1406

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

    • 30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic.
    • AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under the leadership of Gaius Julius Civilis.
    • 527 – Justinian I becomes the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 607 – Ono no Imoko is dispatched as envoy to the Sui court in China (Traditional Japanese date: July 3, 607).
    • 902 – Taormina, the last Byzantine stronghold in Sicily, is captured by the Aghlabids army, concluding the Muslim conquest of Sicily.
    • 1203 – Isaac II Angelos, restored Eastern Roman Emperor, declares his son Alexios IV Angelos co-emperor after pressure from the forces of the Fourth Crusade.
    • 1291 – The Old Swiss Confederacy is formed with the signature of the Federal Charter.
    • 1469 – Louis XI of France founds the chivalric order called the Order of Saint Michael in Amboise.
    • 1498 – Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to visit what is now Venezuela.
    • 1571 – The Ottoman conquest of Cyprus is concluded, by the surrender of Famagusta.
    • 1620 – Speedwell leaves Delfshaven to bring pilgrims to America by way of England.
    • 1664 – Ottoman forces are defeated in the battle of Saint Gotthard by an Austrian army led by Raimondo Montecuccoli, resulting in the Peace of Vasvár.
    • 1714 – George, Elector of Hanover, becomes King George I of Great Britain, marking the beginning of the Georgian era of British history.
    • 1759 – Seven Years’ War: The Battle of Minden, an allied Anglo-German army victory over the French. In Britain this was one of a number of events that constituted the Annus Mirabilis of 1759 and is celebrated as Minden Day by certain British Army regiments.
    • 1774 – British scientist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen gas, corroborating the prior discovery of this element by German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.
    • 1798 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of the Nile (Battle of Aboukir Bay): Battle begins when a British fleet engages the French Revolutionary Navy fleet in an unusual night action.
    • 1800 – The Acts of Union 1800 are passed which merge the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
    • 1801 – First Barbary War: The American schooner USS Enterprise captures the Tripolitan polacca Tripoli in a single-ship action off the coast of modern-day Libya.
    • 1834 – Slavery is abolished in the British Empire as the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 comes into force, although it remains legal in the possessions of the East India Company until the passage of the Indian Slavery Act, 1843.
    • 1842 – The Lombard Street riot erupts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
    • 1849 – Joven Daniel wrecks at the coast of Araucanía, Chile, leading to allegations that local Mapuche tribes murdered survivors and kidnapped Elisa Bravo.
    • 1855 – The first ascent of Monte Rosa, the second highest summit in the Alps.
    • 1876 – Colorado is admitted as the 38th U.S. state.
    • 1893 – Henry Perky patents shredded wheat.
    • 1894 – The First Sino-Japanese War erupts between Japan and China over Korea.
    • 1907 – The start of the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island, the origin of the worldwide Scouting movement.
    • 1911 – Harriet Quimby takes her pilot’s test and becomes the first U.S. woman to earn an Aero Club of America aviator’s certificate.
    • 1914 – The German Empire declares war on the Russian Empire at the opening of World War I. The Swiss Army mobilizes because of World War I.
    • 1927 – The Nanchang Uprising marks the first significant battle in the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party. This day is commemorated as the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.
    • 1933 – Anti-Fascist activists Bruno Tesch, Walter Möller, Karl Wolff, and August Lütgens are executed by the Nazi regime in Altona.
    • 1936 – The Olympics opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler.
    • 1937 – Josip Broz Tito reads the resolution “Manifesto of constitutional congress of KPH” to the constitutive congress of KPH (Croatian Communist Party) in woods near Samobor.
    • 1943 – World War II: Operation Tidal Wave also known as “Black Sunday”, was a failed American attempt to destroy Romanian oil fields.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi German occupation breaks out in Warsaw, Poland.
    • 1946 – Leaders of the Russian Liberation Army, a force of Russian prisoners of war that collaborated with Nazi Germany, are executed in Moscow, Soviet Union for treason.
    • 1950 – Guam is organized as a United States commonwealth as President Harry S. Truman signs the Guam Organic Act.
    • 1957 – The United States and Canada form the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
    • 1960 – Dahomey (later renamed Benin) declares independence from France.
    • 1960 – Islamabad is declared the federal capital of the Government of Pakistan.
    • 1961 – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara orders the creation of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the nation’s first centralized military espionage organization.
    • 1964 – The former Belgian Congo is renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
    • 1965 – Frank Herbert’s novel, Dune was published for the first time. It was named as the world’s best-selling science fiction novel in 2003.
    • 1966 – Charles Whitman kills 16 people at the University of Texas at Austin before being killed by the police.
    • 1966 – Purges of intellectuals and imperialists becomes official China policy at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
    • 1968 – The coronation is held of Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei.
    • 1971 – The Concert for Bangladesh, organized by former Beatle George Harrison, is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
    • 1974 – Cyprus dispute: The United Nations Security Council authorizes the UNFICYP to create the “Green Line”, dividing Cyprus into two zones.
    • 1980 – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is elected President of Iceland and becomes the world’s first democratically elected female head of state.
    • 1980 – A train crash kills 18 people in County Cork, Ireland.
    • 1981 – MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.
    • 1984 – Commercial peat-cutters discover the preserved bog body of a man, called Lindow Man, at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, England.
    • 1988 – A British soldier was killed in the Inglis Barracks bombing in London, England.
    • 1993 – The Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993 comes to a peak.
    • 1998 – The establishment of Muslim Medics, one of the largest student-led societies in Imperial College London that provides both academic and wellbeing support to medical students of all backgrounds.
    • 2004 – A supermarket fire kills 396 people and injures 500 others in Asunción, Paraguay.
    • 2007 – The I-35W Mississippi River bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapses during the evening rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring 145.
    • 2008 – The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway begins operation as the fastest commuter rail system in the world.
    • 2008 – Eleven mountaineers from international expeditions died on K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth in the worst single accident in the history of K2 mountaineering.
    • 2017 – A suicide attack on a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan kills 20 people.

    Births on August 1

    • 10 BC – Claudius, Roman emperor (d. 54)
    • 126 – Pertinax, Roman emperor (d. 193)
    • 845 – Sugawara no Michizane, Japanese scholar and politician (d. 903)
    • 992 – Hyeonjong, Korean king (d. 1031)
    • 1068 – Taizu, Chinese emperor (d. 1123)
    • 1313 – Kōgon, Japanese emperor (d. 1364)
    • 1377 – Go-Komatsu, Japanese emperor (d. 1433)
    • 1385 – John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel (d. 1421)
    • 1410 – Jan IV, count of Nassau-Dillenburg (d. 1475)
    • 1492 – Wolfgang, German prince (d. 1566)
    • 1520 – Sigismund II, Polish king (d. 1572)
    • 1545 – Andrew Melville, Scottish theologian and scholar (d. 1622)
    • 1555 – Edward Kelley, English spirit medium (d. 1597)
    • 1579 – Luis Vélez de Guevara, Spanish author and playwright (d. 1644)
    • 1626 – Sabbatai Zevi, Montenegrin rabbi and theorist (d. 1676)
    • 1630 – Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1673)
    • 1659 – Sebastiano Ricci, Italian painter (d. 1734)
    • 1713 – Charles I, German duke and prince (d. 1780)
    • 1714 – Richard Wilson, Welsh painter and academic (d. 1782)
    • 1738 – Jacques François Dugommier, French general (d. 1794)
    • 1744 – Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, French soldier, biologist, and academic (d. 1829)
    • 1770 – William Clark, American soldier, explorer, and politician, 4th Governor of Missouri Territory (d. 1838)
    • 1778 – Mary Jefferson Eppes, daughter of Thomas Jefferson who died in childbirth (d. 1804)
    • 1779 – Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, author, and poet (d. 1843)
    • 1779 – Lorenz Oken, German-Swiss botanist, biologist, and ornithologist (d. 1851)
    • 1809 – William B. Travis, American colonel and lawyer (d. 1836)
    • 1815 – Richard Henry Dana, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1882)
    • 1818 – Maria Mitchell, American astronomer and academic (d. 1889)
    • 1819 – Herman Melville, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1891)
    • 1831 – Antonio Cotogni, Italian opera singer and educator (d. 1918)
    • 1843 – Robert Todd Lincoln, American lawyer and politician, 35th United States Secretary of War (d. 1926)
    • 1856 – George Coulthard, Australian footballer and cricketer (d. 1883)
    • 1858 – Gaston Doumergue, French lawyer and politician, 13th President of France (d. 1937)
    • 1858 – Hans Rott, Austrian organist and composer (d. 1884)
    • 1860 – Bazil Assan, Romanian engineer and explorer (d. 1918)
    • 1861 – Sammy Jones, Australian cricketer (d. 1951)
    • 1865 – Isobel Lilian Gloag, English painter (d. 1917)
    • 1871 – John Lester, American cricketer and soccer player (d. 1969)
    • 1877 – George Hackenschmidt, Estonian-English wrestler and strongman (d. 1968)
    • 1878 – Konstantinos Logothetopoulos, Greek physician and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1961)
    • 1881 – Otto Toeplitz, German mathematician and academic (d. 1940)
    • 1885 – George de Hevesy, Hungarian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1966)
    • 1889 – Walter Gerlach, German physicist and academic (d. 1979)
    • 1891 – Karl Kobelt, Swiss lawyer and politician, 52nd President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1968)
    • 1893 – Alexander of Greece (d. 1920)
    • 1894 – Ottavio Bottecchia, Italian cyclist (d. 1927)
    • 1898 – Morris Stoloff, American composer and musical director (d. 1980)
    • 1899 – Raymond Mays, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1980)
    • 1900 – Otto Nothling, Australian cricketer and rugby player (d. 1965)
    • 1901 – Francisco Guilledo, Filipino boxer (d. 1925)
    • 1903 – Paul Horgan, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1995)
    • 1905 – Helen Sawyer Hogg, American-Canadian astronomer and academic (d. 1993)
    • 1907 – Eric Shipton, Sri Lankan-English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1977)
    • 1910 – James Henry Govier, English painter and illustrator (d. 1974)
    • 1910 – Walter Scharf, American pianist and composer (d. 2003)
    • 1910 – Gerda Taro, German war photographer (d. 1937)
    • 1911 – Jackie Ormes, American journalist and cartoonist (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – David Brand, Australian politician, 19th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Gego, German-Venezuelan sculptor and academic (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – Henry Jones, American actor (d. 1999)
    • 1914 – Jack Delano, American photographer and composer (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Alan Moore, Australian painter and educator (d. 2015)
    • 1914 – J. Lee Thompson, English-Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Fiorenzo Angelini, Italian cardinal (d. 2014)
    • 1916 – Anne Hébert, Canadian author and poet (d. 2000)
    • 1918 – T. J. Jemison, American minister and activist (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Stanley Middleton, English author (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Raul Renter, Estonian economist and chess player (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Jack Kramer, American tennis player, sailor, and sportscaster (d. 2009)
    • 1921 – Pat McDonald, Australian actress (d. 1990)
    • 1922 – Arthur Hill, Canadian-American actor (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Val Bettin, American actor
    • 1924 – Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Frank Havens, American canoeist (d. 2018)
    • 1924 – Marcia Mae Jones, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Frank Worrell, Barbadian cricketer (d. 1967)
    • 1925 – Ernst Jandl, Austrian poet and author (d. 2000)
    • 1926 – George Hauptfuhrer, American basketball player and lawyer (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Hannah Hauxwell, English TV personality (d. 2018)
    • 1927 – María Teresa López Boegeholz, Chilean oceanographer (d. 2006)
    • 1927 – Anthony G. Bosco, American bishop (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Jack Shea, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Hafizullah Amin, Afghan educator and politician, Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1979)
    • 1929 – Ann Calvello, American roller derby racer (d. 2006)
    • 1929 – Leila Abashidze, Georgian actress (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – Lionel Bart, English composer (d. 1999)
    • 1930 – Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher (d. 2002)
    • 1930 – Julie Bovasso, American actress and writer (d. 1991)
    • 1930 – Lawrence Eagleburger, American lieutenant and politician, 62nd United States Secretary of State (d. 2011)
    • 1930 – Károly Grósz, Hungarian politician, 51st Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1996)
    • 1930 – Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian-American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1931 – Trevor Goddard, South African cricketer (d. 2016)
    • 1932 – Meir Kahane, American-Israeli rabbi and activist, founded the Jewish Defense League (d. 1990)
    • 1932 – Meena Kumari, Indian actress (d. 1972)
    • 1933 – Dom DeLuise, American actor, singer, director, and producer (d. 2009)
    • 1933 – Masaichi Kaneda, Japanese baseball player and manager (d. 2019)
    • 1933 – Teri Shields, American actress, producer, and agent (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Dušan Třeštík, Czech historian and author (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – John Beck, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2000)
    • 1934 – Derek Birdsall, English graphic designer
    • 1935 – Geoff Pullar, English cricketer (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – W. D. Hamilton, Egyptian born British biologist, psychologist, and academic (d. 2000)
    • 1936 – Yves Saint Laurent, Algerian-French fashion designer, co-founded Yves Saint Laurent (d. 2008)
    • 1936 – Laurie Taylor, English sociologist, radio host, and academic
    • 1937 – Al D’Amato, American lawyer and politician
    • 1939 – Bob Frankford, English-Canadian physician and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1939 – Terry Kiser, American actor
    • 1939 – Stephen Sykes, English bishop and theologian (d. 2014)
    • 1939 – Robert James Waller, American author and photographer (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Mervyn Kitchen, English cricketer and umpire
    • 1940 – Henry Silverman, American businessman, founded Cendant
    • 1940 – Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, Iranian writer and actor
    • 1941 – Ron Brown, American captain and politician, 30th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 1996)
    • 1941 – Étienne Roda-Gil, French songwriter and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1942 – Jerry Garcia, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995)
    • 1942 – Giancarlo Giannini, Italian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1944 – Dmitry Nikolayevich Filippov, Russian banker and politician (d. 1998)
    • 1945 – Douglas Osheroff, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1946 – Boz Burrell, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1946 – Rick Coonce, American drummer (d. 2011)
    • 1946 – Richard O. Covey, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1946 – Fiona Stanley, Australian epidemiologist and academic
    • 1947 – Lorna Goodison, Jamaican poet and author
    • 1947 – Chantal Montellier, French comics creator and artist
    • 1948 – Avi Arad, Israeli-American screenwriter and producer, founded Marvel Studios
    • 1948 – Cliff Branch, American football player
    • 1948 – David Gemmell, English journalist and author (d. 2006)
    • 1949 – Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Kyrgyzstani politician, 2nd President of Kyrgyzstan
    • 1949 – Jim Carroll, American poet, author, and musician (d. 2009)
    • 1949 – Ray Nettles, American football player (d. 2009)
    • 1950 – Roy Williams, American basketball player and coach
    • 1951 – Tim Bachman, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Tommy Bolin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1976)
    • 1951 – Pete Mackanin, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1952 – Zoran Đinđić, Serbian philosopher and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Serbia (d. 2003)
    • 1953 – Robert Cray, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – Howard Kurtz, American journalist and author
    • 1954 – Trevor Berbick, Jamaican-Canadian boxer (d. 2006)
    • 1954 – James Gleick, American journalist and author
    • 1954 – Benno Möhlmann, German footballer and manager
    • 1957 – Taylor Negron, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1958 – Rob Buck, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2000)
    • 1958 – Michael Penn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1958 – Kiki Vandeweghe, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Joe Elliott, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1960 – Chuck D, American rapper and songwriter
    • 1960 – Suzi Gardner, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – Jacob Matlala, South African boxer (d. 2013)
    • 1963 – Demián Bichir, Mexican-American actor and producer
    • 1963 – Coolio, American rapper, producer, and actor
    • 1963 – John Carroll Lynch, American actor
    • 1963 – Koichi Wakata, Japanese astronaut and engineer
    • 1963 – Dean Wareham, New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1964 – Adam Duritz, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1964 – Fiona Hyslop, Scottish businesswoman and politician
    • 1964 – Augusta Read Thomas, American composer, conductor and educator
    • 1965 – Brandt Jobe, American golfer
    • 1965 – Sam Mendes, English director and producer
    • 1966 – James St. James, American club promoter and author
    • 1967 – Gregg Jefferies, American baseball player and coach
    • 1967 – José Padilha, Brazilian director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Stacey Augmon, American basketball player and coach
    • 1968 – Dan Donegan, American heavy metal guitarist and songwriter
    • 1968 – Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Japanese baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Andrei Borissov, Estonian footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Kevin Jarvis, American baseball player and scout
    • 1969 – Graham Thorpe, English cricketer and journalist
    • 1970 – Quentin Coryatt, American football player
    • 1970 – David James, English footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Eugenie van Leeuwen, Dutch cricketer
    • 1972 – Nicke Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1972 – Christer Basma, Norwegian footballer and coach
    • 1972 – Todd Bouman, American football player and coach
    • 1972 – Thomas Woods, American historian, economist, and academic
    • 1973 – Gregg Berhalter, American soccer player and coach
    • 1973 – Veerle Dejaeghere, Belgian runner
    • 1973 – Edurne Pasaban, Spanish mountaineer
    • 1974 – Cher Calvin, American journalist
    • 1974 – Marek Galiński, Polish cyclist (d. 2014)
    • 1974 – Tyron Henderson, South African cricketer
    • 1974 – Dennis Lawrence, Trinidadian footballer and coach
    • 1974 – Beckie Scott, Canadian skier
    • 1975 – Vhrsti, Czech author and illustrator
    • 1976 – Don Hertzfeldt, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor
    • 1976 – Søren Jochumsen, Danish footballer
    • 1976 – Nwankwo Kanu, Nigerian footballer
    • 1976 – David Nemirovsky, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1976 – Hasan Şaş, Turkish footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Cristian Stoica, Romanian-Italian rugby player
    • 1977 – Marc Denis, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Haspop, French-Moroccan dancer, choreographer, and actor
    • 1977 – Darnerien McCants, American-Canadian football player
    • 1977 – Damien Saez, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Yoshi Tatsu, Japanese wrestler and boxer
    • 1978 – Andy Blignaut, Zimbabwean cricketer
    • 1978 – Björn Ferry, Swedish biathlete
    • 1978 – Dhani Harrison, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Chris Iwelumo, Scottish footballer
    • 1978 – Edgerrin James, American football player
    • 1979 – Junior Agogo, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1979 – Nathan Fien, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1979 – Jason Momoa, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1980 – Mancini, Brazilian footballer
    • 1980 – Romain Barras, French decathlete
    • 1980 – Esteban Paredes, Chilean footballer
    • 1981 – Dean Cox, Australian footballer
    • 1981 – Pia Haraldsen, Norwegian journalist and author
    • 1981 – Christofer Heimeroth, German footballer
    • 1981 – Stephen Hunt, Irish footballer
    • 1981 – Jamie Jones-Buchanan, English rugby player
    • 1982 – Basem Fathi, Jordanian footballer
    • 1982 – Montserrat Lombard, English actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1983 – Bobby Carpenter, American football player
    • 1983 – Craig Clarke, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1983 – Julien Faubert, French footballer
    • 1983 – David Gervasi, Swiss decathlete
    • 1984 – Steve Feak, American game designer
    • 1984 – Francesco Gavazzi, Italian cyclist
    • 1984 – Brandon Kintzler, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Bastian Schweinsteiger, German footballer
    • 1985 – Stuart Holden, Scottish-American soccer player
    • 1985 – Adam Jones, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Cole Kimball, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Tendai Mtawarira, South African rugby player
    • 1985 – Kris Stadsgaard, Danish footballer
    • 1985 – Dušan Švento, Slovak footballer
    • 1986 – Damien Allen, English footballer
    • 1986 – Anton Strålman, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Andrew Taylor, English footballer
    • 1986 – Elena Vesnina, Russian tennis player
    • 1986 – Mike Wallace, American football player
    • 1987 – Iago Aspas, Spanish footballer
    • 1987 – Karen Carney, English women’s football winger
    • 1987 – Sébastien Pocognoli, Belgian footballer
    • 1987 – Lee Wallace, Scottish footballer
    • 1988 – Mustafa Abdellaoue, Norwegian footballer
    • 1988 – Patryk Małecki, Polish footballer
    • 1988 – Bodene Thompson, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1989 – Madison Bumgarner, American baseball player
    • 1989 – Tiffany Hwang, Korean American singer, songwriter, and actress
    • 1990 – Aledmys Díaz, Cuban baseball player
    • 1990 – Jean Hugues Gregoire, Mauritian swimmer
    • 1990 – Elton Jantjies, South African rugby player
    • 1991 – Piotr Malarczyk, Polish footballer
    • 1991 – Marco Puntoriere, Italian footballer
    • 1992 – Austin Rivers, American basketball player
    • 1992 – Mrunal Thakur, Indian actress
    • 1993 – Álex Abrines, Spanish basketball player
    • 1993 – Leon Thomas III, American actor and singer
    • 1994 – Sergeal Petersen, South African rugby player
    • 1994 – Ayaka Wada, Japanese singer
    • 1996 – Katie Boulter, English tennis player
    • 2001 – Park Si-eun, South Korean actress

    Deaths on August 1

    • 30 BC – Mark Antony, Roman general and politician (b. 83 BC)
    • 371 – Eusebius of Vercelli, Italian bishop and saint (b. 283)
    • 527 – Justin I, Byzantine emperor (b. 450)
    • 873 – Thachulf, duke of Thuringia
    • 946 – Ali ibn Isa al-Jarrah, Abbasid vizier (b. 859)
    • 946 – Lady Xu Xinyue, Chinese queen (b. 902)
    • 953 – Yingtian, Chinese Khitan empress (b. 879)
    • 984 – Æthelwold, bishop of Winchester
    • 1098 – Adhemar of Le Puy, French papal legate
    • 1137 – Louis VI, king of France (b. 1081)
    • 1146 – Vsevolod II of Kiev, Russian prince
    • 1227 – Shimazu Tadahisa, Japanese warlord (b. 1179)
    • 1252 – Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, Italian archbishop and explorer (b. 1180)
    • 1299 – Conrad de Lichtenberg, Bishop of Strasbourg (b. 1240)
    • 1402 – Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1341)
    • 1457 – Lorenzo Valla, Italian author and educator (b. 1406)
    • 1464 – Cosimo de’ Medici, Italian ruler (b. 1386)
    • 1494 – Giovanni Santi, artist and father of Raphael (b. c. 1435)
    • 1541 – Simon Grynaeus, German theologian and scholar (b. 1493)
    • 1543 – Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1488)
    • 1546 – Peter Faber, French Jesuit theologian (b. 1506)
    • 1557 – Olaus Magnus, Swedish archbishop, historian, and cartographer (b. 1490)
    • 1580 – Albrecht Giese, Polish-German politician and diplomat (b. 1524)
    • 1589 – Jacques Clément, French assassin of Henry III of France (b. 1567)
    • 1603 – Matthew Browne, English politician (b. 1563)
    • 1714 – Anne, Queen of Great Britain (b. 1665)
    • 1787 – Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1696)
    • 1795 – Clas Bjerkander, Swedish meteorologist, botanist, and entomologist (b. 1735)
    • 1796 – Sir Robert Pigot, 2nd Baronet, English colonel and politician (b. 1720)
    • 1798 – François-Paul Brueys d’Aigalliers, French admiral (b. 1753)
    • 1807 – John Boorman, English cricketer (b. c. 1754)
    • 1807 – John Walker, English actor, philologist, and lexicographer (b. 1732)
    • 1808 – Lady Diana Beauclerk, English painter and illustrator (b. 1734)
    • 1812 – Yakov Kulnev, Russian general (b. 1763)
    • 1851 – William Joseph Behr, German publicist and academic (b. 1775)
    • 1863 – Jind Kaur Majarani (Regent) of the Sikh Empire (b. 1817)
    • 1866 – John Ross, American tribal chief (b. 1790)
    • 1869 – Peter Julian Eymard, French Priest and Founder Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (b. 1811)
    • 1869 – Richard Dry, Australian politician, 7th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1815)
    • 1903 – Calamity Jane, American frontierswoman and scout (b. 1853)
    • 1911 – Edwin Austin Abbey, American painter and illustrator (b. 1852)
    • 1911 – Samuel Arza Davenport, American lawyer and politician (b. 1843)
    • 1918 – John Riley Banister, American cowboy and police officer (b. 1854)
    • 1920 – Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Indian lawyer and journalist (b. 1856)
    • 1921 – T.J. Ryan, Australian politician, 19th Premier of Queensland (b. 1876)
    • 1922 – Donát Bánki, Hungarian engineer (b. 1856)
    • 1929 – Syd Gregory, Australian cricketer (b. 1870)
    • 1938 – Edmund C. Tarbell, American painter and academic (b. 1862)
    • 1943 – Lydia Litvyak, Russian lieutenant and pilot (b. 1921)
    • 1944 – Manuel L. Quezon, Filipino soldier, lawyer, and politician, 2nd President of the Philippines (b. 1878)
    • 1959 – Jean Behra, French race car driver (b. 1921)
    • 1963 – Theodore Roethke, American poet (b. 1908)
    • 1966 – Charles Whitman, American murderer (b. 1941)
    • 1967 – Richard Kuhn, Austrian-German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1900)
    • 1970 – Frances Farmer, American actress (b. 1913)
    • 1970 – Doris Fleeson, American journalist (b. 1901)
    • 1970 – Otto Heinrich Warburg, German physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1883)
    • 1973 – Gian Francesco Malipiero, Italian composer and educator (b. 1882)
    • 1973 – Walter Ulbricht, German soldier and politician (b. 1893)
    • 1974 – Ildebrando Antoniutti, Italian cardinal (b. 1898)
    • 1977 – Francis Gary Powers, American captain and pilot (b. 1929)
    • 1980 – Patrick Depailler, French race car driver (b. 1944)
    • 1980 – Strother Martin, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 1981 – Paddy Chayefsky, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
    • 1982 – T. Thirunavukarasu, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (b. 1933)
    • 1989 – John Ogdon, English pianist and composer (b. 1937)
    • 1990 – Norbert Elias, German-Dutch sociologist, author, and academic (b. 1897)
    • 1996 – Tadeusz Reichstein, Polish-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
    • 1996 – Lucille Teasdale-Corti, Canadian physician and surgeon (b. 1929)
    • 1998 – Eva Bartok, Hungarian-British actress (b. 1927)
    • 2001 – Korey Stringer, American football player (b. 1974)
    • 2003 – Guy Thys, Belgian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2003 – Marie Trintignant, French actress and screenwriter (b. 1962)
    • 2004 – Philip Abelson, American physicist and author (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Al Aronowitz, American journalist (b. 1928)
    • 2005 – Wim Boost, Dutch cartoonist and educator (b. 1918)
    • 2005 – Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter and sculptor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Fahd of Saudi Arabia (b. 1923)
    • 2006 – Bob Thaves, American illustrator (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Iris Marion Young, American political scientist and activist (b. 1949)
    • 2007 – Tommy Makem, Irish singer-songwriter and banjo player (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – Gertan Klauber, Czech-English actor (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1916)
    • 2009 – Corazon Aquino, Filipino politician, 11th President of the Philippines (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – Lolita Lebrón, Puerto Rican-American activist (b. 1919)
    • 2010 – Eric Tindill, New Zealand rugby player and cricketer (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – Aldo Maldera, Italian footballer and agent (b. 1953)
    • 2012 – Douglas Townsend, American composer and musicologist (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Barry Trapnell, English cricketer and academic (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – John Amis, English journalist and critic (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Gail Kobe, American actress and producer (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Babe Martin, American baseball player (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Toby Saks, American cellist and educator (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Wilford White, American football player (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Valyantsin Byalkevich, Belarusian footballer and manager (b. 1973)
    • 2014 – Jan Roar Leikvoll, Norwegian author (b. 1974)
    • 2014 – Charles T. Payne, American soldier (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Mike Smith, English radio and television host (b. 1955)
    • 2015 – Stephan Beckenbauer, German footballer and manager (b. 1968)
    • 2015 – Cilla Black, English singer and actress (b. 1943)
    • 2015 – Bernard d’Espagnat, French physicist, philosopher, and author (b. 1921)
    • 2015 – Bob Frankford, English-Canadian physician and politician (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Hong Yuanshuo, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1948)
    • 2016 – Queen Anne of Romania (b. 1923)

    Holidays and observances on August 1

    • Armed Forces Day (Lebanon)
    • Armed Forces Day (China) or Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Liberation Army (People’s Republic of China)
    • Azerbaijani Language and Alphabet Day (Azerbaijan)
    • Celebration of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 which ended the slavery in the British Empire, generally celebrated as a part of Carnival, as the Caribbean Carnival takes place at this time (British West Indies):
      • Earliest day on which Caribana celebration can fall, celebrated on the first Weekend of August. (Toronto)
      • Earliest day on which Emancipation Day can fall, celebrated on the first Monday of August. (Anguilla, the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands)
      • Emancipation Day (Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Abgar V of Edessa (Syrian Church)
      • Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori
      • Æthelwold of Winchester
      • Bernard Võ Văn Duệ (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)
      • Blessed Gerhard Hirschfelder
      • Eusebius of Vercelli
      • Exuperius of Bayeux
      • Felix of Girona
      • Peter Apostle in Chains
      • Procession of the Cross and the beginning of Dormition Fast (Eastern Orthodoxy)
      • The Holy Maccabees
      • August 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which August Bank Holiday (Ireland) can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August.
    • Earliest day on which Civic Holiday can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August. (Canada)
    • Earliest day on which Commerce Day, or Frídagur verslunarmanna, can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August. (Iceland)
    • Earliest day on which Constitution Day (Cook Islands) can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August.
    • Earliest day on which Farmers’ Day can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August. (Zambia)
    • Earliest day on which International Beer Day can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Friday of August.
    • Earliest day on which Friendship Day can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday of August. (United States)
    • Earliest day on which Kadooment Day can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August (Barbados)
    • Earliest day on which Labor Day (Samoa) can fall, while August 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of August (Samoa)
    • Minden Day (United Kingdom)
    • National Day, celebrates the independence of Benin from France in 1960.
    • National Day, commemorates Switzerland becoming a single unit in 1291.
    • Official Birthday and Coronation Day of the King of Tonga (Tonga)
    • Parents’ Day (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
    • Statehood Day (Colorado)
    • Swiss National Day (Switzerland)
    • The beginning of autumn observances in the Northern hemisphere and spring observances in the Southern hemisphere (Neopagan Wheel of the Year):
      • Lughnasadh in the Northern hemisphere, Imbolc in the Southern hemisphere; traditionally begins on the eve of August 1. (Gaels, Ireland, Scotland, Neopagans)
      • Lammas (England, Scotland, Neopagans)
      • Pachamama Raymi (Quechuan in Ecuador and Peru)
    • The first day of Carnaval del Pueblo (Burgess Park, London, England)
    • Victory Day (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam)
    • World Scout Scarf Day
    • Yorkshire Day (Yorkshire, England)

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

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

    Births on July 15

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

    Deaths on July 15

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

    Holidays and observances on July 15

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

  • July 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    July 11 in History

    • 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter’s Basilica and put to death.
    • 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abdicates in favor of his general Leo the Armenian, and becomes a monk (under the name Athanasius).
    • 911 – Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy.
    • 1174 – Baldwin IV, 13, becomes King of Jerusalem, with Raymond III, Count of Tripoli as regent and William of Tyre as chancellor.
    • 1302 – Battle of the Golden Spurs (Guldensporenslag in Dutch): A coalition around the Flemish cities defeats the king of France’s royal army.
    • 1346 – Charles IV, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, is elected King of the Romans.
    • 1405 – Ming admiral Zheng He sets sail to explore the world for the first time.
    • 1476 – Giuliano della Rovere is appointed bishop of Coutances.
    • 1576 – Martin Frobisher sights Greenland.
    • 1616 – Samuel de Champlain returns to Quebec.
    • 1735 – Mathematical calculations suggest that it is on this day that dwarf planet Pluto moved inside the orbit of Neptune for the last time before 1979.
    • 1789 – Jacques Necker is dismissed as France’s Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille.
    • 1796 – The United States takes possession of Detroit from Great Britain under terms of the Jay Treaty.
    • 1798 – The United States Marine Corps is re-established; they had been disbanded after the American Revolutionary War.
    • 1801 – French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons makes his first comet discovery. In the next 27 years he discovers another 36 comets, more than any other person in history.
    • 1804 – A duel occurs in which the Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr mortally wounds former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton.
    • 1833 – Noongar Australian aboriginal warrior Yagan, wanted for the murder of white colonists in Western Australia, is killed.
    • 1848 – Waterloo railway station in London opens.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Fort Stevens; Confederate forces attempt to invade Washington, D.C.
    • 1882 – The British Mediterranean Fleet begins the Bombardment of Alexandria in Egypt as part of the Anglo-Egyptian War.
    • 1889 – Tijuana, Mexico, is founded.
    • 1893 – The first cultured pearl is obtained by Kōkichi Mikimoto.
    • 1893 – A revolution led by the liberal general and politician José Santos Zelaya takes over state power in Nicaragua.
    • 1895 – Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière demonstrate movie film technology to scientists.
    • 1897 – Salomon August Andrée leaves Spitsbergen to attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon. He later crashes and dies.
    • 1899 – Fiat founded by Giovanni Agnelli in Turin, Italy.
    • 1906 – Murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in the United States, inspiration for Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy.
    • 1914 – Babe Ruth makes his debut in Major League Baseball.
    • 1914 – USS Nevada (BB-36) is launched.
    • 1919 – The eight-hour day and free Sunday become law for workers in the Netherlands.
    • 1920 – In the East Prussian plebiscite the local populace decides to remain with Weimar Germany.
    • 1921 – A truce in the Irish War of Independence comes into effect.
    • 1921 – The Red Army captures Mongolia from the White Army and establishes the Mongolian People’s Republic.
    • 1921 – Former president of the United States William Howard Taft is sworn in as 10th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the only person ever to hold both offices.
    • 1922 – The Hollywood Bowl opens.
    • 1924 – Eric Liddell won the gold medal in 400m at the 1924 Paris Olympics, after refusing to run in the heats for 100m, his favoured distance, on the Sunday.
    • 1934 – Engelbert Zaschka of Germany flies his large human-powered aircraft, the Zaschka Human-Power Aircraft, about 20 meters at Berlin Tempelhof Airport without assisted take-off.
    • 1936 – The Triborough Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic.
    • 1940 – World War II: Vichy France regime is formally established. Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of the French State.
    • 1941 – The Northern Rhodesian Labour Party holds its first congress in Nkana.
    • 1943 – Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army within the Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Volhynia) peak.
    • 1943 – World War II: Allied invasion of Sicily: German and Italian troops launch a counter-attack on Allied forces in Sicily.
    • 1947 – The Exodus 1947 heads to Palestine from France.
    • 1950 – Pakistan joins the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank.
    • 1957 – Prince Karim Husseini Aga Khan IV inherits the office of Imamat as the 49th Imam of Shia Imami Ismai’li worldwide, after the death of Sir Sultan Mahommed Shah Aga Khan III.
    • 1960 – France legislates for the independence of Dahomey (later Benin), Upper Volta (later Burkina) and Niger.
    • 1960 – Congo Crisis: The State of Katanga breaks away from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
    • 1960 – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, in the United States.
    • 1962 – First transatlantic satellite television transmission.
    • 1962 – Project Apollo: At a press conference, NASA announces lunar orbit rendezvous as the means to land astronauts on the Moon, and return them to Earth.
    • 1971 – Copper mines in Chile are nationalized.
    • 1972 – The first game of the World Chess Championship 1972 between challenger Bobby Fischer and defending champion Boris Spassky starts.
    • 1973 – Varig Flight 820 crashes near Paris, France on approach to Orly Airport, killing 123 of the 134 on board. In response, the FAA bans smoking in airplane lavatories.
    • 1977 – Martin Luther King, Jr. is posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
    • 1978 – Los Alfaques disaster: A truck carrying liquid gas crashes and explodes at a coastal campsite in Tarragona, Spain killing 216 tourists.
    • 1979 – America’s first space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.
    • 1983 – A TAME airline Boeing 737-200 crashes near Cuenca, Ecuador, killing all 119 passengers and crew on board.
    • 1990 – Oka Crisis: First Nations land dispute in Quebec, Canada begins.
    • 1991 – Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 crashes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia killing all 261 passengers and crew on board.
    • 1995 – Yugoslav Wars: Srebrenica massacre begins; lasts until 22 July.
    • 2006 – Mumbai train bombings: Two hundred nine people are killed in a series of bomb attacks in Mumbai, India.
    • 2010 – The Islamist militia group Al-Shabaab carried out multiple suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, killing 74 people and injuring 85 others.
    • 2011 – Ninety-eight containers of explosives self-detonate killing 13 people in Zygi, Cyprus.

    Births on July 11

    • 154 – Bardaisan, Syrian astrologer, scholar, and philosopher (d. 222)
    • 1274 – Robert the Bruce, Scottish king (d. 1329)
    • 1406 – William, Margrave of Hachberg-Sausenberg (d. 1482)
    • 1459 – Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, German nobleman (d. 1527)
    • 1558 – Robert Greene, English author and playwright (d. 1592)
    • 1561 – Luis de Góngora, Spanish cleric and poet (d. 1627)
    • 1603 – Kenelm Digby, English astrologer, courtier, and diplomat (d. 1665)
    • 1628 – Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Japanese daimyō (d. 1701)
    • 1653 – Sarah Good, American woman accused of witchcraft (d. 1692)
    • 1657 – Frederick I of Prussia (d. 1713)
    • 1662 – Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1726)
    • 1709 – Johan Gottschalk Wallerius, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (d. 1785)
    • 1723 – Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and author (d. 1799)
    • 1751 – Caroline Matilda, British princess, queen consort of Denmark (d. 1775)
    • 1754 – Thomas Bowdler, English physician and philanthropist (d. 1825)
    • 1760 – Peggy Shippen, American wife of Benedict Arnold and American Revolutionary War spy (d. 1804)
    • 1767 – John Quincy Adams, American lawyer and politician, 6th President of the United States (d. 1848)
    • 1826 – Alexander Afanasyev, Russian ethnographer and author (d. 1871)
    • 1832 – Charilaos Trikoupis, Greek lawyer and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1896)
    • 1834 – James Abbott McNeill Whistler, American-English painter and illustrator (d. 1903)
    • 1836 – Antônio Carlos Gomes, Brazilian composer (d. 1896)
    • 1846 – Léon Bloy, French author and poet (d. 1917)
    • 1849 – N. E. Brown, English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents (d. 1934)
    • 1850 – Annie Armstrong, American missionary (d. 1938)
    • 1866 – Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1953)
    • 1875 – H. M. Brock, British painter and illustrator (d. 1960)
    • 1880 – Friedrich Lahrs, German architect and academic (d. 1964)
    • 1881 – Isabel Martin Lewis, American astronomer and author (d. 1966)
    • 1882 – James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (d. 1946)
    • 1886 – Boris Grigoriev, Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1939)
    • 1888 – Carl Schmitt, German philosopher and jurist (d. 1985)
    • 1892 – Thomas Mitchell, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1962)
    • 1894 – Erna Mohr, German zoologist (d. 1968)
    • 1895 – Dorothy Wilde, English author and poet (d. 1941)
    • 1897 – Bull Connor, American police officer (d. 1973)
    • 1899 – Wilfrid Israel, German businessman and philanthropist (d. 1943)
    • 1899 – E. B. White, American essayist and journalist (d. 1985)
    • 1901 – Gwendolyn Lizarraga, Belizean businesswoman, activist, and politician (d. 1975)
    • 1903 – Rudolf Abel, English-Russian colonel (d. 1971)
    • 1903 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (d. 1976)
    • 1904 – Niño Ricardo, Spanish guitarist and composer (d. 1972)
    • 1905 – Betty Allan, Australian statistician and biometrician (d. 1952)
    • 1906 – Harry von Zell, American actor and announcer (d. 1981)
    • 1906 – Herbert Wehner, German politician, Minister of Intra-German Relations (d. 1990)
    • 1909 – Irene Hervey, American actress (d. 1998)
    • 1909 – Jacques Clemens, Dutch catholic priest (d. 2018)
    • 1910 – Sally Blane, American actress (d. 1997)
    • 1911 – Erna Flegel, German Third Reich nurse (d. 2006)
    • 1912 – Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1912 – Peta Taylor, English cricketer (d. 1989)
    • 1912 – William F. Walsh, American captain and politician, 48th Mayor of Syracuse (d. 2011)
    • 1913 – Paul Gibb, English cricketer (d. 1977)
    • 1913 – Cordwainer Smith, American sinologist, author, and academic (d. 1966)
    • 1916 – Mortimer Caplin, American tax attorney, educator, and IRS Commissioner (d. 2019)
    • 1916 – Hans Maier, Dutch water polo player (d. 2018)
    • 1916 – Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Reg Varney, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2008)
    • 1916 – Gough Whitlam, Australian lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Australia (d. 2014)
    • 1918 – Venetia Burney, English educator, who named Pluto (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Yul Brynner, Russian actor and dancer (d. 1985)
    • 1920 – Zecharia Sitchin, Russian-American author (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Gene Evans, American actor (d. 1998)
    • 1922 – Fritz Riess, German-Swiss racing driver (d. 1991)
    • 1923 – Richard Pipes, Polish-American historian and academic (d. 2018)
    • 1923 – Tun Tun, Indian actress and comedian (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – César Lattes, Brazilian physicist and academic (d. 2005)
    • 1924 – Brett Somers, Canadian-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Charlie Tully, Northern Irish footballer and manager (d. 1971)
    • 1924 – Oscar Wyatt, American businessman
    • 1925 – Charles Chaynes, French composer (d. 2016)
    • 1925 – Nicolai Gedda, Swedish operatic tenor (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Peter Kyros, American lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2004)
    • 1926 – Frederick Buechner, American minister, theologian, and author
    • 1927 – Theodore Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Chris Leonard, English footballer
    • 1928 – Greville Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone, Welsh-English lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Bobo Olson, American boxer (d. 2002)
    • 1928 – Andrea Veneracion, Filipina choirmaster (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Danny Flores, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (d. 2006)
    • 1929 – David Kelly, Irish actor (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Jack Alabaster, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1930 – Harold Bloom, American literary critic (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – Trevor Storer, English businessman, founded Pukka Pies (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Dick Gray, American baseball player (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Thurston Harris, American doo-wop singer (d. 1990)
    • 1931 – Tab Hunter, American actor and singer (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – Tullio Regge, Italian physicist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Alex Hassilev, French-born American folk singer and musician
    • 1932 – Jean-Guy Talbot, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1933 – Jim Carlen, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Frank Kelso, American admiral and politician, United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – Giorgio Armani, Italian fashion designer, founded the Armani Company
    • 1935 – Frederick Hemke, American saxophonist and educator
    • 1935 – Oliver Napier, Northern Irish lawyer and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1937 – Pai Hsien-yung, Chinese-Taiwanese author
    • 1941 – Bill Boggs, American journalist and producer
    • 1941 – Henry Lowther, English trumpet player
    • 1943 – Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (d. 2006)
    • 1943 – Howard Gardner, American psychologist and academic
    • 1943 – Tom Holland, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Peter Jensen, Australian metropolitan
    • 1943 – Robert Malval, Haitian businessman and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Haiti
    • 1943 – Rolf Stommelen, German racing driver (d. 1983)
    • 1944 – Lou Hudson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Michael Levy, Baron Levy, English philanthropist
    • 1944 – Patricia Polacco, American author and illustrator
    • 1946 – Martin Wong, American painter (d. 1999)
    • 1947 – Jeff Hanna, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer
    • 1947 – Norman Lebrecht, English author and critic
    • 1947 – Bo Lundgren, Swedish politician
    • 1950 – Pervez Hoodbhoy, Pakistani physicist and academic
    • 1950 – J. R. Morgan, Welsh author and academic
    • 1950 – Bonnie Pointer, American singer (d. 2020)
    • 1951 – Ed Ott, American baseball player and coach
    • 1952 – Bill Barber, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1952 – Stephen Lang, American actor and playwright
    • 1953 – Piyasvasti Amranand, Thai businessman and politician, Thai Minister of Energy
    • 1953 – Angélica Aragón, Mexican film, television, and stage actress and singer
    • 1953 – Peter Brown, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1953 – Suresh Prabhu, Indian accountant and politician, Indian Minister of Railways
    • 1953 – Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Mexican actress, director, and producer
    • 1953 – Leon Spinks, American boxer
    • 1953 – Mindy Sterling, American actress
    • 1953 – Ivan Toms, South African physician and activist (d. 2008)
    • 1953 – Bramwell Tovey, English-Canadian conductor and composer
    • 1953 – Paul Weiland, English director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1954 – Julia King, English engineer and academic
    • 1955 – Balaji Sadasivan, Singaporean neurosurgeon and politician, Singaporean Minister of Health (d. 2010)
    • 1956 – Amitav Ghosh, Indian-American author and academic
    • 1956 – Robin Renucci, French actor and director
    • 1956 – Sela Ward, American actress
    • 1957 – Johann Lamont, Scottish educator and politician
    • 1957 – Peter Murphy, English singer-songwriter
    • 1957 – Michael Rose, Jamaican singer-songwriter
    • 1958 – Mark Lester, English actor
    • 1958 – Hugo Sánchez, Mexican footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1959 – Richie Sambora, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1959 – Suzanne Vega, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1960 – David Baerwald, American singer-songwriter, composer, and musician
    • 1960 – Caroline Quentin, English actress
    • 1961 – Antony Jenkins, English banker and businessman
    • 1962 – Gaétan Duchesne, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
    • 1962 – Pauline McLynn, Irish actress and author
    • 1962 – Fumiya Fujii, Japanese music artist
    • 1963 – Al MacInnis, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1963 – Dean Richards, English rugby player and coach
    • 1963 – Lisa Rinna, American actress and talk show host
    • 1965 – Tony Cottee, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1965 – Ernesto Hoost, Dutch kick-boxer and sportscaster
    • 1965 – Scott Shriner, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1966 – Nadeem Aslam, Pakistani-English author
    • 1966 – Kentaro Miura, Japanese author and illustrator
    • 1966 – Rod Strickland, American basketball player and coach
    • 1966 – Ricky Warwick, Northern Irish musician
    • 1967 – Andy Ashby, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Jhumpa Lahiri, Indian American novelist and short story writer
    • 1968 – Michael Geist, Canadian journalist and academic
    • 1968 – Daniel MacMaster, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
    • 1968 – Esera Tuaolo, American football player
    • 1969 – Ned Boulting, British sports journalist and television presenter
    • 1970 – Justin Chambers, American actor
    • 1970 – Sajjad Karim, English lawyer and politician
    • 1970 – Eric Owens, American opera singer
    • 1971 – Leisha Hailey, Japanese-American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1972 – Cormac Battle, English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1973 – Konstantinos Kenteris, Greek runner
    • 1974 – Alanas Chošnau, Lithuanian singer-songwriter
    • 1974 – Hermann Hreiðarsson, Icelandic footballer and manager
    • 1974 – André Ooijer, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Willie Anderson, American football player
    • 1975 – Rubén Baraja, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Lil’ Kim, American rapper and producer
    • 1976 – Eduardo Nájera, Mexican-American basketball player and coach
    • 1977 – Brandon Short, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1978 – Kathleen Edwards, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Massimiliano Rosolino, Italian swimmer
    • 1979 – Raio Piiroja, Estonian footballer
    • 1980 – Tyson Kidd, Canadian wrestler
    • 1980 – Kevin Powers, American soldier and author
    • 1981 – Andre Johnson, American football player
    • 1982 – Chris Cooley, American football player
    • 1983 – Engin Baytar, German-Turkish footballer
    • 1983 – Peter Cincotti, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1983 – Marie Serneholt, Swedish singer and dancer
    • 1984 – Yorman Bazardo, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1984 – Tanith Belbin, Canadian-American ice dancer
    • 1984 – Jacoby Jones, American football player
    • 1984 – Joe Pavelski, American ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Morné Steyn, South African rugby player
    • 1985 – Robert Adamson, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1985 – Orestis Karnezis, Greek footballer
    • 1986 – Raúl García, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Yoann Gourcuff, French footballer
    • 1986 – Ryan Jarvis, English footballer
    • 1987 – Shigeaki Kato, Japanese singer
    • 1988 – Étienne Capoue, French footballer
    • 1988 – Natalie La Rose, Dutch singer, songwriter and dancer
    • 1989 – Tobias Sana, Swedish footballer
    • 1989 – Travis Waddell, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Mona Barthel, German tennis player
    • 1990 – Connor Paolo, American actor
    • 1990 – Adam Jezierski, Polish-Spanish actor and singer
    • 1990 – Patrick Peterson, American football player
    • 1990 – Caroline Wozniacki, Danish tennis player
    • 1993 – Rebecca Bross, American gymnast
    • 1993 – Heini Salonen, Finnish tennis player
    • 1994 – Bartłomiej Kalinkowski, Polish footballer
    • 1994 – Anthony Milford, Australian rugby league player
    • 1994 – Nina Nesbitt, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1994 – Lucas Ocampos, Argentinian footballer
    • 1995 – Joey Bosa, American football player
    • 1995 – Tyler Medeiros, Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1996 – Alessia Cara, Canadian singer-songwriter

    Deaths on July 11

    • 472 – Anthemius, Roman emperor (b. 420)
    • 937 – Rudolph II of Burgundy (b. 880)
    • 969 – Olga of Kiev (b. 890)
    • 1174 – Amalric I of Jerusalem (b. 1136)
    • 1183 – Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1117)
    • 1302 – Robert II, Count of Artois (b. 1250)
    • 1302 – Pierre Flotte, French politician and lawyer
    • 1344 – Ulrich III, Count of Württemberg (b. c. 1286)
    • 1362 – Anna von Schweidnitz, empress of Charles IV (b. 1339)
    • 1382 – Nicole Oresme, French philosopher (b. 1325)
    • 1451 – Barbara of Cilli, Slovenian noblewoman
    • 1484 – Mino da Fiesole, Italian sculptor (b. c. 1429)
    • 1535 – Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1484)
    • 1581 – Peder Skram, Danish admiral and politician (b. 1503)
    • 1593 – Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Italian painter (b. 1527)
    • 1599 – Chōsokabe Motochika, Japanese daimyō (b.1539)
    • 1688 – Narai, Thai king (b. 1629)
    • 1774 – Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet, Irish-English general (b. 1715)
    • 1775 – Simon Boerum, American farmer and politician (b. 1724)
    • 1797 – Ienăchiță Văcărescu, Romanian historian and philologist (b. 1740)
    • 1806 – James Smith, Irish-American lawyer and politician (b. 1719)
    • 1825 – Thomas P. Grosvenor, American soldier and politician (b. 1744)
    • 1844 – Yevgeny Baratynsky, Russian philosopher and poet (b. 1800)
    • 1897 – Patrick Jennings, Irish-Australian politician, 11th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1831)
    • 1905 – Muhammad Abduh, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1849)
    • 1908 – Friedrich Traun, German sprinter and tennis player (b. 1876)
    • 1909 – Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (b. 1835)
    • 1929 – Billy Mosforth, English footballer and engraver (b. 1857)
    • 1937 – George Gershwin, American pianist, songwriter, and composer (b. 1898)
    • 1959 – Charlie Parker, English cricketer, coach, and umpire (b. 1882)
    • 1966 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet and short story writer (b. 1913)
    • 1967 – Guy Favreau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 28th Canadian Minister of Justice (b. 1917)
    • 1971 – John W. Campbell, American journalist and author (b. 1910)
    • 1971 – Pedro Rodríguez, Mexican racing driver (b. 1940)
    • 1974 – Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish novelist, playwright, and poet Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
    • 1976 – León de Greiff, Colombian poet and educator (b. 1895)
    • 1979 – Claude Wagner, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1925)
    • 1983 – Ross Macdonald, American-Canadian author (b. 1915)
    • 1987 – Avi Ran, Israeli footballer (b. 1963)
    • 1987 – Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, American rabbi and scholar (b. 1901)
    • 1989 – Laurence Olivier, English actor, director, and producer (b. 1907)
    • 1991 – Mokhtar Dahari, Malaysian footballer and coach (b. 1953)
    • 1994 – Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research (b. 1942)
    • 1998 – Panagiotis Kondylis, Greek philosopher and author (b. 1943)
    • 1999 – Helen Forrest, American singer (b. 1917)
    • 1999 – Jan Sloot, Dutch computer scientist and electronics technician (b. 1945)
    • 2000 – Pedro Mir, Dominican lawyer, author, and poet (b. 1913)
    • 2000 – Robert Runcie, English archbishop (b. 1921)
    • 2001 – Herman Brood, Dutch musician and painter (b. 1946)
    • 2003 – Zahra Kazemi, Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer (b. 1948)
    • 2004 – Laurance Rockefeller, American financier and philanthropist (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – Renée Saint-Cyr, French actress and producer (b. 1904)
    • 2005 – Gretchen Franklin, English actress and dancer (b. 1911)
    • 2005 – Jesús Iglesias, Argentinian racing driver (b. 1922)
    • 2005 – Frances Langford, American actress and singer (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Barnard Hughes, American actor (b. 1915)
    • 2006 – Bronwyn Oliver, Australian sculptor (b. 1959)
    • 2006 – John Spencer, English snooker player and sportscaster (b. 1935)
    • 2007 – Glenda Adams, Australian author and academic (b. 1939)
    • 2007 – Lady Bird Johnson, American beautification activist; 43rd First Lady of the United States (b. 1912)
    • 2007 – Alfonso López Michelsen, Colombian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Colombia (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Ed Mirvish, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded Honest Ed’s (b. 1914)
    • 2008 – Michael E. DeBakey, American surgeon and educator (b. 1908)
    • 2009 – Reg Fleming, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1936)
    • 2009 – Arturo Gatti, Italian-Canadian boxer (b. 1972)
    • 2009 – Ji Xianlin, Chinese linguist and paleographer (b. 1911)
    • 2010 – Walter Hawkins, American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and pastor (b. 1949)
    • 2011 – Rob Grill, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Art Ceccarelli, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Marion Cunningham, American author (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Richard Scudder, American journalist and publisher, co-founded MediaNews Group (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Donald J. Sobol, American soldier and author (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Marvin Traub, American businessman and author (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Emik Avakian, Iranian-American inventor (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Egbert Brieskorn, German mathematician and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Eugene P. Wilkinson, American admiral (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Charlie Haden, American bassist and composer (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Carin Mannheimer, Swedish author and screenwriter (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Bill McGill, American basketball player (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-American drummer and producer (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – John Seigenthaler, American journalist and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Randall Stout, American architect, designed the Taubman Museum of Art (b. 1958)
    • 2015 – Giacomo Biffi, Italian cardinal (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – James U. Cross, American general (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Satoru Iwata, Japanese game programmer and businessman (b. 1959)
    • 2015 – Lawrence K. Karlton, American lawyer and judge (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – André Leysen, Belgian businessman (b. 1927)

    Holidays and observances on July 11

    • Christian Feast Day:
      • Benedict of Nursia
      • Olga of Kiev
      • Pope Pius I
      • July 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • China National Maritime Day (China)
    • Day of the Bandoneón (Argentina)
    • Day of the Flemish Community (Flemish Community of Belgium)
    • Eleventh Night (Northern Ireland)
    • Free Slurpee Day (Participating stores of the 7-Eleven chain in North America)
    • National Day of Remembrance of Victims of Genocide by Ukrainian Nationalists on Citizens of the Second Republic of Poland (Poland)
    • Gospel Day (Kiribati)
    • Imamat Day (Isma’ilism)
    • National Day of Commemoration, held on the nearest Sunday to this date (Ireland)
    • The first day of Naadam (July 11–15) (Mongolia)
    • World Population Day (International)

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

    • 1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa.
    • 217 BC – The Romans, led by Gaius Flaminius, are ambushed and defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene.
    • 109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Rome.
    • 474 – Julius Nepos forces Roman usurper Glycerius to abdicate the throne and proclaims himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
    • 637 – The Battle of Moira is fought between the High King of Ireland and the Kings of Ulster and Dál Riata. It is claimed to be the largest battle in the history of Ireland.
    • 972 – Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place.
    • 1128 – Battle of São Mamede, near Guimarães: Forces led by Afonso I defeat forces led by his mother Teresa of León and her lover Fernando Pérez de Traba.
    • 1230 – The Siege of Jaén begins, in the context of the Spanish Reconquista.
    • 1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce.
    • 1340 – Hundred Years’ War: Battle of Sluys: The French fleet is almost completely destroyed by the English fleet commanded in person by King Edward III.
    • 1374 – A sudden outbreak of St. John’s Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.
    • 1497 – John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.
    • 1509 – Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England.
    • 1535 – The Dominion of Münster, a radical communal Anabaptist state in the independent German city of Münster, is conquered by Franz von Waldeck, the Catholic Prince-Bishopric of Münster in a night attack.
    • 1571 – Miguel López de Legazpi founds Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
    • 1604 – Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present-day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
    • 1622 – Battle of Macau: The Dutch make a failed attempt to capture Macau.
    • 1663 – The Spanish garrison of Évora capitulates, following the Portuguese victory at the Battle of Ameixial.
    • 1717 – The Premier Grand Lodge of England is founded in London, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England).
    • 1762 – Battle of Wilhelmsthal: The British-Hanoverian army of Ferdinand of Brunswick defeats French forces in Westphalia.
    • 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.
    • 1793 – The French Constitution of 1793 is formally adopted, although it is effectively suspended by the Committee of Public Safety.
    • 1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon’s Grande Armée crosses the Neman river beginning the invasion of Russia.
    • 1813 – Battle of Beaver Dams: A British and Indian combined force defeats the United States Army.
    • 1821 – The Battle of Carabobo takes place. It is the decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain.
    • 1859 – Battle of Solferino (Battle of the Three Sovereigns): Sardinia and France defeat Austria in Solferino, northern Italy.
    • 1866 – Battle of Custoza: An Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War.
    • 1880 – First performance of O Canada at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français. The song would later become the national anthem of Canada.
    • 1894 – Marie François Sadi Carnot is assassinated by Sante Geronimo Caserio.
    • 1902 – King Edward VII of the United Kingdom develops appendicitis, delaying his coronation.
    • 1913 – Greece and Serbia annul their alliance with Bulgaria.
    • 1916 – Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract.
    • 1918 – First airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto.
    • 1922 – The American Professional Football Association is renamed the National Football League.
    • 1932 – A bloodless revolution instigated by the People’s Party ends the absolute power of King Prajadhipok of Siam (now Thailand).
    • 1938 – Pieces of a meteorite land near Chicora, Pennsylvania. The meteorite is estimated to have weighed 450 metric tons when it hit the Earth’s atmosphere and exploded.
    • 1939 – Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country’s third prime minister.
    • 1940 – World War II: Operation Collar, the first British Commando raid on occupied France, by No 11 Independent Company.
    • 1943 – US military police attempt to arrest a black soldier in Bamber Bridge, England, sparking the Battle of Bamber Bridge mutiny that leaves one dead and seven wounded.
    • 1947 – Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington, leading to the coining of the phrase “flying saucer”.
    • 1948 – Cold War: Start of the Berlin Blockade: The Soviet Union makes overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible.
    • 1949 – The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd, is aired on NBC.
    • 1950 – Apartheid: In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed, formally segregating races.
    • 1954 – First Indochina War: Battle of Mang Yang Pass: Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment ambush G.M. 100 of France in An Khê.
    • 1957 – In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment.
    • 1963 – The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government.
    • 1973 – The UpStairs Lounge, a gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, is attacked by an arsonist during a church service, and 32 people die from smoke inhalation or fire.
    • 1975 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 encounters severe wind shear and crashes on final approach to New York’s JFK Airport killing 113 of the 124 passengers on board, making it the deadliest U.S. plane crash at the time. This accident led to decades of research into downburst and microburst phenomena and their effects on aircraft.
    • 1981 – The Humber Bridge opens to traffic, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It remained the world’s longest bridge span for 17 years.
    • 1982 – British Airways Flight 9 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines.
    • 1989 – Jiang Zemin succeeds Zhao Ziyang to become the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
    • 1995 – Rugby World Cup: South Africa defeats New Zealand and Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis Cup in an iconic post-apartheid moment.
    • 2002 – The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history.
    • 2004 – In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional.
    • 2010 – At Wimbledon, John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France, in the longest match in professional tennis history.
    • 2010 – Julia Gillard assumes office as the first female Prime Minister of Australia.
    • 2012 – Death of Lonesome George, the last known individual of Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise.
    • 2013 – Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is found guilty of abusing his power and engaging in sex with an underage prostitute, and is sentenced to seven years in prison.

    Births on June 24

    • 1210 – Count Floris IV of Holland (d. 1234)
    • 1244 – Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1308)
    • 1254 – Floris V, Count of Holland (d. 1296)
    • 1257 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (probable; d. 1331)
    • 1314 – Philippa of Hainault Queen of England (d. 1369)
    • 1322 – Joanna, Duchess of Brabant (d. 1406)
    • 1343 – Joan of Valois, Queen of Navarre (d. 1373)
    • 1360 – Nuno Álvares Pereira, Portuguese general
    • 1386 – John of Capistrano, Italian priest and saint (d. 1456)
    • 1465 – Isabella del Balzo, Queen Consort of Naples (d. 1533)
    • 1485 – Johannes Bugenhagen, Polish-German priest and reformer (d. 1558)
    • 1485 – Elizabeth of Denmark, Electress of Brandenburg (d. 1555)
    • 1499 – Johannes Brenz, German theologian and the Protestant Reformer (d. 1570)
    • 1519 – Theodore Beza, French theologian and scholar (d. 1605)
    • 1532 – Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, English politician (d. 1588)
    • 1532 – William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1573)
    • 1535 – Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal (d. 1573)
    • 1546 – Robert Persons, English Jesuit priest, insurrectionist, and author (d. 1610)
    • 1587 – William Arnold, English-American settler (d. 1675)
    • 1591 – Mustafa I, Ottoman sultan (d. 1639)
    • 1614 – John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse
    • 1616 – Ferdinand Bol, Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman, student of Rembrandt (d. 1680)
    • 1661 – Hachisuka Tsunanori, Japanese daimyō (d. 1730)
    • 1663 – Jean Baptiste Massillon, French bishop (d. 1742)
    • 1687 – Johann Albrecht Bengel, German-Lutheran clergyman and scholar (d. 1757)
    • 1694 – Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, Swiss author and theorist (d. 1748)
    • 1704 – Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens, French philosopher and author (d. 1771)
    • 1753 – William Hull, American general and politician, 1st Governor of Michigan Territory (d. 1825)
    • 1755 – Anacharsis Cloots, Prussian-French activist (d. 1794)
    • 1767 – Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès, French geographer and author (d. 1846)
    • 1771 – Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, French chemist and businessman, founded DuPont (d. 1834)
    • 1774 – Antonio González de Balcarce, Argentinian commander and politician, 5th Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (d. 1819)
    • 1774 – François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo, French general and engineer (d. 1838)
    • 1777 – John Ross, Scottish commander and explorer (d. 1856)
    • 1782 – Juan Larrea, Argentinian captain and politician (d. 1847)
    • 1783 – Johann Heinrich von Thünen, German economist and geographer (d. 1850)
    • 1784 – Juan Antonio Lavalleja, Uruguayan general and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 1853)
    • 1788 – Thomas Blanchard, American inventor (d. 1864)
    • 1795 – Ernst Heinrich Weber, German physician and psychologist (d. 1878)
    • 1797 – John Hughes, Irish-American archbishop (d. 1864)
    • 1797 – Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, Polish geologist and explorer (d. 1873)
    • 1804 – Stephan Endlicher, Austrian botanist, numismatist, and sinologist (d. 1849)
    • 1804 – Willard Richards, American religious leader (d. 1854)
    • 1811 – John Archibald Campbell, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1889)
    • 1813 – Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and reformer (d. 1887)
    • 1813 – Francis Boott, American composer (d. 1904)
    • 1821 – Guillermo Rawson, Argentinian physician and politician (d. 1890)
    • 1826 – George Goyder, English-Australian surveyor (d. 1898)
    • 1835 – Johannes Wislicenus, German chemist and academic (d. 1902)
    • 1838 – Jan Matejko, Polish painter (d. 1893)
    • 1839 – Gustavus Franklin Swift, American businessman (d. 1903)
    • 1842 – Ambrose Bierce, American short story writer, essayist, and journalist (d. 1914)
    • 1846 – Samuel Johnson, Nigerian priest and historian (d. 1901)
    • 1850 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Irish field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Sudan (d. 1916)
    • 1852 – Friedrich Loeffler, German bacteriologist and academic (d. 1915)
    • 1854 – Eleanor Norcross, American painter (d. 1923)
    • 1856 – Henry Chapman Mercer, American archaeologist and author (d. 1930)
    • 1858 – Hastings Rashdall, English historian, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1924)
    • 1865 – Robert Henri, American painter and educator (d. 1929)
    • 1867 – Ruth Randall Edström, American educator and activist (d. 1944)
    • 1869 – Prince George of Greece and Denmark (d. 1957)
    • 1872 – Frank Crowninshield, American journalist and art and theatre critic (d. 1947)
    • 1875 – Forrest Reid, Irish novelist, literary critic and translator (d. 1947)
    • 1880 – Oswald Veblen, American mathematician and academic (g. 1960)
    • 1880 – João Cândido Felisberto, Brazilian revolutionary and sailor (d. 1969)
    • 1881 – George Shiels, Irish-Canadian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1949)
    • 1882 – Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1953)
    • 1882 – Carl Diem, German businessman (d. 1962)
    • 1883 – Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
    • 1883 – Fritz Löhner-Beda, Jewish Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (d.1942)
    • 1883 – Jean Metzinger, French artist (d. 1956)
    • 1883 – Arthur L. Newton, American runner (d. 1956)
    • 1883 – Frank Verner, American runner (d. 1966)
    • 1884 – Frank Waller, American runner (d. 1941)
    • 1885 – Olaf Holtedahl, Norwegian geologist (d. 1975)
    • 1888 – Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect, designed the Rietveld Schröder House (d. 1964)
    • 1893 – Roy O. Disney, American businessman, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (d. 1971)
    • 1895 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer and soldier (d. 1983)
    • 1898 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (d. 1983)
    • 1898 – Karl Selter, Estonian politician, 14th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (d. 1958)
    • 1900 – Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and engineer (d. 1945)
    • 1901 – Marcel Mule, French saxophonist (d. 2001)
    • 1901 – Harry Partch, American composer and theorist (d. 1974)
    • 1901 – Chuck Taylor, American basketball player and salesman (d. 1969)
    • 1904 – Phil Harris, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1995)
    • 1905 – Fred Alderman, American sprinter (d. 1998)
    • 1906 – Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (d. 1986)
    • 1906 – Willard Maas, American poet and educator (d. 1971)
    • 1907 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (d. 1989)
    • 1908 – Hugo Distler, German organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1942)
    • 1908 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (d. 1976)
    • 1909 – Jean Deslauriers, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1978)
    • 1909 – William Penney, Baron Penney, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1991)
    • 1909 – Betty Cavanna, American author (d. 2001)
    • 1911 – Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1995)
    • 1911 – Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1911 – Portia White, Canadian opera singer (d. 1968)
    • 1912 – Brian Johnston, English sportscaster and author (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – Mary Wesley, English author (d. 2002)
    • 1913 – Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist and soldier (d. 2002)
    • 1914 – Jan Karski, Polish-American activist and academic (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Pearl Witherington, French secret agent (d. 2008)
    • 1915 – Fred Hoyle, English astronomer and author (d. 2001)
    • 1916 – William B. Saxbe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 70th United States Attorney General (d. 2010)
    • 1916 – Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese painter and sculptor (d. 2017)
    • 1917 – David Easton, Canadian-American political scientist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1917 – Lucy Jarvis, American television producer (d. 2020)
    • 1917 – Ramblin’ Tommy Scott, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Joan Clarke, English cryptanalyst and numismatist (d. 1996)
    • 1918 – Mildred Ladner Thompson, American journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Yong Nyuk Lin, Singaporean businessman and politician, Singaporean Minister for Education (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Al Molinaro, American actor (d. 2015)
    • 1921 – Gerhard Sommer, German soldier
    • 1922 – Jack Carter, American actor and comedian (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – John Postgate, English microbiologist, author, and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Richard Timberlake, American economist
    • 1923 – Margaret Olley, Australian painter and philanthropist (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Kurt Furgler, Swiss politician, 70th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 2008)
    • 1924 – Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Yoshito Takamine, American politician (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Ogden Reid, American politician (d. 2019)
    • 1927 – Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (d. 1997)
    • 1927 – James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Carolyn S. Shoemaker, American astronomer
    • 1930 – Claude Chabrol, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – Donald Gordon, South African businessman and philanthropist (d. 2019)
    • 1930 – William Bernard Ziff, Jr., American publisher (d. 2006)
    • 1931 – Billy Casper, American golfer and architect (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – David McTaggart, Canadian-Italian environmentalist (d. 2001)
    • 1933 – Sam Jones, American basketball player and coach
    • 1933 – Ngina Kenyatta, 1st First Lady of Kenya
    • 1934 – Ferdinand Biwersi, German footballer and referee (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – Jean-Pierre Ferland, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1934 – Gloria Christian, Italian singer
    • 1935 – Terry Riley, American composer and educator
    • 1935 – Jean Milesi, French racing cyclist
    • 1935 – Charlie Dees, American baseball player
    • 1937 – Anita Desai, Indian-American author and academic
    • 1938 – Lawrence Block, American author
    • 1938 – Abulfaz Elchibey, 1st democratically elected Azerbaijani president (d. 2000)
    • 1938 – Ken Gray, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1992)
    • 1939 – Brigitte Fontaine, French singer
    • 1940 – Ian Ross, Australian newsreader (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Vittorio Storaro, Italian cinematographer
    • 1941 – Erkin Koray, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1941 – Julia Kristeva, Bulgarian-French psychoanalyst and author
    • 1941 – Graham McKenzie, Australian cricketer
    • 1942 – Arthur Brown, English rock singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Michele Lee, American actress and singer
    • 1942 – Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Chilean engineer and politician, 32nd President of Chile
    • 1942 – Colin Groves, Australian academician and educator
    • 1943 – Birgit Grodal, Danish economist and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1944 – Jeff Beck, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1944 – Kathryn Lasky, American author
    • 1944 – Chris Wood, English saxophonist (d. 1983)
    • 1945 – Colin Blunstone, English singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Wayne Cashman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1945 – George Pataki, American lawyer and politician, 53rd Governor of New York
    • 1945 – Betty Stöve, Dutch tennis player
    • 1946 – David Collenette, Canadian civil servant and politician, 32nd Canadian Minister of National Defence
    • 1946 – Ellison Onizuka, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1986)
    • 1946 – Robert Reich, American economist and politician, 22nd United States Secretary of Labor
    • 1947 – Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (d. 2014)
    • 1947 – Peter Weller, American actor and director
    • 1948 – Patrick Moraz, Swiss keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1949 – John Illsley, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1949 – Betty Jackson, English fashion designer
    • 1950 – Nancy Allen, American actress
    • 1950 – Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish-born English photographer (d. 2006)
    • 1950 – Jan Kulczyk, Polish businessman (d. 2015)
    • 1950 – Mercedes Lackey, American author
    • 1951 – Raelene Boyle, Australian sprinter
    • 1951 – Charles Sturridge, English director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Dianna Melrose, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to Tanzania
    • 1952 – Bob Neill, English lawyer and politician
    • 1953 – William E. Moerner, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1953 – Michael Tuck, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1955 – Chris Higgins, English geneticist and academic
    • 1955 – Edmund Malura, German footballer and manager
    • 1955 – Loren Roberts, American golfer
    • 1956 – Owen Paterson, English politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
    • 1957 – Mark Parkinson, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Kansas
    • 1958 – Jean Charest, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
    • 1958 – Silvio Mondinelli, Italian mountaineer
    • 1958 – John Tortorella, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1959 – Andy McCluskey, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1960 – Elish Angiolini, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland
    • 1960 – Siedah Garrett, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1960 – Karin Pilsäter, Swedish accountant and politician
    • 1960 – Erik Poppe, Norwegian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
    • 1961 – Dennis Danell, American singer and guitarist (d. 2000)
    • 1961 – Iain Glen, Scottish actor
    • 1961 – Bernie Nicholls, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1961 – Ralph E. Reed, Jr., American journalist and activist
    • 1961 – Curt Smith, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1963 – Yuri Kasparyan, Russian guitarist
    • 1963 – Preki, Serbian-American soccer player and coach
    • 1963 – Mike Wieringo, American author and illustrator (d. 2007)
    • 1964 – Jean-Luc Delarue, French television host and producer (d. 2012)
    • 1964 – Kathryn Parminter, Baroness Parminter, English politician
    • 1964 – Gary Suter, American ice hockey player and scout
    • 1965 – Claude Bourbonnais, Canadian race car driver
    • 1965 – Uwe Krupp, German ice hockey player and coach
    • 1965 – Richard Lumsden, English actor, writer, composer and musician
    • 1966 – Hope Sandoval, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1966 – Adrienne Shelly, American actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1967 – Janez Lapajne, Slovenian director and producer
    • 1967 – John Limniatis, Greek-Canadian footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Alaa Abdelnaby, Egyptian-American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Glenn Medeiros, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1970 – Bernardo Sassetti, Portuguese pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1972 – Robbie McEwen, Australian cyclist
    • 1972 – Denis Žvegelj, Slovenian rower
    • 1973 – Alexis Gauthier, French chef
    • 1973 – Jere Lehtinen, Finnish ice hockey player
    • 1974 – Dan Byles, English sailor, rower, and politician
    • 1974 – Chris Guccione, American baseball player and umpire
    • 1975 – Marek Malík, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Federico Pucciariello, Argentinian-Italian rugby player
    • 1976 – Brock Olivo, American football player and coach
    • 1977 – Dimos Dikoudis, Greek basketball player and manager
    • 1977 – Jeff Farmer, Australian footballer
    • 1978 – Luis García, Spanish footballer
    • 1978 – Pantelis Kafes, Greek footballer
    • 1978 – Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese footballer
    • 1978 – Ariel Pink, American singer-songwriter
    • 1978 – Juan Román Riquelme, Argentinian footballer
    • 1978 – Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish guitarist and songwriter
    • 1979 – Mindy Kaling, American actress and producer
    • 1979 – Petra Němcová, Czech model and philanthropist
    • 1980 – Cicinho, Brazilian footballer
    • 1980 – Nina Dübbers, German tennis player
    • 1980 – Andrew Jones, Australian race car driver
    • 1980 – Minka Kelly, American actress
    • 1982 – Kevin Nolan, English footballer
    • 1982 – Jarret Stoll, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Rebecca Cooke, English swimmer
    • 1983 – Gianni Munari, Italian footballer
    • 1983 – Gard Nilssen, Norwegian drummer
    • 1983 – David Shillington, Australian rugby league player
    • 1984 – Andrea Raggi, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – J.J. Redick, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Johanna Welin, Swedish-born German wheelchair basketball player
    • 1985 – Diego Alves Carreira, Brazilian footballer
    • 1985 – Tom Kennedy, English footballer
    • 1985 – Ethan Klein, American YouTuber
    • 1985 – Nate Myles, Australian rugby league player
    • 1985 – Vernon Philander, South African cricketer
    • 1985 – Yukina Shirakawa, Japanese model
    • 1986 – Stuart Broad, English cricketer
    • 1986 – Phil Hughes, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Solange Knowles, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1987 – Simona Dobrá, Czech tennis player
    • 1987 – Lionel Messi, Argentinian footballer
    • 1987 – Pierre Vaultier, French snowboarder
    • 1988 – Micah Richards, English footballer
    • 1989 – Teklemariam Medhin, Eritrean runner
    • 1990 – Michael Del Zotto, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Richard Sukuta-Pasu, German footballer
    • 1991 – Yasmin Paige, English actress
    • 1991 – Aidan Sezer, Australian rugby league player
    • 1992 – David Alaba, Austrian footballer
    • 1996 – Duki, Argentinian rapper

    Deaths on June 24

    • 994 – Abu Isa al-Warraq, Arab scholar (b. 889)
    • 1046 – Jeongjong II, Korean ruler (b. 1018)
    • 1088 – William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Norman nobleman
    • 1314 – Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, English commander (b. 1291)
    • 1314 – Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Marches (b. 1274)
    • 1398 – Hongwu, Chinese emperor (b. 1328)
    • 1439 – Frederick IV, duke of Austria (b. 1382)
    • 1503 – Reginald Bray, English architect and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1440)
    • 1519 – Lucrezia Borgia, Italian wife of Alfonso I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara (b. 1480)
    • 1520 – Hosokawa Sumimoto, Japanese commander (b. 1489)
    • 1604 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier, Lord Great Chamberlain (b. 1550)
    • 1637 – Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, French astronomer and historian (b. 1580)
    • 1643 – John Hampden, English politician (b. 1595)
    • 1766 – Adrien Maurice de Noailles, French soldier and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1678)
    • 1778 – Pieter Burman the Younger, Dutch philologist and academic (b. 1714)
    • 1803 – Matthew Thornton, Irish-American judge and politician (b. 1714)
    • 1817 – Thomas McKean, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1734)
    • 1835 – Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (b. 1769)
    • 1902 – George Leake, Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Western Australia (b. 1856)
    • 1908 – Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (b. 1837)
    • 1909 – Sarah Orne Jewett, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1849)
    • 1922 – Walther Rathenau, German businessman and politician, 7th German Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1867)
    • 1931 – Otto Mears, Russian-American businessman (b. 1840)
    • 1931 – Xiang Zhongfa, Chinese politician, 2nd General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (b. 1880)
    • 1932 – Ernst Põdder, Estonian general (b. 1879)
    • 1943 – Camille Roy, Canadian priest and critic (b. 1870)
    • 1946 – Louise Whitfield Carnegie, American philanthropist (b. 1857)
    • 1947 – Emil Seidel, American politician, Mayor of Milwaukee (b. 1864)
    • 1962 – Volfgangs Dārziņš, Latvian composer, pianist and music critic (b. 1906)
    • 1964 – Stuart Davis, American painter and academic (b. 1892)
    • 1968 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 1969 – Frank King, American cartoonist (b. 1883)
    • 1969 – Willy Ley, German-American historian and author (b. 1906)
    • 1976 – Minor White, American photographer, critic, and academic (b. 1908)
    • 1978 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (b. 1909)
    • 1980 – V. V. Giri, Indian lawyer and politician, 4th President of India (b. 1894)
    • 1984 – Clarence Campbell, Canadian businessman (b. 1905)
    • 1987 – Jackie Gleason, American actor, comedian, and producer (b. 1916)
    • 1988 – Csaba Kesjár, Hungarian race car driver (b. 1962)
    • 1991 – Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-American author and playwright (b. 1917)
    • 1991 – Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter and illustrator (b. 1899)
    • 1994 – Jean Vallerand, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1915)
    • 1995 – Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney Morissette v. United States (b. 1903)
    • 1997 – Brian Keith, American actor (b. 1921)
    • 2000 – Vera Atkins, British intelligence officer (b. 1908)
    • 2000 – David Tomlinson, English actor and comedian (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – Rodrigo Bueno, Argentine cuarteto singer (b. 1973)
    • 2002 – Pierre Werner, Luxembourgian banker and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Luxembourg (b. 1913)
    • 2004 – Ifigeneia Giannopoulou, Greek songwriter and author (b. 1957)
    • 2005 – Paul Winchell, American actor, voice artist, and ventriloquist (b. 1922)
    • 2007 – Natasja Saad, Danish rapper and reggae singer (b. 1974)
    • 2007 – Chris Benoit, Canadian wrestler (b. 1967)
    • 2007 – Derek Dougan, Northern Irish footballer and manager (b. 1938)
    • 2008 – Gerhard Ringel, Austrian mathematician and academic (b. 1919)
    • 2009 – Roméo LeBlanc, Canadian journalist and politician, 25th Governor General of Canada (b. 1927)
    • 2010 – Fred Anderson, American jazz tenor saxophonist (b. 1929)
    • 2011 – Tomislav Ivić, Croatian football coach and manager (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Darrel Akerfelds, American baseball player and coach (b. 1962)
    • 2012 – Gad Beck, German author and educator (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Gu Chaohao, Chinese mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Miki Roqué, Spanish footballer (b. 1988)
    • 2012 – Ann C. Scales, American lawyer, educator, and activist (b. 1952)
    • 2013 – Mick Aston, English archaeologist and academic (b. 1946)
    • 2013 – Emilio Colombo, Italian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Joannes Gijsen, Dutch bishop (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – William Hathaway, American lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – James Martin, English-Bermudian computer scientist and author (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Alan Myers, American drummer (b. 1955)
    • 2014 – John Clement, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Olga Kotelko, Canadian runner and softball player (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Ramón José Velásquez, Venezuelan journalist, lawyer, and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1916)
    • 2014 – Eli Wallach, American actor (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1986)
    • 2015 – Mario Biaggi, American police officer, politician and criminal (b. 1917)
    • 2015 – Marva Collins, American author and educator (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Susan Ahn Cuddy, American lieutenant (b. 1915)
    • 2019 – Billy Drago, American actor (b. 1945)

    Holidays and observances on June 24

    • Army Day or Battle of Carabobo Day (Venezuela)
    • Bannockburn Day (Scotland)
    • Christian feast day:
      • María Guadalupe García Zavala
      • Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
      • June 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of the Caboclo (Amazonas, Brazil)
    • Discovery Day, observed on the nearest Monday to June 24 (Newfoundland and Labrador)
    • Earliest day on which Armed Forces Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday in June. (United Kingdom)
    • Earliest day on which Inventors’ and Rationalizers’ Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday in June. (Russia)
    • Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in June. (Kenya)
    • Earliest day on which Youth Day can fall, while Jun 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in June. (Ukraine, Belarus)
    • Inti Raymi, a winter solstice festival and a New Year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere (Sacsayhuamán)
    • St John’s Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances:
      • Enyovden (Bulgaria)
      • Jaanipäev (Estonia)
      • Jāņi (Latvia)
      • Jónsmessa (Iceland)
      • Midsummer Day (England)
      • Saint Jonas’ Festival or Joninės (Lithuania)
      • Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec)
      • Sânziene (western Carpathian Mountains of Romania)
      • Wattah Wattah Festival (Philippines)
    • Fors Fortuna, ancient Roman festival to Fortuna

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

    • 1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens.At least 600 Jews are killed.
    • 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death.
    • 1153 – Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland.
    • 1199 – John is crowned King of England.
    • 1257 – Richard of Cornwall, and his wife, Sanchia of Provence, are crowned King and Queen of the Germans at Aachen Cathedral.
    • 1644 – Manchu regent Dorgon defeats rebel leader Li Zicheng of the Shun dynasty at the Battle of Shanhai Pass, allowing the Manchus to enter and conquer the capital city of Beijing.
    • 1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founds the city of Saint Petersburg.
    • 1798 – The Battle of Oulart Hill takes place in Wexford, Ireland; Irish rebel leaders defeat and kill a detachment of militia.
    • 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Austrian forces defeat the French at Winterthur, Switzerland.
    • 1813 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George.
    • 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi begins his attack on Palermo, Sicily, as part of the Italian unification.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: First Assault on the Confederate works at the Siege of Port Hudson.
    • 1874 – The first group of Dorsland trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts leaves Pretoria.
    • 1883 – Alexander III is crowned Tsar of Russia.
    • 1896 – The F4-strength St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado hits in St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, killing at least 255 people and causing over $10–million in damage.
    • 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima begins.
    • 1917 – Pope Benedict XV promulgates the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first comprehensive codification of Catholic canon law in the legal history of the Catholic Church.
    • 1919 – The NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon after completing the first transatlantic flight.
    • 1927 – The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacture of the Ford Model T and begins to retool plants to make the Ford Model A.
    • 1930 – The 1,046 feet (319 m) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public.
    • 1933 – New Deal: The U.S. Federal Securities Act is signed into law requiring the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.
    • 1933 – The Walt Disney Company releases the cartoon Three Little Pigs, with its hit song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”
    • 1935 – New Deal: The Supreme Court of the United States declares the National Industrial Recovery Act to be unconstitutional in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, (295 U.S. 495).
    • 1937 – In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic, creating a vital link between San Francisco and Marin County, California.
    • 1940 – World War II: In the Le Paradis massacre, 99 soldiers from a Royal Norfolk Regiment unit are shot after surrendering to German troops; two survive.
    • 1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaims an “unlimited national emergency”.
    • 1941 – World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic killing almost 2,100 men.
    • 1942 – World War II: In Operation Anthropoid, Reinhard Heydrich is fatally wounded in Prague; he dies of his injuries eight days later.
    • 1958 – First flight of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.
    • 1960 – In Turkey, a military coup removes President Celâl Bayar and the rest of the democratic government from office.
    • 1962 – The Centralia mine fire is ignited in the town’s landfill above a coal mine.
    • 1965 – Vietnam War: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation Front targets within South Vietnam.
    • 1967 – Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census.
    • 1967 – The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is launched by Jacqueline Kennedy and her daughter Caroline.
    • 1971 – The Dahlerau train disaster, the worst railway accident in West Germany, kills 46 people and injures 25 near Wuppertal.
    • 1971 – Pakistani forces massacre over 200 civilians, mostly Bengali Hindus, in the Bagbati massacre.
    • 1975 – Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, in North Yorkshire, England, kills 33 – the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom.
    • 1980 – The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more.
    • 1984 – The Danube-Black Sea canal is opened, in a ceremony attended by the Ceaușescus. It had been under construction since the 1950s.
    • 1996 – First Chechen War: the Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire.
    • 1997 – The 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak occurs, spawning multiple tornadoes in Central Texas, including the F5 that killed 27 in Jarrell.
    • 1998 – Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot.
    • 2001 – Members of the Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf seize twenty hostages from an affluent island resort on Palawan in the Philippines; the hostage crisis would not be resolved until June 2002.
    • 2006 – The 6.4 Mw  Yogyakarta earthquake shakes central Java with an MSK intensity of VIII (Damaging), leaving more than 5,700 dead and 37,000 injured.
    • 2016 – Barack Obama is the first president of United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha.
    • 2017 – Andrew Scheer takes over after Rona Ambrose as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
    • 2018 – Maryland Flood Event: A flood occurs throughout the Patapsco Valley causing one death and destroying the entire first floors of buildings on Main Street in Ellicott City and causing cars to overturn.

    Births on May 27

    • 742 – Emperor Dezong of Tang (d. 805)
    • 1332 – Ibn Khaldun, Tunisian historian and theologian (d. 1406)
    • 1378 – Zhu Quan, Chinese military commander, historian and playwright (d. 1448)
    • 1519 – Girolamo Mei, Italian historian and theorist (d. 1594)
    • 1537 – Louis IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg (d. 1604)
    • 1576 – Caspar Schoppe, German author and scholar (d. 1649)
    • 1584 – Michael Altenburg, German theologian and composer (d. 1640)
    • 1601 – Antoine Daniel, French-Canadian missionary and saint (d. 1648)
    • 1626 – William II, Prince of Orange (d. 1650)
    • 1627 – Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier (d. 1693)
    • 1651 – Louis Antoine de Noailles, French cardinal (d. 1729)
    • 1652 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine of Germany (d. 1722)
    • 1738 – Nathaniel Gorham, American merchant and politician, 14th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1796)
    • 1756 – Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (d. 1825)
    • 1774 – Francis Beaufort, Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy (d. 1857)
    • 1794 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1877)
    • 1814 – John Rudolph Niernsee, Viennese-born American architect (d.1885)
    • 1815 – Henry Parkes, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1896)
    • 1818 – Amelia Bloomer, American journalist and activist (d. 1894)
    • 1819 – Julia Ward Howe, American poet and songwriter (d. 1910)
    • 1827 – Samuel F. Miller, American lawyer and politician (d. 1892)
    • 1832 – Zenas Ferry Moody, American surveyor and politician, 7th Governor of Oregon (d. 1917)
    • 1836 – Jay Gould, American businessman and financier (d. 1892)
    • 1837 – Wild Bill Hickok, American police officer (d. 1876)
    • 1852 – Billy Barnes, English cricketer (d. 1899)
    • 1857 – Theodor Curtius, German chemist (d. 1928)
    • 1860 – Manuel Teixeira Gomes, Portuguese politician, 7th President of Portugal (d. 1941)
    • 1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (d. 1921)
    • 1867 – Arnold Bennett, English author and playwright (d. 1931)
    • 1868 – Aleksa Šantić, Bosnian poet and author (d. 1924)
    • 1871 – Georges Rouault, French painter and illustrator (d. 1958)
    • 1875 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (d. 1942)
    • 1876 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 1945)
    • 1876 – William Stanier, English engineer (d. 1965)
    • 1878 – Anna Cervin, Swedish artist (d. 1972)
    • 1879 – Karl Bühler, German-American linguist and psychologist (d. 1963)
    • 1879 – Hans Lammers, German judge and politician (d. 1962)
    • 1883 – Jessie Arms Botke, American painter (d. 1971)
    • 1884 – Max Brod, Czech journalist, author, and composer (d. 1968)
    • 1887 – Frank Woolley, English cricketer (d. 1978)
    • 1888 – Louis Durey, French composer (d. 1979)
    • 1891 – Claude Champagne, Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (d. 1965)
    • 1891 – Jaan Kärner, Estonian poet and author (d. 1958)
    • 1894 – Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French physician and author (d. 1961)
    • 1894 – Dashiell Hammett, American detective novelist and screenwriter (d. 1961)
    • 1895 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (d. 1995)
    • 1897 – John Cockcroft, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
    • 1897 – Dink Templeton, American rugby player and coach (d. 1962)
    • 1898 – David Crosthwait, American engineer, inventor and writer (d. 1976)
    • 1899 – Johannes Türn, Estonian chess and draughts player (d. 1993)
    • 1900 – Lotte Toberentz, German overseer of the Nazi Uckermark concentration camp (d. 1964)
    • 1900 – Uładzimir Žyłka, Belarusian poet and translator (d. 1933)
    • 1904 – Chūhei Nambu, Japanese jumper and journalist (d. 1997)
    • 1906 – Buddhadasa, Thai monk and philosopher (d. 1993)
    • 1906 – Harry Hibbs, English footballer (d. 1984)
    • 1906 – Antonio Rosario Mennonna, Italian bishop (d. 2009)
    • 1907 – Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and critic (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Rachel Carson, American biologist, environmentalist, and author (d. 1964)
    • 1909 – Dolores Hope, American singer and philanthropist (d. 2011)
    • 1911 – Hubert Humphrey, American journalist and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (d. 1978)
    • 1911 – Teddy Kollek, Hungarian-Israeli politician, Mayor of Jerusalem (d. 2007)
    • 1911 – Vincent Price, American actor (d. 1993)
    • 1912 – John Cheever, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1982)
    • 1912 – Sam Snead, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2002)
    • 1912 – Terry Moore, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1995)
    • 1915 – Ester Soré, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1915 – Herman Wouk, American novelist (d. 2019)
    • 1917 – Harry Webster, English engineer (d. 2007)
    • 1918 – Yasuhiro Nakasone, Japanese commander and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2019)
    • 1921 – Bob Godfrey, Australian-English animator, director, and voice actor (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – Christopher Lee, English actor (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – John D. Vanderhoof, American banker and politician, 37th Governor of Colorado (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Henry Kissinger, German-American political scientist and politician, 56th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1923 – Sumner Redstone, American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1924 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – John Sumner, English-Australian director, founded the Melbourne Theatre Company (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Tony Hillerman, American journalist and author (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Jüri Randviir, Estonian chess player and journalist (d. 1996)
    • 1928 – Thea Musgrave, Scottish-American composer and educator
    • 1930 – John Barth, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1930 – William S. Sessions, American civil servant and judge, 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
    • 1930 – Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2010)
    • 1931 – André Barbeau, French-Canadian neurologist (d. 1986)
    • 1931 – John Chapple, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Gibraltar
    • 1931 – Bernard Fresson, French actor (d. 2002)
    • 1931 – Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Philip Kotler, American author and professor
    • 1933 – Edward Samuel Rogers, Canadian businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Manfred Sommer, Spanish author and illustrator (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Ray Daviault, Canadian-American baseball player
    • 1934 – Harlan Ellison, American author and screenwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1935 – Daniel Colchico, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Mal Evans, British road manager of The Beatles (d. 1976)
    • 1935 – Jerry Kindall, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
    • 1935 – Ramsey Lewis, American jazz pianist and composer
    • 1935 – Lee Meriwether, American model and actress, Miss America 1955
    • 1936 – Benjamin Bathurst, English admiral
    • 1936 – Louis Gossett, Jr., American actor and producer
    • 1936 – Marcel Masse, Canadian educator and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Allan Carr, American playwright and producer (d. 1999)
    • 1939 – Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns, English courtier and businessman
    • 1939 – Yves Duhaime, Canadian captain and politician
    • 1939 – Sokratis Kokkalis, Greek businessman
    • 1939 – Gerald Ronson, English businessman and philanthropist
    • 1939 – Lionel Sosa, Mexican-American advertising and marketing executive
    • 1939 – Don Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Mike Gibson, Australian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Lee Baca, American police officer
    • 1942 – Piers Courage, English racing driver (d. 1970)
    • 1942 – Roger Freeman, Baron Freeman, English accountant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
    • 1942 – Robin Widdows, English racing driver
    • 1943 – Cilla Black, English singer and actress (d. 2015)
    • 1943 – Bruce Weitz, American actor
    • 1944 – Chris Dodd, American lawyer and politician
    • 1944 – Ingrid Roscoe, English historian and politician, Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire
    • 1944 – Alain Souchon, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1945 – Bruce Cockburn, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1946 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – John Williams, English motorcycle racer (d. 1978)
    • 1947 – Peter DeFazio, American politician
    • 1947 – Marty Kristian, German-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1947 – Branko Oblak, Slovenian footballer and coach
    • 1947 – Riivo Sinijärv, Estonian politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1948 – Wubbo de Boer, Dutch civil servant (d. 2017)
    • 1948 – Pete Sears, English bass player
    • 1948 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1949 – Hugh Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale, English politician
    • 1949 – Christa Vahlensieck, German runner
    • 1950 – Dee Dee Bridgewater, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1950 – Makis Dendrinos, Greek basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1951 – John Conteh, English boxer
    • 1954 – Pauline Hanson, Australian businesswoman, activist, and politician
    • 1954 – Jackie Slater, American football player and coach
    • 1955 – Eric Bischoff, American wrestler, manager, and producer
    • 1955 – Richard Schiff, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1955 – Ian Tracey, English organist and conductor
    • 1956 – Cynthia McFadden, American journalist
    • 1956 – Rosemary Squire, English producer and manager, co-founded Ambassador Theatre Group
    • 1956 – Giuseppe Tornatore, Italian director and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Dag Terje Andersen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Labour
    • 1957 – Nitin Gadkari, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Transport
    • 1957 – Eddie Harsch, Canadian-American keyboard player and bass player (d. 2016)
    • 1957 – Siouxsie Sioux, English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
    • 1958 – Nick Anstee, English accountant and politician, 682nd Lord Mayor of London
    • 1958 – Neil Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1958 – Jesse Robredo, Filipino politician, 23rd Filipino Secretary of the Interior (d. 2012)
    • 1960 – Gaston Therrien, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1961 – José Luíz Barbosa, Brazilian runner and coach
    • 1961 – Peri Gilpin, American actress
    • 1962 – Marcelino Bernal, Mexican footballer
    • 1962 – Ray Borner, Australian basketball player
    • 1962 – Steven Brill, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Anthony A. Hyman, Israeli-English biologist and academic
    • 1962 – David Mundell, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1962 – Ravi Shastri, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Cuban pianist and composer
    • 1963 – Maria Walliser, Swiss skier
    • 1964 – Adam Carolla, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Pat Cash, Australian-English tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Heston Blumenthal, English chef and author
    • 1967 – Paul Gascoigne, English international footballer, midfielder, coach, and manager
    • 1967 – Eddie McClintock, American actor
    • 1968 – Jeff Bagwell, American baseball player and coach
    • 1968 – Rebekah Brooks, English journalist
    • 1968 – Harun Erdenay, Turkish basketball player and coach
    • 1968 – Frank Thomas, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Todd Hundley, American baseball player
    • 1969 – Jeremy Mayfield, American race car driver
    • 1969 – Craig Federighi, American computer scientist and engineer
    • 1970 – Michele Bartoli, Italian cyclist
    • 1970 – Tim Farron, English educator and politician
    • 1970 – Joseph Fiennes, English actor
    • 1970 – Alex Archer, American-born Australian musician
    • 1971 – Mathew Batsiua, Nauruan politician
    • 1971 – Paul Bettany, English actor
    • 1971 – Wayne Carey, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1971 – Kaur Kender, Estonian author
    • 1971 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (d. 2002)
    • 1971 – Lee Sharpe, English footballer
    • 1971 – Grant Stafford, South African tennis player
    • 1971 – Sophie Walker, British politician, leader of the Women’s Equality Party
    • 1971 – Petroc Trelawny, British radio and television broadcaster
    • 1972 – Todd Demsey, American golfer
    • 1972 – Antonio Freeman, American football player
    • 1972 – Maxim Sokolov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Jack McBrayer, American actor and comedian
    • 1973 – Tana Umaga, New Zealand rugby player and coach
    • 1973 – Yorgos Lanthimos, Greek film video, and theatre director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Skye Edwards, British singer-songwriter
    • 1974 – Denise van Outen, English actress, singer, and television host
    • 1974 – Derek Webb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – Danny Wuerffel, American football player
    • 1975 – André 3000, American rapper
    • 1975 – Michael Hussey, Australian cricketer
    • 1975 – Jamie Oliver, English chef and author
    • 1975 – Feryal Özel, Turkish astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
    • 1976 – Marcel Fässler, Swiss racing driver
    • 1977 – Abderrahmane Hammad, Algerian high jumper
    • 1977 – Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lankan cricketer
    • 1978 – Adin Brown, American soccer player
    • 1979 – Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (d. 2004)
    • 1979 – Mile Sterjovski, Australian footballer
    • 1980 – Craig Buntin, Canadian figure skater
    • 1981 – Alina Cojocaru, Romanian ballerina
    • 1981 – Johan Elmander, Swedish footballer
    • 1984 – Blake Ahearn, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Miguel González, Mexican baseball pitcher
    • 1985 – Chiang Chien-ming, Taiwanese baseball player
    • 1985 – Roberto Soldado, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Conor Cummins, Manx motorcycle racer
    • 1986 – Bamba Fall, Senegalese basketball player
    • 1986 – Lasse Schöne, Danish footballer
    • 1987 – Gervinho, Ivorian footballer
    • 1987 – Bella Heathcote, Australian actress
    • 1987 – Eric Kolelas, French-English actor and director
    • 1987 – Bora Paçun, Turkish basketball player
    • 1987 – Matt Prior, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Martina Sablikova, Czech speed skater and cyclist
    • 1988 – Vontae Davis, American football player
    • 1988 – Irina Davydova, Russian hurdler
    • 1988 – Garrett Richards, American baseball pitcher
    • 1988 – Tyler Sash, American football player (d. 2015)
    • 1989 – Igor Morozov, Estonian footballer
    • 1990 – Yenew Alamirew, Ethiopian runner
    • 1990 – Chris Colfer, American actor and singer
    • 1990 – Marcus Kruger, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Sebastien Dewaest, Belgian footballer
    • 1991 – Tim Lafai, Samoan rugby league player
    • 1991 – Ksenia Pervak, Russian tennis player
    • 1991 – Eneli Vals, Estonian footballer
    • 1992 – Aaron Brown, Canadian sprinter
    • 1992 – Laurence Vincent-Lapointe, Canadian canoer

    Deaths on May 27

    • 366 – Procopius, Roman usurper (b. 325)
    • 398 – Murong Bao, emperor of the Xianbei state Later Yan (b. 355)
    • 475 – Eutropius, bishop of Orange
    • 866 – Ordoño I of Asturias (b. 831)
    • 927 – Simeon I of Bulgaria first Bulgarian Emperor (b. 864)
    • 1039 – Dirk III, Count of Holland (b. 981)
    • 1045 – Bruno of Würzburg, imperial chancellor of Italy (b. c. 1005)
    • 1178 – Godfrey van Rhenen, bishop of Utrecht
    • 1240 – William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey (b. 1166)
    • 1444 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English commander (b. 1404)
    • 1508 – Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1452)
    • 1508 – Lucrezia Crivelli, mistress of Ludovico Sforza (b. 1452)
    • 1525 – Thomas Müntzer, German mystic and theologian (b. 1488)
    • 1541 – Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (b. 1473)
    • 1564 – John Calvin, French pastor and theologian (b. 1509)
    • 1610 – François Ravaillac, French assassin of Henry IV of France (b. 1578)
    • 1624 – Diego Ramírez de Arellano, Spanish sailor and cosmographer (b. c. 1580)
    • 1637 – John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, English politician (b. c. 1566)
    • 1661 – Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, Scottish general and politician (b. 1607)
    • 1675 – Gaspard Dughet, Italian-French painter (b. 1613)
    • 1690 – Giovanni Legrenzi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1626)
    • 1702 – Dominique Bouhours, French priest and critic (b. 1628)
    • 1707 – Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan, French mistress of Louis XIV of France (b. 1640)
    • 1781 – Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1716)
    • 1797 – François-Noël Babeuf, French journalist (b. 1760)
    • 1831 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (b. 1799)
    • 1840 – Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1782)
    • 1867 – Thomas Bulfinch American mythologist (b. 1796)
    • 1896 – Aleksandr Stoletov, Russian physicist, engineer, and academic (b. 1839)
    • 1910 – Robert Koch, German physician and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
    • 1918 – Ōzutsu Man’emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 18th Yokozuna (b. 1869)
    • 1919 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian author and activist (b. 1848)
    • 1933 – Achille Paroche, French target shooter (b. 1868)
    • 1939 – Joseph Roth, Austrian-French journalist and author (b. 1894)
    • 1941 – Ernst Lindemann, German captain (b. 1894)
    • 1941 – Günther Lütjens, German admiral (b. 1889)
    • 1942 – Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, Turkish theologian, logician, and translator (b. 1878)
    • 1943 – Gordon Coates, New Zealand soldier and politician, 21st Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1878)
    • 1945 – Enno Lolling, German physician (b. 1888)
    • 1947 – Ed Konetchy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1885)
    • 1949 – Robert Ripley, American cartoonist, publisher, and businessman, founded Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (b. 1890)
    • 1953 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player and manager (b. 1868)
    • 1960 – James Montgomery Flagg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1877)
    • 1963 – Grigoris Lambrakis, Greek physician and politician (b. 1912)
    • 1964 – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of India (b. 1889)
    • 1967 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (b. 1880)
    • 1967 – Ernst Niekisch, German academic and politician (b. 1889)
    • 1969 – Jeffrey Hunter, American actor and producer (b. 1926)
    • 1971 – Béla Juhos, Hungarian-Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1901)
    • 1971 – Armando Picchi, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1935)
    • 1980 – Gün Sazak, Turkish agronomist and politician (b. 1932)
    • 1984 – Vasilije Mokranjac, Serbian composer (b. 1923)
    • 1986 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
    • 1986 – Ajoy Mukherjee, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (b. 1901)
    • 1986 – Giorgos Tzifos, Greek actor and cinematographer (b. 1918)
    • 1987 – John Howard Northrop, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
    • 1988 – Hjördis Petterson, Swedish actress (b. 1908)
    • 1988 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 1989 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (b. 1907)
    • 1990 – Robert B. Meyner, American lawyer and politician, 44th Governor of New Jersey (b. 1908)
    • 1991 – Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist and theorist (b. 1904)
    • 1992 – Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (b. 1890)
    • 1998 – Minoo Masani, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
    • 2000 – Kazimierz Leski, Polish engineer and pilot (b. 1912)
    • 2000 – Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, Scottish politician and diplomat, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (b. 1917)
    • 2000 – Maurice Richard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1921)
    • 2003 – Luciano Berio, Italian composer and educator (b. 1925)
    • 2006 – Rob Borsellino, American journalist (b. 1949)
    • 2006 – Paul Gleason, American actor (b. 1939)
    • 2006 – Craig Heyward, American football player (b. 1966)
    • 2007 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1967)
    • 2007 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (b. 1932)
    • 2007 – Ed Yost, American inventor, created the hot air balloon (b. 1919)
    • 2008 – Franz Künstler, Hungarian soldier (b. 1900)
    • 2009 – Thomas M. Franck, American lawyer and academic (b. 1931)
    • 2009 – Clive Granger, Welsh-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1934)
    • 2009 – Mona Grey, British nursing administrator; Northern Ireland’s first Chief Nursing Officer
    • 2009 – Abram Hoffer, Canadian biochemist, physician, and psychiatrist (b. 1917)
    • 2009 – Gérard Jean-Juste, Haitian-American priest and theologian (b. 1946)
    • 2009 – Carol Anne O’Marie, American nun and author (b. 1933)
    • 2009 – William Refshauge, Australian soldier and physician (b. 1913)
    • 2009 – Paul Sharratt, English-American television host (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (b. 1929)
    • 2011 – Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (b. 1950)
    • 2011 – Margo Dydek, Polish-American basketball player (b. 1974)
    • 2011 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1949)
    • 2012 – Simeon Daniel, Nevisian educator and politician, 1st Premier of Nevis (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Friedrich Hirzebruch, German mathematician and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – David Rimoin, Canadian-American geneticist and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Abdoulaye Sékou Sow, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Robert Genn, Canadian painter and author (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Massimo Vignelli, Italian-American graphic designer (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Erik Carlsson, Swedish rally driver (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Nils Christie, Norwegian sociologist, criminologist, and author (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Andy King, English footballer and manager (b. 1956)
    • 2015 – Michael Martin, American philosopher and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2017 – Gregg Allman, American musician, singer and songwriter (b. 1947)
    • 2020 – Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (b. 1935)

    Holidays and observances on May 27

    • Armed Forces Day (Nicaragua)
    • Children’s Day (Nigeria)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Augustine of Canterbury
      • Blessed Lojze Grozde
      • Bede (commemoration, Anglican Communion)
      • Bruno of Würzburg
      • Eutropius of Orange
      • Hildebert
      • Julius the Veteran
      • May 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Mother’s Day (Bolivia)
    • Navy Day (Japan)
    • Slavery Abolition Day (Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin)
    • Start of National Reconciliation Week (Australia)

  • May 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 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1256 – The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae.
    • 1415 – Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus are condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance.
    • 1436 – Assassination of the Swedish rebel (later national hero) Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson
    • 1471 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Tewkesbury: Edward IV defeats a Lancastrian Army and kills Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales.
    • 1493 – Pope Alexander VI divides the New World between Spain and Portugal along the Line of Demarcation.
    • 1626 – Dutch explorer Peter Minuit arrives in New Netherland (present day Manhattan Island) aboard the See Meeuw.
    • 1686 – The Municipality of Ilagan is founded in the Philippines.
    • 1776 – Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III.
    • 1799 – Fourth Anglo-Mysore War: The Battle of Seringapatam: The siege of Seringapatam ends when the city is invaded and Tipu Sultan killed by the besieging British army, under the command of General George Harris.
    • 1814 – Emperor Napoleon arrives at Portoferraio on the island of Elba to begin his exile.
    • 1814 – King Ferdinand VII abolishes the Spanish Constitution of 1812, returning Spain to absolutism.
    • 1836 – Formation of Ancient Order of Hibernians
    • 1859 – The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking Devon and Cornwall in England.
    • 1869 – The Naval Battle of Hakodate is fought in Japan.
    • 1871 – The National Association, the first professional baseball league, opens its first season in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
    • 1886 – Haymarket affair: A bomb is thrown at policemen trying to break up a labor rally in Chicago, United States, killing eight and wounding 60. The police fire into the crowd.
    • 1904 – The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal.
    • 1910 – The Royal Canadian Navy is created.
    • 1912 – Italy occupies the Greek island of Rhodes.
    • 1919 – May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Chinese territory to Japan.
    • 1926 – The United Kingdom general strike begins.
    • 1927 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is incorporated.
    • 1932 – In Atlanta, mobster Al Capone begins serving an eleven-year prison sentence for tax evasion.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea begins with an attack by aircraft from the United States aircraft carrier USS Yorktown on Japanese naval forces at Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands. The Japanese forces had invaded Tulagi the day before.
    • 1945 – World War II: Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg is liberated by the British Army.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath is signed, coming into effect the following day. It encompasses all Wehrmacht units in the Netherlands, Denmark and northwest Germany.
    • 1946 – In San Francisco Bay, U.S. Marines from the nearby Treasure Island Naval Base stop a two-day riot at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Five people are killed in the riot.
    • 1949 – The entire Torino football team (except for two players who did not take the trip: Sauro Tomà, due to an injury and Renato Gandolfi, because of coach request) is killed in a plane crash.
    • 1953 – Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.
    • 1959 – The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held.
    • 1961 – American civil rights movement: The “Freedom Riders” begin a bus trip through the South.
    • 1961 – Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather attain a new altitude record for manned balloon flight ascending in the Strato-Lab V open gondola to 113,740 feet (34.67 km).
    • 1970 – Vietnam War: Kent State shootings: The Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University after disturbances in the city of Kent the weekend before, opens fire killing four unarmed students and wounding nine others. The students were protesting the Cambodian Campaign of the United States and South Vietnam.
    • 1972 – The Don’t Make A Wave Committee, a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to “Greenpeace Foundation”.
    • 1978 – The South African Defence Force attacks a SWAPO base at Cassinga in southern Angola, killing about 600 people.
    • 1979 – Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
    • 1982 – Twenty sailors are killed when the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield is hit by an Argentinian Exocet missile during the Falklands War.
    • 1988 – The PEPCON disaster rocks Henderson, Nevada, as tons of Space Shuttle fuel detonate during a fire.
    • 1989 – Iran–Contra affair: Former White House aide Oliver North is convicted of three crimes and acquitted of nine other charges; the convictions are later overturned on appeal.
    • 1990 – Latvia proclaims the renewal of its independence after the Soviet occupation.
    • 1994 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat sign a peace accord, granting self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.
    • 1998 – A federal judge in Sacramento, California, gives “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty.
    • 2000 – Ken Livingstone becomes the first Mayor of London (an office separate from that of the Lord Mayor of London).
    • 2007 – Greensburg, Kansas is almost completely destroyed by a 1.7-mile wide EF5 tornado. It was the first-ever tornado to be rated as such with the new Enhanced Fujita scale.
    • 2014 – Three people are killed and 62 injured in a pair of bombings on buses in Nairobi, Kenya.

    Births on May 4

    • 1006 – Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, Persian mystic and poet (d. 1088)
    • 1008 – Henry I, king of France (d. 1060)
    • 1559 – Alice Spencer, English noblewoman (d. 1637)
    • 1634 – Katherine Ferrers, English aristocrat and heiress (d. 1660)
    • 1649 – Chhatrasal, Indian ruler (d. 1731)
    • 1654 – Kangxi Emperor, Emperor of the Qing Dynasty
    • 1655 – Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian instrument maker, invented the piano (d. 1731)
    • 1677 – Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, French noblewoman (d.1749)
    • 1715 – Richard Graves, English minister and author (d. 1804)
    • 1733 – Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, and sailor (d. 1799)
    • 1752 – John Brooks, American soldier and politician, 11th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1825)
    • 1757 – Manuel Tolsá, Spanish sculptor and first director of the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City (d. 1816)
    • 1767 – Tyagaraja, Indian composer (d. 1847)
    • 1770 – François Gérard, French painter (d. 1837)
    • 1772 – Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus, German publisher (d. 1823)
    • 1796 – Horace Mann, American educator and politician (d. 1859)
    • 1796 – William Pennington, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of New Jersey, 23rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1862)
    • 1796 – William H. Prescott, American historian and scholar (d. 1859)
    • 1820 – Julia Gardiner Tyler, American wife of John Tyler, 11th First Lady of the United States (d. 1889)
    • 1820 – John Whiteaker, American soldier, judge, and politician, 1st Governor of Oregon (d. 1902)
    • 1822 – Charles Boucher de Boucherville, Canadian physician and politician, 3rd Premier of Quebec (d. 1915)
    • 1825 – Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist, anatomist, and academic (d. 1895)
    • 1825 – Augustus Le Plongeon, English-American historian, photographer, and academic (d. 1908)
    • 1826 – Frederic Edwin Church, American painter (d. 1900)
    • 1827 – John Hanning Speke, English soldier and explorer (d. 1864)
    • 1851 – Thomas Dewing, American painter (d. 1938)
    • 1852 – Alice Liddell, English model (d. 1934)
    • 1855 – Greyfriars Bobby, faithful dog (d. 1872)
    • 1883 – Wang Jingwei, Chinese politician (d. 1944)
    • 1884 – Richard Baggallay, English army officer and cricketer (d. 1975)
    • 1887 – Andrew Dasburg, French-American painter (d. 1979)
    • 1889 – Francis Spellman, American cardinal (d. 1967)
    • 1890 – Franklin Carmichael, Canadian painter (d. 1945)
    • 1902 – Ronnie Aird, English cricketer and administrator (d. 1986)
    • 1902 – Cola Debrot, Dutch physician, lawyer, and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1903 – Luther Adler, American actor (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – Paul Demel, Czech actor (d. 1951)
    • 1905 – Al Dexter, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1984)
    • 1906 – Gustav Bergmann, Austrian-American philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1987)
    • 1907 – Lincoln Kirstein, American soldier and playwright, co-founded the New York City Ballet (d. 1996)
    • 1907 – Walter Walsh, American target shooter and FBI agent (d. 2014)
    • 1908 – Wolrad Eberle, German decathlete (d. 1949)
    • 1911 – Evald Seepere, Estonian boxer (d. 1990)
    • 1913 – John Broome, American author (d. 1999)
    • 1913 – Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark (d. 2007)
    • 1914 – Maedayama Eigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 39th Yokozuna (d. 1971)
    • 1916 – Jane Jacobs, American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Richard Proenneke, American soldier, carpenter, and meteorologist (d. 2003)
    • 1917 – Edward T. Cone, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
    • 1917 – Nick Joaquin, Filipino writer, journalist and historian (d. 2004)
    • 1918 – Tom Mead, Australian journalist and politician (d. 2004)
    • 1918 – Kakuei Tanaka, Japanese soldier and politician, 64th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1993)
    • 1919 – Dory Funk, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1973)
    • 1919 – Basil Yamey, South African-English economist and academic
    • 1921 – Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
    • 1921 – John van Kesteren, Dutch-American tenor and actor (d. 2008)
    • 1921 – Edo Murtić, Croatian painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2005)
    • 1922 – Paul-Émile Charbonneau, Canadian archbishop (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Stanley Biber, American soldier and physician (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Ed Cassidy, American jazz and rock drummer (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Assi Rahbani, Lebanese composer and producer (d. 1986)
    • 1923 – Eric Sykes, British actor and comedian (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – John Toner, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Maurice R. Greenberg, American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1926 – David Stoddart, Baron Stoddart of Swindon, English politician
    • 1928 – Maynard Ferguson, Canadian trumpet player and bandleader (d. 2006)
    • 1928 – Thomas Kinsella, Irish poet, translator, and publisher
    • 1928 – Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian air marshal and politician, 4th President of Egypt (d. 2020)
    • 1928 – Betsy Rawls, American golfer
    • 1928 – Wolfgang von Trips, German race car driver (d. 1961)
    • 1929 – Manuel Contreras, Chilean general (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Audrey Hepburn, Belgian-British actress and humanitarian (d. 1993)
    • 1930 – Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson family
    • 1930 – Roberta Peters, American soprano (d. 2017)
    • 1931 – Jan Pesman, Dutch speed skater (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Russian conductor and educator (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – Thomas Stuttaford, English physician, journalist, and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – Harlon Hill, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Alexander MacAra, Scottish epidemiologist and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – J. Fred Duckett, American journalist and educator (d. 2007)
    • 1936 – El Cordobés, Spanish bullfighter
    • 1936 – Med Hondo, Mauritanian filmmaker and actor (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Ron Carter, American bassist and educator
    • 1937 – Dick Dale, American surf-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Wim Verstappen, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1938 – Tyrone Davis, American blues and soul singer (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican journalist, author, and critic (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Gillian Tindall, English historian and author
    • 1939 – Neil Fox, English rugby league player and coach
    • 1939 – Amos Oz, Israeli journalist and author (d. 2018)
    • 1939 – Leon Rochefort, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1940 – Robin Cook, American physician and author
    • 1940 – Peter Gregg, American race car driver and businessman (d. 1980)
    • 1941 – George Will, American journalist and author
    • 1942 – Nickolas Ashford, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1943 – Georgi Asparuhov, Bulgarian footballer (d. 1971)
    • 1943 – Mihail Chemiakin, Russian painter and sculptor
    • 1943 – Prasanta Pattanaik, Indian economist and academic
    • 1944 – Steve Liebmann, Australian radio and television host
    • 1944 – Russi Taylor, American voice actress (d. 2019)
    • 1945 – Jan Mulder, Dutch footballer and journalist
    • 1946 – John Barnard, English car designer
    • 1946 – Gary Bauer, American political activist
    • 1946 – John Watson, British race car driver
    • 1947 – John Bosley, Canadian businessman and politician, 31st Canadian Speaker of the House of Commons
    • 1947 – Ronald Sørensen, Dutch historian and politician
    • 1947 – Trivimi Velliste, Estonian politician, 17th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1948 – Alison Britton, English sculptor and educator
    • 1948 – Hurley Haywood, American race car driver
    • 1948 – King George Tupou V of Tonga, (d. 2012)
    • 1949 – Graham Swift, English novelist and short story writer
    • 1950 – Darryl Hunt, English bass player
    • 1951 – Colin Bass, English bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1951 – Colleen Hanabusa, American lawyer and politician
    • 1951 – Jackie Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1952 – Belinda Green, Australian beauty queen and 1972 Miss World
    • 1953 – Pia Zadora, American actress and singer
    • 1954 – Ryan Cayabyab, Filipino pianist, composer, and conductor
    • 1956 – Michael L. Gernhardt, American astronaut and engineer
    • 1956 – David Guterson, American novelist, short story writer, poet, and essayist
    • 1956 – Ken Oberkfell, American baseball player and coach
    • 1957 – Jaak Huimerind, Estonian architect
    • 1957 – Kathy Kreiner, Canadian skier
    • 1957 – Peter Sleep, Australian cricketer
    • 1957 – Marijke Vos, Dutch educator and politician
    • 1958 – Delbert Fowler, American football player
    • 1958 – Keith Haring, American painter (d. 1990)
    • 1958 – Jane Kennedy, English politician
    • 1958 – Caroline Spelman, English politician, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
    • 1959 – Valdemaras Chomičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Randy Travis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1959 – Bob Tway, American golfer
    • 1960 – Werner Faymann, Austrian politician, 28th Chancellor of Austria
    • 1961 – Jay Aston, English singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1964 – Silvia Costa, Cuban high jumper
    • 1966 – Gary Elkins, English footballer and manager
    • 1966 – Jane McGrath, English-Australian activist, co-founded the McGrath Foundation (d. 2008)
    • 1967 – Kate Garraway, English journalist
    • 1967 – Ana Gasteyer, American actress and singer
    • 1969 – Micah Aivazoff, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1969 – Franz Resch, Austrian footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Gregg Alexander, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1970 – Will Arnett, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1970 – Giovanni Mirabassi, Italian jazz musician
    • 1970 – Dawn Staley, American basketball player
    • 1970 – Paul Wiseman, New Zealand cricketer and coach
    • 1971 – Joe Borowski, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Miles Stewart, Australian triathlete
    • 1972 – Manny Aybar, Dominican baseball player
    • 1972 – Mike Dirnt, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1973 – Matthew Barnaby, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Argentinian footballer and coach
    • 1973 – John Madden, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1974 – Miguel Cairo, Venezuelan baseball player and coach
    • 1974 – Tony McCoy, Northern Irish jockey and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Ben Grieve, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Rory Hamill, Northern Irish international footballer
    • 1976 – Jason Michaels, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Indrek Visnapuu, Estonian basketball player and coach
    • 1977 – John Tripp, Canadian-German ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Erin Andrews, American sportscaster and journalist
    • 1978 – Igor Biscan, Croatian footballer
    • 1978 – Brett Burton, Australian footballer
    • 1978 – Vladimíra Uhlířová, Czech tennis player
    • 1979 – Lance Bass, American singer, dancer, and producer
    • 1979 – Kristin Harmel, American journalist and author
    • 1979 – Marie Poissonnier, French pole vaulter
    • 1979 – Lesley Vainikolo, Tongan rugby player
    • 1980 – Andrew Raycroft, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Eric Djemba-Djemba, Cameroon footballer
    • 1981 – Dallon Weekes, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1982 – Kleopas Giannou, Greek footballer
    • 1982 – Markus Rogan, Austrian swimmer
    • 1982 – Giorgos Tsiaras, Greek basketball player
    • 1983 – Dan Christian, Australian cricketer
    • 1983 – Derek Roy, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Robert Zwinkels, Dutch footballer
    • 1984 – Manjural Islam Rana, Bangladeshi cricketer (d. 2007)
    • 1984 – Brad Maddox, American wrestler and referee
    • 1984 – Sarah Meier, Swiss figure skater
    • 1984 – Montell Owens, American football player
    • 1984 – Kevin Slowey, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Ravi Bopara, English cricketer
    • 1985 – Anthony Fedorov, Ukrainian-born American singer and actor
    • 1985 – Fernandinho, Brazilian footballer
    • 1985 – Lester “Bo” McCalebb, American-Macedonian professional basketball player
    • 1985 – Jamie Adenuga, English MC and rapper
    • 1986 – Devan Dubnyk, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – George Hill, American basketball player
    • 1987 – Cesc Fàbregas, Spanish footballer
    • 1987 – Jorge Lorenzo, Spanish motorcycle racer
    • 1988 – Radja Nainggolan, Belgian footballer
    • 1989 – Dániel Gyurta, Hungarian swimmer
    • 1989 – Henna Lindholm, Finnish figure skater
    • 1989 – Rory McIlroy, Northern Irish golfer
    • 1989 – Aris Tatarounis, Greek basketball player
    • 1989 – James van Riemsdyk, American ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Irina Falconi, American tennis player
    • 1990 – Ryan Morgan, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Duvashen Padayachee, Australian race car driver
    • 1990 – Andrea Torres, Filipino actress and model
    • 1991 – Brianne Jenner, Canadian women’s ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Victor Oladipo, American basketball player
    • 1993 – Jānis Bērziņš, Latvian basketball player
    • 1994 – Abi Masatora, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1994 – Joseph Tapine, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1996 – Pelayo Roza, Spanish sprint canoeist

    Deaths on May 4

    • 408 – Venerius, archbishop of Milan
    • 784 – Arbeo, bishop of Freising
    • 1003 – Herman II, duke of Swabia
    • 1038 – Gotthard of Hildesheim, German bishop (b. 960)
    • 1406 – Coluccio Salutati, chancellor of Florence (b. 1331)
    • 1436 – Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, Swedish rebel leader
    • 1471 – Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, son and heir of Henry VI of England (b. 1453)
    • 1471 – Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (b. 1438)
    • 1483 – George Neville, Duke of Bedford (b. 1457)
    • 1506 – Husayn Mirza Bayqara, Timurid ruler of Herat (b. 1438)
    • 1519 – Lorenzo de’ Medici, duke of Urbino (b. 1492)
    • 1535 – John Houghton, Carthusian monk and saint
    • 1562 – Lelio Sozzini, Italian Protestant theologian (b. 1525)
    • 1566 – Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1490)
    • 1571 – Pierre Viret, Swiss theologian and reformer (b. 1511)
    • 1604 – Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer (b. 1533)
    • 1605 – Ulisse Aldrovandi, Italian naturalist (b. 1522)
    • 1615 – Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish priest and mathematician (b. 1561)
    • 1626 – Arthur Lake, English bishop and scholar (b. 1569)
    • 1677 – Isaac Barrow, English mathematician and theologian (b. 1630)
    • 1684 – John Nevison, English criminal (b. 1639)
    • 1729 – Louis Antoine de Noailles, French cardinal (b. 1651)
    • 1734 – James Thornhill, English painter and politician (b. 1675)
    • 1737 – Eustace Budgell, English journalist and politician (b. 1686)
    • 1774 – Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick, Prussian nobleman (b. 1714)
    • 1776 – Jacques Saly, French painter and sculptor (b. 1717)
    • 1790 – Matthew Tilghman, American politician (b. 1718)
    • 1799 – Tipu, ruler of Mysore (b. 1750)
    • 1811 – Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (b. 1776)
    • 1816 – Samuel Dexter, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of War, 3rd United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1761)
    • 1824 – Joseph Joubert, French author (b. 1754)
    • 1826 – Sebastián Kindelán y O’Regan, colonial governor of East Florida, Santo Domingo and Cuba (b. 1757)
    • 1839 – Denis Davydov, Russian general and poet (b. 1784)
    • 1858 – Aimé Bonpland, French botanist and explorer (b. 1773)
    • 1859 – Joseph Diaz Gergonne, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1771)
    • 1880 – Edward Clark, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Texas (b. 1815)
    • 1901 – John Jones Ross, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Premier of Quebec (b. 1831)
    • 1903 – Gotse Delchev, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary IMRO (b. 1872)
    • 1912 – Nettie Stevens, American geneticist credited with discovering sex chromosomes (b. 1861)
    • 1916 – Ned Daly, Irish rebel commander (Easter Rising) (b. 1891)
    • 1916 – John Murray, Australian politician, 23rd Premier of Victoria (b. 1851)
    • 1916 – Joseph Plunkett, Irish rebel and writer (b. 1887)
    • 1916 – Willie Pearse, Irish rebel (b. 1891)
    • 1919 – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, Slovak general and politician (b. 1880)
    • 1922 – Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian politician (b. 1888)
    • 1923 – Ralph McKittrick, American golfer and tennis player (b. 1877)
    • 1924 – E. Nesbit, English author and poet (b. 1858)
    • 1938 – Kanō Jigorō, Japanese founder of judo (b. 1860)
    • 1938 – Carl von Ossietzky, German journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
    • 1941 – Chris McKivat, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1880)
    • 1945 – Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (b. 1880)
    • 1953 – Alexandre Pharamond, French rugby player (b. 1876)
    • 1955 – George Enescu, Romanian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1881)
    • 1964 – Karl Robert Pusta, Estonian politician, 4th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1883)
    • 1969 – Osbert Sitwell, English-Italian author and poet (b. 1892)
    • 1972 – Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
    • 1973 – Jane Bowles, American author and playwright (b. 1917)
    • 1975 – Moe Howard, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1897)
    • 1976 – Frank Strahan, Australian public servant (b. 1886)
    • 1980 – Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslav field marshal and politician, 1st President of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
    • 1981 – C. Loganathan, Sri Lankan banker (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1911)
    • 1984 – Diana Dors, English actress (b. 1931)
    • 1985 – Fikri Sönmez, Turkish tailor and politician (b. 1938)
    • 1985 – Clarence Wiseman, English-Canadian 10th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1907)
    • 1987 – Paul Butterfield, American singer and harmonica player (b. 1942)
    • 1987 – Cathryn Damon, American actress (b. 1930)
    • 1988 – Lillian Estelle Fisher, American historian of Spanish America (b. 1891)
    • 1990 – Emily Remler, American guitarist (b. 1957)
    • 1991 – Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Egyptian singer-songwriter and mandolin player (b. 1902)
    • 1992 – Gregor Mackenzie, Scottish politician (b. 1927)
    • 1993 – France Štiglic, Slovenian film director and screenwriter (b. 1919)
    • 1995 – Connie Wisniewski, American baseball player (b. 1922)
    • 2000 – Hendrik Casimir, Dutch physicist and academic (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Bonnie Lee Bakley, American model, wife of Robert Blake (b. 1956)
    • 2004 – David Reimer, Canadian victim of a botched circumcision and transgender reassignment surgery (b. 1965)
    • 2005 – David Hackworth, American colonel and journalist (b. 1930)
    • 2008 – Fred Baur, American chemist and founder of Pringles (b. 1918)
    • 2009 – Dom DeLuise, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1933)
    • 2011 – Sammy McCrory, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Mort Lindsey, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Bob Stewart, American television producer, founded Stewart Tele Enterprises (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Adam Yauch, American rapper and director (b. 1964)
    • 2012 – Rashidi Yekini, Nigerian footballer (b. 1963)
    • 2013 – Otis R. Bowen, American physician and politician, 44th Governor of Indiana (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Christian de Duve, English-Belgian cytologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Javier Diez Canseco, Peruvian sociologist and politician (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – Mario Machado, Chinese-American journalist and actor (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Morgan Morgan-Giles, English admiral and politician (b. 1914)
    • 2013 – César Portillo de la Luz, Cuban guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Dick Ayers, American author and illustrator (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Elena Baltacha, Ukrainian-Scottish tennis player (b. 1983)
    • 2014 – Edgar Cortright, American scientist and engineer (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Helga Königsdorf, German physicist and author (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Ross Lonsberry, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1947)
    • 2014 – Jean-Paul Ngoupandé, Central African politician, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – William Bast, American screenwriter and author (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Ellen Albertini Dow, American actress (b. 1913)
    • 2015 – Marv Hubbard, American football player (b. 1946)
    • 2016 – Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, Burundian politician (b. 1946)
    • 2020 – Don Shula, American football player and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2020 – Greg Zanis, American carpenter and activist (b. 1950)

    Holidays and observances on May 4

    • Anti-Bullying Day (United Nations)
    • Bird Day (United States)
    • Cassinga Day (Namibia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla
      • Blessed Michal Giedroyc
      • English Saints and Martyrs of the Reformation Era (Church of England)
      • F. C. D. Wyneken (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)
      • Florian
      • Gotthard of Hildesheim
      • José María Rubio
      • Judas Cyriacus
      • Monica of Hippo (1960 Roman Catholic Calendar)
      • Sacerdos of Limoges
      • Venerius of Milan
      • May 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Dave Brubeck Day
    • Death of Milan Rastislav Štefánik Day (Slovakia)
    • Greenery Day (Japan)
    • International Firefighters’ Day
    • May Fourth Movement commemorations:
      • Literary Day (Republic of China)
      • Youth Day (China)
    • Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled (Afghanistan)
    • Remembrance of the Dead (Netherlands)
    • Restoration of Independence day (Latvia)
    • Star Wars Day (International observance)
    • World Give Day
    • World Naked Gardening Day
    • Youth Day (Fiji)

  • April 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    On the Roman calendar, this was known as the day before the nones of April (Latin: Prid. Non. Apr.).

    April 4 in History

    • 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines.
    • 1147 – Moscow is mentioned for the first time in the historical record, when it is named as a meeting place for two princes.
    • 1268 – A five-year Byzantine–Venetian peace treaty is concluded between Venetian envoys and Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos.
    • 1460 – Basel University is founded.
    • 1581 – Francis Drake is knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world.
    • 1609 – Moriscos are expelled from the Kingdom of Valencia.
    • 1660 – Declaration of Breda by King Charles II of Great Britain promises, among other things, a general pardon to all royalists for crimes committed during the English Civil War and the Interregnum.
    • 1721 – Sir Robert Walpole becomes the first British prime minister.
    • 1768 – In London, Philip Astley stages the first modern circus.
    • 1796 – Georges Cuvier delivers the first paleontological lecture.
    • 1814 – Napoleon abdicates for the first time and names his son Napoleon II as Emperor of the French.
    • 1818 – The United States Congress, affirming the Second Continental Congress, adopts the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (20 at that time).
    • 1841 – William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia, becoming the first President of the United States to die in office, and setting the record for the briefest administration. Vice President John Tyler succeeds Harrison as President.
    • 1850 – A large part of the English village of Cottenham burns to the ground in suspicious circumstances.
    • 1850 – Los Angeles is incorporated as a city.
    • 1859 – Bryant’s Minstrels debut “Dixie” in New York City in the finale of a blackface minstrel show.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: A day after Union forces capture Richmond, Virginia, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visits the Confederate capital.
    • 1866 – Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Dmitry Karakozov in the city of Saint Petersburg.
    • 1873 – The Kennel Club is founded, the oldest and first official registry of purebred dogs in the world.
    • 1875 – Vltava, composed by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana and also known by its German name Die Moldau, premiered in Prague.
    • 1887 – Argonia, Kansas elects Susanna M. Salter as the first female mayor in the United States.
    • 1905 – In India, an earthquake hits the Kangra Valley, killing 20,000, and destroying most buildings in Kangra, McLeod Ganj and Dharamshala.
    • 1913 – First Balkan War: Greek aviator Emmanouil Argyropoulos becomes the first pilot to die in the Hellenic Air Force when his plane crashes.
    • 1925 – The Schutzstaffel (SS) is founded under Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party in Germany.
    • 1933 – U.S. Navy airship USS Akron is wrecked off the New Jersey coast due to severe weather.
    • 1939 – Faisal II becomes King of Iraq.
    • 1944 – World War II: First bombardment of oil refineries in Bucharest by Anglo-American forces kills 3000 civilians.
    • 1945 – World War II: American troops liberate Ohrdruf forced labor camp in Germany.
    • 1945 – World War II: American troops capture Kassel.
    • 1945 – World War II: Soviet troops liberate Hungary from German occupation and occupy the country themselves.
    • 1949 – Cold War: Twelve nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
    • 1958 – The CND peace symbol is displayed in public for the first time in London.
    • 1960 – France agrees to grant independence to the Mali Federation, a union of Senegal and French Sudan.
    • 1964 – The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.
    • 1965 – The first model of the new Saab Viggen fighter aircraft is unveiled.
    • 1967 – Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” speech in New York City’s Riverside Church.
    • 1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
    • 1968 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 6.
    • 1968 – A.E.K. Athens B.C. becomes the first Greek team to win the European Basketball Cup.
    • 1969 – Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart.
    • 1973 – The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City are officially dedicated.
    • 1973 – A Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, dubbed the Hanoi Taxi, makes the last flight of Operation Homecoming.
    • 1975 – Microsoft is founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: A United States Air Force Lockheed C-5A Galaxy transporting orphans, crashes near Saigon, South Vietnam shortly after takeoff, killing 172 people.
    • 1979 – Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan is executed.
    • 1981 – Iran–Iraq War: The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force mounts an attack on H-3 Airbase and destroys about 50 Iraqi aircraft.
    • 1983 – Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Challenger makes its maiden voyage into space.
    • 1984 – President Ronald Reagan calls for an international ban on chemical weapons.
    • 1988 – Governor Evan Mecham of Arizona is convicted in his impeachment trial and removed from office.
    • 1990 – The current flag of Hong Kong is adopted for post-colonial Hong Kong during the Third Session of the Seventh National People’s Congress.
    • 1991 – Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania and six others are killed when a helicopter collides with their airplane over an elementary school in Merion, Pennsylvania.
    • 1994 – Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark found Netscape Communications Corporation under the name Mosaic Communications Corporation.
    • 1996 – Comet Hyakutake is imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous.
    • 2002 – The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War.
    • 2009 – France announces its return to full participation of its military forces within NATO.
    • 2013 – More than 70 people are killed in a building collapse in Thane, India.
    • 2020 – China holds a National day of mourning for martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease outbreak.

    Births on April 4

    • 188 – Caracalla, Roman emperor (d. 217)
    • 1436 – Amalia of Saxony, Duchess of Bavaria-Landshut (d. 1501)
    • 1490 – Vojtěch I of Pernstein, Bohemian nobleman (d. 1534)
    • 1492 – Ambrosius Blarer, German-Swiss theologian and reformer (d. 1564)
    • 1572 – William Strachey, English author (d. 1621)
    • 1586 – Richard Saltonstall, English diplomat (d. 1661)
    • 1593 – Edward Nicholas, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1669)
    • 1640 – Gaspar Sanz, Spanish guitarist, composer, and priest (d. 1710)
    • 1646 – Antoine Galland, French orientalist and archaeologist (d. 1715)
    • 1648 – Grinling Gibbons, Dutch-English sculptor (d. 1721)
    • 1676 – Giuseppe Maria Orlandini, Italian composer (d. 1760)
    • 1688 – Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, French astronomer and cartographer (d. 1768)
    • 1718 – Benjamin Kennicott, English theologian and scholar (d. 1783)
    • 1752 – Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli, Italian composer (d. 1837)
    • 1760 – Juan Manuel Olivares, Venezuelan organist and composer (d. 1797)
    • 1762 – Stephen Storace, English actor and composer (d. 1796)
    • 1772 – Nachman of Breslov, Ukrainian founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement (d. 1810)
    • 1780 – Edward Hicks, American minister and painter (d. 1849)
    • 1785 – Bettina von Arnim, German author, illustrator, and composer (d. 1859)
    • 1792 – Thaddeus Stevens, American lawyer and politician (d. 1868)
    • 1802 – Dorothea Dix, American nurse and activist (d. 1887)
    • 1818 – Thomas Mayne Reid, Irish-American author and poet (d. 1883)
    • 1819 – Maria II of Portugal (d. 1853)
    • 1821 – Linus Yale, Jr., American engineer and businessman (d. 1868)
    • 1826 – Zénobe Gramme, Belgian engineer, invented the Gramme machine (d. 1901)
    • 1829 – Owen Suffolk, Australian bushranger, poet, confidence-man and author
    • 1835 – John Hughlings Jackson, English physician and neurologist (d. 1911)
    • 1842 – Édouard Lucas, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1891)
    • 1843 – William Henry Jackson, American painter and photographer (d. 1942)
    • 1846 – Comte de Lautréamont, Uruguayan-French poet and educator (d. 1870)
    • 1851 – James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, Irish lawyer and politician (d. 1931)
    • 1853 – Remy de Gourmont, French poet, novelist, and critic (d. 1915)
    • 1868 – Philippa Fawcett, English mathematician and educator (d. 1948)
    • 1869 – Mary Colter, American architect, designed the Desert View Watchtower (d. 1958)
    • 1875 – Pierre Monteux, Sephardic Jewish French-American viola player and conductor (d. 1964)
    • 1876 – Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter and poet (d. 1958)
    • 1878 – Stylianos Lykoudis, Greek admiral and historian (d. 1958)
    • 1879 – Gustav Goßler, German rower (d. 1940)
    • 1884 – James Alberione, Italian priest, founded the Society of St. Paul (d. 1971)
    • 1884 – Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese admiral (d. 1943)
    • 1886 – Frank Luther Mott, American historian and journalist (d. 1964)
    • 1888 – Tris Speaker, American baseball player and manager (d. 1958)
    • 1888 – Zdzisław Żygulski, Sr., Polish historian and academic (d. 1975)
    • 1889 – Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Indian journalist, poet, and playwright (d. 1968)
    • 1892 – Italo Mus, Italian painter (d. 1967)
    • 1895 – Arthur Murray, American dancer and educator (d. 1991)
    • 1896 – Robert E. Sherwood, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 1955)
    • 1897 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor and screenwriter (d. 1975)
    • 1898 – Agnes Ayres, American actress (d. 1940)
    • 1899 – Hillel Oppenheimer, German-Israeli botanist and academic (d. 1971)
    • 1902 – Louise Lévêque de Vilmorin, French journalist and author (d. 1969)
    • 1902 – Stanley G. Weinbaum, American author and poet (d. 1935)
    • 1905 – Eugène Bozza, French composer and conductor (d. 1991)
    • 1905 – Erika Nõva, Estonian architect and engineer (d. 1987)
    • 1906 – Bea Benaderet, Turkish-Jewish Irish-American television, radio, and voice actress (d. 1968)
    • 1906 – John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (d. 1995)
    • 1907 – Robert Askin, Australian sergeant and politician, 32nd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1981)
    • 1910 – Đặng Văn Ngữ, Vietnamese physician and academic (d. 1967)
    • 1911 – Max Dupain, Australian photographer (d. 1992)
    • 1913 – Dave Brown, Australian rugby league player (d. 1974)
    • 1913 – Rosemary Lane, American actress and singer (d. 1974)
    • 1913 – Frances Langford, American actress and singer (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Jules Léger, Canadian lawyer and politician, 21st Governor General of Canada (d. 1980)
    • 1913 – Muddy Waters, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1983)
    • 1914 – Richard Coogan, American actor (d. 2014)
    • 1914 – Marguerite Duras, French novelist, screenwriter, and director (d. 1996)
    • 1914 – David W. Goodall, Australian ecologist and botanist (d. 2018)
    • 1915 – Louis Archambault, Canadian sculptor (d. 2003)
    • 1916 – Nikola Ljubičić, Serbian general and politician, 10th President of Serbia (d. 2005)
    • 1916 – Mickey Owen, American baseball player and coach (d. 2005)
    • 1916 – David White, American actor (d. 1990)
    • 1918 – George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, English soldier and politician, Leader of the House of Lords (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Orunamamu, American-Canadian author and educator (d. 2014)
    • 1920 – Ignatius IV of Antioch, Greek patriarch (d. 2012)
    • 1921 – Elizabeth Wilson, American actress (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – Elmer Bernstein, American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
    • 1923 – Peter Vaughan, English actor (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Gene Reynolds, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (d. 2020)
    • 1924 – Bob Christie, American race car driver (d. 2009)
    • 1924 – Gil Hodges, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
    • 1925 – Dettmar Cramer, German footballer and manager (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Frank Truitt, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Claude Wagner, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1979)
    • 1925 – Emmett Williams, American poet and author (d. 2007)
    • 1926 – Mildred Fay Jefferson, American physician and activist (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – Ronnie Masterson, Irish actress (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Joe Orlando, Italian-American author and illustrator (d. 1998)
    • 1928 – Maya Angelou, American memoirist and poet (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Estelle Harris, American actress and comedian
    • 1928 – Jimmy Logan, Scottish actor, director, and producer (d. 2001)
    • 1928 – Monty Norman, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1929 – Humbert Allen Astredo, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1930 – Netty Herawaty, Indonesian actress (d. 1989)
    • 1931 – James Dickens, English politician (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Bobby Ray Inman, American admiral and intelligence officer
    • 1931 – Catherine Tizard, New Zealand politician, 16th Governor-General of New Zealand
    • 1932 – Clive Davis, American record producer, founded Arista Records and J Records
    • 1932 – Richard Lugar, American lieutenant and politician, 44th Mayor of Indianapolis (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Anthony Perkins, American actor (d. 1992)
    • 1932 – Johanna Reiss, Dutch-American author
    • 1932 – Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian director and producer (d. 1986)
    • 1933 – Bill France, Jr., American businessman (d. 2007)
    • 1933 – Brian Hewson, English runner
    • 1933 – Bapu Nadkarni, Indian cricketer (d. 2020)
    • 1934 – Helen Hanft, American actress (d. 2013)
    • 1934 – Kronid Lyubarsky, Russian journalist and activist (d. 1996)
    • 1935 – Geoff Braybrooke, English-New Zealand soldier and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – Kenneth Mars, American actor and comedian (d. 2011)
    • 1935 – Trevor Griffiths, English playwright and educator
    • 1938 – A. Bartlett Giamatti, American businessman and academic (d. 1989)
    • 1939 – JoAnne Carner, American golfer
    • 1939 – Darlene Hooley, American educator and politician
    • 1939 – Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer (d. 2018)
    • 1940 – Richard Attwood, English race car driver
    • 1940 – Sharon Sheeley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2002)
    • 1942 – Jim Fregosi, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Kitty Kelley, American journalist and biographer
    • 1942 – Elizabeth Levy, American author
    • 1944 – Magda Aelvoet, Belgian politician
    • 1944 – Mary Kenny, Irish journalist, author, and playwright
    • 1944 – Bob McDill, American country music songwriter
    • 1944 – Craig T. Nelson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1944 – Nelson Prudêncio, Brazilian triple jumper and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1944 – Toktamış Ateş, Turkish academician, political commentator, columnist and writer (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French-German educator and politician
    • 1945 – Caroline McWilliams, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1946 – Colin Coates, Australian speed skater
    • 1946 – Dave Hill, English guitarist
    • 1946 – Katsuaki Satō, Japanese martial artist and coach
    • 1946 – György Spiró, Hungarian author and playwright
    • 1946 – Bubba Wyche, American football player and coach
    • 1947 – Wiranto, Indonesian general and politician
    • 1947 – Ray Fosse, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1947 – Eliseo Soriano, Filipino minister and television host
    • 1948 – Abdullah Öcalan, Turkish activist
    • 1948 – Berry Oakley, American bass player (d. 1972)
    • 1948 – Richard Parsons, American lawyer and businessman
    • 1948 – Dan Simmons, American author
    • 1948 – Derek Thompson, Northern Irish actor
    • 1948 – Pick Withers, English drummer
    • 1949 – Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican-American singer (d. 1999)
    • 1949 – Shing-Tung Yau, Chinese-American mathematician and academic
    • 1950 – Christine Lahti, American actress and director
    • 1951 – John Hannah, American football player and coach
    • 1952 – Rosemarie Ackermann, German high jumper
    • 1952 – Pat Burns, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2010)
    • 1952 – Gregg Hansford, Australian race car driver and motorcycle racer (d. 1995)
    • 1952 – Cherie Lunghi, English actress and dancer
    • 1952 – Karen Magnussen, Canadian figure skater and coach
    • 1952 – Gary Moore, Northern Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1952 – Villy Søvndal, Danish educator and politician, Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1953 – Robert Bertrand, Canadian politician
    • 1953 – Henry Fotheringham, South African cricketer
    • 1953 – Simcha Jacobovici, Canadian director, producer, journalist, and author
    • 1953 – Sammy Wilson, Northern Irish politician, 31st Lord Mayor of Belfast
    • 1953 – Chen Yi, Chinese violinist and composer
    • 1956 – Evelyn Hart, Canadian ballerina
    • 1956 – Tom Herr, American baseball player and manager
    • 1956 – David E. Kelley, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1957 – Paul Downton, English cricketer
    • 1957 – Aki Kaurismäki, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Graeme Kelling, Scottish guitarist (d. 2004)
    • 1957 – Nobuyoshi Kuwano, Japanese singer and trumpet player
    • 1958 – Peter Baltes, German bass player
    • 1958 – Cazuza, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 1990)
    • 1958 – Rodney Eade, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1959 – Phil Morris, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Jonathan Agnew, English cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Jane Eaglen, English soprano
    • 1960 – Hugo Weaving, Nigerian-Australian actor and producer
    • 1960 – Godknows Igali, Nigerian diplomat, civil servant and technocrat
    • 1961 – Hildi Santo-Tomas, American interior decorator
    • 1962 – Craig Adams, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1962 – Kailasho Devi, Indian social worker and politician
    • 1963 – A. Michael Baldwin, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1963 – Jack Del Rio, American football player and coach
    • 1963 – Dale Hawerchuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1963 – Jane McDonald, English singer and broadcaster
    • 1963 – Graham Norton, Irish actor and talk show host
    • 1964 – Branco, Brazilian footballer and coach
    • 1964 – Dr. Chud, American drummer and singer
    • 1964 – Anthony Clark, American actor
    • 1964 – David Cross, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Paul Parker, England international footballer, right-back and TV pundit
    • 1964 – Đặng Thân, Vietnamese writer and poet
    • 1965 – Vinny Burns, English guitarist and producer
    • 1965 – Robert Downey Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Nancy McKeon, American actress
    • 1966 – Mike Starr, American bass player (d. 2011)
    • 1966 – Christos Tsekos, Greek basketball player
    • 1967 – Edith Masai, Kenyan-German runner
    • 1967 – George Mavrotas, Greek water polo player and politician
    • 1968 – Jesús Rollán, Spanish water polo player (d. 2006)
    • 1969 – Piotr Anderszewski, Polish pianist and composer
    • 1969 – Karren Brady, English journalist and businesswoman
    • 1970 – Georgios Amanatidis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Greg Garcia, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Barry Pepper, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1970 – Jason Stoltenberg, Australian tennis player
    • 1970 – Josh Todd, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1970 – Yelena Yelesina, Russian high jumper
    • 1971 – Yanic Perreault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1971 – Malik Yusef, American actor, producer, and poet
    • 1971 – John Zandig, American wrestler and promoter
    • 1972 – Jim Dymock, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1972 – Jill Scott, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1972 – Magnus Sveningsson, Swedish bass player
    • 1973 – Chris Banks, American football player (d. 2014)
    • 1973 – David Blaine, American magician and producer
    • 1973 – Loris Capirossi, Italian motorcycle racer
    • 1973 – Peter Hoekstra, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1973 – Chris McCormack, Australian triathlete and coach
    • 1973 – Kelly Price, American singer-songwriter
    • 1975 – Delphine Arnault, French businesswoman
    • 1975 – Thobias Fredriksson, Swedish skier
    • 1975 – Joyce Giraud, Puerto Rican-American model, television actress and producer, Miss Puerto Rico 1994
    • 1975 – Pamela Ribon, American actress, screenwriter, and author
    • 1975 – Miranda Lee Richards, American singer-songwriter
    • 1975 – Scott Rolen, American baseball player
    • 1975 – Kevin Weekes, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Nathan Blacklock, Australian rugby player
    • 1976 – Sébastien Enjolras, French race car driver (d. 1997)
    • 1976 – Emerson Ferreira da Rosa, Brazilian footballer
    • 1976 – James Roday, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1977 – Stephan Bonnar, American mixed martial artist
    • 1977 – Keith Bulluck, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Adam Dutkiewicz, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1977 – Stephen Mulhern, English magician and television host
    • 1977 – Omarr Smith, American football player and coach
    • 1978 – Jason Ellison, American baseball player and scout
    • 1978 – Alan Mahon, Irish footballer
    • 1979 – Heath Ledger, Australian actor (d. 2008)
    • 1979 – Roberto Luongo, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Natasha Lyonne, American actress
    • 1979 – Andy McKee, American guitarist
    • 1979 – Maksim Opalev, Russian canoeist
    • 1980 – Johnny Borrell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1980 – Trevor Moore, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1980 – Eric Steinbach, American football player
    • 1980 – Björn Wirdheim, Swedish race car driver
    • 1981 – Currensy, American rapper
    • 1981 – Eduardo Luís Carloto, Brazilian footballer
    • 1981 – Casey Daigle, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Anna Pyatykh, Russian triple jumper
    • 1981 – Ned Vizzini, American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1982 – Justin Cook, American voice actor and producer
    • 1982 – Magnus Lindgren, Swedish chef (d. 2012)
    • 1983 – Evgeny Artyukhin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Eric Andre, American comedian
    • 1983 – Ben Gordon, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Doug Lynch, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Natalie Pike, Scottish-English model and actress
    • 1983 – Amanda Righetti, American actress
    • 1984 – Sean May, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Arkady Vyatchanin, Russian swimmer
    • 1985 – Rudy Fernández, Spanish basketball player
    • 1985 – Dudi Sela, Israeli tennis player
    • 1985 – Ricardo Vilar, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Eunhyuk, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1986 – Cameron Barker, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Maurice Manificat, French skier
    • 1986 – Aiden McGeady, Scottish-born Irish footballer
    • 1986 – Alexander Tettey, Norwegian footballer
    • 1987 – Sami Khedira, German footballer
    • 1987 – McDonald Mariga, Kenyan footballer
    • 1987 – Cameron Maybin, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Marcos Vellidis, Greek footballer
    • 1987 – Sarah Gadon, Canadian actress
    • 1988 – Frank Fielding, English footballer
    • 1989 – Vurnon Anita, Dutch footballer
    • 1989 – Steven Finn, English cricketer
    • 1989 – Chris Herd, Australian footballer
    • 1991 – Yui Koike, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1991 – Justin O’Neill, Australian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Jamie Lynn Spears, American actress and singer
    • 1991 – Marlon Stöckinger, Filipino race car driver
    • 1992 – Lucy May Barker, English actress and singer
    • 1992 – Christina Metaxa, Cypriot singer-songwriter
    • 1992 – Ricky Dillon, American youtuber and singer
    • 1993 – Samir Carruthers, English footballer
    • 1993 – Frank Kaminsky, American basketball player
    • 1994 – Shunsuke Nishikawa, Japanese actor
    • 1994 – Risako Sugaya, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1996 – Austin Mahone, American singer-songwriter and actor

    Deaths on April 4

    • 397 – Ambrose, Roman archbishop and saint (b. 338)
    • 636 – Isidore of Seville, Spanish archbishop and saint (b. 560)
    • 814 – Plato of Sakkoudion, Byzantine monk and saint (b. 735)
    • 896 – Formosus, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 816)
    • 911 – Liu Yin, Chinese warlord and governor (b. 874)
    • 931 – Kong Xun, Chinese official and governor (b. 884)
    • 968 – Abu Firas al-Hamdani, Arab prince and poet (b. 932)
    • 991 – Reginold, bishop of Eichstätt
    • 1284 – Alfonso X, king of Castile and León (b. 1221)
    • 1292 – Nicholas IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1227)
    • 1406 – Robert III, king of Scotland (b.1337)
    • 1483 – Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex (b. c. 1405)
    • 1536 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b. 1460)
    • 1538 – Elena Glinskaya, Grand Princess and regent of Russia
    • 1588 – Frederick II, king of Denmark and Norway (b. 1534)
    • 1596 – Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (b. 1533)
    • 1609 – Carolus Clusius, Flemish botanist, mycologist, and academic (b. 1526)
    • 1617 – John Napier, Scottish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1550)
    • 1643 – Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian and academic (b. 1583)
    • 1661 – Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, Scottish field marshal (b. 1580)
    • 1743 – Daniel Neal, English historian and author (b. 1678)
    • 1761 – Théodore Gardelle, Swiss painter (b. 1722)
    • 1766 – John Taylor, English librarian and scholar (b. 1704)
    • 1774 – Oliver Goldsmith, Irish novelist, playwright and poet (b. 1728)
    • 1792 – James Sykes, American lawyer and politician (b. 1725)
    • 1807 – Jérôme Lalande, French astronomer and academic (b. 1732)
    • 1817 – André Masséna, French general (b. 1758)
    • 1841 – William Henry Harrison, American general and politician, 9th President of the United States (b. 1773)
    • 1846 – Solomon Sibley, American lawyer and politician, 1st Mayor of Detroit (b. 1769)
    • 1861 – John McLean, American jurist and politician, 6th United States Postmaster General (b. 1785)
    • 1863 – Ludwig Emil Grimm, German painter and engraver (b. 1790)
    • 1864 – Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American commander and paleontologist (b. 1808)
    • 1870 – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (b. 1802)
    • 1874 – Charles Ernest Beulé, French archaeologist and politician (b. 1826)
    • 1875 – Karl Mauch, German geographer and explorer (b. 1837)
    • 1878 – Richard M. Brewer, American criminal (b. 1850)
    • 1879 – Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, German physicist and meteorologist (b. 1803)
    • 1883 – Peter Cooper, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Cooper Union (b. 1791)
    • 1890 – Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Quebec (b. 1820)
    • 1890 – Edmond Hébert, French geologist and academic (b. 1812)
    • 1912 – Charles Brantley Aycock, American lawyer and politician, 50th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1859)
    • 1912 – Isaac K. Funk, American minister, lexicographer, and publisher, co-founded Funk & Wagnalls (b. 1839)
    • 1919 – William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (b. 1832)
    • 1919 – Francisco Marto, Portuguese saint (b. 1908)
    • 1923 – John Venn, English mathematician and philosopher, created the Venn diagram (b. 1834)
    • 1929 – Karl Benz, German engineer and businessman, founded Mercedes-Benz (b. 1844)
    • 1931 – André Michelin, French businessman, co-founded the Michelin Tyre Company (b. 1853)
    • 1932 – Wilhelm Ostwald, Latvian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1853)
    • 1933 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author and educator (b. 1842)
    • 1941 – Emine Nazikedâ Kadınefendi, the first wife and chief consort of Sultan Mehmed VI (b. 1866)
    • 1944 – Morris H. Whitehouse, American architect (b. 1878)[14]
    • 1951 – George Albert Smith, American religious leader, 8th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1870)
    • 1953 – Carol II of Romania (b. 1893)
    • 1957 – E. Herbert Norman, Canadian historian and diplomat (b. 1909)
    • 1958 – Johnny Stompanato, American soldier and bodyguard (b. 1925)
    • 1961 – Harald Riipalu, Estonian military commander (b. 1912)
    • 1961 – Simion Stoilow, Romanian mathematician and academic (b. 1873)
    • 1967 – Al Lewis, American songwriter (b. 1901)
    • 1967 – Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan footballer and manager (b. 1898)
    • 1968 – Martin Luther King Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (assassinated)(b. 1929)
    • 1972 – Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., American pastor and politician (b. 1908)
    • 1972 – Stefan Wolpe, German-American composer and academic (b. 1902)
    • 1976 – Harry Nyquist, Swedish engineer and theorist (b. 1889)
    • 1977 – Andrey Dikiy, Ukrainian-American journalist, historian, and politician (b. 1893)
    • 1979 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th President of Pakistan (b. 1928)
    • 1979 – Edgar Buchanan, American actor (b. 1903)
    • 1980 – Red Sovine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1917)
    • 1983 – Gloria Swanson, American actress (b. 1899)
    • 1983 – Bernard Vukas, Croatian football player, played for 1953 FIFA’s “Rest of the World” team against England at Wembley (b. 1927)
    • 1984 – Oleg Antonov, Russian-Ukrainian engineer and businessman, founded Antonov (b. 1906)
    • 1985 – Kate Roberts, Welsh author and activist (b. 1891)
    • 1987 – C. L. Moore, American author and academic (b. 1911)
    • 1987 – Chögyam Trungpa, Tibetan guru, poet, and scholar (b. 1939)
    • 1987 – Sachchidananda Vatsyayan, Indian journalist and author (b. 1911)
    • 1991 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (b. 1920)
    • 1991 – Max Frisch, Swiss playwright and novelist (b. 1911)
    • 1991 – H. John Heinz III, American soldier and politician (b. 1938)
    • 1991 – Graham Ingels, American illustrator (b. 1915)
    • 1992 – Yvette Brind’Amour, Canadian actress and director (b. 1918)
    • 1992 – Jack Hamilton, Australian footballer (b. 1928)
    • 1992 – Arthur Russell, American singer-songwriter and cellist (b. 1951)
    • 1993 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American game designer, invented Scrabble (b. 1899)
    • 1993 – Douglas Leopold, Canadian radio and television host (b. 1947)
    • 1995 – Kenny Everett, English radio and television host (b. 1944)
    • 1995 – Priscilla Lane, American actress (b. 1915)
    • 1996 – Barney Ewell, American runner and long jumper (b. 1918)
    • 1996 – Boone Guyton, American lieutenant and pilot (b. 1913)
    • 1997 – Leo Picard, German-Israeli geologist and academic (b. 1900)
    • 1997 – Alparslan Türkeş, Turkish colonel and politician, 39th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1917)
    • 1999 – Lucille Lortel, American actress, artistic director and producer (b. 1900)
    • 1999 – Early Wynn, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1920)
    • 2001 – Liisi Oterma, Finnish astronomer (b. 1915)
    • 2001 – Ed Roth, American illustrator and engineer (b. 1932)
    • 2001 – Maury Van Vliet, American-Canadian academic (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (b. 1916)
    • 2004 – Briek Schotte, Belgian cyclist and coach (b. 1919)
    • 2005 – Edward Bronfman, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1924)
    • 2007 – Bob Clark, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1941)
    • 2007 – Karen Spärck Jones, English computer scientist and academic (b. 1935)
    • 2008 – Francis Tucker, South African race car driver (b. 1923)
    • 2009 – Maxine Cooper, American actress, activist and photographer (b. 1924)
    • 2011 – Scott Columbus, American drummer (b. 1956)
    • 2011 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, and activist (b. 1958)
    • 2012 – A. Dean Byrd, American psychologist and academic (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Anne Karin Elstad, Norwegian author and educator (b. 1938)
    • 2012 – Claude Miller, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Dubravko Pavličić, Croatian footballer (b. 1967)
    • 2012 – Roberto Rexach Benítez, American-Puerto Rican academic and politician, 10th President of the Senate of Puerto Rico (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Bengt Blomgren, Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Roger Ebert, American journalist, critic, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
    • 2013 – Carmine Infantino, American illustrator (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Ian Walsh, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Noboru Yamaguchi, Japanese author (b. 1972)
    • 2014 – İsmet Atlı, Turkish wrestler and trainer (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Wayne Henderson, American trombonist and producer (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Kumba Ialá, Bissau-Guinean soldier and politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1953)
    • 2014 – Margo MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Curtis Bill Pepper, American journalist and author (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Muhammad Qutb, Egyptian author and academic (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – Jamaluddin Jarjis, Malaysian engineer and politician (b. 1951)
    • 2015 – Elmer Lach, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – Donald N. Levine, American sociologist and academic (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Klaus Rifbjerg, Danish author and poet (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Chus Lampreave, Spanish actress (b. 1930)

    Holidays and observances on April 4

    • Children’s Day (Hong Kong, Taiwan)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Benedict the Moor
      • Gaetano Catanoso
      • Isidore of Seville
      • Martin Luther King Jr. (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Reginald Heber (Anglican Church of Canada)
      • Tigernach of Clones
      • April 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Senegal from France (1960).
    • Peace Day (Angola)[15]
    • One of the possible days for Qingming Festival.

  • March 17- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
    • 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eighteen, following the death of his father, Marcus Aurelius.
    • 455 – Petronius Maximus becomes, with support of the Roman Senate, emperor of the Western Roman Empire; he forces Licinia Eudoxia, the widow of his predecessor, Valentinian III, to marry him.
    • 1001 – The Raja of Butuan in what is now the Philippines sends a tributary mission to the Song dynasty.
    • 1337 – Edward, the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy in England.
    • 1452 – The Battle of Los Alporchones is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the Emirate of Granada and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Castile and Murcia resulting in a Christian victory.
    • 1560 – Fort Coligny on Villegagnon Island in Rio de Janeiro is attacked and destroyed during the Portuguese campaign against France Antarctique.
    • 1677 – The Siege of Valenciennes, during the Franco-Dutch War, ends with France’s taking of the city.
    • 1776 – American Revolution: The British Army evacuates Boston, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.
    • 1780 – American Revolution: George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday “as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence”.
    • 1805 – The Italian Republic, with Napoleon as president, becomes the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon as King of Italy.
    • 1824 – The Anglo-Dutch Treaty is signed in London, dividing the Malay archipelago. As a result, the Malay Peninsula is dominated by the British, while Sumatra and Java and surrounding areas are dominated by the Dutch.
    • 1842 – The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is formed.
    • 1852 – Annibale De Gasparis discovers in Naples the asteroid Psyche from the north dome of the Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte
    • 1860 – The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase of the New Zealand Wars.
    • 1861 – The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed.
    • 1891 – SS Utopia collides with HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar and sinks, killing 562 of the 880 passengers on board.
    • 1921 – The Second Polish Republic adopts the March Constitution.
    • 1939 – Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanchang between the Kuomintang and Japan begins.
    • 1941 – In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • 1942 – Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lvov Ghetto are gassed at the Belzec death camp in what is today eastern Poland.
    • 1945 – The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, ten days after its capture.
    • 1947 – First flight of the B-45 Tornado strategic bomber.
    • 1948 – Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO.
    • 1950 – Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name “californium”.
    • 1957 – A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
    • 1958 – The United States launches the first solar-powered satellite.
    • 1960 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
    • 1963 – Mount Agung erupted on Bali killing more than 1,100 people.
    • 1966 – Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.
    • 1968 – As a result of nerve gas testing by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps in Skull Valley, Utah, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.
    • 1969 – Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
    • 1973 – The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
    • 1979 – The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers.
    • 1985 – Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the “Night Stalker”, commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.
    • 1988 – A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.
    • 1988 – Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.
    • 1992 – Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires: Car bomb attack kills 29 and injures 242.
    • 1992 – A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.
    • 2000 – Five hundred and thirty members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult. Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead.
    • 2003 – Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
    • 2004 – Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed.

    Births on March 17

    • 763 – Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (d. 809)
    • 1231 – Emperor Shijō of Japan (d. 1242)
    • 1473 – James IV of Scotland (d. 1513)
    • 1523 – Giovanni Francesco Commendone, Catholic cardinal (d. 1584)
    • 1537 – Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japanese daimyō (d. 1598)
    • 1611 – Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge, Swedish field marshal (d. 1662)
    • 1665 – Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, French harpsichord player and composer (d. 1729)
    • 1676 – Thomas Boston, Scottish philosopher and theologian (d. 1732)
    • 1686 – Jean-Baptiste Oudry, French painter and engraver (d. 1755)
    • 1725 – Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-American general and politician (d. 1806)
    • 1777 – Patrick Brontë, Irish-English priest and author (d. 1861)
    • 1777 – Roger B. Taney, American politician and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1864)
    • 1780 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister, economist, and educator (d. 1847)
    • 1781 – Ebenezer Elliott, English poet and educator (d. 1849)
    • 1804 – Jim Bridger, American fur trader and explorer (d. 1881)
    • 1806 – Norbert Rillieux, African American inventor and chemical engineer (d. 1894)
    • 1820 – Jean Ingelow, English poet and author (d. 1897)
    • 1834 – Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and businessman, co-founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (d. 1900)
    • 1839 – Josef Rheinberger, Liechtensteiner-German organist and composer (d. 1901)
    • 1846 – Kate Greenaway, English author and illustrator (d. 1901)
    • 1849 – Charles F. Brush, American businessman and philanthropist, co-invented the Arc lamp (d. 1929)
    • 1849 – Cornelia Clapp, American marine biologist (d. 1934)
    • 1856 – Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d. 1910)
    • 1862 – Silvio Gesell, Belgian merchant and economist (d. 1930)
    • 1864 – Joseph Baptista, Indian engineer, lawyer, and politician (d. 1930)
    • 1866 – Pierce Butler, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1939)
    • 1867 – Patrice Contamine de Latour, Spanish poet (d. 1926)
    • 1877 – Edith New, British militant suffragette (d. 1951)
    • 1877 – Otto Gross, Austrian-German psychoanalyst and philosopher (d. 1920)
    • 1880 – Patrick Hastings, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1952)
    • 1880 – Lawrence Oates, English lieutenant and explorer (d. 1912)
    • 1881 – Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
    • 1884 – Alcide Nunez, American clarinet player (d. 1934)
    • 1885 – Ralph Rose, American track and field athlete (d. 1913)
    • 1886 – Princess Patricia of Connaught (d. 1974)
    • 1888 – Paul Ramadier, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1961)
    • 1889 – Harry Clarke, Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator (d. 1931)
    • 1891 – Ross McLarty, Australian politician, 17th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1962)
    • 1892 – Sayed Darwish, Egyptian singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1923)
    • 1894 – Paul Green, American playwright and academic (d. 1981)
    • 1895 – Lloyd Rees, Australian painter (d. 1988)
    • 1901 – Alfred Newman, American composer and conductor (d. 1970)
    • 1902 – Bobby Jones, American golfer and lawyer (d. 1971)
    • 1904 – Chaim Gross, Austrian-American sculptor and educator (d. 1991)
    • 1906 – Brigitte Helm, German-Swiss actress (d. 1996)
    • 1907 – Jean Van Houtte, Belgian academic and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1991)
    • 1907 – Takeo Miki, Japanese politician, 41st Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1988)
    • 1910 – Sonny Werblin, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1991)
    • 1912 – Bayard Rustin, American activist (d. 1987)
    • 1914 – Sammy Baugh, American football player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1915 – Robert S. Arbib Jr., American ornithologist, writer and conservationist (d. 1987)
    • 1915 – Ray Ellington, English drummer and bandleader (d. 1985)
    • 1915 – Bill Roycroft, Australian equestrian rider (d. 2011)
    • 1919 – Nat King Cole, American singer, pianist, and television host (d. 1965)
    • 1920 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (d. 1975)
    • 1921 – Meir Amit, Israeli general and politician, 12th Israeli Minister of Communications (d. 2009)
    • 1922 – Patrick Suppes, American psychologist and philosopher (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian actor (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – Siegfried Lenz, Polish-German author and playwright (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Betty Allen, American soprano and educator (d. 2009)
    • 1928 – William John McKeag, Canadian businessman and politician, 17th Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Paul Horn, American-Canadian flute player and saxophonist (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – James Irwin, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1991)
    • 1931 – Patricia Breslin, American actress (d. 2011)
    • 1931 – David Peakall, English-American chemist and toxicologist (d. 2001)
    • 1933 – Myrlie Evers-Williams, American journalist and activist
    • 1933 – Penelope Lively, English author
    • 1935 – Fred T. Mackenzie, American biologist and academic
    • 1935 – Adam Wade, American singer, drummer, and actor
    • 1936 – Ida Kleijnen, Dutch chef (d. 2019)
    • 1936 – Ladislav Kupkovič, Slovakian composer and conductor (d. 2016)
    • 1936 – Ken Mattingly, American admiral, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1937 – Galina Samsova, Russian ballerina
    • 1938 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-French dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)
    • 1938 – Keith O’Brien, Northern Ireland-born Scottish cleric, theologian, and cardinal (d. 2018)
    • 1938 – Zola Taylor, American singer (d. 2007)
    • 1939 – Jim Gary, American sculptor (d. 2006)
    • 1939 – Bill Graham, Canadian academic and politician, 4th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1939 – Robin Knox-Johnston, English sailor and first person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe
    • 1939 – Giovanni Trapattoni, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1940 – Mark White, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Texas (d. 2017)
    • 1941 – Wang Jin-pyng, Taiwanese soldier and politician
    • 1941 – Paul Kantner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
    • 1941 – Max Stafford-Clark, English director and academic
    • 1942 – John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer and rapist (d. 1994)
    • 1943 – Jeff Banks, Welsh fashion designer
    • 1943 – Andrew Brook, Canadian philosopher, author, and academic
    • 1944 – Pattie Boyd, English model, author, and photographer
    • 1944 – Cito Gaston, American baseball player and manager
    • 1944 – John Sebastian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1945 – Michael Hayden, American general, 20th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
    • 1947 – Dennis Bond, English footballer, midfielder
    • 1947 – Yury Chernavsky, Russian-American songwriter and producer
    • 1948 – William Gibson, American-Canadian author and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Alex MacDonald, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1949 – Patrick Duffy, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1949 – Pat Rice, Irish footballer and coach
    • 1949 – Stuart Rose, English businessman
    • 1951 – Scott Gorham, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Craig Ramsay, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1951 – Kurt Russell, American actor and producer
    • 1952 – Barry Horne, English activist (d. 2001)
    • 1953 – Filemon Lagman, Filipino activist (d. 2001)
    • 1953 – Chuck Muncie, American football player (d. 2013)
    • 1954 – Lesley-Anne Down, English actress
    • 1955 – Cynthia McKinney, American activist and politician
    • 1955 – Paul Overstreet, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1955 – Gary Sinise, American actor, director, and bass player
    • 1956 – Patrick McDonnell, American author and illustrator
    • 1956 – Rory McGrath, British comedian, television personality, and writer
    • 1957 – Michael Kelly, American journalist and author (d. 2003)
    • 1958 – Christian Clemenson, American actor
    • 1959 – Danny Ainge, American baseball and basketball player
    • 1959 – Paul Black, American singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1960 – Arye Gross, American actor
    • 1960 – Vicki Lewis, American actress and singer
    • 1961 – Sam Bowie, American basketball player
    • 1961 – Dana Reeve, American actress, singer, and activist (d. 2006)
    • 1961 – Casey Siemaszko, American actor
    • 1962 – Carsten Almqvist, Swedish business executive
    • 1962 – Ank Bijleveld, Dutch politician
    • 1962 – Janet Gardner, American singer and guitarist
    • 1962 – Clare Grogan, Scottish singer and actress
    • 1962 – Rob Sitch, Australian actor, director, and producer
    • 1963 – Roger Harper, Guyanese cricketer and coach
    • 1964 – Stefano Borgonovo, Italian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1964 – Lee Dixon, English footballer and journalist
    • 1964 – Rob Lowe, American actor and producer
    • 1964 – Jacques Songo’o, Cameroonian footballer and coach
    • 1965 – Andrew Hudson, South African cricketer
    • 1966 – Andrew Rosindell, English journalist and politician
    • 1967 – Jason Alchin, Australian rugby league player
    • 1967 – Billy Corgan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and producer
    • 1967 – Barry Minkow, American pastor and businessman
    • 1968 – Eri Nitta, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1968 – Mathew St. Patrick, American actor and producer
    • 1969 – Edgar Grospiron, French skier
    • 1969 – Alexander McQueen, English fashion designer, founded own eponymous brand (d. 2010)
    • 1970 – Patrick Lebeau, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1970 – Gene Ween, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1971 – Bill Mueller, American baseball player and coach
    • 1972 – Melissa Auf der Maur, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1972 – Torquil Campbell, English-Canadian singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1972 – Mia Hamm, American soccer player
    • 1973 – Rico Blanco, Filipino singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
    • 1973 – Caroline Corr, Irish singer and drummer
    • 1973 – Vance Wilson, American baseball player and manager
    • 1974 – Mark Dolan, English comedian and television host
    • 1975 – Justin Hawkins, English singer-songwriter
    • 1975 – Puneeth Rajkumar, Indian actor, singer, and producer
    • 1975 – Test, Canadian-American wrestler (d. 2009)
    • 1975 – Natalie Zea, American actress
    • 1976 – Scott Downs, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Stephen Gately, Irish singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2009)
    • 1976 – Álvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1977 – Tamar Braxton, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1978 – Zachery Kouwe, American journalist
    • 1979 – Stormy Daniels, born Stephanie Gregory, American adult film actress
    • 1979 – Andrew Ference, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Stephen Kramer Glickman, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and fashion designer
    • 1979 – Samoa Joe, American professional wrestler
    • 1980 – Danny Califf, American soccer player
    • 1980 – Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, Pakistani tennis player
    • 1981 – Aaron Baddeley, American-Australian golfer
    • 1981 – Servet Çetin, Turkish footballer
    • 1981 – Kyle Korver, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Nicky Jam, American-Puerto-Rican singer and songwriter
    • 1982 – Steven Pienaar, South African footballer
    • 1983 – James Heath, English golfer
    • 1983 – Raul Meireles, Portuguese footballer
    • 1983 – Attila Vajda, Hungarian sprint canoeist
    • 1984 – Ryan Rottman, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1985 – Tuğba Karademir, Turkish-Canadian figure skater
    • 1986 – Chris Davis, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Edin Džeko, Bosnian footballer
    • 1986 – Miles Kane, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1986 – Silke Spiegelburg, German pole vaulter
    • 1987 – Federico Fazio, Argentinian international footballer, centre backland rugby league player
    • 1987 – Ryan Parent, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Bobby Ryan, American ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Emmanuel Sanders, American football player
    • 1988 – Rasmus Elm, Swedish footballer
    • 1988 – Fraser Forster, English footballer
    • 1988 – Grimes, Canadian artist, musician and music video director
    • 1988 – Ryan White, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Shinji Kagawa, Japanese footballer
    • 1990 – Hozier, Irish singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1990 – Saina Nehwal, Indian badminton player
    • 1991 – Jack De Belin, Australian rugby league player
    • 1992 – Patrick Cantlay, American golfer
    • 1992 – John Boyega, English actor
    • 1993 – Matteo Bianchetti, Italian footballer
    • 1994 – Dean Britt, Australian rugby league player
    • 1995 – Ashley Taylor, Australian rugby league player
    • 1997 – Katie Ledecky, American swimmer

    Deaths on March 17

    • 45 BC – Titus Labienus, Roman general (b. 100 BC)
    • 45 BC – Publius Attius Varus, Roman governor of Africa
    • 180 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (b. 121)
    • 624 – Amr ibn Hishām, Arab polytheist
    • 659 – Gertrude of Nivelles, Frankish abbess
    • 836 – Haito, bishop of Basel
    • 905 – Li Yu, Prince of De, prince and emperor of the Tang Dynasty
    • 1008 – Kazan, emperor of Japan (b. 968)
    • 1040 – Harold Harefoot, king of England
    • 1058 – Lulach, king of Scotland
    • 1199 – Jocelin of Glasgow, Scottish monk and bishop (b. 1130)
    • 1267 – Pierre de Montreuil, French architect
    • 1270 – Philip of Montfort, French knight and nobleman
    • 1272 – Go-Saga, emperor of Japan (b. 1220)
    • 1361 – An-Nasir Hasan, Mamluk sultan of Egypt
    • 1394 – Louis of Enghien, French nobleman
    • 1406 – Ibn Khaldun, Tunisian sociologist, historian, and scholar (b. 1332)
    • 1425 – Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shōgun (b. 1407)
    • 1516 – Giuliano de’ Medici, Italian nobleman (b. 1479)
    • 1527 – Rana Sanga, Indian ruler (b. 1482)
    • 1565 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian and academic (b. 1500)
    • 1611 – Sophia of Sweden, duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1547)
    • 1620 – John Sarkander, Polish-Moravian priest and saint (b. 1576)
    • 1640 – Philip Massinger, English playwright (b. 1583)
    • 1649 – Gabriel Lalemant, French missionary and saint (b. 1610)
    • 1663 – Jerome Weston, 2nd Earl of Portland, English diplomat (b. 1605)
    • 1680 – François de La Rochefoucauld, French author (b. 1613)
    • 1704 – Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch soldier and engineer (b. 1641)
    • 1715 – Gilbert Burnet, Scottish bishop and historian (b. 1643)
    • 1741 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet and playwright (b. 1671)
    • 1764 – George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, English astronomer and politician (b. 1695)
    • 1782 – Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-Swiss mathematician and physicist (b. 1700)
    • 1828 – James Edward Smith, English botanist and entomologist (b. 1759)
    • 1829 – Sophia Albertina, princess-abbess of Quedlinburg (b. 1753)
    • 1830 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician (b. 1764)
    • 1846 – Friedrich Bessel, German astronomer, mathematician, and physicist (b. 1784)
    • 1849 – William II, Dutch sovereign prince and king (b. 1792)
    • 1853 – Christian Doppler, Austrian physicist and mathematician (b. 1803)
    • 1871 – Robert Chambers, Scottish geologist and publisher, co-founded Chambers Harrap (b. 1802)
    • 1875 – Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist and composer (b. 1832)
    • 1893 – Jules Ferry, French lawyer and politician, 44th Prime Minister of France (b. 1832)
    • 1917 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1838)
    • 1926 – Aleksei Brusilov, Georgian-Russian general (b. 1853)
    • 1937 – Austen Chamberlain, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1863)
    • 1940 – Philomène Belliveau, Canadian artist (b. 1854)
    • 1946 – Dai Li, Chinese general (b. 1897)
    • 1949 – Aleksandra Ekster, Russian-French painter and set designer (b. 1882)
    • 1956 – Fred Allen, American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and author (b. 1894)
    • 1956 – Irène Joliot-Curie, French physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
    • 1957 – Ramon Magsaysay, Filipino captain and politician, 7th President of the Philippines (b. 1907)
    • 1958 – John Pius Boland, Irish tennis player and politician (b. 1870)
    • 1958 – Bertha De Vriese, Belgian physician (b. 1877)
    • 1961 – Susanna M. Salter, American activist and politician (b. 1860)
    • 1965 – Amos Alonzo Stagg, American football player and coach (b. 1862)
    • 1974 – Louis Kahn, American architect and academic, designed Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban (b. 1901)
    • 1976 – Luchino Visconti, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1906)
    • 1981 – Paul Dean, American baseball player (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1983 – Louisa E. Rhine, American botanist and parapsychologist (b. 1891)
    • 1986 – Clarence D. Lester, African-American fighter pilot (b.1923)
    • 1990 – Capucine, French model and actress (b. 1928)
    • 1992 – Grace Stafford, American actress (b. 1903)
    • 1993 – Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)
    • 1994 – Mai Zetterling, Swedish-English actress and director (b. 1925)
    • 1996 – René Clément, French director and screenwriter (b. 1913)
    • 1996 – Terry Stafford, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
    • 1997 – Jermaine Stewart, American singer-songwriter and dancer (b. 1957)
    • 1999 – Ernest Gold, Austrian-American composer (b. 1921)
    • 1999 – Jean Pierre-Bloch, French activist (b. 1905)
    • 2002 – Rosetta LeNoire, American actress and producer (b. 1911)
    • 2002 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, American television broadcaster and producer (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Royce Frith, Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat, Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (b. 1923)
    • 2005 – George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (b. 1904)
    • 2005 – Andre Norton, American author (b. 1912)
    • 2006 – Oleg Cassini, French-American fashion designer (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Ray Meyer, American basketball player and coach (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – İstemihan Taviloğlu, Turkish composer and educator (b. 1945)
    • 2007 – John Backus, American mathematician and computer scientist, designed Fortran (b. 1924)
    • 2007 – Roger Bennett, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1959)
    • 2008 – Roland Arnall, French-American businessman and diplomat, 63rd United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (b. 1939)
    • 2009 – Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian television host and politician (b. 1937)
    • 2010 – Alex Chilton, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1950)
    • 2010 – Sid Fleischman, American author and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Michael Gough, English actor (b. 1916)
    • 2011 – Ferlin Husky, American country music singer (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Shenouda III, pope of Alexandria (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Margaret Whitlam, Australian swimmer and author (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – William B. Caldwell III, American general (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Lawrence Fuchs, American scholar and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – A.B.C. Whipple, American journalist and historian (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Marek Galiński, Polish cyclist (b. 1974)
    • 2014 – Joseph Kerman, American musicologist and critic (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Rachel Lambert Mellon, American gardener, philanthropist, art collector and political patron (b. 1910)
    • 2015 – Frank Perris, Canadian motorcycle racer (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Meir Dagan, Israeli general (b. 1945)
    • 2016 – Zoltán Kamondi, Hungarian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1960)
    • 2018 – Mike MacDonald, Canadian comedian (b. 1954)
    • 2018 – Phan Văn Khải, the fifth Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1933)

    Holidays and observances on March 17

    • Children’s Day (Bangladesh)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Alexius of Rome (Eastern Church)
      • Gertrude of Nivelles
      • John Sarkander
      • Joseph of Arimathea (Western Church)
      • Patrick of Ireland
      • March 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, Massachusetts)
    • Saint Patrick’s Day, a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, widely celebrated in the English-speaking world and to a lesser degree in other parts of the world.

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

    • 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
    • 1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Karuse.
    • 1630 – Dutch forces led by Hendrick Lonck capture Olinda in what was to become part of Dutch Brazil.
    • 1646 – Battle of Torrington, Devon: The last major battle of the first English Civil War.
    • 1699 – First Leopoldine Diploma is issued by the Holy Roman Emperor, recognizing the Greek Catholic clergy enjoyed the same privileges as Roman Catholic priests in the Principality of Transylvania.
    • 1742 – Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
    • 1796 – Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) falls to the British, completing their invasion of Ceylon.
    • 1804 – First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
    • 1866 – Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
    • 1881 – The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa (44th Vic., c.1).
    • 1899 – Iceland’s first football club, Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, is founded.
    • 1918 – The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
    • 1923 – Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
    • 1930 – The Romanian Football Federation joins FIFA.
    • 1934 – The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund.
    • 1936 – The Popular Front wins the 1936 Spanish general election.
    • 1937 – Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon.
    • 1940 – World War II: Altmark incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
    • 1943 – World War II: In the early phases of the Third Battle of Kharkov, Red Army troops re-enter the city.
    • 1945 – World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
    • 1959 – Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
    • 1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
    • 1961 – Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
    • 1962 – Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
    • 1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
    • 1978 – The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago).
    • 1983 – The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
    • 1985 – Hezbollah is founded.
    • 1986 – The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
    • 1986 – China Airlines Flight 2265 crashes into the Pacific Ocean near Penghu Airport in Taiwan, killing all 13 aboard.
    • 1991 – Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua.
    • 1996 – A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people.
    • 1998 – China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a road and residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, killing all 196 aboard and seven more on the ground.
    • 2005 – The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
    • 2005 – The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004–05 regular season and playoffs.
    • 2006 – The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
    • 2013 – A bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan kills more than 80 people and injures 190 others.

    Births on February 16

    • 1222 – Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism (d. 1282)
    • 1304 – Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür, Chinese emperor (d. 1332)
    • 1331 – Coluccio Salutati, Italian political leader (d. 1406)
    • 1419 – John I, Duke of Cleves (d. 1481)
    • 1470 – Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1540)
    • 1471 – Krishnadevaraya, emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire (d. 1529)
    • 1497 – Philip Melanchthon, German astronomer, theologian, and academic (d. 1560)
    • 1514 – Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian cartographer and instrument maker (d. 1574)
    • 1519 – Gaspard II de Coligny, French admiral (d. 1572)
    • 1543 – Kanō Eitoku, Japanese painter and educator (d. 1590)
    • 1620 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1688)
    • 1643 – John Sharp, English archbishop (d. 1714)
    • 1698 – Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (d. 1758)
    • 1727 – Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian botanist, chemist, and mycologist (d. 1817)
    • 1740 – Giambattista Bodoni, Italian publisher and engraver (d. 1813)
    • 1761 – Jean-Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804)
    • 1774 – Pierre Rode, French violinist and composer (d. 1830)
    • 1786 – Maria Pavlovna, Russian Grand Duchess (d. 1859)
    • 1802 – Phineas Quimby, American mystic and philosopher (d. 1866)
    • 1804 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (d. 1885)
    • 1812 – Henry Wilson, American colonel and politician, 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
    • 1821 – Heinrich Barth, German explorer and scholar (d. 1865)
    • 1822 – Francis Galton, English biologist and statistician (d. 1911)
    • 1824 – Peter Kosler, Slovenian lawyer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1879)
    • 1826 – Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet and author (d. 1886)
    • 1830 – Lars Hertervig, Norwegian painter (d. 1902)
    • 1831 – Nikolai Leskov, Russian author, playwright, and journalist (d. 1895)
    • 1834 – Ernst Haeckel, German biologist, physician, and philosopher (d. 1919)
    • 1838 – Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and author (d. 1918)
    • 1841 – Armand Guillaumin, French painter (d. 1927)
    • 1843 – Henry M. Leland, American engineer and businessman, founded Cadillac and Lincoln (d. 1932)
    • 1845 – George Kennan, American journalist and explorer (d. 1924)
    • 1848 – Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist, geneticist, and academic (d. 1935)
    • 1848 – Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright (d. 1917)
    • 1856 – Ossian Everett Mills, American academic, founded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (d. 1920)
    • 1866 – Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager (d. 1940)
    • 1868 – Edward S. Curtis, American ethnologist and photographer (d. 1952)
    • 1873 – Radoje Domanović, Serbian journalist and author (d. 1908)
    • 1876 – G. M. Trevelyan, English historian and academic (d. 1962)
    • 1878 – Pamela Colman Smith, English occultist and illustrator (d. 1951)
    • 1878 – James Colosimo, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1920)
    • 1884 – Robert J. Flaherty, German-Irish American director and producer (d. 1951)
    • 1886 – Andy Ducat, English international footballer (forward and manager) and Cricketer (d. 1942)
    • 1887 – Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962)
    • 1891 – Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist and academic (d. 1968)
    • 1893 – Katharine Cornell, American actress and producer (d. 1974)
    • 1896 – Eugénie Blanchard, French super-centenarian (d. 2010)
    • 1901 – Wayne King, American singer-songwriter and conductor (d. 1985)
    • 1901 – Chester Morris, American actor (d. 1970)
    • 1902 – Cyril Vincent, South African cricketer (d. 1968)
    • 1903 – Edgar Bergen, Swedish-American ventriloquist and actor (d. 1978)
    • 1904 – James Baskett, African-American actor and singer (d. 1948)
    • 1904 – George F. Kennan, Scotch-Irish American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (d. 2005)
    • 1905 – Henrietta Barnett, British Women’s Royal Air Force officer (d. 1985)
    • 1906 – Vera Menchik, British-Czechoslovak-Russian chess player (d. 1944)
    • 1909 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor and director (d. 1982)
    • 1909 – Richard McDonald, Irish-American businessman, co-founded McDonald’s (d. 1998)
    • 1914 – Jimmy Wakely, American country music singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1982)
    • 1916 – Bill Doggett, African-American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1919 – Georges Ulmer, Danish-French actor and composer (d. 1989)
    • 1920 – Anna Mae Hays, American general (d. 2018)
    • 1921 – Vera-Ellen, German-American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1981)
    • 1921 – Jean Behra, French race car driver (d. 1959)
    • 1921 – John Galbraith Graham, English priest and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German soldier and pilot (d. 1950)
    • 1923 – Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Margot Frank, German-Dutch holocaust victim (d. 1945)
    • 1926 – John Schlesinger, English actor and director (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – June Brown, English actress
    • 1929 – Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer and architect (d. 1980)
    • 1929 – Peter Porter, Australian-English poet and educator (d. 2010)
    • 1931 – Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2002)
    • 1931 – Ken Takakura, Japanese actor and singer (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – August Coppola, American author and academic (d. 2009)
    • 1934 – Marlene Hagge, American golfer
    • 1935 – Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (d. 2016)
    • 1935 – Sonny Bono, American actor, singer, and politician (d. 1998)
    • 1935 – Stephen Gaskin, American activist, co-founded The Farm (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Bradford Parkinson, American colonel and engineer
    • 1935 – Kenneth Price, American painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
    • 1937 – Paul Bailey, British novelist, critic, and biographer
    • 1937 – Yuri Manin, Russian-German mathematician and academic
    • 1938 – John Corigliano, American composer and academic
    • 1939 – Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino lawyer and judge
    • 1940 – Hannelore Schmatz, German mountaineer (d. 1979)
    • 1941 – Kim Jong-il, North Korean commander and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of North Korea (d. 2011)
    • 1942 – Richard Williams, American tennis player and coach
    • 1944 – Glyn Davies, Welsh farmer and politician
    • 1944 – Richard Ford, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1944 – Sigiswald Kuijken, Belgian violinist, violist, and conductor
    • 1944 – António Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cape Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde (d. 2016)
    • 1947 – Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (d. 2020)
    • 1948 – Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1949 – Bob O’Reilly, Australian rugby league player
    • 1950 – Peter Hain, Kenyan-Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1951 – Barry Foote, American baseball player and coach
    • 1952 – William Katt, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Peter Kitchen, English footballer, striker
    • 1952 – James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1953 – John Bradbury, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1953 – Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1953 – Roberta Williams, American video game designer, co-founded Sierra Entertainment
    • 1954 – Iain Banks, Scottish author and playwright (d. 2013)
    • 1954 – Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress (d. 1996)
    • 1954 – Michael Holding, Jamaican cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
    • 1957 – LeVar Burton, German-born American actor, director, and producer
    • 1958 – Natalie Angier, American author
    • 1958 – Ice-T, American rapper and actor
    • 1958 – Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
    • 1958 – Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – John McEnroe, German-American tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1959 – Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Pete Willis, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1961 – Des Hasler, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1961 – Liu Kang, Chinese footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1961 – Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1962 – John Balance, English singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1964 – Bebeto, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1964 – Christopher Eccleston, English actor
    • 1965 – Dave Lombardo, Cuban-American drummer
    • 1967 – Keith Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1968 – Warren Ellis, English author and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Michael Avenatti, American attorney and pundit
    • 1971 – Craig Laundy, Australian politician
    • 1972 – Jerome Bettis, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Zoran Čampara, Bosnian football player
    • 1972 – Sarah Clarke, American actress
    • 1972 – Naomi Nishida, Japanese actress
    • 1972 – Darrell Trindall, Australian rugby league player
    • 1973 – Cathy Freeman, Australian sprinter
    • 1974 – Mahershala Ali, American actor
    • 1974 – José Dominguez, Portuguese international footballer, winger and manager
    • 1976 – Eric Byrnes, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Kyo, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1977 – Ian Clarke, Irish-American computer scientist, founded Freenet
    • 1977 – Ahman Green, American football player
    • 1978 – Tia Hellebaut, Belgian high jumper and chemist
    • 1978 – Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
    • 1978 – John Tartaglia, American actor, singer, and puppeteer
    • 1979 – Stéphane Dalmat, French footballer, midfielder
    • 1979 – Eric Mun, American-South Korean singer and actor
    • 1979 – Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
    • 1980 – Longineu W. Parsons III, French-American drummer
    • 1981 – Jay Howard, English race car driver
    • 1981 – Jerry Owens, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
    • 1982 – Aleksandr Dmitrijev, Estonian footballer
    • 1982 – Rickie Lambert, English footballer
    • 1982 – Lupe Fiasco, American rapper
    • 1983 – Agyness Deyn, English model, actress, and singer
    • 1984 – Sofia Arvidsson, Swedish tennis player
    • 1984 – Oussama Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer
    • 1985 – Simon Francis, English footballer
    • 1985 – Stacy Lewis, American golfer
    • 1985 – Ron Vlaar, Dutch footballer
    • 1986 – Diego Godín, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
    • 1987 – Theresa Goh, Singaporean swimmer
    • 1987 – Hasheem Thabeet, Tanzanian basketball player
    • 1988 – Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
    • 1988 – Zhang Jike, Chinese table tennis player
    • 1988 – Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
    • 1988 – Andrea Ranocchia, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Kim Soo-hyun, South Korean actor and singer
    • 1989 – Elizabeth Olsen, American actress
    • 1990 – Dunamis Lui, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
    • 1990 – The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1991 – Sergio Canales, Spanish footballer
    • 1992 – Nicolai Boilesen, Danish footballer
    • 1992 – Zsófia Susányi, Hungarian tennis player
    • 1994 – Annika Beck, German tennis player
    • 1994 – Federico Bernardeschi, Italian footballer
    • 1994 – Ava Max, American singer and songwriter
    • 1995 – Katy Dunne, English tennis player
    • 1995 – Carina Witthöft, a German tennis player

    Deaths on February 16

    • 549 – Zhu Yi, Chinese general (b. 483)
    • 902 – Mary the Younger, Byzantine saint (b. 875)
    • 1184 – Richard of Dover, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1247 – Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia (b. 1204)
    • 1279 – Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1210)
    • 1281 – Gertrude of Hohenberg, queen consort of Germany (b. c.1225)
    • 1390 – Rupert I, Elector Palatine (b. 1309)
    • 1391 – John V Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1332)
    • 1531 – Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1452)
    • 1560 – Jean du Bellay, French cardinal and diplomat (b. 1493)
    • 1579 – Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, Spanish explorer (b. 1509)
    • 1645 – Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish general and politician, 24th Governor of the Duchy of Milan (b. 1585)
    • 1710 – Esprit Fléchier, French bishop and author (b. 1632)
    • 1721 – James Craggs the Younger, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1686)
    • 1754 – Richard Mead, English physician (b. 1673)
    • 1820 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish general (b. 1758)
    • 1862 – William Pennington American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of New Jersey, 23rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1796)
    • 1898 – Thomas Bracken, Irish-New Zealand journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1843)
    • 1899 – Félix Faure, French merchant and politician, 7th President of France (b. 1841)
    • 1907 – Giosuè Carducci, Italian poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1835)
    • 1912 – Nicholas of Japan, Russian-Japanese monk and saint (b. 1836)
    • 1917 – Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright ( (b. 1848)
    • 1919 – Vera Kholodnaya, Ukrainian actress (b. 1893)
    • 1928 – Eddie Foy Sr., American actor and dancer (b. 1856)
    • 1932 – Ferdinand Buisson, French academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1841)
    • 1932 – Edgar Speyer, American-English financier and philanthropist (b. 1862)
    • 1944 – Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1870)
    • 1957 – Josef Hofmann, Polish-American pianist and composer (b. 1876)
    • 1961 – Dazzy Vance, American baseball player (b. 1891)
    • 1967 – Smiley Burnette, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1911)
    • 1974 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand Rifle(b. 1888)
    • 1975 – Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (b. 1903)
    • 1977 – Janani Luwum, bishop, Church of Uganda, martyr (b. c.1922)
    • 1977 – Rózsa Péter, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1905)
    • 1980 – Erich Hückel, German physicist and chemist (b. 1895)
    • 1984 – M. A. G. Osmani, Bangladeshi general (b. 1918)
    • 1990 – Keith Haring, American painter and activist (b. 1958)
    • 1991 – Enrique Bermúdez, Nicaraguan lieutenant and engineer (b. 1932)
    • 1992 – Angela Carter, English novelist, short story writer (b. 1940)
    • 1992 – Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician, 22nd President of Brazil (b. 1917)
    • 1992 – Herman Wold, Norwegian-Swedish economist and statistician (b. 1908)
    • 1996 – Roberto Aizenberg, Argentinian painter and sculptor (b. 1922)
    • 1996 – Roger Bowen, American actor and author (b. 1932)
    • 1996 – Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (b. 1905)
    • 1996 – Brownie McGhee, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1915)
    • 1997 – Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American physicist and academic (b. 1912)
    • 1998 – Mary Amdur, American toxicologist and public health researcher (b. 1908)
    • 2000 – Marceline Day, American actress (b. 1908)
    • 2000 – Lila Kedrova, Russian-French actress and singer
    • 2000 – Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-American businessman, founded PING (b. 1911)
    • 2001 – Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (b. 1916)
    • 2001 – William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1915)
    • 2002 – Walter Winterbottom, English footballer and manager (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Rusty Magee, American actor and composer (b. 1955)
    • 2004 – Doris Troy, American singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
    • 2006 – Johnny Grunge, American wrestler (b. 1966)
    • 2006 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2009 – Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, South Korean cardinal (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Len Lesser, American actor (b. 1922)
    • 2011 – Justinas Marcinkevičius, Lithuanian poet and playwright (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach (b. 1954)
    • 2012 – Elyse Knox, American model, actress, and fashion designer (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – John Macionis, American swimmer and lieutenant (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Anthony Shadid, American journalist (b. 1968)
    • 2013 – Colin Edwards, Guyanese footballer (b. 1991)
    • 2013 – Grigory Pomerants, Russian philosopher and author (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Tony Sheridan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Ken Farragut, American football player (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Gert Krawinkel, German guitarist (b. 1947)
    • 2014 – Michael Shea, American author (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – Lasse Braun, Algerian-Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – R. R. Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1957)
    • 2015 – Lorena Rojas, Mexican actress and singer (b. 1971)
    • 2016 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian politician and diplomat, 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations (b. 1922)
    • 2019 – Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (b. 1941)

    Holidays and observances on February 16

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abda of Edessa
      • Elias and companions
      • Juliana of Nicomedia (Catholic Church)
      • Onesimus
      • Charles Todd Quintard (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • February 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong-il’s Birthday) (North Korea)
    • Restoration of Lithuania’s Statehood Day, celebrate the independence of Lithuania from Russia and Germany in 1918 (Lithuania)