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July 25 in History
- 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops.
- 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I’s victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge.
- 677 – Climax of the Siege of Thessalonica by the Slavs in a three-day assault on the city walls.
- 864 – The Edict of Pistres of Charles the Bald orders defensive measures against the Vikings.
- 1137 – Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Prince Louis, later King Louis VII of France, at the Cathedral of Saint-André in Bordeaux.
- 1139 – Battle of Ourique: The Almoravids, led by Ali ibn Yusuf, are defeated by Prince Afonso Henriques who is proclaimed King of Portugal.
- 1261 – The city of Constantinople is recaptured by Nicaean forces under the command of Alexios Strategopoulos, re-establishing the Byzantine Empire.
- 1278 – The naval Battle of Algeciras takes place in the context of the Spanish Reconquista resulting in a victory for the Emirate of Granada and the Maranid Dynasty over the Kingdom of Castile.
- 1467 – The Battle of Molinella: The first battle in Italy in which firearms are used extensively.
- 1536 – Sebastián de Belalcázar on his search of El Dorado founds the city of Santiago de Cali.
- 1538 – The city of Guayaquil is founded by the Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana and given the name Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil.
- 1547 – Henry II of France is crowned.
- 1554 – Mary I marries Philip II of Spain at Winchester Cathedral.
- 1567 – Don Diego de Losada founds the city of Santiago de Leon de Caracas, modern-day Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela.
- 1593 – Henry IV of France publicly converts from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism.
- 1603 – James VI of Scotland is crowned king of England (James I of England), bringing the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into personal union. Political union would occur in 1707.
- 1609 – The English ship Sea Venture, en route to Virginia, is deliberately driven ashore during a storm at Bermuda to prevent its sinking; the survivors go on to found a new colony there.
- 1693 – Ignacio de Maya founds the Real Santiago de las Sabinas, now known as Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Mexico.
- 1722 – Dummer’s War begins along the Maine-Massachusetts border.
- 1755 – British governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council order the deportation of the Acadians.
- 1759 – French and Indian War: In Western New York, British forces capture Fort Niagara from the French, who subsequently abandon Fort Rouillé.
- 1783 – American Revolutionary War: The war’s last action, the Siege of Cuddalore, is ended by a preliminary peace agreement.
- 1788 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completes his Symphony No. 40 in G minor (K550).
- 1792 – The Brunswick Manifesto is issued to the population of Paris promising vengeance if the French royal family is harmed.
- 1797 – Horatio Nelson loses more than 300 men and his right arm during the failed conquest attempt of Tenerife (Spain).
- 1799 – At Abu Qir in Egypt, Napoleon I of France defeats 10,000 Ottomans under Mustafa Pasha.
- 1814 – War of 1812: An American attack on Canada is repulsed.
- 1824 – Costa Rica annexes Guanacaste from Nicaragua.
- 1837 – The first commercial use of an electrical telegraph is successfully demonstrated in London by William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone.
- 1853 – Joaquin Murrieta, the famous Californio bandit known as the “Robin Hood of El Dorado”, is killed.
- 1861 – American Civil War: The United States Congress passes the Crittenden–Johnson Resolution, stating that the war is being fought to preserve the Union and not to end slavery.
- 1866 – The United States Congress passes legislation authorizing the rank of General of the Army. Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant becomes the first to be promoted to this rank.
- 1868 – The Wyoming Territory is established.
- 1869 – The Japanese daimyōs begin returning their land holdings to the emperor as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms. (Traditional Japanese Date: June 17, 1869).
- 1894 – The First Sino-Japanese War begins when the Japanese fire upon a Chinese warship.
- 1898 – In the Puerto Rican Campaign, the United States seizes Puerto Rico from Spain.
- 1908 – Ajinomoto is founded. Kikunae Ikeda of the Tokyo Imperial University discovers that a key ingredient in kombu soup stock is monosodium glutamate (MSG), and patents a process for manufacturing it.
- 1909 – Louis Blériot makes the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air machine from Calais to Dover, England, United Kingdom in 37 minutes.
- 1915 – RFC Captain Lanoe Hawker becomes the first British pursuit aviator to earn the Victoria Cross.
- 1917 – Sir Robert Borden introduces the first income tax in Canada as a “temporary” measure (lowest bracket is 4% and highest is 25%).
- 1925 – Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) is established.
- 1934 – The Nazis assassinate Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss in a failed coup attempt.
- 1940 – General Henri Guisan orders the Swiss Army to resist German invasion and makes surrender illegal.
- 1942 – The Norwegian Manifesto calls for nonviolent resistance to the German occupation.
- 1943 – World War II: Benito Mussolini is forced out of office by the Grand Council of Fascism and is replaced by Pietro Badoglio.
- 1944 – World War II: Operation Spring is one of the bloodiest days for the First Canadian Army during the war.
- 1946 – Nuclear weapons testing: Operation Crossroads: An atomic bomb is detonated underwater in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll.
- 1956 – Forty-five miles south of Nantucket Island, the Italian ocean liner SS Andrea Doria collides with the MS Stockholm in heavy fog and sinks the next day, killing 51.
- 1957 – The Republic of Tunisia is proclaimed, under President Habib Bourguiba.
- 1958 – The African Regroupment Party (PRA) holds its first congress in Cotonou.
- 1961 – Cold War: In a speech John F. Kennedy emphasizes that any attack on Berlin is an attack on NATO.
- 1965 – Bob Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival, signaling a major change in folk and rock music.
- 1969 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon declares the Nixon Doctrine, stating that the United States now expects its Asian allies to take care of their own military defense. This is the start of the “Vietnamization” of the war.
- 1973 – Soviet Mars 5 space probe is launched.
- 1976 – Viking program: Viking 1 takes the famous Face on Mars photo.
- 1978 – Puerto Rican police shoot two nationalists in the Cerro Maravilla murders.
- 1978 – Birth of Louise Joy Brown, the first human to have been born after conception by in vitro fertilisation, or IVF.
- 1979 – Another section of the Sinai Peninsula is peacefully returned by Israel to Egypt.
- 1983 – Black July: Thirty-seven Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by the fellow Sinhalese prisoners.
- 1984 – Salyut 7 cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya becomes the first woman to perform a space walk.
- 1993 – Israel launches a massive attack against Lebanon in what the Israelis call Operation Accountability, and the Lebanese call the Seven-Day War.
- 1993 – The Saint James Church massacre occurs in Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa.
- 1994 – Israel and Jordan sign the Washington Declaration, that formally ends the state of war that had existed between the nations since 1948.
- 1995 – A gas bottle explodes in Saint Michel station of line B of the RER (Paris regional train network). Eight are killed and 80 wounded.
- 1996 – In a military coup in Burundi, Pierre Buyoya deposes Sylvestre Ntibantunganya.
- 2000 – Concorde Air France Flight 4590 crashes at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, killing 113 people.
- 2007 – Pratibha Patil is sworn in as India’s first female president.
- 2010 – WikiLeaks publishes classified documents about the War in Afghanistan, one of the largest leaks in U.S. military history.
- 2018 – As-Suwayda attacks: Coordinated attacks occur in Syria.
- 2019 – National extreme heat records set this day in the UK, Belgium and Germany during the July 2019 European heatwave.
Births on July 25
- 975 – Thietmar, bishop of Merseburg (d. 1018)
- 1016 – Casimir I the Restorer, duke of Poland (d. 1058)
- 1109 – Afonso I, king of Portugal (d. 1185)
- 1165 – Ibn Arabi, Andalusian Sufi mystic, poet, and philosopher (d. 1240)
- 1261 – Arthur II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1312)
- 1291 – Hawys Gadarn, Welsh noblewoman (d. 1353)
- 1336 – Albert I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1404)
- 1394 – James I, king of Scotland (d. 1437)
- 1404 – Philip I, Duke of Brabant (d. 1430)
- 1421 – Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, English politician (d. 1461)
- 1450 – Jakob Wimpfeling, Renaissance humanist (d. 1528)
- 1486 – Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1547)
- 1498 – Hernando de Aragón, Archbishop of Zaragoza (d. 1575)
- 1532 – Alphonsus Rodriguez, Jesuit lay brother and saint (d. 1617)
- 1556 – George Peele, English translator, poet, and dramatist (d. 1596)
- 1562 – Katō Kiyomasa, Japanese warlord (d. 1611)
- 1573 – Christoph Scheiner, German astronomer and Jesuit (d. 1650)
- 1581 – Brian Twyne, English archivist (d. 1644)
- 1605 – Theodore Haak, German scholar (d. 1690)
- 1633 – Joseph Williamson, English politician (d. 1701)
- 1654 – Agostino Steffani, Italian composer and diplomat (d. 1728)
- 1657 – Philipp Heinrich Erlebach, German composer (d. 1714)
- 1658 – Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll, Scottish general (d. 1703)
- 1683 – Pieter Langendijk, Dutch playwright and poet (d. 1756)
- 1750 – Henry Knox, American general and politician, 1st United States Secretary of War (d. 1806)
- 1753 – Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires, French-Spanish captain and politician, 10th Viceroy of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (d. 1810)
- 1797 – Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1889)
- 1806 – Maria Weston Chapman, American abolitionist (d. 1885)
- 1839 – Francis Garnier, French captain and explorer (d. 1873)
- 1844 – Thomas Eakins, American painter, sculptor, and photographer (d. 1916)
- 1847 – Paul Langerhans, German pathologist, physiologist and biologist (d. 1888)
- 1848 – Arthur Balfour, Scottish-English lieutenant and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1930)
- 1857 – Frank J. Sprague, American naval officer and inventor (d. 1934)
- 1865 – Jac. P. Thijsse, Dutch botanist and conservationist (d. 1945)
- 1866 – Frederick Blackman, English physiologist and academic (d. 1947)
- 1867 – Max Dauthendey, German author and painter (d. 1918)
- 1867 – Alexander Rummler, American painter (d. 1959)
- 1869 – Platon, Estonian bishop and saint (d. 1919)
- 1870 – Maxfield Parrish, American painter and illustrator (d. 1966)
- 1875 – Jim Corbett, Indian hunter, environmentalist, and author (d. 1955)
- 1878 – Masaharu Anesaki, Japanese philosopher and scholar (d. 1949)
- 1882 – George S. Rentz, American commander (d. 1942)
- 1883 – Alfredo Casella, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1947)
- 1886 – Edward Cummins, American golfer (d. 1926)
- 1894 – Walter Brennan, American actor (d. 1974)
- 1894 – Gavrilo Princip, Bosnian Serb revolutionary (d. 1918)
- 1895 – Ingeborg Spangsfeldt, Danish actress (d. 1968)
- 1896 – Jack Perrin, American actor and stuntman (d. 1967)
- 1896 – Josephine Tey, Scottish author and playwright (d. 1952)
- 1901 – Ruth Krauss, American author and poet (d. 1993)
- 1901 – Mohammed Helmy, Egyptian physician and Righteous Among the Nations (d.1982)
- 1901 – Lila Lee, American actress and singer (d. 1973)
- 1902 – Eric Hoffer, American philosopher and author (d. 1983)
- 1905 – Elias Canetti, Bulgarian-Swiss novelist, playwright, and memoirist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
- 1905 – Georges Grignard, French race car driver (d. 1977)
- 1905 – Denys Watkins-Pitchford, English author and illustrator (d. 1990)
- 1906 – Johnny Hodges, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1970)
- 1908 – Bill Bowes, English cricketer (d. 1987)
- 1908 – Ambroise-Marie Carré, French priest and author (d. 2004)
- 1908 – Jack Gilford, American actor (d. 1990)
- 1914 – Woody Strode, American football player and actor (d. 1994)
- 1915 – S. U. Ethirmanasingham, Sri Lankan businessman and politician
- 1915 – Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., American lieutenant and pilot (d. 1944)
- 1916 – Lucien Saulnier, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1989)
- 1917 – Fritz Honegger, Swiss lawyer and politician (d. 1999)
- 1918 – Jane Frank, American painter and sculptor (d. 1986)
- 1920 – Rosalind Franklin, English biophysicist, chemist, and academic (d. 1958)
- 1921 – Adolph Herseth, American soldier and trumpet player (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Lionel Terray, French mountaineer (d. 1965)
- 1923 – Estelle Getty, American actress (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Edgar Gilbert, American mathematician and theorist (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Maria Gripe, Swedish journalist and author (d. 2007)
- 1924 – Frank Church, American lawyer and politician (d. 1984)
- 1924 – Scotch Taylor, South African cricketer and hockey player (d. 2004)
- 1925 – Benny Benjamin, American R&B drummer (The Funk Brothers) (d. 1969)
- 1925 – Jerry Paris, American actor and director (d. 1986)
- 1925 – Dick Passwater, American race car driver
- 1925 – Jutta Zilliacus, Finnish journalist and politician
- 1926 – Whitey Lockman, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2009)
- 1926 – Bernard Thompson, British television producer and director (d. 1998)
- 1926 – Beatriz Segall, Brazilian actress (d. 2018)
- 1927 – Daniel Ceccaldi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1927 – Midge Decter, American journalist and author
- 1927 – Sadiq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani politician, 10th Governor of Punjab (d. 2000)
- 1927 – Jean-Marie Seroney, Kenyan activist and politician (d. 1982)
- 1928 – Dolphy, Filipino actor, singer, and producer (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Mario Montenegro, Filipino actor (d. 1988)
- 1928 – Nils Taube, Estonian-English businessman (d. 2008)
- 1929 – Judd Buchanan, Canadian businessman and politician, 36th Canadian Minister of Public Works
- 1929 – Somnath Chatterjee, Indian lawyer and politician, 14th Speaker of the Lok Sabha (d. 2018)
- 1929 – Eddie Mazur, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1995)
- 1930 – Murray Chapple, New Zealand cricketer and manager (d. 1985)
- 1930 – Maureen Forrester, Canadian actress and singer (d. 2010)
- 1930 – Alice Parizeau, Polish-Canadian journalist and criminologist (d. 1990)
- 1930 – Herbert Scarf, American economist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Annie Ross, Scottish-American singer and actress
- 1931 – James Butler, English sculptor and educator
- 1932 – Paul J. Weitz, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2017)
- 1934 – Don Ellis, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1978)
- 1934 – Claude Zidi, French director and screenwriter
- 1935 – Barbara Harris, American actress and singer (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Adnan Khashoggi, Saudi Arabian businessman (d. 2017)
- 1935 – Gilbert Parent, Canadian educator and politician, 33rd Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (d. 2009)
- 1935 – John Robinson, American football player and coach
- 1935 – Larry Sherry, American baseball player and coach (d. 2006)
- 1935 – Lars Werner, Swedish lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Gerry Ashmore, English race car driver
- 1936 – Glenn Murcutt, English-Australian architect and academic
- 1937 – Colin Renfrew, Baron Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, English archaeologist and academic
- 1940 – Richard Ballantine, American-English journalist and author (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Manny Charlton, Spanish-born Scottish rock musician and songwriter
- 1941 – Nate Thurmond, American basketball player (d. 2016)
- 1941 – Emmett Till, American lynching victim (d. 1955)
- 1942 – Bruce Woodley, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Jim McCarty, English singer and drummer
- 1943 – Erika Steinbach, Polish-German politician
- 1944 – Sally Beauman, English journalist and author (d. 2016)
- 1946 – José Areas, Nicaraguan drummer
- 1946 – Nicole Farhi, French fashion designer and sculptor
- 1946 – John Gibson, American radio host
- 1946 – Rita Marley, Cuban-Jamaican singer
- 1946 – P. Selvarasa, Sri Lankan politician
- 1946 – Ljupka Dimitrovska, Macedonian-Croatian pop singer (d. 2016)
- 1948 – Steve Goodman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1984)
- 1950 – Mark Clarke, English singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1951 – Jack Thompson, American lawyer and activist
- 1951 – Verdine White, American bass player and producer
- 1952 – Eduardo Souto de Moura, Portuguese architect, designed the Estádio Municipal de Braga
- 1953 – Joseph A. Tunzi, Chicago based author, foremost expert on Elvis Presley
- 1953 – Robert Zoellick, American banker and politician, 14th United States Deputy Secretary of State
- 1954 – Ken Greer, Canadian guitarist, keyboard player, and producer
- 1954 – Sheena McDonald, Scottish journalist
- 1954 – Walter Payton, American football player and race car driver (d. 1999)
- 1954 – Jochem Ziegert, German footballer and manager
- 1955 – Iman, Somalian-English model and actress
- 1955 – Randall Bewley, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2009)
- 1956 – Andy Goldsworthy, English-Scottish sculptor and photographer
- 1956 – Frances Arnold, American scientist and engineer
- 1957 – Mark Hunter, English politician
- 1957 – Steve Podborski, Canadian skier
- 1958 – Alexei Filippenko, American astrophysicist and academic
- 1958 – Thurston Moore, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1959 – Fyodor Cherenkov, Russian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1959 – Geoffrey Zakarian, American chef and author
- 1960 – Alain Robidoux, Canadian snooker player
- 1960 – Justice Howard, American photographer
- 1960 – Māris Martinsons, Latvian film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor
- 1962 – Carin Bakkum, Dutch tennis player
- 1962 – Doug Drabek, American baseball player and coach
- 1963 – Denis Coderre, Canadian politician, 44th Mayor of Montreal
- 1963 – Julian Hodgson, Welsh chess player
- 1964 – Anne Applebaum, American journalist and author
- 1964 – Tony Granato, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1964 – Breuk Iversen, American designer and journalist
- 1965 – Marty Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1965 – Illeana Douglas, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Dale Shearer, Australian rugby league player
- 1966 – Daryl Halligan, New Zealand rugby player and sportscaster
- 1966 – Maureen Herman, American bass player
- 1966 – Diana Johnson, English politician
- 1967 – Matt LeBlanc, American actor and producer
- 1967 – Ruth Peetoom, Dutch minister and politician
- 1967 – Tommy Skjerven, Norwegian footballer and referee
- 1968 – Rudi Bryson, South African cricketer
- 1968 – Shi Tao, Chinese journalist and poet
- 1969 – Jon Barry, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1969 – Annastacia Palaszczuk, Australian politician, 39th Premier of Queensland
- 1971 – Roger Creager, American singer-songwriter
- 1971 – Tracy Murray, American basketball player
- 1971 – Billy Wagner, American baseball player and coach
- 1972 – David Penna, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1973 – Dani Filth, English singer-songwriter
- 1973 – Kevin Phillips, English footballer
- 1973 – Igli Tare, Albanian footballer
- 1974 – Lauren Faust, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Julia Laffranque, Estonian lawyer and judge
- 1974 – Kenzo Suzuki, Japanese rugby player and wrestler
- 1975 – Jody Craddock, English footballer and coach
- 1975 – Jean-Claude Darcheville, Guianan-French footballer
- 1975 – El Zorro, Mexican wrestler
- 1975 – Brian Gibson, American bass player
- 1975 – Evgeni Nabokov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1976 – Marcos Assunção, Brazilian footballer
- 1976 – Jovica Tasevski-Eternijan, Macedonian poet and critic
- 1976 – Javier Vázquez, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
- 1977 – Kenny Thomas, American basketball player
- 1978 – Gerard Warren, American football player
- 1978 – Louise Brown, first human to be born via IVF
- 1979 – Ali Carter, English snooker player
- 1979 – Tom Lungley, English cricketer and umpire
- 1980 – Shawn Riggans, American baseball player
- 1980 – Toni Vilander, Finnish race car driver
- 1980 – David Wachs, American actor and producer
- 1980 – Scott Waldrom, New Zealand rugby player
- 1981 – Conor Casey, American soccer player
- 1981 – Constantinos Charalambidis, Cypriot footballer
- 1981 – Yūichi Komano, Japanese footballer
- 1981 – Mac Lethal, American rapper and producer
- 1981 – Jani Rita, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1982 – Brad Renfro, American actor and musician (d. 2008)
- 1982 – Jason Dundas, Australian TV host
- 1983 – Nenad Krstić, Serbian basketball player
- 1984 – Loukas Mavrokefalidis, Greek basketball player
- 1985 – James Lafferty, American actor and athlete
- 1985 – Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazilian race car driver
- 1985 – Hugo Rodallega, Colombian footballer
- 1986 – Abraham Gneki Guié, Ivorian footballer
- 1986 – Hulk, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 – Richard Bachman, American ice hockey player
- 1987 – Mitchell Burgzorg, Dutch footballer and rapper
- 1987 – Fernando, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 – Jax Jones, English DJ, singer and songwriter
- 1987 – Eran Zahavi, Israeli footballer
- 1988 – John Goossens, Dutch footballer
- 1988 – Tom Hiariej, Dutch footballer
- 1988 – Stacey Kemp, English skater
- 1988 – Paulinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 – Anthony Stokes, Irish footballer
- 1989 – Natalia Vieru, Russian basketball player
- 1990 – Thodoris Karapetsas, Greek footballer
- 1991 – Toni Duggan, English footballer
- 1992 – Sergei Simonov, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2016)
- 1997 – Nat Butcher, Australian rugby league player
Deaths on July 25
- 306 – Constantius Chlorus, Roman emperor (b. 250)
- 885 – Ragenold, margrave of Neustria
- 1011 – Ichijō, emperor of Japan (b. 980)
- 1190 – Sibylla, queen of Jerusalem
- 1409 – Martin I, king of Sicily (b. 1376)
- 1471 – Thomas à Kempis, German priest and mystic
- 1472 – Charles of Artois, French nobleman (b. 1394)
- 1492 – Innocent VIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1432)
- 1564 – Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1503)
- 1572 – Isaac Luria, Ottoman rabbi and mystic (b. 1534)
- 1608 – Pomponio Nenna, Italian composer (b. 1556)
- 1616 – Andreas Libavius, German physician and chemist (b. 1550)
- 1643 – Robert Pierrepont, 1st Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull, English general and politician (b. 1584)
- 1681 – Urian Oakes, English-American minister and educator (b. 1631)
- 1790 – Johann Bernhard Basedow, German educator and reformer (b. 1723)
- 1790 – William Livingston, American soldier and politician, 1st Governor of New Jersey (b. 1723)
- 1791 – Isaac Low, American merchant and politician (b. 1735)
- 1794 – André Chénier, Greek-French poet and author (b. 1762)
- 1794 – Jean-Antoine Roucher, French poet and author (b. 1745)
- 1794 – Friedrich von der Trenck, Prussian adventurer and author (b. 1726)
- 1826 – Kondraty Ryleyev, Russian poet and publisher (b. 1795)
- 1831 – Maria Szymanowska, Polish composer and pianist (b. 1789)
- 1834 – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English philosopher, poet, and critic (b. 1772)
- 1842 – Dominique Jean Larrey, French physician and surgeon (b. 1766)
- 1843 – Charles Macintosh, Scottish chemist and engineer (b. 1766)
- 1861 – Jonas Furrer, Swiss lawyer and politician, President of the Swiss Confederation (b. 1805)
- 1865 – James Barry, English soldier and surgeon (b. 1799)
- 1887 – John Taylor, American religious leader, 3rd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1808)
- 1934 – François Coty, French businessman, founded Coty, Inc. (b. 1874)
- 1934 – Engelbert Dollfuss, Austrian politician, 14th Chancellor of Austria (b. 1892)
- 1942 – Fred Englehardt, American triple jumper (b. 1879)
- 1952 – Herbert Murrill, English organist and composer (b. 1909)
- 1958 – Otto Lasanen, Finnish wrestler (b. 1891)
- 1959 – Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, Polish-born Irish rabbi and author (b. 1888)
- 1962 – Thibaudeau Rinfret, Canadian lawyer and jurist, 9th Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1879)
- 1963 – Ugo Cerletti, Italian neurologist and academic (b. 1877)
- 1966 – Frank O’Hara, American poet and critic (b. 1926)
- 1967 – Konstantinos Parthenis, Egyptian-Greek painter (b. 1878)
- 1971 – John Meyers, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1880)
- 1971 – Leroy Robertson, American composer and educator (b. 1896)
- 1973 – Amy Jacques Garvey, Jamaican-American journalist and activist (b. 1895)
- 1973 – Louis St. Laurent, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1882)
- 1980 – Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1938)
- 1981 – Rosa A. González, Puerto Rican nurse, author, feminist, and activist (b. 1889)
- 1982 – Hal Foster, Canadian-American author and illustrator (b. 1892)
- 1984 – Bryan Hextall, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1913)
- 1984 – Big Mama Thornton, American singer-songwriter (b. 1926)
- 1986 – Vincente Minnelli, American director and screenwriter (b. 1903)
- 1988 – Judith Barsi, American child actress (b. 1978)
- 1989 – Steve Rubell, American businessman, co-owner of Studio 54 (b. 1943)
- 1991 – Lazar Kaganovich, Soviet politician (b. 1893)
- 1992 – Alfred Drake, American actor and singer (b. 1914)
- 1995 – Charlie Rich, American singer-songwriter (b. 1932)
- 1997 – Ben Hogan, American golfer (b. 1912)
- 1998 – Evangelos Papastratos, Greek businessman, co-founded Papastratos (b. 1910)
- 2000 – Rudi Faßnacht, German footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1934)
- 2002 – Abdel Rahman Badawi, Egyptian philosopher and poet (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Ludwig Bölkow, German engineer (b. 1912)
- 2003 – John Schlesinger, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2004 – John Passmore, Australian philosopher and academic (b. 1914)
- 2005 – Albert Mangelsdorff, German trombonist (b. 1928)
- 2006 – Ezra Fleischer, Romanian-Israeli poet and philologist (b. 1928)
- 2007 – Bernd Jakubowski, German footballer and manager (b. 1952)
- 2008 – Jeff Fehring, Australian footballer (b. 1955)
- 2008 – Tracy Hall, American chemist and academic (b. 1919)
- 2008 – Randy Pausch, American computer scientist and educator (b. 1960)
- 2009 – Vernon Forrest, American boxer (b. 1971)
- 2009 – Stanley Middleton, English author (b. 1919)
- 2009 – Harry Patch, English soldier (b. 1898)
- 2011 – Michael Cacoyannis, Cypriot-Greek director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 2012 – B. R. Ishara, Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Barry Langford, English director and producer (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Greg Mohns, American-Canadian football player and coach (b. 1950)
- 2012 – Franz West, Austrian painter and sculptor (b. 1947)
- 2013 – Walter De Maria, American sculptor, illustrator, and composer (b. 1935)
- 2013 – William J. Guste, American lawyer and politician (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Bel Kaufman, German-American author and academic (b. 1911)
- 2014 – Richard Larter, Australian painter and illustrator (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Jacques Andreani, French diplomat, French ambassador to the United States (b. 1929)
- 2015 – R. S. Gavai, Indian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor of Kerala (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Bob Kauffman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Michael Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
- 2018 – Sergio Marchionne, Italian-Canadian businessman(b. 1952)
- 2019 – Beji Caid Essebsi , 4th President and 9th Prime Minister of Tunisia (b. 1926)
Holidays and observances on July 25
- Christian feast day:
- Anne (Eastern Christianity)
- Christopher (Western Christianity)
- Cucuphas
- Glodesind
- James the Great (Western Christianity)
- John I Agnus
- Julian of Le Mans (translation)
- Magnerich of Trier
- July 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while July 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Sunday in July. (Dominican Republic)
- Earliest day on which National Tree Planting Day can fall, while July 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Sunday in July. (Australia)
- Earliest day on which Navy Day can fall, while July 31 is the latest; celebrated on last Sunday in July. (Russia)
- Guanacaste Day (Costa Rica)
- National Baha’i Day (Jamaica)
- National Day of Galicia (Galicia)
- Puerto Rico Constitution Day (Puerto Rico)
- Republic Day (Tunisia)
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July 15 in History
- 484 BC – Dedication of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in ancient Rome
- AD 70 – Titus and his armies breach the walls of Jerusalem. (17th of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar).
- 756 – An Lushan Rebellion: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is ordered by his Imperial Guards to execute chancellor Yang Guozhong by forcing him to commit suicide or face a mutiny. General An Lushan has other members of the emperor’s family killed.
- 1099 – First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final assault of a difficult siege.
- 1149 – The reconstructed Church of the Holy Sepulchre is consecrated in Jerusalem.
- 1207 – King John of England expels Canterbury monks for supporting Archbishop Stephen Langton.
- 1240 – Swedish–Novgorodian Wars: A Novgorodian army led by Alexander Nevsky defeats the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva.
- 1381 – John Ball, a leader in the Peasants’ Revolt, is hanged, drawn, and quartered in the presence of King Richard II of England.
- 1410 – Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War: Battle of Grunwald: The allied forces of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the army of the Teutonic Order.
- 1482 – Muhammad XII is crowned the twenty-second and last Nasrid king of Granada.
- 1738 – Baruch Laibov and Alexander Voznitzin are burned alive in St. Petersburg, Russia. Vonitzin had converted to Judaism with Laibov’s help, with the consent of Empress Anna Ivanovna.
- 1741 – Aleksei Chirikov sights land in Southeast Alaska. He sends men ashore in a longboat, making them the first Europeans to visit Alaska.
- 1789 – Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, is named by acclamation Colonel General of the new National Guard of Paris.
- 1799 – The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign.
- 1806 – Pike Expedition: United States Army Lieutenant Zebulon Pike begins an expedition from Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis, Missouri, to explore the west.
- 1815 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon Bonaparte surrenders aboard HMS Bellerophon.
- 1823 – A fire destroys the ancient Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Italy.
- 1834 – The Spanish Inquisition is officially disbanded after nearly 356 years.
- 1838 – Ralph Waldo Emerson delivers the Divinity School Address at Harvard Divinity School, discounting Biblical miracles and declaring Jesus a great man, but not God. The Protestant community reacts with outrage.
- 1862 – The CSS Arkansas, the most effective ironclad on the Mississippi River, battles with Union ships commanded by Admiral David Farragut, severely damaging three ships and sustaining heavy damage herself. The encounter changed the complexion of warfare on the Mississippi and helped to reverse Rebel fortunes on the river in the summer of 1862.
- 1870 – Reconstruction Era of the United States: Georgia becomes the last of the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union.
- 1870 – Rupert’s Land and the North-Western Territory are transferred to Canada from the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the province of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories are established from these vast territories.
- 1888 – The stratovolcano Mount Bandai erupts killing approximately 500 people, in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
- 1910 – In his book Clinical Psychiatry, Emil Kraepelin gives a name to Alzheimer’s disease, naming it after his colleague Alois Alzheimer.
- 1916 – In Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporate Pacific Aero Products (later renamed Boeing).
- 1918 – World War I: The Second Battle of the Marne begins near the River Marne with a German attack.
- 1920 – The Polish Parliament establishes Silesian Voivodeship before the Polish-German plebiscite.
- 1922 – Japanese Communist Party is established in Japan.
- 1927 – Massacre of July 15, 1927: Eighty-nine protesters are killed by the Austrian police in Vienna.
- 1946 – State of North Borneo, today in Sabah, Malaysia, annexed by the United Kingdom.
- 1954 – First flight of the Boeing 367-80, prototype for both the Boeing 707 and C-135 series.
- 1955 – Eighteen Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by thirty-four others.
- 1959 – The steel strike of 1959 begins, leading to significant importation of foreign steel for the first time in United States history.
- 1966 – Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnam begin Operation Hastings to push the North Vietnamese out of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone.
- 1971 – The United Red Army is founded in Japan.
- 1974 – In Nicosia, Cyprus, Greek junta-sponsored nationalists launch a coup d’état, deposing President Makarios and installing Nikos Sampson as Cypriot president.
- 1975 – Space Race: Apollo–Soyuz Test Project features the dual launch of an Apollo spacecraft and a Soyuz spacecraft on the first joint Soviet-United States human-crewed flight. It was both the last launch of an Apollo spacecraft, and the Saturn family of rockets.
- 1979 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter gives his “malaise speech”.
- 1983 – An attack at Orly Airport in Paris is launched by Armenian militant organisation ASALA, leaving eight people dead and 55 injured.
- 1996 – A Belgian Air Force C-130 Hercules carrying the Royal Netherlands Army marching band crashes on landing at Eindhoven Airport.
- 1998 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil MP S. Shanmuganathan is killed by a claymore mine.
- 2002 – “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh pleads guilty to supplying aid to the enemy and to possession of explosives during the commission of a felony.
- 2002 – Anti-Terrorism Court of Pakistan hands down the death sentence to British born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and life terms to three others suspected of murdering The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
- 2003 – AOL Time Warner disbands Netscape. The Mozilla Foundation is established on the same day.
- 2006 – Twitter, later one of the largest social media platforms in the world, is launched.
- 2014 – A train derails on the Moscow Metro, killing at least 24 and injuring more than 160 others.
- 2016 – Factions of the Turkish Armed Forces attempt a coup.
Births on July 15
- 980 – Ichijō, Japanese emperor (d. 1011)
- 1273 – Ewostatewos, Ethiopian monk and saint (d. 1352)
- 1353 – Vladimir the Bold, Russian prince (d. 1410)
- 1359 – Antonio Correr, Italian cardinal (d. 1445)
- 1442 – Boček IV of Poděbrady, Bohemian nobleman (d. 1496)
- 1455 – Queen Yun, Korean queen (d. 1482)
- 1471 – Eskender, Ethiopian emperor (d. 1494)
- 1478 – Barbara Jagiellon, duchess consort of Saxony and Margravine consort of Meissen (d. 1534)
- 1573 – Inigo Jones, English architect, designed the Queen’s House (d. 1652)
- 1600 – Jan Cossiers, Flemish painter (d. 1671)
- 1606 – Rembrandt, Dutch painter and etcher (d. 1669)
- 1611 – Jai Singh I, maharaja of Jaipur (d. 1667)
- 1613 – Gu Yanwu, Chinese philologist and geographer (d. 1682)
- 1631 – Jens Juel, Danish politician and diplomat, Governor-general of Norway (d. 1700)
- 1631 – Richard Cumberland, English philosopher (d. 1718)
- 1638 – Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1693)
- 1704 – August Gottlieb Spangenberg, German bishop and theologian (d. 1792)
- 1779 – Clement Clarke Moore, American author, poet, and educator (d. 1863)
- 1793 – Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps, American educator, author, editor (d. 1884)
- 1796 – Thomas Bulfinch, American mythologist (d. 1867)
- 1799 – Reuben Chapman, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of Alabama (d. 1882)
- 1800 – Sidney Breese, American jurist and politician (d. 1878)
- 1808 – Henry Edward Manning, English cardinal (d. 1892)
- 1812 – James Hope-Scott, English lawyer and academic (d. 1873)
- 1817 – Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet, English engineer, designed the Forth Bridge (d. 1898)
- 1827 – W. W. Thayer American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Oregon (d. 1899)
- 1848 – Vilfredo Pareto, Italian economist and sociologist (d. 1923)
- 1850 – Frances Xavier Cabrini, Italian-American nun and saint (d. 1917)
- 1852 – Josef Josephi, Polish-born singer and actor (d. 1920)
- 1858 – Emmeline Pankhurst, English political activist and suffragist (d. 1928)
- 1864 – Marie Tempest, English actress and singer (d. 1942)
- 1865 – Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, Anglo-Irish businessman and publisher, founded the Amalgamated Press (d. 1922)
- 1865 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (d. 1945)
- 1867 – Jean-Baptiste Charcot, French physician and explorer (d. 1936)
- 1871 – Doppo Kunikida, Japanese journalist, author, and poet (d. 1908)
- 1880 – Enrique Mosca, Argentinian lawyer and politician (d. 1950)
- 1887 – Wharton Esherick, American sculptor (d. 1970)
- 1892 – Walter Benjamin, German philosopher and critic (d. 1940)
- 1893 – Enid Bennett, Australian-American actress (d. 1969)
- 1893 – Dick Rauch, American football player and coach (d. 1970)
- 1894 – Tadeusz Sendzimir, Polish-American engineer (d. 1989)
- 1899 – Seán Lemass, Irish soldier and politician, 4th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 1971)
- 1902 – Jean Rey, Belgian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the European Commission (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Walter D. Edmonds, American journalist and author (d. 1998)
- 1903 – K. Kamaraj, Indian journalist and politician (d. 1975)
- 1904 – Rudolf Arnheim, German-American psychologist and author (d. 2007)
- 1905 – Dorothy Fields, American songwriter (d. 1974)
- 1905 – Anita Farra, Italian actress (d. 2008)
- 1906 – R. S. Mugali, Indian poet and academic (d. 1993)
- 1906 – Rudolf Uhlenhaut, English-German engineer (d. 1989)
- 1909 – Jean Hamburger, French physician and surgeon (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Edward Shackleton, Baron Shackleton, English geographer and politician, Secretary of State for Air (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Cowboy Copas, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
- 1913 – Hammond Innes, English journalist and author (d. 1998)
- 1913 – Abraham Sutzkever, Russian poet and author (d. 2010)
- 1914 – Akhtar Hameed Khan, Pakistani economist, scholar, and activist (d. 1999)
- 1914 – Howard Vernon, Swiss-French actor (d. 1996)
- 1915 – Albert Ghiorso, American chemist and academic (d. 2010)
- 1915 – Kashmir Singh Katoch, Indian army officer (d. 2007)
- 1916 – Sumner Gerard, American politician and diplomat (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Robert Conquest, English-American historian, poet, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1917 – Joan Roberts, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
- 1917 – Nur Muhammad Taraki, Afghan journalist and politician (d. 1979)
- 1918 – Bertram Brockhouse, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)
- 1918 – Brenda Milner, English-Canadian neuropsychologist and academic
- 1919 – Fritz Langanke, German lieutenant (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Iris Murdoch, Anglo-Irish British novelist and philosopher (d. 1999)
- 1921 – Jack Beeson, American pianist and composer (d. 2010)
- 1921 – Henri Colpi, Swiss-French director and screenwriter (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Robert Bruce Merrifield, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Jean Heywood, British actress (d. 2019)
- 1922 – Leon M. Lederman, American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
- 1922 – Jean-Pierre Richard, French writer (d. 2019)
- 1923 – Francisco de Andrade, Portuguese sailor
- 1924 – Jeremiah Denton, American admiral and politician (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Marianne Bernadotte, Swedish actress and philanthropist
- 1925 – Philip Carey, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Taylor Hardwick, American architect, designed Haydon Burns Library and Friendship Fountain Park (d. 2014)
- 1925 – D. A. Pennebaker, American documentary filmmaker (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Evan Hultman, American politician
- 1925 – Antony Carbone, American actor
- 1925 – Pandel Savic, American football player (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Driss Chraïbi, Moroccan-French journalist and author (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentinian general and politician, 44th President of Argentina (d. 2003)
- 1926 – Raymond Gosling, English physicist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1926 – Sir John Graham, 4th Baronet, English diplomat (d. 2019)
- 1927 – Nan Martin, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Carmen Zapata, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Håkon Brusveen, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1928 – Carl Woese, American microbiologist and biophysicist (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Viramachaneni Vimla Devi, Indian parliamentarian (d. 1967)
- 1929 – Charles Anthony, American tenor and actor (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Francis Bebey, Cameroonian-French guitarist (d. 2001)
- 1929 – Ian Stewart, Scottish race car driver (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Jacques Derrida, Algerian-French philosopher and academic (d. 2004)
- 1930 – Richard Garneau, Canadian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Stephen Smale, American mathematician and computer scientist
- 1930 – Einosuke Akiya, Japanese Buddhist leader
- 1931 – Clive Cussler, American archaeologist and author (d. 2020)
- 1931 – Joanna Merlin, American actress and casting director
- 1931 – Jacques-Yvan Morin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
- 1932 – Ed Litzenberger, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2010)
- 1933 – Guido Crepax, Italian author and illustrator (d. 2003)
- 1933 – M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Indian author and screenwriter
- 1934 – Harrison Birtwistle, English composer and academic
- 1934 – Eva Krížiková, Czech actress (d. 2020)
- 1934 – Risto Jarva, Finnish director and producer (d. 1977)
- 1935 – Donn Clendenon, American baseball player and lawyer (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Alex Karras, American football player, wrestler, and actor (d. 2012)
- 1935 – Ken Kercheval, American actor and director (d. 2019)
- 1936 – George Voinovich, American lawyer and politician, 65th Governor of Ohio (d. 2016)
- 1937 – Prabhash Joshi, Indian journalist (d. 2009)
- 1938 – Ernie Barnes, American football player, actor, and painter (d. 2009)
- 1938 – Carmen Callil, Australian publisher, founded Virago Press
- 1938 – Barry Goldwater, Jr., American lawyer and politician
- 1939 – Aníbal Cavaco Silva, Portuguese economist and politician, 19th President of the Portuguese Republic
- 1940 – Denis Héroux, Canadian director and producer (d. 2015)
- 1940 – Ronald Gene Simmons, American sergeant and convicted murderer (d. 1990)
- 1940 – Robert Winston, English surgeon, academic, and politician
- 1942 – Vivian Malone Jones, American civil rights activist (d. 2005)
- 1943 – Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Northern Irish astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
- 1944 – Millie Jackson, American singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Jan-Michael Vincent, American actor (d. 2019)
- 1945 – David Arthur Granger, Guyanese politician, 9th President of Guyana
- 1945 – Peter Lewis (musician), American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1945 – Jürgen Möllemann, German soldier and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (d. 2003)
- 1946 – Linda Ronstadt, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1946 – Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei
- 1947 – Peter Banks, English guitarist and songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Lydia Davis, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist
- 1947 – Pridiyathorn Devakula, Thai economist and politician, Thai Minister of Finance
- 1947 – Roky Erickson, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2019)
- 1948 – Twinkle, English singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
- 1948 – Dimosthenis Kourtovik, Greek anthropologist and critic
- 1948 – Artimus Pyle, American rock drummer and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
- 1949 – Carl Bildt, Swedish politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Sweden
- 1949 – Trevor Horn, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1949 – Richard Russo, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter
- 1950 – Colin Barnett, Australian economist and politician, 29th Premier of Western Australia
- 1950 – Arianna Huffington, Greek-American journalist and publisher (The Huffington Post)
- 1951 – Gregory Isaacs, Jamaican-English singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
- 1951 – Jesse Ventura, American wrestler, actor, and politician, 38th Governor of Minnesota
- 1952 – David Pack, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1952 – Celia Imrie, English actress
- 1952 – Terry O’Quinn, American actor
- 1952 – Marky Ramone, American drummer and songwriter
- 1952 – Johnny Thunders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1991)
- 1953 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haitian priest and politician, 49th President of Haiti
- 1953 – Sultanah Haminah, Malaysian royal consort
- 1953 – Mohamad Shahrum Osman, Malaysian politician
- 1953 – Alicia Bridges, American singer-songwriter
- 1954 – John Ferguson, Australian rugby league player
- 1954 – Jeff Jarvis, American journalist and blogger
- 1954 – Giorgos Kaminis, American-Greek lawyer and politician, 78th Mayor of Athens
- 1954 – Mario Kempes, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1956 – Ashoke Sen, Indian theoretical physicist and string theorist
- 1956 – Ian Curtis, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Joy Division) (d. 1980)
- 1956 – Nicholas Harberd, British botanist, educator and academician
- 1956 – Barry Melrose, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1956 – Steve Mortimer, Australian rugby league player, coach, and administrator
- 1956 – Joe Satriani, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1956 – Wayne Taylor, South African race car driver
- 1958 – Gary Heale, English footballer and coach
- 1958 – Mac Thornberry, American lawyer and politician
- 1959 – Vincent Lindon, French actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1960 – Kim Alexis, American fashion model
- 1961 – Lolita Davidovich, Canadian actress
- 1961 – Jean-Christophe Grangé, French journalist and screenwriter
- 1961 – Scott Ritter, American soldier and international weapons inspector
- 1961 – Forest Whitaker, American actor
- 1962 – Nikos Filippou, Greek basketball player and manager
- 1962 – Michelle Ford, Australian swimmer
- 1963 – Brigitte Nielsen, Danish-Italian actress
- 1963 – Steve Thomas, English-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1965 – Alistair Carmichael, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1965 – Gero Miesenböck, Austrian neuroscientist and educator
- 1965 – David Miliband, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- 1966 – Jason Bonham, English singer-songwriter and drummer
- 1966 – Irène Jacob, French-Swiss actress
- 1967 – Adam Savage, American actor and special effects designer
- 1967 – Elbert West, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
- 1968 – Eddie Griffin, American comedian, actor, and producer
- 1969 – Ain Tammus, Estonian footballer and coach
- 1970 – Tarkan Gözübüyük, Turkish bass player and producer
- 1972 – Scott Foley, American actor
- 1973 – Brian Austin Green, American actor
- 1975 – Cherry, American wrestler and manager
- 1975 – Danny Law, English cricketer
- 1975 – Ben Pepper, Australian basketball player
- 1976 – Steve Cunningham, American boxer
- 1976 – Marco Di Vaio, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Diane Kruger, German actress and model
- 1976 – Gabriel Iglesias, Mexican-American comedian and voice actor
- 1977 – André Nel, South African cricketer
- 1977 – Lana Parrilla, American actress
- 1977 – John St. Clair, American football player
- 1977 – Ray Toro, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1978 – Miguel Olivo, Dominican baseball player
- 1979 – Laura Benanti, American actress and singer
- 1979 – Alexander Frei, Swiss footballer
- 1979 – Edda Garðarsdóttir, Icelandic footballer
- 1979 – Renata Kučerová, Czech tennis player
- 1980 – Reggie Abercrombie, American baseball player
- 1980 – BxB Hulk, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1980 – Jonathan Cheechoo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 – Julia Perez, Indonesian singer and actress (d. 2017)
- 1981 – Alou Diarra, French footballer
- 1981 – Petros Klampanis, Greek bassist and composer
- 1981 – Marius Stankevičius, Lithuanian footballer
- 1982 – Alan Pérez, Spanish cyclist
- 1982 – Neemia Tialata, New Zealand rugby player
- 1982 – Aída Yéspica, Venezuelan model and actress
- 1983 – Nelson Merlo, Brazilian race car driver
- 1983 – Will Rudge, English cricketer
- 1983 – Heath Slater, American wrestler
- 1984 – Angelo Siniscalchi, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Veronika Velez-Zuzulová, Slovak skier
- 1985 – Sanjeev, Tamil actor
- 1985 – Tomer Kapon, Israeli actor
- 1986 – Tyler Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Riki Christodoulou, English race car driver
- 1989 – Steven Jahn, German footballer
- 1989 – Alisa Kleybanova, Russian tennis player
- 1989 – Anthony Randolph, American basketball player
- 1990 – Zach Bogosian, American ice hockey player
- 1990 – Damian Lillard, American basketball player
- 1991 – Danilo, Brazilian footballer
- 1991 – Derrick Favors, American basketball player
- 1991 – Evgeny Tishchenko, Russian boxer
- 1992 – Tobias Harris, American basketball player
- 1992 – Hokutōfuji Daiki, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1992 – Wayde van Niekerk, South African sprinter
- 1993 – Håvard Nielsen, Norwegian footballer
Deaths on July 15
- 756 – Yang Guifei, consort of Xuan Zong (b. 719)
- 998 – Abū al-Wafā’ Būzjānī, Persian mathematician and astronomer (b. 940)
- 1015 – Vladimir the Great, Grand prince of Kievan Rus’ (b. c. 958)
- 1274 – Bonaventure, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1221)
- 1291 – Rudolf I of Germany (b. 1218)
- 1299 – King Eric II of Norway (b. c. 1268)
- 1381 – John Ball, English Lollard priest
- 1388 – Agnes of Durazzo, titular Latin empress consort of Constantinople (d. 1313)
- 1397 – Catherine of Henneberg, German ruler (b. c. 1334)
- 1406 – William, Duke of Austria
- 1410 – Ulrich von Jungingen, German Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (b. 1360)
- 1445 – Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland
- 1542 – Lisa del Giocondo, subject of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mona Lisa (b. 1479)
- 1544 – René of Châlon (b. 1519)
- 1571 – Shimazu Takahisa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1514)
- 1609 – Annibale Carracci, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1560)
- 1614 – Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme, French soldier, historian, and author (b. 1540)
- 1655 – Girolamo Rainaldi, Italian architect (b. 1570)
- 1685 – James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, Dutch-English general and politician, Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull (b. 1649)
- 1750 – Vasily Tatishchev, Russian ethnographer and politician (b. 1686)
- 1765 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (b. 1705)
- 1767 – Michael Bruce, Scottish poet and composer (b. 1746)
- 1789 – Jacques Duphly, French harpsichord player and composer (b. 1715)
- 1828 – Jean-Antoine Houdon, French sculptor (b. 1741)
- 1839 – Winthrop Mackworth Praed, English poet and politician (b. 1802)
- 1844 – Claude Charles Fauriel, French philologist and historian (b. 1772)
- 1851 – Juan Felipe Ibarra, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1787)
- 1857 – Carl Czerny, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1791)
- 1858 – Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, Russian painter (b. 1806)
- 1883 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (b. 1838)
- 1885 – Rosalía de Castro, Spanish author and poet (b. 1837)
- 1890 – Gottfried Keller, Swiss author, poet, and playwright (b. 1819)
- 1898 – Jean-Baptiste Salpointe, French-American archbishop (d. 1825)
- 1904 – Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer (b. 1860)
- 1919 – Hermann Emil Fischer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
- 1929 – Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1874)
- 1930 – Leopold Auer, Hungarian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1845)
- 1931 – Ladislaus Bortkiewicz, Russian-German economist and mathematician (b. 1868)
- 1932 – Bahíyyih Khánum, Iranian writer and leader in the Baha’i faith (b. 1846)
- 1932 – Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven, South African poet and politician (b. 1873)
- 1933 – Irving Babbitt, American scholar, critic, and academic (b. 1865)
- 1933 – Freddie Keppard, American cornet player (b. 1890)
- 1940 – Eugen Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist and physician (b. 1857)
- 1940 – Robert Wadlow, American giant, 8″11′ 271 cm (b.1918)
- 1942 – Wenceslao Vinzons, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1910)
- 1944 – Marie-Victorin Kirouac, Canadian botanist and academic (b. 1885)
- 1946 – Razor Smith, English cricketer and coach (b. 1877)
- 1947 – Walter Donaldson, American soldier and songwriter (b. 1893)
- 1948 – John J. Pershing, American general (b. 1860)
- 1953 – Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, Indian archbishop, founded the Order of the Imitation of Christ (b. 1882)
- 1957 – James M. Cox, American publisher and politician, 46th Governor of Ohio (b. 1870)
- 1957 – Vasily Maklakov, Russian lawyer and politician (b. 1869)
- 1959 – Ernest Bloch, Swiss-American composer and academic (b. 1880)
- 1959 – Vance Palmer, Australian author and critic (b. 1885)
- 1960 – Set Persson, Swedish politician (b. 1897)
- 1960 – Lawrence Tibbett, American singer and actor (b. 1896)
- 1961 – John Edward Brownlee, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Alberta (b. 1884)
- 1961. – Nina Bari, Russian mathematician (b. 1901)
- 1965 – Francis Cherry, American lawyer and politician, 35th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1908)
- 1966 – Seyfi Arkan, Turkish architect (b. 1903)
- 1974 – Christine Chubbuck, American journalist (b. 1944)
- 1976 – Paul Gallico, American journalist and author (b. 1897)
- 1977 – Donald Mackay, Australian businessman and activist (b. 1933)
- 1979 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican academic and politician, 29th President of Mexico, 1964-1970 (b. 1911)
- 1981 – Frédéric Dorion, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1898)
- 1982 – Bill Justis, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1926)
- 1986 – Billy Haughton, American harness racer and trainer (b. 1923)
- 1988 – Eleanor Estes, American librarian, author, and illustrator (b. 1906)
- 1989 – Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (b. 1956)
- 1990 – Zaim Topčić, Yugoslav and Bosnian writer (b. 1920)
- 1990 – Margaret Lockwood, English actress (b. 1916)
- 1990 – Omar Abu Risha, Syrian poet and diplomat, 4th Syrian Ambassador to the United States (b. 1910)
- 1991 – Bert Convy, American actor, singer, and game show host (b. 1933)
- 1992 – Hammer DeRoburt, Nauruan educator and politician, 1st President of Nauru (b. 1922)
- 1992 – Chingiz Mustafayev, Azerbaijani journalist and author (b. 1960)
- 1997 – Justinas Lagunavičius, Lithuanian basketball player (b. 1924)
- 1997 – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founded Versace (b. 1946)
- 1998 – S. Shanmuganathan, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1960)
- 2000 – Louis Quilico, Canadian opera singer and educator (b. 1925)
- 2001 – C. Balasingham, Sri Lankan lawyer and civil servant (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Roberto Bolaño, Chilean novelist, short-story writer, poet, and essayist (b. 1953)
- 2003 – Elisabeth Welch, American actress and singer (b. 1904)
- 2006 – Robert H. Brooks, American businessman, founder of Hooters and Naturally Fresh, Inc. (b. 1937)
- 2006 – Alireza Shapour Shahbazi, Iranian archaeologist and academic (b. 1942)
- 2008 – György Kolonics, Hungarian canoe racer (b. 1972)
- 2010 – James E. Akins, American politician and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (b. 1926)
- 2011 – Friedrich Wilhelm Schnitzler, German landowner and politician (b. 1928)
- 2011 – Googie Withers, British-Australian actress (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Boris Cebotari, Moldovan footballer (b. 1975)
- 2012 – Tsilla Chelton, Israeli-French actress (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Grant Feasel, American football player (b. 1960)
- 2012 – David Fraser, English general (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Celeste Holm, American actress and singer (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Yoichi Takabayashi, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Ninos Aho, Syrian-American poet and activist (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Henry Braden, American lawyer and politician (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Tom Greenwell, American lawyer and judge (b. 1956)
- 2013 – Earl Gros, American football player (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Noël Lee, Chinese-American pianist and composer (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Meskerem Legesse, Ethiopian runner (b. 1986)
- 2013 – John T. Riedl, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1962)
- 2014 – Óscar Acosta, Honduran author, poet, and diplomat (b. 1933)
- 2014 – James MacGregor Burns, American historian, political scientist, and author (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Saúl Lara, Spanish footballer (b. 1982)
- 2014 – Edward Perl, American neuroscientist and academic (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Robert A. Roe, American soldier and politician (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Masahiko Aoki, Japanese-American economist and academic (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Wan Li, Chinese politician, 4th Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1916)
- 2015 – Aubrey Morris, British actor (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Dave Somerville, Canadian singer (b. 1933)
- 2017 – Martin Landau, American film and television actor (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on July 15
- Christian feast day:
- Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)
- Anne-Marie Javouhey
- Bernhard II, Margrave of Baden-Baden
- Bonaventure
- Dispersion of the Apostles (No longer officially celebrated by the Catholic Church)
- Donald of Ogilvy
- Edith of Polesworth
- Edith of Wilton
- Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
- Plechelm
- Quriaqos and Julietta
- Swithun
- Vladimir the Great (Eastern Orthodox; Catholic Church)
- July 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July. (Puerto Rico)
- Earliest day on which Galla Bayramy can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday of July. (Turkmenistan)
- Earliest day on which Marine Day can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July. (Japan)
- Earliest day on which President’s Day (Botswana) can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July.
- Elderly Men Day (Kiribati)
- Festival of Santa Rosalia (Palermo, Sicily)
- Sultan’s Birthday (Brunei Darussalam)
-
April 27 in history
- 33 BC – Lucius Marcius Philippus, step-brother to the future emperor Augustus, celebrates a triumph for his victories while serving as governor in one of the provinces of Hispania.
- 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of the more powerful Roman empresses of Late Antiquity.
- 629 – Shahrbaraz is crowned as king of the Sasanian Empire.
- 711 – Islamic conquest of Hispania: Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn Ziyad land at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus).
- 1296 – First War of Scottish Independence: John Balliol’s Scottish army is defeated by an English army commanded by John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey at the Battle of Dunbar.
- 1509 – Pope Julius II places the Italian state of Venice under interdict.
- 1521 – Battle of Mactan: Explorer Ferdinand Magellan is killed by natives in the Philippines led by chief Lapu-Lapu.
- 1522 – Combined forces of Spain and the Papal States defeat a French and Venetian army at the Battle of Bicocca.
- 1539 – Re-founding of the city of Bogotá, New Granada (now Colombia), by Nikolaus Federmann and Sebastián de Belalcázar.
- 1565 – Cebu is established becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines.
- 1578 – Duel of the Mignons claims the lives of two favourites of Henry III of France and two favorites of Henry I, Duke of Guise.
- 1595 – The relics of Saint Sava are incinerated in Belgrade on the Vračar plateau by Ottoman Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha; the site of the incineration is now the location of the Church of Saint Sava, one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world.
- 1650 – The Battle of Carbisdale: A Royalist army from Orkney invades mainland Scotland but is defeated by a Covenanter army.
- 1667 – Blind and impoverished, John Milton sells Paradise Lost to a printer for £10, so that it could be entered into the Stationers’ Register.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Ridgefield: A British invasion force engages and defeats Continental Army regulars and militia irregulars at Ridgefield, Connecticut.
- 1805 – First Barbary War: United States Marines and Berbers attack the Tripolitan city of Derna (The “shores of Tripoli” part of the Marines’ Hymn).
- 1813 – War of 1812: American troops capture York, the capital of Upper Canada, in the Battle of York.
- 1861 – American President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus.
- 1865 – The New York State Senate creates Cornell University as the state’s land grant institution.
- 1906 – The State Duma of the Russian Empire meets for the first time.
- 1909 – Sultan of Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II is overthrown, and is succeeded by his brother, Mehmed V.
- 1911 – Following the resignation and death of William P. Frye, a compromise is reached to rotate the office of President pro tempore of the United States Senate.
- 1927 – Carabineros de Chile (Chilean national police force and gendarmerie) are created.
- 1936 – The United Auto Workers (UAW) gains autonomy from the American Federation of Labor.
- 1941 – World War II: German troops enter Athens.
- 1941 – World War II: The Communist Party of Slovenia, the Slovene Christian Socialists, the left-wing Slovene Sokols (also known as “National Democrats”) and a group of progressive intellectuals establish the Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation.
- 1945 – World War II: The last German formations withdraw from Finland to Norway. The Lapland War and thus, World War II in Finland, comes to an end and the Raising the Flag on the Three-Country Cairn photograph is taken.
- 1945 – World War II: Benito Mussolini is arrested by Italian partisans in Dongo, while attempting escape disguised as a German soldier.
- 1953 – Operation Moolah offers $50,000 to any pilot who defected with a fully mission-capable Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 to South Korea. The first pilot was to receive $100,000.
- 1960 – Togo gains independence from French-administered UN trusteeship.
- 1961 – Sierra Leone is granted its independence from the United Kingdom, with Milton Margai as the first Prime Minister.
- 1967 – Expo 67 officially opens in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with a large opening ceremony broadcast around the world. It opens to the public the next day.
- 1974 – Ten thousand march in Washington, D.C., calling for the impeachment of U.S. President Richard Nixon.
- 1978 – Former United States President Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman is released from an Arizona prison after serving 18 months for Watergate-related crimes.
- 1978 – The Saur Revolution begins in Afghanistan, ending the following morning with the murder of Afghan President Mohammed Daoud Khan and the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
- 1981 – Xerox PARC introduces the computer mouse.
- 1986 – The city of Pripyat and surrounding areas are evacuated due to Chernobyl disaster.
- 1987 – The U.S. Department of Justice bars Austrian President Kurt Waldheim (and his wife, Elisabeth, who had also been a Nazi) from entering the US, charging that he had aided in the deportations and executions of thousands of Jews and others as a German Army officer during World War II.
- 1989 – The April 27 demonstrations, student-led protests responding to the April 26 Editorial, during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
- 1992 – The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, comprising Serbia and Montenegro, is proclaimed.
- 1992 – Betty Boothroyd becomes the first woman to be elected Speaker of the British House of Commons in its 700-year history.
- 1992 – The Russian Federation and 12 other former Soviet republics become members of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
- 1993 – Most of the Zambia national football team lose their lives in a plane crash off Libreville, Gabon en route to Dakar, Senegal to play a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Senegal.
- 1994 – South African general election: The first democratic general election in South Africa, in which black citizens could vote. The Interim Constitution comes into force.
- 2005 – Airbus A380 aircraft had its maiden test flight.
- 2006 – Construction begins on the Freedom Tower (later renamed One World Trade Center) in New York City.
- 2007 – Estonian authorities remove the Bronze Soldier, a Soviet Red Army war memorial in Tallinn, amid political controversy with Russia.
- 2007 – Israeli archaeologists discover the tomb of Herod the Great south of Jerusalem.
- 2011 – The 2011 Super Outbreak devastates parts of the Southeastern United States, especially the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. 205 tornadoes touched down on April 27 alone, killing more than 300 and injuring hundreds more.
- 2012 – At least four explosions hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk with at least 27 people injured.
- 2018 – The Panmunjom Declaration is signed between North and South Korea, officially declaring their intentions to end the Korean conflict.
Births on April 27
- 85 BC – Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, Roman politician and general (d. 43 BC)
- 1468 – Frederick Jagiellon, Primate of Poland (d. 1503)
- 1564 – Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland (d. 1632)
- 1556 – François Béroalde de Verville, French writer (d. 1626)
- 1593 – Mumtaz Mahal, Mughal empress buried at the Taj Mahal (d. 1631)
- 1650 – Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen Consort of Denmark (1670-1699) (d. 1714)
- 1654 – Charles Blount, English deist and philosopher (d. 1693)
- 1701 – Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (d. 1773)
- 1718 – Thomas Lewis, Irish-born American surveyor and lawyer (d. 1790)
- 1748 – Adamantios Korais, Greek-French philosopher and scholar (d. 1833)
- 1755 – Marc-Antoine Parseval, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1836)
- 1759 – Mary Wollstonecraft, English philosopher, historian, and novelist (d. 1797)
- 1788 – Charles Robert Cockerell, English architect, archaeologist, and writer (d. 1863)
- 1791 – Samuel Morse, American painter and inventor, co-invented the Morse code (d. 1872)
- 1812 – William W. Snow, American lawyer and politician (d. 1886)
- 1812 – Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (d. 1883)
- 1820 – Herbert Spencer, English biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1903)
- 1822 – Ulysses S. Grant, American general and politician, 18th President of the United States (d. 1885)
- 1840 – Edward Whymper, English-French mountaineer, explorer, author, and illustrator (d. 1911)
- 1848 – Otto of Bavaria (d. 1916)
- 1850 – Hans Hartwig von Beseler, German general and politician (d. 1921)
- 1853 – Jules Lemaître, French playwright and critic (d. 1914)
- 1857 – Theodor Kittelsen, Norwegian painter and illustrator (d. 1914)
- 1861 – William Arms Fisher, American composer and music historian (d. 1948)
- 1866 – Maurice Raoul-Duval, French polo player (d. 1916)
- 1875 – Frederick Fane, Irish-born, English cricketer (d. 1960)
- 1880 – Mihkel Lüdig, Estonian organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1958)
- 1882 – Jessie Redmon Fauset, American author and poet (d. 1961)
- 1887 – Warren Wood, American golfer (d. 1926)
- 1888 – Florence La Badie, Canadian actress (d. 1917)
- 1891 – Sergei Prokofiev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1953)
- 1893 – Draža Mihailović, Serbian general (d. 1946)
- 1893 – Allen Sothoron, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1939)
- 1894 – George Petty, American painter and illustrator (d. 1975)
- 1894 – Nicolas Slonimsky, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1995)
- 1896 – Rogers Hornsby, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1963)
- 1896 – William Hudson, New Zealand-Australian engineer (d. 1978)
- 1896 – Wallace Carothers, American chemist and inventor of nylon (d. 1937)
- 1898 – Ludwig Bemelmans, Italian-American author and illustrator (d. 1962)
- 1899 – Walter Lantz, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and actor (d. 1994)
- 1900 – August Koern, Estonian politician and diplomat, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs in exile (d. 1989)
- 1902 – Tiemoko Garan Kouyaté, Malian educator and activist (d. 1942)
- 1904 – Cecil Day-Lewis, Anglo-Irish poet and author (d. 1972)
- 1904 – Nikos Zachariadis, Greek politician (d. 1973)
- 1905 – John Kuck, American javelin thrower and shot putter (d. 1986)
- 1906 – Yiorgos Theotokas, Greek author and playwright (d. 1966)
- 1910 – Chiang Ching-kuo, Chinese politician, 3rd President of the Republic of China (d. 1988)
- 1911 – Bruno Beger, German anthropologist and ethnologist (d. 2009)
- 1911 – Chris Berger, Dutch sprinter and footballer (d. 1965)
- 1912 – Jacques de Bourbon-Busset, French author and politician (d. 2001)
- 1912 – Zohra Sehgal, Indian actress, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2014)
- 1913 – Philip Abelson, American physicist and author (d. 2004)
- 1913 – Irving Adler, American mathematician, author, and academic (d. 2012)
- 1913 – Luz Long, German long jumper and soldier (d. 1943)
- 1916 – Robert Hugh McWilliams, Jr., American sergeant, lawyer, and judge (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Enos Slaughter, American baseball player and manager (d. 2002)
- 1917 – Roman Matsov, Estonian violinist, pianist, and conductor (d. 2001)
- 1918 – Sten Rudholm, Swedish lawyer and jurist (d. 2008)
- 1920 – Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (d. 1956)
- 1920 – Mark Krasnosel’skii, Ukrainian mathematician and academic (d. 1997)
- 1920 – James Robert Mann, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (d. 2010)
- 1920 – Edwin Morgan, Scottish poet and translator (d. 2010)
- 1921 – Robert Dhéry, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
- 1922 – Jack Klugman, American actor (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Sheila Scott, English nurse and pilot (d. 1988)
- 1923 – Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, Seminole chief (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Vernon B. Romney, American lawyer and politician, 14th Attorney General of Utah (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Derek Chinnery, English broadcaster (d. 2015)
- 1926 – Tim LaHaye, American minister, activist, and author (d. 2016)
- 1926 – Basil A. Paterson, American lawyer and politician, 59th Secretary of State of New York (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Alan Reynolds, English painter and educator (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Coretta Scott King, African-American activist and author (d. 2006)
- 1927 – Joe Moakley, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2001)
- 1929 – Nina Ponomaryova, Russian discus thrower and coach (d. 2016)
- 1931 – Igor Oistrakh, Ukrainian violinist and educator
- 1932 – Anouk Aimée, French actress
- 1932 – Pik Botha, South African lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 8th South African Ambassador to the United States (d. 2018)
- 1932 – Casey Kasem, American disc jockey, music historian, radio celebrity, and voice actor; co-created American Top 40 (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Chuck Knox, American football coach (d. 2018)
- 1932 – Derek Minter, English motorcycle racer (d. 2015)
- 1932 – Gian-Carlo Rota, Italian-American mathematician and philosopher (d. 1999)
- 1933 – Peter Imbert, Baron Imbert, English police officer and politician, Lord Lieutenant for Greater London (d. 2017)
- 1935 – Theodoros Angelopoulos, Greek director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1935 – Ron Morris, American pole vaulter and coach
- 1936 – Geoffrey Shovelton, English singer and illustrator (d. 2016)
- 1937 – Sandy Dennis, American actress (d. 1992)
- 1937 – Robin Eames, Irish Anglican archbishop
- 1937 – Richard Perham, English biologist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Earl Anthony, American bowler and sportscaster (d. 2001)
- 1938 – Alain Caron, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1986)
- 1939 – Judy Carne, English actress and comedian (d. 2015)
- 1939 – Stanisław Dziwisz, Polish cardinal
- 1941 – Fethullah Gülen, Turkish preacher and theologian
- 1941 – Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti, Indian archaeologist
- 1941 – Lee Roy Jordan, American football player
- 1942 – Ruth Glick, American author
- 1942 – Jim Keltner, American drummer
- 1943 – Helmut Marko, Austrian race car driver and manager
- 1944 – Michael Fish, English meteorologist and journalist
- 1944 – Cuba Gooding Sr., American singer (d. 2017)
- 1944 – Herb Pedersen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1945 – Martin Chivers, English footballer and manager
- 1945 – Jack Deverell, English general
- 1945 – Helen Hodgman, Scottish-Australian author
- 1945 – Terry Willesee, Australian journalist and television host
- 1945 – August Wilson, American author and playwright (d. 2005)
- 1946 – Franz Roth, German footballer
- 1947 – G. K. Butterfield, African-American soldier, lawyer, and politician
- 1947 – Nick Greiner, Hungarian-Australian politician, 37th Premier of New South Wales
- 1947 – Pete Ham, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
- 1947 – Keith Magnuson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2003)
- 1947 – Ann Peebles, American soul singer-songwriter
- 1948 – Frank Abagnale Jr., American security consultant and criminal
- 1948 – Josef Hickersberger, Austrian footballer, coach, and manager
- 1948 – Kate Pierson, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1949 – Grant Chapman, Australian businessman and politician
- 1950 – Jaime Fresnedi, Filipino politician
- 1950 – Paul Lockyer, Australian journalist (d. 2011)
- 1951 – Ace Frehley, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1952 – Larry Elder, American lawyer and talk show host
- 1952 – George Gervin, American basketball player
- 1952 – Ari Vatanen, Finnish race car driver and politician
- 1953 – Arielle Dombasle, French-American actress and model
- 1954 – Frank Bainimarama, Fijian commander and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Fiji
- 1954 – Herman Edwards, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1954 – Mark Holden, Australian singer, actor, and lawyer
- 1955 – Gudrun Berend, German hurdler (d. 2011)
- 1955 – Eric Schmidt, American engineer and businessman
- 1956 – Bryan Harvey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1956 – Jeff Probyn, English rugby player, coach, and manager
- 1957 – Willie Upshaw, American baseball player and manager
- 1959 – Sheena Easton, Scottish-American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer
- 1959 – Marco Pirroni, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1960 – Mike Krushelnyski, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1961 – Andrew Schlafly, American lawyer and activist, founded Conservapedia
- 1962 – Ángel Comizzo, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1962 – Seppo Räty, Finnish javelin thrower and coach
- 1962 – Im Sang-soo, South Korean director and screenwriter
- 1962 – Andrew Selous, English soldier and politician
- 1963 – Russell T Davies, Welsh screenwriter and producer
- 1965 – Anna Chancellor, English actress
- 1966 – Peter McIntyre, Australian cricketer
- 1966 – Yoshihiro Togashi, Japanese illustrator
- 1967 – Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands
- 1967 – Tommy Smith, Scottish saxophonist, composer, and educator
- 1967 – Erik Thomson, Scottish-New Zealand actor
- 1967 – Jason Whitlock, American football player and journalist
- 1968 – Dana Milbank, American journalist and author
- 1969 – Cory Booker, African-American lawyer and politician
- 1969 – Darcey Bussell, English ballerina
- 1971 – Olari Elts, Estonian conductor
- 1972 – Nigel Barker, English photographer and author
- 1972 – Almedin Civa, Bosnian footballer and coach
- 1973 – Duško Adamović, Serbian footballer
- 1973 – Sharlee D’Angelo, Swedish bass player and songwriter
- 1973 – Sébastien Lareau, Canadian tennis player
- 1974 – Frank Catalanotto, American baseball player
- 1974 – Richard Johnson, Australian footballer
- 1975 – Rabih Abdullah, American football player
- 1975 – Chris Carpenter, American baseball player and manager
- 1975 – Pedro Feliz, Dominican baseball player
- 1975 – Kazuyoshi Funaki, Japanese ski jumper
- 1976 – Isobel Campbell, Scottish singer-songwriter and cellist
- 1976 – Sally Hawkins, English actress
- 1976 – Walter Pandiani, Uruguayan footballer
- 1976 – Faisal Saif, Indian director, screenwriter, and critic
- 1979 – Will Boyd, American bass player
- 1979 – Natasha Chokljat, Australian netball player
- 1979 – Vladimir Kozlov, Ukrainian wrestler
- 1980 – Sybille Bammer, Austrian tennis player
- 1980 – Talitha Cummins, Australian journalist
- 1980 – Christian Lara, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1981 – Joey Gathright, American baseball player
- 1981 – Patrik Gerrbrand, Swedish footballer
- 1982 – François Parisien, Canadian cyclist
- 1982 – Alexander Widiker, German rugby player
- 1983 – Ari Graynor, American actress and producer
- 1983 – Martin Viiask, Estonian basketball player
- 1984 – Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Daniel Holdsworth, Australian rugby league player
- 1984 – Patrick Stump, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1985 – José António de Miranda da Silva Júnior, Brazilian footballer
- 1985 – Meselech Melkamu, Ethiopian runner
- 1986 – Jenna Coleman, English actress
- 1986 – Hayley Mulheron, Scottish netball player
- 1986 – Dinara Safina, Russian tennis player
- 1987 – Taylor Chorney, American ice hockey player
- 1987 – Elliott Shriane, Australian speed skater
- 1987 – William Moseley, English actor
- 1987 – Wang Feifei, Chinese singer and actress
- 1988 – Joeri Dequevy, Belgian footballer
- 1988 – Kris Thackray, English footballer
- 1988 – Semyon Varlamov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Lizzo, American singer and rapper
- 1989 – Lars Bender, German footballer
- 1989 – Sven Bender, German footballer
- 1989 – Tim Glasby, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Dmytro Kozban, Ukrainian footballer
- 1990 – Trude Raad, Norwegian deaf track and field athlete
- 1991 – Isaac Cuenca, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Eric Fukusaki, Peruvian singer
- 1991 – Lara Gut, Swiss skier
- 1992 – Keenan Allen, American football player
- 1994 – Corey Seager, American baseball player
- 1995 – Nick Kyrgios, Australian tennis player
- 1997 – Josh Onomah, English footballer
Deaths on April 27
- 630 – Ardashir III of Persia (b. 621)
- 1160 – Rudolf I, Count of Bregenz (b. 1081)
- 1272 – Zita, Italian saint (b. 1212)
- 1321 – Nicolò Albertini, Italian cardinal statesman (b. c. 1250)
- 1353 – Simeon of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and Vladimir
- 1403 – Maria of Bosnia, Countess of Helfenstein (b. 1335)
- 1404 – Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1342)
- 1463 – Isidore of Kiev (b. 1385)
- 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese sailor and explorer (b. 1480)
- 1599 – Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (b. 1538)
- 1605 – Pope Leo XI (b. 1535)
- 1607 – Edward Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell, Governor of Lecale (b. 1560)
- 1613 – Robert Abercromby, Scottish priest and missionary (b. 1532)
- 1656 – Jan van Goyen, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1596)
- 1694 – John George IV, Elector of Saxony (b. 1668)
- 1695 – John Trenchard, English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1640)
- 1702 – Jean Bart, French admiral (b. 1651)
- 1782 – William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English politician, Lord Steward of the Household (b. 1710)
- 1813 – Zebulon Pike, American general and explorer (b. 1779)
- 1873 – William Macready, English actor and manager (b. 1793)
- 1882 – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet and philosopher (b. 1803)
- 1893 – John Ballance, Irish-born New Zealand journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1839)
- 1896 – Henry Parkes, English-Australian businessman and politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1815)
- 1915 – John Labatt, Canadian businessman (b. 1838)
- 1915 – Alexander Scriabin, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1872)
- 1932 – Hart Crane, American poet (b. 1899)
- 1936 – Karl Pearson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1857)
- 1937 – Antonio Gramsci, Italian sociologist, linguist, and politician (b. 1891)
- 1938 – Edmund Husserl, Czech mathematician and philosopher (b. 1859)
- 1952 – Guido Castelnuovo, Italian mathematician and statistician (b. 1865)
- 1961 – Roy Del Ruth, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1893)
- 1962 – A. K. Fazlul Huq, Bangladeshi-Pakistani lawyer and politician, Pakistani Minister of the Interior (b. 1873)
- 1965 – Edward R. Murrow, American journalist (b. 1908)
- 1967 – William Douglas Cook, New Zealand farmer, founded the Eastwoodhill Arboretum (b. 1884)
- 1969 – René Barrientos, Bolivian soldier, pilot, and politician, 55th President of Bolivia (b. 1919)
- 1970 – Arthur Shields, Irish rebel and actor (b. 1896)
- 1972 – Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanaian politician, 1st President of Ghana (b. 1909)
- 1973 – Carlos Menditeguy, Argentinian race car driver and polo player (b. 1914)
- 1977 – Stanley Adams, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1915)
- 1988 – Fred Bear, American hunter and author (b. 1902)
- 1989 – Konosuke Matsushita, Japanese businessman, founded Panasonic (b. 1894)
- 1992 – Olivier Messiaen, French organist and composer (b. 1908)
- 1992 – Gerard K. O’Neill, American physicist and astronomer (b. 1927)
- 1995 – Katherine DeMille, Canadian-American actress (b. 1911)
- 1995 – Willem Frederik Hermans, Dutch author, poet, and playwright (b. 1921)
- 1996 – William Colby, American diplomat, 10th Director of Central Intelligence (b. 1920)
- 1996 – Gilles Grangier, French director and screenwriter (b. 1911)
- 1998 – John Bassett, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1915)
- 1998 – Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-American anthropologist and author (b. 1925)
- 1998 – Anne Desclos, French journalist and author (b. 1907)
- 1998 – Browning Ross, American runner and soldier (b. 1924)
- 1999 – Al Hirt, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1922)
- 1999 – Dale C. Thomson, Canadian historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
- 1999 – Cyril Washbrook, English cricketer (b. 1914)
- 2002 – George Alec Effinger, American author (b. 1947)
- 2002 – Ruth Handler, American inventor and businesswoman, created the Barbie doll (b. 1916)
- 2005 – Red Horner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1909)
- 2006 – Julia Thorne, American author (b. 1944)
- 2007 – Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian cellist and conductor (b. 1927)
- 2009 – Frankie Manning, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1914)
- 2009 – Woo Seung-yeon, South Korean model and actress (b. 1983)
- 2009 – Feroz Khan (actor), Indian Actor, Film Director & Producer (b. 1939)
- 2011 – Marian Mercer, American actress and singer (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Daniel E. Boatwright, American soldier and politician (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Bill Skowron, American baseball player (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Aída Bortnik, Argentinian screenwriter (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Lorraine Copeland, Scottish archaeologist (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Antonio Díaz Jurado, Spanish footballer (b. 1969)
- 2013 – Jérôme Louis Heldring, Dutch journalist and author (b. 1917)
- 2013 – Aloysius Jin Luxian, Chinese bishop (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Mutula Kilonzo, Kenyan lawyer and politician, Kenyan Minister of Justice (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Yigal Arnon, Israeli lawyer (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Vujadin Boškov, Serbian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Daniel Colchico, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Harry Firth, Australian race car driver and manager (b. 1918)
- 2015 – Gene Fullmer, American boxer (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Verne Gagne, American football player, wrestler, and trainer (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Alexander Rich, American biologist, biophysicist, and academic (b. 1924)
- 2017 – Vinod Khanna, Indian actor, producer and politician (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Sadanoyama Shinmatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1938)
Holidays and observances on April 27
- Christian feast days:
- Anthimus of Nicomedia
- Assicus
- Floribert of Liège
- John of Constantinople
- Liberalis of Treviso
- Pollio
- Rafael Arnáiz Barón
- Virgin of Montserrat
- Zita
- April 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of Russian Parliamentarism (Russia)
- Day of the Uprising Against the Occupying Forces (Slovenia)
- Flag Day (Moldova)
- Freedom Day (South Africa)
- UnFreedom Day (South Africa, unofficial)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Sierra Leone from United Kingdom in 1961.
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Togo from France in 1960.
- King’s Day (Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten) (celebrated on April 26 if April 27 falls on a Sunday)
- National Veterans’ Day (Finla
-
March 11 in History
- 222 – Alexander Severus becomes emperor of Rome, replacing his cousin, 18-year-old Elagabalus. The bodies of the assassinated emperor and his mother, Julia Soaemias, are dragged through the streets of the city and thrown into the Tiber.
- 1387 – Battle of Castagnaro: English condottiero Sir John Hawkwood leads Padova to victory in a factional clash with Verona.
- 1641 – Guaraní forces living in the Jesuit reductions defeat bandeirantes loyal to the Portuguese Empire at the Battle of Mbororé in present-day Panambí, Argentina.
- 1649 – The Frondeurs and the French sign the Peace of Rueil.
- 1702 – The Daily Courant, England’s first national daily newspaper, is published for the first time.
- 1708 – Queen Anne withholds Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, the last time a British monarch vetoes legislation.
- 1784 – The signing of the Treaty of Mangalore brings the Second Anglo-Mysore War to an end.
- 1811 – During André Masséna’s retreat from the Lines of Torres Vedras, a division led by French Marshal Michel Ney fights off a combined Anglo-Portuguese force to give Masséna time to escape.
- 1824 – The United States Department of War creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
- 1845 – Flagstaff War: Unhappy with translational differences regarding the Treaty of Waitangi, chiefs Hone Heke, Kawiti and Māori tribe members chop down the British flagpole for a fourth time and drive settlers out of Kororareka, New Zealand.
- 1848 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin become the first Prime Ministers of the Province of Canada to be democratically elected under a system of responsible government.
- 1851 – The first performance of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi takes place in Venice.
- 1861 – American Civil War: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is adopted.
- 1864 – The Great Sheffield Flood kills 238 people in Sheffield, England.
- 1872 – Construction of the Seven Sisters Colliery, South Wales, begins; located on one of the richest coal sources in Britain.
- 1879 – Shō Tai formally abdicated his position of King of Ryūkyū, under orders from Tokyo, ending the Ryukyu Kingdom.
- 1888 – The Great Blizzard of 1888 begins along the eastern seaboard of the United States, shutting down commerce and killing more than 400.
- 1917 – World War I: Mesopotamian campaign: Baghdad falls to Anglo-Indian forces commanded by General Stanley Maude.
- 1927 – In New York City, Samuel Roxy Rothafel opens the Roxy Theatre.
- 1931 – Ready for Labour and Defence of the USSR, abbreviated as GTO, is introduced in the Soviet Union.
- 1941 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law, allowing American-built war supplies to be shipped to the Allies on loan.
- 1945 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy attempts a large-scale kamikaze attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Ulithi atoll in Operation Tan No. 2.
- 1945 – World War II: The Empire of Vietnam, a short-lived Japanese puppet state, is established with Bảo Đại as its ruler.
- 1946 – Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, is captured by British troops.
- 1975 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong guerrilla forces establish control over Buôn Ma Thuột commune from the South Vietnamese army.
- 1977 – The 1977 Hanafi Siege: More than 130 hostages held in Washington, D.C., by Hanafi Muslims are set free after ambassadors from three Islamic nations join negotiations.
- 1978 – Coastal Road massacre: At least 37 are killed and more than 70 are wounded when Fatah hijack an Israeli bus, prompting Israel’s Operation Litani.
- 1981 – Hundreds of students protest in the University of Pristina in Kosovo, then part of Yugoslavia, to give their province more political rights. The protests then became a nationwide movement.
- 1983 – Pakistan successfully conducts a cold test of a nuclear weapon.
- 1983 – Bob Hawke is appointed Prime Minister of Australia.
- 1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev is elected to the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union making Gorbachev the USSR’s de facto, and last, head of state.
- 1990 – Lithuania declares itself independent from the Soviet Union.
- 1990 – Patricio Aylwin is sworn in as the first democratically elected President of Chile since 1970.
- 1993 – Janet Reno is confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn in the next day, becoming the first female Attorney General of the United States.
- 1999 – Infosys becomes the first Indian company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
- 2004 – Madrid train bombings: Simultaneous explosions on rush-hour trains in Madrid, Spain, killing 192 people.
- 2006 – Michelle Bachelet is inaugurated as first female president of Chile.
- 2007 – Georgia claims Russian helicopters attacked the Kodori Valley in Abkhazia, an accusation that Russia categorically denies later.
- 2009 – Winnenden school shooting: Sixteen are killed and 11 are injured before recent-graduate Tim Kretschmer shoots and kills himself, leading to tightened weapons restrictions in Germany.
- 2010 – Economist and businessman Sebastián Piñera is sworn in as President of Chile, while three earthquakes, the strongest measuring magnitude 6.9 and all centered next to Pichilemu, capital of Cardenal Caro province, hit central Chile during the ceremony.
- 2011 – An earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude strikes 130 km (81 mi) east of Sendai, Japan, triggering a tsunami killing thousands of people. This event also triggered the second largest nuclear accident in history, and one of only two events to be classified as a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
- 2012 – A U.S. soldier kills 16 civilians in the Panjwayi District of Afghanistan near Kandahar.
- 2016 – At least 21 people are killed by flooding and mudslides in and around São Paulo, Brazil, following heavy rain.
- 2020 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares a pandemic due to the COVID-19 virus.
Births on March 11
- 1279 – Mary of Woodstock, daughter of Edward I of England (d. c.1332)
- 1503 – George Harper, English politician (d. 1558)
- 1530 – Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (d. 1573)
- 1544 – Torquato Tasso, Italian poet and educator (d. 1595)
- 1634 – Nicholas Gassaway, English colonial military and political leader (d. 1691)
- 1738 – Benjamin Tupper, American general (d. 1792)
- 1745 – Bodawpaya, Burmese king (d. 1819)
- 1785 – John McLean, American jurist and politician, 6th United States Postmaster General (d. 1861)
- 1787 – Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (d. 1852)
- 1806 – Louis Boulanger, French Romantic painter, lithographer and illustrator (d. 1867)
- 1811 – Urbain Le Verrier, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1877)
- 1815 – Anna Bochkoltz, German operatic soprano, voice teacher and composer (d. 1879)
- 1818 – Marius Petipa, French-Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1910)
- 1819 – Henry Tate, English businessman and philanthropist, founded Tate & Lyle (d. 1899)
- 1822 – Joseph Louis François Bertrand, French mathematician, economist, and academic (d. 1900)
- 1854 – Jane Meade Welch, American journalist and lecturer (d. 1931)
- 1863 – Andrew Stoddart, English cricketer and rugby player (d. 1915)
- 1870 – Louis Bachelier, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1946)
- 1872 – Kathleen Clarice Groom, Australian-English author and screenwriter (d. 1954)
- 1873 – David Horsley, English-American film producer, co-founded Universal Studios (d. 1933)
- 1876 – Carl Ruggles, American pianist and composer (d. 1971)
- 1878 – Umegatani Tōtarō II, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1927)
- 1880 – Harry H. Laughlin, American eugenicist and sociologist (d. 1943)
- 1884 – Lewi Pethrus, Swedish minister and hymn-writer (d. 1974)
- 1884 – Ömer Seyfettin, Turkish soldier, author, and educator (d. 1920)
- 1885 – Malcolm Campbell, English race car driver and journalist (d. 1948)
- 1887 – Raoul Walsh, American actor and director (d. 1980)
- 1887 – Kâzım Orbay, Turkish general and politician (d. 1964)
- 1890 – Vannevar Bush, American engineer and academic (d. 1974)
- 1893 – Wanda Gág, American author and illustrator (d. 1946)
- 1895 – Shemp Howard, American actor (d. 1955)
- 1896 – Olivério Pinto, Brazilian zoologist and physician (d. 1981)
- 1897 – Henry Cowell, American pianist and composer (d. 1965)
- 1898 – Dorothy Gish, American actress (d. 1968)
- 1899 – James H. Douglas, Jr., American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 1988)
- 1899 – Frederick IX of Denmark (d. 1972)
- 1900 – Hanna Bergas, German teacher who contributed to the rescue of Jewish children during WWII (d. 1987)
- 1903 – Ronald Syme, New Zealand historian and scholar (d. 1989)
- 1903 – Lawrence Welk, American accordion player and bandleader (d. 1992)
- 1907 – Jessie Matthews, English actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1981)
- 1908 – Matti Sippala, Finnish javelin thrower (d. 1997)
- 1910 – Robert Havemann, German chemist and academic (d. 1982)
- 1911 – Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet, Egyptian-Scottish general and politician (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke, German colonel and pilot (d. 1944)
- 1915 – Vijay Hazare, Indian cricketer (d. 2004)
- 1915 – J. C. R. Licklider, American computer scientist and psychologist (d. 1990)
- 1916 – Ezra Jack Keats, American author and illustrator (d. 1983)
- 1916 – Harold Wilson, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1995)
- 1920 – Nicolaas Bloembergen, Dutch-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
- 1921 – Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (d. 2005)
- 1921 – Jeff Stollmeyer, Trinidadian cricketer (d. 1989)
- 1921 – Astor Piazzolla, Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player (d. 1992)
- 1922 – Cornelius Castoriadis, Greek economist and philosopher (d. 1997)
- 1922 – José Luis López Vázquez, Spanish actor and director (d. 2009)
- 1922 – Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia (d. 1976)
- 1923 – Louise Brough, American tennis player (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Margaret Oakley Dayhoff, American biochemist and academic (d. 1983)
- 1925 – İlhan Selçuk, Turkish lawyer, journalist, and author (d. 2010)
- 1926 – Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (d. 1990)
- 1927 – Joachim Fuchsberger, German actor and television host (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Col Geelan, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1996)
- 1927 – Freda Meissner-Blau, Austrian activist and politician (d. 2015)
- 1927 – Robert Mosbacher, American sailor, businessman, and politician, 25th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Josep Maria Subirachs, Spanish sculptor and painter (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Albert Salmi, American actor (d. 1990)
- 1929 – Timothy Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
- 1929 – Jackie McGlew, South African cricketer (d. 1998)
- 1930 – David Gentleman, English illustrator and engraver
- 1930 – Claude Jutra, Canadian actor, director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
- 1931 – Janosch, Polish-German author and illustrator
- 1931 – Marisa Del Frate, Italian actress and singer (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Rupert Murdoch, Australian-American businessman and media magnate
- 1932 – Leroy Jenkins, American violinist and composer (Revolutionary Ensemble) (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Nigel Lawson, English journalist and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
- 1934 – Sam Donaldson, American journalist
- 1936 – Hollis Frampton, American director, screenwriter, and photographer (d. 1984)
- 1936 – Antonin Scalia, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Joseph Brooks, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (d. 2011)
- 1939 – Lorraine Hunt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
- 1939 – Orlando Quevedo, Filipino cardinal
- 1940 – Alberto Cortez, Argentinian-Spanish singer-songwriter (d. 2019)
- 1942 – Marcus Borg, American scholar, theologian and author (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Joel Steiger, American director, producer and screenwriter
- 1943 – Arturo Merzario, Italian race car driver
- 1945 – Dock Ellis, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
- 1945 – Harvey Mandel, American guitarist
- 1946 – Mark Metcalf, American actor and producer
- 1947 – Geoff Hunt, Australian squash player
- 1947 – Tristan Murail, French composer and educator
- 1948 – Roy Barnes, American lawyer and politician, 80th Governor of Georgia
- 1949 – Griselda Pollock, South African-English historian and academic
- 1950 – Sam Kekovich, Australian footballer and sportscaster
- 1950 – Bobby McFerrin, American singer-songwriter, producer, and conductor
- 1950 – Jerry Zucker, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1951 – Andres Metspalu, Estonian geneticist and academic
- 1951 – Dominique Sanda, French model and actress
- 1952 – Douglas Adams, English author and playwright (d. 2001)
- 1953 – László Bölöni, Romanian-Hungarian footballer and manager
- 1953 – Derek Daly, Irish-American race car driver and sportscaster
- 1953 – Jimmy Iovine, American record producer and businessman, co-founded Interscope Records and Beats Electronics
- 1953 – Bernie LaBarge, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – David Newman, American composer and conductor
- 1954 – Gale Norton, American lawyer and politician, 48th United States Secretary of the Interior
- 1955 – Leslie Cliff, Canadian swimmer
- 1955 – Nina Hagen, German singer and actress
- 1955 – D. J. MacHale, American author, director, and screenwriter
- 1956 – Willie Banks, American triple jumper
- 1956 – Curtis Brown, American colonel, pilot and astronaut
- 1956 – Helen Rollason, English journalist and sportscaster (d. 1999)
- 1957 – The Lady Chablis, American drag queen performer (d. 2016)
- 1958 – Ian Horrocks, English computer scientist and academic
- 1958 – Tetsurō Oda, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
- 1958 – James Pinkerton, American journalist and author
- 1958 – Anissa Jones, American child actress (d. 1976)
- 1958 – Flemming Rose, Danish journalist and author
- 1959 – Manuel Negrete Arias, Mexican footballer and coach
- 1959 – Nina Hartley, American pornographic actress/director, sex educator, sex-positive feminist, and author
- 1959 – Margus Oopkaup, Estonian actor
- 1959 – Dejan Stojanović, Serbian-American journalist and poet
- 1960 – Christophe Gans, French director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1960 – Junichi Sato, Japanese animator and director
- 1960 – Warwick Taylor, New Zealand rugby player
- 1961 – Elias Koteas, Canadian actor
- 1961 – Bruce Watson, Canadian-Scottish guitarist
- 1962 – Mary Gauthier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Matt Mead, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of Wyoming
- 1963 – Gary Barnett, English footballer and manager
- 1963 – Alex Kingston, English actress
- 1963 – David LaChapelle, American photographer and director
- 1964 – Peter Berg, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter
- 1964 – Vinnie Paul, American drummer, songwriter and producer (d. 2018)
- 1964 – Shane Richie, English actor and singer
- 1965 – Nigel Adkins, English footballer and manager
- 1965 – Jesse Jackson, Jr., American lawyer and politician
- 1965 – Wallace Langham, American actor
- 1965 – Jenny Packham, English fashion designer
- 1965 – Allan Vainola, Estonian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1966 – Robbie Brookside, English wrestler and trainer
- 1966 – John Thompson III, American basketball player and coach
- 1966 – Ilias Zouros, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1967 – John Barrowman, Scottish-American actor and singer
- 1967 – Brad Carson, American lawyer and politician, United States Under Secretary of the Army
- 1967 – Renzo Gracie, Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and trainer
- 1967 – Cynthia Klitbo, Mexican actress
- 1968 – Stéphane Bédard, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1968 – Simone Buchanan, Australian actress
- 1968 – Lisa Loeb, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress
- 1969 – Terrence Howard, American actor and producer
- 1969 – Soraya, Colombian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2006)
- 1970 – Andre Nickatina, American rapper and producer
- 1971 – Johnny Knoxville, American actor, stuntman, and producer
- 1971 – Martin Ručinský, Czech ice hockey player
- 1972 – Paolo Ponzo, Italian footballer (d. 2013)
- 1973 – Martin Hiden, Austrian footballer and coach
- 1974 – Bobby Abreu, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1975 – João Barbosa, Portuguese racing driver
- 1975 – Shawn Springs, American football player
- 1976 – Thomas Gravesen, Danish footballer
- 1976 – Kotomitsuki Keiji, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1977 – Becky Hammon, American-Russian basketball player and coach
- 1978 – Scott Calderwood, English-Scottish footballer and manager
- 1978 – Didier Drogba, Ivorian footballer
- 1978 – Albert Luque, Spanish footballer
- 1979 – Elton Brand, American basketball player
- 1979 – Fred Jones, American basketball player
- 1979 – Benji Madden, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 – Joel Madden, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1979 – Keren Peles, Israeli singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1979 – Kirk Reynoldson, Australian rugby league player
- 1980 – Paul Scharner, Austrian footballer
- 1980 – Dan Uggla, American baseball player
- 1981 – Heidi Cortez, American businesswoman and author
- 1981 – Luke Johnson, English drummer and songwriter
- 1981 – LeToya Luckett, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1982 – Brian Anderson, American baseball player
- 1982 – Thora Birch, American actress
- 1982 – Hasan Raza, Pakistani cricketer
- 1983 – Lucy DeVito, American actress
- 1985 – Paul Bissonnette, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Daniel Vázquez Evuy, Equatoguinean footballer
- 1985 – Cassandra Fairbanks, American journalist and activist
- 1985 – Luis Hernández, Mexican figure skater
- 1985 – Stelios Malezas, Greek footballer
- 1985 – Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1985 – Derek Schouman, American football player
- 1985 – Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Australian footballer
- 1985 – Hakuhō Shō, Mongolian sumo wrestler, the 69th Yokozuna
- 1986 – Dario Cologna, Swiss skier
- 1986 – Mariko Shinoda, Japanese singer and actress
- 1987 – Marc-André Gragnani, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Tanel Kangert, Estonian cyclist
- 1987 – Ngonidzashe Makusha, Zimbabwean sprinter and long jumper
- 1987 – Colin Munro, South African-New Zealand cricketer
- 1988 – Fábio Coentrão, Portuguese footballer
- 1988 – Cecil Lolo, South African footballer (d. 2015)
- 1988 – Katsuhiko Nakajima, Japanese wrestler
- 1989 – Anton Yelchin, Russian-born American actor (d. 2016)
- 1990 – Ayumi Morita, Japanese tennis player
- 1991 – Kamohelo Mokotjo, South African footballer
- 1992 – Austin Swift, American actor
- 1992 – KZ Tandingan, Filipina singer and rapper
- 1993 – Jodie Comer, British actress
- 1993 – Anthony Davis, American basketball player
- 1994 – Andrew Robertson, Scottish footballer
Deaths on March 11
- 222 – Elagabalus, Roman emperor (b. 203)
- 452 – Tai Wu Di, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 408)
- 638 – Sophronius of Jerusalem (b. 560)
- 857 – Eulogius of Córdoba, Spanish martyr and saint (b. 819)
- 1198 – Marie of France, Countess of Champagne (b. 1145)
- 1296 – John le Romeyn, Archbishop of York
- 1353 – Theognostus, metropolitan of Kiev and Moscow
- 1486 – Albrecht III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1414)
- 1514 – Donato Bramante, Italian architect, designed the San Pietro in Montorio (b. 1444)
- 1575 – Matthias Flacius, Croatian theologian and reformer (b. 1520)
- 1602 – Emilio de’ Cavalieri, Italian organist and composer (b. 1550)
- 1607 – Giovanni Maria Nanino, Italian composer and educator (b. 1543)
- 1646 – Stanisław Koniecpolski, Polish soldier and statesman (b. c. 1592)
- 1665 – Clemente Tabone, Maltese landowner and militia member (b. c. 1575)
- 1722 – John Toland, Irish philosopher and theorist (b. 1670)
- 1759 – John Forbes, Scottish general (b. 1710)
- 1820 – Benjamin West, American-English painter and academic (b. 1738)
- 1851 – Marie Louise Coidavid, Queen of Haiti (b. 1778)
- 1851 – George McDuffie, American lawyer and politician, 55th Governor of South Carolina (b. 1790)
- 1854 – Willard Richards, American journalist and religious leader (b. 1804)
- 1863 – Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet, English general (b. 1803)
- 1869 – Vladimir Odoyevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (b. 1803)
- 1870 – Moshoeshoe I of Lesotho (b. 1786)
- 1874 – Charles Sumner, American lawyer and politician (b. 1811)
- 1898 – William Rosecrans, American general and politician (b. 1819)
- 1898 – Tigran Chukhajian, Armenian composer and conductor (b. 1837)
- 1907 – Jean Casimir-Perier, French lawyer and politician, 6th President of France (b. 1847)
- 1908 – Edmondo De Amicis, Italian journalist and author (b. 1846)
- 1908 – Benjamin Waugh, American minister and activist (b. 1839)
- 1915 – Thomas Alexander Browne, English-Australian author (b. 1826)
- 1920 – Julio Garavito Armero, Colombian astronomer, mathematician, and engineer (b. 1865)
- 1927 – Xenophon Stratigos, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister of Transport (b. 1869)
- 1931 – F. W. Murnau, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1888)
- 1937 – Joseph S. Cullinan, American businessman, co-founded Texaco (b. 1860)
- 1944 – Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-American journalist and historian (b. 1882)
- 1944 – Edgar Zilsel, Austrian historian and philosopher of science, linked to the Vienna Circle (b. 1891)
- 1949 – Anastasios Charalambis, Greek general and politician, 109th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1862)
- 1949 – Henri Giraud, French general and politician (b. 1879)
- 1952 – Pierre Renoir, French actor and director (b. 1885)
- 1955 – Alexander Fleming, Scottish biologist, pharmacologist, and botanist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
- 1955 – Oscar F. Mayer, German-American businessman, founded Oscar Mayer (b. 1859)
- 1957 – Richard E. Byrd, American admiral and explorer (b. 1888)
- 1958 – Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman, founded The Lego Group (b. 1891)
- 1959 – Lester Dent, American author (b. 1904)
- 1960 – Roy Chapman Andrews, American paleontologist and explorer (b. 1884)
- 1965 – Harry Altham, English cricketer, historian and coach (b. 1888)
- 1967 – Geraldine Farrar, American soprano and actress (b. 1882)
- 1968 – Haşim İşcan, Turkish educator and politician, 18th Mayor of İstanbul (b. 1898)
- 1969 – John Daly, Irish runner (b. 1880)
- 1969 – John Wyndham, English soldier and author (b. 1903)
- 1970 – Erle Stanley Gardner, American lawyer and author (b. 1889)
- 1971 – Philo Farnsworth, American inventor (b. 1906)
- 1971 – Whitney Young, American activist (b. 1921)
- 1977 – Ulysses S. Grant IV, American geologist and paleontologist (b. 1893)
- 1978 – Claude François, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and dancer (b. 1939)
- 1980 – Chandra Bhanu Gupta, Indian politician, 4th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (b. 1902)
- 1982 – Edmund Cooper, English poet and author (b. 1926)
- 1982 – Horace Gregory, American poet, translator, and academic (b. 1898)
- 1983 – Will Glickman, American playwright (b. 1910)
- 1984 – Kostas Roukounas, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1903)
- 1986 – Sonny Terry, American singer and harmonica player (b. 1911)
- 1989 – James Kee, American lawyer and politician (b. 1917)
- 1989 – John J. McCloy, American lawyer and banker (b. 1895)
- 1992 – Richard Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1912)
- 1995 – Myfanwy Talog, Welsh actress and singer (b. 1945)
- 1996 – Vince Edwards, American actor and director (b. 1928)
- 1999 – Herbert Jasper, Canadian psychologist, anatomist, and neurologist (b. 1906)
- 1999 – Camille Laurin, Canadian psychiatrist and politician (b. 1922)
- 2002 – James Tobin, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 2006 – Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1931)
- 2006 – Slobodan Milošević, Serbian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1941)
- 2007 – Betty Hutton, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Nils Taube, Estonian-English businessman (b. 1928)
- 2009 – Charles Lewis, Jr., American businessman, co-founded Tapout Clothing (b. 1963)
- 2010 – John Hill, Canadian-American wrestler (b. 1941)
- 2010 – Merlin Olsen, American football player and actor (b. 1940)
- 2010 – T. Somasekaram, Sri Lankan geographer and politician, 37th Surveyor General of Sri Lanka (b. 1934)
- 2010 – Hans van Mierlo, Dutch journalist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1931)
- 2011 – Gary Wichard, American football player and agent (b. 1950)
- 2012 – Henry Adefope, Nigerian physician and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Nigeria (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Sid Couchey, American author and illustrator (b. 1919)
- 2012 – James B. Morehead, American colonel and pilot (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Gösta Schwarck, German-Danish pianist and composer (b. 1915)
- 2013 – Erica Andrews, Mexican-American drag queen performer (b. 1969)
- 2013 – Martin Adolf Bormann, German priest and theologian (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Doug Christie, Canadian lawyer and activist (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Simón Alberto Consalvi, Venezuelan journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Venezuela (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Florian Siwicki, Polish general and politician (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Dean Bailey, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1967)
- 2014 – Joel Brinkley, American journalist and academic (b. 1952)
- 2015 – Walter Burkert, German philologist and scholar (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Jimmy Greenspoon, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (b. 1948)
- 2015 – Gerald Hurst, American chemist and academic (b. 1937)
- 2016 – Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper and educator (b. 1936)
- 2016 – Keith Emerson, English musician and composer. (b. 1944)
- 2016 – Doreen Massey, English geographer and academic (b. 1944)
- 2018 – Mary Rosenblum, American science fiction and mystery author (b. 1952)
Holidays and observances on March 11
- Christian feast day:
- Alberta of Agen
- Áurea of San Millán
- Benedict of Milan
- Constantine
- Eulogius of Córdoba
- Blessed John Righi
- Óengus of Tallaght
- Sophronius of Jerusalem
- Vindicianus
- Day of Restoration of Independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 (Lithuania)
- Johnny Appleseed Day (United States)
- Moshoeshoe Day (Lesotho)
-
March 6 in History
- 12 BCE – The Roman Emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor.
- 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada’) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
- 845 – Execution of the 42 Martyrs of Amorium at Samarra.
- 961 – Byzantine conquest of Chandax by Nikephoros Phokas, end of the Emirate of Crete.
- 1204 – The Siege of Château Gaillard ends in a French victory over King John of England, who loses control of Normandy to King Philip II Augustus.
- 1323 – Treaty of Paris of 1323 is signed.
- 1454 – Thirteen Years’ War: Delegates of the Prussian Confederation pledge allegiance to King Casimir IV of Poland who agrees to commit his forces in aiding the Confederation’s struggle for independence from the Teutonic Knights.
- 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam.
- 1665 – The first joint Secretary of the Royal Society, Henry Oldenburg, publishes the first issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, the world’s longest-running scientific journal.
- 1788 – The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island in order to found a convict settlement.
- 1820 – The Missouri Compromise is signed into law by President James Monroe. The compromise allows Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, brings Maine into the Union as a free state, and makes the rest of the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase territory slavery-free.
- 1834 – York, Upper Canada, is incorporated as Toronto.
- 1836 – Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo: After a thirteen-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers, including frontiersman Davy Crockett and colonel Jim Bowie, defending the Alamo are killed and the fort is captured.
- 1857 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case.
- 1869 – Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society.
- 1882 – The Serbian kingdom is re-founded.
- 1899 – Bayer registers “Aspirin” as a trademark.
- 1902 – Real Madrid CF is founded.
- 1912 – Italo-Turkish War: Italian forces become the first to use airships in war, as two dirigibles drop bombs on Turkish troops encamped at Janzur, from an altitude of 6,000 feet.
- 1921 – Portuguese Communist Party is founded as the Portuguese Section of the Communist International.
- 1930 – International Unemployment Day demonstrations globally initiated by the Comintern.
- 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares a “bank holiday”, closing all U.S. banks and freezing all financial transactions.
- 1943 – Norman Rockwell published Freedom from Want in The Saturday Evening Post with a matching essay by Carlos Bulosan as part of the Four Freedoms series.
- 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Fardykambos, one of the first major battles between the Greek Resistance and the occupying Royal Italian Army, ends with the surrender of an entire Italian battalion, the bulk of the garrison of the town of Grevena, leading to its liberation a fortnight later.
- 1944 – World War II: Soviet Air Forces bomb an evacuated town of Narva in German-occupied Estonia, destroying the entire historical Swedish-era town.
- 1945 – World War II: Cologne is captured by American troops. On the same day, Operation Spring Awakening, the last major German offensive of the war, begins.
- 1946 – Ho Chi Minh signs an agreement with France which recognizes Vietnam as an autonomous state in the Indochinese Federation and the French Union.
- 1951 – Cold War: The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins.
- 1953 – Georgy Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin as Premier of the Soviet Union and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
- 1957 – Ghana becomes the first Sub-Saharan country to gain independence from the British.
- 1964 – Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad officially gives boxing champion Cassius Clay the name Muhammad Ali.
- 1964 – Constantine II becomes King of Greece.
- 1965 – Premier Tom Playford of South Australia loses power after 27 years in office.
- 1967 – Cold War: Joseph Stalin’s daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the United States.
- 1968 – Three rebels are executed by Rhodesia, the first executions since UDI, prompting international condemnation.
- 1970 – An explosion at the Weather Underground safe house in Greenwich Village kills three.
- 1975 – For the first time the Zapruder film of the assassination of John F. Kennedy is shown in motion to a national TV audience by Robert J. Groden and Dick Gregory.
- 1975 – Algiers Accord: Iran and Iraq announce a settlement of their border dispute.
- 1983 – The first United States Football League games are played.
- 1984 – In the United Kingdom, a walkout at Cortonwood Colliery in Brampton Bierlow signals the start of a strike that lasted almost a year and involved the majority of the country’s miners.
- 1987 – The British ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes in about 90 seconds, killing 193.
- 1988 – Three Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers are shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in Operation Flavius.
- 1992 – The Michelangelo computer virus begins to affect computers.
- 2003 – Air Algérie Flight 6289 crashes at the Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport in Tamanrasset, Algeria, killing 102 out of the 103 people on board.
- 2008 – A suicide bomber kills 68 people (including first responders) in Baghdad on the same day that a gunman kills eight students in Jerusalem.
Births on March 6
- 1340 – John of Gaunt (d. 1399)
- 1405 – John II of Castile (d. 1454)
- 1459 – Jakob Fugger, German merchant and banker (d. 1525)
- 1475 – Michelangelo, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1564)
- 1483 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (d. 1540)
- 1493 – Juan Luis Vives, Spanish scholar and humanist (d. 1540)
- 1495 – Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet and diplomat (d. 1556)
- 1536 – Santi di Tito, Italian painter (d. 1603)
- 1619 – Cyrano de Bergerac, French author and playwright (d. 1655)
- 1663 – Francis Atterbury, English bishop and poet (d. 1732)
- 1706 – George Pocock, English admiral (d. 1792)
- 1716 – Pehr Kalm, Swedish-Finnish botanist and explorer (d. 1779)
- 1724 – Henry Laurens, English-American merchant and politician, 5th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1792)
- 1761 – Antoine-François Andréossy, French general and diplomat (d. 1828)
- 1779 – Antoine-Henri Jomini, Swiss-French general (d. 1869)
- 1780 – Lucy Barnes, American writer (d. 1809)
- 1785 – Karol Kurpiński, Polish composer and conductor (d. 1857)
- 1787 – Joseph von Fraunhofer, German physicist and astronomer (d. 1826)
- 1806 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English-Italian poet and translator (d. 1861)
- 1812 – Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American businessman, co-founded the Waltham Watch Company (d. 1895)
- 1817 – Princess Clémentine of Orléans (d. 1907)
- 1818 – William Claflin, American businessman and politician, 27th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1905)
- 1823 – Charles I of Württemberg (d. 1891)
- 1831 – Philip Sheridan, Irish-American general (d. 1888)
- 1834 – George du Maurier, French-English author and illustrator (d. 1896)
- 1841 – Viktor Burenin, Russian author, poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1926)
- 1849 – Georg Luger, Austrian gun designer, designed the Luger pistol (d. 1923)
- 1864 – Richard Rushall, British businessman (d. 1953)
- 1870 – Oscar Straus, Viennese composer and conductor (d. 1954)
- 1871 – Afonso Costa, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 59th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1937)
- 1872 – Ben Harney, American pianist and composer (d. 1938)
- 1879 – Jimmy Hunter, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1962)
- 1882 – F. Burrall Hoffman, American architect, co-designed Villa Vizcaya (d. 1980)
- 1882 – Guy Kibbee, American actor and singer (d. 1956)
- 1884 – Molla Mallory, Norwegian-American tennis player (d. 1959)
- 1885 – Ring Lardner, American journalist and author (d. 1933)
- 1886 – Jam Handy, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1983)
- 1886 – Nella Walker, American actress and vaudevillian (d. 1971)
- 1892 – Bert Smith, English international footballer, right half (d. 1969)
- 1893 – Furry Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1981)
- 1893 – Ella P. Stewart, pioneering Black American pharmacist (d. 1987)
- 1895 – Albert Tessier, Canadian priest and historian (d. 1976)
- 1898 – Gus Sonnenberg, American football player and wrestler (d. 1944)
- 1900 – Gina Cigna, French-Italian soprano and actress (d. 2001)
- 1900 – Lefty Grove, American baseball player (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Henri Jeanson, French journalist and author (d. 1970)
- 1903 – Empress Kōjun of Japan (d. 2000)
- 1904 – José Antonio Aguirre, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Basque Country (d. 1960)
- 1905 – Bob Wills, American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader (d. 1975)
- 1906 – Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (d. 1959)
- 1909 – Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (d. 1987)
- 1909 – Stanisław Jerzy Lec, Polish poet and author (d. 1966)
- 1910 – Ella Logan, Scottish-American singer and actress (d. 1969)
- 1912 – Mohammed Burhanuddin, Indian spiritual leader, 52nd Da’i al-Mutlaq (d. 2014)
- 1917 – Donald Davidson, American philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Will Eisner, American illustrator and publisher (d. 2005)
- 1917 – Frankie Howerd, English comedian (d. 1992)
- 1918 – Howard McGhee, American trumpeter (d. 1987)
- 1920 – Lewis Gilbert, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
- 1921 – Leo Bretholz, Austrian-American holocaust survivor and author (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Ed McMahon, American comedian, game show host, and announcer (d. 2009)
- 1923 – Wes Montgomery, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1968)
- 1924 – Ottmar Walter, German footballer (d. 2013)
- 1924 – William H. Webster, American lawyer and jurist, 14th Director of Central Intelligence
- 1926 – Ann Curtis, American swimmer (d. 2012)
- 1926 – Alan Greenspan, American economist and politician
- 1926 – Ray O’Connor, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of Western Australia (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Andrzej Wajda, Polish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1927 – William J. Bell, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Gordon Cooper, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2004)
- 1927 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Tom Foley, American lawyer and politician, 57th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 2013)
- 1929 – David Sheppard, English cricketer and bishop (d. 2005)
- 1930 – Lorin Maazel, French-American violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Marc Bazin, Haitian lawyer and politician, 49th President of Haiti (d. 2010)
- 1932 – Bronisław Geremek, Polish historian and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2008)
- 1933 – Ted Abernathy, American baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1933 – William Davis, German-English journalist and economist (d. 2019)
- 1933 – Augusto Odone, Italian economist and inventor of Lorenzo’s oil (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Red Simpson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
- 1935 – Ron Delany, Irish runner and coach
- 1935 – Derek Kevan, English footballer (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Bob Akin, American race car driver and journalist (d. 2002)
- 1936 – Marion Barry, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Mayor of the District of Columbia (d. 2014)
- 1936 – Choummaly Sayasone, Laotian politician, 5th President of Laos
- 1937 – Ivan Boesky, American businessman
- 1937 – Valentina Tereshkova, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut
- 1938 – Keishu Tanaka, Japanese politician, 17th Japanese Minister of Justice
- 1939 – Kit Bond, American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Missouri
- 1939 – Adam Osborne, Thai-Indian engineer and businessman, founded the Osborne Computer Corporation (d. 2003)
- 1940 – Ken Danby, Canadian painter (d. 2007)
- 1940 – Joanna Miles, French-born American actress
- 1940 – R. H. Sikes, American golfer
- 1940 – Willie Stargell, American baseball player and coach (d. 2001)
- 1940 – Jeff Wooller, English accountant and banker
- 1941 – Peter Brötzmann, German saxophonist and clarinet player
- 1941 – Marilyn Strathern, Welsh anthropologist and academic
- 1942 – Ben Murphy, American actor
- 1944 – Richard Corliss, American journalist and critic (d. 2015)
- 1944 – Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand soprano and actress
- 1944 – Mary Wilson, American singer
- 1945 – Angelo Castro, Jr., Filipino actor and journalist (d. 2012)
- 1946 – David Gilmour, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1946 – Richard Noble, Scottish race car driver and businessman
- 1947 – Kiki Dee, English singer-songwriter
- 1947 – Dick Fosbury, American high jumper
- 1947 – Anna Maria Horsford, American actress
- 1947 – Rob Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and activist
- 1947 – Jean Seaton, English historian and academic
- 1947 – John Stossel, American journalist and author
- 1948 – Stephen Schwartz, American composer and producer
- 1949 – Shaukat Aziz, Pakistani economist and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Pakistan
- 1949 – Martin Buchan, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1950 – Arthur Roche, English archbishop
- 1951 – Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch cyclist (d. 2004)
- 1952 – Denis Napthine, Australian politician, 47th Premier of Victoria
- 1953 – Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali banker and politician, 34th Prime Minister of Nepal
- 1953 – Carolyn Porco, American astronomer and academic
- 1953 – Phil Alvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Jeff Greenwald, American author, photographer, and monologist
- 1954 – Harald Schumacher, German footballer and manager
- 1955 – Cyprien Ntaryamira, Burundian politician, 5th President of Burundi (d. 1994)
- 1955 – Alberta Watson, Canadian actress (d. 2015)
- 1956 – Peter Roebuck, English cricketer, journalist, and sportcaster (d. 2011)
- 1956 – Steve Vizard, Australian television host, actor, and producer
- 1960 – Sleepy Floyd, American basketball player and coach
- 1962 – Alison Nicholas, British golfer
- 1963 – D. L. Hughley, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Linda Pearson, Scottish sport shooter
- 1965 – Allan Bateman, Welsh rugby player
- 1965 – Jim Knight, English politician
- 1966 – Alan Davies, English comedian, actor and screenwriter
- 1967 – Julio Bocca, Argentinian ballet dancer and director
- 1967 – Connie Britton, American actress
- 1967 – Glenn Greenwald, American journalist and author
- 1967 – Shuler Hensley, American actor and singer
- 1968 – Moira Kelly, American actress and director
- 1971 – Darrick Martin, American basketball player and coach
- 1972 – Shaquille O’Neal, American basketball player, actor, and rapper
- 1972 – Jaret Reddick, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1973 – Michael Finley, American basketball player
- 1973 – Peter Lindgren, Swedish guitarist and songwriter
- 1973 – Greg Ostertag, American basketball player
- 1973 – Trent Willmon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Guy Garvey, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Matthew Guy, Australian politician
- 1974 – Brad Schumacher, American swimmer
- 1974 – Beanie Sigel, American rapper
- 1975 – Aracely Arámbula, Mexican actress and singer
- 1975 – Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Canadian pianist and conductor
- 1976 – Ken Anderson, American wrestler and actor
- 1977 – Nantie Hayward, South African cricketer
- 1977 – Giorgos Karagounis, Greek international footballer, midfielder
- 1977 – Shabani Nonda, DR Congolese footballer
- 1977 – Marcus Thames, American baseball player and coach
- 1978 – Sage Rosenfels, American football player
- 1978 – Chad Wicks, American wrestler
- 1979 – Clint Barmes, American baseball player
- 1979 – Érik Bédard, Canadian baseball player
- 1979 – David Flair, American wrestler
- 1979 – Tim Howard, American soccer player
- 1980 – Emílson Cribari, Brazilian footballer
- 1981 – Ellen Muth, American actress
- 1983 – Andranik Teymourian, Armenian-Iranian footballer
- 1984 – Daniël de Ridder, Dutch footballer
- 1984 – Eskil Pedersen, Norwegian politician
- 1984 – Chris Tomson, American drummer
- 1985 – Bakaye Traoré, French-Malian footballer
- 1986 – Jake Arrieta, American baseball player
- 1986 – Francisco Cervelli, Venezuelan-Italian baseball player
- 1986 – Ross Detwiler, American baseball player
- 1986 – Eli Marienthal, American actor
- 1986 – Charlie Mulgrew, Scottish footballer
- 1987 – Kevin-Prince Boateng, Ghanaian-German footballer
- 1987 – José Manuel Flores, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Agnes Carlsson, Swedish singer
- 1988 – Marina Erakovic, New Zealand tennis player
- 1988 – Simon Mignolet, Belgian footballer
- 1989 – Agnieszka Radwańska, Polish tennis player
- 1990 – Derek Drouin, Canadian athlete
- 1991 – Lex Luger, American keyboard player and producer
- 1991 – Emma McDougall, English footballer (d. 2013)
- 1991 – Tyler Gregory Okonma, American rapper
- 1993 – Andrés Rentería, Colombian footballer
- 1994 – Nathan Redmond, English footballer
- 1994 – Marcus Smart, American basketball player
- 1994 – Wesley Hoedt, Dutch footballer
- 1995 – Georgi Kitanov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1996 – Christian Coleman, American sprinter
- 1996 – Tyrell Fuimaono, Australian rugby player
- 1996 – Timo Werner, German footballer
Deaths on March 6
- 190 – Liu Bian (poisoned by Dong Zhuo) (b. 176)
- 653 – Li Ke, prince of the Tang Dynasty (b. 619)
- 766 – Chrodegang, Frankish bishop and saint
- 903 – Lu Guangqi, Chinese official and chancellor
- 903 – Su Jian, Chinese official and chancellor
- 1070 – Ulric I, Margrave of Carniola
- 1251 – Rose of Viterbo, Italian saint (b. 1235)
- 1353 – Roger Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Ruthyn
- 1466 – Alvise Loredan, Venetian admiral and statesman (b. 1393)
- 1490 – Ivan the Young, Ruler of Tver (b. 1458)
- 1491 – Richard Woodville, 3rd Earl Rivers
- 1531 – Pedro Arias Dávila, Spanish explorer and diplomat (b. 1440)
- 1616 – Francis Beaumont, English playwright (b. 1584)
- 1754 – Henry Pelham, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1694)
- 1758 – Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Durham (b. 1705)
- 1764 – Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom (b. 1690)
- 1796 – Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French historian and author (b. 1713)
- 1836 – Deaths at the Battle of the Alamo:
- James Bonham, American lawyer and soldier (b. 1807)
- James Bowie, American colonel (b. 1796)
- Davy Crockett, American soldier and politician (b. 1786)
- William B. Travis, American lieutenant colonel and lawyer (b. 1809)
- 1854 – Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Irish colonel and diplomat, Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (b. 1778)
- 1866 – William Whewell, English priest, historian, and philosopher (b. 1794)
- 1867 – Charles Farrar Browne, American-English author and educator (b. 1834)
- 1888 – Louisa May Alcott, American novelist and poet (b. 1832)
- 1895 – Camilla Collett, Norwegian novelist and activist (b. 1813)
- 1899 – Kaʻiulani of Hawaii (b. 1875)
- 1900 – Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and businessman, co-founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (b. 1834)
- 1905 – John Henninger Reagan, American surveyor, judge, and politician, 3rd Confederate States of America Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1818)
- 1905 – Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (b. 1856)
- 1919 – Oskars Kalpaks, Latvian colonel (b. 1882)
- 1920 – Ömer Seyfettin, Turkish author and educator (b. 1884)
- 1932 – John Philip Sousa, American conductor and composer (b. 1854)
- 1933 – Anton Cermak, Czech-American lawyer and politician, 44th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1873)
- 1935 – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., American colonel, lawyer, and jurist (b. 1841)
- 1939 – Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician and academic (b. 1852)
- 1941 – Francis Aveling, Canadian priest, psychologist, and author (b. 1875)
- 1941 – Gutzon Borglum, American sculptor and academic, designed Mount Rushmore (b. 1867)
- 1948 – Ross Lockridge, Jr., American author, poet, and academic (b. 1914)
- 1948 – Alice Woodby McKane, First Black woman doctor in Savannah, Georgia (b. 1865)
- 1950 – Albert François Lebrun, French engineer and politician, 15th President of France (b. 1871)
- 1951 – Ivor Novello, Welsh singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1893)
- 1951 – Volodymyr Vynnychenko, Ukrainian playwright and politician, Prime Minister of Ukraine (b. 1880)
- 1952 – Jürgen Stroop, German general (b. 1895)
- 1955 – Mammad Amin Rasulzade, Azerbaijani scholar and politician (b. 1884)
- 1961 – George Formby, English singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1904)
- 1964 – Paul of Greece (b. 1901)
- 1965 – Margaret Dumont, American actress (b. 1889)
- 1967 – John Haden Badley, English author and educator, founded the Bedales School (b. 1865)
- 1967 – Nelson Eddy, American actor and singer (b. 1901)
- 1967 – Zoltán Kodály, Hungarian composer, linguist, and philosopher (b. 1882)
- 1970 – William Hopper, American actor (b. 1915)
- 1973 – Pearl S. Buck, American novelist, essayist, short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
- 1974 – Ernest Becker, American anthropologist and author (b. 1924)
- 1976 – Maxie Rosenbloom, American boxer (b. 1903)
- 1977 – Alvin R. Dyer, American religious leader (b. 1903)
- 1978 – Dennis Viollet, English-American soccer player and manager (b. 1933)
- 1981 – George Geary, English cricketer and coach (b. 1893)
- 1981 – Rambhau Mhalgi, Indian politician and member of the Lok Sabha (b. 9 July 1921)
- 1982 – Ayn Rand, Russian-American philosopher, author, and playwright (b. 1905)
- 1984 – Billy Collins, Jr., American boxer (b. 1961)
- 1984 – Martin Niemöller, German pastor and theologian (b. 1892)
- 1984 – Homer N. Wallin, American admiral (b. 1893)
- 1984 – Henry Wilcoxon, Dominican-American actor and producer (b. 1905)
- 1986 – Georgia O’Keeffe, American painter (b. 1887)
- 1988 – Mairéad Farrell, Provisional IRA volunteer (b. 1957)
- 1988 – Daniel McCann, Provisional IRA volunteer (b. 1957)
- 1988 – Seán Savage, Provisional IRA volunteer (b. 1965)
- 1994 – Melina Mercouri, Greek actress and politician, 9th Greek Minister of Culture (b. 1920)
- 1997 – Cheddi Jagan, Guyanese politician, 4th President of Guyana (b. 1918)
- 1997 – Michael Manley, Jamaican soldier, pilot, and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1924)
- 1997 – Ursula Torday, English author (b. 1912)
- 1999 – Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahrain king (b. 1933)
- 2000 – John Colicos, Canadian actor (b. 1928)
- 2002 – Bryan Fogarty, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1969)
- 2004 – Hercules, American wrestler (b. 1957)
- 2004 – Frances Dee, American actress (b. 1909)
- 2005 – Hans Bethe, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Danny Gardella, American baseball player and trainer (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Tommy Vance, English radio host (b. 1943)
- 2005 – Teresa Wright, American actress (b. 1918)
- 2005 – Gladys Marín, Chilean activist and political figure. (b.1938)
- 2006 – Anne Braden, American journalist and activist (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Kirby Puckett, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1960)
- 2007 – Jean Baudrillard, French photographer and theorist (b. 1929)
- 2007 – Ernest Gallo, American businessman, co-founded E & J Gallo Winery (b. 1909)
- 2008 – Peter Poreku Dery, Ghanaian cardinal (b. 1918)
- 2009 – Francis Magalona, Filipino rapper, producer, and actor (b. 1964)
- 2010 – Endurance Idahor, Nigerian footballer (b. 1984)
- 2010 – Mark Linkous, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1962)
- 2010 – Betty Millard, American philanthropist and activist (b. 1911)
- 2012 – Francisco Xavier do Amaral, East Timorese politician, 1st President of East Timor (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Donald M. Payne, American businessman and politician (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Helen Walulik, American baseball player (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Chorão, Brazilian singer-songwriter (Charlie Brown Jr.) (b. 1970)
- 2013 – Stompin’ Tom Connors, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
- 2013 – Alvin Lee, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
- 2013 – W. Wallace Cleland, American biochemist and academic (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Alemayehu Atomsa, Ethiopian educator and politician (b. 1969)
- 2014 – Frank Jobe, American soldier and surgeon (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Sheila MacRae, English-American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Martin Nesbitt, American lawyer and politician (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Manlio Sgalambro, Italian philosopher, author, and poet (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Fred Craddock, American minister and academic (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Ram Sundar Das, Indian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Minister of Bihar (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Enrique “Coco” Vicéns, Puerto Rican-American basketball player and politician (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Nancy Reagan, American actress, 42nd First Lady of the United States (b. 1921)
- 2016 – Sheila Varian, American horse trainer and breeder (b. 1937)
- 2017 – Robert Osborne, American actor and historian (b. 1932)
- 2018 – Peter Nicholls, Australian science fiction critic and encyclopedist (b. 1939)
Holidays and observances on March 6
- Christian feast day:
- Chrodegang
- Colette
- Fridolin
- Kyneburga, Kyneswide and Tibba
- Marcian of Tortona
- William W. Mayo and Charles Frederick Menninger (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Olegarius
- March 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- European Day of the Righteous, commemorates those who have stood up against crimes against humanity and totalitarism with their own moral responsibility. (Europe)
- Foundation Day (Norfolk Island), the founding of Norfolk Island in 1788.
- Independence Day (Ghana), celebrates the independence of Ghana from the UK in 1957.
- The Day of the Dude, celebrated by the adherents of Dudeism
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February 19 in History
- 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
- 356 – Emperor Constantius II issues a decree closing all pagan temples in the Roman Empire.
- 1594 – Having already been elected to the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1587, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa is crowned King of Sweden, having succeeded his father John III of Sweden in 1592.
- 1600 – The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America.
- 1649 – The Second Battle of Guararapes takes place, effectively ending Dutch colonization efforts in Brazil.
- 1674 – England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transfers the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England, and it is renamed New York.
- 1726 – The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia.
- 1807 – Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in Wakefield, Alabama and confined to Fort Stoddert.
- 1819 – British explorer William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands and claims them in the name of King George III.
- 1836 – King William IV signs Letters Patent establishing the Province of South Australia.
- 1846 – In Austin, Texas the newly formed Texas state government is officially installed. The Republic of Texas government officially transfers power to the State of Texas government following the annexation of Texas by the United States.
- 1847 – The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party.
- 1859 – Daniel E. Sickles, a New York Congressman, is acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity.
- 1878 – Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
- 1884 – More than sixty tornadoes strike the Southern United States, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.
- 1913 – Pedro Lascuráin becomes President of Mexico for 45 minutes; this is the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.
- 1915 – World War I: The first naval attack on the Dardanelles begins when a strong Anglo-French task force bombards Ottoman artillery along the coast of Gallipoli.
- 1937 – Yekatit 12: During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Ethiopian nationalists of Eritrean origin attempt to kill viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades.
- 1942 – World War II: Nearly 250 Japanese warplanes attack the northern Australian city of Darwin, killing 243 people.
- 1942 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs executive order 9066, allowing the United States military to relocate Japanese Americans to internment camps.
- 1943 – World War II: Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia begins.
- 1945 – World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima: About 30,000 United States Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima.
- 1948 – The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence convenes in Calcutta.
- 1949 – Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
- 1953 – Book censorship in the United States: The Georgia Literature Commission is established.
- 1954 – Transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer of the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR.
- 1959 – The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960.
- 1960 – China successfully launches the T-7, its first sounding rocket.
- 1963 – The publication of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique reawakens the feminist movement in the United States as women’s organizations and consciousness raising groups spread.
- 1965 – Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and a communist spy of the North Vietnamese Viet Minh, along with Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Trần Thiện Khiêm, all Catholics, attempt a coup against the military junta of the Buddhist Nguyễn Khánh.
- 1976 – Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, is rescinded by President Gerald Ford’s Proclamation 4417.
- 1978 – Egyptian forces raid Larnaca International Airport in an attempt to intervene in a hijacking, without authorisation from the Republic of Cyprus authorities. The Cypriot National Guard and Police forces kill 15 Egyptian commandos and destroy the Egyptian C-130 transport plane in open combat.
- 1985 – William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital.
- 1985 – Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 crashes into Mount Oiz in Spain, killing 148.
- 1986 – Akkaraipattu massacre: the Sri Lankan Army massacres 80 Tamil farm workers in eastern Sri Lanka.
- 1989 – Flying Tiger Line flight 66 crashes into a hill near Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Malaysia, killing four.
- 2002 – NASA’s Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
- 2003 – An Ilyushin Il-76 military aircraft crashes near Kerman, Iran, killing 275.
- 2006 – A methane explosion in a coal mine near Nueva Rosita, Mexico, kills 65 miners.
- 2011 – The debut exhibition of the Belitung shipwreck, containing the largest collection of Tang dynasty artifacts found in one location, begins in Singapore.
- 2012 – Forty-four people are killed in a prison brawl in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico.
Births on February 19
- 1461 – Domenico Grimani, Italian cardinal (d. 1523)
- 1473 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer (d. 1543)
- 1497 – Matthäus Schwarz, German fashion writer (d. 1574)
- 1519 – Froben Christoph of Zimmern, German author of the Zimmern Chronicle (d. 1566)
- 1526 – Carolus Clusius, Flemish botanist and academic (d. 1609)
- 1532 – Jean-Antoine de Baïf, French poet (d. 1589)
- 1552 – Melchior Klesl, Austrian cardinal (d. 1630)
- 1594 – Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (d. 1612)
- 1611 – Andries de Graeff, Dutch politician (d. 1678)
- 1630 – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Indian warrior king and the founder of Maratha Empire
- 1660 – Friedrich Hoffmann, German physician and chemist (d. 1742)
- 1717 – David Garrick, English actor, playwright, and producer (d. 1779)
- 1743 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1805)
- 1798 – Allan MacNab, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, Premier of Canada West (d. 1862)
- 1800 – Émilie Gamelin, Canadian nun and social worker, founded the Sisters of Providence (d. 1851)
- 1804 – Carl von Rokitansky, German physician, pathologist, and philosopher (d. 1878)
- 1821 – August Schleicher, German linguist and academic (d. 1868)
- 1833 – Élie Ducommun, Swiss journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1906)
- 1838 – Lydia Thompson, British burlesque performer (d. 1908)
- 1841 – Elfrida Andrée, Swedish organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1929)
- 1855 – Nishinoumi Kajirō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 16th Yokozuna (d. 1908)
- 1859 – Svante Arrhenius, Swedish physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1927)
- 1865 – Sven Hedin, Swedish geographer and explorer (d. 1952)
- 1869 – Hovhannes Tumanyan, Armenian-Russian poet and author (d. 1923)
- 1872 – Johan Pitka, Estonian admiral (d. 1944)
- 1876 – Constantin Brâncuși, Romanian-French sculptor, painter, and photographer (d. 1957)
- 1877 – Gabriele Münter, German painter (d. 1962)
- 1878 – Harriet Bosse, Swedish–Norwegian actress (d. 1961)
- 1880 – Álvaro Obregón, Mexican general and politician, 39th President of Mexico (d. 1928)
- 1886 – José Abad Santos, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (d. 1942)
- 1888 – José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian lawyer and poet (d. 1928)
- 1893 – Cedric Hardwicke, English actor and director (d. 1964)
- 1895 – Louis Calhern, American actor (d. 1956)
- 1896 – André Breton, French poet and author (d. 1966)
- 1897 – Alma Rubens, American actress (d. 1931)
- 1899 – Lucio Fontana, Argentinian-Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1968)
- 1902 – Kay Boyle, American novelist, short story writer, and educator (d. 1992)
- 1904 – Havank, Dutch journalist and author (d. 1964)
- 1904 – Elisabeth Welch, American-English singer and actress (d. 2003)
- 1911 – Merle Oberon, Indian-American actress (d. 1979)
- 1912 – Dorothy Janis, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1912 – Saul Chaplin, American composer (d. 1997)
- 1913 – Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Frank Tashlin, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1972)
- 1914 – Thelma Kench, New Zealand Olympic sprinter (d. 1985)
- 1915 – John Freeman, English lawyer, politician, and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States (d. 2014)
- 1916 – Eddie Arcaro, American jockey and sportscaster (d. 1997)
- 1917 – Carson McCullers, American novelist, short story writer, playwright, and essayist (d. 1967)
- 1918 – Fay McKenzie, American actress (d. 2019)
- 1920 – C. Z. Guest, American actress, fashion designer, and author (d. 2003)
- 1920 – Jaan Kross, Estonian author and poet (d. 2007)
- 1920 – George Rose, English actor and singer (d. 1988)
- 1922 – Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2015)
- 1924 – David Bronstein, Ukrainian chess player and theoretician (d. 2006)
- 1924 – Lee Marvin, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1926 – György Kurtág, Hungarian composer and academic
- 1927 – Philippe Boiry, French journalist (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Jacques Deray, French director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1930 – John Frankenheimer, American director and producer (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Kasinathuni Viswanath, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1932 – Joseph P. Kerwin, American captain, physician, and astronaut
- 1935 – Dave Niehaus, American sportscaster (d. 2010)
- 1935 – Russ Nixon, American MLB catcher and coach (d. 2016)
- 1936 – Sam Myers, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
- 1936 – Frederick Seidel, American poet
- 1937 – Terry Carr, American author and educator (d. 1987)
- 1937 – Norm O’Neill, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2008)
- 1938 – Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama (d. 1989)
- 1939 – Erin Pizzey, English activist and author, founded Refuge
- 1940 – Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Smokey Robinson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1940 – Bobby Rogers, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1941 – David Gross, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 – Jenny Tonge, Baroness Tonge, English politician
- 1942 – Cyrus Chothia, English biochemist and emeritus scientist at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (d. 2019)
- 1942 – Paul Krause, American football player and politician
- 1942 – Howard Stringer, Welsh businessman
- 1942 – Will Provine, American biologist, historian, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1943 – Lou Christie, American singer-songwriter
- 1943 – Homer Hickam, American author and engineer
- 1943 – Tim Hunt, English biochemist and academic, Nobel laureate
- 1944 – Les Hinton, English-American journalist and businessman
- 1945 – Yuri Antonov, Uzbek-Russian singer-songwriter
- 1946 – Paul Dean, Canadian guitarist
- 1946 – Peter Hudson, Australian footballer and coach
- 1946 – Karen Silkwood, American technician and activist (d. 1974)
- 1947 – Jackie Curtis, American actress and playwright (d. 1985)
- 1947 – Tim Shadbolt, New Zealand businessman and politician, 42nd Mayor of Invercargill
- 1948 – Mark Andes, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1948 – Pim Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician (d. 2002)
- 1948 – Tony Iommi, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1949 – Danielle Bunten Berry, American game designer and programmer (d. 1998)
- 1949 – Eddie Hardin, English singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Barry Lloyd, English footballer, midfielder and manager
- 1949 – William Messner-Loebs, American author and illustrator
- 1950 – Juice Leskinen, Finnish singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
- 1950 – Andy Powell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1951 – Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, Pakistani scholar and politician, founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran
- 1952 – Ryū Murakami, Japanese novelist and filmmaker
- 1952 – Rodolfo Neri Vela, Mexican engineer and astronaut
- 1952 – Gary Seear, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2018)
- 1952 – Dave Cheadle, American baseball player (d. 2012)
- 1952 – Amy Tan, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
- 1952 – Danilo Türk, Slovene academic and politician, 3rd President of Slovenia
- 1953 – Corrado Barazzutti, Italian tennis player
- 1953 – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentine lawyer and politician, former President of Argentina and current Vice President of Argentina
- 1953 – Massimo Troisi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
- 1954 – Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2011)
- 1954 – Francis Buchholz, German bass player
- 1954 – Michael Gira, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1955 – Jeff Daniels, American actor and playwright
- 1956 – Kathleen Beller, American actress
- 1956 – Peter Holsapple, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1956 – Roderick MacKinnon, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1956 – Dave Wakeling, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1957 – Falco, Austrian singer-songwriter, rapper, and musician (d. 1998)
- 1957 – Dave Stewart, American baseball player and coach
- 1957 – Ray Winstone, English actor
- 1958 – Tommy Cairo, American wrestler
- 1958 – Helen Fielding, English author and screenwriter
- 1958 – Steve Nieve, English keyboard player and composer
- 1959 – Roger Goodell, American businessman
- 1960 – Prince Andrew, Duke of York
- 1960 – John Paul Jr., American race car driver
- 1961 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (d. 1998)
- 1961 – Ernie Gonzalez, American golfer
- 1962 – Hana Mandlíková, Czech-Australian tennis player and coach
- 1963 – Seal, English singer-songwriter
- 1963 – Jessica Tuck, American actress
- 1964 – Doug Aldrich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1964 – Jonathan Lethem, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
- 1965 – Jon Fishman, American drummer
- 1965 – Clark Hunt, American businessman
- 1965 – Leroy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1966 – Justine Bateman, American actress and producer
- 1966 – Paul Haarhuis, Dutch tennis player and coach
- 1966 – Eduardo Xol, American designer and author
- 1967 – Benicio del Toro, Puerto Rican-American actor, director, and producer
- 1968 – Frank Watkins, American bass player (d. 2015)
- 1968 – Prince Markie Dee, American rapper and actor
- 1969 – Burton C. Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1969 – Helena Guergis, Canadian businesswoman and politician
- 1970 – Joacim Cans, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1971 – Miguel Batista, Dominican baseball player and poet
- 1971 – Richard Green, Australian golfer
- 1971 – Jeff Kinney, American author and illustrator
- 1972 – Francine Fournier, American wrestler and manager
- 1972 – Sunset Thomas, American pornographic actress
- 1975 – Daniel Adair, Canadian drummer and producer
- 1975 – Daewon Song, South Korean-American skateboarder, co-founded Almost Skateboards
- 1977 – Ola Salo, Swedish singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1977 – Andrew Ross Sorkin, American journalist and author
- 1977 – Gianluca Zambrotta, Italian footballer and manager
- 1978 – Ben Gummer, English scholar and politician
- 1978 – Immortal Technique, Peruvian-American rapper
- 1979 – Steve Cherundolo, American soccer player and manager
- 1980 – Dwight Freeney, American football player
- 1980 – Ma Lin, Chinese table tennis player
- 1980 – Mike Miller, American basketball player
- 1981 – Beth Ditto, American singer
- 1983 – Kotoōshū Katsunori, Bulgarian sumo wrestler
- 1983 – Mika Nakashima, Japanese singer and actress
- 1983 – Ryan Whitney, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Chris Richardson, American singer-songwriter
- 1985 – Haylie Duff, American actress and singer
- 1986 – Kyle Chipchura, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Marta, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – Maria Mena, Norwegian singer-songwriter
- 1986 – Michael Schwimer, American baseball player
- 1987 – Anna Cappellini, Italian ice dancer
- 1988 – Shawn Matthias, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Seth Morrison, American guitarist
- 1989 – Sone Aluko, Anglo-Nigerian international footballer, forward/winger
- 1991 – Christoph Kramer, German national footballer
- 1991 – Trevor Bayne, American race car driver
- 1992 – Camille Kostek, American model
- 1993 – Mauro Icardi, Argentinian footballer
- 1993 – Victoria Justice, American actress and singer
- 1994 – Sam Lisone, New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player
- 1994 – Tiina Trutsi, Estonian footballer
- 1995 – Nikola Jokić, Serbian basketball player
- 1998 – Katharina Gerlach, German tennis player
- 2001 – David Mazouz, American actor
- 2004 – Millie Bobby Brown, English actress
Deaths on February 19
- 197 – Clodius Albinus, Roman usurper (b. 150)
- 446 – Leontius of Trier, Bishop of Trier
- 1133 – Irene Doukaina, Byzantine wife of Alexios I Komnenos (b. 1066)
- 1275 – Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Sufi philosopher and poet (b. 1177)
- 1300 – Munio of Zamora, General of the Dominican Order
- 1408 – Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf, English rebel
- 1414 – Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1353)
- 1445 – Leonor of Aragon, queen of Portugal (b. 1402)
- 1491 – Enno I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (b. 1460)
- 1553 – Erasmus Reinhold, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1511)
- 1602 – Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur (b. 1558)
- 1605 – Orazio Vecchi, Italian composer (b. 1550)
- 1622 – Henry Savile, English scholar and politician (b. 1549)
- 1672 – Charles Chauncy, English-American minister, theologian, and academic (b. 1592)
- 1709 – Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shōgun (b. 1646)
- 1716 – Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1634)
- 1785 – Mary, Countess of Harold, English aristocrat and philanthropist (b. 1701)
- 1789 – Nicholas Van Dyke, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Delaware (b. 1738)
- 1799 – Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, and sailor (b. 1733)
- 1806 – Elizabeth Carter, English poet and translator (b. 1717)
- 1837 – Georg Büchner, German-Swiss poet and playwright (b. 1813)
- 1837 – Thomas Burgess, English bishop and philosopher (b. 1756)
- 1887 – Multatuli, Dutch-German author and civil servant (b. 1820)
- 1897 – Karl Weierstrass, German mathematician and academic (b. 1815)
- 1915 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian philosopher and politician (b. 1866)
- 1916 – Ernst Mach, Austrian-Czech physicist and philosopher (b. 1838)
- 1927 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (b. 1847)
- 1928 – George Howard Earle Jr., American lawyer and businessman (b. 1856)
- 1936 – Billy Mitchell, American general and pilot (b. 1879)
- 1945 – John Basilone, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1916)
- 1951 – André Gide, French novelist, essayist, and dramatist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869)
- 1952 – Knut Hamsun, Norwegian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
- 1953 – Richard Rushall, British businessman (b. 1864)
- 1957 – Maurice Garin, Italian-French cyclist (b. 1871)
- 1959 – Willard Miller, American sailor, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1877)
- 1962 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the Pap smear (b. 1883)
- 1969 – Madge Blake, American actress (b. 1899)
- 1970 – Ralph Edward Flanders, (b. 1890) US Senator from Vermont.
- 1972 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (b. 1898)
- 1972 – Lee Morgan, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1938)
- 1973 – Joseph Szigeti, Hungarian violinist (b. 1892)
- 1977 – Anthony Crosland, English captain and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (b. 1918)
- 1977 – Mike González, Cuban baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1890)
- 1980 – Bon Scott, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
- 1983 – Alice White, American actress (b. 1904)
- 1988 – André Frédéric Cournand, French-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
- 1992 – Tojo Yamamoto, American wrestler and manager (b. 1927)
- 1994 – Derek Jarman, English director and set designer (b. 1942)
- 1996 – Charlie Finley, American businessman (b. 1918)
- 1997 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (b. 1908)
- 1997 – Deng Xiaoping, Chinese politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1904)
- 1998 – Grandpa Jones, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (b. 1913)
- 1999 – Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, Iraqi cleric (b. 1943)
- 2000 – Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian-New Zealand painter and illustrator (b. 1928)
- 2001 – Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (b. 1913)
- 2001 – Charles Trenet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1913)
- 2002 – Sylvia Rivera, American transgender LGBT activist (b. 1951)
- 2003 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
- 2007 – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Celia Franca, English-Canadian dancer and director, founded the National Ballet of Canada (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Yegor Letov, Russian singer-songwriter (b. 1964)
- 2008 – Lydia Shum, Chinese-Hong Kong actress and singer (b. 1945)
- 2009 – Kelly Groucutt, English singer and bass player (b. 1945)
- 2011 – Ollie Matson, American sprinter and football player (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Ruth Barcan Marcus, American philosopher and logician (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Jaroslav Velinský, Czech author and songwriter (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Vitaly Vorotnikov, Russian politician, 27th Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Armen Alchian, American economist and academic (b. 1914)
- 2013 – Park Chul-soo, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1948)
- 2013 – Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Eugene Whelan, Canadian farmer and politician, 22nd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Kresten Bjerre, Danish footballer and manager (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Dale Gardner, American captain and astronaut (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Valeri Kubasov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Harold Johnson, American boxer (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Nirad Mohapatra, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1947)
- 2015 – Harris Wittels, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1984)
- 2016 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (b. 1932)
- 2016 – Harper Lee, American author (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Chiaki Morosawa, Japanese anime screenwriter (b. 1959)
- 2016 – Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1923)
- 2017 – Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (b. 1943)
- 2019 – Clark Dimond, American musician and author (b. 1941)
- 2019 – Karl Lagerfeld, German fashion designer (b. 1933)
- 2020 – José Mojica Marins, Brazilian filmmaker, actor, composer, screenwriter, and television horror host Coffin Joe. (b. 1936)
- 2020 – Pop Smoke, American rapper (b. 1999)
Holidays and observances on February 19
- Armed Forces Day (Mexico)
- Brâncuși Day (Romania)
- Christian feast day:
- Barbatus of Benevento
- Boniface of Brussels
- Conrad of Piacenza
- Lucy Yi Zhenmei (one of Martyrs of Guizhou)
- February 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commemoration of Vasil Levski (Bulgaria)
- Flag Day (Turkmenistan)
- Shivaji Jayanti (Maharashtra, India)9