985 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
    • 1987 – Saara Aalto, Finnish singer and actress
    • 1987 – Nana Kitade, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1987 – Pat McAfee, American football player
    • 1987 – Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Justin Young, English singer and songwriter
    • 1988 – Neftalí Feliz, Dominican baseball player
    • 1988 – Stephen Henderson, Irish footballer
    • 1989 – Jeanette Pohlen, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Kay Panabaker, American actress
    • 1990 – Paul George, American basketball player
    • 1991 – Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean actor and singer
    • 1992 – Sunmi, South Korean singer
    • 1992 – María Teresa Torró Flor, Spanish tennis player
    • 1993 – Owain Doull, Welsh track cyclist
    • 1993 – Isyana Sarasvati, Indonesian singer
    • 1993 – Huang Zitao, Chinese singer and rapper
    • 1996 – Cherprang Areekul, Thai singer
    • 1996 – Julian Brandt, German footballer
    • 1996 – Schuyler Bailar, American swimmer
    • 2015 – Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, British royal, and fourth in line to the British throne

    Deaths on May 2

    • 373 – Athanasius of Alexandria, Egyptian bishop and saint (b. 298)
    • 649 – Marutha of Tikrit, Persian theologian of the Syriac Orthodox Church (b. 565)
    • 821 – Liu Zong, general of the Tang Dynasty
    • 907 – Boris I of Bulgaria
    • 1219 – Leo I, King of Armenia (b. 1150)
    • 1230 – William de Braose, English son of Reginald de Braose (b. 1197)
    • 1293 – Meir of Rothenburg, German rabbi (b. c.1215)
    • 1300 – Blanche of Artois (b. 1248)
    • 1450 – William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English admiral (b. 1396)
    • 1519 – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1452)
    • 1564 – Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal (b. 1500)
    • 1627 – Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, Italian composer and educator (b. 1560)
    • 1667 – George Wither, English poet and author (b. 1588)
    • 1683 – Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and mathematician (b. 1613)
    • 1711 – Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1641)
    • 1799 – Juan Vicente de Güemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo (b. 1740)
    • 1802 – Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch general and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch Gold Coast (b. 1762)
    • 1810 – Henry Jerome de Salis, English priest (b. 1740)
    • 1819 – Mary Moser, English painter and academic (b. 1744)
    • 1857 – Alfred de Musset, French dramatist, poet, and novelist (b. 1810)
    • 1864 – Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer and educator (b. 1791)
    • 1880 – Eberhard Anheuser, German-American businessman, co-founded Anheuser-Busch (b. 1805)
    • 1880 – Tom Wills, Australian cricketer, co-created Australian rules football (b. 1835)
    • 1885 – Terézia Zakoucs, Hungarian-Slovene author (b. 1817)
    • 1915 – Clara Immerwahr, German chemist (b. 1870)
    • 1918 – Jüri Vilms, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1889)
    • 1925 – Antun Branko Šimić, Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian poet (b. 1898)
    • 1927 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (b. 1866)
    • 1929 – Charalambos Tseroulis, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister for Military Affairs (b. 1879)
    • 1941 – Penelope Delta, Greek author (b. 1874)
    • 1945 – Martin Bormann, German politician (b. 1900)
    • 1945 – Joe Corbett, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1875)
    • 1947 – Dorothea Binz, German SS officer (b. 1920)
    • 1953 – Wallace Bryant, American archer (b. 1863)
    • 1957 – Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1908)
    • 1963 – Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, peer, politician, poet, author and newspaper editor (b. 1884)
    • 1964 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (b. 1879)
    • 1969 – Franz von Papen, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1879)
    • 1972 – J. Edgar Hoover, American 1st director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (b. 1895)
    • 1974 – James O. Richardson, American admiral (b. 1878)
    • 1977 – Nicholas Magallanes, American principal dancer and charter member of the New York City Ballet (b. 1922)
    • 1979 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1980 – Clarrie Grimmett, New Zealand-Australian cricketer (b. 1891)
    • 1980 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (b. 1908)
    • 1983 – Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
    • 1984 – Jack Barry, American game show host and producer, co-founded Barry & Enright Productions (b. 1918)
    • 1984 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1913)
    • 1985 – Attilio Bettega, Italian race car driver (b. 1951)
    • 1985 – Larry Clinton, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1909)
    • 1986 – Sergio Cresto, American race car driver (b. 1956)
    • 1986 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish race car driver (b. 1956)
    • 1989 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author (b. 1902)
    • 1989 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (b. 1906)
    • 1990 – David Rappaport, English-American actor (b. 1951)
    • 1991 – Gauri Shankar Rai, Indian Politician(b.1924)
    • 1991 – Ronald McKie, Australian journalist and author (b. 1909)
    • 1992 – Wilbur Mills, American lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – André Moynet, French race car driver, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
    • 1994 – Dorothy Marie Donnelly, American poet and author (b. 1903)
    • 1995 – John Bunting, Australian public servant and diplomat, (b. 1918)
    • 1995 – Michael Hordern, English actor (b. 1911)
    • 1997 – John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1997 – Paulo Freire, Brazilian philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
    • 1998 – hide, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1964)
    • 1998 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (b. 1961)
    • 1998 – Gene Raymond, American actor (b. 1908)
    • 1998 – Lord Voldemort, English wizard and terrorist (b. 1926)
    • 1999 – Douglas Harkness, Canadian colonel and politician (b. 1903)
    • 1999 – Oliver Reed, English actor (b. 1938)
    • 2000 – Sundar Popo, Indo-Trinidadian musician (b. 1943)
    • 2002 – W. T. Tutte, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Wee Kim Wee, Singaporean journalist and politician, 4th President of Singapore (b. 1915)
    • 2006 – Louis Rukeyser, American journalist and author (b. 1933)
    • 2007 – Brad McGann, New Zealand director and screenwriter (b. 1964)
    • 2008 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (b. 1940)
    • 2008 – Izold Pustõlnik, Ukrainian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1938)
    • 2009 – Marilyn French, American author and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2009 – Kiyoshiro Imawano, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1951)
    • 2009 – Jack Kemp, American football player and politician, 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (b. 1935)
    • 2010 – Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (b. 1943)
    • 2011 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founder of Al-Qaeda (b. 1957)
    • 2012 – Fernando Lopes, Portuguese director and screenwriter (b. 1935)
    • 2012 – Zenaida Manfugás, Cuban-born American-naturalized pianist (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Tufan Miñnullin, Russian playwright and politician (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Indonesian physician and politician, Indonesian Minister of Health (b. 1955)
    • 2012 – Akira Tonomura, Japanese physicist, author, and academic (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Ernie Field, English boxer (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Jeff Hanneman, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1964)
    • 2013 – Joseph P. McFadden, American bishop (b. 1947)
    • 2013 – Dvora Omer, Israeli author and educator (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Ivan Turina, Croatian footballer (b. 1980)
    • 2013 – Charles Banks Wilson, American painter and illustrator (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Tomás Balduino, Brazilian bishop (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Žarko Petan, Slovenian director, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., American actor (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – Stuart Archer, English colonel and architect (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – Michael Blake, American author and screenwriter (b. 1945)
    • 2015 – Guy Carawan, American singer and musicologist (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Maya Plisetskaya, Russian-Lithuanian ballerina, choreographer, actress, and director (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Ruth Rendell, English author (b. 1930)
    • 2016 – Afeni Shakur, American music businesswoman, activist, and Black Panther (b. 1947)
    • 2020 – Arif Wazir, Pakistani politician, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (b. 1982)

    Holidays and observances on May 2

    • Christian feast day:
      • Athanasius of Alexandria (Western Christianity)
      • Boris I of Bulgaria (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
      • Germanus of Normandy
      • May 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • International Harry Potter Day
    • The last day of the Festival of Ridván (Bahá’í Faith) (Note that this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March equinox, see List of observances set by the Baháʼí calendar)
    • Anniversary of the Dos de Mayo Uprising (Community of Madrid, Spain)
    • Birth Anniversary of Third Druk Gyalpo (Bhutan)
    • Flag Day (Poland)
    • Indonesia National Education Day
    • Teachers’ Day (Iran) (Note that this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March Equinox, see List of observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar)

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

    • 753 BC – Romulus founds Rome (traditional date).
    • 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered shortly after.
    • 900 – The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (the earliest known written document found in what is now the Philippines): the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Tondo, as represented by the Honourable Jayadewa, Lord Minister of Pailah, pardons from all debt the Honourable Namwaran and his relations.
    • 1092 – The Diocese of Pisa is elevated to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese by Pope Urban II
    • 1506 – The three-day Lisbon Massacre comes to an end with the slaughter of over 1,900 suspected Jews by Portuguese Catholics.
    • 1509 – Henry VIII ascends the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII.
    • 1526 – The last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi is defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat.
    • 1615 – The Wignacourt Aqueduct is inaugurated in Malta.
    • 1782 – The city of Rattanakosin, now known internationally as Bangkok, is founded on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.
    • 1789 – George Washington’s reception at Trenton is hosted by the Ladies of Trenton as he journeys to New York City for his first inauguration.
    • 1792 – Tiradentes, a revolutionary leading a movement for Brazil’s independence, is hanged, drawn and quartered.
    • 1802 – Twelve thousand Wahhabis under Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad, invaded city of Karbala, killed over three thousand inhabitants, and sacked the city.
    • 1806 – Action of 21 April 1806: A French frigate escapes British forces off the coast of South Africa.
    • 1809 – Two Austrian army corps are driven from Landshut by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon as two French corps to the north hold off the main Austrian army on the first day of the Battle of Eckmühl.
    • 1821 – Benderli Ali Pasha arrives in Constantinople as the new Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire; he remains in power for only nine days before being sent into exile.
    • 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Battle of San Jacinto: Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
    • 1856 – Australian labour movement: Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne march from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight-hour day.
    • 1894 – Norway formally adopts the Krag–Jørgensen bolt-action rifle as the main arm of its armed forces, a weapon that would remain in service for almost 50 years.
    • 1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports. When the U.S. Congress issued a declaration of war on April 25, it declared that a state of war had existed from this date.
    • 1914 – Ypiranga incident: A German arms shipment to Mexico is intercepted by the U.S. Navy near Veracruz.
    • 1918 – World War I: German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, better known as “The Red Baron”, is shot down and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme in France.
    • 1926 – Al-Baqi cemetery, former site of the mausoleum of four Shi’a Imams, is leveled to the ground by Wahhabis.
    • 1934 – The “Surgeon’s Photograph”, the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax).
    • 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces south of Berlin at Zossen attack the German High Command headquarters.
    • 1948 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 relating to Kashmir conflict is adopted.
    • 1952 – Secretary’s Day (now Administrative Professionals’ Day) is first celebrated.
    • 1958 – United Airlines Flight 736 collides into a United States Air Force fighter jet near Arden, Nevada in what is now Enterprise, Nevada.
    • 1960 – Brasília, Brazil’s capital, is officially inaugurated. At 09:30, the Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro.
    • 1962 – The Seattle World’s Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opens. It is the first World’s Fair in the United States since World War II.
    • 1963 – The first election of the Universal House of Justice is held, marking its establishment as the supreme governing institution of the Bahá’í Faith.
    • 1964 – A Transit-5bn satellite fails to reach orbit after launch; as it re-enters the atmosphere, 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of radioactive plutonium in its SNAP RTG power source is widely dispersed.
    • 1965 – The 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair opens for its second and final season.
    • 1966 – Rastafari movement: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica, an event now celebrated as Grounation Day.
    • 1967 – A few days before the general election in Greece, Colonel George Papadopoulos leads a coup d’état, establishing a military regime that lasts for seven years.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: President of South Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Thiệu flees Saigon, as Xuân Lộc, the last South Vietnamese outpost blocking a direct North Vietnamese assault on Saigon, falls.
    • 1977 – Annie opens on Broadway.
    • 1982 – Baseball: Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
    • 1985 – The compound of the militant group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord surrenders to federal authorities in Arkansas after a two-day government siege.
    • 1987 – The Tamil Tigers are blamed for a car bomb that detonates in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, killing 106 people.
    • 1989 – Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.
    • 1993 – The Supreme Court in La Paz, Bolivia, sentences former dictator Luis García Meza to 30 years in jail without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the constitution.
    • 2004 – Five suicide car bombers target police stations in and around Basra, killing 74 people and wounding 160.
    • 2010 – The controversial Kharkiv Pact (Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas Treaty) is signed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev; it was unilaterally terminated by Russia on March 31, 2014.
    • 2012 – Two trains are involved in a head-on collision near Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, injuring 116 people.
    • 2014 – The American city of Flint, Michigan switches its water source to the Flint River, beginning the ongoing Flint water crisis which has caused lead poisoning in up to 12,000 people, and 15 deaths from Legionnaires disease, ultimately leading to criminal indictments against 15 people, five of whom have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
    • 2019 – Eight bombs explode at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday; more than 200 people are killed.

    Births on April 21

    • 1132 – Sancho VI, king of Navarre (d. 1194)
    • 1488 – Ulrich von Hutten, German religious reformer (d. 1523)
    • 1523 – Marco Antonio Bragadin, Venetian lawyer and military officer (d. 1571)
    • 1555 – Ludovico Carracci, Italian painter and etcher (d. 1619)
    • 1619 – Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch founder of Cape Town (d. 1677)
    • 1630 – Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten, Dutch-English painter (d. 1700)
    • 1631 – Francesco Maidalchini, Catholic cardinal (d. 1700)
    • 1642 – Simon de la Loubère, French mathematician, poet, and diplomat (d. 1729)
    • 1651 – Joseph Vaz, Sri Lankan priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1711)
    • 1652 – Michel Rolle, French mathematician and academic (d. 1719)
    • 1671 – John Law, Scottish economist (d. 1729)
    • 1673 – Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1742)
    • 1713 – Louis de Noailles, French general (d. 1793)
    • 1730 – Antonín Kammel, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1788)
    • 1752 – Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait, French engineer, hydrographer, and politician, French Minister of Marine and the Colonies (d. 1807)
    • 1752 – Humphry Repton, English gardener and author (d. 1818)
    • 1774 – Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (d. 1862)
    • 1775 – Alexander Anderson, Scottish-American illustrator and engraver (d. 1870)
    • 1790 – Manuel Blanco Encalada, Spanish-Chilean admiral and politician, 1st President of Chile (d. 1876)
    • 1810 – John Putnam Chapin, American politician, 10th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1864)
    • 1811 – Alson Sherman, American merchant and politician, 8th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1903)
    • 1814 – Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, English art collector and philanthropist (d. 1906)
    • 1816 – Charlotte Brontë, Cornish-English novelist and poet (d. 1855)
    • 1837 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish lieutenant and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1922)
    • 1838 – John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist and author (d. 1914)
    • 1851 – Charles Barrois, French geologist and palaeontologist (d. 1939)
    • 1854 – William Stang, German-American bishop (d. 1907)
    • 1864 – Max Weber, German economist and sociologist (d. 1920)
    • 1868 – Alfred Henry Maurer, American painter (d. 1932)
    • 1870 – Edwin Stanton Porter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1941)
    • 1874 – Vincent Scotto, French actor and composer (d. 1952)
    • 1882 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
    • 1885 – Tatu Kolehmainen, Finnish runner (d. 1967)
    • 1887 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball manager (d. 1978)
    • 1889 – Marcel Boussac, French businessman (d. 1980)
    • 1889 – Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
    • 1889 – Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., Russian-American violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1985)
    • 1892 – Freddie Dixon, English motorcycle racer and racing driver (d. 1956)
    • 1893 – Romeo Bertini, Italian runner (d. 1973)
    • 1898 – Maurice Wilson, English soldier, pilot, and mountaineer (d. 1934)
    • 1899 – Randall Thompson, American composer and academic (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – Luis Saslavsky, Argentinian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
    • 1904 – Jean Hélion, French painter (d. 1987)
    • 1904 – Odilo Globocnik, Italian-Austrian SS officer (d. 1945)
    • 1905 – Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (d. 1996)
    • 1911 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, developed Clearasil (d. 2000)
    • 1911 – Kemal Satır, Turkish physician and politician (d. 1991)
    • 1912 – Eve Arnold, Russian-American photojournalist (d. 2012)
    • 1912 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1913 – Norman Parkinson, English photographer (d. 1990)
    • 1914 – Angelo Savoldi, Italian-American wrestler and promoter, co-founded International World Class Championship Wrestling (d. 2013)
    • 1915 – Garrett Hardin, American ecologist, author, and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – Estella B. Diggs, American businesswoman and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Eddy Christiani, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
    • 1919 – Don Cornell, American singer (d. 2004)
    • 1919 – Roger Doucet, Canadian tenor (d. 1981)
    • 1919 – Licio Gelli, Italian financer (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (d. 1991)
    • 1922 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1922 – Allan Watkins, Welsh-English cricketer (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (d. 2009)
    • 1924 – Ira Louvin, American singer-songwriter and mandolin player (d. 1965)
    • 1925 – Anthony Mason, Australian soldier and judge, 9th Chief Justice of Australia
    • 1925 – John Swinton of Kimmerghame, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms
    • 1926 – Arthur Rowley, English footballer, manager and cricketer (d. 2002)
    • 1927 – Ahmed Arif, Turkish poet and author (d. 1991)
    • 1928 – Jack Evans, Welsh-Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1996)
    • 1930 – Hilda Hilst, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (d. 2004)
    • 1930 – Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (d. 1989)
    • 1930 – Dieter Roth, German-Swiss illustrator and sculptor (d. 1998)
    • 1930 – Jack Taylor, English footballer and referee (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (d. 2020)
    • 1932 – Slide Hampton, African-American trombonist and composer
    • 1932 – Elaine May, American actress, comedian, director, and screenwriter
    • 1932 – Angela Mortimer, English tennis player
    • 1933 – Edelmiro Amante, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Easley Blackwood, Jr., American pianist, composer, and educator
    • 1933 – Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Iraqi patriarch (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Charles Grodin, American actor and talk show host
    • 1935 – Thomas Kean, American academic and politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey
    • 1936 – James Dobson, American evangelist, psychologist, and author, founded Focus on the Family
    • 1936 – Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 2009)
    • 1937 – Gary Peters, American baseball player
    • 1937 – Ben Zinn, Israeli-born American academic and former international soccer player
    • 1939 – John McCabe, English pianist and composer (d. 2015)
    • 1939 – Sister Helen Prejean, American nun, activist, and author
    • 1939 – Reni Santoni, American actor
    • 1940 – Jacques Caron, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1940 – Souleymane Cissé, Malian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1941 – David L. Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma
    • 1942 – Geoffrey Palmer, New Zealand politician, 33rd Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1945 – Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Indian cricketer and umpire
    • 1945 – Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (d. 2017)
    • 1945 – Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (d. 2000)
    • 1947 – Al Bumbry, American baseball player
    • 1947 – Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1947 – John Weider, English bass player
    • 1948 – Gary Condit, American businessman and politician
    • 1948 – Paul Davis, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2008)
    • 1948 – Josef Flammer, Swiss ophthalmologist
    • 1948 – Dieter Fromm, German runner
    • 1949 – Patti LuPone, American actress and singer
    • 1950 – Shivaji Satam, Indian actor
    • 1951 – Tony Danza, American actor and producer
    • 1951 – Michael Freedman, American mathematician and academic
    • 1951 – Bob Varsha, American sportscaster
    • 1951 – Steve Vickers, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1952 – Gerald Early, American author and academic
    • 1952 – Cheryl Gillan, British businesswoman and politician, Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1953 – John Brumby, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Victoria
    • 1954 – Ebiet G. Ade, Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1954 – James Morrison, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Murathan Mungan, Turkish author, poet, and playwright
    • 1955 – Doug Soetaert, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1956 – Peter Kosminsky, English director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1956 – Phillip Longman, German-American demographer and journalist
    • 1957 – Hervé Le Tellier, French linguist and author
    • 1957 – Jesse Orosco, American baseball player
    • 1957 – Herbert Wetterauer, German painter, sculptor, and author
    • 1958 – Andie MacDowell, American model, actress, and producer
    • 1958 – Yoshito Usui, Japanese illustrator (d. 2009)
    • 1958 – Michael Zarnock, American author
    • 1959 – Tim Jacobus, American illustrator and painter
    • 1959 – Olga Kuragina, Russian pentathlete
    • 1959 – Arno Pijpers, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1959 – Robert Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Michel Goulet, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
    • 1960 – Julius Korir, Kenyan runner
    • 1961 – Cathy Cavadini, American voice actress
    • 1961 – Carey Hayes, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1961 – Chad Hayes, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1961 – Neale Marmon, English-German footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1961 – David Servan-Schreiber, French physician, neuroscientist, and author (d. 2011)
    • 1962 – Les Lancaster, American baseball player and coach
    • 1962 – Craig Robinson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1962 – Aavo Sarap, Estonian footballer and coach
    • 1963 – Ken Caminiti, American baseball player (d. 2004)
    • 1963 – Roy Dupuis, Canadian actor
    • 1963 – John Cameron Mitchell, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Alex Baumann, Czech-Canadian swimmer
    • 1964 – Ludmila Engquist, Russian-Swedish hurdler
    • 1965 – Ed Belfour, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1965 – Karen Foster, American model and actress
    • 1965 – Gary Grant, American basketball player
    • 1965 – Thomas Helmer, German footballer
    • 1965 – Fiona Kelleghan, American academic, critic and librarian
    • 1967 – Emilio Valle, Cuban hurdler
    • 1968 – Peter van Vossen, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1969 – John Kibowen, Kenyan runner
    • 1969 – Toby Stephens, English actor
    • 1970 – Jeff Anderson, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Glen Hansard, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1970 – Rob Riggle, American actor and comedian
    • 1970 – Nicole Sullivan, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Axl Rotten, American wrestler (d. 2016)
    • 1971 – Michael Turner, American author and illustrator (d. 2008)
    • 1972 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (d. 2001)
    • 1972 – Gwendal Peizerat, French ice dancer
    • 1973 – Steve Backshall, English naturalist, writer, and television presenter
    • 1973 – Jonathan Nsenga, Belgian hurdler and coach
    • 1974 – Maksim Gruznov, Estonian footballer
    • 1974 – Orlando Jordan, American wrestler
    • 1974 – David Peachey, Australian rugby league player
    • 1975 – Danyon Loader, New Zealand swimmer
    • 1976 – Rommel Adducul, Filipino basketball player
    • 1976 – Petero Civoniceva, Fijian-Australian rugby league player
    • 1977 – Gyula Koi, Hungarian scholar and educator
    • 1977 – Jamie Salé, Canadian figure skater
    • 1978 – Jacob Burns, Australian footballer
    • 1978 – Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish drummer
    • 1978 – Yuliya Pechonkina, Russian hurdler
    • 1979 – Virginie Basselot, French chef
    • 1979 – Tobias Linderoth, French-Swedish footballer and coach
    • 1979 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor
    • 1980 – Jeff Keppinger, American baseball player
    • 1980 – Vincent Lecavalier, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Tony Romo, American football player
    • 1981 – Mads Junker, Danish footballer
    • 1982 – Khalif Barnes, American football player
    • 1982 – Micheal Luck, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Carnell Williams, American football player
    • 1983 – Paweł Brożek, Polish footballer
    • 1983 – Marco Donadel, Italian footballer
    • 1983 – Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (d. 2020)
    • 1984 – Shayna Fox, American voice actress
    • 1986 – Audra Cohen, American tennis player
    • 1986 – Alexander Edler, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Rodney Stuckey, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Mirko Valdifiori, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Nadif Chowdhury, Bangladeshi cricketer
    • 1987 – Eric Devendorf, American basketball player
    • 1987 – Leroy George, Dutch footballer
    • 1987 – Anastasia Prikhodko, Ukrainian singer
    • 1988 – Ricky Berens, American swimmer
    • 1988 – Jencarlos Canela, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1988 – Pedro Mosquera, Spanish footballer
    • 1988 – Adam Rooney, Irish footballer
    • 1989 – Tatyana McFadden, Russian-American sprinter and skier
    • 1989 – Carlos Muñoz, Chilean footballer
    • 1990 – Aleksandar Prijović, Swiss-born Serbian footballer
    • 1992 – Isco, Spanish footballer
    • 1992 – Rene Santos, Brazilian footballer
    • 1992 – Joc Pederson, American baseball player
    • 1994 – Mitchell Weiser, German footballer

    Deaths on April 21

    • 234 – Emperor Xian of Han, Chinese emperor (b. 181)
    • 586 – Liuvigild, king of the Visigoths
    • 847 – Odgar, Frankish archbishop of Mainz
    • 866 – Bardas, de facto regent of the Byzantine Empire
    • 941 – Bajkam, de facto regent of the Abbasid Caliphate
    • 1073 – Pope Alexander II
    • 1109 – Anselm of Canterbury, Italian-English archbishop and saint (b. 1033)
    • 1136 – Stephen, Count of Tréguier Breton noblemen (b. c. 1058/62)
    • 1142 – Peter Abelard, French philosopher and theologian (b. 1079)
    • 1213 – Maria of Montpellier, Lady of Montpellier, Queen of Aragon (b. 1182)
    • 1329 – Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1282)
    • 1400 – John Wittlebury, English politician (b. 1333)
    • 1509 – Henry VII of England (b. 1457)
    • 1557 – Petrus Apianus, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1495)
    • 1574 – Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1519)
    • 1591 – Sen no Rikyū, Japanese exponent of the tea ceremony (b. 1522)
    • 1650 – Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi, Japanese samurai (b. 1607)
    • 1668 – Jan Boeckhorst, Flemish painter (b. c. 1604)
    • 1699 – Jean Racine, French playwright and poet (b. 1639)
    • 1719 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (b. 1640)
    • 1720 – Antoine Hamilton, Irish-French soldier and author (b. 1646)
    • 1722 – Robert Beverley, Jr., English historian and author (b. 1673)
    • 1736 – Prince Eugene of Savoy (b. 1663)
    • 1740 – Thomas Tickell, English poet and author (b. 1685)
    • 1758 – Francesco Zerafa, Maltese architect (b. 1679)
    • 1815 – Joseph Winston, American soldier and politician (b. 1746)
    • 1825 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician and academic (b. 1765)
    • 1852 – Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (b. 1787)
    • 1863 – Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet, Irish politician (b. 1782)
    • 1900 – Vikramatji Khimojiraj, Indian ruler (b. 1819)
    • 1910 – Mark Twain, American novelist, humorist, and critic (b. 1835)
    • 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (b. 1892)
    • 1924 – Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (b. 1858)
    • 1930 – Robert Bridges, English poet and author (b. 1844)
    • 1932 – Friedrich Gustav Piffl, Bohemian cardinal (b. 1864)
    • 1938 – Muhammad Iqbal, Indian-Pakistani philosopher and poet (b. 1877)
    • 1941 – Fritz Manteuffel, German gymnast (b. 1875)
    • 1945 – Walter Model, German field marshal (b. 1891)
    • 1946 – John Maynard Keynes, English economist and philosopher (b. 1883)
    • 1948 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (b. 1887)
    • 1952 – Leslie Banks, American actor, director and producer (b. 1890)
    • 1954 – Emil Leon Post, Polish-American mathematician and logician (b. 1897)
    • 1956 – Charles MacArthur, American playwright and screenwriter (b. 1895)
    • 1965 – Edward Victor Appleton, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
    • 1971 – François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (b. 1907)
    • 1973 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
    • 1973 – Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1910)
    • 1974 – Chic Harley, American football player (b. 1894)
    • 1977 – Gummo Marx, American vaudevillian and talent agent (b. 1893)
    • 1978 – Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (b.1947)
    • 1978 – Thomas Wyatt Turner, American biologist and academic (b. 1877)
    • 1980 – Alexander Oparin, Russian biochemist and academic (b. 1894)
    • 1980 – Sohrab Sepehri, Iranian poet and painter (b. 1928)
    • 1983 – Walter Slezak, Austrian-American actor and singer (b. 1902)
    • 1984 – Marcel Janco, Romanian-Israeli artist (b. 1895)
    • 1984 – Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian engineer and mountaineer (b. 1943)
    • 1985 – Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer, created the monokini (b. 1922)
    • 1985 – Tancredo Neves, Brazilian banker and politician, Prime Minister of Brazil (b. 1910)
    • 1986 – Marjorie Eaton, American painter and actress (b. 1901)
    • 1986 – Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1930)
    • 1987 – Gustav Bergmann, Austrian-American philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1906)
    • 1989 – James Kirkwood, Jr., American actor, playwright, and author (b. 1924)
    • 1990 – Erté, Russian-French illustrator (b. 1892)
    • 1991 – Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (b. 1909)
    • 1996 – Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-born American engineer and race car driver (b. 1909)
    • 1996 – Dzhokhar Dudayev, Chechen general and politician, 1st President of Ichkeria (b. 1944)
    • 1996 – Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (b. 1925)
    • 1996 – Jimmy Snyder, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
    • 1998 – Jean-François Lyotard, French sociologist and philosopher (b. 1924)
    • 1999 – Buddy Rogers, American actor (b. 1904)
    • 2003 – Nina Simone, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist (b. 1933)
    • 2004 – Mary McGrory, American journalist (b. 1918)
    • 2005 – Gerry Marshall, English race car driver and journalist (b. 1941)
    • 2006 – Johnny Checketts, New Zealand commander and pilot (b. 1912)
    • 2006 – T. K. Ramakrishnan, Indian politician (b. 1922)
    • 2006 – Telê Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1931)
    • 2007 – Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1941)
    • 2009 – Vivian Maier, American photographer (b. 1926)
    • 2010 – Gustav Lorentzen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1947)
    • 2010 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, seventh President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1920)
    • 2010 – Kanagaratnam Sriskandan, Sri Lankan-English engineer and civil servant (b. 1930)
    • 2011 – Catharina Halkes, Dutch theologian and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Doris Betts, American author and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Charles Colson, American lawyer and activist, founded Prison Fellowship (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Albert Falco, French captain and diver (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Charles Higham, English-American author and poet (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Jerry Toppazzini, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Chrissy Amphlett, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1959)
    • 2013 – Shakuntala Devi, Indian mathematician and astrologer (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Leopold Engleitner, Austrian Holocaust survivor, author, and educator (b. 1905)
    • 2013 – Gordon D. Gayle, American general and historian (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Herb Gray, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Janet Gray Hayes, American politician, 60th Mayor of San Jose (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – George H. Heilmeier, American engineer (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – M. H. Abrams, American author, critic, and academic (b. 1912)
    • 2015 – Steve Byrnes, American sportscaster and producer (b. 1959)
    • 2015 – John Moshoeu, South African footballer and manager (b. 1965)
    • 2015 – Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, Indian politician, Governor of Assam (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters, Canadian general (b. 1920)
    • 2015 – Betsy von Furstenberg, German-American actress (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (b. 1958)
    • 2017 – Ugo Ehiogu, English footballer (b. 1972)
    • 2018 – Verne Troyer, American actor (b. 1969)
    • 2018 – Nabi Tajima, Japanese supercentenarian, oldest Japanese and Asian person ever, last verified person born in the 19th century (b. 1900)
    • 2019 – Polly Higgins, Scottish barrister, author and environmental lobbyist, (b. 1968)

    Holidays and observances April 21

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abdecalas
      • Anastasius Sinaita
      • Anselm of Canterbury
      • Beuno
      • Conrad of Parzham
      • Holy Infant of Good Health
      • Shemon Bar Sabbae
      • Wolbodo
      • April 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Civil Service Day (India)
    • Grounation Day (Rastafari movement)
    • Heroic Defense of Veracruz (Mexico)
    • Kang Pan-sok’s Birthday (North Korea)
    • Kartini Day (Indonesia)
    • Local Self Government Day (Russia)
    • National Tea Day (United Kingdom)
    • National Tree Planting Day (Kenya)
    • San Jacinto Day (Texas)
    • Queen’s Official Birthday (Falkland Islands)
    • Tiradentes’ Day (Brazil)
    • Vietnam Book Day (Vietnam)

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

    • 1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George’s (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
    • 1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark.
    • 1547 – Edward VI of England is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.
    • 1685 – René-Robert Cavelier establishes Fort St. Louis at Matagorda Bay thus forming the basis for France’s claim to Texas.
    • 1792 – The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by United States President George Washington.
    • 1798 – Louis-Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.
    • 1813 – Manuel Belgrano defeats the royalist army of Pío de Tristán during the Battle of Salta.
    • 1816 – Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville premieres at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.
    • 1835 – The 1835 Concepción earthquake destroys Concepción, Chile.
    • 1846 – Polish insurgents lead an uprising in Kraków to incite a fight for national independence.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Olustee: The largest battle fought in Florida during the war.
    • 1865 – End of the Uruguayan War, with a peace agreement between President Tomás Villalba and rebel leader Venancio Flores, setting the scene for the destructive War of the Triple Alliance.
    • 1872 – The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City.
    • 1877 – Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake receives its premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
    • 1901 – The legislature of Hawaii Territory convenes for the first time.
    • 1909 – Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal Le Figaro.
    • 1913 – King O’Malley drives in the first survey peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra.
    • 1920 – An earthquake kills between 114 and 130 in Georgia and heavily damages the town of Gori.
    • 1931 – The U.S. Congress approves the construction of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge by the state of California.
    • 1933 – The U.S. Congress approves the Blaine Act to repeal federal Prohibition in the United States, sending the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution to state ratifying conventions for approval.
    • 1933 – Adolf Hitler secretly meets with German industrialists to arrange for financing of the Nazi Party’s upcoming election campaign.
    • 1935 – Caroline Mikkelsen becomes the first woman to set foot in Antarctica.
    • 1942 – Lieutenant Edward O’Hare becomes America’s first World War II flying ace.
    • 1943 – American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies.
    • 1943 – The Saturday Evening Post publishes the first of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms in support of United States President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms.
    • 1944 – World War II: The “Big Week” began with American bomber raids on German aircraft manufacturing centers.
    • 1944 – World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Island.
    • 1952 – Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.
    • 1956 – The United States Merchant Marine Academy becomes a permanent Service Academy.
    • 1959 – The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.
    • 1962 – Mercury program: While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the earth, making three orbits in four hours, 55 minutes.
    • 1965 – Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts.
    • 1971 – The United States Emergency Broadcast System is accidentally activated in an erroneous national alert.
    • 1979 – An earthquake cracks open the Sinila volcanic crater on the Dieng Plateau, releasing poisonous H2S gas and killing 149 villagers in the Indonesian province of Central Java.
    • 1986 – The Soviet Union launches its Mir spacecraft. Remaining in orbit for 15 years, it is occupied for ten of those years.
    • 1988 – The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast votes to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
    • 1991 – In the Albanian capital Tirana, a gigantic statue of Albania’s long-time leader, Enver Hoxha, is brought down by mobs of angry protesters.
    • 1998 – American figure skater Tara Lipinski, at the age of 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating gold-medalist at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
    • 2003 – During a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the Station nightclub ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others.
    • 2005 – Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.
    • 2009 – Two Tamil Tigers aircraft packed with C4 explosives en route to the national airforce headquarters are shot down by the Sri Lankan military before reaching their target, in a kamikaze style attack.
    • 2010 – In Madeira Island, Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 43 deaths, in the worst disaster in the history of the archipelago.
    • 2014 – Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters died in Ukraine’s capital Kiev, many reportedly killed by snipers.
    • 2015 – Two trains collide in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and Swiss Federal Railways cancelling some services.
    • 2016 – Six people are killed and two injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

    Births on February 20

    • 1358 – Eleanor of Aragon, queen of John I of Castile (d. 1382)
    • 1469 – Thomas Cajetan, Italian philosopher (d. 1534)
    • 1523 – Jan Blahoslav, Czech writer (d. 1571)
    • 1549 – Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, last Duke of Urbino (d. 1631)
    • 1552 – Sengoku Hidehisa, Daimyō (d. 1614)
    • 1608 – Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (d. 1649)
    • 1631 – Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, English politician, Treasurer of the Navy (d. 1712)
    • 1633 – Jan de Baen, Dutch painter (d. 1702)
    • 1705 – Nicolas Chédeville, French musette player and composer (d. 1782)
    • 1726 – William Prescott, American colonel (d. 1795)
    • 1745 – Henry James Pye, English poet and politician (d. 1813)
    • 1751 – Johann Heinrich Voss, German poet, translator, and academic (d. 1826)
    • 1753 – Louis-Alexandre Berthier, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1815)
    • 1759 – Johann Christian Reil, German physician, physiologist, and anatomist (d. 1813)
    • 1774 – Vicente Sebastián Pintado, Spanish cartographer, engineer, military officer and land surveyor of Spanish Louisiana and Spanish West Florida (d. 1829)
    • 1784 – Judith Montefiore, British linguist, travel writer, philanthropist (d. 1862)
    • 1792 – Eliza Courtney, French daughter of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (d. 1859)
    • 1794 – William Carleton, Irish author (d. 1869)
    • 1802 – Charles Auguste de Bériot, Belgian violinist and composer (d. 1870)
    • 1819 – Alfred Escher, Swiss businessman and politician (d. 1882)
    • 1839 – Benjamin Waugh, English activist, founded the NSPCC (d. 1908)
    • 1844 – Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1906)
    • 1844 – Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor and adventurer (d. 1909)
    • 1848 – E. H. Harriman, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1909)
    • 1857 – A. P. Lucas, English cricketer (d. 1923)
    • 1866 – Carl Westman, Swedish architect, designed the Stockholm Court House and Röhsska Museum (d. 1936)
    • 1867 – Louise, Princess Royal of England (d. 1931)
    • 1870 – Jay Johnson Morrow, American engineer and politician, 3rd Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (d. 1937)
    • 1874 – Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (d. 1967)
    • 1879 – Hod Stuart, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1907)
    • 1880 – Jacques d’Adelswärd-Fersen, French author and poet (d. 1923)
    • 1882 – Elie Nadelman, Polish-American sculptor (d. 1946)
    • 1887 – Vincent Massey, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor General of Canada (d. 1967)
    • 1888 – Georges Bernanos, French soldier and author (d. 1948)
    • 1889 – Hulusi Behçet, Turkish dermatologist and physician (d. 1948)
    • 1893 – Elizabeth Holloway Marston, American psychologist and author (d. 1993)
    • 1895 – Louis Zborowski, English race car driver and engineer (d. 1924)
    • 1897 – Ivan Albright, American painter (d. 1983)
    • 1898 – Ante Ciliga, Croatian politician, writer and publisher (d. 1992)
    • 1899 – Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1992)
    • 1901 – René Dubos, French-American biologist and author (d. 1982)
    • 1901 – Louis Kahn, American architect, designed the Salk Institute, the Kimbell Art Museum and the Bangladesh Parliament Building (d. 1974)
    • 1901 – Muhammad Naguib, Egyptian general and politician, 1st President of Egypt (d. 1984)
    • 1901 – Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th Chief Minister of Madras Presidency (d. 1978)
    • 1902 – Ansel Adams, American photographer and environmentalist (d. 1984)
    • 1904 – Alexei Kosygin, Russian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 1980)
    • 1906 – Gale Gordon, American actor (d. 1995)
    • 1912 – Pierre Boulle, French soldier and author (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – Johnny Checketts, New Zealand flying ace of the Second World War (d. 2006)
    • 1913 – Tommy Henrich, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2009)
    • 1914 – John Charles Daly, South African–American journalist and game show host (d. 1991)
    • 1916 – Jean Erdman, American dancer and choreographer
    • 1918 – Leonore Annenberg, American businesswoman and diplomat (d. 2009)
    • 1919 – James O’Meara, English soldier and pilot (d. 1974)
    • 1920 – Karl Albrecht, German businessman, co-founded Aldi (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Buddy Rogers, American wrestler (d. 1992)
    • 1923 – Victor G. Atiyeh, American businessman and politician, 32nd Governor of Oregon (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Forbes Burnham, Guyanese lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Guyana (d. 1985)
    • 1923 – Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress (d. 2004)
    • 1924 – Gloria Vanderbilt, American actress, fashion designer, and socialite (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Robert Altman, American director and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1925 – Tochinishiki Kiyotaka, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 44th Yokozuna (d. 1990)
    • 1926 – Matthew Bucksbaum, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded General Growth Properties (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Gillian Lynne, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Richard Matheson, American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Bob Richards, American Olympic track and field athlete
    • 1926 – María de la Purísima Salvat Romero, Spanish Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (d. 1998)
    • 1927 – Roy Cohn, American lawyer and political activist (d. 1986)
    • 1927 – Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban singer and musician (d. 2005)
    • 1927 – Sidney Poitier, Bahamian-American actor, director, and diplomat
    • 1928 – Roy Face, American baseball player and carpenter
    • 1928 – Jean Kennedy Smith, American diplomat, 25th United States Ambassador to Ireland
    • 1929 – Amanda Blake, American actress (d. 1989)
    • 1931 – John Milnor, American mathematician and academic
    • 1932 – Adrian Cristobal, Filipino journalist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Bobby Unser, American race car driver
    • 1935 – Ellen Gilchrist, American novelist, short story writer, and poet
    • 1936 – Marj Dusay, American actress (d. 2020)
    • 1936 – Larry Hovis, American actor and singer (d. 2003)
    • 1936 – Shigeo Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and coach
    • 1937 – David Ackles, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1999)
    • 1937 – Robert Huber, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1937 – Roger Penske, American race car driver and businessman
    • 1937 – Robert Evans, Australian minister and amateur astronomer
    • 1937 – Nancy Wilson, American singer and actress (d. 2018)
    • 1938 – Richard Beymer, American actor, director, and cinematographer
    • 1940 – Jimmy Greaves, English international footballer, forward and TV pundit
    • 1941 – Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian lawyer and politician
    • 1941 – Buffy Sainte-Marie, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1942 – Phil Esposito, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
    • 1942 – Mitch McConnell, American lawyer, and politician
    • 1942 – Claude Miller, French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
    • 1943 – Antonio Inoki, Japanese wrestler, mixed martial artist, and politician
    • 1943 – Mike Leigh, English director and screenwriter
    • 1944 – Robert de Cotret, Canadian economist and politician, 56th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1999)
    • 1944 – Lew Soloff, American trumpet player, composer, and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1944 – Willem van Hanegem, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1945 – Alan Hull, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995)
    • 1946 – Brenda Blethyn, English actress
    • 1946 – Sandy Duncan, American actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1946 – J. Geils, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
    • 1947 – Peter Osgood, English footballer (d. 2006)
    • 1947 – Peter Strauss, American actor and producer
    • 1948 – Pierre Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Jennifer O’Neill, American model and actress
    • 1949 – Eddie Hemmings, English cricketer
    • 1949 – Ivana Trump, Czech-American socialite and model
    • 1950 – Walter Becker, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2017)
    • 1950 – Peter Marinello, Scottish footballer, forward
    • 1950 – Tony Wilson, English journalist and businessman (d. 2007)
    • 1951 – Edward Albert, American actor (d. 2006)
    • 1951 – Gordon Brown, Scottish historian and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
    • 1951 – Randy California, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1997)
    • 1951 – Phil Neal, English footballer and manager
    • 1953 – Poison Ivy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1954 – Jon Brant, American bass player
    • 1954 – Anthony Head, English actor
    • 1954 – Patty Hearst, American actress and author
    • 1957 – Glen Hanlon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1959 – Scott Brayton, American race car driver (d. 1996)
    • 1959 – David Corn, American journalist and author
    • 1959 – Bill Gullickson, American baseball player
    • 1960 – Joel Hodgson, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Cándido Muatetema Rivas, Equatoguinean politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (d. 2014)
    • 1961 – Steve Lundquist, American swimmer
    • 1962 – Dwayne McDuffie, American author, screenwriter, and producer, co-founded Milestone Media (d. 2011)
    • 1963 – Charles Barkley, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Ian Brown, English singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1963 – Joakim Nystrom, Swedish tennis player
    • 1963 – Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Health
    • 1963 – Cui Yongyuan, Chinese former anchor
    • 1964 – Willie Garson, American actor and director
    • 1964 – Tom Harris, Scottish journalist and politician
    • 1964 – Jeff Maggert, American golfer
    • 1964 – French Stewart, American actor
    • 1966 – Cindy Crawford, American model and businesswoman
    • 1967 – Paul Accola, Swiss alpine skier
    • 1967 – Kurt Cobain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1994)
    • 1967 – David Herman, American comedian and actor
    • 1967 – Andrew Shue, American actor and activist, founded Do Something
    • 1967 – Lili Taylor, American actress
    • 1967 – Tom Waddle, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Kjell Ove Hauge, Norwegian school principal and track and field athlete
    • 1969 – Siniša Mihajlović, Serbian footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Danis Tanović, Bosnian director and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Calpernia Addams, American actress, author, and activist
    • 1971 – Jari Litmanen, Finnish footballer
    • 1971 – Joost van der Westhuizen, South African rugby player (d. 2017)
    • 1972 – Neil Primrose, Scottish drummer
    • 1974 – Karim Bagheri, Iranian footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Liván Hernández, Cuban baseball player
    • 1975 – Brian Littrell, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1975 – Niclas Wallin, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1977 – Stephon Marbury, American basketball player
    • 1977 – Gail Kim, Canadian professional wrestler
    • 1978 – Lauren Ambrose, American actress and producer
    • 1980 – Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby player
    • 1980 – Luis Gabriel Rey, Colombian footballer
    • 1981 – Tony Hibbert, English footballer
    • 1981 – Fred Jackson, American football player
    • 1982 – Jason Hirsh, American baseball player
    • 1983 – Jose Morales, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
    • 1983 – Justin Verlander, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Brian McCann, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Trevor Noah, South African comedian, actor, and television host
    • 1984 – Ramzee Robinson, American football player
    • 1985 – Ryan Sweeney, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Julia Volkova, Russian singer and actress
    • 1985 – TJ Kirk, American YouTube personality and podcast host
    • 1987 – Luke Burgess, English rugby league player
    • 1987 – Miles Teller, American actor
    • 1988 – Kealoha Pilares, American football player
    • 1988 – Ki Bo-bae, South Korean archer
    • 1988 – Rihanna, Barbadian-American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1988 – Jiah Khan, Indian singer and actress (d. 2013)
    • 1989 – Daly Cherry-Evans, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Ciro Immobile, Italian footballer
    • 1991 – Hidilyn Diaz, Filipino weightlifter
    • 1991 – Giovanni Kyeremateng, Italian footballer
    • 1991 – Angelique van der Meet, Dutch tennis player
    • 1991 – Antonio Pedroza, English-Mexican footballer
    • 1991 – Jocelyn Rae, English-Scottish tennis player
    • 1992 – Kyle Turner, Australian rugby league player
    • 1994 – Elseid Hysaj, Albanian footballer

    Deaths on February 20

    • 789 – Leo of Catania, saint and bishop of Catania (b. 709)
    • 922 – Theodora, Byzantine empress
    • 1054 – Yaroslav the Wise, grand prince of Veliky Novgorod and Kiev (b. 978)
    • 1154 – Saint Wulfric of Haselbury (b. c. 1080)
    • 1171 – Conan IV, Duke of Brittany (b. 1138)
    • 1194 – Tancred, King of Sicily (b. 1138)
    • 1258 – Al-Musta’sim, Iraqi caliph (b. 1213)
    • 1408 – Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (b. 1342)
    • 1431 – Pope Martin V (b. 1368)
    • 1458 – Lazar Branković, Despot of Serbia
    • 1513 – King John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (b. 1455)
    • 1524 – Tecun Uman, Mayan ruler (b. 1500)
    • 1579 – Nicholas Bacon, English politician (b. 1509)
    • 1618 – Philip William, Prince of Orange (b. 1554)
    • 1626 – John Dowland, English lute player and composer (b. 1563)
    • 1762 – Tobias Mayer, German astronomer and academic (b. 1723)
    • 1771 – Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan, French geophysicist and astronomer (b. 1678)
    • 1773 – Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (b. 1701)
    • 1778 – Laura Bassi, Italian physicist and scholar (b. 1711)
    • 1790 – Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1741)
    • 1806 – Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-American general and politician (b. 1725)
    • 1810 – Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean rebel leader (b. 1767)
    • 1850 – Valentín Canalizo, Mexican general and politician. 14th President (1843–1844) (b. 1794)
    • 1862 – William Wallace Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1850)
    • 1871 – Paul Kane, Irish-Canadian painter (b. 1810)
    • 1893 – P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (b. 1818)
    • 1895 – Frederick Douglass, American author and activist (b. 1818)
    • 1900 – Washakie, American tribal leader (b. 1798)
    • 1907 – Henri Moissan, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
    • 1910 – Boutros Ghali, Egyptian educator and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1846)
    • 1916 – Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish journalist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1844)
    • 1920 – Jacinta Marto, Portuguese saint (b. 1910)
    • 1920 – Robert Peary, American admiral and explorer (b. 1856)
    • 1933 – Takiji Kobayashi, Japanese writer (b. 1903)
    • 1936 – Max Schreck, German actor (b. 1879)
    • 1957 – Sadri Maksudi Arsal, Turkish scholar and politician (b. 1878)
    • 1961 – Percy Grainger, Australian-American pianist and composer (b. 1882)
    • 1963 – Jacob Gade, Danish violinist and composer(b. 1879)
    • 1966 – Chester W. Nimitz, American admiral (b. 1885)
    • 1968 – Anthony Asquith, English director and screenwriter (b. 1902)
    • 1969 – Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (b. 1883)
    • 1972 – Maria Goeppert-Mayer, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 1972 – Walter Winchell, American journalist and actor (b. 1897)
    • 1976 – René Cassin, French lawyer and judge, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
    • 1976 – Kathryn Kuhlman, healing evangelist, known for belief in Holy Spirit (b. 1907)
    • 1981 – Nicolas de Gunzburg, French-American banker and publisher (b. 1904)
    • 1987 – Wayne Boring, American illustrator (b. 1905)
    • 1992 – A. J. Casson, Canadian painter (b. 1898)
    • 1992 – Dick York, American actor (b. 1928)
    • 1993 – Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian businessman, founded Lamborghini (b. 1916)
    • 1993 – Ernest L. Massad, American general (b. 1908)
    • 1996 – Solomon Asch, American psychologist and academic (b. 1907)
    • 1996 – Audrey Munson, American model (b. 1891)
    • 1996 – Toru Takemitsu, Japanese pianist, guitarist, and composer (b. 1930)
    • 1999 – Sarah Kane, English playwright (b. 1971)
    • 1999 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and critic (b. 1946)
    • 2000 – Anatoly Sobchak, Russian lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Saint Petersburg (b. 1937)
    • 2001 – Rosemary DeCamp, American actress (b. 1910)
    • 2001 – Donella Meadows, American environmentalist, author, and academic (b. 1941)
    • 2003 – Mushaf Ali Mir, Pakistani air marshal (b. 1947)
    • 2003 – Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and author (b. 1907)
    • 2003 – Orville Freeman, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 29th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1918)
    • 2005 – Sandra Dee, American actress (b. 1942)
    • 2005 – Josef Holeček, Czechoslovakian canoeist (b. 1921)2005 – John Raitt, American actor and singer (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (b. 1937)
    • 2006 – Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
    • 2006 – Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (b. 1920)
    • 2008 – Emily Perry, English actress and dancer (b. 1907)
    • 2009 – Larry H. Miller, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1944)
    • 2010 – Alexander Haig, American general and politician, 59th United States Secretary of State (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Knut Torbjørn Eggen, Norwegian footballer and manager (b. 1960)
    • 2012 – Katie Hall, American educator and politician (b. 1938)
    • 2013 – Kenji Eno, Japanese game designer and composer (b. 1970)
    • 2013 – David S. McKay, American biochemist and geologist (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Antonio Roma, Argentinian footballer (b. 1932)
    • 2014 – Rafael Addiego Bruno, Uruguayan jurist and politician, President of Uruguay (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Walter D. Ehlers, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Garrick Utley, American journalist (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Govind Pansare, Indian author and activist (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Henry Segerstrom, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – John C. Willke, American physician, author, and activist (b. 1925)
    • 2016 – Fernando Cardenal, Nicaraguan priest and politician (b. 1934)
    • 2017 – Vitaly Churkin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United Nations (b. 1952)
    • 2017 – Mildred Dresselhaus, American physicist (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Steve Hewlett, British journalist (b. 1958)
    • 2020 – Joaquim Pina Moura, Portuguese Minister of Economy and Treasury and MP

    Holidays and observances on February 20

    • Christian feast day:
      • Eleutherius of Tournai
      • Eucherius of Orléans
      • Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto
      • Frederick Douglass (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Wulfric of Haselbury
      • February 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of Heavenly Hundred Heroes (Ukraine)
    • World Day of Social Justice