138

  • July 10 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 138 – Emperor Hadrian dies of heart failure at Baiae; he is buried at Rome in the Tomb of Hadrian beside his late wife, Vibia Sabina.
    • 645 – Isshi Incident: Prince Naka-no-Ōe and Fujiwara no Kamatari assassinate Soga no Iruka during a coup d’état at the imperial palace.
    • 988 – The Norse King Glúniairn recognises Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, High King of Ireland, and agrees to pay taxes and accept Brehon Law; the event is considered to be the founding of the city of Dublin.
    • 1086 – King Canute IV of Denmark is killed by rebellious peasants.
    • 1212 – The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground.
    • 1460 – Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, defeats the king’s Lancastrian forces and takes King Henry VI prisoner in the Battle of Northampton.
    • 1499 – The Portuguese explorer Nicolau Coelho returns to Lisbon after discovering the sea route to India as a companion of Vasco da Gama.
    • 1512 – The Spanish conquest of Iberian Navarre commences with the capture of Goizueta.
    • 1519 – Zhu Chenhao declares the Ming dynasty’s Zhengde Emperor a usurper, beginning the Prince of Ning rebellion, and leads his army north in an attempt to capture Nanjing.
    • 1553 – Lady Jane Grey takes the throne of England.
    • 1584 – William I of Orange is assassinated in his home in Delft, Holland, by Balthasar Gérard.
    • 1645 – English Civil War: The Battle of Langport takes place.
    • 1778 – American Revolution: Louis XVI of France declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain.
    • 1789 – Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Mackenzie River delta.
    • 1806 – The Vellore Mutiny is the first instance of a mutiny by Indian sepoys against the British East India Company.
    • 1832 – U.S. President Andrew Jackson vetoes a bill that would re-charter the Second Bank of the United States.
    • 1850 – U.S. President Millard Fillmore is sworn in, a day after becoming president upon Zachary Taylor’s death.
    • 1869 – Gävle, Sweden, is largely destroyed in a fire; 80% of its 10,000 residents are left homeless.
    • 1877 – The then-villa of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, formally receives its city charter from the Royal Crown of Spain.
    • 1882 – War of the Pacific: Chile suffers its last military defeat in the Battle of La Concepción when a garrison of 77 men is annihilated by a 1,300-strong Peruvian force, many of them armed with spears.
    • 1883 – War of the Pacific: Chileans led by Alejandro Gorostiaga defeat Andrés Avelino Cáceres’s Peruvuan army at the Battle of Huamachuco, hastening the end of the war.
    • 1890 – Wyoming is admitted as the 44th U.S. state.
    • 1921 – Belfast’s Bloody Sunday: Sixteen people are killed and 161 houses destroyed during rioting and gun battles in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
    • 1925 – Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called “Monkey Trial” begins of John T. Scopes, a young high school science teacher accused of teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
    • 1927 – Kevin O’Higgins TD, Vice-President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State is assassinated by the IRA.
    • 1938 – Howard Hughes begins a 91-hour airplane flight around the world that will set a new record.
    • 1940 – World War II: The Vichy government is established in France.
    • 1940 – World War II: Six days before Adolf Hitler issues his Directive 16 to the combined Wehrmacht armed forces for Operation Sea Lion, the Kanalkampf shipping attacks against British maritime convoys begin, in the leadup to initiating the Battle of Britain.
    • 1941 – Jedwabne pogrom: Massacre of Polish Jews living in and near the village of Jedwabne.
    • 1942 – World War II: An American pilot spots a downed, intact Mitsubishi A6M Zero on Akutan Island (the “Akutan Zero”) that the US Navy uses to learn the aircraft’s flight characteristics.
    • 1943 – World War II: Operation Husky begins in Sicily.
    • 1947 – Muhammad Ali Jinnah is recommended as the first Governor-General of Pakistan by the British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee.
    • 1951 – Korean War: Armistice negotiations begin at Kaesong.
    • 1962 – Telstar, the world’s first communications satellite, is launched into orbit.
    • 1966 – The Chicago Freedom Movement, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., holds a rally at Soldier Field in Chicago. As many as 60,000 people attend.
    • 1973 – The Bahamas gain full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations.
    • 1976 – Four mercenaries (one American and three British) are executed in Angola following the Luanda Trial.
    • 1978 – ABC World News Tonight premieres on ABC.
    • 1978 – President Moktar Ould Daddah of Mauritania is ousted in a bloodless coup d’état.
    • 1985 – The Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior is bombed and sunk in Auckland harbour by French DGSE agents, killing Fernando Pereira.
    • 1985 – An Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-154 stalls and crashes near Uchkuduk, Uzbekistan (then part of the Soviet Union), killing all 200 people on board in the USSR’s worst-ever airline disaster.
    • 1991 – The South African cricket team is readmitted into the International Cricket Council following the end of Apartheid.
    • 1991 – Boris Yeltsin takes office as the first elected President of Russia.
    • 1992 – In Miami, former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega is sentenced to 40 years in prison for drug and racketeering violations.
    • 1997 – In London, scientists report the findings of the DNA analysis of a Neanderthal skeleton which supports the “out of Africa theory” of human evolution, placing an “African Eve” at 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.
    • 1997 – Miguel Ángel Blanco, a member of Partido Popular (Spain), is kidnapped (and later murdered) in the Basque city of Ermua by ETA members, sparking widespread protests.
    • 1998 – Catholic Church sexual abuse cases: The Diocese of Dallas agrees to pay $23.4 million to nine former altar boys who claimed they were sexually abused by Rudolph Kos, a former priest.
    • 1999 – In women’s association football, the United States defeated China in a penalty shoot-out at the Rose Bowl near Los Angeles to win the final match of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The final was watched by 90,185 spectators, which set a new world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event.
    • 2000 – EADS, the world’s second-largest aerospace group is formed by the merger of Aérospatiale-Matra, DASA, and CASA.
    • 2002 – At a Sotheby’s auction, Peter Paul Rubens’s painting The Massacre of the Innocents is sold for £49.5 million (US$76.2 million) to Lord Thomson.
    • 2005 – Hurricane Dennis slams into the Florida Panhandle, causing billions of dollars in damage.
    • 2007 – Erden Eruç begins the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world.
    • 2008 – Former Macedonian Interior Minister Ljube Boškoski is acquitted of all war-crimes charges by a United Nations Tribunal.
    • 2011 – Russian cruise ship Bulgaria sinks in Volga near Syukeyevo, Tatarstan, causing 122 deaths.
    • 2017 – Iraqi Civil War: Mosul is declared fully liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
    • 2019 – The last Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the line in Puebla, Mexico. The last of 5,961 “Special Edition” cars will be exhibited in a museum.

    Births on July 10

    • 1419 – Emperor Go-Hanazono of Japan (d. 1471)
    • 1451 – James III of Scotland (d. 1488)
    • 1501 – Cho Shik, Korean poet and scholar (d. 1572)
    • 1509 – John Calvin, French pastor and theologian (d. 1564)
    • 1515 – Francisco de Toledo, Viceroy of Peru (d. 1582)
    • 1517 – Odet de Coligny, French cardinal (d. 1571)
    • 1533 – Antonio Possevino, Italian diplomat (d. 1611)
    • 1592 – Pierre d’Hozier, French genealogist and historian (d. 1660)
    • 1614 – Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, Irish-English politician (d. 1686)
    • 1625 – Jean Herauld Gourville, French adventurer (d. 1703)
    • 1638 – David Teniers III, Flemish painter (d. 1685)
    • 1666 – John Ernest Grabe, German theologian and academic (d. 1711)
    • 1682 – Roger Cotes, English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1716)
    • 1723 – William Blackstone, English lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1780)
    • 1724 – Eva Ekeblad, Swedish noble and agronomist (d. 1786)
    • 1752 – St. George Tucker, United States federal judge (d. 1827)
    • 1792 – George M. Dallas, American lawyer and politician, 11th Vice President of the United States (d. 1864)
    • 1802 – Robert Chambers, Scottish geologist and publisher, co-founded Chambers Harrap (d. 1871)
    • 1804 – Emma Smith, American religious leader (d. 1879)
    • 1809 – Friedrich August von Quenstedt, German geologist and palaeontologist (d. 1889)
    • 1823 – Louis-Napoléon Casault, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1908)
    • 1830 – Camille Pissarro, Danish-French painter (d. 1903)
    • 1832 – Alvan Graham Clark, American astronomer (d. 1897)
    • 1835 – Henryk Wieniawski, Polish violinist and composer (d. 1880)
    • 1839 – Adolphus Busch, German brewer, co-founded Anheuser-Busch (d. 1913)
    • 1856 – Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American physicist and engineer (d. 1943)
    • 1864 – Austin Chapman, Australian businessman and politician, 4th Australian Minister for Defence (d. 1926)
    • 1867 – Prince Maximilian of Baden (d. 1929)
    • 1871 – Marcel Proust, French novelist, critic, and essayist (d. 1922)
    • 1874 – Sergey Konenkov, Russian sculptor (d. 1971)
    • 1875 – Mary McLeod Bethune, American educator and activist (d. 1955)
    • 1875 – Dezső Pattantyús-Ábrahám, Hungarian politician (d. 1973)
    • 1877 – Ernst Bresslau, German zoologist (d. 1935)
    • 1878 – Otto Freundlich, German painter and sculptor (d. 1943)
    • 1882 – Ima Hogg, American society leader, philanthropist, patron and collector of the arts (d. 1975)
    • 1883 – Johannes Blaskowitz, German general (d. 1948)
    • 1883 – Hugo Raudsepp, Estonian playwright and politician (d. 1952)
    • 1888 – Giorgio de Chirico, Greek-Italian painter and set designer (d. 1978)
    • 1888 – Toyohiko Kagawa, Japanese evangelist, author, and activist (d. 1960)
    • 1891 – Edith Quimby, American medical researcher and physicist (d. 1982)
    • 1894 – Jimmy McHugh, American composer (d. 1969)
    • 1895 – Carl Orff, German composer and educator (d. 1982)
    • 1896 – Thérèse Casgrain, Canadian politician (d. 1981)
    • 1897 – Legs Diamond, American gangster (d. 1931)
    • 1897 – Karl Plagge, German general and engineer (d. 1957)
    • 1898 – Renée Björling, Swedish actress (d. 1975)
    • 1899 – John Gilbert, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1936)
    • 1899 – Heiri Suter, Swiss cyclist (d. 1978)
    • 1900 – Mitchell Parish, Lithuanian-American songwriter (d. 1993)
    • 1900 – Sampson Sievers, Russian monk and mystic (d. 1979)
    • 1902 – Kurt Alder, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
    • 1902 – Nicolás Guillén, Cuban poet, journalist, and activist (d. 1989)
    • 1903 – Werner Best, German SS officer and jurist (d. 1989)
    • 1903 – John Wyndham, English soldier and author (d. 1969)
    • 1904 – Lili Damita, French-American actress (d. 1994)
    • 1905 – Mildred Benson, American journalist and author (d. 2002)
    • 1905 – Thomas Gomez, American actor (d. 1971)
    • 1905 – Wolfram Sievers, German physician (d. 1948)
    • 1907 – Blind Boy Fuller, American singer and guitarist (d. 1941)
    • 1909 – Donald Sinclair, English lieutenant and businessman (d. 1981)
    • 1911 – Terry-Thomas, English comedian and character actor (d. 1990)
    • 1911 – Cootie Williams, American trumpeter and bandleader (d. 1985)
    • 1913 – Salvador Espriu, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1985)
    • 1914 – Joe Shuster, Canadian-American illustrator, co-created Superman (d. 1992)
    • 1914 – Rempo Urip, Indonesian film director
    • 1916 – Judith Jasmin, Canadian journalist (d. 1972)
    • 1917 – Hugh Alexander, American baseball player and scout (d. 2000)
    • 1917 – Reg Smythe, English cartoonist (d. 1998)
    • 1918 – James Aldridge, Australian-English journalist and author (d. 2015)
    • 1918 – Chuck Stevens, American baseball player (d. 2018)
    • 1918 – Frank L. Lambert, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Occidental College (d. 2018)
    • 1918 – Fred Wacker, American race driver and engineer (d. 1998)
    • 1919 – Pierre Gamarra, French author, poet, and critic (d. 2009)
    • 1919 – Ian Wallace, English actor and singer (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – David Brinkley, American journalist (d. 2003)
    • 1920 – Owen Chamberlain, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2006)
    • 1920 – Cyril Grant, English footballer (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Harvey Ball, American illustrator, created the Smiley (d. 2001)
    • 1921 – Jeff Donnell, American actress (d. 1988)
    • 1921 – John K. Singlaub, U.S Army Major General
    • 1921 – Eunice Kennedy Shriver, American activist, co-founded the Special Olympics (d. 2009)
    • 1922 – Jean Kerr, American author and playwright (d. 2003)
    • 1922 – Herb McKenley, Jamaican sprinter (d. 2007)
    • 1922 – Jake LaMotta, American boxer and actor (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Amalia Mendoza, Mexican singer and actress (d. 2001)
    • 1923 – John Bradley, American soldier (d. 1994)
    • 1923 – Suzanne Cloutier, Canadian actress and producer (d. 2003)
    • 1923 – G. A. Kulkarni, Indian author and academic (d. 1987)
    • 1924 – Johnny Bach, American basketball player and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1924 – Bobo Brazil, American wrestler (d. 1998)
    • 1925 – Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysian physician and politician, 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia
    • 1925 – Ernest Bertrand Boland, American Roman Catholic bishop
    • 1926 – Carleton Carpenter, American actor, magician, songwriter, and novelist
    • 1926 – Fred Gwynne, American actor (d. 1993)
    • 1927 – Grigory Barenblatt, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – David Dinkins, American soldier and politician, 106th Mayor of New York City
    • 1927 – William Smithers, American actor
    • 1928 – Don Bolles, American investigative reporter (d. 1976)
    • 1928 – Bernard Buffet, French painter and illustrator (d. 1999)
    • 1928 – Alejandro de Tomaso, Argentinian-Italian race car driver and businessman, founded De Tomaso (d. 2003)
    • 1928 – Moshe Greenberg, American-Israeli rabbi and scholar (d. 2010)
    • 1928 – John Glenn, American baseball player
    • 1929 – Winnie Ewing, Scottish lawyer and politician
    • 1929 – George Clayton Johnson, American author and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Moe Norman, Canadian golfer (d. 2004)
    • 1929 – José Vicente Rangel, Venezuelan politician; 21st Vice President of Venezuela
    • 1930 – Bruce Boa, Canadian actor (d. 2004)
    • 1930 – Janette Sherman, American physician, author, and pioneer in occupational and environmental health (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Josephine Veasey, English soprano and actress
    • 1931 – Nick Adams, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1968)
    • 1931 – Jerry Herman, American composer and songwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Julian May, American author (d. 2017)
    • 1931 – Alice Munro, Canadian short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1932 – Carlo Maria Abate, Italian race car driver (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Neile Adams, Filipino-American actress, singer and dancer
    • 1932 – Manfred Preußger, German athlete
    • 1933 – Jumpin’ Gene Simmons, American rockabilly singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1933 – C.K. Yang, Taiwanese decathlete and pole vaulter (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Marshall Brodien, American actor (d. 2019)
    • 1934 – Jerry Nelson, American puppeteer and voice actor (d. 2012)
    • 1935 – Tura Satana, American actress and dancer (d. 2011)
    • 1935 – Wilson Tuckey, Australian politician
    • 1935 – Margaret McEntee, American Catholic religious sister and educator
    • 1935 – Wilson Whineray, New Zealand rugby player and businessman (d. 2012)
    • 1936 – Herbert Boyer, American businessman, co-founded Genentech
    • 1936 – Tunne Kelam, Estonian journalist and politician
    • 1937 – Edwards Barham, American farmer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Gun Svensson, Swedish politician
    • 1938 – Paul Andreu, French architect (d. 2018)
    • 1938 – Lee Morgan, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1972)
    • 1939 – Phil Kelly, Irish-English footballer and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1939 – Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Turkish political scientist, journalist and educator (d. 1999)
    • 1939 – Mavis Staples, American singer
    • 1940 – Meghnad Desai, Baron Desai, Indian-English economist and politician
    • 1940 – Helen Donath, American soprano and actress
    • 1940 – Brian Priestley, English pianist and composer
    • 1940 – Keith Stackpole, Australian cricketer
    • 1941 – Jake Eberts, Canadian film producer (d. 2012)
    • 1941 – David G. Hartwell, American anthologist, author, and critic (d. 2016)
    • 1941 – Robert Pine, American actor and director
    • 1941 – Ian Whitcomb, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1942 – Ronnie James Dio, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1942 – Pyotr Klimuk, Belarusian general, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1942 – Sixto Rodriguez, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1942 – Lopo do Nascimento, Angolan politician; 1st Prime Minister of Angola
    • 1943 – Arthur Ashe, American tennis player and journalist (d. 1993)
    • 1943 – Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, Zambian politician
    • 1943 – Jerry Miller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1944 – Mick Grant, English motorcycle racer
    • 1944 – Norman Hammond, English archaeologist and academic
    • 1945 – Ron Glass, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1945 – Hal McRae, American baseball player and manager
    • 1945 – John Motson, English sportscaster
    • 1945 – Jean-Marie Poiré, French director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1945 – Virginia Wade, English tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1946 – Jean-Pierre Jarier, French racing driver
    • 1946 – Chin Han, Taiwanese actor
    • 1947 – Arlo Guthrie, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1948 – Ronnie Cutrone, American painter (d. 2013)
    • 1948 – Chico Resch, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Natalya Sedykh, Russian figure skater, ballet dancer, actor
    • 1949 – Anna Czerwińska, Polish mountaineer and author
    • 1949 – Sunil Gavaskar, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1949 – Greg Kihn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1949 – John Whitehead, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
    • 1950 – Tony Baldry, English colonel, lawyer, and politician, British Minister of State for Agriculture
    • 1950 – Prokopis Pavlopoulos, President of Greece, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister for the Interior
    • 1951 – Cheryl Wheeler, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Rajnath Singh, Indian Politician and Union Home Minister of India
    • 1952 – Kim Mitchell, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1952 – Peter van Heemst, Dutch politician
    • 1953 – Rik Emmett, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1953 – Zoogz Rift, American musician and wrestler (d. 2011)
    • 1954 – Tommy Bowden, American football player and coach
    • 1954 – Andre Dawson, American baseball player
    • 1954 – Neil Tennant, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1955 – Nic Dakin, English educator and politician
    • 1955 – Geoff Gerard, Australian rugby league player
    • 1956 – Tom McClintock, American lawyer and politician
    • 1956 – K. Rajagopal, Malaysian football manager
    • 1957 – Derry Grehan, Canadian rock guitarist and songwriter
    • 1958 – Béla Fleck, American banjo player and songwriter
    • 1958 – Fiona Shaw, Irish actress and director
    • 1959 – Ellen Kuras, American director and cinematographer
    • 1959 – Sandy West, American singer-songwriter and drummer (d. 2006)
    • 1961 – Jacky Cheung, Hong Kong singer and film actor
    • 1961 – Marc Riley, English guitarist (The Fall), radio DJ
    • 1963 – Ian Lougher, Welsh motorcycle racer
    • 1964 – Martin Laurendeau, Canadian tennis player and coach
    • 1964 – Urban Meyer, American football player and coach
    • 1964 – Wilfried Peeters, Belgian cyclist
    • 1965 – Scott McCarron, American golfer
    • 1965 – Ken Mellons, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1966 – Clive Efford, English politician
    • 1966 – Johnny Grunge, American wrestler (d. 2006)
    • 1966 – Christian Stangl, Austrian skier and mountaineer
    • 1966 – Anna Bråkenhielm, Swedish business executive
    • 1967 – Tom Meents, American professional monster truck driver
    • 1967 – Rebekah Del Rio, American singer-songwriter
    • 1967 – Gillian Tett, English journalist and author
    • 1967 – Ikki Sawamura, Japanese model, actor and television presenter
    • 1967 – John Yoo, South Korean-American lawyer, author, and educator
    • 1969 – Marty Cordova, American baseball player
    • 1969 – Gale Harold, American actor
    • 1970 – Gary LeVox, American singer-songwriter
    • 1970 – Jason Orange, English singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1970 – John Simm, English actor
    • 1971 – Adam Foote, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1971 – Gregory Goodridge, Barbadian footballer and coach
    • 1972 – Peter Serafinowicz, English actor
    • 1972 – Sofía Vergara, Colombian-American actress and producer
    • 1972 – Tilo Wolff, German-Swiss singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
    • 1974 – Imelda May, Irish singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
    • 1975 – Andrew Firestone, American businessman
    • 1975 – Brendan Gaughan, American race car driver
    • 1975 – Alain Nasreddine, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1975 – Stefán Karl Stefánsson, Icelandic actor (d. 2018)
    • 1975 – Richard Westbrook, English race car driver
    • 1976 – Edmílson, Brazilian footballer
    • 1976 – Elijah Blue Allman, American singer and guitarist
    • 1976 – Ludovic Giuly, French footballer
    • 1976 – Adrian Grenier, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1976 – Brendon Lade, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1976 – Lars Ricken, German footballer
    • 1977 – Chiwetel Ejiofor, English actor
    • 1979 – Mvondo Atangana, Cameroon footballer
    • 1979 – Gong Yoo, Korean actor
    • 1980 – Alejandro Millán, Mexican singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1980 – Adam Petty, American race car driver (d. 2000)
    • 1980 – Claudia Leitte, Brazilian singer-songwriter
    • 1980 – James Rolfe, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1980 – Jessica Simpson, American singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer
    • 1981 – Aleksandar Tunchev, Bulgarian footballer
    • 1982 – Alex Arrowsmith, American guitarist and producer
    • 1982 – Juliya Chernetsky, Ukrainian-American television host
    • 1982 – Sebastian Mila, Polish footballer
    • 1982 – Jeffrey Walker, Australian actor and director
    • 1983 – Giuseppe De Feudis, Italian footballer
    • 1983 – Matthew Egan, Australian footballer
    • 1983 – Gabi, Spanish footballer
    • 1983 – Kim Hee-chul, Korean entertainer
    • 1983 – Joelson José Inácio, Brazilian footballer
    • 1983 – Doug Kramer, Filipino basketball player
    • 1983 – Anthony Watmough, Australian rugby league player
    • 1984 – Nikolaos Mitrou, Greek footballer
    • 1985 – Park Chu-young, South Korean footballer
    • 1985 – B. J. Crombeen, American ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Mario Gómez, German footballer
    • 1988 – Antonio Brown, American football player
    • 1988 – Heather Hemmens, American actress, director, and producer
    • 1988 – Sarah Walker, New Zealand BMX rider
    • 1990 – Adam Reynolds, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Trent Richardson, American footballer
    • 1990 – Chiyonokuni Toshiki, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1991 – Daishōmaru Shōgo, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1999 – April Ivy, Portuguese composer and singer
    • 2001 – Isabela Moner, American actress

    Deaths on July 10

    • 138 – Hadrian, Roman emperor (b. 76)
    • 645 – Soga no Iruka, Japanese politician
    • 649 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 598)
    • 772 – Amalberga of Temse, Frankish noblewoman
    • 831 – Zubaidah bint Ja`far, Abbasid Princess
    • 983 – Benedict VII, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 994 – Leopold I, margrave of Austria
    • 1086 – Canute IV, king of Denmark (b. 1043)
    • 1103 – Eric I, king of Denmark (b. 1060)
    • 1290 – Ladislaus IV, king of Hungaria (b. 1262)
    • 1460 – Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, English commander and politician, Lord High Constable of England (b. 1402)
    • 1460 – John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, English nobleman (b. c. 1413)
    • 1461 – Thomas, king of Bosnia (b. 1411)
    • 1473 – James II, king of Cyprus
    • 1480 – René of Anjou, French nobleman (b. 1400)
    • 1510 – Catherine Cornaro, queen of Cyprus (b. 1454)
    • 1576 – Eleonora di Garzia di Toledo, Italian noble (b. 1553)
    • 1559 – Henry II, king of France (b. 1519)
    • 1584 – William I, Dutch nobleman (b. 1533)
    • 1590 – Charles II, archduke of Austria (b. 1540)
    • 1594 – Paolo Bellasio, Italian organist and composer (b. 1554)
    • 1603 – Joan Terès i Borrull, Spanish archbishop and academic (b. 1538)
    • 1621 – Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, French commander (b. 1571)
    • 1653 – Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (b. 1600)
    • 1680 – Louis Moréri, French priest and scholar (b. 1643)
    • 1683 – François Eudes de Mézeray, French historian and author (b. 1610)
    • 1686 – John Fell, English bishop and academic (b. 1625)
    • 1776 – Richard Peters, English lawyer and minister (b. 1704)
    • 1794 – Gaspard de Bernard de Marigny, French general (b. 1754)
    • 1806 – George Stubbs, English painter and academic (b. 1724)
    • 1851 – Louis Daguerre, French photographer and physicist, invented the daguerreotype (b. 1787)
    • 1863 – Clement Clarke Moore, American author and educator (b. 1779)
    • 1881 – Georg Hermann Nicolai, German architect and academic (b. 1812)
    • 1884 – Paul Morphy, American chess player (b. 1837)
    • 1908 – Phoebe Knapp, American organist and composer (b. 1839)
    • 1915 – Hendrik Willem Mesdag, Dutch painter (b. 1831)
    • 1920 – John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, British admiral (b. 1841)
    • 1929 – Ève Lavallière, French actress (b. 1866)
    • 1941 – Jelly Roll Morton, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1890)
    • 1941 – Huntley Wright, English actor (b. 1868)
    • 1950 – Richard Maury, American-Argentinian engineer (b. 1882)
    • 1952 – Rued Langgaard, Danish organist and composer (b. 1893)
    • 1954 – Calogero Vizzini, Italian mob boss (b. 1877)
    • 1956 – Joe Giard, American baseball player (b. 1898)
    • 1960 – Sæbjørn Buttedahl, Norwegian actor and sculptor (b. 1876)
    • 1962 – Yehuda Leib Maimon, Israeli rabbi and politician (b. 1875)
    • 1963 – Teddy Wakelam, English rugby player and sportscaster (b. 1893)
    • 1970 – Bjarni Benediktsson, Icelandic academic and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1908)
    • 1971 – Laurent Dauthuille, French boxer (b. 1924)
    • 1972 – Lovie Austin, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1887)
    • 1978 – John D. Rockefeller III, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Asia Society (b. 1906)
    • 1979 – Arthur Fiedler, American conductor (b. 1894)
    • 1980 – Joseph Krumgold, American author and screenwriter (b. 1908)
    • 1985 – Fernando Pereira, Dutch photographer (b. 1950)
    • 1986 – Tadeusz Piotrowski, Polish mountaineer and author (b. 1940)
    • 1987 – John Hammond, American record producer, critic, and activist (b. 1910)
    • 1989 – Mel Blanc, American voice actor (b. 1908)
    • 1993 – Ruth Krauss, American author and poet (b. 1901)
    • 1993 – Sam Rolfe, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1924)
    • 1995 – Mehmet Ali Aybar, Turkish lawyer and politician (b. 1908)
    • 1996 – Eno Raud, Estonian author (b. 1928)
    • 2000 – Vakkom Majeed, Indian journalist and politician (b. 1909)
    • 2002 – Jean-Pierre Côté, Canadian politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1926)
    • 2002 – Evangelos Florakis, Greek general (b. 1943)
    • 2002 – Laurence Janifer, American author (b. 1933)
    • 2003 – Winston Graham, English author (b. 1908)
    • 2003 – Hartley Shawcross, Baron Shawcross, German-English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1902)
    • 2004 – Pati Behrs, Russian-American ballerina and actress (b. 1922)
    • 2005 – A. J. Quinnell, English author (b. 1940)
    • 2006 – Shamil Basayev, Chechen terrorist rebel leader (b. 1965)
    • 2007 – Doug Marlette, American cartoonist and author (b. 1949)
    • 2008 – Hiroaki Aoki, Japanese-American wrestler and businessman, founded Benihana (b. 1938)
    • 2008 – Mike Souchak, American golfer (b. 1927)
    • 2011 – Pierrette Alarie, Canadian soprano and educator (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Roland Petit, French dancer and choreographer (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Dolphy, Filipino actor, singer, and producer (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Peter Kyros, American lawyer and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Berthe Meijer, German-Dutch journalist and author (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – Fritz Langanke, German lieutenant (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Viktor Suslin, Russian-German composer (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Philip Caldwell, American businessman (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Józef Gara, Polish poet and linguist (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Concha García Campoy, Spanish journalist (b. 1958)
    • 2013 – Caroline Duby Glassman, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Ku Ok-hee, South Korean golfer (b. 1956)
    • 2013 – Gokulananda Mahapatra, Indian author and academic (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Robert C. Broomfield, American lawyer and judge (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Juozas Kazickas, Lithuanian-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Paul G. Risser, American ecologist and academic (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Zohra Sehgal, Indian actress, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1912)
    • 2014 – Gloria Schweigerdt, American baseball player (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director (b. 1944)
    • 2015 – Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Jon Vickers, Canadian tenor (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Katharina Focke, German politician (b. 1922)
    • 2018 – Henry Morgenthau III, American author and television producer (b. 1917)
    • 2020 – Lara van Ruijven, Dutch short track speed skater (b. 1992)

    Holidays and observances on July 10

    • Armed Forces Day (Mauritania)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Amalberga of Maubeuge
      • Canute IV of Denmark
      • Rufina and Secunda
      • Seven Brothers
      • Victoria, Anatolia, and Audax
      • July 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Independence Day (Bahamas), celebrates the independence of the Bahamas from the United Kingdom in 1973.
    • Nikola Tesla Day
    • Statehood Day (Wyoming)

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

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

    Births on May 22

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

    Deaths on May 22

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

    Holidays and observances on May 22

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

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

    May 2 in History

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

    Births on May 2

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

    Deaths on May 2

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

    Holidays and observances on May 2

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

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

    • 1091 – Battle of Levounion: The Pechenegs are defeated by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
    • 1386 – Battle of the Vikhra River: The Principality of Smolensk is defeated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and becomes its vassal.
    • 1429 – Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orléans.
    • 1483 – Gran Canaria, the main island of the Canary Islands, is conquered by the Kingdom of Castile.
    • 1521 – Swedish War of Liberation: Swedish troops defeat a Danish force in the Battle of Västerås.
    • 1770 – James Cook arrives in Australia at Botany Bay, which he names.
    • 1781 – American Revolutionary War: British and French ships clash in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Maryland’s House of Delegates votes not to secede from the Union.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: The Capture of New Orleans by Union forces under David Farragut.
    • 1864 – Theta Xi fraternity is founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the only fraternity to be founded during the American Civil War.
    • 1903 – A landslide kills 70 people in Frank, in the District of Alberta, Canada.
    • 1910 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the People’s Budget, the first budget in British history with the expressed intent of redistributing wealth among the British public.
    • 1911 – Tsinghua University, one of mainland China’s leading universities, is founded.
    • 1916 – World War I: The UK’s 6th Indian Division surrenders to Ottoman Forces at the Siege of Kut in one of the largest surrenders of British forces up to that point.
    • 1916 – Easter Rising: After six days of fighting, Irish rebel leaders surrender to British forces in Dublin, bringing the Easter Rising to an end.
    • 1944 – World War II: British agent Nancy Wake, a leading figure in the French Resistance and the Gestapo’s most wanted person, parachutes back into France to be a liaison between London and the local maquis group.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Surrender of Caserta is signed by the commander of German forces in Italy.
    • 1945 – World War II: Airdrops of food begin over German-occupied regions of the Netherlands.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Captain-class frigate HMS Goodall (K479) is torpedoed by U-286 outside the Kola Inlet becoming the last Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the European theatre of World War II.
    • 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler marries his longtime partner Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker and designates Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor; Hitler and Braun both commit suicide the following day.
    • 1945 – Dachau concentration camp is liberated by United States troops.
    • 1945 – The Italian commune of Fornovo di Taro is liberated from German forces by Brazilian forces.
    • 1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes and indicts former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders for war crimes.
    • 1951 – Tibetan delegates to the Central People’s Government arrive in Beijing and draft a Seventeen Point Agreement for Chinese sovereignty and Tibetan autonomy.
    • 1953 – The first U.S. experimental 3D television broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.
    • 1965 – Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) successfully launches its seventh rocket in its Rehber series.
    • 1967 – After refusing induction into the United States Army the previous day, Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title.
    • 1968 – The controversial musical Hair, a product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, opens at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway, with some of its songs becoming anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement.
    • 1970 – Vietnam War: United States and South Vietnamese forces invade Cambodia to hunt Viet Cong.
    • 1974 – Watergate scandal: United States President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the scandal.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate U.S. citizens from Saigon before an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: The North Vietnamese army completes its capture of all parts of South Vietnamese-held Trường Sa Islands.
    • 1986 – A fire at the Central library of the City of Los Angeles Public Library damages or destroys 400,000 books and other items.
    • 1986 – Chernobyl disaster: American and European spy satellites capture the ruins of the 4th Reactor at the Chernobyl Power Plant.
    • 1991 – A cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 miles per hour (249 km/h), killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as ten million homeless.
    • 1991 – The 7.0 Mw  Racha earthquake affects Georgia with a maximum MSK intensity of IX (Destructive), killing 270 people.
    • 1992 – Riots in Los Angeles, following the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive force in the beating of Rodney King. Over the next three days 63 people are killed and hundreds of buildings are destroyed.
    • 1997 – The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 enters into force, outlawing the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons by its signatories.
    • 2011 – The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton takes place at Westminster Abbey in London.
    • 2013 – A powerful explosion occurs in an office building in Prague, believed to have been caused by natural gas, injures 43 people.
    • 2013 – National Airlines Flight 102, a Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft, crashes during takeoff from Bagram Airfield in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, killing seven people.
    • 2015 – A baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox sets the all-time low attendance mark for Major League Baseball. Zero fans were in attendance for the game, as the stadium was officially closed to the public due to the 2015 Baltimore protests.

    Births on April 29

    • 912 – Minamoto no Mitsunaka, Japanese samurai (d. 997)
    • 1469 – William II, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1509)
    • 1587 – Sophie of Saxony, Duchess of Pomerania (d. 1635)
    • 1636 – Esaias Reusner, German lute player and composer (d. 1679)
    • 1665 – James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1745)
    • 1667 – John Arbuthnot, Scottish-English physician and polymath (d. 1735)
    • 1686 – Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (d. 1742)
    • 1727 – Jean-Georges Noverre, French actor and dancer (d. 1810)
    • 1745 – Oliver Ellsworth, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1807)
    • 1758 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish general (d. 1820)
    • 1762 – Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, French general and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1833)
    • 1780 – Charles Nodier, French librarian and author (d. 1844)
    • 1783 – David Cox, English landscape painter (d. 1859)
    • 1784 – Samuel Turell Armstrong, American publisher and politician, 14th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1850)
    • 1810 – Thomas Adolphus Trollope, English journalist and author (d. 1892)
    • 1814 – Sadok Barącz, Galician religious leader, historian, folklorist, archivist (d. 1892)
    • 1818 – Alexander II of Russia (d. 1881)
    • 1837 – Georges Ernest Boulanger, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1891)
    • 1842 – Carl Millöcker, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1899)
    • 1847 – Joachim Andersen, Danish flautist, composer, conductor, and co-founder of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (d. 1907)
    • 1848 – Raja Ravi Varma, Indian painter and academic (d. 1906)
    • 1854 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist, and engineer (d. 1912)
    • 1858 – Georgia Hopley, American journalist, temperance advocate, and the first woman prohibition agent (d. 1944)
    • 1863 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Egyptian-Greek journalist and poet (d. 1933)
    • 1863 – William Randolph Hearst, American publisher and politician, founded the Hearst Corporation (d. 1951)
    • 1863 – Maria Teresia Ledóchowska, Austrian nun and missionary (d. 1922)
    • 1872 – Harry Payne Whitney, American businessman and lawyer (d. 1930)
    • 1872 – Forest Ray Moulton, American astronomer and academic (d. 1952)
    • 1875 – Rafael Sabatini, Italian-English novelist and short story writer (d. 1950)
    • 1878 – Friedrich Adler, Jewish-German academic, artist and designer (d.1945)
    • 1879 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor (d. 1961, March 8)
    • 1880 – Fethi Okyar, Turkish military officer, diplomat and politician (d. 1943)
    • 1882 – Auguste Herbin, French painter (d. 1960)
    • 1882 – Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch printer, typographer, and Nazi resister (d. 1945)
    • 1891 – Bharathidasan, Indian poet and activist (d. 1964)
    • 1894 – Marietta Blau, Austrian physicist and academic (d. 1970)
    • 1885 – Egon Erwin Kisch, Czech journalist and author (d. 1948)
    • 1887 – Raymond Thorne, American swimmer (d. 1921)
    • 1893 – Harold Urey, American chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
    • 1895 – Vladimir Propp, Russian scholar and critic (d. 1970)
    • 1895 – Malcolm Sargent, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1967)
    • 1899 – Duke Ellington, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1974)
    • 1899 – Mary Petty, American illustrator (d. 1976)
    • 1900 – Concha de Albornoz, Spanish feminist and intellectual, exiled during the Spanish Civil War (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Amelia Best, Australian politician, one of the first women elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly (d. 1979)
    • 1901 – Hirohito, Japanese emperor (d. 1989)
    • 1907 – Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-American director and producer (d. 1997)
    • 1908 – Jack Williamson, American author and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1909 – Tom Ewell, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – Richard Carlson, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1915 – Henry H. Barschall, German-American physicist and academic (d. 1997)
    • 1917 – Maya Deren, Ukrainian-American director, poet, and photographer (d. 1961)
    • 1917 – Celeste Holm, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – George Allen, American football player and coach (d. 1990)
    • 1919 – Gérard Oury, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1920 – Edward Blishen, English author and radio host (d. 1996)
    • 1920 – Harold Shapero, American composer (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Helmut Krackowizer, Austrian motorcycle racer and journalist (d. 2001)
    • 1922 – Toots Thielemans, Belgian guitarist and harmonica player (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Irvin Kershner, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1924 – Al Balding, Canadian golfer (d. 2006)
    • 1924 – Zizi Jeanmaire, French ballerina and actress
    • 1925 – John Compton, Saint Lucian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Saint Lucia (d. 2007)
    • 1925 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1926 – Elmer Kelton, American journalist and author (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Dorothy Manley, English sprinter
    • 1927 – Bill Slater, English footballer (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Carl Gardner, American singer (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – Heinz Wolff, German-English physiologist, engineer, and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Walter Kempowski, German author and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1929 – Mickey McDermott, American baseball player and coach (d. 2003)
    • 1929 – Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer and conductor (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Maurice Strong, Canadian businessman and diplomat (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Jean Rochefort, French actor and director (d. 2017)
    • 1931 – Frank Auerbach, British-German painter
    • 1931 – Lonnie Donegan, Scottish-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
    • 1931 – Chris Pearson, Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Joy Clements, American soprano and actress (d. 2005)
    • 1932 – David Tindle, English painter and educator
    • 1933 – Ed Charles, American baseball player and coach (d. 2018)
    • 1933 – Mark Eyskens, Belgian economist and politician, 61st Prime Minister of Belgium
    • 1933 – Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2015)
    • 1933 – Willie Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
    • 1934 – Luis Aparicio, Venezuelan-American baseball player
    • 1934 – Peter de la Billière, English general
    • 1934 – Erika Fisch, German sprinter and hurdler
    • 1934 – Pedro Pires, Cape Verdean politician, 3rd President of Cape Verde
    • 1935 – Otis Rush, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – Zubin Mehta, Indian bassist and conductor
    • 1936 – Adolfo Nicolás, Spanish priest, 13th Superior General of the Society of Jesus
    • 1936 – Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, English banker and philanthropist
    • 1936 – April Stevens, American pop singer
    • 1937 – Arvo Mets, Estonian-Russian poet and translator (d. 1997)
    • 1937 – Jill Paton Walsh, English author
    • 1938 – Bernard Madoff, American businessman, financier and convicted felon
    • 1938 – Klaus Voormann, German artist, bass player, and producer
    • 1940 – Stephanos of Tallinn, Estonian metropolitan
    • 1940 – Brian Taber, Australian cricketer
    • 1941 – Jonah Barrington, English-Irish squash player
    • 1941 – Dorothy Edgington, British philosopher
    • 1941 – Hanne Darboven, German painter (d. 2009)
    • 1942 – Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, English politician, Minister of State for Europe
    • 1942 – Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie, English civil servant and academic
    • 1942 – Galina Kulakova, Russian skier
    • 1943 – Duane Allen, American country singer
    • 1943 – Brenda Dean, Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, English union leader and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1943 – Ruth Deech, Baroness Deech, English lawyer and academic
    • 1944 – Francis Lee, English footballer and businessman
    • 1945 – Brian Charlesworth, English biologist, geneticist, and academic
    • 1945 – Hugh Hopper, English bass guitarist (d. 2009)
    • 1945 – Catherine Lara, French singer-songwriter and violinist
    • 1945 – Tammi Terrell, American soul singer-songwriter (d. 1970)
    • 1946 – Aleksander Wolszczan, Polish astronomer
    • 1947 – Serge Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1947 – Tommy James, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – Johnny Miller, American golfer and sportscaster
    • 1947 – Jim Ryun, American runner and politician
    • 1948 – Bruce Cutler, American lawyer
    • 1950 – Paul Holmes, New Zealand journalist (d. 2013)
    • 1950 – Phillip Noyce, Australian director and producer
    • 1950 – Debbie Stabenow, American social worker and politician
    • 1951 – Rick Burleson, American baseball player
    • 1951 – Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (d. 2001)
    • 1951 – John Holmes, English diplomat, British Ambassador to France
    • 1952 – Nora Dunn, American actress and comedian
    • 1952 – David Icke, English footballer and sportscaster
    • 1952 – Bob McClure, American baseball player and coach
    • 1952 – Rob Nicholson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 11th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1952 – Ron Washington, American baseball player and manager
    • 1954 – Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder and businessman, founded Burton Snowboards
    • 1954 – Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1955 – Don McKinnon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1955 – Kate Mulgrew, American actress
    • 1956 – Karen Barad, American physicist and philosopher
    • 1957 – Daniel Day-Lewis, British-Irish actor
    • 1957 – Mark Kendall, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1958 – Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress
    • 1958 – Eve Plumb, American actress
    • 1958 – Gary Cohen, American baseball play-by-play announcer
    • 1958 – Kevin Moore, English footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1960 – Bill Glasson, American golfer
    • 1960 – Robert J. Sawyer, Canadian author and academic
    • 1962 – Bruce Driver, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1962 – Rob Druppers, Dutch runner
    • 1962 – Stephan Burger, German Catholic archbishop
    • 1963 – Mike Babcock, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1964 – Federico Castelluccio, Italian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Radek Jaroš, Czech mountaineer and author
    • 1965 – Michel Bussi, French geographer, author, and academic
    • 1965 – Peter Rauhofer, Austrian-American disc jockey and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1965 – Larisa Turchinskaya, Russian-Australian heptathlete and coach
    • 1965 – Brendon Tuuta, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1966 – Christian Tetzlaff, German violinist
    • 1966 – Phil Tufnell, English cricketer and radio host
    • 1967 – Marcel Albers, Dutch race car driver (d. 1992)
    • 1967 – Curtis Joseph, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1968 – Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, 4th President of Croatia
    • 1968 – Carnie Wilson, American singer-songwriter
    • 1969 – Jack Mackenroth, American swimmer, model, and fashion designer
    • 1970 – Andre Agassi, American tennis player
    • 1970 – Uma Thurman, American actress
    • 1972 – Dustin McDaniel, American lawyer and politician, 55th Arkansas Attorney General
    • 1974 – Jasper Wood, Canadian violinist and educator
    • 1974 – Anggun, Diva Indonesia
    • 1975 – Rafael Betancourt, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1975 – Artem Yashkin, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1976 – Fabio Liverani, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Chiyotaikai Ryūji, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1977 – Zuzana Hejdová, Czech tennis player
    • 1977 – Claus Jensen, Danish international footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Titus O’Neil, American football player and wrestler
    • 1977 – Attila Zsivoczky, Hungarian decathlete and high jumper
    • 1978 – Tony Armas, Jr., Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1978 – Bob Bryan, American tennis player
    • 1978 – Mike Bryan, American tennis player
    • 1978 – Javier Colon, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1978 – Craig Gower, Australian rugby player
    • 1978 – Tyler Labine, Canadian actor and comedian
    • 1979 – Lee Dong-gook, South Korean footballer
    • 1979 – Ryan Sharp, Scottish race car driver and manager
    • 1980 – Mathieu Biron, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Kelly Shoppach, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Lisa Allen, English chef
    • 1981 – George McCartney, Northern Irish footballer
    • 1981 – Émilie Mondor, Canadian runner (d. 2006)
    • 1983 – Jay Cutler, American football player
    • 1983 – Tommie Harris, American football player
    • 1983 – David Lee, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Kirby Cote, Canadian swimmer
    • 1984 – Paulius Jankūnas, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1984 – Lina Krasnoroutskaya, Russian tennis player
    • 1984 – Vassilis Xanthopoulos, Greek basketball player
    • 1985 – Jean-François Jacques, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Byun Yo-han, South Korean actor
    • 1986 – Lee Chae-young, South Korean actress
    • 1986 – Viljar Veski, Estonian basketball player
    • 1986 – Sisa Waqa, Fijian rugby league player
    • 1986 – Monique Alfradique, Brazilian actress
    • 1987 – Knut Børsheim, Norwegian golfer
    • 1987 – Sara Errani, Italian tennis player
    • 1988 – Elías Hernández, Mexican footballer
    • 1988 – Alfred Hui, Hong Kong singer
    • 1988 – Jovan Leacock, American football player
    • 1988 – Taoufik Makhloufi, Algerian athlete
    • 1988 – Jonathan Toews, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Younha, South Korean singer-songwriter and record producer
    • 1991 – Adam Smith, English footballer
    • 1991 – Jung Hye-sung, South Korean actress
    • 1992 – Emilio Orozco, American soccer player
    • 1992 – Alina Rosenberg, German Paralympic equestrian
    • 1994 – Christina Shakovets, German tennis player
    • 1995 – Victoria Sinitsina, Russian ice dancer
    • 1996 – Katherine Langford, Australian actress
    • 1998 – Kimberly Birrell, Australian tennis player
    • 2007 – Infanta Sofía of Spain, Spanish princess

    Deaths on April 29

    • 643 – Hou Junji, Chinese general and politician, Chancellor of the Tang dynasty
    • 926 – Burchard II, Duke of Swabia (b. 883)
    • 1380 – Catherine of Siena, Italian mystic, philosopher, and saint (b. 1347)
    • 1417 – Louis II of Anjou (b. 1377)
    • 1594 – Thomas Cooper, English bishop, lexicographer, and theologian (b. 1517)
    • 1630 – Agrippa d’Aubigné, French soldier and poet (b. 1552)
    • 1658 – John Cleveland, English poet and author (b. 1613)
    • 1676 – Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (b. 1607)
    • 1688 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1620)
    • 1698 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk (b. 1655)
    • 1707 – George Farquhar, Irish-English actor and playwright (b. 1678)
    • 1743 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French theorist and author (b. 1658)
    • 1768 – Georg Brandt, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (b. 1694)
    • 1771 – Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, French-Italian architect, designed Winter Palace and Catherine Palace (b. 1700)
    • 1776 – Edward Wortley Montagu, English explorer and author (b. 1713)
    • 1793 – John Michell, English geologist and astronomer (b. 1724)
    • 1798 – Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, Austrian entomologist and author (b. 1723)
    • 1833 – William Babington, Anglo-Irish physician and mineralogist (b. 1756)
    • 1854 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1768)
    • 1903 – Paul Du Chaillu, French-American anthropologist and zoologist (b. 1835)
    • 1905 – Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban pianist and composer (b. 1847)
    • 1916 – Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician and academic (b. 1850)
    • 1920 – William H. Seward Jr., American general and banker (b. 1839)
    • 1921 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (b. 1863)
    • 1933 – Constantine P. Cavafy, Greek poet and journalist (b. 1863)
    • 1937 – William Gillette, American actor and playwright (b. 1853)
    • 1944 – Bernardino Machado, Portuguese academic and politician, 3rd President of Portugal (b. 1851)
    • 1945 – Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, German SS officer (b. 1893)
    • 1947 – Irving Fisher, American economist and statistician (b. 1867)
    • 1951 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (b. 1889)
    • 1954 – Kathleen Clarice Groom, Australian-English author and screenwriter (b. 1872)
    • 1956 – Harold Bride, English soldier and operator (b. 1890)
    • 1956 – Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, German field marshal (b. 1876)
    • 1959 – Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson, India-born English soldier and Governor of Gibraltar (b. 1891)
    • 1964 – Rae Johnstone, Australian jockey (b. 1905)
    • 1966 – William Eccles, English physicist and engineer (b. 1875)
    • 1966 – Paula Strasberg, American actress, acting coach, and member of the Communist Party (b. 1909)
    • 1967 – J. B. Lenoir, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
    • 1968 – Lin Zhao, Chinese dissident and Christian executed during the Cultural Revolution (b. 1932)
    • 1976 – Edvard Drabløs, Norwegian actor and director (b. 1883)
    • 1978 – Theo Helfrich, German race car driver (b. 1913)
    • 1979 – Muhsin Ertuğrul, Turkish actor and director (b. 1892)
    • 1979 – Hardie Gramatky, American author and illustrator (b. 1907)
    • 1980 – Alfred Hitchcock, English-American director and producer (b. 1899)
    • 1982 – Raymond Bussières, French actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1907)
    • 1992 – Mae Clarke, American actress (b. 1910)
    • 1993 – Michael Gordon, American actor and director (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – Mick Ronson, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1946)
    • 1997 – Mike Royko, American journalist and author (b. 1932)
    • 1998 – Hal Laycoe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1922)
    • 2000 – Phạm Văn Đồng, Vietnamese lieutenant and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1906)
    • 2001 – Arthur B. C. Walker, Jr., American physicist and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2002 – Bob Akin, American race car driver and journalist (b. 1936)
    • 2003 – Janko Bobetko, Croatian Army general and Chief of the General Staff (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – William J. Bell, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1927)
    • 2005 – Louis Leithold, American mathematician and academic (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian-American economist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to India (b. 1908)
    • 2007 – Milt Bocek, American baseball player and soldier (b. 1912)
    • 2007 – Josh Hancock, American baseball player (b. 1978)
    • 2007 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer and rugby player (b. 1940)
    • 2007 – Ivica Račan, Croatian politician, 7th Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)
    • 2008 – Chuck Daigh, American race car driver (b. 1923)
    • 2008 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and academic (b. 1906)
    • 2010 – Sandy Douglas, English computer scientist and academic, designed OXO (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Siamak Pourzand, Iranian journalist and critic (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Joanna Russ, American writer, academic and radical feminist (b. 1937)
    • 2012 – Shukri Ghanem, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Joel Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (b. 1957)
    • 2012 – Roland Moreno. French engineer, invented the smart card (b. 1945)
    • 2012 – Kenny Roberts, American singer-songwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Alex Elisala, New Zealand-Australian rugby player (b. 1992)
    • 2013 – Pesah Grupper, Israeli politician, 13th Israel Minister of Agriculture (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Parekura Horomia, New Zealand politician, 40th Minister of Māori Affairs (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – John La Montaine, American pianist and composer (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Ernest Michael, American mathematician and scholar (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Kevin Moore, English footballer (b. 1958)
    • 2013 – Marianna Zachariadi, Greek pole vaulter (b. 1990)
    • 2014 – Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress (b. 1966)
    • 2014 – Al Feldstein, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Bob Hoskins, English actor (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – Michael Kadosh, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1940)
    • 2015 – François Michelin, French businessman (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Jean Nidetch, American businesswoman, co-founded Weight Watchers (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Calvin Peete, American golfer (b. 1943)
    • 2015 – Dan Walker, American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Illinois (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Renato Corona, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (b. 1948)
    • 2019 – Josef Šural, Czech footballer (b. 1990)
    • 2020 – Irrfan Khan, Indian film actor (b. 1967)

    Holidays and observances on April 29

    • Christian feast day:
      • Catherine of Siena (Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican Church)
      • Endelienta
      • Hugh of Cluny
      • Robert of Molesme
      • Torpes of Pisa
      • April 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare (United Nations)
    • International Dance Day (UNESCO)
    • Shōwa Day, traditionally the start of the Golden Week holiday period, which is April 29 and May 3–5. (Japan)

  • February 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor
    • 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II
    • 1336 – Four thousand defenders of Pilenai commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights.
    • 1797 – Colonel William Tate and his force of 1000–1500 soldiers surrender after the Last invasion of Britain.
    • 1831 – Battle of Olszynka Grochowska, part of Polish November Uprising against Russian Empire.
    • 1836 – Samuel Colt is granted a United States patent for the Colt revolver.
    • 1843 – Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain in the Paulet Affair (1843).
    • 1848 – Provisional government in revolutionary France, by Louis Blanc’s motion, guarantees workers’ rights.
    • 1856 – A Peace conference opens in Paris after the Crimean War.
    • 1866 – Miners in Calaveras County, California, discover what is now called the Calaveras Skull – human remains that supposedly indicated that man, mastodons, and elephants had co-existed.
    • 1870 – Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress.
    • 1875 – Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi’s regency.
    • 1901 – J. P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation.
    • 1912 – Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
    • 1916 – World War I: The Germans capture Fort Douaumont during the Battle of Verdun.
    • 1918 – German occupation of Estonia during World War I: Pernau, Reval, and Pskov are captured.
    • 1919 – Oregon places a one cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.
    • 1921 – Tbilisi, capital of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, is occupied by Bolshevist Russia.
    • 1928 – Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. becomes the first holder of a broadcast license for television from the Federal Radio Commission.
    • 1932 – Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, which allows him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspräsident.
    • 1933 – The USS Ranger is launched. It is the first US Navy ship to be designed from the start of construction as an aircraft carrier.
    • 1939 – The first of 2​1⁄2 million Anderson air raid shelters appeared in North London.
    • 1941 – February strike: In the occupied Amsterdam, a general strike is declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis.
    • 1947 – The formal abolition of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council. The Prussian government had already been abolished by the Preußenschlag of 1932.
    • 1948 – Cold War: The Communist Party takes control of government in Czechoslovakia and the period of the Third Republic ends.
    • 1951 – The first Pan American Games were officially opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina by President Juan Perón.
    • 1954 – Gamal Abdel Nasser is made premier of Egypt.
    • 1956 – Cold War: In his speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union denounces the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin.
    • 1964 – North Korean Prime Minister Kim Il-sung calls for the removal of feudalistic land ownership aimed at turning all cooperative farms into state-run ones.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: One hundred thirty-five unarmed citizens of Hà My village in South Vietnam’s Qu?ng Nam Province are killed and buried en masse by South Korean troops in what would come to be known as the Hà My massacre.
    • 1980 – The government of Suriname is overthrown by a military coup led by Dési Bouterse.
    • 1986 – People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines’ first woman president.
    • 1987 – Southern Methodist University’s football program is the first college football program to be banned from competition by the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.
    • 1991 – Gulf War: An Iraqi scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 U.S. Army Reservists from Pennsylvania.
    • 1991 – Cold War: The Warsaw Pact is abolished.
    • 1992 – Khojaly massacre: About 613 civilians are killed by Armenian armed forces during the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
    • 1994 – Mosque of Abraham massacre: In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Baruch Goldstein opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 more before being subdued and beaten to death by survivors.
    • 1997 – Yi Han-yong, a North Korean defector, was murdered by unidentified assailants in Bundang, South Korea.
    • 2009 – Soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny at their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths, including 57 army officials.
    • 2009 – Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crashed during landing at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, primarily due to a faulty radio altimeter, resulting in the death of nine passengers and crew including all three pilots.
    • 2015 – At least 310 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.
    • 2016 – Three people are killed and fourteen others injured in a series of shootings in the small Kansas cities of Newton and Hesston.

    Births on February 25

    • 1259 – Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal and Urraca of Castile (d. 1321)
    • 1337 – Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1383)
    • 1475 – Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, last male member of the House of York (d. 1499)
    • 1540 – Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English aristocrat and courtier (d. 1614)
    • 1543 – Sharaf Khan Bidlisi, Emir of Bitlis (d. 1603)
    • 1591 – Friedrich Spee, German poet and author (d. 1635)
    • 1643 – Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1695)
    • 1663 – Peter Anthony Motteux, French-English author, playwright and translator (d. 1718)
    • 1670 – Maria Margarethe Kirch, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1720)
    • 1682 – Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist (d. 1771)
    • 1707 – Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright and composer (d. 1793)
    • 1714 – René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of France (d. 1792)
    • 1728 – John Wood, the Younger, English architect, designed the Royal Crescent (d. 1782)
    • 1752 – John Graves Simcoe, English-Canadian general and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (d. 1806)
    • 1755 – François René Mallarmé, French lawyer and politician (d. 1835)
    • 1778 – José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (d. 1850)
    • 1806 – Emma Catherine Embury, American author and poet (d. 1863)
    • 1809 – John Hart, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of South Australia (d. 1873)
    • 1812 – Carl Christian Hall, Danish lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1888)
    • 1816 – Giovanni Morelli, Italian historian and critic (d. 1891)
    • 1833 – John St. John, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Kansas (d. 1916)
    • 1841 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (d. 1919)
    • 1842 – Karl May, German author, poet, and playwright (d. 1912)
    • 1845 – George Reid, Scottish-Australian lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1918)
    • 1855 – Cesário Verde, Portuguese poet and author (d. 1886)
    • 1856 – Karl Gotthard Lamprecht, German historian and academic (d. 1915)
    • 1856 – Mathias Zdarsky, Czech-Austrian skier, painter, and sculptor (d. 1940)
    • 1857 – Robert Bond, Canadian politician; first Prime Minister of Newfoundland (d. 1927)
    • 1860 – William Ashley, English historian and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1865 – Andranik, Armenian general (d. 1927)
    • 1866 – Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher and politician (d. 1952)
    • 1869 – Phoebus Levene, Russian-American biochemist and physician (d. 1940)
    • 1873 – Enrico Caruso, Italian-American tenor; the most popular operatic tenor of the early 20th century and the first great recording star. (d. 1921)
    • 1877 – Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist and scholar (d. 1935)
    • 1881 – William Z. Foster, American union leader and politician (d. 1961)
    • 1881 – Alexei Rykov, Russian politician, Premier of Russia (d. 1938)
    • 1883 – Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (d. 1981)
    • 1885 – Princess Alice of Battenberg, mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (d. 1969)
    • 1888 – John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (d. 1959)
    • 1890 – Myra Hess, English pianist and educator (d. 1965)
    • 1894 – Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master (d. 1969)
    • 1898 – William Astbury, physicist and molecular biologist (d. 1961)
    • 1901 – Vince Gair, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Queensland (d. 1980)
    • 1901 – Zeppo Marx, American comedian (the youngest of the Marx Brothers) and theatrical agent (d. 1979)
    • 1903 – King Clancy, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and coach; rated one of the 100 greatest NHL players (d. 1986)
    • 1905 – Perry Miller, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1963)
    • 1906 – Mary Coyle Chase, American journalist and playwright; author of Harvey (d. 1981)
    • 1907 – Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (d. 1948)
    • 1908 – Mary Locke Petermann, cellular biochemist (d. 1975)
    • 1908 – Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author (d. 2001)
    • 1910 – Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1913 – Jim Backus, American actor and screenwriter; the voice of Mr. Magoo (d. 1989)
    • 1913 – Gert Fröbe, German actor; title role in Goldfinger (d. 1988)
    • 1917 – Anthony Burgess, English author, playwright, and critic (d. 1993)
    • 1918 – Bobby Riggs, American tennis player; winner of three major titles, 1939–1941 (d. 1995)
    • 1919 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player and executive (d. 2016)
    • 1920 – Philip Habib, American academic and diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1970)
    • 1921 – Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Molly Reilly, Canadian aviator (d. 1980)
    • 1924 – Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Shehu Shagari, former President of Nigeria (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Lisa Kirk, American actress and singer (d. 1990)
    • 1926 – Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic; noted for contributions to algebraic number theory (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – Ralph Stanley, American bluegrass singer and banjo player; member of International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Paul Elvstrøm, Danish yachtsman; winner of four Olympic gold medals, 1948–1960 (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., prominent African-American civil rights advocate, author, and federal court judge (d. 1998)
    • 1928 – Larry Gelbart, American author and screenwriter; creator and producer of M*A*S*H TV series (d. 2009)
    • 1928 – Richard G. Stern, American author and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Tony Brooks, English racing driver; six Formula One victories, second in 1959 World Championship
    • 1932 – Faron Young, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist; member of Country Music Hall of Fame (d. 1996)
    • 1934 – Tony Lema, American golfer; winner of the 1964 Open Championship (d. 1966)
    • 1935 – Oktay Sinanoglu, Turkish physical chemist and molecular biophysicist; two-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Tom Courtenay, award-winning English actor
    • 1937 – Bob Schieffer, American political author, journalist and TV interviewer
    • 1938 – Herb Elliott, Australian 1500 metres runner; 1960 Olympic champion and world record holder
    • 1938 – Farokh Engineer, Indian international cricketer; successful as batsman and wicketkeeper
    • 1940 – Ron Santo, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – David Puttnam, English film producer and academic
    • 1943 – George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and film producer; lead guitarist of The Beatles (d. 2001)
    • 1944 – François Cevert, French racing driver (d. 1973)
    • 1946 – Jean Todt, French racing driver and team manager; FIA President, 2009–2021
    • 1947 – Lee Evans, American sprinter and athletics coach; two gold medals and world 400m record at 1968 Olympics
    • 1949 – Amin Maalouf, Lebanese-French journalist and author
    • 1950 – Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish skier; 1972 Olympic slalom champion (d. 2006)
    • 1950 – Neil Jordan, Irish film director, screenwriter and author
    • 1950 – Néstor Kirchner, Argentinian politician; 51st President of Argentina, 2003–2007 (d. 2010)
    • 1951 – Don Quarrie, Jamaican sprinter and coach; four Olympic medals and two world records
    • 1952 – Joey Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcycle road racing champion; holds record for most wins (26) at the Isle of Man TT (d. 2000)
    • 1953 – José María Aznar, Spanish politician; Prime Minister of Spain, 1996–2004
    • 1958 – Kurt Rambis, American basketball player and coach; four-time NBA Finals champion
    • 1962 – Birgit Fischer, German kayaker; winner of eight Olympic gold medals
    • 1963 – Paul O’Neill, American baseball player and sportscaster; five-time World Series champion
    • 1967 – Ed Balls, British politician; Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
    • 1968 – Oumou Sangaré, Grammy Award-winning Malian Wassoulou musician
    • 1971 – Sean Astin, American actor, director and producer
    • 1974 – Dominic Raab, British politician; First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
    • 1981 – Park Ji-sung, South Korean footballer; the most successful Asian player with 19 career trophies
    • 1982 – Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player; winner of the 2015 US Open
    • 1988 – Tom Marshall, British photo colouriser and artist
    • 1999 – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italian international footballer; youngest goalkeeper to play for Italy

    Deaths on February 25

    • 806 – Tarasios, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 891 – Fujiwara no Mototsune, Japanese regent (b. 836)
    • 944 – Lin Ding, Chinese official and chancellor
    • 1246 – Dafydd ap Llywelyn, Welsh king (b. 1212)
    • 1321 – Beatrice d’Avesnes, consort of Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg
    • 1495 – Sultan Cem, Ottoman politician (b. 1459)
    • 1522 – William Lily, English scholar and educator (b. 1468)
    • 1536 – Berchtold Haller, German-Swiss theologian and reformer (b. 1492)
    • 1536 – Jacob Hutter, founder of the Hutterites
    • 1547 – Vittoria Colonna, marchioness of Pescara (b. 1490)
    • 1558 – Eleanor of Austria (b. 1498)
    • 1600 – Sebastian de Aparicio, Spanish colonial industrialist and saint (b. 1502)
    • 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1566)
    • 1634 – Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general and politician (b. 1583)
    • 1655 – Daniel Heinsius, Flemish poet and scholar (b. 1580)
    • 1682 – Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (b. 1639)
    • 1710 – Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, French soldier and explorer (b. 1639)
    • 1713 – Frederick I of Prussia (b. 1657)
    • 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St Paul’s Cathedral (b. 1632)
    • 1756 – Eliza Haywood, English actress and poet (b. 1693)
    • 1796 – Samuel Seabury, American bishop (b. 1729)
    • 1798 – Louis Jules Mancini Mazarini, French poet and diplomat (b. 1716)
    • 1805 – Thomas Pownall, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1722)
    • 1819 – Francisco Manoel de Nascimento, Portuguese-French poet and educator (b. 1734)
    • 1822 – William Pinkney, American politician and diplomat, 7th United States Attorney General (b. 1764)
    • 1831 – Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German author and playwright (b. 1752)
    • 1841 – Philip Pendleton Barbour, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1783)
    • 1850 – Daoguang Emperor of China (b. 1782)
    • 1852 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet and lyricist (b. 1779)
    • 1865 – Otto Ludwig, German author, playwright, and critic (b. 1813)
    • 1870 – Henrik Hertz, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1797)
    • 1875 – Thomas Reynolds, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of South Australia (b. 1818)
    • 1877 – Jung Bahadur Rana, Nepalese ruler (b. 1816)
    • 1878 – Townsend Harris, American merchant, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Japan (b. 1804)
    • 1888 – Josif Pancic, Serbian botanist and academic (b. 1814)
    • 1899 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist and businessman, founded Reuters (b. 1816)
    • 1906 – Anton Arensky, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1861)
    • 1910 – Worthington Whittredge, American painter and educator (b. 1820)
    • 1911 – Friedrich Spielhagen, German author, theorist, and translator (b. 1829)
    • 1912 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1852)
    • 1914 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (b. 1820)
    • 1915 – Charles Edwin Bessey, American botanist, author, and academic (b. 1845)
    • 1916 – David Bowman, Australian politician (b. 1860)
    • 1920 – Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, French archaeologist and engineer (b. 1844)
    • 1922 – Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (b. 1869)
    • 1928 – William O’Brien, Irish journalist and politician (b. 1852)
    • 1934 – Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, American botanist and academic (b. 1857)
    • 1934 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (b. 1873)
    • 1945 – Mário de Andrade, Brazilian author, poet, and photographer (b. 1893)
    • 1950 – George Minot, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885)
    • 1953 – Sergei Winogradsky, Ukrainian-Russian microbiologist and ecologist (b. 1856)
    • 1957 – Mark Aldanov, Russian author and critic (b. 1888)
    • 1957 – Bugs Moran, American mob boss (b. 1893)
    • 1963 – Melville J. Herskovits, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1895)
    • 1964 – Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1887)
    • 1964 – Hinrich Lohse, German politician (b. 1896)
    • 1964 – Grace Metalious, American author (b. 1924)
    • 1970 – Mark Rothko, Latvian-American painter and academic (b. 1903)
    • 1971 – Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
    • 1972 – Gottfried Fuchs, German-Canadian Olympic soccer player (b. 1889)
    • 1975 – Elijah Muhammad, American religious leader (b. 1897)
    • 1978 – Daniel James, Jr., American general and pilot (b. 1920)
    • 1980 – Robert Hayden, American poet and academic (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Tennessee Williams, American playwright, and poet (b. 1911)
    • 1996 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (b. 1940)
    • 1997 – Andrei Sinyavsky, Russian journalist and publisher (b. 1925)
    • 1998 – W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author and playwright (b. 1914)
    • 1999 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
    • 2001 – A. R. Ammons, American poet and critic (b. 1926)
    • 2001 – Donald Bradman, Australian international cricketer; holder of world record batting average (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Peter Benenson, English lawyer, founded Amnesty International (b. 1921)
    • 2010 – Ihsan Dogramaci, Turkish pediatrician and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Louisiana Red, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic; noted ichthyologist (b. 1922)
    • 2020 – Dmitry Yazov, last Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1924)

    Holidays and observance on February 25

    Christian feast day

    Further information: February 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Æthelberht of Kent
    • Blessed Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás
    • Gerland of Agrigento
    • John Roberts, writer and missionary
    • Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani
    • Saint Walpurga (she was canonised on 1 May and Walpurgis Night is celebrated 30 April)

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

    • AD 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
    • 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
    • 1438 – The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV.
    • 1458 – Matthias Corvinus is elected King of Hungary.
    • 1536 – King Henry VIII of England suffers an accident while jousting, leading to a brain injury that historians say may have influenced his later erratic behaviour and possible impotence.
    • 1679 – King Charles II of England dissolves the Cavalier Parliament.
    • 1742 – Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1758 – During the Seven Years’ War the leading burghers of Königsberg submit to Elizabeth of Russia, thus forming Russian Prussia (until 1763).
    • 1817 – Crossing of the Andes: Many soldiers of Juan Gregorio de las Heras are captured during the Action of Picheuta.
    • 1835 – Slaves in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, stage a revolt, which is instrumental in ending slavery there 50 years later.
    • 1848 – California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento.
    • 1857 – The University of Calcutta is formally founded as the first fully fledged university in South Asia.
    • 1859 – The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (later named Romania) is formed as a personal union under the rule of Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: Boers stop a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop.
    • 1908 – The first Boy Scout troop is organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.
    • 1915 – World War I: British Grand Fleet battle cruisers under Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty engage Rear-Admiral Franz von Hipper’s battle cruisers in the Battle of Dogger Bank.
    • 1916 – In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
    • 1918 – The Gregorian calendar is introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People’s Commissars effective February 14 (New Style).
    • 1933 – The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, changing the beginning and end of terms for all elected federal offices.
    • 1939 – The deadliest earthquake in Chilean history strikes Chillán, killing approximately 28,000 people.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Allies bombard Bangkok, leading Thailand, then under Japanese control, to declare war against the United States and United Kingdom.
    • 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference in Casablanca.
    • 1946 – The United Nations General Assembly passes its first resolution to establish the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.
    • 1960 – Algerian War: Some units of European volunteers in Algiers stage an insurrection known as the “barricades week”, during which they seize government buildings and clash with local police.
    • 1961 – Goldsboro B-52 crash: A bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. The uranium core of one weapon remains lost.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force launches Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong during wider fighting around Long Bình and Biên Hòa.
    • 1972 – Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
    • 1977 – The Atocha massacre occurs in Madrid during the Spanish transition to democracy.
    • 1978 – Soviet satellite Kosmos 954, with a nuclear reactor on board, burns up in Earth’s atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada’s Northwest Territories. Only 1% is recovered.
    • 1984 – Apple Computer places the Macintosh personal computer on sale in the United States.
    • 1989 – Notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, with over 30 known victims, is executed by the electric chair at the Florida State Prison.
    • 1990 – Japan launches Hiten, the country’s first lunar probe, the first robotic lunar probe since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 in 1976, and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States.
    • 2003 – The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
    • 2009 – Cyclone Klaus makes landfall near Bordeaux, France, causing 26 deaths as well as extensive disruptions to public transport and power supplies.
    • 2011 – At least 35 are killed and 180 injured in a bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport.

    Births on January 24

    • AD 76 – Hadrian, Roman emperor (d. 138)
    • 1287 – Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1345)
    • 1444 – Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1476)
    • 1540 – Edmund Campion, English priest and martyr (d. 1581)
    • 1547 – Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Austrian Archduchess (d. 1578)
    • 1602 – Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland, English politician (d. 1666)
    • 1619 – Yamazaki Ansai, Japanese philosopher (d. 1682)
    • 1643 – Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet and politician, Lord Chamberlain of Great Britain (d. 1706)
    • 1664 – John Vanbrugh, English architect and dramatist (d. 1726)
    • 1670 – William Congreve, English playwright and poet (d. 1729)
    • 1672 – Margrave Albert Frederick of Brandenburg-Schwedt, German Lieutenant General (d. 1731)
    • 1674 – Thomas Tanner, English bishop (d. 1735)
    • 1679 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher and academic (d. 1754)
    • 1684 – Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, German noble (d. 1737)
    • 1705 – Farinelli, Italian castrato singer (d. 1782)
    • 1709 – Dom Bédos de Celles, French monk and organist (d. 1779)
    • 1712 – Frederick the Great, Prussian king (d. 1786)
    • 1732 – Pierre Beaumarchais, French playwright and financier (d. 1799)
    • 1739 – Jean Nicolas Houchard, French General of the French Revolution (d. 1793)
    • 1746 – Gustav III of Sweden (d. 1792)
    • 1749 – Charles James Fox, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1806)
    • 1754 – Andrew Ellicott, American soldier and surveyor (d. 1820)
    • 1761 – Louis Klein, French general (d. 1845)
    • 1763 – Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, French-Ukrainian general and politician (d. 1831)
    • 1776 – E. T. A. Hoffmann, German jurist, author, and composer (d. 1822)
    • 1787 – Christian Ludwig Brehm, German pastor and ornithologist (d. 1864)
    • 1804 – Delphine de Girardin, French author (d. 1855)
    • 1814 – Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, French Crown Princess (d. 1858)
    • 1814 – John Colenso, British mathematician (d. 1883)
    • 1816 – Wilhelm Henzen, German philologist and epigraphist (d. 1887)
    • 1828 – Ferdinand Cohn, German biologist (d. 1898)
    • 1829 – Yechiel Michel Epstein, Rabbi and posek (d. 1908)
    • 1836 – Signe Rink, Greenland-born Danish writer and ethnologist (d. 1909)
    • 1843 – Josip Stadler, Croatian archbishop (d. 1918)
    • 1848 – Vasily Surikov, Russian painter (d. 1916)
    • 1850 – Hermann Ebbinghaus, German psychologist (d. 1909)
    • 1853 – Sigbert Josef Maria Ganser, German psychiatrist (d. 1931)
    • 1856 – Friedrich Grünanger, Transylvanian Hungarian-German architect (d. 1929)
    • 1858 – Constance Naden, English poet and philosopher (d. 1889)
    • 1862 – Edith Wharton, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1937)
    • 1863 – August Adler, Czech and Austrian mathematician (d. 1923)
    • 1864 – Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist, and activist (d. 1936)
    • 1864 – Gaetano Giardino, Italian soldier and Marshal of Italy (d. 1935)
    • 1866 – Jaan Poska, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1920)
    • 1870 – Herbert Kilpin, English footballer (d. 1916)
    • 1871 – Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic, Czech poet, writer and literary critic (d. 1951)
    • 1871 – Thomas Jaggar, American volcanologist (d. 1953)
    • 1872 – Yuly Aykhenvald, Russian literary critic (d. 1928)
    • 1872 – Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (d. 1943)
    • 1872 – Morris Travers, English chemist and academic (d. 1961)
    • 1873 – Dmitry Ushakov, Russian philologist and lexicographer (d. 1942)
    • 1882 – Harold D. Babcock, American astronomer (d. 1968)
    • 1882 – Ödön Bodor, Hungarian athlete (d. 1927)
    • 1886 – Henry King, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1887 – Jean-Henri Humbert, French botanist (d. 1967)
    • 1888 – Vicki Baum, Austrian author and screenwriter (d. 1960)
    • 1888 – Ernst Heinkel, German engineer and businessman, founded the Heinkel Aircraft Manufacturing Company (d. 1958)
    • 1889 – Victor Eftimiu, Romanian poet and playwright (d. 1972)
    • 1889 – Charles Hawes, American historian and author (d. 1923)
    • 1889 – Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, German general of paratroop forces during World War II (d. 1968)
    • 1891 – Walter Model, German field marshal (d. 1945)
    • 1892 – Franz Aigner, Austrian weightlifter (d. 1970)
    • 1895 – Eugen Roth, German poet and songwriter (d. 1976)
    • 1897 – Paul Fejos, Hungarian-born American director (d. 1963)
    • 1899 – Hoyt Vandenberg, U.S. Air Force general (d. 1954)
    • 1900 – René Guillot, French writer (d. 1969)
    • 1901 – Harry Calder, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
    • 1901 – Cassandre, French painter (d. 1968)
    • 1901 – Edward Turner, English engineer (d. 1973)
    • 1905 – J. Howard Marshall, American lawyer and businessman (d. 1995)
    • 1906 – Wilfred Jackson, American animator and composer (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu, fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (d. 1979)
    • 1907 – Maurice Couve de Murville, French soldier and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1999)
    • 1907 – Jean Daetwyler, Swiss composer and musician (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (d. 2005)
    • 1910 – Doris Haddock, American political activist (d. 2010)
    • 1912 – Frederick Ashworth, American admiral (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Norman Dello Joio, American organist and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1913 – Ray Stehr, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1983)
    • 1915 – Vítězslava Kaprálová, Czech composer and conductor (d. 1940)
    • 1915 – Robert Motherwell, American painter and academic (d. 1991)
    • 1916 – Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan lawyer and politician, 65th President of Venezuela (d. 2009)
    • 1916 – Gene Mako, Hungarian-American tennis player and actor (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Ernest Borgnine, American actor (d. 2012)
    • 1917 – Wilhelmus Demarteau, Dutch prelate of the Roman Catholic Church (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – Gottfried von Einem, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1918 – Oral Roberts, American evangelist, founded Oral Roberts University and Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (d. 2009)
    • 1919 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1973)
    • 1919 – Leon Kirchner, American composer and educator (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Jimmy Forrest, American saxophonist (d. 1980)
    • 1920 – Jerry Maren, American actor (d. 2018)
    • 1922 – Daniel Boulanger, French actor and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Neil Franklin, English footballer (d. 1996)
    • 1923 – Geneviève Asse, French painter
    • 1925 – Gus Mortson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina and actress (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Ruth Asawa, American sculptor (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Georges Lautner, French director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Sir Patrick Macnaghten, 11th Baronet, Scottish lieutenant (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Paula Hawkins, American politician (d. 2009)
    • 1928 – Desmond Morris, English zoologist, ethologist, and painter
    • 1928 – Michel Serrault, French actor (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Terence Bayler, New Zealand actor (d. 2016)
    • 1930 – Mahmoud Farshchian, Iranian-Persian painter and academic
    • 1930 – John Romita Sr., American comic book artist
    • 1931 – Lars Hörmander, Swedish mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Ib Nørholm, Danish composer and organist
    • 1932 – Éliane Radigue, French electronic music composer
    • 1933 – Kamran Baghirov, the 12th First Secretary of Azerbaijan Communist Party (d. 2000)
    • 1933 – Asim Ferhatović, Bosnian footballer (d. 1987)
    • 1934 – Leonard Goldberg, American producer (d. 2019)
    • 1934 – Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet and dramatist (d. 1976)
    • 1935 – Eric Ashton, English rugby player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1935 – Shivabalayogi, Indian religious leader (d. 1994)
    • 1936 – Doug Kershaw, American fiddle player and singer
    • 1937 – Trevor Edwards, Welsh footballer
    • 1938 – Julius Hemphill, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1995)
    • 1939 – Renate Garisch-Culmberger, German shot putter
    • 1939 – Ray Stevens, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1940 – Vito Acconci, American designer (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Joachim Gauck, German pastor and politician, 11th President of Germany
    • 1941 – Neil Diamond, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1941 – Aaron Neville, American singer
    • 1941 – Dan Shechtman, Israeli chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1942 – Ingo Friedrich, German Member of the European Parliament
    • 1942 – Gary Hart, American wrestler and manager (d. 2008)
    • 1943 – Peter Struck, German lawyer and politician, 13th German Federal Minister of Defence (d. 2012)
    • 1943 – Barry Mealand, English footballer, right back (d. 2013)
    • 1943 – Sharon Tate, American model and actress (d. 1969)
    • 1943 – Tony Trimmer, English race car driver
    • 1943 – Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (d. 2016)
    • 1944 – David Gerrold, American science fiction screenwriter and author
    • 1944 – Gian-Franco Kasper, Swiss ski official
    • 1945 – John Garamendi, American football player and politician, 1st United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
    • 1945 – Subhash Ghai, Indian director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1945 – Eva Janko, Austrian javelin thrower
    • 1946 – Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor
    • 1947 – Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1947 – Michio Kaku, American physicist and academic
    • 1947 – Masashi Ozaki, Japanese baseball player and golfer
    • 1947 – Warren Zevon, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1948 – Elliott Abrams, American diplomat, lawyer and political scientist
    • 1948 – Michael Des Barres, English singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1949 – John Belushi, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1949 – Bart Gordon, American lawyer
    • 1949 – Nadezhda Ilyina, Russian athlete and mother of Russian tennis player Nadia Petrova (d. 2013)
    • 1949 – Rihoko Yoshida, Japanese voice actress
    • 1950 – Daniel Auteuil, French actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1951 – Yakov Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American comedian and actor
    • 1953 – Yuri Bashmet, Russian violinist, viola player, and conductor
    • 1953 – Moon Jae-in, 19th President of South Korea
    • 1954 – Jo Gartner, Austrian race car driver (d. 1986)
    • 1955 – Jim Montgomery, American swimmer
    • 1955 – Alan Sokal, American physicist and author
    • 1955 – Lynda Weinman, American businesswoman and author
    • 1956 – Agus Martowardojo, governor of Bank Indonesia
    • 1957 – Mark Eaton, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1957 – Ade Edmondson, English comedian and musician
    • 1958 – Kim Eui-kon, Korean wrestler
    • 1958 – Jools Holland, English singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1958 – Frank Ullrich, German biathlete
    • 1959 – Akira Maeda, Japanese wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor
    • 1959 – Michel Preud’homme, Belgian footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Jorge Barrios, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1961 – Guido Buchwald, German footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Christa Kinshofer, German ski racer
    • 1961 – Nastassja Kinski, German-American actress and producer
    • 1961 – William Van Dijck, Belgian runner
    • 1963 – Arnold Vanderlyde, Dutch boxer
    • 1964 – Annika Dahlman, Swedish cross country skier
    • 1965 – Robin Dutt, German footballer
    • 1965 – Carlos Saldanha, Brazilian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Margaret Urlich, New Zealand singer-songwriter
    • 1965 – Pagonis Vakalopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Kim Sung-moon, South Korean wrestler
    • 1966 – Julie Dreyfus, French actress
    • 1966 – Karin Viard, French actress
    • 1967 – Michael Kiske, German singer
    • 1967 – Mark Kozelek, American singer and musician
    • 1967 – Phil LaMarr, American actor, singer, and screenwriter
    • 1967 – John Myung, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1968 – Fernando Escartín, Spanish cyclist
    • 1968 – Antony Garrett Lisi, American theoretical physicist
    • 1968 – Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
    • 1968 – Tymerlan Huseynov, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1969 – Yoo Ho-jeong, South Korean actress
    • 1969 – Carlos Rômulo Gonçalves e Silva, bishop of Montenegro
    • 1970 – Roberto Bonano, Argentine footballer
    • 1970 – Neil Johnson, Zimbabwean cricketer
    • 1970 – Matthew Lillard, American actor
    • 1971 – José Carlos Fernandez, Bolivian footballer
    • 1972 – Beth Hart, American blues-rock singer and piano player
    • 1974 – Cyril Despres, French rally racer
    • 1974 – Ed Helms, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Melissa Tkautz, Australian actress and singer
    • 1974 – Rokia Traoré, Malian singer
    • 1975 – Gianluca Basile, Italian former professional basketball player
    • 1975 – Rónald Gómez, Costa Rican footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Reto Hug, Swiss triathlonist
    • 1975 – Henna Raita, Finnish alpine skier
    • 1976 – Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canadian ice dancer, coach, and choreographer
    • 1976 – Cindy Pieters, Belgian cyclist
    • 1977 – Andrija Gerić, Serbian volleyball player
    • 1977 – Michelle Hunziker, Swiss-Dutch actress, model and singer
    • 1978 – Veerle Baetens, Belgian actress and singer
    • 1978 – Mark Hildreth, Canadian actor and musician
    • 1978 – Kristen Schaal, American actress, voice artist, comedian and writer
    • 1979 – Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
    • 1979 – Leandro Desábato, Argentinian footballer
    • 1979 – Busy Signal, Jamaican dancehall reggae artist
    • 1979 – Nik Wallenda, American acrobat
    • 1980 – Jofre Mateu, Spanish footballer
    • 1980 – Suzy, Portuguese singer
    • 1981 – Mario Eggimann, Swiss footballer
    • 1981 – Zaur Hashimov, Azerbaijani footballer and manager
    • 1981 – Elena Kolomina, Kazakhstani cross country skier
    • 1982 – Céline Deville, French footballer
    • 1982 – Daveed Diggs, American actor, rapper and singer
    • 1982 – Claudia Heill, Austrian judoka
    • 1982 – Aitor Hernández, Spanish racing cyclist
    • 1983 – Davide Biondini, Italian footballer
    • 1983 – Wyatt Crockett, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1983 – Evgeny Drattsev, Russian swimmer
    • 1983 – Craig Horner, Australian actor and musician
    • 1983 – Shaun Maloney, Scottish footballer
    • 1983 – Scott Speed, American race car driver
    • 1984 – Emerse Faé, French-born Ivorian footballer
    • 1984 – Yotam Halperin, Israeli basketball player
    • 1984 – Jung Jin-sun, South Korean fencer
    • 1984 – Scott Kazmir, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Paulo Sérgio Moreira Gonçalves, Portuguese footballer
    • 1985 – Fabiana Claudino, Brazilian volleyball player
    • 1985 – Trey Gilder, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1986 – Mohammad Bagheri Motamed, Iranian taekwondo practitioner
    • 1986 – Mischa Barton, English-American actress
    • 1986 – Vladislav Ivanov, Russian footballer
    • 1986 – Michael Kightly, English footballer
    • 1986 – Ricky Ullman, Israeli-American actor
    • 1987 – Wayne Hennessey, Welsh footballer
    • 1987 – Luis Suárez, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Davide Valsecchi, Italian racing driver
    • 1987 – Kia Vaughn, American born Czech basketball player
    • 1987 – Guan Xin, Chinese basketball player
    • 1988 – Selina Jörg, German snowboarder
    • 1989 – Serdar Kesimal, Turkish footballer
    • 1989 – Gong Lijiao, Chinese shot putter
    • 1989 – Ki Sung-yueng, South Korean footballer
    • 1990 – Mao Abe, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1991 – Zhan Beleniuk, Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler
    • 1991 – Tatiana Kashirina, Russian weightlifter
    • 1991 – Zé Luís, Cape Verdean footballer
    • 1991 – Li Xuerui, Chinese badminton player
    • 1992 – Becky Downie, English gymnast
    • 1992 – Phiwa Nkambule, South African entrepreneur
    • 1992 – Felitciano Zschusschen, Curaçao footballer
    • 1994 – Tommie Hoban, English footballer
    • 1995 – Dylan Everett, Canadian actor
    • 1997 – Nirei Fukuzumi, Japanese racer
    • 1999 – Vitalie Damașcan, Moldovan footballer
    • 2012 – Princess Athena of Denmark, younger child of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark

    Deaths onJanuary 24

    • AD 41 – Caligula, Roman emperor (b. 12)
    • 817 – Pope Stephen IV (b. 770)
    • 901 – Liu Jishu, general of the Tang Dynasty
    • 1046 – Eckard II, Margrave of Meissen (b. c. 985)
    • 1125 – David IV of Georgia (b. 1073)
    • 1336 – Alfonso IV of Aragon (b. 1299)
    • 1376 – Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, English commander (b. 1306)
    • 1473 – Conrad Paumann, German organist and composer (b. 1410)
    • 1525 – Franciabigio, Florentine painter (b. 1482)
    • 1595 – Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria (b. 1529)
    • 1626 – Samuel Argall, English captain and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1572)
    • 1639 – Jörg Jenatsch, Swiss pastor and politician (b. 1596)
    • 1666 – Johann Andreas Herbst, German composer and theorist (b. 1588)
    • 1709 – George Rooke, English admiral and politician (b. 1650)
    • 1877 – Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist and journalist (b. 1796)
    • 1881 – James Collinson, English painter (b. 1825)
    • 1883 – Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
    • 1895 – Lord Randolph Churchill, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1849)
    • 1920 – Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
    • 1939 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician, created Muesli (b. 1867)
    • 1943 – John Burns, English trade union leader and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1858)
    • 1960 – Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1886)
    • 1961 – Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American pole vaulter and businessman, founded the A. C. Gilbert Company (b. 1884)
    • 1962 – André Lhote, French sculptor and painter (b. 1885)
    • 1962 – Stanley Lord, English naval captain (b. 1877)
    • 1962 – Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Turkish author, poet, and scholar (b. 1901)
    • 1965 – Winston Churchill, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
    • 1966 – Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1909)
    • 1970 – Caresse Crosby, American fashion designer and publisher, co-founded the Black Sun Press (b. 1891)
    • 1971 – Bill W., American activist, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (b. 1895)
    • 1973 – J. Carrol Naish, American actor (b. 1896)
    • 1975 – Larry Fine, American comedian (b. 1902)
    • 1982 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian general and politician, 56th President of Bolivia (b. 1918)
    • 1983 – George Cukor, American director and producer (b. 1899)
    • 1986 – L. Ron Hubbard, American religious leader and author, founded the Church of Scientology (b. 1911)
    • 1986 – Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (b. 1921)
    • 1988 – Werner Fenchel, German-Danish mathematician and academic (b. 1905)
    • 1989 – Ted Bundy, American serial killer (b. 1946)
    • 1990 – Madge Bellamy, American actress (b. 1899)
    • 1991 – Jack Schaefer, American journalist and author (b. 1907)
    • 1992 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – Gustav Ernesaks, Estonian composer and conductor (b. 1908)
    • 1993 – Thurgood Marshall, American lawyer and jurist, 32nd United States Solicitor General (b. 1908)
    • 2002 – Elie Hobeika, Lebanese commander and politician (b. 1956)
    • 2003 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (b. 1921)
    • 2004 – Leônidas, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Schafik Handal, Salvadoran politician (b. 1930)
    • 2007 – Krystyna Feldman, Polish actress (b. 1916)
    • 2007 – İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1940)
    • 2007 – Guadalupe Larriva, Ecuadorian academic and politician (b. 1956)
    • 2007 – Emiliano Mercado del Toro, Puerto Rican-American soldier (b. 1891)
    • 2010 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (b. 1928)
    • 2011 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – Shulamit Aloni, Israeli lawyer and politician, 11th Israeli Minister of Education (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Rafael Pineda Ponce, Honduran academic and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Fredrik Barth, German-Norwegian anthropologist and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2016 – Marvin Minsky, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Henry Worsley, English colonel and explorer (b. 1960)
    • 2017 – Butch Trucks, American drummer (b. 1947)
    • 2018 – Mark E. Smith, British singer-songwriter (b. 1957)
    • 2019 – Rosemary Bryant Mariner, American United States Naval Aviator (b. 1953)

    Holidays and observances on January 24

    • Christian feast day:
      • Babylas of Antioch
      • Cadoc (Wales)
      • Exuperantius of Cingoli
      • Felician of Foligno
      • Francis de Sales
      • Pratulin Martyrs (Greek Catholic Church)
      • January 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Saturday of Souls can fall, while February 27 (or 28 during Leap Year) is the latest; observed 57 days before Easter. (Eastern Orthodox)
    • Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances:
      • Feria de Alasitas (La Paz)
    • Unification Day (Romania)
    • Uttar Pradesh Day (Uttar Pradesh, India)

  • January 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing season at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, as a result of discontent with the rule of the Emperor Justinian I.
    • 1435 – Sicut Dudum, forbidding the enslavement of the Guanche natives in Canary Islands by the Spanish, is promulgated by Pope Eugene IV.
    • 1547 – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is sentenced to death for treason, on the grounds of having quartered his arms to make them similar to those of the King, Henry VIII of England.
    • 1793 – Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville, representative of Revolutionary France, lynched by a mob in Rome
    • 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany ends with the French vessel running aground, resulting in over 900 deaths.
    • 1815 – War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state.
    • 1822 – The design of the Greek flag is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
    • 1833 – United States President Andrew Jackson writes to Vice President Martin Van Buren expressing his opposition to South Carolina’s defiance of federal authority in the Nullification Crisis.
    • 1840 – The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.
    • 1842 – Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 camp followers when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
    • 1847 – The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican–American War in California.
    • 1849 – Establishment of the Colony of Vancouver Island.
    • 1849 – Second Anglo-Sikh War – Battle of Chillianwala: British forces retreat from the Sikhs.
    • 1879 – In Mozart Gardens Brooklyn Ada Anderson completed a great feat of pedestrianism – 2700 quarter miles in 2700 quarter hours, earning her $8000.
    • 1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
    • 1893 – The Independent Labour Party of the United Kingdom holds its first meeting.
    • 1893 – U.S. Marines land in Honolulu, Hawaii from the USS Boston to prevent the queen from abrogating the Bayonet Constitution.
    • 1895 – First Italo-Ethiopian War: the war’s opening battle, the Battle of Coatit, occurs; it is an Italian victory.
    • 1898 – Émile Zola’s J’accuse…! exposes the Dreyfus affair.
    • 1908 – The Rhoads Opera House fire in Boyertown, Pennsylvania kills 171 people.
    • 1910 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; a live performance of the operas Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci are sent out over the airwaves from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
    • 1915 – The 6.7 Mw  Avezzano earthquake shakes the Province of L’Aquila in Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 29,978–32,610.
    • 1920 – The Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, the bloodiest demonstration in German history.
    • 1935 – A plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wish to join Nazi Germany.
    • 1939 – The Black Friday bushfires burn 20,000 square kilometers of land in Australia, claiming the lives of 71 people.
    • 1942 – Henry Ford patents a plastic automobile, which is 30% lighter than a regular car.
    • 1942 – World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter.
    • 1950 – British submarine HMS Truculent collides with an oil tanker in the Thames Estuary, killing 64 men.
    • 1950 – Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
    • 1951 – First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins.
    • 1953 – An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership.
    • 1958 – The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera.
    • 1963 – Coup d’état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio.
    • 1964 – Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, resulting in 100 deaths.
    • 1964 – In Manchester, New Hampshire, fourteen-year-old Pamela Mason is murdered. Edward Coolidge is tried and convicted of the crime, but the conviction is set aside by the landmark Fourth Amendment case Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971).
    • 1966 – Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
    • 1968 – Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison.
    • 1972 – Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
    • 1978 – United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled “paid” or “volunteer” donors.
    • 1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.’s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists.
    • 1985 – A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa.
    • 1986 – A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties.
    • 1988 – Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China.
    • 1990 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.
    • 1991 – Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1000 others.
    • 1993 – Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center.
    • 1993 – The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed.
    • 1998 – Alfredo Ormando sets himself on fire in St. Peter’s Square, protesting against homophobia.
    • 2001 – An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800.
    • 2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino’s negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths.
    • 2018 – A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii caused widespread panic in the state.
    • 2020 – Taal Volcano in the Philippines spews lava fountains while erupting in the crater.

    Births on January 13

    • 5 BC – Guangwu of Han, Chinese emperor (d. 57)
    • 101 – Lucius Aelius, Roman adopted son of Hadrian (d. 138)
    • 915 – Al-Hakam II, Umayyad caliph (d. 976)
    • 1334 – Henry II, king of Castile and León (d. 1379)
    • 1338 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (d. 1392)
    • 1400 – Infante John, Constable of Portugal (d. 1442)
    • 1477 – Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland (d. 1527)
    • 1505 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1571)
    • 1562 – Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish poet and soldier (d. 1601)
    • 1596 – Jan van Goyen, Dutch painter and illustrator (d. 1656)
    • 1610 – Maria Anna of Bavaria, archduchess of Austria (d. 1665)
    • 1616 – Antoinette Bourignon, French-Flemish mystic and author (d. 1680)
    • 1651 – Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington, English soldier and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1694)
    • 1683 – Christoph Graupner, German harpsichord player and composer (d. 1760)
    • 1720 – Richard Hurd, English bishop (d. 1808)
    • 1749 – Maler Müller, German poet, painter, and playwright (d. 1825)
    • 1787 – John Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1854)
    • 1804 – Paul Gavarni, French illustrator (d. 1866)
    • 1805 – Thomas Dyer, American lawyer and politician, 18th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1862)
    • 1808 – Salmon P. Chase, American jurist and politician, 6th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1873)
    • 1810 – Ernestine Rose, American suffragist, abolitionist, and freethinker (d. 1892)
    • 1812 – Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (d. 1883)
    • 1832 – Horatio Alger, Jr., American novelist and journalist (d. 1899)
    • 1845 – Félix Tisserand, French astronomer and academic (d. 1896)
    • 1858 – Oskar Minkowski, Lithuanian-German biologist and academic (d. 1931)
    • 1859 – Kostis Palamas, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1943)
    • 1861 – Max Nonne, German neurologist and academic (d. 1959)
    • 1864 – Wilhelm Wien, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
    • 1865 – Princess Marie of Orléans (d. 1908)
    • 1866 – Vasily Kalinnikov, Russian bassoon player and composer (d. 1901)
    • 1866 – George Gurdjieff, Russian-French mystic and philosopher (d. 1949)
    • 1869 – Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta (d. 1931)
    • 1870 – Ross Granville Harrison, American biologist and anatomist (d. 1959)
    • 1878 – Lionel Groulx, Canadian priest and historian (d. 1967)
    • 1881 – Essington Lewis, Australian engineer and businessman (d. 1961)
    • 1883 – Nathaniel Cartmell, American runner and coach (d. 1967)
    • 1885 – Alfred Fuller, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Fuller Brush Company (d. 1973)
    • 1886 – Art Ross, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1964)
    • 1887 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer and actress (d. 1966)
    • 1890 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1945)
    • 1892 – Ermanno Aebi, Italian-Swiss footballer (d. 1976)
    • 1893 – Charles Arnison, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 1974)
    • 1893 – Roy Cazaly, Australian footballer and coach (d. 1963)
    • 1893 – Clark Ashton Smith, American poet, sculptor, painter, and author (d. 1961)
    • 1893 – Chaim Soutine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1943)
    • 1900 – Shimizugawa Motokichi, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1967)
    • 1900 – Gertrude Mary Cox, American mathematician (d. 1978)
    • 1901 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist, screenwriter, historian (d. 1991)
    • 1901 – Mieczysław Żywczyński, Polish priest and historian (d. 1978)
    • 1902 – Karl Menger, Austrian-American mathematician from the Vienna Circle (d. 1985)
    • 1904 – Richard Addinsell, English composer (d. 1977)
    • 1904 – Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian-American violinist and composer (d. 1992)
    • 1904 – Dick Rowley, Irish footballer, centre forward (d. 1984)
    • 1905 – Kay Francis, American actress (d. 1968)
    • 1905 – Jack London, English sprinter and pianist (d. 1966)
    • 1906 – Zhou Youguang, Chinese linguist, sinologist, and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1909 – Helm Glöckler, German race car driver (d. 1993)
    • 1910 – Yannis Tsarouchis, Greek painter and illustrator (d. 1989)
    • 1911 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (d. 2005)
    • 1914 – Osa Massen, Danish-American actress (d. 2006)
    • 1914 – Ted Willis, Baron Willis, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1919 – Robert Stack, American actor (d. 2003)
    • 1921 – Necati Cumalı, Greek-Turkish author and poet (d. 2001)
    • 1921 – Dachine Rainer, American-English author and poet (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Arthur Stevens, English footballer, outside right (d. 2007}
    • 1922 – Albert Lamorisse, French director and producer (d. 1970)
    • 1923 – Daniil Shafran, Russian cellist (d. 1997)
    • 1923 – Willem Slijkhuis, Dutch runner (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Paul Feyerabend, Austrian-Swiss philosopher and academic (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Roland Petit, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2011)
    • 1925 – Rosemary Murphy, American actress (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Vanita Smythe, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
    • 1925 – Ron Tauranac, Australian engineer and businessman
    • 1925 – Gwen Verdon, American actress and dancer (d. 2000)
    • 1926 – Michael Bond, English soldier and author, created Paddington Bear (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, American author and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1926 – Melba Liston, American trombonist and composer (d. 1999)
    • 1927 – Brock Adams, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Transportation (d. 2004)
    • 1927 – Liz Anderson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
    • 1927 – Sydney Brenner, South African biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Joe Pass, American guitarist and composer (d. 1994)
    • 1930 – Frances Sternhagen, American actress
    • 1931 – Ian Hendry, English actor (d. 1984)
    • 1931 – Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian, director, game show panelist, and television personality (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Barry Bishop, American mountaineer, photographer, and scholar (d. 1994)
    • 1933 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Rip Taylor, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
    • 1936 – Renato Bruson, Italian opera singer
    • 1937 – Guy Dodson, New Zealand-English biochemist and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1938 – Cabu, French cartoonist (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Daevid Allen, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Richard Anthony, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Dave Edwards, American captain and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Tord Grip, Swedish footballer and manager
    • 1938 – Anna Home, English screenwriter and producer
    • 1939 – Edgardo Cozarinsky, Argentinian author, screenwriter, and director
    • 1939 – Jacek Gmoch, Polish footballer and coach
    • 1939 – Cesare Maniago, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1940 – Edmund White, American novelist, memoirist, and essayist
    • 1941 – Pasqual Maragall, Spanish academic and politician, 127th President of the Generalitat de Catalunya
    • 1941 – Meinhard Nehmer, German bobsledder
    • 1943 – William Duckworth, American composer and author (d. 2012)
    • 1943 – Richard Moll, American actor
    • 1945 – Gordon McVie, English oncologist and author
    • 1945 – Peter Simpson, English footballer
    • 1946 – Ordal Demokan, Turkish physicist and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1946 – Eero Koivistoinen, Finnish saxophonist, composer, and conductor
    • 1947 – John Lees, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Jacek Majchrowski, Polish historian, lawyer, and politician
    • 1947 – Carles Rexach, Spanish footballer and coach
    • 1948 – Gaj Singh, Indian lawyer and politician
    • 1949 – Rakesh Sharma, Indian commander, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1949 – Brandon Tartikoff, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
    • 1950 – Clive Betts, English economist and politician
    • 1950 – Bob Forsch, American baseball player (d. 2011)
    • 1950 – Gholam Hossein Mazloumi, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
    • 1952 – Stephen Glover, English journalist, co-founded The Independent
    • 1953 – Silvana Gallardo, American actress and producer (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Richard Blackford, English composer
    • 1954 – Trevor Rabin, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1955 – Paul Kelly, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1955 – Jay McInerney, American novelist and critic
    • 1955 – Anne Pringle, English diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
    • 1957 – Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1957 – Mary Glindon, English lawyer and politician
    • 1957 – Mark O’Meara, American golfer
    • 1957 – Lorrie Moore, American short story writer
    • 1958 – Francisco Buyo, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Juan Pedro de Miguel, Spanish handball player (d. 2016)
    • 1959 – Winnie Byanyima, Ugandan engineer, politician, and diplomat
    • 1960 – Eric Betzig, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1960 – Matthew Bourne, English choreographer and director
    • 1961 – Wayne Coyne, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1961 – Kelly Hrudey, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress, comedian, and producer
    • 1962 – Trace Adkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – Paul Higgins, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1964 – Penelope Ann Miller, American actress
    • 1966 – Patrick Dempsey, American actor and race car driver
    • 1966 – Leo Visser, Dutch speed skater and pilot
    • 1968 – Mike Whitlow, English footballer and coach
    • 1969 – Stefania Belmondo, Italian skier
    • 1969 – Stephen Hendry, Scottish snooker player and journalist
    • 1970 – Frank Kooiman, Dutch footballer
    • 1970 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (d. 2004)
    • 1970 – Shonda Rhimes, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1972 – Mark Bosnich, Australian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Nicole Eggert, American actress
    • 1972 – Vitaly Scherbo, Belarusian gymnast
    • 1973 – Nikolai Khabibulin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Gigi Galli, Italian race driver
    • 1974 – Sergei Brylin, Russian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1975 – Rune Eriksen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
    • 1975 – Mailis Reps, Estonian academic and politician, 31st Estonian Minister of Education and Research
    • 1975 – Andrew Yang, American entrepreneur, founder of Venture for America, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
    • 1976 – Mario Yepes, Colombian footballer
    • 1977 – Orlando Bloom, English actor and producer
    • 1977 – Mi-Hyun Kim, South Korean golfer
    • 1977 – Elliot Mason, English trombonist and keyboard player
    • 1977 – James Posey, American basketball player and coach
    • 1978 – Nate Silver, American journalist and statistician, developed PECOTA
    • 1979 – Katy Brand, English actress and screenwriter
    • 1980 – Krzysztof Czerwiński, Polish organist and conductor
    • 1980 – Nils-Eric Johansson, Swedish footballer
    • 1980 – Akira Kaji, Japanese footballer
    • 1980 – Wolfgang Loitzl, Austrian ski jumper
    • 1980 – Mirko Soltau, German footballer
    • 1981 – Reggie Brown, American football player
    • 1981 – Darrell Rasner, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Yujiro Takahashi, Japanese wrestler
    • 1982 – Kamran Akmal, Pakistan cricketer
    • 1982 – Guillermo Coria, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1982 – Constantinos Makrides, Cypriot footballer
    • 1982 – Ruth Wilson, English actress
    • 1983 – Ender Arslan, Turkish basketball player
    • 1983 – Sebastian Kneißl, German footballer
    • 1983 – Mauricio Martín Romero, Argentinian footballer
    • 1984 – Matteo Cavagna, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Kamghe Gaba, German sprinter
    • 1984 – Nick Mangold, American football player
    • 1985 – Luke Robinson, American wrestler
    • 1986 – Joannie Rochette, Canadian figure skater
    • 1987 – Stefano Del Sante, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Jack Johnson, American ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Florica Leonida, Romanian gymnast
    • 1987 – Steven Michaels, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Daniel Oss, Italian cyclist
    • 1987 – Marc Staal, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Sven Wetzel, German rugby player
    • 1988 – Josh Freeman, American football player
    • 1989 – Morgan Burnett, American football player
    • 1989 – Doug Martin, American football player
    • 1990 – Vincenzo Fiorillo, Italian footballer
    • 1990 – Liam Hemsworth, Australian actor
    • 1991 – Rob Kiernan, English-Irish footballer
    • 1992 – Adam Matthews, Welsh footballer
    • 1992 – Dinah Pfizenmaier, German tennis player
    • 1993 – Max Whitlock, English artistic gymnast
    • 1997 – Micah Hart, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1997 – Connor McDavid, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1997 – Ivan Provorov, Russian ice hockey player

    Deaths on January 13

    • 86 BC – Gaius Marius, Roman general and politician (b. 157 BC)
    • 533 – Remigius, French bishop and saint (b. 437)
    • 614 – Mungo, English-Scottish bishop and saint
    • 703 – Jitō, Japanese emperor (b. 645)
    • 858 – Æthelwulf, king of Wessex
    • 888 – Charles the Fat, Frankish king and emperor (b. 839)
    • 927 – Berno of Cluny, Frankish monk and abbot
    • 1001 – Fujiwara no Teishi, Japanese empress (b. 977)
    • 1147 – Robert de Craon, Grand Master of the Knights Templar
    • 1151 – Suger, French historian and politician (b. 1081)
    • 1177 – Henry II, count palatine and duke of Austria (b. 1107)
    • 1321 – Bonacossa Borri, Italian noblewoman (b. 1254)
    • 1330 – Frederick I, duke and king of Germany
    • 1363 – Meinhard III, German nobleman (b. 1344)
    • 1400 – Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester, English politician (b. 1373)
    • 1599 – Edmund Spenser, English poet, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1552)
    • 1612 – Jane Dormer, English lady-in-waiting (b. 1538)
    • 1625 – Jan Brueghel the Elder, Flemish painter (b. 1568)
    • 1684 – Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk, English nobleman (b. 1628)
    • 1691 – George Fox, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (b. 1624)
    • 1717 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German entomologist and illustrator (b. 1647)
    • 1775 – Johann Georg Walch, German theologian and author (b. 1693)
    • 1790 – Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, French admiral (b. 1712)
    • 1796 – John Anderson, Scottish philosopher and educator (b. 1726)
    • 1832 – Thomas Lord, English cricketer, founded Lord’s Cricket Ground (b. 1755)
    • 1838 – Ferdinand Ries, German pianist and composer (b. 1784)
    • 1860 – William Mason, American surgeon and politician (b. 1786)
    • 1864 – Stephen Foster, American composer and songwriter (b. 1826)
    • 1872 – William Scamp, English architect and engineer (b. 1801)
    • 1882 – Wilhelm Mauser, German engineer and businessman, co-founded the Mauser Company (b. 1834)
    • 1885 – Schuyler Colfax, American journalist and politician, 17th Vice President of the United States (b. 1823)
    • 1889 – Solomon Bundy, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
    • 1905 – George Thorn, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Premier of Queensland (b. 1838)
    • 1906 – Alexander Stepanovich Popov, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1859)
    • 1907 – Jakob Hurt, Estonian theologist and linguist (b. 1839)
    • 1915 – Mary Slessor, Scottish-Nigerian missionary (b. 1848)
    • 1916 – Victoriano Huerta, Mexican military officer and president, 1913–1914 (b. 1850)
    • 1923 – Alexandre Ribot, French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1842)
    • 1924 – Georg Hermann Quincke, German physicist and academic (b. 1834)
    • 1929 – Wyatt Earp, American police officer (b. 1848)
    • 1929 – H. B. Higgins, Irish-Australian judge and politician, 3rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1851)
    • 1934 – Paul Ulrich Villard, French physicist and chemist (b. 1860)
    • 1941 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1882)
    • 1943 – Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Swiss painter and sculptor (b. 1889)
    • 1956 – Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (b. 1871)
    • 1957 – A. E. Coppard English poet and short story writer (b. 1878)
    • 1958 – Jesse L. Lasky, American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (b. 1880)
    • 1962 – Ernie Kovacs, American actor and game show host (b. 1919)
    • 1963 – Sylvanus Olympio, Togolese businessman and politician, President of Togo (b. 1902)
    • 1967 – Anatole de Grunwald, Russian-English screenwriter and producer (b. 1910)
    • 1971 – Robert Still, English composer and educator (b. 1910)
    • 1973 – Sabahattin Eyüboğlu, Turkish screenwriter and producer (b. 1908)
    • 1974 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (b. 1906)
    • 1974 – Salvador Novo, Mexican playwright and poet (b. 1904)
    • 1976 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (b. 1922)
    • 1977 – Henri Langlois, Turkish-French historian, co-founded the Cinémathèque Française (b. 1914)
    • 1978 – Hubert Humphrey, American pharmacist, academic, and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (b. 1911)
    • 1978 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1887)
    • 1979 – Donny Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1945)
    • 1979 – Marjorie Lawrence, Australian-American soprano (b. 1907)
    • 1980 – Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor (b. 1901)
    • 1982 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (b. 1912)
    • 1983 – René Bonnet, French race car driver and engineer (b. 1904)
    • 1986 – Abdul Fattah Ismail, Yemeni educator and politician, 4th President of South Yemen (b. 1939)
    • 1986 – Kevin Longbottom, Australian rugby league player (b. 1940)
    • 1988 – Chiang Ching-kuo, Chinese politician, President of the Republic of China (b. 1910)
    • 1993 – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian composer and conductor (b. 1907)
    • 1995 – Max Harris, Australian journalist, poet, and author (b. 1921)
    • 2002 – Frank Shuster, Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1916)
    • 2003 – Norman Panama, American director and screenwriter (b. 1914)
    • 2004 – Arne Næss, Jr., Norwegian businessman and mountaineer (b. 1937)
    • 2005 – Earl Cameron, Canadian journalist (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Nell Rankin, American soprano and actress (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Frank Fixaris, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1934)
    • 2006 – Marc Potvin, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1967)
    • 2007 – Michael Brecker, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1949)
    • 2007 – Danny Oakes, American race car driver (b. 1911)
    • 2008 – Johnny Podres, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
    • 2009 – Dai Llewellyn, Welsh humanitarian activist and politician (b. 1946)
    • 2009 – Patrick McGoohan, Irish-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1928)
    • 2009 – Mansour Rahbani, Lebanese poet, composer, and producer (b. 1925)
    • 2009 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (b. 1926)
    • 2009 – Nancy Bird Walton, Australian pilot (b. 1915)
    • 2010 – Teddy Pendergrass, American singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
    • 2011 – Albert Heijn, Dutch businessman (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Rauf Denktaş, Turkish-Cypriot lawyer and politician, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Guido Dessauer, German physicist and engineer (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Miljan Miljanić, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Diogenes Allen, American philosopher and theologian (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Rodney Mims Cook, Sr., American lieutenant and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Chia-Chiao Lin, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (b. 1916)
    • 2014 – Bobby Collins, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Randal Tye Thomas, American journalist and politician (b. 1978)
    • 2014 – Waldemar von Gazen, German general and lawyer (b. 1917)
    • 2015 – Mark Juddery, Australian journalist and author (b. 1971)
    • 2015 – Robert White, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Paraguay (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Giorgio Gomelsky, Georgian-American director, producer, songwriter, and manager (b. 1934)
    • 2016 – Lawrence Phillips, American football player (b. 1975)
    • 2017 – Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, English photographer and sometime member of the British royal family (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Dick Gautier, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 2017 – Magic Alex, Greek electronics engineer (b. 1942)
    • 2019 – Phil Masinga, South African footballer (b. 1969)

    Holidays and observances on January 13

    • Christian feast day:
      • Blessed Veronica of Milan
      • Elian
      • Hilary of Poitiers
      • Mungo
      • St. Knut’s Day or Tjugondag Knut, the last day of Christmas. (Sweden and Finland)
      • January 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Mongolia)
    • Democracy Day (Cape Verde)
    • Korean-American Day (Korean-American community, United States)
    • Liberation Day (Togo)
    • Old New Year’s Eve (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro, Republic of Srpska, North Macedonia), and its related observances:
      • Malanka (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus)
    • Sidereal winter solstice’s eve celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; the last day of the six-month Dakshinayana period (see January 14):
      • Bhogi (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu)
      • Lohri (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh)
      • Uruka (Assam)
    • Stephen Foster Memorial Day (United States)
    • Yennayer (Berbers)

  • January 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Catholic Church, many countries in western Europe decided to move the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals – December 25 (the Nativity of Jesus), March 1, March 25 (the Annunciation), or even Easter. The Byzantine Empire began its numbered year on September 1.

    In England, January 1 was celebrated as the New Year festival, but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on March 25 (Lady Day). So, for example, the Parliamentary record notes the execution of Charles I as occurring on January 30, 1648, (as the year did not end until March 24), although modern histories adjust the start of the year to January 1 and record the execution as occurring in 1649.

    Most western European countries changed the start of the year to January 1 before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to January 1 in 1600. England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to January 1 in 1752. Later that year in September, the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies. These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750.

    January 1 became the official start of the year as follows:

    Julian calendar:

    • 1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
    • 1556 Spain, Portugal
    • 1559 Prussia, Sweden
    • 1564 France
    • 1576 Southern Netherlands
    • 1579 Duchy of Lorraine
    • 1583 Northern Netherlands
    • 1600 Scotland
    • 1700 Russia
    • 1752 Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies
    • 1804 Serbia

    Gregorian calendar:

    • 1750 Tuscany
    • 1797 Republic of Venice
    • 1918 Ottoman Empire
    • 1941 Thailand

    Events on January 1

    Pre-Julian Roman calendar

    • 153 BC – For the first time, Roman consuls begin their year in office on January 1.

    Early Julian calendar (before Augustus’ leap year correction)

    • 45 BC – The Julian calendar takes effect as the civil calendar of the Roman Empire, establishing January 1 as the new date of the new year.
    • 42 BC – The Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar.

    Julian calendar

    • 193 – The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emper]or.
    • 404 – Saint Telemachus tries to stop a gladiatorial fight in a Roman amphitheatre, and is stoned to death by the crowd. This act impresses the Christian Emperor Honorius, who issues a historic ban on gladiatorial fights.
    • 417 – Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum) (probable).
    • 1001 – Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (probable).
    • 1068 – Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor.
    • 1259 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris.
    • 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.
    • 1502 – The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is first explored by the Portuguese.
    • 1515 – Twenty-year-old Francis, Duke of Brittany, succeeds to the French throne following the death of his father-in-law, Louis XII.
    • 1527 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as King of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin.
    • 1583 to 1700 – see January 11
    • 1600 – Scotland recognises January 1 as the start of the year, instead of March 25.
    • 1651 – Charles II is crowned King of Scotland.
    • 1700 – Russia begins using the Anno Domini era instead of the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 1701 to 1800 – see January 12
    • 1801 to 1900 – see January 13
    • 1901 to 2100 – see January 14

    Gregorian calendar

    • 1707 – John V is proclaimed King of Portugal and the Algarves in Lisbon.
    • 1739 – Bouvet Island, the world’s remotest island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.
    • 1772 – The first traveler’s cheques, which could be used in 90 European cities, were issued by the London Credit Exchange Company.
    • 1773 – The hymn that became known as “Amazing Grace”, then titled “1 Chronicles 17:16–17” is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.
    • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.
    • 1776 – General George Washington hoists the first United States flag; the Grand Union Flag at Prospect Hill.
    • 1781 – American Revolutionary War: One thousand five hundred soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne’s command rebel against the Continental Army’s winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781.
    • 1788 – First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
    • 1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is proclaimed.
    • 1801 – Ceres, the largest and first known object in the Asteroid belt, is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.
    • 1803 – Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam.
    • 1804 – French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black-majority republic and second independent country in North America after the United States.
    • 1806 – The French Republican Calendar is abolished.
    • 1808 – The United States bans the importation of slaves.
    • 1810 – Major-General Lachlan Macquarie officially becomes Governor of New South Wales.
    • 1822 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
    • 1847 – The world’s first “Mercy” Hospital is founded in Pittsburgh, United States, by a group of Sisters of Mercy from Ireland; the name will go on to grace over 30 major hospitals throughout the world.
    • 1860 – The first Polish stamp is issued, replacing the Russian stamps previously in use.
    • 1861 – Liberal forces supporting Benito Juárez enter Mexico City.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.
    • 1877 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India.
    • 1885 – Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming’s proposal for standard time (and also, time zones).
    • 1890 – Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government
    • 1892 – Ellis Island begins processing immigrants into the United States.
    • 1898 – New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs.
    • 1899 – Spanish rule ends in Cuba.
    • 1901 – Nigeria becomes a British protectorate
    • 1901 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister
    • 1902 – The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California.
    • 1910 – Captain David Beatty is promoted to Rear admiral, and becomes the youngest admiral in the Royal Navy (except for Royal family members) since Horatio Nelson.
    • 1912 – The Republic of China is established.
    • 1914 – The SPT Airboat Line becomes the world’s first scheduled airline to use a winged aircraft.
    • 1923 – Britain’s Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS.
    • 1927 – New Mexican oil legislation goes into effect, leading to the formal outbreak of the Cristero War.
    • 1928 – Boris Bazhanov defects through Iran. He is the only assistant of Joseph Stalin’s secretariat to have defected from the Eastern Bloc.
    • 1929 – The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver.
    • 1932 – The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth.
    • 1934 – Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay becomes a United States federal prison.
    • 1934 – A “Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring” comes into effect in Nazi Germany.
    • 1942 – The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations.
    • 1945 – World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops kill 60 German POWs at Chenogne.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow.
    • 1947 – Cold War: The American and British occupation zones in Allied-occupied Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, which later (with the French zone) became part of West Germany.
    • 1947 – The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 comes into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens.Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen.
    • 1948 – The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways.
    • 1949 – United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly.
    • 1956 – Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.
    • 1957 – George Town, Penang, is made a city by a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
    • 1958 – European Economic Community is established.
    • 1959 – Cuban Revolution: Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro’s forces.
    • 1960 – Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom.
    • 1962 – Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.
    • 1964 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia.
    • 1965 – The People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan is founded in Kabul, Afghanistan.
    • 1970 – The defined beginning of Unix time, at 00:00:00.
    • 1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.
    • 1973 – Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom are admitted into the European Economic Community.
    • 1976 – A bomb explodes on board Middle East Airlines Flight 438 over Qaisumah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 81 people on board.
    • 1978 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashes into the Arabian Sea, due to instrument failure, spatial disorientation, and pilot error, off the coast of Bombay, India, killing all 213 people on board.
    • 1979 – Normal diplomatic relations are established between the People’s Republic of China and the United States.
    • 1981 – Greece is admitted into the European Community.
    • 1982 – Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations.
    • 1983 – The ARPANET officially changes to using TCP/IP, the Internet Protocol, effectively creating the Internet.
    • 1984 – The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T.
    • 1984 – Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom.
    • 1985 – The first British mobile phone call is made by Michael Harrison to his father Sir Ernest Harrison, chairman of Vodafone.
    • 1987 – The Isleta Pueblo tribe elect Verna Williamson to be their first female governor.
    • 1988 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
    • 1989 – The Montreal Protocol comes into force, stopping the use of chemicals contributing to ozone depletion.
    • 1990 – David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City’s first black mayor.
    • 1993 – Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic.
    • 1994 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican state of Chiapas.
    • 1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect.
    • 1995 – The World Trade Organization comes into being.
    • 1995 – The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.
    • 1995 – Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU.
    • 1998 – Following a currency reform, Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.
    • 1999 – Euro currency is introduced in 11 member nations of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden; Greece later adopts the euro).
    • 2004 – In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is “deemed to be elected” to the office of President until October 2007.
    • 2007 – Bulgaria and Romania join the EU.
    • 2007 – Adam Air Flight 574 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes near the Makassar Strait, Indonesia killing all 102 people on board.
    • 2009 – Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.
    • 2010 – A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more.
    • 2011 – A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people.
    • 2011 – Estonia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the 17th Eurozone country.
    • 2013 – At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
    • 2015 – The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
    • 2017 – An attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, during New Year’s celebrations, kills at least 39 people and injures more than 60 others

    Births on January 1

    • 766 – Ali al-Ridha (d. 818) 8th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam
    • 1431 – Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503)
    • 1449 – Lorenzo de’ Medici, Italian politician (d. 1492)
    • 1467 – Sigismund I the Old, Polish king (d. 1548)
    • 1484 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor and theologian (d. 1531)
    • 1511 – Henry, Duke of Cornwall, first-born child of Henry VIII of England (d. 1511)
    • 1557 – Stephen Bocskay, Prince of Transylvania (d. 1606)
    • 1600 – Friedrich Spanheim, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1649)
    • 1628 – Christoph Bernhard, German composer and theorist (d. 1692)
    • 1655 – Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher (d. 1728)
    • 1684 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch scholar and author (d. 1748)
    • 1704 – Soame Jenyns, English author, poet, and politician (d. 1787)
    • 1711 – Baron Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (d. 1749)
    • 1714 – Giovanni Battista Mancini, Italian soprano and author (d. 1800)
    • 1714 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian pastor and poet (d. 1780)
    • 1735 – Paul Revere, American silversmith and engraver (d. 1818)
    • 1745 – Anthony Wayne, American general and politician (d. 1796)
    • 1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, credited with designing the Flag of the United States (d. 1836)
    • 1768 – Maria Edgeworth, Anglo-Irish author (d. 1849)
    • 1769 – Marie-Louise Lachapelle, French obstetrician (d. 1821)
    • 1774 – André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist and academic (d. 1860)
    • 1779 – William Clowes, English publisher (d. 1847)
    • 1803 – Edward Dickinson, American politician and father of poet Emily Dickinson (d. 1874)
    • 1806 – Lionel Kieseritzky, Estonian-French chess player (d. 1853)
    • 1809 – Achille Guenée, French lawyer and entomologist (d. 1880)
    • 1813 – George Bliss, American politician (d. 1868)
    • 1814 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebellion leader and king (d. 1864)
    • 1818 – William Gamble, Irish-born American general (d. 1866)
    • 1819 – Arthur Hugh Clough, English-Italian poet and academic (d. 1861)
    • 1819 – George Foster Shepley, American general (d. 1878)
    • 1823 – Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet and activist (d. 1849)
    • 1833 – Robert Lawson, Scottish-New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys’ High School and Knox Church (d. 1902)
    • 1834 – Ludovic Halévy, French author and playwright (d. 1908)
    • 1839 – Ouida, English-Italian author and activist (d. 1908)
    • 1848 – John W. Goff, Irish-American lawyer and politician (d. 1924)
    • 1852 – Eugène-Anatole Demarçay, French chemist and academic (d. 1904)
    • 1854 – James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1854 – Thomas Waddell, Irish-Australian politician, 15th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1940)
    • 1857 – Tim Keefe, American baseball player (d. 1933)
    • 1859 – Michael Joseph Owens, American inventor (d. 1923)
    • 1859 – Thibaw Min, Burmese king (d. 1916)
    • 1860 – Michele Lega, Italian cardinal (d. 1935)
    • 1863 – Pierre de Coubertin, French historian, and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (d. 1937)
    • 1864 – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, and curator (d. 1946)
    • 1864 – Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)
    • 1867 – Mary Ackworth Evershed, English astronomer and scholar (d. 1949)
    • 1874 – Frank Knox, American publisher, and politician, 46th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1944)
    • 1874 – Gustave Whitehead, German-American pilot and engineer (d. 1927)
    • 1877 – Alexander von Staël-Holstein, German sinologist and orientalist (d. 1937)
    • 1878 – Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish mathematician, statistician, and engineer (d. 1929)
    • 1879 – E. M. Forster, English author and playwright (d. 1970)
    • 1879 – William Fox, Hungarian-American screenwriter and producer, founded the Fox Film Corporation and Fox Theatres (d. 1952)
    • 1883 – William J. Donovan, American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1959)
    • 1884 – Chikuhei Nakajima, Japanese lieutenant, engineer, and politician, founded Nakajima Aircraft Company (d. 1949)
    • 1887 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (d. 1945)
    • 1888 – Georgios Stanotas, Greek general (d. 1965)
    • 1888 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand rifle (d. 1974)
    • 1889 – Charles Bickford, American actor (d. 1967)
    • 1890 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer and academic (d. 1966)
    • 1891 – Sampurnanand, Indian educator and politician, 3rd Governor of Rajasthan (d. 1969)
    • 1892 – Mahadev Desai, Indian author and activist (d. 1942)
    • 1892 – Manuel Roxas, Filipino lawyer and politician, 5th President of the Philippines (d. 1948)
    • 1893 – Mordechai Frizis, Greek colonel (d. 1940)
    • 1894 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian physicist, and mathematician (d. 1974)
    • 1894 – Edward Joseph Hunkeler, American clergyman (d. 1970)
    • 1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Chiune Sugihara, Japanese soldier and diplomat (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Xavier Cugat, Spanish-American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1990)
    • 1902 – Buster Nupen, Norwegian-South African cricketer and lawyer (d. 1977)
    • 1902 – Hans von Dohnányi, German jurist and political dissident (d. 1945)
    • 1904 – Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 5th President of Pakistan (d. 1982)
    • 1905 – Stanisław Mazur, Ukrainian-Polish mathematician and theorist (d. 1981)
    • 1906 – Manuel Silos, Filipino filmmaker, and actor (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Kinue Hitomi, Japanese sprinter and long jumper (d. 1931)
    • 1909 – Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)
    • 1909 – Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian soldier and politician (d. 1959)
    • 1911 – Audrey Wurdemann, American poet and author (d. 1960)
    • 1911 – Basil Dearden, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1971)
    • 1911 – Hank Greenberg, American baseball player (d. 1986)
    • 1911 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1912 – Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician and historian (d. 1995)
    • 1912 – Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988)
    • 1912 – Nikiforos Vrettakos, Greek poet and academic (d. 1991)
    • 1914 – Noor Inayat Khan, British SOE agent (d. 1944)
    • 1917 – Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
    • 1918 – Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000)
    • 1918 – Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer (d. 1997)
    • 1919 – Carole Landis, American actress (d. 1948)
    • 1919 – J. D. Salinger, American soldier and author (d. 2010)
    • 1919 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer and actor (d. 1990)
    • 1920 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – César Baldaccini, French sculptor and academic (d. 1998)
    • 1921 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (d. 1986)
    • 1921 – Regina Bianchi, Italian actress (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Ernest Hollings, American soldier, and politician, 106th Governor of South Carolina (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Valentina Cortese, Italian actress (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Milt Jackson, American jazz vibraphonist and composer (d. 1999)
    • 1924 – Francisco Macías Nguema, Equatorial Guinean politician, 1st President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (d. 1979)
    • 1925 – Matthew Beard, American child actor (d. 1981)
    • 1925 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance (d. 2005)
    • 1926 – Kazys Petkevičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Doak Walker, American football player and businessman (d. 1998)
    • 1927 – James Reeb, American clergyman and political activist (d. 1965)
    • 1927 – Maurice Béjart, French-Swiss dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Vernon L. Smith, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1928 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1928 – Gerhard Weinberg, German-American historian, author, and academic
    • 1929 – Larry L. King, American journalist, author, and playwright (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Frederick Wiseman, American director and producer
    • 1930 – Gaafar Nimeiry, Egyptian-Sudanese politician, 4th President of the Sudan (d. 2009)
    • 1932 – Giuseppe Patanè, Italian conductor (d. 1989)
    • 1933 – James Hormel, American philanthropist and diplomat.
    • 1933 – Joe Orton, English dramatist (d. 1967)
    • 1934 – Alan Berg, American lawyer and radio host (d. 1984
    • 1934 – Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian politician, Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1935 – Om Prakash Chautala, Indian politician
    • 1936 – James Sinegal, American businessman, co-founded Costco
    • 1939 – Michèle Mercier, French actress
    • 1939 – Phil Read, English motorcycle racer and businessman
    • 1939 – Senfronia Thompson, American politician
    • 1941 – Younoussi Touré, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali
    • 1942 – Alassane Ouattara, Ivorian economist and politician, President of the Ivory Coast (doubtful)
    • 1942 – Anthony Hamilton-Smith, 3rd Baron Colwyn, English dentist and politician
    • 1942 – Country Joe McDonald, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1942 – Dennis Archer, American lawyer and politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit
    • 1942 – Gennadi Sarafanov, Russian pilot and cosmonaut (d. 2005)
    • 1943 – Don Novello, American comedian, screenwriter and producer.
    • 1943 – Tony Knowles, American soldier and politician, 7th Governor of Alaska.
    • 1943 – Vladimir Šeks, Croatian lawyer and politician, 16th Speaker of the Croatian Parliament
    • 1944 – Mati Unt, Estonian author, playwright, and director (d. 2005)
    • 1944 – Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese field marshal and politician, 7th President of Sudan
    • 1944 – Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1944 – Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani field hockey player and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan
    • 1945 – Jacky Ickx, Belgian racing driver
    • 1945 – Victor Ashe, American politician and former United States Ambassador to Poland
    • 1946 – Claude Steele, American social psychologist and academic
    • 1946 – Rivellino, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1947 – Jon Corzine, American sergeant and politician, 54th Governor of New Jersey
    • 1948 – Devlet Bahçeli, Turkish economist, academic, and politician, 57th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1948 – Dick Quax, New Zealand runner and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1948 – Pavel Grachev, Russian general and politician, 1st Russian Minister of Defence (d. 2012)
    • 1949 – Borys Tarasyuk, Ukrainian politician and diplomat
    • 1952 – Shaji N. Karun, Indian director and cinematographer
    • 1953 – Gary Johnson, American businessman and politician, 29th Governor of New Mexico
    • 1954 – Bob Menendez, American lawyer and politician
    • 1954 – Dennis O’Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Yannis Papathanasiou, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Finance
    • 1955 – LaMarr Hoyt, American baseball player
    • 1955 – Mary Beard, English classicist, academic and presenter
    • 1956 – Sergei Avdeyev, Russian engineer and astronaut
    • 1956 – Christine Lagarde, French lawyer and politician; Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
    • 1957 – Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
    • 1958 – Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian rapper and DJ
    • 1959 – Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1959 – Azali Assoumani, Comorian colonel and politician, President of the Comoros
    • 1959 – Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball player and coach
    • 1962 – Anton Muscatelli, Italian-Scottish economist and academic
    • 1963 – Jean-Marc Gounon, French racing driver
    • 1964 – Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress
    • 1966 – Anna Burke, Australian businesswoman and politician, 28th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
    • 1966 – Ivica Dačić, Serbian journalist and politician, 95th Prime Minister of Serbia
    • 1966 – Tihomir Orešković, Croatian–Canadian businessman, 11th Prime Minister of Croatia
    • 1968 – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer
    • 1971 – Bobby Holík, Czech-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1971 – Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician
    • 1971 – Sammie Henson, American wrestler and coach
    • 1972 – Lilian Thuram, French footballer
    • 1974 – Christian Paradis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Industry
    • 1975 – Becky Kellar-Duke, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Chris Anstey, Australian basketball player and coach
    • 1975 – Fernando Tatís, Dominican baseball player
    • 1975 – Joe Cannon, American soccer player and sportscaster
    • 1979 – Vidya Balan, Indian actress
    • 1981 – Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian racing driver
    • 1981 – Mladen Petrić, Croatian footballer
    • 1982 – David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1982 – Egidio Arévalo Ríos, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1983 – Melaine Walker, Jamaican hurdler
    • 1983 – Park Sung-hyun, South Korean archer
    • 1983 – Calum Davenport, English footballer
    • 1984 – Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer
    • 1985 – Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer
    • 1985 – Tiago Splitter, Brazilian basketball player
    • 1986 – Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player
    • 1986 – Ramses Barden, American football player
    • 1987 – Meryl Davis, American ice dancer1987 – Patric Hörnqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Marcel Gecov, Czech footballer
    • 1989 – Jason Pierre-Paul, American football player
    • 1991 – Darius Slay, American football player

    Deaths on January 1

    • 138 – Lucius Aelius, adopted son and intended successor of Hadrian (b. 101)
    • 404 – Telemachus, Christian monk and martyr
    • 466 – Qianfei, Chinese emperor of the Liu Song Dynasty (b. 449)
    • 898 – Odo I, Frankish king (b. 860)
    • 951 – Ramiro II, king of León and Galicia1031 – William of Volpiano, Italian abbot (b. 962)
    • 1189 – Henry of Marcy, Cistercian abbot (b. c. 1136)
    • 1204 – Haakon III, king of Norway (b. 1182)
    • 1387 – Charles II, king of Navarre (b. 1332)
    • 1496 – Charles d’Orléans, count of Angoulême (b. 1459)
    • 1515 – Louis XII, king of France (b. 1462)
    • 1559 – Christian III, king of Denmark (b. 1503)
    • 1560 – Joachim du Bellay, French poet and critic (b. 1522)
    • 1617 – Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1558)
    • 1697 – Filippo Baldinucci, Florentine historian and author (b. 1625)
    • 1716 – William Wycherley, English playwright and poet (b. 1641)
    • 1748 – Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and academic (b. 1667)
    • 1780 – Johann Ludwig Krebs, German organist and composer (b. 1713)
    • 1782 – Johann Christian Bach, German composer (b. 1735)
    • 1789 – Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English lawyer and politician, British Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1716)
    • 1793 – Francesco Guardi, Italian painter and educator (b. 1712)
    • 1817 – Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist and academic (b. 1743)
    • 1846 – John Torrington, English sailor and explorer (b. 1825)
    • 1853 – Gregory Blaxland, Australian farmer and explorer (b. 1778)
    • 1862 – Mikhail Ostrogradsky, Ukrainian mathematician and physicist (b. 1801)
    • 1881 – Louis Auguste Blanqui, French activist (b. 1805)
    • 1892 – Roswell B. Mason, American lawyer and politician, 25th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
    • 1894 – Heinrich Hertz, German physicist and academic (b. 1857)
    • 1896 – Alfred Ely Beach, American publisher and lawyer, created the Beach Pneumatic Transit (b. 1826)
    • 1906 – Hugh Nelson, Scottish-Australian farmer and politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (b. 1833)
    • 1918 – William Wilfred Campbell, Canadian poet and author (b. 1858)
    • 1921 – Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, German lawyer and politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856)
    • 1929 – Mustafa Necati, Turkish civil servant and politician, Turkish Minister of Environment and Urban Planning (b. 1894)
    • 1931 – Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (b. 1851)
    • 1937 – Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Indian religious leader, founded the Gaudiya Math (b. 1874)
    • 1940 – Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao, Indian author and educator (b. 1865)
    • 1944 – Edwin Lutyens, English architect, designed the Castle Drogo and Thiepval Memorial (b. 1869)
    • 1944 – Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862)
    • 1953 – Hank Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
    • 1954 – Duff Cooper, English politician and diplomat, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1890)
    • 1954 – Leonard Bacon, American poet and critic (b. 1887)
    • 1955 – Arthur C. Parker, American archaeologist and historian (b. 1881)
    • 1960 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress (b. 1909)
    • 1966 – Vincent Auriol, French journalist and politician, 16th President of the French Republic (b. 1884)
    • 1969 – Barton MacLane, American actor, playwright and screenwriter (b. 1902)
    • 1971 – Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian saint (b. 1894)
    • 1972 – Maurice Chevalier, French actor and singer (b. 1888)
    • 1978 – Carle Hessay, German-Canadian painter (b. 1911)
    • 1980 – Pietro Nenni, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1891)
    • 1981 – Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Australian pianist (b. 1920)
    • 1982 – Victor Buono, American actor (b. 1938)
    • 1984 – Alexis Korner, French-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)
    • 1992 – Grace Hopper, American computer scientist and admiral, co-developed COBOL (b. 1906)
    • 1994 – Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt, New Zealand physician and politician, 11th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900)
    • 1994 – Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907)
    • 1994 – Edward Arthur Thompson, Irish historian and academic (b. 1914)
    • 1995 – Eugene Wigner, Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 1996 – Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901)
    • 1996 – Arthur Rudolph, German-American engineer (b. 1906)
    • 1997 – Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
    • 1998 – Helen Wills, American tennis player and coach (b. 1905)
    • 2000 – Betty Archdale, English-Australian cricketer and educator (b. 1907)
    • 2001 – Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (b. 1944)
    • 2003 – Joe Foss, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Shirley Chisholm, American educator and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Harry Magdoff, American economist and journalist (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Roland Levinsky, South African-English biochemist and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2007 – Tillie Olsen, American short story writer (b. 1912)
    • 2008 – Pratap Chandra Chunder, Indian educator and politician (b. 1919)
    • 2009 – Claiborne Pell, American politician (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – Lhasa de Sela, American-Mexican singer-songwriter (b. 1972)
    • 2012 – Kiro Gligorov, Bulgarian-Macedonian lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Nay Win Maung, Burmese physician, businessman, and activist (b. 1962)
    • 2012 – Tommy Mont, American football player and coach (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Patti Page, American singer and actress (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese monk and educator (b. 1910)
    • 2014 – Juanita Moore, American actress (b. 1914)
    • 2014 – William Mgimwa, Tanzanian banker and politician, 13th Tanzanian Minister of Finance (b. 1950)
    • 2015 – Boris Morukov, Russian physician and astronaut (b. 1950)
    • 2015 – Donna Douglas, American actress (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Mario Cuomo, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New York (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Omar Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 58th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1934)
    • 2016 – Dale Bumpers, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1925)
    • 2016 – Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet and journalist (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer and producer (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Derek Parfit, British philosopher (b. 1942)
    • 2017 – Tony Atkinson, British economist (b. 1944)
    • 2017 – Yvon Dupuis, Canadian politician (b. 1926)
    • 2018 – Robert Mann, American violinist (b. 1920)
    • 2019 – Pegi Young, American singer, songwriter, environmentalist, educator and philanthropist (b. 1952)
    • 2019 – Paul Neville, Australian politician (b. 1940)
    • 2020 – David Stern, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1942)
    • 2020 – Alexander Frater, British travel writer and journalist (b. 1937)
    • 2020 – Barry McDonald, Australian rugby union player (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on January 1

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adalard of Corbie
      • Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Feast of the Circumcision of Christ
        • Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church)
        • Feast of Fools (Medieval Europe)
      • Fulgentius of Ruspe
      • Giuseppe Maria Tomasi
      • Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Octave Day of Christmas, considered a holy day of obligation in some countries (Catholic Church); and its related observances:
        • World Day of Peace
      • Telemachus
      • Zygmunt Gorazdowski
      • January 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Handsel Monday can fall, while January 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of the year (Scotland)
    • The second day of Hogmanay (Scotland) December 31-January 1, in some cases until January 2.
    • The last day of Kwanzaa (African-Americans)
    • The eighth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
    • Constitution Day (Italy)
    • Dissolution of Czechoslovakia-related observances:
      • Day of the Establishment of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
      • Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State (Czech Republic)
    • Emancipation Day (United States)
    • Euro Day (European Union)
    • Flag Day (Lithuania) commemorates raising of the Lithuanian flag on Gediminas’ Tower in 1919
    • Founding Day (Taiwan) commemorates the establishment of the Provisional Government in Nanjing
    • Global Family Day
    • Independence Day (Brunei, Cameroon, Haiti, Sudan)
    • International Nepali Dhoti and Nepali Topi Day
    • Jump-up Day (Montserrat)
    • Kalpataru Day (Ramakrishna Movement)
    • Kamakura Ebisu, January 1–3 (Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan)
    • National Bloody Mary Day (United States)
    • National Tree Planting Day (Tanzania)
    • New Year’s Day (Gregorian calendar)
      • Japanese New Year
      • Novy God Day (Russia)
      • Sjoogwachi (Okinawa Islands)
    • Polar Bear Swim Day (Canada and United States)
    • Public Domain Day (multiple countries)
    • Triumph of the Revolution (Cuba)
  • |

    General Science & Ability | Constituents and Structure Solved MCQs (Set-III)

    Click HERE for Q.No.1-50
    Click HERE for Q.No.51-100

    101) Which type of star is maintained by the pressure of an electron gas?
    (a) Main Sequence Star
    (b) White Dwarf
    (c) Neutron Star
    (d) Black Hole
    Answer: (b)
    White dwarfs are stars supported by pressure of degenerate electron gas. i.e. in their interiors thermal energy kT is much smaller then Fermi energy Ep. We shall derive the equations of structure of white dwarfs, sometimes called degenerate dwarfs, in the limiting case when their thermal pressure may be neglected, but the degenerate electron gas may be either non-relativistic. somewhat relativistic. or ultra-relativistic.

    102) Which of the following first hypothesized that the Earth orbited the sun?
    (a) Alexander the Great
    (b) Copernicus
    (c) Socrates
    (d) Tycho Brahe
    Answer: (b)
    Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe.

    103) The LAST manned moon flight was made in what year?
    (a) 1971 (b) 1972
    (c) 1973 (d) 1974
    Answer: (b)
    The last manned landing Apollo 17 on the Moon to date, which took place on December 11, 1972, was made by Commander Eugene Cernan and lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt who was also the first scientist on the Moon.

    104) A planet is said to be at aphelion when it is:
    (a) closest to the sun
    (b) farthest from the sun
    (c) at it’s highest point above the ecliptic
    (d) at it’s lowest point below the ecliptic
    Answer: (b)

    105) The word Albedo refers to which of the following?
    (a) The wobbling motion of a planet
    (b) The amount of light a planet reflects
    (c) The phase changes of a planet
    (d) The brightness of a star
    Answer: (b)
    Albedo is a measure of the reflectivity of a surface. The albedo effect when applied to the Earth is a measure of how much of the Sun’s energy is reflected back into space. Overall, the Earth’s albedo has a cooling effect. (The term ‘albedo’ is derived from the Latin for ‘whiteness’).

    106) A pulsar is actually a:
    (a) black hole
    (b) white dwarf
    (c) red giant
    (d) neutron star
    Answer: (d)

    107) Astronomers use Cepheid’s principally as measures of what? Is it:
    (a) size
    (b) speed
    (c) chemical composition
    (d) distance
    Answer: (d)

    108) Where are most asteroids located? Is it between:
    (a) Jupiter and Saturn
    (b) Mars and Venus
    (c) Earth and Mars
    (d) Mars and Jupiter
    Answer: (d)

    109) The precession of the Earth refers to the:
    (a) change from night to day.
    (b) Earth’s motion around the sun.
    (c) change in orientation of the Earth’s axis.
    (d) effect of the moon on the Earth’s orbit.
    Answer: (c)
    Precession is the change in orientation of the Earth’s rotational axis. The precession cycle takes about 19,000 – 23,000 years. Precession is caused by two factors: a wobble of the Earth’s axis and a turning around of the elliptical orbit of the Earth itself (Thomas, 2002). Obliquity affected the tilt of the Earth’s axis, precession affects the direction of the Earth’s axis. The change in the axis location changes the dates of perihelion (closest distance from sun) and aphelion (farthest distance from sun), and this increases the seasonal contrast in one hemisphere while decreasing it in the other hemisphere ( Kaufman, 2002). currently, the Earth is closest to the sun in the northern hemisphere winter, which makes the winters there less severe (Thomas, 2002). Another consequence of precession is a shift in the celestial poles. 5000 years ago the North Star was Thuban in the constellation Draco. Currently the North Star is Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor.

    110) The Magellanic cloud is a:
    (a) nebula
    (b) galaxy
    (c) super nova remnant
    (d) star cluster
    Answer: (b)

    111) The comet known as Halley’s Comet has an average period of:
    (a) 56 years
    (b) 66 years
    (c) 76 years
    (d) 86 years
    Answer: (c)
    Halley’s Comet orbits the Sun every 76.0 years and has an orbital eccentricity of 0.97. Comet Halley was visible in 1910 and again in 1986. Its next perihelion passage will be in early 2062.

    112) Which one of the following planets has no moons?
    (a) Mars
    (b) Neptune
    (c) Venus
    (d) Jupiter
    Answer: (c)

    113) The rocks that enter the earth’s atmosphere and blaze a trail all the way to the ground and do not burn up completely are known as:
    (a) meteorites
    (b) meteors
    (c) asteroids
    (d) none of these
    Answer: (a)
    A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and impact with the Earth’s surface

    114) 95% of the Martian atmosphere is composed of what substance?
    (a) Carbon dioxide
    (b) Nitrogen
    (c) Argon
    (d) Carbon monoxide
    Answer: (a)
    The atmosphere of Mars is about 100 times thinner than Earth’s, and it is 95 percent carbon dioxide.

    115) What is the motion called when a planet seems to be moving westward in the sky?
    (a) Retrograde
    (b) Parallax
    (c) Opcentric
    (d) Reverse parallax
    Answer: (a)
    Retrograde motion, in astronomy, describes the orbit of a celestial body that runs counter to the direction of the spin of that body which it orbits. Apparent retrograde motion, in astronomy, is the apparent motion of planets as observed from a particular vantage point.

    116) In what year did Galileo first use an optical telescope to study the moon?
    (a) 1492 (b) 1611
    (c) 1212 (d) 1743
    Answer: (b)

    117) Geocentric means around:
    (a) Jupiter (b) the Earth
    (c) the Moon (d) the Sun
    Answer: (b)

    118) The Pythagoreans appear to have been the first to have taught that the Earth is:
    (a) at the center of the Universe.
    (b) spherical in shape.
    (c) orbits around the sun.
    (d) flat with sharp edges.
    Answer: (b)

    119) A device which would not work on the Moon is:
    (a) thermometer
    (b) siphon
    (c) spectrometer
    (d) spring balance
    Answer: (b)
    Siphons will not work in the International Space Station where there is air but no gravity, but neither will they work on the Moon where there is gravity but no air

    120) Of the following colors, which is bent least in passing through aprism?
    (a) orange (b) violet
    (c) green (d) red
    Answer: (d)

    121) In a reflecting telescope where in the tube is the objective mirror placed?
    (a) the top to the tube
    (b) the middle of the tube
    (c) the bottom of the tube
    (d) the side of the tube
    Answer: (c)

    122) What does it mean when someone says that comets have eccentric orbits? Does it mean
    (a) they have open orbits
    (b) they have nearly circular orbits
    (c) their orbits are unpredictable
    (d) the sun is far from the foci of their orbits
    Answer: (d)

    123) What causes the gas tail of a comet to always point away from the sun?
    (a) solar wind
    (b) air pressure
    (c) centrifugal force
    (d) gravity
    Answer: (a)

    124) What are Saturn’s rings composed of?
    (a) completely connected solid masses
    (b) billions of tiny solid particles
    (c) mixtures of gases
    (d) highly reflective cosmic clouds
    Answer: (b)

    125) Of the following, which is the only planet which CANNOT be seen with the unaided eye?
    (a) Jupiter
    (b) Mars
    (c) Neptune
    (d) Saturn
    Answer: (c)
    The ice giant Neptune was the first planet located through mathematical predictions rather than through regular observations of the sky. Nearly 4.5 billion kilometers (2.8 billion miles) from the Sun, Neptune orbits the Sun once every 165 years. It is invisible to the naked eye because of its extreme distance from Earth. In 2011 Neptune completed its first orbit since its discovery in 1846.

    126) Accretion is:
    (a) the gradual accumulation of matter in one location usually due to gravity.
    (b) the process of moon formation for planets.
    (c) the process of matter accumulation due to centripetal force.
    (d) the disintegration of matter.
    Answer: (b)

    127) A blue shift means a Doppler shift of light from a(an)
    (a) receding star.
    (b) blue star.
    (c) approaching star.
    (d) fixed star.
    Answer: (c)
    In the Doppler effect for visible light, the frequency is shifted toward the blue end of the spectrum when the light source (such as a star) is approaching.

    128) The first and largest asteroid discovered was:
    (a) Pallas.
    (b) Juno.
    (c) Ceres.
    (d) Trojan.
    Answer: (c)

    129) The Crab Nebula consists of the remnants of a supernova which was observed by:
    (a) Brahe in 1572.
    (b) Kepler and Galileo in 1604.
    (c) the Chinese in 1054 A.D.
    (d) several ancient civilizations in 236 B.C.
    Answer: (c)
    The Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova noted by Earth-bound chroniclers in 1054 A.D., is filled with mysterious filaments that are are not only tremendously complex, but appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and a higher speed than expected from a free explosion. The Crab Nebula spans about 10 light-years. In the nebula’s very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town. The Crab Pulsar rotates about 30 times each second.

    130) The atmosphere of Venus contains mostly
    (a) oxygen
    (b) carbon dioxide
    (c) nitrogen
    (d) water
    Answer: (b)
    The atmosphere of Venus is composed of about 96% carbon dioxide, with most … various other corrosive compounds, and the atmosphere contains little water.

    131) On the celestial sphere, the annual path of the Sun is called
    (a) the eclipse path.
    (b) ecliptic.
    (c) diurnal.
    (d) solstice.
    Answer: (b)
    The ecliptic is an imaginary line on the sky that marks the annual path of the sun. It is the projection of Earth’s orbit onto the celestial sphere.

    132) The angular distance between a planet and the Sun, as viewed from the Earth, is called
    (a) angle of inclination.
    (b) elongation.
    (c) latitude.
    (d) opposition.
    Answer: (b)
    Elongation is the angular distance between the sun, and another object such a moon or a planet as seen from earth. There are several special names for these angular distances. The different names of these angles depend on the status, inferior or superior, of the planet. The planets closer to the sun than the earth are called inferior planets. The planets farther away from the sun than earth are called superior planets.
    Elongation is measured from earth as the angle between the sun and the planet. Sometimes the apparent relative position of a planet in relation to the sun is called the aspect, or configuration, of a planet.

    133) Which of the following has the highest density?
    (a) Earth
    (b) Venus
    (c) Mars
    (d) Jupiter
    Answer: (a)
    Earth has the highest density of any planet in the Solar System, at 5.514 g/cm3. This is considered the standard by which other planet’s densities are measured. In addition, the combination of Earth’s size, mass and density also results in a surface gravity of 9.8 m/s². This is also used as a the standard (one g) when measuring the surface gravity of other planets.

    134) Which of the following planets is NOT a terrestrial planet?
    (a) Earth
    (b) Jupiter
    (c) Mars
    (d) Mercury
    Answer: (b)
    The term terrestrial planet is derived from the Latin “Terra” (i.e. Earth). Terrestrial planets are therefore those that are “Earth-like”, meaning they are similar in structure and composition to planet Earth. All those planets found within the Inner Solar System – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars – are examples of terrestrial planets. Each are composed primarily of silicate rock and metal, which is differentiated between a dense, metallic core and a silicate mantle.

    135) Why do we see lunar eclipses much more often than solar eclipses?
    (a) Lunar eclipses occur more often than solar eclipses.
    (b) Lunar eclipses last longer than solar eclipses.
    (c) The lunar eclipse is visible to much more of the Earth than a solar eclipse.
    (d) The moon is closer to the Earth than the sun.
    Answer: (c)
    Lunar and solar eclipses occur with about equal frequency. Lunar eclipses are more widely visible because Earth casts a much larger shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse than the Moon casts on Earth during a solar eclipse. As a result, we are more likely to see a lunar eclipse than a solar eclipse.

    136) A star like object with a very large red shift is a
    (a) Neutron star.
    (b) Nova.
    (c) Quasar.
    (d) Supernova.
    Answer: (c)
    Quasars: In the 1930’s, Edwin Hubble discovered that all galaxies have a positive redshift. In other words, all galaxies were receding from the Milky Way.

    137) The apparent magnitude of an object in the sky describes its
    (a) Size
    (b) Magnification
    (c) Brightness
    (d) Distance
    Answer: (c)

    138) The Van Allen belts are:
    (a) caused by the refraction of sunlight like rainbows.
    (b) charged particles trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field.
    (c) caused by the reflection of polar snow.
    (d) caused by precession.
    Answer: (b)
    The Van Allen belts are a collection of charged particles, gathered in place by Earth’s magnetic field. They can wax and wane in response to incoming energy from the sun, sometimes swelling up enough to expose satellites in low-Earth orbit to damaging radiation.

    139) A coordinate system based on the ecliptic system is especially useful for the studies of
    (a) Planets
    (b) Stars
    (c) The Milky Way
    (d) Galaxies
    Answer: (a)

    140) The mean distance of the earth from the sun in astronomical units is:
    (a) 3.7 (b) 10
    (c) 1 (d) 101
    Answer: (c)
    In astronomy, an astronomical unit is defined as the average distance from the Sun to the Earth, or about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles). You can abbreviate astronomical unit as AU.
    Since the distances in astronomy are so vast, astronomers use this measurement to bring the size of numbers down.
    For example, Earth is 1 au from the Sun, and Mars is 1.523 AU. That’s much easier than saying that Mars is 227,939,000 km away from the Sun.

    141) What process produces a star’s energy?
    (a) hydrogen and oxygen combustion
    (b) nuclear fusion
    (c) neutron beta decay
    (d) nuclear fission
    Answer: (b)
    The enormous luminous energy of the stars comes from nuclear fusion processes in their centers. Depending upon the age and mass of a star, the energy may come from proton-proton fusion, helium fusion, or the carbon cycle.

    142) What is the most distant object in the sky that the human eye can see without optical instruments?
    (a) The Horsehead Nebula
    (b) The Andromeda Galaxy
    (c) The Sagittarius Constellation
    (d) The Aurora Borealis
    Answer: (b)
    The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the closest large galaxy to the Milky Way and is one of a few galaxies that can be seen unaided from the Earth. In approximately 4.5 billion years the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way are expected to collide and the result will be a giant elliptical galaxy. Andromeda is accompanied by 14 dwarf galaxies, including M32, M110, and possibly M33 (The Triangulum Galaxy).

    143) Which civilization developed and implemented the first solar calendar?
    (a) Babylonian
    (b) Greek
    (c) Egyptian
    (d) Aztec
    Answer: (c)
    A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the sun and is based on the seasonal year of approximately 365 1/4 days, the time it takes the Earth to revolve once around the Sun. The Egyptians appear to have been the first to develop a solar calendar, using as a fixed point the annual sunrise reappearance of the Dog Star — Sirius, or Sothis — in the eastern sky, which coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile River. They constructed a calendar of 365 days, consisting of 12 months of 30 days each, with 5 days added at the year’s end. The Egyptians’ failure to account for the extra fraction of a day, however, caused their calendar to drift gradually into error.

    144) What is the HOTTEST region of the sun?
    (a) The core
    (b) The photosphere
    (c) The chromospheres
    (d) The corona
    Answer: (d)
    The corona is the outermost layer of the Sun, starting at about 1300 miles (2100 km) above the solar surface (the photosphere) The temperature in the corona is 500,000 K (900,000 degrees F, 500,000 degrees C) or more, up to a few million K. The corona cannot be seen with the naked eye except during a total solar eclipse, or with the use of a coronagraph. The corona does not have an upper limit.
    A study published in 2012 in Nature Communications by researchers at Northumbria University found a possible mechanism that causes some stars to have a corona that is almost 200 times hotter than their photosphere (the star’s surface).

    145) The same side of the moon always faces the Earth because:
    (a) the moon is not rotating about its axis.
    (b) the moon’s motion was fixed at its creation by the laws of inertia.
    (c) tidal forces keep the moon’s rotation and orbiting motion in sync with each other.
    (d) the moon’s magnetic poles keep aligned with the Earth’s magnetic field.
    Answer: (b)

    146) The resolving power of a telescope depends on the:
    (a) focal ratio
    (b) diameter of the objective
    (c) magnification
    (d) focal length
    Answer: (b)
    The resolving power of a telescope depends on the diameter of the telescope’s light-gathering apparatus, or objective. In a refracting telescope, the objective lens is the first lens the light passes through. In a reflecting telescope, the objective is the telescope’s primary mirror. In a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, the objective is also the primary mirror. As the diameter of the telescope’s objective increases, the resolving power increases.

    147) On a clear, dark, moonless night, approximately how many stars can be seen with the naked eye?
    (a) 300 (b) 1,000
    (c) 3,000 (d) 10,000
    Answer: (c)
    On any clear dark moonless night a person can see about 3000 stars of our galaxy without the aid of a telescope

    148) The study of the origin and evolution of the universe is known as:
    (a) Tomography
    (b) cystoscopy
    (c) cryology
    (d) cosmology
    Answer: (d)
    Cosmology is the branch of astronomy involving the origin and evolution of the universe, from the Big Bang to today and on into the future. According to NASA, the definition of cosmology is “the scientific study of the large scale properties of the universe as a whole.”

    149) According to Kepler’s Laws, all orbits of the planets are:
    (a) ellipses
    (b) parabolas
    (c) hyperbolas
    (d) square
    Answer: (a)
    Johannes Kepler, working with data painstakingly collected by Tycho Brahe without the aid of a telescope, developed three laws which described the motion of the planets across the sky.
    1. The Law of Orbits: All planets move in elliptical orbits, with the sun at one focus.
    2. The Law of Areas: A line that connects a planet to the sun sweeps out equal areas in equal times.
    3. The Law of Periods: The square of the period of any planet is proportional to the cube of the semimajor axis of its orbit.
    Kepler’s laws were derived for orbits around the sun, but they apply to satellite orbits as well.